A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 62

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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 62

[Summons of the Ancient One: You can summon the Ancient One.]

I infused mana into Sumoq and opened a dimensional gate. From beyond the threshold, Tuuram began to walk slowly toward me.
“Hmm?”
An overwhelming heat radiated from Tuuram.
The atmosphere was different from usual, and I couldn’t help but feel tense.
“Found Hot Spring. Hot Spring good.”
“….”
Was Tuuram’s dwelling place more habitable than I’d thought?
It seemed he had been bathing in the Hot Spring.
Unfortunately, this place was the antithesis of a Hot Spring—the Arid Wasteland.
“I’m sorry you’ll just get dirty again.”
“What do you mean?”
“…Never mind.”
It appeared cleanliness wasn’t the concept behind his bathing.
I decided to abandon any attempt at understanding.
“I don’t have anything particular for you to do. Just wait here with me for the sandstorm.”
“A trial?”
“Hmm?”
A trial.
An intriguing keyword had emerged.
It wasn’t the sort of answer Tuuram would typically give, which only piqued my curiosity further.
“Do you know something?”
“Sumoq chose you as master. Master of Sumoq. Becomes stronger through trials. Sandstorm is also trial.”
I’d suspected as much, but it was true.
Sumoq connected to the Ancient One, the Eternal Adventurer connected to the Ancient One.
I’d anticipated that a shared connection would create linked mechanics, but even I hadn’t expected to find answers this quickly.
“I’m glad I summoned you.”
“The shaman said. This is destiny.”
“Hmm. So what exactly is this trial?”
Tuuram’s expression grew even more solemn as he answered.
“Fight the sandstorm.”
“….”
There are things humanity should never challenge.
Nature is one of them.
And natural disasters are the most avoidable of all.
But Tuuram’s expression remained resolute.
“One chosen by Sumoq. Kael.”
“…Don’t make this dramatic. I’ll do it. So tell me—is there a way to trigger a sandstorm?”
“Plant Sumoq in the ground.”
“Ah, I see.”
So by driving Sumoq into the earth, I could deliberately conjure a sandstorm.
Since this was a game, conventional logic held no sway.
Whatever Tuuram said had to be the answer.
“So that’s how it works, then?”
Naturally, I had no intention of beginning the trial immediately.
With unlimited time to prepare freely, there was no reason to refuse such an opportunity.
“Then you’re the problem, Tuuram.”
“What do you mean?”
“The sandstorm will likely be a trial only for you.”
“The trial is yours, Kael.”
“I face no obstacle.”
After all, I possessed the Golden Fox cloak.
[Master Craftsman’s Golden Fox Fur Cloak (Unique)]
[Defense: 25]
[Cold Immunity]
[Heat Immunity]
[Contempt for the Weak]
[Physical Attack Immunity against targets with Strength below 10]
[Magic Attack Immunity against targets with Wisdom below 10]
[Level Penalty Increased when facing opponents 10+ levels higher]
[Physical and Magic Attack Immunity against targets with 50+ stat difference]
[A masterwork cloak crafted with the soul of an exceptional artisan. The inherent properties of Golden Fox fur have been preserved. Can be utilized as a blanket and permits logout.]

Immunity to cold, and immunity to heat.
Thanks to that, I wouldn’t suffer temperature damage from the sandstorm.
Moreover, every part of my body except my face was protected by armor, so wrapping my cloak around my face completed my perfect preparations.
“This trial isn’t mine to face.”
“No. Let’s just face the trial together while we’re at it. We won’t die, right?”
“…You could die.”
“Why. Are you scared?”
“A warrior doesn’t fear such things!”
“Heh. Your tongue’s getting loose.”
The sandstorm seemed to possess enough intensity to concern even the Ancient One.
This meant I needed to prepare some countermeasures for Tuuram.
“Heave.”
I pulled out all the backpacks from my subspace.
They were a decent size, so they’d work as makeshift sandbags.
Ideally, I would’ve liked to construct a stone shelter, but lacking architectural knowledge and with construction taking far too long, sandbags were the best option for now.
“Come on. Fill them with dirt. Or stones. Whatever’s heaviest.”
“Understood.”
Tuuram seemed to instinctively recognize the backpacks as a lifeline and followed my instructions without complaint.
The backpacks sustained some damage during the crude packing process, but since my subspace now served as my storage anyway, I decided not to worry about it.
“You done? Grab them and follow me.”
“…Understood.”
With a frame twice my size, his worried expression was quite the sight.
And his level was probably higher too.
Regardless, now came the task of finding relatively safe terrain to prepare for the sandstorm.
Success would be finding even a small Hillock.
“Hmm. That spot over there seems best.”
“That looks dangerous.”
I understood Tuuram’s concern to some degree.
Right below the Hillock, soil could collapse and become hazardous.
“No. We’ll press ourselves against the slope.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just follow my lead if you don’t understand.”
The terrain I’d found was a Hillock rising to about chest height.
“From now on, we’re going to dig.”
“Understood.”
Tuuram simply stared at me in silence.
As if asking for a shovel.
“No. We don’t have a shovel. What good is all that strength for? Watch.”
I swung Sumoq lightly.
Toward the bare ground.
Crash!
The weapon’s offensive power was so formidable that even a casual swing carved massive gouges into the earth, tearing the ground asunder.
“Just dig. I don’t know how strong the sandstorm will be, but if we dig deep enough, there’s no way we’ll get swept away.”
“But we could get buried!”
“Then dig deeper. We won’t fall into a pit anyway.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“No idea. Only one way to find out.”
This was information I’d gleaned while casually watching through my previous playthrough.
In this savage world, I’d had to fight battles that defied even natural disasters.
By now, I’d exhausted most countermeasures against extreme temperatures, having substituted them with the Golden Fox’s fur.
“Fine. I’ll follow your lead.”
Boom!
A modest crater formed in the bare ground.
“No, no. Dig it properly. In a straight line.”
“Understood.”
Crash!
Without redistributing my stats, Tuuram’s strength was actually higher than mine.
If I just showed him the method, he could achieve far greater efficiency.
Crash! Crash!
“That’s it. Well done.”
“Hyah!”
Boom!
“Perfect!”
The Ancient One truly was an excellent option.
I’d never fully utilized him in combat before, but summoning a human in the first place offered overwhelming efficiency from a versatility standpoint.
“Wait. Dig over this way.”
“Yes!”
Crash!

