I Gave Up Being Stronger

“A Level 90 Skill? You’re already using that?” Han Sae-Rin said while her eyes sparkled with excitement. Her mouth fell open, and a bit of drool trickled down. She let out a sigh as if she was jealous of Jin-Hyeok for being able to experience Level 90 in advance.

“So, you can have the ability to see what’s inside a Dungeon without entering one? Is that really possible?” Sae-Rin asked.

“Yes. It’s a power that gives me a rough idea of the rewards or how the Dungeon should be cleared. And I can share it with one of my party’s Navigators.”

“Please share it with me. Please!”

Mok Jae-Hyeok could not quite understand the somewhat crazy-looking Sae-Rin.

“Why is she acting so crazy?”

“Well, isn’t that kind of power what Navigators always dream of?” Cha Jin-Sol answered on Jin-Hyeok’s behalf.

“What do you mean?”

“Do I really have to explain this to you?”

Jin-Sol couldn’t understand Jae-Hyeon either. She turned her head toward Seo Ji-Ah and Seo Ji-Soo and asked them, “You guys don’t get it either?”

“No, we get it.”

“Of course, we know what you’re talking about! How many chances do Navigators get to have that kind of ability?”

Jin-Sol looked at Jae-Hyeon as if she was saying, “I told you so.” Jae-Hyeon felt a bit confused, wondering if he was the strange one.

“Hyung, do you think the same way?” Jae-Hyeon asked Kim Jeong-Hyeon.

“Experiencing high-level Skills… That’s the dream of all… Players…”

Jeong-Hyeon’s eyes were also filled with envy. It was a look that said he was dying of jealousy.

Jae-Hyeon clenched his fist.

‘No, I am not the strange one. They’re the ones that are weird…’ Jae-Hyeon thought.

He kept thinking about that, but even if he was confident about it, he could not help but get confused when everyone around him said the opposite thing,

‘Maybe I’m the weird one…’

As Jae-Hyeon’s entire principle was being shaken to its core, Sae-Rin received the Preview from Jin-Hyeok.

‘I… I see it!’ Sae-Rin thought.

She examined the Dungeon she had just cleared through the Preview. Her experience inside the Dungeon and the content she saw through the Preview was not significantly different.

She was infatuated with how remarkable this Skill was.

“It seems like places I have already cleared are shown more clearly,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Ha…”

Sae-Rin chuckled. She was so excited that she couldn’t properly hear Jin-Hyeok’s words.

“Show me other Dungeons too!”

“....”

“Please!”

Sae-Rin looked so desperate that she almost looked like she was about to cry. Jin-Hyeok smiled with satisfaction. He knew that to become a top-ranking Player, they had to be a bit crazy like her. He was pleased to see the real Han Sae-Rin that he knew of.

They roamed around Yangpyeong, examining the Dungeons. Sae-Rin embraced herself in excitement, looking like she was about to go crazy.

“A herd of monsters that look like black cows appear in this Dungeon. They are around Level 40, but some of them have berserk abilities, making monsters around them more powerful. The path splits into three, and after passing through several traps, you eventually reach the clear spot. This is a spot where you unlock the final password with clues collected along the way, and that is where the exit is… But if you make a mistake, a boss monster will spawn, and everyone will be wiped out,” she muttered.

It was as if she was experiencing the Dungeon, even though she had not set foot inside. Of course, there were things that could not be seen by the Preview Skill. She was aware of the traps, but she could not see what kind of traps they were. She knew there would be a boss monster, but she could not tell what type of monster it was.

Just like the name, it was a preview of the Dungeon.

However, for Sae-Rin, this alone was a whole new world.

“I can see it! I can see it!!! AH!!!!”

She even shed tears. With eyes blazing, she looked for new Dungeons.

Perhaps she was addicted to the taste of the Preview as she found and activated Dungeons at an alarming rate.

“Let’s go in… Let’s go in… Let’s go in!”

She roamed around Yangpyeong like a mad person, pushing herself to the point where Jin-Sol, who had relatively weak stamina, was almost reaching her limit.

Before she knew it, the sun had set. Lost in her thoughts, they found themselves in the middle of a hilly area.

Tired, Jin-Sol spoke, “Unnie, that’s enough for now… Can’t we rest a bit now? I’m almost at my limit.”

“Just this one.”

They were in Baemi Mountain, which was a small mountain located about one kilometer away from the Yangpyeong Station. They weren’t using a hiking trail, but just going up the mountain on rough terrain, making it quite demanding for Jin-Sol.

