I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 105: In the Land of the Dead (1)

The sails billowed tightly, and the boat sped smoothly over the sea.

It wasn't as fast as a ship built with Earth's technology, but considering it was moving solely through one person's power, the speed was incredible.

Plus, it didn't require any fuel, making it an extremely eco-friendly...

"...or maybe not?"

Daeun tilted her head, uncertain about her own words.

"...probably not."

After all, miasma—known for turning animals into demon beasts and corrupting vegetation—could hardly be called eco-friendly. That was her conclusion after a brief moment of contemplation.

In any case, the reason Daeun could enjoy such a rapid and comfortable voyage was thanks to Atisha, who spent all her time piloting the boat, only resting when she needed to recover her strength.

"Could you do something like this, Kana? ...Actually, never mind. Forget I asked."

On a sudden impulse, Daeun had directed the question at Kana, but she quickly withdrew it.

She could imagine Kana doing it... but only at the cost of the boat being half-wrecked.

Or with the sails torn to shreds.

In that case, her future would be limited to either drifting across the endless ocean on a broken boat or flying through the sky in Kana’s grasp.

"I’d rather not have that extreme experience again."

Daeun, who wanted to live as long and as healthily as possible, had no interest in another heart-racing, bare-handed flight. She placated Kana, who had looked a bit sullen, as if she thought she was being underestimated.

A few days later...

Finally, Daeun caught sight of land.

Thanks to the system dulling her senses, she hadn't experienced seasickness despite the bumpy ride, but the boredom and restlessness from the confined space had remained the same.

She had been eagerly awaiting the day they would reach land.

But now that it was so close that she could actually see it...

...Gulp.

Daeun couldn't bring herself to shout in joy.

"Black soil... I think I heard that black soil is supposed to be great for farming..."

But Daeun was certain that the "black soil" she had heard about wasn’t referring to the land ahead of them.

It wasn’t just the color; even from a distance, she could tell that there was no sign of life.

She got the sense that if she planted a seed in that soil, instead of sprouting, it would rot away instantly.

But that wasn’t the only thing making her uneasy.

A dense black fog hung over the area like a shroud, blocking the sunlight, giving the place an eerie and gloomy atmosphere, despite the clear and sunny day.

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

Daeun didn’t have the nerve to step onto land in a place like that.

As the black wind stilled the sails, the boat, which had been moving briskly, came to a stop.

"I’ll go no further..."

"What? ...Ah, I see."

At Atisha's sudden words, Daeun turned to check her expression and quickly understood.

Her face, already pale, was now ghostly white, as if she could collapse at any moment.

Oh, right. She’d left Raxia because her broken horn made it too much to bear...

"It’s... still hard... even now..."

Atisha’s breathing was labored, as though she were being choked. Anyone who asked her to go further would have to be heartless.

Daeun lightly patted Atisha’s back, seeing the mix of frustration and regret in her gaze as she looked toward Raxia.

"Thank you for guiding us."

With Selene’s sacred power enveloping Atisha, her pale complexion gradually improved.

"The chieftain is in the center of Raxia... The path is laid out, so getting there shouldn’t be difficult..."

While the people of Ardina called the leader of the demon folk the Demon King, the demons, including Atisha, referred to him as the "chieftain."

Considering their origin as the Clan of Purifiers, it wasn’t a strange title.

"I’ll prepare a small boat for you, so take it."

"Is that necessary? For this distance, I could just run—mph."

"Please, we’d be so grateful if you did!"

Daeun quickly covered Kana's mouth to stop her from saying something reckless.

Ignoring Kana’s disgruntled look, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The group moved to a small boat that had been tied to the larger vessel.

Without sails, the small boat would have been cramped if three adult men had boarded it, but with the smaller Kana and two adult women, it was fine.

"If it were three people like Selene, it might be a bit tight..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I felt a gaze... but I guess it was just my imagination."

Daeun, who had been sneaking glances at a certain part of Selene, quickly feigned innocence.

Her perfectly natural reaction left Selene slightly unsettled but without any suspicion.

As a result, she missed Daeun’s sly smile, and the truth remained hidden beneath the surface...

Slap!

