I Gave Up Being Stronger

Cha Jin-Hyeok jumped down toward this space.

“The sword is emitting an auspicious aura. I will pick it up.” After grasping the sword, he exclaimed in surprise. The sacred light seeping out of the blade vanished instantly. “The sword has turned into scrap metal.”

It had transformed into an ordinary iron sword, the kind one could find anywhere. When he placed it back in its original spot, it miraculously reverted to its auspicious form.

“It seems I need to communicate with this sword,” Jin-Hyeok said.

He wondered if he should employ his seduction technique again. However, he hesitated.

‘I’m on a livestream right now.’ He would have considered using it if he could turn off his livestream, but the thought of broadcasting his seduction technique live made him feel repulsed.

‘It’s embarrassing to lack such intensity, but…’ Jin-Hyeok felt it would be better not to use the seduction technique with such a reluctant mindset. Suddenly, Lee Hyeon-Seong’s face flashed in his mind. ‘Hyeon-Seong summoned the Sword Spirit and communicated with the sword on his own.’

Jin-Hyeok thought this was probably the more orthodox method. ‘But how exactly did he do it?’

As Jin-Hyeok had never tried the orthodox method, summoning the Sword Spirit seemed incredibly difficult. His strong mental connection with Miri also made it challenging for him to commune with other weapons.

Kyle, who had defeated all the Immortal Magic Soldiers, approached Jin-Hyeok. “Weren’t you trying to summon a Sword Spirit?”

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Jin-Hyeok replied.

Kyle could not understand why Jin-Hyeok was having such a hard time.

“You must have plenty of practice at the Cliff of Singing Swords. Didn’t you communicate with over seven hundred swords there and summon their Spirits…” Kyle suddenly stopped.

‘Chul-Soo is not in his normal state!’ Kyle thought that Jin-Hyeok was exhausted after using his overwhelming power to instantly destroy the Dungeon boss’s coffin. ‘He must be indirectly asking for my help!’

“Let me summon the Sword Spirit for you,” Kyle said.

“Kyle, you’re my swordsmanship mentor who taught me how to reach the realm of the Mind Sword. Can you guide me once more?”

At first, Kyle found it hard to understand, but he was beginning to grasp Jin-Hyeok’s personality. There was no way Chul-Soo, who had summoned seven hundred Sword Spirits, was unaware of how to do it. ‘This must be his strategy to naturally prolong the livestream.’

Although they were very different, Kyle could not help but admire Jin-Hyeok’s professional dedication. He decided to explain from the very basics, step by step. “First, hold the sword in your hand. Physical connection makes it much easier to commune with the sword.”

Kyle, the champion of the previous Sword Emperor Tournament and the captain of the Sword Emperor Unit, began to teach Chul-Soo the orthodox method of communicating with the swords.

***

The Assassins of the Cyril Alliance, the largest Assassin organization in Arvis, gritted their teeth.

‘Our brothers have been murdered.’

It was an unexpected ambush. They cursed Jin-Hyeok’s cowardly act of bringing in the captain of the Sword Emperor Unit. Burning with fierce vengeance, they re-entered the Pangea Temple.

‘We will wait for our chances.’

True to their expertise as Assassins, they had thoroughly analyzed the Pangea Temple.

“We must eliminate the Corrupted Priests hiding behind the pillars to open the gateway to the underground,” one of them whispered.

“The Corrupted Priests should have been dealt with already,” another replied.

They secretly followed Jin-Hyeok, assuming he had already defeated all the monsters.

“Wait, all the Corrupted Priests have respawned!”

“Their respawn rate is far beyond our expectations!”

‘Did we miscalculate?’

The Corrupted Priests had already regenerated and were chanting ominous spells. Various debuffs and curses rained down on the Assassins. As they were skilled Assassins, they managed to eliminate all the monsters, but they were far from pleased.

“You’re lucky, Kim Chul-Soo,” one Assassin murmured.

“Indeed.”

“Be thankful to the heavens that our pursuit was delayed.”

Similar situations continued to unfold.

“Why are the Tainted Holy Maidens still alive?”

“They respawned too?”

Level 280 Tainted Holy Maidens were praying, shedding tears of blood.

“Be careful, these monsters are tricky.”

A barrage of sound magic spells attacked the Assassins, destroying their auditory organs and shaking their mental fortitude. To make matters worse, the knights serving the Tainted Holy Maidens swung sharp spears, forcing the Cyril Alliance Assassins to break a sweat.

“Let’s catch our breaths for a moment.”

“We should hide in the shadows.”

Something was amiss.

“Should we check Chul-Soo’s livestream before proceeding?”

It was impossible for the monsters to have respawned this early. So, the Assassins considered the possibility that Chul-Soo had passed through these areas without engaging any of the monsters here.

“That’s absurd, but… there is no other explanation.”

They felt they should check Chul-Soo’s livestream.

“We can’t check his livestream. Chul-Soo could trace us through the livestream.”

“He’s seriously wary of our existence. It would expose our position and strength.”

In reality, Jin-Hyeok was not particularly concerned about them; it was just their assumption.

‘Chul-Soo is very thorough.’

‘He must have left the monsters alone to throw off our pursuit!’

They had to hide in the shadows and think for a while.

“At this rate, we will lose Chul-Soo. We need to take risks too.”

Eventually, they agreed to check the livestream. When they turned it on, they could not believe what they saw.

“He has already entered the boss room?”

“How…?”

“Rewind the footage.”

