A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 24

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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 24

A problem had arisen.
A massive player-versus-player battle had erupted at the southern entrance of Boa Village.
More striking still, a single user was conducting a one-sided massacre of the others.
‘…He’s far faster than me.’
An enormous blade carved a blood-red afterimage through the air.
It was like a colossal wave, cleaving through everything in its path.
All my eyes could manage was to predict where that tidal surge of movement would strike.
‘Our eyes met. That man has acknowledged my presence.’
I had determined long ago that escape was impossible.
My only weapon now was my three-inch tongue.
Step. Step.
I slowed my pace and feigned composure.
Simultaneously, I racked my mind desperately, searching for any means of survival.
I probed for openings—which guild he belonged to, what connection he had to the Black Dragon Faction.
Crunch.
By the time I reached him, everyone except him lay dead.
It seemed he had no intention of killing me immediately, at least.
“….”
I gazed down at him in silence.
Fortunately, I was the taller of the two.
“….”
Yet he showed no intimidation whatsoever.
Rather, he seemed to be sensing whether anyone else lurked nearby.
And moments later, our eyes met.
Since it fell to me to extract information and make judgments about my opponent, I decided to speak first.
“Do you have business with me?”
The man gazed at me silently, then slowly opened his mouth.
“So you’re the one posing as the Black Dragon Faction.”
My identity had been exposed in an instant.
Was I going to die here?
As tension seized me and I swallowed hard, the man continued.
“Actually, I’m Korean too.”
“Cough.”
A path to survival had revealed itself.
Abroad, there was a famous saying to beware of fellow Koreans, but at least the first thing I needed to avoid was death.
“You must be here with your own business, posing as the Black Dragon Faction as well, yes? I’m in the same situation.”
“Yes, that’s correct. May I ask what your purpose is here?”
The man’s expression relaxed for the first time.
It was a good sign.
“Well, for now I can only explain it as a Quest.”
A Quest.
Likely a Hidden Quest.
Given it involved PK and targeted a remote village where Kingdom law didn’t properly apply, that much was clear.
Since the other party had provided some information, now it was my turn.
“The same applies to me. I’m planning to cause some chaos in this village for about ten days.”
“Oh. Our timeframes align nicely. How about we cooperate?”
I wanted to press him for exactly what he desired, but realistically, I was the weaker party here.
I decided to maintain a respectful and amicable demeanor.
“May I ask what kind of cooperation you need?”
“How about this: since you’re already posing as the Black Dragon Faction, just drive me into a corner. We fought fiercely, but I came out slightly behind.”
“…Pardon?”
For some reason, the proposal was far too favorable to me.
Simply by cornering such a strong opponent, my standing within Boa Village would skyrocket beyond measure.
“I can’t reveal everything, but my purpose is also to cause chaos. If the Six Heavens intervenes directly in this situation, my position becomes precarious. So I’m showing a picture where a skilled member of the Black Dragon Faction drives me back.”
“Ah. So you’re judging that the Six Heavens won’t send anyone?”
“Precisely.”
Remarkably, the man’s objectives aligned perfectly with mine.
The probability of encountering someone with such similar goals by chance was absurdly low.
My luck was extraordinarily good.
“Wow. I really am fortunate.”
The man expressed genuine admiration.
Though something felt slightly odd about it, since it didn’t seem disadvantageous to me, I decided to go along with it.
“I agree. Rather than the Six Heavens intervening, it seems better for me to cause chaos alone while posing as the Black Dragon Faction.”
“With this, our intentions align perfectly. It’s fate. I’m Eden.”
“…I’m Kael. If it’s not too presumptuous, may I ask your affiliation?”
Though it carried some risk, I believed I needed to know the other party’s affiliation before establishing a cooperative relationship.
After all, I had significant connections through Sung-chul from Seoguang and Cha Eun-kyung, as well as Bella from the Lumiere Guild.
“Seoguang.”
“…I see.”
It was hard to believe, but seeing Eden display the emblem of the Seo-gwang Guild embroidered on his clothes confirmed this was undoubtedly true.
“Being affiliated with one of the Four Major Guilds makes you trustworthy.”
“I’m relieved.”
Conversely, Eden didn’t ask about my affiliation.
I envied the composure that only those belonging to the Four Major Guilds—abundant in both reality and the game—could display.
“Very well. Let’s cooperate.”
“I appreciate the cooperation.”
Now that I knew Eden belonged to Seoguang, I could ensure the worst-case scenario wouldn’t come to pass no matter how the situation unfolded.
If push came to shove, I could receive direct assistance from Cha Eun-kyung.
“Very well, please attack freely now. With your full strength. I’ll ensure you don’t sustain fatal wounds.”
“Understood.”
Having received permission to attack with full power, I had no choice but to graciously accept his offer.
In fact, I was grateful for this opportunity.
This was the first time throughout the entire game that I could unilaterally assault an overwhelmingly superior opponent.
This would prove to be invaluable experience and a precious chance.
“Hah….”

[Name: Kael]
[Level: 15]
[Unallocated Points: 0]
[Strength: 23 Agility: 45 Vitality: 24 Wisdom: 27 Luck: 20]
[Eternity: 2]

I distributed the four unallocated points—three into Strength and one into Luck.
My initial strategy was to bring all stats to at least 20.
“Hnngh!”
I twisted my entire body and drove the wooden sword down diagonally.
The target was obvious—a vital point: the neck.
Crash!
“Oops.”
Though I’d unleashed my attack with full force, it was blocked instantly.
Whether it was his affiliation with Seoguang or not, I could clearly gauge Eden’s capabilities.
There was no way I could defeat him in my current state.
Whoosh!
Blocked or not, I continued my strikes carefully, chaining them together.
Crash!

