I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 266

To move, the monster needed a power source. Since it had no heartbeat, it needed mana from the outside.

“I do not know the principle behind it, but I am not connected to the monster. I feel like a puppeteer manipulating a puppet.”

The Control Bug burrowed in the tarantula’s brain. The force controlling the tarantula from the outside was weaker than the force the Control Bug exerted from the inside. Unable to do anything, the tarantula shuddered, making weird sounds as its legs trembled.

“I failed to make the monster completely mine with the Control Bug. This is expected of a Level-300 monster.” Jin-Hyeok continued the livestream, as he swung Miri.

Thwack!

He could strike a stationary target with full force.

[You have activated the Skill ?Taming (Physical)?.]

[You have activated the Skill ?Taming (Physical)?.]

[You have activated the Skill ?Taming (Physical)?.]

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

It was a collaboration between Control Bug and his taming Skill.

“The Level difference is too high to tame it completely.”

Jin-Hyeok was very disappointed. However, after he severed the tarantula’s connection with the previous power source, it became nothing but a giant spider.

“The Control Bug can read some of the target’s memories,” Jin-Hyeok said. However, the tarantula was a creature of low intelligence. Jin-Hyeok could only see an image of a woman that remained in its memory, but not hear what the woman was saying.

“In the memories of the tarantula, there is a middle-aged woman with very white skin. She is wearing clothes similar to a hanbok[1] made of flamboyant red silk. Her lips are bright red, and she has a jade hairpin in her hair. She is speaking, but it seems difficult for the tarantula to understand.” Jin-Hyeok had to determine what she was saying by reading her lips. “She is saying... she wants to have something pretty? I think that’s the gist.”

He frowned. “Is this... spider that pretty?”

Upon reflection, he realized that to become an excellent Tamer, one also needed the quality of being able to see the taming target as cute.

‘Let’s look for the pretty aspect of the tarantula.’

The tarantula had a massive body encased in a hard shell and six blood-red eyes resembling those of a fly. It had teeth sharp enough to rival an alligator’s and legs covered in bristles like iron spikes. Jin-Hyeok felt a sense of crisis. ‘... Do I lack talent as a Tamer?’

***

Thud!

Without its power source, the Silver Thread Tarantula eventually fell.

[You have defeated ?Harkoen’s Pet Spider?.]

Jin-Hyeok felt a mix of emotions. ‘I was able to hunt the tarantula thanks to the Control Bug, but...’

It was a joyous occasion. Even during his time as the Sword King, hunting a Level-300 monster was impossible. However, strictly speaking, he had lost the battle.

‘I am still too weak.’

At times, he felt good that he had gotten a bit stronger, but that was a misconception. Jin-Hyeok questioned himself, ‘Have I been a bit lazy lately? Have I not been intense enough? I need to be more intense!’

He could not forget his initial goals. Even the top rankers could fall if they forget their initial goals.

‘If I had been truly intense, could I have utilized the Control Bug more efficiently?’

Having fulfilled its duty, the Control Bug died. Nonetheless, he glimpsed the possibility of a new taming method.

‘Violence is not always the answer.’

Sometimes, more sophisticated methods were needed.

‘It would be convenient if I could use parasites or have brainwashing Skills.’

He decided to think about the details later.

‘But where is Lessefim? How far has she gone?’

Lessefim was nowhere to be seen.

***

Lessefim did her best to create an escape route. ‘Just a bit more!’

Before she knew it, she got lost in a trance.

[You have activated the Skill ?Emergency Exit?.]

She did not know how much time had passed, but light began to appear within her microcosm.

‘There it is!’

[You have activated the Skill ?Emergency Exit?.]

Creating a passage from nothing was an incredibly strenuous task. As hard as it already was, this time, she had to create a passage for two people.

‘This Skill is originally meant for one person.’

Forcing a non-existing passage to appear and then expanding that one-person exit to a two-person exit was agonizing.

‘But I can’t let Kim Chul-Soo die here!’

If it had been anyone other than Chul-Soo, such as Marshmallow, she would have left them behind and escaped alone.

“Chul-Soo dying here would be a loss for the entire universe.”

[?Emergency Exit? has been activated.]

Lessefim collapsed with a thud. She had managed to create the escape route, but she did not have any more strength to even twitch a finger. A rope was thrown at her. The rope automatically unraveled and bound her.

“Ah!” Lessefim sighed. “I thought you ran away.”

Lessefim knew that Swampland No.1 was quite meticulous. She had anticipated that he would have prepared a last resort. However, she had judged that he would choose to escape as his last resort.

Swampland No.1 lifted the bound Lessefim to her feet. “At first, I thought just running away was the best option.”

It was indeed the most rational choice. If Swampland No.1 had disappeared without showing himself, he would be considered dead to the rest of the world, which would’ve allowed him to live a new life. This would’ve also freed him from Lady Harkoen’s pursuit and given him the opportunity to avoid getting entangled in Chul-Soo’s Reverse Player Hunter content.

“But...” Swampland No.1 continued. He could partly understand Lady Harkoen’s feelings. “The greed got the better of me.”

Swampland No.1 had directly felt the growth of Jin-Hyeok. Each day, Jin-Hyeok grew significantly compared to the day before. He was getting exponentially stronger every day.

