The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 23

[Quest completed.]

[Received 100,000 gold.]

[Received Asla's Secret Manual.]

[10 stat points awarded.]

[Experience points increased by 10,000.]

[Level increased by 1.]

[1 stat point awarded.]

-Holy shit, he actually cleared it.

-Quickly check the skill.

-Is it really hidden?

-Use it quickly.

-Please.

Urged by the viewers, Hanbit accepted the green book.

As he turned the cover, a hologram window with a gold border appeared.

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

Click-

As soon as he touched the 'Yes' button, the hologram disappeared.

Poof-

The book vanished into smoke.

A message appeared.

[Skill ‘Swiftness(1st Rank - Unique)' deleted.]

[Skill 'Basic Swordsmanship (1st Rank - Unique)' deleted.]

[Hidden spirit skill 'Wind Movement (1st Rank - Epic)' added.]

[Hidden spirit skill 'Wind Swordsmanship (2nd Rank - Epic)' added.]

-Whoa.

-It really appeared.

-Hidden + Spirit + Epic grade, holy shit lol

-It gives two skills?

-Sacrifices normal skills.

-So ‘Swiftness’ had a use after all;

‘The community is going to explode. lol

[SmallSpender has donated 50,000 won.]

[No way, seriously.]

[ㅇㅇ (XX) has donated 70,000 won.]

[Is this for real;]

'This is new.'

The 'Basic Swordsmanship' and ‘Swiftness’ skills disappeared.

Both were necessary abilities for this moment.

In reality, since skills were learned through physical training, there was nothing to disappear.

Rather, seeing it this way, it felt like things were being clearly organized.

"This is unbelievable..." Yeonwoo, muttering to himself, couldn't hide his shock.

His mind couldn't keep up with the words 'hidden', 'spirit', and 'epic'.

Ding-!

[SwordGod has donated 200,000 won.]

[Show us lol]

Just then, a message with a large donation appeared.

Its content also stirred the chat.

-Hurry hurry

-Hidden spirit sword skill ⟶ Unpredictable

-Holy shit, it probably doesn't even use mana.

-Quickly, master.

"Thank you for the donation! Hey, use it quickly!" Yeonwoo, snapping back to reality at the donation, reacted immediately.

'Swordsmanship had active skills starting from Rank 3, right?'

The viewers had various thoughts, but he understood.

Skills like swordsmanship and archery, excluding magic, were classified as passive until Rank 2.

As such, there was a longing for active skills and a certain pride in them.

Swish-

Hanbit, holding his sword, turned towards the empty air.

His past memories were vivid.

The feeling of the spirit's power dwelling within him was also incredibly well implemented.

'Is it because of 'Wind Movement'?'

Hanbit noticed the change in his body movements.

The clunky feeling he always had seemed to be alleviated to a noticeable degree.

It was even more satisfying than when the ‘Swiftness’ skill was applied.

He hadn't tried using more expensive gear, but at least this could close the gap by one level.

Chirp-

As he took his stance, the spirit Sylph on his shoulder dispersed.

Immediately after, wind began to gather around his sword.

Whoosh-

The intensifying wind condensed like a small vortex.

And the moment the surging flow calmed down, Hanbit swung his sword down.

Whoosh-

The sword drew a diagonal line with a sharp sound.

Its trajectory became a crescent-shaped wind that extended forward.

Crash-

The wind, hitting the cave wall, quickly dispersed.

In its place, a long, straight groove was carved.

"...Active? Hey, did you just use an active skill?"

-LMAO Seriously, what the hell.

-Not just any active skill, holy shit, it would even beat a Rank 4;

-I'm quitting RP.

-Why quit? You have to get that.

-Balder is the gatekeeper.

-I'm going to sign up for kendo classes today.

-35 years old (white belt)

The swordsmanship that unleashed wind gave the viewers a strong shock.

Those who hadn't obtained active skills yet, and those who already had, were all the same.

"How could you get it before me!" Yeonwoo's genuine frustration erupted.

It seemed half-acted, but he appeared a little upset.

"Since it's a spirit skill, it really doesn't use mana? Then you can use it infinitely?"

