Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 299

“Hmm…”

Despite a bit of chaos, thanks to Helena, I was safely back inside the ship.

The little chick that had fallen into space was also safely recalled with a reverse summon.

At the moment, I was snuggled up in Helena’s arms, piloting the ship.

“Don’t do that again.”

“Got it.”

“Do you even realize how worried I was?”

“It’s just a game…”

“Still.”

“Yeah…”

I couldn’t avert my gaze from Helena’s concerned expression, so I nodded.

How much time had passed?

While proudly flaunting the giant ship to other users, a warning message popped up in front of me.

[Entering the Ruins of Destruction!]

This is a zone that does not receive PVP penalties.

“Oh.”

I was wondering why it wasn’t showing up. A PVP-only area.

I dismissed the message and looked around.

The beautifully sparkling space was the same, but the types of debris floating nearby had changed.

There were a giant ship, partially destroyed and losing its light, surrounded by numerous materials scattered about.

Those piloting first-level ships were approaching to gather the materials spread across space.

Overall, the atmosphere in this space felt heavy.

It was as if it was signaling that battles could occur anytime, anywhere.

I adjusted my jaw and increased the ship’s speed.

Swish!

The Deathwing roared as it began to move forward with fierce wingbeats.

As the giant ship started to sail straight, the smaller ships that were blocking its path began to get out of the way.

I watched this with a satisfied nod.

“Yeo, over there.”

Just then, Helena reached out and pointed to the glittering expanse of space.

Turning my gaze in that direction, I caught sight of something faintly wriggling.

“Is that a monster?”

After watching it for a while, the wriggling thing gradually approached us.

It had a long, massive body and fins spread out on either side.

Huge horns grew from its back.

[■■■■-!]

A subtle cry could be heard even though it hadn’t opened its mouth.

I gaped, unable to even imitate that sound with a human vocal cord.

[Observer of Chaos]

Monster. A boss monster at that.

Unlike other boss monsters, however, its name was tinted yellow.

A monster with a yellow name means it’s neutral.

It wouldn’t attack the users unless they attacked it first.

“Wow…”

The overall appearance of the Observer of Chaos resembled a gigantic whale.

Of course, unlike an ordinary whale, it had many more fins and a horn on its head.

“Do you want to catch it?”

“Um…”

Isn’t that a given?

I blankly nodded at Helena’s question.

The massive whale, the Observer of Chaos, swam freely through the space between user ships.

“I don’t think we can catch it right now.”

“I think so too.”

I nodded at Helena’s words.

I recalled the Kraken that had been added along with the previous maritime system.

A gigantic squid that required countless ships to be captured.

This newly appeared Observer of Chaos would likely be no different.

It stood to reason, considering its size was bigger than the level 15 ship I was piloting.

It looked like we would need to band together with over a hundred users to attempt a raid.

In that moment, several small ships began to catch up to the retreating Observer of Chaos.

Ships bearing the same guild mark.

They maneuvered their ships to encircle the fleeing Observer of Chaos.

“Looks like they’re going to challenge it…?”

“Mm…”

I wondered if they could actually catch it.

I quietly observed the scene.

If it were proven that such a group could successfully hunt the Observer of Chaos, I wouldn’t consider leaving this Ruins of Destruction with my guild members.

Boom!

“Looks like it started.”

The massive blast that signified the beginning of the raid.

The explosion of light erupted next to the smaller ships that had been peacefully approaching the Observer of Chaos.

Bang-! Kaboom-!

Brilliant lights began to spill out from all directions.

The giant whale calmly absorbed all the attacks.

At that moment, the nameplate floating above it turned red.

[■■■■-!]

Immediately following that was a massive roar.

The actions of the Observer of Chaos didn’t end there.

It began to sweep its massive fins, completely obliterating the nearest small ship.

Kaboom!

The explosion and the debris of the sinking ship.

Needless to say, the user aboard was instantly killed.

But that wasn’t the end of its assault.

Next came its gigantic tail.

When its tail whipped around like a whip, most of the ships that had launched attacks were obliterated and sent flying.

“Wow…”

In just two attacks, more than half of the ships had been taken out.

The raid was a failure. As users recalled this fact, they began to turn their ships to flee, but the Observer of Chaos wouldn’t let them go.

Fwoosh!

The Observer of Chaos.

It was at that moment I understood why it was called the Observer.

A massive eye stretched out in the dark expanse of space.

That eye began to glare at the ships that had attacked it.

Moments later, the ships started getting drenched in red.

They were clearly caught in its special pattern.

I perched on the head of the Deathwing, closely observing all of this.

From here on, we would need to understand all of its patterns in detail if we wanted to strategize against it.

Right afterward, the Observer of Chaos opened its huge mouth and began to inhale.

