I Became a Raid Boss

Chapter 34

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Most players in Silia Online don’t enjoy escort quests.

First, the duration is simply too long. Although it varies by quest, players are often tied down for anywhere from half a day to several days, which can become tiresome unless you have immense patience.

Another problem is the reward. While some escort quests are generously rewarding, others leave players feeling like they’d be better off hunting monsters during that time. This is particularly true for low-level players who find that most quests aren’t worth the effort.

There are many other reasons players dislike escort quests, but most cite time as the main issue. The time in the world of Silia flows almost identically to real life. This means if you spend several hours escorting someone in the game, you’ll need to commit that much time in real life, too. For players who only have a little free time after work or before bed, this kind of commitment just isn’t feasible.

[Escort quests are seriously underrated??]

I skipped the bad ones, did the good ones for a week, and the rewards were amazing. It’s dumb not to do them, seriously, why don’t more people take these?

[Comments]

┗ Should we start calling you ‘Time Bill Gates’?

┗ Get a job, loser.

┗ lol;

—Honestly, how are so many people wasting their lives on this trash game?

┗Please, just go outside!!!

It got to the point where posts like this appeared.

For all these reasons, escort quests were often handled by NPCs native to the world of Silia, rather than players. And the same went for Joanie.

Though Joanie had a reputation for being a frequent traveler, almost to the point of having restless feet, escort quests felt like shackles around her ankles.

Even so, she took the escort quest.

The reason she could make this decision was that her job was being a streamer. While not a dedicated gaming streamer, Joanie could afford to spend time playing games and streaming them for a living, which made the time constraints feel less burdensome than for other people.

‘This is only possible because I have a large enough audience…’

Joanie was well aware that smaller streamers, often called ‘box’ streamers, couldn’t make a living off streaming alone and had to juggle other jobs to get by.

“Taking this quest doesn’t really change anything.”

Kana wasn’t a player; she was an NPC. So as long as Joanie was traveling with Kana, time was going to pass anyway.

“Might as well hear Kana’s thoughts and get a quest reward, right? Two birds with one stone, as they say.”

—We call this freeloading.

—Is this bus heading to Seoul??

—Freeloaders usually pay 30x more, you know.

“It’s not a bus; it’s a magic carpet. Haha! …Oops, sorry.”

—??????

—??????????

—???

—You really make me want to say something nasty;

—Shall we have another PK match?

“…Please bear with me a little.”

I thought I was really going to die.

Joanie muttered weakly, reminiscing about the past.

‘…It’s only a day ago, but it feels like the distant past.’

People who came rushing in, wanting to see Canaria in person, as if it were some celebrity fan meeting.

‘And then there was that strange rumor going around that if you fought and beat me, Canaria would give you a souvenir….’

One fight ended, and then another one began, and after that, yet another one. It was never-ending.

Thinking about how Canaria not only failed to stop it but also encouraged it, Joanie felt a wave of resentment, though the most frustrating thing was something else entirely.

“Why didn’t she give me any gifts…! I wanted, I wanted a present from Canaria too!”

Joanie made a fake sobbing sound.

But the chat’s response was cold.

—Cringe.

—Rich people problems, seriously…

—Self-control at level 9999999

—You hang out with Canaria, so…;

Joanie was the only person who could accompany Canaria at the moment.

She may not have received a gift for winning a fight like others, but she could do something they could only dream of.

For example…

“Canaria.”

“?”

Hug.

‘Like hugging her like this.’

Joanie wrapped her arms around Canaria, who was sitting beside her in the carriage.

“…”

Even though Canaria’s face was hidden under her hood, Joanie could guess what expression she had underneath it.

After a brief moment of healing, Joanie let go of her arms, and Canaria moved further into the corner, as far from Joanie as possible within the confines of the carriage.

But it wasn’t like there was enough space to actually avoid her.

Watching her like one would observe a small animal, Joanie stuck her tongue out mischievously.

“Heh. Are you jealous?”

—Message deleted.

—Message deleted.

—Deleted message.

—?? Something feels off…

The viewers, inflamed by Joanie’s teasing, filled the chat with messages.

Joanie, the instigator of this chaotic scene, pretended not to notice the boiling chat. Meanwhile, the unfortunate chat moderators struggled to keep up with the flood of comments.

A mercenary sitting in the same carriage chuckled warmly and spoke to Joanie.

—”It seems you two get along well. Are you sisters?”

“Yes, but we’re not blood-related.”

—”You look good together.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Joanie lied in response to the mercenary’s question. However, no one in the carriage could expose her lie.

—”I’ve never seen an Apostle get along so well with a Silian before.”

“Is that so? Oh, you can just call me Joanie.”

—”Is that alright?”

“Of course.”

—”Then, I’ll call you Miss Joanie. My name is Catherine.”

“Feel free to just call me Joanie…”

Catherine smiled gently.

—”How could I, when you’ve been called by Edel?”

“Haha…”

Joanie awkwardly scratched her head, embarrassed by the soft refusal. Catherine’s attitude wasn’t all that different from how many NPCs treated players.

Respect for the Apostle of Edel.

