《Debuff Master》 Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Prologue I asked, ¡°I cannot get any stronger than this¡­ I do not have any talent, money, or even luck just like you said, Master. How am I supposed to be stronger, then?¡± My master replied, ¡°Being stronger than your enemy is not the only way to win in a fight.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­ by that¡­ Master?¡± I could not help but ask in response. ¡°Tsk tsk!?How stupid and foolish can you be? You can just make your enemies weaker than you! Weaker! It¡¯s as simple as that! Just make them be weaker than you!¡± my master replied with a hint of frustration in his voice. ¡®Weaker¡­ than me¡­?¡¯?I thought. It felt as if I was hit by a hammer on my head the moment I heard my master¡¯s words. I would just have to make my enemies weaker than me if I couldn¡¯t be stronger than them¡ªI had never even thought of doing that. ¡°You just have to make them weaker than you, and then¡­¡± My master paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°Kill them in one blow. It wouldn¡¯t look cool if you have to hit them twice, so it has to be in a single blow.¡± That day, I was reborn as a being who made my enemies weaker than me before killing them in a single blow. I became renowned as the ¡®Debuff Master¡¯. --- Brave New World, otherwise known as BNW, was an MMORPG open-world game that boasted thergest scale in the history of video games. Brave New World was a game where the user¡¯s freedom was guaranteed. It had a humongous thirty million square kilometers world map and more than two billion NPCs along with almost endless content to be explored. The game perfectly replicated the graphics of the real world on top of the realistic replication of the human senses. In short, BNW was not a game but another world. Thanks to that, Brave New World managed to attract more than one hundred million users in its first year, and it captivated the entire world. I was also captivated by BNW, and I jumped headfirst into this otherworldly game. The reason was simple¡ªmoney. I started due to the fact that one could make money by simply ying BNW, but when I discovered my hidden talent within the game, I started ying purely to make a living. I was good at the game. I reached Level 151 as an ¡®Elemental Mage,¡¯ which was just a normal ss, and I became the guild master of the ¡®Beamer Guild,¡¯ which boasted around two hundred active members, in my first year of ying the game. ¡®This is it,¡¯ I thought the moment I decided to stake my entire life on this game. There was no way for me to make a decent living since I was born in a poor household, and the only diploma I had was my high school graduation certificate. I concluded that this game was my only chance at living a decent life. Another year had passed since then¡­ I reached Level 201, and I was standing at the pinnacle of the game. However, it did not take long for me to realize that someone like me was an insignificant being in this game. I realized my limitations when the ¡®Genesis Guild,¡¯ which was one of thergest guilds in the game, decided to invade the territories of my Beamer Guild. I was helplessly beaten and trampled before their absolute strength; I could not even retaliate against them. The Genesis Guild possessed things that I did not have. The first one was luck¡­ There was no way I could defeat someone with luck. For example, those bastards who obtained better items out of pure luck or those who managed to get a rare ss by luck. There was no way that I¡ªwho had mediocre items and a normal ss¡ªwould win against those who possessed better items and hidden sses. The second one was talent¡­ I could not defeat those who were talented. The ones with an innate talent for this game were on an entirely different ying field. I was nothing more than a sandbag in front of their battle sense and godly physical abilities. The third one was money... I lost to those who had a lot of money. Those so-called ¡®wallet warriors¡¯ made up for theirck of luck and talent by pouring in huge sums of real money, and it was impossible for me to ovee the huge wall they had created by being overgeared. The fourth one was timing¡­ As absurd as it may sound, I lost to those who were at the right ce at the right time. There were quite a few of those bastards, which by the way were much weaker than me. However, they managed to defeat me because of their unbelievable timing. To sum it up, what I believed to be my talent turned out to be nothing more than the petty tricks the average person possessed, so I was nothing special in the end. However, I refused to ept this. I was an insignificant trash in real life, and this game was my everything. I had been living with a single goal in life, which was to be the best in this game. As such, defeat was something I could never live with. In fact, I could say that losing in this game made me doubt my own existence. Even more shocking to me was the fact that those who won against me weren¡¯t scum or trash like me in real life. Some of them were doctors... Some were sessful businessmen¡­ Some were the sons of the chairmen of conglomerates¡­ I could not stand the fact that those who were doing well in real life were doing well in the game as well. After all, I had to risk everything on the line for this game, and this game had long be the sole purpose of my existence. Why did they have toe and sit on top of me when they already had it all in real life? Just why? Howe? Just what did I do to deserve this? ¡°Wait and see¡­¡± I muttered while gnashing my teeth. I used my inferiorityplex as fuel to feed my desire to be stronger than anyone else. I spent all of the money I had saved up to buy expensive weapons, and I invested everything I had to enhance them. I immediately went on the move without hesitation when I heard rumors that an NPC that gave out rare skills were spotted somewhere. ¡°I just have to be a bit stronger¡­ Just a little bit¡­¡± I told myself over and over again as I immersed myself in the game. I was purely driven by my desire to defeat those bastards who had it all. In fact, I did not hesitate to take out hundreds of millions of loans in real life just to buy game items. That was how obsessed I was with this game. After all, this game was the only way I could prove my worth as a human being. I wanted to be the best even if it was only in this game. However, after investing excruciating efforts akin to grinding my own bones down, I soon came to realize that there were some things one couldn¡¯t achieve through hard work alone. The realization opened my eyes, but I had already lost everything. Ironically, I did not manage to defeat those I desperately wanted to beat. In fact, they just trampled me in an even more brutal way than before. I really wanted to beat them¡­ I really wanted to¡­ However, I soon realized that this was amon urrence. Whether it was in a game or in real life, there were people one simply couldn¡¯t defeat, regardless of their desire to beat those people. Perhaps I was destined to lose in the end. Perhaps this was the limitation of someone who only worked hard with neither talent nor backing¡­ *** Fshwaaaa¡­! There was a heavy downpour somewhere in the woods. ¡°Haa¡­¡±? Tae-Sung was leaning against a beautiful tree while staring off into the distance with his lifeless eyes. Ding! A message popped up in front of him. [Warning: 47 hours have passed since you logged in to Brave New World.] [Excessive gaming can be detrimental to your mental health and may affect your daily life.] [Alert: Your connection will be forcefully terminated after an hour due to excessive gamey.] It was a message warning him that his game connection would be forcefully terminated due to excessive gamey. ¡°I don¡¯t even have anywhere to go¡­ where do you want me to go then¡­?¡± Tae-Sung weakly muttered. He had nowhere to go since he had just lost everything he had twenty-four hours ago. The Beamer Guild he had invested everything he had in just had their castle burned to the ground, and the guild members had all scattered. In fact, a few of them even stabbed Tae-Sung in the back. On top of that, hisst remaining treasure, which was an expensive item called ¡®Elemental Buster,¡¯ was taken away by the enemy guild leader. The only items he had left with him were¡­ [Overly Dried Jerky ¡Á 3] [Ripped Cape ¡Á 1] [Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2 ¡Á 1] [Discolored Magic Staff ¡Á 1] These were items others would not take even if he offered them for free. What was going to happen to Tae-Sung if he logged out in this state? ¡°Ismitting suicide the only option I have¡­?¡± he muttered. He was ruined. The only thing waiting for him in reality was his empty, stinking moldy half-basement room with only a single old worn-out VR capsule as its furniture¡ªplus his hundreds of millions of debt. He was dreaming of making it big in the game and triumphantly returning to reality, but he only ended up kicking the can anding back empty-handed. Tae-Sung was afraid. He was afraid that he would end up taking his own life. His life in the game was a living hell, and the same was true for his life in reality. This was the reason why he could not bear to log out as he aimlessly wandered around the game, but even the game was now forcing him to return back to the reality he was desperately trying to avoid in less than an hour. ¡°Why¡­¡± he muttered to himself in a voice filled with self-resentment. ¡°Why is it impossible for me? Why is it impossible for me to beat those bastards? Why am I the only one who can¡¯t be stronger? Why me? Why? I tried so hard, and I risked everything on the line for this, but why can¡¯t I win against them? Just why?¡± Tae-Sung said as the pent-up resentment inside of him started toe out bit by bit. ¡°I put everything I had on the line¡­¡± he weakly muttered. He felt as if the world had wronged him. ¡°Why do I have to lose? Why¡­ just why does it have to be me¡­?¡± hemented in despair. He would never defeat them in a faction war, but he also couldn¡¯t defeat them in PVP. He felt aggrieved. He thought cing his life on the life would suffice, but he had never expected that someone abandoned by the real world would be abandoned by a game as well. The current reality for Tae-Sung was excruciatingly cruel. After all, the game he poured his heart and soul into had betrayed him. ¡°That is because you are weak¡­¡± someone suddenly said to Tae-Sung, and the person continued, ¡°The survival of the fittest dominates and is thew of this world. Weak people like you are bound to get trampled on. So, why are you ying the victim?¡± Tae-Sung turned his head in the direction where the voice came from. There was an old man with white hair and white eyebrows standing there. He had a long white beard that came all the way down to his abdomen, and he was wearing an expensive-looking silk robe with a simr ck-and-white theme. The old man that gave off a celestial atmosphere approached Tae-Sung. ¡°Hey, elder,¡± Tae-Sung called out to the old man in a rude manner, and then he said, ¡°Just mind your own business and go about your way.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± the old man red at Tae-Sung before he said, ¡°You should bow down in front of your teacher if you meet him, but what did you say? Go about my way? Haha, it seems that some discipline has to be instilled in you¡­¡± The old man suddenly stopped talking. ¡°So this guy was here¡­¡± ¡°Keke! You still haven¡¯t logged out?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for you to stop ying this game after being hunted down so badly?¡± The members of Tae-Sung¡¯s archenemy¡ªthe Genesis Guild¡ªappeared one by one as they each made a snarkyment. ¡°And who the hell might you be?¡± the old man asked while raising his white eyebrow, and then he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go about your way since I am busy right now? Do so before I end up killing all of you.¡± However, the Genesis Guild members weren¡¯t the type to easily back down. ¡°What the hell is this NPC?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he just a wandering old man?¡± ¡°Since you have the time to cackle with your dentures, why don¡¯t you go look for a coffin?¡± The Genesis Guild members slowly started to approach the old man. ¡°Hoho, look at these foolish punks,¡± the old man said with augh as he looked at the Genesis Guild members before adding, ¡°It seems that I will have to dispose of these idiots before I can continue with my business.¡± When the old man raised his fist, the air seemed like it was vibrating. Wooooong¡­! ¡°Die,¡± the old man said before he swung his fist toward the Genesis Guild members. Baaaaam! Then, something unbelievable transpired right in front of their eyes along with a thunderous boom. *** Baaaaaam! When the old man swung his fist in the air, Tae-Sung managed to get a glimpse of what the word ¡®strongest¡¯ or ¡®invincible¡¯ meant. ¡°¡­!¡± A flurry of messages appeared the moment the energy wave from the old man¡¯s fist made contact with the guild members. [999,999,999,999 Damage!] [999,999,999,999 Damage!] [999,999,999,999 Damage!] [999,999,999,999 Damage!] [999,999,999,999 Damage!] Damage counters people normally referred to as ¡®pigeons¡¯ appeared above the guild members'' heads and disappeared shortly after. Max Damage¡ªalso known as MAX DMG. The system¡¯s damage counters showed never-before-seen values of 999,999,999,999, and it went without saying that the Genesis Guild members disappeared without a single trace. However, they would inevitably return after a week since they were yers anyway. ¡®What was that¡­?¡¯?Tae-Sung thought in surprise as he doubted his eyes for a moment. ¡®Was that real just now?¡¯?he wondered while still doubting his own eyes. Tae-Sung instinctively activated his ¡®Rune of Insight¡¯ tattooed on the back of his left hand to check the old man¡¯s information. The old man¡¯s level appeared only to Tae-Sung. However¡­ ¡®There¡¯s something weird with his level¡­¡¯?he thought in surprise. The old man¡¯s level was¡­ [Wandering Old Man] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 999] His level was an astounding 999. 1. These are rooms used by the poorest of the poor in Korea, and some of you might recognize these rooms from the movie ¡®Parasite¡¯. 2. This is a Korean game ng that doesn¡¯t make any sense in English, but I decided to keep it anyway. The sound a pigeon makes in Korea is ¡®????¡¯ or ¡®gugugugu¡¯ in English, and the number nine in Korean is read as ¡®?¡¯ or ¡®gu¡¯. That¡¯s why a max damage counter is referred to as a pigeon. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Forget about the MAX DMG, but there were no precedents of a yer or an NPC dealing damage in the hundreds of millions on the damage counter. There was no way that Tae-Sung, who had staked his life on this game, would not know about it if it ever happened in the game. However, the old man in front of him had done just that with a single swing of his fist. In fact, he even made it look too easy since his fist did not even touch the Genesis Guild members. ¡®Did the damage counters ovep each other??I think I?recall seeing once on the forums that a Level 44 was thought to be a Level 444 because of the text ovepping each other,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He suspected that what he had just witnessed was most likely a bug. After all, it was logically hard to believe that a mere Wandering Old Man was Level 999. ¡®What the hell is Bee Hive?doing?¡¯?Tae-Sung grumbled inwardly. Bee Hive was the term Korean gamers used to refer to the developer and distributor of this game, Brave New World. ¡®Let¡¯s take a screenshot at least,¡¯?he thought. Tae-Sung remained true to his instinct as a gamer because he tried to keep a record of the old man despite the chaos that happened around him just now. However¡­ [Warning: It is impossible to take a screenshot of a Hidden NPC.] [Warning: It is impossible to film while in the same field as a Hidden NPC.] [Warning: It is impossible to livestream while in the same field as a Hidden NPC.] The system didn¡¯t allow him to keep any records of the old man. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a hacking user posing as an NPC¡­? Maybe it¡¯s a Moderator?¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He could not make heads or tails of the old man¡¯s identity. However, he was sure of one thing despite the confusion. The man was not an ordinary being. ¡°Wait for a moment,¡± the old man said. ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response as the old man¡¯s words snapped him out of his thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s talk after I get rid of the trash,¡± the old man said while pointing at the Genesis Guild members. It did not take that long for the old man to get rid of the ¡®trash¡¯. ¡°R-Run for now!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Run faster you bastards!¡± The remaining Genesis Guild members scampered away like a bunch of cockroaches when a green aura rose up from the old man¡¯s body. ¡°Hohoho¡­¡±?The old man let out a leisurelyugh as the green aura around him grew stronger. The green aura that rose up from the old man¡¯s body was a disaster equivalent to the detonation of a nuclear bomb, and the result was the same as a while ago. [999,999,999,999 Damage!] [999,999,999,999 Damage!] [999,999,999,999 Damage!] [999,999,999,999 Damage!] [999,999,999,999 Damage!] The old man once again proved his strength by raising the damage counters to MAX DMG as the Genesis Guild members disintegrated one by one when the green aura made contact with them. It was an understatement to call it a massacre since they perfectly disappeared without a single trace. *** ¡°You¡­¡± the old man said as he pointed at Tae-Sung before he continued, ¡°I have been watching you for a long time.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion at the old man¡¯s words before asking, ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± ¡°Of course I am,¡± the old man replied. The old man was telling the truth. He had been roaming around the continent in search of someone worthy to be his disciple, and he stumbled upon Tae-Sung warding off the Genesis Guild by coincidence. He decided to observe Tae-Sung, and he observed him for a long time before he finally made his decision. ¡®I think I should?ept that punk as the disciple of this great me,¡¯?the old man thought. Of course, this was something Tae-Sung had never imagined even in his wildest dreams. ¡°But why¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡± the old man said before he continued, ¡°You are an unsalvageable piece of trash.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response. ¡°Are you deaf? Didn¡¯t I just tell you that I had been watching you because you were a piece of trash?¡± the old man said. Tae-Sung grimaced in response to the old man¡¯s words. The truth was bound to be harsh, but calling someone trash even though they were technically a piece of trash was going to end up offending the piece of trash even though it was true. ¡°And what do you mean by that?¡± Tae-Sung respectfully asked with a hint of anger in his voice. ¡°Youck four things. Ah, youck manners too, but that¡¯s not one of them,¡± the old man replied. ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°You don¡¯t have luck,¡± the old man said. ¡°¡­¡± Tae-Sung could not retort at the harsh truth the old man said. ¡°You don¡¯t have talent, you don¡¯t have money, and you don¡¯t even have timing on your side. The only thing you know how to do is to toil away like an ox,¡± the old man said. Every single word the old man said stabbed Tae-Sung¡¯s chest like a dagger. ¡°You have a grand dream, but you are nothing but sewer trash in reality,¡± the old man added. Then, the old man raised his voice and continued, ¡°You are ambitious but incapable of achieving anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Tae-Sung remained speechless. ¡°A buffoon who keeps trying even though you¡¯re obviously going to lose, no, a buffoon is too much of a praise for you,¡± the old man continued with his onught. ¡°¡­¡± Tae-Sung was still silent. ¡°The only thing you have that is a cut above the rest is yourpetitiveness. You are probably the best in the world when ites to that,¡± the old man said. Tae-Sung could not retort to any of the things the old man said since they were all facts even he was aware of. ¡°That is why¡­¡± the old man said. He dropped a bombshell. ¡°I have taken a liking to you,¡± the old man added. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°I won¡¯t exin any further. Bow down to me nine times,¡± the old man said. When the old man finished his words, a message popped up before Tae-Sung¡¯s eyes. Ding! [Alert: Epic Quest: ¡®Master Disciple Rtionship¡¯ has appeared!] [Alert: Do you wish to ept this quest?] It was the rare appearance of an epic quest. *** An epic quest appeared out of nowhere. . ¡®Let¡¯s give it a shot for now,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as he decided to ept the quest. An epic quest was a very rare mission that most people could nevere across, and Tae-Sung, who had to grab onto any hope he could find, had no reason not to ept it. [YES.] [Alert: You have epted the Epic Quest: ¡®Master-Disciple Rtionship¡¯!] Then, the quest details popped up in front of his eyes. [Master Disciple Rtionship] [Type: Epic Quest] [Details: Bow down nine times to the Wandering Old Man.] [Progress: 0% (0/9)] [Reward: ?] [Caution: You will have to sincerely bow to the Wandering Old Man. The Wandering Old Man might beat you to death if he notices you bowing insincerely.] The quest was pretty simple, but it came with a chilling word of caution. ¡®I will die if?he as much as grazes?me¡­ Let¡¯s do this as sincerely as I possibly can,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He thought of the power the old man had shown against the Genesis Guild members just now. ¡®Bow as sincerely as possible¡­¡¯?he reminded himself once again. Tae-Sung started to bow toward the Wandering Old Man as sincerely as he possibly could, and he made sure that every single movement of his body was oozing with sincerity and respect. One time¡­ Two times¡­ Then, five times¡­ ¡°That¡¯s right, you are doing well. You are doing quite well,¡± the old man said as he nodded in satisfaction. It seemed he was quite pleased with Tae-Sung bowing down to him. It was at that moment that Tae-Sung bowed for the ninth time that a message appeared before his eyes. Ding! [Alert: You havepleted the Epic Quest: ¡®Master-Disciple Rtionship¡¯!] A bright light surrounded Tae-Sung¡¯s body as soon as the message popped up. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯?Tae-Sung thought in confusion as he was taken aback by the sudden light. [Alert: Congrattions! You have be the disciple of ¡®Deus¡¯!] [Alert: You have sessfully changed sses! Your ss has been changed from ¡®Elemental Mage¡¯ to ¡®Disciple¡¯!] It was a message that did not make sense to him. ¡®What the hell is going on¡­?¡¯?Tae-Sung wondered. He bowed down nine times to a Level 999 Hidden NPC, and he not only became the Hidden NPC¡¯s disciple, but his ss also changed into ¡®Disciple¡¯. ¡°You are now¡­¡± the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus, said as he looked at Tae-Sung, ¡°You are now the disciple of this great me.¡± ¡°Your¡­ disciple¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Deus replied while nodding, and then he said, ¡°I shall open¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Tae-Sung wondered what the Hidden NPC would say next. ¡°Your path to bing invincible!¡± Deus eximed in a grandeur manner. And that was how the Master-Disciple Rtionship between Tae-Sung and Deus started. *** Meanwhile¡­ There was a department in Hive Company, which was located in Oakridge, Tennessee, the United States of America, where even the board of directors could not intervene with their operations. This department was called the ¡®Hexagon¡¯. Hexagon was the most important department in thepany, Hive Games Entertainment, and this was the department in charge of managing the epic story within Brave New World. In other words, Hexagon was the department managing the Grand Epic of Brave New World, which was the main story of the entire game. The operator of Hexagon said in a trembling voice, ¡°A-As of this time¡­ The Epic Code 007 has¡­ been activated.¡± The operator¡¯s announcement sent shockwaves throughout the entire department. ¡°007? Oh my god!¡± ¡°Finally?¡± ¡°Has Deus finally found his disciple?¡± ¡°Who is it? Who got chosen as his disciple? Is it that pro gamer fromst time?¡± ¡°Oh my god! To think that 007 will be activated!¡± The members of Hexagon noisily murmured among themselves. The leader of the entire Hexagon department, Oppenheimer, finally opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Who is it? Who is the yer who activated the Epic Code 007?¡± In addition to being Hexagon¡¯s leader, he was also the Vice Chairman of Hive. He was staring at the screen while seated in the back seat of Hexagon¡¯s control tower. ¡°Is it that pro gamer Deus was eyeing?¡± Oppenheimer asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± the operator replied. ¡°Then, is it someone new?¡± Oppenheimer asked. ¡°Yes,¡± the operator replied. ¡°Who is it?¡± Oppenheimer asked with his eyes filled with curiosity. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± the operator muttered as he hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°It is a gamer from South Korea.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it turned out,¡± Oppenheimer muttered and nodded. He was well aware that the South Koreans were innately talented when it came to video games and that they were one of the best in the world. In fact, there was even a saying that the racial trait ¡®gaming¡¯ would appear if the South Koreans were turned into video game characters. ¡°What is 007¡¯s level, no, I mean, ranking?¡± Oppenheimer asked. He was certain that the gamer Deus had picked as his disciple was a ranker since the gamer was bound to be talented if the Hidden NPC, Deus, had picked him. Moreover, the gamer was from South Korea, a country renowned for producing talented pro gamers. Oppenheimer was confident in his deduction because this was the only logical oue if he narrowed it down to these two points. However, the operator¡¯s response was theplete opposite of what Oppenheimer was expecting to hear. ¡°The gamer is Level 91,¡± the operator replied. ¡°Level 91? Has the gamer only started ying recently?¡± Oppenheimer asked. ¡°No,¡± the operator replied. ¡°No?¡± Oppenheimer muttered in disbelief. ¡°The gamer, 007, registered two years ago and is ssified as a heavy user who ys more than ten hours a day,¡± the operator reported. ¡°Are you asking me to believe what you said just now¡­?¡± Oppenheimer asked in response with a look of disbelief before muttering in stupefaction, ¡°A mere Level 91 is a heavy user¡­?¡± ¡°It might be difficult to believe, but it is true¡­ I mean¡ªthat is his current level, but the highest level this yer reached is Level 201,¡± the operator rified. ¡°That is a relief¡­ but the gamer is still way below what I had expected¡­¡± Oppenheimer said with an awkward look. It was understandable since Epic Code 007 was a keyponent that would affect the main story of Brave New World, and it was an event that would have severe repercussions for the entire game. The gamer who activated Epic Code 007 and was chosen by the Hidden NPC, Deus, would be one of the main characters of Brave New World¡¯s main story plot. In fact, there was a possibility that this gamer would end up bing the protagonist of the Grand Epic of Brave New World. ¡°Establish a special monitoring team to monitor this yer within twenty-four hours,¡± Oppenheimer said before he added, ¡°But that is if he can evenst more than a day¡­¡± These words seemed to foreshadow something. 1. The Korean gamers were actually calling thepany that created the game ¡®??¡¯, which literally means ¡®Bee House¡¯ in Korean. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

¡°Did you just say¡­ invincible¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in surprise. The word ¡®invincible¡¯ was stuck in his mind as he recalled the overwhelming power that Deus disyed moments ago. Tae-Sung agreed. That power was definitely worthy of the word ¡®invincible.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Deus replied as he nodded. ¡°Is that right¡­ elder?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Hey!¡± Deus eximed as he grimaced. It seemed that being called elder did not sit well with the old man. ¡°What do you mean by elder? You are to address me as master from now on, you got that?¡± Deus said. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Who am I?¡± Deus asked. ¡°You are my master,¡± Tae-Sung responded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I am your master, and you are the only disciple of this great me,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Tae-Sung eximed. Tae-Sung resolved to serve Deus as his master without any hesitation. It was not an exaggeration to call the Level 999 Hidden NPC, who was capable of dealing 999,999,999,999 damage in a single hit, a supreme being. Tae-Sung concluded that someone like this old man was not only a master worthy to be served, but it was Tae-Sung¡¯s honor to serve him as well. ¡°You will learn how to be an invincible being underneath this great me. It is going to be a very difficult journey. You will wish for death in every minute and every second of the day. Are you prepared for it?¡± Deus asked. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung confidently replied. His master warned him of the difficulty awaiting him, but he remained unfazed. After all, he had been about to check the temperature of the Han River with his own body. He was prepared to drink even a bottle of lye water if it meant receiving a second chance. ¡°Alright,¡± Deus said with satisfaction as he looked at Tae-Sung¡¯s resolute expression. ¡°Since it¡¯s just our first day, go back to your hometown for today. Come find me tomorrow.?Ah, and¡­¡± Deus said before he started to rummage through his clothes, looking for something. He then took something out and extended it to Tae-Sung. ¡°Take this. You look so pitiful right now. Go ahead and sell this, then get yourself some decent clothes and eat something nice. This is my first gift to you as your master.¡± ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked as he looked at the item in Deus¡¯ hand. It was just a small ne. The problem was¡­ ¡®Blessing of Persia?!¡¯?Tae-Sung eximed inside. It was a ne being sold for a hundred million won in real-life money. *** ¡¸Web Message¡¹ ¡¸117,000,000 won has been deposited to your ount from ¡®Trade Mania Co., Ltd.¡¯¡¹ ¡¸Thank you.¡¹ ¡¸Woosan Bank¡¹ That evening¡­ ¡°This is awesome¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered to himself. It was only after the item ¡®Blessing of Persia¡¯ was sold on the item trading site, Trade Mania, that he finally acknowledged that he had truly met his master, Deus. ¡°Is he really an NPC, and not a moderator¡­?¡± Tae-Sung said to himself. It still seemed surreal to him. A Level 999 Hidden NPC suddenly appeared and gave him a quest to be the former¡¯s disciple. The former even gave him an item on top of that. Who would believe him? ¡°I hope the developers are not ying with me¡­¡± Tae-Sung said with a hint of skepticism in his voice. ¡°Still¡­ there¡¯s no way that the developers would bother with someone like me¡­¡± That thought was totally eliminated from his mind when he recalled what the vice chairman of Hive, Oppenheimer, said in an interview. ¡¸There is no such thing as a ¡®bnce patch¡¯ in Brave New World. BNW is not just another game, it is another reality as well.¡¹ ¡¸The game scenario, ¡®N¨¹rburg Saga¡¯ coupled with the Artificial Intelligence program, ¡®Doppelganger Algorithm¡¯ is perfect. As such, we are not going to get involved with the game. We are simply going to observe quietly from the sidelines.¡¹ They would observe without getting involved. This was Hive¡¯s policy and motto when it came to Brave New World, and this showed the level of trust they had for the game they had developed. ¡°Let¡¯s see how it goes for now¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. For now, he decided to stop doubting the entire situation. There was a saying that a person would receive three opportunities in life, right? It could be possible that meeting Deus was one of the opportunities he rightfully owned. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escape from this shithole of a life. He had to grab this opportunity no matter what. Of course, there were a few things he had to settle first before anything else. ¡°First¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he booted hisputer and essed his Inte Banking. ¡°Let¡¯s pay this month¡¯s interest first.¡± He made the smart choice of servicing his debt before anything else as soon as he earned money. *** Tae-Sung was in debt. A bit of debt was something like a passive life skill for those born dirt poor. To make it worse, Tae-Sung took even more debt to buy all sorts of expensive items only to be empty-handed in the end. His debt naturally evolved into a monster that amounted to hundreds of millions of won. He was able to earn a huge sum of money after selling the item his master gave him as a gift, but after paying whatever he could pay, what he had earned was reduced to almost nothing in the blink of an eye. Debt¡­ Utility bills¡­ Phone and inte bills¡­ Months of rent due¡­ Game ount fee¡­ Other misceneous costs¡­ After settling his urgent debts and bills, he only had three million won left. Tae-Sung took fifty thousand won from the three million and wired the remaining 2,950,000 won to his sister and mother living in the province. He decided to call his mother after a long while. ¡°Mom,¡± Tae-Sung said over the phone. ¡ªWhy didn¡¯t you call back? You didn¡¯t even answer your phone. I was worried. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been a bit busy these days,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡ªAre you having a tough time these days? It has been a while since you visited as well. ¡°Not at all,¡± Tae-Sung replied and put up a front. ¡ªI¡¯m sorry. Tae-Sung felt like tearing up when he heard his mother¡¯s trembling voice. His mother had been suffering throughout her entire life. Her life took a turn for the worse after meeting his father, who was a violent, irresponsible, and patriarchal man. However, she did not give up on Tae-Sung and his sister. She withstood all the abuse for more than thirty years. This was the reason why Tae-Sung prioritized sending money to his family whenever he made any money. ¡ªI¡¯m sorry that you have to suffer because I¡¯mcking¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not. Don¡¯t say that,¡± Tae-Sung replied, and then he added, ¡°You did nothing wrong, Mom. You did everything right. You did everything you can, and you did not abandon Tae-Hee and me. You raised us as best as you can.¡± ¡ªSon¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not struggling at all so don¡¯t worry about me. Oh, I sent you some money just now,¡± said Tae-Sung. ¡ªYou didn¡¯t have to do that, Tae-Sung. You¡­ you have to save up and get married, too. ¡°What do you mean by I didn¡¯t have to? It has been three months since Ist sent you anything so you guys must be struggling there. Just use that for now,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡ªTae-Sung¡­ if things get too difficult for you¡ª Tae-Sung noticed that his mother was about to suggest that he return to their hometown, so he immediately cut her off. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll have to hang up now. I¡¯m busy, so I¡¯ll call back next time,¡± he said before one-sidedly hanging up. He had to end the call, as he felt like he would not be able to control his emotions if he spoke with her any further. ¡°Hoo¡­¡±?Tae-Sung exhaled as heposed himself. ¡°Let¡¯s not be weak and do something stupid again. My family is going to suffer if I fall down now. Mom and Tae-Hee can livefortably as long as I work harder¡­¡± he said as he steeled his resolve once again. He vowed not to ruin himself ever again and put his family in jeopardy. *** The next morning¡­ Tae-Sung woke up early and went to the convenience store nearby. He purchased a bottle of water, noodles, a lunch box set, and some other things with the fifty thousand won he still had. He could have splurged and bought some meat after earning a huge sum, but he had his priorities. The part time worker at the convenience store, Kim Young-Hee, scanned the items Tae-Sung had brought to the counter. ¡°That will be 50,100 won,¡± Kim Young-Hee said in a cold voice. ¡°Here,¡± Tae-Sung replied as he extended his debit card to her. ¡¸Insufficient Funds¡¹ His card was declined. ¡°Ah¡­ please remove this,¡± Tae-Sung said. He took out a bowl of instant rice out of the stic bag after realizing he was short by a hundred won. ¡®Is this guy a beggar? Geez¡­ I wish I won¡¯t see this damned junkie bastard anymore. I¡¯m sure he yed games all night again,¡¯?Kim Young-Hee thought as she red at Tae-Sung with eyes full of disgust. Kim Young-Hee hated Tae-Sung, who frequently came to the convenience store. She hated seeing his disheveled hair, his messy beard, his worn-out shirt, and his pants riddled with holes. The only saving grace about him was the fact that he did not stink like an old man or of cigarette, but Tae-Sung was still the very definition of someone a woman would hate to talk with. ¡®She¡¯s looking at me with those eyes again,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He knew very well that Kim Young-Hee¡¯s eyes would always be filled with disgust and contempt toward him, and he also knew very well that he looked quite detestable right now. ¡®Does she really think I want to live like this?¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. It was inevitable for him to live like this. How could it be possible for someone riddled with debt and at the lowest point of his life to even have the luxury of thinking about dressing up and grooming himself? Still, there was no way anyone would not be offended after being red at with those contemptuous and disgusted eyes just because of their appearance. Of course, the one looking at him with those eyes could be ufortable with his presence, but Tae-Sung couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was being wronged here. ¡®Please¡­ let¡¯s not live while being stared at by those eyes anymore. Let¡¯s live with dignity¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung steeled his resolve after leaving the convenience store. He might not be the person everyone would look up to, but he vowed to work hard and strive not to be looked down on by anyone anymore. *** Tae-Sung ate a triangle kimbap and a cup noodle before going inside the VR capsule and essing the BNW client. [Loading¡­] [Connection Established!] The message disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and Tae-Sung found himself inside a dark cave. ¡°I live in a cramped room in real life, and I¡¯m in a cave in the game, too¡­¡± he grumbled. Other people lived an entirely different life in the gamepared to their real lives, but that was not the case for Tae-Sung. After all, there wasn¡¯t that much difference between the life he had been living in the game and his real life. Ding! A message popped up in front of him. [Alert: Your master, Deus, is waiting for you deep within the forest.] A message alerted him that his master was waiting for him. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± Tae-Sung said as he left the cave to go to his master. *** It took Tae-Sung thirty minutes before he finally met his master deep in the forest. ¡°So you have finally arrived, my disciple,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°But¡­¡± Deus inspected Tae-Sung from head to toe before he grimaced and said, ¡°Does your stomach hurt and you want to take a shit or did you choose to be a girl from now on?¡± ¡°Huh? I do not understand what you mean¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response. ¡°Why is a man walking without an ounce of confidence in his steps?!¡± Deus shouted. His thunderous voice reverberated throughout the forest. ¡°Aah!¡±?Tae-Sung eximed. The thunderous boom felt like it would pop his eardrums. He tried to cover his ears, but that was nowhere enough to block off his master¡¯s thunderous voice. His master¡¯s shout just now was not simply a loud sound, but it was simr to a shockwave that shook Tae-Sung¡¯s brain. Tae-Sung felt as if his brain was shaken. His heart felt like it was being pressured as well, and his legs trembled from the shout. The hair throughout his body all stood on end. His master¡¯s shout could be ssified as an attack rather than a rebuke. In fact, that single shout had reduced his HP by ny percent. [HP: ??????????] ¡®Crazy¡­! How is this even possible?!¡¯?he eximed inwardly. He had never imagined that a single shout could deal so much damage. ¡°Try walking again,¡± Deusmanded. However, he grimaced when he saw that Tae-Sung was still in a daze. As such, he eximed to get thetter back to his senses, ¡°Get moving!¡± ¡°Eh¡­? Ah, yes!¡± Tae-Sung replied. He started walking while fearing for his life. Gulp¡­! Gulp¡­! Gulp¡­!? He did not forget to hurriedly drink a healing potion while he was at it. 1. Han River is the main river of South Korea, and there are many bridges connecting both sides of the river. ¡°Checking the temperature of the Han River¡± basically means peoplemitting suicide by jumping into the river. 2. Yes, we do have instant microwaveable rice in Korea. 3. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

