I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 249

The American Players were pushing back the Korean Players. However, regardless of the results of the battles, Cha Jin-Hyeok was now in a foul mood.

‘These bastards, they are really ostracizing me, aren’t they?’

The American Players knew where he was going.

Miri also got angry along with him. She had intended to enjoy her fun hobby of smashing people’s heads, but her opponents kept running away, depriving her of the enjoyment.

Jin-Hyeok went back to his base and asked Han Sae-Rin, “Hey, they seem to be reading all my movements.”

“It’s not just you they’re reading.” Sae-Rin frowned. “Our front line is being pushed back. Emperor must be quite competent.”

“That can’t be.”

“What does that mean?”

“He isn’t even properly prepared for an assassination.” Jin-Hyeok hit the nail on the head.

“...?!”

If Jin-Hyeok saw one small weakness in a Player, he could understand the Player’s full abilities. He knew that such a person could not be that competent.

“How could a guy who can’t even defend himself competently command that many Players?” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Hm... Well, that’s true.”

Waiting Wife was also not performing well. Thanks to Woongi, she was not in danger from the opponent’s attacks, but her location kept getting exposed, which led to various inconveniences for her. Eventually, all the turrets on the Korean Region side had fallen, and the American Players began to push into the main base. The All-Out War was not something one could affect alone, and Jin-Hyeok could not stop all the Players by himself.

‘But honestly, I feel like I could stop all of them if I wanted to.’

He thought he could protect the Korean flag using his greatly enhanced Absolute Barrier.

‘Should I try?’

However, he was Playing as Kim Pyeong-Beom at the moment, enjoying his hobby. This war was like a comeback stage for Pyeong-Beom, and it was not fair for Jin-Hyeok to use Chul-Soo’s abilities.

The current score of the All-Out War was 5:4, with the United States trailing by one point.

‘But I’m getting even more curious. It does not seem like they are winning because Emperor is performing well.’

Soon, the score became 5:5.

-See? I told you the United States would win over time.

-Yeah, I saw this coming too. If a human does not get tired, they’re not human.

-The Korean Region guys also seem to be losing their edge.

The reputation of America's Great Ruler Emperor also rose.

-Did you see the video? Emperor’s appearance suddenly boosted their momentum.

-Yeah, his tactics were insane. He was really efficient in his attacks.

The buoyant Emperor went to Egan Paul and said, “See? I told you I would show you.”

“...” Egan sighed. He wanted to tell Emperor that this was not the true strength of the K-Force and that Chul-Soo had not joined the battle yet. However, he decided to stay silent.

‘Experiencing it directly would be better for him,’ Egan thought.

Emperor smirked. “From now on, the best alliance in the United States won’t be the Avengers Army, but our Broken Alliance. We will take that position with actual skill, not just from marketing.”

“...Sure, why not? I will support you.” Egan was not entirely displeased with the victory of the American Region. However, he felt anxious. Above all, Chul-Soo had been too inactive.

Just then, the American Region scored another victory. The current score was 6:5. The American Region had finally taken the lead. By then, Jin-Hyeok had realized their trick.

“Wow, these bastards...” He laughed at how ridiculous the trick was. “How dare they use map hacks?”

It seemed the American Region had gained an accomplice. A Player who could freely manipulate the settings of Dungeons and Fields and turn them to his advantage had likely joined sides with Emperor—someone like Swampland No.2. Jin-Hyeok had been willing to overlook the fact that Emperor had rigged the entire map in the first place, but he couldn’t let them use map hacks.

“They’ve crossed the line too much.”

***

A Player’s mindset was completely different when they Played as a hobby and when they Played professionally. Jin-Hyeok spoke with a serious expression. “It seems like the American Region is getting external assistance from another Player.”

Sae-Rin also nodded. “I think so too. Do you have any suspects in mind?”

“I do,” Jin-Hyeok replied. It was a somewhat regrettable fact for Emperor, but Jin-Hyeok was a regressor. He knew exactly who was behind all this. “Swampland No.2. It’s highly likely to be him.”

Swampland No.2 had a grudge against Jin-Hyeok for killing Swampland No.3, so it was not strange for the Player Hunter to get involved in this matter. Sae-Rin bit her lip slightly and closed her eyes.

‘We need to neutralize him,’ After a moment of thought, Jin-Hyeok smirked. “Wait a minute.”

“Why? Do you have a good idea?”

“Many Players are pissed off because they couldn’t join the war.”

To be exact, these were Players who had participated in the war but became the butt of jokes for not being able to perform well. Angel Girl Song Ha-Young was one of them.

-All Angel Girl knows is how to steal, LOL. Totally useless.

-She is like a cancer to society, haha!

-That’s the limit of a Thief!

Jin-Hyeok called Ha-Young.

“What? Why did you ask me to come here? Are you going to mock me like everyone else?” Ha-Young seemed to be under stress. She had not been able to properly participate in such a big event, and even when she did, there was not much for her to do.

“We might need your help,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“I knew you needed me!” Her eyes sparkled. She did not even ask him what she had to do.

***

In the ongoing war, the United States continued to claim victory. The current score was 8:5. Gaining confidence, Emperor held another major conference and even participated in an interview on Egan’s livestream.

