The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

“Avantgarde?”

A familiar name. Hanbit searched his memory.

Several donations and viewer reactions flashed through his mind.

“Ah, you’re the one who frequently donates, right?”

“You remember me! I’m Avantgarde!” he exclaimed with a booming voice, naturally drawing the attention of those around them.

“Could you please lower your voice a little? I don’t want to advertise that I’m a streamer.”

“Ah, I apologize. I got a little carried away,” Avantgarde scratched his head apologetically.

“Here again today?” the employee greeted him casually, indicating that he was a regular at the store.

“Of course! I even have the good fortune of meeting the Black Dragon himself!”

Avantgarde’s voice grew louder as his excitement bubbled over.

Hanbit quickly put his card back in his wallet and said, “We’re done here, right?”

“Ah, yes! The product will be delivered to your home at your convenience.”

“Then please schedule it for 3 p.m.”

“Understood. And also…”

The clerk, who was quickly taking notes, pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from somewhere.

In a small voice, she asked, “If it’s not too much trouble, could I get your autograph?”

“…An autograph?”

The unexpected request was bewildering. He wasn’t a celebrity, nor was he famous enough to give autographs.

“I’ve been watching you since you got your hidden skill. I’m a real fan, is it… Would it be difficult?”

“Ah…”

He couldn’t refuse such a sincere request. The problem was that Hanbit didn’t have a signature.

‘Should I just write something?’

After a moment of contemplation, he recalled a memory.

A signature he consistently used in the other world, where regression, possession, and reincarnation repeated.

The characters themselves were from that world, but it wouldn’t be a problem if no one could recognize them. Rather, it might be a good choice since it wouldn’t overlap with anyone else’s.

“I’ll do it.”

“Really? Thank you!”

As he grabbed the pen, the employee expressed her gratitude in a delighted voice.

Hanbit drew the familiar signature on the paper with practiced ease.

“Wow, is this Black Dragon-nim’s signature? It’s so unique,” the employee remarked, her eyes sparkling as she watched.

Since it was practically a symbol rather than a letter, it was bound to be fascinating to others.

“Hyung, what’s going on?”

At that moment, Yeonwoo and his mother, who had been looking at the gears, approached the counter. Their eyes fell on the signature on the paper.

“Huh? What’s this?”

“Did you write this?”

Yeonwoo simply expressed curiosity, while his mother recognized her son’s handwriting.

His habit of drawing circle-like patterns hadn’t changed, even in that other world.

Hanbit decided to get out of there quickly.

“Then, we’ll be going. Please send the item properly.”

“Of course! Good luck with your stream today! I’ll be looking forward to it!”

“…Thank you.”

Hearing a viewer’s support in reality gave him a strange feeling.

Were all those people causing a commotion in the chat window ordinary outside?

“So, what was that all about?” Yeonwoo asked again when they were out of the store.

Avoiding his gaze, Hanbit replied awkwardly, “…The employee recognized me as Black Dragon and asked for my autograph.”

“Didn’t I tell you? That it would definitely happen. How could you not get caught with a face like that?” his mother narrowed her eyes, saying she had expected it.

She sighed, but seeing her son giving an autograph made her feel amused.

“Haha, as expected of a star. My presence is fading away.”

Just then, a man’s voice was heard from behind.

Avantgarde was standing there with a smile, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Oh? Avantgarde…”

Yeonwoo immediately recognized him when he saw his face. He was also someone who had set his character’s appearance identical to his real-life self.

“Your way of speaking is exactly like Roper. Nice to meet you!”

Avantgarde, who also recognized Yeonwoo, took out a business card and handed it to him. Then, he pulled out another card and turned his attention to Hanbit’s mother.

“Hello, ma’am. My name is Avantgarde, and I’m an RP game streamer. You could say I’m a colleague of Black Dragon, in a broad sense.”

“Oh my, hello. You’re such a polite young man.” Avantgarde’s affable nature led the conversation.

Hanbit, watching the scene in bewilderment, decided to get to the point. Avantgarde had been donating in his streams and asking to get in touch, so he must have wanted something. At least, that’s what Hanbit thought.

“Well, now that I’ve introduced myself, I’ll be on my way.”

“…Yes?” Contrary to expectations, Avantgarde was about to leave immediately.

Reading Hanbit’s puzzled expression, he gave a good-natured smile and said, “I shouldn’t disturb you any further while you’re spending the holiday with your mother. I’ll see you again if there’s another chance.”

With that, Avantgarde disappeared into the distance. Watching his retreating figure, Hanbit asked Yeonwoo, “Didn’t he have any kind of proposal?”

Avantgarde’s name hadn’t appeared among the nearly 100 names on the list. Perhaps his offer wasn’t as good as the other competitors, but Hanbit felt he wasn’t the business type.

“He just said, ‘Please contact me once, I’d really like to talk.’ That was about it.”

“Really? What kind of streams does he do in RP? Story walkthroughs?”

“No. It’s more like traveling around the map, exploring different places, rather than focusing on the main quest.”

