Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 126

It was Yum Ra-Du versus Um Ji-Cheok.

One of the most important things in broadcasting was the narrative. Yum Ra-Du, whose parents had to apologize to the public because he had been exposed by Ji-Cheok. That Ra-Du had declared war against Ji-Cheok by accusing the latter of being a fraud. And as if he had been waiting for this to happen, Ji-Cheok had accepted the request with full makeup on and sponsored clothes.

-Ra-Du is known for having a fiery personality, but Umji also has an intense personality. I saw him laughing in his stream, and I got goosebumps LOL

-There is a reason why Umji’s face is in the [I’m Arrogant] meme. Hahaha

-Usually a fandom's personality becomes similar to their Hunter. By looking at his fans, we can see what kind of person Umji is.

-This is not a fight between high-level Hunters, so why is there such a big crowd gathered to see a fight between two mid-level Hunters?

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?Can you really say that Umji is a mid-level Hunter? Isn’t he a special case?

?Considering his Awakening period and the dungeons he clears are around low to mid-levels, it seems appropriate to say that he is a mid-level Hunter.

Not only were there plenty of fans of both Hunters, but also a lot of viewers who had joined in just because this stream was trending.

-Is Yum Ra-Du strong? I’ve seen Um Ji-Cheok’s videos on my GodTube algorithm lately, I guess he is popular. Isn’t he the guy who cleared the Yeouido Dungeon alone? His Fortress of Hope video was also trending for a long time. But who is this Ra-Du guy?

?He is a genius fire-type Hunter from the Danmok Yum Family.

?Isn’t the Danmok Yum Family where they produce many high-level fire-type Awakened?

?Yupp. His grandfather also served five terms in the National Assembly. His parents are famous in the entertainment industry.

-Hahaha how the hell do you not know about Danmok Yum Family? I guess you live in a different country than me.

-Which website do I use for betting?

?This fight is not registered on any betting site. What you’re trying to do is illegal.

While the comments in the chat had become more interesting than those made by the two official commentators, the fight began. Choco prayed for Ji-Cheok to win.

‘He needs to win this fight.’

In the world of GodTube, if the Hunter won the fight, it meant that their fans also won the fight. No matter how many fans the Danmok Yum Family had, if they lost to Ji-Cheok in this battle, their fans also lost to Ji-Cheok’s fans. No matter how many rumors and lies they spread about Ji-Cheok on the internet, if Ji-Cheok won, it meant that his fans won.

‘I’m sure all his fans are praying for him. Please win for us, Ji-Cheok!’

Kim Choco decided to pray with the Gumjis.

‘You can’t just win the fight. You have to destroy him so that he can never climb back up again.’

A fandom like Ra-Du’s would always be a nuisance if left unchecked. That was why Ji-Cheok couldn't get complacent; he had to show people that he could be a cold-blooded person.

‘But can a nice and refreshing Hunter Ji-Cheok be able to do that?’

In a way, he would be destroying the image that he had built up all by himself, but what he needed now was to be merciless. In order to win, he had?to be merciless.

/Fight poison with poison~

* * *

Ji-Cheok had heard a lot about [The Arena] of the World Cup Stadium, and he had also seen it a few times on video, but it was his first time to actually be in it. Ji-Cheok had his dual swords, a Hunter suit, the [Fragment of Illusion] necklace that he had taken back from Mu-Cheok, the [Guardian of Hope], [Black Flaming Jacket], [Troll’s Ring of Regeneration], and the [Luminous Fairy Pendant]. Essentially, he had all his best items with him. He felt that he could get rid of the dual swords at this point, or upgrade them. But he knew that he had to worry about the swords after crushing Yum Ra-Du.

?I can see that he is a child of a wealthy family, Master.?

‘Why?’

?According to my Internet search, all the equipment on him is extremely expensive. I don’t think he is wearing anything that is below A-rank.?

Cheok-Liang explained every item to Ji-Cheok. The necklace, bracelet, gloves, and suit Ra-Du wore were all super-expensive A-rank items. In addition, all of his items increased the power of fire-type skills.

