The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 15

-Holy shit hahahahaha

-4 Unique achievements.

-The community strategy posts are going to explode.

-How can anyone follow that?

-Watch the video and follow along~

-It's easy, right?

[Sword King has donated 50,000 won.]

[I want some tutoring too;]

“Thank you for the 50,000 won donation!”

While Yeonwoo was interacting, Hanbit accepted the training manual.

Poof-!

‘Basic Swordsmanship’ was registered as he used it.

He had obtained all the skills disclosed in the guidebook.

Now it was time to move on to what lay beyond that.

“That won't be enough for you.”

The swordsman, who had been standing silently, met his eyes and spoke.

-?

-What do you mean, not enough?

The viewers were the first to react to the unfamiliar situation.

Hanbit, who had already anticipated it, nodded.

“It's not enough. Is there anything else?”

“I hear that my master has come to Edlen. If you meet him, you might receive a completely different kind of teaching.”

He held out a piece of cloth with a green sword pattern drawn on it.

As he received it, a message popped up.

[Quest]

You have heard news of Swordsman Balder's master.

If you gain his recognition, you might be able to learn a very special skill.

Objective: Find the Swordsman of the Wind in the Edlen region.

Reward: Chain quest unlocked

-A special skill?

-Is this a hidden skill?

-Swordsman of the Wind ㄷㄷ

-Isn't it just another 2nd rank skill?

-What hidden skill in the starting zone;

-Stop with the delusions. lol

The emphasized words sparked a fight in the chat window.

‘It is a hidden skill.’

The recommended skills that Hanbit had seen.

Several blank spaces among them shone particularly brightly.

One of them was the hidden skill that could be obtained in Edlen.

“Thank you. I'll meet him.”

“Find the place where the wind gathers. If you show this cloth to my master, perhaps… he will grant you an audience.”

After finishing his words, the swordsman disappeared behind the cabin with his real sword.

‘The place where the wind gathers…’

There was nothing more to add to the accurate description.

Ordinary players wouldn't even have a clue.

“What is this? A special skill?”

“Well. I'm sure it's something good.”

“Ah, hyung! You know!”

The two went down the mountain path.

Immediately after entering the city again, an alarm rang.

Ding-!

[Cuckoo has donated 1,000 won.]

[Hundreds of people are moving to the hut. The swordsman is scheduled for overtime.]

-LOL

-Aren't they mostly newbies? lol

-Black Dragon has released a poison.

-What if there's a national swordsmanship representative there?

-Even then, it would be tough, wouldn't it?

-Wouldn't it be possible if they're a national representative?

-What if they're a capsule owner?

-Well, you can't buy that even if you have money~

Hanbit, who was reading the chat, also had a question.

‘Is it possible if you're a real genius?’

Hanbit didn't think he had talent.

It was just that the depth of his training and actual combat experience was overwhelming.

Could there be someone with enough talent to close that gap?

“But why did you come back to Edlen? What about your master?”

“Ah, that. I'll look for him tomorrow.”

-?

-Don't cross the line.

-Everyone, it's late at night.

-I sleep at 10 am?

-Anyway, don't go;

Despite the late hour, the viewers were trying to hold onto him somehow.

Hanbit answered firmly.

“Have you forgotten that I'm only on day two today? If you're curious about what kind of skill it is, come back tomorrow.”

-Ah.

-Come to think of it, it is day two;

-I thought it was year two?

-If you're still in Edlen after two years, aren't you a pervert?

-That's just my preference.

The viewers who had truly forgotten reacted.

Yeonwoo, watching the situation, raised his voice.

“Ah, you're definitely right. We've accomplished a lot.”

“Then I'll be going. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes, go on in.”

-See ya

-See you tomorrow.

-Please no tomorrow

-Dragon bye.

-Dragon bye. lol

Click-

The game ended with the viewers' farewells.

“Whew.”

Hanbit, taking off the gear, let out a sigh.

“Ugh, it's hot.”

His hair and back were soaked with sweat.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to sleep without taking a shower.

Hanbit grabbed a towel and was about to leave the room.

Bzzz-

At that moment, a vibration suddenly went off.

He picked up his smartphone and his eyes widened.

「Joo Yeonwoo」

「Hyung, I sent the donations and prize money to your account. I'm going to sleep now~」

“...Already?”

He had thought he would have to wait a few days for the payment.

Surprised, Hanbit quickly opened his banking app.

“How much was it? How much will it be?”

His eyes were glued to the screen with happy anticipation

There was no need to go into the transfer details.

There hadn't even been 10,000 won in this account in the first place.

But now it was filled with an absurd amount of money.

[3,113,000 won]

“Crazy.”

He couldn't believe his eyes.

He was surprised that Yeonwoo had really given him all of the prize money from the challenge mission, but there was more.

He must have received a tremendous amount of donations.

“Is this for real?”

Despite the late hour, he was wide awake.

To think he had earned more than his intern salary in just two days.

Moreover, the actual playtime was only about 10 hours.

“Ha…”

He couldn't help but sigh at the unrealistic gap.

His internship, where he was tied to his desk, spying on those around him, and the old memories… Compared to that, this was a game he enjoyed playing.

It was a world he knew, but the streaming and viewers had doubled the fun and the money.

“...Should I skip work?”

The thought of going to work in the morning made him say those words.

But he knew it was impossible.

The cold reality wasn't easy enough to change with 3 million won.

“Let's wash up first.”

Hanbit sighed and left the room with a towel.

His mother was asleep in the big room with the door open.

‘I should hold back from being a hotshot son.’

He wanted to wake her up right away and tell her about the 3 million won.

But he couldn't disturb his mother's sleep before work.

