The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream-Chapter 133

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 133

"Black Dragon!"

While moving along the wall, a voice was heard from behind.

Turning his head, he saw the dwarf Kudran running towards him.

"What's the matter?"

"Ah, we've started moving to the central plaza, so I came to tell you!"

He added that they were moving the work materials.

One plan that had been decided from the beginning.

When the preparations were nearing completion, the assembly point would be moved to the central plaza.

"I understand. Then let's go to the gate together."

Hanbit walked along the wall with the two dwarves.

His gaze turned to the beautiful glass wall.

"The repairs are finished well."

"Yes. We finished quickly along with the trap installation. Thanks to the prince personally guiding us with the internal explosives we discussed, we expect to see good results."

"It was a pleasant experience to move as one body for the first time in a while!"

The dwarves had finished repairing the wall and installing traps through the night.

It was a speed that defied common sense, but the power of the blessing was that strong.

Feeling the regained abilities, the dwarves must have experienced many emotions.

Thump-

The three moved towards the east side of the wall.

And when they reached the area near the monster carcass disposal site, they saw someone.

Whoosh-!

Clunk-

A man was organizing work tools and debris alone.

The elder, seeing his face, made a puzzled expression.

"...Guild Master?"

The man's identity was Jinuk.

It was quite bewildering to see him working alone, sweating.

-?

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

-What's he doing there?

-Is he cleaning up alone?

-How long has he been doing that?

-He cleaned it all up;

The viewers also reacted with puzzlement to the sudden situation.

Kudran, standing next to him, was also tilting his head.

'He cleaned up a lot.'

The reason Hanbit brought the two dwarves here.

It was to show them Jinuk's actions.

Forgiving past mistakes was their choice, and he had no intention of forcing it.

He just wanted to show them that he was regretting the past and trying to change, like the dwarves.

If they continued to hold only hostility, it would be difficult to smoothly end the wave.

"......"

The elder looked at Jinuk with a blank face.

After a moment of silence, he slowly took a step forward.

"What are you doing here?"

"...Ah."

Jinuk, startled by the voice, turned around.

His whole body was dirty with dirt and carcass debris.

Taking a step back, he avoided their gaze and said. "I was cleaning up. I had some time left after finishing my work..."

Jinuk had come here alone after finishing his assigned tasks.

He had probably been working since dawn.

"You've cleaned up a lot!" Kudran, who followed, said cheerfully.

The elder also knew how much debris he had cleaned up.

When they were repairing the wall and installing traps, they had decided to leave the monster carcass disposal site as it was.

"Are you asking for sympathy?" The elder asked with a sharp gaze.

Jinuk shook his hand and said, "No, it's not that. I just found something to do because I felt I was less helpful than you all."

Jinuk had noticed the vast amount of work the dwarves were doing to prepare for the wave, and he corrected his role.

"You said you were less helpful?"

However, the elder's reaction was different from expected.

Frowning, he looked around at the cleaned area and said, "What is the position most closely related to monsters in this city? Isn't it the Guild Master? But if you're wasting time on this kind of work..."

"Haha! It was a major passage, so it's a good thing! To be honest, I think I debated about cleaning it up about 20 times!"

Kudran simply laughed, saying it was a good thing.

The elder, watching him, sighed and said, "You dimwitted fool. You're the dwarf who should be most furious at the Guild Master. Are you going to pretend you've forgotten everything about the past?"

Elder Balron was exasperated, knowing well that Kudran had suffered the most from Jinuk's misdeeds.

However, Kudran's feelings were different.

"As expected, Elder, you have many thoughts! If you remember everything, you'll age quickly!"

"This guy..."

-LMAO

-He didn't mean any harm, right?

-Positivity GOAT

-Kudran never gets triggered, it's hilarious.

Kudran raised his voice cheerfully.

A personality that doesn't hold any grudges.

Hanbit knew well that Kudran's attitude wouldn't change no matter how much time passed.

"Still, the Guild Master's role is important! We should move to the central plaza quickly! To be honest, your body smells quite bad, so it's better to wash up!"

"Huh? Wait...!"

Kudran pushed Jinuk's back and headed towards the gate.

The elder, watching them, sighed again.

"It can't be helped. I'll guide you quickly."

Hanbit followed them.

