Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 100

It had been quite some time since the maritime content was updated.

June.

The heat of summer was truly beginning.

In line with this, Deron was also gearing up for a massive update.

The New Expansion Pack update.

The global server had also posted an update notice on the same day as the Korean server.

The timing of the expansion pack updates on both servers overlapped. That meant the server merger was just around the corner.

[Expansion Pack Update Pre-Notice]

Hello, Adventurer.

The new expansion pack for Deron Online, [Winds from Another World], is scheduled for an update on June 7th (Wednesday).

Update Details:

– New Episode Added.


– New Raid Added.


– New Area Added.


– New Race Added.


– Maximum Level Expansion.


– New Items Added.


– New Profession Added.


– Auction House Server Renewal.

Looking at the notice, I frowned.

The title of the expansion pack was unfamiliar to me.

Winds from Another World? The expansion pack set to be updated at this time was supposed to be [Ruthless Wilderness].

The title [Winds from Another World] didn’t even exist in the Deron I was playing.

The order of expansion pack updates hadn’t changed. Something that didn’t even exist had just popped up.

*

On the day of the update, I logged into the game with a strange mix of anticipation and unease.

Since my last logout point was the Lunaris Capital City, I opened my eyes in a large plaza.

At that moment, a hazy light scattered with a blue wind before me.

It seemed as if that wind was trying to lead me somewhere.

I turned my head.

It appeared I wasn’t the only one who noticed the wind; all the other users were heading in the direction the wind was blowing.

[Follow the Strange Wind]

Head towards where the wind is pointing. 0/1

This was a completely different start compared to any expansion packs that had come before.

I felt a slight thrill as I took slow steps forward.

The wind that had escaped the capital stretched towards a broad avenue.

It seemed to be guiding me to a new area.

“Come forth!”

Having spent the whole day just lounging by the sea, summoning my wolf felt a bit awkward.

The wolf that appeared at my call landed on the ground majestically.

“Growl…”

Climbing onto the slightly moody wolf, I began to gallop down the path.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop—

As my speed picked up, the guiding wind also quickened.

Where I arrived was the entrance of a massive forest. An area that didn’t exist before the patch.

The mini-map indicated the area was called [Forest of Greenery].

The wind that had been guiding me seemed to vanish as if drawn into the forest.

Cautiously, I urged the wolf towards the entrance of the forest.

The scent coming from the forest was strangely unfamiliar. A thick herbal aroma wafted through the air, indicating this was indeed a different area.

“Let’s go.”

I spurred the wolf into the depths of the forest where the wind had disappeared.

Passing through a thin barrier, a vast forest unfolded before my eyes.

Trees soaring high into the sky and sunlight filtering through them, the rich scent of herbs wrapping around me.

The quest guidance disappeared.

Just as I thought that, a gentle light began to move with the wind before me.

The guiding path was starting anew.

I faithfully followed the wind’s guidance.

Arriving at my destination, I found an injured NPC lying on the ground.

With a pale face and depleted health, it seemed unconscious.

[Scout Esta]

The gentle wind was directed towards Esta.

As if to say, “Help that NPC.”

In that moment, a little experience point and a quest were updated.

[Strange Outsider]

Feed the health potion to Scout Esta 0/1

As the quest updated, all surrounding users vanished.

A personal channel was created for me to proceed with the quest.

I got off the wolf and approached Esta.

The female NPC with long blonde hair wore leather armor mixed in green and brown.

Feeding her the health potion was easy. I poured the red potion from my inventory into Esta’s mouth.

As the red health potion flowed into Esta, the wounds on her body began to heal, and color returned to her pale face.

Before long, Esta regained consciousness.

“W-Who are you…?”

This was different from the scripted lines I had known to expect. I frowned and just stared at Esta.

“An outsider… What happened here…?”

Getting up, Esta regarded me with caution upon referring to me as an outsider.

As Esta moved, her long ears, hidden in her hair, subtly revealed themselves.

“An elf?”

Esta didn’t seem to care about whatever I was mumbling.

She took a cautious step back and began to assess her condition.

Time passed slowly. Then she nodded and spoke to me.

“Could it be you healed my wounds?”

I nodded instead of answering.

At that, a gentle wind spread around Esta.

“You seem different from the other outsiders. I’d like to repay your kindness.”

