A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 98

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 98

I had assumed Cha Eun-kyung was charting her own course like the other players advancing ahead of me.
But I never expected to encounter her like this.
“….”
The middle-aged Bureaucrat NPC, who still hadn’t revealed his name, grew even more emboldened.
She was undoubtedly a formidable force—one even I would struggle to contend with.
“No matter how favorably Loin and Marco regard you, there is the Royal Court above them. Kael.”
This Bureaucrat NPC was among those who viewed me unfavorably.
The unfortunate part was that I didn’t know this man.
Moreover, I still couldn’t find any reason or value in opposing a Bureaucrat NPC.
“Have I perhaps offended you in some way? I’m curious what reason you have for being so confrontational.”
The Bureaucrat NPC came forward with even greater confidence.
“You still don’t understand? Kael. The fact that you received a naturalization proposal from the Belhard Royal Family.”
“Hmm.”
Now I understood clearly.
This man was viewing me as a double spy.
Despite the fact that I had settled this matter through Seo-gwang.
In this case, I needed to find answers through Cha Eun-kyung instead.
As if sensing my thoughts, she spoke immediately.
“Name: Ramus. Grade-4 Bureaucrat NPC from Lorokan Village. No access to negotiation details between Seo-gwang and the Royal Court. He’s just picking a fight because he doesn’t like you.”
The man’s name was ultimately revealed through Cha Eun-kyung.
I didn’t know where Lorokan Village was, but Ramus was a Grade-4 Bureaucrat NPC—a fairly high position in Liam.
“C-Cha Eun-kyung?”
Ramus was greatly flustered by Cha Eun-kyung’s sudden intervention and briefing.
The fact that she was being called Cha Eun-kyung rather than Eun-nyang E suggested their relationship clearly favored her side.
She preferred not to be called by her nickname, after all.
“You’re presumptuous, Ramus.”
“…Could it be you two know each other?”
“More than acquainted. You do your job well enough that I’ve overlooked it until now. But not anymore.”
The situation had suddenly shifted.
Cha Eun-kyung now dominated Ramus.
I felt little sympathy for him.
It was a situation where the phrase “reaping what you sow” fit perfectly.
“…Ah, this is problematic?”
Rather, I found it irritating.
The naturalization process would have proceeded regardless of how long it took, but Ramus had delayed it.
I was even more annoyed that he had excluded Marco’s recommendation.
“Cha Eun-kyung. You’ve been quite busy.”
“Huff.”
“I thought with Marco’s recommendation, the naturalization process would proceed smoothly, but it seems to be dragging on.”
“Are all these people seeking naturalization?”
“Yes.”
I made my connection with Cha Eun-kyung abundantly clear.
This left Ramus with only one escape route.
Bowing his head.
“Ramus.”
“…Yes. I understand.”
When Cha Eun-kyung decided to adopt a cold expression, she was absolutely not easy to deal with.
An aura of dominion always emanated from her.
“I’ll retrieve the relevant documents momentarily.”
“If you run, interrogation begins.”
“Ugh… I’ll return quickly.”
I had no idea what torture skills Cha Eun-kyung had mastered.
The only thing I could deduce was that she had successfully completed the flaying process.
A mere Bureaucrat NPC had no means to endure her interrogation methods.
With wealth backing her, she undoubtedly wielded overwhelming authority.
“You’ve certainly been keeping yourself occupied, Cha Eun-kyung.”
“So have you.”
“By the way, I didn’t know there was a Bureaucrat who viewed me unfavorably. Is the atmosphere inside Liam not good?”
Cha Eun-kyung pondered something carefully before answering with caution.
“There are actually quite a few Belhard spies.”
“Then I understand. All the people I brought here are from Belhard.”
“What are you planning to do with these people?”
“I’m planning to try various things in Ath Village. I’ve already started investing.”
“Lee Seo-jun. Are you interested in investment?”
“…Yes.”
Cha Eun-kyung, who came from a conglomerate family and was renowned for her competence, undoubtedly possessed exceptional investment acumen.
She would offer plenty of valuable advice.
I decided to answer honestly.
“I’m more interested in success than investment itself. I’ve also come to realize that money is a powerful weapon.”
“I like that. You said Ath Village?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like me to invest alongside you?”
“Rather than that, could you offer a different kind of help?”
“What kind?”
Cha Eun-kyung’s eyebrows pointed to 2:40, signaling interest.
This was the signal that I could proceed.
“I’d like to have that Bureaucrat NPC from earlier work for me. He seems to have considerable authority.”
“I understand what you’re getting at. Go ahead—I’ll back you up.”
Cha Eun-kyung’s approval came through.
Which meant I could construct any building I wanted in Ath Village.
“There won’t be any danger for me, correct?”
“Once I’m involved, there’s no danger.”
Because it was Cha Eun-kyung’s assurance, I could trust it completely.
She possessed the power to make even unkept promises come to fruition.
“That’s a relief. I’ll share the details through a whisper.”
“Fine.”
Only then did Ramus arrive, cold sweat beading on his forehead, carrying stacks of documents.
“Each of you sign here. Drop a single drop of blood at this location.”
It seemed he hadn’t idled his way up to Grade 4 Bureaucrat—the moment he committed to processing, the naturalization procedures accelerated dramatically.
In less than thirty minutes, the entire naturalization process for my party was complete.
“I apologize for my earlier rudeness, Kael.”
“It’s fine. We can build trust gradually from here on. We’ll be seeing each other often, won’t we?”
“…Yes. I received instructions from Cha Eun-kyung. I will prioritize all business ventures you undertake in Ath Village and promise swift processing.”
“Excellent. I look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise.”
Ramus had completely submitted.
His competence was beyond question because of it.
Knowing when to bare your fangs and when to hide them—that’s the mark of true capability.
In the end, it was a blessing in disguise.
“While we’re at it, could we register a merchant company as well?”
“It’s possible. Within my authority, I can even arrange carriage rentals—up to five of them.”
“Then please register the merchant company at the same time.”
“Of course. What name would you like for the company?”
I proceeded with the merchant company registration on the spot.
A name had already come to mind anyway.
“Let’s go with Wonyoung Merchant Company.”
“Wonyoung Merchant Company. Confirmed.”
Wonyoung was simply the word “eternal” rearranged backwards.
This would serve as excellent buildup to eventually showcase the Eternal Adventurer class.
I’d learned that the Eternal Adventurer hidden class appealed well to influential NPCs, so I planned to leverage it repeatedly.
“Are you heading back to work, Cha Eun-kyung?”
“Yeah. What about you?”
“I’ll be busy coming and going as well. I’m planning to farm bandits in my spare time.”
“Farm bandits?”
“Yes. I need more NPCs.”
“You’re saying you need manpower?”
“That’s correct. Did you have something in mind?”
“Yeah.”
Cha Eun-kyung seemed to have another clever idea up her sleeve.
“There’s Muuren Village to the west. Lots of orphans in the back alleys there.”
“Orphans?”
“Yeah. It’s the village with the worst security around Liam. There are plenty of low-quality NPCs there—just as bad as bandits.”
“Oh, that sounds promising.”
By conventional logic, Muuren Village would be a place most players avoided.
Since the game was so realistic, most players harbored a strong aversion to killing.
Moreover, being near the Beginner Village meant poor experience gains, and with police resources concentrated in Liam, the village saw few visitors.
Suddenly, Bella’s words came to mind.

