Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 180

?Everyone! Money is everything in Korea. The dirt on your toilet seat is cleaner than this country!?

These were the words a civic activist shouted before setting himself on fire. However, it never appeared in the newspapers. The bereaved family worked hard and met famous GodTubers to ask them to upload his words in their videos, but only one small clip was shown during the electoral campaign season.

Everyone knew this about their country.

Brothels were openly operating in front of the police stations, but they were never raided. Everyone was sucking on happy balloons at the clubs, but not a single article popped up about them. It had been a while since conglomerates, pseudo-religious institutions, and criminal organizations had started running the country. Still, everyone believed that Korea was doing well compared to other countries because the media covered their eyes and ears.

Of course, it was also true to some extent. Korea was overall functioning as a country and was one of the countries with a working electoral system.

And today, the police force in the Paju area and the military bases nearby were instructed by the higher-ups to stand by until told otherwise. And the CCTV in the area was going to be hacked and manipulated.

For this to happen, tens of billions of won in lobbying funds were moved around, and at the same time, special guests from overseas were ordered to take care of Um Ji-Cheok. This group was called the Black Hound. Although they were registered as a private military company, a.k.a. a PMC, they were notorious for taking part not only in warfare but also in assassination. These people, armed to the teeth with military weaponry, had arrived in Paju. As many as ten armored vehicles equipped with anti-materiel weapons were mobilized, and dozens of high-level Hunters, all over level 80, were also present.

They were heading toward the land that Um Ji-Cheok had recently purchased. It was a wasteland anyway, and now, the only clues that humans had ever been present here were abandoned rice paddies.

An armored vehicle ran along the road between the former paddy fields.

“To think that all of us were mobilized to kill one Hunter. I can’t believe it. The fuck are our dear clients smoking?”

‘Volf’, who worked at the Black Hound for a long time, looked at his teammates around him and said it with a smile. He was wearing something that resembled powered armor from video games, and he had a huge hammer standing right next to him.

“It’s none of our business, is it? All we have to worry about is what we’re gonna do with all that money after we get this shit done,” another teammate answered with a shrug.

Everyone in the vehicle was heavily armed. Some had firearms, but the majority had cold weapons. All of them were high-level Hunters. In today’s world, it was difficult for PMCs to survive without Hunters to hold the fort.

“1,093 yards until the target! Get your shit ready!”

“God, stop using the imperial system! This is why nobody likes to do business with you Americans,” Volf said.

Volf grabbed his hammer and readied himself.

“Well, that’s because our company is American!” the driver said.

Although Volf was not originally from the United States, he was the one who had decided to join an American PMC. He snorted in dissatisfaction, but he kept his mouth shut.

He then cast a buff on himself.

“Activate [Steel Body].”

His entire body instantly turned into a metal-like substance. Not only that, but even his clothes and other equipment were affected by the skill and turned into metal, essentially making him a man of steel.

Bang!

The armored vehicle they were riding was blasted into the sky by an explosion.

“ARGH!”

“What’s going on!”

“We’re being attacked!”

Thud!

The armored vehicle was flipped upside down. Almost none of the people in the vehicle were wearing seat belts, so people were rolling around inside. Ordinary people would have broken their bones, but they were Hunters with superhuman powers, so they only suffered light bruises at most. They broke through the back door of the armored vehicle and came out to look for the enemy.

The first one to jump out was Volf. With his body reinforced, he hadn’t even suffered a scratch, so he jumped out ready to roll and checked the situation outside with his own eyes.

Unfortunately, he had no idea that he was about to see Jesus with his own eyes.

“Jesus… What are those?”

Rumble!

A surreal scene, the likes of which could only be seen in a dungeon, was unfolding in front of them. The ground cracked, and heaps of dirt and stones rose and walked around on two legs. They looked like Golems, but Volf instinctively knew that they weren’t Golems. Beings made of light danced in the sky, and the wind was blowing like crazy.

They were Spirits.

And it was not merely one or two of them; countless Spirits began to reveal their presence!

“Damn it! Everyone take cover!”

Flash! Boom!

Bolts of lightning struck from the sky. One Hunter was instantly roasted by a thunderbolt fired by one of the beings that appeared to be made of pure electricity.

Whoosh~

A sudden vortex picked up the armored vehicle, flipped it a few times, and smashed it against the ground.

Roar!?

Flames rose and engulfed the team, and the Hunters were left doing their best to block the attack with their skills.

Fire, wind, water, earth, lightning, light, darkness, poison, acid, plants, and all other sorts of unknown Spirits jumped out and attacked them. They couldn’t identify the level of the Spirits, but the Spirits’ attacks, which were downright altering the surroundings, were simply terrifying.

“KARRRGH!!! Enemies, turn to me… ARGH!!”

Volf, being a skilled combat mercenary, took the role of the Tank and tried to activate his taunt skill. However, he had never imagined that the taunt would be his last words. Acid that could even cause steel to melt instantly dissolved his skin, causing him excruciating pain. Before the Healers could heal him, several bolts of lightning struck and burned him. Ice froze beneath his ankles, and plant stems protruding from the ground shattered his lower body. A blazing fire rose from where he was standing, turning everything that remained of him into ashes. In mere seconds, countless Spirits had joined hands to kill him!

“Fall Back! Fall—Urgh!”

Volf had died, and those who jumped out of the other armored vehicles also followed soon after. They all called for a retreat, but failed to escape and were killed by the innumerable Spirits.

