Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 186

When Ji-Cheok explained his plan to Cheok-Liang telepathically, his advisor was impressed.

?That is excellent, Master! The entire world will be astonished!?

‘You think Ji-Han would be surprised too? I bet even he can’t predict what I’m about to do.

“Hunter Um Ji-Cheok! I’m Park Min-Jae of A Media!”

“Oh, it’s you again, reporter Park.”

When Ji-Cheok pretended to know him, the reporter looked slightly moved.

[You have received 10 Likes.]

‘What? I got ten Likes just by pretending to know him? His reaction is on another level! I should be a little honest when answering his questions I guess.’

“Can I ask you a question?” reporter Park asked.

“I will only answer one. I have to get going right away.”

“You just destroyed another dungeon in just two days. I was wondering if there is a special reason why this dungeon in Susaek-dong was destroyed.”

“There are two reasons. First of all, I came here because there are many residents around this dungeon.”

“Wow…I didn’t even think about that. What is the second reason?”

“My company employees work nearby. I dealt with this dungeon first in order to protect my own employees.”

Ji-Cheok’s potion factory was near Susaek-dong. Of course, it made sense that he would take action to protect his employees.

“Ah, I can’t answer any more questions, but let me tell you one thing,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Yes! Please tell me.”

“Today, I am going to destroy three more dungeons.”

“Ah, I see…wait, what?!”

The reporter looked shocked.

“I better get this done quickly. I’ll see you later.”

“Hunter Um Ji-Cheok! Wait!”

Reporter Park shouted his name, but Ji-Cheok ignored him and quickly got into the van. The next Regenerative Dungeon was also nearby, so it wasn’t going to take that long to get there.

‘Hehehe. I’m sure Ji-Han’s going to be surprised!’

?Everyone will be, Master.?

* * *

?Hunter Um Ji-Cheok destroyed three dungeons in a row today. They were in the Susaek, Jeungsan, and Yeokchon neighborhoods in Eunpyeong District. Seoul is…?

“For crying out loud.”

[A/B] was watching TV before unpacking in a luxurious hotel in downtown Seoul. This was the first thing he watched after he checked in. It was about Ji-Cheok’s three consecutive dungeon destruction.

“I see… His power is definitely out of this world, Young Master.”

Butler Oswald took out a special tea set from a small suitcase and laid it out, and took out silver tableware and set them. Napkins made from natural fibers were rare in this day and age. The butler casually wiped the silverware with the napkin and organized the tea set. He even took out a bottle of tea leaves. It was hard to believe that all the stuff came out of that little suitcase. That suitcase was definitely not just any random suitcase, but an item with a separate subspace of its own.

“All three of those dungeons had a level restriction of 20, which means that a Hunter over level 40 can clear it by themselves, but…” [A/B] said.

“You have to be at least level 100 to clear such a dungeon three times in a row by yourself.”

“That’s right. Your mana would run out if you were lower than level 100.”

[A/B] walked back and forth in front of the TV, frowning, with his arms crossed. In the meantime, Oswald took out a t-shirt, shorts, and Her?es leather slippers. [A/B] took off his expensive formal suit and threw it to the side like a bunch of rags. Oswald swiftly caught it and put it on a hanger. By that time, [A/B] had already put on the slippers and the clothes that Oswald had brought.

His attire had changed back into his normal nerd mode in record time.

“It’s only been two days since he destroyed the Namsan Tower dungeon. How did he recover his mana that fast?”

“According to the report, it is said that he can fully recover his mana in one day…”

“How am I supposed to believe that? Even for me, it takes at least three days to fully recover without potions!”

Calmly listening to [A/B] scream, Oswald brewed tea. A fragrant scent that cleared the mind spread throughout the room. [A/B] sat on the sofa and stared at the TV. Oswald served him a cup of black tea, which [A/B] drank slowly and quietly. A blue ring of light appeared above his head and then disappeared. The tea he had just drunk definitely had something magical in it.

“Ha… Okay. So you’re saying that this crazy bastard can recover his mana in one day, has more mana than any other Hunter, his melee combat ability is fuxking insane, and he can use magic and summoning skill?”

“He can also use healing skills, Young Master. By the way, you are surprisingly fluent in Korean imprecations.”

“Well… Once you play a video game with Korean kids, you learn quickly… So we can conclude that Um Ji-Cheok is a true-blue all-rounder Hunter, the likes of whom we have never seen before, right?”

[A/B] led a huge guild that represented the United States. Hunters with the best abilities in the world belonged to him, and he was a powerful Hunter himself. And this powerful Hunter was surprised by Ji-Cheok’s ability! He was astonished, shocked, stunned, and awestruck!

“Well, now that we’re in Korea, shall we go look for him? Find out where he lives.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

[A/B] seriously wanted Ji-Cheok to be on his side.

* * *

In the van, heading home, Cheok-Liang was looking at the public opinion on the Internet and reported to Ji-Cheok. Ji-Cheok had used almost no mana, but dealing with three dungeons in a row while livestreaming made him mentally fatigued. Right now, he was just resting with his eyes closed, listening to Cheok-Liang.

?Your number of Likes is increasing very fast, Master. Almost thirty thousand Likes are being gathered per minute.?

‘Thirty thousand Likes per minute?! That’s unbelievable! That means… It’s 1.8 million Likes per hour, right?’

?That is because your popularity is no longer limited to Korea. The number of comments and Likes left by foreigners is staggering. Moreover, the number of subscribers has now exceeded 1.8 million.?

