I Gave Up Being Stronger

Around Level 200, Jin-Hyeok thoroughly enjoyed the thrill and tension. Memories of fighting skilled Assassins and honing his combat senses came to mind. He was happy that he was able to fight another skilled Assassin, but those feelings were instantly gone when Shin So-Ryong said that this was the end.

[Shin So-Ryong activated the Skill 「Soaring Dragon」.]

With Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, Jin-Hyeok could see what she was about to do, what Skill she was using, and how mana was used on the Skill. Jin-Hyeok even saw where she was aiming.

‘She’s aiming for my philtrum?’

Anyone who had fought knew that the philtrum was a difficult spot to hit. It was also hard to kill a person by striking there. This was something anyone could learn from watching the news. People often heard of deaths from blunt force to the head, but rarely from a hit to the philtrum.

Yet, So-Ryong was targeting this difficult spot.

‘This isn’t good.’

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

Jin-Hyeok slightly slowed her speed. Meanwhile, he deactivated all Achievement effects and exposed the back of his head.

‘If you’re going to hit me, hit me here.’

Having taken many blows from So-Ryong’s fist, Jin-Hyeok could feel instinctively that a hit to the back of the head would be instant death. Just in case, Jin-Hyeok took precautions. Though the timing was difficult, if this worked, it would have a great effect.

[You have activated the Mystery 「Pure Luck」.]

Thwack!

A strong impact resonated on the back of his head. Subconsciously, he smiled a sly grin.

‘Perfect timing.’

[This attack qualifies as an instant death attack.]

[The effect 「Reflection +1」 has been applied.]

The Berklev Necklace did not betray him.

“ARGH!”

The attack that qualified as an instant death attack was reflected back to So-Ryong. Along with a brief scream, she fell to the ground. A pretty nasty injury was left on the back of her head. It felt excessively brutal, so Jin-Hyeok quickly blurred out her face.

“Thanks to the Berklev Necklace, I barely survived.”

‘Huh? But what is that?’

Something was floating above So-Ryong’s body. It had a mana pattern, similar to a Mystery, but it felt different from Mysteries. As Jin-Hyeok was about to touch it, the mana pattern swirled around and became a scroll.

“Let’s see what this is.”

[Achievement 「108 Combo Strikes of the Soaring Dragon」.]

The name sounded impressive.

‘An Achievement popped out?’

Jin-Hyeok had heard that Achievements could be dropped as a reward, but seeing one with his own eyes was a first. As far as he knew, only top-ranked Thieves, especially those above Level 200, could do this.

[You have acquired the Achievement 「108 Combo Strikes of the Soaring Dragon」.]

Moreover, it was in a scroll form. This meant that it could be transferred to other Players.

‘Wait, this is Kim Jeong-Hyeon’s!’

Jeong-Hyeon had used something similar like this before Jin-Hyeok’s regression, and Jeong-Hyeon’s application of it had been nothing short of brilliant.

‘Ah, I miss the Kim Jeong-Hyeon of that time.’

“I’m quite lucky. Oh, but the sniper is escaping. I’m going to chase him.”

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

Jin-Hyeok slowed down the Assassin’s movement and quickly closed the gap.

[#How? #Why is the Streamer so fast?]

He seemed to be utterly shocked that Jin-Hyeok was catching up. On the other hand, Jin-Hyeok couldn’t believe the sniper was stunned by something so simple. It was frustrating for Jin-Hyeok. Running alongside him at the same speed, Jin-Hyeok asked, “A quick interview, if you don’t mind?”

“I-Interview?”

Fortunately, the sniper was not as dumb as Jin-Hyeok thought. Perhaps realizing that escape was futile, he gave up on running away.

“Alright, you can sit here,” Jin-Hyeok said.

As a well-prepared Streamer, he always carried a small chair in his inventory. Steel Sniper sat down, looking quite tense.

“First off, I’m assuming you guys are Players who have gone through harsh training, with quite impressive skills. So tell me, who are you?”

“...”

“Why hide it? I even received a call from the Chairman of the Shinil Group. Shall I explain on your behalf? This person is one of the leaders of the Milky Way Alliance, affiliated with the Shinil Group. His name is Steel Sniper, one of the Pentagram. Am I right?”

