I Gave Up Being Stronger

‘Did he just say that it’s no fun in beating me up if I’m weak?’ Lee-Hyeon-Seong frowned. ‘Is he being genuine right now?’

Cha Jin-Hyeok was indeed sincere. He wanted to beat up Hyeon-Seong. Moreover, Hyeon-Seong’s recent achievement had hurt Jin-Hyeok’s pride too.

‘Hyeon-Seong also managed to do it in two weeks,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. Gridel and Kyle had said that a Player overflowing with talent would need about two weeks to reach the realm of the Mind Sword. Hyeon-Seong had done just that and could hear the voice of the sword. ‘In terms of innate qualities for the sword, Hyeon-Seong is definitely above me.’

This was not something to feel bad about, but Jin-Hyeok could not help himself. He could not believe that he lost to Hyeon-Seong. Of course, he was being excessively hard on himself. Both of them had trained in totally different places. For Jin-Hyeok, it was a generic training room, but for Hyeon-Seong, it was the Cliff of Singing Swords.

None of that mattered to Jin-Hyeok though. The only thing that mattered was that Hyeon-Seong had reached the realm in two weeks.

“Wow, I do feel the sword calling me,” Hyeon-Seong said.

“Try grabbing a sword from there. They say by doing that, you can have a very new experience.”

Although his pride was hurt, Jin-Hyeok was curious about Hyeon-Seong’s achievements and development.

Hyeon-Seong looked up at the high part of the cliff. ‘Chul-Soo…! You…!’

If he had not overcome his fear of heights before coming here, he would never have thought of climbing up there. Now, his heart was filled with an inexplicable courage. ‘Chul-Soo, just what kind of a person are you? Did you make those constant taunts and provocations to help me grow as a Player?’

Hyeon-Seong bit his lip and climbed the cliff.

‘I’m not afraid.’ The higher he climbed, the more his heart pounded. Hyeon-Seong felt like he was breaking through the shell that defined his limits and soaring to new heights. He unconsciously began to laugh. “Hehehee.”

A strong wind blew and shook him, but he wasn’t afraid. Having overcome fear, he had now truly reached a new realm. Then he spotted a sword with a silver glow to it. As soon as he grabbed the sword, he heard an intense voice.

-Kyahahahaha!

The voice was so loud that Hyeon-Seong felt a bit dizzy. Just hearing the laughter once gave him a head-splitting migraine. Even though he felt like he could lose his grip on the sword at any moment, he kept holding on.

‘Chul-Soo is watching me! If I drop the sword here, he’ll ridicule me for the rest of my life.’

Hyeon-Seong knew that Chul-Soo would taunt him, saying he was weak after all. So, he could not let go of the sword.

‘No.’ He decided to be honest with himself. ‘Chul-Soo invited me here so that I can grow as a Player.’

Chul-Soo was an Eltuber who controlled all elements and planned for and created the best content in the universe. Perhaps he had arranged everything here too. Although this was slightly different from the truth, this belief was firmly ingrained in Hyeon-Seong’s mind. He decided not to betray Chul-Soo’s grace. If he dropped the sword here, he would be a coward and a loser.

‘I will never drop it.’

-Kyahaha!

The laughter kept ringing in his ears. Hyeon-Seong’s vision became hazy, and the world started to spin. He felt like he was being sucked into the sword, but he did not drop it.

Jin-Hyeok watched this scene with a rather serious expression.

‘What the hell is he doing?’ Jin-Hyeok could tell even without using Broadcaster’s Insight that right now, Hyeon-Seong was more intense than ever. That level of intensity was beautiful no matter what it would grow into. ‘He should let go of that hand if he wants to avoid being consumed by the sword.’

Jin-Hyeok could also hear the laughter.

‘If I can hear the laughter so clearly when I’m not even communicating with the sword, Hyeon-Seong must be enduring tremendous shock.’

In the end, Hyeon-Seong passed out. He tilted, then fell from the cliff.

Jin-Hyeok quickly ran and caught him, saying, “I don’t want to lose a punching bag.”

-I didn’t say anything though.

Jin-Hyeok tossed Hyeon-Seong to the ground as though he were discarding luggage.

