A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 35

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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 35

After returning to Liam, I came straight back to reality.
Mental exhaustion had accumulated so heavily that I slept through until Sunday morning without stirring from bed.
Ding!
After finally shaking off the fatigue, I checked the messages that had piled up during my absence.
Most of them were from Sung-chul.

-Seo-jun. You’re the tanner stripping rabbit hides in the Liam Eastern Forest, right? Your stance matches exactly with that video of Cha Eun-kyung. You’re already famous. The view count is over 5 million lol
A hidden swordsman named Shotsu appeared in the Beginner Training Grounds, and the swordsman here is you too, right? Your body type matches perfectly. This has 20 million views, wow.
-You crossed over to the Chinese Beginner Villages, didn’t you? What’s going on suddenly in Boa Village? You said to tell you if I needed help.
-Seo-jun. Contact me.
-You ended up being mentioned at the guild’s weekly meeting. Your nickname and appearance are all known. I played dumb for now, but what exactly are you doing in China? Those people are really dangerous—you can’t get involved with them.
-If you don’t reply today, I’m assuming you’re connected to a crime and breaking down your door.

I’d anticipated some level of fame.
Given what I’d done in China.
But it seemed the fame had started even earlier than that.
“Good grief. What is all this?”
I called Sung-chul right away to sort things out.
He picked up before the third ring finished.
“Sung-chul.”
-Hey! What’s going on!
“Relax. I’ve been absorbed in the game and just saw your messages now.”
-Are you okay? You’re not hurt?
“What would I get hurt from? More importantly, Sung-chul, I want to acquire a subspace. How much would that run?”
Sung-chul’s calls were always welcome.
But Sunday had only just begun.
It made sense to handle everything today if possible.
Among all of it, acquiring a subspace was the highest priority.
-Huh? A subspace out of nowhere? Why would a newbie need a subspace? Newbies never get their money’s worth from them.
“Sung-chul, did I really look like an ordinary newbie to you?”
-Ah, wait. Now that I think about it, your actions have been unusual?
“Yes. My experience from the previous game is paying off. The leather processing methods are identical, and the sword mechanics work the same way.”
-True. I’ll admit it. The guild would scout you in a heartbeat if they knew you the way I do.
“So how much would a subspace cost?”
-It depends on storage capacity, but a gold coin purse for storing gold can be had for around 20 gold. They’ve been circulating in the market fairly well.
20 gold meant 30 million won.
And my current funds had comfortably exceeded 500 gold.
That meant I’d crossed 750 million won.
At this level, I could afford an actual house instead of a pocket dimension.
Naturally, I could also pay off all my loans.
“How much does a basic beginner’s backpack cost?”
-Hmm. That’s going to be expensive.
“Surely it doesn’t exceed 500 gold?”
-500 gold isn’t some trivial amount. Anything over 500 gold in pocket dimensions is for the ultra-wealthy. Even ordinary carriages can fit inside them. Besides, nobody even sells that size, and they only appear occasionally at Royal Auctions. Naturally, your competition would be NPC nobles. In fact, from the rank of Earl and above, even the ultra-wealthy struggle to compete. There’s a limit to the gold that gets released, and if you happen to offend someone, you’ll get a warning at minimum—assassins might even come looking for you.
This is one of Sung-chul’s strengths, I think.
Ask him one question, and you get incredibly detailed answers.
“That’s definitely too much then. I was planning to find one for under 200 gold.”
-Hmm. For a basic backpack size, you can find one between 50 and 100 gold. The price varies wildly depending on which Magic Tower it came from.
“Do I have to go all the way to the Magic Tower to buy one?”
-Of course. Looks like you’ll need my connections again this time.
“Oh. Exactly right. Do you have time today? We could meet in-game. I just got back to Liam.”
-Tch. I was actually about to raid your place, but the game might be better. I’ll add you as a friend too.
“Where should I wait? I’m staying at the Light and Salt Inn until tomorrow anyway.”
-You really did make some money, didn’t you? That’s not a beginner’s inn. It’s called an inn, but it’s basically a hotel-class establishment.
“Hehe. That’s right.”
Naturally, I wanted to keep my assets safe, so for once I indulged myself at an inn that cost 50 silver per night.
Even this wasn’t a luxury for me.
The Light and Salt here had various amenities including a private hot spring, and offered the advantage of enjoying refreshments and tea to your taste.
In other words, it was an attractive inn where you could enjoy minor buff benefits.
-Okay. I’ll teleport right away. Wait in the lobby.
“Elder? Teleportation costs 10 gold. Are you sure?”
-No. I’ve cleared a lot of Guild Quests, so I have several teleportation vouchers. Round trip is only 5 gold.
The Four Major Guilds really are different.
The Kingdom treats Seo-gwang quite favorably, so teleportation costs less than half.
“I was planning to pay the brokerage fee anyway, so I’ll cover the teleportation cost.”
-What kind of luxury is a beginner talking about? Never mind, just wait in the lobby.
“Okay, okay. I got it.”
Being treated like a beginner again after so long feels strange.
Wherever I went, my equipment gave me high-level treatment, but I never got treated like a beginner.
Regardless, Sung-chul’s judgment is always accurate.
-It’ll take about an hour and a half. See you then.
“Yes, Elder.”
I hung up and lay back on the bed.
There were still messages I hadn’t checked.
But this time was unexpected.
Cha Eun-kyung had sent quite a lot of messages too.

