I Gave Up Being Stronger

Chapter 448

The path to the Dragon’s Nest opened up.

“Thank you, guys,” Chul-Soo said softly.

The bamboos swayed their leaves to both sides as if they were bidding farewell to their king. Their movements were hushed and reverent.

“Is this what a true taming looks like?” Nick asked, his voice filled with awe.

“Yes, though I haven't used any taming Skills yet,” Jin-Hyeok replied.

“Don’t tell me you possess taming Skills as well?” Nick’s eyes widened.

“I have one.”

Someone muttered behind them, “See? I told you he was fundamentally a Tamer.”

Chul-Soo chose to ignore the comment.

“If it’s not too presumptuous, could I know the name of the Skill?” Nick asked, wondering just how impressive the name of this Skill would be. The technique of a Tamer who could subdue Singing Bamboos with just a few words was definitely extraordinary. Even though their Jobs differed slightly, Nick felt he could gain a great deal of inspiration from Chul-Soo.

“It’s nothing special,” Jin-Hyeok said modestly. “It’s called Taming.”

“Pardon...?” Nick nearly let out an involuntary sigh. ‘If you don’t want to tell me, just say so.’

Taming was the most basic Skill that all Tamers learned. It was a low-level, fundamental technique that could be used across all specialties.

“It has a slightly unusual aspect, though,” Jin-Hyeok added.

“What’s that?”

“It has physical written in parentheses next to it.”

“Ah, I see...” Nick’s enthusiasm deflated once more.

Taming could be performed through various methods, such as physical prowess, seduction, empathy, and persuasion. Among these, the physical method was the least preferred. It was effective only at very low Levels; the higher one’s Level was, the more severe the side effects became.

High-Level Tamers naturally had to tame high-Level monsters. Using physical taming on a high-Level monster could lead to irreversible consequences. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the number one cause of death for Tamers was being killed by their tamed subjects.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Nick said, trying to mask his disappointment.

“That wasn’t my intention...”

Using Broadcaster’s Insight, Jin-Hyeok could see that Nick was disappointed and felt slightly insulted.

‘We can’t have discord within the party before we even reach the Dragon’s Nest,’ Jin-Hyeok thought.

The concept of this content was overwhelming dominance. This did not simply mean clearing the Dungeon quickly; it meant being able to dominate every aspect of the Dungeon with ease. If Jin-Hyeok could not even properly convince one party member, it couldn’t be called overwhelming.

“Are there living beings here as well?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“No, but Sleepless Wraiths wander in this area,” Nick explained. “Compared to the previous area, which becomes full of sleep-inducing fragrances frequently, there are fewer Sleepless Wraiths here, but each Wraith is much stronger.”

“Oh, I can sense one nearby.”

“Huh?” Nick was taken aback. As a Tamer specializing in small animals, he prided himself on his keen sensing abilities.

‘I couldn’t sense anything.’ Nick glanced back at their Navigator, who also wore a puzzled expression. ‘Why is our Navigator behind us?’

“Oh, there it is,” Jin-Hyeok pointed out.

“Where?”

“There, between the leaves. Can’t you see?”

“I see it now...” Nick finally spotted the Wraith as they drew much closer. Just as Chul-Soo had said, the Wraith was trembling there, its form barely visible. ‘Why is the Wraith acting like that?’

The Wraith’s condition seemed odd. Wraiths were known to roam around sleeping Players, but this one appeared to be constrained, unable to move as if it were bound by an invisible force.

‘Could it be the Singing Bamboos?’ Nick speculated. It almost felt as if the bamboos had banded together to offer the Wraith as a sacrifice. The scene gave off the impression that the bamboos were telling Chul-Soo to not hurt them and were presenting him with the Wraith instead.

Jin-Hyeok swung Miri vigorously.

“Let’s be friends,” he said, cheerfully.

[You have activated the Skill ⌜Taming (Physical)⌟.]

Thwack!

“We can be friends, right?” Jin-Hyeok asked, his tone friendly.

The Wraith nodded. It appeared to be the most docile and benign Wraith Nick had ever encountered.

“It was true,” Nick murmured, his understanding of taming techniques completely shaken.

“Physical taming is generally not preferred,” Nick explained, trying to regain some footing. “As you know, the side effects become more severe at higher Levels.”

However, this statement showed that Nick only knew half the story. He had gained a new insight.

“But it seems that at even higher Levels, it becomes quite effective,” Nick said aloud. “Perhaps it wasn’t that violence was wrong, but that it was insufficient?”

While Nick muttered to himself, the group arrived at the entrance of the Dragon’s Nest. A massive cave opening awaited them, seeming to beckon them forward into the unknown.

***

“As I mentioned earlier, I will be using the Babylon Cannon to inflict damage on Julius,” Jin-Hyeok said.

One of the Players who had followed Jin-Hyeok had attempted the Dragon’s Nest twice before and fled. Named Jasmine, she was a Flutist Healer, which was a 9-Star Job, like that of most Players here.

“It won’t be that easy. According to the rumors, landing a hit on Julius is incredibly easy, but...” Since she had challenged this place twice before, Jasmine knew well how terrifying the Fire Dragon Julius was. “That’s only in comparison to this Dungeon’s notorious reputation as the worst Dungeon in the universe. Even concentrated attacks targeting a single entity barely have a chance of landing a hit. An area-of-effect Skill won’t even scratch Julius’s scales.”

