I Gave Up Being Stronger

An unexpected turn of events that even Cha-Jin Hyeok had not foreseen took place.

“The Guardian Tree is shrinking again,” Jin-Hyeok told the viewers.

The majestic and awe-inspiring Golden Guardian Tree now looked as common as a street tree. It was said that the epitome of splendor was mediocrity.

-Simplicity is the best.

-Why is the tree so short now?

-Less is more.

Viewers flocked to Jin-Hyeok’s livestream, which now ranked first on the list of trending videos.

-What happened? Surely, he wouldn’t keep it a secret, right?

-No way!

-I think Chul-Soo is a reasonable person.

Jin-Hyeok pondered the situation for a moment. The Guardian Tree had changed in appearance, as well as undergone several significant alterations. He wondered if he could reveal those changes.

“I was planning to reveal everything initially, but…” he said.

-No way!

-It can’t be, right?

-Are you going to end the livestream here?

“...the changes are more significant than I expected. I need to discuss this with a Ruler.”

-No!!! Why???

-What the hell, Chul-Soo?

-You guys can swear at Chul-Soo. Although I’m a Chul-Soo Lander, I can’t defend him today.

Jin-Hyeok contacted Han Sae-Rin, but she did not respond; she was raiding a Dungeon with Players from the K-Force.

‘I can’t keep the viewers waiting too long.’

He ventured into that Dungeon. Though the Players in Sae-Rin’s party were not top-tier, they were still very skilled. Yet, they were struggling against a rhino-type boss monster encased in armor. The boss monster’s Level was in the early 200s.

Sae-Rin, who was directing the battle from behind, widened her eyes. “Chul-Soo, why are you here?”

“I need to discuss something with you. But what are you doing here?” He was essentially questioning why she was wasting her time in such a trivial place.

“Can’t you see that I’m helping them level up?” she replied.

“Leveling up? So, you’re helping these novice Players?”

“Yes.”

Viewers erupted with laughter.

-Isn’t that the Steel Armored Rhino?

-It looks weak, but weighs over ten tons, LOL

-I believe its Level is around the early 200s, but as it’s a boss monster, it should be tougher than usual.

-In the Chul-Soo Universe, such monsters are trivial, LOL

Jang Do-Young, a Swordswoman who used two swords, clenched his teeth as he battled the boss monster.

‘Helping us level up? Novice Players?’ Do-Young was a rational person. So, he could not believe that Chul-Soo was calling them novice Players when they were fighting a high-Level boss monster. These Players were skilled by the standards of the Earth Server, as well as many other Servers.

‘He’s too arrogant!’

Do-Young knew who Chul-Soo was.

‘He always does those staged livestreams…’

Being a sensible man, Do-Young believed that Jin-Hyeok’s livestreams were staged. He was not particularly suspicious; many people shared this sentiment.

Logically, a Streamer could not be stronger than Cier, the strongest Player in Hell. So, Do-Young believed that the Chul-Soo Universe was just a concept and, along with many others, that Chul-Soo’s fights were staged.

“I don’t have much time,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Is that so? Shall we wrap this up?” Sae-Rin replied.

“That would be nice.”

Do-Young bitterly laughed. ‘He doesn’t even know how tough that rhino’s armor is.’

Like many combatant-class Players, Do-Young looked down on non-combatant-class Players.

‘Once he fights that monster, he will realize how tough it is.’

Do-Young wanted to see for himself how strong Chul-Soo was and whether this so-called top Streamer could outperform genuine combatant-class Players.

Then an arrow flew past him.

‘Huh? Did Chul-Soo use an arrow? I don’t remember him having any Skills related to arrows.’ Do-Young glanced to the side. ‘Sae-Rin?’

The one who had joined the fight wasn’t Chul-Soo but Sae-Rin. The arrow itself did not seem powerful, yet…

‘What’s going on? It has become easier to attack the monster now!’

