I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 50

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Cha Jin-Hyeok’s Level had increased twice at once!

[You have reached Level 52.]

No special items were dropped. Instead, other System notifications popped up.

[You have destroyed the first Fragment of the Yeosu Scenario.]

[You have acquired the Major Achievement, 「Early Resolution of the Flying Toad」.]

However, it was somewhat strange in various ways.

‘When I defeated this guy in the past, I did not receive this Major Achievement.’

At that time, the term, Yeosu Scenario, did not appear. And the notification said that he destroyed the first Fragment and not completed it.’

‘That doesn’t sound so good.’

Furthermore, there was another strange thing. The Major Achievement, Early Resolution of the Flying Toad, did not have an underline.

‘It needs to have an underline if I want to see the detailed information.’

This was the first time it had happened.

‘Is this an error?’

During the Open Beta Server period, various errors would occur frequently, so he thought this might be one of them.

‘Should I call one of the GMs?’

There were hardly any people in Yeosu right now. So, the GMs in the area would relatively have a lot of free time. Jin-Hyeok thought they would respond quickly to a GM Call.

As he tried to use a GM Call to report the error on the Achievement, a magic circle appeared in front of him. A man with shiny short hair popped out of the magic circle. He had considerable muscles, and Jin-Hyeok knew him very well.

‘Serchan?’

Serchan was the person who would become the GM No.1 in Gangnam-gu in the future. He was a passionate individual who gave his all to the role of a GM.

“Who is this crazy bastard that came all the way to Yeosu?” Serchan said.

“Crazy bastard? That’s pretty rude, considering we’ve just met.”

Before regression, these two used to get along pretty well. Jin-Hyeok felt strange that he suddenly called him a crazy bastard.

“Hey, you! How the hell did you kill the Flying Toad?”

“I’ve caught it all on my livestream. Didn’t you see it? Or are you too stupid to look it up?”

“That’s a pretty rude thing to say, don’t you think?”

“I could say the same thing.”

“Why you little…”

Serchan raised his fist as if he was about to hit Jin-Hyeok, but he didn’t flinch. Serchan might look intimidating, but in reality, he was a pacifist and an Administrator. He was not good at fighting.

“Wait a minute. You are Kim Chul-Soo, the SSP Streamer, right?”

Serchan indeed took his job seriously. Jin-Hyeok was not even a very famous Streamer, but it seemed like Serchan knew quite a bit about him. He checked how Jin-Hyeok defeated the Flying Toad through Eltube.

“Holy shit.”

Jin-Hyeok could not count how many times Serchan swore in a short span of time.

“You actually defeated it in a normal way,” Serchan said.

“Are there abnormal ways to hunt?”

“It’s just a saying. Shut up, you bastard.”

“If you keep calling me a bastard, this bastard is going to get angry.”

Jin-Hyeok knew deep down that he was fundamentally a crazy person. He felt tremendous excitement while fighting the Flying Toad. That was why he was suppressing his instincts with reason.

He had to convince himself that he was not a crazy person and that he was just a typical human being who was going through the process of socialization.

Jin-Hyeok made that commitment and put in the effort, so it bothered him when he was constantly called a crazy bastard.

“Sigh. Did you acquire a Major Achievement?”

“I was trying to use the GM Call precisely because of that. Why isn’t there detailed information on it?”

Suddenly, Jin-Hyeok heard a voice in his head. It was the Secret Telepathy System, only for the Administrators.

[The Administrator-only 「Secret Telepathy System」 has been activated.]

[You can now communicate via telepathy.]

‘Hey, turn off the livestream for a moment,’ Serchan said telepathically.

‘Why?’

‘I need to tell you something important. I will provide appropriate compensation for ending the livestream early, so just turn it off for now.’

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

GM Serchan, who managed Yeosu, was the type of Administrator who enjoyed working overtime. He felt great satisfaction with the Yeosu Scenario he was in charge of.

Placed at the forefront of the Scenario was the Flying Toad.

‘The Flying Toad should be enough.’

Although the monster had a clear weakness, which was the ocean, Serchan believed it was the best choice. Due to the nature of the Earth Server, a place where scientific knowledge had advanced significantly, the monster needed a powerful barrier that could withstand any attacks from human technology. The monster also had to be large to leave a strong impression on people’s memories, and it needed to enjoy eating human flesh, aiming to evoke great anger and fear in Earth Players at the same time.

