The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 34

The tavern "Morning Dew" in the Edlen shopping district.

All sorts of conversations were exchanged in the crowded space.

"City development fund? What city development fund!"

"What else would it be? It's just a way for the nobles to line their pockets. Don't you feel it's gotten worse since Brook became mayor?"

"There were even rumors that the guy was a puppet. It was better when Mayor William was around..."

"Can't we escape to the Holy Kingdom? We could live a prosperous life in such a powerful nation."

Words spoken without restraint while downing drinks. They were quite dangerous topics for commoners to discuss.

"Was there a place like this? I vaguely remember it."

"It's probably because it's not a particularly meaningful space. This is my first time here since 2 years ago."

Yeonwoo and Kim Jaeha, sitting at a corner table, shared their brief impressions. After showering Artsvel with apologies and compensation, the three of them moved to this place for a conversation. They were able to arrive quickly as it was the closest tavern to the shop.

"By the way, what should I call you? Isn't Kim Jaeha your real name?"

"I'm used to it because of the company. You don't have to worry about it."

-ㅠㅠ

-An office worker's name is indeed public property.

-It's a relief that at least their faces are different.

-Who uses their real face in the game, lol

-Ranger:?

-Avantgarde:??

-There are more crazy people than you'd think.

"..."

Hanbit, suddenly labeled a crazy person, closed his mouth. Was it fortunate that there were at least some streamers who used their real appearance?

"Then, Mr. Kim Jaeha, let's continue our talk about the hidden skill."

"Ah, yes!"

Kim Jaeha stiffened at the mention of Dwarven Metallurgy. He was glad that Black Dragon was showing interest, but the information he had was meager.

"You said the first discovery was an achievement, can you tell me more about it?"

"To be precise, it wasn't an achievement, but a small metal plate that looked like a military ID tag. It had the same words written on it as the achievement description."

"A military ID tag? Do you happen to have it with you now?"

"Of course."

Nodding, Kim Jaeha took something out of his inventory. A thin metal plate about the size of two fingers was placed on the table. Threaded with a thin string, it resembled a military ID tag. Hanbit grabbed it and grinned.

[Heard the cry of iron in the snow.]

A familiar texture and a sentence vividly etched in his memory. There was no need for doubt. This metal plate was definitely the key to learning Dwarven Metallurgy.

"Where did you find it?"

"It was halfway up a snowy mountain in the northern part of Ifrit."

"That snowy mountain, the one with a lot of mineral veins? With many mine entrances?"

"...How did you know that?"

Kim Jaeha's eyes widened at the question. It was Yeonwoo who answered instead.

"Black Dragon hyung is very knowledgeable about this world. He's memorized an entire web novel."

"I saw it on the stream, but... is that really possible?"

"I find it amazing too."

-lmao

-Basic qualities of a pro.

-The bar has been raised;

-Actually, maybe pros are the popular ones.

-You popular guys, don't touch this.

He was used to the stereotypes that were arbitrarily piled on him. Anyway, the important thing was that Kim Jaeha was the first discoverer.

"Dwarven Metallurgy. You said you ultimately failed to find it, right? Did you miss anything?"

"...I believe we did our best. Not only my colleagues and I, but countless other competitors were also involved."

"If it was a company-wide effort, then the search must have been conducted by dividing the area, right? Did everyone get that achievement?"

"Yes. Everyone achieved the same achievement, but... there were no results. However, this item didn't appear for anyone else."

Kim Jaeha touched the metal plate on the table with a gloomy expression. It seemed like he had been through a lot.

'No wonder they couldn't find it.'

The process of obtaining Dwarven Metallurgy wasn't easy. However, the reason why the players of the past, including Kim Jaeha, had failed was simple. It was only possible if he, the first discoverer, moved along the correct path.

"Shall we travel together for a while?"

"Yes?"

"You came to us because you want something, right? Since there has to be a benefit for me as well, let's take some time to decide."

"Uh..."

-Surprise scouting, huh.

-Taeyul Corporation 1 win.

-I bet Avantgarde is crying right now.

-He'll probably kick him out if he's not helpful.

-Really lol

Kim Jaeha froze at the sudden offer. But he soon brightened up and his voice pitched high.

"Alright! I'm a fairly early player, so I'll be able to help even if it's just a little!"

"Yes, I look forward to working with you. Roper, are you okay with this?"

"I'm okay with it. I can confirm what kind of person he is with my own eyes."

