Guild Handyman? More like Mastermind! Using My Hidden Skills in the Shadows Volume 1

by Sakaku Hishikawa, Amanogawa Tenri (Translator), Yu-nit (Illustrator)

Unassuming, hard to notice, downright plain—that’s how Tenes Lumel’s coworkers at the adventurers’ guild describe him. As the guild’s handyman, he tackles the boring paperwork and menial labor, all while clocking out on time from his quiet job in the boonies.

But the low profile he keeps by day hides a darker truth. In reality, Tenes is the mastermind behind a secret organization singularly determined to upend the twisted rules that govern the world.

Exiled from a great noble house and abandoned by God, he won’t stop until he’s dismantled the system. From the shadows come powerful allies to stand by his a battle-hardened maid, an infamous bandit, and a legendary dark elf. Together, they’re plotting their next move behind the scenes—and Tenes has more than a few tricks up his sleeve to set the stage.

203 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2025

About the author

Name in japanese: 菱川 さかく (Ishikawa Sakaku).

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not only is the nondescript MC surrounded by a harem of three OP and gorgeous women who want to jump his bones, his main goal is to kill God.

1, those against God aren’t even trying to be subtle anymore, stars.

[Pieter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young man is banished from his house due to the class he gains at adulthood, but he is fine with it. It allows him to operate behind the scenes to help his half-sister (with an unknown long term goal which we only learn about near the end: kill god) . He needs some allies beforehand though, which in traditional OP MC fashion all happen to be beautiful women. The result is fairly typical OP MC fighting against the world while collecting women along the way, women who dislike each other and try to garner the MC's attention. If those are the kind of tropes you like (including the one hidden behind spoiler tags) this might be the story for you. I am not that big a fan of these kind of tropes and the story doesn't contain enough other things to keep me hooked. So, decent enough read, but not for me.

[Gioia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems like a cheap knock-off of The Eminence in Shadow, but appearances are misleading. Unlike the latter, Guild Handyman doesn’t feature delusional, over-the-top protagonists who monologue nonstop—granted, it’s not a high bar, but it’s something.

That said, I’d be lying if I claimed Guild Handyman is anything other than a classic power fantasy: flat female characters, an OP protagonist, and a final mission to take down a deity.
And yet… I liked it. The prose is smooth and straightforward, the pacing works well, there’s very little blood or death, and the worldbuilding—while simple—lays solid groundwork for future adventures and kept my curiosity alive. The humor lands often enough, and the story never takes itself too seriously, nor does it expect the reader to.

I also appreciated that this volume’s antagonist actually follows a personal code of honor. Not every story needs ragebait cardboard villains — and my tolerance for them is in free fall.

The flat female characters are the biggest flaw in this book, but (unfortunately) I’ve seen worse.

I’ll continue the series, but without expecting much depth.