I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 111

The casualty count in America roughly reached one hundred thousand. As time passed, the Avengers Army and other American heroes began to effectively combat the Bug Tsunami. The United States became the first country to reduce daily casualties to the thousands.

China, too, successfully fended off the Bug Tsunami.

[Emerging from the Shadows, the People’s Force Revealed Themselves.]

Nurturing formidable Players at a national scale, China had been secretly forming a group known as the People’s Force. These heroes resisted the Bug Tsunami, strategically placing Players where they would be most effective, thus minimizing damage. Although they had the most Player casualties among the three major countries, civilian casualties were the lowest.

The current death toll in China stood at around seventy thousand.

[President Yuan Hao urged, “We shall all unite and wisely overcome this disaster.”]

President Yuan Hao’s approval ratings skyrocketed during this crisis. Despite some criticisms regarding the forced conscription and human rights abuse of Players, it was undeniable that China had managed to combat the Bug Tsunami effectively.

However, the story was different in Germany.

[A Divided EPU in the Face of Humanity’s Calamity.]

As soon as the Cataclysm had begun, Europe had hastily established the EPU, promising collaboration and unity among Players. Yet, due to tangled interests among its member states, Europe could not respond as swiftly as the U.S. or China. Germany’s Players were insufficient to effectively combat the Bug Tsunami. The casualty count in Europe had reached about 140,000, twice that of China. Eventually, they managed to establish a cooperative system and began to counter the Bug Tsunami.

The media coverage around the globe focused extensively on these three nations. ShutUpAndPlay, now retired, sighed as he scrolled through various news stories.

“Such nonsensical national pride disgusts me.”

Headlines flashed with absurd narratives, such as America astonished, Japan shocked, and so on. There were articles on how XXX nation, which once ignored South Korea, was not begging for help, Europe welcomed Korea with open arms, and so forth.

Normally, ShutUpAndPlay would block such titles immediately, but this time he hesitated. The video had been posted by none other than KimKnowItAllTV’s KingGodGeneral Yumi.

[Video Category: KingGodGeneralPatriotism]

[Undoubtedly the world’s strongest, the United States, enters the 1,000-casualty-per-day mark for the first time ever, and what are they begging South Korea for?]

ShutUpAndPlay stared blankly at the video. In the footage, the narration of KingGodGeneral Yumi continued.

?As if foreseeing all of this, Korea had made extensive preparations. With Waiting Wife as their leader, they formed the Phoenix Knight Brigade, made up of fire-elemental-class Players and even various Players with abilities that were efficient in dealing with bugs. All of them were in a temporary alliance.?

It was revealed that they had actually arrived in the U.S. even before the Bug Tsunami erupted.

?They called themselves the K-Force.?

Opinions were divided among the people whether the K stood for Korea or it stood for Kim in Kim Chul-Soo. Wang Yu-Mi did not comment on that.

?They are all part of Kim Chul-Soo’s cooperative Alliance and worked effectively against the Bug Tsunami alongside the Avengers Army and other America’s heroes.?

Then, an interview with an American citizen followed. It was filled with content saying that they would not have defended as efficiently without the help of Korean Players, expressing gratitude.

?Subsequently, even China has requested cooperation from the K-Force. The same was true for Germany. Currently, the K-Force continues to get calls from countries around the world. We will end this video by dedicating footage of the glorious K-Force.?

After watching the entire video, ShutUpAndPlay blankly stared at the screen and rewatched it several times. Something indefinable began to bubble up within him.

‘I too... want to create videos like this.’

He had run away from being a Player because he was too scared to Play himself. However, seeing the heroes of the K-Force being active and praised worldwide ignited a fire in his chest. The fact that everyone was associated with Chul-Soo strangely made his heart race.

Chul-Soo, once the target of his fervent jealousy, had somehow become the idol of his heart.

‘Kim Chul-Soo... He is a God!’

After living like a bum for a while, ShutUpAndPlay suddenly stood up from his chair. He sent an email to KingGodGeneral Yumi.

[Hello, I am applying in response to your editor recruitment notice.]

? ? ?

Like a catastrophe for all of humanity, swarms of bugs had appeared everywhere. The Bug Tsunami had gradually abated due to the actions of heroes around the world and the K-Force. People began to see hope, escaping their fear.

However, this respite was brief.

The new Scenario, Devourer of Bugs, was just beginning.

