A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 19

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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 19

Following the soldiers’ guidance, I arrived at what appeared to be the Soldier Barracks—a dilapidated structure.
There was no separate Instructor’s Office in sight.
“The Training Instructor is here.”
“….”
I offered no objection.
If it was the Black Dragon Faction, they would hardly be strangers to Boa Village.
“Open it.”
“…Yes.”
Creak.
The weathered wooden door swung open, and a biting chill began to seep into my fingertips.
Thanks to the Golden Fox fur’s effects, I merely felt it rather than suffered from it.

[Master Craftsman’s Golden Fox Fur Cloak (Unique)]
[Defense: 25]
[Cold Immunity]
[Heat Immunity]
[Contempt for the Weak]
[Physical Attack Immunity against targets with Strength below 10]
[Magic Attack Immunity against targets with Wisdom below 10]
[Increased Level Penalty when level difference exceeds 10]
[Physical and Magic Attack Immunity against targets with stat difference of 50 or more]
[A masterwork cloak crafted with a master artisan’s soul. The unique properties of Golden Fox fur have been preserved. Can be used as a blanket and logout is permitted.]

“Ugh! Then I shall withdraw!”
From the soldiers’ reaction, it was easy to discern this was no ordinary chill.
The very fact that icicles had formed inside this shabby room defied common sense.
“….”
I waited until the soldiers’ footsteps faded completely before moving forward slowly.
“…Who are you?”
Despite hearing no footsteps and despite his eyes remaining closed, the Training Instructor immediately sensed my approach.
As expected, the Training Instructor was indeed a formidable warrior.
Even in his bedridden state, he could easily detect such things.
His imposing physique and appearance—reminiscent of Zhang Fei from the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms—were proof enough.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Kael.”
“…Has the time come for you to dispose of me?”
“Not at all. These people have mistaken me for the Black Dragon Faction, but I am not from here. I came from Liam.”
Only then did the Training Instructor struggle to open one eye and look directly at me.
“Liam. You said Liam?”
“Yes.”
The Training Instructor stared at me silently for a moment, then his face suddenly contorted.
“…Refined features, black garments, and gold ornaments too. I can certainly see why they’d mistake you for the Black Dragon Faction. Or perhaps you truly are one. I’ve been deceived in exactly this manner before, and look at me now. Hah.”
“Still don’t believe me? This cloak—the Training Instructor of Liam asked me to hunt the Golden Fox, and I made this from its pelt. Would you like to feel it?”
I placed the cloak directly into the Training Instructor’s hands.
A warrior of his caliber would easily recognize the cloak’s value.
“…This is certainly not fur you’d find in these parts.”
The Training Instructor’s expression grew noticeably more relaxed as he began stroking the cloak.
“Precisely.”
“Hmm. Hmmmm. Hmmmmm.”
Yet for some reason, his hand wouldn’t leave the cloak.
“It’s warm. A warmth I haven’t felt in years. I believe you. You are not of the Black Dragon Faction.”
“….”
Based on the circumstances, it appeared that one of the cloak’s passive effects—”cold immunity”—had activated.
And I realized this effect extended to others as well.
Likely due to the cloak’s versatility, which allowed it to function as a blanket.
“Hmm. Excellent. Ahhh.”
This situation wasn’t entirely unfavorable.
Particularly because I could solve the Training Instructor’s problem with a single item.
Perhaps this situation could even lead to a hidden quest.
“How did you end up in such a state? You don’t seem like someone who would fall easily.”
“…I was poisoned by a foreigner’s toxin. Even the Temple’s detoxification magic proved ineffective, and nearly everyone fell victim to it. The Sword Guild Master, whose strength rivals my own, and all the notable warriors of Boa Village—every last one.”
“A poison that cannot be cured.”
A sense of incongruity washed over me.
It carried the same quality as the uncatchable boss, the Golden Fox.
If I can find a way, detoxification should be possible.
Even setting aside such hypotheses, the problem remains.
The troubling fact is that the one behind this is none other than China.
“If it’s China and not somewhere else, things might be different?”
Just as the Sichuan poison clans featured in martial arts novels specialized in toxins, modern China would certainly possess secret knowledge of assassination by poison.
Moreover, the connection to the Black Dragon Faction, China’s most notorious criminal organization, only deepens my concerns.
Any poison that can be realized in reality will undoubtedly be effective within the game as well.
In fact, the game allowed for magical elements to be added, and there existed hidden classes employing all manner of extraordinary techniques.
For now, I decided to move locations and investigate slowly.
“Training Instructor, can you move? Should we change locations first?”
The cold emanating from the Training Instructor had frozen the entire room.
If his condition permitted, stepping outside to catch some sunlight would be better, even if only slightly.
“By all means. At this rate, I can restore my body’s condition within ten days.”
Ten days.
Neither long nor short.
But given the current situation with the Black Dragon Faction impersonators, it was quite a substantial amount of time.
“Can’t it be faster? The village is in chaos.”
“I’m aware. I reassigned the soldiers elsewhere to avoid the worst outcome.”
“Won’t the Royal Court take measures?”
“…The soldiers I sent to report this situation never returned. Besides, this is a remote border region, so the Royal Court doesn’t pay much attention to it.”
“How troublesome. If foreigners flood in, it should be quite profitable for the Kingdom. But it’s so different from Liam?”
“Liam’s situation is different. The foreigners here supposedly come from the Kingdom of China. Most of them behave like savages, with not a shred of respect for the Kingdom.”
“I see.”
“I will personally eliminate those who did this to me and my comrades. And I’ll report to the Royal Court with confidence. That I will kill every foreign criminal organization in Boa Village as they resurface.”
Thanks to the magical word “China,” I accepted it readily.
At the same time, I could understand.
The moment the Training Instructor recovered his body, that would be the moment Boa Village returned to normalcy.
This was certainty.
“So recovering his physical condition is most important?”
“Yes. It will be a prolonged battle. In ten days, I’ll recover, and in ten days plus one more, that stubborn old man from the Sword Guild will recover. That should be sufficient.”
The timeframe the Training Instructor was securing totaled twenty-one days.
Even for the Training Instructor, the assistance of the Sword Guild Master mentioned earlier seems absolutely necessary.
It suggests he is that formidable a figure.
“Of course, I’ll need your help as well.”

