I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 269

With groundbreaking benefits and salary guaranteed to her, Yolin became a very proactive employee. “Boss, about the Control Bug research facility...”

“Do you happen to know anything about it?” Cha Jin-Hyeok replied.

“I’m not sure if it’s related to Control Bugs, but an insect farm is registered under the company’s name.”

“Is there?”

“Yes!”

“It seems you had taken a lot of interest in your previous company.”

“Well...” In her previous job, Yolin had a lot of time on her hands. With that time came a lot of worries. She wondered what she would do if the company went under and where else she could find such a sweet job. Naturally, she was very interested in the company.

“I was quite worried the company might go under and also curious about how exactly the company makes money to pay my salary.”

‘Indeed, she’s an employee with her own philosophy.’ Jin-Hyeok was slightly moved by her passion.

“My previous company was somewhat like a courier service, right? So it having an insect farm seemed totally out of place to me. Do you want me to give you the exact address?” Yolin said.

“You know the exact address?”

“Well, I was the one who managed all the utility bills, so I do know it.”

Although it was unclear if that place was related to Control Bugs, Jin-Hyeok decided to note down the address for now.

***

The content Jin-Hyeok had to produce in Arvis was divided into two main categories. One was a universe-level Scenario related to the Forsaken Queen, Veselity. The other was a series of sub-stories derived from the battles with the Swampland Crew.

‘The Veselity content is just too big in scale,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. This content was too difficult to proceed with right away and would take a lot of time. Jin-Hyeok’s residency period would end before he could even properly tackle the content. ‘Let’s check out the insect farm first.’

Yolin, who had found the address in her desk drawer, said with a bit of worry, “Ah, but it’s quite far from here. There is no direct warp portal, and the concentration of mana is so faint that most types of flying mounts can’t be used to go there.”

“How did Swampland No.2 go there?”

“Oh, well, the director... I mean that bastard traveled by a trade airship.” Trade airships were created with the unique technology of the Magic Empire, Mazique. They were almost the only means of transportation to the farm. “There is also the option of going by boat, but that takes at least two months, and sailors are likely to be reluctant to sail on that route.”

The insect farm was located on one of the many islands of the Saina Archipelago. The Saina Archipelago was responsible for the factories and farms in the Arvis Server. In other words, it was an industrial zone.

In the past, the nobles of Arvis detested having factories near their residences. Therefore, even though it was somewhat inefficient, they crammed all those factories into the far-off Saina Archipelago to create an industrial zone.

‘So that archipelago is considered the place where the poorest live within Arvis.’

For Cha Jin-Hyeok, who was from Earth, this was quite shocking. He could not believe such a palace existed in Arvis, which was known to be among the wealthiest Servers in the universe.

Being such a remote location and cut off from civilization, the Saina Archipelago was rife with discrimination based on social status. Mostly slaves and a few guards lived there, producing goods in large quantities that Arvis needed.

“But to book a trade airship, you need to do it at least a month in advance. Or you need special permission from the Mazique Empire...” Yolin said.

“What about Swampland No.2? How did he do it?”

“Well, he had a special permit from the Mazique Empire.”

‘If Swampland No.2 could get one, can’t I?’ Jin-Hyeok wondered.

However, as if she had cast a spell to read Jin-Hyeok’s mind, Yolin smoothly continued, “Actually, I did prepare and submit the application document... I honestly thought it would not get approved, but it did. I have no idea what the conditions for approval are.”

“Yolin, do you have a skill like Broadcaster’s Insight?”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Never mind, it’s nothing. Please continue.”

Yolin did not object to the boss’s words. She continued to talk because she was told to. “Normally, it takes over a year to get approval. Strangely, that bastard got it approved quickly... Anyway, the conclusion is that it is difficult to go there right now.”

“Can’t we just fly there?”

“Well... technically yes. As long as we properly file a flight report.” Yolin thought about it for a moment. She contemplated whether she should dissuade the boss or not. She knew well that if the boss said he wanted to do something, it was usually best to let him, to avoid complications later.

‘I need to protect my boss,’ Yolin thought. Many people had recklessly tried to fly to the Saina Archipelago on their own. However, almost none were successful, and most were either missing or dead.

“It’s too reckless, Boss. The sky route to the Saina Archipelago is very, very dangerous.”

“...”

Yolin quickly read Jin-Hyeok’s intentions with the intuition of an employee. ‘He seems a bit crazy! I have a feeling that he’s thinking about how to create good content for his Eltube channel.’

Thus, Yolin became anxious. She had already lost her previous boss; she could not afford to lose another. “No, you can’t go.”

“What if I have an excellent mount?”

“Still no!”

“Why not?’

“It’s too... dangerous.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Of course! You are the one who pays my salary! The longer you stay healthy, the longer I happily receive my salary.”

“If you think that it’s dangerous, others must think the same, right?” Jin-Hyeok’s eyes sparkled. “Can you tell me realistically how dangerous and arduous the journey is?”

Jin-Hyeok’s heart throbbed. ‘This is perfect content for my Eltube channel!’

***

“It’s common for summoned beings to become weaker when called on in another Server, but in the case of the Thunder Dragon, the effect is even more severe. Earth simply cannot handle a being as powerful and magnificent as the Thunder Dragon,” Jin-Hyeok said.

However, Arvis was a bit different. Although the dragon would not be as unrestricted here as it was in Scanorbia, its residence, it would clearly face much less restriction here than it would on the Earth Server.

