I Gave Up Being Stronger

Cha Jin-Sol glared at her smartphone screen. “Ah, this is so annoying!”

She raised her hand to vent her frustration but could not bring herself to strike her brand-new phone. As she slowly lowered her fist, a thought struck her mind. ‘I’m a Healer! Shouldn’t I be able to fix broken objects too? That should be healing too. This might be worth practicing.’

“What’s wrong? Why are you so frustrated?” Cha Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Your application for the Sword Emperor Tournament was rejected!”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not a Swordsman.”

“You can’t participate in the Sword Emperor Tournament if you’re not a Swordsman? I doubt that’s an actual rule.”

The siblings checked and found that the tournament’s guidelines didn’t have such a rule. However, only Swordsmen participated in the tournament. Moreover, as it was a festival where the most renowned Swordsmen from across the universe gathered, it was difficult for non-Swordsmen to survive in the tournament.

“I’ll file a complaint right away. I can’t believe they rejected your application when there is no such rule!” Jin-Sol shouted.

This issue garnered a lot of attention. A heated debate ensued over whether an Eltuber could be allowed to participate in the Sword Emperor Tournament. Eventually, the organizers of the tournament, the Pisat Family, made a statement.

[The Sword Emperor Tournament is a festival for warriors who wield swords. Therefore, participation is limited to Swordsmen. However, those who can prove their swordsmanship skills will be granted the right to participate in the tournament. The Pisat Family’s examiners will conduct the evaluation directly. But every person will get only one chance.]

Jin-Hyeok was in a bit of a dilemma. “It doesn’t make sense for me to change my Job to Swordsman just because of this. So, I have to prove my swordsmanship skills…”

The problem was that it had been too long since he last held a sword. Now, he was much more accustomed to wielding a hammer.

“I know the Pisat Family won’t go easy on the evaluation.”

Moreover, every Player had only one chance, so Jin-Hyeok had to pass in one attempt to participate in the Sword Emperor Tournament.

“I think you would do well with any sword, Oppa,” Jin-Sol said.

“Still, it’s better to use something I’m familiar with. It’s not like I’m a real Swordsman.”

‘Miri, can you transform into a sword?’ Jin-Hyeok telepathically asked.

Lately, Miri had been diligently mastering various techniques. It could now create powerful explosions to maximize its destructive power or concentrate all its destructive force into a single point for precise attacks. When needed, it could stretch or shrink, demonstrating excellent qualities as a weapon.

Miri was flustered.

-Transforming into a different weapon… I’m not sure I can.

Miri reflected on itself again. It felt ashamed over its lack of intensity for not considering the possibility of transforming.

‘There must be a way.’ Jin-Hyeok decided to ask Katrina.

***

Katrina had now become an immensely valuable figure. After a long period of self-searching(?), she had returned to her family and honed her skills as a Craftsman.

Renowned rankers from across the universe were lining up to receive her assistance. The Universe had a woefully insufficient number of Craftsmen when compared to the number of rankers. Regardless of how famous a ranker was, to meet Katrina, they needed to wait at least a year, but it was a bit different for Jin-Hyeok.

“I heard it’s difficult to meet you these days, but I guess that’s not true,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“It’s easy for someone like you, Oppa. Do you want to see more of me?”

“I’m seeing you right now.”

“Not like this, but more intimately. We can do things with our bodies as well.” Seeing Jin-Hyeok’s eyes sparkle, Katrina sighed and shook her head. “By that, I didn’t mean we can fight…”

“We can’t?”

“I’m a bit confused. Is being dense your concept, or are you for real?” she asked.

Jin-Hyeok scratched his head. Usually, it was a concept, but this time, it was real. With Katrina boasting her massive muscles, the phrase doing things with our bodies sounded like let’s have a fight.

“Anyway, why did you come to see me?” Katrina asked.

“Ah, about that…”

After listening to Jin-Hyeok’s story, Katrina shrugged. “That’s not too difficult.”

“It’s not?”

“For a weapon that has transcended the ultimate technique, form is merely an empty shell.”

Jin-Hyeok took out a notebook and jotted it down.

[A weapon that has transcended the ultimate technique.]

If an ordinary person said it, it would sound somewhat chuuni-like, but a Craftsman among Craftsmen saying it somehow sounded incredibly cool.

“With just a few trivial triggers, a weapon can easily change its form. You could say it’s an advanced version of Miri extending and contracting its length, right?” Katrina said.

“So, how do you do it?”

“At the minimum, the weapon must possess a weapon spirit of the same grade as Miri or higher, possessing the shape of a sword.” Katrina held Miri, examining it from various angles and touching it. “But you have already met that condition, haven’t you?”

“I did? When?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“I watched you do something crazy on your livestream. You don’t remember?”

‘When did I do something crazy on my livestream?’ Jin-Hyeok had no idea what she was talking about.

“You tried to use the Pisat Family’s Relic to enhance Miri but failed, remember?” Katrina said.

“Ah!”

Jin-Hyeok wanted to say, ‘From a Craftsman’s point of view, that might be crazy, but from an Eltuber’s perspective, it was reasonable and rational.’

“I know very well what you’re thinking, so you don’t need to make excuses. Anyway, a relic of the Pisat Family is bound to have a powerful spirit dwelling within it. Since it was destroyed so absurdly, an extremely strong lingering attachment must have survived and latched onto Miri. Miri probably feels it, right? Did it say anything?” Katrina asked.

Upon hearing the explanation, Miri started to laugh.

-Hehehe! So, that’s why my attacks have become sharper and more tenacious! Hahaha!

“Miri says she felt it,” Jin-Hyeok told Katrina.

“Then, you need to try drawing out that energy inherent in Miri and shaping it into the form of a sword.”

“How can I do that?”

