I Gave Up Being Stronger

[The Skill 「Time-Lapse Recording」 has been revealed.]

[Time-Lapse Recording]

[The Skill forcibly restricts the movement of a subject in order to record them more efficiently.

*Applies to: All subjects that are at the same Level as or below the Level of the recorder.

*Limited range: x0.8 to x1.2]

Jin-Hyeok reread this short description of the Skill several times.

‘What is this?’

He did not know if this could be called a filming technique. It was like asking his opponent to slow down since he didn’t want to film fast. It was something that only Mages and Debuffers who dealt with curses would have.

‘0.8x speed?’

In percentage, that was -20%.

‘A Debuffer Player would have to be at least Level 80 to have a -20% debuff Skill. I wonder if a lot of my mental energy is required for a Skill like this.’

Skills had a lot to do with an individual’s mental strength. This was not something that could be put into a number, but after using it a few times, Players would get a general idea of how it worked.

‘I’ll have to try it out.’

The Skill was indeed akin to the Skill of a Level 80 Debuffer. There was no way such an overpowered ability would be given away for free. There had to be a price to pay.

“Jeong-Hyeon, your movements will slow down for a moment. Don’t be alarmed and just try to hit me.”

[You have used the Skill 「Time-Lapse Recording」.]

[Speed: x0.8]

Jin-Hyeok used the Skill but it did not take much of his mental strength.

‘Hm? How is it possible that it doesn’t take much of my mental energy?’

He was able to use it continuously. He calculated that he could use it at least three times in a row.

‘Is this because of Imperial Resilience?’

Jin-Hyeok believed so.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Every day, Jin-Hyeok’s mind struggled with a huge internal conflict. His head screamed for him to finish in third place, but his heart wanted him to be in first place. His subconscious mind had set the bar high, and his conscious mind was forcing him to lower it.

His mind was in a constant battle.

1. He had an obsession with not becoming too strong.

2. He had excessively high standards stemming from his past life.

These two conditions created a strange reaction in his mind that caused him to repeatedly fail at self-objectification. Truth be told, being able to use an overpowered Skill like Time-Lapse Recording three times in a row was not something that could be explained just by the Imperial Resilience Trait alone.

There had to be more than that.

However, Jin-Hyeok’s rational mind decided not to ponder it any further. It was an unconscious defense mechanism that if he became objective about himself, he would eventually want to become first place again.

Apart from the fierce battle in his mind, he was actually impressed by the Skill’s ability.

‘It really is a Skill with the similar power of a Level 80 Debuffer.’

Kim Jeong-Hyeon’s movements slowed down significantly. Jin-Hyeok could easily dodge his attacks without concentrating that much.

‘This is good.’

His teammates were also surprised. This was especially true for Seo Ji-Soo, who relied on speed. She opened her eyes wider than anyone.

“Hey, what did you just do?” Ji-Soo asked.

“I cast something similar to a curse on him,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“How can a Streamer cast a curse?”

“It’s like casting a Skill that slows you down by twenty percent. I just got the Skill, so I know just as much as you do.”

“Wow. That’s amazing! I think I can beat you if I had that Skill.”

After Jin-Hyeok got the Skill, he got a little greedy.

‘Should I go for the all-rounder Streamer for the early phase? I can definitely pull it off.’

It was possible to streamline the early part as a Streamer. His experience was enough to do it. He was getting much bigger donations than he expected, so he thought he would be able to retire in the not-too-distant future.

‘So why not just enjoy it until I am on the verge of retirement?’

The thought flashed through his mind, but—

‘Damn it! No! What if I can’t retire?’

If Jin-Hyeok could not retire after the early stage, then there was going to be a big problem.

‘The initial concept of a Streamer is the most important part of their career. Let’s not be stupid. Don’t forget, I’m just an ordinary Streamer.’

He had to tell himself that again today.

Just then, someone appeared with a foul odor all over her. It was a familiar smell. It was the secretions from the Steel Centipedes.

“I am going to kill you!”

Her eyes were full of bloodlust, and she held a thorny whip in her right hand.