"It doesn't use mana, but it's not infinite. At the current level, it needs preparation time."

"That's still OP..."

Pure spirit power doesn't consume mana.

However, unless it's in a place filled with spirit power like this, the process of gathering wind is necessary.

Though it's not a big risk compared to its advantages.

'There are those who use it strangely.'

The existence of spirits leaves traces all over the world.

Therefore, there were also those who chose danger, deviating from the orthodox method.

Forcibly using the power of spirits by consuming their own mana and life force, so to speak.

Although rare, he would encounter a user like that in Edlen's story soon.

Ding-!

[OtherworldSwordman has donated 10,000 won.]

[Any hints?]

-Oh.

-If you give a hint, I'll bark like a dog.

-Woof! Grrrr... Woof!

-He hasn't given it yet;

The word 'hint' reignited the chat.

Their desperate desire to try this skill was palpable.

Hanbit decided to tell a little lie.

"A hint? This is a hidden skill, so I was thinking about selling it..."

He spoke in a voice filled with genuine contemplation.

Naturally, the bait was very sweet.

[SwordMister has donated 100,000 won.]

[Please.]

[SwordEmperor has donated 150,000 won.]

[Are you abandoning us? It's the end of the month, so our budgets are tight;]

[SwordGod has donated 200,000 won.]

[How much will it take?]

The viewers reacted by pouring in donations.

He was originally planning to reveal the information on the stream anyway, but the flow was too good.

'How much should I reveal?'

Actually, even if he gave hints about spirits, it would only be obvious things.

After all, if they didn't have the skill themselves, they would never be able to obtain it.

However, even this fundamental information was desperately wanted by the players.

Ding-!

As he was pondering, a louder alarm rang.

Hanbit turned his gaze and froze.

[Avantgarde has donated 1,000,000 won.]

[Hello, Black Dragon. I'm streamer Avantgarde. Would it be possible to talk for a moment?]

"Oh, it's really Avantgarde?"

-?

-Is it really him?

-Yeah, that idiot Bang Ga has been recording since yesterday.

-Bang Ga, go farming.

Judging from Yeonwoo and the viewers' reactions, he seemed to be quite a famous streamer.

'1 million won?'

Naturally, Hanbit's attention was first drawn to the amount.

1 million won.

That was the number contained in a single donation.

But his surprise didn't last long.

[PowerBridge Corp. has donated 2,000,000 won.]

[Hello. This is Kim Jooho from the RP dedicated team at PowerBridge Corp. I'd like to inquire about purchasing information on the hidden skill.]

-Whoa, PowerBridge?

-Aren't they a mid-sized company?

-Don't they have a semi-advance team?

-Even corporations are joining in. Holy shit lol

The appearance of a fairly large company.

Surprisingly, that was just the beginning.

[Taesung Corp. has donated 3,000,000 won.]

[MOKA has donated 3,000,000 won.]

[Yeonhwa Gaming has donated 5,000,000 won.]

...

The number of companies and the amount of donations gradually increased.

Hanbit couldn't help but stare intently at the accumulating messages.

* * *

"The spirit will always be with you. Always connect deeply with your heart, and balance the growth of your body..."

Asla's advice continued for quite some time.

It stemmed from his gratitude and sincerity towards the spirit.

"Thank you. Then I'll be on my way."

"Yes. Oh, this is just out of concern."

Just as he was about to turn away, Asla raised his hand and stopped him.

Then, with a slightly darkened expression, he continued, "If you're staying in Edlen, it would be wise to be careful."

"Careful? About what?"

"An unsettling energy of unknown origin has been appearing and disappearing intermittently. I couldn't find it in the forest, but it's possible that something exists within the city."

Asla added that he had been thoroughly searching the surroundings since yesterday.

Hanbit, who knew its identity well, nodded.

"I understand. I'll be careful."

"It could be an existence that can harm the spirit. Always be on your guard."

With that conversation concluded, Hanbit and Yeonwoo moved outside. It was thanks to the exit created by the power of the wind.

"Hey, there they are."

"Shit, can't we grab them and get something?"

