DanKatsu Volume 3, Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The E-Rank Exam, Our First Guild Battle!

The E-Rank Exam.

It’s the first test a guild must take in order to rank up.

The requirements are:

1. The guild master must have cleared all Beginner-Level Dungeons.

2. The guild must currently be F-Rank.

3. The guild must have at least five members.

4. At least three members must be in either combat or crafting jobs.

5. Multiple members must have their job at Lv40 or higher.

In short, it means F-Rank guilds are just "newbies who formed a guild," while a real guild starts from E-Rank. Once the third-tier job trees unlock, that’s when the job system truly begins—that’s the idea. Intermediate-Level Dungeons are the stage where you can finally start conquering content by mastering your jobs.

And the exam itself? It’s a Guild Battle held in the arena.

In <DanKatsu>, whenever you rank up, you’re always required to win a Guild Battle. If you can’t handle one, then you’re not even fit for job-hunting—that’s the logic.

Harsh, huh.

Guild Battles, as ranked matches officially start from D-Rank, but there are opportunities outside of ranked matches as well. Access to those opens at E-Rank, which is why the E-Rank exam introduces Guild Battles in the first place.

"Guild Battle, huh… just thinking about it makes my heart race."

Hanna said, sounding excited, probably remembering the Guild Battle she once watched.

"Yeah. It’s my first time (doing one here) too. I’m looking forward to it."

—Guild Battle.

Large-scale team combat.

The main event of <DanKatsu>.

Plenty of players stuck with the game purely because they got hooked on the thrill of Guild Battles.

I was one of them.

Dungeons alone are fun, sure—but with Guild Battles, it’s double the fun. That’s why <DanKatsu> became such a massive hit.

I brought Hanna along as we headed to the guild.

When we entered, everyone was already gathered thanks to the notice I’d sent. For a second, I worried someone else might’ve forgotten like Hanna almost did.

"You made it, Zephyrus!"

"Good morning, Sir Zephyrus."

First, Lana, who had stationed herself proudly in front of <Lucky Cat-sama>, turned around with a beaming smile.

Then Ester greeted me too—her words were as calm as ever, but her tone was just a little higher than usual.

"Morning. Looks like everyone’s here."

"Good morning, everyone."

Our guild had eight members total. With Hanna and me included, the other six turned their eyes toward us. I raised one hand in greeting.

Hanna gave a polite bow with both hands placed neatly together. For some reason, when a little loli does that, it’s just absurdly cute.

After exchanging greetings with Sierra, Celestan, Kalua, and Rika in turn, I quickly got to the main point.

"As I already mentioned in guild chat, today our guild <Eden> will be taking the E-Rank exam."

"That means <Eden> will finally be E-Rank! Ester, what should we prepare for the celebration?"

"Let’s see… I suppose some 100% pure apple juice, since Lady Lana enjoys it so much."

"That sounds perfect!"

"Perfect, my foot. Don’t get ahead of yourselves—we haven’t even taken the exam yet. And hey, I’m still talking here."

"Ugh, Zephyrus, you don’t get it at all. If we wait until after we pass, it’ll be too late. We have to be prepared beforehand, or everyone will panic trying to organize things last-minute."

…That’s palace logic, isn’t it?

Still, from the looks of it, only Hanna, Kalua, and I found Lana’s reasoning odd.

The noble-borns like Celestan didn’t seem to find anything unusual about it.

Kalua tilted her head slightly, a confused question mark hanging over her face.

What a difference in perspective.

…Well, whatever. Let’s move on.

"As for the Guild Battle, this won’t be like the serious one we saw before. This is a beginner-friendly exam. Instructors will be there to guide us properly."

Honestly, it’s more of a tutorial. As long as you meet the strength requirements, there’s almost no way to fail. Back in the game, if you looked like you were about to mess up, the instructors would step in and set you back on track.

It seemed things were a little different in reality.

"The participants will be five people. First, the instructors will teach us the rules, system, and basic tactics of Guild Battles. After that, to check whether we’ve learned properly, we’ll do a Castle Capture without any opposing team. Finally, we’ll finish with a mock Castle Capture match against the instructors."

