Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 13

As I walked forward, the sky turned a fiery red. Since the story unfolds with the human faction attacking the orc castle, loud bells rang from the scattered spires, signaling the invasion.

[Intruder! Intruder!]

“Everyone, get ready.”

Upon entering the Raid Dungeon, the first challenge was not the boss but a wave of elite-grade monsters.

“I’ll take the first wave. The other two tanks can handle the groups that come after.”

The first wave featured 10 elites, followed immediately by a second wave of 20. If we split them into groups of 10, we could manage without a hitch.

The role of the three tanks was crucial. If the tactics got tangled up and resulted in a wipe, we would have to repeat the process of breaking through the entrance.

I watched the charging orc horde while lightly swinging my sword. Their gear screamed “elite monster,” and it looked spectacular.

Just like in the videos I had seen. Nothing had changed. I began to run forward, reviving memories of past encounters.

I wasn’t worried about healer distribution; I had summoned a job class for this very reason. The user picked as the priest would handle it nicely.

The moment golden light burst from my sword, it shot forward.

After buffing, I activated the [Charge] skill.

I wouldn’t rush too far ahead. I needed to keep my distance from both the healers and dealers in mind.

Bam!

My body lunged forward, colliding with the elite orc commander in mid-stride.

The skill used at this optimal distance stunned the opponent.

Immediately after, I swung my sword. Excessive movement caused my upper body to rotate.

A crescent-shaped golden arc sliced through the orcs.

But right after that, the orcs launched a barrage of attacks. My health plummeted as strikes and arrows rained from all directions. Yet, the rapidly dwindling health was topped off by a cascade of heals.

“Hyah!”

My roar, filled with effort, drew laughter from the party members.

My face flushed from the laughter. My ears felt hot.

I knew it too. My voice sounded quite girly. But what could I do? It was a necessary choice to grab aggro.

Once my provocation skill activated, the orc’s aggro would be fixed on me for a set time.

Then, the wizard line unleashed its area-of-effect skills.

The dazzling lights decorating the sky struck the ground, causing the elite orcs to melt away in an instant.

With such powerful firepower, the monsters began to switch their aggro.

I immediately swung my sword. The orcs had already lost significant health from the wizards’ area-of-effect skills. A quick slice near their necks triggered finishing blows as they fell. Right after that, the second wave began to flood in.

[Stop them!]

As the giant orc roared, two tanks that had been standing by charged forward.

Both knights chose the knight job as their second rank.

With skills more specialized in aggro management, they wouldn’t let the monsters slip away easily.

As my side’s monsters began to clear up, the wizards’ area-of-effect skills redirected.

I immediately led the remaining monsters toward the area being bombarded by spells.

Everything was unfolding according to tactics.

Once the second wave of elites had been roughly managed, the wizards’ area-of-effect skills changed direction again.

Sub-tank and I led the dangerously low-health monsters into the spell range just like before.

Each tank’s health remained stable. There were no monsters drawn towards the wizard line either.

It was a perfect scenario.

I stepped back to keep an eye on the situation.

“Once it’s finished, we’ll take a minute to regenerate mana and cooldowns, then head straight into the first named boss.”

It was the moment we took down all 30 elite orcs.

Did I hear heavy footsteps thumping from afar? A giant orc with an enormous frame came bounding forward.

If anything, it looked more like an ogre than an orc.

[Gatekeeper Dune]

The first named monster.

This one didn’t have particularly difficult patterns, so its difficulty level wasn’t high.

[You foolish humans!!! I will make you regret this!!!]

Gatekeeper Dune roared and struck the ground.

But it didn’t move closer. The raid boss wouldn’t shift if the players didn’t invade a certain distance.

I exchanged glances with the various job classes. Everyone nodded, ready.

Just then, I enveloped my sword in golden light.

“Be careful; aggro might shift during the fight. You two just keep guarding and hold your positions.”

I told the two sub-tanks.

Honestly, I was quite confident that aggro wouldn’t shift. I was sure of that.

[Gatekeeper Dune]

This one was immensely larger than ordinary orcs. Was it around five meters tall?

It naturally intimidated anyone standing before it.

With a wide-open mouth, drool dripping, and bloodshot eyes, it was clear that the boss was anything but normal.

“I’m advancing.”

That was the party leader’s signal. In an instant, buffs erupted from the dealer line.

This time, I wouldn’t charge in alone. No matter how good a tank I was, being hit repeatedly by the boss’s attacks would drop me instantly.

I needed to move in sync with the healers and dealers.

The distance narrowed. Gatekeeper Dune had recognized my presence.

The giant orc immediately swung its massive club.

The chains wrapped around its arm swung threateningly.

[Die!]

It started with an area attack. I ducked my head and ran forward.

The healers were already in position. I immediately slashed the orc’s arm, then dashed to the side.

I had successfully grabbed the first aggro. Now, I just needed to raise the aggro value to secure it firmly.

Classes classified as tanks, like Paladins and Knights, had hidden passives not listed in their skill windows.

[Monster Threat Level Increased by 50%.]

I turned the boss’s direction to face away from the dealer line. This would block the area attacks from hitting the dealers.

Facing this massive first named boss created an incredible sense of intimidation.

