A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 18

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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 18

Eden witnessed a shocking scene through the crack in the door of the special chamber where the teleport gate was located.
For now, reporting the situation was the top priority.

[Whisper (Eun-nyang E): Situation report. The VIP has overpowered what appears to be a person in charge at the Boa Village City Hall.]

Eden, a new recruit of the Seoguang Guild and Cha Eun-kyung’s real-world bodyguard, couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.
His mission was to support the target without drawing attention.
At the same time, he’d been warned never to let his identity be discovered.
But then.
“This is insane. I could handle protection, but if they’re going to flip the entire City Hall upside down, how am I supposed to support them?”
Yet Cha Eun-kyung’s response never came, no matter how long he waited.
In other words, from this point on, everything would have to be improvised.
“For now, I’ll just follow.”
Eden hurried down to the City Hall lobby and came face-to-face with the person who had been intimidated by the VIP.
“Huff… huff…”
“Where did that person go?”
“Do you… know them?”
I nodded.
Eden devised a strategy to infer the VIP’s intentions and play along appropriately.
“I see. That person…”
The user quickly lowered his head and adopted a submissive posture.
But his eyes continued to dart about restlessly.
Whether it was the mention of “that person” or the realization that he was of lower status than the VIP from before, his demeanor had shifted.
“Wait. This emblem…”
The man’s gaze stopped, and his posture began to straighten.
“Ah.”
“The Seoguang Guild?”
“Tsk.”
The strategy fell apart in an instant.
It was because Eden hadn’t had time to change out of the armor bearing the Seoguang Guild emblem.
From the start, Eden had used teleportation while following the VIP in preparation for combat.
“The Black Dragon Faction and the Seoguang Guild? What in the world is happening here…?”
Slash!
The man’s words never finished.
In an instant, Eden’s blade cleanly severed his neck.
The gamble had been overturned in a heartbeat, and chaos erupted immediately after.
“War! War! The Seoguang Guild declares war! South Korea declares war!”
Slash! Slash!
Eden’s combat prowess far exceeded what the novice users of this remote Beginner Village could handle.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Help me!”
Slash!
Eden was clearly high-level, having reached the late 70s.
Moreover, he possessed a hidden class called ‘Asura’ that grew more powerful the more blood he shed.
Drenched in blood, Eden methodically severed the necks of other users.
Thud!
Not a single Chinese user escaped alive.
Every user inside City Hall except Eden was annihilated.
“P-please spare me!”
Only an NPC remained.
And this NPC was none other than Pareck, the one the VIP had spoken with moments ago.
He was essentially a civil servant at the Beginner Village City Hall.
If Pareck reported this, Eden would be branded a criminal foreigner.
“This is troublesome. Really.”
“Please spare me! Sob! I’ll live righteously!”
Of course, there was a way to avoid the criminal brand.
No witnesses.
Video footage recorded by users couldn’t be submitted to NPCs anyway.
Normally, he would have had to kill Pareck as well to eliminate the evidence.
“Pareck. I know your name. You saw nothing. Isn’t that right?”
Eden suspected this NPC was likely part of the VIP’s plan.
So he decided to take on some risk.
“Yes! Of course! I saw nothing!”
“And that person also did nothing. Correct?”
“That person? Ah! Yes! That’s right! Correct!”
“Good.”
Eden tore open a purification magic scroll and wiped away the blood, then handed Pareck a corpse disposal chemical.
“I’m leaving the cleanup to you.”
“Yes!”
After all, the underdeveloped Raheem Continent wasn’t part of the Seoguang Guild’s plans.
Even if he became a criminal and was hunted, the risk wasn’t significant.
“…That should do it.”
Eden activated his tracking skill once more and began pursuing the VIP.

