I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 145: A New World, A New Daily Life (3)

[So, when is Johnny showing up?]

"She’s had five whole days off, hasn’t she?! That’s plenty of rest! There’s no brain left to break anymore!!!!!!!!!"

[Comments]

"If you’re still waiting, you’re probably not completely broken yet, huh?""That low-tier girl lucked out meeting an NPC, milked it for all it was worth, and then got her honey pot smashed. No wonder she can’t show up, lol."

┗ "??? Johnny is low-tier?"

┗ "She was a big deal even before Sillia started, lol."

┗ "Clearly trolling. Just ignore it, folks."

The differences between Earth and Sillia are so numerous that listing them all would wear out your voice.

But if I had to pick the biggest one, it’d be this: what their civilizations are built on.

Sillia’s civilization is founded on mana, while Earth’s relies on the laws of nature.

You never know.

Sure, Earth’s stuff is more convenient right now, but maybe over time, Sillia could develop like Earth.

Or maybe Earth could learn to use mana like Sillia.

‘The latter’s definitely possible.’

So why am I suddenly bringing this up?

It’s because, as Daeun and I were preparing to go out, something I’d overlooked came to mind.

Daeun had suggested I hide my appearance because it could get troublesome.

At first, I interpreted her words as meaning that people recognizing me would be annoying.

Back in Sillia, I had to hide because of the Empire. But here, I hadn’t committed any crimes, so why hide?

I don’t like trouble, sure, but living like a criminal doesn’t sit well with me.

When I voiced this thought, Daeun shook her head and replied:

"Not only criminals hide their faces. Plenty of people just don’t like being recognized—like famous singers or actors."

Her words reminded me how advanced communication technology is in this world.

In Sillia, even if I showed myself, it would only spread through word of mouth. But here, it could go global in an instant.

Who’d seriously believe a fantasy-like story about a game NPC appearing in real life?

But when I looked at Daeun’s phone, filled with posts dripping with raw desire, I quietly agreed with her.

If there’s a hell on Earth, that must be it.

It was truly horrifying...

For that reason, and because Edel also asked me to endure it for now, I’ve decided to keep my appearance hidden.

“...Got it? No matter what, absolutely, absolutely don’t come in. Got it?”

“I said I got it.”

“I’ll play with you as much as you want after I’m done, so even if you miss me, hold it in.”

“I doubt that’ll happen.”

Honestly, there’s no need to be this adamant about it.

"The soundproof booth means you won’t hear anything, but... just ignore any noise you might hear, okay?”

“What if it’s a real emergency?”

“A... a real emergency?”

Daeun put on a mock-serious face at my question.

“Well, life is fleeting, isn’t it? It wouldn’t be that strange if someone suddenly met an untimely death.”

“...That’s not what I meant.”

“I’ve got a great idea!”

Daeun grabbed my phone.

After fiddling with it for a bit, she handed it back to me.

“What did you do?”

“I set it up so if anything happens to me, Kana’s phone will get a notification. This way, you’ll know immediately if something goes wrong, and you won’t have to worry!”

“Oh... okay.”

...I was just saying random stuff.

I didn’t expect her to go this far, so I nodded, a bit taken aback.

With a satisfied look, Daeun patted my head and suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no!”

“Look at the time...! If I don’t hurry, I’ll be late! Kana, I’m heading to stream now, so remember what I said!”

Without waiting for a reply, she dashed into her room.

From the way she bolted, she must’ve really been in a rush.

But...

“Why is she wearing that outfit?”

It’s not like she’s going to a formal event. Why wear something so stiff?

“Well, she must have her reasons.”

Tilting my head in curiosity, I popped a chocolate into my mouth.

Nom.

"...I’m not late, right?"

Huff, huff...

Daeun caught her breath as she checked the time. Thankfully, she saw that the scheduled time hadn’t arrived yet, letting out a sigh of relief.

‘What day is it now? Four? Five?’

Whatever the case, it wasn’t hard to predict the reaction she’d get if she showed up late after taking a break for several days. It would be like pouring gasoline on an already blazing house.

If this were a campfire, she might’ve thought, "Wow, it’s burning well," and just enjoyed watching. But when the thing burning was her own house, there was no way to calmly watch it go up in flames.

"Well, it’s my karma, so what can I do..."

Having lost the energy to do anything else, she had hastily posted a notice about her break, so the audience had every right to be upset. Still, it seemed that some viewers understood her situation, as the backlash wasn’t as severe as she’d expected.

"...Or maybe not?"

Back when she was traveling, people seemed even more lenient than they were now... Daeun felt a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite articulate as she made one final adjustment to her outfit. The suit she was wearing for the first time in a while still fit her perfectly but felt as stifling as ever.

"Phew..."

Standing in front of a green chroma key screen in her suit, Daeun took a deep breath. She knew well that this combination—a suit and a green chroma key—was a long-standing tradition in the streaming world. Even though it had started as a serious apology format, it had now become a meme, used even for lighthearted or humorous apologies.

However, this was Daeun’s first time actually standing there, so she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

"...It’s time."

After one last check of the stream settings, Daeun hit the start button.

-Let’s goooo~

-Rock

-Nah

-It's so cold, Mom, it’s so cold, Mom, it’s so cold

-Rock

-Why are you only showing up now?! This is my 456,189th time asking!

-Journey, I’ve actually loved you for a very long time. Until now, I’ve hidden these feelings because I lacked the courage, but from now on—

-ㅅㅂ, are you hogging the chat for yourself?

"Oh wow."

The chat flooded in as if it had been waiting for her, and Daeun couldn’t help but shiver. She thought to herself:

‘Good thing Kana isn’t seeing this mess.’

