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

After the chatter ended, I faced the monitor alone, engaging in an intense mental battle. Even while concentrating, I occasionally checked behind me. 

The two champions sat side by side on the threshold. Taggiros subtly tried to make eye contact with Akata, who uncomfortably averted his gaze. It was comical. 

‘I need to dig into that guy later. Why is he so desperate for Akata’s attention?’

After hitting enter to finish up, I called them closer.

“I’ve figured it out. To get straight to the point, it’s possible to restore the eliminated players using this computer. By retrieving the data from this room, we can convert them back into living beings and reintroduce them to those glass chambers outside.”

In other words, after painstakingly restoring about 800 individuals, we just need to carefully bring them out like handling newborns.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

Once we secure all the eliminated characters from here, the only thing left would be the final step. I’d reveal to the GMs that I know everything, negotiate (or threaten) to gain full control over the game world, and redefine our relationship with the game company.

I was just about to summon the first eliminated character.

Buzz, buzz-buzz.

Suddenly, all the monitors went black. Before I could react, the programmer in me panicked. Akata, who was standing by the glass chamber to watch the character’s revival, noticed my changed breathing and rushed over. Taggiros also stood up.

At that moment, one large central monitor lit up.

The computer screen had turned into what looked like a CCTV feed. It showed a brightly lit, vintage-styled office with a luxurious sofa.

Someone was there.

My spine stiffened. I had never seen her before, yet it was impossible not to recognize her.

Long black hair cascading down. Except for being slightly older, she had the same eyes, nose, and mouth as me.

It felt like a knife had been driven deep into my soul, chilling my heart.

She could see me too. With an unreadable expression, she spoke softly.

[“Nice to meet you. I must be the person you’ve been dying to see. I’m the CEO of Mijon Corporation.”]

Her gaze through the camera shifted to the side.

[“Akata. I’ve come too late, haven’t I?”]

I couldn’t bear to look at Akata’s expression.

She was Aria.

* * *

I had thought the game company surrendered too easily. Turns out, they had a scheme and were stalling for negotiation.

If they had broadcasted the situation where we took control in front of the viewers, it would have been the end for them.

[“I haven’t surrendered yet, and it’s too early to hand over full control to you.”]

She droned on monotonously, picking something up from below the screen.

It was a thick-bladed knife.

How could she threaten someone who wasn’t even in the same room with a knife—?

Soon, she brought the blade to her neck.

“……!”

I could hear Akata’s shallow, rapid breaths in my ear.

[“Akata, come here. It’s the only way you can stop me.”]

She spoke clearly, leaving no room for misunderstanding, and then turned her gaze to me. Her face held an expression that conveyed she believed without a doubt that she was the most important person to Akata. The sight of it made my head spin with dizziness. It was far more overwhelming than when I first saw Runehan, who resembled me. Now I realized that Runehan’s resemblance was nothing compared to this.

The game company’s CEO looked exactly like me.

This meant that I was likely created based on her.

But then, what about the real me inside? ‘Me as a programmer’ and ‘the me that Akata longed for’ were just imitations of that person?

[“We will negotiate here. I will use a command to transport you and Akata to this place in five minutes, so be prepared.”]

My mind went blank thinking about what to do if she only wanted Akata, but she, fortunately, included me as a negotiation partner. The screen turned off immediately, as if to indicate that no questions from us would be entertained.

A suffocating silence lingered between me and Akata.

Seeing Aria in person was… disappointingly anticlimactic.

Putting everything else aside, using her own life to threaten Akata?

If she truly knew how important she was to Akata, she wouldn’t have acted that way.

‘How can you threaten to commit suicide to someone who values their loved one’s safety more than their own soul?’

Akata, who had sunk to the floor, was trembling with clenched fists. Even though he had grown physically and mentally stronger than before, he was gasping for breath, unable to accept the situation easily.

What should I say to him? No, would he even listen to me now that the real Aria had appeared?

Despite being at a loss, I impulsively reached out and tightly held Akata’s hand.

At the moment our eyes met.

‘Ah…….’

I expected to see eyes filled with pain, but instead, I saw a surprisingly clear gaze.

The realization sent a shiver down my spine.

