I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 253

Swampland No.2’s eyes went out of focus. Then, like a child, he burst into tears and let out a loud wail. Park Terse embraced the Player Hunter with a compassionate expression and gesture, comforting him.

Swampland No.2 said, “I was... a history student who loved learning about our history. I believed that the past was a guidepost for the present and the future.”

“Yes, yes. Good boy.” Terse patted his head.

Cha Jin-Hyeok tilted his head in wonder. ‘Can this be considered taming? It seems more like hypnosis or brainwashing, doesn’t it?’

This was a clear example of why taming humans was not allowed. Taming one’s kind usually resulted in such a dehumanizing sight. That was why Terse had been so strongly opposed to this practice before Jin-Hyeok’s regression.

“But I was too poor. I needed money. Even textbooks were too expensive for me. To follow the lost traces of the past, I really needed a lot of money,” Swampland No.2 continued.

From his childhood love for history to the present, Swampland No.2 confessed everything about himself as if he were inside a confessional at the church. For quite some time, Terse listened to him, patting his back.

Eventually, Swampland No.2’s whining ceased. His eyes still looked vacant.

“So, where is Swampland No.1?”

“He is in the Arvis Serv—” Swampland No.2 suddenly vomited blood. “Blargh!”

That pain seemed to have made him regain his senses. “No.1... you bastard...!”

He was feeling intense anger. However, this anger was not directed at Jin-Hyeok or Terse, but rather Swampland No.1.

[#You fed me this? #You piece of shit.]

Blargh!

Swampland No.2 vomited blood several more times. Terse, who had begun to feel empathy toward him, urgently shouted, “Healer! Is there a Healer here?”

However, it was too late. After vomiting blood multiple times, Swampland No.2 trembled and fell, no longer breathing.

Kwak Do-Hyeong frowned. “Chul-Soo, look.”

In the blood vomited by Swampland No.2, a worm the size of an adult’s fist was wriggling.

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “What is that?”

[LV239/C.B.]

[LV238/C.B.]

[LV238/C.B.]

It seemed to be a kind of parasite, and its Level was rapidly decreasing.

“It looks to be a parasite that changes to the Level of its host,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Swampland No.2’s Level was 239, so the parasite was also at Level 239, from where it kept dropping.

[LV177/C.B.]

“I wonder what C.B. stands for.” Curious, Jin-Hyeok squinted. He wondered if his Broadcaster’s Insight could see what it was.

[LV122/C.B.]

The word became underlined, and he opened the detailed description by clicking on it.

[LV100/C.B. (Control Bug)]

“The name of the parasite is Control Bug. It seems to be a type of parasite that can be injected into a body to control the host. It seems like an artificial monster.”

From the looks of it, this was something Swampland No.1 had secretly implanted inside Swampland No.2.

[LV92/C.B.]

‘Wait, I shouldn’t be watching it mindlessly.’

It seemed like the parasite did not have much long to live. Jin-Hyeok held Miri up before hearing the explanation from Terse.

‘I need to beat it up just a bit.’

[You have activated the Skill Taming (Physical).]

The parasite was much easier to tame than a human.

“I’ve just succeeded in taming the Control Bug. Fortunately, it’s not dead.”

***

Jin-Hyeok softly subdued the wriggling Control Bug on the floor with his club (Miri) before picking it up. After a moment of hesitation, he swallowed it whole. It was not a pleasant sight to behold, and watching this scene, the Assassins of the Black Thorn Alliance gulped.

“He’s swallowing that thing whole?”

“He’s actually doing that?”

“We still have a long way to go.”

They prided themselves on Playing quite diligently, but indeed, they were no match for Kim Chul-Soo. It served as a moment of reflection for them.

Their Leader, Do-Hyeong, thought, ‘He is truly a respectable Player.’

Terse also deeply reflected on this. ‘I can’t believe Chul-Soo decided to tame it right at that moment. Why didn’t I think of that? And he even swallowed it!’

Terse was also profoundly moved by Jin-Hyeok’s genuine Tamer attitude of offering his body as a host to a parasitic creature.

‘Though our paths differ, Chul-Soo is sincere about taming.’

Regardless, Jin-Hyeok had successfully tamed the Control Bug and swallowed it.

“Oh, the memories of the parasite are transferring into my mind.” The Control Bug, while living inside a host’s body, carried many memories. “Unfortunately, I can’t determine the exact location of Swampland No.1, but I know that he is in the Arvis Server. To catch this guy, we will need a way to get to the Arvis Server.”

Jin-Hyeok could also find the memories of Swampland No.2, who was sincere about studying history. “He really was a history student who loved history as a child.”

Jin-Hyeok was not really interested in Swampland No.2’s background. After all, who in the world did not have a touching story? What mattered was that Swampland No.2 had tried to kill him, and Jin-Hyeok would’ve been the one to die instead had he been weaker. He would have lost all his abilities too.

‘The important thing is... that there is a final hiding place Swampland No.2 had prepared.’

Swampland No.2 was a somewhat renowned Player Hunter. Jin-Hyeok believed that the final hiding place that Swampland No.2 had prepared would have a lot of clues about Swampland No.1’s hideout.

‘It’s in Yeonhui-dong, out of all the places!’

Swampland No.2 had definitely judged Yeonhui-dong to be the safest place for a hideout.

“I will move to his hideout. It happens to be in Yeonhui-dong.”

***

On their way back to Yeonhui-dong, Terse was immensely curious. “Hey, Chul-Soo. What happened to the Control Bug?”

“...Ah, right.”

Unbeknownst to Jin-Hyeok, his communication with the Control Bug had been severed. This was because his body recognized the Control Bug as a type of poison, causing his internal fire energy to burn the Control Bug into ashes.

