I Gave Up Being Stronger

“I’ll be back, moly!” Dressed in a diving suit, Mole Woman plunged into the swamp. Moreover, she dove into the swamp as naturally as if she were entering a body of water.

-She looks like a mermaid.

-Please marry me. T_T

-I hope it’s not dangerous down there. She is too pretty. What if a Swamp Monster takes her away?

Mole Woman’s popularity was soaring.

Cha Jin-Hyeok used Absolute Barrier to protect himself and Park Terse, and a spherical barrier enveloped them.

“The monsters are surrounding us. I can feel significant pressure on Absolute Barrier.” Jin-Hyeok was broadcasting the situation from a first-person perspective. He knew the viewers also felt the pressure. “Terse is muttering something with his eyes closed.”

After a moment, Terse opened his eyes. “These monsters want to communicate. They are friendly toward humans.”

“Communicate?”

“Yes. But they are not tamed, so the communication is not going to be refined. It would be like speaking to a person who speaks a foreign language. However, even with a language barrier, communication and connection are possible.”

Most people would have found this odd. The natural thing for most people to say in these kinds of situations would be that communication would be difficult with the language barrier.

But Jin-Hyeok just nodded. “Oh, I see.”

“The way they are surrounding us seems to be a form of greeting, like how humans shake hands.”

From a human perspective, this was a greeting method perfectly suited to cause suffocation or even death.

“Having a conversation with untamed monsters… I never thought this was possible!” Jin-Hyeok said to the viewers.

“If you can’t even talk to a monster, you can’t be called a Tamer,” Terse proudly said.

“Is that the basics for a Tamer?”

“Of course.”

This sparked a crisis of confidence among countless Tamers across the universe.

-I guess I am not a Tamer anymore.

-I’ve never talked to an untamed monster.

-That’s the basics?

-I’ve been preparing to become a Tamer for three years. Maybe I should just quit.

Terse continued, “Chul-Soo, are you going to accept their greeting? They want to guide us to the palace where the Swamp Spirit resides—”

Terse could not finish his sentence; he was at a loss for words.

“You’re already exchanging greetings,” the Tamer added.

Jin-Hyeok had already dispelled Absolute Barrier and was surrounded by numerous Swamp Monsters. They were piling on top of Jin-Hyeok, looking somewhat like a giant blob.

“The sticky liquid is pushing into my mouth, making it hard to talk. I can hardly breathe,” Jin-Hyeok said.

In the first-person perspective, the viewers were experiencing the same pressure Jin-Hyeok felt, albeit much less intensely.

-I just turned off the screen.

-If we feel this much pressure, how can he still talk?

-Is this also the basics for a Streamer?

-I guess I am not a Streamer anymore.

However, Jin-Hyeok himself did not feel particularly suffocated or in danger. It was just a bit uncomfortable, so he remained calm and formed a small Absolute Barrier around his mouth.

‘I can’t just stop talking because of this. I need to fill in the audio.’

Now, it was easier for him to speak.

“These semi-liquid, foul-smelling substances seem to be burrowing into every orifice. It is a powerful and intense greeting that even Tanks below Level 230 would struggle with. Most would suffocate or be crushed,” Jin-Hyeok said.

-A Level 230 Tank might die, but a Streamer won’t… That’s insane!

-Chul-Soo is much stronger than a Level 230 Tank.

-I am a Level 230 Tank, and he is right, I don’t think I can survive that. Well, moving on.

Soon, Mole Woman burst forth from the swamp. She looked supremely confident as if she had acquired critical information.

“I’m back, moly! Wait, is Chul-Soo inside that giant blob, moly?”

Mud continued to slide off Jin-Hyeok, making him appear like a doll covered in mud. Mole Woman frantically cleared the mud with her hands, searching for Jin-Hyeok’s face.

“This must be his face, moly!”

She inserted her hands into the mud, forming an umbrella with them to shield Jin-Hyeok from the dripping muck. Mole Woman and Jin-Hyeok were now facing each other at a very close range.

-Jesus, what a scene!

-I feel like the genre of the content is survival, but why does it look like romance?

-They say even the shadow of a beautiful person is beautiful, and it’s true, LOL! Even in this muddy mess, Chul-Soo looks ridiculously handsome! Life is so unfair.

-I ain’t even mad. I just want Chul-Soo to be happy.

“Chul-Soo, listen carefully. I have found a very important clue, moly,” Mole Woman said.

“Are you talking about the Swamp Spirit?”

“How did you know?”

“I hope that’s not all the information.”

Mole Woman was speechless for a moment. She had swum to the deepest part of the swamp and obtained this information through a shining crystal orb. To outsiders, it could have seemed easy, but Mole Woman had also risked her life.

“Well, of course, that’s not everything, moly… I also know where the Swamp Spirit is.” Although she said that, it wasn’t the truth. However, she did not want to lie to Chul-Soo, so she added, “Actually, I think I know where Swamp Spirit is. The path may be difficult, but given time, I believe I can find it, moly!”

Jin-Hyeok replied, “The monsters are saying that they are bringing the Swamp Spirit to us.”

Mole Woman and Terse looked at each other with similar expressions.

‘You too?’

‘You too?’

Both of them were feeling a shared emotion.

***

Terse doubted his ears. ‘Wait, Chul-Soo is communicating with the Swamp Monsters?’

He wanted to ask Chul-Soo whether it was truly a conversation or if he had used Broadcaster's Insight to read their inner thoughts.

“Just like Terse said, I can’t fully understand what the monsters are saying. It’s like they are speaking a foreign language I barely know. Anyway, they say the Swamp Spirit is coming here. Terse, am I right?” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Yes.”

