Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 24

Ring-?

[A quest has arrived.]

[The Temple of the Scaled Demon]

Difficulty: 1-Star Dungeon — Intermediate level

Defeat the lizardmen and escape the “The Temple of the Scaled Demon” intermediate-level dungeon.

Receive extra bonuses when you collect 100 Likes or more during this quest.

Reward: Intermediate Skill Voucher

Extra Rewards: ???

‘For real?!’

Every dungeon had its own unique name, and each name represented that dungeon’s specific nature and difficulty. Ji-Cheok thought the name of this dungeon was a little strange. Specifically, since the dungeon was a “temple”, it was weird that its name also included the word “demon”.

Also, why was this an intermediate-level 1-Star Dungeon? This dungeon was certainly an exam dungeon, but it was strange because the default test dungeons were always the lowest-level ones. Even if the exam difficulty was raised for some reason, it would still be a low-level 1-Star Dungeon.

It was out of nowhere that they were in an intermediate-level dungeon.

“Bwahahaha! DIE!”

La-Du moved forward and threw a flaming fist toward the crowd of lizardmen. The first lizardman was rolling around on the ground as he had already gotten charred by the first round of attacks by the two Yum family members. However, its screams became a problem, as they attracted more Lizardmen.

‘Wow… these monsters are strong. Lizardmen ought to be pretty high-level.’

Ji-Cheok knew a lot of Hunters who fought lizardmen from the times he had worked as a Hunter Assistant, and he was certain that this was no ordinary situation.

La-Du finally took one step outside of the door, and Yum-Ma ran after him.

La-Du and Yum-Ma seemed not to care about how the two novice Hunters and Ji-Cheok stood way back behind them.

“Ahh this is embarrassing,” the bespectacled Jin-Ah said with a sigh.

“Is no one thinking about working together?” Her brother added.

“...”

Ji-Cheok rubbed his chin and observed La-Du and Yum-Ma far ahead of him. The flame skills looked so eye-catching that he could see them clearly from a distance, not to mention the sound they made.

Booooom!

Ji-Cheok took a deep breath and began to shout aloud.

“HEY, LA-DU, DO YOU PLAN ON GOING OUT ALONE?!”

It wasn’t long before an answer came.

“Motherfucker! Who told you we were going with you? Hey, you two. Think carefully about who you want to go with. If you want to come with me, you’re going to have to come over here and kneel before me!”

Ji-Cheok knew that La-Du would say something like that.

“I’ve heard that fire abilities are more advantageous for monster hunting than other skills…” explained Ji-Cheok.

Jin-Ah furrowed her brows in embarrassment. Jin-Woo added on, "He knows that, and that’s why he’s acting so bold.”

Ji-Cheok answered calmly, “You can go with him if you want to. Who cares if it hurts your ego a little? Survival comes first.”

“...”

Silence ensued and the two didn’t take a long time to decide.

“I only trust Ji-Cheok.”

“Same with me.”

The two Hunters looked at each other and laughed.

“I keep thinking that La-Du is going to use my sister as a shield when things get dangerous. “

“I’ll be just fine. Take care of yourself first before others, stupid!” she assured her brother.

Bang Jin-Ah had blacksmithing abilities and carried a gigantic war hammer. Also, her sewing abilities allowed her to use thread to fasten traps and capture enemies.

“I’ll be honest with you, neither of us has powerful skills, so we might weigh you down. La-Du seems to know that,” Jin-Ah spoke glumly.

“N…Nevertheless… We're willing to try our best! We should be able to help, one way or another!”

“All right.”

Ji-Cheok appreciated that they were becoming more comfortable with talking to him.

La-Du had already walked out and disappeared into the distance.

He had deserted his teammates, and it was the same as if he was wishing them death. This guy didn’t just have an awful personality. This behavior of ignoring teamwork in a critical situation was described in Hunter textbooks as an indicator of a potential psychopath. Although Ji-Cheok strongly questioned whether the authors of those textbooks had firsthand experience, he still agreed. In a dungeon, the only thing people could trust was their team, as it was their one and only lifeline.

‘Since you’ve abandoned our team, it’s only natural for me to do the same to you, right?’

Ji-Cheok fiddled with the handle of the sword while he thought.

