Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 72

“By the way, can we talk about work here?” Ji-Cheok said.

“...?”

Ji-Cheok looked around, and there was no one but the team.

‘Wait, did Ji-Han rent out the entire breakfast buffet? Is that even possible, even this early in the morning?’

“Don’t worry, everyone. There are only us and the affiliated staff in the hotel,” Ji-Han said.

‘Ah.. so he rented the entire hotel…’

“...”

Ji-Cheok had seen this in a soap opera. He thought Ji-Han had spent around a hundred million won for the night, but the actual sum looked to be in the realm of billions… Ji-Cheok couldn’t guess the exact amount Ji-Han had spent, but it still made an ordinary Hunter like him tremble. However, to his surprise, Ji-Byeok, Ha-Na, Seong Kwang, and even his brother Mu-Cheok were very calm about it.

‘How are you guys so calm? I have no experience renting a hotel while working as a Hunter Assistant! Is this what it’s like to clear special dungeons? Are we getting some kind of support from the government?’

Maybe it was the gap between the rich and the poor. Ji-Cheok had always seen things on the internet about luxurious life, but he hadn’t actually experienced firsthand how much money the rich actually have.

Surprisingly, Mu-Cheok brought cup noodles for breakfast. He also shredded some chicken breast into pieces and placed them in the cup noodles. Mu-Cheok didn’t have any dietary restrictions like ordinary athletes, so he could eat whatever he wanted. His goal wasn’t to get fit per se, much less lose weight or something—his muscles were strictly for battle.

“Could you get me some cup noodles too?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“You can eat more?” Mu-Cheok replied.

“Yeah, the same one as you.”

“Got it.”

Without any complaints, Mu-Cheok went back to the buffet and made his brother cup noodles. He even brought freshly squeezed orange juice so that Ji-Cheok wouldn’t get thirsty.

“I want a slice of cheese on top,” Ji-Cheok said.

“You still have the palate of a three-year-old.”

Thanks to his brother, Ji-Cheok started eating cup noodles for breakfast. Of course, he wasn't ‘just’ eating cup noodles, he was eating other things ‘with’ cup noodles. The noodles cooked by Mu-Cheok had a spicy flavor that made his mouth water.

Slurp~

The al dente noodles were having a party inside Ji-Cheok’s mouth.

‘This is delicious.’

Everyone finished their meal, and they began to have dessert.

“This dungeon raid was successful. The government was also extremely satisfied, and our evaluation in various aspects has increased,” Ji-Han said.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!?

Everyone from the team clapped.

“We should be proud of being the first team to clear a dungeon like this, but more importantly, we should be grateful that we cleared it without any casualties. This part is all thanks to you.”

Ji-Han bowed deeply.

‘What a good timing.’

Behind Ji-Han, who was bowing, the television was showing a leaked video of a son of a celebrity beating up someone and throwing fifty-thousand won bills in front of him. The victim was saying he wanted a settlement, and was talking about whether the son could pay the money or not. This kind of news was not even worth headlines for the news; at best, a morning gossip show would show it on their program. In a world where even the police could be bribed, a grandson of a chaebol family could cure the crippled with a single kick, and open the eyes of the blind with his fists.

On the other hand, Ji-Han was a bit different from the rest. No matter how Ji-Cheok looked at him, Ji-Han was more like an employee that worked hard to become a CEO rather than the average third generation of a chaebol family that the media talked about.

“According to the data sent by the government, there are only twenty countries that have succeeded in clearing dungeons. This includes the attempts that resulted in casualties,” Ji-Han said.

‘Huh? Only that many?’

“There are about two hundred countries around the world. Of these, only twenty have successfully defended a Gate. Of course, Korea is not without its casualties either. There were no dead or wounded from our team, but let’s remember that the teams that got in before us were completely annihilated.”

That was how scary dungeons with level limits were. No matter how strong Hunters were, if they exceeded the level limit, they were unable to enter. In that case, only low-level Hunters could go in, but there were always reasons why low-level Hunters were still at a low level. Either they were stagnant and happy with where they were, or they had just Awakened, like Mu-Cheok.

“What…What about the rest of the countries?” Ji-Cheok asked. He was so curious that he couldn’t hold it in.

“Dungeon Break. All of these countries are now at war with the monsters pouring out the Gates and into their homeland. Fortunately, there are countries where the Breaks have been contained, but there are many places where battles are still ongoing. I believe they will all be contained soon enough,” Ji-Han replied.

Even if the monsters were from a top-tier two-star dungeon, if they came out to the human dimension, the high-level Hunters would be deployed to kill these monsters. It wouldn’t be that difficult for the high-level Hunters to stop those monsters.

‘But…’

“Yes, if you don’t destroy the dungeon itself by sending in Hunters who meet the level limit, it will become a bigger problem later on,” Ji-Han said.

Some of the dungeons in Korea were in that ‘supervision’ state. In other words, the surrounding area was uninhabitable land. Unless the government cleared the dungeons, soldiers would continue to be killed, and ultimately, many low-level Hunters would also be killed.

Everyone’s expression darkened as they thought about the situation. Ji-Cheok was glad Ji-Han had only told him about this after eating, since the apple he was chewing had now started to taste like cardboard.

"The victim count will come out soon, but whatever is reported in the news will be a very brushed-up version. The economic impact, however, will be difficult to reduce,” Ji-Han said.

Mu-Cheok’s eyes became gloomy. He was managing some of Ji-Cheok’s assets, like his stocks.

“I heard that the Dungeon Break happened in the Middle East oil fields.”

