I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 99

‘To think that I’d see Shin Yu-Ri here. Should I kill her now?’

For a brief moment, the thought of killing her crossed Cha Jin-Hyeok’s mind, but he shook his head. Most people considered Yu-Ri to be Korea’s worst villain, but Jin-Hyeok’s thoughts were different.

‘She’s not like Jeon Nam-Gil, who is an absolute scum.’

People like serial killer Jeon Nam-Gil were garbage. They didn’t differentiate between Players and non-Players, recklessly rampaging, driven only by their desires.

However, Yu-Ri was not like that. Yu-Ri of the Demigod Alliance always waged war with Players and even issued declarations of war beforehand. The so-called powerful Alliances were destroyed by the Demigod Alliance. Also, Jin-Hyeok and his party, who faced her in his previous life, would have been annihilated too, if it wasn’t for the Masked Sage.

‘It’s a bit too much to call her a villain.’

While it was true that she killed many people, that was all within the realm of Play, and she just did what a Player had to do. Jin-Hyeok felt that she might have been treated a bit unfairly. What people called a disaster or bloodbath at that time was an unavoidable aspect because her power was excessively strong.

“I am going to have an interview with her.”

Jin-Hyeok approached her. Her eyes were swollen, probably from crying so much.

“Are you a reporter?” Yu-Ri asked.

“I’m not a reporter. I’m a Streamer.”

Upon hearing that he wasn’t a reporter, she looked somewhat disappointed. Jin-Hyeok’s pride as a Streamer was hurt a little.

[#Grasping at straws. #I need the world to see this. #Please help me find the corpse, at least.]

Jin-Hyeok had to restore his damaged pride. In the age of new civilization, he had to prove that a Streamer was better than an average reporter. Of course, if he had been a reporter, he would have wanted to prove that a reporter was better than an average Steamer.

[You have used the Skill 「Exclusive In-Depth Interview」.]

Yu-Ri was a Level 1 Player. Even though she was Awakened as a Player, in reality, she was virtually a non-Player. The vast difference in their Levels allowed Jin-Hyeok to quickly discern her situation. It was similar to how Han Sae-Rin’s past, which he didn’t particularly want to see, automatically replayed in his mind.

“You’ve lost your husband, haven’t you?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

Shin Yu-Ri was one of the most destructive villains by the standards of the future. However, right now, she was a wife who had lost her husband just three months after marriage.

“They forced him into the Coal Mine Field that appeared near Pangyo[1].”

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

‘Well, that crosses the line.’

Forcing non-Players into Fields to farm loot was a crime that usually happened in third-world countries. Non-Players were much cheaper in terms of labor costs than Players, thus some unscrupulous corporations would employ non-Players to acquire certain items.

Jin-Hyeok bit his lip and then continued to speak, “...I see. So that’s what happened.”

He wished Yu-Ri could see how angry he was.

“So, to summarize, the deceased Kim Min-Jong was an employee of a subcontractor under the Shinil Group. He was assigned to mine low-Grade Mana Stones in Pangyo Coal Mine Field and died suddenly due to a monster attack. The Shinil Group is not acknowledging this, claiming that your husband returned home normally… Is this correct?”

“...Yes. That’s correct.”

‘Should I just go back up and beat the hell out of Choi Ik-Hwan? Employing non-Players? If it were the old me, he would be dead right now.’

However, Jin-Hyeok had grown now. He immediately contacted Sae-Rin and Mole Man. They both said they were busy, but…

“Should I call Mole Man then?”

“Should I call Pathfinder then?”

Upon hearing that Jin-Hyeok was going to call their rivals, they both rushed over at once.

“Why is Mole Man here?”

“Why is Pathfinder here, moly?”

“Two heads are better than one, right?” Jin-Hyeok said while shrugging his shoulders.

“I can’t work with Mole Man!”

“I am not going to work with Pathfinder, moly!”

There seemed to be quite a bit of animosity between the two. Their glances clashed in mid-air almost sparking.

“Are you guys stupid?”

“What?”

“What do you mean, moly?”

“I am going to give you both the same request. Same Field, same time, same information.”

Their expressions began to change. They were top-ranked Players, so they understood what Jin-Hyeok was trying to say.

“Isn’t this the best opportunity to outdo each other?”

“That’s true.”

“That’s true, moly.”

Jin-Hyeok laid out a playing field for them to compete.

