I Gave Up Being Stronger

“Hermesa, Arvis’s finest tailor shop, has agreed to help me,” Cha Jin-Hyeok said.

Garcia tilted his head. As a devout Priest, he was not familiar with Hermesa, a high-end boutique shop. He asked, “Changing the design of the Ancient Rock Giant’s Priestly Robe means altering its structure. You understand that, right?”

“Of course.”

The priestly robe’s current magical and physical resistance stemmed from its present form. Any changes to its physical structure would inevitably lead to a decrease in performance.

‘Why is he trying to redesign it?’ Though Garcia could not grasp the reason, he tried his best to understand. ‘Kim Chul-Soo is a man of deep faith. He probably does not want to wear anything that reminds him of the Rock Giant, who so gravely offended the Goddess of Earth.’

He was willing to do that even if it meant making the artifact weaker.

‘He’s truly devout,’ Garcia mused. While the three empires seemed to view Chul-Soo as a potential threat, Garcia thought this was a misconception. ‘Chul-Soo… He’s no danger to the empires. I should inform His Holiness about this.’

Feeling better, Garcia continued, “In that case, there is no need for purification.”

“I see,” Jin-Hyeok replied, impressed by Garcia’s insight. ‘He’s leaving open the possibility of creating new content through an unpurified priestly robe.’

He had orchestrated every detail for Jin-Hyeok’s livestream. Garcia was indeed an exceptional leader.

‘No wonder he’s hailed as the Saint of All,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to help. My holy power has its limits. I aim to use it more beneficially, for those who need it most. I hope you understand,” Garcia said.

Witnessing Garcia provide such a solid justification to prevent any misunderstandings, Jin-Hyeok was genuinely moved. Garcia’s attitude surpassed that of most Eltubers.

“You must wear it yourself. If others covet it and tamper with it, the robe’s influence might cause significant problems.” Garcia warned him.

To Jin-Hyeok’s ears, this translated to ‘When something is forbidden, someone always emerges to do the opposite of it. When that happens, the tainted effect will activate dramatically, creating highly stimulating content.’

***

Upon seeing Jin-Hyeok in the robe, Katrina’s pectorals twitched. “Oh… I cannot resist. Marry me, Oppa!”

This artifact began stirring up controversies in more ways than one.

***

Kongkorul—the head designer and chief tailor of Hermesa, Arvis’s most prestigious tailor shop—greeted Katrina with a cheerful expression. The hamster Beastkin was only about the size of Katrina’s palm, but Kongkorul's reputation far exceeded hers.

“Katrina! Long time no see, squeak! I heard your family finally acknowledged you. Congratulations, squeak!”

Kongkorul was a self-made success, having built Hermesa from scratch.

“I have been very interested too, squeak! I lost sleep thinking about what clothes would make Mr. Chul-Soo look even more beautiful, squeak!”

“What? Are you also a Chul-Soo Lander?”

“Of course!” Kongkorul adjusted her monocle, revealing her determination. “I absolutely want him to headline one of my future shows someday, squeak!”

“But Chul-Soo isn’t a Model.”

Modeling was a field that required innate talent. While Awakening as a Model could grant various Skills and abilities that could enhance the Player’s attributes, natural talent remained crucial in the industry.

‘Besides, isn’t Chul-Soo too handsome? Wouldn’t that be disadvantageous for a Model?’ Katrina thought.

If a Model was too handsome, people would focus on the Model rather than the clothes. It was not entirely advantageous for a Model to be too handsome.

“Does it matter, squeak?”

Katrina nodded as she recalled Chul-Soo’s appearance. Her thick trapezius muscles twitched. “I guess not.”

“I have already contacted Wang Yu-Mi from the Earth Server for a meeting and prepared some design concepts. Want to take a look, squeak?”

***

Though Katrina was a member of Chul-Soo Land, she was also a Craftsman. Due to this, she had some conflicts with Kongkorul, the designer.

“So, Kongkorul said she would sacrifice effectiveness for design! Can you believe it? I mean, you even clear Dungeons by yourself! How could she say to give up on performance? Am I right?” Katrina said to Jin-Hyeok.

Jin-Hyeok examined some of the design concepts Katrina presented. “I need to choose from these designs?”

“That’s right. This is the one I recommend.” Katrina showed a design resembling tightly wrapped bandages. “This form should have a stacking effect on magic resistance. It will probably make for excellent armor.”

“What about this one?” Jin-Hyeok pointed to a uniform-style design.

“That’s garbage. Don’t even look at it.”

The tainted priestly robe was originally an artifact with superior magic and physical resistance. To tailor it to Jin-Hyeok, they first had to compress its resistance. Though this led to some trade-offs, the smaller size meant stronger resistance overall.

“She focused too much on style and forgot the essentials. We’re using that amazing fabric, but the resistance is only at the original level. Kongkorul is a great person, but she seems to lack proper thinking,” Katrina said. “Plus, it tears easily! Sure, we could add a resistance spell over time, but what’s the point? Why was she so proud of it being easily torn?”

“I will go with this one.”

“I knew you’d… wait, what? Why?” Katrina jumped to her feet. Jin-Hyeok had chosen the uniform-style design. It looked nice, but for a Player like Chul-Soo, looks should not be the only reason.

“I have had some realization lately,” Jin-Hyeok said.

The conquest of an Unexplored Dungeon in Fourth Hell, thrilling duels with top-tier Assassins from Arvis, universe-level Scenario, hidden Dungeon Boss, and intense battle with the Ancient Rock Giant were all content Jin-Hyeok had painstakingly created—so-called large-scale content. While these large-scale content pieces were important, they weren’t everything. Some things had created an even bigger buzz than the large-scale content.

