I Gave Up Being Stronger

Every moment of Cha Jin-Hyeok’s Play was a piece of content for his livestream.

‘Should I just say I was enlightened?’ Although Jin-Hyeok wasn’t sure what type of enlightenment he could say he had gained to provide his viewers with vicarious satisfaction, mentioning it would only benefit his channel.

“Yes, I have gained enlightenment.” Jin-Hyeok wanted to convey this to the public more effectively. “Though, calling it enlightenment might be a bit of an overstatement, Ilina.”

“...”

For a Streamer, the most effective way to sell their achievement to the viewers was to approach the livestream with humility.

“Many people support me, and thanks to your dedication, Ilina, I’ve gained a small but significant opportunity.”

Ilina was at a loss for words. ‘Generally, those who grow so quickly often lack humility.’

While humility was not universally seen as a virtue, it was indeed a secret to longevity. Ilina had seen many promising talents fall by the wayside due to their arrogance.

‘Chul-Soo is already a finished product.’ Ilina was excited, wondering what kind of monster Chul-Soo would become with a bit more experience.

For Jin-Hyeok, the significance of this livestream didn’t end at the figure of over 2.2 billion viewers.

-Did you guys check Popularity Nation?

-His approval rate skyrocketed.

-How high did it go?

-It has dropped a bit now, but it was close to ninety percent at one point.

Chul-Soo had received an astounding eighty-five percent favorable rating on Popularity Nation, the highest among all Players registered on the website.

Vilsmark was aware of this too. ‘Things are going too well for Chul-Soo.’

Vilsmark used a Ruler-exclusive communication Skill to request a private conversation with Ilina. This Skill allowed a person to communicate with another person anywhere within SSP’s influence through virtual space and holograms, creating an environment akin to that of a face-to-face interaction.

Being a top-tier Ruler, Vilsmark said in a somewhat reproachful tone, “Chul-Soo’s popularity is soaring across the universe, especially in Arvis, Ilina.”

“Is that a problem?” she asked while smoking her cigarette, her tone slightly defiant.

“You know very well that it is.”

She exhaled a puff of smoke. “I don’t understand why the three empires are trying so hard to curb his growth, Commander Vilsmark. And I see that you’ve been playing interesting pranks with my subordinates without my knowledge.”

“...”

“If it had been someone else, I would have cut out their tongue long ago.”

“I’m sorry. I regret going behind your back. I will formally apologize to you later.” Vilsmark deeply sighed. “Even a child could see that you think highly of Chul-Soo.”

“...”

“If I ask you to help us in acting against him, you’ll refuse, won’t you?”

“As long as Chul-Soo does not act to the detriment of the Arvis Server or the Mazique Empire, I have no intention of harming him.”

Vilsmark nodded. He knew Ilina well and understood that forcing her would only backfire. “I hope you won’t make him stand out any more than he already does.”

“Even if I do nothing, he will shine on his own, Commander Vilsmark.”

“I’m saying don’t help him in any way. Just like how you and Chul-Soo had a conversation about his enlightenment.”

“...”

“Your affectionate gaze, your admiring expressions, your praise for Chul-Soo… The viewers saw all of these things vividly.”

Ilina stood up, approached Vilsmark’s holographic avatar, and blew smoke into his face. “I will try to restrain myself.”

***

Sandyem was hiding deep within the Galui Rocky Mountains, observing the situation from a safe distance. When the Magic Investigation Team bombarded the area with their spells, he scoffed.

‘They’re doing all this just to catch me? And if they were serious about bombing the place, they would have sent the Knight’s Order, not the investigation team.’

Sandyem knew this was just a show put on by the empires, to craft a righteous image by appearing to diligently pursue the villains who had committed an act of terrorism inside a warp portal.

‘And with Chul-Soo of all people?’ Sandyem scoffed again. Chul-Soo was even livestreaming the event. ‘They’re asking me to stream snipe Chul-Soo so that I know every move they make.’

Tracking the movements and strategies of Chul-Soo and the investigation team was too easy because of the livestream. It was like playing a game with a map hack—there was not much danger, and even if a place was dangerous, there were plenty of ways to escape harm in the Galui Rocky Mountains.

‘Wait, what?’

But things changed when Chul-Soo took action.

‘Is he insane?’

Sandyem had always known that Chul-Soo was powerful, but he had not expected the Streamer to be this powerful. Even hidden deep within a cave, Sandyem felt a chill run down his spine. Two beams of intense heat seemed to pierce through the entire mountain.

‘Fuck!’

The heat was so intense that it was hard for him to breathe. He retreated further and further down through secret passages.

‘What if he executes the attack again?’ Sandyem trembled. ‘And Chul-Soo doesn’t even look that tired.’

Normally, a Player would be exhausted after using such a destructive attack, but Chul-Soo showed no signs of fatigue. Sandyem wondered, ‘Wait… did he summon the Thunder Dragon not because he was tired, but because he thought this way was cooler?’

Sandyem hoped that was not the case. Fortunately, Chul-Soo’s claim of having achieved enlightenment reassured him.

‘This means I have a few days of leeway.’

It was unlikely that Chul-Soo could perform the same level of attack repeatedly.

‘There has to be a way for me to safely escape from here.’

***

Helam, who was being pursued by the Special Task Force and the Sword Emperor Unit, hid in another Server and used his Ruler-exclusive communication Skill to discuss the situation with someone.

“The Galui Rocky Mountains are a treasure of intangible value. Chul-Soo is damaging nature for his livestream,” Helam said.

