The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 14

-...?

-Huh?

-He swung just once, though?

-Is it a bug?

-Looks like a dialogue error?

-Can we get an NPC change?

"Woah...."

The viewers were bewildered, and Yeonwoo was dumbfounded.

Hanbit slowly let go of his focused mind.

"Whew."

He never wished for absolute perfection.

He just tried to put everything he had into a single movement.

He was sure that Swordsman Balder would notice the difference.

He had that conviction in his heart.

Swoosh-!

Balder put down the barrel and rose from his seat, grabbing the wooden sword on the table.

When he stood in front of Hanbit, a message popped up.

Ding-!

[Quest completed.]

[Chain quest unlocked.]

[Quest]

Spar with Swordsman Balder.

The difficulty is adjusted according to the player's level and stats.

Objective: Win the spar.

Reward: 500 gold, Basic Swordsmanship Training Manual (1st rank - ? grade), 1 stat point, 200 experience points

-No fucking way lol

-You're saying it really ended with one swing?

-This game's broken.

-So it's not a bug

The quest that popped up proved that it wasn't a system error.

The swordsman standing before him had a serious look on his face, the drunkenness completely gone.

"This time, it's a spar. I'll adjust to your level, but you'll have your hands full just blocking my sword."

"Okay."

-Not gonna be okay for long.

-It's stat correction, but you'll get fucked up.

-If you try to block until the end, he gives you a high-grade reward.

-If you twist your whole body and graze him once, he gives you a rare reward.

-I got a high-grade reward by blocking with my head.

-We've agreed to call that getting hit.

The spar was quite infamous, but the reward standards were generous.

It was just that the perception that it was difficult to block even one of the swordsman's attacks was too strong.

"Ah, the prize money!"

At that moment, Yeonwoo, who was in a daze, came to his senses.

But then a message popped up with a notification sound.

[Sword God has donated 10,000 won.]

[Double or nothing? Successfully block two attacks with the wooden sword. Mission is void if you fail.]

-How pathetic

-Two times, my ass. lol

-Look how desperate he is.

-Double or nothing? (Please do it)

-No way. You can't even block one attack

-An NPC isn't the same as a target. lol

-A moving hiiigh-grade target.

“Huh? A double-or-nothing?”

Yeonwoo scratched his cheek and looked at the challenge mission.

[Success if completed within 25 minutes. If you fail, you get no money and bungee jump off a cliff.]

[Prize money: 975,000 won]

The increased amount was almost 1 million won.

This was, of course, due to the overwhelming number of swordsmanship players.

“Hyung, what are you going to do? But honestly, blocking the attacks is really tough.”

“...If it's doubled, it's 200, right?”

Hanbit's eyes widened at the enormous amount.

‘If it's blocking two attacks…’

Moving as a game character required quite a lot of thought.

The more precision required, the greater the disconnect between mind and body.

‘I have to succeed at this no matter what.’

Even with those limitations, Hanbit was confident.

Mental strength and concentration were things that many people commonly talked about.

In reality, this made more things possible than one might think.

His experience of surviving countless times in the line of fire proved that.

“Okay. Let's give it a try.”

“...Really?”

-He's not backing down from this

-Just take the money, man.

-Yeah, this is a real no-no.

-Poor Black Dragon, about to get wrecked. ㅠㅠ

-Looks like he's about to lose the 1 million won he originally won;

The surprised viewers were mostly in a mood of mourning.

However.

Ding-!

A message from the viewer 'Sword God' changed the flow.

[Sword God has donated 1,000,000 won to the challenge mission.]

-Are you really insane?

-You didn't bet your entire fortune, did you?

-He can't clear it. (Please)

-Is this really a safe asset?

-You never know with Black Dragon.

-Only you don't know. lol

The motivation was now sufficient.

Hanbit, more serious than ever, adjusted his grip on the wooden sword.

“... .”

The two men, swords drawn, were silent.

Their gazes met, as if searching each other's hearts.

It was the swordsman who made the first move.

Thud-!

With just a light hop, he closed the distance in an instant.

Whoosh-!

An attack flew in from below, his vision completely blocked.

Having read the trajectory in advance, Hanbit twisted his upper body and tried to pull the wooden sword towards his body.

However, the character's reaction was a little slow.

Swish-!

The swordsman's wooden sword grazed past the hair on his forehead.

Hanbit kicked off the ground and retreated backward.

-Wow, I thought he was going to block it right away

-No way.

-Does the swordsman look like a pushover to you?

-But wasn't he about to block it?

-Nope, not even close.

The swordsman was moving according to Hanbit's level and stats. So, reading the attack with his eyes was easy.

The problem was implementing that response with the character's body.

To make this possible, he had to move as if he had anticipated it.

‘It's a good thing I learned Swiftness.’

The Swiftness skill he learned from Lia created a very slight increase in speed.

But that small difference was very important to Hanbit.

It was like adding a screw to his misaligned senses.

Hanbit took a deep breath and focused on the swordsman's body.

His arms and legs, the hand and fingers holding the wooden sword.

The amount of force put into his steps when he kicked off the ground.

The time it took from the twisting of his upper body to the preliminary motion.

With only his eyes and mind working properly, he had to see everything.

“You seem to be doing a lot of thinking.”

The swordsman, who had been observing him, spoke quietly.

“You seem to be doing a lot of thinking too.”

“...That leisure will soon disappear.”

Thud-!

The swordsman closed the distance again.

Whoosh-!

This time, too, he used his narrowed vision to attack from below.

But Hanbit, who had concentrated all his mental strength, was certain.

That's a feint.

Swish-!

