I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 179

[Attach picture]

Ha-Young realized that this drawing(?) was like a map pointing to a particular place.

“So, these pointy triangles are roofs, and these squares are windows,” he explained.

Several drawings resembling houses were sketched on the paper. Another drawing looked like waves, but whether it was a stream or a creek was unclear.

“Ah, and these look like sailboats, not leaves.” Jin-Hyeok took his pen and wrote leaves beside the picture, then crossed it out and wrote sailboats.

Astonished, Ha-Young asked again, “And these floating things are clouds, right? So, this is a drawing of a landscape?”

“Clearly.”

She locked eyes with him. It felt like confronting the depths of an unfathomable universe.

‘Why is he so confident?’ Ha-Young thought.

She could not understand why he thought it would be normal for her to determine the location just from this drawing, wondering where such confidence came from.

“...So, you are saying I should deduce the location from this drawing?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“...What exactly do you think I am?”

“A competent Thief and an informant?”

Ha-Young flinched. Jin-Hyeok’s compliment resonated in her mind. She replied, “I appreciate you seeing me like that, but I can’t tell the location from this. But are you actually being serious?”

He seemed dead serious.

“...Wow, you are. You thought I could pinpoint the location just from this drawing?”

‘What’s with his expression? It’s as if I should know it!’

Ha-Young was dumbfounded, but Jin-Hyeok looked slightly disappointed.

“So you don’t know?” He clicked his tongue.

Ha-Young was speechless at his expression.

‘Is this something to be disappointed about?’

This filled her with a surge of determination. “Give me more specific details. Like, what color were these roofs?”

“Uh... They seemed sort of red.”

“Where did you see this landscape?”

“I glimpsed it on TV or Eltube while scrolling. It appeared briefly in the background during an interview.”

‘I knew there was more to it!’

Ha-Young saw a glimmer of hope. “Then give me the link to that video.”

“It’s gone now.”

“Why?”

“It was deleted.”

The video Jin-Hyeok had seen was from before his regression. It was a brief interview with the Paper Sorcerer, Makendra. The location was uncertain, but the landscape had briefly appeared in it. Makendra had acquired Picasso’s Brush in that area.

~

A few days later, Jin-Hyeok beamed. “Yes! That’s the place. See? I told you that you could do it.”

“...Do you see these dark circles down to my jaw?” Ha-Young replied. Her eyes were heavily shadowed. Even she was amazed at how she had managed to find the location.

Jin-Hyeok patted her on the shoulder. “You can always find a way when you are intense.”

“You are Song Ha-Young. I knew you would figure it out.”

She flinched again.

‘I shouldn’t be happy with mere compliments.’

Jin-Hyeok’s words were like a drug for her. She knew she should not be pleased by them, but she could not help feeling happy. After all, only a few Players on the Earth Server had earned the recognition of IntenseMan.

“You are Song Ha-Young.”

Those words kept echoing in her ears.

‘...I shouldn’t be happy. I shouldn’t, I shouldn’t, I shouldn’t.’

“Of course. Sorry, I couldn’t find it sooner. I guess I wasn’t intense enough.”

‘.... But I can’t help myself.’

“Let me know if you need help again. After all, I am Song Ha-Young.”

***

According to the information Jin-Hyeok got from Ha-Young, the place where Picasso’s Brush was located was a small village in the Netherlands, called Giethoorn. Unbeknownst to Jin-Hyeok, it was one of the Netherlands’s iconic tourist destinations.

The place was decorated quaintly like a village out of a fairy tale, with canals connected like a network of roads, allowing for travel by yacht or ferry.

Seo Ji-Soo, who had joined him on this trip, seemed very excited. “Wow! It’s just like a village from a fairy tale. The sky is so blue and beautiful. Don’t you think so, Unnie?”

Seo Ji-Ah just stood there beside her sister, looking blankly. She seemed slightly annoyed, but Jin-Hyeok could not guess how she was feeling, so he had to rely on Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

~

[#Beautiful. #Gorgeous. #>_<?]

~

Jin-Hyeok found Ji-Ah hard to comprehend. Even though she was having such thoughts, she looked angry.

Without any expression, Ji-Ah looked around and then said to Jin-Hyeok, “I have a question.”

“What is it?”

As Jin-Hyeok had told Han Sae-Rin, he felt a strong emotion of wanting to take care of the Seo sisters. Maybe because they were Players with 8-Star Jobs squeezed among those with 9-Star Jobs, or perhaps it was because they maintained their top-ranker status through sheer hard work, despite lacking innate talent, Jin-Hyeok felt more concerned for them. He knew they might not be able to keep their top position as time went on.

It was especially so for Ji-Ah, who was the more reticent one. Therefore, Jin-Hyeok felt more compassionate whenever she asked him a question.

“What about your livestream?” Ji-Ah asked.