Terse’s expression darkened. “I think I know why you can’t answer me.”

“...?”

“I understand your devoted heart that cannot stand to watch the death of a life you have empathy toward.”

Jin-Hyeok did not have a devout intention, but he did not say anything to Terse.

“Your spirit of sacrifice, trying in any way to keep the communication going and save the monster... makes me reflect once again. In the end, the Control Bug died, and you must be very sad,” Terse continued.

“...”

“So, that’s why you hesitate to say anything.”

[#I need to become stronger.]

Terse had changed a lot compared to how he had been before Jin-Hyeok’s regression.

‘Wasn’t Terse originally the type of Player who became a ranker just by enjoying Playing?’

Terse was a Player who had become a ranker from enjoying taming for the sake of taming and finding joy in communicating with monsters. He was definitely not the type who thought of becoming stronger with a burning passion.

‘Anyway, I guess it’s a good thing.’

Such an aspiration to improve surely drove people to evolve.

***

Before they knew it, the group arrived in Yeonhui-dong. They parted ways with Do-Hyeong and the members of the Black Thorn Alliance, but one person joined them. It was Angel Girl Song Ha-Young.

“I guess it’s my time to shine,” Ha-Young said.

“Right, I’m counting on you,” Jin-Hyeok replied.

“So, you’re saying the owner of this place is dead, right.”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s going to be less interesting,” Ha-Young murmured with a hint of disappointment. “Still, he was a somewhat renowned Player Hunter, so I guess something good will come out of it! Let’s go!”

Jin-Hyeok and Ha-Young arrived at the final hideout prepared by Swampland No.2. At first glance, it looked no different from any ordinary house.

“Ordinary Players would not be able to find anything special here,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Swampland No.2 was certainly meticulous. However, Jin-Hyeok was accompanied by Ha-Young, who prided herself as the best when it came to being a Thief.

Soon, she noticed a secret space behind a bookshelf. “Let’s go inside.”

Ha-Young randomly took out a few books from the shelf and swapped their places. Then, with a sliding noise, the bookshelf rotated half a turn, revealing a space inside.

Following Ha-Young, they saw a thick steel door. Miri got slightly excited.

-Should I break it?

However, Ha-Young had a different idea. Breaking in was considered an undignified act for a Thief. A truly great Thief had to infiltrate in a way that the homeowner would not even realize something was stolen. Moving without being detected was what made it an ethical theft.

“It’s a fingerprint lock. And it requires all ten fingers,” Ha-Young said.

“He was certainly meticulous.”

“Indeed.”

“So, can I break it now?”

“Huh? There is no need for you to do that.” Ha-Young opened her inventory and took out a plastic bag with preservation magic on it. “I’ve already lifted the fingerprints.”

She was a prepared Thief.

***

The treasures of Swampland No.2 were stacked up inside the room. The room resembled a library more than anything else. It had a desk, and the bookshelves were filled with books.

Song Ha-Young was excited, vowing to steal everything, while Jin-Hyeok wondered which item would be the most useful.

“Fortunately, this place is in Yeonhui-dong.”

This place was under the territory of the Golden Guardian Tree, and all of Jin-Hyeok’s abilities were significantly enhanced here. The Mystery God of Luck, which was difficult to handle properly, was no exception.

“With the help of the Guardian Tree, using the God of Luck should not knock me out.”

Jin-Hyeok could hear the excited voice of the Guardian Tree.

-“Has the time finally come for me to step forward?!”

The Guardian Tree had a solid mental bond with Jin-Hyeok. Therefore, it felt a subtle sense of unease toward Miri, another bonded partner, because Miri was always with Jin-Hyeok, actively participating in many adventures, unlike the Guardian Tree.

-“But be careful, Master. Because if you get knocked out, that Thief will surely empty your pockets!”

‘Oh, that sounds plausible.’ Jin-Hyeok nodded.

Ha-Young was very serious about thievery. So, he could not become weak; after all, she was indeed a Thief who could empty his pockets at any moment.

“I will take some precautions.” Jin-Hyeok approached Ha-Young, who was completely off guard, rummaging through the bookshelves.

‘Be gentle, Miri. Don’t kill her.’

Jin-Hyeok swung Miri toward the back of Ha-Young’s head.

Thwack!

Thanks to Jin-Hyeok’s proper control of strength, Ha-Young fainted without much pain. Jin-Hyeok did not forget to comment for his video.

“Sometimes, a strong attack known in advance is less threatening than a weak attack taken unaware.”

Feeling proud of his accurate and upright Play, he then used God of Luck. The entire room seemed to vibrate and hum, and a book fell from the shelf with a thud. For a moment, the book appeared to sparkle.

“Pant... Pant...”

Just using the Mystery once had drained his stamina. Without the help of the Guardian Tree, he would have fainted. It seemed like a good decision to have knocked out Ha-Young.

“What is this book that the God of Luck reacted so strongly to?”

The title of the book was ‘In Search of Lost History’. The author was none other than Swampland No.2. It appeared to be a history book that Swampland No.2 was compiling himself.

[There is undoubtedly a distorted history in the Arvis Server. The lost history. The history we must know.]

“Hm...” Jin-Hyeok was not very interested in history.

‘Is there nothing that can spice up my livestream?’

Jin-Hyeok hoped for something that would attract the attention of his viewers. With that thought, he flipped through the book.

[Everyone has lost it. Everyone has erased it. But someone must remember. Someone must uncover it. The ruler before the Demon King—the greatest queen, Veselity.]

‘...Huh?’

A familiar name appeared in the book.