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

Gio and I wandered around various places, avoiding the area Aleon had claimed and focusing on the more remote outskirts.

During this time, I instructed Gio to always stay attuned to what was happening underground.

At first, Gio struggled, tripping over rocks or bumping into trees as he tried to focus on the ground.

He’s really not good at doing two things at once.

But he gradually got the hang of it. His eyes began to show a more serious focus.

Searching for Ispan while also training Gio’s concentration was killing two birds with one stone.

Watching the fool’s growth, I hoped the viewers would feel a sense of grandeur.

After a long search, Gio suddenly stopped.

“I sense a person-sized presence underground.”

“Really? Let’s check it out. Can you open a path below?”

First, I made sure no one was watching us.

With a rumble, Gio waved his hand, and the ground parted. The earth in front of me descended, creating a passageway like a plane’s ramp.

Following the path underground, we soon encountered a large silhouette in the darkness.

I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

It was Ispan, wiping blood off his knife with a cloth.

‘So, he gave up his tyrant image to hide, but he’s still racking up kill points to survive?’

Ispan’s face twisted in shock when he saw me, then he gripped his knife tightly.

But perhaps remembering how he had been overpowered by my flames or because I had suddenly descended through the ground, he hesitated.

He then noticed Gio standing behind me, and his resolve faltered.

Gio looked bewildered. In other words, he didn’t care much.

His face seemed to ask who this person was living underground.

But then I whispered softly into Gio’s ear.

“I know him. You have no idea how many people he’s killed with that knife. He even tried to kill Lilith on the first day, and I had to save her. You wouldn’t know this.”

At that moment, Gio’s eyes changed.

Seeing his pupils darken, I was somewhat surprised.

So he can change like this for someone he likes.

I continued whispering.

“He originally had a gun. He threatened people with it. Poor Lilith begged him with tears not to kill her… but he pointed the gun at her anyway. If I hadn’t saved her… Lilith wouldn’t be with us now.”

To the viewers, I might seem incredibly cunning, manipulating Gio by revealing the man’s atrocities.

But did I lie? Did I exaggerate anything?

Everything I said was true, based on the atrocities Ispan committed.

I hope the viewers remember if they had momentarily forgotten.

This will make Gio’s current state even more dramatic.

One thing to note is that I only incited Gio; I haven’t explicitly told him to end Ispan.

But before I could finish speaking, Gio lowered his head slightly, hiding his intense gaze under his bangs, and began striding forward.

“What the hell!”

Ispan immediately thrust his knife. As a seasoned killer, he swiftly aimed for the gap between Gio’s ribs with remarkable speed and precision.

Thud!

However, the knife was easily blocked by Gio’s slowly raised palm.

Crack…

The surface of the solid stone that had melded with Gio’s palm crumbled away, as if it were one with the earth’s soil.

“Not happening. The underground is my domain.”

Ispan’s heavy body was lifted along with the ground and smashed into the ceiling.

Ispan gasped in pain.

With just a small nod from Gio, this happened.

His eyes were now open wide, showing the whites in a chilling glare at Ispan.

“Die.”

Rocks flew at Ispan’s face and neck, embedding themselves.

“Guh…”

Ispan was mercilessly buried under the rocks and died.

Soon, Ispan’s body disappeared.

[Kill Alert: ‘Ispan’ deceased.]

Listening to the welcome announcement, I approached.

Even as I put a hand on his shoulder, Gio remained still as a mouse.

Those dark, cold-blooded eyes could only be seen at this moment.

Congratulations on your impressive debut, Gio.

You have now become a reverse-ranking contender with two faces.

* * *

After dealing with the major event, I returned to the hideout and called together the three people who would become my guild members in the future.

After discussing with them, I planned to go with Gio to collect hunting points.

“For the rest of the first round, we won’t draw attention and will steadily hunt beasts. We’ll use the experience from those points to prepare for the second round.”

I am now genuinely looking ahead to the prospects beyond the first round. As if preparing in advance, I vaguely outlined a scenario.

Lilith nodded firmly, though her face remained adorably determined. Unahar gave a subtle nod, indicating his agreement.

Gio, having reverted to his lazy, gluttonous self, seemed devoid of the murderous intent he showed when killing Ispan, but he would follow my lead.