Since the trap locations were the same as he remembered, a brief explanation was sufficient.

* * *

"Organize that over there!"

"Lay it out here!"

"I told you not to block the path!"

Arriving at the central plaza, they saw the busy dwarves.

One display stand was filled with weapons and armor.

On the other side, medium-sized siege equipment and magic tools were arranged by type.

-Wow.

-Are they using all of that?

-There's something like a flamethrower;

-This is what dwarves are.

-Yeah, you guys abandoned them and killed them all, right?

-No fact-bombing.

The viewers were amazed by the enormous amount of work.

Those who had already cleared the Ifrit story were filled with resentment and regret.

"Black Dragon!"

Avantgarde, who had run ahead, looked slightly excited.

"It seems like things have been finished well."

"I was away for about 5 hours, and an incredible amount of work has been done in that time. It's amazing no matter how many times I see it!"

Avantgarde had stayed until morning, but the dwarves had further accelerated their work during the time he was away.

The real reason they needed the heirloom to stop the wave.

No matter which past iteration you looked at, there was no case where they had protected Ifrit without them.

"How did things progress so quickly?"

"It's only natural if we step up."

Then, Kim Jaeha and Gorik approached from across the street.

The two talking looked like master and disciple now.

"You've worked hard, hyung. It looks like you succeeded well."

"It's thanks to you reminding me of my memories. Talk to the iron. Imagine its soul and strike with the hammer. These words from my grandfather really worked."

Gorik's task of listening to the sound of iron relied entirely on "sensation."

He didn't know how it was implemented in the game, but the context of the advice Kim Jaeha had heard from his grandfather was surprisingly close to the answer.

As seen from his relieved expression, he must have found his own way.

"Our preparations are complete. Now, do we just wait for the monsters to come?" Gorik asked, looking at the organized surroundings.

All the planned work was finished.

Now, only the fight with the monsters remained.

"Well, we're not the only ones who have been working."

Hanbit turned his gaze to Jinuk, who was standing next to him.

He was speechless, looking at the prepared work.

"Jinuk, the adventurers were preparing something too, right?"

"...Ah."

Jinuk, coming to his senses at the mention of his name, looked at Hanbit.

Then, he nodded and said, "They should be finishing soon. There's no need to go to the west field... they're coming over there."

Jinuk pointed to the path leading to the west.

A huge crowd was approaching in a line.

"There are many of them. Are they Ifrit's adventurers?"

The armed humans looked like adventurers.

The strange thing was that their number reached thousands.

"Black Dragon, you're here."

Xenon, leading them, was at the forefront.

It seemed he had finished the things he had asked for well.

"Did the training go well? It must have been difficult for everyone since it was unfamiliar work."

"Their will was strong, so it was fine. They're people who want to protect someone."

He nodded and looked at his companions.

The humans, of various ages, seemed to be wearing ill-fitting clothes.

However, the determination in their expressions was clearly visible.

"What do you mean? What did you do?" Kim Jaeha, who had been focused on his work, asked, puzzled.

Hanbit, watching the humans begin to form ranks, said, "They're Ifrit residents. They received resources and underwent rapid training."

-??

-That's possible?

-You could use the residents?

-Damn, they were all hiding at home out of fear;

-That's because we progressed the story poorly.

Viewers reacted with surprise to the unexpected situation.

Kim Jaeha's doubts grew even larger.

"That's possible? It's too dangerous for people who aren't used to combat."

"Of course, we can't send them to their deaths. Most of them will play support roles. The fighting will be left to the experts over there."

Hanbit pointed to the path leading to the gate.

A group of real adventurers was approaching.

"Thank you for coming. It must have been a difficult request, but I didn't expect so many of you to come."

Jinuk approached their representative and expressed his gratitude.

Adventurers staying in villages, cities, and garrisons near Ifrit.

Jinuk had personally contacted them from night until dawn.

"You’ve sincerity touched my heart. Even the immature and arrogant Jinuk can change this much."

A large, middle-aged adventurer smiled.

"This is Kevin, an A-rank adventurer. He doesn't move easily, but you managed to bring him."

Xenon added a brief explanation from the side.

Hanbit, who knew the man's skills, nodded in agreement with the planned flow.

"Are you Black Dragon?"

