I Became a Raid Boss

The sails puffed out, and the ship raced smoothly across the sea. Whoosh!

It wasn’t as fast as a vessel built with Earth’s technology, but the speed was unbelievable considering it was solely powered by one person’s strength. Zoom!

Plus, it was extremely eco-friendly since it required no fuel…

‘-Is that even right?’

Was it correct to say that mana was eco-friendly?

Da-eun tilted her head, puzzled by her own words.

‘…Maybe not.’

Transforming animals into monsters and making plants wither couldn’t really be classified as eco-friendly.

That was her conclusion after a brief thought.

Anyway, the reason Da-eun could enjoy such a fast and pleasant voyage was thanks to Atysha, who devoted all her time to steering the ship, except when recovering her strength. Vroom!

“Kana, can you do something like this? …Um, never mind. Just forget it.”

Da-eun, who had suddenly asked Kana out of curiosity, quickly retracted her question.

‘It feels like she could, but…..’

She had a feeling the ship would half-sink in return.

Or the sails could get ripped to shreds.

If that happened, Da-eun would end up drifting in a battered ship or flying through the sky at Kana’s mercy.

‘I really don’t want to go through such an extreme experience again.’

Da-eun wanted to live healthily and for a long time, so the heart-thumping experience of flying without support was a hard pass.

She comforted Kana, who seemed sulky, thinking she was being ignored.

A few days later.

At last, land started to appear in Da-eun’s eyes.

Thanks to the system, her senses were dulled, so she didn’t feel seasick despite the rough journey, but the boredom and frustration from being in a confined space remained the same.

Da-eun had been eagerly awaiting the day they touched land.

However, as the long-awaited land came into view, she couldn’t just yell out in joy.

‘Black soil… I think they said that black earth is great for farming…’

But Da-eun was sure that this black soil didn’t refer to the land she saw far away.

Just because the ground looked black didn’t mean it was good soil; even from a distance, she couldn’t feel any essence of life.

It felt more like if seeds were planted in the ground, the plants would immediately rot instead of growing lush.

That wasn’t all that made Da-eun uneasy.

The thick black mist rising like water vapor blocked the sunlight, creating an atmosphere that felt eerie and gloomy, even in the bright daylight.

If it were a novel, this place would definitely be the setting for the final chapter.

Da-eun didn’t have the guts to step into such a place.

As the sails fluttered in the black wind, the swiftly moving ship came to a halt.

“I’ll stop here….”

“Excuse me? …Ah.”

At Atysha’s unexpected words, Da-eun turned to check her complexion and immediately nodded in agreement.

Her already pale face had turned even whiter, looking like she could collapse at any moment.

Oh, right. She had left Raxia because her horn was broken…

“Even now, it’s a bit too much for me…”

Atysha’s breath was far from calm.

Anyone who could still suggest going along after witnessing her struggling breaths must be a heartless, soulless monster.

Da-eun lightly patted Atysha’s back, watching her look longingly at Raxia with eyes mixed with frustration and regret.

“Thank you for guiding us.”

As Selin’s holy power enveloped Atysha, her pale complexion improved significantly.

“The chief is at the very center of Raxia… the path is well-trodden, so getting there shouldn’t be difficult…”

Unlike how the Ardinains referred to the leaders of the demon race as demon kings, the demon race members, including Atysha, were called chiefs.

Given that their original forms were from the Purifier Clan, it wasn’t a surprising title.

“I’ll lend you a small boat, so use that to go…”

“Is that really necessary? This distance is just a run—ugh.”

“P-Please, I’m counting on you…!”

Da-eun quickly covered Kana’s mouth, who was about to say something inappropriate.

She sighed in relief, trying to ignore the dissatisfied look Kana was giving her.

The group, including Da-eun, moved to the small boat tied up next to the large ship.

The small boat didn’t even have a sail, but it would have been cramped for three adult men; however, there was no problem for two adult women and the smaller Kana.

‘If there were three Selin-like people, it might have been a bit cramped…’

“What’s wrong?”

“Excuse me? Why?”

“I felt a gaze… but I guess it was just my imagination.”

Da-eun, who had been staring intently at a particular part of Selin, feigned innocence.

Due to her completely natural reaction, Selin made a dubious face but didn’t suspect Da-eun at all.

Thus, she didn’t see Da-eun’s sneaky smile, and the truth sank beneath the surface…

Snap!

“….”

“….”

…If there hadn’t been another witness, that would have been the case.

