I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 119

In the KimKnowItAllTV channel, a new poll was presented to the viewers.

[1. That injury is minor. The difficulty level of the Dungeon is low.]

[2. How can that injury be labeled minor? Kim Chul-Soo is the weird one.]

From a rational standpoint, everyone should have chosen option 2.

[1. That injury is minor. The difficulty level of the Dungeon is low. (72%)]

[2. How can that injury be labeled minor? Kim Chul-Soo is the weird one. (28%)]

However, in an unexpected turn, the majority of the viewers on KimKnowItAllTV chose option 1. At this, Wang Yu-Mi could not suppress a sly smile that graced her lips.

‘Excellent, everything is going according to the plan,’ she thought.

It was a known fact amongst the viewers that such a ghastly injury could not possibly be insignificant. However, regardless of the truth, they had willingly chosen option 1.

‘It’s proof that Chul-Soo’s persona is coming along perfectly’

She firmly believed that the power of the content’s success emanated from meticulously shaping a Streamer’s persona.

‘Look at his extraordinary composure! His sense of morality seems twisted somewhere! His peculiar attitude makes it seem like everything is easy while it’s clearly a difficult situation!’

As Yu-Mi livestreamed Jin-Hyeok’s livestream, she found herself becoming an ardent fan of Cha Jin-Hyeok.

‘A pity... such a pity...’

Her only regret was that Jin-Hyeok had not revealed his true face to the world.

‘If he showed his face, he could elevate his livestream to a whole new level...’

That was the belief she held—when it came to matters related to Jin-Hyeok, at least.

‘Nevertheless, there will come a time when he will reveal himself.’

With anticipation bubbling inside, she decided to infuse the narrative with even more story and character depth, preparing for that fateful moment when Jin-Hyeok would step into the light.

“Wow, that looks really easy. Huh? I think we just got news coming in. Several alliances and parties are reportedly attempting to replicate the Play showcased by Chul-Soo. Oh, they sent me videos to my email. Yes, thank you! Let’s check out the footage,” Yu-Mi said.

An influx of reports poured in from victims (?) who had endeavored to mimic the strategies laid out by Chul-Soo’s livestream. The Desert Tortoise strategy was where it started.

Yu-Mi, who shared the videos, shook her head with an amused smile.

“That’s so strange. They’re unable to accomplish something so easy!”

The chat window was now flooded with strings of LOLs.

-MarryMe: LOL. Wow, they can’t even do that.

-KwakKwakKwak: How are they so dumb? Even I can do that and I am Level 25.

-Mireuk: Their Play seems to be clouded.

From a general standpoint, Chul-Soo’s Play was nearly an art form, killing the Desert Tortoise with an efficiency that bordered on mastery.

Everyone was well aware of this fact. Nevertheless, they all insisted that Chul-Soo’s Play was incredibly easy.

“There are also quite a few videos where Players manage to follow along quite well.”

There were those who could somewhat mimic the strategies up until the Desert Tortoise hunting part. Although not as seamlessly as Chul-Soo, they managed to succeed reasonably well in killing the Desert Tortoises.

“The real problem begins with the Lava Valley.”

Watching Chul-Soo, it seemed remarkably easy to get across the Lava Valley, and the injuries appeared to be nothing significant. However, there were no Players who could replicate it.

-AverageJoe: I am one of the Players who sent the videos. I’m sorry for not being able to do something so easy. T_T

The viewers were telling these Players to reflect on their Play.

[AverageJoe has donated 1,000 Dias.]

[“I will reflect on my actions. T_T. I’m such garbage for not being able to do something so easy.”]

Running across the Lava Valley like Chul-Soo seemed almost impossible. Even if their physical abilities were up to par, many failed mentally. Even those who managed to muster the courage to run could not cross the threshold that was the Lava Fish.

[<Pinned Comment> IceDemonKing: Who the fuck is saying this is easy? How is this easy? You guys are a bunch of insane fucks!]

Among those who couldn’t get with the program, a few were subjected to a barrage of public criticism.

-You don’t have any friends, do you?

-I can’t even do this simple strategy. LOL

-Just need to run as fast as you can while getting bit by a Lava Fish until only the ankle bones are showing, yet you can’t do this?

-Watch how IntenseMan is Playing. It’s damn easy, what’s the fuss?

Engrossed in his Play and unable to check what was going on on the KimKnowItAllTV, Jin-Hyeok fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

‘If I only show the easy parts, the tension decreases,’ he thought.

Around thirty minutes had passed. He had fully healed his ankle by drinking a potion. Feeling that the progress of his livestream was becoming too lax, it seemed like the right time to showcase something new.

“While recovering from the injuries, I took a closer look at the Lava Valley. It seems there might be an Item hidden within the valley that could be acquired.”

Jin-Hyeok shared the information that he had gathered from Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, capturing and sharing the details of the Item.

[Magma Fruit]

“Inside the valley, there exists an Item called the Magma Fruit. However, I’m unsure how to retrieve it.”

