Chapter 6: <Ranked Match> Guild Battle Begins
I always call it <DanKatsu>, so it’s easy to forget, but the game’s full title is actually "Encouragement For Job Hunting In Dungeons".
The reason behind that weird name comes from this very Arena.
Here, under the eyes of the public, guilds clash against each other, wagering their honor and reputation.
In other words, this place is basically a showcase where students prove what they’ve learned at the Academy, how they’ve applied it, and how much they’ve polished themselves.
Spectators who come to watch at the Arena aren’t limited to Academy students either—outsiders can freely attend.
And once companies or nobles see the students fight here, if someone catches their eye, they’ll scout them on the spot.
Employment with a company, serving under a lord, or another path entirely…
All roads are decided here, in the guild battles at the Arena.
That’s why the developers named the game "Encouragement For Job Hunting In Dungeons".
Incidentally, the game’s endings varied depending on where you ended up working, and how you succeeded there.
From endings where you waste your three years, get scouted by no one, and live a plain life forever…
…to endings where you rise as a hero, conquer the hardest dungeons, and eventually marry a princess to become king—there were all kinds.
After all, there were an absurd number of jobs, and the endings were tailored to them.
Honestly, it was impossible to see them all. Take it from me—I put in over 8,000 hours and couldn’t even scratch half of them. The total endings exceeded 400.
In the end, the developers created 403 endings, pouring their souls into sheer quantity.
More isn’t always better, developers!
Do you know how long it takes to play through three years of Academy life? I cursed them so many times. And in the end, I collapsed halfway through, not even reaching 50 endings.
Still, since every ending video was uploaded by <DanKatsu> players, I made sure to watch all of them.
Anyway, back to today’s Arena.
This was my first time seeing a guild battle in real life, so of course I was excited.
"The front row seats are all taken, obviously, but hey—we still managed to snag some decent spots."
"True. We can see the main screen, and if it’s too far we can just watch the relay feed."
As expected, the Arena was packed.
After all, today’s battle was between two of the Academy’s giants: an A-rank guild—only 240 members spread across six slots exist in the entire Academy—and an S-rank guild, which has only three slots, with 150 students total.
With the Academy’s titans clashing, no student in their right mind would miss this.
Thanks to Sierra pulling some strings, we managed to secure fairly good seats. We ended up sitting together in a row: Ester, Lana, Hanna, me, and Sierra.
Hanna in the middle was just how things worked out. Lana didn’t want to be on the far edge, so Ester took the end seat, Lana sat next to her, and since Sierra and I ended up paired together, Hanna got the leftover middle.
She was trembling nervously—despite earlier cuddling <Lucky Cat-sama> with the girls, she still hadn’t gotten used to this.
By the way, the tickets were bought with guild funds.
Since we’d formed a guild, everything we purchased was communal property. Everyone chipped in donations.
I didn’t set the contribution too high. If we need more, we can just collect again.
For now, I personally donated one million miru.
That left me with 2.84 million miru total. I didn’t take a cut from the <Tropical Jungle Dungeon>, since I hadn’t hunted monsters there. So my wealth hadn’t changed.
I should also go collect the appraisal reward for Beginner Mid-Tier materials. My wallet’s starting to feel a bit light.
"Looks like this one’s a <30-man match>. The format’s <Castle Capture>. And the field is a <Nonagon>, huh!? Damn, as expected of the Academy’s titans—this is gonna be good."
"You can tell just from that?"
Sierra glanced at me from the corner of her eye while holding her student handbook, then pointed toward the stage with her gaze.
Of course I can. I was called the living database of <DanKatsu>. There’s nothing I don’t know about it.
…Well, except for a few differences with reality, which I’m still investigating. (Okay, so there are things I don’t know.)
"If you know all that, would you explain it to me? This is my first time seeing a guild battle."
Hmm. Wanting to learn is a good sign, especially with guild battles. Honestly, if you don’t know about them, you’re missing half of what makes <DanKatsu> fun.
"If you don’t mind, I’ll be your commentator."
"Thank you. That would help a lot."
Sierra let out a small sigh, shoulders easing.
