Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 165

In the center of the event hall, seats were being arranged in front of the podium to accommodate several people.

As I stared blankly at the line of metal chairs, people who had been scattered around began to gather one by one.

Sohee and I, who were observing from the side, also entered and took a seat inside.

[Show us your Deron!]

At the very top of the podium, there was a Plein Card hanging that I hadn’t seen earlier.

Show us your Deron? Are they really holding a competition to showcase impressive gameplay videos here?

If I’m right, victory will undoubtedly be mine.

I secretly chuckled to myself, crossing my arms.

Wearing a mask and sunglasses allowed me to avoid worrying about my expression.

“Sohee.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know what this event is about?”

“Well… I didn’t ask that far, so I’m not sure.”

While I was talking to Sohee, everyone’s gaze suddenly focused on one spot.

I turned my head to follow their sight.

“Whoa…”

It’s her. The small girl I saw earlier had made her entrance, flanked by men in black suits.

The pure white girl who walked slowly hesitated for a moment upon spotting me.

Then she walked to a seat farthest from me and sat down.

The men who stood guard around her stopped just a bit away from her.

The intimidation from the guards was no joke. No one could dare sit near the small girl.

It’s fortunate that there weren’t many participants at the event, otherwise, it would have been such a nuisance.

Honestly, kids these days…

I clicked my tongue and turned my head.

In contrast, our Sohee was so kind. She never pressured anyone with her background and always shared a warm smile with those around her.

If there was an angel, it would surely be Sohee.

I nodded and took Sohee’s hand.

As her fingers intertwined softly with mine, she held my hand tightly.

After about ten minutes, quite a number of people settled into the prepared seats.

It seemed that the preparations on the podium were also nearing completion.

I scanned the surroundings.

In addition to the seated participants, there were several people with large cameras slung over their shoulders.

Isn’t this a bit too much just for preparing for an internet broadcast?

[Crack-]

At that moment, it seemed that an employee on the podium turned on the power to a connected microphone, and white noise began to fill the air.

Because of my sensitive hearing, the crackling sound was abundantly clear.

Everything was ready. The man who appeared to be an employee wiped the sweat off his forehead and stepped forward with the microphone in hand.

[Ah, hello there. Adventurers of Deron.]

His voice trembled. He looked tense, as if this situation was unfamiliar to him.

It was obvious at a glance. He must have been someone who spent all day buried in the corner, typing away on a keyboard.

[I’m Jeong Cheol-min, the director of Deron.]

An awkward self-introduction began. He explained what he was doing and the direction in which he planned to lead Deron.

Mumbling endlessly, an employee watching from the side rushed over and snatched the microphone from him.

[Tick!]

The audience began to murmur in response to the sudden situation.

But their reaction wasn’t negative. The director seemed clumsy. He appeared to be solely focused on game development.

Surprisingly, his complete disregard for anything outside of gaming provided a sense of relief.

Jeong Cheol-min, having a conversation with the flustered employee, wiped his brow and nodded.

Then he took back the microphone.

[Ah, I apologize. I just rambled on without thinking. It’s nice to meet you, adventurers. Let’s start the offline event, Show Us Your Deron~]

With a slightly reddened face, Cheol-min flailed his arms alone.

His timing for trying to induce cheers was so awkward.

[Ah…]

The short sigh that escaped him was amusing.

Having witnessed the entire scenario, everyone began to laugh and clap.

Clap, clap, clap—

Jeong Cheol-min wiped his sweat faster.

He glanced around, slowly catching his breath.

[Um, um… For those curious about the event details, the Show Us Your Deron event is, actually, utilizing the technology we’ve been secretly developing…]

What a ridiculous unfolding of events. But the passion on Jeong Cheol-min’s face as he explained was palpable.

Perhaps because he was from a small company, the event’s proceedings were completely disorganized. If only they’d hired a professional MC to help, this wouldn’t have happened.

To summarize Director Jeong Cheol-min’s speech: They were working on a way to play Deron without a capsule by using their augmented reality technology.

As the mention of augmented reality suddenly came up, many people began to whisper among themselves.

[Ah, ahaha… I know everyone is confused. Playing Deron in real life, sounds unbelievable, right? So let me show you!]

With that, Director Jeong Cheol-min displayed an image on the large screen.

It was a familiar interface. The character selection screen from Deron Online.

[Look, here’s a character I made. The class is Wizard. My level is still 30… To be honest, I haven’t had the time to level up. If anyone has a good leveling route… ]

Director Jeong Cheol-min started to go off-topic.

The employee next to him watching with panic shook their head rapidly and waved their hands.

Seeming to regain his composure, Jeong Cheol-min chuckled awkwardly and tried to steer the conversation back.

[Ha, I apologize. So… what this technology does is…]

As he said this, Director Jeong Cheol-min raised his arm.

On his arm, there was a rather hefty-looking bracelet.

[With this bracelet, I’m here to show you an amazing… ]

Just as his story began to veer off again, Director Jeong Cheol-min, who caught on just in time, smiled lightly and activated the bracelet.

Beeeeep—

A high-frequency sound spread in a wide arc.

That strange sound was oddly reminiscent of the sound I used to hear connecting to Deron.

[Look at this!]

Whirrrrr—

A bizarre wave emitted from the bracelet and enveloped Jeong Cheol-min’s body. In that moment, a dull-colored robe was draped over him, and an ancient staff appeared in his hand.

A transformation… It was a full transformation.

This was no different from a Kamen Rider transformation belt.

It was no different from a magical girl’s transformation wand.

I gulped, watching his dramatic change.

[Do you see this?]

Jeong Cheol-min said as he flailed around.

The dull-colored robe draped over him swayed with his movements.

“Wait a second… Hayun, I’m just going to call Dad. Don’t go anywhere and stay here, okay?”

