Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 230

“After all that, I’m surprised you are still coming to me with this business proposal,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Business is business, isn’t it? Besides, if you do not accept our offer, you will regret it.”

“Regret it?”

“You can say goodbye to ever doing business in the United States.”

‘Oh? One minute you’re talking about the benefits, the next you are threatening me? This is hilarious.’

“Is that a threat?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Yes. It is most definitely a threat.”

‘Wow… He’s got some balls.’

“You’re very confident, I’ll give you that. Is that why you became that?”

“I don’t understand. I became what?”

“What I meant was, is that why you became a God worshiper?”

Without hesitation, Ji-Cheok used the [Joint Control Art] of the Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art. The Joint Control Art was a combat art that involved grappling with the opponent and crushing or breaking their joints. He infused the Heaven and Earth Chaotic Qi into his hands, so he could mold steel like silly putty by sheer grip power!

Just before Ji-Cheok’s hand reached James, the latter’s body morphed into a strange liquid. His wrist, which should have been caught in Ji-Cheok’s grasp, flowed like water, dodging the attack.

Then, James tried to kick Ji-Cheok. His leg, which had also turned into liquid, suddenly changed into something sharp and tried to pierce through Ji-Cheok’s torso.

Clang!

Unfortunately for him, Ji-Cheok’s body was reinforced by Qi and trained using a supreme external cultivation technique, so it was simply impervious to these attacks.

James’s fluid leg hardened into a sharp spike in an instant, and it thrust at Ji-Cheok’s throat only to be deflected away.

In the meantime, Ji-Cheok activated his Soul Telekinesis.

Crush.

The entire space around James was filled with telekinetic power. Ji-Cheok had created a perfectly enclosed space, filling it with the invisible and intangible force.

It looked like James was made of some sort of liquefied metal, and in that state, he formed spikes all over his body, trying to pierce through Ji-Cheok’s telekinetic power. To his dismay, he found it impossible to get out. He circulated his mana throughout his entire body, and also used a number of attacks that looked like his skills. Still, no matter what he did, he could not get out of the telekinetic sphere Ji-Cheok had created.

After watching James struggle for a while, Ji-Cheok started to squeeze the sphere a little bit at a time. Soon, James had become a perfectly round sphere of metal.

Unfortunately, Ji-Cheok realized that he couldn’t have a conversation with James if the latter was in that state. Thus, Ji-Cheok changed the shape of the “cage” from a small sphere to a human-sized box, to give James some space.

A moment later, James reverted to his human form.

“Um Ji-Cheok! You think you can get away with this?!”

“I’ll be just fine, thanks for worrying. You’re just a nobody anyway.”

James said that he was the Korean branch head of whatever organization called Golden Horizon, but he was clearly not a top dog. That was probably why he had come to Ji-Cheok personally to persuade him to join their side.

“You bastard…”

“Wow~ You speak Korean pretty well. Well, anyway, you should’ve kinda expected this when you came to someone else’s house to start a fuss. Also, do you think I am going to join forces with the guys who paid assassins to take care of me? Not to mention you’re worshiping some God.”

Now that Ji-Cheok became a God, he was more sensitive and aware of the power of other Gods. Because of this, he could even recognize the God worshipers.

Also, Ji-Cheok had the Eye of Insight. Since the skill was now S-rank and Ji-Cheok was a God, he could see things that he had been unable to see before.

[James Kim]

[Age: 45

Gender: Male

Level: 121

Race: Human

Job: Shapeshifter / Champion of Noldrak

He is the champion of the God [Melting_world].

The true name of the God [Melting_world] is Noldrak, and you can contact them by invoking their name. ]

Ji-Cheok had used this skill before to recognize that his enemy was a God worshiper, but this time, the description was more detailed.

‘So, he is a champion of the [Melting_world], whose real name is Noldrak. And his job is a shapeshifter, which means he fights by changing into who knows what. Eh. Although he is a high level Hunter, that doesn’t mean I can’t easily destroy him.’

In fact, it would have been fairly easy to just kill him with his Mind Sword. Ji-Cheok was just trying to capture James and get information out of him.

“You’re here as a representative of SL Chemicals, the company that tried to kill me, and you are a champion of the [Melting_world]. I don’t think I can just let you go…”

James’ eyes widened at his words.

“How did you…”

Ji-Cheok pointed at his own eyes.

“My eyes are pretty special. You know, I realized something when I was fighting the Cult of the Spider the other day. People like you are trying to ruin the world, and that’s why I want to destroy every God worshiper out there.”

James didn’t say anything more and just glared at Ji-Cheok. In the end, he opened his mouth.

“How much do you know, Um Ji-Cheok?”

“I know that there are a bunch of bastards clinging to a God so they could stay alive after the world ends.”

“If you know what much, what do you want?”

“World salvation.”

At Ji-Cheok’s blunt answer, James started to laugh maniacally.

“HAHAHAHAHA!! Cough, cough.”

He laughed so hard that he started to cough.

“You’re seriously insane… You don’t even realize how this world is going to end. Endless dungeons will open up, and beings will come out that cannot be stopped even by the combined power of this world! Do you not know that the entire human race will become prey and toys that will walk through hell for eternity?” James yelled.

“I know.”

“What?!”

“Despair has shown me. I don’t think you knew that, but if you clear the dungeon in front of the Namsan Tower, you can experience the future through the grace of Despair.”

‘The future Despair showed me sure was a great one. Ain’t forgetting that anytime soon.’

“That’s why I decided to save the world. And I already have a plan.”

“Everyone has a plan, until—”

“I know, I know. You were gonna say until you get punched in the mouth, right? But who’s getting punched here? Me? Or Golden Horizon?”