“At this point, the monsters will probably be swarming towards La-Du. We better get moving.”

“What?”

“What the…”

The two looked at Ji-Cheok with surprise and questioned back. Instead of responding, Ji-Cheok slowly followed the trail that La-Du had ventured off first. He didn’t forget to run his hands along the walls of the corridor and use his “Eye of Observation” skill.

“Observe.”

[Faded Mural

A weathered mural that depicts the myth of the lizardmen.]

“Observe!”

[Aged Mural

The mural is so old that it is difficult to recognize, and it is inscribed with praises of the evil demon god.]

Ji-Cheok was overworking his skill, and the twins seemed to be curious as they eagerly asked him what he was doing.

Ji-Cheok answered candidly, “Exploding flame-based skills are great when you’re battling multiple monsters. Every shot you take is a critical hit, but the drawback is that it definitely attracts way too much attention.”

“Attention?”

La-Du was powerful and Ji-Cheok admitted that this guy was probably stronger than him when it came to fighting monsters instead of humans. However, there were things that La-Du lacked, and those were experience and wisdom.

“Do you know what special traits a lizardman has?” Ji-Cheok asked them.

“Yes, yes! It navigates very well in the dark and uses its scales to sense its surroundings. I know it has pretty similar characteristics to a snake.” Jin-Ah enthusiastically responded.

‘Seems like they’ve closely studied basic Hunter survival knowledge.’

Ji-Cheok continued, “Yes. They use their scales to sense what’s around them. Lizardmen are extremely sensitive to the vibrations and heat of moving prey.”

Booooom!

They could hear La-Du’s flames exploding off in the distance. Everyone could feel the shockwaves of the explosions, but Ji-Cheok still spoke in a calm manner.

“If I can hear it with my ears and see it with my eyes, then at this rate, all the lizardmen in the dungeon are going to swarm towards La-Du.”

“B…But doesn’t that mean they’ll run into us?” The twin’s faces looked uneasy.

“We’ll have to make sure that it doesn’t come to that,” Ji-Cheok responded.

It was probably the gazillionth time that Ji-Cheok had used his [Eye of Observation] today.

Ring-

[Cracked Wall

A mural that praises the ancient demon god. You can hear the wind blowing in the background.]

“This is it,” Ji-Cheok said to Jin-Ah, “Can you break down this spot with your hammer? Since you’re a blacksmith.”

“Yes, yes! You mean, break the wall?” She hesitated a bit and looked at Ji-Cheok, who nodded.

She raised her hammer in a full-on backswing, then looked at him again, to make sure that was what he wanted her to do.

“Hold up, not now.”

Ji-Cheok put his hand up as Jin-Ah held her stance and waited for his signal. A few moments later, La-Du’s exploding flames rumbled off far away.

Booooooom!

In line with the sound, Ji-Cheok gave Jin-Ah the signal, and she used her skill.

The gigantic hammer glowed in her hands as she yelled, “Power Hammer!”

Baaam!

Although the impact sound was deafening, since it was almost perfectly timed to match one of La-Du’s blasts, La-Du’s explosion drowned out Jin-Ah’s hammer strike. Ji-Cheok had done this in order not to accidentally attract the lizardmen into chasing after them. A part of the wall was destroyed, and it revealed a hidden passage.

The twins stared at Ji-Cheok in shock.

[Bang Jin-Ah is stunned by your wisdom.]

[You have received 3 Likes.]

[Bang Jin-Woo is stunned by your quick wit.]

[You have received 2 Likes.]

“Let’s go in, guys.” urged Ji-Cheok.

Jin-Ah was out of breath.

“Huff huff…, do you think the lizardmen won’t come here then?”

“Unfortunately, I think some will still come, but not as many as La-Du is dealing with.”

Their relieved faces looked disappointed at Ji-Cheok’s words.

Jin-Ah sat down and was breathing heavily after performing her skill. She was a low-level Awakened that had suddenly switched to this new career and had never leveled up. Except for the special Awakened like La-Du, everyone else was pretty much the same.

The brother and sister duo couldn’t really defeat even one lizardman.

“Okay, we better go in.”

Jin-Woo helped his sister enter the passageway together.

‘The Temple of the Scaled Demon. It seems worthy of being named a temple, with so many passages in this dungeon.’

