The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 76

“…The truth?”

The truth of the world.

It wasn’t a phrase that a simple player, just enjoying a game, would utter.

Avantgarde replied with a serious expression, The world depicted in RP didn’t feel like a simple game to me. At first, like everyone else, I jumped into the main quest, but I felt a sense of incongruity within the story. So I quit right away and started traveling around the world.”

“You did that for two years?”

“It was too short a time to understand this world. But when I accidentally saw Black Dragon’s footsteps, my eyes slowly opened. I can’t even express how happy I was when I saw the global message.”

-Isn’t he just crazy?

-He reminds me of a fanatic from some country.

-Truth? Isn’t this just a fictional novel?

-Since the guidebook was a lie, the novel is the truth.

-Adventurer A fails again today...

The viewers reacted with bewilderment at the conversation.

However, Avantgarde pointed at the chat window with his finger.

“It’s right there in the chat. You’re exactly right. We were all just focused on the false story. Let’s reflect on that together.”

-Us?

-His eyes are weird.

-FYI He’s always like that.

-He seems a bit crazier today.

-We apologize, Black Dragon’s viewers.

In no time, the chat was filled with a mix of Hanbit and Avantgarde’s viewers.

Regardless, the existence of a player who was neither an advanced player nor affiliated with a corporation but simply explored the game world was refreshing.

The fact that he had been doing so consistently for two years made him trustworthy.

“So, what are your plans from now on? Do you have any specific content planned?”

“Since I just finished traveling around the central part of the continent, I don’t have any immediate plans. I was mainly focused on the story that Black Dragon would unfold.”

His sincere intentions were clear in his straightforward answer.

After a moment of thought, Hanbit asked him, “Then, shall we travel together for a while?”

“……?”

Avantgarde froze for a moment after hearing the question.

Recalling what he had heard, he asked in return. “Did you say you want to travel with me? Are you sure you meant to say that to Avantgarde?”

“Yes. I’m curious about the places you’ve traveled to, and since I have no streaming experience, I wanted to learn from you.”

“Wow…”

Avantgarde’s eyes widened at the offer.

While there were several reasons, it was true that he wanted to learn about streaming.

“I’d love to! I’ll help you with anything I can!”

-Oh.

-Congrats to Avantgarde.

-This is possible;

-Avantgarde, you can finally stop stalking Black Dragon.

-The viewers are also happy.

Avantgarde’s viewers applauded, showing how eagerly they had been following him.

The man himself continued with a joyful voice, “Do you have any plans for today? If you’re going to Ifrit, I can help you…”

“Ah, I plan to go to Ifrit tomorrow. I have something to confirm.”

There were two reasons for that decision.

One was the unreleased episode special reward. Since it would be distributed at dawn, it was ideal to decide his course of action after checking it.

The other was the private area. Since he had no idea about this place, he wanted to check the information circulating in the community.

It had a suspicious name from the start.

“I see. So, what are you going to do today?”

“Let’s just wander around together for now. I have a few questions for you.”

“I’d love that!”

Avantgarde shouted happily as he had more time to talk.

Then, looking at his chat, he said, “Alright, instead of ending the stream, I’ll continue streaming with Black Dragon. Everyone, please switch over to Black Dragon’s channel.”

* * *

"Look at that peculiar fruit on that tree. Want to check it out?"

"Did you know that even monsters of the same species have different characteristics? There are even rumors about them having genders."

"Ah, this cave here, I discovered it a year ago..."

The walk that began like this continued for several hours.

Most of the time, it was Avantgarde, brimming with excitement, who guided him, but there were also surprising moments.

‘He certainly knows a lot.’

Things that even he, who had replayed the world dozens of times, hadn’t paid much attention to.

Avantgarde’s words about loving RP became more convincing.

Thanks to him, he gained 2 levels and 7 stat points from a few quests, which was a great harvest.

‘We still haven’t found anything that would qualify as a private area.’

When they reached the outskirts of the Edlen Forest, Avantgarde stopped.

The private area that was included in the global message.

The two of them had searched every corner of the forest while exploring the place but they couldn't find even a suspicious trace.

"There were no clues to begin with. At this rate, we'll have to look outside of Edlen."

"I think so too. Luckily, there are quite a few players looking for the private area, so information will be shared quickly."

As they walked, Avantgarde continued to gather information.

There were countless posts on the community, as well as messages from acquaintances.

All of them were asking him to connect them with Black Dragon.

-There are a lot of people looking for it.

-Information) 99.99% of it is nonsense.

-0.01% is a lot.

-This wasn't in the novel, was it?

-Are you just pretending not to know?

