I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 327

When Cha Jin-Hyeok discovered the crater, he had already realized this place was a trap.

‘Is that Bakurudnaima?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

More precisely, it was a Sacred Tree derived from the Bakurudnaima. The trunk and leaves of this Sacred Tree had turned black

‘The Bakurudnaima I saw before, though old and tired, had a holy aura.’

This one felt completely different; it was, so to speak, a mutant Sacred Tree. This tree, like Bakurudnaima, possessed intelligence and will.

‘That tree is controlling these monsters as the Dungeon boss monster.’

A chilling aura emanated from the tree, piercing Jin-Hyeok’s skin like needles. So, he used a filter to block out the chilling aura.

‘I hope the viewers didn’t feel that!’

This way, the stream perfectly captured the sensation of him falling for a trap.

“Finally, it’s a trap,” Jin-Hyeok said. He felt the growling of the monsters, and his escape route was already blocked. “This tree is a descendant of the Sacred Tree that I’ve met before, but I wonder why it ended up like this. It seems to depend on the type of soil it roots in.”

“What do we do? Can we kill all these monsters?” Mole Woman said.

“I think that’s going to be tough.”

Jin-Hyeok was able to imitate the Babylon Cannon of Shin Yu-Ri, but even with the power of that Skill, wiping out so many monsters at once was not easy.

Mole Woman frowned. “So, what now?”

“Don’t worry. We have the best Tamer on Earth with us.”

Park Terse flinched. ‘I hope he’s not referring to himself.’

Terse worriedly asked Jin-Hyeok, “You mean me, right?’

“Of course, who else here is a Tamer?”

“W-Well, I thought so too!”

Jin-Hyeok nodded and surveyed the surroundings again. “It seems like the monsters are scoping things out.”

Jin-Hyeok had already smashed the Swamp Fairy on the back of its head with Miri. He had also struck several nearby monsters on the back of their heads, smashing them to pieces.

-More! I want to smash more...! It tastes so good...

Armed with Miri, Jin-Hyeok was the epitome of a barbarian warrior. The scene was quite effective, as the monsters did not approach them any closer.

“Terse, it’s going to be tough to tame all of them, right?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“...”

Jin-Hyeok knew Terse could not tame all these monsters, but Terse could not help feeling guilty.

“Sorry... I had not thought it through that far,” Terse said.

‘Chul-Soo is always inspiring me with unconventional thoughts,’ Terse thought. He slightly bit his lip and resentfully said, “If only I had trained more, it might have been possible.”

“How many could you tame at once then? We don’t need to form a deep bond, just enough to turn the ones surrounding us to our side.”

Terse blushed, embarrassed by his modest skills. “At once... up to seventy.”

-He can tame 70 monsters at once? LOL, is he insane?

-Wasn’t there a Player bragging on Eltube about managing to tame ten monsters at once? LOL

-That’s impressive, but I guess it’s still lacking in the Chul-Soo Universe, LOL!

Regardless of the viewers’ reactions, Jin-Hyeok seemed slightly disappointed. “That’s a bit less than I expected.”

“Well, we are not on Earth...”

Earth was Terse’s home turf. Unlike it, Hell was unfamiliar and challenging. It was especially so inside a Dungeon that had remained unexplored for decades. Yet, Terse knew very well that these were all just excuses.

“I’m sorry. I have not reached that level yet,” Terse said.

“It’s okay. For now, let’s just do that and move toward that tree. Since so many monsters are targeting us, it means that the tree is acting as their master.”

Terse nodded. If he could successfully communicate with some of the approaching monsters and free them from the influence of the mutant Sacred Tree, it could cause confusion among the monsters.

‘And we need to move toward the mutant Sacred Tree during this confusion.’ Terse thought. He attempted to communicate with the surrounding monsters. Focusing his mind, he could feel what they were thinking. ‘The will of the mutant Sacred Tree is being transmitted to the monsters.’

The Sacred Tree had one demand: Kill the intruders. Under its control, the monsters attempted to approach the party, while Terse tried hard to communicate with them.

‘I need to pull as many monsters to our side as possible. Maybe, just maybe, my taming can have an effect beyond simply causing confusion. If possible, I can even counterattack.’

If the tamed monsters could rush toward the Sacred Tree, the effect of taming would be even more dramatic.

‘But it’s harder than I thought.’

As the party approached the Sacred Tree, the tree’s influence grew stronger. The tamed monsters begin to show hostility again.

“It seems Terse’s taming abilities and the mutant Sacred Tree’s control are about even,” Jin-Hyeok said.

The monsters seemed confused. Thus, they neither charged nor retreated, maintaining a stalemate.

Jin-Hyeok said to Elly, who was perched on his shoulder, “Elly. I am sorry, but I need you to go back for today.”

“No!” Elly, not wanting to part from Jin-Hyeok, looked disappointed but did not throw a tantrum. “Okay, I understand.”

“Good girl.” Jin-Hyeok warmly smiled.

Not only did Elly’s appearance boost viewer ratings, but Elly herself was adorable and lovable. However, the situation was not right for sharing heartfelt moments. A misstep could collapse the tension being conveyed to the viewers all at once.

While Jin-Hyeok and Elly were having the conversation, Terse felt extremely frustrated. ‘Is this all my ability amounts to?”

They still had to cross at least one hundred meters to the Sacred Tree. As they drew closer, going even with the Sacred Tree seemed unlikely.

