I Gave Up Being Stronger

‘They must have extensively reinforced it,’ Cha Jin-Hyeok thought

Since they were holding such a grand opening ceremony, they would surely have strengthened the security. They had definitely poured immense manpower and budget into making the Imperial Treasury an impregnable fortress.

With a somewhat solemn expression, Jin-Hyeok resolutely said, “If I feared failure, I would not have come this far.”

The Imperial Scholar Yulette was slightly moved.

‘Usually, people in his position tend to be more cautious… Is this what youth and boldness look like?’ Yulette wondered if he had ever been that bold. Though he felt a twinge of envy toward Jin-Hyeok, he did not show it and simply cleared the way.

Song Ha-Young, who was about to infiltrate the path to the Imperial Treasury along with Jin-Hyeok, gulped when she saw Jin-Hyeok. ‘I need to confirm it.’

Over the past three months, she had gained considerable confidence in her skills. After all, she had reached the entrance of the supposedly impenetrable Imperial Treasury multiple times. She had been brimming with pride, believing she could crack almost everything in this world.

However, that pride had been shattered just a few days ago.

[We are recruiting for the Imperial Treasury Exploration Team.]

It all started with a letter from the Imperial Scholar Yulette. He had invited Thieves all across the universe to attempt to breach the path to the Imperial Treasury. It was like a pre-test before the opening ceremony.

Ha-Young had been confident. Even though the path to the treasury constantly changed, she had reached the entrance multiple times! So, she had thought this would be a great opportunity to gain fame across the universe.

However, reality proved to be much harsher.

‘Why isn’t it working?!’

Reaching the treasury alone turned out to be far more difficult than when she had been with Jin-Hyeok. In the pitch-black darkness where she could not see anything, she lost her way several times and was caught by guards. Once, she even fell prey to an illusion, getting herself tied up and having to surrender to the guards.

The other universe-ranked Thieves fared similarly.

“The Imperial Treasury… I have heard rumors, but this is incredible.”

“Yeah, if the lethal barriers were activated, I would have died at least three times.”

“I’m giving up here.”

Ha-Young had made several more attempts but ultimately couldn't even get near the entrance. And now, another opportunity had arrived.

‘I have to confirm something.’

She needed to know whether she had reached the Imperial Treasury entrance before due to luck, her skills, or Jin-Hyeok’s presence.

***

For the past three months, although Jin-Hyeok modestly wished to stop getting stronger, his Level had already surpassed 550. His leveling speed had slowed down after he reached 500, but this comfortable reality had not lasted long. As time passed, the skills and abilities of Players from Earth and the Hell Server improved exponentially, accelerating the rate at which Jin-Hyeok gained experience points.

Although the experience points Jin-Hyeok needed to level up had increased, his experience servants had also gotten dramatically stronger. Moreover, he had even taken over the Scanorbia Server after they desperately pleaded with him to become their Server’s owner. As a result, his leveling speed, which had started to slow down, accelerated once again.

Amidst this situation, the Imperial Treasury opening ceremony was like rain in a drought—a much-needed content boost.

“I'm going to do it now,” Ha-Young said.

“Okay,” Jin-Hyeok replied.

Ha-Young walked toward the pitch-black darkness, and Jin-Hyeok followed her with a pounding heart.

-You can feel Chul-Soo is tensed up right now.

-This is it! This nervousness is why we watch Chul-Soo’s livestream, lol!

-It’s the essence of Chul-Soo’s livestream!

With the livestream vividly transmitting Jin-Hyeok’s emotions, the viewers were also very excited.

Ha-Young took a few more steps and then stopped. “Something is strange.”

“What is?”

“From my experience, this place is a world of chaos and irregularity. You think you’re going forward, but you’re actually going backward. You’re just walking, but suddenly you’re shooting up into the sky. You completely lose your sense of direction, and your vision gets obscured. It’s an ever-changing world.”

“So, what is strange now?”

“It’s eerily calm.” Ha-Young’s eyes narrowed. Of course, it was also possible that she hadn’t set off any traps yet. “I will move a bit further.”

Darkness began to envelop both Ha-Young and Jin-Hyeok.

“This dark mist usually has various properties. Sometimes, it has a lightning property that can paralyze you or a bewitching property that can confuse you,” Ha-Young said.

Jin-Hyeok lightly touched the darkness covering him, and it dispersed like smoke.

“So, does this mist have no properties?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“What?” Ha-Young shuddered. “It definitely possesses an extreme cold property.”

“Extreme cold?”

“Far away, at the primordial point where this dark mist is generated, there is a raging blizzard. The surroundings are completely frozen.”

Jin-Hyeok felt that something was off. He wondered why he did not feel anything if the mist was supposed to be extremely cold.

“I have a hunch, but let’s go a bit further,” Ha-Young said.

Not long after, they both fell into a pit. It was not very deep, about ten meters. While this would be very dangerous for ordinary people, it posed no threat to Jin-Hyeok and Ha-Young.

‘Should I exaggerate a bit?’ Jin-Hyeok thought. He briefly considered pretending to slip and fall for dramatic effect but decided against it; it would seem too forced.

