I Gave Up Being Stronger

“M-Master, is this okay?” Gridel’s subordinate asked.

“It should be fine. Don’t worry,” Gridel replied, still looking startled. He then took a deep breath and looked at his phone. “Our founding master had predicted that a lunatic like this might appear someday.”

“Really, Sir?”

“Yes, he called all his comrades lunatics.”

Two of them were the Shining Jeweler Goldium and the Alchemist of Creation Carvington. According to records, whenever they got an opportunity to craft a new artifact, they always requested Pisat to break the dual swords. That was why Pisat had made some preparations in case such madmen appeared in the future too.

“He has a trump card for such a situation,” Gridel said. He admired Pisat’s foresight and how the founding master had foreseen today’s events so long ago.

‘When the enhancement fails, it’s the hammer that will be destroyed, not the relics. The only thing that can mess this up is if lightning strikes at the last moment.’ This was a secret that had been orally passed down among the heads of the Pisat family for generations. ‘But that place is the Banyan Tree Dungeon. There is no way lightning will strike during enhancement in the Dungeon.’

Gridel felt relieved. If Chul-Soo had been conducting the enhancement outside the Dungeon, a bolt from the sky could have influenced the enhancement, but the Dungeon was safe from thunderstorms.

“Don’t worry. The relics will be fine. They will return to us soon enough,” Gridel said.

Jin-Hyeok had gathered buffs from the Guardian Tree, the All-Clear Achievement, Katrina, Lessefim, and even Neilson.

‘This is it.’

[You have activated the Mystery God of Luck.]

Using the buffs, he maximized the Mystery’s power.

‘I should use it again!’

[You have activated the Mystery God of Luck.]

As he had significantly leveled up, he could now use this Mystery consecutively.

‘I can use it one more time.’

[You have activated the Mystery God of Luck.]

Suddenly, his vision swirled. His eyes reddened, and blood started to drip from his nose.

‘Can I use it one more time? I won’t die. And, after all, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.’

Being spiritually linked with Jin-Hyeok, the Guardian Tree experienced some of his pain.

-“Ahhh! It feels like my head is going to split open! I hate this! Ahhhh!”

While the tree felt only a fraction of Jin-Hyeok’s pain, it screamed as if this was the most intense pain it had ever experienced.

‘It’s not that bad. Stop exaggerating,’ Jin-Hyeok telepathically replied.

-“It is! I’m going to faint!”

[You have activated the Mystery God of Luck.]

‘What?’ For some unknown reason, Jin-Hyeok had inadvertently summoned the Thunder Dragon. ‘Why did I summon it?’

Kurruru!

The air in the Banyan Tree Dungeon grew heavy. Clouds swirled into a vortex, and thunderclouds filled the Dungeon. Thousands of lightning bolts flashed.

[“Your will summoned me. What’s going on?”]

The energy of the lightning touched Pisat’s Relics and Miri.

Gridel sighed with relief. ‘The Thunder Dragon’s lightning is not the same as natural lightning.’

As long as the lighting came from the Thunder Dragon, Gridel knew the relics would be safe.

‘Unless another kind of artificial lightning merges with it…’

Gridel was relieved that the relics would be secure.

***

The Hell Server was enjoying an unprecedented era of peace, but not everyone was content with this tranquility. Followers of Hell’s Rulers, those who opposed Jin-Hyeok becoming the owner of the Hell Server, and those who resisted the Idea of Hell Man unifying and ruling over Hell banded together to form a single force.

“To ultimately bring down Hell Man, we must eliminate Kim Chul-Soo first.”

“Chul-Soo’s influence is too strong. If he disappears, Hell Man will also fall.”

“We must reclaim our sovereignty and freedom.”

They called themselves the Freedom Alliance of Hell and constantly sought opportunities to assassinate Jin-Hyeok and Hell Man.

“They are planning something in the Banyan Tree Dungeon.”

“Let’s seize our chance.”

Jin-Hyeok was an attractive target. He regularly shared his whereabouts and information in real-time through his livestreams, making it easier to hunt him down. However, they could not act rashly because of Chul-Soo’s formidable power and had to wait for the right opportunity.

‘He just used God of Luck consecutively!’

The members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell sensed that now was the moment to act.

‘Chul-Soo is weak!’

If Chul-Soo had not defeated Acacia, they would have ambushed him at this moment. By defeating and surpassing Acacia, Chul-Soo had shown that he was a formidable adversary.

‘We need to wait a little longer.’

Then, as if heaven itself was assisting them, something happened.

‘He has used God of Luck again!’

Chul-Soo was very weak at this moment. Furthermore, he had suddenly summoned the Thunder Dragon.

‘Has he discovered our hiding place?’

‘Is he trying to attack us with the Thunder Dragon?’

However, that was not the case. Chul-Soo was not in a condition to manipulate the Thunder Dragon. He was barely able to stand on his feet.

‘Lightning Mage Sandyem, it’s your turn!’

The members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell did not underestimate Chul-Soo. They had perfectly planned to kill him by pouring all their strength into one decisive attack at the optimal moment.

‘The Dungeon is now full of lightning.’

The conditions were too favorable for them. Chul-Soo was exhausted, and it was an ideal time to strike with lightning.

‘Sandyem, show your power!’