Sae-Rin’s arrow was incredibly efficient, using minimal force for maximum effect. it effectively hindered the monster’s movement, preventing it from utilizing its full strength. Consequently, the other Players, including Do-Young, could synchronize their attacks better.

‘The monster’s movements are noticeably slower!’ Do-Young did not credit Sae-Rin’s arrow for this. ‘Finally, the monster is tiring!’

Thinking that the combatant-class Players’ relentless efforts had slowed down the rhino, he grinned. ‘I think we can defeat it now!’

The combatant-class Players felt a synergy among them, a sense of unity in battle. Skilled Players indeed saw the fight differently, they thought.

However, Jin-Hyeok’s perspective was different.

“Hm… I thought you were going to finish this quickly?” he said to Sae-Rin.

“Well, they are still rookies. I can’t help it.”

“Can I just end this?”

“We should give the rookies a chance too… But if you’re really in a hurry, then I guess there is no helping it.”

Do-Young stopped, dumbfounded. ‘Slow? Rookies?’

These statements were absurd. No matter how entertaining Chul-Soo’s livestream was, he could not believe that the Streamer was making such nonsensical excuses for his livestream narratives.

‘Huh?’ Just then, the Phantom Swordswoman flew past Do-Young. ‘She passed by me?’

He barely saw the Mystery’s movement. She had already reached the boss monster.

‘So that’s the infamous Phantom Swordswoman?’ He had seen her a few times in Chul-Soo’s videos. She always seemed somewhat sinister and beautiful in photos and videos, but not in person. ‘I can’t… move!’

Seeing the Phantom Swordswoman up close, Do-Young was paralyzed, like a frog before a snake.

The defensive Mystery muttered, “Ultimate enlightenment.”

Ultimate enlightenment was supposedly a profound concept behind an object or phenomenon, but in reality, it meant nothing and was not even a Skill’s name. It was merely a fancy phrase the Mystery had murmured under the influence of Chul-Soo’s intense persona.

“Preemptive Defense,” the Phantom Swordswoman said. She swung a blood-red hammer, tearing apart the Steel-Armored Rhino’s tough hide as if it were paper.

[You have defeated the boss monster Steel Armored Rhino.]

Do-Young collapsed on the spot. ‘How is that a defensive Mystery?’

When he saw the gruesomely mangled corpse of the Steel Armored Rhino, he realized that Chul-Soo’s livestreams were not staged and that he was indeed a rookie.

In a trance-like state, Do-Young pulled out his phone and searched for Chul-Soo on Eltube.

[Subscribe]

The subscriber count for Chul-Soo’s channel increased by one.

***

At Jin-Hyeok’s house, Sae-Rin said after a long consideration, “Let’s start the conversation with this. Do you want to make ‘becoming the strongest Streamer, no, the strongest Player in the universe’ your concept?”

“Of course.”

“You used to aim for third place in the past.”

“That Chul-Soo is dead.”

“Alright. Then I think we should reveal everything. It might even be better if you showed your overwhelming growth. Keeping secrets doesn’t serve any purpose anymore. After all, Emperor Marco had found you.”

Emperor Marco attempting to assassinate Jin-Hyeok meant that Kim Chul-Soo had become a target for elite Player Hunters. Hiding anything at this point was pointless.

“Perhaps, if you showed your overwhelming power, it will deter some of the challenges coming your way,” Sae-Rin said.

“Alright, I understand.” Jin-Hyeok grinned and stood up. ‘Good. I will reveal everything about the Guardian Tree’s new abilities, but…’

He felt that just explaining it was not enough. Showcasing these abilities could enhance the quality of content.

‘I hope an appropriate event occurs soon.’

That opportunity came rather quickly.

***

Jin-Hyeok was spending his days bustling between Earth and the Hell Server. He wanted to advance the universe-level Scenario, but the Scenario had stalled since he had acquired the Treasure of Veselity. So, he was focusing more on stabilizing Hell.

