Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 335

The lengthy ups and downs of D.R’s testing phase have come to an end.

The testers’ reactions were dreadful, but externally, most opinions were surprisingly positive.

Of course, the tester’s raid videos turned into memes, becoming fodder for mockery.

Maybe it was due to these complex issues?

Deron decided to throw a curveball and rebranded itself as a completely different game genre while rolling out updates for D.R.

Trading Card Game.

They simultaneously released a trailer for a TCG called Daeron Fighters, which naturally used the Deron IP.

With much anticipation and concern, what came out was this unexpected duel card game, which made the Deron community flip.

[Ignoring the existing Deron fanbase with the update.]

[Where has the legacy of the RPG gone?]

[What a waste of tech talent.]

Numerous articles and posts criticizing Deron’s actions flooded in, but again, external gamers remained mostly favorable.

*

A peaceful afternoon spent with Sohee.

I was sitting on Sohee’s lap while browsing through online news articles.

[D.F’s launch amidst concerns is a hit.]

[A new horizon for TCG games.]

[D.F surpasses the revenue of the original Deron.]

“Is Hayun going to buy that?”

“Uh…”

I tilted my head at Sohee’s words.

Honestly, it wasn’t shocking to think that the D.R project would collapse; all the testers had vaguely foreseen it.

It was just a bit out of the blue.

Maybe it was because all the expectations I had for D.R had been wiped away during the testing period?

I didn’t particularly feel negatively about the card game Deron had released.

“Not sure…”

“It looks kind of fun.”

I nodded at Sohee’s comment.

While browsing the news articles and checking the uploaded videos, it did seem somewhat entertaining.

Encounters with random targets leading to natural battles.

Particles of dazzling light bursting from bracelets summoning giant monsters to fight each other.

How many people would dislike witnessing massive monster battles up close?

The only issue was that I just didn’t have any interest in TCG games.

“I’m going to play Deron.”

Saying that, I stood up.

Naturally, I headed towards the spacious room where the VR capsule was located.

Just before entering the capsule, I peeked my head out the door and asked Sohee,

“Are you not going to log in?”

“I have to step out shortly, so it’ll be tough.”

“Oh…?”

Too bad, but I couldn’t help it.

I nodded.

I wasn’t sure exactly what Sohee was up to, but I knew she had been very busy lately.

Juggling both studies and work, if I were Sohee, I wouldn’t have been able to hold on.

As usual, I boarded the capsule.

I blankly watched the lid close as I completed my preparation to log into Deron.

Just to be sure, I also checked the capsule’s air conditioning system.

Fortunately, the cool breeze was flowing nicely.

Just as I finished all preparations, my consciousness began to soar somewhere with the light.

It was that feeling I always experienced when logging into Deron.

I confirmed that I arrived at the character selection screen, feeling like I was flying into another world.

Naturally, my chosen character was Yeo.

The moment I selected Deron’s Blood Demon King, who was always there to greet me, I found myself standing right in the middle of the capital city as the Blood Demon King himself.

After logging in, things were always busy for the first hour.

I needed to check issues within the guild and read the letters piling up in the mailbox one by one.

Of course, even after getting all that done, I still had daily quests waiting.

“Hmm…”

The first thing I checked was the mailbox.

My mailbox was always gleaming, indicating that new mail had arrived.

Given that this had been the case for the past several years, checking the mail was usually a swift process.

The gifts from those who claim to be fans always got sent back.

Those who sent gold or expensive items were the real gentlemen.

I sighed as I checked the types of items attached.

White potions, gooey liquids, chewy octopus legs, etc. The items sent by guys who would’ve been quite unpleasant for a normal female user were promptly added to the block list.

Just as I finished checking the mailbox, I stumbled upon a message for my account, not just my character.

Sending mail to the entire account was something ordinary users couldn’t do.

In other words, it meant the mail was sent by the Deron operator.

I tilted my head and checked the mail.

Since yesterday wasn’t a regular maintenance day, the chance that it was personally sent to me was high.

[Hello. This is Deron Online.]

In summary, the operator’s message expressed a desire to use the image of my Blood Demon King in the newly launched D.F card game and roughly outlined the monetary benefits I would receive upon accepting this proposal.

In other words, they wanted to create a card featuring the character Blood Demon King, building on the image I had built over the years.

It did spark some interest.

Deep in thought, I noted that if I wanted further discussion, I should reply.

I didn’t really need the money.

I had Sohee’s hefty allowance and a Soft & Chewy Cow factory, after all.

Just when I was thinking I’d probably decline, a notification popped up at the bottom of the chat window.

Someone sent me a one-on-one message.

Hastily opening the chat window, I saw a message from Jupiter.

Jupiter – [Blood Demon King. Do you have some time right now?]

Time?

With the gold farming task off my plate, I had time to spare like it was overflowing wealth.

I chuckled lightly and replied to Jupiter.

