I Gave Up Being Stronger

‘Was my Flowing Prison always this strong?’ Dragan marveled at how the fake Demon King was an excellent prey. He could not believe Chul-Soo had such tremendous power. ‘At this rate, I must have absorbed almost all of him!’

Dragan thought the fake Demon King was quite noble, willing to sacrifice himself for the true Demon King. So, Dragan decided he would add a line about Chul-Soo’s loyalty when recording history later.

‘But why is it taking so long?’ Even in this state, Dragan found this situation a bit strange, but he chose to view this positively, attributing it to his increased strength. ‘I will absorb even the last hair on his head!’

While he could conquer Earth immediately, Dragan intended to show composure befitting a Demon King and allow them more time. He sensed the awe in the eyes of the young Demons and Hamedis.

“Hahaha! Can you feel it? This is my power! Everyone, praise the birth of the true Demon King!”

Meanwhile, inside the Flowing Prison, Cha Jin-Hyeok said, “Sorry about that. Now, where was I? Ah! You said to become part of you and rule the universe.”

Garbinu felt a fear he had never experienced before. He realized how powerful Chul-Soo was. “You…”

“Yes, it was all a trap.”

Garbinu tried to escape quickly, but the Flowing Prison was unexpectedly solid.

“Don’t tell me!” Garbinu realized that he had been able to infiltrate the Flowing Prison because Jin-Hyeok had created a path for him. “Chul-Soo. I will make you the ruler of the world.”

“Ruler of the world?”

“Yes. You can dominate the entire universe.”

“What’s so good about dominating?”

“You can make everyone kneel at your feet.”

Jin-Hyeok imagined everyone kneeling at his feet. “How would that benefit me?”

“You can have anything you desire.”

“Even a spring that gushes ideas?”

Garbinu was momentarily lost for words, not understanding what that phrase meant.

“I know the location of a spring that grants immense mana,” Garbinu said.

“What would I do with that?” Jin-Hyeok sighed. He was disappointed that it wasn’t a wisdom-granting spring that could provide content inspiration.

“It’s mana, MANA! It will make you even stronger Chul-Soo!”

“Could it weaken my power?”

“What are you saying? Look at me! Do you think I would use such a shallow trick?”

Jin-Hyeok frowned. “Then what’s good about it?”

“You can have all the beauties in the universe. If you wish, thousands of beautiful women can serve you daily.”

Jin-Hyeok once again let his imagination run wild. Some Assassins could hide among the beautiful women and use seduction techniques to attempt to kill him, but that was not a particularly appealing method. It could end up looking like he was falling for the seduction technique, forcing an unnecessary and frustrating scenario.

“I don’t need such a forced situation,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Garbinu sensed the conversation was going off track but had no time to dwell on one topic. “All the treasure of the universe will be yours.”

“I already have plenty of money.”

Jin-Hyeok was even considering how to give back to society through the MK Foundation. If he gained more treasures, it would be troublesome.

“You can grasp the greatest power and honor in the entire universe!” Garbinu yelled, frustrated.

Jin-Hyeok grew impatient. He had expected Garbinu, who had used various tricks to obtain the Herb of Immortality, to have some hidden wisdom or strategy. However, Garbinu was of no help to him.

“Can becoming the ruler of the world help me find great content for my Eltube channel?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“...”

“People don’t seem to like domination content much…”

Garbinu finally understood what Jin-Hyeok wanted. “We can brainwash everyone! They will all be enthusiastic about your livestream!”

Jin-Hyeok swung Miri. The hammer-shaped weapon struck Garbinu’s temple.

***

At first, Garbinu tried to escape the Flowing Prison but failed. Then he attempted to seduce Jin-Hyeok with promises of money, honor, and beautiful women, but it did not work as well. Finally, he realized something. ‘There is no way I can persuade this crazy guy.’

He knew he was going to die here, but he wasn’t willing to go down without a fight.

‘Chul-Soo is completely off guard.’

It was hard to blame Jin-Hyeok for being off guard, given the vast difference in their power. But this could be a chance for Garbinu.

‘I just need to disappoint him. He will try to kill me with a big attack, just like before.’

So, he had deliberately said, “We can brainwash everyone! They will all be enthusiastic about your livestream!”

As expected, Chul-Soo swung Miri without a word.

‘Now!’

Garbinu’s final trump card, a small mirror-like mass of mana, appeared near his temple and intercepted Miri’s attack.

“This is my final strategy, Chul-Soo.”

Garbinu had one ultimate technique: the ability to completely reflect a lethal attack that could threaten his life. It was a Trait called Power of the Reflective Mirror, a last resort he could use only once in his lifetime. He had never used this Trait even before he locked himself up inside the Vengeful Stone.

Jin-Hyeok was momentarily taken aback, experiencing a shock he had not felt in a long time. “Ugh!”

The reflected attack had struck Jin-Hyeok’s temple.

Garbinu did not miss this opportunity.

‘Now is my chance!’