The discussion revolved around two main points. First, the actions of Chul-Soo and the Magic Investigation Team were excessively destructive. Second, the Succubus Relphim, who was in Chul-Soo’s videos, was involved in numerous adultery cases, showing a sordid character.

“So… thank you for doing this. I know you’ll take great care of it,” Helam said.

After the conversation, large and small protests began to erupt across Arvis.

[What right does Chul-Soo have to destroy the mountains?]

[Chul-Soo has become a selfish Streamer who cares about only his channel.]

[An environmental impact assessment must precede.]

Many environmentalists stepped forward to criticize Jin-Hyeok and the Magic Investigation Team.

Nictman, a representative of these activists, conducted interviews with major media outlets in Arvis, spreading press releases.

“The Galui Rocky Mountains boast one of the largest scales among the rocky mountains existing in the universe. While it might look barren, it hosts a unique ecosystem where numerous life forms coexist, such as the Galui scorpion and lizard found only there.”

Nictman harshly criticized Chul-Soo’s methods as brutally destructive and ignorant of environmental concerns. “Advanced Servers and high-ranked Players always consider the environmental impact. We have a responsibility and duty to pass on a beautiful and healthy nature to our descendants. However, I could not find any sense of responsibility in Chul-Soo or the Magic Investigation Team.

“Moreover, the cities developed on the west side of the Galui Rocky Mountains have greatly advanced agriculture, thanks to the mountains. The mountains affect the condensation altitude, causing orographic rainfall to form. This, in turn, forms rivers flowing westward… thus, Chul-Soo is sacrificing many for the sake of capturing a single criminal.”

-He’s right. Chul-Soo should have restrained himself.

-I didn’t know about the environmental impact.

-I guess there is a reason the Magic Investigation Team wasn’t just smashing things up.

-They shouldn’t have used so much power to catch a single Lightning Mage.

Nictman concluded, “We might be being swayed by Chul-Soo and his forces. The evidence that Sandyem, the Lightning Mage, and members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell Are terrorists… is nothing but a video record given by Relphim the Succubus. Relphim is a despicable being who has committed numerous adulteries and ruined many families. How can we trust such a person?”

Chul-Soo’s popularity in Popularity Nation plummeted to the low seventies.

-Can we even say it plummeted when it went down to only seventy percent?

-Yeah, he’s still in the top ten, I think.

-Whatever. It’s still plummeting, haha!

***

Jin-Hyeok grinned. “Han Sae-Rin, you were right. It happened just as you said. It was a good move.”

Sae-Rin had joined Jin-Hyeok at the base camp.

“It’s not particularly remarkable. Most Ruler Players anticipated this crisis. They only had two strategies to choose from,” Sae-Rin said.

“So? What should I do now?”

“What do you want to do?”

Ilina sat across from them, silently exhaling smoke from her cigarette and appearing indifferent to whatever conclusion Jin-Hyeok and Sae-Rin would reach.

“Well… I don’t want to produce a similar scene again,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Even the tastiest food would become bland if eaten repeatedly. Jin-Hyeok did not want to show the same content with the same presentation again.

Sae-Rin stroked her chin and said, “Blowing up the entire mountain could be quite interesting for showing your overwhelming power…”

“Wait, are you being serious right now, Ruler? Do you think Chul-Soo could blow up the whole mountain?” Ilina asked.

Sae-Rin tilted her head slightly. “You think he can’t?”

“But Chul-Soo is just a Streamer…” Ilina said. ‘Didn’t he almost die to gain the enlightenment?’

Confusion flickered in Ilina’s eyes, and then Sae-Rin clarified. “Chul-Soo did not use all his power then.”

“What?”

“He had enough energy left to summon the Thunder Dragon.”

“That’s impossible. I understand you want to think highly of him, but…”

Sae-Rin shrugged and turned her gaze to Jin-Hyeok. “Hey, Chul-Soo, if you only focused on the destructive power and not your channel, could you have blown up the mountain?”

“I don’t think I could’ve done it in one attack, but I’m sure a few blows would’ve done the job.”

“So that means yes?”

“Well, I guess I could, but I would never do that.” From Jin-Hyeok’s perspective, a Streamer who Played without thinking about their channel was not a real Streamer. That was just meaningless labor for him.

“So, destroying the mountain wouldn’t be physically taxing for you, right?” Sae-Rin asked.

“I have the Guardian Tree, so I wouldn't be tired from it.”

Ilina watched their conversation with a grim expression, her cigarette unlit in her mouth.

“So… Sir Chul-Soo… You weren’t tired at all?” she asked.

“Was there anything to be tired from?” Jin-Hyeok replied.

Ilina was speechless. ‘He is not bluffing!’

She involuntarily stood up. It seemed she had to reconsider her firm beliefs.

‘There comes a point where the Level gap between Players becomes meaningless,’ Ilina thought. That was around the early Level 400s. Most of the top-ranked Players in Arvis were around this Level. ‘But if one surpasses that…’

It seemed that when the Level gap translated into an overwhelming difference in abilities, a new phase would arrive. It was a moment that shook her very understanding of Players.

Unable to light her cigarette again, she asked with a trembling voice, “Then why didn’t you summon the Thunder Dragon? If your physical condition was as you say, you could have easily escaped without flying…”

Suddenly, she came to a realization and felt compelled to ask something she had been unconsciously denying. “Wait… was there never any need to run in the first place.”

She came to a conclusion herself.

“You have been… hiding your strength.”