I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 348

-Doesn’t that look like Chul-Soo’s figure?

The greatsword was unmistakably made of solid steel. Yet, a part of it had bulged out in the form of a human as if it were made of rubber. Soon, cracks began to form on the protruded part with a creaking sound, and Jin-Hyeok came flying out of it.

“You are not as strong as I thought,” he said.

Acacia looked at him with a grim expression. Although numerous formidable opponents had managed to withstand her Red Goblin, no one had done so with their body.

“I’ve got a bit of a bump on my head, everyone,” Jin-Hyeok told the viewers, rubbing his head. He had sustained no significant injuries. “Honestly, I thought the attack would have at least a mild effect on me, but there wasn’t any.”

Acacia squinted. “Have you surpassed Level 400?”

“I think I am around there.”

“What else are you hiding?”

“Hiding? What do you mean?”

“Even if you’re above Level 400, you can’t withstand the Red Goblin with just your body.”

“Do you think I blocked your attack with just my body?” Jin-Hyeok saw that Acacia was flustered. “You do know that I’m a Streamer, right?”

“...”

“Naturally, I used my Streamer-exclusive barrier Skill.”

“Streamer-exclusive barrier Skill.” Acacia was too flabbergasted to continue the conversation. She had never expected the Red Goblin to be blocked so easily. ‘Is this the physical strength of a Level 400 Player?’

Though it varied slightly with the Job types, the Levels of top rankers of Arvis were generally around the mid to late 300s. Acacia was facing a Player at Level 400 for the first time.

‘I thought the gap in Levels becomes meaningless once you surpass 350...’ The abilities of the top rankers were roughly similar. That was why Acacia had assumed that Level 350 was the limit for improvement, but she had just found out that it wasn’t. “I can’t go easy on you now...”

“Really?” Jin-Hyeok’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “So, you have not been using your true strength until now! I knew it!”

He was feeling a bit bored fighting against the Red Goblin.

Acacia knelt, with her greatsword plunged into the ground. In his Sword King days, Jin-Hyeok would have immediately attacked her, but he quietly observed her now.

“It looks like Acacia is conducting a sacred ritual.”

Multiple circuits formed on her greatsword, and red mana flowed into those circuits.

“It looks like the sword has developed veins, and magical blood is flowing through it. What in the world could that be?”

***

“This sword shall draw blood.” Acacia briefly closed her eyes and reopened them. Her greatsword disintegrated like dust, and iron dust scattered in every direction.

“Wow... that’s quite impressive. It’s like a storm of iron dust,” Jin-Hyeok said. The footsteps that once decorated the air and the golden traces began to turn a grayish hue. “The iron dust is converging around me, surrounding me.”

The iron dust furiously swirled around him, forming a unique shape.

“I am trapped,” Jin-Hyeok said. The shape resembled a bell made up of dozens of lines forming its framework. “It’s like being imprisoned in a jail.”

Acacia chanted the incantation, “Sword Prison.”

The space around Jin-Hyeok began to constrict, and Jin-Hyeok felt tremendous pressure.

“The space is shrinking. I feel a pressure stronger than the one I felt during the Red Goblin’s attack.” Jin-Hyeok reached out toward the approaching lines of the bell shape. As soon as he touched it, blood streamed from his fingers, which were unprotected by Absolute Barrier. “This is just with a touch. This trap is brimming with sharp sword energy.”

Grinning, he continued, “A jail made of blades... I like this Skill.”

As the space continued to shrink, many viewers left the livestream.

-Can’t watch it anymore.

-This livestream should be 19+.

-I actually bled.

It was a side effect of the livestream that Jin-Hyeok had not anticipated. His livestream was transmitting the Sword Prison’s essence to the viewers; the stream was so immersive that some viewers even suffered scratches on their skin.

-Will Chul-Soo die?

-As a top-tier ranker of Arvis, Acacia should be ashamed of herself!

-This is a clear violation of the Streamer Protection Treaty!

Wang Yu-Mi informed Jin-Hyeok about this situation.

‘Ah, this isn’t right,’ he thought.

He was upset that his efforts to create a more dramatic effect had resulted in some of his viewers getting injured. He could not overlook this issue as a Streamer. The stream had to end there.

“I’ve been hiding something from you,” Jin-Hyeok said to Acacia.

Focused on operating the Sword Prison, Acacia felt a sudden wave of anxiety.

‘No, I need to concentrate,’ she thought. Her Skill Sword Prison sacrificed her beloved greatsword to capture her opponent’s life. No one had ever withstood her Sword Prison. ‘Everyone has died.’

She firmly believed that the man before her, Kim Chul-Soo, would meet the same fate. After all, she trusted her sword, skills, and determination. Moreover, she had trained longer and harder than anyone, striving to become the ultimate sword master.

‘My time and effort will never betray me.’

She said aloud, “My will desires your death.”

“Actually, I lied when I said I had increased my Level by 100.”

Although Jin-Hyeok had not disclosed this in his earlier livestream, level-up adjustments via the Guardian Tree’s power had certain penalties associated with them. Raising the Level too much could exhaust the tree.