At that moment, Miri was startled.

-Huh?

The sword Hyeon-Seong was holding fell slightly later than Hyeon-Seong did.

-Kyahaha!

Jin-Hyeok kept hearing the voice of the sword, and the sword’s destination didn’t seem to be good.

-Thanks for the meal!!

The blade was heading toward Hyeon-Seong’s butt.

‘What should I do?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

If it stabbed Hyeon-Seong like that, it would hurt the Swordsman. After a moment of thought, Jin-Hyeok reached out, and the sword pierced through his hand.

He heard the sword yelling.

-No, this is not the taste I wanted!

The top of the sword barely missed Hyeon-Seong’s butt.

***

Jin-Hyeok chuckled, with a hole in his hand. Even Miri, who shared a mental connection with him, was baffled.

-Why are you laughing like that? Do you enjoy being penetrated?

“I think I’ve figured out why Hyeon-Seong could hear the sword’s voice so quickly,” Jin-Hyeok replied.

-Why?

“This was not so much about skill as it was about compatibility.”

Jin-Hyeok glanced at the sword lying on the ground. It was still writhing, as if it was unsatisfied with its meal.

“The sword’s desire and the Anus Destroyer seem to have an exceptional synergy.” Then, another crucial fact dawned on him. “Also, this place is the Cliff of Singing Swords. It’s an excellent spot for training.”

That had to be the reason Hyeon-Seong had reached the realm in just two weeks. This realization put Jin-Hyeok’s mind at ease.

Miri, on the other hand, voiced her displeasure.

-Tch. I don’t like it.

“What?”

-Who does that sword think it is, stabbing my master in the hand?

Jin-Hyeok was not bothered by it. Such minor wounds were par for the course during his Play. Besides, he had allowed the sword to injure him on purpose. He wanted to get a more accurate read on the sword’s nature and will—the one that had successfully communicated with Hyeon-Seong in just two weeks. The Streamer figured he could understand the situation better if he let the sword pierce him.

-Even I haven’t gotten to penetrate you…

Miri muttered in a voice full of resentment. Jin-Hyeok realized that Miri wasn’t worried—she was jealous. Her intense jealousy made him smile.

***

After coming back to his senses, Hyeon-Seong immediately asked, “Why are you going to such lengths?”

“What do you mean?” Jin-Hyeok replied.

“Why are you controlling all these elements for me, helping me and training me… and why did you save me again? What am I to you?” Hyeon-Seong couldn’t understand it.

“You are just a weakling,” Jin-Hyeok answered.

“I know that’s just another way to provoke me to be a better Player.”

“Is that how you’re going to rationalize this?”

It had always been like this with Hyeon-Seong. Before Jin-Hyeok’s regression, even when Hyeon-Seong lost in sparring, he would always rationalize and come up with reasons for his defeat. Then he would insist that he never truly lost.

“You could have used your Absolute Barrier. Why did you catch that sword with your bare hand?” Hyeon-Seong asked.

“You don’t know?”

Hyeon-Seong tensed up. ‘Chul-Soo can see the bigger picture that I can’t.

Even when it seemed like Chul-Soo was just teasing, there was always a profound insight behind it. Without his provocation and help, Hyeon-Seong would not be where he was now. Although he felt annoyed and heated during the moment, he knew that the world Chul-Soo saw was vastly different from how he perceived it.

“I don’t know… Please teach me,” Hyeon-Seong admitted.

“Who risks their life for a hobby?”

“Hobby?” Hyeon-Seong felt a moment of dejection. It was painful to realize that what was a profession for someone could be a mere hobby for others and that someone’s hobby could surpass another’s profession. As Hyeon-Seong grappled with Jin-Hyeok’s mocking, he noticed something odd.

‘He risks his life for his hobby!’ Hyeon-Seong thought.

Jin-Hyeok was lucky(?) that the sword had only pierced through his hand. If the sword cut his artery, the injury would have been much more severe.

“Why would I go to the trouble of using Absolute Barrier for a hobby? At that point, it would not be a hobby anymore,” Jin-Hyeok explained.

‘So, you just let your hand get pierced like that?’ Hyeon-Seong thought.

