I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 382

[The Earth’s hero, Kim...]

In Korean publications, Cha Jin-Hyeok was introduced as the hero of Korea, while in foreign language publications, he was introduced as the hero of Earth.

-What a great time to be a Korean, lol.

-Chul-Soo is not just for the Koreans; he’s for the entire Earth!

-Yeah, but Chul-Soo is still Korean.

-Some no-name region is trying to ride on Chul-Soo’s coattails, tsk tsk. Let me say it again: Kim Chul-Soo is KOREAN!

Numerous reporters of various nationalities gathered in front of the academy’s main gate, clamoring to be let in. However, not everyone could enter the school. Only the legendary Eltuber Marshmallow, who had exclusively livestreamed Jin-Hyeok recently and surpassed the mark of ten billion live viewers; Kang Mi-Nia, who ran MiNaTV; and individuals who had obtained permission from Jang Michelle and Jin-Hyeok were allowed to step inside the school.

“Please give us broadcasting rights as well!”

“We will give you as much money as you want.”

Amid the clamor of many reporters and Eltubers, Jin-Hyeok began his speech. “Each of us has our dreams and is running hard toward the future....”

Michelle had asked Jin-Hyeok to do a very simple thing. She wanted him to tell the students that they should not aim to become only Eltubers or Streamers. Chul-Soo had an overwhelming influence on teenagers; even if he said soybean paste was poop, they would believe it.

“Each of us is born with our innate talents and qualities. Even if we have not discovered them ourselves, they are shining brightly within us.”

Wang Yu-Mi had written this speech. She had also made other preparations so that this would be the best speech.

***

“HMC! I have to take care of HMC for you, Chul-Soo,” Yu-Mi said.

“HMC? What’s that?

“Hair, makeup, costume... You didn’t know?” Yu-Mi adjusted her round glasses and put on a stern expression.

Jin-Hyeok was surprised. Yu-Mi’s current look was one she usually had when she was angry. But since he trusted her words more than anyone else’s, he had no choice but to let her do her thing.

“How can a person who livestreams not know about HMC?” Yu-Mi let out a deep sigh. “Well, with that pretty face, body, physique, and aura, I guess you don’t need them anyway. I understand that, but this time, it’s different.”

She said that Jin-Hyeok needed to pay more attention to HMC when his livestreams were focused on daily-life content. Jin-Hyeok felt a bit awkward.

“I can understand hair and consume, but I have to wear makeup?” He unconsciously shuddered. To look good on camera, he had to wear much heavier makeup than he thought he would have to.

“I have already arranged for a makeup expert, so you just have to sit still!” Yu-Mi said.

For Jin-Hyeok, it was something he could not accept. He did not want to wear makeup with such bright colors. It made him feel like his masculinity was crumbling.

“I can’t believe the great Kim Chul-Soo is having such a non-intense thought! After realizing the importance of having good items so painfully in the last fight, you’re still acting like this?”

Jin-Hyeok was again surprised by her words.

“If you’re embarrassed to wear makeup, why did you become an Eltuber? If you’re appearing on a livestream, you have to put on anything to make you look good!” she added.

At Yu-Mi’s firm attitude, Jin-Hyeok reflected a little.

‘This is like...’ Jin-Hyeok felt it was a bit like deja vu. ‘When I first encountered the seduction technique, it was the same.’

After feeling an instinctive resistance to seduction techniques, Jin-Hyeok had reflected on his emotions and regretted it.

‘Why have I not grown in that aspect?’

Everything Yu-Mi had said was right.

“Please, do what you have to do, Yu-Mi.”

Jin-Hyeok invested about four hours with the experts Yu-Mi had arranged, and the result was stunning.

***

Numerous students were speechless.

“Holy hell! He looks insanely handsome.”

The majority of the students could not take their eyes off him.

“Can a person shine like that?”

“I didn’t know I liked men in uniform.”

Jin-Hyeok was wearing a navy blue uniform with gold ornaments. Some students even shouted, “Oppa!”

Some cried and fainted upon seeing him.

“I had only heard that Chul-Soo was handsome, but I didn’t know he was this handsome.”

“Wow! I had thought the comments about his looks were exaggerated, but...”

“Those reactions were real.”

The students looked around and could feel that those reactions were not fake.

“Huh? Did that person just faint?”

“Y-You’re right! She did!”

As if she had foreseen such a situation, Yu-Mi deployed emergency medical personnel, including Healers.

Marshmallow’s and MiNaTV’s viewers had quite similar reactions.

-I might be gay.

-In the 122 years I’ve lived on this planet, it’s the first time my heart has fluttered because of a younger man.

-Handsome, cute, cool, sexy... Our Chul-Soo just does everything. T_T I’m going crazy! T_T

These reactions were a bit unfamiliar to Jin-Hyeok.

‘Kang Eun-Woo used to receive such reactions before my regression...’

Although it was a bit strange, Jin-Hyeok continued the speech. The entirety of his speech could be summarized into one point: everyone had talents and areas that suited them, so they did not need to dream of becoming only an Eltuber. It was about doing their best and blooming their talent.

“So, I cheer for you to find your path.”

Clap, clap, clap!

Applause poured out. The speech also earned a lot of praise online, with many calling it great.

[But it wasn’t that great, right? The speech itself was quite ordinary.]

└But his face is extraordinary.

