I Gave Up Being Stronger

Furface was the foremost expert on the first checkpoint. That was why he didn’t blindly believe what was happening to him. He knew this would happen. So, he shouted, “S-Stop!”

The Beastkin had thought he had become somewhat immune to illusions after falling victim to them numerous times. Surviving here for ten years was proof that his resistance to illusions was remarkable. Moreover, he had always succeeded in breaking and overcoming an illusion after becoming aware that he had fallen victim to illusion magic. The only downside was that by then, he would be too mentally exhausted to proceed to the second checkpoint.

‘I’m going to die at this rate!’

This illusion was far too different from the usual. Even though he had recognized it as an illusion, this terrible spell didn’t seem to end. This festival of violence unleashed by the illusion’s core, which had taken Kim Chul-Soo’s form, was too much for Furface’s physical and mental strength.

“P-Please stop!”

“Are you still under the illusion magic?” Cha Jin-Hyeok said.

Furface’s long eyelashes trembled. He knew well that he should not get caught up in the illusion’s pace. Answering as the illusion core demanded would only drag him deeper into the quagmire. Mustering his last bit of patience, he shouted, “This place is an illusion!”

Shouting like this was one method to awaken himself.

Thwack!

Jin-Hyeok, now with a much better understanding of the physiology of orangutan Beastkin, controlled his strength to swing Miri without causing severe injury.

-Thanks for the meal~

Miri struck Furface’s temple.

“Please, please stop!” Tears welled up in Furface’s eyes and began to fall like chicken droppings. Wiping his tears with his hairy forearm, he answered as the illusion core wanted, “Yes, you’re right. This is not an illusion. Ugh!”

He didn’t care if these were his last words; he was too terrified of that merciless violence to think of anything else. The illusion core grinned and said, “That’s right. You’re not under the Sphinx’s spell.”

‘It’s over now,’ Furface thought.

He would meet his end, completely consumed by the illusion. An expert of the first checkpoint would meet such a death—he couldn’t believe that. It was a moment that made him ashamed of considering himself an expert.

“I almost had to use my taming skills,” Jin-Hyeok said.

Furface was a bit bewildered. ‘Why do I feel fine? Shouldn’t I have fallen victim to the illusion by now?’

He even felt a sense of comfort. It seemed to be because he wasn’t being hit anymore.

‘Wait… I can see the Sphinx!’

The Sphinx was quite far away from him. It was even slowly backing away with a pale blue expression.

“You’ve finally realized that you’re not under an illusion, Furface.”

It still did not feel real for Furface.

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “Was the violence not enough?”

“No, No! It’s not an illusion! Of course! This is obviously reality. Thanks to you, I have passed through the first checkpoint. Thank you, Chul-Soo!”

***

The second checkpoint was similar to the first one. The entrance of the second checkpoint was a plaza centered around a large fountain, where quite a few Players had set up camp.

“Huh? Furface?”

“Hey, it’s Furface!”

“You’ve finally come!”

Since these people had passed through the first checkpoint, almost everyone knew Furface.

“Furface has finally passed the first checkpoint!”

“He’s the first orangutan Beastkin to do so!”

Most of them had received help from Furface, and they warmly welcomed him. Some also recognized Jin-Hyeok’s face.

“Could it be…?”

“Is that Chul-Soo?”

“Mr. Chul-Soo?”

Dozens of Players instantly surrounded Jin-Hyeok. Jin-Hyeok hoped for an excellent ambush from an Assassin Player, but disappointingly, there was none.

‘This is the perfect setup for an attack, why aren’t they doing it?’ He even saw two Assassin Players, but they showed no sign of hostility. ‘I would forgive an attack if they just gave me good content…’

He deliberately left more openings by dropping his arms, but it was in vain.

“Could I get an autograph, please?”

“M-Me too, please…”

Jin-Hyeok signed autographs for several Players. Among them was a child who looked quite young and had striking red hair and eyes. The child had an androgynous appearance, which made it difficult to determine their gender. The child shyly held out a piece of paper to Jin-Hyeok.

“Who do you want this autograph for?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Can you write No.1000?”

“No.1000?”

“Yes.” The child’s face reddened slightly. “I am the official Chul-Soo Land No.1000.”

“Oh, really?”

Furface was somewhat surprised by Jin-Hyeok’s popularity but remained tense. He was still wary that this might be part of the Sphinx’s illusion.

‘There are always gaps in an illusion,’ Furface thought. No matter how meticulously crafted an illusion was, it couldn’t be the same as reality. That child was proof of that. ‘No child that young has passed through the first checkpoint in the last ten years.’

While he did not remember every Player, he would have surely remembered such a small child. Because of this child, Furface was becoming more convinced that he was still inside the Sphinx’s illusion.

“So, you’re a Chul-Soo Lander, huh?” Jin-Hyeok said.

“Yes, hehe.” The child smiled brightly.

Jin-Hyeok gently patted the child’s head.

At that moment, several people exclaimed.

“Huh? The signal is back!”

“Hello! Hello?!”

Reactions similar to those in the first checkpoint followed. People shed tears of joy and let out exclamations everywhere. While most were overjoyed and excited, one person maintained his composure.

“What’s going on here…?”

It was a figure wrapped in a black robe from head to toe. No one knew his name. Because his face didn’t exist, much like that of a ghost, people just called him the Faceless Alchemist or simply Faceless.

Faceless was the de facto leader and central pillar of the second checkpoint. In other words, he played a role similar to Furface’s at the first checkpoint. However, the Faceless Alchemist did not know how long he had existed here. According to the official records, someone had first discovered him 140 years ago.

