I Became a Raid Boss

Joanie bowed her head and pleaded.

She didn’t want anything to be known.

She just wanted to be allowed to keep her promise with Kana.

Joanie’s request to pretend not to know, even in the game, spread with the Gravekeeper’s name across various communities.

Thus, Joanie’s broadcast created quite a stir.

– Anyway, I wasn’t planning to go.

– Kana-chan is a child… I have to protect her…

– She’s the only one we can strategize against, what can we do?

– Heh, Joanie noona…

Even though they were busy tearing each other apart, could it be that their true nature was kind?

Moved by the heartfelt request, each person, albeit with different reasons, decided to heed Joanie’s plea.

On the other hand, there were certainly those who were dissatisfied.

– Who does she think she is, telling us what to do?

– If she thinks a week’s wait was enough, she’s delusional asking for more??

– If you want to do as you please, why not just play a single-player game instead of going online?

– Does she think being a streamer makes her special? LOL

Those who were upset about Joanie’s request began to rise.

Whether their reasoning was valid or not, the community quickly transformed into a battlefield.

– She’s not asking for much; she just wants us to pretend not to know.

┗That’s basically telling us what to do.

┗Does this chick not know the difference between a request and a command?

– Since when did someone say “wait”? She just wants us to act oblivious, man, read the room.

– Fine, if you’re so mad, why don’t you stream too~

┗If you’re a streamer, you can mess up and still have the regulars back you, right? Why not do it???

┗Just a troll, ugh.

With supporters and dissenters, instigators, bystanders, and even fence-sitters, the battlefield became chaotic like a hellish feast.

The flames, refusing to dim, attracted fireflies that threw themselves into the blaze, creating a bright light, confusing other fireflies.

A chain reaction ensued where you couldn’t tell the head from the tail.

And amidst the roaring flames, there were those who regained their lives, the previously invisible Arsonists.

The pitchfork that had lost its owner was once again gripped in a familiar hand, and the burning lumber replaced the torch.

Those who had turned to ashes resurrected in the flames, joining the battlefield anew.

– Well, they shouldn’t have left room for trouble from the start.

– Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about that Hawaiian pizza summit ban for a whole week. Does being part of Purgatory Engineering Club give you a free pass or something?

– I could tell this would happen the moment the newbs started flipping out. Ugh.

The battlefield descended into complete turmoil, and even the invisible hands that had been manipulating events finally let go, retreating to become bystanders.

With the one person who could have controlled the situation gone, the chaos reigned.

Just when it seemed the world might end, someone decided to change their mind.

“But do we really need to fight like this?”

“What?! Are you giving up?!”

“No, instead of fighting here, why not go directly to Silia? Block the mountain path and take down the streamer, or go and cause some havoc.”

“…!”

If the advancement of firepower had changed the paradigm of real war, someone’s words changed the paradigm of community war.

*

“…What?”

Joanie, who was about to log into Silia as usual, questioned in a daze.

“War, you say?”

– OOOOOO

– Incoming bombardment!

– Air raid warning! Air raid warning!

– Right now, guilds are activating emergency calls, it’s chaos!

“…Why?”

Joanie, still not grasping the situation, logged into the community.

She had learned from experience that if things were turning urgent like this, the community was usually the reason.

Sure enough, as she expected, the community was completely in disarray.

As Joanie observed the harrowing traces of war, she held her throbbing head.

“This… is it my fault?”

– No, no, no, it’s just the trolls stirring up trouble.

– Did you finally figure it out? LOL Did you think being a streamer gave you any power?

– Hey, we got another troll here, ugh.

– Joanie is innocent! T.T

“Ugh…”

This wasn’t the outcome she wanted, but her words had planted the seeds of war.

So, why had it come to this?

Joanie, trying hard to gather her dizzy thoughts, read through the messages again.

During the fighting in the community, people changed their minds due to someone’s words and rushed to the mountain where Kana lived.

Whether to set up camp and stop Joanie from entering or to run inform on Kana, they probably had their plans.

Even before saying anything, they’d be cut down by Kana’s sword, but that aside, it wasn’t a bad idea.

However, with light comes darkness, and as they emerged, defenders also stepped up.

Those calling themselves the Kana Corps drove away the players set up to block them, occupying the space and glaring fiercely.

Then, the opposing side, the Outlaws, charged in again.

The ones who had been fighting called for reinforcements from their groups, increasing their numbers, and the opposing side did the same.

With the addition of those who just wanted to PVP and those looking for a good time, the scale of the war snowballed…

– And that was the prologue to this war.

