Thumbs Up, Level Up

CH 1

Default Dyslexic Roboto Lora

about?! Thanks to him, my children and I were able to hold my wife’s hand and say goodbye.
When I think about that time… I’m… really thankful…”

He gave Ji-Cheok a thumbs-up with both hands.

Ring!

[You have received 7 Likes.]

[God ??? has shown interest in you.]

[Congratulations.
Your hidden abilities have been awakened.]

‘What the hell does this mean? Awakened? I became an Awakened?’

Ji-Cheok may have been a little overwhelmed, but he couldn’t just let everyone find out about this.
The bodycam on his chest was recording 24/7 to surveil employees and prevent them from stealing resources from monsters.

‘Usually, people scream ‘I’m an Awakened!”’

Those who Awakened were usually in their prime, between ten and twenty-five years old.
Two years before, there had been a thirty-one-year-old Awakened, and he had been the oldest ever.
Most were in their early twenties or late teens.
Ji-Cheok was 28, and the odds of him Awakening were a lot lower than even winning the lottery.

‘This is so cool.’

Ji-Cheok kept going about his work while processing what had happened.
He was too experienced to act based on emotions — or perhaps it was the fact that he’d already witnessed the end of a Hunter many times.

‘If it’s a mediocre ability, it’s probably better to keep it hidden from the government.’

‘I ’ll pretend not to know anything until I finish work and take off that body cam.’

He continued working in silence, but the alarm rang again.

Ring!

[Please check your status window.]

“…”

“Um, as always, you are doing an awesome job,” one of his coworkers praised Ji-Cheok as he carried on with his work.

[Please check your status window.]

[Please check your status window now!]

‘What’s this? Does the system have an ego? Why does it keep pushing me?’

‘Am I weird? Did the system not expect me to keep working without checking the status window?’

Well, that was not hard to imagine, because people would usually turn on the status window screaming in excitement, “I saw it!!!”

“…”

“I’m almost done loading everything up.”

Hunters gained countless rights and benefits, from tax breaks to granted immunity, pensions, and even firearm permits.
At the same time, there were obligations as well.
If a dungeon formed within a certain radius around a residential area, they would be assigned to it.
They were the heroes that had to respond when the nation called.
In this world, nothing came for free.

Those in Ranks A, B, and even C could more or less take care of their own lives.
However, the story was different for those in Rank D and below.
So what if someone was a Hunter if they were a useless Rank E fighter?

“Um! What are you doing? Why aren’t you getting on?”

I got on the back of the truck.
The Hunters glanced at us, mumbling.

“Oh, why don’t you wash up for once?”

“Don’t say that to the uneducated…”

All of the Hunter Assistant’s faces were flushed.
They were all the same age as Ji-Cheok’s father.
They were doing this for their family, but that didn’t mean they could be treated like this.
Ji-Cheok raised his voice on purpose.

“Hunter Kim Hee-Wan! Hunter Seon Lee-Pal! How about you guys take apart some monsters, and then see if you can actually remove the stench just by washing yourselves? It’s not like we can use the special shampoo you guys have.
Well, we would appreciate it if you could share some with us!”

When Ji-Cheok called the Hunters by their real names, they looked flustered.

“Well…”

“Hey, let’s go.”

The Hunters looked disgusted, as if they had stepped on dog poop, as they boarded the limousine bus in front of them.
People said that the limousine was a great ride; it was impervious to bullets, blades, and magic alike, and it looked like a foreign luxury car at first glance.
As many rich hunters enjoyed riding it, it had become a symbol of the upper class.
When the hunter’s limousine moved out, the Assistants’ truck rolled along.

Lee tapped Ji-Cheok on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Um.”

“For what?”

“Just… Thank you.
I’m sure everyone feels the same way.”

The other assistants agreed and chimed in.

“Um never gets discouraged, and he speaks so well.
We’re so grateful to have him.”

Everyone raised their thumbs.

Ring!

[You have received 7 Likes.]

[Due to your sincerity, 3 Likes will be added as a bonus.]

[Current Total: 17 Likes.]

‘For goodness’ sake, what the hell is this? Doesn’t the system usually notify people only when their stats or level increases?’

***

Hunter Assistants needed to work only once or twice per week, since it was so dangerous and no one could know when the Hunters would go on a hunt.
Ji-Cheok had to go on break for three days straight after one shift.
As soon as he took off his uniform and signed out, he took a shower and applied a pain relief patch.
Lee often said most of their salary would go to medication, so this type of work wasn’t something anyone should do for long.
Then again, he also said he couldn’t help it as his two kids went to college and he had to pay their tuition.

“I couldn’t get into college because I was dumb, but my kids got into a good one in Seoul.
Hahaha.
They are both smart like their mom.
They didn’t even study much.”

This job paid a lot regardless of one’s educational background or experience, so people stuck to it.
In addition, the Assistants had figured out essential life hacks and the maps now marked the locations of opened dungeons, so there were fewer reasons to quit.

“Ahh… the patch is working so well today.”

Ji-Cheok’s entire body ached.

‘Anyway, why is the system rushing me?’

[God ??? urges you to check the notification.]

‘A god…’ Ji-Cheok was aware that a rare few of the Awakened were chosen by a god to Awaken.

‘But… wasn’t that a long time ago? I haven’t heard of anyone else chosen to be Awakened recently…’

Ji-Cheok grumbled and put on a shirt.
His house was a small studio apartment, and it felt like heaven when he opened a can of beer and took a sip.

‘Okay fine, I’ll do as it says.’

“System open.”

It was widely known that the Awakened Hunters gained access to a system that looked like those in games.
Ji-Cheok knew that he could use it more proficiently than ordinary people — whether he liked them or not, he had nonetheless been working with Hunters.

‘My name, job, and level will pop up on the screen soon.
Oh right, and my previous job.’

‘Wait, but do people usually Awaken like this?’

The system window that opened in front of Ji-Cheok was completely different from the one he knew.

[Welcome to GodTube.]

[You were selected by God ??? to become the social star of GodTube.]

[Please click Help for more information.]

1.
In Korea, there are dairy product subscriptions (like newspaper subscriptions) for households, and these are left in cooler bags hung at the doors.

2.
A video platform in this novel.