Since we’d eventually be participating in guild battles ourselves, there was no harm in teaching her.
As I opened my mouth to start explaining, I realized more eyes were fixed on me from the other side.
"Hm?"
"Um, Zephyrus-kun. I… don’t really get it either."
"If possible, I would also like you to explain."
"Please teach us."
"All of you, huh?"
I shook my head with a good grief gesture, cleared my throat, and began my lecture.
"First off, a Guild Battle usually happens when a lower-ranked guild challenges a higher-ranked one. This is called a <Ranked Match>. To put it simply, it’s like a ranking battle. If the lower-ranked side wins, the ranks swap. If the higher-ranked side wins, it’s considered a successful defense and nothing changes."
"But wait, doesn’t that put the defending side at a disadvantage? If people keep challenging them, they’re bound to lose eventually."
Good point, Lana.
"That’s why there are rules. You can only challenge the same guild once per month. And if you lose, you can’t challenge anyone for a month."
"I see, that makes sense."
"Anyway, skipping the finer details for now—the important thing is, Guild Battles are the way to climb to higher ranks. But they don’t start until D-rank. Explaining that system would take forever, so I’ll save it for another time. What you need to know now is that there are different formats for Guild Battles. This time, they’re using the one focused on combat: <Castle Capture>."
"<Castle Capture>… so, you mean some battles aren’t centered around fighting?"
"Exactly, Ester. There are even guild battles for production-based jobs. Those are more like contests—say, cooking competitions or crafting tournaments. Totally different vibe, no flashy combat like this one. I’ll tell you more about that another time."
(Though to be fair, production job showdowns like gourmet duels can get ridiculously intense in their own way… but let’s shelve that for now.)
"Anyway, <Castle Capture> is exactly what it sounds like—storming castles built into the dungeon’s gimmicks. To be specific, you take down a castle by reducing its HP to zero. Both sides race to capture as many as they can, and whichever guild ends up with more points when time runs out wins. It’s a timed, point-based competition."
In <Castle Capture>, each field is made up of grid-like tiles, kind of like a Reversi board. On each tile sits a small castle worth 10 points. Capture it, and the tile switches to your guild’s color. From there, you can start taking adjacent tiles.
But just like Reversi, you can’t take castles that aren’t connected to your territory. Even if you manage to drop one, it won’t count as yours and it’ll respawn immediately.
The real goal is pushing forward tile by tile until you reach the massive <Great Castles>. Those are worth a whopping 2,000 points each.
Of course, it’s not just about scoring—your opponent can steal your castles right back. Once captured, a castle takes two minutes to fully restore its HP under your guild’s control. If the enemy smashes it back, it becomes theirs. And that cycle repeats.
Naturally, that’s where defense comes in. You station players to guard your castles—this is called <Reinforcement>. And when both sides meet at the same spot… well, then you get the real highlight: PvP brawls!
Defenders against attackers, clashing head-on. That’s what turns <Castle Capture> into a roaring spectacle that whips the crowd into a frenzy.
In the game, the system even added live commentary to mimic the arena’s hype.
There are tons of other little rules, but that’s enough basics. Let’s move on to the field this time.
The chosen battlefield is the <Nonagon>, the largest and hardest map. Nine Great Castles sit at its corners, guaranteeing massive clashes breaking out all over. It’s the kind of map that never lets the audience get bored.
And today’s match is a <30-man match>. That means each guild sends in thirty members. With a map this big, anything less wouldn’t cut it.
But thirty is a serious number. For example, a B-rank guild can only have thirty members max. That means if they were to attempt one of these, it would literally be an all-hands-on-deck fight. And since most guilds have non-combatants mixed in, filling the roster almost always means dragging in weaker members. Which basically guarantees a loss.
That’s why a 30v30 Castle Capture on the Nonagon is the biggest, most prestigious guild battle format in Dungeon Academy—something only A-rank guilds or higher can pull off.
When I explained all that with such passion, everyone just stared blankly at me.
"Zephyrus-kun is… so fired up…"
"T-this kind of thing isn’t bad at all. Actually, it might be good."
"Really feels like a boy thing."
