I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 157

Back then, among the Korean Swordsman-class Players, Lee Hyeon-Seong was the only one who had made it onto the Astonishing List. This had infuriated Jin-Hyeok. Jin-Hyeok had surpassed Hyeon-Seong in many aspects, yet Hyeon-Seong was the one who had made it onto that coveted list.

Not many Achievements were worthy of the Astonishing List, and naturally, Jin-Hyeok was convinced that the selection criteria were garbage.

‘Maybe the criteria are quite reasonable after all.’

However, now that one of his Achievements was on the Astonishing List, he understood. The criteria were not unreasonable.

[An 「Astonishing Invitation」 has been sent to the one who has earned a spot on the 「Astonishing List」.]

A ticket arrived in his inventory. It was a ticket to a festival held once a year and exclusive to Players who had made it onto the Astonishing List, commonly known as the Glory Society.

‘I finally did it!’

Jin-Hyeok remembered what Hyeon-Seong always used to say to him before his regression.

“I have the experience of attending the Glory Society, Jin-Hyeok.”

Hyeon-Seong would flaunt his attendance at the Glory Society whenever he felt cornered. With this invitation, Jin-Hyeok would not have to hear such nonsense in this life.

[The Major Achievement 「Thunder Dragon Contract」 comes with special benefits.]

The Thunder Dragon, Atanna, solemnly spoke.

[“You are lucky, madman.”]

“I am?”

[“The weight of the responsibility of someone with great power is very heavy.”]

Atanna began to explain, but it was not anything complicated.

“So what you are saying is that, normally, moving between Servers is hard for you, right? Under normal circumstances, it is difficult for one to leave the Scanorbia Server, but the special privilege granted by the Astonishing List removes those restrictions.”

[“Yes, but some restrictions still exist.”]

Atanna chuckled.

[“Regrettably, you will not be able to fully utilize my power.”]

“Fine by me.”

[“Pity, but you have to... What?”]

‘What the hell is she talking about?’

[“What I mean is, you will not be able to fully harness my almighty Thunder Dragon powers in other Servers.”]

‘Almighty, my ass! You can’t even save your son from being tainted. What’s so almighty about that?’

[“I will not be able to assist you in battles. I do not know how long this restriction will last, but it is likely related to your growth.”]

“What the hell are you talking about? Do I look like a Tamer to you?”

Jin-Hyeok tried to convey the situation to his viewers as objectively as possible. “The Thunder Dragon seems to be a little confused. I am not a Tamer, and I have no intention of summoning it for something grandiose.”

Jin-Hyeok was not planning on using the Thunder Dragon’s power as Park Terse had, maximizing the potential of Atanna’s power. Even for an adept Tamer like Terse, wielding the Thunder Dragon’s power was a huge burden. So, attempting to fully utilize the dragon’s power would be overly ambitious for a Streamer like Jin-Hyeok.

[“Madman, you also desired this contract with me. I sensed your fervent wishes through my draconic eyes. Are you going to deny that now?”]

“I did wish for the contract.”

Jin-Hyeok had never seen a mount as impressive as a Thunder Dragon. The Thunder Dragon could summon thunderstorms and tear through the skies. It was a great mount with an overwhelming power that took people’s breath away. Nothing could compare to it, not even a Ferrari.

“You are the most fantastic mount in the world.”

? ? ?

Thunder Dragon Atanna found herself engulfed in confusion for a while. Over the course of thousands of years, many humans had attempted to form contracts with her, all with the same objective—to dominate the world with her power. A lucky few even became the most powerful heroes of their time, thanks to her assistance.

‘Did he just say I am the most fantastic mount in the world?’

It took her a moment to grasp the meaning of those words. She had never met a human mad enough to consider her merely a mount.

[“Mount? You want to use me as a mount, madman?”]

“Yes.”

[“Me? A mount?”]

“Of course.”

[“And why is that?”]

“It looks cool.”

Atanna scowled. Jin-Hyeok was an utterly incomprehensible human.

[“So you have no complaints about being unable to utilize my power in battles?”]

“I just need the cool factor.”

In truth, if the contractor wished, some of the restrictions could be released. Atanna was willing to do that much as a favor for the man who had saved her son. She had expected Jin-Hyeok to beg for her power or to release those restrictions, but that did not happen.

‘To actually say something like that...’

Atanna still found it difficult to believe those were Jin-Hyeok’s true thoughts. However, thousands of years of beliefs could not be overturned in a single moment. She tried to understand Jin-Hyeok in her own way, through her own eyes.

‘Is he perhaps considering my well-being?’

Jin-Hyeok had risked his life to save Aton. He had even repeatedly warned Atanna to stay still so as not to interfere with the healing(?) process.

‘Yes, perhaps he is a warm-hearted madman... one who would risk his life to save a dragon.’

Atanna considered it carefully. Every human in the world would covet the power of a Thunder Dragon and regret being unable to use it for battles.

‘Then why is he like that? He is being considerate because I am a mother.’

Young dragons were vulnerable in many ways. They could easily lose their lives due to the tainted Mystery. That was why they always needed their mother by their side.

‘From the start, this madman never intended to make use of me.’

In her perspective, Jin-Hyeok had thought of her as a novice mother struggling with childcare; so, he did not find it too regrettable that he was unable to actively use her power!

Deeply moved, Atanna transmitted this intense emotion directly to Jin-Hyeok.

‘Hmm?’

Perhaps due to the contract, Jin-Hyeok could precisely sense Atanna’s feelings.

