I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 211: Know your enemy and know yourself (3)

A way to increase my skills...

“....”

Mumbling.

“Ugh...”

Nom nom.

I thought about it for a while, but nothing came to mind.

It’s just that I reached the master level too quickly, but typically, the master level isn’t something that can be easily attained.

Even someone with talent would have to go through years of diligent training to barely touch it.

In other words, if you don’t have talent, you won’t even be allowed to glimpse it, let alone reach it.

And then...

"Transcendence."

The next level after master, a realm where one completely transcends humanity.

It’s a legendary level, but not one that’s entirely unattainable.

According to stories, the founding emperor of the Ro Arca Empire, Arca, transcended humanity, and there are a few other people who are said to have achieved it as well.

However, finding historical records on this was extremely difficult.

Even if I did find some, they were usually vague, saying things like "they were said to have transcended" or "it was believed that they transcended," but there was no mention of how they trained, how long it took them to reach that state, or anything like that.

Perhaps in the deepest parts of the Empire, there might be some hidden information about it.

But as someone who is practically the arch-enemy of the Empire, it would be impossible for me to walk in there and politely ask for such valuable and well-hidden information.

Especially after I killed a few of the Empire’s sages and a few of its swordsmen.

In truth, I had little emotional attachment to the Empire by the time I killed the sage.

I didn’t like the Empire, but I didn’t have the urge to just kill everyone like I did before either.

But no matter what I thought, the Empire probably saw me as a mortal enemy.

"Then again, who knows."

Did the sage not realize that I hated him when he offered me the recruitment proposal?

Perhaps the current emperor of the Empire might be willing to let bygones be bygones and shake hands with me if it benefits the Empire.

Munch munch.

Anyway.

It’s a good thing I know where I need to ultimately reach, but I have no idea how to get there, and it feels frustrating.

At the very least, I was sure that just swinging a sword blindly wouldn’t get me anywhere near their level.

Edel told me that I could eventually reach it, but when exactly would that “someday” be?

The more I thought about it, the more bitter my mouth felt...

“Huh?”

...Not yet?

I absentmindedly smacked my lips, and a sweet taste trickled down my tongue.

A savory, sweet flavor.

Was the dilemma I was facing really just a sweet problem that felt almost like tasting something sweet as I thought about it?

"...No way."

Even the most imaginative person wouldn’t be able to imagine this vividly.

So this was definitely someone’s doing.

For instance, someone sitting next to me, taking out chocolate, like Da-eun.

"...What are you doing?"

"Ah, you finally noticed?"

Da-eun flashed a sly grin.

"Here. Ahh~"

Then she shoved the chocolate in my mouth.

Well, since she gave it to me, I guess I’ll eat it...

Munch munch.

"What were you doing?"

"I kept feeding you, wondering how long it would take for you to notice. You know how many chocolates you’ve eaten? More than five."

"...."

I had meant to ask what she was doing, but Da-eun just smiled and gave that reply.

She couldn’t possibly have understood my question literally, could she?

"...Are you teasing me?"

"Eh. I would never tease cute Kana like this."

So, she’s teasing me.

If she’s going to say that, at least she could lower the corners of her mouth.

I wouldn’t believe her if she smiled mischievously like that.

Seeing me sulking, Da-eun cautiously asked.

"...Are you mad?"

"I'm not."

"You look like you're mad."

"I'm not mad."

There was no reason to be angry. I just didn’t know what to say because of Da-eun’s absurd behavior. It wasn’t that I was upset or anything.

If I had to say anything, it was just a bit regrettable.

‘That’s pretty expensive.’

Of course, price doesn’t always equal taste, but the chocolate Da-eun had was definitely better than the cheap ones you’d find anywhere.

And I’d eaten more than five of those.

"I didn’t taste anything..."

"Are you feeling unfair? You really are a kid, huh?"

Da-eun, shaking her head, took out another chocolate.

"You can just eat more. ...But maybe if you eat too much, you might get sick of it."

"It’s fine."

"Well, I’m worried about your health..."

"It’s fine."

Ah.

I swiftly snatched the chocolate out of Da-eun’s hand as her finger stopped right in front of my face.

Da-eun’s face, which had stiffened while keeping an eye on me, now broke into a gentle smile again.

"Hehe, Kana, do you know you looked like a seagull snatching shrimp chips just now?"

"...A seagull?"

"Yeah. You know how when you’re at the beach, if you’re holding snacks, seagulls fly over and grab them? You looked like that."

