I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 174

“To catch the fish, we must go to the river.”

For Park Terse, discerning what was the right course of action had become increasingly difficult.. Globally, the Korean Region was famous for hiding something mystical and special. However, if one arrived in Korea, the illusion would seem to shatter.

‘Well, it’s not wrong to say that to catch a fish, one must enter the water,’ Terse thought.

Cha Jin-Hyeok’s plan was so rudimentary that it barely qualified as a strategy. It involved a three-person party comprising a Navigator, a Streamer, and a Tamer riding the Duck Man to summon the Swallowing Croaker while cruising along the Han River.

‘I thought Korea would have more thorough strategies, accumulated know-how, and unique and brilliant tactics...’

Terse was doubtful. He wondered if this was the entirety of the plan and whether Kim Chul-Soo was still keeping some secrets from him. The Tamer held onto the sliver of hope until the moment he boarded the Duck Man. Then the Duck Man began to float along.

“Kim Chul-Soo, I somewhat understand your plan to let the Swallowing Croaker swallow us. But will the process really go as smoothly as you think?” Terse asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Taming a dangerous monster usually requires a lot of dedication, time, and love. Not to mention the necessary materials and manpower.”

Jin-Hyeok was unfamiliar with this topic. Since the ones keeping the group afloat in the water were the Duck Man and Mole Man, Jin-Hyeok calmly continued his interview with Terse. “What exactly do you mean by necessary materials and manpower?”

“To communicate with a monster, ample time is a must. You must not show any hostility. This requires a Tank who can withstand the monster’s attacks for a long time. Navigators and Rulers with special abilities that can comprehensively assess the monster’s characteristics and tendencies are needed as well. If there are Players specialized in restraint or barrier spells, in case the monster goes berserk, that would be even better.”

“Hm...”

Terse saw a glimmer of hope in Jin-Hyeok’s response. Meanwhile, Mole Man seemed annoyed for some reason. He complained about how his ranking was bound to drop if he kept Playing with Terse.

“There is always a proper process to taming. Our current Play is far too abnormal. We don’t even have a Tank to withstand the Swallowing Croaker’s attacks. Let’s say you get swallowed as you plan to. Then what?”

Jin-Hyeok was momentarily flustered. He had not pondered what would come next after being swallowed. Like Mole Man, he had assumed things would work out somehow. After all, he believed that in Play, if everyone did their best in their roles, things would work out by themselves.

“Well, someone who tamed the Thunder Dragon like you would not have failed to consider the aftermath,” Terse said.

“...”

“If you are keeping your Play a secret, you don’t have to tell me.”

“..”

“But what if the Swallowing Croaker swallows me or Mole Man instead of you?”

Jin-Hyeok smiled. The end could always justify the means. He said, “That’s not going to happen. I am actually pretty good at being a Tank.”

Suddenly, Mole Man started to yell. Being heavily influenced by Jin-Hyeok, he thought that Jin-Hyeok was displeased right now. “God damn it! You talk way too much! Just admit that you’re scared to shit! I can’t stand it! Chul-Soo, do we really have to Play with such a coward, moly?”

“Terse’s theory is mostly correct. Why are you so heated?” Jin-Hyeok replied.

“...Moly?”

“If somebody is right, you should listen and be receptive.”

“...Your standards are a bit inconsistent, moly.” Mole Man had a feeling that if he had acted just like Terse, he would have received a severe scolding from Chul-Soo.

‘He definitely would have scolded me,’ Mole Man thought.

It seemed as though Chul-Soo was giving Terse more leeway.

“There is no consistency in your standards, moly!”

“Why does that matter?”

“...Moly?” Mole Man had a major realization.

‘Even now, Chul-Soo is teaching me a lesson! Everything must be proven through skills. If that is the case, a little inconsistency and lack of uniformity are minor issues! After all, Chul-Soo is the unofficial world number one despite his fluctuating standards.’

Mole Man was quite pleased with this enlightenment.

‘Right. I should also Play as I feel at the moment, without sticking to consistency.’

It was an excellent lesson.

***

Although Jin-Hyeok wandered around the Han River with Terse, they did not find anything significant.

“It seems like we might have to wait a while. But I believe in ourselves. If it’s Terse, he will eventually be able to catch the attention of the Swallowing Croaker.”

Terse felt an odd sense of emotion. It felt like a small but significant acknowledgment from Chul-Soo.

‘I will find the Swallowing Croaker, no matter what,’ the Tamer thought.

Having met Mole Man and Chul-Soo, Terse had changed slightly. His initial aim had been to meet the new monster, the Swallowing Croaker, and build a special rapport with it. He wanted to share a peaceful and beautiful communion with the monster and, if possible, tame it. However, his desire to find and catch the Swallowing Croaker had started to intensify.

Days passed.

“Is this guy actually any good, moly?” Mole Man seemed slightly dissatisfied again today. “Moreover, he’s now fallen to second place, moly. I don’t usually work with someone who is not in the first place, moly.”

