I Gave Up Being Stronger

[Breaking! Live reveal! Kim Chul-Soo unveils the ultimate defensive-type Mystery 「Phantom Swordswoman」!]

“What exactly is this so-called ultimate defensive-type Mystery, the Phantom Swordswoman?”

Utilizing one of the special skills exclusive to Streamers, Yu-Mi activated Stream Delay. This Skill deliberately slowed down the livestream feed of the contracted Streamer. It gave viewers a moment to freely discuss their thoughts about the defensive Mystery—Phantom Swordswoman.

⌜Now, I am going to show you the ultimate defensive-type Mystery, the Phantom Swordswoman!⌟

Then, on screen, Chul-Soo activated the Phantom Swordswoman. The outcome was strikingly different from what people had expected.

-SquareCloud: ??? Defensive Mystery?

-BusterCall: ?????

Suddenly, a ghostly figure of a woman appeared on the screen and swiftly flew off somewhere.

-SummerInBlack: What was that?

-DoDoDoDong: Why is that woman so pretty?

-IAmCalm: She’s so pretty even with her face covered!

The Phantom Swordswoman that had revealed herself abruptly assaulted Kwak Do-Hyeong, the Assassin that was lurking. Unable to put up much resistance, he perished.

[Octabucks has donated 10,000 Dias.]

[Octabucks: That long-range defensive Mystery is specialized in counterattacking. It may look like an offensive Mystery, but it’s a defensive-type. Trust me.]

The chat window that was filled with question marks erupted into a cascade of LOLs.

-BusterCall: LOL LOL! A long-range defensive Mystery specialized in counterattacks. Totally legit! LOL

-Iboo: LOL. That’s a defensive Mystery? Hahaha!

-AngelinaJelly: IntenseMan’s defensive Mystery LOL. That’s new.

After killing Do-Hyeong, the Phantom Swordswoman dissipated like smoke.

Soon after, Do-Hyeong rose to his feet once more.

‘I never heard anything about long-range attack capabilities…’ Do-Hyeong thought.

A chill ran down his spine. Do-Hyeong had prided himself on thoroughly researching Kim Chul-Soo. He thought he had a comprehensive understanding of Chul-Soo Skills, but evidently, there were many secrets yet to be revealed.

“...Kim Chul-Soo?” Do-Hyeong said.

“His Level is 59. And his Player name is Viper.[1] He is the leader of the Black Thorn Alliance and the Assassin who is trying to kill me. Fortunately, I’ve successfully defended his attack. It could have been dangerous without my long-range defensive Mystery,” Chul-Soo calmly explained to his viewers.

And his viewers happened to include Yu-Mi, who had been livestreaming the event on her own livestream channel, KimKnowItAllTV.

"It seems like IntenseMan made a mistake. He should’ve been more intense, but he got too excited about showcasing his new Mystery and messed up. That was not very intense at all," Yu-Mi seamlessly chimed in, trying to create another trend for Chul-Soo.“

[*Feel free to leave your comments. *Excessive attacks/profanity may be deleted without notice. * Please refrain from political/hate speech. *Excessive hate comments may lead to being blacklisted.]

[ IAmIntense: He got so excited showing off his mystery, that he forgot about the concept he was going for.]

┗An unintense IntenseMan. LOL

┗LOL! Let’s pretend we didn’t notice.

┗People make mistakes. Haha.

┗Just say it was intense! LOL

┗The most intense battle I’ve ever seen. Haha!

Yu-Mi grinned as she watched the viewers freely share their opinions, laughing and chatting.

‘Mysteries aren’t even that familiar to the general public…’ Yu-Mi thought.

Thanks to IntenseMan, the only one who thought he was intense, the viewers were very easily and comfortably accepting the concept of Mysteries.

‘This is the power of Kim Chul-Soo’s content!’

She subtly inserted a few pieces of information.

“As far as I know, Mysteries have human-like traits. The same Mystery can behave differently depending on who wields it. There is compatibility between the caster and the Mystery, and certain conditions make one handle the Mystery well. The fact that Kim Chul-Soo killed a top-ranked Assassin in one go shows that he has perfect synergy with the ultimate defensive Mystery.”

Yu-Mi naturally continued to glorify Chul-Soo, and the viewers of KimKnowItAllTV collectively chose to turn a blind eye to his mistake. Consequently, the assassination attempt by the Black Thorn Alliance was recorded as an event that had put Kim Chul-Soo in great jeopardy.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Kim Doo-Hwan clenched his teeth. It seemed his ego was severely bruised, as all his attacks had been futile.

“At least there was some romance to your attacks," Cha Jin-Hyeok offered what he considered to be a sincere consolation.