Steel Sniper’s eyes wavered greatly.

[#Who is this guy? #How much does he know?]

“But I am really disappointed. I understand that you guys are different from the Level Grinders. It’s not just about having high Levels, but you’ve undergone rigorous training too, haven’t you?”

“...”

“But why didn’t you study me before you attacked me?”

‘If you were going to ambush me, you should have done it right. You should’ve attacked me with all you got.’

It just didn’t make sense no matter how Jin-Hyeok thought about it.

“I already showed the Berklev Necklace through my previous livestreams.”

“...”

“And I showed you how I use Broadcaster’s Barrier. I even revealed Time-Lapse Recording!”

Talking about it made Jin-Hyeok raise his voice in anger.

‘I shouldn’t be like this.’

Jin-Hyeok was conducting an interview as a Streamer, so he had to regain his composure.

“I’ve also revealed that I become much stronger once I surpass Level 60. And not only that, thanks to the effect of my Achievements, all my abilities are greatly enhanced in the vicinity of Yeonhui-dong… I revealed everything.”

“...”

“You should have prepared strategies accordingly. Can you call yourself an Assassin if you rely solely on your sniping ability, without any information about your opponent?”

Jin-Hyeok was really furious. It seemed Steel Sniper had to reflect on his actions a lot.

However, looking at his attitude, a proper interview seemed difficult. Jin-Hyeok thought about binding him with handcuffs and ropes but just left him alone. He seemed so weak that Jin-Hyeok thought it would be fine just to take him without any binds.

“For now, I am going to take him to my house.”

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

It was three in the morning and Cha Jin-Sol stood at the front door, continuously biting her nails.

“Please come back soon… Please…”

Although she was watching the livestream, she could not help but worry. Soon, the front door opened. Worried that her sleeping parents might wake up, Jin-Sol spoke in a hushed tone, “Oppa! Are you okay? You’re fine, right? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“What are you doing up so late?”

“How could I sleep? You were ambushed!”

“Ah, so you watched my livestream too?”

Jin-Hyeok shrugged his shoulders.

‘Of course. Since she was my avid viewer, Babyshark, it wouldn’t be strange for her to keep watching my livestream.’

With that thought, Jin-Hyeok walked toward the living room.

“Did you really bring that person here?”

Jin-Sol couldn’t understand her brother’s actions.

“He’s the one who was trying to kill you! Why are you keeping him alive?”

“You say such cruel things so nonchalantly, Jin-Sol.”

“T-That’s…!”

“I’m praising you for talking like an actual Player.”

Her face turned slightly red.

“But Oppa, shouldn’t we hide somewhere for a while?”

“Hide? Why?”

“You said the Shinil Group is targeting us. We should at least hide for the time being.”

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head.

“You too?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Even you can’t think of this?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Jin-Hyeok sighed.

“It’s really strange. Why does everyone think only they can send Assassins? If they can send Assassins, it’s only natural that we can send them too.”

Soon after, Jin-Hyeok’s phone began to ring. It was Seo Ji-Ah.

—Mission, success.

Jin-Hyeok could also hear Seo Ji-Soo’s voice.

—We captured this bastard, Choi Ik-Hwan!

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Chills ran down Kang Mi-Na’s back.

‘I never thought I would be broadcasting something like this in my lifetime!’ Mi-Na thought.

She never expected to be broadcasting the live capture of Choi Ik-Hwan, the reigning chaebol of South Korea.

‘And they actually managed to kidnap him?’

Science and technology failed to cause any harm to Ji-Ah and Ji-Soo. They had really captured Ik-Hwan as a hostage, and the scene was vividly conveyed.

“But, why are you here?”

Bong King of BonjourTV, the current top-ranked Streamer, also joined in. He was twenty-eight years old. He was a bit chubby, but to the eye, a very ordinary man. He began livestreaming the situation to the viewers with witty commentary.

“You didn’t sign an exclusive contract, did you? Anyone can stream it.”

Not only him, but reporters started to flood in. The Chairman’s office was filled with people.

It was four in the morning and South Korea was experiencing its noisiest dawn.

Jin-Hyeok’s party members, including Jin-Hyeok himself, arrived one after another. Jin-Hyeok walked toward Ik-Hwan, feeling a pleasant thrill.

