Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 99

“Seong Kwang, Um Mu-Cheok, and me. The three of us are going to be in Team A. Um Ji-Cheok, Jung Ji-Byeok, and Byul Ha-Na will be on Team B,” Ji-Han said.

‘Wow, Ji-Han was thinking the exact same thing as me. I also wanted a tank on my team.’

And with Ha-Na, the ranger, on his team, Ji-Cheok knew his team could survive even if the rest of them were twenty blue falcons.

Ji-Byeok raised her hand.

“Team A doesn’t have tanks, will that be okay? Hopefully, not all of the tanks in your team will be blue falcons. I’m sure at least one tank will be a good one.”

“It’s okay, I will play the tank role,” Ji-Han said.

‘What? When did he become a tank? Or did he have tank abilities from the beginning?’

?This servant hides many things from you, Master. His loyalty is questionable!?

‘What servant? He is the doormat that gives me mone— He is my employer, Cheok-Liang.’

Ji-Han touched the screen and a long list appeared on it. He realized that it was a list of titles.

[Decapitator], [Slayer], [Destroyer], [Avatar of Doom], [Keeper of the Walls], [Tinker], [Repair Specialist], [Head Opener], [Crusher], [Cleaver], etc…

Each title came with a neat little description.

“Also, the biggest purpose of clearing this dungeon is getting these titles. I’m sure everyone knows how important they are,” Ji-Han said.

“Wow, we’re finally doing a Title Hunt!” Ha-Na said.

“Fufufufu, it’s about time. I want a title almost as much as I want some more muscle gains,” Ji-Byeok said.

Ha-Na was eating the cheese sticks provided by Ji-Byeok, and Ji-Byeok was eating her green jerky.

When he saw Ha-Na ended up enjoying the snack life along with Ji-Byeok, Ji-Cheok couldn’t help but think of the phrase ‘he who keeps company with the wolf will learn how to howl.’

‘Anyway, a Title Hunt!’

Hunting for titles was paving the road to becoming a top-level Hunter. Whether a Hunter could do this or not decided if the Hunter was useless high-level baggage or the kind of well-known Hunter that every company wanted.

?Being a high-level Hunter is still good enough for most companies.?

‘But they are still nothing compared to the Hunters who got many titles. I can’t believe the day has come for me to do a Title Hunt… It’s surprising.’’

?You are correct, Master. Indeed, you are affiliated to a big Hunter company. According to the information I have collected, it is common for aspiring Hunters belonging to conglomerates to follow the company’s master plan and earn several titles.?

‘You are right. There is a reason why titles are called the third ability. That’s how powerful they are. The [Lizardman Challenger],?[One who is watched over by one hundred Gods], [The One who willed the Two-headed Gnoll alone], and [First no-death conqueror of the Special Dungeon] titles have helped me a lot. Companies try to support their Hunters to obtain as many titles as they can. From this alone, you can differentiate between Hunter conglomerates on the one hand and small and medium-sized companies on the other. Although many people say that conglomerates’ method of raising their aspiring Hunters is?banal?and outdated, they can’t deny the fact that the survival rate of those young Hunters is the highest there is.’

?Even among the small and medium-sized enterprises, some are really good at educating young Hunters, and sometimes have an elite team for their company. However, when the Hunters become famous, they tend to transfer to conglomerates.?

‘I know, it’s like hell. These damn conglomerates would steal a rookie from small companies for a huge amount of money, and make the small companies stay small forever. Hunter companies are like a pyramid scheme. Maybe it’s not a bad thing for the world to face the apocalypse.’

?You are not serious, are you? Master??

‘No, of course not. Even in a shitty world like this, I still like having a glass of beer with my fried chicken, and my brother still likes a glass of fresh milk. Because now I understand that in order for these things to get to my table, they need to go through many systems. There’s one more thing… Um… It’s hard to say.’

?……??

‘There were a lot of people who thanked me.’

