The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 127

"...What?"

-Kidnapping?

-Brook Ver.2

-She’s a real believer, isn’t she?

-I have a bad feeling about this;

Jinuk was startled.

The scientist looked extremely dangerous.

He had no idea what would happen if he messed with her.

"You want to kidnap her? Are you serious?"

"I can't kill her. She could be used as a justification for a real war."

"Then kidnapping won't work either. She'll immediately release all the monsters and try to kill us."

"It's okay. She'll accept my offer."

"..."

Hanbit stepped forward, leaving Jinuk behind with a puzzled expression.

"Now, now, don't get too excited. If you rush, she might go berserk."

The scientist was looking at the monsters in the cage with a loving expression.

And just as she was about to move to the next cage.

Whirik-!

Her arms were grabbed and tied with a rope.

"Hmm. I don't remember inviting guests."

[Aysis, a scientist from the Holy Kingdom]

Even in such a sudden situation, the scientist, Aysis, remained calm.

With her arms bound, she slowly turned her head to look at Hanbit.

"...What?"

Aysis' eyes widened when she saw his face.

She shouted, "You! You're the one who scattered that strange chill!"

Aysis recalled the scene in front of the wall.

A fundamental and overwhelming chill that was neither magic nor anything else.

The sight of him freezing all her creations was so awe-inspiring that her body trembled.

-Her eyes are weird;

-She's truly mad.

-I'll watch because she's pretty.

-I support her.

[Ankyophobe has donated 1,000 won.]

[Get rid of those glasses freak.]

With her arms bound, Aysis leaned in.

Her innocent appearance and her insane curiosity were part of her identity.

"That's right. So if you don't want to die, stop your experiments right now."

Hanbit pointed his sword and warned her.

But Aysis shouted with excitement, "You used your power with that sword, didn't you? Could it be that you're using the true element of a spirit? Or did you find a way to create a similar power?"

Ignoring the blade, she bombarded him with questions.

Seeing her like that, Hanbit stepped back from Aysis and used Attribute Manifestation.

Sarak-

A chilling cold began to bloom along the blade.

Due to the lack of time to recover, the power draining from his body was almost at its limit.

"Ah..."

Aysis's eyes widened even more at the sight of the cold.

"It's a spirit, isn't it? Right? It's a real spirit!"

Excited, she approached him despite her bound arms.

At the same time, the cold disappeared from the blade.

"Where... where did it go? Hey? It was just there!"

She didn't care about the danger of being frozen.

She was Aysis, who would do anything to satisfy her curiosity.

"What you just saw was the power of the Glacier, spirit king's remnant."

"...Did you just say spirit king? The legendary spirit king?"

"Yes. So if you want to see it again, stop your experiments right now."

"That..."

She looked troubled at his firm warning.

Then she shook her head and said, "I can't stop the experiment. My children have already left my hands."

"What? What kind of nonsense is that!" Jinuk intervened, bursting into anger. "You can't stop something you started? You can just break all those test tubes!"

"If you do that, Ifrit will be destroyed immediately. We're at the stage of stabilizing them now."

"Stabilize? Are you serious?"

"I don't care about that... Just don't interfere and ruin my experiment. It's not good if many people die."

"Damn it..."

Jinuk gritted his teeth at the nonchalant explanation.

He understood the sentiment, but there was no lie in those words.

Hanbit looked at the countless cages and said, "Are you saying it's better to leave them alone?"

"Wouldn't it be better if we could minimize the casualties? Of course, that would only be possible if you could use your spirit power."

Normally, a monster wave would have caused countless casualties.

But Hanbit hadn't caused a single death in the second wave.

Having witnessed that, Aysis could entertain a small possibility.

Although she probably thought it was impossible to stop it completely.

'...She's a dangerous person in many ways.'

Aysis had no intention of killing.

Her immediate interest was in researching monsters.

So what if the direction of her dangerous curiosity could be changed to something else?

For example, the research on spirits that she had always dreamed of.

"Anyway! Can I take a closer look at that power?"

Aysis pointed at the sword and made a request.