⌜Are you confident about winning the All-Out War?⌟

⌜Of course. The winner of this war is going to be the United States. That fact will never change.⌟

⌜Even if Chul-Soo joins the battle?⌟

⌜The tide has already turned to our side. Everything is too favorable for us. They might make excuses, saying that we were using hacks and that the map was rigged, but those are just excuses of the losers. And actually, I am hoping Chul-Soo joins the war.⌟

Emperor slyly smiled at the intended timing and continued to talk.

⌜I will dispel all the hype surrounding that Streamer.⌟

Emperor then revealed another fact.

⌜This All-Out War is a best-of-ten series. If we achieve ten victories, we will take possession of one hundred Dungeons from the Korean Region and gain the right to collect taxes from all those who participated in the war for the next year.⌟

⌜What do you mean when you say you are going to collect taxes?⌟

⌜It’s the same concept as war reparations. They will have to pay thirteen percent of everything they earn while Playing to the American Region.⌟

⌜Losing this war will be quite bitter for them then.⌟

It was said that the System would process this tax and appropriately distribute it among the American Players who participated in the war.

As the fourteenth round was about to start, Ha-Young grinned. ‘Wow, this guy’s stealth ability is pretty incredible.’

In the southern part of the map, there was a huge waterfall, and hidden inside it was a complicated cave. A Player was hiding there, doing something.

‘But hiding is my specialty!’

Ha-Young had finally found Swampland No.2. Meanwhile, the United States scored another victory. The score was now 9:5. Only one more point remained for the ultimate victory of the American Region.

***

Jin-Hyeok did not particularly want to reveal that Chul-Soo and Pyeong-Beom were the same person.

“The American Players are avoiding Pyeong-Beom anyway, aren’t they?”

After the word ‘Munchkin’ had been added to Jin-Hyeok’s Job title, all of his abilities had been significantly enhanced. This also applied to his Multiple Lives Mystery. His avatar had improved as well.

“I’ll just set the avatar to auto-hunt.”

Jin-Hyeok had set up the avatar in a way that it automatically attacked any opponents it noticed. The avatar was not able to think and strategize from all angles like Jin-Hyeok could, but simple offense and defense were doable. In fact, the American Players’ strategy of avoiding Pyeong-Beom made this even more possible.

“First, let’s catch the one hiding in that waterfall,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“But wouldn’t he set up escape routes already?” Ha-Young asked.

“Probably. That’s why I want you to chase him to the end. You can do it.”

Ha-Young, who had been stressed recently due to the comments that said she was overrated, smiled brightly.

‘He is trusting me this much? And it’s not just anyone but Chul-Soo?’ She felt a bit refreshed. The passion reignited in her heart. She could not lose to Players using map hacks and rigged maps. It was time to set things right.

‘I will show you how righteous a Thief can be!’

She confirmed one last thing with Jin-Hyeok. “But it might take a while. What if the Korean flag gets destroyed in the meantime?”

“It won’t.”

“...But it’s been destroyed continuously until now.”

“That was before I decided to guard it.”

“...”

“I will make sure it does not get destroyed. I promise.”

‘...He is so cool.’ Ha-Young covered her mouth and looked at Jin-Hyeok. He could not have been more reliable.

“You’re always so enthusiastic about setting things right. No wonder people call you the righteous IntenseMan.”

Then, shortly after, the final round of the All-Out War began.

***

As Chul-Soo participated in the last round of the All-Out War, Encyclopedia paid close attention to this round.

‘I thought maybe Pyeong-Beom and Chul-Soo were the same person.’ Having alternate characters was a common concept in the universe. Several Mysteries also allowed it. ‘But that wasn’t true?’

Pyeong-Beom was performing well on his own, and Chul-Soo was participating in the war and livestreaming. Occasionally, Streamers spotted Pyeong-Beom, who demonstrated his formidable prowess.

‘If that’s an avatar... it could not possibly perform to that extent.’

To do so, one would need to have a Job like the Puppeteer. Even if a Streamer had the required Mysteries, showing such a level of performance with an avatar was not possible. That was the consensus of Encyclopedia and numerous other netizens of the universe.

Meanwhile, Ha-Young and Kwak Do-Hyeong, leading the members of the Black and Black Alliance, headed toward Swampland No.2’s hiding place.

Swampland No.2 smirked. ‘I can see all of you coming here.’

He had set up the Third Eye across the entire map. He could see everything his opponents tried to do.

‘I’ve prepared several teleportation circles just in case.’

A clever Player always had their escape routes ready. Anticipating his hiding place being discovered and Assassins coming, Swampland No.2 had prepared seven teleportation circles. He also left a note.

[Even if you find me, it will be useless. By the time you really find me, the war will already be over!]

Ha-Young found the note. She pretended to be angry and stomped. “I was so close to catching him!”

She continued to pursue Swampland No.2.

An hour had already passed since the outbreak of the final round. Emperor sensed something was off.

‘Why is it taking so long?’

Most of the Korean side’s turrets had already been destroyed, and numerous American Players had swarmed the Korean main base. So, the battle should have ended a while ago.

Emperor, who had been waiting at the American main base, also moved toward the Korean base. He saw a tremendous scale of attacks unfolding in front of the Korean Flag. Many explosions erupted, causing brilliant effects, and thunderous sounds echoed the surroundings.

‘Eh? What the hell is going on?’

A strange sight caught Emperor’s eye.

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