Chapter 7: Once Again, Aiming for S-Rank. Let’s Reach the Top Together!
The academy’s grand showdown, which had fired up the entire arena, finally came to a close.
Soaking in the lingering excitement, we left the arena early to avoid the crowds, grabbed dinner on the way, and carried it back to the guild room.
Everyone just wanted a breather.
After we finished eating, it seemed like we’d all finally digested both the meal and the guild battle itself.
Lana was the first to speak, almost absentmindedly.
"Honestly, I didn’t really get what was going on, but… it was amazing."
"…That’s your takeaway?"
Her vocabulary was kind of lacking, maybe because the adrenaline from the arena still hadn’t worn off.
"Well, it was my first time ever seeing a guild battle. It was totally different from what I’d heard—it really shocked me."
That reaction, I could understand.
"I can guess what you’d heard, but today’s match was practically the academy’s biggest showdown. Of course the intensity was on another level."
It’s like going to your very first sports game, and it just so happens to be the championship finals.
Naturally, the energy and the impact hit way harder than normal.
I mean, I was moved too—especially by the one-on-one between Crown Prince Yuri and Kiri-chan-senpai.
Man, I want to be able to fight like that someday.
Listening to everyone else’s impressions afterward, most of them were along the same lines as Lana’s.
At least everyone seemed to have enjoyed the guild battle. That’s what mattered.
"So… we’ll be doing guild battles too, right? I wonder if I can really handle that…"
"Hanna, you’re a crafter. Fights like today’s <Castle Capture> will be handled by us combat jobs. You won’t be joining in."
"Oh, right… but hearing that just kinda makes me want to join in now…"
"Well, depends on the opponent. If we’ve got leeway, maybe we can put you in."
Not that she’d last long—her combat stats are basically nonexistent. She’d get taken out instantly.
"<Ranked Matches> start from D-rank, right?"
Sierra jumped in once Hanna and I wrapped up.
"Yep. I haven’t really had the chance to explain this yet, so I might as well do it now."
Now was perfect—everyone’s heads were still buzzing with guild battle fever.
"The guild battle <Ranked Matches> are pretty much what they sound like—ranking duels that determine guild rank. The winner moves up. If you want to climb, you can’t avoid them."
I checked that everyone was listening, then continued.
"First, the reason for raising guild rank—you all already know the basics. The higher the rank, the more perks you get. More member slots, special benefits from the academy, stuff like guild houses. On top of that, the achievements and reputation you build up can open doors for your future. Think job hunting, for example."
This is the main content of <DanKatsu>. If you don’t understand this part, you don’t understand the game.
"Next, about the ranks themselves. You start at F, and the cap is S. From F to D, promotion is based on dungeon clears, class grades, guild size, average level, that kind of thing. Complete the academy’s assigned trials, and you rank up. Clear a Beginner mid-tier dungeon and you’ll at least hit D-rank."
D-rank’s easy. Just progressing the story naturally gets you there.
But past that, guild battles enter the equation.
And if your guild can’t fight? You’ll never climb.
"From there, it gets tough. C-rank guilds are no joke."
"Marie-senpai’s guild was C-rank, right?"
"Yeah. <Wappen Seal Sticker> may be a production guild, but they’re solid and skilled. Even so, they’ve only made it to C. That’s how steep the wall above is."
Take Hanna’s armor, the <Early Queen Black>. It’s got a defense stat of 20. Managing that with just Beginner low-tier dungeon materials takes serious skill—but even that level of craftsmanship only places you in C-rank.
"From C and above, you not only get academy stipends and benefits, but outside eyes start watching too. Your guild room becomes a full-on guild house, and you can even run a shop. The catch is… there’s a seat limit."
"So that’s why guild battles are basically a fight for those seats."
"Exactly. To give you the numbers: S-rank has 3 guild slots = 150 people. A-rank has 6 slots = 240 people. B-rank has 20 slots = 600 people. C-rank has 150 slots = 3000 people. Total? 3990 seats. And the academy has 20,000 students. Meaning only one in five can even make it to C-rank or above. It’s a narrow path."
That’s why C-rank and above are called elites.