‘Wow... I guess this is the supernatural power of being the youngest son of a chaebol family. Even if I used all my money, I can’t buy the items he has.’

?Unfortunately, you are correct, Master. I guess I will have to push myself a little harder and come up with a plan to make you more money. I need to study a little more.?

‘What are you going to study?’

?I will study everything from investment techniques for real estate and stocks to business management. Assisting Master is my top priority!?

Ji-Cheok felt a strange enthusiasm from Cheok-Liang.

Beep!

He heard a sound that pierced his soul and mind.

[Welcome to [The Arena] bestowed by the [Heart_of_a_warmonger].]

[Participant Um Ji-Cheok.]

[Participant Yum Ra-Du.]

[Please stand in your area.]

Ji-Cheok and Ra-Du stood about ten meters apart.

“You little bitch. I’m gonna kill you today,” Ra-Du said.

“Mr. Yum Ra-Du.”

“What, you little shit?”

“I just have one question for you. Why do you hate me so much? Are you still holding a grudge because of what happened during the Hunter Exam? Other than that, I don't know why you would hate me…”

“...!!!”

At that moment, Ji-Cheok could see a thin vein popping out on Ra-Du’s forehead.

‘Oh, wow. It’s like I’m watching a cartoon.’

?I cannot believe he was provoked so easily. He is a very simple human being, Master.?

‘You don’t say.’

“You bastard dare to disrespect me again?! Do you want to die??!”

Ji-Cheok didn’t know why this guy was so mad at him. He was well-aware that it was mostly Ra-Du’s fault for what had happened during the Hunter Exam.

‘And if you managed to get second place, you should feel lucky and just stay quiet. I don’t know why you feel the need to live in such hatred.’

“And last time I saw you at the [Fortress of Hope], you weren’t even on the stream,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Well, my— They told me not to appear! What about it?!”

‘Looks like he almost said who ordered him not to show up. I’m assuming it was the leader of the Yum Family or his parents?’

?It is definitely his parents, Master.?

‘I guess he thinks it’s embarrassing. Well, if he was such a good son back then, when did he become such a bad son?’

[You have confirmed the one-on-one duel.]

[May the exhilaration of the duel be with you.]

[Let the duel begin!]

The fight had begun.

“DIE!”

Roar!

Fire erupted all over Ra-Du’s body. From the outside, it looked as if he was burning alive, but the heat didn’t seem to have any effect on him. The flames rushed toward Ji-Cheok in an instant. Seeing as Ra-Du hadn’t uttered any skill name, it appeared that this fire was a result of his passive skill for creating and controlling flames. The Hope shield moved in front of Ji-Cheok and blocked the flames.

‘Wow, this indestructible shield really is very powerful. I just need to keep my morale up. If that’s the case, I just need to endure it, and the shield will never be broken. Okay, what should I do next?’

Ji-Cheok thought of all the skills he had, and he decided to use one that he hadn’t used before.

His reason behind this was showmanship. The viewers would like it more if the fight was a close match with plenty of flashy things to see.

“Fragment of Illusion.”

He whispered to himself, and the necklace took out an image that he had in mind by using his mana.

?Hunter Um Ji-Cheok! He summoned an illusion! That skill came out when he was doing the unboxing on his stream~!?

He could hear Kim Choco’s voice commentating from afar.

‘Yupp. This one is from when I did the unboxing stream. And I never used the skill because I gave it to Mu-Cheok to let him increase his Mana stats. But I thought it would come in handy in a fight like this, so I brought it with me!’

Woong.

Now Ji-Cheok’s Mana and Cultivation stats were both A-rank. Besides, he didn’t need to worry about his mana consumption, because this was a PvP battle.

?I think he might have underestimated your one-on-one skills because you have only shown yourself killing a crowd of monsters. In fact, your actual specialty lies in one-on-one fights, Master.?

A huge number of his illusions appeared around Ji-Cheok. They looked similar to those shadow clone abilities from ninja manga. Going back even further, his clone technique appeared identical to Sun Wukong’s. However, it merely looked identical; it was difficult to compare the techniques on a functional level, because Ji-Cheok’s skill created simple illusions without any physical properties.