The Castle Capture without opponents is also known as Training. For a fee, anyone can use it to practice, like taking down the defending monsters quickly or learning efficient ways to seize the Large Castle.

"Th-that sounds like a pretty tough exam. If we’re up against the instructors, we’ll just lose, won’t we?"

"Not exactly."

Lana flinched a little at how heavy the content sounded.

The reason it’s so thorough is that once you reach D-Rank, ranked Guild Battles are held in the arena and are open to spectators, including companies and businesspeople who get invited. In other words, the school charges admission fees. They expect battles that are worth watching. If the matches are a sloppy mess, it reflects badly on the academy.

There’s politics on the school’s side too.

Of course, the same goes for the students. Put on a pathetic showing here, and no company will ever scout you. That’s why both the academy and the students approach Guild Battles seriously.

I explained that in brief.

"So yeah, at first the instructors go easy, just enough to fire the students up. If they crushed us with full strength right away, it would only break our spirit. That would be bad for everyone."

"Ugh… that’s a bit of a raw reason. But I get it now."

Lana nodded, face slightly stiff, but she seemed convinced.

"So, Zephyrus—have you decided on the members?"

"Mm. We made it to Lv20 too. We’ve unlocked our second-tier trees. We can be useful."

Rika asked seriously, while Kalua mumbled sleepily beside her.

"Unfortunately, you two are still under-leveled. Like I said before, the E-Rank exam basically starts from Lv40. The Intermediate Low-tier dungeons also lift their entry ban at job Lv40. This time, you’ll have to spectate."

"I see… Understood."

"Mm, too bad."

"Same goes for Celestan."

"Yes. I’m still stuck at Lv6. Either way, I’d only hold you all back."

"Well, once we hit E-Rank, the plan is to train everyone until their jobs reach Lv40. Until then, sorry, but bear with it. The battle members will be me, Hanna, Lana, Ester, and Sierra."

"Yay."

"Got it! The usual members, huh!"

"Understood. I’ll do my best not to drag anyone down."

"Me too. But this will be my first Guild Battle, so make sure to teach me properly, okay?"

"Leave it to me."

After some quick planning, all of us headed for the Seventh Arena.

That’s where we were meeting up with Professor Phyllis today.

I’d already finished the paperwork for <Eden>’s E-Rank exam yesterday.

"Alright, let’s go."

The Seventh Arena is one of the academy’s seven dedicated Guild Battle dungeons.

The one we watched before was the First Arena. That’s the largest. The Seventh Arena, by contrast, is the smallest. It’s often used for small-scale battles like 10-person matches.

It’s also commonly used for Guild Battles between production-focused guilds.

There, three instructors were waiting: Professor Phyllis, along with a man and a woman who both looked to be in their forties. The other two stood a few steps behind, leaving Professor Phyllis as the representative.

We thought we had arrived early, but it looked like we’d kept them waiting a bit. I quickly stepped forward and greeted them.

"Professor Phyllis, good morning. On behalf of <Eden>, thank you for guiding us today."

"Good morning, everyone. Yes, let’s do our best today."

Professor Phyllis smiled warmly as she greeted us, but then her eyes settled on one of our members.

"Oh, Rika-chan’s here."

"…Phyllis Onee-sama. Please stop calling me ‘-chan’ at school. Also, this is an exam. Keep idle chatter to a minimum."

"You’re as strict with your sister as always."

As I suspected, Rika and Professor Phyllis turned out to be sisters.

Their looks were similar, and they had the same aura, so I’d guessed as much. I’d also heard her job was a 【Warrior】-type, specifically an 【High Samurai】. Personality-wise, though, she seemed much more easygoing than Rika.

"Rika’s your sister?"

"Yeah. I told you before, didn’t I? She’s my older sister, working here as an instructor."

"Wow."

"Fufu. Since some of you haven’t met me before, let me reintroduce myself. I’m Phyllis. Please call me Professor Phyllis."

"Professor Phyllis…"

"Yes. And what’s your name?"

"Kalua. I’m Rika’s partner."

"Oh my!"

Apparently, Kalua was the only one here who hadn’t met Professor Phyllis before, and their conversation was starting to pick up.

"Ahem. Onee-sama."

Rika cut in sharply before her sister could wander into casual chit-chat.

