A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 102

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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 102

“…How fascinating.”
I had already captured Cha Eun-kyung’s full interest.
Displaying another ability here wouldn’t change much.
“Now you can believe me, right? Alone, I can move freely anywhere.”
“I believe you now.”
“Excellent. If anything happens, just send me a whisper right away.”
“Got it.”
After letting Cha Eun-kyung through, I watched as some sort of alchemical compound was sprayed, and the City Wall that had been torn open by the hole was fully restored.
Now it was time to completely transform and soar to a great height.
Boom!
I used Gale Rush to jump as high as possible, then transformed completely into an eagle mid-air and spread my wings wide.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As I flapped my wings several more times to gain altitude, Muren came into full view.
‘The large building in front of the Town Square must be City Hall, and there’s no Fountain. Perhaps the never-drying water only exists in the Beginner Village.’
At that moment, a massive crowd began pouring out from City Hall.
Moreover, the crowd consisted of troops clad in sturdy plate armor and crimson cloaks, bearing all manner of weapons.
-There’s urgent news that the Royal Knight Order is teleporting to Muren Village.
These were the Royal Knight Order that Cha Eun-kyung had mentioned.
Their uniforms matched those I’d seen on Andy’s channel, who was formerly a Royal Knight.
Shortly after, different troops began arriving from the opposite side of the Royal Knights.
Among them, a single figure stood out—riding a black horse with dignified bearing.
Could this be Count Ponsen, whom I’d only heard about in rumors?
Since combat didn’t seem imminent, I decided to approach closer and circle around to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“How sudden. The Royal Knight Order comes all this way—what is the meaning of this?”
“It is the king’s order. Count Ponsen. You are accused of extracting the hearts of foreigners and processing them into elixirs….”
At that moment, an enormous shockwave erupted centered on Count Ponsen.
Boom!
The shockwave reached me even from a considerable distance.
It was an overwhelmingly powerful force that Gale Rush couldn’t even compare to.
“That’s enough. You’ve brought absurd accusations.”
“Cough! Hear me out! Count Ponsen! You face numerous charges!”
“I have clearly been guaranteed autonomy over Muren by His Majesty. I will not listen to nonsense. Furthermore, I will not accept any of the charges you spout.”
“This is treason, Count!”
“No. It is oppression.”
A shocking exchange had taken place.
Particularly, the mention of extracting foreigners’ hearts and processing them into elixirs was alarming.
In this light, Count Ponsen’s retainer’s policy began to make a certain kind of sense.
A policy of indefinite imprisonment of users was tantamount to encouraging suicide.
Moreover, Count Ponsen was renowned for possessing combat prowess formidable enough to suppress even the vengeful hearts of users.
‘If this is real, isn’t this an enormously serious problem?’
Even if the information about the elixir wasn’t true, the moment Count Ponsen brought up the policy of indefinite imprisonment, his status as a user-hostile NPC was confirmed.
From another perspective, he could be considered a boss who grows faster than users.
If all of this were true, it seemed like every user belonging to the Meriam Kingdom would need to throw themselves at him.
Yet even with everyone attacking, there was no guarantee of certain victory.
Perhaps it would escalate to a world raid-level scale, requiring even users from other kingdoms to join forces.
For now, I decided to share the information quickly.

[Kael: The Royal Knight Order has descended upon Muren. Is it true that Count Ponsen is processing users’ hearts into an elixir?]
[Bella: What? Really? Though there are rumors that Count Ponsen’s combat power exceeds that of the Kingdom’s Duke. If what you’re saying is true, it doesn’t seem like mere hearsay.]
[Eun-nyang E: I had a feeling.]
[Kael: Eun-kyung, do you know anything more?]
[Eun-nyang E: An anonymous tip was sent to the Royal Court. I didn’t have the authority to check the details, but if the Royal Knight Order is moving directly, it seems real.]
[Kael: Good heavens.]

As we exchanged whispers, another shockwave began surging forward.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
And Count Ponsen cried out.
“Van Haim Ponsen declares this himself. If this is the King’s will, then I shall hold the King accountable. I withdraw from the Meriam Kingdom and will walk an independent path!”
A shocking declaration.
“Uwaaaaaa!”
And the cheers of the NPCs who followed Count Ponsen.
“Surely you’ve gone mad! Count Ponsen! That is treason!”
Even the bewildered reaction of the Royal Knight Order.
Muren was consumed by chaos in an instant.
“This is a declaration of war following proper procedure. Commander of Royal Knights. I shall go directly to the Royal Capital and hold the King accountable.”
“…How can the most honored Royal Knight do this!”
“There is no loyalty to offer a King who oppresses his vassals without respect. I have made my intentions known. If you are knights who understand honor, then withdraw immediately in accordance with the declaration of war procedure.”
“Kgh!”
“Take your chance and retreat. From now on, all teleportation to Muren, Kraha, and Bexon will be completely blocked.”
“…We shall meet again, Ponsen.”
“I’ll come find you soon.”
A suffocating battle of wills ensued, and truly the Royal Knight Order began withdrawing back to Muren City Hall.
Despite their opponent being merely one person, the Royal Knight Order was forced to retreat instead.
It was a scene difficult to believe even after witnessing it.
“From now on, we shall wage total war against the Royal Court. All retainers dispatched to Muren, assemble immediately. Relay this order at once.”
“Yes, sir!”
A momentary conflict had become a real war.
It was a conclusion that could never have emerged without prior preparation for war.
Moreover, Count Ponsen had assembled his retainers.
Ponsen commanded a total of six retainers.
One of them, I had knocked unconscious with my own hands.
Since my tail could be caught, I quickly banked and flew toward Liam.
‘This is insane. A war? And of all places, right next to an NPC that devours players? This is far too serious.’
Right beside Muren, Liam.
The distance was considerable, but Liam was currently experiencing an unprecedented boom with a record number of players flooding in.
If Count Ponsen were to win this war.
The shockwaves would undoubtedly reach Liam as well.
Leaving the village would not be a solution.
Count Ponsen, having harvested massive quantities of players’ hearts, would freely expand his domain of control and eventually affect everyone.
Since the previous game had similar catastrophe-level bosses, this level of prediction was simple to make.

