I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 201

“Huh?” Cha Jin-Sol was astonished.

‘How could he not know he is handsome when that’s the face he looks at every time in the mirror? Is he being serious?’

She responded in a slightly bitter tone, “I guess you are somewhat handsome.”

“Right?”

“Huh?”

It seemed that she believed he was messing with her. So, Jin-Hyeok explained, “I mean, I’m somewhat handsome, but I don’t think I’m handsome enough to cause this much commotion.”

To Jin-Sol, it sounded like Jin-Hyeok considered himself just somewhat handsome.

‘Ah... So, this is the face of a person who is somewhat handsome...’

She was too baffled to speak.

“People must think I am quite unattractive,” he added.

Indeed, some online communities had mentioned this.

-The expectations for Kim Chul-Soo were so low that this sudden rise of fame was inevitable.

-He is the epitome of overrated.

Interestingly, Jin-Hyeok also agreed with these comments.

‘It’s probably because Kang Eun-Woo has not started Playing seriously yet,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

In contrast, Jin-Sol was at a loss for words.

‘Is he serious?’

Explaining to him seemed pointless, so she gave up. “The standards you’re applying to yourself are bizarrely high...”

In just a few days, various people claiming to be fans of Chul-Soo had flocked to the Enstagram account created by Wang Yu-Mi, forming a massive fandom. The account had gained three hundred million followers just a day after its creation. Yu-Mi did not stop at just creating an account for Chul-Soo; she also established an official fan club.

[We are recruiting first-generation members for Chul-Soo Land.]

The Server crashed while recruiting the first-generation members, and all the membership slots sold out(?) in one second. It was the dawn of Chul-Soo Land. Unbeknownst to Chul-Soo himself, he had gained an army of fans.

***

Many users flooded the Korean Region Minor Gallery.

-Is this the main base for Chul-Soo?

-Anyone know the username for the homepage master?

-What’s a homepage master?

-It’s sort of like a website manager. Also, there are no photos of Chul-Soo here since this was the first time his face was revealed. Sorry T_T.

-Just follow his Enstagram account. At least, there are some pictures of Chul-Soo there.

-Anyone selling Chul-Soo’s past photos?

The comments posted on the Korean Region Minor Gallery were more intense compared to those posted in other online communities. A renowned user of the KRMG, ChulSooIsGod, typed ecstatically.

[I knew this day would come. IntenseMan has attained all perfections. Chul-Soo Land's first-generation memberships were sold out instantly. You ignorant people, repent for not recognizing Chul-Soo!]

[Written by: ChulSooIsGod]

However, the most heated reactions came not from ChulSooIsGod, but from NoOverpackagingPlz. Each of the latter’s posts hit at least a million views, but the posts also had twice as many dislikes as there were likes. Currently, his top post was titled [Tips to Increase Views without Giving Public Recognition].

NoOverpackagingPlz typed furiously.

[Overhyped much? Damn, is this even real? Chul-Soo? Handsome? Then I’m super handsome.]

┗Says the basement dweller.

┗Even Chul-Soo’s toenail is more handsome than you.

┗LOL, he can’t even be compared to Chul-Soo’s toe. That’s harsh.

┗Chul-Soo’s toenail: I’m offended T_T.

NoOverpackagingPlz expressed negative opinions on how Chul-Soo could have possibly defeated Zoro.

[Zoro is a pattern-type Player who relies on the Instant Kill ability. So, once you figure out his strategy and pattern, he is easy to beat. That is why he is considered one of the weakest among the rankers. He is also listed in the top ten Players with clear growth limits. Chul-Soo was a terrible matchup for Zoro. Plus, Chul-Soo got buffs for being on another Server. Honestly, without those buffs, he would have easily lost to Zoro.]

┗Do you even remember how Chul-Soo fought Zoro without fully adapting to his quick level-up?

┗Seems like you forgot that Chul-Soo is a Streamer. Oh my! What an idiot.

┗Nice to see an inferiority complex pretending to be smart.

