The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 31

[Challenge Dungeon Cleared.]

[Final Record: 19 minutes 24 seconds]

[1st Place Ranking Updated.]

Messages popped up in succession as the boss died.

1st place.

He had achieved the record, unbroken for a year, in just a single attempt.

The viewers' reactions to the shocking result poured in like waves.

-LOL

-Doubters destroyed.

-It's broken, holy shit lmao

-Information) This guy started the game 4 days ago.

-1st try clear with Flona is insane

-How did he really do it?

-2nd place Kim Han-seop is crying.

-Yeah, you can't even try again, can you?

-Must be pissed after grinding his life away lol

The topic of the previous 1st place holder naturally arose.

It was said to be a result achieved after tremendous time and effort, so it wasn't strange that he must be shocked.

Ding-!

[First clear rewards will be distributed according to ranking.]

[Received 300,000 gold.]

[Goblin's Spirit Necklace (3rd rank - Unique) awarded.]

[10 stat points awarded.]

[Experience increased by 50,300.]

[Level increased by 5.]

[5 stat points awarded.]

A message listing the rewards popped up.

Considering the level of the monsters that appeared and the difficulty of the dungeon, it was an obvious result.

"Mission success, right? I'll press it."

Hanbit, finally releasing the tension from his body, pressed the mission success button.

[You have succeeded in the challenge mission.]

[Received 10,393,000 won in prize money.]

"Wow, that's a lot."

-LOL

-The safe betters are destroyed.

-It seems like a lot of people were aiming for the one-on-one lesson?

-That person is me.

-Burp ending.

A tremendous amount of prize money had accumulated, perhaps because they thought it was a safe bet.

Considering the share of the companies that had donated, it already exceeded 30 million won.

"Huh."

The memory of his internship flashed through his mind once again, and he laughed in vain.

Would he ever get used to this unrealistic profit structure?

It was a future he couldn't imagine right now.

"Flona, you can come now."

Hanbit turned his gaze towards the entrance and called out to Flona, who was watching with her mouth agape.

"Ah, yes!"

The girl, reacting belatedly, came running with small steps.

"It was so pretty!"

"Pretty?"

"Yes! The wind was fluttering... It was warm and cool, and it felt so good!"

"...Ah."

Hanbit, realizing the reason, raised a hand and extended a single finger. The wind that had gathered around the sword dispersed and began to converge on his fingertip.

Chirp-!

Having fulfilled its role, the wind spirit Sylph returned to its bird form. Even the little girl could see it now.

"A bird!"

Chirp-!

Flona squealed and held out her hands. Sylph flew over and settled on them.

Hanbit turned his gaze away from the two and walked towards the spot where the boss had died.

-Chest dopamine incoming.

-Dgdgd

-Please be trash loot.

-It's trash even without praying.

-Spoiler) Goblin Warrior's Bone.

-Fr, only bones come out.

Another purpose of running the dungeon: the treasure chest that could be opened after defeating the boss.

Looking at the chat window, it was hard to expect even a decent reward, but even miscellaneous items had their uses.

Slide-

Approaching the wall, Hanbit stood before the wooden chest placed on the floor. He stretched out his hand and slowly opened the lid.

Creak-

The inside of the chest was revealed along with the sound of wood. At that moment, an intense golden light burst forth.

Flash-!

Unprepared, Hanbit instinctively stepped back. When he fixed his gaze forward cautiously, something floating above the open chest caught his eye.

-Woah.

-Golden light?

-No way.

-Please, fuck

-Don't do this, really.

The chat window heated up at the seemingly predictable outcome.

'That's...'

A round object enveloped in golden light. Looking at its shape, Hanbit recalled something.

He stepped closer and reached out to grab the object.

Ding-!

[You have acquired the Essence of Earth (3rd rank- Unique).]

[You have acquired Spirit Stone (3rd rank- Epic).]

-Wow, f*ck.

-Rank 3 Essence of Earth?

-No, why is there a Spirit Stone?

-Epic legend. lol

-Where did the Rank 2 Fine Bone go?

-This is crazy, really.

The two items that appeared from the treasure chest caused a stir. This was because they were not items one could expect as rewards from this dungeon. Compared to the Rank 2 Fine miscellaneous items that 99% of players obtained, this was a truly shocking outcome.

'I didn't expect to get this here.'

Hanbit looked at the translucent round gem in his hand. A Spirit Stone, rarely created by the accumulation of the remnants of spiritual power. It was smaller than the palm of his hand, but judging by its transparency and shape, it was of quite good quality.

Examining its condition, Hanbit glanced at the chat window and casually spoke.

"A Spirit Stone is a good thing, right?"

-?

-You're asking because you actually don't know?

-He's showing off.

-I'm suing you.

-Does attribute enhancement look like a joke to you?

-That's over 3,000.

-If it's Epic grade, it goes for hundreds of millions;

-I'm so jealous;

The responses to his casual question were as expected.

A Spirit Stone, used to utilize the power of spirits more fully. Like the ordinary adventurers of the past, players simply used it as an attribute enhancement material. However, it was not an item whose value ended there.

'The Essence of Earth is good too, though.'

The Essence of Earth, a material used to craft armor. Since he wasn't planning on using it right away, he might consider selling it. After all, if it had the Unique grade attached to it, the minimum price would be guaranteed.

Ding-!

[Cuckoo has donated 1,000 won.]

[Sudden surge of challengers for the Challenge Dungeon.]

-Wow, that's a lot. Lol

-Entrance fee doormats are amazing.

At that news, Hanbit turned his attention to the RPG community and logged in. Looking at the latest posts, his dungeon strategy had already been relayed in all sorts of ways.

