Chapter 17

Episode 17. Prep, Prep, Prep, Prep! (1)

So, it’s a chain quest, huh?

Looking back at my fading memories from three years ago, that event was probably a world event that all users were semi-forced to participate in.

Of course, there’s a chance my memory’s playing tricks on me, so I sneakily opened the community chat to check the reactions.

—————————————-

-“Anyone else freaking out about this event? LOLOLOLOLOL”

-“Yo, can’t we just dip to someone else’s base?”

-“Mom, I wanna be a pirate, mom, I wanna be a pirate, mom, I wanna be a pirate!”

-“From now on, call me the Pirate King.”

-“Props to those who didn’t prep and just hoarded resources, LOL.”

-“Stop talking nonsense, stop talking nonsense, stop talking nonsense!”

—————————————-

The community was already buzzing because of my hints and the pirates’ upgrades, but now with this ridiculous event, it’s gone full-on chaotic.

And as I watched the madness unfold, I started wondering what the heck we should do next.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one thinking about it.

“Jessica, you’ve seen it too… What should we do moving forward?”

“Uhh… Hmm.”

With three of our base members absent, Jessica, the only one left and our deputy commander, was my only partner in crime.

“Your IQ is 150, mine’s 150.”

“…Huh?”

“Combined, that’s 300 IQ. We gotta come up with the ultimate plan.”

“???”

We were racking our brains to come up with a solid strategy.

But unlike before I quit the game, we don’t have much to work with now.

“But Commander, we don’t really have much left.”

“Hmm.”

“Honestly, all we can do is build more patrol ships, set up defense turrets up to the base command limit…”

“Mhm.”

“And lastly, make sure Pashtira and Belial level up enough to grab some EXP before the real fight starts.”

“You’ve said it all, but you’re right.”

As Jessica said, all we can do is sharpen our basics.

“For the details, it’d be better to discuss with Belial when she gets here. Honestly, I’m just in charge of internal affairs… I don’t know much beyond the basics of combat.”

Jessica’s tone was deflated, but she laid out the facts one by one.

I nodded, agreeing with her.

==========

A little later.

“It’s about time.”

I called Belial, who was holed up in the training room, to the base’s reception room.

I sat down on the sofa first, stirring a milk tea loaded with sugar cubes, killing time.

Just as I was about to take a leisurely sip of my specially crafted sugar-loaded milk tea…

“You called for me, Commander?”

At the perfect timing.

Belial appeared, fresh from the training room, where she’d been running simulations and sucking up EXP from Pashtira and Ignis like a vacuum.

—————————————-

<Belial>

<Level 12>

<Type: Large Army Mid-Range>

<Trait: Doll Manipulation>

<Stats>

Health: A

Attack Power: B-

Physical Defense: S-

Magic Power: SSS

Magic Defense: SS+

Agility: S

—————————————-

Belial showed up, not only having leveled up to 12 but also with her attack power upgraded from C+ to B-.

I put down my milk tea and gestured for her to take a seat.

“Ah, you’re here? Sit down first.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Though she obediently followed my order, Belial’s cool face was filled with a puzzled look, as if she had no idea why she’d been summoned.

Her pure, questioning expression was plastered all over her face.

I took a sip of my milk tea to wet my throat and got straight to the point.

“Ahem, hmm.”

“?”

“The reason I called you, Belial, is that we’ve received reports of increased pirate activity recently.”

The moment she heard my words, her confused expression vanished, replaced by a look of icy determination.

You could see Belial, embodying the typical image of a commander, settling into her position.

“Understood. So, are you suggesting that I use the fleet and our forces to preemptively strike the pirates?”

“No, not exactly.”

I shook my head at Belial’s assumption and briefly explained the reason I called her.

“Lately, I’ve been receiving frequent reports from other commanders that their bases have been attacked.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, so it’s possible that our base might be targeted by pirates soon… You get what I’m saying, right?”

“Of course, Commander.”

Though I’m called a commander, I never received proper command training like those ‘high-ranking officers’ you see in the military.

It’s better to leave some room for them to understand and act on their own rather than rambling on and risking a drop in loyalty.

Of course, this assumes the person listening to me isn’t less intelligent than I am.

Though, if that were the case, it could lead to a very, very, VERY disastrous situation.

“Then, should I take command of the fleet immediately and draft a battle plan?”

“Exactly, please do.”

“I won’t let you down.”

She took off her hat and bowed deeply, showing utmost respect.

Just watching her like that made my trust in her skyrocket.

==========

Anyway, after entrusting Belial with fleet command.

I opened the Community Window again, with the chat window beside it, and started working.

Though, to be honest, it was more like just chatting around…

‘There are people in the community, after all!’

In real life, it might be different, but here, this is the only place to gather useful information.

Since my subordinates can’t access this, I have no choice but to dig around whenever I have time to see if there’s anything useful.

Of course, as always…

—————————————-

Title: My Wife

Author: ㅇㅇ

Content: [Rear image of an SS-class patrol ship], [Close-up of the rear of the patrol ship]

So hot, right? ㅠㅠ

This is sex.

I’m gonna stick it in the patrol ship’s nozzle hole!

Comments:

– [She’s my wife]

– [Well done]

– [Holy crap]

– [So lame]

– [There are already dozens of guys calling her their wife.]

– [Even a village bus would have fewer people than this]

—————————————-

Title: The main gun is so hot lololol

Author: ㅇㅇ

Content: [Close-up of the pirate ship destroyer’s main gun]

Wow, just shove some old rice in the barrel and it’s a meal thief, seriously.

A delicate maiden with such a majestic thing attached, the horniness level is 200% extra, KYAAAAA, boss!

Comments:

– [Today’s really something else]

– [Crazy ship nerds]

– [What’s the reason for all this?]

– [Is the mod even doing their job here? It’s always a mess.]

—————————————-

Whether it’s because I couldn’t handle the stress or if they were just crazy to begin with, I don’t know.

But just as I entered.

The community gallery was suddenly ablaze with an invasion(?) of hypersexual individuals.

So, I folded the Community Window and put it aside.

Then, I opened the chat window next to it and was about to ask a question.

– [Hey guys, I heard there’s something called the Pirate Queen in this event. What is it?]

But before I could type, a newbie had already beaten me to it, so I just watched the replies roll in.

After a while, as I saw the responses to that question.

I gauged just how much intriguing information our veterans might have.

And while I was at it, I also kept an eye on the chat window for any useful info.

‘This is so good.’