The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 110

"Let's go up."

Hanbit and the others ascended the stairs.

The spiral staircase was pristine.

When they reached the second floor, a large bookshelf that encircled the entire floor caught their eye.

"Are you the visitor?"

A man wearing glasses stood in the middle.

His metal glasses and neatly combed hair complemented his cold expression.

"I'm the adventurer, Black Dragon."

"I'm Levius, the director of the research institute. What brings you here?"

His stiff expression and tone made him seem quite authoritative.

However, Levius, who had taken his eyes off the book, was looking at Hanbit seriously.

"I've come to learn fire magic."

"Hmm. Are you proficient in magic?"

"I had a good teacher. I received very strict training."

"I see."

Thud-

Levius closed the book and turned around.

After glancing at Hanbit's wrist, he walked towards the stairs.

"Go to the rooftop."

"Director?"

Nia was startled by the sudden request.

Looking back and forth between Levius and Hanbit, she smiled awkwardly.

"Um... shall we go up then?"

"Yes, let's go."

Hanbit and the others followed him up the stairs.

The tower was quite tall, but they reached the rooftop quickly thanks to the magic device Levius had installed on the stairs.

"Ah, do you have any mana potions? Could you give me some?"

"Mana potions?"

"I'll give you some. They're intermediate level, but I have quite a few."

Avantgarde took out 100 mana potions from his inventory. It was enough for immediate use.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to pay you back."

"Pay me back? I can give you 1,000. But why do you need mana potions?"

"I need them now."

"Now?"

While they were having this conversation, Hanbit had reached the rooftop.

Levius was standing in front of a low stone pillar in the center.

There was a diamond-shaped blue crystal embedded in the body of the pillar. It was a magic crystal used to store mana.

"Let's do a test. If you pass, I'll teach you the magic."

"Alright."

-A test?

-Has Levius done this before?

-I've never seen it in the community.

-I'm too low-level to know.

[Sorcerer has donated 1,000 won.]

[If you've already maxed out your 2nd rank skills, quit being a magician.]Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The chat was abuzz.

Hanbit knew that he had actually maxed out his skills on the day he learned them. But there was no need to mention it now.

Usually, the process was simple: a player would complete a quest given by Levius and then learn the skill.

But this time, Levius was asking for a test first.

This only happened when he was particularly interested in someone.

For example, when an adventurer wearing a golden bracelet came to learn magic.

"The test is simple. Demonstrate your magic to the best of your ability. This place is protected by a barrier, so you can use it freely."

"Understood."

Ding-!

[Quest]

Pass Levius' test.

Reward: 100,000 gold, Levius' Fire Lance Spellbook (3rd rank - Heroic), 3 stat points, 40,000 experience points.

The quest finally appeared.

The chat was still full of question marks, but the content was simple.

Hanbit raised his right hand and chanted.

"Fire Burst!"

Boom-!

A ball of fire exploded against an invisible wall.

"Wow!"

Nia, who was watching from a few steps away, widened her eyes.

It was completely different from the 'Fire Burst' she knew.

"What was that? You just chanted 'Fire Burst'!"

The excited girl didn't stop talking.

But Levius, who was standing with his arms crossed, murmured quietly.

"Again."

"Yes. Fire Burst!"

Boom-!

"Again."

Boom-!

"Again."

Boom-!

The repetitive requests and demonstrations of magic continued for quite some time.

Gulp-

Gulp-

The mana potions he had received from Avantgarde were quickly depleting.

And when only three bottles remained, Levius' voice rang out.

"That's enough."

There was no significant change in his expression as he raised his hand.

Only his glasses had been removed.

-Can he take off his glasses?

-Wow, he's hot.

-Alpha male.

The chat was abuzz as they saw his bare face for the first time.

Only Hanbit knew that this action was an extreme expression of emotion.

"Did I pass the test?"

"There's nothing to fault. It was as beautiful as if you had the blessing of a spirit. I'll be sure to refer to your magic in my basic magic research,” Levius said sincerely.

He was a man who was truly passionate about magic research. Or rather, he was almost obsessive.

"Then, as promised, I'll give you the spellbook."

Swish-

Levius took a red-covered book from his pocket and handed it to Hanbit.

Immediately, a notification appeared.

Ding-!

[Quest completed.]

[Reward adjusted based on Levius' evaluation.]

[Received 200,000 gold.]

[Received Levius' Fire Lance spellbook (3rd rank - Unique).]

[Received 6 stat points.]

[Received 80,000 experience points.]

[Level increases.]

[Received 1 stat point.]

-Unique again. ㅋㅋㅋ

-The gap between 3rd rank is huge;

-Why am I treated so harshly?

