The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 119

"Damn it!"

"What the hell was that guy thinking?"

"That idiot just trolled us!"

The players rained down curses on Lee Hojung. They'd lost precious time that could have been used for strategy. Now that the Snow Drake was awake, there was no more room for error.

-We're screwed.

-I knew that guy would screw something up.

-Getting one-shot is hilarious. Hahaha.

-So what do we do now?

-In technical terms, we're boned.

-Why isn't it moving?

Croak-

The Snow Drake lifted its head and fixed its gaze on the players. But for some reason, it didn't make a move.

"What... what's going on?"

"Can't it see us?"

"Maybe it's not interested?"

A few players cautiously moved around, gauging the Snow Drake's reaction. But no matter how many times they tried, it remained motionless.

"Could it be..."

"Maybe we just have to leave the hammer alone?"

Tension eased as they considered a new possibility. The Snow Drake had woken up because someone had tried to steal its hammer. For whatever reason, as long as they didn't touch it, they might be safe.

"Decided then."

A male in the advanced players nodded, dagger in hand. He turned to the others. "You're not going to just dive in, are you? Let's head back to the fortress entrance and come up with a strategy. We can't take down a level 500 boss head-on."

"...Well, we can't just fight it blindly."

"Since we have to deal with this ourselves, let's plan this out."

More than half of the advanced players nodded. Even experienced players had never fought a level 500 boss before.

"If we're cooperating, let's decide how to split the loot. I know you guys will try to pull something."

"You're one to talk! You took all the good stuff last dungeon."

"Gathering information is a skill. You're just bad at identifying items."

-UFC is about to start.

-The advanced player cooperating? Not a chance.

-They're just going to step on each other to get ahead. Hahaha.

-But maybe they'll be useful now...

-Twenty people is a lot.

-Despite their bickering, they were the most significant force here.

The man with the highest rank among the advanced player stepped forward.

"Don't move."

Mars, with his shield raised, spoke in a deep voice.

Blood, standing beside him, adjusted her bracelet as she focused on the Snow Drake.

"Mars, why should we listen to you?"

"Do you think this is an official raid?"

The advanced player members were displeased by his commanding tone. Even if they ranked lower than him at 4,300, the advanced player was a symbol of absolute power. They weren't the type to follow orders in such a pure competition.

"It's simple. My orders are more valuable than your foolish judgments."

"What?"

"Are you finished?"

A few advanced player members raised their voices in protest at Mars' condescending tone. Others, however, seemed used to it.

"Oh, come on. That's just how he is."

"Let's just go to the entrance."

-Ignored. Hahaha.

-His tone is so annoying;

-The living legend of authoritarianism.

-The last person I want as my boss.

-Lucky Ranger.

Giving up on the conversation, the advanced player focused on their original plan. They would distance themselves from the Snow Drake and devise a detailed strategy to defeat it. It was the most rational decision.

"One last time. Don't move."

Mars repeated his warning.

"More than half of the advanced player has already finished preparing to leave."

"Hatzken, your team can take the left map and return. We'll take the right."

"We'll cover the rear of the boss."

"There might be a gimmick. I'll keep an eye on that side."

After making their decisions, the advanced player quickly divided their roles. They were determined to gather as much information as possible while moving.

"...?"

Mars, having been ignored twice, remained silent. His expression was devoid of any emotion, neither anger nor anything else.

"Alright, let's do it that way then."

Having finished their preparations, the players divided into several teams and got ready. The moment they took a step, the Snow Drake's eyes flashed.

Crack-!

Simultaneously, dozens of ice shards appeared from the sky. They were crystalline formations created from the creature's cold energy.

"What the...?"

"Damn it! Run!"

Thud-!

Surprised by the sudden attack, the players scattered in all directions. At the same time, the ice shards shot out, scattering frost.

Hiss-!

The magic flew towards the fleeing players at an incredible speed. The players tried to hide behind nearby cover to escape.

However, their efforts were in vain.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-!

The ice shards easily pierced through the cover and continued to advance with undiminished force. By the time the fleeing players realized this, it was too late.

Bang-!

Bang-!

A series of loud explosions echoed through the castle. It was the sound of people disappearing in explosions after being hit by the ice shards.

Just three seconds. That was all it took for the advanced player and the players who had left to die.

-No way, shit!

-People are exploding;

-The advanced player got wiped out like that?

-A magic-using drake? How do we win?

-Mars was right.

-Dad Mars, I get it now.

-This is insane...

-Are they all dead?

The players who had watched the scene with stiff expressions shouted in astonishment. It was shocking to see the advanced players die so easily.

"This is going to be fun," Liwei laughed, enjoying the spectacle. He showed no sign of being intimidated by the Snow Drake's immense power.

"Didn't I say your judgment was foolish?"

Mars sighed at the expected outcome. It was a pitiful sight to see them meet their deaths despite his warnings. He could almost hear the advanced players’ reputation plummeting.

Croak-

Then, the Snow Drake, which had killed half of the players, turned its gaze straight ahead. Its four legs were still firmly planted on the ground, but there was no need for it to move. The ice shards alone were powerful enough.

"That thing is just playing with us."

Blood, who had been quietly observing the situation, had figured out the enemy's nature.

Despite its power, it wasn't trying to kill all the intruders. It was a sadistic tendency seen in some monsters.

So now, there was only one way to fight.

