I Became a Raid Boss

When an earthquake occurs, you must quickly move to a space where gas and electricity have been turned off and there are no falling objects. Boom!

If you can’t get out of the building, you should go under a sturdy table or some structure to protect yourself. Crash!

When a fire breaks out, loudly alert everyone that there is a fire, cover your nose and mouth with a wet towel or something similar, then evacuate in a low position. Whoosh!

Da-eun also had a vague understanding of what to do in case of a typhoon, tsunami, avalanche, or even during a war.

Some of it she learned through her own research, and some was through safety training.

However, she swore she had never been trained for situations like these.

It was only natural.

There was no way they would have training for behavior during a dragon attack on Earth.

‘But… maybe if I look, I might find something.’

With all the advice about what to do in a zombie outbreak, it wouldn’t be too shocking if there were some for dragons too.

Given the recent trend in hunter stories, someone might have jotted down something useful.

But would it really help if she read it?

Da-eun was skeptical.

“R-run away!”

“Eek!”

Each time the massive wings brushed by, buildings collapsed, and the fireballs spewed from its mouth scorched the ground, it was hard not to think that way.

As the hot heat swept across her face, Da-eun snapped back to her senses.

“Run, I have to run….”

But where to?

The buildings were crumbling like toothpicks!

“Let’s just go anywhere…!”

Staying in an empty open space would just make her an easy target.

Although up till now the dragon showed no interest in her, she couldn’t count on that lasting forever.

Therefore, Da-eun began moving step by step without a plan.

‘Kana couldn’t have lost. Our paths just crossed at the wrong time.’

She desperately tried to ignore the ominous thoughts flitting through her mind.

So, in front of Da-eun unfolded a scene of chaos on the street.

It wasn’t just Da-eun who was confused by the sudden attack.

Demon race members were rushing out of burning houses, and some were holding their children tightly, holding their breath.

And there was even a demon race member Da-eun had seen yesterday.

“Attack quickly!”

“But, the attacks aren’t reaching them!”

“Damn it! Is magic just for decoration? Use your bows or magic to attack! Are we just going to watch the village burn?!”

“Captain! We’ve run out of arrows!”

“Then throw rocks!”

Magic and arrows made of mana, along with stones, shot up into the sky.

Most were swept away by the winds caused by the flapping wings and never even touched anything, and those that did barely had any strength left as they fell harmlessly against the beast’s sturdy scales, causing no significant damage.

It was so unreasonable.

This was why air superiority was so crucial.

“…Can I help?”

The distance between the sky and the ground.

The distance between the dragon and herself.

As Da-eun weighed them, she shook her head.

‘Impossible.’

There was no need to think about it for long.

Although she could strike with sword energy, it couldn’t reach that high up.

Even if it did, it would simply vanish without penetrating those scales.

Just like the magic the demons had shot before.

Her fist, clenched absentmindedly, turned pale white.

“…I was really stubborn, wasn’t I?”

The vague feeling she had sensed was suddenly closing in on Da-eun.

A sticky sense of powerlessness was rising from her toes.

The same feeling that had gripped her childhood self was trying to invade her once again.

“No.”

Slap!

Yet Da-eun did not succumb to it.

After slapping herself hard enough to hear the sound, she opened her eyes wide.

She was indeed being a nuisance.

She did cause Kana trouble.

But that wasn’t a reason to give up right now.

Those were things she could apologize for and seek forgiveness when they met again; sulking here and pretending to be a victim wouldn’t solve anything.

“Ha, huff….”

Da-eun took a deep breath.

Even if she collected her thoughts, fighting was out of the question.

But what she could do, even if it wasn’t fighting, wasn’t all done yet.

“Help! The building is collapsing…!”

“I’ll be right there! Hang on just a bit longer!”

Crash!

As Da-eun strained, the heavy debris of a building slowly lifted.

It was no easy task even for a strong body.

Beads of sweat streamed down her forehead.

“Got, got it!”

Thud!

“Hah… ha… cough, cough!”

As soon as Da-eun confirmed that the demon trapped under the rubble was safe, she released the debris from her hands.

She took a deep breath, choking on the dust that had stirred up as a result of the shock.

“Thank you, thank you!”