I, who had been acting more conscious of the viewers’ eyes than anyone to uncover the game’s secrets, and Akata, who had performed similarly to enact his revenge on the world.

Without any clues or evidence, our souls, sharing a commonality, connected once again.

He was trying to convey something different to me at this moment.

We had to perform for our ‘enemy’ once more.

‘Akata, you know that, right?’

He responded with his eyes. ‘Yes.’

‘Even if we can’t see Aria’s screen anymore from our side…….’

‘They’re watching us from the other side.’

Seemingly thinking the conversation had concluded, Akata brushed my hand away indifferently. I feigned a hurt expression and looked down dejectedly, counting to three.

“I need to go meet her.”

For the first time, Akata directed a stern expression at me. I hesitated, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and turned away. As I briefly checked the clock to see how much time was left until the five minutes were up, Taggiros, with a resolute expression, blocked our path, or more specifically, Akata’s.

I had momentarily forgotten that there was someone else with us.

“You can’t go! You must not go to that woman!”

Taggiros’s statement was a complete wildcard. His sudden, fierce reaction made me blurt out a question impulsively.

“Do you know something?”

Taggiros, the supposed first player. It would be beneficial if he could tell us what he knew about Aria. But I also worried that his warning about Aria’s danger might interfere with our plan. Our goal was to make Aria let her guard down, after all.

However, he ignored me and continued arguing with Akata.

“Why not? Give me a reason!”

It was strange to see Akata so angry. Whether it was an act or genuine anger was unclear. Taggiros struggled to answer, visibly shaking.

Akata, seemingly expecting this, swatted his hand away.

“……I won’t listen to anyone. Right now, Aria is the most important.”

Akata spoke in a heated tone, likely to convey his anxiety for Aria. His words were harsh. Maybe he was genuinely mad at Taggiros. Before we arrived here, Akata had confided in me that Taggiros seemed to know something but was frustratingly secretive about it.

Taggiros stood there, looking dejected, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him. I stopped turning away and approached him again. I wasn’t trying to comfort him; I still had questions for him.

“You know about Aria, don’t you? But when you first saw me, you didn’t react.”

This was a question about my identity, not related to our plan, so it should be fine.

“Did you hide it on purpose, or did you not care because Aria and I are separate beings?”

Taggiros kept his mouth shut. But I was used to dealing with such people because of Akata.

“Answer for Akata’s sake. Even if it’s just with your fingers.”

Slowly, Taggiros raised his right hand. Two fingers. Number two, implying the latter.

A sigh escaped me.

“Thank you.”

Akata had been watching our conversation while waiting for me.

“Taggiros, if other players contact you, don’t mention us. Just tell them we’re still working on saving the eliminated players.”

“……”

“If you don’t want to talk, you can use the chat.”

The promised five minutes passed.

Up until that moment, Akata hadn’t looked back at me even once. He was faithfully acting as if he was eager and anxious about meeting Aria, yet also uncertain about her intentions.

* * *

Even though I had gone through this process before, it was still hard to get used to. While I kept my eyes tightly shut, my body gradually adjusted to the sensation of gravity.

Breathing in the stifling indoor air, I caught faint scents of leather from the sofa and paper from documents. My bare feet were now on the cold tiles of the office floor. Simultaneously, I sensed the presence of someone unfamiliar nearby.

I was scared to open my eyes and look ahead, but I steeled myself. Perhaps, now was the moment for the final showdown I had longed for.

As I lifted my eyelids, multiple visual cues rushed in. It was the CEO’s office I had seen on the screen. Akata was beside me. And in front of me was the woman who looked like a mirror image of me.

‘Ugh.’

For some reason, a dull ache spread through my brain. My left eye involuntarily twitched.

At least, Aria didn’t have a knife in her hand. Her suit didn’t seem to have pockets large enough for a big knife.

Even if it came to a physical struggle with Aria, I would win. With that thought, I cautiously watched Aria as she took each step closer.

Her sudden action made my eyes widen.

Aria hugged Akata. Tightly.

“You had to return to the game world, and I couldn’t follow you. So I created Rudel. For you.”

……So my existence, as she revealed, was merely a substitute gift for Akata, who had to enter the game?

“Now, will you come back to me?”