I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 139

Before Cha Jin-Hyeok arrived at the Guardian Tree, Cha Jin-Sol came running to him.

“Hey!”

She had clearly been eating something in haste as ketchup and mayonnaise were smeared around her mouth. Being the elder brother, Jin-Hyeok chose not to mention it. It was she who should be embarrassed, not he.

“You crazy bastard!” Jin-Sol shouted.

“I don’t like being called that.”

‘Why would she call me a crazy bastard? I have nurtured a fair amount of social skills, and I am no longer just crazy about swords like before.’

“Is it wrong to call a crazy bastard a crazy bastard?” Jin-Sol said.

“I am not a crazy bastard.” Jin-Hyeok could handle most insults, but being called a crazy bastard got under his skin.

“Seriously, if you are going to be crazy, at least be moderate,” Jin-Sol said as she tended to his wounds.

‘Was she always this naggy?’

Jin-Hyeok had never complained about her nagging during the seven years he had been messing around after his regression, but it seemed to have increased quite a bit recently.

‘Has her personality changed?’

“What’s so crazy about what I did?” he asked.

“Sure, you got hit on the head by a meteorite. I get that it couldn't be helped, given the urgency. You needed to survive first. Okay, and then the Assassin appeared. That can be excused too. But what did you do after everything was over?”

“What?”

‘Why is she asking such an obvious question?’

“You were obsessed with your livestreaming, weren’t you?”

‘Wait, is this not nagging but praise? But why does her praise sound awfully like a scolding?’

“I get that you are a Streamer, and you need to stream, but shouldn’t you take care of your injuries while doing it? What were you saving the potion for? Why did you wait until I arrived? To be honest, I knew your head injury and the stab wound in your chest were serious.”

“Oh, it was noticeable?”

‘If that’s the case. It’s great news. It must have made for a quite thrilling livestream.’

“Obviously! If you were fine, would you have just let the Assassin run away? You would’ve chased her immediately!”

“Did I... look intense?”

“Oppa, please! You will really die acting like this!”

As they conversed, Jin-Hyeok could tell it was not praise.

“But aren’t your priorities a bit off?” he asked.

“How?”

“Between treating injuries that are critical but non-fatal and livestreaming right away, which is more important?”

“...What?” Jin-Sol flinched. It seemed her brother’s wise words had enlightened her.

“And you’ve died a lot, so you should know. With injuries like these, you get a feel for whether they’re fatal or not, right?”

“...”

“And I felt mine weren’t.” Jin-Hyeok won the argument with logic.

Having conceded defeat, Jin Sol refuted with just one sentence. “...Normally, any Players with your kinds of injuries would die.”

“But I didn’t.”

“...”

Until now, Jin-Hyeok thought his teachings were providing her with a profound realization.

“This is not the time for me to be like this,” Jin-Sol said.

“What?”

“I know you won’t change anyway, since you are a maniac. In the end...” Jin-Sol mumbled to herself.

Jin-Hyeok wanted to say that he was not a maniac, but Jin-Sol was already lost in her own world, biting her nails and deep in thought.

‘What is she thinking so deeply about?’

Unable to understand her mind, he used Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

[...#I’ve decided. #I need to form the strongest Healer alliance on Earth. #I will make him unkillable. #I can do it.]

***

Jin-Hyeok started his livestream in front of the Guardian Tree. A considerable crowd had gathered around him.

“Is that Kim Chul-Soo?”

“He doesn’t seem as handsome as I had imagined.”

“He's probably using the Deceiver’s Mask. He does not like revealing his true face.”

Whispers echoed from all directions. Jin-Hyeok’s heart thumped unexpectedly.

‘All this crowd just to see me live?’

He was suddenly reminded of the growing influence of livestreaming.

‘Egan Paul also draws massive crowds when he streams. It would be great if I could pull in more people than hi— No! I shouldn’t think like that.’

Jin-Hyeok calmed himself.

‘Lately, I keep losing sight of my initial goal.’

Losing one’s initial goal could be fatal for long-term success. It was a timeless truth.

‘Let’s just aim for third place.’

His aim was the same, but its essence had changed significantly. In the past, his goal really was to be in third place. His standard might have been a bit abnormal, but he genuinely aimed for that. Now, his resolve was different.

‘Maintaining one’s initial goal is essential for longevity.’