It was Black Butterball.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Kaylin, also known as Black Butterfly, was a member of the Avengers Army.

And she had just gone through hell.

‘I have to live.’

At first, that was all she could think about. Her only saving grace was that the monsters were extremely insensitive to touch. She moved by going along with them. The Steel Centipedes’ bodies were covered with a sticky secretion, and she was now covered in it.

Kaylin had been through hell and had barely escaped. It had taken her more than ten hours to move a mere one hundred meters.

Then she realized—

‘It was a trap all along.’

Jin-Hyeok had to have set up the trap. He had to have realized he was being followed.

She fought her way out of there.

‘I’m going to kill him.’

After more than ten hours of being held in an extreme situation, she lost her cool as soon as she saw Jin-Hyeok.

Bloodlust took over her mind.

[You have used the Skill 「Chokehold」.]

She was planning on wrapping her whip around his body and then dragging him toward her. She thought this was the perfect timing to do that.

‘This is going to work.’

It would be hard for the Tank and the Assassin of his to react. And it was true.

‘Huh?’

But something was off. It felt like the whip was extending slower than usual.

‘What the hell is going on?’

She was gripped by the strange sensation of her thoughts slowing down. She felt like she was alone in the world.

Strangely, only the time around her seemed to slow down. Everything else around her seemed to be moving faster than her. She felt like she was under a powerful curse.

This was the effect of Time-Lapse Recording.

‘Wait, what?’

The moment she was thinking that Jin-Hyeok deflected her whip. It was with his Broadcaster’s Barrier.

He reached his hand out immediately. It was too fast to dodge.

‘Damn it!’

In her slowed consciousness, Jin-Hyeok’s hand was like that of a top-tier martial artist. It was more like a whip than her own. His hand reached out in a smooth path and grabbed Kaylin’s throat.

She heard his voice.

“Wow. This is a great Skill!”

Jin-Hyeok was thrilled with his new Skill, Time-Lapse Recording. It felt so good to have gotten the Imperial Resilience Trait and now this Skill

“I thought it was strange that you didn’t attack before,” Jin-Hyeok said happily.

He drew his dagger. He was not the type of Player who went around killing people, but he didn’t let anyone who tried to kill him live either.

And he did not really attach much meaning to death.

As a result, he was not curious about his opponent’s identity, and he was not angry.

This was just his principle. If someone tried to kill him, he would kill them.

Just as he was about to plunge the dagger into Kaylin’s throat, he heard a panicked cry.

“WAIT!!”

The voice was very familiar to him.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The person who came running while yelling was none other than the Star Maker, Joseph.

‘Why is he here?’

Joseph rushed over and grabbed Jin-Hyeok’s wrist.

“Let’s talk about this first.”

“Let’s kill her first before we talk.”

The order of business was wrong. It was more efficient to kill her first and then talk.

“As the manager of the Avengers Army, I apologize on their behalf. I assure you, Black Butterfly had no intention of harming you.”

“Black Butterfly?”

“Yes, she is a member of the Avengers Army.”

Jin-Hyeok knew all about the later members of the Avengers Army. Since he did not know who she was, she had to have been an early member, and she didn’t survive until the later years.

“Please, let’s talk about it. I’ll explain everything.”

‘Hm…’

For now, Jin-Hyeok let go of the hand clutching her throat. This was the first time he had ever let an Assassin who wanted his life live.

‘Well, if she’s one of the Avengers Army, I would better hear her side of the story first.’

Egan Paul was an Earth-born Streamer. He was going to be one of the most influential Streamers on the planet. Joseph was going to be a Star Maker and a huge talent.

Jin-Hyeok did not see any good coming from being hated by these guys. His goal was to be moderately successful, and he would rather have no enemies than many allies.

However, he also realized that letting her go would set a bad precedent. He decided to find the middle ground.

“Then I’ll just have to cut her tendons on her limbs, how about that?”

“As long as you promise to keep Black Butterfly alive, I will do whatever you want, Mr. Kim, as long as it is within my power.”

“Really?”

People in this era were so pure.

