Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 147

I didn’t bother asking why Helena had hugged me.

Sometimes, she would embrace me for no reason even in reality.

It was just the usual Helena. Nothing strange about it.

“Hyah!”

With a quick shout, I swung my sword. Ever since awakening to Ether, I was long gone from being chased by a Dire Wolf.

Weak Ether wrapped around the well-honed, dark blade and sliced through the thick fur.

Clang!

The attack power must’ve been sufficient. But my Ether level wasn’t high enough.

The weak Ether couldn’t penetrate the wolf’s defenses.

After a significant swing that the wolf reacted to, it retaliated.

I flinched and stepped back just in time as it charged forward with a claw swipe.

But I wasn’t worried. I wasn’t alone right now.

Swoosh—

Arthur dashed forward from my side, swinging his sword.

Behind the woman with brilliant blonde hair, a white cloak spread out and blocked my view.

Clang!

As Arthur intercepted the wolf’s attack, I jumped in with another swing of my sword.

The attack landed successfully. A deep gash from my sword marked beneath the wolf’s neck.

Grrr…

The wounded wolf tried to retreat, but it was pointless.

Following my attack, I pushed forward with Arthur and plunged my sword into the wolf’s body.

Crack—!

The sword, driven up from beneath its head, met the other sword crashing down from above, tearing the wolf’s head apart.

With the realism settings cranked up to the max, the grotesque sight was laid bare, yet I was already used to this scene.

“Ha…”

When was the last time I felt this tense hunting a single wolf?

I smiled at Arthur, who, like me, was letting out a long breath.

We were in sync. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that Arthur was adapting well to my side.

He skillfully caught the opportune moments to dive in, always protecting his party members.

I couldn’t help but admire him. He was even better than our party’s main tank, Dogrik.

It was our first time syncing like this, yet it flowed smoothly like clockwork.

It was as if he could read my thoughts, arriving at just the right moment. No obstructive movements whatsoever.

Short and concise, yet sharp when it mattered.

“Next!”

As I continued hunting, my fondness for Arthur grew.

It was pure desire. When you’re in the position of a guild leader or party leader, it’s natural to develop a yearning for high-skilled users.

Swoosh!

With a long swing, I slashed open the massive wolf’s belly.

Arthur, locked in a struggle with the wolf, quickly pushed away, shaking off its body.

The wolf’s posture faltered. I didn’t miss the opening.

My Ether level had just recovered. Immediately readjusting, I used the Charge skill.

The Ether that I had barely recovered vanished in an instant as I charged towards the wolf at high speed.

As black energy surged from my body, my sword was already piercing the wolf’s neck.

Crack!

A clean hunt. No discomfort. Fast and pleasant.

I pulled the sword from the wolf’s body and rested it on my shoulder.

Crimson blood dripped down, but I didn’t care.

I turned to look behind me.

I needed to check on our fire wizard, Helena.

Helena, who seemed somewhat uncomfortable, was glaring at Arthur and me with a scary look.

I could fully understand her feelings. She must be furious. And rightly so.

Helena was a skilled wizard. An incredible magic user capable of summoning massive meteors and freezing time.

Such a wizard had all her skills sealed. If she cast even one Fire Ball, she’d be out of the fight for a long time.

How frustrating that must be. How boring.

I nodded at Helena.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here for you.”

I couldn’t leave Helena alone. If we moved on with the quest while disregarding the wizard users from the start, it would surely create a significant gap in our progress.

Perhaps when we attempted the first raid, there might be a shortage of wizards.

“This hunting is super easy, huh?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Is this the swordsmanship Yeo wanted to show?”

I shrugged at Arthur’s praise. It had been quite some time since I absorbed the swordsmanship of VRS pros during the arena tournament.

I had fought in countless battles. Time and experience transformed that bizarre and awkward swordsmanship into something natural.

I refined my movements, eliminating unnecessary ones, adjusting them to fit my smaller frame.

And most importantly, I added flair.

Deron is a virtual world. The powerful stats that enhance characters allowed movements impossible in reality.

Thus, my swordsmanship had transcended realism.

“Isn’t it cool?”

“Super cool. I want to learn it.”

Arthur gazed down at me, his eyes glimmering, as if to check whether he was being honest.

From that gaze, I felt a hint of admiration.