This was common in every field. Jin-Hyeok believed that never forgetting one’s initial goal was the foundation of growth. So, his new ‘let’s aim for the third place’ aim was closer to self-hypnosis for longevity. Past Level 150, even up to Level 200, or perhaps even beyond, his instinct guided him for even higher growth.

“Fortunately, I am both the Pioneer and the Planter.”

Jin-Hyeok stood in front of the Guardian Tree. From all around, chants filled the air.

“Kim Chul-Soo!”

“Kim Chul-Soo!”

“Kim Chul-Soo!”

‘This... feels pretty good.’

Jin-Hyeok began to realize more about himself. He quite liked the attention.

‘Maybe I am an attention whore.’

He recalled that even during his Sword King days, he did not exactly despise attention. However, back then, he was obsessed solely with swords and had never contemplated it. Now, things had changed.

‘It’s natural for a Streamer to enjoy attention.’

Now, he had a Job that thrived on attention. As he pondered the audience’s attention, he recognized his deep-rooted desire for it.

‘I should have been a Streamer even before my regression.’

Now, the remaining longing for being a Swordsman had vanished inside him. Not a shred of regret remained.

‘Streaming is my true calling!’

Jin-Hyeok proceeded with the livestream, with elevated tension.

‘Back when I was just a novice Streamer, I was too focused on producing content quickly.’

Those were his low-Level days. While calling him a high-Level Player would still be a stretch now, he felt he had grown.

‘Let’s stall and wait for the right moment.’

Once a sufficient number of viewers had gathered and the atmosphere was ripe with anticipation, Jin-Hyeok spoke. “Let’s see what this is about.”

[-The Achievement Bearer can help the Planter strengthen the Guardian Tree and acquire certain rights.]

The All-Clear Mark lit up on his right hand. Shadowy energy emerged from the tattoo-like mark, swirling and heading toward the Guardian Tree.

-“Ah, it tickles!!”

The energy spread over the Guardian Tree like ink dripping into water.

-“Hehehehe! Hahahahaha! It’s tickling!”

The Golden Guardian Tree trembled. Its gold-hued leaves shimmered and fell in the breeze.

“I-It’s gold!”

“Wow!”

The surroundings instantly turned chaotic. The leaves that fell from the Golden Guardian Tree contained gold, and people’s eyes turned red as they raced to collect them.

“Move!”

“This one is mine!”

Some even started to fight. The world they were heading toward was naturally stained with battles. Jin-Hyeok, seemingly unperturbed, warned someone, “Hey, you. With the Player name Blue Grandpa, the one you are pointing your spear at is a non-Player. You know what happens if a Player attacks a non-Player, right?”

Players fighting among themselves was common. However, a Player attacking a non-Player disrupted the balance. Blue Grandpa had no choice but to release the leaf he was holding.

“...Yes, I apologize.”

Blue Grandpa, his face flushed, disappeared as if he was fleeing from the scene. This was quite a novel experience for Jin-Hyeok as well.

***

‘I remember they used to be so disobedient,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Actually, eight or nine out of ten used to listen to him and his colleagues. Most of them followed their commands. However, one or two troublemakers would always exist, and they were the ones who left a lasting impression on Jin-Hyeok.

‘They said things like how I lived off of their tax money and stuff...’

Perhaps they took advantage of him being a government official. However, now, things had changed quite a bit.

‘It feels good not to be a government official anymore.’

People were hanging on to his every word. It felt like he had even more influence on people now than he did during his Sword King days. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

“The Guardian Tree is slowly growing.”

It was still complaining about the tickling. The Guardian Tree seemed like it would run out of breath, but it was a tree, so that probably would not happen.

A timer appeared before Jin-Hyeok.

[23:52:03]

[23:52:02}

[23:02:01]

The timer showed the countdown in hours, minutes, and seconds.

“It seems like the Guardian Tree will take twenty-four hours to grow.”

This was a bit of a letdown, but it could not be helped. Jin-Hyeok couldn’t just wait here for twenty-four hours. Resting and recovering to continue the livestream later seemed like a better decision.

“I will take a break now and see you guys in twenty-four hours.”

When he returned home, he saw two uninvited guests: Black Butterfly and Kwak Do-Hyeong.

“Black Butterball?” Jin-Hyeok said.

‘An Assassin came to my home without my permission again? This can’t go on. I should... well, probably can’t kill her.’

