Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 145

[Wandering Knight Crow]

“Umm…”

I let out a groan as I looked at the scruffy knight in front of me.

I already knew it was a completely different dimension than the original Deron, but seeing the NPCs appear with such different appearances was a bit bewildering.

Arthur, the paladin type, also showed a slightly surprised expression at Crow’s unfamiliar look.

His armor, which always shone brightly, was now caked with blood and dirt, and it was crumpled in places due to poor repairs.

And what about his cloak? It wasn’t like the sunlight-drenched cloak that had never lost its luster.

Instead, it was riddled with holes, resembling more of a rag than any noble garment.

What on earth happened to Crow?

“Do you need something from me?”

Crow, sitting by the central fountain of the capital city, seemed to sense my gaze and looked up to speak.

His revealed face was shocking as well. The tidy appearance he used to have was nowhere to be found, replaced by a messy beard covering his features.

The Crow who used to scatter divine power from the sunlight was gone.

Here, Crow was just an ordinary knight.

I nodded at Crow’s words.

The main quest was clearly indicating to seek him out.

[Hire Crow to search the forest]

Honestly, I didn’t think there was any point in hiring a Crow who looked this wrecked.

Maybe the developers just wanted to show players the broken appearance of a once-cool NPC?

Thinking of the devious intentions of the developers, I spoke up.

“I want to hire you. We need to go into the forest.”

“Me?”

“Yes, how much will it cost?”

“Hmm…”

Crow seemed to contemplate for a moment before displaying five fingers.

So how much is that?

As I stared blankly without saying anything, Crow cleared his throat and added.

“5 gold. That should be enough.”

If you think of it as Crow’s price, it was ridiculously cheap.

Still, if he was satisfied with it, it wasn’t my concern.

I nodded and handed him five golden coins.

“Hmm…?”

“What’s strange?”

“This isn’t the kind of gold coin used around here, is it?”

Crow took the gold coins I handed him and began inspecting them closely.

“It’s definitely golden… but this isn’t currency here. It should be enough value, but it will take time to exchange. Is there anything else?”

I recalled Crow’s words and pulled a small gem from my inventory.

It was a special item occasionally dropped by monsters, capable of earning a decent amount of gold when sold at shops.

If currency from another dimension doesn’t work, a gemstone of similar value should suffice, right?

“How about this?”

I pulled out a sparkling ruby and handed it to Crow.

It was an item that could fetch a higher price than the five gold coins he had requested.

“Hmm… It better be genuine, huh?”

“Maybe you could have a trader appraise it?”

“No need for that. I can appraise it myself.”

Saying this, Crow took out a small magnifying glass from his pocket and began inspecting the ruby.

Seeing a once-great paladin like Crow in such a state was quite a shock.

What on earth was he doing with something like that?

“It’s a good ruby. This should be enough in terms of value.”

With that, Crow stood up.

I led the hired Crow out of the castle, following the main quest marker.

We arrived at a forest not far from the capital city.

It was a place familiar to me. If I recalled correctly, this area often spawned red orc warriors.

However, instead, we found ourselves face to face with massive dire wolves.

“Wolves. Stay back, it’s dangerous.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Crow’s words in disbelief.

Arthur, who stood next to me, also wore a blank expression, as if he was equally shocked by Crow’s statement.

I had hired Crow per the quest requirements, but I couldn’t hide behind him just because of some wolves.

With confidence, I drew my sword.

The Level 85 world item, Dragon Slayer Sword – Black Flame, extended outward, its dark blade gleaming.

“A fine sword…”

It seemed Crow, being a swordsman himself, recognized the worth of my blade.

Though he was NPC, he showed some discerning eye for quality.

I shrugged and stepped forward.

It was in front of a newly made friend, after all. I wanted to show off as much as I could.

“Step back. I’ll handle this.”

Growl—

Crow, blocking the way of the wolf, stepped back with a slightly anxious look.

The giant wolf revealed to us was quite intimidating.

[Level: 85]

[Dire Wolf]

Just a wolf, and it’s Level 85?

But what difference does a raised level make for a wolf?

I put on a confident look and spoke to Arthur.

“Arthur.”

“Yeah?”

“Watch closely. This is what swordsmanship is all about.”

“The swordsmanship of the Mermegirl…!”

“Don’t call me that.”

I took a deep breath and glared at the imposing dire wolf.

Its massive teeth and the sticky drool dripping beneath them.

The shaggy fur and the muscular resilience in its body.

“Hyah!”

With a short battle cry, I charged toward the wolf, which began to move as well.

