A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 82

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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 82

“You’ll just need to sign here.”
“Phew. There are quite a lot of documents.”
“Well, it’s a rather large transaction. And since it’s a contract with a foreigner, we need approval from many higher-ups.”
Trade contracts recognized by the Royal Court, verification documents from several nobles of count rank, documentation requiring validation from the Merchant Guild—the list went on.
I understood Silverpenn’s position well enough.
The contents were entirely reasonable from a medieval perspective.
“That completes everything. Thank you for your patience.”
There was nothing in the contract that disadvantaged me.
From now on, Silverpenn would sell everything I produced at fair market value, and I’d established a structure where I could earn money entirely legitimately.
Moreover, most of the penalties for contract violations fell on Silverpenn’s side, so my risk was minimal.
“Thank you for looking favorably upon this arrangement, Silverpenn.”
“Not at all. I’m simply fortunate.”
A player-friendly merchant like Silverpenn was worth investing in.
And since I had connections with him, I could collaborate with rogues transitioning into merchant roles, creating numerous possibilities.
“Shall I bring out some food?”
“Yes. I’m quite curious about what merchants eat.”
“Ha. Nothing special, really. We typically have stew made with rabbit or wolf. Though of course, we do have special ingredients for distinguished guests like yourself, Kael.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Having just concluded such a substantial contract, I thought I might as well enjoy a decent meal.
“Cooking will take some time, so please rest. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
“Hmm. I’d rather not sit idle. Do you have any leather work that needs doing?”
“Oh! If you’d help us, Kael, that would be wonderful! I’ll pay you generously, even if it’s not much.”
“No, no. Consider it a favor between us.”
“My goodness. Then I’ll repay you with a fine meal.”
“Thank you. I’ll get started on the work then.”
“Yes, please do.”
I settled Chae-rim into a more comfortable sleeping bag and began the leather work I hadn’t done in some time.

* * *

Mealtime had arrived before I knew it.
Since a decent menu seemed to be coming, waking Chae-rim was the priority.
“Chae-rim. Let’s have breakfast.”
“…Breakfast?”
“Yes. Silverpenn said he’d treat us to something delicious.”
“Yes. I’ll get up.”
There was a separate dining tent, though it appeared to be for the regular Merchant Guild Staff.
We were guided to Silverpenn’s tent once again.
“Since this is a special occasion, I’ve arranged for Halken, a renowned chef from Liam, to prepare the meal.”
“Ah, so this is him.”
With Silverpenn’s introduction, a large man in chef’s whites bowed quietly.
A sturdy frame and resolute eyes.
Anyone could sense he was a master craftsman in his field.
“Thank you for calling upon me. I’m Halken. I oversee the kitchen at the Golden Grape Inn.”
“Ah, so you’re the head chef of the Golden Grape. I look forward to this.”
The Golden Grape Inn, like the Light and Salt Inn, was among Liam’s most representative establishments.
Thanks to numerous players’ investments, it bore only the name of an inn while boasting hotel-grade quality.
This naturally sparked anticipation.
“Indeed. I’ve recently acquired excellent ingredients, so I’m confident in presenting them. First, I’ll serve roasted peacock generously glazed with honey and spices, followed by steak marinated in wine.”
Powerful dishes began appearing on the table from the start.
The aroma alone was overwhelming, and the instinctive deliciousness was already apparent.
Chae-rim was already swallowing hard.
“I’ll cut it into easy-to-eat pieces.”
She merely nodded roughly, her gaze completely fixed on the food.
Ssshhk.
The meat sliced cleanly and smoothly.
Despite the meat having considerable muscle, the fact that it sliced so smoothly was evidence of Halken’s superior culinary skill.
“Here. Try it.”
“Thank you.”
I handed Chae-rim a small piece of peacock meat and quickly placed some in my own mouth.
Enjoying the taste while gaining buffs—it was a win-win for me.

[Active Buffs]
[Master’s Roasted Peacock Dish (Masterpiece)]
[Strength +14 Agility +16 Stamina +15]
[Noble’s Aura Granted]
[Noble’s Aura: Easily gain favor with NPCs.]
[Duration: 4 hours]

“Wow. This is exquisite.”
The taste was naturally exceptional.
It rivaled real-world cuisine without falling short in any meaningful way.
Yet the buff was far more overwhelming than the flavor itself.
Even the bread I’d eaten upon first logging in had been a masterpiece, bestowing considerable stat increases, but this masterpiece-grade dish used different ingredients, granting an additional effect called the aura of nobility.
‘NPC affinity increases are incredibly valuable.’
The value I could extract from NPCs was boundless.
High affinity in particular unlocked hidden quests and served as prerequisites for numerous quest chains, making it all the more appealing.
Naturally, I converted this buff to infinite duration.
“Here. Let me slice this for you too.”
“Mm.”
Next came the steak.
As expected, I sliced the meat for Chae-rim first before eating my own portion.

