I Gave Up Being Stronger

Kihael, who was GM No.3 for Seodaemun-gu, was a typical GM that only worked on the tasks that were given to him. His goal was to work only as much as he was paid to work, monthly, and he had a strong aversion to working overtime.

Yet, he found himself plagued by overtime work.

‘Why me…?!’

He hated this so much. The culprit behind all this was the GM named Serchan, who had transferred from Yeosu to Seoul. In Kihael’s eyes, Serchan was an overly passionate man.

“Hm? Already leaving work, Kihael?” Serchan said.

“It’s time to go, Assistant Manager Serchan.”[1]

“But we have a project to work on.”

“Can’t we do it tomorrow?”

“Then we won’t meet the deadline. You know better than that, right?”

“That’s why I asked you to set a more reasonable deadline. I clearly said it was impossible.”

“If we hurry, we can meet the deadline. That means my deadline is possible.”

Kihael always thought of overtime work as the last resort, while Serchan always thought overtime work was something that should be done as a matter of course. The gap in their difference of opinion was not narrowing.

“If you just think about doing something, you can do anything in the world. I wish you had a bit of passion too, Kihael.”

“Sigh.”

Recently, Kihael and Serchan were assigned a new project. Unexpectedly, with the rapid integration of SSP into the Earth Server, thanks to Joseph, they had to connect SSP and Eltube more quickly and establish SSP websites and apps sooner. It was to ensure that people from the Earth Server could properly use SSP.

“Come on, don’t give me that look. Let’s just try our best. Today’s hardship will become our asset later on. It would be great if you could also focus on work with a sense of responsibility, Kihael.”

Kihael wanted to kill Serchan, but looking at Serchan's overwhelming muscles, Kihael’s fighting spirit vanished.

Sigh.

Kihael ended up with yet another day of working overtime.

This was already the seventh day in a row.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Cha Jin-Sol, who was facing off against the Black Brown Bear, was having a hard time.

‘It is too strong!’ she thought.

Nevertheless, this place was a Field where revival settings were in place. In a place like this, she knew that fighting stronger opponents was the key to faster growth. No one taught her that, but she believed it to be true.

It wasn't only Jin-Sol. All the members of Jin-Hyeok’s party had the same thought. Well, except for Mok Jae-Hyeon.

“I think we should go back now…” Jae-Hyeon muttered.

Jae-Hyeon was the Tank of Jin-Hyeok’s party and had experienced the most deaths among them. Thanks to his Traits, Death Immunity and Imperial Resilience, he did not have trauma from dying, but the pain of death was still very real. However, Seo Ji-Ah frowned at his words.

“What are you talking about? We still have a long way to go. We’ve gotten stronger,” Ji-Ah, who usually did not say much, whispered as she passed by Jae-Hyeon.

This was her way of questioning why Jae-Hyeon would give up this opportunity for growth.

Jae-Hyeon wanted to cry.

‘You guys didn’t die as much as me. You don’t know what I’m going through,’ Jae-Hyeon thought.

While Jae-Hyeon died five times, Ji-Ah and Seo Ji-Soo only died once or twice. Objectively speaking, all three of the other party members had experienced a considerable number of deaths, but their standards had somehow become similar to that of Jin-Hyeok's.

Only Jae-Hyeon was slightly not on par with Jin-Hyeok’s standards.

“Jeong-Hyeon, please stop them. They’re all going crazy!”

By the way, Kim Jeong-Hyeon had just died and was revived.

“You… don’t feel it?” Jeong-Hyeon said.

“What?”

“Our… amazing… progress…”

Jae-Hyeon could see the madness in Jeong-Hyeon’s eyes. Jae-Hyeon decided to give up on convincing his party.

‘He’s undoubtedly a crazy person who only sounds calm,’ Jae-Hyeon thought.

There was no choice. He could only clench his teeth, provoke, taunt, and fight against the Black Brown Bear. Then, suddenly, Jae-Hyeon saw a strange man.

‘Hm?’

Above the man’s head, his Level and Player name were displayed. Normally, Players would hide their Levels and Player names, but if they wanted to, they could show them like this.

‘Level 1? Kim Pyeong-Beom?’

The man looked like an ordinary newbie who had mistakenly entered here. Jae-Hyeon blocked the Black Brown Bear’s front paw attack with his Wood Fortress. His Skill was torn apart, and Jae-Hyeon stepped back a few steps.

The Black Brown Bear stood up on its hind legs and roared. Jae-Hyeon quickly spoke, “Jin-Sol! Do something about that person!”

“Huh?”

Jin-Sol also noticed Kim Pyeong-Byeom.

‘Level 1?’ Jin-Sol thought.

