A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 76

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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 76

“Lee Seo-jun. Another walk today?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ten days had passed.
For the past few days, I’d been able to go out with the child as well.
Since nutritional supplementation was all that was needed for recovery, and with such excellent care, my healing had accelerated naturally.
And the child’s name had finally been decided.
The child favored the character Lim (琳), which means the sound of jade striking together.
Therefore, the name was settled as Chae-rim (彩琳).
Following my surname, it became Lee Chae-rim.
“Let’s go. Chae-rim.”
“Mm.”
The Hospital grounds were adorned with various blossoms.
Chae-rim particularly loved the magnolias among them.
“Ohhh….”
She didn’t merely observe the magnolias—she flipped the petals, examined them intently, caressed them repeatedly, analyzing the flower itself.
Once our walk ended, I suspected she’d create something incorporating magnolias.
Even better than yesterday’s creation.
Personally, I’d like to actually taste the magnolia tea that the Light and Salt Inn had served.
“Ohhh.”
After our walk, lunch was replaced with a bento box.
Chae-rim loved the bento so much this was the fifth time.
She genuinely enjoyed the experience of eating something outdoors.
The bento was the premium variety I’d ordered before.
With meticulous presentation and wholesome ingredients, it never disappointed, so I’d become a regular customer.
“Mm.”
Without words, I could sense the emotion Chae-rim felt.
Her response was brimming with excitement, as if embarking on a delightful adventure.
Once both the walk and meal were finished, we invariably entered our respective gaming devices.
Moreover, today marked the end of the lengthy server maintenance, so instead of the Training Ground, I’d decided to spend the time in-game.
The 10-to-1 time ratio multiplied my moments with Chae-rim tenfold, and with automatic translation, communication was seamless—my anticipation was considerable.
“See you in a bit?”
“Mm.”
I gently stroked Chae-rim’s head and we each entered our devices.

-Welcome to Dimension Gate III. Greetings, Kael.

There is no notice regarding server maintenance.
In other words, access is possible.
“Let’s go.”

-Hero Kael. Entering Another Dimension.

* * *

The Mountain Stronghold under the bright afternoon sun.
Since I had sent most of the bandits to merchant training, only Chae-rim and I remained.
Tuuram might join us later, but for now I decided to focus on Chae-rim.
“Mister!”
“Yeah. Have you been waiting long?”
“No. I was looking around because everything is so interesting.”
“I see. Let’s head down slowly.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the Village first? And we can eat something delicious.”
“Can’t you show me hunting too?”
“Hm? Are you sure? It might be brutal.”
“I’m fine. Watching hunts is fun.”
“Alright then. Let me show you what I can do.”
Since I had subjugated the bandits who once ruled this place, most of the remaining monsters were beast-type creatures.
Moreover, since beast-type monsters could be cooked and eaten, I thought we could create some good memories.
“See that wild boar in the distance?”
Chae-rim, seeing a living wild boar with her own eyes for the first time, lowered her voice with a tense expression.
“Yes. Are you going to catch that?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow.”
Chae-rim had no questions about how I would catch a monster below the cliff.
She had witnessed my transformation ability countless times before.
“Wait here.”
“Okay.”
The wild boar was digging at the ground below the low cliff, eating something.
Normally this would be a moment of carelessness, but wild boars are naturally cautious animals by nature.
Its ears and nose moved ceaselessly as it surveyed its surroundings.
It had certainly detected our position as well.
However, the distance was too great, so unless we approached closer, it seemed intent on quickly devouring the food before it.
This was a wild boar that had learned from humans.
But the wild boar had no knowledge of my equipment options.
Boom!
I closed the distance in a flash with Gale Rush, then committed to a vital strike by surrendering to the recoil.
Crack.
Screeeech!
The wild boar fell dead on the spot.
No matter what preparations it made, an overwhelming difference in stats was insurmountable.
I lifted the boar high with one hand and waved it toward Chae-rim.
Chae-rim responded with applause.
After returning with the boar in good spirits, I built a modest fire.
“I’ll show you my friend too. You’ve seen him before, right?”
“Yes!”
And I summoned Tuuram to keep watch over the perimeter.
I was curious how much time had passed for Tuuram during the inspection.
Zing!
The Dimensional Gate opened, and the muscular, burly form of Tuuram appeared.
“Finally here, Kael.”
“How much time has passed?”
“100 days.”
Tuuram spoke without alarm, matter-of-factly.
Thanks to the existence of the Shaman in that dimension, he seemed to understand the inspection reasonably well.
“It’s been ten days here.”
“I know. The Shaman told me. Time distortion.”
“Then that’s settled.”
After exchanging greetings with Tuuram, I introduced Chae-rim.
“This is Chae-rim.”
“Hello.”
“Mm. That child from last time. I am Tuuram.”
Tuuram showed little interest in Chae-rim.
She probably just looked like a small child to him.
“Let’s share a meal together after all this time.”
“Kael. I brought a gift as well.”
“Hmm?”
Now that I looked, tucked under Tuuram’s arm was the carcass of an animal about the size of a deer.
There was a high chance it was an Ancient-grade beast I’d eaten before.
“Excellent.”
I’d already shown the hunting scene, and the quality of the meat had improved significantly.
Besides, the boar was meant to demonstrate the hunt, not to provide delicious meat.
While the meat was cooking, Chae-rim remained absorbed in observation.
Whether it was because she was seeing the meat of an unfamiliar animal for the first time or inspiration had struck, her hands worked ceaselessly, gathering twigs and leaves from the surroundings to craft something.
“It’s ready. Try it.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
What kind of fascination would perfectly grilled meat spark in Chae-rim, who had subsisted on hospital meals?
At the very least, a reaction I had never witnessed before unfolded.
“So yummy, so yummy!”
The child possessed such an impressive appetite.
Watching the meal with satisfaction, I too finished eating to replenish my buffs.

