I Gave Up Being Stronger

Holding hostages inside the spaceship, Helam conveyed his intentions through a loudspeaker.

-“I want to have a one-on-one conversation with Kim Chul-Soo, who stole the freedom of Hell. After our conversation, I will surrender peacefully.”

Special Task Force commander Vilsmark was displeased at this proposal. The Special Task Force and the Sword Emperor Unit had finally located Helam, and Chul-Soo was just a bit slower than them.

‘The public will likely think that Chul-Soo and Lessefim are more capable than us,’ Vilsmark thought.

Being the Special Task Force Commander, he had to portray himself as the best in the world. Therefore, this realization weighed heavily on him. With Helam wanting a private conversation with Chul-Soo, the focus had shifted to the Streamer, which irritated Vilsmark.

Helam’s voice echoed again.

-“If you guarantee me a conversation with Chul-Soo, the hostages will remain safe. I promise you.”

Vilsmark turned to Cha Jin-Hyeok. “Sir Chul-Soo, do you intend to accept this absurd proposal?”

Hoping Jin-Hyeok would refuse, he added, “You must know, Helam is cunning and treacherous. He could’ve placed traps.”

“Do you have any guesses about what those traps might be?” Jin-Hyeok inquired.

Vilsmark rejoiced internally. ‘Yes! Chul-Soo does care about his safety! I was right. Everyone cares about their safety.’

“We have not identified any specific traps yet,” Vilsmark said.

“I see…”

“Don’t be too disappointed. It may take some time, but the Special Task Force will uncover his schemes.”

-I think Vilsmark is misunderstanding Chul-Soo.

-Chul-Soo just wants to know what traps they are to create a dramatic scene for his livestream.

-LOL, Chul-Soo doesn’t even care.

-Yeah. Though even if he doesn’t know what kind of traps they are, he can easily create a dramatic scene.

Jin-Hyeok shook his head. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting.”

“What?” Vilsmark said.

Jin-Hyeok nearly blurted out that if he knew what the traps were, he could create great content for his Eltube channel. However, he managed to calm down. If he made light of the situation when many hostages were at risk, people could deem it inhumane.

“The people in there are someone’s parents, children, siblings, and friends… They are in grave danger,” Jin-Hyeok solemnly said. Even he was unsure if his words were part of an act or genuine. “And this man is requesting to speak with me. How can I not comply with his request!”

“...”

“Even if it’s a trap, I can’t just stand here.”

“If you go in there, you might put the hostages in even more danger.”

Observing the situation from Jin-Hyeok’s livestream, Helam shouted again.

-“I will give you one minute. If you don’t get me Chul-Soo, all hostages will die.”

He also used a Skill to display a red countdown in the air.

[1:00]

[0:59]

[0:58]

“I’m the only one who can stop this tyranny. Dangerous or not, sometimes you must move forward. Today is one of those days, Commander Vilsmark,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Feeling somewhat confused, Vilsmark could only watch as Jin-Hyeok walked away.

‘Is he… truly a righteous person?’ Vilsmark’s feelings grew complicated.

***

Helam’s heart pounded with anticipation. ‘I have made many sacrifices to get here.’

He would likely make even more sacrifices today. Helam had planted a magic bomb inside the spaceship long ago, and some of the passengers were great warriors ready to sacrifice themselves for Hell, being essentially living bombs.

‘If I can eliminate Chul-Soo… both the Guardian Tree’s power and the influence of Hell Man will decline in Hell.’

The first part of Helam’s plan was to apologize to Chul-Soo for the terrorist act he had orchestrated in the past, clear up any misunderstandings between them, and engage in a warm discussion about acknowledging the Streamer from now on.

‘Then, I’ll shake hands with him.’ The handshake would be his opportunity. Helam would press the detonator hidden inside his clothing and die gloriously alongside Chul-Soo. ‘All for the freedom of Hell.’

Helam was a true warrior, ready to lay down his life for his beliefs. At least, that was what he thought as he waited with a heavy heart for Chul-Soo to enter the spaceship.

“Welcome, Chul-Soo.” Helam suppressed his hostility with great effort. He also surrounded himself with various camouflage artifacts to mask his true feelings.

‘Chul-Soo can read others’ minds.’

Because of this, Helam was confident. Those who could read minds tended to become complacent.

‘This place is beyond the reach of the Guardian Tree’s powers. I can disguise my inner thoughts as much as I want.’ As a Ruler, Helam could watch Jin-Hyeok’s livestream without a device. The livestream appeared to him in the form of a hologram, and only he could see it. Essentially, he could stream-snipe Chul-Soo without people knowing. ‘He’s indeed reading my inner thoughts.’

In the livestream, Helam could see what Chul-Soo was seeing.

[#True apology. #Misguided beliefs. #Deep reflection. #Final conversation.]

‘Wow, is my disguise power this good?’

Helam felt triumphant. He had thought his disguise was not that effective, but it turned out that his abilities were more formidable than he had imagined or Chul-Soo’s discerning abilities were less powerful than he had expected. Hence, Helam assumed Chul-Soo would have put his guard down by now.

“I regret all my past mistakes. I want to apologize in front of billions of viewers, Chul-Soo. Or should I say, Sir Chul-Soo.” Helam smoothly continued, “After our little conversation, I’m going to walk out and surrender myself. Of course, that’s if you forgive me.”

