The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“You’re calling that crap a report?”

“I apologize.”

4th floor of an old building in Jongno, Seoul.

In the corner of the meeting room, Kim Jaeha stood with his head low.

“Apologize my ass. I told you to do at least one thing right, and you can’t even do that.”

Standing before him, spewing curses, was Division Manager Hojung Lee, someone the CEO personally brought in.

He was a college junior who had worked for a game company for quite a long time.

“You should have been fired and left back then. Do you know how much damage you’ve caused the company?”

“…I apologize.”

“Aren’t you tired of saying sorry? You only know how to cause trouble, you’re no help at all.”

4 years ago.

Kim Jaeha, who joined this small trading company, was full of passion.

After 2 years, a game called RP was released, and it wasn’t long before the CEO made a decision.

“We’re going to start working on RP too, so for now, just three people join in. Kim Jaeha, you’re definitely in.”

Kim Jaeha, who had been talking about RP since it came out, started his new task.

Thanks to the team working better than expected, they were able to generate profits in various ways.

But the joy didn’t last long.

“What? Dwarven Metallurgy? Isn’t that hidden?”

Kim Jaeha, who was exploring the snowy fields, accidentally discovered an achievement and reported it to the division manager.

The name and content of the achievement clearly seemed different from ordinary metallurgy.

“Yes. But there’s a lot of uncertainty with this, and it could be a long-term project. Selling this information to another company would be much better…”

“Why are you so scared, man! If we get this right, our company’s name will be known to the world!”

The division manager, making the decision alone, quickly reported it to the CEO.

He didn’t know what the report said, but changes happened immediately.

“Gather as many people as possible and put them all on this!”

At the CEO’s order, the employees started the hidden skill project with one heart and one mind.

If they really obtained it, this skill alone would surely put them on the road to success.

“Competitors are joining in! Dig up all the other routes again!”

But reality was harsh.

The search for the hidden skill repeatedly turned up empty.

In the end, as all sorts of companies caught wind of it, their position as the first discoverers gradually faded.

“Everyone, hands off.”

The project, which had been dragging on for about 3 months, ended with a single word from the CEO.

Because they didn’t gain any profit, all the effort and investment disappeared into thin air.

The ridiculous thing was that none of the other competitors got the hidden skill either.

“You were so sure! Do you know how much money we lost?”

The CEO, throwing the documents on the floor, glared at Kim Jaeha while fuming.

He was flustered and couldn’t say anything, but the Division Manager stepped forward.

“I apologize. I should have coordinated things better, but Jaeha was so sure it would work out…”

“What? Manager, what are you…”

“Why aren’t you being quiet? What did you do so well to raise your voice like that! The CEO trusted you so much and supported you!”

Kim Jaeha perfectly understood the situation.

That the manager had been shifting all the blame onto him all this time.

Kim Jaeha instinctively realized the reality he was in.

“…I apologize.”

All he could do was apologize.

If only he hadn’t discovered the achievement.

If only he had reported directly to the CEO from the beginning.

If only he had somehow stopped the division manager’s reckless actions.

The situation could definitely have been different.

The endless guilt settled in a corner of his heart.

“Hey, what are you spacing out for?”

The division manager’s irritated voice woke Kim Jaeha from his recollection.

He wanted to punch him once and then quit, but the weight on his shoulders as the breadwinner was heavy.

“What happened with that Black Dragon and Roper? Did you at least exchange some words? They’re the guys who even even the hidden skill!”

“It’s still difficult, but I’ve organized the methods for contact in the report. Please review it.”

“Review my ass. Is giving away company money on a stream for free a method?”

The report in his hand was already crumpled beyond recognition.

The division manager’s expression looked at him as if he was a disgusting bug.

Kim Jaeha, suppressing his anger, said, “It’s not free, it’s an investment. Black Dragon probably has more information.”

“Investment, my ass, you need to bring something in hand for it to be an investment. You want to spend 1 million won just to send a message?”

“Other companies are already donating, and Black Dragon seemed interested in watching. If we miss this opportunity…”

“Hey, Kim Jaeha.”

The division manager cut him off mid-explanation.

He approached him and poked Jaeha’s stomach with the report, saying,

“Stop with the nonsense and go make contact yourself. Dance, put on a show, use your body. Got it?”

“…I understand.”

“You’re damn good at answering.”

Thud-

Annoyed, he threw the paper on the floor.

“You idiot.”

With that, the division manager left the meeting room.

Kim Jaeha, who had been looking down, could only clench his trembling fists.

* * *

“There are still so many.”

Hanbit, returning to Edlen, sighed at the sight of the still-swarming players.

Seeing them all turn their gazes towards him, it seemed they had been watching the stream.

