I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 315

Hassan carefully voiced a concern. “This individual seems to be a very special entity. Just conjuring a miracle might not suffice.”

This insight came to him not through teaching but through intuition.

“It’s like... the side effects are so severe that it feels like her entire body is already in ruins. I am not a doctor, so I can’t say for sure, but... she might not be compatible with my miracle.”

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“If we fail... it might be irreversible. She could very likely die.”

“Even artifacts break when I fail during enhancement... that’s just how it is,” Jin-Hyeok reasoned, then came to a realization.

‘The old me would have stopped thinking at this point, but now things are different.’

Jin-Hyeok had learned that if there was a safer, more conventional route, taking it was common sense. Even if the route was slower, a more universally accepted route should be considered

“Hassan, what if we combine our strengths?”

“It might be slightly better, but still not enough,” Hassan replied.

Jin-Hyeok stroked his chin. “What do you think are our chances of success?”

“Extremely low.”

‘Could it be around 0.000024 percent?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

“It’s less than one percent,” Hassan said.

“Wow, that’s quite high?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, no, never mind.”

After changing the subject, Jin-Hyeok had an epiphany. “Fortunately, we have someone who can help us.”

Jin-Hyeok felt as though he had more comrades now than he had during his days as the Sword King.

“We should seek Hwa Ta’s assistance,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Hwa Ta, who dealt with only VIPs before Jin-Hyeok’s regression, was now rapidly advancing his skills while working with the MK Foundation’s medical team. His abilities had significantly improved as he practiced righteous medicine.

“But... I don’t know if I can be of help...” Hwa Ta said. He felt as though he was about to get dragged into an insurmountable event, something he should not be involved in. ‘Let’s just tell him that it can’t be done. That I can’t help him.’

Han Sae-Rin, the team leader of the medical team, mischievously smiled and said, “Our Hwa Ta can surely handle that much. With the help of the Golden Headband, nothing in the world is impossible, right?”

“O-Of course. I can definitely do it. Ha-ha-ha!”

Sae-Rin initiated the cheer they had been working on. “In the Chul-Soo Universe.”

“Nothing is impossible!”

Watching Hassan chant their motivational slogan, Sae-Rin smiled again, her eyes as clear as a lake.

Hwa Ta, God Finger, and Jin-Hyeok decided to join forces to bestow an (Intimate) Miracle upon the Empress of Hell. Jin-Hyeok was somewhat skeptical; though he possessed an excellent ability called Imitation, he had never shared such a miracle before.

‘Will it work?’ Jin-Hyeok earnestly prayed that the Empress of Hell would not die. The subject of a guaranteed blockbuster five-part documentary series must not perish. His expression was solemn and filled with fervent hope.

The one capturing this sincere moment on camera was none other than Kang Eun-Woo.

***

Since having been semi-forced to work in the MK Foundation’s medical team, Hwa Ta found himself tormented by Sae-Rin daily.

“Ahhh!!”

She would recite the Tight-Fillet Spell at him unexpectedly and frequently, even when he had not done anything wrong.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Hwa Ta asked.

“No reason. Just for fun, I guess.”

To Hwa Ta, Sae-Rin was the devil incarnate. Initially, he was furious. Then, he became despondent, and eventually, he succumbed to obedience. Watching this transformation, Sae-Rin had an epiphany.

‘Jin-Hyeok was right!’ she thought. If violence did not solve the problem, it was because there was not enough of it. She felt the truth of this lesson in her bones. ‘So, unyielding violence is the most important thing after all!’

In any case, Hwa Ta had been somewhat reformed by Sae-Rin’s relentless Tight-Fillet Spell, evolving into a new person, at least to the extent that Sae-Rin could acknowledge it. However, the twisted desires deeply ingrained in his nature had not vanished.

‘That Trituri guy... He doesn’t seem that great to me.’ Hwa Ta felt both a strong sense of identification with Trituri and also a sense of repulsion toward the Farmer. It was a kind of self-loathing. ‘He is not that great!’

Yet, somehow, Trituri had become a hero. Wherever he went, he was welcomed with applause, and with just one speech, he could earn millions of Dias.

‘He has even shot several commercials in Arvis!’ Hwa Ta was incredibly jealous of Trituri. His desire for material things had now morphed into a craving for honor. He wanted to be respected and applauded wherever he went. ‘Maybe this operation is my chance!’

Although facing the insurmountable event was daunting, it was also thrilling.

‘No matter how well I do here, I will just be a Healer associated with the MK Foundation.’

He felt like he had become an employee of a giant corporation. No matter how well he performed, the one receiving the praise would be the MK Foundation, not him.

But with this, Hwa Ta had just gained the opportunity to appear on Chul-Soo’s livestream. ‘I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.’

He was more serious and respectful than ever before. Everyone bore a solemn expression, each with their own motives.

***

For this content, Jin-Hyeok recruited BongMiNaTV. Since he needed to concentrate on the miracle, he felt the need for assistance in broadcasting the operation. Bong King focused on the Empress of Hell, while Kang Mi-Na concentrated on Jin-Hyeok, as well as captured the other Players’ expressions and passion. Many viewers were moved.

-Look how serious they are!

-If they’re acting, they should just quit livestreaming and become actors.

-They’re definitely not acting.

Wang Yu-Mi had already given the Empress of Hell a narrative through an in-depth interview. This allowed the viewers to immerse themselves in the situation.

-I can feel the desperate wish of her trying to bloom an unbloomed flower.

