I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 106

Wang Yu-Mi had changed her Eltube channel name from Mystery Box.

‘The initial concept I had in mind is long gone, after all…’ she thought.

The original idea behind Mystery Box was to remain anonymous while featuring Players with average skill levels. That concept had been abandoned long ago, prompting the need for a new name.

“I will change the channel name to KimKnowItAllTV! As you all may know, I chose this name because this is a channel dedicated to Kim Chul-Soo!”

Her lively chat continued as always.

[KimKnowItAllTV has been selected for a 「Non-Stop Laughter Livestream」 in real-time.]

[KimKnowItAllTV has been selected for a 「Bustling Livestream」 in real-time.]

Although these notifications did not bring a significant benefit to Yu-Mi, they lifted her spirits considerably as a Streamer. It felt like receiving a sort of medal.

-Kim_Woof_Woof: Wait, isn’t Kim Chul-Soo in a crisis right now?

Yu-Mi promptly pinned the last chat. The chat in KimKnowItAllTV, which was like a playground for the viewers, heated up even more.

[Kim_Woof_Woof: Wait, isn’t Kim Chul-Soo in a crisis right now?]

┗Yeah, he does seem to be in a bit of a danger.

┗How can arrows be raining down like that?

┗Isn’t this the first time Chul-Soo himself acted as if he was in pain?

┗Looks like he’s also caught in a magic circle trap. This is really dangerous.

At first, there were viewers who expressed concerns, but that was short-lived.

┗Do y’all really think he’s in a crisis?

┗Sigh. You guys don’t know Chul-Soo at all. You’d be better off not watching.

┗Can’t you see it’s a build-up for the Kim Scenario? Lol.

[Explanation AI— Kim Scenario: A directorial approach where Kim Chul-Soo deliberately acts as if he is in a crisis to induce tension and amusement.]

A quarrel broke out among the viewers. Yu-Mi interjected at just the right moment.

“Honestly, I’m not sure myself. What’s important is that Chul-Soo is doing his best.”

From Yu-Mi’s perspective, it was clear as day. At the moment, Chul-Soo was not doing his best in terms of power, but he was certainly putting in all his efforts as a Streamer.

‘It’s kind of fascinating. From what I see, it’s obvious he’s just toying with the enemies, but it seems the viewers don’t quite see it that way.’

Yu-Mi decided to do a real-time poll.

[1. This is totally a Kim Scenario. (60%)]

[2. What are you talking about? He’s in a real crisis. (40%)]

The vote split sixty to forty in ratio. It was surprisingly close.

‘Hm?’

However, as time passed, public opinion started to shift.

[1. This is totally a Kim Scenario. (88%)]

[2. What are you talking about? He’s in a real crisis. (12%)]

Now, it was becoming apparent even to the viewers.

‘This could be problematic.’

Yu-Mi thought it would be better to spice up the chat with more heated exchanges of opinions. That way, it would attract more attention and become a bigger topic. Yu-Mi decided to change her strategy.

“From what I see, the chances of this being a Kim Scenario are about 30,000 percent.”

[1. This is totally a Kim Scenario. (92%)]

[2. What are you talking about? He’s in a real crisis. (8%)]

“But there is no doubt that Chul-Soo is acting like he’s having a tough time.”

This became some sort of a meme.

“Let’s go with the suffering Kim Chul-Soo. What do you think?”

[KingGodGeneral Yumi: The Kim Chul-Soo who thinks he’s struggling, the Kim Chul-Soo who’s giving his all, the Kim Chul-Soo who really thinks that he’s pulling it off.]

┗LOOOOL. By the looks of it, Chul-Soo really thinks he’s fooling the viewers.

┗If that’s the case, why not just be in a crisis for real? LOL

┗Not a scratch on him. Hahaha!

┗He’s just panting, but there's not even a single drop of sweat! LOL

┗Is this really happening? Haha!

Yu-Mi even captured a screenshot of Chul-Soo’s expression.

[KingGodGeneral Yumi: The epitome of tranquility.]

┗LOOOOL. So true. LOL

┗LOL LOL. Externally intense, internally tranquil. Haha!

And thus, a meme was born.

This was the birth of the IntenseMan Kim Chul-Soo, who thought he was intense but was actually more tranquil than anyone else.

The news started to spread like wildfire even on online communities like the Korean Region Minor Gallery.

[Chul-Soo looks really struggling this time. He’s up against the Black Thorn Alliance, known as Korea’s strongest Assassin Alliance.]

┗Yeah, was watching the livestream, and it really worried me.

┗What’s gonna happen? Isn’t this a dangerous situation?

┗He’s in too dangerous of a situation.

[Honestly, shouldn’t someone of Kim Chul-Soo’s caliber be a promising figure in Korea? Why is everyone so silent? Someone should step in and protect him!]

