Thumbs Up, Level Up

Chapter 185

Chapter 185

Anyway, the government official from the Department of Dungeon was sitting in front of Ji-Cheok. He wasn’t some low-grade scrub, but a bona fide Grade Five government official!

‘I believe that starting from Grade Five, they have to pass the Public Officer Qualification Exam.”

This important person that had passed the Qualification Exam introduced himself.

“My name is Kim Jeong-Jae, the secretary of the Dungeon Disaster Administration under the Department of Multi-Dimensional Dungeon Management. Nice to meet you, Mr. Um.”

The government official greeted him politely. In K-dramas, these officials were always depicted as being cocky and arrogant, and they always got slapped in the face at some point, but in reality, they were surprisingly normal. Just ordinary salarymen. They just lived day by day, earning their money, nothing special.

“Nice to meet you too. So, what can I do for you?” Ji-Cheok said.

“We have requested a meeting to discuss what you said during your interview a few days ago. I understand that you said something along the lines of destroying all dungeons in Korea on livestream… Am I correct?”

“Ah, yes. That is correct.”

‘I said that to get more Likes and subscriptions, but it’s still true.’

“I know you said in that livestream that you would like to discuss with the government about destroying dungeons while leaving necessary dungeons in Korea. So I came here to follow up on that proposition.”

‘Wow, they work pretty fast. Thankfully, just for this occasion, I have already been tutored by Jung Ji-Han!’

—Mr. Um, the government will ask you to give priority to certain dungeons that they want gone. Those will invariably be in areas determined by the solicitation of local businesses or politicians.

—Those dungeons will be in important areas of Seoul, like Namsan Tower. You need to tell them that we will conduct an internal review first and get back to them.

These were some of the tips that Ji-Han had given him. Besides that, Ji-Cheok had received a lot of tutoring, and thanks to that, he more or less understood what went around in the world of politics. To summarize what Ji-Han had told him, this ordinary salaryman in front of him who had passed the Qualification Exam was here because his boss had accepted some favors or bribes from local businesses or politicians. Or even worse, he was the one who had accepted bribes. Evil could always be found under these unassuming, normal forms.

Ji-Han also said that Ji-Cheok was the boss in this situation.

‘Well, he’s not wrong.’

“Ah, I see,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Yes. This is a list of dungeons that are currently unnecessary in Korea, and I have also brought a map displaying those dungeons.”

He pulled out a thick stack of documents and handed it to Ji-Cheok. Next to it, he set down a tablet. The paperwork was a printed list of dungeons and their details, and the tablet showed a map of Korea.

“Currently, there are 423 dungeons in Korea and 121 of them are Regenerative Dungeons. Of those Regenerative dungeons, 82 are near civilian neighborhoods,” Jeong-Jae continued.

“Wait a minute, 423 dungeons?!” Ji-Cheok asked.

‘Wasn’t the total number of dungeons in Korea around 300? When did it increase that much?’

Secretary Kim Jeong-Jae looked more serious than before.

“It has grown exponentially over the past year. This information is still classified, so it is not known to the general public.”

‘I had no idea…’

“In the case of Regenerative Dungeons, there were originally 72, so their number has not increased by that much. Therefore, the threat has not increased significantly either. The problem is that Single-shot Dungeons have practically multiplied.”

Jeong-Jae pressed the tablet a couple of times and showed him a few photos. These were Portals that were created in places such as forests and rice fields.

“These dungeons disappear after clearing them, but the speed at which they appear has actually become faster than the speed at which they’re destroyed. In that sense, the administration greatly welcomes the development of your potion-making facilities, Mr. Um.”

“I see.”

“Also, we are hoping you would start making mana recovery potions, if possible.”

“I guess you’re expecting me to advance into mana recovery potions after raising my stamina recovery potion skill.”

“Yes. That is the standard skill tree for Alchemists. They learn mana recovery potion skills after mastering stamina recovery potion skills.”

