The Crystal Guild's headquarters was established in the Starting Town. After paying the fee to Kall, the system automatically assigned them a building as their guild hall. Of course, the Crystal Guild's official members were all front-line fighters, so it was impossible for them to handle the guild's daily operations. Therefore, Kurumi decided to recruit external staff to join the Crystal Guild.
The second issue of Onee-sama's Guide was distributed free of charge to all players. Kurumi planned to release a new issue for each floor, and the recruitment notice was published within this issue.
"Starting from the second floor, there are no more beta testers." — that was the bold headline on the first page of the handbook. The content explained that beta testers hadn't cleared the first floor, meaning everyone was now starting from the same point. There were no longer any early advantages or exclusive beta knowledge. In a way, this was Kurumi's way of clearing the beta testers' reputation. As for Kirito, that one beta tester—Kurumi simply ignored him entirely.
"The Crystal Guild is recruiting external clerical staff. Responsibilities include guild management, intelligence gathering, trade handling, and other non-combat duties. Work is mainly based within town areas. No level requirements. Only one condition: female, under 25, and pleasant in appearance. (All males should get on the battlefield!)"
At the Crystal Guild headquarters, Kurumi sat in the main hall personally overseeing the recruitment. Why was she taking time out of her busy leveling schedule for such a task?
Kurumi's official explanation was: "I level up fast, so this won't delay anything."
No one could argue. Kurumi and Futayo had cleared the entire second-floor labyrinth area within three days, crushing all monsters along the way. Their levels skyrocketed like a fountain. The rest could only watch in shock, not even able to feel jealous.
As for Kurumi's real reason, known only to herself—"Ahem! To build my divine nation of daughters, this goddess must personally preside over the beauty pageant."
"Name," Kurumi said mechanically, repeating the same registration phrase over and over. Though in-game information gathering was convenient, some manual input was still required.
"Sachi," a timid voice replied—soft and delicate, carrying a tone that immediately stirred protective instincts. Just from hearing it, Kurumi could already imagine: definitely a gentle, shy type of girl.
Kurumi looked up with rising curiosity—and was instantly rewarded with the sight of a model "good girl" look: straight black hair with even bangs, two soft locks framing her ears, and a sweet, obedient face that radiated softness. She looked like the type who wouldn't resist anything done to her.
"Isn't this that adorable girl who made little Kirito's heart flutter for the first time?" Kurumi blinked in surprise. Sachi was practically born to match with Kirito. Back then, it was precisely because of his attachment to her that he hid his level and stayed in her guild.
"As expected, the gentle, soft Sachi and the withdrawn, introverted Kirito are a perfect match." Kurumi's eyes glinted mischievously as she smiled.
"Sachi, wait a moment," Kurumi said, motioning for her to sit. Then she opened her friend list and initiated a call with Kirito.
Kurumi: "Little brother, do you miss your big sister?"
Thirty seconds later, Kurumi's smile twisted into a slightly irritated grin as the delayed reply came through.
Kirito: "Kimi-nee, I'm grinding levels right now."
Kurumi: "Come to the guild headquarters immediately. Your big sister has something for you to do. I'll make up for any experience you lose."
Not long after, Kirito arrived at the guild hall, looking confused as Kurumi dragged him in energetically.
"Sachi, this is one of our guild's top members. Handsome, right?" Kurumi said with a playful wink. Sachi glanced up at Kirito, then quickly looked down again shyly.
At the moment, Kirito was dressed in a blue uniform, looking far more elegant and dashing than his usual midnight coat. This was the Crystal Guild uniform. Kurumi had given the Coat of Midnight to Diavel, and perhaps out of guilt, she designed this formal guild attire for Kirito.
"Little brother, let me introduce you," Kurumi said proudly. "This is our newly recruited clerical member—her name is Sachi." Inside, she already saw herself as the goddess Venus presiding over destiny.
"Nice to meet you," Kirito greeted calmly, extending his hand. Sachi let out a small gasp, hurriedly standing to shake his hand in return, her movements flustered and timid.
"Hello." After Sachi's soft greeting, silence fell again. One was a withdrawn boy, the other a timid girl—after shaking hands, neither knew what to say, and they simply stood there awkwardly holding on.