[Kael: Count Ponsen has declared war on the Royal Court.]
[Bella: What? If that’s true, this is problematic. I have a linked quest to do.]
[Kael: Unfortunately, it’s true. I’ve recorded the screen as well. I’ll show you the footage when you come to the hospital.]

The device I was currently logged into was a latest-model device, so I could use the recording function.

[Bella: Got it. I’ll head to the hospital as soon as the transport is done.]

By game time, Baek Seo-hyun would likely log out around evening.
Cha Eun-kyung’s reply followed shortly after.

[Eun-nyang E: This has gotten serious. Since I belong to the Royal Court, I have to bring down Count Ponsen no matter what.]
[Kael: Shouldn’t we inform Seo-gwang as well?]
[Eun-nyang E: If you agree, absolutely. But there’s no guarantee Seo-gwang will side with the Royal Court. This is Meriam, after all—they have a foot in both Meriam and Belhard.]
[Kael: Ah. Then it might be better to share only your position with the guild.]

Now that I thought about it, Seo-gwang’s participation was an awkward situation.
They were focused on growth in the magic stone dungeon in Belhard.
Even if war broke out, if Meriam fell into a disadvantageous position, they could attach themselves to Belhard and continue growing freely.

[Eun-nyang E: Of course, I’ll participate on Meriam’s side. As I said, I belong to the Meriam Royal Family, and that will help Lee Seo-jun as well.]

Her tone was blunt, yet sincerity resonated in every word.
For someone like me, moving between Ath Village and Liam to build up my weight class, I could only feel grateful.

[Kael: Understood. I have the recording, so come watch it when you have time.]
[Eun-nyang E: Got it.]

After finishing the whisper, I continued flying.
I could have joined the carriage convoy that Eden was leading, but I wanted to produce something more tangible first.
In the distance, I could see the Farmland and golden wheat fields stretching out.
It appeared to be harvest season.
‘Perfect timing.’
I dove straight toward the wheat field.
Thump!
The soil of the wheat field was as soft as I’d anticipated.
Thanks to that, I landed easily.
Crunch, crunch!
I released my transformation and pulled my feet free from the earth, brushing off the dirt.
Two soldiers guarding the Farmland came into view—likely because Count Ponsen managed it directly—but there was no reason to avoid them.
My face was covered with a mask anyway, and my reputation hadn’t spread as far as Muren.
“Who goes there!”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! How did you infiltrate?”
“By flying.”
Boom!
“What?!”
The moment I answered, I closed the distance using Gale Rush.
Since they could deduce my identity from my primary weapon, Sumoq, this time I channeled the recoil through my body and drove my foot forward with full force.
A counter-strike.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
One soldier fell in an instant.
The other soldier’s spear immediately thrust toward my throat.
Whoosh!
But it was an attack I could easily evade.
Unless they were of Count Ponsen’s retainer class, these soldiers were no match for me.
“Gasp!”
I positioned myself behind the soldier and snapped his neck with a backfist strike.
Crack!
The light left his eyes.
Now I could proceed with my sabotage unimpeded.
“If I just destroy the supply lines, the war will stall.”
War cannot exist without provisions.
History itself is proof of this.
And so, my choice was arson.
Snap! Snap!
I struck flint against the oil-soaked torch, coaxing it to life.
Whoosh!
The wheat—golden and perfectly ripened, dried just right for harvest—devoured the flames in an instant, growing hungrier with each passing second.
“Count Ponsen. Whatever preparations you made for war, you should never have stood in my way.”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
I swung the branch lightly, summoning wind, and the fire spread across the wheat with terrifying speed. It’s a strange feeling—something I could never do in reality.
It’s a game, yes, but the scenery feels far too real.
Whoosh!
Yet I couldn’t afford to indulge my conscience. I was still a desperately hungry man.

[Magnificent Achievement!]
[You have committed a large-scale arson that will be recorded in history!]
[Wisdom increases by 5.]

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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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