Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 8

Returning to Lunaris Capital City, I recalled some forgotten memories.

Around this time, several items had been discontinued. There were just so many useless items that during updates, the developers decided to axe those that were rarely used.

The item known as the [Ring of the Red Orc Warrior] increased strength stats by 5 but also raised received damage by 5%.

It had a peculiar special option: [The wearer is always in a low health state.]

This didn’t actually decrease health, but rather it was an option that forced the character into a fixed state, which was completely useless at this point in time.

It had a low drop rate, and the strength stat boost was minimal, which meant it wasn’t really attracting anyone’s attention back then.

But this item would skyrocket in value once the level cap was raised and higher classes were introduced.

The skills of the Barbarian and Berserker were the reason, as both classes had passives that strengthened them the lower their health became.

The passive that increased damage and speed as health decreased produced an insane synergy when paired with the [Ring of the Red Orc Warrior].

For both classes, wearing the item would let them fully unleash a powerful passive skill without any penalties.

Word spread quickly, and this discontinued item was cleared off the market in no time.

Remembering this, I logged into the auction house. Pretty soon, I searched for [Ring of the Red Orc Warrior] in my item menu and browsed the listings.

The current auction price was 2 gold per item, which was quite steep.

But I bought it. Knowing the future meant I was aware that this item’s value would skyrocket. It might not be identical, but it was certainly going to be useful down the line.

Of course, the item wasn’t without its drawbacks.

It could actually be a liability when fighting certain boss monsters.

If a character’s health dropped, triggering the [low health] state, some bosses would use a special skill called [Execution].

The moment you were executed, the boss would go into an invincible state for 10 seconds, while the character who was executed could not use the [Resurrection] skill.

My head was spinning. Having snatched a discontinued item ahead of time, I would be able to amass a whopping amount of gold in the future.

I could freely alter my class route. I had enough money and had managed to obtain an item that couldn’t be bought with money. If I chose Barbarian or Berserker in the next episode, I’d be dishing out insane DPS.

But that was all in the future. I shook my head and focused on my current situation.

Now that I leveled up, it was time to gear up.

I didn’t need armor. I just had to quickly search for a better weapon using shop gear.

At my current level, I could wear the [Highlander of Moonlit Hill].

This was a rare item dropped in the popular hunting ground, Moonlit Hill, and was quite suitable for use until the level cap.

The auction house price was 70 gold. It wasn’t impossible to afford with items I had obtained from hunting bandits.

After I bought the item, my mailbox lit up immediately.

[Highlander of Moonlit Hill]

Attack +150

Level Restriction: 15

Attack power +20 when attacking demon-type monsters.

A weapon graced by the holy moonlight of Moonlit Hill.

Only the skilled of the Lunaris Empire could obtain such a weapon, which made it highly valuable.

Those who remembered the past claim that the Moonlit Hill series was flawed equipment.

I agreed. Items in the Moonlit Hill series often outperformed equipment meant for level 20.

Because of that, they fetched high trading prices.

But come on, wasn’t this a bit too expensive?

I unsheathed the newly equipped sword and swung it lightly.

The moonlight flowed gently, scattering around me.

As a rare item, it had a flashy effect. Naturally, it drew attention.

One of these swords goes for over 100,000 won in real money. So, of course, people were looking.

Since only one episode had progressed, the player activity center was still within Lunaris Capital City.

Because of that, throngs of people were gathered. My personality, which disliked crowds, hadn’t changed even after my body did.

I hurriedly got away from the crowd.

While walking along the wide street, I suddenly stopped. A strange yet familiar flowerbed caught my eye.

This was the street where hidden quests began. Picking up a small note hidden in the flowerbed would trigger a quest, and since only one person could receive it at a time, it used to be a spot with many people queued up waiting.

“Is the information not out yet?”

That was very possible. The game industry had made great strides, and security systems had changed drastically.

Ordinary users couldn’t have torn the client apart.

I walked toward the flowerbed, rummaged around, and discovered a small note.

Had no one discovered this note quest until now?

I glanced around, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to the note in my hand.

The quest had already begun. Remembering faint details, I examined the note’s contents.

[I’ll be waiting at the southern gate of Lunaris Capital City.]

It was beautifully penned.

