Arrival at the Lumière Guild Hideout
I arrived at the Lumière guild hideout. It was a two-story building of moderate size, smaller than I had expected.
“Excuse me.”
“Welcome.”
The only person in sight was a single guild NPC. I sensed no other presence.
“Are you looking for someone?”
“Bella.”
“May I have your name?”
“Kael.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Soon after, I saw Bella hurrying down the stairs.
“It’s been a while.”
“You’re late!”
“Huh?”
For a second I wondered if we had set a specific meeting time, but we hadn’t. I had only promised to visit. Still, until I received the buffs, Bella held the upper hand, so I decided to do my best to keep the customer satisfied.
“Ah, I got held up with work.”
“It’s fine. More importantly, have you decided to switch to a buffer?”
“……No. I found a hidden class clue.”
“Really? Is it the first one?”
“Not the first.”
The ‘Adventurer’ class the training instructor had intended wasn’t considered a first discovery. Adding the word ‘Eternal’ would only complicate things, so I answered naturally that it wasn’t the first.
“I suppose not. Most hidden classes you can get in Liam aren’t first discoveries anyway.”
At that moment, the ‘Torture Technician’ I had obtained first came to mind. I simply didn’t mention it.
“That’s a shame. I’ve never met anyone so passionate about buffs before.”
“My interest in buffs hasn’t changed.”
“Really?”
“Yes. That’s why I came to see you again.”
Now was the time for action rather than words. I handed Bella the golden fox fur I had prepared in advance.
“This is repayment for last time.”
“Hm? The fur is gold?”
First came confusion. Then curiosity. Finally, shock.
“……Is this unique-grade? Why are the options like this?”
“Do you not like it?”
“No, the opposite. Wait, you said you were going to the eastern forest……”
“Yes. I hunted a golden fox and stripped this fur from it.”
“……You took down the hidden boss? I thought it was concluded to be an unbeatable boss.”
“It just happened to become possible. Thanks to you as well, Bella.”
Bella stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Me? All I did was demonstrate a buff.”
“Thanks to experiencing that buff firsthand. I adapted my body to the suddenly changed stats. The sensation I felt then played a key role in defeating the boss.”
Of course, it was nonsense. There was no reason to confess I was a beta tester.
“Ah, so that’s why you wanted the buff? And why you were muttering to yourself earlier!”
Fortunately, my excuse worked. It was all because the result was good. A perfect example of “the end justifies the means.”
“Yes. That’s right. While doing the hidden quest to defeat the golden fox, I obtained a few strategy items.”
“Oh? Even a hidden quest?”
Part of it was true. Especially the Mauro Wooden Sword—that was undeniably true. I decided to wrap the truth with that.
“You were interested in it too, right? This wooden sword.”
“Yes. I’ve never seen one before.”
“Want to check the options?”
Bella’s expression shifted constantly as she received the wooden sword.
“What is this? These options? No matter how unrepairable it is, does this durability and attack power even make sense? And it’s from decades ago? And unique?”
“The golden fox wasn’t an unbeatable boss—it was one you couldn’t defeat unless you were low-level. That’s why a wooden sword like this or a buff that can explosively boost power temporarily was necessary.”
I took the sword back. Bella’s eyes were filled with excitement.
“That means it’s the first clear, Kael. This is a huge incident! It’ll be all over the news!”
“Ah, about that… I’d rather not have my name spread around.”
“Aha. That type?”
“I’m not sure what type that is, but sure.”
“Okay. Fine. I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Looks like this fur will end up being hush money.”
“……Then I’ll have to repay you separately?”
“Uh, that’s a bit much.”
For some reason, Bella looked delighted as she began circling around me. If her demands were too high it would be troublesome, so the situation felt tense.
“You’re still low-level, right? You said only low-level players can defeat the golden fox.”
“Yes.”
“I’m over level 80. I can take down monsters around Liam with my bare hands.”
“Uh. Level 80?”
In this game, the level 80 range was considered quite high. It meant you could submit a resume to the Four Great Guilds. Even Kim Sung-chul, who had joined Seogwang, was still only in the mid-70s, and that was only because his hidden class had played a decisive role. I had expected Bella wasn’t an ordinary buffer, but I hadn’t anticipated this level.
“So, Kael. Let’s be friends.”
“Uh. Really?”
If that was the requirement, it was actually good. Bella was also a heavyweight connection, just like Cha Eun-kyung. High-level buffers were so rare they were hard to find. I didn’t know why such a heavyweight player was staying in the beginner town of Liam, but adding her as a friend came first.