‘In the end, this monster will become the focal point that gathers the power of Players in Jeollanam-do.’[ref -do, like Jeollanam-do, refers to provinces in Korea. And Yeosu is in Jeollanam-do.[/ref]

Serchan, who was devising the Scenario, let out a satisfied laugh.

‘I’m sure there is no way this monster will be defeated.’

That could not happen. He set the difficulty Level by referring to the Ranking Board. Currently, the highest-Level Players in each class were in their late 40s.

Even if he expanded the scope globally, there were very few Players who had reached Level 50. Even if all those top-ranked Players gathered, they could not be a match for the Flying Toad.

‘I need you to keep the Players active for at least a month, Flying Toad.’

There was no expectation that the Flying Toad would be hunted down. Based on the assumption that the monster would survive and roam Yeosu for at least a month, the next Scenarios were designed.

‘After about a month, heroes who saved humanity from the monster that plunged Yeosu into despair will appear.’

The Earth Server Players were mostly low-Leveled. In the future, as the interaction between Servers became more active and the System difficulty increased, humanity would fall into despair. Hope was needed for the people of Earth.

‘I already got approved by the higher-ups as well.’’

The Yeosu Scenario would ultimately ignite the spark of hope in Korea.

The birth of great heroes.

That was the ultimate goal of the Yeosu Scenario and the project that Serchan was devoted to. The Scenario was nearing its final stages, and Serchan was sitting in the Administrator’s room, conducting the final check of the Yeosu Scenario.

Beep- Beep-

A loud warning sound rang out.

‘What’s going on?’

He hurriedly moved the screen to monitor Yeosu.

‘Huh?’

To his surprise, a Player had defeated the Flying Toad. He slammed the desk and stood up.

“God fucking damn it!”

Since being selected as a launching member of the Earth Server, Serchan had been preparing for this project for three years. If he succeeded in this project, he could climb up to the position of a high-Level Administrator.

In the System, a high-Level Administrator was usually the GM of a densely populated metropolis. Serchan’s target was the Gangnam-gu GM position. GM Omur, the current GM No.1 for Gangnam-gu, would retire in a little while, and then there would be an opening for that position.

This was his chance.

“Why the hell did the Flying Toad die?!”

He had created an unkillable monster, but it ended up being killed. The project he had been working on for three years, which started with the premise of the Flying Toad surviving and ravaging Yeosu for at least a month, was now destroyed. Now that the Flying Toad had been killed, it essentially meant that Serchan had wasted his last three years.

[You have acquired the Major Achievement, 「Early Resolution of the Flying Toad」.]

The Yeosu Scenario was not a naturally generated Scenario by the System. The GMs assigned to the Scenario had to create coherence and storylines one by one.

Although it was very unlikely, Serchan had to create every possibility for the Scenario, even in the case that the Flying Toad was quickly hunted down. He needed to do this so that the Scenario could pass the evaluation by the higher-ups.

That was why the Major Achievement, Early Resolution of the Flying Toad was created.

From Serchan’s perspective, this was three years ago, and he barely remembered it.

However, he only included the Achievement for evaluation purposes, without any predetermined details. That was the reason why Serchan urgently sought out Cha Jin-Hyeok.

‘So, what you’re saying is that this is a fake Scenario?’ Jin-Hyeok asked telepathically.

‘You bastard! You’re calling it a fake? I’ve worked my ass off for three years to create it!’

Jin-Hyeok rubbed his chin. After hearing the explanation, he somewhat understood what was going on. The Yeosu Scenario was ultimately the effort of the GMs to give birth to hero Players.

‘So that’s why we obtained the Genius Trait after defeating the Flying Toad before regression.’

And then Jin-Hyeok and his team were able to grow as top-ranked Players in each class. At that time it was not called the Yeosu Scenario.

‘Perhaps the name changed during the course of the project.’

Thanks to the success of the Scenario, Serchan would finally be dispatched as the GM for the Gangnam-gu he so desired.

“Well, I guess that did not work out as you planned. That’s a pity,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Right?”

“But, it seems like it’s none of my business.”

“...”

Serchan’s expression changed rapidly.

“So, regardless of what happened, I acquired the Major Achievement, and I think it’s unfair there is no reward for it,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...Tell me what you want.”

“What is the final reward I can obtain by finishing the Scenario?”

“That’s something I can’t disclose.”

Jin-Hyeok knew that reward was a Genius Trait. He also knew Serchan could not tell him that.

