I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 135

Wang Yu-Mi hosted her livestream while simultaneously monitoring Bong King’s livestream. As she watched his livestream, she unwittingly let out a gasping sigh.

‘Ah…’

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.

Entranced, Yu-Mi kept muttering. Even in her distraction, she professionally made sure her voice was not broadcasted by muting her livestream.

“It’s like the completion of the world.”

Gorgeous scenes continuously flitted through her mind.

“Where ashy elegance and fiery passion intertwine… Behold, a new world unfolds.”

Gulp.

Yu-Mi whipped the droll from the corner of her mouth.

“When one beauty meets another beauty. It creates the utmost beauty. I shall call it the super-ultra beauty.”

No one knew when, but someday, Cha Jin-Hyeok’s true face would be revealed. The emotional masterpiece of today would undoubtedly be re-evaluated then. She decided to perfectly save today’s footage for that future moment.

“It’s not just the beauty of appearance. His sole existence is the epitome of beauty!”

Meanwhile, the Spirit King of Fire, Alkinas, who was holding Jin-Hyeok’s hand, started to frown.

‘He consumed the Phoenix Liver, too?’ the Spirit King of Fire thought.

Alkinas found out that Jin-Hyeok was around Level 100, which was considered low by the Spirit King of Fire’s standards. Alkinas wondered how a low-level Player could consume both Phoenix Heart and Phoenix Liver, as well as the Flame of Nebidia.

“How did you obtain the Phoenix Heart, Liver, and the Flame of Nebidia?” Alkinas asked.

By his understanding, a Player of this Level could not possibly acquire these items. Even if one managed to obtain one of the three, getting all of them was inconceivable.

“Are you by any chance a member of the Trinity Club directly involved with the System?”

“Nope. I am just a regular Player.”

Alkinas frowned once more. Spirits were entities close to ethereal beings. By holding Jin-Hyeok’s hand, Alkinas could fairly accurately find out Jin-Hyeok’s current mental state.

‘He genuinely believes he is ordinary!’

However, something felt oddly twisted about it. If Alkinas were to condense the myriad sensations from Jin-Hyeok’s psyche into human language, it would roughly translate to [Compared to the world’s top-ranked Players in various Jobs, I am only Korea’s number one, which is just average.]

However, Alkinas wondered how a so-called ordinary Player could consume the Phoenix Heart in that manner and still survive. He was clearly far from ordinary.

“To be able to do that at your Level, you need…”

There was only one plausible scenario.

“…You must have received donations.”

“Exactly.”

“I knew that’s not true, so what I wa— wait, what did you just say?”

“I told you. I got those from donations.”

Alkinas could not believe what he was hearing.

“How can you get donations?”

“What are you talking about?”

This time, it was Jin-Hyeok who found Alkinas hard to comprehend. .𝘤𝘰

“I’m a Streamer. And I completed missions to get the donations.”

“…You’re a Streamer?”

Alkinas was aware that when he had appeared here, numerous humans had perished. He wasn’t blinded by his rage. Even the sturdy fellow (Choi Gang-Byeok) was instantly burned to death. However, he could not comprehend how a Streamer managed to survive.

“Why? Don’t I look like a Streamer to you?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Do you think you look like a Streamer?”

Jin-Hyeok felt slightly offended. He thought he had grown quite a bit, but apparently, he was still lacking by the Spirit King of Fire’s standards.

‘I shouldn’t think like this. I can’t grow if I feel offended by trivial things,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

He felt the need to use this humiliation as motivation to strive harder.

“I will try my best to look more like a Streamer next time.”

“…”

Even while holding his hand, understanding Jin-Hyeok’s mental state was incredibly challenging. It felt as though Alkinas was encountering an entity far more advanced than a mere human. Alkinas ceased trying to understand Jin-Hyeok from a logical standpoint.

“Anyway, you have consumed the Phoenix Heart in a mysterious, no, an impossible manner. If my guess is correct, you are fully qualified to be a vessel for the Spirit King of Fire,” Alkinas said.

