I Gave Up Being Stronger

Sandyem and the members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell were bewildered.

“We have to do something!”

If people learned that the alliance’s members had committed acts of terrorism within a warp portal, that would be the end. The alliance would no longer be seen as a band of righteous liberators fighting for Hell’s freedom, reduced to a cosmic criminal group guilty of crimes against humanity.

“Do not worry.” Helam, the leader of the Alliance, reassured them.

“Didn’t you tell us the same before?”

“You told us that they would never find a way out…”

Helam frowned. “Then, let me ask you this. Do any of you have a better idea?”

No one, including Sandyem, had foreseen this situation. Only Helam had prepared for the worst-case scenario.

He revealed his plan. “I had implanted a poison inside the boy for this exact situation. Even now, that brave boy will die.”

“Of course, this would lead to various problems after the boy dies.” Helam knew that the autopsy would certainly reveal the cause of death, and that would generate a lot of commotion. “But we must put out the urgent fire first, right?”

“So, when will this poison take effect? We can all see the boy coming back to his senses. Are you sure this will work?”

Helam glanced at his wristwatch. “In about seven minutes, that brave young warrior will close his eyes under the banner of freedom.”

“Seven minutes is enough for him to expose us and still have time to spare!”

“So, we must stall for time.”

Sandyem suggested an idea. “Chul-Soo is obsessed with content. If we just provide him with some materials for his next content, that should buy us some time.”

“Materials for his next content?”

“I’m talking about his Eltube channel.”

They quickly agreed on a plan.

“I know an old man with information on how Blood Priestesses can become stronger. He too is a great warrior for your freedom.”

“Is that so?”

“Since Chul-Soo is genuinely interested in making his comrades stronger, if the old man goes to Hell Man’s castle, Chul-Soo will definitely meet him. Seven minutes should be enough for that!”

***

A white-haired old man with piercing eyes shouted at the castle gates, “I have come to see the Blood Priestess!”

As the half-naked old man wildly ran around, the guards sighed.

“Do we have to inform them about this crazy old man too?”

“We have no choice. Everything related to Chul-Soo must be reported.”

Hell Man directly informed Jin-Hyeok. “An old man outside the gate is looking for you guys. He says he knows how to make Blood Priestesses stronger.”

“What?” Jin-Hyeok shouted. ‘This can make for good content for my channel!’

Whether the old man’s words were true or not, Jin-Hyeok figured he could make about a ten-minute video out of it. Cha Jin-Sol’s eyes also sparkled.

“But he’s bleeding from the mouth and saying that he does not have much time left. He needs to meet the Saint of Freedom immediately to continue the noble lineage of the Great Blood Priestess,” Hell Man said.

“Wow!”

“Of course, this can all be a lie. He might just be a crazy old man, or maybe it’s a ruse to buy time. But I reckon none of that matters to you.”

Whether the old man was a crazy person, a pawn sent by someone to stall for time, or an expert on Blood Priestesses, none of that mattered to Jin-Hyeok. The important thing was whether this would be interesting enough for his viewers.

Hell Man nodded. “I will protect the boy myself. Go on then, Sir Chul-Soo.”

***

Jin-Sol opened the window and stepped onto the railing, as if she was about to jump at any moment.

“Oppa,” she said, looking at Jin-Hyeok, who was telling her to hurry up.

Jin-Hyeok immediately realized something. ‘Ah, right. Jumping off the window should be faster.’

He had initially thought to leave the room, cross the hallway, and take the stairs. That would have been a foolish choice. Jumping was quicker.

“What are you doing? Put your arms around me,” Jin-Sol said. She was a Healer, so she could not jump down herself, but Jin-Hyeok could.

He held her and jumped, marveling. ‘Jin-Sol’s desperation is so deep that she’s even willing to risk physical contact with me!’

It was a rather astonishing realization. The depth of Jin-Sol’s desperation was far greater than he had anticipated. Seeing the vitality in her eyes, Jin-Hyeok also felt uplifted. He landed lightly while still holding her.

-LOL, they just jumped off a fortress with all sorts of protective barriers.

-Maybe Hell Man lifted the barriers.

-No way!

-It’s about seven stories high, but it should have felt like jumping down from seventy stories high.

-An Eltuber can jump down from that high? Wow!

-A year ago, people would have said you were crazy for saying such things.

-For real.

It was indeed a tremendous feat, but the viewers were not particularly surprised. They merely laughed at the absurdity, having grown accustomed to such sensational acts.

-But what’s going on?

-Is he dead?

Whether by coincidence or not, as soon as Jin-Hyeok arrived, the old man vomited blood and died.

“Blood… Priestess…”

Jin-Sol tried hard to heal him, but the old man was already gone.