Doo-Hwan’s attacks carried a flair that went beyond mere functionality. That alone earned Jin-Hyeok’s respect.

“...Are you mocking me?” Doo-Hwan asked.

“I’m being serious.”

‘Why is he getting mad at my compliment? Is he trying to be modest?’

[...#Deep sense of defeat. #Helplessness. #Insurmountable wall.]

‘No, he is genuinely frustrated. But he doesn’t need to feel defeated just for losing to me. Would a soccer player feel defeated for losing at basketball to a basketball player?’

Jin-Hyeok left Doo-Hwan, who was drowning in his self-loathing, alone and instead approached the corpse of Viper—Kwak Do-Hyeong.

“He’s dead but not really dead,” Jin-Hyeok said.

He saw Do-Hyeong’s finger twitch.

“It seems like he’s under some kind of resurrection setting. I will investigate thoroughly with my Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance. I will use the Exclusive In-Depth Interview as well.”

Jin-Hyeok already knew a lot about Do-Hyeong\'s abilities, but Jin-Hyeok acted as if he were seeing them for the first time. Jin-Hyeok was proud that his acting skills had reached a considerable level, even nailing the act of being surprised.

“My goodness! He has an incredible Trait called Seven Captures Seven Releases!”

Just like the name, it literally meant being captured seven times and being released seven times. However, Do-Hyeong’s Trait had a more specific nuance.

“Viper can attempt assassination up to seven times on a single target. Once a target is designated for assassination, he can even come back to life if he gets killed by the target. What a powerful Trait.”

“...Enough…”

Do-Hyeong struggled to his feet. Jin-Hyeok didn’t quite catch what he meant by “enough." People could be so cunning. Jin-Hyeok knew he shouldn’t rely on Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, but he could not help it.

[...#That’s my Achilles\' Heel. #Shut up. #Cruel bastard.]

Come to think of it, the reveal of Do-Hyeong\'s Trait would have been far in the future. Perhaps Jin-Hyeok revealed it too soon, but it wasn’t his fault. Doo-Hyeong was playing his role as an Assassin, and Jin-Hyeok was just doing his job as a Streamer.

“I’m just Playing my role as a Streamer, you know,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“As a Streamer?”

[...#A Streamer? #Are all Streamers this strong? #How did I get one shot by a Streamer?]

Do-Hyeong looked highly aggrieved. However, he soon hid his expression and spoke to Jin-Hyeok, “I have a favor to ask.”

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

“But I didn’t even tell you what it is.”

“You wanted to ask if you could get six more chances, right?”

Seven Captures Seven Releases was not just about reviving seven times. It also provided seven chances to assassinate the designated target, but if all attempts failed, Do-Hyeong had to devote loyalty to that target as a penalty.

‘Kwak Do-Hyeong, I choose you.’

In Jin-Hyeok’s previous life, Do-Hyeong had targeted Lee Hyeong-Seong for assassination, not Jin-Hyeok, denting Jin-Hyeok’s pride. Jin-Hyeok always wondered why Do-Hyeong chose Hyeon-Seong over him, who was clearly superior.

When Jin-Hyeok held an overwhelming number one rank in the swordsman class, what made him angry was the constant teasing from Hyeon-Seong that Jin-Hyeok didn’t have any loyal subordinates.

“So, do you have any subordinates?” Hyeon-Seong would always ask.

Truth be told, Jin-Hyeok didn’t. He had surpassed Hyeon-Seong in all aspects, except for having subordinates.

“Ever heard of Viper of Seven Captures Seven Releases?”

That was almost the only moment when Jin-Hyeok felt defeated by Hyeon-Seong. Once Hyeon-Seong had Do-Hyeong as his subordinate, Hyeon-Seong ruled as the honorary alliance leader of the Black Thorn Alliance led by Do-Hyeong.

‘The Black Thorn Alliance will eventually emerge as an Assassin Alliance vying for top status in Korea, or even globally,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Since Jin-Hyeok needed to create his own faction, this could be a huge benefit for him. Seeing that Jin-Hyeok seemed to know a lot about Seven Captures Seven Releases, Do-Hyeong bit his lip.

“...How much do you know?”

Jin-Hyeok tapped the corner of his eye.

“Streamers know everything.”

Then, two months passed.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

In the span of two months, Jin-Hyeok had focused on leveling up in Solo Mode while gathering information about the Queen Ant.

‘The Queen Ant has disappeared from sight.’