People would soon learn what the Devourer of Bugs meant.

“ARGH!!”

“UUUAAH!”

If, during the Bug Tsunami, various insect-type monsters had assaulted humanity, now a single type of monster started attacking people. They first appeared along the Pacific coast of the United States.

[The new Scenario, Devourer of Bugs, refers to the Red-Eyed Ants.]

[Escalating Damage, Snowballing out of Control.]

[A Swarm of Ants Emerged, Far More Powerful than the Bug Tsunami.]

Supercomputers warned the people that this swarm of Ants was a scourge that would destroy the human race.

The Devourer of Bugs was the herald of the end of mankind. However, the one silver lining for the United States was that the Red-Eyed Ants were moving across the Pacific rather than the American continent.

System notifications followed on each Region.

[A Server-wide new Scenario has begun.]

[The 「Queen Ant’s Prophecy」 is transmitted.]

A notification sounded for all Awakened Players. At the same time, a Prophetic Scroll was added to their inventories.

[Foolish humans, behold.]

Upon checking the Scroll, a hologram was generated. It resembled a human, but was, in fact, the Queen Ant.

“I shall dominate every place that the light touches.”

The story began with this proclamation from the Queen Ant. Their first target was the Korean Region. The Red-Eyed Ant swarm had already spread its wings and was crossing the Pacific.

“Struggle all you want, it makes it more fun for me. Remember my name, Arloa P. Demiras. The name that will bring all of you to your knees.”

Given that all Players received this message, the Queen Ant’s Prophecy immediately became a global issue.

-SomeIdiot: Is it just me, or is the Queen Ant kinda hot? Lol. Oddly sexy.

Some people still could not grasp the gravity of the situation. Cult leaders in Korea claimed that the end was near. Airports were flooded, and the nation went into a state of emergency.

[Egan Paul declares, “Heading to Korea, the frontline of freedom.”]

[Yuan Hao declares, “China will use all means to protect Korea.”]

Heroes from all over the world came to fight the Red-Eyed Ants, while some people fled Korea.

Meanwhile, in an office in Yeonhui-dong, Cha Jin-Hyeok gathered his Alliance members. This time, Maria from the National Intelligence Service was there too.

“We will start by defending the East Sea. Though we probably can’t stop them,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Cha Jin-Sol wore a worried expression and asked, “Oppa, we will be okay, right?”

“If we just fight them head-on, we won’t be. The point of this Scenario seems to be to wipe out at least one Region.”

The System was fully capable of uniting all Earth Players by destroying one Region.

“Crossing the Pacific and passing by Japan will exhaust the enemy to some extent,” Jin-Hyeok said.”

“I heard that Players are gathering in Japan, saying they will intercept them midway.”

“Don’t count on that.”

Jin-Hyeok shrugged his shoulders. He had been through this kind of crisis more times than he could count, and he knew all too well how the Players from each nation and each Alliance would move.

“Do you honestly think Japan will bother intercepting the Ants flying toward us? At most, they’ll put on a show and then back off. Why would they unnecessarily draw the Ants’ aggro? They definitely don’t want any damage done to mainland Japan,” Jin-Hyeok said.

He assessed even the so-called heroes who were willing to die for Korea and freedom in a similar light.

“They just don’t want to fight on their own turf. If they have to fight, they would rather do it in Korea.”

Jin-Hyeok had the inclination to interpret the situation less harshly, but years of experience had taught him to see it plainly.

“Those who have flown in to save Korea will probably flee when things get hard. We should operate under the assumption that they won’t be around.”

Seo Ji-Soo raised her hand. “So if we mobilize all our resources to somehow draw the Queen Ant near the Golden Guardian Tree, we should be okay, right?”

“No.”

Jin-Hyeok scanned the faces around him and then continued to speak.

“What I’m asking you all to do is kill the Red-Eyed Commander Ants. There should be hundreds of them, at least, by the scale of their army.”

Jin-Hyeok showed them an image of the Commander Ant.

“This one. Kill these Ants, and the rest of the Ants will be significantly weakened. We have gained real-world experience fighting in the U.S., China, and Germany, so I believe we can take them on.”

Sending Players to other nations had been for precisely this reason. After all, nothing beat real-world experience.

“As for the Queen Ant, I will handle her myself,” Jin-Hyeok shared his plans with the Alliance members and Maria.

As he concluded, he flashed a sly grin, “Let’s live to tell the tale, shall we?”

