Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 344

“Umm…”

Hayun pondered for quite a while at the character selection screen.

A melee character suited her temperament, but considering her real-life physical abilities, she hesitated to choose one.

Ultimately, she opted for a cute wizard wearing a witch’s hat.

Her nickname became [Princess Yeo].

Before creating the character, a warning popped up, stating that if the difference between reality and the virtual body was significant, it would be difficult to move.

Nodding at the warning, Hayun generated a character that looked exactly like her in reality.

The next moment, she found herself in a world unlike her own.

A vivid awakening of sensations.

The wind brushing over her skin was tinged with a light scent of grass.

Hayun earnestly wiggled her limbs.

Having brought her real-life body as it was, the experience felt brief but all the more realistic.

The dull-colored wizard’s robe draped over her felt cute.

“Hayun.”

Hayun turned her head at the voice that came from beside her.

There stood a stranger clad in a similarly dull indigo robe.

Actually, upon closer inspection, her overall impression resembled a familiar friend.

“Is that you, Sohee…?”

“Yep.”

Hayun stared blankly at the woman in front of her.

The floating text above her head was surely her nickname.

[Helena]

Sohee’s character settings differed from her real-life form.

She was slightly taller and had a much more mature appearance.

It felt as though Sohee was growing up into this image in adulthood.

“You’re so cool…”

“You chose a wizard too, Yeo.”

“Ah, yeah. We picked the same class, huh?”

Hayun nodded in agreement.

In an RPG game, having two wizards in a party wasn’t the most efficient choice for hunting, but neither Sohee nor Hayun was aware of this due to their lack of knowledge about the game.

Thus, the two of them started moving slowly while learning about the game.

Everything was fascinating for the two, who were new to VR games.

As they wandered around without hunting, they eventually arrived at a hunting ground.

It was a rabbit hunting area that beginners were required to visit.

“Wow…!”

The moment Hayun spotted a fluffy white ball, she dashed toward it.

She wanted to pet the fluffy bunny.

However, she had overlooked something.

The place she and Sohee had arrived at was labeled as the [Rabbit Hunting Ground].

In other words, the fluffy white balls before them were monsters too.

Oblivious to this fact, Hayun reached out toward the bunny without hesitation.

In that instant.

[Kyik!]

With a loud scream, the rabbit charged at her.

Thud-!

“Ugh!”

Hayun felt a massive shock toss her to the ground.

Though it was just a little bunny’s attack, it was fatal for a level 1 wizard.

Hayun’s health plummeted by 20% in an instant.

Sitting on the ground with her mouth agape, she seemed utterly bewildered by what had just happened.

“What was that…”

[Kyiiik!]

Ignoring Hayun’s confusion, the white rabbit approached menacingly, fur bristling.

Just as it prepared for a second attack, someone stepped in front of it.

Swish-!

A massive swing of a wooden staff struck the rabbit’s head.

With a heavy thud, the white bunny was sent reeling backward.

It was Sohee who had stepped forward.

“Be careful, Hayun. Those are monsters.”

“Ah, oh no… I didn’t realize it was a monster…”

Finally piecing together the situation, Hayun understood that they had been deceived by the bunny’s cute appearance; it was indeed the target they needed to hunt.

Nodding, Hayun followed Sohee’s lead and grabbed the hefty wooden staff.

It was more like a wooden stick than a staff meant for casting spells.

The two of them began their battle against the bunny.

Being level 1 wizards, they had only one skill they could use.

[Energy Bolt]

Launches a globe filled with pure mana to attack.

A basic attack skill for wizards.

Sohee and Hayun simultaneously cast Energy Bolt.

“Hyah!”

“Yap!”

Blue mana clustered at the tips of their staffs was quickly shot out.

The targets of their Energy Bolts were the cute, fluffy bunnies.

Thump-thump-!

But their Energy Bolts missed spectacularly.

The bunnies moved too fast.

“Ah!”

Hayun was caught off guard.

The bunny, having darted toward her, was charging.

Though it was smaller than her, Hayun knew just how much strength it possessed.

In horror, she began to flee.

And once more, Sohee came to her rescue.

Sohee swung her wooden stick-like staff at the charging bunny.

Swish-!

With a powerful blow, the bunny’s head was dented.

With that one hit, the bunny, having exhausted all its health, fell flat on the ground.

“We got it.”

“Phew…”

Hayun pondered as she looked at the fallen bunny.

Some aspects felt realistic, while others seemed excessively unrealistic.

