I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 204: Power is overflowing...! (1)

"Like this?"

"No. More like this..."

"Do it..."

As I watched Yuki swinging her sword, I turned my attention to Da-eun's voice.

Her voice was filled with exhilaration.

It seemed Yuki heard it too, as she stopped moving and looked in the same direction as me.

Whether she knew we were watching or not, Da-eun raised both her clenched fists and stretched them toward the sky.

"I did it!!!"

As if that wasn't enough, she shook her arms and legs randomly, trembling with excitement.

I could clearly tell what kind of emotions Da-eun was feeling from that, but...

"That's a bit much."

"Yeah."

Besides that, there was something in Da-eun's actions that made the onlookers uncomfortable.

Why was that, I wondered.

While I was twirling my hair, I let out a small gasp.

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"Doesn't it seem like it? A fish pulled out of the water, flopping around."

"...Hmm. Definitely."

I thought it was a pretty decent comparison.

And I wasn’t the only one who thought so, as Yuki nodded in agreement with my words.

"That's too harsh of a metaphor!"

But it seems not everyone agreed with that comparison.

Well, it’s natural for people to interpret things differently even when seeing and hearing the same thing.

"There's no way! 'A fish pulled out of the water, flopping around'—what even is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means exactly that."

"What does that even mean?!"

Despite being quite a distance away, Da-eun must have heard our conversation as she came closer and roughly ruffled my hair.

"Your sister did something great, but instead of congratulating her, you say she looks like a fish that can’t breathe, desperately flopping around, eventually meeting her scheduled death! How can you say something so awful?! I'm really hurt...!"

"...I didn’t say it that harshly."

"That's exactly what you meant!"

"Well..."

I hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Yeah, you're right."

"This is the part where you deny it!"

"Lying is bad, they say."

"...Oh, really? So from now on, I can take everything Kana says as truth, right?"

"? Whatever."

It’s not like I needed her permission, right?

I answered nonchalantly, and Da-eun’s knowing smile deepened.

"Really? So, does that mean I should believe you when you say you don't like sweet things?"

"..."

"Well? Why are you silent? Say it! 'I don’t like sweet things!'"

"Ugh..."

"Come on, say it~?"

"I... I... hgh..."

Da-eun leaned in close, applying pressure.

Her mischievous smile drew nearer, but even as I let out a frustrated noise, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

"You wicked girl."

It was an unexpected figure who saved me.

"Don’t bother the teacher."

Could there be a more awkward performance than this?

Yuki spoke in a tone that immediately made me think of bad acting, and she slipped her arm between Da-eun’s arms, pulling her away.

"?! What’s going on...? You're not letting go?!"

Da-eun let out a cheesy villain-like line as Yuki dragged her away.

The mixture of confusion in her voice contrasted so vividly with the exaggerated acting.

It felt less like acting and more like she was speaking for real.

"Well, it’s not acting, that’s why!"

"Yeah. Da-eun could become a great actress."

"Ahhhh, I’m not acting!!!"

Da-eun twisted her body like she was having a fit.

But no matter how much she struggled, Yuki’s hold didn’t budge.

Da-eun worked out too, but there was no way she could overcome Yuki’s strength, who had spent much more time training.

It made sense; their purposes in training were entirely different.

"Ughhh..."

In the end, Da-eun gave up and slumped.

After leaving a final line like a second-rate villain...

Thud.

I gave Da-eun a thumbs-up in secret, and Yuki mirrored the gesture.

Once the situation had somewhat settled and the mood quieted down, I asked Da-eun.

"So, what did you do?"

Da-eun puffed her cheeks in annoyance, but when I stared at her, she reluctantly opened her mouth.

"...Mana. I succeeded."

As she said that, Da-eun opened her hand wide, and a faint blue energy hovered above it.

It was so faint that it seemed like it would vanish at any moment, but I could tell it was definitely mana.

If nothing else, there was no way I wouldn’t recognize mana.

...Wait, though.

Suddenly, an odd thought crossed my mind, and I tilted my head.

"If you can use mana, shouldn’t you have just used it to escape?"

Why is it that humans, who are vastly smaller and weaker than their enemies, are able to fight them?