‘Did he just say he was going to give me whatever I wanted? What if I told him to give me his life?’

“Okay. I’ll listen to you, but the next time this happens, I will have to kill her. I don’t like being stabbed in the back.”

“Okay.”

They moved to another location to have a conversation.

Back in Jin-Hyeok’s hotel room, Joseph told Jin-Hyeok all sorts of things. In short, Joseph planted someone to follow Jin-Hyeok because Joseph was interested in Jin-Hyeok.

‘Who the hell would plant an Assassin as a tail?’

If someone were to put a tail on someone, they should not have it be an Assassin, but rather a Detective or a Rogue with no offensive capabilities. Since they were still in the early stage where Job boundaries were not clear, Jobs had not been so finely differentiated yet, and thanks to that, it seemed the very concept of it was not well established.

“I recognized your star quality and talent immediately. Egan also recognized your potential,” Joseph said.

“I have no intention of becoming a star, and if the same thing happens in the future—”

“I know. You are going to kill me.”

Somehow, it looked like Joseph was never going to give up, but for now, he sighed deeply.

“I won’t be bothering you for a while.”

“For a while?”

“You are going to shine wherever you go, and you can’t hide that shine if you try.”

Joseph had a point. Unlike those fictional movies, in the real world, there was no one who appeared socially inept or awkward but secretly possessed hidden strengths or abilities.

But if Jin-Hyeok just decided to retire, that would be the end of the story.

“You are going to need me one day because you are meant to be a star,” Joseph said.

He kept talking nonsense, so Jin-Hyeok just listened and let it go in one ear and out the other.

‘Maybe if I retire, he will stop paying attention to me.’

“You demanded a million dollars in compensation and the life of Black Butterfly, right?”

“What?”

What Jin-Hyeok had demanded was a million Dias, not a million dollars. He did not want Egan to become his enemy and he was not exactly looking to make a fortune off of people’s lives. He wanted to take the million Dias as a formality and be done with it. After all, that Black Butterfly was not much of a threat anyway. It just felt a bit excessive to demand one million dollars just because an irritated little brat poked him with a finger.

“I believe I said one million Dias…”

“Yes, of course. I will pay you one million dollars.”

“...”

“You spared Black Butterfly’s life. This is the least I can do.”

He sensed a determination in Joseph’s eyes. It was a fierce determination to pay him a million dollars no matter what.

“I hope you won’t bother me anymore.”

“Of course not. I have even written a contract right here.”

Joseph was definitely a meticulous person. The contract stated that he did not expect or would not make any demands in exchange for this one million dollars.

Jin-Hyeok thought that this was enough for him to take it. Unbeknownst to him, Joseph had also paid Jin-Hyeok\'s party members about one hundred million won each in damages.

The party was smiling at the money they made. Even Ji-Soo, who looked a bit angry when she first came here, seemed happy.

Cha Jin-Sol was also wearing a big capitalist smile.

“Oppa~ Is it okay if I love you, Oppa~?”

“Get off of me.”

“Hehe, I love you~”

Jin-Hyeok felt a pang of affection for his sister, whom he had lost once, but he kept it to himself. If he pretended to be a good brother or a loving brother, Jin-Sol would run away in disgust.

He just treated her as usual, and she liked him more.

They returned to Korea without incident. Jin-Hyeok headed straight to Choi Gap-Soo’s workshop.

Gap-Soo looked a little annoyed.

“Why aren’t you livestreaming anymore? You’re being an unfaithful Streamer.”

“I’m here to make a request.”

“A request?”

“Yes. You are an Alchemist, right? I bet you can make potions.”

“Let’s see.”

Jin-Hyeok took out the Centipede Venom from his pocket. It was a potion-type item he had gotten while hunting Steel Centipedes.

“Can you use this to make a poison optimized for hunting toads?”

He knew Gap-Soo could make it. And with it, Jin-Hyeok could clear the Golden Toad Dungeon, a Dungeon that was considered a gift to Players that were Level 60 or lower.

With a few clears there, he could become a building owner in Yeonhui-dong.

It looked like he would be able to retire much sooner than planned.