I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 324

Seo Ji-Soo softly sighed and asked, “Are you sure you are a Chul-Soo Lander, Sir No.1000?”

Marshmallow could feel the harsh criticism in her gaze.

“Oh.” He could not help but reflect on the situation. “Kim Chul-Soo must be helping you out.”

“You really lack faith in IntenseMan. Anything is possible for Chul-Soo Landers, Sir No.1000. Sigh! That’s why...”

Marshmallow swore she was about to say, ‘That’s why you are only No.1000.’ His face turned red, steam practically billowing from his marshmallow-shaped head.

“What did you just say?” Marshmallow said.

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

Having tasted a bit of humiliation as a Chul-Soo Lander, he nonchalantly replied, “Well, I guess money is not an issue for Chul-Soo.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

The roles of interviewer and interviewee had switched. This whole conversation felt like an examiner was testing the qualifications of a junior of Chul-Soo Land.

Marshmallow earnestly answered, “Chul-Soo is a Streamer who has attracted the most attention from the members of the Trinity Club. After he was attacked by a former elder, donations poured in from across the universe, and—”

“And?”

“Now that he’s the owner of the Earth Server, I am assuming money is not an issue, hahaha!” Marshmallow’s head melted like dripping cheese, sweat trickling down his back.

“Good. Had you been unable to even answer this properly, I would have suggested a vote to the managers to strip you of your position at Chul-Soo Land,” Ji-Soo said.

“T-That would be too much!”

“But you do have the basic qualities. I would appreciate it if you continue to strive for better, Sir No.1000.”

Through this series of events, the Great Nobleman Filiak also came to taste the financier and began to understand the sincerity of Chul-Soo, who was trying his best to make the Hell Server a better civilization.

Filiak emphatically said, “There has never been a ruler like you before. The invaders who came occasionally complained there was nothing to eat in Hell, trampled on our lives, and just left. But you are different. Very different. That’s what touched me, Sir Chul-Soo.”

“This is not how it’s supposed to be...” Jin-Hyeok said.

He had asked the Seo sisters to come here so that they could train and build up their confidence. Hell Man and Wang Yu-Mi had also agreed with him, saying this method would surely gain the affection of Hell’s residents. After all, hot showers and tasty food were bringing a ray of hope to the desolate lives of Hell’s residents.

‘But somehow everything is about me now...’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

After he conquered Hell, there was going to be an episode called ‘Owner’. Becoming the owner of Hell would surely become a massive issue and garner tremendous viewership.

“You know that I am aiming to become the owner of Hell, right?” Jin-Hyeok asked Filiak.

“If that happens, Hell will develop further, just like Earth now, Sir Chul-Soo.” Filiak’s eyes were filled with unconditional trust.

‘While he presents it as acting for only his benefit, he is trying to put my mind at ease,’ Filiak thought. In his perception, Chul-Soo’s response was humble yet fitting.

***

From a purely physical power point of view, Hell was a much more advanced Server than Earth. Its Dungeons were more difficult and populated with stronger monsters.

“Since we’re in Hell, it might be good to showcase some Dungeon Play,” Jin-Hyeok said. He pondered which Dungeon would spark the most explosive response from his viewers.

‘Ideally, it should be the most difficult and the toughest Unexplored Dungeon.’

Jin-Hyeok asked around to find the right Dungeon. After some inquiries, he narrowed down his options to one.

‘Mount Kelibergh. That’s the place.’

The entire Mount Kelibergh was a Dungeon. In terms of scale, it was more immense than any Dungeon Jin-Hyeok had ever encountered. He gathered some preliminary information for a teaser video.

“Mount Kelibergh? I have heard it’s a place where monsters appear endlessly, no matter how many you kill.”

“There are so few survivors that little is known about that Dungeon.”

Fortunately, Jin-Hyeok had a connection to a Player who survived Mount Kelibergh.

“When I was young, I foolishly challenged Mount Kelibergh, Sir Chul-Soo.”

It was none other than the Great Nobleman Filiak. He had once boldly led an expedition of hundreds to tackle Mount Kelibergh.

“Of the hundreds, barely ten survived. Half of those dwindled and died,” Filiak added.

“But you’re so weak?” Jin-Hyeok was essentially asking him how someone as frail as he had managed to survive when half had died from the Dungeon’s aftereffects.

“Because I was a Great Nobleman. Skilled Healers came to my house to treat me.”

After Jin-Hyeok heard the whole story, his expression darkened a bit. Filiak misunderstood that as a loss of confidence.

“Mount Kelibergh has been an Unexplored Dungeon for decades, Sir Chul-Soo. There is no need to be discouraged. Besides, aren’t you a Streamer?”

‘Despite being capable of smashing the spire of a grand mansion with a single attack, surviving a critical hit from a former elder with all his might, and having defensive capabilities beyond those of a top-ranked Tank... he is still a Streamer,’ Filiak thought. It was almost dubious whether Chul-Soo was still just a Streamer, but he wanted to comfort Chul-Soo in his way.

“Just because a Dungeon is difficult doesn’t mean it’s a good Dungeon, right?” Filiak said.

“...”

“There are plenty of Unexplored Dungeons in Hell. We can plan carefu—”

“No, that’s not it,” Jin-Hyeok said. His concern was entirely different. “If even the younger you could survive the Dungeon, I am worried the difficulty might be too low.”

“Excuse me?”

“Isn’t there a tougher Dungeon?”