"..."

"Hmm... No, wait. Maybe you looked more like a baby bird getting fed?"

Couldn’t she just leave it at the fact that I used my mouth to grab it instead of my hands?

Once again, Da-eun’s impressions were far from ordinary.

"So..."

Da-eun, who had taken a chocolate from the box and eaten it, trembled slightly, probably from the sudden flood of sweetness. She casually started the conversation.

"So, what’s Kana worrying about~?"

"Huh?"

How did she know I was worried?

I stared blankly at Da-eun with wide eyes.

"How did you know?"

"How do I know? It was written all over your face: ‘I’m worried,’ how could I not notice? At this point, I can tell what Kana is thinking just by looking at your face."

"Then you must know that I think Da-eun is pathetic."

"...I’m hurt."

Well, considering she didn’t notice the food coming toward her, it wasn’t surprising she noticed my expression.

It really showed how deep in thought I had been.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

"What is it? What’s going on?"

Da-eun shook my shoulders, urging me to tell her what I was thinking.

Though not rough, her action was strong enough to be distracting.

I didn’t try to hide my annoyance and showed it.

"Anyway, Da-eun wouldn’t understand even if I told her."

There was no way someone like Da-eun, who couldn’t even properly handle mana without the help of a system, would be able to give me an answer.

"...This guy? Did that annoying mouth say that?!"

"Ugh..."

"Hey, hey!"

Da-eun squeezed my cheek as though it were made of clay.

I only said the truth, and yet I had to suffer this.

It’s so unfair, so unfair.

"You don’t need to know everything to help. You know, sometimes a random comment from a passerby can spark inspiration, right? If we brainstorm together, a good idea might come up! It’s not like you’ll lose anything by talking, so why don’t you give it a shot?"

"That’s what they call an armchair expert."

"Are you going to keep being sarcastic?"

Seeing me being uncooperative, Da-eun rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Hmm..."

She spoke confidently as though she really had something, so maybe it was worth hearing.

Considering her attitude, there was no harm in listening.

I decided to slowly open my mouth.

...I thought there was no harm in listening.

Unfortunately, I was completely wrong.

"Yeah. You want to get stronger."

Da-eun was wearing an old martial arts uniform—where did she even get that?

Anyway, she was dressed in a typical outfit that athletes would wear and was putting on a serious expression.

Seeing her like this, I nodded.

"Guess I shouldn’t have said anything."

I should’ve known that something like this might happen.

It was a mistake to not consider Da-eun’s personality in my decision.

While I was lost in my regrets, Da-eun continued her dramatic monologue.

"Hoo hoo... Ah, I see, you don’t believe in me. I’ll show you a fragment of my power."

Hah...!

Da-eun exhaled sharply, and a blue current of air flowed through her body.

"Hmph!"

Crack!

She punched, and a fist-sized hole appeared in the brick-like wall.

"How about now? Can you believe me?"

"Pieces of brick are falling. Clean it up quickly."

"Yes."

"...Sigh."

I sighed as I watched Da-eun sulkily clean up the dust that had fallen to the floor.

I hadn’t expected much, but seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but sigh.

"All cleaned up!"

"Change your clothes."

"...Ugh."

"Ugh, what do you mean, ‘ugh’?"

She picked up the tattered martial arts uniform, which was practically a rag, and put it on.

"But you know, for a hermit sage, this image fits, right? Feels mysterious, like a natural person..."

"Right now, you don’t look like a hermit sage, you look like a beggar."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Really. I bet if I showed it to Yuki, she’d say the same thing. Want me to take a picture and send it?"

"...No. It’s fine."

After nodding without hesitation, Da-eun changed into normal clothes.

"Let me guess. You didn’t buy that, did you?"

"...Eheh."

Da-eun just smiled without saying anything.

Her non-answer was exactly what made me feel like I had no choice but to facepalm.

"Nowadays, people buy garbage with money."

"Garbage? It’s a cosplay outfit I bought for a pretty decent price..."

And people actually sell that kind of thing for an expensive price?

The world has truly gone to hell.

"Anyway, listen! I’ve thought of a great idea!"

"Do I really have to listen?"

It hadn’t even been a few minutes since she started acting all dramatic.

"Of course! I’m sure it’ll help Kana!"

"...Just say it already."

If it’s just nonsense, I’ll ignore it, so let’s hear it.

My voice had no enthusiasm, but Da-eun didn’t care and confidently shouted.

"The idea I came up with is... a manga-style training method!"