I Became a Raid Boss

I didn’t think that Grasis was a particularly good country.

There was one thing that the royal family and the nobles, who were too busy bickering and fighting among themselves, could agree on.

In the past, it was glorious, and the founding king was great…

But in the end, their fates were different.

The royal family pointed to the nobles’ extravagance and arrogance as the reasons for the kingdom’s weakening strength.

On the other hand, the nobles pointed to the incompetence and lavishness of the royal family.

It was ridiculous for me to watch a bunch of rotten people throw dirt at each other when they were all covered in filth.

Arrogant, reckless, incompetent, or extravagant.

Aren’t those all words that apply to themselves?

And can there really be a country that started off doomed from the very beginning?

In a situation where the pillars of a house have all collapsed, reminiscing about the good old days or saying things were glorious…

So what? What are they supposed to do about it?

If the past was so great, then why not invent a time-reverse spell and go back to the past? It’s silly to talk big when they don’t even have the ability to do that.

Because of these reasons, I didn’t think of Grasis as a good country, nor did I like it.

From the moment I became aware of my previous life memories and realized I was stuck in the body of a four-year-old girl in a shabby shack in a dark alley, I was doomed to dislike the country of Grasis.

The impoverished lived worrying about not just tomorrow but even dinner tonight.

Begging, pickpocketing, theft, robbery… sometimes even going outside the city was rare, far from a stable life.

You either died when luck ran out or managed to fill your belly for the day if luck was on your side.

So, my parents probably raised me as a sort of investment.

They believed that if they didn’t eat one marshmallow today, it would return as ten or more in the future.

Ironically, it was the complete opposite of who I was.

I wonder how they planned to recoup their investment.

Maybe they thought of me as a warning sign that would risk death or perhaps as a meat shield or bait.

Perhaps they sold me off to a slave merchant or a brothel.

I could never know the answers.

Those who knew the answers were like trash piling up on a heap, hidden away by the moonlight on a particularly dark night.

According to the words in the slums, it was bad luck.

The miner who died before the canary in a cage…

Truly, the world is full of funny things.

But that’s that; with the caretakers of the birds gone, the remaining birds had to seek ways to survive.

The little bird escaped its small cage and joined a group of orphans in similar situations.

Life in the group was surprisingly comfortable.

They often gifted me food or did me favors to win my affection.

I still don’t know why I didn’t forcefully take it.

Maybe it was just the innocence unique to a child?

They say pure children can be even crueler, but I want to believe otherwise.

As two years passed like that, a horde of monsters invaded the city I lived in.

Looking back now, it wasn’t all that threatening.

If proper preparations had been made, it could have been easily stopped without any damage—it was just that.

But, as usual, a guard who was passed out drunk didn’t ring the warning bell, and the guards nearby were passed out next to him.

They had unwittingly opened the door and invited in the monsters.

Naturally, the monsters did not decline the invitation, and in an instant, the city became a bloodbath.

—

“Haah… haah…!”

My legs felt heavy.

It felt like I had sandbags attached to them, and when I looked down, all I saw was dust and grime-stained legs.

Why?

I didn’t bother to question it.

It wasn’t a very important question, and taking a step forward was the real path to survival over contemplating that.

When the first scream echoed through the city, I immediately headed for a small hole in the city walls.

It was a passage used for sneaking items into the city.

Honestly, hearing screams in the city wasn’t that unusual.

A poor person and a noble could have clashed, or ignorant mercenaries might have been fighting… anyway, it was quite common in Grasis.

But still, I ran.

Perhaps, like my new name suggests, I sensed an impending crisis that others didn’t.

Whatever the case, thanks to that instinct, I was able to escape the city safely…

Clang!

Gaaah!

“Hu-uh…!”

Now, even my breaths were failing me.

Was it a hobby to play with their prey? The monsters chasing me slowly approached, having stopped.

With blood dripping from their jaws and claws smeared with flesh.

As I looked at them through my blurry vision, I gritted my teeth.

“…Huh.”

I guess I’m going to die here.

I don’t want to die, but whether I have any lingering attachments… I’m not really sure.

But I definitely don’t want to die a powerless death.

I pulled out the dagger from my pocket.

It was in poor condition, having been obtained from rummaging through trash, but it was as good as a lifeline for me.

Steadying my breath, I clasped the dagger tightly with both hands.

Puff!

‘…!’

A wolf-shaped monster lunged at me.

With a speed faster than expected, I hastily propelled my heavy body into action, and something dark zipped past my face, making my cheeks sting.

I focused on the monsters that left blood dripping behind.

‘It’s certain.’

These guys are just toying with me right now.

If they really intended to easily catch and eat me, they would have caught me right after I escaped the city.

But instead, they lowered their speed just enough for me to barely get away, and instead of pouncing on me all at once, they attack one at a time while deliberately missing their strikes.

There’s no way I wouldn’t notice that.

“Ha, haha…”

As I involuntarily let out a laugh, I suddenly recalled a certain fact.

Had I ever smiled since regaining my memories?

Surprisingly, I couldn’t remember.