[Chul-Soo’s Upper Body Shot]

[Check Out This Handsome Player]

-Holy shit… T_T

-I’m speechless. T_T

-I lived to see this. I’m glad. T_T

It was the video of Chul-Soo without his top.

There were also other videos.

[Look How Pretty Mole Woman is!]

-Mole Woman’s figure is insane!

-Chul-Soo should pay more taxes.

Mole Woman’s performance during the previous expedition had become a massive topic of discussion.

-What are you talking about? Mole Woman should pay more taxes!

-Mole Woman saw Chul-Soo in person. She’s the lucky one.

-Didn’t you see how beautiful Mole Woman is? Chul-Soo should pay more taxes.

Opinions were slightly divided, but it had clearly become a huge topic.

“I still find it difficult to use the seduction technique, but…” While Jin-Hyeok could somewhat use the seduction technique on objects, using them on people was still very challenging for him. “...they say just dressing well counts as a seduction technique.”

“Even so, that’s going too far!” Katrina yelled.

‘Wouldn’t it be good if I could use a seduction technique whenever I want, even if it means I have less magical and physical resistance? And she said this design tears easily. Doesn’t that mean I can expose my top without much effort?’ Jin-Hyeok knew he made the right decision.

‘But still! Performance is the most important aspect of an artifact! For an Eltuber who even does Solo Play in Dungeons, performance should be more important than such superficial concerns!’ Although Katrina thought that way, she was also part of Chul-Soo Land. ‘But he would look amazing in that uniform… Maybe that is the right choice.’

Dejected, Katrina returned to Kongkorul. “I guess I still have a long way to go…”

Kongkorul, who usually liked to show off that she was right, changed her attitude.

“Well, a Craftsman and a designer can’t always see eye to eye, squeak.” She sat on Katrina’s shoulder, gently patting her trapezius muscle. “But as a member of Chul-Soo Land, I’m a bit disappointed, squeak.”

“I’ll reflect on this.”

Today, Katrina’s trapezius muscles seemed smaller than usual.

***

Chul-Soo’s name flooded various online communities.

-Did you see Chul-Soo in the uniform?

-I didn’t know I liked men in uniform…

-He looks like a main character straight out of a manga.

-I love you, Chul-Soo… I think I’ve become a pervert.

[Chul-Soo’s Uniform Picture]

[Chul-Soo’s Fit is Insane!]

The explosive reaction made Jin-Hyeok feel his decision had hit the mark. A sense of immense thrill coursed through his body.

“The response is tremendous,” Jin-Hyeok said. He felt like he was steadily growing as an Eltuber. In high spirits, he once again visited the Feyler Family. “This time, I have an invitation.”

He began climbing the ascetic staircase. Though the blizzard still raged, it was much better than before.

“I should have designed the artifact earlier.”

While hiking in a uniform looked a bit out of place, viewers did not seem to mind.

-I love the uniform. T_T

-Unbelievable… He’s so hot!

-I love you, Kim Chul-Soo!

-It never gets old, no matter how many times I see it.

-His personality is perfect too. He is so likable!

Though hiking did not really show his personality, such reactions were all over the online communities. Colorful hearts poured in his chat window, and the number of likes soared. Donations increased significantly too. Even though he was just hiking, the real-time viewer count surpassed 2.6 billion.

‘This is why artifact performance is so important.’ Jin-Hyeok felt like he had taken another step forward as an Eltuber. ‘Next time, I should look into adding lighting effects or something to make my bangs flutter in the wind.’

He slightly regretted not paying much attention to items, relying solely on his physical abilities. Thanks to the dramatically increased magical resistance, he was much less affected by the blizzard.

Garcia, the head of the Feyler Family, was waiting at the main entrance.

***

Gerdok’s tail stood straight up. “Patriarch! How can you say such a thing?”

“Why not?” Garcia replied.

Recently, the Feyler Family had sent an official request to Chul-Soo. It was a proposal asking if he could donate the leftover fabric from the Ancient Rock Giant’s Priestly Robe to the Feyler Family.

The robe had lost most of its practical functions as all its magical and physical resistance had been compressed into Jin-Hyeok’s uniform. However, it still held significant historical value. It could serve as a lesson about the disastrous results of misguided faith and misplaced love.

Jin-Hyeok, who held Garcia in high regard, accepted the request.

Gerdok felt a throbbing pain in his temple. “So, you’re saying that in return, you will let him participate in the Demon Sealing Ceremony?”

“That’s right.”

The prosperous Arvis Server had one chronic problem. About once every five hundred years, a dimensional gate would open in the Server, summoning monsters from another world. These monsters were far more vicious and cunning than ordinary monsters.

Led by the Helen Empire, Arvis had been conducting operations to seal the dimensional gate, known as the Demon Sealing Ceremony. While Priests with holy power handled most of the work, in many instances, physical force was necessary. Some monsters would occasionally escape through the gate during the sealing process.

Moreover, if a high-ranking monster equivalent to a noble or above appeared in the ceremony, it could cause considerable damage.

“And you think this is a very honorable and enjoyable thing?” Gerdok asked.

“Isn’t it honorable?”

While Gerdok respected Garcia, he was well aware that Garcia was somewhat crazy.

1. The Demon Sealing Ceremony was a sacred war.

2. Participating in a sacred war was an honor.

3. Therefore, Chul-Soo had to be grateful for the opportunity to share in this honor.

“So, you’re saying that as a gift to Chul-Soo, who thoughtfully brought us the leftover fabric, we are letting him participate in the Demon Sealing Ceremony?” Gerdok asked again.

“Of course.” Garcia wore a subtle smile.