* * *

The place was so desolate that I hadn’t even dared hope to see bread being shared.
But this sight exceeded all imagination.
“Stand up straight.”
“…Y-yes.”
The fountain that had once sprayed water with vigor, painting rainbows across the air, was nowhere to be found.
People’s gazes flickered toward me for a moment.
But that was all.
They quickly lowered their heads, averting their eyes.
Drip.
In the vast Fountain, only a pathetic puddle of water trickled out.
Even that was being controlled under the management of Chinese players.
It was a sight utterly unimaginable in Liam.
“1 Silver, then. I permit you to drink.”
“…Thank you.”
A single sip’s worth of water had been auctioned off for a full 1 Silver.
Behind them, an immense crowd of people stood in line, shoulders hunched in resignation.
“Next.”
“…Please, look at me. I’m suffering from malnutrition.”
“So what? Just pay up.”
“H-here…”
The player afflicted with the malnutrition debuff extended a trembling hand, offering only a few dozen Copper.
The Fountain manager’s face twisted in disgust at the sight.
Smack!
“Aaahhh!”
“Are you messing with me? That doesn’t even look like 30 Copper.”
“Oh no! I’m going to die like this! Please, just let me have one sip of water! If I log out now, I might actually die!”
“Get lost.”
“Ugh…”
Was this really the game I knew?
At this point, the game administrators should be stepping in directly.
But the Mason I knew granted players maximum freedom.
“…At this rate, even a single sip of water won’t be easy to obtain.”
Of course, there was an easy solution to this problem.
Stand in line and pay.
They might even let me through without paying, given who I was.
But for some reason, this approach didn’t sit right with me.
Even splashing my head with ice-cold water from my canteen didn’t help.
“…”
My chest burned with heat.
I kept picturing the newbies, unable to enjoy the game as newbies should, suffering under forced labor.
“…This isn’t a game. It’s just tedious grinding.”
The urge to flip the table and abandon everything kept surging up.
I wasn’t even asking for gratitude.
If they would just grow greedily, that would be enough.
At the very least, the Beginner Village should be teeming with vibrant newcomers.
“….”
Even at this very moment, genuine newbies were logging in fresh to Boa Village.
But that was short-lived.
I spotted them being herded somewhere by what appeared to be a guide player.
My feet moved of their own accord.
Where on earth were these newbies being dragged off to?
“From now on, you’ll beat scarecrows here and receive hidden wooden swords. Anyone who doesn’t escape within ten minutes gets killed and logged out.”
This was the Beginner Training Grounds.
The Training Instructor was nowhere to be seen.
Even the few NPC soldiers present seemed of no interest to the players.
They simply handed over wooden swords with blank expressions.
“…Is this even possible?”
I hadn’t even been hoping for a Training Instructor from the Royal Court.
At minimum, an NPC capable of controlling the players would have sufficed.
The problem was that no such NPC appeared to exist.
Again, my feet moved first.
Boom!
I activated Gale Rush, closing the distance to the soldiers in an instant, and positioned myself between them and the newbies.
Everyone nearby was knocked flat by the sudden gust of wind.
“Ugh! What the—!”
The NPC didn’t turn hostile as I’d expected.
They seemed unable to even muster the will to fight.
Pure resignation.
This meant it was a town where certain crimes—even the use of force—were permitted.
Since it wasn’t a direct attack, I’d been prepared to desperately explain and smooth things over if necessary.
“I mean no harm. Where is the Training Instructor?”
“S-sir, who might you be?”
Before the soldiers could even answer, the guide player rushed forward and asked first.
I hadn’t expected them to be so cautious, and I was reminded anew that Bella’s outfit was no ordinary garb.
But if this were the previous me, such a vicious player shouldn’t have dared speak to me at all.
“Are your eyes merely decoration?”
Since people were already mistaking me for the Black Dragon Faction anyway, I decided to fully commit to the role.
The reputation being tarnished wasn’t mine anyway.
Crack!
“Kugh!”
“I have no business with vermin who can’t even recognize gold insignia on black robes. Get out.”
Confusion melted from Jang Hong’s expression, replaced by sheer horror.
The bluff had worked again.
“M-my apologies! Black Dragon Faction!”
In a way, this suited me better.
My previous life had been pure wilderness, governed entirely by the logic of power.
“What’s your name?”
“Jang Hong! I belong to Jipgeom-dan!”
A guild name I didn’t recognize.
Given the circumstances, it seemed likely they were connected to whatever guild controlled this village.
‘I need more information.’
At least not from Jang Hong directly.
He was under the impression I was from the Black Dragon Faction, after all.
“My presence here is classified. Since you’ve learned the name Jang Hong, your discretion is paramount.”
“I understand completely!”
“Go. Leave them all behind.”
“Y-yes! I’ll handle the explanations myself!”
Jang Hong fled the Training Ground without hesitation.
Now only five newbies and two soldiers remained.
“…M-my goodness. The Black Dragon Faction. Please spare us, sir.”
“….”
I was experiencing firsthand just how formidable the Black Dragon Faction’s reputation truly was.
Of course, I had no intention of wasting them simply because of a misunderstanding.
I’d rather cultivate them instead.
They would become the foundation upon which I built my grand design.
“Eat.”
To maintain the Black Dragon Faction persona, I distributed the food with an imperious tone.
Though all I had was a day’s worth of ordinary jerky, hard biscuits, and water from spare canteens.
“Thank you….”
“Quiet.”
But these provisions carried a hidden purpose.
This combination of food provided a modest strength buff.
“It’s ordinary food. If I’d wanted you dead, you’d be dead already.”
No further words were exchanged.
In Boa Village, the strong were obeyed without question.
“Once you’ve confirmed your buffs, each of you take a training dummy and begin. You’ll only receive proper credit if you strike the red weak point with precision.”
“Yes!”
The newbies finished eating and rushed toward the dummies in perfect unison.
Next came the soldiers’ turn.
“Where is the Training Instructor?”
“…He’s in the Instructor’s Office.”
“Take me there. I have no interest in the Instructor’s refusal to see visitors.”
“….”
The soldiers exchanged glances with one another, then quietly nodded and led the way forward.
I could only hope their nods were affirmative in nature.
Regardless of their thoughts, I continued with my own reasoning.
‘At the very least, the Training Instructor in Liam was a far more formidable force than any ranker. This place needs such an absolute power—one strong enough not to be swayed by users.’
Boa Village was merely one of many villages I would pass through.
Therefore, to resolve the fundamental problems here, winning over a powerhouse like the Training Instructor came first.
If there was some hidden backstory in that process, it would surely be a Hidden Quest.
And if so, my plan would be complete—progressing through the Hidden Quest as a bonus.

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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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