Without the help of a Thief or a Navigator, extracting it seemed nearly impossible. As of now, even Jin-Hyeok was unable to ascertain the strategy. It was a testament to the inefficiency of the Solo Mode.

‘There’s a certain romance to it.’

The more unknowns and the more seemingly impossible the tasks were, the more enjoyable the Play became. Despite pondering intensively, he couldn’t figure out how to retrieve it.

“For now, let’s just remember that the Magma Fruit is there, and continue on our journey.”

Jin-Hyeok resumed the move forward.

? ? ?

‘It’s hot.’

As Jin-Hyeok continued walking through the Lava Valley Field toward the Burning Fortress, he arrived at a Field right before the fortress, known as the Sun-Scorched Wilderness.

“The overall landscape is similar to the Barren Plains we passed earlier, but it’s even more parched and desiccated. There were cacti and monsters in the Barren Plains, but nothing seems to be visible here.”

All Jin-Hyeok could see was barren land and sand. Apart from the blistering sun, nothing else was in sight.

Far away, the Burning Fortress, looking like a mirage, served as a landmark, blazing fiercely.

‘A mid-boss monster appears here.’

No particular monsters appeared in this area. However, a Level-90-something mid-boss monster called the ‘Madman of the Wilderness’ did make an appearance here.

‘His level isn’t that high, but...’

Despite that, Jin-Hyeok had died to that monster more than five times in his past life. The mid-boss monster was adept at utilizing this terrain, a monster perfectly optimized for this Field. Simplifying having a higher Level was not enough to overpower him.

“I have seen a few videos of this monster, the Madman of the Wilderness, appearing in this area.”

He shared a few prepared photos with the viewers. The photos captured the appearance of the Madman of the Wilderness.

“He has a face resembling a crazed old man, and a form similar to that of a spider.”

The Madman of the Wilderness resembled what one might imagine a giant human would look like if they crawled around like a spider. He had an old man’s face with unkempt, dirt-streaked white hair, and freakishly long arms. Those arms resembled both the limb of a person with necrotic flesh, or of rotten wood.

“He is a monster with eight limbs, with the front two being grotesquely long and monstrous. Can we really fight and defeat such a monster? I’m a bit terrified.”

Having adequately portrayed the diligent instructor role till now, it was time to revert to Jin-Hyeok’s original style and show his IntenseMan side.

‘The tension is gradually building up.’

Jin-Hyeok became curious about the kind of challenge the Madman of the Wilderness, whom he was about to face directly now, would present.

‘Here he comes.’

Using his grotesque arms, the monster could freely move beneath the sands of this wilderness. It had the knack of emerging unexpectedly, attacking Players by snapping at their heads.

‘I should refrain from using Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance for now.’

Utilizing it would allow him to pinpoint the monster’s position too accurately. Being able to move freely while concealed in the sand was the monster’s special ability.

‘This way, not only does the tension remain, but I can also compare well with my past self.’

To the viewers, it would look like a situation too urgent to properly use Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

As expected, a brief message arrived from Yu-Mi.

[You have received a message from KingGodGeneral Yumi.]

[“You didn’t use Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance!”]

Clearly, Jin-Hyeok must have looked quite frantic. Considering Yu-Mi, who tried to minimize direct intervention during livestreams, made the effort to send this message, it had to have been quite noticeable.

‘He’s underneath my feet.’

Jin-Hyeok narrowly avoided an attack from the Madman of the Wilderness, erupting from below with a twirl. The monster soared into the air. An old man’s face was visible. Drool dripped down steadily from his mouth. He spat something from his mouth. It was a string of green, sticky spider webs.

“Eek.”

Jin-Hyeok retreated a few steps backward. The green spiderweb touched the spot where he had just been, and with a sizzle, the sand melted away.

‘Oh, I managed to avoid his attack even without Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.’

This attack was what had brought about Jin-Hyeok’s first death here in the past life. Now, he managed to dodge it purely with his physical ability and instinct. It was a considerably good outcome, but it was not enough to claim that he had become stronger than his past self simply based on this.

‘I knew what kind of attack was coming at me.’

Blocking an attack one was aware of and blocking an unknown attack were two different things.

‘Should I swing my sword a bit, as if I’m panicking?’

Jin-Hyeok intentionally didn’t say anything out loud. To the viewers, it would have looked like he was so pressed that he didn’t even have the leisure to use the Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance. Without a word, he charged directly toward the Madman of the Wilderness and swung his sword. The monster blocked his blade by crossing its elongated forelimbs in an X shape.

Thud!

A dull sound echoed, resembling the noise of chopping wood. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet

‘That monster hardly took any damage.’

The Madman of the Wilderness hid beneath the sands once more. Seeing that opportunity, Jin-Hyeok spoke.

“The defense capability of monsters with unusually long front limbs is quite substantial. I think to land effective hits, I have to attack while avoiding those two limbs.”

Now regaining some composure (?), Jin-Hyeok used Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

? ? ?

Thanks to Multiple Lives, Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance was renamed to Broadcaster’s Truesight.

“The situation seemed too urgent to even use Broadcaster’s Truesight,” Yu-Mi said.

