The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream-Chapter 134

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 134

Boom-!

The relentless assault of the Crash Birds shattered the fortress walls without restraint.

With their overwhelming numbers, the walls began to collapse.

Crash-!

"Hold the line!"

"Don’t lose your nerve—stand your ground!"

The shattered glass from the fallen wall was a dangerous sight.

However, the troops, who had already positioned themselves at a safe distance, remained unmoved.

After all, abandoning the wall and positioning the forces elsewhere had always been part of the plan.

Even spacing the troops out in battalion-sized units had its clear purpose.

"What is this...!"

At that moment, the city’s leader, Mayor Pirnen, came rushing into the square in a panic.

Eyes wide, she took in the devastation before her.

"What happened? I was told the wall repairs were completed—was that a lie?"

She stormed up to Gorik, who stood fully armed, demanding an answer.

Watching her reaction, the Dwarf prince let out a sigh.

"At this point, I almost feel bad for you. Blind faith really does narrow one’s vision."

"Don't try to dodge the question! And why are the soldiers and adventurers just standing around? Shouldn't they be doing something to stop this?!"

— Tsk...

— Feels like it's time to pull out the execution blade.

— You go stop them yourself. LOL.

— Goblin-tier leadership.

Pirnen’s hysteria was met with complete indifference.

Frustrated, she whipped her head around, her gaze eventually locking onto Hanbit.

"You!"

Without a second thought, she strode toward him, her earlier thoughts of the Black Dragon’s golden bracelet long forgotten.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice all the noise you've been stirring up in the city? And yet, after all that, this is what you bring me—a gathering of fools? You even called in outside adventurers, and this is the result?"

"Impressive how quickly you figured out I’m not from around here. With those sharp eyes, why don’t you take a look around? You have no place here anymore. Unless, of course, you plan to throw yourself at the wall to protect it."

"How dare you—!"

BOOM-!

A thunderous crash drowned out her words.

The walls, which had been crumbling, finally collapsed completely.

"M-monsters are coming!"

A desperate voice rang out.

It was a lookout stationed on a hastily built watchtower.

All eyes instinctively turned beyond the now shattered fortress wall.

Rumble—!

The ground trembled.

From the distant forest, trees began to fall, crashing to the ground.

And then—

Thud-!

A massive swarm of monsters emerged.

"They’re here!"

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Tension thickened in the air as the third wave officially began.

Hanbit turned to Pirnen and spoke.

"Even if you don’t want to die, you’d better watch closely. You abandoned this city, but the others didn’t."

"I abandoned the city? Me—Pirnen d’Artuis?!"

She scoffed in disbelief, but before she could say more, Hanbit turned away.

"Wait! Where do you think you’re going? Stop right there, Black Dragon!"

She reached out as if to grab him, but her steps faltered when she took in the overwhelming wave of monsters approaching.

‘For someone who ignored the monster wave, she sure scares easily.’

Her fear, while natural for an ordinary citizen, was utterly disgraceful for someone responsible for the city's downfall.

Vmmm—

Despite the growing tension, the city's defenses were holding strong.

Atop the watchtower, a man stood with an unreadable expression.

Levius, from the Magic Research Institute.

Shh—

Around him, several mana stones had been carefully placed.

They served as the core of the barrier protecting the fortress—

A collaborative creation between Levius and Gorik, designed to shield the city from the incoming attacks and explosions.

"Hmm..."

As she approached the command center, Aysis furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

Normally, she would have been thrilled to witness the wave up close, proudly analyzing its movements.

And yet, she remained silent.

"What's wrong?"

"Those creatures seem more agitated than expected. Did something go wrong with the test chamber at the last moment?"

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"…?"

— Huh?

— Out of nowhere?

— Unexpected variables are the golden rule of experiments.

— But why now, of all times…

It wasn’t just the viewers who were caught off guard by the unexpected development.

Hanbit immediately turned to Aysis with a question.

"What happens if there's a problem with the test chamber?"

"It likely means the enhancement agent was injected improperly. They'll be stronger than planned. Especially the Yeti—it'll be affected the most. What should we do? What about my research on spirits? Ifrit is going to be ruined!"

Her thoughts quickly spiraled back into her obsession with research.

Hanbit ignored her outburst and took a moment to think.

"No wonder the Crash Birds seemed off."

The birds that had been smashing the fortress walls must have been affected by the enhancement agent.

He had noticed their destruction and speed were more intense than he remembered, but now the cause was clear—an unforeseen variable.

The exact reason was still unknown, but this was not something to take lightly.

Boom-!

Boom-! Boom-!

At that moment, the advancing monsters triggered the traps near the fortress walls.

Some were instantly blown apart, killed on the spot.

But most of them withstood the blast and continued their charge.

The only silver lining was that it slowed their approach.

"I have something to report."

Hanbit wasted no time and rushed to the commanders, quickly relaying the situation.

The enemy had become significantly stronger.

That single fact alone was enough to paint a grim picture.

"Hmm, that's worse news than I expected."

"If they're enhanced, our current defenses won’t be enough, will they?"

"We don't have any more forces to reinforce our position."

The officers, watching the battlefield, exchanged tense glances.

But then Jinuk calmly spoke up.

"What do you think? Can we stop them?"

His eyes held a quiet trust.

It was a tough situation, but that faith was more than enough to push Hanbit forward.

He ran a hand over the hilt of his sword and nodded.

"We're going to change the plan slightly. You and Kevin are coming with me outside the fortress."

