I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 236

Cha Jin-Hyeok’s concept for this livestream could be summarized in one word: Munchkin.

‘Now, the real game begins.’

The fourth floor of the Abandoned Temple was the boss room of the White Jade Armor Knight.

‘The coolest way to kill the boss monster would be to go solo.’

That was the only way to fit the concept of the livestream.

‘But what if the Avengers Army won’t let me?’

Jin-Hyeok had brought in the Avengers Army just to make up the numbers. The White Jade Armor Knight, which he desired to beat, would appear only if they matched the number of entrants from the last expedition. As that requirement had been fulfilled, Jin-Hyeok now had to find a decent excuse to enter the temple alone.

‘I bet they want to go in with me.’

The White Jade Armor Knight was the boss monster that the Avengers Army had failed to defeat last time. Any decent Player would naturally want to try to defeat it again. Jin-Hyeok would feel the same, wanting to jump right in.

Not many situations made a Player’s heart race like a boss monster raid. Plus, having faced it once before, the Avengers Army would find the monster much easier to defeat this time. For them, this could be easy content.

‘I’m sorry, guys. I feel like I’m taking all the fun away from you.’

Jin-Hyeok felt a bit guilty, but it could not be helped. He had to separate personal matters from business.

Thinking about how to go in there alone, Jin-Hyeok said to Egan Paul, “I will infiltrate the temple first to scout and then come back.”

“...You?” Egan seemed skeptical.

Jin-Hyeok decided to be more assertive. “Yeah, I’m a Streamer, after all.”

Jin-Hyeok instantly regretted speaking those words. Even saying that he was a Navigator would have made more sense, but instead, he had told the truth.

As though he was trying to make an excuse, Jin-Hyeok continued, “I have skills for undercover reporting. My scouting can prevent needless sacrifices. If possible, I will try to learn about the patterns of the White Jade Armor Knight too.”

“...No, there is no need for you to overdo it.”

‘This guy, he is wary of me hogging the content. Was he thinking of sharing the content only up to this point?’ While Jin-Hyeok thought so, Egan was impressed.

‘Undercover reporting? By himself?’

Egan knew Chul-Soo’s extraordinary abilities, but having such skills did not mean anyone could show such courage. He thought of why Chul-Soo was volunteering to be reckless.

‘He is trying to protect us all.’

Four of Egan’s comrades had died in the last expedition. Chul-Soo going in by himself was like him saying, ‘Don’t worry, this time no one will die. I will make sure of it.’

Even Black Panther felt slightly moved. ‘Chul-Soo... I think I might have misunderstood you.’

His mind had changed when Chul-Soo had bravely entered the Sand Worm’s territory and carried out two of the deceased members of the Avengers Army in coffins.

‘Chul-Soo is more devout on this expedition than anyone. He is not just a crazy Streamer!’

Egan and Black Panther deeply admired him, and Kang Eun-Woo filmed the whole scene in ghost mode.

“I’ll go ahead then,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Good luck. We will wait for you right here.”

Jin-Hyeok hid his excitement. He was relieved that they had agreed more easily than expected. He tried hard to hide his happiness, maintaining a solemn expression.

Egan and Black Panther watched Jin-Hyeok’s lonely back as he ascended the stairs, while Eun-Woo excitedly kept hitting the shutter button.

‘Great expression!’

The ancient temple covered in moss, the lonely back of a hero climbing the stairs alone, and the admiration of the official number one ranked Streamer and the Navigator of the Avengers Army for that said hero made Eun-Woo’s photos even more beautiful.

‘What a sight!’

Eun-Woo was already excited about posting these videos and photos on Chul-Soo’s official Enstagram account.

Meanwhile, Chul-Soo finally reached the entrance at the top of the stairs.

[You are entering the Field ?Abandoned Temple?.]

‘I’ve successfully made them wait for me!’

Jin-Hyeok had managed to give a dramatic performance and found a legitimate reason to enter the Field alone.

‘After all, soloing a Dungeon is the most fun.’

His heart was pounding with excitement.

***

(Picture)

202,110 Likes

official_chulsoo Chul-Soo ascending the stairs alone. more

-Look at how he is shining just from the back. It’s amazing!

-What kind of life must one lead to do that?

