A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1

“Manager Park. Are you ready for this?”
A seismic reversal shattered the morning conference—a meeting I’d assumed would flow in its usual monotonous pattern.
“…What?”
-CRACK!
“Ah. My hand already moved. Then I have to land this.”
Chaos erupted.
Kim Sung-chul—the subordinate who’d always accepted his scoldings in silence, the one perpetually shadowed by dark circles and complaints of exhaustion—had just staged an uprising against Manager Park, a tyrant among tyrants.
-CRACK! SMACK!
“W-wait, Kim Sung-chul! What is this!”
Moments later, impeccably dressed figures streamed into the conference room.
They were armed from wrist to sole in luxury—designer watches, tailored suits, premium leather shoes.
“We’re from Seoguang Law Firm.”
Those who handed their business cards to Manager Park were entirely on Kim Sung-chul’s side.
“Our client has endured years of relentless workplace harassment and psychological abuse.”
“Immediately before this incident, the victim experienced personal degradation, verbal assault, and unlawful treatment in the course of duty. A formal complaint has already been filed.”
“At the time, our client was in a state of extreme stress, anxiety, and panic—conditions he continues to address through psychiatric care. This constitutes grounds for diminished capacity or self-defense under criminal law.”
“Our client has suffered months, years of sustained workplace harassment and psychological torment. This incident is not mere assault—it is the inevitable consequence of that abuse.”
“Through multiple pieces of evidence and testimony, our client will be proven the actual victim. Any further reckless statements will result in additional charges for defamation and false accusation.”
The lawyers from Seoguang shifted responsibility with surgical precision before Manager Park could even mount a defense. From my corner of the conference room, I could only stand bewildered.
Other employees began whispering among themselves.
“Seoguang? That’s the place. Top four guild in the country.”
“Insane. I heard Kim Sung-chul had entered Another Dimension, but he actually joined Seoguang Guild?”
“So Kim Sung-chul isn’t ordinary either? Most famous law firm alumni transferred to Seoguang. It was even on the news.”
“Incredible.”
Another Dimension.
The virtual reality game released last year that consumed the world in mere months.
This hyperrealistic game wielded far greater influence than AI had ever demonstrated to humanity.
“Client. Shall we wrap this up? You have a guild assembly in two hours.”
“…Yes. Understood.”
And the rankers within the game had begun acquiring power that extended into reality itself.
Power potent enough to pacify even someone as unhinged as Kim Sung-chul.

* * *

A storm had passed.
Manager Park huffed indignantly, fingering the business card from Seoguang Law Firm before leaving the office, while the employees buried themselves in their work, careful not to draw attention.
And Kim Sung-chul’s responsibilities fell to me.
‘He was being subjected to this?’
Kim Sung-chul was clearly being harassed.
Under the guise of managing supplies—not even a departmental duty—he was made to collect spent toilet paper rolls. Manager Park’s authority was so formidable that he could transform such absurd tasks into seemingly legitimate administrative work.
He was the company owner’s nephew, after all.
‘Even a power structure like this gets overturned by in-game authority.’
I knew about Another Dimension.
I was one of the few players who had stayed with Primal Dimension, the predecessor to this game, until its service ended.
I was the only Korean player, and I remember the concurrent user count barely reached ten at the time.
In any case, I had accumulated such remarkable achievements that I’d been invited to the closed beta test ahead of Another Dimension’s launch.
‘If I’d known it would come to this, I should have at least tried the beta.’
Before joining the company, I had poured years into Primal Dimension.
My livelihood crumbled in proportion to the time I invested.
Unlike Another Dimension, which had even developed an offline market, Primal Dimension was an unpopular game that offered nothing to real life.
‘I thought the company would be better, though.’
People were ground down in games just as they were in companies, but I had reasoned that a company that at least paid you to be ground down was preferable.
Even if it was a black company.
‘…What if I had started Another Dimension from the beginning.’
Even in that inconvenient, player-hostile Primal Dimension, I had left a mark that few could claim.
Much less would adapting to a far more refined game be difficult.
“Lee Seo-jun. Look at your screen.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
I hastily moved my mouse at my colleague’s signal, narrowly avoiding disaster.
If you did nothing for ten minutes during work hours without prior notice, the screen would switch to a warning display, and within ten seconds, your status would be reported to your direct supervisor.
What happened next was at the supervisor’s discretion, but Kim Sung-chul, who had protected me until now, was no longer at the company.
Absurdly, this system only made the company stronger.
I had entered the company having already surrendered my dignity, so ultimately, some responsibility lay with me too.
Still, I had managed to secure a jeonse apartment quickly, so I considered it a fair trade.
I just had to surrender my dignity for another ten years, tighten my belt, and pay off the loan.
-Ding.
A messenger notification chimed.
It was from Kim Sung-chul, who had caused a scene this morning and left the company.

-Seo-jun. I’m still grateful to you. What you told me was probably nothing to you, but it meant the world to me. As you saw this morning, I’ve joined the Seoguang guild. Why don’t you quit this garbage company and start Another Dimension too? I can help you however I can.