This place was too dangerous for him. The man seemed to be someone who had accidentally entered here. He was approaching with a sword. He looked way too relaxed, as if he was a fool that was rushing in where angels fear to tread. Jin-Sol cautiously approached him without provoking the Black Brown Bear.

“Hey! How did you get in here? Our team’s Tank is holding aggro of the monster, so this is your chance to run away!”

“...”

Smirk.

Pyeong-Beom smiled.

‘They really can’t recognize me?’ he thought.

Since his own sister couldn’t even recognize him, he felt confident that he wouldn’t be noticed by anyone for a while. He would be able to enjoy his hobbies to his heart’s content.

‘Jae-Hyeon’s improvement in skills is particularly remarkable,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Indeed, Jae-Hyeon died a lot, but that was how his skills would become stronger rapidly. Jin-Hyeok started charging toward the Black Brown Bear with a sword in hand.

Smirk.

He smiled again.

“H-Hey!”

Jin-Hyeok passed by his sister. For some reason, Jin-Sol felt a creepy sensation when she saw that smile. Madness clearly flickered in that man’s eyes.

And the battle began.

‘What the…’ Jin-Sol thought.

That man was definitely not Level 1. A Level 1 Player would not be able to fight this well against the Black Brown Bear. He effortlessly dodged the front paw attacks and quickly closed the distance, inflicting wounds on its tough hide. An intense exchange of attacks followed.

Pyeong-Beom and the Black Brown Bear’s breathing became rough, revealing their animosity toward each other. Pyeong-Byeom’s longsword tore through the Black Brown Bear’s hide, while the sharp claws of the monster pierced his shoulder.

Smirk.

Kim Pyeomg-Beom smiled again.

‘This is it. I am finally breaking my bad habit!’

Whenever he sensed danger, he unknowingly relied on the Broadcaster’s Barrier. If he relied too much on the Skill, his essence as a Swordsman would be blurred. Where would anyone find a Swordsman who relied on barrier Skills?

‘That’s a fake Swordsman!’

Jin-Hyeok was intentionally training without using the Broadcaster’s Barrier.

‘Oh, she is healing just at the right time.’

Jin-Sol’s healing came through just in time. The peculiar sense of accomplishment and pleasure that one felt when engaging in excellent teamwork stimulated his senses. The blood of the Black Brown Bear splattered, and Jin-Hyeok’s own blood splattered as well.

About an hour had passed, and Jin-Hyeok received a notification.

[You have defeated the Black Brown Bear.]

Kim Pyeong-Beom checked the time. It was already one in the morning.

‘I still have one hour left.’

Without exchanging any words with his teammates, Pyeong-Beom dashed toward somewhere, hoping that there would be at least one more boss monster in this Field.

‘Please let there be one more. It would be great if the monster was a resilient one.’

Using his Broadcaster’s Clairvoyance, he searched for a location where there might be a strong opponent. Luckily(?), he found a turtle-like monster known for its exceptional defensive stats.

Smirk.

A smile escaped his lips.

“It’s always polite to finish with a grand finale.”

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Jin-Hyeok did not arrive home until seven a.m. on Monday morning. He was a bit late because he had to wash off the blood and sweat from his entire body. His Mom looked extremely worried.

“You had to work overtime? Even on a Sunday?” his Mom said.

“Ah…. Yes.”

“Take it easy. Work is important, but your health comes first, you know?”

“I know. Don’t worry.”

Seeing his Mom’s worried expression, Jin-Hyeok suddenly snapped to his senses. He realized that he needed to be more careful from now on.

For some reason, memories of his school days came to mind. He used to love playing games back then. He would always tell himself that he was going to play for just another five minutes. However, those five minutes would eventually turn into four hours.

This time, the same thing happened.

‘This is my first time, so I should just let it go.’

Jin-Hyeok enjoyed it because it was his first time, but he won’t enjoy it like this anymore. As he Played as his alternate character Kim Pyeong-Beom, he felt something certain. His true Job was undoubtedly a Streamer.

‘It’s hard to level-up just from hunting monsters.’

Streamers became stronger through livestreaming. Livestreaming itself was a productive activity, and he could earn money as a member of society. He spent the night crazily hunting monsters, but his Level did not go up, and he could not earn any money.

He did acquire a few items, but compared to the donations, it was a small amount. The Play itself was incredibly inefficient.

‘Since I am an adult now, I should know how to differentiate between my main job and hobbies.’

If he could not differentiate between them, then he could not become the person he promised himself to be.

While eating the breakfast his Mom prepared, he was able to renew his determination. After finishing his meal, he returned to his room and lay down on his bed.

