I Became a Raid Boss

Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Pine blinked.

Looking up at the white domed ceiling that rose toward the center, he thought to himself.

‘What was the term for this kind of ceiling construction…?’

He was sure he had learned about it during his school days, but it was so long ago that he couldn’t recall. Besides, he had never been particularly interested in architecture.

“Aah… A strange ceiling.”

Muttering a phrase that had become a meme among players, Pine got up and was greeted by the calming atmosphere of the temple.

Waking up here meant he had met his death.

“Gueegh…”

“Uwoooh…”

Other raid members who had met the same fate as Pine began to wake up one by one, groaning in odd ways. To an outsider, it might sound like they were in pain, but Pine didn’t even flinch.

It wasn’t the first time they’d done this.

Knowing it was just a silly joke, he saw no reason to waste energy reacting to it.

“Grrrraaah!”

As he ignored the raid members and checked his inventory, a zombie-like moan reached his ears.

“Sigh… Aren’t you tired of doing that?”

“It’s my character. Please respect it.”

“Makes me feel like exorcising you.”

If he felt the urge, he should act on it.

Pine attempted an exorcism (physical), but the “zombie,” who had sensed his intentions, had already leaned back and retreated, causing Pine’s attempt to fail.

‘…A mosquito?’

That looked exactly like the mosquitoes that become a menace every summer.

Buzzing near his ear only to vanish when the lights are turned on, then returning once you give up and lie down again…

Look at that. As soon as he seems to have given up, it starts creeping closer again.

“Enough. Come over here and sit down. The others, too.”

Pine called out to the raid members in a tone reminiscent of a mother who had found her child’s hidden report card, and they quickly gathered.

Once all the raid members had gathered, Pine spoke up.

“I’m not the only one who thinks something’s off, right?”

“Well, our raid has always been a bit strange.”

“…No, I mean.”

—The name itself is pretty strange.

—Right? Who even eats Hawaiian pizza?

— (This message has been deleted.)

—Aaaah! Someone’s died!!!!

—dddddddd (trembling sounds)

“Heresy is punishable by death.”

One of Pine’s stream chat rules.

‘No slandering Hawaiian pizza’—those who broke this rule faced mass purges.

Pine dealt with the heretics who had popped up at this opportunity and let out a sigh.

“I pity those who can’t appreciate the charm of Hawaiian pizza.”

—Honestly, the real pitiful one isn’t us…

—Shh!

—Hush…!

—Hawaiian pizza is the best in the world, as recorded in ancient Goguryeo watermelon art.

—Maybe that’s why they fell? <<<<< You’re out of here.

There were a few who showed signs of rebellion, but he could overlook that much.

After all, Pine hadn’t chosen his nickname and the raid group’s name because he was head over heels for Hawaiian pizza, but because he enjoyed watching people’s reactions of distaste. He wasn’t genuinely angry.

Clap.

“It’s obvious our raid is weird, but is that what you’re really asking?”

“Can you say that with pride?”

“What’s wrong with saying it? We’re already known as the ‘flavor-ignorant’ raid group.”

Standing a little apart from the group, Lemonie hesitantly raised her hand.

“Um, I think I know what you’re trying to say. You mean it feels like we’re really doing a raid… right?”

“That’s right.”

None of the raid members questioned Lemonie’s words.

It was just a brief joke, but they all felt the same way.

If the definition of a raid is “fighting a strong enemy together with multiple allies,” then what they did before could technically be called a raid as well.

But that wasn’t what Lemonie was talking about.

“Instead of targeting the backline first, it attacked the person with the most accumulated threat. It didn’t dodge or block attacks, and it didn’t react until we made the first move.”

“There were even attacks that seemed like part of a pattern.”

In other words, the previous version of Canaria behaved in a way that was the exact opposite of what they had just described.

“It felt like fighting other Raid Bosses.”

If the old Canaria had been an NPC acting on its own whims, now it felt more like it was following a set of behaviors programmed by the developers, just like other Raid Bosses.

“We’ll need to try a few more times to be sure, but even from what we’ve seen so far, the difference is clear.”

“It made me wonder, ‘Is this even the same boss?’”

“…Don’t you think the previous version was better?”

“Huh?”

Everyone’s heads turned toward the raid member who made the comment. Feeling the sudden attention, he scratched his head awkwardly.

“It just had this cool vibe, like an unbeatable, invincible enemy. It felt unique, and now it’s kind of disappointing.”

“Even Demoninus must have thought this wasn’t right.”

A high difficulty level is fine, but there should be a reasonable limit.

“It might be more realistic for a boss to dodge and block attacks instead of just standing there like a dummy, but honestly, it never made sense before. Even notorious bosses like Darkness Spirit and Royal Ring aren’t like that.”

