I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 476

Miri found Elines’s and the Guardian Tree’s actions nothing but laughable.

-Hmph, I’m the GOAT! They’re just simps!

Cha Jin-Hyeok let out a small sigh. He had no idea where Miri had learned such a language. It hadn’t been long since Miri had gained a will, yet her ability to pick up strange habits and slang was remarkably fast.

-I’m with Master all the time.

‘Hmph! You spend most of your time in his inventory!’ Elines said telepathically. She did not agree with Miri.

‘Stop showing off, you fat hammer!’ the Guardian Tree thought the same.

At least at this moment, Elines and the Guardian Tree were comrades.

-Has any one of you here ever been seduced by Master?

‘...’

‘...’

-I have.

Chul-Soo had even practiced his seduction technique on Miri.

-And have any of you ever had direct physical contact with Master like I always do?

‘Master pats my head occasionally,’ Elines responded timidly.

-Only pat? Master holds me tightly all the time.

‘...’

-I win. Admit it.

The Guardian Tree trembled violently. The realization that she could never beat Miri in terms of physical contact filled her with a deep sense of humiliation.

“Leafy, are you feeling uncomfortable?” Jin-Hyeok’s mother concernedly asked.

“No, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Leafy smiled brightly. It was a graceful and pure smile.

‘Hah, you can’t even talk to Chul-Soo’s mother,’ Leafy said telepathically.

This time, Miri quivered.

Regardless, the dinner was quite lively.

As the meal neared its end, the topic of the Final Abyss came up. Jin-Hyeok put down his chopsticks and shrugged. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“By the way, I have someone to introduce to you all,” he said.

When everyone focused on Jin-Hyeok, they realized Kim Min-Ji was already standing next to him.

“Wait, Min-Ji’s here?” Cha Jin-Sol was the first to react.

“Unnie... it’s been a while.” Min-Ji’s face reddened slightly. The reason for her embarrassment before them wasn’t that she had nearly brought about the end of the world. She was embarrassed because she felt guilty for breaking the cardinal rule of Chul-Soo Land. “I want to apologize first.”

“Huh? For what?” Jin-Sol asked.

“When I became the Final Abyss, I monopolized Chul-Soo.”

Jin-Sol was a bit confused. She didn’t know if Min-Ji was apologizing for turning into the Final Abyss or for monopolizing her brother.

“I even had... very intimate contact with Chul-Soo,” Min-Ji continued.

“...”

“We became one.”

Jin-Hyeok’s father cleared his throat with a loud cough. Though he was happy to see his son after a long time, his gaze carried an unmistakable hint of reproach. After all, no matter how old the Mad God of Favoritism was, she looked like a high school student on the outside.

“We became one and drifted through the universe, rolling around over and over. I knew we had to stop, but it was too overwhelming, too exciting to stop. In the end, we went all the way, and Chul-Soo warmly embraced me. I don’t think I will ever forget that smile or the warmth I felt then,” Min-Ji said.

All of it was true. Jin-Hyeok had done everything he could to prevent the expansion of her universe. During that process, the speed of Absolute Barrier’s expansion and Min-Ji’s growth had fluctuated wildly.

“Uh..., I think the message is coming across a bit strange.” Jin-Hyeok stepped in to clarify.

Though the details were jumbled, Jin-Hyeok empathized with Min-Ji’s emotions. She had almost become the Final Abyss, a common enemy to Chul-Soo Landers and all humanity.

“I’m truly sorry. I apologize to everyone.” Min-Ji bowed.

The first ones to respond were the Seo Sisters. They had been hiding on the ceiling, observing the situation, but now they revealed themselves.

“I actually like it.”

“Me too.”

No one was particularly surprised by their sudden appearance. Even Jin-Hyeok’s parents were used to it, as the twins would frequently show up this way while they were living in the tent.

“So, Chul-Soo Land No.1 broke the rule, huh?” Seo Ji-Soo spoke up.

“I did,” Min-Ji replied.

“Because of that damn cardinal rule, I haven’t been able to join in. This is perfect.” A strange desire flickered in Ji-Soo’s eyes.

“Perfect,” Seo Ji-Ah also responded.

“Don’t get too cocky just because you got ahead, No.1! We will see who comes out on top in the end.” Ji-Soo pointed at Min-Ji as if she were declaring war.

“Don’t get cocky!” Ji-Ah copied her sister.

Min-Ji flinched. She had expected them to be angry at her for breaking the rule, but the atmosphere was completely different. Even Elines seemed to agree.

“I never intended to follow Chul-Soo Land’s rule in the first place, my dear husband,” Elines said.

“I’m not part of the Chul-Soo Land, so that rule doesn’t apply to me!” The Guardian Tree, in human form, feigned modesty. However, in her mind, she was laughing. ‘Hahaha! Now I can finally flaunt my charms openly!’

Miri licked her lips—though she had neither lips nor a tongue, the image was clear in Jin-Hyeok’s mind—and smiled slyly.

-It seems I will be taking Master for myself!

“Looks like everyone has forgiven you, Min-Ji.” Jin-Hyeok smiled softly.

Min-Ji felt embarrassed and wanted to hide behind a pillar, but she couldn’t. She knew the real battle was just about to begin. Now, she had to be brave.

***

A party was held to celebrate Jin-Hyeok’s return. The gathering included the livestream team made up of Wang Yu-Mi, Joseph, Kang Eun-Woo, and Kang Chul, along with key figures of the K-Force, such as Mok Jae-Hyeon, Kim Jeong-Hyeon, the Seo Sisters, and Park Terse.

Song Ha-Young and Kwak Do-Hyeong, the leaders of the Black and Black Alliance, were also there.