‘But overall, I feel refreshed.’

Even though he stayed up all night, his body felt refreshed. That was why maintaining a healthy life required having appropriate hobbies, it seemed. Suddenly, the door swung open.

“Oppa! I have amazing news!”

“What is it?”

“I found an incredible Player! We must recruit him into our party!”

“An incredible Player?”

Jin-Sol had somewhat strange standards. Even if someone was just slightly good, she described them as amazing. She sometimes used the term when watching videos of Players on Eltube—not videos of System Streamers linked with SSP, but videos of regular streamers.

“Yes! I saw him in the Heyri Art Valley. His name was Kim Pyeong-Beom. He was only Level 1, but he practically soloed the Black Brown Bear.”

“... How can a Level 1 Player defeat the Black Brown Bear?”

“No, seriously! He used a sword, and he was really amazing!”

“Was he really that amazing?”

‘Was I really that amazing? No, if I keep thinking like this, I can’t help but smile again.’

[...#So Cool. #I want to see him again. #Maybe I am, #Falling in love.]

Jin-Hyeok’s mood turned sour again.

“Get the hell out of my room.”

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Jin-Hyeok thought a lot about if he should save up a bit more money and buy a building in Yeonhui-dong, or if he should invest more for now.

‘Let’s invest more for now.’

With the one billion won that Berby gave him, he acquired a small office. It was also in Yeonhui-dong. With this amount of money, he could not afford a lucrative building, so it was a very old and small office.

By the way, even though it was worth only one billion won now, in a few years, people would not be able to buy this place even with ten billion won.

Anyway, Jin-Hyeok’s party gathered in the office.

“First of all, I want to talk about the next content for the livestream.”

The next content was already decided. Jin-Hyeok’s goal was to enhance the Berklev Necklace in the direction he wanted. For that, he needed materials, and one of them was the Incombustible Spider Web.

“I am thinking of hunting a special monster called Arachne. This information is confirmed by the GM, but there is a bit of a problem.”

Arachne resided in a Labyrinth-type Dungeon. It was a mobile monster with a setting that moved only in Labyrinth-type environments.

“I think our team needs a capable Navigator as well.”

As far as Jin-Hyeok knew, the most exceptional Navigator in Korea was his former team member, Han Sae-Rin. However, she had extraordinary abilities. She did not match Jin-Hyeok’s plan. Also, the government might have already contacted her before him.

“Who knows a good Navigator?”

SSP was not fully activated yet, so the interaction was currently limited to people on Earth through the internet. The unique matchmaking system of SSP, Player recommendation system, and various convenience features were not yet activated. It would take at least a few more months for these to be activated.

Jin-Sol raised her hand.

“Me! I know a famous person!”

She said something about how she knew about this famous Navigator on the internet. There was a site specifically for Players where they could view other Players’ history and achievements.

‘Ah.’

Just by looking at the profile, this Player was not impressive. Jin-Hyeok could tell just by seeing which Dungeons they cleared and what equipment they were wearing.

‘Damn… Is there no good Navigator on Earth yet?’

Even though Jin-Hyeok always wanted to be in third place instead of first, his standards could not be lowered.

‘I think my standards are not that high. I just need someone who can do the basic stuff.’

If this is the case, it might be better to Play with Sae-Rin. Jin-Hyeok thought of just leveling up with her until Level 100, or even Level 150 if he was being ambitious.

‘But how do I find Sae-Rin?’

[The SSP System will now start connecting with Earth’s network.]

‘Huh? Why is this already showing up?’

This was supposed to start after the Open Beta ended, but it was already connected.

Jin-Hyeok immediately turned on his phone.

[www.SSP.com]

A familiar interface appeared. It was more outdated than the version Jin-Hyeok knew, but overall, it was familiar.

[Player Registration Information]

Jin-Hyeok could easily find Sae-Rin on the website. She was one of the top contenders for the best Navigator in Korea. Her Player name was Pathfinder.

In other words, it meant that she was registered on the Ranking Board. And if she was registered on the Ranking Board, it would show up in the Player Registration Information.

If Jin-Hyeok spent some money, he could even find out her current location. It was a feature that would be abolished later due to human rights issues, but it was still functioning for now.

[2nd Place, Pathfinder.]

Jin-Hyeok immediately clicked on Pathfinder’s profile. He spent one million Dias to reveal her location.

“Just a moment. I will be right back."

Jin-Hyeok started running.

‘Why is she there?’

[Current location: Sareoga Mart Dungeon.]

1. While they are all GMs, they still have a hierarchy within their own organization like a normal company. Here, Serchan is an assistant manager, while Kihael is just a senior staff. ☜