I Gave Up Being Stronger

Cha Jin-Hyeok asked, “What if there was a specialized ability to break barriers?”

“Sorry, but I specialize in tracking, so my unlocking skills are not that exceptional.” Lessefim was more skilled than many average rankers, but as a top-tier ranker herself, she held her standards very high, which was why she considered her unlocking abilities to be lacking.

“No, I have the Unleashing Technique,” Jin-Hyeok said, feeling a bit disappointed. He did not expect everyone in the universe to know who he was, but still, Playing alongside someone who knew so little about him brought a sense of regret.

‘I should Play harder.’

As he made this resolve, Lessefim laughed incredulously. “You’re a Streamer, right?”

“I am, yes.”

“Why would a Streamer acquire the Unleashing Technique? It doesn’t seem like a good fit.” Lessefim appeared slightly disappointed, as if her expectations for the promising new Streamer had been lowered.

“Not a good fit? It doesn’t seem that bad to me…” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Listen well. A Player’s body and mind are one.” Lessefim was quite fond of Jin-Hyeok. Being a leading top-tier ranker, she offered sincere advice to her junior. “Every Job, body, and ability has its compatibility. No matter how great an ability is, if it is not compatible with a Player, it becomes useless.”

This was something he needed to reflect on. Until now, he had believed his compatibility with the Unleashing Technique was excellent, and he had achieved quite remarkable results with it. However, it did not seem to meet the standards of a universe-level ranker.

‘Was I too arrogant to think that my Unleashing Technique and I were a good match?

Jin-Hyeok realized he needed to raise his standards to get closer to becoming a universe-level ranker. Encountering a new perspective felt like a significant learning experience.

“But no matter what I say, experiencing it yourself will have a greater impact,” Lessefim said while stepping back. “Just do what you want to do.”

“Thanks.” Jin-Hyeok trusted Lessefim.

‘I will probably fail, but still, I should try.’

If he were a Mage specialized in barriers, he would be disappointed if he failed to break the barrier, but he was a Streamer. He decided to fulfill his role as a Streamer.

‘Doing my best but not succeeding… That's good content too.’

Fortunately, the concept of this content was not about overwhelming power. This content had a separate narrative arc and storyline, where showing passion, even if it didn’t result in success, would not make for a bad production.

‘Let’s try to make it look cool and solemn.’

Jin-Hyeok remembered what Wang Yu-Mi had said before. She had wanted Jin-Hyeok to proactively unleash his Black Flame Dragon in his right hand.

“O, ye who obstruct the path to our enemy’s doorstep.” There was no need for him to lift Miri, but he lifted her anyway. A silver radiance leaked from the weapon, creating a rather imposing scene. “I command thee. Collapse.”

He swung Miri with all his might.

Crack!

Miri and the barrier collided, sparking a lightning strike.

[You have activated the Mystery Unleashing Technique.]

‘I won’t work, will it?’

The barrier was broken.

***

Lessefim was a bit surprised. “It seems you possess a very special form of Unleashing Technique.”

“Really?”

“Normally, Unleashing Techniques do not require reciting spells like that.” Lessefim was still unfamiliar with Jin-Hyeok’s concept. “Anyway, having an Unleashing Technique of that caliber means you’re quite lucky.”

Jin-Hyeok learned something new thanks to Lessefim. ‘My Unleashing Technique is really special compared to the others.’

“Do you think I’m that lucky?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Such a special Unleashing Technique usually requires careful consideration of compatibility. It often clashes with one’s innate abilities, so barrier Mages tend to avoid it; the more exceptional an Unleashing Technique is, the more demanding it is. Yet, yours does not seem to care much about compatibility. It’s a very special and rare case.”

“Well, I also possess a Mystery related to luck. Maybe that’s why.”

“Figures.”

In fact, Jin-Hyeok’s Unleashing Technique was just an ordinary Unleashing Technique. Nonetheless, the barrier was broken, and Lessefim and Jin-Hyeok were able to enter the castle.

Inside the castle, they met with conventional traps.

‘Arrows are flying toward us.’

Lessefim did not specifically mention such minor traps to Jin-Hyeok. It seemed like she was asking, ‘You can dodge them on your own, right?’ This was true, and Jin-Hyeok felt exhilarated.

‘This is what I call teamwork.’

He loved Playing in a way where, without speaking, his party members knew each other’s capabilities and showed optimal efficiency.

When a signal was really needed, the two of them communicated. For example, if a crossbow bolt of Level 250 was coming toward them or there was a separation barrier that could isolate Lessefim, the Navigator, from the others. She gave warnings about such things in advance. Of course, there were some disappointing moments.

“It looks like a trap that shoots out poison spears,” Lessefim said.

This was an unnecessary warning for Jin-Hyeok, who said, “I will just take the hit.”

“Hey! Are you crazy?!”

Unnecessary warnings led to her acting surprised for no reason. However, this was unavoidable since they had not been Playing together for a long time. There were bound to be unknowns between them.

“...Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. The spears can be blocked with my Absolute Barrier, and poison below the level of the Snake King does not affect me at all.”

“So, you just take the hit like that?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Never mind.”

Lessefim, who hailed from the Arvis Server, found Jin-Hyeok’s style of Play quite extraordinary. Even if a Player had antidotes or poison resistance, it was rare for them to deliberately take a poison hit as part of their strategy. Yet, Jin-Hyeok seemed to think he was Playing safely and efficiently, which she found slightly baffling.

As they dispelled all the conventional traps and advanced, Lessefim said, “It feels like something is slowing us down a bit.”

