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

Shemarin turned around and left just like that.

Jail watched her receding figure for a moment, then moved in the opposite direction and left as well.

By the end of round 1.5, Jail had risen to first place without any surprises. However, he did not choose Shemarin’s guild.

He saw a much lower-ranked guild that seemed more suitable to satisfy his desire for sleep.

However, after meeting her, he began to periodically check Shemarin’s achievements, never once watching the games of other guilds.

* * *

“Ha, ugh.”

His hands were stained with the blood of the wolf he barely managed to kill. A 16-year-old boy with dark skin let out a rough breath.

He lowered his head with a bitter smile at a sudden thought.

Memories of the past when he committed murders, which did not suit his nature, just to survive tenaciously, came to mind.

‘……Since I killed someone weaker than me, it’s only natural that I would be killed by someone stronger.’

At the moment he made eye contact with a beautiful woman, he lost consciousness with an intense pain so severe that he couldn’t even understand what had happened.

“…….”

The memory of death is painful. Once someone experiences the agony of death, they can never go back to how they were before.

For that reason, the fallen in round 1 did not welcome their revival in round 1.5.

‘……I hate this. This isn’t an opportunity.’

Life itself was torment.

Among the stronger people, he could become a sacrificial lamb at any time.

That’s why Nahean wanted to give up round 1.5 if possible.

How could he not, when seeing a wolf drooling as it rushed at him made him think, ‘Should I just let it eat me and die?’

But when he came to his senses, he found himself kicking the wolf instead of offering himself willingly.

‘I’m hopeless, not even having the courage to die on my own. I’m not fit for this game.’

Where could there be a character as weak as himself?

At that moment, a face came to Nahean’s mind.

A woman who had begged him to spare her, offering items even to someone as incompetent as him.

‘……She must have died. There are so many people stronger than her.’

Come to think of it, there was something a bit puzzling.

Why had that woman chosen to run away, giving him all her items without even trying to fight?

‘Were her stats that terrible? Was she the weakest character around? Or was she just that insightful…….’

Then he suddenly realized that he had parted ways with her without even exchanging names.

For a moment, Nahean wondered what her name was.

Lost in thought, he failed to notice the presence around him for a long time.

Because of this, he had no idea that a wolf was creeping up on him from behind.

Had he been ambushed and brutally killed, it might have been the outcome Nahean longed for. However, that did not happen.

Clang!

A short wolf’s cry startled Nahean, and when he turned around, a man who appeared out of nowhere had already taken down the wolf. Nahean narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up, keeping a close watch on the stranger. It was too early to say, “Thank you for saving me.” The man might kill him right after the wolf.

‘Maybe I should ask him to kill me painlessly…’

While he was pondering this, the man, who had lightly brushed aside his gray hair, suddenly extended his hand to Nahean.

“I saved you. Give me something to eat.”

…He hadn’t asked to be saved, but Nahean wasn’t shameless enough to ignore the help he’d received. In fact, giving away everything he had wasn’t difficult. The only food he had was the dry hardtack given to all participants.

“This is all I have.”

Hardtack is difficult to eat unless one is extremely hungry. Despite this, the man seemed unbothered as he took it and sat down on the bare ground, starting to chew on it.

An awkward silence ensued.

“Uh… what do you want?”

Why was he still here?

“Rudel told me to.”

With that, the man refocused on the hardtack.

“Rudel told you to find me? Who is this ‘Rudel’?”

There was no answer. The man seemed too lazy to even think about conversing. Puzzled, Nahean opened his status window.

…There was still no one who wanted to recruit him into their guild. He wouldn’t have chosen himself either.

So why did this guy help me?

At that moment, another man with golden hair emerged from the dense bushes. He seemed to have run here, catching his breath heavily, and yelled at the man eating hardtack.

“Gio, if you found him, you should’ve said so!”

“I found him.”

The man called Gio remained consistently unenthusiastic even towards his companion.

“I saved this kid, so make sure Lilith praises me later.”