“I only increased my Level by 50,” Jin-Hyeok said. He was at Level 350, and that was enough to counter the Red Goblin. “I didn’t use Absolute Barrier either.”

That comment almost broke Acacia’s focus. ‘I need to concentrate. He’s just saying that to break my focus.’

“Now, I have adjusted my Level to 400,” Jin-Hyeok said. He had to end this fight quickly. “Here, look at this.”

He showed her the back of his Mythic-Grade Card.

[At the Summit of That Path, One Shall Look Down.]

“This card gives me +20 Levels.”

That raised Jin-Hyeok’s Level to 420.

“And I know I haven’t used this Trait lately, but here it is.”

[You have activated the Inherent Skill 「See the Future」.]

[You have gained temporary access to Job Skills 30 Levels above your current Level.]

This meant that could unlock any Job Skill that he could acquire at only Level 450.

“I am unveiling this Skill for the first time. This is an exclusive Skill for Streamers above Level 450. It’s called the Omnipotent Director.”

[You have activated the Skill 「Omnipotent Director」.]

***

The surroundings became tinged with gray as if time itself had halted. Every element caught in Jin-Hyeok’s camera angle became a part of the livestream. When Jin-Hyeok touched the Sword Prison, a different scenario unfolded.

“I will erase this Sword Prison.” When he said that, the Sword Prison immediately disappeared. “I heard some of the viewers got hurt, and I truly apologize. I didn’t expect that to happen. Acacia seemed weaker than I thought, yet stronger in some ways.”

He approached the frozen Acacia and said, “I will slow down your movements.”

Jin-Hyeok touched her legs. “I have turned her legs into stone.”

Since this space belonged to the Director, everything he wanted was possible. He then touched Acacia’s arm, and her hands involuntarily came together, bound by a circular ring that closely resembled the Golden Headband. ‘If Park Terse can make them, so can I.’

“Within my space, these handcuffs work almost identically like the Golden Headband. There is a time limit, though,” he said. He continued speaking nonchalantly but found himself increasingly short of breath. ‘It’s only been a few seconds.’

Jin-Hyeok was very disappointed. Even with the Level adjustments from the Guardian Tree, he could not maintain this Skill for long. Without the Level adjustments, he would not even be able to use this Skill.

‘I guess a Level Grinder can’t freely use a Level 450 Skill.’

To use this Skill properly, he would need to be at least Level 500. Level 450 was just the bare minimum requirement.

“It looks like the groundwork is almost done.”

Gradually, light began to seep into the ashen world. Colors returned, and Acacia’s eyes widened.

‘What in the world...?’ Moments ago, she had been using the Sword Prison, but now it had vanished. Moreover, her legs had turned to stone, and she felt that her wrists were bound, as if someone had put handcuffs on them. “What have you done to me...?”

“I’m very disappointed in you.”

“...”

“I thought this would be a great time to bring out all my power, but you were too weak. I have yet to reveal everything about the true power of the Guardian Tree.”

He had hoped to show the true power at the perfect moment for optimal effect, but that plan had failed.

“The last power of the Guardian Tree allows me to summon my comrades from the normal Field.”

At that moment, Jin-Hyeok caught Song Ha-Young, who was not inside the camera angle.

“Hehe, I stole it!” Ha-Young said, holding the map that Acacia had shown Jin-Hyeok earlier.

“Just in case, I had the others on standby too,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Then, his hidden allies began to appear one by one.

Martial King Kim Jeong-Hyeon.

Wood King Mok Jae-Hyeon.

The Seo sisters.

Saint of Freedom Cha Jin-Sol.

And the Radiant Lance Muenne.

Summoning other comrades in a one-on-one battle was something Jin-Hyeok would not even have considered before his regression.

‘If it were me during the Sword King days, I would have considered this cowardly,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

“How cowardly of you,” Acacia said. She turned her gaze toward Muenne. “Did you do this to me, Muenne?”

“I’m a Paladin. You know well that I can’t wield such power.”

“Then it must be Lessefim or Katrina. Such a cowardly trick.”

“And what’s cowardly about it? You know that Streamers are not even supposed to do one-on-one battles, right?”

Muenne and Acacia were not on bad terms. Being top rankers, they respected one another. However, Muenne didn’t seem to have any trace of respect or fondness for Acacia now.

“Chul-Soo has his own way,” Muenne said.

“...”

“What I mean is, a Streamer has the way of a Streamer.”

Acacia scowled. “Streamer...”

Muenne kept emphasizing the word ‘Streamer’, and Acacia found it odd. She knew that a Streamer could not fight a combatant-class Player like this.

“So, are these also the powers of a Streamer? Binding my wrists with handcuffs and turning my legs to stone? I have never heard of a Streamer having such bizarre powers.” Acacia could not believe it. These were likely the powers of Lessefim or Katrina, who had been actively cooperating with Chul-Soo recently.

“I know you can’t believe what’s happening. It’s your first time seeing a Level 450 Streamer.” Jin-Hyeok walked forward and stood before her. “I will give you one last chance, Acacia.”

Then he said something that Acacia found utterly incomprehensible.