A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 84

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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 84

Two days passed in a blur.
It had been far more fulfilling than I’d anticipated.
Much of that was thanks to Chae-rim, who absorbed everything she saw with remarkable speed.
“You’ll be fine on your own, right?”
“Of course. I’m used to it.”
“Mm.”
It was an unnecessary question.
After all, she had spent a long time alone.
“Right. You’re having fun with the butler.”
“Just a moment.”
“Hm?”
Chae-rim returned to her room.
I already knew what she was doing.
I could sense her crafting something in secret, the faint sounds of her work reaching me.
I simply pretended not to notice.
“Take this with you.”
“What? What is this?”
“A simple mask.”
“I see.”
The mask was made of an uncommon material.
I wondered where she’d found such fabric.
There were too many likely sponsors to narrow it down.
Chae-rim had captivated more than just Silverpenn.
‘Silverpenn? The Training Instructor? Or perhaps someone from the Lumiere Guild?’
Chae-rim possessed an ability to disarm others’ vigilance without needing to display her crafted items.
It was something akin to an innate talent—subtly different from mere childish innocence.
As a result, gifts flowed toward her constantly.
The fabric for this mask had surely come from one of her admirers.
“This is wonderful! Should I try it on right away?”
“Yes!”
I checked the mask’s options.

[Master Craftsman’s Perception Concealment Mask (Masterpiece)]
[Defense: 12]
[Luck +21]
[Perception Concealment]
[Toxin Resistance (Major)]

[A mask crafted by a master craftsman with profound affection. It carries the deep wish that only they would recognize the wearer. Woven from cloth inscribed with toxin resistance runes, it boasts formidable resistance against toxins.]

In just two days—and only during the early mornings when I slept, no less—she had created this mask.
Yet a masterpiece-grade mask had been completed.
Moreover, I discovered one consistent pattern: every item Chae-rim crafted came imbued with exceptionally high luck.
‘She’s boosting luck to an overwhelming degree this time too. Truly, an overwhelming talent.’
Chae-rim’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
She was waiting for my impressions.
Of course, my answer was already decided.
“Thank you. It’s amazing, Chae-rim.”
“Of course! I worked really hard on it!”
There were no concerns about rough edges or discomfort.
After all, she was a child confident in her own abilities.
From the fit to the texture, everything was flawless.
“Is it okay if I wear it around?”
“Yes! Please do! Absolutely!”
Thanks to her enthusiasm, my luck had increased.
Moreover, I could now enjoy not only the unexpected perception concealment but also toxin resistance.
Among these, perception concealment seemed particularly useful in many ways.
For me as a beta tester, not revealing my identity was naturally a critical concern.
“Beta, I’m entrusting Chae-rim to you.”
“Yes. Have a safe trip.”
Beta was an NPC administrator dispatched from the Meriam Royal Family to the Lumiere Guild.
Thanks to Bella’s consideration, we had arranged for Beta to take exclusive care of Chae-rim.
The reason I could entrust Chae-rim to Beta without worry was simple.
Beta was no ordinary NPC.
Though I had never fought her directly, everyone in Lumiere swore that no one could defeat her in a one-on-one match.
Moreover, just from the aura she emanated, her level was undoubtedly in the triple digits.
“Chae-rim seems to be getting along well with Beta too.”
“Yes!”

* * *

I arrived at the South Gate, the location Bella and I had arranged beforehand.
It was my first time at the South Gate, and the area was dominated by carriages heading to other villages.
It felt like a bus station.
“Kael?”
I heard Bella’s voice from behind me.
She recognized me despite the mask I was wearing.
“Ah, so it is you, Bella.”
“Yes. Only you wear this cloak, after all.”
Perception-obscuring effects were meaningless against people who already knew me.
Especially against Bella.
She was the one who had gifted me most of my equipment.
“Ahem. Will it be just the two of us in the dungeon?”
“Of course! The place we’re going is a relatively manageable sub-dungeon.”
“I see. A sub-dungeon, then.”
It was likely a dungeon related to quest rewards.
Moreover, the fact that main and sub-dungeons existed separately meant multiple mysteries were intertwined—much like the world quest the Lumiere Guild had cleared.
The Lumiere Guild’s character was certainly distinctive.
This guild’s focus was adventure and exploration.
“However, it won’t be entirely easy. It’s a hidden dungeon, after all.”
“Is that so? I’m looking forward to it. How long until we arrive?”
Meeting at the South Gate meant we’d be traveling by carriage.
And since we weren’t using teleportation, it couldn’t be too far from Liam.
“About three hours by carriage.”
“That works well.”
Besides, the significance of this party hunt lay more in doing it with Bella than in the dungeon itself.
The buffs she granted could be converted to permanent duration.
That’s why I needed to prepare myself mentally.
She knew far more buffs than the number of buff slots I was allowed.
I would need to carefully select the necessary buffs from the countless options available.
“This way, please. I’ve already reserved a carriage.”
“Yes.”

