Debuff Master

Chapter 474

Chae Hyung-Seok could not do anything against Maranello’s overwhelming power.

Maranello grabbed Chae Hyung-Seok's leg and smashed him to the ground again and again and again.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Chae Hyung-Seok’s bones in his arms, legs, shoulders, and pelvis shattered into innumerable pieces every time he collided with the ground.

“Kuheok! K-Kuheoook!”

The only thing Chae Hyung-Seok could do at the face of the beast was to gasp in agony every time he struck the ground.

Five minutes later...

“T-This fucking monster...!” Chae Hyung-Seok muttered those final words before being forcefully logged out. He had become stronger after entering into a contract with Baroque, but he was nothing but a sandbag to the Immortal Monster, Maranello.

Thud...!

Chae Hyung-Seok’s body disappeared, and a wooden staff dropped to the ground.

“Why did he drop this piece of crap?” Siegfried grumbled in disappointment after checking the item. He was watching the one-sided pummeling Chae Hyung-Seok received from Maranello and only came out after seeing that the unfortunate sandbag was dead.

Then, he looked back and said, “Oh well, are you ready, Scribe Gringore?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Please send him to sleep now.”

“Certainly,” Gringore replied with a bow. Then, he proceeded to sing the Song of Cradle for Maranello.

“Zzz... ZzZzz... Zzzz...”

Maranello fell fast asleep after being targeted by the Song of Cradle.

“Kyu! Owner punk! How can you punch someone just for this?”

“Hehe... He needs to have a taste of how scary Lamborghini can be, right?”

“You better apologize to him when he wakes up! Kyuuu!”

“I-I guess I will have to do that... But first! Time to pick that thing up!” Siegfried exclaimed and ran over to the plain-looking wooden staff.

‘Kyu... I thought it was a piece of crap? What’re you so excited about?’ Hamchi shook his head and grumbled inwardly.

[Alert: You have obtained Inzaghi’s Wooden Staff!]

It turned out that the item Chae Hyung-Seok had ended up dropping was none other than Inzaghi’s Wooden Staff, which was one of the Inzaghi Set Items.

[Inzaghi’s Wooden Staff]

[A wooden staff used by Inzaghi.]

[It guides the user in the right path at all times so they do not get lost.]

[Type: Staff] nove(l)bi(n.)com

[Rating: Unique]

[Durability: 7/10]

[Effect: Guides the user to the exit at all times.]

[Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance Set]

[Inzaghi’s Compass ?]

[Inzaghi’s Map ?]

[Inzaghi’s Wooden Staff ?]

Siegfried managed to obtain the full Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance Set out of pure coincidence.

“Huh? How did I...?” Siegfried muttered in disbelief.

It was then.

Whoosh!

Inzaghi’s Compass, Inzaghi’s Map, and Inzaghi’s Wooden Staff floated in the air and started fusing into one.

“Eh? What’s wrong with these...?”

Siegfried was baffled as to why the three items suddenly started merging, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. All three items had already left his Inventory, and it was too late for him to force them back inside.

Whoooosh!

The three items spun rapidly, and they spun so fast it was impossible to follow them with the naked eye. Finally, they unleashed a blinding flash of light.

Flash!

The three items had merged into one.

Ding!

A message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: You have collected all of Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance Set!]

[Alert: The Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance Set has merged into a single item!]

[Alert: You have obtained Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance!]

The items merged together into a monocle named Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance.

[Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance]

[A monocle containing the Authority of Inzaghi, who was a sage when it came to all terrain and structure.]

[Type: Accessory]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Durability: 100/100 (Cannot Be Repaired)]

[Active Skill: Clairvoyance]

[Allows the user to use the Authority of Inzaghi for a brief moment.]

[Type: Active Skill]

[Cooldown: N/A]

[Duration: 120 minutes]

[Effects: Obtain a precise map of the current field, Obtain the location of all living creatures on the field, and Obtain the location of all secret rooms in the field.]

[Warning: The durability of Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance will drop by 1 every time Clairvoyance is activated.]

“I-Isn’t this a map hack?!” Siegfried blurted out. He had perfectly described the active skill of Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance. Clairvoyance was no different from an actual map hack, as it would allow him to see the entire field.

Of course, he was not cheering despite obtaining such an overpowered skill.

“W-What should I do...”

Siegfried was extremely troubled right now.

“I borrowed that map...”

He had borrowed Inzaghi’s Map from Beowulf, but he could no longer return it, as the items had merged against his will. Beowulf had probably lent it to him thinking that Siegfried wasn't the kind of person who would run away with his item, but...

“Will he understand if I explain what happened in detail? But what if he gets mad? Ah... I feel so bad...” Siegfried muttered out of guilt. Then, he turned toward the others and said, “Let’s return for now.”

Siegfried left behind the Daedalus Underground Great Labyrinth and returned to the Proatine Kingdom.

***

A few changes occurred in the Nürberg Continent while Siegfried was busy stopping the Church of Osric and rescuing Gringore from the Daedalus Underground Great Labyrinth.

One of the biggest changes was the opening of new dungeons.

The Dark Snake Agareth chose the Canyon Gorge as its lair, and the surroundings became teeming with dark-attribute monsters. Numerous high-level Adventurers gathered at the Canyon Gorge to try and hunt Agareth.

On top of that, strange status appeared in the Southern Great Jungle and Northern Great Forest, and the difficulty level of these two fields exponentially increased. Of course, numerous high-level Adventurers ventured to these two fields to try and get first dibs on the massive Experience Points and the treasures inside.

Meanwhile, Cheon Woo-Jin was observing the strange occurrences happening throughout the continent—especially the Southern Great Jungle and Northern Great Forest.