? ? ?

Arriving on the rooftop of a hotel near the East Sea coast, Jin-Hyeok began his livestream.

“Far in the distance, over the horizon, dark swarms are approaching. The Red-Eyed Ants have passed through Japan, but it looks like they have not suffered much damage.”

The sky was blanketed with the Red-Eyed Ants, and it seemed like only a matter of minutes before they would make landfall.

“I am getting ready for Dual Play with Siege Weapon, Waiting Wife. How are you feeling?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“I’m... nervous...”

“Waiting Wife, You’ve fought these Ants before, right?”

“Yes... I have.”

“Then, you will be able to fight them even better this time.”

“Yes. They operate in a very organized manner. They have a certain flow to their movements, and disrupting that could easily throw them into chaos.”

The globally renowned Siege Weapon, Shin Yu-Ri, prepared her arsenal.

“Should I use Iron Dome?”

“Let’s reserve that for defense, for when we absolutely need it. We will focus on offense. But we need to be mentally prepared.”

“I’m ready. I’ll fight with all I’ve got.”

“Not like that, I meant something else.”

Jin-Hyeok pulled out an item from his inventory. It was the Mythical-Grade Card, obtained only after investing billions of won.

“I’m revealing this for the first time. This is the Mythic-Grade Card I acquired with the help of MoneyShower and MoneyShot.”

[Contributor 「MoneyShower」 is proud.]

[Contributor 「MoneyShot」 is curious.]

Jin-Hyeok raised the front of the Card so the viewers could see it clearly. Written on the front was the name of the Card.

[To Stand at the Summit of that Path.]

Jin-Hyeok only showed the name. Revealing everything at once would be less exciting than doing it bit by bit.

“Waiting Wife, get ready.”

Yu-Ri’s right hand transformed into a massive cannon. Jin-Hyeok continued the livestream.

“In terms of destructive power, this cannon is unparalleled. It is a weapon infused with the power of Nemesis, the Goddess of Vengeance. It seems even more powerful than the last time I saw it.”

Mana surged around Yu-Ri. The war between the Players and the Red-Eyed Ants army had already begun. Along the coast, piles of Ant corpses were accumulating, and human casualties were mounting as well.

Jin-Hyeok read the name of the Card out loud, “To Stand at the Summit of that Path. I will now reveal the power of this Mythic-Grade item.”

The Card in his hand gently floated up. Sprouting a golden aura, it transformed into dozens of streams of light, which were then absorbed into Jin-Hyeok. To fully harness the power of this Mythic-Grade Card, the designated incantation was required.

“Those who fail and crumble, unable to reach the summit.”

Golden aura began to ripple from Jin-Hyeok. In his eyes, the world began to appear in shades of gold. Although he could not be certain, it felt like his irises had taken on a golden hue.

“...Sing a song of despair as you face the unreachable summit.”

The first line was the real incantation, the second one was just Jin-Hyeok’s own creation. He thought he did a good job. It felt rather impressive, and he was pleased.

“The power of this Mythic-Grade Card allows me to completely duplicate an ability of one targeted individual during a focused livestreaming session.”

There were some restrictions, of course. Deep observation and understanding of the target had to precede the process, and the consent of the streamed target, in this case, Shin Yu-Ri, was also required. While he could copy the ability, it might not be compatible with him, meaning he might not be able to use the ability properly. Furthermore, since it was a Mythic-Grade item, it could only be used while engaged in at least a city-wide Scenario.

It was complicated, so he kept his explanation brief and to the point.

“I feel a great power surging in my right hand.”

Some people referred to this kind of power as the Black Flame Dragon.[1]

Regardless, a cannon similar to Yu-Ri’s had materialized in his own right hand. It felt like it harmonized extraordinarily well with him. With the All-Rounder Trait, he had anticipated this, but it felt even more natural than he had expected, as if it had always been a part of him.

‘Huh?’

However, his cannon continued to emit a golden aura. Shortly thereafter, it began to disassemble and reassemble itself in a mechanical fashion.

‘It’s as if my arm is one of the Transformers.’

Yet, it seemed to be a phenomenon he was already familiar with.

‘I know what’s going on!’

1. This is just referring to a famous meme in Korea, where the line “I feel the power of the Black Flame Dragon surging in my right hand.” is used to describe a very chuuni person. So no special meaning to the actual story here. ?