Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 119

[Massage] was a skill that Ji-Cheok had acquired at the very beginning of his journey, but it was still useful at times like this. And it was very different from just using the skill and learning a bit about massage to use it.

[You have activated [Massage].]

Ji-Cheok pressed on the Lesser Mansion Point on Mu-Cheok. The Lesser Mansion Point was an acupuncture point located on the palm, between the fourth and fifth fingers. It was located in the hollow region under the metacarpal bone, where the tip of the little finger touched when making a fist. It was said to be good for controlling the heartbeat, and it was also said to help relieve stress symptoms such as anxiety and restlessness by calming the mind.

“Ouch… It kinda hurts,” Mu-Cheok said.

“The point I’m pressing is for heart stabilization and stress relief. If it hurts, it means you are under a little bit of stress. Still, it feels good with my skill, doesn’t it?”

“I feel…”

“You feel what?”

“I feel calm and sleepy.”

“Give me your arm.”

Mu-Cheok gave Ji-Cheok his arm. Ji-Cheok held it and pressed the Pool at the Bend Point.

“Ouch!”

Mu-Cheok jumped off the sofa, screaming. This was not unexpected—this acupuncture point was one of the most painful ones. The Pool at the Bend Point could be located on the inside of the elbow when the arm was bent, and it had several benefits. By pressing on this point, one could relieve pain and reduce swelling, and also harmonize the Qi and blood. It was also said to be effective in preventing stroke, promoting digestion, and recovering from fatigue throughout the body. Listening to such a long list of benefits, some people would think that it sounded too good to be true, but with Ji-Cheok’s [Massage] skill, it really had a miraculous effect.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Mu-Cheok lay down on the sofa.

“What is this, hyung? Why am I so sleepy?”

“That’s because you are very tired. Here, I’m just going to press one more.”

Ji-Cheok placed his hand on the nape of Mu-Cheok’s neck and pressed the Wind Pool Point. If properly pressed, this point could release tension in the area around the neck and cause the patient to become sleepy.

“Are you sure? I have my stamina recovery skill, so I don’t think…”

Mu-Cheok blinked a few times, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

“I guess he fell asleep.”

?Yes, Master. He is fast asleep. It seems that your cultivation skills are getting stronger and stronger.?

While relieving Mu-Cheok’s tiredness with his massage skill, Ji-Cheok had also used Qi Points, which was one of the cultivation skills. Ji-Cheok had inserted his Qi into the Sleep Point of Mu-Cheok. By using his System skills and his cultivation skills together, he had made Mu-Cheok fall asleep without the latter being any the wiser.

The reason Ji-Cheok did this was that he wanted to investigate his little brother. He had felt something strange while they were in the dungeon, and he had also found out something interesting while giving Mu-Cheok a massage.

[You have greatly released the stress of an Enhanced Human!]

[You have received bonus proficiency experience!]

‘An enhanced human… I’ve never seen a movie with this term that didn’t involve some kind of dystopia. Let’s see what’s going on.’

“Activate [Eye of Insight].”

[Um Mu-Cheok]

[Sex: Male

Level: 36

Job: Chronicler / Enhanced Human

The younger brother of GodTube Influencer Um Ji-Cheok. His body was upgraded by merging the skills of the Chronicler and the skills of a science-type Hunter.

Transformation: 22%]

“Huh…”

‘This kid… What did he do? Did he undergo body transformation without even telling me? Where? Oh, wait.”

As Ji-Cheok was thinking, he immediately thought of the only place that could do such a thing. Cheok-Liang also nodded.

?I agree with you, Master. There is only one answer to your question.?

‘Obviously, it was Jung Bi-Ga. The next question is, did she do this by force? ’

Crack.

‘If she did this without Mu-Cheok’s consent, I will never let it go. Even if she did this with Mu-Cheok’s will, I don’t know what I’m going to do with her!!’

?Master, Master!?

