A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 6

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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 6

Though my mental stamina had been severely depleted, the strength dwelling in my body did not lie.
From the assured power in every step to muscles that responded instantly to my will.
This sense of omnipotence could only be felt within the game.
“My fortune is extraordinary.”
Indeed, my luck had risen along with the critical hit modifier, and with my stamina more than doubled, I felt no fatigue even from walking.
It felt as though I had transcended beyond the physical peak I’d enjoyed during my military days, becoming something superhuman.
As for Wisdom, I honestly couldn’t say.
In the previous game, Wisdom was a stat I’d abandoned entirely, and it was known to be useful only for jobs or skills related to magic or special abilities.
“The road is remarkably well-maintained. Medieval paving, no less.”
The path to the Eastern Forest was a one-way route.
Moreover, it seemed players had left their mark on every stretch of road—graffiti and drawings covered the surfaces.
“…This is something I can only experience because I’m a latecomer.”
Honestly, it felt bitter.
In the previous game, there had been the romance of exploration wherever you went.
The Fountain Elder I’d met upon logging in must have felt this emotion with every fiber of his being.

-Back when I was a newbie, I survived on stone bread and Fountain water, and that memory remains as something incredibly difficult.

Within his words was a very clear emotion—excitement.
The expression on his face when he handed me the bread was brimming with satisfaction.
“I’m envious. To meet such a diligent newbie like myself.”
As I savored the various national pride carved into the road, I found myself entering the Eastern Forest before I knew it.
This place too was teeming with players.
Such was the prestige of a popular title.
“Seeking a tank for a quick run to the Wolf Zone. Taunt skill mandatory. Four-hour course.”
“Rabbit Zone Farming Operation. Must have herding skills. Eighteen hours.”
“Selling low-grade rabbit meat cheap. Two for one copper.”
This place had a far more orderly atmosphere than the City Gate.
Merchant wagons and stalls were arranged neatly on both sides of the road, and players seeking transactions didn’t bother raising their voices.
However, there was one problem with this place.
“There are more Chinese players than I expected.”
The identity of those speaking awkwardly was Chinese players who had created accounts in South Korea.
I already knew well from Sung-chul the reason why Chinese players were flowing into this Korean territory.

-The Beginner Villages on the Chinese side are completely saturated. Eight were allocated, yet it’s still like this. The problem is that powerful guilds are colluding to control everything.

China had a total of eight Beginner Villages assigned to it.
Which meant I could secure as many as eight Eternities.
However, considering that most users in the villages would be hostile toward me, I estimated that I’d need to be capable of single-handedly destroying everything to gain entry.
Powerful Guilds monopolized everything, including the areas surrounding the Beginner Villages.
Even the Fountain water itself.

-People only quit because it’s filthy when money isn’t involved. But money flows even under all these restrictions, so everyone rushes in like madness. Among them, wealthy Chinese players hire workers and cross into neighboring countries to run Farming Operations.

Among neighboring countries, South Korea and Japan were particularly popular with Chinese players due to their users’ strong purchasing power.
Mason’s characteristic laissez-faire approach toward users persisted in this iteration as well.
“Hey, Chinese friend. Let me ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you pay taxes?”
“….”
The illegal immigrant simply retreated and vanished into the crowd.
I had learned from Sung-chul how to distinguish between foreigners who had entered legally and illegal immigrants.

-Devices registered as genuine have perfect language translation. Whatever you say sounds natural.

Communication with foreign players had never been an issue in the previous game.
Such awkward conversations were fundamentally impossible.
The reason users couldn’t directly punish these illegal immigrants was that this place wasn’t South Korea—it was Liam.
From the kingdom’s perspective, everyone was equally a foreigner paying taxes.

-They can’t leave the areas around the Beginner Villages anyway. The moment they venture far from the villages, people naturally approach and deal with them. At worst, you might encounter them at hunting grounds. The Royal Court rarely intervenes in disputes that arise at hunting grounds.