Da-eun suddenly remembered the pink girl beside her.

One who looked utterly displeased.

Da-eun gulped as she came face to face with the pink-eyed girl filled with disdain and contempt.

“….”

“…Kana.”

“…What?”

Da-eun gave a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry. One day, you’ll grow as tall as Selin. …Hmm, now that I think about it, that might be a bit disappointing. Then, we couldn’t cuddle like this.”

“Just die.”

“Wah?! I-It’s really going to fall…!”

Da-eun nearly fell…!

She barely sat back down after being in danger of diving into the sea while holding tightly to her little hand.

Feeling the wetness of her hair, she took a deep breath.

“It’s nice to see. Watching you two warms my heart.”

“…You’re joking, right, Selin?”

“No? I meant it…”

“…Is that so? Thank you.”

While Da-eun was grateful for the compliment of their bond, how could she think such a thing after witnessing the scene?

Or maybe it was because she was the victim that she felt that way, and to an outsider, it looked like a lovely scene?

Yet, even if that were the case, Da-eun’s viewers in the chat kept pouring in their hooks.

“Is this a chatroom or a hook factory…?”

“Take this…”

“Take what? Wha?!”

Thwack!

Startled by the voice from the deck, Da-eun reflexively ducked her head to avoid the shadow looming overhead.

Kana stretched out her arm to catch the falling object above her head.

“What is this…?”

“You’ll need it…”

It was something resembling a stick, with one end flat and the other thin.

What Atysha had thrown was a wooden oar.

In fact, it was also the object Da-eun had touched on the first day they boarded the ship.

“Because that ship doesn’t have a sail…”

If they rode the current toward the continent, they might not need to row to reach shore.

However, it wouldn’t do to just sit and wait, considering how the current nearby flowed.

If they accidentally drifted away toward the sea, that would be a disastrous situation.

“Here.”

“Huh? Why are you giving this to me…?”

“…? You wanted to row.”

“Um… I didn’t particularly express a desire to row.”

“…Really? Guess I have to do it then… or I can ask Selin.”

Kana’s voice trembled slightly, and Da-eun’s eyes also trembled.

‘This is definitely a trap…. A cunning trap set by Kana to lure me in…!’

But even knowing that, there was nothing Da-eun could do.

– Joanie/Controversy/Child Abuse

– I

– I

– They say I’m a terrible person for giving tough jobs to a kid and resting easily, right?

– Rock

– Ugh, trash

– I unsubscribed…

“S-Now that I think about it, my dream was to be a boatman!”

Da-eun’s power was too weak to go against the fierce waves.

She half-snatched the oar from Kana’s hands.

She was just taken aback by the sudden offering and had no intention of passing it on to Kana…

Certainly not to Selin either.

‘How could I possibly pass this on seeing those scrawny arms.’

Taking a deep breath, Da-eun adjusted her grip on the oar with both hands.

She might not be skilled, but it wasn’t her first time trying.

If she rowed really well, wouldn’t Kana look at her with admiration?

Adopting a pretty plausible posture, Da-eun rowed vigorously with hopeful thoughts.

‘They say even a struggling worm has its skills… Da-eun must have something she’s good at too.’

…Wait, that’s not admiration.

It’s not even a compliment; it’s just a backhanded comment, right?

Why is it that this is all she can imagine?

With a wry expression, Da-eun rowed diligently.

But for some reason, she felt like she wasn’t moving an inch.

Thanks to Kana, Da-eun could find the reason.

“Idiot.”

Swish.

With a flick of Kana’s hand, the rope that had been holding the boat tightly untied, allowing it to glide freely.

“…So embarrassing.”

Da-eun buried her face in her hands.

Her ears had turned red, not being able to cover them.

“Good luck…”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be back.”

“Thank you…”

With simple farewells, the boat sliced through the waters, heading towards Raxia.

*

After days of sailing, Da-eun finally set foot on land.

“…Ugh!”

It’s common for someone who has been on a ship for a long time to feel nauseous when they step onto solid ground.

Their body, adjusted to the ship’s swaying, struggles to adapt to stillness.

However, Da-eun wasn’t feeling sick for that reason now.

“Bodies….”

Selin mumbled, her feelings of despair evident on her face.

While she didn’t expect a jubilant welcoming crowd…

Da-eun definitely didn’t expect such a sight.

Corpses.

And more corpses.

No normal humans were in sight around them, only corpses remaining to greet them.

Da-eun tightly shut her eyes.

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