I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 110: The Ascension Ritual (1)

“What you need to do now is elevate your soul’s essence.”

After agreeing to cooperate, Edel began explaining her plan to me.

“What’s essence?”

“It’s the authority to grasp higher power, the qualification to transcend natural law, the proof of existence... There are many ways to describe it, but even saying it like this, it probably doesn’t mean much to you, right?”

“So, it’s like a stage?”

“It’s not exactly the same. But if it’s hard to grasp, you could think of it that way. Essence and stages are closely related. Does that help you understand?”

“Not really... So why do I need to elevate this essence?”

“Because you need to elevate it to defeat the Dimensional Beasts.”

“...Just keep talking.”

With each statement Edel made, another question mark popped up in my mind. I figured that if I interrupted every time, we’d never finish.

After all, if she decided to disappear mid-conversation like the first time we met, there’d be no guarantee she’d come back. She claimed she wouldn’t do that again, but my trust in Edel wasn’t exactly sky-high.

“To block the Dimensional Beasts, I had to demote this world and bind it to Earth. I made it sound simple, but it was actually a very complex process. Bringing a massive energy form like a world under another equally vast one isn’t easy. If even the slightest mistake occurs, both worlds could be shredded to the point of no return.”

This was only possible because Silia had already been damaged by the Dimensional Beasts’ invasion, and Edel hadn’t lost her administrative authority. Thanks to her full cooperation, Earth’s overseer was able to integrate the reduced form of Silia into its management.

“Being bound to another world isn’t exactly ideal. Think of it like this: an upper dimension is like a person standing at the top of a waterfall, while the subordinate world—the lower dimension—is a person standing at the bottom. The one above can influence the one below, but it’s much harder for the one below to influence the one above.”

Even if they threw rocks with all their might, they wouldn’t reach the top; and trying to climb up through the fierce torrent would be even more impossible.

“Can’t you just use a sword aura or something?”

“Well, yes. You could use sword aura or magic, or have a powerful enough body to withstand the torrent and climb the waterfall. But these are things only someone with ‘essence’ could achieve.”

“Hmm...”

The qualification to transcend natural law, she’d said. After hearing her explanation, I started to get a vague sense of it. So, in short, essence is like a tool that allows you to influence the level above, whether it’s with a sword or magic?

Hmm...

Even though she was surely reading my thoughts, she didn’t outright deny it, so it seemed my understanding wasn’t entirely off.

“Could you not trivialize divine authority like that...? Anyway, for a lower dimension to affect an upper dimension is challenging... no, it’s extraordinarily difficult.”

“Alright, I get that much. So what does that have to do with me needing to elevate my essence?”

“Ugh, you’re making me spell it out...”

Edel grumbled.

“Until now, the Dimensional Beasts and I were on equal footing, or I was slightly above. But after losing to them and being demoted to Earth’s lower dimension, I’m now beneath them. A slight advantage is still an advantage. Within Silia’s dimension, I can’t effectively fight them. That’s why I shaped it into a game.”

“You used upper-dimensional beings to hunt down lower-dimensional enemies.”

“Exactly! You catch on quicker than I expected.”

“...Quicker than you expected?”

I narrowed my eyes at her, the way she spoke as though she hadn’t expected me to understand. That reaction felt oddly familiar...

“Oh, I remember now.”

Those smug wizards who filled their lungs with air used to talk to me like that.

They’d say that I could sense mana but lacked the brains to use magic, so I just swung a sword. Of course, I made sure to correct their misunderstanding with a little help... and their hunchbacked figures from hunching over desks also got fixed.

Could Edel be one of those types?

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

“...Ahem! That’s not the point here, is it? Now, let me explain how you can elevate your essence.”

Ignoring my probing gaze, Edel awkwardly shifted the topic.

And then, what came out of her mouth was an absurd suicide method called the Ascension Rite.

For all her talk about being an invaluable ally, she had no qualms about recommending this “death haven” in Raxia.

I stared at Edel in disbelief.

“Are you seriously suggesting I do something like that?”

It didn’t make any sense.

You could find countless records of idiots in history who tried to raise their level by absorbing mana beyond their limits.

Why do I call them idiots?

