Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 191

Ji-Cheok’s main combat ability was cultivation, and the [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] was the strongest of all his skills. Along with that, Ji-Cheok used the [Soul Telekinesis] and [Riding] skills a lot. In addition, [Cthugha’s Steps], [Blaze Walk], and [Shadow] were very useful to him. He had put the [Telekinetic Arrows] to good use in the past, but he rarely used them nowadays. He knew he couldn’t expect immediate progress with cultivation. Or… Ji-Cheok wondered if he should learn a different type of cultivation.

The [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] was a type of cultivation skill that toughened the body and strengthened his Qi. The effect was simple: it made him fast and strong. It was very simple, but wasn’t that the best way to get stronger? However, Ji-Cheok knew there were other types of cultivation arts, such as Sound Arts and Poison Arts.

‘Should I learn these arts?’

“Hm…”

‘No. That’s not right. I used Likes to push the [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] up in rank. I haven’t fully absorbed its true power. It would be absurd to learn a new cultivation skill when I can’t even handle my current power properly. It’s better to get other types of skills to support my cultivation skills. Then…’

Ji-Cheok organized his thoughts. Just like when he had gotten his other skills, he had to do things in the simplest way possible.

* * *

All of them were fully armed and were walking through an airport in the Philippines. It was not an ordinary airport, but a military airport that civilians could not access. That was why there were the only people at the airport. When Ji-Cheok turned his head, he could see that everyone had changed their equipment. In the few months when Ji-Cheok operated by himself, it seemed that other team members were also busy with their own things.

Ji-Cheok’s equipment was also different from before. Normally he wore the [Black Flaming Jacket] on top of the combat suit and he carried his Monoblade. He put the [Troll’s Ring of Regeneration] on his finger, and clipped the [Luminous Fairy Pendant] on his collar. He put the [Bracelet of the Strong Arm] on his wrist, and put on the [Necklace of Abundant Blood]. He also put on the [Boots of Double Strike] and [The King’s Jade Belt]. The [Heirloom Seal of the Realm] was effective even if it was inside his Shadow Pouch, so he didn’t carry that with him.

But now, it was a little different. First of all, he had given up his [Black Flaming Jacket] and his combat suit. The [Blaze Walk] skill of the [Black Flaming Jacket] was a great skill, but he could buy a similar one with his Likes. As for the jacket’s defensive power, it was basically irrelevant at his current level.

The same went for his combat suit. The suit was an industrial product, so it wasn’t something he would wear anymore. Instead, what he wore was an item that Cheok-Liang had obtained at an astronomical price by Ji-Cheok’s standards, called [Heteron’s Scale Armor].

[Heteron’s Scale Armor]

[Class: B-

Heteron, a famous blacksmith among the dragons, enjoyed making weapons with his scales. This is a full-body armor he made when he was still inexperienced.

Function: Does not restrict the movement of the wearer.

Function: Increases defense in proportion to the wearer’s Mana rank.

Function: The wearer is not impeded by the weight of the armor.]

It was a very simple armor that was all about defense. It looked nice too. In addition, Ji-Cheok had also changed his swords. Even though the Monoblade was decent after he strengthened it, it wasn’t something that gave him any advantage at his current level. Cheok-Liang had thus used the remaining budget to purchase new swords for him.

[Sun and Moon Swords]

[Class: B

An ancient warrior who wanted to use the power of the sun and the moon at the same time borrowed the power of a great Sorcerer and made two swords: the Sun Sword and the Moon Sword. They are imbued with the power of fire and ice.

Function: Sun Sword — Wraps the blade in fire. Increased power when using Mana.

Function: Moon Sword — Imbues the blade with ice energy. Increased power when using Mana.

Function: Sun and Moon Spirit — Explosive force is generated by combining the power of Yin and Yang. It greatly increases the power of the swords.]

Although the Monoblade ignored the target’s defense, the power of the weapon itself was not that high. However, the [Sun and Moon Swords] added and amplified the attributes of fire and ice when he used Sword Qi or Augmented Qi. And if he used the [Sun and Moon Spirit], its power became even greater. Cheok-Liang had done a really good job finding the perfect items.

