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

[The much-anticipated first round is about to begin. Survive and make it through. Good luck.]

As soon as I regained consciousness, a strange broadcast sound hit my ears.

I staggered to my feet and looked around, finding myself in the middle of a jungle. The rustling sound of the leaves was incredibly realistic.

Where on earth is this?

In a daze, I looked down at my body.

Beneath the short basic clothes, I saw thin and delicate limbs.

I collapsed in front of a nearby pond to get a better look at my reflection.

An Asian beauty stared back at me.

Who is this?

Slowly retracing my memories, one particular thought flashed through my mind.

Ah… I remember now.

[Name] Rudel

Will this character survive this round?

[Yes] 3% [No] 97%

This was the face posted on the homepage of a newly released game a while ago.

One of the characters in the soon-to-be-opened simulation game, where users bet their game money.

This character had the lowest stats, with 97% of people voting that they would die early on.

In other words, a throwaway character, an extra among extras if this were a novel.

I didn’t understand why I had suddenly become a character in the game, but to grasp the situation, I first checked the status window that had been floating in front of me.

[Name] Rudel / [Level] 1

[Gender] Female / [Age] 21

[Intelligence] High

* * *

[Health] 85 / D

[Strength] 80 / D

[Agility] 106 / D

Haha, all D-rank, this is hopeless.

If the pond in front of me had been a well, I would have thrown myself into it, but unfortunately, it was a shallow pond.

I dropped my head helplessly. I couldn’t understand why I, who should be in reality, was inside a game.

A game where even a small mistake might lead to death.

‘Do you seek thrills like no other? Everything is within this game.’

Introduced with this ominous tagline, this game had hit 2 million pre-registrations domestically even before its release.

In fact, although it was called a game, it was more like a viewing program.

Users did not actually play the game; instead, they watched a survival simulation of characters moving and living within the game. They could predict the winners of each round or bet game money on their favorite characters to increase or use their funds. In other words, it was like a modern-day Colosseum viewed in virtual reality.

The game became a major topic after the closed beta service began, receiving tremendous praise and acclaim from beta testers upon its release.

“It feels like all the characters are alive and breathing.”

“The realistic and sensory character design captivates gamers.”

“Their battles and deaths make us laugh and cry.”

While there were some voices criticizing the dangers of VR viewing and the brutality of the battles, the game company managed to navigate these concerns through content moderation measures.

So, just before the game’s official release, I found myself becoming one of those game characters, struggling to survive under the watchful eyes of the viewers.

“How did I end up here?”

I tried to recall what happened just before coming here, but it was as if most of my memories, except those related to the game, had been erased.

As if someone had intentionally tampered with my memory…

My head ached, but that wasn’t important right now.

At this very moment, other characters were probably gearing up to advance quickly.

To avoid being killed, I had to put aside trivial worries for later.

I looked up and glanced at the status window again.

“To the 97% of viewers who bet that I’d die? They can go to hell. I’ll survive.”

I was convinced.

Originally, Rudel might have been a weak character as expected by the viewers, but because I was here, she would survive until the end.

The game company had released some information about the survival game on the homepage for the viewers’ betting content.

I had read and memorized it thoroughly.

Just with this, I was already far ahead.

And there was one more thing, a video uploaded by one of the beta testers with the cooperation of the game company.

It only covered the first day, but it allowed me to grasp the core of this simulation game.

“Oh, this is a really brutal game. And look at how the experience points are calculated. The character popularity vote is huge! No matter how hard the characters try, if they don’t get votes from the viewers outside the screen, they can’t level up and just die!”

In other words, the more popular a character is with the viewers, the more advantageous they are in the game.

Other characters didn’t know this was a game, so this was information only I could use.

A swirl of emotions churned in my head, but I slowly took a deep breath to calm my trembling feelings.

Alright, let’s survive somehow for now.

And then, I will find out who I am and how I ended up inside this game, step by step.

* * *

As the horn signaling the start of the first round sounded, I quickly skimmed through the game manuals I had been given.

The content was minimal.

It mainly stated that I had to survive in this jungle throughout the first round and provided a brief explanation of the overall game mechanics.

Since today was the first day… the game must have just been released.

“How many viewers are watching me right now? With 2 million pre-registrations, maybe that many?”

No, probably not. There wouldn’t be many people watching a weak girl just sitting idly on the screen.

This character I had entered was quite pretty, but since all game characters were designed to be attractive, it wasn’t a unique advantage.

So, I needed to put in more effort.

What should a character do first upon waking up in the first round?

The first task is to find the basic supply boxes scattered around the field.

“Come to think of it, I saw something shimmering in the pond earlier.”

Looking again, I saw a brown box shimmering in the middle of the clear water.

I rolled up my sleeves and tried to reach in, but it was deeper than I thought and I couldn’t reach it.

Is there a long shovel or something around?

But all I could see were trees of the jungle, no useful tools.

In the end, all I had was my own body.

“If I give up and head into the forest to find another box, I’ll quickly become a target.”

With no other choice, I grimaced and plunged into the waist-deep pond.

The box was stuck in the mud, so I couldn’t push it out with my bare feet. This weak D-rank body.

There was no other way. I had to hold my breath, submerge my head, and use both hands to pull the box out with all my strength.

About two minutes later, I managed to rescue the box but emerged soaking wet.

Quickly opening the box, I found it contained items close to a basic starter pack.

Inside were tough leather clothes, a pocket knife, a waist pouch, a piece of dry bread, and some water.

“My clothes are all wet, so I might as well change into the new ones.”

I recalled the basic function provided to each character from the game rules I read earlier.

“Pause mode.”

As soon as the command left my lips, a roughly 4-pyeong (approximately 13 square meters) enclosed space appeared around me. This is where characters can change clothes, wash up, or take care of personal needs. It’s completely impervious to external intrusion and invisible to viewers. It’s a space designed to maintain a certain level of decency in this game where realism is key.

However, there are restrictions to prevent it from impacting the game. Pause mode cannot be used during combat, and no items can be stored in this space. The time limit is 15 minutes, with a cooldown period of 2 hours.

Inside the small, bathroom-like space, I washed myself and dried off with a towel before changing into the leather clothes. This might increase my survival probability by 1%, bumping it from 3% to 4%, but every bit helps.

After the 15-minute limit, the pause mode automatically ended. I found myself back in the middle of the jungle. I looked down at the pocket knife in my hand.

With this knife, I would have to kill someone to earn points and rewards.

“If I think of the opponent as just a game character, it might not be impossible…”

If I, a weakling, recklessly displayed murderous intent towards other characters, I risked getting killed in return.

Therefore, the focus should be on gaining the viewers’ popularity votes.

I need to try. I need to win over the viewers, even with nothing to my name.

Not long ago, I was in the viewers’ shoes myself, so I should be able to manage some degree of performance.

Gaining the viewers’ favor is crucial for survival.

No matter how many necks one might slash, a character who doesn’t win the viewers’ favor will receive poor rewards.

I briefly checked my reflection in the knife’s blade before tucking it back into my belt.

* * *

As soon as I stepped out of the forest, I immediately stumbled upon a murder scene.

One character lay dead with his tongue sticking out, while the killer rummaged through the deceased’s belongings for anything useful.

A handsome boy with dark skin, distinctive eyes, and wild curly hair.

Unlike me, his muscular arms suggested high strength stats.

He probably had the kind of power to strangle an adult man in an instant.

As I watched the boy from a distance, a translucent window appeared in front of me.

Oh.

Sorry to the other participants, but it seems my privilege isn’t just having information.

I can see other characters’ status windows.