Because the records usually included the details of their downfall.

Perhaps there were successful cases not recorded in history, but I hadn’t come across any success stories in the ones I’d read.

If that were an easy way to gain strength, wouldn’t anyone and everyone be strutting around with the title of Master?

“Don’t worry! With your soul, which even withstood the whirlpool of dimensions, you should be able to handle this trial... theoretically!”

“Wow, that’s so reassuring.”

I couldn’t help the sarcasm in my voice; every time someone used theory as an argument, things usually went south.

“Oh, that was just a joke! This is for my precious little canary and the one and only sword in the world, so there’s no way I’d let anything happen to you.”

“That’s exactly why I said it.”

Every time I’d seen Edel, she’d been too carefree to inspire any real trust.

Even though I’d decided to work with her, I wasn’t about to gamble my life recklessly.

If Edel had come to me months—or even weeks—earlier with a proposal like, “I’ll give you the strength to rip apart a snake, but you might die if you’re unlucky,” I might have accepted.

But not now.

“Having an attachment to life is a beautiful thing. It’s a privilege only those who harbor life can enjoy.”

“If you’re going to wax poetic about the beauty of humanity, do it later. I’m not someone who finds humans beautiful, so I won’t agree with you.”

“It’s not a paean to humanity; it’s an ode to life. But if my canary wishes it, I’ll keep quiet.”

True to her word, Edel fell silent.

...And that’s exactly why I can’t trust her.

If she suddenly says, “Oops, I’ve run out of divine power... I used it all up~” and disappears, I’d have to go find her again.

Not wanting to deal with such an irritating and dreadful scenario, I pressed Edel to continue.

“Hurry up and explain already.”

“Shall I?”

No sooner had the words left my mouth than Edel started chattering away again as if she’d never stopped.

At first, I listened with little interest, but as Edel continued detailing her reasoning, I started to see why she was so confident.

“You elevate your essence, the poor children are freed from their mission, and I regain my power. Doesn’t ‘three birds with one stone’ apply perfectly here?”

“Yes, if you ignore the fact that failure would ruin everything.”

“If you’re going to die just sitting around or die trying, wouldn’t you at least want to die trying? You’re not one to just lay down and get trampled, are you?”

“True enough.”

Getting trampled was something I’d had enough of in my childhood.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

“An excellent choice.”

There was still the chance of failure and penalties if I did fail.

But assuming Edel’s words held true, it wasn’t the riskiest gamble.

And as she said, there weren’t any other options available.

“But is it really okay to entrust the world’s fate to me alone?”

“Think of it not as entrusting it to a single human but to a hero who crossed worlds to save it. Doesn’t that make more sense?”

“Haha, a hero?”

A dry, humorless laugh escaped me.

A hero? That title didn’t suit me at all.

But Edel didn’t seem to put much weight on the term, so I left it at that.

There were still plenty of things I was curious about.

“So, by elevating my essence, I’ll be able to influence higher dimensions, right?”

“Exactly. I already told you that, didn’t I?... Ah, so that’s what you were wondering~?”

Edel narrowed her eyes playfully, her gaze full of mischief as she grinned knowingly.

With a smug smile, she nodded in understanding.

“You’ll certainly be able to do what you’re thinking.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to read my mind?”

“If you don’t like it, hurry up and elevate your essence.”

If I succeed in this Ascension Rite, will I finally be able to strike this infuriating goddess?

If so, I might just feel motivated to go through with it.

“Tch,” I clicked my tongue softly.

“What if people lose interest in this world and the game fails? Won’t this world disappear then?”

“Don’t worry. Even if it does, it’ll still remain as a lower-dimensional form, and if interest starts to fade, I can plant a suggestion. ‘You find this game fun and want to keep playing...’ Just like that. But it won’t come to that.”

How could anyone get tired of a world I’ve crafted with such allure?

Edel’s face was filled with pride as she said this.

“Alluring, huh...”

I didn’t quite resonate with that sentiment.

Shaking my head to dispel the thought, I told myself it didn’t matter.

What Edel thought of her own world was none of my concern.

But from the moment I heard her plan, I’d had one burning question.

I turned to Edel, ready to finally ask the question that had been lingering in my mind.