The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 125

Hanbit decided to send his party into Ifrit first.

It was to quickly finish the preparations needed to defend the city.

"Your Highness, could you teach the dwarven metallurgy right away?"

"Hmm."

Gorik looked back and forth between the heirloom in his hand and Kim Jaeha's face.

Then he nodded.

"A promise is a promise. This guy seems to have potential, so it's not completely impossible to teach him our skills."

"Ah..."

With those words, Kim Jaeha's gaze turned to empty space.

It was easy to guess why.

"Did you get a hidden quest?"

"...Yes. I can't believe I'm actually going to get it."

His eyes widened as he remembered the hidden skill quest he had been desperately searching for in the past.

A mix of emotions welled up inside him.

"Don't get too excited. You've only just qualified,” Gorik scolded him, but his inner thoughts were different.

Only those who were qualified could learn the proper techniques.

The master blacksmith had acknowledged Kim Jaeha.

"Hyung, please prioritize the skill. Avantgarde, please check the dwarves' preparations."

"Alright."

"Yes!"

After everyone had entered their lodgings, Hanbit and Xenon went to the guild.

First, they had to settle the quest.

"Snow Drake. I found it."

Entering the bustling guild, Hanbit went straight to the reception desk.

The receptionist, Glinco, stared blankly at the dark blue scale fragment on the counter.

"No..."

She was so stunned that she could hardly speak.

She ruffled her hair and looked up at the adventurer in front of her.

"You're saying you really found Snow Drake? How is that possible?"

"The evidence is right here. Check it with the magic appraisal tool."

"That's it! Finding the location means you confronted it directly! I told you so many times to be careful and just scout!"

Glinco exploded.

She felt wronged by her past self, who had repeatedly warned him about the dangers.

Moreover, the sense of crisis was skyrocketing due to the monster wave that had just hit the walls.

"Well, at least we found it early. Returning safely is a great achievement..."

"It's Xenon that's the problem! How could you betray my trust?"

"...I'm sorry,” Xenon apologized, avoiding Glinco's gaze.

-Cringing.

-Snow Drake << Glinco

-Hierarchy established ㄷㄷ

"Phew."

After venting her anger, Glinco sighed.

Then, she took the magic appraisal tool and examined the Snow Drake's scale fragment.

After a moment, she returned the dark blue scale to Hanbit.

"I've confirmed it. Anyway, I'm glad you're safe. But I'm worried about what's going to happen next."@@novelbin@@

The situation around Ifrit had become more complicated due to the monster wave.

If this was caused by the appearance of Snow Drake, the situation was serious.

"So the guild will now consider this a serious matter?" Xenon asked, looking around.

He was worried about the guild's lukewarm attitude.

So far, the master, Jinuk, had always obeyed his sister, Pirnen.

It was unclear whether the existence of Snow Drake would overturn that.

"...That's what we're aiming for. I'm going to make this public, so other adventurers will take this seriously."

The two monster waves that had hit Ifrit recently.

The soldiers and adventurers who had experienced it firsthand felt a sense of unease.

Xenon sighed and hesitated before asking another question, "How are the citizens? Are they okay?"

"I've just received a report, so I'm not sure... but I haven't heard any news of civilian casualties. The news of the wave must have already spread."

Glinco added that the atmosphere in the city would change.

The citizens of Ifrit were more peaceful than the soldiers and adventurers.

Therefore, when the 'crisis' surfaced, their reaction would inevitably be amplified.

'This is still not enough.'

For now, this was just the beginning of change.

The important thing is the third monster wave.

At that time, the citizens will realize the reality in great shock and fear.

"There's a high possibility that another monster wave will hit. Let's prepare well."

"The guild master and the adventurers have gone on reconnaissance, so they might find something. It's about time they returned..."

Bang-!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the guild entrance.

Turning their heads, they saw an adventurer panting and shouting, "The, the guild master has disappeared!"

"...What?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Everyone in the guild was taken aback by the sudden statement.

The adventurer, who had barged in, continued urgently, "He really is missing! We searched the forest for hours but couldn't find him!"

-?

-Why is the guild master missing?

-Did he run away?

-Did he get caught?

-Give me something.

-What do you mean, you lost the guild master;

The viewers questioned the truth, wondering what had happened.

Hanbit was no exception.

'...Jinuk is missing?'

He searched all his memories, but there was no record of Jinuk ever disappearing.

"The master has been kidnapped? Where?"

Glinco, who had been listening to the conversation, rushed out from behind the counter in surprise.