Jin-Hyeok enjoyed watching Hyeon-Seong’s expressions. He never would have seen those before his regression.

‘This is quite… fun!’ Jin-Hyeok began to understand the appeal of trolling.

***

A few days later, Hyeon-Seong finally exploded. “I’m confident I would not lose to you if we competed purely on skills.”

“Again?” Jin-Hyeok sighed.

“What do you mean, ‘again’?”

“Never mind.”

Jin-Hyeok’s heart raced as he saw glimpses of the Hyeon-Seong who he knew before his regression.

“Let’s fight using pure skills, without relying on raw power. We will set our physical abilities to be roughly equal. You have that Time-Lapse Recording Skill, so you should be able to match us up fairly closely,” Hyeon-Seong suggested.

“So, you’re saying we should fight in the same weight class, something like that?”

“Exactly. I’m confident I will not lose when it comes to pure skills.”

‘Here we go again, finding another excuse.’ Jin-Hyeok let out a sigh of disapproval, but the corners of his mouth turned up.

“Fine. You have heard the sword’s voice, you’re feeling one with the blade, and your confidence is at its peak. It’s as good a time as any,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Jin-Hyeok picked up Miri and transformed her into a wooden sword. Hyeon-Seong picked up the sword he had drawn from the cliff and tried to do the same.

“...”

“...”

A desolate wind blew as Hyeon-Seong struggled.

“Why… why can’t I do it?” he wondered. He found it difficult to naturally change the shape of his weapon like Jin-Hyeok did. He had thought that entering the realm of the Mind Sword would enable him to do everything, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

Even Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “What are you doing?”

“It seems not everyone who enters the realm of the Mind Sword can do what you just did,” Hyeon-Seong said.

“I heard this was pretty basic.”

“...”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Given the huge gap in our Levels, I will give you that much of a handicap.”

Hyeon-Seong raised his sword, concentrating on his breathing.

‘Everything begins with breathing,’ Hyeon-Seong reminded himself. He focused on his opponent’s breathing, believing he could predict Jin-Hyeok’s movements by reading it. ‘Chul-Soo enjoys toying with me. He tends to aim for counter-attacks rather than striking first. He will probably try to provoke me, draw me in, and then go for a fatal blow.’

While Hyeon-Seong approached this duel seriously, Jin-Hyeok casually slung Miri over his shoulder. “If you’re not coming, should I make the first move?”

Suddenly, Miri’s blade extended, stretching out like the Ruyi Bang[1] and dropping toward Hyeon-Seong’s head.

‘Damn it!’ Jin-Hyeok thought. Though they had both entered the realm of the Mind Sword, the difference in their levels was beyond comparison. ‘I have to block it!’

Hyeon-Seong saw no other option.

‘Huh?’

Unexpectedly, Miri shortened. Jin-Hyeok had somehow closed the distance between them.

‘He’s too close!’

In a position too close to swing a sword, Jin-Hyeok held a short dagger to Hyeon-Seong’s throat. He had instantly transformed Miri into a dagger.

Hyeon-Seong was shocked. ‘Is that… even possible?’

He could not believe Jin-Hyeok could change the weapon’s form like that. Even after extensively researching the realm of the Mind Sword, Hyeon-Seong had never come across anything like this.

Jin-Hyeok curiously tilted his head, “You could’ve blocked my attack if you had changed your sword into a shield. Why didn’t you?”

This was not a trap; Jin-Hyeok was genuinely curious. His question left Hyeon-Seong even more flabbergasted.

“Change my weapon into defensive equipment?” Hyeon-Seong asked.

“Yes.”

“Is that even possible?” Hyeon-Seong’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Don’t lie. No matter how advanced one’s mastery of the Mind Sword is, how could you change a sword into defensive equipment? I won’t fall for—”

Hyeon-Seong dropped his sword. Miri had transformed into a black shield.

“You really can’t do this?” Jin-Hyeok asked, perplexed.

“Why are you the one tilting your head?!”

At this point, even Jin-Hyeok became slightly bewildered. “Kyle and the others said everyone could do this much…”

1. Ruyi Bang is the name of a magical staff wielded by the immortal monkey Sun WuKong in the 16th-century classic Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’. ☜