I Became a Raid Boss

“Ugh… Ughhhhh….”

“…”

“Uwaaaack…!”

“…”

“Just a little… Ughhhhh… If we go slowly, I—blarghhh!”

“…Really.”

…She’s unbelievable.

Swallowing my sigh with those words, I stopped walking. Beside me, Yuki also halted abruptly.

Turning her head, she spoke.

“…Huuuugh…”

Trailing behind us, a zombie staggered toward us, wobbling like a ragdoll.

“Kyaah! …Oh, it’s a person. I thought it was a monster.”

A hiker walking from the opposite direction was startled at the sight of Shin Da-eun’s state and then patted their chest in relief.

The hiker, who looked as though they’d seen a ghost, glanced back at Shin Da-eun even after turning the corner and disappearing from sight. As if genuinely doubting whether she was actually a zombie.

How shocked must they have been to react like that?

“Here.”

I handed a water bottle to Da-eun as she shuffled closer. She took it without a word.

She didn’t say thank you, but I didn’t feel disappointed. I’m not so heartless as to expect gratitude from someone who looks like they just escaped death’s grip.

“Drink slowly.”

I don’t want her choking.

Usually, when I said things like that, Da-eun would respond with something like “Kana, you’re so kind…” or “I’m touched!” But today, she just gulped down the water without a word.

It’s honestly surprising she didn’t choke.

“…Phew!”

She emptied half the bottle in one go.

“Now I feel alive again…”

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said.

“It’s not that I’m out of shape; you two are just too fast. Didn’t you see how everyone else was freaked out earlier?”

“Well, then those people must be out of shape too.”

“…Yuki, have you ever thought that the world isn’t as simple as you think? Maybe it’s not that they lack exercise, but that you overdo it.”

“Never thought of that.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

Classic Yuki.

Sighing, Da-eun shook her head as she handed the water bottle back to me.

“Thanks, it really helped.”

“Sure.”

“But didn’t I drink too much? What if you get thirsty later?”

“It’s just thirst. I’m not going to die or anything.”

“When you say it, Kana, it doesn’t sound like a joke…”

“?”

I tilted my head.

“Don’t make that ‘I was serious’ face.”

“I was serious, though.”

“…And I didn’t mean for you to say it out loud.”

“But it’s true.”

I wouldn’t die just because I didn’t drink or eat for a few days.

“That’s not weak; that’s just normal…”

Da-eun sighed deeply with an exasperated expression.

“Kana, Yuki, why are there no normal people around me?”

“I think you already know the answer.”

“Nooo~?”

The way she dragged out her words suggested she understood perfectly but pretended not to, glancing around as if trying to change the subject.

Honestly, out of the three of us, the most peculiar one was undoubtedly Da-eun herself.

Maybe people really can’t objectively evaluate themselves.

Still, instead of saying that out loud, I asked something else.

“So, do you dislike it?”

“Huh, what?”

“Being surrounded by us.”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden…?”

Da-eun flailed her arms at the unexpected question.

“…How could I dislike it? You’re so adorable…!”

“So, if I weren’t adorable, you’d dislike it?”

“Hey, are you trying to mess with me?”

If you play around, you’ve got to be ready for the consequences!

A mischievous grin appeared on Da-eun’s face.

“Oh.”

At the same time, I felt my body being lifted off the ground.

Wasn’t it someone else who was just on the verge of collapse moments ago?

Now Da-eun, as if proving she was perfectly fine, picked me up and swung me around effortlessly.

“If you exhaust yourself and fall behind, I’ll really leave you behind this time.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Carrying Kana recharges me, not drains me. Sometimes I think Kana says the weirdest things.”

“It’s not me; it’s Da-eun’s brain that’s weird.”

“No, hear me out.”

“I really don’t want to.”

I already knew it’d be something stupid, so what’s the point in listening?

But Da-eun, ignoring my reluctance, began to speak.

“You know, they say when people come home after a tough day at work, getting scolded and humiliated, seeing their kids’ faces makes it all go away. It’s the same thing. Seeing something cute makes you forget all the hardship.”

“That’s a completely different topic.”

“It’s the same to me!”

“…Sigh.”

As usual, the conversation ended with my resigned sigh.

Arguing any further was pointless.

Leaving my feet dangling in the air, I turned to Yuki and asked.

“How much farther?”

Yuki glanced at a nearby signpost and answered.