¡°Walk like a man! Put more confidence in your steps!¡± Deus shouted. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Hey! Where¡¯s your voice?!¡± Deus shouted. ¡°Yes! Master!¡± Tae-Sung eximed. He felt like he was serving his mandatory military service again. Step¡­! Step¡­! Step¡­! Step¡­!? Then, he walked ording to Deus¡¯ instructions. ¡°Walk like a man! Put more confidence in your steps!¡± Deus shouted once again. ¡°Yes!¡± Tae-Sung shouted in response. ¡°You can tell whether someone¡¯s powerful or not from their steps alone! Do you understand?!¡± Deus asked. ¡°Yes! Master!¡± ¡°Straighten your back! Tighten your core! Sharpen your gaze! Rx your expression!¡± The old man sounded like a movie director telling an actor how he should walk while pointing out every single w in thetter¡¯s movements. ¡°That¡¯s right! You are doing good. Keep walking like that! Good! Very good!¡± Deus eximed, seemingly pleased by what he was seeing. After two hours of learning to ¡®power walk like a man,¡¯ his master finally seemed satisfied. ¡°That looks good. I think that¡¯s enough,¡± Deus said before adding, ¡°You might not look strong, but at least you¡¯re not walking like a coward anymore.¡± ¡°Thank you for your teachings, Master,¡± Tae-Sung said as he respectfully bowed toward the old man. ¡®Why the hell would you criticize the way I walk and ask me to learn how to walk¡­?¡¯? Tae-Sung could not understand his master at all. ¡°My disciple¡­¡± Deus called out. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Do you know why I criticized the way you walk?¡± Deus asked. ¡°I do not know, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. He wasn¡¯t the type of person who would pretend he knew something and put on airs when he was ignorant. ¡°You were exuding the scent of a weakling from the way you were walking a while ago,¡± Deus exined. ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response with a dumbfounded look. ¡°Your movement was timid and cautious while you were overly conscious of your surroundings. How can you be strong like that? Don¡¯t forget that you are the disciple of this great me. My one and only disciple walking around looking like a weakling is something I cannot ept!¡± Deus exined. At that moment, a thought suddenly came into Tae-Sung¡¯s mind. ¡®Is it because?I¡¯m trash?that even the way I walked made it obvious that I was?indeed trash¡­?¡¯ Finally, he could somewhat understand the reason his master criticized the way he walked. He had never realized it, but it seemed that his unstable mind reeked from the way he was moving. *** There was a saying that said: ¡®A car dealer could tell whether a customer would purchase a car or not by simply observing their speech, expression, and gestures.¡¯ Was it because a person¡¯s habits would show what kind of a person they were? Or was it simply a matter of self-presentation? Whatever it might be, it seemed that the saying that one could tell a lot by simply observing a person¡¯s bodynguage was not entirely false. ¡°My disciple¡­¡± Deus called out. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung responded. ¡°It is an undeniable fact that you do not have an ounce of luck, you are not talented, and you are dirt poor as well. Do you agree?¡± Deus highlighted Tae-Sung¡¯s miserable life before adding, ¡°But do you know¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Do you know what you stand to gain from announcing how miserable your life has been to the world? Only beggars roaming the streets hoping for some spare change will have anything to gain from doing that kind of thing. The world is a survival of the fittest! It is only natural for you to be hunted down and torn to pieces upon revealing your weakness. I hope you weren¡¯t thinking about stimting the motherly instincts of women so they would sympathize and be with you, were you?¡± Deus said in a strict manner. ¡°No, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Lift your head. Be confident wherever you go and whoever you meet. You are the only¡ªand only disciple of this great me. You are not allowed to grovel and lower yourself in front of anyone aside from this great me, your master. Including even the emperor! Do you understand?¡± Deus asked. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung responded. He did not disregard his master¡¯s teachings. In fact, he engraved every single word on his heart. Deus wasn¡¯t just a shy loud NPC created by BNW. Brave New World created NPCs based on its ¡®Doppelganger Algorithm,¡¯ and this algorithm analyzed the appearances of the users, their way of speech, personality, movement patterns, and other things to create an NPC. Simply put, Tae-Sung¡®s master wasn¡¯t carelessly generated by the AI. He was created after analyzing various users before he was molded into a proper ¡®master.¡¯ The reason the users did not simply regard the NPCs in BNW as a block of data that could be differentiated by 0 or 1 was thanks to the system¡¯s ability to recreate artificial humans on a never-before-seen scale even in other games. BNW was an excellent example of the saying: ¡®Imitation is the Mother of Creation.¡¯ Deus nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get moving now that I have bestowed my first teaching upon you,¡±. ¡°Huh? Where do you want to go, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°We will go to a ce where I can further bestow my teachings upon you,¡± Deus replied before extending his right hand toward Tae-Sung and saying, ¡°ce your hand on my hand.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung responded. He was curious about their destination, but he decided to follow without questioning. Tap. He ced his hand on top of Deus¡¯ hand. Woooong! A magic circle suddenly appeared beneath their feet. ¡®This is insane!¡¯?Tae-Sung thought in surprise. Warp magic was a high-level magic that allowed the caster to travel hundreds of kilometers in a split second. It was a type of magic wherein even rankers had to spend hours drawing its magic circle before they could use it. Despite that, its magic circle was drawn in less than a second. It seemed that his master¡ªDeus¡ªwas not a Level 999 Hidden NPC for nothing. *** Deus transported himself and Tae-Sung to a vast in with clear skies and chilly breeze. ¡®Where is this?¡¯?Tae-Sung wondered as he looked around. Tae-Sung was active in the Rheind Kingdom located in the southeastern region of the N¨¹rburg Continent. However, he was certain he was in a ce that could not be found anywhere on the Rheind Kingdom¡¯s territory, as he was definitely sure there weren¡¯t any mountains tall enough to prate the clouds in the kingdom¡¯s territory. Tae-Sung was certain that they had traveled more than ten thousand kilometers. ¡°Can you see that?¡± Deus said as he pointed at a tall mountain before adding, ¡°That is Mount Kunlun.¡± ¡°Mount Kunlun¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Deus replied. Tae-Sung was dumbfounded once again. ¡®Oh my god¡­ It took us less than a second to arrive at Mount Kunlun¡­?¡¯?Tae-Sung thought in shock. Mount Kunlun was a gigantic mountain located at the southwestern tip of the world map, and it was more than ten thousand kilometers away from the Rheind Kingdom. ¡°I will bestow upon you my teachings in that mountain,¡± Deus exined. ¡°Really, Master?¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Deus replied with a nod. He extended his hand toward Tae-Sung and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied as he ced his hand on top of his master¡¯s. *** Tae-Sung found himself at the foot of Mount Kunlun, and he couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the imposing figure of the mountain towering above him. They ventured into an opening on the rocky mountain and went deep inside a cave. [Mount Kunlun: Lake Cave] A message popped up in front of Tae-Sung, and it let him know of his current location before disappearing shortly after. ¡°Come over here,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied and walked toward Deus. The interior of the cave was brightly illuminated by numerous warm blue lights, and Tae-Sung found his way deeper into the cave without much difficulty. ¡°The mosses giving off blue light in this cave are infused with illuminating substances, and they have lived for over ten thousand years,¡± Deus exined the light sources inside the cave. They walked for quite a bit before a vastke appeared in front of them. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in amazement as he stood astonished by theke before saying, ¡°Theke water is very clear, Master.¡± Theke water was so clear the bottom of theke could be seen from where Tae-Sung was standing, and the water was so still that he doubted if it were stagnant water. ¡°That is the Lake of Purification,¡± Deus said. [Mount Kunlun: Lake of Purification] A message popped up and disappeared in front of Tae-Sung¡¯s eyes. ¡°It is also theke that will purify you,¡± Deus added. ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t n to teach you for a long time. I will only teach you for ny-nine days. It¡¯s short, but it will be intense, and this Lake of Purification willy the groundwork for me to train you,¡± Deus exined. ¡°What does that mean, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°It¡¯s just as its name suggests, purification¡­¡± Deus paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°You are quite dirty.¡± ¡°Am I really that dirty¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Yes, from head to toe. There¡¯s nothing good about you,¡± Deus said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So there¡¯s no other way than to turn you into a clean te,¡± Deus added. ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he doubted what he just heard. ¡°Just hurry up and wash up,¡± Deus said before kicking Tae-Sung¡¯s butt. Ssh! Tae-Sung could not withstand his master¡¯s kick and fell into theke. Ding! After falling into theke, a message appeared before him. [Alert: The Lake of Purification is purifying you!] [Warning: An excruciating pain will fall on you shortly! Brace yourself for the pain!] Tae-Sung had no idea what purification meant, and he also couldn¡¯t understand why the system message was asking him to brace for the pain. Fsshhh¡­ However, his doubts onlysted until the Lake of Purification started bubbling like carbonated water. ¡°Ugh¡­¡±? Tae-Sung let out a moan at the strange sensation. However, his moan soon turned into a scream filled with excruciating agony that reverberated throughout the entire cave. ¡°Euaaaaaaaaaaahhk!¡±? ¡°Hoho,¡± Deus chuckled as he watched with a sinister smile. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? I told you it is going to be a very difficult journey, and you will wish for death in every minute and every second of the day! Kuwahahahaha!¡±?Deus burst outughing. ¡°B-But this is too mu¡ªEuuuaaaaaahhk!¡±?Tae-Sung could not even finish his words before he had to scream in agony once more. The pain was so excruciating he felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it unless he screamed at the very least. ¡°Kekeke!?Look at this punk! Is it really that refreshing?¡± Deus asked with the same sinister smile. ¡°Ahkkk¡­! Ah¡­!. Euaaaaaaaahkkk!¡±?Tae-Sung¡¯s screams continued to fill the cave. ¡°Hehehe¡­ If I knew you were going to love it this much, I should¡¯ve brought you here sooner.¡± Deus nodded with satisfaction. Sophistry. Forget about loving it; Tae-Sung was only able to resist the urge to instinctively log out of the game through superhuman patience and tenacity. He felt as if every single cell in his body was being purged by the water. ¡®The system is actually allowing this much level of pain¡­? I-Impossible¡­! I¡¯ve never felt such excruciating pain in my life! I¡¯m sure having my limbs torn off won¡¯t be as painful as this!?Keugh!¡¯? Even if they advertised the game as capable of inflicting realistic pain on the user, he had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams that one could feel this much pain from a game. Who knew he would experience a level of pain that he had never experienced in his entire life from a game? However, Tae-Sung did not log out of the game. ¡®I can¡¯t log out,¡¯?Tae-Sung steeled his resolve. ¡®I have to endure this¡­!¡¯?he reaffirmed his resolve once again. He endured the excruciating pain through superhuman tenacity and patience. ¡®This is my only chance to turn this shitty life of mine around¡­ Let¡¯s endure this and believe?in master¡­!¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as he gritted his teeth. That was how desperate he was¡­ But the problem was¡­ [Remaining Time until Purified: 59 minutes 32 seconds] He had to endure this extreme pain for an hour. *** An hour after falling into the Lake of Purification¡­ [Remaining Time until Purified: 3 seconds.] [Remaining Time until Purified: 2 seconds.] [Remaining Time until Purified: 1 second.] Tae-Sung sessfully endured the hellish pain for a whole hour. ¡®I endured it¡­ I endured that hellish pain for an hour¡­¡¯? He could still feel a burning sensation all over his body, but he couldn¡¯t help but be filled with an ecstatic feeling when he realized that he managed to endure the pain for an entire hour. He could finally somewhat understand why some people chose to expose themselves to agonizing pain. It was actually all for the sake of achieving enlightenment. When he was about to reach the final part of the purification process, the bubblingke water suddenly calmed down as if everything were a lie. Fshhhh¡­ ¡®To think that I¡¯m capable of enduring this level of pain¡­ hehe¡­¡¯?Tae-Sung thought proudly. However, his satisfaction did notst for long because the fruit he had obtained after enduring the hellish experience was not sweet at all. In fact, it was terribly bitter. [Alert: Purification Complete!] [Alert: The yer¡¯s character has been reset!] Tae-Sung almost went mad at the messages in front of him. 1. All able-bodied Korean men has to serve in the military. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The message mentioned something about his character being reset. ¡®Info! Info!¡¯? Tae-Sung hurriedly summoned his character information and checked his status under ¡®My Information.¡¯ Tae-Sung¡¯s status was as follows¡­ [My Information] [Name: Tae-Sung] [Level: 1] [Type: Adventurer (yer)] [ss: Disciple] The message wasn¡¯t lying when it said his character was reset. Tae-Sung was now a Level 1 novice after being purified by the Lake of Purification. In just an hour, his Level 91 character regressed to Level 1. ¡°My level¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in disbelief and despair. The only thing he had left after losing everything was his level, so he couldn¡¯t help but fall into despair when his level went down from Level 91 to Level 1. ¡°Aha!¡± Deus, who had been watching Tae-Sung ever since he fell into theke, eximed in satisfaction before saying, ¡°So the purification process is done! Haha!¡± ¡°Master¡­ What happened¡­ just now¡­? Why did my¡­ level¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°You have to pour new wine into a new wineskin,¡± Deus replied. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion at his master¡¯s response. ¡°You were nothing but a piece of trash just an hour ago,¡± Deus said. ¡°What do you mean by that, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Your strength, stamina, mana, and other stats had been aplete mess! I¡¯m saying that you had been aplete mess from top to bottom. How can you even think about winning against anyone with such horrendous and unbnced growth? Do you even have an ounce of conscience? Do you even know what shame is?¡± Deus said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He had sessfully raised a shitty character. Deus told Tae-Sung that thetter had sessfully raised his character to shit. *** ¡°Is that so?¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He finally understood his master¡¯s intentions. What if his character¡¯s stats and skill tree had truly been unbnced just as his master had said? Then, his master¡¯s decision to let everything be reset was indeed the right choice. However, the method Deus chose was very inefficient. It was incredibly difficult to reset and redistribute stat points and skill points in BNW, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. The item ¡®Heart of Phoenix¡¯ allowed the user to reset their stats while the item ¡®Sage¡¯s Regret,¡¯ and the item ¡®Phlegeton¡¯s Water¡¯ allowed a user to reset both their stats and skills at the same time. These three items allowed a user to retain their level while returning all of the stats and skill points they had invested. However, the downside was the fact that there was a necessary investment of more than ten billion won before one could get their hands on those items. And it seemed that the old man saw through Tae-Sung¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Of course, you could reset yourself by depending on thoseme potions,¡± Deus said before looking at Tae-Sung and continuing, ¡°But such sloppy methods do not suit my style.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s nothing but repeating their failures. It¡¯s no different from an animal eating its own shit just to shit it out again,¡± Deus responded. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered and tilted his head in confusion. ¡°What good will it do if the person remains the same even if they try again? A loser will eternally be a loser. How much stronger can they get if they simply pull those cheap tricks to get stronger? It will be a relief if they get some sort of enlightenment, but they are just basically walking in circles,¡± Deus exined. Deus¡¯ logic was sound. ¡°But, Master¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He seemed to have his own logic to present to his master, and he said, ¡°You could have still guided me to the right path in any case, right? Why was there a need to reset my level as well¡­¡± ¡°You fool!¡± Deus immediately rebuked him before asking, ¡°Do you really think your hopeless talent will change for the better on that path?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in surprise. ¡°You were born with the talent of¡­ being a weakling. Do you really think anything will change just because you¡¯ll try again? Preposterous!¡± Deus eximed. ¡°¡­!¡± Tae-Sung was shocked. ¡°I will fix you from head to toe, and I will forcefully raise your potential to the limit. What I¡¯m trying to say is that you will gain 1.2 mana while others will only gain 1 mana. That¡¯s what this is all about,¡± Deus exined. ¡°R-Really?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°That¡¯s right. Since you managed to get through this trial, you will be at least twenty percent stronger than others,¡± Deus replied. ¡°Heok!¡±?Tae-Sung could not help but gasp in surprise. If his master were telling the truth, resetting his character wouldn¡¯t be a loss. He would gain 1.2 mana while others would only gain 1 mana. He would gain 12 mana while others would gain 10 mana. Sooner orter, he would gain 120 mana while others would only gain 100 mana. In short, the gap between him and the others would widen the higher their levels became, and Tae-Sung would be able to use his skill twelve times while others would only be able to use their skill ten times. Moreover, he could invest in other stats without worrying about his mana because he would gain much more mana per levelpared to the others. ¡®So this is the reason?why Master?wanted to reset my character!¡¯? Tae-Sung inwardly eximed upon realizing his master¡¯s intentions. It seemed his master¡¯s training method revolved around maximizing his potential. ¡°Master¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He then fell to the ground and bowed to him before saying, ¡°Thank you for your kindness. Please ept your disciple¡¯s respectful bow.¡± ¡°Kekeke! You¡¯re already so thankful for something like this? It¡¯s still too early for you to thank me! I will turn you into someone who will long for defeat, and you can thank me by then! Kekeke!¡± Deus responded. The old man was saying one thing, but his expression revealed something else since he couldn¡¯t stop himself fromughing while looking extremely pleased with Tae-Sung bowing in front of him. ¡°What do you mean by¡­ someone who will long for defeat, Master?¡± Tae-Sung cautiously asked. ¡°Sitting at the top of the world can be very lonely! I will turn you into someone who will have to beg others to give you a taste of defeat! Use my teachings to be unparalleled! The best should be able to take what they want!¡± Deus shouted excitedly. Tae-Sung interpreted his master¡¯s words like this¡­ ¡®Is he asking me to be a solo yer?¡¯ It seemed his instinct as a gamer had led him to believe that the old man wanted him to be a solo yer. However, Tae-Sung would find out sooner orter that it was exactly what his master meant. *** Tae-Sung decided to wholeheartedly follow his master''s teaching from now on. However, the Lake of Purification was just the tip of the iceberg. ¡°Come,y down here,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°I will stick eighty-four thousand needles into you,¡± Deus said. ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he doubted his ears. ¡®Is he nning to turn me into a porcupine¡­?¡¯?he wondered. He finally understood why his master made him reset his character by purifying him in the Lake of Purification, but he couldn¡¯t understand why his master wanted to stick eighty-four thousand needles into him. No, was it even possible to stick that many needles into a human body? ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s possible¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. It had been an hour since they started, and now, he had eighty-four thousand needles sticking out of him. ¡°Euk¡­ Euhaaaaaaaaak!¡±?Tae-Sung screamed as pain even more excruciating than the one he had experienced from the Lake of Purification spread throughout his entire body. The extreme pain of having a needle poked into every single one of the nerve points in the body was painful enough to send someone to their death. The next step was even harsher¡­ ¡°This is the next one,¡± Deus said while pointing at a green-colored pool. Blub blup! Blup blup! A greenish liquid was boiling in the pool, and Tae-Sung was instinctively disgusted by it, as he was certain that it wasn¡¯t some ordinary liquid. ¡°What is this, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°It¡¯s a contaminated pond,¡± Deus replied. ¡°A contaminated pond¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response. ¡°That¡¯s right. This is a pond that this great me especially created for you, my disciple. I created this by collecting waste from the innards of various corpses, decayed frogs, cockroaches, and 108 types of poisonous nts on top of many other ingredients,¡± Deus proudly exined. ¡°What in the world is it for¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice. ¡°What else? It¡¯s to defile you since you have be purified,¡± Deus replied. ¡°What kind of insane thing is¡ª¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°Do you want to die?¡± Deus asked with a hint of threat in his voice. ¡°I apologize, Master,¡± Tae-Sung immediately apologized. He was afraid that his master might flick his forehead. ¡°But why do I have to be defiled after being purified? The whole point of the purification was to purify me, right?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°It¡¯s like tempering and quenching,¡± Deus replied. ¡°Tempering and quenching¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he tilted his head in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s a process to temper your body. Your body will freely absorb and release mana if you repeat this process a hundred times,¡± Deus exined. ¡°I will jump right into it,¡± Tae-Sung said before jumping into the pool without an ounce of hesitation after listening to his master¡¯s exnation. ¡°Euk¡­?Euaaaaaaaahk!¡±?Tae-Sung screamed in agony. The contaminated pool inflicted excruciating pain, just as he had expected. ¡®I have to do this a hundred times? There¡¯s no way, right¡­?¡¯? Tae-Sung did not believe his master¡¯s words because he couldn¡¯t imagine that it was possible to repeat this process a hundred times. *** The process was repeated exactly a hundred times, as his master said, and Tae-Sung soon got used to the pain after going through the whole ordeal. The pain was so unbearable for the first thirty times that Tae-Sung almost logged out of the game, but he soon got used to the pain after the fiftieth time, and he was finally able to withstand the pain after the seventieth time. When he repeated the whole ordeal for the nieth time, the whole process started to feel like he was taking a soak at a hot spring. He even happily hummed a tune while he was soaking in it. ¡°Ah¡­ That really hits the spot,¡± Tae-Sung mumbled as he reached the point where he was enjoying it rather than finding it painful. [Alert: Purification Complete!] [Alert: The yer¡¯s character has been reset!] When Tae-Sung sessfullypleted the process for the hundredth time, his master finallyplimented him. ¡°Hahaha! Look at this punk! Your patience and tenacity are truly astounding!¡± Deus eximed. ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Alright, that seems to be enough,¡± Deus said as he extended a towel toward Tae-Sung emerging from the Lake of Purification before continuing, ¡°Your body will now be able to naturally absorb and release mana.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°You can¡¯t feel it right now, but you will soon realize that this great me had never lied,¡± Deus confidently said. ¡®Huh? Isn¡¯t this a totally overpowered character¡­?¡¯?Tae-Sung thought in surprise. It was natural for him to be surprised since his current stats were probably the highest among all the Level 1 characters out there. This was Tae-Sung¡¯s current stats. [HP: 200/200] [Mana: 300/300] [Stamina: 150/150] His HP, mana, and stamina were abnormally high for a Level 1 character. After all, a character of the same level would only have 100 HP, 100 mana, and 100 stamina. If there were any differences, it would be a 10-point margin at most. However, these weren¡¯t the only things that surprised Tae-Sung. [Attack Power: 25] [Magic Power: 20] [Strength: 25] [Agility: 25] [Intellect: 20] [Defense: 30] [Magic Resistance: 30] [Tenacity: 30] As expected, his other stats were also abnormal for a Level 1 character. A character¡¯s stats during character creation was determined at random, and a yer was allowed three rerolls to change it. However, Tae-Sung¡¯s stats were something that was unlikely; no, impossible to appear. In short, this meant that Tae-Sung possessed the stats of a Level 10, even though he was just Level 1. ¡®So this is?why master?made me go through the tempering and quenching process!¡¯?Tae-Sung marveled inwardly when he finally understood his master¡¯s intentions. His master called it a process of tempering and quenching, and his body was truly tempered from being repeatedly dunked into the Lake of Purification and the contaminated pool. ¡°It seems that you have finally achieved the minimum conditions,¡± Deus said. ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in surprise. ¡°I¡¯ll start getting real now, so you better be prepared,¡± Deus said with a sinister smile. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He had almost pressed the log-out button. *** Afterward, Tae-Sung was exposed to a series of physical abuse, verbal abuse, and cruelty disguised as ¡®teachings.¡¯ Every single day was a living hell for him. His days were filled with such pain and suffering that the pain he had experienced from the tempering and quenching process seemed like child¡¯s y. ¡®Endure?it! I have to endure this¡­!¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as he gritted his teeth. He was standing on the edge of a cliff, and his master¡¯s teachings were the only hope he had to turn his life around. On the 98th day, his master finally gave him permission to descend the mountain. ¡°Since you have finally been enlightened to a certain extent, there should be no issues even if you descend the mountain,¡± Deus said. ¡®Finally! I can finally escape from this living hell!¡¯?Tae-Sung rejoiced inwardly. He recalled the three months of hell he had to endure. In addition to enduring the hellish teachings in the game, he had to endure in reality as well. Since he could not pay off the principal, he had to pay the interest at the very least, so he had to reduce his sleeping time and work at a construction site to earn money. Twenty-four hours weren¡¯t enough for Tae-Sung. He gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve while holding onto his belief in his master. There was no way Tae-Sung could have endured both hells in game and in reality if it weren¡¯t for the belief that his master¡¯s teachings would turn his life around. It was hope that enabled him to endure the grueling ny-eight days. And it wasn¡¯t like he could escape or anything since there was no way he could stand toe to toe against those rankers if he had run away from his master and trained on his own. ¡°But, Master,¡± Tae-Sung said as he tilted his head in confusion before continuing, ¡°You mentioned that you will teach me for ny-nine days, but ny-eight days have already passed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Deus replied. ¡°There¡¯s only a day left. Will it be enough for me to seed you?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°It is possible,¡± Deus responded. ¡°How is it possible?¡± Tae-Sung asked with a hint of doubt in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s because this great me is someone who will teach you how to fish. I am not someone who will give you a fish. So, don¡¯t even think about anything else for now. Come find me tomorrow with a refreshed mind and body since tomorrow is the day I will pass my secrets onto you,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes! Master!¡± Tae-Sung enthusiastically replied. He could hardly wait for tomorrow toe. He wondered about just what exactly were his master¡¯s secrets. He wondered again and again, yet he could not help bute to the same conclusion every single time. He would definitely inherit this Level 999 Hidden NPC skills. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tae-Sung was sitting in a pavilion somewhere in Mount Kunlun, and he was sitting with Deus in front of a drinking table. ¡°My disciple,¡± Deus called out. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung responded. ¡°Come and pour me a drink,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied as he poured a drink into Deus¡¯ cup in a very respectful manner. ¡°Come, let me pour you a drink, too,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied and extended his cup. ¡°Haha! I never imagined that there will be a day I get to drink with my disciple!¡± Deus eximed. ¡°Did you not have any disciples until now?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°I had my eye on quite a lot,¡± Deus replied. ¡°Why did you choose me?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°That¡¯s because you are a pitiful useless piece of trash,¡± Deus replied. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He was taken aback by Deus¡¯ frankness. ¡°Dreadful is the only word that can be used to describe your talent. Of course, you are slightly better whenpared to an average person, but you are nothing but a piece of trash whenpared to those they call geniuses,¡± Deus exined. ¡°I guess you are not wrong¡­ but how did that be the reason for you to choose me, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked. He was genuinely confused and curious at the same time. ¡°I wanted to see how a piece of trash like you will crush those geniuses,¡± Deus replied. ¡°¡­!¡± Tae-Sung flinched. ¡°I wanted to see how the weak retaliates,¡± Deus said with a mysterious smile before continuing, ¡°Humans are ced on unequal starting lines the moment they are born. Some are born as geniuses while some are born as fools. This is thew of the world, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°You are indeed correct, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. He agreed with Deus¡¯ words, and he was certain that others would agree with him as well. ¡°But there are a lot of hopeless trashes out there, right?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°That is correct,¡± Deus nonchntly replied. ¡°Then, why did you choose me among the garbage out there?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°It¡¯s because I saw a resolute, tenacious spirit and a thirst for victory in you,¡± Deus replied. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°You never gave up, even though you were being ruthlessly trampled on. In fact, anyone would have given up after being beaten so badly, but you continued to persevere despite that,¡± Deus exined. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he continued to listen silently. ¡°In the eyes of this great me, you seemed like a man who has no idea how to surrender and with this desire to defeat those you can never defeat even though you don¡¯t have even a rat¡¯s shit worth of talent,¡± Deus added. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Tae-Sung awkwardlyughed at Deus¡¯ evaluation. ¡°That is why I decided to choose you as my disciple¡ªso that I can turn you into a winner.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung found something strange in Deus¡¯ words. Deus did not say that he would turn him into a powerful person. Rather, he said he would turn him into a winner. ¡°A winner¡­? Not a powerful person¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Deus replied while nodding, and then he added, ¡°I n to turn you into a winner instead of a powerful person.¡± ¡°How can I win without bing stronger than my enemies?¡± Tae-Sung continued asking, ¡°I¡­ I cannot be stronger. It is just as you said, Master. I do not have any talent, money, or even luck. How am I supposed to be stronger?¡± Deus replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to be stronger than your enemies to win.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­ by that¡­?¡± ¡°Tsk tsk! How stupid and foolish can you be? You can just make your enemies weaker than you! Weaker! It¡¯s as simple as that! Just make them be weaker than you!¡± Deus replied with frustration in his voice. Tae-Sung felt as if a hammer struck the back of his head the moment he heard Deus¡¯ words. ¡®I will make those weaken those stronger than me, and I will beat them to death¡­ in one blow,¡¯?he thought. He had never even thought of doing that before. ¡°Take this,¡± Deus said before throwing an old worn-out book at Tae-Sung. ¡°What is this¡­.?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret book,¡± Deus replied. ¡°A secret book¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°The beginning and the end of the Debuff Master lies in that book,¡± Deus exined. Debuff Master. Tae-Sung had never heard of such a ss before. *** Debuff. This was the method which Deus had proposed to him to bing invincible. ¡°Are you telling me to turn my enemies weaker than me¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked upon receiving the secret book. ¡°That is correct.¡± Deus nodded and called out, ¡°My disciple¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung responded. ¡°There are plenty of people bound to be stronger than you in this world. Ah, of course, there¡¯s no one stronger than this great me,¡± Deus said. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°No one can stand against me! Hahaha!¡± Deus boasted. ¡®I can see that¡­¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. Hepletely agreed with Deus¡¯ words. ¡°My disciple,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°There is someone luckier, more talented, or richer than you in this world no matter how much you persevere and struggle. Effort? That¡¯s nothing but a facy the strong made so that they can entertain themselves by watching those weaklings squirm and struggle,¡± Deus said. Tae-Sung could not help but agree with Deus¡¯ words about how effort was not that important at all. After all, he experienced firsthand that his efforts weren¡¯t enough to beat those who were more talented, richer, luckier, and with better timing than him. ¡°Let¡¯s say that you did manage to be stronger. Then, do you really think you will be able to emerge victorious against those more talented, richer, and luckier than you? What about those who are stronger than you then?¡± Deus asked. ¡°I think it will be difficult,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Then, are you just going to lose then? Will you just let them crush and trample you?¡± ¡°I do not want that to happen ever again,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Then, all you have to do is to turn that bastard weaker than you and beat him to death. So what if you are weak? You just have to win, right? By then, people will look at you and call you strong,¡± Deus reasoned. ¡°The winner is the stronger one¡­ is that what you are trying to tell me, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Exactly. The world will forget someone strong, but they will remember the winner. In the end, they willbel the winner as strong,¡± Deus replied. Tae-Sung could not find any holes in Deus¡¯ logic, and he had no ns of finding one. There had been rare cases where a weakling won against someone stronger than them, but the chance of that happening was a one-in-a-million chance. Those who could win continuously, or those who would lose from time to time but would win frequently¡ªthose people were what the world called ¡®strong.¡¯ The strong would not necessarily be the winners; however, the winners would be strong. Tae-Sung agreed with Deus¡¯ logic. *** ¡°A long time ago¡­¡± Deus said as he gazed into the distance before he continued, ¡°There was a time when I was just like you.¡± ¡°You were like me, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked in disbelief. ¡°Well, I was not a piece of trash like you,¡± Deus rified. ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered with a bitter taste in his mouth. ¡°I was a genius when I was younger, and I was one of the eight strongest people on the continent. However, I was the weakest among them,¡± Deus added. ¡°Master was the weakest among them¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in disbelief. He was astounded to know that this supreme being in front of him was the weakest among those people. ¡°That¡¯s because those bastards were better geniuses than I was,¡± Deus exined. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I really wanted to defeat them,¡± Deus said. ¡°Then? Have you won against them?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t win¡­¡± Deus replied. ¡°¡­¡± Tae-Sung was speechless. ¡°It was impossible to defeat them no matter how much I squirmed and struggled, and I remained the weakest among us no matter what I did,¡± Deus said. ¡°Is that still the case even now?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Ha! Does it look like this great me will lose to anyone?¡± Deus scoffed with a hint of arrogance in his voice. ¡°No, Master,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°I trained as hard as I could; no, I trained like a madman. I trapped myself in Mount Kunlun and did nothing else but train,¡± Deus said. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in amazement. ¡°Then, I managed to obtain the power that will make me the strongest. I was able to turn my dreams of weakening my enemies into reality,¡± Deus added. ¡°Then, did you win?¡± Tae-Sung asked with eyes filled with curiosity. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t do it,¡± Deus replied with a hint of bitterness on his face. ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung was now genuinely confused. ¡°I only realized it after descending from this mountain that five hundred years had already passed,¡± Deus exined. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in amazement. ¡°I searched for those bastards as soon as I could, but they all grew old and had kicked the bucket. It seemed that this great me had lost track of time because of how immersed I had been in my training,¡± Deus said. ¡°Master¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he looked at Deus with eyes filled with pity. What was the use of attaining the power to be invincible if he could not achieve the victory he had always been longing for? ¡®Master¡­!¡¯? Tae-Sung could not fathom the emptiness Deus felt at that time. ¡°The realization and enlightenment I had achieved, which I had recorded in that book, became useless even though I had poured my heart and soul into creating it for the sole purpose of defeating those bastards I could never beat,¡± Deus said with a hint of bitterness in his voice as he exined how he created the ss, Debuff Master. Debuff Master. This was the solution Deus came up with during his younger days so that he could defeat those who were stronger than him. From Tae-Sung¡¯s point of view, this was also the solution to beating those who depended on their luck, level, item, skill, and talent. After all, he could never beat them through effort alone. They were on an entirely different level, and Tae-Sung could not inflict even a single scratch on them no matter how hard he tried. ¡®With this, I can win,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He firmly believed that he could defeat them all if he managed to unleash even a tenth of this ss¡¯ abilities. He had finally found a way to defeat those he desperately wanted to beat. ¡°My disciple,¡± Deus called out. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung responded. ¡°You can do whatever you want,¡± Deus said. ¡°What do you mean, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°You can go after glory or riches. There¡¯s nothing wrong with fulfilling your heart¡¯s desire since that is a right that belongs to someone invincible. Live your life to the fullest and do whatever you want,¡± Deus borated. ¡°Yes! Master!¡± Tae-Sung enthusiastically replied. That was exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to w himself out from the poverty, he wanted to eat good food, he wanted to wear nice clothes, and he wanted to ride nice cars. Unfortunately, he was talentless and was born dirt poor. And he hated the fact that he was born this way. The sorrow of growing up poor was something one could not understand unless one experienced it themselves. However, that was the end of that sorrow. He had finally found a way to turn his life around after meeting his master, and the rope that would save him from the bottomless pit of despair had finally arrived. ¡°But I have a condition you must fulfill to be my sessor,¡± Deus said. ¡°What is it, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Go and crush the sessors of those bastards who died before I got the chance to avenge myself. I¡¯m certain that they established their sessors before they went six feet under. You must crush them with the skills I have created. Do you understand?¡± When the old man finished his words, a message popped up in front of Tae-Sung. Ding! [Alert: Quest: ¡®Master¡¯s Regret¡¯ has appeared!] [Alert: Do you wish to ept this quest?] There was no reason for Tae-Sung to hesitate or refuse the quest. [YES.] Tae-Sung epted the quest Deus gave without an ounce of hesitation as he said, ¡°Yes, Master. I¡ªyour disciple¡ªwill definitely find their sessors and crush them to prove your greatness!¡± Of course, he did not forget to respond to his master in a grand manner. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Master¡¯s Regret¡¯!] Then, the quest details appeared in front of him. [Master¡¯s Regret] [Type: Quest] [Details: Find and crush the seven sessors of the people known as the strongest eight on the continent five hundred years ago. [Progress: 0%] [Descendant of Thunder God Vajra 0/1] [Descendant of Sword Saint Murcigo 0/1] [Descendant of Great Sage Sieghart 0/1] [Descendant of Blood Master Berserk 0/1] [Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris 0/1] [Descendant of God Arrow Windforce 0/1] [Descendant of Supreme King Braum 0/1] The quest was simple and straightforward. He just had to look and defeat the descendants of those whom Deus did not get the chance to beat. ¡°But¡­ how will I recognize their descendants¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°You will know by instinct,¡± Deus replied before adding, ¡°Your instinct as my one and only disciple will make you recognize them.¡± ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°And you have to change your name from now on,¡± Deus said. ¡°Huh? Change my name?¡± Tae-Sung responded in surprise. ¡°You are my one and only disciple and sessor so don¡¯t you think that you should have a name befitting of that? Use the name Siegfried from now on,¡± Deus said. ¡°Siegfried?¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you like it?¡± Deus asked. ¡°No, that¡¯s not why¡­¡± ¡°What is the problem, then?¡± Deus asked. ¡°That is¡­¡± Tae-Sung hesitated for a moment. He had no idea how to exin to Deus, who was an NPC, that it was impossible to change your name in Brave New World. ¡°A name is not something I can change just because I want to, so¡ª¡± Tae-Sung carefully said, but before he could finish his words, a message suddenly popped up in front of him. [Alert: The name of the yer¡¯s avatar has been changed from ¡®Tae-Sung¡¯ to ¡®Siegfried¡¯!] Tae-Sung could not believe his eyes as he thought, ¡®Is this really happening¡­?¡¯ Deus had just ignored an irond rule that prevented yers from changing their character¡¯s name. It seemed as if his master had just openly proimed, ¡®I am the Almighty!¡¯ However, Tae-Sung would actually believe him without a doubt if he did so. ¡°Shut up! You are Siegfried from now on, got that?¡± Deus asked. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Tae-Sung; no, Siegfried replied. ¡°I will cherish the name that you have given me, master,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Of course, you have to cherish it. You have to obtain the title of the ¡®Strongest¡¯ with the name I have bestowed upon you, you got that?¡± Deus added. ¡°Yes! Master!¡± Siegfried enthusiastically replied. ¡°Good. I like your spirit. Now go out into the world!¡± ¡°Do I have to leave so soon?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you that I have already taught you everything there is for you to know? It is now your turn to train using the secret book as your guidance. Everything you will need is in that book,¡± Deus replied. ¡°But, I am stillcking, Master. And what if I hit a teau while training on my own?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°You can juste and find me then,¡± Deus replied. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried muttered and tilted his head in confusion before asking, ¡°Are you not leaving for the afterlife?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Deus muttered in surprise before asking with a grimace, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ the mission you gave me just now sounded like you were leaving me your will¡­ so¡­¡± Siegfried said. It seemed that Siegfried was thinking of Deus as one of those ¡®masters¡¯ in novels where they would ascend after leaving their will to their disciples. However, it seemed that his master was unlike those masters. ¡°But I¡¯m still alive and well¡­¡± Deus muttered. It seemed that even clich¨¦s did not stand a chance against his master. ¡°Really?!¡± Siegfried eximed in delight. ¡°This great me can live up to more than a thousand years if I wanted to. I will live longer than you so don¡¯t worry and descend the mountain!¡± Deus dered. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Siegfried enthusiastically replied with a big smile. He seemed to be delighted by the fact that Deus wouldn¡¯t die anytime soon. ¡°Stop the nonsense and go do whatever you want in this vast continent! But don¡¯t forget about the mission this great me had given you!¡± Deus added. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Now, go!¡± Deus eximed before summoning a magic circle beneath Siegfried¡¯s feet. sh! A sh of light enveloped Siegfried before he disappeared. Siegfried had finally departed the mountain. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

