I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 146

Back at the National Intelligence Service office, Maria fell deep in thought.

‘Kim Chul-Soo’s influence is polarizing.’

Chul-Soo had a profound influence on the entire Earth Server. The positive aspect of it was that many top-tier Players were growing faster than Maria had anticipated because of him. However, his actions also had a negative impact on the Players.

‘He blocked Queen Ant’s raid too easily.’

That Scenario should not have ended like that. At the very least, the Queen Ant should have consumed the entire Korean Server and given humanity a more severe threat of extinction. By saving the world from the Queen Ant so effortlessly, Chul-Soo had hindered humanity’s progress.

That was why the idea of joining forces with Chul-Soo involved a lot of contemplation.

‘As time goes on, warp portals will undoubtedly become more active, and as Chul-Soo said, the daily fees could add up to billions.’

With such an amount, Maria could achieve everything she dreamed of. She wished the most for the Earth Server to adapt well to the System and establish itself as a formidable Server every Player would want to Play in.

‘And there would be less pressure from the higher-ups.’

Chul-Soo’s proposal sounded very different from her experience of working at the NIS. If what Chul-Soo said was true, they would be backed by a foundation operated by two members of the Trinity Club, with those two members being MoneyShower and MoneyShot.

‘Sometimes emotion should come before reason and logic.’

That was the case with Player development. However, at the NIS, Maria had to be conscious of her superiors. She was required to submit a thoroughly rational report on whether a Player was suitable for investment. Even then, she would strive to extract maximum efficiency at minimal cost through strict evaluations and verifications.

However, with MoneyShower and MoneyShot in the picture, the story would change.

“Hmm~ That looks fun. Let’s invest!”

“I like their style of Play. Let’s nurture them!”

The gracious voices of those two seemed to echo in her ears.

“Such a paltry sum isn’t a big deal. It’s the process that is important! Hahaha!”

“I liked your fierce effort. Keep going and continue to shine!”

Maria had already thought of an answer. Chul-Soo’s expression, which spoke volumes, came to mind. She felt like she was dancing in the palm of his hand, but the sensation was not particularly unpleasant. Without hesitation, she picked up her phone and contacted him.

“Let’s do it.”

? ? ?

The Korean Region Minor Gallery was abuzz.

-Apparently, MoneyShower and MoneyShot have joined the Earth Server.

┗Everyone knows that.

┗Did you see it in the Choi Gap-Soo Workshop Gallery? He’s been Playing from there.

┗No, he established an organization for Player development called ‘For the Beautiful Play’.

┗Seriously? You’re joking.

For the Beautiful Play was known to be almost like a non-profit charity organization.

-I heard he bought a massive piece of land in the middle of Seoul to build a school.

┗Like a Player Academy? Isn’t that a luxurious thing that only top Servers have?

┗Fewer than twelve of those exist in the entire universe.

┗An Academy in a server that has just finished the Open Beta Service? Lol, that’s not weird at all!

The interesting news was that two rivals known for their bad relationship with each other, MoneyShower and MoneyShot, had entered into an active partnership.

-They have been on good terms all along, haven’t they?

┗I think they set themselves up as distant relatives on the Earth Server.

┗LOL! Who said they weren’t close? They’re like BFFs!

MoneyShower and MoneyShot establishing that foundation was undoubtedly an unusual move, as they had never shown such a gesture before.

-But why are the members of the Trinity Club moving so proactively?

┗There’s an interview on that.

┗Send link please.

/watch....

Gap-Soo’s interview became the talk of the town.

?On this Earth Server, a person has shown a Play more beautiful than anyone else’s. I was deeply inspired by him and wanted many Players to express such beauty.?

Many gave their opinions on who Gap-Soo was referred to, but they had all reached a consensus.

-Isn’t he talking about Kim Chul-Soo?

┗To impress MoneyShower like that, it must be Chul-Soo.

┗Totally agree.

-But isn’t Egan Paul the top Streamer on the Earth Server?

┗I find that weird too.

┗Based on influence, Chul-Soo dominates, but Egan Paul has more viewers.

┗Probably has more casual viewers.

While people didn’t exactly believe that the foundation was established at Jin-Hyeok’s suggestion, the consensus was that he had a significant influence on its establishment. Viewers from other Servers also wrote down their opinions on the Korean Region Minor Gallery.

-Earthlings, understand that this is a huge opportunity for you.

-You guys are so lucky! You should bow to Chul-Soo, like a hundred times a day.

-I’m so jealous. Can we clone Chul-Soo for our Server?

As the so-called Kim Chul-Soo effect became well-known, the HARD movement ironically began to face more criticism than before.

-Don’t we eventually have to Play like Chul-Soo to survive?

┗Right! Anyone can say things that the public wants to hear. It was hilarious in the Dungeon with Charles or whatever his name was.

┗That’s the truth. He’s just all talk about peace and human rights. LOL.

┗Screw those peace lovers. Hahaha.

With the rising popularity of the Kim Chul-Soo effect, British journalist Charles could not roam free in other countries.

“Go back to your country!”

Smack!

Someone threw an egg at him.

“Eat shit!”

Someone even threw ice cream.

Charles quickly sought police protection and fled back to England later that night.

‘This is madness,’ Charles thought.

He did not think he was wrong. Chul-Soo’s Play was possible only because he was Chul-Soo.

‘At least one of his party members should have gone crazy. That would have given momentum to the HARD movement.’

Charles regretted that this had never happened. Somehow, it seemed like heaven had favored Chul-Soo.

