I Gave Up Being Stronger

Online communities across the universe erupted in excitement.

-Wait, the Herb of Immortality?

-Is that really the Herb of Immortality?

-No way! I bet it’s just a different herb with the same name.

Debates raged over whether this herb truly granted eternal life or was just an exceptionally potent medicinal plant. Even the renowned internet analyst Encyclopedia could not accurately deduce its effects.

-I hope our Chul-Soo lives forever.

The prevailing opinion was that even the Herb of Immortality could not grant true immortality. Nevertheless, news of Cha Jin-Hyeok consuming the herb spread far and wide, reaching even the ministers of the Mazique Empire.

“A Chul-Soo Potion made with the Herb of Immortality as an ingredient…”

“To be precise, it’s a Chul-Soo Potion made with the blood of Chul-Soo after he consumed the Herb of Immortality.”

Cha Jin-Sol stood confidently, awaiting the ministers’ response. The ministers continued discussing among themselves.

‘But isn’t seeking help from Chul-Soo somewhat going against our beliefs?’

‘Chul-Soo has very close ties with the Emperor of Swedeen. Accepting his help would place us in a diplomatically disadvantageous position.’

‘Many within the Mazique Empire already support and praise Chul-Soo. If he manages to save the Mage King on top of that, his influence might even threaten our positions.’

Han Sae-Rin, who had accompanied Jin-Sol, kept her mouth shut and eavesdropped on their conversation.

‘Wow, I can hear everything!’ Despite the multiple layers of security magic that were probably used for these private conversations, she could hear everything clearly, with only occasional unclear parts that did not hinder her overall comprehension of the conversations. ‘Chul-Soo’s abilities are truly extraordinary.’

Sae-Rin had a Skill that allowed her to copy the stats and abilities of her comrades by holding their hands. She had used this technique on Jin-Hyeok several times before and had become quite proficient with it when targeting him. The ability she gained was random and required numerous attempts, but this time, she had successfully borrowed Broadcaster’s Insight.

She had not placed much hope in this ability. It wasn’t something she could keep forever, after all. The borrowed ability could even disappear during the long journey from Earth to Arvis.

‘I can’t believe I can still use this ability after that long trip.’

As far as she knew, Broadcaster’s Insight was primarily a visual ability. Yet, it seemed to be amplifying her hearing as well. Sae-Rin was no longer surprised by such developments. Anything she thought might be possible with this ability actually was.

‘I guess it’s like how extremely developed poison resistance becomes indistinguishable from curse resistance… The same principle applies here,’ she thought.

With this skill, extremely developed vision became indistinguishable from hearing.

After a short while, Sae-Rin stepped forward. “I apologize, but I can hear all your conversations.”

“...”

“...”

The ministers flinched. Some turned pale, while a few of the bolder ones yelled at her.

“You’re showing off without any good evidence that this potion will work,” bellowed a minister named Belbon. He was a skeleton-type Lich who had lived for hundreds of years.

“Even if you eavesdropped on our conversation, it doesn’t matter. We said nothing harmful to the great Mazique Empire,” Belbon bluffed.

“I wonder if you have forgotten that it was the Mage King who purified you when you were going mad from the side effects of becoming a Lich and even elevated you to the position of Magic Commander of the Empire,” Sae-Rin replied.

“What?”

“You were discussing how accepting help from Chul-Soo, who has close ties with the Emperor of Swedeen, might place you in a diplomatically…”

“Enough!” Belbon interrupted her, his eye sockets emitting a blue glow. While this glow would have paralyzed ordinary people, it had no effect on Sae-Rin. “You seem to be wearing some special defensive magic, or rather, have activated a defensive Mystery.”

“Not really,” Sae-Rin replied.

“There is no need to lie, Ruler from the Earth Server.”

“I simply borrowed Chul-Soo’s Broadcaster’s Insight.”

“What?”

“That blue glow of yours is a visual attack, isn’t it?”

“And?”

“Extremely developed vision naturally blocks all visual attacks.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“I understand. If I didn’t know Chul-Soo, I would dismiss it as nonsense too.” Sae-Rin shrugged. The smarter someone was, the harder it was for them to believe such things. Chul-Soo’s abilities were far beyond common sense. “Well, if you guys don’t need us, we will leave. But your true intentions will be revealed to the public. I wonder how the citizens of the Mazique Empire will react to that.”

***

-The Herb of Immortality is insane! LOL

-Wow, its performance is off the charts!

-The Mage King has resurrected!

Mage King Seido had recovered. The Chul-Soo Potion infused with the Herb of Immortality had completely healed him.

-They say the Mage King has entered a new realm, haha!

-What’s that called again? Void Circle? I thought that only existed in science fiction!

-The Void Circle is real?

The Mage community was also in an uproar. Mage King Seido had destroyed all existing Circles in his heart and entered the realm of Void Circle. He could now freely utilize nearly infinite mana without being bound by Circles.

-Is this thanks to Chul-Soo?

-The power of the Chul-Soo Potion, is it?

This situation became an incredible advertisement for Chul-Soo Potion. People across the universe were desperate to obtain it. Its price was whatever one was willing to pay. However, Jin-Hyeok was not particularly interested in making money off of his potion. He already had more money than he knew what to do with.

‘This is a bit troublesome,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Mage King Seido had formally invited Jin-Hyeok and held a grand banquet in his honor.