* * *

How much had I dug?
By now, a fairly distinct Hillock and deep Trench had formed.
“That’s enough.”
“Huff! Huff!”
The stage was set; now it was time to conjure the sandstorm.
Of course, descending into the Trench would be a grave mistake.
Just as I’d predicted from the start, we’d hold our ground on the slope.
“Stay close here and wait.”
Tuuram bore no trace of his initial pristine appearance.
Now only a savage Ancient One remained, caked in dust and grime.
“Understood.”
Naturally, I would summon the sandstorm from atop the hill.
Then we’d swiftly cling to the slope—a tactical maneuver.
By preventing burial or being swept away, I calculated we could at least preserve our lives.
“Hmm.”
The question that lingered here was whether, after planting Sumoq to conjure the sandstorm,
‘I could immediately retrieve Sumoq?’
That remained unknown.
Even when I’d asked Tuuram before, he had no satisfactory answer.
“Let’s plant it first and decide. I’m assuming there’s no possibility of losing Sumoq.”
I’d equipped myself with the mindset that if a Mythic Weapon were lost to the sandstorm, it would merely be a replica.
It meant I had absolute faith in the Mythic Weapon.
“Let’s go.”
Kuuuung!
I planted Sumoq into the ground and swiftly assessed the changes around me.
Wind rushed fiercely from all directions.
I felt the winds collide and collide, growing progressively fiercer.
“It’s beginning already.”
I sprinted toward where Tuuram stood.
Then I slid rapidly down the slope and planted my wooden sword midway with all my strength.
Since we’d compacted the ground where we’d stand, this alone was sufficient to hold us in place.
“The trial has begun.”
“Yes. Let’s endure it well.”
“I say again. This is your trial.”
“You are my summoned being. It means we share a common fate.”
“I know nothing of such words. Fate flows as it will.”
“Just hold on.”
Whiiiiiiii!
Sharp sand-laden wind began lashing against my back.
It wasn’t painful, nor was there any real impact, yet I sensed this situation would not persist indefinitely.
If anything, a sandstorm far more dangerous than anticipated was brewing.
“Tuuram. Hold the sandbags as high as you can.”
“Cough! Hack!”
Tuuram, already having inhaled a considerable amount of sand, couldn’t respond properly and hoisted his backpack higher.
Naturally, I had already wrapped my cloak around my face, completing my full preparations.
Whoooooooosh!
Crack!
Sharp stones flew through intermittently.
It was a terrifying storm with enough force to easily deflect ordinary stones.
One that even drained my stamina.

[Name: Kael]
[Class: Eternal Adventurer (Hidden)]
[Level: 59]
[Unused Points: 0]
[Strength: 110 Agility: 136 Stamina: 109 (88) Wisdom: 123 Luck: 125]
[Eternity: 36 Mana: 6]

But that was all.
I had far more than one or two buffs active on me.
Fundamentally, I had powerful buffs enhancing my stamina recovery speed and wound healing, along with the Fountain water buff that constituted most of my Eternity.

[Stamina Recovery Speed Slightly Increased]
[Duration: ∞]

The water that never dried up slightly increased my stamina recovery speed, and dozens of these effects were stacked upon me.
My stamina recovery was visibly apparent.
[Strength: 110 Agility: 136 Stamina: 109 (97) Wisdom: 123 Luck: 125]

Despite the sandstorm intensifying, my stamina entered a recovery phase.
Moreover, the significant stamina loss had come from the stone that struck the back of my head, so now that my head was protected, I was even safer.
“Ugh!”
Conversely, it was Tuuram who was entering his trial.
Protecting one’s head with a backpack full of sand was an instinctive action.
Crack! Crack-crack!
But the Ancient One’s physique was far from ordinary either.
Setting aside recovery, wounds deep enough to draw blood simply didn’t form.
“Good. Let’s just keep going like this.”
The sandstorm began to intensify even further.

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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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