A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 100

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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 100

“…My age?”
The Child from the Back Alley questioned Cha Eun-kyung’s request.
“Yeah.”

[Kael: Shouldn’t we give the child some money?]

It was an obvious point.
The Child had nothing in their hands.
“Advance payment: 1 Silver. You can take it and run if you want.”
“Huh?”
Perhaps it was overstepping.
Cha Eun-kyung’s negotiation had already begun.
She encouraged the Child to flee while pressing 1 Silver into their hand.
‘Ah. So there’s a method like this too.’
Cunning was a basic survival skill for a Child living in the Back Alley.
“But, what if I bring ten people?”
“Who knows.”
Cha Eun-kyung’s approach was a strategy to raise expectations and make the Child imagine even greater rewards.
“Heh.”
The Child’s usual earnings were predictable without even looking.
If they’d earned Silver daily, they wouldn’t be living in a place like this.
For such a Child, 1 Silver was truly a fortune, and this was merely an advance.
“Then I’ll bring as many as I can! Where should I gather them?”
Just then, another Child interjected.
“Stranger! I can do well too!”
It was another Child from nearby.
Judging by the way they exchanged glances, they didn’t appear to be competitors in the same trade.
“Then, little one. Is there a place to sit around here?”
Bella addressed the other Child.
This time as well, she pressed 1 Silver into their hand.
“Um…. The Exchange House is relatively clean. It has chairs too.”
“Then lead the way. I’ll follow.”
“Thank you! Miss!”
The conversation itself proceeded smoothly.
But it flowed far too smoothly, which gave me pause.

[Kael: Just in case, please prepare buffs.]
[Bella: Of course. I had a bad feeling about this too.]

“I’ll take you to the Exchange House!”
“Alright.”
I followed the Child, who had volunteered to guide us, and arrived at the Exchange House.
This was a gambling den’s exchange house—not the luxurious atmosphere of a casino, but rather a shabby gambling establishment where those with nowhere left to go gathered at the end of their lives.
“This is the Exchange House!”
“Got it.”
“Then I’ll be on my way! Have a good time!”
The Child who had guided us left the Exchange House immediately.
So this was indeed some kind of trap.
There was no reason for a Child in need of money to cleanly withdraw from here.
Besides, the Exchange House staff had already abandoned their posts.

[Kael: I’ll position myself near the entrance. Cha Eun-kyung, please head deeper inside.]
[Eun-nyang E: Wouldn’t the opposite be better?]

Was I still someone Cha Eun-kyung needed to protect?
Whatever trap awaited us, I had resolved to demonstrate my combat prowess decisively this time.

[Kael: I’m quite capable in a fight myself.]
[Eun-nyang E: Have you killed people before?]

It turned out Cha Eun-kyung’s concern lay elsewhere.
It was worry about killing within the game.
It was an unnecessary concern.
Hunting humanoid monsters was something I had done countless times in the previous game.

[Kael: I haven’t killed actual people, but I’ve hunted quite a few NPCs and humanoid monsters.]
[Eun-nyang E: Understood.]

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Bella began preparing her buffs.
With positioning settled, we were ready.
As long as I protected Bella, any prolonged engagement would stretch into a war of attrition—and against someone bearing countless permanent buffs, such a war granted me overwhelming advantage.
We would not lose. Not ever.
Creak.
The Exchange House door swung open with violence.
I wondered what level of combat prowess these Back Alley NPCs truly possessed.
“Huh? They really are outsiders?”
The NPC who opened the door first scanned us before reporting to what appeared to be the Alley Boss.
My target became unmistakably clear.
The Alley Boss, having received the report, stepped forward with confidence.
“What business brings an outsider to these parts?”
This was a trap laid bare from the start.
Getting caught here would lead straight to Prison, exactly as those con artists I’d met before intended. Combat was the only answer.
“Well, you see…”
“Huh. Armed, no less?”
Something unexpected caught my attention.
The man who appeared to be the Alley Boss looked far stronger than I’d anticipated.
Even accounting for NPC stat bonuses in this game, the fact that a simple Back Alley gang leader radiated the presence of someone level 100 or higher was genuinely surprising.

[Eun-nyang E: Don’t kill him. Subdue only.]
[Kael: …Understood.]

