Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 183

A message popped up telling him that his skill rank had increased. At the same time, Ji-Cheok instantly learned something completely new. The energy from the dantian extended into even the thinnest meridians, circulating throughout his whole body. Energy seeped into each cell and then poured out again. It was like a tidal wave!

He felt that his body, which had been optimized by the [Human] skill and had then become the [Heaven Martial Body], was being readjusted once again.

‘This feels different from the Metamorphosis back then.’

He visualized his own inner world in a state of anatta, and in there, he found a small universe. Was this what the [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] was all about? He had created a microcosm within himself, a microcosm whose power was entirely his to use!

[You have acquired the [True Human] skill.]

As the changes in his body were complete, he found that he had acquired a new skill.

‘What is this thing?’

[True Human]

[Class: Legendary

A human being close to their true nature; an intelligent creature that moves forward with countless roads open in front of them.

At the beginning of time, the genuine human beings brought to life by the Creator were superior to today’s human beings.

Ordinary human beings have longed for that level of existence and decided to call them True Humans.

Function: Increases efficiency of all skills when human.]

‘Wow… I had no idea this skill even existed. How do you even go about acquiring this skill? I guess that after acquiring [Human] skill, if you learn the Heaven Martial Body and reach a certain realm of cultivation, you eventually pick up the [True Human] skill?’

?Master! Congratulations on this grand realization!?

‘Thank you, Cheok-Liang. So… This is what it feels to have an A-rank [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art].’

?Can you tell me what has changed??

‘Well, first of all,’

Ji-Cheok clenched his fist and punched the air lightly.

Boom!

His punch casually broke through the sound barrier, and the ground exploded in the distance.

Baam!

The consumption of Qi was very small, but the power was incredible. The technique that he had just used was the Fist Wind he normally produced by gathering Qi into his fist and shooting it out. However, even though the method was the same, the power was incomparable to what he had produced in the past. In addition, his Mana and Cultivation were still at the S rank, but the sheer amount seemed to have increased by almost three times. It felt as if he could use his skills infinitely.

?That is terrifying, Master.?

‘Hahaha! No wonder this skill is my strongest skill. I think I can clear any dungeon with this. My confidence is just oozing out.’

“Alright then, How many Likes do I have left?”

?You have 3.21 million Likes left, Master.?

“I thought I used a lot, but I’ve gathered quite a bit.”

?That is because new people keep coming in. Isn’t this great??

‘I think it’s great too, Cheok-Liang. So the next on my to-do list is… Upgrading my logistics?’

?Yes, Master.?

‘In the previous battle, my storage was almost depleted. I almost ran out of potions. In video games, battles are won by whoever has the most potions. That makes storage even more important in the game of life.’

For this reason, Cheok-Liang suggested increasing his storage capacity. Of course, Ji-Cheok agreed.

“Use Likes to increase the rank of [Shadow] skill.”

[Shadow — 10,000 Likes]

[Class: Unique (Upgradable Rank E) → (Upgradable Rank D)]

The [Shadow] skill had grown by itself from F-rank to E-rank because he used it quite often. As for upgrading it to Rank D, that only required ten thousand Likes. It was cheap! Ji-Cheok bought it right away.

‘Let’s see… How much is it to upgrade from D-rank to C-rank? Three hundred thousand Likes?! Wow… It’s thirty times more expensive. Who the hell sets these standards? Anyway, buy it too!’

“Use Likes to increase the rank of [Shadow].”

Ji-Cheok upgraded the [Shadow] skill to C-rank. Then, he upgraded the [Shadow Pouch] to A-rank in one go!

.

[Shadow Pouch — 820,000 Likes]

[Class: Rare (Upgradable Rank E) → (Upgradable Rank A)]

‘Since this is just a Rare skill, I don’t have to use that many Likes to bring it up?to A-rank. That’s good news.’

?I think this will be good enough for today, Master. Your storage capacity is the same volume as the warehouse of a massive shipping company.?

‘Yeah… I didn’t expect it would be this great. If I upgrade it to S-rank, do you think I can fit an entire city here?’

?It could actually be possible, Master. But before that, isn’t there something you need to do? I have already finished the preparation.?

‘Right, everything is ready to go.’

“Then, shall we go?”

‘Destroying dungeons, here I come.’

* * *

-I heard he’s going to destroy another dungeon.

-Really? Are you for real? Don’t lie to me.

-Umji!! Don’t overdo it! You’re gonna get hurt!

-Isn’t that dungeon where he streamed that horror-like video? That’s the Namsan Tower dungeon.

?I think you’re right. Can’t believe he went there again.

“Hello everyone! Umji, Gumji! This is Um Ji-Cheok!”

Even though he had fought the terrorists not that long ago and he had to be tired, he put himself together and started streaming once more. This was the attitude of a professional GodTuber!

-What is with the hamster costume! Hahahaha!

-Are you going to fight while wearing that?? LOL That’s too funny!!

It had taken him a while to do the special make-up for today. In addition, the head of the costume was so big that Ji-Cheok stumbled every time he moved. Seeing the viewers laughing in the chat, Ji-Cheok knew the plan was a success.

“As I told you two hours ago, today, I am going to completely destroy this Regenerative Dungeon!!”

Ji-Cheok made this grand announcement in front of the Gate of Namsan Tower.

The chat exploded.

-Wait, WHAT?! You can destroy a Regenerative Dungeon?

-Is it the same way as the time that Umji destroyed the hotel dungeon?

-You’re going to show that on GodTube?

?Master, the viewer count is increasing rapidly. So many people are coming in to watch you!?

Cheok-Liang was right, and of course, Likes were pouring in.

‘It’s understandable, I’m about to show them the great secret of dungeon destruction on GodTube, which everyone can watch for free.’

