I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 271

“Ah, you’re lying, Grandpa! How can anyone talk to crops?”

“You can. My grandfather’s grandfather talked with a Guardian Tree that shone with a golden light.”

“Wow, really?”

“Of course!”

“I want to talk with my crops too!”

“Talking with crops is something only extraordinary Farmers chosen by the heavens can do, and you, Trituri, will surely be able to.”

“I want to talk with a Guardian Tree when I grow up!”

Trituri’s grandfather had patted the young child’s head with his large hand.

“Hahaha! That is also my dream!”

Since then, Trituri’s dream had been to converse with a Guardian Tree. He had worked hard to grow a Guardian Tree, and his dream was partially fulfilled. He became the main contributor to the establishment of a giant Guardian Tree in the Arvis Server, even being recognized as the most excellent Farmer of the year by the Mazique Empire. However, Trituri was not happy.

‘I... can’t hear its voice...!’

It was only a half success. Now, about one hundred years later, a rookie Player from the Earth Server claimed to have conversed with the Guardian Tree, which left the old Farmer with complicated thoughts and emotions.

[#Is he telling the truth?]

Trituri was not sure if Chul-Soo was being truthful, but he felt envious, nonetheless.

[#It was my lifelong wish.]

For a moment, Trituri felt a slight resentment toward the young man. If the statement was true, he would feel jealous; if it was false, he would feel deceived. However, Trituri quickly adjusted his attitude.

‘No, I shouldn’t resent him!’

This was an opportunity given by the gods. Trituri realized his successor could achieve what he could not.

[#I will definitely make him my disciple.]

Trituri firmly decided to cultivate Cha Jin-Hyeok as a Farmer. “Hm... You said your name was Kim Chul-Soo, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.” Jin-Hyeok tensed up for a moment. He saw the same kind of madness in Trituri’s eyes that he had seen in the eyes of other crazy people. It seemed that among the top rankers, there was a high proportion of mad Players, and Jin-Hyeok had become adept at recognizing that look.

“Are you a Farmer?” Trituri asked.

“No, I am a Streamer.”

“Yes, that.”

“No... I am a Streamer, as in I livestream for a living.”

“I know, I know. It’s a kind of Farmer, isn’t it?”

As usual, Trituri did not really listen to what Jin-Hyeok said. He tended to hear what he wanted to hear. In his mind, the formula ‘Farmer = Streamer’ was already established.

[#I have decided to make you my disciple.]

Jin-Hyeok had an intuition that if he wasn’t careful, he could be roped into something. So, he said, “That was my childhood dream.”

“What?”

“Talking with the Guardian Tree.”

“So, was that a dream?”

“Yes.”

“Thought so.” Trituri frowned slightly but did not probe any further.

Trituri accepted it more easily than Jin-Hyeok expected. Although the old Farmer genuinely wanted to take Jin-Hyeok as his disciple, part of him did not want to believe that someone else had conversed with the Guardian Tree. So, he quickly accepted Jin-Hyeok’s statement that it was just a dream.

“I may not have much talent in farming, but I am curious about something. May I ask you?” Knowing that Trituri would probably just hear what he wanted to, Jin-Hyeok quickly added, “It’s about the Guardian Tree.”

“Ah, of course! Feel free to ask anything.”

“You mentioned that there is this special fertilizer that helps grow Guardian Trees. Can you tell me what it is?”

“Ah, there is nothing special about it. Guardian Trees are sacred trees. So, anything with spiritual energy can become nourishment for them.”

“When you say something with spiritual energy, you mean...?”

“Spirit Stones are good, or anything possessing a will.” Trituri began to talk about his experiences again. “Ah, I miss the old days. You could just grind up Control Bugs and give them to the trees.”

“...Excuse me?”

“A Control Bug is like a parasite that burrows into the psyche of living beings. When you’re talking about just one Control Bug, its spiritual power is very weak, but when they are produced in large quantities and used as fertilizer, there is nothing more cost-effective.”

“...”