The title of a dungeon was important, as the words represented its characteristics. Some of these names included, ‘lair’, ‘forest’, ‘land’, ‘trap’, ‘tower’, ‘castle’, ‘fortress’, and ...

Special temples needed pathways to allow the Hunter trainees to move around, and at some point, Ji-Cheok realized that the murals and stone statues often gave him hints about the map. All the theory he had been studying and his experience as a Hunter Assistant were paying off and motivated him to keep going. Additionally, the twins seemed to find him amazing, so they continued following him and feeding him Likes.

‘I guess expecting to get 100 Likes is probably a stretch, right? Should I give up on getting the bonuses?’

Even Ji-Cheok agreed that he would have a pretty hard time going up against so many lizardmen at once. Ji-Cheok decided to first use his blessing skill on the twins.

“Silph’s Blessing.”

A cluster of light rose and enveloped the twins.

[Beginner Hunter Bang Jin-Ah’s and Bang Jin-Woo’s attacking power and agility have increased.]

They could see their surroundings a bit better, thanks to the spirits giving off faint lights that brightened up the passageway.

“Thank you!”

“Thanks so much!”

The two were so touched that they looked like they were about to cry.

‘I guess it’s probably because they really don’t know much about my mana abilities.’

[The two Hunters are delighted. Their trust in you has significantly increased.]

[You have received 6 Likes!]

‘After deciding to go all-in on my Mana stat, it’s finally paying off now.’

On top of that, Ji-Cheok had the two skills, Mana Heart of the Ark Dragon and Mana Ring of the Ark Dragon. Compared to the average beginner Hunter, his mana capacity and recovery time were both on a completely different level.

The long-hidden passageway finally came to an end, and after they pushed a stone statue aside, they finally made it to another ancient corridor of the temple.

Boooom!

An explosion sounded out from behind them.

“Looks like we’re way ahead of La-Du!” The twins laughed with joy, but then shortly after that, lizardmen appeared.

“We’ve just gotten out of the secret passage. Looks like the actual test begins now.”

‘My experience as a Hunter Assistant is really helpful. There’s really nothing more important than experience.’

Ji-Cheok drew his two swords.

* * *

His dual blades sliced through the lizardmen’s heads. When Ji-Cheok killed one, another swung its spear at him wildly.

It was a team with five lizardmen—they seemed to be organized in five-man units, just like Ji-Cheok’s initial group.

‘Yeah, this is not a beginner-level dungeon.’

He avoided his enemy’s attacks by using [Fleeing Shadow], and then made his counterattack.

Keeeuaaak!

When Ji-Cheok’s blade cut through a lizardman’s scales, it immediately screamed.

‘Ahh such a satisfying sound to hear!’

At that moment, he decided to stab it in the eye. The sensation of penetrating the eyeball and piercing the brain felt a little dense and squishy.

As soon as he pulled the sword out, the lizardman’s blood splattered everywhere.

Ji-Cheok was panting for breath, but it was time to move on to the next!

He precisely sliced right through their vital organs and tore their flesh apart. Then, with one strike of the sword, he cut off their necks, the weakest part of their body.

[You have defeated 5 Lizardmen.]

[You have earned the title [Lizardman Challenger]!]

[Lizardman Challenger

Class: Normal

Title awarded to those who have killed five lizardmen within the time limit. Those that carry this title will give the lizardmen a slight sense of fear.]

‘Give them a slight sense of fear? What’s that supposed to mean…?’

Out of nowhere, another group of lizardmen came toward them.

Keuaaak!

Ji-Cheok noticed how the lizardmen’s bodies now stiffened slightly in fright when he made eye contact with them. At the same time, he used his [Wind and Cloud Steps] to squeeze through the gaps between them, as [Shadow Stealer] allowed him to diminish his opponent’s movement speed and defense at the same time. The way he activated his skills looked pretty cool, but instead of enjoying his own pizzazz, he ripped through the darkness with his Mysterious Sword: White Night, Dark Night.

Slice!

Screeeeeech!!

The lizardmen screeched and frantically swung their spears around, but it was too late.

Missing their chance to attack first meant that they had already missed their chance to defeat Ji-Cheok.

1. The original text actually reintroduces both Jin-Ah and Jin-Woo in this chapter