“Uh, okay? Uh-huh…”

My response was a bit late as I was fixated on the sight of Jeong Cheol-min.

Sohee, having stood up, glanced at me with an uneasy look before stepping out.

[Now, with this, you can summon your Deron character into reality. Isn’t that amazing?]

It seemed that the technology Director Jeong Cheol-min demonstrated really impressed the crowd.

People who had been sitting there looking bored suddenly had their eyes light up and started throwing questions at him.

“Use a skill! Show us a skill!”

“What happens if the game character and the real body are different?”

“Fireball, shoot a fireball!”

“How much is that bracelet?”

With questions flying in from all sides, the director flailed his hands, obviously flustered.

At that moment, some foreigners seated nearby sprang up, pulled out their phones, and left the area.

It appeared they were heading out to make a call, just like Sohee.

[Ah, slowly, please. One at a time, raise your hand if you have a question.]

The people who had been talking feverishly quieted down at last.

I, too, had something I wanted to ask, so I raised my hand high.

[You, the man wearing glasses over there. Please ask your question.]

Unfortunately, the first person called was not me.

The person pointed out by the director stood up and calmly asked,

“You said you can bring a game character into reality, but what if the appearance differs from the game?”

[A good question. It doesn’t matter if they look different in reality. The character’s appearance is reconstructed to fit that person’s physique. Now, next question!]

Questions continued to flow after that.

But I never got called even once.

With a sulky expression, I lowered my hand.

The question time had come to an end.

[Alright, let’s get started with the real event. There was a hint in the name of our offline event: Show Us Your Deron!]

“Wait, no way…”

[That’s right. From now on, we’ll be giving those chosen a chance to use this bracelet through a lottery. But wait, that’s not all. There are special prizes prepared for the winners, so please check the numbers on the necklaces hanging around your necks.]

I quickly checked the number on my necklace.

My number was 21.

Please. Please. Please.

I prayed and prayed in my heart.

As the lottery spun, numbers began to appear one by one.

[2]

[62]

[58]

[21]

[102]

[Lottery complete! Please confirm your number! If you feel overwhelmed, it’s okay if you don’t come up!]

21. My number was absolutely called.

I sprang up from my seat. Sohee had told me to stay put, but I couldn’t let this chance pass me by.

Everyone was watching. The internet broadcast was broadcasting live.

That’s right. This moment was my stage.

The opportunity to show my impressive and beautiful self to others.

I hurriedly moved my short legs to dash up onto the podium.

“Let me check your number.”

“Yes!”

After confirming my number with the staff, I received the hefty bracelet.

Others who had come up late showed their necklace numbers to the staff and received the bracelet as well.

As I looked around, I locked eyes with the small girl.

The girl with white hair and blue eyes.

She looked frail, as if she would topple over if nudged slightly.

Realizing it too late, I noticed that this small girl’s appearance was quite cute.

Though not as cute as me, she had certainly grown up hearing people say how adorable she was.

“Hmm…”

Clearing my throat, I turned my body.

“Everyone, you’ve put on your bracelets, right? We’re going to link accounts now, so please follow my lead.”

The five chosen before me followed the staff’s instructions.

I did the same.

I placed my finger on the surface of the bracelet, gazing at the shining blue circle.

Once all the procedures were completed, faint text appeared over the bracelet.

It was brief information about my account.

“Now that everyone’s linked, please come up to the podium~”

It was my turn to shine.

I felt a thrill inside as I moved onto the podium.

This was the moment to show the mask and sunglasses that Sohee had prepared for me.

No one knows my real identity. If it were revealed that I was the Blood Demon King of Deron right here, everyone in attendance would be completely shocked.

I was sure of it.

[Everyone, please remove your coats, masks, and accessories for a moment. Yes. It’s necessary for scanning…]

Nodding at the director’s words, I removed my sunglasses, mask, and coat.

In that moment, the director’s expression turned to one of surprise as he looked at me.

[Ah, uh, oh…]

Of course, I knew he would recognize me.

That was the only natural reaction.

Before anyone could say a word, I raised my hands towards the sky.

[Um, um… here…]

Shhh—

No talking during a transformation, please.

I’d been paying close attention to the director’s movements, so I knew how to operate the bracelet.

“Transformation…”

I mumbled under my breath, flipping the small switch on the inside of the bracelet upward.

In that moment, with a click, a bright light enveloped my body starting from the bracelet.

I transformed. The moment I heard that familiar sound I used to hear when logging into the game, my body had changed.

It was the moment I transformed from an ordinary middle school girl to the formidable Blood Demon King.

I extended my hand behind me and pulled out my sword.

Immediately, I frowned.

Was the Deron game system not applied here? The sword in my hand had shrunk to fit my size.

[You… are the Blood Demon King…]

The director seemed to know my title as well.

I smirked, resting the Demon Sword on my shoulder.

Though I didn’t feel any weight like in the game, that action would definitely be imprinted in everyone’s memory.

“That’s right. I am…”

At that moment.

The small girl standing next to me bit her lip and raised her hand high.

As the white light began to envelop her, pure white full plate mail started to take form around her body.

But that wasn’t all. A large sword appeared at her waist, glimmering alongside her.

The equipment from the game was being perfectly materialized.

I stood there, gaping at the spectacle.

“Blood Demon King, it’s time we meet. Today, I, the Paladin Jupiter, shall defeat you.”

The white girl declared, drawing a translucent sword and aiming it at me.

The appearance of that sword felt strangely familiar.

The Holy Sword.

That’s right. It was the Holy Sword.

Jupiter?

The Holy Sword?

This girl?

For real?

This cute and soft-looking child?

The small girl who called herself Jupiter twisted her lips into a smirk.

It was the same smile that Jupiter often wore.