“Is Julius that powerful?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yes, Julius is truly strong. I’m a Healer, so I was positioned at the back of my previous parties, but even I found it difficult to move as I stiffened from the sheer pressure of Julius’s presence.”

Jasmine had seen many spirited Players before. Some of them always insisted on showing off flashy Skills and abilities against Julius, and they all died.

“Moreover, there is another terrifying aspect of Julius that is unknown to the world—an ability,” Jasmine continued.

“Oh...? Is that true? Why hasn’t it been revealed to the world?”

“It probably affects the mind. When you escape, you forget parts of what happened inside the Dragon’s Nest. The memories only return when you come back there.”

“So, what is it?”

“It’s the fear effect. Julius emits something called Dragon Fear. The moment this thing hits a Player, they become paralyzed and start bleeding from every orifice. Most of them die.”

“Is it really that dangerous?”

“Yes. I will try to neutralize it with my flute music, but it won’t be perfect.”

Jin-Hyeok felt a slight thrill. Just hearing about it made it sound incredible.

‘Let’s not get too excited,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. “How does one get hit by the Dragon Fear?”

“I’m not entirely sure. It seems to be random...” Jasmine answered.

It had nothing to do with how powerful a Player was. There had been cases where strong Players fell victim to the fear effect, and weak ones resisted it.

‘I guess we will find out when we get there,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. “Thank you for the advice.”

Jasmine sighed. It seemed that Chul-Soo’s determination to use an area-of-effect Skill for the sake of spectacle remained unchanged.

‘It will be difficult to change his mind.’ Jasmine gripped the flute in her right hand tightly. She felt she would need to start playing her flute to help Chul-Soo as soon as the battle began. ‘I won’t let him die.’

Jasmine did not know much about Chul-Soo. Previously, even when people around her had urged her to watch just one of his videos, she had not paid much attention to it. Today, she deeply regretted that.

‘I will protect him no matter what!’ Jasmine vowed that as soon as they got out of this Dungeon, she would definitely join Chul-Soo Land. ‘He’s so handsome, even in this dire situation.’

Jasmine had fallen in love.

***

When the group entered the cave, a new Field unfolded before them.

‘I can feel the heat,’ Jin-Hyeok thought. While it felt like a warm breeze to him, the other Players seemed to be struggling more.

Furface was already drenched in sweat.

“We’ve finally reached Julius’s crater,” Jin-Hyeok muttered.

Hot air rose from the ground, and boiling lava bubbled up from various spots on the floor. The sky was entirely red, with balls of fire floating instead of clouds.

[“Who dares invade my nest without my permission!”]

It sounded like thunder. Some Players covered their ears in pain. Jasmine began playing her flute to help the Players adapt to the fear effect.

Parting the fiery clouds, a massive Fire Dragon slowly revealed himself.

Jin-Hyeok hid his rising satisfaction and said in a slightly excited voice, “He’s enormous...”

They couldn’t see the entire body; they could see only Julius’s mouth from below. Each tooth was like a massive ancient tree, and flames hotter than the fire clouds raged inside his mouth. His mouth was large enough to swallow the entire crater whole. This was the only part of Julius’s body visible from the ground.

“It’s as if a gigantic mouth is descending upon us,” Jin-Hyeok said. Julius’s size surpassed even that of the Thunder Dragon. Just his mouth cast a dark shadow over the entire crater.

“Well, at least I can’t miss my Babylon Cannon,” Jin-Hyeok said.

‘I’ve never seen it like this before!’ Jasmine was extremely tense. Julius had descended with his mouth wide open, and this was something that had never been reported before. ‘Something’s different!’

While countless variables occurring within a Dungeon were expected, a completely different appearance of the boss monster was rare. An inexplicable uneasiness brushed against Jasmine’s nape, but she shook her head to dispel it.

‘I just need to focus on my flute.’

The rest was up to the other Players. She decided to trust her comrades here.

Jin-Hyeok raised his right hand. His hand, now transformed into a massive cannon, aimed at Julius as golden energy began to gather in his right arm.

“Behold, my Babylon Cannon,” Jin-Hyeok intoned. He knew this kind of incantation was not necessary, but it added to the dramatic scene.

[“Worthless trash!”]

Even without a specific attack, a massive shockwave swept through the area. Magma spurted and hot winds gusted. Amidst this, Jin-Hyeok deployed Absolute Barrier to protect the Players.

“Pierce the tyrannical Fire Dragon with the light of judgment,” Jin-Hyeok continued.

Thousands of light beams from the Babylon Cannon poured toward Julius like a meteor shower raining down from the sky. If the hit did not register properly, Julius would release Dragon Fear.

Jasmine was prepared. ‘Julius is going to use the Dragon Fear!’

To counteract the Dragon Fear effect, she had prepared the Fourth Symphony. She was concentrating all her mental energy on detecting changes in the mana flow to time it perfectly.

‘Huh?’

The Babylon Cannon’s attack was registered as a hit.

[Fire Dragon Julius has been hit.]

[A path to the outside has now opened.]

[You can escape to the outside through the magic circle.]

Jasmine could see something odd about Julius’s mouth.

‘Magma... is falling from the roof of his mouth!’

That was Julius’s blood.