“If you think of it as something intentionally made unbeatable…”

“Well, in that case, I guess that makes sense.”

In games, when developers want to convey a message through the story or the game world, they sometimes do it indirectly through a powerful enemy.

There are many instances where an unavoidable defeat is used as a narrative device, known as a “defeat event.”

When players face such a challenge, do they rage, saying, “This game is trash. How are we supposed to beat this?”

‘Not many people do that.’

They know.

To put it bluntly, these elements exist to make players feel a sense of thrill.

“But Canaria isn’t that kind of NPC.”

But it didn’t make sense to consider Canaria as an NPC created for that kind of narrative.

If she was made for that purpose, she would have been more stationary instead of cutting down players mercilessly every time she made eye contact.

At least, that’s what Pine thought.

—Hmm…

—Glrgrk?

—Maybe it’s just a difference in taste? Not everything has to have a serious tone.

“That’s true. I’m not trying to convince anyone. I just wanted to point out that it’s different from before. Everyone agrees on that, right?”

“Yes.”

“The attacks did feel soulless.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“…”

Pine fell silent at someone’s question.

If he had just wanted to point out the differences from before, there wouldn’t have been any need to gather the raid members and discuss it seriously.

When you spend a long time working together, there are things you start to understand without needing to be said aloud.

You get a sense of what the other person is thinking, how they’re feeling, and whether they’re in good or bad shape.

And if Pine could sense this about them, it meant they could sense things about him too.

“Do you want to do the raid?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

Having his thoughts read so clearly, Pine decided to speak honestly.

“That’s why I wanted to hear your opinions. I wanted to know what everyone else thought.”

There are many reasons to want to challenge it again, like competitiveness, curiosity, or a desire for revenge.

Even so, the thought of taking on the challenge again didn’t come easily.

‘Because I’m scared of overwhelming power?’

That wasn’t the reason.

The memories of being effortlessly cut down were still vivid, but the changed version of Canaria didn’t display the same overwhelming power as before.

Maybe it was more out of a sense of guilt.

Or perhaps it was because public opinion mattered.

Pine started to speak but then paused, giving everyone time to gather their thoughts.

It could seem like he was trying to shift responsibility, but this was how he had always led the group.

He listened to everyone’s opinions and then made the final decision himself.

“Pine, I have a question…”

“Yes?”

Thud, thud.

As Pine waited for the raid members, tapping his foot, Lemonie spoke up.

“What is Joanie up to right now? I can’t imagine she’s just sitting still…”

“Oh.”

If you’re curious, why not just watch her stream?

Despite thinking that, Pine shared what he knew about Joanie’s situation.

“Joanie is–”

***

“…You’re asking me to help with the raid?”

“Technically, I’m asking you to help subdue it… Yes. Since you like fighting strong enemies, I thought it might appeal to you, Yuki…”

“I’ll pass.”

“…What?”

Before Da-eun could finish speaking, Yuki rejected the offer outright, leaving her blinking in confusion.

“Do you think I’m some crazy girl who jumps at every fight?”

“…Aren’t you? …Ah, I’m sorry.”

Da-eun, who had spoken without thinking, realized her mistake when she saw Yuki glaring at her.

“Ahem… Even if you’re not crazy, you do like fighting, right? Isn’t that true?”

“Yes.”

“Then–”

“Then.”

Thud!

Yuki slammed her greatsword into the ground with force.

She leaned against the sword, not caring that the dirt it kicked up was soiling the hem of her pants.

“So, I’m not doing it.”

Talking with Yuki had never been easy, but today it was especially difficult.

Da-eun had to suppress the urge to punch her chest in frustration.

Having a high level and being skilled were two different things.

However, Yuki was the highest level and most skilled person Da-eun knew.

She had come to Yuki, thinking that her natural talent would be helpful, even if their coordination wasn’t perfect. But all she was getting was rejection without even a proper reason.

Had Yuki sensed Da-eun’s frustration?

Yuki, who had been fiddling with the hilt of her greatsword, suddenly spoke up.

“I already went to see her.”

“Who?…No way?”

“Yes. Master.”

“…Master?”

In the time she hadn’t seen her, Yuki had changed the way she referred to Kana again.

The title felt odd, making Da-eun frown.

Yuki, however, continued in her usual calm tone.

“I went to see her, crossed swords…”

Yuki placed her hand on her chest.

“…But my heart didn’t race.”

“…?”

“I don’t want to fight if it doesn’t make my heart race.”

What kind of reasoning was this?

Da-eun’s mind froze again at the incomprehensible explanation.

—

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