I Gave Up Being Stronger

‘I need a house first,’ Cha Jin-Hyeok thought.

In the past, he did not need a house. The government provided accommodation for him. To be honest, most of the time, he just slept on the streets. That way, he could save time and fight strong monsters.

However, things had changed. Jin-Hyeok had a family and he needed a place to stay with them.

‘Let’s buy a house first.’

Two days later…

“I’ll take this house.”

Jin-Hyeok decided to purchase a brand new house in excellent condition. He had even signed the contract. He now had no other choice but to postpone his retirement. Originally, if he had earned this much, he would have retired immediately, but this was something he had to do.

Now he had a family to take care of.

When he returned home, Cha Jin-Sol asked him, “Oppa, why do you look so excited?”

“You always have that expression when Mom and Dad tell us they were going out when we were kids!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Come on, that’s the expression you had when you secretly played games without our parents knowing.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Don’t lie to me. I know you too well.”

Jin-Hyeok explained slowly and carefully that it was not like that.

He was someone who dreamed of retiring quickly and living happily by coming in third place as a non-combatant class Player. He shouldn’t be happy that his Playing time had increased.

“I’m excited because I bought a house.”

“Y-you bought a house? What kind of house?”

“I’ll show you after paying the remaining amount.”

Before moving, he showed the house to Jin-Sol first.

“This is crazy! A house with a backyard? In Seoul?”

“And it’s newly built.”

It was a house that a famous architect designed and built for himself, but he suddenly had to go to the United States for work or something.

“You bought this, Oppa?”

“Yeah.”

“How much did it cost?”

“Around six billion won.”

“What?!”

Jin-Sol kept asking to make sure it was true. She asked if Jin-Hyeok had really bought the house.

After showing her the real estate contract, she trusted him.

“Are you going to live here alone?” Jin-Sol asked her brother cautiously.

“If I was going to live alone, I would have just stayed homele—”

‘No, I shouldn’t say that.’

“...I don’t need such a big and nice house all for myself.”

“Then, will you let me live here with you?”

“What are you talking about? I bought it with the intention of living together from the beginning.”

Jin-Sol suddenly burst into laughter and rushed toward him, trying to hug him. In a hurry, Jin-Hyeok used the Broadcaster's Barrier. A transparent barrier formed between them, and there was no physical damage done to him.

A few days later, his family moved into the house. It was a bit difficult to convince Mom and Dad, but he told them he got a big bonus from his company. They did not fully believe his story, but it was not a big issue.

“I never thought that I would be able to live in a place like this…”

Mom’s reaction made Jin-Hyeok feel extremely proud. It was a kind of excitement he had never felt in his previous life.

Dad woke up early every morning to take care of the garden, and that sight was also pleasant to see.

‘I guess I need to work hard to earn more money.’

Maintaining a house of this size required a lot of money. Jin-Hyeok felt like he had to Play a bit longer.

“And I should find out more about Jeon Nam-Gil in advance.”

Jeon Nam-Gil was the serial killer who slaughtered his family. He did not know if he had Awakened as a Player at this point or not. Back then, Jin-Hyeok was desperate to just kill him without thinking rationally.

After the Im Kkeok-Jeong incident, Song Ha-Young listened to him very well.

— Jeon Nam-Gil? His Player name is Serial Killer? Who the hell would use that kind of name for themselves? Alright, I’ll try to find as much information as possible for now.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Jin-Hyeok turned on his livestream as usual.

“I have obtained an Achievement that completely nullifies all attacks from toad-type monsters below Level 100 when using defensive Traits or Skills.”

He was shooting a preview for his video.

“Among the writings posted by the Great Prophet named Kim Shin-Won, there was content about the First Disaster that will happen in Korea.”

Shin-Won predicted many things. Among them, there was information about a monster called Flying Toad that would appear in Yeosu.

“In early June of 2022, a monster with the shape of a giant toad is going to appear.”

The Flying Toad was a winged monster with a body that resembled a toad. Jin-Hyeok remembered its Level was around 80.

“This will be the first monster to drive humans out of their territory.”

And this would become a reality. Many people were devoured by the Flying Toad, and people eventually ended up fleeing from Yeosu. This problem would not only occur in Yeosu but it would happen frequently in many cities in the future. Humans and monsters would constantly wage war over territory.

