I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 136

The smile that gleamed brightly at him was brimming with genuine affection.

“Let’s take a selfie!”

“...A selfie?”

Surprisingly, she displayed a bubbly demeanor, making it hard to believe she had just experienced a traumatic event. Perhaps it was because she was the daughter of the Spirit King of Fire, but her mental recovery seemed unimaginably swift.

“Daddy, give me your phone.”

“...”

Alkinas hesitated for a moment, then created an object resembling a phone.

‘I didn’t know modern Spirits use smartphones too.’

Taking the phone from Alkinas, Elines hugged Jin-Hyeok’s leg and took a picture. Jin-Hyeok thought she might take one or two shots, but her enthusiasm exceeded his expectations. Her passion was so pure and profound that Jin-Hyeok willingly played along.

“Hehe, finally got one good picture.”

‘Just one?’

Regardless, she did not seem like an ordinary child, but then again, she was the Spirit King of Fire’s daughter, so it was understandable.

“Can I post the picture?”

“Where?”

“On Enstagram!”

Enstagram was a universally used social media platform. For the record, Jin-Hyeok had never used it before. He did have an account before his regression, but it was managed by the support team and Wang Yuu-Mi.

‘Come to think of it, Enstagram has not been introduced on Earth yet.’

“Can I upload it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Jin-Hyeok knew his true face would be known to the world at some point, but the later that happened, the better. It would mean less hassle for him.

Elines’ expression turned serious. It looked like she might burst into tears in about three seconds.

“This is a precious memory between Elly and me. Let’s keep it a secret. Since Elly is a good girl, I know you are going to listen to me, right?”

“Yes!”

“Good girl.”

“Then, can you pat my head?”

“Of course.”

As Jin-Hyeok gently patted Elines’ head, she giggled.

In any case, he had formed a pact with the daughter of the Spirit King of Fire.

‘It’s fascinating that I can do this even though I am not a Spirit Mage.’

For Jin-Hyeok, this was an astonishing experience. Alkinas, holding Elines, spoke to him, “I will return to the Spirit Realm for now. If fate allows, we will meet again. I am grateful for your company. I won’t forget this favor.”

True to a Spirit’s nature of never forgetting favors, Alkinas handed Jin-Hyeok an item.

[Spirit Stone of Alkinas]

“This item serves as a medium to summon me once, even without a contract. Call upon me if you face insurmountable challenges.”

The grade of the item was Mythic-Grade. Jin-Hyeok had acquired another Mythic-Grade item, which most Players could hardly even see once in their lifetime.

‘I got the Mythic-Grade Card out of luck, but this time it’s different.’

Jin-Hyeok had only (?) spent five billion Dias, but he was lucky to have obtained the Mythic-Grade Card. However, that was thanks to the Pure Luck Mystery. Jin-Hyeok never expected to obtain a Mythic-Grade item without the aid of the Mystery.

In the midst of his overwhelming job, he was shocked, as if he had been hit in the head.

‘Ah.’

He once again found himself disappointed in his own actions.

‘I left silent gaps on my livestream again!’

Caught up in his conversation with the Spirit King of Fire, engrossed in the contract with his daughter, and mesmerized by the Mythic-Grade item, he failed to focus on his livestream.

‘Did I just make the same mistake? Damn it, Why don’t I ever learn?’

Even though he felt a tad dejected, showing it would not leave a good impression on his viewers.

“Wait, Alkinas!” Jin-Hyeok shouted.

The Spirit King of Fire, who heading toward the Spirit Gate, stopped and looked back at him.

“Do you have any further business to discuss with me?”

As a Streamer, there was something he had to say. To erase the shameful repeated mistakes from his own consciousness, he mustered his resolve and said with a stern expression, “Please subscribe, like, and turn on the notifications.”

***

The Spirit King of Fire returned to the Spirit Realm through the Spirit Gate. The flames that were fiercely burning at the Spirit Gate died down, leaving a looming gate-shaped void in the air.

