I Gave Up Being Stronger

“A relatively peaceful and democratic method. Tolerance and virtue shown by the winner, yet a thorough and firm warning. By seizing both practical and rational aspects of the situation, he had accomplished everything that could have been accomplished, and the public cheered. Flaming Fist’s party showed the best Play possible. Oh, Flaming First is just a short form for Flaming Fist of Cheongdam-dong.”

“...What are you doing?”

“It’s from a post written by someone called Encyclopedia on the Korean Region Minor Gallery. Apparently, they’re pretty famous. I didn’t know much about it, but what you did was no joke. What happened yesterday seems to have been a huge deal. The internet and TV networks are all in chaos. The trending keywords from rank one to ten are all related to us!”

Cha Jin-Hyeok shook his head dismissively.

He wondered why people were making such a fuss about something so trivial.

“The second round will be coming soon,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Second round?”

“I read Choi Ik-Hwan’s true intentions.”

At the moment when Seo Ji-Ah cut off his finger, Ik-Hwan had vowed revenge.

“Why? Is he going to take revenge on us?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“That’s obvious?”

“When you’ve been humiliated in front of so many people, you’re not human if you just accept what happened. He will seek revenge, of course.”

“Ah, I see.”

Jin-Hyeok spoke with a slightly serious expression, “This time, Ik-Hwan is going to study hard and prepare to take us down. It might be a little dangerous. Those Players were definitely not Level Grinders.”

Jin-Sol thought it was strange that her brother seemed a little excited.

‘But why do I feel a little excited too?’ Jin-Sol thought.

She denied the feeling.

‘No, it must be the feeling of my heart racing because I drank too much coffee earlier.’

Afterward, Jin-Hyeok went outside.

When he used Pure Luck, it wasn’t just an Achievement that popped up. He had clearly felt something else. It was a feeling similar to when lightning struck in Hongje-dong. He felt he would have to go and investigate to know for sure.

‘I have a really good feeling about this.’

After changing his appearance and Player name to Boiling Comradeship, he began to walk down the alleys of Yeonhui-dong, heading toward the place where he fought with Shin So-Ryong yesterday.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Even though Jin-Hyeok changed his appearance to a mysterious Swordsman, Boiling Comradeship, and not Streamer Kim Chul-Soo, he still continued to speak as if he was livestreaming. He lived as though he was livestreaming every moment, and acted like he was livestreaming although he didn’t turn it on—Jin-Hyeok thought this was a given for a Streamer.

“This is the spot where Shin So-Ryong died yesterday.”

However, something was slightly off.

“But there is a Tombstone erected here.”

[Tombstone that Consumes Achievement]

“There is an option to see the detailed description. Let’s open it.”

[An Achievement will show a new path. The opportunity given to you is only once.

Consumed Achievement (_____)

Remaining time: 16:44:21]

Soon, a notification popped up.

[Please select the Achievement to be consumed.]

“I see! It seems like a setting that requires offering an Achievement as a sacrifice.”

Jin-Hyeok had never seen anything like this before. The remaining time was sixteen hours. Judging by the description, he only had one chance to do this.

“I’m not sure which Achievement to offer.”

Jin-Hyeok first tried to use the Pure Luck Mystery, but it failed.

‘Ah, damn it!’

A Mystery did not have a precise cooldown like a Skill, but there was nothing as unstable as a Mystery.

‘I guess I can’t use the Mystery.’

Jin-Hyeok tried to find clues using Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance and Exclusive In-Depth Interview, but he could not find any hints.

‘But I’m in Yeonhui-dong!’

In Yeonhui-dong, Jin-Hyeok’s stats significantly increased. Despite that, he could not figure it out.

‘Ah, this is hurting my pride. No, wait, I shouldn’t think like that.’

Finding such clues was the Navigator’s domain, so there was no reason for him to feel like this. By changing his attitude, his mind became much more at ease.

‘Do I need to bring in a competent Navigator to figure this out?’

Han Sae-Rin was busy, so he wondered if he should call Mole Man.

While he was contemplating a bit, his phone started to ring.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Ding!

‘Someone sent me a video.’

The sender was Jang Michelle (MoneyShot).

[I thought it would be fun if you knew, so I’m sending you this video. Hope you find what you’re looking for.]