[Why do you think Chul-Soo revealed his face? He knows he did not win against Zoro with his skills! He is bound to be exposed eventually! So, he revealed his face to draw massive attention!]

┗LOL! So, you admit that he drew massive attention with his handsome face?

┗He just admitted that Chul-Soo is handsome. What an idiot! Haha!

┗Honestly, his face is his strongest asset right now. Just admit it and it’s over.

┗Are you dumb? If you wanna be a hater, at least be smart about it, LOL!

After posting numerous comments, the man behind NoOverpackagingPlz, Joseph, put down his phone with a big smile.

Yu-Mi adjusted her round glasses and said, “But I think it’s time to be a bit cautious.”

“Cautious?”

“Chul-Soo Land has started digging into NoOverpackagingPlz’s personal info.”

“But SSP is completely secured, isn’t it?”

“Officially, yes.”

However, nothing was perfect in this world.

“There are really skilled hackers in Chul-Soo Land,” Yu-Mi continued.

“Hackers... They already found out my personal details?”

“Not yet. You know that I used SSP for Chul-Soo Land’s first-generation member recruitment?”

“Of course, I know.”

“I’ve set the timer so that the recruitment would start at midnight.”

Joseph started feeling uneasy.

“But someone joined at 11:55 PM. They broke into the System and forcibly entered their name as a first-generation member. If you get caught by such a skilled person, your personal information will be exposed in no time.”

“...”

“So, I think you can stop pretending to be a Chul-Soo hater. With Chul-Soo’s sudden surge in popularity, there will be plenty of haters to take your place.”

“What should I do now?”

Joseph, who called himself the Star Maker, was confident in his abilities, but he acknowledged Yu-Mi’s exceptional talent. She had timed Jin-Hyeok’s face reveal to coincide with when he needed to start dealing with the Awakened Hunters. She had prepared in advance, gathering numerous fans and forming the official force of the Chul-Soo Land to protect him.

Even the most skilled Awakened Hunters would find targeting Chul-Soo inconvenient now. Everything fell into place like gears in a machine.

“You are going to release a statement explaining why you were such an active hater. Now is the perfect time, when the interest in Jin-Hyeok is at its peak. Just like how you could be forgiven for anything done in the early days after a promotion. You will explain that you became a strategic shield for Chul-Soo.”

“....Do I really have to go that far?”

“You might end up stoned to death otherwise. Do you want that?”

“I will release the statement today.”

“And after that, you are going to become the Adventure Captain of Chul-Soo Land’s first generation!”

“Adventure Captain?”

“It’s sort of like being the president of a fan club.”

“You want me to lead a male Player’s fan club? With a title like Adventure Captain?” Joseph’s trapezius muscle twitched. His majestic pectoral muscles also quivered.

Sigh!

Joseph would never have guessed this would happen to him. “I like it!”

***

“I want to fight you.” Lee Hyeon-Seong, who had recently become the Weak Anus Destroyer from the Anus Destroyer because of Jin-Hyeok, came looking for the Streamer. “I want to experience Zoro’s swordsmanship, the Song of the Black Tiger.”

“Hm...” Jin-Hyeok narrowed his eyes and looked at Hyeon-Seong. After observing him for a while, Jin-Hyeok crossed his arms and asked, “If you lose this time, will you acknowledge your defeat?”

Jin-Hyeok’s demeanor seemed to say, ‘You have never really accepted defeat before!’ Hyeon-Seong did not quite understand that but agreed nonetheless.

“Are you going to admit it on my livestream?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yes.”

“If you lose, you have to say, ‘I lost!’ three times, okay?”

“...” Hyeon-Seong looked at him, puzzled by his attitude.

Jin-Hyeok, as if feeling provoked, raised his voice. “Why? You don’t want to?”

“I didn’t... say I don’t want to...”

“So, what are you going to do if you lose?”

“I will admit it on your livestream and say I lost three times.”

“Good.”

So, they decided to duel. Thinking it was best to fight outside the territory of the Golden Guardian Tree, they moved toward Goyang.

In a desolate field in Goyang, Jin-Hyeok and Hyeon-Seong drew their swords.

