Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 3

The day came to an end.

That meant I had spent the entire day gaming.

Mom’s call was also a request to eat dinner.

As I stepped out of the capsule, my hair stuck to my forehead, slick with sweat.

It felt unpleasant, like something wrong was clinging to my body.

I ran into Harang as I exited the room. An uncomfortable opponent. Looking at him felt like staring into a mirror reflecting my past self.

“Wh-what…?”

“Harang.”

“What? Harang? Hey, you…”

Suddenly, it hit me; his youthful face didn’t look that great.

Harang reacted heavily to the sigh that escaped me.

Did I say something wrong? I tilted my head and looked up at him.

My body felt normal, but it was oddly amusing that I should have to look up at him.

The small girl’s body was quite short.

“Call me ‘oppa.’ You crazy girl.”

His words crumpled my face.

Watching me, Harang wore a look of triumph as he headed towards the living room.

“Oppa”? That’s something no sane person would say out loud.

I hurried after him, and there, an extravagant table was set.

I gazed at the japchae placed atop the table. A dish saved for special occasions, like an anniversary.

Mom’s gaze turned toward me.

It seemed she was still bothered by this morning’s events; there’s no doubt this was prepared for me.

Or more accurately, for Hayun, this body I was in, but I wanted to think of it in my own terms for now.

That says a lot about how tangled my thoughts were.

Separately from those feelings, my body was crying out from extreme hunger.

I took a seat at the table and grasped the chopsticks.

My small, delicate hands felt awkward.

Just as I extended the chopsticks, Harang’s chopsticks swooped in to snatch away the japchae.

My expression soured. It was irritating to watch him steal my favorite dish.

“Mom.”

“Huh?”

“Harang called me a crazy girl.”

Silence fell over the table.

It was only natural for Harang’s expression to stiffen as he’d been caught in the act of stealing.

I seized that moment with my chopsticks.

“Is that true?”

“Uh, no… it’s just…”

Mom’s cold voice lectured Harang.

He shot me a resentful look.

As if to say, “What do you want me to do?”

But still, was he my “oppa”? As if to flaunt his age over this small girl, he didn’t say another word.

He easily admitted his guilt.

The japchae made its way back to me, but I couldn’t shake the weird sense of resentment that came with it.

It was a satisfying meal.

I chewed on Mom’s cooking, taking my time.

Vague memories floated back to me, calming my heart.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Not eating anymore?”

“I… have an appointment.”

“Another game?”

“Yeah.”

My gaze shifted to Harang at his response.

Having an appointment in a game made me curious. If it was the Harang I knew, he must be playing Deron Online.

I wondered what kind of character this Harang in this world was leveling up.

*

After finishing the meal, I logged into Deron.

Lying in the capsule and playing the game still hadn’t become second nature to me.

At the last moment of logging in, I died at the Red Orc Front, so I respawned at the nearby revival point.

It was evening. More people were connecting after work or school.

This was the busiest time on a weekday, and more players were moving around in the Red Orc Front area than before.

Being the type to dislike crowds, this place felt uncomfortable.

I quickly walked towards the front, and I could see many parties already settled in and hunting.

They marked their territory and thrust their weapons at those who dared encroach.

It looked ridiculous to see it happen in reality, having previously just controlled it with a mouse and keyboard.

I walked down the path. Rather than a hunting ground with small spawn rates, this was an area teeming with monsters.

A group of Orc scouts was moving together.

The sudden spike in hunting difficulty didn’t consider the average players.

The ruthless blades of the orcs and their massive muscular attacks drove players away.

It was a deserted hunting ground.

Suddenly, the feel of the sword in my hand was strikingly real.

The nauseating scent of blood and gunpowder tickled my nose.

I must have maximized the sensory synchronization.

Seohayan. I wonder what level of talent this girl possesses.

With that minor curiosity, I raised the sword.

The icy tip of the blade pointed towards the patrolling orc group.

There were three of them.

It wasn’t exactly a suitable number for a single hunt.

Yet, I charged in regardless.

As I kicked off the ground to rush towards the orcs, my senses expanded.

Once again, that strange feeling wrapped around me, reminding me of my first fight against goblins.

Having turned off all system corrections, I couldn’t see the cluttered visuals that once filled my view.

So, my body moved according to instinct, following my instincts.

The smaller my body was, the smaller the targets for striking also were.

Having gone in low, my attack aimed at the head was late to follow.

The character hadn’t undergone a class change yet. It naturally meant I lacked the basic strength to withstand an orc’s sword.

But if I was under the game’s corrections, that would change the story.