‘There is a reason why Yeonhui-dong, with the Guardian Tree, is such an expensive neighborhood.’

And the military was useless. As seen from battling the King Toad, a special protective barrier was formed around monsters that exceeded a certain Level. That barrier nullified modern weapons. In the future, scientific weapons that could neutralize such barriers would be developed, but that was in the distant future.

‘Come to think of it, I defeated that monster, right?’

It was such a long time ago that he had forgotten, but he definitely defeated that monster in his past life. Looking back, it was a battle where he almost died.

He remembered himself being around Level 70 at the time.

He had leveled up a bit in the past few days, and now he was at Level 48.

“What do you guys think about me trying to kill this monster?”

Jin-Hyeok did not suggest this because he was crazy. He just thought it would be a waste not to utilize such a good Achievement Effect.

‘Can I use my LatentSkill again if I battled that monster?’

During the fight with the King Toad, he felt like he returned to his days as the Sword King. He was completely immersed in the battle, focusing all his attention on the tip of his sword, giving his all in the fight. And then, the Hidden Skill, Ferocity, was activated. After the battle, when he checked again, the Hidden Skill was gone.

‘I want to utilize that Skill again.’

Whether it was his Job or his mind, that Skill was imbued somewhere within him. He wanted that Skill to be completely his, not as a Hidden Skill.

‘It’s just a low-Level Skill.’

If it were a high-Level, advanced Skill, he would not have such desires. He told himself that he wanted this because it was a low-Level Skill, and because he could only experience this thrill and enjoy raiding during his low-Level stages.

“I will level up to 50 and then try to kill that monster."

When he reaches Level 50, the Skills he acquired at Level 40 would be enhanced. With an enhanced Time-Lapse Recording and other Achievement Effects, he believed he would be ready to fight against the Flying Toad.

Now, he was finally coming to his senses. In the past, he would have just rushed in and fought without any preparations or calculations. He felt like he had grown a lot, and it was slightly satisfying.

‘This is going to be fun.’

Finally, Jin-Hyeok reached Level 50.

⌜The monster known as the Flying Toad, in the shape of a giant toad, had appeared near Yeosu…⌟

⌜Severe damage is ongoing…⌟

The news was flooded with reports about the Flying Toad. Thousands of people had been killed by the monster, and many had fled from Yeosu to nearby cities. Kim Shin-Won’s prophecies had spread among a considerable number of people, but not many believed them enough to take precautions in advance.

‘Even though the government broadcasted and warned people to evacuate, there were so many who didn’t listen to them.’

Jin-Hyeok did not understand why. When he was a government official, the most challenging part was dealing with the civilians. While it was possible to defeat monsters, controlling the civilians was the most difficult task. Even though they knew they would die, they were stubborn and did not listen, coming up with conspiracy theories and whatnot.

Jin-Hyeok decided to get down to Yeosu and see for himself.

“Since that monster is excessively high-Leveled, it’s better for me to go alone.”

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

‘Damn it. I overlooked something so basic again.’

All public transportation to Yeosu was completely halted. In the past, the government would provide helicopters or vehicles in situations like this.

Right now, Jin-Hyeok did not even have a driver’s license. So, he had to call Kim Jeong-Hyeon for a ride.

“Hey, can you give me a ride?”

“Where to… exactly?”

“Yeosu.”

Jeong-Hyeon’s eyes widened.

“Do… I have to fight… with you?”

“No, it’s too dangerous.”

Jin-Hyeok was going to fight against a very dangerous monster, but looking at Jeong-Hyeon’s disappointed expression for not being allowed to join the fight, Jeong-Hyeon was definitely a crazy person. Having such people around Jin-Hyeok, it was no wonder Jin-Hyeok did not realize how abnormal he was.

In the end, Jin-Hyeok got in Jeong-Hyeon’s car and headed to Yeosu.

‘Wow.’

Yeosu had turned into a ghost town just because of one Level 80 Field monster. Jin-Hyeok sent Jeong-Hyeon back home.

Jin-Hyeok knew the military and their weapons were not very effective, but still, they should at least block the roads and have complete control over the civilians.

It seemed like they did not even have such a system in place.

‘It’s even more chaotic than I thought.’

During his time as a government official, Jin-Hyeok could not even imagine such a situation.