***

Enlightenment often arrived unexpectedly, and today was such a day.

‘Yes, Filiak’s advice was spot on!’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Filiak had offered some good advice.

“Just because a Dungeon is difficult doesn’t mean it’s a good Dungeon, right?”

There were various kinds of good content, and Jin-Hyeok realized that simply pursuing extreme difficulty was not necessarily the right approach as a Streamer.

‘I’m glad I didn’t kill Filiak!’

After extracting information about Mount Kelibergh from Filiak, Jin-Hyeok posted an official announcement. He declared his intent to clear Mount Kelibergh, a Dungeon unexplored for decades.

-Surely not another Solo Play, right?

The last Solo Play content had divided his audience. While it undoubtedly attracted immense viewership and buzz, there was a debate over whether it truly constituted a solo effort.

[I honestly thought Chul-Soo was going solo against the Empress of Hell.]

└If that was not a Solo Play, what is? You idiot!

└Does it have to be about beating and killing to be considered a Solo Play? Chul-Soo gained favor and formed alliances to advance to Hell and even achieved an All-Clear. What more do you want for it to be a Solo Play?

[All these so-called enlightened viewers, stop with your ridiculous logic. Honestly, we have expectations when we say Solo Play. Chul-Soo’s Dungeon clear was successful, but calling that a Solo Play is just bullshit.]

└You just admitted yourself. If Chul-Soo cleared a Dungeon by himself, isn’t that a Solo Play?

└Are you dumb? Do you really think that’s a Solo Play?

└Yes, that’s exactly what I imagine a Solo Play should be like.

└Screw you. Everyone has that specific image when they think of Solo Play, and Chul-Soo acted like he was going to do that but ended up Playing like a weak-ass pacifist while reaping all the benefits. If that was the case, he should have titled it ‘Banyan Tree All-Clear Guide’ or something.

└TLDR.

└But he finished your so-called ‘Banyan Tree All-Clear Guide.’ That’s Solo Play, you idiot. Stop pretending to be logical and smart, you keyboard warrior.

There was significant controversy over whether Jin-Hyeok’s Play was genuinely solo, and this fueled interest in his current content.

“This time, I intend to do a Dual Play,” Jin-Hyeok told viewers.

The ones relatively knowledgeable about Mount Kelibergh expressed disbelief.

-But that place is swarmed with monsters attacking in droves!

-The monsters will overwhelm you with sheer numbers. It’s going to be difficult for just two to handle.

Everyone was curious about who would join Jin-Hyeok for the Dual Play, but Jin-Hyeok only showed the silhouette of the supposed Player.

-Wait, if it’s a silhouette, could it be the Seo sisters?

-But the Seo sisters always move as a set.

-Who could it be?

The next day, Jin-Hyeok started his livestream.

“The Player who will join me is the Tamer Park Terse.”

***

Jin-Hyeok pondered how to persuade Terse.

‘Terse can command a legion of monsters.’

He was aware of the controversy surrounding the last Solo Play. Although the debate had skyrocketed the viewership, he still wanted to showcase a more traditional Play this time.

‘That way, I can manage my stamina more effectively while taking on the challenge.’

Recently, excluding the Navigator from the party count had become a trend. Since a Navigator was essential for higher-level Dungeons, it was assumed that there was always one when counting party members.

‘The combination of Mole Woman and Terse seems like it could be worth trying.’

Regardless of whether it seemed feasible or not, Jin-Hyeok was willing to give it a try. With Terse’s help, a grand battle of legions seemed possible.

‘But Terse tends to shy away from overly reckless and dangerous challenges.’

Terse was not particularly interested in forcibly taming monsters or Dungeon clears. He mainly wanted to commune with monsters. Given the abundance of bizarre and somewhat disgusting monsters in Hell, there was no need for Terse to enter this Dungeon.

‘Besides, if too many monsters swarm at once, it might be hard for Terse to tame them.’

Mount Kelibergh possessed many elements that Terse generally disliked.

‘I’ll just have a conversation with him first and see where it takes us. I might find a way by reading Terse’s thoughts with Broadcaster’s Insight.’

Just as Jin-Hyeok was about to persuade Terse,

“That’s a good idea, Chul-Soo!” Terse yelled.

Terse’s immediate acceptance left Jin-Hyeok somewhat bewildered, and he said, “That’s quick. I didn’t know you were going to accept my proposal just like that.”

“Is there a problem?”

“Don’t you usually dislike swarms of monsters? You said that you can’t properly bond with monsters if that happens.”

“That was somewhat true.”

The word was caught Jin-Hyeok’s attention. It was definitely in the past tense.

“But now, I have become a new person. The Chul-Soo vaccine cured my long-standing illness,” Terse said.

“Long-standing illness?”

“Yes. The excuse that you can’t deeply bond with many monsters was just that of a weak Tamer. I learned that from you, Chul-Soo.”

“I don’t remember teaching you that.”

“When monsters are together, there is a higher chance of finding one that resonates with me. It provides far more opportunities.”

“But wouldn’t there be monsters that interfere with taming?”

Terse chuckled. “You’re testing me again, aren’t you?”

‘Of course. Such verification is naturally necessary for Dual Play. I get it,’ Terse thought. He was not upset at all.

“Those kinds of monsters just need some beating,” Terse said.

“...”

“Violence redeems everything. If it can’t, it’s only because there isn’t enough violence.”

Terse’s expression was filled with confidence, like that of someone who had attained enlightenment.