Once you’re there, the outside world takes you seriously. No wonder the academy gives special treatment.
And from B-rank upward, with less than a thousand students, the climb becomes brutally difficult. The reason <Wappen Seal Sticker> stays at C isn’t just a lack of ability—it’s that the competition is cutthroat.
"So, Zephyrus—you’re planning to climb all the way up, right? To the top."
At Sierra’s question, I gave her a sharp grin.
"Of course. Our goal is S-rank. Nothing less."
Why else would I have chosen the 【Hero】 job in the first place?
Naturally—because I plan to enjoy every last drop of real <DanKatsu>.
And to do that, being the strongest is the bare minimum.
"Everyone, will you come with me?"
I stood up, looking around at them as I asked.
Even though I already knew the answer, I wanted to hear it from their own mouths.
"What kind of question is that? Of course, we’re coming. In fact, I won’t forgive you unless we make it all the way to S-rank."
"I also owe you far more than I could ever repay. If you’ll allow it, I would be honored to accompany you."
With her hands on her hips and a bright, excited grin, Lana declared her support. Then Ester, in a rather formal manner, met my eyes and spoke straight from the heart.
Yeah, she’s right. It’d be unforgivable if I didn’t reach S-rank. Honestly, I couldn’t forgive myself either. Lana, if that ever happens, let’s punish me together.
But still—"if you’ll allow it"? Ester’s acting like I’m her superior or something. I just want her to come along as a companion, plain and simple. For some reason, she seems dead set on being my retainer. Well, as long as she’s coming with me, I guess it’s fine.
"I’ve already decided—I’m going to stay with Zephyrus-kun forever. There’s no way I’d say I’m leaving now."
Hanna’s been with me the longest since I first came into this <DanKatsu> world. I can’t even imagine being apart from her now. If she had said she was leaving, I would’ve pulled every trick in the book to stop her. (Not that I’m gonna say what kind of tricks.)
Luckily, I didn’t need to. Good, good.
And lastly, Sierra. Honestly, she’s the hardest to read. So, what’s it gonna be…?
"You don’t need to look so worried. I’m grateful to you too, you know. I’ve got no intention of leaving now. I’ll be right there, watching as you rise to the top."
She turned her eyes away, sounding a little embarrassed as she said it.
Looks like my worries were unfounded.
Ahh… this feeling…
It really hit me, deep down.
I looked around at them all again.
Everyone’s faces were lit up with determination.
Yeah, I can trust them. We’ll keep moving forward together without worry.
"Thanks, guys. From here on, let’s work hard and aim higher—together!"
"""Oooooh!!"""
"...Yeah, yeah."
C’mon, Sierra, at least join in with the cheer just this once.
Though, to be fair, her cool attitude is part of her charm too.
The day after the Guild Battle at the arena.
Today’s a school holiday. Saturday.
In the morning, I went over to visit Marie-senpai. I introduced Lana, Ester, and Sierra to her, and while I was at it, I also handed over the materials we’d hunted the other day.
But then Marie-senpai frowned and said:
"Say, mister… I dunno about this. Having a princess hand stuff in directly to us is kinda… problematic, y’know?"
"What are you talking about, Marie-senpai? If you’re gonna be working with <Eden>, this kind of thing is gonna keep happening. Better get used to it now, or you’ll really be in trouble later."
"…Is that so."
For some reason, she looked like the color had drained from her face a little, but I’m sure that was just my imagination.
"Anyway, I’ve got something else. Can I ask you for a job?"
I pulled a certain ticket from my pocket.
It was a reward I got for completing a quest Marie-senpai had commissioned a while back.
A voucher that lets me use <Wappen Seal Sticker>’s services for free.
That’s right—free ticket!
As soon as Marie-senpai saw it, her energy came rushing back.
"Ohh! Already cashing it in, huh, mister? My hands are itchin' to work again. Ever since graduation season ended, I haven’t had a proper commission for my main craft. But now—heh, I’ve got the materials, I’m all fired up, and I’ll make sure this turns out perfect! So, what’re we makin'?"
"Not equipment coordination. The other one."
