A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 55

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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 55

Bella’s response took quite some time to arrive.

[Bella: Yes! Kael! How have you been?]

Still bright and cheerful as ever.
But she seemed busy.
It was something I could tell without asking.
Requesting a Buff World Cup at a time like this would be inconsiderate.

[Kael: I’m doing well. I just wanted to check in on you.]

So I decided to leave only a greeting.
Hoping for another time.

[Bella: I’ve been keeping busy! I think there will be results soon! You can look forward to it!]
[Kael: Look forward to it?]

And once again, after waiting about five minutes, her response came back.

[Bella: Yes! A World Hidden Quest that the Guild is conducting. If the records are accurate, it should yield incredible results! It’s already been verified in the previous version too.]
[Kael: Hmm? The previous version?]

The mention of a previous version came out of nowhere.
And since it came from someone else, it piqued my interest even more.
But Bella’s replies began to take longer.

[Bella: Oh. It’s confidential so I can’t go into details, but if we just clear this Quest, the game will undergo major changes!]
[Kael: I see. I’ll look forward to it then. Could we meet up once the Quest is finished?]

I prepared to leave.
My business here was done, and I could fill all my buff slots during the Buff World Cup anyway.
It seemed more advantageous to quickly pursue my next objective—tracing the footsteps of the Eternal Adventurer—rather than wasting time on mediocre buffs.

[Bella: Of course! Let’s check your equipment then too!]
[Kael: Sure. Good luck finishing the Quest.]

My contact with Bella had fallen through.
Given the circumstances, I decided to head straight to Kela Village and check the map that Sung-chul (Elder) had given me.
“Besides, buffs aren’t exclusive to this place anyway.”
When I stepped outside, I finally realized just how packed the inn was.
This was the standing of the Seo-gwang Guild.
The fact that I had just concluded a deal with the guild representing Liam and South Korea felt surreal even now.
I’d only transferred ownership of a dungeon I’d likely never visit again through mere words, so I wasn’t entirely sure if this even qualified as a proper transaction.
Regardless, I’d signed the contract, so its validity was certain.
Now the justification belonged to Seo-gwang.

* * *

“Hello.”
“…Yes.”
I’d drawn the same Bureaucrat NPC I’d encountered before—the one with the excellent reactions.
This time, he was desperately trying to maintain an expressionless face, determined not to be caught off guard.
“I’m afraid it simply won’t work. I’m heading to the Belhard Kingdom.”
“Huh?”
His defensive posture immediately crumbled.
Then I got to the point.
“Teleportation. My destination is Kela Village.”
“…Phew. Understood, Kael.”
From the start, this man had known my identity.
He’d likely also been briefed on my approach to the Belhard Kingdom and basic information about me.
“I’ll process the procedure right away…”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
With some light small talk, I went through the teleportation procedures.
Paying gold no longer burdened me significantly.
The rewards from this adventure had been far too substantial.
“…You may go now.”
“Thank you for your service.”
The teleportation mage on duty was also the same man I’d seen before, working the same shift.
“I’m heading to Kela Village.”
“…”
His expression was different this time.
Since I’d already demonstrated trustworthiness through my actions, it was now an undeniable fact that I wasn’t involved with any Crime Organization.
“May you have a pleasant journey.”
“Thank you for your service.”
Zing—
My vision flickered.

* * *

A teleportation facility came into view—somewhat inferior to Lis, but functional nonetheless.
“Welcome, traveler.”
“Hello.”
Unlike before, there was no particular wariness.
Perhaps it was the influence of the double agent and the defector.
“Do I need to go through arrival procedures?”
“Kael. That doesn’t apply to you.”
“I see. Thank you for your trouble.”
It seemed Seo-gwang had indeed pulled some strings.
What changes would come to the Belhard Kingdom?
One thing was certain: since I couldn’t predict how the situation would unfold, I needed to handle my business quickly and leave.

The Fountain before City Hall carried an ordinary atmosphere—neither vibrant nor gloomy.
It was oddly fascinating that the traces of adventurers lay hidden in such an unremarkable village.
Gulp.

[Eternity increases by 1.]

The taste was as plain as always, yet the water was inevitably delicious.

[Name: Kael]
[Class: Eternal Adventurer (Hidden)]
[Level: 59]
[Unused Points: 0]
[Strength: 72 Agility: 103 Stamina: 78 Wisdom: 92 Luck: 86]
[Eternity: 36 Mana: 6]

