I Gave Up Being Stronger

‘I am definitely not doing this out of excitement,’ Cha Jin-Hyeok thought.

It was not that he wanted to hit Woongi, and it was definitely not for the love of the fight. Jin-Hyeok grinned and wielded Miri with all his might. Woongi had extraordinarily strong defense due to his tough skin.

Jin-Hyeok spoke calmly as if to prove that he was not insane. “A strange exchange of mana has been taking place between Shin Yu-Ri and Woongi since earlier. It’s not visible to the eye, but there are places where it’s tangled and twisted. That is hindering them from developing empathy toward each other and interacting with one another.”

‘Wait, Chul-Soo knew about this too?’

Black Panther lost his fighting spirit. He was okay with Park Terse knowing this information, since this information was closer to the realm of taming than that of a Navigator. However, he needed help understanding how Chul-Soo knew about this.

‘He is just a Streamer...’

If Chul-Soo had realized only that something weird was going on between Yu-Ri and Woongi, Black Panther would have been okay with that. However, Chul-Soo had not stopped there.

‘He also found a solution in that short period?’

[You have used the Skill ?Taming (Physical)?.]

Although the Skill looked violent, the tangled mana lines were being untangled as Chul-Soo struck Woongi. Clearly, Chul-Soo was gradually resolving the situation.

Black Panther blankly stared at Chul-Soo. ‘Why am I even here?’

He was okay with being overshadowed by Mole Man, the number one Navigator in the Korean region. Being overshadowed by a retired Navigator hurt his pride a little, and not even being considered a rival by those two hurt his pride even more. However, being beaten by a Tamer and a Streamer completely destroyed his pride. His experience Playing with the Players in the Korean Region was not very pleasant.

‘They are like a wall that I can’t climb.’

Black Panther, who had been flourishing in the American Region, had hit a wall for the first time—a wall so high and distant that he did not even feel the desire to overcome it.

***

Meanwhile, Terse screamed in agony, “Argh! No!”

Each time Jin-Hyeok’s ruthless hammer touched the back of Woongi’s head, Terse suffered. “Please! Stop!”

Terse was well aware of the destructive power of Miri. As he had already empathized with Woongi to some extent, he was indirectly experiencing Miri’s fierce attacks.

‘This is so wrong!’ Terse thought.

He aimed for a gentle and warm approach to taming, so this was an unimaginable situation for him. Ironically, it pushed his potential to the limit.

‘I have to succeed in taming as quickly as possible!’

Terse could not stand to see Woongi exposed to violence anymore. He utilized all his abilities to proceed with the taming, as accurately and as precisely as possible, feeling desperate.

‘I need to succeed so that Woongi does not suffer anymore!’

This was a new experience for Terse, not taming directly himself, but helping someone else do that. Through this experience, Terse felt he had grown. Eventually, the taming was completed successfully.

“Your Majesty, teddy!” Woongi’s eyes, which had turned red, returned to normal. After saluting Yu-Ri, he hugged her and sobbed. He had returned to being a gentle and kind bear.

Jin-Hyeok grinned. “See? If you beat him... no wait, tame him like this, you empathize more with the taming subject, right?”

Terse was too stunned to reply.

Jin-Hyeok continued with a serious face, “I did not strike him because I wanted to.”

“...”

“...It’s true.”

Terse blankly stared at Woongi. The taming had been completed perfectly. Terse reviewed and recalled the situation that had just occurred. It felt like he was about to grasp some sort of realization, yet not quite.

‘Taming with physical violence isn’t really taming, but...’

Yet, the result was excessively perfect.

‘If Chul-Soo had not intervened earlier, Woongi’s mind might have collapsed. If it weren’t for Chul-Soo, would Yu-Ri have been able to empathize with Woongi like that? Could Woongi have become this docile? Could such perfect taming have been possible? I’ve always thought Chul-Soo’s method was wrong, but... am I the one who is in the wrong?’

Terse’s beliefs and values began to waver.

***

Meanwhile, Egan Paul approached Shin Yu-Ri for an interview. “Ms. Waiting Wife, I have come across quite an interesting scene.”

Egan was quite perceptive. He knew that the main character of the Haeundae Dungeon Expedition was Chul-Soo.

‘Chul-Soo is the main character, and I am the side character.’

The main events and story related to the Dungeon was Chul-Soo’s domain. Hence, Egan decided to cover the minor events that Chul-Soo did not pay attention to.

“I believe the defensive Mystery you used to block Woongi’s attack earlier was Iron Dome, right?” Egan asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Yu-Ri replied.

“But from my knowledge, it is a mechanical defensive Mystery that shoots out small missiles that intercept dangerous attacks, right?”

“You are correct again.”

“Normally, there would be an explosion involved in the process. This is what I know about Iron Dome.”

Iron Dome, a Mystery known to be possessed by about ten people worldwide, was a powerful defensive Mystery that caused strong explosions upon activation. All the ten Players whom Egan had researched possessed the same feature.

“However, your Iron Dome did not cause any explosion. It just blocked Woongi’s attack. It was like a bullet with the gunpowder removed. How is this possible?” Egan continued.