After examining what had happened in Chul-Soo’s livestream, they were dumbfounded. They had never seen anyone break through to the boss room in such a manner. They reluctantly concluded:

“It’s impossible for us to reach the boss room.”

“Mole Woman is more impressive than we thought.”

“Her skills as a Navigator surpass our expectations.”

This left them with one chance—to attack when Chul-Soo’s group completely cleared the Dungeon and escaped outside. The group would be the most vulnerable after exiting the Dungeon. That would be the Assassins’ opportunity.

But then, they sensed another presence.

“Someone is approaching. It’s a human!”

***

A young man with a slender build and spiky ash-gray hair slowly approached them, wearing goggles. He sat down on the corpse of a Tainted Holy Maiden.

“You must be hiding somewhere around here, Assassins of Cyril,” he called out.

“...”

“I’m a Dungeon Destroyer contracted by the Three Sister Prophets. I wish to talk.”

The Cyril Alliance Assassins, still concealed in the shadows, conferred among themselves.

“Dungeon Destroyer? Do they actually exist?”

“Of course.”

Rumors of the existence of professional Dungeon Destroyers had been circulating widely. However, few people believed them. Aside from the ethical concerns of destroying Dungeons while people were inside them, it was assumed that the GMs would not allow such Players to exist.

“Is that even possible?” one of the Assassins asked.

“There are many more possibilities in the world than you might think. There is a lot your world does not know about,” the young boy said. He smirked and shrugged. “The Three Sister Prophets want Chul-Soo dead by any means. So, they hired me, and I’m going to collapse this Dungeon as requested. That alone should make it difficult for Chul-Soo to see the light of day again. But just in case, if he manages to survive and escape, I propose you ambush him.”

“You seem confident that we will accept your proposal.”

“Our goals align. Don’t you think my proposal is efficient?”

***

Outside the Pangea Temple, Samuel clicked his tongue as he looked at Shevian, who lay bleeding profusely.

“You have taken quite a beating, Son.”

He seemed to have been struck by something like a hammer.

“Father…”

“Son, I was never actually poisoned.”

“...”

“I pretended to be poisoned to teach you this lesson. The world is never easy. An Assassin must be true to their nature. When an Assassin tries to imitate a Swordsman, it does not end well.”

Shevian, severely injured by Miri, groaned and tossed about.

“Take this child away for treatment,” Samuel said.

“What will you do, Patriarch?” one of his subordinates asked.

“I will fulfill the Maier Family’s mission.”

Samuel bore no grudge against Chul-Soo. However, his mission was to kill all intruders who entered the Pangea Temple. He looked up at the sky.

‘I have grown too lenient,’ Samuel thought. It seemed he had made a mistake by letting his previous intruders live. He should have made it impossible for them to even approach them. ‘No one can take the treasure from this place.’

He glanced back and said, “If I do not return, take good care of Shevian. Though he’s young and hasty, his potential surpasses mine. He could be the future head of this family.”

Samuel Maier, head of the Maier Family, entered the Dungeon.

‘Hm?’ There were others beside Chul-Soo inside. ‘I guess Chul-Soo is more thorough than I thought.’

It seemed Chul-Soo had stationed an unusual ash-haired fellow and other Assassins here. It was like Chul-Soo telling him, ‘If you want to reach me, try getting past them first, Head of the Maier Family!’

‘I will show you the power of the Maier Family,’ Samuel thought. He had walked the path of Assassin for decades. Now, he decided to unleash all the skills he had honed over the years.

***

Kyle diligently(?) said, “Relax and focus on your inner universe. You should find a small light sending out a voice.”

Jin-Hyeok concentrated on meditation, following Kyle’s guidance. Eventually, he succeeded in detecting a tiny light.

-....me.

Jin-Hyeok strained to hear the voice.

-...touch me.

Through his fingertips, he sensed the immense presence of the Great Sword Spirit. It was the aura of a hero who had dominated an era. The sword conveyed the dignity that only one who had reached the pinnacle could possess.

-..to touch me!

Jin-Hyeok focused harder, trying to understand what the sword was saying. ‘What should I do to commune with the sword? What should I do to summon the materialized Sword Spirit? How should I respond to its will?’

Jin-Hyeok concentrated on the sword’s voice with reverence.

-I want her to touch me!

A great light pierced Jin-Hyeok’s microcosm.

‘Could it be!’ Jin-Hyeok had an epiphany. ‘So, I needed to use the seduction technique on the sword after all!’

As Jin-Hyeok abruptly stood up, Kyle scolded him. “What are you doing, Chul-Soo? Just when you were about to focus properly…”

Jin-Hyeok handed the sword to Mole Woman and said, “Mole Woman, try speaking to the sword with all your heart.”

As Jin-Hyeok’s devoted viewer and a true Chul-Soo Lander, Mole Woman was already familiar with the previous episodes and immediately understood what he meant.

‘He wants me to use the seduction technique!’ Mole Woman thought. Though she had never done it before, she decided to do her best to imitate Jin-Hyeok and Relphim. She wedged the sword handle between her breasts, then addressed the sword while exhaling her breath. “Arise, the Spirit of the sword!”

Kyle sighed in disbelief. This was a different level of absurdity compared to their previous outlandish actions. It was an insult to the way of the sword.

“How could such a vulgar act possibly summon the Sword Spi—”

The Sword Spirit manifested itself.

Mole Woman mischievously grinned. ‘Maybe I have a talent for the seduction technique…!’

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