I Became a Raid Boss

Silia Online.

A virtual reality game made in Korea that has taken the world by storm as an MMORPG.

– But when the news of its development first spread, Silia Online didn’t garner much attention.

Back in the days when there were no virtual reality games, perhaps it was understandable, but with countless VR games released now, the term ‘virtual reality’ alone doesn’t hold much value.

Moreover, one reason is that the MMORPG genre itself has been losing its appeal.

While videos and games have progressed to pursue strong stimuli within a short time, MMORPGs are the complete opposite.

There’s fun in role-playing and character growth, but the time investment is ridiculously long. To truly grow, you literally have to grind for hours, which can be a polarizing experience.

The MMORPGs that have survived managed to address this dilemma by substituting a portion of growth with money, aka pay-to-win…

But this survival has led to the image that without spending money, you won’t get far in the game.

However, Silia Online boldly proved otherwise.

All those problems could be solved with proper development.

“If you can’t stand a boring growth process, why not make the growth process fun?”

As if saying just that.

There are many factors that placed Silia Online among popular games, but what users primarily voted for was the graphics and freedom.

Unlike other games where the graphics scream ‘this is a game!’ Silia offers a natural experience like entering another world, with a freedom that makes you feel it would be a waste to hold back.

Escaping from the struggles of reality to enjoy a new life in a fantasy world has drawn in heavy users, casual players, men and women, young and old, into the charm of Silia Online.

“It’s not just a game; it’s a real isekai!”

“It’s definitely made by hundreds of aliens!”

“If you fall too deep into MMORPGs, you might not be able to tell reality from the game, so there should be limits on the playtime!”

Just how intense were the reactions?

Thanks to this, while other game companies fell like flies, the world of competition remained merciless.

Others cried, while gamers and Silia Online laughed.

It was the creation of a beautiful world.

*

Fast forward six months after Silia Online opened…

Half a year has passed, yet the Silia Online community is still… actually thriving even more than right after the launch.

People shared what they knew, and whenever new information came to light, they couldn’t help but be in awe.

At that moment, one post caught everyone’s attention.

[Just discovered my sick character in real-time;]
I’m an adventure-loving player.

So, I’ve basically just been roaming around since the launch.

Recently, I’ve been wandering near the Kingdom of Grasis, and today I discovered something unusual.

(A picture of a hut in front of a flower field)

It seems like someone lives in this hut.

Given the state of the flowers, it looks like the flower field was made by whoever lives in the hut.

At this point, you might think, “Oh, it’s just someone living on a mountain,” but—

(A picture of a grave)

(A picture of a sword)

A sword stuck in front of the grave!

This is definitely an epic sword, right?

Can’t resist lol, I’m heading there right now!

(A picture of my hand on the sword’s handle)

(You Died)

????

I was about to pull it out when suddenly I died;

I was so confused that I replayed it—

(A picture of a mysterious figure)

At the moment of impact, I caught a glimpse of someone swinging the sword for the briefest second.

With the health bar popping up, I’m guessing it was a raid boss; I should have put it in third-person mode!

Seriously, who sets up a sword that’s obviously enticing and places a boss next to it—what the hell?

Anyway, I think I found a new boss.

Next time, I’ll sneak in and try to pull it out.

[Comments]

– Stolen Grave Robber

┕Hey, don’t call me a grave robber; I’m ‘Indiana Jones,’ okay?

– LMAO, who touches someone else’s grave knowing they live there? They deserved it!

┕Seriously, how could you resist this? If you can resist this, you’re not a man.

┕I totally agree!

┕You can’t resist Excalibur, for sure.

– Why does this game keep revealing new stuff?

┕That’s what keeps the adventure alive, for real. In other games, after grinding for hundreds of hours, you run out of things to do, but in this game, there’s too much content, which is a problem itself lol.

┕Eh… has a few hundred hours not been sufficient enjoyment by now?

– I’ll gather a party and check it out.

┕Post about it, gimme.

– Why a mountain of all places?

┕’Because there’s a mountain there.’

┕That sounds epic.

– Wow, the sword really looks impressive.

┕I’m curious about the stats; let me know if you get it.

┕Alright, I’ll try it! Wait for me! lol

It was a sea of posts filled with fishing and information.