“People should not Play like Chul-Soo! It’s a matter of human dignity. Why is everyone so blinded?”

Charles lamented time and time again. Chul-Soo’s harmful style of Play would influence many and trample on the rights of many others. The naive slogan of ‘Beautiful Play’ would mislead many youngsters. Children would grow up learning and following the wrong things.

‘They are not educated, that’s why. I just need to teach them.’

Being an intellectual, Charles believed he had a duty to enlighten the uneducated public.

‘I need to find a way.’

His worries deepened.

? ? ?

The first Server connected to the Earth Server, Scanorbia, was a Server of brave warriors.

“Valiant warriors! A new land has opened!”

Originally, Scanorbia was a Server made up of numerous tribes. It was a Server where approximately one billion inhabitants flocked to live on a single planet. The land was barren, making farming difficult, and the planet’s resources were scant. Thus, the people there survived through plunder and invasion. For thousands of years, people at the tribal level killed and looted each other, with only the strong surviving, but the scene had changed recently.

“Our Scanorbia is the most formidable!’

“Khan! Khan! Khan!”

“Khan! Khan! Khan!”

Holding huge axes, Scanorbia’s warriors stomped and chanted Khan. Khan was the great leader of Scanorbia. He had stopped inter-tribal warfare and unified the continents. By consolidating the planet’s tribal power, he invaded other Servers rich in resources. Not just settling for plunder, he started colonial rule with strength, and Scanorbia welcomed an unprecedented era of peace.

“Look at the Earth Server! They know not hunger!”

A video of the Earth Server was being played In the middle of a square. Then there were the images of massive amounts of food being wasted and luxurious scenes of piled food being selectively consumed. To the warriors of Scanorbia, this was an astonishing and inconceivable act.

“And look! How deeply they are immersed in such futile peace!”

A video related to the HARD movement started next, showing people holding yellow flags symbolizing peace and shouting, “HARD!”.

Scanorbia’s warriors clenched their fists and stomped, unable to contain their anger.

“Such unwarrior-like behavior!”

“How can such weaklings breathe and live in such a prosperous land?”

Seeing the furious warriors, Khan smiled. “We need to teach them what a warrior is, what the heart of a warrior is, what the spirit of a warrior is! Go, brave warriors. Show them who is the strongest! I command you all to set sail!”

Their first target was the British Region.

? ? ?

The connection of the Servers did not always promise blessings and prosperity.

“Brave warriors! Trample this land and place it under your feet!”

The warriors of Scanorbia made their presence known, their first destination being Great Britain. The average Level of these warriors surpassed 100. The Players of Great Britain were unable to fend them off with their abilities, and Great Britain crumbled in a mere five days.

As the Prime Minister and the Queen declared surrender, a notification rang out for Players worldwide.

[The 「Great British Region」 of the Earth Server has been registered under the colonial jurisdiction of the Scanorbia Server.]

The warriors of the Scanorbia Server transferred many products manufactured in the Great British Region to their Server. Compared to Scanorbia, Earth was a much more civilized and prosperous Server. For the warriors, this was a blessing.

[Shocking! Young Children Under 18 are Being Enslaved!]

[Horrifying Human Rights Abuses! Can We Really Call This the 21st Century?]

[The EPU Must Take Action! We Can't Just Stand By!]

Many were in shock. Cameras captured British residents being dragged away with chains on their necks and limbs. A considerable number of Players were mobilized to do forced labor.

World leaders gathered to discuss how to respond, but could not find any clear solutions. After all, it was part of the Play, and the military could not intervene. The consensus was that they needed to make Earth’s Players stronger. The leader of the EPU, the European Player Union, Louis, called out to the Players for help.

?The Great Britain is collapsing. Our enemies are unimaginably strong. All Earth Players need to unite against their inhuman oppression and exploitation. Please gather your strength. We don’t know what will be next after Great Britain.?

Cha Jin-Hyeok chewed on the spicy squid legs while watching the TV. “That’s why I said you need to be prepared.”

The place where the HARD movement was most actively carried out was Great Britain. Because of this, Great Britain was regarded as the country that had the least side effects from Playing; their Players even pointed fingers at foreign Players and described them as barbaric and abnormal.

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”

Jin-Hyeok pondered a bit.

‘If I go there, can I fight warriors over Level 100?’

Fighting as Kim Pyeong-Beom again, instead of Kim Chul-Soo, seemed a fun prospect. However, the odds were against him.

Suddenly, the door opened wide, and Cha Jin-Sol walked in with an angry expression. “Oppa, look at this.”

“What?”

Jin-Sol showed him a provocative video featuring Khan. The video was horrifying. Charles, who had led the HARD movement, had been tied to a tree and was burning. The warriors executed Charles for not being warrior-like, and the video showed all this without any filter.

Jin-Hyeok watched the video emotionlessly. From the perspective of the Earth Server, this was an unimaginable act, but from a universal perspective, it was quite ordinary. Slavery was a horrifying system on Earth, but universally, it was a common and natural system.

The future was not just peaceful and beautiful. Without power, people were bound to be oppressed. The future did not protect the weak.

For Jin-Hyeok, who had witnessed countless gruesome deaths, an execution like this was not a special event.

He continued chewing on the squid legs. The butter flavor was rich, and it tasted delicious.

?Are all Earth Players this weak??

‘Wait, did he just say weak?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Jin-Sol paused the video and said while gritting her teeth, “They’ve crossed the line.”

“...”

“On Earth, there is Kim Pyeong Beom,” she said with a serious expression.