Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 83

?Having a clear mind is hard at first for anybody across human history, Master. There is no one who did not try to turn off useless thoughts in their head during their early meditation attempts. That is nothing else than human nature. Humans are not perfect, but they are beings that are eager to grow.?

‘So, I should just sit my ass down and continue?’

?Yes, Master. Do not feel too pressured. You are already working harder than any other master.?

‘Uhm, aren’t there people who train like they’re about to die, to avenge their family or something?’

?Hahaha, such anecdotes are handed down as old stories. But those people also have the same training process and time. They are still only human. The important thing is to be steady and not stop.?

‘That’s interesting. Now that I’ve learned how to climb the mountain, which seemed far away before, it seems… hm… still far away.’

?This week’s meditation practice has been very helpful, Master.?

‘Yes, I understand a little bit about the principles of cultivation. Before, I just trained mindlessly over and over, but after doing that, I could theorize a little about this cultivation thing.’

?You have talent in that area, Master.?

‘Do I? I always thought I wasn’t good at cultivation.’

“By the way, it seems like it’s time to go into the next dungeon with my team, but I haven’t heard from any of them,” Ji-Cheok said.

‘The other members must have recovered all their mana by now.’

?The timing seems right, Master. But before meeting them, how about entering another dungeon first??

‘Dungeon? Alone like last time? What happens if someone attacks us again?’

?You can put a security team at the entrance of the dungeon. Just ask Ji-Han to be our security force and guard the entrance.?

‘I guess. After all, many public officials are not Awakened, so they would be useless against Hunters. Especially for unpopular dungeons.’

?Also, I think it is better to try out what you have gained through this training. Oh, on another note, there is one more thing you should take care of. You need to send them?an appropriate answer.?

“Them? You mean GOF and ABM?”

?Yes, Master.?

‘Well, both of their contracts are outstanding. However, is partnering up with them the right choice? If the world is a tutorial right now, we don’t know what the actual main game will be like. I have to become stronger by doing everything I can. Though… I know these two Guilds from the United States will give full support for me to become stronger.’

When the Monster Wave arrived, the United States’ NASA and CIA had still been working with their original goals in mind. They had long since turned their star-observing lens toward the Gates, and their covert listening devices, which had been used to bug people’s rooms, were now deployed in the vicinity of monster lairs.

Although Korea was considered an advanced country, it could not keep up with the technological prowess of the United States. With the help of their home country, these two Guilds had become the epitome of human knowledge. Yet, Ji-Cheok had a feeling that there still was a downside to having this much knowledge. He didn’t know why; he just felt like if he looked at the immediate profit, not thinking about the future, he would definitely miss out on something. Some would say that it was his intuition as a Hunter Assistant—the sixth sense he had trained by cleaning up so many Hunter corpses back in the day.

?It is a kind of judgment that cannot be explained logically and rationally, but if you think that we should not go, then I fully support your decision.?

‘Do you believe in intuition?’

?Sometimes, it is intuition that changes the course of a battle. Also, taking into account your past decisions, I believe that you have a strangely accurate gut feeling.?

‘Huh, that’s interesting.’

?Your past decision to make an offering to the System instead of some God, which resulted in my being here, can also be considered the fruit of your intuition. ?

‘That’s true.’

?You keep saying that it is because you have handled many Hunter’s corpses, and I believe so, too. Sometimes, death can be a better teacher than life.?

‘That’s a bit haunting. By the way, is there such a skill that could enhance my intuition? It doesn’t have to be at a level of foresight.’

?I will take a look.?

Cheok-Liang opened up a window.

[Minor Intuition—10,000 Likes]

[Class: Rare (Non-upgradable Rank B)

Grants the user a very, very slightly improved intuition. It may?help the user pick the better of two possibilities.]

‘What do they mean by ‘it may’? They’re not even sure about it? What’s with the doubtful tone?’

“Is this all you could find?”

?Other skills exist, but they require far too many Likes. Foresight-related skills are usually like that.?

“Well, how much are they?”

?For example, there is this skill.?

[Eye that Sees the Future—9,999,999,999 Likes]

[Class: Infinity (Non-upgradable Rank S)

Eyes that predict the future. They can look into the future and acquire visual information. The cost to see the future is immense.]

‘This is crazy! No one in their right mind would buy this skill. Essentially, the shop is asking for 10 billion Likes. Are you freaking out of your mind?’

“For now, I’ll get the one priced at 10,000 Likes.”

Ji-Cheok’s Likes, which he had earned with his sweat and tears, disappeared and the skill book appeared.

Pop!

As soon as Ji-Cheok learned the skill, he immediately thought about the problem at hand.

‘Okay, [Minor Intuition]-that’s-worth-only-10,000-Likes, should I go to America to become stronger?’

Suddenly, he felt something.

“....I don’t really feel like going.”

?I see.?

“Is the skill working properly?”

?As you can see from the skill description, it ‘may.’ It does not specify that it was going to tell you with 100% accuracy.?

‘Damn it.’

?Still, if you suddenly had a bad feeling about it, maybe it is indeed not the best idea to go to the United States.?

‘So, you think the skill is working?’

?I… Think so??

Cheok-Liang’s answer was unconvincing, just like the skill description.

?You only spent 10,000 Likes for the skill. I think it is worth it to get some measure of insight from the skill.?

‘Of course, I don’t think anyone is going to buy this from the Hunter Store.’

?I agree. This kind of venture is only possible thanks to Master’s bizarre job. I believe it is worth it.?