"Old man, open it."

Blood turned to Mars. The light that had been emanating from her bracelet turned into a black fog, staining her arm from wrist to shoulder.

"Just for a moment."

"I know."

After a brief exchange, Mars raised his shield slightly higher. At that moment, a golden light burst forth.

Pop-!

The light was so intense that it obscured the vision of the others. As it gathered on the front of the shield, Mars pushed off with his feet.

Thud-!

The massive body of the warrior charged straight towards the Snow Drake.

A thunderous roar echoed as if striking a solid wall. It was the result of the Snow Drake effortlessly blocking Mars' attack with its front paw. But Mars' plan wasn't over yet.@@novelbin@@

Pop-!

A golden glow erupted again, enveloping the shield. With a glint in his eyes, Mars raised his fist and slammed the shield down hard.

Kwaang-!

A blinding explosion followed.

Spotting a small crack in the drake's front paw scales, Mars shouted, "Now!"

Thud-!

Despite the lingering debuff, Blood leaped forward with incredible speed. In an instant, she was close to the Snow Drake and extended her hand.

Swoosh-

The black fog enveloping her arm seemed to come alive as it transferred to the drake's front paw. And then, a transformation occurred.

Crack-!

A single red line of blood spurted into the air. Blood quickly moved her hand to draw the blood towards her.

Hiss-

The red blood gathered in her palm, gradually taking shape. When it formed into a massive scythe, Blood grinned.

"It's rare to get blood of this quality."

Her hidden skill, 'Bloodletting,' varied greatly in power depending on whose blood was used.

With Blood's advanced player specs and the blood of a giant like the Snow Drake, the synergy they would create was hard to predict.

"Let's see who dies first!"

Thud-!

Exclaiming boldly, Blood leaped towards the Snow Drake once more.

Croak-

Slightly irritated, the creature raised its front paw to swing again.

But Blood's skill activated first.

Swoosh-

A droplet of blood sprayed from the scythe, forming a sharp line that made the weapon enormous. Spinning her body, she swung the scythe down with speed and force.

Kwa-du-du-!

The blade pierced the scales, spraying blood as it dug deeper.

The unexpected blow provoked a counterattack from the Snow Drake.

Whoosh-!

The creature twisted its body nimbly and swung its tail. Just as it was about to hit Blood, Mars appeared with his shield.

Paak-!

The massive man was flung sideways with a tremendous sound.

Kwaang-!

Kwaang-!

His body smashed through several icebergs and crashed into the outer wall of the fortress. It was the power of a single tail swing.

-Damn, that's strong. Hahaha.

-What do we do?

-Doesn't Blood seem to be dealing damage?

-Maybe it's only scratched 0.001% of its HP?

Blood's seemingly promising attack was overshadowed by the impact of the tail swing. The Snow Drake was a monster beyond normal standards.

Thud-

Mars, who hadn't died, quickly got back up. And once again, he charged towards the Snow Drake with incredible momentum.

"We're joining the fight."

"We have to deal as much damage as we can while there's an opening."

"Let's focus our fire on the gap they've created."

The other advanced player members and players joined the battle. They all knew that their only option was to attack.

"...Shouldn't we be somewhere else?"

"I think we'll die if we get hit."

Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde sighed as they watched the fierce battle.

While it was certainly a situation where they could die at any moment, their plan was still on track.

Swish-

Hanbit pulled out two red cards with an hourglass symbol from his inventory and handed them over. They were the teleportation cards he had received as a gift from Avantgarde.

"Jaeha and Avantgarde, please take Gorik and retreat to the back. I'll send you the plan."

"You're going to use this...?"

Avantgarde asked, puzzled.

After all, this card could only be used for random teleportation.

"I know what you're worried about, but I've taken care of that."

"...Yes?"

"Now, please move quickly."

Hanbit quickly evacuated the three to a safe place.

All that remained were Liwei and Xenon. They were the ones who would now have to face the battle.

"Xenon, you're good with a bow, right?"

"It's my main weapon, but... I don't think my strength will make a difference against something like this."

Xenon looked down at his bow and shook his head.

Against such a boss, it was only natural to feel defeated. But this time was different.

Hanbit spoke in a low voice, "Dragon-type monsters have something called a reverse scale."

"A reverse scale... you mean?"

The reverse scale, a scale that grows backwards under a dragon's chin, is both a trigger for its rage and a weakness. While it wouldn't kill the dragon, it was enough to change the tide of the battle.

"I'll shoot first, and then you keep attacking based on my target."

"...Alright."

Hanbit focused his gaze on a slight irregularity under the Snow Drake's chin. He had confirmed his target.

Whoosh-

Hanbit drew a supply bow and nocked an arrow.

Flare-!

With a quick activation of an elemental attribute, flames ignited. There was no need for a long warm-up. A single stimulus to provoke the Snow Drake's anger was enough.

Bang-!

Bang-!

The target, engaged in a fierce battle, continued to move. Hanbit focused on his aim, not even blinking.

As he prepared, heat began to build up.

Finally, the Snow Drake, which had been swinging its tail, paused.

Ping-!

As soon as he released his finger, the arrow, trailing flames, flew off the bowstring.

Hiss-!

Cutting through the air, the arrow quickly reached the Snow Drake's chin.

And then.

Pak-!

Finally, he had struck the creature's reverse scale.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]