‘This is disheartening.’

Just then, Jin-Hyeok summoned the Thunder Dragon.

***

As a massive pillar of clouds hundreds of meters high formed in the air, with incessant lightning streaking across the sky, the Thunder Dragon made its imposing entrance, throwing the monsters into disarray.

[“You fools.”]

The Thunder Dragon’s voice boomed, resounding through the area. This was the opportunity Terse had been waiting for.

‘My taming skill is working better now!’

Chills ran down Terse’s neck. In reality, the Thunder Dragon could not do much here due to the inter-Server restrictions that prevented it from launching preemptive strikes. However, its sheer presence was a form of violence and pressure for the local monsters.

Essentially, the monsters felt intimidated by the Thunder Dragon, and Terse found it easier to empathize with these monsters.

‘I knew it! Violence is the answer!’

Some of the monsters even began charging toward the Sacred Tree, creating the counterattack situation Terse had hoped for. With the pressure on his group somewhat alleviated, Jin-Hyeok spoke up. “Terse, is it possible to tame that Sacred Tree?”

“I will try. Mole Woman, can you take me closer to that mutant Sacred Tree?”

“Of course, moly.” Mole Woman offered her back. “What are you waiting for? Hop on, moly! We don’t have much time, moly! Close your eyes and hold your breath. I am going to tunnel us there, moly. Oh, and there might be monsters underground too, so you will have to handle them, moly. I can’t dodge attacks, moly.”

Terse was slightly worried about Jin-Hyeok. While he was tunneling toward the Sacred Tree, his control over the surface monsters could weaken, potentially exposing Jin-Hyeok to their attacks.

Reading his concern, Jin-Hyeok patted Terse on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”

Jin-Hyeok’s expression was solemn, almost as if he was staking his life. To Terse, it almost sounded like Jin-Hyeok was putting his trust in him and that the entire party’s fate lay with him.

Terse seriously nodded. “Understood.”

Together with Mole Woman, he tunneled toward their target.

***

Jin-Hyeok felt slightly disappointed that the monsters were not attacking him.

“The Thunder Dragon is stronger than I thought,” Jin-Hyeok told the viewers.

It seemed that even without Terse’s taming skill, the monsters were not going to attack him. They were still watching the Thunder Dragon in the sky, not daring to attack.

“If I use the Babylon Cannon here...”

That could open up the path to the Sacred Tree. However, it would likely provoke the monsters into a frenzy, attacking en masse.

‘That might not be too bad.’ Jin-Hyeok thought. A chaotic battle would unfold. ‘I would be fine with that, but I think Mole Woman and Terse could end up dead.’

Considering that possibility, Jin-Hyeok found it hard to use this method recklessly.

“For now, I will ride on the Thunder Dragon and watch the situation.”

Then, Jin-Hyeok zoomed in to film Mole Woman and Terse.

-Wait, didn’t they just go underground?

-Yeah, but...

-I can see them too clearly!

Marshmallow, who never missed an episode of Jin-Hyeok’s livestream, was at a loss for words.

“He can zoom in a hundred times and can see through the underground,” Marshmallow said.

It seemed like Chul-Soo had surpassed himself on the technical part of livestreaming. Moreover, such capabilities had not been specifically revealed in Chul-Soo’s livestream.

“How can the image quality be this clear?”

Watching the livestream alongside him, Encyclopedia asked, “Why? Are you feeling threatened?”

“Threatened? Chul-Soo still has a long way to go to catch up to me”

“Then are you feeling good for him?”

“What’s there for me to feel good about?” Marshmallow said outwardly but donated ten million Dias.

[?1000th Miracle? has donated ten million Dias.]

[“Wow, I have never seen a Streamer with such technology before. 100x zoom and underground projection? That’s seriously impressive!]

Encyclopedia asked again, “Hey, are you the 1000th Miracle?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Marshmallow quietly got up and went inside his room. As he lay on the bed, his heart thumped. ‘He is already using a perfect 100x zoom like this? He is not even Level 300 yet.’

Just imagining what Chul-Soo would be like after Level 300 got his heart racing.

‘But what are they up to anyway?’

Mole Woman and Terse had already arrived beneath the Sacred Tree. Mole Woman used her forepaws to create a hollow in the ground.

On screen, Terse said.

?I have never thought of taming a Tree?

Marshmallow muttered, “People usually don’t, I mean, think that.”

?Chul-Soo has inspired me again, and now I am going to try to tame this tree.?

“Is that even possible?”

Encyclopedia, who had followed his friend into the room, explained, “This tree is essentially a Ruler-type boss monster, with will and intelligence, so taming it is indeed possible. However, Terse highly values empathy, and how he could tame a Ruler-type boss monster that’s so hostile to humans... I am not so sure.”

Terse commanded.

?Reveal yourself, Mole Squad.?

Moles with unusually large forepaws appeared on the scene. The peculiar thing about them was that they had all worn yellow safety helmets, and some of the larger ones were equipped with axes and picks, tools normally used by humans.

?Everyone, to your positions!?

The Mole Squad dispersed in an orderly manner. They brought their sharp claws, picks, and axes to the roots of the Sacred Tree. Terse also took a small hand axe, stood in front of a root, and tapped it with the axe.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

?Do you want to be tamed??

A sly grin spread across Terse’s face, his eyes emitting a green glow.

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