I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 241: Wayfarer (2)

‘....’

I’m hungry.

Not that there’s any real hunger, though.

The faint memory, like dust that blows away with a light breath, was telling me that I was "hungry."

But even if I shoved something into my mouth, the hunger would subside for only a moment.

The relentless hunger always lingered, gnawing at my body as it circled around.

Maybe it would never disappear, not even when I die.

Others called this a curse, but for that entity, hunger was not a curse—it was a mark.

A brand burned into the bodies of those who committed unspeakable sins.

A punishment meant to confront them with their crimes, making them regret forever.

And so, that entity accepted the mark, for it was the greatest form of atonement a sinner could achieve.

‘....’

But, what if this sin could be washed away?

Then, perhaps, I could willingly surrender my body.

As that entity curled up, its eyes briefly flashed with a scene—one from another place.

A vibrant blue planet, pulsing with life, stood in stark contrast to the place it resided.

By car, by boat.

After hours of travel, we arrived at a quiet island.

Stepping off the boat, I took in a deep breath of the salty air mixed with the scent of fish, scanning my surroundings.

Whenever I stepped onto a new place, one of my old habits was to check for anything to hide behind, or any strategic advantage the terrain might offer.

‘Well, just a joke.’

To be more precise, it was an old habit.

I used to do that, but now, I had long stopped.

I was just looking around out of curiosity.

Da-eun had told me on the way here that the only people living on the island were our host, but as we reached the dock, I noticed signs of human touch.

For instance, there were paths made of wooden planks, and fences built around them.

Among other things, there were various signs of human effort, but...

‘Did they really do all this by themselves?’

It wouldn’t be impossible, but it must have been quite an effort.

While I was fiddling with a sign, Da-eun spoke up.

“They say there used to be others living on this island too. Maybe some of the things here were made by them.”

“Ah, I see.”

But why bring that up now?

I cast a questioning glance.

"Did you think I was thinking, 'Wow, they did all this alone'?"

"...Da-eun. Be honest with me."

"Huh?"

"You have superpowers, don’t you?"

Mind reading, or something...

You better tell the truth quickly.

I sent her a barrage of looks, and Da-eun, unable to hold herself back, burst out laughing.

"I don’t have any of that! It’s just that Kana’s expression is so transparent, it’s easy to read. Yuki even said so, didn’t he?"

“Did Yuki say that?”

"He did."

...I don’t really remember, but...

“Even so, I don’t think anyone else could read it as well as you.”

"Really? It’s just that we haven’t spent enough time together. But once we get used to each other, I think anyone could do it."

"I can't."

I seriously disagreed with Da-eun’s claim.

While I could guess from her expression that I was [N O V E L I G H T] deep in thought, I couldn’t believe anyone could pinpoint my exact thoughts like Da-eun did.

Not even Dad or Erin could do that.

"Hehe."

Although my words were rejected, surprisingly, Da-eun didn’t show a sour expression.

Instead, she grinned with joy, as though pleased with herself.

"Well, that’s not so bad. It means I’m the only one who can read Kana’s thoughts, right? That means I’m special to Kana."

After finishing her sentence, Da-eun looked at me, as if waiting to see my reaction.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

"What’s so special about that?"

"Eh?"

Da-eun’s reaction was one of surprise, as if I had thrown off her expectations.

"If I weren’t special, I wouldn’t have accepted living with you when you asked, right?"

After adding that, Da-eun, whose face had turned beet red, gulped in embarrassment.

"I lost this time, Kana... But don’t think I’ll lose next time!"

With that, Da-eun made an exit, though it wasn’t far—just a few steps away.

As I watched Da-eun’s flushed face, my gaze suddenly met that of the PD behind her.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

He had been watching us with a warm smile, but as soon as our eyes met, he gave me a thumbs-up.

"...?"

What was that about?

He didn’t explain his actions, and even after I tilted my head in confusion, he just smiled at me.

‘Well, whatever.’

I decided to drop the question.

After all, he was the one who brought Da-eun on board, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d show his ‘Da-eun-ness’ in some way.

We walked along the wooden path and arrived at the house of our host.

The host was an older man, and he introduced himself as one of the people who had lived on the island long ago.

"The island got boring, so I left, but as I grew older, I started to miss it."