Just like Ji-Cheok, all his teammates sported some brand new pieces of equipment.

Seong Kwang brought an item called the [Saint’s Staff]. His outfit hadn’t changed, but Ji-Cheok could feel the sheer power of the mana—or rather, the divine power—flowing through it.

Jung Ji-Byeok had changed her entire outfit, just like Ji-Cheok. Just like him, she wore armor that was obtained from a dungeon. She wore plate mail and metal gauntlets that suited her well. She was wearing the [Armor of the Strong Arm], the [Gauntlets of the Strong Arm], and the [Boots of the Strong Arm]. They were from the same set as Ji-Cheok’s [Bracelet of the Strong Arm].

‘I had no idea these were set items!’

Ji-Byeok didn’t wear a helmet; instead, she had a star-shaped halo floating above her head.

When Ji-Cheok turned around, he saw that Byul Ha-Na was wearing white leather boots, and her clothes reminded him of a bird.

Ha-Na was wearing the [Wind Runners], [Garment of the Celestial Bird], and [Cloud Gloves]. And she was carrying the [Bow of the Thunder Spirit] on her back. All her new equipment looked expensive.

Mu-Cheok’s attire had also changed drastically. He had told Ji-Cheok that he had upgraded his weapons, but his gun looked the same. However, just like his brother, he had taken off the mass-produced combat suit. Instead, he was wearing something called [Armor of Arcane Engineering], and he had the [Fragment of Illusion] around his neck. The [Armor of Arcane Engineering] looked like it was something out of a science fiction movie, and it looked pretty cool on him.

‘I heard they call that type of style ‘techwear.’ It looks like it was made by Jung Bi-Ga. One day, I’ll make you a better item… Nah, that wouldn’t be possible.’

In contrast with his teammates’ battle-ready appearance, Ji-Han was just wearing a formal suit. Even to Ji-Cheok’s [Eye of Insight], the suit appeared to be just an ordinary formal suit. Ji-Cheok wondered if he was going to be okay.

?In old video games, they say that a guy who wears shiny armor is a noob and the true master is someone who shows up in his underwear, carrying a random stick. Maybe Ji-Han is going for that, Master.?

‘I have no idea. I just know that the defensive power of that suit made by whatever Italian designer is no different from walking around naked.’

As for Reable… He was just wearing what he always wore and had no equipment to speak of. Of course, Ji-Cheok knew that he did not have to worry about this guy.

After walking some distance through the airport, Filipino soldiers appeared. Ji-Han walked forward and talked to the soldier standing at the front.

“Major Rodrigo, long time no see,” Ji-Han said.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Jung.”

Both of them were speaking English.

“Thank you for agreeing to our request, Mr. Jung. It was getting more and more troublesome…”

“Did you take care of the organization?”

“We did. A lot of blood was shed… But it’s done.”

Major Rodrigo spoke in English, but his accent was a bit awkward because of his translation skill.

“Good. Then we shall move right away,” Ji-Han said.

“You must be tired from the flight. Don’t you need to take a break?”

“I understand that there is an empty hotel on the island next to the dungeon that is currently being used for military purposes. We can rest there.”

“I see. If that is what you want.”

Ji-Han returned to his team members after talking with the major.

“Well, you heard it. We will go to the empty hotel next to the dungeon and rest. We are going to enter the dungeon tomorrow.”

Everyone, including Ji-Cheok, nodded.

“Then, let’s go.”

The team members followed Ji-Han and boarded the vehicle. Behind them, the support team that had crossed the ocean with them was following them.

* * *

The island was originally a tourist destination. The distance between islands was as little as one hundred meters and as far as one kilometer. Each island had its own buildings, all of which appeared to be there for the tourists. Now, however, the whole place felt hauntingly empty. It was written in the documents that Ji-Cheok had received at the briefing that it had already been five years since this dungeon had appeared. Now, the buildings were used as accommodations for soldiers defending the area and Hunters employed by the military. The team was also able to rest in one of those hotels.