She was undoubtedly hiding somewhere, preparing for something. All he could do at the moment was to level up in preparation for when the Queen Ant would reappear. Though sporadic ambushes from Viper had occurred, Jin-Hyeok managed to deftly evade them, showcasing his performance skills befitting a Streamer. To the eyes of the viewers, it would seem as though he barely survived those assassination attempts.

‘I’ve reached Level 90.’

For context, Jin-Hyeok was three Levels higher than Egan Paul, who kept mentioning and provoking him. Jin-Hyeok didn’t know why Egan kept getting cocky when Egan\'s Level was lower than Jin-Hyeok\'s.

‘Today marks Kwak Do-Hyeong’s seventh defeat.’

It was late summer. On a stormy night, Viper—Kwak Do-Hyeong—suffered his seventh defeat against Cha Jin-Hyeok. Viper collapsed at Jin-Hyeok\'s feet, and Jin-Hyeok pointed his blade at Do-Hyeong’s neck.

“I win again,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Ridiculously, Do-Hyeong had failed in his attempt to assassinate Jin-Hyeok within Yeonhui-dong this time. Until now, he had tried to kill Jin-Hyeok outside of Yeonhui-dong, or by infiltrating Dungeons that Jin-Hyeok was about to enter. However, Jin-Hyeok thought this last attempt was admirable. Just as he had given his all during his battle against Doo-Hwan, perhaps Do-Hyeong had grown a semblance of respect for Jin-Hyeok during their seven encounters.

Thus, Do-Hyeong had to have done his best to attack Jin-Hyeok in Yeonhui-dong, where Jin-Hyeok could perform at his peak.

“Kill me,” Do-Hyeong said.

‘Hm? This is not what’s supposed to happen. With the seventh encounter of the Seven Captures Seven Releases concluded, he should be pledging loyalty to me.’

“Kill me, I said.”

“What if I don’t?”

“How much longer will you toy with me?”

Jin-Hyeok could not understand why Do-Hyeong was willing to pledge loyalty to Hyeon-Seong after defeat, but only demanded death from Jin-Hyeok.

[...#Overwhelming defeat. #Endless despair. #Insurmountable. #Ego broken by a monster.]

Jin-Hyeok had no idea how Do-Hyeong successfully led the Black Thorn Alliance in Jin-Hyeok\'s past life with this kind of mentality.

‘Was it all just a fluke? How did Hyeon-Seong win him over?’

Jin-Hyeok could not figure out the method. It had to have involved skillful coaxing. Jin-Hyeok sheathed his sword back into his inventory.

“Please just kill me.”

“Even if I want to, I can’t.”

“Stop mocking me!”

Jin-Hyeok never mocked him. He did want to finish the seven battles quickly, but he had made an earnest attempt to make those battles look challenging. And the online response from the Korean Region Minor Gallery had been electrifying. He had even earned the nickname IntenseMan, indicating his excellent performance.

‘So what mockery is this guy talking about?’

“This territory is under the domain of the Golden Guardian Tree, and I can’t kill people in here.”

“...”

“Didn’t you see that in one of my previous videos?”

“...”

Do-Hyeong, who had been lying on the ground, slowly dusted himself off and stood up.

“Let me ask again. You’re not keeping me alive just to mock and manipulate me, are you?”

“Is that what you want to hear? If you wish, I can do as you please.”

“...”

“As you already know, I am well aware of the Seven Captures Seven Releases. Why do you think I’ve kept you alive all this time?”

“...Why?”

“Because I want a competent subordinate.”

“...Competent? Me?”

“Yes.”

“Say that again.”

“Say what?”

“Say I’m competent again.”

“You’re competent.”

Do-Hyeong’s eyes widened. He looked as if he could not believe he was being praised.

“Hm.. How many Assassins in Korea are more outstanding than you?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“...”

Do-Hyeong’s eyes seemed to light up a little.

“The Seo sisters from my previous party even consider you as their role model.”

“...”

His gaze appeared to grow softer, almost twinkling.

“I never expected you to evaluate me as competent.”

“Well, not now, but you will be in the future.”

At those words, Do-Hyeong visibly flinched.

“I see. You value my potential.”

Sincerity resonated between them.

[The contract of the 「Seven Captures Seven Releases」 has been successfully established.]

[「Viper」 has sworn loyalty to 「Kim Chul-Soo」.]

In the end, Do-Hyeong pledged his loyalty to Jin-Hyeok, and Jin-Hyeok was able to bring the Black Thorn Alliance under his control. Preparing such a small(?) faction for the future did not seem like a bad choice at all.

‘Wait.’

However, an unexpected issue related to this arose, something Jin-Hyeok had not even considered.

1. From this chapter on, the author decided to just use Viper when referring to Magpie Viper. ☜