I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 235

“What did you just say?” Black Panther was confused by Han Sae-Rin’s provocative words. Her attitude and tone were markedly different from how they were when she talked to Kim Chul-Soo. To Black Panther, Sae-Rin appeared like a person with a dual personality.

“I saw it in your previous video. The Red-Clawed Black Bear is the top predator here, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. That is why avoiding it is the logical choice.”

“Why is that logical?” Sae-Rin genuinely could not understand Black Panther. “Then it means there are no annoying monsters around its habitat. So, we should head in that direction.”

“...What?”

“Defeating one strong monster is less bothersome than killing several weaker ones.”

“What if that one monster is excessively strong?”

“Even so, it won’t be stronger than the White Jade Armor Knight, right?” Sae-Rin wondered why Black Panther would try to avoid the weaker Red-Clawed Black Bear when they were here to defeat the White Jade Armor Knight.

“That’s true, but what about managing the stamina of our party members?”

“Also, the key to clearing the Dungeon could be hidden in the territory of the strongest monster. I don’t understand why you want to avoid it,” Sae-Rin replied. If there were two paths, it was wise to choose the one with the higher difficulty. In the Korean Region, this was common sense. “Who exactly taught you how to Play?”

Black Panther also wanted to ask her the same. What seemed obvious in the Korean Region was not so in the American Region. The European and American Regions tended to prioritize safety over efficient Play.

“Well, it’s somewhat unfortunate that the Red-Clawed Black Bear hunts alone,” Sae-Rin continued.

‘Unfortunate? Isn’t it fortunate that the monster acts alone? Is the Automatic Translation Orb broken or something?’ Black Panther thought. It took him a while, but he finally understood what she was trying to say. ‘She’s upset because she can’t hunt them in packs?’

The Saint of Freedom, the Wood King, and the Martial King also seemed to think it was unfortunate. If the monsters were gathered in one place, the Players could deal with them more quickly.

‘Everyone in Chul-Soo’s party is crazy.’

Surprisingly, Chul-Soo appeared to be the most normal of them all.

But then Black Panther saw Chul-Soo murmur to his hammer, “Okay, okay. I will make sure you can smash the monster's head. Just wait a little. Who’s a good hammer?”

Black Panther could not believe that this maniac was the most normal of them all.

***

[You have entered the Jungle Field of the Haeundae Dungeon.]

The Field was rather friendly.

[You have entered the Red-Clawed Black Bear’s Habitat in the Jungle Field.]

The underbrush grew denser, and the large trees bore claw marks as if a beast had scratched them. They seemed to be territory markings of the Red-Clawed Black Bear.

“Now, let’s start Playing in our style,” Chul-Soo said.

Only then did the expressions of Chul-Soo’s party members brighten, as though things would not be boring anymore.

Sae-Rin smiled and said, “It’s your turn, Kim Jeong-Hyeon!”

Chul-Soo’s style of Dungeon Play was about to begin.

***

Jeong-Hyeon punched the tree that had the territory markings of the Red-Clawed Black Bear. A single punch split this considerably thick and huge tree in two.

Hickson, the Ruler of the Avengers Army, was astonished. “That’s crazy!”

Everyone in Chul-Soo’s party was crazy, so the Avengers Army decided they needed to be the ones who were sane.

“We will maintain a defensive stance,” Hickson added.

The Red-Clawed Black Bear was adept at close combat. Direct confrontation with monsters like these was undesirable.

‘Why are they causing such a commotion if they’re supposed to just guide the way?!’

Hickson ordered Black Panther to stay extra alert. The monster was quite strong but not particularly stealthy. Hickson repeatedly reminded his party members, “It’s not the Red-Clawed Black Bear itself that we are afraid of!”

With the capabilities of the Avengers Army, they could easily hunt the Red-Clawed Black Bear.

“The important thing is managing our stamina! We cannot afford any injuries. We must conserve our energy until we enter the Abandoned Temple!” Hickson continued.

The Play style of Chul-Soo’s party felt incompatible with them. Unaware or indifferent to this, Sae-Rin excitedly said, “There. That one, that one, and that one.”

White ‘X’ marks appeared on the trees she pointed at. It was one of the basic skills of a Ruler, allowing them to mark specific points.

Jeong-Hyeon threw his punches, and the trees shattered. One could feel bad for the trees.

Then Mok Jae-Hyeon summoned vines to clear the shattered trees, clearing a new path.

Sae-Rin looked at Jin-Hyeok and said with a coy smile, “In a Jungle Field like this, it’s faster to create a path than to find one.”

Her voice and expression implied something like ‘Am I doing well? Is this how it should be done?’

Jin-Hyeok felt a bit uncomfortable again. He did not want to hear such a flirtatious voice. However, this was a good explanation for his viewers, so he could not edit this part out.

“Creating such a wide-open space allows us to clearly see any monster attacks,” Sae-Rin said. The Red-Clawed Black Bear was not one to use stealth attacks. “Speaking of the devil, there is one far over there.”

At the end of the cleared path, they could see a Red Clawed Black Bear. Maintaining his focus, Hickson told his party members, “The monster is going to attack the Martial King first! Since he has excellent defensive abilities, we are going to unleash our strongest attacks and finish it in one blow!”

It was the best possible choice for the Avengers Army.

***

Black Panther found Sae-Rin’s strategy a bit odd. Her strategy was to create a path if there was none. The Navigators he knew were those who found paths, not created them.

‘Ah. Now that I think about it...’ Black Panther thought.

