I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 125

‘Oh, I unintentionally revealed my true feelings,’ Cha Jin-Hyeok thought.

For a moment, Jin-Hyeok saw that Lee Hyeon-Seong was startled.

‘That’s not good. He shouldn’t be able to hear my voice when fighting so fervently against the Igrit.’

The only voices that should be heard during a battle were those of one’s comrades—especially the voice of the Ruler who commanded the party members. Conversely, Players should avoid hearing their Streamer’s voice as much as possible, because a Streamer was someone who broadcasts, not someone who commands.

Therefore, reacting to Jin-Hyeok’s voice so easily meant that Hyeon-Seong’s training was severely lacking.

‘Let’s see... I guess their Ruler is Kang Min-Hyeok, right?’

Kang Min-Hyeok would later be one of the top ten Rankers in the future. Jin-Hyeok didn’t have a personal relationship with him, but anyway, he knew Min-Hyeok was a guy with quite excellent qualities as a Player.

[LV88/Commander/Iron-Blooded Ruler/Skills/Following the Footsteps]

Jin-Hyeok approached Min-Hyeok.

“Iron-Blooded Ruler, I’m assuming you’re the Ruler of your party, right?”

He seemed busy. He was commanding the battlefield while deploying his members here and there, utilizing the Ruler’s buff Skills and others.

“Can I join your party?”

Perhaps it was too hectic, but no reply was heard.

Jin-Hyeok spoke to his viewers, “Since he didn’t answer, we can assume that he gave permission, right?”

‘No answer usually means okay, right?’

Jin-Hyeok pulled out his weapon, the Greatsword of La’kan, and approached Hyeon-Seong, who was still fiercely fighting with Igrit.

‘Ah, this is frustrating... What’s the point of fighting your ass off when you’re not doing it properly? He is very different from the Lee Hyeon-Seong that I once knew.’

Of course, Jin-Hyeok would admit that his standards were high. Jin-Hyeok’s standards on Hyeon-Seong were set to the Lee Hyeon-Seong of his previous life, when Lee Hyeon-Seong was around Level 200. However, acknowledging that did not change the fact that this situation was frustrating. It was that frustrating feeling a person would get when their mom asked them the same thing about new technologies multiple times.

“I feel like I am going to die of frustration,” Jin-Hyeok said.

‘How? How can he be so bad despite having such a good Sword Aura?’

“Igrit has roughly six patterns.”

Jin-Hyeok walked in between Hyeon-Seong and Igrit. Seeing the flaming lizard, Jin-Hyeok’s heart pounded heavily.

‘This is the real Igrit that hasn’t been nerfed at all!’

Hyeon-Seong yelled out in anger, “What are you doing, putting yourself in danger like this?!”

“The easiest pattern to deal among them is this current one. It moves from side to side, utilizing an attack that resembles a whip made of flames as its tongue.”

The basics of swordsmanship came from footwork and distance control. It was quite obvious, but a Swordsman needed to fight at a distance that favored them, and if that seemed difficult, at the very least, they should be faster than the opponent. If that was also challenging, then having the sense of perception to find the opponent’s weak points was a must.

“Igrit usually moves in the opposite direction of its tongue attack.”

If it moved to the left, the tongue attack would come flying from the right. If it moved to the right, the tongue attack would fly in from the left.

“The attack itself is quite destructive. What should you do when such a dangerous attack comes flying at you?”

The answer was very simple.

“You just have to move your feet to dodge it.”

‘How can Hyeon-Seong not be able to do something this easy?’

Among several of the monsters’s patterns, unfortunately, they were fighting against the easiest one. It would be more exciting to fight if a challenging pattern occurred.

Even though Jin-Hyeok did not like the fact that it was the easiest, he decided to focus since now was the time for some lessons.

Whoosh!

The tongue came flying in.

“By just moving a couple of steps forward like this, you can avoid the tongue,” Jin-Hyeok said.

However, this was a trap set by Igrit.

“Hey! It’s dangerous to approach like that!” Hyeon-Seong shouted at Jin-Hyeok.

Roar!

Flames surged upward. Approaching in a straight line like this would cause the flames imbued with Spirit energy to attack the opponent.

“There is no fight in this world that isn’t dangerous.”

The important thing here was whether or not Jin-Hyeok could withstand after taking the hit. Jin-Hyeok already blocked the white explosion on the third floor of the Burning Fortress. If he could block that, this was a piece of cake.

“You have to take hits like these to fight properly. I can’t understand how you think you can fight without taking any hits!”

‘Ugh, this is so frustrating. No wonder he’s having a hard time...’

“Do you think you will die if you get hit by this?”

The answer was no. Only a considerable amount of skin would melt. Jin-Hyeok had Broadcaster’s Barrier and Guardian Ring, so it only reached the level of skin melting. If Hyeon-Seong got hit, even his organs might melt to some degree. Of course, if really unlucky, he could die.