“I thought humans hated us….”

Cough…! No, it’s fine. More importantly, it’s dangerous here, so hurry and escape.”

Thanks to the ring, Da-eun had no fear of mana contamination, so there was no reason for her to be wary of them.

While brushing off the gratitude directed at her, Da-eun moved towards her next goal.

Da-eun, tirelessly running around a village facing disaster from a dragon attack, worked hard for rescue efforts.

Thanks to her efforts, despite the chaos, there weren’t many fatalities.

“…”

Though there were still people she couldn’t save.

An arm was poking out from between the rubble.

Beneath the weakly hanging arm, a pool of red blood was gathering.

“Phew.”

Da-eun averted her gaze from the bloodless arm.

She knew it was inevitable.

Let’s focus on something else for now.

She told herself as if under hypnosis.

“Waaaaah! Mommy!”

“-A child?”

At the sudden sound of a child crying, Da-eun’s head turned instinctively.

A kid, covered in dust and small scratches, was standing in what used to be an alley and was crying at the top of their lungs.

Were they simply lost, or…?

However, Da-eun didn’t have the time to guess the child’s situation.

-…

A massive eye moved.

Even if the child’s crying was loud, it was nowhere close to the howls and screams nearby.

The vertically elongated pupil, exuding a sense of danger, was fixed directly on the child.

And Da-eun caught onto it too.

“D-danger!”

Swallowing the words she couldn’t say, Da-eun lunged forward.

Crash!

“Ugh…!”

The hasty leap caused her to land awkwardly.

Ignoring the slight pain swelling in her body, Da-eun saved the child in her arms.

The child seemed startled and stopped crying, staring up at her with wide eyes.

Despite the abrupt movement, she had managed to protect them, and it looked like the kid wasn’t hurt.

A drop of teardrop fell and moistened Da-eun’s clothing.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh, mmm….”

The child looked a couple of years younger than Kana.

Of course, they were likely much younger in reality, but in terms of appearance, that was the case.

“Did you lose your mommy?”

Da-eun asked the child, feeling anxious.

What if it was not just losing their mom?

After sending the child out of the collapsing house, imagining the mother, who was smiling faintly at the child’s back as debris fell…

“Eek!”

Imagining such a tragic scene, Da-eun vigorously shook her head.

If that were the case, it would surely be a scar, but in a situation like this, one couldn’t avoid asking.

Fortunately, the child nodded.

“I was holding hands with my mommy, but then she disappeared….”

“I see.”

They must have let go during the evacuation.

In a rush to escape, losing family members isn’t that uncommon, and Da-eun easily comprehended it.

“Shall I help you find your mommy?”

“…Really?”

“Of course. I promise.”

Yet before that…

Da-eun glanced over her shoulder, careful not to let the child notice.

The ground was melted by the intense heat, revealing its bare form.

And the ominous eyes were still fixed in their direction.

The demon race members fighting the dragon seemed to have noticed her situation too, as they were raising their voices all around.

Due to the distance, she couldn’t hear them properly, but it was likely orders to flee or to distract the dragon away from her.

Feeling the acrid smoke filling her lungs, she stood up.

“You twisted pervert.”

Among so many demons, she was convinced that the one targeting this child had a terribly suspicious taste.

The evil dragon that swept fear across the Ardina Continent.

Just a single word was enough for a monster who bore even a part of that dragon’s name to become a pervert.

“I never thought ‘Shadow of Krumo’ would have such meaning!”

A simple pervert isn’t scary, but a capable pervert is terrifying.

Especially when it was a flying pervert breathing fire; it would be strange if one wasn’t scared!

That was what Da-eun thought.

“Stick close behind me.”

“Uh-huh….”

Da-eun’s attire wasn’t overly large.

However, her slightly above-average stature was enough to conceal the small child.

Hiding the child behind her back, Da-eun contemplated.

Should she hide?

But with the dragon watching from above, hiding was impossible.

Since she was already a target, fleeing wouldn’t be easy either…

“Ugh… looks like I have no choice.”

I’ll have to trust the demons.

Swoosh-

The sword leaped from its sheath.

While the surrounding area was heated by Krumo’s breath, the sword Da-eun held remained cold.

