A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 107

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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 107

“Can I switch sides?”
For now, I was buying time to secure the cooldown on Kael Rush.
“Yes. Outsider. You’ll be of great help to us.”
It would likely be true.
After all, Count Ponsen was the type of man who turned an outsider’s heart into an elixir.
My heart, thoroughly coated with all manner of buffs, could only be put to heavy use.
“That’s correct.”
“If you switch sides, you could accumulate considerable merit.”
“That’s also true.”
Moreover, if the Teleport Mage were to make me into an elixir, I might even be able to reach the next realm.
Using my apprentice’s sacrifice and my heart as fertilizer.
“But the numbers don’t add up.”
The loss of Kael Rush didn’t mean I’d lost my means of attack.
I now had a newly acquired primary force at my side.
And I knew that the primary force and mana flowing through my body didn’t mix—they repelled each other.
“Listen. Outsider. Won’t you leave room for negotiation?”
“Of course. I’m the type who doesn’t listen to anyone weaker than me. I just won’t kill you.”
“Finally, we agree on something.”
Count Ponsen appeared to be stronger than the Sub-Baron before my eyes after all.
And naturally, the promise not to kill was a lie.
I had resolved to kill the Teleport Mage before me by any means necessary.
Boom!
Leveraging my swift agility, I seized the initiative without Kael Rush, but a translucent mana barrier blocked my strike.
Derek Sub-Baron curled one corner of his mouth in a contemptible sneer as he continued his incantation.
Now it was a matter of who could land an effective blow first.
‘Manifest Vigor.’
Boom!
The follow-up was also blocked by the barrier.
However, Manifest Vigor possessed a secondary strike.
Crash!
Boom!
“Ugh!”
A reversal occurred.
While the physical attack itself was blocked, the Vigor itself—the primary force incarnate—bypassed the mana barrier and struck Derek Sub-Baron directly.
‘It works!’
Indeed, mana and primary force were counters to each other.
In situations like this, the one who strikes first always wins.
‘Counter Strike!’
Crack!
This time, the result was different.
Counter Strike had directly interfered with the mana barrier.
“The, the barrier!”
I drove Sumoq through the tear in the barrier and straight into Derek Sub-Baron.
Boom!
“Aaagh!”
I had to admit his resilience was remarkable.
Even with Sumoq piercing directly through his crown, he remained alive.
But that was the limit.
“It seems we don’t even need to negotiate, do we?”
“S, stop! I yield!”
“No? You haven’t lost yet.”
I gathered power into my fists once more.
This time, I unleashed a barrage using anomalous qi manifestation.
Thud!
It was a technique where I manifested qi without actually releasing it.
Such unconventional attacks naturally synergized with the gloves’ incantation seal.

[Incantation Seal]
[When the gloves make contact with an opponent, their magical incantation is instantly sealed. Effect lasts 10 seconds.]

“W-what is this!”
The seal on Young-chang lasts for ten seconds.
“Let’s settle this like men—strength against strength.”
“Coward! Blocking Young-chang!”
“Cowardly, indeed.”
I discovered a minor bonus effect of the Young-chang seal.
When Young-chang is sealed, any active mana barrier also dissolves.
Thanks to this, my movements became even more unrestricted.
“Let’s finish this quickly and each go our separate ways.”
My direction was clear.
You—the path to the afterlife.
Me—the path of flowers.
Crash!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom!
I unleashed Instant Death, Hostility Manifestation, and Counter without pause—each strike laden with lethal intent.
No matter how powerful a mage was, they couldn’t withstand attacks delivered with the resolve to kill with every blow.
Crack!

[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]

[Magnificent Achievement!]
[You have slain a 6-Circle Mage!]
[Strength increases by 4.]
[Vitality increases by 4.]
[Wisdom increases by 7.]
[Luck increases by 3.]

Derek Sub-Baron’s skull was crushed.
I had risen six levels in a single blow.
The Achievement came with it.

[Name: Kael]
[Class: Eternal Adventurer (Hidden) (1st Awakening)]
[Level: 83]
[Unused Points: 13]
[Strength: 306 Agility: 300 Stamina: 312 Wisdom: 166 Luck: 180]
[Eternity: 39 Mana: 6 Vigor: 1]

I had broken into the 80s level range in an instant.
It was a moment of pure elation.
“Levels are levels, but I still need to finish what I started.”
I dragged the two corpses of the Teleport Mages sprawled across the ground into a corner.
“Mages are the profession of the wealthy. Therefore, these are no different from golden goblins.”
It was all for farming.
If they were mages, everything from the accessories they wore to their staffs would be expensive.
“Hm?”
As I dragged the corpse toward the corner, something peculiar occurred.
The unmanifested vigor still lingering in my fist seeped into the mage’s corpse.
“What kind of phenomenon is this?”
Curiosity stirred within me.
I had a feeling I could obtain new information about vigor.
I transferred the vigor I had been about to store into the mage’s corpse instead.
Tssssss!
Some kind of interaction took place.
Would the secret of the golden vigor finally be revealed?
As if answering my question, a message appeared.

[Great Achievement!]
[You have infused vigor into the corpse!]
[Wisdom increases by 5.]
[Luck increases by 5.]
[A portion of the corpse’s former abilities will be included in the vigor manifestation.]
[Vigor increases by 1.]