“Ah, I decided not to livestream this time.” Jin-Hyeok did not mention that they were here to find something secretly. It would not be good if the word got out.

“Recorded livestreams, or VODs, have their own charm you know. They were really well-received by my viewers.”

Wang Yu-Mi, with the help of the highly capable editor Gang Chul, also known as ChulSooIsGod, excelled at cutting and editing Jin-Hyeok’s live content into something interesting.

If the Scenario Swallowing Croaker had continued as a livestream, it would have ended up being quite draggy. The edited version of it had received a much hotter response. Jin-Hyeok’s subscriber count had increased significantly. Although the edited videos brought in fewer donations, the number of viewers was much higher, which was a good sign.

“Livestreams inevitably have boring moments. By cutting those out and mixing what I want to show and what I don’t want to show, I can make it more entertaining. Of course, that requires a skilled editor and production director.”

“I think I understand what you mean,” Ji-Ah said.

Ji-Soo, who had come closer to Jin-Hyeok, poked him on the shoulder. “But why us?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Why did you bring us all the way to the Netherlands?”

“I thought I might need Assassins to help me.”

“There are other Assassins like Kwak Do-Hyeong and Black Butterb— no, Black Butterfly Kaylin.”

Jin-Hyeok had remembered that before his regression, in Makendra’s video, two Players who seemed to be Assassins were guarding her. Therefore, he had brought his own Assassins along, thinking he might need them to acquire Picasso’s Brush.

“It’s been a while since we Played as a party. We need to maintain our teamwork so that it doesn’t get rusty,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“We are... a party?” Ji-Soo said.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“We’re a team?” Ji-Ah said, reacting similarly.

“Why are you making such a fuss over the obvious?”

“Really? You really think of us as a team?” Ji-Soo asked again.

“How many times do I have to say it?”

Ji-Soo suddenly hugged him. “I thought you didn’t need us anymore, Oppa.”

Then, she started crying in his arms. For a moment, he felt like sharp thorns were pricking his heart.

‘Is this a new kind of assassination technique?’

Jin-Hyeok wondered if they were testing it on him since Kaylin and Do-Hyeong often tested their new skills on him. So, he decided not to let his guard down.

‘Wait, Ji-Ah too?’

While she was not hugging him outright like her sister was, Ji-Ah had come close to him and was lightly holding onto his clothes.

‘That’s weird. It does not seem like an assassination attempt. But why do I feel pain in my heart?’

***

A couple of days ago, the Seo Sisters were having a conversation. They were always mentally prepared for Jin-Hyeok to leave them.

“Our Jobs are not that special compared to that of other Players. You know that right?” Ji-Soo said.

Ji-Ah nodded. The sisters were aware of their limitations. Although they were currently maintaining their top positions through collaborative synergy, it was only a matter of time before they would lose their spot.

Ji-Soo bit her lip tightly. “In a world where effort alone is not enough, maintaining our position in Jin-Hyeok’s team... it’s going to be harder and harder.”

“...Are you sad?”

“Yes, I am sad. We are trying really hard not to let Jin-Hyeok down as his original party members. But honestly, I don’t know how long we can keep this up.”

“Maybe we are already drifting apart. Jin-Hyeok now has the leader of the Black Thorn Alliance, Do-Hyeong, and Kaylin by his side.”

Ji-Ah shook her head. “We just need to do our best in our own way. We need to be more intense.”

“You’re right. But it still makes me sad. Sometimes, I wish we had never been his original party members from the start. Why can’t we have 9-Star Jobs?”

“It’s just a classification people made up. We shouldn’t set our limits just because of our Jobs.”

“I know you feel it too, Unnie. I think it’s more brave to acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged.”

The concept of rating Players’ Jobs in Stars was more of an arbitrary distinction people had made on their own, but Ji-Ah and Ji-Soo were feeling it in their bones.

“We are already starting to notice the difference between our growth rate and that of the Players with 9-Star Jobs.”

The sisters felt the existence of a small gap that effort alone could not close. This small gap was certain to grow over time. Eventually, Jin-Hyeok would discard them; even if he did not do it himself, they would no longer be able to hold their positions as his original party members.

However, today, the Seo sisters heard what Jin-Hyeok truly thought of them.

“It’s been a while since we Played as a party. We need to maintain our teamwork so that it doesn’t get rusty,”

Those words felt particularly comforting.

‘Someday, if we become unworthy as Oppa’s party members, we will leave on our own...’

But that time was not now. Jin-Hyeok’s words about being a team moved Ji-Soo and Ji-Ah. But Jin-Hyeok found it difficult to understand why they were acting this way. Having given up on understanding them, he did not make much effort to do so.

“But, I have a question,” Jin-Hyeok said. He was curious about something. “When exactly are you guys going to attack me?”

‘I am waiting, you know,’ he thought.