As the cool sensation settled in, Da-eun’s heart began to calm down.

Finding peace in an object that had previously felt so terrifying…

How unpredictable the world is!

As soon as she took her stance, a fireball came soaring toward her.

Trying to cut through the fireball with a regular sword would turn her into charcoal.

“Hah!”

But Da-eun successfully… well, not easily, but she managed to split the fireball in half.

The flames that lost their focus quickly diminished in strength.

“Since I don’t know how to control mana, I have no choice but to borrow the power of the skill!”

She maintained her composure while continuously defending against the incoming fiery projectiles.

Thanks to her overwhelming stats as an apostle, it was feasible.

‘So fast… But it’s not something I can’t deflect.’

She had faced countless faster attacks before!

Confidence swelled within Da-eun’s heart.

If she could just hold out, help would arrive somehow.

As she projected those thoughts, a few of the demon race members who were attacking the dragon started rushing toward her.

She needed to evacuate the child to safety and escape herself.

Just then, a fierce gust of wind brushed Da-eun’s cheek.

“Wuh…?!”

Air was being sucked away, quickly drawing her in.

Lifting her gaze towards the source, Da-eun was left stunned.

The bulging chest, wide-open mouth, and glimpses of crimson flames between its teeth told her all she needed to know.

“I-it’s a breath attack…!”

Far stronger than the fireballs shot previously was about to come!

“There’s no way to block that…!”

Standing before the breath, her mana-enveloped sword and everything else would become ash in an instant.

Sensing the growing intensity, Da-eun hastily searched for a hiding place.

In a village that had already become a half-ruin, where could she possibly seek refuge?

“W-wait, sis…”

With tiny hands grabbing onto Da-eun’s clothing, she felt the child’s unease.

Seeing the frightened look on the child’s face steeled her resolve.

She crouched down, ensuring eye contact with the child while pointing toward the demon race members.

“On the count of three, you run over there, okay?”

“What about you…?”

“I’ll be fine.”

The eyes that had previously focused on the child now shifted to Da-eun, as if annoyed at her constant interruptions.

At least this way the child should be safe.

She gently patted the dust-covered head of the child.

“One….”

Just in case, she cautiously rose, ensuring the child wouldn’t come into sight of the dragon.

“Two….”

She turned her body halfway, spreading her clothing.

“Three!”

The instant she signaled, the child dashed off.

Thankfully, the dragon’s attention did not follow the child.

“I need to run too….”

…But there was nowhere to flee.

Then she had no choice but to stand her ground.

With a determined expression, Da-eun raised her sword.

‘How many seconds can I hold out?’

She immediately pushed that thought from her mind.

Not about how many seconds she could endure…

“I will survive, no matter what.”

The moment she said that, the air that was sucking her in suddenly ceased.

The chest that had been infinitely expanding also stopped.

Fwooosh!

Immediately after, the crimson breath poured toward the ground.

‘…Ugh!’

She couldn’t even manage a groan as the overwhelming pressure was transmitted through the sword.

Her arms shook as if they might break any moment, but Da-eun gritted her teeth and endured.

Zing…

The fabric of her clothes that touched the breath quickly burned away.

Inside the biting heat, she wished fervently for this moment to pass quickly.

How many seconds had gone by?

Without any time to count, still holding onto her sword, she suddenly noticed the heat that had been tormenting her had vanished.

The pressure that threatened to break her sword was gone as well.

“Did, did I do it…?”

…She really endured the breath attack?

Cautiously, Da-eun opened her eyes.

The flames that had filled her vision were now nowhere to be found.

All that remained was Krumo’s shadow, fluttering its wings in frustration.

“Ah, ahaha…! I did it! I actually did it!”

She cried out in joy at having survived.

To survive a breath attack was truly an accomplishment.

Chills ran down Da-eun’s spine as she celebrated with her own triumph–

“You did.”

…with that, a scornful voice piped up from below her.

“After barely saving you from dying.”

“…Huh?”

Da-eun’s head snapped down, almost creaking.

She hadn’t noticed earlier, but there was a very familiar face looking up at her with a disappointed expression.

The girl held a light red sword, one Da-eun had never seen before.

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