Tap-

Hanbit opened the banking app and immediately transferred the money.

‘Done.’

Hanbit, who had sent 3 million won to his mother, nodded with satisfaction.

He quickly finished showering and returned to his room.

‘So what's going to happen?’

Hanbit lay in bed, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.

As expected, RP was the world he had been actively involved in.

It felt like he was doing his 56th challenge again, just in a completely different way.

‘Can I get there this time?’

Achieving the goal he had failed to achieve in 55 attempts.

He was honestly frustrated that he hadn't even seen Erport's face.

Could he reach it this time, with the changed environment?

There was also the possibility of meeting the goddess again after everything was over.

‘Come to think of it, the identity of the developers, Zero…’

His train of thought gradually faded.

Perhaps he was more tired than he thought, as he fell asleep quickly.

* * *

The next morning.

“Kang Hanbit!”

Hanbit abruptly sat up at the thunderous roar.

His forearm was burning hot, as if it had been through hellfire.

“Mom?”

His mother's face came into view through his half-opened eyes.

Her enraged expression and the smartphone in her hand gradually became clear.

At the same time, he noticed the stinging in his arm.

“My arm!”

His forearm, where his mother had struck him, was left with a red mark.

Hanbit, feeling truly wronged, yelled, “Why did you hit me?!”

“Tell me the truth.”

His pleas fell on deaf ears.

His mother shoved the smartphone screen in his face and asked, “Where did this money come from? You took it from that account, didn't you?”

The account where he had deposited all the money he had sent during his military service.

He had said it was his remaining salary, but it wasn't an amount that could be explained by that, so he never touched it.

The money his son had worked hard to save should be used for his son.

He thought she would be really angry if he had withdrawn money from there.

“What account? I earned this from a game.”

“What?”

Her son's answer, as he rubbed his arm, was absurd.

He had said he was playing RP, but how could he earn 3 million won in two days?

It was a ridiculous story.

“You know what happens if you lie, right?”

“Why would I lie? I received it while helping Yeonwoo with his game stream.”

“Stream? Yeonwoo is doing a game stream?”

His mother was also well aware of game streaming.

This was also because it was a hot topic in the news.

Half of it was sensational stories linked to social issues.

“Isn't that dangerous?”

“What's dangerous? It's just that I'm so good at the game that I earned money. People give donations as a way of support.”

“... .”

Despite her lingering surprise, his mother knew well that her son would never do anything bad.

The biggest trouble he had ever caused was when he secretly dropped out of high school and tried to get a job.

So she was always worried about this side of him.

“Ha…”

Glancing at her watch, his mother put her smartphone in her bag.

“Let's talk about this again when I get back. You get ready for work too.”

“No, I'm telling you the truth!”

The aggrieved Hanbit chased after his mother who was heading for the front door.

She said as she put on her shoes, “Who said it's a lie? I'm worried because it seems like you're working as hard as you would at a job. Does 3 million won make sense?”

“No, it's not work…”

“I’ve somewhere to stop by, so I'm in a hurry! Eat your breakfast and get ready for work!”

Thud-!

Hanbit stared blankly at the closed door.

He grumbled, but he knew his mother's heart well.

No matter how much he said he grew up without lacking anything, that was only his perspective as a child.

His mother, who had been fighting debt for 20 years, always felt sorry for her son.

Perhaps his attempt to drop out of high school was the biggest trigger.

“Ah...”

He sat down on a chair at the dining table and let out a sigh.

It didn't matter if gaming and streaming became his second job.

That's how much Hanbit wanted to give his mother a comfortable life as soon as possible.

He couldn't make up for the past 20 years, but it was his duty as a son.

“Let's get ready for work.”

Cutting off his thoughts, Hanbit finished getting ready and left the house.

Sitting on the bus, he took out the guidebook he had brought in his bag.

‘What I need is game progress and money…’

The worries from before he fell asleep continued.

There were two main goals.

One was to progress quickly in the game and head beyond where he couldn't reach before.

The other was to earn money through streaming or in-game elements.

‘With 3 million won… it really wouldn't look ordinary.’

Looking at it again now, it was a strange amount.

No matter how he thought about it, it wasn't an amount he could earn in two days.

Of course, yesterday was a special case.

Since it was the first time, the viewers must have been greatly stimulated.

If he was confident that he could consistently earn that much, it wouldn't be strange for his life plan to change.

‘Do I need a bigger stimulus?’

Yesterday's stream was all about acquiring basic skills.

Today's agenda was acquiring the first hidden skill.

As it was known to be very rare, a good response was expected.

‘Things that make money… are about this much.’

Currently, he was thinking of three main sources of income.

Donations, items, and information.

In particular, the timing of selling information was the most important.

Most of it would have to be after Hanbit used it.

‘Should I make them wait a bit?’

He was familiar with the act of buying and selling.

In fact, he had even possessed a loan shark before.

Both items and information tended to increase in value the more anxious the buyer became.

‘I need a reputation too.’

A thought suddenly came to mind.

Hanbit took out his smartphone, searched for the community RPG, and logged in.

“Huh?”

The list of popular posts caught his eye the most.

It was hard to miss any of the titles lined up.

<Summary of Unique Grade Newbie Black Dragon.>

<Black Dragon's archery skills as seen by a national archery association.>

<Rediscovery of the Swiftness skill (feat. Black Dragon).>

<Slow-motion analysis of Black Dragon's swordsmanship test and spar.>

<Anyone want to share real-time sighting information about the Bomb Slime?>

‘This is working.’

He stared wide-eyed at the stories, all related to him.

The number of views for each post reached hundreds of thousands.

As he was looking through them, Hanbit found a particularly provocative title.

<Predictions about Black Dragon's identity.txt>

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]