“And what would you do if I don’t?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“My life will be in your hands. Whatever decision you make, I will not hold a grudge.”

Helam adopted a humble attitude, entrusting his fate to Chul-Soo, convinced that his strategy had worked perfectly. However, true Chul-Soo Landers sensed something was off. They actively chatted on the official Chul-Soo Land app, Chul-Soopia.

[No.001: Chul-Soo doesn’t usually show other people’s inner thoughts, right?]

[No.092: Yeah, he hardly does that.]

[No.221: This seems more like one of his strategies.]

Chul-Soo Landers were the most sincere followers of Chul-Soo’s livestream.

[No.001: Chul-Soo fooled Helam into thinking he fooled Chul-Soo! Chul-Soo Landers know what Chul-Soo is doing~ I love that about us.]

***

‘He wants to fool me, but his disguise is so transparent,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

[#This is your end, Chul-Soo. #For the freedom. #Martyrdom. #I will die with him.]

Jin-Hyeok knew Helam was stream-sniping him. He could also read Helam’s expressions in real-time. Even without Broadcaster’s Insight, the Streamer could easily sense what Helam was planning.

‘He’s happy thinking that he has completely deceived me.’ From Jin-Hyeok’s perspective, it was absurd. It was far too easy for him to deceive a mere mid-Level 300 Ruler even in a place that the Guardian Tree’s power couldn’t reach.

‘Ah!’ Jin-Hyeok suddenly realized something. ‘Helam has probably never encountered a Level 400 Eltuber before.’

People viewed the world based on their understanding. Helam wholeheartedly believed that if he did his best, he could deceive everyone. It was like how children thought they could hide themselves by covering their faces.

‘It looks like he’ll probably go for a final handshake.’ Jin-Hyeok somewhat knew what Helam was about to do. ‘Have I been influenced by Han Sae-Rin?’

Jin-Hyeok could clearly see the opponent’s moves—what he would talk about and what his next steps would be.

‘He plans to trigger the bombs he has planted everywhere and commit suicide with me.’ This puzzled Jin-Hyeok. ‘He’s so confident the explosion will kill me. How powerful does he think the explosion will be?’

Traps set by a Level 300 Ruler were more flawed than expected. It was uncertain how powerful the bombs were, but they were unlikely to kill Jin-Hyeok.

‘I would like to see it for myself.’

If Jin-Hyeok were alone, he would have just let Helam detonate the bombs, but too many vulnerable passengers were around them at the moment.

“I would like to shake your hand as a sign of my apology,” Helam said.

‘Why’s he being so obvious? Is he for real? Or does he have another trick up his sleeve, and I’m the one being deceived right now?’ Jin-Hyeok clicked his tongue but showed no outward reaction. He extended his hand as well.

‘Now!’ Helam thought. The moment they shook hands, he pressed the detonator in his left hand. “For the freedom of Hell!”

Helam shouted solemnly, but nothing happened.

***

Special Task Force members who had been covertly working outside the spaceship created an entry point and went inside the spaceship. They used grappling hooks to capture Helam. A circular restraining magical device was placed around Helam’s neck, and handcuffs made of the special alloy were secured on his wrists.

“We have apprehended Helam.”

Helam could not believe this turn of events. ‘Why? Why didn’t the bombs work? I definitely pressed the detonator…’

Then, Helam looked at the fallen detonator.

‘Huh?’

He spotted a mocking symbol underneath the detonator. It was the mark of Angel Girl Song Ha-Young.

Jin-Hyeok, who had knocked Helam down, continued his livestream. “Helam was preparing an explosion. Fortunately, I was able to detect it in advance. While pretending to focus on the conversation with Helam, I deployed Angel Girl.”

Helam thought he had been leading the conversation and had completely distracted Jin-Hyeok, but it was the other way around. It was Helam who was completely out of his depth. While pretending to focus on the conversation with Helam, Jin-Hyeok had distracted Helam and had Ha-Young steal the detonator.

“Helam isn’t good at multitasking,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Vilsmark frowned as he evacuated the passengers and managed the situation. ‘No, Chul-Soo, you’re mistaken. Helam is quite capable of multitasking.’

Vilsmark, also a Ruler like Helam, knew very well that what Helam had accomplished was a highly complex task. Helam had hidden his true thoughts behind artifacts and his mental barriers while engaging in a deep conversation with Jin-Hyeok and even checking his livestream through a hologram.

‘Even though Rulers can check livestreams through holograms, they mostly use smartphones,’ Vilsmark thought.

Using holograms was a mentally exhausting activity. Only someone truly focused and confident in their abilities would attempt multitasking of this level.

‘It’s not that Helam can’t do it; it’s just that your abilities are exceptionally overpowered, Chul-Soo.’

Vilsmark was very confident in his analysis. However, Chul-Soo had a different opinion.

“Yes, well, I think Helam was too nervous. He couldn’t multitask, and his focus was weak. He seemed pretty easy to defeat.” Chul-Soo didn’t realize even one bit how exceptional his Play had been. “Thank you for your donation! Thank you for watching my livestream!”

Vilsmark wanted to research the Streamer.