After climbing onto the back of the Thunder Dragon, Lessefim felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness. “You... tamed a Thunder Dragon?”

She strongly thought that Chul-Soo’s true talent lay in being a Navigator, but...

‘Was he actually meant to be a Tamer?’

Across the universe, very few had succeeded in taming a Thunder Dragon. Taming a Thunder Dragon was not just a matter of skill. It required timing and luck, as well as the Thunder Dragon having fond feelings toward the Tamer.

‘Should I just give up on trying to persuade him to change his Job?’

Lessefim wondered why Chul-Soo had chosen to be a Streamer when he had such aptitude and talent as a Tamer. This meant that Chul-Soo chose to be a Streamer because he truly enjoyed it. There was nothing scarier than a Player who enjoyed their Play.

‘Why become a Streamer with such talent?’

As the situation reached this point, Lessefim was able to look at Jin-Hyeok with a more objective perspective. She had been so eager to convert him to a Navigator that she had missed, or rather ignored, certain aspects.

‘I heard that he’s unofficially ranked number one on the Earth Server... And the person who introduced me to him was none other than Marshmallow, right?’

The fact that the haughty Marshmallow had introduced Chul-Soo as a Streamer and not a Player of another Job meant that Marshmallow acknowledged Chul-Soo as a Streamer.

‘And the Earth Server has not been officially open for even a year... and he already has the gold button?’

The picture was beginning to become clear for Lessefim. Jin-Hyeok’s true calling was indeed becoming a Streamer. She grabbed the hem of Jin-Hyeok’s clothes tightly. “It’s my first time riding a Thunder Dragon...”

“It might get a bit dizzy. Park Terse said he threw up after riding it.”

“Who is Terse?”

“He is the number one Tamer on the Earth Server.”

“Wait, so a beginner Server like the Earth Server has an integrated Server ranking system?”

“Well, he’s ranked number one in the United States, so he’s roughly the number one on the Earth Server.”

“...And what’s your rank?”

“Me?” Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “What are you talking about? I’m a Streamer.”

“Ah, I see. You know what you’re talking about.”

[“Let’s fly.”]

The Thunder Dragon began to flap its wings. Indeed, Lessefim was different from Terse. Even as they soared through the sky at tremendous speeds, Lessefim was not particularly panicked or afraid. Instead, she offered advice on aspects that Jin-Hyeok had not considered.

“Chul-Soo, are you still going to continue investigating you-know-who? You know, that universe-level Scenario?” Lessefim asked.

“Of course.”

“But you don’t have much time left to stay in Arvis.”

Jin-Hyeok had not received an official visa for Arvis; he had come to the Server on Marshmallow’s invitation. Moreover, after having caused a major incident in Arvis, he had drawn a lot of attention, which made it difficult for him to stay in Arvis through loopholes.

‘If Harkoen is really involved, she will try to force Chul-Soo out of Arvis first,’ Lessefim thought.

She felt inexplicably sad thinking about Chul-Soo leaving and clutched his clothes tighter. “So, you need to acquire citizenship.”

“Citizenship?”

“Yeah, official citizenship takes a long time, but Arvis has an honorary citizenship program. This program grants citizenship for about ten years.”

‘And you can apply for official citizenship in the meantime!’ Lessefim could not help but smile.

“How do I get that?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“You need to make significant contributions to the public good of Arvis. Like how you saved Liling from the clutches of evil and pursued the root of that evil to the end, eliminating Swampland No.2. As a result, the corruption in Dion was also exposed.”

The mayor of Dion had taken responsibility for the corruption of the guard force by leaving a suicide note and taking his own life. The note said it was all his fault for the events that transpired. He hoped that no harm would come to others because of him, apologized to his family, and so on.

Although many said he was forced to commit suicide, the corruption issue in Dion was resolved, nonetheless. A massive search of the Dion mayor’s office followed, uncovering numerous corrupt practices and tax evasion.

Lessefim continued, “Your actions were too clean and quick, so some people were a bit suspicious, but you did lay the foundation for restoring justice.”

“...I guess that’s true.”

“Yes. The footage has not been fully released yet, but once it is, you will definitely qualify for honorary citizenship. Of course, you cannot apply yourself; a citizen of Arvis has to do it for you.... But that’s something I can do.” Lessefim’s face turned red. Now was the time to reveal her true emotions. “That being said, about the footage that hasn’t been released yet... Wouldn’t it be better if I reviewed it first?”

“...Huh?”

“I mean, I need to see the content and the unedited full story first to write an appropriate recommendation for your citizenship.”

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head again. ‘Wouldn’t she be the one who knows the best? About the full story? I mean, we were Playing together all this time.’

“Ah fine, I’ll be honest. Just let me see the unedited videos first. I won’t ask for any other compensation,” Lessefim said.

“...”

“I’ve... fallen for you.”

Jin-Hyeok decided to turn back from heading toward the Saina Archipelago. As Lessefim said, acquiring the honorary citizenship first and proceeding with his content seemed much better options. Now that a lot of attention was on him, it seemed especially advantageous for him to obtain citizenship. However, the plan did not go as he thought.

“I wrote the recommendation letter, Marshmallow added his name as a recommender, and Chul-Soo released the videos! But why was the citizenship denied? How does that make sense?” Lessefim seemed indignant. “What’s the reason for the denial?”

She read through the document stating the reasons for the rejection.