I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 199: It was a business trip, not a vacation (3)

I momentarily turned back in time.

"Be careful and don't get hurt."

"I wish I could go with you..."

I left the pension with Da-eun’s farewell and Yuki’s inexplicable envy.

As soon as I opened the door, the pouring rain, as if the sky had torn open, hit my body relentlessly.

Could an ordinary person withstand this rain?

"Mm."

Creeeak—!

As I was thinking for a moment, a cracking sound from a few steps away suddenly reached my ears.

Even amidst the deafening sound of rain, I clearly heard it, and when I turned my head, I saw a tree, its trunk broken, lying flat on the ground.

It wasn’t particularly thick, but it wasn’t so thin either.

I nodded as I examined the tree trunk.

"This won’t do."

The human body isn’t sturdier than the tree trunk.

If someone gets hit by it, their body would probably be covered in bruises.

A weak person might even be bedridden for days, not just bruising.

I kicked the tree trunk lightly, then looked up.

The rain reduced the visibility significantly, but that was no problem.

The rain couldn’t hide the mountain towering in the distance, even with the fog created by the downpour.

"Of course, those damn people decided to invade during my vacation."

I’ve heard the best compliment among gamers is being told “You play this game so terribly.”

If the dimensional beings had heard my words, they might’ve been pleased.

Whether in a game or a war, the best praise comes from insults from the enemy.

As I scanned the area, I took a step forward.

At the same time, the scenery stretched out and moved away quickly, as if trying to escape from me.

‘Well... that can’t be the case.’

Step by step.

Each time I stepped, the scenery around me changed rapidly.

The rain was pouring like crazy, and the overflowing water was soaking my calves, but there were still some people walking down the streets.

I avoided them, walking off the beaten path, occasionally jumping over buildings, and soon, I arrived at the base of the mountain.

If I hadn’t been careful about the onlookers, I could have gotten here much earlier.

After the stalking incident, I became more cautious, realizing how strange people could be, so I started paying more attention.

As a result, in the heavy rain, I became the bizarre sight of a yellow chick raincoat-wearing creature with a hood pulled down low and sunglasses on.

Wow.

"...Even I think this is a bit much."

Anyone could tell I looked suspicious.

Then again, I guess it’s not normal to climb a mountain in this weather, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

Anyway.

I arrived at a different place than I had climbed with the others a few days ago.

At that time, the other two were with me, and there was no need to hurry, but the situation was different now.

There was no need to stick to the hiking trail, so I intentionally chose this route.

It was a bit inconvenient, but it allowed me to move quickly without being seen.

I had already surpassed the level where I’d care about terrain, so climbing the mountain wasn’t difficult.

Though the height was unknown, the terrain of the mountain I used to live near was much tougher.

So, without any sightseeing, I continued, leaving the rapidly disappearing scenery behind.

"──...?!"

"?"

I jumped and landed, and a faint sound reached my ears.

It was so faint that for a moment, I thought I had imagined it.

But then, similar sounds came one after another, confirming that I wasn’t mistaken.

Just then, a presence appeared in my heightened awareness.

Normally, I would have ignored it and kept moving.

"Should I check it out?"

I had come out to deal with the situation.

Since the presence in my awareness could be related to the dimensional beings, I couldn’t just ignore it.

Of course, the chances were low, but who knew?

So, I began walking toward the source of the presence.

What I found was...

"Pe-people?! Over here...!"

"Help...! There’s someone here!"

"..."

A couple, trapped in debris and unable to move, appeared to be stuck.

It seemed that a nearby tree had fallen, blocking their path.

Due to the large pile of debris, they were stuck in a deadlock, unable to move forward or back.

But wasn’t this not the hiking trail?

When we climbed the mountain a few days ago, the hiking trail was well-maintained, but now, no traces of the trail were visible no matter how hard I looked.

Even if it was destroyed by the downpour, there should have been some sign of the trail left.

"...A child?"

Meanwhile, the other side also seemed to have questions.

The two, who had noticed my presence and were seeking help, stopped as soon as they saw me.

"Why is a child here...?"

"Sunglasses?"

They didn’t seem very old.

Are they a couple?

Whatever the case, seeing them look at me with a shared sense of confusion, they definitely seemed to be well-matched.

"...A ghost?"

"There’s no such thing as ghosts."

"But it’s weird... who wears sunglasses in weather like this?"

"There’s no rule against wearing them. Maybe they’re a celebrity."

"A celebrity hiking in this weather?"

"Maybe they suddenly wanted to climb a mountain."

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Isn’t that more believable than a ghost?"

"...Hmm."

Is that so?

Now that I think about it, it feels like it doesn’t match.

"Anyway."

The man, who had been scolding the woman, turned his head toward me.

"Did you come with your parents? Where are they?"

"They’re not here."

"...Not here? Oh, so you lost your parents? Do you have any idea where they might be?"

"Yeah."

"Really? Then could you go to them and ask for help?"

"I can’t. They’re in heaven."

Was that a subtle way of telling me to die?

If so, it’s a very fresh way of doing it.

I didn’t notice at all.

"..."

