The Buffs I Raised Are Too Strong - Chapter 3

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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 3.
An hour after my sister’s urgent call.
Crash!!
“Whoa!?”
I’d been waiting on the rooftop.
Then suddenly.
Bang!
A metal door crumpled and fell toward the floor.
“Huff… huff….”
My sister, drenched in sweat for some reason.
An A-Rank Awakener shouldn’t tire from ordinary exertion.
“Traffic was backed up… huff, I ran the rest of the way….”
“F-from where?”
“Mangwon-dong.”
“…Seoul?”
“Yeah.”
…Sigh.
My rooftop room is in Anseong.
The distance from Mangwon-dong is roughly eighty kilometers.
“In an hour?”
“Thirty minutes in traffic, then thirty running.”
My sister isn’t a speed-type Awakener.
If anything, she’s a strength-type.
I was reminded once again how monstrous Awakeners truly are.
“Ugh, this thing’s a pain to carry.”
Thud!
My sister dropped whatever she’d been carrying on her back to the floor.
Dust scattered in the wind.
“What is that?”
“Oh, my weapon. They said I should carry it for symbolic value, but I forgot I had it on me.”
It was a Greatsword.
One as tall as I was.
If I so much as tried to buckle it on, my spine might snap.
“Phew… all right, I’m recovered.”
“…Already?”
“Yeah, there’s something far more important than my physical condition right now.”
Grab!
My sister suddenly seized my shoulders.
“Did you… Second Awaken?”
Second Awakening.
Her hands trembled slightly as she spoke.
‘…Out of nowhere?’
Could it be because of the World Tree’s Minion?
“What happened?”
First, I decided to play it cool.
I needed to understand why she was reacting like this.
I needed to know what had happened to her.
That came first.
My sister spoke quietly.
“…I cleared Floor 50.”
“Y-you really did?”
“Yeah. I’m just sneaking away from the celebration party.”
“Wow, amazing! That’s huge news!”
“…That’s not the problem.”
Even as she spoke of this monumental achievement—clearing Floor 50—
her expression remained grave.
She’d been stuck on Floor 49 for so long.
Clearing Floor 50 must have been a lifelong dream.
“I didn’t clear it with my own strength.”
“What?”
“Status Window.”
Jeong So-hyun gestured at empty air.
And moments later.
[Jeong So-hyun’s Status Window is being shared.]
“What!?”
A Status Window suddenly materialized before my eyes.
Not mine. Hers.
“You can do that too!?”
“From Rank A and above, there are quite a few additional capabilities.”
“Wow…….”
What is this.
Isn’t this favoritism?
‘……Is Rank A really worthy of such preferential treatment?’
“Hm.”
Then, a line caught my eye.
“Active Buffs?”
Will of Steel, Hero’s Strength, and so on.
Passing through all manner of Rank A buffs.
There, written clearly, was “Blessing of the World Tree.”
“……Try clicking on it.”
“Huh?”
“Click on it.”
Following her words, I moved my finger.
Ding!
[Blessing of the World Tree]
[Rank: EX]
[Duration: Permanent]
“……What.”
A sound escaped me like air from a punctured lung.
EX rank?
And the duration is permanent?
‘……Why?’
I knew a buff had been applied.
The World Tree’s Minion had Jeong So-hyun’s name written there, after all.
But I’d assumed only my E-rank buff would take effect.
“Explain yourself.”
“……What?”
“The Blessing of the World Tree. It’s your ability. Why is it active on me? And……even EX rank?”
Jeong So-hyun spoke firmly.
Her expression grave.
“Gulp.”
To be honest, I’m a little terrified.
In all my life, I’d never successfully lied to her when she looked like that.
“You’re not going to explain……?”
“Ah, okay! I’ll tell you!”
Before I could take a hit.
I explained everything, step by step.
How I came to grow the cherry tomato.
How a buff was applied to the plant.
How the cherry tomato suddenly grew to an absurd size.
Jeong So-hyun’s gaze shifted backward.
Toward the three-meter cherry tomato.
“……You’re saying you grew that?”
“Yeah.”
Jeong So-hyun covered her face with both hands for a moment.
“Uuuuugggghhhhh…….”
She let out a sound of genuine distress.
Though distress hardly captured how strange that noise was.
“Why, why are you like that?”
“It’s just…… this is getting complicated.”
“My ability?”
“This situation.”
Jeong So-hyun simply dropped to the rooftop floor and sat down.
Then, tap-tap.
She struck the ground beside her.
“Sit.”
