Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 206

The people of the Fortress of the Rocky Mountain offered them a tent to stay in. It was the same tent they had used once before. They stayed there and rested for a while. They drank potions, cleaned their gear, and did a little maintenance wherever it was necessary.

Then, at one point, Ha-Na called the other teammates over. She showed them a video, saying that it was filmed by her [Guidance of the Stars] skill.

“Wow…”

Seong Kwang frowned. Mu-Cheok was unable to conceal his disgust and Ji-Byeok’s expression was also gloomy. Everyone’s faces were twisted in disgust. It was something that no sane person would open their eyes to see.

They saw a group of Cultists striking down and devouring a group of Cannibals. At a first glance, it just looked like monsters eating each other, but unfortunately, the team was well aware…essentially, both the eaters and those who were eaten were human.

Ji-Cheok couldn’t help but feel instinctively disgusted, and they all watched it with grim faces.

“I guess those Cultists assholes do a little more than just human sacrifices. If they are going to use [Recovery by Eating], how the hell are they different from the Cannibals?”

“This is horrible,” Ji-Byeok said, both pity and anger noticeable in her tone.

Mu-Cheok grunted.

“Hahaha! The problem is that sacrificing humans is working for them. That’s the crux of the problem. Look! They’re also using the Sacred Law, right? That’s like having an extra Priest class!” Reable explained.

“Do… we have to keep watching this?” Seong Kwang asked, clearly uncomfortable.

Everyone’s reactions varied.

“Surprisingly, it looks like Ji-Cheok is doing okay, am I right?” Ha-Na asked.

“I’m just…trying to think of them as monsters,” Ji-Cheok replied.

His grandfather had once told him that it didn’t matter what a person looked like. It was what they did that counted. Their actions, their hearts, their minds, and their thoughts had already become those of monsters rather than humans. Ji-Cheok didn’t want to waste his sympathy on them.

‘I’m the one you should feel sorry for.’

“Well, I’m glad. I will show you the next clip,” Ha-Na said.

Everyone watched the next video uncomfortably, and it became clear why she had asked them to watch it.

The Cultists’ bodies started to change. Random new things were growing out of their bodies, and they themselves were growing larger. The changes were all different, but two things were clear: they were all changing, and those changes were definitely making them stronger.

Some of the Cultists sprouted a mouth on their stomach, some multiple eyes, and some multiple horns, while others’ hands turned into claws. It was bizarre and horrifying, but that problem was insignificant compared to the fact that they were clearly getting stronger.

“See? They’re getting stronger, and it is not like they are leveling up or anything. They are just increasing in power, so I thought the whole team should see this. That is why I asked you to gather around.”

She had been keeping the [Guidance of the Stars] up since the day before to monitor the enemies’ behavior, and this was what she had found out. If it had just been something horrible to look at, she wouldn’t have told them.

“That’s one of the effects of [Recovery by Eating]. When you feed on another powerful being, you take on some of their power and your body mutates and grows. Naturally, this has a number of effects on your mind, but the most dangerous thing is that you hear the Voice of God,” Ji-Han said as the video ended.

Even after watching that, his face was expressionless and devoid of emotion.

“What?”

‘Can’t say I’m surprised that his face doesn’t change even after watching that thing, but what is he talking about?’

“This is good. I can explain it here.”

Ji-Han looked at the team, and they all instantly realized what he meant. Right here and now, he was actually able to tell them what he knew!

“You all know that dungeons are naturally occurring, but some dungeons are created by the Gods themselves. And some dungeons are created by a God that has died and wishes to be resurrected.”

“So that’s what this place is.”

Ji-Han nodded at Ji-Cheok’s words.

“You are correct. This is the place. But… what is unusual about this place is that not one, but two?Gods met their demise at the same time.”

Namely, the God of Choice and God of Forest Shade.

“So that’s how it came to be like this. The God of Forest Shade is the God of all plant-type beings, and normally he would never accept humans as his subjects, but when the God of Choice died, their essence mingled, and that is how it became possible,” Ji-Han said.

In this place, those who died had to choose between life and death. Those who chose life became plants, as well as animals. And they ate other beings to grow stronger and evolve.

“The two Gods are now one because they have been mixed and twisted.”

Ji-Han also told them about the God of Spirits descending with Macaw of the White Charcoal as a conduit.

“Who’s going to understand all that when you say it like that?” Ha-Na asked.

“That is what divine messages are like by nature. I’m actually more surprised that she spoke to us in such detail,” Ji-Han replied.

“Something was born from the fusion of those broken Fragments of Gods. And that ‘something’ binds the humans dying in this dungeon to the dungeon itself, and it commands them as a God: offer thy faith to Me.”

‘That sounds an awful lot like brainwashing propaganda.’

“Awakened Hunters aren’t affected too much by hearing the voice of Gods, as the System protects their minds to some degree.”

“But… still, there are a lot of religious organizations, right? Like the one he belongs to.” Ha-Na pointed at Seong Kwang.

“It’s only natural that people want to believe in a real God. They are not forced to worship their God, are they?”

That sounded about right.

“However, the mental protection granted by the System does not work in dungeons. They are like a gray area. The Voice of God is a powerful and influential force, so it really is not that difficult to be brainwashed or become a fanatic.”

“What about the Cannibals?”

“Well, There are rebels in every world, aren’t there? There are also those who cannot and will not give themselves up, like the Tama people here.”