Following the note’s instructions, I made my way to the southern gate and soon spotted a female NPC lingering nearby.

The NPC’s name was [Lynn], a poor woman waiting for her lover.

I approached her, handed her the note, and Lynn reacted.

“Th-That’s…?”

“I found it in the flowerbed. Is it yours?”

“Yes, yes… It’s the note I gave to Vincent. Thank you!”

The first quest ended here. However, if I talked to Lynn again, she would ask for help, just like right now.

“Do you need help?”

“Ah, adventurer… Yes, I do need help. No matter how long I wait, Vincent doesn’t show up.”

If it were back when we manipulated keyboards and mice, two choices would pop up on the screen.

[Find Vincent] [Decline]

Of course, to proceed with the linked quest, I had to find Vincent.

“I’ll look for him.”

In a world where computer science had advanced drastically, NPCs capable of responding to the user’s voice were commendably realized.

“Really? Thank you!”

Upon accepting the quest, a simple piece of information appeared before me.

Being a hidden quest, the information provided was pretty limited. First, it would be wise to head to Vincent’s house to gather information.

But was it even necessary? Knowing the entire quest line and rewards, I could find out exactly where Vincent was right away. There was no need to waste time and effort.

I quickly slipped out of the castle. Where I was headed was the [Red Orc Nest], a hunting ground for users between levels 15 and 20.

Being a popular hunting ground, it was crowded with users, but it felt a bit less busy than that level range.

Perhaps due to the increase in game difficulty.

“I’m looking for a dealer for a run!”

“Need a healer who can last till morning!”

“Wizard! Looking for a wizard! Hunting ground spots available!”

Loud voices echoed everywhere as parties sought members.

My goal wasn’t hunting. It was the experience points from completing the quest.

The quest I was currently undertaking guaranteed a massive amount of experience.

I stepped into the [Red Orc Nest].

The quest title that had appeared in the quest progress window began to change rapidly.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The quest completion sounds began to sound off. Multiple quests completed at once, pouring immense experience into my account.

Even though the world had changed, Deron was still Deron. The system that allowed players to skip ahead in quests and receive rewards all at once was still intact.

There’s a famous story about this system.

In the early development days of Deron Online, a quest existed that hadn’t been processed due to a bug. The developer, too lazy to fix the bug, hid the quest progress steps, placing another quest line in front of it and added a system that allowed skipping quests.

Character levels shot up instantly. From level 15 to level 17.

The sudden level-up effect attracted the attention of those around me.

I hadn’t even done anything, yet I leveled up dramatically, so it was enough to raise eyebrows.

I walked past people. My goal was not hunting, but rather the quest. To progress to the next stage, I needed to head to the barracks in the center of the nest and open the door to the warehouse below.

I crossed through the nest and headed into the barracks.

Many parties were hunting so there weren’t any respawning monsters.

I should be able to complete the quest without any interruptions.

The large warehouse inside the barracks was open.

This was where a boss monster would spawn and kill it would open the warehouse, but since it had already been killed, the warehouse was accessible.

As I stepped inside, I spotted an NPC tied up with rope.

Since it was a quest-specific NPC, it was under a buff that prohibited players from interacting.

But if you were on a quest, it was a different story.

I drew my sword and cut through the ropes, causing Vincent to spring up.

“Thank you! I really thought I was going to die.”

“Lynn sent me. Come with me.”

“R-Really? Is Lynn still waiting there?”

The NPC’s story wasn’t very important. My goal was experience points.

Without saying much, I started moving, and Vincent began to follow me.

An event would start in 20 seconds that would prevent Vincent from escaping.

The respawn cycle for this map would reset and a massive number of monsters would spawn, including additional elite monsters.

Of course, there was also an additional trick involved.

Ordinarily, it wouldn’t be possible to escape the nest within 20 seconds, but utilizing the large bushes at the back would allow for an exit in 10 seconds.

It was a little escape hole.

I headed deeper into the nest with Vincent.

We reached a dead-end with a huge patch of bushes.

As I stepped in, sure enough, I passed through without any hindrance.

The moment I escaped the nest with Vincent, loud cries of the Red Orcs erupted from behind, and a cacophony of bells rang out.

An event to prevent escape had begun.

Of course, it was the players hunting in this area, not me, who would fend off this monster wave.