I Gave Up Being Stronger

Seeing Garcia’s smile, Gerdok felt dizzy. Undoubtedly, Garcia thought it was fortunate that he could give Kim Chul-Soo a great gift. Just to be sure, Gerdok asked again, “So, we’re the ones asking for a favor, yet you’re gifting hardship in return?”

“Hardship purifies the mind.”

“Why the hel—I mean, why are you repaying the favor in such a way?”

“Gerdok, not forgetting a favor is a Priest’s honor.”

“Yeah, okay.” Gerdok felt like crying. It wasn’t just Garcia; most Priests usually had that kind of mindset, which drove a normal person like Gerdok nearly insane. When donors gave money out of gratitude, a typical Priest would say, ‘I’m touched by your faith. Here is a gift! Come and suffer before you leave!’

However, this was not out of the ordinary for Gerdok, so he quickly came to his senses. “And you already sent a letter?”

“Good things should be delivered quickly,” Garcia answered.

“The elders told you to do it, right?”

Gerdok had to mediate well so that Chul-Soo would not misunderstand. A sense of mission blossomed in Gerdok’s heart.

Garcia Feyler wanted to get straight to the point. “The Demon Sealing Cere—”

But Gerdok quickly intervened. “You did well, Chul-Soo. The prayer room is just ahead. I will pray for you first. Patriarch, please wait in the reception room for a moment. I will be right back with Chul-Soo after I say a quick prayer of blessing. Is that okay?”

Gerdok felt a bit sad. Normally, the sensible thing would be for them to provide Chul-Soo with a comfortable place, saying, ‘You need to rest.’ However, this was not a place where common sense worked. If they were told to rest, these people would instead think, ‘Can’t I just kneel and pray here?’

As Gerdok moved toward the prayer room with Chul-Soo, he whispered, “I’m really sorry. I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

Jin-Hyeok’s heart pounded. As expected, the Feyler Family knew how to make good content for livestreaming. He could not believe that even at this moment, they were setting up another content with such an urgent yet cautious attitude.

“Patriarch is going to invite you to participate in the Demon Sealing Ceremony, as a gift for giving us the leftover fabrics of the Priestly robe,” Gerdok said.

“Oh, the Demon Sealing Ceremony, you say?”

When Gerdok saw Jin-Hyeok’s reaction, his heart sank. A sensible person would surely find it insulting. Jin-Hyeok had just donated to them with good intentions, only to be told by a fellow Eltuber to go and risk his life fighting. Gerdok was scared of losing a great sponsor like Chul-Soo.

“Please don’t misunderstand. Patriarch truly believes it’s a gift. He has no intentions of insulting or exploiting you.”

“Isn’t the mortality rate of the Demon Sealing Ceremony quite high?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“It’s… not extremely high. Just about twenty… no, thirty percent.” Gerdok felt even more ashamed. They were basically pushing a sponsor into a deadly situation with a thirty percent mortality rate. “Well, I think this is where you might feel insulted, but Patriarch has a very different mindset than other people…”

“I see.”

Gerdok thought he could hear the words, ‘As expected, Priests are out of their minds. I will never associate with you guys ever again!’

He had heard such insults many times.

“I knew the Feyler Family would act this way,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“It’s not that we don’t appreciate the favor, it’s jus—”

“Thank you!”

“Pardon?”

“So, no other Eltubers have ever participated in the Demon Sealing Ceremony, right?” Jin-Hyeok said. ‘I can’t resist being the first one!’

***

-Honestly, isn’t it absurd that Chul-Soo is participating in the Demon Sealing Ceremony?

-I thought only Priests and Paladins attended it.

-No, Priests and Paladins alone are not enough, so they also take help from various Barrier Mages and other types of Mages.

Priests and Paladins weren’t the only Players who participated in the Demon Sealing Ceremony. In reality, countless Players joined forces, but the public was not well aware of this. Since the leading force was the Helen Empire, most people thought the Priests would take care of it.

However, some Players showed resentment at this development.

-How can someone who hasn’t proven their faith take part in such an honorable ceremony?

-I have been sending participation vows for years, but they won’t accept me. Yet they accept a fake believer like him! It’s deplorable.

Surprisingly(?), quite a few people were jealous of Chul-Soo for getting to participate in the Demon Sealing Ceremony.

–He gave them trillions of Dias. Isn’t that proof enough of his faith?

-You’re an idiot. Sacred faith cannot be bought with mere money.

-No, I think Chul-Soo has proved his faith.

Jin-Hyeok engaged in a conversation with the knowledgeable Yolin on various topics. “I heard that many Demons pop out from the Demon Gate… Would there be any useful information about that?”

“Of course,” Yolin replied. She opened the book she had been holding and explained, “Demons are typically defined as beings summoned from undefined dimensions.”

“Undefined dimensions?”

“Undefined dimensions are considered a concept where the dark emotions of intelligent beings, such as anxiety, depression, anger, and frustration, gather to form a virtual dimension. This is a hypothesis by a scholar named Urimidak, who first argued for the existence of virtual dimensions.”

Yolin excitedly continued, “Although their forms vary, most have black skin and horns near their temples. The number of horns tends to determine the Demon’s strength. It is said that a Demon’s power is contained within their horns.”