James was still glaring at him.

“Okay. Then, I will make you an offer that you cannot refuse,” Ji-Cheok said.

“What offer?”

“I want you to tell me everything you know about the Golden Horizon, and I’ll let you live.”

“I refuse.”

“Huh… You refuse?”

“I will kill you right here, right now, and get out of here! O, [Melting_world], thine warrior beseeches thee, grant me thy strength!”

Ji-Cheok could have just stopped James’s prayer and killed him instantly, but he generously let the man do his thing. He wanted to know what a level 121 Hunter, practically at the very peak of the Hunter world, was like when he received the power of his God.

However, if they fought in his house, he knew that the house would be torn to shreds…

Wham!

Ji-Cheok tugged on the Soul Telekinesis force field that trapped his enemy.

Click.

He opened the window and threw James out at breakneck speed. James flew hundreds of meters in an instant, and Ji-Cheok followed him, drawing his swords.

Boom!

The telekinetic field he created shattered in midair, and James popped out.

He no longer looked human in any way; instead, he was now a blob made of a slimy substance that emitted a golden glow. Several tentacles extended out of that slime, each of which had an eye on the end.

?Master, those are Demonic Eyes!?

Woong~?

Flash!

Blob-James had seven eyes, and beams of light of different colors shot out of each eye.

Ji-Cheok deftly dodged the attacks, but two of them brushed his shoulder and leg.

Boom!

Roar!

The shoulder of his suit turned to stone and shattered, while his leg caught fire.

‘A petrifying ray and an igniting ray? That’s pretty cool…’

Roar!

Ji-Cheok wrapped himself in a layer of protective Augmented Qi.

The flames died down, and the petrifying force scattered. No force could penetrate Ji-Cheok’s armor, and James could not cast any debuffs on him either.

The Augmented Qi was the ultimate weapon and the ultimate shield!

Boom!

In that state, Ji-Cheok unleashed the full power of Soul Telekinesis, as Cheok-Liang, who was wrapped around his neck, leapt up and turned gigantic.

At the same time, Ji-Cheok and Cheok-Liang rushed toward James Kim, who had turned into a golden slime.

“Just as I expected! This is your full power!”

Ji-Cheok had thought that maybe James could transform even more, but that did not seem to be the case—no more tentacles or eyes appeared. If James’ slime body had been able to produce hundreds of tentacles and each tentacle had a Demon Eye attached, Ji-Cheok would have been in trouble.

?Master, I will use the Soul Telekinesis!?

‘Alright! I’ll leave it to you!’

He transferred the control of the Soul Telekinesis to Cheok-Liang and crossed his swords.

Piii!!!

With a bizarre sound, a violet beam of light flew at him. Ji-Cheok blocked the violet beam with his Augmented Qi. Then, he unleashed the power of Heaven and Earth Chaotic Sword Art!

Slash!

Kiiiiek!

A bizarre cry resounded. The slime was instantly cut to pieces by the Augmented Qi. It seemed like James could not withstand the power of the Augmented Qi.

Suddenly, James moved his body pieces in different directions. He was trying to escape!

However, Cheok-Liang’s timely reinforcement of the Soul Telekinesis had created, yet again, an invisible wall around James, this time with even greater strength. Even though James tried to flee by splitting his body, he was blocked by the wall.

Just as Ji-Cheok was about to plunge his sword into a fragment of James’s body, a surprising sight stopped him in his tracks.

Zoom~

The telekinetic wall was melting!

‘Holy shit. How’s that possible?

?I believe that is the power of [Melting_world], Master!?

‘Wow, his power really is exactly the same as his God’s name. It seems quite useful.’

However, it was too slow for Ji-Cheok.

He drew a deep breath.

As he exhaled, he dispersed the Augmented Qi around his swords and replaced it with normal Sword Qi. Then, he unleashed dozens of strikes at once.

Slash! Slash!

James’ body was split into a thousand pieces. The attack was not strong enough to kill him, but he had clearly taken major damage from the Sword Qi.

The shuddering pieces of golden slime converged and formed into a shape. Right there, panting and missing a leg, was James Kim.

“You… You are also serving a God…”

‘What?’

?He seems to be attributing your power to some sort of God that you are worshiping, Master.?

“... I guess you can only see what you know. For your information, I serve no God.”

‘The one God that I follow is the God of War. I haven’t gotten any direct teachings from other Gods, much less their blessings.’

“Sleep Time.”

It was a skill that he had used to take down the last person who had tried to assassinate him. When he used it, James Kim’s eyes closed and he collapsed.

‘Good! I got a vital informant!’

? ? ?

When Ji-Cheok contacted Ji-Han, Reable showed up and happily took James away.

‘Wait, what the hell has he been doing lately? He just comes here and takes the guy away with no explanation.’

Ji-Cheok had many questions for Reable, but without saying anything, he handed James over. He knew that Reable was better at digging information out of a person.

As for Ji-Cheok, even though he had just been through something dangerous, he still went to work as if nothing had happened.

Indeed, Ji-Cheok now went to work every day.

It was because he had to see Team Beta and the newly organized Team Gamma, and also to meet the Hunters hired to oversee these two teams. These hunters were called Training Specialists, and they were Support Hunters with skills appropriate for raising other Hunters.

These Hunters could not become strong themselves, but they could make other Hunters strong. Of course, because of that, it was hard to recruit them.

In addition to normal lessons, Ji-Cheok was also teaching his underlings cultivation.

“The Grandmaster is here!”

“Stop calling me Grandmaster…” Ji-Cheok replied.

“I can’t do that! You are our idol!”

“Who calls their idol Grandmaster?!”

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