Thumbs Up, Level Up

ok could do was laugh.

‘But… Can I buy an unlimited number of items if I have enough points? That’s unusual, others have restrictions when purchasing skills…’

Other Hunters gained points when they killed monsters, and Ji-Cheok had heard they could use the store as well.
However, it was different from what he knew.
Well, it wasn’t going to cost him anything to go through the list, so he kept scrolling down.
The skills were interesting, they even included ‘Watching,’ ‘Writing,’ ‘Spitting,’ ‘Swimming,’ and ‘Hand Standing.’

[Massage: It helps the blood circulation and restores Stamina.
The user can apply the skill to others.]

“Massage? This… is a good way to earn likes, since people usually give me a thumbs-up after I massage them.”

This skill was definitely a diamond in the rough.
Even if Ji-Cheok used up all his Likes, he could always put it to use and receive more thumbs-up.

“Purchase the Massage skill!”

This was how Ji-Cheok would gain his capital.

***

The next day, Ji-Cheok went to work.

“Hey, Um.
You must’ve been tired yesterday, but you still came early,” Mr.
Kim kindly greeted him.

Mr.
Kim was always the first to report to work.
He didn’t live in a dorm, so he commuted from his place in Gyeonggi-do by transit.
Since the early morning bus didn’t charge for the Seoul toll gate, he took the first bus early every morning.
It was two hours each way, so four hours round trip.
He said that living together with his family was completely worth it, despite the lack of rest.

“Nah, it must’ve been hard for you as well yesterday.
Why don’t you take some rest?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“What’s the point of taking a break? There’s nothing to do.
I’d rather work and earn more money,” Mr.
Kim grumbled and put on his work uniform.

Ji-Cheok also changed into his uniform and placed a bodycam on his chest.

Beep-

– Employee authentication successful.
Good morning, Employee Number 20431.

The bodycam turned on with a beep.
Ji-Cheok still couldn’t get used to it, even though he heard it every morning.

“Can I upload this video later?” he inquired.

“Why?” Mr.
Kim asked.

“Hunters post their bodycam records on their personal video channels, so I was wondering if we could do that, too.
Do you think it would be okay, since we are just cleaners?” Ji-Cheok looked at him.

“You agreed to the confidentiality clause when signing the contract.
Why would people like us upload videos of what we do?”

Mr.
Kim shook his head and put a cigarette in his mouth.
After letting out puffs of smoke for a while, his eyes widened with determination.

“Nevermind, I’ll ask the management,” he said.

“You’ll help me?”

“What do you mean, ‘help?’ They’ll scold you, so I thought it would be better if you had company.
That’s the only reason I’m tagging along.”

Mr.
Kim smiled cleverly, and Ji-Cheok guessed that he meant that he shouldn’t expect much.
Ji-Cheok knew it was hard for mayflies like them to ask for something from the headquarters.

“Thank you,” he said.

“We’ll be told off together, so don’t look forward to it too much, Um,” Mr.
Kim replied.

“But still, I really appreciate it.”

He put out his cigarette and nodded instead of answering.
Then, he raised his thumb.

“You must have some plans, so…”

[You have received 1 Like.]

‘I should have been the one giving him one.’ Ji-Cheok hadn’t expected that Mr.
Kim would support him and cheer him up like that.

“Thank you,” Ji-Cheok said sincerely.

“You ’re welcome.”

Then, Mr.
Kim left, seemingly embarrassed to have said that.

***

“Um, I heard you’re going to ask the headquarters if you can upload your bodycam video,” one of Ji-Cheok’s coworkers asked.

That day’s task popped up again, and it was just as always, the usual slicing and carrying dead monsters.
Some people called the Hunter Assistants ants, and some would scold their kids and tell them to study hard so they don’t end up becoming one.
Ji-Cheok didn’t care about any of that, and was just glad no one had gotten injured that day.
His body was dead tired, but his mind was bored.

“Oh, did Mr.
Kim tell you?”

‘Whoa, those rumors spread fast.’

“It doesn’t matter.
We should all go together and ask,” he said.

“Yes, we need to propose it together so our voices are stronger,” another coworker replied.

“He’s right.
Getting scolded is fun sometimes when you have company.
Don ’t be scared of bringing it up,” the other smiled.

Each of the seven coworkers around Ji-Cheok suggested talking to the headquarters together although none of them really thought it would work.
He was still grateful to them, and he felt touched.

“Shall we take a break?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“Yes, it’s break time.
Hey! Mr.
Kang! Let’s take some rest!”

Everyone decided to take a break at Ji-Cheok’s suggestion.
Now was the perfect time to give them a massage.

‘How do I use this skill? Use the Massage skill!’

[There is no target.]

Noticing that he had to activate the skill while massaging, Ji-Cheok approached Mr.
Kim, who had spoken to him first.

“Stretch your shoulders,” Ji-Cheok said.

“Why? Are you going to give me a massage?” Mr.
Kim asked.

“Yes,” Ji-Cheok replied.

“No, thanks.”

His tone was cold, and Ji-Cheok might’ve been embarrassed in the old days.
However, he now knew they needed to save energy for work.
Mr.
Kim purposely refused so directly because he was worried that Ji-Cheok would collapse later during work.

“Hey!’

In this case, it was better for Ji-Cheok to just pull Mr.
Kim’s shoulders and start massaging.
Then, Mr.
Kim would be able to pretend that he couldn ’t win against Ji-Cheok’s power.

“Oh, no… You won’t get anything for doing this.”

Mr.
Kim closed his eyes as he said so.

‘Use the Massage skill!’

[The Massage skill will now be activated.]

It worked.
Ji-Cheok’s hand automatically began to press down on Mr.
Kim’s shoulders and unravel the hardened muscles.
Although he had never learned any massage techniques, Ji-Cheok moved like an expert.

“Ugh… this hurts,” Mr.
Kim mumbled.

“Should I stop?” Ji-Cheok asked.

“No, go on.
Oddly enough, it feels pretty nice.”

The stiff muscles loosened up with a cracking sound.
Then, Mr.
Kim’s back straightened.

“Wow, where did you learn that?”

People had been watching, and they gathered one by one around the two of them.

“He massages like a professional.”

“Whoa… Even experts can’t do it that well…”

Mr.
Kim raised his thumb, feeling refreshed despite the pain.

“Wow, it looks like he does a killer massage,” the people around started muttering.

Ring-

[You have received 1 Like.]

It was nice getting a thumbs-up in real-time.

1.
The same thumbs-up/likes concept used in various social media and video streaming platforms now.

2.
experience points

3.
Magical Power

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