Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 153

The main quest has been interrupted. Or to be more precise, I was still in the process of the main quest.

However, no further quest markers were appearing.

[Ether Growth]

Achieve Ether Rating Level 6 for Equipment 0/3

Achieve 1,000 in Character’s Ether Value 570/1,000

It felt like I was witnessing the early days of Deron. With only one goal set in front of them, users were left to their own devices to figure things out, regardless of what form it took; it was bound to lead to this situation.

No quest markers. No information. It was truly time to explore this world again.

At that moment, the word romance, which I had forgotten, came to mind.

Like being chased by something, I had always been running.

This expansion pack seemed to be speaking to users like me.

It was asking us to take a moment to look back and enjoy at a leisurely pace.

I frowned. The intention of the game company seemed good. But how many users would actually enjoy this?

What would happen to the users who had been conditioned to mindlessly follow the quest markers?

I was seriously worried.

“Yeo-na.”

“Yes?”

“The quest marker isn’t showing.”

“Me too.”

Helena was also keeping pace with me, so she had reached the same situation.

We sat together on a large rock, staring vacantly at the sky.

Growing Ether values wasn’t that difficult.

You just had to mindlessly hunt monsters, and before you knew it, it would go up.

It was like gaining experience points.

The biggest issue was the increase in the Ether rating of equipment.

There is a limit to transcending items with a [Weak Transcendence Stone]. To advance to level 6, I needed an item called [Glowing Transcendence Stone], which was of a higher grade.

But then again, I need to know where to find it in order to go look for it.

I was dissatisfied with this situation.

“What should we do? Wait for information to be revealed?”

“No, that would take too long. We have to move ourselves.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t have to be just the two of us. Either way, we need to progress through the game.”

“Sure…”

I stood up suddenly. Nothing would change by just sitting around. I needed to move and explore this world more.

“Okay, let’s go.”

The pace of the game had slowed down immensely. They had intentionally sealed off mounts to encourage players to explore this vast world on foot.

Chirpy and the pony flashed by in front of me.

“Another hunting spot?”

“Yeah.”

I responded to Helena while frequently checking the guild chat. With the server merger, numerous small disputes had been breaking out. Although Iyap was quickly handling most of the issues, I would still have to step in if a big problem arose.

A prime example was the Exorcist Guild incident.

“Yeo-na. Where are we headed?”

“To a place with fewer people, where strong monsters appear.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Absolutely not. I’ll protect you, so don’t worry.”

Having experience raising wizards, I understood what she was concerned about.

But really, there was no need to worry; it was me. As long as we were in a party, my precious friend would never die to a monster.

Was I looking reliable enough?

I glanced up at Helena and smiled slightly.

A faint blush crossed her face.

There was an area we would arrive at after passing the rabbit and goblin hunting grounds, then arriving at the Dire Wolf hunting grounds.

It was the front line of the fight against the Red Orc Empire.

“Oh…?”

I thought the Red Orc Empire had entered as friendly NPCs, so I assumed the front line before us was gone.

But no. The encampment where the knights were stationed and the fortifications built in front of it, as well as the soldiers undergoing training, remained unchanged.

Were they not fighting the Red Orc Empire but some other race?

My eyes sparkled as I dashed forward.

Following a lengthy ridge, the dismal sight of a battlefield came into view. Soon after, my gaze naturally shifted.

“Gah…”

The shock was more than when I first encountered the Red Orcs.

It was the Elf Clan that was at war with the Human Clan.

What the heck happened?

Originally, the Elves were supposed to occupy this spot, but now the names above their heads were marked in red.

It indicated hostile NPCs or monsters.

Whatever the reason, if they were designated as monsters, I intended to swing my sword at them.

“Let’s go, Helena!”

“Wait a moment!”

Ignoring the shout coming from behind, I drew my sword and charged in.

I wasn’t the only one hunting at this location. Other parties were also scattered around, banging away at the Elf monsters from a distance.

The classification of Elf monsters generally falls under the humanoid category.

That naturally meant low defense.

I ran with all my might, swinging my sword.

“Ugh!”

The soundless swing of my sword dug into the skin.

Thud—

The slender arms flopped helplessly. It felt strange to stab a pretty Elf sister in the belly with my sword.

“You cowardly human scum!”

The Elf monster I attacked collapsed with a furious expression.

From its mouth spilled endless curses against the Human Clan.

Fortunately, none of it affected me.

After all, I wasn’t a member of the Human Clan; I was a proud member of the Demon Clan!

We were fundamentally different from those cowardly humans.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Helena, who had rushed over late, worriedly examined my condition.

With a demon sword draped over my shoulder, I flashed a bright smile.

There was no way I would get hurt in a place like this.

“It’s a bit strange.”

