I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 164

“Good timing, Sae-Rin. I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“With me? Why?”

Sae-Rin looked at Jin-Hyeok with an inexplicably ambiguous gaze, and it was quite uncomfortable. Unable to figure out why she was looking at him like that, Jin-Hyeok reluctantly used Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

[...#Does he like me? #Does he think I’m pretty now? #Shall we start dating?]

Seeing those ludicrous thoughts, he quickly deactivated the Skill. It was profoundly unsettling. A comrade with whom he had traversed battlefields and shed blood and sweat having such thoughts for him gave him chills.

“No, Angel Girl informed me that several combatant-class Players are coming to the Earth Server from other Servers via unofficial routes. Their numbers are fairly significant, but they do not seem to be making any conspicuous movements. It is as if they are waiting for something, although I can’t be sure of what.”

“And why did you want to discuss this with me?” Sae-Rin asked.

“I thought you might know what they’re after.”

Sae-Rin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why would you think I would know? I’m just a Navigator.”

“Hm... You’re right. Why would I think of you?”

Jin-Hyeok knew better than anyone that although Sae-Rin had started as a Navigator, she would grow into a great Ruler in the future. He might get annoyed at her odd fantasies about romance, but he did acknowledge her capabilities.

“I just thought you would know,” he said.

“You’re saying you sensed my potential. You do have discerning eyes.”

“I am a bit like that.”

“But why do you lack discernment when it comes to women?”

“Let’s get back to the point. What do you think they are after?”

Sae-Rin made relatively accurate predictions about what was going to happen next. “First, I think there is going to be a new Scenario, and second...”

Just as expected, Sae-Rin was smart. She considered all the possible outcomes and even thought of countermeasures. Jin-Hyeok felt proud, as if he were looking at the Sae-Rin who had been a great Ruler in his previous life.

“Well, these are just my predictions, anyway.”

Jin-Hyeok then asked, “Do you know a guy named Humphrey Millen?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Well, he is really good friends with Jonprich, whom I killed before.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“And he has been going back and forth to the Scanorbia Server lately.”

Ha-Young’s face turned pale. “How did you know that?”

“Have you forgotten who created the warp portals after clearing the New World?”

“...Ah!” Ha-Young clutched her head in dismay. “So you can know who is moving to which Server?”

“If I set up keywords, yes I can.”

“You didn’t show that on your livestream.”

“Well, I discovered it when I was taking a break from livestream.”

At the time, Jin-Hyeok had carefully checked the notifications.

[Adventurer 「Captain」 from the American Server has requested warp portal access.]

[Navigator 「Zi Yuan」 from the Chinese Server has requested warp portal access.]

.

.

.

[Adventurer 「Layla」 from the Czech Republic Server has requested warp portal access.]

If Jin-Hyeok wanted to, he could know exactly who was moving where. There was no need to monitor everything. So far, Jin-Hyeok had set up only two keywords; one was Egan, and the other was Humphrey.

Ha-Young seemed quite pleased that they had obtained this new information, her complexion improving.

Sae-Rin had also heard the conversation and spoke after giving it some thought. “The likelihood that Humphrey hates you is high, isn’t it?’

“It’s possible.”

“Then I know what they are after.” Sae-Rin laid out a few scenarios.

In the end, her predictions turned out to be accurate. One of her scenarios included Humphrey inciting the Scanorbian warriors to massacre the Earth Players dispatched to Scanorbia. That day, Jin-Hyeok had received a fresh shock and became humble again.

‘I had thought maybe I also have a talent for being a Ruler.’

That was his misconception. If Sae-Rin were the sun, he were just a small firefly.

‘I gotta thank Sae-Rin for reminding me that I have a lot of room to grow.’

Jin-Hyeok had almost become arrogant. He still had a lot to learn.

? ? ?

“If Humphrey were really desperate, he would not have used the warp portal that I had created. Its usage is fully recorded, so tracking who moves where through it is easy. Humphrey has visited this Server several times according to the record,” Jin-Hyeok said to Choi Gap-Soo.

Humphrey attempted an immediate rebuttal, but Gap-Soo raised his hand to stop him. “Continue, Chul-Soo.”

“If he really wanted to divert my attention, he would not have brought in so many Players from other Servers. Even if he had proceeded discreetly, it would have been noticeable given the size of the operation. This too serves as evidence that he was not truly desperate.”

“Hm... Go on.”

“He made it too obvious that he was targeting me. It was a very one-dimensional diversionary tactic. Even a mere Navigator, not a Ruler, noticed it immediately. How can you call a plan this sloppy a desperate one?”

Gap-Soo stroked his chin before asking, “Isn’t that a lack of competence rather than a lack of desperation?”

“If one is truly desperate, they have to be competent.” Jin-Hyeok’s voice was filled with conviction. “Anyone can see this is not about desperation.”

“Hahaha! Your standards are indeed strict, Chul-Soo!”

Humphrey was fuming.

‘I used hundreds of different routes and moved my troops in small units. I managed everything through a cell organization, evading the information networks of every country. Given the standards of the Earth Server, tracking Players’ movements should have been nearly impossible! This operation was bullet-proof!’ Humphrey thought.

What Humprey did not know was that the average Korean Region Player, heavily influenced by Kim Chul-Soo, had grown much more than Players from other Regions. While the Levels of the Korean Players were lower, their actual abilities tended to dominate those of Players from other Regions.

‘Even though we have been caught, it is not because we failed; it is because you got lucky. It’s not that we weren’t desperate; you were just too fortunate!’

Jin-Hyeok’s face remained resolute. He seemed to be scolding Millen for his lack of desperation and saying that Humphrey could never change his mind.

