I Became a Raid Boss

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Who is telling me to find the location where the Dimensional Beings are trapped and hunt them?

The answer is Edel.

Of course, if I don’t hunt the Dimensional Beings, it would affect me too, so strictly speaking, it’s more of a suggestion than an order…

“Hello?”

I spoke as soon as Edel picked up the phone after gathering my thoughts.

“Give me money.”

-… Have you been drinking?

Order or suggestion. Who cares about that?

“If you don’t give it, I’ll report you.”

In a broad sense, isn’t it like outsourcing or subcontracting to Edel? So it seems only fair that I should receive proper compensation, right?

Besides, hunting Dimensional Beings isn’t a normal job; it’s something I have to risk my life for, so shouldn’t I at least get a danger allowance or something?

-You know that? In Korea, it’s legally prohibited for children to drink alcohol.

“Don’t worry about that. I’m not really interested in alcohol.”

-It sounds like you’ve had a few cups, though.

Edel, who was flustered when I immediately asked for money, regained her composure.

-Did you suddenly run out of money? Should I send some?

“No.”

-… Then why in the world did you say that?

“Um, just because?”

-What are you even doing?

If the prevailing emotion I sensed in Edel’s voice earlier was confusion, now it was disbelief.

“Just poking to see if I can get something.”

If it works, great; if not, oh well. Anyway, having money in my hands wouldn’t hurt, right?

-If you really need it, just ask. I can give you some.

Something like an allowance for maintaining dignity.

I asked Edel, who said that.

“How much can you give me if I ask?”

-About… this much?

“…”

Honestly, that was a thoughtless comment. But hearing the amount she specified made my breath hitch for a moment.

With that money, how many chocolates could I buy, and how many snacks could I get?

-People usually think of other things first. The fact that you’re thinking of snacks shows you’re still a child, huh?

I swallowed my saliva without realizing and was startled.

“… How did you know?”

Could it be that her powers have returned?

-How could I not know? It just spilled out of your mouth.

“…”

-Should I send you some snacks instead of money? That would be better for you.

“… No thanks.”

If I got snacks instead of money, Da-eun would catch me. She’s already worried that I’m eating too much, and what kind of reaction would it provoke if I received a pile of goodies?

It wasn’t hard to predict.

Now that I think about it, if I ask for money, I wouldn’t even have an account to receive it. I’m sure Edel would come through somehow if I asked, but the more I think about it, the more bothersome it becomes, so I shook my head.

Still, I can’t live forever off Da-eun’s generosity.

“I’ll collect it later, so just save it up.”

-There’s no later.

“I’ll report you to the labor department.”

-Go ahead. We’ve never employed someone like you.

I half-jokingly and half-seriously promised a future that might never come.

Da-eun would surely be pleased.

Just as I felt that the conversation was wrapping up…

-You didn’t call me just to mess with me, right? What do you want to say?

Edel, seemingly having the same thought as me, brought up the topic.

“I thought it was about time to work.”

Earlier I joked about it, but since it’s Edel who gives me jobs, if she doesn’t mention it, I wouldn’t know how to go about it.

On the contrary, if I refuse, she won’t have many options either.

It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, I suppose.

In the past, after finishing a job, Edel would ask me a few days later if I was ready to work again, but since I completed my last hunt, it’s been quite a while without any contact from her for some reason.

Waiting for a call only lasts a day or two.

With the phone silent, I finally decided to call her first.

-You must be quite restless.

“… Not really.”

I guess it’s true that I was simply bored.

“Anyway, I just wanted to check if there was a problem.”

-Not a problem… I guess. I realized I hadn’t told you.

“What do you mean?”

-It’s nothing much.

Just that I’ve been really busy lately, that’s all.

Edel, who spoke in such a human-like manner, continued her explanation.

-I’ve killed them all.

“…Huh?”

-I said I’ve killed them all.

When I asked again, confused, Edel kindly repeated herself.

But I still didn’t understand.

“I thought you meant all the Dimensional Beings are dead?”

-Of course not.

“Then what do you mean by killed all?”

-I mean I killed all the ones I had trapped. Remember how you said it’s inefficient to wait for them to visit you? That’s why your job is done now. You won’t be getting any more money.

“You never gave me any in the first place.”

It was ridiculous that she said it like I was supposed to have received money once.

“Is it really over with just around ten of them caught?”

And just because of those ten, the world was shaken?

-… Would it be because of that?

Edel, sensing my doubt before I could even voice it, replied with a slightly irritated tone.

-Actually, there are still some left.

“So then—”

-They aren’t the kind I can leave to you. I told you that the reason Silia was turned into a game was so that Earthlings could wear down their powers. What good would it be to leave it all to you?

“… Hmm.”

-And there are those that broke free from their seals.

“Isn’t that something serious to say in a calm tone?”

-What am I supposed to do about those that escaped?