At the headquarters of the Guardians, Cheon Woo-Jin looked troubled. The Orb of Destruction was still glowing bright red in front of him. It was no longer as red as it was just a few days ago, but it was still quite red.

In other words...

“It’s not over yet...”

Cheon Woo-Jin realized that the continent was still in danger, and he was extremely troubled right now.

‘What’s going on? I don’t see anything that could have caused all of this... Is there a threat that we failed to notice somewhere...?’

However, he could not find the answer no matter how much he thought about it, and the information network of the Guardians also couldn't determine the reason behind the orb's hue.

“What should I do...?” Cheon Woo-Jin muttered, mired in a dilemma.

***

Siegfried bade goodbye to Leonid and returned to the Proatine Kingdom.

“You’re back?” Deus greeted him at the garden.

“Yes, Master. I have returned.”

“You have brought another unfamiliar face with you.”

“Ah, this is Mr. Lamborghini,” Siegfried proceeded to introduce the new face to Deus.

“What a cool name,” Deus replied with a smirk.

Siegfried turned to Lamborghini and said, “This esteemed being is my master.”

“Is he your master you have spoken highly of...? The one capable of killing me?” Lamborghini asked while examining Deus from head to toe.

“Tsk, tsk. You seem to be hiding a monster inside you,” Deus said, clicking his tongue.

“Pardon...?”

“You’re fated to be controlled by that monster whenever it gets the chance.”

As expected of Deus. He instantly felt Maranello's presence inside Lamborghini.

“But what are those filthy things you have brought with you? I think they are demons by their looks...”

“W-What did you say, old man?! How dare you talk like that to my lord like that?! This right here is Metatron; he is the Son of Demon Lord Vernas!” Chaos retorted.

“Ah, I miss my wife. I should probably go see her.”

“Kyu! Hamchi wants to play with Verdandi!”

Siegfried and Hamchi left as fast as they possibly could.

“I will have to go work on the tour dates I missed—Mr. Lamborghini?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to come with me?”

“W-Where are we going...?”

“Even your life is precious, Mr. Lamborghini.”

Gringore hurriedly took away Lamborghini and disappeared somewhere.

Chaos lashed out, “Hey! Old geezer! I suggest you hurry up and kneel down before my lord! We will spare you if you do—”

“C-Chaos...”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Stop it...” Metatron said after sensing something was off. Then, he whispered, “I think you have made a grave mistake...”

“My lord! I know you were forced to become a human’s slave, but how can you allow an old geezer to look down on you?!”

“Stop it, Chaos...”

“My lord! I implore you not to let that old geezer—”

“I said stop it!”

“Kekeke!” Deus broke out into laughter. Then, he said, “You filthy demons are quite something, aren’t you?”

“What?! Who are you calling filthy, you crazy old geezer?!” Chaos retorted and walked toward Deus.

Pukeok!

Deus flicked Chaos’ forehead.

“Ku-heooook!” Chaos gasped.

“Kekeke! I guess you want to learn some manners under me. Fine! This Great Being shall teach you some manners!” Deus exclaimed gleefully and cracked his knuckles.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Then, he proceeded to beat Chaos to a pulp.

“Kweeeeeeeek!”

The peace within the Proatine Kingdom’s royal castle was disturbed by the dying screams of somebody who sounded like a pig being butchered.

***

Siegfried went to spend time with Brunhilde and Verdandi before logging out of the game.

His life as Han Tae-Sung was very simple.

He would either sit at a café to enjoy a cup of coffee alone or drive around Seoul in his Ferrari. He would sometimes eat at a famous restaurant as well. He would meet Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu from time to time, but he spent most of his time alone.

Vroom!

Tae-Sung drove his Ferrari through Dongjak Bridge, and he suddenly felt lonely.

However, another thought instantly entered his head afterward.

“If only I could go on a date with Brunhilde in real life Ah... That would really be—Heok!”

Siegfried almost crashed into the car in front of him after realizing what he was thinking of just now.

Screech!

Tae-Sung slammed the brakes and muttered, “W-What the hell was I thinking? Have I finally turned into an addict...?”

A chill traveled down his spine after realizing that he had become too engrossed in the game.

“Do I have to go out and meet people...?” Siegfried suddenly felt the need to establish himself not only in the game but also in real life.

Whoosh...!

The drive back home felt much lonelier than it usually was—no, it felt as if the entirety of Seoul was lonely tonight.

***

Two days later, Tae-Sung finished everything he had to do in real life and logged into the game. He descended into the Nürberg Continent as the Adventurer, Siegfried.

‘Argh...! I feel much more comfortable being in the game!’ He shivered once again after realizing that he felt more comfortable in the game than in reality. ‘I really should start playing sports or a hobby...!’

While he was pondering over what kind of hobby he could pick up outside, Michele ran up to him and shouted, “Your Majesty! We have a big problem!”

“What is it this time?!”

“The chieftain of the Amazoness Tribe, Antiope, has requested an audience with Your Majesty!”

“What?! T-That’s definitely a big problem!” Siegfried screamed in horror after hearing Antiope’s name. He clearly remembered how Brunhilde had sulked the last time Antiope visited him, so Antiope's visit was truly an emergency to Siegfried

“Brunhilde! Does Brunhilde know?!”

“Not yet, Your Majesty!”

“Really? Hey, let’s go meet her now! Let’s meet her as quickly as possible and send her back! S.T.A.T!”

“Yes! Your Majesty!”

Both Siegfried and Michele ran as fast as they could to meet Antiope before word of her visit reached Brunhilde’s ears.