The viewers also poured out various reactions. Using the Feedback Skill, Yu-Mi selected a few reactions and sent them as messages to Jin-Hyeok. This was the Streamer’s feedback, discreetly conveyed to Jin-Hyeok without being displayed on his livestream.

-Mireuk: Judging by my perspective, Kim Chul-Soo seems very, very intense.

-TaylorSwag: Never seen such an intense battle. How about that tension? Amazingggg

Feedback Summary: People love the tense portrayal. They are enthralled by the breathtaking battle scenes.

Of course, the feedback was filtered.

-He intentionally didn’t use Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, right?

-It’s so obvious that he’s just pretending. LOL

-Another day of being the only intense person in his intense world. HAHA.

-This is kind of like being a campus couple, where everyone knows you’re dating, but you don’t know that everyone knows.

Various other reactions were not included in the feedback.

-The IntenseMan who believes he is genuinely intense, but in reality he’s pretty easy to read.

Whether it was a concept or not, it didn’t matter. What mattered to Yu-Mi was Chul-Soo’s image and character development, which had already achieved a certain level of success.

Cha Jin-Hyeok was very pleased with Yu-Mi’s feedback. He clenched the hilt of the Greatsword of La’kan tightly in his hand. Judging by Yu-Mi’s feedback, it seemed he had succeeded in giving the viewers a sense of tension.

‘Tension is essential in content.’

Once again, the Madman of the Wilderness sprang up from the sand.

‘Should I stab him?’

Jin-Hyeok was sure that he could stab the monster in the face while he was in mid-air. However, the IntenseMan portrayal was currently working well.

‘It’s hard to verify my growth against this monster.’

Comparing his past self with his present self seemed difficult with just a mid-boss monster. Strangely, the Madman of the Wilderness felt too easy.

‘If it’s hard to verify through attacking, then...’

Communication in a battle wasn’t limited to attacks. Getting hit was also a part of the communication.

“Haah!”

Jin-Hyeok swung his sword toward the monster that leaped into the air. He aimed for the monster’s forehead, but the monster evaded the sword with grotesque movements. Then the monster snapped his own neck backward, and lunged himself forward like a stretched rubber band that was released to bite down on Jin-Hyeok.

Chomp!

The Madman bit down hard on Jin-Hyeok’s head. Jin-Hyeok’s blood was dripping down along with the monster's drool flowing from the monster’s mouth. Jin-Hyeok was quite pleased with the result.

‘His bite attack seems much softer than before.’

Incidentally, Jin-Hyeok did not even use the Berklev Necklace. When facing a mediocre monster, the Item could actually be disadvantageous for him, since the Item could turn potentially fatal attacks into instant death attacks.

Chomp! Chomp!

The Madman of the Wilderness was biting Jin-Hyeok’s head with strong jaw strength, meanwhile dragging Jin-Hyeok down with his freakishly long and strange arms, as if trying to separate Jin-Hyeok’s head from Jin-Hyeok’s body.

‘Hehehehe.’

Jin-Hyeok felt that he had grown once more. Just as expected, having a benchmark allowed him to feel the growth more tangibly.

‘Should I let myself die at this point? It seems like the Eltube views would skyrocket if I do that.’

Jin-Hyeok pondered for a moment. If Jin-Hyeok kept this going, it was clear he would die, either from his head being crushed or his body being torn apart.

‘Dying doesn’t seem like a bad idea right now.’

But then Jin-Hyeok saw the monster’s tongue.

‘The tongue. That’s his weakness.’

To be more precise, the black stones dangling at the tip of the tongue were this monster’s weak point. In any case, if Jin-Hyeok were to rip out the tongue completely, the monster would die instantly. In other words, saying that the tongue was the monster’s weakness wasn’t incorrect.

Swallowed by the monster’s maw, Jin-Hyeok pondered rather calmly.

‘Should I die here or should I kill the monster? What would make a better scene for my livestream? Hm... I think I should die to heighten the tension.’

While Streamer Jin-Hyeok was thinking so, a grotesque voice resounded.

“Weak... Pathetic... Bastard...”

Jin-Hyeok extended his hand above his head.

“I... Will... Eat... You...”

Jin-Hyeok stretched his hand toward the monster’s tongue, which was surprisingly soft for its size, and grabbed it fiercely.

Thud!

Jin-Hyeok yanked out the tongue, roots and all. For a moment, he forgot that he was a Streamer. His instincts took over his mind.

“You think I’m weak?” he asked.

‘How dare you bite me? You want to eat me?’

Crunch.

Jin-Hyeok bit down hard, shattering the black stones at the tip of the monster’s tongue

‘How dare you.’

[You have defeated the 「Madman of the Wilderness」.]

Only then did Jin-Hyeok regain his composure.

‘...Huh? This isn’t supposed to happen...’

[You are the first to have successfully soloed the 「Madman of the Wilderness」]

[The conditions for activating the New World Scenario 「Walking Alone in a New Place」 have been met.]

It was the first time he heard this notification. Even Jin-Hyeok, who had ventured into this Dungeon hundreds of times before in his previous life, had not heard of such a notification before.