The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Starfall]

Chapter 7

That evening.

Hanbit, having returned home from work, plopped down onto the chair in front of his desk.

“What a long day.”

Most of what he did at the office today was snooping around.

The problem was that even if he looked at the blueprints they were working on or listened to their conversations mixed with technical terms, it was difficult to understand.

Thankfully, thanks to his mentor, Lee Minho, secretly giving him the data he had organized, he didn't come up empty-handed.

“Why are there so many?”

He was so busy from the morning that he was only now checking his smartphone.

However, there were over 100 messages piled up from Yeonwoo.

Giving up on reading them, Hanbit quickly finished showering and eating.

“I'm logging in.”

After sending the message, he closed the door to his room and headed to his bed.

Still wearing the awkward gear, he lay down comfortably and turned on the power.

“Oh, it's on.”

The loading finished quickly, and his vision changed.

The sensations within the game were still amazing.

“Hyung!”

Yeonwoo, who had already logged in, approached him with a raised voice.

He had a very urgent look on his face.

“Sorry. I didn't see any of your messages. I was really busy today.”

“That's okay, but first, look at the number of viewers!”

“Viewers? You're already streaming?”

-Oh, is he the Black Dragon?

-When will he find the hidden skill?

-How do you clear the Artsvel quest?

-Explain the bomb slime bluff.

-Please hurry up and clear the main quest too. I'm getting dizzy;

-Take a seat. This is just a normal newbie relay broadcast.

The number 5,512 was displayed at the bottom of the chat window.

As the number of viewers increased, the chat became much faster.

Since there were so many people who came with curiosity, the expectations were also high.

“What? Why has it increased so much?”

“A lot of posts were uploaded to the community during the day. I mostly ignore troll posts, but it seems like the hidden skill and the Artsvel quest were well-received.”

“Why the hidden skill? It just appeared on the recommendation list.”

“Its existence itself is amazing! Nobody knows what kind of hidden skill it is! Just looking at the icon is driving everyone crazy!”

“...Really?”

Hanbit was surprised by the unexpected good fortune.

Just showing some recommended skills and receiving one quest caused this much of a reaction.

He hadn't even cleared it yet.

-True

-They're all icons I've never seen before. lol

-So how do you clear the Artsvel quest?

-What's with the bomb slime?

-I can't even get it because of that trash Julio.

-Absolute trash.

'Are they a bit shocked?'

For those who started in Edlen, Julio was a friendly NPC, and Artsvel was a thief.

Hanbit's development overturned that textbook-like stereotype.

In the end, the players were also deceived by Julio.

'He's a nuisance even in this world.'

Even if there are people who have solved it well, there are tons of victims.

Shaking his head in dismay, Hanbit opened the quest window again.

[Quest]

You have discovered the worries Artsvel is facing.

Find a way to cure the disease afflicting her mother.

Perhaps something can be obtained near Edlen?

Goal: Obtain the correct cure.

Reward: 2,000 gold, Artsvel's Fireball Magic Book (1st rank - Hero), 3 stat points, 500 experience points

Although it is a very simple and clear goal, finding information about the medicine is quite difficult.

Knowing that fact well, Hanbit spread the information about the cure yesterday.

"No one has cleared the quest yet, right?"

"That's why I kept sending you messages. Although there were more reactions that it was bait in the first place."

-Yeah, I didn't believe it.

-It's obviously a lie. lol

-I needlessly touched the bomb slime for nothing.

-Really explain.

The information about the cure was not fully accepted by everyone.

Hanbit had expected that as well, but he also had a small sense of anticipation.

"Weren't there any unusual attempts?"

"Unusual attempts?"

"There are a lot of creative people. It seems like they would have tried twisting it in various ways."

"...Is there anything to twist in monster hunting?"

[Inner Thoughts Villain has donated 1,000 won.]

[Roper: What is this kid talking about?]

-But really, what is he talking about?

-The information and everything is a lie.

-Look at him stalling. lol

-If he's a Black Dragon who wants to run away, give him a thumbs up.

People gradually leaned towards the opinion that the information was false.

Hanbit, who was watching it all in amusement, smiled and said, "Then I'll show you how I get it."

* * *

Hanbit headed straight for the main gate of Edlen's wall.

As the crowd gradually grew, Yeonwoo, who was walking with him, came closer and said, "Hyung, it's going to get a bit annoying."

"What is?"

"Look over there."

He gestured towards a group of people gathered on one side.

Several groups were divided there, engaged in heated discussions.

"Isn't this quest like trying to break a rock with your head?"

"There's only the information spread by that Black Dragon guy. No one has cleared it in a day, though."

"Why would you believe the nonsense spewed by a newbie? What can you get from a bomb slime?"

Countless people rushed to the quest after seeing the broadcast and community posts.

As seen in the chat window, it seemed like quite a few players hadn't learned fire skill magic.

"Hey, isn't that a Ranger?"