“Hmm… about thirty minutes.”

“That’s less time than I expected.”

“Right? I’ve never been here before, but at this pace, it’s worth coming back for a stroll now and then.”

“…That’s because we’re climbing too quickly. Normal people don’t get here this fast. Look at this!”

Shin Da-eun pulled out her phone and started searching for something.

Balancing me in one arm while typing away with the other looked surprisingly efficient, but…

Did she really need to go this far?

“The average hiking time is four and a half hours. See? But do you know how long it took us to get here?”

“…Do I need to know?”

“Of course, you do! I need to prove I’m not out of shape!”

She sounded like she was letting out a grievance from the depths of her soul.

“Three hours! It only took us three hours from the trailhead to here! And if you subtract the time we stopped, it’s even less!”

“Estimated times on signs are usually padded a bit. That’s why you can often get there sooner than expected if you follow map apps.”

“No way you can shave off over an hour!”

The back-and-forth continued… though Shin Da-eun seemed to be the only one fired up.

Unable to listen any longer, I wriggled free from her grasp.

“Ah!”

Ignoring her disappointed exclamation, I hopped down.

I welcomed the feeling of solid ground beneath my feet again and said nonchalantly.

“We’ve rested enough. Let’s go.”

“Already? It hasn’t even been five minutes.”

“You said you were recharged.”

“…”

Unable to deny her own boastful words, she fell silent.

If she had argued, I was ready to give her an earful every time she tried to carry me in the future. Maybe her instincts told her to stay quiet.

Slumping her shoulders, Da-eun trudged forward as if she were being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

With wide eyes filled with exaggerated misery, she eventually spoke up.

“…Can’t we at least hold hands?”

“…Are you a kid?”

“Ugh.”

“If you hate it so much, why did you even suggest hiking?”

“I didn’t think it’d be this intense… I misjudged the clientele’s preferences, and now I’m paying for it…”

Despite her half-crying tone, she followed along without much trouble.

The weekday morning and offseason had made me assume we wouldn’t encounter many people, but to my surprise, there were quite a few hikers on the same path.

Some appeared to be families, while others seemed to be part of groups.

There was no uniformity among the diverse groups we passed, but most shared a common behavior.

“Hello! Are you here with a friend?”

“Hello! Yes, I came with a friend.”

“That’s nice to see. Is this your younger sibling? They look so young. It’s admirable they’re hiking with you. My kids can’t go five minutes without fighting…”

“Hehe, my sibling is pretty great.”

They greeted people we passed, whether with a simple bow or a short conversation.

“There’s no rule saying you have to, but why not? It doesn’t cost anything, and a friendly greeting can brighten someone’s mood.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Not that I’d start doing it myself, but I could understand the sentiment.

It’s basically, “What’s good for others is good for me.”

“…That’s not quite it, but oh well.”

Da-eun quickly erased her puzzled expression. We continued past a resting older woman and resumed climbing.

By now, Da-eun’s breathing was laced with wheezes, and while Yuki didn’t show it, beads of sweat glistened on her nape.

As for me? I was fine.

If I wanted to, I could climb this mountain in mere minutes. There’s no way I’d struggle here.

But finally, the end came into sight.

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, Da-eun quickened her pace.

The one who had lagged behind the entire hike now ran ahead of us. Yuki, not to be outdone, chased after her.

“We’re finally here…!”

The manmade stairs ended, and a vast sky opened up before us.

At the start, I had been worried about the weather, but it turned out to be baseless. The clear blue sky greeted us warmly.

Beneath it, a lake shimmered, reflecting the sky so vividly that it felt like there were two heavens.

A view that seemed to bring the heavens to earth.

Gazing at the lake, I was brought to a halt by a post blocking the way forward.

“Hallasan Mountain is synonymous with Jeju Island, and Baengnokdam is iconic to Hallasan. Despite its fame, it’s surprisingly rare to see this view.”

Noticing my presence, Da-eun started talking, though her eyes stayed fixed on the lake.

“They say fog forms frequently, and the water drains quickly. You need good luck to see a scene like this.”

Finally, she turned to look at me.

Her brown-tinged eyes curved gently, her smile matching them.

“In that sense, we’re really lucky.”

Her gaze seemed to say, “Isn’t it worth coming here?”

Though her voice remained unspoken, her eyes conveyed the message clearly.

“Yeah.”

I mirrored her smile and responded.

“It’s beautiful.”

—

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