The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

Chapter 72

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 72

"Huh?"

[Lure: Battle Sandworm (Lv.31)]

Its muddy-colored skin was slick with mucus, and sharp spines protruded from its body. Its mouth, gaping open in a circle, was lined with hundreds of overlapping teeth.

-Oh, crap.

-Why does it look like that?

-Is it from hell?

-Isn't the worm too strong?

"Ugh..."

Yeonwoo paused, then steadied himself. Turning to Hanbit, who was standing behind him, he asked, "Was this supposed to be a monster-hunting place?"

"The challenge dungeon was too, wasn't it? Why? Is it tough?"

"Tough? It's perfect."

Swoosh-

Yeonwoo drew the sword from his waist and charged towards the sandworm.

Thwack-

Squeak-

With a powerful blow, the monster's neck was severed.

Hanbit watched from a few steps back.

"Oh, you're good."

-Sandworm Butcher Roper

-The mob melts so easily

-It looks weak for something that looks like that

Viewers immediately reacted to Yeonwoo's ease in defeating the monster.

Thwack-

With the last sandworm dead, Yeonwoo looked back with a triumphant expression.

"How was that? Pretty good, right?"

"Bragging rights earned. We'll be out of here soon."

"Just trust me. Follow me!"

Feeling good, Yeonwoo strode forward boldly, still keeping his right hand on the wall.

Tap-tap-

A few more monsters appeared after a few turns. This time, they were crabs with sharp claws.

[Lure: Battle Crab (Lv.31)]

A monster of the same level as the sandworm.

Overheated with excitement, Yeonwoo immediately charged.

"This is nothing!"

Crack-

He continued to defeat the monsters with bold attacks.

"Well done, well done."

Hanbit clapped slowly from a few steps back.

Yeonwoo's shoulders were rigid as he walked forward.

'There must be more outside.'

Chat messages continued to pop up, saying that more players were waiting outside the dungeon. It felt like it was almost time to move.

Thump-thump-

Yeonwoo continued to follow the right wall.

Rustle-

"Are there really this many monsters?"

Finally, he complained about the constant appearance of monsters.

Even so, the incoming monsters didn't stop.

Rustle-

At that moment, an insect monster crawled down from above Yeonwoo's blind spot.

Hanbit drew his bow and quietly nocked an arrow.

Ping-!

The arrow flew swiftly and pierced the insect's head.

Yeonwoo, engrossed in battle, didn't notice.

-Awwww He doesn't know.

-He's trying hard.

-But this dungeon is really easy, isn't it?

-Difficulty needs to be reevaluated.

The chat's evaluation of the dungeon was gradually leaning in one direction. The fact that the monsters weren't very strong made it feel easy.

Hanbit glanced at the camera.

'How is it? Looks easy, right?'

He swallowed the words he wanted to say out loud.

All he had to do was keep showing the dungeon as easy to conquer.

"Oh, aren't we almost there?"

"Really?"

"Keep going. You might be the first to clear it."

"Then let's go even faster!"

With a hint of hope added, Yeonwoo's determination flared.

Swoosh-

Ping-!

His struggle with Hanbit's assistance continued several more times.

And a few minutes later.

Ding-!

A clear alarm sound rang in their ears.

[Cuckoo has donated 1,000 won.]

[Breaking News) 2,300 people have entered the waterway.]

'Here they come.'

Hanbit clenched his fist.

Over 2,000 players, including Ranger.

It was the perfect composition to serve as sacrifices for clearing this dungeon.

"Huh?"

Yeonwoo, who had been fighting hard, finally stopped.

"They've already come in? We haven't even passed the maze yet? And 2,300 is way too many!"

Not knowing the hidden plan, he reacted naturally.

Hanbit deliberately furrowed his brow slightly. "This is troublesome,” he muttered as he looked at the chat window, feigning contemplation. Then turning to Yeonwoo he said, "They'll probably arrive here soon."

"At the very least the Ranger will come quickly. But what do we do? It'll be a huge disaster if we lose the clear." Yeonwoo, with his sword lowered, sighed as he looked at the maze.

However, the news in the following chat window made him sigh even deeper.

-Breaking News) Ranger declared he'll accept PKs too.

-Looks like he got really pissed. ???

-Why is he messing with people having fun?

-Damn ???;

-Just borrowing you for a bit.

-Huh? You too?

"They're going that far? Haah."

"Wow, PK? This is a big deal."

The two responded simultaneously. Yeonwoo looked genuinely troubled.

On the other hand, for Hanbit, PK was a trivial matter. The situation would end before he could even do anything.

"I'll try to go faster." Yeonwoo, feeling a sense of urgency, tried to hurry forward.

Though commendable, it was time to switch roles.

"No, you've done well enough." Hanbit patted Yeonwoo's shoulder with a light step. Then he drew out his blue-white sword and stepped forward. "I'll lead the way from now on."

