The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 118

-They're moving fast.

-Seriously, they're so quick;

-Kill each other.

-Black Dragon, aren't you coming?

-Cheetah is laughing right now...

-Game over: 2nd place

The players scattered like ants, creating quite a spectacle. Once the location of the heirloom was revealed, everyone naturally made it their top priority.

However, not everyone rushed out.

"Hey, why aren't you going?” Blood asked, arms crossed. Despite her hot-tempered nature, her eyes were cold as she observed the situation.

"What about you? If you're late, you'll miss out forever."

"If you could've gotten a head start, you would have. Spit it out. What are you thinking? And any information about this fortress."

"You'd think I left it for you."

Liwei chuckled, interrupting their conversation. It irritated Blood further.

"Fine, let's kill you first."

Swoosh-

A black light flickered from her wrist as she took a step forward. Liwei raised his spear to counter, but once again, there was no clash.

Bang-!

Mars, a burly man, slammed his shield between the two. He looked at Blood and said, "Don't waste any more time. Our goal is only the Snow Drake."

"You don't know anything, old man. That guy, the Black Dragon, is definitely hiding something."

"Are you going to rely on someone who's just playing tricks? Maintain the dignity of the advanced players. We'll break through with our own strength."

Crack-!

Pulling his shield back, Mars strode into the fortress.

-That guy?

-He snooped around on the stream to get information;

-The advanced player is such a jerk.

-If the Black Dragon is playing tricks, then all the advanced players should bite their tongues off.

-Seriously, they should all be stripped of their ranks.

The chat was filled with angry comments. Blood felt the same way.

"Playing tricks, huh."

She clicked her tongue and glared at Hanbit. Then, she followed Mars, trudging slowly.

"Are you sure it's okay to leave it like that?" Kim Jaeha asked worriedly when all the other players had disappeared.

Hanbit walked over to where the divisional manager had been standing and crouched down.

Swish, swish-

He tossed a white sphere and a glove onto the ground. Lee Hojung thought the White Wyvern's heart was useless. But that was a huge mistake.

"Let's go. First, everyone, please eat this."

Hanbit took a Lava Seed Soup from his inventory. It was enough for six people.

"Ugh... why does it taste like this?"

"Lava seeds aren't normally used as ingredients. It's a soup that's purely for performance."

As Avantgarde explained, the soup was strictly focused on performance. It was just as effective.

"It's been a while since I've had this."

"Hmm."

Xenon and Gorik drank the soup calmly, as if they were used to it. Hanbit, who was last, took the reddish liquid into his mouth.

[Effect: Lava Heat buff applied.]

[Cold resistance gradually increases.]

Hanbit felt the heat gradually building up as he checked the message. It wasn't strong yet, but he knew it would become unbearably hot given time.

"Let's move on," he said.

They walked slowly towards the interior. As they progressed, the true scale of the fortress gradually unfolded before them.

Everyone let out involuntary gasps.

"They could create a map like this?"

"I never thought it would be this big..."

The vast space of the fortress was too much to take in at a glance.

It was a cylindrical structure surrounded by ice walls like a fortress. Inside, jagged icebergs were embedded everywhere, creating a complex shape.

Growl-

A moment later, an irregular breathing sound came from a distance.

Xenon, who had been listening intently, said, "There doesn't seem to be any movement."

Heightening his senses, he listened carefully to assess the creature's condition.

His assessment was correct.

"It's probably asleep now."

"...There were similar records in the legends, but it's sleeping even though there are intruders?"

"To it, we're no more than flies. It'll keep sleeping until we provoke it."

The Snow Drake was powerful. Its nonchalance stemmed from this immutable truth.

Even if you threw ordinary skills at it, it wouldn't even react.

However, there was also a condition that would definitely wake the drake.

Growl-

The breathing grew closer with every step.

When they reached the center, they saw the backs of a crowd of people.

And then.

Huuu-

A Snow Drake, lying down in a temple-like space, came into view.

[Boss: Snow Drake (Lv.500)]

"...We have to defeat that?"

"A level 500 boss...?"

The sight of the creature sleeping peacefully sent a primal sense of danger through them.

Its body was five times larger than a White Wyvern, covered in sharp, white scales. Its massive tail, which dragged along the ground, was almost too big to comprehend.

-We're screwed;

-How are we going to defeat that?

-I'm dead.

-Is there anyone who can defeat a level 500?

-Looking for the number 1 advanced player.

-Whoever you are, come and prove it.

Even the viewers could sense the difficulty of the task. The atmosphere was palpable, even through the screen.

No one knew who the number one advanced player was, but even if they came, could they defeat the Snow Drake?

Hanbit was skeptical.

'At least the combination is good.'

Blood's hidden skill, 'Bloodletting,' could drain the creature's health.

With Mars, who specialized in defense, they might be able to exchange blows to some extent.

Of course, killing the Snow Drake would be impossible.

Huuu-

The master of the fortress let out a deep breath. It sent out an aggressive chill that spread around.

"Ugh!"

"What kind of cold is this...?"

The chill in its breath was like a barrage of ice blades.

