I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 122

[The conditions of the Hidden Achievement 「Overtaken by Those Who Follow the Footsteps」 have been fulfilled.]

‘A Hidden Achievement? What’s going on?’

“What kind of notification is this all of a sudden? I have no clue.”

At the moment, Jin-Hyeok lacked information. Though he wasn’t entirely sure, the word ‘Overtaken’ there didn’t have a good ring to it. Besides, it did not say that Jin-Hyeok had fulfilled the conditions, but rather, it sounded like someone else had done so.

‘This somehow doesn’t feel right.’

[You have received a message from 「KingGodGeneral Yumi」.]

Today, the involvement of Wang Yu-Mi felt more frequent than usual. Nevertheless, it seemed like it would be helpful, so Jin-Hyeok immediately checked. He could hear her voice.

[“BongKingTV[1] and other top-tier Players followed your strategy and entered the second floor faster than you. They’re pretty audacious, aren’t they?”]

‘They entered the second floor before me?’

To be honest, it wasn’t a big blow to his pride. After all, quite a number of Players had already reached the Burning Fortress’s Second Floor. It wasn’t really a problem, but Yu-Mi seemed to know exactly what to say to get Jin-Hyeok riled up.

[“Sword King Lee Hyeon-Seong’s performance was quite remarkable.”]

‘Sword King? Now I’m pissed off. Who the hell does he think he is, calling himself the Sword King? ...Let’s not get agitated...’

Jin-Hyeok was no longer the Sword King. Now, he was a Streamer. It didn’t particularly matter that that brazen fellow took the title of Sword King. Jin-Hyeok proceeded with his livestream with a sly smile on his face.

“It seems someone, somewhere, decided to make progressing faster than me their concept.”

Jin-Hyeok didn’t bother checking Eltube.

“Fast clearings make good content too.”

Content that involved competition always tended to have demand from the viewers. However, compared to the content Jin-Hyeok was currently working on, it was nothing.

“The fact that they entered the Dungeon later than me but reached the second floor earlier than me indicates that they missed this precious Hidden Quest. I will proceed step by step while working on the Hidden Quest.”

Jin-Hyeok felt more at ease instead. While competition certainly had demand, the intrinsic power that the content held was different. Any Streamer could create content competing with Jin-Hyeok, but right now, the only one capable of igniting that small door flickering with flames before his eyes was Jin-Hyeok.

He didn’t feel threatened. It seemed like he was still growing.

“That looks like a ring of fire. The surroundings have become considerably hot.”

[Transplanted Spirit Gate]

“This is the Spirit Gate created by the Blue Flame Ifrit when it sacrificed itself. It seems like it’s set to be connected to the Spirit world.”

Jin-Hyeok stood in front of that gate.

“I have read the Ifrit’s mind through Transcendental Translation.”

Neither Bong King from BongKingTV nor Sword King Lee Hyeon-Seong could undertake something like this. It was information discovered through the power of Exclusive In-Depth Interview and Transcendental Translation.

“The Spirits told me to save them.”

The Spirits here were forcibly summoned by someone and imprisoned in this place, the Burning Fortress.

“Perhaps it’s related to one of Dr. Jonprich’s experiments, like those we saw in the wilderness earlier, it gives off that kind of vibe.”

The Burning Fortress was Jonprich’s Spirit Experimentation Ground. Jin-Hyeok had ventured into the New World a great deal, but he never expected such a setting to be hidden here.

‘So this means that I’ve grasped what Han Sae-Rin failed to grasp back then?’

Jin-Hyeok had entered this Dungeon to verify that he had surpassed his past self, but it turned out he proved something else. Of course, it was ambiguous to claim he had surpassed Sae-Rin with the abilities of a Navigator, but at least the result seemed that way. It was a pity he could not brag about this to Sae-Rin, but his mood was gradually improving.

“So the Transplanted Spirit Gate is an artificial Spirit Gate forcibly opened by Jonprich. It seems to be used to summon Spirits through it. The Blue Flame Ifrit asked me to seal it, and that is what I am going to do.”

[Contributor 「MoneyShower」 warns you of 「Spirit Fever」.]

[Contributor 「MoneyShot」 warns you of 「Heat Illness」.]

Jin-Hyeok already knew about those. If attacked by a Fire Spirit, one ran the rare risk of suffering from the aftermath of Spirit Fever. It was like a sensation where a person’s mind was on fire, though there was not any actual flame.