¡°Where did he send me?¡± Siegfried muttered. He wondered and looked around after being forcefully expelled from the mountain. He was surrounded by grass as far as his eyes could see, but he could make out that he was in a territory judging by the castle he could see in the distance. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Siegfried opened the world map and zoomed in to where he was currently. [Biermann Territory] The ce where Siegfried was transported was a small territory on the southernmost tip of the continent. ¡°He sent me quite far away,¡± he grumbled. The Biermann Territory was located quite far from the Palzman Territory where Siegfried used to be. ¡°Not bad¡­¡± Siegfried nodded in satisfaction. He was quite content with the ce where he was transported. Siegfried was currently Level 1, and he would obviously be hunted down if he came across Genesis Guild members. For now, he had to focus on growing to at least Level 100 without getting disturbed. ¡®Well, I guess it won¡¯t matter though¡­?¡¯?he thought. Nobody would recognize him since his name had changed from Tae-Sung to Siegfried. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go to a nearby town first and take my time reading the secret book,¡± he muttered as he looked at the castle in the distance. Deus said that everything about the Debuff Master was recorded in the book, and that was why Siegfried decided to prioritize finding out more about the ss above anything else. *** ¡°Wee, Adventurer!¡± arge woman greeted Siegfried. She was the innkeeper. ¡°Hmm¡­ you look like a novice. Wee to our Biermann Territory. So, what do you need? Do you need food? Or perhaps some appetizer and drinks?¡± she asked. ¡°Just a room for one please,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Oh, you seem to be tired from your journey! Alright, I¡¯ll prepare it right away for you,¡± the innkeeper said. Siegfried went up to his room and settled down. ¡°Debuff Master¡­¡± he muttered while stroking the secret book. ¡°Shall we take a look?¡± he said before he proceeded to carefully turn the pages. However¡­ ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± he grimaced and muttered. The writings were a bit strange. ¡°Master¡­ how do you expect me¡­ to understand this¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. Deus¡¯ handwriting was so dreadful it could be categorized as one of the evils of this world. Naturally, Siegfried could not understand a single thing. ¡°Even a child can write better than this¡­ Master¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. It seemed that Deus was still a human being with ws after all. Siegfried tried his best to decode his master¡¯s cryptic handwriting. [The secret to invincibility lies in this secret book.] The secret book started off with a message that left a deep impression on Siegfried. ¡°The secret to invincibility¡­¡± he muttered as he read the first words. Then, something amazing happened as soon as he read those words out loud. sh! A blinding light shot out from the secret book andpletely surrounded him. Ding! Then, a message popped up in front of him shortly afterward. [Alert: The skill book¡¯s power is transforming you.] [Alert: You have sessfully changed sses!] [Alert: Your ss has changed from ¡®Disciple¡¯ to ¡®Debuff Master¡¯!] [Alert: The item ¡®Secret Book: Debuff Master¡¯ has been bound to you!] [Alert: ¡®Secret Book: Debuff Master¡¯ can no longer be traded or transferred.] It turned out that the secret book Deus gave him wasn¡¯t a normal book but a skill book, and this made Siegfried realize the reason why Deus didn¡¯t teach him any skills for ny-eight days. While Siegfried was still deep in his thoughts, the secret book his master gave him crumbled into dust. Siegfried no longer needed the item as every single one of its content had turned into data that had been uploaded into his mind. ¡°Let¡¯s take this step by step,¡± he said as he checked the ¡®My ss¡¯ tab under ¡®My Information.¡¯ He checked the basic information of his newfound ss. [Debuff Master] [A very flexible ss capable of packing quite a punch despite the user having low stats.] [Role: Melee Dealer, Supporter, and AOE Nuker.] [Description: Utilizes all sorts of debuffs to weaken the enemy before dealing physical damage against them.] [Main Weapon: Heavy Weapon] [Main Defensive Equipment: Heavy Armor] Siegfried could tell by the description alone that the ss his master had bestowed upon him was an overpowered ss. [Potential] [Attack: ??????????] [Defense: ??????????] [Agility: ??????????] [Utility: ??????????] In fact, his potential was astonishingly high. Even his lowest stat, agility, had an astounding ny-percent potential. ¡°The struggle was worth it,¡± Siegfried said while smiling in satisfaction. He could feel the pain, suffering, and humiliation he had to endure in the past, which was caused solely because he was a weakling, being washed away just by reading the basic details of his new ss, Debuff Master. ¡°Debuff Master¡­ a nuker specialized in debuffs¡­ I¡¯m certain that there¡¯s no other ss like this out there¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. There were many sses with debuff skills, and the most famous one among them was the ¡®Priest¡¯ ss. Priests possessed skills that could simultaneously buff their allies while debuffing their enemies by shredding thetter¡¯s resistances. There were other sses with debuff skills that amplified the damage their target received just like the Witch Doctor, ck Magician, and even Siegfried¡¯s previous ss, Elemental Mage. However, Debuff Master was an entirely different sspared to those mentioned above which only used debuffs as sub-skills. [Debuff Skills: 25] The Debuff Master ss lived true to its description as a physical damage nuker as it possessed a jaw-dropping twenty-five debuff skills, and it seemed as if it were capable of debuffing any enemies before beating them to death. ¡°Debuff Master¡­¡± Siegfried muttered out the name of his new ss as his heart pounded from excitement. ¡°I can beat them with this¡­!¡± Siegfried eximed as his adrenaline levels jumped. He was extremely curious about the power of a high-leveled Debuff Master. ¡°A master¡­¡± Siegfried muttered the second word of his new ss before he proceeded to check the details rted to his weapon and armor. [Weapon Mastery] [The most suitable type of weapon for a Debuff Master is a Heavy Weapon since it is capable of killing their enemies in a single blow.] [The Debuff Master gains additional stats when using Heavy Weapons.] [Blunt Weapon Mastery: Level 1] [Shield Mastery: Level 1] [Greatsword Mastery: Level 1] [Gauntlet Mastery: Level 1] [Spear Mastery: Level 1] The five weapons mentioned in his Weapon Mastery: blunt weapons, shields, greatswords, gauntlets, and spears, were weapons capable with highly destructive attack power. The Debuff Master¡¯sbat style was exactly as Deus had said, ¡®make them weaker and kill them in a single blow.¡¯ ¡°Then, the defensive equipment¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he checked the defensive equipment of his new ss. [Heavy Armor Mastery] [A Debuff Master is a ss that requires strong defense since they fight in closebat against their enemies.] [However, speed is also a criticalponent, so the user is rmended to use Heavy Armor instead of te Armor.] [The Debuff Master gains additional stats when using Heavy Armors.] [Heavy Armor Mastery: Level 1] There were five ssifications for defensive equipment in Brave New World: cloth armor, leather armor, light armor, heavy armor, and te armor. Heavy Armor was second only to te Armor when it came to toughness, and it seemed that the ss was rmending the usage of Heavy Armor rather than te Armor since it was not a tanker-type ss. [Debuff Skills] [Circle of Mortality: Level 1] [A circr field that decreases the enemies¡¯ defense and magic resistance will appear around the user.] [The circle¡¯s radius growsrger the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [Circle of Weakness: Level 1] [A circr field that reduces the enemies¡¯ HP and mana will appear around the user.] [The circle¡¯s radius growsrger the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The damage dealt by Circle of Weakness depends on the user¡¯s mana.] [The damage dealt by Circle of Weakness is considered as ¡®True Damage,¡¯ which ignores the enemies¡¯ defense and magic resistance.] ¡°It reduces defense and magic resistance¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in surprise after reading the description of his skill ¡®Circle of Mortality.¡¯ A debuff skill usually reduced only one of the target¡¯s defensive stat, and this was probably one of the few skills in the game that could reduce both defense and magic resistance at the same time. On top of that, ¡®Circle of Weakness¡¯ ignored defense and magic resistance to inflict true damage on his enemies. As such, he was certain that it would be a highly versatile skill in the future. [Smite] [Hit the target with a powerful strike.] [The damage inflicted increases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The cooldown time decreases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The cooldown time of this skill depends on weapon type upon casting.] [Level: 1] [Description: Deal 250% physical damage to the target.] [Mana Consumption: 30] [Cooldown: 1 minute (Blunt Weapon)] Even the description of the only active skill in his arsenal, ¡®Smite,¡¯ seemed overpowered as well. ¡°I knew it was a hidden ss¡­ but¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in amazement. He scrolled further down after realizing that the skills of his new ss¡ªDebuff Master¡ªcertainly lived up to anyone¡¯s expectations of a hidden ss. Then, a word of advice left behind by Deus caught his eye. [Circle of Mortality and Smite are the fundamental skills you will have to master from now on. You will be using them until the day you die so do not bezy and train them continuously. Do not forget to train Circle of Mortality and Smite in a 1:1 ratio. Circle of Weakness will alsoe in handy, but it will not be as useful as the two skills so make sure that you train the two skills Circle of Mortality and Smite, and Circle of Weakness in a 4:2 ratio.] While Siegfried was being trained, there hadn¡¯t been a day when Deus didn¡¯t curse, beat, or vite the former¡¯s human rights, but it seemed that Deus still deeply cared about his disciple based on the fact that he even left the skills¡¯ tech trees in the book. ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± Siegfried said as he engraved the words his master had left behind. He wanted to further figure out what his ss¡ªDebuff Master¡ªwas capable of, but unfortunately, he still could not do so because his level wasn¡¯t high enough. In fact, he couldn¡¯t even ess the names of the other skills he would end up possessing. It seemed he was still unqualified. ¡°It¡¯s time to train and grow stronger¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he steeled his resolve and exited the room. For some reason, every single step he took carried weight along with a strange sense of confidence. 1. It¡¯s written like this in the raw but think of it as full body armor. So full body armors are heavier than thick steel body armor Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Siegfried exited the inn and went straight to a smithy to purchase a steel rod and a cheap heavy armor for his torso. ¡®I¡¯ll be at a disadvantage if I use a gauntlet since its range is too close, and the attack speed of a greatsword is too slow not to mention how expensive it can be. Let¡¯s pass on those two for now¡­ Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t really need a shield so I¡¯ll pass on that, too¡­¡¯? If he were going to a high-level dungeon, it would be a different story. Since he was going to a low-level dungeon, he didn¡¯t feel the need to use a shield. ¡®A blunt weapon is the most suitable one for now,¡¯?he thought. Siegfried chose to use a fast yet destructive weapon as his first weapon since he was nning on power leveling from now on. That was how he finished arming himself. ¡®Next is to get a license¡­¡¯?he thought. He left the smithy and went to the Mercenary Guild. ¡°Wee, Traveler from another dimension,¡± the guild receptionist greeted Siegfried before inspecting him from head to toe and adding, ¡°I can see that you are a novice.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ something like that,¡± Siegfried replied. He did not feel the need to expose the fact that he was once a high-level yer. ¡°Alright, what business do you have with our Mercenary Guild?¡± the guild receptionist asked. ¡°I wish to obtain a license,¡± Siegfried replied. A license was a requirement to register oneself as a mercenary to the Mercenary Guild, and this was going to allow them to obtain quests to help them sustain themselves in the game. ¡°As expected,¡± the guild receptionist said while nodding, and then he added, ¡°However, you will have to go through an exam to test your qualifications. We will still have to test if you are truly skillful, even if you are an immortal being.¡± ¡°I am aware of that,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Alright, things will be easier since you are aware of it. Then¡ª¡± the guild receptionist said. However, Siegfried cut him off and said, ¡°I will go and hunt five Mutated Rabbits and ten Mutated Squirrels.¡± ¡°Five Mutated Rabbits and ten Mutated Squirrels¡­ you seem quite overconfident of your abilities,¡± the guild receptionist responded. ¡°I will hunt three stags and a bison as well while I am at it,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°You will hunt all of them at the same time?¡± the guild receptionist asked with a surprised look. Siegfried decided to finish the chain of quests known as the ¡®Tutorial Quest Set¡¯ in a single hunt since he did not want to waste time going back and forth between the Mercenary Guild and the novice hunting ground. The ¡®Tutorial Quest Set¡¯ was made up of the following chain of quests: ¡®Proof of Qualification¡¯ quest which was to hunt five Mutated Rabbits. ¡®Additional Proof of Qualification¡¯ quest which was to hunt ten Mutated Squirrels. ¡®Qualification Assessment¡¯ quest which was to hunt three Mutated Stags. And the ¡®Final Qualification Assessment¡¯ required hunting a Mutated Bison. Then, the guild receptionist grimaced and said, ¡°You are asking for trouble, my friend.¡± ¡°You might somehow manage against the Mutated Rabbits and the Mutated Squirrels, but the Mutated Stags and Mutated Bisons are not enemies you can ovee by simply having a few tricks up your sleeve¡ª¡± the guild receptionist said. However, Siegfried cut him off once again. ¡°I will be on my way.¡± Siegfried did not even give the guild receptionist an inch to convince him otherwise as he forced his way into getting all four quests at the same time. [Alert: You have epted the quest: ¡®Proof of Qualification¡¯!] [Alert: You have epted the quest: ¡®Additional Proof of Qualification¡¯!] [Alert: You have epted the quest: ¡®Qualification Assessment¡¯!] [Alert: You have epted the quest: ¡®Final Qualification Assessment¡¯!] He turned around after receiving the four quests and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped. He faced the receptionist again and asked, ¡°Oh,?Let¡¯s start off with the rabbits first,¡¯?he thought. He immediately went to the mountains looking to look for Mutated Rabbits. The method of tracking down Mutated Rabbits was quite simple¡ªtheir poop. A rabbit would instinctively pile their pea-sized poop at the foot of a tree. ¡®There¡¯s a lot of poop, so there should be some of them around here,¡¯?he thought. While he was looking around, a ck figure suddenly jumped out from the bush on his right side. ¡°Kyaahk!¡±?The creature screamed as it lunged toward him. ¡®From the right!¡¯? Siegfried immediately turned to the right. Bam! He smacked the creature with the steel rod in his hand. ¡°Kwek!¡±?The creature let out a shriek after getting hit by the steel rod. The creature could no longer get up after a single hit from Siegfried¡¯s steel rod. [You have sessfully hunted a Mutated Rabbit!] [Experience Points +30] A message popped up in front of him. ¡°That surprised me¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he looked at the dead Mutated Rabbit on the ground. The mutated creatures¡¯ physical abilities were about thirty-percent higherpared to their normal counterparts. In addition, they were highly aggressive. That was why there had been multiple cases of novices betting bitten on their neck the moment they let their guards down. Eeeuuaaaaaaahk! Just like the novice screaming in the distance... ¡°They should have been more careful¡­¡± Siegfried said while looking in the direction where the scream hade from. He prayed for the novice being bitten to death by a Mutated Rabbit before he took a dagger out of his pocket. He was going to use the dagger to skin the Mutated Rabbit since its hide fetched a fair amount due to its toughness and sticity. And he also had to bring its hide as a trophy to prove his hunt to the Mercenary Guild. Seuk¡­ Seuk¡­ While skinning the Mutated Rabbit, Siegfried fell into deep thought. ¡®Had my reaction speed ever been this fast¡­?¡¯ He also felt that his hearing had be more sensitive, and his body had be more reactive as well, as it moved as soon as he willed it to move. ¡®That¡¯s that but¡­ I never imagined that I would kill it in a single hit. Tsk¡­ I wanted to test some of my skills¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he clicked his tongue. It seemed that his stats had be too high for a Level 1 after undergoing the body enhancement, or rather, the tempering and quenching process. [You have obtained ¡®Mutated Rabbit¡¯s Hide¡¯ (1/5)] Siegfried stored the Mutated Rabbit¡¯s hide and immediately went to look for his next prey. *** Unfortunately, he still did not get the chance to use his skills. One shot, one kill. Siegfried killed two Mutated Rabbits with a single swing of his steel rod, and the Mutated Rabbits and Mutated Squirrels all fell with a single swing of his blunt weapon. [Alert: You havepleted the quest: ¡®Proof of Qualification¡¯] [Alert: You havepleted the quest: ¡®Additional Proof of Qualification¡¯] As a result, Siegfried managed to hunt the required number of Mutated Rabbits and Mutated Squirrels, but he never got the chance to use his skill. ¡°I should be able to use it against the stag¡­ right¡­?¡± he muttered. He was hoping he could test his skills out against the Mutated Stags. After all, a stag was arger animalpared to a rabbit or a squirrel, so it was bound to be much tougher than them. ¡°Let¡¯s go look for a stag,¡± he said as he descended the mountain and went to a forest where stags could have potentially made it their habitat. *** An hourter¡­ ¡°Neigh¡­ Neigh¡­!¡±? Siegfried was standing face to face against a Mutated Stag that seemed to be enraged for some reason. [Mutated Stag] [A stag mutated by an unknown power.] [HP: 500] [Defense: 10] [Magic Resistance: 10] Siegfried checked the Mutated Stag¡¯s stats using the Rune of Insight at the back of his left hand. ¡®Let¡¯s try hitting it with a normal attack,¡¯?he thought. The battle started off with the Mutated Stag charging at Siegfried, and he easily avoided the charge while counter-attacking by smacking his steel rod on the stag¡¯s body. [65 Physical Damage!] Siegfried was currently Level 1 with an attack power of 25, and the steel rod he was using as a weapon had an attack power of 50. He was supposed to deal 75 damage to the stag, but it seemed the stag¡¯s 10 defense reduced the damage he dealt to 65. ¡®Good, so it¡¯s tougher than the others just as I expected,¡¯ he thought while being satisfied at the Mutated Stag¡¯s toughness. It was now time for him to finally try to use the Debuff Master¡¯s main attack skill, ¡®Smite.¡¯ Baaam! Siegfried smacked the Mutated Stag with Smite. [162.5 Physical Damage!] He dealt damage exactly two hundred and fifty percent of his 65 attack power, which was still reduced by the Mutated Stag¡¯s defense. ¡®Let¡¯s try using debuffs this time,¡¯?he thought. It was now time for him to disy the main highlight of his ss. ¡°Neiiiiiigh!¡±?The Mutated Stag let out a neigh as it charged at Siegfried once again. Siegfried jumped to the side to avoid the stag¡¯s charge before immediately activating ¡®Circle of Mortality.¡¯ [Circle of Mortality] [A circr field that decreases the enemies¡¯ defense and magic resistance will appear around the user.] [The circle¡¯s radius growsrger the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The skill¡¯s defense and magic resistance reduction increases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The skill¡¯s cooldown decreases per level.] [A circle may not be moved once summoned.] [Level: 1] [Effect: -10 Defense, -10 Magic Resistance] [Mana Consumption: 50] [Skill Duration: 60 seconds] [Cooldown: 120 seconds] A scarlet light surrounded Siegfried, and a circr field appeared underneath his feet the moment he cast Circle of Mortality. ¡®Now let¡¯s try smacking it again¡­¡¯? He swung his steel rod at the Mutated Stag. [75 Physical Damage!] He dealt 75 damage to the Mutated Stag after its defense dropped to zero. Siegfried had just dealt a hundred percent of his damage to the enemy, and it was tantamount to dealing True Damage. ¡®Let¡¯s try using Smite this time,¡¯?he thought as he waited for the skill¡¯s cooldown. The enraged stag kept on charging at Siegfried, but he easily avoided all of its attacks. [Smite Cooldown: 3 seconds] [¡­2] [¡­1] [¡­0] [Smite is ready to be cast!] Siegfried used Smite when the skill cooldown timer reached zero. [187.5 Physical Damage!] He dealt 25 more damagepared to when he still hadn¡¯t applied the debuff, and it was a 15.3% increase in damage. ¡®Alright, this looks good¡­¡¯?Siegfried nodded in satisfaction. ¡®This is more than enough for a Level 1 since I¡¯m sure that the effectiveness of the skill will increase the higher my level.¡¯ It did not seem like much because he was still Level 1, but a fifteen percent increase in damage by reducing the enemy¡¯s defense was not something to scoff at since the defenses of both monsters and humans naturally increased the higher their level. And a fifteen percent increase in damage was a huge advantage in fights where a single variable could decide the oue. ¡®Ah¡­ I want to level up faster¡­¡¯? He wished to hurry up and experience the full potential of his ss, the Debuff Master. ¡°Neigh¡­ Neigh¡­¡±?The Mutated Stag¡¯s breathing becamebored. Puk¡­! Siegfried swung his steel rod for the final time and finished the Mutated Stag off. Thud¡­! The Mutated Stag fell to the ground. [You have sessfully hunted a Mutated Stag!] [Experience Points +80] His experience filled up. [You have leveled up!] When he was informed of his level-up with a system message, a bright light shot out from the Rune of Insight at the back of his left hand and enveloped him. ¡°I should collect its hide and antlers first¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. Leveling up was good and all, but collecting loot he could sell for money had a higher priority for Siegfried. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Siegfried received ten bonus stat points after leveling up. ¡°Let¡¯s prioritize strength for now¡­¡± Investing the bonus stat points into strength was the obvious decision since strength would increase his physical attack power, which was the main weapon of the Debuff Master. He opened the ¡®Growth¡¯ menu and clicked on the ¡®Stat Growth¡¯ tab. [Siegfried] [Level: 2] [ss: Debuff Master] [Attack Power: 75] [Ability Power: 20] [HP: 200/200] + [Mana: 223/300] + [Stamina: 143/150] + [Strength: 25] + [Agility: 25] + [Intellect: 20] + [Defense: 40] + [Magic Resistance: 30] + [Tenacity: 30] + [Remaining Points: 10] Siegfried decided to invest all ten points into strength without any hesitation, and he pressed the ¡®+¡¯ sign beside ¡®Strength¡¯ one time. [You have increased Strength by 1 point.] [Your Attack Power has increased by 2.5.] He noticed something off. ¡°Why did it increase by 2.5¡­?¡± he said while tilting his head in confusion. He could not understand why his Attack Power went up by 2.5. ¡°Isn¡¯t it supposed to increase by 2.2?¡± he wondered. He had gained much more attack power than he was supposed to after increasing his strength by a single point. ¡°Is it a bug?¡± he grumbled before tapping on the ¡®+¡¯ sign again and investing another point into ¡®Strength¡¯. [You have increased Strength by 1 point.] [Your Attack Power has increased by 2.5.] It went up by 2.5 instead of 2.2 once again. ¡°Let¡¯s try putting more¡­¡± he muttered as he tapped on the ¡®+¡¯ sign eight times and invested his remaining eight points into ¡®Strength¡¯. [You have increased Strength by 8 points.] [Your Attack Power has increased by 20.] It increased by the same increment once again as each point he added increased his Attack Power by 2.5. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± he wondered. While he was trying to figure out what was going on, he suddenly remembered something. ¡°I will fix you from head to toe, and I will forcefully raise your potential to the limit.¡± ¡°I-Is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Since you managed to get through this trial, you will be at least twenty percent stronger than others.¡± He remembered a conversation he had with Deus about fixing his body and raising his potential. Now, Siegfried was certain that the abnormal stat increase he was experiencing was because of the hellish training he went through under Deus. ¡°So, this is the fruit of my suffering¡­ it¡¯s very sweet indeed¡­¡± he muttered as he recalled the one hundred tempering and quenching he had to go through, ¡°I¡¯m d I endured through all of that¡­¡± He was very emotional at this moment. However, It was understandable since his efforts had always betrayed him time and time again. A person would be satisfied if they put in a hundred percent of their effort to receive just eighty percent results out of it, but that hadn¡¯t been the case for Siegfried. He worked his butt off every single time and put in a hundred and twenty percent, but not even once did his efforts gave him more than fifty percent in return. He had no luck, no talent, no money, and even his efforts always betrayed him by giving him less than what he had expected even if he had lowered his expectations. However, that was no longer the case. After all, the efforts he would put in would now yield him the same degree of results. No, rather, his efforts would now yield him a return much higher than his expectations. The famous rankers with hidden sses would receive 2.2 Attack Power for every point increase in their Strength based on what Siegfried was aware of, and a normal ss user would receive 2 Attack Power for every point of Strength. But his ss, Debuff Master, was giving him much more Attack Power than what any other known hidden sses would give, and this was something that Siegfried could have never imagined even in his wildest dreams. Thanks to that, Siegfried¡¯s Attack Power had increased by 25, and his previously 75 Attack Power had increased to 100 as well. ¡°I will never forget what you have done for me, Master. Please ept my bow,¡± Siegfried said as he bowed in the direction of Mount Kunlun. Siegfried bowed as sincerely as he possibly could toward his master, who gave him this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before saying, ¡°Your disciple will do his best to attain invincibility so that I will not tarnish your name. Then, I will crush the descendants of those who you have failed to win against.¡± He vowed to achieve the goal his master had failed to achieve, as that was the only way he could ever repay his master¡¯s kindness. *** Siegfried opened the ¡®Skill Growth¡¯ tab after distributing his bonus stat points. [Remaining Skill Points: 3.2] He gained 3.2 skill points after leveling up. ¡°Oh, I gained more skill points as well,¡± he said after checking his status page. BNW gave yers 3 skill points every time they leveled up, and this was the same regardless of whether the yer had a hidden ss or a normal ss. However, Siegfried was getting 3.2 skill points instead of 3; it was much just like with his stat points. 0.2 might seem like a small number, but there was a saying that little drops of water would make a mighty ocean, and this small number would bring a huge impact if it umted. The 0.2 extra skill points he was getting per level would give him 1 extra skill point every 5 levels, and this would umte and give him a level¡¯s worth of 3 skill points for every 15 levels. This meant that he would have 480 skill points at level 150 when everyone else would only have 450 skill points at the same level. He would have 30 extra skill points, equivalent to gaining 10 levels. This small number would snowball into something pretty clear when taking into ount the fact that a user would have to invest an astronomical sum of money just to gain one skill point upon reaching a high level. The butterfly effect¡ªit was a theory that said that a small thing could result inrge differencester on. ¡®Thank you, Master,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He could not help but be thankful to his master once more for maximizing his potential. He used his skill points to raise the level of his skills. [You have invested 1 skill point into Smite.] . [The skill level of Smite has risen.] [Damage has increased by 10%.] [Cooldown for all weapons has decreased by 0.2 seconds.] The result was definitely satisfactory. The skill was only raised by one level, but its damage and cooldown greatly improved. ¡®Next¡­¡¯? Siegfried proceeded to invest a skill point into Circle of Mortality. [Circle of Mortality] [Level: 2] [Effect: -20 Defense, -20 Magic Resistance] [Mana Consumption: 55] [Skill Radius: 5.2m] [Skill duration: 60 seconds] [Cooldown: 119 seconds] The enemy defense and magic resistance shred increased by 10, the radius increased by 0.2 meters, and the cooldown decreased by 1 second. ¡®Next up is Circle of Weakness¡­¡¯? He increased the skill level of the skill he hadn¡¯t even used just yet. [Circle of Weakness] [Level: 2] [Effect: - 5 HP per Second] [Mana Consumption: 105] [Skill Radius: 5.2m] [Skill duration: 60 seconds] [Cooldown: 119 seconds] Simr to the Circle of Morality, the radius increased while the cooldown time decreased. The damage per second also increased along with the mana consumption. ¡®It feels like I¡¯m going to be putting circles down all over the ce,¡¯?he thought. Siegfried was starting to get a hang of how to utilize his skills as the Debuff Master: 1. Reduce the enemy¡¯s defense and magic resistance with Circle of Mortality. 2. Reduce the enemy¡¯s HP bit by bit with Circle of Weakness. 3. Beat the enemy to death with Smite and normal attacks. To sum up thebat style of the Debuff Master, he had to set up his territory on the battlefield and beat his enemies to death on top of it. ¡®So, it¡¯s going to be all about location, location, and location¡­ I have to fight on top of the circle no matter what, and I can¡¯t let my enemies leave the circle,¡¯?he thought as he finally understood how to use his ss. The location of the circles was absolutely important because his ss¡ªthe Debuff Master¡ªwas highly dependent on them. ¡®The Debuff Master is a ss that makes my enemies fight me where I want them to fight me. That is the key point of mybat style, so I have to carefully decide when to use my skills,¡¯?he thought as he decided to pay attention on how he would use his skills from now on. It was admirable of him toe up with such a conclusion, as any yer aiming for the top had to have a decent understanding of the character they were ying. *** Siegfried looked for a Mutated Stag as soon as he was done distributing his stat points and skill points. Bam! He smacked a stag on the head with his steel rod while it was standing on top of the Circle of Mortality. [393.9 Physical Damage!] A surprising number popped up on the damage counter. The damage was amplified by two hundred and sixty percent thanks to Smite, and it was further enhanced by a hundred and fifty percent because he struck the stag¡¯s head, which was a critical spot. On top of that, the stag was standing on his circle which reduced its defense from 10 to -10. ¡°Even though you say that it was a critical hit¡­ does it even make sense to deal four hundred damage in one hit¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered. He could not believe the destructiveness of his Level 2 character, and he couldn¡¯t help but doubt what he had seen. Fortunately, neither his imagination nor his eyes were ying tricks on him. It was evidenced by the fact that the Mutated Stag got stunned after getting hit by Smite. Puk! Siegfried swung his steel rod one more time and finished the Mutated Stag off. ¡°Strong¡­ I¡¯m really strong¡­!¡± Siegfried eximed. He was in awe of the Debuff Master¡¯s power. A mere Level 2 character could deal damage close to 400. How many sses out there could do the same? No, rather, the fact that he possessed a ss while he was still Level 2 was already strange, to begin with. Most of the yers would remain without a ss until they reached Level 15, which was when they would finally get to choose their ss. ¡®Debuffing my enemy is the key to victory. Smite can only disy its true value when my enemy is debuffed, and the fact that its percentage increase is high does not matter unless I get to hit them while they¡¯re standing in the circle. Choosing where to ce the circle is key¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he took his dagger out of his pocket. He continued to remind himself again and again of the importance of circle cement. Seuk¡­ Seuk¡­ He had to collect his loot before anything else. After all, the Mutated Stag¡¯s hide and antlers were an excellent source of ie for him. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After killing the second Mutated Stag, Siegfried immediately hunted the third one down toplete the quest. [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Qualification Assessment¡¯!] ¡°A Mutated Bison¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he checked hisst remaining quest. Mutated Bisons were iparably stronger than rabbits, squirrels, and stags. This was a given since a bison was a strong animal with arge body that even apex predators find it burdensome to hunt it. And the fact that unknown energy had mutated the animal made it more imposing and exhausting to hunt. ¡°Let¡¯s not get cocky. We have to be careful,¡± Siegfried told himself before he went out to hunt a Mutated Bison. *** The ce Siegfried went to after leaving the forest was a in with nts of all colors and sizes growing on them. There was a saying that one had to enter the tiger¡¯s den to hunt the tiger, and that was precisely why he came to the ins to hunt a Mutated Bison. ¡°I wonder where those bisons are¡­¡± he muttered while scanning the vast ins. It did not take long for him to find a Mutated Bison in the distance. ¡°Found you,¡± he said. He immediately activated his Rune of Insight and scanned the details of therge animal covered in thick ck fur. [Mutated Bison] [A bison mutated by unknown energy.] [HP: 1,300] [Defense: 25] [Magic Resistance: 25] Mutated Bisons possessed stats much higher than Mutated Stags. ¡°Great¡± Siegfried said with a smile on his face. The Mutated Bison seemed to have felt Siegfried staring at it, and that could be why it turned toward him and snorted aggressively. ¡°Puff¡­! Puff¡­!¡±?the Mutated Bison snorted while lowering its stance before suddenly darting toward Siegfried. ¡®It¡¯sing. I¡¯m dead if I get hit by that charge. I¡¯ll have to avoid it and counter-attack,¡¯?he thought as he braced himself. . It didn¡¯t matter whether he was the Debuff Master or whatnot; he would end up getting forcibly logged out if the Mutated Bison managed to m into him. ¡®Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ to the right!¡¯? Siegfried immediately evaded to his right. Whoosh! The Mutated Bison narrowly missed Siegfried. ¡®It¡¯s my turn,¡¯?he thought as he immediately cast Circle of Mortality and reduced the Mutated Bison¡¯s defense. Then, he tightly gripped his steel rod and swung it as hard as he could against the bison¡¯s body while using Smite. [307.5 Physical Damage!] He dealt a decent amount of damage because his attack became a critical hit. No, rather, a Level 2 character dealing 300 damage against a Mutated Bison could no longer be considered decent since even a Level 10 character needed at least 5 minutes to hunt a Mutated Bison. ¡®Let¡¯s keep attacking with basic attacks until Smite cools down,¡¯?he thought as he attacked the bison while evading its attacks at the same time. Pak! Pak! Pukeok! Pak! Siegfried continuously attacked the Mutated Bison. After a minute, Smite went off cooldown, and he immediately mmed his steel rod into the bison¡¯s head. [307.5 Physical Damage!] As expected, it was another critical hit. The Mutated Bison only had 305 HP left. Puk! Pak! Pukeok! Puk! Siegfried unleashed a chain of four basic attacks against the stunned Mutated Bison. Thud! The Mutated Bison copsed to the ground. [You have sessfully hunted a Mutated Bison!] [Experience Points +200] [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Final Qualification Assessment¡¯!] A message informing him of clearing the chain of quests from the Mercenary Guild appeared in front of him. ¡°Easy peasy¡­ It took me less than three minutes to hunt a Mutated Bison, even though I¡¯m just Level 2,¡± Siegfried said with an arrogant smile on his face. This was only possible thanks to the high percentage damage of Smite and the defense reduction from Circle of Mortality. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to town and get my license¡­¡± he muttered. Of course, he did not forget to butcher the Mutated Bison and collect his loot. However, while he was diligently skinning the bison, a person¡¯s scream could be heard in the distance. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaah!¡± The scream was not the only thing he heard. Rumble rumble¡­ Rumble rumble¡­? The ground started shaking as the sound of hooves got louder and louder. ¡®What the hell?¡¯? He turned in the direction where the scream hade from. ¡°Ah¡­¡± he muttered before his face crumpled. ¡°Why the hell are you bringing a herd of bison over to me¡­?¡± he muttered weakly. It was because a random woman was running in his direction while being chased by twenty Mutated Bisons. *** One thing anyone should be careful of while hunting Mutated Bisons was their herd. A bison was an animal that lived in a herd of at least ten to twenty, and this meant that one could end up stumbling upon a herd of bisons full of Mutated Bisons. When that happened, one could potentially attract the attention of the entire herd of Mutated Bisons. That was why the golden rule when hunting Mutated Bisons was to hunt the stragglers that had strayed away from their herd, which was what Siegfried had done a while ago. However, what if someone ignored that golden rule and aggroes an entire herd of Mutated Bisons? Then, that would be no different from opening the doors of hell since a low-level yer would have to deal with possibly more than a dozen Mutated Bisons at the same time. A novice who had ended up aggroing a herd of Mutated Bisons would always end up with the same fate¡ªbeing skewered by their sharp horns and trampled in a stampede. Just like what was happening right now¡­ ¡°Help me! Kyaaaaaah!¡±?the woman screamed at Siegfried. [Antote] [Level: 9] [ss: No ss] Antote, who was a Level 9 No ss novice, had identally aggroed an entire Mutated Bison herd while hunting for one. As such, she ended up being chased by all members of the herd. She squeezed every single ounce of her strength to run from the angry horde of bison. ¡°H-Hey! Please help me! Please! Kyaaaaaah!¡±?she screamed. Unfortunately, Siegfried could tell that she was intentionally running straight toward him. *** ¡°Ah¡­ what the hell¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a hint of annoyance at the woman. He would have probably found her to be bothersome anyway if she walked up to him and tried to talk to him, but the fact that she was bringing a herd of Mutated Bison along made it even more annoying. ¡°Is she trying to drag me down with her or what?¡± Siegfried grumbled. The chance of beating this herd of Mutated Bisons was absolute zero. Even though he had obtained the hidden ss, Debuff Master, it was still impossible to do so, as he was just Level 2. ¡°I guess I have no choice¡­¡± he muttered as he made his mind up. Tak! Siegfried kicked off the ground and started running away. This was the sensible thing to do when facing the charge of a Mutated Bison herd. *** A strange caravan was created. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried was quietly running at the forefront. ¡°Kyaahk! Kyaaaahhk! Kyaaaaaaaaahk!¡±?Antote screamed while running right behind him. Rumble rumble¡­ Rumble rumble¡­ Rumble¡­? A herd of Mutated Bison was still chasing her. ¡°Hurry up and do something!¡± Antote shouted at Siegfried. However, Siegfried maintained his silence and chose to ignore her. ¡°Hey! You! Come on!¡± she screamed at him in an effort to draw his attention. ¡®I¡¯ll be at a disadvantage fighting here. I will be trampled to death for sure,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was trying toe up with a way to get out of this predicament rather than just running away for his life. ¡®Can I really not handle them? I think I¡¯ll gain at least two levels if I were to wipe that herd out,¡¯?he thought while greedily ncing at the herd of bison. The ability to turn a predicament into an opportunity¡­ He suddenly remembered his master¡¯s words¡­ ¡°Fights will never be always in your favor. In fact, you will find that most fights will have odds stacked against you. What you have to do by then is quite simple¡­ Just try toe up with a way to turn the tables and make the fight unfavorable to your enemies instead of trying to make it favorable for you. It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of solution youe up with as long as you can have even a slight advantage over them. Then, start turning things in your favor one by one, and you will eventually emerge victorious without realizing it.¡± Deus had basically told him to do whatever was necessary to turn the tables. ¡®They have the upper hand when ites to numbers, but I¡¯m certain that I¡¯ll win in a one-on-one battle. The only problem is if they gang up on me¡­ Is there really no way for me to fight them one by one¡­?¡¯?Siegfried pondered while analyzing the situation. ¡®This ce is too wide and vast. I will have to find somewhere narrower if I were to fight them. I should win as long as I can make the terrain more advantageous for me,¡¯?he thought while looking around. Siegfried was looking for a ce to fight the members of the herd one by one. He had to render their strength, which was their numbers, useless if he wanted to win. ¡®Is there really no ce nearby that I can use to fight them one by one¡­?¡¯?he thought while anxiously looking around. ¡®Over there!¡¯?he inwardly eximed the moment he found a suitable spot. There was a steep hill in a distance not that far from him. The steep hill was simr to a ravine with walls on both sides of it. The hill was only five meters wide, but it should be more than enough to block the majority of the Mutated Bisons. ¡®That¡¯s where I¡¯ll face those bastards¡­¡¯? Siegfried immediately made a sharp turn toward the hills. ¡°Hey! W-Wait for me!¡± Antote shouted and chased after Siegfried. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

¡°What is this?! What the hell are you doing?!¡± Antote screamed at Siegfried after seeing that the ce where Siegfried had run over to was a narrow ravine. ¡°Are you trying to get us killed?! Why did you run here of all ces?!¡± she screamed once again, furious. Siegfried continued to ignore her ramblings. Rumble¡­ rumble¡­ rumble¡­ rumble¡­? The herd of Mutated Bisons was now right in front of them. ¡®I¡¯ll set up my circle first,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he cast Circle of Mortality. Wooooong! The scarlet circle that debuffed the enemy¡¯s defense appeared around Siegfried. ¡°Moooooo!¡±?A Mutated Bison mooed as it charged at Siegfried. ¡®Evade it first¡­¡¯?he thought as he evaded the charging bison. Bam! The Mutated Bison ended up mming itself into the rock wall behind Siegfried. ¡®Now it¡¯s my turn¡­¡¯?he thought and used Smite to m his steel rod into the bison¡¯s body. Siegfried had no time to check how much damage he dealt to the bison. ¡°Mooooooo!¡±?Another Mutated Bison mooed as it charged at Siegfried. ¡®It¡¯s narrow here so they can onlye two at a time. I can be at ease and fight to my heart¡¯s content,¡¯?he thought in relief. The overwhelming number advantage the bisons had was no use in this terrain, and Siegfried no longer had any reason to be afraid of them. ¡®Evade it and counter-attack¡­¡¯? Siegfried evaded the second Mutated Bison¡¯s attack and smacked his steel rod into its body. [95 Physical Damage!] ¡®Look at the damage loss¡­¡¯?he inwardly grumbled when he saw the number on the damage counter. Siegfried could feel the gap between the Attack Power of Smite and his basic attacks. A Mutated Bison had 1,300 HP, and it would take him more than ten hits to kill a bison if he were to attack them without Smite. And this was only if most of his attacksnded as a critical hit, which would deal 142.5 damage each. ¡®When will I kill all of them like that?¡¯?Siegfriedined. The Mutated Bisons numbered over thirty. His stamina would certainly be depleted, and he would be incapacitated even before he could finish them all off. ¡®Let¡¯s use Circle of Weakness to cut their HP down¡­¡¯? Siegfried remembered the other skill he still hadn¡¯t used just yet. Wooooong¡­! Siegfried cast Circle of Weakness. [5 True Damage!] [5 True Damage!] [5 True Damage!] The Circle of Weakness reduced the Mutated Bisons¡¯ HP by 5 every second. ¡®Alright¡­¡¯?He nodded with satisfaction. Siegfried decided that he would evade and counter-attack whenever he could while letting Circle of Weakness chew the bisons¡¯ HP away. ¡®I think I will be able to power level once I level Circle of Mortality up since most weak mobs will die in a single hit after their defenses are shredded,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he instinctively realized how to maximize his ss¡¯ abilities to rapidly grow stronger. ¡°A strong person is someone who rules over the area around him. You will be able to swallow the entire battlefield if you slowly expand your area of influence around it.¡± Siegfried recalled the teachings Deus bestowed upon him in those days he spent training with thetter. The ny-nine days he spent with Deus might seem like a short period of time for most people, but for Siegfried, it had been a time filled with nothing but hellish training, torture, verbal abuse, and vition of his human rights. Siegfried finally realized that Deus had been drilling his teachings into Siegfried¡¯s mind through the violent and abusive teaching method. However, every single thing Deus had done was for the benefit of Siegfried. ¡®Master was right. A Debuff Master is someone who rules the area where he stands, and I am currently ruling over this area,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he remembered his master¡¯s teachings while fighting against the Mutated Bisons. The tides of the battle soon shifted in Siegfried¡¯s favor. The Mutated Bisons could not use their numerical advantage in the narrow space, and Siegfried went on a rampage, swinging his steel rod and killing the bisons one by one. However¡­ [You have sessfully hunted a Mutated Bison!] [Experience Points +180] [You have sessfully hunted a Mutated Bison!] [Experience Points +180] [You have sessfully hunted a Mutated Bison!] [Experience Points +180] [You have sessfully hunted a Mutated Bison!] [Experience Points +180] Siegfried was not getting the full 200 experience points he was supposed to get from the Mutated Bisons. He was only getting 180 experience points from killing them. He was suffering a ten percent loss of experience points for some odd reason. *** ¡°Kyaaaaaahk!¡± The culprit behind the experience point loss was none other than the woman wildly swinging a stick against the Mutated Bisons. ¡°Go away! Get away from me!¡± Antote screamed while evading the Mutated Bisons¡¯ attacks. She was leeching Siegfried¡¯s experience points away since the party y system gave her a portion of the experience points in exchange for making negligible contributions to the battle. And that was not all¡­ [Antote has sessfully hunted a Mutated Bison!] [Experience Point +180] She even had the nerve to deal the final blow to a Mutated Bison Siegfried had injured. ¡®Is she kidding me¡­? Look at this freeloading leech¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as his expression crumpled. This woman had just reached the pinnacle of being a nuisance. In addition to dragging the herd of Mutated Bisons toward him, she even had the nerve to steal kills from him. ¡°Hey!¡± Siegfried shouted toward Antote. ¡°What?¡± Antote said in response. ¡°Can you please go away and not steal my experience points?¡± Siegfried said. ¡°When did I steal your experience points?¡± Antote brazenly asked in response while ring at him, and then she added, ¡°What do you mean by that? I¡¯m just getting my fair share for helping you out!¡± ¡°Sure you are¡­¡± Siegfried responded sarcastically. ¡°What did you just say¡­?¡± Antote muttered. She was seemingly taken aback by his words. ¡°What do you mean by helping when you aren¡¯t even doing a rat shit¡¯s worth of work? Like I said, can you please go away and not steal my experience points? You are being a nuisance.¡± Siegfried grumbled. He was actually in the right here since Antote wasn¡¯t contributing anything aside from luring the herd of Mutated Bisons to him. ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t make meugh!¡± Antote eximed with a loud scoff, and then she let out a condescendingugh before adding, ¡°You call yourself a man when you¡¯re so petty?¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± Siegfried asked with furrowed brows. ¡°Will you die or something if you share? You petty little fart!¡± Antote retorted. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried did not say anything in response, but something was boiling inside of him. ¡°What? Cat got your tongue? Can¡¯t you help someone out and share some experience points while you¡¯re at it? I mean, how much will you lose by sharing?¡± Antote said while looking at him with disgust. Siegfried¡¯s eyes turned cold as he made up his mind. ¡®I can¡¯t just let this slide now, can I?¡¯ *** Siegfried was currently very sensitive when it came to experience points. He was riddled with debt back in reality. On top of that, the thought of his enemies growing stronger as they farmed in high-level dungeons made his blood boil. As such, every second and every single experience point was precious to him right now. To leech experience points off of Siegfried, considering his situation was a huge disservice to him. ¡®I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll demand her share of the hides and horns too,¡¯?Siegfried thought. The bisons¡¯ hides and horns were an excellent source of ie for Siegfried, who was both dirt poor and without anything to his name at the moment. As such, he had no ns to share a single patch of hide or a single piece of a horn with the freeloader. Grip¡­! Siegfried gripped the steel rod in his hand tightly. Antote was a thieving rat gnawing away at his experience points, and she would definitely not be satisfied with just his experience points. He was certain that she would brazenly demand her share of the loot as well. There was only one solution to Siegfried¡¯s pest problem. Whack! Siegfried smacked the thieving rat on the head with his steel rod. He would gain bad karma if he killed her, but he did not mind getting some. The karma a person would get from killing another yer would increase the higher the victim¡¯s fame. As such, nothing serious would happen if he killed a ssless Level 9 yer. And there were no witnesses in this ce¡­ ¡°Kyahk!¡±?Antote screamed before she copsed to the ground. ¡°W-What are you¡­ doing right now¡­?¡± she asked while stuttering in fear. ¡°I¡¯m killing a rat, can¡¯t you see?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Rat¡­?¡± Antote muttered in confusion. ¡°Yes, a thieving rat that entered my granary,¡± Siegfried exined. ¡°Are you calling me¡­ a rat right now¡­?¡± Antote asked. ¡°Yes, I am. What else can I call you when you are stealing my experience points without contributing even a tenth to the hunt?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°You crazy bastard¡­!¡± Antote muttered while ring at him. Siegfried did not even bother to listen to her ramblings as he mercilessly swung his steel rod over and over again. Puk! Pukeok! Pak! Pak! *** A message popped up in front of Siegfried when Antote¡¯s HP reached zero. [You have killed the yer ¡®Antote¡¯!] [Experience Points +120] [Your Karma has increased by 1!] The 120 experience points she gave were significantly less than what the Mutated Bisons should give, but it was enough to cover the experience points he had lost. And his karma only rose by a measly one point, so it did not bother him at all. ¡°That wasn¡¯t bad at all¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a cold, satisfied smile. It was a smile that revealed his resolve to kill anyone who would dare to hinder him. *** [Your level has risen!] [Your level has risen!] [Your level has risen!] Siegfried leveled up three times while fighting against the herd of Mutated Bisons, and he was now Level 5. ¡°I¡¯ll invest everything into Strength for now. Then, I¡¯ll equally level Smite and Circle of Mortality up¡­ I¡¯ll invest just a bit into Circle of Weakness¡­¡± he muttered while distributing his stat and skill points ording to his master¡¯s advice on the book. Afterward, he took his dagger out and proceeded to harvest the hides and horns of the dead bisons in a cautious and diligent manner. *** ¡°Y-You¡­ are you really a novice¡­?¡± asked the guild receptionist named Jericho. ¡°Well¡­ yeah,¡± Siegfried muttered in response. ¡°Y-You hunted all these alone¡­?¡± Jericho asked in disbelief. ¡°As you can see¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Jericho muttered in shock. The novice standing in front of him right now was definitely not a novice, and it was evidenced by the bloody and fresh hides and horns of the Mutated Bisons the novice had brought over. ¡°Wow¡­ You don¡¯t seem like a normal novice. This is really amazing. It seems that you are someone pretty skilled at hunting back in your own world, too,¡± Jericho said. The world NPC Jericho was referring to was the reality where people lived, Earth. ¡°You are free to think as you like,¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Jericho muttered. ¡°Anyway, what about the result of my qualification test?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Of course, you pass!¡± Jericho eximed before adding, ¡°Give me a moment. I will issue your license right now.¡± Ten minutester¡­. ¡°Here you go,¡± Jericho said as he extended Siegfried¡¯s license toward thetter. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried replied. He had finally obtained the license which would allow him to officially receive quests from the Mercenary Guild. [Mercenary Guild License] [Name: Siegfried] [Type: Adventurer] [Tier: Bronze I] [ss: No ss] [This license proves that the Adventurer above has passed the rigorous tests of the N¨¹rburg Continent¡¯s Mercenary Guild.] [This license has been issued by the Branch Manager of the Mercenary Guild in Biermann Territory. (Signed)] However, there were a few errors on the license issued for Siegfried. The first error¡ªSiegfried¡¯s ss was specified as ¡®No ss¡¯ when he actually had one. The second error¡ªhis tier was Bronze I. The Mercenary Guild tiers were divided into eight¡ªBronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, tinum, Diamond, Master, and Grand Master. The tiers were further divided into three divisions represented by the roman numerals III to I. ¡°Why is my tier Bronze I? Doesn¡¯t it usually start at III?¡± Siegfried asked. His ss being unspecified was understandable since an NPC like Jericho did not possess the Rune of Insight, which all yers possessed. However, the fact that he was starting off at Bronze I was definitely an error. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a given that you will start there, no?¡± Jericho replied. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried muttered in confusion. ¡°Look at the achievements you made,¡± Jericho said. He pointed at the pile of Mutated Bison hides and horns before continuing, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hunt twenty-seven Mutated Bisons, even though you¡¯re just a novice? I can¡¯t ce someone like you at Bronze III.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while trying to process Jericho¡¯s words. ¡°Our Mercenary Guild gives special treatment to those with bright futures,¡± Jericho exined. ¡°I see. Then, thank you very much,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it! Just work hard from now on, and don¡¯t forget this branch where you started if you ever became a hero who would shake the continent up in the future!¡± Jericho eximed. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Siegfried awkwardly smiled at the receptionist¡¯s words. ¡®So, a special treatment actually exists¡­¡¯?he thought. Siegfried couldn¡¯t recall receiving any special treatment in the past. However, getting the license had been a breeze after bing the Debuff Master. Climbing the ranks seemed to have be easier as well since he normally would have had to start off at Bronze III and slowly w his way up the divisions and tiers. ¡®As expected¡­ a person has to be strong for them to be treated with respect¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought with a bittersweet taste in his mouth. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

