I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 200: It was a business trip, not a vacation (4)

I had cleared the path for them, and the rest was up to them.

I’d gathered a clue, but it wasn’t enough to guide them all the way down the mountain or to the shelter.

One could criticize me for focusing on the ‘usefulness of information’ in a life-or-death situation, but...

"Who cares?"

Unfortunately, I was someone who wasn’t particularly concerned with the value of life.

That said, I didn’t leave them to die. I’d helped as much as I could, didn’t I?

There were no witnesses, so I could’ve just taken the information and left them behind, but I helped anyway, knowing rumors would spread. I figured no one would believe the story, so it wasn’t like I was risking much.

Anyway, from what I could see, the couple’s problem was being trapped by the fallen tree and debris; there didn’t seem to be anything else major wrong with them.

The only possible issue was that the rain had made their lips turn an unsettling shade of blue.

But, as the man said, there was a shelter nearby, so if they moved quickly, they could probably get there before it was too late.

Other problems might arise, but that wasn’t really my concern.

Did they really think it was safe to hike in these conditions?

We weren’t close, and I’d just met them, so there was no reason for me to take on the responsibility for their actions.

Tch.

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.

I lightly kicked the ground and soared into the air as if shot toward the sky.

The rain lashed against my body in an attempt to drag me down, but that was nothing. Even the freezing spears of ice or the massive body of the mountain couldn’t hold me back, so why would the rain?

A building flashed beneath me, and the presence of people nearby suggested that the shelter the man mentioned was likely that building.

"Hmm."

I ignored it and kept going.

There was no need to land; I wasn’t tired, and there was no reason to fold my wings and rest.

‘This is really not impressive.’

That was my only thought.

To put it another way, the couple’s bold attempt to go out was in vain, and they would have likely been finished if I hadn’t passed by.

If I hadn’t passed, they would have most likely been in danger.

I shook off those thoughts and took another step forward.

So, in the air.

The ground was far below, and there was nothing in my way, so there was naturally nothing to step on.

Boom—

As I fell toward the ground, my body naturally pushed off the air and shot upward.

With just one leap, I had soared this high, and then, with a second push off the air, I soared even higher.

If the people on Earth saw this, they would have been in a frenzy, but it’s not as hard as it looks.

People here know the principle behind it.

Before my feet touch the ground, I raise the other leg, and before that foot touches the ground, I lift the other one...

By repeating this process, voilà.

Levitation, something even a child could do.

To use a phrase Da-eun likes, I could call it “airwalking.”

...Of course, that was a joke.

It’s impossible to fly like that.

I just thought of something Da-eun might say for a moment, but now that thought is over.

Shwip.

The body that had soared to the heavens finally landed on the ground.

With a soft sound, almost like stepping down, my feet sank slightly into the muddy earth.

The feeling wasn’t pleasant, especially with the wetness sticking to my shoes, but I shrugged it off.

I flicked the dirt stuck to my shoes and looked up.

"I didn’t expect to hit the answer on the first try."

I was lucky.

Just as the man had said, at the peak of Hallasan, the ominous green light was flickering.

As I followed the source of the green light with my eyes, the large crater of Baengnokdam appeared.

Da-eun had said that seeing the water fill Baengnokdam was a lucky thing, but...

"Is this really luck?"

The answer came immediately.

The water was full, and while it was visible, the fact that it was green and overflowing from the pit meant that calling this lucky would be insane.

The true cause of this situation seemed to be lying beneath that water.

"Are we going underwater this time?"

...I really don’t want to.

I didn’t want to make the “mountain trials” real in this way.

Whether I was going to blow the water away or dive into it, which would be more efficient?

The scale tipped in favor of going into the water.

"...This raincoat better be worth it."

Before diving in, I squatted down and dipped the tip of my finger into the water.

It looked like poisonous liquid from the color, but the touch on my finger felt like nothing more than cold water.

The green color was purely from the light, it seemed.

After a quick check, I wiped my finger and stood up.

Swish!

I jumped straight into the air.

No running start needed.

Even without that, it was enough to land right in the middle of the glowing Baengnokdam.

