The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 120

Kieeek!

The Snow Drake's shriek shook the entire fortress. Avantgarde could only widen his eyes in shock.

"The reverse scale...!"

The flames from the arrow embedded in its chin clung on stubbornly. It had provoked a violent reaction from the Snow Drake.

Bang-!

Kwaang-!

The creature twisted its body, indiscriminately destroying the terrain around it.

"Ugh!"

"Where did it hit?"

The players battling the creature were taken aback by its sudden change. However, it wasn't entirely a bad turn.

"Its movements have become simpler! Focus on Blood's target point!"

Mars quickly issued orders. A powerful monster like this was more vulnerable when it lost its composure.

Thud-!

The players charged towards the Snow Drake once more. The Black Dragon and Liwei, who had been keeping their distance, joined the fray.@@novelbin@@

Kwa-du-du-!

Mars and Blood's attacks continued to create fissures in the creature's scales. Seizing the opportunity, Liwei threw her aimed spear with force.

Whoosh-!

The spear, propelled by immense power, pierced through the scales and struck the Snow Drake's front leg.

Kieek-!

The creature, already writhing in pain from the reverse scale, was further aggravated by the impact. This triggered an even more violent reaction.

Kwa-du-du-!

Ice shards began to form haphazardly in the sky. There were hundreds of them.

"Damn it!"

"Everyone, dodge!"

The players widened their eyes, remembering the previous catastrophe. If they were hit by those, they wouldn't survive. They had to dodge, no matter what.

Hiss-!

The magic was fired immediately. Its speed was even faster this time.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-!

The ice shards plunged randomly into the fortress floor. The three who had retreated as per the Black Dragon's instructions were miraculously unaffected.

Bang-!

Kwaang-!

The ice shards, driven by immense force, destroyed all the cover in their path. Amidst this, the Black Dragon was dodging the magic with incredible skill, as if reading where the shards would land.

"Ugh!"

"Damn it!"

The other players tried to dodge as well, but to no avail. The casualties were so numerous that it was difficult to count.

"This is unbelievable!"

Gorik gritted his teeth and glared at the ground where the Snow Drake stood. Even amidst the chaos, the heirloom was clearly visible.

Ding-!

An alarm sounded in Avantgarde's ears. A message immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Black Dragon]

[When the ground beneath the Snow Drake collapses, use the first card with the star symbol. It will take you to the location of the heirloom.]

"...?"

Avantgarde was bewildered. The simple message contained an impossible claim.

'He solved it...?'

This card was an item he had obtained from the rural village of Bananbara. Its fatal flaw was its random teleportation. It was a result of both rumors and his own experience of using it.

But the Black Dragon's explanation implied that he could teleport to a specific location.

Ping-!

As he was pondering, a sharp sound cut through the air.

Kieeek!

The Snow Drake’s eerie shriek echoed through the fortress. Avantgarde turned his head to check the creature's chin. A new arrow was embedded there.

Bang-!

Bang-!

Consumed by pain and rage, the Snow Drake thrashed about even more violently. Its tail, swung wildly, struck the ground repeatedly.

Thud-!

Black Dragon's agile movements as he dodged between the strikes were eye-catching. He was avoiding attacks by a hair's breadth, under the influence of the debuff, his movements as fluid as if he could predict the enemy's actions.

Watching this, Avantgarde gripped the card and turned his attention to the others.

"I'll tell you about the Black Dragon's plan."

He relayed the message he'd received to Kim Jaeha and Gorik.

"...You mean that's possible?"

"There's a magical artifact that can do that?"

The two stared at the card, astonished. The message was filled with certainty, not just possibility. The Black Dragon wouldn't make empty promises.

Bang-!

As they stood within the card's effective range, they watched the Snow Drake's rampage. It repeatedly stomped its feet and swung its tail. Just as its power seemed to become uncontrollable, another arrow flew.

Pak-!

Once again, the attack aimed at the reverse scale hit its mark, piercing the scales. It was a shot from Xenon, hidden among the ice shards.

Kieeek-!

The Snow Drake let out another agonizing shriek at the renewed pain. Then, suddenly, it spun around and swung its tail wide.

Whoosh-!

A massive arc was drawn in the air. Unlike before, this time, it plunged towards the ground.

Bang-!

The tail buried itself deep into the ice, momentarily still. Then, a faint light emanated from the crack.

Dozens of meters around, sharp shards of ice shot up from the ground.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-!

It was a massive area-of-effect attack that obscured the entire field of vision.

Kwa-du-du-!

Avantgarde found himself face to face with a spike of ice that had erupted right in front of him. If he had moved even slightly out of the evacuation zone that the Black Dragon had indicated, he would have met his end.