The bloodlust Ji-Cheok emitted was too much for Cheok-Liang. This was his first time seeing Ji-Cheok like this. After all, they fought battles while smiling brightly for his stream, and he hid as much of his violent energy as he could from the viewers.

Sigh.

‘It’s not your fault, Cheok-Liang. But what kind of an older brother would not go violent if he heard that his younger brother has become like this?’

?…I am just surprised that the atmosphere in the room changed so quickly.?

‘That’s right, Cheok-Liang. Although I might use Mu-Cheok for my own benefit in the dungeon, he is my brother. I have the right to do that. How could I not get angry at someone who made him like this? Enhanced human? That’s insane. Remember what happened to the foreign guy that hurt my brother? I heard on the news that he was ostracized and died alone while clearing a dungeon in Russia. I also heard he got thrown away by his Hunter agency and lost all support. It’s a lot harder to be recruited as a Hunter in Russia than in Korea. He lost the support of the Jungha Group while he was in Korea, and karma from his past deeds made him go back to his home country. He died while clearing a Gulag dungeon. Do I sympathize with his tragic death? Nope. I have no sympathy for people who hurt my family.’

?I understand, Master. I know you had already planned all that out when you decided to cancel him.?

‘In the world that we live in, there are things that are scarier than death. Sometimes, death is the easier way to go. Everything goes back to normal after the family mourns for a couple of days. Even if a bastard dies, his memories are going to be glamorized over time. But, Cheok-Liang, this is for sure. Hell comes while you’re alive. Even if Jung Bi-Ga is strangely good to me, If she did this without my brother’s consent, she needs to be ready to feel my wrath.’

?Master! Calm down for now! Let’s find out first how he was transformed.?

‘I guess my violent energy came out again. It’s hard for me to control. Whew. Okay, let’s see…’

Ji-Cheok raised his hand and brought it close to Mu-Cheok’s solar plex. Then, carefully and slowly, he put his Qi inside his brother. Qi Guidance was one of the techniques that could be used as he learned cultivation and increased its level. By regulating the flow of Qi in his own body, with enough skill, he could push it into other people’s bodies and spread his Qi inside them. When this was combined with Qi Sense, it was possible to grasp the inside of the other person’s body.

“It’s his bones.”

?Did you say bones, Master? ?

“Yes, his bones are different. They’re completely transformed… But the weird thing is that it’s only his bones. It feels like his bones are made of titanium-like materials and mechanical devices. This has to be Bi-Ga’s doing.”

While assembling the Mono Bike, Ji-Cheok had the opportunity to put his Qi into a titanium alloy, and it felt similar. Also, his brother’s bones felt much harder than regular titanium alloys.

?There is no one in the world that can modify a person’s bones other than Bi-Ga. Still, I am glad that his internal organs and muscles aren’t mechanized.?

‘I’m flabbergasted. Bones that are made of titanium alloy… In addition, the speed of his mana flowing through his body is several dozen times that of ordinary Hunters. In cultivation words, this means his Middle Dantian is opened.’

“Ha… This freaking guy…” Ji-Cheok sighed.

‘What am I going to do with him?’

“I guess I’ll have to wake him up to find out.”

Ji-Cheok had to find out what his brother was thinking, modifying his bones into dubious arcane-engineered machines. He also wanted to know if there was coercion involved on behalf of Bi-Ga.

* * *

“Wow~ I slept like a baby. Hyung, I need you to do this again later. That was amazing,” Mu-Cheok said.

After relieving his fatigue with Ji-Cheok’s massage skills and acupuncture, he was feeling fresh.

‘You little brat. Let’s see how your expression changes after I tell you what I know.’

“Is that so? Sure, I can do that again later. It’s not hard. After all, my little brother secretly transformed his bones into a machine and became an enhanced human without telling his older brother. You just gotta love that, am I right? Of course I can use my massage skill again. What do you think, Mu-Cheok?”

