I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 378

‘Is this the highest-grade artifact among the swords I have encountered so far?’ Jin-Hyeok had handled the Pisat Family’s relics too, but they were treasures with great symbolism; they couldn’t exactly be called powerful artifacts.

Feeling how powerful Artedal was, Miri became excited.

-Hehehehe!

As Jin-Hyeok felt that, his heart also pounded. It was like the moment right before an intense and passionate time with a lover. He felt a tingling sensation deep inside his body.

‘Stop getting excited. It’s making me excited too,’ Jin-Hyeok telepathically told Miri.

-But how can you not be excited seeing that?’

Jin-Hyeok could feel Miri’s gaze on the Ink Sword Artedal. It was the first time he had seen Miri focus on the opponent’s weapon rather than the back of their head or temples.

Unknown swung Artedal in a crescent shape in a leisurely manner, yet Artedal created an ink-colored afterimage behind it.

“Let’s go,” Unknown said and instantly disappeared.

Jin-Hyeok instinctively swung Miri, losing sight of Unknown.

Flash!

As Artedal and Miri clashed, light flashed, and soon a strong wind pressure swept through the arena. The two opponents had exchanged only one move, but Jin-Hyeok could sense it.

‘He was hiding his strength!’ Jin-Hyeok realized Unknown had been holding back until now. ‘Is this the power of the oath?’

Jin-Hyeok’s heart was pounding even harder.

‘Can you become this strong by making the Sword’s Oath with a weapon? Could I also? No, no.’ Jin-Hyeok had to calm down. ‘Let’s not go crazy. I’m an ordinary person.’

If he were truly crazy, he would have made the oath right there because he would have enjoyed the pleasure of what would happen now, regardless of what would happen later. He would have fought passionately, raising his power to match the opponent’s!

Jin-Hyeok desperately consoled himself and thought of rational reasons.

‘If I make the Sword’s Oath, I’ll have to deal with too many restrictions, and if there are too many restrictions, it will hinder my livestreaming. I’m an Eltuber, so I shouldn’t do anything that interferes with livestreaming. Absolutely not.’

Flash!

The weapons collided again, and light flashed once more. Although Jin-Hyeok could not clearly see Unknown, he could hear Unknown’s voice.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind,” Unknown said.

‘Of course, it’s complicated.’ Jin-Hyeok had little mental leeway as he was suppressing the urge to make the oath right away.

-Ah...!

Miri let out a cry filled with ecstasy.

-Something big, black, and hard keeps hitting me!

Flash!

Light burst out again.

‘Miri, are you okay?’

-I don’t think I am... Ah...!

Miri seemed to have entered a state of exhilaration and could not see anything clearly. It seemed to be completely hooked on Artedal.

-More! More! Harder! Harder!

Miri felt a desire much more intense than usual.

-Let’s mingle our bodies! Hehehehe!

***

Jin-Hyeok found himself in an awkward situation.

‘Unknown was hiding his strength, and Miri is not in its right mind.’

He felt Miri’s emotions would contaminate even him, a normal person. If he lost his rational thoughts, intoxicated by the excitement of the sword, he would be unqualified as a Swordsman. So, he continued the battle with Unknown while maintaining his sanity as much as possible.

‘He’s faster than me.’ Jin-Hyeok was physically stronger than Unknown due to the Level difference between them, but Unknown was better than him in swordsmanship and speed. ‘I can’t read any of his movements.’

When fighting someone with lower skill than him, Jin-Hyeok could see their movements clearly, just like when he had fought Shelby. But now it was the opposite.

‘Rather, Unknown is probably reading all my movements.’ On the surface, it could look like they were equal in strength, but Jin-Hyeok knew that Unknown had the upper hand. To put it bluntly, he was just crumbling to block Unknown’s attacks. ‘Someone with superior swordsmanship skills has also done a lot of research on me.’

In other words, Unknown had prepared a specific method just for Chul-Soo. In this situation, where the odds were against him, Jin-Hyeok judged that it was nearly impossible for him to defeat Unknown with swordsmanship alone.

‘I didn’t want to use this, but I guess I have no choice.’ Jin-Hyeok was forced to use his defensive Mystery. “Activate Phantom Swordswoman.”

As Phantom Swordswoman revealed herself, the spectators in the arena became even more excited.

“Wow, is that the crazy defensive Mystery called Phantom Swordswoman?”

“Huh? But why is she holding a sword and not a hammer like she used to?”

“Well, she’s called the Phantom Swordswoman; it makes sense for her to hold a sword.”

“Ah, you’re right.”

“To protect my master, I shall devise all means of defense,” the Phantom Swordswoman said in a quiet voice. She flew into the sky and swung her blood-colored sword. “This power shall protect him.”

Countless crimson sword energy beams fell like a downpour. She waited for the enemy to be annihilated while hovering high in the sky. Many people stared at the Phantom Swordswoman in a daze.

“I think I like fallen angels now.”

“But is there any reason for a defensive Mystery to be that pretty?”

“She is so hot!”

“I’m falling for her...!”

***

Seeing the Phantom Swordswoman in Marshmallow’s video, countless people became enthusiastic. On the other hand, some viewers remained rational.

-But didn’t he say that she’s a defensive Mystery?

They noticed something strange.

-I think that the Phantom Swordswoman firmly believes that she is defending.

-Isn’t that kind of defensive Mystery mentally linked to the owner?

-So, Chul-Soo is just as crazy as her.

The Phantom Swordswoman’s performance was quite spectacular, but it was not particularly effective against Unknown.

“You’re putting on a fancy show,” Unknown said. He swung Artedal and created a hemispherical ink-colored barrier. The Phantom Swordswoman’s sword energy could not penetrate the barrier.

