Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 45

Creatures called “parasites” were usually capable of surviving independently to some extent, but Mu-Cheok’s scripts had to be attached to his body in order to survive. However, since it was a living creature nevertheless, Mu-Cheok had to feed the [Script of Chaos] food by reading materials. This was the nature of the parasitic creature, [Script of Chaos]. Since this skill was made and stabilized through the system, there was no harm done to Mu-Cheok’s health. Ji-Cheok still had no idea about the principles behind it, but Bi-Ga had reassured him, and it was also written in the System description. Well, it was not possible to remove what was already attached, but most importantly—

‘The System never lies.’

It was the one thing that the Awakened believed in this shitty world. The Awakened believed in it like they believed in the law of gravity. It was like a universal constant that would never change. They believed in it more than they believed in God—after all, the System was easier to see.

As Mu-Cheok read the book, the script started to pulsate, quickly absorbing the text from the book. There was only a blank space left where the [Script of Chaos] had been eaten. Interestingly enough, it only ate the passages that Mu-Cheok had read, so Mu-Cheok couldn’t just flip through pages.

“Does it work when you read e-books on your phone?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“It does, but if I do that, it also eats my text messages and my calling history too, so it’s not very convenient,” Mu-Cheok replied.

That was why Mu-Cheok was only feeding it physical books.

“Come to think of it, you didn’t choose your Patron yet, right?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Yes, I’ve been contacted by many Patrons since then, but all the contracts have some kind of disadvantage for me.”

Ji-Cheok heard that many powerful Patrons, regardless of their culture, had contacted Mu-Cheok, but he was still delaying his choice. Because he was a law-school student, he was very picky about his Patron.

?Master, usually it is better for Hunters to choose their Patron earlier rather than later, but in this situation, there is no need to hurry.?

‘Hm? Why?’

?Your brother’s basic skills are remarkable; in addition, it is an A-Class Awakened job that has no limitations on weapons. He can take his time and choose a Patron after he becomes stronger.?

‘You are saying that if your skills are considered good, then the later you choose your patron, the better?’

?Yes, if your brother is this talented, he can sign a more advantageous contract after he gets stronger. I believe that the [Script of Chaos] is worth that much.?

‘If Cheok-Liang said so, that has to be the right choice.’

Ji-Cheok went back to reading the comments on his GodTube.

-The problem with the riding skills is that they have a limit. Where is he going to find a vehicle that is stronger than the armored truck?

?That’s true. He wasted so many points just for that moment.

?Well, he did that to survive, so I understand.

?Now that he used all his points, I think it’s going to make Um Ji-Cheok’s Hunter life, a living hell. That’s going to be fun. If he dies on live broadcast, I’m going to donate so hard.

?Wow~ I’m just curious. Even without being a Hunter, Umji can live off his handsome face, but what about a hateful person like you? I’m really curious.

?Look at this Gumji living in her own world. Lol, your Hunter is the worst Hunter~ lololol

There were many comments like this posted on Ji-Cheok’s videos. Hunter points were essentially a Hunter’s flesh and blood. Once, a poet had described the points as the price of blood obtained by burning through life. Since Ji-Cheok poured all his precious points into one skill, he understood why people thought that his future was dim. Ji-Cheok checked another comment from the video.

-Can’t he just ride the golem? Just like Henry Mercedes?

?How is he supposed to get the [Arcane Golem Creation] skill that’s not even in the Hunter Store?

?That’s true. Henry also learned the riding skill after?acquiring the [Arcone Golem Creation] skill.

?Even if Um Ji-Cheok gets the golem skill, his mana pool wouldn’t be able to sustain it.

?It’s the same for Henry, he only rides the golem when he has full mana.

?Of course, he can do that. He drinks three million won mana potions every time.

?Damn~ Talk about top-class Hunter life.

?Pretty sure he wipes his ass with dollar bills.

?He even did a German car commercial recently.

-Umji’s fandom is going to be a mess pretty soon. Normally, it’s only a matter of time for the fandom to be disbanded if the Hunter doesn’t perform well.