“Wha… What the fuck is that thing!?”

As if he was panicking, Ra-Du wrapped himself in flames and floundered.

‘Alright. Let’s start with a light jab…. Let’s see some ranged attacks.’

“[Telekinetic Arrow]”

Shooosh.

A pile of telekinetic arrows appeared in the sky and flew toward Ra-Du. Because Ji-Cheok had a lot of mana, he shot out arrows like a machine gun. But to his surprise, the arrows disappeared as soon as they touched the flames.

‘What the…’

?That is magic resistance, Master! That flame seems to have the effect of nullifying low-level mana skills.?

‘What? That’s such an overpowered ability! You mean that the flames literally become a protective shield and nullify the impact, beyond just blocking it?’

‘Blocking’ and ‘nullifying’ seemed similar at first sight, but were totally different concepts. A shield that was just blocking could crack and eventually break from being hit repeatedly, but nullification abilities would eat up the attacks no matter how many times the shield was hit.

“Hahaha. Your crappy skills don’t even tickle me! Activate Flame Waves!”

Ra-Du raised both of his hands, then a wave of flames spread from his body in a circular shape, dispelling the illusions around Ji-Cheok. The flame wave came right in front of Ji-Cheok, but it was blocked by his shield.

‘I guess I can’t beat him with my light jabs. Hahaha. Alright then, let’s be a little more serious…’

“Heh, Didn’t you say you had a little brother? Your brother is going to be next. I’ll make sure he can’t even set foot in Korea…”

‘You just crossed the line.’

Something in Ji-Cheok’s head snapped.

“Say that shit again, I dare you. What about my little brother?” Ji-Cheok shouted.

‘Talking about my brother like that is crossing the line.’

It had been a while since he had felt this shitty.

* * *

Ra-Du used his [Colossal Flames] and [Soul Explosion] skills. By using the [Silent Spellcast Necklace], he could use his skills without speaking out loud. After consecutively activating buffs that increased the power of his fire-type skills, he turned his attention to Ji-Cheok, who was hidden behind the shield. The Fire Wave was still burning wildly, so he couldn’t see Ji-Cheok, but if the opponent was not moving, that meant the flames were also accumulating.

The fire Ra-Du was using was a fire that kept burning. Accumulating flames this way was extremely difficult and required high-level fire skills. Some people called this ‘stacking,’ after the gaming term, and it involved Ra-Du using a fire skill several times in succession, making the flames combine, then blasting out with their cumulated might. Of course, Ra-Du had learned this from a young age with the help of his parents.

His parents cheered his decision to fight Ji-Cheok and said that since the situation had gotten this big, he needed to crush Ji-Cheok. His mother had even said that ‘if you’re going to be a piece of shit, it’s better to be a piece of shit that wins’. It was sincere encouragement from his mother, but it was also a sign that she had given up on him.

‘You little bitch. I’m going to burn that shield. If you die painfully, then you will know what you did wrong! Now that all my flames are gathered, die!!!’

The mighty power of fire burned in his heart. While maintaining the Flame Wave, he praised himself for his skill at stacking flames. Then, he opened his mouth.

“Heh, Didn’t you say you had a little brother? Your brother is going to be next. I’ll make sure he can’t even set foot in Korea—”

Suddenly, his hair stood on end.

It was an instinctive reaction. His body was reacting to the bloodlust that Ji-Cheok radiated.

The shield was no longer blocking Ra-Du’s sight, and he saw that Ji-Cheok was staring at him. Somehow, even though the Flame Waves were clinging to Ji-Cheok, he didn't seem to take any damage. It seemed that his clothes and skills mitigated the power of the flames to some extent. But Ra-Du knew that Ji-Cheok couldn't possibly endure the pain of burning. People said that one of the worst kinds of pain that humans could feel was being burned alive.

However, before Ra-Du could do anything, a sense of dread overcame him. Um Ji-Cheok was just staring at him with an expressionless face. He was handsome, but his lack of expression gave Ra-Du goosebumps, as if he were looking at the face of a killer in a horror movie.

1. Main character of the famous Journey to the West and the main source of inspiration for Dragon Ball’s Son Goku.