"Oh my. Kalua, let’s talk privately sometime, okay? You can tell me all about Rika-chan then."

"Mm. Okay."

"You don’t need to agree to that, Kalua."

As expected from two people who had been partners for so long, their banter was perfectly in sync.

Kind of jealous, honestly. Once this exam is over, I’ll make an effort to get closer to them too.

"Now then, let me introduce the instructors who’ll be overseeing Guild Eden’s E-Rank exam today. This is Professor Radavena and Professor Mukai. Both are full-time teachers from the <Dungeon Exploration Department, Combat Division>."

"Nice to meet you, boys and girls."

At Professor Phyllis’s introduction, the two standing behind her gave their greetings.

Professor Radavena was the woman, Professor Mukai the man. Judging from how Professor Phyllis addressed them, they seemed to be quite veteran teachers.

"Professor Radavena… don’t tell me, the <Blazing Radavena>?"

"You know her, Sierra?"

The chuuni-sounding title hooked me instantly.

"She’s pretty famous. You know, Zephyrus, for someone oddly knowledgeable, you’re strangely ignorant of common knowledge sometimes."

Oof. Sounds like Radavena is a big deal. I had no clue.

My knowledge of <DanKatsu> doesn’t cover individual war heroes. If they never appeared in the game, I don’t know them. And especially in this real version of DanKatsu, where dungeon exploration isn’t as advanced, a lot of known figures from the game haven’t even appeared yet. I haven’t met any of the game’s notable characters in person. If I ever do, I’d totally ask for an autograph.

Later, I learned that chuuni-sounding titles like that were actually medals of honor, awarded to individuals who’d made great achievements. I wonder if I’ll ever be given a title one day?

"I’ll just be assisting this time. Phyllis, move it along."

"Yes, understood!"

Wow. Just one line from <Blazing Radavena> and Professor Phyllis snapped upright.

Professor Radavena, impressive.

Meanwhile, even Sierra hadn’t heard of Professor Mukai.

Professor Mukai… not impressive.

After that, we received a lecture from Professor Phyllis. As I mentioned earlier, it covered the rules, systems, and basic tactics of Guild Battles, with practical training included.

Then—

"Let’s put it into practice. You can’t move as you imagine unless your body remembers it." 

Professor Phyllis announced, and the arena transformed instantly.

A Diamond Field. Among all fields, it had the fewest grids, perfect for small-scale Guild Battles. Only three Large Castles.

Hmm. Watching the field reshape itself up close was fresh and fascinating.

It seemed Professor Mukai was the one operating the field.

Before long, defensive monsters were placed around the castles, and the setup was complete.

"This is just Training, so everyone can participate. I’ve set the monsters at the small castle at levels five to ten, and the Large Castle ones around level thirty. Keep that in mind."

With that explanation, Training began.

"Alright, strategy meeting! Everyone, gather up!"

The sudden call left <Eden>’s members flustered, but they quickly grouped up.

I split us into pairs on the spot.

"As I’ve said before, in Guild Battles the basic is to move in pairs or more. We’ll start simple and form pairs."

To secure a castle, you need Charging. And to do it efficiently, you need pairs.

The pairs were: Hanna with Sierra, Lana with Ester, Kalua with Rika, and me with Celestan.

Our pair had the biggest level gap, but as an all-rounder, I’d cover for him. I wanted Celestan to learn plenty too.

We split up right away, aiming for a small castle guarded by monsters.

"『Straight Punch』!"

"Sha!?"

Celestan’s well-placed strike sent the snake-type monster <Sneak> flying before bursting into effects.

"Nice punch! You really sent it flying."

"I’m honored."

The high-rank job 【Butler】 can use 【Fighter】-type skills.

In other words, Celestan was a combat butler.

The "Bato" in 【Butler (Batora/バトラー)】 is the same "Bato" as in "Battle (Batoru/バトル)". Then what about the "ラー" (raa/ler)? ... I dunno. Probably some word for "servant." (It’s not.)

Anyway, his 【Butler】 level was still low, but once he hit 40, he’d be capable of much more.

Might need to show him the ropes like I did for Ester.

I glanced at the others.

