I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 422

Public opinion against the Imperial Palace had grown severe. Not only had they attempted to unjustly murder Kim Chul-Soo, but in the process, they had also tried to annihilate the Sword Emperor Unit, the pride and joy of the Swedeen Empire. Moreover, by using the White Snake King’s poison, they had nearly put countless citizens of the capital in grave danger.

Encyclopedia opened his pages with a rustle and said, “It’s rather shocking that even though the Imperial Palace committed such serious offenses, this incident is generating less buzz than Chul-Soo’s recent livestream.”

Whether fortunate or not for the Imperial Palace, the focus of attention in this incident was Chul-Soo’s influence.

-Reckless livestreaming: can this continue?

-The current situation with mounting victims is nothing short of a catastrophe.

The impact was tremendous, given that Chul-Soo’s livestream had reached nearly two billion real-time viewers. Countless people had developed mild symptoms like weak petrification curses or slight stomach aches and vomiting after watching his livestream. More alarmingly, reports indicated that about five percent of the viewers—over one hundred million people—were suffering from severe side effects.

“I do not understand why these idiots are so fixated on such trivial consequences,” Encyclopedia muttered.

He thought this was all very strange; the truly important question was, ‘How could a mere livestream cause such widespread effects, and to what extent had Chul-Soo’s livestreaming abilities grown?’

He wondered how people could get poisoned just by seeing poison through a livestream or fall victim to a petrification curse just by looking at the White King Snake’s eyes through a screen. Even the livestreams of Marshmallow, Encyclopedia’s close friend and the universe’s top Eltuber, did not possess such power.

‘In terms of livestreaming abilities alone, Chul-Soo has already surpassed Marshmallow,’ Encyclopedia thought as he trailed behind Chul-Soo, observing his actions. ‘I thought he was just obsessed with livestreaming, but...’

Chul-Soo had established branches in each Server within his sphere of influence, immediately supplying large quantities of Chul-Soo Potion. Encyclopedia had expected him to meet with severely affected patients and craft tear-jerking, emotional stories for his content. However, Chul-Soo neither featured them in his livestreams nor created content around them.

The Chul-Soo that Encyclopedia had understood was the personification of ‘Oh! This is even better! This is perfect for my content!’ However, the Chul-Soo he had met was different.

Instead of livestreaming, Chul-Soo had wholeheartedly devoted himself to helping the victims. This incident ultimately became a crucial opportunity to elevate the value of the Chul-Soo Potion.

“Chul-Soo, won’t some people try to fake that they’re sick?” Encyclopedia asked.

“Of course, they will,” Chul-Soo replied.

Pretending to be a part of Chul-Soo Land when they weren’t and feigning cures from the livestream when they weren’t afflicted—the number of opportunists aiming for the Chul-Soo Potion was skyrocketing in real-time.

“But I do not have time to worry about that. Chul-Soo Landers are hurt,” Chul-Soo answered.

“But... isn’t that potion made from your blood?” Encyclopedia wondered how a person could even stand up after using that much blood, even if the potions were diluted.

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “You’re right.”

Surprisingly, Jin-Hyeok seemed unaffected. It was from that moment that Encyclopedia began his research on the theory that ‘A singularity occurs in humanity at the point of reaching Level 500.’

***

As the calamity brought on by Chul-Soo’s livestream gradually subsided, public criticism against the Imperial Palace surged once again.

[The Imperial Palace is the true culprit behind this incident.]

[It was the Imperial Palace that unleashed the White Snake King’s poison.]

The Imperial Palace tried to garner sympathy by revealing that even the emperor had died from the White Snake King’s poison, but public opinion remained stubbornly unfavorable.

Jin-Hyeok discussed this with Encyclopedia. “Why did the Imperial Palace prepare so poorly?”

“Isn’t the White Snake King’s poison quite a thorough preparation?” Encyclopedia replied.

The Swedeen Empire’s history was not entirely peaceful. It had weathered numerous storms. The Imperial Palace had even used the White Snake King’s poison, something that had never appeared before in the empire, which showed how thorough their preparations had been.

“Listen carefully, Chul-Soo. The Imperial Palace initially tried to block your livestream. They probably planned to pin all the blame on you. They would have announced that you were responsible for assassinating the emperor too.”

“I know that much. But why weren’t they more meticulous?”

This was a question that puzzled many others as well.

-Why did they plan something so obviously bound to fail?

-Is there a conspiracy that we are unaware of?

Jin-Hyeok had gained significant benefits from this incident. He succeeded in making himself look good by showing his concern for Chul-Soo Land and widely promoting the value of the Chul-Soo Potion.

-It might have been Chul-Soo’s grand scheme all along.

-Did Chul-Soo manipulate the Imperial Palace?

However, Encyclopedia’s perspective differed greatly.

“It’s not confirmed, but there is a rumor that the Imperial Palace poured half a year’s budget into blocking your livestream,” Encyclopedia said.

“No way! That can’t be true.”

The Swedeen Empire, one of the greatest empires in the universe, devoting half of their yearly budget to this sounded like an exaggeration.

“It is absolutely not an exaggeration. You will see when the Imperial Palace announces the annual budget later. If we assume they emptied their budget, the numbers will roughly add up.” Encyclopedia did not believe the Imperial Palace’s preparations were inadequate. They had been thorough enough, using ample money and resources to try and trap Chul-Soo. “I think you have become extraordinarily powerful.”

Jin-Hyeok felt a moment of crisis.