‘But that’s why there’s a Healer. For this exact reason. I don’t know what he is doing when there is a perfectly good Healer.’

“I see a significant weak point in Igrit. That’s expected since the monster is setting up traps and performing a difficult maneuver that involves conjuring flames imbued with Spirit energy while using its tongue.”

Even writing with both hands at the same time was difficult, not to mention executing such a complex attack. When someone would do something difficult, even for monsters, weak points would emerge.

“And when you see a weak point like this, you can just stab it.”

Thud!

Jin-Hyeok stabbed Igrit’s torso.

“Usually, it wouldn’t get stabbed this easily, but when you see a weak point, it’s this easy.”

Once it got stabbed, its body would stiffen. Then all he needed to do was to swing his sword to cut off its head.

“If you know where the punch is coming from, you’re not going to die. The same goes for swords.”

This was something Jin-Hyeok learned from the Martial King, Kim Jeong-Hyeon, in his past life. He said something about how Players could withstand even the strongest punches if they knew where the attack was coming from.

“Y-Yes... Whether my punch hits hard... or soft... if it lands well... the enemy will be gone... to another place...”

“In the end, what matters is the timing.”

From a physical-type Player’s perspective, the unknown punch was said to be the most dangerous punch. No matter how strong the punch, if they saw the attack and took it, it was bearable.

‘Not... knowing and taking the hit... That’s the... best!’

The principle was the same just now. Jin-Hyeok stabbed Igrit, now full of weak points, making it startled and weakening its barrier and defense. Then, Jin-Hyeok swung in an unseen trajectory, cutting its head.

He looked at Hyeon-Seong, concealing his growing frustration.

‘Why can’t you do this? You should at least be able to do this much. It’s infuriating.’

? ? ?

In a secluded conversation, Bong King was discussing in the chat with KingGodGeneral Yumi. Bong King almost raised his voice in anger.

-What did you say? You’re telling me to adopt that weird pounding-on-my-keyboard concept? Me? Bong King? You want me to just be a Streamer who rages at Kim Chul-Soo? You really want me to do that?

-Think about it carefully. Do you really believe that you can beat Kim Chul-Soo with conventional methods?

Bong King gritted his teeth.

Chul-Soo was a Streamer beyond anyone’s reach. Many predicted Chul-Soo’s downfall as he reached a higher Level, but as of now, he was on another level.

-Can you move like Chul-Soo?

-No, but no Streamer can imitate that!

-Then, can you convey the thrill and tension of killing monsters from a first-person perspective?

-Absolutely not! Chul-Soo is the weird one for being able to do that!

-Or can you find Hidden Achievements like Chul-Soo, showcasing what other Players cannot?

-Are you picking a fight right now?

-Look at what Chul-Soo is livestreaming right now. He’s telling his viewers how to properly Play. Can you exhibit such an incredible Play as a Ruler?

Bong King felt a deep cut in his pride but admitted what needed to be acknowledged. He was the kind who believed there was growth only in acceptance.

-There’s no need to be down. It’s not just you. I can’t do it either, nor can Kang Mi-Na from MiNaTV. Even Egan Paul, who was proclaimed as being the world’s number-one Streamer, can’t do it. It’s not that we are inadequate. It’s Chul-Soo who is unrivaled. Let’s accept that we cannot surpass him with conventional methods and move on.

Bong King could not type in the chat for a while. Actually, he was too preoccupied with livestreaming the current situation, which was Chul-Soo strangely killing Igrit with ease, to focus on the chat with Wang Yu-Mi. Continuing the secret conversation with her amidst all this was adding to the chaos that was already happening.

However, Yu-Mi kept the conversation going.

-But you know that Kang Mi-Na has Kim Pyeong-Beom on her side, right? I’m not sure, but the rumors say that she slept with Pyeong-Beom.

-What?

-You know about Mi-Na’s ability, right? If she engages in intimate physical touch, a contract is automatically formed, or something along that line... Though I’m not sure if it’s true, an exclusive contract has definitely been formed between them.

Kim Chul-Soo was a Streamer beyond reach.

Kang Mi-Na had Kim Pyeong-Beom, an irreplaceable weapon.

‘Then, what do I have?’ Bong King thought.

He made a decision. At last, the path he needed to take started to become clear. If he just put down his pride a bit, a path of growth would appear.

“Pshh. Anyone can do that much,” Bong King said.

Outwardly, he seemed to mock Chul-Soo, but inwardly, he was readying his hidden card.

‘I need to stack up my bad karma!’

Bong King needed to be the one to put himself against Chul-Soo and show the world his angry and embarrassed face after being defeated by Chul-Soo. With a furious determination, Bong King threw himself with everything he got.