“You felt that too?”

“You too?”

Their eyes met. Sharing the same time, space, experience, and thoughts was quite a thrilling sensation, at least for Jin-Hyeok. Playing as a team with a universe-level Player gave Jin-Hyeok a strange sense of pleasure and excitement.

However, Lessefim felt a bit differently.

‘How is he a Streamer? He has the ability of a Navigator…!’

***

Roaming around the castle, they stumbled upon a large room.

Jin-Hyeok felt something as soon as he entered the room. “Oh, this is…”

He and Lessefim both said simultaneously, “A boss room?”

“It feels like some kind of boss room.”

Lessefim was even more astonished. ‘What kind of Streamer identifies a boss room just by entering the room?’

Such intuition was something only Navigators would have. At first, she was flabbergasted and shocked, and then a bit of greed started to creep in.

‘He said he is not even Level 250, right?’

It was difficult for Players to change Jobs after surpassing Level 250. Of course, there were cases where Players had successfully changed Jobs after 250, but those were very rare.

‘I think his talent lies in being a Navigator!’

She thought about what would happen if he chose to become a Navigator. His synergy with his special Unleashing Technique would improve significantly, potentially unlocking his potential to grow into a universe-level ranker.

‘I should really talk to him about it.’

Among the top ten rankers of the Arvis Server, Lessefim was the only one without a disciple.

‘Maybe it’s time for me to take a disciple.’

She could issue a visa for him that would let him stay in Arvis for longer. Also, by officially taking him as a disciple and nurturing him for a few years, she could even help him gain citizenship of Arvis.

‘And then, who knows, maybe we will get married or something.’

“Over there, there is a metal door.”

Creak!

The metal door opened with a screeching sound, and a man with a height similar to Jin-Hyeok’s walked out. He was shirtless, and his upper body was covered in scars.

“Huh?” Lessefim tilted her head in confusion. The man seemed familiar somehow. “...Ah!”

“Do you know him?”

“Yeah. He’s a Martial Artist who went missing ten years ago.”

Named Hamlet, this Player was a Martial Artist who was called a genius from birth. He had been gaining fame as a Martial Artist but had disappeared at the age of sixteen. Many in Arvis had mourned the loss of the genius Martial Artist.

“People said he could have become one of the top rankers in the universe in about twenty years…” Lessefim grimaced a little and prepared to escape from this place.

If that boy was truly Hamlet, there was no chance of winning. Ten years had passed since he had gone missing. It was hard to gauge how strong he had become.

Jin-Hyeok read Hamlet’s information with Broadcaster’s Insight. “His Level is 290, but there is a special condition attached. It’s called Frozen Time—Moving Doll… that’s it.”

Lessefim took another look at Hamlet. Upon closer inspection, she saw no life in his eyes.

‘Moving Doll?’ she thought. One person came to mind. In Arvis, a certain woman was obsessed with collecting dolls that looked like real people.

“Lessefim, do we have to fight him?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“No, if we can avoid the fight, we should. There are no combatant-class Players here. Well, I know you have the skills to kill Dion’s captain of the guard, but…” Lessefim wanted to avoid a confrontation with Hamlet. “It feels wrong to just keep delaying like this…”

“Ah, so it’s going to be okay if we just fought him?”

“That would be ideal, but it will be difficult. Hamlet was a Martial Artist known for his exceptional defensive abilities. For example, at the age of twelve, he successfully defended against a superior Martial Artist’s attacks for forty-five minu—”

Jin-Hyeok was already approaching Hamlet, swinging Miri. In fact, Jin-Hyeok was a bit angry. He had reached a level where he instinctively blurted out comments for his livestream.

“This is just cruel.” Jin-Hyeok’s true feelings slipped out. “How is this possible?”

With her keen perception, Lessefim already knew that the doll was not actually a doll. It was undoubtedly a person turned into a doll. It was a blatant act of inhumanity.

‘Well, I can understand why he is so mad,’ Lessefim thought.

Jin-Hyeok swung Miri. It seemed as if Hamlet would block it with his arm, but

Thwack!

Miri cunningly changed direction, striking Hamlet’s temple.

Flash!

A silver flash exploded.

Thwack!

Jin-Hyeok quickly landed a follow-up hit. “How can you use your excellent defensive attributes like that?!”

Jin-Hyeok knew it from the moment Hamlet walked toward him. The stride was unnatural for his Level. A skilled Martial Artist’s entire being and their aura had to embody their discipline. Having sparred with numerous opponents, Jin-Hyeok knew this very well.

“How?!” Jin-Hyeok shouted. He was genuinely angry. “You are too weak!”

With sincerity, he swung Miri again.

Thwack!

A massive explosion sent Hamlet flying.

‘How did he not block that attack with his defensive skills?! Is he being controlled by someone incompetent? Or is his combat intelligence low?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Either way, the reason did not matter. Jin-Hyeok was just furious.

Lessefim tilted her head in confusion. ‘Is that why he’s angry?’

Leaving Lessefim’s doubts behind, Jin-Hyeok continued, “It’s unacceptable. Fighting a weak doll like him is an insult to me. I will not fight him directly. Fortunately, I have a Mystery that can match my abilities.”

After a few clashes with Hamlet, Jin-Hyeok was sure that Hamlet, or rather the doll, was no match for him.

“Activate the defensive Mystery Phantom Swordswoman.”

A fallen angel wielding a huge hammer appeared at the scene, grinning wickedly.

“I will crush your head,” she seemed to say.

Trusting the reliable defensive Mystery with this palace, Jin-Hyeok decided to leave the room.