“Shouldn’t we, like… track them down and kill them?”

-Most of them have either died or fled beyond this world. Anyway, I’ll make the remaining ones into bosses for the Earthlings to deal with, so you can take a break for a while. Isn’t that nice for you? … I can’t really rest, though.

You’ve already rested more than enough.

I held back from teasing her about that since I could feel the frustration of a wage earner in her voice.

She doesn’t seem like a god to me after all.

“…”

After hanging up with Edel.

I plopped down—

Holding the phone that had just ended the conversation, I lay back on my bed.

“…I’ve suddenly become free.”

I was already free, but now even the little work I had is gone.

Of course, it’s preferable to lounging around at home than running around busily.

But suddenly being left with nothing to do deflated me.

In the midst of preparing to suppress my impulse to not want to go out as I made plans, I got the feeling that my plans were going to be canceled right before the time came.

“Uwaaaah—”

Lying on the bed, I let out an incomprehensible sound.

Of course, such actions didn’t erase my feelings of emptiness.

‘… Should I ask Da-eun to hang out?’

When was the last time we went camping together?

It feels like it was just yesterday when I went out with Da-eun, but upon calculation, I realized it’s been weeks since our last adventure.

Is it really possible that time is passing faster on Earth than in Silia?

‘Of course not, but…’

Maybe it’s because I’ve experienced so much since I came to Earth.

Going out with Da-eun, meeting her parents, training with Yuki, catching Dimensional Beings in Silia…

Wait a minute, now that I look at it like this—

“… Haven’t I been living quite diligently?”

No, it’s more accurate to say I’ve been living richly.

Certainly, there were brief periods of downtime, but compared to the time I spent holed up in the mountains, it’s like night and day.

Back then, I was just living day by day, watching the sun rise and set, simply surviving.

So, enjoying a break as Edel suggested doesn’t seem bad at all.

“Okay, I’ve decided.”

I sprung up from the bed where I had been lazily lying around.

“There’s a saying, ‘If you’ve worked hard, go take a break.’”

I recalled a slogan I caught a glimpse of somewhere on the internet.

“And Da-eun has worked hard too.”

Indeed, Da-eun has been training with Yuki and still finds time to stream while playfully poking at me.

Even if the intensity of her training is lower than Yuki’s, it’s probably still not easy for her.

Since she has worked hard, Da-eun deserves a break too.

So, asking Da-eun to hang out is really just for her benefit, definitely not because I want to have fun myself.

“But where did Da-eun go?”

She was just next to me lounging around, but suddenly there’s only a pile of blankets beside me.

I checked the pile of blankets just in case—

“… As expected.”

She wouldn’t be hiding in there.

At Da-eun’s height, there’s no way she could squeeze in there no matter how she tried.

“…”

Even if Da-eun can’t, I probably could.

After briefly looking at the disheveled blanket, I shook my head.

There was no reason to attempt it, and if I managed to succeed, it would feel oddly uncomfortable.

Ignoring the tempting blanket, I hopped off the rather high bed.

“Where to…”

Should I go look for her?

My ambitious start to find Da-eun quickly crumbled as soon as I opened the door and spotted her.

“… Yes. Yes, yes. Then like that…. Yes, please.”

Da-eun was on the phone with someone, her expression serious.

Could something have happened?

It didn’t look like a trivial matter at a glance, so I quietly sat next to her, waiting for her call to end.

Completely engrossed in her conversation, Da-eun didn’t notice me sit beside her.

“Phew…”

After a while, she finally sighed and hung up.

As soon as the call ended, I took the opportunity to speak up.

“What’s going on?”

“Eek?! … Ka, Kana! I was surprised.”

“Someone might think you saw a ghost.”

“If it were a cute ghost like this, I’d be thrilled!”

Da-eun, who suddenly brightened as if that had never been serious, hugged me.

“Come be our house spirit!”

“Are you asking me to die?”

“… That’s not true!”

Teasing her a bit made her bounce back…

Hmm, this might be a bit entertaining.

“I thought my heart was going to drop!”

“Your heart doesn’t just drop like that.”

“It’s a metaphor. Do you have to keep saying that?”

Da-eun squinted her eyes in a triangle shape.

While teasing her was fun, it was time to get back to the main topic.

But before that—

“What’s the matter?”

“… Huh?”

“You look serious.”

Guess I should start with a concern consultation.

I felt inclined to check in since the expression she wore earlier was on my mind.

If it were mere curiosity, that’s one thing, but if it’s worry, that’s a different matter.

“Ah… um. Huh…”

Da-eun hesitated and let out a deep sigh again.

Then she opened her mouth.

“Yeah. It’s probably better if you know too, Kana.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“It’s something related to you.”

“Yeah, uhm… what?”

…Me?

My head, which had been nodding mindlessly, stopped abruptly.

She pointed her finger at me, and without saying anything, Da-eun nodded.

… Why me?