I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 318

Jin-Hyeok instinctively closed his eyes and sat down cross-legged. The sensation of being sucked in enveloped him, and a vast microcosm unfolded before him. It was filled with a grand will that was beyond human sight and understanding.

‘I can’t make sense of anything.’ He felt as though he was adrift in a boundless sea without a compass. ‘What should I do now?’

Jin-Hyeok meditated in his cross-legged position for a long while, and the Empress of Hell Gahi silently observed him.

‘I just followed him because I had something to say, but...’ the Empress of Hell thought.

Right now, Jin-Hyeok seemed too absorbed in his mediation.

‘He is completely defenseless, knowing well I am right beside him.’

This was an unfamiliar sight for Gahi, who had survived the harsh life of Hell and ascended to govern the Fourth Hell. Gahi had never shown such a defenseless posture even in front of his most cherished subordinates.

‘Does he trust me that much?’ Gahi found this both novel and surprising. The feeling of receiving ungrounded trust from someone was very new to him. ‘It feels kind of good.’

Gahi decided to stay alert for any possible enemy intrusion. The radical GMs could have hired Assassins to quell the situation. A piece of the Dungeon ceiling crumbled slightly.

‘A minor earthquake?’ Gahi thought. Such occurrences were common in Dungeons. ‘This could distract Chul-Soo.’

Gahi released his energy and covered the ceiling with Luminous Frost, reinforcing the Dungeon by erecting ice pillars throughout. The Fist Monkeys had long since hidden throughout the Dungeon at the arrival of Jin-Hyeok and Gahi.

‘Now, it has become quiet.’

The Dungeon was so still that even the sound of breathing was audible.

***

“Collapse the Dungeon,” the deputy director said.

“B-But, Sir...!”

“But what?! Do we have another option right now?”

The deputy director made a judgment call and decided that eliminating Chul-Soo would be the best course of action under the circumstances. It was not an ideal choice, but it was better than the worst-case scenario. However, collapsing the Sareoga Mart Dungeon proved to be no easy task.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you obeying my order?”

“I’m trying to do it, Sir, but it’s not working!”

“Why not?!”

“It seems the structural elements of the Dungeon have been reinforced!”

As Jin-Hyeok had delved into meditation, the livestream was temporarily disconnected. Nothing could be confirmed through Jin-Hyeok’s livestream, so determining what was happening inside the Dungeon was difficult.

“How is that possible? It’s not like the Wood King is in there with him!”

If Mok Jae-Hyeon had been there, perhaps he could have erected wooden pillars to reinforce the Dungeon, but he wasn’t.

“What’s happening with hiring the Assassins?” the deputy director asked.

“They all refused, Sir. It seems the Assassins do not want to be involved in this matter. It is also the protected territory of the Guardian Tree of Seoul, and above all, with the Empress of Hell there, the risk is too high in their eyes.”

“Cowards! All of them!” The deputy director bit his lip hard.

‘There is only one thing I can count on right now.’

The only person he could trust was the director. Though the director’s prediction had always been wrong till now, he was still a man of insight.

‘When will you arrive at the Dungeon, Director...?’

The director, who had left to negotiate with Chul-Soo, was their last hope.

“We have done all we can.”

All they could do now was watch and hope. They decided to trust the director.

***

Even in the engulfing darkness that seemed to pull him in, Jin-Hyeok struggled to maintain consciousness. ‘I guess my livestream is cut off.’

This realization weighed heavily on him and served as a powerful motivator. Thanks to this, he managed to keep his mind clear even as he navigated through the vast universe heading toward the abyss.

‘I must somehow restore the livestream.’

His resolve was remarkable. After wandering through the microcosm for a long time in search of light, he finally spotted a small light in the distance.

‘I found it.’

The light began to appear at last. When he came to, he found himself standing in front of it. The light was so bright that looking at it directly seemed difficult. Jin-Hyeok reached out and grasped it.

[The Achievement effect ?Owner of the Ownerless Place? is being applied.]

Instinctively, he came to realize many things.

[?Sareoga Mart Dungeon? has no designated owner.]

[Do you wish to become the owner of ?Sareoga Mart Dungeon??]

Inside the microcosm, Jin-Hyeok shook his head. He had no desire to become the owner of just one Dungeon.

‘I am following in Garbinu’s footsteps.’

Given the circumstances so far, it was highly likely that Garbinu had become the owner of the Arvis Server.

‘I want to become the owner of the Earth Server.’

That was the only way he could catch up to Garbinu. Jin-Hyeok tightened his grip on the light, battling every moment not to lose consciousness due to the rapid breathing.

‘If I lose consciousness after having already lost connection to my livestream, I would be a fool!’

Jin-Hyeok knew he had the Empress of Hell on his side to support him. As a ruler of Hell with exceptional mental abilities, Gahi was fully aware of Jin-Hyeok’s condition.

[?Seoul? has no designated owner.]

[Do you wish to become the owner of ?Seoul??]

Jin-Hyeok almost nodded unknowingly. It was like a siren’s call. The temptation was so sweet and hard to resist.

‘I won’t be seduced by such things anymore!’

Jin-Hyeok had always been most wary of such enticements. He was able to resist falling into this trap.

[The ?Korean Region? has no designated owner.]

[Do you wish to become the owner of the ?Korean Region??]

