I Gave Up Being Stronger - Chapter 301

Lessefim had taken up alchemy as a hobby at a young age. However, her standards for the term hobby were a little loose. By any conventional measure, she had been on an elite path in alchemy since her childhood. Regardless of her considering it a hobby, others saw it as expertise, with her knowledge of alchemy being exceptionally profound.

“Just as Mages perform magical gestures, called mudras, to cast spells, Alchemists do the same to activate alchemy. The difference is that while Mages rely solely on magical powers, Alchemists use a variety of elements besides magical powers,” Lessefim explained.

“So, it’s like Mages’ powers come from mana, and Alchemists’ come from items?” asked Cha Jin-Hyeok.

“Hm… roughly speaking.”

As Lessefim continued her explanation, Jin-Hyeok succinctly summarized it for the viewers. “It appears that alchemy has a branch based on mudras.”

Lessefim mentioned that these mudras were not standardized like magic spells but varied from one Alchemist to another, much like fingerprints.

“Lessefim is saying that if you know the basis, you can reverse-engineer items created through alchemy,” Jin-Hyeok explained to the viewers.

The crucial point was that the mudras of Veselity and Harkoen were very similar.

Lessefim grinned. “If I can master this, I will have a significant advantage in assimilating Harkoen’s legacy.”

She instinctively clasped her hands in a silent prayer of gratitude. ‘Mom, Dad, thank you. I never knew the alchemy you forced me to learn would be this helpful.’

As she grew older, she realized that following her parents’ advice rarely led to regret.

“I’m going to tear the scroll then. Is that okay?” Lessefim asked.

“Yes.”

“How should I compensate you?”

Jin-Hyeok thought about it for a moment. ‘Should I ask for money? Or should I ask for a pledge of assistance? Wait… no.’

He could see the desperation in Lessefim’s eyes, a kind of madness that he did not require Broadcaster’s Insight to perceive. Jin-Hyeok instinctively understood how to deal with someone having that look in their eyes.

‘Sometimes, simply conveying the heart is the most effective way.’

“This is a gift,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“A gift? You are giving me a gift?”

“Yeah, to commemorate you becoming an honorary member of Chul-Soo Land.”

“What?”

Jin-Hyeok gave her a plaque he had prepared beforehand, sealing the moment.

***

The Honorary Chul-Soo Land System was devised by Wang Yu-Mi after she had witnessed Jin-Hyeok acquiring honorary citizenship in Arvis.

“Lessefim is more than qualified. Over ninety percent of existing Chul-Soo Landers have agreed to welcome Lessefim as the first honorary Chul-Soo Lander,” Yu-Mi said. Then, she handed over an appointment letter and a plaque to Jin-Hyeok.

“Do we have to do this?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Of course.”

“But, it just seems all too much.”

“Just trust me on this!”

Jin-Hyeok found it hard to grasp but followed Yu-Mi’s lead anyway. The outcome was astonishing.

“I will work as hard as I can, Chul-Soo. I will really, really, really, really work hard. I swear.”

Lessefim was much more moved than he expected her to, staring at the seemingly simple appointment letter and plaque for a long while before storing them in her inventory.

‘She seems to like them more than the scroll I got as the universe-level Scenario reward!’

He was somewhat surprised at her reaction.

“MoneyShot and MoneyShower didn’t even get this, right? As far as I know, they were categorized as SVIPs and invited to the Chul-Soopia,” she said.

“Yeah, I think so.”

MoneyShot and MoneyShower had the right to chat on Chul-Soopia, but they were not officially recognized as Chul-Soo Landers.

“I can’t believe I’m superior to them!” Lessefim said.

‘Wait, why is the conversation heading in that direction?’ Jin-Hyeok realized he still had much to learn. He genuinely had not expected Lessefim to be this moved.

Clenching her fists, she declared, “I will do my best. As the first honorary Chul-Soo Lander, I will show a brand of alchemy that Chul-Soo Landers can be proud of!”

Her words were not empty. After tearing the scroll and acquiring Veselity’s Mudra, she immediately began to show her impact.

“I think… I can turn some of the dolls back to human forms.” The mudra that formed the basis of alchemy could, she theorized, be used in reverse to possibly turn those dolls back into humans. “But I can’t use it on these dolls…”

Lessefim sorted between those she could revive and those she could not.

After a selection process, Brick’s whiskers trembled. “Can you really bring back Neilson, Lady Lessefim?”

“Yes, if we have enough materials. But it will cost an astronomical sum. Alchemy is inherently expensive.”

That was why alchemy was often considered the domain of nobility, a field too expensive for anyone but the wealthiest to even get into.

Brick’s face darkened, well aware of alchemy’s infamous cost. “I will spend all my fortune if necessary…”

“That fortune might not be enough.”

Brick was a top-tier Assassin, not a top-tier businessman.

That was when Jin-Hyeok stepped in. “Brick, how precious was Neilson to you as a friend?”

Jin-Hyeok realized he could turn this into great content for his Eltube channel.

***

Harkoen’s love letters were recognized as her will, not just in writing but also verbally confirmed by herself.

“I swear, there is not a single lie in my letters to you.”

Therefore, Jin-Hyeok had a legitimate claim to all of Harkoen’s inheritance, including the Harkoen Family itself.

