The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 36

"...What?"

Lia stopped and turned her head slightly. She glared at Hanbit for a moment, then asked with a slight frown, "Is that really true?"

"If you don't believe me, you can go alone. But you won't find her even if you search all day."

"..."

Hanbit shrugged, implying she could do as she pleased, and Lia fell into thought. As much as she wanted to find Ruby on her own, the reality was daunting. The area outside the slums was vast. And because she knew cats so well, this fact hit her even harder.

"Ugh, seriously!"

Frustrated with the lack of solutions, Lia ruffled her hair wildly. Then she sighed and approached him.

"Hurry up and lead the way. Ruby has fast feet and will quickly go somewhere else."

"There's no need to rush. I saw her enter the underground waterway."

"Waterway? Ruby went there?"

Lia's eyes widened in surprise at his words. The waterway that ran through the underground of Edlen. It was no longer in use, but the water level was high, making it a dangerous place.

"Ah, shit! Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Lia immediately kicked off the ground without hesitation.

As Hanbit also started running, Yeonwoo, who was following behind, asked from a distance, "Hyung! Are we really going to the underground waterway?"

-Is the cat there?

-No, there's nothing there.

-Just a useless map.

The existence of the underground waterway was commonly known even among players. However, there was nothing to gain compared to the effort of exploring its interior. This was the very brief information listed in the guidebook.

"Have you been to the waterway?"

"I've been there, but the map itself is worthless. The stench is so realistically implemented that you don't even want to go near it,” Yeonwoo answered with a disgusted expression.

Certainly, if the smell was that vividly implemented, it would be difficult to enter easily.

However, the statement that it was worthless was completely wrong. If someone had discovered the importance of the underground waterway, the strategy would have been completely different.

Thud-

After a brief conversation while running, the two arrived at a sunken area below the outer wall. Lia, who had gone ahead, was already out of sight.

"I guess she went inside?" Yeonwoo said, looking at the half-open iron gate.

Looking around, Hanbit pushed the gate open.

"Let's go."

* * *

Drip-

Drip-

Inside the dark underground waterway, emitting a musty stench.

The two were moving along the path illuminated by sparsely placed candles.

"Hyung, how far are we going? I'm telling you, this isn't a place where a cat would be." Yeonwoo, who was walking a little behind, asked while covering his nose.

He wanted to let him experience what a real stench was, but it wasn't time yet.

"Seeing as you're so sure, I guess you've searched the whole place?"

"Even if I haven't, many people have come here. If anyone had found anything, word would have gotten around."

"Even so, it only went as far as the guidebook level, right?"

"That's normal. The underground waterway is just a small appendix written in the corner of a page in the guidebook, to begin with. Who would bother to check it meticulously if they weren't a nerd like you?"

-Ahem.

-Fighting dirty with facts;

-With things like this, I'll show you the real deal.

-Teachers, please come forward.

[Seolmyeongchung has donated 5,000 won.]

[Edlen's Underground Waterway: According to the architect Irteloger, who designed the waterway 100 years ago...]

-Yes, thank you for the information~

-Long comment cut.

-He actually did it lmao

The perception of the underground waterway was evident just by looking at the chat window. Continuing to add to the conversation would only be detrimental at this point.

Giving up on explaining, Hanbit increased his speed and moved forward.

"Ha..."

A dead end was reached after following the winding path. Lia was standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Did you find anything?"

Hanbit approached and stood beside her.

Lia, who had been staring straight ahead, lowered her gaze and replied, "Ruby was here."

In her hand was a bright red string. It was the ribbon tied to Ruby, the cat's leg.

"I need to find other traces."

With a serious expression, Lia tried to turn back. Hanbit moved before she could and blocked her way.

"What?"

"Look up there."

"Up?"

Lia followed his finger as he pointed upward. It didn't take long for her, frowning in concentration, to find something.

"Ah!"

A faint hole was visible at the top of the wall. It seemed even smaller because there was no light, but it was large enough for a cat to easily pass through.

"She went that way! But the path that follows..."

Unlike the flexible cat, it was a size that humans couldn't pass through. The problem was that Lia, who knew the structure of this underground waterway, couldn't think of any path that followed.

"Wait a minute."

Knowing her thoughts, Hanbit passed Lia and knelt in front of the dead-end wall.

'It's just as I remember.'

A crack extended from the gap between the wall and the floor. The bottom, visible through the gap, was in an even worse state.

"Come here for a second."

Getting up, Hanbit grabbed Lia's arm and stepped back.

"What? What are you doing?" Lia asked, sensing something strange. But Hanbit had already extended his hand, and an incantation flowed from his mouth.

"Fire Burst."

Boom-!

The ejected fireball exploded, and the floor collapsed with a rumble. The bottom of the wall, which had been blocked, was transformed into an unstable passage.

"Are you crazy?"

Lia had a dumbfounded expression at the simple and violent solution. After all, this was also a public area of Edlen. If they made an issue of it, they could be punished.

"We just need to be quiet. Let's find Ruby first."

"But..."

With a casual reply, Hanbit moved forward first. Lowering his stance and passing under the wall, he looked at Lia.

