Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 145

“Anyway, your skill is so overpowered. You can use the Word [Adaptation] to essentially learn anything you want,” Ji-Cheok said.

Since Mu-Cheok and Seong Kwang were different, Ji-Cheok had no idea whether there would be a dangerous reaction while Mu-Cheok was training his Qi. Even though his little brother had Arcane Engineering skills, his Qi almost collided with his other melee passive skills. In the middle of the Microcosmic Orbit, his Qi even started running rampant in his body, and Ji-Cheok was worried about the Cultivation Deviation. But for some reason, Mu-Cheok’s Qi calmed down. Ji-Cheok wondered if that was because of the [Adaptation]. It seemed like a very convenient skill.

“By the way, how’s your mana?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“It’s about half full now,” Mu-Cheok replied.

“...It’s slower than I thought.”

“You can’t compare me with you! You’re overpowered. I'm just an ordinary modified human being.”

“Since when did modified humans become ordinary?”

“Hahaha. Hyung, I only enhanced my bones, remember? The rest is normal.”

‘Is that so? That’s why you can surf the Internet without turning on your phone…’

“I’ll believe you,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Ah… There are too many things to memorize.”

“I guess your memory doesn’t improve even if you enhance your body.”

“If that happens, it means that she tampered with my brain, so it’s more dangerous. I’m just ‘me’. Sometimes I have a hard time controlling my impulses because of some hormonal stuff, but I’m still ‘me’.”

‘I guess Bi-Ga is pretty strict about that stuff.’

In addition to memorizing the old scriptures of cultivation, Ji-Cheok also made Mu-Cheok memorize all the names of the meridians. He knew that it was not something that could be memorized in a day, so there was nothing much Ji-Cheok could do to speed up the process. He himself had somehow memorized all this stuff because he had learned it through Likes Shop skills, and also thanks to the special teachings(?) of the God of War.

‘If your arms explode in exchange for knowledge, there is no way you won’t memorize it in a day. Compared to that, you’re having it wayyy easy, Mu-Cheok.’

“Concentrate on memorizing it. I need you to study diligently,” Ji-Cheok said.

“I will. Hyung, are you training your Qi while talking to me? I thought if you do that, you will be affected by Cultivation Deviation.”

“I’m just used to it.”

Mu-Cheok sat at a desk under the World Tree and studied his cultivation scriptures. Ji-Cheok sat cross-legged next to him and trained his Qi. It looked like a strange study group, but it was very effective.

Time passed like that. After studying in the morning, the brothers ate lunch. After lunch, they trained very hard again. Ji-Cheok didn’t forget to enter the [Training Space of the God of War], which he could only enter once a day, and practice with his sword. After coming out of the training space, he sat back and trained his Qi some more.

In the evening, no matter how strong the World Tree was, the brothers were too tired to do anything. Mu-Cheok was somewhat less tired than his older brother, because he had only been using his brain. He also used some skills and managed to concentrate as he used to when he was studying for law school.

Ji-Cheok thought that the [Chronicler] job was amazing.

A day passed just like that.

* * *

For the next several days, Ji-Cheok took his younger brother to Seong Kwang’s ranch and taught them cultivation. He realized teaching each one individually was inefficient. Ji-Cheok’s theoretical class was intense, and after that, they went out to practice their internal and external techniques. As a result, both of them had reached the level of beginner cultivators, which meant that the two of them were able to cultivate by themselves! Whenever Seong Kwang recovered his Qi, he used it to practice external techniques. Mu-Cheok, on the other hand, used half on internal techniques and the other half on external techniques.

‘From now on, you’re on your own.’

They had different abilities and also had different styles, so from there on, each of them had to invest their time and energy in what they needed first. While they were training hard, Ji-Cheok was discussing with Cheok-Liang what his next content should be.

?Excluding the shelter rescue video, since that was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, your most popular video is the [Fortress of Hope] video.?

“I did what people thought was impossible… I guess that’s what attracted the viewers, right?”

?According to my research, yes.?

“Then, I need to do something big this time…”

‘Which dungeon should I clear next? With my current power, I might be able to enter a three-star elite dungeon… Wait!’

A great idea flashed in his mind like a lightbulb.

“How’s this?”

Ji-Cheok explained his plan to Cheok-Liang. Considering the skills he had right now, he thought that he could make an amazing video.

?Oh, that is a great idea, Master. There is some element of surprise, so I think the video is going to turn out great.?

“Great. Then let’s do it right away.”

Ji-Cheok picked up the phone and called his support team at Jungjin.

* * *

The next day, Ji-Cheok arrived at Namsan Seoul Tower. It used to be a tourist attraction, but now it was a controlled area because a Regenerative Dungeon was located here. The dungeon was managed by periodical cleaning, so that a Dungeon Break wouldn’t occur, but even though Hunters did clear the dungeon every so often, none of them really liked it.

The dungeon was created before the effectiveness of the Warding Stones was discovered and since then, it was treated as a nuisance. It appeared before a Warding Stone was installed, so there was no way to get rid of it. It wasn’t even a Single-Shot Dungeon, so it was going to keep reappearing no matter what they did, and it wasn’t even a good dungeon for Hunters to clear.

It was a three-star dungeon with no level limit, which meant that anyone could enter but it was best if Hunters only challenged it after reaching level 80.

Before coming here, Ji-Cheok had posted a notification that he was going to do a live stream here. The staff had already arrived, so Ji-Cheok apologized for being late and started his stream.

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

-First!!!!

-I’m Second!!!

-Look at Umji being right on time.

-What’s going on? Where are you going today?

“Today, we arrived at Namsan Seoul Tower~ Look at the view! Isn’t it amazing?”

-Wow! I know that place. There’s a cursed dungeon there.

