I Gave Up Being Stronger

Rumors quickly spread among the various universe-level rankers.

[Chul-Soo has revealed the map.]

[I can obtain a Mythic Mystery.]

Many rankers were skeptical.

“Since when do Mysteries have grades? A Mystery is just a Mystery.”

“Do you all believe everything the media says? It’s obviously all rigged.”

Some gave up from the start.

“The First Hell? Even if we leave now, it will take three days.”

“Damn, if it were closer, I would have set off on an expedition right away.”

“A Mythic Mystery, huh? Intriguing.”

“I accept Chul-Soo’s challenge.”

“Fortune favors the diligent.”

The First Hell saw the largest influx of rankers in its history, and numerous conflicts arose as a result. Most notably, these incidents occurred near the warp portals closest to the capital of the First Hell.

“How dare these nobodies compete with me? Do they want to die?”

“It’s better to reduce the competition even by a little.”

Some rankers attempted to slaughter other Players, but it was not easy.

“Meaningless killing is prohibited here.”

This was all thanks to Muenne, one of the Seven Paladins of the Helen Empire of Arvis, the strongest Server.

“You don’t have any authorities here, Muenne. Why is a Paladin from Arvis exerting influence here?”

“Because I am a Chul-Soo Lander.”

“You think that shit is a valid reason?”

“That shit…?”

Muenne was well-known as a stickler for principles, famous for never using force or intimidation against innocent civilians.

“Say that again, and I will rip your mouth apart.” This Muenne was a bit different.

“...”

The rankers found her difficult to understand.

“Don’t forget about me,” said Cier, a Martial Artist from Hell and universe-level ranker similar to Muenne in skills. Standing beside Muenne, he added, “Do not create unnecessary commotion while my boss is working on his content.”

The Players were puzzled that Cier had acknowledged Chul-Soo as his boss, but hardly anyone dared to challenge the Muenne and Cier duo. After all, their goal was not to fight these two universe-level rankers but to secure the Mystery. Hence, the chaos was less than expected.

Numerous rankers rushed to obtain the Mystery and compete against Chul-Soo.

***

Brick, the rodent-type Beastkin Assassin, was acutely aware of his rapidly improving skills.

‘Teaching makes you realize how much you still have to learn,’ he thought.

By directly mentoring the Players of the Black Thorn Alliance, Brick had achieved several levels of enlightenment. Their intensity had significantly influenced him as well. He spoke to his favorite disciple, Kwak Do-Hyeong, the leader of the Black Thorn Alliance. “We seem to have arrived the fastest, Sir Apprentice.”

“It does seem so.”

They had already reached the location marked on Jin-Hyeok’s map and were waiting there. They had arrived before the residents of Hell or even Jin-Hyeok because they had been training in the First Hell.

[Master Kaymanar’s Artificial Dungeon]

As soon as Jin-Hyeok had obtained the map, an entrance to a Dungeon had appeared in a small forest near the First Hell’s capital. The entrance was shaped like a well, and to enter the Dungeon, Players had to jump into this well.

“Sir Apprentice, you know what we must do, right?” Brick said.

“Yes, Master. We have to capture the rankers invading this Dungeon alive.”

Brick stroked his long whiskers on both sides of his face and nodded.

“Did you hear that, Black Thorn Alliance?” Do-Hyeong said to his subordinates.

One of the alliance members seemed slightly displeased. “Are we not killing them?”

“Ye, we only capture, not kill,” Do-Hyeon replied.

“Why is that?”

“Because they might be subscribers of Chul-Soo.”

The dissatisfied alliance member appeared baffled. “But aren’t we Assassins? Why abandon our fundamental duty to assassinate…”

“Shouldn’t an intense Assassin also know how to capture their opponent alive?”

“I find this hard to accept. An Assassin’s primary duty is to assassinate. I joined the Black Thorn Alliance to hone my assassination skills.”

Do-Hyeon nodded and said, “You’re expelled from the alliance.”

“What did you say?”

“Someone who does not understand the value of intensity has no right to be in the Black Thorn Alliance. Get out.”

Brick lowered his voice. “The guests are coming, Sir Apprentice. They are all powerful Players, so we need to stay sharp.”

***

‘I came as fast as I could…’ Even though he had ridden the Thunder Dragon, Jin-Hyeok could see signs that other Players had already entered the Dungeon. ‘There is so much intense competition everywhere in this world.’

Seeing Jin-Hyeok, Brick, who had camouflaged himself as a tree, revealed himself. “Sir Chul-Soo, seven Players entered the Dungeon before you. Five are nobodies whom we let go after capturing. One is quite strong and managed to the Dungeon. They are probably a formidable figure from the Hell Server. Another one resisted fiercely, so we captured and confined him.”

“I see.”

Brick and the members of the Black Thorn Alliance had moved faster than Jin-Hyeok had expected. While he had not anticipated their help, they had effectively served as an initial filter.

“Then, please continue with your work, Brick,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Of course, Sir Chul-Soo.”

Jin-Hyeok stood in front of the well.