Hunting illegal residents.
It felt remarkably appealing.
If I dismantled the Farming Operation itself, I could seize not only the funds they extracted but also all manner of exploration supplies.
However, they were not opponents to be underestimated simply because they couldn’t communicate properly.
The fact that the Farming Operation continued to operate even under the watchful eyes of countless South Korean players meant they possessed their own reserves of strength.
‘It’s impossible now. The fact that they didn’t show great caution when I approached suggests a high probability they’ve hired South Korean players.’
Now was the time to grow steadily.
After all, the ambitions I harbored were far too grand for a level 1 player.
With my thoughts settled, I entered the Rabbit Zone at the entrance of the Eastern Forest.
The Rabbit Zone had naturally formed narrow paths thanks to the traces left by countless players who had passed through.
Centered around one particularly large tree, I observed players forming their own territories and concentrating on hunting.
“Hello. We’re currently hunting as a party.”
“Ah, I see.”
What they called spot reservation.
Since I would inevitably compete with the Farming Operation, spot control in the Rabbit Zone appeared to be critically important.
“Most solo hunting spots should be empty. Try going over there. It’s that way.”
“Thank you.”
Moreover, this player was South Korean, so there was no justification for picking a fight.
I gracefully retreated and ventured deeper in the direction they indicated.
“This area is definitely empty.”
The Eastern Forest was far wider than I had anticipated.
It certainly possessed the scale to accommodate all players from an entire nation.
“In that case, there’s no reason to quarrel over territory.”
My provocation toward the illegal residents had been somewhat embarrassing, considering I’d factored in spot competition.
Still, I determined there were definitely efficient hunting locations.
Spots close to merchants would make everything smooth—from inventory management to resupply.
“Since I’ve come this far, let me try leveling up once.”
Unlike others, I hadn’t formed a party.
There was no reason to in the first place.
Especially since I could secure one unused point per level gain.

[Name: Kael]
[Level: 1]
[Strength: 12 Agility: 14 Stamina: 14 Wisdom: 12 Luck: 17]
[Eternity: 2]

Even with just the stats I’ve secured, I’m easily surpassing level 40 standards.
Of course, if I actually fought a real level 40 opponent, I’d be utterly crushed.
After all, I don’t even have a class or skills.
Moreover, my effective combat stats are limited to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution—my practical level is probably closer to 25.
Even that isn’t specialized in any particular direction, and with only a weapon for equipment, I’d say I could hold my own against something around level 10 to 15.
Rustle.
A faint whisper of grass brushing against itself.
I spotted a Forest Rabbit.
The moment our eyes met, the rabbit scrambled backward in panic.
Thump-thump-thump!
Whoosh!
Squeak!
But my speed was faster.
Honestly, hunting in the Rabbit Zone with Strength 12 and Dexterity 14 was almost laughable.
“Well, what else can I do? I don’t have a backpack or exploration supplies, so I need to earn money first.”
Hunting rabbits served as its own kind of training.
It was undeniably practical combat training, and to sell the rabbit carcasses for a fair price, I needed to minimize damage to the bodies.
“There’s another one over there.”
Whoosh!
The wooden sword’s attack power was considerable, and once the Seven Impact effect was applied, the rabbit would definitely become nothing but a bloody mess.
“Good. It’s properly stunned.”
So I knocked the rabbit unconscious using only the wind pressure from the wooden sword’s swing.
It was something I’d done frequently in the previous game to preserve weapon durability, and these small techniques proved useful in this version as well.
Crack. Crunch.
I snapped the unconscious rabbit’s neck, killing it cleanly.
Thus the rabbit became valuable experience points.
“Was it two pieces of low-grade rabbit meat for 1 Copper?”
From what I’d learned, the cash exchange rate was around 150 won per Copper.
Therefore, 100 Copper equaled 1 Silver, which was 15,000 won.
And 100 Silver equaled 1 Gold, making 1 Gold worth 1.5 million won.
“I think they sell the hides separately. Wonder what they’ll pay for it.”
I was confident the rabbit I’d just caught wouldn’t be graded as anything less than low-grade.
Small animals like rabbits have minimal blood volume, so within an hour after death, the dermis layer of the hide undergoes no significant changes.
The meat might be affected somewhat, but that doesn’t impact the hide’s quality.
Therefore, I decided the best strategy was to catch as many rabbits as possible within the time I had.
“Let me gather as many as I can carry.”
The plump, well-fed rabbits wouldn’t fit in my waist pouch.
Thump-thump-thump! Whoosh!
Squeak!
Slow, fat rabbits were always welcome.
Squeak!
Squeak!
Occasionally, when I lunged forward, some rabbits would attempt a counterattack, and in those moments, I’d offer my forearm and let them bite.
“….”
Even if my tunic suffered damage, the rabbits’ bite force couldn’t leave a single tooth mark on my forearm.
Thud.
Only when I grabbed the rabbit’s head and applied pressure did its teeth manage to sink in at all.