A status that was completely incompatible with the Beginner Village.
Moreover, it was an overwhelming status even without the darkness affinity applied.
On top of that, I had achieved overwhelming growth by consuming mana stones to raise my level.
Now, only the water from the Fountain remained as my objective.
‘This will be my last tour of the Beginner Village.’
The time to look upward was drawing near.
Having resolved to become a full-time player, I had to move in a straight line toward wealth and renown.
And at this juncture, I needed to synthesize all the information related to or important to me, then decide my next course of action.
There weren’t many choices an individual could make here.
Typically, one didn’t go against the flow.
Most would choose either war participation or looting abandoned houses.
But war participation wasn’t an option for me.
I would stand out far too much.
Abnormal strength inevitably becomes controversial.
Therefore, it was better to distance myself from war.
For now, I would keep just that much in mind.
After finishing my thoughts, I unfolded the map.
“North, then.”
Following the map, I headed toward the North Gate.
This village’s North Gate was apparently the main marketplace, as players were densely gathered there.
“Will he show up today?”
“It’s been ten days now. If there’s been this much silence, something must be going on.”
The players were waiting for a specific merchant.
This was rather intriguing.
Now that I had considerable wealth myself.
“Excuse me. This is my first time in Kela—what do they sell here?”
“Hmm? You don’t know the Eccentric Merchant? He’s quite famous.”
“The Eccentric Merchant?”
“Yes. He sells boxes with hidden contents for 10 silver each. Though the price is steep, someone always manages to obtain a legendary item, so someone always strikes it big.”
It seemed like a lottery of sorts.
This was becoming quite interesting.
I only had one legendary piece of equipment.

[Master’s Revenant Turtleneck (Legendary)]
[Defense: 44]
[Strength +4 Agility +4 Vitality +4]
[Advanced Darkness Affinity]
[Advanced Darkness Affinity: Basic stats double in darkness, light attribute magic resistance increases]
[A legendary masterpiece crafted from the soul of a specter through a special refining process. It possesses the nature to transform itself to match the wearer’s physique and repair damage.]

“Is there a limit to how many boxes I can purchase?”
“Hmm? Then you’d surely take a loss, wouldn’t you? No matter how legendary the items are, you’d need to invest tens of gold just to buy all the boxes.”
“Ah. There are quite a lot of boxes.”
“Indeed. Over hundreds of massive boxes.”
Unfortunately, it seemed that beyond sheer capital, luck was the deciding factor in whether one could profit from this venture.
“Hmm.”
Perhaps I should wait a bit longer.
I had considerable interest in legendary items, after all.
If fortune truly smiled upon me, I might just acquire a legendary item.
“Whoa! He’s here! The Eccentric Merchant is here!”
“Ooooh!”
“He’s finally coming!”
“Hurrah!”
It turned out that everyone gathered here was hoping to strike it rich through the Eccentric Merchant.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
A massive cart drawn by several sturdy men began rolling into the village, kicking up clouds of dust.
I gathered the modest information that the Eccentric Merchant was a visitor from outside the village.
‘They’re all players. Every single one wearing masks.’
Rumble! Rumble, rumble!
The cart arrived.
The surrounding players naturally parted way, and order began to establish itself.
Thud! Thud!
Hefty boxes were set down one by one.
‘Not a newbie, then. Judging by how easily he lifts those boxes, his strength stat seems quite high.’
Boom! Thud!
Before long, the open plaza at the North Gate was completely filled with boxes.
At this volume, purchasing them was one thing, but carrying them away was another problem entirely.
If I tried to smuggle them out, they’d likely be plundered on the spot.
A rather diminutive man stepped forward.
This must be the Eccentric Merchant.
“Ten silver each.”
With a single word from the Eccentric Merchant, the atmosphere ignited instantly.
“Me first! Lady luck has blessed me today!”
“Two boxes! Give me two boxes!”
For now, I decided to observe.
I wanted to see how this random draw would unfold.
“Here! Ten silver, then!”
It was genuinely fascinating.
Despite being a more underdeveloped village than Liam, the amount of currency circulating here was staggering.
“Let’s goooo!”
The first user to step forward began opening the box.
Inside was a meticulously crafted stuffed doll.
“Aaaagh!”
The man who had drawn a losing ticket hurled the doll, and it flew toward me.

[Meticulously Finished Princess Doll (Superior)]
[Threat Detection increases.]
[Durability: 5]
[When receiving the Stuffed Doll buff, durability decreases.]

“Interesting.”
The doll had effects similar to the statue I’d obtained when trading with the merchant guild.
And it wasn’t even a poor grade—it was Superior.
Ten silver might have been an excessive investment, but for me, it represented a rather intriguing option.
If a truly worthwhile option came from a doll, I could simply convert the buff to infinite duration.
“Here.”
“I don’t need it, so take it!”
My luck was holding.
I’d gotten a modest but reliable buff item for free.
At this rate, opening boxes didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
I casually joined the line forming near the Eccentric Merchant.
“Ugh! Why of all things!”
“Damn it. Is it a losing ticket!”
Then, at some point, cries of an entirely different tone began echoing through the space.
“Yesssss! I won!”
“What. Did that guy actually win?”
“Tsk. After losing dozens of times, it was about time he won.”
He didn’t seem to be a shill either—apparently he was a fairly well-known figure here.
After all, this was a game where substantial money was invested to participate, so he must have had some standing.
“Tch. Damn it. Another doll!”
This time too, a doll flew toward me.

[Meticulously Finished Prince Doll (Superior)]
[Courage wells up within you.]
[Durability: 5]
[When receiving the Stuffed Doll buff, durability decreases.]

I was actually more interested in the dolls than in legendary items.
“How many will you purchase?”
“Ten for now.”
I joined the queue for the random draw without hesitation.

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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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