I Gave Up Being Stronger

While some viewers enjoyed the Q&A livestream, many were quite concerned for Cha Jin-Hyeok’s safety.

-Isn’t doing a Q&A livestream inside a Dungeon too dangerous?

-Mr. Chul-Soo, please don’t push yourself too hard!

As Wang Yu-Mi relayed the viewers’ sentiments to him, Jin-Hyeok felt warmth spread through his chest.

‘I’m just doing my job as intensely as I can,’ he thought.

He was an Eltuber; Q&A livestreaming was a normal thing for him, no different than an office worker going to their workplace or a chef cooking food for their customers. Yet, so many people were worried about him. It was a strange, but pleasant feeling. However, regardless of that, he had to focus on doing his job well.

[What do you think of Mole Woman, not as a Navigator, but as a woman?]

‘As a woman? Why would I need to think about that?’ Though Jin-Hyeok found the question difficult to comprehend, he answered it sincerely for the sake of his viewers. “I think her ability to use her seduction technique is better than expected. I do wonder why she does not hone that Skill more, though.”

Jin-Hyeok sincerely thought that Mole Woman did not have much aversion to using her feminine wiles, and it appeared to suit her well.

[Are you thinking of getting married?]

“That depends on how well my marriage-related content performs in terms of views,” Jin-Hyeok replied.

Every era had its trends. If content about marriage became popular, he would be more than willing to get married.

[If you were to get married, when do you plan to do so?]

“When marriage content becomes trendy, I suppose.”

Jin-Hyeok suddenly tilted his head, wondering if other people thought of marriage in the same way.

‘Have I become a bit strange somewhere along the line?’

However, he did not think it was too odd. Since he had little interaction with other Eltubers, he simply assumed that this was probably how all Eltubers thought.

Suddenly, Jin-Hyeok received a direct message.

[I have discovered the secret of the Pangea Temple.]

‘Kim Min-Ji?’ Jin-Hyeok thought. Besides Yu-Mi, only the genius hacker Min-Ji could send him direct messages. Normally, he would have scolded her for not going through Yu-Mi, but today was different.

[Actually, I wasn’t the one who figured it out. It was the history genius Yolin!]

“I have received a message saying that the history genius Yolin has uncovered new information,” Jin-Hyeok announced to his viewers. According to Yolin’s findings, this place had originally been a magic school of the ancient Mazique Empire. “Before the reign of the Demon King Garbinu, the three empires—Mazique, Helen, and Swedeen—fought bloody wars against each other. It was quite different from how things are now.”

During that time, the Holy Empire of Helen had attacked the Mazique empire, destroying their magic school and building a temple on top of it. For Helen, it was a glorious victory. For Mazique, it was a humiliating defeat.

[Then, wouldn’t the one who destroyed the magic school and built the temple be the real dungeon boss?]

Considering everything that had happened in the Dungeon, it would be more likely if the Dungeon was named as a magic school. Calling it a temple seemed odd.

‘She has a point!’ Jin-Hyeok’s heart raced.

This revelation excited him far more than questions about Mole Woman’s attractiveness or his marriage plans. Masking his excitement, he continued with a serious expression, “It seems that what we have cleared so far is just the surface.”

He began searching for a way to unlock the true Pangea Temple.

***

The universe-level Scenario was ultimately related to the Great Demon King Garbinu and the seven heroes who followed him.

‘I suspect this one will be no different.’ Since it involved both a magic school and a temple, Jin-Hyeok thought, ‘If it’s related to the temple, it might involve the Feyler Family. If it’s about magic, it could be connected to the Heina Family.’

Jin-Hyeok had no particular connection with the Feyler Family, but he had quite a close relationship with the Heina Family.

‘Wait, are we really close?’ he thought. Fyurel, the Mad Sorceress and the head of the Heina Family, was in a romantic relationship with Kang Eun-Woo. Jin-Hyeok had introduced them, so he considered himself to be on good terms with Fyurel. ‘If I talk to Eun-Woo, she might come here.’

Of course, he wasn’t sure if someone of the Mad Sorceress’s stature would deign to visit this barren Server—though by Arvis ranker standards, all Servers were barren—just because Eun-Woo asked.

‘Still, it’s worth a try.’

After receiving the request through Yu-Mi, Eun-Woo carefully broached the subject. “Um… Fyurel…”

Fyurel lifted her head, looking at Eun-Woo with the most vibrant eyes in the world. “What is it, my dear?”

“I have a favor to ask you…”

Eun-Woo was Fyurel’s lover and someone who respected her social status and honor. Asking one of Arvis’s top rankers to visit a Dungeon in a barren Server could be considered rude. It was unclear if this visit would even yield anything, and the time of such a high-ranking Player was truly as precious as gold. As Fyurel’s lover, Eun-Woo was hesitant to waste that valuable time.

“Why are you hesitating so much?” Fyurel asked.

“It might be an impolite request, but… could you go to the Pangea Temple?”

Fyurel slowly got up from her seat. She seemed slightly annoyed. Eun-Woo was prepared to endure even harsh words from her. The Mad Sorceress was often described as a talented but unstable and crazy Player by others. Eun-Woo knew her temperament very well.

