I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 121

[You have entered the Field 「Burning Fortress」.]

‘Ah, it’s been a long time since I was here. From what I remember, there should be a giant mace that comes swinging down at me as soon as I enter. Hmm, something’s odd.’

The corrupted Fire Spirit, Ifrit, roamed freely on the first floor of the Burning Fortress. In fact, it was quite normal for Cha Jin-Hyeok to, upon entry, encounter a fiery mace that would come swinging right at him, but no such attack came this time around.

‘Why?!’

For the sake of good content, Jin-Hyeok wanted to get hit by the mace. He was extremely frustrated, but he didn’t show it and looked around the area instead.

“This place is quite hot. Everything is on fire. Over there in the distance, you can see a monster resembling a Demon. Its name seems to be Ifrit, and it looks like a spirit-type monster.”

[LV99/Ifrit/Skills]

With a barely audible gasp, Jin-Hyeok almost revealed the full extent of his disappointment, which was also clearly written all over his face, to the viewers.

‘Level 99? Why? Why is it nerfed? Is it because of the Solo Mode? No... that’s not it. ’

Back in his Swordsman days, he came here often in Solo Mode.

‘It used to be around Level 110...’

In his previous life, Jin-Hyeok had struggled quite a bit against Ifrit. It was a monster that was quite strong against swordsman-class Players. Being a Spirit-type monster, it inherently had a high resistance to physical attacks, even more so to sharp weapons like knives and swords. To counter it, dull weapons without edges were much more effective than sharp ones.

‘This is so annoying.’

It felt like the monster was nerfed due to the regression of the Scenario, but it wasn’t the development Jin-Hyeok had hoped for. His zeal to clear the Dungeon seemed to be diminishing in real-time.

“That is a Level 99 monster. It seems to have noticed me.”

He drew his sword, the Greatsword of La’kan.

“I will give it a try.”

The burning Spirit flew toward him. Its face resembled a black bull.

“The image of a burning black bull, flying toward me on two legs, is quite ominous.”

He swung his sword and slashed the monster.

‘Ugh, I don’t like this feeling.’

He definitely cut it, but it did not feel like a solid hit. It was closer to the sensation of having slashed through the air. The part he slashed seemed to disperse like smoke, only to gather back again.

‘It’s certain, Spirits really don’t match well with me.’

This time, it swung its fist at Jin-Hyeok.

Whoosh!

A destructive sound echoed in the air.

‘Activate Broadcaster’s Barrier.’

Using Broadcaster’s Barrier, Jin-Hyeok blocked Ifrit’s punch, and it seemed bewildered, disappearing like smoke only to reappear at a distance.

“The monster seems to have a Skill similar to warping.”

Jin-Hyeok was deep in thought.

‘It doesn’t have the same impact as the Madman of the Wilderness.’

The Madman of the Wilderness was really grotesquely formed and used the terrain around him, making it great for extracting visual aesthetics for Jin-Hyeok’s Eltube content. However, this monster, although at a higher Level, did not seem to be that great for Jin-Hyeok’s content.

“My sword doesn’t seem effective, but the monster seems fairly weak. I think I will just use something else.”

Jin-Hyeok wasn’t angry because it was nerfed.

“I’ll wield something other than my sword.”

This would have been unimaginable during his Swordsman days. How could a Swordsman wield a weapon other than a sword? This alone showed how much Jin-Hyeok had matured and grown.

“This is the Rule Breaker.”

The Rule Breaker was indeed a weapon, but it was a hammer-type weapon. As Jin-Hyeok mentioned before, the Swordsman, Zoro, from the Outul Server, also used this Rule Breaker.

“Since this is a hammer-type weapon, it seems good for hitting.”

‘Ah, I wish I had some proper movement-type Skills or Mysteries.’

A proper Streamer should have at least one movement Skill.

Anyway, Jin-Hyeok quickly approached Ifrit, and it put its hand to its mouth and whistled loudly.

Wheek!

Then, small ripples began to emerge from the flames engulfing the area. From those ripples, one by one, more Ifrits began to reveal themselves.

“I can see their feet sticking out. It seems like it thought the battle would be hard on its own, so it’s calling its friends for help.”

In the meantime, Jin-Hyeok swung the Rule Breaker at the first Ifrit that appeared. The Rule Breaker made contact with its chest.

Psh!

Smoke billowed up. It definitely felt more like a solid hit compared to when using the Greatsword.

‘It feels different, but it’s not bad.’

It kind of felt like beating soft tonkatsu batter. Though devoid of sophisticated skills or techniques, Jin-Hyeok’s Level still exceeded 110. Using Broadcaster’s Barrier to fend off the monster’s attacks, he hit its head with the hammer. After several exchanges of blows, he was able to kill the first Ifrit.

[You have defeated 「Ifrit」.]

‘It’s too easy.’

Jin-Hyeok couldn’t help but feel a bit of a crisis. Ifrit had become much weaker than he expected due to the nerf.