"Yes. His usual cool style is nice, but this hot-blooded side is good too."
…And for some reason, the feedback I got had nothing to do with guild battles.
"Uh, you girls? Were you even listening to me?"
"We were listening. It just caught us off guard a little, that’s all. Thank you."
Sierra turned her gaze away and thanked me, her cheeks faintly red.
D-damn, what’s with that reaction? That’s cute.
The other girls’ faces were a little flushed too.
What’s with that? Don’t tell me… am I in my popular phase? Is it finally happening to me?
"Ahem. I’ll thank you as well. Though… I kind of missed part of what you said halfway through…"
"Allow me to thank you on Lady Lana’s behalf. ──I’ll explain it to her properly later."
Lana, looking smug, tossed out some half-baked thanks, and Ester quickly followed up.
…Is that just their usual routine?
I couldn’t quite catch the end since both of them had lowered their voices.
I turned to Hanna, sitting beside me.
"Ah… t-too close…"
"Well, that’s just because we’re sitting next to each other."
"I-I know, but that’s not what I meant… Anyway, face the other way, please. Thanks for the explanation, Zephyrus-kun."
"Eh? Uh… you’re welcome?"
I wish she’d pick one: either shoo me away or thank me. …Actually, forget the shooing away part.
"It’s about to start. Zephyrus, could I trouble you to commentate for us? I understand the rules now, but it’s my first time seeing it, so I’ll probably still get lost."
"Sure, leave it to me."
"Why do I get the feeling you go easy on Sierra-san, Zephyrus-kun…"
That’s not true… I think.
It’s just that Sierra looks like the type who can handle anything on her own, so it feels fresh when she actually relies on me.
"Oh, both guilds are coming out now."
As the start time drew closer, the two guilds appeared.
They lined up face-to-face near the center of the <Nonagon> field, bowed to each other, and then headed to their own castles.
The distance between bases was about 20 tiles — pretty far apart.
Then, each guild packed their 30 members into a single starting tile and began preparing.
"See that? Those fixed positions — that’s their <Base>. It’s their starting point, and at the same time, the castle they must never lose."
On the east side, the A-rank guild <Thousand Swords Fracal> held a red castle.
On the west side, the S-rank guild <King Absolute> held a white castle as their base.
"Huh? What happens if your base gets taken?"
"You don’t instantly lose. But every stronghold you’ve captured — all the great castles — immediately flip to the enemy’s side."
"Eh? That’s huge!"
"Of course it is. But that’s also what makes it the most thrilling. Even if you’re behind in points, behind in territory, behind in numbers and strength… you can still aim for a last-second reversal and win. When that happens, the entire arena erupts like an explosion of cheers and heat. That roar from the crowd is incredible."
"R-really…?"
Oops, I was getting a little too fired up again.
I cleared my throat to reset the mood.
"To stop that from happening, you need to carefully assign people to attack the Great Castles, people to defend, and people to infiltrate the enemy <Base>. This is a battle of guilds, not lone heroes. No matter how strong one person is, they can’t carry it. That’s why guilds — mine included — gather as many excellent members as they can."
The <Nonagon> field is tough. Because the objectives are spread in all directions and there are nine Great Castles, managing and holding them is extremely difficult.
After all, any castle you capture can just as easily be taken back.
Because of that, even though it’s guild versus guild, you’re forced to spread your members thin across the map — which means they can be picked off easily.
Sometimes you even lose to the defending monsters.
Now then, let’s see what the academy’s top-rank guilds are made of.
──The time was almost 16:00.
The guild battle would last for two hours.
The referee, wearing a <Bracelet of 『Guest』>, blew the whistle sharply from the center tile.
"It’s started."
At Sierra’s words, everyone leaned forward, eyes fixed on the field.
The most important part of <Castle Capture> was — the <Opening Move>.
That crucial first action could decide the outcome of the entire match. You absolutely couldn’t afford a single mistake during the starting dash.
So, what would each guild’s first move be?
"!? Both guilds scattered their members straight out of their bases!"
"What splendid movement. Advancing evenly in every direction, instantly cutting down the defending monsters, capturing small castles one after another, and expanding their territory."