Red flames surged from Aliknas. Like fire traveling down a fuse, the red flames crawled from his shoulders, down his wrists, and onto his hands, consuming Jin-Hyeok.

“You are a vessel capable of accepting the fire of the Spirit King of Fire,” Alkinas said.

“…”

“I, Spirit King of Fire, Alkinas, offer you a pact. Become my vessel, and I will grant you the power to burn anything.”

Being a vessel for the Spirit King of Fire, who was capable of receiving the Spirit King of Fire’s power, was extremely rare.

“I refuse,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“…What?”

Jin-Hyeok let go of the hand he had been holding and spoke as if exasperated, “I’m not a Spirit Mage, I’m a Streamer.”

? ?

The greatest privilege given to the VIPs of the Trinity Club was the ability to directly participate in the Play, to act like a Player without actually being one. It was a special treatment all VIPs desired. The Spirit King of Fire felt the same.

“You might not know, but Spirit Kings have many restrictions when traveling between worlds. After all, with great power comes great responsibility.”

“Restrictions?”

“Just by existing, I consume a vast amount of Spirit energy. Outside of the Spirit Realm, it’s challenging to find a place with enough Spirit energy to sustain my existence.”

Much like the VIPs, Spirit Kings, too had a strong desire to participate directly in the Play. However, due to various restrictions, it was practically impossible. What made it possible was the vessel of the Spirit King. A vessel with the physical and mental capacity to fully receive the Spirit King’s power. Although very rare, they were occasionally found. Establishing a formal contract with such a vessel allowed the Spirit King to roam the worlds more freely.

“So, like the VIPs of the Trinity Club, you want to freely roam the System’s worlds?”

“Yes.”

“No.” Jin-Hyeok declined instantly.

“Why not?”

“I told you. I’m a Streamer. It would be weird for a Streamer to command Spirits.”

‘Isn’t it more weird that you survived my flames in the first place? Aren’t you practically a Spirit Mage with your level of affinity for Spirits?’ Alkinas thought.

There were so many points of contention.

“Streamers should focus on their livestreams, and look like they’re professionals. I was highly motivated by what you said, after all,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“…”

Jin-Hyeok was not rejecting the Spirit King of Fire’s offer simply because he was a Streamer.

‘If I make a pact with the Spirit King of Fire, there will be too many restrictions,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

Jin-Hyeok’s Spirit power would become so strong that it would hinder the growth of his other abilities. Essentially, it would burn away all other abilities. It would certainly hamper his growth as a Streamer.

‘His power doesn’t fit my style, anyway,’

No matter how cool and powerful the ability, it was pointless if it did not resonate with a Player.

‘Of course, I would become much stronger.’

However, the power would only be wieldable properly at a minimum Level of 200. If Jin-Hyeok consumed a power that he could not handle, there would be an avalanche of side effects. Weighing the pros and cons, making a pact with the Spirit King of Fire seemed to have more disadvantages.

“More than anything, I am not yet ready for your power.”

Things would have been different if Jin-Hyeok had reached a pinnacle where he could handle the Spirit King of Fire’s power with ease, or if he had become an extraordinary Streamer, unaffected by the Spirit King of Fire’s power. However, the timing for a pact with the Spirit King of Fire was not right.

Just then, Elines raised her hand exuberantly.

“Me! Me!” Elines spoke clearly. “Then I want to make the pact! I’m still a child anyway!”

? ? ?

Having the Spirit King of Fire’s power felt a bit intimidating.

‘But what about the Spirit King of Fire’s daughter? If she grows up, she could become a Spirit Queen someday, right?’

It was like an unclaimed lottery ticket. The Spirit King of Fire’s lineage was said to continue by blood. It was a surefire lottery ticket with a one hundred percent chance of winning.

‘She will be much easier for me to handle right now.’

Alkinas seemed to appreciate Elines’ proposal. He gazed at Elines with fond, lingering eyes.