“So, you’re Furface from the first checkpoint. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Faceless said.

“Are you the Faceless Alchemist?” Furface was a little surprised. ‘Was my memory this good?’

Usually, illusions were mostly created based on the victim’s memories. If the victim’s memory was hazy, the illusion did not have details. However, the Faceless Alchemist seemed to exist as if he were real—from the faint aura of death that he emanated to the details of the red Fire Dragon embroidery on his robe and the piercing gaze everyone could feel coming from that robe.

“I am. Many call me Faceless.”

“Nice to meet you, Faceless. I have heard that thanks to you, many have been able to pass through the second checkpoint to challenge the Fire Dragon.”

Those who had escaped the Dungeon alive had spread the news about this Dungeon. Naturally, information about Faceless was widely known.

Faceless muttered in a displeased voice, “A strange thing has happened.”

The Faceless Alchemist had lived at the second checkpoint for a much longer time than Furface had at the first checkpoint, guiding many Players. Thus, he inevitably had a somewhat more rigid way of thinking than Furface. He had never encountered such an anomaly before and wasn’t fond of such dramatic changes within the Dungeon. Extreme events tended to follow dramatic changes.

“Furface, do you know how we got the signal back?” Faceless asked.

“I do. It’s probably because of Chul-Soo’s poison resistance.”

“Because of poison resistance?”

Furface observed Faceless’s reaction. In an illusory world, illogical things would often happen. In a normal situation, Faceless would have asked the sensible question ‘What does poison resistance have to do with getting the signal back?’

“I see. So, that’s it,” Faceless replied.

Faceless’s response made Furface even more suspicious that he was still inside the illusory world. He had definitely fallen victim to a terrible and formidable illusion spell that he had never experienced before.

“Are you simply accepting that this happened due to Chul-Soo’s poison resistance?” Furface asked.

“If poison resistance is extremely strong, it could naturally shake the Dungeon’s settings.”

Jin-Hyeok, who had overheard their conversation, also approached the Faceless Alchemist. “Faceless. So, you think that too?”

Faceless nodded. Jin-Hyeok was delighted to find someone who thought logically. He had finally found someone who understood him.

“As expected of a veteran of the second checkpoint. Your insight is remarkable, Faceless,” Jin-Hyeok said.

“You flatter me, Chul-Soo.”

Listening to their conversation, Furface was baffled. The Sphinx’s illusion ultimately consumed the victim. If this were truly an illusory world, he should feel some hostility, but he could not detect any from those two.

‘Is this illusion still wary of me?’ Furface thought.

It seemed the Sphinx had prepared thoroughly. If he did not show any weakness, this illusion would never bear its fangs.

Some Players approached Furface.

“What does poison resistance have to do with getting the signal back, Furface?”

“You fools. Don’t you understand that exceptional poison resistance can even distort the Dungeon’s settings?”

Furface decided to immerse himself further in this illusion. He wanted to allow the illusion to attack him more freely and reveal its true nature.

“I… have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I can’t comprehend it either.”

“If poison resistance is exceptional, it can block lightning and destroy elements that interfere with livestreaming. Remember that well,” Furface said.

***

Soon, a siren began to sound. The Players scattered to various places as if they had agreed on it beforehand. They started moving to their tents. From the far side of the plaza, a white smoke drifted toward them.

“Is that the sleeping fragrance released by the Sleepy Wildflowers?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“That’s right. After this siren sound ends, you will hear the chorus of the Singing Bamboos,” Faceless answered.

The sleep fragrance of the Sleepy Wildflowers and the chorus of the Singing Bamboos were devices designed to induce sleep. Players who inhaled the fragrance and heard the chorus would collapse on the spot and fall into a 36-hour sleep.

“It’s my turn now!” a Player shouted, running toward the approaching sleep fragrance.

“Who’s that?” Jin-Hyeok inquired.

“Someone who has taken the stimulant I created in advance,” Faceless explained.

It was known that if one could resist the sleep fragrance and chorus and cross the bamboo forest beyond, they could reach Julius’s nest, the boss room. Without Faceless’s stimulant, it was impossible to even attempt and pass the second checkpoint; moreover, one had to be physically compatible with Faceless’s stimulant first.

“Now, Chul-Soo. What will you do?” Faceless asked, looking at Jin-Hyeok with an expectant expression. Although the Alchemist had no face, Jin-Hyeok could read Faceless’s anticipation. “Will you try to resist the sleep fragrance and bamboo chorus with your exceptional poison resistance?”

At this point, Furface felt something was off. The strategy for the second checkpoint was widely known. Before the siren sounded, Players would work together to find ingredients for Faceless’s stimulant. Once the stimulant was ready, Players would take it in turns and attempt the third checkpoint. Naturally, the number of stimulants was limited compared to the number of Players. So, when the sleep fragrance approached them, Players whose turn had not come would take shelter in tents after deploying many barrier spells.

‘Why isn’t Faceless telling Chul-Soo the standard strategy?’ Furface thought. He shouted urgently, “Chul-Soo! It’s a trap!”

“?” Jin-Hyeok was confused.

‘Sphinx, you cunning bastard!’ Furface thought. Then, he shouted, “There are Sleepless Wraiths here. If you don’t hide in the tents, those Spirits will appear and slaughter the Players!”

“Furface, was your realization fake?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“What realization are you talking about, Chul-Soo?”

Jin-Hyeok tilted his head. “The basic principle of poison resistance.”

He had thought Furface understood everything since he had been showing off to other Players earlier, but that turned out to be just bravado.

“You do seem a bit lacking in intelligence,” Jin-Hyeok said.

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