A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 59

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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 59

I never imagined the Thief Gang would submit to me.
I hadn’t even dared to hope for this.
My original plan was simply to use them and move on.
But circumstances had changed.
The massive Thief Gang stronghold hidden deep in the mountains had become my makeshift warehouse.
I’ve always been the type to actively leverage the cards dealt to me.
“Tch.”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
I first freed the Rogue who was whimpering before my eyes.
Then I quickly issued my next orders.
“You. You seem capable enough—bring me two foreigners from near Kela Village.”
“Huh?! What?!”
After all, this was a Rogue who had managed to resist against me, whose Strength was approaching 100.
That meant he possessed the ability to easily kidnap a few beginner players.
“F-Foreigners?! You’re telling me to kidnap foreigners near the Kingdom’s territory?! If we’re caught, it’s execution for sure!”
“Don’t worry. If I step in, there won’t be any consequences. Just bring them here first.”
“Boss! Are you really going to do this?”
The Rogue looked toward the Bandit Leader with pleading eyes, but the Bandit Leader had already submitted to me.
The Achievement system guaranteed this fact.
“…Do as he says. If he wanted to, we’d all be dead already anyway.”
“Sigh.”
Player-on-player kidnapping was already fairly common in the Belhard Kingdom.
That’s why I intended to conduct this kidnapping properly.
Through capitalist means—employment, a solid and legitimate method.
“I’m not asking you to drag them here by force. This is employment. Tell them that once they reach this Mountain Stronghold, they’ll receive 50 silver each as a lump sum payment.”
“Huh? Really 50 silver each?”
When the Rogue expressed doubt, the Bandit Leader quickly shut it down.
“That’s just what he said. Just words. Who would actually give 50 silver to a foreigner outright?”
“Ah, I see!”
Of course, I corrected the misinformation immediately.
“I really will give 50 silver each, so bring them here. It’s necessary work.”
To pursue the Eccentric Merchant, I needed the presence of players.
The Rogues were NPCs, so real-time remote communication with them was impossible.
Players, on the other hand, had the absurdly broken remote communication method of adding friends.
Besides, 1 gold was merely the price of ten consecutive draws for the Eccentric Merchant.
Since my target was the Eccentric Merchant, it was relatively cheap in comparison.
“Here. Twenty silver as an advance. And thirty silver for your trouble.”
I withdrew fifty silver from my subspace and handed it to the Rogue.
“Huh? I can really take this money?”
“Give the twenty silver to the outsiders—ten silver each. The thirty silver is yours.”
“I’ll dedicate myself to this task!”
“I don’t need loyalty oaths. Just make sure the job succeeds unconditionally. You absolutely must bring me two cooperative outsiders. Oh, and have the others search for that Rogue I disposed of—if he’s still alive, retrieve him.”
“Ohhhhh!”
“Ugh. Your breath reeks. Go down to the Riverbank, brush your teeth, and wash up properly.”
“Understood, Big Boss!”
Somehow, I’d become the Big Boss.
Since I ranked above the leader, I suppose Big Boss was technically accurate.
With the Dispatch Bandit heading off to wash up, it was time to attend to my own business.
The moment to deal with the Ancient One had arrived.
“….”

[Sumoq That Has Not Reached Truth (Mythic)]
[Attack Power: 137~201]
[Durability: Indestructible]
[Has Not Reached Truth: ??? (Locked)]
[Call of the Ancient One: Summon a powerful Ancient One for 15 minutes. (Cooldown: 1 hour)]
[Conditions not met. Description cannot be displayed.]

Normally, I would have needed to resummon it.
Sumoq’s ability was summoning an Ancient One with a fifteen-minute duration.
But the Ancient One remained bound and unsummoned, still in my possession.
I had my suspicions about why.
It was undoubtedly an interaction between the “Eternity” status and the hidden class “Eternal Adventurer.”
The summoning duration seemed to have become permanent.
“You understand words, don’t you?”
“….”
The rope that had been in its mouth had long since been chewed and spat out, but the overlapping knots remained powerfully binding the Ancient One.
Still, the Ancient One said nothing.
“Hmm. It doesn’t seem to be cursed.”
The Ancient One’s aura had noticeably diminished.
Especially that fierce gaze it had shown when first facing its enemy—it was nowhere to be found.
Yet I couldn’t sense any willingness to cooperate either.
So I decided to run a test.