¡°Ugh¡­¡±?Tae-Sung groaned after logging out from the game. ¡°I should get a new capsule or something¡­ The stench is giving me a headache¡­¡± he grumbled with a grimace. The capsule he was using was so old it was already giving off a dank smell. ¡°Have I used it for too long? No¡­ it¡¯s not supposed to stink this bad just because it¡¯s old¡­¡± he wondered for a while before the stench suddenly gave him another bout of migraine. ¡°It could be because I have been sweating a lot these days¡­¡± He suddenly remembered that he would always be drenched in sweat while ying the game for the past three months, and the reason was none other than the tempering and quenching process he had to undergo under his master. It was inevitable for him to sweat so much since the tempering and quenching Deus had put him through made him experience the maximum pain threshold allowed by the capsule in real life, and his body reacted to the pain by excreting sweat from every single pore on his body. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think it¡¯s because of my sweat. I should get a new capsule as soon as I make some money¡­¡± He found it surprising that the capsule could stink so badly just because of his sweat. Nevertheless, he still decided to purchase a new capsule as soon as he had the money for it. *** Fwaaaa! The stench clinging onto Tae-Sung¡¯s body was finally washed off. ¡°Ah, that feels good¡­¡± The cold shower made him feel cleansed for the first time in a while. ¡°But¡­¡± He tilted his head in confusion as he looked into the mirror. ¡°Did I be handsome¡­? Myplexion looks better, too¡­¡± he muttered, seemingly deluding himself. It seems that even Tae-Sung was no exception when it came to men looking in the mirror after taking a shower, thinking that they were handsome. ¡°I only look good right now. There¡¯s no way I look good at all, keke.¡± Tae-Sung chuckled. *** Tae-Sung went to the nearby convenience store an hour after taking a shower to purchase his daily provision of triangle kimbap and noodles. ¡°That will be 17,600 won,¡± Kim Young-Hee said. ¡°Here you go,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°I received your card¡­¡± Kim Young-Hee said upon receiving Tae-Sung¡¯s debit card. For some reason, she was smiling after receiving his debit card, and she was treating him a bit differently today. ¡®I thought he was just a nuisance, but he can look pretty good, too. But how did this happen? I don¡¯t recall him being so good-looking¡­¡¯?she thought while staring at him. ¡®Did he get stic surgery? I don¡¯t think so¡­ hmmm¡­ his skin looks too good. Haa¡­ I want to touch his face¡­ should I ask him for his number?¡¯?she wondered. Tae-Sung suddenly looked handsome in her eyes, and the way she looked at him changed had changed at some point. ¡°I have received your payment of 17,600 won,¡± Kim Young-Hee said. ¡°Ah, okay,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°Yes?¡± he responded. ¡°Uhm¡­ do you live around here¡­?¡± she carefully asked. ¡°Yes, why?¡± ¡®What the hell is wrong with her? She is giving me the creeps¡­¡¯?he thought. Tae-Sung could still remember the way she red at him with contempt and disgust, and she had always been treating him like a cockroach at the side of the road. ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± he asked. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. I just thought that youe by quite often so¡­¡± Kim Young-Hee paused before continuing, ¡°Uhmm¡­ if it¡¯s alright with you¡ª¡± Tae-Sung immediately cut her off. ¡°Please give it to me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she muttered in confusion. ¡°I said, please hand it over,¡± he repeated with his hand extended toward her. ¡°Ah! Yes!¡± Kim Young-Hee eximed. Her face brightened up as she proceeded to give her phone to him. ¡°H-Here you go¡­¡± she muttered with a shy look. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°You can save your number here¡­¡± ¡°Not that,¡± Tae-Sung said with brows furrowed before continuing, ¡°My card. Give me my card back.¡± It turned out that he was asking for his debit card, and it also seemed that he wasn¡¯t at all interested in the phone number of someone like Kim Young-Hee. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she said as she returned the card. A different type of embarrassment made her face flush red. This was a ssic case of an extremely embarrassing misunderstanding. ¡°Then, have a nice day,¡± Tae-Sung said before leaving the convenience store. ¡°Oh my god¡­ that was so embarrassing!¡± Kim Young-Hee eximed while pulling on her hair. *** Tae-Sung went home and ate the food he had purchased from the convenience store while sitting in front of the TV. The channel he was watching was ¡®G-TV,¡¯ which was a gaming channel he patronized. ¡¸The Genesis Guild is attacking the castle of Premier Guild!¡¹ Of all things, G-TV was broadcasting the battle between the Genesis Guild and the Premier Guild. ¡°This is making me lose my appetite¡­¡± Tae-Sung grumbled. However, he did not let go of his chopsticks. After all, there was no reason for him to starve just because his arch-nemesis was doing well. In fact, he had to sleep well and eat better so that he could be stronger and avenge himself sooner orter. Slurp¡­ Slurp¡­ Tae-Sung¡¯s eyes were fixated on the TV while he was slurping his noodles. ¡¸Amazing! The Genesis Guild! They are known as the weakest among the top ten guilds, but will they finally climb up to Rank 9 after toppling the Premier Guild today?!¡¹ It seemed that the Genesis Guild had a high chance of winning the war. ¡¸The Genesis Guild is dismantling the Premier Guild¡¯s castle walls as we speak! They are truly amazing!¡¹ ¡¸Yes! They are putting up an amazing disy of power!¡¹ The broadcasters started shouting in an effort to incite their viewer¡¯s excitement. ¡¸Their buffs are really powerful! Isn¡¯t this all thanks to the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild, Desire?!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right! Desire¡¯s buffs are truly astounding!¡¹ . ¡¸This would have turned out entirely different if it weren¡¯t for Desire¡¯s buffs! There would have been no way the Genesis Guild could have beaten the Premier Guild if it weren¡¯t for the buffs they were getting! Desire is truly the Buff God!¡¹ The broadcasters seemed to have simultaneously agreed that the main reason why the Genesis Guild was winning was due to Desire¡¯s buffs, and they were correct. yer ID Desire¡ªreal name Chae Hyung-Seok. He was a Priest and Knight Temr hybrid who could dish out powerful buffs, and he was ranked 49th in the World Ranking. Wide Area Buff. Desire could provide buffs to all of his allies in a 1-kilometer radius, and he led the Genesis Guild, which used to be nothing but an empty shell, to consecutive victories. ¡°It seems they are doing pretty well¡­ Tae-Sung muttered while ring at Desire on the television screen. ¡°Just wait a year. I will crush you and your guild in a year,¡± Tae-Sung dered. It was serendipitous how buffs could be countered with debuffs. Tae-Sung would be capable of getting his revenge against Chae Hyung-Seok if he managed to grow at least eighty percent as strong as thetter. However, that was only if he were going to fight one on one without taking the Genesis Guild into consideration. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a way,¡± Tae-Sung said as he steeled his resolve to take revenge. He took his anger out on the noodle he was eating by slurping it as hard as he could. ¡°Master¡¯s skills are the very definition of invincibility. I¡¯ll just have to trust in them and move forward¡­¡± he muttered. Deus¡¯ skills debuffed his enemies to allow him to beat them in a single hit. Thebat style his master had passed onto him was the very definition of perfection itself. *** After getting enough rest, Tae-Sung logged in to BNW the next morning. He was now ready to devote himself as Adventurer Siegfried on the N¨¹rburg Continent. However¡­ Ding dong¡­! His doorbell rang. ¡®I wonder who that is¡­?¡¯?he wondered. He was not expecting anyone, and there wouldn¡¯t be anyone who would visit him either. Was it a friend of his? No, they had left him a long time ago. The only people who would find him were debt collectors, hisndlord, or religious folks. ¡®Is it a debt collector? No, it can¡¯t be. I already paid this month¡¯s interest. I also paid the rent already¡­¡¯?he thought. He couldn¡¯t repay the principal just yet, but he had been religiously paying the interest. As such, he could not help but wonder who it might be because he couldn¡¯t think of anyone paying him a visit. He opened the door. ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± he asked. A woman wearing a formal suit was standing in front of the door. ¡°Are you Han Tae-Sung?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Yes, and who are you?¡± he replied. ¡°Hello, my name is Cha Hye-Mi from the User Supervision Department of Hive Games Entertainment,¡± the woman introduced herself. ¡°Hive? Do you mean beehive? The one that¡¯s running BNW?¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct,¡± she replied. ¡°Why would Hivee and visit me¡­?¡± he muttered in confusion. However, when he was about to ask the woman what business she had with him, a thought suddenly came to his mind. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯?he thought as nervousness started to creep up on him. *** ¡®Monitoring?team¡­? Then, is she here because they discovered my meeting?with Master¡­?¡¯? Hive was the industry leader when it came to virtual reality games, and there was no way that such a multinational corporation would randomlye and visit someone like Tae-Sung. The only reason he could think of why they would bother toe and visit him had to be his meeting with Deus. ¡°What business¡­ do you have with me¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked carefully. ¡°That is because you, Tae-Sung, have inherited the Epic Code 007,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied. ¡°007¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°That is correct,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied with a smile. ¡°What is that¡­?¡± he asked. ¡°007 is the codename given to the one chosen by the Hidden NPC, Deus,¡± she exined. ¡°Oh¡­ so you knew about it¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered nervously. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not¡­ there¡¯s no way¡­¡¯?he thought as he bit his lips. The reason why Tae-Sung was so nervous right now was due to the possibility that his meeting with Deus could have been a ¡®bug¡¯ from the developer¡¯s side. If that were the case, then they might revoke his ss, the Debuff Master. ¡°Of course. We, Hive, are always monitoring our users. Did you really think that we will be unaware of you activating 007?¡± Cha Hye-Mi asked. ¡°So¡­ what is the reason for your visit? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because my meeting with my master was a bug¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked slowly and carefully. Tae-Sung found himself unknowingly clenching his fists. ¡°A bug?¡± Cha Hye-Mi muttered. She seemed taken aback. Then, she smiled and chuckled before saying, ¡°Hahaha! You are more innocent than you look.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered with a confused look. ¡°Mr. Tae-Sung, BNW is a perfect game,¡± Cha Hye-Mi borated with a smile. ¡°¡­?¡± Tae-Sung couldn¡¯t keep up with the conversation anymore. ¡°There are no bugs in the game, and it is impossible for a bug to ur as well,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said with a hint of pride in her voice. ¡°T-Then, that means¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked with a hint of hope in his voice. ¡°Yes, your meeting with the Hidden NPC, Deus, was not a bug, and it is a perfectly normal part of the game,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said. ¡°Phew!¡±?Tae-Sung finally let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Boy, am I d to hear that¡­ haha¡­¡± he said before letting out a weak chuckle. He felt his lifespan decrease by ten years at the thought of possibly losing his ss. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s understandable for you to have thought that way,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said with a smile before adding, ¡°The meeting with the Hidden NPC, Deus, is an event that will shock any gamer out there, and I am sure that they will even be more shocked when they realize how glorious it is to be his disciple.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Ipletely agree.¡± Tae-Sung nodded in agreement. Cha Hye-Mi was absolutely right. Tae-Sung was bbergasted when he first met Deus, and he suspected that the old man was a bug or a glitch. At that time, the only other exnation he coulde up with was that he was being pranked by the moderators. ¡°So, you do not have to be worried. I did note to visit you today to revoke your rights as the Debuff Master,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said, reassuring him. ¡°So why did youe here?¡± Tae-Sung was confused. ¡°The reason I visited you today is¡­¡± Chapter 13

Chapter 13

¡°I am here because of that,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said. She pointed behind Tae-Sung and added, ¡°That thing is too old, you see.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ that one¡­¡± Tae-Sung nodded in agreement when he saw what she was pointing at. Cha Hye-Mi was pointing at none other than Tae-Sung¡¯s VR capsule¡ªVirtual Sports 3. The VR capsule Tae-Sung was using was an old model that came out nearly ten years ago, and Cha Hye-Mi was right when she said that his capsule was too dated. ¡°It is quite old like you said, but it is still¡ª¡± Tae-Sung started. However, Cha Hye-Mi cut him off. ¡°It¡¯s trash.¡± ¡°Who uses a 3rd generation capsule these days? I have never imagined someone is still using that piece of junk in this day and age. It has already been a year since the 6th generation capsule was released,¡± she added. ¡°It¡¯s still usable¡­ it¡¯s not really broken as well. I¡¯m aware that it is an old model. I¡¯m just using it because I cannot afford to buy a new one,¡± Tae-Sung exined with a hint of bitterness in his voice. It was exactly as he said. Tae-Sung did not have the luxury of purchasing a new capsule. ¡°But what business do you have with my capsule? Is there something wrong with it by any chance?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course, there is,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied. ¡°Huh? What is the issue with it? It¡¯s still running and lets me connect to the game.¡± Tae-Sung grumbled. Cha Hye-Mi shook her head and said, ¡°When you obtained the Epic Code 007, we, Hive, decided that we cannot let you use such an old VR capsule any longer.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in confusion. ¡°Let us go together,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said. . ¡°Where¡­?¡± he asked in response while tilting his head. ¡°Ourpany, Hive, will sponsor you with a new VR capsule,¡± she exined before dragging him out of the house. *** ¡°Get in,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said while pointing at the Benz S-ss parked in front of Tae-Sung¡¯s house. ¡°What do you mean, get in?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Please hurry up,¡± Cha Hye-Mi urged. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Tae-Sung obediently replied and hopped into the car. Cha Hye-Mi hopped into the backseat of the car along with Tae-Sung. The car had no driver. Instead, it was being driven by the AI navigation system equipped in the car. ¡¸Wee, Manager Cha Hye-Mi-nim. Where is your destination?¡¹ ¡°To V-Lounge, Gangnam branch,¡± she replied. ¡¸We will depart at once. Please fasten your seatbelt.¡¹ The car started moving as soon as Cha Hye-Mi gave the destination. ¡°Are we going to V-Lounge?¡± Tae-Sung asked, seemingly surprised. His surprise was understandable since the Gangnam branch of V-Lounge was where thetest VR capsules were disyed. ¡°That is correct,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied. ¡°But that ce is¡­¡± he muttered, seemingly burdened. ¡°Are you going to say that we cannot enter without a reservation?¡± Cha Hye-Mi asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Tae-Sung replied with a nod. ¡°Do you know who owns and operates V-Lounge?¡± Cha Hye-Mi asked in return. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Tae-Sung eximed. He finally understood why they were going there. V-Lounge was the gship store of Hive Games Entertainment, which was also the developer of Brave New World. As such, Cha Hye-Mi, who was a manager at Hive, would not need a reservation to enter the shop. ¡°But¡­ Why does Hive want to sponsor me with a VR capsule¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked cautiously. ¡°I told you a while ago¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi paused. She smiled before continuing, ¡°You inherited the codename 007 after bing the disciple of the Hidden NPC, Deus.¡± ¡°So, what exactly is 007?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°A yer that has the potential to be the protagonist,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied. ¡°The protagonist¡­?¡± Tae-Sung mumbled in confusion. ¡°Yes.¡± Cha Hye-Mi nodded and said, ¡°The yers who have inherited the 00 codenames have the potential to be the protagonist of the main storyline of BNW, the N¨¹rburg Saga.¡± A thought suddenly shed across Tae-Sung¡¯s head upon hearing that. ¡®The yers who have inherited the 00 codenames¡­? Doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m not the only one?¡¯ He realized from Cha Hye-Mi¡¯s words that there were other yers who had inherited the 00 codenames. ¡°The N¨¹rburg Saga, which is the main storyline of BNW, is an event that with the potential to impact the entire progression of the game greatly. With that said, isn¡¯t it just natural for us to gift a new VR capsule to someone with the potential to be the protagonist of such a grand event? It is in Hive¡¯s desire to let the inheritors of codenames y in a good environment if it were possible,¡± Cha Hye-Mi exined. ¡°I see¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response, seemingly trying to process her words. ¡°We were able to confirm that the VR capsule you have been using is an old model¡ªa very old one at that. Our head office sent a memo asking us to sponsor you with a new VR capsule,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said. This was the reason Cha Hye-Mi visited Tae-Sung. ¡¸You have arrived at your destination.¡¹ The AI navigation announced their arrival at their destination. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Cha Hye-Mi urged. ¡°Alright,¡± Tae-Sung replied and followed her out of the car. *** ¡°Wee, Manager Cha Hye-Mi-nim,¡± a man greeted. A middle-aged man wearing formal attire greeted Cha Hye-Mi the moment she stepped into the store. ¡°Hello, Branch Manager-nim,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied. Surprisingly, the middle-aged man turned out to be the branch manager of V-Lounge¡¯s Gangnam branch. ¡°What brings you here?¡± asked the middle-aged man. ¡°We received a memo from head office to sponsor this person with a VR capsule,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied before pointing at Tae-Sung. ¡°F-From the head office?¡± the branch manager muttered in surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± the branch manager gasped in surprise and looked at Tae-Sung. ¡°N-Nice to meet you. My name is Oh Jun-Hwan, and I am the branch manager of V-Lounge¡¯s Gangnam branch.¡± He bowed toward Tae-Sung and extended his business card with both hands as if Tae-Sung were a VIP customer. ¡°Nice to meet you, too. My name is Han Tae-Sung,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Ah! Han Tae-Sung-nim! It is my honor to meet you!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an honor¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°No! Please don¡¯t say that. It is truly an honor to meet you! It is rare for the head office to sponsor an individual with a VR capsule!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan excitedly added. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Tae-Sung let out an awkwardugh. ¡°Please,e this way. I will show you only the best capsules we have!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said while politely guiding Tae-Sung. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Feel free to take your time. I¡¯ll stay here in the meantime and enjoy a cup of coffee. Don¡¯t feel too pressured and just choose whichever you like,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said before sitting down on an expensive leather sofa in the shop. ¡®How can I not feel pressured?! These things are worth a fortune!¡¯?Tae-Sung inwardly eximed. Tae-Sung could feel himself shrinking back from the luxurious interior of the V-Lounge. V-Lounge¡¯s Gangnam branch boasted a modern, antique, and luxurious interior design befitting of their title as a gship store, and Tae-Sung could tell that more than a billion won had to have been spent in the interior alone. However, what really intimidated him were the rows and rows of premium VR capsules lining up the shop. It was inevitable for Tae-Sung to be intimidated by the premium atmosphere since he had been living a life that was anything but premium. At that moment, Deus¡¯ words shed through his mind. ¡°My disciple¡­¡± ¡°I might have taught you how to walk like a strong person, but you are stillcking in many ways. However, you will be able topensate for it as long as you keep yourposure. Do you understand?¡± Tae-Sung¡¯s movement slowly changed when he remembered Deus¡¯ teachings. His steps became lighter, his eyes no longer darted around nervously, and his face rxed. ¡®I¡¯m not here to beg for a capsule. I¡¯m here to be served. Let¡¯s not shrink back. I should take my time to look around and find the VR capsule that suits me the best¡­¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as he calmed down. Tae-Sung was initially unable to properly check the specifications of the premium VR capsules because he was intimidated by the expensive machines. But after calming down, he could finally gauge the VR capsules properly. ¡°What model is this?¡± Tae-Sung asked while pointing at a red VR capsule. *** ¡°That is the V-Iron 6th Generation Model,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan replied before he politely exined the capsule¡¯s specification, ¡°The interior seat is made out of Napa Leather so your body will be less burdened despite sitting for an extended period of time inside. It is also pretty good at regting its temperature as well. Would you like to take a seat and test it out?¡± ¡°Sure, why not,¡± Tae-Sung nonchntly replied. After Oh Jun-Hwan opened the unit for him, Tae-Sung stepped into the V-Iron 6th Generation Model capsule and ran a simple VR game. However, a problem urred. Beep! A warning suddenly shed when Tae-Sung was about to log in to the VR game. [Thepatibility of the user and the capsule is low.] [It is advised to use another capsule.] [Compatibility: 67%] Thepatibility showed how much the yers would synchronize and adapt to virtual reality, and the average figure for most yers was 74% to 78%. A premium capsule provided 80%patibility to the yer even if they had absolutely atrocious talent. However, Tae-Sung¡¯spatibility was at 67%, which meant that hispatibility with the V-Iron 6th Generation Model was terrible, even whenpared to his VR capsule, the old Virtual Sports 3, as he had 77%patibility with it. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered with an awkward look on his face before politely saying, ¡°It seems that yourpatibility with the V-Iron range of products is not that good, customer-nim.¡± This was a frequent urrence since VR capsules worked by analyzing the brain waves of their users, and people¡¯s brains had a different affinity with different models. ¡°Let us try a different model,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said and politely showed the way. ¡°Sure,¡± Tae-Sung calmly replied. It did not really bother Tae-Sung that much since he was aware of thepatibility issues yers had with certain models. ¡°What do you think of this? This is the model that I usually rmend to the customers who are notpatible with the V-Iron model,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said while showing another capsule. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± Tae-Sung was in awe at the capsule the branch manager had shown him. ¡°This looks cool,¡± Tae-Sung remarked. ¡°This capsule was built with the concept of a stone casket, and each and every one of these engravings that you can see here was engraved by hand by Italian master craftsmen. In addition to being a VR capsule, it is also a work of art,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan exined. ¡°What about its specifications?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°All our premium models have pretty high specs, so there is not that much difference between them. Any differences will be a minuscule one percent difference. However¡ª¡± Oh Jun-Hwan paused. Tae-Sung finished the branch manager¡¯s sentence. ¡°I only have to consider the exterior design and thefort it offers. Is that what you were going to say?¡± ¡°You are correct,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan replied with a smile. He opened the VR capsule and said, ¡°Then, shall we give it a test?¡± Tae-Sung stepped into the stone casket-like VR capsule. *** ¡°What¡¯s taking so long¡­?¡± Cha Hye-Mi grumbled. She grimaced after checking the time and grumbled once again. ¡°He just has to choose a design that he likes¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi was aware that the difference in specs among premium VR capsule models was less than one percent, so Tae-Sung only had to choose a capsule with a design he liked. However, it had already been two hours since he left to see the VR capsules. ¡°Hmm¡­ did a problem ur?¡± Cha Hye-Mi wondered. She decided to put down the coffee cup she had been fiddling with for the past two hours and stood up. She felt nervous that an unexpected issue might have urred, so she made her way into the shop to look for Tae-Sung and Oh Jun-Hwan. It was then¡­ ¡°W-What the hell¡­?¡± Cha Hye-Mi was stupefied. Cha Hye-Mi was looking at a sight she would never expect to see, even at the V-Lounge¡¯s tinum Boutique, which was a ce where only the best models were disyed. ¡°M-Mr. Tae-Sung!¡± she eximed. Cha Hye-Mi was stupefied because Tae-Sung and another guy, more specifically, the scoundrel grandson of arge corporation¡¯s chairman, were ring at each other with their hands on each other¡¯s cors. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Tae-Sung¡¯s abysmalpatibility with the premium VR capsules caused the issue. [Thepatibility of the user and the capsule is low.] [It is advised to use another capsule.] [Compatibility: 61%] Hispatibility with the stone coffin-like VR capsule, which was called the Requiem 6, was 61%. Hispatibility with the capsule was lower than hispatibility with the V-Iron 6, which was the capsule he tried just a while ago. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered. He looked taken aback by thepatibility. ¡°It seems that you are notpatible with the Requiem 6 model as well¡­ haha¡­¡± he said whileughing awkwardly. ¡°It seems so,¡± Tae-Sung replied while exiting the Requiem 6 model. ¡°Hmm¡­ then I shall show you the other models,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan politely said. ¡°Sure,¡± Tae-Sung nonchntly replied. ¡°What do you think of this model? You might be aware of it as well, but this is the model that is now the norm for pro gamers. Haha!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan proudly said. The next model he rmended was the H6 model, which was a model personally developed and created by Hive. However¡­ [Thepatibility of the user and the capsule is low.] [It is advised to use another capsule.] [Compatibility: 71%] Even the H6 model, which boasted the best specification among the premier VR capsules, was notpatible with Tae-Sung. However, the real problem started from there¡­ [Thepatibility of the user and the capsule is low.] [It is advised to use another capsule.] [Compatibility: 54%] [Thepatibility of the user and the capsule is low.] [It is advised to use another capsule.] [Compatibility: 69%] [Thepatibility of the user and the capsule is low.] [It is advised to use another capsule.] [Compatibility: 71%] They tested more than 20 capsules after the H6 model, but none of them waspatible with Tae-Sung. ¡°I-Is there a chance that customer-nim is innately picky when ites to VR capsules¡­?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan nervously asked while profusely sweating. There were a few people like him who were innately sensitive when it came to theirpatibility with VR capsules. In fact, there were rare cases where some people possessed a pretty unique brain wave pattern that they could not log in to any virtual reality games at all. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I did not have any issues during the past year with a premium capsule, even though it was a secondhand one,¡± Tae-Sung replied. He was telling the truth because the VR capsule he had been using right before he lost it all was the previous generation model of the H6, the H5. ¡°Hmm¡­ How is yourpatibility with your current capsule?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan asked. ¡°It is at 77%,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°And which model are you currently using?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan asked. ¡°I am using the Virtual Sports 3 model,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Huh?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered in surprise as he doubted his ears for a moment. ¡°I said I¡¯m currently using the Virtual Sports 3 model,¡± Tae-Sung said once again. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan asked in disbelief. ¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°N-No! There is no problem at all!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed while waving his hands before adding, ¡°It is just that the model you are using is quite old¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I never imagined that I will meet someone still using the Virtual Sports 3 model in this day and age¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. Tae-Sung did not reply to the branch manager¡¯sments. Instead, he grumbled inwardly with discontent. ¡®What? Have you contributed anything to me so I can buy it? What can I do when I don¡¯t have the money to buy a good one?¡¯ ¡°Customer-nim,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan called out. ¡°What?¡± Tae-Sung grumbled in response. ¡°I am sure you are aware, but a user would not necessarily bepatible with a VR capsule just because the capsule is a premium one. The abilities and talent of the user along with theirpatibility are the most crucial factors when ites to ying virtual reality games,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan exined. ¡°I know that much,¡± Tae-Sung replied. The premium capsules only provided a slight increase to one¡¯spatibility, but it did not do anything else after that since the brain capacity of the user was the most important factor. ¡°With that in mind¡­ I think customer-nim¡¯spatibility with premium VR capsules is not that good or¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan trailed off. It seemed he was hesitating whether to say the next part or not because he had a troubled look on his face. But eventually, he said, ¡°It could only mean that customer-nim¡¯s abilities are so atrocious, even these premium machines cannot work with you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However, I strongly believe that a customer being sponsored a new VR capsule by our head office is not someone ordinary,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Tae-Sung asked with a hint of hostility in his voice. ¡°I shall guide you to the tinum Boutique,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan dered. ¡°P-tinum Boutique¡­? What is that?¡± Tae-Sung asked, seemingly taken aback. ¡°It is a special ce where only our top 0.1% VIP customers are allowed ess,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan proudly said. ¡°The top 0.1%....¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°Now, pleasee this way,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said as he guided Tae-Sung to a secret corridor hidden within V-Lounge. *** The tinum Boutique was a ce unknown to the public, and it was an area only reserved for the true VIPs of V-Lounge. Why? It was all because the VR capsules disyed at the tinum Boutique weren¡¯t the 6th Generation models. Rather, they were the cream of the crop capsules equipped with the best specification possible that they would at least be the 7th or the 8th Generation models in their respective categories. The prices of those capsules started from a staggering 1 billion won that even those who had struck it rich in recent years would not dare to even shop in this ce. Moreover, the tinum Boutique was a ce only those with both money and social status could ess. ¡°Please take a look,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said as he showed the VR capsules in the tinum Boutique. There were only four VR capsules disyed in the ce. ¡°These are the capsules with the highest specification possible, and they are equipped with the best next-generation software. As such, these can truly be considered as the pinnacle of virtual reality gaming equipment,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. Then, he haughtily shrugged his shoulders before proudly saying, ¡°These four models guarantee apatibility of at least 85%!¡± ¡°Did you just say 85%?!¡± Tae-Sung eximed. He could not help but be surprised at the branch manager¡¯s words since 85%patibility was an amazing number only 4% of those ying virtual reality games possessed, yet these machines guaranteed that figure. ¡°Are you saying that these machines guarantee the samepatibility as pro gamers¡­?¡± Tae-Sung had to ask and confirm it. ¡°That is correct,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan replied while nodding. The 85%patibility these machines guaranteed was an astounding number when the 83% to 88%patibility that pro gamers possessed was taken into consideration. ¡°If the VR capsules at the V-Lounge were considered to be BMW or Audi in motor vehicle terms, then the VR capsules here at the tinum Boutique are the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of VR capsules. In fact, these capsules have coined the term ¡®Super Capsules¡¯,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan proudly said. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in awe. ¡°Of course, it can only guaranteepatibility since even these machines cannot do anything more for someone without the innate talent to operate it further than that,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan rified. It seemed that even these ¡®Super Capsules¡¯ were not an exemption from the basic logic that the ¡®pilot¡¯ was the most important part of operating a machine. The VR capsules were just like motor vehicles, and an ordinary person would not be able to unleash the full potential of a supercar. ¡°Please try this capsule first,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said as he pointed at a golden VR capsule before exining, ¡°This model is called the ¡®Steel Kreuz.¡¯ As for the price¡­ I think it will be better for me not to mention it. Haha!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Tae-Sung let out an awkwardugh since he could tell from its exterior alone that it would cost more than a billion won. ¡°Pleasee and try it.¡± Oh Jun-Hwan urged. Tae-Sung entered the Steel Kreuz VR capsule with expectations about howpatible he would be with the capsule. [Thepatibility of the user is 85.1%] He got apatibility that was 0.1% higher than the one guaranteed by the capsule. ¡°Oh!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed and said, ¡°You do have the talent as expected.¡± ¡°Huh? Is that so?¡± Tae-Sung asked in response while seemingly confused. ¡°The fact that you got 0.1% more than the guaranteed figure is proof that you are indeed talented. It is pretty rare for people to have apatibility that is higher than the guaranteed figure unless they are talented,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan exined. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he processed the branch manager¡¯s words. ¡°Let us keep the Steel Kreuz model aside for now. Please try this one as well,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said while pointing at a red VR capsule. ¡°This is the Ishuka model, and it is designed to have a superior interior that will alleviate the user¡¯s fatigue even morepared to the Steel Kreuz. It was masterfully designed and crafted so that the user would not feel tired even after using it for fourteen hours!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan proudly exined. ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Tae-Sung said, seemingly impressed. He tested the Ishuka model as well. [Thepatibility of the user is 85.1%] Hispatibility with the Ishuka model was the same as the Steel Kreuz model he tested earlier. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think customer-nim¡¯s abilities are more suitable for super capsulespared to the premium capsules,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°I-Is that so?¡± Tae-Sung replied while awkwardly scratching his cheek. ¡°Please try this as well,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said as he pointed at a ck capsule this time. The ck capsule was called the ¡®Raptor¡¯ model. [Thepatibility of the user is 85.1%] The result was the same as the Steel Kreuz and Ishuka he tested earlier. ¡°Hmm¡­ 85.1%... and three in a row at that. I think we have found what we are looking for. I think customer-nim is truly morepatible with super capsules,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°Haha¡­ Maybe I¡¯m more suitable for expensive things? Haha¡­!¡± Tae-Sung awkwardlyughed. He was at a loss whether he should be happy about it or not. Hispatibility with an old secondhand VR capsule was 77% while hispatibility with premium VR capsules was below average. However, hispatibility with super capsules was pretty high at 85.1%. He could not make heads or tails on how hispatibility worked. ¡®Well¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t matter as long as I can get 85.1%. That¡¯s a figure on par with the pro gamers after all,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He decided not to think about it too much and be content with the fact that he would get a free super capsule he was highlypatible with. ¡°Then, shall we test the final model?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan asked while pointing at a purple VR capsule, which was thest remaining super capsule among the four super capsules. ¡°Do I have to? I think it¡¯s going to be the same 85.1% anyway?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°I do not think so.¡± Oh Jun-Hwan shook his head. ¡°Why so?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°The model name of this VR capsule is ¡®Ogre¡¯,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°Ogre? Isn¡¯t that name a bit too vicious?¡± Tae-Sung said with a frown. ¡°Its specifications are vicious, too,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan added. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°The Ogre supports a minimumpatibility of 90% and can go up to 99%!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed. ¡°Heok¡­!¡±?Tae-Sung gasped in surprise. ¡°However, thepatibility will be zero if the user does not possess the abilities the Ogre demands from its user,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan exined. ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s a picky one¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°That is because it is a hyper capsule,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan proudly responded. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Tae-Sung awkwardlyughed. It seemed the Ogre was a VR capsule that possessed specifications better than super capsules. ¡°Then, I guess it¡¯s going toe out as either 90% or 0%,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°That¡¯s what I think as well¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan nodded in agreement. The 85.1%patibility was already an astounding number, but it was way below what the Ogre demanded from its user. ¡°Still, I suggest that you try it just in case,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°Sure¡­¡± Tae-Sung replied. Since he wouldn¡¯t lose anything even if he were to test it out, he decided to get a feel of what the best avable VR capsule had to offer. Tak! Tae-Sung closed the Ogre¡¯s cover and booted it up to check hispatibility with it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered while looking at Tae-Sung and the Ogre. ¡°it shouldn¡¯t be zero, right? Hmm¡­ this customer is a really picky one. It had been pretty difficult to rmend him a model,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered to himself. While he was busy in his own thought, a beep rang from the capsule. Beep! The Hyper Capsule Ogre let out a beep to signal the reveal of Tae-Sung¡¯spatibility. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