“I mean, it’s not like Chul-Soo is all that great. He was able to do that only because we took most of the energy out of Igrit.”

Approaching Jin-Hyeok with a confident stride, Bong King questioned, “Don’t you think the same, Mr. Kim Chul-Soo?”

“Well, I was indeed lucky,” Chul-Soo said, nodding in agreement.

“But it will be a different story from the third floor onward.”

Bong King captured the angles of all the Players accompanying him in a single shot.

“Do you think you can maintain this solo performance? I personally don’t think it’s possible,” Bong King said.

Jin-Hyeok liked how Bong King was thinking.

[...#Just a show. #No pride here. #Bong King the indestructible toy. #The super durable toy that won’t break even when beaten.]

Jin-Hyeok had a rough idea of Bong King’s intentions.

“Impossible, you say?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yes. The third floor is an uncharted territory, never cleared before. From your livestream, it seems you cleared the third floor rather unconventionally, didn’t you?”

Their gazes collided in mid-air, seemingly at odds on the surface. Yet, Jin-Hyeok admired Bong King in his mind.

‘He was doing his own livestream, conversed with Yu-Mi, and monitored my livestream at the same time?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Executing three tasks simultaneously was no small feat.

‘I guess he really is a king.’

Jin-Hyeok had no choice but to humbly acknowledge Bong King’s ability as a Streamer.

‘I find it overwhelming to communicate with the viewers alone. That’s why I have Yu-Mi for this very reason. This truly deserves respect.’

Jin-Hyeok felt greatly lacking compared to the top-tier Streamers with exceptional talents. His standards escalated once more at this moment.

“Why don’t we bet on who can clear the third floor more brilliantly, and who can create a better scene for their livestream? Though it’s clear that we’ll do better,” Bong King asserted confidently.

[...#Even if I become a toy. #A toy that wriggles when stepped on. #The wriggling toy.]

Numerous viewers laughed as they placed various Missions on respective livestreams. The popular opinion among viewers was that Bong King was making an absurd claim.

He erupted in anger, seemingly quite aggrieved on the outside.

“Why am I the underdog here?! We have far more Players! We have the top-ranked Swordsman and even the top-ranked Tank! You guys know nothing. I will show you what we’re made of. Just don’t whine later,” Bong King said.

He arrived at the third floor alongside Jin-Hyeok.

? ? ?

‘Man, I’m so excited! I really get to fight against Magnar?’

Magnar was the high-ranking Fire Spirit. It was quite regrettable not being able to fight properly before. This time it seemed like a genuine opportunity to truly experience his own growth.

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

[The Scenario 「Walking Alone, and Together in a New Place」 is underway.]

Jin-Hyeok could hear the voice of Min-Hyeok, who was the Ruler.

“Watch the walls! Be careful of the walls!”

From the walls, several orbs of light gently floated up.

“Choi Gang-Byeok!” Min-Hyeok yelled loudly.

Jin-Hyeok’s former colleague, Choi Gang-Byeok, shouted as he rushed toward the orbs of light. He used one of his Skills, Steel Wall, as he charged forward.

[Choi Gang-Byeok has activated the Skill 「Steel Wall」.]

It had been a while since Jin-Hyeok had seen that Skill. It was a beginner Skill that summoned a wall to block frontal assaults. Despite being a beginner Skill, it held a considerable defense capability and had high versatility.

Rumble!

The Steel Wall, five meters tall, surged from the ground, colliding with the orbs of light.

“I can’t hold for long. Everyone brace yourselves!” Gang-Byeok yelled.

Having manifested the Steel Wall, Gang-Byeok moved a few steps aside to protect the Ruler. It seemed like he was carefully preventing the aftermath of the explosion from reaching Min-Hyeok. The remaining members shielded themselves from the explosion in their respective ways.

Boom! Boom!

It felt like the light itself was exploding. Several explosions occurred, and the entire third floor was engulfed in raging flames. This time, a few orbs of light fell from the ceiling. Gang-Byeok took a firm step forward with a thud.

[Choi Gang-Byeok has activated the Skill 「Steel Umbrella」.]

The surroundings darkened. A dome-like structure made of steel formed from the ground covered their heads. Bong King seemed slightly excited.

“Here it is! The Steel Umbrella, stronger than a nuclear shelter! It feels like being protected inside a fortress of steel. No matter how powerful the light explosions are, it feels completely safe inside the Steel Umbrella, even somewhat comforting!”

He glanced at Jin-Hyeok and continued, “I bet Kim Chul-Soo can’t do something like this.”

Chul-Soo looked above his head. Indeed, Gang-Byeok’s Steel Umbrella seemed sturdy. It was indeed a magnificent large-scale defensive Skill.

“...Ah.” Unwittingly, Chul-Soo muttered once more, “That’s not how you Play as a Tank...”