Neither the advanced players nor any other player could move rashly.

"The heirloom is there, right?"

"Shall we sneak in?"

"Are you crazy? If it wakes up, we're all dead!"

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the spot beneath the Snow Drake.

A hammer, emitting a bright light, was placed among a pile of gold and silver.

Gritting his teeth, Gorick glared at the drake.

But if he moved rashly, he would only end up dead.@@novelbin@@

"The records were accurate,” Xenon said, wary of the monster in front of him.

The records of the Snow Drake in some of Ifrit's legends. They had been considered exaggerated, but now that he saw it in person, those thoughts had vanished.

"This is a disaster. I think it would be best to retreat before it wakes up. Asking for help from other cities is the only way to increase our chances."

Xenon suggested a retreat once again.

If the Snow Drake woke up, they would all be wiped out. That was the only outcome that seemed possible.

Hanbit looked at the other players and asked, "What if we tried to take it without waking it up? It hasn't reacted even though we're this close, has it?"

"Hmm..."

The hammer under the drake's belly was quite visible. If they moved carefully, they might be able to take it.

"I can't say it's impossible, but... my opinion hasn't changed. Let's return to the city first."

-I agree.

-But maybe we could steal it secretly?

-There are so many advanced players, can't we just take it?

-No way.

-Since it's already doomed, why don't we just make a show out of it?

"Ugh," Jaeha, who was standing behind, frowned. He sighed and approached Hanbit.

"The divisional manager sent a message."

"A message?"

"Just a moment. I'll send it to you."

Jaeha quickly forwarded the divisional manager's message.

「Divisional Manager- Lee Hojung」

「Hey, is it really possible to steal the heirloom secretly? And why is the Black Dragon just standing there? If you don't tell me straight, I'll sue you.」

The habitual threat was laughable. If the divisional manager really sued, Yeonwoo, who was on standby, would immediately counterattack.

He wondered what expression the divisional manager would make when his petty plan, which he firmly believed in, fell apart.

'Maybe I should send him away soon.'

He had planned to tease him for a long time, but it was stressing Jaeha out. Now would be a good time to get rid of him.

Hanbit changed his system settings and sent a message directly to the divisional manager.

「Black Dragon.」

「 You can steal it, but you're too scared. Remember when you got caught in the vines? You screamed like crazy. I thought you were going to cry.」

Beep-

「Divisional Manager- Lee Hojung」

「Hey, who's scared? I've been through a lot in my life! How dare a kid who hasn't even experienced society talk like that...」

With a tap of his finger, the divisional manager reacted strongly. For someone who had been through a lot in life, his heart was quite petty.

Ignoring the long message, Hanbit replied.

「Black Dragon.」

「Don't bother and just give up. You can't even beat an elementary school student, let alone the advanced players. Even looking at you, you don't have an ounce of athletic ability.」

「Divisional Manager- Lee Hojung」

「You think you can say anything you want? Hey, what if I succeed? Can you take responsibility?」

「Black Dragon.」

「If by some chance you do steal the heirloom, I'll give you all the hidden skill information I know. But that's never going to happen.」

「Divisional Manager- Lee Hojung」

「You bastard, I saved all your messages. Don't say anything else.」

The messages stopped there. Looking around, Hanbit saw that the divisional manager had disappeared into the crowd.

"It would be fun to fight the Snow Drake. I could settle this with Blood too..."

Liwei was already fired up.

On the other hand, Blood's gaze was fixed solely on the Snow Drake.

"What are we going to do?"

"...Hmm."

Mars stroked his chin thoughtfully.

A level 500 boss.

They had mitigated the debuffs as much as possible with items, but honestly, he couldn't think of a meaningful strategy.

"Let's wait for now and first analyze the structure of the fortress. We need to find elements that can help us remove the debuffs or fight..."

"Huh?"

Mars' words were interrupted by someone's voice. He turned around, looking uncomfortable.

"Hey, what's that?"

"A player?"

"Isn't that the guy who was with the Black Dragon?"

All eyes turned to a man running clumsily towards them.

It was Lee Hojoong, the divisional manager.

-?

-What's that guy doing?

-Troll ON

-Please just stay still;

-He looks so stupid when you see him like that. lol

"...Huh?"

"What is he doing?"

Kim Jaeha was startled, and Avantgarde looked on curiously.

Most people had similar reactions, but the advanced players were different.

"Could it be that...!"

"Tsk. Stop him."

They quickly gave orders to their subordinates.

Thud-!

Their subordinates approached Lee Hojung.

It felt like a huge threat to the coward.

"Hick!"

Startled, the divisional manager scrambled under the Snow Drake's belly.

And he grabbed the silver hammer on the ground.

"That's it, that's it! The hidden skill is mine..."

Smack-!

Suddenly, a loud sound, and something white covered the divisional manager.

His figure had completely disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Growl-

The following roar was especially loud in the sudden silence.

Thud-!

The ground shook with the sound of footsteps, and the giant tail swayed.

The awakened Snow Drake slowly raised its massive body.

And with glowing blue eyes, it faced the intruders.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]