"Ranger? What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Huh? It's real!"

The eyes of the noisy people turned towards the entrance.

A crowd of dozens of people were entering the city together.

-Is that really a Ranger?

-Crazy. lol Why is the advance party here?

-They moved because of the Artsvel quest?

-Hmm, is it that important?

-It is that important, idiot.

"...It's really a Ranger? Hyung, the advance party is here."

Yeonwoo, who was looking at the chat window, turned his gaze away in surprise.

It was a word Hanbit was hearing for the first time.

"What's the advance party?"

"They're the top 10,000 ranked players. It's officially displayed on the system, combining level and story progress."

"Ten thousand? Isn't that too many?"

"Ten thousand out of 300 million players worldwide is an incredibly small number. There are less than 500 in Korea, you know?"

Yeonwoo shook his head firmly in denial.

Certainly, if you take the whole world as a standard, the perception changes.

He had also seen articles saying that there were tens of millions of concurrent users.

"That kind of person hasn't learned magic?"

"I guess they skipped it because of magic proficiency. They focused on their main skills to quickly push through the main story."

At the forefront of the crowd was a man equipped with gleaming gear.

The golden bow on his back stood out.

'It's the Golden Bird Bow.'

Hanbit also knew well the image of the brave bird carved like a sculpture on the bow.

It was the work of a craftsman with decent skills.

"That person hasn't cleared the quest yet either, right?"

"I think he just arrived in Edlen? The advance party is extremely busy. Many of them are affiliated with companies."

"Affiliated?"

"They sign contracts with companies aiming for RP clear and receive full support. In return, they have to put a tremendous amount of effort into story strategy."

-If you clear it, it's a real life turnaround.

-Real one-shot business.

-The top advance party gets paid a fortune just to show up.

-They're on a another level;

Since the game company offered ownership of the RP as a reward, the value of the advance party is immeasurable.

It's only natural that there would be a commotion if one of those figures came down here.

Thud-

The Ranger's group disappeared into the city along the main road.

They seemed accustomed to the attention of the players.

"Hey, did Black Dragon come?"

"Didn't he turn on his stream? He was saying he'd show himself clearing the quest a little while ago."

"What confidence."

After the advance party disappeared, people's attention shifted to Hanbit.

Apparently, there were quite a few competitors among the viewers trying to dig out information.

"Then, shall we follow them?"

"Ah, it's a lie. Discovering the quest was pure luck. Don't waste your time and just follow me."

"Well, a newbie can only bluff so much."

Most players left, expressing disbelief.

The remaining people were busy discussing among themselves.

It seemed like almost no one would follow Hanbit.

"It doesn't seem like it'll be much of a bother."

"...I guess so."

Yeonwoo scratched his head as he watched the players disappear.

Of course, some people would actually follow them, but that wasn't a big problem.

Hanbit, looking around, said to him, "Let's go."

"Ah, yes. You're going to the forest, right?"

"Nope, I'm going to the sea. I need a fishing rod."

"...A fishing rod?"

-The sea?

-What about the Bomb Slime?

-Isn't fishing a life skill content? Why do it?

-Fishing is no fun;

Everyone was confused.

It was Black Dragon himself who said to catch the Bomb Slime and get the cure.

But suddenly, fishing?

It was natural that they didn't understand.

[Julio has donated 1,000 won.]

[Everyone, don't believe him. This guy hits people's heads with a fishing rod.]

-You just shut up.

-Go to jail.

-Sentenced to 20 years of death.

-I couldn't get the Artsvel quest because of that trash.

-F*cking bastard.

-May all your hair fall out in jail.

"Pfft."

The fake Julio started getting cursed like crazy.

The sight made him laugh.

That guy deserves to suffer in any way possible.

"Hyung, so what about the fishing rod? You know Bomb Slimes aren't in the sea, right?"

"Oh, really? They're not in the sea?"

"Hyung!"

Yeonwoo's face fell at Hanbit's playful question.

If the information about the Bomb Slime was fake, he would have to quit streaming.

Reading his worry, Hanbit leisurely stretched.

"Just kidding, kidding. I'll just get a fishing rod and go to the forest."

"...You're not going to use it as a weapon, are you? Even if you go for entertainment, you have to clear the quest. I have a level 1 sword, so please use this at least."

"Well, about that..."

Continuing his words, Hanbit glanced at the chat window.

Then he approached Yeonwoo and spoke in a low voice,

"It's kind of like a weapon. I have to fish for the Bomb Slime."

"What do you mean?"

-What are you whispering about again?

-This is officially a viewer-bullying stream. ㅠㅠ

Viewers complained about the inaudible voices.

The core of this quest lies in the secret hidden within the Bomb Slime, but obviously, he had no intention of revealing it.

If he had, someone would have already cleared it.

Besides, deceiving the viewers was more fun than he thought.

Smiling mischievously, Hanbit started walking and said, "Let's go. To the harbor."

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Starfall]