“So, here’s the thing…”

What I’m about to say could be seen as a kind of test.

“The key is how much hunting points to allocate to each of us. Can you three show me your status windows?”

I looked at each of their faces, maintaining a serious, solemn expression.

In reality, it’s akin to asking, “Can you show me your social security number, certificate, bank password, and family registry?”

It’s a question that might make them hesitate to readily say, “Sure, I can do that!”

Naturally, asking them to reveal all their strengths, weaknesses, and strategies.

How much do these three, whom I’ve earmarked as my guild members, trust me?

Do they truly consider me their leader? Do they see me as an ally?

Lilith responded first.

“Sure! Here!”

Yes, Lilith had shown me everything from the beginning, her innocent green eyes trusting me completely, like a friend.

Her clear green eyes, though seemingly naive, boosted my confidence.

Gio’s reaction was similar.

“Yeah, go ahead. It’s no big deal.”

“Can you show it to me consistently, continuously?”

“Sure.”

From Gio’s eyes, I could read his thoughts.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care whether I saw it or not. He knew a status window wasn’t something to show just anyone, but he trusted me enough not to do anything against his interests.

Lastly, there was Unahar.

I had anticipated that getting Unahar’s consent would be the hardest.

Surprisingly, contrary to my expectations, Unahar’s deep golden eyes met mine.

“It’s okay if it’s you, Rudel. I’ll gladly show you everything. From now on, my life is in your hands.”

Saying this, Unahar gently clasped my left hand with both of his.

…While it’s true that a status window holds significant meaning, saying it like that makes it feel a bit overwhelming.

I felt embarrassed and gently withdrew my hand from Unahar’s grasp.

Unahar looked at me with an amused expression, letting out a small chuckle. This only made me feel more flustered.

I tried to ignore it and awkwardly thanked everyone.

“Thank you all for trusting me.”

These companions of mine would become my guild members, and together we would stick together for survival.

Though we were united by a simple goal, at this moment, I seriously pondered the meaning of the words ‘companions’ and ‘friends.’

“Unahar, come here for a moment.”

Leaving Gio and Lilith to play a little distance away, I called Unahar aside.

Unahar leaned in as if inviting me to whisper in his ear.

Startled by how close he got, I almost collided faces with him.

“I’ve been thinking about your ability to transform into a wolf.”

“…Yes.”

Negative emotions seemed to resurface, casting a shadow over Unahar’s eyes.

“While we’ll have to wait until the second round to know for sure, there’s a possibility… that you might not be able to overcome the side effect of your consciousness regressing like a beast whenever you transform.”

We always need to consider all possibilities, ensuring we have a plan regardless of how things turn out.

So this is what I have in mind.

“If you can’t retain human intelligence while in wolf form, we’ll need to find a way for you to follow strategies and act accordingly even as a beast.”

I got the idea when Unahar, in his wolf form, fell off a cliff and was injured. The ferocious aura dissipated, and he nuzzled against me, whimpering.

“Wolves are part of the dog family, right? Dogs are animals that humans have domesticated to live with.”

“Uh, yes?”

“So, Unahar, would you let me tame you?”

I maintained eye contact persistently until the handsome man’s cheeks turned pink.

Until he gave me an answer.

* * *

“So, to help you level up, I need to know your stats.”

A massive fortress made of ice.

Aleon had built this ice fortress to separate the space from the beasts, allowing any character seeking protection to enter.

While there were many small groups in the field, Aleon was the only character who led such a large number and was hailed as an auspicious presence by them.

This place resembled an ice palace ruled by a benevolent king.

With his top-tier unique ability and inherently divine appearance, Aleon’s solo dominance seemed like a predetermined outcome.

In the deepest part of the ice fortress, where the ice walls were particularly thick, the glowing blue saint was asking the characters who wanted to contribute something.

“I need to know how much to increase each stat and how to allocate points, so can you show me your status windows?”

Facing them with an honest smile, Aleon made the request without any ulterior motives.

However, the three characters opposite him looked uneasy at the suggestion, exchanging glances among themselves.

“Ah, that’s a bit…”

One character started to speak, then fell silent.