I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 259

Swampland No.1 grimaced as he walked down to Lady Harkoen’s basement.

‘That crazy woman…!’

Mannequins were lined up in a row along the basement corridor. The problem was that these mannequins were not actual mannequins. They were real people turned into mannequins, part of that woman’s collection.

The corridor had several rooms arranged like a hotel hallway, with names written on the doors like plaques.

[Butler]

[Beastkin]

[Nude]

[Beauty]

These were the themes of the rooms in the basement.

With her face hidden behind a fan, Lady Harkoen chuckled. “Only those who are carefully selected can be displayed in the rooms.”

True to her reputation as a famous collector, she seemed eager to boast about her collection. Swampland No.1 responded with the smile of a salesperson, “Your discerning eye is renowned! I can imagine how beautiful the pieces you have selected must be even without seeing them.”

Lady Harkoen took Swampland No.1 around to view the rooms. The Butler room had mannequins dressed as butlers. The Beastkin room contained mannequins of beastkins.

“And here. I’ve found someone fitting for this room.”

[Treasure]

Lady Harkoen opened the Treasure room, revealing luxurious indirect lighting and a red carpet. In the center of the room was an empty glass case.

“It’s a transparent box made especially from Transparent Crystals.”

She had been looking for an occupant for this box for a long time and had finally found the right person. Now, this room would be named Kim Chul-Soo.

“I was actually going to ask for your help,” Swampland No.1 said.

“Just say it. I will do anything to acquire Chul-Soo.”

“He is heading to Dion. That’s where my office is.”

“And?”

“I plan to catch him there, but I’m a bit worried about the guards. Given the nature of the plan, there might be some commotion.”

“Commotion? What kind of commotion?”

“A first-class citizen might die. I wonder if that’s alright with you…”

“It’s natural for various things to happen while collecting…” Lady Harkoen nodded. “What’s the name of Dion’s guard captain?”

“Ah, it’s Kidibon.”

After making a call somewhere, Lady Harkoen assured him, “You will have the full support of the guard captain of Dion. What exactly do you need?”

“I need the guard captain to legally arrest Chul-Soo. I can abduct him from there and handle the disappearance.”

“That’s not hard.”

“But it must be done tonight. Until midnight, Chul-Soo won’t be able to livestream or record any footage.”

***

The slave system in Arvis had been officially abolished, and terms like ‘x-class citizen’ had disappeared. However, this was just the legal perspective; in reality, such terms were still frequently used. The concept of an x-class citizen was very familiar to ordinary people. Second-class citizens were still poorer and more despised, compared to first-class citizens.

Yolin, a second-class citizen, considered herself quite lucky. ‘I had no idea there would be such an easy job in a small city like this!’

Social mobility was difficult in Arvis. It was nearly impossible for a second-class citizen to become wealthy or a first-class citizen. Thus, they tended to pursue work-life balance over money.

Yolin had gotten a job at a small errand center in the mid-sized city of Dion. However, this errand center hardly ever had any work to do. As a result, Yolin’s only tasks were to come in the morning, have a cup of tea, tidy up a bit, and enjoy her free time.

‘I wonder if this place will go bankrupt at this rate…’

She also rarely saw the boss. However, whenever she did, she always treated him with utmost respect. He was, after all, the person who had given her this dream job.

It had been another comfortable day for her. Just as she was thinking about heading home, a customer arrived. It was a first.

“Hello~”

However, the customer said, “I am here to kill your boss. Could you pass on the message on my behalf?”

“…You want me to tell him that?” Yolin felt conflicted. “Are you perhaps a very close friend of the boss?”

“No.”

“T-Then who are you?”

“If anything, I’m closer to being his archenemy.”

Yolin was at a loss for words.

‘He must be joking… right? They must be really close for him to make such a joke nonchalantly.’

With that thought, she felt a bit more at ease.

An hour later, the boss, who was rarely seen, walked into the office.

“Boss, I have a message for you.” It was actually the first task she had gotten since joining the office. “Some guy who seemed close to you came by. His name was Chul-Soo… or something.”

Swampland No.1’s expression brightened. ‘That’s good news!’

Chul-Soo had to be nearby, making the hunt much easier.

“What did this Chul-Soo say?”

Seeing his reaction, Yolin felt relieved. ‘They must be really close?’

“He said he is going to kill you! He insisted I tell you,” Yolin said.

“…”

“Um… Boss, if it’s not too rude to ask, could you introduce me to your friend?” Yolin’s face turned bright red. “He’s my type…”

Swampland No.1 frowned. Seeing his reaction, Yolin felt even more reassured.

‘True friends normally get upset when you compliment them, right?’

“He has a charm that makes even the craziest statements seem not so crazy! I have never seen someone so handsome.”

Swampland No.1 bit his lip. Another reason to kill Chul-Soo had just emerged.

***

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head in confusion. ‘I’m being followed?’

The girl(?) approaching him was too big to be discreetly following him. She kept hiding and peeking from a distance, but Jin-Hyeok already knew who she was.

‘Wow, she followed me all the way here?’

It was Liling.

‘Wouldn’t she miss work tomorrow if she’s here right now?’

As he neared his lodging, Jin-Hyeok sighed and said, “Liling, why are you here? Why did you follow me?”

“Well, that’s because…” Liling’s horn turned pink, matching the color of her dress. “I just really wanted to see you, Mr. Chul-Soo…”

“What about work?”

“I took a leave!”

Jin-Hyeok laughed. “Why do you like me so much?”