[Active Buffs]
[Balaruck Whole Roast (Ancient)]
[Strength +7 Stamina +11]
[Eternity +1]
[Duration: 4 hours]

As expected, an Ancient-grade meal increases Eternity.
Though I cannot speak for others.

[Strength: 161 Agility: 170 Stamina: 176 Wisdom: 102 Luck: 101]
[Eternity: 38 Mana: 6]

Moreover, quite respectable stat gains were guaranteed.
Since it provided the most crucial Eternity as a bonus, there was no need to even consider permanent buff maintenance.
“Huh?”
Then, an unfamiliar reaction came from the child.
“Huh huh?”
“What? Chae-rim, what’s wrong?”
Since she said it tasted good, it couldn’t be an issue with how it was cooked.
The meat was genuinely delicious, after all.
The child’s bewildered gaze remained fixed on empty air.
More precisely, on her status window.
“My Eternity went up!”
“Eternity?”
Eternity.
That was likely the correct interpretation.
And since she said it increased, Eternity must refer to a stat.
I knew that only an extremely limited number of users received a stat with such an unusual name.
“You don’t mean to say…”
“Yes. Bel… mmph.”
The moment Bella’s name was mentioned, I covered Chae-rim’s mouth.
The device she was currently using was a shared one, after all.
“…Shh. That’s enough. I understand.”
“Mmph.”
I had found the answer.
Even now it’s hard to believe, but Chae-rim is almost certainly a beta tester.
The timing is precarious, but it barely fits.
If I calculate by age, she would have started around eight years old.
Given her circumstances, it couldn’t have been voluntary.
I suspect it was an experiment by someone who had noticed Chae-rim’s talent.
Could a child’s talent truly flourish in the savage wilderness that is the Primal Dimension?
“Chae-rim. Let’s add each other as friends.”
“Puhaha! I’ve been waiting for those words. I already sent the request.”
“Thanks.”
I completed the friend request with Chae-rim.

[Friend List]
[Offline: Eun-nyang E]
[Offline: Bella]
[Online: Nyx]
[Offline: Eden]
[Offline: Unnamed Guest]
[Online: Chung-geom]
[Online: Il-ho]

The nickname Chae-rim had been using was Il-ho.
If she was a beta tester, her Primal Dimension nickname would have remained the same, so it would have been Il-ho as well.
‘A nickname I didn’t recognize after all. She must have been a user living in hiding.’
I didn’t know everything about the Primal Dimension either.
By the end, I only knew how many users were connected to the server, and the veteran players I directly interacted with were only about half of them.
I belonged to the relatively visible veteran players, while those living in hiding could easily conceal themselves, so I had no interaction with them.
And there was no guarantee that Chae-rim had been connected until the server’s final moments.
I would probably learn more about this part gradually in reality.
“Tuuram. The prey you bring always proves flawless.”
“Of course. I chose them myself.”
“I’ll be counting on you in the future.”
“Leave it to me.”
I concluded a contract with the beta tester that would periodically supply ancient-grade buffs—a tremendous benefit.
Naturally, I had to reciprocate with compensation of equal measure.
“If there’s anything you want, just say the word. I’ll provide it.”
For now, I transferred about half of the seasonings I had in my subspace to Tuuram.
Premium salt and pepper that paired beautifully with meat.
“Hmm?”
“Magical powder that complements meat.”
“The Shaman will love this.”
Tuuram wasn’t particularly picky about food.
He was the kind of friend who ate well whether something tasted delicious or bland.
In a way, I was injecting him with the pleasure of fine dining.
“Try another cut too, Chae-rim.”
“Yes!”
I attempted a subtle transformation into a different dish, but buffs didn’t stack.
It seemed each ancient creature granted only a single buff.
“Shall we head out once we’re finished eating?”
“Yes! I’m so excited to see the village!”
Seeing the village.
It would likely be a memory that came only once for the child.
Once during character creation.
Before even adapting in front of the Fountain, the Eccentric Merchant must have whisked them away.
While I was concerned about his hostile actions, I predicted that the Unnamed Guest’s countermeasures would be equally extraordinary, so nothing catastrophic would occur.
‘If the Unnamed Guest is offline, then the Eccentric Merchant must be offline too. Everyone from the Major Guild would be offline as well.’
Since there was no urgency in returning to Liam, we made our way slowly toward the village.

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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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