Avantgarde seemed to be a person who wanted to see various things rather than just progress forward. Perhaps his desire to meet and talk with Hanbit was related to that tendency.

“If he wants to talk, why don’t you just talk to him? He seems like a nice person,” Hanbit’s mother chimed in, suggesting it wasn’t a difficult request.

Looking at the business card in his hand, Hanbit slowly shifted his gaze. “I’ll think about it.”

* * *

After an hour or so of looking around the area, Hanbit returned home with his mother. The Level 3 gear he had purchased arrived almost at the same time.

“Such a small thing is so expensive,” his mother commented in wonder as she watched from the side.

The components were a bit larger and more complex than his old gear, but they seemed insignificant compared to the price of 30 million won.

“That’s why I thought Mom would try to stop me.”

Before going to the RP store, Hanbit had told his mother that he wanted to buy expensive gear. After hearing that it was an investment, his mother readily agreed, saying it was good to be prepared.

Even now, her thoughts remained unchanged.

“Why would I interfere with the money you earned? And the donations people gave you? You should use that money well for your streams too.”

His mother dismissed his concerns, saying it was only natural. The money her son earned through his own efforts and abilities belonged entirely to him. She had no intention of influencing him just because she was his parent.

She was surprised by gifts like today’s, but she knew he wasn’t the type to waste money.

“You’re going to stream now, right? I’ll leave dinner in the refrigerator so you can heat it up right away, make sure to eat.”

“Okay, I’ll eat even if it’s late.”

Having observed him for the past few days, his mother understood that he didn’t even have time to eat. Although she was worried, she was relieved that he was enjoying himself, immersed in the game and streaming.

“Whew.”

Entering his room, Hanbit laid out the new gear on his bed. As expected of its high price, the condition of each part was incredibly impressive.

“What should I do with the one I was using before?”

He had bought new gear, but the Level 2 gear Yeonwoo had given him was also worth 5 million won. Perhaps there would be a more meaningful use for it than just selling it second-hand.

Whir-

Settling onto the bed, Hanbit activated the gear. His vision darkened with the mechanical sound, and soon the scenery inside Edlen appeared with the incoming light.

Hanbit slowly clenched and unclenched his fist. He moved his body this way and that, changing to various motions and observing the changes.

The result was astonishing.

‘The sensation is this good?’

The performance of the upgraded gear showed a clear difference. Compared to Level 2, it felt like he had taken off several sandbags. Even the subtleties of his movements were different, as if he were gradually approaching the ideal.

‘If I go all the way, I might even surpass that.’

The next level of gear was Level 4, the last one available for purchase on the market. It seemed that capsule-type equipment could only be used by the vanguard or those with a similar level of fame.

“Hyung!”

While Hanbit was moving his body a bit more, Yeonwoo logged in. Hanbit immediately pressed the stream start button.

“Ah, hello. Can you hear me?”

-Dragon hi.

-Hi hi

-Waited so long;

-Let’s go main quest~

-Are you finishing the story today?

-You think so?

Viewers poured in, quickly becoming boisterous. Hanbit brought up the quest details to focus their attention.

[Main Quest #8: Assembly]

With Asla’s help, you have prevented the attack of the Holy Kingdom’s assassins.

To judge the sins of Barres and Brook, you need the power of the King’s Sword, the Royal Knights.

Meet with William’s former vassals gathered by Cowen and gather your intentions.

Goal: Make a plan with William’s vassals.

Reward: 50,000 gold, 15,000 experience points, 2 stat points

*Current progress: 66 percent

*This quest can be progressed in 12 hours.

The story, heading towards the latter half of the first episode, had three objectives:

One. To clear William and Lia’s names and restore their status by judging Barres and Brook’s crimes.

Two. To protect Lia from Barres and the Holy Kingdom’s assassins.

Three. To prevent the traces of the Spirit King Sallion contained within Norton’s Ring from falling into enemy hands.

If even one of these objectives went awry, the episode would not reach a proper conclusion.

Especially since Barres and the Holy Kingdom were competing for the traces of the Spirit King, Lia was in even greater danger.

That’s why Asla’s existence was so crucial in this episode.

“But can’t we just keep Lia in that secret room until the story is over? No one will find her,” Yeonwoo asked, looking at the quest details.

It was an obvious suggestion, but things didn’t flow that smoothly.

“That place isn’t completely safe. Since a battle with the assassins took place there, they’ll tear down the whole area once they’re ready.”

“Then you can keep the ring, hyung. Or give it to Asla.”

“The ring returns to Lia when it’s too far away. It’s an object engraved in blood.”

-Tough;

-Nothing’s going right.

-Can’t we lure them with the ring and have Asla kill them all?

-What if there are multiple assassins from the Holy Kingdom?

-Then just give them what they want.

-Cut our losses;

Viewers poured out various speculations and opinions. However, all their thoughts fell within the trial and error that Hanbit had experienced in the past.

He didn’t claim to have all the answers, but experience didn’t lie.

“I’ll be going now.”

Hanbit moved to a dilapidated building in the alley. And as he stood before the secret underground space, a message popped up.

[Cutscene Transition.]

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