└The speech is handsome.

└I can listen to a lecture for one hundred hours with that face.

-The speech was freaking awesome!

-Greatest speech of my life.

-I just watched Chul-Soo’s face. I don’t even know what he talked about.

Yu-Mi forwarded these reactions to Jin-Hyeok, who felt a bit proud.

‘Actually, my speech was not extraordinary, but...’ Nevertheless, the students and viewers were enthusiastic because Chul-Soo had given the speech. It was quite a pleasant feeling for Chul-Soo because it meant that he had turned himself into content.

“As many of you know, I do not have a particularly outstanding talent in swordsmanship,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...”

All eyes instantly flocked to Jin-Hyeok. He felt even better that the silence was so loud.

‘Am I this good at giving speeches?’

Finding a new talent was a very enjoyable thing. He had lost a bit of confidence due to his slightly lacking talent in swordsmanship, but both his confidence and his self-esteem were rapidly rising.

“To reach a realm that someone could attain in two weeks, I had to take four weeks.”

Unable to hold back their curiosity, a student raised his hand. “What was that?”

“The realm of the Mind Sword.”

***

Jin-Hyeok, who had unintentionally mocked the Swordsmen of the entire universe, said with a pleasant smile, “Now, I will take questions.”

He recalled Michelle’s request. She had repeatedly emphasized that he should be an excellent guide so that new Players could follow the right path.

“How many hamburgers can you eat in one sitting?” someone jokingly asked.

The surrounding students glared at this student with fierce eyes. In the end, the student had no choice but to pass the microphone to someone else.

“If you could go back to the past, would you choose to be a Streamer instead of a Swordsman?”

“If it were me, yes. Streaming suits me much better.”

At first, Jin-Hyeok gave plausible answers to the students. Although they were worded differently, the overarching theme was that ‘everyone has different innate talents, so do your best in your field.’

“Then if Swordsman Chul-Soo and Streamer Chul-Soo fought, who would win?”

“Streamer Chul-Soo.”

That was obvious; however, the next question was a bit more difficult.

“Then if a Swordsman and a Streamer fought, who would win?”

“Usually, Swordsmen are...” Jin-Hyeok said. Generally, it was true that Swordsmen were stronger. However, Jin-Hyeok wondered if this was a prejudice created by this era. He also wondered if Swordsmen were even stronger than Streamers. He began to ponder it. “They are known to be stronger, but...”

“Oh!”

Jin-Hyeok suddenly came to his senses and tried to smooth it over. “I think the areas of strength are different. Streamers are strong in their field, and Swordsmen are strong in theirs.”

“So, if a Streamer and a Swordsman fought, who would win?”

Questions kept pouring in. These were questions that touched Chul-Soo’s pride.

“Aren’t Streamers the strongest in real combat?”

“There is a lot of hype about the Swordsman Job. What do you think about that?”

Jin-Hyeok answered relatively rationally within common sense.

“Then can top-tier Swordsmen beat you, Mr. Chul-Soo?” a student asked.

“No.”

“No?”

Chul-Soo’s pride took over. “I am stronger.”

At this moment, numerous students decided to become an Eltuber.

***

After unintentionally solidifying many students’ dreams of becoming Eltubers, Jin-Hyeok ended up fighting with the students chosen as representatives.

‘They are so weak!’ At this level, Jin-Hyeok could win without doing anything. Even if he only defended, the students would get tired first and collapse.

“Huff...huff... Wow, he’s freaking strong! It’s like fighting a wall. I can’t beat him.”

“I felt like I was fighting the wind. He’s untouchable!”

The representative students who faced Jin-Hyeok felt the insurmountable wall. Among them, some students lost focus.

Michelle sensed that something had gone wrong. ‘Appropriate stimulation becomes the driving force for growth, but...’

Excessive stimulation could destroy someone. The students who faced the insurmountable wall ended up frustrated.

At that moment, Jin-Hyeok thought of a good idea. ‘It would be fun to do something like gate blocking with the students.’

[Chul-Soo’s Gate Blocking]

Jin-Hyeok transformed Miri into the shape of a sword and drew a line on the ground. The solid granite base was sliced like tofu. “Treat this line as a gate. The students who cross it will receive a hundred million Dias for their scholarship.”

The students’ eyes sparkled at the mention of the prize.

“Everyone in the academy, come at me,” Jin-Hyeok said.

It did not even take seven minutes for those sparkling eyes to lose their light.

-Hehehe! Ah, yes! They taste so good!

Miri, who found more fun in destroying things after smashing Artedal, broke all the students’ weapons. Numerous broken weapons were scattered on the floor, and the students lost their dreams and hopes.

“Gate blocking successful,” Jin-Hyeok grinned

Jin-Hyeok was the only one smiling. The students looked like rotten trees.

“This was a great experience. To all the students who came at me, I will give you one hundred million Dias each as a scholarship. To the students whose weapons were destroyed, I will give you two hundred million Dias,” Jin-Hyeok announced.

“Ooh!!”

“Woooah!!”

“Chul-Soo, Chul-Soo, Chul-Soo!”

Clap, clap, clap.

Applause poured out. The eyes of the students who had lost their dreams and hopes were once again filled with light. They were fresh like newly sprouted buds. Jin-Hyeok was satisfied with their bright faces.

‘I must be great at giving speeches.’