The D-Rank Guild Master of the No. 1 Guild

“Ugh…”

Once again, I find myself slumped over my desk, clutching my head in frustration.

Akata places a hot cup of mint tea beside me. He presses his fingers into my furrowed brow, trying to ease the tension, and his gaze shifts to the prominently displayed title on the monitor.

[Project: ‘How the Characters are Living After’ Video Plan]

Akata chuckles softly and pats my shoulder.

“It’s about time to work on that project. Got any ideas?”

Ideas? Ideas, huh.

“Filming it is easy. We can use the automatic cams we used in the game. Editing is the problem.”

I’m fine with considering my job akin to a celebrity, but not all the characters will feel the same. Capturing their daily lives touches on their privacy, so we’ll need to get their permission for that.

And there’s the promise I made to everyone during the last round.

“Let’s say we get everyone’s consent for filming. We record everything and then edit later. We’ll end up discarding 90% of the footage. Plus, how do we compile the opinions of 1,999 characters during the editing process?”

After the finale of Rank of Soul Season 1, the characters complained about their screen time and how they were portrayed. If Shemarin and Aleon hadn’t stepped in to calm things down, I might have been pelted with stones.

Akata rests his chin on my head, deep in thought.

Then he lifts my chin and kisses me quickly, skillfully diverting my attention before I can react.

“You don’t need to be so meticulous. We’re not the planning team of Mijon company, you know.”

It’s embarrassing, but Akata knows how to handle me. He knows how to distract me to get the affection he wants and understands that I prefer good ideas over warm comfort.

And he does it all with those distant eyes full of affection.

“Amateurish videos can be fun too. Shaky camera work, planned bloopers – it’ll be entertaining.”

You really are a genius, Akata. A genius of the dark arts.

I had an epiphany. Suddenly, I felt confident.

“Yeah, let’s just shoot it casually.”

Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

“I could be the interviewer, walking around with a camera, getting consent from each character I meet. It’ll have a vlog-like feel.”

If we film something that the characters don’t want to be made public, they can tell us immediately, and we can cut it out during editing.

Since the interview is an artificial situation anyway, the viewers will understand.

“Great, great. Should we start right away?”

The idea took shape immediately.

Leader Rudel becoming the cameraman for impromptu interviews sounded perfect.

Still, it seemed wise to plan a minimal itinerary, so Akata and I put our heads together.

After coming up with a rough plan, we informed the guild leaders first.

With the help of Aleon and Runehan, we announced to all characters that I’d be visiting their homes soon.

(If I delivered the news alone, some would undoubtedly balk at the inconvenience.)

Alright, action!

* * *

The prologue of the video starts with me, the representative of the characters, saying, “Shall we start gathering updates from the players?” as I gather two companions for the interviews.

The camera switches on, showing my hand as it moves out of the room.

“We’re recording, right?”

I muttered to myself, fiddling with the camera to mimic a typical vlog.

“Rudel, where are you going?”

Perfect timing, my first companion appeared.

I pointed the camera at Akata, who stepped out of the room, his long hair tied up in a neat bun.

“For an interview.”

Of course, Akata knew exactly what I was planning with the camera, but the question was part of the script.

Akata moved closer and linked his arm with mine, causing the camera to shake slightly.

“Are the others out?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll have to find them gradually.”

We’ll save the updates on our most popular guild, Agasa, for later.

Kanel, Lilith, and Gio are not at our lodging right now.

I had subtly arranged for them to be out first.

It’s not entirely a setup.

These days, Lilith and Gio are often out exploring together, and Kanel frequently gets dragged out by the subordinates group or Unahar, leaving the house empty.

“Why don’t we start with Rudel’s interview? I’ll ask the questions.”

In the familiar living room of the lodge on the first floor, which viewers will likely recognize, Akata took the camera from me. The perspective shifted, showing me on the screen.

“So, Rudel, how have you been?”

Akata’s voice took on a playful tone, almost like we were engaging in a cute skit.

Right, I need to get my boring update out of the way at the beginning of the video. If it’s dull, the viewers will just skip ahead 10 seconds or so.