-Wow it’s real! He’s really there.

“Yes! You’re right! Today’s dungeon is going to be this cursed dungeon!”

It was known as the ‘cursed dungeon,’ but its official name was the [Labyrinth of Perplexity]. According to the information obtained in advance, the monsters in this place had very overpowered abilities. Unsurprisingly, the loot was also worth a fortune.

The problem was that the items Hunters had to use to kill the monsters were even more expensive than the loot. In other words, the dungeon would put Hunters in debt. It was similar to the [Land of Walking Boulders] dungeon that Ji-Cheok had cleared in the past, which was not popular because Hunters couldn’t make money off it. That was why people had signed a petition for the government to support Hunters that were planning on clearing this dungeon.

“This dungeon is known for various valuable materials such as the [Soul Essence] and the [Cluster of Wandering Thoughts]! But it’s not that popular. Not many Hunters want to enter this dungeon. It is well-known that a lot of materials are needed to remove the debuffs inflicted by the monster in this dungeon.”

‘But not for me!’

“I am going to solo-clear this unpopular dungeon!”

As expected, the response of the viewers was intense.

-Oooooh!!! Solo-clear! It’s dangerous even with six Hunters!

-I don’t know if Umji can do this…

-Umji… You don’t have to risk your life just to get more subscribers and Likes. There are easier ways than this.

-Let’s just do mukbang videos with Cheok-Liang, and you can just show your face. Why do you have to do this? T_T

-乃乃乃乃乃乃乃Umji is amazing!!乃乃乃乃乃乃乃乃乃乃

The chat ranged from people who supported him to people who worried about him. It was a little strange that he didn’t see any malicious comments, but he knew that there would inevitably be some later on.

“Okay then, let’s go in now. Please understand that I cannot respond to chat while inside the dungeon.”

After reassuring his viewers, he entered the dungeon while still streaming. As soon as he crossed the Portal, his surroundings changed, and he stood in front of the main gate of a huge old castle. This was the [Labyrinth of Perplexity].

Inside the castle was a true-blue maze.

[You have entered the [Labyrinth of Perplexity].]

[You have received a quest.]

[Labyrinth of Perplexity]

[Difficulty: 3-Star Dungeon—Advanced

Find and retrieve the Labyrinth Core created by the Demented Lord!

Reward: Warding Stone]

As usual, when entering a dungeon, a quest appeared. The condition of this dungeon was ‘search,’ which meant that the dungeon could only be cleared once the Hunters found the Core. True to its name, the castle’s internal structure changed whenever a Hunter entered the dungeon, and it was notorious for changing once more if a Hunter was inside the dungeon for a week. That was why there was no separate map.

Getting lost was not the only problem, either. There were six boss monsters. There were six boss rooms as well, and nobody knew which room had the Core. Sometimes the Core was found in the least-expected place. The only thing certain was that the Core would reveal itself once all the bosses were defeated. This information had also been confirmed.

The monsters here were not that strong. In terms of combat power, even a level 40 Hunter could kill a monster here. The boss monsters were also not that strong compared to other boss monsters. The main reason for avoiding this dungeon was that it was disgustingly difficult to find the [Labyrinth Core], which was the only way to clear it. The other reason…

Saaaaaaan…

Hee… Hee… Heee…

…was the constant mental attacks, which were attacks unique to ghost-type monsters. The cost of the magic items necessary to defend against these mental attacks was terrifyingly high. That was why the Hunters who tried to clear this dungeon would lose money.

Woong.

Ghosts flew toward Ji-Cheok. The black ones were Evil Spirits, and the white ones were Specters. It was said that Evil Spirits were higher-level than Specters. Their upper body looked like a normal person, but the bottom half looked like a soft serve ice cream turned upside down. In other words…they looked like stereotypical ghosts. Basically, they were similar to the cartoon ghosts he had seen as a kid, like the frosting on a Halloween cake.

-That’s an Evil Spirit!

-I guess today’s concept of the stream is horror. Hahaha.

-Why is that thing coming out already? Back in the day, nothing came out until you entered the castle!

-If you leave the dungeon unattended for a long time, this happens. It looks like this dungeon was also on the verge of Breaking. No, but Umji! What are you doing??!!

“Hm, since today’s concept is horror, wouldn’t it be fitting for the Ghosts to put some curses on me? It’s no fun just clearing it. Haha”

Ji-Cheok deliberately flipped his hair with a handsome move.

-What? You’re gonna get cursed on purpose?

‘Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But I’m being dead serious.’

“I’m going to let the Ghosts put curses on me. I’ll put up my System status window so that you guys can see it.”

He set up the System window so that the viewers could see the messages, then he waited for the Evil Spirits to attack him.

Uoooohhh…

Keee….Heee…Heee…

An Evil Spirit and a Specter came up to him and slashed at him with their hands. It was the infamous [Nightmare Touch].

[You have been exposed to the attacks of the Evil Spirit.]

[Horrible nightmares are eating away at your mind!]

[You are immune to negative mental influences.]

[You have been exposed to the Specter’s attack.]

[Terrible sadness is gnawing at your spirit!]

[You are immune to negative mental influences.]

“Hm? That’s weird. Nothing is happening to me.”

In complete contrast to his nonchalant appearance, Ji-Cheok was break dancing inside.

‘Nice! I knew this would happen. I expected it, and it really happened!’

?This is because you already have some protections and skills.?

‘Hahahah! It’s all thanks to the Beginner’s Package and the title I got from the God of Hope!’

As he was enjoying his newfound mental immunity, he saw more and more Evil Spirits and Specters flying toward him.

1. Namsan Seoul Tower is a communication and observation tower located in central Seoul. It is one of the most famous attractions in Seoul.