I Became a Raid Boss

Chapter 183

“Filing a lawsuit for infringement of portrait rights will be difficult.”

That was what Da-eun heard when she consulted a lawyer.

A calm voice reached her as she looked puzzled.

This and that, more legal explanations followed, making Da-eun’s head spin.

“…So, you’re saying we can’t punish him based on just this post?”

Struggling amidst a flood of technical terms, Da-eun barely managed to lift her head above the surface.

The lawyer shrugged.

“He hasn’t profited financially, and it’s hard to claim the post defames your reputation. If there’s anything actionable, it’s the statement at the end—”

“But even that’s ambiguous for legal action, right?”

“Ugh…”

The lawyer watched Da-eun, who had fallen deep in thought.

While it wasn’t impossible to prove the offense with time and effort,

Doing so would be inefficient, or as the saying goes, “not worth the cost.”

If the goal was merely to inconvenience and mentally exhaust the other party, it would be a different story, but that didn’t seem to be Da-eun’s intention.

“So why not change your approach?”

“Change my approach?”

Da-eun’s face once again showed confusion.

As if she couldn’t understand what he meant.

“If the other party is treading a fine line, why not respond in kind?”

Knowing the law is necessary to use the law.

The same applies when finding ways to avoid it.

“Wow…”

Da-eun let out a small exclamation.

“Is it okay for a lawyer to say something like that?”

“What does it matter? No one’s listening. Besides, that’s more… hmm, perhaps I shouldn’t say it.”

“What does it matter? No one’s listening.”

Da-eun echoed his words playfully.

She seemed curious, but the lawyer shook his head.

Then, he shifted the topic.

“If the goal is to bury the post, there’s no need to turn it into a legal issue. Doing so might even draw more attention, just as you feared.”

“This feels more like talking to a detective than a lawyer.”

“They’re similar in what they do.”

“…Really?”

Da-eun tilted her head.

That didn’t seem right.

Though doubtful, she nodded in agreement.

Once he had her consent, the lawyer began to speak slowly.

“…Make them look like a liar.”

***

Nothing lasts forever.

Even the emperor who created seas and rivers of mercury and wielded absolute power couldn’t escape death.

Fires that seem eternal will one day burn out; the man knew this truth.

So, it was natural that the number of comments on his post would gradually dwindle.

Natural, but still…

“…What the hell?”

His phone buzzed incessantly while he was immersed in a game.

At first, he ignored it.

But after the first, second, and then several more vibrations, he couldn’t help but get distracted.

“Ah.”

The moment he glanced at his phone, his in-game character died, and the screen turned gray.

At the same time, chat messages poured in.

Casual greetings asking how he was, heartwarming messages wishing his parents well.

How touching they were.

“Damn it.”

Not one to just sit back, he politely returned the favor, wishing peace and harmony upon their families before picking up his phone.

What had caused such a flurry of well-wishing for his parents?

He sought an answer.

“What the hell?”

The culprit behind his buzzing phone and the flood of greetings was an app.

A community app that notified him whenever someone commented on his post.

It had been relatively quiet for the past few days after buzzing non-stop.

So, what had caused it to start up again?

Curious yet vaguely hopeful, he clicked on the notification.

And was met with a flood of ridicule and mockery.

It was nothing he had expected.

“…?”

Staring blankly at the screen filled with words, the man froze.

He didn’t notice his game screen returning to color.

Nor the messages his teammates were sending to his immobile character.

“…What the hell is going on?”

His wandering mind returned to him.

The inactivity warning message on the game screen now loomed large.

He had been idle for quite a while, but he thought he could still turn things around if he refocused.

But instead of dismissing the warning and concentrating on the game,

He opened his browser.

He had already lost interest in the game.

“Why are they blaming me for their mess?”

His character had more deaths than kills in the game, but that was because of his teammates.

If they had played the way he intended, things wouldn’t have gone so poorly.

“You guys aren’t worth winning for.”

Even if he received a penalty for abandoning the game, he didn’t care.

Unlike those who lived for the game, he wouldn’t froth at the mouth over skipping a few matches.

