Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 148

When I asked Krasia to teach me the Ether usage methods of the Orc clan, he nodded willingly.

“There are things you all need to help with. If you assist with all of them, I’ll share the Ether usage methods exclusive to the Red Orc tribe.”

Given that it was a request from a Red Orc, I expected some fierce battles or a call for intense training.

However, the subsequent quest details shattered my expectations.

[Lost Fighting Spirit]


Harvest Potatoes from the Field 0/30


Pick Apples from the Orchard 0/50


Collect Raspberries from the Nearby Forest 0/100

Can you believe it? The invaders, the Red Orcs, are farming, and users have to directly assist with that.

I couldn’t help but let out a scoff.

But what could I do? If I wanted to get stronger, I had to suck it up and complete this quest.

I wasn’t the only one questioning the progression of this quest. Arthur and Helena were also frowning, and the other users roaming the orchard wore equally displeased expressions.

At that moment.

“This bastard!”

A voice suddenly erupted, filled with rage.

The surrounding area fell silent, leaving everyone in the orchard with no choice but to look towards the source of the voice.

“That’s my apple!”

“What…?”

“You’ve been annoying me by picking apples next to me, and now you’ve gone and put your hands in my apple basket. I saw it all!”

It seemed like two people had gotten into a scuffle.

A Human clan male was claiming his apple had been stolen, facing off against an Elf clan male crouched in front of him with a basket in hand.

The two continued to bicker back and forth.

I watched the spectacle and slumped down.

In an area crowded with people, quests items like apples were challenging to come by.

Other apples didn’t count as quest items.

Since the quest required specific apples that only spawned in this region, everyone was waiting for their respawns.

It was absurd. Everyone was a level 85 high-level user. The equipment they wore sparkled, being the seasonal best items. To think such well-specified adventurers were squabbling over apples in this little orchard.

Apple thief. An apple thief, they say. Where did everyone’s maximum level pride go? What happened to the dignity of the leading users ahead of the pack?

While thinking that, I felt something approaching from behind.

Without making it obvious, I glanced sideways to check on Arthur and Helena’s positions.

They too were sitting beside me, watching the apple thief fight.

Just as the users bickering over who was right and wrong were about to draw their weapons.

I swiftly pulled the sword embedded in my back and whipped it around.

<Whoosh!>

<Thwack!>

The swiftly slicing edge of my sword struck the opponent who had been lurking behind me.

It was a Thief user using stealth.

With short ears and no horns on their head, they were unmistakably Human clan.

When engaging in RVR content like battles, faction wars, or conquests, Thief users often targeted me first.

It made sense. I was an iconic character, sitting in a commander’s position who directed users.

Due to these repeated circumstances, I had developed a heightened sensitivity towards Thieves using stealth.

A Thief had approached stealthily. Naturally, it wasn’t with good intentions.

“What the hell?”

“Yeo?”

Arthur and Helena also appeared startled by my sudden action.

I retrieved my sword and aimed it at the fallen Thief.

The dark blade pointed at his neck, a sly grin appeared on the Thief user’s face.

“You cowardly thief…”

“Hahaha…”

Was this developer’s intention hidden beneath the surface? The innermost parts of the orchard were not a safe haven.

That naturally meant PvP was possible.

As I stepped forward, I questioned the Thief.

“Are you looking to die?”

There are three types of users I despise the most in Deron.

First, users who hate specific classes.

Second, Thief users who lack skill.

Third, Thief users in stealth mode.

The intention to steal from others was fine. It was fitting role-playing for a Thief class.

“Ugh.”

Realizing I wasn’t going to let this slide easily, the Thief user started glancing around, looking for an escape route.

People’s gazes began to gather one by one. In this unavoidable situation, it was far more interesting to watch a cute girl’s fight than a typical-looking male characters.

“Hey, demon! Are you persecuting me?!”

“What…?”

“Hey, everyone! Look! This evil demon girl is attacking me!”

The thief’s attitude was downright audacious. But that didn’t matter.

I smirked and stabbed my sword.

“Guh, gurgle!”

The dark blade that pierced his neck silenced the Thief user’s breaths.

The users watching from a distance began to murmur, glancing nervously.

But it didn’t matter. Nobody would believe the words of a Thief user.

“Everyone, be careful!”

I sheathed my sword and attached the apple basket to my waist, shouting loudly enough for everyone in the orchard to hear.

“Thieves are using stealth to steal apples! That guy just now was a Thief too!”

“A Thief…? But how can we trust what he says?”

“I’d rather believe that girl’s words than that Thief! She seems trustworthy.”

“Wait… wasn’t that Elf a Thief too?”

“Oh no… my apple!”

The users responded well. The already sluggish respawn rate for apples heightened everyone’s anxiety.

The sharp thorns began to sprout in the hearts of the users.

“Everyone, watch out for Thieves! They’re stealing our apples!”

