ยฉNovel Buddy
I Gave Up Being Stronger-Chapter 158
Updat๐ฎd fr๐คm ๐ฏ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ท๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ก.๐๐๐ข
Chapter 158
The Great Leader Khan had zeroed in on one irrefutable point.
โKim Chul-Soo is not asking me to take responsibility for the invasion at all!โ
In Scanorbia, the winner took all that the loser had. Ever since the Thunder Dragon had sided with Chul-Soo, Chul-Soo had become the de facto victor. Being the loser, Khan would have had to yield to all of Chul-Sooโs demands. Thankfully, it seemed that such a situation was unlikely.
โBut... the things he is saying do not feel like they are directed at me...โ
So, whom were they meant for? If Chul-Soo was not criticizing Khanโs invasion, then what was this all about? What did Chul-Soo want?
โWho is he talking to?โ
Finally, Khan arrived at a conclusion he could hardly believe.
โIs he really just mad at the staged livestream, like he says?โ
At first, Khan thought there had to be some hidden meaning behind Chul-Sooโs words, but as he listened on, that did not appear to be the case. Chul-Soo was genuinely angry about the staged livestream.
โWhy is he making such a big deal about it?โ
Khan was a capable ruler who had unified Scanorbia and prided himself on his skill at reading others. However, he had utterly failed to fathom the depths of Chul-Sooโs mind.
โManipulating things like that isnโt just, wouldnโt you agree?โ Cha Jin-Hyeok said.
โWait, is justice a concept that reigns over both his mind and body?โ Khan thought.
โY-Yes, I agree.โ Confused, Khan decided to go along with it for the time being.
โSo you admit that it was a staged livestream, right?โ
โ...Yes.โ
There was still no mention of the terms of Khanโs agreement with Egan Paul and Humphrey Millen, nor of any benefits Khan might have gained. So, the situation still left Khan bewildered.
โDonโt fall for such dark temptations next time.โ
โ...I will keep that in mind.โ
Only then did Chul-Soo smirk. Finally, he felt a sense of relief.
โSee, Egan Paul, the truth can never be defeated by lies.โ
โOh, and one more thing.โ
Chul-Soo had precisely pinpointed why Eganโs staged livestream had succeeded. It was because Egan had perfectly met Khanโs needs. Only because Eganโs and Khanโs interests had aligned so well had a staged livestream been possible.
โI wonโt let that happen again. How dare he try to take my number one spot?โ Chul-Soo thought.
A voice within Chul-Soo, which even he did not recognize, took control of his mind and body. He said, โDocument your admission of the staged livestream officially. I want you to provide evidence if you have any.โ
โ...โ Khanโs face visibly darkened. If he were to violate the confidentiality clause first, all promises and assistance from Egan would vanish into thin air. The countless warriors of this land would remain in starvation.
โIn exchange, I will take responsibility for your food supply.โ
The considerate mad saint, Kim Chul-Soo, had made his official first move.
? ? ?
Jang Michelle, a member of the Trinity Club who was living another life on the Earth Server, was exhilarated. โCan we really deploy these Players into the field this soon?โ
This was a golden opportunity for the Players nurtured by the MK Foundation to gain real-world experience.
โIโve been wanting to develop Players with less popular Jobs anyway.โ
Copying what everyone else was doing was no fun. Michelle was actively participating in Play, and sticking to mainstream strategies would make it dull. So she had spared no effort in supporting Players with less favored Jobs, including those related to agriculture.
โThis is going to be fun!โ
Players with newly awakened talents in farming, based on the Earth Serverโs advanced agricultural civilization, were deployed to the Scanorbia Server.
โTheyโre really giving us land?โ
โYes, they really are!โ
A considerable number of Farmer-class Players made their way to Scanorbia.
โI heard the land there is too barren for farming.โ
โThatโs true, but we do have special Skills related to farming, so it should be okay. They are also giving us land, and they said they will give us subsidies if farming fails.โ
โHowโs that possible?โ
โApparently, it is.โ
Scanorbia had almost no land suitable for agriculture. However, things had changed due to the recent rampage of a certain Thunder Dragon.
