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

“Alright.”

Amidst the ruins of the collapsed dome, I stood at the center, raising my voice toward the densely packed characters so numerous that the ground was barely visible.

“With Shemarin’s camera as the last, all the game planners’ cameras have just been turned off.”

It seemed as if the management side was signaling that the extermination battle had ended successfully.

For a brief moment, we were lost in the aftermath of having finally destroyed the arena that had been binding us. But then, I realized something was amiss.

‘Is it really ending like this?’

The system’s side was strangely silent.

In a way, this surrender essentially transferred the decision-making power about the future of this game to us. So, I expected the GMs to attempt some negotiations or at least provide some kind of guidance…

‘Does their silence mean we can do whatever we want?’

As I stood there, lost in thought, the surrounding characters began murmuring anxiously.

“So, what’s the conclusion?”

“Can we just go home and sleep now? Does this mean we can sleep in every day since there’s no more game?”

“We don’t even have homes anymore. They’re destroyed. They said we need to crush everything the system built to make it meaningful.”

I never told them to destroy the guild fortresses. They went overboard in their excitement and wrecked everything. If they try to blame me for that…

Their confusion didn’t last long. They soon realized who they needed to question to understand the next steps.

“So, what do we do now…?”

Hundreds of eyes turned to me simultaneously.

I wondered when they’d ask.

Somehow, I ended up as the new era’s leader, overtaking Aleon, Shemarin, and Akata. Given that I had been leading the charge, it was a natural outcome.

However, since I was never particularly admired by the characters, I could sense their distrust.

Without delay, I announced the next plan.

“Beyond the arena lies another space. It’s called the ‘Factory’ by the system.”

This is where appropriate stats and unique abilities are assigned before players participate and where characters are created and managed. It’s also implemented as an area within the game. 

Since the administrators referred to it as the ‘Factory,’ I decided to use the same term.

“I’m planning to go there to revive those who have been sacrificed during the game.”

I could feel the shock and the stir among the characters at my words. 

But having already experienced the ‘resurrection of characters’ once, they soon accepted that this was not an impossible task and quieted down.

“However, it might be dangerous, so only the elite and I will infiltrate. The rest of you should stand guard at each zone. Even if the system has surrendered, we never know when monsters might appear again.”

“Alright.”

“Got it.”

Fortunately, the characters agreed to my words without much complaint. They had eagerly destroyed everything, but once it was all gone, they seemed a bit dazed and compliant, like children caught misbehaving.

With Blance’s help, I stationed the now idle characters at the entrances of the arena. I sent Aleon, Runehan, and others ahead to the unprecedentedly large refugee shelter, just in case anything happened there. 

As for the factory, I planned to go in with only Akata, Lilith, Zaet, and Shemarin.

“If we go down this corridor, it leads to where you and Taggiros were, right?”

“Yes.”

We headed deeper, beyond the arena, with Akata leading the way. It was slightly astonishing how confidently he moved forward, as if he had a built-in navigation system, even though this wasn’t the path he had taken to escape the factory.

As we ran, he whispered in my ear, “It’s strange. I’ve never been here, but it feels very familiar.”

…Ah.

‘Could this be related to Akata being a bug character?’

I had a feeling that many of the mysteries I’d been curious about would be revealed once we reached the factory, the origin of our characters.

Akata held my hand, and I took Lilith’s. Shemarin and Zaet followed closely behind, forming a line like a string of sausages, until we finally arrived at a certain space.

The scene before us was reminiscent of a sterilized biochemical lab from the 21st century.

“What the heck, it’s empty—and small. Redmonach’s castle was bigger.”

Shemarin looked around the spacious yet empty white space with a disappointed expression. Human-sized, empty glass tubes were scattered throughout the area.

Contrary to what I had imagined, the orderly arranged tubes had no mechanical devices or breathing lines connected to them. 

Then again, this was inside a game, so it wasn’t necessary to replicate such scientific equipment. I guessed that simply lying in the empty glass tubes would cause characters to lose consciousness and be stored without any visible changes.

The problem was that all the glass tubes here were completely empty.

‘Where are the deceased characters or those awaiting creation stored? Is it not in here?’

I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. Meanwhile, I warned everyone except myself to stay away from the glass tubes, just in case.

“Shemarin, do not test the strength of the glass tubes with your power. And Zaet? Don’t even think about lying down inside the glass tube for a nap.”

After ensuring everyone heeded my warning and stepped back, I scanned the surroundings again. Something felt off. With a new phase approaching, it was time to prepare new characters for the next generation.

‘Could they have anticipated our arrival and moved or disposed of everything?’

As I pondered this, my eyes met Akata’s, who was staring at me intensely, seemingly waiting for a command.

‘…….’

It seemed futile to find more clues here. Reluctantly, I decided to move on to the next step.

“Let’s go to Taggiros.”

Originally, I planned to meet him to rescue Gio, but it would be a good opportunity to ask him about the factory as well. 

…Who would have thought I’d be so eager to see Gio that I’d rush like this?

Yes, you never truly value something until it’s gone. I felt that keenly.

“Here it is.”

Akata led us down the stairs to the lowest level. Red lights filled every passage, likely because the system had shut down. 

We soon reached a massive door.

“How do we open this? Should I try hacking it with my status window?”

Wait a minute, what are the coordinates here…?

While I quickly pondered, Akata stepped forward. He attempted entry in the simplest way possible.

Knock, knock, knock.

He knocked politely three times.

As absurd as it seemed, the door swung open right after.

“……!”

Seeing the person standing behind the open door, as if expecting us, made me mutter to myself.

“The mask?”

The one known as the former champion and the first player.

Seeing his real face up close was strangely fascinating. As cliché as it sounds, he looked even more striking in person than on screen.

He had the features of a handsome man from an ancient ink painting, reminiscent of a Hwarang from the Silla era.

Glancing around, I noticed everyone’s eyes darting back and forth between Akata and Taggiros.

‘Even when I saw them on screen, I noticed their resemblance. I have nothing to say if it’s just a coincidence, but the fact that these two became champions side by side…’

From Akata’s words, it seemed that Taggiros had a pure fondness for Akata. Taggiros approached like an excited boy and clasped Akata’s hand with both of his.

What is this? What kind of relationship do they have?

Akata, looking embarrassed, gently withdrew his hand and awkwardly avoided eye contact. He seemed like he wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out. After hesitating for a moment, he closed his eyes and spoke.

“…Gis, I’m here.”

Upon hearing that, a blush spread across Taggiros’s cheeks, creating dimples. He looked quite endearing.

Was he always like this?

Allowing an affectionate nickname, what was going on?

Anyway, I’ll skip over the details for now. We have more important matters to attend to.

“Where is Gio?”

“He’s as he was.”

At that moment, Lilith, who had been clinging to my arm, burst into tears, her green eyes overflowing.

“Gio!”

She pushed past Taggiros and ran inside. (Of course, it was Lilith who bounced off after the collision.)

I followed, flapping like a flag in the wind. I didn’t realize Lilith was this strong.

“Gio, Gio…”

Seeing my friend crying and caressing the glass tube, my heart ached as well. I wanted to take a closer look at our muscular beast, to see him with my own eyes.

“Ugh.”

Gio, I’m sorry.

I feel bad for intruding on this emotional moment, but…

I really didn’t want to see you naked, not like this.