¡°Heok¡­!¡±?Oh Jun-Hwan could not help but gasp at thepatibility number. His face was pale, and his eyes seemed like they were about to pop out at any second now because¡­ [Thepatibility of the user is 96.5%] Tae-Sung and the Ogre were an exact match; no rather, they were a match made in heaven. Theirpatibility was an astounding 96.5%! This was a number that could not be found even among pro gamers, and there would be perhaps less than five people in the entire world who would have this level ofpatibility. ¡°C-Customer-nim!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan stuttered, ¡°D-Did you see that? 96.5%! It said 96.5% just now!¡± ¡°I-I saw it¡­¡± Tae-Sung replied, seemingly shaken before saying, ¡°Is this real¡­? Mypatibility is 96.5%...? Haha¡­¡± It seemed that Tae-Sung was more astonished by what was happening than the branch manager. ¡°C-Customer-nim¡­?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan called out. ¡°Yes?¡± Tae-Sung responded while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°Uhm¡­ I apologize but¡­ what do you think if we check yourpatibility one more time? I do not mean to say that I cannot trust your abilities, but¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan trailed off. ¡°Sure, why not,¡± Tae-Sung replied while nodding. ¡°It is because I simply cannot believe what I just saw¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered cautiously. It was only normal for him to doubt his eyes since thepatibility number that appeared just now was an unbelievable number, regardless of how advanced the Ogre was as a capsule. However, the number remained the same. [Thepatibility of the user is 96.5%] [Thepatibility of the user is 96.5%] [Thepatibility of the user is 96.5%] Tae-Sung¡¯spatibility with the Ogre remained steadfast at 96.5%, and it did not change even by 0.01% no matter how many times they tested it. ¡°C-Customer-nim¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered with a look filled with disbelief before he continued, ¡°I think¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I think you are so talented even the premium capsules could not keep up with you¡­ hahaha¡­ haha¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said whileughing in disbelief. ¡°Is that¡­ how it works¡­?¡± Tae-Sung replied in a daze. ¡°No¡­ that is not how it is supposed to be¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan seemed to be contemting something for a while before saying, ¡°I think there was something about this some time ago.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tae-Sung muttered as the branch manager¡¯s words piqued his interest. ¡°I think it was a year ago? They said that a simr incident happened at the tinum Boutique in New York,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan exined. ¡°Really?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°That customer was only satisfied after testing out a Hyper Capsule. If I remember correctly¡­ I think thepatibility was 92.7%...? I think it was something like that,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. It was less than what Tae-Sung had achieved, but it was also an astoundingpatibility number. ¡°I think I heard from somewhere that one¡¯spatibility with an average machine will be low if they¡¯re too talented,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan added. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Tae-Sung awkwardly chuckled. ¡®Does this even make sense? Mypatibility is 96.5%? Will I be in the top ten when ites topatibility?¡¯?Tae-Sung wondered. He had lived his entire life as a loser on the sidelines, but it seemed that he could finally somewhat call himself a gifted-genius-whatever-you-want-to-call-it now. Tae-Sung could not believe what was happening right now. ¡°If I knew this would happen, I would have brought you here earlier. I would like to apologize for my short-sightedness, Han Tae-Sung-nim,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said as he respectfully bowed toward Tae-Sung. He was sincerely apologizing for his failure to cater to his customer¡¯s needs and for failing to realize his customer¡¯s abilities as the highest person in charge of V-Lounge¡¯s Gangnam branch. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to apologize. Who knew it was going to turn out this way in the first ce?¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°You truly are someone befitting of being sponsored by the head office! Haha!¡± Oh Jun-Hwanughed heartily. ¡°Haha¡­ you don¡¯t have to go that far¡­¡± Tae-Sung replied whileughing awkwardly. ¡°Anyway, congrattions, customer-nim. You are now the proud owner of the Hyper Capsule, the Ogre!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed as he sincerely congratted Tae-Sung for finding the capsule that would be his ¡®life partner.¡¯ ¡°Thank you,¡± Tae-Sung replied. He sincerely bowed toward the branch manager as well. He was grateful for the branch manager¡¯s extreme patience in finding a suitable VR capsule for him for thest two hours. ¡°Now, shall we go and sign the contract? The head office will pay, but this VR Hyper Capsule will be under your name after all,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that,¡± Tae-Sung replied. The branch manager led Tae-Sung to another ce so that they could sign the contract. ¡°But¡­ can I ask something?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Please feel free to ask me anything,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan politely replied. ¡°The Ogre¡­ How much is it? It looked pretty expensive to me¡­¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Ah, do you mean the retail sale price of the Ogre?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan asked in response. ¡°Yes,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a nod before adding, ¡°I¡¯m not paying for it, but I can¡¯t help but be curious¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan smirked and said, ¡°It is 8.3 billion won.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 8.38 billion won to be exact. Ah, of course, that price is exclusive of the seven percent VAT,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan added. ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in disbelief. *** It seemed that Tae-Sung would end up bing the owner of the Ogre, but there was a saying that bad things would happen when things were going well, and that was exactly what happened the moment he was about to be the owner of the Ogre. ¡°B-Branch Manager-nim!¡± shouted one of the tinum Boutique staffers while running, ¡°We have an issue!¡± ¡°An issue? What do you mean by that?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan asked. ¡°Um¡­¡± the staffer hesitated for a moment. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Jung Chi-Ho customer-nim wishes to purchase the Ogre right now!¡± the staffer eximed. ¡°What?!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed as he shot up from his seat. His reaction didn¡¯te as a surprise when considering that Jung Chi-Ho was the one and only grandson of the chairman of the Sunghyun Group, Jung Soo-Young. In addition to being a global conglomerate, the group was also thergest conglomerate throughout South Korea. *** Jung Chi-Ho turning 27 years old this year recently got hooked on Brave New World. In addition, he was willing to do anything as long as he could be strong in BNW. He was a so-called pro ¡®wallet warrior,¡¯ and he spent tens of billions of won to arm himself with all sorts of powerful items. He also did not shy away from hiring top rankers to ¡®power level¡¯ or ¡®boost¡¯ him. However, BNW wasn¡¯t a game where one could be the best just by spending a lot of money. Individual ability and talent yed a huge role in this game. Unfortunately, Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s talent and money were nowhere enough for him to be the best in the game because hispatibility was just slightly above average. Moreover, his game sense was nowhere near that of pro gamers. As a result, Jung Chi-Ho suffered countless defeats at the hands of top rankers. ¡®Damn it! I¡¯m losing to those peasants?! Don¡¯t make meugh! Just wait and see, you bastards!¡¯?Jung Chi-Ho gritted his teeth after suffering a string of defeats at the arena. In the end, he chose to use his final resort. He would purchase a new piece of equipment¡ªa hyper capsule. He was sure that he would properly ¡®enjoy¡¯ the game as long as he used the Ogre, which was a VR capsule that guaranteed 90%patibility. And he was right because just a slight increase inpatibility would be more than enough to boost one¡¯s gaming abilities in the world of virtual reality. However, there was a problem with his perfectly crafted n. ¡°What the fuck? It just got sold? Are you bastards joking with me right now?¡± Jung Chi-Hoshed out at the staffers when he was informed that the Ogre he wanted to purchase was sold to someone else just five minutes ago. ¡°Hey! Call your manager! Call him this instant before I wreck this whole ce up!¡± Jung Chi-Ho screamed while gritting his teeth in anger. As someone born with a diamond spoon in his mouth, he felt that his anger was justified. After all, there had never been an instance in his life when he was ever denied anything he wanted. Thanks to that, Oh Jun-Hwan had to step up and personally calm him down. ¡°Jung Chi-Ho-nim, I apologize, and I sincerely apologize once again, but a different customer had already purchased the hyper capsule so¡ª¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. However, Jung Chi-Ho interrupted him. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Do you want me to wait? How long? Six months?¡± Jung Chi-Ho asked with anger in his voice. The Hyper Capsule Ogre required ten master craftsmen to personally work on it by hand, so it took at least six months to create one. ¡°Hey, peasant,¡± Jung Chi-Ho said. ¡°¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan maintained his silence. ¡°You call yourself a branch manager? You dare to spout such nonsense in front of me? You¡­ do you know how expensive my time is? An hour of mine is more expensive than everything you make in a year, you know that?¡± Jung Chi-Ho berated Oh Jun-Hwan. ¡°I apologize! I sincerely apologize!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan continuously bowed and apologized to the young man in front of him. He had to appease the customer in front of him because the young man was a big shot. ¡°If you are sorry, bring my capsule out now!¡± Jung Chi-Hoshed out. Then, he screamed at the top of his lungs, ¡°Which bastard bought it?! Cancel the contract and drag that bastard in front of me right now!¡± His voice reverberated throughout the entire tinum Boutique. ¡°Where is that bastard?!¡± Jung Chi-Ho shouted as he started to search every nook and cranny of the tinum Boutique. ¡°I said, where is that bastard?!¡± he screamed at the staffers. ¡°C-Customer-nim!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan hurriedly tried to stop the young man before he could kick a door down. After all, it was the door of the VIP room where Tae-Sung was leisurely waiting. *** ¡°Is it you?¡± Jung Chi-Ho asked when he found Tae-Sung sitting inside. ¡°Are you the bastard who stole my Ogre?¡± he asked. ¡°So what if I am?¡± Tae-Sung replied in a cold voice. ¡°What? So what if you are??Haha!?Look at this bastard. Have you gone nuts? Hey, which shanty did you crawl out from? Did you hit the lottery or something? Do you even have money to pay for the Ogre?¡± Jung Chi-Ho asked with his voice filled with arrogance and contempt. ¡°So what if I do?¡± Tae-Sung replied. He did not actually have the money to pay for it, but there was apany willing to pay for him. ¡°Do you even know who I am?¡± Jung Chi-Ho haughtily asked. ¡°Do I have to?¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°What?¡± Jung Chi-Ho muttered in disbelief. ¡°I just signed the contract for the Ogre, and I have no ns of revoking it. You better stop causing a scene and go home, then wait for the next one six monthster,¡± Tae-Sung said with an arrogant smile. That was thest straw for Jung Chi-Ho. ¡°C-Customer-nim!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed as he ran into the VIP room to stop Tae-Sung. It was all to protect Tae-Sung from Jung Chi-Ho. ¡°Please go over there for now. It will be difficult for you if you get involved,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°I know¡­¡± Tae-Sung replied. He was well aware that things could go south if he got further involved. ¡®Does it mean that you can do anything you want just because you¡¯re right? Are you a noble if you have money? Does it make sense to call someone a peasant in this day and age?¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as he clenched his fist. However, there was no way Tae-Sung could simply ignore Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s ramblings after suffering at the hands of wallet warriors before. He disliked them. He hated them. He detested those bastards who thought they had the right to step on others just because they were rich. ¡°This bastard actually dares to?!¡± Jung Chi-Ho shouted before grabbing Tae-Sung¡¯s cor and threatening thetter, ¡°Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Die? To someone like you?¡± Tae-Sung retorted and grabbed Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s cor as well. Tae-Sung did not care about the repercussions. He hated the idea of groveling at the feet of a spoiled brat like Jung Chi-Ho¡ªhe would rather suffer than do that. *** ¡°Ah¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi finally made sense of the situation, and she muttered, ¡°This is driving me crazy¡­¡± Of all people, Tae-Sung just had to get involved with someone like Jung Chi-Ho, who was the cream of the crop among the trash. ¡°I apologize, Manager Cha Hye-Mi-nim,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said before adding, ¡°This is all my fault.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way this is your fault; why would it be, Branch Manager-nim?¡± Cha Hye-Mi asked. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s¡ª¡± Oh Jun-Hwan muttered. ¡°Let us try to defuse the situation first,¡± Cha Hye-Mi interrupted. As they were about to step in to try and defuse the situation, Jung Chi-Ho suddenly asked, ¡°What level are you?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m Level 5; why?¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°What¡­?¡± Jung Chi-Ho doubted his ears. ¡°Are you deaf? I said I¡¯m Level 5,¡± Tae-Sung repeated. ¡°Level 5? Ha!¡± Jung Chi-Ho scoffed as if he found it absurd. ¡°Are you joking with me? You dare to purchase the Ogre when you¡¯re just a measly Level 5?¡± Jung Chi-Ho asked. ¡°Why? Are there anyws against it?¡± Tae-Sung retorted. ¡°Stop spouting bullshit. What is your level? I will kill you if you don¡¯t tell me the truth,¡± Jung Chi-Ho said coldly. ¡°I said I¡¯m Level 5,¡± Tae-Sung said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. ¡°Is this bastard crazy¡­?¡± Jung Chi-Ho was exasperated. ¡°Do you have a problem with me being Level 5?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Level 5¡­ alright, let¡¯s say you are a Level 5 yer as you say. Do you really think a noob like you deserves to use the Ogre? Do you even have any shame?¡± Jung Chi-Ho asked. ¡°I think I¡¯m still better than you despite my level.¡± Tae-Sung nonchntly taunted the scoundrel. ¡°What? You¡¯re better than me¡­? You?¡± Jung Chi-Ho was astounded. ¡°Yes, me,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Stop spouting bullshit, you crazy bastard,¡± Jung Chi-Ho retorted with anger in his voice. ¡°Why? You wanna have a go at it? Shall we have a go in Virtual Fighter?¡± Tae-Sung asked. Virtual Fighter was a dueling program that was basically the PVP of virtual games. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Virtual Fighter was also known as the most basic PVP action game since the game had no fields where yers could roam aside from a lone arena. There was no mana, and there were also no skills. Of course, there were also no potions or ability-enhancing items. It was a PVP game where a yer¡¯s abilities would be put to the test. Thanks to its simplicity, Virtual Fighter was regarded as the most realistic PVP game among all virtual reality games, and it was often used by yers to determine who was better between them and their opponent. The reason why Tae-Sung suggested Virtual Fighter was that he wasn¡¯t confident of beating Jung Chi-Oh head-on in BNW because of the huge level gap between them. He was Level 5 while Jung Chi-Ho was probably in the 200s. In the first ce, a proper duel between the two of them would be impossible since he would certainly die in one hit even if he received the bncing buff from the ¡®Yustia Temple,¡¯ which was the dueling arena of BNW. It was also impossible for them to log in to their ounts here at the tinum Boutique thanks to BNW¡¯splicated login process. yers usually found it difficult to ess the game from anywhere else aside from their homes unless special arrangements were made beforehand. ¡®I might not have a chance in BNW, but it¡¯s going to be different if it¡¯s in Virtual Fighter. I can win,¡¯?Tae-Sung confidently thought. Tae-Sung had a chance of winning since Virtual Fighter only factored a yer¡¯s naturalbat sense andpatibility with virtual reality. On top of that¡­ ¡®This bastard is no different from a piece of trash whenpared to Master,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought with a grin on his face. Tae-Sung had a secret weapon hidden up his sleeve, which was the countless one-sided beating he had suffered under Deus. ¡°Hoho, you¡¯re so weak, my disciple.¡± ¡°You punk! You¡¯re wide open here! Kekekeke!¡± ¡°Can you even hunt a goblin when you can¡¯t even beat an old man like me?¡± Deus was fast and flexible, and he was powerful as well. He subdued Tae-Sung and turned thetter into a rag without even using a single speck of mana. The only thing Tae-Sung could do was tear the hem of Deus¡¯ robe. ¡°Oh? Impressive. You actually managed to rip the hem of my robe?¡± However, he was strong enough to defeat someone like Jung Chi-Ho. ¡°Excellent. You will be able to crush most people with your current capabilities.¡±? Deus¡¯pliment meant hisbat sense had increased by a lot, and it gave Tae-Sung confidence he never had before. Of course¡­ ¡°T-Thank you, Master!¡± Tae-Sung eximed. ¡°However, my disciple¡­¡± Deus muttered. ¡°Yes, Master?¡± Tae-Sung asked in response. ¡°Do you really think that you¡¯ll get off scot-free after ripping your master¡¯s one and only robe like this?¡± Deus asked in a threatening voice. ¡°W-What do you mean by that, Master¡­?¡± Tae-Sung said nervously. ¡°Brace yourself, my disciple,¡± Deus warned. ¡°Ahhhhhk!¡± Tae-Sung cried out in agony. He was mercilessly abused in return for tearing his master¡¯s robe. ¡°Virtual Fighter¡­?¡± Jung Chi-Ho muttered. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Tae-Sung said with a nod before adding, ¡°I think it¡¯s an excellent idea.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jung Chi-Ho seemed hesitant. ¡°I think this will be the best way for us to decide who is the rightful owner of the Ogre. After all, Virtual Fighter is a fair game,¡± Tae-Sung said. There was some logic to his words since the Ogre was a hyper capsule that transcended the capabilities of a regr capsule, and it was only obvious that the rightful owner of this capsule should possess the ability to use it to its full potential. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jung Chi-Ho scratched his chin as he hesitated. ¡®What if this bastard is a top-ranker? Won¡¯t I be beaten to a pulp?¡¯?he thought. Jung Chi-Ho could not simply agree to the offer since Tae-Sung could be a top ranker. Smirk¡­! Tae-Sung arrogantly smirked when he saw Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Are you scared?¡± he asked. ¡°What did you say?¡± Jung Chi-Ho red at him. ¡°I said, Are. You. Scared?¡± Tae-Sung emphasized each word. Tae-Sung was obviously taunting him. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, just go home quietly with your tail tucked in between your legs and stop salivating over someone else¡¯s stuff,¡± Tae-Sung added while waving his hand in a dismissive manner. ¡°You bastard actually dares to¡­!¡± Jung Chi-Ho shouted in response. He then screamed in fury, ¡°What do you take me for?! Alright, let¡¯s have a go at it! I will beat you to a pulp!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a nod and said, ¡°It will be just one round. The loser has to give up on the Ogre.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do that. Just don¡¯tinter, you bastard,¡± Jung Chi-Ho responded as he gritted his teeth while ring at Tae-Sung. It seemed that he had fallen hook, line, and sinker for Tae-Sung¡¯s taunt. ¡°W-Wait a minute!¡± Cha Hye-Mi eximed. ¡°What?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Pleasee here for a second. Hurry up!¡± she eximed as she dragged Tae-Sung away. *** ¡°Have you gone crazy?¡± Cha Hye-Mi asked in a low voice. ¡°Me? No? I¡¯m not crazy,¡± Tae-Sung replied, seemingly confused by her words. ¡°Mr. Tae-Sung¡±. Cha Hye-Mi started. ¡°Yes?¡± he replied. ¡°The Hyper Capsule Ogre already belongs to you. I¡¯m telling you that it¡¯s finalized. You do not have any reason to duel that scoundrel just because he is causing a scene. You are the only one who has something to lose since you will have to wait for 6 months before getting another Ogre, and¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi¡¯s said as her eyes suddenly sharpened before she continued, ¡°That is as far as he is capable of doing even though he is the grandson of the chairman of the Sunghyun Group. Our head office does not really care about conglomerates like the Sunghyun Group. Our head office is more focused on taking care of yers with 00 epic codenames.¡± Hive Games Entertainment was the industry leader of the virtual reality industry, and even a giant conglomerate like the Sunghyun Group was bound to be small in front of a behemoth like Hive Games Entertainment. After all, thetter¡¯s market cap was the sum of Microsoft and Apple¡¯s market cap in the past. ¡°Really? I still want to do it, though,¡± Tae-Sung said and stubbornly refused. ¡°Mr. Tae-Sung!¡± Cha Hye-Mi eximed. ¡°I¡¯m aware that I¡¯m the only one who stands to lose something. I know,¡± Tae-Sung said. Tae-Sung was not stupid. Since he had brought it upon himself, he knew that he would not be able to say anything if he ended up losing and the Ogre was taken away from him. ¡°However¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered before saying, ¡°I want to crush him.¡± ¡°You want to crush that scoundrel?¡± Cha Hye-Mi was taken aback. ¡°Yes,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Do you really have to do this? People avoid poop because they find it gross and not really because they are scared of it,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said. ¡°If I were to keep avoiding them, there would be no end to them,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Huh?¡± Cha Hye-Mi muttered in surprise. ¡°People avoid poop because they find it disgusting. That is correct, but do you know what people with power do?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°They clean it off without dirtying their hands,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°W-What do you mean¡­?¡± Cha Hye-Mi was astounded. ¡°Avoiding it because it¡¯s dirty means you are avoiding it because you feel that you stand to lose something from it. However, those confident that they won¡¯t lose anything¡ªin short, the really powerful people will bulldoze through it and crush it to pieces,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Crush it¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi muttered. ¡°A powerful person obliterates anything that stands in their way regardless of whether it is a poop or soybean paste, and they go on their way,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°That sounds a bit unrealistic and idealistic¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi darkly muttered. Was it even possible to crush anything in one¡¯s path? The world wasn¡¯t such an easy ce. ¡°If you don¡¯t have to ability to achieve something, they will call you a dreamer. But if you do, they will call you a revolutionist¡­ something like that,¡± Tae-Sung said. Then, he looked straight into her eyes and said, ¡°I won¡¯t live my life bowing to others anymore, and I don¡¯t wish to be trampled on any longer.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi gasped. ¡°No, it¡¯s more like I just can¡¯t stand those bastards who boss other people around just because they have some money. It¡¯s only after crushing them will I be relieved of my frustration,¡± Tae-Sung said in a low but stern voice. Why did he say that? It was all because he was a man who knew the pain and suffering of having everything he owned taken away from him by those with money and power. ¡°Go and crush that scoundrel¡¯s head, then. I hope you crush him real good,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said. ¡°Of course I will,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a big smile. *** ¡°T-Then¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan stuttered while staring alternatingly between Tae-Sung and Jung Chi-Ho before continuing, ¡°The match will be in Virtual Fighter, and it will be a winner-takes-all match. Both yers will use super capsules for the match, and the loser shall forfeit their rights to the Ogre VR capsule. Do you both agree to these terms?¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Sure, I agree so let¡¯s get it over with,¡± Jung Chi-Ho responded. Their replies were different, but the meaning was the same. ¡°Just prepare the Ogre purchase agreement since there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll lose to a peasant like him,¡± Jung Chi-Ho confidently said. He looked at Tae-Sung as if the former were an inferior species, but Tae-Sung did not fall for Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s petty taunts. ¡®I guess he will onlye to his senses after being beaten to a pulp,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. All of a sudden, Deus¡¯ teachings popped up into his mind. ¡°My disciple, you are a human being so you shouldn¡¯t waste time exchanging words with those worse than animals,¡± said Deus. ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that, Master?¡± asked Tae-Sung. ¡°Don¡¯t bother talking to those worse than animals and just beat them to a pulp!¡± Deus eximed. ¡°Aha!¡± Tae-Sung eximed as well. ¡°Those worse than animals will only listen after receiving a good beating. Don¡¯t forget that a beating is much more effective than a thousand words with those creatures. Give them a good beating first before trying to talk to them. Do you understand?¡±? ¡°Yes, Master!¡±? In Tae-Sung¡¯s eyes, Jung Chi-Ho was one of those creatures his master had described as worse than animals. As such, he no longer felt the need to exchange words with thetter. Rather, he would simply do what Deus had told him¡ªhe was going to give Jung Chi-Ho a good beating. A beating in real life was preferred, but things would certainly blow out of proportion as a consequence of that, so he had to settle for Virtual Fighter. ¡°Now, please enter your capsules,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. Tae-Sung and Jung Chi-Ho respectively entered the ck Raptor and red Ishuka capsules. Then, the duel finally started. It was a duel with the rights to the Hyper Capsule Ogre on the line. *** Blink! Blink! Tae-Sung and Jung Chi-Ho entered virtual reality when their respective capsules blinked, and they found themselves in the arena. The arena looked in. It was the size of half of a basketball court, and the floor was made out of ash-colored marble. The walls around them had an East Asian ir, and there was a wooden roof over their heads. The arena looked like a training ground from a famous sci-fi movie. [Wee to the Virtual Fighter arena, Han Tae-Sung-nim.] [Your currentpatibility is 85.1%] [Five minutes left till the duel starts!] [Please select your character!] The final message and the character selection screen popped up in front of Tae-Sung. ¡°See you after five minutes,¡± Jung Chi-Ho said with an arrogant smirk. Tae-Sung ignored him. ¡®Who should I y as¡­?¡¯?Tae-Sung wondered as his eyes swept through the character selection screen. Virtual Fighter was a fairly simple game. The yers had to choose from twenty different characters with their respective specialties and weapons. The developer decided to implement characters into the game since they were certain that the game would end up turning into a messy brawl if they let the yers use themselves as their character. ¡®A blunt weapon user will be easier for me,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as he selected a Western male character wearing a policeman uniform. The character¡¯s name was ¡®Kale,¡¯ and Kale was a character modeled after a veteran LAPD police officer. Kale had excellent stats as befitting of a policeman, and he was pretty skilled at subduing his enemies as well. ¡®I like his weapon, too,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. Kale¡¯s weapon of choice was a police baton that policemen used in real life. Tae-Sung thought that Kale was the perfect fit for him since he was also using a blunt weapon in BNW. ¡®That¡¯s right, let¡¯s go with Kale¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung extended his hand and tapped on Kale¡¯s portrait. Fwoooosh¡­! A surge of graphics flew toward Tae-Sung and changed his appearance into Kale¡¯s. The whole process felt like someone had used a skill on him. The yer did not be the character they picked in Virtual Fighter. Instead, the game system wouldbine both of their identities so that each yer would retain their unique identity in the game. [Han Tae-Sung-nim has chosen ¡®Kale¡¯ as their character!] [Han Tae-Sung-nim is ready forbat!] On the other hand, it seemed that Jung Chi-Ho was done making his choice as well. [Jung Chi-Ho-nim has chosen ¡®Hitokiri¡¯ as their character!] [Jung Chi-Ho-nim is ready forbat!] The character Jung Chi-Ho chose, Hitokiri, was a character modeled after a vicious Japanese Yakuza, and Hitokiri¡¯s main weapon was a sharp katana. [yer 1, ready!] [yer 2, ready!] The character selection screen disappeared when they selected their characters. [Both yers.] [Please face each other.] [Bow.] Jung Chi-Ho motioned with his chin while Tae-Sung roughly nodded in response. [Both yers, ready!] [The match will start in 5 seconds!] [5¡­] [4¡­] [3¡­] [2¡­] [1¡­] [Ready¡­ Fight!] The barrier separating the two disappeared as soon as the countdown ended. ¡°Die! You fucking bastard!¡± Jung Chi-Ho screamed as he charged at Tae-Sung with his katana tightly gripped in his hands. 1. I don¡¯t usually leave TL notes like this, but just to rify¡­ He means bulldoze through challenges and not the poop itself. I know that you know, but we all know that a bulldozer charging through a poop went through our minds¡­ ew¡­ 2. This is a Korean saying where it means ¡®whatever it may be,¡¯ and they say it like this since poop is gross and useless while soybean paste is edible, but both of them look the same. for reference for those that don¡¯t know what soybean paste is. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Jung Chi-Ho charged with ferocious momentum. He had a vicious de Reaper ss in BNW, and the killing intent was visible on his face as he charged at Tae-Sung. Moreover, Jung Chi-Ho had been training in swordsmanship since young, and his understanding of Japanese swordsmanship was especially high. As a result, his attack was fiercer and sharper than his character¡¯s. ¡®I¡¯m gonna split your head into two,¡¯?he smugly thought. Jung Chi-Ho aimed for Tae-Sung¡¯s forehead. ¡°Hap!¡±?he let out a shout as he swung his sword down Tae-Sung¡¯s head. *** ¡®He¡¯sing¡­¡¯? He had been observing Jung Chi-Ho ever since the match started without missing a single movement. ¡®He¡¯sing in fast, and it¡¯s an overhead swing.¡¯ Surprisingly, he was able to analyze Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s attack without any difficulties calmly. But the even more surprising part was the fact that he did not intend to analyze it in the first ce. ¡®I can see it. It¡¯s too obvious¡­¡¯? Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s movements were so obvious Tae-Sung did not even have to put in any effort to read them. The reason Tae-Sung could do this was simple. ¡®This is just child¡¯s y whenpared to Master¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung¡¯s master, the Level 999 Hidden NPC, was the strongest being in all of Brave New World. And Tae-Sung faced that monster for ny-eight consecutive days¡ªalthough he got one-sidedly beaten every time. It was simply inevitable for Tae-Sung to see Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s attack so clearly as if it were in slow motion. ¡®And¡­¡¯?His gaze was fixated on Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s wide-open chest as thetter brought his katana over his head. An opening! The answer to what he was supposed to do became clear the moment an opening presented itself. Grip! Tae-Sung gripped his baton tightly. ¡°Hap!¡±?Jung Chi-Ho eximed as he swung his katana down. When Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s katana was about toe down, Tae-Sung mmed his baton into Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s wide-open chest. Pukeok! ¡°Kuheok!¡±?Jung Chi-Ho let out a groan with his tongue sticking out from the impact. *** ¡°What?!¡± Cha Hye-Mi could not believe her eyes. The movement Tae-Sung had disyed just now was so unbelievable that she couldn¡¯t help but doubt her eyes. If it were in BNW where mana and stats existed to enhance one¡¯s body, it would be easy to replicate Tae-Sung¡¯s attack just now. However, it wasn¡¯t something that could be easily done in Virtual Fight, as the game was designed to be as close to reality as possible. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan chuckled in disbelief before he eximed, ¡°I knew it! I knew Han Tae-Sung-nim would seed! Haha!¡± ¡°You knew it? What do you mean?¡± Cha Hye-Mi asked after turning toward Oh Jun-Hwan. ¡°Hmm¡­ that is¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan hesitated and scratched the back of his head. ¡°What is it? Hurry up and tell me!¡± Cha Hye-Mi eximed. ¡°Han Tae-Sung-nim¡¯spatibility with the Ogre was an astonishing 96.5%,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan exined. ¡°W-What did you just say?! How much?!¡± Cha Hye-Mi shouted in surprise. ¡°96.5%. It was 96.5%...¡± Oh Jun-Hwan repeated. ¡°Impossible!¡± Cha Hye-Mi eximed. She could not believe Oh Jun-Hwan¡¯s words. It was just natural for her to find it difficult to believe since 96.5% was an astonishingly high number. In fact, the number of people whosepatibility was more or less Tae-Sung¡¯s were less than five. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! How is 96.5% even possible?! That¡¯sparable to a top ranker! It¡¯s a god-given ability! If that¡¯s true, Tae-Sung is definitely not an ordinary yer, but I¡¯m certain that it¡¯s a mistake,¡± Cha Hye-Mi eximed. The reason Cha Hye-Mi adamantly refused to believe it was that she had already read the data regarding Tae-Sung, and the Tae-Sung she knew from the data wasn¡¯t someone capable of reaching 96.5%patibility. In fact, she quickly dismissed him and thought if there was anyone more useless than him due to the fact that the results he had achieved were far less than the amount he had put in. How did such a man suddenly reach apatibility of 96.5%? Even if it were justified by saying that Tae-Sung used the Hyper Capsule Ogre, Cha Hye-Mi still couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°I understand how you feel,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said with a smile before adding, ¡°However, it is a fact that he reached that figure. I initially suspected that it could be a bug or an error, but it was not. We tested it quite a few times, but Tae-Sung-nim¡¯spatibility came out 96.5% every single time.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Cha Hye-Miughed in disbelief before saying, ¡°I just thought that you went all the way to the Ogre because he wasn¡¯tpatible with any capsule¡­¡± ¡°Then, I can understand why you are so surprised. Haha!¡± Oh Jun-Hwanughed heartily. ¡°Then¡­ that means¡­ this battle is¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi muttered. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan nodded. ¡°Without a doubt, Tae-Sung will¡ª¡± Cha Hye-Mi trailed off. ¡°Win.¡± Oh Jun-Hwan concluded for her. ¡°Tae-Sung will crush him,¡± Cha Hye-Mi added. ¡°I think so as well. Of course, we will have to wait and see the result,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said while staring at the screen. ¡°Yes,¡± Cha Hye-Mi replied while staring at the screen as well. ¡°We have to wait and see what happens. Let¡¯s see if Tae-Sung-nim will finally show us his true value,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. *** However, the victor and loser were quickly decided, contrary to Cha Hye-Min and Oh Jun-Hwan¡¯s expectations. ¡°Kuheok¡­ heok¡­?heeeeok¡­¡±?Jung Chi-Ho gasped while trying to catch his breath. An excruciating pain hindered his breathing after getting hit in the chest by Tae-Sung¡¯s attack, and he felt as if his lungs and bowels were about to burst from the impact. He was not used to the pain since Virtual Fight was a game that emphasized realism, which meant the characters did not possess superhuman endurance like in BNW. ¡°You bastard! You dare do this to me!¡± Jung Chi-Ho growled like a wounded beast. However, Tae-Sung remained silent as he leisurely walked toward Jung Chi-Ho, and he did not even bother retorting or saying anything at all. Step¡­ Step¡­ ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste time exchanging words with those worse than animals.¡± ¡°Give them a good beating first before trying to talk to them.¡± Tae-Sung was faithfully carrying out Deus¡¯ teachings. Seuk¡­ He raised his baton and aimed it at Jung Chi-Ho on the ground. ¡°Do you really think that¡­ I will be hit by you again?!¡± Jung Chi-Ho shouted as he gripped his katana. It was a surprise attack! Jung Chi-Ho suddenly swung his katana the moment Tae-Sung stepped into his attack range. However, Tae-Sung was no longer someone who would get done in by a surprise attack of this level. ¡®He¡¯s too slow¡­¡¯? He saw Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s iing attack and turned to avoid it. Whoosh! The katana sliced through the air after failing to connect with anything. ¡®He¡¯s full of openings. I can hit him wherever I want,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as he identified more than a dozen gaps in Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s defense. It was inevitable for Jung Chi-Ho to have so many openings since the katana was a sword that had to be swung rather than a stabbing weapon. It possessed high Attack Power, but if the user were to miss, they would be exposed as the weapon required a wide motion to use properly. As a result, Jung Chi-Ho would pay the price for choosing such a weapon, and it would be an expensive price to pay. Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Tae-Sung unleashed a barrage of strikes into Jung Chi-Ho with his baton. ¡°Ack! Euaak! Aaaack!¡±?Jung Chi-Ho screamed in agony. However, he did not show any signs of backing down as he growled once again. ¡°Bastard¡­! I see you have some skills!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Tae-Sung did not bother to reply. He maintained his silence as he continued to observe Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s movements. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to answer me? Ha? Are you ignoring me?!¡± Jung Chi-Ho screamed in fury. He immediately stood up and swung his katana at Tae-Sung once again. Whoosh! The katana struck nothing once again. ¡®He avoided it again?¡¯?Jung Chi-Ho was shocked. Pak! With the baton, Tae-Sung smacked Jung Chi-Ho in the face. ¡°Keuk!¡±?Jung Chi-Ho groaned as he fell to the ground. ¡°Th, T-This bastard dares to!¡± Jung Chi-Ho growled from the ground while gritting his teeth before shouting, ¡°Hey! You are really making me mad now!¡± He got up once again and swung his katana at Tae-Sung. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!? However, the katana failed tond a single hit on Tae-Sung, and in return¡­ Pak! Pukeok! Pak! Pak! Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s face was mercilessly beaten by Tae-Sung¡¯s baton. ¡°Kuheok!¡±?Jung Chi-Ho winced in pain as he fell to the ground once again. ¡°You bastard¡­! Hey, asshole! Do you know who I am? Ha?! Do you know who I am?!¡± Jung Chi-Ho screamed. ¡°¡­¡± Tae-Sung kept his silence as he continued to stare at Jung Chi-Ho. ¡°Are you ignoring me? You dare ignore me?!¡± Jung Chi-Ho screamed in anger. He seemed to have lost his sanity as he got up once again and aggressively swung his katana at Tae-Sung. However, the result didn¡¯t change. He was beaten up once again. Puk! Pukeok! Puk! Tae-Sung smacked Jung Chi-Ho in the head multiple times with his baton. ¡°T-This bastard dares to¡­!¡± Jung Chi-Ho cried out. ¡®I¡¯m losing? I¡¯m losing to this peasant? No, I refuse to ept this!¡¯?Jung Chi-Ho thought as he immediately got up once again and charged at Tae-Sung like an enraged wild boar. His pride could not take the fact that he was getting a one-sided beating from someone like Tae-Sung who looked nothing special, and that was why Jung Chi-Ho tried everything he could tond a single hit against Tae-Sung. He tried wildly swinging his katana and kicking Tae-Sung. He even threw away his sword and tried to subdue Tae-Sung with judo moves to bring Tae-Sung to the ground. However, the result remained the same no matter what he tried. ¡°Ku...?Kuheok¡­!¡±?Jung Chi-Ho groaned while falling to the ground once again. ¡°¡­¡± Tae-Sung didn¡¯t even speak as he continued to avoid all of Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s attacks. He didn¡¯t take the initiative to attack and simply counter-attacked. It was as if he were saying, ¡°this is the difference between you and me¡± to Jung Chi-Ho without saying a single word. The one-sided beating continued for a while until Jung Chi-Ho eventually cried out like a pig being ughtered and sprawled across the ground. ¡°Gwaah!¡± [Game Over!] A message popped up. [The winner is Kale!] [yer 1, Han Tae-Sung-nim has won!] The match ended with Tae-Sung¡¯s victory. *** ¡°Again! Fuck! I want a rematch!¡± Jung Chi-Ho screamed. He refused to ept the result of the match. It seemed that he was the type of person who felt no shame in breaking a promise because he asked for a rematch even though they had agreed that the match would be in a single-round winner-takes-all format. ¡°Hmm?¡± Tae-Sung muttered before he smiled and said, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go at it again.¡± ¡°Prepare yourself, you bastard! I just let my guard down a while ago,¡± Jung Chi-Ho said. Tae-Sung did not bat an eyelid at Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s threats. Why was he so calm? It was all because the thought of losing to someone like this scoundrel had never crossed his mind. ¡®I¡¯ll dly fight you until you get sick and tired of losing,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought with a smile. *** The second match started, and they chose the same characters as before. [Ready, Fight!] The match started, but the victor was quickly decided. [Game Over!] [The winner is Kale!] [yer 1, Han Tae-Sung-nim has won!] The result was no different from the first match. ¡°Ah! Fuck!¡± Jung Chi-Ho was furious. He refused to acknowledge the result once again. ¡°Again! I want a rematch!¡± he screamed and demanded another rematch. ¡°Sure,¡± Tae-Sung coolly agreed, as he did not feel the need to refuse. *** The rematch did not end there. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ ept this¡­ I lost to you¡­? I lost to a peasant like you?¡± Jung Chi-Ho started muttering to himself. The third rematch ended with Jung Chi-Ho being one-sidedly beaten to a pulp once again, but he still couldn¡¯t ept the result, so he asked for another rematch. ¡°Again! Again! Fuck! We have to do this until I win!¡± Jung Chi-Hoshed out. ¡°Sure,¡± Tae-Sung replied. The series of rematches continued for a while. The fourth rematch, the fifth rematch, and the sixth rematch¡­ It seemed that Jung Chi-Ho was serious when he said that they would do it until he won because he continued to challenge Tae-Sung again and again, going through all of the characters. However, Tae-Sung always emerged victorious. That was how they went on and on with the rematches, and they were now at the 19th rematch. Jung Chi-Ho had challenged Tae-Sung 19 times in a row, but he still couldn¡¯t win even a single match against thetter. The 20th rematch started¡­ ¡°Why! Why can¡¯t I win?! Why! Why do I keep losing to this peasant?! Again! I said let¡¯s go again!¡± Jung Chi-Ho started screaming like a madman. He chose Kale this time, which was the character Tae-Sung had been using this whole time, but he could not win against Tae-Sung even after choosing the same character. Pak! Pak! Pak!? Tae-Sung mercilessly beat Jung Chi-Ho with his baton. His movements were so mechanical and systematic that the viewers found it scary. What did Tae-Sung do whenever Jung Chi-Ho showed an opening? He would beat thetter with his baton. What if Jung Chi-Ho blocked his attack? He would still beat him. What if Jung Chi-Ho attacked? He would block or dodge the attack before once again beating Jung Chi-Ho up. The only thing Tae-Sung had to do over the 20 rematches was to continuously beat Jung Chi-Ho until thetter¡¯s HP was depleted. He did this without saying a word in the game. ¡®Come at me a hundred, no, a thousand times. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to lose to the likes of you. I will show you what an insurmountable wall looks like so that you¡¯ll know what it feels like, too,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He wanted to teach Jung Chi-Ho what an opponent one couldn¡¯t beat looked like, and he wanted to make Jung Chi-Ho feel what he felt when he was mercilessly crushed by those people in the past. It seemed that things were going ording to Tae-Sung¡¯s wishes. ¡®Why do I have to lose? Why am I losing?! Why am I getting beaten up by this bastard?! Why?! Why! Why can¡¯t Ind a single hit on him?!¡¯?Jung Chi-Ho thought as he started to fall into despair after losing so many times. Why did he have to lose? This was the question that filled his mind as he slowly descended into the pits of despair. Then, another thought came to his mind the deeper he fell into it. ¡®I can¡¯t beat him¡­¡¯?he thought. People were bound to meet an insurmountable wall at least once in their life. ¡°E-Enough!¡± Jung Chi-Ho screamed. In the end, Tae-Sung clearly had shown him what an insurmountable wall looked like, and Jung Chi-Ho ended up abandoning all greed he had toward the Ogre. ¡°Enough! Don¡¯t hit me anymore! Ack!?Euaaak!?Why are you hitting me at the same spot?! Euk!?Enough! W-When will this end?! Aaaaack!¡±?Jung Chi-Ho screamed, begging for it to end. He desperately wanted to get out of the game, but there was still some time left before the game ended. The only way he could get out of this game was to get beaten up to a pulp until his HP reached zero or to mutually agree with Tae-Sung to end the match. Virtual Fight was not a game that would end after getting hit a few times. After a few minutes¡­ ¡°Keuk¡­ Eugh¡­¡±?Jung Chi-Ho groaned. Then¡­ Pukeok! Tae-Sung mmed his baton into Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s head and cracked thetter¡¯s skull open. [Game Over!] [Winner is Kale!] [yer 1, Han Tae-Sung-nim has won!] As expected, the winner was none other than Tae-Sung. ¡°Rematch?¡± Tae-Sung asked after returning to reality. ¡°¡­¡± Jung Chi-Ho did not respond. He realized that he could not beat Tae-Sung, but his pride did not allow him to concede defeat. ¡°Rematch or not?¡± Tae-Sung asked once again. ¡°¡­¡± Jung Chi-Ho still didn¡¯t respond. Heh! Tae-Sung let out a smirk andughed after figuring out Jung Chi-Ho¡¯s mental status. ¡°I will count to three. If you don¡¯t respond before the countdown ends, I will take it as you admitting defeat,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°One, two¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Three.¡± Jung Chi-Ho still didn¡¯t say anything even after Tae-Sung was done counting down. He didn¡¯t speak, but he seemed to have already given up on the Ogre. [The match has ended after both sides have agreed!] [The winner is Han Tae-Sung-nim!] [20 Matches, 20 Wins, 0 Loses.] The message dering Tae-Sung¡¯s victory popped up in front of them. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now,¡± Tae-Sung said before shutting down the Virtual Fight client. The Hyper Capsule Ogre was finally his. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Tak! Tae-Sung opened the ck capsule and proudly emerged from it. ¡°Mr. Tae-Sung!¡± Cha Hye-Mi eximed. ¡°Customer-nim!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed. They ran toward Tae-Sung at the same time. ¡°Great work! That was really refreshing!¡± Cha Hye-Mi eximed while smiling brightly. ¡°Ah, well¡­ Ehem¡­ ehem¡­?Congrattions on your victory!?Hahaha¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said awkwardly. He had to appear neutral to a certain extent since he had to deal with Jung Chi-Ho in the future as well, unlike Cha Hye-Mi, who was working a desk job at Hive. ¡°No need to mention it.¡± Tae-Sung dismissed. He did not feel that what he had done was worthy of praise, and their praises fell on deaf ears as well because he seemed to be focused on something else. ¡®It feels like¡­ I¡¯ve gotten stronger. I¡¯m different from before. My movements¡­ Those were something the old me before I?met Master?could not even dream of making,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. His duel against Jung Chi-Ho did not even cross his mind because he was fully focused on his movements andbat sense which had both undergone a drastic change. ¡®I want to test it out¡­¡¯? A surge of curiosity welled up from inside of him. ¡®Jung Chi-Ho was so weak I couldn¡¯t test things out properly. I want to look for a strong opponent and duke it out with them to my heart¡¯s content. I will only be able to tell how strong I have be if I were to fight someone stronger¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more than to dive back into BNW and fight at the duel arena, but Tae-Sung knew very well that he shouldn¡¯t be arrogant or be in a rush to things out. ¡®No¡­ I could only crush Jung Chi-Ho because the fight happened?in Virtual Fighter. I have no idea how the fight would have ended up if we fought in BNW. Let¡¯s not let this victory get to my head. Let¡¯s prioritize leveling up for now. I can dy finding out how strong I have be for next time after I be even stronger,¡¯?he thought. Tae-Sung decided to focus on getting stronger than getting drunk in his victory. It had been a long time since Tae-Sung tasted victory, and that made his victory taste even sweeter. However, he calmed down and did not let it get to his head. Tak! The red capsule opened, and Jung Chi-Ho came out from it. His face was downcast and dark. It was understandable since he fought twenty matches without being able tond a single blow to his opponent, and he was even beaten so badly with nowhere to vent his frustration. The one-sided beating he received made him filled with shame and contempt toward himself, and he could not help but despair and loathe himself for how weak he was after meeting an insurmountable wall for the first time in his life. He seemed to be out of it after being beaten to a pulp twenty consecutive times even though it was just in a virtual reality game. ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and help him out,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said as he ordered the tinum Boutique staffers. ¡°Yes, Branch Manager-nim,¡± the staffers replied. ¡°Chi-Ho-nim, are you alright?¡± the staffers carefully asked as they helped him up. They nervously held their breaths, afraid that this spoiled brat would cause another scene if they went anywhere near him. ¡°You¡­¡± Jung Chi-Ho muttered as he pointed and red at Tae-Sung. ¡°You bastard¡­ I will have my revenge. I¡¯m Jung Chi-Ho, don¡¯t think of having afortable life after getting on my bad side. Be careful not to show up in front of me in BNW¡­¡± While Jung Chi-Ho was grumbling, Tae-Sung raised his hand and threatened, ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Hiiik!¡±?Jung Chi-Ho shrieked as his face turned pale. The despair Tae-Sung had imprinted on his body seemed to have turned into trauma since he shrank back the moment Tae-Sung raised his hand and motioned in a way that made it seem like Tae-Sung was going to hit him. For Jung Chi-Ho, Tae-Sung was now an insurmountable wall, and Jung Chi-Ho was feeling the same way Tae-Sung felt toward those he couldn¡¯t beat. ¡°Do you want to get hit again?¡± Tae-Sung asked. Shake shake¡­! Jung Chi-Ho fervently shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s stop at this. I think that¡¯s enough beating for the day, right?¡± Tae-Sung asked. Jung Chi-Ho fervently nodded in response. ¡°I think we¡¯re done here,¡± Tae-Sung said as he turned his back to Jung Chi-Ho and faced Cha Hye-Mi and Oh Jun-Hwan. Cha Hye-Mi seemed to be satisfied with the turn of events, while Oh Jun-Hwan tried his best not to express his emotions. ¡°Ehem¡­!?Hey, Manager Shin!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan called out after clearing his throat. ¡°Yes, Branch Manager-nim,¡± a staffer replied. ¡°Get a limousine ready, and make sure you prepare a Maybach so that Jung Chi-Ho-nim canfortably go home. Make sure you escort him to the best of your abilities,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°Yes, Branch Manager-nim,¡± the staffer replied and immediately took action. It seemed that the heir of a conglomerate was still an heir no matter how much of a scoundrel they were. ¡®Tsk¡­ this thing called money¡­¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as he clicked his tongue with a bitter taste in his mouth. ¡®They say that the rich can get away with anything, but being born poor is already a crime in itself. This is really a messed up world we are living in. I have to earn money¡­ Yes¡­ I¡¯ll be rich as well and get out of this messed up life¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung couldn¡¯t help but grumble at the fact that the scoundrel would be sent home in a luxury sedan like a Maybach even after causing such a scene. ¡°Shall we go and finish our contract, Tae-Sung-nim?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said. ¡°Ah,?yes,¡± Tae-Sung replied after the branch manager¡¯s words shook him out of his grumbling. He set aside the bitterness he felt toward Jung Chi-Ho and returned to the VIP room with Oh Jun-Hwan. *** ¡°Please take this,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan said as he politely extended a luxurious-looking ck wooden box to Tae-Sung. The wooden box was a box made out of the most premium ebony wood. ¡°What is this?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°You will find out once you open it,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan replied with a bright smile on his face. ¡°Ah, sure,¡± Tae-Sung replied before carefully opening the wooden box. He found something that resembled a rectangr piece of crystal, and it looked as big as half a cigarette box in the wooden box. The crystal piece had a purple luster to it, and it had a very vicious-looking emblem engraved on it. ¡°This is¡­!¡± Tae-Sung eximed in awe upon seeing the crystal. ¡°That is the smart key to the Hyper Capsule Ogre,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan exined with a smile. ¡°The Ogre¡¯s smart key¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°This might sound very obvious, but this is something that is only given to the true owner of the Ogre. Now, this thing here is¡­¡± Oh Jun-Hwan took Tae-Sung¡¯s thumb and pressed it on the tip of the Ogre¡¯s smart key. A message popped up in front of Tae-Sung¡¯s eyes through a hologram being projected from the smart key. [Scanning owner¡¯s thumbprint¡­] [Progressing¡­ 5%] [Progressing¡­ 26%] [Progressing¡­ 87%] [Scanplete.] [Owner¡¯s thumbprint registration has beenpleted!] It seemed that the authentication process for the Hyper Capsule Ogre was quiteplicated because it even required a smart key to function. ¡°Shall we do a retinal scan as well?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan asked. [Scanning owner¡¯s retina¡­] [Scanplete.] [Owner¡¯s retina registration has beenpleted!] Tae-Sung was now the proud owner of the Ogre afterpleting the thumbprint and retina registration. ¡°Congrattions, Han Tae-Sung-nim!¡± Oh Jun-Hwan eximed. ¡°Congrattions!¡± Cha Hye-Mi congratted Tae-Sung with a smile. ¡°Thank you,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a smile as well. His arduous search for a suitable VR capsule finally came to an end with him bing the proud owner of the Ogre. *** ¡°Please deliver it by tomorrow. Please. I really need to log back in. Every second and minute counts for me,¡± Tae-Sung pleaded before leaving V-Lounge. ¡°Please do not worry, customer-nim. We will send our mechanics first thing in the morning tomorrow. Please rest assured and be on your way,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan responded. Then, he politely bowed toward the Benz before it drove away. ¡°See youter! I will give you a call!¡± Cha Hye-Mi said while waving his hand at Tae-Sung. The reason why she did not apany Tae-Sung home was that she still had some work left to do at V-Lounge, and besides, the advanced AI navigation would suffice to send him home. Tae-Sung was fine without someone escorting him because he could have also taken the bus or the subway home anyway. ¡°Branch Manager-nim,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said after Tae-Sung left. ¡°Yes, Manager-nim?¡± Oh Jun-Hwan replied. ¡°What happened today¡­¡± Cha Hye-Mi trailed off. However, Oh Jun-Hwan replied before she could even continue, ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡± He gestured and zipped his mouth shut with his hand before saying, ¡°It¡¯s written in the work manual as well. I will make sure to remind our staffers not to say anything regarding the double O yers. In fact, we have an entire manual dedicated to secrecy and confidentiality.¡± Cha Hye-Mi seemed relieved after hearing his response, and she added, ¡°Oh,?right. Please take extra caution and make sure that none of Tae-Sung¡¯s details gets leaked to that scoundrel. Tae-Sung is not an ordinary double-o yer, and the head office wishes for Tae-Sung to y in the best environment possible,¡± ¡°You do not have to be worried about that.?Ah, but¡­ are there even ordinary double O yers?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course, there aren¡¯t,¡± she replied with a smile before continuing, ¡°However, a double O yer with 96.5%patibility is¡­ quite rare. Tae-Sung is already a VIP at the head office; no, he will be a VIP among the VIPs¡­ he will be a VVIP.¡± ¡°I agree with you. He is worthy of being treated as a VVIP considering his 96.5%patibility,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan replied. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go and attend to my work now,¡± Cha Hye-Mi said as she took herptop out of her bag before asking, ¡°Can you please provide me with all of Tae-Sung¡¯s records and logs today? I will have to submit a report and the invoice for the Ogre as well.¡± ¡°I will prepare it right away,¡± Oh Jun-Hwan replied with a nod. *** The next morning, four men wearing formal attire stood outside of Tae-Sung¡¯s cramped studio room¡ªthey were the mechanics who would install the Ogre. ¡°I-Is this¡­ Han Tae-Sung-nim¡¯s residence¡­?¡± the mechanic, Lee Jae-Sung, asked in surprise. It was only natural for him to be taken aback since the Ogre was a product that cost a jaw-dropping 8.38 billion won. As such, he had been expecting the Ogre¡¯s owner to live in a penthouse or a luxurious mansion. However, the Ogre¡¯s owner lived in a studio room that was so cramped it would be impossible for a person to live in it after installing the VR capsule. The only silver lining in this whole situation was the fact that the Ogre¡¯s owner did not live in a gosiwon. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in response. ¡®Ah! Damn it! I didn¡¯t think of this! They say that the belly button is bigger than the belly¡­ but the belly button is too damn big in this case!¡¯ Tae-Sung eximed inwardly. The situation where a VR capsule like the Ogre would be installed in a studio room with a deposit of ten million won and a monthly rental of six hundred thousand won did not make any sense even to Tae-Sung. Fingers would surely be pointed at him for buying a premium capsule despite his current status, but¡­ ¡®Ah¡­ this is so embarrassing¡­¡¯?Tae-Sung thought as his face started turning red. There was a new term created to refer to people like Tae-Sung, and it was the term ¡®capsule poor.¡¯. Tae-Sung was certain that he would end up as the ¡®king of capsule poors¡¯ if the news of him receiving the Ogre went viral on social media. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to worry about anything like that since anything rted to the Ogre was a confidential matter. ¡°Are you Han Tae-Sung-nim¡­? The owner of the Ogre¡­?¡± Lee Jae-Sung asked. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ why¡­?¡± Tae-Sung awkwardly replied. Deus¡¯ teachings couldn¡¯t be found in his head at this moment. ¡°Really?¡± Lee Jae-Sung asked in response, seemingly in doubt. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Tae-Sung replied while shrinking back. ¡°Are you really Han. Tae. Sung. customer-nim? Is this really Han Tae-Sung customer-nim¡¯s residence?¡± Lee Jae-Sung asked. ¡°No,¡± Tae-Sung replied while shaking his head, and then he said, ¡°This is not my residence. I¡¯m just leasing it. Haha¡­ hahaha! I paid ten million won as a deposit, and I¡¯m paying six hundred thousand won a month in rent. The maintenance fees are fifty thousand won a month¡­¡± ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯ ¡®Is he serious¡­?¡¯ ¡®This guy is nuts¡­¡¯ ¡®Ha¡­ this generation is hopeless¡­¡¯ The four mechanics wore strange expressions on their faces. ¡®Damn it¡­ I¡¯m so embarrassed¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung''s entire face flushed red. ¡®Huh? Are these tears? Why am I crying¡­?¡¯? A wave of sorrow suddenly swept through his mind like a tsunami. It was the sorrow of not having his own house and the sorrow of being poor. Right now, Tae-Sung was probably the most pitiful person in the world. 1. The English trantion of Gosiwon is dormitory, but it is an entirely different thing, so I decided to keep the term gosiwon. A gosiwon is a ce where poor university kids live, and it looks like a coffin. See for yourselves. 2. This is a Korean expression meaning that a secondary thing isrger than the primary thing. It will be easier if you understand it in delivery food terms where the food costs $6, but the delivery fee costs $18. The English equivalent here is ¡®the tail can¡¯t wag the dog¡¯ which means that a minor or secondary part of something is dominating the whole or main part. 3. The term is a y on a term widely used in Korea today which is ¡®car poor¡¯. This term is used to refer to people who purchase luxury vehicles when they can¡¯t afford them, and the only way they can afford them is by skimping on their food and housing budget. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The embarrassing moment passed, and the instation somehow went without a hitch. ¡°Would you please sign here?¡± Lee Jae-Sung asked while extending a piece of paper over to Tae-Sung. ¡°Ah, sure,¡± Tae-Sung replied as he roughly scribbled his name on the paper before giving it back to Lee Jae-Sung, ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Thank you, customer-nim. The instation isplete, so I wish you a good time ying¡­ haha¡­ hahaha¡­¡± Lee Jae-Sung said while awkwardlyughing. He was looking at Tae-Sung with eyes that seemed like they were wondering,?¡®who the hell is this kid? what the hell is he¡­?¡¯ ¡®Yes¡­ I¡¯m the king of capsule?poors¡­¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He understood what Lee Jae-Sung meant through his eyes. To be honest, he also found it funny that he was living in a studio unit as the owner of a hyper capsule like the Ogre. ¡°Well¡­ yeah¡­ then¡­ Thank you for your hard work today. Goodbye.¡± Tae-Sung awkwardly bid the mechanics goodbye. When the door closed, Tae-Sung could finally rx. ¡®Phew¡­¡¯? ¡°I really thought I was going to die from embarrassment¡­ Why did I not think of that?¡± Tae-Sung muttered. His gaze then turned to the room with yellowed walls, mold growing all over it, and dust covering the floor. In fact, most people would probably consider his room one of the messiest rooms in the world. However, the world¡¯s most expensive VR capsule was installed right in the middle of this room. The VR capsule took most of the space in his room and only left just enough space for him to lie down on the floor. ¡°Debt¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He was silent for a while before continuing, ¡°I should move out of here as soon as I pay my debts off. This capsule is starting to look cheap because of the room¡­¡± It was an insult to house a hyper capsule like the Ogre in a room like this. ¡°Let¡¯s make a lot of money¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered and steeled his resolve to be rich and move somewhere better. After his new VR capsule was installed, he had a lot of things to do. He had to take the VR USIM that held his user information and insert it into his new VR capsule, and connect it to hisptop to download the BNW client. On top of that, he had to send his hologram recognition, retinal scan, fingerprint, and other information to Hive Games Entertainment to register his identity once again. The virtual reality game¡¯s security features wereplicated and high-level. *** It took an hour for Tae-Sung toplete the verification process and install the BNW client on his new VR capsule. Now, it was time for him to hop into the Ogre. Seuk¡­ Tae-Sung ced his right hand on the reinforced ss cover of the Ogre. [User Verification Complete!] The Ogre¡¯s ss cover opened after it verified Tae-Sung¡¯s handprint. ¡°Oh right, they said that I will need the smart key to start it up¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered while lying on the seat made out of premium quality Alcantara Leather. He took out the purple crystal key and carefully inserted it into the key slot on the lower right portion of the VR capsule. Wooooong¡­! The Ogre¡¯s engine, which ran on electricity, let out a smooth humming sound as it booted up before eventually letting out a low growl. ¡°This feels different from a normal VR capsule,¡± Tae-Sung muttered while listening to the sound of the Ogre¡¯s engine. The Ogre¡¯s engine sounded very different from Tae-Sung¡¯s old VR capsule. ¡°I wonder what the graphics will look like¡­¡± He was looking forward to how realistic and clear the graphics the Hyper Capsule Ogre would depict, but he did not expect too much from it since it would be impossible to perfectly replicate what reality looked like with a virtual reality program. Virtual reality game yers would realize at one point that the game was truly virtual because of the minuscule difference in graphics between the real world and the game world. However, the Ogre was the best among the current generation of VR capsules, and Tae-Sung boasted a 96.5%patibility with this monster of a capsule. A seemingly much more realistic world than reality itself should soon appear before him. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Tae-Sung said in anticipation as he put on the Ogre¡¯s headgear made out of carbon fiber. [Do you wish to connect to the Brave New World?] [Yes!] [You are now connecting to the Brave New World.] [Loading¡­] [Loading... 17%] [Loading¡­ 59%] [Loading¡­ 99%] [100%] [Loading Complete.] [You are now connected to the game!] Tae-Sung closed his eyes after reading thest message. *** sh! A bright light shed, then Tae-Sung found himself standing as Siegfried in the middle of the town square. Despite his sudden appearance, it seemed that no one was looking at him. Adventurers (yers) appearing from the warp gate installed in the middle of the town square was amon everyday urrence for the N¨¹rburgians (NPC), and they had long gotten used to it. ¡°What the heck¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered aftering online. He checked his body out and made a few simple movements while seemingly doubting his own senses. ¡°Why is it so¡­ realistic¡­?¡± he muttered. A world unlike what he had seen so far appeared in front of him, and all his senses were seemingly one with the world. He could hear the chatter of the passersby, the wind caressing his cheek, the warm sunlight shining down on his skin, the rugged stone pavement under his feet, and he could even smell the stenching out from the sewer. It was different. It was definitely different. The world his old VR capsule showed could not bepared to this, and he was certain that even the premium VR capsule he had when things were still going well for him did not offer even a quarter of what he was seeing right now. ¡°So this¡­ this is what a hyper capsule can do¡­!¡± Siegfried muttered while in awe of the Ogre¡¯s capabilities. He could finally understand why that rich scoundrel, Jung Chi-Ho, was so obsessed with the Ogre. ¡°It¡¯s different¡­ It¡¯s definitely different! I feel like this is reality¡­ no, this is reality¡­!¡± Siegfried muttered in awe. He had never imagined that virtual reality could look as realistic as reality, and he realized that the hype Oh Jun-Hwan had sold him wasn¡¯t just hype. He also realized that this could only mean one thing¡­ ¡®This sensation¡­ I might be able to fight better with this¡­¡¯ Siegfried thought as he noticed that his senses and the responsiveness of his movements had be much sharper than before. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he told himself as he immediately started moving. He wanted to test things out as soon as possible, and he wanted to know how it felt to fight in his new hyper capsule. *** He left the town square and headed toward the Mercenary Guild. The Mercenary Guild seemed quite empty today for some reason. This was amon urrence since like what the guild receptionist Jericho had said, the Biermann Territory was a small ce. There were only a few Adventurers visiting this ce, and the number of N¨¹rburgian Mercenaries who came to visit wasn¡¯t that many as well. The only so-called ¡®mercenaries¡¯ who often visited were the local hunters, and that was why it was just natural that the ce was quite empty. ¡°Oh! You are back!¡± Jericho said after seeing Siegfried. ¡°I want to do some work,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I see that you are quite motivated,¡± Jericho responded. ¡°I want to be stronger after all,¡± Siegfried replied. Every single part of his body was itching to fight, and that was why he wanted to get a quest as soon as possible and run to the hunting grounds. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you something to do, then,¡± Jericho said before taking out a stack of requests from the citizens of Biermann Territory and going over them. ¡°Hmm¡­ I do have something for you but¡­¡± Jericho hesitated for a second. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you can do it, though.¡± Jericho shook his head. ¡°What is that request about?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s to hunt a pack of Mutated Wolves,¡± Jericho said with an awkward smile. ¡°Mutated Wolves?¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on you but¡­ I think that it¡¯s a bit early for you to challenge Mutated Wolves,¡± Jericho said. ¡°I will do it,¡± Siegfried confidently responded. ¡°Are you sure? Will you be fine?¡± Jericho asked, seemingly surprised by his response. ¡°Hey, look here, Siegfried. I want you to reconsider it. Mutated Wolves are strong since they¡¯re mutated predators. They aren¡¯t the same as other mutated animals. Let me find you another request¡ª¡± ¡°No, I will do it.¡± Siegfried interrupted Jericho¡¯s words. ¡°Haha¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned it in the first ce¡­¡± Jericho regretted even bringing the request up in the first ce. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a shot. I¡¯m an immortal anyway, so you don¡¯t have anything to worry about,¡± Siegfried reasoned. ¡°Well¡­ that is true¡­¡± Jericho muttered. ¡°Can you give me the details of the quest? I want to get going right now.¡± Siegfried urged. ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright, I have no choice if you are so eager to do it. Go south and talk to Grandpa Bukati at the ranch. He will tell you the details of the quest,¡± Jericho replied. ¡°Alright, I will get going now,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Hoho, it¡¯s good to see that you look so eager.¡± Jericho chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing impressive,¡± Siegfried said before leaving the Mercenary Guild. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Protect the Ranch!¡¯] A message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Protect the Ranch!] [Type: Normal Quest] [Details: Kill the Mutated Wolves attacking Grandpa Bukati¡¯s ranch.] [Progress: 0%] [Reward: 20 Gold] The quest was pretty straightforward and simple. *** The atmosphere surrounding Grandpa Bukati¡¯s ranch was heavy. The ranch workers were standing guard while holding their farming tools, and the eyes of the sheep and cows were filled with nervousness as well. On top of that, there were traces of blood all over the green pasture that seemed to prove the viciousness of the Mutant Wolves¡¯ harassment. ¡°I¡¯vee to meet Grandpa Bukati,¡± Siegfried said to a ranch worker passing by. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess you are an Adventurer¡­ You don¡¯t look that strong, though?¡± the ranch worker said while inspecting Siegfried from head to toe before continuing, ¡°But I guess that¡¯s a given since there are no strong Adventurers willing toe to a small territory like ours.¡± Siegfried¡¯s temper almost exploded when the ranch worker treated him like a weakling, but he decided to calm down and let it pass¡­ for now. ¡®I guess it¡¯s also important to look strong,¡¯?he thought. After all, he knew very well how important first impressions were. ¡°You will be able to find Grandpa Bukati over that hill. It won¡¯t be that difficult for you to find him since he is a dark-skinned old man,¡± the ranch worker said. Siegfried did not reply to the ranch worker as he immediately turned around and made his way to the hills. ¡°Excuse me, are you Grandpa Bukati?¡± Siegfried asked a dark-skinned old man. The dark-skinned old man was standing watch over the ranch with five other hunters. But¡­ ¡®What the heck¡­? He looks exactly like Morgan Freeman¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. Surprisingly, Grandpa Bukati looked exactly like the famous Hollywood Actor Morgan Freeman. ¡°Ah, you must be an Adventurer. Yes, I am Bukati,¡± said the old man. ¡°I came to help you hunt the Mutated Wolves,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Really? Hmm¡­ I¡¯m grateful for your offer but¡­ can you really do it? The Mutated Wolves are vicious and aggressive. Ah, I¡¯m not looking down on you, and I apologize if you feel offended. You just don¡¯t look experienced in this field, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Please do not worry about me; I am capable of protecting myself at the very least,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Well, every hand counts so I have to thank you, then,¡± Grandpa Bukati said. Grandpa Bukati seemed skeptical of Siegfried, but he did not grumble about it any further. However, the hunters¡¯ response to Siegfried¡¯s participation was different from Grandpa Bukati¡¯s. ¡°What? That greenhorn is going to try and hunt the Mutated Wolves?¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ Are there really no other mercenaries around this ce that the guild has no choice but to send us a greenhorn like him?¡± ¡°They say that being ignorant can make you brave, too¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he can afford to be ignorant once in a while since he¡¯s immortal.¡± ¡°I just hope he doesn¡¯t get in our way¡­¡± The hunters openly expressed their displeasure at Siegfried¡¯s participation. However, Siegfried did not pay any attention to the grumblings of the hunters. He didn¡¯t have to be offended by their act of looking down on him because he would be stronger anyway. In fact, he was confident that he would reach heights these hunters could only dream of. That was his goal. ¡°Where is the pack of Mutated Wolves?¡± Siegfried asked Morgan Freeman; no, Grandpa Bukati. ¡°We have no idea where they are hiding since they¡¯re quite stealthy¡­¡± Grandpa Bukati said. The old man could not finish his words because the sheep suddenly started crying. ¡°Meeeh! Meeeeh! Meeeh!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s the wolves!¡± ¡°The wolves are here!¡± ¡°They¡¯reing!¡± The hunters shouted. ¡®They are attacking in broad daylight even when so many people are standing watch?¡¯?Siegfried was slightly taken aback by the wolves¡¯ brazenness. Predators like wolves usually struck at night beneath the cover of the darkness, but it seemed that these wolves were different. ¡°T-There! Over there!¡± Grandpa Bukati shouted while pointing at something in the distance. Grrr¡­ Grrr¡­ Grrr¡­! The old man was pointing at ten Mutated Wolves running around. ¡°Well, I¡¯m grateful that they saved me the trouble of looking for them.¡± Siegfried grinned. Grip¡­! He tightly gripped the steel rod in his hand. Step¡­ Step¡­ Step¡­ Step¡­? Siegfried ran toward the pack of Mutated Wolves running in his direction. ¡°H-Hey! Young man!¡± Grandpa Bukati shouted and tried to stop Siegfried from charging to his demise. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