"Don't act rashly and wait. He said he'll release the information."

On the way to the city, the eyes of all sorts of players were focused on them.

They didn't seem to want to hide what they desired.

'Just how much is accumulating?'

The donations that had been pouring in since earlier were still continuing.

Even considering only the amounts in the millions, it had already exceeded 20 million won.

He had an expected donation amount in mind, but even that seemed to have been a conservative estimate.

'Hidden skills are really something else.'

There were two main reasons why he revealed the process of obtaining this skill on the stream.

One. To build a foundation for solo streaming someday.

Two. To check people's reactions to the hidden skill and the resulting profit.

He would have to continue working on the streaming part, but he had more or less finished assessing the hidden skill.

'Selling it is a bit iffy.'

Once he started trading information, responsibility would follow as the seller.

It was virtually impossible to fully convey his own experiences accumulated through 55 playthroughs.

Especially when it came to powers related to spirits, things were even more ambiguous.

Just the thought of a buyer filing a complaint because they couldn't get the skill gave him a headache.

Although he had information and items to sell in mind, he needed to be cautious.

"I should organize this before we go."

Hanbit stopped and looked at the camera.

"Since everyone has donated, I'll just reveal the information about this hidden skill."

Hanbit spoke with a nuance of having contemplated it.

Yeonwoo wasn't surprised because he had been told beforehand.

-He's really giving it away?

-Is this what it means to be rich;

-Wouldn't it be at least hundreds of millions if he sold it?

-I don't think it's a matter of hundreds of millions.

-Everyone shut up and worship him.

[SwordGod has donated 100,000 won.]

[He's actually doing it.]

[Avantgarde has donated 200,000 won.]

[Black Dragon? Excuse me, but could you unlock your message settings?]

-Bang Ga, read the room.

-Shut up.

Streamer Avantgarde subtly made a request through a donation.

In this game, you could block messages from players not on your friend list.

Although it could be adjusted in the settings, if he unlocked it, he would be bombarded with messages.

Considering Rashtan, contact with the outside wasn't very appealing.

"Please contact this person."

Hanbit patted his junior's shoulder, who was standing next to him.

Yeonwoo, who was already checking the messages, nodded.

"You can simply organize and send us any proposals or whatnot. We'll consider them with an open mind depending on the content."

He continued to give various explanations while looking at the camera.

When he was mostly done organizing, Hanbit said, "I'll post the information in writing after today's stream. It's not that great, but it's better than nothing."

-I'll lap up anything like a dog.

-I already saw it live, so it's okay.

-Anything is good.

The viewers, who needed any information they could get, were positive.

'Since the donation amount is what it is, should I give more detailed information?'

The accumulated donation amount touched Hanbit's heart.

Even if the information was going to be released to the world, he didn't intend to give out meaningless things.

Even if he explained everything from A to Z, they wouldn't be able to replicate it anyway.

"Hey, but if you tell them, won't they monopolize it again?" Yeonwoo voiced his concern, recalling Rashtan.

The possibility of Rashtan's tyranny repeating itself.

It was a natural concern, but this time it was different.

"No, there's no way they can monopolize it."

"There are cases where they establish a position and control other players. Ah, would that turn into a war?"

-If they control, it's war.

-Will we see an Advance Party war this time?

-It'll be total chaos lol.

-Betrayal of betrayal of betrayal of betrayal.

-Well, the winner is already decided.

There's no company that wouldn't jump at a hidden skill.

If even the advance parties were mixed in and competed for monopoly, it would be a mess.

But a simpler outcome was drawn in Hanbit's mind.

"If they try anything like that in front of Asla, they'll be kicked out. They'll be ignored by the spirit in the first place anyway."

"Really?"

"The spirit sees a lot of things."

Chirp-

As if reacting to its mention, the spirit, which had returned to its bird form, made a clear sound.

There is no falsehood or injustice in front of a spirit.

It was a phrase like a proverb spread throughout this world.

If they tried anything foolish, they would have to bear the consequences themselves.

"Let's go."

Hanbit, recalling scenes from his memory, started walking towards the city.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]