“So, can the horns be considered a weakness?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yes, and no,” Yolin answered. She explained that Demons lost their power if they lost their horns. However, they also protected their horns. “Urimidak believes that powerful magical barriers operate within the Demons’ horns. These barriers are difficult to break with modern magic. That’s why Priests, not Barrier Mages, play a central role in the Demon Sealing Ceremony. Holy power weakens the Demons’ horns.”

Jin-Hyeok nodded. ‘Demons are very powerful… I should create a sense of crisis appropriately.’

“Does that mean attacking with holy attributes is quite effective?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yes. That’s why many Priests specialized in alchemy are mobilized there as well,” Yolin confirmed.

There were various ways to imbue weapons with holy power, but the easiest method was to apply holy potions to the weapons. Besides being able to prepare them in large quantities in advance, this method had the advantage of creating good synergy with various weapons. Archers sometimes shot arrows with holy potions attached to the arrowheads.

‘I should prepare in advance too,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. “Should I ask Cha Jin-Sol to make holy potions in advance?”

“You mean the Saint of Freedom? I thought she didn’t specialize in alchemy,” Yolin asked.

“You’re right… She does not seem to have learned alchemy.”

“Then it’s a bit difficult. Simply mixing holy power with potions does not work. To make a holy potion, you need a special recipe from each family or temple. According to some known information, it requires things like a Yaksha’s[1] hair, the shell of a 100-year-old mountain turtle, the teeth of the swamp monster Merina…”

“So, essentially you just need to pour in a ton of holy power!”

“What?”

Jin-Hyeok was not entirely wrong. If the correct mixing method was used, one could make a holy potion with one unit of holy power. This was the wisdom created by history to conserve holy power.

‘If that worked, all the Priests specializing in alchemy would starve to death!’ Yolin thought.

However, as a mere office worker dreaming of the right work-life balance, she had no desire to point out her boss’s mistake. “You’re right! That method could work too!”

‘If it doesn’t work after trying, I’ll just say so later,’ Yolin thought.

***

“Today, we will try making holy potions!” Jin-Hyeok announced. He had now realized the importance of dressing appropriately for a situation. He wore a white priestly robe that Priests would typically wear and put on specially made latex rubber gloves. Cha Jin-Sol did the same.

“I’m going to try borrowing the abilities of the Blood Priest,” Jin-Hyeok explained.

Upon hearing this, the viewers flooded the chat with laughter.

-Is comedy the concept this time?

-He’s trying to make holy potions by pouring a shit-ton of holy power? LOL!

-Oh, is today’s content about making the Blood Priest faint?

-A typical older brother trying to trick his younger sister.jpg

Jin-Sol’s heart raced. ‘I can’t believe I’m about to make a holy potion!’

She had tried making them a few times for fun, but the effects were not that great. It was much more economical to simply pay Priests specializing in alchemy and buy potions from them rather than spending time and energy making potions herself. Her eyes met Jin-Hyeok’s, which the viewers could also see.

“Hello, I’m the Blood Priest. I use holy power with blood as a medium. So, I’m going to try using my brother’s blood. As those who watched the previous livestreams would know, my brother’s blood has great synergy with my Job.” Jin-Sol smiled and took out a large needle. For a Blood Priest, obtaining blood with good compatibility and purity was an incredibly happy occasion. “I’m going to stab him now!”

They decided to make potions by pricking Jin-Hyeok’s finger, drawing blood, and having Jin-Sol drink it.

***

[This is an insult to alchemy.]

[Not just alchemy but also countless Priests.]

Alchemists and priests were furious and also ridiculed the Cha siblings.

[If that worked, everyone would do it.]

[There is a limit to a person’s holy power.]

There was a reason many holy families and temples made holy potions using difficult and complex methods. As numerous experts came forward to criticize the Cha siblings’ antics, the public was swayed.

-The only reason I can think of why they’re doing this is that they’re crazy about Eltube…

-Even for Chul-Soo, this is going a bit too far, lol.

Jin-Sol infused holy power and completed one potion. “One completed.”

-I think she can make only one.

-I don’t think they have the power to make another one.

-So, this content is about the Blood Priest fainting… I get it.

“Two.”

-And you guys said she was going to faint. LOL

-She seems fine to me.

“Three.”

-Not a single drop of sweat on her.

Jin-Sol did not get tired. Even she found this surprising.

‘What the heck is this?’ She had known for a long time that she had good compatibility with Jin-Hyeok’s blood, but she did not know it would be to this extent. With each drop of blood she swallowed, vitality surged through her entire body. It felt like holy power was gushing out of her even when she was standing still. ‘There is white light emanating from my body!’

The sacred white light that was said to sometimes leak out when high-ranking Priests fasted and prayed and engaged in asceticism rose from Jin-Sol’s body.

“Twenty bottles. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised too,” Jin-Sol said.

-She isn’t even panting, lol.

-Isn’t she making those with her life as collateral?

-Is she okay?

People were starting to worry about Jin-Sol. Alchemists and Priests were astounded. It was nonsensical for a Player to make dozens of bottles of holy potion at once, in one place. Even for Blood Priests, who used other people’s blood for power, this was beyond common sense.

-I bet those potions are not good ones.

-She’s just mocking other Alchemists at this point.

However, that was not the case.

1. Yakshas are a broad class of nature spirits connected with water, fertility, trees, and wilderness. They appear in Hindu and Buddhist texts. ☜