The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

Chapter: 32

"I\'m telling you, my friend has disappeared!"

At the reception desk of the Adventurers\' Guild, a blond-haired girl, Lia, was shouting urgently.

"I\'m not saying you\'re lying, but the guild is a place to take on requests, right? You need to tell me the reward and the details of the request accurately so I can inform the adventurers."

"I told you I\'d prepare it later somehow! Can\'t the guild accommodate that much?"

"That authority lies with the Guild Master, and he\'s not here right now."

"Then at least tell me where the Guild Master is! I\'ll go meet him myself!"

"Ahh." Miel, the guild staff member listening to the girl\'s plea, sighed. Then, pointing to the adventurers talking at a table in the corner, she said, "I don\'t know the Guild Master\'s location. If you\'re really in a hurry, try asking them yourself."

"What?"

An adventurer with a harsh face who seemed quite irritable. With him looking half-drunk, it was daunting to even approach him. It was questionable whether he could even properly answer a question in the first place.

"Those people won\'t do. Any other adventurer..."

"Ah, you want to make a request? Where are the documents?"

Lia looked at Miel again, but she had started attending to another customer. She didn\'t even glance in her direction.

"Ugh."

Glaring at the uncaring staff member, Lia bit her lip. Flona, who had left a note saying she was going to gather herbs, had disappeared. She had searched the forest, but it was swarming with monsters, making it difficult to thoroughly investigate.

"My sister isn\'t here right now either..."

Her sworn sister, Artsvel, was away. She would be back in a few hours, but there was no guarantee that Flona would be safe during that time.

"Ahh."

Taking a deep breath, Lia steeled her resolve. She approached the rough-looking adventurers sitting in the corner.

"All those nobles and whatnot are a bunch of bastards! Those guys would die with a flick of my finger!"

Bang-!

The drunken adventurer slammed his fist on the table and fumed.

The man sitting across from him chuckled and said, "Do you want to get arrested? Mayor Brook severely punishes those who insult nobles."

"Screw the mayor! He\'s a good-for-nothing who got lucky and snatched the position..."

"Wait a minute."

Lia suddenly cut into their conversation. The two adventurers\' gazes shifted simultaneously towards the girl who had appeared out of nowhere.

"What?"

The man reacted irritably, frowning. But the other one noticed something.

"Isn\'t this a slum rat? I think I\'ve seen her before."

"..."

Despite the blunt insult, Lia suppressed her anger. Now was not the time to react.

"I want to make a request."

"A request?"

"What?"

As soon as she got to the point, the two men reacted simultaneously. Their expressions were strange, not quite like interest.

"My friend disappeared after going into the forest. If you help me search for her, I\'ll reward you within a few days. The amount will be as much as I can possibly get..."

Bang-!

Before she could even finish her sentence, a deafening roar filled her ears. It was the sound of one of the adventurers kicking his chair.

"Now a slum brat is spouting about requests. Do we look easy to you?"

The man frowned, seemingly genuinely offended. It was due to his inferiority complex stemming from the nobles\' contempt.

"...You don\'t look easy. It\'s just that my friend might be in danger."

"Oh really? And you\'re in a hurry?"

The fellow adventurer, who had been watching from the side, joined the conversation. Tapping the table with his finger, he said with a nasty grin, "5 million gold."

"What?"

"Give us 5 million gold. Then we\'ll go find her for you."

"..."

Lia was speechless at the utterly absurd amount.

Seeing this, the man asked in an amused tone, "Why? Is it too much? Should I give you a discount?"

"...What do I have to do?"

"Even a beggar is quick-witted."

He placed a dagger from his waist onto the table.

"Take this and go to the noble we mention."

"A noble? You want me to kill a noble?"

"Kill? Who said anything about killing? Just give them a little scare. If you say it was a childish prank, they probably won\'t execute you.

A story even more absurd than the 5 million gold. If she did such a thing to a noble, she would be severely punished. There was no way they would go easy on her just because she was a child. Moreover, if she was a slum child, the value of her life was meaningless.

"..."

Lia, well aware of this fact, was in a state of turmoil. The difference between nobles and commoners, commoners and the lowborn, was evident even in the punishment for crimes. However, if it involved another noble, the story would be completely different.

Lia, whose mind was filled with worry for Flona\'s safety, spoke with clouded judgment, "If I do as you say, you\'ll accept the request?"

"Of course."

The man nodded, assuring her that he wasn\'t lying.

"This guy\'s really crazy."

His companion, standing next to him, chuckled and watched their conversation.

"Hoo."

Taking a short, deep breath, Lia reached out for the dagger on the table.

At that moment.

Thud-

A hand suddenly appeared from behind and grabbed her arm.

"You don\'t have to do that."

Lia turned around at the voice. Black Dragon, the adventurer, was standing there.

"...Huh?"

And a small girl was holding his right hand.

It was Flona, whom she had been desperately searching for.

"Flona!"

Letting go of Black Dragon\'s hand, Flona quickly ran and hugged Lia. Finally grasping the situation, Lia let out a sigh, trying to support her weakened legs.

"Thank goodness..."

* * *

"That would\'ve been fun."

"Tsk."

The two adventurers who had tried to harass Lia left the guild. Even if it was just a twisted form of amusement, they would have laughed gleefully if Lia had actually died.

-Those bastards are crazy;

-Why are they doing that to Lia?

-Can\'t you teach them a lesson?

-How can you teach them a lesson? lol

-Re-evaluating Julio, who got kicked.

-That\'s a bit much;

The viewers who had been watching together poured out criticism towards the two adventurers. Although they were just passing NPCs, it didn\'t mean there wouldn\'t be a chance to meet them again. At that time, their necks probably wouldn\'t be attached to their bodies.

