I Gave Up Being Stronger

[LV62/Muddled Specter/Skills]

Its Level was merely 62, yet it was marked in orange. It was likely much stronger than its Level indicated.

Thud!

It landed on the ground with a loud noise. With a face dripping with goo, it looked around until it spotted Cha Jin-Hyeok’s party.

“The Muddled Specter has noticed us. It’s hard to predict its next move. Its movements are slow, most likely due to its size.”

The monster raised both of its arms. It held a gun in each hand.

“Take cover!”

The other members, sensing the threat, hid behind cars and trees.

“A monster wielding guns… It’s quite unusual. Its movements are slow, but its attacks with the guns are incredibly fast.”

Jin-Hyeok thought it was a ghost-type monster because of the name Specter, but it seemed more like a mechanical monster.

“Is everyone okay?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

Except for a minor injury on Seo Ji-Ah’s arm, everyone was relatively unharmed.

“Its attack is quite powerful.”

It didn’t possess the destructive power to explode a tree, but the attack had enough damage to penetrate a human.

Thud. Thud.

The monster, though slow, took heavy steps as it searched for the party.

“Mok Jae-Hyeon. We need to join forces on this,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...What should we do?”

“What do you think would be the best?”

A passive Player who listened to orders was always better than a Player who was proactive but didn’t listen. However, the best Player was one who listened well and was also proactive.

Up until now, Jin-Hyeok had been somewhat satisfied with Jae-Hyeon’s Play, but after today, his opinion changed.

Jae-Hyeon was still lacking.

“I’m just gonna do what you tell me to do…”

“That’s why you guys lost.”

Jae-Hyeon had to realize how embarrassing it was to lose to the Silver Spoon Alliance, and hopefully learn a lot from the incident.

“Just think! Why would I, a Streamer, volunteer to be the Tank?”

“Because the monster has two primary weapons… right?”

Jae-Hyeon was right. The Muddled Specter wielded two submachine guns. Jin-Hyeok’s party had to block each of their attacks separately.

“So, which side do you want to tank?”

“I…”

‘Ah, this won’t work.’

They did not have much time. Jin-Hyeok would have to give him special training later.

“Come here. Swap places with me.”

“W-Why?”

“The attack from its right hand is stronger. That monster is right-handed. You handle that.”

“Does it matter when the monster is shooting with guns?”

“Can’t you see it?”

Jin-Hyeok was frustrated. If the impact marks made by the bullets were analyzed, anyone could easily tell that the shots fired from the right hand were stronger.

“...Ah.”

It seemed that Jae-Hyeon finally realized. Fortunately, even if he didn’t figure things out on his own, he got it when given clues.

“Jae-Hyeon, you’re our main Tank. Do not forget. And Cha Jin-Sol, stand beside me. You are going to move with me. Time it well and suck my blood.”

“Got it.”

“Jae-Hyeon, I will handle the aggro. Seo sisters, what do you think you should do?”

“Well, for one thing, that looks rather suspicious,” Ji-Ah said while raising her hand to point, still hiding behind a car.

Jin-Hyeok pointed to a spot with the laser pointer. It was the monster’s tail.

“Are you talking about this?”

“Yes.”

She was right on the mark. What looked like a tail was not actually a tail. It seemed like a power cord connecting the monster to the ground.”

“Good call. It seems the Muddled Specter draws its mana from that.”

“I’ll try cutting it.”

Ji-Ah showed commendable judgment. She was definitely qualified as a Damage Dealer.

“What about you, Kim Jeong-Hyeon?”

Jin-Hyeok was most excited about Jeong-Hyeon’s answer. He was a colleague of Jin-Hyeok before regression. Except for his excessive sense of justice, Jeong-Hyeon always showed exceptional Play.

“I… will wait in… standby…”

“Why?”

“My clumsy attack… might draw its attention…”

Deciding to leave the attack to the Seo sisters and stay on standby was a brilliant move.

“When the monster’s attention… is diverted… I will go in and get its aggro…”

Everyone seemed to grasp their roles quite accurately. With this level of tactical understanding, Jin-Hyeok wondered how they lost to the Silver Spoon Alliance.

“Jae-Hyeon, start moving.”

Jae-Hyeon began rushing forward while using Wood Fortress.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Jin-Hyeok grinned.

“Focus on its attack patterns and rhythm. It may seem like the monster is just firing randomly, but there is definitely a pattern.”

Jin-Hyeok became used to the Muddled Specter’s attacks much faster than Jae-Hyeon, the main Tank.

‘I just need to block most of its attacks with my Broadcaster’s Barrier.’

And Jin-Hyeok blocked the occasional lethal attacks, i.e. attacks that targeted his vital points, with Star Shield, the Guardian Ring’s Item Skill.

‘This synergy is insane!’