“Here.”

Sae-Rin started to dig the ground like a mad person. Although it seemed like she was out of her mind, she was actually using an advanced Navigator Skill to dig the ground. She was much faster than ordinary people using shovels.

Before long, a large pit had been dug, and beneath it, a small gate was revealed.

[Tomb of the Greatsword of La’kan]

Jin-Hyeok smiled.

‘I found it,’ he thought.

The name of Jin-Hyeok’s beloved sword was the Greatsword of La’kan.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

A heated debate erupted in the Korean Region Minor Gallery over a topic. It was about whether Jin-Hyeok’s recently acquired Preview Skill was a cheat or not.

-No Level 90 Player can figure out that much about a Dungeon just from the Preview Skill. This is definitely a cheat. The synergy between the Skill and his physical ability is insane!

There were also opposing views.

-How is that a cheat? It’s all thanks to Time Mileage.

Time Mileage referred to the accumulated time from Playing in a Field for a long time. It was known to have a significant impact on the Preview.

-He’s right. It’s all because of the Time Mileage. I know a Streamer who could do the same.

┗LOL. But Chul-Soo is only Level 60. You’re such an SI.

SI was an acronym for System Illiterate. The term was normally used when undermining other users, saying that they did not know anything about how the System worked. The Gallery was filled with users who called each other System Illiterate.

┗Nope, you’re the SI. The fact that Chul-Soo can use a Level 90 Skill means that he is as powerful as a Level 90 Player. So that Skill is a Level 90 Skill accumulated with enough Time Mileage. I dunno why you guys are making such a big fuss.

┗Can you use a Level 90 Skill when you’re only Level 60? Do you think it’s easy? You’re just a nobody sitting in your room just tapping on your keyboard. You have lost all sense of reality.

The opinions were roughly divided into a seven-to-three ratio. Seven out of ten believed that Chul-Soo’s ability was excessively outstanding, and the remaining three argued that his ability was just on par with a normal Level 90 Player.

While the Gallery was chaotic with heated discussions, the infamous Encyclopedia appeared on the scene.

-Using a Level 90 Skill at Level 60 is not such a surprising feat. There are many abilities that allow Players to use Skills from the future. However, the question is whether he can handle that Skill as if he were an actual Level 90 Player. Moreover, Chul-Soo used that Skill consecutively.

Encyclopedia, who was a Named User, attached several screenshots throughout the post. They captured images of Jin-Sol looking exhausted, although her face was not revealed, thanks to the Deceiver’s Mask.

-What is remarkable is that Chul-Soo, who used Preview countless times, is physically much more stable than a Healer who did not use any healing Skills. From the limited information from the first-person perspective livestream, such as footsteps, breathing, and Skill usage frequency, it can be speculated that Chul-Soo is in a completely non-exhausted state.

Encyclopedia pondered for a long time about whether to include the following content. After all, their writing needed to carry credibility. They hesitated, wondering if they were too hasty in judging one Player, but eventually, they made up their mind.

-I have studied numerous cases of Streamers and have vast amounts of data on them, not only for Streamers but also for other Jobs. And dare I say that Kim Chul-Soo’s Preview Skill is not at Level 90. It might be even higher than that, perhaps over Level 100.

Chul-Soo’s current Level was 60. However, he was showing much more impressive results than an actual Level 90 Streamer’s Preview.

-I can safely say that Kim Chul-Soo’s talent as a Streamer is at a level never seen before.

Even if using the same Skill, the effect could vary depending on who was using it. In the System, this was usually referred to as talent.

‘But what is interesting is that Chul-Soo himself seems to lack enthusiasm for how talented he is,’ Encyclopedia thought.

Chul-Soo’s nonchalant attitude was also a factor that sparked debates among the users. To Encyclopedia, who possessed all sorts of data, Chul-Soo had a remarkably exceptional talent, but when it came to the person himself, Chul-Soo, he used it as if it were nothing special. As a result, those who saw this could not help but feel as if it wasn’t a big deal.

-I’m sure there is an overwhelming difference between him and Egan Paul, known as the top-ranked Streamer on the Earth Server. My analysis will be confirmed when Egan reaches Level 90. Then, we can make a proper comparison.

-Written by: Encyclopedia.

Encyclopedia couldn’t take their eyes off the SSP terminal.

‘It looks like he found another new Dungeon.’

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After using the Preview to examine the Dungeon, Jin-Hyeok continued with the livestream.

“It looks like a special type of Dungeon where only one monster appears.”

