I Became a Raid Boss

“Ogre, la….”

Joanie gathered her thoughts.

Was it some kind of trend? The ogre was a recurring monster in many fantasy novels, games, and movies, alongside goblins and orcs.

While strength and characteristics were depicted differently, there weren’t many media that portrayed ogres as weak.

Tough skin, a massive physique, and the strength to lift logs with ease…

Perhaps riding on that trend, there was indeed a monster named ogre in Silia Online.

Though not as commonly encountered as goblins or orcs, they weren’t that rare either; Joanie had hunted them a few times.

Not alone, but in a party.

“Do ogres usually travel in packs?”

– Not usually alone.
– I saw four of them together last time.
– They say they live as family units?

When Joanie indirectly asked, people who didn’t seem to be ogre experts but looked like grad students shared what they knew.

– It’ll probably just be three or four, right?
– For real, no big deal.
– The silvers are cute, lol.

“I hope so…”

As for monsters, the NPCs who were natives of this world would know better than players, but could such knowledgeable people really use the term ‘ogre pack’ in a regular situation?

And even if it were three or four, the current strength of the village wouldn’t be able to handle them.

“Did you know there’s an ogre habitat nearby?”

“No… I had no idea. I’ve lived on the mountain for years, and I haven’t seen an ogre or even a single hair.”

“…Who is that?”

“That’s a hunter living on the nearby mountain. He’s responsible for reporting any dangerous elements, like monsters. He was the one who alerted us about the ogre pack approaching.”

As Joanie and Catherine whispered, the hunter’s voice continued.

“Honestly, there’s no reason for an ogre to live in such a small mountain where there’s hardly anything to eat. Maybe it has come from somewhere else.”

“From somewhere else? Why?”

“Who knows? They might have fought amongst themselves or been driven out in a territory dispute…”

“That’s not what’s important right now; we need to decide what to do.”

“Hmm…”

“Ahem…”

Embarrassment bloomed on the faces of those gathered in the plaza at someone’s words.

No one dared to speak up as they hesitated, pointing fingers at each other.

The first to step forward was a young man.

“If we fortify and hold out until reinforcements arrive…!”

“Against ogres? No way, unless you want to be flattened with the barricades.”

That remark triggered a flurry of chatter among the villagers.

“Is it certain they are coming this way? They might change direction, so wouldn’t it be safer to leave them be?”

“What if you sit back and they charge in? Are you just going to roll over and die?”

“Let’s just run away!”

“No! We haven’t even packed our things, and if we flee, we might lose our homes!”

“Isn’t a house less important than a life?!”

“The young can run, but what about the elderly?”

“When will reinforcements arrive?”

“It hasn’t been long, so even at best they’ll take a few hours.”

While the villagers traded stories, the merchant guild and mercenaries were also gathered to discuss countermeasures.

However, to Joanie, the atmosphere among the villagers and the merchant guild felt vastly different.

“Even if ogres are fast, if we flee now, we won’t get caught.”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to push through to the next village for a rest.”

Almost no one was in favor of fighting back… No, there wasn’t a single voice advocating for it; most preferred to run away.

The rest, like Joanie, kept quiet, merely observing without offering different opinions.

‘Well… it isn’t exactly our home, and there’s no reason to risk our lives fighting something we don’t necessarily have to.’

As Joanie thought, the merchant group clearly wanted to flee immediately.

Yet, they hesitated because deep down, they still felt compassion.

It wasn’t easy to just pretend to leave the people they had laughed and chatted with until just moments ago.

They felt uncomfortable fleeing, yet didn’t want to fight.

As silent glances were exchanged, a clever suggestion emerged.

“How about we load the remaining cargo and take townsfolk in the empty space of the cart?”

“Good idea! We can’t take everyone, but prioritizing the elderly, children, and women should allow for safe evacuation.”

“If there’s not enough room, let’s sort through lower-value goods to discard. Our profits will take a hit, but human lives are more important than money.”

This way, they could maintain their dignity while not fighting.

Since discarding goods that were as precious as life to merchants would discourage any complaints.

The act of fleeing for self-preservation morphed into a rescue operation in no time.

But were they wrong for doing that?

‘…Not really.’

Joanie shook her head.

Unlike her, who could be resurrected, these villagers of the world only had one life, so prioritizing their lives was reasonable.

Moreover, even if their goal was fleeing, it was still true that they were providing assistance.

As Joanie sank into thought, one of the merchants went to relay the merchant guild’s intentions to the villagers.

“…So, as it stands, we can safely transport those folks in our cart to a safe place.”

“…”

“…Um.”

The somewhat heated atmosphere calmed.

No one in the villagers’ tight-knit circle, debating whether to leave or not, would scold a merchant stepping forward to offer help.

“Let’s try to gather whatever money we can. Can’t you mercenaries assist us?”