This time, I didn’t resist gravity as I got closer to the green surface, and before I knew it, the green water was rushing up to meet me.

Splash!

The once-full Baengnokdam embraced me as I plunged into the water.

Grrr...

I instinctively opened my mouth, but instead of sound, tiny bubbles flowed out.

Beneath the surface, everything was much brighter than the world above, but that didn’t mean I could see any better.

The light was so intense that my eyes were overwhelmed by it, making it harder to see.

But that was fine.

I could make up for my vision with mana.

Even without seeing, I swam down, following the path that was clearly visible in my mind.

Down, further down.

Eventually, I reached the bottom and tilted my head.

‘...What is this?’

Grrrr?

I knew there were no dimensional beings here before I dove in.

But who knows?

Maybe there was something that could deceive my senses.

I was prepared for that, and fortunately, there were no dimensional beings blocking my way.

Instead, all that remained was a cube-like object glowing green.

I stood on the bottom as I examined it.

First, its shape.

Just as I’d seen earlier, it was a perfect cube with equal sides.

Of course, I didn’t measure it, but it looked like it was exactly that.

Next, the size.

It looked too large to pick up with one hand but small enough that I could hold it with both arms.

It was a size that was neither too big nor too small.

As for the material... I couldn’t tell.

Since it was still intact in the water, it probably wasn’t paper?

‘...’

Bubbl...

I felt like I was thinking something really silly, and even though no one was watching, I still glanced around out of habit.

...I let the other things slide.

The most important thing here, though...

The light shining from the top of the cube.

It was almost certain now that this light was the source of this whole mess, but despite being so close to it, I didn’t feel anything unusual.

Was it because the dimensional beings made this thing, or was it because I wasn’t advanced enough to sense it?

If it was the latter, my pride would take a hit...

But I wouldn’t exactly be happy with the former either.

‘I don’t know.’

Either way, thinking about it wouldn’t change anything.

So I grabbed the cube floating in the water and swam back toward the surface.

Unlike when it was floating in the water, the cube offered no resistance as I held it and pulled it up out of the water.

Once I stood with my feet on solid ground, ignoring the water dripping from my body, I examined the cube.

It had been hard to see clearly underwater, but now that it was out of the water, I could see it was dark purple in color.

No one could say this wasn’t tied to the dimensional beings.

So considerate of it to give me such a clue.

"...Oh."

I tilted the cube slightly, and the green light that had been shooting upwards shifted direction.

Naturally, the change was noticeable, and I was impressed.

I tilted it in different directions, laid it on its side, and flipped it over, watching the light shift with each motion.

I feel like I’ve seen something similar in a video before...

Was it called a laser show?

The green light was weaving across the sky, and suddenly, I released the cube from my hand.

"Wow."

Just like when it was underwater, the cube floated in the air without a ripple.

At this point, I was really curious about what this was made of, but I had no way of knowing.

I could take it to Edel, and she might figure something out.

"Is it really possible?"

If this cube was indeed the object that separates the realms, taking it with me might change the structure of the realm.

But that was a risk, and I shouldn’t take it back to Seoul without knowing what would happen.

So I would inevitably have to destroy or damage it.

"I hope it leaves some remnants."

Every time a dimensional being dies, it leaves only a core behind.

And since this cube was tied to them, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t disappear too.

But as I said before, I couldn’t avoid destroying it.

"Ha."

With a deep sigh, I looked up, and in my hand, a long, pale pink sword had appeared.

Made entirely of mana, it was a bit costly to use, but since I was in perfect condition, I had more than enough mana.

I raised the sword high.

It was time to deal with the environmental destroyers.

The sword, filled with determination, swung down.

Squeak!

The pink blade sank into the cube without any resistance.

For a moment, I was surprised by how smoothly it cut, like slicing through tofu.

"...What—"

Woosh!

Bright light exploded from the cube.

I squinted as the green light flooded the surroundings, as if it was going to consume the entire world.

I struggled to keep my eyes open, but I couldn’t afford to close my eyelids and miss whatever might happen next.

I gathered mana to shield my eyes, waiting for the light to subside or for something to emerge.

"...!"

Beyond the breaking green light.

A massive, sluggish eye met mine.