"Zephyrus-kun! Neither side left anyone at their base! Isn’t that dangerous!?"
Lana’s eyes widened, Ester praised them, and Hanna looked at me in alarm, but I gave a firm nod.
"Yeah, it’s no problem. At the start, there’s still the twenty-tile wall between bases, and without holding any Great Castles, there’s no real point in attacking a <Base>. In fact, if you keep everyone crowded together, you just give the enemy the excuse to wipe you all out at once. That’s why they deliberately leave the base unmanned."
The <Base> only gets targeted at the very end. That’s exactly why it’s so exciting.
Still, while I understood the tactic, I couldn’t help but think they were being a bit soft.
That opening move? Way too naive, if you ask me.
Hanna noticed my doubtful reaction but turned her gaze back to the field, too absorbed to press me further. Sierra, however, leaned in eagerly.
"I see. Then, Zephyrus, tell me—why are they all moving in pairs or more?"
"Ah, there’s a rule for capturing tiles. It’s a little troublesome: <Whoever captures a tile must return to one of their own small castles before they can capture another tile>. That’s the rule."
Basically, it’s like recharging. You recharge at your own castle, then spend that charge to unlock the next tile.
"So that’s why they’re in pairs…? Ah, I get it."
Sierra seemed to understand mid-sentence, but since the others were still listening intently, I continued explaining.
"If you’re solo, every time you capture a tile you have to run all the way back to your own tile to recharge. But if you’re two people, you can alternate captures without having to return."
In other words, if Person A captures a tile, then Person B can use that new tile as a recharge point.
Next tile, Person B captures while Person A recharges.
And so the loop continues, letting them advance without interruption.
By the way, the person who captures a tile cannot recharge at that same tile.
That’s why advancing in at least pairs is considered the basic strategy.
Because of this rule, one person charging in and steamrolling everything solo is practically impossible.
Both guilds seemed to be focusing entirely on expanding their territory with small castles.
And that’s not wrong. Each small castle gave 10 points. Small gains pile up, and if you collect enough of them you can rack up a decent score. Plus, even if your <Base> falls, small castles don’t get stolen by the enemy—only Great Castles do.
So, mass-capturing small castles was a perfectly valid strategy. Winning by small-castle points would give a huge advantage.
But… why were both guilds completely ignoring the Great Castles?
For some reason, both sides were fixated on securing territory around the center using their paired units, leaving the Great Castles totally untouched.
Like water spilling out from their headquarters, <Thousand Swords Fracal>’s red tiles and <King Absolute>’s white tiles spread across the field in every direction—until finally, they collided near the center.
"The center has touched enemy territory!"
"A stalemate, then?"
But neither side moved forward. No one was pushing, and no one was being pushed back.
No—that wasn’t it. They simply couldn’t move.
"I didn’t explain earlier, but once a small castle is captured, for the two minutes it takes to recover, the enemy can’t enter that tile. That’s why it looks like a stalemate."
This rule was commonly called the <Protection Period>.
It existed to prevent instant recaptures the moment someone took a small castle.
Like in tag, where you can’t immediately tag back after being tagged. Without a count, the game would devolve into an endless loop.
Also, if enemies happened to be standing on the tile when it was captured, they were forcibly ejected.
While I was explaining, the two minutes ticked by. The protection period ended, and now both sides could push into each other’s territory. This was where the real fight began.
"Wow… red, then white… then red again…"
<Castle Capture> was like Reversi. Neutral tiles flipped red, then white, then back to red again, painting over each other in turn.
It was a tug-of-war, back and forth.
Both sides maneuvered carefully, making sure no one got close to their headquarters.
It looked like they were defending, but in reality it was all-out offense.
For now, the western S-rank guild <King Absolute> seemed to be ahead on points.
The focus of the battle spread wider and wider, shifting north next.
On the northern front, the two sides continued their fierce skirmishes while both aimed for the Great Castle sitting at true north.
The <Nonagon> battlefield had Great Castles placed near its vertices.
There were four in the eastern corners, and four in the western corners. At this stage, each side would likely secure their respective sets without interference—so that was even.