I pivoted around the wolf’s attack, beginning my own swing toward its neck.

Surely, I should be able to land a hit. I was confident as I watched my blade zoom toward its neck.

But—

Clang-!

“What?”

The blade swung with all my might failed to sever the wolf’s neck.

It felt as if I hit a solid steel plate.

Clang-!

Caught off guard by this unexpected development, the dire wolf seized the opportunity and charged at me.

Slash!

“Oof.”

The wolf’s huge paw grazed my arm.

I grimaced and staggered back.

Just a single attack dealt a massive amount of damage to my health.

The stares from behind felt intense.

I awkwardly smiled at Arthur.

I had stepped forward confidently, only to retreat without landing a hit.

There was no shame greater than this.

“This humiliation… I cannot forgive.”

My chest burned with frustration. I didn’t want to admit that I had backed down from a mere wolf.

Growl—

The massive dire wolf lowered its body and let out a slow growl as I stepped back.

It was the beginning posture of the charge pattern that all wolf monsters possessed.

ROAR!

The moment it started charging at me, I moved too.

I took a large step with my right foot, lowering my upper body. I quickly gauged the wolf’s attack direction.

It was a neck-biting attack.

As I lowered my torso and sidestepped while swinging my sword, I should be able to leave a significant mark on its belly.

It had to turn out that way.

Clang-!

“Ugh?”

Again, my attack was ineffective.

As my sword met the wolf’s body, I felt a strong recoil and was flung to the side.

Panic surged as I quickly rotated my wrist.

The trajectory of my deflected sword adjusted, and black magic surged over it.

Using my thrust forward as leverage, I spun around to once more attempt to strike.

But the result was the same.

Clang-! My swiftly swung sword didn’t tear through the wolf’s skin.

In that moment of realization, I had to roll forward to evade the wolf’s attack.

“Gah!”

Rolling through the bushes and gaining distance, I noticed Arthur looking at me with a peculiar gaze.

I got back on my feet, aiming my sword and stepping back. Every attack had failed.

Even with more hope, using skills yielded nothing. Every strike felt like hitting an invisible barrier.

This was no ordinary dire wolf. It was undoubtedly immensely powerful.

“Am I playing with a wolf?”

“No! Absolutely not!”

There was no way I was playing with it. Sure, I sometimes summoned a growl in the village to play, but I had no desire to play with such monsters.

“Really…?”

Arthur tilted his head with uncertainty and drew his sword.

Swish—

With that eerie sound, golden divine power surged around the sword.

“Mermegirl. I’ve seen your cute swordsmanship. Now it’s my turn to show you mine.”

It seemed he was feeling the urge to act after witnessing my struggle.

I nodded and stepped back behind Arthur.

“Be careful. It’s strangely resistant to attacks.”

Arthur nodded at my warning and took his stance.

He lifted his sword high behind him, with the tip pointing toward the enemy, in an aggressive posture focused on attack without defense.

Grrr!

The giant dire wolf lunged forward as if angry at the cowardly tactics of humans.

I watched closely as Arthur moved.

The moment the wolf charged, Arthur’s body moved too.

With his cloak fluttering dramatically behind him, Arthur lunged forward, swinging his brightly shining sword diagonally.

A clean and precise movement aimed sharply at the wolf’s weak spot.

It was going to hit. The wolf’s neck would surely be severed.

Clang-!

But the outcome was the same. Just like my attack, Arthur’s strike failed as well.

“Th-this can’t be…!”

Arthur swung his sword wildly at the wolf’s head, disbelieving what had just happened, but the dire wolf endured without taking damage.

Instead, it clamped down on Arthur’s arm.

Argh!

“Ahhh!”

The wolf’s opened jaws crunched mercilessly on Arthur’s arm. The sturdy gauntlet buckled instantly, spilling blood from within.

As Crow observed from behind, he made his move in that instant.

Stealthily, Crow swung his battered sword, beheading the dire wolf in one swift motion.

Swish!

An eerie silence fell over us.

Both Arthur and I likely shared the same thought.

I had thought this was a chance to showcase something cool to my newly made friend. But what I could show was nothing but a pathetic disgrace.

My ears tinged with warmth.

Contrary to my shame, my eyes were drawn to the strange power flowing over Crow’s worn-out sword.

“Are you two… not using Ether?”

Ether? What on earth is that?

I glanced up at Crow with a puzzled expression.

At that moment, the main quest was updated.

[New Power]

Collect information on Ether to return to the original dimension 0/1