‘There’s no tension or intensity... This won’t make good content for my channel.’

It seemed there was somewhat of a problem with balancing the difficulty of the Dungeon.

‘I need to skip through this section quickly.’

He considered deactivating the bonuses applied by the Mythic-Grade Card for the sake of content, but that did not seem like a good choice. The fact that the monster being nerfed was infuriating enough, Jin-Hyeok wondered how pissed the viewers would be if the main character of the livestream were also nerfed.

‘Killing these monsters with overwhelming power has its own kind of fun after all.’

Jin-Hyeok swung the hammer.

“Die!”

[You have defeated 「Ifrit」.]

“Die! Die!”

[You have defeated 「Ifrit」.]

“Die!!”

[You have defeated 「Ifrit」.]

Jin-Hyeok beat up every Ifrit that came into his view. It was for the sake of a quicker progression, absolutely not because he was angry.

‘Huh? Why are the Ifrits retreating?’

This was the first time he saw something like this.

? ? ?

Jin-Hyeok was hugely disappointed.

‘I wish they would at least fight back!’

They were nerfed, and now not willing to fight. They weren’t helpful in any way. It felt as though the livestream was spiraling downward. Jin-Hyeok had to find something, anything, that could make for an entertaining livestream.

‘I guess now is the time.’

Jin-Hyeok slowly unraveled information that he already knew, as if he was just realizing it.

“From my experience in the Lava Valley earlier, the flames here somewhat feel artificial. Oh, now I remember other Players’ strategies.”

The strategies for the first floor of the Burning Fortress were already well-known to the public. While fighting the Ifrits, at one point, a slightly special-looking Ifrit would appear—an Ifrit engulfed in blue flames. However, there was no significant difference in its abilities compared to regular Ifrits.

“I understand that if you fight the Blue Flame Ifrit, a Scroll called ‘Breaking the Fire Prison’ drops as an Item.”

Throwing that Scroll into the palace ahead, where flames were fiercely burning, would put out part of the flames and create a staircase leading upward.

“With the amount of Ifrits I have killed, it seems about time for the Blue Flame Ifrit to show up. I wonder why It’s not appearing.”

‘The Blue Flame Ifrit is not showing up, and the Ifrits that should be charging at me keep subtly retreating. Why is this happening?’

Monsters hardly ever retreated. After all, being monsters, they were beings filled with hostility toward humans. It seemed like a lot had changed as he progressed through the Scenario. Jin-Hyeok slightly changed his strategy.

“I will try to solve the problem as a Streamer.”

[You have used the Skill 「Exclusive In-Depth Interview」.]

Jin-Hyeok discreetly used the Skill toward the interviewee who was running away from him.

“Retreating means having at least the minimal intelligence to suppress hostility toward humans and make rational judgments. Communication might even be possible. Hey, let’s talk this out.”

Using Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance and Exclusive In-Depth Interview simultaneously, characters made of mana appeared above one of the Ifrit’s heads.

[??? ??? ????][1]

They were strange characters that could not be interpreted. Had it been a language from Earth, it would have been automatically translated.

‘It turned out to be for the better.’

Jin-Hyeok changed the title of the livestream.

[Shocking content—what would the Fire Spirit, which had been hostile toward humans, reveal in an interview after suffering a severe beating?]

‘Why didn’t I think of this before?’

Simply beating them up was too straightforward. As a Streamer, he should conduct interviews even with monsters. Jin-Hyeok approached the Ifrit while being happy about his personal growth. Before he knew it, the Ifrit had been cornered.

[??? ????]

Although Jin-Hyeok could not interpret it, the monster seemed filled with fear.

Jin-Hyeok, who was using Exclusive In-Depth Interview, asked, “Why are you running away?”

The eyes of the Ifrit, who resembled a black bull, was filled with injustice and fear. Its pupils alone made it look like it was a calf.

“I will reveal it for the first time on the Earth Server.”

‘Are you watching this, Egan Paul? I’m the best.’

Jin-Hyeok, who prided himself on not caring much about things like being compared to Egan, said, “This is Transcendental Translation, a Level 100 Streamer-exclusive Skill.”

This was a Skill that did not just translate the language of humans, but went further to translate the intentions and inner feelings of the interviewee.

“It has the ability to interpret the underlying meaning contained within the language.”

[You have activated the Skill 「Exclusive In-Depth Interview」.]

[You have activated the Skill 「Transcendental Translation」.]

“By this point, you must be considering participating in the interview, right, Mr. Ifrit?”

Jin-Hyeok even used honorifics, as the monster seemed too frightened. Instantly, text appeared above the Ifrit’s head.

[...Need to... ignite... Blue Flame...]

‘Wow... An interview with a monster...’ Follow current s on ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet

Jin-Hyeok was very proud of himself for being the first person on Earth to do so.

“Blue Flame... But why aren’t you igniting the Blue Flame?”

[...Need to... ignite... Blue Flame...]