“How would I know? I’m a Craftsman, not a Swordsman.”

“That’s true.”

Katrina laughed. “Just kidding. Go meet with Gridel, the Sage of the Sword. He might be able to help.”

***

Before seeing Gridel, Jin-Hyeok met with Han Sae-Rin.

“What if Gridel kicks me out?” he asked.

“Why are you worrying about that? Didn’t you already sign a friendly agreement with the Pisat Family?” Sae-Rin replied.

“I did, but…”

“Just go and see what happens.”

Jin-Hyeok showed her the agreement he had signed with Gridel. “I shattered their incredibly precious relic. Thanks to that, I even achieved the milestone of two billion concurrent viewers on my livestream.”

“Well, if I were Gridel, I would definitely welcome you with open arms.”

“Why?”

“Well, you’re trying to use the spirit of the relic dwelling within Miri to transform it into the shape of a sword. In a way, it can be considered as restoring a part of the relic. From Gridel’s perspective, it’ll be a blessing. Don’t worry and go meet with him.”

Sae-Rin was right. Gridel decided to help Jin-Hyeok.

“I guess there is no way out. We can only assist you, Sir Chul-Soo. A Swordsman who has reached the realm of transcending form can freely change the shape of their sword. We call it the realm of the Mind Sword. It’s a realm that only one out of ten thousand spirit Swordsmen can reach,” Gridel said.

In other words, only the top 0.01 percent of Swordsmen could attain that realm. This stunned Jin-Hyeok. ‘I was nothing during my time as the Sword King!’

Before his regression, Jin-Hyeok did not even know about the existence of the Mind Sword realm. He thought he was quite strong, but it had all been a misconception.

“Can I start training right away?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Of course. The process won’t be easy, though.”

Gridel’s eyes sparkled. There was hope that he could partially restore the relic through Miri, and he also thought he could legally torment Jin-Hyeok. In fact, the latter seemed to please him more.

‘I guess I can’t help it after all,’ Gridel thought.

“I have just the right person to be your master,” Gridel told Jin-Hyeok.

“Oh, who is it?”

At Gridel’s summons, someone opened the door and entered the room. It was Kyle, the leader of the Sword Emperor Unit.

“Oh!” Jin-Hyeok was visibly excited. Kyle was his idol during his former days as the Sword King. Jin-Hyeok’s mood brightened.

After listening to the whole story, Kyle nodded. “Of course, I will teach him, Master.”

***

Kyle had only one reason for accepting Gridel’s request.

‘I want to have a proper fight with this guy!’ It was the first time Kyle had felt the desire to genuinely fight against a Player from a Job other than a Swordsman. ‘He has great physical strength!’

Chul-Soo possessed a body and abilities stronger than those of any other Player. Kyle’s heart pounded at the thought of being able to fight against the swordsmanship displayed with such physical prowess.

“Do you think I can achieve this realm before the Sword Emperor Tournament?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

Only four weeks were left until the tournament. So, Jin-Hyeok had to reach the realm of the Mind Sword within four weeks.

‘It’s a realm that only one out of ten thousand Swordsmen can reach. No matter how outstanding your potential is, it’s impossible for him.’ Kyle inwardly sneered. However, he outwardly nodded and said, “For someone with skills similar to yours at this point, with exceptional talent and appropriate luck, I think you only need two weeks.”

Of course, it was a lie. A Player could be enlightened about the realm of the Mind Sword within a minute or after ten years. It varied too much from Player to Player.

‘But even those who were called the greatest Swordsmen in history took at least half a year.’

In other words, the probability of Jin-Hyeok participating in the Sword Emperor Tournament was nonexistent.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.’

Kyle felt that if he laid a solid foundation for Chul-Soo, he would be able to fight against an even more grown Chul-Soo in the next Sword Emperor Tournament four years later.

“From now on, you need to train your mind, not your body. You know how to experience the microcosm within you through meditation, right?”

Jin-Hyeok had shown his meditation content through his livestreams. Unfortunately, it seemed that Kyle was not one of his subscribers. The Streamer felt a bit of competitiveness. Since Kyle hadn’t watched his streams, it meant that Kyle did not consider him a rival. If he did, he would have analyzed Jin-Hyeok’s livestreams.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know,” Kyle said.

“I know. Don’t worry.”

“Good. Within your microcosm, there must be a point where you and your weapon connect. At first, it will be very faint, but as time passes, it will become clearer and clearer. And… by doing so… then… you will… Eventually, you will gain freedom in form. However, this process will be arduous.” Kyle knew it would take at least half a year. “As a tip, engage in meditation after exhausting yourself as much as possible. The more your body sufferers, the closer you will get to enlightenment.”

Four weeks passed soon. It was almost time for the Sword Emperor Tournament registration to close. With a quite gloomy expression, Jin-Hyeok sought out Gridel.

“What’s the matter?” Gridel asked.

“It seems my talent for the sword was lacking more than I thought.”

Gridel felt strangely exhilarated when he saw the dejected Jin-Hyeok, but he consoled the Streamer with a benevolent appearance. “It’s okay, Sir Chul-Soo. Your talent as an Eltuber is unrivaled. This is not the end of your journey. You’re still young and have boundless opportunit—”

Gridel’s pupils trembled. Jin-Hyeok held Miri, which had taken the form of the Pisat Family’s relic.

“It took me a full four weeks,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“...”

‘Those with the best talent in swordsmanship took only two weeks, whereas I took four. Well, If I had an outstanding talent for the sword, I would have become a universe-level ranker, not just the Sword King of Earth. I’m glad I found my aptitude, even if it’s only now.’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

He let out a slight sigh and said, “Anyway, I want to participate in the Sword Emperor Tournament. Who should I take the evaluation from?”