* * *

At the entrance to the waterway, where the debris had been cleared to one side, a group of advanced players could be seen among the numerous players. Their equipment, bearing the logo of the corporation Rashtan, was particularly eye-catching.

Grind-

The Ranger gritted his teeth.

On a screen displayed to one side, Roper and Black Dragon were seen navigating the maze.

'Black Dragon... that damn bastard.'

Since starting the Record Project, Ranger's life had changed.

A superior status, almost like a noble. Even within the large corporation Rashtan he was in, he received the best treatment. Although he was behind other competitors, he always existed as a proud advanced player.

Until that day arrived.

‘Well, luck is also skill. Or maybe he doesn't have either?’

The first insult he had received from a man named Black Dragon.

At that time, he had somehow managed to keep his expression in check, but he had been so angry that he could have easily provoked a PK guild.

'If only that incident hadn't happened...'

It all started with the hero confirmation skill quest that appeared from Artsvel.

Immediately after Black Dragon cleared it, the Ranger, who had been gathering information in various ways, received an anonymous tip.

Using it, he easily collected the materials for the bomb slime in the hidden cave, and as a result, monopolized them.

The bold announcement that he could easily crush any new player was also perfect.

However, the situation reversed when an exposé was posted on the RPG community.

<Where did all those bomb slimes go?>

Whose fault it is is up to you.

-Is Rashtan really monopolizing like this?

-They're trash.

-Their greed is overflowing.

-That's how big corporations are.

-Seriously, they're selfish bastards.

The arrows of suspicion naturally pointed at Rashtan, who had been monopolizing resources.

Later, the Ranger and his subordinates, while monitoring public opinion, heard that Black Dragon had logged in. And when he went to Artsvel's general store, a quest appeared.

[Quest]

Learn the second magic spell from Artsvel.

The book’s lock will be released after 5 minutes.

Objective: Use Artsvel's spellbook

Reward: 10,000 gold, Fire Burst (2nd rank - Hero), 3 stat points, 3,000 experience points

A 2-rank skill quest appeared incredibly quickly. With a calm expression, Black Dragon easily acquired the skill.

Soon, the Ranger and his subordinates also jumped into the quest, but only the worst result occurred for them. Not only did they fail, but the opportunity vanished completely.

‘Does he have a supporter? Or is it another corporation?’

There were many corporations that had a grudge against Rashtan.

Within the game, in the form of guilds, the competitive structure was even more clearly defined.

It wasn't strange if one of them was backing Black Dragon.

But yesterday, something happened that completely blew away even that speculation.

‘A global reset? That’s ridiculous.’

A shocking message that appeared to all players.

Its impact greatly shook the real world as well.

Informants were still working hard to grasp the situation.

‘Even so, to reject Rashtan?’

Even though he didn't like it, he had to admit Black Dragon's knowledge.

He had a hunch that if Black Dragon assisted him, he could climb up to the top tier of the advanced players.

With that thought in mind, he met with the CEO of Rashtan and decided to recruit him, and then went to find Black Dragon.

But the guy, with his shoulders puffed up with self-importance, rejected the recruitment with arrogant words.

‘Why would I join Rashtan? From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem that great.’

Even though he had achieved a lot from the beginning, Black Dragon was still an ordinary player.

Without realizing that, he ignored the corporation to which the Ranger belonged.

He even gave off the vibe that a higher-ranking advanced team had proposed recruitment.

It was a statement that brought out the inferiority complex he had buried deep inside.

?Oh, aren’t we almost there??

?Really??

At that moment, voices came from the stream.

Watching the screen, the Ranger carefully drew the progress of the maze in his mind.

And then he made a decision.

"We're going in too."

"Captain, wouldn't it be better to watch the maze until the end before entering?" One of his subordinates who was watching the situation with him approached and asked.

The Ranger shook his head firmly in response. "No, we have to go in now. If they get out of the maze, everything might be over."

It was a decision made without completely discarding his emotions, anger still bubbling within him.

Complete trust or complete distrust could not be applied to that guy.

Black Dragon's actions were difficult to predict from beginning to end. Neither the method, the process, nor the result had gone as expected. Moreover, because he was prone to mocking others, he had to move cautiously.

He had no intention of getting caught up in Black Dragon's plan.

This time, he would have the upper hand, even if it meant accepting PKs.

"I'll take the lead. Follow me at a distance."

Thump-

The Ranger kicked off and entered the waterway.

He increased his speed at once, as much as his high agility stat allowed.

Bang-

A few frogs appeared in the path ahead.

Grasping his bow, the Ranger drew the string with intent.

Ping-!

Crack-!

The arrow, which shot out with lightning, cleanly killed all the monsters in the passage.

It was an attack as sharp as the anger he withheld.

‘I won’t let you spout nonsense anymore.’

If Black Dragon was arrogant, making him face reality would be the most effective.

He would make him feel a sense of deprivation with overwhelming power.

With a determined expression, the Ranger clenched his fist and vowed, ‘I’ll definitely take on the boss.’

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]