Journey to Become the Zenith

The Guild Master

The crushing pressure vanished.

Air rushed back into lungs.

Wood creaked in relief.

Victor let his mana recede like a tide withdrawing from the shore and turned his gaze toward the figure who had stepped forward.

The newcomer did not look like someone who commanded authority.

Long purple hair fell over her shoulders in slightly disordered waves, as if she had run a hand through it one too many times. Her black eyes were sharp—but tired. Her coat hung loosely over a mature, well-proportioned figure that carried quiet strength beneath casual posture. She looked like someone who would rather nap in a sunlit window than manage a fortress disguised as a guild.

Yet—

She had appeared without anyone noticing.

She had stood beneath Victor’s pressure without bending.

And her mana was hidden so perfectly that even veteran adventurers hadn’t sensed her until she moved.

There was no doubt.

Aside from Victor, she was the most powerful being in the building.

Victor studied her calmly.

”Who might you be?” he asked, golden eyes gleaming faintly. ”And why should I listen to you? Why should I spare these fools that attacked me?”

He already knew the answer.

She had descended from the second floor.

She was the only one concealing her mana completely.

Step one of his plan had succeeded.

Now came step two.

The woman scratched the back of her head lazily.

”Well... if you kill them, the paperwork I’ll have to file will be horrendous,” she said with a sigh. ”I was planning to rest later. But if you kill them, that terrifying secretary of mine will force me to stay up all night. Seriously, what kind of secretary threatens her boss? Why doesn’t she just do the paperwork for me? Isn’t that part of her job? All she does is nag like she’s my mother.”

She kept going.

Complaining.

About documents.

About signatures.

About ”unreasonable expectations.”

The entire guild stared in disbelief.

Victor’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

”I don’t care about your paperwork,” he interrupted flatly. ”And you still haven’t introduced yourself.”

”Oh. Right.” She straightened up slightly. ”Isabella.”

She gave a lazy half-wave.

”Isabella Netter. Twenty-seventh Guild Master of the Fantom City branch. Nice to meet you, aspiring... um... oh right. Adventurer. Welcome to the guild. Yada yada.”

The difference between her bored introduction and her passionate rant about paperwork was astonishing.

Lane blinked.

Videl blinked.

Even the terrified greatsword party seemed confused.

Victor narrowed his eyes slightly.

Interesting woman.

”Guild Master,” Victor said smoothly, ”what will you give me in exchange for sparing these fools? You don’t expect me to simply forgive them after they tried to kill me, do you? If you want them alive, you must compensate me.”

The kneeling party swallowed hard.

Their lives now hung on negotiation.

Isabella tilted her head, studying Victor properly for the first time.

Up close—

He was dangerous.

Black hair framing sharp features.

Golden eyes that seemed to burn without flame.

Even standing casually, he radiated restrained power.

Her heartbeat skipped.

Why is he this handsome?

For a brief second, her thoughts drifted.

His eyes.

They weren’t normal.

They felt ancient.

Predatory.

But also... amused.

She shook the thought away quickly and crossed her arms.

”How about I give you my position as Guild Master?” she offered suddenly.

The entire hall gasped.

”You know, the only requirement is strength. Oh, right, you’d need to be S-class. And two recommendations from other S-rank adventurers. But if I convince a few old grumps, it’ll work. So? What do you think? Want this stup—wonderful job? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime offer. Becoming Guild Master is every adventurer’s dream.”

Silence.

Utter silence.

Even the receptionists froze.

Videl’s blue eyes widened.

Victor... Guild Master?

They had come to register as beginners.

Now he was being handed the top position?

Her chest tightened—not from ambition.

From pride.

Of course.

Of course he would be offered something like that.

Lane folded her arms.

Guild Master?

Too small.

That position would chain him.

Restrict him.

It wasn’t worthy of him.

Victor, however, was stunned internally.

This... was not part of the script.

He had planned to use leverage.

Demand favors.

Force terms.

Not—

Have the Guild Master casually hand him her title.

Is something wrong with this woman’s head?

Or are all humans outside the village like this?

Fifteen years in a human body, and he still did not understand them.

They lied about their desires.

They bound themselves in rules.

They made idiotic decisions at random.

Demons had been simpler.

More honest in their cruelty.

And yet—

He felt something stir.

When Isabella stepped forward earlier—

For just a moment—

An old instinct had flickered inside him.

As Anos, the former Demon King, he had always been drawn to strength.

Powerful women.

Warriors.

Queens who could stand beside him on the battlefield.

Isabella wasn’t flaunting her strength.

But it was there.

Hidden.

Controlled.

And when she had stood beneath his pressure without bending—

His blood had warmed.

Lane noticed it.

Videl noticed it too.

That subtle shift in his gaze.

His golden eyes had sharpened.

Not lust.

Not yet.

But interest.

Videl’s fingers curled slightly.

Lane’s jaw tightened.

They both saw it.

Victor calmed himself.

Focus.

Present.

Not the past.

Before he could respond—

Isabella suddenly stiffened.

A sharp chill ran down her spine.

She moved instantly.

Vanishing from her spot—

Reappearing behind Victor’s group.

A spear slammed into the floor where she had stood.

The impact cracked the stone.

Everyone turned.

A woman stood near the entrance.

Long blonde hair tied into a high ponytail.

Purple eyes sharp as blades.

Her figure athletic and firm, clad in fitted armor that emphasized disciplined strength rather than softness. Where Isabella’s presence was lazy and relaxed, this woman radiated order.

Authority.

She retrieved the spear in one fluid motion and pointed it at Isabella.

She was smiling.

But her aura was terrifying.

Victor’s first thought was not about beauty.

Not about curves.

Not about anything a normal teenage boy would focus on.

Strong.

She’s strong.

His lips curved slightly.

Yes.

He wanted to test her.

That old hunger flickered again.

Lane felt it.

Videl felt it.

They exchanged a brief glance.

That look again.

When powerful women appear... his eyes change.

”Guild Master,” the blonde said coolly, ”what is this I’m hearing about you relinquishing your position? To a newcomer? And one causing chaos in the Guild?”

This was Clara.

The terrifying secretary.

Her purple eyes shifted to Victor.

A faint thread of killing intent brushed against him.

Victor shrugged lazily.

That level of killing intent?

Cute.

Isabella coughed awkwardly.

”But Clara, there was no other way. He was going to kill them. And technically, he had the right.”

Clara pinched the bridge of her nose.

”No matter what you say, this is not how a Guild Master handles a situation.”

Her gaze sharpened.

”Return to your office.”

Isabella deflated visibly.

”Yes, ma’am...”

She shot Victor one last curious glance before retreating upstairs.

Clara’s eyes returned to Victor.

”And you. Everyone involved in this incident will come to the Guild Master’s office.”

She was glaring directly at him.

Lane stepped forward instantly, placing herself slightly ahead of Victor.

Her black eyes narrowed.

Videl moved subtly to Victor’s other side.

If this turns hostile, I move first.

Clara noticed the movement.

Interesting girls.

Strong.

Protective.

Jealous, too.

She turned away.

”Follow me.”

Her voice carried no room for refusal.

Victor’s golden eyes gleamed faintly as he stepped forward.

The game was getting more interesting.

And for the first time since entering the guild—

He was genuinely entertained.