While some NPCs were more casual, it was clear through conversation that they too held players in higher regard than other NPCs.

‘Edel must mean that much to the Silian people.’

The fact that Edel had descended to the mortal world before made it understandable, but as a player, it didn’t resonate much with Joanie.

Joanie decided to change the subject.

“By the way, what rank are you?”

—”I’m a Silver-ranked mercenary. What about you, Miss Joanie?”

“I’m Gold-ranked.”

—”Wow, you seem younger than me, but you’re already Gold-ranked…”

‘As expected of someone called by Edel.’

Or perhaps,

‘As expected of an Apostle.’

Joanie could easily guess the unspoken words hidden in Catherine’s admiration.

‘Though the more talented one is right next to me.’

Joanie’s eyes briefly glanced at Canaria before returning to normal. It tickled her inside to receive praise while the truly gifted person sat beside her.

Lowering her voice, Catherine spoke.

“It’s a relief that you’re here, Joanie. I was worried about the lack of guards,” said Catherine, her voice full of relief.

“Aha, ahaha…,” Joanie chuckled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond, as she was just another passenger on the bus like Catherine.

***

Clunk, clunk.

The carriage carrying the group rattled along the uneven dirt road. Every time the wheels hit a bump, the carriage shook, causing those inside to wince in discomfort.

“Ow, ow… My butt hurts so much… I can reduce pain perception during battles, so why doesn’t it work here?”

Naturally, Joanie, who sat beside me, was among those complaining. If she weren’t, I wouldn’t have referred to “the people” in the first place.

As I watched people bouncing up and down with each jolt, a memory from my previous life came to mind. There was a ride similar to this—round and bumpy… I bit my lip, trying to recall the elusive memory, but gave up and shrugged it off.

“Are you okay, Kana?”

Joanie asked me with concern, interrupting my thoughts. Just then, the carriage hit a particularly rough bump, and Joanie’s body flew up, slamming into the ceiling.

Thud!

“Ow!”

“Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine…!”

Despite the pain in her voice, Joanie’s words weren’t slurred, so it seemed she hadn’t bitten her tongue. She rubbed her head, which had collided with the ceiling, then gasped as if realizing something.

“Kana, how are you okay? How are you not bouncing around?”

“…?”

Did she hit her head so hard that she’s lost her ability to speak coherently? I clicked my tongue in concern, and Joanie hurriedly waved her hands in dismissal.

“No, no… The carriage is moving, but you’re sitting perfectly still. How?”

Ah, so her language skills weren’t impaired; she just couldn’t find the right words. It was still a strange thing to say, but I got what she meant this time. She was curious about how I wasn’t bouncing with the carriage’s movements.

Well, even if I told her, she wouldn’t be able to replicate it.

“It’s simple. Just use mana.”

“Mana? How do I do that?”

“….”

Will she even understand if I explain?

I stared at her, conveying that meaning.

If the big sword chick were a student who excels in both passion and talent, Joanie would be the opposite—neither particularly passionate nor talented, at least in terms of combat. She might be different when it comes to language, but in this area, she’s not the brightest.

True to my analysis, Joanie quickly lost interest. Instead, she shifted closer, pressing herself snugly against my side.

“…What are you doing?”

“If I stick close like this, I’ll be safe too.”

Joanie didn’t seem to care about my bewildered gaze and went a step further by hooking her arm around mine. Seriously? I can’t believe this.

“Does this make me comp—whoa?!”

Thud!

Joanie’s rear lifted off the ground briefly, hovered in the air, and then plopped back down.

“Why isn’t this working…?”

‘…How could that work?’

I’m not some seatbelt.

“Oh.”

Joanie let out a disappointed sound when I sighed and freed my arm from her grasp.

“Your sister seems shy.”

“She is! She’s so shy it took forever for us to get close. Ugh, falling for her was such a crime…! No, I mean, not that kind of falling! Why do I keep pushing that narrative?!”

They seem to be having a conversation that doesn’t sit well with me.

Suspicious, I glanced forward and sensed something. It looked like neither of them had noticed yet, but soon enough…

“Huh?”

“Hm?”

As I predicted, the carriage came to a stop.

The two women, puzzled and exchanging glances, hurriedly opened the carriage door and rushed out upon hearing the shouting.

— “Monsters! We’re under attack!”

— “Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The mercenaries from the other carriages also jumped out, and the peaceful atmosphere quickly turned into chaos.

Squeals erupted everywhere, reminiscent of pigs being slaughtered.

“Well, guess we don’t need to worry about dinner tonight.”

“Ugh…! Please don’t say things like that…”

As I casually stepped off the carriage, sword in hand, Joanie, who was bracing herself, gagged in disgust.

It’s funny, considering she had no problem eating before she knew what it was. How ironic.

“Are you going to help?”

Joanie whispered, her voice barely audible, as if asking for a secret favor. I tilted my head.

“Just a little.”

Since I was hitching a ride, I might as well pay for the ride, but I had no intention of going all out. Besides, I still had my goal of making Joanie stronger.

After all, adversity makes people grow stronger.

You know what they say: after the rain, the ground hardens.

Maybe it’s time Joanie finds out exactly why the old saying holds true.