‘It’d be good to increase the export of smartphones to the Hell Server.’

Billions of Hell's residents were potential subscribers for his channel. He just needed to captivate them. The residents of Hell were not accustomed to modern technology and had little information about Eltube and Jin-Hyeok’s channel. Being new to such technologies, they were entertained by the slightest stimuli, which made livestreaming there quite enjoyable.

‘Since I’m here, I should clear another Unexplored Dungeon.’

In a dry, windswept desert, Jin-Hyeok walked alone until he spotted someone clad in a robe in the distance.

“I see someone,” Jin-Hyeok told the viewers.

The figure was carrying a huge object wrapped in cloth on their back.

“I will get closer to them. It’s unlikely for a person to be here… unless it’s a monster in human form…”

Suddenly, Jin-Hyeok used Spilling Wind to dodge an attack, his upper body sliding through the air like the wind.

‘That was fast!’

A gust of wind followed. Jin-Hyeok glanced to the side as the newcomer’s robe fell, revealing a face.

‘What’s that smell?’

A pleasant fragrance wafted through the air.

“A giant sword wrapped in cloth. Blond hair, fair skin, pointed ears. Most importantly, a delightful floral scent. She’s Acacia of the Scent of Death, a top ranker from the Pisat Family, one of the Seven great families of Arvis.”

People didn’t know her real name, but they called her Acacia of the Scent of Death because of the acacia fragrance that followed her.

“Fascinating. I have heard rumors that those who live in the forest carry the scent of their homeland, and it’s true. Acacia of the Scent of Death, why are you attacking me? You aren’t even a Player Hunter. By the way, I’m livestreaming right now,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“You killed my friend.”

“Your friend?”

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. ‘Did I do that?’

Spilling Wind automatically activated again.

‘She didn’t even move!’

Jin-Hyeok guessed that she had launched a wave of sword energy. As he had expected, a top-ranked fighter from Arvis, particularly one from the combatant class, was too much for him in a one-on-one fight.

Acacia unwrapped the cloth from her greatsword. “I used to think you exaggerated your abilities.”

“She’s assuming a very elegant posture with her sword,” Jin-Hyeok said. Acacia's presence was menacing, but even that could not stop Jin-Hyeok’s commentary. “The way she holds her greatsword is stunning. It’s like she and the sword are one. The sword is Acacia, and Acacia is the sword.”

The greatsword cast a shadow, highlighting Acacia’s intense demeanor.

“She stands gloriously,” Jin-Hyeok added.

Acacia frowned at his comments. Raised in the Pisat Family as a Swordswoman, she had lived her life solely handling swords. So, she found this situation quite alien and perplexing. She did not know much about Streamers, but on a battlefield trading with deaths, Jin-Hyeok was just casually saying what he saw.

‘Pitiable,’ she thought. With her sword pointed at him, she said, “I have no personal grudge against you.”

At this moment, Editor Kang Chul promptly added some subtitles to the livestream.

[???: You have killed my friend.]

-Wait, didn’t she just say that Chul-Soo had killed her friend?

-LOL! She’s backtracking now.

While Acacia’s words were odd, she was strong. She lowered her stance and ran across the desert, her blond hair and robe fluttering in the wind. The sand split, and a sandstorm rose behind her. Her steps were firm and decisive. In response to her, her greatsword hummed with a resonant sword cry.

“I was planning to reveal everything to you anyway. I have gotten a bit stronger,” Jin-Hyeok told the viewers.

This time, he did not use Spilling Wind. He glanced at the greatsword approaching him and raised his right hand, changing the livestream title to [Declaration of War].

“Now, I will try to become the strongest Player in the universe.”

His right hand collided with Acacia’s greatsword, and a massive shockwave shot into the sky, splitting the clouds. Golden sunlight streamed through the split clouds, illuminating Jin-Hyeok.

With his right hand blocking Acacia’s greatsword and a grin on his face, he said, “Welcome to the Chul-Soo Universe.”