‘Oh?’

Knowing how Atanna felt, he decided it was wise to win the dragon’s favor. He said, “Well, you are a mother.”

[“...”]

“I have no intention of dragging a mother raising a young child into battles.”

[“I see. So you are a considerate madman, after all.”]

Feeling Atanna’s newfound fondness, Jin-Hyeok grinned.

‘All I wanted was to look cool while riding a dragon.’

Jin-Hyeok had never intended to use the Thunder Dragon’s power in the first place, regardless of the objective difficulty in doing so. Using the Thunder Dragon’s power would essentially mean using cheat codes in his Play.

‘Where is the fun in using cheats?’

That was far removed from the style of Play Jin-Hyeok pursued.

“I see Khan has come to his senses. I will go have a chat with him,” Jin-Hyeok said to his viewers. He then slapped Khan, who was groaning softly.

? ? ?

The chat window of KimKnowItAllTV was as lively as ever.

-LOL! That slap was personal.

-The Great Leader of Scanorbia getting slapped! Haha!

-If I remember correctly, the Level difference between Chul-Soo and Khan is over 50, yet Chul-Soo is slapping Khan like Khan is his younger brother, LOL! Is this for real? He’s got guts!

Khan soon regained his consciousness and glared at Jin-Hyeok.

“You fool!” Khan tried to stand up and kick Jin-Hyeok, but he couldn’t

[“Do you wish to die?”]

Atanna, the true ruler of Scanorbia, spoke in a chilling voice.

“I-I was...!”

Jin-Hyeok grinned and slapped him again. “Snap out of it, Khan!”

Smack! Smack!

Jin-Hyeok slapped him left and right, alternating between cheeks.

-??? He already woke up. What’s the problem???

-LOL, you still don’t know who Chul-Soo is, do you?

Some hardcore users even dug up old videos of Chul-Soo.

-See? The enemy is already dead, but Chul-Soo keeps stabbing him.

-He said it was to confirm the kill, but I don’t know.

-LOL, but he already got the notification that he defeated the enemy! LOL

-The consensus is that he kept stabbing the enemy because he wanted to.

So, right now, Chul-Soo was slapping Khan because he wanted to. Casual users of KimKnowItAllTV and newbies gained this insight.

“Wake up, Khan!”

Smack! Smack!

Only after several more slaps did Chul-Soo stop and speak. “Oh, you’re awake now.”

“You little...!” Khan was furious, but his fear of Atanna prevented him from showing it.

“Now, let’s proceed with an interview with the Great Leader of Scanorbia, Khan. Is that okay, Khan?”

“...Who are you?”

“Kim Chul-Soo.”

“Kim Chul-Soo? You mean the good friend of Kim Pyeong-Beom? That Kim Chul-Soo?” Khan clenched his fist, then shouted, “Where is Pyeong-Beom? Show yourself, you coward!”

The next moment, an earthquake occurred. Atanna roared in immense fury.

[“If you dare insult my contractor and the one who saved my son, I will make sure you die painfully.”]

Boom!

Lightning struck.

Flash!

Khan’s vision cleared, and only then did he look around.

‘The forest... is gone?’

The Central Forest, the largest forest in Scanorbia, had disappeared. All he saw was an expansive plain. Even the horizon was visible in the distance.

‘The forest vanished...!’ Khan thought, trembling.

This was the power of a Thunder Dragon. Khan immediately knelt, adopting a respectful posture. “I apologize, Contractor of the Thunder Dragon. I will comply with the interview.”

“Did you do a staged livestream, or not?”

“...Excuse me?”

“Egan Paul, Humphrey Millen. Do those names come to mind?” Jin-Hyeok checked his current viewer count on his livestream—a staggering two hundred thousand.

‘When did it increase this much?’ he thought.

Jin-Hyeok could not exactly determine the specific formula, but it seemed some of the viewer limit restrictions were lifted as his Level increased.

‘I will show the world the true meaning of fair livestreaming.’

It was not that Jin-Hyeok was angry because someone was trying to take his number one spot. He just wanted to show everyone that.

With that thought, Jin-Hyeok asked Khan again. “You don’t know those names?”

Khan pondered the question for a moment, but he could not lie. If he did, the Thunder Dragon would easily detect it. So, he said, “...I know them.”

“Did they ask you to do a staged livestream with them?”

“I’m not sure if it was staged, but...”

“The United States wiping out your army with its might, that was staged, right?”

“...”

Khan remained silent for a moment but eventually spoke under Jin-Hyeok’s, or rather, the Thunder Dragon’s pressure. He earnestly requested, “Could you please pause your livestream for a moment?”

“Why?”

“There are some things that are difficult to discuss.”

Jin-Hyeok shook his head. Stopping the livestream at this point would be an unforgivable move in terms of production. Although Khan looked quite pitiful, that was not Jin-Hyeok’s concern.

“I want you to say those things that are difficult to discuss.”

“...”

“Why? Did you make a secret pact with Egan Paul? Like getting support for food and medical supplies?”

“...”

“You guys are suffering from starvation due to your barren land, so their offer must have been tempting.” Jin-Hyeok deeply sighed and continued, “But even if that was the case, why would you do that? There are things like ethics and laws in this world. If everyone livestreamed like that, then anyone could be a Streamer, don’t you think?”

Khan began to feel that something was off.

‘It doesn’t seem like he is questioning me about invading the Earth Server and exploiting humans...?’