‘It’s really torturous...’

The fortunate thing was that if a Player overcame Spirit Fever, they would develop a tolerance. Just for reference, Jin-Hyeok already had this tolerance. Jin-Hyeok wondered if it disappeared when he regressed. Still, since it affected the mind, he presumed the tolerance remained. If not, this would be an excellent opportunity to develop it.

“Thankfully, I have an Item for this Scenario.”

It was an arm made by grafting a tree that grew roots in the lava that could withstand magma. It looked somewhat grotesque at a glance, but regardless, Jin-Hyeok equipped this useful wooden arm.

“The Spirit Gate is artificially created, so I think I might be able to seal it with this artificially created arm. The size seems just right.”

He shoved the wooden arm in.

“Ah, it’s hot.”

As he pushed the arm into the hole, he could feel it intuitively.

“Huh. I guess I still have a tolerance.”

Jin-Hyeok still possessed tolerance against Spirit Fever. As expected, since it was engraved in his mind, the tolerance seemed to be working well.

“It seems like the seal is gradually forming as I keep it blocked like this.”

As Jin-Hyeok endured for a while, the flames that filled the first floor gradually diminished.

“It does feel like my arm is melting though.”

It was painful, but Jin-Hyeok could withstand it. Roughly after fifteen minutes of blocking the hole, a notification finally popped up.

[You have successfully sealed the 「Transplanted Spirit Gate」.]

[You have cleared the Hidden Quest 「Seal the Transplanted Spirit Gate」.]

“I somehow sealed the gate.”

[You have acquired the Clear Reward 「Fragment of the Spirit Stone」.]

[You have acquired the Clear Reward 「Final Flame」.]

? ? ?

Yu-Mi was thrilled.

“The world’s first! First! Absolute first! He managed to successfully complete the Hidden Quest of sealing the Transplanted Spirit Gate! I never thought that in the New World, where countless Players are trying to clear, a story like this would be hidden. However, do any of the viewers know well about this Spirit Gate?”

It wasn’t just viewers from the Earth Server watching the KimKnowItAllTV. Over a third were from other Servers, sharing information about the Spirit Gate. Their languages were automatically translated and reinterpreted to suit the respective Servers by the System.

-Ultraman: The moment an ordinary person touches the Spirit Gate, they burn because of the Spirit Fever. Their body remains unharmed, but their mind burns away.

Yu-Mi immediately pinned this comment.

┗People only know one thing and ignore the other factors. tsk tsk.

┗The Spirit Fever is the second thing to act after the physical burn.

┗The body burns before being affected by the Spirit Fever. That’s the norm.

┗Even if it’s a gate artificially created, it is well known that any Player below Level 150 dies the moment they touch it.

Yu-Mi struck her left palm with her right fist.

“Ah! So it’s well known that any Player below Level 150 dies upon touching it, but Chul-Soo managed to endure it! Of course, he had help from the Scenario Item, but is such a thing usually possible?”

-Ultraman: Impossible

-TaylorSwag: Clearly, enduring that shows that there is something wrong with Jin-Hyeok’s mental state! A sane person could not withstand that!

There were also many comments in the Korean Region Minor Gallery. Although the opinion that the Gallery should be promoted to an official Gallery instead of a minor one was overwhelming, similar contents were flooding the still minor Gallery.

[The New World’s biological experiment Scenario has only been executed twice in the whole universe. It’s a progression rare enough that not many people know about it. Using the Madman’s Right Arm to seal the artificially created Spirit Gate is correct. However, it was not meant to be cleared like that. Originally... thus... hence... was the method intended for sealing. There is no correct answer in Play, but the two previous Plays succeeded in sealing the Spirit Gate that way. Both of those Players died about six times to get that far.]

[Written by: Encyclopedia]

People were only focused on one detail from the post by Encyclopedia.

[However, it was not meant to be cleared like that.]

┗LOL! So it wasn’t supposed to be cleared like that.

┗I can hear the one who created the Scenario tearing their hair out from here. LOL

┗Eh, seasoned Players don’t care about such things.

┗Koreans tear apart the developer’s intentions.

┗Koreans? No. Kim Chul-Soo? Yes.