“Hey, Mole Man, you’re so loud. It’s killing me. Let’s focus,” Terse replied.

“A second-ranked Player is talking back to a top-ranked Player? How dare you?!”

Amid the bickering, Terse suddenly widened his eyes. “Shh!”

Terse scattered the bait he had prepared into the river water and muttered an incomprehensible language. Faint silver threads, made of mana, swirled at the tips of his fingers, sparkling as they met the sunlight. They resembled fishing lines, yet also spider webs.

Jin-Hyeok also peered into the depths of the Han River through Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

‘It’s coming!’

Feeling something approaching, he kicked off the back of the Duck Man and leaped far away.

“Wow!”

Something large in the water opened its mouth wide and leaped out. Its target was Jin-Hyeok, who was suspended in the air.

Jin-Hyeok felt a slight thrill and said to his viewers, “It’s trying to swallow me.”

This was the advantage of a first-person perspective livestream. He could accurately observe the giant mouth trying to engulf him.

“Its teeth look incredibly large and strong. Indeed fierce enough to tear down a bridg— huh?”

Jin-Hyeok was hugely disappointed. “I...”

This was a mistake.

“I must have jumped too high.”

The Swallowing Croaker had failed to reach him, probably because he had not controlled himself due to his excitement. He almost lost his words in frustration but continued the livestream with superhuman patience. “I will dive in and look for it.”

He had successfully showcased the majesty of the Swallowing Croaker. There was no need for another dramatic visual display; just being swallowed by the monster would suffice.

“Maybe it will chase me more eagerly if I dive into the water.”

The water’s surface was approaching.

“I’m going to dive in now.”

Splash!

Jin-Hyeok fell into the waters of the Han River.

“Ubbub.” He could not speak underwater, which disappointed him.

‘I wasn’t intense enough.’

He should have made preparations to livestream underwater. He had only thought about being swallowed by the monster and had not considered a way to speak underwater.

‘Han Sae-Rin would have scolded me a lot if she saw this.’

Jin-Hyeok felt embarrassed, thinking he had shown a shameful side to Wang Yu-Mi and Bong Mi-Na, a nickname for the duo of Bong King and Kang Mi-Na.

He swam up to the surface. “This huge monster disappeared in an instant. I can’t believe it!”

***

Terse was shocked.

‘I can’t even properly stand there.’

It was not easy to find a stable footing or stand properly on top of the Duck Man. Terse did not even think that it was possible to jump so high from there. Even a famously agile Archer or Thief would not be able to do that.

‘I should... just focus on my task,’ he thought.

Terse had clearly seen the Swallowing Croaker, albeit for a moment. Through the mana thread connected to his fingertips, he had made contact with the monster and aptly read its mind and psychology.

“I didn’t know the monster’s jumping power was so trash,” Chul-Soo said.

“...Don’t you think you jumped too high?”

“Everyone jumps this high.” Jin-Hyeok’s standard here was Angel Girl Song Ha-Young.

‘I think Ha-Young can jump higher than me,’ he thought.

Deciding not to be surprised by Chul-Soo’s bizarre standards anymore, Terse continued, “The Swallowing Croaker is a shy creature. I was able to read its mind through the mana thread. Its mind is pure and clean, like that of a young child.”

“That’s all well and good, but how can it disappear so quickly? With that size, it should be visible to the naked eye.”

“It’s like a shy boy who easily gets embarrassed. Except when it’s hungry, it seems to live as a small and cute fish.”

Jin-Hyeok shook his head.

‘Shy... and easily embarrassed...’

To say such things about a monster that had eaten numerous people, Terse was surely not in his right mind.

‘He’s definitely crazy.’

“So, the monster can adjust its size at will?”

“That would be an easy way to understand it.”

That was why it had been invisible despite their efforts to find it.

Terse’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Still, I’ve marked it with my mana. Things should be easier now. But I hope you will keep your promise.”

“What was the promise again?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Not to hurt the Swallowing Croaker too much. Then, I think I can summon it as early as tomorrow.”

“...”

‘He’s the same, before and after my regression.’

“I will try my best.”

“...Fine.”

The next day, Terse managed to summon the Swallowing Croaker. Jin-Hyeok applied a liquid Terse gave to him all over his body and dove into the Han River.

Splash!

“Oh, it’s approaching!” Jin-Hyeok felt the Swallowing Croaker recognize him as food and move toward him. “Here it comes.”

[LV124(+20)/Swallowing Croaker/Skills]

“It seems like the monster gets an additional 20-Level boost because it is underwater.”

Its movements were much better inside the water than in the air. The monster approached Jin-Hyeok with its mouth wide open.

“I will try to get eaten without letting it chew me.” Jin-Hyeok curled up like a ball and then jumped into the mouth of the Swallowing Croaker. Since it was a creature from a Scenario, its body was recognized as a new Field.

[You have entered the Field 「Inside the World of the Swallowing Croaker」.]