I Gave Up Being Stronger

When Jin-Hyeok’s Level surged into the mid-400s, his mental bond with both sentient beings, such as the Guardian Tree and Miri, but also Mysteries, such as the God of Luck and the Spilling Wind, became stronger. The Thunder Dragon Atanna was no exception.

“Atanna.” Jin-Hyeok summoned her.

A golden door materialized in the air, and a blonde woman came out of it. She possessed a transcendent aura, far beyond that of a human.

Meeting Atanna in person for the first time, Han Sae-Rin could not help but exclaim, “Wow, this is incredible! Even Kim Chul-Soo cannot capture her true beauty. Oh, Chul-Soo, I’m not criticizing your skills. Ms. Thunder Dragon is too pretty. You don’t need to unnecessarily reflect on yourself.”

However, Jin-Hyeok was already thinking about it.

‘I can’t capture her beauty?’ For a top-tier Streamer, that was an embarrassing admission. He stared at Atanna, who subtly averted his gaze, overwhelmed by the intense and passionate emotions he was emanating.

“Your intense emotions toward me are pointless. I’m way too busy with my son right now,” Atanna said.

Jin-Hyeok did not hear her; he was deep in thought about how he could convey her beauty to his viewers more accurately and whether he needed more training and effort. His thoughts were bordering on obsession, ensnaring Atanna like a noose.

“But I might consider it once my son becomes a little independent. You’re a fine male specimen,” Atanna added.

“So, Chul-Soo, the Thunder Dragon’s appearance has become so mundane because your mental connection with her has become stronger, right?” Sae-Rin changed the topic.

Although Jin-Hyeok did not respond to Atanna, he immediately responded to Sae-Rin, to provide an explanation for the viewers. “Yes, that’s right. Just like it was with the Guardian Tree.”

“Less is more. Am I right?” Sae-Rin said.

Jin-Hyeok nodded and resumed the livestream. “Atanna, it seems you might be capable.”

“Are you talking about pregnancy? Just to be clear, I need two more years to be fertile—”

“Can I transfer some of your abilities to Lessefim?”

Jin-Hyeok had realized this after rapidly leveling up.

***

Lessefim arrived at the base camp in front of the Galui Rocky Mountains after Jin-Hyeok asked her to. Ilina sat at the edge of a tent, puffing out smoke. ‘What a sight!’

Lessefim was one of the top Navigators in Arvis, with numerous Adventurers lined up to receive her services. As per rumors, most Players had to wait at least three years to receive her help. She was also known for her strong pride and for rarely leaving Arvis, as she believed there was no need to Play in other Servers when Arvis was the best Server in the universe.

‘And she just responded to a call from Chul-Soo and came to an average Server like Hell?’

Ilina had initially thought that the way Jin-Hyeok was tracking Sandyem was unfamiliar and strange, but as she gradually recognized Jin-Hyeok’s true capabilities, she started to understand it.

When Lessefim heard the plan, she scoffed. “You want me to receive the Thunder Dragon’s abilities? Chul-Soo, have you forgotten I'm Lessefim? I’m ranked fifth among the Navigators in Arvis, unbeatable in tracking. And you’re suggesting I receive the Thunder Dragon’s abilities just to catch a mere Lightning Mage?”

Ilina understood why Lessefim was furious.

‘I would feel the same if I were her.’ She continued to smoke leisurely. ‘This will be fun.’

Chul-Soo had been unflappable even in the face of natural disasters, but this time, he would surely be unsettled.

Jin-Hyeok earnestly said, “Please, Lessefim, I don’t have much time.”

Ilina slowly shook her head; such a simplistic approach wouldn’t work on a prideful Navigator.

“W-Well… if you insist that much…”

Lessefim agreed even though Jin-Hyeok had not insisted on it at all.

***

“Very well. In obedience to the master of Dragons, I desire to transfer my powers to you. Being a Thunder Dragon, I’m exceedingly sensitive to lightning energy, and I shall convey this sense to you. I will transfer it in the ways of Dragons,” Atanna said.

Dragons, by nature, pursued beauty. Atanna said that the best method for transferring her power was the most elegant and beautiful one.

“So, what is this beautiful method?” Lessefim asked.

“It’s an elegant and noble method.”

“I need you to be clearer than that. What do you mean, you frustrating Thunder Dragon?”

“Do you truly not understand what this noble and elegant act entails?”

When Lessefim failed to grasp it, Atanna restored to describing it as mating.

“Are you insane?” Lessefim shouted.

“Why are you reacting like that to such a beautiful act? It’s the most effective method. If it bothers you, I can change into a male form…”

“I utterly reject it. I’d rather figure it out on my own.” Lessefim was resolute. She could never accept the Thunder Dragon’s method.

Visibly frustrated, Atanna tried to persuade her several times but failed.

“Then I propose a less satisfactory method, but this method may not completely transfer my power to you,” Atanna said.

Atanna and Lessefim reached a compromise. Lessefim unbuttoned a few buttons of her shirt to reveal her nape and right shoulder.

