I Gave Up Being Stronger

Just before the explosion’s aftershock reached the boy, Cha Jin-Hyeok swiftly activated Absolute Barrier to protect him. He was maintaining two separate Absolute Barriers with a slight gap between them.

A thought crossed his mind. ‘Isn’t this the first time I’ve publicly used two separate Absolute Barriers?’

He almost burst into a triumphant grin, knowing well that anything labeled as the first usually garnered high viewership.

Sparks incessantly flew between the two barriers. Members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell, who were watching this live, had distorted expressions on their faces.

“What a madman…”

“How can he control two barriers at the same time?”

Even Jin-Hyeok’s enemies found his control astonishing, far surpassing human capabilities. Blocking an explosion from the inside was almost unfathomable—it would require precision to the fraction of a millionth of a second.

Sandyem, a top-tier Lightning Mage, grimaced. ‘How is he so powerful?’

However, the leader of the alliance, Helam, remained relatively calm. “Do not worry. The explosion has already created a distortion in the warp portal. He will never find an exit. No matter how capable Chul-Soo is, he doesn’t have enough time.”

This was why attacking within a warp portal was dangerous—a minor shock or distortion could lead to significant casualties.

Sandyem cautiously asked, “What if he finds a way out?”

“Even top Navigators have failed to do so. Once a person is trapped inside a warp portal, there is no escaping. Don’t worry. He will end up becoming lost, livestreaming until he eventually dies.”

However, the screen showed Jin-Hyeok speaking.

⌜Look, there is light up ahead. Maybe that’s the way out!⌟

Helam dismissively chuckled. “That’s impossible.”

No one had ever survived and gotten out of a distorted warp portal; it was a place from which escape was considered impossible. Even though modern warp portals were remarkably stable, once a warp portal was destabilized, it could cause fatal accidents. This was why advanced Servers treated terrorist acts involving warp portals as war crimes.

“Farwell, Chul-Soo. Now, Hell takes a great step toward regaining freedom!” Helam shouted.

⌜Yes, fortunately, I have escaped safely. From here on, I will ride the Thunder Dragon and listen to what the boy has to say.⌟

Chul-Soo was safe.

***

Jin-Hyeok felt a chill down his spine. ‘Wow, that was pure luck.’

He had used God of Luck just in case, and it had fortuitously worked in his favor. The moment he saw the light, he instinctively knew that if he did not escape through it, he would become a lost soul inside the warp portal. The anxiety that he could no longer communicate with his viewers overwhelmed him. He glanced at the boy strapped to his side.

‘Well, I did save him though.’ In that urgent situation, he had managed to save and bring the boy along. It was a close call—he had almost not made it out of the warp portal because of the boy.

‘I should have left him behind, but…’ Jin-Hyeok had been feeling odd about it ever since. ‘Would I have felt at ease then?’

Even the thought was extremely uncomfortable. He rationalized the discomfort.

‘If I had left him, I would not have been able to produce more videos. That’s why I would have felt terrible.’

Even this did not clear his mind completely. He wondered if there could be other reasons for his feelings, which only added to his confusion.

***

Wang Yu-Mi and Joseph clasped each other’s hands. Their eyes were filled with great hope, and they almost murmured at the same time.

“The meditation video was a stepping stone for his next video!”

“It was for the next video!”

The meditation video was like a preview of what was going to come next for today’s video. The public opinion was rapidly changing.

[Where are the idiots who said Chul-Soo was declining? LOL!]

[Oi, where you guys at? Show yourselves!]

[Wow, but the scale of that accident was insane! A terrorist attack in a warp portal? OMG!]

The news of the incident had spread across the universe at an incredible pace.

[Who do you think was behind all this?]

└I have no idea. But how could they do such a thing? They should be shunned from society.

└This is so much worse than Players using hacks!

Yu-Mi asked, “Joseph, do you know where Jin-Sol is?”

“Of course, I do.”

Yu-Mi and Joseph were living a life for Chul-Soo’s livestream, by Chul-Soo’s livestream, and of Chul-Soo’s livestream. They had long established a system to fully support Chul-Soo, constantly monitoring the locations and availability of key members of the K-Force.

“Great. Let’s send the Saint of Freedom straight to the Hell Man’s palace!” Yu-Mi said while adjusting her round glasses. “The aftermath is going to be huge, so let’s do our part to support him as well. Let’s make it big, Starmaker Joseph!”

***

Riding the Thunder Dragon, Jin-Hyeok tried to strike up a conversation with the boy, but the boy did not respond. The boy still seemed shocked.

“I’ll take him to the castle first and try to stabilize him before having a conversation,” Jin-Hyeok said.

He safely arrived at Hell Man’s castle. Hell Man was waiting for them in the castle’s massive central building.

“I heard what happened to you. Are you alright?” Hell Man said.

“Of course.”

Jin-Hyeok was unruffled. Even though a minor mistake could have turned him into a lost soul inside a warp portal, he found that aspect quite interesting. He believed that he had maintained dramatic tension during the livestream even though the livestream had been in a third-person perspective. Overall, the situation was quite favorable for him.

“The boy was brainwashed. That’s why I’ve taken the liberty of calling Park Terse for help,” Hell Man said.

“Good. Let him rest for a bit. I think I need some rest too.”

Jin-Hyeok received VIP treatment as he entered the castle. Even so, he did not stop livestreaming.

“Do you believe this is Hell Man’s castle?” Jin-Hyeok said. He walked toward the gleaming golden gate. Guards in uniform stood beside it, raising their spears to salute Chul-Soo.