Hanbit turned his gaze to the two girls clinging to each other.

"Let\'s go. I\'ll take you back."

"...Okay."

"Yes!"

Hanbit went outside with the two of them. As they headed towards the slum area, he told Lia what had happened.

"That was too dangerous..."

Lia\'s face darkened as she learned of the situation Flona had been in, and she lowered her gaze.

"I\'m okay! He was super fast and amazing!"

Flona smiled brightly. As they moved away from the city center, she seemed to gradually regain some of her energy.

"Don\'t ever go out alone again. You can ask me for any herbs you need."

"But then you\'ll have a hard time!"

"It\'s not hard at all! I..."

Lia, who was about to get angry, couldn\'t continue her sentence. Biting her lip, she tightened her grip on Flona\'s hand and moved forward.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, Flona is safe."

When they arrived inside the slum area, Lia expressed her sincere gratitude in polite language. Chuckling at the sight, Hanbit went in front of Flona and lowered himself to her level.

"Don\'t go outside alone next time. I don\'t want to hear that awkward formal speech again."

"Okay!"

"Oh, come on...! Let\'s go quickly! We\'re leaving too!"

At the playful response, Lia turned her back in anger, her face flushed. Flona, still holding her hand, waved her other hand goodbye to Hanbit.

And then, along with an alarm, a message followed.

Ding-!

[Quest completed.]

[Sub quest unlocked.]

[Sub Quest #1]

You have greatly helped Lia, who was desperately searching for Flona.

It seems she cannot forget this kindness.

Objective: Wait for the next meeting.

Reward: Sub Quest #2 unlock.

-?

-Is that it?

-When is the next time?

-Should I just push the main quest then?

The sub quest ended somewhat vaguely. However, he had no intention of touching the main quest. Now was the time to wait for the next meeting, just as the objective stated. Rushing things recklessly would only worsen the outcome.

"You seem busy?"

Hanbit turned his attention to Yeonwoo, who was busily moving his hands.

Hearing the question, Yeonwoo asked with a bewildered expression, "You know who\'s responsible for this, right? Just making a list will take forever!"

Even while filming, Yeonwoo was organizing the pouring inquiries and proposals. It seemed like he had received a lot more contact than expected.

"Turn off the game and do it. I\'m going to end the stream anyway."

"You\'re leaving already?"

-Leaving this early?

-Leaving? Where\'s he going?

-Are you abandoning us?

-Don’t

-Go

-Don’t

-Go

The chat window started to burn with the news of the stream ending. It was certainly a short day, but there was a reason for his early departure. He had an appointment with his mentor, Lee Minho, tomorrow.

\'They\'re quite passionate.\'

Hanbit pondered for a moment, watching the endless stream of chats. Considering the amount of donations and prize money he received today, it wasn\'t a complaint he could simply ignore. The problem was that he didn\'t have any content to proceed with right away...

"Ah."

At that moment, something came to Hanbit\'s mind. A way to satisfy the viewers while also positively influencing the sub quest. Looking at the chat window, he voiced his brilliant idea.

"Alright. Then, I\'ll do a brief one-on-one lecture, that I’d promised as the penalty for failing the mission. About an hour should do it."

-Whoa.

-You\'re doing it even though you succeeded the mission?

-The Great Black Dragon

-We worship you.

-Please pick me.

-I\'m betting all my life\'s luck on this.

-Hand

-Hand

-Foot

The surprised viewers each desperately wished to be chosen. However, the condition was clear. They had to be someone who had donated, even just 1 won, whether for the challenge mission or general donations.

"Hyung, you\'re really doing this?" Yeonwoo, who had been observing the situation, approached cautiously and asked in a low voice.

It seemed that a one-on-one meeting with Black Dragon had become even more valuable.

"It\'s just for an hour. How do we do this lottery?"

"Ahh... Just a moment."

Realizing that he couldn\'t stop him, Yeonwoo explained step by step. Thanks to the lottery function in the streaming system, setting it up didn\'t take long.

[Lottery targets have been set.]

The number of viewers who met the condition was in the thousands. Looking at the chat window, Hanbit pressed the "Start Lottery" button.

Whirr-

Along with the start, the name tags spun like a roulette wheel. The viewers began to focus, holding their breath.

-DGDG (Korean slang for excited anticipation)

-Please, really.

-Turning my life around with 1 hour.

-Let\'s goooo.

-Please let me be chosen.

Whirr-

As time passed, the spinning wheel gradually slowed down.

And the moment the rotation came to a complete stop.

Ding-!

[Kim Jaeha]

The lottery was complete, displaying his nickname tag.

* * *

"Whoa, holy shit!"

Kim Jaeha, who had been watching the stream with his hands clasped together, jumped up from his seat, spitting out a curse. This was because his nickname, \'Kim Jaeha,\' was clearly displayed as the winner of Black Dragon\'s lottery. It was a dreamlike result achieved thanks to the 100,000 won, his hard-earned money, to the challenge mission.

[Kim Jaeha, congratulations. Please come here right away. If you can\'t come to Edlen, please send a message to Roper.]

-Damn, I\'m jealous.

-Ah.

-Life sucks.

-This game is all about luck.

-Life is all about luck too.

-But who is he?

-He\'s a viewer, who else would he be?

Other viewers were envious, watching his victory. Overwhelmed by a strange sense of superiority, Kim Jaeha quickly put on the gear on his bed.

"Woah."

Though his heart was filled with joy, this was ultimately an extension of his work. He always had to stay calm for business.

Whir-

As he lay down on the bed, the gear\'s operating sound followed. Pulling himself together once more, Kim Jaeha moved into the world of RP.