He was able to enter Yeosu easily.

‘Hm…’

He saw corpses that had not been dead for long. Judging by the items they were holding, they seemed to be Players.

‘I guess there are crazy people beside me.’

Recently, a scout-class Player revealed that the Level of the Flying Toad was around 80. That Player died on the scene.

When other people flew their drones to confirm the Player’s death, it showed the Player was smiling. Most people did not understand the meaning behind that smile, but Jin-Hyeok knew very well. It was undoubtedly a joyous reaction to being the first to confirm the Level of the most powerful monster in this era.

Indeed, the world was vast, and there were many crazy people.

‘I wonder where it might be…’

The monster had made a territory within approximately a three-kilometer radius centered around Yeosu City Hall. It used to reside near the roundabout in front of the City Hall, but now it seemed to have gone out for hunting.

“There are many corpses piled up. It is as if someone deliberately stacked them, like in a grocery store.”

Jin-Hyeok approached the corpses.

“There is a considerably foul smell.”

The smell was not only the typical odor of corpses but also due to the bodily fluids of the Flying Toad.

Occasionally, drones flew around. Jin-Hyeok wore the Deceiver's Mask because he did not want his face to be exposed unnecessarily.

“I see sticky bodily fluid. I will examine it through the Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance.”

[Flying Toad’s Bodily Fluid]

[The bodily fluid of the Flying Toad. It has the effect of paralyzing the nervous system of living organisms while preventing decay.]

The Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance showed him much more information.

Swoosh.

The wind blew, causing the tattered car door to sway.

‘Ah, I missed this.’

The anticipation of not knowing when the Flying Toad would appear was a pleasant sensation that had awakened all his senses.

“Now, I will personally consume this poison and check if my Achievement Effect works with my defensive Traits.”

If he just tasted the poison, he would probably have died. However, he had to taste it to accurately perceive its power and devise a strategy for when he fought the monster.

He activated his Broadcaster’s Barrier and the Achievement Effect. It nullified all damage from toad-type monsters below Level 100.

‘Hmm… Just as expected. The bodily fluids of these monsters are always disgusting.’

Gulp.

He swallowed it.

‘Let’s see what happens.’

Jin-Hyeok was currently Level 50. The boldly fluid of a Level 80 monster should naturally have a fatal effect on him.

Or so it should.

‘I’m okay!’

The synergy between the Broadcaster’s Barrier and the Achievement Effect seemed to be working well.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to affect me at all. However, I have realized one thing. I need to time the use of the Broadcaster’s Barrier precisely when the damage is applied. Timing is crucial.”

The Broadcaster's Barrier was not omnipotent. It would be ideal to have it active at all times, but that was impossible at his current Level. He had to use it accurately at the moment when the damage was applied. If he failed to time it properly and get hit by the Flying Toad, he would die instantly.

‘My heart is pounding.’

Although he considered himself sane, this tension brought him joy.

“For now, I will hide among the piles of corpses. I do not know when that monster will return.”

He dug through the piles of corpses and waited for about three hours.

As dusk approached, he felt a strange sensation. It was an intangible sense of presence, even though there was no sound or visible sign.

‘Monster.’

There was no doubt that the Flying Toad was approaching. He looked up at the sky. In the distance, something that looked like a helicopter was flying toward him.

[LV83/Flying Toad/Skills/The First Step of the Yeosu Scenario]

It was definitely the Flying Toad. There were remains that seemed to be human in its mouth.

‘Yeosu Scenario??’

The Scenario was a large-scale Story Quest composed of multiple Quests that came together to form a single narrative. The Yeosu Scenario was a city-wide Scenario that would only occur two years from now.

Jin-Hyeok could not dwell on why it was happening already. The Flying Toad landed and was approaching him.

‘I can already feel that it’s strong.’

This was a monster that he could barely kill at Level 70 when he was the Sword King.

‘Right now, I’m just Level 50. If I can kill it at this Level. I can consider myself stronger than before. I can see it as overcoming my past self.’

That thought greatly excited him.

‘Just a bit more.’

The monster needed to be closer.

‘Just a bit more.’

The monster approached, holding a few pieces of a corpse in its mouth. It then spit them aside.

‘Now!’

“Now, let the hunt begin,” Jin-Hyeok whispered softly.