"Understood."

"So, you have a plan in mind."

The two A-rank adventurers nodded without hesitation.

Jinuk trusted Hanbit outright.

Kevin, however, had a different motive—he wanted to see for himself just how capable this so-called "Black Dragon" was.

If Hanbit showed even the slightest weakness, Kevin was the type to act on his own immediately.

Rumble—!

Yet, even as the monsters drew closer, no counterattacks were launched.

The turrets, siege weapons, and magical devices remained primed but inactive, waiting for the perfect moment.

Boom-!

The monster horde finally reached the ruins of the collapsed fortress wall.

Strangely, the battlefield was littered with massive holes amid the shattered glass and debris.

Perceiving these gaps as natural pathways, the monsters instinctively funneled into them.

Thud!

Boom-!

The creatures, packed too tightly together for the hole sizes, struggled to push through.

Some clambered over others, trampling their own kind in the chaos.

The bottleneck was reaching a breaking point.

Flash—!

Suddenly, dazzling light erupted from every single hole.

"KIEEEK—!"

"Urgh!"

A blinding radiance flooded the battlefield, causing both monsters and humans to cry out in pain.

And just as the light was sucked inward—

BOOM-! BOOM-! BOOM-!

Massive explosions erupted from every hole.

Whoosh—!

A shockwave blasted through the city, forcing everyone back.

"Ugh!"

"Gah!"

The sheer force of the impact sent everyone crouching low.

"Whoa! I didn’t expect it to be this intense…!"

Aysis, mid-air from the blast, shouted in awe.

Hanbit, gripping her arm tightly, kept his eyes on the battlefield.

"The effect is solid."

The monsters that had funneled into the holes perished without even a scream.

The sheer lethality of the explosion, combined with countless shards of glass, had wiped them out completely.

It was the dwarves' craftsmanship that had blended ice spider legs, magic stones, and iron dust into the glass shards, making them deadlier than ever.

Perhaps the improvement was thanks to Gorik’s new insights.

"All the barriers have been destroyed!"

From the watchtower above, Levius' voice rang out.

It was a clear signal—the fortress bombs had worked.

The protective barriers, shattered by the aftershock, had fulfilled their purpose.

"Uooooooh!"

"Everyone, grab your weapons!"

The soldiers, momentarily stunned by the shockwave, quickly regained their footing and sprang into action.

Their battle plan had succeeded spectacularly.

Seeing the monsters that had swarmed the holes vanish without a trace only fueled their determination further.

"Let’s move!"

"Help with the reloads over there!"

The trained civilians started operating mid-range weapons like ballistae and catapults.

Those who couldn't handle machinery supplied mana or transported ammunition, fulfilling their designated roles.

"We’re heading in first!"

Leading the charge, Gorik and his fellow dwarves rushed forward in full battle gear.

Many wielded bizarre, unconventional weapons in their hands.

"Jaeha, keep an eye on Aysis. Avantgarde, make sure we don’t lose anyone. You two, follow me."

Tap-!

After issuing his orders, Hanbit kicked off the ground, charging forward alongside the two A-rank adventurers.

The dwarves had already engaged the remaining monsters.

Even though the explosion had wiped out a massive number, countless enemies still swarmed the battlefield.

Thud-!

Fwoosh-!

A blue-glowing axe cleaved through a kobold’s skull.

Nearby, another dwarf unleashed a flamethrower, engulfing monsters in searing fire.

— Wow.

— Their tech is insane.

— A flamethrower?!

— Reset Ifrit, please.

— I need to see this in person.

— I wanna fire one! I wanna fire one! I wanna—

Viewers watching the battle couldn't hide their astonishment at the dwarves' overwhelming firepower.

Fwoosh-!

Whoosh-!

From Hanbit’s sword erupted waves of fire and wind, carving through the battlefield.

There was only one goal now—massacre.

"I’ll clear the path."

Tap-!

Kicking off the ground once more, Hanbit shot forward and swung his sword with a powerful twist of his waist.

Slash-!

A razor-sharp whirlwind of flames extended from his blade, slicing through the monsters filling his vision.

“Kieeek—!”

“Grragh—!”

The cleanly severed bodies of the creatures instantly ignited in hellish flames.

The sheer difference in power compared to before was unmistakable.

It was the effect of his sword, now strengthened with a dragon's reverse scale fragment.

Even though the technique originated from spirit magic, the efficiency and power boost were undeniable.

"Hah! That’s just ridiculous."

Kevin, following close behind, let out a short sigh.

The ability to wipe out that many monsters in a single strike was anything but normal.

Not even he could pull off such a feat.

"…You’ve gotten stronger, haven’t you?"

Jinuk, who was already familiar with Hanbit’s power, was just as surprised.

The raw increase in strength from the sword was that significant.

Boom-!

“Groooar—!”

Then, from the shattered edge of the forest—where even the trees had been cleaved apart—a group of enormous monsters emerged.

[Warped Ironclad Lizard (Lv. 90)]

[Mutated Enhanced Polar Bear (Lv. 92)]

[Rampaging Enhanced Hellhound (Lv. 96)]

— Wait, what?

— WTF is this?!

— Look at their faces…

— Please… spare me…

— No, thanks.

— This is terrifying.

— Their levels are off the charts. LOL

These creatures had been transformed beyond recognition.

Their twisted forms, drooling with hunger, looked like something straight out of hell.

Hanbit tightened his grip on his sword and spoke.

"Let’s take down the big ones first."

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]