I Gave Up Being Stronger

“I see… I had a feeling something was off,” Cha Jin-Hyeok said.

“Keuk…” Kihael covered his face with his hands and sobbed loudly.

Jin-Hyeok looked at him with a hint of pity in his eyes. “It’s sad enough that you and your girlfriend broke up. But your boss, Serchan, actually said it was a good thing and was happy about it?”

According to Kihael, the passionate Serchan was a ruthless devil without any compassion. Serchan had said something along the lines of ‘Now you can focus more on your work! Hahaha! It’s music to my ears. Let’s drown in our work!’

“Serchan doesn’t even know why we broke up!”

“Why?”

“It’s all because of that bastard!” Kihael slammed a beer can on the table. He seemed to be harboring a deep grudge against Serchan.

[...#Jerk. #If he had less muscle, I would have hit him. #Damn him.]

“Why is Serchan the reason you broke up with your girlfriend?”

“He ruined my work-life balance! He constantly demands overtime, and if I don’t do it, he treats me as if I am the abnormal one. He acts as if working late is the most natural thing in the world! If he loves it so much, why doesn’t he do it himself instead of forcing it on others?!”

“Well, you do value work-life balance, which is quite common and sensible among GMs.”

“Exactly. But that jerk thinks he is the epitome of common sense and reason. That’s what pisses me[1] off the most.”

A GM using such language was surprising. Lately, Jin-Hyeok had noticed that GMs, and not just them but also Choi Gap-Soo and Michelle Jang, seemed to use trendy Korean slang quite often.

It was a pleasant thought, but Jin-Hyeok quickly shook his head.

It was essential to dream big but also stay objective.

“I don’t even know what good can come out of this if I keep living like this!” Kihael said.

He vented his frustrations for a while before getting to the main point. “Rather than working my ass off, I might as well leech off you.”

“Leech off me?”

“Do you realize you are now the target of all the GMs?”

“Me?” To Jin-Hyeok, this was an incomprehensible statement. “Why would they target me?”

“Are you serious? After everything you have done, you still need to ask that?”

“What I’ve done?”

“Forget it. You wouldn’t get it. What’s the point in explaining to a crazy bastard?”

“You know, I hate it when people call me that.”

“Then how should I describe you? No, never mind. Fine, you are not crazy. But anyway, you are a target for the GMs. They are waiting for the perfect chance to get rid of you.”

“They will probably try to torment you within legal limits,” Kihael added.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Does that mean they will raise the difficulty to its maximum within the legal limits?”

“Well…yes.”

Jin-Hyeok smiled. He believed that true Play came out when the difficulty was high.

“Why are you smiling?”

“If the difficulty increases, it means that the thrill also… no, the rewards will also be better.”

***

For some reason, the world seemed to be filled with crazy bastards. In such a world, Kihael needed to keep his sanity.

“Regardless, I’ve decided to ride on your coattails.”

Having come this far, Kihael planned to elevate Jin-Hyeok as much as possible and reap the Cha Jin-Hyeok effect. He had even secured a promise for a future job at KimKnowItAllTV, with a promise of a higher salary and better working conditions.

“I will provide you with as much helpful information as I can. Today marks the start of that. You are currently waiting for your Guardian Tree to grow, right?” Kihael said.

“Yes, I am.”

“A Guardian Tree, once matured, is a divine tree that showcases unmatched vitality and protective power. However, for it to fully grow and reach that state, a few processes are needed. Did you know this?”

“No, I did not.”

This was surprising to Kihael. He had assumed that the monstrous Jin-Hyeok knew everything, but it seemed even this crazy bastard was not aware of some things.

Although Jin-Hyeok had demonstrated excellent Play in various ways, he was not a God. Kihael thought his standards of Jin-Hyeok were becoming skewed, so he reprimanded himself.

“By now, fruits should be forming on the tree,” Kihael said.

“Fruits?”

“They are called the Unripe Golden Fruits. But they are not entirely beneficial.”

The Unripe Golden Fruits drew the life force from the Golden Guardian Tree to grow.

“One fruit among them will stand out, shining brighter and larger than the others. The problem is that one. It sucks up all the life force from the Golden Guardian Tree.”

“...”

“So, before the Guardian Tree fully matures, what’s colloquially known as pruning is necessary—to remove any fruit that excessively drains the tree’s vitality.”

Jin-Hyeok nodded. “So I need to promptly remove that greedy Unripe Golden Fruit for the sake of the Golden Guardian Tree?”

“Exactly. But you will need an exceptional Harvester for the job.”

“Thanks for the intel.” Jin-Hyeok stood up. “I was hoping to rest a bit since I had the time.”

Once Jin-Hyeok decided to move, he felt he was not that tired. He had also received healing from Cha Jin-Sol, so he was not in a bad state.

“I’ve been too complacent,” he said.

“...What?”

“I should have been more intense. Thanks for making me reflect on this, Kihael.”

Had he stayed by the Guardian Tree’s side, he might have noticed the changes occurring within it. Allowing fatigue and injuries to keep him away from the tree, even briefly, had been a mistake.

“...Reflect on what?” Kihael asked.

“Resting leads to stagnation. When you can do more, you should. You made me realize this.”

Kihael avoided eye contact with Jin-Hyeok. Jin-Hyeok’s eyes eerily resembled Serchan’s.

“Is that… a veiled dig at me?” the GM asked.

