The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 93

"Phew."

Hanbit returned home and sat down at his desk.

He had shaken down the man he had caught earlier, erased the photo, and let him go.

He had also planted some misleading information to throw him off the trail.

Since he had the man's number, he could use it as a smokescreen later.

With a generous tip, he'd probably work hard.

<Deoksu Detective Agency>

We find everything from rats to corpses.

The important thing was to identify the person trying to track him down.

Whatever their purpose, it was unwelcome.

"It must be Adventurer A again."

The Ranger he had been watching didn't seem like the type to initiate something like this.

Trigger was already showing his teeth in the game, so there was no need to involve the real world.

And the forces trying to approach him to form an alliance with Black Dragon had no reason to use this method either.

It was obvious that they would be completely rejected if they messed up.

That meant there was a high possibility that someone with a completely different intention was approaching him.

Someone like Adventurer A, who had completely lost his position because of Black Dragon.

"At this rate, it won't work."

Various threats were starting to appear both in the game and in real life.

If the enemy was definitely Adventurer A, it would mean dealing with a malicious advanced player.

In that case, it would be better to increase his growth rate and establish his position.

Growing his influence while increasing his allies would be the most ideal.

Swipe-

Hanbit picked up his smartphone and called Yeonwoo.

It took less than a second for the call to be answered.

“Oh, Hyung. I was just about to call you.”

Yeonwoo seemed to need to talk as well, and he spoke immediately.

"Why? What's up?"

“It's not about anything. Have you checked the contract?”

The contract that had been delivered before he left with his mother.

He had not only checked the contents but had also signed it.

"I've seen it. I'm still not sure if this is the right deal."

The contract with DD Studio was centered entirely around Hanbit.

He was treated as a co-representative but was free from responsibility.

It was absurd, but Yeonwoo had insisted on it, saying he would refuse to refuse.

“Don't worry, I'll get a lot out of you. It's our motto to be a win-win company.”

"Alright, go ahead and take as much as you want. Are you editing the private area video?"

“I'm editing it in sections for now. It's easier to watch if the strategy is divided into chapters.”

The footage of the private area that he had recorded yesterday.

Since he had blocked other players' movements as a condition for disclosure, the timing of uploading it to the channel was important.

"Let's just upload half of it tonight."

“Half of it?”

"There were three orbs that stopped the golem's movements. Let's only reveal the first one. I want to draw attention to that part."

“Oh... that's a good idea. I'll adjust the editing point there.”

Yeonwoo nodded immediately and began typing on the keyboard to organize the content.

After quickly finishing his notes, he asked as if he had thought of something.

“You have a cooking competition today, right? What are you going to do? I've never seen you cook.”

"I have to do well, of course. It's not a huge competition, is it?"

“It's not that big, but it's quite well-known. Real chefs also participate. By the way, Liwei's family owns a famous traditional Chinese restaurant. Even though he didn't go into that business, he's probably better than the average person.”

"Really?"

The information about Liwei was unexpected.

However, since Hanbit was confident in his own abilities, he wasn't too worried.

"Oh, and there's something I want to ask you. A private detective followed me today."

“A private detective?”

Hanbit briefly explained the situation to him.

He also included the speculation that Adventurer A might be the mastermind.

“They're moving pretty aggressively. I'll look into this as well,” Yeonwoo said in a slightly serious tone.

He probably could get something out of it.

After conveying everything he needed to say, Hanbit got up from his chair.

"Well, I'm going to log into the game. I'll call you later."

* * *

"Liwei's cooking?"

The surprising news spread throughout the Qingla headquarters.

It was a well-known fact that Liwei was the son of a famous restaurant owner.

However, since he hadn't pursued a career in the industry, he was never associated with the word "cooking."

"Why cooking all of a sudden?"

"I heard he's participating in a local cuisine competition in Ifrit."

"Is he going to have a showdown with Black Dragon?"

"Another showdown?"

People's questions were quickly answered by the word "showdown."

If it was Liwei, he was the kind of person who would go all out in any kind of competition.

"Let's go check it out!"

Since it was definitely going to be an interesting sight, people quickly headed to the kitchen.

There, Liwei was indeed standing alone, pondering something.

The counter was filled with all sorts of spices and sauces.

"He looks so cool when he's thinking like that..."

"If I were him, I would have filmed tons of commercials."

"Don't even mention it. He's the kind of person who would tell advertisers he'd model for them if he won the competition."

Liwei was only interested in competition and training.

Product advertising and promotion were a waste of time for him.

He would even declare that he would settle things with a competition if someone bothered him too much.

Surprisingly, there were actually companies that had challenged him to a competition.

"This smell is awful..."

Liwei muttered, arms crossed.

Next to him, there was gear ready for RP connection.

"Hey, isn't that a Level 3 gear?"

"Why is he using it here instead of going up to the capsule?"

As a mid-level advanced player, Liwei was provided with a capsule by the gear manufacturer.