‘Ah, the sweet smell of amazing content.’

“Why did you only think of sending gifts and not receiving them? Jin-Hyeok asked Ik-Hwan.

“I acknowledge my defeat.”

“Wow, you admit it so candidly.”

“I didn’t understand the ecosystem of the Players well enough.”

Even with Ji-Ah’s blade at his throat, Ik-Hwan did not seem particularly afraid. Jin-Hyeok liked that spirit.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t have made such a careless mistake,” Ik-Hwan said.

“I suppose so. Even I thought it was too sloppy.”

“What do you want?”

“Well, right now, I’m considering whether to kill you or not.”

The reporters seemed uneasy when Jin-Hyeok said that, murmuring in disbelief, wondering if Jin-Hyeok would really kill Ik-Hwan.

Jin-Hyeok stroked his chin, as if in deep thought.

‘If it were the old days, I would have definitely killed him.’

If it had been Jin-Hyeok, the Sword King, he would have done so. However, now he was no longer the Sword King. Although his swordsmanship might be lacking compared to the days before regression, he now saw a broader picture and thought more profoundly.

‘I’m a Streamer now.’

A streamer had to be able to capture the hearts of the public. Only then could they succeed as a Streamer. Jin-Hyeok’s experience with Diplomacy, which was a Skill of a Ruler, had also been a great help. There was a significant difference between something he had experienced, even a little, and something he had not.

‘If I kill him now, it would work as a warning, but it would also instill fear in the public.’

Even without using the Diplomacy Skill, many factors flitted through his mind.

“I will forgive you this time,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...Forgive me?”

“Of course, it’s not for free. Compensation of ten billion won. Quite cheap for the price of your life, isn’t it?”

Ik-Hwan nodded.

“Okay.”

“And since you tried to take my head, I suppose I am going to have to cut a finger off of each of the Pentagram.”

“...”

“I won’t stop you from treating them. Actually, we’ll take care of the treatment. There won’t be any aftereffects, though the pain will be excruciating.”

“Do you really have to go that far?”

“I’m sparing your life instead of killing you.”

This footage was being broadcasted live. It was a warning to other Players, a warning not to mess with Jin-Hyeok’s party.

“Ji-Ah, you do it,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Ji-Ah nodded.

The reporters were highly tense.

“Are they really going to chop the fingers off?”

“Nah, they must be just scaring them.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

In the end, Cha Jin-Hyeok’s party did cut off the index fingers of Ik-Hwan and all the members of the Pentagram.

“He really did it..!”

“He’s crazy!”

A few reporters even screamed. The sight caused significant chaos as it was the first time they had witnessed such a scene. Jin-Sol immediately used a healing spell to reattach the fingers, unintentionally showcasing her overwhelming healing ability.

Jin-Hyeok shrugged his shoulders.

“We’ll let it slide this time since it’s your first offense.”

The reporters seemed afraid. Jin-Hyeok smiled.

‘The reporters of this era still seem to have an innocent side.’

In the future, reporters would not even blink an eye at something as minor as fingers being chopped off.

“Next, our party leader, Flaming Fist of Cheongdam-dong, will speak.”

‘...Huh?’ Kim Jeong-Hyeon thought.

He nearly tilted his head out of confusion.

‘When did I become the leader?’

Jeong-Hyeon wasn’t sure, at that moment, a note had been placed in his hand. It was a note that Ji-Soo had given him in the midst of the confusion.

[Just warn them threateningly. You seem to be the strongest in the eyes of the people.]

Jin-Hyeok smiled slyly. Not long ago, the fact that Jeong-Hyeon appeared to be the strongest had hurt his pride. But now it was different. As time passed, Jin-Hyeok realized this was a good thing. It was good for hyping up his Eltube channel and various other production aspects.

Jin-Hyeok felt that he had grown again as a Streamer.

Jeong-Hyeon spoke to the camera, “If there is another attack… we will annihilate… all of you… There will be… only one warning…”

Jeong-Hyeon’s face was stiff as he spoke words that did not match his usual temperament, but outwardly, he looked incredibly grim and dangerous.

Visually, he fulfilled everything Jin-Hyeok wanted.

The tumultuous dawn passed, and Sunday morning dawned upon them.