'3 days left.'

The accumulated entrance fees for one week, given to the 1st place challenger. The settlement would take place next Monday.

Since it was a dungeon that many people sought out in the first place, wouldn't the added attention result in more accumulated entrance fees?

With such anticipation, Hanbit walked towards where Flona was.

"Shall we go now?"

"Ah, yes! And I'll give you this!"

The girl replied brightly and rummaged through her bag to take something out.

"Thank you for saving me!"

A medicinal herb with red leaves was held in her small hand. As he received it, a message popped up.

[Quest completed.]

[You have acquired Red Herb (1st rank - Normal).]

[Experience increased by 500.]

The quest to clear the dungeon while protecting Flona. Throughout the process, the girl didn't suffer a single scratch. And that perfect achievement manifested in another form.

Ding-!

[Achievement: Perfect Protector achieved.]

[Chain quest unlocked.]

[Quest]

You have successfully rescued Flona.

Return to the Adventurers' Guild with her.

Objective: Visit the Adventurers' Guild

Reward: Sub quest unlocked

"Sub quest?"

-?

-Why is there a sub quest?

-Does it lead to the story?

-What's this again?

He had read about the concept of sub quests in the guidebook. Unique elements that enriched the main quest. Although very rare, they could sometimes change the course of the story depending on the player's progress. Most of them had no impact at all, though.

'They've designed it really well.'

Rescuing Flona and stopping by the guild was the plan from the beginning. This was because it was an important branching point in the story going forward. If it appeared in the form of a quest, it was likely the direction the developers intended. Perhaps it was even the will of the Goddess behind it.

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

Shaking off his thoughts, Hanbit moved out of the dungeon with Flona.

* * *

"He's out!"

"Is he really in first place?"

"Look here!"

The entrance was still swarming with players. Although many had already left for the dungeon, there were still a considerable number waiting for the person called Black Dragon to emerge.

"Hyung!"

Yeonwoo, who had been watching the stream, came running in a hurry. Full of excitement, he pointed at the holographic screen in the air with his finger and said, "This is insane! How did you get first place?"

Ranking

1st: Black Dragon (19 minutes 24 seconds)

2nd: Kim Han-seop (19 minutes 25 seconds)

3rd: Nowaki (19 minutes 38 seconds)

.......

The updated ranking was properly applied. It felt new to see it like this in person.

-He's insane, really.

-A talent exceeding even Odin has appeared;

-He even rescued Flona. lol

-Black Dragon was already on another level just based on his skills.

-Kim Han-seop wanting a rematch is funny.

-Yeah, you can't because your level is too high, right?

[Ttalggak has donated 1,000 won.]

[One try clear.]

The viewers who checked the record with their own eyes were even more fired up. Half of the comments were comparisons to the advanced player, Odin. The rest were teasing Kim Han-seop, who had dropped to 2nd place.

"I told you I'd get first place."

"This isn't just getting first place! Forget Kim Han-seop, you did something even Odin couldn't do! My message window and phone are about to explode right now!"

Yeonwoo added that he was being flooded with calls from many people, including large corporations. Seeing Odin mentioned constantly, it seemed he was quite a talented player.

"You take care of that. Let's go to Edlen for now. I'll send you a party invite."

"Ah, there was a sub quest too, right?"

Nodding, Yeonwoo accepted the party request.

Flona, who had left the dungeon with him, had disappeared. It seemed to be a system where she reappeared upon returning to the village.

Checking the hologram screen once more, Hanbit turned towards the city.

"Let's go."

* * *

"Ugh..."

Immediately after entering Edlen, Flona appeared beside Hanbit.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing."

The timid girl shook her head, clutching her bag strap tightly. He knew the reason for her anxious expression all too well.

'Discrimination is severe here too.'

People living in the slums were treated like outcasts. This was because not only the nobles but even the ordinary commoners considered the slum dwellers to be somewhere around the level of livestock. And it was the slum dwellers like Flona who knew this fact best.

"It's okay."

Hanbit gently took her hand as he said those words.

Chirp-!

Sylph, sensing the mood, also flapped its wings playfully. Fortunately, Flona quietly nodded with a more relaxed expression.

"Hyung, is that some kind of gimmick too?" Yeonwoo, who was standing a little behind, asked, approaching cautiously.

"What are you talking about?"

"I've never seen anyone act like that towards an NPC. Isn't it like a hidden quest gimmick?"

-Really seems like there's something.

-Be suspicious of everything.

-He's practically a walking strategy guide.

-I just ripped up my guidebook while screaming.

-Adventurer A sobbing.

-But seriously, what is it? Is the guidebook all wrong?

-You guys were praising the guidebook just before, and now this sudden change lol

The absurd suspicion even spread to doubts about the guidebook's author. This was because Hanbit's actions, starting with Artsvel's magic, had completely deviated from the contents of the guidebook. Even the results showed an extreme difference, so it was natural for them to feel something was strange.

'They're not wrong, though.'

The information recorded in the guidebook by Adventurer A had far more inaccuracies. The sheer volume of information was so vast that it made one wonder about their true identity. He wanted to meet them someday and have a conversation.

"Why aren't you answering? Is it really a gimmick?"

"Don't talk nonsense about gimmicks. We're almost there."

While they were having this conversation, the three of them arrived at the entrance of the Adventurers' Guild.

"Let's go in."

"...Yes."

Flona, standing next to him, still had a tense expression. Holding her small hand tightly, Hanbit slowly stepped inside.

At that moment.

[Cutscene transition.]

Along with the message, his vision went dark.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]