I Gave Up Being Stronger

Using Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, Cha Jin-Hyeok walked around for a while and discovered a phenomenon similar to what he saw at Nak An Historic Village. A green light was slowly emanating from one direction.

[Non-combatant exclusive Sub-Dungeon 「Spring Art Hall」.]

“Are we going in there again? We’ve already been there three times!” Song Ha-Young said.

To be honest, this was the same place they cleared earlier. They just had not found the hidden Mystery.

“This time it’s different. I can feel it,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“I have no idea why you brought me along.”

“I brought you along to buy you more bread.”

“Well, if that’s the case, please call me any time. Hehe.”

[Would you like to enter the non-combatant exclusive Sub-Dungeon 「Spring Art Hall」?]

Just like the notification, it was a Sub-Dungeon. It was quite small in scale, with about ten Goblins wandering around.

[You have killed a Goblin.]

Jin-Hyeok took care of all visible monsters, leaving only one alive. If he defeated all of them, this Sub-Dungeon would be cleared.

‘Hm… Where is it?’

Using the Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, Jin-Hyeok scanned the surroundings and noticed the green light seeping from the ceiling. Jin-Hyeok could not see it properly because the other lights on the ceiling were too bright.

“It looks like something is hidden up there,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Are you sure?”

Ha-Young seemed pleased.

“Can you climb the wall?”

“Of course, I can!”

Seeing her be happy like this when the opportunity to shine came, it was clear that the reason she looked pale before was due to Jin-Hyeok’s selfishness.

“Watch me!”

She climbed the wall like a spider. She had a lot of skill and agility. As Jin-Hyeok watched her hanging upside down from the ceiling, he realized she had a great talent for thievery.

“No, a bit more to the left. Yes! A bit more. There! Do you see anything strange there?”

“Oh? Yes, there is! There is a space big enough for a person’s forearm to fit in.”

“Put your hand in.”

“Are you sure there isn’t any dangerous trap in there? Let’s say a trap that could slice my arm?”

“I don’t think so.”

If there were, Angel Girl would not have her right arm right now. She pushed her arm deep inside.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, the green light erupted. Ha-Young’s body fell to the floor.

“I got you!”

Jin-Hyeok caught her. An intense green light, invisible to the naked eye, covered her body.

“Th-thank you. I suddenly felt dizzy and confused for some reason…”

It was not surprising. When absorbing Mystery, such phenomena occurred. One needed a certain amount of mental strength to absorb the Mystery into their body.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“I feel dizzy… I feel like I’ve been poisoned.”

Blegh!

She started to vomit. Ha-Young, who had slipped from his embrace, knelt down and hunched over, continuing to vomit.

“I’ll help you.”

Thump!

Jin-Hyeok struck her temple really hard. It was a strike infused with the power of Broadcaster’s Barrier, and she immediately fell unconscious without making a sound. The green light that had been flowing into her body formed a peculiar pattern in the air.

[Mystery 「Second Identity」.]

Jin-Hyeok reached out his hand toward it. Ha-Young struggled to absorb it, but it was different for him . Thanks to his Imperial Resilience Trait, he could absorb it without much resistance.

[You have acquired the Mystery 「Second Identity」.]

After a while, Ha-Young woke up.

“W-What happened?”

“I think you were poisoned. I gave you an antidote, so you are going to be fine.”

“Thank you…”

Since Jin-Hyeok had gotten what he wanted, he planned to end today’s hobby at this point. But then, notifications popped up.

[The Achievement, 「Goblin Slayer」, has been confirmed.]

[The Achievement, 「Fierce Deer Slayer」, has been confirmed.]

[The Master Quest, 「Sub-Dungeon Destroyer, Stealer of the Mystery」, has been activated.]

The entire theater started shaking as if an earthquake had occurred. The scent of danger filled the air.

\'...What a stroke of luck.’

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

A Master Quest was one step higher than Hidden Achievement. Naturally, it had a higher difficulty level and much greater rewards. There was also a high probability of it being connected to a significant Scenario, which could be considered a major storyline.

