A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 40

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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 40

The camouflage cloth caved inward with a satisfying depression.
From the crisp sensation of impact, I knew the person inside was real.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
My experience puncturing a goblin’s skull made the follow-up strikes effortless.
With torchlight illuminating the rounded head, I unleashed a relentless barrage of consecutive strikes.
Boom! Boom!
“Argh! What the—!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each cry pinpointed my target perfectly, and my strikes grew increasingly precise with every blow.
Boom! Boom!
“Gack!”
A greatsword burst through the camouflage cloth.
Finally attempting a counterattack.
But it was too late.
Since only these humans made noise in this place, the goblins that had been chasing me so eagerly were now consumed by frenzy.
“Kieeeek! Kiek!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Daggers, hammers, and crude weapons of every kind rained down on the camouflage cloth, which quickly became drenched in blood.
I transferred the aggression to them and slipped away from the position.

[Your level has increased!]

My level increased.
Even after that, the shrieks of goblins and humans continued for quite some time, and eventually only the goblins’ frenzied screams dominated the cave.
All of my party members except me had been wiped out.
“I should head back soon.”
When a character dies, there’s a certain probability of losing ownership of equipped gear.
Items and money in the inventory, like a backpack, all drop to the ground.
Since my party members didn’t appear to be ordinary users, I was hoping some fairly valuable items might drop.
“I’m not asking for much. Please, just let teleportation fees drop.”
“Kyieeek!”
Crash!
Fighting the goblins wasn’t difficult.
Just like how I’d sealed off the Crime Den outside Lis Village, recreating my technique in this narrow cavern was all it took.
“Kyiek! Kyiek!”
Crash! Bang!
Was it thanks to the hot spring buff?
I didn’t feel any sense of strain.
I was simply amazed at what kind of technology could transform a person so realistically and convincingly.
“Kyiek…”
Naturally, the goblins’ morale plummeted.
I remained unscathed while their comrades continued to fall without pause.
“What. Why. You said you’d try harder.”
“Kyik…”
Crash!
Monsters are not infinite.
No matter how many goblins lived in this cave, their numbers wouldn’t suddenly increase overnight.
In other words, if I kept beating down the goblins before me, this cave would soon be completely empty.
“Get out of here quickly, you guys.”
Bang!
It didn’t matter if the goblins escaped at this point.
Given the cave’s size, there was a high probability of some reward being present, so I just needed to secure that.
Crash!
“I said get out.”
“Kyik!”
Crash!

[Magnificent Achievement!]
[You have defeated 100 monsters solo within 1 hour!]
[Strength increases by 2.]
[Vitality increases by 1.]

I achieved a new Achievement.
This time it was an Achievement related to monster subjugation.
Moreover, it was a valuable Achievement that increased Strength and Stamina.
All of this was thanks to obtaining the hot spring buff.

[Level: 22]
[Unallocated Points: 7]
[Strength: 36 Agility: 59 Stamina: 42 Wisdom: 44 Luck: 37]
[Eternity: 5 Mana: 2]

My unallocated points had accumulated reasonably well.
It was time to distribute my stats.
If I allocated 4 points to Strength and 3 to Luck, all my stats would reach the 40s.

[Level: 22]
[Unallocated Points: 0]
[Strength: 40 Agility: 59 Stamina: 42 Wisdom: 44 Luck: 40]
[Eternity: 5 Mana: 2]

At level 22 with all stats above 40.
I wondered if there was anyone among the current rankers who possessed such stats at level 20.
To match stats similar to mine, one would need to be at least at Cha Eun-kyung’s level, I thought.
“Oh. I’m brimming with power. Indeed, every 10 stat points makes a noticeable difference.”
Thanks to the surge in Strength, I could now swing the wooden sword with even greater force.
I decided to pick up the pace.
“I overestimated your intelligence.”
The goblins were different from the users in the Crime Den.
My plan was to drive them away moderately and collect rewards neatly, but no matter how much their morale dropped, they wouldn’t abandon the idea of killing me.
That’s why I took direct action to subjugate them.
“Hyah!”
I changed my approach.
Rather than precise strikes, simply swinging broadly was more efficient.
Even if I had grown stronger, I didn’t think it would be enough to collapse the cave.
Crash!
“Kieeeek!”
Six goblins flew away in one blow.
It didn’t matter if they died or not.
It was all part of my training anyway.
If I kept pounding them like this, eventually I’d see the end.
There might even be a consecutive subjugation Achievement waiting for me.
“Let’s push it to 200!”
Whoooosh!
For the first time, circumstances had finally aligned to hold a proper experience grinding session.
With sheer numbers on my side, the experience would be exceptional.
Crash! Bang!

[Level Up!]

Because I’d charged in first, the goblins’ resistance had intensified.
Once, I’d been startled by a blind arrow that came flying from an eyeball, but that was it.
Despite their contempt for the weak, I instinctively dodged.
There were no variables.
No matter how many goblins swarmed, I could now suppress them through sheer weight class.
“Hrrgh!”
Craaaaaaash!
“Kieek! Kiek!”

[Level Up!]

