I Gave Up Being Stronger

When Acacia appeared on Cha Jin-Hyeok’s livestream, the viewers were excited.

-Isn’t Acacia too strong for Chul-Soo?

-She’s a ranker from Arvis, right?

-Bro, she’s a top-tier ranker.

-She’s a Swordsman groomed by the Pisat Family.

-Chul-Soo stands no chance against her.

Some viewers pragmatically assessed the situation.

-Everyone said the same when Chul-Soo faced Cier.

-You guys always say this time is different, LOL.

-Y’all think Chul-Soo will lose, but he always wins.

Others showed unwavering faith and trust in Jin-Hyeok.

Suddenly, Chul-Soo said, “Welcome to the Chul-Soo Universe.”

-The Chul-Soo Universe has opened~

-Wow, he’s so cool!

-He turned something embarrassing into something cool. Only he can do that.

In that moment of dazzling shockwaves and golden sunlight, Acacia sensed a sharp killing intent and quickly stepped back.

‘There was no attack?’ She was puzzled. After all, she had sensed imminent danger. Possessing the ability Future Sight, she could almost perfectly predict an opponent’s moves and attacks and avoid them. But this time, no attack came her way. ‘Did my Future Sight get it wrong?’

Her thoughts became slightly tangled, but she maintained a calm composure and said, “You are very well trained. You fight like a skilled Martial Artist.”

“Acacia, I have heard that you have extraordinary senses. You can accurately gauge the physical strength of your opponents. Is that true?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

Acacia nodded.

“How does my physical strength compare to the rankers of Arvis?”

“You can stand shoulder to shoulder with the rankers of Arvis.” Acacia did not shy away from conversing with Jin-Hyeok. She needed time to organize her thoughts.

‘Wait, aren’t Streamers non-combatant-class Players?’

Although she was relatively naive about what was going on around the world, she knew that Streamers were not combatant-class Players. For a non-combatant-class Player, Chul-Soo’s inherent physical strength was excessively strong.

“But that’s all there is to it,” Acacia added.

“What do you mean?”

“Comparing physical strength is meaningless among high-Level Players.”

Acacia herself was an example of this.

‘All top-tier Players have similar physical strength,’ she thought. Though subtle differences remained between these Players’ physical prowess, these differences were not significant. At their Level, every one of these Players had enough power to be lethal. “The thing that matters is how well you use that power.”

Talent was critical after a certain Level. After this point, effort alone could not overcome one’s innate limitations. One’s specific Job was also included in this innate talent.

“For a Streamer, you are strong. Not many in the universe can block my swords with their bare hand. You should take pride in that. Your death will not be in vain,” Acacia said.

As the lion did not back in hunting a rabbit, she was resolved to kill Chul-Soo.

Jin-Hyeok broadly grinned. “I have received recognition from Acacia. Since I have made the entrance I wanted, I will now reveal my full strength.”

***

Editor Kang Chul blankly stared at the screen for a few seconds. ‘Is this… a battle among top-tier rankers?’

The battle between Jin-Hyeok and Acacia was not flashy. They were exchanging basic attacks and defenses.

‘Yet, I can’t follow their movements even if I slow the video down to half!’ Both of them were exceedingly fast. ‘They’re so fast that I keep missing things.’

In this case, he could not make the livestream enjoyable. So, he had no choice but to delay the feed.

‘I’m still lacking as an Editor!’

A fight began between Kang Chul’s old self and his new self. But he had no time to blink. His eyes became bloodshot and tears streamed down his face as he immersed himself in editing.

[Editor’s Note: The fight is too fast for a proper livestream. We will delay the feed by slowing down the livestream. We have requested Chul-Soo to livestream from a third-person perspective because capturing the fight from a first-person perspective is impossible. Thank you for your understanding.]

Focused on slowing down the footage, Kang Chul soon noticed something odd.

‘Huh?’ Golden mists rose from Jin-Hyeok. Another change occurred soon. ‘His hair… It’s turning golden.’

It wasn’t just his hair; his irises also turned golden.

Wang Yu-Mi was also surprised.

“Whenever Chul-Soo moves, he leaves traces.” Yu-Mi zoomed in on the video. “Do you see these faint footprints?”

The third-person perspective showed golden currents swirling around Jin-Hyeok’s footprints. The entire area was marked with footprints.

“The footprints are getting clearer!” Yu-Mi shouted.

It was not just the footprints. The viewers could also see the trajectory of Miri’s attacks, as the weapon was carving golden marks into the air.

Yu-Mi grew more excited. “The trace of our king! I will call this phenomenon the Golden Trace!”

The screen was filled with Golden Traces.

Wielding Miri, Jin-Hyeok announced, “I will now reveal the true power of the Guardian Tree.”

Boom!

A massive explosion occurred. The sound of Miri striking the greatsword’s side resonated in the air, the shockwave reaching miles away.

‘Ugh.’ Acacia was unable to deflect the shock, having to step back a few steps. She and Chul-Soo had exchanged thousands of moves in a short time, and both took a moment to catch their breath. Acacia was visibly shaken. ‘He’s not just strong for a Streamer. He’s pretty good among combatant-class Players too!’

Chul-Soo had not been this strong at the beginning of their fight. Something had definitely changed. She couldn’t explain it clearly, but she felt as if Chul-Soo had artificially gained an innate talent.

‘His hair and even his eyes changed color. Are they related to his newfound strength?’