It was for this very reason that she had discouraged Kana from watching her stream. While Daeun had years of experience and was well-versed in internet culture, Kana wasn’t familiar with it at all, and seeing this chaos would have undoubtedly left her shocked.

There might come a day when Kana would learn about all of this, but Daeun hoped that day wasn’t today.

"Ahem. Hello, everyone. This is Journey."

-Wait, wasn’t this person dead? How are they alive again, lol?

-The one who died was Journey; this must be Journey MK2.

-Oh, got it!

-You came back up too quickly; I’m worried you might have decompression sickness ㅠㅠ

-Look at her face glowing with life, lol.

[10,000 won donation from ‘Don’t Get Sick’! Thank you!]

-You must’ve had a hard time, but thank you for coming back. Don’t mind the chat too much, and if it’s still hard, feel free to take more time off.

-????

-Who are you to decide that??

-So sweet;

-Ew, cringe...

"I’m really sorry for taking a break without properly explaining myself for the past few days."

As soon as Daeun got to the point, the chat flared up briefly before calming down a little. She explained, in a calm and composed tone, that she had been burned out after running nonstop for weeks and dealing with an unexpected loss. Hearing her honest feelings, the viewers began to share their own thoughts:

-She really did work hard lately.

-Honestly, it makes sense that she’d be shaken up. Even I got depressed thinking I wouldn’t see Kana anymore...

-Lol, these over-invested fans are at it again.

-Oh? Really?

-Hmm... but didn’t she not stream while she was stuck in the junkyard?

"Ah..."

Daeun flinched at the accurate observation.

"I’ll, um, upload those recordings soon..."

-Ohhhh.

-Is that a promise?

-Noted.

Despite the initial uproar, the situation seemed to be smoothing over. Daeun scanned the now much calmer chat and let out a breath of relief.

[5,000 won donation from ‘Anonymous Supporter’! Thank you!]

-So, when’s the next Sillia Online stream?

"Sillia Online... Hmm."

-Would you want to play it if you were her?

-Why not?

-Oh, come on!

-How could she? The NPC she bonded with died. It’d be weird if she wanted to play.

-So, is she going back to traveling again?

"I’ll get back to it eventually, but probably not right away. As I mentioned, there are a lot of things I’ve put off over the past few weeks, so I think I’ll only go back once I’ve wrapped those up."

-Translation: She has no plans to go back, so don’t even bring it up.

-Called it.

-No, Journey wouldn’t say something like that...

"No, really, it’s just because I’m busy."

-Got it, haha.

-Oh, that’s the story now?

-Of course, of course. The streamer is always right.

‘...These contrarian jerks.’

Even when she told the truth, they didn’t believe her. Daeun massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. While she wasn’t planning to give up Sillia Online, especially now that Kana was with her, she had no intention of playing it anytime soon.

‘Kana said it herself. Playing Sillia helps her.’

So, once her urgent matters were settled, she fully intended to return. Yet, the chat remained skeptical.

"Whether you believe me or not, that’s what I’m planning. In the meantime, I’m also thinking of resuming my travels."

Traveling with Kana would surely be fun. Back in Sillia, Kana had always led the way, so this time, Daeun wanted to be the guide. Picturing herself traveling with a petite companion brought a smile to her lips.

-Is she smiling?

-Is she SMILING???

-Look at this one, smiling like that.

"Anyway, I’m truly sorry for taking a break without notice."

Daeun bowed deeply, and fortunately, the response was mostly positive. Many of the recent viewers had joined to see Kana, so they were more understanding of Daeun’s situation.

-Still, it’s lonely without Kana... Watching them banter was the best.

-Same. I rewatched the videos during the break.

-There’s even a memorial going on for Kana.

-For real??

"A memorial? There’s a memorial?"

-Excuse me? Why the casual tone?

-Why so informal?

-Are we your friends now?

"Come on, the apology stream is over. It’s just talk time now."

-Wow, the audacity.

-People are leaving flowers where Kana ‘died.’

-Some even sobbed uncontrollably.

-Hmm... That’s intense.

-Aren’t you going to go, streamer?

"Hmm..."

After a moment of thought, Daeun shook her head.

"No, I’m not going."

To her, going there would be absurd. She knew Kana was alive, so what was the point of a memorial?

‘It’d feel like a death ritual telling her to die again.’

Of course, the viewers had no way of knowing this.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

-That’s disappointing.

-Was I the only one who cared?

-Well, of course. Overinvested fans pouring money. Classic. (Message deleted.)

-Still, this is kind of a letdown...

-:(

Just as Daeun opened her mouth to explain herself, realizing her mistake—

Crash! Bang!

"...?!"

The loud noise outside startled her. It was so loud that it pierced through the soundproof booth. Daeun flinched and froze for a moment.

-What was that? What happened?

-Sounded like something broke?

-Is it a thief?

-With that volume, it’s more like a robber.

-Shouldn’t you go check?

Ignoring the chat’s concerns, Daeun had already bolted out of the booth.

‘Kana...!’

Her heart pounded with unease. Kana had mentioned feeling unwell earlier—what if she had collapsed? Regret gnawed at her for not staying by her side.

Rushing toward the source of the noise, Daeun finally found—

Kana, standing on tiptoes atop a chair, reaching for something on a high shelf, while shards of a broken plate littered the floor.

The scene was chaotic, like a battlefield.

"..."

"..."

"What... are you doing?"

"There was chocolate... up there...."

Kana averted her gaze, her eyes darting nervously as she tried to avoid Daeun’s piercing stare. Watching this, Daeun pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

‘She really is like a cat.’