Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 289

Today’s match is the Round of 32.

It might have been an important match for others, but not for me.

“Ha…”

I let out a low sigh, glaring at my opponent across the way.

I was thrown into this first match to finish it as quickly as possible.

My first opponent was a muscle-bound Viking shirtless.

He wore a horned helmet on both sides, and he was stomping his feet with excitement.

He looked just like an excited buffalo.

At that moment, the waiting time ended, and the match began.

As the match started, my opponent took off running.

Seeing him rush at high speed, it seemed he invested more in agility stats rather than strength stats.

I gripped the nodachi stuck in my back and got into position.

I would end this as quickly as possible.

As my opponent crossed the halfway point of the stadium, I started to move too.

Legs quickly extended out.

As I kicked off the ground and accelerated, the nodachi pulled free from my back.

With all my strength, I swung at him.

Even though my opponent wasn’t close yet, my attack came first.

His eyes filled with confusion, but he didn’t stop.

Swoosh-!

The extended blade of my nodachi cut through the empty air.

It was only natural since my attack started faster than his approach.

But I didn’t stop.

I didn’t reduce the speed of the nodachi.

I continued to rotate my whole body, and he finally seemed to notice my intent, but by then, it was already far too late.

“Haah!”

With a loud shout, a blue flash was swung.

The flash that followed my initial attack sliced through the approaching Viking’s body.

“W-what the…?”

I squinted my eyes and focused ahead.

The blade of his axe stopped right in front of me.

If I had been a moment late, my head could have been split in two.

He knew that too, trembling as he struggled to keep hold of his axe.

But what could he do?

Now that my nodachi had already swept across his neck, he couldn’t move a muscle.

Splurt!

Blood erupted in a fountain after the delay.

The opponent fell to the ground, splattering red everywhere.

I wiped the blood off my face and checked the match timer.

The outcome was decided just 8 seconds after it started.

What would the opposing team’s reaction be?

With the nodachi resting on my shoulder, I suggested a consecutive win match.

I’d be fine if they accepted, and fine if they didn’t.

After all, Ellie and Sohee were waiting behind me, so the match itself would end quickly.

I respected their choice.

How long had it been?

A message popped up saying the opposing team accepted the consecutive win match.

[The opposing team has accepted the consecutive win match proposal.]

“Oh…”

Did they actually think they could beat me?

Whatever the reason, it was a good situation for me.

It had been quite a while since the notice of a major update was posted on the Deron homepage.

Of course, there must be others who thought the same way I did.

I wanted to quickly check out the various speculative posts they had made.

“Aah, Ellie, can you hear me?”

[I can hear you.]

“Is there a new post in the Deron gallery?”

[Lots of them. Don’t worry, I bookmarked the interesting ones.]

“Make sure to take a screenshot, in case they get deleted suddenly.”

[Hehe… Already did.]

As expected of Ellie.

She was my most trusted apprentice in the gallery.

Nodding at Ellie’s reliable response, I prepared for the next match.

After a brief waiting period, my body returned to its original place in a flash.

According to the consecutive win match rules, my health was reduced to 50%.

I eyed the opponent appearing on the other side of the stadium.

A knight wielding a claymore.

I couldn’t see his expression since he was wearing a helmet, but from his movements, there was no sign of tension.

Nickname: Ice Shaved Shaved Ice is Awesome

It was the first time I had seen that nickname. This was someone who had never entered the battlefield until the Round of 32.

Naturally, there were no match videos to check.

He was most likely the ace.

[Hayun. This author is…!]

“I know.”

[It’s better to be careful. We have no information.]

“Are you serious?”

Careful, huh.

I chuckled softly and shook my head at Ellie’s words.

I was skilled enough to compete with current professional players.

In a tournament with student participants, there wouldn’t be anyone capable of sticking a blade in me.

“I am the strongest.”

[You crazy girl…]

Small talk ended there.

As the waiting time expired, the match began.

Unlike the Viking I faced first, this opponent approached slowly and calmly.

Seeing that made me frown.

I had a reason to end the match quickly, so this slow approach was just frustrating.

If that’s the case, then I’ll go first.

Tch!

As I kicked off the ground, my body shot forward quickly.

Using my high agility stats for mobility, I rapidly closed the distance with my opponent.

I felt the wind brush past my cheek as I stretched my leg forward.

Boom!

The advanced leg became the pivot.

I began to rotate my body.

In that moment, my opponent reacted.

I frowned.

Unlike the opponent I met before, this one was quick to respond.

The knight moved back significantly.

Was it just a coincidence? No, the opponent exactly read the distance between us.

I felt the gaze crawling up my arms and legs as I rapidly braked my movements.

