The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 123

-Go Black Dragon!

-Jaeha, hang in there.

-What a shitty situation.

-There are so many bugs crawling around.

"...?"

Hanbit, who was leaving the fortress, checked the suddenly changed chatroom atmosphere.

Encouraging messages were flooding in.

"Why all of a sudden?"

"And my name is in there too?"

Kim Jaeha also expressed his confusion.

It was too strange a reaction to have while walking down the street.

Ding-

[Soma Wizard donated 100,000 won.]

[It was a really shitty situation;]

[Sword God donated 1,000,000 won.]

[Fighting.]

[Spirit donated 5,000,000 won.]

[Hang in there.]

The following donation messages began to appear.

As Hanbit's confusion deepened, Liwei's voice came from beside him.

"So that's how it is?"

"What?"

"A post was uploaded on the RPG. I knew that guy had a trashy vibe."

"...?"

By "trashy," she meant the boss.

Hanbit, exchanging glances with Kim Jaeha, immediately checked the community.

"...Ah."

As he scanned the popular posts, he quickly understood the situation.

A news article about Black Dragon being threatened.

Below it was an exposé post with Lee Hojung's name.

Judging by the posting time, Yeonwoo must have acted first.

"Let me make a quick call."

Muting the microphone, Hanbit immediately called Yeonwoo.

After a short signal, a voice came through.

(“Hyung, I was about to call you.”)

"How did it go? The bodycam footage was released in the news."

(“If we uploaded it directly, the picture wouldn't look good. There are reporters stationed at the police station, so I just gave them a hint.”)

He had left everything regarding the divisional manager’s threats to Yeonwoo.

He had heard that they were taking legal action, but he didn't know they were using the media too.

"How is he reacting? With his personality, he's probably going to cling to it like a leech."

(“He must be in a panic right now. I've been investigating a bit and found a big case.”)

"A big case?"

(“Tax evasion, embezzlement, and crimes related to illegal funds. He's done a lot of things. With the additional information Jaeha gave me, I've been able to connect a lot of dots.”)

"...Are you a detective?"

He thought he would only receive punishment for threats and extortion, but he had committed even more crimes.

He was amazed that Yeonwoo had figured this out.

(“Oh, and if you have any more evidence to submit, please give it to me.”)

"Evidence? Why? Is it not enough?"

(“You can never be too prepared. Any threats, extortion, or even small misdeeds would be good.”)

"I've been sending him messages continuously... I don't think I have any other special evidence?"

"Other evidence? Shall I give you this?"

At that moment, Liwei suddenly spoke up.

It was such an abrupt question that Hanbit immediately asked back, "We're talking about Taeyul Corporation’s divisional manager. Are you referring to him?"

"I'm talking about that trash too. I don't know if it's a crime, but I got this message."

Liwei immediately sent a message.

-Black Dragon lied to you earlier. This deal was made because he assaulted me. I'll find the information, so get rid of that trash and let's join forces. I'll give you good conditions.

"...He's done everything."

After checking the contents, Hanbit sighed.

It was such a typical thing for Lee Hojung to do.

"But how did he send you a message? Didn't you block him except for friends?"

"What if someone challenges me? Especially since everyone avoids me because I'm an advanced player."

"..."

It was a clear answer that showed his unwavering heart.

Even though he would receive countless messages as an advanced player, he was enduring it.

It was a pure madness.

"I'll use it well."

Hanbit passed the message Liwei had given him to Yeonwoo.

He didn't know if it was a crime, but it was better to send anything he had.

Thud-

With the mic off, Hanbit continued to search for the exit.

When he reached the outside of the snowy mountain, he looked at Liwei standing next to him.

"That's the end of the favor. Thanks for your help."

"Really? Then I'll be going. Let's have another match if you're up for it."

-Cool!

-So different from someone else.

-Great hero ㅠㅠ

-I won't forget.

-But let's not fight again...

-Let's do it once for this.

Liwei turned and disappeared into the forest.

Hanbit didn't know when he would see him again, but perhaps they would have another match then.

"Ah, by the way."

At that moment, Kim Jaeha, who was standing behind him, spoke up.

He took a small, snowflake-shaped crystal from his inventory and handed it to Hanbit.

"What's this?"

"I found it when I went underground using the card. When I picked it up, a warning message about a treasure popped up."

"Ah."

Hanbit, too, hadn't expected Snow Drake to have a treasure.

But from the outside, he couldn't guess what it was.

Lowering himself, he reached out and checked the information on the snowflake crystal.

[Glacier's Remnant]

Rank:?

Grade:?

Description: A remnant left behind by the ice spirit king, Glacier. If activated incorrectly, your entire body may freeze forever.

-What?

-Remnant of a spirit king?

-It appeared here too?

-Jaeha did it.

-I knew I could count on him.

The chatroom was buzzing with the name of the spirit king mentioned in the information.

"Oh, this is the first time I've heard of Glacier!"

Avantgarde, who had a lot of random knowledge, was surprised by the unfamiliar name.

Hanbit, who knew about the existence of Glacier, was surprised by this situation.

'This is the first time I've seen this.'

In previous chapters, he had encountered various remnants of spirit kings.

However, he had never found Glacier's.

"Since this is also a remnant of a spirit king, you can use it for Attribute Manifestation, right? Try it quickly."

Kim Jaeha urged Hanbit, remembering his skill.

The hidden skill, Attribute Manifestation, which he had obtained by absorbing Sallion's remnant.

The description said that it would be upgraded by adding other remnants.

"I'll try."

Drawing his blue-white sword, Hanbit moved away from the others.