“So, how have you all been?”

After a good night’s sleep, everyone got up early and had breakfast. After that, they gathered in a hall for a cup of coffee. Ji-Han and Reable were gone somewhere. When they returned, the team would immediately depart for the dungeon.

“Well you know, just busy. How about you, Ha-Na?” Ji-Cheok said

“I worked my ass off to get the right equipment. We’re on the same team, but we couldn’t even clear dungeons together because we got caught up in a lot of incidents. It was hard to work by myself.

“Well, at least you leveled up a lot.”

“Ahem! You might be surprised, but I actually entered a high-level dungeon. It was all thanks to my Legendary skill. In there, Ji-Byeok and I leveled up a lot,” Ha-Na shrugged, feeling proud of herself.

It seemed like these two had become good friends and they weren’t even using honorifics while talking about each other.

“When you say a Legendary skill…”

“It’s a skill called [Guidance of the Stars], a detection-type skill. With this, I can find the dungeon Core.”

“Oh wow.”

‘Dungeon Core! That means…’

“So Ha-Na detects the dungeon Core, and the others destroy it,” Mu-Cheok stepped in.

“Bingo! It is more convenient if you divide the workload.”

‘Aha! That’s a good idea! I did all of that by myself, but it’s a lot simpler by dividing labor! A Hunter with the ability to find the dungeon Cores, and another Hunter with the ability to destroy the dungeon Cores. And other Hunters to assist these two… That’s brilliant. But then… I heard there are quite a few Hunters who can detect dungeon Cores, but how did she find a Hunter with the ability to destroy them?’

As if his questions were revealed on his face, Ha-Na smiled and lifted her coffee cup. She took a sip and continued to speak.

“The dungeon Core has the Indestructible feature, but there are also a few skills and items with features that can destroy the indestructible. For example, a claw hammer with an Absolute Destruction feature.”

‘A Claw Hammer of Absolute Destruction… Wait, isn’t a claw hammer just a small hammer with the head shaped like a crowbar? There is a claw hammer with that kind of feature? What kind of crazy God created something like that?’

“So you’re saying you used that weapon in the last dungeon, right? Was it powerful?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“No, it was terrible. Our main damage dealer had to beat the Core up for four hours straight. It was a nightmare… Right, Ji-Byeok?”

“Yeah, it was disgusting. It was even more terrible because the main damage dealer was a Hunter whose main skill was using daggers. It was definitely something I never want to experience again.”

Ji-Byeok answered while munching her special beef jerky along with her morning coffee.

‘It was that terrible?’

As if she knew what he was thinking, Ji-Byeok continued to talk.

“The fights weren’t fierce or anything like that, but it was terrible because it was so boring…”

“I guess the weapon only had the Absolute Destruction feature, but its actual attack power was not that great,” Mu-Cheok said.

Ji-Cheok nodded in agreement.

.

‘So that Hunter hit the Core for four hours like some kind of horribly slow murderer with an extremely inefficient weapon? Even thinking about it gives me chills.’

“That’s why everyone has good equipment and high levels,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Of course! The dungeon raid was commissioned by a large company. Since the dungeon was right in front of their headquarters, they had big problems with the real estate price, and more importantly, they were having trouble with the safety of their headquarters. Our equipment was bought with the money that the company gave us.”

“Oh…”

?Currently, there are five dungeons in Korea that have been destroyed by other Hunters. Overseas, thirty-eight dungeons have been destroyed, Master.?

‘Really? Does that mean our world became a little safer?’

?However, the problem is that only two of the destroyed dungeons were level-restricted.?

‘Didn’t [A/B] say that there were a few Hunters whose level was fixed at one like me? Maybe those Hunters were responsible for destroying those two level-restricted dungeons.’

?No, Master. The two level-restricted dungeons had a level restriction of 80. All Hunters that entered those dungeons were level 79 Hunters, and there were a lot of casualties.?

‘So they risked their lives to destroy those dungeons…’

The coffee suddenly tasted bitter.