As he raised his wooden sword to the right, the swordsman's attack immediately flew in.

Clack-!

A clear sound rang out.

Hanbit had succeeded in his first block.

-Wow.

-Is this guy really crazy?

-He didn't fall for that fake;

-I went in after looking at the guide, but I just couldn’t distinguish the fakes.

-So, even if you know, you're supposed to get hit no matter what

“... .”

The swordsman, his attack blocked, stepped back with wide eyes.

His slightly furrowed brows revealed his displeasure.

Of course, Hanbit, who had succeeded in defending, wasn't satisfied either.

Thud-!

The swordsman kicked off the ground again.

Whoosh-!

The sword that flew in this time was a little faster than before.

Hanbit raised his concentration accordingly.

Hook-!

Swish-!

The sound of the sword cutting through the wind replaced the silence.

The swordsman's movements deliberately avoided the clashing of wooden swords.

The speed of the attacks also kept increasing.

‘He must be getting impatient.’

The swordsman in front of him had a strong sense of pride and self-esteem.

And to that extent, he was quite strict with himself.

This situation, where he couldn't overwhelm with pure skill, would be a great stress for him.

Swish-!*

Hook-!

The incoming attacks gradually focused on power and speed.

Adjusting to his level, stat correction.

These words no longer had any meaning.

Now, he had to overcome not only the swordsman's skill, but also the difference in physical ability.

‘Just a little more.’

In this situation, he needed an opportunity.

An opportunity to turn the tables and catch him off guard.

He waited for that one moment.

Hook-!

At that moment, the swordsman, completely immersed in the fight, tried to thrust his sword toward his neck.

He read the prelude to that movement.

‘Now!’

Thud-!

Hanbit kicked off the ground and charged forward.

Caught off guard, the swordsman instinctively moved his wooden sword.

It ended up looking like an awkward defensive stance.

Clack-!

The wooden swords naturally clashed against each other, making a loud sound.

But then.

Whirl-!

Suddenly, the swordsman spun around and launched a counterattack with a murderous glint in his eyes as if he were holding a real sword.

That blatant emotion made it easier to read his movements.

Swish-!

It was clear where the tip of his sword would reach.

Slightly leaning his upper body back, Hanbit immediately swung his wooden sword horizontally.

Whack-!

The two swords collided, making a loud sound.

And Hanbit's wooden sword, unable to withstand the force, was flung far away.

At the same time, the swordsman's eyes changed.

“Ugh… .”

The swordsman, his face contorted in a grimace, seemed to finally realize what he had done.

In the end, it was the result of being overwhelmed not by skill, but by physical ability.

Self-disgust, anger, and humiliation were clearly visible on his face.

Hanbit let out a short sigh and looked at the chat window.

“Two blocks. That's a success, right?”

-Uh… what?

-Wait, didn't he not learn swordsmanship yet?

-More importantly, where did the stat correction go?

-The swordsman's eyes flipped the moment Black Dragon blocked the first attack.

-But he succeeded in the mission in that state?

-Black Dragon, first, tell us your real-life job. We'll even understand if you're a contract killer.

-Is that what an expert looks like when pushed to the extreme…?

“Hyung, have you really worked with a sword before or something?”

The viewers and Yeonwoo were simply astonished.

However, for Hanbit, it was an opportunity to realize many things in many ways.

Ding-!

[Sword God has donated 100,000 won.]

[Mission success, congrats. When does the tutoring start?]

-Oh.

-Tutoring. lol

-The man who teaches Sword God.

-2 million won prize victor.

-He deserves this.

-Beyond envy, this is just fucking amazing

“Thank you for the 100,000 won donation! I'll take the prize money right away!”

Excited, Yeonwoo quickly moved his hands.

[You have succeeded in the challenge mission.]

[You have received 2,253,000 won in prize money.]

-ㄷㄷ

-Amazing.

-Wasn't Black Dragon on day two?

-And it's not even his own stream. lol

-Don't worry. The mission prize money all goes to Black Dragon~

“Crazy…”

“Thank you all! And to Sword God, who made the biggest donation! Please visit us often!”

Hanbit was genuinely impressed, and Yeonwoo repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

Hanbit, who checked the amount several times, spoke to the viewers.

“Thank you. But the tutoring… how do I even do that?”

-Why are you so serious? lol

-It's a joke, a joke.

-Looking at the nickname, it seems like he really wants to learn.

[Sword God has donated 10,000 won.]

[Just use the sword a lot. So I can learn by watching.]

The person involved, who appeared immediately, added those words.

His request wasn't difficult at all.

Because the sword was Hanbit's favorite weapon.

“I'll use it often. To do that, first… I need to finish this.”

Hanbit turned his gaze to the swordsman, whom he had forgotten for a moment.

‘I need to get him going quickly.’

Perhaps his mind was very complicated, as his body was trembling.

That personality, where emotions were clearly visible on the outside.

It was a weakness as a swordsman, but he was a man who silently walked his own path.

Perhaps he would try to train right away.

“The spar is over, right?”

“...Yes. Wait a moment.”

The swordsman went into the hut with a heavy reply.

When he came back out, he was holding a yellow book in his hand.

“Take it.”

Ding-!

[Quest completed.]

[Based on Balder's evaluation, the reward has been adjusted to the maximum.]

[500 gold → Increased to 3,000 gold.]

[Basic Swordsmanship Training Manual (1st rank - Unique) has been awarded.]

[Stat points increased from 1 → 5.]

[Experience points increased from 200 → 700.]

[Level up!]

[1 stat point awarded.]

[Standard-issue sword awarded.]

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]