Although she was currently a Ruler, Black Panther remembered hearing about Sae-Rin’s previous Job. She was formerly known as the Secret Destroyer.

‘So that’s why she was called the Secret Destroyer.’

On the newly created path, the Avengers Army followed Hickson’s orders and tried to conserve their energy while fighting the monster. In contrast, Chul-Soo’s party seemed to pay no heed to such matters.

“Forgive... me... bear... friend...” Jeong-Hyeon charged forward like a rhinoceros, resembling a tank.

‘If he charges in like that, he is definitely going to get injured...!’ Hickson thought as his eyes widened.

The Red-Clawed Black Bear was known to be strong in physical combat. Rushing headlong into such a monster would result in injuries. Although those injuries could be minor, they could accumulate and negatively impact the entire expedition.

‘What are they thinking?! Why isn’t the Ruler stopping him?!’

But then, something strange happened. The Red-Clawed Black Bear, known for its extreme hostility toward humans, fled as if it were overwhelmed. For Hickson, it was a shocking sight.

Jeong-Hyeon approached Chul-Soo with a sigh of relief. “It... ran... away...”

Then, he muttered to himself. “It... was so cute... I... didn’t want to... kill it... Lucky...”

Jeong-Hyeon, an animal lover, had a soft spot for animal-type monsters. Nonetheless, the Red-Clawed Black Bear had fled, and the threat was gone. For the Avengers Army, who had prepared for a fierce battle, it was a bewildering turn of events.

When his party relaxed, Hickson reminded them, “As everyone knows, we were just lucky. There was a good chance it could have charged at us. Stay alert!’

Meanwhile, Jeong-Hyeon destroyed every tree Sae-Rin pointed out. Sweating and smiling with enjoyment, he swung his fists.

Bang!

An explosion sounded.

“Oops... mistake...”

In his excitement, he had failed to control his strength properly, obliterating a tree and leaving it barely recognizable.

Egan Paul, who was filming all this, exclaimed, “W-What a tremendous destructive power! What’s astonishing is that despite demonstrating such a force, he does not seem tired at all. He is amazing!’

Jin-Hyeok also filmed the events in his own way. “Ah, look. He failed to control his strength and completely destroyed the tree. That was not what our Ruler asked for. He still has a lot to learn.”

***

Notifications rang out to all the party members.

[You have destroyed all the Territory Trees of the Red-Clawed Black Bear.]

[You have fulfilled the condition of the Hidden Achievement ?Exiling the Jungle King?.]

While everyone was taken aback, Black Panther felt even more disconcerted.

‘Was she right all along?’

He caught Sae-Rin’s confident expression. It looked like she was saying to him, ‘See, I told you that it’s better to target the stronger monster first. And by just destroying things and making a path, things tend to work out!’

Black Panther’s pride was hurt by her expression, but as a Navigator, he felt compelled to ask, “...You knew?”

“Knew what?”

“That destroying the trees marked as territories would yield the Hidden Achievement? Is that why you didn’t kill the monster?”

“Do you think anyone Plays knowing all that?” Sae-Rin looked at Black Panther as if he were foolish. “If I knew that, wouldn’t I have all the Hidden Achievements in the world?”

“But...” To Black Panther, Sae-Rin seemed like someone who knew everything. He wanted to ask how she had figured it out and what insights and observations she had made.

“Hey, you think too much. Just do it, and something will happen,” Sae-Rin said.

“Isn’t that too risky?”

She replied with a sigh, “If a Dungeon is not dangerous, is it even a Dungeon? You’re being too cautious.”

“...” Black Panther felt as if he had been struck on the head. He had never thought this way before. He had always focused on ensuring safety and carefully clearing Dungeons. Thanks to this, the mortality rate among his party members had been very low.

‘...It’s like I’m beginning to see a new style of Play...’

He felt a sense of enlightenment, but it also felt like stepping into forbidden territory, so he had to be cautious.

‘First, let’s check the Hidden Achievement effect.’

[Mark of the Jungle King]

[The Jungle King marked its territory with strong, sharp claws.

You can now mark a territory using the power of the Jungle King.

Usage count: 1/1]

A claw-shaped item was sent to each Player’s inventory. Hickson, as a Ruler, decided to try the item. Claw marks appeared on a nearby tree.

[A Territory of the King has been created.]

A green mana line formed a circle around Hickson with a radius of about one meter. It was a kind of barrier that seemed to create a safety zone.

Jin-Hyeok continued with the livestream. “This item seems to form a barrier, preventing monsters from approaching a Player. It might not seem useful right now, but it could be useful later. Let’s proceed and see.”

Guided by Sae-Rin, Jin-Hyeok moved forward. To Black Panther’s astonishment, they managed to reach the Abandoned Temple in just one day. They managed to save not only their physical stamina but also their mental stamina.

Jin-Hyeok was quite satisfied. ‘No difficult sections at all, just smooth progress.’

They even obtained a Hidden Achievement along the way, perfectly aligning with his livestream concept. So far, everything had gone smoothly. They decided to rest for a day at this location.

***

The next morning, Jin-Hyeok thought, ‘This is where it gets crucial.’

Both the Avengers Army and Chul-Soo’s party stood in front of the temple.

“It appears to be an ancient temple built with stones. Its overall shape resembles a pyramid. Moss and mold are growing all over the temple, indicating its old age. There is a tall staircase leading up to the entrance of the building,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Jin-Hyeok decided to execute his plan, one he had not shared with anyone in the Avengers Army.

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