I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 11

On ‘Nerver,’[1] the game System’s largest online community, discussion around one particular Streamer spread more and more on the ‘New Server (Earth)’ forum.

- This weird dude named Kim Chul-Soo appeared on the New Server's Open Beta.

- He’s a strange one. He’s super calm… and twisted.

A bit of interest in this Streamer was first kindled on the ‘Orioles’ Server—a Server with strikingly similar cultures and values to Earth—and from there, much discussion was spreading.

- I reckon he’s the strongest out of all the Streamers at his Level.

└ What Level?

└ Round mid to late 20’s.

└ Pff, he’s still at the Tute[2] stages.

└ Yo, if I was in the Tute stage as well, it’d be easy as heck to be the strongest Streamer.

└ I could do it even as a Merchant. Yup, mark my words.

Indeed, the Streamer in question was still in his beginner stages, where all the different Jobs were not as distinct in their strengths and weaknesses. The majority of the forum discussions revolved around this as an explanation. After all, not only was the Streamer a beginner, but he hadn’t even finished the Tutorial—he was practically a fetus.

- The fact that he thinks of himself as chump change annoys the hell out of me. You’ll know what I mean when you see it for yourself.

- Man’s got some high-ass standards for someone who’s practically a sperm.

He really was a rather peculiar Streamer.

- And yet he turns down VIP chat requests.

└ Yooo, for real?

└ There’s dudes crazy enough to turn those down?

The fact that he rejected VIP chats became a bit of a hot topic of its own.

- I heard a few big fish bought a VIP package and basically got fleeced.

When a VIP package was purchased, part of the purchase cost was automatically sent to the associated Streamer.

- A dine and dasher?

└ Nahh, not really. He never asked anyone to purchase the package even once.

└ And still, Wind Wanderer even gave him a Mission.

└ Fr?[3] Already?

└ Seems more like it was to boost the Streamer’s fame than an actual Mission. But the real kicker’s that the guy didn’t even react to it.

└ Wait, he didn’t react at all? LOL damn this one’s a crazy one for real… lmao

Wind Wanderer was one of the biggest viewers and donors, well-renowned even amongst communities of different dimensions.

They were well treated wherever they went, and every single Streamer would do all sorts of things to get their attention and flatter them. Even when a Streamer received the smallest of patronages from them, it was simply the thing to do to give an enthusiastic reaction to show one’s appreciation.

- He doesn’t communicate with his viewers, period. He just babbles on and on by himself, but that doesn’t mean he’s a good talker either. He’s got zero understanding of how to stream properly or create good content.

└ Then why is he such a hot topic?

└ His combat knowledge is insane.

└ Nah nah, seems more to me like his ‘screw y’all, I’mma do it my way’ style’s kinda working, no?

└ The heck kinda dumbass shit are you sayin’? He’s easily the Streamer who plays the least scared out of all the ones at that Level. That’s what makes his stream so frickin’ dynamic.

A short clip began circulating on Nerver.

“But pain is still real. It’s terribly painful when you get your stomach pierced and intestines ripped out. For the record, though, the most painful thing is definitely when the ribcage is broken in such a way that the liver gets crushed.”

The Streamer’s tone was very matter-of-fact and nonchalant, as if he was describing some everyday thing like what he had for breakfast that morning.

At the very least, he didn’t act like a low-Level Streamer.

***

ARGHH!

The Three Little Piggies screamed out loud.

Mok Jae-Hyeon had stabbed them just the way that Jin-Hyeok had taught him—as expected of a Player worthy of a 9-Star Job.

‘Wow, okay, that definitely looks a little painful.’

The Three Little Piggies were covered in blood, rolling around on the floor.

This was only a natural result of Mok Jae-Hyeon now being of a higher Level, along with a Job that was of an incomparably higher quality.

Seeing them alternate between gasping for air and bleating like lambs would make anyone think that death really was the less miserable alternative.

