I Became a Raid Boss

Chapter 124

Chapter 124

A word without legs can travel a thousand miles, but a word carried by radio waves can cross tens of thousands of miles in the blink of an eye.

Da-eun, who was in Laxia, was able to hear the news thanks to the diligent run of radio waves through the sea of the internet.

“…Kana was spotted on the Ardina Continent?”

And it was right beneath the mountain where Da-eun first met Kana, where Kana had turned her back on the world and secluded herself.

What is going on here?

Da-eun knew from Justina that Kana had disappeared after being caught up in a teleportation spell.

But the fact that Kana, who had vanished, was not in Laxia but in Ardina, and moreover, at a mountain far from the coast—did that even make sense?

It wasn’t like she used a teleportation circle.

Da-eun, thinking that her viewers were pulling her leg, frowned.

—No, it’s real;

—Have you been tricked your whole life??

—If you don’t believe it, go check it out yourself.

—It’s causing a huge stir, and you didn’t know until now?

?Not everyone is constantly checking the forums like you.

—I want to punch this stubborn disbelief right in the chest (This message has been deleted.)

—It’s even on the fan café, so go check it out.

“…Alright, alright. I’ll check.”

Amid the unrelenting clamor from the viewers, Da-eun asked for a moment and paused her search to access her fan café.

The post her viewers mentioned was not hard to find, as it stood out among the countless posts with an overwhelming number of recommendations and views.

Though many posts were discussing the same topic, Da-eun put off reading those for now and clicked on the most recommended one.

“…!”

And then, as Da-eun looked at the photo attached at the top of the post, her eyes widened.

A picture showing a pink-haired girl, playing around with her hands.

Could she have seen it wrong?

After scrutinizing the photo as if she could pierce through it, Da-eun came to a conclusion.

She hadn’t seen it wrong.

From the start, the girl named ‘Kana’ that Da-eun knew was such a distinctive person that it was hard to mistake her for someone else.

Besides, hadn’t Da-eun stayed closely with Kana for weeks? To the point where they were almost inseparable throughout the day.

After spending so much time together, putting aside even her life outside, how could she mistake Kana for someone else?

The only remaining possibility was that the photo might have been doctored.

“…Was this photo edited?”

—Hah, lol

—I really want to say something bad now;

—Just keep living like that forever~

—But could it really be edited? It’s worth being suspicious, so why’s everyone so angry;

—Editing, huh… These people must believe the Earth is flat

— (This message has been deleted.)

“Ugh…”

All she did was say one thing, and the chat window exploded.

It was good that her stream’s audience had grown, but with that came an increase in trolls trying to ruin the atmosphere.

The managers Da-eun appointed were busy dealing with them, swiftly banning and muting disruptive viewers.

As those who thought their comments would get lost in the commotion were silenced, the heated atmosphere began to cool down.

Meanwhile, Da-eun, who continued to examine the post, frowned.

The post not only included the photo but also a few lines of text and a video.

The video showed two men charging at Kana but failing to even land a proper attack before meeting their end.

According to the text below the video, they thought she didn’t seem quite right and rushed in hoping to claim the First Clear, only to be swiftly defeated.

‘They attacked because she didn’t seem quite right.’

“Click. How foolish.”

Chat:

—”Yeah, they really are stupid, lol.”

—”I heard they were low-level players, so what were they even thinking?”

—”They probably thought ‘it’s fine if it doesn’t work out.’ I mean, even if you die, you just respawn.”

—”But why did they go there in the first place?”

?“There are people who roam around picking up pieces of armor left by the Sun Knights that Kana scattered. I heard you can make some money selling those.”

?“Who would even buy that stuff?”

?“Apparently, some people buy them as souvenirs.”

?“And even if not for that, there are those who go just to visit like it’s a tourist spot. Anyway, quite a few go.”

That wasn’t what she meant when she called them foolish.

It was different from what she intended, but Da-eun let out a sigh of relief as she watched the chat agreeing with her.

After advising her viewers to refrain from excessive criticism, Da-eun changed the subject.

“More importantly, that… that’s Magi, right?”

Around Kana in the photos and video, a sinister-looking black mist was swirling.

And it looked exactly like the Magi that Da-eun had been seeing over the past few days.

The deaths of the two who charged at Kana were likely caused by the Magi.

Still, for the Magi to be dense enough to kill two people in an instant…

Da-eun swallowed hard.

“What on earth happened?”

Being subjected to horrible experiments by a mad wizard, getting killed by someone seeking revenge, being caught by a maniac and suffering unspeakable things…

Da-eun was glad to know that the dark thoughts swirling in her head were wrong, but the situation wasn’t good.

From what Da-eun could see, Kana didn’t seem normal.

Her appearance in the short video, and in the subsequent witness accounts as well.

Kana was acting like an innocent child, unaware of the ways of the world.

“Justina, is it possible to lose one’s memory as a side effect of the Ascension Ritual?”

“Lose one’s memory, you say.”

Justina, hearing the unexpected question, touched her lips.

“If you’re talking about losing one’s mind, then yes.”

“Losing their mind? How does that happen?”

“It’s not something complicated.”

They might be alive and breathing but remain blank, unresponsive to external stimuli, or they could go completely mad and die in a frenzy.