Hesitating for a moment, Hanbit asked her, "Then cooperate with us. We need information about the Holy Kingdom."

"I'll do anything!"

-?

-So easily?

-Zero hesitation;

-No faith wow

Aysis made the decision without a moment's hesitation.

It was an expected reaction for Hanbit, but not for Jinuk.

"You're easily betraying the Holy Kingdom? Isn't this a trap?"

"I'm an orphan who was picked up from the eastern war zone. While I don't deny the existence of gods, my research is more important. Especially the opportunity to study spirits! The Holy Kingdom wouldn't give me that opportunity! Of course, researching the strengthening of monsters is also very enjoyable..."

Aysis poured out her love for her research.

In short, her greatest desire was to study spirits.

So it wasn't strange that she would seize this opportunity.

"...What is this?"

Jinuk couldn't understand her easily.

It was a belief that was difficult for ordinary people to understand.

"If you leave here, what about the experiment? Will it continue as it is?"

"As I said, it's already out of my hands. The only thing left for me is to observe the results. Besides, there's also the child who's not here..."

Thud-

Suddenly, a vibration shook the ground.

Jinuk immediately took a defensive stance and looked around.

"What's that?"

There were no new enemies.

Only an inexplicable unease filled the air.

"Ah, I guess they're starting to wake up."

"Wake up?"

"There are special children who are sleeping in a different space. Do you remember the giant of the snowy mountains?"

"..."

Jinuk's eyes widened at the familiar name of the monster.

The giant of the snowy mountains, commonly known as the Yeti.

As a boss-level monster, it was one of the strongest in Ifrit.

If it went berserk in its enhanced state, he didn't want to imagine the consequences.

"Let's go back. We need to prepare more."

Hanbit grabbed Aysis's rope again.

Then, a message appeared before him with an alarm.

Ding-!

[Main Quest #9 completed.]

[Received 200,000 gold.]

[4 stat points granted.]

[Experience increased by 80,000.]

[Level increased by 1.]

[1 stat point granted.]

[Progress increased.]

[Main Quest #10: Kidnapping]

You have successfully kidnapped Aysis, a scientist from the Holy Kingdom.

Take her back to Ifrit and talk to her.

Objective: Obtain the necessary information through interrogation.

Reward: 100,000 gold, 50,000 experience points, 2 stat points

Current progress: 77 percent

The summary and goals were concise.

Hanbit looked at Jinuk, whose face had grown darker.

"Your decision is needed."

"...Decision?"

Jinuk looked puzzled at the sudden question.

Hanbit pushed Aysis away, who was trying to look at his sword.

"Choose. Will you save the future of the city, or will you continue to obey your sister?"

* * *

"You mean this woman is a believer of the Holy Kingdom?"

In the reception room of Ifrit City Hall.

Pirnen, seeing the woman sitting opposite her, exclaimed in disbelief.

"She's more of a scientist than a believer. I'll take care of her personally, and I've already contacted Deputy Commander Leon. Now do you understand the seriousness of the monster wave?"

Pirnen frowned with an irritated expression.

She was anxious about the city's dark secrets leaking out.

No matter how beautiful a city was, people would hesitate to visit if it was dangerous.

"If it's Leon, she'll share the minimum amount of information. The news won't spread to the citizens. Of course, I'm of the opinion that we should call for reinforcements from other cities."

"That's a hasty worry. If we focus our forces here, there will be weaknesses elsewhere. It's best for us to solve our problems with our own strength."

Closing her eyes briefly, she looked at the woman sitting directly in front of her. She was so restless, fidgeting and looking around.

"Did you really send those monsters to Ifrit?"

"Yes, didn't I? The first and second times, I sent out children who didn't meet the criteria. But is that decoration over there really made of magic stones? It feels like it's unnecessarily high purity..."

-She can't sit still. lol

-Cute.

-She's the enemy;

-I consider anyone who's against Aysis my enemy.

-Already shipping them...

Aysis couldn't stop her overflowing curiosity.

Watching her with a disdainful expression, Pirnen continued, "When will the next monster wave come?"

"Tomorrow. Once the giant of the snowy mountains awakens, the attack will begin."

