The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

Chapter 43

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 43

"Isn't that sword too overpowered? It's even a growth item!"

As they started walking again, Yeonwoo's voice pitched high in excitement.

He had already forgotten all about being knocked backwards.

"The sword itself is good, but it's also enhanced with Sylph's power."

-Spirits are so OP;

—Anyone who hasn't passed the Balder test yet, thumbs up.

—Okay

—Let's just give up.

—What about aiming for other attributes?

—Would that work?

There were still many who wished for the high performance of spirits.

Of course, other attributes of spirits also existed, but wouldn't those be even more difficult?

"..."

Lia was still wary of her surroundings, holding her dagger.

Monsters appeared once again, but there was no need for her to step forward.

Whoosh-

Slice-

The skeletons that continued to appear were helplessly sliced down by Hanbit's sword.

Thanks to dealing with them with minimal movement, he didn't feel any fatigue.

[Level increased by 3.]

[3 stat points have been awarded.]

Dozens of skeletons were defeated while navigating the complex passage.

Since their levels were high, he gained an astonishing amount of experience.

—He's getting so much experience.

—Newbies pushing through the story must be happy.

—But the mob level is 32?

—Why are there so many newbie death zones;

Viewers, tempted by the experience, poured out words.

However, wouldn't it be almost impossible for a beginner who just started to reach this place?

"That must be it."

Finally, when they reached the end of the path, a unique space appeared.

Yeonwoo, who arrived after them, looked around with curiosity.

"What is this place?"

A spacious area surrounded by blue barriers.

Despite the sight, Lia lowered her posture and remained vigilant.

"There's something here."

Swoosh-

Along with her voice, a green light flickered from the wall inside.

When everyone's eyes were drawn to it, something appeared.

Screech-

A body with the upper half of a human and the lower half of a bird.

The face that screamed at them was grotesquely distorted.

[Elite: Mutated Wind Harpy (Lv.37)]

—Elite mob

—It looks freaking scary.

—Why are all the monsters like this?

—It feels like a gatekeeper.

—Isn't there some kind of facility inside?

"Hyung, what is this place?"

Yeonwoo also noticed something strange with the appearance of the high-ranking monster.

But it was still too early to answer that question.

"That's dangerous,” Lia, holding her dagger, said while taking a stance.

The harpy emitted an unsettling aura.

Her instincts were warning of danger.

"It's okay."

Hanbit shrugged and walked forward.

Mutated Wind Harpy.

As its name suggests, it was a being that used the power of wind.

And right now, the wind spirit was present beside Hanbit.

Whoosh-

He could feel a triumphant aura from the wind enveloping his body.

Hanbit gripped his sword and immediately kicked off the ground.

Thud-

Flap-

The harpy reacted simultaneously, spreading its green wings and taking flight.

Whoosh-

The harpy, circling in the air, watched Hanbit.

At the same time, it changed the shape of its wings, and sharp green blades were launched.

Swish-

The attack flew quickly, cutting through the air.

The momentum, as if to tear apart its opponent, was threatening.

Thud-

Despite the onslaught, Hanbit kicked off the ground towards the incoming blades.

Swoosh-

The wind swirled violently around the blue-white sword held in both hands.

Feeling that sensation, Hanbit swung his sword.

And the moment it collided with the harpy's attack.

Whoosh-

Sylph's wind swallowed the monster's green blades.

Screech-

The harpy frowned as its technique disappeared without a trace.

Flapping its wings, it tried to continue its attack.

But Hanbit's assault was faster.

Whoosh-

He dashed forward in a straight line and thrust his sword towards the monster's chest.

The harpy quickly raised its claws, but it was already too late.

Stab-

The tip of the blue-white sword pierced precisely into its heart.

The light faded from the harpy's wide-open eyes.

Its body instantly turned into black dust and scattered.

[Experience increased by 25,000.]

[Level increased.]

[1 stat point awarded.]

—Whoa

—Instant kill;

—Did you see the harpy's skill disappear?

—He's chewing it up even though there's a level difference of over 10. lol

—So OP.

Thud-

Landing on the ground, Hanbit stroked the wind that was still swirling violently.

"I don't think there are any others."

Lia, watching him, approached while looking around.

Hanbit nodded and pointed to the wall.

"That must be the entrance."

Rumble-

The blue barrier slowly began to split apart with a vibration.

Flash-

The pure white light that erupted from the gap felt sacred.

The gradually revealing interior first drew a reaction from the players.

—?

—Whoa.

—Is that a temple?

—It's the Erport Temple.

—Why is a Holy Nation facility here?

The Holy Nation's flag was embedded in the blindingly white building and pillars.

It was a temple that revered their creator god and Erport.

"Whoa."

"Why is this here..."

The two surprised people were speechless.

Lia seemed to be in shock, but they had to hurry now.

"There's no time. Let's quickly look around and get out."

Hanbit was the first to step inside the opened barrier.

Lia and Yeonwoo followed behind him belatedly.

‘They put a lot of effort into this.’

The interior, exactly the same as in his memory, led to similar thoughts.

It was because the temple had an excessively elaborate structure, no matter how many times he saw it.

"Wow, isn't this as good as the ones in the Holy Nation?" Yeonwoo also seemed surprised as he looked around the exterior of the temple.

Temples rarely existed outside the Holy Nation.

But to think that there was such a high-level facility in the hardliner Raven Kingdom, it was logically impossible.

"Let's go in."

Hanbit immediately stepped into the entrance of the temple.

The interior was so quiet, without even the slightest noise.

Walking straight ahead, Hanbit moved to the altar at the very back.

"This is even crazier,” Yeonwoo, looking at the inside of the altar, said in disbelief.

With the statue of the god, the pure white vestments hanging on one side, and even the holy book containing the doctrines, it was the complete form of a temple.

