I Gave Up Being Stronger

“Who are you?”

This village seemed to have an untold story as they were wary of strangers. It was very cliché.

Yu-Ri, who was standing beside Jin-Hyeok, flinched slightly.

“A strange window popped up,” Yu-Ri said.

“You just need to stand still.”

Both Jin-Hyeok and Yu-Ri were reading the same notification that each of them had received. Anyway, it was a prompt asking them to choose how they would respond based on the given choices.

[1. We are adventurers, following the call of the Great Will to arrive here. I must ask, are there any in need of help?]

[2. Hehehe, so you’re the Dwarves of the Forest, eh? I hear your ears make excellent potion ingredients. Hand them over willingly, and I will spare your lives.]

Jin-Hyeok was considerably disappointed after examining the choices. He remembered Maria saying, ‘The difficulty of the first choice will be very low. I don’t think I need to help you with that.’

‘I guess I should be happy about the fact that the Dungeons are getting more complicated.’

Usually, the first challenges are the easiest. One shouldn’t be greedy from the get-go, so Jin-Hyeok naturally chose option 1.

“We are adventurers, following the call of the Great Will to arrive here. I must ask, are there any in need of help?”

[Forest Dwarves’ Trust Level toward the party has increased by 1.]

[Current Trust Level: 1]

At that moment, the Dwarves lowered their bows, and one of them spoke, “Sorry for the misunderstanding. There are many in this village who could use help. We look forward to your help.”

There was no real need to read too much into it. These NPCs were passive NPCs, programmed to behave according to preset variables. The Dwarves who were aiming their bows at Jin-Hyeok and Yu-Ri dispersed as if they had never been hostile in the first place.

“This is fascinating. It’s like playing a game,” Yu-Ri said.

“It’s quite similar.”

Yu-Ri seemed to be quite interested as well. It was a great start. One had to be interested and intrigued by something for one to properly engage in it.

‘I wish I could livestream this.’

In exchange for being provided with an abundance of information about the place, Jin-Hyeok had agreed with Maria not to livestream while inside the Dungeon. She said she jumped through hoops to get that information, and she didn’t want it to be public.

‘Still, it’s good to have her by my side.’

Jin-Hyeok glanced at Yu-RI. The newbie who had just set foot in this world was reacting quite vividly to everything.

‘Is this similar to the joy of interacting directly with viewers?’

Though Jin-Hyeok only had one, the fact that he had a viewer(?) was enough to give him a sense of excitement. Moreover, her enthusiastic reaction and quick grasp of all the things Jin-Hyeok was teaching her, were somewhat endearing.

“I see! So we need to talk to NPCs and obtain Quests?”

“Yes. But there is usually a certain order to these things.”

“Order? What happens if you mess up the order?”

“Well, it’s just less efficient, and you might miss out on the rewards you want.”

Every strategy had its optimal route. Since Jin-Hyeok already knew all the information about this place, he had planned out his own shortest strategy route.

“Our first goal is to secure a Trust Level of 12.”

“Understood.”

Jin-Hyeok walked toward a small cabin nearby. There was a young boy with a glum expression inside. As he approached, the young boy’s dialogue automatically activated.

“Ah, you must be the adventurer who came to our village. Could you please help me a little?”

[Young Dwarf’s Request]

[The young Dwarf is too scared to milk the goat. He is seeking an adventurer to acquire 「Goat Milk」 on his behalf.]

Yu-Ri looked at the boy with a sympathetic expression. Being a newbie, she seemed emotionally invested in the NPC, who looked like a real person.

“Do they even make kids do labor like this?”

This was common for newbies. Without much explanation, Jin-Hyeok pulled out an item labeled ‘Goat Milk’ from his inventory.

“Here.”

[You have cleared the Quest 「Young Dwarf’s Request」.]

[Forest Dwarves’ Trust Level toward strangers has increased by 1.]

[Current Trust Level: 2]

Yu-Ri looked surprised.

“Weren’t you supposed to milk it yourself?”

“That would take a long time.”

Whether as a Swordsman, a Streamer, or even as a Ruler or a Navigator, the reality was that the content of milking a goat did not offer much merit. The early Quests in this village were nothing special.