The original members—like Lana—were already high-leveled, so the small-castle monsters were no match for them. Right now, they were practicing moving from one castle to the next without delay. Like practicing baton passes in a relay.

Mess that up, and it could be fatal. No wonder all four of them were going at it seriously. I should practice later too.

Kalua and Rika seemed to be struggling with their speed difference.

Kalua is already the fastest in <Eden>, and Rika’s having a hard time keeping up.

We kept training like that, and after capturing all three giant castles, we wrapped it up.

Everyone gathered back in front of Professor Phyllis.

"Alright, now let’s start the actual exam. Student side—a maximum of five participants. Faculty side—we’ll have three. The rules are as I explained earlier, with one extra: "the teachers are prohibited from attacking your main base". Time limit is 30 minutes."

"Yes, we're in your care!"

Next up is finally the real <Guild Battle>.

But first—strategy meeting.

──The E-Rank Exam.

Contents: Castle Capture — 5 vs 3 — Diamond Field.

The Diamond Field, the smallest type of battlefield, was shaped almost like a baseball diamond, with the large castles lined up at the positions of first, second, and third base.

It was basically a scaled-down version of the Nonagon Field.

Each team’s bases were placed midway between home and third base and between home and first base.

Our base was on the west side—White Base. The teachers’ base was on the east side—Red Base.

Our lineup: myself, Hanna, Lana, Ester, and Sierra—all Job Lv40 or higher.

Kalua, Rika, and Celestan, unfortunately, were stuck watching from seats close to the base. Hopefully, they’d be able to join in for the D-Rank exam.

"Quite the distance, isn’t it?"

Ester muttered, eyeing the enemy base.

In the game, it hadn’t felt that far, but standing here in person… she was right. It was a lot farther than I’d thought.

"The spacing between castles changes depending on the arena, but here… about five hundred meters."

After all, this was a dungeon. Even the Olympics would pale in comparison to its sheer size.

So big, in fact, that spectators often had to rely on special items or live commentary to keep up. The best seats were gathered near the large castles or bases—prime hype spots. Naturally, those seats had the highest ticket prices. Ours today were free.

"Five hundred meters? Run that far and you’ll collapse from exhaustion, won't you?"

"Raise your AGI, and your stamina goes up, too. You don’t run out of steam that easily, Lana—you’ve barely gotten tired in the dungeons, right?"

"…Now that you mention it, that’s true."

Another perk of stats. They enhanced physical ability, after all.

Though why Hanna never got tired despite not putting a single point into AGI… was a mystery. Tough girl, that Hanna.

"Alright. If no one else has anything, let’s go over strategy."

"Very well. Continue."

Sierra nodded as the representative, and I pressed on.

"Good. Since this is a Castle Capture with a numbers advantage, our victory is practically assured."

"Really? But aren’t the teachers strong?"

"They are. But as long as we avoid direct combat, we can’t lose. Why do you think Professor Phyllis added the rule that teachers can’t attack our bases? It’s basically saying ‘don’t fight us head-on.’ If they could attack our base, they’d crush us instantly. But with that rule, all we need to do is avoid fighting them and rack up points. With more members, we have more hands—that means more points. We win by default."

In short, we had far more ways to earn points. There was no reason to pick a fight we couldn’t win. That, too, was a legitimate Castle Capture tactic.

Castle Capture was a point game. No matter how strong a few individuals were, if you avoided them, it didn’t matter.

Refusing to fight hopeless battles was part of the exam as well. If some fool cried, Please spar with us, Professor! and challenged the teachers to a fight, that was an instant fail. Back to square one.

"Now then, let me show you the Zephyrus Route to Victory. The only real way the teachers can win is by seizing two large castles or more. Nothing else is realistic. Meaning, if we capture the northern-central large castle first, the match is practically decided. If we hold the western large castle and the northern large castle, the only way the teachers can turn it around is by retaking all three."

Capturing a large castle netted you a flat 2000 points. Even if it was taken back, those points weren’t lost; the other side simply gained 2000 points as well, bringing things even. No reversals.

So, say we secured two large castles while the teachers got one. That’s 4000 points to 2000. And with more players, we’d easily snatch up more small castles, widening the gap further. By the time we earned 500 points, the teachers might only scrape up 300.

