I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 420

Miri became enormous. Usually, oversized weapons were impractical and useless, but this was different. In this situation, where Jin-Hyeok’s goal was not to kill the enemy but to create a more spectacular attack, Miri’s intimidating size made for quite an impressive display. The giant golden hammer grew large enough to cover Jin-Hyeok’s entire mansion and then some.

“Crush the enemy, O weapon born from the law that destroys rules,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Whoosh!

With a chilling sound of tearing space, the massive hammer struck Kyle.

“Urgh!” Kyle gritted his teeth and glared at Jin-Hyeok. “Kim Chul-Soo!!”

His expression looked incredibly grave and intense. Suspended in the air, Kyle coughed up blood. Until that moment, the Sword Emperor Unit’s members believed their captain had a hidden trump card.

‘He must have something up his sleeve.’

‘He’s not the kind of person to fall to an attack like that!’

Thud!

Kyle fell to the ground.

“C-Captain!”

“Captain!”

The soldiers were not the only ones who felt a sense of crisis. Jin-Hyeok was also deeply alarmed.

‘No way! Is he dead?’ Jin-Hyeok rushed over to Kyle. Kyle didn’t seem to be breathing. ‘Why is the Sword Emperor Unit’s captain so weak?!’

Jin-Hyeok had only meant to execute a dramatic attack; this was not his intention. He had tried to control his strength because of the Garbinu incident, but he had failed.

“Chul-Soo, you bastard!”

“We will avenge our captain...Argh!”

Jin-Hyeok swiftly swung his hammer, and a powerful gust of wind swept over the Sword Emperor Unit’s members. This attack wasn’t lethal, but it immobilized them for a few seconds.

“Don’t die, Kyle!”

Jin-Hyeok poured a potion into Kyle’s mouth. It was a potion made from Jin-Hyeok’s blood.

***

The entire universe’s online communities were buzzing with excitement.

-How the hell did Chul-Soo defeat Kyle in one hit?

-Chul-Soo has become so powerful!

-How is this even possible?

People were starting to catch on.

-This must be because Chul-Soo is Level 500, right?

-The Level 500 advantage seems insane!

That was the only explanation for this phenomenon.

-Could Garbinu really be dead?

└That’s a bit much...

└He was the greatest Demon King in history. People who know nothing always exaggerate like this.

└The academic consensus is that Garbinu had not fully recovered his strength since he had just awakened.

In any case, word spread that Jin-Hyeok possessed abnormally strong power compared to other Players and that the source of this power was his high Level.

However, some keen observers analyzed the situation from a different angle.

-This must be staged.

-Kyle’s attack style is completely different from usual.

This conspiracy theory was far more convincing than [Could Garbinu really be dead?].

-Kyle and Chul-Soo must be in cahoots.

-They staged this for dramatic effect.

-Isn’t this a staged livestream, then?

By this time, Kyle had regained consciousness. He said, “Kim Chul-Soo... I have one request.”

The recent clash had made Kyle acutely aware of the enormous gap between him and Chul-Soo. It was an insurmountable wall that no technique could overcome. He had realized that an extremely advanced Level was indistinguishable from the highest-level techniques.

‘I can only hope for Chul-Soo’s mercy.’ Kyle knew this would not be easy. Invading someone else’s territory like this meant putting one’s life on the line. In the world of Players, this was given. ‘If he wanted to, he can annihilate all of us and more.’

So, there was only one thing he could do.

“For the sake of our past friendship, I hope you will spare my subordinates,” Kyle requested.

Jin-Hyeok was overjoyed. As expected, not just anyone could become the Sword Emperor Unit’s captain.

‘Our battle was spectacular, but it can’t escape accusations of being staged,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. He was well aware of this. ‘Kyle probably knows this too!’

This was why Kyle was requesting to save his subordinates—to provide justification for deliberately drawing attention with flashy attacks. Clearly, Kyle had never intended to win against Chul-Soo; he rather wanted to portray himself as a captain who sacrificed himself for his subordinates’ lives.