I pulled out Sumoq again and infused mana into it.
The summoning gate that had appeared before materialized once more.
Fortunately, even though the Ancient One’s summoning duration was permanent, it seemed I could still send it back.
‘This will be convenient to use.’
It didn’t matter if the summoned creature didn’t obey my commands.
The Ancient One possessed firepower equivalent to a strategic weapon all on its own.
‘Summon of the Ancient One.’
The moment the gate closed, I infused mana into Sumoq once more.
The reverse summoning seemed unaffected by cooldown, and the gate opened immediately.
Thud!
I discovered something new.
The Ancient One’s condition also persisted permanently.
The Ancient One reappeared before me, still bound by the rope.
“Ah.”
Only then did the Ancient One’s mouth open.
“Aah.”
Despair was written all over its face.
“Uuuaaaaaah!”
“Quiet.”
“….”
It seemed to have regained hope through the reverse summoning, only to fall into despair once more.
I decided to untie the rope.
After all, I was confident I could win if we clashed again.
“You could understand my words, so why did you pretend not to?”
“I do not know. Send me back.”
Fortunately, this time it answered.
First an Ancient One that attacked, now one that went on strike.
I couldn’t help but find this summoned creature bewildering.
“No. First, tell me why you attacked me.”
“You are a traitor. Traitors must die. But you are strong. I am weak.”
Suddenly, I had become a traitor in the Ancient One’s eyes.
The Eternal Adventurer was indeed a class deeply entangled with the Ancient One.
Perhaps this class grows by resolving the misunderstandings that accumulate within the Ancient One.
Since it seemed to have no complaints about the binding itself, I decided to try persuading it.
“Not this time. You are strong. I am simply stronger.”
“I am…. strong?”
“Aren’t I right?”
“That is a lie. Lies must be punished. But I am weak. I cannot punish.”
A self-deprecating Ancient One, no less.
If that were the case, why had it developed all those bulging muscles across its entire body?
“Have you faced anyone stronger than me among the humans you’ve encountered?”
“I don’t know. I kept losing.”
I grasped the situation quickly enough.
It seemed Seoguang had summoned the Ancient One as a test and then repeatedly crushed him.
Naturally, it wasn’t Seoguang’s fault.
They possessed the mentality of true rankers, after all.
They were the type to test performance and judge how to best utilize it.
The conclusion they’d reached was that the Ancient One’s combat power fell short of Seoguang’s guild members.
Moreover, since Seoguang wasn’t even a guild focused on nurturing beginners, a mythic weapon held little practical value for them.
Therefore, the Ancient One’s utility lay in serving as a bodyguard for guild members with production-focused jobs whose combat strength was somewhat lacking.
But Sumoq carried considerable weight and demanded strength, limiting his position to something like a blacksmith—an awkward niche.
However, they didn’t engage in external activities.
Which meant no exposure to monsters.
As for gathering-type jobs that frequently ventured outside, Seoguang was already a top-tier guild, so assigning a guild member as an escort would suffice.
“Those must have been difficult days.”
Analysis and defeat would have repeated endlessly.
And the Ancient One must have sharpened his blade of vengeance, dwelling on each loss.
Each time he was summoned, he likely challenged his summoner immediately, as always.
“You’ve endured much. From now on, I will guide you.”
I found myself genuinely empathizing with the Ancient One’s feelings.
So I offered him calm reassurance.
“You are a strange human. But you are Sumoq’s master. I will follow.”
The conversation went more smoothly than expected.
Of course, I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t put the Ancient One through hardship.
After all, I was approaching this game with genuine commitment.
But I had no intention of showing him days of defeat.
“You are strong. First, we need to correct this very fact.”
“…Am I truly strong?”
“Of course.”
I decided to restore the Ancient One’s shattered self-esteem first.
Fortunately, I had convenient supporting characters scattered around who could naturally lose to him.
“First, let’s establish the hierarchy. You rank directly below me. The rest of my subordinates are weaker than you.”
“Are all of these your subordinates?”
“They are.”
I’d gotten so caught up in empathy that even my speech pattern had begun mimicking the Ancient One’s, but regardless, the conversation remained smooth.
“Entire Thief Gang, assemble.”
Thud-thud-thud!
Their discipline was a mess, but I hadn’t expected discipline in the first place.
I was satisfied that they’d assembled while kicking up dust.
“From now on, I will establish the hierarchy. Your rank will be determined by how long you can hold out against my subordinates.”
“That’s right. I am the Ancient One.”
And I left instructions for the Ancient One as well.
“Do not kill your subordinates. Subdue them with restraint.”
“Subdue?”
“…Do not kill them.”
“Understood.”
Meanwhile, the thieves turned pale.
After all, the Bandit Leader himself knew the Ancient One’s combat prowess.
“Huff! This time we’ll win.”
Even if they rushed simultaneously, the fight would end swiftly, yet the Ancient One’s expression was utterly serious.
Since I’d resolved to boost their morale, I decided to grant them an honorable victory.
“Come forward one at a time.”
“Ugh! Boss!”
The first contestant was a thief with the appearance of livestock being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
It was a description difficult to apply to a person, yet it fit perfectly.
He likely became the first batter simply because of his massive frame.
“Ugh….”
The fact that he’d managed to gain weight in such a barren environment proved he was skilled.
Otherwise, he couldn’t have survived in this savage medieval world.
“Begin.”
The moment I announced the start of the duel, the Ancient One roared.
“Uuuuuuuuuuh!”
The Ancient One’s weapon was a club.
And the Pig Bandit likewise wielded an identical club.
Though the club was studded with rusted blades here and there, surely the Ancient One would be immune to tetanus.
The real question was whether allowing attacks was even feasible.
“Uuuuuuh!”
“Gah! Get back!”
Of course, the Pig Bandit was meeting the Ancient One for the first time.
All he’d seen was him bound.
Though he might have mustered courage, the Ancient One’s innate physicality stripped the thief of his fighting spirit.
Crash!
“Uuuuuuh!”
It was the moment the Ancient One first proved his strength.

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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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