Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 85

?Master! Look!’?

Cheok-Liang’s eyes were about to pop out as he opened up the System window that only Ji-Cheok could see.

“So, if I sign this contract, could you tell me more about your abilities?” Ji-Han asked.

Ji-Cheok shook his head.

“I can see that item is very hard to obtain. So why don’t you use that when you really need it?” Ji-Cheok replied.

?Master… That item is worth one million Likes.?

This was what Cheok-Liang found at the Likes Shop, and wanted to show to Ji-Cheok.

‘Why is he showing me this one-million-dollar treasure? I can’t even imagine how many points the Hunter Store asks for an item that’s worth one million Likes. Can you even buy this with money? I mean I guess the monsters might drop it, but an absolute contract like this usually comes from a boss monster, and with a very low probability to boot. At least I know for sure that this person is being sincere to me. Probably because he thinks I’m a special case? Then, I think it would be alright to tell him some things.’

?Well… Sometimes it feels a bit creepy, but it seems like he is indeed very loyal to you, Master.?

‘Yes, I know for sure that he trusts me to the fullest. I can see why I am a unique case to him. There is no way he could’ve guessed that a Hunter in his team could enter a level 20 limited dungeon by himself. Especially, (and I’m too embarrassed to say it), if that Hunter is a rookie he brought in with a lot of money I would’ve gone crazy too if I were him. Well then, I guess I need to tell him to see how much I could trust him.’

“Since you want to know this badly, I’ll tell you about my abilities,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Thank you. And don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone about this.”

Ding!

[Hunter Jung Ji-Han is delighted with your trust and is ready to provide support.]

[You have received 3 Likes.]

‘...Hm, I didn’t know he would be this excited.’

“Well, to start, I am currently Level 1. And I can tell you for sure that I will never go up from here. This is fixed.”

Ji-Han squinted his eyes in distrust.

‘Is he not believing me? Well, I wouldn’t believe myself too. Is it even possible for a Hunter to not level up?’

“Since there is no reason for you to lie to me, I can only assume that you’ve Awakened with a very special ability. A kind of ability yet to be found in the world. Is that correct?” Ji-Han asked.

‘Hm, just as I thought. He was able to deduce this much from the information I’ve given him. I still can’t believe he was the ‘bad egg’ of the Jungha Group not so long ago. Can a person change this quickly?’

“Yes, you are correct. It’s difficult for me to tell you more details, but… You can think of my ability as one that can continue to grow, regardless of the level,” Ji-Cheok answered.

‘GodTube Influencer. I’m getting stronger from the Likes that people were giving me. Since I got this crazy job, I am thinking of saving the world by becoming the world’s biggest attention seeker. What do you think? It’s an ability that can be abused if you know too much about it.’?

There was also a disadvantage to this job. No matter how many times Ji-Cheok cleared a dungeon, if people didn’t give him Likes, he would not become stronger. People obviously wondered if there were any Hunters who had overpowered abilities. However, the Hunting game was very much like poker: in order to make the best out of one’s hand, even if that hand was a royal flush, the opponent had to be kept in the dark about it.

That was why Ji-Cheok kept his mouth shut like a clam.

“Your abilities are beyond my imagination… You certainly showed great abilities in the temple of [He_who_denies_death]. So, what rank are your stats?” Ji-Han asked.

According to his contract, Ji-Cheok had to tell Ji-Han about the rank of his stats—his teammates had to know about his abilities to some extent if they wanted to be able to work together properly in battle. Other teammates’ lives were at stake, and if Ji-Cheok didn’t even tell them about his basic stats rank, he would basically be that one bastard unwilling to do group assignments. Ji-Cheok did not want to be that bastard.

“Currently, my Stamina is B, Strength is B, Agility is C, Mana and Qi are B, Charm is B, and Intelligence is D,” Ji-Cheok said.

Ji-Cheok’s Charm used to be C, but he had invested more Likes in the [Prince Charming] skill and bumped it up to B. Even a chuuni was more acceptable if he was handsome. If a handsome person danced like a crazy weirdo, people would still consider it an art form.

“You have the stats of a Hunter between level 65 and 70. That is amazing. I’m especially surprised at how high your Charm stat is,” Ji-Han said.

He was right. What kind of crazy Hunter would want to increase their Charm? They had a hard enough time improving other stats like Stamina, Strength, Agility, and Intelligence.

Yep, that crazy Hunter was Ji-Cheok.

“It’s because I’m naturally good-looking,” Ji-Cheok said.

“....Ah, I see…”

Ji-Han kept a contemptuous silence.

‘People who were born handsome would never understand me.’

“Anyway, with my stats, I’m sure I can clear this one-star dungeon by myself. So I will see you after,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Okay, I just need to urgently negotiate with the government and I will send the company’s support team there.”

‘The government has to be okay with this. Without me, they would have to send in rookies under level 20, which is essentially just sacrificing their lives to the dungeon.’

“So I guess we’re done here?” Ji-Cheok asked.

Ji-Han was speechless for a moment. He seemed like he wanted to ask something else, but he just sighed and told Ji-Cheok goodbye.

“I wish you luck in there. And if I could give you one piece of advice for that dungeon… it would be a good idea to prepare fire-type skills in advance. Anyway, since the car is ready for you outside…. You can go right away,” Ji-Han said.

When he saw that Ji-Cheok had already packed, he gave up trying to talk Ji-Cheok out of it. Ji-Cheok got up, shook his hand as a sign of promise, and went out to the car.