“So, let’s get this interview underway,” said Jin-Hyeok.

Jin-Hyeok approached Mok Jae-Hyeon.

“Why didn’t you kill them? Did it turn out you didn’t hate them enough to go that far?”

“I couldn’t do it. I don’t want to be a murderer.”

“But wouldn't they come back to life anyway?”

“…”

Mok Jae-Hyeon had a complicated expression on his face. Jin-Hyeok knew that what was rising within Mok Jae-Hyeon was likely the instinctive repulsiveness everyone felt to the idea of taking someone’s life.

“I might add that they look like they would be better off dead,” Jin-Hyeok added.

As Jin-Hyeok had mentioned before, this field had a regen feature, but the pain that one had to experience was still very real.

The bullies were in such agony that they could not even breathe properly—and as long as they were alive, they had to continue experiencing this pain.

The Three Little Piggies reached out a hand toward Mok Jae-Hyeon.

“P-please kill me…”

“I-I’m sorry for what I did to your g-grandma…I-I will n-never…”

Jin-Hyeok pulled out his dagger and approached the Three Little Piggies, squatting in front of them.

“Right, I will now get to commencing the interview. So, how is it? Is it painful?” asked Jin-Hyeok.

“A-are you serious…….”

“Hmm, what made you tease Mok Jae-Hyeon so much?”

Their eyes were already out of focus, their pupils dilating.

“Will you apologize for mistreating his grandmother?”

“…”

It seemed that getting a proper interview out of them was going to be hard. They hadn’t even been hurt that bad in Jin-Hyeok’s opinion, but they were already losing consciousness.

They turned out to be quite mentally weak.

At this rate, the trauma of this ordeal could mean that they would have some problems up in the noggin even after they came back to life.

But that wasn’t Jin-Hyeok’s problem to deal with.

“It seems that continuing with this interview would be a bit difficult.”

Jin-Hyeok muted the livestream for a brief moment, and whispered to the Three Little Piggies.

“I am not a fucking hako.”

Jin-Hyeok might not have known what a hako was, but he certainly didn’t like the way they said it.

With that done, he plunged his dagger into their hearts. The Three Little Piggies all met their end.

However, Mok Jae-Hyeon seemed a bit taken aback by Jin-Hyeok’s actions more than anything.

“H-hyung? How could you k-kill them?”

“They were begging for us to kill them.”

“S-still…”

“They’d be much better off dead,” Jin-Hyeok said, “Besides, they’ll be revived at midnight anyway. If we left them here, the Dwarves would have finished them off anyway—and keeping that in mind, putting them down quickly is doing them a favor more than anything.”

“That’s true, but….”

And no—for the record, Jin-Hyeok didn’t kill them because they called him a “fucking hako.” Whatever that meant.

“Well then, Mok Jae-Hyeon, my good friend,” Jin-Hyeok quickly moved on, “How was it when you actually fought them? It pretty much turned out to be nothing, didn’t it?”

“…”

Mok Jae-Hyeon stayed silent for a long time as if seriously pondering the question, before he finally gave a nod in response—and then he said something a little unexpected.

“Thank you, hyung. Because of you… I feel like I broke down a huge wall inside my heart.”

Mok Jae-Hyeon sincerely thanked Jin-Hyeok.

Jin-Hyeok didn’t think he had done much for him, though.

***

In Mok Jae-Hyeon’s eyes, Cha Jin-Hyeok was, in fact, an individual who was… off.

He had zero qualms with killing people.

It was like some part of him that was meant to make him human was broken.

“They’d be much better off dead. Besides, they’ll be revived at midnight anyway. If we left them here, the Dwarves would have finished them off anyway—and keeping that in mind, putting them down quickly is doing them a favor more than anything. Don’t you think so?”

Those statements were all correct—technically.

But Mok Jae-Hyeon thought a bit deeper about what he had been through.

‘Let’s have a look at the situation I’m in.’