—See that person selling Americano? They’re the Demon King Coffee CEO. And that person selling skewered chicken? That’s the Marim Chairman. They even operate a poultry farm directly in western Liam.

Western Liam, and Muuren.
And a poultry farm on top of that.
The Marim Chairman had apparently seen this far ahead.
The fact that he operated a poultry farm in the west meant he was already utilizing adult NPC labor.
That’s why Cha Eun-kyung had recommended orphans, I reasoned.
‘Did he also subjugate the vagrants of Muuren? With such poor security, I doubt it was a legitimate employment arrangement.’
Regardless, including Muuren Village in my next route was already decided.
I would subjugate the low-quality NPCs through force, guarantee the orphans decent living conditions and treatment, and raise them in Ath Village.
Besides, I’d become personally curious about how much modern knowledge these orphans could absorb.
‘Medieval children attending modern schools. This is going to be hard to resist.’
At least this plan would have been impossible in my previous playthrough.
The world was far too savage, and I lacked both the resources and environment to run a school.
But this time was different.
Because this game was loved by as many users as it had NPCs.
“Hearing this, my priorities have shifted. I should hurry and move to Muuren Village first.”
“Want me to come along?”
“Hm? Aren’t you busy?”
“Not anymore.”
There was something odd about the way she changed her words.
Everyone knew she was busy.
For me, there was no reason to refuse her offer.
“That works for me. Then for Ath Village, Chung-geom could… Chung-geom?”
“Huh? Yes! Just give me any order you need!”
Even Chung-geom was showing a stiffened reaction.
Had Cha Eun-kyung been famous in China too?
In any case, with so many routes to cover, I decided to entrust the Ath Village matters to Chung-geom.
“Chung-geom, please use the remaining gold to secure as many essentials, provisions, and building materials as possible. For everything except the construction materials, sell them at affordable prices in Ath Village.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
“Cha Eun-kyung, how is your schedule tomorrow morning?”
“Sure. I’ll come find you.”
Her response was somewhat unsettling.
I had never even told her where I was staying.
“Yes. Feel free to eat as you wish, and be sure to purchase a map. The odds of finding lodging in Liam right now are low, so I’d recommend camping.”
“Yes. We have all the sleeping bags prepared, so leave it to us.”
I had grasped the broad strokes of the plan.
Now it was time to return.
“I’ll see you again, Ramus.”
“Travel safely.”
“Cha Eun-kyung, thank you for everything today.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Now I could return to my lodging with a lighter heart.
And as I made my way back, I realized something.
‘Wait. If this happens, won’t Cha Eun-kyung and Seo-hyun run into each other tomorrow?’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————