Thumbs Up, Level Up

Looking at the message sent by [Decisive_moment_of_choice], Ji-Cheok strengthened his resolve.

“People love happy endings. So I will save them. I will make sure they can see the sunlight in our world! That way I’ll get more Likes!”

[The Gods are in admiration of you.]

[You have received 1,200 Likes.]

[You have received 1,200 Likes.]

[You have received 1,200 Likes.]

[You have received…]

The Gods’ Likes continued to grow. In the meantime, Ji-Cheok checked the number of Likes he had. He wanted to see if the Gods had been diligent in sending them. Indeed, to his delight, there were over one hundred million Likes. This was enough to upgrade his [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] to S-rank. And now, he knew what it meant to have an S-rank Divine Art—it was the state where he could make perfect use of the Mind Sword. Upgrading his [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] to the S rank was the same as being in the Quasi-Immortal realm!

However, he knew this was not enough. He needed more certainty. He needed something that was more complete.

‘In order to save the Tama people… Ah, I forgot about that… Would that work?’

His Minor Intuition responded.

‘Alright, let’s go! Swords up! Charge forward!’

Two swords imbued with the power of the Mind Sword stabbed deep into the dungeon Core that was floating in the sky.

[[Decisive_moment_of_choice] honors the choice of [GodTube Influencer].]

[Choice 1: Dungeon destruction after destroying the dun—]

“As if, you sonovabitch!”

[[Decisive_moment_of_choice] is shocked at the action of [GodTube Influencer].]

“Look! I’m about to consume all of the power of a God!”

His [Northern Darkness Divine Art] and [Cosmic Absorbing Power] had both been activated!

Roar!

An enormous amount of power began to flow into his body from the dungeon Core. However, at this rate, the Core was going to be destroyed before it could be absorbed.

‘That’s why I’m going to use my Likes!’

“Use all my Likes on the [Northern Darkness Divine Art]!”

The [Northern Darkness Divine Art], which was the original skill of the [Cosmic Absorbing Power], could absorb other energies and harmoniously integrate them into one’s body. Its power was comparable to the [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art]. In the blink of an eye, his Likes were poured into the [Northern Darkness Divine Art].

Its rank rose rapidly.

[[Northern Darkness Divine Art] rank has risen!]

[[Northern Darkness Divine Art] is now A rank!]

[[Northern Darkness Divine Art] rank has risen!]

[[Northern Darkness Divine Art] is now A+ rank!]

[[Northern Darkness Divine Art] rank has risen!]

[[Northern Darkness Divine Art] is now A++ rank!]

All of the one hundred million Likes disappeared, but there were no regrets. He knew that he couldn’t bring it up to S-rank in the first place. The [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] required one hundred million Likes to go from A-rank to S-rank, so he knew that he couldn’t upgrade the [Northern Darkness Divine Art] from E-rank to S-rank with the same amount of Likes!

Flash!

Still, the change was dramatic. Compared to when he had first obtained the skill, the difference in the amount of power he was able to absorb was enormous. It was like the difference between a bucket of water and the entire sea. And it was not just any energy. This energy was what made a God…God. It was the divine power of a God.

Ji-Cheok collected this energy in his body. There was both pain and ecstasy; at the same time as his body was being strained to the limit and beyond, the thought of becoming a higher being gave Ji-Cheok joy and pleasure. A sense of incredible happiness and comfort began to spread within him.

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

‘Is this… the sensation of touching the power of a God? Something… is changing…. I am….’

—My dear Ji-Cheok. My dear grandson…

Ji-Cheok heard a voice.

—Ji-Cheok, listen carefully. Something good is going to happen tomorrow.

—No, you fool! Forget about the lottery! I’ll give you something better than lottery numbers, don’t you worry!

It was a dream he had had before.

He saw his grandfather holding up his thumb again.

‘Grandpa… Why are you…’

—— You’ve listened to your grandpa’s words so well and have been so good-natured this whole time, that’s why I worked hard for this moment. There’s something very good waiting for you tomorrow. Just continue to be a blessing to others.

—Listen to me, Ji-Cheok. It’s really important for you to do that. All right? My beloved grandson… I have to go now.

Ji-Cheok’s mind gradually returned. He realized that something remained within him.

“Ha… Hahaha…”

It was unbelievable. His mind was clear, and his body was about to burst like a balloon because of the power he was sucking from the dungeon Core.

And yet, he laughed out loud because it was too funny.

‘What is this, grandpa? Who are you? How did you give this to me?’

[You have obtained the [World Essence].]

This was something that he had used before. It increased the rank of any item or skill by one, unconditionally. With this, he could raise the rank of either the [Heaven and Earth Chaotic Divine Art] or [Northern Darkness Divine Art].

He had obtained it at the right time. Naturally, his questions about his grandfather in his dream spiked, but he put them aside for now. For now, the task at hand was important.

“Use the World Essence on the [Northern Darkness Divine Art].”

[You have used the [World Essence] on the [Northern Darkness Divine Art].]

[Your [Northern Darkness Divine Art] has risen to rank S++]

[You have attained the S++ Inner Technique, [Northern Darkness Divine Art].]

[The effect of [True Human] is synergized.]

[The effect of [Heaven Martial Body] is synergized.]

Kuuuuuu.