Hearing Justina’s words, Da-eun’s face turned pale.

“Then does that mean Kana could end up like that too…?”

“Well, it’s hard to say for sure, but the chances are low. The cases I mentioned were all failures of the Ascension Ritual.”

“Hmm…”

Then why is Kana acting this way?

Justina noticed that Da-eun was deep in thought.

“Do you have any thoughts on the matter?”

“Ah…”

Justina, who had been living isolated from the outside world in Laxia, couldn’t possibly know about the Players… or the Apostles.

There hadn’t been a chance to explain it before.

Realizing this now, Da-eun briefly explained the Apostles to Justina.

Of course, she couldn’t exactly say that they came from another world, and even if she did, it wouldn’t make sense, so she framed it as them having arrived in Ardina guided by Edel from a continent beyond the Eastern Sea.

Justina’s eyes sparkled with understanding.

“Edel’s blessing, you say. I did think it strange that a weaker one, unlike the others, managed to make it all the way here, but that would explain it.”

“Ah, ahaha…”

“So, thanks to Edel’s blessing, you’re able to communicate with others even from far away? And through that, you were able to find that child?”

“Yes. Another Apostle found her.”

“You seem to have a special bond with that child, so I’m sure you’ve verified it well. There’s no need for me to add anything.”

“A… a special bond… It’s not like that.”

Da-eun turned away bashfully, clearing her throat.

“…But, does it really seem that way?”

“Is there anyone who wouldn’t see it that way? Anyway, are you planning to leave now?”

“I suppose so.”

Da-eun had followed after Kana from the beginning. If Kana hadn’t come here, she wouldn’t have set foot in Laxia at all. After the Ascension Ritual ended, she had remained only to find Kana, and now that she had discovered Kana’s whereabouts, there was no reason for Da-eun to stay in Laxia any longer.

“Justina, would you like to come with me to Ardina? You don’t have any reason to stay in Laxia anymore.”

“One could also say there’s no reason to leave. What would we gain from crossing over there but more conflict? Even if we do move, it should be done slowly, over time.”

“Ah, that’s true…”

Having already seen the remnants of war, Da-eun could easily understand those words. Just then, an unexpected person joined the conversation.

“If it’s alright with you, Justina, could I stay here for a while longer as well?”

“…Celine? You’re staying in Laxia?”

“Yes. There’s still something I need to do as instructed by Edel. I’m sorry I couldn’t see the search for Kana through to the end…”

“No, there’s no need to apologize… If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it this far, so I should be thanking you for coming with me until now.”

“That too was because of Edel’s guidance…”

“…Oh, come on! Are you saying everything you did for me was because Edel told you to? If not, then just accept my gratitude, please!”

It was unfortunate to part with a companion she had grown fond of, but Da-eun couldn’t cling to Celine when she had her own duties to attend to.

“I came with three, but I’m leaving alone.”

Thinking that made Da-eun feel a little lonely, but the thought of needing to find Kana quickly brought her back to her senses.

“She’s leaving without even repaying her debt. That cheeky little girl. If you find her, could you give her a good smack with this?”

“This is… Are you asking me to give this to Kana?”

“What did you think I meant? I told you to hit her with it. What you do after that is up to you.”

“Haha, okay, I’ll make sure to do that.”

Da-eun put the item Justina handed her into her inventory. The rest happened quickly. Da-eun returned to her lodging and packed up her belongings, as well as Kana’s. She thoroughly checked to ensure she hadn’t forgotten anything, and once she was satisfied, she was ready to depart.

“I’ll arrange for someone to take you to Ardina.”

“Um… No, that won’t be necessary.”

From the center of Laxia where Da-eun was, it would take a few days to reach the coast, then several more days by boat to reach Ardina. Even then, it would take a few more days to reach the mountain where Kana was. Even with the shortest estimate, it would take at least a week, and more generously, over two weeks. Da-eun didn’t have that kind of time.

‘I can’t leave the room in a mess…’

Da-eun drew her sword in a quiet, deserted place.

‘…It’s still scary.’

She hated pain, and she feared dying.

However, this was the only way she could think of to reach Ardina quickly.

Even though she had lowered her pain sensitivity to the minimum, so she shouldn’t feel much, Da-eun’s heart began to race as she faced the tip of her gleaming sword.

Was it thanks to the training she had done with Kana, or was it for some other reason? She couldn’t tell, but strangely, it wasn’t as frightening as it used to be.

“Liar. You said you’d keep me safe so I wouldn’t have to face death.”

Da-eun let out a big sigh, muttering a complaint she didn’t really mean.

If she hesitated any longer, she would never be able to go through with it and would end up giving up entirely. With her eyes tightly shut, Da-eun drove the sword into herself.

Thud!

“…What?!”

“Joanie!”

Justina and Celine urgently tried to stop her sudden action, but Da-eun’s sword had already pierced her neck.

She felt the cold touch of the blade briefly, and then a sudden, hot pulse coursed through her. As her vision slowly dimmed, she thought she glimpsed a flash of golden divine power.

‘I’m coming now.’

She was going to find that deceitful liar and give them a piece of her mind.

Before her vision completely blacked out, Da-eun recalled the photo she had seen online—a village ruined by Magi, with Kana standing over it.

—

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