‘Huh?’

The Goblin that Jin-Hyeok had left behind earlier started to grow in size.

[LV20/Lesser Goblin Warrior/Skills]

Angel Girl gasped in surprise.

“It’s getting bigger!”

[LV25/Intermediate Goblin Warrior/Skills]

Realizing that they could not delay any longer, Ha-Young quickly rushed in and threw a shuriken. She had a talent for thievery, but it seemed she lacked any aptitude for attacks.

‘Who in the world would get hit by that weak shurik—no way…’

It might have been because the monster was still evolving, but the Intermediate Goblin Warrior was hit in the neck by the shuriken, causing it to bleed. However, that did not pose a significant threat to the Intermediate Goblin Warrior.

[LV30/High Goblin Warrior/Skills]

The size of the monster did not increase any further. However, its muscles became more toned, and a well-crafted axe appeared in its hand, like that of a well-trained warrior.

“What are you waiting for? Kill that monster!” Ha-Young said.

“Why?”

“What if it gets stronger?”

“Well, that would be even better!”

“What the hell are you talking about?!’

A white light emanated from the monster’s body, and it was now wearing silver armor.

[LV40/Supreme Goblin Warrior/Skills]

Now, Angel Girl’s shuriken could not even penetrate its skin.

‘Could it possibly grow into the Queen Goblin?’

[LV45/King Goblin/Skills]

“Attack that monster, please!” Ha-Young was practically begging him.

“Just wait for a minute.”

“At this rate, we are all going to die!”

For reference, the leader of the Goblins was a female. The Queen Goblin was much stronger than the King Goblin. Moreover, Queen Goblin was a formidable opponent to deal with, as she could summon multiple Supreme Goblin Warriors.

[LV50/Queen Goblin/Skills]

Jin-Hyeok gulped. The Queen Goblin truly emerged before them. He patiently waited for her to summon the Supreme Goblin Warriors.

‘Hm… Which weapon should I choose.’

Instead of a dagger, Jin-Hyeok wielded a sword.

It was time to truly savor the battle.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Jongno-gu No.1 GM, Berby, grimaced deeply.

‘Who the hell activated the Master Quest?!’

Berby continuously bit his fingernails. If this were a normal Master Quest, he would not be so anxious. However, this was not a normal Master Quest. He had artificially created it using the authority of a senior Administrator.

‘This was not made for Earth Players!’

The Mystery called the Second Identity, and the Master Quest in this place were deliberately hidden from Earth Players.

‘That Mystery was meant for Gustav!’

The person Berby had dealt with was the drug lord named Gustav. Frequent transactions took place between corrupt GMs and criminals in need of new identities. GMs could gain significant wealth, and criminals could obtain new identities.

It was an implicit practice.

‘There is no way a non-combatant class Player can face the Queen Goblin…’

Berby had put all his efforts into managing the Mystery. He hid the Mystery in a non-combatant exclusive Dungeon and set up conditions that were impossible to clear, ensuring that the Master Quest wouldn\'t be activated. And as if that was not enough, he even set the Queen Goblin, with a Level of 50, as the boss monster. He desperately wanted to display what was going on in the Dungeon, but he held himself back.

‘I can’t leave too many traces.’

If he looked up specific Players, that would be left on the records. He nervously hoped and wished for the Queen Goblin to kill the Players without leaving any evidence behind.

‘I need to do something.’

That alone was not going to be enough. In case the Queen Goblin was killed, Berby decided to make one more arrangement. He urgently activated the Administrator’s Prerogative.

[Would you like to enable the setting 「Chain Box」?]

This was the most powerful vault that could be set during the Open Beta period. To unlock it, a Technician or a Barrier Manipulator of at least Level 100 was required. Berby applied the Chain Box to the reward for the Master Quest. Although the Second Identity had been taken away, he could not allow them to take the reward for the Master Quest as well.

‘Good. This would do.’

Finally, Berby felt relieved.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Jin-Hyeok was extremely disappointed.

‘Too weak.’