‘Hm, did he predict that far out?’

Jeong-Jae continued to talk.

“Every Hunter has a different rate of mana recovery. If they could recover their mana quickly, that means they would be able to enter and clear dungeons faster.”

‘What I produce now are healing potions that directly affect survival. Come to think of it, I didn’t pay much attention to the mana recovery potion market. Is that the area that is keeping SL Chemicals alive?’’

?It is highly likely, Master.?

‘Is it possible for me to make those potions with my current crafting proficiency?’

?Yes, you can mass produce them in a stable manner.?

‘Then, let’s increase production and start making mana recovery potions. No, let’s make them all. Right now, I’m making small batches of detox potions, but let’s just make everything en masse.’

?I will have them prepared, Master.?

“The most urgent area is here. These are areas that only you personally can solve, Mr. Um,” Jeong-Jae said.

He marked twelve places on the map. There were four areas in Seoul, three in Gwangju, one in Daejeon, one in Daegu, and three in Busan.

‘What? Why are there three in Gwangju?’

When he clicked on the map to enlarge it, Gwangju had one in the city and two in a factory complex on the outskirts. As he looked at the map, the government official explained it.

“That is the largest Magic Stone refinery complex in Korea. It is no exaggeration to say that the complex there is responsible for the entire country’s energy.

Magic Stones were obtained from monsters killed in dungeons. Ji-Cheok knew that they were currently used to fuel power plants. Without them, it was natural that the energy industry would simply crash in a matter of hours. He also knew that Magic Stones had to be refined in order to be used…

‘And that refinery was in Gwangju. I had no idea.’

“Okay. Can I review these and give you an answer in a bit?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Sure. Still, I would like to get an answer as soon as possible.”

“Where do you personally think the most urgent area is, Secretary Kim?”

He paused for a bit. After thinking for a while, he answered.

“I think the most urgent one is the refinery in Gwangju. This dungeon is very problematic.”

He pointed at one of the three dungeons in Gwangju. He continued to talk with a serious face.

“The other dungeons have Hunters and soldiers surrounding the dungeon in case of a Dungeon Wave, and they’re running the factories with minimal impact. However, this factory has a Regenerative Dungeon in one of its core facilities. Because of this, the refinery has completely stopped.”

‘So he’s saying that’s the most urgent dungeon.’

“We are already in the process of relocating the factory. But the costs of that process and the damage it brings are both enormous. Actually, we’re more concerned about the risk of a domestic energy supply shortage than about the damage caused by relocation…”

“I see…”

“Well, please take that into consideration.”

“I will. It was nice meeting you today.”

“You're welcome. I hope to hear from you soon.”

Secretary Kim Jeong-Jae bowed politely and left. As soon as Ji-Cheok saw him leave the meeting room, he picked up his phone.

—How was the meeting? Did it go well?

As soon as Ji-Han picked up, he went straight to business talk. Ji-Han’s way of speaking made Ji-Cheok feel a little empty. His team leader sure hated wasting time. The more Ji-Cheok got to know him, the less casual greetings he got from Ji-Han.

“Yes, I’m done with the meeting… He said the Gwangju refinery is the most urgent one.”

-As expected. Certainly, from a national standpoint, that is the most urgent dungeon. The factory itself is also a public enterprise managed by the state.

“I thought he recommended it because he was bribed to do so, but I’m surprised.”

—Ah, I’m sure he made some money off that recommendation, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not urgent.

‘I see.’

—I will negotiate with other companies and the government. Isn’t there a famous line in an old movie? What you’re good at shouldn’t be given away for free.

“Yup. That’s a famous line.”

‘I know that because I saw that movie too.’

—Then, do you have time today?

“Yes, I have some time.”

—I think you should destroy one level-restricted dungeon. Based on that, I will select and tell you where to prioritize after the negotiations.

“Okay, thank you.”

‘It’s better to leave this kind of stuff to the professionals.’

Ji-Cheok ended the call and stood up from his seat.