But I moved. I swung my sword wrapped in golden light, mauling the orc’s arms and legs.

Aggro levels skyrocketed in an instant. At this rate, I wouldn’t have to worry about losing it.

I didn’t need any special signals. Immediately, single-target skills from the wizards started pouring in.

The wizards had overwhelming damage capabilities.

The named monster’s health began to plummet rapidly.

I focused my mind. Letting the boss’s massive attacks connect would cause my small body to stagger and disrupt our formation.

Tilting my kite shield slightly, I absorbed only the attacks I could afford to let through.

This was the plan to minimize the boss’s movements and maximize the hit rate of the dealer line’s attacks.

[Ugh, uuh! You fools!!!]

Once the gatekeeper’s health dropped below 20%, orc racial traits activated.

Rage mode.

Its body grew larger, and its attack speed increased.

However, it also had a buff that increased the damage taken by 10%, so the rate at which its health drained increased significantly.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The kite shield trembled violently in my hand. My small frame also swayed dangerously.

But my heightened senses wouldn’t allow that to happen.

I moved my body like I was dancing, swinging my sword.

[Urrgh…!]

Boom!

Before long, the massive body crumpled to the ground.

The party members stared blankly at the fallen named monster.

“What? The party leader’s damage is rank 20.”

“You got 20th place as a tank?”

“Wow, you fixed it right on the first try…”

The party members began to murmur in small voices.

There are always players like this. Those dealers who manage to dish out bottom-tier damage while being in a tank role.

I held my tongue as I checked the damage ranking that had just popped up.

We were still in the middle of the raid. Even those who weren’t contributing in damage were crucial to the formation.

“I’ll check the drop items.”

It was the first drop from our first raid. My heart raced as I approached the loot, revealing a red bracelet and a necklace with a blue gem.

Lucky me. Raid accessories couldn’t be purchased separately, meaning they could only be obtained as drops.

They would undoubtedly sell for more than regular armor.

I immediately linked the item in the party chat.

[Gatekeeper Dune’s Chain Bracelet]

Health +20 Strength +20 Intelligence +20 Agility +20

All damage dealt increased by 5%

Damage taken reduced by 2%

Level Requirement: 25

It was the bracelet worn by Gatekeeper Dune.

Crafted with the renowned craftsmanship of the Red Orc Empire, it boasted incredible durability.

It was a good bracelet for any class. Instantly, the party members’ gazes began to change.

[Elegance’s Blue Gem]

Intelligence +30 Strength -10

Magic damage increased by 15%

Maximum mana increased by 20%

Cooldown of Blink reduced by 50%

Level Requirement: 25

A necklace found in the treasure vault of the Orc Empire. The identity of its former owner remains unknown.

The second item was the ultimate item for wizards in this season.

I rubbed my forehead and spoke up.

“Starting the auction. The first item is Gatekeeper Dune’s Chain Bracelet. Starting bid is 100 gold.”

As soon as I finished speaking, one of the sub-tanks beside me raised his hand and spoke.

“400.”

He jumped straight to 400. Was he trying to assert dominance? It was indeed a great bracelet for tanks.

I pondered while looking at the gold resting in my inventory. It was a good bracelet. It had versatility enough to be useful even after the next episode update.

“500.”

At that moment, a wizard in a blue robe raised his hand and said, “600.”

“700.”

“750.”

“800.”

“850.”

“900.”

900 gold. That was a price that would be burdensome for even working professionals who tend to spend a bit.

A big spender emerged right from the first auction.

Was 900 the cap? The wizard in blue robes nodded and stepped back.

In the end, the bracelet went to a knight who was sub-tanking.

To hand over the item, I needed to confirm his nickname.

[Dogrik]

“900 gold goes to Dogrik.”

After receiving the gold from Dogrik, I handed him the bracelet.

He immediately equipped the item, looking quite satisfied as he began to flex his arms and try it out.

It was time to begin the auction for the next item.

“I’m auctioning Elegance’s Blue Gem next. Starting bid is 100 gold.”

“2000.”

Silence reigned. The one who bid 2000 was that same blue-robed wizard who had competed with Dogrik earlier.

“2500.”

“3000.”

“3500.”

“4000.”

The competitor against the blue-robed wizard was a female wizard donned in a red robe.

With such overwhelming big spenders, the other wizards kept quiet.

No one dared to lift their hands.

4,000 gold. That was a sum most wouldn’t be able to manage unless they had ample excess.

The units alone were on a whole new level.

In the end, the item went to the female wizard in the red robe.

[Helena]

That was the name of the female wizard.

I handed the item to Helena and received the gold.

“4000 gold goes to Helena. The total raid auction gold is now 4900. We’ll distribute it before wrapping up today, so everyone remember.”

Even after giving away 4000 gold, Helena still appeared incredibly generous.

Surely, this wizard must have an immense amount of gold lurking in her inventory.

The auction wrapped up, but only 20 minutes had passed since entering the dungeon.

I spoke to the party members who seemed lost in amazement.

“Let’s proceed to the next named boss. Please check your buff durations and follow me.”

The expressions of the party members were odd. They seemed unable to believe what was happening.

“Leader, are you a secondary character?”

I shook my head at the party member’s question.

“No, this is not a secondary character. This character is my first one.”