New Content and the Canyon Nest
“Other content?”
The question came out of nowhere. As Hanbit shot him a puzzled look, Avant-garde elaborated.
“Showing the viewers a side of Black Dragon they've never seen before. Streamers are always battling content, after all.”
-Young guy knows his stuff.
-What's today's content?
-What's tomorrow's?
-What's next after this?
-S-stop...
[LibelByTruth donated 1,000 gold.]
[Fact) If Black Dragon does anything but攻略, we're the ones who lose out.]
-Huh?
-He's right;
-Avant-garde, take it back quick.
-Stick to攻略 streaming.
From the viewers' reactions, Hanbit could tell exactly what they meant.
“Hmm.”
A different side from before. Most wanted攻略, sure, but repetitive content was poison. It might be good to mix in other playstyles now and then.
“Got it. From now on,攻略 will be off-stream.”
“Pardon?”
-?
-Wait, hold up.
-We wanna chat with you.
-I didn't say anything;
The chat exploded at his offhand remark. Even Avant-garde's eyes widened in shock, which made Hanbit chuckle.
“Kidding.攻略 stays as main content. I'll throw in some variety every now and then.”
“Phew, thought we were doomed.”
-Relief.
-Almost subbed out from Avant-garde.
-Thank you thank you thank you...
Avant-garde and the viewers sighed in relief. Watching them, Hanbit turned to the map and pondered for a moment.
Maybe I should make some myself.
Coincidentally—or not—the armor crafting process involved fresh elements. With a few plans in mind, Hanbit faced the camera.
“First up, let's do some farming?”
***
“Hmm.”
In the forest near the unclaimed zone, Riwei sat against a tree trunk, blue spear dangling as he lost himself in thought. The fire from facing Black Dragon hadn't died down.
“This just feels unsatisfying.”
He'd been with Seleade's vanguard for a year now. Competition-loving Riwei had challenged all sorts of powerhouses—not just weapon clashes, but every kind of contest to test his limits.
Countless elites he'd met along the way. Even among the top vanguards, skill levels varied wildly.
But Black Dragon was different. Not like the hidden masters who shunned the rankings, either.
“Speculation's flying everywhere...”
Rumors from Korean communities had reached China too. Hidden skills, episode resets—anyone would be curious. Wondering about Black Dragon's identity was natural, even if none of the theories held water.
“Riwei.”
His teammates approached from scouting the unclaimed zone. As Seleade staff, they were hustling for gains.
“Find anything?”
“...Nah. Like you said, nothing. Looks like Black Dragon's party's solo work.”
The team's sub-leader, a woman, sighed. They'd assumed the zone's unlock and攻略 were faction-scale ops. Digging into it would benefit Seleade, they were sure.
“Like I said, Black Dragon's on another level. Chasing baseless theories is just wasted effort.”
“Can't help it when a new player pulls that off. I'm in a position where I have to suspect.”
Stuck judging on scraps, she vented her frustration. Frowning, she glanced at the stream.
“Sudden hunting now? What's that about?”
They'd been tracking for clues in Black Dragon's moves. But skipping Ifrit's episode to farm materials in the snowfields?
She pondered, then eyed the cave with the unclaimed zone.
“We should攻略 the zone first. Let's head in quick.”
“Nah, I'm sitting this out.”
“What?”
His firm refusal left her baffled.
“You kidding? How do we攻略 without you? The other vanguards are both far off.”
“You guys handle it. If Black Dragon cleared it, your specs should manage.”
“What nonsense... You know Odin's raid's heading here too? What if they beat us?”
Odin, the prodigy vanguard, had just declared episode 8 a bust—ten minutes ago—and was rerouting here.
“Black Dragon already cleared it, so order doesn't matter. Might even be better to prove ourselves mutually.”
“Prove? Prove what?”
“Zone access bends to Black Dragon's will. Better to get on his radar, no?”
“If you catch his eye, it'll be for picking a fight. If you're just gonna stir shit, stay put for once.”
Whoosh—Riwei shot to his feet, slinging his spear over his shoulder.
“I'll go see the matchup for real.”
“Wait, it's not a match... Hey!”
Thud! Before she finished, he was off. No player here could match vanguard speed.
“Here we go again.”
Rubbing her temple, she sighed deeply. Once Riwei locked onto a rival, words fell on deaf ears. She knew it too well to stop him.
“How'd it come to this?”
Half a year ago, she'd applied to his team for one reason: he was drop-dead gorgeous.
That chance encounter at Seleade HQ changed her life. She was in his team within a day, starstruck.
“Was I insane?”
Others might judge, but seeing Riwei would change minds. His only appeal was his face—just his face—yet it stole hearts. Even when pissed at him, one look melted it away.
“Haa...”
Shaking her head to refocus, she turned to her staff.
“Follow me. We still gotta攻略.”
***
“It's been a while since we came here.”
Near Ifrit's snowfields. At the sunken canyon, Avant-garde scanned around.
“Not an easy spot to reach.”
Monsters dotted the snow-blanketed forests, slopes, and canyon—level 30+ territory, mostly wolf and deer types.
“What are we farming? Haven't heard of standout drops here.”
Field hunting was common; pure episode pushes stalled progress. Fields were essential for levels or loot sales.
But low efficiency kept crowds away.
“Two things: Frozen Spider Fangs and Snow Flower Deer Leather.”
“...Pardon?”
Avant-garde panicked. Those were ultra-rare drops—pure luck, not攻略 territory.
“You sure? No cap on time, could drag on...”
-Rarest of the rare
-People farmed fangs a month straight and got zilch.
-Do Snow Flower Deer even spawn?
-Just buy off exchange, duh.
-Yeah, he's loaded—save your sanity.
-Fangs at 2 mil gold now.
Avant-garde and viewers fretted. Tough odds on low-pop spawns; usable for gear but meh performance for the grind.
“It's fine. Won't take long.”
Hanbit knew they were a pain. But he had a shortcut.
Never properly hunted 'em before.
Edlen hunts were dungeon-focused or skill/episode-related. This was pure hunting.
“Fangs first. Heading down.”
They descended the canyon slope. The V-shaped path stretched endlessly.
Thud! They landed on jagged ice. Distant monsters—barely one or two.
“Way fewer than up top. Your plan?”
Avant-garde eyed the lackluster spot versus usual fields.
Glancing at the floor, Hanbit replied simply.
“Something like a drive hunt.”
“...Here?”
-?
-You seeing this? Barely anything around.
-Zero spiders;
-Searching for spiders.
-Devs, spawn some spiders.
Reactions matched expectations. Drive hunting in a low-mob zone? Nonsense.
“This terrain'll take ages. Try caves or cliffs?”
Avant-garde knew the rarity—low drop rates, sparse spawns. Sweeping the map was inefficient.
“No, it's good.”
Hanbit's fix was simple: one overlooked fact from communities. The monster nest.
Surely someone's onto it.
Players thought field spawns were random. Not all were.
Swish—Hanbit eyed the path ahead.
The nest underground downstream. A few near Ifrit, but this was the only natural one.
Scanning the canyon floor, Hanbit moved.
“Let's go.”