-What are you doing?
-Phone call.
-Where?
-What are you doing?
-Phone call.
-Phone call.
-Call me.

Unlike Sung-chul, this person was remarkably straightforward.
They pursued only the essential matter at hand.
And for some reason, this early morning contact had been formal.
“My, I’ve kept a VIP waiting.”
I quickly called Cha Eun-kyung as well.
She picked up in under three seconds.
-….
“Cha Eun-kyung. I apologize for the late contact.”
-You’re alive.
“…Pardon?”
Alive, she says.
Something unsettling crept through me.
Could this be the countess-ranked noble Sung-chul had mentioned?
For some reason, I couldn’t shake the image of assassins being dispatched if I displeased her.
-That’s all that matters.
“Pardon?”
-The game. When will you log in?
“I’ll have breakfast and log in right after.”
-Log in and wait.
“Yes, understood.”
The call ended.
We’d really only discussed the bare essentials.
“But shouldn’t we decide on a meeting place?”
Though an odd unease lingered, I decided to overlook such minor details since the in-game whisper function existed.
Ding-ding-ding-
Since starting the game, one notable change in my life was my diet.
With my sleep schedule disrupted, the importance of health had risen.
At the very least, I wasn’t about to skimp on food.
“Living this way, I’ve found myself spending over a hundred thousand won on breakfast alone.”
Organic brown rice with Korean beef tenderloin steak, three seasonal vegetables, and acacia flower pickles with yuzu.
For soup, perilla leaf broth made with radish greens.
I ordered a premium breakfast delivered from nearby, but I don’t feel any sense of value for money.
“I’m not sure if I’m eating rice or eating money, but the nutritional composition seems decent.”
At first, I was only worried, but after tasting it, my thoughts changed.
For one, the satisfaction from the flavor was considerable.
Among them, the acacia flower pickles were something I’d never eaten before in my life, and I quite enjoyed the subtle fragrance, sweetness, and just the right amount of acidity.
“Actually, eating on an empty stomach makes the taste come through better. This is nice?”
A meal of this caliber might as well be a masterpiece-level buff.
Since this was reality, I couldn’t expect actual buffs, but I still wanted to give high marks for experiencing this new food culture.

* * *

Back in the game.
Opening my eyes while feeling the comfort of a premium bed was quite a pleasant experience.
“I’ll just enjoy the appetizer and head out.”
Since I had time before the appointment, I soaked myself in the private hot spring to wash up as well.
Since it was a hot spring in the game, the purification effect activated automatically.
“Ahhhhh….”
And here’s the most crucial part.
I could obtain buffs through bathing in the hot spring as well.

[Active Buffs]
[Eucalyptus Hot Spring (Superior)]
[Strength +2, Vitality +7, Luck +2]
[Fatigue recovers rapidly.]
[Muscle soreness does not occur.]
[Duration: 2 hours]

“Oh?”
Truly a buff befitting a hot spring.
Moreover, immunity to muscle soreness—a debuff that arose for all sorts of reasons—was quite valuable.
Normally, a hot spring would be used for fatigue recovery and muscle soreness relief, but this time, things were different for me.
“I could just swap it out, couldn’t I?”

[Savory Falken Bear Berry Stew (Common)]
[Strength +2, Vitality +2]
[Presence grows faint.]
[Duration: ∞]

My opponent’s weight class was significantly below mine.
At this level, I could swap buffs without hesitation.
I went ahead and replaced the duration of Falken Bear Berry Stew with the duration of Eucalyptus Hot Spring.
“Now that’s infinite hot spring bathing.”

[Eucalyptus Hot Spring (Advanced)]
[Strength +2, Vitality +7, Luck +2]
[Fatigue recovers rapidly.]
[Muscle soreness does not occur.]
[Duration: ∞]

After finishing my soak and getting dressed, I headed out to the lobby.
Since the main clientele were players, the atmosphere was hardly different from a hotel.
I hadn’t seen it last night since it was late, but the equipment level of the inn’s guests was certainly exceptional.
“Ah, what an honor to meet you. I’m Jung Gap-ho, president of Shinheung Trading Company.”
“I’m Park Joo-han, executive director of Jangho Personnel. Please feel free to call me Director Park.”
This visit seemed more business-oriented than game-related.
Judging by how people had gathered in one spot, it appeared a rather successful corporate executive had come to the inn.
It was something that happened often enough in reality, so I understood.
What bothered me was how reality seemed to drag people around even within the game.
I decided to ignore the crowd and settle into a quiet corner.
If I leisurely enjoyed the flower tea world cup that the inn offered, time would pass quickly enough.
I raised my hand, and a staff member approached.
“Flower tea, all varieties, please.”
“Of course. All flower teas have been ordered. Please confirm any additional charges upon checkout.”
“Understood.”
Now came the leisurely wait for the flower tea.
But somehow, leisure became impossible.
The crowd in the lobby was slowly approaching in my direction.
“You’re late.”
At the center of that crowd was Cha Eun-kyung.
Utterly confident.

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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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