?Is that why Master wants to protect this world??

‘I just want to live in a world where the sunset is still amazingly red and you can hear popular songs on the street. I just want people to have hope, like when they buy lottery tickets even though they know they are not going to win. I want that kind of world, I want that kind of people.’

?It is difficult to understand, Master.?

‘Let’s just say that I’ve grown and become an adult. I have reached the age of eating my vegetables even though I hate them. I’m too old to say ‘everyone deserves to die because human beings are dirty and this society is rotten’. Everyone has their own skeleton in the closet. If they say they don’t, they are not human.’

?I guess this is the difference between humans and the insect world. For insects, they are united under the command of the Overmind.?

‘Yupp. That’s why human beings can’t be united. Humans will continue to be selfish. This society is rotten, and some will suffer while others enjoy a glass of cold beer. The apartment you moved into might be built on top of someone’s cemetery, but children will grow up in that apartment and learn how to love.’

?So Master is an adult.?

‘I think so. The world is ugly and it’s always going to be rotten, but that’s not a reason to give up that glass of cold beer. That’s love, Cheok-Liang. It’s also the peace that the sages speak of. Accepting that the world has an ugly side is different from giving up on it. Rather, the opposite. There are still good things about this world, and an adult’s determination is to fight to the end for those things instead of just giving up.’

“Okay then, let’s move on to the next step. There are quite a few Hunters who enter this dungeon after reaching level 55. And the Hunters of the Jungha Group actually recommend this,” Ji-Han said.

“Can I shoot videos there?”

When Ji-Cheok asked, he answered with a faint smile.

“Yes, as much as you want.”

“You have to make me look good,” Ji-Byeok said.

She was gaining popularity among wrestling enthusiasts, and many women had a girl crush on her.

“I will try my best,” Ji-Cheok said.

Having given his permission for filming, Ji-Han then started a full-fledged lecture. His lectures contained difficult theoretical knowledge that reminded Ji-Cheok of his SAT lectures, but everyone paid full attention.

“Brothers, let’s clear this dungeon in good health and without any injuries.”

Seong Kwang burst into tears as if they were already in the dungeon. Ji-Cheok could never get used to Seok Kwang’s sudden emotional outbursts, but since he was young, Ji-Cheok let him be.

?Such emotions are not uncommon for the priest class, it is said that they blame themselves a lot when their teammates die or get hurt.?

‘I understand. That’s why the suicide rate of the priest class is the highest. They always blame themselves, saying things like if they cast their recovery spells faster or if they had some mana left, things would have turned out differently.’

“When we’re done, let’s go out and have a beer,” Ji-Cheok said.

Seong Kwang wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Brother, but I am still a minor.”

“Then, you can drink milk with my brother.”

“Hyung, why are you dragging me into this?” Mu-Cheok said.

Everyone burst into laughter and the room was filled with happy emotions. In the muddy pits of the world, Hunters had to swim today so they could survive till tomorrow.

‘By the way… I thought of a good idea on how to make a video.’

?Already, Master??

‘Yes, It’s going to be awesome! #Letsgo!’

* * *

[You have entered the Fortress of Hope.]

[You have formed a team with Jung Ji-Byeok and Byul Ha-Na.]

[Your mission is to kill the monsters attacking the Fortress of Hope and defend the wall.]

[All actions taken to protect the Fortress of Hope are rewarded.]

[Your team starts at the northern wall.]

The stale air stung Ji-Cheok’s nose. Among other smells, the faint scent of old books lingered.

This was the dungeon. As soon as he entered the Dungeon Portal with Ji-Byeok and Ha-Na, the surrounding landscape changed.

‘Wow. I think it’s about thirty meters tall. And the width is…about ten meters?’

“So this is the Fortress of Hope. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about it,” Ji-Byeok said.

She put one knee down and tapped the floor.

‘She sure is acting like a defense specialist.’

?I heard that the true tanks look at what is underneath their feet first.?

