I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 160: Can you do it? (3)

Edel lifted her gaze and stared at me with a lukewarm expression.

"You."

"Yeah?"

"You've gotten softer."

"...?"

What was she saying out of the blue, calling me over while she was busy? I tilted my head slightly.

"Did you call me over just to make small talk?"

"I can at least share some thoughts."

Edel ignored my sideways comment and crossed her arms.

"When I first saw you, you were full of venom, but now you’ve really softened up."

"I don’t feel like I’ve changed that much."

"Normally, it’s the person who hasn’t seen you in a while who notices these things better."

She said, a non-human being.

"At this point, if I put the Empire’s army in front of you, you'd probably only break a limb or two."

"...Really?"

"Yeah, really. Seeing how much you've changed from that sharp little kid, it seems like environment does matter."

"By saying that, you're admitting that Silia's environment wasn't ideal, right?"

"Forget it. You really haven’t changed at all. You’re just the same as you were when you were in Silia."

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

"Even when I give you a compliment, you can’t take it graciously..."

"Was that a compliment?"

"Do you think it sounded like an insult?"

"Hmm..."

I agreed with her, but there are people more surprising than I imagined.

Edel's earlier words, “You’ve gotten a lot softer,” could easily have meant something like, “You’re out of your mind with your flowery thoughts,” too.

"...Alright, just sit down already."

Edel rubbed her eyelids and said.

After I sat quietly in front of her, Edel immediately opened her mouth, as if waiting.

"You probably have a rough idea why I called you, right?"

"Because of the dimensional rift."

"Exactly."

It was exactly the business I had expected.

"You've been resting for a while, and you’ve probably recovered physically by now."

"Yeah... that’s true. I was thinking it was about time you'd call me back."

"But you didn’t even pick up the phone. Anyway, before we get into the real talk, there’s something I need to ask. You opened the dimensional rift not long ago, right?"

"Dimensional rift?"

What was that?

"Ah."

I tilted my head, and soon realized what she was referring to. That thing I showed Daeun when we went camping.

I had never heard the term "dimensional rift" before, so I was a little confused, but I assumed that was what she meant. When I mentioned the date from my memory to confirm, she responded affirmatively.

"So that’s what you call a dimensional rift."

"It’s just a temporary name we attached."

"But how did you know?"

"Who do you think gave me the authority to access the dimension? It’s a place we take special precautions with. We can’t let the same attack happen the same way twice."

Edel tapped the desk lightly.

"So, why did you do it? Did you sense something unusual?"

"I just wanted to show it to you."

"...Yeah, I kind of figured that. But hearing it from you really pisses me off."

"...Oh."

It was strange to hear these words directly from Edel, not from someone else.

I hadn’t expected that at all.

"...Well, I’ll let it slide since it’s already done, but they might catch on, so don’t do something like that again."

"Got it."

I wasn’t planning on doing it again anyway. It took a lot of effort, and there was no need to show it anymore.

I nodded, understanding why Edel was so sensitive about it.

We were both in a similar situation, after all.

"Now that you’ve raised your status, your task is to use the traits of your soul to grow stronger. And at the same time, handle the dimensional pests that are feeding off it."

"You mean I should kill the dimensional rifts and gain experience?"

"Exactly."

"Hmm..."

"Is there a problem?"

"Well, kind of."

"If something’s bothering you, just say it. There may be something I haven’t considered."

I figured that even if I spoke up, it wouldn’t make things worse.

Having received some sort of implicit permission, I voiced my doubts to Edel.

"Even if you say I should gain experience, I’m not sure if that’ll make me stronger."

Humans who play "Silia Online" can level up because of systems like experience points and stats. By fighting enemies and collecting experience, eventually, they can face even the strongest foes.

But Silia people are different. They don’t have a system like that.

While fighting the enemy and "gaining experience" is the same, the result is very different. Silia people don’t get experience or levels from battles, so strength is a matter of personal ability.

And I’m in the same position.

"Simply fighting won’t make me any stronger anymore."

If I’m looking for real growth, I’d need to face someone strong enough to challenge me, someone like the Empire’s sage I killed with my own hands.

Edel shook her head lightly.

"Getting stronger doesn’t always mean climbing higher in rank. When you fight against them, you’ll become more familiar with their techniques, won’t you? As you face them, it’ll get easier."