Yeonwoo also agreed, nodding his head. Moving his fingers, Hanbit invited Kim Jaeha to the party.

"Ah, you've already cleared the Edlen episode, right?"

"Unfortunately, I've only completed the Edlen main quest. But I can still spectate, so if there's any information I can share, I'll contact you through party chat or messages."

Kim Jaeha added a clear explanation.

As the situation was roughly organized, Hanbit got up from his seat and said, "Then I'll see you tomorrow. I'll contact you before logging in."

* * *

The next morning.

Hanbit left the house and boarded the bus heading towards the company. This was because the meeting place was his mentor Lee Minho's house.

'It feels like I'm going to work on the weekend.'

The scenery passing by outside the window was the same as yesterday. To think he would come to dislike the company so much after just a few days of internship. He felt a newfound respect for office workers.

"Hey, did you see this?"

While he was lost in thought, he overheard the conversation of the people sitting next to him. Two men who looked like college students were talking while looking at their smartphones.

"Challenge dungeon? I watched it live."

"It took me over an hour even after watching the strategy guide. I got hit with a serious reality check."

"You need to have a sense of reality to get a reality check. This guy is just insane."

Their words caught his attention. It became clear from the following conversation that they were talking about RP.

"But I can't believe an S-class nickname like that was still available. Did no one think of Black Dragon?"

"There are rumors that it's a developer's super account. They probably locked the nickname creation."

"If it was a super account, there would have been an uproar by now. Do you think the advanced players would stay still?"

"Then how do you explain this? There's no way a talent greater than Odin could appear."

He didn't expect to hear about RP, let alone the nickname Black Dragon, in real life. Suddenly curious about the reactions, Hanbit turned on his smartphone and accessed the RPG community. The top of the home screen was filled with popular posts about the challenge dungeon.

<Edlen Challenge Dungeon 1st Place Change>

Black Dragon, who found the hidden route, cleared it in one try and took 1st place.

What's really crazy is that he broke the record while also doing the Flona quest.

I've compiled this together with a link to the Black Dragon channel video.

-Damn lmao

-Black Dragon, is that him again...?

-Kim Han-seop crying.

-Odin, the all-time talent, was just an ordinary person, lol

-I'm reporting this guy for bug abuse.

└I also sent an inquiry, and the administrator said it wasn't a bug or a hack?

└OK, with things like this, we fight with propaganda and fabrication.

-I played along while watching, but I spent more than 20 minutes on the traps alone.

-Is clearing the maze in one go even possible for an AI?

-Will he answer if I go to the stream and donate?

└He will if he's in a good mood.

└If the challenge mission and donation amount increase, he does something big.

The various reactions of the players that followed were intense. And a comment posted near the end caught Hanbit's eye.

-There are over 20,000 challengers now lol

└It'll probably be 40,000 when the weekend comes?

└I think it'll exceed 50,000.

└The entrance fee is 500 gold, so everyone and their dog is re-challenging.

└I'm so envious of Black Dragon;

└Kim Han-seop really sobbing.

'...50,000 people?'

His eyes widened at the figure the players were predicting.

The entrance fee for a week was given to the 1st place record holder.

If more than 50,000 people really challenged it, the minimum amount would be 25 million gold. If the record continued to hold, wouldn't it be like a vault that generated gold infinitely?

"Is there no reaction from Kim Han-seop? He must be shocked that he lost 1st place."

"He lost his honey pot, so he's falling into the abyss. He spent a crazy amount of gold to become an advanced player, but now he can't even do that."

The people next to him were still talking about the challenge dungeon. Kim Han-seop, who had monopolized the rewards for a year. It wouldn't be strange at all if he felt hostile towards Hanbit for snatching that position away. Since he seemed to be trying hard to become an advanced player, there was a chance they might encounter each other someday.

Beep-

Getting off at his destination, Hanbit went up the visible slope. A neighborhood lined with one-room villas. As he walked a little further, an old building came into view.

<Geumseong Villa>

Passing through the open entrance, Hanbit went up to the 4th floor.

Buzz-

An odd buzzing sound rang out as he pressed the doorbell of room 402. It seemed to be broken.

Click-

Creak-

Following the sound of the door opening, Lee Minho appeared. His face was filled with exhaustion.

"Hello. You're early."

"Hello. Did you not get any sleep?"

"I found something that's giving me a headache. Come in for now."

Leaving those meaningful words, he led Hanbit inside. Passing through the narrow entrance, a space of around 230 sq ft came into view. It was filled with all sorts of drawings, tools, and device components, yet everything was clearly organized.