* * *

“A dungeon with a level 20 restriction! Destroyed in twenty-one minutes! What do you guys think?”

The dungeon had been destroyed. It was a level-restricted dungeon with Goblins as the main mobs. Just like in the case of any other level-restricted dungeon, it was impossible for Hunters under level 20 to even survive the dungeon alone, much less destroy it.

‘I have no idea why they would give this a level 20 restriction if they were going to make it this hard. It just doesn’t make sense.’

In the dungeon, Ji-Cheok had been met by a heavily-armored Hobgoblin. When he had first seen it, he had thought it was some kind of massive medieval knight. What kind of Hobgoblin would come out wearing plate armor and a helmet that perfectly covered his face? To make matters worse, this Hobgoblin was riding a big wolf. Ji-Cheok wondered if he should call the Hobgoblin a Wolf Knight or something.

The Wolf Knight was accompanied by ten normal Goblins, each with different weapons. These eleven Goblins actually formed a fighting unit, a complete party, just like Hunters did. Even worse, these guys were wandering around grasslands, which meant that there was nowhere for the wannabe dungeon raiders to take cover. Whenever Ji-Cheok killed some of these Goblins, one of the ones left alive pulled out a horn and called for backup.

‘How could a level 20 Hunter clear this place? Shouldn’t you feel a little guilty about this, you bastards?’

Pissed off, Ji-Cheok had gone on a rampage and destroyed the place. In spite of the wolf’s speed, it had been no match for his Mono Bike G. He had used [Blaze Walk] to put up walls of flames behind the motorcycle, while using [Soul Telekinesis] to herd all the mobs in. Having done that, he had used the Sword Threads to kill everything in sight.

It had only taken him a couple of minutes to annihilate all the Goblins. After the massacre, he had headed toward their village, and just like that, he had smashed the wooden fence with his bike.

The boss monster? Of course, he had killed it in one hit.

After that, he had found the dungeon Core, which had turned into a four-meter Giant Goblin. It was only then that he had realized that each dungeon Core had a different shape. Of course, Ji-Cheok had killed it with ease and destroyed the dungeon altogether. The dungeon Core Giant Goblin was just a massive version of a normal Goblin, not terribly strong.

Ji-Cheok livestreamed everything. Currently, he was going through the closing comments.

-That’s the second dungeon destruction!

?It’s actually the third. Remember that Umji also destroyed the hotel dungeon.

-Wait, was destroying dungeons supposed to be this easy?

-That Umji is a genius! LOL!

-Only Umji can destroy these kinds of dungeons. You can’t get the detection skills that can find a dungeon Core unless you are a high-level Hunter. And since those dungeons have a level restriction of 20, only Umji can get rid of them.

?But like, what level is Umji? How can he enter a dungeon with a level restriction of 20?

?I heard that he has a hidden job that allows him to use multiple abilities instead of leveling up.

-I can hear [The Real Patriot] singing in happiness.

The chat was filled with the viewers’ comments.

‘Hahaha, I feel so great to see the number of viewers increase like this.’

“I would like to thank everyone who watched my livestream today. Don’t forget to Like and subscribe to my channel!”

He finished the livestream with his usual closing remarks. When he looked around, there was only one reporter this time. This was because Ji-Cheok had made this dungeon reservation through the Department of Dungeons only an hour prior, and he had destroyed it in record time. To put it short, the reporters simply didn’t have enough time to find him.

?That reporter could be following you personally, Master.?

‘Do you think they would go that far?’

?Your mana recovery is much faster than other Hunters’, so it is not unlikely that they have someone watching your every move.?

‘Well, if that’s the case, I should make it a bit more challenging for the reporters.

?What are you thinking, Master??

‘Well, I thought of this when I saw that reporter. I think it’s not going to be that difficult. So the plan is…’

1. Classification of the Korean government official is based on grades. There are nine grades, with Grade 1 being the highest (Assistant Minister) and 9 the lowest.