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

I was left alone on the mat, unable to leap into the trees like Gio, with the wolf baring its teeth terrifyingly close. The wolf’s mouth looked large enough to swallow me whole.

“Rudel, get out of the way!”

Lilith struggled, but Gio’s grip didn’t loosen.

Perched on a branch above me, Gio watched with an expression of indifferent curiosity as the wolf closed in on me.

‘So he really doesn’t care if I get eaten…’

I had to dodge on my own. Yeah, the team leader has to handle everything.

Just before the wolf’s gaping mouth could clamp down on me, I rolled to the side, barely avoiding it.

The wolf, unable to control its speed, skidded past and knocked over our food basket. At the same moment, Gio shouted,

“My sandwich…!”

Me < Sandwich?

Gio, who hadn’t budged when I was in danger, finally reacted.

The wolf dug its paws into the ground, skidding to a halt.

It turned and was about to pounce on me again when Gio leaped from above and latched onto it.

“Rudel, what is that?”

Lilith shouted from the tree.

“Can a wolf be that big?”

The wolf’s eyes were bloodshot, and it was foaming at the mouth, looking agitated and aggressive as if it had rabies.

Gio was impressive, hanging onto the raging wolf using only his leg strength.

Gio’s bulging arm muscles tightened around the wolf’s neck, squeezing hard.

Thud!

The wolf staggered and crashed into a tree. Gio was thrown off by the impact.

Gio growled in pain, glaring at the wolf with fury as he summoned his inventory.

“Rudel, should I kill this thing?”

A sharp machete appeared in his hand.

At that moment, I realized something and urgently shouted,

“Don’t kill it!”

This wolf wasn’t a spawned beast in the field.

This was a character. It was a person.

Both Gio and Lilith were shocked.

“What?”

[Ability Group] Switch

[Unique Ability] Wolf

[Potential Grade] A+

I already knew about this type of unique ability.

The last of the three major ability groups.

‘Pure Nature,’ ‘Soul,’ and the last one, ‘Switch,’ which essentially means transformation. 

A character can transform into a specific animal, gaining superior physical abilities and resistance.

It’s said that the larger the size, the greater the potential for growth. A wolf of this size would have exceptional potential.

Moreover, starting at an A+ grade is impressive. Although the current state seems odd, it’s still quite appealing.

Let’s see this character’s name.

[Name] Unahar

Unahar…?

Isn’t he the tall, elegant man who approached me earlier?

…Why has he become a crazed beast causing chaos here?

When a character uses the Switch ability, they can’t speak human language due to their altered vocal structure, but their human consciousness remains intact.

It doesn’t make sense for Unahar to suddenly attack us without reason.

Even with us chattering, he didn’t show any self-expression, behaving entirely like a beast. Something is definitely wrong…

During a brief standoff, I quickly spoke to Unahar.

“This isn’t normal. Whatever’s going on, snap out of it. You don’t want to get hurt.”

He didn’t seem to understand at all. The wolf growled lowly, panting heavily.

“Kill.”

Gio, seeing no reason to hold back, raised his machete. But I had a different plan.

“I’ve decided.”

“To kill?”

“To make him a companion.”

Lilith screamed shrilly from the tree, and I could sense Gio’s shock. Regardless, I remained resolute.

The wolf, crouching low, snarled again and lunged at me, aiming to bite my throat.

Unahar, the beautiful man, wasn’t originally my concern.

Though he was the most handsome character I had ever seen, and could likely sway a popularity vote, it wasn’t enough to persuade me to recruit him.

But having such a strong Switch ability with the major flaw of not controlling his instincts was different.

Gio’s reaction was typical.

Even if other characters liked Unahar, seeing him as this wild wolf would make them hesitant to partner with him.

But that’s why I could have Unahar, and he could benefit greatly from being with me.

Fix the flaws, and strengthen the unique ability even more.

I prefer characters with great potential but who are currently lacking.

I believe the viewers will eventually focus more on those who improve through effort rather than those who are naturally strong.

The wolf pinned me down with its forepaw, its hot breath blowing close to my face, and its terrifying teeth snapping in the air just inches from my nose.

“Calm down!”

I lowered my voice as if soothing an angry dog, and flames grew from my hand.

I intended to use this fire to give him a more powerful shock-.

