A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 4

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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 4

CRASH!
The scarecrow shattered completely.
It was thanks to my perfect control of the wooden sword’s recoil.
“Huff! Huff! Please swap out my wooden sword.”
“Ah, understood!”
At some point, the soldiers who’d been speaking down to the users began using respectful language.
CRASH! BANG! THUD!
“Phew…”
I rested for a minute, attacked a scarecrow, and received a fresh wooden sword every third dummy.
With each repetition of the sword forms, my body felt itself adapting to the virtual reality.
“Here’s your wooden sword!”
“Thank you.”
BANG!
BANG!
“Here you are.”
I lost all sense of time passing.
Nothing existed but training to reclaim my senses.
CRASH!
CRUNCH!
The fifty-sixth scarecrow was obliterated.
At last, a single overhead strike had shattered the dummy in one blow.
CRACK.
The wooden sword broke along with it.
“H-here you are!”
“…”
WHOOSH!
CRACKLE!
The scarecrow, pierced through the heart, folded in half.
“…”
Now even the soldier handed over the wooden sword in silence.
SWISH!
SMASH!
The scarecrow, its lower vital point completely destroyed, lost its balance and toppled.
“…Phew.”
I moved to the next scarecrow.
“Ah, please use as many as you need!”
A Newbie User had arrived at the Training Ground before me.
In his hands was a camera with a crude, blocky design.
“…What is that?”
“Oh, I noticed it had a recording function, so I turned it on. Is that a problem?”
At least, my Dimension Gate II lacked such a feature.
It was likely a function supported only by the latest equipment.
“Please just make sure my face doesn’t appear in the footage.”
“Of course! Thank you so much!”
I passed the Newbie User and moved to the next scarecrow to resume my training.
Crack!
Hours had elapsed.
By now, most of the scarecrows in the Training Ground lay in ruins.
Without the infinite buff sustaining me, such destruction would have been impossible.
Strength 5 had its physical limits, after all.
Yet the results were undeniable.
At least against stationary targets, I’d conditioned my body to execute the optimal movements—those that channeled the greatest impact along the most efficient trajectory.
“…It’s time to move to actual combat.”
I recognized that I’d outgrown the Beginner Training Ground.
Following the stagnant player’s advice from the Fountain, I would now hunt rabbits in the Eastern Forest to sharpen my real-world instincts.

-Yes. The wooden sword the Training Instructor gives directly is far superior to ordinary wooden swords. The durability is incredibly high, so you can use it for a long time.

I turned my head toward the hidden reward that the veteran player had mentioned—a wooden sword with high durability that would last a long time.
“Please follow me. I’ve been ordered to guide you to the Instructor’s Office once training concludes.”
“Ah, I see.”
Now that I thought about it, the Training Instructor had disappeared at some point.
For someone as powerful as the Training Instructor, watching repetitive drills would hardly be entertaining, so it was only natural.
‘This is fun. The NPCs in this game really feel like actual people.’
Mason was definitely a company that made games well.
Their greatest strength was knowing how to create an environment where users could become completely immersed.
“Yes, please guide me.”
I arrived at a small, modestly decorated building following the soldier.
Traces of other players’ handiwork were evident—traditional Korean architectural elements dotted the structure here and there.
“You may enter.”
As I stepped inside, the remodeling marks became even more pronounced.
Koreans certainly took their interior design seriously.
“You recognize it, then. The traditional style of the Joseon Dynasty, they say? I entrusted it to a foreign architect on a whim.”
“I see. Though it appears you have something else you wish to discuss.”
“Indeed. Will you hear me out?”
The scent of a Quest.
This development was something neither the veteran player at the Fountain nor Sung-chul (Elder) had mentioned separately.
“By all means.”
That made me all the more eager to listen.
“I’m retired now and manage a small Training Ground, but I was once a Royal Court knight with pride in my service. Compared to you, my life was surely smooth sailing.”
I’d heard about Royal Court knights from Sung-chul (Elder) before.
He’d excitedly told me how South Korea had produced its first Royal Court knight, asking if I didn’t watch the news.
They were placed on the same level as celebrities considered national treasures.
“You must have been remarkable. I’m merely an ordinary office worker—or rather, an ordinary soldier in this world’s terms.”
“Hmm.”
NPCs gauging their conversation partner’s emotions was something that existed in the previous game too.
For powerful or special NPCs, this tendency became even more pronounced.
So the moment I learned the other person was a former Royal Court knight, I told the truth.
“An office worker, you say. I hear the foreigner who decorated this place was also an office worker. Clearly a capable individual.”
“…That’s not entirely wrong, I suppose.”
I didn’t regret leaving behind my long years of unemployment to join a company.
Though I’d lost my sense of joy, I’d become a more credible person.
“But first, a moment.”
The Training Instructor presented a wooden sword that appeared to have been carefully maintained over a long period with good oil, and a single sheet of parchment.
“…What is this?”
“A wooden sword I used in my youth. Like you, it’s an object with a story. That parchment is a letter of recommendation granting free access to the Knight Training Academy.”
A wooden sword used by a former Royal Court knight. And free access to the Knight Training Academy.
I immediately realized this was no ordinary development.
“Typically, we gift wooden swords crafted at the Royal Court’s workshops to distinguished foreigners—those who operate at higher echelons. Recommendation letters are another matter entirely. At most, two per year, reserved for foreigners who truly stand out.”
“…!”
A Knight Training Academy recommendation letter from a Royal Court knight.
The contours of the Royal Court knight pathway began to crystallize before me.
“Foreigners call spiritual force ‘level,’ don’t they? But at the Knight Training Academy, you can strengthen your body independently of spiritual force.”
If this were true, a Knight Training Academy recommendation letter represented something extraordinary.
It meant stat increases could occur separately from leveling.
“And this wooden sword is essential to the story ahead. I believe you differ from every other foreigner I’ve encountered thus far. Take it. The real tale begins now.”
I received the wooden sword and recommendation letter from the Training Instructor.