“I will never forget your kindness, Sir Chul-Soo.” Seido treated Chul-Soo with utmost respect and presented him with the Nine Rings Medal, the highest honor that the Mazique Empire’s emperor could bestow.

“You are the savior of my life, Sir Chul-Soo. I would rather cut off my limbs and discard my mana than fight you. No, I would rather take my own life,” Seido said. He claimed it was a matter of a Mage’s honor. “However, if you truly desire it, I could engage in a duel with you.”

“Oh, really?”

“But… it would be difficult for me to produce the outcome you desire, Sir Chul-Soo. I would not be able to give my all against you.”

Seido explained that it wasn’t a matter of will. No matter how hard he tried, he would instinctively be unable to give his best effort against Jin-Hyeok.

“Wouldn’t that defeat what you’re trying to create, Sir Chul-Soo?”

Jin-Hyeok’s expression darkened slightly. He needed to fight Mage King Seido so that Garbinu, who was in the body of Deliark, could surprise attack him.

‘Maybe if I appeared drunk, Garbinu would attack me,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. “I would like to get drunk… Do you have any strong liquor?”

“Hahaha! You jest well!” Seido heartily laughed. ‘How could someone who wasn’t affected by the White Snake King’s poison possibly get drunk? To make such a joke in this situation, he’s such an amusing fellow.’

***

The duel with Mage King Seido was off the table. Instead, through their conversation, Jin-Hyeok gained a new insight.

‘He’s right. If I can’t get drunk when I want to, it means I’m not in perfect control of my abilities!’ Jin-Hyeok realized there was still room for improvement. If he could not regulate his abilities at will, they weren’t truly his. ‘I need to train to properly handle my abilities.’

Just as he was about to close his eyes for a moment, someone opened his door. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an Assassin.

“Chul-Soo, give me your hand.” Sae-Rin grabbed Chul-Soo's hand without preamble.

“This again?”

“Yeah, I can’t forget that exhilarating feeling.”

For someone who had experienced borrowing Chul-Soo’s abilities, it was impossible to give up the taste. His abilities were incredibly addictive.

“Which ability do you want to borrow?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

Sae-Rin continued to fiddle with Jin-Hyeok’s hand. “I want Broadcaster’s Insight. Reading people’s true thoughts is fun.”

“Don’t you have a similar Skill?”

Most Rulers possessed Skills related to insight. Usually, Ruler Skills were more potent than Eltuber Skills.

“Do you really think that compares to your Broadcaster’s Insight?” Sae-Rin asked.

“Is it that incomparable…?”

“Of course. Your Broadcaster’s Insight is insane.”

“Don’t say it’s insane.” For some reason, the expression insane had started to bother him lately.

“Okay, okay.” Sae-Rin casually interlocked her fingers with Jin-Hyeok’s. Then she subtly observed his reaction.

“Borrow whatever you want. I’m going to sleep for a bit.”

Jin-Hyeok quickly fell asleep, and Sae-Rin glared at him with slightly resentful eyes. This was late at night, and they were on a bed together. Sae-Rin thought that if they were alone like this, some affection would develop from this hand-holding. Then she tilted her head in sudden realization.

‘Well, maybe this is not that bad,’ Sae-Rin thought.

She knew well that he was a madman who only cared about livestreaming—a madman who could not see anything beyond his livestreams. He definitely would not be dating or getting married anytime soon.

‘That means I can hold his hand whenever I want, right?’

The thought of monopolizing Chul-Soo’s hand was quite encouraging. In the dark room, her eyes glinted with a touch of madness.

“Hehehe. It’s mine… His hand is mine!”

***

The moment Jin-Hyeok consumed the Herb of Immortality, Dragan the Gluttony looked up at the sky and laughed. “Hahaha! At last, the perfect Demon King has been born!”

Among the four Demon Lords, only Dragan the Gluttony remained. He could sense that the scattered Demon Realms were now becoming connected as one.

“We pay our respects to the Demon Lord,” a Demon said.

Countless Demons came to Dragan, bowing their heads. Fearing they could be devoured if they made the slightest mistake, they zealously pledged their loyalty.

“Hahaha! Finally, the Demon Realms are being unified!” Dragan said.

While individual Demons were incredibly powerful, they had been scattered until now. They were divided into small-scale Servers and were too busy fighting each other. But now, as they integrated into a single Server under the rule of the powerful Dragan the Gluttony, they could combine their strengths.

“Demons! Those born from the anxiety and fear of countless beings!” Dragan said. As numerous Demon Realms merged into one, this new Demon Realm officially became an actual Server. This was the Server that Garbinu had longed for in the past. “Now, we will be connected to numerous Servers across the universe.”

Guardian Trees were spread throughout the universe. These trees would weaken the boundaries between dimensions, facilitating synchronization. Demons could now spread across the universe.

“Go forth. Destroy. And dominate!” Dragan shouted.

Demons began moving to other Servers through warp portals that had appeared all over the world. Dragan the Gluttony himself also took action.

“Where is this place?” Dragan asked.

A Demon in human form replied, “This is the Earth Server. It seems to be a newly created Server.”

“A new Server?” Dragan burst into laughter. New Servers deserved treatment befitting their status. “Let the young Demons move.”

Dragan had grand ambitions.

‘I will subjugate all the creatures of Earth, turn them into slaves, and present them to the new Demon King!’ Dragan thought. ‘Surely, the Demon King would praise me for this!’