“What do I do…?”

In less than a day, the incident had long surpassed Joanie’s ability to manage.

Even if she cried out, “Everyone, please don’t fight because of me!” would the war stop?

“Kana might think it’s strange…”

She had just opened her heart to Kana, and if the usual opponents vanished, of course, she’d think something was off.

While she was at a loss, someone sent Joanie a private message.

[[Sender] Pine: Joanie, are you logging in now?]

The sender was Pine, a fellow streamer Joanie had some rapport with and also the leader of the Purgatory Engineering Club.

Joanie asked her audience for understanding and temporarily darkened the screen.

[[Sender] Joanie: I was about to log in… then…]

[[Sender] Pine: So, you understand the situation, it seems.]

[[Sender] Joanie: Honestly, I don’t fully get it.]

[[Sender] Joanie: I didn’t think it would escalate like this…]

[[Sender] Pine: Don’t think too seriously about it.]

[[Sender] Pine: Isn’t this part of the charm of RPGs?]

[[Sender] Pine: If you don’t like it, you can fight back.]

[[Sender] Pine: That’s what PVP is for, after all.]

Was he trying to console her?

Joanie felt a little calmer due to Pine’s words, although she couldn’t quite pinpoint his intentions.

[[Sender] Joanie: Are you fighting too, Pine?]

[[Sender] Pine: Yes.]

[[Sender] Pine: Ah.]

[[Sender] Pine: Don’t worry, I’m with the Kana Corps.]

[[Sender] Pine: Most of Purgatory Engineering Club is on our side.]

[[Sender] Joanie: Really?]

Wasn’t the Purgatory Engineering Club filled with people who wanted to take down Kana the most?

Joanie frowned, unable to understand why they would help her.

[[Sender] Pine: The Outlaws picked a fight with us first.]

[[Sender] Pine: A true man doesn’t back down from a fight.]

[[Sender] Pine: Plus, there’s no benefit to joining them.]

In short, it meant there was no need to bow down to a place where grudges existed without reason.

“Well, he’s got a point. The Outlaws’ goal is to hinder me.”

From the start, their purpose and reasoning were clear.

They didn’t like Joanie, so they would cause trouble.

Blocking paths, starting wars, snitching, all were just means to that end.

[[Sender] Pine: Why not log in and see?]

[[Sender] Pine: If you come over here, I’ll explain it to you.]

[[Sender] Joanie: Okay, I’ll log in right now.]

Finishing her conversation with Pine, Joanie immediately logged into Silia.

Clang, clang!

“Kill! Kill this bastard!”

“What’s the mage doing! Hurry up and cast a spell!”

Normally, the refreshing air and cheerful bird songs would welcome her, but instead, she was greeted by the sharp sounds of clashing metal and a hostile atmosphere.

Having logged out not too far from the mountain, she immediately witnessed players fighting as soon as she logged in.

Trying to keep her presence unnoticed, Joanie lowered her voice.

“…This is worse than I expected.”

– Looks like all the nearby players flocked here.

– It’s morning and there’s this many people?

– Who am I? ‘Time Bill Gates’.

Sneaking carefully, Joanie successfully met her ally.

“Joanie! This way!”

Spotting Pine waving his arms, Joanie quickened her pace toward him.

Having just been fighting, Pine’s armor was covered in blood and dust.

“I came when you called, but… where are the others?”

“They’re all fighting. I took a moment to welcome you.”

Pine guided Joanie to a makeshift tent.

“Honestly, the situation isn’t good.”

Pine jumped straight to the point.

“The battlefield isn’t looking good?”

“More like…the victory conditions are the problem. We don’t have any victory conditions, but the opposing side does.”

“Ah…”

“We have to hold them off continuously while they only need to break through even once to win.”

“The victory conditions…”

Joanie racked her brain but couldn’t come up with a good plan.

Even if she went to talk to Kana, what would she say?

“There are people in the way between us, but please ignore them!”

…That would really hold weight.

Not only could she not even speak such a long sentence, but it would seem ridiculous if she tried.

Joanie was the only one who could communicate with Kana, and if a crowd of thugs showed up, who would they think was at fault?

“Of course, I can’t just reveal the truth.”

“I’m a streamer Joanie, I’m sorry, but it was because of my broadcast!”

Even saying that would be caught by the filters placed on NPCs, and even if there were no filters, she’d easily be labeled crazy.

In this situation where there were no clear answers, Joanie’s worries deepened.

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