Kevin, approaching, stood in front of Hanbit.

Then, he extended his hand and said, "I'm Kevin. You planned this ridiculous setup?"

"I only came up with the plan. The citizens of Ifrit made it all happen."

"You're not like your age. I like that."

Hanbit, grasping his hand, shook it lightly.

Kevin, chuckling, turned his gaze around.

"I heard the reverse scale will be significant. How are we going to deploy our forces?"

"Ah, that's something we'll discuss with them."

Xenon approached, accompanied by a middle-aged human man.

This man was the Defense Captain.

Although the position had become largely ceremonial due to the Mayor's influence, he was at least a reasonable person who could be reasoned with.

"Mr. Xenon, I'll keep the explanation brief."

Hanbit added some further suggestions regarding the troop deployment strategy.

Since the information about the Dwarves' weapons and the explosives within the fortress walls had already been shared, there was no need for a lengthy explanation.

Xenon, who listened attentively, nodded.

"Understood. We'll factor that in when distributing the forces."

He quickly began organizing the troop deployment with Kevin and the Defense Captain.

Turning his head, Hanbit looked at Avantgarde.

"Excuse me, but could you please bring Aysis here? I need to keep an eye on the deployment situation."

"Understood!"

Nodding, he quickly headed towards the northern hut.

Hanbit approached Gorik and asked, "Have you all made a decision? In my opinion, it would be best for you to support the combatants within the city."

"We fight with our own hands. If we allow something like what happened to our homeland, Hedrick, to happen twice, then we deserve death."

"That's right!"

"We must stand and fight, no matter what!"

At the prince’s resolute declaration, the dwarves raised their hands and shouted in agreement.

They had experienced the fall of the Hedrick Kingdom firsthand. To hold them back now would be the same as stripping away their very souls.

"Understood. But make sure you are thoroughly prepared. I have no intention of sending you to your deaths."

"Do you really think those pathetic monsters can break through our armor? No— they’ll be dead before their claws or fangs even reach us."

With his fighting spirit ablaze, Gorik returned to his people. Hanbit knew well that his words weren’t just empty boasts.

"Oh! There you are!"

Just as the deployment was wrapping up, a woman’s voice rang out from the northern road.

It was Aysis, being escorted by Avantgarde.

— Finally, she’s here.

— Took her long enough.

— Noona, hey!

— The audio is packed now.

— She’s practically a veteran streamer at this point.

— Reflect on your actions, you lazy smurfs.

The viewers, already familiar with her, greeted her as if she were an old friend.

"I'm sorry! I couldn’t pry her off the ice... she just wouldn’t let go..."

Avantgarde apologized, explaining the difficult situation.

Of course, it wasn’t his fault.

"It's fine. That’s just how she is."

"You're talking about me, aren't you?"

Aysis suddenly stepped forward, standing right in front of them.

Without hesitation, she immediately launched into a barrage of words.

"I have so much to say—where do I even start? The composition of Glacier’s ice? The nature of elemental power? The difference between that and magic? Which one should I—"

"Calm down. If we don’t stop the Wave, you’ll never get another chance to see the spirit’s power again. So as the one responsible for driving the monsters into a frenzy, you’d better watch closely and see what you’ve done."

"N-never...?"

At the warning, with the spirit’s power as bait, Aysis’s eyes widened.

Hurriedly turning her gaze toward the fortress wall, she adjusted the frame of her glasses.

"Huh?"

As if she had spotted something, she took a step forward.

Furrowing her brows in concentration, she suddenly pointed straight ahead.

"They're coming."

Boom-!

Crash-!

A deafening roar erupted alongside her words.

As they turned to look, dark specks appeared beyond the fortress wall, soaring toward them.

"Crash Birds!"

"Pull back the separated turrets as much as possible!"

Soldiers shouted urgently as the birds smashed mercilessly into the glass fortress wall.

Then, alongside the blaring of an alert, a message appeared.

Ding—

[Main Quest #11 Completed.]

[Progress has increased.]

[Main Quest #12: The Third Wave]

At last, the third wave has arrived in Ifrit.

Everyone has to withstand this deadly onslaught together.

Objective: Defend the city from the third wave.

Reward: 600,000 Gold, 200,000 experience points, 20 stat points

Current Progress: 86%

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]