The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream - Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Pop-!
A blue light descended from the sky along with the message.
Hanbit stepped out of the clock tower.
“…What is this?”
The scenery that met his eyes was nothing like the ruined wasteland he had seen earlier.
It was as if time had been reversed, revealing a complete city.
“Black Dragon!”
“What happened? What about the golem?”
Avantgarde and Kim Jaeha arrived immediately.
They too were astonished by the changed scenery.
“Is this really the private area? It’s so beautiful…”
Avantgarde’s exclamation didn’t feel like an exaggeration at all.
Beautiful city.
What other words could describe it more accurately?
“Ah.”
Realizing something, Hanbit checked the off stream screen.
It was set to streaming.
“I’ll turn the stream on.”
Hanbit reactivated the stream for the viewers who had been waiting impatiently.
“Sorry for the wait. It ended well.”
-Phew.
-Take a breath.
-That took forever.
-Wasn’t it pretty quick?
-So, what did you do?
-Is this the private area?
-It’s so weird.
-Why are there cars?
-??
The chat was flooded with all sorts of reactions and questions.
It was natural for them to be amazed at the scenery that seemed like a mix of various time periods and genres.
“There was a part that required a strategy, but we cleared it safely. The private area has been unlocked too. I don’t know much about this place either.”
-?
-If you don’t know, who would?
-A variable has occurred.
-Isn’t this something that wouldn’t even appear in a web novel?
It was difficult to answer the chat that was scrolling up quickly.
He couldn’t just mention a goddess.
“First, I’ll gratefully receive the reward.”
[You have completed the challenge mission.]
[You have received 32,395,000 won in prize money.]
The challenge sponsorship, which had been accumulating while the stream was off, was displayed. As expected, there were many company names in the record.
“But how did you do it? I still don’t understand.” Kim Jaeha asked, looking at the restored clock tower.
The stopped golem was nowhere to be seen.
It was difficult to accept the current situation because the opponent had been so strong.
Hanbit, after looking around for a moment, asked the two, “Did you all receive the reward message?”
“Ah, is it something about entrance permission?”
“I received the message too.”
[Players who have unlocked the first private area are granted access.]
It was a notification message that had appeared right after the scenery changed.
Not only Hanbit but also the two who fought alongside him had obtained the ‘permission’.
Even though he didn’t know the purpose of this place, it was enough to make a plan.
After thinking for a moment, Hanbit returned to the previous conversation.
“The guardian golem can be stopped by turning off its core. There are three of them… I’m thinking about uploading a video with the details.”
“Oh! I really wanted to see how it happened, thank you!”
Avantgarde’s eyes lit up at the mention of the video.
Although it was a private area, there was no need to keep the strategy a secret.
[Due to the first-time unlocking of the private area, special privileges will be granted.]
[The title will be given to the player with the highest contribution to the unlocking.]
[Title: Obtained the title of First Unlocker.]
[First Unlocker]
When you first unlock a private area, you can manage all access permissions for that area.
Those added to the blacklist will be denied access to that area.
-Wow.
-Is this real?
-If Black Dragon bans someone, they can’t enter?
-Crazy LOL
-Bow your head.
Various reactions filled the chat.
Hanbit had gained the ability to control access to this private area.
Given that the First Unlocker had this authority, whoever gained access would be under his control.
He would have to think about how to use this power.
After all, there’s no telling how many people will succeed in unlocking the private area.
“The exit must be over there.”
A door beneath the repaired clock tower. A light similar to the one in the cave was flickering there.
It must be both the entrance and the exit.
“Let’s explore this place first. Tell me if you find anything.”
“I’ll go below.”
“I’ll check the outskirts.”
With Hanbit’s words, the two of them started walking.
Alone in the city, he looked up at the purple sky.
‘This can’t be the end.’
It was completely different from the ruined wasteland he had wandered through after death.
They couldn’t have just wanted to show a beautiful city.
That meant this place must have a meaning.
-It’s so amazing, no matter how many times I look.
-Is this some kind of fusion fantasy or something?
-I’m going to use this as my background image when the original video comes out.
-Meanwhile, the community is exploding. lol.
-Companies are going to be so busy.
-I don’t think it’s time to start the main story yet;
The scenery, more fantastical than fantasy itself, was new to the viewers.
Hanbit opened his system and sent a message to Yeonwoo.
「I’ll send it to you first, so take a look. Let’s talk about it after the stream ends.」
「Okay. I’ll keep watching the stream too.」
The reply arrived immediately.
It would be a good thing to use the video as effectively as possible since it would have a huge impact.
First, he had to find the meaning of this place.
Thump-
Hanbit walked slowly along the road.
The street was silent without a single person, but it didn’t feel empty.
Creak-
Hanbit approached a building and gently pushed the door open.
The inside was the structure of a typical grocery store.
“……”
His feet stopped as he looked at the shelves.
There were familiar ingredients like cooking oil, sugar, and red pepper powder.
-Substitute oil.
-Why is this here?
-Isn’t this a company promotion?
-Metaverse lol
-There are so many weird things.
-The colors are strange.
-Is it mint chocolate?
There were many things he had never seen before, as well as familiar ingredients.
He couldn’t even guess what the unfamiliar names meant.
Creak-
After looking around for a while, Hanbit went outside.