“…!”
I had found a way to increase vigor.
But that wasn’t the only surprise.
The fact that a portion of the corpse’s former abilities would be included in the vigor manifestation meant a significant enhancement to my buffs.

[Active Buffs]
[Manifestation of Ambition (Legendary)]
[Strength +40 Agility +35 Wisdom +62]
[A powerful protective barrier is generated upon activation.]
[You gain the ability to manipulate mystical entities (Ambition).]
[Duration: ?]

Moreover, strengthening my primary force was merely a bonus—I had discovered that infusing corpses with my power was itself a means of elevating the buff’s performance.
“Insane. Wisdom increases this much? And a mana barrier on top of it?”
The corpse’s pre-death stats had been reflected, granting me an astronomical wisdom increase.
Furthermore, the protective barrier upon activation was an equally extraordinary option.
With this, Manifestation of Ambition had become a technique of perfect offense and defense.
Of course, wisdom was a stat with no immediate use for me.
But if redistribution existed, everything changed.
Sixty-two wisdom could become sixty-two strength, or I could raise agility to sixty-two.
Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle!
Derek Sub-Baron’s corpse began to vanish.
It decomposed in an instant.
Was this sorcery?
“One more left.”
I decided to conduct a different experiment on the corpse of the mage who was Derek’s Apprentice.

[Active Buffs]
[Response (Advanced)]
[Strength +1 Agility +3]
[You gain the ability to use Counter-Strike.]
[Counter-Strike: A heated mystical entity is released alongside your kick.]
[Duration: ?]

I would retrieve the manifested Resonance and replace it with Reverberation instead.
My thought was that if a high-tier buff absorbed the excessive stats, wouldn’t the grade itself change?
The method was simple.
If I used my feet instead of my hands, Reverberation would manifest.
Kiiiiiii!
I drew out Reverberation as a preparatory motion for a Reverberation Strike, then aimed my feet toward the corpse.
And I transferred the golden radiance of my primary force to aid the absorption.
Tsutsutsutsu!
The unique interaction between the sorcery and the corpse repeated.
Would something emerge this time as well?
Tsutsutsutsu!
The corpse vanished, and a message appeared.

[Reverberation now includes some of the corpse’s pre-death abilities.]
[Primary Force increases by 1.]
[Active Buffs]
[Thunder Reverberation (Masterpiece)]
[Strength +1 Agility +3 Wisdom +22]
[You can now use Thunder Reverberation Strike.]
[Thunder Reverberation Strike: A sorcerous entity blending heat and lightning force is released together with the kick.]
[Duration: ?]

It was exactly as I expected.
The sorcery’s grade had truly risen.
It had even changed its name to Thunder Reverberation.
The very caliber of the sorcery itself had elevated.
“I could raise this to Legendary as well. So that’s why they tried to protect the sorcerous entity in Ath Village.”
[Strength: 306 Agility: 300 Vitality: 312 Wisdom: 250 Luck: 180]
[Eternity: 39 Mana: 6 Primary Force: 3]
Now sorcerous entities had farming value too.
Moreover, this village would soon become hostile territory.
It meant I could bring every sorcerous entity living here without any restrictions.
“I’ll take everything I see.”
With the corpse gone, the reason to conceal it disappeared as well.
All that remained was to collect the items scattered across the floor, and the farming would be complete.

[Cerulean Gold Staff Imbued with Lightning (Legendary)]
[Magic Attack Power: 46~172]
[Durability: 164]
[Imbued with Lightning: Increases the potency of lightning-type magic]
[Lightning Guidance: Chain Lightning activates at a certain probability]
[Chain Lightning: Lightning that bounces off the target transfers to nearby enemies.]
[A staff crafted from cerulean gold that has absorbed lightning. With magical refinement applied, its mana conductivity is exceptionally superior.]

The staff that looked most promising was, as expected, of Legendary grade.
I wasn’t certain how magic attack power was determined, but it seemed like a weapon perfectly suited to its grade—slightly inferior to Sumoq, the blunt weapon of Mythic grade.

[Sumoq Approaching the Truth (Mythic)]
[Attack Power: 137~201]
[Durability: Indestructible]
[Approaching the Truth: Can open the Ancient Dimensional Gate.]
[Call of the Ancient One: Can summon the Ancient One.]
[Blessing of the Sun: The Ancient One gains the ability to wield the power of the sun.]

“Mythic grade certainly has its merits.”
Whether I should call this fortunate or not, I had no mages in my immediate circle.
The only remotely cooperative group of mages I had were the Dark Mages of the Seo-gwang Guild, making this staff essentially worthless to me.
“Since it’s Legendary grade, it should fetch over a hundred million won. It’s also a staff that nobility once used.”
Moreover, the other item options were quite respectable as well.

[Black Iron Ring of Explosive Lightning (Masterpiece)]
[Magic Attack Power: 18~31]
[Durability: 35]
[Lightning Accumulation: Strengthens lightning-type spells during sustained combat]
[Lightning Release: Increases casting speed of the next lightning spell at a certain probability]
[A black iron ring that seals the power of dark storm clouds. When worn, faint sparks dance at the fingertips.]

The ring alone was Masterpiece grade, and it even included magic attack power.
It seemed mage-class jobs had attack power attached to accessories as well, which were summed together for the final total.
This meant a mage’s attack power could be more than twice that of physical combat-class jobs.
This was the moment the glass cannon was verified.

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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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