The basic skill called Parry, which every beginner learns.

If I accurately timed my sword to deflect the opponent’s attack, I could lessen the incoming damage.

Since it can only activate on regular attacks, it’s a skill often forgotten later on.

The orc’s sword filled my view.

My mind processed the trajectory, dictating my next action.

I lifted my sword slightly to parry it with the flat side.

With a sound of clashing metal and a burst of effects, the skill activation was a success.

Now it was my turn.

But of course, there were three opponents. There was no room to attack.

My body predicted the next assault and immediately created distance.

It was still fun.

Not wearing armor meant that the orc’s attacks were deadly. That’s what made it exhilarating.

I repeated the cycle of advancing and retreating, growing accustomed to the orc’s patterns.

When I controlled the character with a mouse and keyboard, I merely observed it hunt mindlessly.

But not now. The world, the era had changed.

This wasn’t merely a game; it was an immersion into the realm of sensation.

I couldn’t fully grasp that phrase before, but now I understood it well.

As time flowed and as I moved, I grew accustomed to this small girl’s body.

It wasn’t real, but it felt as real as the body I used in reality. So, it wasn’t much different.

Slash!

With a quick approach, I swung the sword, beheading the orc.

The game’s weakness system compensated for any lack of damage.

Any being that loses its head cannot survive. Hence, the orc knight kneeled and fell.

One of the three was dead. That meant I could take a breather.

I quickly prepared for my next action, leaping into the air to avoid the swung sword.

That was a mistake. It might have seemed so at first.

I wasn’t free in the air. Even more so as a beginner without special skills.

My extended legs brushed against an orc’s sword.

I managed to avoid a strike that skimmed my shoulder.

Such a move would be impossible if it were real, but my body, enhanced by the game’s stat corrections, made the impossible possible.

It felt like my eyes and arms had newly sprouted.

It was uncomfortable being unfamiliar, yet somehow I could accomplish much more than before.

That’s the feeling I had.

In midair, I twisted my body to prepare for the next attack.

An attack built on rotational momentum.

My beautifully swung sword decapitated the orc knight.

That was the second.

With the orc’s head flying up into the sky, my body rolled onto the ground.

Not having planned my landing, the pain radiating through my back was considerable.

Yet, I didn’t stop. The pain was there, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from moving, so I soared upwards to evade the incoming strike.

Once more, my upper body spun, beheading the orc knight.

With a sound of slicing, I landed and looked at my trembling hands.

I wasn’t as out of breath as I thought I’d be. I still had plenty of stamina left.

That meant I could continue hunting right away.

I pressed on alone, dealing with orc knights, scouts, and mages.

With each head that rolled from their bodies, my character steadily grew in strength.

And just like that, I reached Level 10.

With a splendid effect, my expended stamina quickly refilled.

I had met the requirements for a class change. It was time to leave this place.

Returning to the base, I sought out the supply officer NPC.

Having collected many tokens from hunting orcs, I was now entitled to claim items from the supply officer.

[Lunaris Supply Grade Iron Sword]

Attack Power +35

Level Requirement 7

It’s a basic supply item for Lunaris soldiers.

You can’t expect much from its performance.

Items with similar descriptions lined the bottom.

As I donned the equipment, a heavy weight pressed down on me.

It felt uncomfortable. Heavy armor wasn’t a good choice.

The rewards were generous. I quickly traded in a token for a light leather armor set.

It had iron reinforcement in parts but was mostly made of leather.

There are various features unlocked at Level 10.

The auction house was also one of the features unlocked at level 10.

To register the items I mistakenly received at the auction house, I searched for their prices.

Beginner’s area; moreover, initial equipment. It wouldn’t be wise to expect high prices.

“Hmm…”

But it was different from my expectations.

The prices I vaguely remembered from the past were vastly different now.

It was over 20 times higher.

The heavy armor I thought I’d received by mistake was extremely expensive.

Was the value determined by the defense stat of the armor?

I set that small question aside for now and registered the items at the auction house.

Registering them slightly lower than the average bid, they were all sold in less than a minute.

I stood there dazed.

This was quite a considerable sum for a beginner to handle.

Even after deducting the 15 percent auction house fee.

Could it be that there’s been some internal game issue?

Perhaps a gold inflation was taking place?

However, when I checked a site to confirm the cash value of the in-game currency, it seemed the old prices were still holding.

No, it was even more expensive.

The money I accumulated was 70 gold coins.

The cash value per 10 gold coins was 15,000 won, meaning I earned over 100,000 won in one go.