“I’ve sent a friend request.”
“Okay, got it.”
Online: Eun-nyange
Online: Bella
A historic moment. My friend count had increased to two. And both were heavyweights. One could provide financial help, the other practical buff support.
“Kael, are you interested in guilds at all?”
“Oh.”
Was this another recruitment offer? For some reason, Cha Eun-kyung’s face overlapped with hers.
“If you’re interested in guilds, come to ours. It’s a small elite guild, and I can’t go into details, but we’re running a massive hidden quest here in Liam.”
“A massive hidden quest?”
“Yes. I think you could play a key role, Kael. You even defeated the golden fox.”
Of course I would refuse the guild invitation, but the hidden quest caught my interest. Not just any hidden quest, but a massive one. Both the difficulty and the scale of the reward would be on a completely different level.
“I have no intention of joining a guild.”
“Huh? Kael, do you not know how famous our guild is? We only didn’t accept new members for security reasons, but if you only count our core members, we’re on par with the Four Great Guilds! And I haven’t even explained the benefits yet?”
No matter what benefits she offered, I wouldn’t regret it. With only two permanent buffs and level 8, I didn’t think I could influence a quest that required an entire guild to solve anyway.
“Thank you for the offer, but I really have no thoughts of joining right now. I’m also planning to leave Liam within this week.”
“Huh? You’re graduating already?”
“It’s not graduation. I’ll have to come back to Liam.”
I would need to meet Bella several more times. Every time I accumulated a decent amount of Eternal, I would need to replenish my buffs.
“Then did you accept an expedition quest?”
“Not that either. I’m going to another beginner village for personal business. I plan to tour the Chinese beginner villages.”
“……You’re not getting involved in anything illegal, are you?”
Just like before, her worries were heading in the wrong direction.
“No. It’s really just personal business.”
“Hmm. It’d be hard to follow you for a quest.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, never mind!”
“You’ll accept the fur, right?”
“Is it really okay to take this? The performance is way too good.”
“Yes. I already set aside the fur I’ll use myself, and honestly, I’m giving this to you because I have a favor to ask.”
“Huh? A favor? What is it?”
Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. The atmosphere was perfect for asking.
“Next time, I want to experience all of Bella’s buffs.”
That was why I applied for the Buff World Cup again.
“A-all of them?”
“Yes.”
“There are quite a lot, you know?”
“All the better.”
“……Uh. I might need a few mana recovery potions.”
“Mana potions? I’ll buy them all. How much?”
“No! The fur is more than enough!”
I wondered how many rounds the next Buff World Cup would go. 128? 256? Whatever it was, it would be a shame when it ended. The best I could do was raise my Eternal stat as high as possible.
“Then let’s discuss the cost issue again after I get back.”
“Okay.”
In the end, the most important thing was how much Eternal I could successfully obtain. If I got stuck in another beginner village, that would be the end of it.
“Yes. Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Where are you going?”
“To get equipment. I also need to process the fur. Since it’s an expedition to another country, there’s a lot to prepare.”
For some reason, Bella stood blocking the entrance, deep in thought. Was she not going to let me leave? Or perhaps…
“I’ll help you.”
“Huh? Really?”
“I feel like I need to do at least this much to make it worth it. Do you even know how valuable this fur is? It’s worth at least several dozen gold.”
It wasn’t far off from the price Silverpen had set. Assuming the golden fox fur entered the market, Bella’s estimate would be accurate.
“Right. It’s quite a precious fur.”
“See? That means you just handed me several dozen gold, Kael. I have a conscience too.”
“……I gave it because I also have a conscience.”
This battle of consciences probably wouldn’t end. I would continue to be indebted to Bella from now on anyway.
“Listen to me. Which part of the armor do you want the fur processed into?”
I decided not to refuse her goodwill. Without any skill or stat correction, it would just become crude armor that only had the basic fur performance.
“Shoulder guards.”
“Okay, noted. I’ll hand the fur directly to our guild craftsman. I’ll make it an urgent high-priority request. You’ll be surprised when you see the result?”
“Thank you.”
Thanks to Bella, I now had a clear use for the fur. At this rate, it might be fine to entrust her with all the remaining fur as well.
“Use whatever’s left after making the shoulder guards however you like, Bella.”
“Ah! Really! If I take any more I’ll feel bad! Then I’ll turn all the remaining fur into a cloak! It should suit you.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll call the guild craftsman right now, so wait here. Want something to drink?”
Somehow, I had secured a full set of armor including a cloak. All while sitting comfortably.