These comments were soon distorted to narratives claiming Kim Chul-Soo actually tore apart the developer. Yu-Mi found all these phenomena incredibly pleasing.

‘The IntenseMan persona is really good, and now a seasoned Player tearing apart the developer is added to his persona.’

Yu-Mi focused on another point.

‘But he doesn’t know it himself!’

Yu-Mi, without realizing it, let out an exhilarated moan, hugging herself. From her perspective, Kim Chul-Soo’s persona was unspeakably beautiful. While Chul-Soo took a moment to recover, Yu-Mi also paused the livestream briefly. She immediately started talking with Joseph.

“Chul-Soo is just doing his best. That’s it. But the rumor says that he tore the developer apart. Isn’t that cute?” Yu-Mi said.

“It’s not cute, but I understand what you are saying.”

“How can you not think this is cute? Aren’t you a Star Maker?”

“...”

“I’m disappointed that you can’t comprehend this pure cuteness.”

“I will try to understand.”

“Anyway, it seems like a good idea to put this concept into his persona.”

Yu-Mi paused, lost in thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Kim Chul-Soo Universe. Let’s shorten it to Chul-Soo Verse.”

“Yes. It means a universe where Chul-Soo, albeit he doesn’t know it himself, is the best. We will use this for Chul-Soo’s persona.”

“Hm... Chul-Soo Verse...”

Joseph, who had proudly claimed to be a Star Maker, nodded in admiration.

“I learn a lot from you, Yu-Mi.”

“Please proceed with the PR.”

Before long, hours had passed and Chul-Soo resumed the livestream.

? ? ?

It took quite a while for Jin-Hyeok’s arm to recover.

“My arm has almost melted.”

It felt genuinely painful for some reason.

“It would have been easier if there was a Healer, but then, there wouldn’t be the romance of the Solo Mode, am I right?”

This was why Jin-Hyeok loved Solo Mode.

He got up.

“The flames have all been extinguished, and stairs to the second floor have been created. I will go up and check.”

[You have entered the Field 「Burning Fortress Second Floor」.]

[The conditions of the Hidden Achievement 「Overtaken by Those Who Follow the Footsteps」 are still fulfilled.]

The second floor of the Burning Fortress was generally similar to the first floor. Perhaps because the Spirit Gate was closed, the flames had significantly subsided, but instead, the area was filled with black smoke.

“Breathing is a bit difficult here. It seems I will need to conserve my breath.”

Between the plumes of black smoke, Jin-Hyeok could see the information with his Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

[LV111/Igrit/Skills]

From what Jin-Hyeok could remember, a fierce battle with that monster was inevitable. Igrit, a higher-grade Spirit than the Ifrit, was significantly smaller and more nimble, resembling a small lizard but possessing far greater destructive power. For reference, Jin-Hyeok had died about seven times to that monster in his previous life.

“The Fragment of the Spirit Stone acquired on the first floor supposedly allows me to converse with the sentient being of fire. Fortunately, I have Skills that facilitate easier communication, so let’s use them together.”

He decided to use Transcendental Translation and Exclusive In-Depth Interview, along with the Fragment of the Spirit Stone. At this point, it felt like the Scenario was created solely for Streamers. Jin-Hyeok’s satisfaction with his Streamer Job was gradually increasing. As time went on, it became more enjoyable.

[You have activated the Skill 「Exclusive In-Depth Interview」.]

[You have activated the Skill 「Transcendental Translation」.]

Brushing aside the smoke, Jin-Hyeok approached Igrit and shattered the Fragment of the Spirit Stone.

[You have shattered the 「Fragment of the Spirit Stone」.]

Whoosh!

Colorful flames surged from the shattered Fragment of the Spirit Stone, disappearing shortly after.

“I approached Igrit closely, but I don’t sense any hostility. Moreover, the information has changed.”

[Anguished Fire Spirit]

It had transformed into a setting more akin to an NPC rather than a monster.

“It seems that having a casual conversation will be difficult.”

[Afraid... Must... stop... that person... Jonprich...]

“The one I need to stop is Jonprich, as expected.”

[Please... save... the... daughter... of the... Spirit King...]

‘Wait, hold on a minute. The daughter of the Spirit King? Was this where it all began?’

Somehow, Jin-Hyeok felt like he knew what this Scenario entailed.

1. From here on out, BonjourTV is now called BongKingTV. ?