“Maybe he does have the Munchkin Trait.” If that was the case, Swampland No.1 wondered what would happen if he could steal the Trait. “A man must sometimes gamble with his life.”

Swampland No.1 meticulously checked to ensure that Lessefim could not escape.

“Don’t worry about me. I don’t even have the strength to move my fingers anyway,” Lessefim said.

“That seems to be the case.”

“So? What’s your plan? Are you going to take me as a hostage?”

“Yes.” Swampland No.1 began walking, with Lessefim in front.

“Do you really think I would make a good hostage?”

“All I need is a moment.” Swampland No.1 felt a slight intoxication at having captured Lessefim, a ranker from the Arvis Server, albeit she was not a combatant Player. “Chul-Soo is much stronger than I thought. He always exceeds expectations. Maybe he could even defeat the tarantula.”

“...”

“That’s Chul-Soo for you.”

“Are you in love with him or something?” she asked.

“However, no matter how strong he is, there is no way he is okay after fighting against a Level-300 monster.” Swampland No.1 smiled.

“You never know.”

“No, he is definitely not okay. That’s why you went to the trouble of creating an artificial Emergency Exit to evacuate Chul-Soo.”

“Are you trying to show off to me?”

“I do feel a bit superior.” Swampland No.1’s desire to steal Chul-Soo’s Munchkin Trait grew even stronger.

‘In the end, power is the answer,’ he thought.

He was convinced that if he could take Chul-Soo’s Trait, he could become a universe-level ranker. Then, no one would be able to point fingers at him.

‘I will even take care of that annoying bitch, Harkoen.’

Soon, Swampland No.1 could see Chul-Soo.

‘Huh?’ The Silver Thread Tarantula was down on the ground. His heart began to race.

‘He actually defeated the tarantula? Did he overcome that Level gap? Even if it was just a doll, how is that possible? He definitely possesses the Munchkin Trait!’

He glanced back. Everything in the world was about luck and timing. Being able to capture the fifth-ranked Lessefim was thanks to both luck and timing.

‘The goddess of fortune is on my side, Chul-Soo.’

Swampland No.1 was convinced that Jin-Hyeok had to be tired. He believed that Jin-Hyeok was barely able to stand.

***

“Kim Chul-Soo, put down your weapon,” Swampland No.1 said.

Jin-Hyeok momentarily tilted his head in confusion. ‘Huh?’

It was a somewhat surreal scene. Lessefim was bound tight, and a dagger was pressed against her throat.

“Drop your weapon. Depending on how things go, I might spare your life.”

“...” Jin-Hyeok placed Miri on the ground and raised his hands.

“Good. Turn around and come closer to me.”

With his hand raised, Jin-Hyeok stepped backward toward them. Swampland No.1 laughed softly, and Lessefim frowned.

“Chul-Soo, what are you doing?” she said.

“What does it look like? Do you not have eyes?”

“Are you trying to save me?” From Lessefim’s perspective, it was a bit incomprehensible. She knew that Chul-Soo was not like that.

‘I thought he was someone obsessed with his Play.’

Ignoring the hostage and escaping through the Emergency Exit she had just created was a much more rational decision for Chul-Soo. They had only Played together through Marshmallow’s arrangement, and there was not yet any camaraderie between them.

“Of course, I have to save you,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...Why?”

“Well...” Jin-Hyeok continued as he slowly approached them. “You tried your best to save me first.”

“...”

“You’re not even a Chul-Soo Lander, yet you did your best to save me. If you hadn’t overexerted yourself, would you have been caught by this guy?”

“...” Lessefim felt an unexpected warmth. It seemed like she had misjudged him. Not only had her standards loosened, but her ability to judge people had also dimmed. She blamed herself.

Confident of his victory, Swampland No.1 said, “That’s enough, stop right there.”

Jin-Hyeok came to a halt.

“Just stay here.” Swampland No.1 opened his mouth wide. A black tentacle flowed out of his mouth like a tongue. It writhed like a snake, stretching toward Jin-Hyeok.

Snap!

The tentacle split into ten strands and latched onto Jin-Hyeok’s back.

“This is a very delicate process. I don’t want to kill you, so just cooperate smoothly,” Swampland No.1 said.

“Okay.”

Lessefim spoke urgently. “Stop! Steal my abilities instead!”

Swampland No.1 did not hear Lessefim’s words. The only thought in his mind was to steal Jin-Hyeok’s Munchkin Trait. Of course, the promise to spare Jin-Hyeok was a lie. If he wanted to fully absorb the Trait, Jin-Hyeok had to die eventually.

‘You fool! You’re intoxicated by some worthless camaraderie and made a foolish mistake! If I were you, I wouldn’t have made such a dumb choice,’ Swampland No.1 thought. He sneered as he pushed his saliva deep into Jin-Hyeok’s skin.

Just then, Lessefim said. “...I hope this made for a really realistic production, Chul-Soo.”

Jin-Hyeok replied, “I told you that I have a great defensive Mystery.”

Thwack!

A giant hammer with a silver glow struck Swampland No.1 in the back of the head.

1. Hanbok is a traditional clothing of the Korean people. ☜