"I heard that you couldn't stop the experiment, but you were also willing to cooperate. What do you plan to do about the wave?"

"Hmm."

Aysis pondered the question.

Then she pointed at Hanbit with her finger.

"Wouldn't someone with overwhelming power like him be important? Of course, it would be difficult to completely stop it. But can I eat this?"

Her finger moved to the cookie on the table.

Without waiting for an answer, she took it and started eating.

"Phew."

Pirnen sighed, putting her hand on her forehead.

She looked at Jinuk, who was sitting on her right.

"Gather the adventurers and soldiers to prepare for the next wave. You can use the city's resources freely."

"...Sister, shouldn't we think about this again?"

At the hesitant question, Pirnen's voice turned cold.

Her eyes flickered as Jinuk straightened his posture and said, "I know I'm lacking. But I think we should call for reinforcements from other cities."

"How many times do I have to tell you? That's why you're there. Are you going to continue to disappoint me?"

"I know my shortcomings. So please allow me to call for reinforcements from other cities."

"Ha."

Pirnen snorted at her half-brother's disobedience.

She shook her head firmly and said, "I won't allow it. We'll deal with it with our own strength."

"...Even if the adventurers, soldiers, and citizens die?"

"That is also your responsibility. Protecting the value of the city is more important than a few sacrifices..."

"Sister!"

Suddenly, Jinuk stood up and shouted.

Pirnen looked dumbfounded at his disrespectful attitude.

"Did you just... shout at me?"

"Yes! I've followed your words faithfully until now! Because I foolishly thought it was the right thing to do!"

-A real showdown ㄷㄷ

-Jinuk did that?

-Awakening;

-He finally snapped.

-Enough is enough.

-Get out, Fiend!@@novelbin@@

Jinuk's words poured out like a dam breaking.

It was also a self-reproach.

"But what is this now! Even a child can see that this is a dangerous situation, but you're ignoring it for the sake of your economic power! Just to protect your family's position!"

"What did you just say?"

"I'm begging you to take your responsibilities seriously! I may have been a pathetic fool for obeying you, but I'm going to fix that starting now!"

Whirl-

Jinuk turned and left the reception room.

Pirnen, who had been watching him blankly, clenched her fist and stood up abruptly.

"How dare you! You've forgotten the grace I gave you, allowing you to live a life that's far from trash! The dirty blood of a bastard..."

"Oh!"

Just as she was pouring out venomous insults, the rope binding Aysis came undone.

The scientist, freed, began to unleash her pent-up curiosity.

"I've been wondering, is this place also decorated with magic stones? It's not the kind of material you'd use for a ring, is it?"

"What... Get away from me!"

Aysis fidgeted and approached her.

Pirnen stepped back, as if she were looking at a disgusting creature.

Hanbit, who had untied the rope, pretended not to notice and was munching on a cookie.

"Hey, isn't that a light-adjusting magical device? You have some pretty good technology!"

"Wait... That's expensive!"

Aysis quickly turned her attention to the wall lights.

Pirnen, who had hastily followed, grabbed her clothes, but it was too late.

Clang-!

"Ah."

The light magic device that Aysis had touched fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Seeing the disaster, she scratched her head and said, "Oops, it broke. What should I do?"

"Do you know how much that costs...?"

-loooollllllllll

-Crazy counterattack. lmao

-The human compatibility is insane;

-Release Aysis into the wild. That will solve everything.

-Aysis is so cute.

Pirnen expressed her anger, but the one who caused the accident was a believer of the Holy Kingdom.

Moreover, how could she demand compensation from a woman who seemed to be mentally unstable?

"Just... get out."

"Huh? I haven't finished looking around yet..."

"Get out!"

With a sharp shout, Aysis was kicked out of the reception room.

Hanbit, who had naturally followed her, grabbed her and took her outside.

Jinuk was waiting at the entrance to the building.

"Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine. I've decided to protect this city."

He had a determined expression on his face.

Having made a decision after much deliberation, he wouldn't waver.

Hanbit nodded, looking at the north wall.

"Me too. So let's get ready."

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]