The reason no one went for the Great Castles immediately was to ensure these four were secured first by holding back the enemy.
But the real problem was the Great Castle sitting directly at true north, perfectly neutral.
Whoever secured that one could very well decide the match.
That’s why both guilds dispatched their elite ten members there. Twenty players total—the stage was set for a massive clash.
To be honest, I couldn’t help but think: Finally going for the North Castle, huh?
"I see the strategies both sides are aiming for now. The battle’s about to shift. Focus on the north."
<King Absolute> had the early lead. Could <Thousand Swords Fracal> make a comeback?
"Nice intercept!"
The words slipped out before I realized it.
On the northern front—
While both guilds were racing straight toward the Great Castle, a blisteringly fast two-man cell from <King Absolute> suddenly cut eastward.
They managed to snatch an area tile just in front of <Thousand Swords Fracal>’s advancing line, beating them by a fraction of a second.
As a result, <Thousand Swords Fracal>’s members were forcibly pushed back to the tile behind them.
With the protection period in effect, they couldn’t recapture or re-enter that tile for two minutes. Which meant they had no choice but to take a detour if they wanted to continue north.
A painful development for <Thousand Swords Fracal>.
Still, they weren’t without insurance—reinforcements from the east advanced northward and managed to secure the tile adjacent to the one <King Absolute> had stolen.
If they had allowed <King Absolute> to press even further east, <Thousand Swords Fracal> would have been completely locked out for two minutes, forced to stall. It was a close call.
Even so, they had merely avoided disaster—the situation was still grim.
<King Absolute>’s blistering-fast two-man cell, a cat-person and a human, continued their relentless intercepts.
From their newly acquired tile, they struck diagonally at the northeast, outpacing <Thousand Swords Fracal> completely.
It was safe to assume the forward northern tile would fall to <King Absolute> first. That left <Thousand Swords Fracal> with only two options: either push for the northwest or the northeast adjacent tiles. But the northwest was dangerously close to <King Absolute>’s main force—too risky.
Their momentum had already been broken, and with <King Absolute> holding the lead, advancing northwest risked being completely shut out from the northern route.
As a result, <Thousand Swords Fracal> chose the safer northeast path—a longer, more roundabout route.
But just one step. Just one tile lost, and <Thousand Swords Fracal> was already being driven into a corner.
While <King Absolute>’s members advanced in flawless unison under their calm, composed commander, <Thousand Swords Fracal>’s side was visibly rattled and starting to waver.
"Nicely done."
I couldn’t help but let out a word of admiration.
Leaving aside the opening move, what came after was truly eye-catching. Especially the S-Rank guild, <King Absolute>. Their movements were exactly what you’d expect from a group bearing the S-Rank title.
The A-Rank guild <Thousand Swords Fracal> tried to keep up, but their opponents clearly had the upper hand.
"Ah… Fracal’s…"
Hanna covered her mouth with her hand.
All eyes turned to where <Thousand Swords Fracal> was being completely blocked off along their advance route. That nimble cat-folk and human duo had intercepted them.
For the remaining two minutes of the protection period, <Thousand Swords Fracal> would be pinned down and unable to move forward.
It wasn’t long, but it was fatal.
A Great Castle could only be attacked if you secured the adjacent tiles.
By the time <Thousand Swords Fracal> pulled back, recaptured a tile whose protection had expired, and tried to catch up, <King Absolute> had already surrounded every adjacent tile of the Great Castle.
<Thousand Swords Fracal> couldn’t enter during the protection period.
All they could do was watch as the Great Castle fell.
The northern Great Castle was worth 2000 points. <King Absolute> claimed it.
What a huge advantage.
That’s because Great Castle didn’t lose points even if recaptured later.
<King Absolute> would hold onto their 2000 points, and if <Thousand Swords Fracal> took it back, they’d just earn their own 2000 points—tying the score at best.
But if <King Absolute> then recaptured it, they’d get another 2000 points on top.
In other words, it’d become 4000 vs 2000. The gap might narrow, but there was no chance of a reversal.
