A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 30

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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 30

The Quest had been completed.
This meant the normalization of Boa Village.
With merely a single Knight Order deployed, a Quest that had remained incomplete until now was marked as finished.
“This should suffice. Kael. Starting today, we begin mana cultivation training.”
“I might as well learn a few more useful sword techniques. I’ll assist as well.”
The Training Instructor and Sword Guild Master both confirmed their commitment to the teachings that were Quest rewards.
The special status of mana was excellent, but I had high expectations for swordsmanship as well.
This was an opportunity to learn proper active skills.
Until now, I had relied on martial arts and equipment bonuses, so this chance felt particularly poignant.
“Thank you.”
The eventful visit of the Knight Order had ended.
Eden survived, and my treatment was handled smoothly thanks to the Training Instructor and the Spirit Tamers.
Of course, I didn’t believe all problems were perfectly resolved.
After all, a man like Calix showed no leniency whatsoever toward outsiders.
I could only be satisfied with not being harassed within Boa Village.
“The Training Ground will be managed by the Knight Order for the time being. That’s better for the outsiders too. Opportunities to learn weaponry from professional knights aren’t common.”
“The Sword Guild will be closing its doors. Until you achieve enlightenment. Head there.”
“Yes.”
We headed straight to the Sword Guild.
After several rounds of maintenance, the sword training hall was quite clean.
It was an environment beyond reproach.
“First, mana. As I mentioned before, we’ll skip the entire process of sensing mana normally. Learning through your body is faster.”
At that moment, the Training Instructor swung a wooden sword toward my forearm.
Whoosh!
And I instinctively deflected the wooden sword.
Ever since entering the Sword Guild, the Training Instructor’s gaze had been so fierce that I’d prepared for a surprise attack.
Clang!
“…What are you doing?”
“I deflected it.”
“No. You should take the hit. To feel the mana, understand?”
It was I who should have been bewildered, yet the Training Instructor was the one looking taken aback.
“Did you mean I should take the hit to feel the mana?”
“Of course. That’s how I learned.”
“I see.”
“Even though I adjusted my swing, it’s problematic if you deflect it.”
His pride wounded, the Training Instructor’s expression began to turn serious.
Actually, I was pleased.
The more genuine the Training Instructor became, the better my real combat practice would be.
“I’ve acquired quite the troublesome disciple.”
My resistance had reached its limit.
He’d openly wrapped the wooden sword with mana.
Whoooosh!
True to his title of Sword Master of the Previous Era, the Training Instructor’s full power was beyond anything I could block or parry.
“Wouldn’t the detoxification have finished by now?”
“If it had, I wouldn’t be able to control my strength. You brat.”
Shwiiing!
Once again, the wooden sword came flying through an extraordinary sword trajectory.
Whoooosh!
“Any swordsman worth their salt must know how to channel mana from shoulder to fingertip. Keep getting hit, and you’ll feel the mana. I’m precisely stimulating your mana circuits.”
Swish! Thwack!
The Training Instructor’s strike points were certainly consistent.
With each impact came tremendous pain mixed with a subtle, refreshing sensation.
“Your expression says you’re already feeling something—you’re not just whining from the pain, are you?”
“I really am feeling it!”
For some reason, I felt I could swing the sword with greater strength, so I attempted a counterattack.
“Try getting hit yourself, Instructor. Feel it.”
Craaack!
Boom!
“Y-you insane bastard?”
“I told you it’s real? Get hit and see for yourself.”
I too enjoyed communication through physical exchange.
In my previous life, there were so many savages who couldn’t be reasoned with.
When it came to teaching, I’d learned to do it quite competently.
“That strength is only 33. It shouldn’t pose much of a threat.”

[Wooden Sword of Resentment (Unique)]
[Attack Power: 24~44]
[Durability: 310 (Irreparable)]
[Resentment Imbued: Triggers ‘Laceration’ at certain probability]
[Laceration: Inflicts wounds on the target that cannot be healed for a set duration.]
[A wooden sword crafted from Mauro wood. Carefully maintained with fine oils for decades. It surpasses most genuine blades and boasts unparalleled performance among wooden swords.]

What I overlooked here was that a weapon wielded with 33 Strength dealt damage in the range of 24 to 44.
CRASH!
“You fool! If you swing a weapon imbued with such malice with all your might!”
CRASH!
“It might actually be better?”
CRASH!
Indeed, the Training Instructor was a tough, straightforward man.
It seemed he had concluded that this approach would benefit me as well.
“So you really can feel mana?”
“Yes. I told you it was real.”
“Good. Keep going.”
“Understood.”
The power I channeled was different.
As if my Strength stat had increased by dozens of points, I felt a sensation similar to using dark affinity in shadow synchronization.
For some reason, if I struck down with the wooden sword with all my strength right now, I felt I would understand something.
“Here I go.”
Something surged up from my heart.
My entire body grew hot, and I felt compelled to pour this energy solely into the blade.
I entrusted everything to the sword.
WHOOOOSH!
“You’re quite the specimen.”
CLANG!
The Training Instructor met my blade head-on.
What struck me as considerate was that he didn’t block the power I was channeling into the sword—he simply received it.
CLANG!
“That’s it! Extract that sensation just as it is!”
CLANG!
As we continued the test of strength, I began to feel something draining from my heart.