Jin-Hyeok remained silent for a moment, lost in his thoughts. He was trying to figure out a plan that could benefit him the most.

‘Serchan is willing to give up anything and everything to put this Scenario back on track,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

If that was the case, there was only one thing he could ask for.

“Can you give me Mystery?”

“You know about Mystery?”

“I know that it is a mysterious power that the System hasn't defined properly. It is a power that does not fall under Skills or Traits, but possesses special abilities…. according to the Future Diary.”

Mystery referred to an enigmatic power that Players could acquire through specific conditions, regardless of their Jobs. It resembled Skills or Traits in terms of manifesting abilities, but it had distinct differences.

Unlike Skills or Traits, Mystery was not standardized.

For example, some Mysteries involved significant mental energy consumption, while others had no mental energy consumption at all. Sometimes, the same Mystery might require mental energy consumption, while other times it might not. It might also vary depending on the user, with some experiencing mental energy loss while others did not.

The effects could be inconsistent, and the cooldown could be erratic. Conversely, some Mysteries exhibited structured abilities similar to Skills. It was an ability that could not be precisely defined. However, in many cases, the compatibility between Mystery and the user’s innate Traits played a more crucial role than the individual’s training.

“....Damn it. What kind of Mystery are you looking for?”

Something immediately came to Jin-Hyeok’s mind.

“I want the Unleashing Technique.”

Mentioning the actual name, Unleashing Technique, was slightly risky. However, Jin-Hyeok considered this opportunity worth taking the risk.

‘If I back down every time there is a risk, I am not a real man.’

“... I can’t give you that,” Serchan said.

This was expected, because the Mystery, Unleashing Technique, was a unique Mystery hidden only in the Yeosu region.

“If you can’t give it to me, I will file a formal complaint with the System. I don’t care if the Scenario you prepared for three years just falls apart.”

“Hey, hold on. Do we really need to go that far?”

“I almost died. I risked my life to defeat that monster, and the GM should provide me with something worthy, right?”

“...”

Serchan was lost for words.

“I can’t give it to you directly. That requires approval from the top-Level authorities. I’m just a lower-Level GM.”

“But as a lower-Level GM, you are involved in designing such a significant Scenario?”

“That’s how it works! Don’t you know about the funnel effect? In the end, the grunt does all the work.”

Serchan looked indignant. Jin-Hyeok narrowed his eyes.

Birds of a feather flocked together.

“The truth is, you enjoy it, don’t you?” Jin-Hyeok said.

“What…?”

Just as Jin-Hyeok enjoyed the thrill of danger, Serchan also relished the challenges that came his way. A madman recognized another madman.

“So, don’t complain about how tough or unfair this is. I need to get the reward I deserve.”

Jin-Hyeok’s heart raced. He already glimpsed the potential through the Hidden Skill.

‘Unleashing Technique… This is a Mystery that brings out one’s inherent talents and abilities.’

This Mystery was possessed by an Unleasher named Kwak Chan-Yeong. As mentioned before, the compatibility between the Mystery and the user was the most crucial factor. In that sense, Unleashing Technique had a very favorable compatibility with Chan-Yeong. He used that power to Awaken the non-Awakened and bring forth their hidden potential. In the early stages of Play, he gained tremendous popularity as the savior of Players.

‘But he was killed by those who hunted the Awakened shortly after the Open Beta ended.’

It was an extremely unusual occurrence. Hunting down Players who had barely left the beginner stage was a significant burden even for those who hunted Awakened. After that incident, public opinion toward them had become excessively negative, and as a result, they were hated by the communities. However, despite that, those bastards hunted down Chan-Yeong and took away his Unleashing Technique.

Jin-Hyeok wanted that Mystery.

‘If I obtain the Unleashing Technique and apply it only to myself, it will be enough. Our conversation will not be disclosed to the outside world anyway.’

As confirmed through his Hidden Skill, he had the potential to Awaken the abilities he had acquired in his previous life. With Unleashing Technique, he could draw out that power—the power he had honed as the Sword King. If this became possible, he could become much stronger.

‘Of course, there will be limitations as a Streamer.’

However, that didn’t matter to him.

‘Just up to Level 100. If I can enjoy Playing the way I want, without any restrictions until Level 100, that would be the best.’

Without realizing it, a smile spread across his face. The notion of reason that cautioned against becoming too powerful was momentarily forgotten in the face of Unleashing Technique.