“Also, if we proceed in this order, the Herbalist, who is a friend of this young Dwarf, will immediately ask for our help.”

[You have received the Quest 「Herbalist’s Minor Request」.]

The request was for Silverbell Root, which could be easily found near the village or even purchased at the Broadcaster’s Shop.

[You have cleared the Quest 「Herbalists’ Minor Request」.]

[Forest Dwarves’ Trust Level toward strangers has increased by 1.]

[Current Trust Level: 3]

The information Maria gave was accurate. Jin-Hyeok had listened to the NPCs the first couple of times just in case, but now there was no need for that.

“Oh, you’re the adventu—”

[You have received the Quest 「Innkeeper’s Request」.]

[You have cleared the Quest 「Innkeeper’s Request」.]

The current Trust Level was 4.

“Ah, hello! You’re the—”

[You have cleared the Quest 「Young Lady’s Request」.]

The current Trust Level was 5.

Soon enough, Jin-Hyeok reached Trust Level 12 and got a new notification.

[You have reached Trust Level 12.]

The old Dwarf who had given him the previous request spoke up, “The village chief wants to see—”

Jin-Hyeok was already walking toward the chief’s house.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Yu-Ri was gradually getting used to the System.

‘Ah, so NPCs aren’t real people,’ Yu-Ri thought.

She knew that they weren’t real people, but it had not really sunk in. They spoke and appeared to think like real humans, after all.

‘So, the conversation can just be cut off, and everything still progresses!’

It seemed like it was all pre-programmed. Even if she proceeded without listening to the requests, the Quests would still be marked as complete.

She had learned that this was the standard from Jin-Hyeok. Achieving a Trust Level of 12 was quick. It seemed easier than she had thought.

Yu-Ri, while keeping pace with Jin-Hyeok, asked, “Is this how you usually Play?”

“Yes, this is the basics.”

“I see…”

She had learned the wrong standard. Her reference point had become Jin-Hyeok.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

In the distance, a colorful and gigantic mushroom came into view. That was the village chief’s house. The story that unfolded afterward was fairly standard. Various words were exchanged, but ultimately, the Quest was nothing more than the age-old tale of rescuing the chief’s granddaughter.

[You have received the Quest 「Save the Chief’s Granddaughter」.]

Truth be told, the Quests of these Dwarves were not of much consequence. The only reward they offered was Trust, which was essentially useless. What mattered was the chief’s granddaughter.

“Did you understand the story?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yes, roughly. The chief’s granddaughter was kidnapped by an army of ants and taken to a giant tree called the Sacred Tree. The roots of this massive Tree are deeply embedded in the ground and are hollow, serving as the habitat for the ant army. We need to rescue the kidnapped granddaughter.”

Jin-Hyeok nodded. She had a full understanding of the general storyline.

“How big do you think this Sacred Tree is?”

“It has to be enormous. The chief said it’s much larger than the trees around here.”

For some time now, Yu-Ri had seemed completely engrossed in the Play, as if she had temporarily forgotten reality. This was a talent, perhaps, and fortunate for her.

They looked at the map and moved. Even after about fourteen hours of Play, Yu-Ri showed no signs of fatigue.

Clearly, her earlier tiredness came from her mindset.

Jin-Hyeok pointed at a tree that just came into view.

“That looks like the tree.”

“Wow, I’ve never seen a tree that huge before.”

As the chief had said, the tree that came into view was enormous. It was an old tree that looked like a Zelkova tree. Though it was gigantic, it didn’t appear particularly lively.

“That tree seems to have lost a lot of its vitality since the ant army nested in its roots. If left like this, the Tree will die off before long.”

“Wow, I hadn’t thought of that. I just saw it as a big tree.” Yu-Ri spoke as though making a resolution. “I will reflect on it.”

As they drew closer, a name appeared.

[Sacred Tree]

Curiously, no other plants grew around the Sacred Tree. It stood alone, as though it was the only tree in this area of the forest.

“I see the ants.”

Around the Sacred Tree, ants the size of a human palm scurried about. They had eight red eyes on their heads and rather sharp jaws.

[LV44/Red-Eyed Worker Ant/-]

[LV42/Red-Eyed Worker Ant/-]

[LV44/Red-Eyed Worker Ant/-]

“Each individual Ant isn’t particularly strong.”