[Life Whisper]
[Agility +2 Vitality +2 Luck +5]
[Evades fatal wounds with high probability.]
[Natural healing speed of wounds increases dramatically.]
[Duration: ∞]

But thanks to Life Whisper’s effects, even minor wounds healed in an instant.
“I definitely chose this buff well.”
Once I confirmed the wound had closed, there was no need for further testing.
I simply continued hunting rabbits.
Since I had no idea how much I’d earn, I figured I might as well gather as much as I could manage.
Squeeeak!
Thump.
Kick.
Squeak!
Thanks to the rabbits perking up their ears whenever they sensed my presence, the hunt proceeded smoothly without interruption.
Thump!
“Oops, I think I snapped that one too hard.”
My limits were beginning to show.
I’d been bundling the rabbit carcasses together with the elastic wooden branches I frequently found, but since the mass of corpses now exceeded my upper body in volume, my movements were becoming increasingly restricted.
Crack.
When I stepped on the soft earth, my footprints sank quite deeply.

[Strength: 12]

Strength wasn’t decreasing.
In fact, I needed to maintain this strength to bear the rabbits’ weight.
However, my other stats told a different story.

[Carrying capacity exceeded. Stats are decreasing.]
[Agility: 5(14)]

Agility had now reverted to its value at the time of character creation.

[Vitality: 13(14)]

My vitality had reached a level where it depleted even while standing still.
Without the permanent sustained buff, I wouldn’t have been able to endure even half of what I was carrying.

“…Phew. I think it’s time to head back.”
The rabbit hunt wrapped up in about an hour.
And the rabbits I was carrying numbered well over thirty.
These rabbits were far larger than their real-world counterparts.
It was no coincidence that merchant caravans gathered to purchase rabbit hides.
Creak. Creak.
“…Did you catch all of these by yourself?”
“Huff. Gasp. Yes. That’s correct.”
I encountered the man who had declared his hunting ground earlier.
That meant I was almost back.
“Damn. I think I gathered too many.”
My status window continued to flicker before my eyes.

[Name: Kael]
[Level: 3]
[Unused Points: 2]
[Strength: 12 Agility: 1(14) Vitality: 3(14) Wisdom: 12 Luck: 17]
[Eternity: 2]

“…Ah. I want to invest in vitality. Phew.”
My vitality had been drained significantly from carrying the heavy rabbit carcasses for so long.
Moreover, my body had grown heavier from sweating profusely, dropping my agility to 1.
At this level, even a Level 1 player could deal fatal damage to me.
I found myself even missing the Fountain’s water buff that aided vitality recovery.
“Once I get back, I need to buy a waterskin first, then receive the water buff.”
As I continued to grumble, I finally arrived at the merchant caravans gathered at the entrance to the Eastern Forest.
“W-what is all this?”
“…I’m selling. All of it.”
Thump thump thump.
I dumped all the rabbits I had been carrying onto the ground.

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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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