Some drowned. Some burned to death. Some were electrocuted to death. Some were poisoned to death. Some died of suffocation, and the rest were dismembered. The mercenaries fell one after another, in one thousand different ways. And eventually, when no one was left alive, the Spirits also disappeared.

In the midst of this pandemonium, a beautiful tree shone with golden light.

* * *

“I’m glad we sent those kids and the teachers on a vacation, Brother Ji-Cheok,” Seong Kwang said.

“...I know, right?”

Ji-Cheok knew that if he planted the [Growing World Tree], the Spirits would appear to protect it. He had deliberately set it up here to use it to deal with his enemies.

‘So this is the stratagem of Sangokchuje that Cheok-Liang planned… I did this because I thought that it was the perfect way to keep them here, but who knew that, rather than removing the ladder when they were on the roof, we would instead blast apart the ladder while they were climbing.’

?I did not expect it to be like this, Master. It is indeed far more powerful than I thought.?

‘I know. I think nothing can surpass the power of the World Tree unless they attack with an army of Hunters.’

?Besides, as long as the World Tree is safe, you are also protected by the [Absolute Safety]. In other words, you can also show your mighty power and sweep through your enemies.?

‘That was the plan, Cheok-Liang. I was going to attack myself using that [Absolute Safety]. I didn’t expect that the Spirits could kill them so easily.’

“Hyung, are you trying to become something like a medieval lord?” Mu-Cheok said.

“I know… They’re very powerful.”

‘How the hell was I supposed to know that thousands of Spirits would appear? And when I checked them with my Eye of Insight, even the lowest-level Spirit was level 60. Most were around level 80, and one or two at level 100. How can a Spirit be level 100? Is that even possible?’

“Also, since you said that this World Tree will grow even bigger, that means it’s going to get even stronger, and the Sacred Site will also be wider,” Seong Kwang remarked while Ji-Cheok was deep in thought.

He was right. This land was going to be an even greater place. It was a shame that he couldn’t buy more land because he had put most of his money into short-selling potion stocks.

‘Well, in terms of short-term profit, short-selling is much better anyway. Is this what they call a self-fulfilling prophecy or something? To be precise, it’s a self-fulfilling money game, a game where I buy and destroy. Anyway, with the money I made, I should buy more land around here.’

?I am already purchasing some land with the money we are making.?

‘Hm… I bet the media is going to publish articles about this as real estate speculation. Do you think we can do anything about that?’

?I do not think so, Master. This land is not in Seoul, and there are few Warding Stones, so this is an area with almost no residents. After the Dungeon Gate opened, this place has not seen a single living soul.?

‘I guess I’ll take some beating from the public. It’s okay.’

?But this is not real estate speculation! It is not like we are buying an apartment or a building in the first place. This is a town where orcs herd cattle, trolls plow the fields, and there are even no convenience stores around!!?

‘Okay, okay! Relax.’

Cheok-Liang seemed angry at the unfair treatment of the public.

?I do not care about what the media says about you, Master. If you dye your hair red, the media is going to bash you, and if you dye it blue, they are still going to say bad things about you. So why would anything matter at this point? But I know for sure that this is not speculation, but development. Wait, it is not even development, it is actually pioneering!?

Ji-Cheok chuckled at Cheok-Liang’s rant. His advisor was clearly displeased that he was unfairly criticized by the media. And the fact that Ji-Cheok was in this self-deprecating mood made him even angrier.

‘But what can I do? I’m trying my best not to read those articles as much as possible to avoid stress, but I know that the media is always going to take the side of the pharmaceutical companies instead of a single GodTuber. At least, the Jungha Group is helping me and Jung Ji-Han is also doing his best to put an end to it. I couldn’t have survived without them.’

.

Clap, clap, clap.

Suddenly, someone was laughing and clapping from behind them.

“Wow~ That is so admirable, Mr. Um~ How did you think of using the World Tree like this? Human imagination never ceases to amaze me.”

It was their very own Reable the Necromancer.

‘I’m glad you’re enjoying this,’?Ji-Cheok muttered.

Seong Kwang gave Reable a side glance.

“Brother Ji-Cheok. He feels kind of… ominous…. Is this okay?”

The way Seong Kwang was whispering showed how much of a cautious person he was.

“He’s a Necromancer, so it’s natural for you to feel that way, the Necromancer is a job that is the polar opposite of the Priest. But I know, or at least I hope, that he won’t stab us in the back, so don’t worry,” Ji-Cheok said.

Telling Seong Kwang about the contract was probably going too far, so Ji-Cheok didn’t say anything else.

“Is that so… It feels like he is more than a Necromancer… But okay.”

Seong Kwang seemed to be suspicious of Reable. It was understandable. From the point of view of Priests, such a Demon-like divine being could never be trusted. Or maybe he felt something?looking at Reable. Ji-Cheok knew Seong Kwang had outstanding eyes for things like this.

‘Anyway, since they all died so quickly… What are the enemies going to do now? Or maybe they’ll just act as if nothing happened and forget about this.’

Ji-Cheok had expected a fierce defensive battle between the enemies and the World Tree. That was why Ji-Cheok had dragged Seong Kwang to his favorite salon and gotten him all dressed up… But the power of the World Tree was more frightening than he had expected, so he couldn’t possibly upload this video.

No one lived in the vicinity, so there were no witnesses, but there was a chance that the fight had been transmitted somewhere by the mercenaries’ video equipment.

“Come to think of it, Reable,” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Yes~”

“You told me the other day that they?were the ones pulling the strings. Are these guys the same?”