โWait, thereโs more fertile flatland than we thought!โ
โIt looks like this area used to be an expansive forest.โ
The Central Forest had been flattened, transformed into a vast plain that stretched as far as the eye could see.
โThe MK Foundation is even providing support from Water Elementalists. They told us to dream big!โ
โWow, the support is really solid.โ
There was no reason for Farmer-class Players to reject the opportunity to go to Scanorbia. Players from the MK Foundation gradually transitioned to the Scanorbia Server to gain real-world experience, passing on their skills to the Scanorbian warriors. In the process, the abilities of the MK-affiliated Players improved by leaps and bounds, to say the least.
This made Michelle very proud. โIt seems like we will see significant results in the not-so-distant future, hohoho!โ
โAre you pleased?โ Jin-Hyeok asked.
โAbsolutely. It feels like raising many avatars!โ
โI knew she would love this,โ Jin-Hyeok thought.
Michelle was very interested in this project. The members of the Trinity Club spared no expense when it came to their entertainment, even if that meant running at a loss. As long as they were enjoying themselves, nothing else mattered.
Jin-Hyeok sneakily glanced at Maria, who was demurely sitting beside Michelle.
โShe looks better than before.โ
Maria looked more relaxed than when she had been with the National Intelligence Service. Sure enough, once her budgetary issues had been resolved, her face had brightened up.
Michelle stood up from her seat. โI need to take a look around the Great Plains of Scanorbia. Our Players are said to be doing exceptionally well, so itโs worth checking out.โ
Humming a tune, she left, leaving Jin-Hyeok and Maria alone.
โWhy are you bestowing so much favor upon the Scanorbia Server?โ Maria asked Jin-Hyeok, curious about his actions.
โI donโt particularly remember bestowing any favor...โ
Recently, Jin-Hyeokโs livestream had been continually trending on Eltube, breaking the view count record. He had now reached three hundred million subscribers.
โWho wouldโve thought you would use the Thunder Dragon for terraforming.โ
โWell...โ
Jin-Hyeok had not asked the Thunder Dragon to do that. It was more like the Thunder Dragon had terrorized the area on her own accord. Jin-Hyeok stopped himself from saying that; he just let Maria interpret it as she pleased.
โYou have not only instilled a sense of hope in the Scanorbia Server but also significantly increased goodwill toward the Earth Server. This will have a very positive impact on future Server connections.โ
โWell, thatโs good then.โ
โHowever, you should be careful about pressure and containment from the United States side. They were humiliated this time.โ
Khan had spilled the beans. Egan Paul and Humphrey Millen had secretly approached him, proposing a scheme. Not keen on entering the Korean Region, Khan had accepted their offer and received support from the United States. As a result, Egan and Humphrey had gained fame, and America could once again flaunt its prowess as the worldโs superpower.
โThe United States government is blaming everything on Egan and Humphrey, but Iโm sure it was involved in some way,โ Maria said.
โYeah, probably.โ Jin-Hyeok did not seem to consider that a big deal.
โYou might want to be cautious,โ Maria said. (f)reenovelkiss.com
โAre you worried about me now?โ
โN-No, not particularly...!โ
In Jin-Hyeokโs Sword King days, he had fought against various skilled Players to survive. They had employed intricate and meticulous tactics against him, using traps and decoys to target him.
โThe United States government is nothing compared to them. At most, they will send Assassins as a warning. Just like this.โ
Jin-Hyeok pulled a small dagger from his pocket and threw it toward the ceiling.
โKeuk!โ ๐๐ณ๐๐๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐.๐ค๐๐
With a short scream, an Assassin from the Avengers Army, Black Butterfly, fell to the ground. The fallen Assassin grumbled in a voice that sounded like she was dying. โYou almost hit my heart.โ
โIf you canโt even dodge that, can you really call yourself an Assassin?โ Jin-Hyeok removed the dagger lodged in Black Butterflyโs chest. โI told you not to attempt anything while Iโm in the Korean Region. Do you think you can hurt me?โ
โ...I didnโt attempt anything.โ
Black Butterfly sounded a little wronged. She had not intended to attack; she had just been observing Jin-Hyeok.
