I Gave Up Being Stronger

When Cha Jin-Hyeok ended the livestream, the Korean Region Minor Gallery erupted in a blaze.

[Wow, I have been misunderstanding Chul-Soo all this time.]

└Me too…

└I can’t believe he ended the livestream like that.

[I was convinced that he could sell his parents for the sake of his livestreams.]

└Me2!

└Me3!

[It’s partly Chul-Soo's fault that we misunderstood him so much.]

└You’re right.

└I’m annoyed that I can’t watch his livestream anymore, but he was still pretty cool.

This situation turned out to be very positive for Jin-Hyeok.

[Honestly, it was quite moving.]

└I finally subscribed to Chul-Soo’s channel.

└Only scumbags exploit tears for views.

[Everyone thought he was crazy, but he’s not.]

└I agree.

└If he were truly crazy, he wouldn’t have thought that way.

Even the Chul-Soo Landers across the universe were moved by Chul-Soo’s actions. Among them, Marshmallow nodded, continuously clenching and unclenching his fist. “Good, this is it!”

From a senior Streamer’s perspective, the behavior Chul-Soo usually displayed was risky. Hence, a part of Marshmallow had always worried about Chul-Soo. Today’s livestream had swept those worries away. He felt as refreshed as if he had drunk a cool beverage or breathed in clear, fresh air.

“Huh? I was wondering when he would be up there! Now he is up!” he said. Chul-Soo had been finally listed on Popularity Nation, a website that ranked Players based on their popularity.

Popularity Nation monitored the public opinion of celebrities across the universe. Originally, it listed only politicians, but recently, famous rankers had been included in the list as well. To get on this list, one required not just a high Level but also universal recognition. Inclusion on Popularity Nation served as a criterion to determine if one was a universe-level ranker or not.

“They finally acknowledged Chul-Soo as a universe-level ranker!” Marshmallow rushed to the window and closed the blackout curtains. After making sure Encyclopedia wasn’t around, he secured the door, clenched his fist, and jumped up and down. “Kim Chul-Soo has finally been acknowledged as a universe-level ranker!”

Marshmallow immediately logged into Popularity Nation and ticked the options very favorable, doing very well,or very supportive for all questions related to Chul-Soo.

At that moment, the toilet lid opened.

“I’m glad I was hiding here.” Encyclopedia was holding his phone, recording a video for who knows how long. “You have finally embraced your identity as a Chul-Soo Lander.”

“You were hiding in the toilet?”

“It’s only natural to go to such lengths to verify a close friend’s beliefs.”

“You call this natural?”

Encyclopedia shrugged. “This is nothing. Remember Ronaldo? Or whatever his name was. The one who used to target Chul-Soo. I believe he was nicknamed Super Doctor, right? Assassins hid in the toilet to attack him. That’s where I got the inspiration.”

Encyclopedia moved closer and peered at Marshmallow’s screen. “Wow, Chul-Soo has seventy-eight percent favorability. Considering he just got his name on the platform, that’s unprecedented!”

If a celebrity had many fans, they inevitably had many haters. However, attacks from the haters tended to be more intense than defenses from the fans. Thus, a favorability score over fifty percent was often interpreted as quite favorable, but Chul-Soo’s score was nearing an impressive eighty percent.

Steam billowed out of Marshmallow’s marshmallow-shaped head, and he excitedly turned on his livestream.

“Chul-Soo has been listed on Popularity Nation.”

Encyclopedia skillfully navigated to the ranking tab. Popularity had a category that ranked Players as per their total Playtime until registration.

[First Place: Kim Chul-Soo (Earth)]

[Second Place: Garbinu (Demon World)]

Marshmallow’s voice grew louder. “He has set the record for the fastest registration! He has broken the record set by the Great Demon King, Garbinu!”

It was the first time Chul-Soo had achieved victory over Garbinu.

***

Pondering whether Jin-Hyeok was doing the right thing as an Eltuber, Hell Man spoke up. “Why not seek help from the Succubi you drove away?”

“Succubi?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“One of them has a remarkable ability to read the memories of a sleeping individual.”

“Ah! But isn’t that illegal?”

“It’s allowed if the individual requests it. This ability rarely causes any side effects, so even investigative agencies employ Succubi for it sometimes. However, it can be used only if the individual willingly accepts the Succubus. Considering how the boy is desperate and feeling unjust, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“If it’s okay to use it, then let’s do it.”

Hell Man commanded, “Call Relphim.”

A Succubus named Relphim appeared.

“Why have you called me when my pride is hurt?” Relphim said. She was dressed in a white silk garment resembling pajamas, a sheer dress that conspicuously outlined her collarbone, shoulders, and body lines. “I tried dressing more seductively to seduce Mr. Chul-Soo… I didn’t realize there would be a child here.”

Relphim pulled out a knit cardigan from her inventory and put it on, much to Jin-Hyeok’s relief.

‘Phew, that was a close call. My livestream almost got demonetized,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Seeing the relieved Jin-Hyeok, Relphim incredulously laughed and asked, “It does not seem like you called me here to attend to Mr. Chul-Soo. What do you need me to do?”

“Well, it’s… If you could just… read his memories, that would be great.”

