I Gave Up Being Stronger

“I believe we’ve met,” Cha Jin-Hyeok said.

The Broadcaster’s Truesight conveyed new information.

[LV202/Maria/Skills/Guardian of Faith/Confused]

‘What? I can see it now!’

Jin-Hyeok’s heart skipped a beat. It was a good idea to choose this Dungeon as the rendezvous point after all.

‘So let me get this straight. With the synergy between Imperial Resilience and Broadcaster’s Truesight, and after applying the All-Clear Achievement on the Skill, I am able to read even Level 200 opponents?’

The objectification of one’s own Skills was very important.

Of course, his reading was better because he already knew who Maria was, but it was still very encouraging to be able to read her, who was over Level 200.

‘Wow. This is so exciting! I can’t contain myself. I just managed to read information of a very high-Level Player.’

Although each country had a different classification, Level 200 was the realm of a grandmaster. For reference, Jin-Hyeok's Level before his regression was 240.

“You are right. This is not our first time. I apologize for what happened earlier.”

“You’re surprisingly quick to admit it.”

“That’s because I have to.”

“You mean you have to because of Gap-Soo?”

“Something like that.” Maria nodded. “What’s it like to see me through your Broadcaster’s Truesight? Do you think you can handle it?”

“What’s not to handle? It’s not like I’m guilty of anything.”

“You have a lot of nerve.”

Maria smiled and looked at Jin-Hyeok. He had a lot of good memories of her.

‘If it wasn’t for her, I might not have been who I am today.’

Before his regression, he was just a lunatic who only cared about being strong and would do anything to get there.

She had helped him use his strength for the right things.

Jin-Hyeok was curious.

‘So, is what I feel right now a sense of betrayal? Is it because she did something as inhumane as kidnapping? Or that she would brainwash and develop Players? Or maybe she would do something like that to me if she had the chance? But if that made me stronger, wouldn’t that be okay? Or is it not okay?’

Jin-Hyeok was deep in thought when Maria spoke up.

“The human race on the Earth Server is not optimized for Play.”

Jin-Hyeok knew this. Even the Demons of Dreams alone were Level 70 from birth. However, humans of Earth, no matter how they were Awakened, always started at Level 1. It was a very slow-growth Server, with the early stage stretching to almost Level 100.

“We decided that the Earth Server was too uncompetitive and that artificial intervention was inevitable,” she explained.

“By kidnapping and brainwashing talented Players?”

“I didn’t say we brainwashed them.”

“I know Hyeon-Seong pretty well. He is not the kind of person who would become a government official in his right mind.”

“Then you should talk to him. We did not brainwash him, I swear on my Job as an Administrator. We also didn’t kidnap Hyeon-Seong. I am ashamed to say, but the only people we tried to kidnap were the Wood King, the Successor of Jang Kang-Cheol, and the Blood Priest.”

Jin-Hyeok now understood why he felt so bad. This was not the feeling of betrayal.

‘This is a feeling of one’s pride getting hurt.’

Mok Jae-Hyeon, Kim Jeong-Hyeon, and Cha Jin-Sol were at the top of her list of people she wanted to kidnap. However, Jin-Hyeok himself was not on the list.

He frowned.

‘Does that mean I’m not that good?’

Not being the first choice was actually a good thing for him. He was aiming for third place anyway. This was good news for him.

‘But why do I feel so angry?’

Just for the record, Jin-Hyeok was only excluded because he did not register his Player name on the Ranking Board. But he didn’t remember that.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Maria’s so-called ‘project’ could be considered both illegal and legal, but it was a little closer to illegal.

“It’s a matter of whether you see it as the Administrators overreaching, or you see it as the groundwork for building a better ecosystem,” Maria said.

Jin-Hyeok was torn. He should be happy that he was not on the list, but he still felt bad.

He still had a long way to go to grow up.

He was angry, but he spoke to her as if he was calm.

“Just because the intentions are righteous does not mean the ends justify the means.”

This was something Maria had always taught them. No matter how righteous their intentions were, if the method was not right, it was not right.

“If there was no illegal coercion, such as kidnapping or brainwashing, then this could be considered good groundwork. You say there was no brainwashing, but there is no way for you to prove that, and I’m pretty sure I’ve already experienced your attempt at kidnapping,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...”