A great vortex formed around him. The fragmented and scattered flesh of the giant God around him were sucked into the vortex. Then, they became particles of light, which were sucked into the dungeon Core.

[The [Dog_that_chases_the_night] is astonished!]

[You have received 2,489 Likes.]

[The [Wealthy_lord_of_death] is astonished!]

[You have received 7,361 Likes.]

[The [Garlic_eating_bear] is astonished!]

[You have received 4,721 Likes.]

[The [King_dragon_of_the_east_sea] is astonished!]

[You have received 4,285 Likes.]

[The [Goddess_behind_the_rocks] is astonished!]

[You have received 2,843…]

He could feel the astonishment of the Gods. He could feel their admiration and surprise, and he could see how they became Likes. He also learned what the essence of the Likes was.

The God of Spirits looked at him and called him the [Revered One]. Written in Chinese characters, the word ‘revere’ contained the meanings of both ‘honor’ and ‘fear.’[1]

‘But… Isn’t that what being an entertainer or a star is all about? They are like a shining presence in the distance. People honor you, fear you, and envy you. That is why we call them stars.’

The moment he realized that, he realized what he could do and how to do it. It was like a natural instinct, like breathing, blinking, or lifting a finger.

Like it was supposed to happen naturally, he became aware. He felt his soul growing.

The Fragment of [Slowly_growing_forest_shade] had settled into him.

The Fragment of [Decisive_moment_of_choice] had melted into him.

‘Ah! Now I get it. Choices happen all the time. It is inevitable. But at the same time, everything grows and develops slowly. Slow is relative, right? And right now, I am a young God. Normally, I would want [Fast], not slow.’

However, rather strangely, his [Minor Intuition] was telling him this was the best way to go.

‘And maybe I can do things that other Hunters can’t. I choose to grow!’

Flash!

Light exploded within him.

Then, he realized what his essence was.

“I am…”

[The number of Gods in the channel exceeded 10,000.]

[The 10,000 Gods are stunned by the birth of a new God.]

[Please set a name for the new God.]

“Starting today, I am [GodTube_superstar]!”

[You are now [GodTube_superstar].]

‘In the world of GodTube, the title means everything! The viewers need to be sucked in by the title! The ultimate Likes collector! That’s me!

“Please like and subscribe to my channel!”

In front of the ten thousand Gods, Ji-Cheok begged for Likes.

‘This is my path!’

[You have used a sufficient amount of Likes.]

[You have leveled up!]

“What? Level up? I leveled up?”

‘I thought my job didn’t even have a window for my experience level. Hey, System! What do you mean, I leveled up?’

[All conditions have been unlocked.]

‘Huh? What conditions?’

[The God [GodTube_superstar] has reached level 2.]

‘What?! I leveled up… with Likes?’

Ji-Cheok had to stare at the message window for a moment in disbelief.

* * *

[The 10,000 Gods are stunned by the birth of a new God.]

[Please set a name for the new God.]

[He is now [GodTube_superstar].]

“What the hell am I looking at?”

Ha-Na was mesmerized. A giant blazing sword had formed in midair and then fell. The transcendent sight of it slicing a God in half had been enough to stun her, but what had followed had blown her mind light-years away. The God of Choice had intervened, and Ji-Cheok had lunged at the dungeon Core that had suddenly appeared, stabbing it with his sword. It had seemed to end there, but now… Ji-Cheok had become a God?!

“What… the hell is going on?!”

Ha-Na screamed, holding her head. Beside her, Reable was giggling, cheering, and clapping.

“Bravo! Oy, oy, oy! I was counting on you, Umji-kun!”

No one seemed to mind his odd way of speaking. Ji-Byeok was also mesmerized, Seong Kwang was questioning his God, and Mu-Cheok was watching his brother, who had become a God in the distance, with stoic eyes.

Surprisingly, Ji-Han was smiling.

“Huh? Ji-Han, you’re smiling!” Reable said.

“...I am?”

“Well, well. I knew this might break you, but I didn’t realize it could break you to a point where you don’t even realize you were smiling. Gotta say, it is quite a sight to see you smiling.”

“I see. I guess I am smiling,” Ji-Han said, touching the corner of his mouth.

Just as Reable said, Ji-Han looked as if he was malfunctioning. He got his wits together, however, and quickly returned to his expressionless face just in time to see another message that had popped up.

[You have cleared the dungeon!]

[The rewards will be distributed according to the level of contribution.]

[1st place is Um Ji-Cheok with 12,491,234,521 points.]

[You have cleared the dungeon.]

[Your dungeon rewards are being distributed.]

[You have cleared the hidden quest.]

[Your hidden quest rewards are being distributed.]

[You have destroyed the dungeon.]

[Your dungeon destruction rewards are being distributed.]

The dungeon was destroyed. The entire world was collapsing, and the team members who had entered the dungeon were scattering with the light. Meanwhile, a message that Ji-Han had never seen before popped up.

[This dungeon has become [Godtube_superstar]’s dungeon.]

‘He finally did it.’

This was what Ji-Cheok wanted. This message indicated that Ji-Cheok had kept his promise about doing it for the Likes. It was proof that he saved the Tama Clan.

Ji-Han smiled once again. And the world collapsed.

1. The word used here is 敬畏, the first character meaning ‘respect/honor’ and the second one ‘fear,’ more specifically ‘being intimidated by one’s majesty’ ☜