* * *

As Bella and I exchanged pleasantries, we arrived at what was presumed to be the location of the dungeon.
The terrain resembled the canyon formation I had seen in Shotz.
“This is Ath Gorge. There’s an ancient village nearby called Ath Village. It’s not a popular profession, but you can advance into the Shaman class, one of the rare occupations.”
“Oh? A Shaman?”
“Yes. They can apply powerful buffs through totems or tattoos, and they have decent combat capabilities of their own.”
“Then isn’t it a good profession?”
“Not necessarily. In this game, people generally agree that specializing in one thing is better. Shamans are versatile, so there’s an ambiguous aspect to them.”
“I see.”
Still, I found myself curious about the Shaman class.
After all, the lore stated that the profession had existed since ancient times.
One of the ancient figures I communicated with through Tuuram was also a Shaman.
“Personally, I prefer buff-specialized professions like yours, Bella.”
“Heh. That’s only natural. I’m a hidden class among buffers, after all.”
“I’m certainly fortunate then.”
“Though you’re far from ordinary yourself, Kael.”
“Am I?”
“That weapon of yours is mythic grade. Even high-level players struggle to wield something like that.”
“Ah.”
The Lumiere Guild’s intelligence network was indeed exceptional.
Bella and Baek Seo-hyun likely had their own information channels as well.
“Here it is.”
Where Bella stopped was not the canyon entrance, but a sheer cliff face that stretched endlessly upward.
Concerns about climbing arose, but Bella quickly dispelled them.
“If I take out this orb, the dungeon entrance will open.”
*Zing!*
“….”
The dungeon entrance opened.
More precisely, it was a Dimensional Gate—something I was already familiar with.
It seemed the dimensional-related content had indeed been added after this update.
“Fascinating, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. It’s similar to my weapon skill.”
“Eh? Your weapon skill?”
“Yes. Sumoq can open Dimensional Gates too. And I can summon the Ancient One.”
I saw no reason to hide much about Sumoq.
Perhaps she already knew but was pretending not to.
My judgment was that it was better to reveal at least my weapon skills to a partner I would be exploring the dungeon with.
“Ugh…. So you already knew about Dimensional Gates.”
“Still, the dungeon format is new to me as well, so don’t feel too disappointed.”
“Right? Let’s enter!”
I stepped through the Dimensional Gate.
And, as I had somewhat anticipated, the status window appeared before me.

[Magnificent Achievement!]
[You have entered a twisted timeline.]
[Strength increases by 5.]
[Agility increases by 5.]
[Stamina increases by 5.]
[Wisdom increases by 28.]
[Luck increases by 16.]

[Magnificent Achievement!]
[You have entered the fifth trial for the first time.]
[Luck increases by 5.]

Two magnificent Achievements had been accomplished.
Among them, the primary Achievement—the reward for entering the reversed timeline—was absolutely staggering.
An all-stat Achievement, no less.
I knew such Achievements were extraordinarily rare.
It meant the dungeon that the Lumiere Guild was conquering contained rewards of truly immense proportions.
“Is it really alright for the two of us to monopolize such an Achievement?”
“All the guild members agreed to it. Besides, the other dungeons we’re clearing offer similar rewards.”
“Wow. I see.”
Even with numerous buffs running permanently, I could discern a gap between myself and the top-ranked players.
If the upper guilds were monopolizing Achievements of this caliber, then the difference in stats wouldn’t be as vast as I’d imagined.
“By the way, what kind of monsters appear here?”
“Usually animal-type monsters. Though they’re quite far from ordinary.”
“Could we possibly eat them?”
“Unfortunately not. Their corpses disappear.”
“That’s a shame.”
I had missed an opportunity to secure cooking buffs as well.
I had been planning to secure at least the animal carcasses in my subspace if the situation allowed.
At that moment, an unfamiliar monster began approaching from the Canyon.
“Kraaagh!”
It looked like a goat, but with pitch-black wings sprouting from its body.
Just by appearance, it looked like something that would go terribly wrong if eaten.
Thanks to that, my culinary ambitions vanished entirely.
“Here it comes. Every monster that appears in this dungeon looks different. I’ll cast some defensive buffs on you first, so let’s observe it carefully.”
“Understood.”
Bella cast several buffs upon me.
The sensation of receiving buffs never gets old.

[Active Buffs]
[Stone Skin]
[Defense +15%]
[Duration: 3 minutes]

[Surging Vitality]
[Health +10%]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
[Transcendent Gaze]
[Agility +10]
[Tracking Vision Response Speed Expansion]
[Duration: 1 minute]

“Cough.”
From the start, I’d received absurdly powerful buffs.
During this time, Bella had also made tremendous progress, learning to grant equally ridiculous buffs that increased stats by percentages.
There was no reason not to convert these into permanent effects.
Already, dread regarding the Buff World Cup was beginning to creep in.
‘Calm down. Stay calm. First, the monster.’
I advanced cautiously, step by step, bracing myself for the creature’s charge—whether it was charging or flying was impossible to discern.
And once again, I encountered an unexpected variable.
“Croak!”
Zzzzzzzzz!
The bizarre goat was not a physical-type monster.
Absurdly, it was a variant that fired threatening beams from its horns.
“Tch!”
Thanks to Transcendent Gaze, I managed to evade the beam’s direct impact.
Besides, Bella wasn’t even in the line of fire, so there was no reason to take the hit.
“Croak!”
“So this is how you’re going to play it, huh?”
I’d lost the initiative, but I’d secured an opening to counterattack.
I swung Sumoq with all my might toward the goat’s head.

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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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