“Because… you’re my love. I really, really like you.”

Jin-Hyeok felt a strange sense of discomfort.

‘She has become quite bold with her confessions.’

He thought she was similar to Kim Min-Ji, but Liling was much braver.

“Would it be okay if I asked for a cup of tea?” she said.

“What is this? Are you asking me on a date?”

“Yes, I am! Hehe.”

Jin-Hyeok’s eyes narrowed. He thought of what Yu-Mi had said before.

“A true Chul-Soo Lander would never try to monopolize you. They might fantasize but would not dream of a real relationship. That would be betraying their peers. Asking you out? Out of the question.”

He had felt from the start that something was off about her, different from other Chul-Soo Landers. Jin-Hyeok looked at the large pocket on the front of Liling’s pink dress. Inside it was a piece of laminated paper folded in half.

‘Isn’t that my autograph?’

The autograph she had been holding so dearly earlier was now crumpled.

***

Jin-Hyeok invited Liling into his room. She entered the room, being shy yet curious. “I can’t believe I am alone in a hotel room with Mr. Chul-Soo…!”

Liling’s horn turned a shade of orange, resembling a ripe persimmon. Jin-Hyeok sat down and looked straight at her. She also made eye contact with him.

“Liling,” he said.

“Yes?”

“You’re really pretty, you know?”

“D-Do you really think so?”

“Can I give you a hug?”

“Y-Yes! Please! I’m so happy!”

Jin-Hyeok was certain. ‘This is not the Liling I met.’

She was making direct eye contact. Earlier, Liling could not even maintain eye contact with him. Normally, she would have run away at the compliment, but her horn just turned a bit redder, and she remained happily there.

“Who are you?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“W-What do you mean?”

He looked around. There was only one reason she would be acting like this. “Is this a Control Bug?”

It seemed like a scheme by Swampland No.1. Jin-Hyeok always welcomed such deceitful schemes. “But…”

‘Messing with Chul-Soo Landers? With my fans?’

“It seems like Swampland No.1 has a hobby of crossing the line.”

***

Swampland No.1 was hiding in a safe place, observing the world through Liling’s eyes.

‘How did he know?’

He thought he had acted just like a Chul-Soo Lander. Anyway, Chul-Soo was quick on the uptake.

‘But it doesn’t matter.’

The trap would be triggered soon. Swampland No.1 just needed to hold on for a few more seconds. He made Liling speak through his control.

“You, you dare hunt me down?” Swampland No.1 was confident that if he initiated this conversation, Chul-Soo would surely stall for time. Chul-Soo had to think about his Eltube channel, after all.

‘Why else would he have come to the office and declared war, if not for the livestream?’

“Never underestimate the Swampland Crew.”

‘You and I are on entirely different levels of experience. And it’s almost time!’

The Swampland Crew’s secret technique, Black Hole, was about to be revealed to the world. It was the hidden ability of a Control Bug. It turned the host into a kind of black hole, which sucked in nearby life forms. The host would die in the process, but it was a surefire trap.

‘Huh?’

However, something was off. Chul-Soo immediately swung Miri, contrary to Swampland No.1’s prediction.

‘He’s crazy! Why wouldn’t the livestream-obsessed man care about the production?’

Chul-Soo was swinging the hammer with full force.

‘No!’

A few more seconds were needed for the Black Hole to be completed. It was incomprehensible. However, since Swampland No.1 needed to buy more time, he let out a scream.

“Kyyaaaak!”

Liling’s screams echoed throughout the hotel. The commotion stirred the area, and the guard squad dining on the first floor of the hotel immediately sprang into action. It was the guard squad led by Captain Kidibon. Kidibon quickly identified the source of the scream and went upstairs.

“What is going on!” Kidibon smashed the door with his sword. He was greeted with a strange sight.

‘What is this?’

This was not what he had been briefed on. The briefing had mentioned that a first-class citizen, who was an employee of the Server Entry Department, would be found dead with a black hole in her stomach. Then, Kidibon was supposed to arrest Chul-Soo as the perpetrator.

‘But she’s not dead!’

Instead of a hole in her stomach, she was unconscious and slightly bleeding from the back of her head. The situation had slightly changed from what he thought, but it still seemed clear that a first-class citizen had been assaulted.

Soon, the guards, armed with spears, arrived in the room. The average Level of the guards was in the 270s.

“Under the suspicion of assaulting a first-class citizen of Arvis, you are under arrest.” The guards surrounded Jin-Hyeok.

‘Should I run for it?’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

However, fleeing was meaningless. This was Arvis, the strongest Server, and the average Level of the city guards here was around 270. The captain’s Level was even 280. Jin-Hyeok raised his hands.

‘But how could they arrive here this quickly?’

It was almost as if they knew something like this was going to happen.

“I have a question. How did you know this collapsed woman is a citizen of Arvis? You didn’t even check her identification,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Captain Kidibon did not respond. This wasn’t even a formal arrest anyway.

‘I don’t need to answer this guy,’ Kidibon thought. He knew that Chul-Soo would be abducted during the escort.

“Escort him!” Kidibon said.

“Captain, what should we do with this woman?”

If it had gone as mentioned in the briefing, she would have died at this point. Kidibon hesitated for a moment before answering, “Kill her.”

Jin-Hyeok’s expression darkened.

‘Messing with my Chul-Soo Lander again? Hurting someone so small and precious?’

“You guys are hopeless.” For the first time in a while, Jin-Hyeok was genuinely angry.