A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 46

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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 46

Crash!
Remarkably, the sound came from the collision between my wooden sword and the Hobgoblin Lord’s forehead.
“Excellent.”
Phase 2 of the boss raid combined ranged explosions with berserk patterns in complex ways, but landing the first direct hit on the head—which I’d protected thoroughly during Phase 1—was decidedly encouraging.
Even though I hadn’t pierced through and there was no visible damage, the boss had clearly taken significant internal trauma, slipping into a semi-dazed state.

Boom! Bang!

The ground suddenly exploding now was the Hobgoblin Lord’s counterattack pattern.
I kept my feet moving without pause, waiting for the next opening.
‘This time, I must channel mana.’
No boss existed that couldn’t be instantly killed.
Most monsters, excluding certain races, died when their heads were destroyed.
Therefore, I would aim for an instant kill and skip all remaining patterns.
“Graaaaah!”
Boom boom bang!
The denser the mana concentration, the more powerful the explosions became.
What if I’d fought conventionally?
A dedicated tank would have struggled considerably to overcome this.
Boom!
And now, the timing I’d been waiting for arrived.
The moment when Gale Rush’s cooldown and the Hobgoblin Lord’s forehead aligned simultaneously.
Thud!
‘Mana Instant Strike.’
The sensation of mana scattered across my body converging into the blade.
I surrendered to the recoil without resistance, entrusting my body to the sword.
Crack crack crack crack crack!
Something shattered against the blade’s edge.
No counterattack followed.
Riding the momentum, I poured every remaining drop of mana into another Mana Instant Strike.
Snap!
It shatters.
The sensation became unmistakable.
Messages flooding my vision raised my hand like the goddess of victory herself.

[Magnificent Achievement!]
[You have slain a Dungeon Boss single-handedly!]
[Strength increases by 5.]
[Wisdom increases by 3.]
[Luck increases by 3.]
[You have obtained a clue for the Hidden Class ‘Challenger’.]
[You can change classes by submitting proof of subjugation to the Kingdom.]

It wasn’t the first clue, but achieving such a meaningful Achievement had elevated my stats.
This time, I’d been granted an astounding total of 11 stat points.
Among them, Strength—the most valuable attribute—claimed half the reward.
“Now, let me claim the main reward.”
The primary source of income in a mana-infused Dungeon was mana stones.
From the Hobgoblins I’d encountered before, I could extract mid-sized mana stones.
This raid meant I could obtain something far greater.
Crack.
I rummaged through the Hobgoblin Lord’s heart with measured precision.
As the heart ruptured, an enormous surge of mana erupted like air escaping from a punctured vessel.
“What is this?”
With my Agility climbing and my instincts sharpening alongside it, I sensed something ominous emanating from the mana.
Instinctively, I clamped my mouth shut and retreated from the spot.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The surroundings began corroding rapidly.
Indeed, triple-digit Agility was a stat that transformed even ordinary humans into superhumans.
After the mana dispersed, not a trace of the Hobgoblin Lord remained where it had stood.
In its place lay a single, enormous mana stone.

[Large Mana Stone]
[Experience Acquisition (Major)]
[Experience Acquisition (Major): You acquire a large amount of experience points.]

