I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 116

“Yes, it is an unreleased collector’s edition. I want to give it to both of you," Cha Jin-Hyeok said in a stern manner.

“You’re giving it to us?”

Michelle’s eyes widened in surprise. Unlike Choi Gap-Soo, who was stroking his chin with a thoughtful hum, she was not one to hide her emotions.

“I’ll ask again, you are giving it to us?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m planning on doing that.”

“Not selling it?”

“I did consider selling it.”

To be honest, selling it was not a bad choice either. However, this time around, while Playing as the Swordsman, Kim Pyeong-Beom, and finding himself unable to livestream, Jin-Hyeok realized a very important fact.

“Even a single viewer is extremely precious.”

He had now become a full-fledged Streamer. Just swinging a sword, fighting fierce monsters, and defeating strong adversaries did not provide the same joy and sense of achievement as before.

“I have properly learned this time how valuable and fulfilling it is to showcase my Play and share my videos with others”

Jin-Hyeok could not be more grateful for these two. Without them, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve things that he had achieved.

“So, to also express my gratitude, I want to dedicate the video to both of you.”

Gap-Soo, who had been continuously stroking his chin, finally opened his mouth, “I don’t have a desire to see the content I like for free. Just for my sake, I like to pay a fair price for the joy provided for me. How about you sell the video to one of us?”

[The Quest 「Choi Gap-Soo’s Proposal」 has been activated.]

The Quest was to sell the video to one of them.

“I offer one billion Dias.”

“Then I offer 1.1 billion Dias.”

“1.2 billion.”

“1.3 billion Dias.”

Jin-Hyeok’s heart pounded. He knew exactly what this feeling was.

‘I can activate my Latent Skill.’

The inherent Skill in the Almighty Streamer Job was trying to reveal its latent form.

‘Latent Skill—Diplomacy.’

This was the Level 60 Skill that was exclusive to Rulers.

‘Latent Skill—Master of Negotiation.’

This was the Level 90 Skill that was also exclusive to Rulers. Jin-Hyeok considered using both Skills, but decided not to.

‘No, never mind.’

Honestly speaking, Jin-Hyeok did not need money at the moment. Not only was money unnecessary, it was even to the point of it being undesirable. He had a feeling that if he had too much money, he would have to retire earlier. In fact, he was even pretending not to know about the donations from his livestream since, as the saying goes—out of sight, out of mind—and he really didn’t want to know about the donations.

Jin-Hyeok now realized this.

‘Using the Diplomacy Skill last time was a mistake.’

Using a mere Skill to sway their hearts or to resolve the situation was not a good idea when dealing with these two, because, in the eyes of experts, the actions of the inferior were always clearly seen.

Jin-Hyeok recalled the memory of using Diplomacy during his previous encounter with these two.

[Hostile—Unfriendly—Neutral—Friendly—Very Friendly—???]

At that time, the arrows were pointing at the question mark and not at Very Friendly. Just because it was listed after Very Friendly, it did not necessarily mean that it was more favorable than Very Friendly. Now, Jin-Hyeok understood.

‘The Diplomacy Skill wasn’t successfully activated back then, these two just found me cute. That’s all.’

Jin-Hyeok felt fortunate to realize this now. If the Skill did not work, there was no other way but to approach sincerely. And he was indeed grateful to them.

Jin-Hyeok did not bother to awaken any Latent Skills.

“I reject your proposal,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“What?”

[You have rejected the Quest 「Choi Gap-Soo’s Proposal」.]

“A fledgling Player whose Level is merely in the 90s is rejecting my Quest? A Quest that is worth one billion Dias?” Gap-Soo said.

“If I accept money here, won’t the value of my video plummet?”

“Why? How so? You are the producer who creates the videos, and I am the consumer who buys them.”

“And that is why I have created this appreciation video for my viewers. I learned the hard way this time that I exist because of my viewers. This is my appreciation video, not a commercial one. If I sell this for money, it feels like my gratitude toward the viewers will be distorted. Please understand.”

Michelle laughed as if this whole situation was amusing.

“Hahaha! How does it feel to be rejected by a Level 90 Player?”

“Well, it’s not too bad, actually. It feels like I’ve met a proper Steramer after a long time. These days, kids lack sincerity. Back in my day...”

Gap-Soo was about to start a very long story, but Michelle cut him off at the right time.

“I could fully recognize your sincerity as a Streamer. It was a much better choice than using a trivial Skill like Diplomacy. I’ll gratefully accept the video,” Michelle said to Jin-Hyeok.

“I will also accept it gratefully,” Gap-Soo said.

With a fluttering heart, Jin-Hyeok handed over the collector’s edition video to both of them. They immediately viewed the video, showing various reactions. Those reactions made Jin-Hyeok proud.

