The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Starfall]

Chapter 9

- Huh?

- Why all of a sudden?

- Is it because of those guys?

- Ah, get lost!

- Scumbags.

The moment Hanbit's screen disappeared, the viewers reacted with outrage.

Now, only Yeonwoo's stream remained visible.

Swish-

At the same time, the players' movements completely stopped.

They couldn't get the information they wanted from Yeonwoo's screen alone.

Their bewilderment was palpable even without seeing their faces.

'I can see right through them.'

From anyone's perspective, Hanbit looked like he was aiming for the slime at the bottom of the cliff.

Thus, they didn't have many options.

They couldn't just sit back and observe the situation, as they had to be mindful of other competitors.

Taking the slime first was the most logical choice.

Rustle-

As expected, the players didn't take long to make their decision.

They quickly approached, concealing themselves in the bushes and trees.

Whirr-

Hanbit, who had been observing the distance, slowly began to release the fishing line.

The hook attached to the end was the old man's special creation.

It was a device that, when the button was pressed, shot thin needles in all directions.

It was like turning the catch into a hedgehog.

'They don't seem like complete beginners.'

The intruders got closer, muffling their sounds as much as possible.

However, their attempts to completely conceal their presence were far from sufficient.

Whirr-

Hanbit's fishing line slowly descended down the cliff.

It was now almost halfway down.

'I see them.'

Hanbit, who had been scanning the forest, made eye contact with the intruders who had revealed themselves.

Three men and women equipped with gear.

Judging from their different weapons, they seemed to have been a party from the beginning.

Swish-

Hanbit turned on the stream again and turned towards the intruders.

Then, he raised his hand and slowly waved it.

“……?”

The three, taken aback, stared at him blankly.

- Oh, he turned his screen back on.

- Why is he waving?

- Out of the blue?

- The viewers were also dumbfounded by his strange behavior.

However, Hanbit's greeting had a slightly different meaning.

Whirr-

Suddenly, the loosened fishing line rapidly descended.

Before the three could react, the hook reached the bomb slime.

Snap-!

As he pressed the button, the needles extended radially with a swoosh.

The impact immediately triggered the slime's explosion.

Kaboom-!

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The bomb slime's body exploded spectacularly with a loud noise.

The impact was several times stronger because other slimes were clustered together.

And that explosion was just the beginning.

Bang-!

Kaboom-!

The nearby bomb slimes, triggered by the noise, started to explode.

This led to a chain reaction of explosions from their brethren in the forest.

“Uwaaagh!”

“Uaagh!”

“Up! Go up!”

The three intruders in the forest tried to escape quickly.

However, the slimes weren't just on the ground.

Thud-

Plop-

Above their heads, where they were standing.

Dark brown slimes poured down from the lushly stretched branches.

Unable to react in time, the three were swallowed by the explosion.

Kaboom-!

“I was waving goodbye.”

Hanbit calmly waved his hand as he watched them die.

Even if they were weak monsters, a chain attack of that magnitude was hard to withstand.

- Holy shit lolololol

- Is this guy crazy? lolololol

- If I can't have it, I'll blow it up.

- He did greet them, right?

- Yeah, he greeted them with an explosion lol

- Trying to freeload, huh? lol

The chat window, filled with laughter, scrolled upwards rapidly.

Hanbit, looking down, reeled in the fishing rod and changed the hook.

'There it is.'

A space remained silent even during the chain explosions.

It was the gap between the cliff and the ground.

Gurgle-

A dark brown lump slowly emerged from within.

Hanbit used to call it a "dud" in the past, and as the word suggests, it was one that didn't explode.

Whirr-

As he moved his hand, the fishing line quickly descended again.

When the glistening hook pierced the soft slime's body, he pressed the button.

Thwack-!

The slime didn't explode even with the radially extending needles.

Hanbit leisurely reeled in the line and put the slime, still alive, into the pouch he had brought.

- Huh?

- Why didn't it explode?

- Is it a dud?

“Oh, it does feel like a dud. These guys don't explode, and they grow by eating their own kind.”

Hanbit nodded at the perfectly timed chat.

- No way, how did you know that?

- Just say you saw it in a web novel lol.

- This guy is no newbie.

- Someone check if he's been hit by a truck.

- Is he really living his second life?

“…I'm not? I'm really not.”

- Is he for real?

- Of course not, lol.

- He must be immersed in fantasy.

- He's kinda cute;

His reaction, which had been somewhat prickly, was taken playfully.

As he inwardly sighed, Yeonwoo approached him cautiously.

“Wow, there was even a gimmick like this. But is it okay to share that information?”

“What information? About the dud?”

“Yeah. If you clear the quest with this, everyone will really try to copy you, right?”

He pointed to the bomb slimes in the sack.

But Hanbit chuckled and said, “Let them try all they want.”

* * *

'That was close.'

Player Kim Jaeha, standing at the edge of the forest, cursed inwardly.

Just moments ago, he had witnessed three players explode along with the bomb slimes.

Even at a high level, it was difficult to predict the damage from such a chain explosion.