The fierce yet one-sided massacre continued unabated.
Would I need to hunt a thousand in under an hour?
Unfortunately, no additional Achievements appeared.
Still, there were gains.
My level had risen twice more to 24, and the ears I needed to collect had surpassed several hundred.
“Phew.”
In the end, I’d subjugated every goblin.
Only when three goblins remained did they finally attempt to flee.
But those wretched creatures had been relentlessly instigating from the rear with their shrieks, so I showed them no mercy—I pursued and slaughtered them all.
“Ah. Our party members.”
The camouflage cloth was already tattered, and the existing party members were damaged beyond recognition.
Even the Greatsword Warrior, our leader, had been so unlucky as to lose his weapon.

[Greatsword of the Corpse Collector Shrouded in Obsession (Cursed) (Masterwork)]
[Attack Power: 49~64]
[Durability: 124 (Irreparable)]
[Shrouded in Obsession: The weapon’s attack power increases explosively, but it cannot be repaired. Durability recovers by embedding the weapon in corpses.]
[Long ago, this greatsword belonged to the Corpse Collector, a nightmare of the Belhard Kingdom. It clouds the judgment of its wielder.]

I decided to abandon the idea.
It was a greatsword with absurdly exceptional options—far too magnificent to call a masterpiece—but the description warned that the curse embedded within made it unsuitable for primary use.
“The attack power is excellent, the durability recovery option is outstanding, yet of all things it’s a cursed item?”
Still, the performance was so dominant that I found myself torn.
At least in Beginner Village, it was a weapon with specs that could reign supreme.
I planted the acquired greatsword into a nearby goblin corpse to restore its durability, then continued deliberating.
“Hmm. But the attack power is really too tempting.”

[Wooden Sword of Resentment, Mauro (Unique)]
[Attack Power: 24~44]
[Durability: 320 (Unrepairable)]
[Resentment Imbued: Triggers ‘Severance’ at certain probability]
[Severance: Inflicts wounds on the target that cannot be healed for a set duration.]
[A wooden sword crafted from Mauro wood. Carefully maintained and nourished with fine oil for decades. It surpasses most genuine blades and boasts unrivaled performance among wooden swords.]

The newly acquired greatsword boasted superior attack power compared to the Wooden Sword of Mauro I’d been favoring.
Setting aside the risk of requiring both hands to wield, the greatsword’s minimum attack power exceeded the wooden sword’s maximum.
But the option that clouded the user’s judgment bothered me.
“Right. I have Sung-chul.”
I no longer had to deliberate alone.
Since I’d added Sung-chul to my friends, I could simply ask him in real time.

[Kael: Elder. Are you busy?]
[Nyx: No. Go ahead. Another emergency?]
[Kael: No. It’s all settled. I dealt with a malicious user and obtained a weapon. Could you take a look at this? ‘Link: Greatsword of the Corpse Collector Shrouded in Despair (Cursed) (Masterpiece)’]
[Nyx: Wait.]

I collected the remaining items while waiting for Sung-chul’s response.
“Huh. So these were golden goblins after all.”
The money they dropped amounted to just over 13 gold.
They’d left me with nothing but a stone backpack, keeping their valuable assets tucked away in their possession.
Thanks to not missing my instinct, I’d managed to earn enough for a teleport.
“Everything else is just damaged items. They must have been exposed to the goblins for too long.”
I collected goblin ears as a side job with a short sword I’d picked up.
Though goblin ears only exchanged for copper per piece, collecting them also created a PK alibi, so it was good to leave evidence of the subjugation.
Scritch. Thunk. Scritch. Thunk.
“This should net me around 30 silver. Enough to cover meals.”
The earnings were better than expected.
Since 1 silver was worth about 15,000 won, I could potentially earn my current monthly salary just by consistently hunting if I kept at it.
If I used Contempt for the Weak effectively, the income would be substantial enough to seriously consider going full-time.

[Nyx: What? This is a relic-class weapon? If it’s directly mentioned by the corpse collector recorded in Belhard Kingdom history, there’s a high chance it’s connected to a hidden class?]
[Kael: Really? Could I sell it for money?]
[Nyx: Yeah. Chinese players would go crazy for that. How did you end up with a weapon like that?]
[Kael: It belonged to that person looking for porters earlier. They seemed pretty high level, but they were luring newbies from Beginner Village into dungeons and robbing them. It’s their weapon.]
[Nyx: The Crime Den around Beginner Village is getting cleaned out right now, so they must be investigating other crimes too. Your timing was perfect, Seo-jun.]
[Kael: So how much would this sell for?]
[Nyx: Hard to say. Probably over 3,000, but selling it in China would be better than domestically. In China, you could aim for over 100 million. It’s clearly a hidden class if it’s the ‘corpse collector,’ and if you bundle in the clues, it’s guaranteed to exceed 100 million.]
[Kael: I see. Thanks, hyung.]
[Nyx: Yeah. For now, the guild has already recruited both double agents and defectors. I’ll let you know if things develop further.]
[Kael: Got it.]

The greatsword I’d just acquired boasted a far higher price than expected.
This time too, it involved a sum in the hundreds of millions.
Of course, to receive full value, I’d need clues about the hidden class, so I’d need to use it a bit more.
“Either way, it works out.”
The reward settlement wasn’t finalized yet.
I hadn’t fully explored this cave.
“Now it’s time to figure out why the goblins are gathered in a cave like this.”
I walked deeper into the cave.

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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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