Looking at the snowflake crystal in his palm, he slowly brought his blade closer.

At that moment.

Quad-!

An immense cold surged, beginning to freeze Hanbit's surroundings.

'So this is how it feels.'

Just like Sallion's flame that had enveloped him, this cold had no malice.

Instead of an icy chill, he felt a pleasant coolness.

Swish-

The surging cold naturally gathered on the blade.

Then it was sucked into Hanbit's body through his hand.

When the coldness finally disappeared, an alarm sounded.

Ding-

[Hidden Achievement: The spirit king's second remnant has been achieved.]

[Hidden Spirit Skill Attribute Manifestation (Rank 3 - Epic) is upgraded to (Rank 4 - Epic).]

[You can select the attribute that matches the remnant you possess.]

-Oh.

-Evolution ㄷㄷ

-What happens if you collect them all?

-How high can it go?

-Will it become legendary?

-I'd go crazy if it was just a legend. lol

The message that had been scrolling up disappeared along with the snowflake crystal in his hand.

As expected, the rank of the Attribute Manifestation skill had evolved.

He didn't know how many spirit king remnants there were, but it was a power he would have to keep collecting.

‘Glacier, huh...'

Each attribute had its own strengths.

And the glacier attribute was very effective in one-on-many battles.

Just like a wave of monsters.

"Hyung, thanks to you, I got another remnant. Thank you so much."

"I just picked it up without knowing what it was. I'm glad it helped."

"It's more than just helpful, it's huge."

Kim Jaeha scratched his head, though his words didn't match the magnitude of his accomplishment.

Hanbit, feeling much lighter with this unexpected newfound power, walked towards Ifrit.

"Hey, they're going over there."

"How many of the advanced players did they mess with?"

"But didn't they go there on their own?"

Players were scattered throughout the returning path.

Their murmuring voices expressed various opinions.

"We've arrived."

After walking for a while, Hanbit's group reached a point where they could see the walls.

At that moment.

[Cutscene Transition.]

The darkened view of Hanbit's vision quickly became clear.

What appeared was the wall of Ifrit.

The camera zoomed in on a few soldiers at the top.

"Didn't I hear there was a big commotion? Something about a monster wave."

"I was off duty, so I only heard about it."

It was evening, with the sun setting on the horizon.

Two men sitting on chairs were leisurely discussing what they had heard.

Then, a soldier standing guard outside sighed and said, "I was there. The wall was almost destroyed, and we would have all died if it hadn't been for an adventurer who saved us."

Having worked the night shift, he had witnessed the monster wave firsthand.

Trolls, moving like undead, had broken down the wall, and the guild master couldn't kill them.

If it hadn't been for the foreign adventurer with the golden bracelet, he couldn't imagine the outcome.

"Is that the adventurer called Black Dragon? I've heard rumors about him."

"Didn't he bring the dwarves into the city? I wonder if that's hygienic."

They were more interested in the adventurer Black Dragon than the monster wave. Because he had brought the dwarves, whom everyone avoided, into Ifrit.

"It was a necessary choice to repair the wall. The problem was creating such a pointless wall in the first place."

"Don't worry about it. Where else is safer than Ifrit? The monster wave was just a one-time accident."

"The mayor has his reasons. Look at how much the city has improved by attracting tourists with the wall."

They had completely different perspectives on the danger of the monster wave and the safety of the wall.

In fact, the two men sitting comfortably in their chairs had no worries.

The man on guard sighed and said, "I guarantee you, the monsters' attacks will continue. Eventually, this wall will be the problem..."

Thud-!

A strange noise rang in their ears.

The soldier turned his head and looked at the forest.

"Damn it!"

What caught his eye was a swarm of black monsters pouring out of the forest boundary.

There were far more of them than he had seen the night before.

Tap-!

He reached out and touched the magic stone attached to the wall.

The installed magical device made a loud noise.@@novelbin@@

It was a device created using the knowledge left by the sage.

Ding-!

Ding-!

The warning sound, like a bell, spread throughout the city in an instant.

"Wow, are those all monsters?"

"Huh? Didn't they say the adventurers went on reconnaissance?"

The two soldiers, who had just gotten up from their chairs, were still at ease.

The veteran adventurers, including the guild master, had left for reconnaissance.

Yet, they weren't worried.

"Well, we can just use the turrets."

"How do you use this thing again? Where was it written?"

"Get out of the way!"

The man on guard, seeing their carefree attitude, moved.

He followed the path created on the wall and quickly approached the crystal under the installed disk.

At that moment, a tremendous shock shook the wall.

Kaboom-!

The soldier barely managed to keep his balance, clutching the wall.

When he finally looked down, a large rock was embedded in the center of the glass wall.

"...Ogres?"

Giant monsters emerged from the forest, gradually revealing their forms.

Each of them held a large rock in their hands.

Whoosh-!

Kaboom-!

"Ugh!"

The rocks that continued to fly shattered the wall.

Clang-!

The damage done during the night was nothing compared to this.

Several sections were being broken at once.

Clenching his teeth, the soldier shouted, "Everyone, man the turrets!"

Swish-

With the man's voice, Hanbit's vision blurred.

And when the scenery changed again, he was standing with his group.

"It's the second wave already?"

"It's faster than we expected."

Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde were surprised by the faster-than-expected events.

Xenon and Gorik reappeared beside them.

The adventurer was the first to move.

"Nia...!"

Thud-!

Calling out his daughter's name, Xenon ran at full speed.

Hanbit followed closely behind, gripping his sword.

A cold chill spread across the path he had walked.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]