[Active Buffs]
[Master-Grilled Prime Young Venison Steak]
[Strength +11 Agility +18 Stamina +10]
[You become more acutely aware of threats.]
[Duration: 4 hours]

Another delicious buff took effect.
The threat detection in particular was an excellent secondary effect for preparing against assassination and ambush.
I converted this to infinite duration as well.
“For an accompanying beverage, we’ve prepared wine from our pride—the Golden Grape Inn. Golden grapes blessed by the Earth God, grown on sacred soil. In Liam, you can only taste this at the Golden Grape Inn.”
The wine itself was excellent.
But Chae-rim couldn’t drink it—she was a child.
“Would you happen to have juice for the child?”
“Of course, we’ve prepared that as well. We brought it along. For our young guest, we selected grapes with particularly high sugar content.”
“That’s wonderful.”
Apparently the juice was even sweeter.
This was perfect in every way.
“I’ll pour it for you myself.”
“Yes.”
The liquid began to flow.
The wine rippled and rose in an elegant glass adorned with gold trim.
I’d anticipated a pale yellow white wine, but true to the game’s nature, the wine gleamed with an authentic golden radiance.
The juice was the same.
“I’ve never seen golden juice before.”
“Right? Halken, could I have some as well?”
“Of course.”
I decided to taste the juice that Chae-rim would drink first.
Given that this was a medieval world, there was a possibility that even juice might have some alcohol content.

[Active Buffs]
[Golden Grape Juice Blessed by the Earth God (Masterpiece)]
[Wisdom +5 Luck +14]
[Instantly recovers accumulated fatigue.]
[Duration: 2 hours]

“Mmm!”
This was excellent grape juice for anyone.
Especially for the exhausted Chae-rim.
“It’s delicious. Chae-rim, try some.”
“Yes!”
With this, Chae-rim’s accumulated fatigue would be instantly recovered.
Moreover, since this was my first time encountering a buff that activated recovery effects immediately upon consumption, I was increasingly curious about how the infinite duration would apply.
“This one is grape wine.”
“I see.”

[Active Buffs]
[Golden Grape Wine Blessed by the Earth God (Masterpiece)]
[Wisdom +5 Luck +14]
[Instantly recovers accumulated fatigue.]
[Duration: 2 hours]

However, the wine and grape juice buffs were treated as the same category, so they didn’t stack.
The infinite-duration grape juice buff was overwritten by the wine buff, which had a limited duration.
‘As expected. I’ll need to be careful about this.’
Moreover, immediate fatigue recovery showed no significant difference even when converted to infinite duration.
It felt as though the fatigue recovery applied when I first drank the beverage wasn’t being refreshed additionally.
It seemed better to receive only the status bonus and apply the effect by refreshing it each time as needed.
“Is it possible to package this wine separately?”
“I apologize. The Golden Grape is provided only in limited quantities, and the Earth God Temple does not permit it either.”
“I see.”
Unlike my dealings with the priests, there seemed to be some strict doctrine at play here.
Since Liam was a village I’d visit frequently, it seemed best to stop by the Golden Grape Inn whenever I felt tired and drink there.
Slice. Slice.
At some point, Chae-rim began cutting the meat herself and eating it.
She’d always had a good hand with a knife, and her dexterity was so exceptional that she adapted instantly to this unfamiliar style of dining.
She analyzed how to cut for maximum texture, how to eat for better flavor.
Thanks to her, I could now simply enjoy the meal itself.
‘She absorbs all knowledge like a sponge.’
It seemed I could set my learning plans even higher.
A talented child would attract all sorts of people, so I resolved to focus especially on teaching her economic principles.
At minimum, she needed to understand the value of what she was selling.
“It was delicious. Whether cut with the grain or not.”
“That’s right. It’s the result of quality ingredients combined with excellent cooking skill.”
“I learned.”
“Yes. Your Uncle Halken made this for you. What should you do in a situation like this?”
“I should say thank you.”
“That’s correct.”
“Thank you for the meal, Uncle Halken.”
The chef Halken, who had suddenly become an uncle, began to soften his stern expression ever so slightly.
Familiar with a similar case in Cha Eun-kyung, I recognized this as a positive sign.
“Thank you, miss. If you visit the Golden Grape Inn later, I’ll let you taste other dishes as well.”
Chae-rim looked at me instead of answering.
She had no concept of visiting places on her own.
“I’ll give you pocket money. You can go wherever you want with it.”
Only then did Chae-rim give Halken her answer.
“Yes. I’ll visit.”
It was an ordinary conversation.
Yet a sense of fulfillment welled up from deep within my heart.
Though I’d experienced many moments of satisfaction, this was an emotion I’d never felt in all my years of living.
It felt strange and wonderful to experience such contentment within a game.
If I continue with Chae-rim, I’ll be able to feel this emotion again and again.
I carefully utilized the capture function to save this moment.

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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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