The temptation was even greater this time. His instincts were screaming at him to nod right then and there.

‘I must resist. Falling for such a trick would prevent me from becoming a top-ranked Player.’

To succumb to a siren’s call now, especially after the livestream had been cut off, would be utterly shameful.

Finally, a notification came.

[The ?Earth Server? has no designated owner.]

[Do you wish to become the owner of the ?Earth Server??]

At last, Jin-Hyeok nodded.

***

A notification simultaneously reached all Players on Earth.

[A candidate has been registered for the ownership of the ?Earth Server?.]

[Please participate in the voting.]

A holographic ballot appeared in front of each Player.

“What is this?”

“Is this some kind of spam?”

“Why won’t it go away?”

The ballot would not disappear until the Players had voted.

“Wait a minute... Isn’t this candidate... Kim Chul-Soo?”

“Chul-Soo as an owner candidate? What’s this about?”

“Hey, look, there is an underlined description underneath. Check it out.”

[Detailed information on the changes that will occur if an owner is registered.]

The Players on Earth were taken aback by this unfamiliar announcement.

“I know that Chul-Soo has done good things for our Server, but does it make sense for Earth to have an owner? I am against it.”

“It’s not like we are in a dictatorship Server. That’s just not right. I am also opposed to the idea.”

[Voting is not possible until all details are confirmed.]

Players were required to check the details. Currently, Egan Paul, the second most influential person on Earth after Kim Chul-Soo, was livestreaming about this event.

“It does not seem to be the typical concept of the owner being a dictator,” Egan said. Having reviewed all the detailed descriptions, he publicly cast his vote for Chul-Soo. “Let me summarize it for you. If an owner is set for the Earth Server, the experience points across the whole planet will be tripled. I’m sure, as Players, you know what it means to have your experience points tripled.”

A thirty percent increase in experience points was already considered significant, but triple that was an incredible advantage.

“Moreover, the amount of Dias you will obtain will also be tripled. The drop rate for various items will significantly increase. It is not detailed exhaustively, but it seems that the item drop rate for rare items will also triple. Additionally, newborns will inherit some of the abilities and Levels of their parents.” Egan continued, visibly excited, “It’s almost... like looking at the Arvis Server!”

***

Jin-Hyeok slowly opened his eyes and realized that the Empress of Hell was aiding him.

‘He is quite helpful in many ways.’

Before Jin-Hyeok’s regression, the Empress of Hell had helped him regain his sanity when he had been on the brink of death. Now, Gahi was helping Jin-Hyeok stay sane again.

Gahi asked, “Have you become the owner of the Earth Server?”

“No, not yet. It seems that will be decided by a vote.”

“A vote?”

“It appears to be a public vote that will last forty-eight hours.”

“I see.” Being a ruler of his Server, Gahi had many questions about the concept of an owner. “What changes occur if you become the owner?”

Jin-Hyeok explained the benefits.

“It is all beneficial for the residents. Only a fool would oppose it. But are there any perks for the owner?” Gahi asked.

“Yes.”

Players would earn three times the experience points. In return, 0.1 percent of that experience would be contributed to the owner. Jin-Hyeok resumed the livestream and shared this detail as well. “Let’s assume a situation where you guys will earn one thousand experience points. If you acknowledge me as the owner of the Earth Server, Players will earn three thousand experience points. Out of that, three points will be transferred to me.”

This meant that in exchange for giving up three points to Jin-Hyeok, the Players would gain a net benefit of 2,997 experience points.

“How many Players are there on Earth?” Gahi asked.

“About two billion?”

Gahi was momentarily lost for words. He could be witnessing the birth of a new universe-level ranker.

‘“However, I can only level up by one per day,” Jin-Hyeok added.

“I see.”

Even so, this change practically guaranteed Chul-Soo a level-up every day.

Gahi shivered. ‘He might not just be a universe-level ranker... I might be witnessing the rise of a new absolute ruler of the universe!’

If someone wanted Jin-Hyeok to be eliminated, now could be the only time.

‘But I can’t let that happen.’

Gahi owed Jin-Hyeok too much and could not betray the trust the latter had shown him.

“Chul-Soo, I propose an alliance.”

“An alliance?”

“I have long desired to unify Hell. it would be good if we could join forces.” Gahi had already made many plans in his mind and thought through what he would offer to Jin-Hyeok. ‘I could propose the ownership of Hell.’

While Gahi did not particularly like the sound of the title owner, from his perspective, there was nothing to lose. He was confident it would be a win-win situation for both Chul-Soo and Hell.

“Of course, I know that if you accept my proposal, it is going to be a dangerous and arduous journey, but...”

Gahi was preparing reasons to convince Jin-Hyeok, but...

“That sounds good,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Yes, I know it’s going to be hard, but I wouldn’t ask this to anyo— huh?”

“I will join you.” Jin-Hyeok immediately nodded. He seemed to be in a good mood, chuckling.

‘A conquest of Hell?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

The title alone was perfect for Eltube content. It would be content that no one else had dared to showcase. It would be content that unified five Hells!

‘What a grand-scale venture!’

By this point, Gahi was the one taken aback. “Let me say it again. It is going to be dangerous. The rulers of Hell possess great power and armies.”

Jin-Hyeok’s eyes gleamed even brighter.

Twenty-four hours had passed, halfway through the forty-eight-hour voting period.