I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 123

There was always going to be a certain amount of coherence in the System. Usually, there were causes and effects, no matter how trivial. Even though there were certainly instances when something incomprehensible occurred via the System, most of the time, the cause of the outcome was revealed as time passed.

‘But there were a few cases that remained a mystery until my death.’

One of them was the frenzied invasion of the Spirit King, Alkinas. It was a kind of incident that was truly difficult for humanity to understand.

‘Spirits usually refrain from committing acts of violence.’

Yet, Alkinas had perpetrated slaughter beyond mere violence. At the time, no one understood the reason behind it. The first appearance of Alkinas was in Nevada, USA. He massacred the nearby people as he kept repeating the phrase, “Give me back my daughter.”

‘The scale of the damage was at least the level of a Server Scenario.’

Jin-Hyeok didn’t remember exactly, but at least hundreds of thousands of civilians died. It was an event that shocked the United States.

‘He was too powerful, we couldn’t stop Alkinas by fighting him head-on.’

Humanity realized they could not kill the Spirit King and began to devise other methods, ultimately succeeding in sending the mighty Spirit King back to the Spirit world.

‘We had to seal the Spirit Gate.’

Jin-Hyeok didn’t know the location of the Spirit Gate.

Anyway, it was said that Players with special abilities joined forces and, at the cost of their lives, sealed the Spirit Gate that appeared somewhere.

‘With the Spirit energy from the Spirit world being cut off, Alkinas eventually went back to where he came from.’

It was a very mysterious incident. It was not related to any known Scenario, yet a monster of the final boss tier had appeared. If it was related to the System, there should have been some sort of compensation in some way. However, no one managed to acquire any significant rewards. The invasion of the Spirit King was indeed a war, bringing only destruction and death.

‘There truly was no coherence to the incident.’

That was why people simply referred to this incident as a disaster. Jin-Hyeok remembered that the incident was summed up as ‘One day, the crazed Spirit King wreaked havoc in the wrong place.’

‘So that monster really had his daughter kidnapped, then.’

Now it felt like the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, one by one.

‘Afterward, the Players who were harmed by the Spirit King suffered serious after-effects, and the one who treated them was the surgeon, Dr. Jonprich.’

He not only treated the after-effects caused by the Spirit Fever but also gifted the Players with scientifically inexplicable prosthetics and artificial organs. At that time, he even received praises as the surgeon bestowed by the Gods.

‘I wondered how he was so knowledgeable on the Spirits.’

It seemed Jonprich had set up this artificial experimental facility, conducting all sorts of biological experiments on Spirits. Jin-Hyeok vigorously shook his head.

‘That’s one bad bastard.’

Perhaps the conclusion of the New World Scenario Jin-Hyeok was currently progressing, titled Walking Alone in a New Place, might eventually be about rescuing the daughter of the Spirit King.

‘If I do that, I can prevent the disaster from my past life along the way, perhaps?’

Honestly speaking, Jin-Hyeok did not have any sense of mission or justice to prevent the disaster. However, he felt that if he proceeded well with this Scenario, he might be able to build a good relationship with the Spirit King.

‘Spirits are a race who easily forget grudges, but never forget favors.’

They usually did not make enemies. Instead, once they become friends, they regard them as friends forever. Once they became friends, they possessed the disposition to turn a blind eye to any misdeeds, within reasonable bounds.

‘I’ve always wanted to meet the Spirit King anyway.’

In his previous life, he was not able to fight against the Spirit King. Jin-Hyeok wondered how strong the Spirit King was that the top-tier American Players suffered such a massacre. He wanted to experience being engulfed in that blaze at least once.

[Will...you...Help...?]

Options appeared before him.

[1. ”Of course, I will find the Spirit King’s daughter, thwart Jonprich’s nefarious deeds, and stand with you.”]

[2. “Battles are the only thing that keeps me alive. I have dreamed of battling you, Igrit, the Fire Spirit.”]

‘Wow.’

Jin-Hyeok nearly chose the second option.

‘I have to clear the Dungeon properly. Let’s stay focused.’

Jin-Hyeok steeled his mind.

“Of course, I will find the Spirit King’s daughter, thwart Jonprich’s nefarious deeds, and stand with you.”