Jin-Hyeok modified the name of Star Shield to Broadcaster’s Barrier using the Multiple Lives. Thanks to that, it appeared as though he blocked all of the Specter’s attacks just using Broadcaster’s Barrier.

“The attacks from its left hand are definitely weaker. I can block them easily.”

It was more about the synergy between Broadcaster’s Barrier and Star Shield being extremely efficient, but Jin-Hyeok didn’t think that way. It was because the standard was his friend, Choi Gang-Byeok.

‘Shit, I got hit in the arm.’

If it had been Gang-Byeok, he would not have been hit. This was a blow to Jin-Hyeok’s pride. Just in case Jin-Sol intervened, Jin-Hyeok told his sister, “I’m fine. Don’t heal me.”

“I know.”

The one Jin-Sol needed to focus her healing on was not her brother but Jae-Hyeon. Jae-Hyeon was in a worse condition than Jin-Hyeok.

“Hey! Dodge when you need to, and block when you can! And if it’s necessary, you take the damn hit!” Jin-Hyeok yelled.

Tanks could not block every attack. There were no Tanks in the world where they didn’t get hit at least once. Jae-Hyeon was only struggling because he was trying so hard not to get hit.

“Just trust your Healer and take the hits when you have to!”

“But that’s…!

“How can you call it a Play if you don’t get hurt?”

Jae-Hyeon bit his lip.

‘He’s right,’ Jae-Hyeon thought.

Jin-Hyeok was right. Out of fear, Jae-Hyeon had been trying to minimize damage, which was the wrong approach.

‘I can’t block every attack.’

It felt as though a barrier in his heart had shattered. He felt his own growth.

‘It’s much easier now.’

Blocking attacks now felt much more effortless than before.

‘And I’ll take this hit.’

There was pain, but soon Jin-Sol’s healing came at the perfect moment. Jae-Hyeon once again used Wood Fortress, setting up a more stable defense.

‘Let’s show them what we’ve got.’

‘Let’s show them what we’ve got.’

Ji-Ah and Ji-Soo were in sync.

The monster’s attention was definitely drawn to the other members. The Seo sisters did not care about their defense at all and moved solely for offensive purposes.

[You have used the Skill 「Shadow Fusion」.]

[You have used the Skill 「Shadow Fusion」.]

It was a Skill in which the Show Executioner (Left) and Shadow Executioner (Right) worked together to maximize their damage. Black mist rose from the bodies of the two Shadow Executioners, who were moving as fast as rays of light. The two leaped high into the sky, crossing over each other in an X formation. Their afterimages remained in mid-air.

Then, Jeong-Hyeon loudly called out his Skill.

“Body Slam!”

Jeong-Hyeon rushed toward the Specter.

The moment Shadow Fusion was used, there was a sign of aggro being diverted, and that was when Jeong-Hyeon intervened.

Boom!

Jeong-Hyeon collided with the monster and crashed violently, making a loud noise, and took four bullet hits. Thanks to him, Ji-Ah and Ji-Soo perfectly executed their Fusion Skill. A mark in the shape of an X seemed to be carved on the power cord, and then it was swiftly cut.

“Unnie! We did it!”

Ji-Ah gave a short nod. It was a high-level monster of Level 62, but they managed to hunt it down easier than expected.

[You have defeated 「Muddled Specter」.]

Ji-Ah blankly watched the falling body of the Muddled Specter.

“...Now I understand,” Ji-Ah said.

“What do you mean?”

“What Jin-Hyeok said.”

Ji-Ah seemed to have received quite a shock on her own.

“He was right.”

“Right about what?”

“We…”

Ji-Ah bit her lip and looked down at the ground. The fact that they defeated a Level 62 monster so easily was not very satisfying.

“We shouldn’t have lost to them…”

Having Played alongside Jin-Hyeok, she felt she now understood. If they had moved as efficiently as Jin-Hyeok had suggested, she felt like they would not have lost to the Silver Spoon Alliance. It felt like she had only used half of her actual power when battling the Alliance.

And it was not just Ji-Ah who felt this way.

Everyone from the party felt a similar emotion.

Especially Jae-Hyeon.

He looked at Jin-Hyeok with trembling eyes.

‘This is the Play we can achieve,’ Jae-Hyeon thought.

The difference between having Jin-Hyeok and not having him in a fight was too vast. Jae-Hyeon stared blankly at Jin-Hyeok and muttered, “You told me that it’s not a Play if one doesn’t get hurt…”

Jin-Hyeok was not harmed at all. Though he had sustained a minor injury earlier from a bullet graze, he had already recovered.

Upon hearing that, Jin-Hyeok scowled.

“I’m a Streamer, after all.”

Witnessing that audacious demeanor, Jae-Hyeon realized a new truth.

