Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 110

“Umm…”

I arrived at a rather large mountain following the quest marker.

As I walked along the well-maintained path that began at the base of the mountain, I reached my quest destination, Taeyoungmun.

But I couldn’t enter.

Well, I could enter—it’s just that I couldn’t proceed alone.

– Could it be a dungeon quest?

Indeed. The investigation quest for Taeyoungmun was a dungeon quest.

An 80-level dungeon that had just appeared out of nowhere.

A massive door adorned with a sign saying Taeyoungmun.

I could see the silhouette of a gigantic building peeking over the high walls, but I couldn’t spot any enemies.

I frowned and glared at the dungeon entrance.

A system window visible only to users displayed information about the dungeon, including items to be obtained, the recommended level, and the suggested party size.

After staring at the dungeon entrance for a while, just as I was about to let out a sigh and head out for some hunting—

I heard rustling in the bushes, and a familiar face popped out.

“What the heck.”

A thief clad in a black mask.

It was Melvin.

I was taken aback by the unexpected appearance of my opponent, and he looked just as stunned, frozen in place.

Swoosh—

“Wait a second. I don’t intend to fight.”

Melvin’s speech had an oddly awkward tone.

It sounded as if he was trying to imitate the accent of a different region.

No way, is he seriously mimicking historical drama dialogue?

I slid my unsheathed sword back into its scabbard.

“I’m just here for a quest, or rather, a mission.”

Melvin said this as he cautiously started walking, his eyes alert as if ready to flee at any moment.

We arrived at the front of Taeyoungmun.

It seemed that he had come to undertake the quest for Taeyoungmun as well.

“This is…”

A deep sigh escaped Melvin as he checked the information.

He clearly shared my sentiments.

Melvin was from the Human Clan. He wasn’t part of the enemy alliance, but we were still of opposing races.

Naturally, pointing swords at each other was the expected course of action.

I had sheathed my sword, but my hand wouldn’t drop from it.

Melvin too exhaled softly, his hand resting on his dagger.

It wouldn’t be surprising if either of us drew our weapons first.

In the midst of this strange tension, another user appeared along the path from a distance.

A bright aura shone behind him. He was clad in thick, robust full plate armor.

This guy was definitely a Paladin-type tank.

“Who are you two…!”

It was a familiar man. He recognized me and Melvin, too.

A Human Clan user wielding the Holy Sword, a world item.

His nickname was Jupiter.

Jupiter immediately pulled out a massive shield and drew his sword.

Seeing him wield the Holy Sword so grandly, it seemed he was quite fond of it.

Or maybe he was still using it.

The situation grew dire. I raised my sword and cautiously stepped back.

If it was just Jupiter, I could easily handle him.

But Melvin was the problem. He had remarkable skills and would surely use the Shinobi’s superior survivability to trouble me endlessly.

“Uh, umm… That’s cowardly. Don’t do this. As the Demon Sword’s master, isn’t this also the will of the gods?”

Jupiter subtly began to approach Melvin.

With both of them standing side by side, they had formed a triangle against me.

Just as the battle was about to begin.

From where Jupiter had appeared, a familiar female figure peeked out.

A Wizard clad in blue robes. The Snow Mage.

“Oh! A sparrow sighted!”

Suddenly appearing, she fired ice arrows directly at Jupiter.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

“Ugh! You wicked sorceress!”

Jupiter curled up like a bug, desperately blocking the ice arrows with his massive shield.

Frost began to accumulate on Jupiter’s body due to the ice arrows’ effects.

“Oh! Guild Leader!”

The Snow Mage, having joyfully fired her ice arrows, finally noticed me and dashed to my side using Blink.

Even though Jupiter was taking hits, Melvin didn’t draw his weapon.

In fact, he distanced himself from Jupiter as if to draw a line between us.

Melvin wasn’t foolish.

He had completely cut ties with Jupiter.

“Ugh! You cowardly sorceress! Come closer and let’s fight fairly!”

Jupiter shouted, thumping his massive shield on the ground.

His face was incredibly flushed as he walked towards her, looking almost turtle-like.

It must have been due to the continued stacking of the ice arrow debuff.

The Snow Mage kept firing ice arrows, while Jupiter groaned in pain, swinging his sword into the air.

He couldn’t reach her. Absolutely impossible.

As the Snow Mage got closer, she took a few steps back to fire more ice arrows again.

“Have you been doing this since earlier?”

“Yes.”

The Snow Mage nodded with a bright smile in response to my question.

Indeed, there was a reason her nickname was as red as gochujang.

“Were there no other people around?”

“No, leveling up was tough, you know?”

While chatting with me, the Snow Mage continued to unleash her ice arrows.

At that moment, Jupiter, now covered in frost, let out a tortured scream.

