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

The character in front of me had much better stats than I did.

[Name] Nahean [Level] 1

[Gender] Male / [Age] 16

[Intelligence] Mid / [Killing Intent] Low

* * *

[Health] 540 / C

[Strength] 1001 / B

[Agility] 450 / C

Nahean persistently searched the dead character’s pockets, but found no items. Since the dead character was still wearing basic clothes, it seemed he hadn’t found a supply box yet.

However, Nahean was also wearing basic clothes. Most likely, everyone was still disoriented, having just woken up.

Suddenly, Nahean, disappointed by the lack of items, turned his sharp gaze towards me. Having just committed murder, his rationality seemed already compromised.

He must have read the game announcement that pops up at the beginning, explaining that killing other participants grants experience points and rewards.

“In other words, he could kill me at any moment for his survival.”

These characters are programmed to engage desperately in the game, with only the essential identity for the thrill of the play. They don’t ponder the reason for their participation or their existence.

If Nahean decided to harm me, I’d have no way to defend myself.

“……”

Then, the stat ‘Killing Intent’ caught my eye on the status window.

I remembered reading about this in the manual on the homepage.

What did it say… ‘The willingness to kill the opponent,’ wasn’t it?

If it’s marked as low, does that mean he’s not very likely to kill willingly?

To confirm this, I cautiously spoke to Nahean.

“Did you kill him?”

The situation seemed clear, but I glanced at the spot where the corpse had disappeared as I asked.

Nahean’s eyebrow twitched.

“Can’t you tell?”

His tone was gruff.

Was this how a character with low Killing Intent usually reacted? It didn’t seem like he enjoyed the murder.

Or maybe he was annoyed by my obvious question?

Nahean stared at me with eyes that seemed to say, “You’re next.” He appeared to covet the leather clothes I was wearing.

However, he didn’t immediately attack to take them. Since he was still engaging in conversation, he seemed to be the type to cautiously evaluate his opponent.

If I could persuade him with words, maybe I could survive.

Having sorted out my thoughts, I spoke again.

“Look, I have no intention of attacking you first.”

“Of course not. You look weak.”

“So that’s why…….”

Despite Nahean’s belittling words, I didn’t waver. I maintained a steadfast attitude, determined to persuade him, and untied the bag from my waist.

Nahean’s eyes narrowed.

“In return, I’ll give you this.”

I extended the bag, not close enough for him to grab it directly.

Nahean looked confused.

“You’re just going to give that to me?”

“It’s a small price to pay for asking you not to kill me. But this is all I have.”

“Are you an idiot? Do you think I’ll promise not to kill you in exchange for that? If I kill you, my points go up. Why would I do that? It’s simpler to kill you and take the bag. Why should I suffer a loss?”

I gazed at him calmly.

Nahean’s logic was sound. He had no reason to spare me.

Nevertheless, I was making this attempt because I was betting on my theory about the Killing Intent stat.

Considering this game is highly praised for its realism, I figured the characters must be designed to behave like real people.

And I aimed to imprint my image in the viewers’ minds through this opportunity.

Even if it seemed like a futile attempt at persuasion, there was much for me to gain.

“You’re the first person I’ve met,” I began.

“So what?”

“I don’t want to antagonize people as instructed. So, I’m asking you. Can we end this peacefully?”

Then, I delivered a completely theatrical line.

“Because we’re human, after all.”

Of course, I knew these were merely game characters, just computer data. But if they possessed intelligence and emotions akin to humans, then their situation wasn’t much different from mine.

Moreover, to garner the viewers’ sympathy, I needed to treat them as fellow humans.

Nahean slowly stood up. I watched without flinching, remaining composed.

Should I prepare to flee if he gets any closer? I wasn’t sure if I could even escape…

“I don’t trust you. Give me that bag first.”

I obediently tossed the bag.

Nahean caught it with one hand, opening it while keeping his eyes on me.

Inside were the knife, the uneaten bread, and the water.

He could see my leather clothes had no pockets.

He would quickly realize that I had given up everything I had except for my clothes, despite the lack of guaranteed safety.

Nahean pulled out the pocket knife, examining its blade. The small, well-sharpened edge glinted.

As he twirled the knife, its sharp reflection danced between our faces.

Though tense, I showed no signs of fear.

“You had a knife, so why didn’t you try to kill me?” Nahean asked in a low voice.

“I’m not capable of killing anyone.”

I deliberately spoke in a light tone and smiled slightly.

My smile, accompanying my words, must have looked quite charming.

With that smile, I had likely solidified my character portrayal to the viewers.

Nahean, who had raised the knife to his chest… folded the blade and put it into his clothes.

“Go. Far away,” he whispered quietly.

“I’m not as nice as you. I’ll do anything to survive. If you stay with me, I might kill you if I need more points.”

Finally, I took a few slow steps back.

Now, it was acceptable to show a hint of fear towards Nahean. If I didn’t show at least some fear, both Nahean and the viewers would find it strange.

I planned to become a character as human as possible to garner the viewers’ empathy.

I turned and ran in the opposite direction.

Nahean didn’t follow me as I disappeared from his sight.

* * *

I had succeeded in not getting killed by Nahean.

Are you watching, viewers? I survived again.

But this won’t immediately translate into experience points.

According to what I heard, experience points are calculated based on various gameplay elements, such as achievements and kill counts, along with popularity vote scores.

And this is only tallied when the rankings are updated each night.

The points assigned then will determine the experience points and level-up in one go.

‘That means all characters are currently at level 1.’

Right now, strength and weakness are determined solely by the given basic stats.

I checked my status window again. My stats were still abysmal.

But I wouldn’t be discouraged.

The world loves those who work hard more than those born with talent.

People prefer to root for those who claw their way up from the bottom to finally stand on top.

For the first time, I was satisfied with being in Rudel’s character.

The lower the starting point, the more room there is to rise.

Resolute once more, I started to scour the forest I had entered to escape Nahean.

Luck was on my side, and I found another supply box in the forest.

A stealth potion. How fortunate.

Just as I was about to expand my search area, I came across a wide clearing.

Staring beyond the dense trees that had vanished, I had to retract my earlier satisfaction with being Rudel.

There were plenty of ‘stat silver spoons’ who dwarfed Nahean.

‘Right, characters with broken stats from the start will naturally rise to the top.’

When people gather, leaders emerge. And so do the powerful.

The person I was now observing seemed to be the leader of that group.

* * *

I was relieved to have found a stealth potion in the supply box earlier.

I drank the potion and moved into the clearing to observe the new group.

As I moved closer, the leader of the group came into clearer view.

Even that muscle-bound brute had good looks.

His bulging muscles seemed to reflect his superior stats.

He sat on a wide rock as if it were a throne, looking down at people with a posture and demeanor that gave off a bit of a gangster vibe.

Still, he was quite handsome, and I could see why some viewers might pick him as their favorite.

“Hey you, I’ll spare you. Run away,” he said, feigning mercy toward a small, feeble young man kneeling before him.

But not long after, the man shot the young man in the back with a gun he had hidden.

Bang!

The gunshot startled the birds, causing them to flap away. The man let out a dumb-sounding laugh.

Those bowing around him seemed accustomed to this situation.

‘Having those muscles and a gun is just too much.’

The gunshot would surely attract attention, but this man probably didn’t care if people came looking. He might even be shooting on purpose to lure other victims.

I needed to get a bit closer to open his status window.

Hoping the stealth potion would last, I crept closer in my invisible state.

As I approached stealthily, I finally managed to get close enough to see his status window.