Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 125

“Isn’t that person we saw last time quite sound?”

?Who are you talking— Ah, you mean that streamer, Choco??

“Yes. He said his poodle’s name was Choco, so he uses the name Choco for streaming.”

In fact, the man’s actual name was Kim Choco. Ever since the incident in the fortress, his life had drastically changed.

?All the fights by Hunter Um Ji-Cheok are real. You have to see it with your own eyes.?

?Hunter Yum Ra-Du said that? That’s probably because he didn’t see Ji-Cheok fight… wait…I know for a fact that Hunter Ra-Du saw Hunter Ji-Cheok fight… Why is he saying that kind of stuff? ?

?Okay, I can understand what the Yum Ra-Du fans are saying. However, Hunter Ji-Cheok has already shown his ability in alchemy and Magic Engineering skills several times, so you can’t call him a fraud.?

?Of course! I am on Um Ji-Cheok’s side! Thanks to him, I bought my mom a brand new car!?

…And after that, Choco’s channel had been banned due to too many reports. It seemed that there had been a mob of Ra-Du’s fans and even Ra-Du’s parents’ fans that had rushed in and reported his channel simultaneously.

‘I’m sure GodTube is going to unban him later, but by the time they do that, Choco will have already been forgotten by the fans. That’s critical for any GodTuber.’

?If the channel was as big as yours, then even if they reported him, he wouldn’t have gotten banned this easily.?

‘You’re right. If you have a lot of subscribers or a high number of Likes and viewers, you might be able to survive the ban, but if you don’t, there is no chance.’

?Are you trying to call him and let him do the streaming for you, Master??

“A fight like this needs commentators to make it more interesting. And I don’t know any professional commentators.”

?If we are having commentators, we should invite another person.?

“Who?”

?How about Jung Ji-Byeok? She is rather experienced in close-quarters combat, I believe she would fit great as a commentator.?

“That’s a good idea, Cheok-Liang. If she accepts our invitation, that would be amazing.”

Ji-Cheok took out his phone.

* * *

“Hello everyone! My name is Choco and I will serve as the commentator for this duel between Hunter Um Ji-Cheok and Hunter Yum Ra-Du. My channel is currently under review and I cannot do it on my channel, so I am going to use Um Ji-Cheok’s channel. Umji, Gumji, and Choco!”

Streamer Choco felt as if he was dreaming. Those that had subscribed to his channel after his interaction with Ji-Cheok accounted for ninety percent of his subscribers. Thanks to that, he had gotten a gig for a small advertisement from a snack company, thanks to which he had been able to buy a brand new K-21 for his mother with a small loan. His mother had been delighted.

He had started out as a low-tier Awakened. He had no fancy skills or Patrons to support him. The cost of his preparations for a dungeon almost equaled the profit he earned from clearing the dungeon. He had a decent income, but it was not enough to afford his own house in Seoul. That was why he struggled to try something new, like GodTube, which almost all Hunters did. He even changed his name to Kim Choco. He wanted to make people laugh like popular comedians, but he couldn’t do it.

No matter how much one wanted to become a popular GodTube star, one could only realize that talent was key.

It was not easy for him to smile in front of the camera, and his skills were nowhere near flashy enough, so he had been just swept away every day like other ordinary GodTubers. This was why he tried his best to support Ji-Cheok from the haters.

Using an anonymous website, Yum Ra-Du’s supporters secretly spread malicious rumors using various accounts and they slowly made Ji-Cheok into a fraud. They would post mean comments almost to the point of being sued, and those comments had caught on like wildfire and spread through all social media. The public then inflated the rumors.

Of course, Ji-Cheok fans did not just stand on the sideline. Ji-Cheok’s fandom, Gumji, was not an ordinary fandom to begin with.

-Umji is so talented and has a good personality. I dont know why these fucking trolls from all over the world would mess with him.

-Why is Umji-pooh over there? I hope these freaking trolls will die already…

-Stop posting memes about Ji-Cheok’s grave! What is the manager doing? You should be deleting these comments!!

-Can the fandoms from other Hunters stop coming here?? And wtf is up with Ji-Cheok’s grave memes? Stop posting that!

-It’s okay, Umji… It’s okay.. You are the prettiest and the strongest. Even your name is so pretty. T_T T_T

From Choco’s point of view, there were three main periods when Ji-Cheok had gotten most of his fans.

The hardcore fans were tanking the hate comments, the gif warriors were making memes to protect Ji-Cheok, and the newbies were supposed to help them, but they were just overwhelmed by all the hate comments. Ji-Cheok’s fandom was experiencing what hell was like, but they still couldn’t give up. Um Ji-Cheok himself acted bright and refreshing and lived his life like a real bit of sunshine, without any worry, but his supporters were tanking all the hate and felt like they were in hell.

In order to stop being a stan, they needed to stop having feelings toward their Hunter. However, Ji-Cheok uploaded videos more often than other GodTubers—he usually uploaded seven videos per week, and if he couldn’t upload any battle videos, he would at least upload mukbangs. Even his younger brother frequently uploaded photos and short clips on social media. Every time Ji-Cheok did a large-scale live stream in a high-level dungeon, he would find a way to produce new and exciting content for his fans. Compared to other Hunters, he had a good personality and his self-discipline was top-notch.

Most importantly…

-Umji always grinds hard every time he does a live stream.