Isn’t it because mana allows the impossible to become possible?

If she had used mana, she could have easily escaped from Yuki’s hold, so why was she still calmly held in place?

"...Did you actually prefer being held by Yuki?"

"Is that so? Sorry, but I’m not into the whole 'enjoying restraining someone' thing. I can’t cater to your tastes."

"...How perfectly fitting. If I had known this, I wouldn’t have invited you over back then."

Da-eun spoke as if she truly believed it, with a tone full of regret.

"What you just said is the same as asking a baby who has just learned to roll over, why they can’t run yet."

"Hmm..."

At that remark, I tilted my head the other way.

"That—"

"If you say 'Is that so?' I’ll pinch your cheek, so be careful."

"..."

But I could tell she meant it.

"Why do you think she can’t do it? She did something even harder."

"...Something harder?"

"That."

I gestured toward Da-eun’s hand.

Despite its almost fading appearance, the faint blue mana was still dancing above her palm.

"That’s a lot harder than simple physical enhancement."

Of course, I had no trouble doing both from the start.

"But I still don’t quite get it."

"Well, that’s fair enough."

Learning to control mana was the toughest part, but now that she had gotten past that hurdle, everything else could be taught gradually.

Since coming back from Demonic Nins, she had been devoting herself to training, and now she had finally succeeded.

Swish, swish.

"...What are you doing?"

"Yeah, good job. Really impressive."

I patted Da-eun's head, still in Yuki’s grasp, and her confused expression returned.

I didn’t stop, though, and continued patting her. Da-eun sighed.

"...It’s a strange feeling, really. I don’t know if it’s good or bad."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Simply put, I’m feeling mixed emotions. More than that, can you let go now?"

"Sure."

Without hesitation, Yuki released Da-eun, who had been firmly held, her resistance now meaningless.

After a brief moment of stretching her stiff body, Da-eun muttered, "So, this is what hard work feels like," as she swirled the mana around.

She then started punching at the air and kicking at it.

After a while of making odd gestures, she stopped, panting heavily.

"I still don’t get it."

"You can’t be full on the first try."

I tried to comfort her, but her expression didn’t brighten.

Seeing her impatience, I quietly asked.

"What’s making you so anxious?"

As I had said before, Da-eun had been dedicating herself to training ever since her return from Demonic Nins.

Having witnessed her spend almost all her time at Yuki’s gym, I knew just how seriously she had taken it.

But that didn’t mean she hadn’t been training hard before.

It’s just that she had been working even harder this time.

"Well, the thing is..."

Da-eun hesitated and glanced at me cautiously.

"...You remember what I said when we went to Demonic Nins? After hearing Kana’s story, I thought I couldn’t keep going like this..."

She knew that simply struggling to grow stronger wouldn’t help.

But at the very least, she couldn’t afford to become a hindrance to others.

After all, she had promised to protect, and the last thing she wanted was to become someone who weighed others down.

So, at least, she needed to become strong enough to handle things on her own.

That’s why Da-eun had been so determined, and that determination was now in front of me.

"I see."

I had suspected as much, but now I understood it for sure.

I nodded in understanding, but Da-eun was still looking at me expectantly.

"...Aren’t you going to say anything?"

"Why would I?"

If Da-eun wanted to get stronger, I’d commend her, not stop her.

Besides, her goal wasn’t misguided.

In the grand scheme of things, it could be seen as just an extension of exercise, right?

The primary goal of exercise is health, and Da-eun’s training was to protect herself, so in a broader sense, it’s the same thing.

"...I guess you’re right."

Da-eun scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"Anyway, you did well."

I stood on tiptoe and patted her head again.

Many people in Sillia live and die without ever realizing the power of mana, let alone knowing it.

I had helped her, but even so, it wasn’t easy for someone like Da-eun, who had lived in a world without mana, to awaken it.

So even though I felt a bit frustrated while teaching her, in the end, she had succeeded magnificently.

"...This really is a strange feeling."

Da-eun’s face looked a little hard to read as she received my pats.

"Should I stop?"

"No. That’s not it."

I think I understand why I end up patting her head every time...