‘I’m glad I became a Streamer.’

? ? ?

His old username was ChulSooIs#2. Now, he changed his username to ChulSooIsGod and continued his active life online.

[InteseMan Kim Chul-Soo was indeed intense. This is his sincere intense mode.]

He even revealed his true identity.

He was the new editor of KimKnowItAllTV. He quickly rose to fame as a Named user on the Korean Region Minor Gallery by editing videos related to Kim Chul-Soo\'s and uploading them to Eltube, and distributing various memes on KRMG.

[If IntenseMan is serious, he will save the world.]

┗LOL. Sincere intense mode! That’s clever.

┗Is there a fake intense mode?

┗There is no such thing as a fake intense mode!

┗IntenseMan is always intense, hence he is IntenseMan.

[Scratch that. IntenseMan is always intense. Therefore, there is no such thing as a sincere intense mode. He is sincere at every moment.]

And today, Kang Cheol met his God. His God, Cha Jin-Hyeok, was resting at his residence in Yeonhui-dong.

“Hello. I am Kang Cheol, the new editor of KimKnowItAllTV.”

“Ah, yes. I have been enjoying your posts and watching the videos.”

Upon seeing Jin-Hyeok, Kang Cheol could not help but open his mouth wide.

“Is that appearance right now the real look of Cha Jin-Hyeok?”

“Yes.”

“You’re truly beautiful.”

Jin-Hyeok read the youthful craziness in Kang Cheol’s eyes. Those eyes, which could see the real beauty, were quite appealing.

“My new editor seems to know exactly what the fans want, and the editing quality is excellent, probably because he is a huge fan of Your Majesty himself. I brought him here on purpose today because we need to get permission from you, Your Majesty," Wang Yu-Mi intervened.

“...”

Jin-Hyeok slightly frowned. From some point, she kept referring to Jin-Hyeok as Your Majesty. Seeing his past life’s self overlapping, he suddenly wanted to keep a distance from Yu-Mi.

“Can we stop with all the Your Majesty talk?”

“The important thing isn’t what I call you, Your Majesty. The reason I specifically brought Kang Cheol is because we have a favor to ask you.”

Jin-Hyeok listened.

“...So we are considering creating a separate Kim Bbong[1] category,” Yu-Mi said.

“Kim Bbong?”

“Yes, you heard right. Originally, it was going to be KingGodGeneralNationalPride, but upon consideration, Kim Bbong seemed to be a more appropriate name.”

She said she was going to create a new category for videos similar to the nationalistic videos, but it would be specifically about Kim Chul-Soo.

[...#I really want to do it. #Admiration and #Respect #He is a God. #Genuine Repentance.]

How intense the emotions Kang Cheol was feeling were evident from the underlined Genuine Repentance that was visible to Jin-Hyeok.

Jin-Hyeok was able to read some parts of Kang Cheol’s past.

‘So in the past, he harbored intense jealousy and envy toward me, but now he serves me in repentance. Something like that, I guess. But why does this feel like something is not right?’

In his past life, only Yu-Mi was obsessed with him, but now it seemed that someone even more obsessed than Yu-Mi had appeared. There was a vague anxiety that, as time passed, a more difficult situation than in Jin-Hyeok’s past life might unfold.

Jin-Hyeok welcomed a moderate amount of madness, but if that went too far, it tended to make many people uncomfortable.

He felt that he should prevent the creation of the Kim Bbong category.

“With more narratives, Streamer Kim Chul-Soo can surpass even Egan Paul, and obviously, become a Streamer loved by people all over the world,” Yu-Mi said.

Jin-Hyeok decided to give permission.

? ? ?

Jin-Hyeok was not sure why Kang Mi-Na and Wang Yu-Mi were fighting.

“I am the only Streamer who has an exclusive contract with Kim Pyeong-Beom,” Mi-Na snarled.

“Well, I’m Streamer contracted with Kim Chul-Soo, you know,” Yu-Mi retorted with a smile.

“Your livestream is fake! You are just showing Chul-Soo’s livestream, not your own.”

“I create secondary creation videos based on Chul-Soo’s livestream, providing a playground-like environment where viewers can have fun.”

“I am ranked number one in Korea. I can’t be compared to a nobody like you.”

“Well, I’m not a Level Grinder like you, Unnie.”

“Unnie? How am I an Unnie to you?”

“Well, you look like you’re older than me.”

“How old are you?”

“This many?” Yu-Mi said while holding up four fingers.

“You little...!”

The topic of their fight changed constantly.

“Humph! Your content is a secondary creation at best. Nobody will recognize you as a real Streamer!” Mi-Na said.