“Reading the traces of the past and the present to pioneer the future safely and quickly. That’s in the Navigator’s domain. I believe Pathfinder and Mole Man can do it,” Jin-Hyeok said.

They arrived at Pangyo.

“You can’t come in here.”

“This is private property.”

These people were talking nonsense.

‘How can a Field be a private property? If it was a matter of forceful possession, maybe, but private property?’

Fortunately, the people blocking Jin-Hyeok were Players.

“What nonsensical talk are you spouting?” Jin-Hyeok said.

“What?”

“I am going to count to ten, if you don’t move, you’re all going to die. One, two, ten.”

Jin-Hyeok swung the Greatsword of La’kan.

Whoosh!

The Greatsword grazed the hair above one of the men’s head. Fortunately, the guys were quick-witted and fled, screaming in terror.

“I cannot tolerate acts that disturb the order of Play.”

Jin-Hyeok and the Navigators entered Pangyo Coal Mine Field, where the two Navigators were zealously competing to collect clues and evidence.

“I’ve traced a non-Player’s footsteps, moly!”

“I got a non-Player’s body hair!”

Jin-Hyeok didn’t know how they did it, but the two had gathered evidence that a non-Player had been there.

“Huh? Wait, something is here....”

Mole Man dug into the ground with his clawed hand, and his expression darkened. Mole Man had found a skull. It was unmistakably human bones.

“This makes it hard to feel happy about it, moly.”

Sae-RIn also approached with a somewhat somber face.

“Is this skull of a non-Player?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yes, moly. There are distinct traces, moly. I’m detecting traces of a chemical process done by a Player’s ability, moly.”

“Can we confirm the identity of the skull?

Mole Man hesitated a bit. Then Sae-Rin interjected, “It’s difficult to confirm the identity, but I can restore the face from when he was alive. Since it was decayed by a Player’s ability, I should be able to restore it with mine.”

Mole Man found the skull and Pathfinder restored the face of the skull. In a situation where it was ambiguous to say who was better, it seemed the two had given up on further competition.

“Let’s postpone the competition for next time,” Sae-Rin said.

“Hmph! I’ll let you off this time, moly.”

They went outside the Coal Mine Field and showed Yu-Ri a photo of the restored face. Yu-Ri collapsed into tears with a choked sob, unable to say anything for a while, just crying.

“Ah, how heartbreaking it must be.”

Sae-Rin embraced Yu-Ri tightly. Mole Man muttered, “This situation is too uncomfortable,” and disappeared somewhere.

After a while, Yu-Ri spoke to Jin-Hyeok, “I know it’s too much to ask, but… can you find the body? I will surely reward you.”

At that moment, Mole Man, who had disappeared somewhere, reappeared. A large coffin was slung over his shoulder.

“Here it is.”

This was a rare occasion where Mole Man didn’t say moly. He set down the coffin and disappeared again. When Yu-Ri opened the coffin’s lid, she sobbed uncontrollably for a long time.

Sae-Rin consoled her and asked, “Shall I restore the body for you?”

In the end, she restored the body. The wife, who had lost her husband just three months after their wedding, clung to his body, sobbing and wailing until she fainted.

‘Huh?’

Jin-Hyeok felt powerful mana emanating from the entrance of the Coal Mine Field. Thousands of strands of mana wrapped around Yu-Ri’s unconscious body like a silkworm cocoon. Simultaneously, an Awakening NPC from the Room of Awakening revealed itself.

“You have fulfilled the special conditions.”

The NPC in the form of an Angel appeared by the mana cocoon, with only the face of Yu-Ri peeking out. It gently kissed her forehead.

“You shall be reborn with a special Job 'Artillery of Nemesis.' May you carry out your will,” the angel said.

Nemesis.

As far as Jin-Hyeok knew, she was the Goddess of Vengeance. Jin-Hyeok silently stared at Yu-Ri, who had transformed into a silkworm cocoon.

‘So this is how Yu-Ri was Awakened.’

Ordinary Players were usually Awakened officially at Level 15 in the Room of Awakening. However, there were those who were Awakened like this, bypassing the process. This required satisfying several intricate and difficult conditions, of which the exact details were almost unknown. People Awakened this way were referred to as Irregulars.

Jin-Hyeok could see Yu-Ri’s Level rising before his eyes.

[LV9]

[LV10]

[LV44]

[LV45]

Her Level shot up to forty-five in an instant. It wasn't common, but it wasn’t unheard of either.

Irregulars often start at Levels different from normal Players. It was similar to Succubuses, who were born at Level 70.