"...Are you a trash?"

"No, how would I know...?"

"So why did you suddenly mention your parents?"

"Well, a child is wandering around the mountain, so that’s probably why..."

The man couldn’t hide his embarrassment, but I didn’t think he was speaking with that intention.

"...Huh! Did you climb the mountain...?"

The man’s eyes shook violently, as if there had been an earthquake.

"Cough...! Hey, right now it’s sad and hopeless, but there will be light someday. I’ve been through hard times too—"

"...What are you doing?"

"Wait. We have to save the kid first..."

The two whispered to each other, trying to keep their voices down, but unfortunately, I could hear everything.

"Are you a couple?"

"Yeah, yeah? Yep. We’re dating. ...Oh, right! You’ll definitely get a reliable boyfriend like me. So, don’t lose hope—"

"Really? You’re so shameless!"

"...Stop interrupting!"

"Hmph."

They really are a couple.

"What were you doing here?"

"Well..."

Why am I even answering?

The man gave me a puzzled look but opened his mouth readily.

"We were originally in the shelter up there, but we thought it wouldn’t be safe anymore, so we were coming down."

"Why?"

"I felt uneasy. The roof was creaking, water was leaking through the windows... And on top of that, our food was running out, so I couldn’t stay there anymore."

I wasn’t saying I didn’t understand.

But still, isn’t it safer to just wait for the rain to stop rather than recklessly try to descend the mountain?

As if reading my thoughts, the man gave a wry smile.

"...If I had known this would happen, I would have just stayed there. So, can I ask a favor?"

"A favor?"

"Up ahead, there’s a shelter. There are people gathered there. Could you go to the shelter and tell them we’re here? I know it’s a lot to ask, but as you can see, there’s no one else to ask."

"Hmm."

"I know it’s not my place, but descending the mountain in this weather is not a good choice."

"That’s really not your place to say."

"...Haha."

The man chuckled again.

This time, it was a slightly more awkward laugh.

Helping him wasn’t a big deal.

"I have a question."

But that’s a different matter.

"I should ask the right questions."

"Do you really have to ask this now?"

"Yes."

"...Alright. What is it?"

"This isn’t a hiking trail. Why are you here?"

I asked, hoping for a small clue about the dimensional beings.

I didn’t expect much.

"The hiking trail got destroyed, so we couldn’t pass."

"Aha."

As expected, the answer was underwhelming.

My interest waned quickly, but I decided to ask the rest of my questions.

"Have you seen anything strange nearby? Suspicious things?"

"The person in front of me is suspicious."

"...Hey, kid."

The woman, who had been silently receiving the man’s criticism, now spoke up with a look full of disdain.

"Are you playing detective? Or maybe copying a comic? Sorry, but we’re not free enough to hang out with you. If you’re not going to help, just leave."

"Hey, hey... why are you saying it like that?"

"Did I say anything wrong?"

"...Still, you should at least try to persuade me. Standing around here won’t get us anywhere."

"Sigh..."

The man tried to calm the woman down.

She did seem to ease up a little, but she didn’t fully relax. With a disgusted expression, she turned her head away.

"Strange things?"

The man, who had been giving the woman a wry smile, pretended to think hard.

"I don’t really know what you mean."

"Guess I was right."

In the end, the reveal didn’t seem to lead anywhere.

But, at least he had answered sincerely, so I should help him.

Reaching out to clear the tree blocking their way, I paused as a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

"...Ah!"

With a sudden realization, I blurted out.

"I saw a green light coming up from the top of the mountain last night. I saw it when we were coming down too. Maybe someone who couldn’t evacuate is sending out a distress signal?"

"Green light..."

Could a distress signal really be so clear and long in this rain?

Really?

I thought it was all for nothing.

"Not for nothing."

"Huh? What did you say?"

The man reacted to my muttering, but I didn’t bother responding.

"It was helpful."

"Ah... well, I’m glad."

The man’s answer gave me a clue, but it wasn’t confirmed until we actually went there.

At least I had a lead now.

And I liked that even in a crisis, he stayed calm and answered thoughtfully.

Otherwise, we would have wasted more time or left without any leads.

"So, I’ll help you."

"...Really?! Thank you! No, this isn’t the time for that. What can I even do?"

"I’m not going to the shelter."

"...Huh?"

I had made an exception to reveal myself for information, but I didn’t want others to see it.

It wasn’t that I lacked strength.

I looked at the man with the bewildered face and the woman now glaring at me. I raised my hand.

"..."

"..."

"...Yeon-ah."

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"...Yeah."

The man, who had been staring blankly ahead, called the woman next to him.

The woman, responding to her boyfriend’s call, looked just as puzzled.

Until a moment ago, a large pile of debris had blocked their way.

With a loud sound, I unintentionally closed my eyes and when I opened them again, the path before them was clear.

Did I just dream that?

"...Ow."

The man, who suddenly pinched his own cheek, received only pain and the woman’s incredulous gaze in return.

As the man rubbed his burning cheek alone, he said.

"Earlier, you said there’s no such thing as ghosts."

"Yeah..."

"Maybe there are."

"I guess so."