I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 398

A gaunt elderly man appeared before them, his ribs visible through his skin.

“Are you the Great Sword Spirit?” Cha Jin-Hyeok asked.

Compared to other Sword Spirits, this one looked remarkably human-like. At a glance, one could even mistake him for a real person.

Kyle had a lot to say to Jin-Hyeok. The Spirit’s communion was supposed to be an incredibly intimate process. Even speaking aloud during that could break one’s concentration. Attempting to talk with a Sword Spirit was a rookie mistake even beginners would not make.

Chul-Soo seemed to have forgotten the basics due to his obsession with livestreaming. Being his swordsmanship mentor, Kyle felt compelled to give Chul-Soo a stern talking-to. However, just then, to his surprise, he heard the Spirit’s voice out loud.

“Do I look great to you?” the old man said.

‘What? I can hear his voice too?’ Kyle thought.

The old man picked his nose with his pinky finger. Not appearing particularly interested in Jin-Hyeok, he instead said, “Hohoho. What a pretty young woman. How old are you?”

Kyle grew even more bewildered.

‘This Sword Spirit is interested in only Mole Woman... But his connection with Chul-Soo is deep enough that he can talk to others?’

Kyle wondered what would happen if that old man focused on communicating with just Chul-Soo. The Swordsman realized anew that Chul-Soo could summon over seven hundred Sword Spirits for a reason.

[You have completed a fragment of the Universe-level Scenario 「Legacy of the Forsaken Queen」.]

[You have cleared the Quest ?The One Who Silenced the Swords’ Song Shall Meet the Great Spirit?.]

[The next story will now proceed.]

Mole Woman glanced at the old man, delighted to see him drooling while staring at her.

‘Oh, we got a new villain in our hands!’ Mole Woman thought. This was definitely Eltube material. Every good content needed a villain. Viewers could unite in their enjoyment of criticizing the bad guy. ‘You owe me one, Chul-Soo!’

She was thrilled, feeling she had proven her worth. So, with a trembling voice, which the Sword Spirit mistook for a side effect of fear, she replied, “I-I am fifteen years old.”

“Oh! How fresh and tender! That’s my favorite age!”

Viewers’ complaints began to flood in.

-Is this guy really a Sword Spirit?

-What Great Sword Spirit will be so perverted?

-Damn, he’s too disgusting!

Mole Woman blushed, imagining the viewers’ passionate reactions.

“Thank you for appearing, Great Sword Spirit,” Mole Woman said. ‘Rise, view count! Rise, number of likes! Let’s get this to the trending page!’

“Hehehe, such good manners! I will grant you the honor of becoming my servant and attending to me!” the old man said.

“What will I be doing to attend to you?”

“I will teach you later, hehe!” the Sword Spirit flared his nostrils and beckoned, “Come closer!”

Meanwhile, Jin-Hyeok approached the Sword Spirit.

“I don’t care if this is related to the universe-level Scenario, I’m going to kill this filthy bastard first.” Jin-Hyeok swung Miri toward the old man with an expression of fury.

Thwack!

Miri struck the old man. Having developed a taste for destroying weapons, the hammer rampaged excitedly.

-Hehehe! Time to feast!

“You little...!” The grinning Sword Spirit closed in on Jin-Hyeok. Despite his vulgar attitude, the old man was incredibly agile.

However, Jin-Hyeok was not alone.

“I will handle this old man.” The righteous Swordsman and the Sword Emperor Unit’s Captain, Kyle, stepped in to block the Spirit. He seemed enraged to the core. After all, Kyle was the father of a fifteen-year-old daughter. “I will kill you, old man!”

***

The infamous online community analyst Encyclopedia had become deeply engrossed in Jin-Hyeok’s livestreams lately. Jin-Hyeok’s livestreams had a profound depth to them.

‘What enormous secrets must be hidden in this universe-level Scenario?’ Encyclopedia thought. He continued to type at a feverish pace.

[...thus, through the battle with the Great Sword Spirit, Chul-Soo will surely gain even more insight. He will be reborn as a Swordsman of an even higher caliber. We may be witnessing the birth of a new Sword King who will represent this era.]

With bloodshot eyes, Encyclopedia scrutinized the livestreams. He wondered what Chul-Soo would learn from this battle, what would the universe-level Scenario’s design bestow upon Chul-Soo, and whether Chul-Soo would properly receive it and grow further.

‘Huh?’

Thwack!

The Great Sword Spirit shattered far too easily. The combination of Chul-Soo and Kyle proved much stronger than the Great Sword Spirit. Even as he vanished, the old man reached out toward Mole Woman.

?It was nice meeting you, young lady! Hehehe!?

Encyclopedia’s expression darkened.

‘I don’t think this should have happened,’ he thought. ‘Surely, Chul-Soo should have learned something from the Great Sword Spirit! That would have allowed him to grow even further! Did the Sword Spirit really break?’

Miri’s ability to shatter weapons seemed far stronger than expected.

‘Did Chul-Soo gain nothing from the battle?’

Clearing a fragment of the universe-level Scenario without gaining any reward seemed like a painful loss. Encyclopedia felt an ache as if he was the one who had suffered a loss. He sighed, confiding his regret to his only friend.

However, Marshmallow offered a different perspective. “Yo, Encyclopedia. I know this sounds crazy, but what if...”

