I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 175

“Look at those sharp teeth,” Cha Jin-Hyeok remarked, nimbly twisting his body to avoid the gnashing teeth. “That was close. I nearly got split in half at the waist.”

He noticed his clothes were slightly torn, but he was otherwise unharmed. His heart began to race. He could not deny the exhilaration of feeling alive in such moments. He had to admit that this kind of Play was thrilling and made his heart pound.

‘I had denied this feeling after I regressed.’

He used to think that he should not get excited over such things given that he was no longer crazy. However, his thoughts had changed just now.

‘If I’m enjoying it this much, the viewers must be on the edge of their seats.’

Jin-Hyeok was broadcasting the stream in the first-person perspective.

‘The more excited I get, the more vivid and enjoyable the livestream will become for the viewers.’

After he had Awakened as a Streamer, he no longer considered such actions crazy. He was not insane; he was merely fulfilling his role as a Streamer. At least, that was what he believed.

He continued his livestream with a slightly excited voice. “It seems we’ve reached the throat.”

No special effort was needed. The Swallowing Croaker took care of ingesting him on its own.

“I am passing through the esophagus now. It feels like I’m sliding down a waterslide,” Jin-Hyeok described, though he felt a bit sticky and unpleasant. He did not even mention the nauseating stench, considering it a minor detail.

‘It’s been a while.’

Before his regression, Jin-Hyeok had been devoured by countless monsters. However, this was the first time that he had been eaten by a monster since his regression.

‘I’ve definitely become complacent.’

He used to get caught and eaten so often in the past. Breaking out from the inside after being eaten by a monster was an excellent hunting method. Except for a few unique ones, most monsters usually had very weak internal organs, and the only thing to be wary of inside their bodies was just the digestive fluids.

“We’ve reached a squishy, ground-like area,” he announced upon arriving in a large, squirming space. “Bones resembling those of humans are scattered all around.”

The Swallowing Croaker seemed to have digested most of those things.

“They said it swallowed a cruise ship, but I can’t find any remains of that. Seems like the ship’s been completely digested.”

As he scanned the area with Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, something unusual caught his eye.

[Unidentifiable Fibrous Material]

The object looked like paper soaked in water, but Jin-Hyeok had no idea what it was. “There is quite a lot of this Unidentifiable Fibrous Material scattered around.”

Suddenly, a wave of intense heat surged through the area, and the smell of acid hit him.

“Hm... It feels like the monster is about to secrete its digestive fluids. Given the acidic smell, it’s probably a strong acid.” He felt a chill down his spine.

‘Wait a minute.’

Jin-Hyeok had thought this adventure would not be too dangerous since Lee Hyeon-Seong had survived inside the monster, but it seemed more perilous than he had expected. The greenish fluid slowly oozing out of the high walls seemed extremely dangerous.

“This digestive fluid is recognized as a monster in itself.”

[Swallowing Croaker’s Digestive Fluid/LV124(+99)]

“This fluid’s Level is the same as that of the Swallowing Croaker, but inside the monster’s body, the fluid gets a +99 adjustment. It’s practically a monster over Level 200.”

This was quite common. Even the weakest human stomach acid was a strong acid with a pH level below two.

“A misstep here might be deadly, right?”

Jin-Hyeok realized that the reason Hyeon-Seong had survived inside the monster was that he had quickly passed through this place before the digestive fluids were secreted. If one inevitably ended up inside a monster, avoiding the stomach at all costs was the standard practice.

Jin-Hyeok chuckled to himself.

‘This is what I call a real Play!’

? ? ?

Jin-Hyeok tried resisting first with Broadcaster’s Barrier. As the digestive fluid touched the barrier, it sizzled, producing heat and smoke.

“The fluid is penetrating the barrier,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Fortunately, the digestive fluid was falling in patches, allowing him enough space to dodge.

[You have used the Skill 「Time-Lapse Recording」.]

Slowing down the fluid made avoiding it somewhat manageable.

‘The flow of the digestive fluid is increasing.’

What started as a drizzle of digestive fluid gradually turned into a downpour. Jin-Hyeok did his best to evade, but he could only avoid so much.

‘Hm... Then I must ultimately break through the stomach wall.’

If one entered a monster’s body, the best course of action would be to avoid the digestive fluid altogether. But if one encountered the fluid, it was imperative to escape from the stomach quickly. The insides of a monster were resistant to acid or poison, but often weak to physical impacts.

‘But is this really the best I can do?’

Cutting through the stomach wall seemed the right way to survive. However, he was not sure if it was the best option.

‘And I also promised Park Terse...’

Jin-Hyeok had promised Terse to treat the Swallowing Croaker as gently as possible. Of course, he could break that promise, but it was also a matter of pride.

‘I can’t show a performance similar to that of the weak Anus Destroyer.’

The Anus Destroyer of the past had survived but failed to save the Swallowing Croaker. Subduing a monster, rather than killing it, was dozens of times harder. To prove himself superior to the Anus Destroyer, Jin-Hyeok had to save the Swallowing Croaker at all costs.

‘But I can’t think of a way...’

He had to think. Eventually, the digestive fluid rose to his ankles. Nearing the limit of his barrier and endurance, he sighed deeply. “It seems I have to break through the stomach wall after all...”

Suddenly, Jin-Hyeok heard a voice.

“You treacherous betrayer!”

It was the all-too-familiar voice of his comrade.

“Pathfinder?”

Han Sae-Rin fell from the ceiling. The way she fell looked dangerous, so Jin-Hyeok caught her.

“Why are you falling head first?” he asked. If he had not saved her, she would have died on impact.