-Isn’t it going to be dangerous if the White Jade Armor Knight shows up while he is doing this?

-No! We must absolutely protect our Chul-Soo!

Eun-Woo was surprised. ‘Wow, the number of likes is increasing faster than usual!’

Apparently, the noble sacrifice of taking on danger for the sake of one’s party members resonated well with the public. Eun-Woo also added an extra photo of Egan and Black Panther genuinely admiring Chul-Soo.

It looks like Egan and Black Panther have fallen for Chul-Soo, LOL!

-Anyone would fall for him, right?

-Even as a guy, I find him incredibly attractive.

-Wow, what must it feel like to live like that?

For Eun-Woo, this was a very encouraging result.

‘This time, the response from male followers is particularly hot.’

Eun-Woo had been a bit concerned before. Usually, on Enstagram, Chul-Soo had significantly more female than male users, and the female followers were much more active than the male ones. However, this time, with the ‘hero climbing the stairs alone under a heavy burden’ concept, the response from the men was tremendous.

Eun-Woo’s heart raced. ‘Chul-Soo is a next-generation superstar appealing to people of all ages and genders!’

For him, Chul-Soo was such an entity.

‘There are new followers from all over the universe.’

With just a few photos and a couple of videos, Chul-Soo had managed to elicit such a reaction.

‘What’s going to happen when the actual video is released? Especially when the story and narrative with Black Panther are disclosed?’

The thought alone was overwhelming for Eun-Woo. However, as with all social media posts, it was not just positive comments.

-I will take down this crazy guy myself.

Eun-Woo slightly frowned. Such comments were easier just to delete.

[Delete]

‘Huh? Is something wrong with the System?’

Despite multiple attempts, he could not delete the comment.

‘What is going on?’

***

As soon as Jin-Hyeok entered the Abandoned Temple, Miri kept urging him on.

-Please tell me you are going to use me.

He answered affirmatively, but the weapon seemed not to trust him completely.

-Please. You must handle me roughly...!

‘Alright, alright. I told you I will.’

Miri continuously nagged him as if it had been fooled all its life, and Jin-Hyeok started to walk while holding it.

-Ah... Feels so good!

Miri exclaimed with ecstasy.

The first floor was populated with mid-Level 100 monsters in abundance. Killing them all seemed unnecessary, but he diligently engaged in the hunt anyway.

[You have defeated the Gold Skeleton Warrior.]

[You have defeated the Gold Skeleton Archer.]

[You have defeated the Gold Skeleton Hound.]

Nothing special happened. He just smashed the heads of the undead-type monsters that appeared before him. Miri was exhilarated and enjoyed the experience, and so did Jin-Hyeok.

‘This feeling!’

Anyone who had experienced this sensation once would understand how Jin-Hyeok felt. The thrilling sensation of becoming one with Miri was immensely pleasurable.

‘I don’t think the first floor has any more monsters.’

Jin-Hyeok found the stairs and went up to the second floor. This floor had slightly stronger Platinum Skeleton monsters. They were in their late Level 100s, but not too difficult to kill.

‘The Avengers Army guys were a bit dramatic.’

Jin-Hyeok remembered seeing in Egan’s video that they struggled here. The monsters on the second floor regenerated quite fast, and the members of the Avengers Army had used a lot of their energy here.

However, when Jin-Hyeok killed the monsters, he realized it was just for show.

‘They don’t regenerate if you smash them properly.’

If the monsters’ heads were shattered, they did not regenerate. Jin-Hyeok thought that Hickson and Black Panther probably knew this, but they had intentionally made it look difficult for Egan’s content.

‘It must have been really hard to act like these monsters are strong...’

Jin-Hyeok understood that making something that was not difficult look like it was, was quite a challenge. Simply smashing the monsters was much easier. Eventually, he found the stairs leading to the third floor.

[You have entered the third floor.]

‘Oh!’

The air on the third floor was different. When Jin-Hyeok breathed deeply, it seemed like a colorless, odorless poison was dispersed in the air. If he had not consumed the Phoenix Heart, he could not have even noticed the poison.

Whoosh!

The flame inside him relentlessly burned the poison that had penetrated his body. The poison was stronger than expected, making his breathing a bit rough.

