I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 123: Demon King (3)

The girl felt an unspoken compulsion: she had to leave the place where she’d awakened.

Guided by instinct, she began descending the mountain. Her pace was neither hurried nor sluggish, but it didn’t take her long to reach the base.

Step by step.

Each time her foot touched the ground, the surrounding trees lost their vitality. Their once-lush branches withered and fell with brittle snaps. Animals and monsters, sensing danger, held their breath or fled as quickly as they could.

Nothing seemed capable of blocking her path except for the rugged terrain. Even that, however, failed to impede her progress.

Thud.

The girl stood at the edge of a massive boulder.

Her arrival here was not intentional—it was simply where her steps had led her.

The boulder was so large that one might call it a cliff. Even a fully grown adult would risk injury leaping from such a height, and for someone as small as the girl, it would seem impossible to avoid harm.

Most would look for a way around or carefully descend by finding footholds along the rocky face.

Swoosh—

But the girl stepped forward as if walking across flat ground.

If someone had been nearby to witness her actions, they would have screamed, either shielding their eyes from the impending disaster or rushing to save her.

However, any such effort would have proven meaningless.

Beneath the girl’s feet, black mist gathered and solidified.

Tap.

The same mist that had passed harmlessly through her earlier now firmly supported her.

The girl continued walking, completely unfazed, each step lowering her gently to the ground.

After passing a few more trees, she finally emerged onto an open plain.

"...?"

The plain bore a strange sight: a giant diagonal scar carved into the earth.

From afar, it appeared as a clean, sharp line, as if drawn by a brush on a canvas. Curious, the girl tilted her head and approached it.

As she drew closer, the details became clearer.

The "line" was actually a deep fissure in the ground, splitting the earth into two sides. Within the crevice, charred ashes were scattered, evidence of a destructive force.

"..."

For the first time, the girl stopped walking.

‘──────! ───...!’

‘─? ───.’

The sensation of something tickling her mind made her frown.

What were these faint whispers brushing against her thoughts?

What were they saying?

The girl didn’t know, but she remained by the fissure, wandering aimlessly as if tethered to the strange voices.

Only after the whispers faded completely did she finally resume her journey.

"...Strange."

Gasp!

For the first time, a delicate voice escaped her lips.

Startled by her own sound, the girl clamped her hands over her mouth.

Her wide, innocent eyes rolled in every direction, as if trying to understand what had just happened.

Without the ominous black mist surrounding her, the sight would have been endearing enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face.

"Ah... ah?"

Realizing the voice was her own, the girl cautiously opened her mouth again.

Fascinated by the novelty of her sound, she mimicked the behavior of a child learning to speak, repeating simple, nonsensical noises.

While the girl amused herself with her voice, two figures appeared on the plain.

They approached the fissure much like the girl had earlier.

Unlike her, however, their actions carried purpose.

The girl’s curiosity had been pure, but the men’s intent was clear in their sharp gazes and their focused search among the ashes.

The men noticed the girl before she noticed them.

Her soft voice, carried by the wind, reached the ears of the man holding a sword.

He straightened and spotted the girl in the distance.

"Hey, there’s someone over there."

"First time seeing a person? Stop wasting time and help me look. Even a scrap of armor could make us rich."

"Everything’s burned to ashes. What could possibly be left? And I wouldn’t have mentioned it if it were just a person."

Reluctantly, his companion turned to look. His face, initially skeptical, quickly morphed into one of disbelief.

Blinking rapidly and rubbing his eyes, he tried to determine if he was imagining things.

"...Isn’t that Canaria? Wasn’t she in Raxia?"

"Maybe it’s cosplay?"

"Cosplay?"

The first man squinted at the girl, considering the possibility.

But as he examined her more closely, he shook his head.

"No way. Hair color, eye color—sure, you could match those. But her face? Her build? You can’t replicate that perfectly. And her look isn’t exactly common to begin with."

"If that’s cosplay, it’s more like transformation."

"Don’t they say women’s transformations are always innocent?"

"What are you even talking about?"

Ignoring his friend’s nonsense, the man began walking toward the girl.

"Couldn’t you hit a little softer? My HP’s dropping in chunks."

Grumbling, his friend followed.

As they approached, the first man became more certain.

The girl ahead of them was undoubtedly the NPC he knew.

The uncanny resemblance, her presence here despite supposedly being in Raxia—it all unsettled him, but he was convinced.

"What the hell? It really is her."

"...Shouldn’t you not be surprised?"

"Why would I expect this?!"

The man scratched the back of his head.

"I figured she just looked similar..."

"You’ve never seen Canaria in person?"

"No, I’m seeing her now, obviously."

"Not what I meant, idiot. Have you seen her before?"

"No, but what does it matter?"

Muttering under his breath, the second man quieted.

The first man, meanwhile, couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

"Doesn’t she seem... different? She’s not like what I’ve seen online."

"People say celebrities look different in person all the time."

"No, seriously. It’s like her spirit’s missing or something."

"...You might be right."

He studied the girl more closely, finally understanding what his friend meant.

The sharp, vigilant aura that defined Canaria was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the girl exuded an innocent, childlike demeanor.

She didn’t even notice their approach, too preoccupied with her newfound voice.

"Hey... think we could catch her?"

"Catch who?!"

"Canaria."

"Are you insane?"

The first man dismissed the idea, but his friend insisted.

"Look at her. She’s not normal right now. No party’s ever succeeded in taking her down before, but maybe we could—"

The man hesitated.

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His friend’s logic wasn’t entirely wrong.

No allies, no defenses, seemingly unaware of her surroundings—it was the perfect opportunity.

"If we succeed, we’d be famous. Interviews, forums, everything!"

The idea stirred something long-buried within him—a dream of recognition.

"...Let’s do it."

Drawing his sword, he felt a brief pang of guilt.

But his desire for fame quickly snuffed it out.

They charged at the girl, recording their every move as evidence of their "victory."

Tap, tap, tap!

The girl turned at the sound of their footsteps, her pink eyes meeting theirs.

They were mere steps away from striking her down.

But then—

Crunch.

"...Huh?"

The man found himself sprawled on the ground, unable to move.

His vision darkened, and as he struggled to comprehend what had happened, a familiar death message appeared.

"...?"

The men, consumed by the black mist, vanished without a trace.

The girl, intrigued by their sudden disappearance, stared at the spot where they had been.

But her interest waned quickly, and she turned away, continuing her aimless journey.