“This is similar to the method that vampires use, but it’s not as elegant as our meth—”

“I get it! How many times will you repeat the same thing? Let’s just get it over with. This is good enough for me.”

Atanna looked at Jin-Hyeok. Her eyes seemed to ask, ‘Is this okay? This method is not as efficient.’

Jin-Hyeok reluctantly nodded.

“There are some things in life that one simply cannot tolerate,” Jin-Hyeok said. It was just like how Wang Yu-Mi would never accept adult content or virtual marriage content. Lessefim felt similarly.

It suddenly occurred to him. ‘Yes, I’m not crazy after all.’

People called him mad, but no matter how much he thought about it, he did not feel like he was insane. Since he wasn’t mad, he could tolerate such inefficient methods.

Regardless, Atanna moved closer to Lessefim and bit the Navigator’s neck. Blue lightning shimmered around the wound, then a lightning-shaped mark was etched there. Lessefim’s eyes turned a shade of blue, and with each breath she took, a blue aura flowed in and out of her as if she were inhaling and exhaling faint blue smoke.

“Am I free to return now?” Atanna asked.

“Yes,” Jin-Hyeok replied.

Atanna waved her hand through the air, creating a golden door. “I shall leave now.”

“Alright.”

“It seems like I’m no longer needed here.”

“You aren’t. Thank you for coming!”

“If you need anything else from me, you should let me know now, while I’m still summoned. I would prefer to handle everything in one go.”

“There’s nothing else.”

“I see…”

Atanna’s movements seemed sluggish, almost as though she didn’t want to leave, hoping Chul-Soo might ask her to stay.

Jin-Hyeok could sense this, and he fully understood her feelings.

‘Seeing things in person is much more fun.’ He thought that Atanna probably did not want to miss out on seeing what was going to happen.

“Don’t worry and go back, Atanna. Although my skills may not fully capture your beauty, I promise to make up for it with more interesting and enjoyable videos. I will make it so that you feel like you’re watching this right next to us.”

With a sense of regret, Atanna departed.

***

After receiving the Thunder Dragon’s energy, Lessefim began tracking Sandyem. For the thrill of the chase, Jin-Hyeok started his livestream.

[Tracking]

-Is it okay to livestream this? Wouldn’t Sandyem watch the livestream too?

-Chul-Soo never cares about stream sniping, LOL!

-He tracks his enemies while giving them all the information.

-Black sheep wall…[1]

-What the hell is this guy talking about?

Jin-Hyeok said, “It’s fine to livestream as long as we track faster than he can run.”

Combining the Thunder Dragon’s energy with her tracking skills, Lessefim effectively pursued Sandyem. She moved swiftly as if she knew exactly where Sandyem was hiding, with Jin-Hyeok and the Magic Investigation Team following close behind.

Watching all this on his phone, Sandyem felt enormous pressure.

‘It’s so suffocating!’ Sandyem realized that if they tracked faster than he could run, they would indeed catch him in the end. ‘There is no way out.’

He had been unable to contact Helam for a while, and he realized surrendering was the only option he had left now.

‘You said this place was safe! Damn you, Helam!’

Sandyem drew up his lightning energy to signal his location. Yellow lightning crackled in his palms, and Lessefim detected it.

“It looks like Sandyem is calling us. I don’t sense any hostility. He could be surrendering, or this could be a trap,” Lessefim said.

“I hope it’s a trap,” Jin-Hyeok muttered.

“What?”

“Huh? What did I say?”

“You just said you hope it’s a trap…”

“That can’t be right.” Jin-Hyeok shook his head. Only a madman would prefer a trap to a surrender.

With a keen sense of timing, Kang Chul edited out Jin-Hyeok’s mumbling from the livestream.

-From what I know of Chul-Soo, he might prefer a trap.

-Even so, that’s too much. They are inside the Galui Rocky Mountains. If it’s a trap, it would be exhausting.

-Just think about those maze-like caves collapsing at the entrance. That would be terrifying.

-If that happens, you’ll never find your way out. Actually, the skulls of people who got lost and died in the mountains are used as markers there.

Lessefim found Sandyem relatively easily. Sandyem was kneeling, ripping his clothes to wave them as a makeshift flag. “I surrender! I recognize my mistakes. But I want you to know that I was just following orders.”

Jin-Hyeok kept some distance from Sandyem and zoomed in on his appearance. Sandyem looked terrified. It did not seem like there were any traps in the area.

Jin-Hyeok thoroughly looked at the surroundings with Broadcaster’s Insight but didn’t see any signs of traps. He glanced back to consult Ilina, perhaps hoping that the Magic Investigation Team could have detected some well-hidden traps. However, Ilina shook her head, indicating there were absolutely no traps here, which infuriated Jin-Hyeok.

‘How could there not be a single trap?!’ Jin-Hyeok then said, “How dare you surrender so openly?!”

1. Black sheep wall was a cheat code in StarCraft 1 that allowed the player to see everything on the map. ☜