"Sorry about the small space. It's difficult to take the equipment outside..."

"Not at all. More importantly, you said you found something that's giving you a headache. What is it?"

"It would be better to see it yourself. Just a moment."

Lee Minho picked up a component that looked like a semiconductor chip and a drawing.

Pointing at them one by one with his finger, he continued, "This is one of the parts that came out after disassembling the level 1 Gear, and this is the blueprint. As expected of technology ahead of its time, it's quite difficult to understand everything."

He explained how amazing the device's structure was, occasionally mixing in technical terms.

Seeing him a little excited, it seemed like he was a man of great curiosity, even though this was an extension of the work he had been forced to take on. Of course, Hanbit's expertise was far from sufficient to have a discussion about this issue.

"I don't really understand even if I see it. Was there anything unusual?"

"That's what was bothering me. To be precise, it was because of what was inside this chip."

Lee Minho held up the small chip with his finger. Then, he brought over a household microscope that was nearby.

"Take a look. There's a small grain with a strange pattern engraved inside."

"A strange pattern?"

"It's something that's already known, but it strangely looks like a lock. I couldn't physically separate it even with equipment."

"Hmm, let me see."

Hanbit brought his eye to the eyepiece of the microscope. The internal structure of the chip immediately came into view. As he examined the complex circuit lines, he saw a tiny sphere in the center. It was shaped like a fruit wrapped in a shell.

'Is this it?'

Examining the surface, Hanbit found the pattern that Lee Minho had mentioned. Linear patterns that were visible here and there, obscured by the external structure. It felt like an ancient script.

'Is this perhaps...'

A thought flashed through his mind, and a memory surfaced.

Hanbit asked Lee Minho, who was gathering data next to him, "Did you perhaps find anything else?"

"It's not so much a discovery as something strange. Do you remember the program the research and development team gave us?"

"Yes. Didn't I collect data and give it to you?"

"That's right. But after hearing what they had to say, it looks that the framework of that program was provided by the RP game company. As if they wanted us to dig into the company's secrets."

"That's... strange."

This wasn't the first time the RP game company had made a move that was difficult to understand. From Hanbit's perspective, it felt like the shadow of the Goddess. And this time, that feeling turned into certainty with Lee Minho's next words.

"This is the important part. When I used the data you collected, Hanbit, a strange pattern was found in the code. It was something that didn't appear in the data from other departments."

"A pattern?"

"Take a look at this."

Lee Minho spread out a document filled with complex programming language on the floor.

He pointed at one section with his finger and said, "The other code wasn't at a level I couldn't understand. But I couldn't even understand the meaning of this pattern that keeps appearing, even though it's unnecessary code."

"...Wait a moment."

Hanbit focused his attention on the spot he was pointing at. Code that was difficult to discern with just an undergraduate’s knowledge. As he frowned, Lee Minho held out another piece of paper.

"Look at this too. I've gathered the patterns that are spread throughout the code."

Hanbit shifted his gaze and examined the new data. At that moment, something occurred to him.

'...Is this perhaps...'

Having discovered something, Hanbit gradually moved his gaze further away. Then, the complex code began to appear in a different form.

Rustle-

Hanbit busily looked around, examining the pattern with a wider field of view. Up close, it was a complex programming language, but to his eyes, a different outline was faintly taking shape. It was like solving a puzzle with lines and patterns hidden everywhere.

'...They really went to all this trouble.'

Reaching a conclusion, Hanbit let out a sigh. The identity of the strange pattern Lee Minho had discovered was the language of the other world. They had hidden a single word within this complex and vast pattern.

Taking his eyes off the data, Hanbit looked at Lee Minho and said, "There's a word hidden in this pattern."

"A word?"

"Yes. It's a character used in the game world. It was in the appendix of the original web novel... that I read. I can't see it now because it's disappeared from the internet."

"...?"

Lee Minho had a dumbfounded expression, but he soon turned his gaze back to the pattern. After concentrating for a while with a frown, he raised his head.

"If it was in the appendix, it must be difficult to remember... Do you happen to know what the word is?"

A question that seemed to contain a bit of hope. It was an obvious concern, but Hanbit had spent far more time using the language of the other world than his native tongue.

"Fortunately, I remember."

Recalling old memories, he nodded.

After checking the pattern once more, he said, "The word written is Edlen. A city in the Raven Kingdom."

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]