‘There was no such poison when the Avengers Army entered the floor.’

However, this was not a major concern. Jin-Hyeok was aware that many variables could arise in a Dungeon from entering alone. This was hardly a variable to be concerned about.

[“How dare you disturb the Queen’s sleep?”]

A Lich revealed itself. At the same time, an object resembling a small meteor fell toward his head. When Jin-Hyeok saw that, his heart raced.

It was every man’s dream to get hit by a meteor.

‘I can’t resist this.’

Jin-Hyeok had not taken a single hit on his way here. However, this seemed like something he had to experience firsthand. It was a meteor after all.

***

The second-in-command of the Swampland Crew, Swampland No.2, made a vow. “I will definitely kill Chul-Soo and return.”

“Our goal isn’t just that. No.3 would not want that either.”

“I know.”

Killing Chul-Soo was a secondary objective. The Swampland Crew was a group of Player Hunters, and their primary aim was to seize the abilities of other Awakened Players.

“Many VIPs desire Chul-Soo’s abilities. You know that, right?” Swampland No.1 said.

“Of course,” Swampland No.2 replied.

“Bring both his face and body back intact.”

“That might be difficult.” Swampland No.2 bit his lip. “I intend to mutilate him so much that it would be hard to recognize his corpse.”

After all, Chul-Soo had killed his brother. He would not simply kill the Streamer and let him off easily.

“It’s a request from Lady Harkoen,” Swampland No.1 said.

Swampland No.2 frowned. “That crazy doll collector again?”

“She seems quite fascinated by Chul-Soo.”

Lady Harkoen was one of the noblewomen of the Arvis Server and a VVIP of the Swampland Crew. Her hobby was collecting the bodies of young and handsome men and turning them into dolls for her display.

“She has paid an advance of one hundred billion Dias. And another one hundred billion Dias is promised upon the success of the mission.”

“...I will do my best.”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Chul-Soo is headed to the Haeundae Dungeon. I will wait for an opportunity and strike there.” Swampland No.2 was confident.

Swampland No.1 also trusted him considerably. “If it’s you... it might be possible.”

Swampland No.3 was a bit weaker compared to the other members of the Swampland Crew. His only asset was his speed, and it was difficult for someone strong in only one aspect to face Players above a certain Level.

In contrast, Swampland No.2 had a variety of weapons. He was also the one with the most outstanding performance in the Swampland Crew. He excelled in using terrain to his advantage, and his abilities were especially amplified in Dungeons.

‘Chul-Soo... This is as far as you go. We won’t be careless anymore. You won’t come out from the Haeundae Dungeon alive. I know Swampland No.2 is my brother, but he is cunning and meticulous. From the third floor onward, you will be in serious trouble.’

‘A meteor!’

On the third floor, Jin-Hyeok got even more excited.

The Lich, seemingly a monster with Level in the early 200s, wielded a surprisingly powerful destruction spell. However, this did not matter to him.

‘How much impact will it have?’

Jin-Hyeok took the hit with Absolute Barrier. The result was severely disappointing.

‘What?’

The meteor, which looked flashy on the outside, lacked destructive power. Upon contact with Absolute Barrier, it simply vanished.

‘Was that just an appetizer?’

The Lich continued chanting non-stop. Jin-Hyeok decided to wait for something grander. Leaving the Lich alive for now, Jin-Hyeok proceeded to deal with the other monsters.

Meanwhile, the meteors, which were actually arrows, poured down, and something interesting happened.

[Absolute Barrier has been partially damaged.]

[Absolute Barrier has been partially damaged.]

Each time the arrows hit him, the barrier was slightly damaged. It seemed the arrows had barrier-neutralizing properties. They had almost no killing power but were specialized in destroying barriers.

‘A weapon specialized against barriers... I have not seen that in a while.’

It was as if the attack was tailored for Jin-Hyeok.

[Absolute Barrier has been destroyed.]

Simultaneously, the Lich cast another meteor spell. Although this spell looked the same as the previous one, it was clearly different. The previous meteor attack was specialized against barriers, but this one had lethal characteristics. Jin-Hyeok could feel the formidable firepower in the conjured magic spell.

[“On those who invade the Queen’s chambers, I bestow eternal death.”]

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