¡°Where are you going?! Come back! You shouldn¡¯t waste your life like that even if you¡¯re immortal! Dying will still hurt! Come back!¡± Grandpa Bukati eximed. ¡°I¡¯m going to be fine,¡± Siegfried replied while waving his hand before adding, ¡°I just don¡¯t have to die, right?¡± ¡°Hey! Do you have a death wish or what?!¡± Grandpa Bukati shouted once again. It seemed that he was genuinely worried about Siegfried. He had seen countless novice adventurers rush to their deaths in his lifetime, and he wanted to warn the young man running in front of him of the dire consequences of his actions. Siegfried was well aware that it was going to be difficult for him to hunt these Mutated Wolves with his current stats. ¡®The Mutated Wolves are at least Level 15¡­ Their HP and defense might be lower than the Mutated Bisons, but their attacks will definitely be stronger than?those bisons. Not to mention, their attack speed will be much faster than?the?other mutated animals I have faced, and they are much more intelligent than them, too. I shouldn¡¯t be overconfident and underestimate them,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He knew that these wolves were going to be different from the mutated animals he had encountered before, but he still wanted to test his abilities out. To be exact, he wanted to test the Ogre¡¯s capability and his 96.5%patibility. And he could feel a sense of confidence welling up inside of him. ¡®I get the feeling that I¡¯m not going to lose to them,¡¯? He had no idea where this confidence came from, but he was certain that he could beat the pack of wolves despite being a mere Level 5. ¡°Wooof!¡±?One of the Mutated Wolves barked at him. It was the wolf standing at the forefront, and it was also thergest one among them. ¡®So that guy is the Alpha,¡¯ Siegfried thought. The pack of Mutated Wolves started to get closer to him. Fifty meters¡­ Thirty meters¡­ Ten meters¡­ Five meters¡­! ¡°Woof! Woof!¡±?The Alpha Wolf barked. Siegfried was certain that it was trying to intimidate him or it just gave themand to attack. ¡®They¡¯reing,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he tightly gripped his steel rod. Tak! The Alpha Wolf suddenly kicked off of the ground and jumped, and its target was the human holding a steel rod¡ªSiegfried. ¡®You dare jump? Then I guess you won¡¯t be able to avoid this,?then.¡¯? Siegfried¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°Grrr!¡±?The Alpha Wolf let out a growl before opening its mouth to try and bite Siegfried¡¯s neck. Pukeok! Siegfried mmed his steel rod into the lower jaw of the Alpha Wolf. ¡°Grrr¡­!¡±?The Alpha Wolf lost its bnce and fell to the ground after being hit by the human¡¯s counterattack. Siegfried was not someone who would pass on such a golden opportunity. Puk! Pukeok! Siegfried used Smite and swung his steel rod into the Alpha Wolf¡¯s head. ¡°Kekeng! Kekeng!¡±?The Alpha Wolf cried out in agony. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m dealing a decent amount of damage,¡± Siegfried said with satisfaction at the damage Smite dealt. The Mutated Wolf possessed a lower defense than the Mutated Bisons, so it did not take him long to take care of it, but the problem was that there was a pack of wolves in front of him. ¡°Grrr..!¡± ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± ¡°Grrr¡­!¡± The ten remaining Mutated Wolves rushed at Siegfried. ¡®Alright, they are all here, so it¡¯s time toy down my circle,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he activated both Circle of Mortality and Circle of Weakness at the same time. What was next after cing his circles? Yes. It was time for him to let loose and go on a rampage. ¡®Let¡¯s let loose and beat these guys up!¡¯? Siegfried swung his steel rod like a madman. *** ¡°Oh¡­?Oh my god!¡± Grandpa Bukati eximed. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. ¡°I thought he was a greenhorn¡­!¡± the hunters eximed as well. Siegfried did not die, and he was still fighting. On top of that¡­ ¡°He¡­ He¡¯s strong!¡± a hunter eximed. Siegfried looked like he was enjoying beating the pack of wolves with his steel rod. ¡°This is not how I thought it would turn out¡­¡± ¡°What the hell is that greenhorn¡­? I¡¯m certain that he looked very weak¡­¡± ¡°He is fighting against that many wolves alone!¡± ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± ¡°I guess an Adventurer is still an Adventurer after all¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± The hunters could not hide their surprise. That was how well Siegfried was fighting; no, he was not fighting the wolves¡ªhe was beating them up. Puk! Puk! Puk!? The sound of Siegfried¡¯s steel rod as he pummeled the wolves reverberated across the ins. ¡°Kekeng! Kekeng!¡± ¡°Kekeng!¡± ¡°Kiiing¡­ Kiing¡­¡± The Mutated Wolves¡¯ whimpers echoed along with it. *** Grandpa Bukati and the hunters were stupefied. However, Siegfried could not care less whether they were shocked or not. ¡®I¡¯m actually surprised that I managed to do this¡­ I¡¯m only Level 5, right¡­?¡¯? Siegfried was astounded by his own disy of strength. He could not even think about what others thought of his disy of prowess because he was fully immersed in his own thoughts. More than ten Mutated Wolves¡ªtwelve Mutated Wolves to be exact¡ªwere aiming for his thigh, ankle, back, shoulder, arm, and the rest of his body at the same time. ¡®I can see it. I can see their attacks¡­ I can feel it¡­ I can sense where they are aiming. What is this feeling¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. His heightened five senses alerted him of every single move the Mutated Wolves made. A person could train themselves to read their opponent¡¯s movements, but it was extremely difficult to read a group of opponents¡¯ attacks, especially when they were attacking randomly without a set pattern. A person¡¯s mind and body had to work together for them to be able to respond to their enemy¡¯s attacks, even if they were able to read it in the first ce. In fact, a professional athlete or a professional dancer wouldn¡¯t have perfect control over their bodies, even if they trained themselves to do it. It was extremely difficult for human beings to train themselves until they had perfect control over their own bodies. However, that was not the case for Siegfried. ¡®Dodge that¡­ I can dodge it! My body is moving just as I want it to¡­ It¡¯s moving exactly as I want it to!¡¯?Siegfried thought excitedly. His brain analyzed every single attack from the wolves based on the information it collected from his five senses, and itmanded his body to move ordingly. Then, Siegfried¡¯s body would immediately carry out themands issued by his brain. In short, he was able to perfectly dodge all of the attacks without a hitch. This was only possible because his mind and body werepletely synced together as one, and this was made possible thanks to these factors: The Ogre¡¯s insane specification. His insanepatibility with the Ogre. Thebat sense he had acquired after being one-sidedly pummeled by his master for an extended period of time. The amazingbat prowess Siegfried disyed was made possible by thebination of these factors. *** Ten minutester, Siegfried¡¯s steel rod crushed the final Mutated Wolf¡¯s head. Pukeok! [You have leveled up!] [Siegfried] [Level: 10] [ss: Debuff Master] He gained a whopping 5 levels after killing all twelve Mutated Wolves. It seemed he had gained extra experience points after killing enemies higher in level than him. ¡°H-Hey¡­!¡± Grandpa Bukati shouted while rushing toward Siegfried. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about a while ago...¡± ¡°We seemed to have underestimated you a bit too much earlier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for looking down on you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem like an average greenhorn!¡± ¡°Are you really a novice? Your movement¡­ those weren¡¯t something a novice can pull off!¡± The hunters were openly looking down on him before, but now, they apologized before praising him like there was no tomorrow. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried did not bother to reply to them. Rather, he did not have the luxury to even hear what they were saying since his mind was preupied with something else. ¡®This¡­ is this what it feels like to be like those talented people¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought and a chill went down his spine. His back broke out in cold sweat as he felt like a cold de was ced on his neck the moment he realized that he was trying to beat the so-called talented yers who probably possessed the samebat sense he had disyed just now. ¡®Now, it¡¯s obvious why I couldn¡¯t beat them... I would have never won against them even in the next life if there were this much difference between us¡­ never¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he realized his foolishness. The saying that ignorance would make a person brave seemed to perfectly suit the actions of his previous self. ¡°Haha¡­ Haha¡­ Ha¡­¡± Siegfriedughed without realizing it. ¡®It seems that I was foolish and didn¡¯t know my ce back then¡­ I could have never beaten them, but I kept on doing my best to win¡­¡¯? Siegfried finally realized the terrifying gap between their talent, and he was now certain that a hardworking person could never beat someone born with innate talent. ¡®But I can beat them now¡­ I won¡¯t be crushed and trampled on like before,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he steeled his resolve. He was confident that he wouldn¡¯t lose to them when it came to reaction speed at the least. ¡®Just you wait¡­ I will catch up to you bastards very soon,¡¯?he thought before looking up at the sky He was looking at those sitting at the top¡ªat the ones he could never defeat before. *** [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Protect the Ranch¡¯!] That was how Siegfried¡¯s debut fight with the Ogre ended. [Alert: Return to the Mercenary Guild to collect your reward.] [Alert: You are in possession of a lot of stat and skill points that are yet to be invested! Invest these points to grow stronger!] There was nothing much left for Siegfried to do at the ranch. He collected the Mutated Wolves¡¯ fangs and hides before heading to the Mercenary Guild to collect his reward. He distributed his stat and skill points just like he did when he first distributed them. It was much more efficient for him to invest all of his bonus stat points in Strength, so he invested all of them in ¡®Strength.¡¯ Since he didn¡¯t learn any new skills, he invested his skill points in ¡®Smite,¡¯ ¡®Circle of Mortality,¡¯ and ¡®Circle of Weakness¡¯ in a 4:4:2 ratio. ¡°I wonder when I¡¯ll be able to learn a new skill? Well, I¡¯m only Level 10, so I guess there¡¯s no rush for now¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. The main problem with the book Deus had given him was that the information was shrouded in a veil of mystery, and he could only check the skill details only after reaching a certain level to unlock them. ¡°I should level up even faster¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. While he was grumbling, a message popped up in front of him. [Alert: You will be able to learn a new skill when you reach Level 30!] ¡°Level 30? That¡¯s not far off¡­¡± Siegfried muttered after reading the message. It was possible to power level to Level 100 in BNW, and that was why Siegfried said that he was not far off from bing Level 30. Moreover, his leveling speed was actually faster than the average user. ¡°I should level up¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before a burst of boisterousughter resounded from out of nowhere and cut him off. ¡°Kwahahahahaha!¡± *** ¡®What the hell was that?¡¯?Siegfried thought and turned around. ¡°Oh! I found you! I finally found you!¡± an old man eximed. Of course, it wasn¡¯t Deus since he was certain that his alcoholic master was probably tucked away somewhere in Mount Kunlun, enjoying his booze. Theughter came from an old man who looked the opposite to his master. He was around two meters tall with bulky arms and broad shoulders. He had a fairplexion, but his overgrown beard and therge de on his back made him look like a barbarian. The old man looked old, but he was probably more fit than the average male adult. ¡°Who might you be, elder?¡± Siegfried asked while being slightly wary of therge old man before continuing with another question, ¡°Why were youughing so loudly¡­?¡± ¡°Why was Iughing?¡± the old man asked in response with arge grin before saying, ¡°It¡¯s because I was happy!¡± ¡°Why are you happy¡­?¡± Siegfried asked carefully. ¡°That¡¯s because¡ª¡± the old man paused. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I have finally found a worthy disciple!¡± the old man eximed. ¡°Huh? A worthy disciple? Who¡¯s that?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Who else?! It¡¯s you! You! Bwahahaha!¡± the old man burst into another peal of boisterousughter. ¡®What the hell is this old man saying¡­?¡¯? Siegfried grimaced at the loud old man. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

¡®What disciple¡­? What nonsense is this old man spouting?¡¯? Siegfried was taken aback. Since he already had a master, it was only normal for him to be astonished by the old man¡¯s words. ¡®Who the hell is this old man?¡¯?Siegfried thought and used his Rune of Insight to check the old man¡¯s information. [Betelgeuse] [Type: Named NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 361] [Titles: Sword Emperor, The One Who Splits The Mountains and The Sea, Five Star Heaven.] Therge old man wasn¡¯t as strong as Deus, but he was a very high leveled NPC. In fact, he was not only high leveled, but he had surpassed all of the current rankers, with the highest ones hovering around Level 300. It seemed that his title as the Sword Emperor wasn¡¯t just for show, after all. ¡°Kekeke!¡± Betelgeuse let out augh before saying, ¡°Did you see it, my disciple? Have you finally realized who I am?¡± He seemed to have realized that Siegfried used the Rune of Insight on him. ¡°You might be aware of this by now, but¡­ if I were to brag about myself for a bit¡­ I¡¯m the Sword Emperor! The Sword Emperor! Hahaha! I¡¯m the boss of the Five Star Heaven! Kuhahahaha!¡± Betelgeuse said before boisterouslyughing. The Five Star Heaven referred to the five stars above the N¨¹rburg Continent, and this was also the title they gave to the five people who had reached the pinnacle. *** The self-proimed boss of the Five Star Heaven¡ªBetelgeuse¡ªwas an old veteran who scoured through the N¨¹rburg Continent his entire life in search of ways to sharpen his skills. Then, one day¡­ ¡°I have finally created my own set of skills! Kuhahahaha!¡± Betelgeuse eximed with raucousughter. After training and honing himself his entire life, he had finally created his own set of skills! However, the joy from his aplishmentsted only for a while as a thought passed through his head. ¡®Hmm¡­ I¡¯m already 120 years old¡­ so I think I will need to have a disciple before I croak and kick the bucket. It¡¯s a waste if these skills don¡¯t get passed on to the next generations. Yes, it will truly be a waste¡­¡¯? The fact that he did not have someone to pass his skills weighed heavily on his mind, and this was all because he was so focused on training himself his entire life that he never had the luxury to build personal rtions with people. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get a disciple!¡± Betelgeuse eximed. He decided to find himself a sessor since he did not want the skills he dedicated his entire life to create to be buried along with him after his death, and that was why he immediately set out once again to scour the continent for his heir apparent. However, finding a disciple wasn¡¯t as easy as he thought it would be. ¡°Hmm¡­ that guy is good at utilizing his mana, but hisbat sense is atrocious¡­¡± ¡°That guy has excellentbat sense and mana control, but his body is a mess. Those people are bound to hit a wall and their growth will eventually teau¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ all the qualities are there but¡­ no, there¡¯s no passion.¡± Betelgeuse¡¯s standards were simply too high for anyone to meet, and he found it difficult to find someone who satisfied his requirements. This person failed because of this, and that person failed because of that. This kept going on and on until ten years had already passed since he first set out to find a disciple. His repeated failure to find a disciple made him start to think that he should start looking for a coffin and a burial site instead, as he was already too old. ¡®I will die from old age before I can even train my disciple at this rate¡­ damn it! I should have just settled for that guy from a while ago!¡¯?Betelgeuse thought as he decided to look for the ones who barely failed his standards. However, it was already toote... ¡°What? That guy became that person¡¯s disciple? Damn it!¡± ¡°He¡¯s gone? Where did he go? What? He became a Royal Knight?¡± ¡°She died? How? Hit by a carriage? Damn it!¡± The disciple candidates he previously dropped on his list had all disappeared. ¡°T-This is getting serious¡­! I will need at least twenty years to properly train a disciple, but I¡¯m already 130 years old! Twenty years is stretching it!¡± he nervously eximed. Even though reaching the pinnacle of Master meant extending their lifespan, there was still a limit to a person¡¯s lifespan. Bing 150 years old was already testing the limits of mortality. However, it would be a different story if he reached the realm of Grandmaster¡­ ¡°Disciple¡­ I need to find a disciple¡­ I should just go ahead and settle for anyone who seems fine!¡± In the end, Betelgeuse decided to just find any suitable candidate to pass down his skills before he croaked and kicked the bucket. However¡­ ¡°L-Look at that fe¡­!¡± he eximed in surprise and delight. He was walking along the roads of some backwater rural province when he found a young man fighting against a pack of Mutated Wolves all by himself. The scene attracted his eyes. ¡°Wow!¡± Betelgeuse could not help but exim in admiration at the young man¡¯s movement. It was an understatement to call the young man excellent?since it would be more fitting to say that he was wless. ¡°He is a greenhorn but¡ªwow! Hisbat sense is awesome! Look at that, his decision-making ability is excellent as well. His mana control is wless, too! Ohh! His body is also a gift from the heavens itself! Wow! This is amazing!¡± Betelgeuse eximed. Everything about the young man satisfied his ridiculously high standards. ¡°It¡¯s him! He¡¯s the one I¡¯m looking for! He shall be the disciple of this Betelgeuse!¡± he eximed in excitement and toward the young man. The young man would surely ept his offer, but¡­ *** Grandpa Bukati and the hunters, who were NPCs, all eximed in surprise and awe when Betelgeuse revealed his identity. ¡°T-This can¡¯t be! Are you really the Sword Emperor, Betelgeuse?¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°He looks exactly like the Betelgeuse I¡¯ve heard!¡± ¡°W-Why would a person like him be in this backwater province¡­?¡± Their reactions were something Betelgeuse had expected since the name of the Five Star Heaven was like a free pass to anywhere on the continent. On top of that, a Level 300 individual was guaranteed a Marquis title, and they could even choose which kingdom they wanted to receive the title from. However, Siegfried¡¯s response was theplete opposite of Grandpa Bukati¡¯s and the hunters¡¯ expectations. ¡°So¡­ what¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Betelgeuse muttered in surprise before saying, ¡°I¡¯m the Sword Emperor, the Sword Emperor of the Five Star Heaven.¡± ¡°I heard you,¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied as if the old man¡¯s title wasn¡¯t anything amazing. ¡°Hoho¡­¡± Betelgeuse let out a lowugh before he said, ¡°You look like a greenhorn, so I guess you are too young to know what¡¯s going on in the world. Tsk tsk¡­ No wonder you had no particr reaction even after I told you that I was the Sword Emperor of the Five Star Heaven. It¡¯s surely because you have no idea what¡¯s out there. Haha!?Alright, let me exin!¡± Betelgeuse said. ¡°I know¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°You know¡­?¡± Betelgeuse muttered in disbelief. ¡°The Five Star Heaven refers to the five Masters, right? There are only five Masters on the continent, and they are all extremely strong,¡± Siegfried said. There was no way Siegfried wouldn¡¯t know what was going on in the N¨¹rburg Continent with his years of experience ying BNW. ¡®I¡¯m sorry but¡­ aren¡¯t you a step toote?¡¯?he thought. He would have hurriedly epted the offer to be the Sword Emperor¡¯s disciple without any qualms if it had been offered to him a few months ago. No¡­ ¡®I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t spare me even a nce if I were myself a few months ago¡­¡¯ The only reason Siegfried was who he was today was thanks to the repeated tempering and quenching Deus had put him through, so there was no way that Betelgeuse would have even considered Siegfried; no, Han Tae-Sung as his disciple back then. And the deciding factor behind his refusal was the fact that Siegfried already had a master, and he was a Level 999 Hidden NPC at that. Betelgeuse might be a Level 361 Named NPC, but he was nothing but a speck of dustpared to Deus. Lastly, the Sword Emperor was not all that attractive to Siegfried after he had witnessed what a true supreme being could do. However, there was no way that Betelgeuse would be aware of Siegfried¡¯s thoughts. ¡°You know? Then, why are you refusing? You can be really strong if you be my disciple! Your life will change if you be strong! You will earn a lot of money, and people will flock to you, and¡ªwomen! Dozens of beautiful women will¡ª¡± Betelgeuse retorted. However, Siegfried interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that, too. I¡¯m aware of what bing your disciple means.¡± ¡°Then, why are you refusing such a great opportunity?!¡± Betelgeuse asked with a hint of denial in his voice. ¡°I am grateful for your interest, but I am already serving a master, so¡ª¡± Siegfried said. When Siegfried was about to politely refuse the Sword Emperor¡¯s offer, the Sword Emperor suddenly interjected. ¡°You can just leave that guy and be my disciple.¡± Siegfried was rendered speechless at the Sword Emperor¡¯s brazenness. Leave his master? Just because of someone like Betelgeuse? ¡°Sir¡­¡± Siegfried said in a low calm voice despite the astonishment. ¡°I apologize, but would you kindly refrain from making such remarks? My master is stronger than you are, and I have received the teachings to be invincible from my master as well. So, how can I abandon him and be your disciple?¡± Siegfried said. ¡°S-Stronger than I am? Is that true?¡± Betelgeuse asked, taken aback. ¡°It is just as I said,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Who is it?!¡± Betelgeuse shouted before asking amidst the astonishment, ¡°Is your master one of the Five Star Heavens?¡± ¡°He is on a different levelpared to them,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°T-Then¡­ Is it the Three Jewels, then?¡± Betelgeuse asked. The ¡®Three Jewels¡¯ is the title conferred to the three Grandmasters on the continent. ¡°He is above them,¡± Siegfried said while pointing up to the sky. That was right, Deus was closer to a celestial being beyond human realms. Masters and Grandmasters were people who had transcended the mortal coil, but they were nothing but normal humans in front of Deus. ¡°He is¡ª¡± Siegfried started, but he was quickly shot down by the Sword Emperor. ¡°Liar, liar, pants on fire!¡± Betelgeuse retorted, ¡°A human stronger than the Five Star Heaven and the Three Jewels? Huh? Can¡¯t you tell a more believable lie?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Look at this punk treating me like a fool just because I favored him a bit. What? Is your master the Demon Lord or something? Ha??You can¡¯t go around telling such lies, you know?¡± Betelgeuse added. It seemed that the Sword Emperor did not believe a single thing Siegfried said, and it also seemed that Deus¡¯ greatness was something unbelievable, even to a member of the Five Star Heaven. ¡°Stoping up with excuses and just be my disciple will you? Hey, I¡¯m not trying to badmouth your master or anything, but he probably lied to you since you are so gullible and innocent. After all, every master would want to look cool to their disciples,¡± Betelgeuse said, trying to convince Siegfried to change his mind. ¡°I have no intentions of doing that, so please go on your way,¡± Siegfried said with a colder voice this time. ¡®I don¡¯t think he is going to believe me even if I exined any further¡­ but how dare he badmouth my master when he is only a Master? How does he n to handle things?if my master?gets wind of what he said¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. There was a saying that a puppy would not be scared of a tiger, and this was a saying that fitted Betelgeuse perfectly well. However, his reaction was somewhat understandable since Deus¡¯ greatness was already in the realm of impossibility. ¡°Then, I will continue what I was doing,¡± Siegfried politely said before he took his tools out from his bag and continued to harvest the Mutated Wolves¡¯ hides and fangs. ¡°What the hell is this guy¡­?¡± Betelgeuse muttered in disbelief while looking at Siegfried. How was it possible for a man to be so direct and straightforward? However, Siegfried¡¯s temperament did nothing but make him look much more favorable in the Sword Emperor¡¯s eyes. ¡®No, this just proves that he is a man of character. He got upset because I badmouthed his master. And the fact that he refused my offer and decided to remain with his worthless master is proof of his loyalty, and since he believed his master¡¯s baseless boasting, it shows that he¡¯s pretty innocent as well. Hoho¡­ look at this guy¡­ He¡¯s a real man!¡¯?Betelgeuse thought while looking at Siegfried with shining eyes. A message suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried. [Alert: The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse likes you!] That was not the only message that popped up. [Alert: The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Affinity with you has increased by +10!] [Alert: The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Affinity with you has increased by +10!] [Alert: The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Affinity with you has increased by +10!] [Alert: The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Affinity with you has increased by +10!] The Sword Emperor¡¯s Affinity with Siegfried went up like crazy. ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s face crumpled. Siegfried was annoyed as he wondered, ¡®I¡¯m busy, and I¡¯m ignoring him right now, so why the hell did his Affinity with me increase all of a sudden?¡¯? It was pretty difficult to raise an NPCs Affinity with a yer, so it was rare to receive a message alerting a yer of an NPC¡¯s increase in Affinity with them. Why? That was because it would be too easy for the yers to coax the NPCs if it were that easy to raise their Affinity with them, and since BNW strived to be as realistic as possible, they made sure that doing that would be difficult. But despite all that, the fact that an NPC¡¯s Affinity with him had increased could only mean that the NPC was really interested in building ties with him. It also meant that Betelgeuse¡¯s opinion of Siegfried was iron-d. ¡®I hope he doesn¡¯t continue to cling onto me¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought, annoyed. While he was deep in his thoughts, a roar reverberated from somewhere. ¡°Kruuuuwaaaaaaaaah!¡± ¡®What the hell was that?¡¯? Siegfried immediately turned toward where the roar came from, and his eyes grewrge the moment he saw the source of the roar. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a Mutated Tiger!¡± Siegfried eximed in surprise. Arge ck tiger was rushing toward him in the distance. Grip¡­! Siegfried tightly gripped his steel rod as he prepared for the charging predator. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