“It’s not a Play if one doesn’t get hurt, but if one transcends to a higher level, one can avoid getting hurt… And you’re physically demonstrating that to me now,” Jae-Hyeon said to Jin-Hyeok.

Jae-Hyeon felt like he had just witnessed firsthand a Play beyond this world.

Today, Jae-Hyeon, who broke through his potential, couldn’t take his eyes off of Jin-Hyeok.

‘Maybe I could…’

Somewhere deep within Jae-Hyeon\'s heart, the desire to become stronger began to sprout.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Jin-Hyeok felt proud in many ways.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have reached Level 63.]

‘I leveled up already?’

“It seems like the monster gave a lot of experience points instead of any significant rewards.”

After all, today was a day for his hobby, and having leveled up, nothing felt wrong. It seemed the party members had gained some insights, minor or major.

‘Our Play was pretty perfect too.’

There were some disappointing points, but this level of performance was quite satisfactory to him. The party members utilized their full abilities in the fight.

‘This is why I Play as a Ruler—no, as a Streamer… Whew, that was dangerous.’

Lately, Jin-Hyeok had been feeling restless. Swinging a sword went without saying, Playing the role of a Ruler was fun, and Streaming was also way too enjoyable. It was hard enough to achieve greatness in one field, and he kept wanting to dip his toes in various classes. He knew if he continued like this, he would end up accomplishing nothing.

‘But I’m only going to Play up to Level 150, so does it really matter?’

Upon reflection, trying various things did not seem like an issue.

Anyway, Jin-Hyeok returned home in a pretty satisfied state. There were a few things to sort out.

‘In the past life, Jeong-Hyeon killed Choi Jae-Gyeom.’

Jin-Hyeok remembered getting entangled in a very tiresome matter because of that. JG was the grandson of the leading domestic conglomerate, the Shinil Group.

‘If I remember correctly, the Chairman of the Shinil Group said something along the lines that it can’t be helped that his worthless grandson died, but whoever dared to harm his bloodline must bear responsibility…’

Jin-Hyeok was sure that this happened. After overcoming so many adversities and hardships, he ended up forgetting these minor incidents.

Bang! Bang!

Someone was banging on his door.

“Oppa! Oppa! Look at this! This is big news!”

Jin-Sol rushed into his room with her phone. The content was roughly what Jin-Hyeok had anticipated. The head of the Shinil Group publicly announced something.

“He promised to bring to justice the one who murdered his grandson. If the law can’t help him, he said he will personally deliver justice. He doesn’t care about the means. Did we just get ourselves into a big mess?” Jin-Sol said.

“Hm…”

Judging from Jin-Hyeok’s vague memory, it seemed his party easily overcame this crisis(?) before the regression. It probably was not a significant incident. The only difference was that back then, he had support at the national level or from the System led by Maria, which he didn’t have now.

“Are you scared?”

“No, it’s getting interesting~,” Jin-Sol said in a cute voice.

“Get lost.”

‘Ah, it’s not like I can hit her for real.’

Jin-Hyeok organized his thoughts after shooing Jin-Sol away.

‘This is something we have to face sooner or later.’

If the opponent is the Shinil Group, it couldn’t be better. During the transitional period of the stages, Jin-Hyeok’s party had to fight countless Players. After suppressing the Shinil Group, the number of those who would challenge them would decrease significantly.

‘It would be best to crush the Shinil Group overwhelmingly.’

While thinking, Jin-Hyeok recalled the Guardian Tree Dungeon.

‘Yes, that’s it. Speaking of which, isn’t the Guardian Tree Dungeon about to open?’

Within the Open Beta service, the Guardian Tree Dungeon was the most influential Dungeon. It was a Dungeon where the gate constantly changed, and it started somewhere in Yeonhui-dong when certain conditions were met.

‘It would be great if we could find it.’

It was one in the morning and Jin-Hyeok stepped outside.

‘What were the conditions for the Guardian Tree Dungeon to open? Were they ever disclosed?’

No matter how hard he tried to recall, nothing came to mind.

Suddenly, Jin-Hyeok sensed something peculiar.

The intuition he had acquired through countless experiences was warning him of danger.

[You have activated the Trait 「Broadcaster’s Barrier」.]

He felt a light impact near his head. Something had fallen to the ground.

‘Mana bullet?’

The mana bullet on the ground made a hissing sound and vanished. He had anticipated the Shinil Group making a move, but he didn’t expect it to be so fast.

‘A sniper…’

From what he could sense, it seemed like the sniper was highly skilled.

Jin-Hyeok took a deep breath.

‘It’s been a while.’

That feeling of being targeted by a skilled sniper. A sensation he had forgotten, being so accustomed to peace, felt like it was surging from the tip of his toes. From his feet, calves, knees, and up to the spine to the brain, this ominous yet electrifying sensation filled his body.

‘Ah, I really shouldn’t be feeling this way. Why am I feeling so excited?’