I Gave Up Being Stronger

At midnight, Wang Yu-Mi visited Cha Jin-Hyeok’s house and made a big fuss. “Did you know that one of my channel’s SVIPs was Marshmallow?!”

“Really?”

Suddenly, someone swung open Jin-Hyeok’s bedroom door.

“Did you say Marshmallow?” It was Jin-Hyeok’s mother, who usually made herself scarce when Jin-Hyeok’s friends were visiting. However, this time, she was visibly excited. “Are you talking about the Marshmallow who is nice, handsome, and good at singing?”

“Ah! Do you know about Marshmallow too?” Yu-Mi asked.

“Of course! If you don’t know Marshmallow these days, you are out of the loop!”

Yu-Mi and Jin-Hyeok’s mother heartily laughed together and chatted away. Yu-Mi grabbed the hand of Jin-Hyeok’s mother and jumped up and down in excitement. “I am also a fan of Marshmallow!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Why don’t I offer you some fruit?”

“That would be so kind!”

“Shine Muscat grapes with whipped cream?”

“Shine Muscat grapes with whipped cream!”

The two of them were united in their shared enthusiasm. A few hours earlier, Marshmallow had done a livestream eating Shine Muscat grapes with whipped cream.

Watching the two women bond over Marshmallow, Jin-Hyeok could not help but feel competitive.

‘He has captured the hearts of both a woman in her twenties and a woman in her fifties?’

Despite their different interests, these two women had found common ground.

‘This guy is something.’

After having a whirlwind of conversation with Yu-Mi, his mother left the room. Then Yu-Mi made an excuse that didn’t sound like an excuse at all. “Well, I started watching Marshmallow’s livestream for strategic purposes. But then, he was just too cute!”

“...”

“His face isn’t super cute, but his actions are sort of. He is like a really nice, somewhat silly, and innocent elementary school boy. Just watching him warms my heart! I think being cute is definitely the best!”

‘Should I also try to be cute? How would I go about that?’ Jin-Hyeok found himself pondering the question. It seemed he needed some research.

Anyway, Yu-Mi mentioned that she had received an invitation from Marshmallow. “With this invitation, you can enter the Arvis Server through Scanorbia! You can stay in the Server for sixty days without a visa.”

“Oh really? Marshmallow gave this to me as a gift?”

The Arvis Server was known to be a difficult place to get into.

“Marshmallow must really like you! He is even an SVIP for the channel! I feel like this is mutual love.”

“...” Jin-Hyeok felt he was a bit lacking. While he had been working hard and researching to catch up to Marshmallow, Marshmallow had been enjoying his livestreams and supporting him. Jin-Hyeok could feel a noticeable gap between them.

“What if Marshmallow proposes a collaboration livestream?” Yu-Mi asked.

“I’d have to refuse.”

“What? Refuse?”

“Yeah.” Due to the gap between them, Jin-Hyeok did not feel confident about himself yet, admitting he was not ready to do a collaboration livestream with Marshmallow. “I am still too much of a novice.”

“Hm… I don’t think so, but…” Yu-Mi adjusted her round glasses. “I will follow your wishes! If you had agreed, I would have proposed a collaboration livestream first, but let’s hold off on that!”

***

Marshmallow chewed on his fingernails and shivered with nerves.

Encyclopedia chuckled. “What’s making you so anxious?”

“What do you mean? I’m not anxious at all.”

“You seem pretty anxious to me.”

“No, I’m actually very calm right now.”

“If you are worried that Chul-Soo won’t ask for a collaboration livestream, why don’t you just propose it yourself?”

“What are you talking about?” Marshmallow abruptly stood up. “I don’t really want to do a collaboration livestream with him unless he begs me to.”

“Hm… But considering it’s been this long without a proposal, isn’t the chance for a collaboration livestream pretty much gone?”

“What do you mean? Do you have any idea how many Eltubers dream of doing a collaboration livestream with me?!”

Marshmallow was the universe’s most popular Eltuber, and it was a fact that many people dreamed of collaborating with him. Suddenly, Marshmallow twitched; a message had arrived from Yu-Mi.