[Master Kaymanar’s Artificial Dungeon]

“Here we are at Master Kaymanar’s Artificial Dungeon. The entrance is shaped like a well, and you can’t see the bottom. I shall enter it now,” Jin-Hyeok told his viewers.

Without any hesitation, he jumped into the Dungeon. He talked non-stop even as he fell, ensuring the audio feed remained uninterrupted.

“I entered the Dungeon in a hurry, but it would have been great if either Mole Woman or Lessefim were here to help me. If they were nearby, they could come here....” Jin-Hyeok then glanced to the side—at Han Sae-Rin. She had come along with him even though he had said there was no need to. “On second thought, I think the abilities of a former Pathfinder should be sufficient.”

Sae-Rin often said that a great Ruler should also be an excellent Navigator. She could prove quite helpful here. Of course, Mole Woman and Lessefim had also already set out for the Dungeon.

“I will prove that I am the better Navigator for his livestream, moly!”

‘It is not all about skills!’ Mole Woman thought as she ran.

“I will show that I am a far superior Navigator!”

‘Being pretty isn’t everything!’ Lessefim thought as she ran. Even though she confident in her superior skills, she was slightly annoyed. ‘But why do I feel like I’m losing?’

She could not afford to lose to Mole Woman.

***

Jin-Hyeok landed on the ground. “The path ahead is winding and dark. For now, I will proceed with Sae-Rin.”

“I don’t sense any active traps here,” Sae-Rin said.

Their footsteps echoed as they walked.

“Being an Artificial Dungeon, it definitely feels more synthetic than natural ones,” Jin-Hyeok told the viewers.

“We can see signs of magic traps and barriers here and there. But they seem too old to function properly—” Suddenly, Sae-Rin grabbed Jin-Hyeok’s clothes. “Look at the ground. The footsteps ahead of us stop here.”

At that moment, a poison dart flew toward Sae-Rin, but Jin-Hyeok took the hit for her.

“That was quite a stinging attack.”

He threw the dart back, and a Player hidden in the wall fell to the ground.

“Brick mentioned this one was quite skilled, but he is pathetic,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Sae-Rin was lost for words. ‘I didn’t sense the opponent at all.’

She could read the situation with her exceptional judgment. ‘Brick was right. That guy is quite skilled. It’s just that Chul-Soo is abnormally strong.’

She recalled a comment that Jin-Hyeok had made earlier.

“I just need to become strong enough so that these kinds of issues won’t be a problem.”

Sae-Rin’s heart raced at the thought that this could become a reality.

Jin-Hyeok approached the fallen man to check his breathing.

“Normally, I would have killed him,” he said, summoning the Phantom Swordswoman. The fallen angel, exuding a sharp, murderous aura, picked up the man. “Since he might be one of my passionate subscribers, I will spare him today. Phantom Swordswoman, could you take him outside the well? Hand him over to Brick or Do-Hyeong.”

“Master, shall I deliver him with a cracked skull?” the defensive Mystery asked.

“You know that’s not what I am mean, right?”

The Phantom Swordswoman scrunched her face in annoyance but nodded.

-I didn’t know a defensive Mystery needs to set up barriers, attack, defend, and even transport the wounded. LOL

-That’s a lot for one defensive Mystery, hahaha!

-It’s tough making a living off being a defensive Mystery these days, damn.

-But at this point, nothing is surprising.

-Agreed.

-Sounds just like another day for Chul-Soo.

The viewers had grown accustomed to such bizarre situations. Explosive reactions were harder to come by nowadays.

Jin-Hyeok continued as they walked, “It seems like an old Dungeon overall.”

“If this is an Artificial Dungeon, it’s very likely that a Protector is here somewhere. Considering other things in this Dungeon, such as traps and barriers, are not working properly, I guess the administrators have poured all the resources into a Protector.”

Without further issues, they found a massive iron door.

“That’s a huge iron door,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“It must be incredibly heavy. I guess you need a special power to even budge it.”

“Shall I try pushing it?”

“There might be a special mechanism to open it.”

“There is no harm in trying.” Jin-Hyeok stepped up to the door and exerted all his strength.

“Oh?”

The door began to open slightly. Sae-Rin was astounded but soon resigned herself to ‘That’s Chul-Soo for you.’

“I am stronger than I thought.” Jin-Hyeok had assumed only someone like Martial King Kim Jeong-Hyeon could open the door, but surprisingly, he had managed to do it alone. Though the door did not open fully, the gap was wide enough for a person to pass through.

“It’s a bit tight, but we were able to enter,” he said after passing through the door.

“Chul-Soo, we should close the door behind us, to keep the weaker ones out.”

“Good idea.” Jin-Hyeok applied force again to close the door. It required considerable strength and stamina.

“I see a faint green light in the distance. Surely, that can’t be the Mystery,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“I think it might be.”

Just like Sae-Rin said, it was a Mystery. An object emitting a brilliant green light floated above the ground and slowly rotated.

“How kind of them. Even the name of the Mystery is labeled on it,” Jin-Hyeok said.

[Spilling Wind]

‘What? Spilling Wind?’ Jin-Hyeok was surprised.

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