“Thanks for your teachings, Terse.”

Terse felt the urge to ask again, ‘What have I taught him?’

If he had taught anything, it was the basic fact that a competent Tamer should be able to communicate with untamed monsters to a certain point.

‘Did he manage to converse with the monsters just because I mentioned that?’

Terse remembered the eager look Chul-Soo had given him earlier. Clearly, Chul-Soo wanted to grow into a Tamer who could one day pose a threat to Terse.

‘This won’t do.’

In Jin-Hyeok’s life before his regression, Terse was a Player who rejected competition. He used to argue that competing with others in taming was utterly useless and counterproductive, but now he had changed.

‘I will not lose to you, Chul-Soo.’

Terse decided to compete with Chul-Soo seriously. He knew he was not skilled in other areas, but he wanted to be the top Tamer in the world.

Mole Woman had similar thoughts.

‘I lost this time, moly.’

Chul-Soo was currently using the minimum necessary power to find the most efficient path. Indeed, a true Navigator needed to use the least amount of energy to find the optimal route. Chul-Soo’s current approach was the epitome of a Navigator’s Play.

‘But do not get complacent, moly.'

Mole Woman’s former rival was Han Sae-Rin. In fact, she still felt competitive toward Sae-Rin occasionally, but now she had a more formidable rival.

‘I am the best Navigator on Earth. Not you, moly!’

***

While Terse and Mole Woman were both kindling their resolve, the swamp suddenly split open. For the first time, the bottom of the swamp, which was thought to be unfathomably deep, was revealed.

“It does not seem as deep as we thought. It looks to be about twenty meters deep,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Far below the swamp, they could see something resembling a crocodile. This crocodile had two pairs of translucent wings attached to its back. Energetically flapping its cute wings, the crocodile gently rose into the air.

[LV299/Swamp Fairy/Skills/Achievements]

One of its Achievements was particularly fascinating.

[Sowed the Seven-Thousand-Year-Old Sacred Tree]

The number seven thousand and the term Sacred Tree were very familiar to Jin-Hyeok. These were the same words from a Hidden Quest he had undertaken before.

[Seven-Thousand-Year Wish of the Sacred Tree Bakurudnaima]

“Bakurudnaima?” Jin-Hyeok said.

It was the Sacred Tree that had been ravaged by the Red-Eyed Ants. Through that event, Jin-Hyeok had acquired the Phantom Swordswoman and even engaged in a fierce battle with the Queen Ant. The crocodile-shaped fairy floated before Jin-Hyeok and said,

[אני פיית ביצות, נעים להכיר.]

Jin-Hyeok could not comprehend what the fairy said. Terse saw this as his chance. A true Tamer needed to have the capability to tame even humans, and this included Fairies. Even if taming was not possible, he needed to have a conversation with it.

“I will try to communicate with it,” Terse said, determined to prove the essence of a true Tamer.

But Jin-Hyeok summoned Elly.

“Hehe, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a fairy,” Elly said.

“Can you communicate with a fairy?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Of course!”

Once again, Terse missed his opportunity to prove himself.

***

Elly’s interpretation skills were exceptional. Thanks to her, Jin-Hyeok was able to obtain a vast amount of hidden information about Mount Kelibergh.

“So, this Swamp Fairy is close friends with the owner of the Mount Kelibergh Dungeon. It seems that the Dungeon Master is part of Bakurudnaima,” Jin-Hyeok explained to his viewers.

Thousands of years ago, the Sacred Tree Bakurudnaima had widely scattered its seeds, and one of those seeds grew into the entity that now governed Mount Kelibergh.

“It appears that Bakurudnaima was in an environment highly conducive to growth and underwent several evolutions.”

However, this was not entirely beneficial for the Sacred Tree, just like how humans could suffer from nutritional excess, leading to obesity and its associated problems.

“It seems that the roots of the Sacred Tree started rotting decades ago. Since then, it appears to have turned this palace into a Dungeon. After all, Dungeons tend to attract Adventurers.”

It seemed the Sacred Tree wanted to find a solution from the Adventurers.

“But the Adventurers have not been very helpful. I will go and meet the Dungeon Master. Since it is practically an avatar of Bakurudnaima, I might be able to help.”

Jin-Hyeok started walking, followed by a host of Swamp Monsters. At first glance, the scene looked rather frightening.

“These monsters are seeing me off,” Jin-Hyeok said.

The Swamp Monsters were expressing their affection. Meanwhile, Terse managed to successfully tame the most empathetic Swamp Monster among them with a kiss.

Jin-Hyeok’s party continued following the fairy, eventually leaving the swamp and entering a mountainous area. The mountain trails were rough but physically manageable.

Mole Woman decided this was the time to prove her worth. “The temperature is dropping significantly. To prepare for this, I have the all-purpose temperature control tent—”

“Elly has already started a warm fire, hehe! Did I do well?” Elly said. While the surrounding trees were freezing, the area around Elly remained pleasantly warm.

“But, did you say something?” Elly asked Mole Woman.

“No, it’s nothing, moly…”

Days passed inside the Dungeon. Just as Terse was beginning to tire, a vast crater appeared.

“It’s an immensely large crater. It is so big that it looks like a plain,” Jin-Hyeok said. He broadcast the surrounding landscape, which felt like a vast plain surrounded by massive mountain ranges. “And below are countless armies of monsters. Shall we go down?”

The figures resembled the Army of Hell that King Beckant had. They numbered at least in the hundreds of thousands. As Jin-Hyeok’s party descended into the crater on the back of the crocodile fairy, the monsters moved in unison to surround the party.

“It’s finally a trap!” Jin-Hyeok’s expression was calm, but his tone suggested otherwise.

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