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

Gio truly had no idea. His mind was racing with desperation for the girl in his arms, incapable of carefully analyzing the situation.

He didn’t notice that the beast had merely held Lilith in its mouth without inflicting any wounds, or that it hadn’t even made its characteristic wailing sounds.

He also completely missed the fact that the beast traveled through the ground rather than above it.

Meanwhile, in the canyon created by Gio’s unique ability.

The deeply embedded body of the beast squirmed.

Soon, two people emerged, grunting as they pushed their way out.

* * *

“Whew…”

I kicked the beast’s hide aside.

The canyon, created by Gio’s unique ability, wasn’t very deep. Fortunately. In fact, Unahar and I had nearly died just now.

It was a risky gamble… but ultimately, a great success.

Now, I had gained a powerful ally who could rival Aleon.

An ally whom others thought of as a fool, destined to become a surprise ace in the future.

With a story perfectly contrasting Aleon’s, Gio’s appeal to the viewers would increase significantly.

With Gio’s experience points surging today, my own points, as the mastermind of this plan, were sure to rise again.

To think Gio was so sincere about Lilith.

I looked up at the ground above, impressed.

[“I can change everything to protect Lilith.”]

Change, indeed.

At that moment, Unahar finally emerged from beneath the beast’s hide and plopped down on the spot.

“Unahar, are you okay? I was hit in the head, so I’m fine, but you were moving your body, so you must have taken the brunt of the impact…”

I approached, thinking Unahar was trembling from the shock.

But that wasn’t the case.

“Hahaha…”

Unahar was shaking with laughter.

“Really, he really awakened like that? Hahaha…”

The elegant man who always wore a refined smile was now laughing heartily, loud enough to shake the canyon.

Grasping for support, Unahar quickly grabbed my shoulder with one hand and leaned his head heavily against the other.

My worry evaporated.

“Is it funny? Gio was serious. We tricked him.”

“No, haha, it’s not Gio that’s funny, it’s just our situation. Haha…”

When I thought about us running side by side with beast hides draped over us, it was quite comical.

I couldn’t help but laugh a little too, seeing the absurdity of it all. Unahar laughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes.

“Stop laughing. What if they hear us up there?”

Even as I chided him, Unahar’s laughter continued for quite a while longer.

Actually, it didn’t sound bad. Hearing someone laugh so heartily in this game was a first.

Especially seeing a man who was always so gloomy laugh so joyously.

A mix of awkwardness and a ticklish feeling rose inside me, making me scratch my neck for no reason.

To avoid being caught as the culprits of this show, Unahar and I carefully circled around and emerged onto the ground.

Time for the second act.

But don’t worry. ‘The game’s greatest strategist, Rudel,’ and ‘the master of fake seduction, Unahar,’ are naturally gifted actors.

From a distance, we jumped over the cracked ground, pretending to be in a panic, and ran to Gio and Lilith.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

Lilith was fully immersed in her fainting act, so Unahar and I looked around and pretended to deduce the situation.

“A beast chased you! You awakened your unique ability and saved Lilith? Well done, Gio.”

Despite the high praise, Gio, still in shock, was drenched in sweat and held Lilith tightly.

Hey, Gio, Lilith can’t breathe.

“This… is my ability?”

“It seems so. What does your status window say? Read it.”

“Earth.”

“And your potential rank?”

“S.”

“…You’ve become quite a big deal, Gio. But let’s talk more later. We need to get back to the hideout quickly. We can’t let others find out.”

“Why?”

Gio asked blankly, still in a daze.

“Because we don’t want others to know it was you who did this yet.”

Unahar stroked his chin with a thoughtful look.

“Got it. Rudel, you’re trying to keep Gio’s ability a secret for now? Saving it for later rather than showing off immediately.”

I opened up Gio’s ability because it was necessary, and that’s it.

There’s no need to show it to other characters. They can continue thinking of Gio as a ‘fool.’

It’s enough for the viewers to see it.

The viewers will be thrilled knowing that Gio, who is underestimated by the characters, is actually hiding a powerful ability.

How exciting will it be for them to see the characters’ reactions when they find out later? How fun will it be to watch their shocked faces?