[First, I deeply appreciate you sending the invitation…]

Marshmallow read the message in full.

[...and I would like to express my gratitude once again. - KimKnowItAllTV KingGodGeneral Yumi.]

Marshmallow confusedly tilted his head and read the message again. He read it once, twice, thrice. He even went as far as to print it out to read it on paper.

Encyclopedia came over and snatched the paper. “Let’s see…”

After reading it thoroughly, he also found no mention of a collaboration livestream proposal.

“Pff!” Encyclopedia scoffed. “It’s clear that you got rejected.”

“Rejected? I never wanted a collaboration livestream in the first place!”

“Hey, move over for a second.” Encyclopedia nudged Marshmallow aside and manipulated a floating hologram.

“What are you doing?”

A virtual keyboard appeared in the air.

“I’m going to send a message to Yu-Mi and ask why they didn’t request for a collaboration livestream, saying it would be a good opportunity for Chul-Soo, too.”

“Hey, don’t do that. Sending that message makes it seem like I want to do it! Don’t! Just don't send it.” Marshmallow’s voice rose, but he did not actively stop Encyclopedia. He only verbally objected.

Eventually, Encyclopedia sent the message, and soon after, a reply came.

[...therefore, Chul-Soo believes his abilities do not yet match those of Marshmallow and has refrained from making the proposal.]

“See? This is how powerful I am,” Marshmallow said.

“What do you mean? You just got rejected but in a polite way.”

“What are you talking about? Chul-Soo is admitting that he’s too much of a rookie. Can’t you see?”

Encyclopedia sighed. “Chul-Soo would fight a Level 400 monster if it meant making his livestream more entertaining.”

Marshmallow agreed; Chul-Soo was indeed that crazy.

Encyclopedia continued, “Yet he says he is too inadequate to do a collaboration livestream with you? There can be only one reason for that. You are not beneficial for his livestream. All this rookie talk, being inadequate, that’s just an excuse.”

Marshmallow trembled with rage. “How dare this rookie Streamer act so arrogantly…!”

“He is a rookie, sure, but he has the firepower to gather a lot of viewers. You know that, right?”

“He is still just a rookie!” Marshmallow stormed out and went back to his room, fuming.

After watching Encyclopedia leave through his window, Marshmallow turned on his phone. He received a notification that Chul-Soo had started his livestream. “This newbie’s livestream is nothing!”

Though his mouth said that, his fingers quickly moved. He split the screen, displaying KimKnowItAllTV on one side. “Pfft, your livestream isn’t fun at all. It can’t compare to mine.”

Yet, his fingers moved quickly.

[Would you like to donate 100,000 Dias?]

[You have donated 100,000 Dias.]

Marshmallow hid under his blanket and secretly watched Chul-Soo’s video for six hours. Lost in the content, he unconsciously murmured, “Hehehe…. So entertaining.”

***

Officially, Jin-Hyeok had decided to take a break. He told his viewers that, but in reality, he planned to visit the Arvis Server. He decided not to livestream anything while he was there.

‘There is a unique charm to livestreaming, but I guess it can’t be helped.’

Various issues could arise by livestreaming on Arvis. Although Marshmallow had sent an invitation to Jin-Hyeok, it was ambiguous to say that this invitation was completely legal. Technically, it was legal, but it felt a bit like a loophole. It was an invitation sent by pressuring government officials.

Livestreaming in the Arvis Server under these circumstances could pose problems.

‘And, it's a revenge-based theme after all…’

In the end, someone would have to die or get seriously injured for his stream to end. This type of content had a lot of enthusiastic viewers, but on the other hand, many also found it uncomfortable. Jin-Hyeok had learned by watching Marshmallow that one needed to aim for content encompassing all ages and generations.

‘It’s better to proceed with recorded videos for divisive content.’

This way, he could edit out the divisive parts and only show what he wanted to show. That was why Jin-Hyeok officially announced that he would be taking a break and decided to hold a brief fan meeting before that.