Whoosh!

Just as Jin-Hyeok thought flames were going to burst from Igrit’s body, it suddenly turned into a ball of fire and flew somewhere. Following its movement, he saw stairs leading to the third floor in the distance.

[Please...]

As Jin-Hyeok approached the stairs, he noticed some kind of special barrier. He didn't sense any Spirit power, and it seemed to be more like a trap of some kind.

‘I don’t remember this being here.’

Originally, Igrit, on the second floor, was set to transition into a total of three phases. Although dealing with Igrit was quite difficult, once defeating it a few times, the way to the third floor opened up.

“I see some kind of semi-transparent barrier.”

Jin-Hyeok tried hitting it a few times with his sword, but it didn’t budge. With Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, he saw a name appear.

[Seperating Barrier]

“The barrier seems very tough, making it difficult to just break it and enter the third floor. However, I don’t think it is much of a concern. I have the new Achievement at my disposal, after all.”

The New World really was a well-constructed Dungeon, which was quite pleasing.

“You all remember that I obtained this Achievement in the barren wilderness earlier, right?”

[One Who Breaks Artificiality]

[Break down all that is artificial. Judgment will befall upon all actions that defy the laws of the New World. On that day, everything will shatter.

Achievement Effect: Amplifies the ability to destroy all things artificial. (This effect is limited to the New World.)]

“By artificial, it means something is created by humans, not from the power of nature. This barrier seems man-made. Probably the work of Jonprich, right? I’ve applied the Achievement. I wonder if it will break.”

Jin-Hyeok swung the Greatsword of La’kan.

“It broke. I think Players can proceed with the Scenario this way.”

‘Wait, would this be unlocked by the Unleashing Technique? I should’ve tried. What a pity.’

? ? ?

Bong King gulped nervously.

‘How can that monster be so powerful?’ he thought.

There was only one monster, merely a lizard the size of a human forearm. The issue was that the entire body of the lizard was engulfed in raging flames.

“The only Player capable of close-range attack seems to be the Sword King, Lee Hyeon-Seong,” Bong King muttered.

Hyeon-Seong managed to inflict damage on Igrit by overlaying a special Sword Aura, a feat others could not replicate. They couldn’t even approach Igrit, let alone attack it effectively.

“The flames are too intense, igniting anything that gets close.”

It was clear that they would have been wiped out already had their Tank, Choi Gang-Byeok, not been present. Eventually, even Gang-Byeok met his demise, followed shortly by Hyeon-Seong.

“I guess I have to die with them. It’s a shame. We could have succeeded if we had strategized a bit better,” Bong King said.

Every party member had previously set their save points well and resurrected immediately. Given the instant resurrection setting was in place, the Players waited at the save points.

“Is everyone alright? I think this is the seventh time resurrecting,” Bong King asked.

“If we weren’t, we would have left the Dungeon already.”

The majority of Players accompanying Bong King were of a high caliber, unafraid of death. Despite the official decrees from various nations discouraging repetitive deaths, these individuals paid no heed. They believed that if someone was mentally affected by consecutive deaths, it was due to their own weakness. The Ruler overseeing the entire party, Kang Min-Hyeok, said, “Let’s try again. I have a good feeling about this time.”

Bong King re-entered the Burning Fortress on the second floor, resuming the livestream. Due to the ever-present threat of being burnt to a crisp at any moment of carelessness, he had no time to check his Eltube channel separately.

[The conditions of the Hidden Achievement 「Lead the Way For Those Who Follow the Footsteps」 have been fulfilled.]

‘Huh?’

Bong King had no idea what this notification was about. The phrase ‘have been fulfilled’ irked him greatly.

‘Did Kim Chul-Soo surpass me? Last time I remember, he was wandering around on the first floor!’

It was believable that he cleared the first floor, but Bong King had no idea how Chul-Soo could advance faster than him on the second floor. It was logically inconceivable.

‘Who does he think he is, Kim Pyeong-Beom?’

As time passed, Bong King’s party faced another failure.

“Ah, it’s really disappointing. We were so close to killing it. We will definitely kill it next time.”