“Yes, and the production plant was also involved.”

Energy itself could be produced from the sun, wind, or Magic Stones, but the energy wasn’t the only outcome of petroleum. With the help of modern technology, plastics were produced from petroleum, and so was asphalt. Even the work clothes that the team was wearing contained petroleum ingredients. The food they were eating now was made by drones, and petroleum was used to make those drones. Even the production plants that made the drones used petroleum.

“There is a theory going around that more people are going to die because of the economic impact, but I guess we have to wait and see.”

Ji-Cheok couldn’t fathom how big the economic impact was. Maybe Mu-Cheok knew more about it, since he actually went to college. One thing was certain for Ji-Cheok, the price of cup noodles that Ji-Cheok just ate might increase by two hundred won. The company was probably going to increase the soup powder by a small amount, but reduce the total weight of the cup noodles, and the price would still increase by two hundred won.

“I think I’ve only talked about dark stuff, but it had to be pointed out before moving on,” Ji-Han said.

“Is it because of the scouting?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Yes, you are quite keen on this area. You’re right.”

[Hunter Jung Ji-Han is pleased with your question.]

[You have received 1 Like.]

‘Well, I hardly ever went to high school, so I’m not really book-smart, but I sure am street-smart.’

“Scouting? What about it?” Mu-Cheok asked.

Everyone else was also confused, like Mu-Cheok.

“We cleared a dungeon that could not be solved without any casualties. We were the first to do that not only in Korea but in the world! It’s only natural our worth is going to skyrocket. We’re gonna start getting international attention from other countries as well.”

Ji-Byeok sighed as Ji-Cheok explained.

“Ha… I guess I need to slow down my leveling up,” Ji-Byeok said.

Ji-Cheok wondered if her level was close to the level limit. It still didn’t mean that she could just slow down her level-up speed. She couldn’t just stall becoming strong, and whenever she cleared a dungeon, she would automatically level up.

“Director Ji-Han,” Mu-Cheok asked after thinking deeply.

“Yes?”

“After we exceed the level limit, what would happen if a dungeon like this were to open again?”

“...”

The crowd became silent for a moment. Right now, the team would be able to clear low-level dungeons, but it was imminent that the team would exceed the level limit in the future. Ji-Cheok wondered what would happen then.

“...That is not our responsibility,” Ji-Han said.

“You are saying that there are no alternatives.”

“In countries like the United States, they have a lot of Awakened, and more people are becoming Awakened. So couldn’t they clear these dungeons ‘somehow’?” Seong Kwang said.

By ‘somehow’, it meant after the death of many low-level Awakened. Ji-Cheok didn’t know if it was because the United States put more emphasis on freedom, but the conditions for becoming an Awakened were looser than in Korea. Also, all the responsibilities would fall onto the individual. This was possible because the United States had a large population. It was a different story for Korea. Ji-Cheok also was curious about what would happen after everyone leveled up.

“Even so, we shouldn’t be cautious about leveling up. There will be times when the Dungeon Break will happen. Also, the quality of rewards will increase exponentially as we move up to higher-ranked dungeons,” Ji-Han said.

He quickly switched the topic of the conversation.

“... Anyway, I want to tell you guys, if a headhunter offer comes in the future…”

Ji-Han informed the team about various matters, such as settling their rewards from the dungeon.. In addition, he also told them about some unique items that could be used in the lower-level dungeons, items that they had received from the government in return for clearing this dungeon.

Ji-Cheok listened, but his heart was still heavy. He thought about what would happen if new level-limited dungeons appeared in the future.

‘It’s gonna be okay. I’m… It’s gonna be okay.’

Even if all his teammates exceeded the level cap and could no longer enter these dungeons…

‘...I can still do it.’

Ji-Cheok knew that he would be forever stuck at level one, and a time was bound to come when he would have to clear the dungeon by himself. Since he could learn the skills of tanks, healers, and damage dealers, he thought to himself that it was all going to be okay.

‘Maybe my job really is overpowered, especially when it comes to protecting everyone.’

* * *

‘It’s clear that the timeline has been twisted. Because there are too many unexpected events happening.’

Ji-Han boarded the limousine waiting for him and thought to himself.

‘I was sure that we still had a few years until the tutorial ended.’

Ji-Han knew about the future. The reason he didn’t disclose this fact to anyone was that he wanted to change the future little by little in the form he wanted. However, the current situation was clearly an anomaly.

‘Level-limited dungeons… Eventually, they became impossible to handle and Dungeon Breaks frequently occurred all over the world. Gradually people lost their land, and eventually…’

Ji-Han had a polar bear picture on his laptop. Just as polar bears lived amid melting glaciers in the past, mankind was somehow enduring a melting world.

‘Either change or become extinct.’

This had always been part of the world’s philosophy.

‘But it’s too fast. We need at least a few more years to prepare ourselves.’

The limousine was gently gliding down the road. After coming out of the dungeon, Ji-Han had slept for less than an hour in total. No matter how much stamina Hunters had, if they didn’t sleep, they would eventually lose their minds.

‘Even if it’s too much on my body, I have no choice but to catch up to the world’s schedule.’

He leaned back and closed his eyes. There was still so much work he had to do… and the invaluable tutorial period was swiftly passing by.

‘Is Um Ji-Cheok the only person who is not wasting this precious time period?’

Ji-Cheok’s bizarre rate of growth was enough to make Ji-Han’s jaw drop. Even if it was something that Ji-Cheok was doing without realizing it, it was still an amazing feat.

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