That’s why securing unclaimed Great Castles first was the top priority.
From then on, the match played out with <King Absolute> in firm control.
After losing the northern fortress, <Thousand Swords Fracal> shifted to a defensive stance and secured the four Great Castles on the eastern side.
Meanwhile, <King Absolute> captured every Great Castles on the west.
And with that, all nine Great Castles had fallen.
"All the Great Castles have fallen. Still, <King Absolute> was fast, huh."
"Yeah. Even though they had five Great Castles to capture, they still finished before <Thousand Swords Fracal> could take their four. Thanks to that, the map control’s all in <King Absolute>’s favor."
"Map control?"
"Think about what comes next. Once the Great Castles are all taken, what do you think happens?"
"Ah, I see. Player vs. player combat."
Sierra hit the nail on the head.
"Exactly."
The next phase was PvP—so-called number reduction.
You’d secure small castles while whittling down the enemy’s manpower.
The fewer active players your enemy had, the easier it became to rack up points.
In <Castle Capture>, once someone’s HP dropped to zero, they were out.
Healing magic and potions were allowed, so as long as you weren’t completely knocked out, you could jump back in.
That meant in combat, the key was to chase them down and finish them off properly—don’t let them recover.
And "map control" referred to a formation-based strategy: securing multiple tiles so you could support allies in danger, or press forward offensively. Sort of like arranging pieces in shogi.
Here too, the protection period was critical.
During protection, the enemy couldn’t enter an area. So you’d use that to secure escape routes, cut off enemies, flank them, set ambushes—you name it. Of course, the same applied in reverse: they could also use it to retreat, so you had to set your pieces carefully to prevent escapes.
And in that regard, <King Absolute> finished their setup far faster.
With their formation barely in place, <Thousand Swords Fracal> had no choice but to turtle up.
The offensive belonged to <King Absolute>.
"""Uoooooooohhh!!"""
As the PvP phase began, the entire arena erupted in excitement.
<Thousand Swords Fracal> tried to hold out, using numbers to cover for their flimsy formation, but they were defeated one by one, and their members were greatly reduced.
It was the perfect lesson on just how vital formations were.
Standing out above all was <King Absolute>’s attacker squad, led by a warrior clad in golden armor.
At one point, <Thousand Swords Fracal> managed to set up a 7-vs-5 formation, finally gaining a numbers advantage. But that golden warrior simply tore through them, wiping out all seven without breaking a sweat. Utterly overwhelming.
And then—
"…Onii-sama…"
"Huh? Wait, that’s… Lana, that’s your brother?"
"Yes. Prince Yuri, Lana’s elder brother. He’s also the guild master."
Ester immediately added after catching Lana’s quiet murmur.
Her tone carried a faint sadness, but my own reaction was more pure shock.
Seriously? That monster’s Lana’s brother? No wonder he’s absurdly strong.
If anything, it made perfect sense. "Royalty." "Crown Prince". Those categories were insanely powerful.
The only reason I hadn’t noticed right away was because his helmet had hidden his <Small Crown> symbol.
Now that I thought about it, the guild name—<King Absolute>—suddenly clicked. So that’s what it meant: the Crown Prince’s guild. Took me long enough.
Watching closely, yeah… I recognized those skills.
"Ah, 【Hero King】, huh. No wonder he’s so strong…"
"!! Sir Zephyrus, you can even recognize that?"
"There ain’t a single class I don’t know! …Er, wait, forget I said that."
"Please… keep it confidential. If word got out that you—"
"Okay, okay! Got it. Forget what I said. You didn’t hear anything."
"Y-Yes, understood."
Looked like there was some annoying political baggage tied to that. Too much hassle—I’d pass for now.
"Oh! Crown Prince Yuri’s been stopped!"
"Hm? That’s…!"
Responding to Sierra’s voice, I turned my eyes back to the field. The guild battle was reaching its climax.
<King Absolute> had pushed all the way to <Thousand Swords Fracal>’s <Base>.
If they captured it, they’d automatically seize every Great Castle <Thousand Swords Fracal> held. That was four Great Castle—an instant 8000 points gain.