‘This way, the flashy attacks can be explained, and we can create an emotional impact on the viewers through Kyle’s sacrifice.’

This was the best possible outcome in this situation. Jin-Hyeok deliberately remained silent, as if to show his conflicted feelings.

“I understand. You’re also a proud Swordsman, so you cannot let us live,” Kyle said, his expression darkening.

Jin-Hyeok was thrilled by Kyle’s acting skills, which rivaled those of a top-tier actor.

Kyle slowly rose and knelt before Jin-Hyeok. “Can’t you forgive them with my blood? They were only following the imperial family’s orders.”

“...”

Kyle’s subordinates raised their voices, gripping their swords.

“Captain! Don’t plead for us like this!”

“We will fight to the end with you even if we die, Captain!”

“We are the Sword Emperor Unit!”

Jin-Hyeok captured the expression of each member of the Sword Emperor Unit. Their faces were filled with sincerity, and his livestream would vividly convey this fervor to the viewers.

“We are the honorable Sword Emperor Unit!”

They were prepared to die fighting Jin-Hyeok. At that moment, Jin-Hyeok put Miri into his inventory and raised his hands.

“Your sincerity has moved my heart, Kyle.” Jin-Hyeok extended his hands to Kyle, the great leader. “Stand up and guide me. I will go with you.”

Kyle looked at Jin-Hyeok with a complex expression. He was moved that someone with such immense power would willingly allow himself to be captured. Kyle realized with certainty. ‘Chul-Soo is not simply a madman.’

If he were to put it negatively, Chul-Soo was a generously mad person. If he were to put it positively, Chul-Soo was a madman with the qualities of a king.

“It would not be a bad idea to prove my innocence while we’re at it,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Kyle could not bring himself to restrain Jin-Hyeok. He whispered, “The imperial family will try to paint you as a Demon’s descendant no matter what.”

Jin-Hyeok’s eyes sparkled. He was rather pleased. His heart raced at the thought that he could create some content based on the theme of teaching someone a lesson after a long time.

‘Discipling the imperial family?’

Jin-Hyeok knew that this title alone could garner so many views.

***

Deliark Dmak Swedeen, the first prince of the Swedeen Empire, knelt before his father, the emperor, and said, “I will bear all the filth, Your Majesty.”

Chul-Soo’s existence was a stain on Swedeen. They could not admit that an Eltuber, and not a Swordsman, had won the Sword Emperor Tournament or that an Eltuber had defeated the Sword Emperor Unit’s captain. Chul-Soo was a worm eating away at Swedeen’s value with his mere existence, so they had to deal with him somehow.

“He says he’s coming to our palace to prove his innocence. I do not intend to miss this opportunity, Your Majesty,” Deliark said.

“What do you plan to do?”

“We all know that poisons below the level of the Snake King do not work on him. However, the poison of the White Snake King would be a different story.”

The White Snake King’s poison was a treasure passed down in the Swedeen Empire’s treasury through generations. It was venom extracted from the White Snake King, who Garbinu and his hero followers had hunted down long ago.

“When the venom reacts with air, it turns into a terrifying poisonous fog. And in the treasury, we have the White Snake King’s head. If we make Chul-Soo look into the king’s eyes while he’s poisoned... he will turn into stone,” Deliark continued.

After that, defeating Chul-Soo would be a piece of cake. They would kill Chul-Soo, then announce that Chul-Soo had disappeared into a sudden dimensional rift in the palace.

“Of course, people will not believe it. There is an overly large faction called Chul-Soo Land in this universe. They won’t accept that we defeated Chul-Soo. That’s why I’m prepared to offer my head. We should pay this price to kill an honorary citizen whose guilt has not been proven yet.”

Deliark proposed to cover one issue with a bigger issue. He was suggesting to use his death as a sacrifice to frame Chul-Soo as a Demon.

The emperor pondered this plan for a long time. He had to decide between his beloved son and the fate of the empire.

“If we leave Chul-Soo alone, he will eventually devour the empire, Your Majesty. Please accept my proposal.”