[You have received a Quest item.]

And a message announcing the Quest.
I straightened my posture.
“Yes. Please tell me anything.”
“In my youth, I encountered a massive fox with golden fur in the Eastern Forest. A cunning creature, through and through.”
The Golden Fox was undoubtedly the Quest’s objective.
Was this a hunting or tracking quest?
It seemed far too demanding for a level 1 player.
“Back then, I faced that fox with this very wooden sword. But I wasn’t alone—my companion who traveled with me was mauled savagely. It hunted only the weak.”
“…Ah. So you’re asking me.”
In essence, the Training Instructor’s fox was a newbie-crusher that specialized exclusively in hunting Newbie Users.
Now the logic aligned perfectly.
“I searched the Eastern Forest whenever time permitted, seeking revenge, but heard only of mounting casualties—no progress. Now I deploy as many foreigners as possible into the Eastern Forest to locate the beast.”
This too made sense.
Unlike NPCs who perish permanently, users could resurrect.
Users and NPCs existed in a symbiotic relationship of mutual exploitation.
“I harbor hope that you might settle my ancient grudge. I sincerely pray you won’t refuse.”

[You have received the Hidden Quest ‘The Golden Fox’s Nightmare.’]
[The Training Instructor seeks the Golden Fox, the enemy of his childhood companion. Vanquish the Golden Fox with the wooden sword the Training Instructor once wielded and end his vendetta.]
[Time Limit: None]
[Objective: Defeat the Hidden Boss, Golden Fox, in the Eastern Forest of Liam]
[Reward: ???]

Befitting the dignity of a Royal Court knight, there was no Quest rejection button.
Not that I’d intended to refuse anyway.
“I’ll give it my best effort. I was in need of real combat experience anyway.”
“As expected, my eye for talent doesn’t deceive me. If you resolve this request, I’ll provide rewards tailored to your preferences.”
The compensation appeared to be flexible.
Since this person was connected to the Royal Court knights, I could only speculate that related rewards would emerge—at least for now.
“Then I’ll make certain to resolve it. Even if it costs me my life.”
“Ha ha! Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease! I look forward to your accomplishments!”
“Until we meet again.”
I exchanged a light nod of acknowledgment and slipped out of the Instructor’s Office.
The smile wouldn’t leave my lips.
The fact that I hadn’t missed a Hidden Quest—one only available to Level 1 users—was extraordinary in itself.
It felt like receiving a rookie award that comes once in a lifetime.
Sung-chul (Elder) could vouch for this fact.

-A Hidden Quest? Think of it like winning the lottery. Especially if you’re the first to discover it, the value skyrockets. Just selling the Quest acquisition method nets you at least hundreds, and if you sell the strategy guide too, you can earn hundreds of millions depending on the reward level.

Some Hidden Quests are even protected and managed by law at the government level.
This is likely the first Hidden Quest ever discovered.
At least the Mason I know doesn’t reset NPC artificial intelligence.
And the Training Instructor showed genuine resentment specifically toward the Golden Fox.
‘I need to organize the Quest details in advance. First, at Level 1 with 10 Strength, I’ll destroy most of the scarecrows in the Training Ground. The scarecrows’ weak points must turn white with a single strike. How many wooden swords did I break? Anyway, from the moment the soldier started addressing me with honorifics, the Instructor disappeared from view, so…’
As I organized my thoughts, I’d somehow arrived at the entrance to Liam’s eastern district.
There were quite a few users gathered here.
“Rabbit jerky that boosts Agility for 30 minutes! 2 Copper each! We’re also buying rabbit meat!”
“Perfect guidance through the Eastern Forest! We accept cash! I’m Level 20!”
“Buying wolf fang necklaces! Only intermediate grade and above!”
These were users buying and selling items.
However, even after searching my pockets, I didn’t have a single Copper to my name.
All I possessed were a beginner’s waist pouch, bread from the Fountain’s stagnant water, a single parchment, and the Training Instructor’s wooden sword.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t even checked the items I received while organizing the Quest. What did Sung-chul (Elder) say? Attack power 10 with durability 80?’
I carefully stored the parchment in my pouch since I wouldn’t need it immediately.
The real focus was the wooden sword.
I picked up the wooden sword and stared at it for 2 seconds to bring up its detailed information.

[Resentment-Infused Mauro Wooden Sword (Unique)]
[Attack Power: 24~44]
[Durability: 320 (Irreparable)]
[Resentment-Infused: Triggers ‘Laceration’ at certain probability]
[Laceration: Inflicts wounds upon the target that cannot be healed for a set duration.]
[A wooden sword crafted from Mauro wood. For decades, it has been meticulously maintained and nourished with fine oils. It surpasses most steel blades in quality, boasting unparalleled performance among wooden swords.]

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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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