I Became a Raid Boss

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“Huuh….”

A thick breath puffed out, rising in a mist.

Crunch!

Underneath my careless step, an ice shard shattered.

It was still a bit early for winter.

Yet here I was, facing an unexpected midwinter.

“Though that’s nearly over.”

Woof!

As if responding to my monologue, the cow before me grunted harshly.

Unlike my exhalation, the breath coming from its nostrils didn’t vaporize.

Of course not.

That creature is the one who called forth this unseasonal winter.

Shaa…

A freezing chill, so cold it could freeze my body just from looking at it, oozed from its nostrils.

The rapidly dropping temperature turned the surrounding air into ice shards, which plinked as they fell.

“…I should have brought a hot pack.”

Though my body was generally resistant to temperature changes, the chill emanating from it was no trivial matter.

I almost thought about how difficult it was to breathe.

“No. Maybe it wouldn’t have made much difference.”

How much heat could a small hot pack really provide in front of a coldness that could freeze even a roaring campfire?

It’d be a miracle if I didn’t end up a hard lump of frozen meat quickly.

Thinking about carrying an ice pack in this frigid weather made me feel confirmed in my decision.

In reality, I just had no idea I’d be facing this creature, so I hadn’t thought to bring one.

“Couldn’t I at least get a heads-up?”

I sighed, letting out a little complaint.

During the time I hunted several dimensional beings starting with the first giant, all I heard from Edel was the location where the dimensional being was held.

I didn’t hear a single useful bit of information from Edel about what it looked like, its traits, or weaknesses…

Of course, I understood why she did that.

The whole reason I started this was to get used to fighting dimensional beings.

If I had received information beforehand and fought, the original purpose would have faded.

But that’s just how work is, isn’t it?

You can understand it logically, but once you’re in it, it feels unbearably frustrating.

“You understand how I feel, right?”

I spoke to the cow glaring at me.

I’m not entirely sure if calling it a cow is accurate.

It’s true that its head, horns, and some features resemble a cow.

But an ordinary cow isn’t as big as a house nor does it exude cold.

Even the shapes of its legs and body are quite different.

So, if I had to define it, it feels more like something that wanted to be a cow, but I’m too lazy to nitpick, so let’s just call it a cow.

A meat-rotting wolf, a fire-breathing giant, frozen Hanwoo… no, cow.

And just last time, there was a flying, tentacle creature with eyes.

Now, it feels like I expect with anticipation, ‘What kind of creature will appear next?’

…I veered off-topic for a moment, but the cow I’m dealing with now wasn’t the strongest dimensional being I’d faced, nor was it the most troublesome.

If we’re counting trouble, that tentacle creature I mentioned before was much more annoying.

It looked bizarre and the way it squirmed brought an inexplicable feeling of disgust.

On top of that, when I told Da-eun I had fought such a creature, she was horrified and asked if I was okay.

‘…Something feels off.’

And they raised a sense of unease in me.

Dimensional beings are entities from outside dimensions.

They’re neither part of Silia nor from Earth.

Yet why do they look somewhat similar to animals I know?

Sure, it could be a coincidence, like how there are animals on Earth that also exist in Silia…

“Well, who knows.”

The strange unease clung to me, refusing to let go.

Moreover, once that thought settled in, another question popped up.

‘Is there some sort of habitat for them outside dimensions?’

They wouldn’t just suddenly appear and invade from nowhere, right?

Unfortunately, Edel couldn’t provide an answer to that either.

If she had known, we wouldn’t have been invaded in the first place, so what could I say to that?

So I thought, ‘Edel and the gods of Earth are surely working hard to figure it out; I’ll just not worry about it for now.’

“Did you wait long?”

I had been lost in thought for quite some time, yet the cow just glared at me with its wide-open eyes without charging.

But then again, it had its legs severed; of course, it couldn’t charge.

All it could do was hold on to its dying breath and glare at me.

Seeing the fear lurking behind its violet eyes, I wore a satisfied smile.

“Did you know? When butchering livestock, sending them off without pain is a sign of respect for life.”

The same goes for hunting.

From that perspective, my current actions were definitely not something to be admired.