This was Garbinu’s final opportunity to claim the perfect Demon King’s vessel; Jin-Hyeok’s composure was shaken by the attack.

‘I am going to seep in!’

Garbinu attempted to infiltrate Chul-Soo’s mind, to overtake his microcosm and dominate his body.

‘Huh?’

Garbinu’s fragment, which had left Deliark’s body, was bewildered. He had failed to enter Chul-Soo’s body. Meanwhile, Deliark’s physical form crumbled to dust.

‘Why?’

The Power of the Reflective Mirror had worked perfectly. It should have created an opening through which Garbinu could infiltrate Chul-Soo’s mind.

‘I will try one more time.’

However, Garbinu’s fragment was repelled again. A sense of helplessness overwhelmed him.

Jin-Hyeok, who had squeezed his eyes shut, opened them. “Oh, so this is how powerful my attack is.”

His head throbbed, and he felt slightly dizzy, but there was no major injury. “It seems my defense is stronger than my attacks. Thanks to Garbinu, I have had a good experience.”

***

Jin-Hyeok suddenly put on a serious expression. “Garbinu. Your ugly desires end here.”

For Garbinu, this change was too abrupt. Although it was a performance with editing in mind, to the old-fashioned Garbinu, Jin-Hyeok just seemed insane.

“I have no intention of dominating the world. What I want is not domination, but communication,” Jin-Hyeok said, breathing heavily.

“Let’s end this.” He swung Miri with a serious expression.

Garbinu laughed loudly, maintaining his final shred of pride. “Hahaha! I’m a spirit body!”

At that moment, Jin-Hyeok distorted the flow of time of the surroundings, similar to how his slow-motion Skill worked.

“No matter how powerful your attack is, do you think it can hit a spirit body?” Garbinu was currently a soul that had lost its physical form. Though he was destined to disappear anyway, it seemed better to avoid being killed by Chul-Soo.

“You fool. It’s laughable how you can’t properly use your power! Someday, you will regret what happened today. You will lament and shed tears. You will die lonely and alone in a small, empty room!” Garbinu yelled.

“Finally, some high praise,” Jin-Hyeok said, grinning.

In games, the harsher the opponent’s insults were, the grander praises one would get.

Miri struck Garbinu’s soul.

“Your attack can never touch m— Argh!!” Golden light gathered at a point, and from that center, the space cracked with a shattering sound. Garbinu was sucked into the cracked space, screaming, “No, stop!!”

Garbinu knew that this attack had shattered dimensions. Apart from the chilling fact that just a human could break dimensions, being sucked into that dimension meant enduring eternity in a state of neither living nor dying, trapped in agony.

“Just kill me instead!” Garbinu yelled.

“Tell me the location of that mana-gushing spring you mentioned earlier. Then I’ll kill you.”

Garbinu shuddered at his opponent’s wickedness but had no choice. “Fine! I will tell you!”

***

Jin-Hyeok’s expression darkened slightly.

[You are currently progressing through the universe-level Scenario ⌜Legacy of the Forsaken Queen⌟.]

[You have completed a part of the universe-level Scenario ⌜Legacy of the Forsaken Queen⌟.]

[The final Quest ⌜Abyss Left by the Queen⌟ has been activated.]

After defeating Garbinu, Jin-Hyeok had skipped numerous Stages. The previous Scenario Quest was for Stage (24), but he had skipped five more Stages, reaching Stage (29).

[(29) You have finally obtained the true Reflective Mirror. At last, you have driven out the power of darkness and sown the seeds of true peace. I pay homage to your breathless and desperate journey. Even if those arduous hardships and adversities have torn your body and soul to shreds, you will not stop. Your great footsteps are not yet finished…]

Jin-Hyeok felt a bit embarrassed. ‘It wasn’t that hard…’

It seemed that the Quests from Stages (25) to (28) involved acquiring something called the Reflective Mirror, which was hidden somewhere; using it to block Garbinu’s final attack; and annihilating Garbinu. That process was supposed to have been very difficult. However, instead of using such an item, Jin-Hyeok had simply overwhelmed Garbinu with his unforgiving power.

[...Soon, the Final Abyss will open. Only you can fill this abyss, and your name will be praised for eternity.]

The words were grandiose, but no rewards were given for clearing the Quest, and it felt anticlimactic compared to the description of the Quest.

‘Ah!’ Jin-Hyeok exclaimed. Becoming too strong was indeed the problem. Now, it seemed he had to become transcendentally strong enough to control his power at will. Being ambiguously strong like this made it difficult for him to create compelling content.

‘I don’t feel so good about this.’

At that moment, the Flowing Prison disappeared, and a voice rang out.

“Hehehe, the illusion of the fake Demon King remains.” Dragan the Gluttony became larger and said, “With that level of strength, it’s natural that your will would leave an illusion. However, there cannot be two suns in the sky. To commemorate the birth of the true Demon King, I will tear you to shreds and devour you!”