"Let's split up and see what's here. Lia, you check the back of the altar."

"Okay."

At his instruction, Lia, who was warily looking around, nodded and moved.

"Hyung, what about me?" Yeonwoo approached and asked quietly.

But further instructions weren't needed.

"You can just pretend to look for something. You can look around."

"Huh? What about the investigation?"

"There's enough evidence that this is a temple. Now only Lia remains."

"What does that..."

Rumble-

At that moment, a sound came from behind the altar.

Turning his head, he saw Lia with a flustered expression.

"...What is this?"

She stepped backwards, clutching the bag tightly with both hands.

On the wall that Lia was looking at, a space like a basement was slowly opening on the floor.

"Let's go."

Hanbit took a step forward and was the first to step down.

Lia, flustered, also moved forward, clutching her dagger tightly.

"What is this place? Is it some kind of secret space?" Yeonwoo, following behind, looked around the dark staircase and said.

There was no reason for such a space to exist behind the altar of the temple.

"..."

Lia kept her mouth shut and remained vigilant.

It was partly due to the unknown danger, but also because of the strange sense of déjà vu she kept feeling.

Thud-

Hanbit, who was going down first, stopped at the end of the stairs.

There, a wall full of scribbles was blocking the way.

"Huh? There's nothing here?"

Yeonwoo, who came to his side, said while knocking on the wall.

He seemed a bit disappointed because he expected something to be there.

-Is it a bait map?

-There are so many scribbles on the wall.

—The brutality of young believers.

—Kids' zone

The viewers also looked at the messy wall and guessed it was a meaningless space.

But those complicated scribbles were a very important clue.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Lia, who had been silent, spoke up.

"Wait a minute."

She slowly approached and stood in front of the wall, looking at the scribbles.

Lia tilted her head and fell into thought.

And a moment later, she said in a bewildered voice, "...I think I drew this?"

—?

—So it was you, little kid.

—What, was Lia a believer?

—Promising child

The chat window became noisy at the unexpected remark.

Hanbit, who knew this fact, pretended not to know and asked, "You drew this?"

"It looks kind of similar… No, I just drew it. I was told that I'm the only one who draws cats like this. Although it was when I was very young."

Lia pointed to one of the scribbles with her finger.

It was a drawing that looked more like a slime with whiskers than a cat.

—A cat?

—I thought it was an unknown creature;

—Let's just say she has a unique style.

—Everyone draws like that when they're young.

—Fact) She draws better than me.

Her unusual drawing skills were surprising in many ways.

For something drawn by a five-year-old, it left a strong impression that was hard to forget.

"So, do you understand anything? It's strange that your drawing is here."

"That's true, but..."

Lia frowned slightly and examined the drawing more closely.

Countless scribbles of hers were randomly spread out.

It was quite difficult to find clues there.

Originally, it would take quite a while, so Hanbit decided to give her a hint.

"What's this? A tree?"

"What?"

When he pointed to a scribble with his finger, Lia turned her gaze.

After checking the drawing, she said in a dumbfounded voice, "What tree? It's obviously a person."

"It's a person only in your eyes. Then what's this? A crown?"

"It's not a crown, it's a ring. Who would wear a crown on their finger...?"

Suddenly, Lia's expression changed as she was speaking.

"...No way."

As if something came to mind, she reached for her bag.

She hesitated for a moment and looked at Hanbit, but then she continued with her actions as if she had made up her mind.

Swoosh-

What Lia took out of her bag was a ring.

The ring with the red gem embedded in it, the one she had dropped on the floor when she came to find Ruby.

The design, like a family crest engraved on the gold band, was also well known to the viewers.

—Huh?

—It's the one we saw in the RPG.

—They say it's the Noston family crest.

—There's a chance she's Brook's illegitimate child.

—Bullshit, she just stole it.

—Wasn't there also a theory that she's the previous lord's daughter?

—lol If she's the previous lord's daughter, I'll sell tteokbokki in front of Gwanghwamun.

The discussion about Lia's ring was heated in the community.

Since any outcome would be a new shock to the players, all sorts of speculations were rampant.

The mainstream opinion was that Lia had stolen the ring.

The idea that she was the previous lord's daughter was completely ignored.

"Phew."

Lia took a deep breath and put the ring on her finger.

The moment she slowly spread her palm and brought it close to the wall.

Flash-

Light erupted from the gaps in the scribbles.

"Eek!"

Surprised, Lia hurriedly took her hand away and stepped back.

Immediately after, a vibration began to echo.

Rumble-

The trembling wall gradually split to the side.

It was a similar to the structure they had entered the temple through.

"Ah..."

Lia, who was close by, was the first to witness the sight that unfolded inside.

A cozy space filled with toys and dolls.

It looked just like a children's playroom.

"Wow, what is this? Was it really a playground?"

—What the heck.

—There's a playground in the basement of the temple;

—But why was Lia's ring needed?

—No idea

As the real children's space appeared, people's questions amplified.

One of the answers was revealed in Lia's voice.

"This is my room..."

A forgotten memory washed over her.

This place was a perfect replica of the room Lia used as a child.

It was so identical that it brought tears to her eyes.

"Let's go in."

"...Okay."

When Hanbit patted her shoulder, Lia nodded with a sniffle.

Carefully stepping inside, she turned her gaze to a nearby doll.

He wanted to let her look around leisurely, but the situation wasn't good.

‘There it is.’

Hanbit immediately approached a small shelf inside.

There were two small notebooks placed there.

[Liventia's Diary (Do Not Read)]

[Atonement and Records]

One of the important pieces of evidence that summarized the events of the past.

That was 'Atonement and Records' placed on the right.

Hanbit picked up the notebook and slowly turned the cover.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]