It was a remote place where, without a boat, you couldn’t even get supplies, and there was no one else to interact with.

Living alone on an island, away from civilization, must not have been easy.

Yet, the host smiled, his face lined with wrinkles, saying there was much to be learned from solitude.

Although I didn’t really understand, I didn’t feel the need to argue about how someone I’d just met lived their life, so I let it go.

"Whooo!"

Da-eun yelled and swung an axe.

Thwack!

"Whoa...!"

The wood split neatly, despite her awkward stance.

The people watching couldn’t help but gasp in awe at the perfectly split log.

Da-eun’s face lit up triumphantly.

"It’s not just about strength... but, wow, a young lady is really impressive."

"This much is easy."

At the host’s praise, Da-eun’s shoulders puffed up even more.

She had split a thick log that would have been tough for an adult man to break in half, so it was only natural to be surprised.

But from my perspective, I wasn’t surprised—it was obvious.

I could see a faint blue glow around Da-eun’s arm as she swung the axe.

"Haam..."

I stretched and rubbed my eyes, and Da-eun suddenly came over.

Swipe.

"Now it’s Kana’s turn!"

I was handed the axe by Da-eun in a daze.

"...?"

"You’re doing it with me!"

"Oh."

That’s right. I wasn’t here just to be an audience.

Sitting back and watching was the job of an audience member, not something a program participant should do.

Understanding my situation with that short exchange, I stood up from the log I was sitting on.

Neither Da-eun nor the filming crew questioned my actions, but there was one person who did.

"U-Uh?!"

The host rushed toward me in panic.

"What are you doing, letting a child do something so dangerous, even if it’s for the show?"

Then, he scolded Da-eun for giving me the axe.

His reaction was surprisingly fresh.

"Eh, it’s fine."

"It’s fine? What if something happens? If you get hurt here, there’s no way to properly treat it!"

"..."

"Tch, ahem!"

While my face was scrunched up, Da-eun, on the other hand, was trying not to laugh, her lips twitching.

"It’s fine. Kana is much stronger than I am."

"...What do you mean?"

"Well, you’ll see."

The host gave her a puzzled look as she gave an explanation that didn’t make much sense.

Living on this isolated island, he must have been unaware of the outside world and all the news. He didn’t even know what was happening in Seoul, and naturally, he didn’t know anything about me or Da-eun.

So it was understandable that he would react this way, but...

That aside, how do you think I felt being referred to as "a child who hasn’t even entered middle school" when I was already grown?

"...I don’t need this."

I handed the axe back to the host, and he sighed in relief.

"Good. It was a good decision. There’s no need to do something dangerous just because the adults say so."

There seemed to be some misunderstanding, but instead of correcting it, I walked toward the pile of logs.

Since I wasn’t holding an axe, the host didn’t stop me.

"Mm."

This will do.

I picked up a thicker log than the one Da-eun had split and placed it on the stand.

"...Hmm?"

The host rubbed his eyes as he watched me easily lift the thicker log.

But it didn’t matter.

Standing in front of the log, I raised my index finger.

Why bother using tools for splitting logs?

‘No. If I’m going to evaluate it by value, this might actually be a waste.’

My body is more valuable than any tool.

After a brief thought, I shook my head.

Enough thinking, it’s time to work.

Tap.

I lightly touched the top of the log with my index finger, right in the center.

A touch so light compared to Da-eun’s vigorous chopping.

As the people watching began to wonder, the log split evenly into eight pieces.

It looked like the pizza I ate a few days ago.

"Ta-da."

As I exaggeratedly spoke, the onlookers finally started moving.

Among them, the host’s reaction was the most spectacular.

He had been startled, but unlike the others, who quickly accepted my identity, he couldn’t close his gaping mouth.

"...O-oh?"

"I told you I’d be fine, right?"

Da-eun, who had stepped forward, laughed mischievously.

"Kana’s stronger than me, I told you."

His eyes, which had widened in shock, now glazed over as he tried to calm himself down.

"...Are you a magician?"

"...Heh, heh!"

Da-eun couldn’t hold in her laughter at his somewhat silly remark.

"Magician... yeah, I guess so."

Not wanting to explain everything, I just gave a vague affirmation.

If he’d asked if I were a wizard, I would’ve flipped everything over.

But he thought I was just a magician, so I let it slide.