"What the hell...?"

"Anyone who's still alive, heal up!"

The players had suffered massive casualties. Unlike the ice shards, there was no way to react to this attack.

Kwaang-!

Just then, the Snow Drake, its body contorted in pain from the reverse scale, kicked its feet. The ground beneath it began to shift.

Kuku-ku-!

The uneven ice floor, unable to withstand the unstable structure, began to collapse. And then, something fell into the cracks that appeared in the floor. It was the dwarven heirloom that had been placed under the Snow Drake's belly.

"I'm going to move!"

Seeing this, Avantgarde used the first card without hesitation.

Pop-!

A magic circle appeared on the ground, accompanied by a burst of light. As it completed, the three of them felt their vision blur.

Swoosh-

A momentary flash of darkness, and then a new scene appeared before them.

"Did... did we succeed?"

"Where are we...?"

Kim Jaeha and Gorik looked around, their eyes wide. All they could see was broken ice and the ruined structure of the floor. Above them, they could hear the sounds of battle and tremors.

"...It's the heirloom!"

Goric, who had been the first to move, spotted the silver hammer that had fallen upside down.

He approached it cautiously and crouched down.

Wooong-

A sound like resonating metal filled the air. The heirloom reacted strongly as Gorik got closer.

"Phew."

As he reached out to grasp the handle, memories of their arduous search flooded his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Gorik reached out and grasped the handle.

Pop-!

A multicolored light enveloped his body, as if acknowledging him as the true owner.

Kim Jaeha watched the scene with a mix of emotions.

'...I would never have been able to do this alone.'

He was the first to find the artifact and the clues. Driven by that, he had searched high and low for the dwarven metallurgy, but looking back, it was all pointless.

If it hadn't been for Hanbit, who else could have created this situation? He couldn't think of anyone.

"We've achieved our goal. I'll inform Black Dragon immediately." Avantgarde began typing a message.

As Kim Jaeha watched Gorik, still overwhelmed by emotion, he glanced around.

Suddenly…

Kwaang-!

A huge explosion shook the ground.

"Ugh!"

A chunk of ice from the collapsing floor sent Kim Jaeha tumbling down a crevice.

Thud-!

He landed several meters below, face down. If the crevasse had been any deeper, he would have been killed.

"Are you alright?" Avantgarde called down.

"I'm fine physically, but I don't think I can climb up! Everything around me is so slippery..."

Just as Kim Jaeha was speaking, his gaze fell upon something on the wall. A crystal, shaped like a snowflake, was embedded in the ice shards. Tilting his head, he cautiously reached out. As soon as he felt the mysterious chill, an alarm sounded.

Ding-!

A message popped up:

[You have stolen the Snow Drake's treasure.]

[The lord of the snowy mountain is enraged.]

* * *

"...What?"

Hanbit was startled. A message he didn't expect had suddenly appeared before his eyes.

"Who took it?"

"Someone took the heirloom in the middle of all this?"

"Wasn't it one of those guys in the Black Dragon's party?"

-Heh;-

-That's what happened.

-We must have taken it, right?

-Don't doubt it.

The other players thought of the dwarven heirloom. Since the divisional manager had died trying to get it, it was natural to assume it was a treasure.

But Hanbit thought differently.

'It's not the dwarven heirloom.'

The Snow Drake was only strongly attached to beautiful and brilliant treasures. While the dwarven heirloom held great significance, its appearance was just a hammer. It wasn't something that would enrage the creature enough to trigger such a warning message.

Ding-!

Another message arrived.

[Avantgarde]

[Black Dragon! We have successfully obtained the heirloom, but how should we deal with this warning message?]

A report of the successful acquisition of the heirloom. It was welcome news amidst the confusion, but the message left her uncertain.

"It says it's enraged? What's going to happen?"

Liwei, who had landed nearby, asked. Even after the intense battle, his enthusiasm was burning even brighter.

"That is..."

Swoosh-!

Suddenly, the Snow Drake, which had been moving violently, wrapped its body in its massive tail. It tilted its head up and opened its mouth wide.

Pop-!

A pure white crystal formed above its head. It began to spin rapidly, creating a gentle breeze.

"What is that?"

"A sphere?"

The players murmured in confusion.

But Hanbit breathed a sigh of relief.

'Thank goodness.'

He had been worried about an unexpected variable, but the Snow Drake had used the skill he had anticipated.

It was an area-of-effect skill that would normally activate when the rage from its reverse scale reached its limit. The only difference was that the source of its anger had increased. But the overall plan was still on track.

Hanbit replied to Avantgarde.

[Use the second card. I'll prepare to evacuate the fortress.]

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]