One post, tossed into the sea, was discovered by a fish swimming by and quickly surfaced with a flurry of other fish swarming around it.

The veracity of the information, the discovery of a new raid boss, and the oddly unique appearance of the sword stuck in the grave—what could have easily been buried quickly became popular.

*

“…What the?”

The corpse dissolves into light and vanishes.

Momentarily taken aback by the sudden disappearance, I soon thought, “Well, that could happen.”

There are spells that can erase a person in an instant, so it’s no biggie if a corpse vanishes.

Maybe it’s an artifact that delivers the corpse to the family?

If only more time was spent on developing defensive spells instead of that kind of magic, they could have lived just one second longer—what a pity.

Pushing away unnecessary advice in my mind, I walked over cautiously, checking to see if any blood splattered on my sword.

“…Good, no blood on it.”

My blood on my sword is whatever, but having blood on this ‘Crimson Aegis’ is unacceptable.

The smell of blood belongs to the living.

I can’t disturb the peace of the deceased.

“Phew.”

While casually polishing it with an oily cloth, I suddenly burst into laughter.

Here I am, casually swinging a sword and guiltlessly cleaning it.

If this were during my previous life, back on Earth, I could have never imagined being in this position.

Now, after everything I’ve experienced in this world, I might just let it slide.

I was simply walking down a road when I suddenly shut my eyes and opened them to find myself as this girl—not exactly a tough guy, but definitely not a girl either.

The surroundings are filled with things far from modern life…

As I’ve desperately rolled to survive, I’ve somehow managed to adapt.

When you have to keep your wits about you to not lose your head, there’s no time to dilly-dally with adaptation.

Thanks to that, I’ve heard countless times about how my actions seem oddly masculine for a girl.

“Looking back, I guess I dead back then.”

Could it have been an accident? Maybe I got hit by a truck.

You know, they say if you get hit by a truck, you reincarnate in another world.

It was just a meme from the neighboring country, but now that I’ve reincarnated like this, it makes me wonder if those early pioneers knew something true.

“I’ve never really thought that I missed it.”

Maybe it’s because life has become leisurely lately, but I often think about my previous world.

“I want some chicken.”

Of all the things, food is what I miss the most.

The dishes in this world aren’t exactly bad, but I’ve become accustomed to artificial and spicy tastes, so I long for them….

Though, I’ve never even tasted such food in this body.

Is this the memory of the soul…?

Well, with the appearance of dimensional beings, it’s been proven that other dimensions exist, but crossing over to them is a different issue.

Sadly, I can’t just pack chicken from Earth and teleport back to Silia to munch on a drumstick.

If only there was a method, I’d try it right away.

Do your work, magicians.

“…Should I give it a shot?”

I don’t mean trying to cross dimensions.

I don’t even know how, nor is there any guarantee I’d end up back on Earth, so that’s just crazy.

Maybe when I’m a white-haired grandma it could be a possibility.

So, I’ll make chicken myself…!

I detest chores, but when it comes to chicken, that’s a whole different story.

Living a life cooped up in the mountains with nothing to do, my goal from today onward is to recreate the taste of chicken.

“I think I saw a Cockatrice nearby.”

A monster that looks like a mix between a chicken and a reptile.

People say it tastes like chicken or even better, so I’m good to go, right?

Alright, the main ingredient is ready.

“Flour, oil, salt, milk, eggs….”

What else did I need?

Counting the ingredients I could remember, I prepared to head down the mountain.

While I can get the chicken, the other ingredients can’t be found in the mountains, so I’d have to head to town after a long while.

“…Ah.”

Wrapped in a frayed cape, I recalled what happened earlier, halting my actions.

I hadn’t expected anyone to venture this far or to touch the sword at the grave, so I was a bit slow to react.

Thinking it over again, it’s legitimately infuriating, but then again, the person’s already dead, right?

“It should be fine.”

Slightly worried that another accident might occur in my absence like before…

It wasn’t exactly a path, so surely no one would come again.

After all, I hadn’t seen another person for over a year and a half during my time here.

With that thought in my mind, I hesitated for a while before the grave.

“…I’ll be back.”

I pulled the cape over my light pink hair and forced my reluctant feet to move.

‘Come back safely.’

As if something unseen was whispering to me, the wind felt strangely like it was wishing me well.

---