From BongMiNaTV, Bong King and Kang Mi-Na joined in. Additionally, notable Chul-Soo Landers like Muenne and Marshmallow were present.

Even former heads of the Seven Great Families of Arvis, or their equivalents, were in attendance, including Gridel, the Sage of the Sword, and Kyle, the Sword Emperor.

Garcia, the second-in-command of the Feyler Family; Kim Ysael, the heir of the former Victor Family; Katrina, the power behind the Carvington Family; Fyurel, once a Mad Sorceress, now Eun-Woo’s lover; and many others were present.

It was a gathering of the giants who controlled the universe. Among them were a few less famous figures.

Egan Paul, the leader of the Avengers Army, had a reputation that matched BongMiNaTV on Earth, but on a universe level, Egan wasn’t quite significant enough to stand out. Regardless, since he was an Eltuber active on Earth, both Jin-Hyeok and Yu-Mi had made an exception to invite him.

There was one other former rival of Chul-Soo who was supposed to be there: Lee Hyeon-Seo, the Anus Destroyer.

‘When is Hyeon-Seo coming?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Formerly known as Lee Hyeon-Seong, the Anus Destroyer, had received the Intimate Miracle from Hassan, transforming into a female Swordsman and changing her name to Hyeon-Seo. Supposedly, she was inspired by the great Swordsman Ysael.

Jin-Hyeok was eager to meet Hyeon-Seo. According to Yu-Mi, Hyeon-Seo was no longer the weak Anus Destroyer. While Jin-Hyeok was busy saving the world, Hyeon-Seo had sharpened her seduction techniques to the point where she had become a fearsomely strong Swordsman of allure.

These days, people called her the Beauty Slayer instead of Anus Destroyer. Since the seduction technique was the most dangerous tactic in the world, her earning the name Beauty Slayer meant that she had grown even stronger.

‘I will see just how powerful your seduction technique is,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

However, as people said, high expectations often led to greater disappointment.

“I’m disappointed in you, weak Anus Destroyer,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...”

“You call yourself the Beauty Slayer with skills like that? You should be ashamed.”

The moment Hyeon-Seo met Jin-Hyeok, she tried using her seductive gaze, only to be disappointed in herself. Her allure had no effect. Still, she was much different from before.

“Yeah, you’re right. I am weak,” Hyeon-Seo said. She was far more humble now than she was in the past, when she would boast about being the number one Swordsman. “I thought I could seduce you. I was arrogant.”

Hyeon-Seo bit her crimson lips lightly, feeling defeated.

“Well, it wasn’t all bad. I think you’re far more skilled than a Succubus, at least,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Really...?”

Hearing the words “wasn’t all bad” from Chul-Soo was a glimmer of hope for Hyeon-Seo.

“You’re still far behind Min-Ji, though,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Is Min-Ji that skilled in seduction?”

“Of course. Her seduction technique is on a universal level.”

Hyeon-Seo engraved a phrase onto her sword.

[Universe-Level Seduction]

Hyeon-Seo, the Beauty Slayer, had found a new goal.

***

Jin-Hyeok informed the people at his party to keep his return a secret for now. He, too, had many concerns. After the party ended, he sat down for a one-on-one consultation with Marshmallow.

“Are you not going to announce your return?” Marshmallow asked.

“I’m still thinking about it.”

“A lot of viewers across the universe are waiting for you.”

“I’m not confident I can make better content than the Final Abyss video.”

For Eltuber Chul-Soo, that was a terrifying thought—the fear of not being able to produce content better than what he had created before.

Marshmallow, who understood that fear well, nodded quietly.

“And, right now, I’m too strong,” Jin-Hyeok added.

No matter what content he created, there was no way to add any real tension to it. With his current level of power, every scenario would have only one outcome. No matter what happened or what conflicts arose, he could resolve everything with brute force.

“So, Marshmallow, I’m thinking of a temporary retirement. I will announce my return and release my final video on your channel.”

“What...?” Marshmallow was startled.

Jin-Hyeok had decided to release the Final Abyss video through Marshmallow.

“We can say that you forced your way into the abyss to film me,” Jin-Hyeok suggested.

“You want me to lie?”

“Well, it’s not exactly lying. We will go into the Final Abyss again to shoot.”

Whenever Min-Ji would become the universe, that universe would become the Final Abyss.

“And then I will make a grand exit. How about filming me walking away into the cosmos, showing my back?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“It would sure look cool. But why are you choosing to do this?”

“I told you. I can’t create quality content anymore. I’ve become too strong for this universe.” However, it wasn’t a complete retirement. “You’re the first one that I’m showing this to, Marshmallow.”

[(29) You have finally obtained the true Reflective Mirror. At last, you have driven out the power of darkness and sown the seeds of true peace. I pay homage to your breathless and desperate journey. Even if those arduous hardships and adversities have torn your body and soul to shreds, you will not stop. Your great footsteps are not yet finished. Soon, the final abyss will open. Only you can fill this abyss, and your name will be praised for eternity.]

“The next Stage has opened,” Jin-Hyeok said.

[(30) Conqueror of the Abyss, a new universe will unfold before you. The Quill of Records will sing of your achievement.]

“It seems surprisingly ordinary,” Marshmallow said.

“The explanation might sound like that, but the important thing is in the Quill of Records.”

“The Quill of Records?”

“Yeah. The Quill of Records is the key to activating the Archive.”

Marshmallow sensed that this Archive was no ordinary thing. It was the keyword that had made Jin-Hyeok, who most longed to return to Streaming, decide to retire temporarily.

“What’s the Archive?” Marshmallow asked.