There were four people present in the video—Choi Gap-Soo; Jang Michelle; Seodaemun-gu GM, Kihael; and Gangnam-gu GM, Omur.

They were having various conversations, talking about the incident that occurred yesterday. Gap-Soo and Michelle looked quite amused, while Kihael and Omur seemed somewhat serious.

“So? What’s this Tombstone about?” Gap-Soo asked.

“Well… It’s a bit… difficult to explain…”

After some hesitation, Kihael and Omur finally spoke. The background and conditions of how the Tombstone came into existence were quite intriguing. It was partly related to the 4th Seoul Scenario, The Revered One. To be more precise, it was connected to the defenders, who could be considered the enemies of The Revered One, the attacker.

In other words, it was a Tombstone related to the heroes protecting the Server.

“So the Scenario got tangled up when Earth-born Kim Chul-Soo consumed the rewards meant for the attacker, and the entire system of the Scenario was reversed. That’s what you’re saying?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

Originally, this Tombstone was an item related to the defenders. However, because of Jin-Hyeok, everything began to reverse. Things intended for the attackers, or invaders, went to the defenders, and vice versa.

Omur said in the video,

⌜To properly activate the Tombstone, you must possess Achievements related to the attacker, like Achievements related to being a Slayer of some sort.⌟

“Is that all?”

“Subsequent Achievements or Traits related to desperate survival were designed to be required, but we don’t know anything more specific.”

The video ended there. Jin-Hyeok immediately sent a reply.

[Thanks for the video. I’ll put it to good use. I’ll repay you with great content.]

Michelle had sent a smiling emoticon as a reply.

‘An Achievement related to Slayer?’

Jin-Hyeok stood in front of the Tombstone.

[Please select the Achievement to be consumed.]

[You have selected the Achievement 「Blood-Soaked Slayer」.]

It wasn’t an Achievement he liked anyway, so it worked out.

[The 「Tombstone that Consumes Achievements」 has devoured your Achievement.]

A green mana line spewed forth from Jin-Hyeok, then transformed into a symbol that contained mana. The Tombstone began to grow. A red mouth appeared, stretching sideways, and then swallowed the mana symbol.

Gulp.

The Tombstone trembled, and a gate appeared where the mouth had been.

[Do you wish to enter the Dungeon 「Guardian Tree」?]

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

It had been a while since Jin-Hyeok had seen such a radiant and warm Dungeon.

“The sun shines down on an open field. There, in the distance, stands a towering tree, glowing golden.”

A refreshing breeze gently rustled. Reeds as tall as a person brushed against each other, creating a pleasant friction sound. Far away, a tree emanated a majestic presence.

‘That’s the Guardian Tree.’

It was a giant golden tree. Its hundreds of branches stretched out in all directions, with lush leaves. What was peculiar was that the trunk and stems were made of gold.

‘It’s different from what I remember.’

The Guardian Tree that he had experienced was grand and majestic, but it did not gleam with a golden light.

As he approached, he could even read its name with his skill.

[Golden Guardian Tree]

It was much larger up close than it appeared from a distance. It was the first time he had seen a tree so big since his regression.

“There is a gate in the central part of the tree trunk.”

About ten meters up the tree, there was a gate.

“I believe that is the exit.”

An exit was already in place, and no dangerous monsters were in sight. Unlike typical Dungeons, the atmosphere here was utterly peaceful and warm.

‘Usually, a place like this is dangerous.’

However, no matter how much he looked, he could not find any danger.

“I will climb toward the exit for now.”

Under normal circumstances, he could\'ve just cut notches in the tree with his dagger and then used the notches to climb up. However, this tree was too hard. He could not cut the tree with his dagger.

Thus, Jin-Hyeok purchased a rope and a Whirling Arrow from the Broadcaster’s Shop. The Whirling Arrow was not a remarkable item. By attaching the rope to the Whirling Arrow, it would then wrap around tree branches with a rotational force. It was a basic item available to anyone over Level 20.

“I will shoot the Whirling Arrow and hang the rope on one of the branches.”

Jin-Hyeok thought it would not be easy since he had never tried it before, but he succeeded in one go.

“I guess I’m lucky.”

He pulled the rope tight, secured it, and began to climb.