“Alright, I will read the memories and record them for you on video.” Relphim knelt on one knee, making eye contact with the boy. “Aren’t you sleepy?”

“I… am.”

“Come here, then.” Relphim led the boy to the bed, tucked him in, and patted his chest. As she quietly sang a lullaby, the exhausted boy quickly fell asleep.

Jin-Hyeok, who had been worried that Relphim could instinctively seduce the boy, felt relieved again.

‘Relphim is a Succubus with strong mental control.’

Succubi naturally seduced, regardless of age or gender, and they seduced anyone who showed interest in them. Though seasoned Succubi could suppress this with rationality, most could not. Relphim, however, seemed to control her instincts exceptionally well.

‘I can call her as a guest for my livestream sometimes. She’s also quite attractive.’

An attractive guest always helped his livestreams. It was good for making thumbnails and attracted a lot of viewers.

Suddenly, Relphim stood up and said, “I will be back in a moment.”

She vanished like smoke, leaving the clothes she had been wearing to the ground. The space she had occupied was left with a sweet peach scent. After some time, she reappeared, not wearing a stitch, and pressed close to Jin-Hyeok. She excitedly whispered, “Here. I have stored the boy’s memories.”

She handed over a video recording stone. Jin-Hyeok’s eyes sparkled with excitement, the scent of a major scoop unmistakable.

Relphim sighed deeply.

‘How can he not give me a single glance after all my efforts?’ She had employed every trick up her sleeve to seduce Chul-Soo, but it was futile. At that point, she became determined. ‘I will definitely seduce him!’

***

Jin-Hyeok immediately released the video on the memory stone.

“Please… I want to go home…”

“This brave young boy has volunteered to ensure the freedom of Hell,”

“We will use him as a conduit to create a small explosion. Even a minor explosion can pose a significant threat inside a warp portal.”

The video shocked the entire world.

[Are these people insane?]

[Wow, this is the kind of stuff that should have vanished like 300 years ago.]

[These barbaric people must be eliminated.]

Jin-Hyeok appealed to the audience, “If anyone knows the identities of these individuals, please inform us.”

Tips poured in from across the universe. Identifying them was not as difficult as he thought.

“Lightning Mage Sandyem, and Helam, a Ruler who immigrated to Arvis from the Fifth Hell, among others…” Hell Man grimaced. “It seems they did not consider the possibility of their identities being exposed. They probably did not wear masks because they were sure the boy would die.”

This incident went beyond a mere attack on a Streamer.

[Helen Empire Dispatches the Special Task Force.]

[Mazique Empire Sends Its Imperial Magic Investigation Team With a Formal Request for Cooperation to Hell Man.]

[Swedeen Empire Sends Its Sword Emperor Unit.]

All three major empires ruling the Arvis Server announced they would send elite forces to Hell. The commander of the Helen Empire’s special task force, Vilsmark, declared, “These people have committed a heinous act of terror against Sir Kim Chul-Soo, an honorary citizen of Arvis, within a warp portal, where humanity has vowed to maintain peace. Therefore, Helen, Mazique, and Swedeen cannot overlook their actions.”

Given the universal focus on the terrorist attack in the warp portal, the three empires of Arvis could not just stand by. The members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell became public enemies of the universe. While many applauded the actions of the three empires, Chul-Soo felt differently.

“We got some blood-sucking mosquitoes,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Cha Jin-Sol tilted her head. “Mosquitoes?”

“Yeah, I mean those who stick around to suck up my viewer count.”

“Ah, those mosquitoes. But aren’t they useful for finding those who hide very well?”

“Do you think they are doing this for me? They just want to play superheroes.” It felt like the three empires had swiftly stolen the spotlight that he had carefully crafted. “Look at this. The trending terms are filled with the Special Task Force and the Magic Investigation Team instead of my name!”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“What?” Realization often came when least expected.

“That means you can compete with the three empires. Wouldn’t that be a bigger hit? The members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell are hiding pretty well right now. The imperial forces will be on high alert to find them. But if you find them first, wouldn’t that be better?”

“Oh.”

“Chul-Soo outrunning the three empires of Arvis… We could go with that concept.”

Jin-Hyeok nodded. Although he usually avoided physical contact with his sister, today he was so grateful that he could not help but pat her head a couple of times. Jin-Sol screamed as she had received a lethal blow, but Jin-Hyeok didn’t mind.

“Let’s find them now,” Jin-Hyeok said. There was no time for him to rest.

“Do you want me to call Lessefim Unnie?”

“No. It will create more buzz if we find them without a tracking expert.” Jin-Hyeok had just received a hint, yet everything had clicked, which was just usual for him.

“Is that possible?”

“I think so.” Inspired by the insight he had gained from Jin-Sol, Jin-Hyeok thought of a new approach. “I felt lightning energy from the boy. And I have felt that energy before.”

“And?”

“If I can’t find something I have experienced not once but twice, then I don’t deserve to be called the master of a Thunder Dragon.”

Using the Thunder Dragon seemed like a viable way to track down the Lightning Mage Sandyem.

‘Huh?’ Right after summoning the Thunder Dragon, Jin-Hyeok flinched. ‘This is… an unexpected twist.’