[Strange Outsider]

Follow Esta 0/1

With Esta’s words, the quest was updated.

It seemed to mark the beginning of a proper story.

I nodded and followed Esta.

She occasionally recited predefined lines.

It seemed she was giving basic explanations about the forest, but I wasn’t very interested in the story and let it all slide past me.

The place where I arrived with Esta was a spacious clearing with a large hut.

The trees and grass that grew around it looked as if they were avoiding that spot.

“Could you wait here for a moment? I’ll go grab something to repay you.”

“Sure.”

Esta nodded and disappeared inside the hut.

I began to circle around the hut with my wolf.

The update announcement mentioned a new race was being added.

I nodded. The newly added race was certainly an elf.

At that moment, a loud clatter came from inside the hut.

The quest updated again.

[Strange Outsider]

Enter the hut and help Esta 0/1

I drew my sword and rushed into the hut.

Just then, Esta’s body flew past me and collapsed.

“Ugh…”

I rushed forward, blocking Esta as she let out a small groan. The foe that attacked her was a human cloaked in ominous purple energy.

He held a sword sheath in his left hand and a short sword in his right.

The enemy looked strange. He was dressed in a way that didn’t suit Deron, a fantasy genre game.

[Otherworldly Warrior]

His sleeves were tightly bound with straps, and his attire flared out as it went up.

His clothing draped down across his chest, held secure by a tie at his waist, and his bottom half flowed like a long skirt.

Even his shoes had an unusual shape.

“Hey! Run away! You can’t fight him!”

Esta shouted at me from behind, blocking my path.

But the main quest said to defeat this enemy right in front of me.

At that moment, the otherworldly warrior launched an attack.

The swift strike aimed for my shoulder.

Swish!

I wasn’t slow to react. I raised my sword blade to deflect his attack.

Clang! A sharp sound echoed, and I felt a significant jolt in my hand holding the sword.

The warrior continued his assault.

But as an enemy appearing in the main quest, he wasn’t that difficult of a foe.

Twisting my sword, I deflected his attack and swung it towards his neck.

At the moment the heavy blade surged with magic, the warrior’s head was severed.

Swish!

Defeating the warrior completed my quest.

“I owe you another life… I can trust you,” Esta said, handing me a gem that resembled a green leaf as a reward for completing the quest.

[Elf’s Grace]

A key that allows entry to the World Tree’s Resting Place.

The friendship level with the elf race rises by 2 stages.

With that, the quest ended. The personal channel I had created also disappeared, and I found myself outside the hut.

Above Esta’s head, the quest marker was filled with blue exclamation points, indicating I had cleared all main quests obtainable through her.

At that moment, a gentle light began to flow with the wind before my eyes.

It was a new guide for the main quest.

I hesitated. Up until now, I had cleared quests with maximum efficiency while leveling up.

I knew what the rewards were, so I could utilize a bit of a cheat.

But now, things were different. Everything was uncharted territory.

This meant that kind of exploitative play was now impossible.

In the end, I took every sub-quest I could get from Esta.

[Visitors from Another World to the Forest]

Defeat the visitors from another world 0/60

[Contaminated Energy]

Obtain the essence from another world 0/20

It was the beginning of serious leveling.

I mounted my wolf and raced around the area quickly.

I was hunting the monsters to fulfill the quest.

Monsters were easy to find near the hut.

Human-shaped monsters walking around with a foreboding purple aura were the targets.

I began circling around, hunting the monsters.

They were of standard grade. Being weak human types, my hunting speed was incredibly fast.

The quest rewards were nothing special. I gained only a small amount of gold and experience.

I frowned.

Had I known the rewards would be like this, I wouldn’t have cleared the quest.

But what could I do? I had to clear all visible sub-quests for the chance of an unexpected special reward.

So I busily traversed the area surrounding the hut on my wolf.

After investing about 30 minutes, I completed all the available sub-quests nearby.

I leveled up to 66 but didn’t get any useful equipment.

I was dissatisfied.

I turned and ran after the wind.

The place I reached, guided by the wind, was a massive wall covered in dense trees.

The twisted trees began to move strangely, parting to create a path as I approached.

The guiding wind vanished as if being sucked inside.

A narrow passageway was created, just wide enough for a person to barely pass through.

I proceeded into it, following the guidance of the wind.