“I’m a pioneer in a new genre of livestreaming. I am contributing to diversifying content and increasing the market pie. Why do you belittle what I do, Unnie?”

“I’m not your Unnie!”

“They say that you lose when you’re angry. Are you angry right now, Unnie?”

“I’m not angry!”

Yu-Mi covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. Even for Jin-Hyeok, Yu-Mi’s teasing made him a bit angry. Mi-Na’s face turned red.

‘This is just like the past life.’

Mi-Na had always lost to Yu-Mi. Jin-Hyeok remembered from his past life when Mi-Na just gave up arguing with Yu-Mi and accepted to be the Girl of Fire who was dearly raised on Planet Fire and did as Yu-Mi told her to do.

Eventually, Mi-Na clung to Jin-Hyeok and whined, “Hey, can’t you talk to her?”

“About what?”

Watching his old colleague, Mi-Na, like this somehow calmed his heart. It felt like he had entered a battlefield where swords were flying around.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve been to many battlefields with Mi-Na...’

“You decide who is the best Streamer!” Mi-Na said to Jin-Hyeok.

“Huh?”

“You’ve heard our conversation so far.”

Jin-Hyeok wondered if what he had witnessed until now could be categorized as conversation. Anyway, Mi-Na demanded an answer from him, “Make a decision. Now.”

She seemed ready to grab his collar if he didn’t answer quickly.

Jin-Hyeok shook his head vigorously.

“Is that even a question?”

Mi-Na gulped noisily, focusing on what Jin-Hyeok was about to say. On the other hand, Yu-Mi was calmly drinking warm green tea.

“Right? I’m the best, right?” Mi-Na asked again, as if to confirm.

“What are you talking about?”

Jin-Hyeok had no idea what she was talking about. She seemed like she had not gotten out of the beginner’s mindset yet. To get out of the beginner phase, one needed to start with self-objectivity.

“Obviously, I’m number one,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Mi-Na wore a face as if she had been slapped. Jin-Hyeok didn’t know why she was making that face when he was saying something so obvious.

Yu-Mi, who took a sip of the tea, gave the answer, “You’ll always be below Kim Chul-Soo.”

Yu-Mi already knew the answer.

Just like in the previous life, Mi-Na had lost again.

? ? ?

Kihael wished he could die instead.

‘My work-life balance!’ he thought.

It had already been three days since the last time he went home. He felt so disconnected from society that he couldn’t tell whether he was alive or dead. Earth’s Scenarios, the Revered One and the Collapsed Reverence, had derailed so much from the original plan that even the new Scenario was smashed to bits.

‘Earth\'s Scenarios should have obliterated the Korean Region and parts of the Chinese Region from the beginning...’

In truth, Kihael wished and wished for that to happen. He had hoped that if the Korean Region were destroyed, he would be able to take a relatively long break.

‘The new Scenario should have lasted at least more than two months...’

It should have, but it came to a halt within a few days. Now, there was a gap created before the official launch. Besides being physically exhausted, his head felt like it was about to explode.

However, Serchan was humming a happy tune.

“If we handle this incident well, we might get promoted,” Serchan said.

An event that had never occurred across all dimensions was unfolding.

“One Player managed to finish most of the two conflicting Scenarios, and even the newly introduced alternative Scenario was cleared by the same Player. It’s an unprecedented event, signifying that we are writing history. We are about to set a precedent, Kihael.”

“I haven’t been able to leave work for three days, Assistant Manager...”

“Kihael, you are great and all, but it seems like you lack a bit of devotion. Talking about leaving work at a time like this? You’re joking, right?”

“...”

Kihael had to hold back his urge to punch Serchan in the face.

“You know that I am currently utilizing all the administrative power to postpone the reward for clearing the Scenario, right? I am constantly entering new codes, removing unexpected variables, documenting System rationales... I feel like I’m going to go insane!” Kihael said.

“See? I knew you were a competent GM!”

‘I don’t want praise!’

He wanted to shout, but he couldn’t.

“I can’t postpone it any longer. We have used up all viable resources. Eventually, we have to meet up with Kim Chul-Soo and Kim Pyeong-Beom and settle this.”

Kihael wondered why on earth this mess was happening in Seodaemun-gu. If the Scenario rewards proceeded as it was, the balance issue would surely be raised.

“...I’ll be back,” Kihael said.

Since Pyeong-Beom was hard to locate, he decided to meet Chul-Soo first.

However, Kihael did not know yet that Chul-Soo had the potential to awaken the Latent Skills Diplomacy and Master of Negotiation. Or that Chul-Soo was even able to determine the perfect timing to use them appropriately.

1. Bbong is a Korean internet slang that refers to a state of being overly immersed in the bragging points of the object of one’s affection. ?