That’s 4500 to 2300. The gap just keeps growing.

To reverse that, the teachers would need to snatch all our large castles.

That’d put it at 4500 to 6300—a reversal.

But if we took even one large castle back—

6500 to 6300. That’d swing it back in our favor.

At that point, <Eden> only held one large castle while the teachers held two—yet we’d still be in the lead. Crazy, right?

And with only three of them, they couldn’t realistically defend all three large castles.

If they tried splitting one apiece, their bases would be wide open—and unlike them, we weren’t banned from attacking the base.

If we captured it, all large castles automatically flipped to our side. Do that right before the timer ran out, and with the two-minute protection period, the teachers wouldn’t be able to do anything. Game over, we win.

So while the teachers had to secure and defend all three large castles just to win, all we needed was one large castle to stroll to victory. That’s the overwhelming power of a numbers advantage.

"So the central-northern large castle is the key point?"

"Exactly, Ester. Take that first, and the match is basically ours."

"I see. Understood."

In Castle Capture, the opening move was everything.

Rush to the northern-central large castle with everything we had. Take it, and victory was practically guaranteed. Terrifying… and thrilling.

"So, here’s how we’ll divide up the plan. Out of all of us, my AGI is the highest, followed by Ester. We’ll take the lead and head straight for the northern central large castle."

"Understood."

"Sierra, Lana, Hanna—you three will follow behind as backup. As you know, that large castle has a ton of HP. You probably noticed during practice, but just one or two attackers isn’t enough—it takes too long."

One of the rules for capturing a large castle was simple: the side that reduces its HP to zero first claims it.
Even if we dealt ninety-nine percent of the damage, if someone else landed the final hit, they’d snatch it from us. That was something we absolutely had to prevent.

That’s why the best way was to unleash a concentrated assault in the shortest time possible, leaving no opening for the enemy to interfere.

Ester and I—the fast pair—would cut down the monsters along the way and clear a path. Then, Lana and the others would follow up, and with everyone’s combined firepower, we’d smash the large castle in one sweep. That was the plan.

And so, I explained the details.

"Any questions?"

"Nope!"

"None."

"I’ll follow your lead, Sir Zephyrus."

"I’ll do my best!"

Everyone’s eyes were burning with determination.

Perfect. That’s the spirit!

"All right! Let’s do this!"

""""Yeah!""""

◇　◇　◇

"They’ve got fire in their eyes. That’s a fine guild."

"Yes."

Radavena spoke while peering through a monocular imbued with 『Far Sight』, watching Guild <Eden> at their white base.

The one nodding in response was Phyllis, a new teacher in the <Dungeon Exploration Department, Combat Division> this year.

Normally, Phyllis had an airy, absentminded personality, but when it came to Radavena, she couldn’t keep her head up.

And with good reason—back when Phyllis was a student, Radavena had been her homeroom teacher for three whole years. To Phyllis, she wasn’t just a senior colleague—she was practically a mentor.

By some twist of fate, they now worked at the same academy. Even after nearly a month, Phyllis still hadn’t gotten used to it.

"The rumored 【Hero】, the 【Saint】 Princess, and a lineup full of talent besides. And they’ve already made it to the E-rank promotion exam before May? Truly unbelievable."

Radavena put away the monocular with a soft smile. Her words sounded exasperated, but her tone was gentle. She was genuinely delighted by the rise of such a promising guild. A born teacher, she loved guiding and cheering on the young.

"Now then, Phyllis. You’re the leader this time. Handle it however you like."

"That’s easy for you to say… I’m not sure what to do."

After all, <Eden> was a complete unknown.

The E-rank exam was nothing more than a checkpoint—a ritual, really—meant to test, push, and guide the students. The teachers’ role was to see whether the students had truly learned. If not, they’d teach again; if yes, they’d let the students apply it in a Guild Battle. That was how motivation and skill grew.

But how exactly do you guide a guild unlike any seen before? No one knew. As the newly assigned examiner, Phyllis could only hold her cheek with one hand, looking troubled.

"That’s what we’re here for—to back you up if problems arise. Just go with your gut. Honestly, a straightforward guild battle might teach them the most. That guild’s 【Hero】 seems to have natural leadership; even if we don’t guide them, they’ll probably grow on their own. Not much for us to teach, really."

