I Became a Raid Boss

Anyone who enjoys manga or anime has probably seen this kind of story progression at least once.

It’s the kind where a brainwashed or mentally broken person snaps back to their senses due to the heartfelt plea of someone dear to them.

Though it’s a rather clichéd scenario, the reason it remains popular is that it is deeply impactful.

Da-eun asked herself.

Am I the most important person to Canaria?

‘…I’m not sure. But—’

She could answer confidently if asked whether she wasn’t important to her.

‘That’s not the case.’

It wasn’t mere self-importance. The difference in the way Canaria treated others compared to how she treated Da-eun was glaringly obvious.

Even when there was no reason, she would casually approach Da-eun and start a conversation.

She would joke naturally, sometimes adding playful physical contact.

These behaviors were evidence that Canaria considered Da-eun to be close to her.

Even when dealing with Celine, with whom she had grown quite familiar over weeks of traveling together, Canaria didn’t behave the same way.

So, Da-eun thought.

‘…Maybe, if she sees me, Canaria might snap back to her senses.’

She thought that even though she was now lost in her emotions, if she saw Da-eun, it might be like a miracle, bringing her back to her old self.

With hopes for a dramatic ending, Da-eun walked towards where Canaria was.

“…Canaria?”

However, the moment Da-eun entered the barrier and faced Canaria, her hopes crumbled to pieces.

Though she called Canaria’s name, Canaria didn’t respond, staring blankly into space.

It was as if she didn’t even recognize her own name coming from Da-eun’s lips.

As Da-eun, feeling a swell of unease, took a few more steps closer—

Canaria’s vacant pink eyes slowly shifted toward her.

“…Huh?”

And in the next moment, Da-eun found herself facing a ceiling that felt both unfamiliar and familiar.

After staring blankly for a while, Da-eun gingerly touched her chest with trembling hands.

It was exactly where the sharp Magi had pierced her.

What truly confused Da-eun wasn’t the fact that she had died.

‘Canaria attacked me.’

The moment she realized this, Da-eun felt like she was waking up from a dream.

She realized that wishes are just that—wishes.

She belatedly understood that optimistic thoughts alone wouldn’t change anything.

To think that everything would go well just by meeting and talking it out.

It was a thought so naive, it seemed foolish.

“What should I do…?”

She had come with the sole thought that she needed to meet Canaria, without any concrete plan, and had never considered what to do if she failed.

As she anxiously fretted, Da-eun found an answer in the viewers’ lively chat messages.

Some suggested that weakening Canaria first would at least make a conversation possible.

Thinking there was some merit to this, Da-eun immediately put the idea into action, leading to the current situation.

“What on earth does it mean, a fight that doesn’t make your heart race?”

A fight is just a fight—was there really a difference between one that made your heart race and one that didn’t?

As someone whose heart pounded wildly at the mere thought of facing an enemy with a sword, Da-eun couldn’t understand this concept at all.

However, Da-eun wasn’t the only one who found the other incomprehensible.

‘Why can’t she understand this?’

Yuki couldn’t understand Da-eun either.

If she went out of her way to ask for help, it meant that despite their differences, they must have felt the same thing.

‘What a hassle.’

She could have swung her sword dozens of times instead of spending time here.

Even with that thought, Yuki didn’t leave.

“Master’s swordsmanship is beautiful.”

Yuki knew she wasn’t good with words.

But if someone asked her to praise Kana’s swordsmanship, she could do it all day.

How sharp the straight lines were.

How fluid the curves traced by the sword’s tip were.

She couldn’t understand how Canaria, with her small frame that seemed barely able to lift a sword, could execute such beautiful swordsmanship, but Yuki didn’t care about such trivialities. ṙᴀ₦ộ𐌱ÊṨ

‘Instead of worrying about that, I should just observe and learn.’

That’s why Yuki always found the discussions in the chat about authenticity and accuracy laughable.

How could anyone look away when the truth and the answer were right in front of them?

How was that possible?

“So, I’ve watched every video where Master appears. I even regularly follow Joanie’s streams.”

“…Ugh, I know Kana is amazing. I get it, so can we move on to the main point now?”

It was clear Yuki could keep talking about it all day if left alone.

Unable to endure Yuki’s praises any longer, Da-eun interrupted with a weary expression.

“What does the beauty of Canaria’s swordsmanship have to do with Yuki’s lack of excitement?”

“…The swordsmanship Master displays now isn’t beautiful.”

The power behind her strikes couldn’t be ignored, but there was no beauty in the way Canaria wielded her sword.

It felt like looking at her old self, who thought that simply slashing, stabbing, and cutting with strength was all there was.