“This guy’s a Thief! Stay away from me!”

Surely, there must be kind Thief users out there. But it couldn’t be helped. There had been a Thief with actual theft intentions.

Given how they chose the same class, it was a trial they had to endure.

The once dull and peaceful atmosphere of the orchard became sharply heated. The softly flowing wind sounds faded under the users’ yells.

The sweet scent of apples that used to linger in the orchard was now replaced by the smell of battle filling the air as adventurers wielded their chilling weapons.

“I’m not a Thief! I’m a dual-wield Warrior!”

“A Warrior with dual-wielding? You’re crazy!”

The leaves of the flourishing apple trees covered their sight. The limited visibility led to misunderstandings that quickly escalated into fights.

“Die!”

“That thief, dammit!”

In an instant, the orchard turned into a battlefield. Users swung their swords without hesitation towards anyone who looked like a Thief.

Watching this scene, I nodded.

It was time for us to act.

I tugged on the hands of Helena and Arthur, who were still in shock.

“What are you doing? You both follow me.”

“Yeo…”

“What the heck is going on…?”

I crouched low, scuttling to plunder the apple baskets of other users.

Even I had to admit, it was a brilliant plan.

Amidst the excitement, users swinging their weapons at each other didn’t even notice that their apple baskets were being toppled.

The one Thief’s attempt at thievery fanned a massive fire in return.

“Ugh…”

While crawling on the ground, I spotted countless apples rolling toward me.

I hurriedly reached out and began to gather the apples.

Apples I wouldn’t have glanced at in a regular field.

But now, they were no different from the golden apples of legend.

Helena and Arthur, who had been watching me, also began to follow suit, gathering apples.

It wasn’t just the ones on the ground. Thanks to the users who were battling and continuously shifting positions, we managed to take over the trees where apples respawned.

[Lost Fighting Spirit]


Harvest Potatoes from the Field 0/30


Pick Apples from the Orchard 50/50


Collect Raspberries from the Nearby Forest 0/100

I smiled at the overflowing apple basket.

Finally, we had gathered them all.

If that Thief user hadn’t shown up, we wouldn’t have been able to collect the apples so quickly.

After silently thanking the already dead Thief, I exited the orchard.

The potato-harvesting and raspberry-collecting quests were pretty much the same as the orchard.

Because there was a Thief who tried to steal, it instilled a sense of vigilance toward Thieves among all users progressing through their quests.

“Is it really okay to do this?”

“It should be fine. They’ll just think all the Thieves stole them.”

Arthur let out a small groan while looking at the basket filled with quest items.

What I was saying wasn’t wrong; even amidst the chaos, there were indeed Thieves stealing potatoes, wheat, and apples in stealth.

So, what we’d taken would also be remembered as something the Thieves stole.

“Oh… you gathered them quickly.”

As I headed toward Krasia, who was waiting with the big basket, he guided us inside the house.

Passing through a slightly larger door meant for humans and stepping inside, I spotted a massive sword hanging on the wall.

It was a familiar item. Also, an unforgettable one.

During the first raid back in the day, how many Wizard users lost their lives to Krasia wielding that sword?

“It’s a magnificent sword, isn’t it? I’ve got no use for it now, so it’s just a decorative piece.”

“It really is a magnificent sword…”

“I wielded that sword until I crossed over to this dimension.”

This dimension, you say? Then does that mean the Red Orcs are a clan from another dimension?

Krasia seemed to have concluded his remark and walked over to the enormous sword hanging on the wall.

His appearance starkly contrasted with the weapon hanging there.

As the old Orc reached out, taking hold of his sword, it gleamed brightly, showing that despite the years spent hanging on the wall, it had received consistent maintenance.

“Come on, let’s head to the yard. I’ll show you how to use the Ether of the Red Orcs.”

Krasia said that and stepped out of the house with his sword slung over his shoulder.

In his faded silhouette, the form of a once-renowned warrior was nowhere to be seen.

Once he stepped into the yard, just like Crow had done, he drove his sword into the ground and began to spread Ether around.

An aura that felt somewhat different from Crow’s began to flow on the breeze.

In that moment, just like with Crow, a short video popped up in front of me.

The swift images held Krasia’s entire life story.

The events of his past, where he was born as a Red Orc and lived as a warrior, rapidly faded away until he ultimately laid down his sword.

The intense fighting spirit that had felt so strong briefly faded away.

[A new power ‘Ether’ reacts.]

[The power of the Red Orcs imbues the retained Ether.]

[Ether]

An energy used by beings from another dimension.

Similar to mana, but a higher-dimensional energy containing immense potential.

※ Ether points are consumed each time a skill is used.

Ether points: 100 → 400

Additional stats

All stats increase by 5% → 10%

Damage taken reduced by 5% → 7%

Negates enemies’ Ether shields