"You think so…"

No clear strategy was formed, but time was pressing.

"It’s about time to start. Mukai, are you ready?"

Radavena turned. Mukai, the taciturn male teacher, nodded and gave a thumbs-up.

He didn’t talk much, but his skill in combat practice was top-class, and the students trusted him deeply. Quiet as he was.

"Come on, leader. The students are waiting. Make the call."

"Hmm… all right. First, we take the center. From there, we’ll respond flexibly depending on the enemy’s movements. I’ll pair up with Professor Radavena. Professor Mukai, could you secure the small castles and open the path to the large castle to the east?"

On a diamond-shaped field, the center was like the Tennouzan in shogi—an important strategic spot. Holding it allowed smooth access to nearby small castles, to large castles, and to both offense and defense.

Normally, no teacher would rush to seize it in an E-rank exam. But against an unknown guild like <Eden>, Phyllis decided it was safest to hold the key position, win or lose.

Technically, the teachers weren’t supposed to win… but as Radavena said, treating this as an ordinary guild battle might be the best exam after all.

"The center, huh. Fine, that works. Let’s go with that."

"Yes. Then, if you would, Professor Mukai."

With Radavena’s approval, Phyllis issued the command. Mukai nodded, tapped at his tablet, and suddenly, a massive screen appeared above the dungeon’s center. A countdown began to tick away.

When the counter hit zero, the E-rank exam began.

"Looks like they’ve started prepping too." 

Radavena muttered, raising her monocular again to check <Eden>’s white base. She also confirmed that the students could see the screen properly. Since there was no referee this time, there wouldn’t be a whistle—the start signal would be a buzzer. It would be unfair if the countdown wasn’t visible, so making sure of that was part of a teacher’s duty.

The countdown ticked down, and the instant it reached zero, the screen let out a sharp "Bzzz" to announce the start.

The Guild Battle had begun.

"Oya?"

"Eh!?"

The 【Hero】 and the 【Princess Knight】 of Guild <Eden> dashed forward without a shred of hesitation. Their flawless, confident movements shocked the teachers. It was like watching veterans who had fought countless Guild Battles before—calm, precise, and without an ounce of doubt.

Radavena was left dumbfounded, and Phyllis blurted out in surprise.

"Looks like they’re aiming for the center too, Phyllis. What’s the call?"

"Eh? N-no, we can’t change our plan now. Let’s stick to the plan for now."

"Got it. Still… those kids are fast. Already on the second tile. If we don’t pick up the pace, they’ll take it before us."

<Eden>’s opening move was blindingly quick.

The teachers cut down defensive monsters and captured small castles as they advanced. They were moving fast themselves, yet the distance wasn’t opening at all. At this rate, they’d clash head-on in the center—or so Phyllis thought, until suddenly <Eden> veered straight north.

"Hmm. That’s not good."

"<Eden>’s going for the northern large castle?"

"So, what now? Do we chase, or secure the central tile?"

The large castles were heavily fortified, with far more durability than a small castle. Their guardian monsters were strong too—around level 30. If they chased right now, they’d catch up. But if they first secured the center and then went north, they’d be late.

To make matters worse—

"Looks like their rear guard is following right behind."

As Radavena pointed out, the rest of <Eden> advanced behind the leading pair, steadily painting the tiles white as they went. Newly captured tiles couldn’t be entered during their protection period, meaning the teachers had no way to cut them off.

If they abandoned the center to chase north, <Eden>’s rear guard would waltz in and claim the central tile—the "Tennouzan."

And even if they fought over the northern large castle, there was no guarantee of victory. <Eden> had five people; the teachers had only two. Even if both sides chipped away at the large castle simultaneously, the odds of the teachers landing the final blow were slim.

In that case, Phyllis reasoned, securing the guaranteed prize—the central tile—was the wiser choice.

She never suspected that choice would prove meaningless.

"Center!"

"Fine, fine. You’re still green, Phyllis." 

Radavena sighed. Her experience told her how the battle would unfold, but the young teacher had no way of foreseeing it.

And that very decision drove the teachers into a corner.