“Think about it. How many things in this world possess a will?”

Jin-Hyeok realized that the only artifact with a will he knew of was Miri. Obviously, he could not just grind up Miri and feed the Guardian Tree.

“Then, wouldn’t Spirit Stones be the best option?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Spirit Stones have distinct properties, so sometimes, problems can occur when they are used as fertilizer. If a Spirit Stone matches well with the Guardian Tree, it’s fine, but if not, the Guardian Tree can get sick. Plus, it’s harder to acquire the Spirit Stones.”

“...”

“It’s better to feed it moderately good things on a consistent basis than to feed it something great only once. There is nothing better than Control Bugs in many ways. But nowadays, they have banned Control Bugs because of human rights and whatnot. God, I miss the old days.”

***

The Farmers in the Arvis Server looked upon Jin-Hyeok very favorably.

“You want to be an honorary citizen? As a third-class citizen?”

While some Farmers scoffed at the audacity of such a notion, Trituri stepped forward to persuade them. He argued that despite being a third-class citizen, Jin-Hyeok was an excellent individual. Moreover, Jin-Hyeok had also brought over two hundred exceptionally passionate, almost slavish, workers. Thanks to this, work was expected to be much easier this year.

“Hm... I guess we can make him an honorary citizen.”

“I agree.”

“I’ll agree to it. Why not.”

Eventually, Jin-Hyeok became an honorary citizen of Arvis, gaining the right to freely enter and exit the territories of the three empires of Arvis. Legally, for the next ten years, he would receive the same treatment as received by a citizen of Arvis.

Marshmallow said with a confident expression, “Huh? Of course, it was all part of my big picture.”

Marshmallow’s self-proclaimed plan received fervent support from his fans.

-I knew it!

-Marshmallow is Marshmallow, after all!

“Of course, I thought people would mock and ridicule me. All of this was anticipated. Think of it as a small conflict before the grand finale.”

-Where are those who mocked Marshmallow? Come out!!

-They were all played by Marshmallow! LOL.

-Haha, yeah, they can’t even see what’s going on in front of them!

In any case, Marshmallow’s livestream was a success. He was very satisfied with the number of views and likes he had received. Nevertheless, after finishing the livestream, he tilted his head in confusion. “But, how did he get the recommendations from the Farmers?”

Marshmallow himself did not fully understand how things had unfolded. However, the last video he posted was a hit.

[Chul-Soo is Chul-Soo.]

-I knew this video was going to be a hit!

-22222

-33333

Marshmallow sprawled out on the sofa. “I guess... Chul-Soo is really Chul-Soo. Wait, what the hell am I thinking?”

For a moment, he felt a deep sense of self-reproach for thinking like Chul-Soo Landers. However, seeing the increase in the views, likes, and comments on his video cheered him up again.

His true feelings inadvertently slipped out. “Should I just become a Chul-Soo Lander? When is the recruitment for second-generation membership?”

***

Having secured the status of an honorary citizen, Jin-Hyeok could now head to the Saina Archipelago with peace of mind. The Thunder Dragon was an exceptionally outstanding mount, allowing Jin-Hyeok and Lessefim to arrive at the archipelago relatively easily.

Lessefim marveled once again. “I can’t believe we came here so easily.”

“Is it really such a big deal?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Well, taming a Thunder Dragon is impressive in itself, but what’s even more remarkable is that we made it here safely.”

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. ‘Is arriving here safely that impressive?’

“While only a very few have succeeded in taming a Thunder Dragon, more than half of those who did have been killed by it,” Lessefim continued.

“Killed by the Thunder Dragon? How?”

“Some get killed directly by the enraged Thunder Dragon, while others are dropped from the sky as if it’s an accident.”

‘...I’ve never heard of this before!’

This was new information for Jin-Hyeok. Before his regression, he had just seen how Park Terse had easily ridden a Thunder Dragon. So, Jin-Hyeok had just emulated Terse. It seemed that by universal standards, this was considered a remarkable feat.