Cha Eun-kyung had also noticed the Alley Boss’s combat prowess.
For some reason, she requested subdual instead of execution.
“I suppose I should protect myself—let me draw a weapon. Or at least try to threaten me.”
“Kekh. I see. Do you have confidence?”
“If I didn’t have confidence, I’d surrender.”
Hostility had already been established.
I decided to drop the formalities.
All that remained was subdual.
Perfectly timed, the buffs Bella had prepared began to cascade down.
“Consider this my greeting.”
Since my opponent was no weakling, I seized the initiative with the first strike.
My target: the Alley Boss’s solar plexus.
I’d already channeled Sumoq’s attack power with an instant strike, so a clean hit would guarantee subdual.
Crash!
‘Hm?’
The impact felt wrong.
Instead, I felt a distinct rebound force pushing back against my attack.
“What. You’re not just an ordinary outsider?”
“And you weren’t just an ordinary NPC either?”
“Kekek! This is fun!”
Now I understood clearly.
The Alley Boss before me was an opponent I couldn’t subdue with a mere instant strike.
With that certainty, I decided to unleash an instant strike infused with both mana and physical force simultaneously.
Combining tiger energy manifestation with mana instant strike—I called it the Tiger-Mana Strike.
Crash!
“Hmph!”
Boom!
“Ugh!”
Tiger energy manifestation was an attack that would utterly confound anyone experiencing it.
A powerful shockwave erupting from an unexpected angle.
This was a technique that couldn’t be dodged—it would always connect.
“Still alive, huh.”
“Tch! Coward!”
“Who exactly is calling whom a coward?”
My objective was subdual.
If he still had breath to speak, it meant I hadn’t subdued him enough.
I continued my barrage without pause.
Crash! Crash!
Boom!
Our agility was evenly matched.
Most ordinary attacks are blocked.
But Manifestation of Hostility proved its worth.
Whether swung vertically or horizontally, Manifestation of Hostility strikes with its own will, independent of my intentions.
Boom!
The Alley Boss crashed directly into the wall of a nearby building.
The skirmish ended in my victory.
Had these been bandits, they would have lost all will to resist and been ripe for subjugation.
Yet no particular status window message appeared.
“All of you, attack!”
“Aaaaahhh!”
Only then did the other NPCs begin their simultaneous assault.
But they were no match for me.
Crack!
“Kugh!”
“Argh!”
Cha Eun-kyung’s whip came from nowhere, sweeping through the surroundings.
Even this attack created a shockwave.
“Screeeeeeeeee!”
“Ahhhhh! Help meeeee!”
The shockwave she unleashed was agony itself.
The NPCs struck by her whip were crying out in terrible pain.
It was the weapon of a true torture specialist—you could feel the dignity of a Hidden Class at work.
“I’d say we’ve cleaned this up nicely, wouldn’t you?”
“What on earth is this village?! This is genuine culture shock!”
Bella looked thoroughly shaken.
She had never encountered a village like this before.
Having toured the Beginner Village of Belhard where I couldn’t trust a soul, I’d developed some immunity to this sort of thing.
“A village that lays traps so openly is refreshing, I’ll admit. Whether you call it the NPCs’ business model or not, ultimately they’ll be crushed by greater power.”
“It’s not over.”
“Pardon?”
Cha Eun-kyung remained vigilant, her guard still raised as she surveyed the surroundings.
“There’s more?”
“That man. He’s connected to nobility.”
“Hmm? He was certainly too strong to be just an Alley Boss, that’s for sure.”
The battle just now hadn’t been resolved because the opponent was weak.
It was because I was strong.
With Bella’s practical buffs applied, my completed stats were as follows:

[Name: Kael]
[Class: Eternal Adventurer (Hidden) (1st Awakening)]
[Level: 73]
[Unallocated Points: 9]
[Strength: 297 Agility: 298 Vitality: 305 Wisdom: 154 Luck: 172]
[Eternity: 38 Mana: 6 Primary: 1]

Since the goal was suppression, the buffs Bella had granted me didn’t significantly impact my stats.
Most of them enhanced tracking vision and evasion ability, defense and recovery—so my stats remained in their true state.
‘Ah, I should use those unallocated points.’
I spent 5 unallocated points, investing 3 in Strength and 2 in Agility.

[Unallocated Points: 4]
[Strength: 300 Agility: 300 Vitality: 305 Wisdom: 154 Luck: 172]
[Eternity: 38 Mana: 6 Primary: 1]

‘I couldn’t resist—300 in Strength, Agility, and Vitality.’
Just looking at it brought a sense of satisfaction.
When the leading digit of a primary stat changes, it registers as a kind of enlightenment for combat-focused users.
In martial arts terms, it’s like crossing from the pinnacle into the transcendent realm.
“If they’re entangled with nobility. Ah.”
“Aaaaaaaagh! Stop! Stop!”
While I was redistributing my stats, Cha Eun-kyung’s interrogation had already begun.
The massive 007-style briefcase Cha Eun-kyung carried contained every torture implement imaginable.
The torture tools she’d pulled out this time were even stored on the outside of the bag for easy access outdoors.
She hadn’t even brought out the serious instruments yet.
“Mm.”
Since I had no expertise in interrogation, I left the entire process to Cha Eun-kyung.
What was terrifying about her was that she’d started with torture without asking a single question.
“Aaaagh! Aaaaaaaagh!”
She didn’t even speak.
Only indescribable cruelty continued unabated.
“I’ll tell you anything! I’ll talk! Please!”
Only then did Cha Eun-kyung’s torture cease.
Her technique was making them confess of their own accord.
“Speak.”
“It was the Count’s orders! Arrest all outsiders entering the Back Alley!”
“Which Count?”
“Of course Count Ponsen…! Ah! Stop! Stooooop!”
The mastermind was, as I’d suspected, Count Ponsen, the ruler of Muren.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Your eyes were rolling around disrespectfully. So I’m going to administer truth serum. This is Kingdom law.”
“H-hic! What is this! Ughhhh!”
Fortunately, the trouble seemed like it would be resolved easily.
Cha Eun-kyung appeared to have considerable authority in her activities within the Kingdom.
Indeed, torture specialist was a good profession.

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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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