[Breaking News! The Head of the Harkoen Family Changes Overnight!]

[There is a Call for the Harkoen Family to be Removed from the Seven Great Families of Arvis.]

The venerable Harkoen Family, steeped in tradition, became Jin-Hyeok’s possession. Some people began referring to Jin-Hyeok not as Chul-Soo but as Harkoen Kim. Four of the remaining six of the Seven Great Families issued statements refusing to recognize Chul-Soo as one of their own.

However, Jin-Hyeok was not bothered by this. What mattered to him was not the title of the head of the Harkoen Family but the content he could produce right now.

He was currently following Lessefim around, filming. “Wow… So many precious materials are gathered here.”

It seemed there would be no additional expenses. The Harkoen Family’s underground storage was filled with rare minerals, including all materials needed for reverse doll transformation.

“Selling just these could buy you a few kingdoms,” Lessefim said. Then she subtly hinted to him. “About the work of turning dolls back to their human forms… You can buy a few kingdoms if you don’t do it. So, why bother with this project?”

“Well…”

‘Because it’s perfect for my Eltube channel?’ Jin-Hyeok thought. These materials were not his to begin with, and using them for such a good deed(?) was bound to create a buzz. ‘Well, the most obvious answer is because of my Eltube channel, but…’

Seeing Brick trembling with excitement on his shoulder made Jin-Hyeok feel strange. Moreover, when Lessefim finally turned Neilson back into his original form and Neilson’s breath returned, Jin-Hyeok saw Brick cry, which made his feelings complicated again.

“Neilson! It’s your friend Brick! Do you remember me?”

“Of course, Brick. How could I forget you?”

“Neilson!!!”

‘I love Brick’s warm reaction, but is it really just because I got great footage for my video? Why am I feeling so uplifted?’

Watching Brick hug Neilson and cry, Jin-Hyeok felt strangely proud. He found these emotions hard to understand.

***

The content garnered much more attention than Jin-Hyeok had anticipated.

[This is the essence of noblesse oblige.]

[Though not of noble birth, Harkoen Kim is more aristocratic than anyone.]

[The dignity of Intense Man showed what the honor of a noble is.]

Every media outlet and online community on Earth was focused on Kim Chul-Soo.

-At this rate, it’s a complete win for Earth.

-Ah, I’m drunk on Earth pride.

-Earth is the Server that has Chul-Soo, lol.

Among them, some people felt a deeper sense of pride.

-LOL, you’re from the United States! How dare you brag about Chul-Soo from across the Pacific?

-Chul-Soo’s Server? Well, I live in Chul-Soo’s country! Beat that!

-Korea has Chul-Soo. What do y’all have? Hahaha!

Suddenly, the national pride content, which was once scoffed at, surged back to prominence.

-To be honest, it’s a crime not to be drunk on national pride at this point.

-Wow, really next-level stuff. LOL

Jin-Hyeok donated astronomical sums of Dias and precious materials to revive people he did not even know.

-They say his donation easily surpassed hundreds of billions of Dias.

-What are you talking about? It’s not in the hundreds of billions, but trillions.

Chul-Soo’s fame skyrocketed. Then, testimonies from the survivors began to appear.

“It was a horrible time. Harkoen touched me everywhere at night, always burying her face in my chest when she slept. One day, I was left displayed in the Nude room.

“Kissing me was a hobby for Harkoen. She would force open my mouth, which had become that of a doll, and shove her tongue inside.”

Harkoen’s perverse desires spared no one, regardless of age or gender. Brick’s friend and an otter-type Beastkin, Neilson, also testified.

“She used me as a pillow for a while. She boasted about having such a cute and lovely pillow. About a month later, when she lost interest in me, she moved me to the Beastkin room for display. After me, cat-type, then lion-type Beastkins continued to come. Harkoen had her own rules. She only used pillows that were made from Beastkins under the age of 12.”

The year Neilson was kidnapped was the year he turned 12.

“If Harkoen had noticed me just a year later, I could have lived a normal life…”

The video of Nielson, an otter-type Beastkin, shedding tears was livestreamed across the universe through Chul-Soo’s channel.

The public’s anger and backlash against Harkoen grew uncontrollably. The Helen Empire was not known for beheading people, but for this occasion, they beheaded Harkoen’s corpse and displayed it in front of the grand temple. Citizens flocked to the temple’s square, spitting and throwing stones at the corpse.

Meanwhile, one group was focused on something else. This group was the Alchemist Association.

“Lady Harkoen’s alchemy must have reached a divine level.”

“You’re right. It is amazing she could perfectly turn them into dolls and also have them retain their memories.”

“And with her work, they managed to revert them to their original forms. I had not realized her work was at this level.”

While the public might not fully understand Harkoen’s work, for Alchemists, it was an extraordinary feat.

Macerati, the president of the Arvis Alchemist Association, pondered it deeply. “We must somehow acquire Harkoen’s research material. Is there no way?”

“…”

“Think harder! How can the great legacy of the Harkoen Family be handed over to someone like Chul-Soo?!”

“Of course, that should not happen.”

But they had no clear solution. Harkoen’s will was too explicit.

Soon, the Alchemists devised a cunning plan.

“Why not apologize now and collaborate with Chul-Soo? If we entice him with the advancement of alchemy, he might agree. He is obsessed with honor, after all.”