“Um...” Yu-Ri tilted her head, unsure of how to explain.

“Of course, if it is confidential, you don’t have to tell me.”

“Oh, it’s not confidential.” Yu-Ri awkwardly smiled, looking toward Jin-Hyeok. She regarded Jin-Hyeok as her master and often turned to him when in doubt. “I thought... everyone could do this.”

‘She’s being serious!’ Egan thought. She was not trying to deceive anyone or hide trade secrets about her Mystery. ‘Their standards... are frightening.’

The standards of the Korean Region were too bizarre. Feeling mentally overwhelmed, Egan steadied himself and continued with the questions. “So, how did you come to the decision to tame Woongi?”

“I... just did it.” Yu-Ri’s face turned slightly red. By this point, even she left like her words sounded deceptive. “I just came because my master told me to.”

“...Ah, I see.” Egan realized he had forgotten an important fact.

‘Yes. It was Chul-Soo who suddenly called Yu-Ri here! Does that mean Chul-Soo planned and designed all this?’

There seemed to be no other explanation. Egan approached Chul-Soo to ask how he planned all this.

Unable to say that he could do it because he was a regressor, Jin-Hyeok decided to be brazen. “Well... I thought everyone could do this.”

A heavy silence fell among the Players of the Avengers Army.

***

After Woongi formed a loyalty oath with Yu-Ri, the Haeundae Dungeon was cleared. Unfortunately, the group could not get the All-Clear Achievement. The reward for clearing the Haeundae Dungeon was not particularly impressive, except for Yu-Ri acquiring a new bodyguard in Woongi.

‘It’s a bit disappointing,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Regardless of Jin-Hyeok’s personal feelings, his video about this Dungeon raid set new records. Wang Yu-Mi was extremely satisfied. “Reaching number one in the list of trending videos is now just too easy!”

Any video Jin-Hyeok uploaded would nowadays instantly become number one in the list of trending videos. “The trend in views and the ratio of likes to views are also phenomenal, and the comments are explosive! The viewers kept comparing him to the Avengers Army, and it worked great in our favor!”

Yu-Mi was eager to contact Jin-Hyeok and give him all sorts of feedback, but she held back. ‘I should give him some space. He said he wanted to take a three-day break!’

To provide quality feedback, she gathered data and reviewed the comments.

-LOL, how are they called the Avengers Army? What a waste of a name!

-Aren’t they like the best alliance in the American Region? They didn’t do anything in the Dungeon!

-LOL, I think it’s safe to say that Chul-Soo cleared the Dungeon by himself.

It was a frustrating situation for the Avengers Army. Objectively, they had not done anything poorly. Their Play was utterly conventional, and they Played well within the realm of common sense.

Yu-Mi adjusted her round glasses and chuckled. “A person who is 180 centimeters is considered quite tall, but next to a person who is 190 centimeters, they look relatively short. This is the principle of relativity! Hahaha!”

The Avengers Army had done well, but their point of comparison was the K-Force, which included Chul-Soo himself. Moreover, there was another focal point in the video.

-But if Woongi and Chul-Soo really fought, who would win?

-Are you kidding? Woongi could not even penetrate Yu-Ri’s defensive Mystery.

-And Chul-Soo has the ultimate defensive Mystery.

Discussions about Chul-Soo were always a hot topic.

-But honestly, can you really call that a defensive Mystery?

-Yeah, that’s true. It looks more like an offensive Mystery.

-Don’t you guys realize that if Chul-Soo used the Phantom Swordswoman defensively, it would be even stronger?

-Even Waiting Wife can adjust her Mystery abilities, I’m sure Chul-Soo can do it too.

Debates raged in the Korean Region Minor Gallery and various other online communities. Opinions were divided on whether Chul-Soo could win in a one-on-one fight against Woongi. Then, the renowned user named Encyclopedia appeared.

[Kim Chul-Soo’s concept for this livestream was undoubtedly overwhelming power, a calculated overwhelming power at that. In the beginning, he dominated with physical strength, and toward the middle and end, he dominated by commanding other Players and controlling the Dungeon like a Ruler. He even showed his skills in taming. All of this indicates that Chul-Soo meticulously planned and presented this content... (Skipped)... By clearing the Haeundae Dungeon, Chul-Soo has declared a new direction of Play... (Skipped)]

Realizing the text was becoming too lengthy, Encyclopedia added a two-line summary at the end.

[Summary: Chul-Soo left Woongi alone to stay true to his concept. If he had fought seriously, he would have easily won.]

At home, taking a break with Jin-Hyeok, Cha Jin-Sol said, “So... this is what they are saying online.”

“Is that so?” Jin-Hyeok, who had been napping on the sofa, lazily scratched his unkempt hair. “They’re saying I would win?”

‘Was I really that great?’ Jin-Hyeok thought. He had just Played as best as he could, giving every moment of his livestreaming a meaning. While he had not intended it to be so detailed, the result was nonetheless positive. It meant his livestream had enthralled people.

“But, Oppa, who would actually win if you fought Woongi?”

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