I intentionally created a character to rival ‘the publicly known powerful leader Aleon.’

A character who, despite having a formidable ability, is known to everyone as a fool: Gio.

To bring Aleon’s solo run to a halt.

Unfortunately, for now, I believe Gio is more attractive than myself.

Lilith, still in Gio’s arms, opened one eye slightly.

She barely managed to suppress her laughter.

Lilith did a great job. It was clear she was very tense, acting against her nature.

To let her relax after such a stressful performance, I quickly tidied up the scene.

“Leave this earthquake site as it is. With the beast’s hide… the corpse over there, they’ll think the beast went on a rampage. Let’s go quickly.”

After giving these instructions, I returned to the original cave and gently laid down the stiffened Lilith inside.

* * *

As planned, Gio’s awakening left an unprecedented impression on the viewers. Gio’s play points soared.

“ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

“That really worked.”

“Rudel’s brains and Unahar’s brawn combined.”

“Why does funny stuff always happen to Rudel?ㅋㅋ”

“Rudel’s team feels like a real family, love it.”

My play points, which had dipped slightly due to Aleon, also began to rise again.

But what I hadn’t planned for was a new trend starting in the viewer community.

“I’m fainting.”

“Rudel x Unahar?”

I could see this new trend through the ten comments I received every night along with the summary results.

“Unahar’s smile is so handsome, I keep replaying it.”

“He wouldn’t have laughed like that if it weren’t for Rudel…”

“Honestly, I was shipping them ever since Rudel gave the wolf Unahar a lap pillow, but the shoulder touch is a game changer.”

“The rescue storyline is so good…”

Right, I hadn’t considered this.

I had been focusing on growth from a low rank, defeating villains, and character chemistry.

But I hadn’t thought about ‘couple chemistry.’

…Me and Unahar?

I looked at the back of the sleeping Unahar’s head from a distance.

The viewers were mistaking his loyalty to me for something else because I had saved him…

Anyway, as long as the popularity votes kept piling up, it wouldn’t hurt.

So I decided to let the viewers misunderstand all they wanted.

As I continued to read the comments, I suddenly noticed some new information.

“Have you guys seen Ispan? That loser is hiding in a burrow after getting owned by Rudel, lol.”

By sheer coincidence, I learned about Ispan’s current situation.

Of all the viewers’ chats, it had to be this comment that caught my eye.

And right after I had awakened Gio’s ability.

It was a simple coincidence, but to me, it was a stroke of luck.

I had planned to eliminate him before the first round ended, and now the timing was perfect.

It was the perfect opportunity to showcase Gio’s ability to the viewers.

* * *

The next day, I called Gio over with a gesture.

“Gio, why don’t we step outside for a bit?”

Fortunately, today Gio followed me without any questions. He really is an unpredictable guy.

As soon as we got outside, I got straight to the point.

“Gio, yesterday you said your unique ability is ‘Earth,’ right?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded quietly.

“I think the fact that it’s called ‘Earth’ rather than something specific like ‘Rock’ means you can manipulate the ground like a god of the earth.”

If this is true, Gio’s unique ability could be legendary.

It’s like hitting the jackpot.

I never imagined we’d strike it this big when we were being chased by Tarzan in the eastern forest…!

I wanted to cheer silently but restrained myself in front of him.

“God of the earth? I don’t understand.”

“First, close your eyes and try to feel the presence beneath your feet.”

I helped train Gio one-on-one.

Now, to the viewers, I must be publicly seen as Gio’s mentor and nurturer.

Gio followed my instructions and closed his eyes.

He’s not very bright, but his physical senses are almost animalistic. Soon, he spoke with his eyes still closed.

“The ground is bulging and moving. There’s something like a cave.”

“Yes, that’s probably the tunnel the beast made while passing through.”

To my eyes, it’s just a snow-covered field, but Gio reads it as if he sees beneath the surface.

This man with a dull expression now possesses the insight to see through the ground.

“You can kill the beast before it even notices you. Just collapse the ground where it passes.”

Gio opened his eyes. He was amazed when I praised him.

“So, are we going to catch that beast?”

“Later. Right now, we’re going after someone.”

“…?”

Gio looked puzzled, but I didn’t bother to explain further.