“It’ll be dirty.”
“…Just sit.”
In moments like these, obedience was the wisest course.
“…All right.”
We sat side by side on the rooftop floor without saying a word.
It was still early morning; the sun continued its slow climb toward the sky.
Gradually, even the shadows around us began to fade.
Jeong So-hyun finally broke the silence.
“First, congratulations.”
“…What?”
That opening was entirely unexpected.
Completely unforeseen.
“And thank you.”
The second part wasn’t any better.
“…Thank me?”
“You cleared Floor 50. Because of you, I broke through my wall, the guild expanded. There’s so much to thank you for.”
“No, I mean… it wasn’t entirely because of me, right?”
Jeong So-hyun shook her head.
“I felt it directly. I know better than anyone. It was never just simple effort or hard work.”
“…Hmm.”
“This floor defeated me twelve times. Do you really think a sudden spike in skill would allow me to clear it? I’ve thought about it over and over—it’s impossible. There’s no other explanation.”
She placed her hand over mine.
Then squeezed slowly and firmly.
“But that’s exactly why it’s dangerous.”
“…Dangerous?”
“Yes. C-Rank, B-Rank, A-Rank—it doesn’t matter what grade you are. Even if you were S-Rank? It wouldn’t matter.”
“. . .”
“This is beyond categories. It’s far too dangerous. You’ll become a target.”
“A target for whom?”
“Awakeners, guilds, and—to put it mildly—the entire world.”
She turned to face me directly.
Her eyes held genuine concern.
“If you were a combat-type Awakener, it would be bad enough. But a Buffer? That’s different. You have no means of defending yourself.”
“If some overseas Ranker decided to target you with full intent? Even if our entire guild protected you, I couldn’t guarantee your safety.”
Gulp.
Cold sweat crept down my spine.
My mind filled with dark imaginings.
What would happen if this ability were exposed?
Would every major guild in the world try to recruit me?
And if recruitment failed, they might simply kill me. To keep me from falling into someone else’s hands.
“This might sound strange, but I’d have preferred you to remain E-Rank for life rather than awaken to an ability like this.”
“. . .”
“No matter how hard life gets, no matter how empty it feels, you can still change things as long as you’re alive.”
Every word drove deep into my chest.
There was no flaw in her reasoning.
I knew the value of my own life.
“Let me ask you one thing, Jeong So-hyun.”
“What?”
“Never step forward again.”
“. . .”
“This might be your only opportunity, your final path forward. But if you’re willing to walk it, I won’t ask you to sacrifice yourself. I won’t wish for your success if it means putting you in danger. Of course, you might feel differently.”
The sincere pleading in her expression.
How many people could refuse a family member’s request spoken with such earnestness?
“I promise.”
“……Really?”
“Yeah, I promise. I won’t do anything dangerous.”
“……Thank you.”
We linked our pinky fingers together.
My sister smiled, satisfied.
That’s right.
This is how it should be.
I don’t want to risk my life just to earn money either.
“Ha, now that I’ve said it out loud, I’m embarrassed. Was I being silly?”
She scratched her head sheepishly and stood up.
“There’s still stuff for the guild to handle, but sorry for coming by so early.”
“No, I was going to call you soon anyway.”
“……Really?”
“Y-yeah, of course.”
“Tch, like that was going to happen.”
Flick—a chestnut flick right to my forehead.
I nearly tumbled backward.
“I’m heading out, take care of yourself∼.”
Yawn.
My sister walked away, stifling a yawn.
“Oh.”
She seemed to remember something and stopped in her tracks.
“……But, could you do me one more favor?”
“What is it?”
My sister’s finger pointed behind me.
At the massive three-meter plant.
“Give me a few more cherry tomatoes.”
“……Ha ha.”
Uh huh.
This is crossing a line, isn’t it?
“Please, please!”
“No way! Yesterday you ate them all and I couldn’t sleep from hunger.”
“You’re cutting my living expenses!?”
“You cleared floor fifty because of me!”
“That’s……! Ugh…….”
I finally handed over just one more and she left satisfied.
* * *
Gwanghwamun, Seoul Awakener Management Bureau.
An unusual report had come in.
“……A major guild? Wait, which one?”
“Yes. The Baek-ryeon Guild has applied for major guild promotion.”
“Is that the Baek-ryeon I know?”
“If you’re referring to the guild with A-rank Awakener Jeong So-hyun and Baek Yul-heon as guild master, then yes, that’s correct.”
“……Hmm.”
