I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 247

Up until about the first fifty battles of the Regional War, the Korean Players had dominated the fights. They had won forty battles out of the fifty—which meant a staggering eighty percent win rate for the Korean Players.

[However, the scores of the American Players began to improve after that.]

Rumors had spread that the Korean Region was overrated. However, Encyclopedia thought differently.

[This is a post left by a Korean user on the Korean Region Minor Gallery.

-I tried the Regional War, but even if you win there, they don’t give you any Dias or experience points. I searched hard, thinking there might be some Hidden Items or Achievements, but there was nothing. This is just pure labor. Not worth it, moly.

These lines are an extract from a post by Mole Man, who has recently been acknowledged as the Navigator for the K-Force and is enjoying increasing popularity.]

After that, the participation of the Korean Players in the Regional War battles significantly decreased. Ordinary Players thought that if even the famous Mole Man could not find any Hidden Items or Achievements there, they could never find one either. They would rather clear one more Dungeon than participate in the Regional War. It was more efficient that way.

~

-Why bother with such nonsense?

-The American Players seem to enjoy it.

-Why participate in something that doesn’t even level you up? Let them do it amongst themselves.

[Korean Region Players are distinctly different from Players on other Servers. They pursue extreme efficiency and even optimize their paths for eating and drinking while Playing. The concept of ‘Playing for fun’ seems almost nonexistent in their mindset. Their Server is filled with hardcore Players. What made them this way?]

The situation was indeed as Encyclopedia had analyzed; most Korean rankers refused to participate in the Regional War. Consequently, the Level of Korean Players participating in the Regional War had dropped significantly. The hardcore Players refused to participate in the Regional War, leaving only a minority of casual Players to take part.

[Here, the tendencies of the American and the Korean Region Players distinctly diverged. Look at the chart below. American rankers participated in the Regional War with fiery enthusiasm. It seemed like a matter of pride for them. However, for Korean Players, this Regional War was nothing more than meaningless labor.]

This difference in perception led to the vast skill difference in the Regional War.

-Haha! Those American Players are feeling all high and mighty after beating low-Level Players. LOL!

-The American Players are Playing their hearts out, and the Korean Players don’t even care about the Regional War.

-The American Players are invisible to the Korean Players! LOL

The American Ruler named Emperor, who initiated the Regional War, frowned.

‘Their complacency won’t last long.’

Eventually, the American side, led by Emperor, achieved one thousand wins. It was not widely known, but achieving one thousand wins granted various privileges to the winning side.

He chuckled. “So, I heard that you guys enjoy Playing hardcore.”

‘Let’s see how you can handle this hardcore difficulty.’

Then, he revealed something that shocked the Players around the globe.

-Players have detected an abnormal atmosphere in the Korean Region’s Dungeons.

-Despite consecutive clears, they are not receiving even the minimum rewards.

***

Emperor had achieved one thousand victories, which allowed him to add a new setting.

[For every victory, partial ownership of the defeated Server’s Dungeon is acquired.]

While Players from the American Region received amplified rewards for clearing Dungeons in Korea, Players from other Servers received none. Anyone could enter the Dungeons, but only American Players could receive the rewards.

Riding this momentum, Emperor achieved 1,100 victories. This meant he had acquired partial ownership of a whopping one hundred Korean Dungeons.

‘After every additional one hundred victories, we become even stronger!’

After every additional one hundred victories, the American Players who participated in the Regional War received a +5% movement speed effect.

Even a drizzle could get one wet if one stood outside for a long period of time. Bit by bit, slowly taking advantages, the American Players would become so powerful that they would reach an untouchable state.

‘Pathetic fools,’ Emperor thought.

Even as the situation reached this point, Korean Players seemed to have little interest in the Regional War. The rankers remained indifferent to this issue, and only the so-called casual Players were participating in the Regional War.

Eventually, Emperor achieved 1,500 victories. ‘I did it.’

This was his primary goal. Then he announced something to the public. “I am going to restrict the participation of Player Kim Chul-Soo in the Regional War.”

After that announcement, he held a major press conference.

“Chul-Soo will be unable to participate in the Regional War for a while,” Emperor said to the interviewer.

“Are you afraid of Chul-Soo?”

“Absolutely not. In exchange for Chul-Soo’s absence, I will also withdraw from the war. We are leaving Chul-Soo alone right because he and the K-Force will be the climax of our campaign in Korea.” Emperor then talked about how in every story, there always had to be a development, turn, and conclusion.

He continued, “Ultimately, our war will conclude Chul-Soo’s and the K-Force’s defeats. I will uncover the overhype of the Korean Region and show that the American Players are not to be underestimated. I will make America great again!”

Cha Jin-Hyeok did not have much interest in Emperor but still heard about the press conference. Rubbing his ears, he said, “He’s quite diligent.”

“He is indeed.” Enjoying a moment of rest, Cha Jin-Sol lay on the sofa and watched Eltube. She was researching and analyzing how and when Healers from other Servers utilized their healing skills. She wasn’t even paying attention to what Emperor was saying. “It seems like he finds this interesting.”

“Seems so.” Jin-Hyeok yawned, then completely forgot about Emperor’s speech.

‘What did he say again?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Suddenly, a good idea struck him, and he sprang up from his seat. “Wait a minute.”

“What’s up?’

“Now that I think of it, I’m not a hardcore Player.”

“You’re not a hardcore Player?” Jin-Sol was surprised. But these words gave her a new motivation.

‘I should reflect on myself,’ she thought.