“No, I can’t do that.”

The emperor chose his son. Even if Chul-Soo could become a threat to the empire in the future, losing his son to eliminate him was unacceptable.

Deliark knelt as he trembled slightly. “...Father.”

The emperor thought his son looked like a rain-soaked fawn. He could not remain still when his son, who always called him Your Majesty, now called him Father.

‘You were afraid too,’ the emperor thought. He had thought his son had no fear because he spoke so boldly, that he had iron in his veins. However, that was not the case. ‘You must have been so scared...’

The emperor approached his son and embraced him.

‘Has it been ten years?’

It was the first time the emperor had hugged Deliark since the latter’s childhood. The emperor had never expressed his feelings to his son because he had been too busy with state affairs, felt a bit awkward, and worried about softening his son’s heart.

Thud!

Suddenly, a dagger coated with the White Snake King’s poison pierced the emperor’s heart.

“You have worked hard all this time, Your Majesty.”

“Deli...ark...”

Deliark looked at the fallen emperor with eyes devoid of emotion. He then seated the emperor on the throne and issued an order.

“By decree of His Majesty the Emperor, as soon as Chul-Soo enters the palace, launch a full-scale attack and kill him.”

Today would be recorded as a terrible day—the day a monster descended from Demon blood murdered the emperor. And history would sing of a new hero.

“A beautiful day will soon arrive,” Deliark said.

The heroic tale of a child who lost his father to a Demon finally achieving bloody revenge would surely ignite the hearts of the empire’s people.

***

Jin-Hyeok entered the Swedeen Empire’s Imperial Palace under Kyle’s guidance.

“Oh... I think this is the first time we’re livestreaming from inside the Imperial Palace!”

[First Ever: Swedeen’s Imperial Palace Revealed!]

This content was incredibly compelling. Jin-Hyeok could not believe he could broadcast the Imperial Palace live.

‘Huh?’ Jin-Hyeok felt that something was a bit off.

[Livestream transmission is unstable.]

The livestream had not completely cut off, but the transmission was stuttering. Of the two billion viewers, a whopping one billion were kicked out from the livestream.

‘Is it because there are too many viewers?’ However, that did not seem to be the case. Broadcaster’s Insight detected something artificial. ‘Ah... Could it be...?’

It was a familiar tactic to interfere with the livestream. They seemed to have deployed an EMP barrier inside the Imperial Palace. Jin-Hyeok, who rarely got angry, turned red with rage. “Isn’t this crossing the line?”

Then the members of the Sword Emperor Unit collapsed one by one. A fishy smell filled the air as a dense poisonous fog rolled in, making it impossible to see ahead. Kyle covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve. “Kim Chul-Soo!”

The members of the Sword Emperor Unit were immune to most poisons, yet they still fell to the ground. This had to be an incredibly potent poison. It had to be the Snake King level, or perhaps even beyond.

‘I need to get Chul-Soo out of here first!’ Kyle thought.

Something had gone wrong in the palace, though Kyle was not sure what. However, Jin-Hyeok showed no intention of moving. Instead, it felt like he wanted to go further inside.

“Chul-Soo! This is no time to be stubborn!” Kyle yelled. His stomach was already churning. Though he was resisting with his mana, it was truly a terrifying poison. “We need to retrea—”

But retreat was not an option either. An invisible barrier blocked their escape route. There wasn’t time to break through it. The poisonous fog was right in front of them.

“Activate Absolute Barrier,” Jin-Hyeok said.

The Absolute Barrier enveloped Kyle. Kyle bit his lip. ‘Is he trying to buy me time? Even if it’s just a few seconds?’

Undoubtedly, even at the cost of his defense, Chul-Soo had used the barrier on Kyle to give him time to break through the outer barrier.

‘Chul-Soo, you...!’ Kyle gritted his teeth. He had to make good use of the time Chul-Soo had bought him. At the very least, he needed to save the Sword Emperor Unit members. ‘Huh?’

But then, something unexpected unfolded.