In the end, the teachers successfully secured the central tile—the "Tennouzen."

But <Eden> pressed straight north, capturing the northern large castle first.

With points now against them, the teachers managed to even the score by taking the eastern large castle thanks to the path Mukai had opened.

Afterward, they aimed for the western large castle—but <Eden> was closer. Eden captured it first.

And so, all the large castle had fallen.

Normally, at this stage, the battle should shift into a player-versus-player struggle to secure small castles. Technically, it wasn’t against the rules for the overwhelmingly higher-level teachers to challenge their students, but it went against the intended spirit of the test.

Because of that, the only real options left to the teacher group were to lock down the small castles while trying to seize control of all the large castles.

Since they had secured the central square, the teachers had managed to greatly expand their territory across the middle of the map. Strategically speaking, this should’ve been a massive advantage.

However, <Eden> instead focused on the outer squares, claiming them in a ring-like pattern. It was as if they didn’t care which tiles they took, grabbing them one after another without hesitation. As a result, the point gap between them and the teachers only continued to grow.

With eight minutes remaining, the teachers finally overturned two of <Eden>’s large castles, causing the points to flip in their favor.

But then—

"Wait a second… doesn’t this mean we’re actually losing?"

The floating screen displayed:

<Current Score: "White 5710P" vs. "Red 7280P">
<Time Remaining: 7 minutes 46 seconds〉>

On points alone, the teacher team Red was winning.

But if even a single large castle fell, it would count as their loss.

Only now, at this late stage, did Phyllis finally turn toward Radavena, realizing the danger.

"Man, that little 【Hero】 kid is amazing, huh. We went at him more seriously than I’d like to admit, but he still had us dancing in the palm of his hand the whole time. I’ve never experienced being shut down this hard, not with such a huge level gap between us."

Radavena just laughed dryly, as if she’d known this all along.

Watching her, Phyllis felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down her face.

When exactly did he start playing me like a fool?

Sure, they had been at a numerical disadvantage from the beginning. But their opponents were still students—first-years who hadn’t even been at the academy for a full month. The level difference between them and their teachers should’ve been insurmountable. That was why she let her guard down.

But in a Guild Battle, level difference didn’t guarantee victory. No matter how strong one individual was, if the guild as a whole wasn’t strong, they couldn’t win.

Phyllis had always understood that—or so she thought.

This time, she hadn’t even been holding back much. In other words, what they were doing wasn’t so different from a normal Guild Battle.

Yes, there were restrictions due to exam rules, and yes, they hadn’t engaged in much direct PvP combat, but that wasn’t exactly unusual in itself. She hadn’t thought it mattered.

And yet here they were—losing before she even realized what had happened.

A single large castle lost, and the teachers would be finished. And Phyllis, inexperienced as she was, couldn’t even explain how the match had come to this.

And if she were to find out that everything was unfolding exactly as the 【Hero】 Zephyrus had predicted from the very start—what kind of face would she make then?

In the end, even though the teachers split their forces into three groups to guard two large castles and their base, the northern large castle—left without defenders—was captured by <Eden>, and the exam was brought to an end.

The counter hit zero with the score at <White 8360P vs. Red 7850P>. The result was decided.

E-Rank Exam – Guild Battle.

The winners: <Eden>.

◇　◇　◇

<White 8360P vs. Red 7850P>.

Winners: <Eden>.

"That was an easy win."

"...Impressive indeed."

When the ending buzzer sounded and I commented on the points displayed on the screen, Ester—standing nearby—answered with a slightly dumbfounded look.

At first glance, the point difference didn’t seem that big. But in reality, the gap was hopelessly wide.

You couldn’t overturn it. No, even if you flipped a large castle, it would just get flipped back, and you’d lose again.

And with the protection period barring entry, it could buy two whole minutes of time. There was no stopping it.

The advantage lay in the number of small castles captured.

As long as that advantage stood, it was an overwhelming edge—big enough to decide the entire outcome.

A small castle was only worth 10 points. Just 10—but that "just 10" piled up into victory.

That’s why, in the Guild Battle between <King Absolute> and <Thousand Blades Flacal>, both sides had gone so rabid for the small castles. Because the side with more small castles would always hold the overwhelming advantage.

