I Gave Up Being Stronger

‘Teleportation magic circle?’

The magic circle inside the drawer was a primitive form of magic that activated when a sword was inserted in the slot. Gogeom served as the activation key for this magic circle.

As a dazzling array of colors burst forth, the world began to spin. The pupils of Park Terse and Han Sae-Rin dilated, and they began to shout.

“I-I see a rainbow!”

“I see a seven-colored rainbow!”

“I’m better than Mole Woman!”

“Let’s get married, Golden Bear!”

They seemed to be experiencing some mental breakdowns as a side effect of the teleportation magic. Moreover, it caused more severe motion sickness than modern warp portals would.

“Bleeurgh!” Dakan, the Penguin Mage, rushed to a corner and vomited.

Terse, who had just regained his senses after proposing to the Golden Bear, hurriedly ran over to gently pat Dakan’s back.

Meanwhile, Cha Jin-Hyeok glanced around and said, “This is an artificially created space.”

It was a small area, of about fifteen square meters. As if they had entered a well, hot light beamed down from above, and the surroundings were humid.

“I see a flower blooming over there,” Jin-Hyeok said.

It was a white flower atop a small mound. Jin-Hyeok used Broadcaster’s Insight to identify it.

~

[Herb of Immortality]

~

‘Could it really be the legendary Herb of Immortality?’ Jin-Hyeok wondered. As he approached the flower, white light gathered above the flower’s bud, forming a sphere. Hundreds of droplets shot toward Jin-Hyeok, resembling a blast from a shotgun. ‘Huh?’

It happened instantly. Jin-Hyeok absorbed the essence of the Herb of Immortality. Suddenly, Gogeom emitted an eerie red light and burst into laughter.

-Hahaha! Serves you right!

Gogeom floated in the air, trembling.

-An unrefined Herb of Immortality is nothing short of deadly poison! It’s even worse than the venom of the White Snake King!

The line between medicine and poison was thin. Substances with overly potent medicinal effects could become toxic. The Herb of Immortality was such a case. It was a treasure among treasures, said to bring immortality to humans. However, the miracle of eternal life was too grand and magnificent for a human body to handle.

-You will explode soon!

Gogeom had struggled to keep its true nature hidden, working hard not to reveal its inner thoughts.

-Do not worry. I will drink all your blood!

Gogeom was overjoyed at the thought of drinking Chul-Soo’s blood. It was difficult to consider Gogeom particularly evil. The method by which Jenald had maintained his sense of self for so long, trapping his soul in the weapon, was by implanting desire into the sword. The pure desire for blood had been the driving force that allowed Gogeom to maintain its sense of self over the long years.

After a moment, Jin-Hyeok asked, “What did you just say?”

***

Jin-Hyeok felt a bit tense.

‘So that Herb of Immortality is so dangerous, huh?’ he thought.

Garbinu was truly an incredibly thorough being. It seemed he had devised a scheme where anyone other than himself—someone with power close to or greater than his own—who tried to take the Herb of Immortality without proper knowledge would be killed by it instead.

Jin-Hyeok had time to prevent it. In truth, he could have nullified the poison with his Absolute Barrier if he wanted to. However, this tension and thrill were like rain in a drought.

‘Finally, a crisis!’

Jin-Hyeok was currently recording from a first-person perspective. He felt he could convey this tension and trembling to the viewers. So he deliberately did not use Absolute Barrier and allowed the Herb of Immortality’s energy to enter his body. He also let Gogeom ramble on.

-You will explode soon! Do not worry. I will drink all your blood!

Lines like these would surely make the viewers feel tremendous tension. Jin-Hyeok focused on the changes within his body.

‘My eyesight seems to have improved a bit.’

He felt somewhat physically stimulated. It was quite similar to consuming caffeine. His heart rate had increased slightly, and he could feel his pulse in his neck and the nape of his neck. His blood pressure seemed to have risen.

‘So, is Gogeom telling the truth? Will my blood pressure rise and then go out of control? Will this subtly amplifying energy turn into a great tidal wave and overwhelm me?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

If this were true, he would need to immediately enter meditation and focus on controlling the energy. He would have to enter his microcosm and fight the Herb of Immortality with all his might.

‘Here it comes…!’

He felt as if an enormous wave of mana was about to crash over him. It was close to an illusion. The fierce, oncoming illusion engulfed him. And then… nothing happened.

“What the hell?” Jin-Hyeok said. He had high expectations because of what Gogeom had said, thinking he could finally produce some real tension.

‘Ah…’ Jin-Hyeok got a bit angry. “Hey.”

-Ah, no, I mean, what I meant was, I wasn’t trying to betray you, but…

“Why did you deceive the viewers, you bastard!”

Jin-Hyeok did not seem to care much about Gogeom’s blood-crazed attempt at betrayal.

***

Jin-Hyeok punished Gogeom. “Hey, go float in the air facing that wall over there.”

-H-Hey. I’m a great artifact with Jenald’s consciousn—

“Do you want me to give you to Miri as material instead?”

-...

Gogeom floated lifelessly, drifting to stop in front of the wall.

-How long do I have to stay like this?

“Until I tell you to stop.”

Meanwhile, Jin-Hyeok could sense that Miri was envious of Gogeom.

“Why are you jealous of that sword?” Jin-Hyeok asked Miri.

-Though Gogeom is despicable… its abilities seem genuine.

Miri had to acknowledge Gogeom’s capabilities. Unlike Miri, who had gained consciousness by chance, Gogeom contained the soul of a once-great Mage, inserted through various magical means. Naturally, there would be differences.