[You cannot exit the Dungeon.]

[A fruit from the Golden Guardian Tree is needed.]

“It seems I need to pick a fruit to leave.”

He continued to climb higher on the rope.

The Guardian Tree was incredibly tall. Regardless, he climbed and perched on a branch where he spotted a fruit that glowed gold.

“It looks like a bowling ball made of gold.”

He reached out to grab it, then hesitated.

“It’s clearly a venerable treasure, don’t you think?”

If Jin-Hyeok was right, taking this outside and planting it would grow a Guardian Tree. The existence of the Guardian Tree made Yeonhui-dong the most expensive neighborhood in Korea. It was that of a tremendous treasure.

‘Normally, when you touch something like this, a guard appears to protect it.’

Jin-Hyeok looked around. The surroundings were still excessively peaceful and beautiful.

‘That means the guard will definitely appear.’

Jin-Hyeok could slowly begin to see what was going on.

‘And the exit is placed right in front of me.’

This was very ominous. Moreover, the condition for leaving the Dungeon was acquiring the fruit, which was an extremely simple and easy condition. If the condition was this easy, it meant that the guard had to be outrageously strong.

‘But if there is a guard strong enough to protect this… what kind of creature will it be?’

Even the old and crazy Cha Jin-Hyeok from before the regression would not have been entirely happy with this situation. Of course, he was obsessed with becoming stronger, but he had his own rules and limits. He had always clenched his teeth and challenged anything with a 0.0001% chance, but he had boldly given up on things with a zero percent chance.

‘This seems like a total no-win situation.’

The best option would be to pick the fruit of the Guardian Tree and then immediately hurl himself toward the exit to escape. Jin-Hyeok ran the simulation in his head several times, but due to the branches blocking his way, it seemed it wouldn’t be easy.

‘I’ll try running at full speed.’

However, he would probably fail.

So, in the end, it meant he would have to face the guard that would inevitably appear.

‘Winning through battle won’t be the answer.’

A Guardian Tree had grown in Yeonhui-dong before regression. Jin-Hyeok was not sure who brought the fruit of the Guardian Tree, but that time was not too far from the current timeline. No Player from that era could defeat the guard that was going to appear.

‘I’m sure the guard is somewhat an intellectual being. Mere fighting won’t be the solution.’

Sigh.

He felt tense for the first time in a while. Still, he couldn’t find the answer. He boldly gave up on what had a zero percent chance, but when there was no way to avoid it, confronting it quickly was the more comfortable way.

[You have harvested the fruit of the Golden Guardian Tree.]

‘Now, I just need to run—’

Suddenly, he felt a chilling sensation.

[This attack qualifies as an instant death attack.]

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

Jin-Hyeok didn’t even know what flew toward him, but somehow the Reflection +1 was applied. He didn’t fully understand, but it meant something had struck him that could kill him in one blow.

‘Huh?’

But he could feel it. Despite the Reflection effect, his opponent was unharmed. An invisible, tremendous pressure was felt on the wind.

‘Someone blocked the effect of the Berklev Necklace.’

It was clear that his current Level was no match for his opponent. He couldn’t see where or what was coming at him.

[This attack qualifies as an instant death attack.]

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

[This attack qualifies as an instant death attack.]

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

After being attacked so many times, he roughly understood what kind of attack it was. A barrage of light, composed of pure light, pierced his body.

‘This is hopeless.’

The attack was so fierce that he could not even take a step forward. In other words, spears of light continuously pierced through him.

In the end, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The rope was also cut.

‘Ah…’

[This attack qualifies as an instant death attack.]

Ultimately, Berklev Necklace failed to apply the Reflection +1 effect. It was understandable since the effect was only eighty percent probability, not one hundred percent.

‘This feels rather unfair.’

He was not upset about dying because he was weak. That was part of Playing. If a Player was weak, it was only natural to die. However, it felt a bit unjust to die when he was just beginning to discover new hobbies.

‘But that opponent is really strong, I’m not gonna lie.’

Regardless of the unfairness, the enemy’s attack was strong enough to kill him instantly.

[The Trait 「Extra Life」 has been applied.]

When Ji-Cheok opened his eyes again, someone was looking down at him.

‘Holy shit!’

Jin-Hyeok knew who this person was.