I Became a Raid Boss

[So when is Joanie coming?]

Five days of resting should be plenty of rest!!!!

There’s no brain left to wake up!!!!!

[Comments]

– Still waiting makes it seem like she’s not fully awake yet.

– That lazy NPC must have found a sweet spot and is now stuck lol.

┗??? Joanie is lazy?

┗ She’s been a corporate giant since before Silia started lol.

┗ Looks like a troll to me. Handle your own business.

*

There are countless differences between Earth and Silia that would give you a sore mouth if you tried to list them all.

The biggest difference? Definitely how their civilizations developed based on different foundations.

Silia’s civilization is based on mana, while Earth’s is based on the laws of nature.

Who knows?

Right now, Earth’s items may seem convenient, but as time goes on, Silia might evolve like Earth.

Or maybe, Earth might learn to handle mana someday too.

‘The latter definitely has potential.’

But why am I suddenly talking about this?

It’s because while preparing to go out with Da-eun, something I had overlooked suddenly came to mind.

Da-eun suggested that it might be better to hide my appearance to avoid trouble.

At first, I interpreted that as a simple annoyance from people recognizing me.

In Silia, I had to hide my appearance because of the Empire, but here, isn’t it odd to hide when I’ve done nothing wrong?

Even if I dislike hassle, living like a criminal doesn’t sit well with me.

When I expressed this, Da-eun shook her head and said to me:

“You don’t have to be a criminal to hide your face. Many people do it simply because they don’t want to be recognized—famous singers, actors…”

Her words reminded me that this world has incredibly advanced communication technology.

In Silia, exposing myself only made minor gossip, but here, it could spread to the entire world in an instant.

I mean, who would genuinely believe that an NPC from a game appeared in real life?

But then I caught sight of the posts on the phone Da-eun silently handed me, with desires laid bare, and I nodded at her words.

If hell descended upon the earth, that’s definitely the kind of place it would be.

It was truly horrifying…

Anyway, with that reason and what Edel told me about tolerating things for now, I think I’ll hide my appearance for a while.

“…Got it? You absolutely, definitely can’t come in. Understood?”

“I got it.”

“I’ll play with you a lot when it’s over, so even if you miss me, hold it in.”

“I really don’t think that will be the case.”

So, there was no need for such earnest warnings.

“Even though the soundproof booth won’t let you hear anything… just roll with any sounds you do hear.”

“What if it’s a real emergency?”

“If it’s an, uh, emergency…?”

Da-eun put on a serious face at my question.

“Well, life is fleeting… it wouldn’t be strange for someone to suddenly meet their end.”

“…I wasn’t suggesting that.”

“I have a great idea!”

Da-eun took my phone.

As she fiddled with it while I waited, she soon returned it to me.

“What did you do?”

“If something happens to me, it’ll send an alert to Kana’s phone. That way, you can rest easy knowing you’ll be immediately informed if anything goes down, right?”

“Uh… yeah.”

…I honestly just said that without thinking, and I was stunned that Da-eun would go this far.

With a pleased look, Da-eun patted my head and suddenly gasped.

“It’s already this late! At this rate, I’m going to be late! Kana, I have to go broadcast now, so remember what I told you!”

And without waiting for a response, she dashed into the room.

The way she ran was chaotic, indicating she really felt pressed for time.

But…

“Why is she wearing something like that?”

It’s not like she’s attending a banquet; why wear such constricting clothes?

“Well, there must be a reason.”

I tilted my head and popped a piece of chocolate into my mouth.

NOM

*

“…Am I late?”

Huff, huff…

Da-eun was panting as she checked the time.

Fortunately, she confirmed that the scheduled time hadn’t yet arrived and sighed in relief.

‘How many days has it been? 4 days? 5 days?’

Whatever it was, after lounging around for days, being late would not have a pleasant reaction.

It’d be like dumping oil into a blazing fire.

If this were a campfire, watching it burn up wouldn’t be all bad, but considering it’s her own home ablaze, she couldn’t just enjoy the show.

“It’s my mess, what can I do….”

Without any motivation to do anything else, she hastily wrote a notice for her break that was bound to make her angry.

Still, it seemed like there were enough people who understood Da-eun’s feelings, as their reactions were milder than expected.

“…Or maybe not?”

It seemed more relaxed compared to the traveling days…

Da-eun felt a mysterious emotion that was hard to express as she took one last look at her outfit.

The suit she hadn’t worn in a while still fit perfectly, and that was what made it uncomfortable.

“Phew…”

Taking a deep breath in her suit as she stood before the green chroma key, Da-eun knew that this combination was a long-standing tradition in the internet broadcasting world.

Even if the first occasion was a serious apology video, it had now become a meme, using it jokingly or to apologize for lightweight mistakes.

But this was the first time standing in it, and Da-eun felt her heart race.

“…It’s time.”

Once Da-eun confirmed her broadcasting settings one last time, she hit the broadcast start button.

– Let’s go~

– Rock

– I

– Mom, it’s too cold! Mom, it’s too cold! Mom, it’s too cold!

– Rock

– Why are you just getting here? This is the 456,189th time I’m asking.

– Joanie, I’ve actually liked you for a long time, but I couldn’t muster the courage to say it until now.

– sigh Are you the only one chatting in here?

“Ugh.”

Da-eun shuddered involuntarily as the flood of chats came rushing in.

And thought to herself.

‘Thank goodness Kana isn’t watching this mess.’

The reason Kana was discouraged from watching one of her broadcasts was precisely this.

Da-eun had been broadcasting for a long time and knew internet culture well enough not to be greatly affected, but it was clear that Kana, unfamiliar with such things, would be jolted by the sight.

Someday, Kana might find out about such things, but at least that wasn’t going to be today.