[Closed Spirit Gate]

“With that, the Spirit King of Fire has become one of my subscribers. Everyone, please welcome Alkinas for becoming a member of Thirdsies.”

The term Thirdsies was a playful nickname for Jin-Hyeok’s subscribers, derived from the term third place. Since Jin-Hyeok had aimed, or used to aim, for the third place, he named his subscribers, Thirdsies. He was contemplating Ordinary[1] as the nickname, but then it would be too obvious that he was Kim Pyeong-Beom, so he went with Thirdsies.

Jin-Hyeok felt his social skills had improved, and personally, he quite liked the nickname Thirdsies. It aligned perfectly with his initial direction of Play.

He checked the detailed description of the Closed Spirit Gate.

[Closed Spirit Gate]

[The connection to the world of fiery heat has been closed. But where there is a bond, there is also a break, and vice versa.

Today’s closure is not the end.]

Then a notification followed.

[You have completed the New World Scenario 「Walking Alone, and Together in a New Place」.]

Closing the Spirit Gate and connecting the New World with Earth seemed to be the conclusion of this scenario. A magic circle formed beneath him. In an instant, mana circuits extended, and a powerful force erupted, covering him entirely. It was a transportation spell.

“Thanks for your hard work,” Jin-Hyeok said to the other party members.

[In the New World, it is survival of the fittest. The 「One Who Walks Alone」 will now claim everything.]

‘Oh?’

The One Who Walks Alone referred to Jin-Hyeok, who chose the Solo Mode. This meant that he would get all the rewards for himself.

[As the victor, would you like to share or yield your rewards?]

Jin-Hyeok could tell Bong King received a similar notification. Bong King looked at Jin-Hyeok with pleading eyes.

“Nope,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Suddenly, he was transported to the Eastern Ancient Castle Town.

“The System made it clear from the beginning that the New World was a winner-takes-all-type of Dungeon. Sharing or yielding rewards would be a foolish act, contrary to that principle.”

Of course, even without that notification, Jin-Hyeok would have claimed everything for himself. However, Jin-Hyeok refrained from saying that aloud. After all, he was in the process of learning social cues, and he now prided himself on having quite decent social skills and common sense.

[A reward has been granted to the 「One Who Walks Alone」.]

[You have acquired the Major Achievement 「One Who Walked Alone to Completion」.]

[One Who Walks Alone]

[Oh pioneer, your steps lead the way, and they are your glory.

Your journey toward the New World shall benefit the future.

All who follow in your footsteps will eternally chase after you.]

Upon acquiring the Major Achievement, another notification sounded, asking if Jin-Hyeok would like to register it in the Hall of Fame.

‘Ah... The Hall of Fame...’

In the past, when Jin-Hyeok acquired the Major Achievement Completion of Tutorial, he outright refused to register it in the Hall of Fame. After all, all that remained from registering it in the Hall of Fame was mere honor. It was essentially a way to advertise that Jin-Hyeok was number one and that he was powerful.

‘Wel... Should I register it? Considering that I have been livestreaming everything anyway... No, Let’s not forget about my initial purpose.’

Jin-Hyeok had decided to Play until Level 150 and retire. Going beyond that might really become dangerous. And there was also the risk, as before, of absurdly losing his family members.

‘If I’m a sane person, I need to snap out of it.’

The decision to register it or not in the Hall of Fame was not the main concern. It was more a matter of principle. In the early stages of the Tutorial, when he first encountered the Hall of Fame, he considered it to be useless.

Jin-Hyeok decided not to forget that perspective.

“I will not be registering my Major Achievement in the Hall of Fame.”

‘But why does it feel so bitter? There is no real benefit of registering.’

Hiding his bitterness, he continued with his livestream.

“Let’s check out the effects of the Major Achievement.”