-Isn’t she a bit too strong to be called a flower?

The sincerity of the participants, Jin-Hyeok, Hassan, and Hwa Ta, was being transmitted through the screen.

Bong King, livestreaming the Empress of Hell, commented with enthusiasm, “It seems like the Empress of Hell is moved by their sincerity. Her expression and atmosphere, which had been rigid, appears to have softened a bit!”

Kang Mi-Na, covering Jin-Hyeok, did not add any particular commentary. ‘I don’t need to fill the audio. The content speaks for itself.’

Just capturing Jin-Hyeok, who was sitting cross-legged for his meditation, was content in itself.

-Wow, this is so interesting!

-Super interesting, haha!

-Is this a therapeutic content?

Then, Jin-Hyeok opened his eyes. Excited screams filled the chat, and donations poured in like crazy.

“Let’s begin, God Finger, Hwa Ta,” Jin-Hyeok said. He laid the Empress of Hell on a bed next to him and stood to her right, with Hassan to her left; Hwa Ta stood at her head.

Hassan took a deep breath and spoke whatever came to mind. It was a ritual unique to him that could be likened to a magical incarnation and was designed to increase the success rate of the miracle. “Let us bestow an Intimate Miracle.”

Golden mists rose from Hassan, and the same happened with Jin-Hyeok. The mists then converged into a single beam of light for each of them, settling into their hands.

“I grant her a new life.”

“I grant her a new life.”

The golden light in their hands burst into a flash, being sucked into the Empress of Hell’s body.

Bong King realized something. ‘Hassan seems to be struggling!’

A true Streamer was not someone who only livestreamed; they needed to have the capability to assist other Players. That was how everyone in K-Force did it, and that was the way for Bong King too.

[Bong King has activated the Skill ?Time-Lapse Recording?.]

[The perceived time of the subject ?Hassan? will now slow down.]

This was an ability inspired by Chul-Soo, which gave Hassan some much-needed comfort.

‘This is the Empress of Hell’s microcosm!’ Hassan thought. The light of the miracle had to move across the microcosm. Only when the light reached the other side of the microcosm would the miracle occur.

Many fragments and obstacles that blocked the light began to emerge.

‘Huh?’ Hassan looked to the side. A light much larger and more powerful than his was racing toward the far end of the microcosm.

‘But there are fragments in the way...’ Fragments obstructed the path of the light beams. Hassan took his time to carefully navigate his light through these obstacles.

‘But, Chul-Soo is just going through them...!’ Chul-Soo’s light was making its own way through overwhelming destructive power. Hassan had an epiphany. ‘This is the true miracle!’

It was an enlightenment that Hassan from before Jin-Hyeok’s regression had not achieved.

***

The Five Hells had been at odds since the dawn of time. For convenience, they were referred to as First Hell, Second Hell, and so on, but each claimed their Server as the one true Hell and insisted that theirs was the only Server worthy of the name Hell in this universe.

Beckant, the king of the Third Hell, was especially adamant about this. “Raise the Army of Hell immediately!”

He had always disdained Gahi, the Empress of Hell. The idea that a mere woman could rule a place bearing the name of Hell was absurd to him.

“Are we invading the Fourth Hell?” one of the soldiers asked.

“No, we are going to Earth.”

To win a war, one had to strike the leader.

“But... there is a giant Guardian Tree there.”

“Our target is not Earth or Seoul. It’s Gahi, that wretched bitch. So, the Guardian Tree does not matter to us.”

“But if Chul-Soo sides with Gahi, things could get complicated.”

King Beckant scoffed at the idea. “Then we will just take over Earth too!”

“We have too little information on Chul-Soo.”

His advisors were deeply troubled.

‘He is at it again!’

‘That impulsive temper of his has surfaced again!’

The advisors knew too well. Beckant’s knowledge of Chul-Soo was limited to a popular Streamer of recent times. However, that was as much as his advisors knew as well. Chul-Soo was not their enemy, and they had not been ordered to gather information on the Streamer, nor had they analyzed him yet.

“Are we to miss this perfect opportunity over a mere Streamer from a new Server?”

Even if Chul-Soo possessed remarkable abilities, there were clear limits to a new Server. Beckant was confident that the experience he had accumulated over time could not be beaten by a Streamer from a new Server.

‘If that Chul-Soo guy is smart, he will avoid a confrontation with me.’ Beckant had not really considered clashing with Chul-Soo directly. His only intent was Gahi.

“Even if we fail, it will be a win. After all, it will create an excellent opportunity for us!

Even in the case Gahi succeeded, she could not become stronger than before. She would undoubtedly need time to adapt to her changed body. In other words, this was the moment Gahi was at her weakest.

“Let the Army of Hell draw the attention of the Guardian Tree and Chul-Soo, while I lead an elite detachment unit to strike at Gahi directly.”

No matter how much Beckant thought about it, he couldn’t see Gahi as anything but foolish. He could not believe she had let herself be lured by the promise of a miracle and crossed over to another Server alone.

“But, my Lord, even the warp portals to Earth are not properly activat—”

The neck of the advisor who had objected flew off before he could finish. Blood spurted out, and the other advisors fell silent.

King Beckant, licking the blood off his nails, spoke in a menacing tone. “That’s what you are here to figure out.”

He could not let this golden opportunity slip by.

“We will find a solution, my Lord.”

“I will give you guys fifteen minutes.”

King Beckant gathered all the elite forces of the Third Hell and set off toward Earth, unaware of what awaited them.