NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35
[“You mean the subordinates group. Originally, I wanted to accept all applicants, but… the vice guild master said that wouldn’t be right.”]
Fortunately, it seemed that Aleon was diligently listening to the vice guild master’s words.
If you just follow the vice guild master’s words well, you’ll go far.
[“Instead, we decided not to look at the stats and to accept applicants, and the vice guild master would interview and determine each one individually.”]
It must be a personality interview. That means Ifrea is probably out in the field right now.
I don’t know if Aleon plans to go out to the field as well, but since there’s no ranking involved in this round, it’s not a significant issue.
[“So, Rudel, what about you?”]
“Hmm… I won’t set any strict conditions either. I’m not thinking of competing with other guilds to get high-ranking participants.”
I am a liar at times, but I do not lie to Aleon.
You have to see who you’re lying to. How could I lie to this innocent saint?
Everything I said was true. I wouldn’t strictly select auxiliary characters.
[“Speaking of high-ranking participants, did you see it on the screen too? There’s a participant with all three basic stats rated as ‘S’.”]
“Really?”
I was shocked. S-rank?
Even Aleon didn’t have basic stats of S. If such a character existed in the first round, they would have already dominated all the characters.
Basic stats of S-rank are that impressive. Unlike unique abilities, it truly symbolizes pure strength and stamina.
I heard that Shemarin, who is A+ rank, could kick a tree and make it fall as if it had been hit by an axe.
In other words, S-rank is a level far above the usual human strength.
[“The participant number is… 298. You should take a look too. From what I’ve heard, many guild masters are already heading directly to recruit this person.”]
“Is that so? What about you?”
[“The vice guild master said he’d give up on number 298 and recruit the second-best player right away.”]
“Really? That’s a wise choice too.”
[“Besides, I heard that Shemarin has already sprinted to the whereabouts of number 298. The vice guild master expects her to kidnap him.”]
Even though attacks are impossible, to forcibly ‘kidnap’… Aleon muttered as if lamenting.
As he said, top players could ‘kidnap’ auxiliary characters if they really wanted to.
They could easily shove them into their pockets by force.
What surprised me more was that Shemarin was so enthusiastic.
The noble queen herself went out of her way to find character number 298?
Although an S-rank character is impressive, there must be another reason why Shemarin is so eager.
‘Could it be that the character is male?’
I briefly considered contacting Shemarin after thanking Aleon for the information and ending the call.
However, it felt awkward to contact her out of the blue. Even though we were in a sort of alliance, a firm trust had not yet been established.
I tried calling her just in case, but Shemarin didn’t answer at all.
She might have ignored it, or she could genuinely be too busy going after the S-rank character.
I then called Unahar, who was waiting for my call in the middle of the jungle.
“Sorry for the delay. I’m done with my business. Now, I’ll tell you our guild’s selection strategy.”
Sitting at the controls, I displayed Unahar’s screen and location. His position was marked on the large, circular field map.
From the screen, I could see that Gio was sticking close to Unahar.
[“Let’s catch that deer and eat it.”]
I immediately retracted my earlier thought. They quickly ran off to hunt the deer.
I had no choice but to leave Gio alone and continue talking with Unahar.
“I just contacted Aleon. They’re also interviewing candidates to select the subordinates group.”
[“That goody-two-shoes airhead? Didn’t he put up a sign saying, ‘Everyone is welcome’?”]
“Aleon has to start thinking for himself sometime.”
Ifrea’s approach of not caring about stats somewhat aligned with Aleon’s beliefs, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
So what should I do?
As round 1.5 started, I slowly observed the camps and noticed that most guilds were targeting the best participants first.
In other words, many guilds flocked to the characters with high stats, leaving the weaker ones to wander the jungle alone and desolate.
“Anyway, Unahar, how about we skip the interviews and pick up anyone lying around crying? Regardless of gender or age, just fill up the numbers. We can take up to 50, so let’s aim for around 30.”