‘I’m very curious as to why your bones are like a titanium alloy.’

Mu-Cheok was startled at Ji-Cheok’s words.

“How did you know?”

“I’ve mastered cultivation, remember? Don’t you know anything about Qi Sense? With this, I can see everything that’s going on in your body.”

“Ah, hell. Did I learn cultivation? How am I supposed to know?”

“Your personality has become rough, and I feel a bit of a disrespectful tone from you. Is this also because of your titanium bones?”

“No… That’s the skill effect.”

‘This guy… When did he become so big-headed?’

As the era of dungeons had opened and special abilities appeared, cybernetics had developed significantly with materials that were found in other worlds. Before the dungeons had appeared, humans had only been able to make prosthetic limbs that were as good as the normal ones, but now, prosthetic arms and legs that far exceeded those of humans had begun to be produced. Not only that, but laser-shooting eyes and noses that were better than dog noses were also created. As a result, there were cases of rich people or crazy Hunters who wanted to get stronger by upgrading their bodies.

However, insurance did not cover these kinds of surgeries. In Korea, due to Confucianism, people believed that their bodies were a gift from their parents. Therefore, modifying or upgrading one’s body was tantamount to disrespecting one’s elders. Also, most religions in Korea prohibited such acts; too much modification meant a first-class ticket to hell.

As crazy as it sounded, however, transforming one’s body was similar to getting a tattoo. It was frowned upon for a person working for the government to modify their body, but it was okay for a celebrity. There were cases where government officials would put skin-colored tape over their modified body parts when they were on TV. But everyone was okay when a celebrity posted their exoskeleton arm with a diamond Rolex on Nstagram. Rappers, in particular, showboated their modified body parts a lot. Some of them were raised in the same neighborhood as Ji-Cheok, but they acted like Black gangsters.

?I’m a cold machine, my arm has a hundred thousand mana power. Keep out the Awakened, my mic is my superpower.?

?My mother’s kimchi stew, but my tongue is a cold machine. There is nobody else but me.?

?A lonely, cold machine.?

Ji-Cheok had no idea how these crappy lyrics were always top of the charts, but he’d been hearing them for quite some time in every store in Korea. Anyway, there were rappers who cut off their arms and attached machines to them because they were hip, even though there was nothing wrong with their original arm, and Hunters who simply modified their bodies to be slightly stronger. Even the tenth-ranked Archer had changed their eyes into mechanical eyes and was now able to use their skills to perform high-speed sniping from a distance of several kilometers. But these Hunters had their own determination and reason. Ji-Cheok couldn’t tolerate this because he believed strongly in Confucianism.

‘Why did he do such a thing?’

“Tell me. Why did you do it?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Why do I need to tell you?”

“So you’re just gonna not say anything?”

Ji-Cheok stared angrily at his brother. Then, Mu-Cheok sighed deeply and frowned, as he turned around and looked outside the window for a while. Ji-Cheok didn’t know if his brother needed time to organize his thoughts, or if he was just hesitating.

“Hyung, remember when our parents passed away?” Mu-Cheok asked.

“Of course I do. Why?”

“Do you remember what you said to me that day?”

Ji-Cheok was left speechless by the sudden question.

“So, do you remember what you said?” Mu-Cheok asked again.

“Uh…”

Ji-Cheok couldn’t remember. It was before his relatives had taken the insurance money and the house away after the funeral, and the world was in chaos as the Gates opened all at once.

…Ji-Cheok remembered that the time allotted for the funeral was only three hours, because the funeral home was so busy. It was said that wedding halls were busy in June—he didn’t know about those, but funeral homes certainly were busy. He remembered that the funeral home was packed because many people died at once.

An overwhelming smell of incense filled the room. However, without the incense, Ji-Cheok could smell the combination of sweat and tears from everywhere. Condolences were being passed around as if it were the checkout counter of a large supermarket. Even the mourners were out of their minds.

‘Of course, I don’t remember what I said.’