“It will be a great fan service for those who are disappointed! You just have to sit there. That alone will be a gift to them!” Yu-Mi said.

He did not fully trust her words, but they turned out to be true. Chul-Soo Land’s first-generation fans, from No.1 to No. 100, were gathered in one auditorium. The attendance rate was one hundred percent.

Kim Min-Ji, who was Chul-Soo Land No.1, burst into tears as soon as she saw Jin-Hyeok. “Waaah!”

Yet, she could not come close to Jin-Hyeok. She just sneakily glanced at him from a distance, with her face all red.

Some female fans were extremely excited and came close to Jin-Hyeok. “Oppa! I love you!”

No matter how closely Jin-Hyeok looked, the girl screaming seemed a lot older than him, and he didn’t know why she was calling him oppa, but he didn’t want to correct her.

“Thank you, everyone,” he simply replied, and they screamed in joy, feeling sincerely happy.

Wondering if this was real, Jin-Hyeok used Broadcaster’s Insight and saw that they were indeed sincere.

[#I have no regrets even if I die tomorrow.]

[#Love #Love #Love #Love #Love]

[#♡]

[#I am glad to be a member of Chul-Soo Land. #I’m glad to be alive!]

Some asked him for autographs and if they could hug him, looking as happy as though they were children.

Jin-Hyeok felt a brief thrill. ‘Are they going to stab me?’

With one hundred people gathered here, it made sense to suspect there could be an Assassin among them

‘I guess they aren’t.’

It seemed plausible for an Assassin to be disguised as a fan, but there wasn’t one, even though it was a perfect environment for an attack.

“Can I take a picture with you?” Min-Ji gathered her courage and timidly approached him.

“Of course.”

Jin-Hyeok took a picture with Min-Ji. Her expression was awkward, but she looked happy nonetheless. During the short fan meeting, Jin-Hyeok felt something was very odd.

‘Why do they like me so much?’

These were experiences he had not enjoyed before his regression. These people’s gazes were filled with unconditional goodwill. It was quite different from the looks of his comrades in battle, but somehow, these gazes seemed even better.

‘I feel… good for some reason. Even though it’s a bit disappointing that no one tried to stab me, I feel happy.’ Jin-Hyeok was confused.

When member No. 100 of Chul-Soo Land came forward for an autograph, Jin-Hyeok frowned. “Huh? Why are you here?”

“...”

The person in front of him was Lee Hyeon-Seong, also known as the Anus Destroyer. Wearing a red headband that read ‘Kim Chul-Soo’ on the left and ‘I love you’ on the right, Hyeon-Seong had a face even redder than the headband.

“Are you also my fan?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“...” Hyeon-Seong wanted to say no, but the atmosphere was a bit tense. It felt like if he said no in this situation, he could get stoned to death. “Of course…”

Then, he thought, ‘I will surpass you one day. I will become a stronger Swordsman and prove myself!’

Jin-Hyeok easily read his intentions.

“I, more than anyone, want to be like you,” Hyeon-Seong said.

After that statement, the expressions of Chul-Soo Land members from No.1 to No.99 began to soften. Hyeon-Seong’s expression looked genuine. Although he was the weak Anus Destroyer, everyone acknowledged that he deserved to be in Chul-Soo Land.

As the fan meeting neared its end, Jin-Hyeok said, “Thank you for cherishing me like this.”

Expressing it made him feel even stranger. It was a ticklish feeling. Before his regression, he had not even known this emotion existed, which left him unsettled.

“I will come back with short videos from time to time. Please watch my livestream when I return!”

Meanwhile, across the universe, in the Arvis Server, someone found Swampland No.1.

“When will you bring Chul-Soo’s body?” It was a noblewoman of Arvis, Lady Harkoen, the Doll Collector. “I have paid a down payment of one hundred billion Dias, and you said you were confident. How long must I wait?”

“Do not worry. He will definitely come to Arvis.” Chul-Soo would find a way to come to the Arvis Server no matter what. “I am waiting for the right moment. In Arvis… I will definitely be able to kill him.”