I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 391

Lee Hyeon-Seong gulped. He thought that something significant was about to happen.

‘What is he trying to show me?’

It seemed Cha Jin-Hyeok was about to perform a sacred Eltuber ritual that Hyeon-Seong knew nothing about.

Jin-Hyeok raised his finger and touched Hyeon-Seong’s back. “You have earned the right to be acknowledged a little, Anus Destroyer Hyeon-Seong.”

Hyeon-Seong, also a subscriber of Jin-Hyeok’s channel, sensed that the Cringe Master had returned. Goosebumps rose on his arms. Feeling solemn about being part of this moment, he responded like a true subscriber, “I humbly accept, Eltuber Kim Chul-Soo.”

Jin-Hyeok nodded, then traced his finger across Hyeon-Seong’s back, leaving a mark.

[Super Weak Anus Destroyer]

Jin-Hyeok had removed a word from Hyeon-Seong’s title.

“Now rise. I have engraved my mark upon you, and you’re now ready to soar,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“I shall strive to live up to it, Kim Chul-Soo.”

‘Has he finally acknowledged me?’ Hyeon-Seong’s heart raced.

***

Several more days passed. Of the four weeks allowed at the Cliff of Singing Swords as part of the Sword Emperor tournament’s prize, only three days remained. During this time, Jin-Hyeok had also tried hard to summon a Sword Spirit, but it was not as easy as he thought. This was not due to his lack of talent, but because Miri strongly opposed it.

-Hmph! I won’t allow it!

Due to her immense jealousy, Jin-Hyeok repeatedly failed to summon a Sword Spirit. Then, he thought of a good idea. ‘Wait! Could the seduction technique I learned from Relphim and practiced on Miri work on these swords? Would they reveal themselves in response to my call? It’s worth giving a shot.’

Relphim had taught him how to excite Miri, which had worked surprisingly well.

‘I wonder if this will work.’

To summon a Sword Spirit and train at the Cliff of Singing Swords, one needed to follow an established process:

1. The sword calls the Swordsman first.

2. The Swordsman hears the sword’s voice and enters the realm of the Mind Sword.

3. The sword’s will, resonating with the Swordsman’s, takes a form and appears before the Swordsman.

4. The Swordsman then trains by sharing the sword with the Sword Spirit.

‘The swords are not calling me, so...’ Jin-Hyeok wondered. Miri, which had a deep mental bond with him, was interfering in this process with all her might; that was why the swords could not voice themselves.

‘Can I just call them first?’ Jin-Hyeok approached the nearest sword.

-No! I don’t like it. Don’t do it!

Miri showed intense rejection. Jin-Hyeok had no choice but to threaten his weapon.

‘If you keep interfering, I’m going to leave you here,’ Jin-Hyeok said telepathically.

-Tsk.

Miri shut her mouth. Having already tasted Jin-Hyeok’s touch, Miri could not bear to be separated from him for even a second. She did not want him to abandon her.

Jin-Hyeok ran his finger down the blade stuck in the cliff.

‘How did Relphim do it?’

He found the seduction technique awkward every time he practiced it. It never seemed to get easier. He could tolerate it right now only because he was practicing on an object rather than a person; otherwise, it would have been extremely embarrassing.

Hyeon-Seong watched Jin-Hyeok, clicking his tongue.

‘That’s not going to work.’ Hyeon-Seong had already heard the sword’s voice and summoned the Sword Spirit multiple times, so he thought Jin-Hyeok’s attempt was absurd. ‘If it were that easy, any person would be able to summon a Sword Spirit.’

Hyeon-Seong was baffled that Jin-Hyeok could think of only this method to summon the Sword Spirit. Even for an Eltuber, this was absurd. He wondered what was going on in Jin-Hyeok’s head. As a Swordsman who had already succeeded in summoning the Sword Spirit, Hyeon-Seong was strongly confident in his method.

‘It’s natural for the sword to call the Player first and for the Player to respond to that sword, but this method is a bi—huh?’

Hyeon-Seong’s ears caught an odd voice.

“...me.”

Hearing a female voice, Hyeon-Seong looked around but found no one else.

‘Did I mishear?’

“Give me a name.”

Hyeon-Seong had not misheard. Startled, he looked around again.

‘I don’t see anyone!’

He realized that the voice was coming from a sword; it wasn’t a voice echoing in his head.

‘I can hear the voice of another sword?’

This was impossible for someone who had directly heard one sword’s voice. An exchange with a sword was supposed to be extremely private and secret. It was meant to be a deep, one-on-one relationship. Hyeon-Seong could not believe he was able to hear the voice of another sword.

‘Could this be...?’

This was possible only because that sword intensely wanted to talk to Chul-Soo. It meant the depth of the exchange was beyond imagination.

“I’ll name you Chul-Soo Land Sword No.1,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Chul-Soo Land Sword No.1. I like this name.”

Hyeon-Seong was confused once again.

‘Chul-Soo Land Sword No.1?’

He imagined naming the sword that resonated with him Anus Destroyer Land Sword No.1, but the next instant, he sensed a terrible bloodlust within his mind, which most likely originated from his sword. As his connection with his sword was deep, the bloodlust he felt was intense.

‘Right, there is no way a sword would like such a weird name. It’s just that this sword has a very strange taste.’

“And you’re Chul-Soo Land Sword No.2.”

“Yay!”

“And you’re Chul-Soo Land Sword No.3”

“I love you!”

No.2, No.3, No.4... up to No. 722, Jin-Hyeok named all hundreds of swords stuck in the cliff.

‘This must be some unique Eltuber Skill,’ Hyeon-Seong thought. There was no way a Swordsman could do this. It was probably because of the excellent communication Skills of a Streamer.