"..."

"..."

...That is, it would have, if there hadn’t been a witness.

Daeun suddenly remembered the pink-haired girl standing nearby, looking thoroughly displeased.

She was staring directly at Daeun with a mixture of disdain and contempt in her pink eyes, making Daeun swallow nervously.

"..."

"Kana."

"What."

Daeun gave a thumbs-up.

"Don’t worry. Someday, you’ll grow up to be like Selene too. ...Actually, that might be a shame. Then you won’t be able to fit in my arms like this."

"Just die."

"Waaah?! I-I’ll fall! I really will...!"

...Close call...!

Barely managing to avoid being tossed into the ocean, Daeun breathed heavily, feeling her damp hair cling to her as she settled back down.

"It’s nice to see you two get along so well."

"...Are you joking, Selene?"

"Huh? I meant it..."

"...I see. Thanks."

While she appreciated the sentiment, how could anyone think we were getting along after seeing what just happened?

Or was it just because I was the one being "victimized," making it seem that way to an observer?

But then again, looking at the chat, Daeun’s viewers were flooding it with hook emojis.

"Is this a chat or a hook factory?"

"Here, take this."

"Take... what?"

Thud!

Hearing the voice from the deck, Daeun reflexively ducked as a shadow loomed over her, only to see Kana reaching up to catch something that had been tossed down.

"What’s this...?"

"You’ll need it..."

It was a paddle, made of wood, with one end flat and the other thin.

It was also the object Daeun had touched on her first day on the boat.

"This boat doesn’t have a sail..."

Riding the currents toward the continent, they might be able to reach shore without rowing.

However, not knowing the direction of the currents here, they couldn’t rely on chance.

Read 𝓁atest chapters at fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm Only.

If they ended up drifting farther out to sea, they’d be in serious trouble.

"Here."

"Huh? Why are you giving it to me...?"

"...Didn’t you want to row?"

"Uh... I never said I wanted to row."

"...Is that so? Then I guess I’ll have to do it... Or maybe ask Selene."

Kana’s voice wavered slightly, as did Daeun’s gaze.

"This is clearly a trap... Kana’s cunning trap to lure me in...!"

But knowing that didn’t change what Daeun could do.

**- Journey/Controversy/Child Abuse

MeMePassing hard labor onto a kid, slacking off; trashy behaviorUnsubbedBoo, trash**"On second thought, it’s always been my dream to be a boat rower!"

Daeun, whose strength was hardly enough to fight the currents, all but snatched the paddle from Kana’s hand.

Initially, she had only been flustered by the sudden offer and hadn’t intended to push the responsibility onto Kana... or Selene.

"With those thin arms, how could I even consider it?"

Letting out a sigh, Daeun readjusted her grip on the paddle.

She wasn’t skilled, but it wasn’t her first time trying this.

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

With a hopeful thought, Daeun assumed a slightly clumsy but enthusiastic posture and began to row with all her might.

"Even a worm has talents... I guess Daeun has something she’s good at too."

...Wait, that doesn’t sound like admiration.

It’s not even a compliment—it sounds more like an insult in disguise.

Daeun, her expression somewhat disgruntled, continued rowing.

But for some reason, there was no sense of progress.

It was thanks to Kana that she found out why.

"Idiot."

Swish.

With a flick of Kana’s hand, the knot was untied, and the rope that had been anchoring the boat slipped loose.

"...So embarrassing."

Daeun buried her face in her hands, her ears flushing red.

"Take care..."

"Yeah."

"We’ll be back."

"Thank you..."

With those simple farewells, the boat glided over the water toward Raxia.

After days of sailing, Daeun finally set foot on land.

"...Ugh!"

It’s common for someone to feel seasick when they step on land after a long journey.

Their body, adjusted to the ship’s movement, struggles with the absence of that swaying.

But Daeun’s nausea wasn’t from seasickness.

"Corpses..."

Selene muttered, unable to mask her distress.

They hadn’t expected a welcoming crowd... but they hadn’t expected this sight either.

Corpses.

And more corpses.

Looking around, there wasn’t a single living soul in sight—only bodies greeted them.

Daeun squeezed her eyes shut.