I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 128

Cha Jin-Hyeok did not have acrophobia, but he did feel the pressure to fill the silence in his livestream.

“Ah, just a word of advice. Even if you are in a hurry, jumping down haphazardly like this is not something I’d highly recommend.”

Normally, one would die from a fall like this.

“As for me, I set a save point at the top of the well, and I can absorb most shocks with my Broadcaster’s Barrier and Star Shield. But even so, no sane Player would jump like I did, right?”

While falling, Jin-Hyeok kicked the well walls multiple times.

Right to left.

Left to right.

He zigzagged, adjusting his speed by leaping from wall to wall several times.

“If there are any protrusions on the wall that I can put my feet on, it’s good to control my speed like this...Huh?”

“AHHHH!”

Someone else was plummeting down the well.

“The Navigator... seems to be falling faster than me.”

‘Why is our Navigator falling so fast like that?’

Jin-Hyeok was puzzled.

“AHH!”

Another person went past Jin-Hyeok.

“Wait, that’s our Ruler.”

The Ruler, Kang Min-Hyeok, was also falling.

“They’ll die if they fall like that. Why are they so reckless?”

‘Does our skilled Navigator have some special Skills that I don’t know about? Am I wasting my time trying to reduce my falling speed?’

Jin-Hyeok had an epiphany.

“I guess it’s fine to just fall down. I’m going to let gravity do the work.”

‘I don’t need to waste my energy if it’s not going to kill me.’

Thud!

Jin-Hyeok hit the bottom of the well.

‘Activate Broadcaster’s Barrier.’

He used the Broadcaster’s Barrier to minimize the impact. Lying on the ground, Kim Mu-Jin was unconscious and bleeding profusely.

“The Navigator is seriously injured, and the Ruler is dead.”

Looking at Mu-Jin, Jin-Hyeok felt a touch of admiration.

“Just like how dodging attacks by the razor’s edge is most efficient, it seems like pioneering a new path is the same.”

He poured a potion over Mu-Jin’s head and carefully poured some into his mouth as well.

“Our Navigator risked just enough danger to not die when he jumped.”

Of course, that was not true. Mu-Jin had embarrassingly trailed behind Jin-Hyeok earlier. It was such a shameful situation that Mu-Jin would rather die than experience it again. That was why he jumped without care. However, since he survived, it did not matter anymore.

“But it looks like the other party members are taking their time to arri— wait a minute,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Thud!

“Did something just break?”

Jin-Hyeok glanced to the side.

“I was right. Something really did break.”

To his side, Jin-Hyeok spotted the remnants of someone who was once Bong King.

“It looks like the Streamer was too reckless trying to capture good content for his Eltube channel. He died instantly.”

Still, Jin-Hyeok thought that Bong King’s passion was commendable.

“With the Last Line of Defense collapsed, it looks like Jonprich will try to escape somewhere. Seems like he can freely manipulate warp portals. Before waiting for others, I should chase him down.”

Without waiting for the other party members, Jin-Hyeok moved swiftly.

“It’s unfortunate, but I will proceed on my own.”

? ? ?

“The layout is very much like a complicated sewer system.”

In other words, this place was an underground labyrinth. The paths branched so much that it was difficult for Jin-Hyeok to find the correct way. Even if he could identify the right path, it would likely take too much time. His seasoned Player’s intuition told him that this was now a race against time.

“A guide I’m quite fond of once told me,” Jin-Hyeok said as he raised his sword, the Greatsword of La’kan. “The quickest way through a maze is to destroy it.”

This was a method favored by Han Sae-Rin. Of course, it helped that Kim Jeong-Hyeon, who could destroy just about anything, was on Jin-Hyeok’s party in his previous life.

‘But she always did say that this isn’t the orthodox method. Would it look strange if a Streamer went through the labyrinth by breaking the walls? The visual might not be as appealing...’

As he contemplated, Jin-Hyeok justified himself, much like Sae-Rin did in the past.

“While it would be nice to have the skill and leisure to properly navigate through the maze, unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury as a Streamer.”

Jin-Hyeok approached a wall and touched it.

“These maze-like structures are artificial constructs made by Jonprich to buy time.”

That made things much simpler. Standing before the wall, he took a deep breath.

‘I got a shot of myself for my thumbnail, so that’s good.’