The debris of the ships floating in front of it was sucked into that mouth and turned into red energy.

Could it be a breath pattern?

As if signaling the end of its breath charging, the Observer of Chaos began to twist its body.

Then came the eruption of a red laser.

Kawhraak-!

The bright red beam swept through the ships marked in red.

Total annihilation of all ships.

Only the wreckage of destroyed ships floated desolately around the Observer of Chaos.

A hundred? No, at least a thousand users would be needed to capture that thing.

A robust ship wouldn’t be enough; it had to be massive and sturdy.

[■■■■-!]

The Observer of Chaos, perhaps still angry, started swinging its fins, attacking even the other users that had not attacked it.

Crash-!

In a single attack, countless ships exploded.

Seeing this, I unhesitatingly turned the ship’s direction.

If I stayed here watching, the Deathwing—a joint ship of Helena and mine would surely be destroyed.

I reluctantly glanced back at the Ruins of Destruction.

It was still the first day of the patch. Many aspects were still shrouded in mystery.

Regrettably, capturing that massive whale would have to be postponed for another time.

“Are we just going to leave?”

“Yeah, it can’t be helped. If we stayed any longer, our ship would have been wrecked.”

“Our joint…”

It’s a level 15 ship.

Given the colossal amount of gold spent to make it, the repair costs would also be astronomical.

So, I planned to navigate it as carefully as possible to avoid any damage.

“I should gather some people later tonight…”

“You mean to go after that?”

“Well, first, I want to see how many people I can gather.”

My guild, Soft & Chewy Cow, had about 300 members, but not all of them would be available.

So, I thought it best to check during the evening when the most players could log in and recruit people through friends to raid the Observer of Chaos.

“What if we fail the raid and the ship gets wrecked?”

I shook my head at Helena’s comment.

I never anticipate failure before starting.

That’s how Blood Demon King plays.

I always envision the best situation.

I had a knack for creating such situations.

“It won’t fail.”

“If the ship gets wrecked, you’ll be charged insane repair costs.”

“I’m fine!”

“Do you have gold?”

“No!”

“Should I lend you some again?”

“…”

By now, I didn’t need to borrow any more.

I was already in debt for several thousand gold. If I kept increasing my debts, I’d be the one collapsing from overwork.

Of course, if I repaid my debts through means other than game gold, it would be much easier…

But the increasing physical contact from Sohee was becoming a bit burdensome.

“Yeo.”

“Why…?”

“It’s almost time.”

“What time is it…?”

“As in… it’s time to go home.”

“H-huh…!”

Quickly checking the time at Helena’s words, it was 4:30 PM.

The time for school to end was already approaching.

When did time pass like this?

I hurriedly directed the ship toward the nearest large island.

The island we arrived at this time was a winter island covered in pure white snow.

Crisp—

“Wow…”

Stepping off the ship, I couldn’t help but admire the scenery.

The cold wind blowing from all directions and the sensation of the snow beneath my feet felt unbelievably real.

But that was it for admiring.

I shook my head and logged out of the game.

My vision darkened in an instant.

As my body’s sensations faded, I could feel my consciousness swiftly drifting away.

“Ha…”

The familiar feeling I always experience.

I felt my body’s sensations gradually becoming clearer and sat up.

Of course, I awoke inside the capsule.

With the lid closed, I pressed the button, relying on the dim light.

Click—

“Ah…”

As the capsule’s lid lifted, a long sigh escaped me.

It’s hot.

Hot?

I stood up from the capsule and checked my condition.

Sticky, soft.

Sweat was dripping down my back, which was covered by my shirt.

Could it be that the air conditioning inside the capsule broke again?

Exiting the capsule, I exhaled heavily.

“Ha…”

I noticed sweat even dripping down my forehead.

Not just that. My armpits, thighs, and even inside my underwear were all damp.

Everything was soggy.

With my arms crossed, staring at the capsule, Sohee approached and called out to me.

“Hayun?”

“Oh, Sohee.”

“You’re sweating a lot…?”

“Yeah. Looks like the internal air conditioning is broken.”

This old piece of junk.

I kicked the dumb capsule in frustration.

Thud!

“Are you mad? I’ll tell them to fix it, or even better, to switch to a new capsule, so just cool it.”

As Sohee said that, she pulled out a luxurious handkerchief from her pocket and began wiping my body.

Starting from my forehead down to my nape.

As the handkerchief slowly descended and began to get just the right amount damp, I shook my head and declined the offer.

“I’m good. I can just wash up when I get home.”

“Um…”

This was the third time the capsule’s air conditioning had failed.

It seemed like only my capsule was causing trouble.

I sighed and grabbed the bag I had carelessly tossed in the corner.