“Besides, the Level difference between you and me is so stark, I am not sure I would be able to handle it if you pulled another weird trick on us.”

“I promised I wouldn’t.”

“How do I know you’re true to that promise?”

“For our safety, for my safety, I am going to use the petition system.”

Jin-Hyeok was not doing this because he was offended.

“...What kind of petition are you talking about?”

“A petition to stop the Earth Server Administrators from overreaching through misguided means.”

Maria let out a small sigh.

“That, too, is a Player's right.”

For the beginner’s phase, the System’s petition system needed at least five thousand signatures to be effective. However, he assumed it would be difficult to meet the minimum number of signatures.

Currently, only one human on Earth had access to the SSP, which was Joseph.

Without the help of other humans on Earth, it would be difficult for a newbie Streamer at Level 40 to get the support of five thousand viewers from other Servers.

“I am not going to interfere, just do your best,” Maria said.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Gap-Soo was in a very good mood.

[VIP Invitation List]

[1. MoneyShower]

Thanks to the invitation, he was able to send a message in the chat for one minute.

[MoneyShower: Hey, MoneyShot, did you see this?]

Both MoneyShower and MoneyShot were Named viewers. They were both big spenders wherever they went and were members of the Trinity Club. MoneyShower was a well-known individual who had been famous for a long time, while MoneyShot was a newcomer who had recently gained fame.

They would argue over trivial matters and engage in battles of pride.

This time, the bet was about who would exert influence first on the infamous Kim Chul-Soo’s livestream, known for his unpredictable style.

[MoneyShower: Hey, MoneyShot. You’ve already lost.]

The messages lasted only a minute, but Gap-Soo enjoyed it.

His secretary, Lilia, cautiously asked,

“Is it really that enjoyable for you?”

“Of course! That MoneyShot bastard needs to learn his place!”

Suddenly, Chul-Soo submitted a petition!

“Ha! It seems like there is another person who needs to learn his place! Even after knowing his opponent’s Level, how can he be so uncooperative?”

“He even has the nerve to call you an old man.”

“Well, that’s why I like him.”

MoneyShower wanted to be called Choi Gap-Soo on Earth. He was quite fond of being called the old man, but Lilia could not bring herself to call him that.

“He’s really going to start the petition.”

And indeed, the petition was created. For the record, all Players and viewers who participated in the Play were collectively referred to as Users, and if enough of them agreed, the System would review the petition immediately.

“How many signatures does it take in the Open Beta Server for the petition to go into immediate review?” Gap-Soo asked.

“I believe it’s five thousand.”

“Can I buy the signatures for the petition with money?”

“Yes. It is set at one million Dias per signature.”

“That’s pretty cheap.”

“......”

“Let’s buy five thousand signatures. Don’t forget to show them who signed the petition.”

Lilia was momentarily at a loss for words. Their world did not make sense to her.

Giving up trying to understand, she accessed the System’s petition page.

“Chairman Choi, but…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m afraid to tell you this, but… the petition has already reached five thousand signatures.”

“What?”

Gap-Soo jumped to his feet.

“Wait, aren’t the viewers always so stingy about things like this? How can the petition already reach five thousand signatures? They are the type who can’t even bother to press the ‘Like’ button! It’s not like the Earth Server is that popular…”

“Well…”

Lilia held up her terminal and showed him the screen.

[Petition Signatures (Public): 4,200]

[Public List: MoneyShot/MoneyShot2/MoneyShot3/…/MoneyShot3912/Wind Wanderer1/Wind Wanderer2/Wind Wanderer3/…/Wind Wanderer102/Love, Memories, Longing★]

Between the two of them, MoneyShot and Wind Wanderer had over four thousand signatures. In addition to them, several viewers also agreed to reveal their nicknames.

[Petition Signatures (Undisclosed): 3,123]

[Petition Signatures Total: 7,323]

Note that to make one’s nickname public, one had to log in and go through the hassle of biometric verification. Therefore, there were more people who agreed privately than publicly.

However, due to MoneyShot and Wind Wanderer, there was a significant phenomenon where there were far more publicly disclosed petition signatures than undisclosed ones.

Lilia doubted her eyes.

‘As for MoneyShot and Wind Wanderer, I get it, but…’

The usage of the petition system itself in the Open Beta Server was unusual. However, even excluding the signatures from MoneyShot and Wind Wanderer, there were over three thousand viewers who signed the petition. This was an unprecedented event even on a universal scale.