However, Jin-Hyeok did not answer. He had already exited the door.

Rushing to follow, Kihael saw Jin-Hyeok was already too far away. Kihael wanted to shout, ‘Hey! You need to find the Harvester first!’ but stopped himself. Adjusting his hat, he quietly exited Yeonhui-dong.

⁕⁕⁕

A moment of realization or reflection often sparks an unrecognizable vitality in a person. Jin-Hyeok was experiencing that now.

“I was too excited to keep resting,” he said to the viewers.

He started his livestream in front of the Guardian Tree. The moment he began livestreaming, an exhilarating thrill surged through him.

Watching his viewer count rise in real-time was satisfying, and the increasing number of likes gave him a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Just to be safe, he set the title:

[A Chill Livestream that Might Be a Bit Boring]

Over ten hours were still left for the Guardian Tree to fully grow. The livestream was a laid-back one before any major events would occur.

In Jin-Hyeok’s opinion, he was not yet cut out for that level of interaction.

He did not want inconsistency in his livestreams—interacting with his viewers at one moment, then not at another. Thankfully, Wang Yu-Mi had created a playground ecosystem for the viewers, so this was not an urgent matter.

“Some peculiar fruits are growing on the tree.”

Approaching the Guardian Tree, which was still emitting a majestic glow, Jin-Hyeok touched its trunk. “How does it feel?”

He heard a voice.

-“It tickles so much I feel like I’m going to die!”

The Guardian Tree still seemed to be in discomfort.

“At a glance, there does not seem to be a problem…”

Using Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, Jin-Hyeok examined the branches.

[Unripe Golden Fruit]

At first glance, the Unripe Golden Fruits scattered throughout the tree resembled green apples.

While the other fruits looked like apples, one looked like a watermelon. It was significantly larger than the others, predominantly green but shimmering in a unique gold hue.

“These fruits look good. I will see if I can harvest them.” He checked the underlined details, but the specifics did not expand.

[Only Harvesting-class Players can view the details.]

[Only Harvesting-class Players can view the details.]

Jin-Hyeok smiled. “It seems like the Golden Guardian Tree is set up in a way that prevents me from harvesting these fruits. This could be problematic.”

Meanwhile, Yu-Mi smiled contentedly, watching the chat window of KimKnowItAllTV.

-IntenseMan is being intense again.

-His voice sounds so calm, yet he thinks the situation is intense.

The viewers found a remarkable calmness in Kim Chul-Soo’s voice.

-He’s like a memory foam mattress, so calm!

-It’s so cute that he really thinks he is being intense.

-Wait, isn’t he genuinely intense this time?The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt

Debate sparked among the viewers again. Yu-Mi timely initiated a poll to channel the debate into an engagement.

[Chul-Soo is genuinely intense this time VS IntenseMan is just being typically intense.]

[1. Chul-Soo is genuinely intense this time.]

[2. IntenseMan is just being typically intense.]

-What’s your take, KingGodGeneral Yumi?

-Let’s bring in our Kim Chul-Soo expert, KingGodGeneral Yumi!

Yu-Mi naturally leaned toward the second option. She prided herself on being able to gauge Jin-Hyeok’s psychological state just by the tone of his voice. However, outwardly, she responded rather seriously. “Doesn’t it seem like he is genuinely, truly intense this time?”

[1. Chul-Soo is genuinely intense this time. (45%)]

[2. IntenseMan is just being typically intense. (55%)]

The percentage of option 1 instantly surged. Highly satisfied with the result, Yu-Mi secretly grinned.

Tilting her head slightly, she said,

“Actually, Harvesting-class Players, what are they called… Foragers? Harvesters? Anyway, without them, harvesting those fruits seems impossible… As Kim Chul-Soo just said, those fruits are consuming too much of the Guardian Tree’s life force. So, finding a Harvester should be his priority!”

Yu-Mi began to speak faster. “You guys know the value of the Guardian Tree, right?”

She shared a few pieces of data she had prepared in advance, which equated the Guardian Tree’s value in monetary terms. According to a report from an American research institution, the Guardian Tree was worth at least several hundred billion dollars.

“To protect such a valuable tree, Chul-Soo is undoubtedly exerting immense effort right now. The Guardian Tree is essentially a shield for Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, and by extension, the entire Korean Server. Chul-Soo is always devoted to its protection!”

-Protect Korea? LOL. That’s a wild exaggeration.

-That’s a major leap. LOL

- We don’t know that. If the Guardian Tree grows significantly and expands its territory, maybe it can truly protect the entire country.

-Calm down with the national pride. LOL. Do you really think that makes sense?

-How can a single tree cover Korea? Korea is larger than you think.

-Yeah, just like your face is huge.

“Huh? Chul-Soo is making a move!”

On the screen, Chul-Soo began climbing the trunk of the Guardian Tree. As it was not that big, Chul-Soo was able to climb it rather quickly.

“Let’s try to harvest some fruits then,” Jin-Hyeok said.

-Huh? He’s not even a Harvester!

-What’s he thinking?

-Did he get sucked into his intense concept? Some things are just impossible.

-Isn’t that overdoing it?

Chul-Soo continued, “Typically, in such cases, one would usually hire a Harvesting-class Player or a Foraging-class Player, but I will try a different method.”

1. In the raws, it says 킹받아, which is a combination of the words ‘king’ and ‘angry.’ It is an online slang, where users use king + any adjectives to amplify the meaning. ☜