I Gave Up Being Stronger

Cha Jin-Hyeok was not quite sure why the Job title was rainbow-colored. Nevertheless, Kang Eun-Woo seemed to be quite moved, speaking with an air of deep emotion. “Oh… I will try… my best to find the right path.”

“Good.”

With his face turning red, Eun-Woo gauged Jin-Hyeok’s reaction and cautiously asked again, “So… Can I really join your livestream, Mr. Chul-Soo?”

“Yes, if you do well.” Jin-Hyeok was immensely grateful for this opportunity. He wanted to tell Eun-Woo that, but managed to hold back.

A few days later, Jin-Hyeok introduced Eun-Woo to Wang Yu-Mi, who seemed quite pleased.

“He is not as charming as you are, but his foundation is trendy. And a Homepage Master doesn’t have to be particularly handsanyway. I will take good care of him.” Yu-Mi seemed to know quite a bit about the Homepage Master Job.

A few more days passed, and Eun-Woo cto Jin-Hyeok with a camera as big as a cannon. Apparently, taking pictures and videos of Jin-Hyeok rapidly increased his Level. Eun-Woo did not look like the glamorous Eun-Woo Jin-Hyeok knew before his regression; he was dressed more modestly and was even wearing a baseball cap, looking very different from the Eun-Woo Jin-Hyeok remembered.

Jin-Hyeok was thinking of trusting Yu-Mi’s decision, as she always made the right choices, when strange notifications cto him.

[You have becthe subject of a Homepage Master.]

[Homepage Master’s Trait ⌜Are You Worthy of Love⌟ has been activated.]

[The Traits ⌜Are You Worthy of Love⌟ and ⌜Munchkin⌟ are violently reacting with each other.]

[The Trait ⌜Everyone’s (Beloved) Idol⌟ has been created.]

Up to this point, the situation was somewhat understandable. The problem was what cnext.

[The Traits ⌜Imperial Resilience⌟ and ⌜Everyone’s (Beloved) Idol⌟ are violently clashing with each other.]

The System didn't usually give such detailed explanations. Thanks to his consistent meditation and training in contemplating the microcosm within him, Jin-Hyeok could accurately sense what was happening inside his body.

For the first tin a while, he felt a significant threat. So, he immediately sat down with his legs crossed.

But this felt more like an explosion. It was like a nuclear bomb dropping in his mind. If left unchecked, his mental world would get torn apart, leading to a high likelihood of him becoming a vegetable.

The explosion that was about to occur would far exceed the revival value allowed by Extra Life. In his microcosm, two stars were about to collide, both bursting into flames. Jin-Hyeok had to choose sides between the two stars, and at this point, he could not choose both.

Jin-Hyeok had possessed this Trait for a long time, and it was well-settled in his microcosm. He could not let the new Trait cin and disrupt his entire mind. So, he tried to help Imperial Resilience and push the new Trait out of his microcosm.

The new Trait pushed in regardless of his will. As he tried to push it out, he felt like he was burning, and the sensation was especially intense in his palms. Jin-Hyeok liked this feeling.

Filming a sentimental vlog had loosened his mental discipline, but now, he felt he could get it back on track. It was the real thrill he had missed for a long time.

Jin-Hyeok called in another star from his microcosm, a very large star called Pure Luck. It seemed as if Pure Luck itself was speaking to him

-If I help now, the microcosm will be destroyed. You will die, Master.

Although Extra Life could not stop the explosion caused by the collision of the two Traits, it could handle the fissure that Pure Luck would create.

[You have used the Mystery ⌜Pure Luck⌟.]

There was a bright flash before his eyes. Then, he lost consciousness, and it seemed like he had died.

***

It was only after three days that Jin-Hyeok could open his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Eun-Woo tied up with ropes against the wall. Cha Jin-Sol was dozing off beside Eun-Woo, seemingly watching over him.

“...What are you doing?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Oppa! You’re awake!” Jin-Sol ran to him and shook his shoulders. “Are you alive?”

“What? Did you think I was dead?”

Jin-Hyeok could have dodged the hit, but he chose not to. Somehow, it felt like taking the hit would be less exhausting.

“I thought you had really died because you were not breathing.”

Jin-Hyeok noticed that her eyes were swollen. Faintly, he remembered what had happened in the meantime.

-Please! Please don’t die! If you die, I will really kill you!

When the news of him waking up spread, his mother, who had been resting in the room, rushed over to him. Surprisingly, his father crunning too, his eyes red.

“It’s good you’re not dead.” After speaking gruffly, his father turned away.

Jin-Hyeok wondered if his father was actually angry, so he checked with Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.

[#Men don’t cry. #Especially not in front of their sons.]

His mother hugged him and cried her heart out. Jin-Hyeok awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Why is everyone acting so sad when I’m not even dead?”

“You weren't breathing, you maniac!” Jin-Sol had another outburst.

The people around Jin-Hyeok had been acting strange lately.

It seemed like as Jin-Hyeok regained his senses, those around him lost theirs.

“Ah, I guess I had died, since Extra Life is on cooldown right now.”

“...You talk about it so casually.”

“Why shouldn’t I be casual?”

“You’re an idiot.”

Jin-Hyeok felt wronged. He had boldly used Pure Luck because he had Extra Life. Even if this Mystery went berserk and destroyed him, he could cback to life once.

Jin-Hyeok believed he had made the best choice, successfully reviving by calling on Pure Luck; so, he did not understand why he was being reprimanded.