“If it is a request from my brother-in-law, I will go right away,” Fyurel said.

***

Since they had already received a terrible beating once, the Assassins of the Cyril Alliance remained on high alert.

‘Chul-Soo must have left these monsters behind because of us.’

Chul-Soo was far more meticulous than they had expected. He was thoroughly prepared for ambushes. That was why he had left the Corrupted Priests and the Tainted Holy Maidens (though they were not sure how) and fled to the boss room. Now, even the Dungeon Destroyer had joined them.

“At the crucial moment, I will collapse the Dungeon, " the Dungeon Destroyer declared.

The Cyril Assassins nodded.

“So, Chul-Soo’s party will escape then, and we should take that opportunity to ambush them, right?”

“What are you talking about? No one can survive a collapsing Dungeon. Not even the Sword Emperor Tournament champion.” The man with spiky ash-gray hair, Dungeon Destroyer Dist, was extremely confident. “Just don’t interfere and admire my skills. That’s your job.”

“...”

“And give me some applause too.”

The Cyril Alliance Assassins wanted to behead this Dungeon Destroyer right then and there, but they had to endure for the greater cause.

“You are quite full of yourself. We have faced Chul-Soo too. He was more cunning than we thought. He has surely made many preparations.”

“Even so, he can’t prepare for the collapse. This isn’t like a small accident. This is a catastrophe.”

Dist had never failed even once before. Nevertheless, numerous successes could often breed complacency. He tended to underestimate Chul-Soo, which made the Assassins frown.

“Hey, Dungeon Destroyer, don’t you realize anything from seeing all these monsters that he left alive on purpose? Chul-Soo must…”

At that moment, an Assassin covered Dist’s mouth and hid in the shadows. Startled, Dist tried to elbow the Assassin in the solar plexus, but his physical abilities were no match for the Assassin’s.

‘These cowards!’ Dist thought. ‘Do they want to take me out because they are afraid of my prowess? How typical of these sneaky Assassins.’

However, the Cyril Assassins had not betrayed Dist. One of them gestured ‘Shh!’ and retreated deeper into the shadows.

“Stay still, Dungeon Destroyer. It seems Chul-Soo’s sneaky tactics have begun,”one Assassin whispered. No one knew Assassins better than other Assassins. Hiring Assassins to counter other Assassins was common sense. “Chul-Soo has hired an Assassin. A terrifying one at that.”

***

Samuel Maier, the head of the Maier Family, was shocked.

‘He has stationed Assassins here?’

No one knew Assassins better than other Assassins. Samuel realized Chul-Soo was far more meticulous than he had expected.

‘About three of them, I’d say.’ Being an exceptional Assassin himself, Samuel immediately gauged his opponents’ abilities. They were high-ranking Assassins. ‘Each one is a ranker level. Chul-Soo must have poured an enormous amount of money into this.’

However, it did not matter to him. Samuel was the head of the Maier Family. If his opponents had excellent assassination skills, he would simply overwhelm them with even better skills.

‘It’s a good thing I came instead of Shevian.’

While Shevian had great potential, he was too hot-blooded and inexperienced. He lacked in many areas when it came to fighting skilled Assassins.

‘I will show them the pinnacle of assassination.’

As he infused himself with mana, his legs became lighter, and his form began to blend with the surrounding objects.

***

Battles between Assassins were never flashy. To the untrained eye, nothing would be visible. They would hear only occasional whispers of wind.

The Assassins recognized each other’s skills.

‘One mistake will determine victory or defeat,’ one of the Cyril Assassins thought. That one mistake would separate life from death. A split second would decide their fate. ‘We need to be very careful.’

They moved minimally, securing their safety while maneuvering stealthily. Though their battle was not long, it consumed an immense amount of mental energy.

‘His breathing is becoming ragged.’

Both the Cyril Assassins and their opponent knew each other too well. In a state of extreme tension, the opponent’s breathing became labored. As the tension persisted, his stamina began to deplete. This was exactly what the Cyril Alliance Assassins were aiming for.

‘It seems his individual skills are superior.’

‘But time is on our side.’

When everyone's stamina dropped, the side with greater numbers would usually win. As one’s stamina depleted, gaps would appear in one’s defense, and with more people, the chances to exploit those gaps would increase dramatically.

Suddenly, the Cyril Assassins heard someone chanting a magic incantation.

“Burn to a crisp.”

Though the incantation was somewhat rude, its power was beyond imagination. It was as if a massive forest fire had engulfed the entire Dungeon. The flames conjured by the Mad Sorceress Fyurel began to swallow the Assassins like the sun itself.

‘Wow, I’m lucky,’ Fyurel thought as she grinned. She was surprised that these Assassins were unable to conceal their presence. It was very rare for skilled individuals like them to expose their positions like that. Though she did not fully understand why this was happening, they seemed extremely exhausted, and Fyurel did not miss this opportunity.

“So, these are the ones targeting my brother-in-law.”

She was angry that these Assassins were targeting the man who had brought her and her beloved together. So, she decided to kill them all.