Through Transcendental Translation, the meaning contained in the language was conveyed to Jin-Hyeok.

Over time, a certain number of Ifrits would be generated on the first floor of the Burning Fortress. And after some more time, the energies of the Ifrits would gather, revealing the Blue Flame Ifrit.

‘I see.’

Jin-Hyeok now realized.

‘I killed them too quickly.’

The Ifrits, who had been sent back to the Spirit realm, would be blessed with fire in the Spirit realm and would reappear after recovering. That was the setting on the first floor of the Burning Fortress. However, the Ifrits that were hammered by Jin-Hyeok refused to be summoned again, hence there wasn’t enough energy accumulated to create the Blue Flame Ifrit.

‘So... I messed it all up.’

At this point, he had no choice but to admit it.

‘I was indeed angry when I hammered them.’

If he had proceeded with a more careful observation, this would not have happened.

‘I can’t tell this to the viewers, can I?’

It clearly looked like a botched development for his livestream. The fact that Jin-Hyeok was unable to progress because he excessively assaulted the monsters was difficult to reveal as it was a significant mistake as a Streamer. The usage time of Transcendental Translation was almost over.

[...Need to... ignite... Blue Flame...]

“After finding out through Transcendental Translation, it seems that the fire energy needs to strengthen for the Blue Flame Ifrit to appear. I will give a present to the interviewee who sincerely participated in the interview.”

Jin-Hyeok took out the Magma Fruit from his inventory.

“Eat this. It’s good for your body.”

Jin-Hyeok approached with a sly smile.

? ? ?

Bong King had fairly effortlessly entered the first floor of the Burning Fortress.

“Today, the party members accompanying me really have tremendous skills.”

At this point, he felt that it might be time to change his livestream concept a bit.

‘Kim Chul-Soo is wandering around the first floor right now...’ Bong King thought.

Although Chul-Soo was fighting the Ifrits on his own, for some reason, the Blue Flame Ifrit was not revealing itself.

‘After all, as of now, clearing the second floor and above is impossible for the Earth Players.’

The second floor was like an impenetrable wall. Unless Kim Pyeong-Beom, known to be a friend of Chul-Soo, made a surprise appearance, Chul-Soo wouldn’t be able to clear it. And Bong King knew that was not going to happen because Pyeong-Beom had once again entered a period of seclusion.

‘Chul-Soo must know this himself too. That’s why he is trying to extract content for his channel on the first floor as much as he can.’

From Bong King’s perspective, he thought his judgment was very logical.

‘Now, it’s time for us to take the lead.’

Unlike Chul-Soo, who was struggling on the first floor, he decided to move to the second floor smoothly.

“The Blue Flame Ifrit has appeared! Unfortunately, Chul-Soo hasn’t reached this stage yet. I should change my livestream title now.”

The original title was—

[Kim Chul-Soo’s New World Strategy. Can a party of ordinary Players replicate the God-like Player’s strategy?]

Bong King still recognized Chul-Soo as an otherworldly Player, but at least for today, he felt like he might be able to triumph even against Chul-Soo.

‘Shall I try to attract some viewers with my title?’

[Seems like I beat Kim Chul-Soo today. It’s no big deal.]

Bong King, along with the Players accompanying him, entered the second floor of the Burning Fortress. Then, a new notification rang out.

[You have acquired the Hidden Achievement 「Overtaking the Lonely Footsteps」.]

And that notification was also shown to Jin-Hyeok.

? ? ?

The Magma Fruit had granted the Ifrit a sufficient amount of fire energy, and eventually, the Blue Flame Ifrit revealed itself.

‘I would have simply beat it to death under normal circumstances, but...’

Thanks to the recent mistake, Jin-Hyeok learned a valuable lesson.

He needed to be more careful.

The narrative on the first floor of the Burning Fortress changed as he progressed the Scenario. Therefore, the response needed to change slightly as well.

‘Let’s interpret this further.’

Due to the nerf on the monster, he could observe it more calmly and smoothly. While blocking its attacks with Broadcaster’s Barrier, Jin-Hyeok utilized Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance and Exclusive In-Depth Interview to extract information from the monster.

‘It’s blurry, but I can see something.’

It was hiding something in its belly. Jin-Hyeok observed it for quite a long time.

‘I see it!’

[Transplanted Spirit Gate]

As a Player who had cleared this place numerous times, this was content he was seeing for the first time. The cooldown for Transcendental Translation was seventeen minutes, and Jin-Hyeok once again used the Skill to communicate with the Blue Flame Ifrit.

[Save...Her...]

Jin-Hyeok realized that simply killing the Blue Flame Ifrit to advance to the second floor was not the end. There was something else hidden.

‘I can smell the Hidden Achievement!’

Only now did his confidence as a Streamer sprout exuberantly. It was a slightly relieving sensation.

“From now on, I will venture into entirely new content. It seems like this might also be a premiere.”

1. This is Arabic, but the author probably used it as a placeholder for a foreign language. ?