‘I can see his Sword Path!’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

He was currently at Level 204, while Hyeon-Seong was at Level 179. Their Levels were unmatched from the start.

‘I didn’t expect to read Hyeon-Seong’s Sword Path so easily.’

His heart pounded. Before his regression, he and Hyeon-Seong had been archrivals. Jin-Hyeok claimed to be much stronger, and Hyeon-Seong insisted he was stronger, but their skills and growth rates were nearly identical. However, things were much different now.

“You’re too easy to read,” Jin-Hyeok said as he kicked Hyeon-Seong after blocking his attack.

Thump!

Hyeon-Seong stumbled back several steps. Then, Jin-Hyeok used the Song of the Black Tiger technique, mimicking Zoro’s style.

‘This technique is only about increasing the chance of the Instant Kill ability.’

Jin-Hyeok had disabled the Instant Kill Achievement for now, so there was no chance of it activating.

‘Zoro used it only for the Instant Kill, but...’

Jin-Hyeok had a different idea.

‘A man’s about style!’

He had replicated the Song of the Black Tiger just for the cool effect. After all, he was now a Streamer, not a Swordsman. A Streamer’s Play should have flair.

Three tigers roared mightily, charging at Hyeon-Seong.

‘My sword has style!’

Hyeon-Seong, with his eyes wide open, methodically cut down the three tigers.

Suddenly, Jin-Hyeok appeared amidst the tigers.

‘When did he...?’ Hyeon-Seong thought.

Jin-Hyeok’s movements were much faster than expected. Even though Jin-Hyeok didn’t have the buffs from the Guardian Tree and his +20 Level effect, Hyeon-Seong could not read Jin-Hyeok’s movements. Before the Swordsman knew it, Jin-Hyeok’s sword was at his throat.

“...I lost.”

Jin-Hyeok grinned without realizing. “What did you say?”

“I said I lost.”

“Say it more formally.”

“I lost, Sir.”

Hyeon-Seong had to loudly proclaim on Jin-Hyeok’s livestream, “I have lost! I am the Weak Anus Destroyer!” three times.

***

Viewers from KimKnowItAllTV were shocked by the outcome of the duel between Chul-Soo and Hyeon-Seong.

-Isn’t he ranked first among the Korean Region Swordsmen?

-Aren’t Players from the Korean Region significantly stronger than Players from other Regions?

-Is the Korean Region overrated?

The chat was instantly flooded with messages.

-Isn’t it logical to think that among the strong Korean Region Players, Chul-Soo is just overwhelmingly powerful?

-There is a video of the number one Swordsman from the Polish Region fighting Hyeon-Seong. Check it out to see if Hyeon-Seong is really the Weak Anus Destroyer. Here’s the link. eltube...

-Here is a video of Hyeon-Seong fighting the number one Swordsman from the Chinese Region. eltube...

Hyeon-Seong was not weak. It was just that his opponent, Chul-Soo, was excessively strong.

Yu-Mi smirked. ‘I don’t need to gather information myself.’

There were so many fans that they posted the information themselves. However, the activeness of the chat made it almost impossible to read the comments.

‘I think I need to split the channel.’

It seemed time to launch season two of KimKnowItAllTV. Splitting the channel and creating separate viewer tiers for differentiation seemed necessary. Many viewers were already clamoring for a separate channel for Chul-Soo fans, claiming they would willingly contribute financially.

‘Huh?’

Yu-Mi received a System message.

[There was an attempted hack.]

‘Wait, a System message? Was it really sent by the System?’

[I am Reina, the first member of Chul-Soo Land’s first generation.]

“Can a user send a System message?”

Reina did not give a precise answer.

[Anyway, there was a hacking attempt on KimKnowItAllTV. The attempt came from the Chinese Region. After backtracking it, I found that the ones behind it are Sephia and Grandel. I’ve blocked the attack for now since it seems like they were up to something.]

The next message was in red font.

[Sephia and Grandel must be eliminated.]

Yu-Mi now knew the exact location of Sephia and Grandel.