[Magnificent Achievement!]
[Through sword training, you have awakened to mana!]
[Strength increases by 1.]
[Agility increases by 1.]
[Stamina increases by 1.]
[Wisdom increases by 1.]
[Luck increases by 1.]
[Special Status ‘Mana’ has been created.]
[You can now channel mana into your body.]
[Mana amplifies your physical efficiency.]

Thud!
The moment my status window appeared, my strength drained away.
It seemed all the mana I’d just generated had been completely depleted.
“…Normally, you’d need a month of training to awaken your mana. Since the Second Prince, you’re only the second person to have awakened it this quickly.”
The Training Instructor regarded me with an expression of exhaustion.
If that were the case, other users treated as outsiders should be capable of the same.
The character’s talent in this game was certainly special, it seemed.
“It’s all thanks to you, Instructor.”
I could only feel grateful.
“Phew. Taking the full force with an injured body is taxing. I’ll rest a bit, so go learn some swordplay from that gentleman over there.”
“Yes.”
Next came the Sword Guild Master’s turn.
He was a man with the typical appearance of a narrow-eyed elderly figure, but the lean muscle rippling across his thin forearms and the scars carved into them with equal prominence emanated a terrifying aura.
“It seems your specialty is delivering a single blow with all your strength. How about learning a technique of the opposite nature?”
“Opposite nature?”
“A swordsmanship that pursues extreme speed and swiftness.”
Whoosh!
“Like this.”
The Sword Guild Master’s blade was already positioned before my neck.
There was no process of development to be seen—a truly swift strike.
“What do you think? It’s a technique called ‘Instant Pierce.'”
Instant Pierce.
It was the technique the Sword Guild Master wanted to teach me.
The skill name itself was quite appealing.
“Wow. That’s amazing!”
“You don’t need to load it with force. What matters is concealing your presence until you strike the opponent’s neck, or swinging with such speed that the attack itself becomes invisible.”
“Understood. I’ll learn it.”
The Sword Guild Master smiled with satisfaction and nodded.
“There are no divided motions. The essence is to extend a single strike toward your target with the thought of ending it all in one blade.”
Unwavering.
The Master’s stance remained unchanged.
It was a typical upright posture—inconvenient for loading force and poor in striking efficiency.
“You don’t need to load all your strength. Only the minimum force necessary to sever your target, and optimal trajectory—that’s all you should think about.”
Slash!
This time, the blade was visible, as if he’d reduced his speed.
Yet I still couldn’t muster the courage to block it.
It was an exceptionally troublesome strike.
“Did you infuse mana into it as well?”
“Not at all. If I were to infuse mana into this technique…”
This time, the target was not me, but a training dummy.
Crash!
The scarecrow’s neck was severed in an instant.
“So that’s how it is. A technique unsuitable for sparring.”
This was the strength of the Village’s top-tier NPC.
Having reached this level of mastery with only a single life to spare.
A very clear reason why users could never conquer NPCs.
“I’ll give it a try. Must the stance be perfectly upright?”
“No. The essence is manifesting the technique from any stance.”
“Understood. Let me attempt it.”
I had already memorized what the technique entailed.
As fast as possible, along the optimal trajectory.
Thud!
“Too much force went into that. Even at half strength, the neck would sever.”
“I’ll reduce the power.”
The buffs making my strength excessive was also problematic.
If this were my real body, I would have held back sufficiently, but this superhuman frame was different.
“Exhale.”
I released the tension in my arm and swung the wooden sword like cracking a whip.
Crack!
“The blade path was poor that time.”
“Yes.”
Snap!
“Accurate, but you held back too much force.”
Instant Severance was a skill where the midpoint mattered most.
It required an overwhelmingly longer learning process than mana training.
“Huff… huff…”
“Finally exhausted. Now you don’t need to hold back—focus on sensation.”
“Exhale…”
My stamina had dropped to single digits.
Now nothing existed but the scarecrow.
Literally a state where I could only concentrate on sensation.
I swung the blade.
Slice!
The impact felt perfect.
Exactly the right amount of force to sever the neck cord.
This strike required no further comment.

[You have acquired the active skill ‘Instant Severance’.]
[You instantaneously sever the opponent’s vital points.]
[If your Agility is 2 times or higher than the opponent’s, it is judged as an instant kill.]
[Using this skill consumes a large amount of Health.]
[The skill can consume Mana instead of Health to amplify its effects.]
[Agility increases by 1.]
[Luck increases by 1.]

I was far too exhausted to see the Sword Guild Master’s expression.
But I could sense what kind of expression he wore.
“Congratulations.”

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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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