Jin-Hyeok had found him hiding away in the convenience store and was the one to approach him first, then cleared the Quest to survive seven days together with him—even though Jin-Hyeok didn’t really have to.

And then Jin-Hyeok went so far as to yield the Great Hero transfer opportunity to him.

Mok Jae-Hyeon felt the surge in power of a Wood King to his bones, emerging from the recycling of the Great Hero transfer opportunity to upgrade his previous Wood Lord Job. He was able to better manipulate the branches of his Wood Fortress, and break them off to fashion them into separate spears—spears that were so dangerous that they could easily pierce a human stomach.

‘And he was the one who handed me this much power.’

And on top of all that, Cha Jin-Hyeok gave him the chance to enact his revenge at the end.

Wait, or was it actually the chance for revenge that Jin-Hyeok was trying to give him?

‘What was the hyung actually trying to show me?’

That was what Mok Jae-Hyeon needed to find out.

Looking at the cold, hard bodies of the jerks that had bullied him seemed to shed some light on the answer. ‘I don’t feel better at all.’

Mok Jae-Hyeon really had wanted them to die.

Before this moment, he had already killed them ten times over in his heart.

But when he was finally face-to-face with their corpses on the floor, it neither brought him relief nor made him rejoice. Jin-Hyeok hadn’t looked particularly cheerful when killing them either.

‘It was like… he was just doing what he had to do.’

Much like students studied because they just had to, or workers went to work because they just had to.

Jin-Hyeok didn’t seem emotional in the least when he did the deed.

“Well then, Mok Jae-Hyeon, my good friend,” Jin-Hyeok quickly moved on, “How was it when you actually fought them? It pretty much turned out to be nothing, didn’t it?”

That question was what made Mok Jae-Hyeon come to a revelation: revenge was the thing that pretty much turned out to be nothing. In fact, it was completely in vain—a futile exercise.

As Mok Jae-Hyeon came to the conclusion that this was what the hyung had been trying to show him, something began to stir inside his chest.

‘He’s a real grown-up.’

Sweeping aside any obstacles in his way, Jin-Hyeok had offered his hand to a child that needed help—namely Jae-Hyeon himself—and guided him all the way here.

Perhaps through this ordeal, Cha Jin-Hyeok was showing him the path he needed to take.

‘He’s teaching me that this is the way I need to go moving forward.’

A notification suddenly chimed in for Mok Jae-Hyeon.

[You have acquired the Trait, 「Epiphany」.]

***

Mok Jae-Hyeon’s eyes had a sense of clarity about them that they didn’t have before.

When Jin-Hyeok observed him with his Broadcaster’s Truesight, he noticed that Mok Jae-Hyeon had earned the ‘Epiphany’ Trait.

Traits rewards were usually hidden, and had to be sought out in Dungeons and other such locations, but they were sometimes granted to Players naturally if one was lucky enough for the conditions to align.

‘Oh damn… that’s a really good one.’

This Trait strengthened one’s mind and body, to the point that it became a very powerful fundamental driving force that significantly increased one’s growth rate.

“Please contact me. No—I’ll contact you,” Mok Jae-Hyeon said.

“Sure.”

The privilege of having a guest of this caliber star regularly on his stream was quite the catch for Jin-Hyeok too.

‘Man, I’m tired now.’

Jin-Hyeok knew that he probably shouldn’t, but he could not help comparing his current body to his past one.

‘This is some damn poor stamina.’

No matter which angle he looked at this problem from, it was looking like he was just going to have to find an Elixir somewhere that could raise his stamina. He knew that Streamers were weak coming in, but he didn’t think they would be this frail.

‘How about I have a look at my donations now?’

Jin-Hyeok didn’t expect there to be so many transaction statements.

It was an absolute relief that the unit of currency for all the donations were automatically converted into Dias, because the sprawling, highly extensive statement details were too much for Jin-Hyeok to digest.

It was also a relief that there was a heading at the very end that said ‘Total.’ That certainly made things easier.