¡°T-Tiger¡­? It¡¯s a tiger!¡± ¡°A Mutated Tiger appeared!¡± ¡°Everyone! Run away! Run for your lives!¡± The hunters ran away as fast as they could. ¡°Hurry up! Hurry up and run away! Hurry!¡± Even the ranch owner, Grandpa Bukati shouted as he dragged his old body away. However, these people were actually being foolish since it seemed that they had forgotten who was in this ce as well. Even though he might not be as amazing as Deus, Betelgeuse was still a Five Star Heaven, so a Mutated Tiger was something he could easily handle with a flick of his finger. However, Grandpa Bukati and the hunters ran away because of the fear of tigers ingrained in them. After all, a tiger was considered to be the strongest predator out there if monsters were excluded from the list, and the fact that such a fierce predator was even mutated by an unknown energy only made it even more vicious and dangerous. A Mutated Tiger was iparably much more dangerouspared to the likes of Mutated Wolves. ¡°Hoho!¡± Betelgeuseughed, seemingly amused by the Mutated Tiger. ¡°Hmm¡­ The world really seems to be messed up these days judging by the fact that these kinds of rubbish keep showing up,¡± he grumbled before turning around to Siegfried and saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I can easily take care of that oversized cat myself¡ªhuh? Where did he go?¡± However, Siegfried was no longer there, and that was because¡­ ¡°Hey! Where are you going?!¡± Betelgeuse shouted when he saw Siegfried running toward the Mutated Tiger. *** Siegfried was being reckless. He was Level 10, and¡­ [Mutated Tiger] [A tiger mutated by an unknown power.] [Level: 25] [Ability: Dark Attribute Attacks] The Mutated Tiger was fifteen levels higher than him. On top of that, the ck tiger that resembled a panther had the ability to deal dark attribute attacks. A dark attribute attack had the ability to debuff its enemy and wear them down. It was evident that the Mutated Tiger was too much for the Level 10 Siegfried to handle. But he still bravely charged toward the Mutated Tiger, even though he was aware of it. ¡®Let¡¯s test and see if I can ovee a 15-level difference,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He wanted to know if he had the capability to surpass level gaps, and he wanted to feel it with his own body. ¡®There¡¯s no harm even if I die this time since most of my items are trash anyway. The 49 hours I¡¯ll have to wait is a bit of a waste, but I¡¯ll just think of it as an opportunity cost to test my limits¡­¡¯? The penalty he would receive for dying was going to be insignificant since he was still a low-leveled user. However, he knew he had nothing to lose, and this was why he was able to quickly make the decision to charge recklessly at the Mutated Tiger. *** Betelgeuse grimaced after seeing Siegfried rushing toward the Mutated Tiger. ¡°How foolish! You shouldn¡¯t do something so reckless out of overconfidence! Don¡¯t get too cocky! Your recklessness will get you killed before you can even achieve your full potential!¡± he eximed. Siegfried looked nothing but reckless in his eyes right now. To him, Siegfried was nothing more than an overconfident greenhorn rushing to his demise. Betelgeuse could tell that Siegfried wasn¡¯t strong enough to face the Mutated Tiger no matter his talent. ¡°I should go and save that punk before something happens¡­¡± Betelgeuse muttered and pulled out his gigantic sword. Flinch! However, he suddenly stopped moving. ¡°B-But¡­ I¡¯m curious¡­!¡± he eximed. He wanted to personally witness Siegfried¡¯s limits. ¡°He is the best one I had seen among my disciple candidates, and I¡¯m sure that he will once again amaze me by showing me the depths of his limits¡­!¡± Betelgeuse muttered. Curiosity. That¡¯s right, the Sword Emperor wanted to witness the limits of the greenhorn who captivated him in an instant. ¡°Hmm¡­ let¡¯s just watch for now. Ehem¡­?Ehem¡­?He wille back to life even if he dies anyway,¡± Betelgeuse murmured as he watched over the battle between the Mutated Tiger and Siegfried. *** The fight between the Mutated Tiger and Siegfried was fun; no, it was freaking fun to be more precise. ¡°Oh? Well, look at this punk,¡± Betelgeuse muttered, seemingly in awe. ¡°Is his reaction speed for real??Hoho. Not bad for a greenhorn. His control over his body is pretty amazing for his age as well. He looks as if he is controlling his body however he wants, and that¡¯s not something anyone can achieve unless they had gone through excruciating pain. How tough was the training he had gone through¡­?¡± Betelgeuse muttered. He could roughly tell just how much of a torture the kind of training Siegfried had to endure to reach his current status. Betelgeuse was severelyckingpared to Siegfried¡¯s master¡ªDeus¡ªbut he was still perceptive enough as a Master. ¡°He can perceive the gap between him and his enemy as well?!¡± Betelgeuse eximed in admiration. The ability to perceive the gap between oneself and one¡¯s enemy was an ability only Masters or those on the brink of bing a Master possessed. It was an ability to instantly perceive every single thing about the enemy such as their height, weight, joints, attack range, and everything else to calcte how much space one had to keep between them and the enemy. This ability allowed one topletely dominate the battle, and it was one of those things that were easy to say but difficult to do. It was easy for anyone to estimate the reach of weapons such as swords, spears, clubs, etc, and use it to their advantage, but the ability to make a decision after factoring in every single detail about their enemy was something entirely different. It was an ability that would take years for most people to master and use inbat. However, the greenhorn, Siegfried, was doing it right now. Whoosh! The Mutated Tiger swung its front paw. Siegfried dashed closer to the Mutated Tiger to avoid its attack, and he immediately counterattacked in close range. Those unfamiliar withbat would say that Siegfried was rushing to his death since getting closer to an enemy much stronger than oneself was a risky thing to do. After all, he was getting closer to the tiger when he should be creating more distance between them. However, certain people on a certain level, like Betelgeuse for example, saw it in a different way. ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s only possible since he can read his opponent¡¯s attack! That¡¯s the right choice. Excellent!¡± Betelgeuse eximed. Siegfried¡¯s decision toe closer to the Mutated Tiger did not seem reckless at all in the eyes of the Sword Emperor. In fact, he could immediately tell that what Siegfried did was the right choice. Why? It was all because even though it seemed dangerous toe closer to the Mutated Tiger, the tiger¡¯s body structure actually made it the safest ce for him at the moment. ¡°It seemed that his master isn¡¯t a nobody, at the very least. He taught him the basics very well. Hmm¡­ his master must be someone that is close to reaching the level of a Master¡­¡± Betelgeuse muttered. The Sword Emperor had to admit that Siegfried¡¯s master wasn¡¯t someone ordinary thanks to Siegfried¡¯s showcase of his abilities. ¡°Hmph! He is still a liar though. How dare he exaggerate his abilities to that na?ve and gullible kid? Tsk tsk¡­ what a pitiful man.¡± Betelgeuse grumbled while expressing his displeasure at Siegfried¡¯s master. After all, it was impossible to imagine that there was a person greater than the Grandmasters of the continent. *** What Betelgeuse had observed was true. Siegfried was using the perception ability his master had taught him to gain the upper hand against the Mutated Tiger. Siegfried avoided every single one of the Mutated Tiger¡¯s attacks bybining the ability to control his body as he wanted and the ability to perceive his enemy¡¯s attacks. Puk! Pukeok! He smashed his steel rod into the Mutated Tiger¡¯s head numerous times and dealt a decent amount of damage to the tiger. In fact, he was dealing an amount of damage an ordinary Level 10 yer couldn¡¯t deal thanks to thebination of Smite, Circle of Mortality, and Circle of Weakness. [Mutated Tiger] [HP: ??????????] Thanks to that, the Mutated Tiger¡¯s HP quickly fell by nearly sixty percent ever since the battle started, and as long as the battle continued to progress like this, Siegfried¡¯s overwhelming victory would be inevitable. However¡­ Swaaaak! Blood spurted out from Siegfried¡¯s chest. ¡°Keuk!¡±?Siegfried groaned. He immediately jumped back and created some distance between himself and the tiger. [You have been hit by a dark attribute attack!] [Warning! All of your stats have fallen by 3%! This debuff will persist for the next 10 seconds!] However, it was already toote¡ªhe had already gotten hit by the Mutated Tiger¡¯s debuff ability. Grit¡­ Siegfried gnashed his teeth while thinking, ¡®My body is not listening to me. I think I¡¯m already at my limit¡­¡¯ His weakened body wasn¡¯t reacting fast enough to hismands anymore, and every single one of his muscles was screaming. He felt like his lungs were about to explode, and he was finding it harder to breathe. In the end, his Stamina ended up holding him back. [You are bleeding!] [Warning! Your HP will slowly deplete!] On top of the debuff, he was bleeding as well. [HP -10] [HP -10] [HP -10] He was losing 10 HP per second. ¡°Grrr¡­!¡±?The Mutated Tiger let out a low threatening growl as if it were aware of Siegfried¡¯s current condition. It seemed that the instincts of a predator identifying a weakened prey had kicked in. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Siegfried gnashed his teeth and gripped his steel rod tighter. ¡°Do you really think you can kill me just because I¡¯m in this state?¡± he added. Siegfried did not give up. His body might have reached its limits, but he had no ns to be the tiger¡¯s meal for the day. ¡°Come at me.¡± Siegfried taunted the Mutated Tiger. ¡°Grrr¡­!¡±?The Mutated Tiger growled, but it didn¡¯t fall for Siegfried¡¯s taunt. It seemed that the tiger was a bit scared of carelessly getting close to Siegfried after being one-sidedly pummeled by thetter¡¯s steel rod. As such, it did not immediately rush in, even though it managed tond a hit on Siegfried. The Mutated Tiger disyed its intellect. It waited until Siegfried was exhausted. ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Siegfried smirked and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want toe¡­ then I will go to you, then.¡± He started walking toward the Mutated Tiger. *** ¡°W-What!¡± Betelgeuse shouted with his eyes wide open while observing the battle between the Mutated Tiger and Siegfried. ¡°Just where did this crazy punke from?¡± he eximed once again. The reason the Sword Emperor was so shocked was that thebat style Siegfried had used against the Mutated Tiger was quite¡­ dynamic. The battle between the Mutated Tiger and Siegfried was a fight to the death; no, rather, it was more urate to describe it as a messy brawl to the death. Their HP had fallen below fifty percent, and they threw everything they got as they fought with the aim to kill their opponent through whatever means necessary. The battle between the two was pretty intense. How intense you ask? Well¡­ Crack¡­ Crack¡­! ¡°Krruwaaaah!¡±?The Mutated Tiger roared in agony. Crack¡­! Siegfried wrapped his arm around the tiger¡¯s neck, trying to strangle it to death. ¡°H-He is even using his teeth?!¡± Betelgeuse eximed in surprise and admiration at the sight of Siegfried biting the Mutated Tiger¡¯s neck. A human biting a tiger¡¯s neck instead of the other way around was truly a strange sight. ¡°Ooooh! Oooooh!¡± Betelgeuse was awed by Siegfried¡¯s scrappy fighting style. ¡°This kid! This kid is really something else! He¡¯s amazing! He¡¯s awesome! AWESOME! Kwuhahahaha!¡± he eximed before boisterouslyughing. To be honest, which crazy bastard in the world would even think of biting a tiger¡¯s neck in the first ce? The courage and bravery Siegfried was showing¡ªit was something most people would never imagine, even in their wildest dreams. His thirst for victory. His hatred for defeat. His obsession for survival. Lastly, his unyielding spirit. The Siegfried who Betelgeuse was seeing right now wasn¡¯t just talented, but he was also born with all of the prerequisites required for someone to be a powerful being. ¡°I will certainly¡ªwithout a doubt¡ªdo everything in my power¡ªto make you my disciple!¡± Betelgeuse eximed as hearts started to appear in his eyes. [Alert: The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Affinity with you has increased by +1,000!] [Warning: The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Affinity with you is too high!] [Warning: The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Affinity with you has changed from ¡®Interested¡¯ to ¡®Obsessed¡¯.] These messages suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried, who was in the middle of a fight to the death with the Mutated Tiger. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief at the messages. He was so bbergasted by the messages that he almost let go of the Mutated Tiger¡¯s neck. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Arge body fell to the ground. Thud! The sound was proportionate to the body¡¯srge size. ¡°Keuh¡­ Grrr¡­¡±?The Mutated Tiger gasped for air. It was still breathing, but it had no more strength to stand up. ¡°I won, you bastard¡­?Haa¡­ Ha¡­¡± Siegfried huffed and puffed. He was currently a bloody mess. The wound he had sustained from fighting the Mutated Tiger was one thing, but the real mess was his bloodied face. ¡°Ugh¡­?My teeth¡­¡± he moaned while massaging his chin. A human¡¯s teeth were weak, and their jaws were much weakerpared to an animal¡¯s jaws. However, Siegfried used his teeth to bite through the tiger¡¯s thick hide doing his best to make a tear, so his teeth would obviously hurt. Every single one of his teeth was shaking, and it was a miracle they were still there. At the end of the day, this was still a virtual reality game, and he could simply drink a few bottles of potions to recover. [Siegfried] [HP: ??????????] He only had ten percent of his HP left, and he would have probably lost to the Mutated Tiger if it weren¡¯t for his innate endurance andpetitiveness. ¡°Let me get you out of your misery now.¡± Siegfried gripped his steel rod tightly. ¡°Grrr¡­!¡±?The Mutated Tiger let out a low growl in response, but it did not show any signs of resistance as if it knew that its time hade. ¡°Goodbye, it was a good fight. Let me send you off in one clean strike,¡± Siegfried said before smashing his steel rod into the tiger¡¯s skull. Pukeok! [You have sessfully hunted a Mutated Tiger!] [Experience Points +1,000] [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 11!] Siegfried obtained a huge amount of experience points thanks to hunting an enemy with a higher level than him, and the Rune of Insight at the back of his left hand let out a bright glow to signal that he had leveled up. *** Thud¡­! Siegfried sat on the ground before grumbling, ¡°Ah¡­ This is killing me¡­¡± He won against the Mutated Tiger, but it hadn¡¯t been an easy fight since he ended up bing a bloody mess, but it was undeniably a tremendous achievement. A normal Level 10 yer would have to team up with at least three other Level 10 yers to hunt a lone Mutated Tiger after all. ¡°Hahaha! Hahahaha!¡± Siegfriedughed¡­ like a moron. He wasughing really loud to express how much fun he was having. ¡®Alright, I can say that I have tested my abilities out. My physical abilities are¡­ pretty good. It¡¯s better than what I had expected,¡¯?Siegfried thought. Without relying too much on the Debuff Master¡¯s skills, he was able to test the limits of his physical prowess through the battles he fought against the Mutated Wolves and a Mutated Tiger. The result was truly surprising. ¡®Master¡¯s quenching and tempering processbined with the Ogre¡­ Those two thingspletely changed me. I¡¯m no longer the old Tae-Sung¡­ I¡¯m Siegfried!¡¯?he thought while clenching his fists. Siegfried could feel that he was no longer the old Elemental Mage Tae-Sung. He had be a different person. He also realized something else... ¡®Strength is very important, but my Stamina has to support me as well. It won¡¯t matter how good I am at controlling my body if my Strength and Stamina could not keep up with it. My control also became pretty much useless the moment my stats failed to keep up. The basics are important¡­ But I need to make sure that my Stamina can keep up with me.¡¯? He arrived at this conclusion after personally experiencing what ack of stats could do to someone, and he was absolutely right. Why? It did not matter how much his mana and skills could amplify his damage since the percentage increase depended on the initial attack¡¯s damage. A person with more Strength but less mana was bound to deal more damage than someone with more mana but less Strength. ¡°I should continue to focus on my Strength for the time being¡ª¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Hey! You were awesome!¡± Betelgeuse interrupted Siegfried¡¯s thoughts with his loud praises while walking toward thetter. ¡°You seem to be reflecting on the battle even though the battle has just ended. My, my, I can¡¯t believe how diligent you are! Hohoho! I have taken a liking to you! I like you! You truly deserve to be my disciple! Ahuehuehuehuehuehue!¡± Betelgeuse let out a strange creepyugh. ¡°No, I¡ª¡± Siegfried muttered. However, he was interrupted by Betelgeuse once again. ¡°What is your name? It seems that I still haven¡¯t asked your name yet!¡± ¡°My name is Siegfried,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Siegfried!¡± Betelgeuse eximed and nodded in satisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly bbergasted by the old man¡¯s words. ¡°I will force you to be my disciple no matter what!¡± Betelgeuse dered. A message suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried. [The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse is currently Obsessed with you!] ¡®What the heck¡­? What do you mean by obsessed? It hasn¡¯t even been that long since we met¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He had to focus on getting stronger, so even a beautiful woman throwing herself to him would be nothing but an annoying distraction for him, but to think that an old man was trying to force himself on him¡­ ¡°I have told you before that I am not interested,¡± Siegfried said with a strict tone. His voice seemed like he was drawing a line between them. ¡°Whyyy? Don¡¯t be like that and just give it a try¡­?Pwetty, pwease?¡± Betelgeuse acted cute and added, ¡°Just be my disciple, pweash?¡± ¡°I refuse,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Come on, think about it. Bing a Grandmaster won¡¯t be just a dream if the skills I dedicated my entire life to and your talent werebined¡­¡± Betelgeuse said. However, Siegfried directly ignored and walked past him to continue harvesting the hides and fangs of the Mutated Wolves. ¡°Hey! Are you ignoring me?! Ha? Is that it?!¡± Betelgeuse shouted. The Sword Emperor tried to sound as threatening as he could, but Siegfried continued to ignore him. Seuk¡­ Seuk¡­ Siegfried was fully immersed in harvesting the hides and fangs. After all, they would be his main source of ie for now. ¡®It¡¯s better to ignore a barking dog,¡¯?he thought. Other people would be astounded if they found out what he was thinking, but Betelgeuse was nothing but a barking dog to Siegfried right now. After all, his one and only master was the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus. *** . On the way back to town¡­ ¡°Hey, Siegfried. Answer me will you? Pweasshh!?What did I do wrong? Just tell me what I did wrong, and I will apologize for it,¡± Betelgeuse pleaded while squirming and acting cute. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to go eat something yummy, my lovely Siegfried?¡± Betelgeuse asked in a nasal voice. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Or do you want me to buy you an item? I¡¯m pretty rich, you know?¡± Betelgeuse said with a smirk. Siegfried almost replied when the Sword Emperor offered to buy him items, but he soon snapped out of it and decided to continue ignoring the old man. ¡®I¡¯ll eventually earn money anyway. I can¡¯t betray my master over spare change,¡¯?he thought. It seemed that he could resist the temptation of items thanks to his never-ending reverence and loyalty toward his master, and the fact that his future was basically guaranteed under Deus yed a huge role in it as well. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that and just hear me out. Just an hour will do¡ªno, thirty minutes will do¡­!¡± Betelgeuse said as he persistently followed Siegfried on the way back to town. ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a drink somewhere nice¡ªno, a cup of tea will do since we are going to be seriously discussing our future together,¡± Betelgeuse pleaded. ¡°Ah, I said, please leave me alone and go,¡± Siegfried curtly replied. It seemed that he was reaching the limits of his patience as well. He tried to put up with the old man¡¯s stubbornness, but it seemed that he had to draw the line right there and then. ¡°I have no ns of learning anything under a weakling like you, old man. Go and be a Grandmaster at the very least, if you really want me to even consider it,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°W-Weakling¡­? Who? Me?¡± Betelgeuse was stupefied. ¡°Yes, I might consider it if a Grandmaster personally came and begged me, but a Master? Ha¡­ please don¡¯t make meugh¡­ sheesh¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled to himself, but his voice was a bit loud in hopes that the old man would hear his grumblings. ¡®Just go away¡­ damn it¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought, hoping that his words had hurt the Sword Emperor¡¯s pride enough for him to leave. Surprisingly, his n seemed to be working¡­ ¡°A Grandmaster¡­ Grandmaster¡­¡± Betelgeuse mumbled to himself with a dark expression, and then he continued mumbling, ¡°Hehe¡­ a Grandmaster¡­ Grandmaster¡­¡± The realm of Grandmaster was a realm the Sword Emperor strived for his entire life. Betelgeuse wasn¡¯t alone in front of that wall. There were countless other Masters in history that had their growth stunted by that insurmountable wall, and this was the cruel reality for those aiming for the pinnacle of strength. ¡®Since when did I get so discouraged that I abandoned my goal of bing a Grandmaster¡­? That was my lifelong dream and my reason for living¡­¡¯?Betelgeuse thought. All of a sudden Siegfried¡¯s harsh words seemed to have made the Sword Emperor realize something as thetter started to self-reflect. ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ I somehow ended up giving up on it without even realizing that I gave up on it. Where did my burning passion from my younger days go? How did I end up giving up on my dream so easily¡­?¡¯?Betelgeuse thought while staring at Siegfried with a strange expression. ¡®What the heck? What¡¯s wrong with him? Was I too harsh on him¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. The Sword Emperor suddenly stopped and stared at the sky. ¡®It seems that being harsh worked. That¡¯s why you should have left when I said that you should¡­ tsk¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He then decided to ignore the old man standing in a daze and go on his way after sessfully getting rid of thetter. That was what he thought¡­. *** Unfortunately, it seemed that Siegfried didn¡¯t sessfully get rid of Betelgeuse. Siegfried had left long ago, but Betelgeuse was still standing alone in the middle of the road. ¡°A Grandmaster¡­ Grandmaster¡­¡± Betelgeuse continued to mumble to himself. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Betelgeuse suddenly eximed, seemingly realizing something. ¡°Just you wait and see, punk!¡± Betelgeuse shouted while pointing in the direction where Siegfried had disappeared before saying, ¡°I will work my butt off to be a Grandmaster! Then, I swear that I will force you to be my disciple! Let¡¯s see what happens, then! Hehehe¡­! Will you be able to act so haughty by then? I will tie you down once I be a Grandmaster!¡± The Sword Emperor was straying from the normal path and was descending to madness without even realizing it himself. After all, his renewed vigor and reason for striving to be a Grandmaster was all because of some young greenhorn. Siegfried¡¯s words seemed to have rekindled the embers of passion in the old man¡¯s heart, and the realization the old man had gained today seemed to foreshadow something. ¡°Hehe¡­ Hehehe¡­ I will do whatever it takes to force you to be my disciple. I will be a Grandmaster, and then¡­ Ehehehehe¡­ Huehuehuehue!¡± Betelgeuseughed creepily. Oh, his eyes seemed bloodshot for some reason as well. ¡°Hmm¡­ where should I go now? I should go to a ce with fresh air and crystal clear water if I want to train¡­¡± Betelgeuse muttered before he suddenly thought of the perfect ce. ¡°Ah! That ce! That ce will be a fitting training ground for me. Alright! I will definitelye back as a Grandmaster¡­ and then¡­ Siegfried¡­ hehe¡­ my lovely Siegfried¡­ hehehehe¡­!¡± The Sword Emperor of the Five Star Heaven started his journey to bing a Grandmaster. *** Thud! A heavy pouchnded on the counter table, and it was a pouch filled to the brim with gold coins. ¡°Here you go,¡± Jericho said, and then he added, ¡°You really did a great job today.¡± ¡°You are praising me too much,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I heard that you managed to kill a Mutated Tiger as well.¡± Jericho pointed out. ¡°Ah,?yes¡­¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. ¡°Amazing¡­ I knew from the start that you weren¡¯t an ordinary novice. I can see that your name will spread all over the continent in just a few years,¡± Jericho said. ¡°Ah¡­ there¡¯s no way that will happen,¡± Siegfried said. He was pretending to be humble while thinking, ¡®I hope so, too.¡¯ He was hoping that Jericho¡¯s words woulde to fruition. ¡°Then, what do you n to do now? Take a break?¡± Jericho asked. ¡°Yes, I n to rest for a while,¡± Siegfried said while nodding in response, and then he added, ¡°It was a tough day after all.¡± It had truly been a tough day. Fighting against a pack of Mutated Wolves had mentally exhausted him, but he immediately fought to the death against a Mutated Tiger. ¡°Alright then, thank you for your hard work today. See you tomorrow,¡± Jericho said. ¡°Yes, thank you for your hard work, too,¡± Siegfried replied. He took the pouch filled with gold with him and logged out. *** The next morning, Siegfried went back to the Mercenary Guild after getting enough rest. His n was to basically clock in at the Mercenary Guild every day from now on since he wanted to focus on raising his level. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here? Good morning!¡± Jericho weed Siegfried before asking, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early, though? You could have gotten more rest.¡± ¡°I still have a long way to go,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Oh¡­ To think that you are diligent on top of being talented. Haha! You are truly a difficult-to-find young man in this day and age. Alright, let me see if there¡¯s any work I can give you today¡­¡± Jericho said as he went through the stack of requests. All of a sudden, the Mercenary Guild¡¯s door swung open. Bam! A blood-soaked man rushed into the building and shouted, ¡°I-It¡¯s an emergency!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Siegfried looked at the blood-soaked man and muttered when he recognized thetter, ¡°The hunter¡­?¡± The bloodied man was none other than one of the hunters guarding Grandpa Bukati¡¯s ranch. ¡°Y-You¡¯re here!¡± the hunter eximed. ¡°Yes, I am¡­?¡± Siegfried replied, seemingly confused. ¡°It¡¯s an emergency! Something bad happened!¡± the hunter shouted at the top of his lungs. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

¡°What do you mean, emergency?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°T-That is¡­! All sorts of Mutated Creatures areing to the ranch! The ranch is being ravaged right now! A lot of people are dying! We have to hurry up and help!¡± the hunter cried out. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. He found the hunter¡¯s words to be hard to believe since it was difficult to say that all Mutated Creatures were aggressive mobs even though the unknown energy had mutated the creatures. The Mutated Creatures had the tendency to seek fights, but they were not the type to go out of their way to look for humans to attack. The Mutated Wolves and the Mutated Tiger were exceptions since they were carnivorous predators even before they got mutated, but the hunter just mentioned that ¡®all sorts¡¯ of mutated creatures were attacking the ranch. This meant that there was a variety of Mutated Creatures attacking, which Siegfried could not help but find strange. ¡°Are you saying that the Mutated Creatures ambushed the ranch?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! All sorts of creatures are gathering, it doesn¡¯t matter whether they are carnivores or herbivores! They are gathering at the ranch! Hurry, we have to go help!¡± the hunter eximed. ¡°Are you telling me that a monster wave broke out?¡± Siegfried asked. A monster wave was a phenomenon where monsters grouped up to attack human settlements. ¡°T-That¡¯s right! Yes, a monster wave! A monster wave is happening at the ranch right now!¡± the hunter hurriedly replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried said as he headed for the door. ¡°Do you really n on going?¡± Jericho asked. ¡°Yes, I will go and try to resolve the situation,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Ah,?thank you very much. Then, I hope that you can resolve it,¡± Jericho said. Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Rescue Operation¡¯!] The quest was quite simple. [Rescue Operation] [Type: Normal Quest] [Details: Rescue the ranch workers at Grandpa Bukati¡¯s ranch from the Mutated Creatures and safely escort them to the Biermann Territory.] [Progress: 0%] [Reward: 50 Gold] [Warning: This quest will be considered a failure if you fail to rescue at least five people.] The quest reward was quite generous. 50 Gold. A single piece of gold coin on the Trade Mania website was worth $47.70, and this meant that fifty gold was worth around two million and five hundred thousand won at today¡¯s exchange rate. ¡°Then, I will try to gather as many mercenaries and Adventurers as I can find!¡± Jericho said before he looked at the hunter and added, ¡°And you should go to the lord and tell him what¡¯s happening! We will need the army if we want to have any chance against a monster wave.¡± ¡°A-Alright! I will immediately go to the castle and tell the lord!¡± the hunter replied before running out of the door. ¡°Will you be alright?¡± Jericho asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Siegfried confidently replied. A monster wave was actually something that Siegfried was d to face since he wouldn¡¯t have to scour around the hunting ground to look for monsters. The monster wave could be hell for the NPCs, but it was theplete opposite for Siegfried. After all, everyone had their own opinion. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way, so I can send reinforcements as soon as possible,¡± Jericho said. ¡°Okay,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Be careful out there. I know that you are an immortal, but death is still painful¡­ not that I know how it feels since I haven¡¯t died yet,¡± Jericho said. ¡°Thank you for worrying about me,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. He then left the Mercenary Guild and headed for the ranch while thinking, ¡®Something doesn¡¯t feel right¡­ a bunch of mutated animals caused a monster wave¡­? Had there ever been such a case before¡­?¡¯ Something felt off. *** The ranch had transformed intoplete pandemonium just like what the hunter said. ¡°Kyaaaahk!¡± ¡°H-Help me!¡± ¡°Somebody help me!¡± The ranch workers were running around with injuries and blood all over their bodies. ¡°Mooooo!¡± ¡°Meeeeeeh!¡± ¡°Oink! Oink!¡± The cows, sheep, and pigs at the ranch were also running around trying to avoid the Mutated Predators. The whole ranch was in total chaos with everyone and everything running around, and the lush green grass was dyed red from blood. On top of that, the sight could only be described as grotesque with the addition of the cries of the Mutated Animals and the way they aggressively hunted down the ranch workers and livestock. ¡°Why are there so many of them¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered while counting the Mutated Creatures. On top of that, what surprised him the most was the fact that there were small monsters such as the Mutated Rabbits and Mutated Squirrels along withrge ferocious predators like the Mutated Panthers running around, and all of these monsters seemed to number over a hundred at least. ¡®A bunch of Mutated Creatures caused a monster wave? Is this even possible when they are all different monsters¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He could not understand what was going on in front of him. However, he did not have the time to continue wondering. ¡®The people are in danger!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly. He quickly moved to rescue the NPCs since his quest was to rescue them. ¡°Hurry up and escape! I will hold them off!¡± Siegfried eximed. ¡°T-Thank you¡­!¡± a ranch worker said before he hurriedly ran away. Siegfried wouldn¡¯t be able to save everyone, but he still tried his best as he ran here and there to save anyone he could save. However, his efforts proved insufficient. ¡®I can¡¯t save everyone with my current strength¡­!¡¯?Siegfried thought. There were simply too many monsters for him to handle alone and on top of that¡­ Rumble¡­ rumble¡­ rumble¡­? A herd of Mutated Bisons numbering more than twenty suddenly appeared out of nowhere and wreaked havoc across the ranch. Now, the entire ranch was on the verge ofplete destruction. ¡®I guess I have no choice¡­¡¯?he thought. Siegfried epted the fact that he could not save everyone and decided to retreat, and this was something that angered him inside. However, he made this choice since he judged that he should at least be Level 50 if he were to single-handedly handle a monster wave of this scale regardless of whether he was the Debuff Master or not. ¡°Run away! I will try to hold them off here!¡± Siegfried shouted as he positioned himself at the end of the ranch and held off the monsters. Then, a bunch of messages popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: The Biermann Territory citizens¡¯ Affinity with you has increased by +10!] [Alert: The increase of the Biermann Territory citizens¡¯ Affinity with you has increased your Fame by +10!] [Alert: The increase of the Biermann Territory citizens¡¯ Affinity with you has increased your Fame by +10!] It was the reward for doing a good deed. The Affinity of N¨¹rburgians (NPC) with an Adventurer (yer) would increase whenever the yers helped the NPCs out, and thetter¡¯s Fame would increase as well. The effect of Affinity was simple. A yer would receive various kinds of help from the NPCs and even get exclusive information from them. In the case of Fame, a yer would have more ess to a plethora of different quests the higher their Fame. However, this effect was somewhat redundant since a famous Adventurer was bound to receive more requests. The Affinity and Fame system worked just like in reality, and the only difference was that the Affinity of NPCs with Adventurers could be seen through a message notification. Any good deed was bound to be rewarded whether it was in BNW or in the real world, but of course, there were times when a person was required to be cold and cruel as well. *** The retreat was sessful. ¡°Damn it¡­! I won¡¯t be able tost longer than this¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He could feel that he was reaching his limits. Suddenly¡­ ¡°Hiya! Hiya!¡± ¡°Cavalry forward! Charge!¡± ¡°We will cut their advance here! Don¡¯t let them take a step further than this!¡± The army of the Biermann Territory made their appearance just in time as they fended off the monsters¡¯ advance, although there were only three knights and two hundred soldiers in their ranks. ¡°I almost died¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he let out a sigh of relief. [Siegfried] [HP: ??????????] His HP was below 10% once again, and this was the second time he almost died in a single day. However, the risk was worth it considering the reward. [You have leveled up!] [You have reached Level 12!] [You have leveled up!] [You have reached Level 13!] [You have leveled up!] [You have reached Level 14!] He leveled up three times at once after gaining a huge amount of experience points from fending off the Mutated Animals while helping the civilians escape. On top of that, he sessfully cleared the quest ¡®Rescue Operation¡¯ as well. [Alert: You have sessfullypleted the Quest: ¡®Rescue Operation¡¯!] [Alert: You have rescued a total of 11 people!] [Alert: Go to the Mercenary Guild and collect your reward from the guild receptionist, Jericho!] He would naturallyplete the quest after rescuing an additional six people from the five required by the quest. ¡°I leveled up andpleted the quest as well¡­ but something still feels off. A bunch of Mutated Creatures triggered a monster wave¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered to himself while watching the cavalry sweep the monsters. He could not shake off the feeling that there was more to this¡­ ¡°I think that there¡¯s somebody behind this¡­ is it a Monster Tamer? No¡­ why the hell would a Monster Tamer waste their time and skill on Mutated Creatures¡­? That¡¯s just trolling¡­¡± he muttered. A Monster Tamer was a rare ss, and it would be just a waste of their time and ss to tame Mutated Creatures. ¡°Ah, forget about it. Let¡¯s just go and rest,¡± he said with a sigh as he decided to leave the battlefield and set aside those thoughts for another time. He had to rest since he could feel a nosebleeding from fighting for three consecutive hours while protecting the civilians at the ranch at the same time. Siegfried felt mentally and physically drained from protecting them. ¡°Log out,¡± Siegfried muttered. He logged out from the game. *** Three hourster, Siegfried logged back in and found that the situation was still ongoing. The guild receptionist, Jericho, came to the inn where Siegfried was staying. ¡°Hey, Siegfried. We have a problem. The Mutated Creatures are still gathering at the ranch,¡± he said. ¡°Still?¡± Siegfried asked in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s right. A call to arms has been issued all over the territory,¡± Jericho said. ¡°That sounds really serious¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°We need your help once again,¡± Jericho said in a respectful but desperate voice. ¡°I know it won¡¯t be enough just to have you, but we will need every hand we can get, especially from someone like you. Our territory is located in the most rural of the rural areas, and we don¡¯t even have a single piece of magic equipment to send a message outside. It will take us at least a week to get any help from outside,¡± Jericho exined. ¡°I will help,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Will you really do that?¡± Jericho asked. ¡°Of course¡­¡± Siegfried confidently replied. ¡°Alright, I will discuss it with the higher-ups and make sure that you won¡¯t be disappointed with the rewards,¡± Jericho said. A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes the moment Jericho finished speaking. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Protect The Biermann Territory¡¯!] A continuation of his previous quest started. [Protect The Biermann Territory] [Type: Normal Quest] [Description: Do your best to defend the Biermann Territory until the situation ends.] [Progress: N/A] [Reward: 100 Gold] [Warning: You will have to defend the Biermann Territory with all your heart until the whole situation ends.] The quest''s clear condition was a bit vague, but the gold reward was twice the amount of the previous rescue quest. ¡®This is awesome!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly after seeing the quest reward. ¡°We have decided to select you as the leader of the Adventurers and the mercenaries active in the territory,¡± Jericho said. ¡°Me?¡± Siegfried replied, taken aback. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jericho replied with a nod. ¡°But isn¡¯t my level too low for you to give such a position to me?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°You are the strongest,¡± Jericho said with a straight face. ¡°What?!¡± Siegfried eximed in surprise. ¡°Actually¡­ you are the only one we can actually call an Adventurer in our territory¡­¡± Jericho trailed off. Siegfried immediately understood what he was trying to say, and he could not help but think, ¡®What kind of territory is this¡­? Isn¡¯t this just a vige? No, a vige would be better than this ce¡­!¡¯ Once again, he felt how underdeveloped and rural the Biermann Territory was. *** Siegfried formed a team of adventurers and made his way to the town square to meet up with the mercenaries after epting the quest. p¡­! p¡­! p¡­!? The citizens of Biermann Territory suddenly pped the moment Siegfried arrived in a popted area of the town. [Alert: Congrattions! The citizens of Biermann Territory have taken a liking to you!] [Alert: The Biermann Territory citizens¡¯ Affinity with you has increased by +100!] [Alert: The increase of the Biermann Territory citizens¡¯ Affinity with you has increased your Fame by +100!] [Alert: The Affinity of the Biermann Territory¡¯s citizens with you has been upgraded from ¡®Trust¡¯ to ¡®Respect¡¯!] A bunch of messages notifying him of the increase in these people¡¯s Affinity with him appeared in front of his eyes. ¡®W-What the hell¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He could not help but blush at the sudden attention. His face flushed red since this was his first time seeing so many people pping for him, even though this was just a game. ¡°You are a hero! Our hero!¡± ¡°My daughter survived thanks to you!¡± ¡°Bravo! Bravo!¡± The citizens were pping at Siegfried because he sessfully rescued the ranch workers, and news of his heroic act had spread all over town. ¡°Come to my bar sometime soon! Everything will be on the house!¡± ¡°What a hero!¡± ¡°Do you have¡­ a girlfriend¡­ by any chance¡­?¡± ¡°I want to make you my son-inw!¡± The citizens of Biermann Territory expressed their liking toward him by praising him and patting him on the back as he walked past them. ¡®This is embarrassing¡­ Who knew a day like this woulde to me? Haha¡­¡¯? He tried his best to hide his embarrassment from the crowd, and he earnestly replied to each and every one of the citizens before he made his way to the town square. ¡°You must be that adventurer. It¡¯s nice to meet you, my name is Gazelle. I have heard of your exploits,¡± said a mercenary named Gazelle. ¡°My name is Thompson.¡± ¡°My name is Noowu.¡± The N¨¹rburgian mercenaries introduced themselves and approached him one by one to shake his hand. ¡°Oh, an Asian? Nice to meet you; my name is Jang Man-Bok, and I¡¯m Korean,¡± said an Asian Adventurer. ¡°My name is Expact, an American.¡± ¡°Are you the leader of this squadron? My name is Lowe.¡± The three Adventurers introduced themselves to Siegfried as well. ¡°My name is Siegfried. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all,¡± Siegfried introduced himself to the party members he would be working together with for this quest. ¡°Hey, Siegfried, how do you n to lead us?¡± Thompson asked. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried muttered for a moment before he replied, ¡°Jericho asked me to group up with the soldiers and push the monster wave back.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­ so it¡¯s going to be a simple battle, then?¡± Thompson mumbled. ¡°But I have other ns¡­¡± Siegfried suddenly said. ¡°Hmm?¡± the entire party muttered in surprise at his words. ¡°I n to fight as well, but I¡¯m thinking of investigating rather than fighting,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Investigate? What are you nning to investigate?¡± Thompson asked. ¡°I want to investigate why these Mutated Creatures formed a monster wave,¡± Siegfried said. 1. The exchange rate fluctuates so please don¡¯t think of today¡¯s exchange rate as today or whichever date you are reading this. lol Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Siegfried wanted to know more about the current situation rather than just jump right into the fray, since the fact that the Mutated Creatures had teamed up together and formed a monster wave was something he thought to be impossible. ¡°Something¡¯s strange. There has been no precedent of Mutated Creatures triggering a monster wave ever. That is why I feel that it is important for us to investigate the matter. There are only six of us anyway, so it¡¯s not going to severely affect the territory¡¯s defenses,¡± Siegfried exined. His words made sense. There were only six of them, and none of them were Level 20, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to contribute that much to the defense except for Siegfried. ¡°We will also take some of the monsters out along the way since that will lessen the burden on the territory,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°So, we¡¯re a detached force!¡± Thompson eximed before he asked, ¡°So, we are going to act independently, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea. I also feel that there¡¯s something wrong. It¡¯s exactly as you said, the Mutated Creatures might be aggressive and vicious, but they are not the type to form a monster wave together,¡± Thompson said. ¡°I agree,¡± Gazelle said. ¡°I also agree,¡± Noowu said. ¡°What about you guys?¡± Siegfried asked the Adventurers. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m just a novice so... Haha¡­ I¡¯ll just do as you tell me to,¡± Jang Man-Bok replied. ¡°As you like,¡± Expact said. ¡°We won¡¯t die anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter to me,¡± Lowe replied. There was no way that these three Adventurers would have any opinions on the matter. After all, they were ¡®real¡¯ novices. ¡°Then, I will take it as everyone being in mutual agreement, and I¡¯m going to report this to the captain. We will depart in around thirty minutes, I think? I think that will be enough time for us to get ready,¡± Siegfried said. He obviously had to report his decision to themand center even if he was the leader of the party since a hierarchy existed in a military operation like this. ¡°See you in thirty minutes then,¡± Siegfried said before making his way toward the Biermann Territory¡¯smand center. *** ¡°So you are the adventurer that single-handedly protected Grandpa Bukati¡¯s ranch and helped the workers escape,¡± said Knight Captain Bleigh, who was also the Biermann Territory¡¯smander-in-chief. Knight Captain Bleigh looked like a typical bureaucrat working a desk job. ¡°Did you say that your name was Siegfried?¡± Bleigh asked. ¡°Yes, Sir Bleigh,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Thank you,¡± Bleigh said. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried muttered in confusion. ¡°I wanted to thank you on behalf of the lord and the citizens of Biermann Territory,¡± Bleigh rified. ¡°Ah, you are praising me too much,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Not at all! The disy of courage you showedst time is indeed worthy of praise. I will make sure that your heroic valor will be reported to the lord as soon as we resolve this situation. I will ensure that you will get rewarded for your deeds as well,¡± Bleigh added. ¡°Thank you,¡± Siegfried replied while bowing slightly. ¡°So, for what purpose did youe to find me today?¡± Bleigh asked. ¡°I want to go investigate something,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Investigate?¡± Bleigh muttered. Siegfried¡¯s words seemed to have piqued his interest. ¡°I thought that Mutated Creatures bunching up together and forming a monster wave is something unprecedented,¡± Siegfried exined. ¡°Ah!¡± Bleigh eximed. ¡°On top of that, I find it suspicious that they are only targeting our territory, and that is why I cannot shake off this feeling¡ªthis feeling that there¡¯s somebody behind this,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t thought of that possibility, but it¡¯s a stretch to send out a detachment to investigate¡­¡± Bleigh replied. ¡°I¡¯m certain that it would be difficult for you to lose even a single one of your excellent soldiers,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°It is as you said. We are already stretched thin just by holding these Mutated Creatures back from breaching our walls,¡± Bleigh said with a hint of frustration in his voice. ¡°That is why we would like to volunteer for the task. After all, we are not a part of the main force, and we have never trained alongside the soldiers, so we won¡¯t be a big help in the defense. I think that it might be better for us to go and investigate or disturb the enemies behind enemy lines instead of staying here and defending the walls,¡± Siegfried exined. ¡°Ohhh¡­¡± Bleigh muttered. He looked at Siegfried with eyes filled with interest. ¡°It seems that you have quite the sharp eyes to analyze the situation. I also agree with what you said,¡± Bleigh said. ¡°Then¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while expecting a positive response from themander. ¡°I shall approve your request,¡± Bleigh replied. A message popped up in front of Siegfried. His n to go and get a quest for himself instead of waiting around for a quest tond on hisp seemed to have worked. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Investigate¡¯!] The quest ¡®Rescue Operation¡¯ became a chain of quests, which included the ¡®Protect The Biermann Territory¡¯ and ¡®Investigate.¡¯ [Investigate] [Type: Normal Quest] [Description: Find out the cause that triggered the Mutated Creature¡¯s monster wave.] [Progress: 0%] [Rewards: 200 Gold] [Warning: N/A] ¡®This is a jackpot!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly after seeing the quest reward. The quest was basically a way for Siegfried to hit two birds with one stone since he would level up by hunting monsters in the process of doing the quest. Moreover, he would earn money afterpleting it as well. ¡°I officially appoint you and the others in your squad as a detached force. It might be temporary, but all of your actions will be considered as an official duty under the territory and the kingdom, and you will be protected from any consequences thereafter,¡± Bleigh dered. ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Bleigh,¡± Siegfried said with a bow. ¡°It should be the other way around. You are doing this for our territory, so I should be the one expressing my gratitude for you,¡± Bleigh said with a smile. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Siegfried let out an awkwardugh. ¡°Then, I expect to hear good news from you soon,¡± Bleigh said. ¡°Yes, sir, leave it to me,¡± Siegfried confidently replied. *** Siegfried immediately returned to the fountain at the center of the town square and regrouped with his party members. Afterward, they headed south of the Biermann Territory. There were still around two kilometers left before they arrived at Grandpa Bukati¡¯s ranch, and Siegfried thought while ncing at the map, ¡®The Biermann Territory is over here, and the ranch is over there¡­¡¯ ¡°It seems that the Mutated Creatures are going straight to town in a single line, and they all seem to being from the south,¡± Siegfried said. It was the basics of all basics to assess the situation and analyze the enemy¡¯s movements before engaging inbat. ¡°But they are heading north even though there are other viges on the way. It seems they are purposely targeting the Biermann Territory¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°It is exactly as you said!¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± ¡°So, these monsters are specifically targeting our territory?¡± The party members responded. They found some truth in Siegfried¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s what I think for now, but I think we should go and find out more about it,¡± Siegfried said, and then he added with a voice befitting of a leader, ¡°Let¡¯s continue on and find out more about it. I¡¯m sure we will find something if we trace back where they came from.¡± The Mutated Creatures only had the Biermann Territory in their eyes. *** A few hours passed, and Siegfried and his party passed by the now-devastated ranch of Grandpa Bukati before venturing further south to reach a small territory south of Biermann. The territory was called the Schreyer Territory, and it was a territory as small as the Biermann Territory. However¡­ ¡°W-What the heck¡­?!¡± Siegfried eximed when he saw the entrance to the territory, ¡°Why the hell are goblins over there?¡± The entrance to the Schreyer Territory was guarded by a bunch of goblins rather than humans, but the surprise did not end there. ¡°The goblins are armed? They are wearing armor and are properly armed.¡± Siegfried was astonished. The goblins guarding the entrance to the Schreyer Territory were armed with long spears made out of steel and armor made out of leather just like human soldiers. It was indeed a strange sight. People often said that goblins were intelligent monsters, but the way they armed themselves with what humans often used as armor and weapons was unprecedented. After all, these monsters usually armed themselves with primitive stone tools and loincloths made out of animal hides. However, that wasn¡¯t the end¡­ ¡°Over there! The goblins are dragging out the Mutated Creatures!¡± Thompson eximed while pointing into the distance. The Mutated Creatures that attacked Grandpa Bukati¡¯s ranch were pouring out from the Schreyer Territory. ¡°Kik! Kihit!¡± ¡°Kiiihiiit!¡± ¡°Kik! Kik! Kik!¡± And the goblins were dragging them out. ¡°What the hell¡­? What the hell is going on¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. He could not make heads or tails of the situation. Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of drums being beaten resounded from somewhere, and a group of white goblins emerged from the gates. ¡°Are those Albino Goblins? There are seven of them as well¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief at the sight before him. Albino Goblins were powerful monsters considered ¡®Champion Monsters.¡¯ These goblins possessed white skin just as their names said, and they were monsters capable of dealing lightning attribute damage as opposed to normal goblins. Albino Goblins were considered one of the top-tier variants among the goblins. However, the main issue was the fact that there were seven of them, and that fact alone made the whole entire situation even more suspicious and strange. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Did Baron Peter use ck magic to control the goblins or something¡­?¡± Thompson muttered. ¡°A Monster Tamer, you mean?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yeah, that one,¡± Thompson replied. ¡°There is some logic to it, but a Monster Tamer is a very rare ss, so I doubt they are going to waste their time on goblins,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Is that so?¡± Thompson asked in response. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Siegfried said with a nod. ¡°A Monster Tamer is not going to build their main force with goblins since a goblin is just a goblin no matter how strong they be,¡± Siegfried exined. However, an epiphany suddenly struck Siegfried. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯?he muttered. It was a bad memory he always wanted to forget¡ªa memory akin to a nightmare to Siegfried. ¡°Ah¡­ I hate them¡­ goblins¡­¡± he mumbled. ¡°Hmm? What was that? You don¡¯t like goblins?¡± Thompson tilted his head in confusion. However, Siegfried did not respond to his question. The memory he had with goblins was one of the worst experiences he ever had in his life, and it was also one of the experiences he desperately wanted to forget. ¡®I hate goblins the most in this world¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. Boom! Boom! Boom! Creak¡­ Creak¡­? While Siegfried¡¯s thoughts were wandering, the sound of footsteps and the creaking of a structure could be heard from the gates of the Schreyer Territory. The structure was apanied by goblins standing left and right. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a goblin¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hideous¡­¡± The party members were stupefied at the sight of the ¡®thing¡¯ that exited the gates. Siegfried wasn¡¯t aware of what was going on because he was deeply immersed in his thoughts. ¡®What¡¯s the fuss?¡¯? He turned around to take a look. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief when he saw the structure that came out of the gates, ¡°A pnquin¡­?¡± The structure that came out from the gates was none other than a pnquin being carried by more than fifty goblins, and the creature that was sitting on top of the pnquin was¡­ ¡°A golden goblin¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered. Yes, a shiny goblin covered in gold was sitting on the pnquin. *** ¡°Kihit! Kik! Kik kik kik!?Kihihi?Kihiiiiit!¡±?The crown-wearing golden goblin sitting on the pnquin cried out in an ear-splitting shrieking voice, and the Mutated Creatures started moving at the golden goblin¡¯s shrieks. Siegfried could instantly tell that themand the golden goblin had shrieked out was for them to start marching north. ¡®What the hell is that bastard?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He stretched his left hand toward the golden goblin on the pnquin and activated his Rune of Insight. The golden goblin¡¯s details popped up in front of his eyes. [Gorgo] . [A legendary golden goblin that only appears once in a hundred years. It is extremely intelligent and is much stronger than an average goblin.] [The golden goblin is able to grow stronger without limits, and it can unify the Goblin Tribe Leader under its rule.] [The golden goblin will be the Goblin Lord once it unifies the goblins.] [Level: 50] [Race: Goblin] [Type: Boss] [ss: Goblin Lord] [Attribute: Lightning Attribute/Fire Attribute] [Special Abilities: Mind Control (May only be used on monsters)] It seemed that the golden goblin was a member of the rarest variant of goblins at the pinnacle of all goblins, and it also seemed that it was the Goblin Lord. ¡°A Goblin Lord¡­?Ha¡­ did itmand the goblins to upy the Schreyer Territory and now, it wants to take over the Biermann Territory?¡± Siegfried muttered. After seeing the Goblin Lord, he was finally done analyzing the situation. ¡°It seems that¡¯s what¡¯s going on right now. There¡¯s no other way to exin what¡¯s going on aside from that.?Hmm¡­ then¡ª¡± Siegfried trailed off. ¡°We will have to report this,¡± Thompson concluded Siegfried¡¯s words for him. Siegfried nodded. ¡°So we can prepare for it. We might be able to stop the Mutated Creatures someway and somehow, but once that goblin army attacks, the Biermann Territory will be¡ª¡± ¡°Destroyed in an instant¡­¡± Thompsonpleted Siegfried¡¯s words again. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± Siegfried nodded. He turned around to face the party members and said, ¡°We have to return and report this as soon as possible.¡± Chapter 26