-Or the Hunter needs to work his ass off in dungeons like that in the hope of hitting the jackpot.

-Nope. All dungeons with arcane ruins are very popular. You either have to wait a few weeks or you have to go into a really high-level dungeon, which is impossible with Umji’s level.

?Wow, so Umji is really screwed.

As Ji-Cheok was scrolling down, Mu-Cheok started to speak.

“Oh right. Hyung, I bought all the materials for the arcane golem you mentioned. I don’t know what it is, but my wallet is pretty empty because of—uh? Hyung? Did something good happen to you?”

“Huh? Why?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Because you are smiling ear to ear,” Mu-Cheok replied.

Ji-Cheok realized he was grinning and quickly brought his face under control.

“It’s nothing,” he said.

“I don’t believe you. It looks like something really good is happening.”

Ji-Cheok felt guilty and shifted the conversation to another topic.

“When will the parts arrive?”

“They said that the parts we ordered were not that popular, so they would bring them right away tomorrow.”

“Can it be delivered today?”

“Today?”

Mu-Cheok pondered for a while, then he picked up his phone and called someone.

* * *

Ji-Cheok had gathered another 100,000 Likes. The GodTube comment section was a mixture of praise, concern, and malicious comments.

‘Am I a rising GodTuber now?’

It was impossible to have only good comments as a popular GodTuber. The subscription numbers were also increasing exponentially. Ji-Cheok felt flattered by all this attention.

‘Let’s see if the parts have arrived.’

Ji-Cheok went down to the basement alchemy room. The parts were already in his spacious workshop, and he lined them up nicely on the floor.

“Activate [Arcane Golem Creation].”

[You have activated [Arcane Golem Creation].]

[Please select your blueprint.]

As soon as Ji-Cheok activated his skill, the blueprints of arcane golems that he could create appeared. Ji-Cheok added one more thing.

“Activate [Scrooge’s Alchemy].”

[You have activated [☆★◇◆ Scrooge's Alchemy ◇◆☆★].]

[Overlapping areas have been found. Do you wish to activate it?]

Cheok-Liang had informed Ji-Cheok about different crafting skills overlapping to increase the effect of the skills. This was also rare information that could not be found in Hunter's forum.

?Don’t you think it is amazing that you can make beef jerky with your alchemy skill? This means that your alchemy skill has areas that overlap with your cooking skill. Crafting skills generally have such overlapping areas! If you take advantage of this, you can make the skills more useful.?

“I guess the Hunter Forum is trash. They don’t even have this kind of information.” The Hunter Forum had always been the go-to site for Ji-Cheok to look for any Hunter information. However, Ji-Cheok had recently come to realize that their information was very basic and didn’t include everything.

‘You know what they say, the only constant in life is change.’

“Overlap!”

[You have double-activated [Arcane Golem Creation] and [Scrooge’s Alchemy.]

[Activation complete.]

[You have obtained a hidden recipe.]

[Arcane Golem Blueprint: Bike]

[Class: Hidden Recipe

[Scrooge's Alchemy], an alchemy skill that saves material cost and energy, has been combined with [Arcane Golem Creation]. With a small amount of mana, this item can produce the same power as an arcane golem!

The motorcycle can run both on- and off-road and amplifies the user’s riding skills. Directly crashing into objects with it will cause hardcore destruction!]

[All necessary parts have been gathered. Do you wish to create it?]

“Of course.”

[The golem creation process has started.]

At that moment, Ji-Cheok’s hands started to move on their own as he started to assemble the bike.

?I’ll hand over the parts! From now on, you will have to continue to pour in your mana.?

‘Good job, my lucky charm.’

[Mana is consumed quickly during the golem creation process.]

[CAUTION! If the mana flow is cut, the arcane golem will be downgraded.]

Cheok-Liang quickly handed Ji-Cheok the parts as planned, and Ji-Cheok focused solely on crafting the golem bike. This process was not limited to assembling a motorcycle from special materials; as he put it together, Ji-Cheok had to keep infusing mana into it.