[Total : 9,210,000 Dias]

‘Huh?’

Jin-Hyeok rubbed his eyes, but the number didn’t change.

‘9.21 million Dias?’

This whopping number was all after just a single day of streaming.

When Jin-Hyeok caved and had a closer look at the finer details of the transactions to work out where all these donations were coming from, he came across a transaction statement titled, ‘VIP Package Donation.’

Jin-Hyeok quickly figured that if someone purchased one of these so-called VIP packages, a portion of the purchase price was paid to him as a donation.

‘Should I turn on the stream to thank them?’

Jin-Hyeok pondered the idea, but shook his head not before long.

He had already made up his mind not to give VIPs any special treatment. Getting too deeply involved with such things could prove to be a pain in the neck later down the line in more ways than one.

Once again, he reminded himself that his role model was Mystery Box, not Egan Paul.

‘But still, that’s huge.’

9.2 million Dias was a number he never imagined. This really was the power of everyone’s favorite educational schooling content.

‘Dia Exchange.’

Dias were able to be exchanged for all the different currencies around the world. Jin-Hyeok exchanged 7 million of his 9.2 million Dias.

[A conversion fee of 20% applies to your transaction.]

[5,600,000 KRW has been deposited into the designated account.]

Soon, Jin-Hyeok got a text on his phone.

[Alert from XX Bank: 5,600,000 Won has been deposited into your XX Bank account.]

‘Looks like I finally earned myself a paycheck.’

The big thing to note was that this was a mere day’s worth of income.

Even accounting for the fact that he had some very special windfalls like the VIP package purchases, it was still a tremendous amount of income for a day’s work.

It wasn’t like he had to shoulder extremely dangerous risks, or had to become famous, or had to sacrifice for the people of the nation or for honor in order to make this kind of income, like he had to do in the past.

It indeed seemed true that being a Streamer was a straight path to a land of milk and honey in this new world—though it came with the caveat that it was a tad boring and uneventful.

‘I guess I won’t be having any more windfalls like the VIP package purchases.’

Unless the big buyers went completely mad, Jin-Hyeok assumed there was likely close to zero chance of the VIP packages being bought again when he had completely shut down all prospects of VIP chats, arguably the biggest selling point of the packages.

He had to assume that this was not going to happen again.

‘Maybe I should go home—it’s been a while.’

He had been Spine Breaker for 7 long years.[4]

He felt that he could now fulfill his familial duties and do the things he was supposed to as a son and as a big brother. It was certainly about time.

Jin-Hyeok caught a taxi and stepped off in the vicinity of his old home. Today, his steps felt particularly light.

The peace was broken when a scream pierced the air.

Kyaa!

‘Sounds like a crime is being committed somewhere.’

After the Beta Service had begun and Players began to appear all over, the public peace was broken in more ways than one.

Speaking of the devil, Jin-Hyeok spotted a man collapsed on the ground as he walked along.

‘Seems like he got mugged.’

This was a period of social unrest, where after power first shifted to Players of the game, all sorts of crimes were being committed that made the Players quickly become a front-and-center issue.

Perhaps it was because he had seen far too many massacres by truly evil villains, but Jin-Hyeok wasn’t too perturbed by the sight of the collapsed man.

These trivial and trifling matters would solve themselves as time passed.

‘But…’

Okay, this changed things.

“Cha Jin-Sol?”

Jin-Hyeok saw his little sister being grabbed by her hair and dragged off somewhere by three men, right in front of their house.

Now, this pissed him off a little.

1. Parody of Naver, one of Korea’s biggest search engines and a forum hub. ☜

2. Short for Tutorial. Adding this note just in case, for those less familiar with this (actually used) slang term. ☜

3. Means ‘for real?’ ☜

4. Remember, Spine Breaker wasn’t just his literal in-game name before the Cataclysm, but also a slang term for children who leech excessively off their parents. This sentence has a double meaning. ☜