-Are you crazy? Do you know how much that information would be if you sold it? Why would you want to waste it here?

-Maybe he’s going to show us the basics and turn the stream into a pay-per-view stream.

“Whaaat~ I would never do that to you. I’m going to show you everything, all the way to the end. Really! Please trust the Umtori!”

Even with Ji-Cheok’s promise, many viewers couldn’t believe him.

‘Wow, they’re so suspicious!’

-[A/B] has donated 1,000,000 won.

[A/B]: Are you saying that dungeon destruction is really possible? And you’re going to reveal the method just like that?

‘Oh wow, the donation king has returned.’

?He has not gotten in touch with us for a while. I guess this stream is hard to ignore.?

‘Well of course. I’m about to reveal a secret that might as well be FBI classified information as far as Hunters are concerned. I want to say to the viewers that they’re lucky to see this live, but I’m sure other streamers are already recording my stream anyway.’

“Thank you for the donation, [A/B]! Of course, I’m going to show you the method. Dungeon destruction is actually possible! I’m here today to prove it.”

[Labyrinth of Perplexity].

This was the dungeon where Despair had showed him the future. Today, he was here to annihilate this place.

-[A/B] has donated 1,000,000 won.

[A/B]: You destroyed the spider cult guys… I guess you found out something. I’m looking forward to it.

This was the dungeon that Ji-Cheok hated the most. In addition, among all the Regenerative Dungeons that Ji-Cheok knew, this one would become the most perfect example of a dungeon destruction.

A while ago, a Hunter had gone into the dungeon to clear it, but the only thing that the Hunter Assistants found when the Portal opened was his dead body. Even worse, no matter how many times it was cleared, it was bound to reappear after a while. It was one of those dungeons that everyone wanted gone.

“Please give me your fullest attention and don’t forget to Like and subscribe~ Now, let’s enter the dungeon!”

He summoned his Mono Bike G and got on, riding toward the Portal.

Woong!

He drove through the Portal and entered the dungeon, but he wasn’t planning on slowing down or fighting on foot. He simply crushed the approaching evil Spirits with his bike!

“The theme for today’s live stream is ‘speed run’! Everyone, please fasten your seat belts and enjoy the show!”

VROOOM!

The entire Mono Bike G was covered with his Sword Qi. He was practically driving around the dungeon on a giant motorcycle-shaped grinder. Everything it touched was torn to shreds!

[Kiaa…]

Boom!

[Kiieek…]

“Oops, I think I just rode over one of the boss monsters! Long time no see, old friend. After I explode your house today, I won’t be able to see you again ever ever~ What a pity~”

-What? He killed that boss monster so easily!

?Only Umji can do that.

?22222

-It’s more intense than before! Though, he did get some roadkill with that bike of his before…

The reaction from the viewers was fantastic.

‘Alright then, shall we keep going?’

* * *

[A/B]’s real name was Adam.

Right now, Adam was laughing so hard that he was almost crying. He was the son of a very prestigious family, but his laughter didn’t show the slightest hint of dignity. Of course, no matter what he said or did, no one could criticize him, so he didn’t care.

“That son of a bitch is crazy!” Adam said.

“So are you interested in him?”

“Of course! Also, his skills grew incredibly fast. Aren’t those Sword Threads? I heard they can only be used by Hunters over level 80, and even they can only use it for a very short time.”

Although there were not many people in the western world who knew cultivation like the east, Adam remembered them accurately.

“According to the data I’ve collected, Zhang Hawei, a level 84 Chinese Hunter, used it for thirty-two minutes.”

“But that guy covered himself and his bike with that! How much mana do you need to be able to do that?”

“He must have a lot of skills or items that reduce his mana consumption.”

“That’s for certain. Holy shit! He’s just obliterating those monsters!”

On the screen, Ji-Cheok had just collided with a huge steel-clad knight and turned it into scrap metal instantly. He had often defeated enemies in this way before, but now, the impact was incomparably stronger. His power was unparalleled.

“I can’t believe he finished all that in one hour.”

Ji-Cheok had been able to clear the same dungeon in two hours in the past, but now he could do it in just one. This just showed how much stronger he had gotten!

After killing the last boss, the Core of the labyrinth appeared, and Ji-Cheok did a funny dance in front of it to grab the viewers\' attention. The viewers went hysterical as they watched him dance in his weird hamster costume.

Then, Ji-Cheok closed his eyes and did something. Although people watching the livestream could not tell exactly what, it was clear that he did something. This was because the Core of the labyrinth suddenly grew larger and transformed into a new shape. It looked like a jeweled doll in the form of a thin, skinny human. Just from the looks of it, Adam knew that this was a new boss monster.

?The hidden boss, Core of the dungeon, has appeared! Alright… So how did this guy come about? Let me tell you!?

It meant that the jeweled doll was the Core of the dungeon! And that Core was going all-out attacking Ji-Cheok, but he was just casually talking to his viewers while dodging everything. He looked so carefree that his viewers felt their palms sweat.

“This guy… He is a great entertainer.

“Indeed, sir.”

?That’s right! If a high-level Hunter, such as a Class 7 Archmage, uses their detection skill, the Core of the dungeon will come out like this! And of course, you need to destroy it. To do that...?

Ji-Cheok eventually told everything to the viewers, down to the last detail. Hearing the method, Adam was dumbfounded.

“What? Even if you give me a method like that, it sounds almost impossible to put into practice. Those goddamn Gods! How are they so fucking shameless?!”

1. In Buddhism, the term anatta refers to the idea of “non-self”—that no unchanging, permanent self or essence can be found in any phenomenon.

2. Umtori is a combination of Umji and Hamtori. Hamtori is a Korean pronunciation of the Japanese cartoon, Hamtaro.