Yeo – [If it’s time, I have plenty.]

Jupiter – [Oh, if that’s the case, would you grant me a moment? I’ve got something very important to discuss.]

Something important? Did he perhaps find another clue about a world item?

Regardless, I didn’t plan to refuse, so I sent Jupiter a place to meet and moved there to wait for him.

How much time passed, I wonder?

A blue griffon swiftly landed in front of me from the sky.

Flap-!

With great flaps of its wings, a cool breeze scattered all around.

The person riding the griffon was none other than Jupiter.

He must have been in a hurry, as leaves were clinging to him all over.

“Hey!”

“Whew, heh heh…”

How much did he want to brag, to smile in such a sleazy way?

I extended my hand at Jupiter’s grin.

“Is this going to be a long story?”

“It might be quite lengthy.”

I moved with Jupiter to a small café we had previously visited together.

Although the flavors were not properly captured, we ordered warm milk and cake just to set the mood.

“So, what’s on your mind?”

“Um… I hope you don’t get upset or surprised.”

“That won’t happen.”

Upon hearing my reply, Jupiter cautiously opened his mouth while looking around.

“Do you happen to know the game D.F that’s popular right now?”

“I know.”

I nodded at Jupiter’s question.

It would be strange not to know anything while playing Deron.

“I, the Radiant Knight Jupiter, am going to be featured as a card in that game.”

“… As a card?”

“That’s right…”

As he said that, Jupiter nodded.

As the conversation progressed, he seemed to wear a strangely arrogant expression.

Like he was trying to assert he was above me.

“Surely Deron must recognize me?”

“You think they recognize you?”

“Of course. They acknowledge that I, Jupiter, am a user representative of Deron.”

“Huh…”

“I’m the officially acknowledged protagonist by the game company… and the Blood Demon King recognized by the Deron gallery users… hmm…”

Jupiter subtly trailed off.

Watching his expression, I couldn’t help but chuckle in exhaustion.

“Was that the reason you called me? To brag?”

“Did it sound like bragging?”

“Well, it sure did. Isn’t it?”

“Hmm… I suppose that’s one way to see it… Apologies, Blood Demon King. I didn’t expect you to feel envious.”

I stared blankly at Jupiter’s expression.

The way he looked at me while slightly lifting the corners of his mouth was infuriating.

I almost wanted to give him a playful smack.

But I held myself back.

Jupiter was oblivious to the fact that I received the same proposal.

With a smug look, he gleefully devoured the cake, even humming a tune while swinging his short legs back and forth.

I thought about that.

The title of Deron’s protagonist.

I absolutely couldn’t let it go.

Normally, I’d have outright rejected such a proposal, but if Jupiter’s card were to be released, the situation would change.

“Got it…”

“Hehe… Once my card is out, I’ll let you know. As my rival, I’ll even give you a special coupon code to get the card.”

That seemed to be all Jupiter had to say as he finished his cake and stood up.

“Oh, I’ll take care of the bill.”

“…”

With that, he left the café like a streak of white.

I clenched my fist and replied to the operator’s mail.

[re: Let’s release it.]

*

A month has passed since D.F launched.

Deron released a new card pack called [Holy Sword and Demon Sword].

[The Radiant Knight Jupiter, wielder of the Holy Sword.]

[Blood Demon King Yeo, wielder of the Demon Sword.]

An unexpected collection in the card pack.

Many raised questions about Deron’s management, who had released user characters instead of NPCs.

But what did it matter?

Whether existing Deron users raised questions or not, the new players who came in for D.F didn’t know who these two cards were based on. They didn’t care to find out.

It was simply because the cards looked pretty. The performance of the cards was good.

Many began to open their wallets to grab card packs to obtain the first released cute girl cards in D.F.

────

[Daeron Fighters Gallery]

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[If you’re satisfied with the title card, thumbs up! LOL] [17]

Performance aside, isn’t it 1-tier just because of looks? LOL

I pulled 600 and hit 2000! LOL

[Comments]

[But the performance is good too.]

Yep [LOL]

[Must participate in the tier competition next week.]

[You mean you didn’t get one during 2000 pulls?]

Yep [Yeah, didn’t come out LOL]

[Must have had bad luck LOL, it’s supposed to be one every 200 pulls.]

[Is it true that the Blood Demon King and Jupiter are real people?]

Yep [Yes, both signed contracts with Deron, which is how they were picked as characters.]

[If I say something bad, will I get sued?]

[If you say it was directed at the card, you won’t get sued.]

[Ah LOL]

[Honestly, I wasn’t planning on playing D.F, but I got hooked after seeing the cards this time.]

[I’m sure there are guys who summon in practice mode just to check out the armpits, right?]

Yep [Ain’t we all]

[Why would you even do that?]

[If you’re not going to do that, why summon?]

[?]

[I just wanted to touch it.]