“Kuugh! Melvin! Help me! Isn’t it your duty to aid a fellow human?!”

Melvin did not respond.

He only took two more steps backward.

I nodded my head while checking the level of my guild members.

Everyone except me and the Snow Mage was at level 79.

Just as I sighed at that moment.

One of the users who had been at level 79 had transformed to level 80.

Her nickname was Chloe.

She was the head priestess of our raid party.

I quickly scanned around.

We were supposed to enter as five for the dungeon, but there were now only four of us here.

And none of our classes overlapped—one tank, two melee dealers, and a ranged class.

If Chloe appears here, we would have a perfectly complete party with a healer included.

The moment I realized this, I reached out to block the Snow Mage’s staff.

“G-Guild Leader?”

As soon as the Snow Mage ceased her attack, the frost clinging to Jupiter began to disappear.

He immediately shouted and began thumping towards us.

“You cowardly sorceress!”

Jupiter, overly riled up, was now fixated only on the Snow Mage.

It seemed I was invisible beside her.

Swoosh—!

The sword drawn swiftly sliced through the air and knocked Jupiter’s sword aside.

The sacred sword enveloped in Divine Power collided with Jupiter’s weapon infused with wicked magic, creating sparks in the air.

Clang!

“Ugh… You are!”

“I am the Holy Sword’s master. Stop.”

“H-Huh…”

I understood Jupiter’s disposition at a glance.

It felt familiar. Years of RPG experience taught me how to deal with opponents like him quite well.

Jupiter stepped back, seemingly a bit moved by my words, his mouth agape.

“I, representing the Demon Clan as the master of the Demon Sword, wish to extend an offer to you.”

“Offer…?”

“Yes, to you, the Holy Sword’s master and the representative of the Human Clan.”

“O-Oh…”

Jupiter’s lips began to twitch.

An undeniable smile was creeping across his face.

His combat posture began to relax, and the potent Divine Power surrounding his sword was waning.

“Well, if it’s you, we can converse on equal footing. Speak, master of the Demon Sword.”

I could feel the Snow Mage’s intense gaze from behind me.

It was just a role-playing game. There was nothing unusual about this play style.

So there was no need to feel embarrassed.

Immerse yourself. Engage with the game.

Not merely as a player, but as the master of the Demon Sword, representing the Demon Clan.

-I am the Demon Lord.

At this moment, I had become the perfect Demon Lord.

An elegance naturally emanating from my movements.

A haughtiness that overlooked the world in my gaze.

Everything about me was declaring it.

I am the perfect Demon Lord.

It seemed the man before me, the Holy Sword’s master, recognized my aura as well.

He took a large step back, clearly flustered.

It was time to embody the appearance that suited the title of Demon Lord.

-Awakening.

The voice etched deeply within my heart completed its call.

A dark thunderbolt struck from the sky, and my body began transforming.

My small horns began to elongate, and the magic that flowed from my body thickened.

My hands turned black, and sharp claws sprouted from my fingertips.

With that, I swept my hair back.

Just then, massive demonic wings unfolded behind me.

I had deftly manipulated the costume interface just in time.

“The Demon Lord extends an offer. Jupiter, the Holy Sword’s master. Will you not join me in breaching Taeyoungmun?”

“M-Master of the Demon Lord…!”

“Indeed. Jupiter. You are worthy.”

As soon as those words finished, I manipulated the system, sending party invitation messages to all nearby users.

[‘Jupiter’ has joined the party.]

[‘Snow Mage’ has joined the party.]

But it wasn’t over yet.

I turned my gaze to include Melvin, who was watching from the shadows.

“You who hide in the shadow.”

“…”

“It is time to wield that sword.”

[‘Melvin’ has joined the party.]

In an instant, our party of four was formed.

At that moment, my loyal subordinate, the Snow Mage, spoke up.

“Blood Demon King! What do we do without a healer?”

“Don’t worry.”

“Yikes…”

“He too will reveal himself shortly.”

We four sat before the dungeon, passing the time until Chloe made her appearance.

How long had it been?

Finally, the awaited one revealed himself.

A man clad in black robes, his face completely obscured by a jet-black beak mask.

He looked like a sinister crow, bringing a plague wherever he went.

Huff—

From the black-beaked mask, rough breathing echoed.

The magic emanating from his body melted into the ground, slowly dispersing.

At his feet, a small Imp, evolved more than once, was holding a tiny trident.

At that moment, through the gaps of the beak mask, I heard his voice.

It was my loyal subordinate, Chloe.

“A, Guild Leader.”

“I am the Demon Lord.”

“What?”

“Call me Demon Lord.”

“M-Master of the Demon Lord…”

“Blood Demon King works too.”

[‘Chloe’ has joined the party.]

Our party was now completed for breaching the dungeon.