‘Do I need to say more? The next mission is the new one-star special dungeon in Yeouido! I hope I get a bunch of more Likes while I’m in there. To the dungeon! #Letsgo!’

* * *

Mu-Cheok: I know, you’re gonna enter that dungeon even if I said to not go. So go, and try to not get hurt. Always focus! Do not get carried away, Hyung.

As Ji-Cheok headed to the dungeon, he texted Mu-Cheok and his brother replied right away. He was thinking of entering the dungeon without saying anything to his brother, but he just thought it was the least he could do to ease his brother’s mind.

‘He should also be having a hard time training.’

Ji-Cheok didn’t know the details, but since Mu-Cheok was a [Chronicler], which was a unique job, he knew that his brother had to train in a different way than a normal Hunter. Ji-Cheok felt a little bad for entering the dungeon without consulting Mu-Cheok, but he had no choice. He was about to turn off the phone, but he started to receive texts from other teammates.

Ji-Byeok: I heard that the level limit still doesn\'t apply to you. That’s great, but stay vigilant. And have a good trip!

Ha-Na: Whoah, I can’t believe you were still under level 20! But you are so strong! So you are like super… no, a hyper-rookie! But still, always stay vigilant!

Seong Kwang: Oh, brother, I will pray for you to return safely!

Even just by having a bowl of soup together, people would become close, but for comrades who shared life and death… ‘close’ did not quite cut it.

‘Why does my insides feel like I’ve just eaten a bowl of hot soup?’

As he checked his teammates’ texts one by one, he arrived at the front of the dungeon. He opened his car door and got out.

“It’s Hunter Um Ji-Cheok!”

“Mr. Um Ji-Cheok! Is it true that you are still under level 20?”

“Hunter Um Ji-Cheok! If you could please answer this. You have cleared the gnoll dungeon, which was a two-star dungeon, all by yourself. How was that possible?”

The clamoring reporters rushed in like a swarm of bees.

?Wow, they are so fast, Master. I am really starting to admire the journalists of this era.? Cheok-Liang grumbled.

Ji-Cheok assumed that someone from the government had probably gotten in touch with the reporters, or the journalists might have just guessed from Ji-Han’s Hunter Assistants and various support personnel moving to the dungeon.

?Then, why do these people suck up to chaebol Hunters so much??

‘Because even dogs don’t bite those who feed them. Besides, ordinary journalists can easily be killed by chaebol Awakened without a trace. It’s been like this for a long time. It is hard for righteous people to live long in this world.’

“Please stand back! He is on duty.”

“Please stand back!”

The police were blocking those reporters. Dungeons in downtown districts were subject to special management by the government. However, other people besides the police had also come in. They were large and appeared threatening, wearing black sunglasses and matching suits. It seemed to be the manpower that Ji-Han had mobilized for Ji-Cheok.

‘By the way, don’t we have some time left before I enter the dungeon?’

Ji-Cheok stopped for a moment and stretched his mouth as much as possible to smile at the crowd. Mu-Cheok said that this smile was what K-Pop idols did to their fans. It sounded strange to Ji-Cheok, but smiling apparently required practice. To get people’s attention, Ji-Cheok had to smile prettier. He put the smile that he had practiced hundreds of times in front of the mirror into the magazine and pulled his B-rank Charm trigger.

‘Bang!’

“Wait. I’ll take a few short questions before I go into the dungeon,” Ji-Cheok said.

As Ji-Cheok told the police and the bodyguards, they made room for him to talk. The reporters’ cameras were flashing relentlessly. Some people were blushing from Ji-Cheok’s B-rank Charm. He wondered what would happen if his Charm increased to A-rank or S-rank in the future. Of course, Ji-Cheok couldn’t invest more into his Charm, as he had to increase his Stamina, Strength, Agility, Mana, and Intelligence.

“First of all, thank you so much for your interest in me. Due to time constraints, I will only take three questions. Thank you again,” Ji-Cheok said.

The reporters were slightly surprised by the way he introduced himself.

‘Well, there aren’t many rookie Hunters who would treat reporters well like I do, since most of them are suffering from the Awakened Syndrome. At least the reporters that have already covered me a couple of times seem to be calmer.’

But seeing that Ji-Cheok was not receiving Likes from the reporter, it appeared that there weren’t many reporters who liked him.

‘I guess that means the owner who gives these dogs food doesn’t like me.’

[You have received 1 Like.]

[You have received 1 Like.]

[You have received 1 Like.]

[You have received 1 Like.]

To Ji-Cheok’s surprise, while he got nothing from the reporters, it seemed like unidentified Likes were coming in from somewhere else.

‘What’s going on?’

?Master, a few cameras are currently going live. I believe the Likes are coming from those who are watching the broadcast.?

‘Ah ha. I didn’t know I could receive Likes from that. If they pressed the Like button on a broadcast that I was on, would those Likes also be added up?’

?I think it became possible when it was upgraded to the new version.?

‘I see, I see. I like it.’

“Okay, then. This reporter first,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Thank you. I am Kim Seo-Gi from R Daily. What is your current level?”

“I can only tell you that it is under 20. Next reporter…I choose you.”

Reporter Kim looked disappointed as Ji-Cheok quickly answered and moved on.

‘What can I do? The question was short, so my answer was bound to be short.’

“Park Min-Jae from A Media! Your video on the temple of [He_who_denies_death] is a hot topic around the world. Even so, public opinion says that it is reckless to enter a level 20 limited dungeon by yourself. What do you think about that?”

“I am very confident in my abilities, I know that it would be a suicide mission otherwise. Okay then, next question…”