She could understand why her brother had immersed himself in VR gaming.

*

As VR gaming became part of Hayun’s routine, she quickly fell for the game Deron.

She thought that if she had been playing alone, she might not have immersed herself this deeply.

She owed her enjoyment of the game Deron entirely to her friend Sohee.

Eagerly waiting for school to end, Hayun rushed home to log into Deron and wander in the world unlike her reality.

Leveling up and learning new spells, she ventured into places she had never visited before.

As her time in Deron extended, Hayun began to adapt quickly to the culture of online gaming.

They stopped using their real names in the game.

Helena and Yeo, or Princess Yeo.

That’s how Hayun and Sohee addressed each other now.

Helena and Princess Yeo’s growth was relatively slow.

But that was solely because the two of them weren’t focused on hunting.

They preferred exploring the world of Deron over character development.

Like any other day, Princess Yeo and Helena logged into Deron.

They set off on their journey as a duo, just like usual.

“How about we go here today?”

Princess Yeo beamed a bright smile, showing Helena a screenshot.

It was a vast forest that reminded one of Gulliver’s Travels.

The ordinary grass on the ground was as enormous as trees, and a single apple was as big as a house.

“Forest of Giants?”

“Yep!”

“This is where the bug monsters show up. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“It’s fine!”

And so their destination was determined.

The Forest of Giants was said to have been created through a mad wizard’s magical experiments, but that information was of no importance to the two.

They were just going wherever their feet took them, exploring places they wished to see.

“Wowww!”

Princess Yeo exclaimed in awe as she wore her large pointy hat, taking in the scenery before her.

The dense greenery felt like the entrance to a jungle, and the dragonflies flying above evoked memories of a colossal dragon, even from a distance.

Not just that. The babbling brook resembled a grand river, with fish below that were larger than whales.

“Let’s go this way!”

Princess Yeo was leading the journey.

At times, her choices led them into fierce battles with gigantic monsters.

Like right now.

“A mantis!”

“Yeo!”

While strolling through the foliage, the two found themselves face to face with a massive mantis monster.

Its sharp blades appeared extremely threatening.

And indeed, it was a genuine threat.

Given their levels, they were incapable of hunting it.

“Run!”

Princess Yeo and Helena ran with all their might.

Using Blink, they sped away, but the mantis monster spread its wings and pursued them relentlessly.

Flap, flap!

“Yikes!”

The sound of insect wings buzzing provoked panic, and Princess Yeo screamed in terror.

Helena, too, gazed at the enormous mantis with a pale face.

With such a level disparity, even using skills wouldn’t inflict notable damage.

All they could do was flee until the mantis’s aggro faded.

After running for quite some time, Helena spotted a gently flowing stream nearby.

More accurately, she saw leaves drifting along the water.

It looked just like a boat made of leaves, floating gently downstream.

That was their chance.

Helena shouted while holding onto Princess Yeo’s hand.

“Yeo! Over there!”

“Uh-huh!”

As they raced toward the stream, they used Blink.

Flash-!

With a burst of blue light, Princess Yeo and Helena disappeared.

The mantis, taken aback, tilted its head momentarily, then turned and returned to its original position.

Swoosh-!

Flash-!

Princess Yeo and Helena arrived on top of a small leaf boat.

From all around, the vigorous sound of water could be heard, along with occasional splashes.

The swift movement of the water caused the leaf boat to sway precariously.

“Did… it leave…?”

“Yep, it’s gone.”

As they watched the mantis retreat, the two breathed a sigh of relief.

Their adventure in the Forest of Giants continued beyond that point.

Until it was time for Princess Yeo to log off from the game as night fell.

[Hayun~]

Princess Yeo, or rather, Hayun, pouted at the sound of her mom’s voice echoing from reality.

She felt bitter that she had to end her magical journey with her friend.

“Ah… Mom.”

“Do you have to log off?”

“Yeah…”

“Then see you tomorrow?”

Helena, Sohee, felt the same sense of disappointment.

But what could they do? It was time for both to rest.

After exchanging their farewells, Princess Yeo returned to reality, starting to log off from Deron.

She clicked the exit button and returned to the character selection screen.

In that moment, Hayun felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

It felt like there was another character beneath her [Princess Yeo] character.

The hazy outline that flickered to life seemed to be that of a small girl knight clad in white armor.

But that character shouldn’t exist. Hayun thought as she blinked.

The blurry outline she saw flickered out of existence in an instant.