"Aren't you coming?"

"...Who said I wasn't coming?"

At Hanbit's nonchalant attitude, Lia scratched her head and moved her feet. And the moment she bent down and entered.

Crackle-

A strong spark flew from her bag.

"Ouch!"

Surprised, Lia quickly threw her bag on the floor. Something rolled out from the open gap.

Thud-

A ring with a red jewel embedded in it lay alone on the floor. The gold band was engraved with what seemed to be a family crest.

Flash-

Light emanated from the jewel of the ring. Lia had an expression mixed with curiosity and fear as she saw the sight.

"Ugh..."

Whoosh-

As if to protect her frozen body, the wind gathered like a shield. An alarm sound followed.

Ding-!

[The wind spirit Sylph expresses anger.]

-Huh?

-Wasn't it playing with Flona?

-But why is it angry?

-Who did it?

Viewers expressed their questions at Sylph's appearance. Sylph's existence, playing with Flona, was also valid here. It was a story that applied anywhere in the world.

'The spirit's anger...'

Although spirits were usually like children, their anger was not to be taken lightly. Depending on the situation, it could even cause heaven and earth to be overturned. That's how great and fearsome spirits were.

"...Wind?"

Lia let out a puzzled voice at the cozy feeling enveloping her body.

But that was only for a moment.

Quickly picking up the ring and her bag, she looked at the dark path.

After a moment of silence, she said to Hanbit, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"A feeling? Is it because of the ring from earlier?"

"...I don't know. Anyway, it's dangerous further inside."

Lia warned him without taking a single step forward. It wasn't a lie, it was a judgment made from a truly instinctive feeling.

'She has no choice but to have good instincts.'

A keen sense that could detect danger even with little information.

There was only one reason why someone would develop such a talent at a young age.

They were constantly exposed to life-threatening situations while growing up. Like a survivor of a rebel family living in hiding.

Whoosh-

As they conversed, the wind of the spirit spread, enveloping the space.

"Going ahead?"

"No, wait...!"

As Hanbit stepped forward into the path, Lia grabbed his sleeve.

Then, as if a little embarrassed, she avoided his gaze and said, "You can't go. If you die, my sister and Flona will be sad."

-Cute.

-Her likeability has increased a lot. Whoa.

-God Artsvel.

Lia had also heard in detail the story of how Artsvel's mother was freed from her pain. Having witnessed firsthand how desperate that situation was, her evaluation of Hanbit had changed long ago.

Her sister's benefactor was also her benefactor. Moreover, she had no intention of letting him, who had also saved Flona, die.

"It's okay. I won't die."

"...The people who say that are always the ones who die."

"No, look at that."

Hanbit pointed to the path that stretched inwards. A small silhouette could be seen approaching in the darkness.

Meow-

"Ruby?"

Lia had a puzzled expression at the nonchalant meow. This was because whenever they tried to find her, she would hide deeper.

Whoosh-

The spirit's wind, which had not yet returned, fluttered faintly around them. No one would know that Sylph had helped lure the cat.

"Why did you run so far away?"

Lia let out a sigh of relief as she picked Ruby up. Although the cat often caused trouble, she had never gone outside the slum area before.

"Huh?"

Examining the cat's condition up close, Lia discovered something.

Bringing Ruby closer, she slowly pulled out a piece of white cloth the cat was holding in its mouth.

"...The Holy Kingdom?"

A cloth with a unique texture, never seen before in Edlen. The end of it was embroidered with the flag of the Holy Kingdom. Lia's expression darkened instantly upon discovering it.

-The Holy Kingdom?

-Why is there a clue about the Holy Kingdom here?

-Is this really connected to the main story?

-We won't know until we see the sub quest settlement.

-Yeah, a lot of them turned out to be meaningless in the end.

The viewers started discussing the mention of the Holy Kingdom. Sub quests that enriched the main story. Naturally, the impact varied depending on the process and results.

"Let me see."

Hanbit reached out and received the cloth. At that moment, a message popped up along with an alarm.

Ding-!

[Sub Quest #2 completed.]

[Sub Quest #3 unlocked.]

[Sub Quest #3]

Ruby the cat, found in the underground waterway, had a strange item.

Why does a cloth with the Holy Kingdom's flag exist in a place like this?

It seems like you need information.

Objective: Report the traces to the Guild Master.

Reward: Sub quest settlement

-Meeting the Guild Master already?

-Is this really opening up a new route?

-It's been years lol

-Who knows.

-Yeah, Cowen isn't easy.

The Guild Master, one of the key figures in Edlen. Moreover, an objective to meet him appeared at the same time as a clue about the Holy Kingdom.

Since both elements were directly linked to the main quest, the viewers' expectations and suspicions about a new story route intensified.

"Lia, you take Ruby back to Flona."

"...What are you going to do with that?"

"I'm going to visit the Guild Master. It's strange that something from the Holy Kingdom was found here."

"..."

Lia closed her mouth at Hanbit's answer. After pondering for a moment, she spoke quietly.

"Okay. I'll go to Flona for now."

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

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