At the same time, once the <Base> was captured, a two-minute ceasefire period began while the castle recovered. Both guilds were forced back to their respective bases. In other words, a reset.
During the ceasefire, you couldn’t invade the opponent’s territory or seize their castles, and PvP battles also had to be halted.
Since there’s no such thing as "extra time," if their base was taken, <Thousand Swords Fracal> would lose precious time needed to make a comeback.
That was exactly what they wanted to avoid at all costs, so <Thousand Swords Fracal> threw in their heavy hitters for one last stand.
Blocking the golden warrior Yuri—who was about to land a checkmate on their base—was a beautiful girl in a hakama, with long black hair tied in a ponytail. I’d met her back at the first-year training grounds.
"Kiri-chan-senpai-senpai!"
""Kiri-chan-senpai-senpai (what?)""
Hanna and Sierra immediately reacted to my outburst.
Oh? Their reaction was strangely sharp.
Well, it was the final scene, after all. Of course, they’d be curious about the person who managed to stop Crown Prince Yuri.
"She’s the sub-master of <Thousand Swords Fracal>. I had a chance to talk to her once before."
"That’s not what I meant—why are you calling her ‘-chan’?"
…That’s what you’re hung up on!?
Look, I get it, it might sound odd, but come on. We’re literally at the deciding climax of the match here! And the thing that bothers you most is me adding "-chan"? What even is that logic?
Just look at Sierra—pretending to be satisfied with my answer while staring at the arena, but I can feel she’s still focused on me.
You too, huh?
"Argh, enough! Eyes on the match! This is the moment that could decide it all!"
I forced the momentum back toward the fight. Reluctantly, both of them turned their eyes back to the arena.
Crown Prince Yuri and Kiri-chan-senpai seemed to be exchanging words, pausing the fight. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a mic, so I had no idea what they were saying.
<King Absolute> had 26 members left.
<Thousand Swords Fracal> had only 15.
On sheer numbers alone, <King Absolute>’s victory was certain. But it looked like Crown Prince Yuri intended to fight Kiri-chan-senpai one-on-one.
The rest of the members kept <Thousand Swords Fracal>’s survivors occupied, but none of them interfered. They were standing by as spectators.
Nice. I actually love these kinds of showdowns.
Kiri-chan-senpai made the first move.
Judging from her hakama and the longsword at her hip, her job was definitely from the 【Samurai】 line of Advanced Job.
In an instant, she dashed in and drew her blade.
She must’ve activated some skill, but she was too fast and too far for me to catch exactly what it was.
Not that it mattered—I wasn’t about to waste time analyzing when I needed to focus on their fight.
Kiri-chan-senpai struck, but Prince Yuri clearly read it all.
He deflected every attack with his golden sword, dodging and countering smoothly.
Still, Kiri-chan-senpai wasn’t fazed. She’d already proven her composure just by halting the unstoppable charge of Crown Prince Yuri.
Sometimes she even parried his strikes directly, matching blade to blade. A proper parry.
Because of that, Prince Yuri couldn’t fully break through either.
"…This is… incredible…"
The intensity was overwhelming.
What I was seeing here was nothing like the dungeon battles I knew.
It reminded me of that moment I landed the final blow on the <Emperor Goblin>—a fight not of theory-crafting or brute force, but of sheer technique.
This was a new possibility for <DanKatsu>.
Player skill I absolutely had to master if I wanted to experience real <DanKatsu> to the fullest.
Originally, I’d decided to watch this arena match so my guild members could broaden their horizons—so they could understand what guild battles were really like.
But I realized now, I wasn’t the only one broadening their view.
I was excited too. Thrilled by the glimpse of a new kind of guild battle.
Beep, beep, beep────!!
The referee’s whistle cut through the arena.
Apparently, two full hours had passed while I was completely absorbed in the fight.
The duel between Crown Prince Yuri and Kiri-chan-senpai ended without a clear winner.
But the match result was beyond doubt.
<King Absolute> — 24 members remaining. Points: 29,520.
<Thousand Swords Fracal> — 12 members remaining. Points: 21,320.
The guild battle was won by <King Absolute>.
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