Kim Sung-chul. Now I called him Sung-chul.
I maintained a good relationship with Kim Sung-chul.
He was my senior supervisor, and our personalities clicked well.
Whenever we were together, we always talked about Another Dimension, and since Primal Dimension held such precious memories for me, the news about the same company’s game that Kim Sung-chul mentioned was quite fascinating.
So much had changed, yet remained similar.

I still have a lot of jeonse loan debt remaining…
It’ll be tough at first, but if I help you out, you should see decent profits within six months. Just think about it, haha.
-Thank you, brotherㅠㅠ I’ll go get a meal later haha.
Yeah lol, I’ll share the live footage of Manager Park’s real education back then too lol, and just let me know anytime if it gets tough.
-Yep

The man had transformed.
The Kim Sung-chul who always slouched and complained of chronic fatigue no longer existed.
Now, only confidence radiated from him.
It made sense—a major law firm was providing dedicated management for him.
As proof, Manager Park was still being dragged into the chairman’s office and hadn’t emerged.
He was likely desperately searching for a way to counter Seoguang Law Firm even now.
“….”
It became clear now.
Sung-chul had come remarkably close to the wealth and prestige I’d dreamed of my entire life.
‘…It’s not too late, is it?’
My reality, where I couldn’t afford ego, and Sung-chul with his brilliant wings spread wide.
My thoughts grew heavy.
* * *

Midnight arrived before I knew it.
I finished overtime as quickly as possible and completed my own small Quest—arriving home before midnight.
The Quest reward was free time.
It was freedom I could only obtain by sacrificing sleep, but today, I had something worth using this free time for.
-Click. Click.
I scrolled through my mailbox, spinning the mouse wheel.
After Primal Dimension’s service ended, Mason had sent me an email.
“Found it.”

-From: Mason
-Subject: A Message of Gratitude to a Great Hero
-Content: I extend my deepest gratitude to Lee Seo-jun, the great hero who pioneered our Primal Dimension until the very end.
You have been recorded as a meaningful case study—one who transcended the prescribed rules and built remarkable Achievements through your own unique methodology.
In token of our appreciation, we are granting you exclusive access to the closed beta test for our upcoming title “Another Dimension,” launching next year, along with our latest access device, the “Dimension Gate II.”
Should you express your intention to participate in the beta test via email reply, we will dispatch the access device to the address registered with us. The “Dimension Gate II” will arrive within one week of your reply date.

If memory served, this email had arrived during the month Primal Dimension shut down its service.
According to the email’s terms, I could have saved myself the cost of a device.
The problem was that the access device currently sold on the market was the Dimension Gate III.
“There’s definitely no mention of a deadline. If I reply now…”
To be honest, my conscience gnawed at me terribly.
Another Dimension had long since completed its beta testing and had become a globally successful game by now.
I worried I’d look like some clingy ex-lover—someone who never reached out during the courting phase, but suddenly made contact after hearing the game was thriving.
Rationally speaking, far too much time had elapsed.
“…I’d be a real nuisance.”
I searched for information about the Dimension Gate II, but found nothing.
In other words, it had never even been released.
The Dimension Gate III, meanwhile, was still being sold.

-Dimension Gate III Sales Price: 5,100,000 won

An access device cost 5.1 million won.
If purchased on a ten-month installment plan, that meant an additional fixed monthly expense of 510,000 won.
Plus interest accruing each month on top of that.
I wasn’t in dire straits financially, but the thought of how severely this would constrain my already limited freedom gave me pause.
Could I truly dedicate myself to the game with enough focus to achieve meaningful results while suffering through these endless nights of overtime?
Somewhere along the way, five empty beer cans had accumulated on my desk.
“Let’s be shameless about it. Just go ahead. Even if things don’t work out, I can always apologize. Besides, this is an opportunity most people will never have.”
I had Achievements from the previous game, so there was at least some possibility this wouldn’t be as pathetic as desperately chasing after an ex-girlfriend.

-From: Lee Seo-jun
-Subject: Reminiscing About Primal Dimension
-Content: Hello. I’m only now replying to the email I received when the Primal Dimension service ended.
I still reminisce about Primal Dimension even now.
I’m gathering courage through the help of alcohol to share my story with you.
…
…
…
…
That concludes my story.
If you permit me a new adventure in Another Dimension, I will do my utmost to enjoy it.
Another Dimension, and Mason—I support you both.

I’ll leave my address at the bottom.
“Thirty thousand characters. I had more to say than I expected. I certainly did quite a lot of things in Primal Dimension.”

-The email has been sent.

I had finally done it.
Through an excessively long email, I had exchanged my humiliation for tangible worldly comfort.
Of course, the exchange would only be valid once the device arrived, but the time I spent with Primal Dimension was no lie, so I chose to hold onto hope.

* * *

And then came Sunday.
A visitor arrived on my only day off.
“Hello, Lee Seo-jun. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Mason employees had come to my home.
Along with the Dimension Gate II.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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