“Everyone, could you guys transform into a more concrete form?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

A clear sound rang out from the swords stuck in the cliff. Hundreds of swords simultaneously came out of the cliff.

Hyeon-Seong, who had barely composed himself, was astonished.

‘What the hell is this?’

Hundreds of women appeared in a crowd.

***

Gridel sent a letter to Kyle.

[Kim Chul-Soo has succeeded in summoning Sword Spirits. He summoned 722 Swords Spirits simultaneously. This is an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of the Pisat Family. We have no choice but to acknowledge it. That man is a God. Let us participate in the divine plan.]

***

Jin-Hyeok was somewhat surprised. ‘Why are they all female?’

They seemed to have a subtle resemblance to Relphim.

‘Is it because I summoned the Chul-Soo Land Swords using a method inspired by Relphim.’

Sword Spirits were the embodiment of a sword’s will. They were often heavily influenced by the person they resonated with, just as the Sword Spirit awakened by Hyeon-Seong had tried to stab his bottom.

Jin-Hyeok felt something was off about them.

‘They all seem a bit... unhinged.’

“It’s fine if I break.”

“Please treat me roughly.”

“Let’s share a hot love.”

“Hurt me.”

“Make me feel like I’m in heaven. I think you can do that to me.”

Jin-Hyeok sighed. ‘Do swords go crazy if they are stuck in the cliff for too long?’

It was strange that they behaved this way despite being influenced by a normal person like him.

‘It doesn’t seem like they are influenced by me...’

Miri emanated a tremendous fighting spirit.

-I will destroy them all!

‘I guess it’s Miri’s influence.’

He firmly believed this was the logical conclusion.

Chul-Soo Land Sword No.1 clashed with Miri.

“Mmm. So good.”

The other Sword Spirits watched their duel, gulping.

“I hope my turn comes soon.”

“I want to be ravaged too.”

“How ecstatic would it be to be treated so roughly?”

After an intense duel, the Sword Spirit of Sword No.1 began to shatter and disappear.

“That was... so good.” The Sword Spirit wore an extremely satisfied expression.

At the same time, a strange phenomenon occurred.

‘Huh? The sword is not returning to the cliff.’

Crackle!

Cracks developed over the sword. It was very different from when Hyeon-Seong had faced the Sword Spirit.

‘It broke?’

Chul-Soo Land Sword No.1 was split in two. All its sacred energy disappeared, turning the sword into scrap metal. As the wind blew, it quickly corroded and vanished.

‘Oh, this is unexpected.’

Worried that the Pisat Family could demand compensation, Jin-Hyeok decided to record video evidence. He called the next Sword Spirit. “Alright, next volunteer please.”

As everyone clamored to be next, Jin-Hyeok eventually called No.2.

“Let’s start with No.2. We will go in order.”

No.2 had taken the form of a woman with orange hair.

“You want to be treated roughly, right?” Jin-Hyeok asked again.

“Yes, treat me as roughly as possible.”

“You might break if I do that.”

“Please, break me,” No.2 replied with an excited expression.

In the end, No.2 followed the same path as No.1. So did No.3, No.4, No.5, and all the others up to No.722. This took about a week. Jin-Hyeok spent all his time, except for eating and sleeping, resonating with the Sword Spirits.

“You never tire. You are truly the best!” No.722 said.

All 722 swords that had been stuck in the cliff turned to dust and disappeared, and the sound of swords singing could no longer be heard. Suddenly, Jin-Hyeok received a notification.

[Universe-level Scenario 「Legacy of the Forsaken Queen」 is in progress.]

[You have completed a fragment of the Universe-level Scenario 「Legacy of the Forsaken Queen」.]

[You have activated the Quest ?The One Who Silenced the Swords’ Song Shall Meet the Great Sword Spirit?.]

[Legacy of the Forsaken Queen]

[(1) The Queen’s Beloved Disciple

The Forsaken Queen cherished and loved a disciple. This disciple’s name was Carvington. The queen imparted all her knowledge and wisdom to Carvington. Even at the moment when he betrayed her, Veselity loved him.

(2) He Who Nurtures the Golden Tree Shall Conquer the World.

Carvington and Goldium tenderly cared for the golden tree. Moved by their devotion, the queen bestowed her treasures upon them. Enriched by the queen’s treasure, the tree thrived, and its power and glory reached the ends of the world.

(4) In the Frozen Crimson Flames Shall the Truth Reside.

The Forsaken Queen had a friend dearer than life itself, named Heina. In her final moments of abandonment, the queen entrusted Heina with a gem filled with her heart. This gem entered hibernation within the frozen crimson flames.]

(7) The One Who Silenced the Swords’ Song, Shall Meet the Great Sword Spirit

You who have silenced the swords’ song through ???. Your efforts and achievements shall shine forever. As the swords’ song finally flows to one place and sings a requiem, that place shall be where the Great Sword Spirit sleeps.]

Jin-Hyeok was a bit perplexed.

‘It skipped again?’

Jin-Hyeok guessed the part marked with question marks was the contents of milestones (5) and (6). Normally, he would have had to go through (5) and (6) to reach (7).

‘Why did it skip both? Could this be the power of the seduction technique? Maybe I am actually skilled at seduction techniques.’

Although Jin-Hyeok had no idea what was going on, he realized the result was favorable.

‘Then it seems I need to find where the Great Sword Spirit sleeps.’ Jin-Hyeok did not have sufficient clues about milestones (5) and (6) because he had not experienced them properly. ‘Finding out where that palace is should be the top priority.’

Jin-Hyeok’s heart raced as the universe-level Scenario had resumed.