Jin-Hyeok had been feeling strange lately. His mother went to the kitchen to cook samgyetang[1] for him. Then, the Seo sisters, who had been hiding on the ceiling, revealed themselves. Long shadows stretched from the ceiling and rained down, binding Eun-Woo. They pressed down on him like a python, causing him to make a pained sound.

“What are you guys doing?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

Seo Ji-Soo asked with a fierce expression, “Did this bastard try to kill you, Oppa?”

Seo Ji-Ah, who seldom showed emotions, had an expression as if she was about to murder Eun-Woo. “I am going to kill him.”

Jin-Hyeok smacked both sisters on the head and said, “Do you really think he has the ability to kill me? Are you that stupid?”

“Ouch!”

“...”

The sisters’ reactions were strange too. Even after being smacked, they did not seem too upset.

Jin-Hyeok clicked his tongue and looked over at Eun-Woo. Eun-Woo was making muffled sounds, looking wronged. Upon closer inspection, Jin-Hyeok realized that Eun-Woo had a gag in his mouth. Eun-Woo had been tied up for the three days Jin-Hyeok had been unconscious.

“Ah…”

Seeing Eun-Woo like that brought back sof Jin-Hyeok’s lost memories. Jin-Hyeok had eventually succeeded in expelling the Everyone’s (Beloved) Idol Trait, which had burrowed into his microcosm, with the help of the Pure Luck Mystery. The homeless Everyone’s (Beloved) Idol Trait had been absorbed by Eun-Woo. For a moment, Jin-Hyeok felt a great regret.

However, he soon corrected his thoughts.

Jin-Hyeok could mimic others’ abilities. It was much better for him to receive these abilities filtered through Eun-Woo.

Jin-Hyeok had a conversation with Eun-Woo, and it seemed that Eun-Woo had acquired a dual-class Job following his Job change. Now he was both a rainbow-colored Homepage Master and a rainbow-colored Everyone’s (Beloved) Idol.

What had been a Trait for Jin-Hyeok had beca Job for Eun-Woo. This meant that Eun-Woo and the Everyone’s (Beloved) Idol had an incredibly good compatibility.

A kid with the qualities of a universe-level ranker really was different. Though it took a roundabout way, Eun-Woo had eventually obtained the Everyone’s (Beloved) Idol Job.

***

Jang Michelle visited Choi Gap-Soo’s workshop at Cheongdam-dong after a while and engaged in a lively conversation. She asked, “The Rule Breaker is a weapon that finds its master’s aptitude on its own, right?”

“That’s true. In the Arvis Server, they are also used as talent identifiers,” Gap-Soo answered.

“But why did Chul-Soo’s Rule Breaker turn into a hammer? Why not something more fitting for a Streamer, like a microphone or a camera?”

“Hahaha! You don’t know?” Gap-Soo said, laughing heartily.

“Do you know, old man?”

“It’s simple. It means that Chul-Soo’s talent is most specialized in wielding a hammer. Haven’t you seen the Guardian Tree in Seoul?”

“The Guardian Tree?”

“Yes. Among the Golden Guardian Trees of the entire universe, only one breaks the back of monsters with a hammer. This aspect is unique to the Guardian Tree in Seoul.”

“...”

“A Guardian Tree naturally comes to resemble its owner.”

“But isn’t livestreaming Chul-Soo’s greatest talent?”

“It’s true he has incredible talent in livestreaming. I, too, find Chul-Soo’s livestreams the most entertaining these days. But even that innate talent pales in comparison to the Infinite Chaotic Hammer Destruction Technique, doesn’t it?”

“Infinite Chaotic Hammer Destruction Technique?

“That’s a nI cup with. Fits Chul-Soo’s style, right?”

“You don’t know Chul-Soo’s style nowadays!” Michelle said while shaking her head in disbelief.

“What don’t I know?”

“The old Chul-Soo might have preferred a nlike the Infinite Chaotic Hammer Destruction Technique. But not anymore. He has evolved and is becoming a more refined Player.” Michelle continued with a confident expression, “I have decided to call Chul-Soo’s talent a Graceful and Complete Hammer.”

“...What does that mean? Why include the word complete?”

“I don’t know! I just decided to.”

“Nonsense! There is no ncooler than the Infinite Chaotic Hammer Destruction Technique!”

“Cout of your old-fashioned sentiment, old man.”

“Shall we make a bet on which nChul-Soo likes better?”

“What’s the wager?”

“Let’s bet ten billion Dias. Half of it will be donated to Chul-Soo.”

“Fine. I will bet double, twenty billion!”

It seemed necessary to ask Chul-Soo directly. However, at that moment, someone arrived at the workshop to meet Gap-Soo, guided by Lilia.

It was a girl in her late teens, wearing a school uniform and sporting a bob cut. She had a laptop on her left side and a yellow ntag on her left chest, with the number ‘1’ instead of a name.

Gap-Soo immediately stood up. “What brings you to this humble place?”

Michelle tilted her head in confusion.

“Who is she that you are acting like this?” Michelle asked.

“Stand up and greet her,” Gap-Soo replied to Michelle. He then guided the girl to sit on the sofa and said, “It’s been a long tsince we last met.”

“Do you recognize me?” the girl asked.

“Of course. What kind of idiot wouldn’t recognize the Mad God of Favoritism?”

As he said ‘idiot,’ he subtly glanced at Michelle. She was also surprised.

It was a nshe also recognized.

1. Samgyetang, or ginseng chicken soup, is a traditional Korean soup for nourishing the body. ☜

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