For a moment, Jin-Hyeok seemed flustered, but he shamelessly retorted, โGetting caught is the same as attempting.โ
โ...โ
โWhat kind of twisted logic is that?โ Black Butterfly wanted to argue but decided against it, seeing no benefit in that.
โIf you think itโs unfair, just donโt get caught next time,โ Jin-Hyeok said.
โ...โ
โThis is your sixth Assassination attempt. You have one chance left. You got it?โ
โ...Fine.โ
Jin-Hyeok carelessly picked up Black Butterfly and threw her out of the window. They were only on the sixth floor, so she would be fine.
โNow, where were we?โ
? ? ?
โAaaaahhh!!โ Egan tore at his hair, letting out a wail. โKim Chul-Soo!!!โ
It felt like everything was falling apart because of Chul-Soo. Countless people were mocking and ridiculing Eganโs staged livestream. Moreover, the United States government had shifted all the blame onto him and Humphrey. Egan was at his witsโ end. He had no choice but to forcibly insert the text [This video has been staged with prior agreement] into his past video.
~
-Lol, scripted.
-Scripted, what a loser!
-Too late for a disclaimer, LOL.
-Get this loser out of here!
~
Egan developed a temporary social phobia. It was the greatest hardship of his livestreaming career. For days, he remained cooped up in his room, avoiding all human contact.
Then, one day, Humphrey paid him a visit. โEgan, I have a good idea.โ
โGood idea?โ
โRemember how the MK Foundation dispatched Farmers to Scanorbia, led by Chul-Soo?โ
โ...So?โ
โWhat if they were found dead overnight? We could send Chul-Soo into the abyss. It would backfire on him for recklessly pushing this endeavor for his own glory.โ
โWait... Thatโs a bit...โ As much as he despised Chul-Soo, Egan knew where to draw the line. He had no intention of pushing innocent people to death.
โJust imagine, without Chul-Soo, you could be the most outstanding Streamer on the Earth Server!โ
โ...โ
Humphrey pulled a pocket watch from his coat and swung it back and forth.
โWhat are you doing?โ
โI am going to calm your anxious mind.โ As if he were casting a spell, Humphrey whispered, โAll you need is for Chul-Soo to be gone. Then you will be the most outstanding Streamer on Earth.โ
โThe most... outstanding... Streamer...โ Eganโs eyes began to lose focus.
โJust like on Earth, extremist armed forces also exist in the Scanorbia Server. Using them would make things much easier. If you send me, I will contact them,โ Humphrey said.
โWithout... Kim Chul-Soo...โ
โYes, without Kim Chul-Soo.โ
Eganโs eyes were dyed black.
โTo do so, we need to create an event that will divert Chul-Sooโs attention. A sort of decoy operation.โ
โ...Decoy... operation...โ
โThe world is currently showering the Farmers with special Skills with expectations and praise.โ
โ...Uh...Ah...โ Eganโs body slumped. Laid bare to Humphreyโs psychic attack, he was almost as good as half-dead.
โBut we also have exceptional Lumberjack-class Players in our ranks. They are also armed with special abilities. I know an outstanding Lumberjack. He is from my hometown, and his Level is staggering 200.โ
โ...โ
โLetโs use him to cut down Seoulโs Golden Guardian Tree. If we succeed, it will make headline news, and if we fail, we would still have diverted Chul-Sooโs attention. Either way, itโs a win for us.โ
โ...Uh... Uh....โ Egan twisted his body as if he was resisting, shaking his head from side to side.
However, Humphrey swayed his pocket watch back and forth, whispering, โIf only Kim Chul-Soo were not around, you would be the top Streamer.โ
โ...Uh...!โ
โAll you have to do is sign off on the operation plan. I will take care of the rest.โ Humphrey extended a piece of paper. Then, he lifted Eganโs thumb and stamped the paper with it.
Humphrey took the stamped paper, turned his back, and walked away with a sinister smile.
โKim Chul-Sooo... I will never forgive you.`
Chul-Soo was his sworn enemy. Chul-Soo had killed Humphreyโs only friend, Jonprich, and ruined the experiments and plans they had been working on. Humphrey had no intention of forgiving Chul-Soo.
โI will make you feel that you would rather be dead.โ