Having resurrected, Bong King concealed the sense of urgency and opened Eltube to check Chul-Soo’s Play. Chul-Soo had already reached the third floor.

‘The third floor? Really? Unbelievable!’

Bong King almost screamed out loud. He was struggling even with the Sword King, Lee Hyeon-Seong, and his rival, Choi Gang-Byeok. He could not believe that Chul-Soo, who was in Solo Mode, had already reached the third floor.

‘I should rewind and check the earlier part of the Chul-Soo’s livestream.’

Bong King moved the scroll slightly to see what had transpired earlier.

‘Wait, he managed to have a conversation with that violent Spirit?’

Ultimately, the conversation was successful, and the path to the third floor was immediately opened. Bong King wanted to scream.

‘Is this even fair?!’

It seemed impossible, yet it happened. Then, a message arrived from KingGodGeneral Yumi, another one of his competitors.

[「KingGodGeneral Yumi」 has donated 1,000,000 Dias.]

[“Mr. Bong King, I have a really great idea. Would you like to hear it?”]

? ? ?

The path to the third floor was opened. As Jin-Hyeok set foot there, another notification popped up.

[You have fulfilled the conditions of the Hidden Achievement 「Lead the Way For Those Who Follow the Footsteps」.]

It seemed like Bong King and his party were struggling on the second floor.

‘Should I be enjoying this?’

Jin-Hyeok was focusing on the intrinsic fun and quality that the content held, a unique story that only he could pursue, something the others could not do. Hence, the simple matter of clear speed was unrelated to him. It was not something he cared about.

Even though he thought that, he couldn’t help but smile.

‘Hehe. How dare you try to clear faster than me?’

Although the clear speed was not important, it would be nice to be faster since he was already doing it.

‘Ah, I feel at ease now.’

With a relaxed mind, Jin-Hyeok entered the third floor.

[You have entered the Field 「Burning Fortress Third Floor」.]

The third floor had a quite different vibe compared to the first and second floors.

“There’s no flames engulfing the place.”

A perfectly normal space revealed itself. Rather than being hot, a fairly cool breeze was entering through the open window.

“The window is open. I suspect that if Jonprich was here, he might have escaped through there.”

Chasing Jonprich recklessly wasn’t a great strategy. Jin-Hyeok decided to look for some clues. The third floor was much smaller compared to the first and second floors.

“I see some tools scattered on the ground that I have never seen before. Ah, this seems to be scissors. Even without viewing through Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, it is not hard to guess that someone escaped hastily.”

Usually, places like these had clues related to the Scenario.

“The bed cover is burnt in the shape of a person. It seems someone was restrained here. It seems Jonprich kidnapped the Spirit King’s daughter and conducted some sort of experiment.”

Jin-Hyeok started to become impatient. Finding the clues quickly would prevent his livestream from becoming boring. Jin-Hyeok quickly searched the area.

[You have received a Surprise Mission.]

[Creator of the Surprise Mission: Wind Wanderer.]

‘Huh?’

Jin-Hyeok had wondered if Wind Wanderer had stopped watching his livestream, but after a long hiatus, he created a Surprise Mission for Jin-Hyeok. Whenever Jin-Hyeok saw Wind Wanderer, he thought of Kang Mi-Na.

“Wind Wanderer is seriously a top-tier viewer. He doesn’t ask for more than what was agreed upon, he’s polite, and he doesn’t make any weird requests. As long as he’s having fun, he gives out huge rewards to Streamers. He’s suuuper chill. The compensations for his Missions are always great, and his Missions are generally on the easier side too.”

Jin-Hyeok also held a bit of gratitude toward Wind Wanderer. He once provided Jin-Hyeok with the Runaway Dog from the Heavens Mission, helping Jin-Hyeok fight the Demon. However, apart from that incident, the fact that a viewer from when Jin-Hyeok first started the livestream was still consistently watching him made him happier.

These days, Jin-Hyeok continually felt like he had truly become a Streamer.

[Mission Title: Assassinate Jonprich.]

[Mission Reward: Phoenix Heart.]

Jin-Hyeok unconsciously stopped his livestream and looked at the Mission Reward.

‘Phoenix Heart? Is he really giving this out as the Mission Reward?’