“What is?”

“This Elf clan doesn’t look like the Elves we know.”

I tilted my head at Helena’s words and examined the now-corpse Elf.

“Oh—”

I hadn’t noticed until they started charging from a distance.

As Helena had said, this Elf looked a bit different from the usual Elves.

The skin had a slight grayish-white hue, they had sharp teeth, and their eyes were red.

“Vampire?”

I muttered absentmindedly since the characteristics of the dead Elf monster somehow reminded me of vampires.

“Are we going to continue hunting here?”

“Hmm…”

Upon scanning the surroundings at Helena’s query, the monster respawn rate wasn’t bad, but the placements were too scattered.

It seemed more suitable for smaller teams like me and Helena to hunt rather than for a party designed for mob hunting.

I decided. I should hunt here to farm some Transcendence Stones.

After all, I’d already felt bad enough for all the help Helena had given me.

“Sounds good. This seems like a good spot.”

I picked up the junk items dropped by the Elf clan and searched for the supply NPC nearby.

In the original Deron, there had been a repeatable quest to gather items dropped from monsters in this area and exchange them for equipment.

This Deron was no different.

“Cough… Adventurers?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect timing. Could you help us out? We’ll make it worth your while.”

※ Repeatable Quest.

[Vampire Elf Elimination]

Eliminate Vampire Elves and collect their teeth 0/60

As expected, a repeatable quest was given.

The reward for this quest was not an equipment box, but a box with a Weak Transcendence Stone.

[Weak Transcendence Stone Box]

Contains a random number of Weak Transcendence Stones.

Can acquire 1–2 Weak Transcendence Stones.

“Did you receive a quest, Helena?”

“Yeah, but… this…”

“That’s great. Let’s farm some Transcendence Stones here and then head out. I’ll give you everything I earn as my share.”

“Um, I’m okay with it…”

“No, actually, all the teeth dropped here can go to you, Helena. We need to do that. After all, you’ve helped me a lot, right?”

“No, you really don’t have to…”

I brushed off Helena’s words and drew my sword.

By the way, Vampire Elves – could it be that a new race has emerged?

I glared at the freshly respawned Vampire Elf and charged forward.

“Hyahhh!”

The story wasn’t important. The most crucial thing was to level up. Plus, I had to repay Helena for the Transcendence Stones I borrowed.

“Kyaah! You cowardly human scum!”

The Vampire Elf reacted to my attack and swung its weapon with glowing red eyes.

While typical Elves use bows, this one was wielding a sword.

Clang!

The attack was blocked. Since it wasn’t a surprise attack but a concerted charge, the Elf responded and attempted a counterattack.

Unexpected. And then I realized why there weren’t any people there.

Swish!

Ducking to evade the quickly sweeping attack, I moved my sword in a rotational manner.

Without a level system to instantly gauge the enemy’s strength, I was actively feeling the power of the Vampire Elf.

Strong and fast. It was a general monster, not designated as elite, but it felt like I was fighting an elite monster of the same level.

No wonder no one was hunting here. Users who couldn’t enhance their equipment with Transcendence Stones wouldn’t be able to solo play in this place.

At that moment, I felt a hot flame from behind me.

I didn’t even need to look. It was Helena’s assist.

As I immediately lowered my body, the scorching flame shot over my head.

Boom!

There’s a saying that you should try playing a wizard if you want to experience the strongest dealer in Deron.

That meant it was a very powerful class.

“Argh!”

It was a humanoid monster with low health and defense. If there were any weaknesses to fire-type attacks, this one’s health plummeted in an instant.

Helena had provided me an opening. I wouldn’t let that chance go to waste.

With a giant stride, I tightened my grip on the sword and moved forward.

The moment the sword tip trembled slightly, it was tracing two paths in one motion.

The Vampire Elf engulfed in flames scanned my sword. Its gaze was confused about where to block.

No matter how sophisticated the AI was programmed, there was only one place it could defend.

The upper neck and the lower legs were the targets that my sword began to snake towards.

In the end, the Vampire Elf chose to defend against the upper position.

That was of course the result. Otherwise, it would die immediately if its neck got chopped off.

But still, regardless, the fact that the monster would die didn’t change.

Swish!

The transparent wind enveloping my Demon Sword dispersed rapidly and shot forth.

Crunch!

As the tip of my sword sank into the leg, the Vampire Elf screamed in agonizing pain.

The assault didn’t end there. I twisted the sword in my hand, reversing the direction of force applied to the sword upwards.

Creak!

The overwhelming strength from the increase in my enhanced equipment made a movement that would normally be impossible occur.

“Grrr…”

The upward slash starting from its leg split the Vampire Elf in two.

It was a truly satisfying outcome.