Questions arose among the viewers who agreed with Avantgarde.

Hanbit nodded as he looked at the chat.

"This isn't in the novel. I don't know what the private area is."

-What?

-Is this real?

-You can brag if you find it first;

-But how do you find it?

-I don't know?

The atmosphere in the chat room changed when they heard that Hanbit didn't know the information.

Ding-!

[Hiddenbuys has donated 1,000 coins.]

[Will you exchange information about the hidden skill if you find the private area?]

Thinking it was an opportunity, a viewer suggested exchanging information.

However, he had no intention of making empty promises.

"I won't make personal exchanges. Just post the information about the private area on my channel or the RPG community. I'll do a hidden skill strategy guide after clearing the Ifrit story."

-Oh.

-He's actually doing this;

-But even if he releases the strategy guide, you won’t be able to get it anyway.

-There are still a lot of people stuck on Balder.

-Isn't he just making empty promises?

-If you don't like it, don’t watch the stream.

-Even if he provides it, he's complaining;

The viewers started arguing.

However, there were some hidden skills that could be revealed.

Since it was information that was meant to be released anyway, it was beneficial to encourage more people to find information about the restricted area.

"Stop fighting. Anyway, if you want a hidden skill, work hard. I'll release the strategy guide after the Ifrit episode."

Hanbit calmed the chat and checked the global message again.

[Some of the private areas will be opened.]

Private area.

Simply put, it meant that they would open a hidden map.

And since it said ‘some’, it would be difficult to be sure it was just one place.

The problem was the meaning of that place.

‘Does this pattern mean this?’

The pattern found in the RP device program.

The word 'Edlen' was written there, but he hadn't found any clear clues related to the goddess yet.

So, there was a high possibility that something existed in the private area.

"I guess it's pointless to look further for now. Since we have to move on to the next city tomorrow, let's just take a quick look at Ifrit. We can go when we get more information."

"That's a good idea. Oh, it's almost time for the special reward."

Avantgarde looked at the clock on his system window.

The 24 hours since Black Dragon completed the episode were approaching.

Hanbit, who had the same thought, nodded.

"That's right. I'll just check the special reward today and end the stream."

-What's coming out?

-As a special reward, you get a 10% experience coupon~

-49 seconds left.

Time was ticking. Hanbit waited for the seconds to pass in silence.

And exactly 24 hours later, the alarm sounded.

Ding-!

[Episode 1 special reward has been granted.]

[You have obtained the Dreaming Compass.]

-?

-A compass?

-What are you going to search for?

-Why is it dreaming?

-??

"Oh, I've never heard of that item!"

The players and Avantgarde reacted to the unfamiliar name.

Hanbit, however, looked a bit serious.

‘I wonder if this is it…’

A puzzle was pieced together in his mind as he recalled what the item might be.

Hanbit took out the compass from his inventory and immediately checked the details.

[Dreaming Compass]

Rank: 4

Grade: Epic

Description: A deep-slumbering compass. When used with a special item obtained from the Black and White Sea, it can induce dreams. You’ll need to be careful to distinguish between good and bad dreams.

-Epic grade?

-What kind of compass is this?

-You have to get the material from the Black and White Sea?

-That place is so chaotic.

-Can you find the hidden area with this?

-No way?

With a jet-black base and a platinum rim, the glass compass had two effects depending on the material inserted.

One was a good dream that led the user to the desired path.

The other was a nightmare that led the user to an undesired path.

Hanbit knew firsthand how reliable the effects were, having used it frequently.

‘…Is it telling me to find the private area?’

At this point, the shadow of the goddess began to appear faintly.

It was an item that should never have appeared at this time.

The only problem was that the item needed to be obtained from the Black and White Sea was incredibly difficult to get.

"It's a tricky item. An item from the Black and White Sea..." Avantgarde, who seemed familiar with the place, fell into thought.

Swish-

Hanbit moved his hand and immediately turned on the RP trader.

He searched for the name of the required item.

[Rainbow Seashell]

Search results: 0

‘As expected, there’s nothing.’

The Black and White Sea, as its name suggested, is a sea divided into black and white.

The rainbow seashell could be obtained from the white sea.

It was a material that guided the compass towards a good dream, but the process of obtaining it was extremely tedious.

Since it had no other use, it was strange that players would be interested in it.

Even if he went there himself, he didn’t have enough time to make such a long journey.

"Hyung!"

At that moment, a voice came from behind.

Turning his head, Yeonwoo was running towards him hurriedly.

"Are you done?"

"That’s not the problem, it’s this!"

Yeonwoo came closer and held out his hand.

In his palm was a beautifully colored seashell.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]