Hanbit immediately flipped through the pages of the book.

[Would you like to use it? (Yes/No)]

It was a hologram he hadn't seen in a long time.

He tapped the 'Yes' button, and the book disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The skill 'Fire Lance' was now listed in his skill list.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to master it."

"Hm."

Levius stroked his chin and looked at Hanbit.

Then, he suddenly said something strange.

"I wonder... Could you learn new magic quickly?"

"...Yes?"

Hanbit's eyes widened at the unexpected question.

Levius had asked this question before, but not at this point in time.

While Hanbit was trying to understand the situation, Levius put his glasses back on.

Then, as if making a casual suggestion, he continued, "Use the magic you just acquired. Try it."

Ding-!

Another notification appeared as he said that.

Hanbit couldn't believe his eyes.

[Hidden Quest]

Satisfy Levius' curiosity by using the new magic 'Fire Lance'.

You only have one chance.

If you succeed, you will be taught a completely new magic.

Reward: Levius' research spellbook, 200,000 experience points, 15 stat points

-?

-Is this for real?

-Damn. ㅋㅋㅋ

-Is it really a hidden skill?

-It looks like it, judging by the spellbook.

-Fuck, this is crazy.

-Why don't I have any?

The quest window with its bright golden border shocked the viewers.

The appearance of another hidden quest surprised everyone.

"Is there another hidden skill in Ifrit?"

"You've been hiding such a big event!"

"You're kidding me?!"

Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde exclaimed.

Hanbit was just as surprised.

'What is this?'

He stared at the message and reread it several times.

Satisfy Levius' curiosity.

Only one chance.

No matter how hard he searched his memories, he couldn't find anything that matched.

'What's with the completely new magic?'

The magic he had learned from Levius had always been the 'Fire Lance'.

Levius had dedicated his entire life to researching basic magic.

He had once been impressed by the power of a spirit he had witnessed by chance.

"Why are you looking so surprised? Don't mind the others, and feel free to do as you please. I'll take care of the safety,” Levius, who didn't know about Hanbit's inner thoughts, added.

"I understand."

Hanbit could tell that Levius was genuinely interested, despite his expressionless face.

'I'm really curious about this.'

Hanbit had never heard of Levius teaching anyone new magic.

This was an unexpected situation, but he was now even more interested in the spellbook.

To get it, he had to complete the hidden quest.

'Satisfy his curiosity...'

The quest itself was simple enough.

He just had to pique Levius' interest.

The key was how he used the newly learned 'Fire Lance' magic.

"What are you going to do? It seems difficult to achieve that with the magic you just learned."

"I don't know. It won't be easy."

"If Black Dragon says it's difficult, then it must be really difficult. As expected of a hidden skill,” Avantgarde said in a small voice.

Although he seemed worried, his expression was full of anticipation.

He probably wasn't thinking about the possibility of failure.

'I don't think ordinary methods will work.'

It was possible to perfectly execute the 'Fire Lance' even if it was his first time.

But that wouldn't be enough to pique Levius' interest.

The only clue he had was from his past conversations with Levius.

Most of them were about magic and research, but he tried to recall anything that might be relevant.

'I have no idea...'

There were a few things he could try.

He could apply some variations to the magic.

But the problem was the one-time chance given by the quest.

Even with a 99% chance of success, he hesitated to try.

It would be better to ask for information first.

Bang-!

Suddenly, he heard a loud noise.

He turned to see Nia holding onto the central pillar.

"I'm sorry! I accidentally touched it!"

She was looking at the magic crystal embedded in the pillar.

Levius, who had only glanced at her, calmly said, "I replaced it with a new barrier. Nothing will go wrong, no matter what happens."

"What? When did you do that?"

Nia looked at him with disbelief.

Even in the safe Ifrit, the tower's barrier was important.

It protected against both external attacks and internal accidents.

And yet, he had replaced it without telling anyone.

"Didn't I mention it five years ago?"

"Five years ago? I was this tall!"

Nia raised her hand to show her height.

"It wasn't that long ago."

"No, it was!"

As the teacher and student continued their banter, Hanbit's eyes moved.

'I wonder...'

The only thing in the empty rooftop was the stone pillar with the blue diamond-shaped crystal.

It was Levius' creation.

It was a barrier that he had created with his own hands and pride.

'If I do this...'

A plan quickly formed in Hanbit's mind.

He looked up at the ceiling.

A transparent membrane was faintly shimmering, covering the entire space.

It was the dome-shaped barrier that protected the tower.

Hanbit turned to Levius and asked, "Can I break this barrier?"

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]