┗2222.

┗333.

┗Really hope Chul-Soo manages this crisis wisely.

During a brief break from the livestream, Joseph, who had been waiting in another room, was visited by none other than Yu-Mi herself, and he held out his hand toward her.

“Yu-Mi, I think collaborating with you was a brilliant choice.”

Yu-Mi and Joseph shook hands, both wearing satisfied grins.

“IntenseMan Kim Chul-Soo thinks he really appears in a crisis. This livestream will not be archived, so only those who watched it live will know what happened today. That way, Chul-Soo will think he looked genuinely in danger and will feel like he has grown as a Streamer,” Yu-Mi said.

It would not matter when Chul-Soo eventually found out this was all a meme. What was important to Yu-Mi was right here, right now. She continued to speak.

“What we have here is what’s known as the unexpected charm. You see, Chul-Soo is actually too skilled, which makes him less relatable. But this vulnerability will become a huge point of affection for his fans.”

Star Maker Joseph had already grasped the essence, but he learned a new term today.

“Unexpected charm… I’ll have to take a note.”

“Cheers to IntenseMan.”

“Cheers.”

The two clinked their beer glasses, sharing the same satisfied smile.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

At this point, it felt like Cha Jin-Hyeok had done enough to sell the performance. He had fallen into their exhausting traps. He had been hit by arrows, albeit only a few. He had even pretended to be out of breath and wiped away non-existent sweat.

‘The arrows do fly at an impressive speed, though.’

From his point of view, the speed of the arrows was reasonable, but it probably seemed incredibly fast to a casual or low-Level Player. Their relentless pursuit as they tried to drive him out of Yeonhui-dong was rather admirable.

‘But they’re missing that final touch.’

At this rate, it would take forever. However, it seemed like the Assassins were already aware of this problem. A powerful figure emerged, aiming to speed up the process of driving Jin-Hyeok out of Yeonhui-dong.

‘Oh!’

[LV56/Taekwon V[1]Incarnation of Hwarang[2]/Skills/Their Trusted Ways]

To be honest, Jin-Hyeok was quite pleased.

‘That’s Kim Doo-Hwan, also known as Taekwon V!’

Naturally, this Taekwon V looked much younger than the one Jin-Hyeok remembered. A memory floated into his mind.

Doo-Hwan and the leader of the Black Thorn Alliance, Kwak Do-Hyeong, had been friends since childhood. They would later publicly deny their friendship, but anyone who needed to know already did.

‘To see Hwarang of Ashen Cherry Blossom here…’

Though Jin-Hyeok had no personal relationship with Doo-Hwan, he had always admired him. Doo-Hwan was not a Player who went out killing monsters. He was like an Entertainer-Class Player. As time went on, the types of Players would diversify, and Doo-Hwan would grow into an Entertainer-Class Player. A former national Taekwondo representative, Doo-Hwan would integrate the martial art into his Play, displaying flashing and beautiful techniques.

‘He was truly cool.’

Whenever Doo-Hwan used his Skills, ashen cherry blossoms would bloom, creating a spectacle. He was a type of Player completely different from Jin-Hyeok. Jin-Hyeok was a hunter, pursuing extreme efficiency, but he had a genuine affection for Entertainer-Class Players.

It was like… they ignited a fire in a man’s heart. There was even a time when children aspired to become Taekwon V.

“He’s closing in at a considerable speed.”

Jin-Hyeok quickly increased the distance between them. During that time, dozens more arrows flew at him, disrupting his movement.

‘They’re working well together.’

Rather than directly attacking Jin-Hyeok, Doo-Hwan was gradually applying pressure, forcing him to move continuously.

“His kicks are incredibly flashy.”

Doo-Hwan embroidered the air with hues of ash. The cherry blossoms had not reached full bloom yet, but it was still delightful to watch the Play of a Player Jin-Hyeok had admired.

[You have activated the Skill 「Time-Lapse Recording」.]

Doo-Hwan’s movements slowed to 0.8 times his usual speed, allowing Jin-Hyeok to see his movements in detail.

“Such beautiful kicks.”

Cling!

With a light sound effect, Time-Lapse Recording was deactivated.

“For the first time, my Time-Lapse Recording Skill has been broken. It seems like the opponent has considerable resistance or control over adjusting the time-lapse recording speed. It’s impressive.”

‘I mean, to exhibit such flashy, remarkable, and swift kicks, one would need that kind of ability.’

Jin-Hyeok continued to be pushed back. Their grueling(?) battle went on. A great deal of time had passed—over four hours, it seemed.

At a certain moment, Jin-Hyeok intuitively knew.

‘I’ve left the Golden Guardian Tree’s territory.’