Marie-senpai’s guild, <Wappen Seal Sticker>, has two main specialties.
One is <Design Paint Customization>, where they change the color, patterns, and other details to customize equipment.
And the other—
"Ohh, that’s right, that’s right. You made your own guild, didn’t ya? Totally slipped my mind. Yeah, without one of those, a guild’s got no presence. Leave it to me, I’ll whip up a proper emblem for ya!"
Exactly—guild <Emblems>.
Every guild has its own <Emblem>.
Back in the game, you could design them yourself, so <DanKatsu> players would pour their hearts into making the coolest ones they could.
There were even "Guild House Screenshot Showcase" contests where players flaunted their guild house and their awesome <Emblems> to the community.
For those who struggled with design, there were even "Emblem Masters" who would teach you how to make them.
Ahh… nostalgic.
By the way, I was the type who changed my <Emblem> every time I did a new playthrough.
『That emblem is from the Xth run. Whenever I see this <Emblem>, I remember it. The scenes from back then!』
…Well, it wasn’t anything that deep. It was simply because I changed the "protagonist" job every time, so I made the emblem to match whatever job I was playing.
And this time, same as always, I came here to get a cool <Emblem> made—one fitting for real-life <DanKatsu> and for our guild, <Eden>.
"None of us in the guild are any good at drawing, so if possible, I want you to design it from scratch. On top of that, make a guild flag, and even add engraved embroidery onto all of our equipment."
"Mister, that’s the full course! I’m so happy I could scream, but one coupon isn’t enough for that. You’ll need to cough up five."
"Wait, wasn’t this a one-time free-use ticket?"
"It is, but for emblem-making, one ticket doesn’t even begin to cover it. Don’t worry, for regular design changes, one ticket is absolutely valid."
"Hmm, well, I get that… but five is way too steep. There are only five of us in the guild, and we’re only changing part of our gear. How about two tickets?"
"I’m afraid that’s naïve of you. You’re the legendary 【Hero】. Everyone in the academy knows your name now. A guild with someone like that can’t have a second-rate <Emblem>. Not to mention you’ve got the 【Saint】 Princess herself and a group of other big names gathered here. We need to make something worthy. Four tickets."
"Then how about this—I’ll publicly credit your guild as the creators. If we’re that famous, it’ll be good publicity for you. In that case, surely two tickets—or even one—would be enough, right?"
"Nice try, but our guild’s already pretty famous. We make more than enough profit without advertising. So no, we don’t need promo work. Four tickets."
And so the haggling battle went on. Somehow, I managed to get her down to three tickets. As expected of Marie-senpai—tough as nails.
In return, she made me promise that whenever I got dungeon materials, I’d bring them to <Wappen Seal Sticker> first. That’s no problem. Honestly, that’s exactly what I wanted.
"First, I’ll make some design drafts."
She said with energy, then disappeared into the guild hall. I left the rest in her hands and stepped out of the shop.
By the way, the evaluation for Beginner Mid-Tier materials still hasn’t finished. Seems there’s been a bidding war over the <Emperor Goblin>’s materials. I’ll leave that mess to Marie-senpai.
On the way down C-Street, Sierra glanced at me and said,
"You and Marie-senpai seem awfully close."
"Yeah. Honestly, I was more surprised that you and Marie-senpai knew each other."
"It was nothing more than being a regular customer."
Apparently, Marie-senpai’s family is a well-known line of fashion designers who’ve been in high demand among nobles for ages. Because of that, she often tagged along with her parents when they worked, and that’s how she came to know Sierra. Though she admitted this was the first time they’d actually spoken.
"Well, putting that aside—we’ve got the <Emblem> covered, so I was thinking of heading into a dungeon next. What do you all think?"
"Sounds great! Let’s go!"
"I agree."
"I want to hurry and level up so I can catch up."
"I’ll come too!"
"Then it’s settled."
Everyone’s voices were filled with excitement. Looks like yesterday’s guild battle fired them up nicely.
After splitting up to prepare, we gathered again at ShouDan and stepped through the gate into our next dungeon: <The Abandoned Stone Bridge Mine>.
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