[You have received the Hidden Quest ‘Freedom for Boa Village’.]
[The Training Instructor of Boa Village was deceived by outsiders and consumed a poison with no antidote. For a long time, he has merely clung to life by a thread. Now that a benefactor named Kael from Liam has arrived, it is time to turn the situation around. Help the Training Instructor and restore freedom to Boa Village.]
[Time Limit: 1 month]
[Objective: Normalization of Boa Village]
[Reward: Training Instructor’s Treasure]

The Hidden Quest was automatically accepted.
It was different from the Hidden Quest I had received in Liam.
At least it was automatically accepted, and everything from the time limit to the reward was crystal clear.
The only ambiguous part was the reward called the Training Instructor’s treasure.
There seemed to be room to dig deeper into it.
“If you help me, I will gladly give you my most cherished treasure. I don’t take no for an answer.”
“May I ask what this treasure is?”
“My one and only beautiful daughter. It was fortunate that I sent her to a major city with her mother. I would be willing to give her to someone like you.”
In short, it was a marriage proposal.
For some reason, the narrative of resolve resembled that of the Knight of Pure Love.
I did covet the growth-type armor, but the direction didn’t align.
I was aiming to be an ‘Eternal Adventurer’ after all.
“I must decline the reward.”
“I said I don’t take no for an answer.”
“I could easily escape right now.”
“Ha. You’ve thought that far? But you won’t get far. I’ve regained enough strength to subdue someone like you alone.”
His words were not a lie.
Vivid blue mana was now seeping from the Training Instructor’s forearms in streams.
“Still, a benefactor is a benefactor. I’ll just kill you once and take the cloak.”
I thought there was no miscommunication in our exchange.
But this Training Instructor was a far more direct and rough type.
As if I were some kind of equipment.
“I only declined the reward. I intended to help you from the start. I am aiming to be an ‘Eternal Adventurer.’ I have no thoughts of marriage at the moment.”
“…Was that what you meant? I misunderstood. Ahem.”
“Instead, I think I can provide more active assistance. How about this?”
Using the leather knife I had kept in my pocket, I cut off a small piece from the edge of the cloak.
“One eye is inconvenient, isn’t it? An eye patch made from this should grant you the same cold immunity effect.”
The Training Instructor still kept one eye closed.
It had been frozen for far too long.
As long as the Training Instructor couldn’t find a complete cure for the poison, the effect of the Golden Fox fur had to persist.
“Hoo. It could be used in such a way. You’re certainly different from the outsiders I’ve encountered.”
Just in case, I had prepared several tough and elastic leather straps, thinking I might even fashion a primitive slingshot.
These could also serve as eye patch straps.

[Golden Fox Fur Eye Mask (Unique)]
[Defense: 3]
[Cold Immunity]
[Heat Immunity]
[An eye mask crafted from finely cut Golden Fox fur. Due to its small size, it lost the “Contempt for the Weak” effect, but now provides modest defensive capability for the eye area.]

The cold immunity effect had attached itself firmly once again.
It was a moment that reminded me why Golden Fox fur commanded such a high price.
“Please accept this. With this, you won’t have to worry about freezing over, Instructor.”
The Training Instructor donned the eye mask with an expression of admiration.
And he fell into a moment of reflection.
“Excellent. Until now, my best defense was to push back the cold surging into my heart. All this endurance has finally borne fruit.”
“I’m glad it’s effective. Now let’s renegotiate the terms.”
“Hmm? Renegotiate? Wasn’t our agreement settled with your restoration of freedom to this village?”
“No, sir. We still need to discuss compensation. I have to make a living too, after all.”
If the hidden reward didn’t satisfy me, I had other methods to extract the best compensation from him.
“I want practical and material compensation.”
This was a tactic I’d frequently employed against the few NPCs in my previous playthrough.

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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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