Well, in their case, it was almost too extreme—an obsession—but it just shows how crucial those little 10-point forts were.

"Easy, sure—but this was a pretty unusual case. No PvP, and a numbers gap. That’s why it ended up so one-sided. Normally, it’s nowhere near this simple. The biggest factor was that our members stuck to the plan from start to finish."

That much was true. No matter how good a strategy is, if your members don’t execute, you can’t win.

"It’s thanks to you, Sir Zephyrus, for coming up with the plan. And for preparing these boots as well. With this much support, failure wasn’t an option."

Ester glanced down at her feet. She was wearing the <Dash Boots>.

They were the equipment mentioned in the recipe Lana had pulled during the <Battle Wolf (Second Form)>’s <Beauti-Four Phenomenon>.

I’d had Marie-senpai craft a pair for everyone.

<Dash Boots: DEF 6, AGI 15, 『Movement Speed Up Lv.5』>

Clearly made with Guild Battles in mind. And being from a rare boss’s silver chest recipe, they were exceptionally strong.

I handed them out to everyone and had them equip them just for the duration of the battle.

Thanks to that, Ester and I had boosted speed, and on top of it, Lana’s opening buff 『Blessing of Swiftness』 let us snatch the northern large castles right from the start.

This Guild Battle… it hadn’t looked to me like the teachers were holding back.

They were probably fighting at least somewhat seriously. After all, they made sure to seize the central "Tennouzan" tile right off the bat. If you lost the center, it became very hard to maneuver.

Their speed had been impressive too. I knew their job levels were way above ours, but even so, they were moving fast enough that Ester and I—buffed and wearing <Dash Boots>—could barely keep up.

Preparing those boots for everyone had been the right call.

While I was mulling this over, the scattered members regrouped back at our base.

"Good work, everyone. For a first Guild Battle, that was amazing!"

"Great job! I can’t believe we actually won, Zephyrus!"

"Seriously. It was so quick and clean, I almost thought, Was it really that easy?"

"Well done. You—tell me again, just who exactly are you?"

"I’m the 【Hero】. The one who’ll lead everyone to victory!"

"Oh, Zephyrus, that was cool! Say it again!"

"I am the 【Hero】, who will lead us all to victory!"

"Wa, wawa! That’s so cool!"

"Y-yeah, I… I think that was good too!"

As I struck a pose, activating 『Appeal』 to scatter glittering effects around me, Lana clapped happily, completely taken in. It seemed I’d hit her sweet spot. Even Hanna clenched her fist and praised me, which felt pretty great. Shakin’!

"Alright, alright. The teachers are coming. Straighten up."

At Sierra’s words, I looked up and saw the three teachers walking toward us.

"Good work, everyone in <Eden>."

"Thank you, Professor Phyllis. How did we do on the exam?"

"Hehe. Of course, you passed with flying colors. Congratulations—<Eden> is officially an E-Rank Guild as of today."

"Woooah!" The members behind me all started buzzing in excitement.

I clenched my fist tight.

I already knew we’d passed, but hearing it declared outright carried a completely different weight. A rush of accomplishment welled up inside me, hitting me right in the heart.

It was all I could do to keep my face from breaking into a stupid grin and instead hold a cool, heroic expression.

"You’re grinning ear to ear, you know."

"…Seriously?"

At Sierra’s remark, I quickly massaged my face and tried again.

"A little better now?"

Apparently, I was still grinning.

But c’mon, can you blame me? That was our very first Guild Battle! Sure, it was the kind of small-scale beginner match that novices usually do.

But this wasn’t some game—it was a real Guild Battle.

Not only was it a blast, but we actually beat teachers who hadn’t been holding back much, and climbed the guild ranks! Of course, I’m gonna grin. It’s only natural.

"Hehe. With that, the Guild <Eden>’s E-Rank Exam is complete. You can pick up your rank certificate at the Guild Registration Office. Your room will be upgraded to E-Rank accommodations too, so make sure you’re ready to move."

"Yes, understood!"

"Then that concludes things. Good work, everyone."

"""""Thank you very much!"""""

And that’s how <Eden> safely passed their E-Rank Exam—and became an E-Rank Guild.

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