Acacia found this development bewildering. Chul-Soo was openly revealing his secret.

“If there is a Guardian Tree in a Server, in that Server, I can draw on the power of the Golden Guardian Tree in Korea,” Jin-Hyeok explained.

-Wow!

-Don’t several other Servers also have Guardian Trees?

-I think Earth is the number one Server related to Guardian Trees.

“And within the Guardian Tree’s territory, I can never get tired,” Jin-Hyeok said.

He didn’t have to bother with his stamina anymore. Unlike other Players, who had to manage their stamina during battle, he could now exert his full strength at all times.

“Most importantly, I need to tell you guys something. As I mentioned before, due to the Guardian Tree, Players on the Earth Server received a +30 Level buff, which was +40 for Seoul. I had refused that buff.” He could not afford to be a mere Level Grinder, fearing that if his Level was artificially inflated, his actual growth could stop. “But now, things are different.”

For Jin-Hyeok, a rise of 40 Levels was not worthy of consideration. It was good, but it did not free him from the risks associated with being a Level Grinder. However, if the buff included a raise of 100 or more Levels, that was a different story.

“Within the Guardian Tree’s territory, I can receive a +100 Level buff. I can freely increase my Level by a maximum of 100 by cooperating with the Guardian Tree.”

Jin-Hyeok focused on Acacia’s expression, which kept changing as he talked; at this moment, she looked like a co-host of a reality show.

‘What a reaction!’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

A twisted expression crossed Acacia’s face. “You can adjust your Level?”

“Yes.”

Acacia realized what was going on. “No wonder he has been getting stronger since the start of the fight.”

It was impossible, even for someone with an innate combat sense, to grow this quickly. However, through the Guardian Tree’s help, Chul-Soo had been gradually increasing his Level.

“Being able to give it your all and adjust Levels… That’s quite an overpowered ability.” Acacia smirked. “Now I can let go of the guilt in my heart.”

The musky scent around her grew stronger, fitting her name ‘the Scent of Death’. The sand at her feet began to darken. An invisible mist of death rolled toward Jin-Hyeok, and a vision of a scythe-wielding Grim Reaper appeared before him.

“I should switch to a first-person perspective for this. Acacia’s momentum has changed. I will switch in five seconds. Those with medical conditions, please be careful.” Jin-Hyeok used Spilling Wind to dodge Acacia’s greatsword by a hair’s breadth. A few strands of his hair were sheared off.

‘Oh, that looked pretty dangerous,’ he thought. He then sacrificed part of his clothing.

A long sword slash appeared on the front of his garment, then spread across his entire shirt, vanishing like how a paper would when consumed by fire.

“Is this all you got?” Acacia’s greatsword was enveloped in a red aura, filled with bloodlust. “If what you say is true, then I do not need to manage my stamina either.”

It had to be a clash of full power against full power. Since a longer battle would put her at a disadvantage and she knew the opponent’s capabilities, it was better to end things quickly.

Jin-Hyeok said, “I have one question.”

“What is it?” She responded as she swung her greatsword. Dozens of red-crescent-shaped sword auras flew toward Jin-Hyeok, and his Phantom Swordswoman flicked them away as if she were dancing.

“You mentioned I killed your friend earlier, then immediately said you hold no personal grudges against me, right?” he asked.

“...”

“Is that some kind of hint?”

“The Ultimate Enlightenment, Red Goblin,” she murmured, instead of answering him, and swung her sword again. A giant red goblin wielding a colossal sword appeared over her sword.

This Skill had made her who she was. Due to it, she had created the saying, ‘The scent of death will follow the Red Goblin,’ which terrified the Players who faced her.

That infamous Red Goblin was in front of Jin-Hyeok right now. The entire desert felt oppressively heavy, but he remained composed.

“I will take that as a hint then. You attacked me on the Pisat Family’s orders, not of your own volition,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“It’s now time for me to take your life.”

The Red Goblin swung its greatsword. It was a massive blade, connecting the earth and the sky. When it manifested, there was no place left to hide. A dark shadow cast by the greatsword covered the ground, as if the sky itself was falling.

“If you were to lose, I suppose you intended to leave me a fitting gift,” he said.

“Yes, that was the plan.”

Adhering to her sense of justice, Acacia had been reluctant to attack Chul-Soo, a Streamer. She had acted solely on her family’s commands, needing a cause to justify her actions against a Streamer.

“If you survive this attack,” she knew this was unlikely but still said, “...then you would earn the greatest sword under the heavens.”

Acacia pulled out a map, briefly showed it, then tucked it away again.

“The map here records the location of that weapon,” she said.

The Red Goblin’s greatsword descended upon Jin-Hyeok. There was no escape. It was like divine punishment overwhelming the small figure of Jin-Hyeok. He lifted his tiny hammer, but it seemed a futile struggle.

“Return to your beginning, Chul-Soo.” Acacia turned away. The livestream switched to a third-person perspective.

-Holy shit!

-Isn’t this a bit too much?

-Where is the Streamer Protection Treaty?

Even the Chul-Soo Landers, who had sent their wholehearted trust and support to Jin-Hyeok, were stomping.

-This isn’t right!

-A clear violation of the treaty!

-Seriously, this is too much!

But then, Jin-Hyeok said, “Surely, this can’t be your full strength…”

Incredulous, Acacia turned to look back at him again.