"...Oh, is that what you meant?"

If that's what she meant, I could understand it.

I leaned back against the chair.

It was a gesture that meant I understood, and that I no longer had any further questions.

"Recently, their movements have been strange. There haven’t been any problems with the barrier yet, but... something feels off."

"Got it."

There was no need to hear more.

If Silia falls, then this world will be next. That's why I came here.

Edel exhaled deeply.

It was a sigh that seemed to carry a strange sense of relief, as if she had just let go of some burden.

"Honestly, when I saw you again after so long, I was a bit worried. Like I said, you’ve really softened up."

"Like I said before, I don’t feel like I've changed that much."

"...Like I said, it’s always those who haven’t seen you in a while who notice these things more."

"Like I said-"

"Enough."

"Okay."

Her sharp words stopped me, and I closed my mouth.

"You don’t realize it, but the fact that we’re even having this conversation is proof. If it were the old you, do you think you would have done this?"

"Hmm..."

The old me...

"Yeah, you’re right. When I first met Edel, I wasn’t like this."

I thought I might have cracked a few jokes back then, but like Edel said, it was definitely a different atmosphere.

"Still, I’m glad. The sword has gotten softer, not duller."

"Isn’t that the same thing?"

"No. Before, the handle was sharp enough to hurt the wielder. Now, the sharpness is focused entirely on the enemy. That’s a big difference."

"Is that so?"

Edel jokingly said that she thought she might have cut herself.

"It’s not a joke, it’s the truth."

I lightly ignored her unnecessary comment.

"Humans really do get stronger when something precious to them is at stake."

"...I’d be in trouble if Daeun were gone, so that’s why."

"I never even mentioned her name."

"..."

"How cute."

Edel smiled warmly. It was a smile that really irritated me. I stood up, pushing my chair away roughly.

"I’m leaving."

"I know you're embarrassed, but we’re not done talking yet. Please just bear with me for a little longer."

Before I knew it, Edel had grabbed my shoulder and gently sat me back down.

"Even though I said all that, dimensional creatures are not like the monsters that roam the streets. You can’t just run into them easily."

That was true.

Unlike the monsters that appear randomly, these creatures could show up anywhere, at any time.

If I had to compare, it was like cockroaches that sneak into your house. You know they’re there, you know they’re dangerous, but they’re nowhere to be seen, so you can’t catch them.

And when you forget about them, they suddenly appear, giving you a nasty surprise.

Not many people like those kinds of surprises.

"...Haha! That’s a pretty good comparison."

Edel laughed when she heard my words.

"Yeah, they’re exactly like that. But what if there were already some trapped in a cup?"

Her analogy was oddly realistic and human-like, considering she was a god.

I gave a realistic answer in return.

"Then, I’d kill them."

Of course, I would have preferred to throw the whole cup out the window, but I couldn’t do that.

"We’ve got a few of them trapped using their own abilities. And one of them is connected to you."

"...Connected to me?"

"Yeah. The one who destroyed Grasis."

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"Ah."

That was an unexpected statement.

But it didn’t shock me much.

Edel didn’t seem to expect a big reaction either. She calmly continued speaking.

"Since there’s a connection, how about we start with that one?"

"I don’t know about the connection, but it doesn’t sound bad."

My homeland’s enemy... I’ll get my revenge!

...Of course, that wasn’t how I felt about it.

I didn’t really have any good feelings toward Grasis. Plus, they had been getting on my nerves, so if they hadn’t been destroyed, I might have taken them down myself in a few years.

But they destroyed the country my father loved...

Yeah, I guess I’ll take revenge for my father.

"Do I have to hide when I go there?"

"It’s up to you. If you don’t mind the trouble, you can just be open about it. If not, you can hide it."

"Hmm."

I had to think about that one.

As I stood up, Edel began to speak again.

"By the way, you lost your weapon in the last battle, right? If you go to the one you care about, I’ll give you a new sword."

"Does Daeun have a sword?"

"It’s a sword she got from Justina. Didn’t you hear about it?"

Had I heard about that?

Anyway...

"I don’t need it."

It wasn’t really something I needed to hear.

"If you’re trying to protect something, there’s a sword that no blade can match."

And I realized I had forgotten to oil it.

I guess it’s time to polish it up.