In fact, achieving three thousand ‘Likes’ on a video, which was much easier than a petition and only required a single touch, was not an easy feat either.

‘How can a Streamer from an Open Beta Server have this much influence?’

There were only a handful of cases where the petition system was activated on the Open Beta Server, and even then, the number of signatures was all in the low double digits.

However, Kim Chul-Soo had over seven thousand signatures.

As a result, Chul-Soo’s petition was immediately reviewed by the System and the results were sent to the petitioner, Jin-Hyeok.

[The illegality of the project was verified.]

[Is the petitioner’s demand to stop or improve the project?]

Jin-Hyeok did not think long.

‘Improve.’

[The project in question has been directed to undergo improvement in response to the petitioner’s requests.]

Any illegal activity, including kidnapping and brainwashing, was now forbidden. The project was now monitored directly by the System.

‘Ah~ I feel so much better now. Now we’re definitely safe.’

Jin-Hyeok’s mind felt a little lighter. Now he would not have to be kidnapped and forced to work on a project like that.

‘And I don’t have to meet with Hyeon-Seong.’

If there was anything illegal in the process of recruiting Lee Hyeon-Seong, the System would review and correct it on its own.

“The livestream took a brief detour, but I will proceed with my main content. The destination is Ilsan Lake Park, the Golden Toad Dungeon.”

Jin-Hyeok changed the title of the livestream.

[Golden Toad Dungeon. Challenge accepted.]

No matter how many times he looked at it, it was a clean and beautiful title.

‘Yes. Titles should be this short and to the point.’

He felt like he was pretty good at coming up with titles.

Sometime later, Jin-Hyeok’s entire party gathered at Ilsan Lake Park.

‘Wait, what the hell is that?’

The Golden Toad Dungeon was already a famous Dungeon, and quite a few Players were camped around the lakeside.

‘Why is everyone just standing there and not going inside? It’s like they’re waiting for a ride at an amusement park.’

By Jin-Hyeok’s standards, something stupid seemed to be happening.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Okay! Next customer! That would be one hundred thousand won.”

Several uniformed men were running the place.

“Okay! Next customer! That would be one hundred thousand won.”

Most of them were big and had short hair. From a distance, they just looked like squares walking around.

Suddenly, there was a bit of a scuffle between them and the Players.

“Didn’t that woman in front of me only pay fifty thousand won?”

“Oh no, didn’t you hear the price was raised?”

The Golden Toad Dungeon was in the middle of the lake, and they had to take a boat to get there. The boat was not big, but rather a small boat, since the water wasn’t very deep. And the uniformed men were charging one hundred thousand won each time.

‘Wow, they’re literally robbing the Players.’

While Jin-Hyeok was in disbelief, Cha Jin-Sol was saying outrageous things.

“It’ll be a while before we get our turn.”

“Our turn?”

“Uh, there’s a waiting list over there. Do you want me to get one?”

Jin-Hyeok could not understand how his own sister could be so naive.

“Why do we need to be on the waiting list?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Um... to get on the boat? Duh.”

Apparently, this had already been implicitly accepted among the Players.

“This is illegal.”

“What’s illegal in this day and age? You can get away with murder as long as it happens during play.”

It was true that GMs had taken a lot of liberties to get the Play going quickly. But that was only between Players.

Jin-Hyeok said to the viewers,

“Wow, these guys have quite the nerve.”

He looked over at the uniformed men, just in case, and they were all non-Awakened. They were not Players, but they were pretending to be one.

“Non-Players are pretending to be Players and committing such illegal acts without hesitation. That’s a form of fraud, and such fraudulent behaviors need to be eradicated.”

Stabbing innocent Players in the back to get their own way was something only villains did.

And Jin-Hyeok hated villains.

One of his main missions, back in the day, was to kill those villains, and a lot of people who tried to kill him were also villains.

Jin-Hyeok’s voice was loud enough that one of the big guys glared in his direction. He could make out his name through Broadcaster’s Truesight if he wanted to, but his name was not important, so he decided to just call him Square Man.

“Hey! You over there! What the hell did you just say?”

Bubly's Thoughts

Hi readers! This is the 1st out of 3 chapters that we owe from the pause previously. Not to worry, we haven't forgotten about it. The remaining 2 will be spaced out and released eventually!