A gigantic monster with a huge body came into view. It was wearing a golden helmet, hiding its face, but it was a humanoid monster. It held an enormous sword that could not be seen clearly with the Preview.

“The overall space seems to be rectangular, filled with fire and lava.”

Flash!

Jin-Hyeok’s eyes started to hurt.

“As I shifted my gaze toward the edge of the rectangular space, the Preview ended on its own.”

“It’s the kind of Field that burns you in the lava if you are pushed out of that space,” Sae-Rin chimed in.

“Sounds like a dangerous place. I need to ask my Navigator’s opinion. Are you sure we should go in there?”

Sae-RIn rubbed her chin for a moment. Jin-Hyeok was going to trust her word on this one.

“Of course, we should go in,” Sae-Rin said while looking around at everyone.

Jin-Hyeok expected that response.

“The Navigator has spoken. After everyone recovers their stamina, we will enter the Dungeon.”

No one in the party opposed Jin-Hyeok. They seemed eager to clear the Dungeon. It was understandable since all they had been doing was following Jin-Hyeok around while using the Preview on Dungeons. It was only natural that they were this eager. Just looking at Jae-Hyeon’s unenthusiastic face, it was obvious that he was bored. Now that things were going to be interesting, Jin-Hyeok wondered if Jae-Hyeon’s spirits would lift soon.

“Ah, wait. Before entering the Dungeon, I will perform a few tasks as a precaution. I think I can create an escape route,” Sae-Rin said.

‘An escape route? That is going to decrease the thrill of entering the Dungeon. But I guess safety comes first,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Jin-Hyeok was no longer the crazy guy he used to be, so he did not object to Sae-Rin creating an escape route.

Jin-Hyeok took a quick glance at Jae-Hyeon and saw his spirit being lifted. It seemed like he was excited about entering the Dungeon.

“We’re ready to enter.”

[Do you wish to enter the Dungeon 「Tomb of the Greatsword of La’kan」?]

They entered the Dungeon.

“It’s quite hot in here.”

The overall space had a reddish atmosphere. Just like the Preview had shown, the Dungeon was rectangular. It looked like a stage floating on lava.

“There are flames shooting up here and there. It seems like some sort of a trap. Let me lightly put my hand in to test it. It doesn’t shoot up from random places, but from small holes in the floor. Alright, Jae-Hyeon, try putting your hand on it. When the flame comes out, just try to touch it.”

“M-Me?”

Jin-Hyeok was sure that Jae-Hyeon was worried that he might monopolize all the fun.

“You’re the Tank. Of course I will let you go first. No need to thank me.”

“...I’ll put my hand on it.”

“Good.”

Jae-Hyeon stood in front of the hole, looking quite nervous.

Roar!

Flames shot up and Jae-Hyeon put his hand in.

“Ouch!”

“Hm… So he got burned to that extent. It’s not going to be fatal, but it will severely restrict your movements if you get hit.”

There were several other devices in the Field as well.

“The center of the Field is the safe zone. It seems to be set up to prevent the monster we saw with the Preview from entering.”

Knowing that there was a safe zone made Jin-Hyeok even more excited. In a Dungeon like this, where there was an obvious safe zone, it was almost certain to be a highly challenging Dungeon. It meant that without the safe zone, it would be impossible to clear.

‘And we were given enough time to look around the Field.’

All the clues indicated that this Dungeon was going to be difficult to clear.

Jin-Hyeok’s heart kept pounding.

“At each corner of the Field, there seem to be special devices.”

Jin-Hyeok moved toward one of the four edges of the rectangular Field.

“Oh, entering the corners teleports you back to the safe zone in the center. There doesn’t seem to be any limitation on the number of attempts. If a dangerous situation arises, we can escape to this area. However, we should be careful about…”

This Dungeon was like an island floating on the lava. Jin-Hyeok glanced at the side. It was clear how dangerous it would be if he fell into the lava. He didn’t need to try to know that.

“If we accidentally slip and fall into the lava, that would mean death.”

Soon, a notification popped up, indicating that the boss monster, Swordmaster La’kan, was summoned.

[10]

[9]

The party entered the safe zone. From a distance, Jin-Hyeok could see the lava beginning to boil, and then something shot up.

Thud!

A gigantic creature landed on the floor. It was the monster Jin-Hyeok saw with the Preview.

[LV83/Swordmaster La’kan/Skills]

“It’s an enormously huge monster. Looks like it is about five meters tall. It is a monster in a humanoid form, wielding a massive sword.”