Sandyem muttered, “For the freedom of Hell.”

In the Dungeon filled with thunderclouds, Sandyem, the Lightning Mage of Hell, unleashed a stream of lightning. Hidden by the thunderclouds, his lightning streaked toward the relics.

***

Jin-Hyeok staggered to his feet, looking somewhat disoriented. “I think I summoned the Thunder Dragon, but I can’t quite remember doing that. I must have overdone it.”

He felt that if his luck had been even slightly worse, he could have died.

“Even with all sorts of buffs, using God of Luck four times in a row is risky. So, from now on, I will limit it to four times.”

-He should say he’ll use it only three times, right?

-The Intense Universe is definitely intense, LOL.

-I can’t see anything because of the thunderclouds.

-Did the enhancement succeed?

As Jin-Hyeok’s condition worsened, the Thunder Dragon naturally went back, and the mist that filled the Dungeon began to dissipate.

-Huh?

-What’s that?

-Holy shit!!

-Did he destroy the relics? LOL

Pisat’s Relics lay on the ground in ruins. Fortunately, Miri was relatively unharmed.

Jin-Hyeok slowly walked over and picked up Miri. ‘Ugh, I can’t even pick it up easily.’

He felt he urgently needed proper medical attention. It was as if every bone in his body had shattered. Suddenly, he felt his mental connection with the Guardian Tree cut off. Overwhelmed by the pain, the Guardian tree had fainted.

‘The tree always exaggerates.’

The pain could be excruciating enough to make him feel like dying, but it wasn’t anything near death.

-I feel pain all over.

-Me too.

-I think I have got a herniated disc.

-If we are in so much pain, imagine what Chul-Soo must be feeling.

-Why does he look okay?

Jin-Hyeok was suffering too, but if he ended his livestream here, he could not consider himself a top-tier Streamer.

‘I still need to wrap up the livestream.’ Picking up Miri, he spoke in a gloomy tone. “It seems the enhancement has failed.”

The viewer count had surpassed three billion. Although Jin-Hyeok was speaking in a somber voice, he was smiling.

After wrapping up the livestream, he glanced behind him.

‘When are they going to attack me?’

Jin-Hyeok knew that a few Assassins were hiding there. He had thought they would ambush him at a suitable time, but strangely, they hadn’t.

‘They seem to be from the Hell Server… If they attack me now, I might not be able to win.’

He was too physically exhausted to even consider calling his comrades. For Jin-Hyeok, it was a moment of extreme peril.

‘Are they just extremely calm Players? They are not attacking.’

It was almost a relief that the Assassins had not ambushed him, a sentiment he rarely felt.

***

Lightning Mage Sandyem incredulously muttered, “Chul-Soo must still be hiding his strength.”

He had poured all his power into that attack. It was almost like he had invested his entire fortune in it.

“No matter how many evasion and defensive buffs he has or how sturdy he is… he should not be this unscathed,” Sandyem said.

Of course, Jin-Hyeok was not unscathed; he only appeared so. Opinions among members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell were divided.

“We have a chance if we attack now.”

“Sandyem, what do you think?”

Trusting Sandyem’s intuition, the members of the alliance turned to him for guidance. Sandyem shook his head. “We must not forget what happened with Acacia.”

Sandyem was exasperated with Chul-Soo. “Chul-Soo is the type of Player that lures his opponents by pretending to be tired and then dragging out the fight. He may… not be exhausted yet.”

***

Gridel dispatched envoys to verify whether Jin-Hyeok’s livestream was staged or not. The envoys returned with fragments of the shattered relics.

“It wasn’t a staged livestream, Sir.”

“He really attempted an enhancement with the sacred relics.”

Gridel was speechless for a moment. ‘Forgive me, Founding Master.’

He had given away the relics, knowing that he would gain them back.

Acacia could not lift her head as she knelt. “It’s my fault, Master.”

“No, I thought he was a normal person. I thought he was a strategist who meticulously calculated everything to maximize his benefits, but he’s just crazy.”

“...”

Gridel remained silent for a long time. He felt like this development had shaken the very legitimacy of the Pisat Family.

‘What shall we do…’

Just then, the Mad Sorceress Fyurel, who was visiting the Pisat Family, jeered and went out of her way to meet with Gridel. “Old man. You overplayed your hand. Look how ridiculous you ended up looking.”

Acacia, still kneeling, glared at her. “Lady Fyurel, please watch your words.”

“What? You’re still alive? If you think about it, all this happened because of you. If I were you, I would have drowned in a puddle by now.” Fyurel cackled for a while longer, agitating Gridel and Acacia further. “So? What are you going to do about it?”

“...”

“You’re not thinking of killing Chul-Soo, are you?”

Acacia gritted her teeth. “Well, that’s one of the options.”

“No, that won’t work,” Fyurel replied.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m currently falling for Chul-Soo’s seduction technique. I’m going to let it play out a bit longer. The kid is just too sexy.”

“...”

At this moment, they heard that Jin-Hyeok was visiting the Pisat Family.

Fyurel uproariously laughed. “Remember this. If Chul-Soo is ever to be killed, I will be the one to do it. You guys better not touch a hair on his head. Got it?”

Engulfed in flames, Fyurel disappeared. Shortly after, Jin-Hyeok entered Gridel’s room.