Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 137

“Your growth, Mr. Ji-Cheok…is very unusual. Your growth rate is obviously higher than your team members’. You could say that we need to make some adjustments,” Ji-Han said.

“Adjustments? What do you mean by that?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Let me explain. You know that the term “Super Rookie” usually refers to Hunters who are at least thirty percent stronger than other Hunters at the same level, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

Ji-Cheok knew about that. They were not called Super Rookies or promising prospects for nothing. Even at the same level 40, Super Rookies were on average thirty percent stronger than other Hunters who were in their level 40s. That means they were as strong as level 50 Hunters. That was the average. Some Super Rookies in their level 40s were even as strong as high-level Hunters. Ji-Cheok was an even more special case—he was fixed at level 1, but he had the power of level 80 or even 90.

“Even if they are equally called Super Rookies, their combat power is vastly different. And over time, the gap only widens. Most of the Hunters who are now called top-tier Hunters all started like this,” Ji-Han said.

“I see.”

“All of the team members I recruited have the potential to be the best in the world, but you… Mr. Ji-Cheok, you are getting much stronger, much faster. Also, the fact that your mana recovery rate is fast enough to be able to clear dungeons every day is not just rare, but unprecedented.”

They were the people Ji-Han had personally selected. Just like their personalities, their strengths and abilities were also unique. However, Ji-Cheok didn’t care about his teammates’ strengths, but continued clearing dungeons every day.

?Yes, Master. Individual talent or potential becomes meaningless when compared to the overwhelming number of dungeons you’ve cleared so far.?

‘I think the only one who can keep up with my speed right now is my younger brother. But even he feels a bit overwhelmed by me.’

“Oh… Is that so?”

Ji-Cheok knew that this was not the time to say things like ‘You’re damn right. That’s me. I’m the best Hunter, no matter how many you find out there.’

“Yes. Basically, your overwhelming mana recovery makes all calculations meaningless. Not only in terms of experience, but also in terms of money,” Ji-Han said.

Cheok-Liang agreed with him.

?Experts say that the essence of being a Hunter can be considered a 3D job.?

‘Hunters live surrounded by popularity and fame, but in the end, it is true that being a Hunter is a dirty, difficult, and dangerous job, hence it’s called the 3D job. But, in return, you get money and fame. It’s pretty much living by the sword. Well, for me… I’m working this hard because I know some things that others don’t know about this world.’

“As far as I know, except for ‘That Hunter’, the shortest time for natural mana recovery is fifty-six hours. That’s a little over two days. But you continue to recover your mana even while you’re inside a dungeon, which is indeed something unique,” Ji-Han said.

‘Is…that true?’

“Of course, since you are the largest shareholder of our company, your performance leads to greater profits for the company, which in turn also leads to greater profits for you. That is why we have to make some adjustments.”

“So, what are the adjustments that you’re talking about?”

“It is the distribution of the profits.”

‘Ah ha.’

“Thanks to you, Mr. Ji-Cheok, the image of our company is getting better day by day. Recently, the recruitment of new Hunters is also on the rise. Also, you enjoy going into dungeons by yourself, so we, as a company, want you to be more active and safer while doing so. So I prepared this.”

Ji-Han pulled out two things from his sleeves.

‘Those don’t look like they fit in your sleeve… Does Ji-Han have a spatial item or skill like my [Shadow Pouch]?’

Putting his doubts aside for the moment, Ji-Cheok looked at the items that Ji-Han had taken out. One was a statue, and the other was a glass bottle with a potion inside.

“This one is a [Statue of the God of War], and this one is [Tears of a Fairy].”

“Did you just say [Tears of a Fairy]!?”

‘Why does he have this?’

“I know that you’re growing the World Tree, and you’ve been to the dungeon with lowest-level demons, so what’s left is this [Tears of a Fairy].”

“Wait… How did you…”

‘How does he know what I need for the quest? HOW? Is this information also obtained through his deal with whatever God?’

“Didn’t you go to the Goblin Dungeon? I know that there is a hidden dungeon in there,” Ji-Han said.

‘So my question still remains, how the hell do you know that? I found out about the hidden dungeon after being scammed by that blog-like post from the Likes Shop. I’m sure the support team from Jungjin Company had to report to Ji-Han after they collected my loot at the Goblin Dungeon, but knowing that there is a hidden dungeon in there is a whole different story.’

“It is unexpected that you’re growing the World Tree at this point in time, but this is a great opportunity. Please grow it well,” Ji-Han said.

“Oh, okay.”

‘At this point in time? What does he mean by that?’

Although he was curious, Ji-Cheok nonchalantly moved to the next conversation.

“And this [Statue of the God of War] is a very useful item for cultivators,” Ji-Han said.

“Can I see it for myself?”

“Certainly.”

“Activate [Eye of Insight].”

[Statue of the God of War]

[Class: A

Type: Consumable (Artifact)

A divine statue that lets you train with the God of War.

It loses its power after one use.

Function: The user will move to the dimension where the God of War resides and receive instruction on cultivation.]

This…was something else.