Even though he fought without using the Broadcaster’s Barrier, it was not that difficult. The monsters were at a similar Level as Jin-Hyeok, so he had some expectations, but they weren’t met.

Stab!

[You have defeated the Queen Goblin.]

An item was dropped. It was an item called the Queen Goblin’s Essence. Judging by the fact that it didn’t exist in Jin-Hyeok’s memory, it did not seem like such an important item.

“I’m so relieved!”

“About what??”

‘Was Ha-Young worried about me?’

“That I am on your side, and that I\'m not your enemy.”

“...”

“I thought you were actually insane. Oh, this is a compliment, so don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Is there a lunatic who takes being called insane as a compliment?”

“I’m sorry…”

Jin-Hyeok did not know the reason, but she seemed very confused. Well, it was understandable considering that a Level 50 boss monster appeared in a non-combatant exclusive Dungeon. Moreover, it was a monster that could summon Level 40 Supreme Goblin Warriors. From the perspective of a non-combatant Thief like her, it would be certainly surprising.

‘I hope this is not over.’

It was a Master Quest, after all. It could not end like this. Jin-Hyeok discovered a place where the green light was slowly emanating with his Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

‘Huh? This feels like a Mystery.’

It came from in front of him. It was below the stage. It was not visible until now, but it started to become visible.

‘As expected, there is another gate.’

Jin-Hyeok knew defeating the Queen Goblin would not be the end.

At that moment, Angel Girl also noticed that something was off below the stage.

“That area looks strange. It seems like something has been created… Did you know about this?” she asked.

“Yes. I think a passage has been created down there.”

Jin-Hyeok thought he heard Angel Girl murmuring, “Is he insane?” under her breath, but there was no need to pay attention to such trivial things. When he examined the floor of the stage, he found a staircase leading downward.

‘An intense green light.’

As if entranced by the light, Jin-Hyeok followed the light down the staircase. There were no traps or dangerous monsters to be found.

‘Why aren’t there any? This is so frustrating.’

He walked a considerable distance and saw a large box tightly bound with thick iron chains. It was locked with an enormous padlock. Angel Girl was also very excited.

“That looks like a treasure. I can feel it!” she said as she touched the box.

“But it seems to be set in a way so that it cannot be opened.”

As if it were her specialty, she took out a long metal stick that looked like a skewer from her pocket and tried various ways to open it. As time passed, sweat started pouring down her forehead like rain.

“This… can’t be right…”

“Are you sure you are a Thief?”

“Just give me more time.”

She tried every possible method to unlock the padlock, but in the end, she failed.

Suddenly, a thud sound was heard. The staircase they had descended was blocked by a thick wall. It was like a trap, and it made Jin-Hyeok slightly excited.

‘They forcibly blocked the exit?’

There was no doubt that an Administrator was involved in this. Moreover, it was likely that it was a high-Level Administrator.

‘I can sense it.’

Jin-Hyeok did not know who it was, but someone was clearly determined to hide this Master Quest. Blocking the exit meant they wanted to trap Jin-Hyeok and Ha-Young, and kill them. It signified that a massive secret was hidden that warranted their death.

Jin-Hyeok could sense that this was not a coincidence.

“Huhuhu…”

“Why are you laughing so creepily? Please don’t kill me… I don’t taste good…” Angel Girl said.

She kept saying bizarre things. Perhaps she was not in her right mind due to the mental strain of trying to unlock the padlock.

“Let’s get out of here,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“But we need to unlock this to get out.”

“Let me try”

“What difference does it make?”

“Just shut up and let me try.”

Jin-Hyeok held the padlock.

[Setting 「Chain Box」.]

It was not visible from afar, but when he held it in his hand, he saw an activated setting through his Broadcaster\'s Clairvoyance.

‘Oh? Chain Box?’

He knew it was a setting that could only be unlocked by a Level 100 or higher Barrier Manipulator.

‘Hm… Would this work?’

[You used the Mystery 「Unleashing Technique」.]

Click.

The lock opened.

‘...it worked?’