Jin-Hyeok uttered the previous cool line that he thought of, “My sword shatters artifice.”

He swung his sword. Though he slashed through the walls, he was not quite satisfied with his work.

‘Jeong-Hyeon would have shattered it more efficiently.’

Comparing his own power to the standards he had set for Jeong-Hyeon, he couldn’t help but feel humble.

‘I never really liked this Skill in the first place, but I guess I have no choice.’

The Skill’s name was Shattering Sword. It was a Swordsman-exclusive skill acquired at Level 60.

[You have unlocked the Latent Skill 「Shattering Sword」.]

[You have acquired the Skill 「Shattering Sword」.]

Jin-Hyeok always prioritized the basics, usually favoring Skills acquired below Level 100. However, Shattering Sword was an exception.

Shattering Swords was a kind of special technique that allowed him to use a sword as if it were a blunt weapon. According to Jin-Hyeok, a sword was not a blunt weapon. Using it as such was inefficient. The satisfaction of cutting something was also lacking. Besides, using this Skill always made him feel like he was losing to Jeong-Hyeon.

‘Well, that’s not the important reason, anyway.’

While most of his old party members would insist that was the most important reason, Jin-Hyeok himself was oblivious to it.

“For the first time, I will show this Swordsman-exclusive Skill, Shattering Sword, which can be acquired by a Swordsman at Level 60.”

He swung his sword, the Greatsword of La’kan.

Boom!

With a loud noise, the Greatsword of La’kan slammed into the wall.

Crack!

As if hit by a giant hammer, the wall started to show cracks.

“I’m making my way! How fortunate.”

? ? ?

Wang Yu-Mi watched the chat with a satisfied smile.

‘The chat is extra lively today,’ she thought.

Without her having to steer the conversation, the viewers were buzzing with enthusiasm. The content had a powerful pull all its own, and the viewers were very interested.

-WarmAmericano: LOL, the Navigator just died for real!

Although the Navigator had not actually died, it seemed as though he had.

-DooDoo: LOL, it’s like a mere sparrow is trying to imitate a phoenix but managed to die instead.

-PaPooRika: The Ruler’s also dead. The Streamer is dead. LOL. Why the heck are they following Kim Chul-Soo?

-GreenAttacker: Even Chul-Soo commented that falling down recklessly was not a good idea, yet they did exactly that!

-WarmAmericano: They just need to do exactly like Chul-Soo, yet they can’t even do that LOL.

In Chul-Soo’s livestream, he did not wait for the other party members. He just went ahead and started to explore the maze.

?It’s unfortunate, but I will proceed on my own.?

The moment the viewers heard him say that, they went wild.

-WarmAmericano: I bet he is not sad at all right now.

-ShoeBalm: LOL I bet he’s happy that he is finally able to do something interesting.

-DooDoo: Just be honest, Chul-Soo. I know you were bored this whole time.

Then, on-screen Chul-Soo said something unexpected.

?While it would be nice to have the skill and leisure to properly navigate through the maze, unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury as a Streamer.?

-FishGod: He’s back! IntenseMan is back!

-KimchiCactus: The humble IntenseMan LOL!

-ShoeBalm: The Kim Chul-Soo Universe has appeared LOL!

-FierceMan: I am Intense, therefore I am IntenseMan. Haha!

The Kim Chul-Soo Universe—a world where Kim Chul-Soo is the greatest, unbeknownst to Chul-Soo himself—provided an unexpected catharsis to many viers. Wang Yu-Mi selectively messaged to Jin-Hyeok the most reasonable chats for feedback.

[-MoreMoneyPlz: Looks like Chul-Soo is making the best of the current situation as a Streamer.

-ExtremeYouth: It’s beautiful to see a young man doing his best even in a bad situation. ^.~ I will always cheer for you!

Feedback Summary: Although unorthodox, your earnest effort is garnering positive reactions.]

Jin-Hyeok liked the feedback. The idea of a Streamer being passionate and doing their best was something he wanted to emulate. His excitement involuntarily increased.

“Yes! Let’s keep smashing through these walls!”

[「RealMoleMan」 has donated 10,000 Dias.]

[“Is that even possible?”]

A viewer claiming to be the real Mole Man spat out his disbelief. Yu-Mi pinned the comment.

┗Is that really him?

┗The real Mole Man?