Jin-Hyeok glanced at Yu-Ri to see if she was frightened by the Ants. Some Players had a particularly hard time with insect-type monsters. However, Yu-Ri displayed no signs of fear. Instead, her eyes held a strange madness, undoubtedly the gleam of someone thirsty for hunting monsters and Playing.

It seemed she hadn’t realized it yet, but just seeing her eyes like that gave Jin-Hyeok a bit of a thrill.

“However, when these Ants form an army, they become dangerous. These creatures can attack in swarms of thousands, sometimes tens of thousands. It’s practically impossible for the two of us to kill them all.”

Jin-Hyeok paused for a moment. It was to allow the audience to soak in the tension. As a Streamer, it was essential to pause at crucial moments like this. Jin-Hyeok continued to grow as a Streamer, even at this very moment.

“Then it’s likely there is another way to clear the Quest, aside from killing the monsters directly.”

Jin-Hyeok had already fought the Red-Eyed Ant Army before, and their weaknesses were fairly well-known.

“Let’s look for something sweet nearby to lure them in, like honey, for instance.”

“Do you think that will actually work?”

“...That’s the official strategy, but I’ve already prepared it.”

Jin-Hyeok took several jars of honey out of his inventory.

“We will lure them and annihilate them with this.”

Maria had told Jin-Hyeok that the Red-Eyed Ant Army inhabited this area. She didn’t tell him how to deal with them, but knowing they were here was practically the same as knowing the strategy to kill them.

‘Hm? But she didn’t mention this.’

“Shin Yu-Ri, I want you to handle ranged attacks,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“We are Playing right now, so call me by my Player name, Waiting Wife.”[1]

‘Good attitude.’

She even actively offered her opinion on the strategy.

“But once I attack, I’ll be vulnerable to counterattacks. Unless we can kill all the Ants in one go, it might actually put us in danger,” she said.

It was an excellent point.

Yu-Ri was also growing as a Player.

“Look closely at the Sacred Tree. Do you feel anything?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

He had some expectations, but it seemed she was not there yet.

“I have no idea. I will be better.”

“The Ants have left numerous scars on the Sacred Tree. But above a certain height, there are no scars.”

“You’re right!”

“It probably means the Sacred Tree itself has some power to keep the Ant Army at bay.”

“So the upper area of the Sacred Tree is safe?”

“It should be.”

Of course, nothing was one hundred percent in a Dungeon. Jin-Hyeok’s guess was likely correct, but if he was wrong, so be it. If a Player couldn’t take a chance, they were not fit to be Playing.

“I will use this honey to lure the Ants. Once they’ve gathered, unleash your abilities, Waiting Wife.”

Yu-Ri, or rather, Waiting Wife, climbed up the Tree. She had climbed trees a lot as a child, and her skill showed. Jin-Hyeok distanced himself from the Sacred Tree.

‘This should do.’

From here, Waiting Wife would certainly be able to unleash her full potential. As Jin-Hyeok shattered the jar of honey, the Worker Ants immediately turned their attention toward him.

‘They’re crawling in.’

Many Worker Ants also jumped out from the ground. Their numbers were so overwhelming it was as if a dirty river was surging backward.

Jin-Hyeok cautiously moved back, just in case.

Then Waiting Wife, once called the ultimate villain after her Irregular Awakening, unleashed her one and only Skill.

[Waiting Wife activated the Skill 「Wrath of Nemesis」.]

The firepower was incredible for a Level 45 Skill. It was like firing a railgun with a diameter of about two meters. A beam, or rather, a pillar, of purple light erupted, tearing through the surrounding area as if to rip it apart. The force was so fierce that Jin-Hyeok almost wanted to get hit by it.

Just then, the purple beam strangely curved, pointed skyward and started to descend. It was like a pillar of light descending from heaven.

‘Toward me?’

The attack from Waiting Wife was descending upon Jin-Hyeok. Far away, he could make out the movement of Yu-Ri’s lips.

Die.

1. In the raw, it says 망부석, which literally translates, A stone waiting for her husband. It comes from the legend that a wife died waiting for her husband, who had gone away and turned into a stone. ☜