‘What… Isn’t it faster than the Paju incident or the hotel from last time? This is weird.’

?It has been on the rise since the destruction of the Namsan Tower dungeon. And it must have peaked today.?

‘So how many Likes do I have right now?’

?You are already at 8.92 million, Master. I think you will exceed ten million Likes by the end of today.?

‘Are you serious? I’m loaded! They can call me the chaebol of Likes!’

?Even if that is the case… The number of Likes required to upgrade the [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] to S-rank is, as expected, a full hundred million Likes. Under such circumstances, I do not think that you can be called a chaebol of Likes… yet.?

‘You’re right. Just going from B-rank to A-rank required thirty million Likes. I still can’t believe it’s going to take one hundred million Likes to go up to S-rank… It’s ten times more expensive than information on saving the world, like that dungeon destruction. What the hell…’

?It is indeed peculiar. I guess this could be the realm of immortality claimed by the Chinese Hunters.?

‘I really hope so. Then it would be easier to save the world.’

?I believe it would be wise to purchase a lot of cheap passive skills once more. Just like when you acquired the [Human] skill, some unknown effect may occur.?

‘That’s right, but I need to organize my thoughts first.’

?And the reaction on the Internet is also great. There are countless articles and comments on social media platforms and various community sites. Everyone is hoping that Master will go to their neighborhood and solve their dungeon problem.?

‘Of course they want me to go. The moment I cleared a dungeon, the real estate prices would soar.’

Hunters needed to clear Regenerative Dungeons periodically to keep them from exploding. If a Dungeon Break occurred, monsters would start pouring out. They would come out of the dungeon and engage in indiscriminate destruction, just like the Goblins from the Gate that had appeared in front of Ji-Cheok’s bus back in the day.

Besides, the Regenerative Dungeon never moved from its spot. If it appeared in the middle of the road, then that road was doomed. In addition to that, military units had to be stationed around the dungeon at all times. It was a problem from almost every point of view. And of course, the real estate price would also plummet.

‘That’s why I bought all the land around the World Tree. I’m going to inflate the real estate prices by revealing the World Tree’s abilities later.’

?That is a great plan, Master?

‘I know, right?’

?Let’s take a break for today, Master. From tomorrow, we have to start on our next step.?

‘Okay. I will have to deal with the potions first.’

?Yes, Master. It is time to start producing mana potions and increase the production rate even further. According to my calculations, it should be possible to produce at least three times the current amount!?

‘But we are already producing 135,000 bottles per month. You’re saying it’s possible to produce three times more than that?’

?That is right, Master. It is possible if you raise the rank of each skill and use special items.?

‘I know about increasing skill ranks, but what are the special items?’

?I am talking about items made to increase the effects of summoning skills, Master.?

“Oh!”

Ji-Cheok had forgotten about those. Items for summoned beings… When the summoned beings were equipped with these items, their abilities were enhanced.

?The ninety potion makers can double the production rate just by equipping an item called the [Crystal of Compensation], which is traded for one hundred million won in the market! And you can further increase the rate to three times the current amount by upgrading your skills!?

‘That’s crazy… That’s enough to completely cover the domestic potion consumption as well as Japan’s potion consumption!’

?And then you can start exporting to China, which can exponentially increase your profit. If you use this—?

Screech!

?We have arrived, Master.?

‘Oh, already?’

“Thank you for the ride, sir!” Ji-Cheok said to the driver.

“No, thank you! There is no one who cares about us as much as you, Mr. Um Ji-Cheok. Please take good care of yourself.”

“Okay. You too!”

[You have received 1 Like.]

A kind word came back as a Like. Waves of Likes were coming in even at this very moment, but Ji-Cheok still had fun collecting these pocket change Likes.

When he got out of the van and looked around, he realized that he was inside the parking lot of his luxury apartment complex. He took the elevator and headed straight to his penthouse.

“I’m home~”

“Oh~ Welcome back! How was destroying dungeons?” Reable replied.

“Huh? What are you doing all by yourself? Where’s Mu-Cheok?”

“Mr. Mu-Cheok went to train with Kamang and hasn’t come home yet. It seems like he‘s completely absorbed in the fun of accumulating Qi… I guess that’s good news?”

Reable came from the kitchen to greet him, wearing an apron and with a kitchen knife in his hand. He seemed to be cooking something.

‘Wait a minute. The Demon can cook? And this smell…’

“...Is this curry?”

“Yes! That’s correct. It was way back in the day, but I often ate curry when I was traveling around the world in human form. You can say that I’m a curry fanatic.”

‘A curry fanatic? What kind of Demon is he?’

“Did you know that even though curry originated in India, the style has changed considerably in other countries? Isn’t that interesting? It’s like human history. Back in the day, you people lived only on the African continent, But now you’re everywhere.”

Reable peeled the carrots and potatoes quickly and precisely. Then, he cut them into bite-size pieces. He had even prepared mushrooms and corn. After he put everything into a pot, he peeled the garlic and chopped it finely.

“And my favorite among them is garlic curry! The key is to add just a smidge of garlic~”

‘I swear this Demon is Korean. Only Koreans put in a handful of garlic like that while calling it a ‘smidge’. In Italy, I heard they even throw out the garlic after they cook it for the aroma.’

1. The subdivision of a district, something like a neighborhood.

2. This seems to be either Mu-Cheok’s pet (but this is the first time any pet is mentioned) or Reable mispronouncing Seong-Kwang’s name (also the first time this has happened).