***

Helam, who had maintained a calm demeanor until now, slumped into his chair. “It’s done.”

They had stalled for enough time. The brave boy would now be dead.

“His noble death will be remembered forever.” Helam stood up and observed a moment of silence for the dead boy. The others also sighed with relief as they commemorated the boy’s soul.

“Is he really dead?”

“Yes. Unless the boy had the same resistance to poison as Chul-Soo… but that’s unlikely.”

“That is truly fortunate.”

“We must survive. After all, we’re the last bastion fighting for freedom.”

“Of course, you’re right.”

The members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell embraced each other and held hands, celebrating their successful escape from this crisis.

“Chul-Soo has noticed something odd.”

“It’s too late.”

“I’m amazed by your excellent strategy and insight, Leader.”

“Chul-Soo must be desperate. He’s making futile attempts.”

They noticed Jin-Hyeok making a move toward the window again, about to jump. Descending was one thing, but jumping back seven stories was a different story.

“One would need the energy to jump back up around seventy stories.”

“Looks like Chul-Soo is in hot water. What a foolish act, haha!”

***

Having missed the opportunity to learn how to make his sister stronger, Jin-Hyeok felt a tinge of regret. ‘If the old man hadn’t died, my livestream could have been trending right now.’

At that moment, he received a message from Han Sae-Rin, through Yu-Mi.

[It’s too coincidental, like a trap just to buy time. It’s also suspicious that the old man wanted to talk to Jin-Sol right at this moment, considering she was featured in your livestream many times before. Go check on the boy right away. Something might have happened to him]

That was why Jin-Hyeok was in a hurry.

“It might have been a trap to buy time,” Jin-Hyeok told the viewers.

Once again, he picked up the visibly disheartened Jin-Sol, who did not resist his touch due to her current state.

Holding her, he leaped high.

-Wait, he’s jumping back up?

-Impossible!

-No way!

The window was seven stories high. However, due to various barriers, to reach it, one would need the energy and leaping power needed to climb seventy stories.

Yet, Jin-Hyeok reached the seventh floor with ease.

-He did it?

-How?

-Were the barriers inactive?

-Can someone explain this, please?

Jin-Hyeok had unintentionally made the viewers curious, which led to a steady influx of viewers on his livestream.

“Pant… Pant…” Jin-Hyeok breathed heavily on purpose as he rushed to the boy. Fortunately, nothing had happened to him.

***

The members of the Freedom Alliance of Hell were shocked.

“Sir! How is the boy still alive?”

Helam grimly looked at his phone screen. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the phone again. The boy was alive.

“H-How is this possible?” Helam couldn’t believe it. He thought maybe Hell Man had intervened, but that was not the case.

⌜Nothing happened, right?⌟

⌜That’s right. I suspected someone was playing tricks… but looks like it was just a coincidence.⌟

Chul-Soo confirmed directly through the screen that nothing had happened. It appeared that Hell Man had not taken any special measures either. The poison itself seemed not to have worked.

‘Why? Why? Why?’

While Helam was confused, Jin-Hyeok felt slightly disappointed.

‘I thought it was a trap…’ Since nothing had happened, he felt restless as if the content had become dull. ‘But that’s okay. It seems the boy is now ready to talk.’

Putting his disappointment aside, Jin-Hyeok asked the boy, “What is your name?”

“My name is…” Frightened, the boy hid behind Jin-Sol. Perhaps because he had received treatment from her, he seemed a bit more open to her.

Jin-Sol squatted and gently stroked the boy’s head. “It’s okay. Do you want to talk to me? What’s your name?”

“Somfiad.” Regaining some calm, Somfiad began to sob. “Please… I want to see my mom…”

“Were you kidnapped?”

Somfiad nodded.

Jin-Sol softly hugged him. “It must have been terrifying.”

Somfiad burst into tears. Jin-Hyeok did not say much and just captured the crying kid on the screen.

‘This is quite provocative…’

From the circumstances, it seemed that someone had kidnapped the child and committed a horrific act of terror. This was a huge issue and perfect content for his channel. As Jin-Hyeok was filming Somfiad’s tears, he shifted his gaze elsewhere.

“I think I need to cut the livestream for a while. The child seems very startled. I will update you guys once things are settled,” Jin-Hyeok told the viewers.

The viewer count at this moment was a whopping two billion. Jin-Hyeok had ended the livestream at potentially its most provocative moment, with two billion people watching.

‘Why am I doing this?’ A strange thought struck him; he did not want to exploit the face and tears of this victimized child for views. ‘Is this the right thing to do? Aren’t I an Eltuber?’

Somehow, he felt that turning off the livestream was the right decision.

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