“Uh hum. Hello, this is Joanie.”

– Isn’t this the person who died? How did they come back? lol

– It’s Joanie who died; this one is Joanie mk2!~

– Oh!

– Wasn’t it too rushed? I’m worried she might get decompression sickness.ㅠㅠ

– Look at how shiny her face is lol.

[‘Don’t get hurt’ donated 10,000 won! Thank you!]

– It must have been tough, thank you for coming back. Don’t pay attention to the chat; if you’re still tired, take a little extra break.

– ????

– Why are you deciding that??

– How sweet;

– Ugh, please…

“I’m truly sorry for not communicating properly and going on break for a few days.”

Da-eun’s straightforward words made the chat explode, then settle a little.

She poured out her heart about how she was exhausted after running herself ragged for weeks without a break and then unexpectedly faced loss.

Hearing Da-eun’s heartfelt confession, the viewers shared various opinions.

– She really has been working hard lately.

– Honestly, it’s shocking. Just thinking that I won’t see Kana anymore makes me feel down…

– Oh, the immersion freaks are going wild lol.

– Oh, Akah.

– Hmm… but wasn’t there a time you didn’t stream while you were in the trash can??

-? Now that you mention it, there was. You said you were recording, but you didn’t put out any videos.

– Should we roast, Master?

“Ah….”

Caught off guard, Da-eun then sealed her lips for a moment.

“I’ll be uploading that, soon…”

– Oh

– It’s been a while~

– Kinda dead.

At the time, things got outrageously heated, but fortuitously, it ended up diffusing the current situation.

Da-eun passed her gaze across the now quiet chat and exhaled in relief.

[‘Anonymous Donor’ donated 5,000 won! Thank you!]

– So when will you do Silia Online?

“Ah, Silia Online… well…”

– Would you want to do it?

– What’s stopping you?

– Oh, Silia teacher!!!

– You had an NPC you were fond of die; even if you want to, it would be abnormal not to.

– So, will you go traveling again?

“Yeah, I probably will, but not right now. Like I mentioned earlier, there are many tasks I put off since I was lost in Silia for weeks, so I may only return once things are wrapped up.”

– Translation: I’m not doing it, so better not bring it up again if you don’t want to lose your head.

– Aha, so that’s it.

– I’m Joanie, and that statement tastes good~

– Joanie wouldn’t use those words…

“No, it’s not that I won’t do it; it’s just that I’m truly busy.”

– I see, haha.

– Ah, is that the concept?

– Yeah, right. The host is always right.

‘…Those little frogs.’

Even when she spoke sincerely, they wouldn’t believe her.

Da-eun muttered as she clutched her throbbing head.

She might have thought differently when believing Kana was dead, but knowing she was alive meant there was no way she’d stop playing Silia.

‘Kana said playing Silia was helping her.’

So she’d only return to play once she wrapped up urgent matters, but the chat was filled with disbelief.

“Believe it or not, that’s my plan… I’m actually starting to plan to travel again soon.”

It would surely be fun traveling together with Kana.

Back when she was in Silia, Kana led the way, but this time it was her turn to guide.

Imagining the sight of traveling with a petite girl brought a smile to Da-eun’s face.

– Are you smiling?

– Uh oh???

– Hey, this guy’s smiling?

“…Anyway, I apologize for going on break without saying anything.”

Da-eun bowed deeply.

Fortunately, the reactions were favorable.

Even without saying anything, she had posted a short notice, and those who had recently joined were all here to see Kana, so they understood Da-eun’s feelings.

– But it really is lonely… it was nice watching you two flirt…

– I also watched old videos during the break.

– I heard there was a memorial procession.

– For real??

“Memorial procession? That started?”

-? Casual language?

– Shortening your speech a bit?

– Are we your friends or something?

“Hey, the apology broadcast is over, so now it’s just talk time.”

– Wow, so shameless;

– People said they visited the place where Kana died and left flowers.

– Some even wailed there.

– Hmm… Is that the spot?

– Shouldn’t the host go too?

“Um….”

Da-eun thought for a moment but shook her head.

“I won’t go.”

She felt it would be weird to go there when she knew full well Kana was alive.

How could she have a memorial when she knew Kana was perfectly fine?

‘It’d be like wishing for her to die again.’

But the viewers had no way of knowing Da-eun’s circumstances.

– That’s lame;

– Was I the only one being sincere here?

– I take it back that I liked you. (Message deleted.)

– That’s pretty disappointing…

–

Seriously proclaiming their affection and then refusing to hold a memorial… viewers might think they had been betrayed.

Realizing this too late, Da-eun was about to speak up in her defense when—

Crash!

BANG!

“…?!”

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed from outside.

It was so loud that it pierced through the soundproof booth, startling Da-eun, who flinched at the sound.

-? What’s that? What’s going on?

– Did something break?

– Is it a thief?

– With that kind of noise, it’s more like a robber.

– Shouldn’t we go check it out?

The sounds mixed with the mic prompted viewers to express their concerns.

However, their words did not reach Da-eun.

Already, Da-eun had thrown open the soundproof booth door and rushed out.

‘Kana…!’

She couldn’t help but worry if she collapsed or something since she said she wasn’t feeling well.

If she had known this, she’d have kept her close…

Taking off amidst her growing anxiety, Da-eun ran toward the sound’s source—

“Are you okay… Ah…?”

And then, she witnessed it.

Kana standing on a chair on her tiptoes, reaching for something on a high shelf, with shards of a broken plate scattered across the floor.

It was total chaos resembling a battlefield.

“….”

“….”

“What… are you doing…?”

“…There was chocolate up there….”

Seeing Kana avert her gaze and roll her eyes around nervously, Da-eun rubbed her temples.

And thought to herself.

It seems Kana really might be a cat.

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