There was no point in swinging the nodachi if I sliced through nothing but air, so I decided to step closer.

Creak-!

Sudden change of movement.

The pivot leg bore a huge load, but I forcibly ignored it and pressed on.

This time, I stretched my other leg out.

The pivot changed, and my posture slightly wobbled.

In that moment, a sharply honed attack began.

With my backward posture maintained, the knight’s sword flew towards me menacingly, grazing my cheek.

Swoosh-!

My health dropped to 2%.

The opponent seemed satisfied with that, retreating further back.

Drip—

Feeling the blood trickling down my cheek, I halted my advance.

A faint smile crept onto my lips, but it wasn’t a smile of joy.

Yes, to increase my chances of winning, this was the right strategy.

Cumulative damage with quick hits.

But being on the receiving end made me start to feel the heat rise in my head.

“Haah…”

With a low sigh, I glared at my opponent once more.

The knight maintained a defensive stance with his claymore pointed forward.

I could see he had no intention of advancing first.

The outcome of the upcoming events was obvious. He’d maintain maximum distance, waiting for me to attack.

He’d just wait for a chance to chip away at my health, then move.

If it were Deron, things would be different.

But this was VRS.

No matter how overwhelming the talent, there were limits to physical abilities.

Tap, tap…

Suddenly, it started to rain from the sky.

Cold raindrops began soaking my head.

The blood trickling down my cheek mingled with the rainwater as it fell to the ground.

The once clear sky darkened with ominous clouds, casting shadows over the circular arena.

The ground I stood on was also becoming muddy due to the rain.

I looked down at the wet soil.

The old dirt between the cracks of the solid stone floor turned into mud, mixing with the rainwater.

An idea popped into my head.

I immediately started to move.

As my leg reached out broadly, the knight flinched back.

He must have been trying to keep his distance and buy time, but I wouldn’t allow that.

Slurp—!

As I drew the nodachi from my back, the knight retreated even further.

But that didn’t matter. I wasn’t aiming for him.

The tip of the nodachi aimed at the ground of the stadium.

The sticky mud between the stone pavers.

Thwack-!

The long blade stabbed into the mud, scooping it up.

I could feel my opponent’s puzzled gaze upon me.

But that look would soon disappear.

I smiled at him and swung the nodachi I held.

Swoosh-!

The long blue flash cut through the cold raindrops, and at that moment, the mud clinging to the nodachi flew towards him.

Splash—!

Perfect positioning. Perfect timing.

The mud flew straight and smacked right into his helmet, hitting the eye section and spreading out widely.

“Uwaah!”

With a short scream, the knight recoiled.

Now was my chance.

Tap-tap—!

As I sliced through the rainwater, I closed the gap with my opponent.

The knight hurled his helmet away.

Now revealed, his ugly face frowned as he squinted.

But his gaze was nowhere near accurate.

Seeing that face, I couldn’t help but lick my lips.

If he had been a pretty girl, I might have hesitated, but seeing that hideous mug, all hesitation disappeared in an instant.

Whoosh—!

As my extended leg became the pivot, the rain-soaked ground slipped, pushing my body forward.

But I didn’t panic; this was all calculated.

As my body glided forward, I began to rotate, swinging the nodachi high.

Vroom—!

I struck from below, upward.

The sensation at my fingertips was crystal clear.

Slice—!

The nodachi soared skyward, but it didn’t stop, coming down behind me to crash into the ground.

Moments later, the knight’s head fell after it.

His drenched hair hung low, obscuring his vision just enough to make it tolerable.

A body without a head cannot stand.

The knight’s body began to collapse weakly.

A signal of my victory.

With the nodachi resting on my shoulder, I gazed at the other side of the stadium.

In the 4 rounds, 3 wins of the match, I had secured 2 victories.

Remaining health: 48%

I proposed a consecutive win match once again.

If the opposing team accepted once more, I would be starting with 24% health.

There was no need to target vital points. With successful strikes to arms and legs, I could win with the remaining health.

How would the opposing team respond?

I smiled, pushing my rain-soaked hair behind my ears.

Of course, I would accept this challenge.

But not everyone would think the same way I did.

[The consecutive win match proposal was declined.]

A message popped up indicating the opposing team refused.

Are they retreating? Yet that was a wise decision.

They must have realized by now my overwhelming skill.

The opposing team wasn’t weak. In fact, they were quite strong.

Without me, they would have had a good chance at winning the championship.

It was unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped.

After all, it was me they faced.

They just happened to be unlucky.

I looked over to the opposing side of the stadium with pity, then ended the game.

Time to head to the Deron gallery now.