‘I see…’

“That’s why we are here,” Ji-Han said.

“Huh?”

“If this place is left unchecked, a terrible God will resurrect here, and if a Dungeon Break occurs, it will directly influence our world.”

“Really?!”

“By the Gods…”

Aside from Ha-Na and Seong Kwang’s reactions, the rest of the team was silent.

Mu-Cheok looked at Ji-Han expressionlessly, not saying anything, but Ji-Cheok knew what his younger brother was thinking. Basically, Ji-Cheok was sure that his brother was saying to himself ‘I knew this kind of shit was going to happen.’

Ji-Byeok seemed to trust Ji-Han, judging by her apathetic expression. As for Reable, he was smirking as if none of these things concerned him in the slightest.

“As a result, all the countries in Southeast Asia will be doomed. Singapore will put up some resistance, but in the end, within three years, the entire region will become uninhabitable,” Ji-Han said.

He dropped the bombshell with an expressionless face.

‘Wait… Wait! The entire Southeast Asian region… is doomed?’

“Uh… wait a minute.”

Ha-Na looked dazed, while Ji-Byeok looked determined. This was probably reminding her of her mission as a Tank. However, Seong Kwang and Ji-Cheok couldn’t manage their facial expressions. Reable, unsurprisingly, was still giggling as usual.

‘Mu-Cheok is so calm. Why is he so calm?’

“Ugh… I can’t believe you’re talking about this out of the blue, Director! You should’ve told us that, or at least you should’ve given us some hints! It’s all so sudden! So what, are we like warriors saving the world or something?!”

Ha-Na was screaming, and rightfully so. Ji-Cheok was quiet, but he was just as surprised.

?Master, you and I knew that the end of the world was just around the corner, so we cannot really say that we are as surprised as Ha-Na. We knew that Ji-Han knew something about the future, and that is why we are here.?

‘That’s true. But I’m surprised because I didn’t expect to be on the front lines of stopping the end of the world already. It’s faster than I thought. It’s way?too fast.’

“Huh? Mr. Reable…why the heck are you smiling like that? Don’t tell me…you knew?!”

Ha-Na couldn’t be bothered about courtesy and started mixing mild curses into her normally polite speech, which was an indication of how angry she was.

“Of course, I knew~ The only reason why I’m here is that I knew about this interesting thing.”

Reable smiled happily. Ha-Na blinked several times, staring at Reable in disbelief, then looked at Mu-Cheok.

“Did you know about this, Mu-Cheok?”

“I just assumed that Ji-Han was here for a reason. He is not the kind of a person who would do something for no reason,” Mu-Cheok shrugged.

“Wow…”

Ha-Na looked shocked.

.

Seong Kwang also looked like he was going to lose his mind for a moment, but then he calmed down. He looked at Ji-Cheok and nodded.

‘Hm… Maybe it’s because I taught him cultivation, but he’s quick to compose himself.’

“You don’t need to worry,” said Ji-Han calmly. “I already know how to destroy this dungeon safely.”

Ha-Na’s jaw dropped.

“Huhuhu. Our Ji-Han always has a plan, doesn’t he?”

“It is a method that won’t cause us any harm. It is not that hard.”

“Wait a minute,” Ji-Cheok interrupted. “What you’re saying is that there will be no damage to us, as in…our team alone, right?”

“Yes,” Ji-Han said calmly. “The Tama Clan at the Fortress of the Rocky Mountain will also cease to exist.”

Everyone was silent.

* * *

The Fortress of the Rocky Mountain was safe, but not comfortable. Thus, the team decided to go down the mountain to rest, especially since they needed to take out the World Tree to restore their mana. Besides, the enemies were completely gone. It would take time for the enemies to recover, so they were safe for the time being.

They headed down the mountain, dug a cave in a suitable spot, and set up camp underground. Since they were all Hunters, digging a tunnel and creating an underground shelter was not a difficult task.

After setting up the shelter, they took baths and ate something good. Ji-Cheok took out the World Tree and extracted some essential oil from it. The smell of the oil made them all relax.

A while later, they were all lying down in their own beds. The beds that Ji-Cheok had brought in his Shadow Pouch were so fluffy that he felt like he was going to melt into his own mattress. Some of his teammates had already fallen asleep.

He lay there, thinking back to their conversation from earlier in the day.

—Since they wanted to die as humans anyway, I think it’s okay.

Seong Kwang was in favor of salvation by destruction.

—Ha… That’s true, but isn’t there a way to save them? Something’s not right…

—I’m going to have to agree with the Director!

—I’m going with Ji-Cheok!

—I’m just gonna do what hyung tells me to do.

Apart from Ji-Han, Ji-Cheok, and Seok-Kwang, the other four decided to be on the neutral side. Ha-Na said that she couldn’t decide, while Ji-Byeok, Mu-Cheok, and Reable left their decisions to others.

As for Ji-Cheok…

—I think I’ll get more views if I at least try to do something for them.’

‘A perfect death? They say that is the only way to salvation. But death is death. If they die, that means fewer views for my stream. Doing exciting streams pulls in a lot of views regardless of how they end, but it’s always better to have a twist.’

[This is the place where the remaining fragments of the two Gods fought each other and died. The God of Choice and the God of Forest Shade are sleeping as one. If you find the one that is asleep, you shall get what you want.]

‘She is a transcendental being and an actual God, after all. The advice that the God of Spirits gave me must be for this very moment.’