Watching Yu-Ri, wrapped by the mana threads, he felt a complex mixture of emotions.

‘Is she going to form the Demigod Alliance and become a great villain again?’

Regardless of what he thought, most people saw her as a villain.

‘But wouldn’t it be better if I just raised her? She’s not a villain yet.’

The reason why he wanted to do that was not very grand. Before regression, Jin-Hyeok’s party had lost to the Demigod Alliance that she led.

‘If she grows up properly, it feels like we can fight again.’

Jin-Hyeok wanted to battle the Shin Yu-Ri from his past life, who had overwhelming power.

‘If I pave the way, I’m sure she will grow up to be a great Player.’

Then, Jin-Hyeok thought of a great idea.

‘I’ll support her a bit and leave her to Maria. Shin Yu-Ri joining the National Intelligence Service’s party…’

The current NIS party was quite weak, but with the addition of Yu-Ri, it would probably be considered the strongest one in Korea.

‘Fighting against that NIS party would be fun too.’

Though Yu-Ri was pitiable as a person, Jin-Hyeok wasn’t exactly deeply moved by her husband’s death. He had experienced too many deaths to mourn each one individually. He simply decided to do a little of what he had to do.

“Ms. Shin Yu-Ri. You wanted a sincere apology from the Shinil Group, didn’t you?”

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

In various online communities, including the Korean Region Minor Gallery, chaos broke out once again, and at the center of the issue was Kim Chul-Soo. Memes from the Mystery Box channel were rapidly produced and spread everywhere.

[“At this moment, Kim Chul-Soo showed a calm demeanor without overly mourning, which could be seen as a dignified way of showing respect to Shin Yu-Ri. He verified what Yu-Ri really wanted and acted upon it. Truly, it was a graceful consolation and magnanimity that only a strong Player could show.”]

┗So cool.

┗2222

┗3333

┗I think I’ve watched that scene three hundred times. But every time it feels like I’m watching it for the first time. It’s so thrilling. How can we define this amazing Chul-Soo? Just purely brilliant. I’m glad I’m a citizen of the country that has Kim Chul-Soo.

[“In the end, Chairman Choi Ik-Hwan of the Shinil Group personally came forward, knelt down, and apologized. He promised compensation for Shin Yu-Ri.”]

┗Justice is alive.

┗Wow, we’re experiencing history.

┗Behold, Kim Chul-Soo has turned the world upside down with his hammer of justice. He has blown the trumpet of righteousness.

Ik-Hwan’s decision was incredibly swift because he had watched Jin-Hyeok’s livestream in real time. He felt a peculiar emotion from Jin-Hyeok.

‘He doesn’t mind being targeted by Assassins, and he doesn’t care about money. But he’s furious about non-Players being used in Play,’ Ik-Hwan thought.

Having seen Jin-Hyeok in person, Ik-Hwan was able to make a decision.

‘I was already thinking about when to retire. Perhaps this is a good opportunity.’

Ik-Hwan called a press conference, knelt before Yu-Ri, and apologized. He promised punishment for those involved and compensation for her and spoke of taking responsibility by stepping down from his throne.

┗But isn’t using non-Players still legal? Then why is he apologizing?

┗I heard Europe already declared it illegal, our government officials really do nothing with our tax money.

Although it had not been declared illegal yet, the public opinion was buzzing that justice had been served.

Joseph and Wang Yu-Mi sat across from each other at the desk in their new office. They were trembling together with the same expression on their faces.

“The star… is rising.”

“The moon… is rising.”

They both stared into space with identical looks. Yu-Mi murmured, “The narrative is amazing! There are so many elements to becoming a fan of Jin-Hyeok that I have no idea what to choose! Among them, my favorite element is this one. There is something twisted about the way he hides his tearing heart, the way he mourns the wife who lost her husband in his own way, the way his sublime silence is sublimated into a beauty that reeks of danger.”

Joseph no longer heard what Yu-Mi was saying. He chuckled as he browsed through the hot reactions from various online communities. Money and fame didn’t matter to him. Joseph simply wanted to see Jin-Hyeok shine brightly as a star. Seeing that Jin-Hyeok was gradually accomplishing that made Joseph feel very good.

Meanwhile, Jin-Hyeok received an unexpected proposal.

“What do you think of this offer? Don’t you like it?”

The person who made the proposal was none other than Maria.

1. Pangyo refers to a planned city just south of South. It is known as the Korean Silicon Valley. ☜