I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 166: Love’s Match (3)

I’ve met quite a few people who could be considered geniuses or prodigies in my life so far.

In other words, people who could be called "talented."

Even though the prestige of the Scarlet Flame Knights has declined over time, they were still the kingdom's top knight order.

It’s only natural that, sitting in the position of the commander of such a knight order, I would come across people with talent.

And among them, there were those who could truly be called geniuses, as well as those who made me think, “They’re talented, but is that all?”

In a small town, their talent might stand out, but in the wider world, they were just slightly better than ordinary people.

The Yuki I saw belonged to the former category.

"Is she an unparalleled genius?"

There’s still a lot to verify before I can say that.

Yuki’s strength comes from the system, after all.

But even if her power comes from someone else, it’s not easy to fight like Yuki does.

She instinctively seeks survival and makes the best judgment in the given situation.

And the process by which her thoughts lead to action is incredibly smooth.

Someone might say this:

"Isn’t it something anyone can do, just run and hit?"

Well, is it really that simple?

Dodging attacks that could shake the earth, where even the slightest touch would crush your body.

If it were easy to rush up to a giant, strike with all your might, and land a hit, then there wouldn’t be any monsters left in this world.

You could just grab a sword and rush in—what’s there to worry about?

Of course, I don’t think someone who made an entire kingdom's capital into a disaster in a short time would be so simple.

It was probably because the giant underestimated Yuki that she managed to land even a small... very small injury.

But even so, I couldn’t ignore the result Yuki achieved.

Striking when the opponent is off guard is also a skill.

"Is this the end?"

I said, hiding my thoughts.

"Not much for someone who spoke so confidently."

Yuki pouted her lips.

"You did well."

"That?"

I raised my hand and pointed at the giant's foot.

Purple blood-like liquid was flowing from its foot.

The wound was sizable due to the giant’s massive size, but still, considering its size, it wasn’t exactly a lot of liquid.

"If you leave it like that for a few years, it’ll probably die. Or maybe it’ll make blood faster."

But is that really blood?

Dimension creatures like that are unpredictable, so I couldn’t be sure.

Well, since it’s coming out of the wound, it must serve a similar function.

Uuoooh—!

The giant screamed loudly despite only having a small wound from a needle-like scratch while stitching.

"Such a drama queen."

Its huge body was making a loud noise over something so small.

While I clicked my tongue, Yuki offered a plausible hypothesis.

"When a person gets bitten by a mosquito, they get angry, right? Maybe it’s something like that?"

"Are you calling yourself a mosquito?"

"It’s just a metaphor... Or maybe it feels like getting your foot caught in a doorframe?"

"Oh."

That made sense.

I nodded in agreement.

"Even you get upset when you stub your toe on the doorframe, Master."

"I’m human too."

Well, to be more accurate, it’s not pain, but more like a surprise.

But that’s not what’s important right now—

I grabbed Yuki and threw myself.

Boom!

A fist fell in the spot we were just in.

When heavy objects fall, there’s usually a “thud!” sound, but the punch made a sound that surpassed that.

"You’re not very precise."

The punch coming down from above was indeed threatening.

But it wasn’t something I couldn’t avoid; the reason I moved to dodge it was because I was holding Yuki.

The strength in a punch swung at that size and speed could not be light.

Even if I blocked it successfully, I’d still die from the aftermath of the attack.

That was the judgment I made.

"...Was that a meteor?"

In the end, my judgment was correct.

As I endured the strong winds striking my face, or rather, my mask, I looked at the spot where the punch had landed. It looked like a massive crater had formed, as if a meteor had crashed.

Yuki muttered, looking astonished, and I nodded in agreement.

"It’s your fault."

"...Huh?"

"You're the one who made it angry."

Because you hit it.

When I said that, the stunned gaze came back to me.

"You told me to do it."

"I did."

"You said I’d get a reward if I fought well."

"I said that."

"..."

Now you're saying that?

Her face clearly showed she was thinking that.

"If you start hunting, you should finish it. You made only a small scratch and left it, so that’s why it’s angry."

"...Did you endure this until now, Master? I really want to punch you."

"You can try if you want. But it would be impossible for someone like you who couldn’t even knock down that little thing."

And it wasn’t that Da-eun endured it, but rather that I endured Da-eun’s nonsense. How could she say such harsh words?

I considered correcting the misunderstanding but quickly abandoned the idea.

Unlike the idle banter, the situation wasn’t exactly relaxed.

"Is it fire this time?"

I saw the giant’s mouth filled with fiery red flames and let out a faint laugh.

What was it like with that wolf from before?

Right, it spewed out something like acidic fog.

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"Really, the variety is endless."

Is it a dragon or something?

"If you don’t want to die, run."

If it were Da-eun, I might have been worried, but since it was Yuki, I wasn’t about to worry about her getting hurt in that fire.

Surviving such an attack is also a skill, right?

It’s heartbreaking, but as a teacher hoping for the correct growth of my student, I must...

"Right, think of it as a tough love."

"I’m going to report you. There’s a delinquent teacher who hits students."

Yuki grumbled while quickly distancing herself.