Jin-Hyeok did not miss this opportunity and ran toward Unknown, swinging Miri.

‘Huh?’

However, this was Unknown’s trap. As if he had no intention of properly defending against the Phantom Swordswoman’s attack from the beginning, Unknown instantly swung Artedal and inflicted a wound on Jin-Hyeok’s neck.

Jin-Hyeok, who hurriedly stepped back a few steps, touched his neck. ‘If I had been a little slower, my head would have flown off.’

Jin-Hyeok could not remember the last time he had felt such skin-crawling tension. He wiped the blood from his neck and grinned. When he saw his bloody palm, his heart pounded.

‘No, get a grip, Jin-Hyeok! You’re an Eltuber!’ Jin-Hyeok told himself. He believed this was because of Miri and blamed it.

‘It’s all because you’re too excited, Miri. It’s difficult for me to control my impulses too,’ Jin-Hyeok telepathically said to the weapon.

-But it’s the first time I have seen something so big, black, and hard.

Jin-Hyeok had to make a decision.

‘I can’t win with swordsmanship.’ Jin-Hyeok had two options—either use his abilities as an Eltuber and be disqualified or simply admit defeat. ‘I wonder which one will make for better content for my channel.’

Eltuber Chul-Soo did not care about winning or losing.

***

Jin-Hyeok could not afford to lose focus for even a moment while fighting Unknown since Unknown was a Swordsman who did not miss even the slightest opening. Trying to maintain extreme tension and make countless calculations in his head, Jin-Hyeok naturally slowed down. Consequently, he received large and small wounds on his body.

-Now, everyone knows Chul-Soo is overhyped, LOL.

-An Eltuber cannot win against a Swordsman, lol.

-Honestly, it’s a miracle he even made it this far.

-He got here only because Kyle forfeited in the quarterfinals, lol. If he hadn’t, Chul-Soo would have been miserably destroyed in the quarters.

-I was originally a fan of Chul-Soo, but I am so disappointed in him now... T_T

Although Jin-Hyeok appeared to be pushed back even more on the surface, the one who became more impatient was Unknown.

‘He has given up on winning altogether.’ Unknown did not know what Jin-Hyeok’s ulterior motive was, but the Streamer had entered a completely defensive stance along with the Phantom Swordswoman. Defending was always easier than attacking. Attacking someone who was focused on defense and had no intention of attacking was not an easy task.

‘I can definitely take Chul-Soo’s head with enough time.’ However, there was a problem with that. ‘He will stall like this and probably forfeit before I can do that.’

Winning the Sword Emperor Tournament was not Unknown’s goal. He only wanted to take revenge on Jin-Hyeok, who had killed Sandyem and Helam.

‘I can’t give him a chance to forfeit.’

He vowed to keep attacking and, at the right moment, stab Jin-Hyeok in the heart. The referee had been bribed as well, so he would not arbitrarily stop this battle.

The more intense Unknown’s attacks became, the more Miri enjoyed it.

-Ah! More! More!

The fight was one-sided. Jin-Hyeok endured Unknown’s attacks as much as he could.

‘Hm, is this enough?’ Jin-Hyeok thought. Then he raised his right hand and said, “I los—”

Unknown stabbed him in his right chest before he could finish.

“This... is a bit... painful...” Jin-Hyeok thought this should be stimulating enough for the viewers. He glanced at the referee. The referee seemed to be acting slower than expected for a skilled Swordsman. He seemed to have been bribed.

Unknown was swinging his sword at Jin-Hyeok again.

‘Is it my neck this time?’ It would have been better if Jin-Hyeok had filled the audio a bit more, but that was difficult. He had already lost as a Swordsman, and now it was time to draw on the power of his main Job.

‘Activate Absolute Barrier.’

Feeling the power of Absolute Barrier, Unknown grinned. Prince Deliark, who had lent him Artedal, had taught him the unique ability of the sword.

“The Ink Sword Artedal can nullify barriers.”

The sword was like a kryptonite to Jin-Hyeok, who excelled in barrier abilities.

‘It’s over, Chul-Soo,’ Unknown thought.

The moment Jin-Hyeok’s Absolute Barrier and the barrier-destroying sword Artedal collided, Jin-Hyeok and Unknown were both surprised.

‘My Absolute Barrier is broken?’

‘His barrier blocked my attack?’

Although Artedal succeeded in breaking Absolute Barrier, it also bought Jin-Hyeok quite a bit of time. During that time, Jin-Hyeok used Spilling Wind to escape Artedal’s range. When he regained his composure, he realized he was holding a hammer, not a sword, in his right hand.

‘I guess my talent does lie in the hammer, not the sword. It has to be. Didn’t it take me four weeks to do what others do in two weeks? What you like and what you’re good at don’t always align.’

-I like the hammer the best too, hehe.

Rare treats were only delicious when eaten occasionally; they could not replace staple food. Holding Miri, who had returned to her original form, Jin-Hyeok finally felt like he was wearing clothes that fit well—just like one would realize the preciousness of one’s home when they returned from a trip.

After holding a sword for quite a while and then grasping the hammer again, Jin-Hyeok felt like he had finally returned to a comfortable home.

“Unfortunately, Swordsman Chul-Soo’s time has come to an end,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Kim Chul-Soo!” Unknown ran toward Jin-Hyeok the same way he faced the other Swordsman. He quickly closed the shortest distance between them at a speed so fast that even ordinary people could see his afterimage. It was indeed a speed that Swordsman Chul-Soo would find difficult to handle.

[You have activated the Skill Time-Lapse Recording.]

[Speed: x0.1]

“Now it’s the real Chul-Soo time, Unknown.”