Freeing herself from his arms, Sae-Rin casually replied, “I exerted myself too much getting in here and lost consciousness for a bit. Anyway, I’ll make sure to exact the price for this betrayal later thoroughly.”

Jin-Hyeok had no idea what betrayal she was referring to, but Sae-Rin moved swiftly despite the fluid sloshing around their ankles.

“She is wearing shoes that protect against strong acids. She is always well-prepared, a testament to a true Navigator.”

‘I hope Mole Man is watching my livestream,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

“Mole Man, who was with me before I entered the monster’s body, did not advise me to prepare such an item in advance. It seems like Pathfinder’s preparedness is superior,” he said to the viewers.

Sae-Rin quickly went off somewhere and tinkered with something. She gathered what he had seen earlier, the Unidentified Fibrous Material, and used a Skill on it.

“What Skill is that?” Jin-Hyeok wanted to use Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance to check it out, but he refrained. It was his comrade’s secret, and he thought exposing her powers was not necessary unless she chose to reveal them herself.

Green mana lines converged around the material, and then, with a flash, a green light burst forth.

[Paper Soldier’s Protective Gear]

“This is a new item. I have never seen it in the Broadcaster’s Shop. Let’s try it on as Pathfinder suggests.”

It seemed to be Jin-Hyeok’s first time wearing a full-body armor item.

“It feels like wearing a gas mask.”

The item blurred his vision slightly and made breathing a bit uncomfortable. However, it perfectly blocked the digestive fluid that was trying to dissolve his skin.

“Aside from a slight sting around the ankles, I’m fine. This protective gear is quite impressive!”

He was not sure, but it seemed the skin around his feet, which had been exposed to the acid for a long time, had taken significant damage. Still, he could walk without any problems, so he approached Sae-Rin for an interview. “Pathfinder, you have given me very effective protective gear. How did you make this?”

“You saw, right? I used the Fluffy Water-Absorbing Elephant[1] to absorb moisture and turn it into crafting materials with my crafting skills. I had the materials and the skills, so I just whipped it up.”

“But that’s what I’m asking. Aren’t you a Navigator, Pathfinder?”

‘Sae-Rin is supposed to transition into a Ruler later, but her current Job is clearly... wait, what?’

Originally, Sae-Rin’s Job had been the Secret Pioneer, but now, it had changed to Secret Destroyer.

‘Destroyer?’

It seemed she had undergone a Job change without Jin-Hyeok’s knowledge.

‘Has her style of Play become more aggressive?’

“Is it weird for a Navigator to do some crafting?” he asked.

“Well, it’s not normal.”

“Why not?”

Sae-Rin looked puzzled.

[...#Why is he like that? #I’m quite normal. #Is it because we’re on air?]

“We are living in a world where a Streamer is soloing high-Level invaders from outside factions and even clearing a Scenario on his own,” she replied.

“...”

“So wouldn’t it be normal for a Navigator to be capable of crafting?”

“Well... you are right.” Jin-Hyeok was easily convinced.

? ? ?

Sae-Rin had also worn protective gear, but her basic defense was weak, so Jin-Hyeok had no choice but to help her.

‘I’m not particularly fond of skin contact, but...’

Sae-Rin was his comrade and brother-in-arms. As such, physical contact felt awkward and somewhat embarrassing.

‘But, given her weak defense, I have no choice.’

He lifted Sae-Rin and used Broadcaster’s Barrier appropriately. It was far more efficient than deploying the barrier while they were apart. With both the protective gear and the barrier, surviving the acid shower was not too difficult.

“It seems to be finally over,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...”

“What are you doing?” he asked. Sae-Rin had stayed in his arms for a long time.

“I said, what are you doing?” Jin-Hyeok asked again.

“Huh?” It was then that Sae-Rin seemed to come to her senses and stepped away from him. Her face was as red as a ripe apple.

“Ms. Pathfinder, your face is really red.”

“If you’re going to use informal speech, stick to it, and if you are going to use formal speech, stick to that!” she said.

“Is that important?”

“It’s confusing.”

“What’s there to be confused about? I’m always inconsistent,” he replied.

Jin-Hyeok knew why she was so excited. “Was that your first time using that crafting skill, Pathfinder?”

“...What?”

“To achieve your first crafting success in a Scenario of this scale. You must be really happy.” Jin-Hyeok understood that feeling well. The thrill and sense of achievement after successfully executing a Play as intended felt almost like the high of a drug.

He continued, “But you should not forget your duty as a Navigator. It looks like the exit is opening over there. Should we head that way?”

“...” Sae-Rin seemed embarrassed at having her feelings revealed. She quickly led the way.

Watching her back, Jin-Hyeok felt quite proud.

‘Sae-Rin has grown a lot.’

As far as he remembered, Sae-Rin did not have crafting skills in the past. It seemed she had stumbled upon a crafting skill and just trained on her own. Considering she had prepared the Fluffy Whatever in advance, her intuition and senses were also remarkable.

Just then, she suddenly turned back. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“I’m just happy.” He was pleased with the successful tension-filled production and the growth of an old comrade. Surely, Sae-Rin had to be enjoying this too.

“You’re right about it being the exit. I don’t know where it leads, though...”

It looked more like a black hole than an exit. Where it led was unknown, but it likely connected to some Field inside the intestines.

Sae-Rin reached her hand out to him. “We might fall into different areas, so let’s hold hands while moving.”

Sae-Rin’s hand, which held Jin-Hyeok’s, trembled slightly. She had to be quite excited.

Smirk.

Jin-Hyeok felt excited too.

1. In Korea, there is a famous moisture absorber brand called Water-Eating Hippo. So, this was sort of a play on words for it. ?

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