I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 362

The deputy commander of the Magic Investigation Team, Melkin, was standing beside Ilina. He stepped forward and raised his voice, not bothering to hide the anger he had barely suppressed inside him. “Sir Chul-Soo, are you insulting the Magic Investigation Team?”

“I didn’t mean to insult you or your team. But if you’re offended, I apologize,” Cha Jin-Hyeok replied.

“That doesn’t seem like the attitude of someone who’s truly sorry.”

“Honestly, I don’t even see why I should apologize.”

“You impudent brat!” Melkin yelled. “Do you think you rule the world just because you’re famous?”

“I never said nor thought I ruled the world.” Jin-Hyeok tilted his head, unsure why Melkin was angry. ‘But him losing his temper will make my livestream more exciting.’

Jin-Hyeok grinned. He loved stirring up conflict to raise the tension for his livestream.

Melkin tried to hide it, but Jin-Hyeok’s relaxed demeanor irritated him.

‘That audacious fool!’ Melkin wasn’t accustomed to this treatment. He was a deputy commander of the Magic Investigation Team in the Mazique Empire, so people usually bowed and cowered whenever he spoke. This unusual defiance displeased him.

Then, Ilina said, “Melkin, have you forgotten who’s standing next to you?”

“I apologize.”

“Step back and control yourself.”

“But...”

“It seems I have been too lenient with you lately. You’re even talking back to me.”

Melkin hastily bowed and retreated a couple of steps.

Ilina sighed, blew a puff of smoke toward Melkin’s face, and calmly said, “Sir Chul-Soo. I will take your remarks as stemming from ignorance of magic.”

-She actually means that Chul-Soo doesn’t know shit about magic and that he should shut up.

-Melkin’s the real deal.

-She’s so pretty, but she’s not my type.

-Who the hell asked for your type?

“Everything looks easy from the outside, Sir Chul-Soo. You look so confident, but only after you try something can you know how difficult it is,” Ilina said.

“Commander!” Melkin shouted.

Grimacing, Ilina spun around and punched her subordinate in the stomach.

Thump!

Melkin fell to the ground, and Ilina gently pressed her boot against his cheek. “Didn’t I tell you to control yourself? Am I a joke to you?”

Jin-Hyeok desperately tried to suppress another laugh. ‘This will be perfect as the thumbnail.’

-LOL, I wish I were Melkin right now.

-Please, step on my face, Ilina!

-You guys are so gross.

-I wish I were Melkin too.

As such comments flooded Wang Yu-Mi’s channel, many viewers clearly understood what was going on.

-Usually, people get scared in this kind of situation, don’t they?

-I heard Chul-Soo is acting like that to stir up conflicts.

-Wow, those two have no idea who Chul-Soo is...

-These noble folks would never care about a nobody from a no-name Server.

-Did you just insult our Chul-Soo by calling him a nobody? How great do you think you are?

-It was sarcasm, you idiot. No wonder our country’s average IQ is dropping.

-But you didn’t need to insult me...

***

Ilina marveled at this turn of events; everything had transpired exactly as per the predictions of Vilsmark, the commander of the Special Task Force of the Helen Empire.

“Use your magic to a minimum,” Vilsmark had instructed them. “This will prompt Chul-Soo to volunteer to step forward. Then, you should reluctantly grant him the opportunity to use his power.”

In reality, Ilina and her team didn’t intend to destroy the mountain. They were just laying a trap, which was designed to appear as a raid.

“Chul-Soo will likely exceed your expectations with his attack. He can deploy the Babylon Cannon along with his comrade, Shin Yu-Ri.”

Thus, Ilina prepared a magic circle capable of absorbing the power of the Babylon Cannon. This was the precise calculation she was talking about—deciding how to arrange the rocks using magic, shaping the terrain, and embedding specific magical formulas to create the desired magical effects.

“There are some key rocks, especially those made of hard material. You will need to assess them on-site, Ilina.”

Their goal was simple: either kill Chul-Soo or inflict near-fatal injuries on him.

“Ilina, when the condensed energy explodes, the debris must strike and trip down Chul-Soo. After deceiving him twice or thrice with numerous setups, you should finish him in one blow. You won’t get another chance.”

“It’s easier said than done, Vilsmark. Do you think it’s simple to calculate such a deadly attack involving numerous Mages, using shattered rock debris to take down Chul-Soo?”

“I can’t do it, but you can.”

“You do know how to persuade me, old man.”

Chul-Soo was a thorn in the side of the three empires. They never liked what he was doing, from following in the footsteps of Garbinu to planting Guardian Trees in Servers around the universe. They did not like Chul-Soo asserting his dominance.

“Chul-Soo is like a virus spreading corrupted values across the universe, gaining love and influence among countless beings. His influence will grow only stronger with time. Isn’t that right, Ilina?”

“Our children shouldn’t be exposed to his harmful influence. That would be right for the peace of the universe, wouldn’t it, old man?”

“You’re right.”

“Let’s just say we’re nipping him in the bud before he becomes a bigger problem. That’s what our superiors think. Not that I mind.” Vilsmark neither confirmed nor denied his philosophy about the situation and added, “The problem is that his Level has reached 450.”

“Why worry about such trivial details? You know it already, don’t you?” Ilina smirked and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Once you surpass a certain Level, the difference becomes meaningless, as you well know, Sir Vilsmark.”

***

Having received an advanced notice, Shin Yu-Ri arrived at the Galui Rocky Mountains and blinked. “Are these people members of the famous Magic Investigation Team?”