One brave soul spoke up, but…

“Helping out against an ogre pack is… a bit much for us…”

“Ah…”

The merchant’s statement deflated their spirits.

Aside from Joanie, all the mercenaries hired by the guild were C-rank.

They could amplify their weapons with mana, but with their inexperienced skills, it would be challenging to cut through an ogre’s tough skin.

“I’m not going.”

“Grandma!”

Just then, an old woman pushed her way through the crowd.

The same grandmother who had pointed Joanie in the right direction earlier.

Recognizing the wrinkly face, Joanie widened her eyes.

“What would I do living a few more days? I’d rather stay here than leave and suffer.”

“B-but….”

“Don’t worry about the oldies; just leave quickly.”

Whether a grandson, son, or just someone she knew, a young man tried to persuade her, but the old woman was firm.

Even Joanie, who struggled with Granik, and those unfamiliar with it could sense the tension between the old woman and the young man.

“Then, let’s just take the others…”

“What are you saying! I’ll persuade her, so please wait just a moment!”

“But time—”

“Just a little while longer, I really just need a little bit!”

At the young man’s urgent shout, the merchant had a troubled expression.

When he seemed unable to act one way or the other, Catherine approached Joanie.

“Joanie.”

“…Yes?”

“You’re a C-rank mercenary, right? Can’t you help those folks?”

Locking eyes with Catherine unintentionally, Joanie swallowed hard.

Many emotions swirled in her brown irises.

Pity, sympathy, guilt, sadness.

And, camaraderie.

“C-C-rank mercenary?!”

Before Joanie could respond to Catherine’s words, the young man talking to the old lady abruptly cut in between them.

“P-please help! If this keeps up, the old lady will be left behind in this village…!”

“You, guy! No matter how C-rank mercenary she is, how can she face an ogre pack? I get your intent, but don’t be unreasonable.”

Joanie wore a complicated expression.

As the young man said, she couldn’t take on an ogre pack.

Ogres’ levels generally ranged from the high thirties to low forties, while Joanie’s was at 43.

In terms of skill, Joanie had only just stepped into the expert realm, and facing even one ogre would be overwhelming.

‘What’s more, I’ve never faced an ogre alone before.’

During her hunts, mistakes often meant death, but with party members, there were allies to cover mistakes.

Moreover, hunting speed was much faster, so most players preferred to hunt in parties.

Only in situations where parties couldn’t be formed or in rare cases like Yuki.

‘Is there no way to help…?’

As she pondered, a chat window suddenly blinked into view.

“If there’s anyone nearby, could you please help? I’ll definitely give you something in return.”

– I already tried but the channel with the leader is inaccessible.
– Huh, are there really that many people?
– I got in, lol.

“…Fast.”

Still, it provided some relief.

If the channel was packed, then at the very least, there would have to be dozens of players, making it likely they could take down an ogre pack easily.

With her face brightening, Joanie said, “I’ve contacted the apostles nearby. They all happily agreed to help.”

“Ooh…!”

“Th-thank you!”

At Joanie’s words, not only the young man but also the other villagers’ faces lightened up.

They had no way to fend off the ogres, so they reluctantly decided on evacuation, but just like Joanie, they didn’t want to leave behind the hard-built livelihood.

‘If Kana were here, we wouldn’t even need to consider all this…’

Joanie felt awkward about saying that after relying on Kana so much. She didn’t want to depend on Kana excessively.

That was a completely opposing desire compared to what Joanie had wished for from long ago.

Also, the mercenaries didn’t ask for help from Kana.

Even though they learned that Kana was stronger than them after being rescued, in their minds, picturing a young girl facing off against an ogre was unfathomable.

Perhaps their pride wouldn’t allow them to ask a little girl for assistance.

The merchant guild, the villagers, and Joanie all waited with one mind for player reinforcements to arrive.

Fortunately, no signs of ogres had yet appeared.

Eventually, players began to gather in Blum village one by one.

Ten players gathered with pride, greeted by the people.

Joanie folded her arms and anxiously awaited the reinforcements to arrive.

However, as time passed, the eleventh player showed no signs of joining.

“…What gives? Why aren’t they coming?”

Surely there should be more; they couldn’t be limited to this many people in the channel…

Feeling strange, Joanie checked again.

“Still not getting in?”

– Yep, says entry is prohibited.
– What…?

Could it be that they were playing hide and seek with her?

Or perhaps, people who had disliked her previously occupied the channel…

As Joanie bit her nails in anxiety, a bad feeling suddenly stirred within her.

“Don’t tell me…!”

As if to confirm Joanie’s suspicion, a system window appeared before Joanie and the other players.

“Event transformation….”

Upon seeing the sentence displayed in the system window, a deep sigh escaped Joanie’s mouth like a lament.

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