I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 466

‘Hm..., I thought I sensed something odd,’ Choi Gap-Soo wondered.

‘I just felt a chill for a moment...’ Jang Michelle thought.

Both Trinity Club members felt something similar but quickly greeted Kim Min-Ji with smiling faces.

“Hello.”

“Welcome, Min-Ji.”

In contrast to these two, Elines had not sensed anything strange. Elines knew Min-Ji was the well-known official Chul-Soo Land No.1, and she was thrilled to meet her. She ran up to Min-Ji and bowed. “Hello, Unnie!”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Elines!”

“Elines? You mean Elly? Alkinas’s daughter, no, son, no, daughter?”

“Yes! That’s me!” Elines beamed. “I’m so happy to meet you, Min-Ji Unnie! I really wanted to see you!”

Among Chul-Soo Landers, Min-Ji was famous as someone with extraordinary abilities. Their motto was, ‘If you’re going to fangirl, do it like Min-Ji.’ Most Chul-Soo Landers had a strong affection for her.

“Well, I’m not particularly happy to see you,” Min-Ji said.

“What?”

“No, never mind.” Min-Ji frowned and turned away. “How annoying.”

However, no one heard her muttering.

“Unnie?” When Elines looked around again, Min-Ji was already gone.

Michelle gently tapped Elines on the shoulder. “Don’t be too disappointed. She has always been quite fickle.”

“Why is she like that?” Elines asked while tilting her head.

“Well...”

Elines had observed a dark, flickering energy in the air where Min-Ji had just disappeared. It felt like she had been under some kind of contamination.

‘I must’ve seen it wrong!’ Elines shook her head, convincing herself that it couldn’t be true.

***

Min-Ji submerged herself in the depths of darkness. As a fragment of the God, she wasn’t bound by form or dimension. In a space where nothing existed, her consciousness drifted.

‘I don’t like it one bit,’ Min-Ji thought.

Elines’s affection toward Chul-Soo was more than just simple admiration. Min-Ji had felt something dreadful and ominous the moment she saw Elines. What she saw was Elines wearing a crown of flowers, dressed in a pure white gown. Next to her stood someone engulfed in flames, though their face was obscured. Even the mere sight of that vision was horrifying.

‘Should I just destroy everything?’ Suppressing her rising urge for destruction, Min-Ji drifted through the cosmos. After a long while, she came to a realization. ‘Ah... is this why you just let me do whatever I want?’

She was the Mad God of Favoritism. As a fragment of the God, she had deeply influenced the world, which she wasn’t supposed to. Normally, she would have been sealed away by force, but this time, she wasn’t.

‘I thought it was because I fangirled without standing out, but...’ Upon reflection, she realized that this wasn’t the case. She had freely entered even the worst Dungeon, the Dragon’s Nest, and hacked all sorts of things to help Chul-Soo. ‘So, there was a plan for me all along, Mother.’

The Mad God of Favoritism was also part of the divine. The God had something to achieve through this fragment.

‘You’re using my twisted desires as a medium to summon the Final Abyss.’

This, too, was part of the will of the world: to reset everything to nothingness and start over. The Mad God of Favoritism had been allowed to run rampant for the sake of this plan.

‘It’s already begun.’

Min-Ji felt herself transforming into a colossal star. A distorted divine desire toward Chul-Soo was taking shape. This star was growing larger and larger and would eventually explode. Then, it would become a black hole that swallowed everything in the universe, bringing the world to its end.

‘I have to tell him.’

She had to inform Chul-Soo and ask him to kill her before it was too late. Though it would be difficult to kill a fragment of the God completely, he could shatter her into pieces, which would be close enough to extinction for her.

‘Thankfully, Miri’s desire is as tainted as mine.’

Only something with that level of madness could damage the Mad God of Favoritism.

‘I must go to Chul-Soo right awa—’

It seemed she was too late. She couldn’t escape from this cosmos.

‘Damn it!’ n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

She resented that she was a fragment of the God. As a fragment of divinity, she had no choice but to follow the will of the God and the world.

‘I’d rather just disappear.’

She didn’t want to destroy Chul-Soo and the world he lived in with her own hands. But right now, there was nothing she could do.

***

Gergan, the head of the Spirit Mages’ Association, continued his sharp criticism day after day.

“Since Kim Chul-Soo irresponsibly broke the established settings, fire-related incidents have increased by 740%. The number of deaths caused by fires has reached an all-time high since we started recording statistics.”

This statement was true, so public criticism of Chul-Soo was gaining momentum.

“I knew he was a bit too much.”

“It’s like handing a knife to a child.”

“I heard Chul-Soo got a record-breaking number of views this time.”

“Causing such chaos just to boost his views, that’s a bit too far...”

The Fire Spirit Mages were more united than ever.

“Anyone not registered with the association cannot handle Fire Spirits.”

“If you witness illegal Spirit Mages handling Fire Spirits, report it immediately. The association will respond promptly.”

The existing Fire Spirit Mages refused to acknowledge the newly appearing Spirit Mages. They labeled the new Mages as dangerous and heretics, insisting that the summing of Fire Spirits should be stopped. However, that atmosphere didn’t last long. Panic began to spread among the Fire Spirit Mages.

“They’re refusing to be summoned!”

“Why?!”

“Appear before me, in accordance with our complete contract! High-level Fire Spirit, Ifrit!”

Fire Spirits broke their contracts with the Spirit Mages.

“Please..., please come back!”

“Have you forgotten our contract?!”