‘Oh no...’ He felt as if the reality he had been trying to ignore was suddenly looming large. “Have I become too strong...?”

“They prepared meticulously, but their thoroughness could not keep up with your Level,” Encyclopedia said.

This was an issue for Jin-Hyeok. A shadow of concern crossed his face.

“Aren’t you happy? You might be the strongest Eltuber in the universe! No, maybe even the strongest Player!” Encyclopedia said. He fluttered around Jin-Hyeok like a fairy, and his pages flipped excitedly. Living in the moment, on the cusp of a new page in history, Encyclopedia could barely contain his excitement. “You wanted to become stronger, didn’t you?”

“But not to this extent.” Jin-Hyeok’s expression remained troubled.

“What’s the problem?”

Jin-Hyeok did not respond; instead, he thought, ‘If that’s true, there won’t be any tension in my content anymore...’

Once, he had aspired to become the strongest Player in the universe. He thought that had been his goal until quite recently. However, now, he realized it was not the right idea.

‘I should not get any stronger from here.’

He feared that becoming too strong would make content creation difficult. If he became too powerful, he would run out of worthy opponents. Although Jin-Hyeok covered various types of content as an Eltuber, his core identity was still that of an Eltuber who livestreamed tension-filled Play from a first-person perspective. Becoming too strong could shake the foundation of his identity.

‘I really should stop getting stronger.’

[You have leveled up.]

[You have reached Level 504.]

***

A massive crowd gathered in the square before the Imperial Palace of the Swedeen Empire. They demanded the abdication of the imperial family, claiming the Imperial Family had lost their right to rule after nearly driving countless citizens to their deaths.

Millions of people in the square marched with the imperial flag, singing the empire’s anthem. The prince had ascended to the emperor’s throne but had shown no particular response to the protests. As this situation persisted for days, the attention of the entire universe began to focus on it.

Watching the scene in the square from atop a spire within the palace, Deliark clenched his fist. “Damn it!”

He could not believe this was happening to him. By now, he should have been hailed as a tragic emperor who had eliminated Chul-Soo, the assassin who had killed the previous emperor, and ascended to the throne amidst tears.

“Those bastards at the Magic Tower...! They said even Marshmallow could not livestream here.”

They had undoubtedly deceived him. The Imperial Palace had poured a year’s budget into trying to kill Chul-Soo, even exhausting the Imperial Family’s personal fortune. Deliark had been willing to pay that price just to kill Chul-Soo.

‘This is not good.’

Deliark saw no way for things to improve. Yet, he did not want to give up the emperor’s throne—no, he could not give it up. He had finally grasped the position of emperor after waiting so long due to his father’s longevity. A life outside of being the emperor was something he had never contemplated, so not being an emperor seemed a fate worse than death.

‘Where did it all go wrong? Tracing back to the root of the problem, he concluded, ‘It’s Chul-Soo. That bastard was the start of all this.’

If it weren’t for Chul-Soo, none of this would have happened. Deliark recalled the days when talk of Chul-Soo filled the streets. He remembered a popularity poll of [Deliark vs Kim Chul-Soo] where Chul-Soo won by a landslide, 98 to 2.

‘I must kill that bastard.’

That thought consumed his mind. But he didn’t know what to do. He did not know how to eliminate a monster who even now received such fervent support from the citizens. Outside, the chant of “Kim Chul-Soo! Kim Chul-Soo! Kim Chul-Soo!” echoed through the sky.

‘Do you wish for revenge?’

A voice reached Deliark. He instantly realized whose voice it was.

“Great ancestor...!”

It was unmistakable the voice of Garbinu, the great hero who had laid the foundation for the modern three empires and brought prosperity and peace to Arvis.

***

Bong King, once known as one of the three powerful Streamers of the Korean Region alongside Chul-Soo and Kang Mi-Na, recognized the limitations of his talents.

‘There is no way I can match the great Chul-Soo. I need to find my path,’ Bong King thought.

He focused on his original strength: interactive livestreams that prioritized communication with viewers. After creating the BongMiNaTV channel with Mi-Na, who excelled in Play, Bong King was thriving, firmly holding second place on the Korean Region Streamer rankings.

‘I have a way with words.’

Recently, he had developed a taste for public speaking. The way his words moved the crowd like magic felt miraculous to him.

‘In this aspect, at least, I can surpass Chul-Soo.’

While Chul-Soo’s content quality was overwhelmingly superior, he didn’t directly communicate with his viewers. Bong King was confident he could outdo Chul-Soo in verbal communication.

‘I will prove it with this speech!’

Though an insurmountable wall separated first and second place, that did not matter to Bong King. He believed that even as a perpetual runner-up, he could surpass the champion in some aspects. Today felt like that day. Someone’s tongue could be a sharper and more fearsome weapon than a soldier’s bayonet. He ignited a passionate fire in the hearts of the many protesters who had gathered to denounce the imperial family’s wrongdoings.

“...that concludes my speech. Thank you, everyone.”

The crowd erupted in cheers. Seeing so many people moved by his words, Bong King was elated.

‘That’s the Bong King touch!’

As he came down from the stage, Bong King was drenched in sweat.

“You’re up after this, right, Chul-Soo?” he asked.

“Yes, I am,” Jin-Hyeok answered.

Bong King’s heart raced. He felt he could beat Chul-Soo in this aspect at least. The unceasing applause and cheers that continued even thirty seconds after he had left the stage filled him with great confidence.

“It seems this will be the moment to prove that sometimes even second place can surpass first, Chul-Soo, hehe.”