┗No way. 120% that’s an imposter.

┗I’ll bet my wrist that’s not the real Mole Man.

RealMoleMan kept asserting that he was the true Mole Man, and he was outraged.

[「RealMoleMan」 has donated 10,000 Dias.]

[“That’s not how a Navigator Plays! A Navigator would never do that!”]

┗You’re right, he’s not a Navigator.

┗He’s a Streamer.

┗That guy is so angry at the Streamer, maybe he is the real Mole Man.

RealMoleMan was the nickname he used for the KimKnowItAllTV channel. His Player name was Mole Man and he almost threw his cell phone out of frustration.

“What is he going to do about those venom darts, moly?”

Chul-Soo blocked them with Broadcaster’s Barrier.

“What about those flying blades, moly?”

Chul-Soo blocked them with Star Shield.

“What about that giant arm attack, moly?”

A wooden arm that looked exactly like the arm of the Madman of the Wilderness attacked Jin-Hyeok. It wasn’t hard for him to dodge the attack. On the screen Jin-Hyeok said,

?It’s the same arm that was attached to the Madman of the Wilderness, but the attack pattern is simpler.?

Jin-Hyeok shared how he dodged it.

?You can dodge by moving your feet like this.?

“Everyone knows that you can dodge attacks like that, moly! It’s just hard to execute!”

Mole Man slammed his desk in frustration. What Chul-Soo was doing was unforgivable. After a long watch, Mole Man slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“How is he managing to make that work, moly?”

?That looks like Jonprich’s footprints. I think we are closer to him than I thought.?

Kim Chul-Soo had discovered watery footprints.

? ? ?

Jin-Hyeok had discovered human footprints.

‘I’ve found it.’

Though there were minor traps along the way to this point, none were much of a problem. The most bothersome one was the Wooden Arm, but fighting against the Madman of the WIlderness had trained him well enough to deal with it effortlessly.

“The water hasn’t dried yet. It looks like he hasn’t gotten far. I will hurry and follow.”

A dark, lengthy tunnel appeared before him, so dark that he could not see a thing ahead.

[You have activated the Skill 「Broadcaster’s Light」.]

“There are footprints on the wall! Looks like he has some kind of a wall-climbing Skill.”

The footprints seemed to continue up the wall. When Jin-Hyeok used Broadcaster’s Light to illuminate the dark tunnel, he noticed an increasing number of footprints, as if dozens of people had randomly stamped their feet on the wall. Jin-Hyeok came to his own conclusion.

“Looks like he has got a lot of feet.”

Then, suddenly, the footprints vanished.

“But there’s an odd chemical smell in the air.”

It was a scent similar to what one might smell in a hospital. Jin-Hyeok began to feel a slight heaviness in his movements.

“It seems like some sort of poison is spreading.”

Soon, a voice echoed through the tunnel.

“Welcome to my lab.”

Jin-Hyeok lifted his head to look at the ceiling.

“There is a spider wearing glasses. Oddly, it has a rather rotund belly.”

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head out of confusion.

“Is that an obese spider?”

The overall appearance resembled a spider. He looked quite similar to the Madman of the Wilderness Jin-Hyeok had encountered before. His face was identical to that of a surgeon Jin-Hyeok knew, Jonprich.

[LV128/Jonprich/Bio-Researcher/Beyond Multiple Dimensions]

“He seems to be more insane than I thought. Turns out he wasn’t running away, but luring me into a trap. Purple smoke is leaking from his mouth. I think that is some sort of anesthetic or—”

Jin-Hyeok could no longer continue speaking.

“That was a trap!” Jonprich said while bursting into raucous laughter.

The purple smoke was merely a diversion. Jonprich had already dispersed an odorless anesthetic in the air.

“First, your tongue will go numb. Then, you won’t be able to see. And within a minute, your lungs will rot and decay. You will be the finest specimen, neither dead nor alive!” Jonprich said while laughing. “You are going to make quite an interesting test subject.”

He leaped down from the ceiling. Using his rotten wooden arms, he touched Jin-Hyeok.

“Ah, such fresh flesh. Haha! I can merge you with the Spirits!”

Jonprich extended his long wooden arm like vines to lift Jin-Hyeok into the air and examined him carefully. Just then, Jin-Hyeok’s eyes snapped open.

“This is also a trap!”