Jin-Hyeok’s mother was serving them a bowl of fruit.

‘This always happens once in a while. Do they know that my mother will be here?’

“Oh, Jin-Hyeok, your friends are here.”

‘Why does Mom seem so pleased?’

Jin-Hyeok was not supposed to rely too much on the Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, but he wanted to know why she looked so happy.

[...#Relieved. #My son has friends.]

The hashtags were brief but quite powerful. It seemed Jin-Hyeok’s mother thought he did not have any friends.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Black Butterfly replied in fluent Korean and gave a seemingly genuine smile.

‘Who would think of her as an Assassin?’

“Just have fun. I’ll leave you guys to it.” His mother passed by Jin-Hyeok, patting his shoulder with a relieved look as if she felt reassured.

“Sorry for dropping by unannounced. I tried calling multiple times, but you did not answer.” Do-Hyeong spoke first.

“How dare you Assassins come into my house without my permission?” Jin-Hyeok whispered. “If it weren’t for my mom, I would have killed you. Do-Hyeong is okay, but Black Butterball? Seriously?”

‘I keep thinking about how she messed up my livestream earlier. Damn... I really wish I could kill her.’

“I genuinely wanted to ask you something,” Black Butterfly said.

“What?”

“Why did you try to kill me earlier?”

‘What kind of nonsense is she spouting?’

“Is that something an Assassin should be asking?” Jin-Hyeok replied.

“I think I stayed true to the basics. As an Assassin.”

“So?”

“You seemed to welcome such Assassins.”

“Me?”

The past Jin-Hyeok might have. Assassins used to torment Jin-Hyeok in novel and thrilling ways. He could not tell how exhilarating those moments were. However, it was supposed to be different now.

“Do I look like that to you?”

[...#Yes. #You are a legit Player. #I admire you. #You just smiled a little.]

[...#You love this. #Kim Chul-Soo is the real deal.]

‘Did I smile? No way!’

Jin-Hyeok was no longer the crazed Swordsman. He was an average Streamer now. “Not at all. I don’t like this.”

“Is it because my skills are lacking? Did I not meet your expectations?” Black Butterfly asked.

“...”

For a moment, Jin-Hyeok wondered if she was right. Reflecting on it, he realized that if she had done a little better when she tried to stab him earlier, she could have landed a more threatening attack.

“What are you talking about? Who in their right mind would welcome an assassination?”

[...#He is right here.]

[...#You welcome it. #Are you tsundere?]

Black Butterfly continued, “I guess I wasn’t good enough. Then please give me permission, too.”

“For what?”

“To officially target you. I will give it my all and try to stab you.”

‘Ah, that almost got me excited... but I’m sure it did not show on my face, right?’

“But why did you say ‘too’?”

“You gave permission to Viper, right? You have officially allowed him to attack you, haven’t you?”

“I never did such a thing,” he replied.

“I would appreciate it if you would give me the same permission.”

“I told you, I never granted him such permission!”

“...Why am I an exception? Do you think that I am that inadequate?”

[...#Am I weaker than Viper? #I want your recognition.]

Black Butterfly bit her lip slightly. “Just give me the permission, and I promise I will land a good stab.”

As he thought about it, Jin-Hyeok thought giving permission to her might not be such a bad idea. Maintaining constant vigilance would surely help improve his skills. He was now roughly at a promising young talent level, and before going into the big league, he wanted to maximize his capabilities. At least before he retired.

A smirk appeared on his face. “Do you also want to do the Seven Captures Seven Releases?”

“I don’t know what that is, but I am in.”

In the end, Black Butterfly also promised to partake in the Seven Captures Seven Releases. Someone as desperate as her was bound to accomplish something, which would likely be beneficial for Jin-Hyeok.

“Well then, I will go now,” Do-Hyeok said.

“I promise a more satisfactory surprise next time. You can count on that,” Black Butterfly said.

After the two of them left, it wasn’t long before Jin-Hyeok heard a knock on the door.

‘Who could it be?’

To Jin-Hyeok’s surprise,

‘Kihael?’

It was GM No.3 of Seodaemun-gu, Kihael, with his hat pulled low over his eyes.

“Kihael, what brings you here?”

“Can we have a private conversation for a moment?” He seemed far more serious than usual. “I would appreciate it if you kept my visit a secret.”