“Moreover, Humphrey gave away that he has abilities related to dealing with poison,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“He deals with poison, you say?” Gap-Soo asked.

“Yes. He used poison to manipulate Egan Paul.”

Humphrey involuntarily widened his eyes, shocked that Jin-Hyeok had found it out.

Gap-Soo, seemingly intrigued, asked, “Did you read this through Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance?”

“No, I found it out through my Black Flames Slap Art.”

“Black Flame what?”

“This.” Jin-Hyeok raised his right hand, conjuring flames. “Thanks to the Phoenix Heart that the Named user Wind Wanderer gave to me, my Black Flame Slap Art has gained the ability to purify poison.”

Jin-Hyeok was now a skilled Streamer, and he never forgot to please his donors. Delighted to hear his name, Wind Wanderer donated 100,000 Dias to Chul-Soo.

“If Humphrey were really desperate, he would not have been caught using poison.”

“Hey, that’s quite a bit of a stretch,” Humphrey interjected.

“What’s the stretch?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

Humphrey felt the urge to punch him in the face.

“That’s why my friend, the Navigator, contemplated this. Would Humphrey really have only one plan? Perhaps there is a plan following the failure of the first one, a plan involving the Scanorbian warriors?” Jin-Hyeok said.

Humphrey’s face started to lose color. Jin-Hyeok was spot on.

“My Navigator predicted that Humphrey would resort to poison if the massacre plan failed as well,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“That’s a reasonable assumption,” Gap-Soo replied.

“But if it was too obvious, it would be problematic, so it wouldn’t be in gas form. And making people eat poisonous solids would be awkward. The easiest method would have been to poison the drinking water.”

The viewers of KimKnowItAllTV were engrossed in the livestream. Arguments erupted on whether Jin-Hyeok’s prediction was correct.

“However, I was sure that Humphery would not have used an overly potent poison. He would have chosen a toxin that was odorless, colorless, and left no trace.”

“...”

“A Level 80 Fire Spirit was more than capable of purifying such a poison.” Jin-Hyeok muttered, “Summon Cute Elly, Ta-da!”

An adorable Spirit Gate materialized, and a small girl enveloped in flames appeared out of it.

“Elly wants praise,” Elines said.

“You did well,” Jin-Hyeok replied.

Jin-Hyeok released a new video on the livestream. It involved Elly and him purifying the nearby well water.

Humphrey was speechless.

‘How quickly did he clear the Fall of Yeonhui-dong Scenario? Did those mercenaries just take the money and run? How could Chul-Soo have this much free time?’

That made no sense to Humphrey.

As Jin-Hyeok patted Elly’s head, she giggled.

“How can he be this careless if he were truly desperate?” Jin-Hyeok asked Gap-Soo.

“I see.” Gap-Soo nodded as if he was convinced.

‘He’s convinced by this?’

Humphrey wanted to scream. Viewers watching this through KimKnowItAllTV felt the same.

-I think Humphrey’s plans were desperate enough.

-He seemed pretty desperate, in my opinion.

However, in the Chul-Soo Verse, this kind of desperation was nothing.

-From the perspective of the IntenseMan, Millen was too lazy.

-He got caught because he was not desperate enough. LOL

-How not desperate do you have to be to get completely figured out by a mere Navigator? You should reflect upon yourself, Humphrey. LOL

The chat also had some comments about self-reflection.

-I’ve been living my life all wrong.

-I reflect on how un-desperate I was. In the eyes of the IntenseMan, I am a nobody.

-We gotta get more desperate, guys. IntenseMan is watching us.

Jin-Hyeok nodded. “Are you going to accept a proposal from someone who is not truly desperate? It will be boring. Just leave it to me, and I will entertain you with much more exciting content.”

Gap-Soo heartily laughed. “I will no longer interfere. This is between the two of you, so sort it out.”

Gap-Soo thought the ongoing events were too thrilling. He rushed back to Earth to enjoy the livestream in his media room, which was equipped with the best sound system. As Gap-Soo returned to Earth, the declaration of the Demilitarized Zone was repealed.

Meanwhile, the K-Force had traveled to Scanorbia Server via the warp portal and joined forces with Great Leader Khan to undermine Pufangculi’s power.

“Right now, you have two choices: fight for your life or run away,” Jin-Hyeok said to Humphrey while unsheathing his Greatsword of La’kan. “Shall we have an honorable fight, non-combatant against non-combatant?”

Humphrey tensed, raising his hands as if he had been expecting this confrontation.

Jin-Hyeok began to speak in a solemn tone. “My sword will show you what true justi—”

Suddenly, two dark shadows lunged forward and stabbed Humphrey’s calves with their daggers. They were none other than Kwak Do-Hyeok, the leader of the Black Thorn Alliance, and Black Butterfly, a member of the Avengers Army.

Jin-Hyeok had used his dialogue with his weapon to divert Humphrey’s attention, allowing the others to launch a surprise attack.

“...true justice looks like from behind.” Jin-Hyeok finished his sentence in the same tone.

“Y-You... coward!” Humphrey shouted.

The theme of Jin-Hyeok’s current content was a surprise attack.

‘I didn’t expect Black Butterball to be a part of this though,’ he thought.

Regardless, it had worked. If he were a Swordsman, he would have never engaged in such tactics, but as a Streamer, he was delighted. He could not even begin to describe how worried he had been that the surprise attack might fail.

Meanwhile, Do-Hyeon and Black Butterfly had Humphrey subdued and on his knees. To prevent any chance of escape, they also placed knife points at his thighs.

“Considering the scale of this operation, you could not have acted alone,” Jin-Hyeok said. “We need to find out who is backing you. Let’s start a peaceful interview, Mr. Humphrey Millen.”