“The God of War is a god who is deeply involved in cultivation-related skills. Not just cultivation, but all things that can be called combat skills are in the realm of the God of War. There are not many Hunters directly sponsored by the God of War, but their value is quite well-known. And the same goes for this item, although not many people know that.”

The statue was very crudely carved. Even the eyes, nose, and mouth could not be distinguished by how rough it was cut. If one didn’t know about the God of War, this statue merely looked like an ordinary statue, and an ugly one at that. However, not just cultivators, but any person who learned close combat skills, especially those who felt the limit of their abilities and wanted to overcome that limit, would pretty much sell their souls for this item. It was a one-time lesson with the?God of War directly! Who wouldn’t want it?

“Huh… How did you get this?”

Ji-CHeok could see the traces of blood on the feet of the statue.

‘I guess things like this always have a backstory.’

This statue was a rare find even at an auction house. Ji-Han was a man with many secrets. He was a cold-hearted man in a suit with no wrinkles who didn’t even waste a second of his time. There was no way a man like this could have gotten all of these items in a normal way.

?It is certainly suspiciously generous. Isn’t it really difficult to obtain the [Tears of a Fairy]??

‘Yes. Finding a dungeon with fairies is one thing, but the fact that we have to make it cry or laugh… That’s the hard part.’

?Furthermore, the Statue of the God of War is also a treasure that cannot be ignored, Master. Actual combat and training… Aren’t those what you need right now? If you use it together with the [Training Space for the God of War], it will make you even stronger.?

It sounded like Cheok-Liang wanted him to take the items.

‘Don’t worry, Cheok-Liang. I’m not that much of a nice guy. Right now, I’m not in the position to reject items, I need all the help I can get to get stronger.’

“I will take your silence as accepting these items. I’ll be going now,” Ji-Han said.

He stood up and held out his hand. Ji-Cheok shook his hand. Then he suddenly thought of something. He remembered that he had a request for Ji-Han.

“Oh yeah, there is one thing I’d like to talk to you about…” Ji-Cheok said.

“Sure, please tell me. Do you need something?”

Ji-Han sat down again.

“It’s nothing big, but I’m thinking of starting a potion business.”

“I know you do alchemy, but is that enough to run a potion business?”

“You know that I created the Mono Bike G, right? I also have some Arcane Engineering skills. I can’t mass-produce potions but I can match the potion production of a small factory. And I want to sell them.”

“I want to hear your plan in detail.”

Ji-Han looked serious.

“Oh, and one more cup of hot cocoa, please,” Ji-Han said.

‘...I should just pour him a liter of hot cocoa in his tumbler.’

* * *

The conversation with Ji-Han went well. The employees of Jungjin Company said that they would help him make the potion and even distribute them. There would be a fee, but it was reasonable enough. Since half of the company was already his, the company’s profit was essentially his profit. After Ji-Han left, Ji-Cheok was looking at the items he had received from his team leader.

“Wow… I didn’t expect to get these items like this.”

?Yes, Master. And there seems to be a deep secret that we do not know about.?

“You think so too?”

?Yes, Master. Ji-Han has always said suspicious things like, ‘I made a deal with the God…’ If he knew the information about the Hidden Dungeon, I do not know why he didn’t use it. ?

“He could have said that he secretly went there…”

?That is true, Master. What is even more strange is when he said, ‘It is unexpected that you’re growing the World Tree at this point in time.’...?

“At this point in time? He sometimes talks as if he knows the future.”

?Ji-Han has the ability to manipulate time, so he may have the ability to foresee the future. In fact, there are Hunters who are famous for their prescience skills.?

‘Hm… Foresight ability, you say.’

Certainly, Cheok-Liang had a point. With such an ability, many mysteries of his behavior could be explained. It would not be something as simple as Ji-Cheok’s [Minor Intuition] skill, but rather an actual foresight skill that could see the future.

‘If he really has the eyes to see the future, his actions can be explained. Or maybe he might have done something like regression, kinda like the main character of one of those popular web novels.’

“What about something like regression?”

?Regression is impossible, Master.?

“Why is that?”

?Because the Gods will not let that happen. If even the Gods don’t know that time has been rewound, that makes the ability more powerful than the Gods. Would such a thing exist??

That seemed so out of reach… a God above all Gods.

When Ji-Cheok looked up, his view was blocked by the ceiling. Humans didn’t even have the ability to fully understand the sky.

.

‘If I become something that surpasses humanity, would I be able to perceive more than I do now? When that time comes, would I truly be able to see something beyond the sky?’

“Ah! I don’t know!”

‘If I don’t know, it means I don’t know. Trying to forcibly understand it only makes it worse.’

“So, putting aside the regression theory, for now, we can conclude that Ji-Han has a foresight skill.”

?That is right, Master. It is said that Ji-Han lived like a bastard in the past, but one day he suddenly came to his senses and became a powerful Hunter. He must have changed after gaining the ability to predict the future that day.?

“That’s a reasonable inference, but…”

‘Okay, so he could’ve seen the end of the world with his foresight skill, right? That’s what I’m struggling to stop right now.’

?At the moment, I do not know how much he knows about the future, but at least he seems to have noticed that you are doing something to change it, master. That is probably why he is so kind to you.?