I was cutting off its legs, immobilizing it while talking to myself about nonsense.

“But you aren’t an ordinary life, are you?”

It seemed like it could feel pain, but that wasn’t my concern.

Anyway, after all that talk, the conclusion was simple.

As I swung the sword I held and severed the cow’s neck, I muttered.

“I want to eat beef.”

I should insist on having beef for dinner tonight.

Ideally, not this frozen beef, but fresh meat.

*

Stepping through dimensions into Earth, Da-eun greeted me as if she had been waiting.

“Ooh…! Kana Hero, you’re back…!”

“Here we go again.”

No, it was clear she had really been waiting.

If not, she wouldn’t be dressed up so nicely to welcome me as soon as I arrived.

“Would you like to eat first, take a bath, or…?”

Da-eun trailed off with a wink.

“Me. First?”

“Beef.”

“…Huh?”

“I want to eat beef.”

When I didn’t respond to her teasing, her lips puffed out in dissatisfaction for a moment.

“Why beef all of a sudden?”

Da-eun, deciding to quench her curiosity, asked me.

“Today it was a cow.”

“A cow? Ah… You mean you saw a dimensional being that looks like a cow?”

“Yeah.”

I was relieved she understood with that somewhat insufficient explanation, so I didn’t have to elaborate further.

“Isn’t it typical to lose your appetite after a bloody fight?”

“Who cares if it’s not a real cow.”

I hadn’t even had a gruesome battle.

When I added that, Da-eun looked puzzled.

“Is that so…? I would have thought I wouldn’t want to eat after such a fight, but anyway, you said you wanted to eat beef for dinner?”

“Yep.”

“Sorry, but that’s not happening.”

“…Why?”

“Because beef is expensive. Lately, Kana’s been eating too much chocolate, so our finances aren’t great.”

“…”

“- Just kidding!”

With a deliberately serious expression, she burst into laughter.

“Aha! Look at your shocked face! So you know you eat a lot too, huh?”

“…No.”

“You think so? If that weren’t the case, there’d be no reason for you to make that shocked face. Stop lying and tell the truth!”

“I’m really not.”

I shook my head at Da-eun, who puffed up with confidence, demanding I speak the truth.

“I was only shocked to think Da-eun’s only advantage had disappeared.”

“…”

A broke Da-eun, huh.

That’s like a taiyaki without the fish-shaped filling.

“…That’s harsh! And taiyaki doesn’t even need to have fish inside it!”

“I was kidding too.”

“I’m totally hurt… I’m gonna cry…”

“Then show that to Yuki.”

“…”

“Not gonna cry?”

“…I won’t cry.”

“That’s a shame.”

Shrugging, I set my phone down.

“Isn’t it too harsh to hit me with the truth after just poking fun? Anyway, I’m not joking about dinner being off the table. Let’s eat tomorrow, okay?”

“…”

“Even with that distant look, the answer is still no.”

“Why not?”

Maybe it was the fading anticipation.

Unintentionally, I mumbled in a sulky voice.

“Did you forget? We agreed to go out to eat with our mom and dad tonight.”

“…Right.”

There was that promise.

Thanks to Da-eun’s reminder, I recalled the forgotten agreement and scratched my cheek awkwardly.

I almost committed a faux pas.

Of course, even if I had forgotten, Da-eun wouldn’t, so there was no way I would’ve broken that promise.

“If you really want to eat, should we ask to go for beef? I don’t think my parents would mind.”

“Hmm. That’s fine.”

I was just suddenly drawn to the cow-like dimensional being, but it’s not like I’d die if I couldn’t eat it.

The moment I remembered there was a promise, I recalled Da-eun had been talking about a really good restaurant for a few days now, so I cautiously nudged her thought aside.

There weren’t many hours left until dinner, so I couldn’t pour cold water on it now.

“Thanks for understanding!”

“Da-eun isn’t the one who should be thankful. I should be the one expressing my gratitude.”

Because I could live like this thanks to Da-eun.

Da-eun smiled warmly.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m proud of you, Kana.”

“…”

…But this is somewhat.

I raised an eyebrow at the gentle tone she had, treating me as if I were a kid who succeeded in running an errand.