Now that I knew what Aleon’s guild was doing, it seemed we were the only ones considering this strategy.
A look of surprise flashed across Unahar’s face on the screen.
“On second thought, let’s not take anyone on the first day. Instead, let’s gather the ones who haven’t received any offers by the end of the second day.”
[“Can we do that? Isn’t that the kind of strategy only a clueless person like Aleon would use?”]
Unahar’s face quickly showed a look of regret after blurting out his honest thoughts.
I just let out a small chuckle for him.
“It’s okay. Even if they are E to D-rank and can’t fight right away.”
I added a final comment.
“Even if the characters are weak in stats, once they are trained under me, they will at least become average.”
They will undergo hellish training in the training camp. Kanel will be an excellent instructor.
There is a clear advantage to my strategy of picking up the stragglers.
Weak characters who have faced the threat of death because they were not chosen will be even more loyal to our guild, which saved them.
It’s better that way. Rather than strong but arrogant ones, I prefer the weak but humble and fiercely loyal ones.
It also enhances my image as a ruler.
Unlike Aleon or Shemarin, I lack charisma, so I need to make extra efforts in this way.
It’s actually a bit of a gamble.
If, in the next round, our guild’s subordinates group faces off against those from other guilds, we will undoubtedly lose.
Other smart guild leaders might have had the same thought, but they probably couldn’t implement it due to the inherent risks.
Because of this, my decision will stand out even more to the viewers, making our guild more noticeable.
[“I’m convinced. I agree with your strategy. I’ll follow the guild master’s opinion.”]
Unahar nodded obediently. His gentle golden eyes looked at me through the screen.
Even though he couldn’t see me, it felt like we were making eye contact.
[“So, I don’t have to be out here on the first day, right? Should I head back? Oh, you sent me out to scout other guilds?”]
“No. There’s just one participant I want you to bring to our guild.”
I had already planned for Unahar to go into the field with that one character in mind.
It feels like a long time ago, but I recalled the first character I met in the game.
“His name is Nahean. He’s a sixteen-year-old boy with tan skin and warm undertones. He has cat-like narrow pupils and gray eyes.”
I described his appearance as I remembered it.
Then, realizing I was sitting in front of a large console with three monitors, I simply opened the search window.
Search: Nahean
Because we are higher-ranking characters and they are lower-ranking, we can search for their basic information and status.
I read out the details to Unahar.
[“Nahean? I’ve never heard of him. How do you know this player?”]
“I met him on the first day of the first round.”
Although it was a brief encounter, it was meaningful because he was the first character I met.
He was even a character I ‘mercifully spared’ during my early days when I had just become a high-ranking guild master.
Though I haven’t seen him since I ran away immediately after surviving back then…
The fact that he is now a lower character in round 1.5 means something clear to me.
I am a higher-ranking character with unique abilities, and Nahean has been demoted to an auxiliary character.
Unahar looked somewhat discontented after hearing my story.
His beautiful eyes seemed to say, ‘Do we really need to bother with him?’
“Nahean, just that one. As a reward for sparing my life once, I want to ensure he can live safely in my guild.”
Characters who work hard and grow must also have excellent personalities.
Rising to a high position doesn’t mean forgetting and being ungrateful for the past when you were insignificant.
Nahean saved my life, and while I secured a respectable position, he might have painfully died somewhere in the first round.
Thinking about it made me uncomfortable.
“Wait a moment, let me search for Nahean’s location… There it is.”
A tiny dot appeared on the circular field.
In a dense forest to the southeast, not far from Unahar.
[“So, if I find him, I should bring him back?”]
“Well… don’t kidnap him outright. Mention me and ask if he wants to join our guild.”
[“What if he refuses?”]
“Then kidnap him.”
Our guild’s specs aren’t bad, so why would he refuse? We might seem small now, but I’m going to make us an elite group.
“His stats averaged around C, which isn’t high, but if we pick up the leftovers on the second day, he will probably be one of the superior characters among them.”