[Seven Impact]
[Strength +7 Agility +7 Vitality +7 Wisdom +7 Luck +7]
[Your first seven attacks against the target deal double damage.]
[Duration: ∞]

At minimum, seven attacks with Seven Impact applied represented my maximum power, so I was prepared to throw everything at him.
Clang clang clang!
“…The force you’re exerting is stronger than I anticipated. I’ll begin blocking from here on.”
This time, our blades clashed from the very start.
I could clearly sense that Eden possessed overwhelmingly superior agility.
I twisted my body and swung my sword in the opposite direction.
Whoosh! Boom!
“That’s an unusual swordsmanship style, unbound by conventional blade paths. This is my first time encountering such technique.”
Eden was indeed an excellent sparring partner.
He positively evaluated my self-taught swordsmanship, suggesting he possessed real-world martial arts expertise as well.
This made attempting 200% output a sound decision.
“Huuuuh…”
I steadied my breathing, recalling that single strike which had obliterated the scarecrow and instantly killed the Golden Fox.
A unique technique of mine—if raw power proved insufficient, I would amplify destructive force by engaging my entire body more aggressively.
From this point forward, I would rely solely on physical force, employing my own skill that I’d never bothered naming since my previous life.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Upon reaching this realm of superhuman body utilization, dust began swirling around me.
Whether this was actually possible in reality remained uncertain, but in Mason’s games, it certainly was.
“Hm? What skill is this? Another first encounter.”
I decided to answer with my blade.
Let’s see if you can block this one too.
“Haaaaah!”
Whoooosh!
The wooden sword felt as though it had grown to nearly three meters in length.
In reality, the path the wooden sword traced could inflict genuine damage.
Just as wind pressure alone had knocked the rabbit unconscious.
This strike was an amplified version of that attack, pushed to its absolute limit.
Crash boom!
Eden blocked this strike as well.
But this time would be different.
Now I would add equipment bonuses to my buffs.
“Ugh. What kind of strength is this.”
I drove Eden back into the corner of the building.
And this place lay in deep shadow.
The conditions for activating one of my equipment skills were now met.
‘Shadow Fairytale.’

[Master’s Shade Wool Overcoat (Masterpiece)]
[Defense: 83]
[Shadow Assimilation]
[Magic Resistance (Intermediate)]
[Shadow Assimilation: Concealment rate increases in darkness.]
[Magic Resistance (Intermediate): Grants resistance to certain magical attacks.]
[A premium overcoat woven from Shade fur obtained at the Dark Land Entrance through specialized processing. Crafted to be exceptionally light, though it has lost its darkness affinity.]

At close range, Shadow Assimilation elevated my concealment rate, sowing confusion in my opponent’s senses.
Simultaneously, the activation conditions for a new lethal technique were satisfied.

[Master’s Revenant Turtleneck (Legendary)]
[Defense: 44]
[Strength +4 Agility +4 Stamina +4]
[Advanced Darkness Affinity]
[Advanced Darkness Affinity: Basic stats double in darkness, light-attribute magic resistance increases]
[A legendary masterpiece crafted from the souls of specters refined through a special purification process. It possesses the nature to transform itself to match the wearer’s physique and repair damage autonomously.]

In darkness, the conditions for Advanced Darkness Affinity are established.

[Name: Kael]
[Level: 15]
[Unused Points: 0]
[Strength: 46 Agility: 90 Stamina: 48 Wisdom: 54 Luck: 40]
[Eternity: 2]

These were not the stats of an ordinary level 15 user.
They were stats sufficient to read every movement Eden made.

[Master’s Gray Hide Walker (Masterpiece)]
[Defense: 36]
[Agility +10]
[Ashen Stride]
[Ashen Stride: Footsteps are silenced.]
[A premium walker crafted from the hide of the Gray Forest’s ruler. Exceptionally durable, flexible, and possessing remarkable hardness.]

And to that, I layer the effect of Ashen Footsteps.
My opponent cannot perceive how my feet move.
Whether they plant their weight to intercept me or weave their legs to block Eden’s trajectory.
“Wait, hold on!”
And I finish with my most favored item skill of late.

[Master’s Gust Fiber Semi-Wide Pants (Masterpiece)]
[Defense: 65]
[Agility +6]
[Gale Rush]
[Gale Rush: Instantaneously conjures a tempest that repels surroundings while accelerating you.]
[A luxury lower garment crafted from gust fiber made through a specialized process. Possesses exceptional breathability and is constructed with remarkable lightness.]

“Gale Rush.”
Whoosh!
When instantaneous acceleration combines with a sword strike, the perceived attack power doubles yet again.
Crash!
Eden desperately twisted his blade to deflect the assault.
But this strike was one that couldn’t be blocked—only evaded.
Crack!
The blade that had parried my strike was driven back by Mauro’s wooden sword, beginning to press down upon Eden’s body in reverse.
The resentment carved into the wooden sword is properly classified as an attribute, granting additional attack power.
In essence, a finishing technique saturated with gaming mechanics layered atop a foundation of realistic combat.
Crack! Crack!
“Ugh!”
At last, Eden rolled backward, planted his hand against the ground, and staunched the wound to stop the bleeding.
The attack had landed true.

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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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