"Little brother, what do you think? Sachi is such a cute girl, isn't she?" Kurumi placed both hands on Sachi's shoulders. Startled, Sachi immediately let go of Kirito's hand, shrinking back like a frightened little rabbit. Kirito, in turn, found himself momentarily captivated by her.
With a foxlike smile, Kurumi observed the two who had fallen into silence once more. Then, with a proud expression, she spoke decisively.
"Hmm~ Your big sister has decided. Sachi will be trained to become my assistant—she'll manage the clerical staff within the guild. And as for her training, that glorious responsibility falls to you."
"Wait, Kimi-nee! I'm only good at fighting! I can't handle something like this," Kirito exclaimed in panic.
"In our Crystal Guild, who else could possibly do it? No need to discuss further—it's decided," Kurumi said, folding her arms across her big chest. Her unreasonable yet proud expression left both of them speechless.
"Little brother, from today onward, you're Sachi's mentor. The recruitment of external staff will be your joint responsibility. As for me, your wise and benevolent sister will go handle the boss raid." Kurumi twirled a strand of her flaxen hair around her finger, a smug smile on her lips. Ah~ To worry about my dear little brother's lifelong happiness like this... truly, I am the ideal big sister everyone dreams of. (In truth, this was just her mischievous nature showing again.)
"Kimi-nee, we already cleared the second-floor boss just now," came a voice from behind her—a chill in the tone that froze Kurumi mid-pose.
Crack! The sound of something breaking echoed. Kurumi turned stiffly, her eyes instantly filling with tears. She looked utterly pitiful.
"How could you do this to your big sister? It's only been a few days, and you went ahead and beat the boss without me!"
"Uh..." Kirito was at a loss for words. Wasn't it you, Kimi-nee, who insisted on handling the recruitment yourself? How is this our fault?
"In any case, your big sister doesn't care anymore! If Sachi can't manage the guild properly, you're not allowed on the front lines," Kurumi declared between trembling shoulders as she trudged toward the teleport gate.
Futayo really wasn't very considerate. Inori, that other expressionless, absent-minded girl, always looked out for Kurumi, keeping her close in her heart. But Futayo... it was impossible to tell what she was thinking!
"No... maybe Futayo doesn't think about anything at all," Kurumi muttered to herself, her dejection turning into a strange smile. It was true—perhaps Futayo simply acted by instinct. During her downtime, she trained her spear technique relentlessly. That blockheaded girl might not have a single thought in her head.
Day by day, time passed. The labyrinth areas were conquered one after another. Apart from the first floor, which had taken all players an entire month to clear, progress afterward was unstoppable—roughly one floor cleared every ten days.
Three months later, forty floors had already been conquered. Of those, thirty-one were cleared by the Crystal Guild alone. The remaining nine had been taken by other guilds who were lucky enough to find the boss rooms first.
Because of their overwhelming success, the Crystal Guild's front-line members were constantly engaged in high-intensity combat. Under the guidance of Futayo—the inhuman, naturally gifted prodigy—the guild's combat strength skyrocketed.
It was no exaggeration to say that every single Crystal Guild fighter could easily take on ten elite players from other guilds.
Due to this severe disparity in power, the Crystal Guild enforced extremely strict recruitment standards for combat members. Every new player underwent rigorous training, and as a result, even after all this time, the guild's fighting force numbered fewer than one hundred.
In the Starting Town, within the Crystal Guild headquarters, the blue-clad swordsman Kirito sat beside Sachi, working together to compile the 41st issue of Onee-sama's Guide.
Kurumi's earlier declaration—"If you don't teach Sachi, you're banned from the front lines"—had turned out to be just a joke. Kirito continued to fight alongside the Crystal Guild at the front, but in his spare time, he still helped Sachi handle guild affairs.
And then, as time went on, habit became something frightening. Even after Sachi had become fully capable of managing everything on her own, Kirito still often found himself staying behind to assist her. Before they knew it, whenever the two were together, the world around them simply faded away—they had unconsciously fallen into their own quiet rhythm.