Realizing this, Yuki’s motivation quickly faded.

“I don’t want to fight a sword that’s swung without meaning or understanding.”

“…Did you travel to another world or something? Or maybe you have memories of a past life?”

“You’ve been reading too many novels.”

“Well, I think you’re the same, Yuki. I’d bet that if you were born a few hundred years ago, you’d have left your name in history.”

Anyway…

Da-eun finally started to understand what Yuki was saying.

Even she could tell that Kana’s behavior now wasn’t natural.

This girl, who had roamed around freely since appearing on the Ardina Continent, suddenly turned completely passive after being trapped in the barrier.

Even assuming she had lost her reasoning and was operating on instinct, it didn’t make sense.

It was as if someone else was controlling her.

“Following a script is boring.”

Before meeting Canaria and gaining her insight, Yuki might have easily agreed.

But having gained her realization and heightened her threshold, Yuki wasn’t particularly interested in Da-eun’s request.

“Are you really not going to help?”

“No.”

Da-eun, unable to give up, asked again, but the answer was a firm rejection.

What would have happened if Da-eun wasn’t there?

There might not have been fights among the players, and perhaps the Imperial Army wouldn’t have invaded either.

There would have been other big and small changes, too.

‘And me as well.’

Even Yuki might not have gained her realization as she had now.

She might have visited out of curiosity, thinking, ‘There’s a boss like that?’ but she wouldn’t have been met with the same kind of duel as before.

It all happened because Da-eun met Canaria and brought her into the world.

Because of this, Yuki felt a sense of indebtedness, even if she didn’t fully admit it.

“Still, it’s impossible.”

Yuki couldn’t muster any excitement at the thought of fighting someone who looked like her master but wasn’t truly her master.

Da-eun tried several times to persuade her, but Yuki’s resolve was firm.

A determination that hardly wavered.

As Da-eun grew tired of trying to persuade her and considered giving up, a sudden idea flashed in her mind.

“If your resolve is that firm, I suppose there’s nothing I can say to change it. Sorry for bothering you.”

“It wasn’t a bother.”

“Oh, come on, don’t lie. Anyway, I’ll go ask someone else for help.”

Da-eun pretended to turn away, making it seem like she was about to leave, but then she suddenly stopped.

With her body facing forward, she turned her head slightly and asked Yuki, who was waving her hand.

“But, are you really okay with this?”

“Pardon?”

“This raid will only last for a week. Beyond that, the barrier won’t be able to withstand the Magi that Kana holds… or so they say. Oh, and since a day has already passed, there are only six days left now.”

“I know.”

Yuki had seen the notices. They were posted all over the place, so it was harder to avoid them than to see them.

“Do you know what happens if we fail to subdue her within a week?”

“…What happens?”

“The Empire will personally step in to deal with it.”

She doesn’t seem too interested yet.

Da-eun watched Yuki’s expression and continued speaking.

“As you know, Yuki, there’s a longstanding bad blood between Canaria and the Empire. They can’t stand each other.”

“And?”

“If you’re trying to ask for sympathy because it’s pitiful—”

“It’s not that, just listen. Given the situation, if Magi keeps leaking like that, what do you think the Empire will do? They’ll definitely decide that she needs to be eliminated, won’t they?”

That was almost certainly the case.

Negotiations were only possible with those who could listen. No one would try to reason with a ticking time bomb.

It wasn’t explicitly stated in the subjugation order, but it was an easy conclusion to reach.

“Canaria is strong, yes, but… do you think she can hold off the Empire if they come at her with full force?”

“It would be difficult. No, it would be impossible.”

“Exactly. She might be able to inflict some damage, but in the end, she’ll be defeated. And as I just mentioned, being defeated means death.”

“….”

The thought of speaking about the death of someone precious to her was unsettling.

‘But if I can save her this way…’

Da-eun steeled herself.

Perhaps her efforts had paid off.

“…What’s your point?”

The fish had taken the bait.

Da-eun smirked to herself, hiding her satisfaction as she observed Yuki’s change in attitude.

“This is a big enough incident for the Empire to get involved, so it’ll surely go down in history. If that happens, you’ll never get to see the swordsmanship of Canaria that you find so beautiful ever again. Are you truly okay with that?”

“…!”

“Well, unless you plan to keep replaying the old videos over and over, that is.”

If a reason to act doesn’t exist, then one should create one.

Da-eun had keenly understood that Yuki wasn’t someone who would be swayed by sympathy or compassion, so she brought up the one thing Yuki cherished—swordsmanship.

Without waiting for Yuki’s response, Da-eun started to walk away.

“Well then, I’ll be off—”

“…I’ll help.”

Just as planned.

—

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