Director Jeong Cheong-un took several minutes reviewing the submitted documents.
Then he rubbed his forehead and let out a derisive snort.
“Did you verify whether Jeong So-hyun’s floor fifty clear was fabricated?”
“Yes. There are no system errors recorded.”
Jeong Cheong-un’s brow furrowed.
“Listen. Jeong So-hyun failed floor fifty twelve times straight. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, she cleared it? That doesn’t make sense.”
“According to current domestic records, there are no cases of recovery after ten or more failed attempts…….”
“Exactly! It’s a rare case that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere in the world, and it happens to come from Baek-ryeon?”
“……It’s not impossible.”
Jeong Cheong-un clicked his tongue softly.
He selected the middle of three stamps lying before him and pressed it down.
Pending.
“……What should we put as the reason for guild promotion suspension?”
“Just fill in something vague and look into the other matter.”
“The other matter being……?”
“What else? Any buffers or mercenaries they brought in without reporting to us.”
“Are you saying you’re a Buffer Awakener?”
“An Awakener who’s been stuck on a plateau suddenly jumping in power? Has to be a high-quality Buff. If they’ve cleared the 50th floor, they could even be an unconfirmed S-Rank.”
Deputy Director Han Gyeon-ho took the documents and left the office with a brief bow.
Jeong Cheong-un closed his eyes for a moment.
The ninth time the Baek-ryeon Guild attempted to clear the 50th floor and failed.
The memory of refusing the support request that had come to the Management Bureau flickered through his mind.
“Baek Yul-heon…….”
His face surfaced suddenly.
He had probably forgotten me, but I remember him.
‘That madman.’
Private interests. Personal desires.
A man obsessed with his guild alone, in which such things could never be found.
Most would consider it the finest quality for a guild master.
But to Jeong Cheong-un, it was nothing but a strange mental illness.
Yet, that was precisely what troubled him.
Knowing the fate that befell guilds which dabbled in the shadows, there was no way he would employ such methods.
In the end, only one path remained for him.
“Whether he actually dragged along a genuine unconfirmed S-Rank or whatever…….”
We’d know soon enough.
* * *
Three days later.
My sister contacted me again.
I woke at the vibration of my phone.
Half-asleep, I turned it on.
“……A package?”
The message said she’d sent me a package.
There seemed to be more to the message, but my mind wouldn’t process it.
I hurried to get dressed and head out…….
Head out my foot.
I smashed my head back into the pillow and slept another three hours.
It was around the time the morning sun was beating down on my face.
“Ugh, my head.”
I managed to drag myself up just before the sunlight could hit the pillow.
A light stretch.
Then I turned on my phone.
“Right, my sister called.”
The package was sitting in front of the stairs.
I glanced around cautiously.
Then carried it in, still wearing my pajamas.
“Phew.”
It was still morning anyway.
And then.
When I went to open the package.
Something struck me as odd.
“Huh? Why is it in such good condition?”
My rooftop room is on the fifth floor.
There isn’t even an elevator.
Most delivery workers just toss packages in carelessly.
Once I even watched one curse up a storm in front of my door.
“Could there be something valuable in here?”
Maybe as some kind of repayment from before.
I opened the package with a good mood.
And what came out was.
“What is this?”
A suitcase.
Something ominous, as if it contained something inside.
And at the very bottom lay a single envelope.
“……Better be safe.”
I’d open the envelope first.
Rip.
Two pieces of paper were inside.
“One is… a letter…?”
Hmm.
A letter, of all things.
It felt awkward.
I set the other paper aside for now.
I began reading the handwritten letter from Jeong So-hyun.
“Mm, mm….”
The gist of it was this:
‘I’m sending this on paper just in case.’
‘After hearing about your ability, something occurred to me.’
‘When you open the case, you’ll understand roughly what I mean.’
‘I’ve set aside some of the compensation money the guild gave me.’
‘I’m not forcing you to do anything.’
‘Love you.’
“Well, pretty ordinary, really….”
Wait.
There was something strange in the middle there…?
“…Compensation money?”
I hurried to check inside the envelope.
“Wow.”
My hands trembled.
They wouldn’t stop shaking.
A white piece of paper, slightly larger than a banknote.
Numbers written on it.
[100,000,000₩]
What people commonly call a check.
But the amount seemed a bit strange.
“Just how much compensation money did she receive…?”
The Buffer I Raised Was Too Strong
Author |
Neng Myeon Hwachae
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Samyang C&C Corporation
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Editorial Department
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Corporation – Dreambooks.

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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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