He could no longer rely on the protection of the Golden Guardian Tree. As a Streamer who was constantly growing, one thought crossed his mind.

‘I should pretend to try to re-enter Yeonhui-dong.’

That would make the scene more intense. Naturally, the enemies staked their lives on preventing Jin-Hyeok from entering Yeonhui-dong. After roughly fifteen minutes of trying, Jin-Hyeok finally gave up and stopped trying to enter Yeonhui-dong.

“The arrows have stopped, and the opponent's spectacular kick attacks have also ceased,” Jin-Hyeok noted.

Doo-Hwan stood, blocking his path. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Doo-Hwan spoke, “I apologize for ganging up on you. However, I must do my job. As long as you don’t attempt to go further in, I won’t attack you. It was a favor for an old friend of mine.”

Jin-Hyeok almost cracked a rather satisfied smile.

‘I guess they’re actually going to assassinate me now.’

Black Thorn Alliance was an alliance of Assassins. However, their actions against Jin-Hyeok were too overt to be considered assassination attempts.

“It seems like what they’ve been doing was just preparation for the actual assassination,” Jin-Hyeok said to the viewers.

Herding him out of Yeonhui-dong was their preliminary move. The real domain of assassination was about to begin.

“I can feel the sharp bloodlust closing in.”

It had to be the sharp bloodlust from Magpie Viper—Kwak Do-Hyeong. He seemed to be waiting for the right opportunity, for the right place, to resolve this himself.

‘However, I like Kim Doo-Hwan. I should give it my best when facing him. It’s the least I can do.’

Jin-Hyeok could not keep pulling his punches when facing a Player he respected. It wouldn’t be courteous to him.

“Now I will give him my best,” Jin-Hyeok declared, gripping his Greatsword of La’kan as he stood before Doo-Hwan.

“By the way, I do acknowledge that your Play has entered the realm of art,” Jin-Hyeok said to Doo-Hwan.

“...”

“However, we are completely different types of Players.”

Doo-Hwan had yet to find his proper path. He was not the type of Player who hunted down monsters. He was more of an Entertainer-Class Player.

“When I give it my all…” Jin-Hyeok pondered on how to make this sound and look as dramatic as possible. He wanted to say a cool catchphrase that went along with the situation. “…the Ashen Dance shall crumble before my impenetrable barrier.”

It sounded corny, but it was still cool. Jin-Hyeok had been drawn to these kinds of lines lately. He looked down at his right wrist, quite pleased with his line. His viewers would be able to see it as well. A black pattern materialized on his right wrist. He deliberately displayed the All-Clear mark that had been in stealth mode.

At the same time, he opened a window on the right of the screen to aid the viewers’ understanding.

[2) +1 to Defensive Attributes

- The Achievement bearer may boost the Attributes of one of their defensive abilities.

-When using defensive Skills/Traits,

┗Complete immunity to physical attacks below Level 80.

┗Partial immunity to physical attacks below Level 100.]

Then, Jin-Hyeok deliberately began to walk forward, slowly.

“Your art will experience a tragedy today.”

In honor of the man Jin-Hyeok once admired, he resolved to give it his best.

“So you’ve finally decided to take the punishment.”

Doo-Hwan’s tone was weird, undoubtedly affected by Jin-Hyeok’s previous dialogue. Doo-Hwan advanced and unleashed hundreds of kicks in a split second, but Jin-Hyeok didn’t even bother to defend.

[Complete immunity to physical attacks below Level 80.]

Doo-Hwan's physical attacks had no effect on Jin-Hyeok. Even though Doo-Hwan linked various techniques and showcased moves that would be considered finishing strikes, they were meaningless.

‘Activate Star Shield.’

All attacks from those of the same Level or lower were entirely nullified. If Jin-Hyeok timed it right, he could block everything without taking any damage. Doo-Hwan was getting worn out, and Jin-Hyeok took a quick glance behind him.

‘It’s about time for Do-Hyeong to make his move.’

Do-Hyeong would undoubtedly try to seize an opening to ambush Jin-Hyeok. But then, a brilliant idea came to mind. There was no need to keep waiting to counter Do-Hyeong. Jin-Hyeok had an excellent defensive Mystery, after all.

“I will now reveal my most powerful defensive Mystery,” Jin-Hyeok announced, feeling that the timing was just right.

[You have activated the Mystery 「Phantom Swordswoman」.]

1. Taekwon V is the main character from Robot Taekwon V, which is a South Korean animated film released in the 70s. It’s often compared to the Japanese anime series Mazinger Z. Taekwon V is unique in that it incorporates elements of traditional Korean martial arts, Taekwondo, into its fighting style. ☜

2. Hwarang, or Flowering Knights, were an elite group of male youth in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, which existed between 57 BC and 935 AD. ☜