‘Yup, it's in the textbooks, but there are not many tanks who do it. But Ji-Byeok actually does.’

Keep your feet properly grounded to maintain a perfect formation. That was Tank 101. However, other tanks just invested in their footwear items. She was probably the only tank that checked the condition of the ground as soon as she entered a dungeon.

‘She is knocking and touching the ground like that for a long time. She is even tasting the soil. I don’t think that’s in the textbook.’

On the other hand, Ha-Na was just looking around the fortress. If Ji-Byeok was by the book, Ha-Na was a ranger that had her own method. She always decided how things should be prepared after she entered a dungeon. The first thing she did was look at the clouds, calculate the wind speed and direction, and fill the quivers on her back and waist with arrows. Judging from the fact that there seemed to be several different types of arrows, she was clearly preparing for variables.

?What would you like to do, Master??

‘Hm… Shall we take a look around?’

Ji-Cheok could see the NPC soldiers belonging to the dungeon, standing on the wall. Their number was in the hundreds. Soldiers with arrows stood in the back row, and soldiers with shields and one-handed axes at the front.

?I am assuming the soldiers with shields and axes will block the incoming enemies, and the archers will fire with their bows.?

‘Yes, but actually, NPCs are not really good help. They are made with the magic of the dungeon, so they are not as smart as real-life soldiers. Let’s just say that the AI of these soldiers is not sophisticated enough for automatic hunting.’

?So, the important thing is the Hunters.?

‘Yes. If the Hunters don’t take the lead, there are going to be many casualties. These days, Hunters study hard before entering this dungeon, so there are not going to be major accidents. Unless the team completely breaks apart.’

?But even minor accidents can kill you.?

‘Well, yes. That’s the life of a Hunter. That’s why people are crazy about this kind of tower-defense dungeon. GodTube is the Roman Colosseum and this tower defense is its biggest event.’

?I guess then the ‘Gladiators’ will enter soon.?

As soon as Cheok-Liang finished talking, light flashed beside them, and Hunters began to appear one by one around Ji-Cheok.

‘Did I mention that each Hunter picks a number and then twenty to thirty Hunters are assigned to a team based on who picks the same number?’

?Because this dungeon requires teamplay, I heard that teams are not limited to twenty-five members.?

‘That’s right. And if you press late, you may not be assigned to the desired team.’

The intentions of the Hunters were also taken into account, but in the end, the final decision was up to the System. If the System saw that one side was too full, or the other side filled up late, it would assign Hunters randomly.

Right then, Ha-Na came down toward Ji-Cheok.

“Fortunately, the team with director Ji-Han seems to have gone to the other side of the fortress.”

“I think so too. We were safely separated into two teams. Then, can I start my stream soon?” Ji-Cheok said.

“Are we going to be in it?”

“Of course! We are clearing it together. It’s only natural for you to be on the stream.”

Ha-Na hurriedly tied her hair back.

‘She doesn’t have to do that. She already looks so cool. But I guess she wants to look more professional.’

“You don’t have to be aware of the camera! Just be yourself and do your thing as if there was no camera at all,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Okay! I think I can do that.”

‘Right. I knew that Ji-Byeok wanted to be popular, but I didn't know Ha-Na was also like this.’

?Ha-Na does not have a fixed fan base yet. Ji-Byeok and Seong Kwang are already well-known for their flashy moves, but not many people know Ha-Na because she is a ranger.?

‘Well, yeah, she’s a ranger. The whole point of her job is to not be seen by others.’

?Yes. Still, it is human instinct to feel sad if they are the only ones left out. Please be understanding, Master!?

‘Al…alright.’

Ji-Cheok gave Ha-Na a thumbs up.

“You are gonna look great on the stream,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Thank you!”

Her eyes shone brightly.

‘Ah… Now that I realize… She is wearing camouflage because she’s a ranger. This…is unexpected. How am I supposed to capture her?’

Ji-Cheok felt burdened.

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