‘It’s draining my mana like a vampire.’

The whole process of creating the arcane golem started with using mana and ended with using mana. A mana circuit was engraved on each part, then Ji-Cheok let his mana flow through it.

Spark!

Ji-Cheok’s mana went through the mana circuit and created a spark. Then, the part was joined to the frame of the bike.

[You have consumed 3% of your mana.]

[You have consumed 5% of your mana.]

[You have consumed 10% of your mana!]

There was a reason why Ji-Cheok didn’t panic.

?It’s good that I installed an [Arcane Circle of Mana Recovery].?

In the past, when Ji-Cheok had learned [Mana Ring of the Ark Dragon], he had also paid an extra ten thousand Likes for the [Arcane Circle of Mana Recovery] skill. Now, one such circle was drawn on the floor of the alchemy room, and it was continuously restoring Ji-Cheok’s mana. On top of that, after learning [Double Core], his mana recovery rate was truly terrifying. But it did not end there.

“Wow, that mana recovery potion tastes amazing,” Ji-Cheok said.

Ji-Cheok’s mana recovery rate was actually higher than the rate of consumption, thanks to the mana potions made from [Scrooge’s Alchemy].

?People appear to be unaware that the biggest drawback of making an arcane golem is the amount of mana required. I am certain that big companies are aware of this.?

Cheok-Liang informed Ji-Cheok as he handed over the next part.

?When people find out that you can make an arcane golem at your level, they might just faint on the spot, Master.?

“So this skill is not for a low-level Hunter, right?” Ji-Cheok asked.

?The [Arcane Golem Creation] is a top-tier skill, Master. Arcane-related dungeons are very difficult to clear!?

Cheok-Liang was right. When Ji-Cheok had found out that the mushroom dungeon was an arcane-related dungeon, he had understood why the allegedly low-level dungeon was so challenging. Thinking back to the experience, Ji-Cheok knew that he could not beat that giant mushroom a second time.

[The arcane golem has been completed!]

[The item’s class is being evaluated.]

[Would you like to name the item?]

The motorcycle was finally done! It took after the Monoblade in terms of color, with a black and silver combination that even Ji-Cheok—a total fashion noob—thought was very cool.

“The name of the sword is [Monoblade]... So this bike is now called [Mono Bike].”

[[Mono Bike] has been completed!]

[You successfully crafted an item without interrupting the mana flow. Additional skill acquired as a reward.]

[Mono Bike]

[Class: B (Hidden)

Type: Summon / Vehicle

It runs by consuming the user’s mana instead of fuel. It is a hidden creation made by combining the [Scrooge’s Alchemy] and [Arcane Golem Creation]! It can run both on- and off-road, and it amplifies the user’s riding skills. Directly crashing into objects with it will cause hardcore destruction!

Skills

[Summon/Cancel Summon: The user can put the bike in a separate dimension for storage and summon it back to the user’s world.]

[Mana Save: The same amount of power can be produced with only 50% of an average arcane golem’s mana consumption. ]

[Acceleration: The higher the speed, the greater the skill damage. (up to 300%)]

[Outlaw of the Road: Ride both on-road and off-road.]

Additional skill

[Mana Sync: All of the user’s skills can be synced to the bike.]]

“Another overpowered item! This is amazing!” Ji-Cheok shouted and hugged Cheok-Liang, unable to contain himself.

?Meow~?

“You are the best, Cheok-Liang! You! are! the! best!”

Ji-Cheok had realized that the number of views skyrocketed these days as Cheok-Liang appeared on GodTube. Although Cheok-Liang wasn’t in any of the action scenes and his appearance in the video was very short, the number of people asking for Cheok-Liang had increased. He was the epitome of animal GodTube.

1. If you remember from the earlier chapters, Ji-Cheok learned the skill but apparently didn’t know how to draw the actual magic circle, so it looks like his new kawaii assistant did it for him.