Lessefim walked ahead after taking off her shoes. “The sand here is incredibly fine, which feels nice to walk on, but watch out for monsters like Sand Worms.”

“Can’t we just smash their heads?”

“...Sure.”

Lessefim was about to suggest avoiding the monsters but then realized that would not be necessary. She was still not sure if smashing heads was necessary, but if the combatant-class Player found it convenient, following that order was easier.

Leading the way with her footsteps, Lessefim asked something she had been curious about, “There is something I’ve been wondering.”

“What is it?”

“Why didn’t you call the Thunder Dragon when we were fighting the Silver Thread Tarantula? From what I saw of what your Thunder Dragon can do, it could have made the fight much easier.” Lessefim suddenly slapped her palm with her fist as if she had realized something. “Ah! Is your Thunder Dragon the type that refuses to fight?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to be so proud.”

‘Tamers tend to get overly sensitive when they are told they can’t do something,’ Lessefim thought.

She knew very well that Tamers had this tendency. They could never admit something like their Thunder Dragon not obeying them or refusing to fight.

“Thunder Dragons are naturally fussy and stubbornly refuse to do anything they dislike. So, don’t worry,” Lessefim said.

“That’s not it. I was saving it as a last resort.”

“...A last resort?”

Lessefim had already seen the unreleased footage. The video was shot in first-person, and there were plenty of moments that needed a last resort.

“But you were about to get eaten by the tarantula,” she said.

‘Wouldn’t that usually call for a last resort?’

She continued, “There was no guarantee that the Control Bug would work.”

It was fortunate that the Control Bug had worked, but if it hadn’t, Jin-Hyeok would have likely been eaten. Jin-Hyeok’s expression hardened slightly. She felt somewhat pleased with this relatively sensible reaction, glad that he was not completely crazy.

“Have you seen someone who is digested in 0.1 seconds after being eaten?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“What?”

“The tarantula did not seem to have that kind of powerful digestive ability.”

“You’re right. They wouldn’t get digested immediately.”

“Or did the monster have venomous fangs that kill you as soon as it bites?”

“...No.”

“If it’s not that, then what’s the issue?” Jin-Hyeok scratched his head. “As long as you protect your head, you can survive being chewed on for a few minutes, right?”

After a moment of silence, Lessefim gave her honest opinion. “You’re really cool, you know.”

“Please subscribe, like, and turn on notifications.”

‘When is the official sign-up schedule for the second-generation Chul-Soo Land?’ Lessefim thought. She decided to look into that as soon as this affair was wrapped up.

***

The road conditions in the Saina Archipelago were quite poor. Of course, poor here meant poor by Arvis standards.

The cities in the three empires of Arvis boasted freely accessible skyways and were closely interconnected with warp portals, but this was not the case in the archipelago. The situation was comparable to that of Earth. Most vehicles ran on wheels across the ground, and warp portals were scarce.

“Ah, I know that place. The fair is going to be 380,000 Dias.” Taxis were available in the Saina Archipelago, but the fare was extremely high. According to Lessefim, it was more than ten times the usual rate.

Jin-Hyeok and Lessefim considered flying on the Thunder Dragon instead, but flying was prohibited within the Saina Archipelago.

“If you don’t like it, just go away.” The taxi driver instantly recognized them as outsiders. “There aren’t many taxis here anyway. I’m quite conscientious, so why not just get in?”

“...”

“Why are you wasting my time?! Time is money!” The taxi driver’s attitude was somewhat aggressive. Refusing the ride seemed like it could provoke a physical confrontation.

“Okay, we’ll get in,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Wise choice. I was about to get angry.”

They paid the hefty fare and got on the taxi.

After arriving at the destination, the taxi driver said, “Have a nice day!”

Watching the overly pleased driver after being charged nearly ten times the normal rate, Jin-Hyeok smirked. “Pretty soon, that taxi is going to catch fire.”

On top of the taxi’s trunk sat a girl made of flames, waving at Jin-Hyeok. She said with a broad smile, “Elly is going to have a lot of fun today!”