Instead of being interesting, I’ll be the poor soul that modern viewers can empathize with.

“Busy. I have nothing to say except that I’m busy.”

“That’s right. Rudel is busy. So busy that he doesn’t have time to play with me.”

“Do you know why? Because the players don’t know how to do anything other than play the game.”

I’m sure my face in the camera just now showed the deep fatigue of someone burdened with a group project.

“To manage this place in place of the system, you need to know how to use a computer to some extent. At this point, they’re all just kids. The guild leaders and I have to take care of them.”

I can already predict the viewer comments: ‘A young head of a household feeding 2000 people.’

If that were the only issue, it’d be easier. With no laws in this world, small fights are constant, and it took a couple of months of chaos before we finally stabilized.

Now that Aria is gone, the only thing keeping this world going is the electricity from the real world.

So, what if someone outside decides to cut the power to Mijon company?

That’s why I convinced Hon, who has electrical abilities, to urgently create a power plant within the game world.

In a typical game, whatever you do inside doesn’t matter, but this is a special world created by Aria’s supernatural power.

This way, even if the power is cut outside, we can survive.

But the problem is that the amount of power is limited, so we all have to share and conserve it.

It’s become a scarce resource that even system commands can’t create.

So, we’re all tightening our belts right now.

Aria’s ability is amazing, allowing for such possibilities.

If there were such a superhuman on Earth, it’d be unbelievable even in a novel.

Oh, I shouldn’t be lost in thought like this. I need to finish my interview.

“And I’ll be representing the guild leaders in Rank of Soul Season 2 with an alt character, and I’m also set to establish a school for the players… Though I talk like I’m doing it all myself, the higher-intelligence players will help a lot.”

Since the revolution in the game, I’ve come to understand another aspect of our intelligence stat.

It directly correlates with how quickly a character resists their existential purpose and adapts to the outside reality.

The higher the intelligence, the easier the adaptation; the lower, the more resistance. My hypothesis was soon confirmed.

When I informed those with high intelligence, they accepted it relatively well. Runehan, for instance, even found it fascinating.

But when I told the lower-intelligence guild leaders, they couldn’t understand or believe it, and they’re still in denial.

Even though they were bold and quick to adapt in the game rounds.

“Rudel, you work too hard. It makes me sad. You’re making me lonely.”

Right, I still have a mountain of work to do.

The interview turned into Akata’s complaints.

I took the camera back from Akata, holding it tightly, and muttered my own complaint.

“I’m going to grow old doing nothing but work.”

Akata smiled, clearly amused.

“That’s okay, Rudel. I like older people.”

“I’m already older than you.”

“We’re the same age now.”

“I’m still older.”

We stepped outside the lodge.

Thanks to our guild leader’s taste, the area around our Agasa lodge is full of azaleas and forsythias, making it look like a Korean apartment complex. But a bit further out, it’s decorated like a colorful European alley.

The viewers will likely be impressed, going “Wow” at how pretty it is.

On the opposite side, where Aleon’s base is, it resembles the seaside village of Santorini in Europe. I’ll try to capture it on camera later, despite my lackluster filming skills.

As we walked, a large bulletin board in the distance caught my eye.

I pointed the camera lens at the notices pinned there. The focus sharpened, and the words came into view.

[Thank you for your hard work in playing the game and raising your stats.

There won’t be any games for a while. The planning team is also taking a break. Let’s find out what laziness means.

If you’re bored, contact us. The leadership has plenty of tasks. We’ll assign you something.

*Workers needed for school establishment.]

Though unrelated to the interview, that note about needing help… No one contacts us unless they know me personally.

Ungrateful jerks.

“I’ll call in another reporter.”

“Sounds good.”

For a balanced interview, three people seem ideal.

I recruited Shemarin.

After hearing the explanation, she grinned mischievously.

“Then I’ll only interview couples.”

“What will you ask them?”

“How many times a week they do it.”

I gestured with my fingers at the camera, indicating to bleep out Shemarin’s last comment with a “beep” sound.