[Achievement Effects:

1. Constant application of all Achievement effects acquired in the New World Dungeon.

2. Enhancement of Achievement effects acquired during the first progression of any Scenario.]

“The Achievement I acquired from the New World is the One Who Breaks Artificiality.”

This Achievement increased damage against artificial beings, like mechanical monsters or chimeric monsters, allowing one to perform significantly better against them.

“It seems this effect, which was originally only applicable in the New World, is now always active, even outside the Dungeon!”

It was quite a satisfying effect. This power gave a definite advantage against specific types of monsters and situations.

“Also, when starting a Scenario for the first time, there seems to be an advantage in the form of enhanced Achievement effects.”

This seemed like something he could use to get great content for his Eltube channel.

Continuing the livestream, Jin-Hyeok noticed a change.

“The name of the previously Closed Spirit Gate has changed.”

[Clear Gate]

“Through that Gate, I can exit the Dungeon. It seems the Clear of the Dungeon has already been recognized.”

Jin-Hyeok could Clear the New World right now, by going through the Clear Gate. Although the strategies he knew from before his regression had changed significantly, he had essentially Cleared the Dungeon in a different way. However, he had no intention of passing through just yet.

“I need to go back to the basics. The Clear Gate might be open, but I still need to finish the first Quest I accepted.”

After some walking, Jin-Hyeok arrived at the earlier part of the New World, the western gate of Azov Village. The NPC guard at the gate recognized him.

“Oh, it’s you! You have returned alive! The Thermal Flower. Did you get it?”

“Yes. It’s right here.”

Jin-Hyeak handed over the vase containing the Mysterious Thermal Flower. As the NPC took the vase...

Whoosh!

A purple flame soared.

‘Huh?’

The NPC holding the vase was burnt to ash on the spot. And then, a series of strange notifications followed.

***

[The Seed of the New World has sprouted.]

From the ashes of the burned NPC, a peculiar plant began to grow. Rapidly expanding, it soon resembled the giant beanstalk from Jack and the Beanstalk, reaching so high that it touched the clouds.

“It has reached the clouds. I can’t even fathom its height... Wait, the entire Azov Village is being scattered by the wind.”

The New World Jin-Hyeok knew before his regression was, frankly, too grandiose to be named so.

“Azov Village has disappeared, replaced by a massive magic circle.”

The sight, never seen before, involuntarily made him gulp. He regretted not learning a new Skill, like Drone Flight Recording. Being so fixated on a first-person perspective prevented him from acquiring such useful tools. The view from above would have been quite refreshing.

“And it’s getting dark.”

The magic circle gleamed in five distinct colors, while the towering three radiated a deep red hue.

“And stars are falling.”

Numerous stars with glowing tails started to descend from the dark sky. With so many celestial bodies moving, it felt as if the ground itself was in motion, much like the way trees seemed to move when viewed from a moving vehicle.

“It’s a beautiful sight.”

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed. He instinctively looked up, even though he had a gut feeling of what had transpired.

“It seems the tree, which grew to the height of the sky, has hit this world’s ceiling.”

The Dungeon, the New World, was not infinite. Somewhere high, beyond his sight, there seemed to exist a boundary, an endpoint to this world. The massively grown tree, eager to grow further, writhed at its base, seemingly trapped.

“The tree is struggling, and the sky feels like it\'s shaking.”

The beautiful meteor shower, which gracefully painted the sky, had now started to fall chaotically. Another explosion occurred.

“The meteor shower isn’t beautiful anymore.”

Meteor showers were beautiful when viewed from afar, but when those meteors fell nearby, they turned into a meteor storm.

BOOM!

A dust cloud billowed. Lost meteors began to plummet to the New World.

“If this continues, the New World will crumble into oblivion. And I, who am inside, will go down with it.”

‘Good. This is what I call a Dungeon. It had been too easy up to this point.’

“This is getting interesting.”

1. Ordinary in Korean is ??, or Pyeong Beom. ?