It was a different level of equipment that even the advanced players couldn't easily use.

He was qualified to use it because he showed incredible performance in gameplay, not just because he was part of the advanced team.

"Maybe it's because Black Dragon is using a Level 3 gear?"

One of the staff members speculated.

Liwei, who always wanted a fair competition, naturally matched his equipment to his opponent's.

Whoosh-!

Then, Liwei, having made up his mind, took out a large wok and lit a fire.

The flames were so intense that they seemed to reach the sky.

Just when they thought he was about to start cooking, no other ingredients were visible.

Sizzle-!

He only dropped sauces and spices into the wok.

The quantity and type of ingredients changed rapidly, continuing for a long time.

The staff, who were watching curiously, one by one left their seats.

They weren't foolish enough to continue disturbing the advanced player’s work.

"I think this should be enough for now."

After about two hours of research, he nodded and turned his gaze.

And he awakened the character that was in standby mode by wearing the gear.

"It's a bit lacking."

After parting ways with Black Dragon, he had been searching for various sauces and spices.

Since there were quite a few ingredients that matched the real world, the direction of his research was quite free.

Of course, it wasn't exactly the same, so he had to go through trial and error here as well.

"Let's try again."

Liwei lit a fire at the edge of the forest.

He didn't know the condition of the kompu mushroom that would be provided at the competition.

So, he had to prepare for all possible situations.

Whoosh-!

Taking out a cooking plate, Liwei began to recreate the results of his real-world experiment.

The research continued long into the night.

* * *

In a large open space in the Ifrit shopping district, there were 100 cooking stations lined up in rows.

"Welcome! Thank you to everyone who has participated in the unique local cuisine competition! I am Hanter, your host!"

The big man in the center raised his voice towards the audience.

The open space, which was filled with more people than usual, was packed.

"We can't forget to introduce the judges! Today, we have invited Mr. Luke, an authority on Western Continental cuisine! Mr. Luke, please say a few words!"

The middle-aged man sitting in the front of the judging panel spoke with a stern expression.

"I will ruthlessly discard any garbage food."

The players were very nervous at his harsh statement.

'This wasn't supposed to happen.'

Eric, who had been working as a professional chef for three years, had applied for this competition to learn. It was because he had heard that he could cook with unique local ingredients.

But the situation was turning out completely different from what he had expected.

'Why are those people here?'

Eric's eyes darted left and right.

There, sitting side by side, were Liwei of the advanced team and the streamer Avantgarde.

And moreover.

[Black Dragon]

The black-haired man standing silently in front of the cooking station was the center of everyone's attention.

The reason why so many people had gathered for this event was largely due to Black Dragon.

He had expected a peaceful atmosphere, but the place felt like it was on the verge of war.

"Now, I will introduce the main ingredient for this competition!"

At that moment, the host approached the box in the center.

He grabbed the white cloth covering the top.

After a moment's pause, he removed the cloth, covering his nose with one hand.

"As announced, the main ingredient is the kompu mushroom! Although it's unpopular, it's a local ingredient of Ifrit. How will the participants be able to bring out the best in this mushroom with its terrible smell? Let the competition begin!"

Bang-!

With a loud gong, the competition began.

However, the atmosphere didn't match the start.

"Ugh!"

"Ugh!"

The participants who had approached the box boldly collapsed to the ground with nausea.

It seemed they hadn't studied the kompu mushroom beforehand.

"Oh, people are already collapsing! Are they trying to show off the mushroom's power?"

The host, still covering his nose, addressed the crowd in amusement.

With 20 people already rolling on the floor, it was quite a stimulating sight.

"Phew."

Covering his nose, Eric approached the box and grabbed a handful of mushrooms.

He felt a slimy, sticky sensation beyond the smooth surface.

Even just looking at it, he felt like he could smell the stench. But he closed his eyes tightly and pulled it out.

Swipe-

At that moment, three people approached the box at the same time: Black Dragon, Liwei, and Avantgarde.

"What the heck is that?"

"How can they go without covering their noses?"

"Why are they all so calm?"

Without a change in expression, the three of them took the kompu mushrooms and returned to their respective cooking stations.

The participants who were watching couldn't help but be surprised.

"..."

The amazing people who had passed by him.

Eric, still covering his nose, stood awkwardly in front of his cooking station.

Splash-!

He was the first to throw the mushroom into a bucket of cold water.

It was the first step to remove at least some of the smell.

But then.

"Ugh!"

For some reason, the mushroom submerged in water began to emit an even stronger stench.

Surprised, Eric quickly put a lid on the bucket.

'What's going on?'

The smell that was supposed to disappear according to his practice was even stronger, and he was left baffled.

"Huh?"

"What the heck is this!"

"Oh, come on..."

The other participants were in similar situations.

Then, the host's voice was heard.

"Oh, I forgot to mention! The kompu mushrooms provided today are specially aged! They have a stronger, more pungent smell and a deeper flavor! I wonder how you will use them!"

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]