Leaving the game behind, he searched the internet for answers.

“And what the hell? Fabricated?”

The man couldn’t hide his disbelief.

The accusation of fabrication had been around before.

But it hadn’t gained traction, so he had brushed it off.

But why was it resurfacing now?

The flames that once roared had died down, and even the person who had lit the fire was searching for new kindling.

The cause was a post from a user.

A post that dissected every part of his original post and rebutted it, even claiming the photos he had taken were manipulated.

The post was so well-organized that for a moment, even the man thought, “Could it be?”

“…No way! What nonsense!”

The post claimed there were deliberate blurs in the photo, that the background didn’t match.

The man frowned at the series of arguments presented as evidence of photo manipulation.

“If you take a photo in a rush, it can get blurry!”

What annoyed him more were the people agreeing with the post.

Despite the weak and flimsy evidence, they flocked to his post, tearing it apart with comments.

Among them were a few usernames he recognized.

Just days ago, they had praised his dedication, but now they acted like they never had, shamelessly erasing their tracks.

The man tried to turn the tide of public opinion.

But holding back a torrent with his bare hands was impossible, and he was swept away in the flood of comments.

“These… these idiots…!”

A mix of disbelief, dismay, embarrassment, and anger.

All kinds of emotions were packed into that one outburst.

But the man didn’t realize.

That the post criticizing him wasn’t so different from the ones he had written.

No, in terms of malicious intent, his posts were even worse.

Perhaps he knew but chose to ignore it.

…

The man steeled his resolve.

He picked up his phone and dialed someone.

Ring, ring…

The dull dial tone echoed as he waited for the other person to answer.

-Hello, what’s up?

He didn’t have to wait long before a familiar voice greeted him.

-I can’t play games right now.

“I didn’t call to play games.”

-What else would you call me for? Or wait, is this about drinks tonight?

“…No, you idiot!”

-Then just say no without freaking out.

You cursed first.

The man swallowed back the words that rose to his throat.

“Anyway, you still have that camera, right? The one you bragged about finally buying?”

The man he called, his friend, loved photography.

When he had proudly announced that he’d saved up to buy the camera of his dreams, the man had clicked his tongue.

But who knew it would come in handy?

-…Yeah, I have it. Why?

The voice over the phone sounded apprehensive.

“Can I borrow it?”

-F**k off.

The response was immediate and uncompromising.

-I’m hanging up.

“Hey, wait! Hold on!”

As the voice on the other end started to fade, sounding ready to hang up, the man hastily pleaded.

After several minutes of persuasion, explaining that he had his reasons and promising to return it in perfect condition, the friend’s tone softened.

-I don’t know what this is about, but you wouldn’t even know how to use it.

“All I need to do is press the shutter.”

-Then why not use your phone camera? If you’re asking for a high-end camera, there must be a reason.

“…”

-I won’t lend you the good one, but I’ll let you borrow something suitable. It’ll work better for simple shots.

“Oh, thank you!”

Just as he was about to be disappointed, the man’s face lit up.

-But this one’s expensive too, so if you break it, you’re dead.

“How expensive?”

-It’s worth more than you. Even though it’s a few years old, it’d still cost thousands today.

“Are you insane? How is it worth more than me?”

-Enough. Just buy me drinks later.

“Alright. Thanks.”

The man put down the phone after the call ended.

The photos were blurry, so they claimed they were doctored?

Fine. I’ll take proper photos and show them.

This time, I’ll even capture their faces clearly so they can’t deny it.

When I do, they’ll stop criticizing me and praise me like they did before.

“No way.”

He anticipated this and had taken screenshots.

When the curtain falls, he would expose the masquerade of those who danced at the ball.

The act he was about to pull off would become a legend, passed down for years.

“We’ll see whether you’re pathetic or I am. The results will speak for themselves.”

The man muttered a once-popular phrase.

The game that had coined the phrase had spectacularly failed, but he believed his situation would be different.

Thinking this, the man closed his browser.

-You have been banned for 7 days due to leaving a game.

The results screen of the game he abandoned, along with the ban notice, greeted him.

—

Click here ->