For a moment, the giant’s eyes seemed to follow Yuki, but realizing I was more threatening, it didn’t turn its fiery mouth toward her.

As I was watching the flames that looked like they were about to fly toward me, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.

"Oh, that’s right."

There was a similar situation when I fought Kru-mo’s shadow.

Comparing him to this guy—

I tilted my head, evaluating its full power.

"By the way, where is Grasis?"

Back then, we captured it easily thanks to Grasis.

Of course, even without Grasis, we could have won, and despite the aftermath, we struggled a lot.

...Wait. There's no need to regret it, is there?

I thought about it more and realized there were more bad points than good.

Kwahhhh—!

Finally, it seemed like the giant was ready.

Its mouth opened wide, and the fiery flames within rushed at me.

Though there was still quite a distance, the hot air licked my face beneath the mask.

"It’s not giving me time to think."

I mumbled whatever came to my mind and drew my sword.

Fire, huh?

Suddenly, a pleasant feeling welled up, and I slightly raised the corners of my mouth.

"Now, what should I do?"

I’ve handled hotter fire before.

Moreover, it’s not like I didn’t have a weapon that could beat fire now.

Flames swirled...

Mana surged, and Crimson Aegis blazed with a bright red glow.

It burned furiously, as if the fire itself had come alive.

I swung my sword at the incoming breath.

Swoosh!

A red dragon leaped out of the burning sword.

Kwooo-

Tearing through the air, the fiery red dragon opened its jaws wide.

Fire versus fire.

The two flames intertwined and viciously fought each other, threatening to burn everything around.

There was no sound of friction.

All I could hear was the deafening roar of the flames as they burned fiercely.

If I closed my eyes, it was almost like the sound of a campfire crackling, but the scene before me was far from peaceful.

One side seemed to be losing, but in the next moment, the other side would take the upper hand.

And so, the two flames brutally tore at each other.

Time passed, short or long, it didn’t matter.

Creeeak!

The winner of the battle was decided.

The dragon bit deep into the side of the breath, twisting its head with force.

The fiery breath split apart with a sound like paper being torn, and sword energy surged through the gap.

Though the giant tried to flee in panic as it felt the battle’s outcome, it was too late.

"You’re too late."

Where do you think you're going?

I was already standing before you.

Last time it was the right foot, this time, it’s the left.

Slash!

I swung my sword at the giant’s left ankle.

The pink sword energy cut deep into the ankle, and flames sealed the wound.

I didn’t manage to sever it completely.

But that’s fine.

"Anyway-"

With the ankle nearly severed and dangling, the giant, trying to flee, couldn’t hold its balance, and the foot that had been holding up its body was torn away.

The giant's body tilted violently.

Wobble—

Boom!!

"...This is what happens."

As the giant’s body slammed to the ground, a much stronger earthquake than before rang out.

The ground shook violently, but I stood still, watching the giant.

"I took off one of its feet, and it weighs this much."

If there were people living around, they would have certainly reported it as noise pollution.

With all the stomping and punching the ground, and now, fire play too.

Well, what can I do?

"I guess I’ll have to put it on a diet."

Still, since it's an ex-knight, I should eliminate such vicious criminals who threaten the citizens.

As I took a step forward, the giant’s eyes turned quickly.

Enraged, the giant began pounding the ground again.

Boom! Kwooo!

Each time its fist hit, the earth screamed.

It was so deep that I worried the area might sink.

The ground was becoming a mess.

"Ouch..."

I swiftly flew up to avoid the quake, but as soon as I set foot on the ground, a fist came flying.

This time, it was a punch wrapped in purple flame.

I brought the pink sword-wrapped blade to meet it.

Clang!

Who would think the sound came from a sword and a fist clashing?

A spark I didn’t manage to knock off stuck to my mask, only to be swept away by the mana.

‘This is a bit troublesome.’

With one leg remaining, I made the ground shake again by slamming my foot down.

Once the enemy lost its balance or flew into the air, I would mercilessly strike.

Where did the sluggish movements from earlier go? Now, each punch swung made the air scream as it cut through.

Clang!

Dodge, parry, block.

As I gradually closed the distance, it happened.

"...?"

Did it just shrink a little?

I stared at it, wondering if it was my imagination.

‘Definitely.’

It had shrunk since earlier.

There’s no need to pinpoint exactly where it shrunk.

The more it used its power, the smaller it became.

Noticing that, I adjusted my strategy.

The frequency with which I blocked or parried its punches decreased significantly, and instead, my hair was brushing past its fist more frequently.

Uuoooh!

Dodging like a slippery eel, the giant let out an angry shout.

"So what?"

Shouting won’t change anything.

To think such a guy had the capital in chaos...

"It was bound to happen."

If the royal knights had worked together, they could have won.

But it seems they would’ve run away before fighting, as I suspected.

Then, as its size shrank to about half of its original size...

Its fist hit the ground, but I was already leaping first.

Splash!

My leap threw off its timing.

The giant tried to strike, but I was already faster, moving just before its punch could reach the ground.

Boom—

The fiery sword pierced through the purple crescent.