Miri sounded envious.

-It’s actually really difficult to manifest physical force through will alone.

Manifesting physical force without a body was like a Mage casting spells without mana. Jin-Hyeok patted Miri’s hilt.

“So what if it can do that? Miri, you’re much better.” At least Miri did not want to stab him in the back. However, Jin-Hyeok suddenly thought differently. “Wait, don’t tell me that you…”

-No, no! I don’t just backstab anyone! I do not want to backstab you, Master!

Jin-Hyeok frowned. “What’s wrong with you two?”

-Huh?

-What do you mean?

Usually, weapons with connected consciousness were greatly influenced by their master’s mind. Jin-Hyeok could not believe how bizarre these weapons were when they were connected to a sane master like himself.

“You guys should be glad that I’m your master.”

If they were this unstable with an entirely sane person, they would undoubtedly have become disastrous magical weapons bringing calamity had they fallen into the hands of someone even slightly unhinged.

***

When Jin-Hyeok absorbed the Herb of Immortality, an uninvited guest was hiding near him. He looked like Deliark, the First Prince of the Swedeen Empire.

‘Come on, get closer to the Herb of Immortality!’

The one controlling Deliark was none other than Garbinu—or more precisely, a fragment of Garbinu. He was not complete yet. His soul had shattered after Chul-Soo had terribly beaten him. He was barely maintaining this body because Deliark was a decent vessel.

‘He has not noticed me at all!’

Garbinu wasn’t surprised that Chul-Soo did not recognize him. He would have been the same. No one could maintain their composure when faced with the Herb of Immortality, the king of treasures. Right now, Chul-Soo’s eyes would see nothing but the Herb of Immortality.

‘Yes! He’s approaching the Herb of Immortality!’

The Herb of Immortality would cause Chul-Soo’s mana to go berserk. At the moment when the miracle too great for humans to handle would shatter Chul-Soo and soul, Garbinu would take over Chul-Soo’s body. Then he would use the Herb of Immortality’s power to restore Chul-Soo’s broken body.

‘I have knowledge that you don’t, Chul-Soo.’ Garbinu knew that he would be the one having the last laugh. His meticulous planning and caution, preparing for failure over and over again, would determine the outcome. ‘I’ve wo—’

Chul-Soo spoke in an unnervingly normal voice. “What did you just say?”

Chul-Soo was too composed. Garbinu could not reveal himself fully.

“Hey,” Jin-Hyeok said.

For a moment, Garbinu flinched, thinking he had been discovered. He had no more cards up his sleeve. If he was caught now, it would be over.

“Why are you deceiving the viewers, you bastard!”

Fortunately, Chul-Soo was distracted by Gogeom.

‘I need to hide for now,’ Garbinu thought. If he waited patiently, another opportunity would come. He only needed one chance to defeat Chul-Soo. ‘In the end, I will be the victor, Chul-Soo!’

***

Jin-Hyeok decided to stay a few more days with the Kyen Family. Since they were a mysterious family unknown to the public, he thought he could generate more content here.

Sitting in the Kyen Family’s garden, Jin-Hyeok conversed with Sae-Rin.

“Sae-Rin, you know that space we were in with the Herb of Immortality? Someone was hiding there.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. He wasn’t particularly strong. I think it was Garbinu, who had taken over Deliark’s body.”

Jin-Hyeok’s tone was as casual as talking about today’s weather. Sae-Rin was momentarily stunned by his nonchalance.

“So let me just see if this is right. You said Garbinu and Deliark, right? The sexiest—I mean, the greatest Demon King Garbinu and the missing former prince of Swedeen, Deliark?” Sae-Rin asked.

“Yeah, that’s right. Anyway, that’s not the important part.”

‘How is that not important?’ Sae-Rin looked at Jin-Hyeok with a slightly bewildered expression. Just when she thought she was getting used to him, he had become even stronger, making it impossible to truly adjust to his standards.

“Garbinu is definitely waiting for an opportunity to strike,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Are you saying that we’re in danger?”

Jin-Hyeok clicked his tongue in disappointment. “I decided not to create such forced tension.”

He wished it were a bit more dangerous. However, Garbinu was too weak inside Deliark’s body. “Instead, I want to focus on teaching him a lesson, but he’s being extremely cautious.”

With just a glance, Jin-Hyeok had accurately assessed Garbinu’s condition.

“It seems like a fragment of Garbinu’s soul is controlling Deliark’s body. He will not have many chances. He’s being overly careful in waiting for an opportunity. I even pretended to be in deep sleep and meditated, but he would not take the bait,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Is he around us now?”

“No, not now. It seems he needs to rest for a while after being active for some time.”

Jin-Hyeok was feeling a bit impatient. Garbinu did not have much time left. It would be a shame to let such precious content material disappear meaninglessly.

“How can I make him attack me?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Hmm… You said pretending to sleep or meditate didn’t work, right?”

“No, it didn’t work. He would not even come close.”

“Then I have a good idea.”

Sae-Rin paused for a moment. She had come up with an idea that even she thought was a bit crazy.

‘But we’re dealing with Chul-Soo,’ she thought.

Chul-Soo was the craziest person she knew in the world. To truly get along with this madman, she had to go a little mad herself.

“How about challenging the Mage King for a duel?” Sae-Rin suggested.

“The Mage King?”

Jin-Hyeok’s eyes began to sparkle.

“If you fight the Mage King, wouldn’t that create an opening for Garbinu?”

“You’re right. It probably would.”

Seido, the immortal Mage King, was called the strongest being in the Arvis Server. His other nickname was Battle Maniac.