“Hey, are you going to do the main quest now?” Yeonwoo, who was walking next to him, asked with anticipation in his eyes.

The viewers were also curious.

-Will he cheat on the main quest too?

-Yeah, no way.

-Even if you know the whole story, you still have to do it step by step.

-Still, the Bales bus was sweet, right?

-That Bales is actually…

-Oh, no spoilers.

The chat was filled with talk about the story.

The name that kept appearing there, Bales.

He had so much to say about that man, but he had no intention of entering the story yet.

“Let’s do the story tomorrow.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I have to go to work.”

“Ah.”

-It’s 2 AM already;

-Time flew by.

-Why go to work?

-One point for the unemployed.

-My work day is screwed now.

Yeonwoo and the viewers, checking the time, couldn’t refute him.

The schedule that started after work and continued until the hidden skill had somehow reached dawn.

The time wasted because of Rashtan’s selfishness felt especially regrettable.

“Can’t be helped. Are you going to log out now?”

“No, I’m going to allocate some stat points.”

“Huh? Really?”

Yeonwoo’s face lit up at the welcome news.

He had been inwardly waiting for the moment Hanbit would allocate his stat points.

“How many points do you have? A lot, right?”

“Hold on.”

Hanbit immediately displayed his character information.

[Black Dragon – Lv.16]

[Title: None]

Strength: 4

Agility: 4

Intelligence: 4

Stamina: 4

Remaining Stat Points: 51

“…No, looking at it like this, it’s really unbelievable. Why are the numbers like this?”

-Level 16 with 51 points. lol

-Isn’t it crazy that he’s already level 16? lol

-Isn’t it from the hunting he did off-screen?

-No, the quest rewards were just insane.

[Factory has donated 1,000 won.]

[This is a bit…]

The viewers were astonished by the marvelous numbers.

Yeonwoo, who had his mouth agape, quickly changed his expression.

“But why did you keep saving them? It would have been easier to clear the skill quests if you had allocated some stat points.”

“Just… thinking about where to use them,” Hanbit gave a suitable answer but the essence of it was quite complicated.

‘I don’t gamble unnecessarily.’

The 4 skills learned in Edlen.

This was the first step towards adaptation.

Recalling the past senses of mastering skills with the weakest body, so to speak.

Since stats affect physical abilities, he had to avoid allocating them, at least in the initial stages.

Besides, there was one more important thing.

‘The data collection is almost complete.’

The task regarding RP gear that Minho Lee had taken on.

Hanbit, who offered to help him, received a USB from him.

It contained a special program developed by the research and development department.

Apparently, detailed data was automatically recorded according to the actions of the RP player.

And one of the elements that needed to be checked was the change in movement according to stat allocation.

“It’s a relief that it went well… Well, anyway, wouldn’t it be amazing to put everything into one stat? Is it agility for the wind spirit? Should we look into it?”

Yeonwoo’s interest shifted in a different direction.

Hanbit, who was checking his stats, moved his finger towards the + button next to strength.

Click-

The number went up as he pressed the button.

Strength was now changed to 5.

“No, hey! Why did you allocate it right away!”

-LOL

-Noob alert.

-Brainless issue.

-But isn’t agility really the right choice?

-Agreed

Yeonwoo and the viewers were convinced it was the wrong choice.

However, there were things he had to check, also for the sake of data recording.

“Wait a minute.”

Squeeze-

Hanbit had been gripping the sword’s hilt for a while now He focused on the sensation and nodded.

‘This is it.’

The grip strength that changed the moment had increased by 1.

Most players wouldn’t be able to detect that subtle difference, but Hanbit was different.

How many times had he swung a sword in 55 playthroughs?

Compared to the daily physical training and growth he underwent, this could be considered a drastic change.

Click-

Click-

Hanbit invested one point in each of the other stats and checked the differences.

Agility, intelligence, stamina, all were enough to confirm the subtle differences.

‘…This might be possible?’

The peak of his prime that he reached in the other world.

In reality, it would take at least decades to build that kind of physique.

But in this game, where changes were made through stats, it could be drastically shortened.

No, perhaps he could even reach a higher level than that.

“Hey! Wait a minute!”

As he touched all the stats, Yeonwoo tried to stop him in a fluster.

It seemed he was quite eager to see him invest all the points in one stat.

“Aren’t there people who distribute their points evenly?”

“Of course there are. But you acquired a hidden skill, so you have to match it!” Yeonwoo’s pleading voice echoed pathetically.

But Hanbit knew the most about Wind Swordsmanship.

Of course, showing it once was better than explaining it a hundred times.

“I’ll show you. See for yourself.”

———–