Jin-Sol reflected on her previous thought that she was hardcore enough; she needed to set the right standards.

“Of course. I am a Streamer. I’m supposed to pursue moderate enjoyment while Playing,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“I thought that was hardcore Playing.”

Playing with a proper narrative and planning was harder than just mindlessly smashing things. Jin-Sol thought that was hardcore Playing, but it didn’t seem to be so by her brother’s standards.

‘I... need to try harder.’

“So, I think pursuing some fun wouldn’t be so bad,” Jin-Hyeok said with a determined expression.

Streamer Chul-Soo had to consider and Play with too many things in mind. It was fun, but it also brought him significant stress and pressure. Sometimes, he just wanted to Play as he pleased without worrying about planning his content.

“Fun?” Jin-Sol asked.

“I think it’s time for Kim Pyeong-Beom to return to the scene,” Jin-Hyeok said while smiling.

***

After the initial battles, Korean rankers had no interest in the Regional War. However, as time passed, things began to change a bit. ~

-What? The Regional War is rigged by the host?

The Regional War was a form of virtual space warfare. However, with each passing day, it was said to increasingly favor the American Players. The turrets protecting American Players were much stronger than those protecting Korean players. American Players had a much faster stamina recovery rate, and even the same magic spells were stronger when used by American Players.

-Wow, those guys are Playing dirty.

-I can’t believe these bastards.

Rankers who had no interest in the Regional War started to pay it a bit of attention. The fact that the map of the Regional War favored American Players became known as hacking. Korean Players were furious that American Players were using hacks in a sacred Play.

-I can’t stand hackers.

-We need to teach them a lesson.

Scattered Korean Region Players, who had barely paid attention to each other, united all of a sudden. Even Emperor, who was monitoring the situation, was taken aback. ‘What’s happening?’

Korean Players were moving in perfect unison. With optimized party members, they were showing incredible efficiency in the Regional War. They participated in the war with rapid rotations, considering each Player’s stamina and Traits. It was a systematic movement, like strategizing for a Dungeon boss monster. This could only be possible if someone was overseeing and controlling it from above. Emperor wondered who in Korea could do this.

‘Right, it must be Han Sae-Rin’s doing. I knew it.’

Emperor thought Sae-Rin was controlling the situation in the Regional War, but he was mistaken. Sae-Rin had been clearing other Dungeons for the last few days and was unaware of the outside situation.

‘But it’s already too late!’

Undeniably, Korean Players had suddenly become strong, and their united force was frightening.

-Down with the hackers!

-We need to establish the order of Play!

Moreover, it was clear that the win rate of the Korean Region had increased significantly.

‘But we are about to achieve our two thousandth victory!’

Achieving two thousand victories was Emperor’s secondary goal. After this point, the American Players would receive much stronger buffs. All their abilities would be enhanced, from their Jobs to their Skills. Even ordinary Players could maximize their potential.

[You have achieved 2,000 victories.]

[As the Great Ruler, you have the right to upgrade the Regional War to an All-Out War.]

Emperor did not upgrade the Regional War to an All-Out War right away.

‘An All-Out War would be troublesome because they have Waiting Wife on their side.’

He needed to prepare countermeasures for Waiting Wife. So, he created defense turrets favorable to the American side and removed the terrain where Waiting Wife could hide and launch her cannon fire.

Everything was turning in favor of the American Players. As time passed, Emperor was confident that all preparations were complete.

“Now, I will show you why America is the greatest. I will prove that the Avengers Army is not all America has to offer!”

That was Emperor’s perfect plan. However, things in the world did not always go as planned.

‘What is this?’

Emperor expected an overwhelming victory in the All-Out War. The American side indeed won the initial round of the All-Out War, but the win was not overwhelming.

‘They are stronger than I thought...’

As the Great Ruler, he trusted his judgment. He had analyzed the Korean Players very well and thought this would be sufficient.

‘What is more frightening is their unity.’

This was something Emperor could not understand. He prided himself on having studied the Korean Region extensively. He had even defined the Korean Region.

[A server where Players constantly fight like crazy, dividing into factions with no hope for unity.]

They fought over gender.

They fought over political views.

They fought over marital status.

They fought over the region of origin.

They fought over age.

It was a strange Server, and Emperor was sure that they would all be a disorganized mess in an All-Out War. However, their unity was beyond imagination.

‘How is this possible?’

Those who were not supposed to be united were standing together. Many online communities across the universe found this intriguing. Moreover, something seemed strange about the Korean Players.

“Hey, you killed my friend! How dare you!”

“I will not let these hacking scumbags push around my Server!”

Even though a revival setting was active in the war, the fear of death was not supposed to disappear. There was a reason governments around the world campaigned to avoid death as much as possible. Usually, a Player’s will to fight faded after one or two deaths. However, these damn Korean Players seemed to get stronger the more they were killed.

The current score of the All-Out War was 3:0, with 3 rounds to the American side and none to the Korean side. Despite the American Players being on the winning side, Emperor was getting a bit anxious.

‘The gap in skills is narrowing.’

-Hey guys! I found an optimized map route. Navigators can bypass and open a path, but you need to be below Level 150.

‘These crazy bastards!’

Korean Players found paths on the map that even the designer, Emperor, did not know about. Then another piece of news came in.

‘Wait, Kim Pyeong-Beom?’

Pyeong-Beom was a Player who had retired in Korea and disappeared suddenly. The news was that this Player, who had a reputation on par with Chul-Soo, had returned.