Not because I forgot, but because I had never smiled before.

“…Congrats.”

It’s strange that the kids desperately performing for me hadn’t been able to do what these guys accomplished.

Thanks to the fact that they waited for me, I was able to steady my breaths.

As I faced the imminent threat of death, perhaps the adrenaline was kicking in, so I didn’t even feel the weight that had gripped my legs.

Would hunting like this make the meat more tender?

Not that it mattered—my own flesh would be tender enough anyway.

I thought those trivial thoughts as I leveled the dagger at the monsters.

In any case, they had me outmatched in speed and strength.

Though I had never learned proper combat techniques, something deep down told me that charging in first was the right way, so I slightly bent my knees and slammed my body into the ground.

Thwack!

Like a spring launched into the air, my body shot toward the monster with great speed.

The monster’s eyes followed my movement, while I followed its gaze slightly slower.

When I got close enough to feel its breath, it leaped to the side, evading the rusty tip of my dagger.

With my legs dug into the ground, I forced my body, which was being carried by inertia, to come to a stop.

Then I turned my waist and swung the dagger toward the spot where it had jumped.

I missed again.

It was just a short distance, but it hadn’t escaped.

The sound it made, Krrk, felt like it was mocking me.

If only I had been wielding a sword, or if my arm had been just a bit longer…

Putting aside the short-lived regret, I jumped back, and the monster’s claws swiped through the air.

“…Huh.”

Only three exchanges had occurred, but I was already starting to lose my breath.

…This is what makes being in a child’s body so inconvenient.

With short limbs, I had to move more than an adult, yet I felt out of breath with each slight movement.

Not to mention my strength and stamina.

If there was any advantage to point out, it would be that recovery was fast.

But even recovery is only possible when you survive a fight and can rest, and in this kind of situation, such an advantage was meaningless.

How much longer could I hold out?

Once? Twice?

Negative thoughts kept swirling in my mind, but I didn’t let it show as I tightened my grip on the dagger.

If I couldn’t survive, then at the very least, I had to take one of them down with me.

I didn’t like the terms of exchange, but I knew I’d be grateful for even that much.

Because the gap was that severe.

Before I could even catch my breath, the monster swung its claws.

I thought I was trying to attack, but to the monster, my effort posed no threat, and it still came at me with the intent to toy with me.

Clang!

“Ugh…!”

A strong vibration started from the dagger that blocked the claws, traveling up my arms and biting into me.

I nearly dropped the dagger.

Ignoring the pain in my arms, I desperately wracked my brain.

‘What should I do, what should I do.’

Heheh!

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

I had been thinking about it wrong.

If I was going to take one of them down, there was no need to worry about self-preservation.

Even if my two legs got ripped off, if I crawled over and buried my dagger in that arrogant head, I’d still win.

Fueled by determination, I felt a strange ease in my breathing.

Did it sense the change in my mindset? The monster’s eyes became more cautious.

I’m not a dog trainer, and in this ridiculous situation, I couldn’t help but sigh.

I should have watched some dog training channels in my previous life if I had known it would come to this.

Even amidst all this, my body was doing its best to dodge the attacks, and my breathing began to quicken.

As time passed, I became more accustomed to the attacks, and my evasive movements became simpler—but that didn’t mean my physical abilities suddenly improved, so it was futile to turn the tide.

If I just hang in there, a chance would surely come.

Just as I believed that, the opportunity I had been waiting for finally came.

Grrrr!

“…!”

It’s a chance!

The prey was starting to annoy it by avoiding its strikes narrowly, so it pounced on me with a ferocious roar.

Strong moves mean bigger openings too.

Though the speed of that rush was hard to respond to, I was already prepared for it, so I managed to evade just by a hair’s breadth once more.

Boom!

The beast, having rushed past me, slammed its head into a nearby rock.

Seizing the moment as it struggled to regain its senses, I dashed forward.

Thwump!

Yip!

At times like this, it really lets out a pathetic yip.

…Though that sounds a bit odd, nevertheless.

As I reached to deliver the finishing blow, raising my arm as high as I could…

Thwack!

“Gyaaak?!”

A heavy impact struck my back, and I tumbled forward.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Dizziness flickered before my eyes due to the pain.

I’d forgotten—that I wasn’t fighting just one.

Even as I tried to get back on my feet, I found I lacked the strength to support myself, causing my face to hit the ground repeatedly.

Eventually, my strength deserted me, and I lay prone while glaring at the monsters.

It seemed their playful mood had dissipated, and three of them were closing in on me simultaneously.

“You bastards…”

My hand gripping the dagger trembled.

In the end, it seemed I wouldn’t be able to take even one down.

With wild eyes, I prepared to meet my impending death as they slowly approached.

The lead monster raised its forelimb and—

Puff!

It vanished, spraying dark blood everywhere.

Lines bisected the two monsters beside it, and they followed the first to the afterlife.

A man who had suddenly appeared filled the void left by the monsters.

“Brave little girl! What’s your name?”

Blink, blink.

“…Mister, who are you?”

“A, a mister…?”

And that was how Gari and I first met.

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