‘Does he want to grant her the opportunity he couldn’t seize for himself?’

From that perspective, it seemed understandable. It was a father’s hope for happiness he could not experience but wishes for his daughter. The intensity of that sentiment briefly revealed Alkinas’ true feelings.

[…#If not me, then #At least my daughter. #For my daughter’s future…]

In front of his child, even the mighty Spirit King of Fire was just like every other father.

Elines’ status was clearly visible to Jin-Hyeok.

[…#Let’s do it! #The pact! #Oppa is mine! #Mine! #Lovestagram?&#10084?&#10084]

‘…Her status seems a bit off?’

Either way, they both clearly wanted Jin-Hyeok.

‘I must have a knack for Spirit Mage. Had it been to my taste, I would have passionately pursued it, but our relationship seems a bit mismatched.’

“If it’s a pact with Elines, I will consider it. But, there is one condition,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Condition?” Alkinas eyebrows twitched. “I feel a bit uncomfortable, like I am the only fool here.”

“That’s just your feeling. Sitting in a position of power for so long makes even the trivial feel like a challenge to one’s authority,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“…”

“Even if you were tricked, so what? I saved your daughter.”

“That’s why I allowed the pact with my daughter.”

“I never asked for this. Elines did.” Jin-Hyeok turned to Elines and asked, “Right, Elines?”

“Yes!”

Even though everything he said was right, Jin-Hyeok could not figure out why Alkinas looked so forlorn. Alkinas’ face looked like Jin-Hyeok was about to kidnap his daughter.

“My condition is nothing difficult. I would appreciate it if you could get me a Thermal Flower.”

When Jin-Hyeok first entered the New World Dungeon, the first Quest he received was to collect Thermal Flower. Originally, he was supposed to obtain it from the Burning Fortress, but an unexpected Scenario progression prevented him from doing so.

“Such an easy condition. But why the Thermal Flower?” Alkinas asked.

“I have to stick to the basics.”

Even if an unforeseen Scenario was unfolding, even if the contents of the New World had completely changed, the essence of clearing the Dungeon remained unchanged. Jin-Hyeok still needed to do what he originally intended. What he did was an unconventional and exceptional Play, so he should not overlook the basics of Play.

“You seemed to have your head screwed on the right way.”

Alkinas produced a flower from his hand. It was a flower burning in a vibrant purple flame.

“Here, the Thermal Flower.”

“…”

‘I asked for a Thermal Flower…’

[Mysterious Thermal Flower]

Alkinas handed him a Mysterious Thermal Flower. Jin-Hyeok assumed by the standards of the Spirit King of Fire, that this was a regular Thermal Flower.

‘What an unusual standard.’

“To hold this, you will need a specially crafted vase. A mere human cannot grasp it with bare hands,” Alkinas said.

“Will this do?”

Jin-Hyeok took out the vase that the guard at the western gate of Azov Village had given him.

“It’s a bit lacking, but it should suffice for now.”

With a flick of Alkinas’ finger, the Mysterious Thermal Flower floated gently into the vase. There was a sensation of intense heat, but Jin-Hyeok felt no harm to him. It seemed he had genuinely absorbed the Phoenix Heart.

Elines stood in front of him.

“Make a pact with Elly! Hehe! Elly is a good child!”

“Alright.”

Elines held out her tiny hands. Following her expectant gaze, Jin-Hyeok took her hands.

“You’re mine!”

The contract seemed to be written in a strange format.

[You have formed a pact with the Spirit King of Fire’s daughter, 「Elines」.]

[You have activated the Skill 「Spirit Summoning Technique」.]

[Due to the request of the summoned entity, the name of the Skill 「Spirit Summoning Technique」 has been changed to 「Summon Cute Elly, Ta-da!」]

[You have activated the Skill 「Summon Cute Elly, Ta-da!」]

“You are mine now, hehe.”

Updated from .𝘤𝘰