Moreover, if he were discovered, he would completely antagonize Black Dragon and Roper.

"Whew."

He had hurriedly logged in to RP, putting aside all other matters.

He had been skeptical, but after watching Roper's stream, he ended up receiving the Artsvel quest.

And he had kept that stream open from the beginning until now.

'Those idiots. There's no way that guy is just a newbie.'

Most of the players who received the quest set out to find their own methods.

This was due to the shortsighted belief that they were better than Black Dragon, the beginner who first discovered the quest.

It was the delusion of those who truly knew nothing.

'Those damn corporations. As if they weren't already pulling ahead…'

Kim Jaeha was certain.

That player called Black Dragon was planted by a large corporation with an advance team.

He must have obtained information about the hidden skill and the Artsvel quest beforehand and then revealed it.

'What's their purpose?'

The reason for deliberately teaming up with a streamer and disclosing the information.

If they were using a hero-grade magic book as bait, it meant there was some bigger information at play.

'Could something have happened to the advance team?'

The top advance teams were currently blocked, in many ways.

If they had found some breakthrough there, diverting the attention of competitors and public opinion would be a natural choice.

'Anyway, let's clear the quest.'

Since he had logged in with company gear, he had to produce results quickly.

He didn't care about the advance party, which was out of reach for small to medium-sized enterprises like his.

If he dawdled, he would surely be ripped apart by his department head.

Step-

Kim Jaeha, glancing at Black Dragon's screen, stepped into the forest.

However, he never managed to obtain the bomb slime material.

* * *

“You brought this as medicine? It's disgusting just to look at. I'm an idiot for expecting anything.”

Hanbit, arriving at Artsvel's shop, was being scolded.

On the table between the two was the bomb slime material, which had turned into a mushy liquid.

Unlike its dark brown surface, the inside emitted a golden light.

- The verbal abuse is kinda hot

- Noona…

- Today's humiliation… I won't forget.

- I'm on my way to clear the quest right now.

The crazed viewers were smitten with Artsvel.

Considering her beautiful appearance, it was understandable.

Though he couldn't understand why people liked being verbally abused.

“I'll compensate you for Julio with money, so take it and get lost. I don't deal with people who play with others' lives.”

Despite having helped capture Julio, her reaction was cold.

Her mother's condition was worsening and reaching its limit.

She had secretly harbored hope, so her disappointment was immense.

Hanbit, well aware of this, asked her, “Aren't you even going to try? The situation isn't good right now.”

“How dare you say that? After bringing this disgusting thing here?”

Artsvel was furious, her face looking as if she would draw a weapon at any moment.

This was a conversation they had had several times in this other world, so he was used to how to deal with it.

Hanbit scooped up the golden jelly with the spoon he had brought.

“Look at this. Doesn't it look like pudding?”

“Don't talk nonsense about pudding. You want to give that to my mother…!”

Thump-!

Suddenly, the spoon was thrust into Artsvel's mouth.

Unable to react, her eyes widened.

And then.

“Ugh!”

She suddenly covered her mouth with both hands and ran to the bathroom.

Splash-!

After a brief moment of screams and the sound of water.

“What is this!”

Artsvel, her anger reaching its peak, quickly returned.

She grabbed the dagger on the table and strode towards him.

“Do you want to die? What did you feed me? Disgusting seeds came out mixed with it!”

“That's the cause of the illness you and your mother have been experiencing.”

“What?”

“You've been sick too, haven't you? You must have been suffering alone.”

“How did you…?”

Artsvel, who had been hiding similar symptoms to her mother, was flustered.

She had been trying her best to appear as healthy as possible.

'I can't even call her foolish.'

To avoid worrying her mother.

To avoid being exploited by people like Julio.

Even in such a situation, Artsvel hid her pain to continue her livelihood.

Even now, he thought it was impossible with ordinary mental strength.

“What you ate is a parasitic seed. It causes trouble inside the body.”

“Parasitic seed?”

Parasitic seeds were rarely seen in the southernmost region.

They attached themselves to the stomach and grew, and only the mucus of bomb slimes could remove them.

This had happened because they had gotten mixed into food ingredients during the trading process.

“You're saying it's not an illness, but because of the seeds?”

“Once you vomit the parasitic seeds, that's the end of it. It's not even a disease.”

"If I vomit it out..."

Artsvel's eyes suddenly changed.

Gathering the golden material, she quickly left the shop.

[Cutscene transition]

Slide-

The screen changed with a message, and there was Artsvel holding the golden jelly.

She stood in front of her mother with a determined look.

“Mom, I brought the medicine.”

Artsvel, perched on the bed, propped up her unconscious mother's upper body.

A spoonful of the golden, lumpy liquid.

After a moment of hesitation, she poured the liquid into her mother's mouth.

The change happened immediately.

Gulp-

“……!”

Her mother's eyes shot open after a single swallow.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she stumbled towards the bathroom.

Slide-

The screen returned after that scene.

The expression on Artsvel's face, now standing before him, was noticeably brighter.

[Translator - Jjescus]

[Proofreader - Starfall]