“Ha, hah…”

Compliments from a beautiful lady. Nobody could feel bad about that.

I truly am amazing. My swordsmanship was undoubtedly excellent enough to earn admiration from such a beautiful woman from across the sea.

It’s not excessive self-awareness. There are hardly any players on the Korean server who could parry my sword one-on-one.

“Yeo. Arthur. We need to move to the next quest location.”

“Ah. Got it!”

I nodded at Helena’s prompt and sheathed my sword behind me.

The massive great sword shrank instantly to a perfect fit for my body.

“The weapon shrinks too…”

“Yeah. It’s Deron’s system. It grows to its original size when you hold it.”

“It grows when you touch it…”

Arthur nodded, muttering softly.

Our party walked through the forest, following the main quest marker.

I unfurled the map, trying to recall faint memories.

If I remembered correctly, a base of the Red Orc Empire was built around here.

It wasn’t a mistaken memory. The quest marker was definitely leading toward the Red Orc area.

“This place…”

Both Arthur and Helena seemed to recognize the area as well.

After wandering for a while, we finally reached our destination.

“What is this…”

I looked around in shock, my mouth agape.

The large Red Orc base that had been there was gone.

In its place stood what looked like a peaceful village.

“Red Orc Village?”

Yes. It’s Red Orc Village.

Just as Arthur said, all the NPCs living in this village were orcs with red skin.

The foes that had once appeared as enemies were now re-emerging as friendly NPCs.

They weren’t the conquerors who refused to back down, but rather ordinary village NPCs.

The sight of the orcs, who had once wielded massive swords with grotesque musculatures, was absent.

They were now holding large plow-like farming tools, working in the fields.

Not swords, spears, or axes. The once hostile red-named orcs had changed to green names and wandered the village with peaceful faces.

I had been secretly waiting for the orcs to appear again, but this felt like a bit of a letdown.

Arthur seemed ready for battle, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

But no battle ensued.

The three of us entered the orc village with somewhat bewildered expressions.

The guard orcs standing at the village entrance were also sporting gentle faces.

“Could it be that the orc clan’s reincarnation is being lifted?”

Arthur muttered while looking around the village.

I nodded. It certainly was a possibility that couldn’t be ruled out.

The announcement had mentioned nothing about the orc clan’s reincarnation being added, but it might be included in the next update.

Orcs… They seemed like a good race for warrior class jobs.

Orcs generally had higher strength stats compared to monsters of the same level.

If users reincarnated as orcs, their strength stats would most likely rise.

Perhaps they might gain a race skill called Berserk.

“Yeo… Do you want to become an orc?”

Lost in thought, Helena approached me with a sad expression.

If I had just started my journey in Deron, I would’ve reincarnated without hesitation as an orc.

But now, it was different.

Hiding this cute and beautiful appearance in the muscular frame of an orc would be a national loss.

No one could dispute this fact. It wasn’t excessive self-awareness at all.

I liked the way I looked right now.

“No. I like it just as it is.”

“That’s a relief…”

Although it was an issue that my arms and legs were a bit short, it would be naturally resolved with the customization reset items that would be added later on.

[Lost Fighting Spirit]

Find the village chief of Red Orc Village 0/1

The main quest marker pointed toward one side of the village.

It was a slightly larger house than the others. The architectural style wasn’t significantly different from the humans’, but the overall size was tailored to fit the large bodies of the orcs.

“I guess the chief is in there.”

I led the two of them, stepping forward. I hadn’t intended to take the lead, but being in a position where I often guided many people, I naturally moved ahead in all situations.

Knock, knock—

“Is anyone there?”

After knocking on the chief’s house, a red orc opened the door and revealed himself shortly after.

[Red Orc Village Chief]

[Krasia]

“Oh… some human friends.”

Krasia. A name I remembered. How could I forget?

He was the name of the very first raid boss monster that appeared in the game Deron.

Where had that massive musculature gone? What happened to that fierce face that used to roar while wielding a great sword?

The warrior, who once scattered red energy, was not there.

Krasia was simply an old orc dressed in neat clothes.

“What brings you here?”

It was a shocking encounter. I was more surprised to see the friendly NPCs than I was when facing the Red Orcs.

[Lost Fighting Spirit]

Fulfill Krasia’s request and learn how to use Ether. 0/1

The main quest was updated.