“Traditionally, Hell was known for its strength but lacked in civilization. But as you can see, that’s no longer true.

Entering the gate, he saw giant marble columns and elaborate statues. The horse statues, seemingly sculpted by a renowned Craftsman, appeared as if they could come to life at any moment, embodying the current might of Hell. Gold chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, shimmering in the light.

“The chandeliers are empowered by mana. This is very impressive.”

-Is it okay for him to show the inside of the castle like that?

-Isn’t this all supposed to be confidential?

-The world has improved so much. You can watch a different Server’s castle from the inside while lying in bed.

“The interior of the castle has become quite lavish, and it seems they have embraced modern civilization well. It is heartening to see Hell progressing each day,” Jin-Hyeok said.

During the recent incident in the warp portal, his live viewership had peaked at two billion. Jin-Hyeok had expected the numbers to drop afterward, but they were still fluctuating between 1.9 and 2 billion. The castle’s interior seemed to be quite appealing.

“The Succubi are waiting to serve you in the bath,” Hell Man said.

“Succubi?”

“I have carefully selected the most beautiful ones. I have also selected Incubi, so you can choose according to your preference. You can relax without any worries.”

“Hold on!” Jin-Hyeok abruptly interrupted him. “Are you an Assassin?”

“Assassin?” Hell Man frowned. “Is a rat hiding in here?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Jin-Hyeok shook his head in disbelief. He knew well that Hell Man meant no harm. Hell Man must have spoken so carelessly due to a lack of understanding of the livestreaming ecosystem. “My livestream can get demonetized because of this.”

“Demonetized?”

“Yeah, it’s like a warning for Streamers. Anyway, I am livestreaming for all ages here.”

An image of a swarm of nude Succubi and Incubi attending to him would not be favorable for his video. This content could sharply divide his viewers and was not good for Jin-Hyeok, who dealt with a massive audience.

“I’ll just rest alone,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Hell Man found it hard to understand why Jin-Hyeok was displeased. After all, he had chosen the best among the famously beautiful Succubi and Incubi.

‘Is he not into Succubi?’

***

Terse, who had tamed monsters in Hell, arrived at Hell Man’s castle. A maid led him to Jin-Hyeok's room, where a sweet peach fragrance filled the air.

“It’s a pity.”

“He’s handsome.”

“Can we dream of true love with him?”

“I tried to seduce him, but he didn’t even give me a chance.”

“Doesn’t that make him more attractive?”

As the door opened, several Succubi emerged from it. Terse stood dazed for a moment.

‘What am I looking at?’ he thought. It seemed like a collection of the world’s most beautiful people. The silhouettes of the departing figures seemed to radiate halos. He looked back as if he was enchanted. Unwittingly, he sniffed the air and followed the scent of peach, slowly walking forward.

“Terse, snap out of it,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Suddenly, Terse regained his senses.

“You almost fell for their seduction, huh.”

“...”

“If Succubi seduce you, you won’t have a bone left in your body. Remember that.”

“That would be worth it.” Terse looked at Jin-Hyeok with envy. “What does it feel like to live your life?”

“Did you check out my livestream?” Jin-Hyeok replied.

“Is livestreaming all that’s in your head?” Terse asked. ‘Is it so important that you can even send away such gorgeous beings from your room?’

Terse felt a bit sorry for Jin-Hyeok. “I guess your life isn’t as happy as people think, huh!”

“Did you watch the livestream or not?”

‘I guess this intense determination is what got you here. I should step up my game too.’ Terse had fully regained his senses. He said, “I watched it. Let me talk to the boy. If he was brainwashed, I might be able to help.”

***

In the end, Terse was not of any help.

“There doesn’t seem to be any mental manipulation. It’s not the kind of brainwashing I deal with. Hell Man came to the same conclusion. Honestly, I’m not even sure why he called me here since he’s more skilled in this area. To me, it looks more like drug-induced manipulation. He should’ve called the Saint of Freedom,” Terse said.

“Cha Jin-Sol?” Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “Does she handle drug-induced cases as well?”

‘When did Blood Priestesses have such powers?’ Jin-Hyeok thought. ‘Is it like treating drug addiction in the brain?’

Terse shook his head. “How could you be so disinterested in your sister? The Saint of Freedom is the drug expert.”

That turned out to be true.

“How did you come here so fast?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yu-Mi told me to get here, so I left quite a while ago. Anyway, is this the boy? I will have a look at him.”

Jin-Hyeok was so amused that he just chuckled. ‘She’s not treating him in the conventional way.’

Jin-Sol had previously mentioned enjoying the use of drugs as part of her Play. She said to her brother, “Remember when you said that the best defense is a good offense? It’s kind of like that. The best treatment a Player could get is to not get hurt at all. I thought hard about what you said and found that preventing the enemy from attacking is the most effective method. And for that, drugs are the best. My blood works incredibly well for this purpose.”

Having handled drugs to such an extent, Jin-Sol had become an expert. Traditionalists would have been outraged by such a claim, but Jin-Hyeok easily accepted it.

“It seems like you underwent an enlightenment,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Yeah, thanks to someone.” Jin-Sol bit her thumb, drew some blood, and placed her finger in the boy’s mouth. The boy’s trembling ceased, and his ragged breathing began to calm.

“Alright, let’s start the conversation. Hey, what’s your name?” Jin-Hyeok asked, turning his livestream back on.