“Yes,” Jin-Hyeok answered.

“They seem less destructive than I expected to, based on the videos.”

“They probably did that on purpose.” Jin-Hyeok vaguely sensed that they had not used their full power.

“So, they intentionally held back?” she asked.

“I’m not sure.... but maybe it’s because of the complex procedures and safety regulations in the Arvis Server.”

“Is that a thing?”

“It’s a sophisticated Server, so they must have to follow many procedures and safety rules. They are like government workers, after all.”

“You’re right. Government workers do tend to make even simple things complicated.”

Jin-Hyeok found this frustrating. All they had to do was block or dodge the flying rocks, but instead, they had to exhaust themselves calculating their trajectories.

“So, what should we do?” Yu-Ri asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Should we obliterate this rocky mountain, or should we also moderate our power?”

Jin-Hyeok was momentarily startled. He then asked, “Do you think we can do that in one day?”

“If we use the buffs from the Guardian Tree, I think we can.”

Jin-Hyeok was speechless. ‘Yu-Ri seems to have grown faster than I expected.’

Even Jin-Hyeok had not thought they could demolish the rocky mountain in one day. As time passed, he felt increasingly grateful for the inspiration and motivation his peers provided to him.

“Then, let’s give it our all,” Jin-Hyeok said.

***

‘Everything is unfolding just as Commander Vilsmark predicted. It’s only the two of them. With that woman by his side, things should be even easier,’ Ilina thought.

Demolishing the rocky mountain required more precise calculations than one could assume. It was no coincidence that Mages specializing in defensive barriers were stationed there. Even the smallest fragment ejected by the magical force could become a deadly projectile.

‘The debris will hit that woman. Then, Chul-Soo would have no choice but to use Absolute Barrier to protect her, which would scatter his focus. At that moment, a lethal fragment will strike him.’

Ilina thought that Chul-Soo was born in the wrong era. Had he been born a hundred years earlier, then based on his growth trajectory, he could have become a man capable of changing the fate of the universe.

‘But the Arvis of today has become too powerful.’

Throughout the ages, divine beings like Chul-Soo had always appeared. But like how a nail that sticks out should always be hammered down, under the scrutiny of the three empires, many divine beings had been disposed of or had fallen off. Ilina thought Chul-Soo would be no different.

“Let’s begin,” Yu-Ri said. Her right arm began to transform, clanking as it morphed into a massive cannon.

“Oh, it seems larger than before,” Jin-Hyeok remarked.

“Yes. This is Babylon Cannon Level 3, focused solely on destructive power.”

As Jin-Hyeok’s livestream began, Yu-Ri smiled even more brightly.

-Wait, isn’t this overpowered?

-Why does Chul-Soo always have such hot girls around him?

-She might not stand out at first glance, but such women are usually the most popular.

Despite Yu-Ri’s small stature, the Babylon Cannon she manifested was immensely large, focusing entirely on firepower. In contrast, Chul-Soo’s right hand appeared quite modest.

-It... looks like an arm sleeve. LOL!

-Wow, I haven’t heard the term arm sleeve in ages. LOL

-That’s definitely an arm sleeve.

Yu-Ri’s perception was different from that of the viewers.

‘Mr. Chul-Soo has grown again!’ she thought.

The energy emanating from Jin-Hyeok’s right hand was extraordinary. Just as the giant Guardian Tree had grown to become a mere ordinary tree, so too had his Babylon Cannon.

‘He set another benchmark for me! This is... my goal!’

Feeling exhilarated, Yu-Ri increased her firepower.

The Guardian Tree also roared.

-“Here we gooooo!”

The Guardian Tree was thrilled. It was accustomed to smashing the heads of ordinary beings, but smashing a rocky mountain’s head was something else.

-“This is what I call a change of perspective, you rocky mountain!”

Jin-Hyeok and Yu-Ri launched a golden beam of light toward the sky.

Ilina focused on the move, prepared for any accidents.

‘That looks like an air strike!’ she thought.

The beam, radiating intense heat, shot upward before plummeting down at a terrifying speed. It looked like a vertical column of light. The surrounding temperature surged instantly, and several Mages hastily drank water to cope with the scorching heat.

Ilina was impressed. ‘Their destructive power is certainly beyond expectations.’

The pillar of light made contact with the rocky mountain.

‘But this is in our calculations,’ she thought. Chul-Soo was now in trouble. ‘Without precise calculations, he will pay with his life for invading the realm of magic.’

She shook her head and closed her eyes.

‘A moment of silence for a hero that never fully bloomed.’

If he had been born into a prestigious family in Arvis, things could have been different. He could have been a leading hero destined to rule Arvis.

‘Your origin is the only thing to blame, Chul-Soo.’

Boom!

A massive shockwave and a hot blast swept through the surroundings. The highly concentrated pillar of light seemed to melt the entire rock mountain.

Ilina swung her arms to raise a defensive barrier. Only then did some of her subordinates start to breathe properly again.

‘Something is off,’ Ilina thought.

She saw no rock fragments. The lethal debris that should have been flying toward Yu-Ri and Jin-Hyeok like the weapons of skilled Assassins was missing. She glanced at Yu-Ri and Jin-Hyeok, who were still standing unharmed, continuing to put out firepower.

‘What the hell is going on? Were my calculations wrong? I checked the math over and over!’

At that moment, an unbelievable thought flashed through her mind.

‘Could it be...?’