“…Alright.”

The golden-haired man, having finished speaking, turned his attention to Nahean. With just a glance, Nahean was convinced. This was the man who had been looking for him.

“Are you Rudel?”

The golden-haired man chuckled at Nahean’s question. He seemed amused, but not particularly offended by the misunderstanding.

“No, I’m not. How do you know that name?”

“This guy mentioned it.”

Nahean pointed to Gio, who was sitting on the ground. Gio had already finished the hardtack and was now munching on a candy.

“I see. My name is Unahar. As you might have guessed, I’m a top player, and I’ve come to find you on behalf of Rudel.”

It’s obvious what a top player wants from a participant in round 1.5.

“Join our guild, Nahean.”

Nahean’s expression became complex upon hearing Unahar’s proposal. His cat-like pupils slightly widened with detachment. After hesitating, he finally responded.

“…No. I don’t know what you see in me that makes you want to bring me into your guild’s subordinate group, but I don’t want to follow you.”

“Do you want to join another guild?”

If so, kidnapping might be the only option.

Just as Unahar was about to discreetly signal Gio, he stopped at Nahean’s next words.

“It’s not that your guild isn’t appealing. I don’t even know what kind of place it is. What I’m saying is, I don’t want to play this game anymore.”

Nahean spoke calmly as he slid up his shirt. His upper body was covered with scars from being slashed by a blade. When he was first created in round 1, his body had been clean without a single mark.

“…This game is nothing but pain. I’d rather ask you to kill me without any pain.”

Feeling the golden-haired man’s gaze on his scars, Nahean closed his eyes.

Unahar fell into recollection.

‘I once had similar thoughts.’

He remembered the first time he awakened his unique ability. The wolf’s vision, stained with a repulsive red. Back then, he had completely lost his reason and gone berserk. After regaining his senses, he despaired upon realizing he couldn’t control his ability and still struggled with bouts of depression.

However, thanks to Rudel, he had found the courage to live again. This gave Unahar the determination to persuade Nahean.

“But you’ve been reborn in round 1.5. Since you’re already alive, shouldn’t you try to live? Good things might happen if you keep going.”

“I told you, this game is nothing but pain.”

“It’s okay, I’ll help you forget the pain. I’ll help you find the will to live again.”

Nahean was at a loss for words, taken aback by Unahar’s enthusiastic statement. He didn’t seem like someone who would boast, so where did this confidence come from?

Unahar quickly continued.

“Do you remember the pretty girl you met on the first day? The one who seemed weak and insignificant?”

Nahean was surprised by the unexpected mention. Coincidentally, she was the person he had been thinking about just moments before. Confident that Nahean was following his lead, Unahar smiled softly.

“Her name is Rudel.”

‘Rudel….’

So, the person both of these men had been referring to was that girl.

While Nahean was still in shock, Unahar continued skillfully.

“The girl who was so weak she had to beg you for her life is now the leader of a guild. She remembers the debt she owes you and wants to bring you into our guild.”

Nahean was speechless. When he had died so easily in round 1, the girl who seemed even weaker than him had fought her way up to become a guild leader.

“Rudel is like magic. But her growth wasn’t due to magic. She climbed to her position purely through her own determination and strength,” Unahar explained further. “She recruited two companions and rescued me. She even inspired loyalty in those who follow her. If you join our guild, you will not regret it.”

Unahar smiled broadly before adding, “Someday, you might even think, ‘Ah, I’m glad I didn’t die and decided to live on.'”

The man’s golden eyes shone so brightly that Nahean felt almost entranced by his words. After a long pause, Nahean finally spoke.

“But… why didn’t she come to ‘headhunt’ me herself? I almost got taken down by a wolf just now. If I had died, you wouldn’t have had this conversation with me.”

Despite having said he wanted to die just moments earlier, Nahean now questioned with a lingering doubt.

Unahar smiled bitterly, recalling how Rudel had impulsively pressed the headhunting buzzer on a complete stranger.