?2222333333 I’m just worried that he’ll burn out if he keeps streaming like this.

?Watching him makes me want to live my life to the fullest.

?He is so nice, and so bright~ Sometimes it’s a bit sad, but I just want to get the good vibe off of his stream.

In the end, the fans could not escape Ji-Cheok’s charm and would come up with their own conclusion.

-Our Umji must be a troll-magnet….

When fans stopped stanning a Hunter, it was almost never because of external influences, but rather a result of something that happened inside the fandom. When the Hunter that the fans spent their salary on turned out not to be what they used to be, or when the fans realized that the once handsome Hunter they loved had become some random bearded dude, that was when they would stop stanning their Hunter. It happened when that something that used to make their heart tremble was no longer there. That was why Ji-Cheok’s fans couldn’t escape from Ji-Cheok, who always poured his soul into his live stream.

What was stanning? It was a process of going back and forth between heaven and hell. There was no stanning that only made one happy. It was precisely as Buddhist scriptures proclaimed, ‘it is painful because you like it.’

Surprisingly, the biggest problem with stanning Ji-Cheok was that his stream was too entertaining. His fans were getting more powerful day by day and their mental strength was also improving. Also, thanks to being attacked by other fandoms, Ji-Cheok’s fans were more organized than ever. Of course, Ji-Cheok, who was in the middle of this hell, was preparing for his stream even more refreshingly and confidently than before.

‘I’m sure his personality is different from ordinary people. Because there is no way a person can endure this and still smile on camera.’

-I just hope Umji never searches his name online.

?Umji is still human, I’m sure he searched himself many times before.

-Whether he searched his name or not, we are still at war with Ra-Du’s fans. Umji is holding up well, so I think I should do something to help him.

In that sense, Kim Choco decided to side with Ji-Cheok no matter what. Even though Choco’s channel was a collateral victim of a fandom fight between Um Ji-Cheok and Yum Ra-Du, if he betrayed Ji-Cheok now, even his dog at home would be ashamed of him.

“When my channel comes back, please subscribe, everyone!”

Since that day, Choco had watched Ji-Cheok’s videos dozens or even hundreds of times. He practiced vocalization every night, and also looked up other famous Hunters’ videos on GodTube. And the more he did so, the more he realized that…

‘There is a reason why my channel didn’t become popular.’

For a while, it was difficult for Choco to watch other channels because of his inferiority complex. But after overcoming it, he realized there was too much good content out there in the world.

‘If only I could do half of what Ji-Cheok did with his channel. Or maybe a quarter….!’

When Choco’s channel had gotten banned, he had thought that it was the end, but a ray of light had come down from the sky to save him. He knew this was his last chance and that he had to make the best of it.

He introduced Jung Ji-Byeok.

“And beside me is a member of the same team as Hunter Um Ji-Cheok and a rising Hunter, Hunter Jung Ji-Byeok!! Welcome!”

Clang. Clang.

As she hit her fists together, her muscles twitched. The traps and deltoids on a 190 centimeters tall giant looked overwhelming on screen.

“Hello, I am Jung Ji-Byeok. I recently started a channel called ‘With Muscles’ on GodTube. Hope you guys enjoy it!”

When she posed with a serious and dignified expression, the comments in the chat were also serious and dignified.

-How do you maintain your muscles? I understand that you don’t have any dietary restrictions at all.

-Hunter Jung Ji-Byeok, did you gain that much muscle without using any steroids? I heard that you did it without using any of your skills either, is that true?

?She was tested by a health institution and they said that it is true. But I’m sure she was born with a body for building muscles. There is no way an average human can be this muscular.

The comments were very academic. There were so many people who were serious about lifting. Her channel, ‘With Muscles’, started with basic training tips for beginners, examined the process of building muscles, and then she discussed how her principle of building muscles could affect everyone’s gains.

“Right now we are out at the World Cup Stadium battle ring, also known as [The Arena]. I would like to ask Hunter Ji-Byeok to explain this better. I understand this is not your first time being here.”

“Yes, This is a great place to practice fighting against other Hunters. Since you don’t actually get hurt, it feels like you’re entering virtual reality… As a tank, we need to practice here in order to be prepared for any kind of situation.”

“By any kind of situation, you mean…”

-Haha. What the hell. Why is their conversation so boring?

-But oddly funny. Hahahahaha.

-Ji-Byeok doesn't really talk much on her channel either. She just shows people how to do her routine.

-But what is this Choco guy doing as a commentator on Umji’s channel?

?That’s the guy Umji met at the Fortress of Hope.

?Oh, that nobody?

?His channel got banned for supporting Umji.

-I love you Choco! You’re doing great?

?How much to you get paid by Choco to write stuff like this?

Today’s chat was very distracting and on edge. The channel itself was Ji-Cheok’s channel, but since it was these two that were currently streaming, the viewers’ reactions were different from before. In addition, Ra-Du’s fans were coming in and messing with the chats. Ji-Cheok’s fandom was getting tired.

-Umji should just stop cheating and admit to being a fraud. ^^

.

?Okay~ Your Hunter attempted murder~

-LOL I guess all the dogs supporting Umji are here Hahaha. You guys are a bunch of frauds. What will you say when Umji gets destroyed by Ra-Du? LOL LOL

?Nope~ Umji is going to win~ 乃乃乃乃

People entered the chat one after another, turning it into complete mayhem.

1. Probably a Kia model?