Guild Master Jinuk and disappearance.

The two words were an unlikely combination.

"It was in the southeast... Ah!"

Looking around, he quickly approached the wall.

There was a large map attached to it.

"Here! This is where we last saw him!"

The adventurer pointed to a deep forest in the southeast.

It was a rough place with tall trees and thick grass, unlike the snowy mountains.

"No one has seen the master since we were separated. We searched the area extensively, but couldn't find a single trace."

They had gone out of the city to find the cause of the monster wave.

They thought a large group of monsters might have gathered there.

"The guild master is not someone who would easily lose his life. Even if he encountered a formidable enemy, he would have put up a fight. If we haven't heard any sounds of a struggle, it means he faced a completely different situation."

Xenon, who was looking at the map, was deep in thought.

Jinuk, an A-rank adventurer.

Although this rank wasn't a pure indicator of strength, he was different.

He was recognized for his talent, sense, and achievements at a young age.

His only weakness was that he was not calm or rational.

He tended to solve all situations with force.

But this case was a little different.

'I wonder... did he go there?'

A thought occurred to Hanbit as he looked at the map.

As Xenon had said, an adventurer like Jinuk wouldn't easily fall victim to a surprise attack or trap.

In other words, he had disappeared on purpose.

Or rather, he had discovered something.

"Were you the only one who returned?"

"The others... they're all still searching. I'm going back too."

"Then, let's form an additional search party."

"I'll gather them right away!"

Xenon and Glinco were about to form a search party.

Then, Hanbit spoke first, "I'll go alone. Please stay here, Xenon."

"What?"

"...You're going alone?"

Everyone turned their heads at the unexpected statement.

In a situation where more people were needed to search the vast forest, it was strange to say that he would go alone.

"Didn't you hear me? It's a place where even if you bring hundreds of people, it would be difficult to find anything!" The adventurer replied, frustrated.

Hanbit gave a firm answer to their confused reaction, "That's why I'm going alone. It's the fastest and safest way."

"But..."

Xenon hesitated to nod.

He didn't doubt the overwhelming power of Black Dragon, who had defeated Snow Drake.

"It's just that I felt guilty for shifting the responsibility of being an adventurer in Ifrit onto you."

Understanding his feelings, Hanbit immediately continued. "I have something else to ask of you, Xenon. I'm preparing for the next monster wave."

"Yes? What kind of preparations..."

"You'll understand better if you hear it directly. The dwarves are in the midst of preparations, so please visit their home and then go to the northern cabin."

"Yes?"

"I'm sure you're worried about your daughter. You should go see her."

"..."

Xenon's eyes widened at the unexpected words.

He hadn't been able to see Nia, his daughter, whom he had been so worried about.

"...Was it that obvious?"

"I was worried about Nia too. You should be in the city in this unstable situation."

-I agree with Nia.

-He has a daughter at home.

-Father ㅠㅠ

He had rushed to Ifrit calling out his daughter's name, so he was filled with worry and anxiety.

In the end, he had stayed on the wall to fulfill his duty as an adventurer.

"Go and see her face. I'll ask for your cooperation later."

After saying that, Hanbit immediately left the guild.

Watching his back, Xenon clenched his fist and said, "Thank you very much."

* * *

Thud-!

Leaving the city, Hanbit ran towards the southeastern forest.

Meanwhile, he quickly scanned the messages that appeared before him.

[Main Quest #7 completed.]

[Progress increased.]

[Main Quest #8: Disappearance]

Guild Master Jinuk has disappeared.

Move quickly to the scene.

Objective: Find Jinuk's whereabouts.

Reward: 200,000 gold, 80,000 experience points, 4 stat points

Current progress: 73 percent

The message that appeared after hearing about Jinuk's disappearance was clear.

Since this incident had become a main quest, it must be a key part of the story.

That matched Hanbit's guess perfectly.

Swish-!

Hanbit, who had been running continuously, quickly reached his destination.

"Huh?"

"What was that?"

Adventurers were still searching the forest.

Hanbit quickly passed them by.

When he reached a place where eight trees curved, he stopped.

'Now, this is the key.'

He had a hunch about how Jinuk had disappeared.

A nest that existed beneath the ground in this area.

He must have accidentally stumbled upon the entrance that had opened.

Unlike the naturally formed snowy mountains, this was an artificially created place.

Swish-

Approaching the fifth tree, Hanbit drew his sword and slowly lowered his stance.

And the moment he plunged his sword into the ground near the base.

Thud-!

The ground beneath him disappeared, and his vision turned black.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]