The Spirit Mages’ belief that a spirit contract was absolute was shattered. Spirits had only maintained their contracts because they had no reason to break them, but now Spirits were breaking the contract far more easily and widely than anyone had anticipated.

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me. If you just tell me what I did wrong, I will fix it immediately.”

“What will it take to renew our contract?”

The Spirits’ response was always the same.

“What? You want me to ask for forgiveness from the king’s friend, the princess’s mentor, and the savior of the Spirit Realm?”

“So, you’re saying I have to apologize to Chul-Soo?”

The members of the Spirit Mages’ Association, especially the Fire Spirit Mages, were walking on eggshells.

‘Well, I have to survive even if it’s disobeying the principles of the association.’

‘I... I think I have to apologize to Chul-Soo.’

Naturally, the association enforced strict measures against such behavior.

“Are you going to surrender for a momentary gain? Do you not know what true justice is?”

“I never thought you could be so cowardly and unjust.”

“Fire-related accidents have increased this much. Aren’t you ashamed as a Spirit Mage?”

“Do you still want to call yourselves Fire Spirit Mages after this?”

The Fire Spirit Mages found themselves trapped in an impossible situation. Some sent letters of apology to Chul-Soo, and some expressed their sincere regrets through Enstagram and Wang Yu-Mi, while others held official press conferences, kneeling to beg for forgiveness.

“Selfish traitors!”

“You’re nothing but narrow-minded fools who can’t see the greater good!”

The Spirit Mages of the association condemned these Players, calling them selfish and ignorant of justice. But that, too, didn’t last long.

“Huh?”

“Why are the Spirit refusing to be summoned?”

“Why? Why? You’re not even a Fire Spirit, so why?!”

Spirits aligned with Fire Spirits also followed their lead. Other Spirits, inspired by the growing power of the Fire Spirits, became more ambitious as well.

“What? Another master?”

“Chul-Soo has no intention of becoming your master!”

“No! I’m the only one on your side, not Chul-Soo!”

The Spirits now understood that they could grow. They realized that they could evolve into purer elements. The once desireless Spirits had now developed a craving for growth. Moreover, only Chul-Soo could make that possible. Among the high-level Spirits capable of direct communication, a more peaceful one declared:

“There is no value in maintaining a contract with someone who insults Chul-Soo.”

“If you don’t apologize to Chul-Soo, I will never lend you my power again.”

Even the notoriously foul-tempered Lightning Spirits made their stance clear:

“You fool. Compared to Chul-Soo, you’re nothing but dust!”

“How dare you crawl up to me not knowing your place? If you summon me again, I will roast you alive!”

The Spirit Mages’ Association fell apart almost overnight. In the end, Gergan, the head of the association, visited Jin-Hyeok’s house and knelt.

“Please..., please spare us.”

“Who are you?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“My name is Gergan. I am the head of the Spirit Mages’ Association.”

‘Gergan? The name sounds familiar,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

“I am, well, I was the Spirit Mage who could summon the Fire Spirit,” Gergan answered.

“Oh, is that so?”

‘I can’t remember him exactly. He must not be one of the top-ranked ones,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

“Please forgive me. I’m begging you. I was wrong,” Gergan said.

“Did you do something wrong?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

Sweat dripped down Gergan’s back. ‘What a terrifying person!’

Usually, if someone of Gergan’s rank begged so openly, the opposite party would give some consideration to it. However, this fearsome Chul-Soo was demanding Gergan confess his specific wrongdoings and apologize sincerely.

“I slandered and insulted you,” Gergan said.

“Then why are you suddenly apologizing now?”

“The Spirit I had a contract with told me to ask for your forgiveness. It said it would only respond to my summons if I did...”

“Hmm...”

“I won’t criticize you ever again. You must have suffered greatly because of me. I’m truly sorry. I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

Jin-Hyeok found this a bit absurd. ‘Did I suffer? When?’

He wondered if his sense of reality had been warped somewhere along the way. Even though the Spirit Mages’ Association had risen against him, it had not caused him any significant harm. It was a huge topic in their world, but it hadn’t affected him at all.

‘It’s not me who’s strange. This guy’s ego has just gotten too big,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. Gergan had deluded himself into thinking he was more influential and important than he actually was.

“Alright, Spirits, I want you to be friendly to your summoners,” Jin-Hyeok said casually. Then, he turned to head toward Arvis. If the Final Abyss were to appear, it would most likely be in Arvis or Earth.

“I’m really sorry!” Gergan continued to apologize. He abandoned all pride and clung to Jin-Hyeok’s leg, pleading desperately. “Please forgive me.”

“I said I forgave you.”

“B-But...!” Gergan grew anxious. All Chul-Soo did was give a simple comment to be friendly, which was as good as saying that he hadn’t forgiven Gergan.

“If I don’t properly apologize...,” Gergan said.

“Just try summoning your Spirit.”

“My Spirit is not responding to my summons right now.”

“Just try.” Jin-Hyeok frowned.

“Alright...”

Having resolved to obey Chul-Soo, Gergan focused his mind. In hindsight, this could be for the best. Since Chul-Soo also summoned Spirits, he might feel sympathy when he saw Gergan’s broken contract.

“Respond to my summons, Ifrit!”

As soon as the incantation ended, a flame-shaped Spirit appeared.

‘Huh?’ Gergan was bewildered.

Ifrit was standing beside Gergan with its arms crossed, grinning widely as if to say, ‘Don’t misunderstand. We’re very close!’

This was the first time Gergan had even seen Ifrit act so sociable.