And he moved to other buildings and checked inside.
‘I don’t understand a thing.’
After inspecting the last building, Hanbit stood blankly in the street.
He had found nothing useful despite the many familiar and unique things he had seen.
“What, are you done?”
A voice came from behind.
Turning his head, he saw Kim Jaeha approaching.
“I’ve checked this side. How about you?”
“It was interesting, but I couldn’t find any clues.”
He had checked other buildings, but just like Hanbit, he had no results.
It was difficult to find anything meaningful because they didn’t even know what to look for.
“Let’s go to the outskirts.”
The two headed towards the outskirts.
As they approached a well-preserved wall, they heard a familiar voice.
“Ah, you came at the right time!”
Avantgarde was moving slightly on top of the wall.
He gestured for them to come closer, so they quickly walked over.
“Did you find something?”
Approaching closer, Hanbit asked Avantgarde who was crouching.
He turned his head and pointed below.
“Take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
Hanbit approached and leaned forward.
A gravestone embedded in the ground came into view.
“This is…”
There was a white crescent moon and a sword crossing through the center engraved on the surface. It was the same symbol that was drawn on the entrance they had entered through the compass.
“Isn’t it the same one we saw in the cave? It’s here too.”
The other two, who had also noticed, expressed their doubts.
Hanbit looked at the gravestone quietly and reached out.
As his fingertips touched the smooth surface.
Ding-!
A unique alarm rang in his ears.
[A message has been received from Team Zero.]
* * *
“Tch.”
Inside the crowded cave, the Ranger glared at the blocked wall and clicked his tongue.
“Are you sure the stream is really down? It’s been quite a while.”
“Why would I lie? The viewers would go crazy.”
“Right. Why would he hide something that would raise his own value?”
After the Black Dragon party disappeared following the light, everyone focused on the stream.
However, all they saw was a black screen. Even though Black Dragon had posted a message about unlocking the private area, no one knew what was happening inside.
“Wow, it’s packed.”
At that moment, a voice came from the entrance of the cave.
Turning their gaze, they saw a human woman with black hair approaching. The scabbard at her waist was an almost blinding white.
“Hey, isn’t that Luna?”
“Luna? The one from the advance team?”
“Luna’s here?”
The players who recognized her reacted first.
And the Ranger’s expression changed immediately.
“Luna? Why are you here? The advance team’s mission should still be ongoing.”
“Why are you acting so familiar? If you want to go, go ahead.”
“…”
The Ranger was speechless at Luna’s cold words.
He hadn’t been invited to the elite raid.
Even within the same advance team, there were huge differences in competitiveness.
After a moment of silence, the Ranger spoke again.
“I heard you’re not interested in other people. I guess even for a chaebol, the Black Dragon is unexpected.”
“I’m not interested in people like you.”
Without even looking at him, Luna began to examine the wall.
Ignoring her cold response, the Ranger persisted.
“Don’t pretend. Whether it’s a corporation or an advance team, the goal is obvious. They’re all trying to monopolize Black Dragon.”
“What a stupid thing to say.”
“What?”
The Ranger frowned at the condescending tone.
Luna, while stroking the pattern on the wall, continued, “Think about it. Is Black Dragon someone you can monopolize?”
“If you use your family’s power, you could pour in a lot of money.”
“If that was the case, people who wanted Black Dragon would be lining up according to their ranking in the business world.”
Shortly after exchanging messages with Black Dragon, Luna had completed the long-blocked Crystal Rabbit quest using the information he had given her.
It was so easy that it was absurd, but thanks to it, she was even more convinced.
That he was no ordinary person.
Tap- Tap-
Luna tapped the wall with her hand.
There was no response, no matter how lightly she tapped.
Beyond being curious, there were no clues to help her understand.
In that situation, Black Dragon had boldly entered the private area.
Staring at the wall, she muttered softly.
“No wonder people are going crazy. They even hired a PK guild.”
“You never give up. I haven’t requested anything from Nesto. I heard the attackers were released from prison, so I’ll look into it myself.”
“Are you feeling guilty? I wasn’t talking about you.”
“…”
The Ranger was speechless with a bewildered expression.
However, Luna was watching the crowded players.
Among them were a few suspicious people.
They were informants for corporations and advance teams.
‘I wonder who Adventurer A is.’
Luna recalled her conversation with Black Dragon.
The information he had specifically asked about, ‘Adventurer A’.
It was clear that he felt something.
‘Black Dragon has a good intuition.’
Adventurer A was like an adult with a middle school mentality.
Although her interest in him had stopped there, she was certain that the person who hired the PK guild was that guy.
With the appearance of Black Dragon, the guidebook and strategy that had allowed him to show off his knowledge had been completely overturned.
Adventurer A would hate this situation.
She could easily imagine him trying to harm Black Dragon out of jealousy and inferiority complex.
After checking the faces of the surrounding players, Luna turned around.
“Are you just going to stay here?”
The Ranger asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why would I?”
“Maybe the door will open again. There could be more variables in the private area.”
“Didn’t you watch the stream?”
Luna said that and disappeared outside the cave.
“Stream?”
The Ranger turned his gaze to the black screen at Luna’s unexpected words.
And there, Black Dragon’s screen had appeared.
———-