I Might Look Pretty Cool
The sword with only 1 durability left might actually look pretty cool. I take a deep breath, puffing out my small chest. My heart pounds so fast it almost hurts, spurring me on. In the dark room, I lift my head and stare at the monitor.
Red Dragon
Next raid available in: 00:30:00
Clear message. A wave of pride washes over me.
After the message announcing the Red Dragon’s defeat pops up, I catch my breath and look at the chat window. Countless compliments directed at me fill the screen. Seeing those praises that naturally lift my mood, I can feel my shoulders rising higher and higher.
“I… might actually look pretty cool?”
Smiling brightly as I say that, I turn to look at Yeon-a approaching me.
“Heheh… Yeon-a… heoheop!”
The moment I accidentally say her real name. Startled, I cover my mouth and stare at the chat with wide eyes. Even though I’d already slipped up during the last cam stream, there’s still a line. I worry that calling her by name like this might cause controversy. But surprisingly, the chat’s reaction is calm.
“K-Kits, is it okay to use that name…? She said it’s fine to just call her that…?”
When I ask, Yeon-a, who runs over and starts spamming crouches in front of me, answers instead.
“Ah… yeah, s-sorry.”
Yeon-a says that, looking like she’s dying of happiness. I smile awkwardly and tell her I’m not a genius.
“G-genius, what are you talking about… I-it’s burdensome, so stop… heheh.”
Yeon-a says that while trying to hide her excited voice. I feel proud. That sense of satisfaction you get when you carry the team. Feeling it, I smile brightly and turn around. There I see Yeowu happily hopping around collecting items, and Giseong next to her picking up items that are about to disappear. Since we’re planning to distribute the items outside anyway, there’s no need to rush over.
“She’s probably just trying to grab them before they vanish.”
Thinking that, I shift my gaze a little to the side. What I see is Kei’s avatar staring straight at me.
“Hik…!?”
The moment our eyes meet, I flinch in surprise. He’s staring so intently. The chat isn’t any different, as the Jireongis’ messages start speeding up.
The chat is instantly flooded. Feeling a bit scared, all sorts of thoughts start racing through my mind.
“W-what do I do? Is he angry? Am I going to get nitpicked for everything and end up ostracized… e-expelled? Uu… I-I’d rather just get expelled quickly… being ostracized… I don’t want to experience that again……”
Please, anything but being ostracized. I prayed he wouldn’t deliberately torment me while keeping me here. Meanwhile, Kei slowly moves closer to me. Startled, I try to call for Yeon-a.
“E… Y-Yeona…!”
“Ah… eh… uuu… okay…”
I never thought her level would be so low that she’d get lost in-game. But now wasn’t the time to be impressed by that. Just as I was wondering if I should run away, Kei calls my name.
The moment he calls me, my heart starts pounding and a cute little sound slips out without me realizing.
“Hugak!?”
“Ah… uhek, ugagak.”
Seeing the chat messages flooding in, I blush and bow my head toward Kei.
“Th-thank youuu……”
“……”
Unable to lift my head, I just nod quietly. He’s kinder than I expected. Just as I’m thinking he probably won’t ban me, what comes back is a thank you.
“Yes…?”
Kei says that with a friendly smile. After spacing out for a moment, I nod and force a smile.
“Ah… ahaha, y-yeah, that’s true.”
“…!!”
I thought I’d be lucky if I wasn’t ostracized or banned, but Kei just says he was impressed and respects me. Surprised, I stare at the chat with wide eyes.
The chat congratulates me. Nodding awkwardly, I bow my head to Kei and say thank you.
“Th-thank you.”
“R-really…?”
If that’s the case, I’m relieved. Just moments ago I was worried about standing out too much and being disliked, but now I’m being praised and even liked. Happy about the unexpected situation, I smile brightly.
“I-it would be an honor… Please take care of me.”
“I-is that okay…?”
When I ask if it’s fine for me to leave, Kei says it’s okay since it was just a test party anyway. He reassures me that overdoing it isn’t good and that the server’s purpose is to rest and have fun appropriately. I thought he was scary, but he’s actually just a kind person. Feeling genuinely sorry for misunderstanding him, I bow my head.
After ending the stream, I lie down on the bed.
“Hueh……”
The fluffy bed welcomes me. Maybe because I was so tense, I feel more exhausted than expected. Even so, I diligently move my fingers to head over to the community. I want to relive the play I just showed. And of course, get some compliments while I’m at it.
“…There it is.”
Finding a suitable title, I click on it and read the post.
Everyone is watching my play, admiring and complimenting me. Grateful for each and every bit of attention, I smile brightly and bury myself under the blanket.
“By the way… Yeon-a saw my play on screen… heheh, it was pretty cool… really… If she edits it, it’ll turn out great.”
Today, I feel like I’ll have a really good dream.
Wearing a headband and glasses, Yuna diligently fiddles with the computer. That Yuna’s light, her one and only GOAT, the reason she lives in this world — her boss.
“…Hueh… even if it’s hard… it’s for the boss……”
For the boss’s sake, she’s creating an incredibly monstrous video to upload to YouTube.