“Stop beating around the bush.”

“What if Chul-Soo has nothing left to learn from the Great Sword Spirit?”

“What...?”

“That can’t be, right? That must be a mistake.”

***

Jin-Hyeok wore a very satisfied smile.

[(7) The One Who Silenced the Swords’ Song Shall Meet the Great Spirit

You who have silenced the swords’ song through ???, your efforts and achievements shall shine forever. As the swords’ song finally flows to one place and sings a requiem, that place shall be where the Great Spirit sleeps.

(9) Legacy of the Great Sword Spirit

The Great Sword Spirit has finally acknowledged you through ???. He will give you everything he has protected, for you are worthy to grasp the Sword Fragment. Take the Sword Fragment. It will fulfill your needs.]

The universe-level Scenario had now reached milestone (9).

‘I destroyed it only because I was angry,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

In truth, he had destroyed the sword containing the Great Sword Spirit on impulse. Even now, he could not quite understand why he had been so angry. He rationalized it by thinking, ‘Viewers like it when villains are defeated. That’s why I did it,’ but that was not a complete explanation. Regardless, he had reached milestone (9).

Jin-Hyeok picked up the shattered sword with an emotional expression. “At last... I have received the Great Sword Spirit’s acknowledgment.”

-Can we even call this acknowledgment?

-He picked up the Sword Fragment, so it counts as acknowledgment. I don’t care what anyone else says.

-Acknowledgement sure comes easy, huh?

A debate broke out over whether this truly counted as acknowledgment, but the fact remained that Chul-Soo had obtained the Sword Fragment.

“Now the auspicious light does not fade even when I hold it.” Jin-Hyeok excitedly continued, “Then, I will begin the enhancement.”

“You crazy bastard!” Kyle shouted. ‘Who in their right mind would use an artifact obtained through a universe-level Scenario as enhancement material?’

However, there was no way to stop Jin-Hyeok when he had his mind on something. The viewer count once again surpassed two billion, and Jin-Hyeok was extremely satisfied.

***

Jin-Hyeok wiped the sweat from his forehead. “T-The enhancement is a success! Miri has been enhanced!”

Miri had now become very similar to Players. She had once again acquired a Trait.

[Trait - Persistent and Sticky Desire]

[The power to persistently pursue a target and ultimately fulfill one’s desire.

Activation Condition: Physical affection with Master.]

Kyle, who had been extremely tense, panted as he berated Jin-Hyeok. “Hey, Chul-Soo. Are you out of your mind?”

“Huh?”

“What were you thinking? What if the weapon had shattered?”

Jin-Hyeok looked at Kyle as if Kyle were the strange one. “Enhancements usually break things.”

“...?!”

To make matters worse, Mole Woman nodded beside them, leaving Kyle with the odd feeling that he was the strange one.

‘No, I shouldn’t get swept up in this,’ Kyle thought.

“That’s not the point! Do you really not understand the dangers of enhancement?” Kyle asked Jin-Hyeok. He knew very well that Jin-Hyeok had a deep mental bond with Miri. “If a weapon you’re so deeply connected with breaks, do you think your mind will remain intact?”

Jin-Hyeok looked at Kyle with an even stranger expression. “I told you, enhancements usually break things.”

Jin-Hyeok already understood what Kyle was saying. If Miri broke, his mind would break too. If he was lucky, he would be a vegetable; if unlucky, a madman.

Jin-Hyeok calmly asked, “Isn’t it weird to attempt an enhancement without being prepared for that much...?”

Kyle was speechless. ‘That’s for professional enhancers who dedicate their lives to enhancement! No, even they would not go this far!’

While Kyle could not say anything, Jin-Hyeok continued with a satisfied smile, “Before disappearing, the old man did give me the ability I needed.”

[Take the Sword Fragment. It will fulfill your needs.]

Lately, Jin-Hyeok had been thinking that rather than an area-of-effect Skill, he would prefer to have one precise and powerful attack Skill.

“You could say Persistent and Sticky Desire is like a precision-guided missile attack. Miri’s destructive power now tracks a single target and strikes accurately.”

-Hehehe! I can persistently smash skulls!

“Miri seems to love it. The activation condition is also very simple. I hope I can showcase this Trait at an appropriate opportunity in the future.”

Jin-Hyeok then shifted the topic. “But this Dungeon is strange. We defeated the Dungeon boss, but the Dungeon is not cleared. And why was the temple’s boss the Principal of the Magic School? It seems we have some story to unravel.”

Mole Woman quickly chimed in. “We will have to aim for a speed run another time.”

It was not just about who cleared the Dungeon fastest anymore. This Pangea Temple had a secret hidden inside it, which would undoubtedly make the viewers curious.

“Mole Woman, do you have any hunches?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Well, I can’t find any clues right now either.”

In the worst case, they would have to go back to the entrance and start over from the beginning.

“Since we have defeated the Dungeon boss and completed a fragment of the universe-level Scenario, I am going to do a Q&A livestream for a while.”

-Lol, did he just say that he’ll do a Q&A livestream inside a Dungeon?

-And it’s an Unexplored Dungeon at that!

This Unexplored Dungeon remained uncleared even after he had killed the boss monster. No one could predict what variables and dangers were still lurking there.

-We do not consider variables because this is Chul-Soo we’re talking about.

-Ah, is this what they call romance?