‘I’m glad. So I guess now it’s confirmed that I should stay in Korea.’

“I should write a rejection letter to them.”

?I will write proper letters and send them to the Guilds.?

“That would be lovely. Thank you, Cheok-Liang.”

?You are more than welcome, Master. This is what an advisor should do.?

Cheok-Liang immediately started to type the rejection letter with his cute fennec paws.

‘Hm… Still cute.’

“Anyways… How many Likes do I have left?”

?Your Likes have been recovering steadily. Currently, you have approximately 120,000 Likes left.?

‘It’s more than I expected. Let’s leave it for now. We don’t know when we’re going to need it. I might have to invest in other stats later.’

With that in mind, Ji-Cheok pulled out a fresh can of beer, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV. The news was showing a Portal that was vibrating like an angel’s halo. It was inside a convenience store. The Portal flickered and glowed next to a beer stand that contained the brand of beer that Ji-Cheok was drinking right now. He assumed the owner didn’t even have time to clean things up, and all the items were on the shelves. Seeing the red belt around the convenience store, it looked like the police had contained the surroundings. The anchor looked very urgent.

?As you can see, this is a special dungeon that appeared in the convenience store on the first floor of the A building in Yeouido. The dungeon is level-limited!?

Ji-Cheok could see the anxious faces of the police reflecting in the store’s mirror.

‘That’s weird. Why are there no pedestrians in Yeouido?’

Then, a panicked bald man passed by the camera. Below him, it was written:

?The owner of the building.?

‘Hm. I guess he can say goodbye to getting rent money from that building.’

?Only Hunters below level 20 are allowed to enter the dungeon. The government announced that two teams have already been wiped out. The government also informed us that the Dungeon Break is going to happen soon, and if that happens, the Yeouido area…?

Ji-Cheok got up from the sofa.

?…Are you planning to go right away, Master??

‘I should, shouldn’t I?’

As they were talking, the news was still on.

?If there are no volunteers, the government is considering an emergency call and enrolment of level 20 or lower hunters in the vicinity as a countermeasure.?

Hunters were essentially sacrificial lambs. Korea had not gone that far yet, but overseas countries were already like that. Perhaps, if the level-limited dungeon continued to sprout, mankind would begin to sacrifice Hunters if that was the only way for them to survive. Cheok-Liang quickly searched the Internet.

?Master, this dungeon with a level limit of 20 broke appeared within a Warding Stone zone. Also, looking at the speed at which the teams are annihilated, I can feel the evil coming out of the dungeon.?

‘What’s going on with the world? Cheok-Liang, what will happen if there is a Dungeon Break in the center of Yeouido? Until recently, everyone believed that dungeons could only appear outside the areas covered by Warding Stones, which were declared uninhabitable. But this is not the case for this dungeon. It even has a level limit of 20! Is there any other country that has experienced the same thing as us?’?

?Yes, I found it. There’s a similar situation in western Europe. Elite monsters poured out, and the country managed to contain them, but there is news that another dungeon has appeared nearby. Experts are guessing that once a dungeon is created within the Warding Stone shield, that Stone becomes useless, and another dungeon might be created from that area.?

‘Sounds like hell.’

?We cannot find more information, because their communication network is cut off, but what we do know is that neighboring countries cannot afford to rescue the population at risk…?

‘Why is this happening? Is it really because the ‘tutorial’ is coming to an end? Then, when the real game starts, what will happen to humanity?’

Ji-Cheok grabbed his gear.

?Master, if you solve this problem… You will receive more attention in the future. People might find out about your ability.?

Ji-Cheok knew why Cheok-Liang was worried. How many Hunters were there who became stronger without leveling up?

None.

Even if Ji-Cheok didn’t say anything, people would find it strange that he was leveling up so slowly. He guessed that people wouldn’t find out about him not leveling at all, but a Hunter who could clear a dungeon with a level limit of 20 every time… had a very, very high value.

?Even if elite monsters come out of the dungeon, they are not difficult to kill. There may be a way for high-level Hunters to ‘manage’ them, Master.?

‘I know. But you told me with your own mouth that another dungeon can pop out if the Warding Stone becomes useless.’

?It might… not happen, Master. There is still a lot of information about dungeons that Humans do not know.?

‘You’re right. As you said, there’s a chance that nothing will happen. Just like a chronically ill patient is constantly receiving medication, maybe they can be ‘managed’. But even so, the area around Yeouido will become uninhabitable. That’s what the anchor said earlier. That building is located five hundred meters away from the center of Yeouido. The International Trade Center and other important institutions are all in that area. So… they have to move to another city, or at least another area? That’s not easy. And what about other countries? If a level-20-limited dungeon appears in one of the bathrooms in the White House, then what? Are they going to move the White House altogether? Or are they going to think of an alternative?’

The mini polar bear doll on Ji-Cheok’s desk was holding a bottle of Coke. He stroked the polar bear.

“I’m not trying to do anything fancy. I’m just trying to get some Likes, since I’m a [GodTube Influencer].”

Also, Ji-Cheok didn’t forget about finding the necessary information about completely annihilating a dungeon.

[Dungeon Annihilation Information]

[Class: S

10,000,000 Likes.]

Ten million Likes.

Ji-Cheok was going to buy this no matter what. It had the same price as the resurrection skill, so Ji-Cheok knew it had?to be worth that much. With that in mind, he put on his gear and picked up his phone.

Ji-Han had to let him enter the dungeon.

1. The financial district in Seoul.

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