A yelp!

Suddenly, the wolf was kicked off to the side, disappearing from my view.

Gio had kicked the wolf hard, sending it tumbling down the ravine.

I rushed to the edge of the cliff, looking down in shock.

The wolf’s body shrank as it fell, finally landing with a heavy thud at the bottom, kicking up a cloud of dust.

At that point, the wolf’s form lay still, not moving.

I turned a cold gaze to Gio.

“I could have knocked it out! If it dies from this!”

For the first time in a while, my voice lost its cool, heating up with anger.

“I understand you wanted to tame it, just like you brought me out of the forest.”

Suddenly, Gio seemed to have a moment of clarity, speaking with unexpected calm.

Gio paused, looking back.

“Lilith is crying.”

Lilith was sobbing up in the tree, clearly terrified by how close I came to being bitten by the wolf.

Gio’s eyes showed his distress at seeing her cry, and I managed to calm myself down.

“…I need to go down there. Will you come down with Lilith?”

“Got it.”

With that, I let myself slide down the steep slope, heading to the bottom of the ravine.

* * *

When I reached the bottom, the wolf’s massive body lay still, only shallowly breathing.

I circled around to find the wolf’s head.

“Are you okay?”

Obviously, it didn’t look okay, but I wanted to see if it could understand me now.

The wolf’s eyes fluttered open at my words. Its massive eyes were still bloodshot and wild with an unknown frenzy.

But it didn’t move.

The wolf, whimpering in pain, suddenly did something strange.

It slowly moved its muzzle, forcing its way onto my lap, rubbing against me while whimpering louder.

“Is this another part of the crazy behavior I saw earlier?”

Its body was far too large to comfortably rest on my lap, but…

I almost called out Unahar’s name but caught myself. I wasn’t supposed to know this wolf’s identity.

Even though the wolf had just tried to tear me apart, seeing it in pain stirred a strange emotion in me.

Was it compassion? Maybe I couldn’t help but feel pity for an injured animal.

I gently, very gently, petted the wolf’s head.

Oddly, the wolf seemed to enjoy it, letting out a low rumble.

“Can you transform back into a human? No? Can’t you understand me yet?”

At that moment, the wolf shuddered, then began to emit a faint smoke as its form blurred.

Watching without blinking, I saw the wolf gradually change into a blond man on my lap.

…Huh?

I quickly pushed Unahar away and stood up.

I can tolerate an animal resting its head on me, but not a human.

Unahar looked terrible. His clothes were torn to shreds, and he seemed to have lost whatever consciousness he had retained as a wolf.

Looking up the ravine, I saw Gio helping Lilith down a gentler slope.

I signaled to them with a hand gesture.

‘We’re heading back up. Gio, come down and carry this man up.’

Gio scowled immediately.

* * *

We found a deserted cave and laid Unahar inside.

Though his clothes were tattered, he didn’t seem to have any other injuries.

As we waited for him to wake up, I told Gio to go outside and play.

In reality, I wanted him to gather information—listen to what people were saying about the giant wolf.

It might even help boost his intelligence a bit.

Gio returned with information surprisingly quickly.

A rumor was spreading that I had subdued and taken away the mad wolf that had killed three people and ravaged the forest.

I had inadvertently gained a reputation as a legendary tamer. Whether it held any real weight was uncertain, but it was amusing for the viewers, no doubt.

The cave felt rather chilly after a while.

“Lilith, can you warm it up with your ability?”

Lilith, happy to be able to contribute, extended her hands and summoned warmth.

The cave quickly became comfortably warm.

I could have easily achieved the same with a breath of my fire ability, but Lilith needed to feel useful.

Additionally, it was crucial to keep my ability hidden from the viewers for now.

The first round is just a preview; the real deal starts with the second-round guild battles.

That’s why I hadn’t even begun training my unique ability yet.

I needed to save it for the next round.

Unahar remained motionless, like he was in a deep sleep. Despite being unconscious, his features were as finely chiseled as a statue.

As Lilith’s warmth spread like a gentle breeze, his blond hair and eyelashes fluttered in the air.

Through the torn clothes, his slender neck and delicate chest muscles were exposed.

‘…If there were a vote for the best-looking male character, he’d probably come in first.’

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from outside the cave.

“Here you are! Leader, come out!”