“Usually, it does not end with just a ten-meter drop,” Ha-Young explained. “I remember falling for what felt like decades. There was probably a time distortion spell. I felt the fear of falling to my death for decades…”

Ha-Young shuddered. It had been truly horrifying. Anyone with normal mental fortitude would have gone mad long ago. Even Ha-Young had come close to losing her mind. “But here, that magic isn’t working either.”

Ha-Young closed her eyes and opened them wide.

“I get it!!!” she exclaimed, exhilarated about her discovery. Like Archimedes shouting “Eureka!” she said with wide eyes, “It’s because of you, after all!”

“Huh?” Jin-Hyeok felt somewhat tense. His modest wish to stop getting stronger seemed to be slipping away again.

“Your presence is nullifying all these spells.”

“You must be mistaken.”

“No, I’m right. You’re disabling all of this.”

Jin-Hyeok corrected her with a serious expression. “I didn’t use any disabling skills.”

“I know. That’s what makes it so amazing!” Ha-Young gave him a thumbs up. “Normally, we would not have the luxury to chat like this. New traps would constantly appear in this place. But now, there is no effect at all. It’s because of you. Your very existence is neutralizing this space!”

“Ah, then it must be because I was invited as a VIP.”

He thought the palace must have adjusted the difficulty to avoid injuring a VIP.

“No, the path is like a living organism. It’s impossible to artificially adjust the difficulty. They could turn it off completely or maybe disable the most lethal traps, but that’s about it.”

“...”

“I need to look into it more, but I think it’s because you’re an Eltuber.”

‘Because I’m an Eltuber? That doesn’t make sense,’ Jin-Hyeok shook his head. “That seems like a stretch. This is just you being amazing, Ha-Young.”

***

Ha-Young and Jin-Hyeok arrived in front of a massive stone gate. Two scabbards were carved in relief on each door.

“We have finally reached the entrance!” Ha-Young exclaimed.

“Are you sure this is the treasury’s entrance?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“It must be. These doors are emanating an extraordinary aura.”

When Ha-Young placed her hand on the stone gate, a wave of golden energy rippled from the carved swords. Golden spheres formed in front of the scabbard carvings and rotated with a humming sound.

“Look there. There are human-like forms inside the spheres,” Ha-Young said.

Two spheres had appeared in mid-air. Inside each, a human-like figure floated in a fetal position. The spheres slowly descended to the ground. The carved scabbards on the doors had disappeared, leaving plain stone surfaces.

“Intruders,” one figure said.

“Must be killed,” the other finished.

They were a boy and a girl with golden hair.

‘Twins?’ Jin-Hyeok thought. They looked identical except for their hair length.

Ha-Young bit her lip slightly. “This is the treasury of the Swedeen Empire. These must be the final Protectors guarding the treasury, so we should not underestimate them.”

She felt she had made a mistake by getting too excited. ‘We should have sneaked in quietly…’

They had awakened the Protectors. Being the final line of defense, these Protectors would likely be far more powerful and terrifying than any traps they had encountered so far. The twins exuded an aura similar to that of well-forged swords, their sharp presence making them feel like it was cutting into their skin.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you,” Ha-Young said before disappearing into the shadows, leaving the Protectors to Jin-Hyeok. The essence of a Thief was to sneak in and steal unnoticed.

‘This is even better.’ Jin-Hyeok’s heart raced at the prospect of him facing these two Protectors.

“You both look very strong,” he said, drawing Miri and taking a stance.

“We have been waiting,” the boy said.

“Welcome, our old master,” the girl added.

The twins approached him and knelt on one knee.

“Why am I your master?” Jin-Hyeok asked, confused.

“You have grown even stronger.”

“You have grown even stronger.”

They said in unison.

Jin-Hyeok realized these two were more like programmed NPCs than actual people. They seemed more like echoes of something rather than real beings.

“I’m not your master,” he insisted.

“We can tell,” the boy said.

“That vessel of a soul as vast as the universe is undoubtedly our master,” the girl added.

Jin-Hyeok felt slightly deflated. “Shouldn’t we be fighting? Your duty is to protect the treasury.”

“Our duty is not to protect the treasury.”

“It’s to prepare ourselves for our master, who would one day appear.”

They seemed uninterested in listening to Jin-Hyeok’s words.

“Please accept us.”

“Please accept us.”

The twins then turned into light and returned to the golden spheres floating in the air. A flash ensued, and a faintly glowing scabbard appeared before Jin-Hyeok.

“I’ve accrued a scabbard,” Jin-Hyeok announced, trying not to show his disappointment. Like a professional Streamer, he picked up the scabbard and calmly continued, “It’s emanating an auspicious aurora. It will surely be useful.”

Just then, a scream rang out. It was Ha-Young, who had gone ahead into the treasury. Jin-Hyeok raised his head and ran toward the door. The massive stone gate exuded an aura that seemed capable of withstanding even a landslide.

“I will try to break through,” Jin-Hyeok said, swinging Miri at the stone gate.

A loud explosion erupted. Simultaneously, Jin-Hyeok heard someone yelling behind him.

“Do you really think such a crude method will work on the stone gate?!”

With a rumble, the stone gate crumbled.

It had worked.