It didn’t shimmer brilliantly, but it was a large mana stone.
What could its true value be?
At the very least, it would be valuable enough to place confidently on the negotiation table even against major guilds.
Creak. Creak.
The massive door I’d pushed earlier began opening again.
It appeared Eden had pushed it himself.
Since this was where the Hobgoblin Lord had dwelt, this had to be the dungeon’s end.
“You succeeded after all. I had faith in you.”
“Fortunately, the mana stone seems to have been worth the effort.”
“Hmm? What’s that?”
Only then did Eden seem to notice the large mana stone.
He was the type whose expressions rarely changed, but this time his reaction was quite pronounced.
“A, a large mana stone!”
“What do you think? Wouldn’t this make the dungeon’s value quite high?”
“…This goes beyond high—it’s minimum war material.”
“To that extent?”
“Yes. Even the Kingdom could intervene at this level. Of course, since this is the initial conquest, the reward might be fixed at maximum, but if we can consistently obtain large mana stones, not just major guilds but the Royal Court itself will definitely get involved.”
“Does that mean perhaps….”
“Yes. Since you belong to the Meriam Kingdom, friction with the Belhard Kingdom is inevitable.”
In war, justification is paramount.
And I was the one who discovered this dungeon.
Unless the Belhard Kingdom, as the land’s rightful owner, intervened, I would necessarily have to be mentioned for the Meriam Kingdom to claim involvement in this dungeon.
“Excellent.”
An opportunity to raise my market value was always welcome.
At least, being able to pursue such moves in reality was nothing short of fantasy itself.
If the conflict escalated further, I could simply recuperate in another Beginner Village while extending my eternal lifespan—minimal consequences either way.
“This works out well.”
The direction was set.
I would maintain my affiliation with the Meriam Kingdom.
That was the method to secure the highest valuation for this dungeon.
“Kael. When might negotiations….”
The situation wasn’t urgent yet.
Rather, I could actively leverage this card to extract as much as possible.
For instance, the eternal adventurer’s footprints or even water supply arrangements from each Beginner Village’s Fountain.
If the other party was Seo-gwang, I could accomplish this and more.
“Let’s see it through to the end first.”
“Pardon?”
The direction I indicated was the entrance where the Hobgoblin Lord had emerged.
Beyond the entrance, darkness still concealed everything.
“The boss walked out from that direction. I suspect there’s something more.”
“Hmm. That’s certainly suspicious. I can sense quite a dense concentration of magical energy.”
“Could it be dangerous? During the boss fight’s second phase, the magical energy was detonating remotely.”
“No. Detonation is the most basic method of handling magical energy. Though the efficiency drops considerably. There shouldn’t be any major issues.”
“Understood. Let’s proceed.”
This time, Eden took the lead.
He stepped forward first, intending to absorb the magical energy that was encroaching on the corridor.
“Thanks to you, Kael, I’ve gained an opportunity.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s quite high-quality magical energy. It seems to be at a level that might even be connected to the source of magic itself.”
The magical energy was rapidly absorbed into Eden.
Just as the Hobgoblin Lord’s wounds had healed, Eden’s physical condition began improving rapidly.
“Normally, magical energy runaway would require recovery through Guild support. Now it should be fine.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes. This is a dungeon where large magical stones have been discovered. With ordinary magical energy concentrations, this would be absolutely impossible. The dungeon you’ve found, Kael, belongs to an extremely rare category.”
My mouth watered.
Just how high would the value of this dungeon climb?
What was certain was that clearing this dungeon would make it easy to buy a new house or a luxury car without any strain.
Wars were conducted at the hundred-million level minimum, after all.
“The corridor ends here. And that entrance appears to be another boss room.”
“Do you sense anything? Like the presence of another living creature?”
“No. I don’t sense any particular presence. Though we shouldn’t let our guard down.”
Another boss room.
In other words, a treasure chamber where the boss had stored its possessions.
“Well then. I’ll take the lead this time.”
Not letting my guard down meant I had to step forward.
It should be manageable in most cases, but I was prepared to endure even a trap if necessary.
I extinguished the torch and activated Advanced Dark Affinity again, carefully advancing into the boss room.
“….”
Fortunately, there were no special trap mechanisms.
Instead, countless piles of bones were scattered throughout.
Bones from canine monsters, human skulls, and even goblin bones—all heaped together.
“These are traces of feeding. It seems the creature consumed any living being without discrimination.”
“Hmm. Let’s check that way.”
This place extended into numerous burrows.
Could there be another passage?
For now, it only appeared that each burrow served a different purpose.
“Hmm?”
As I passed through a massive burrow that the Hobgoblin Lord would traverse, a new sight unfolded.
This time, it was a completely different kind of trace.
“Eden. These are signs of human habitation, aren’t they?”
Tattered orbs, various experimental apparatus.
Even the bones of countless monsters confined within iron cages.
They were traces of decay accumulated over a considerable span of time.
“…Yes. To be precise, these are remnants of a dark mage faction. They appear to have been here for quite some time.”
“Yet the items remain intact?”
“Yes. The large mana stones alone were suspicious, and this Dungeon has considerable potential to be linked with a major Quest. It would be worthwhile to search through the historical records of the Belhard Kingdom.”
“If we take the items here outside, will they all deteriorate?”
“Yes. There doesn’t appear to be any special preservation magic applied to them.”
“Hmm.”
It was difficult to touch anything carelessly.
Everything maintained its form so precariously that it seemed it would crumble to dust at the slightest contact.
“This is an artificially generated Dungeon created by gathering mana. It contains multiple possibilities, but one thing is certain.”
“What is that one thing you speak of?”
“This Dungeon is the kind that would make any dark mage user rush in with eyes ablaze. If the conditions are met, they could synthesize all manner of hidden class clues and ancient dark magic here.”
“Oh.”
The Dungeon’s value skyrocketed once more.
I felt like I was riding a stock that continued to surge without end.
And I was the largest shareholder here.
For now, I decided to maintain a poker face and stay composed.
“It seems I have nothing to gain immediately. Let’s head over there.”
“Yes.”
This time, we headed toward a small cavern that seemed more suited for humans to traverse than the Hobgoblin Lord’s chamber.
I had a feeling we might obtain a separate reward here.
“It’s a prison.”
“Indeed. A prison.”
It was literally a prison.
Rusted iron bars filled every direction.
And the imprisoned were likely human.
Just as before, only traces remained that would scatter into bone dust at the slightest touch.
“What were they trying to do by imprisoning people here?”
“I’m not certain. There doesn’t appear to be anything of immediate value….”
Then, one massive iron cage caught my attention.
Whether some great figure had been confined here, the interior was equipped with various facilities, but for reasons unknown, my gaze kept returning to it.
Was this another instance of intuition?
“Kael?”
Beyond the iron bars on the prison floor, ancient characters glowed faintly.
For some reason, I could read these characters.

-My adventure ends here, yet it shall not be eternal.

[Magnificent Achievement!]
[You have discovered the traces of the Eternal Adventurer!]
[Luck increases by 10.]
[You have met the advancement conditions for the Hidden Class ‘Eternal Adventurer’!]

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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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