Chapter 26

¡°G-Goblin Lord?¡± Bleigh muttered with his eyes wide open in surprise. ¡°Are you telling me that this is happening because of a Goblin Lord?¡± he asked once more. ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod, and then he exined, ¡°It is a goblin named Gorgo. It possesses a special ability to control the minds of monsters, and I think it has been using that ability to control the Mutated Creatures to expand its forces.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Bleigh muttered and covered his face with his hands before continuing, ¡°To think that a Goblin Lord of all things¡­ If what you say is true then our territory is as good as gone¡­ We don¡¯t have the forces to fight against an enemy like that¡­¡± ¡°Sir Bleigh¡­¡± the soldiers around him muttered. ¡°We might have been able to ask for help from the nearbyrger territories if we had amunication device¡­¡± Bleighmented. He wasmenting the fact that the Biermann Territory was located in an extremely rural area just like the Schreyer Territory. The two territories didn¡¯t have the infrastructure to support anymunication devices. ¡°This is a huge problem¡­ It¡¯s a huge problem¡­ The Goblin Lord itself is already more than what we can handle, but to think that there are seven Albino Goblins on top of that¡­ What should we do?! We might be a small territory, but we still possess three hundred years of history! To think that we will meet our demise at the hands of goblins¡­ how am I supposed to report this to our lord?¡± Bleigh despaired. ¡°We have to stop them,¡± Siegfried said. He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°No matter what it takes¡­¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Bleigh muttered. ¡°I know that it is going to be difficult. I know that, too, but we cannot give up here. And there¡¯s also the possibility that the Gorgo maye after us even after we empty the castle and evacuate all of the citizens¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. Bleigh responded, ¡°We will be¡­ annihted¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied. It became apparent to everyone that their only choice was to stand their ground and fight. ¡°We will have to look for a solution,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Do you think there is a way out of this?¡± Bleigh asked. ¡°There could be a way as long as we can stall for time,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I-Is that true?! Tell me, what is your n? Do you have a concrete n that will get us out of this?!¡± Bleigh eximed. ¡°I am not certain, but we might have a fighting chance,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°What is your n? Hurry up and tell me!¡± Bleigh urged. Their situation was just that dire and desperate. The Knight Captain was trying to grasp a sliver of hope that the greenhorn Adventurer could have a solution to their crisis. ¡°I need time,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°For what? What do you n to do?¡± Bleigh asked. ¡°Time for me to grow stronger,¡± Siegfried replied. He then told themander his n. *** Siegfried¡¯s n was quite simple: 1. Create a detached force to slow down the advancement of the goblin army by killing the Mutated Creatures. 2. Siegfried will try to hit Level 30 while doing that. 3. The territory soldiers and Siegfried, with another Debuff Master skill after hitting Level 30, will fight against Gorgo and his army. The key to his n was stalling for time. ¡°Time for you to grow¡­ That¡¯s right, you people from another world can grow at a ridiculously quick speed thanks to that Rune of Transcendence you possess,¡± Bleigh said as he looked at the Rune of Transcendence engraved in the back of Siegfried¡¯s right hand. The Rune of Transcendence was the rune that gave yers the leveling system, and this rune was also the reason why yers could grow stronger faster than the N¨¹rburgians. ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure if I can hold my own against Gorgo even after growing stronger,¡± Siegfried confessed. He was telling the truth since the book Deus gave him did not provide him even a bit of information regarding his skills until reaching the required level, and it was highly possible that the skill he would get at Level 30 wouldn¡¯t be a cheat skill. However, Siegfried decided to bet on the cheat-like abilities of his ss since he did not really need an overpowered skill to win. After all, the win condition depended on his level. ¡®I could defeat a Level 25 Mutated Tiger at Level 10. It might be possible to ovee a 20-level difference if I fight with the soldiers,¡¯?Siegfried thought. Why, you ask? This was because he knew very well that his ss¡ªthe Debuff Master¡ªhad far greater statspared to other sses in the long run. ¡°However, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible, so would you trust me on this?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Bleigh pondered for a moment before he replied, ¡°I want to¡­ but I can¡¯t make any rash decisions as themander-in-chief¡­¡± There was no way that he could simply leave the fate of the entire territory at the hands of some greenhorn Adventurer, even if that Adventurer were Siegfried, whom he favored greatly. ¡°We have nothing to lose,¡± Siegfried said, trying to convince Bleigh, ¡°You just have to hold out and wait for the reinforcements to arrive if I failed. It would be possible as long as we prepare for the worst-case scenario. We don¡¯t really have any other choice at the moment, and¡­¡± ¡°And¡­?¡± Bleigh muttered expectantly. ¡°I know a way to efficiently fight against Gorgo,¡± Siegfried continued. ¡°I-Is that true?!¡± Bleigh eximed. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Tell me! I will use my rights as themander-in-chief to ept your proposal if you really know how to deal with Gorgo!¡± Bleigh eximed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried started to exin his strategy. Bleigh¡¯s ears twitched a few times while listening to Siegfried¡¯s every single word. *** ¡°Let¡¯s do that!¡± Bleigh shouted with renewed vigor. His dejected face beamed with hope as he shook Siegfried¡¯s hand. ¡°I shall ept your offer!¡± Bleigh eximed. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°There is no need to thank me! Who knew you had such a trick up your sleeve? Haha!¡± Bleigh eximed beforeughing. ¡°I will not go as far as calling it a trick¡­ I just thought that it might work if we do it like that¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Not at all! That is more than enough! We have hope now!¡± Bleigh eximed cheerfully. ¡°I guess you are right,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Alright, you can go ahead and start preparing. You will have to hurry up since you don¡¯t have a lot of time,¡± Bleigh said. ¡°Yes, Sir Bleigh,¡± Siegfried replied. Then, a message popped up in front of his eyes. [Goblin Lord Gorgo] [Type: Normal Quest] [Details: Kill the Goblin Lord Gorgo] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Rewards: ?] [Warning: N/A] As expected, the final quest in the chain of quests, which started from ¡®Rescue Operation¡¯ to ¡®Protect The Biermann Territory¡¯ to ¡®Investigate¡¯ was to kill the boss monster, the Goblin Lord Gorgo. ¡®Alright, I will be able to clear both the ¡®Protect The Biermann Territory¡¯ and ¡®Goblin Lord Gorgo¡¯ quests at once if I kill Gorgo,¡±?Siegfried thought. Thepletion condition of the ¡®Protect The Biermann Territory¡¯ quest changed after Goblin Lord Gorgo appeared. ¡®I¡¯m sure they will reward me with something nice,¡¯?he thought. He was curious about what his reward would be, but he decided not to ask about it for now. It was all because he would already earn a decent amount of gold from the quests he had cleared so far, and the quest rewards were much more generous than his initial expectations. ¡°Then, please go and show us what you are capable of,¡± Bleigh said with a smile. ¡°Yes, Sir Bleigh,¡± Siegfried replied, shaking the Knight Captain¡¯s hand. *** Siegfried immediately went to the stable after saying goodbye to Bleigh and regrouped with his party members. ¡°We are now going to stall the enemy¡¯s advance for as long as we can, but there is a condition for you to join in this operation,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°What is it?¡± Thompson asked. ¡°It¡¯s horse riding,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Ah!¡± Thompson easily understood what Siegfried was trying to say as soon as he heard ¡®horse riding.¡¯ ¡°Are you thinking of using mobility to annoy the enemy?¡± Thompson asked. ¡°You are correct,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I see. Then, it¡¯s imperative for the members to know how to ride a horse if that is the n,¡± Thompson said. The N¨¹rburgian mercenaries were already familiar with riding a horse, but the problemy with the yers or the Adventurers. Most yers, who were Earthlings, weren¡¯t ustomed to horse riding, and that was why there were only a handful of Ranked 5 Adventurers¡ªthe highest is Rank 1¡ªin Horse Riding, which was the minimum required skill rank for them to ride a horse without any negative effects. In the case of Siegfried, his character was reset, but his basic skills to dismember monster corpses or to collect medicinal herbs were still there, so it should be possible for him to ride a horse as well. However, there was no way novice Adventurers, who weren¡¯t even Level 20 would have the Horse Riding skill. ¡°Does anyone here know how to ride a horse?¡± Siegfried asked his fellow Adventurers. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± None of them replied¡­ ¡°What about you guys?¡± Siegfried asked the N¨¹rburgian mercenaries. ¡°Of course, we do...¡± ¡°That is a piece of cake¡­¡± ¡°I used to work as a cavalry in my younger days.¡± As Siegfried expected, the N¨¹rburgian mercenaries were well-versed in horseback. ¡°Then, let¡¯s do it like this,¡± Siegfried said before he exined the n, ¡°The four of us will ride our horses into the enemy lines and wreak havoc there while the three of you will go and join the soldiers to prepare the defense against the monsters.¡± It was an obvious decision to make since the Adventurers couldn¡¯t ride horses. ¡°Let¡¯s do that,¡± Thompson replied as the representative of the mercenaries. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do if we can¡¯t do it, and we will just end up getting in your way. We will go and group up with the Biermann Territory soldiers and prepare to defend the territory,¡± Jang Man-Bok said as the representative of the Adventurers. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving, then,¡± Siegfried said and nodded before he added, ¡°Every second counts from now on.¡± Time was of the essence for this battle. *** The goblin army that departed the Schreyer Territory was slowly marching toward the Biermann Territory, and the reason for their slow advancement was to preserve their army¡¯s strength. The Goblin Lord Gorgo¡¯s n was quite simple. He nned to send the brainwashed Mutated Creatures as the vanguard to slowly chip away at the enemy¡¯s strength before leading his main army to finish them off in a single attack. This was a testament to the intellect Gorgo innately possessed as the Goblin Lord. However, the truly scary part about the Goblin Lord was the fact that it was innately well-versed in humannguage as well. ¡°Hey, human,¡± Gorgo said in a voice that sounded more like a shriek. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ my lord¡­?¡± a man chained to Gorgo¡¯s pnquin obediently replied. ¡°How many humans did you say lived in the Biermann Territory?¡± Gorgo asked. ¡°Around¡­ two thousand people, my lord,¡± the man replied. ¡°Sounds good,¡± Gorgo said. It shed a sinister smile before adding, ¡°My subjects and I shall enjoy feasting on them. Kiki! Kikiki!¡± It wasn¡¯t that surprising that a goblin wanted to devour a human. ¡°But I can¡¯t eat them all¡­ that¡¯s right¡­ I have to spare half of them sincebor is a very precious resource,¡± Gorgo said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The female humans are especially precious. They are an excellent source of food, but they will also serve as an excellent¡­ for me and my subjects,¡± Gorgo added. The human chained to the Goblin Lord¡¯s Pnquin was the financial administrator of the Schreyer Territory, Dumbridge. Dumbridge didn¡¯t listen to what the Goblin Lord had to say. He couldn¡¯t block his ears since he was bound, but he tried his best to ignore the Goblin Lord¡¯s cruel and detestable words. ¡®These¡­ these damned monster bastards¡­!¡¯?Dumbridge cursed inwardly. However, that was the only thing he could do since he was just a cowardly administrator, and he was currently Gorgo¡¯s ve as well. ¡®Only if I had the courage to die¡­¡¯? Dumbridgemented and cursed himself. Hecked the courage to take his own life when he had the chance. ¡°Kihit! Look, weak human! You will have to open your eyes as my scribe and record every single greatness and splendor I shall perform from now on without fail! You shall also have the honor of personally witnessing the birth of the Goblin Kingdom! Kiki! Kikikiki!¡± Gorgo said as it shrieked inughter. Gorgo was an extremely ambitious goblin born with intelligence. This goblin refused to stay as a Goblin Tribe Leader and dreamt of grander things in life. The Goblin Kingdom! Gorgo dreamt of ruling over vast territories and civilians, simr to human kings. ¡®I should quietly gather my strength while staying away from the eyes of the stronger humans,¡¯?Gorgo thought. Gorgo was more intelligent than a normal goblin, so it knew very well that it would be nothing but an insect in front of the truly powerful humans, and that was why it chose to target rural territories located in the outskirts of the kingdom. It nned to target the territories without the infrastructure tomunicate with other territories and slowly grow itself and its forces by upying those territories one by one. It was truly an admirable n, especially when it was made by a mere goblin. Of course, that was under the assumption that no one woulde and spoil the ns. ¡°I, the great Goblin Lord, shall¡ª¡± When Gorgo was about to boast about its grand ambitions, an arrow flew from somewhere. Shwiiiiiii¡­! Pukeok! The arrow buried itself into Gorgo¡¯s left eye. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaahhk!¡±?Gorgo cried out in agony. The Goblin Lord¡¯s shriek reverberated throughout the entire army. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

¡°Ah¡­¡± someone muttered in awe. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Kyahk! Kiii!?Kiiihiiik!?Kyaaaahk!¡±?Gorgo shrieked in pain. The Goblin Lord still managed to maintain itsposure, as it shrieked in pain while looking around with its remaining eye to check for the shooter. Then, it saw ten riders in the distance looking at it. Gorgo was certain they were human cavalry. ¡°Eh? It survived that?¡± said one of the human riders, a young man holding a bow. He seemed dissatisfied with the result. ¡°You¡­! You bastard! Who are you?! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaahk!¡±?Gorgo shrieked at the bow-wielding young man. However, the young man did not respond to the Goblin Lord¡¯s shrieks. ¡°Too bad, we would have sent it to the afterlife if the arrow went a bit deeper,¡± said another human beside the young man. ¡°I know right? It¡¯s really too bad, tsk¡­!¡± the young man replied. Thompson said, ¡°That opportunity was rare.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it,¡± said the bow-wielding young man, Siegfried, and then he continued, ¡°It was pretty far you know. It would be quite brazen and shameless of me to hope of killing that thing with a single arrow from so far away.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Thompson replied ¡°I¡¯m not an archer as well, so I don¡¯t think I could have lodged it any deeper than that,¡± Siegfried remarked. ¡°Do you think so?¡± Thompson asked. ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Siegfried replied. He knew very well that it was impossible to ovee a huge level gap even if he dealt critical damage. However, a true archer could kill Gorgo, who was almost Level 60, with a single arrow. ¡°But where did you learn how to shoot an arrow like that?¡± Thompson asked. ¡°I yed around with the bow a few times in my younger days,¡± Siegfried said while scratching his head in embarrassment. ¡®I actually learned how to use the bow while fighting against the Genesis Guild¡­¡¯?he thought. He actively used a bow called ¡®Silent Scream¡¯ when he was being chased around by the Genesis Guild. He wasn¡¯t able to unleash the full power of the bow since he wasn¡¯t an archer, but he did pretty well with it. And the reason he managed to urately hit the Goblin Lord while on horseback was because of his ¡®Horse Riding¡¯ and ¡®Archery¡¯ mastery, which were pretty high-leveled. ¡°I see¡­ Then, what are we going to do now?¡± Thompson asked. ¡°We have to start running away, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Siegfried asked as he pointed at the Schreyer Territory with his chin and said, ¡°I think we will be torn to pieces if we don¡¯t hurry up¡ª¡± Gorgo¡¯s ear-splitting shriek suddenly echoed throughout the air, ¡°Kyaaaaaaaahk!¡± Gorgo pointed at them and roared, ¡°Uuurggghhh!¡± Then, the goblin soldiers under the Goblin Lord¡¯smand rushed at them in a frenzy. ¡°Yes, I think we should run away before we get caught up and killed. Hiya!¡± Siegfried said before running away on horseback. ¡°I think so, too. Hiya!¡±?Thompson said and followed after him. Then, the two mercenaries and eight Biermann Territory cavalry followed after Siegfried and Thompson. The chase was on. *** ¡°Faster! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Hey! Move faster! We are in a rush, you know?¡± ¡°Hey! You there! Stack it higher will you?!¡± The Biermann Territory soldiers were shoring up the defenses by cing wooden fences outside, pouring oil on the walls, and spreading thorns on the ground. ¡°Hey, Sir Bleigh,¡± The Lord of the Biermann Territory, Baron Wegmann, called the Knight Captain in a worried voice and asked, ¡°Can we really stop the Goblin Lord?¡± ¡°We have to¡­ After all, the only thing we can do is stall for time,¡± Bleigh replied. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Baron Wegmann let out a dispiritedugh. ¡°But please do not worry so much, my lord. Adventurer Siegfried is a trustworthy person, and he is currently stalling the entire goblin army as we speak,¡± Bleigh said. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Baron Wegmann muttered in response. It seemed that he was still greatly worried despite Bleigh¡¯s assurance. ¡°The only thing I can do is to hope that this territory my ancestors had passed down onto me will not be decimated in my lifetime¡­¡± Baron Wegmann said. ¡°We will protect the territory,¡± Bleigh said as he assured his lord. ¡°I will give a big reward to Adventurer Siegfried if he manages to protect our territory. I¡¯m not wealthy, but I will certainly give him a big reward,¡± Baron Wegmann said. ¡°As you wish, my lord,¡± Bleigh replied with a smile. ¡°Hmm¡­ I will give him that,¡± Baron Wegmann said. ¡°By that, you mean¡­?¡± Bleigh muttered in surprise. ¡°I still have the family heirloom that was passed down to me. It¡¯s useless in my hands anyway, so it might be better to just give it to him,¡± Baron Wegmann said with a shrug. ¡°Do you mean¡­?¡± Bleigh muttered in surprise once again. ¡°Of course, that will only be possible if he manages to protect our territory,¡± Baron Wegmann said while staring off into the distance. *** ¡°Kyaaahk!?Kyahk!?Kyahhhk!¡±?The bleeding Gorgo shrieked at its subordinates. ¡®Kihiiit! Humans! I will kill you! I will rip you to pieces alive!?Kyaaaaah!¡¯?Gorgo eximed inwardly as it swore not to forgive the human who shot the arrow at it. However, the problem was that its anger did not subside no matter how much it shrieked or cursed. Shwiiiiik! The sharp noise of something flying through the air could be heard Thud! Its subordinates fell one by one whenever that sharp noise reverberated, but the cowardly humans would mount their horses and run away after shooting just an arrow. Gorgo was infuriated by the humans¡¯ cowardice, but it had no way of catching them. The goblins were an agile race, but their limbs were short, so their mobility was limited. It was impossible for these short-limbed goblins to catch up to the humans on horseback, and it was even more impossible for them to trap those humans in an encirclement. In addition, the goblins weren¡¯t civilized enough to wield ranged weapons aside from the poison darts and rocks they often threw at their enemies. ¡®Bow! We need a bow!?Kyaaah!¡¯?Gorgo shrieked inwardly. It thought that its soldiers had to wield bows, but it was impossible for them to immediately start using them. The goblins would also require bows that were smaller than the average bows; however, doing so would mean that the bowstring would be too short for it to disy any significant power. Not to mention, creating a short bow as powerful as a normal bow would need different materials, so the cost to manufacture them would be expensive. ¡®We have to ovee the limits of our race!?Kyaak! We have to capture more human females! We need the human females to further increase our numbers!¡¯?Gorgo shrieked as itmented the innate racial shorings of the goblins, and that was why it steeled its resolve to fill its new Goblin Kingdom with half-goblins rather than full-blooded goblins. Of course, the Goblin Lord¡¯s top priority right now was to tear the limbs of that arrogant human who dared to take one of its eyes. ¡°Kyaak!?Catch them! Catch theeeeeem!¡± Gorgo shrieked. *** Siegfried made full use of his superior mobility and range to reap a ton of profit in ordance with Deus¡¯ teachings. ¡°Maximize your advantages and capitalize on your opponent¡¯s disadvantages when you fight. That is the first step to bing invincible.¡± Deus was right. Gorgo was stronger than Siegfried, and there were too many goblin soldiers for Siegfried to handle on his own. However, Gorgo and its army had be nothing more than a lump of walking experience points to Siegfried. After all, he was already capitalizing on their weaknesses by taking advantage of his own mobility. [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] The ton of experience points Siegfried was receiving proved the effectiveness of his tactic. [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 15!] [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 16!] His level quickly increased as well¡­ ¡®Alright, let¡¯s keep this up until Level 20,¡¯?Siegfried thought. At this rate, he might reach Level 30 before Gorgo arrived at the Biermann Territory. However, while they were running away from the chasing goblins, Siegfried suddenly dismounted his horse and walked toward the goblin soldiers before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them this time, so why don¡¯t you guys get some rest for a while?¡± ¡°H-Hey Siegfried! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± Thompson hurriedly shouted in an effort to stop him. ¡°It will be fine. There is some distance between us as well,¡± Siegfried replied while pointing at Gorgo¡¯s main army in the distance. There were around seven hundred meters between the goblin soldiers in front of him and the Goblin Lord¡¯s main army, and that was why Siegfried calcted that he had enough time to get rid of the ones chasing after them before the main army caught up. ¡°Still! What if you end up dying¡ª¡± Thompson said. However, Siegfried interrupted him and said, ¡°I need the experience points.¡± ¡°If I were to maximize the effects of the Rune of Transcendence, I will have to monopolize them,¡± Siegfried added while showing the rune on the back of his right hand. The Rune of Transcendence was one of the marks of an Adventurer, and that was also the reason Siegfried wanted to fight the goblins alone. If he wanted to level up as fast as possible, he had to monopolize the goblins and their experience points. Afterward, Siegfried could be seen smashing the goblin soldiers with his steel rod. Pak! Pak! Pukeok! [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You are now Level 18!] His experience points increased, and he leveled up once again. ¡°Siegfried! It¡¯s time to run! They¡¯re getting closer!¡± Thompson shouted. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m on my way!¡± Siegfried replied, and he immediately started running. He didn¡¯t even get to enjoy the sensation of leveling up. ¡°Kyaaahk!?Kyak!?Stop right there! Stop right theeeereeeee!¡± Gorgo shrieked in fury upon witnessing that the humans were running away once again. *** The Hit and Run tactic that utilized their mobility and range continued on for two more days. Siegfried and his party often stopped by the ces where the supply troops were waiting to change horses and replenish their potions. They changed horses a total of seven times during the two days and used two stamina potions every hour. In the case of Siegfried, he yed for fourteen hours straight and logged out to sleep for an hour and a half minutes before logging back in. The whole ordeal could only be described as ¡®hardcore,¡¯ and none of the party members had the energy to joke around any longer. However, the fruit of their effort soon became clear. The Biermann Territory got more than enough time to shore up their defenses in preparation for the goblin army¡¯s attack, and Siegfried kept on leveling up until he finally reach Level 27. A message popped up in front of him the moment he hit Level 27. [Alert: You will soon be able to learn new skills once you reach Level 30!] [Alert: You may now check the details of the new skills you can learn from the ¡®My Skills¡¯ page in your status screen.] The Level 30 skills of the Debuff Master were finally revealed! ¡®Let¡¯s check them out,¡¯?Siegfried thought while resting on a rock. He clicked ¡®My Skills¡¯ on his status screen. He checked the Level 30 skills of the Debuff Master and discovered that two skills were added to the list. The first one was a debuff skill that enabled him to ce a circle on the ground like his two other skills while the other one was a self-buff skill. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯?Siegfried muttered in amazement. His eyes opened wide the moment he read the description of the two skills. ¡®These will be more than enough. I can win with these¡­ just three more levels¡­¡¯?he thought and clenched his fist. As expected, the Level 30 skills of the Debuff Master did not disappoint him. While Siegfried¡¯s focus was on his Level 30 skills, Thompson suddenly shouted, ¡°Hey! Siegfried! We have an issue!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Look over there! Gorgo¡¯s army has started moving!¡± Thompson pointed at the goblin army. ¡°Already?¡± Siegfried muttered with a grimace. The goblin army and Siegfried¡¯s detachment force had a silent agreement to rest once in a while after hours of chasing, but the goblin army started moving even before it was time for them to move. However, Siegfried did not really mind it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time they came to their senses since we have been toying with them for the past two days,¡± Siegfried said. The reason Gorgo was blindly chasing after Siegfried was due to the fact that he took one of the Goblin Lord¡¯s eyes. But now, it seemed that the Goblin Lord¡¯s head finally cooled down, and it came back to its senses after the futile attempts to catch them for the past two days. ¡°Then, we should get moving as well,¡± Siegfried said and stood up before adding, ¡°It¡¯s time for us to chase after them and chip away at their rear forces. That is going to annoy them for sure and reduce their numbers by quite a bit.¡± ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t it be better for us to buy more time?¡± Thompson asked. ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head and said, ¡°The fact that they are already moving means that the Goblin Lord hase back to its senses. In other words, it has also realized that it¡¯s futile to keep chasing after us. Do you really think that we can fool it with our tactics twice?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Thompson hesitated. ¡°We managed to reap quite the profit these past two days, so let¡¯s be satisfied with it and move on to our next ns,¡± Siegfried said. ¡®There will be a full frontal assault soon. I just have to earn three more levels before facing the boss¡­¡¯ Siegfried¡¯s eyes momentarily glimmered. It seemed like Siegfried was itching to use the Debuff Master¡¯s Level 30 skills as soon as possible. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The chase was on once again, but the roles had been reversed. The goblin army marched toward the Biermann Territory while Siegfried¡¯s detachment force chased after them. ¡°Those pesky humans¡­¡± Gorgo grumbled. The Goblin Lord with an eye patch made out of gold covering its eye shrieked. ¡°I will never forgive them! I will feast on the flesh of your friends, families, and children and I shall bathe myself in their blood! Kihit! It seems that the Goblin Lord hade to its senses just as Siegfried had predicted, and the goblin realized that it would be more beneficial for it to march toward the Biermann Territory instead of chasing after the pesky human who took its eye. The Goblin Lord made the decision to march straight for the human territory instead of catching the elusive human since it could just punish the elusive human by killing his family and friends. Of course, the march toward the Biermann Territory wasn¡¯t as easy as the Goblin Lord thought it would be. Shwiiiik! Shwiiik! A goblin soldier would die whenever the humans shot an arrow toward them. Thud! Thud! ¡°Kyaaahk!?Focus on upying the human base first! Don¡¯t be shaken! Kihyat!¡±?Gorgo shrieked as it urged its soldiers onward. *** After a few hours¡­ ¡°O-Over there! They areing!¡± ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± ¡°The bastards have finally shown themselves!¡± The lookouts on top of the watchtowers around Biermann Territory shouted as they signaled the arrival of their enemies. ¡°Everyone! Prepare forbaaaaat!¡± Bleigh shouted. His voice resounded throughout the walls. ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Hurry! Prepare for battle!¡± The soldiers repeated as they urged the others to raise their arms. ¡®We managed to finish our preparations thanks to Siegfried buying us time. Now, it¡¯s time for us to face them head-on!¡¯?Bleigh thought as he clenched his fists. They had done whatever they could, and it was now time for them to face the goblin army head-on. This was the battle that would decide the fate of the Biermann Territory. ¡°They are getting closer! There¡¯s less than a kilometer left!¡± one of the troops shouted while observing the enemy through a spyss. ¡°Eight hundred! Six hundred! Five hundred! Three hundred! They are closing in! Two hundred! A hundred meters!¡± the soldier continued to ry information as the goblin army approached. ¡°Kyaaak!¡± ¡°Kihit! Kihit!¡± ¡°Kiki! Kikiki!¡± They could finally hear the hideous shrieks of the goblins because the goblin army was now right in front of the Biermann Territory. ¡°Prepare to fire!¡± Bleighmanded. ¡°Ready!¡± the archers shouted. ¡°Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­! Fire!¡± Bleigh shouted. ¡°Fire!¡± the archers repeated as they let their arrows fly. Shwiiiiik! A rain of arrows descended on the goblin army, and they signaled the start of the battle. *** The battle was fierce. It looked as if the humans initially had the upper hand through their ranged volleys, but their advantagested only for a brief moment. The Biermann Territory¡¯s wall could not really be called a fortified wall since it was a wall only a bit above four meters tall and was made out of stones piled on top of each other. As such, it wasn¡¯t that difficult for the goblin soldiers to charge through the rain of arrows and climb over the walls. ¡°Euaak!¡± ¡°S-Save me¡­!¡± ¡°Hey! You son of a bitches!¡± A fierce melee broke out on top of the stone wall. ¡°Pour the oil! Pour it!¡± Bleighmanded. Shwaaaa! The soldiers poured barrels of oil on the climbing goblin soldiers. ¡°Fire! Light them up!¡± Bleigh shouted as soon as the goblin soldiers were drenched in oil. ¡°Kyaaaaahk!¡± ¡°Kireeeukkk!¡± ¡°Kyaak! Kyaaaaak!¡± The goblin soldiers were set aze, and they shrieked in agony as they fell from the wall one by one. However, that onlysted for a brief moment as well¡­ ¡°Kyahk!?Kyaahk!¡±?Gorgo said something in the goblinnguage toward his subordinates carrying his pnquin. Afterward, the goblins carrying the pnquin started to make a run for it toward the gates of the territory. Boom! The goblins rammed the pnquin into the gates. Boom! . It seemed that Gorgo¡¯s pnquin wasn¡¯t just a pnquin. It also served as a battering ram to break the gates down. Boom! Boom! Boom!? The goblins continued to ram Gorgo¡¯s pnquin into the gates. ¡°Block it! Fend them off!¡± ¡°Fire arrows at them!¡± ¡°Pour the oil!¡± The soldiers shouted as they tried to stop the pnquin, but all of their efforts were futile as the gates were starting to get breached by the pnquin which was simply too sturdy. Bam! Gorgo¡¯s pnquin smashed into the gates once again. Creak¡­ crack¡­! The wooden gates started to crack like a rotten tree. Then, Gorgo sounded themand to its soldiers to charge the gates. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaahk!¡± Rumble¡­! Rumble¡­! Rumble¡­!? The goblin soldiers rushed to the gates while kicking up dust, and they started pouring into the gates like a tidal wave. However, this was all part of the n. However, just as the goblin soldiers stepped around thirty meters into the territory, the ground suddenly started to shake and crack. Creak¡­ crack¡­ crack¡­ ¡°Kihit?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Kiiiik?¡± The goblin soldiers tilted their heads in confusion at the sudden movement of the ground. ¡°Pull!¡± Bleigh shouted. The soldiers patiently waited while holding onto the ropes connected to the ground. When they heard the order, they pulled it as hard as they could and caused the ground to copse. Booooom! The ground caved in and swallowed up more than a hundred goblin soldiers. ¡°Pour the oil! Hurry! Pour it!¡± ¡°Pour the oil! Light them up!¡± The Biermann Territory soldiers holding barrels of oil and torches rushed toward the goblins that had fallen into the trap. Fwaaaa¡­! Fwaaaaaaaaa! A huge fire zed from underneath the ground as the goblin soldiers were burned alive. However, that was nowhere enough since the goblins weren¡¯t humans, but monsters that wouldn¡¯t simply die from getting set aze, and these goblins could still fight until they were dealt the final blow. And the final blow was dealt by¡­ ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Siegfried shouted. Clop! clop! clop!? Siegfried suddenly appeared from a smaller gate and ran like the wind toward the ditch. In Siegfried¡¯s eyes, the goblin soldiers on fire looked like a feast exclusive to him. ¡®Bon appetite¡­!¡¯? He smiled. The ditch full of burning goblins was indeed a feast since most of them were under 50% HP. [Goblin Soldier] [HP: ??????????] [Goblin Soldier] [HP: ??????????] [Goblin Soldier] [HP: ??????????] Considering that, it was only basic etiquette for Siegfried to enjoy the scrumptious meal prepared for him! Woooong! Siegfried ced his Circle of Mortality and Circle of Weakness into the ditch. His actions were nothing short of a disaster for the goblin soldiers since the mes were taking away their HP over time. Pak! Pak! Pukeok! Siegfried smacked the goblin soldiers crawling out from the ditch with his steel rod. [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] His experience points continued to increase. [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] To say that his level had skyrocketed was more appropriate. [You are now Level 28!] [You are now Level 29!] Siegfried gained an additional two levels thanks to the feast exclusive to him. ¡®Ah¡­ I only needed a bit more¡­¡¯? Siegfriedmented the fact that he only had a level left before hitting Level 30. He found it a shame that he was still a level short, even after spending the entire week power-leveling as hard as he could. ¡®I¡¯m still short by a level¡­ tsk¡­¡¯?he thought as he clicked his tongue. While Siegfried was still finding it a shame, Gorgo suddenly shrieked in anger from on top of the pnquin. ¡°You arrogant human! Kyak!?You dare make a fool out of me? I will personally kill you and all of yourpanions with my own two hands! Kihi!¡± Then, the seven Albino Goblins surrounded Gorgo and formed a goblin wall in front of him. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried grimaced. He was certain of what was about to unfold. Boss Fight! The final battle that would decide the oue of the war and the fate of the Biermann Territory was about to start. *** ¡®What should I do¡­? I will certainly lose if I fight them right now. I have to hit Level 30 first¡­¡¯?Siegfried pondered. The Goblin Lord was a tough enemy, which was a staggering twenty levels higher than Siegfried, even if he managed to reach Level 30. Moreover, Siegfried was certain that fighting the Goblin Lord without reaching Level 30 and without his new skills would be a bad idea since he would surely notst even five minutes against the boss monster. ¡°Hey, Siegfried,¡± Bleigh called out. He walked over to Siegfried along with his elite troops. ¡°You seem troubled. Did you by any chance not reach your desired growth?¡± asked Bleigh. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m a bit short¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Go,¡± Bleigh said. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Your stepping stones to achieve your growth are over there, aren¡¯t they?¡± Bleigh said as he pointed toward the gate where the goblin soldiers and the territory soldiers were locked in an intense battle. ¡°Go and clean those guys up. They will be more than enough for you to fulfill what your Rune of Transcendence needs, right? We will take care of things here,¡± he added. ¡°But¡­!¡± Siegfried said. He couldn¡¯t easily agree to the offer. Bleigh was only Level 22, and he was a weakling with skills that could be considered shameful to all knights. Moreover, none of the Biermann Territory¡¯s elite troops were above Level 20. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Bleigh said as he waved his hand before adding, ¡°I am aware that I am weak, but I am still a knight. I am without a title conferred upon my name, but I am a knight who has been officially knighted. Besides, I¡¯m still skilled enough to stall for time for you to get ready, you know?¡± ¡°Sir Bleigh¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Go. Hurry up and achieve the growth you need. Just try toe back as soon as you can, alright?¡± Bleigh asked. ¡°Yes¡­ I understand,¡± Siegfried muttered in response. He had no choice but to ept the offer. ¡®Sir Bleigh¡­ You are a true knight,¡¯?Siegfried thought. The reason Siegfried epted the offer even though Bleigh could die in the process of stalling for time against the Goblin Lord was that Siegfried could feel the spirit of a knight from thetter. ¡°I shall be on my way, then,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Hurry on,¡± Bleigh replied. ¡°I will be back as soon as I can, so please take care until then,¡± Siegfried said before he ran toward the goblins. ¡°Hurry up ande back before we end up all dead,¡± Bleigh said with a smile. Then, he turned around toward the Goblin Lord and the Albino Goblins before saying, ¡°Goblin Lord, I am themander-in-chief of the Biermann Territory, Bleigh. I will stop you here!¡± Bleigh dered. ¡°Kihit!¡±?Gorgo shrieked before saying, ¡°Such big words for a weak human! Kik! Kik!?Stop spouting nonsense and kneel before me! Then, your benevolent new lord will especially spare you out of consideration!¡± ¡°How dare you spill your bullshit in this ce?!¡± Bleigh retorted and shouted, ¡°Elite forces! Prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± the elite troops shouted in unison. Bleigh gripped his sword and eximed, ¡°Let¡¯s go and teach that monster scum how scary we Biermanns can be!¡± ¡°Waaaaaaah!¡±? Bleigh and the elite troops let out a battle cry as they charged toward the Goblin Lord and the Albino Goblins. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

¡®Hurry¡­ I have to hurry up! I have to quickly gain a level¡­ just one more level¡­!¡¯?Siegfried desperately thought. Every single second mattered to him right now. There was no need for him to think which side would win if a fight between the Goblin Lord¡¯s side and Bleigh¡¯s side broke out. The main issue was time. Ten minutes? No, it would be a miracle if they managed to hold out for five minutes. After all, even that long would be a bit too much for them. ¡®I have to go before they all die. Sir Bleigh, please hold out for a bit longer¡­¡¯? Siegfried could only hope that they would survive until he got back as he rushed from one spot to another. ¡°Hey! Give that to me!¡± Siegfried shouted at Jang Man-Bok, who was fighting against a goblin soldier. ¡°What?!¡± Jang Man-Bok eximed in disbelief. ¡°I said give that to me so that I can hit Level 30!¡± Siegfried shouted in response. ¡°But, I¡¯m about to kill it right now¡­¡± Jang Man-Bok muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 1 goldter!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°I-If you insist¡­¡± Jang Man-Bok stepped away from the goblin soldier. Pak! Siegfried smacked the goblin soldier on the head with his steel rod. [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] Siegfried still wasn¡¯t satisfied with the experience points he gained. ¡®I have to kill them faster¡­!¡¯?he thought. It was basic knowledge that the required experience points to level up would increase the higher the yer¡¯s level became, and that was why Siegfried had to kill dozens of goblin soldiers to reach Level 30. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but please pass all of the experience points to me! I beg you!¡± Siegfried shouted with desperation in his voice. There was no other option. This was the only way he had to level up as soon as possible. He could take his sweet time and level up at his own pace, but Bleigh and the elite troops would probably be long dead by then. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me gold. Come here and take this one!¡± ¡°Over here! It¡¯s almost dead!¡± Fortunately, the other two Adventurers easily agreed to surrender their hunt to him. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely repay the favor!¡± That was not the end of it¡­ ¡°Siegfried! Over here!¡± ¡°Come here and finish this guy off, too!¡± ¡°Hurry up ande over here!¡± ¡°This guy is about to die!¡± ¡°We will push these guys over to you, so you better get ready to finish them off!¡± ¡°Over here!¡± The mercenaries and the territory soldiers all worked together to let Siegfried deal the final blows to their opponents. [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] [You have sessfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!] [Experience Points +650] The boost they gave Siegfried made his experience points skyrocket. After around five minutes, he finally got the message he had desperately wanted to see. [You are now Level 30!] He had finally reached Level 30. . *** [Congrattions! You have reached Level 30!] [You are now able to learn two new skills!] [You may check the new attainable skills on the ¡®My Skill¡¯ page on your status screen.] The messages popped up in front of his eyes. ¡®Finally!¡¯? Siegfried rejoiced. He immediately opened ¡®My Skill¡¯ and tapped on the Level 30 skills of the Debuff Master. The new skills were the following: [Speed Restraint] [Debuff Skill] [Reduces the attack speed, movement speed, and casting speed of the enemies within the circle ced by the user.] [The circle¡¯s radius growsrger the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The skill¡¯s effect will be stronger the higher the skill¡¯s level.] The new debuff skill ¡®Speed Restraint¡¯ was truly a skill befitting of the Debuff Master since it was a triple debuff skill that would reduce the enemy¡¯s attack speed, movement speed, and casting speed. However, the main highlight of the new Level 30 skills wasn¡¯t ¡®Speed Restraint¡¯ but rather, the self-buff skill, ¡®Contempt for the Strong.¡¯ [Contempt for the Strong] [Buff Skill] [The user deals increased damage and receive reduced damage from those with higher levels than them.] [The skill effect will increase the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [This skill can only be used on the user.] [The user deals 500% increased damage upon sessfully hitting an enemy of a higher level than them with a counter-attack.] ¡®Contempt for the Strong¡¯ was what Siegfried was after. He was certain that this was one of the skills that his master¡ªDeus¡ªhad created after contemting how he could defeat those stronger than him. The skill dealt more damage to those stronger than him while he would receive reduced damage from them, and it was a skill that was truly suitable for the Debuff Master. ¡®This will be more than enough¡­¡¯? Siegfried put a point in each skill and learned both of them. [You have learned ¡®Speed Restraint¡¯!] [You have learned ¡®Contempt for the Strong¡¯!] The messages popped up in front of him. ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯? He immediately made a move. After all, Siegfried did not have the luxury to enjoy and celebrate the milestone of reaching Level 30 because time was currently of the essence. Moreover, Bleigh and the elite troops were still in danger. *** ¡°Sir Bleigh! I¡¯m here¡­!¡± Siegfried shouted. He had finally leveled up, so he ran toward Bleigh and the elite troops. However, the sight that greeted him could only be described as horrible. ¡°Euk¡­¡± ¡°Mother¡­ mother¡­!¡± ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­!¡± There was not one person whose condition could still be described with the word ¡®good,¡¯ even though only five minutes had passed since the battle started. In fact, most of the elite troops had already perished, and only a few soldiers were still alive, albeit in critical conditions. ¡°Sir Bleigh!¡± Siegfried shouted. The Knight Captain Bleigh was not doing any better. His left arm couldn¡¯t be seen, but he was still standing while trying to block the Goblin Lord and his troops. ¡°You have returned? That was quick¡­¡± Bleigh muttered in an exhausted voice. ¡°Let me help you!¡± Siegfried eximed before dragging Bleigh away from the Goblin Lord. ¡°Have you¡­ achieved it¡­?¡± Bleigh asked. ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Siegfried nodded. He hurriedly retrieved a potion and poured it into Bleigh¡¯s mouth. ¡°Cough! Cough Cough!¡±?Bleigh coughed out the potion. He wasn¡¯t even in a condition to drink it properly. ¡°Thank¡­ god¡­ You managed to do it¡­¡± ¡°Save your words, it¡¯s now time for you to rest.¡± Siegfried then tore a generous piece of cloth from his own clothes and wrapped it around the amputated arm to stop the bleeding, and poured an entire bottle of potion over it. ¡°The potion will help you recover. You don¡¯t have to worry since you will definitely make it out here alive,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Bleigh replied. ¡°Please rest assured and leave this ce to me,¡± Siegfried said and carefully ced Bleigh down on the ground. ¡°Kihit!?Humans sure are interesting! Do you really think that you can stand against me?! Kihit!¡±?Gorgo shrieked as it openly mocked Siegfried and Bleigh. The Goblin Lord had given Siegfried ample amount of time to treat Bleigh¡¯s injuries since it was confident that it could defeat all the humans here no matter what. ¡°You are that human¡­ the bastard who dared to harm this body of mine¡­¡± Gorgo muttered as its remaining eye slowly started to get dyed with rage toward the human who one of its eyes away. ¡°I will especially spare you from death! Kihit!?I will cut you into hundreds and thousands of pieces, and your flesh shall serve as my appetizer while you watch in horror and¡ª¡± Gorgo shrieked. However, the Goblin Lord couldn¡¯t finish what it wanted to say. Pukeok! Siegfried struck like a sh of lightning and smashed his steel rod into one of the Albino Goblin¡¯s head. ¡°Kiek!¡±? The Albino Goblin shrieked in pain before falling to the ground. It would never get up again. Why did it die in one hit? That was because Bleigh and the elite troops had chipped away at the Albino Goblin¡¯s HP. *** ¡®There are only four of them left,¡¯?Siegfried thought after killing an Albino Goblin. There were only four Albino Goblins left. ¡®They already did their part,¡¯?Siegfried thought. Bleigh and the elite troops exceeded Siegfried¡¯s expectations. He thought that they would have a hard time against the goblins and would barely be able to hold those goblins back for more than five minutes, but it seemed that it wasn¡¯t the case at all. Bleigh and the elite troops managed to kill two Albino Goblins and critically injure another one during their short skirmish, and this was an amazing achievement when taking into consideration the level gap between them and the goblins. ¡®I will continue the miracle you have made and wrap this situation up,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he steeled his resolve to repay the knights for their sacrifices. ¡°T-This¡­! This insolent human¡­!¡± Gorgo shrieked in anger while gnashing its teeth. Then, the Goblin Lord shrieked an order to the remaining four Albino Goblins, ¡°Kill that human! Hurry up and kill that insolent human! Rip him to pieces and make him suffer! Hurrryyyy!¡± The remaining Albino Goblins immediately moved at the Goblin Lord¡¯smand. Bzzt¡­ Bzzt¡­! A blue current enveloped the Albino Goblin¡¯s daggers. The Albino Goblins were monsters with the lightning attribute, which allowed them to summon a bolt of lightning within a ten-meter radius every minute. This meant that Siegfried had to be conscious of four bolts of lightning that could strike from anywhere every single minute while in the middle of the battle, and he had to calcte the cooldown time of each goblin on top of that. However, that did not dissuade Siegfried at all. Wooong¡­! In fact, he ced Circle of Mortality and Circle of Weakness without any hesitation as he entered into a brawl with the Albino Goblins. sh! A bolt of lightning shed and struck Siegfried, but it seemed as if it hadn¡¯t done anything significant against him. The Albino Goblin¡¯s lightning did not deal that much damage, but its main purpose was to electrocute and stun the enemy. However, Siegfried did not get stunned or electrocuted by the bolt of lightning. Pukeok! In fact, he immediately counterattacked and struck the nearest Albino Goblin on its head with Smite. ¡°Kihit?!¡± ¡°Kii¡­ Kiiiik?!¡± ¡°Kik?!¡± Question marks started to appear on top of the Albino Goblins¡¯ heads. They were confused why the human was not affected by their lightning. and why he could still swing his steel rod without any problems. Unfortunately for the Albino Goblins, it was a mystery that they would never be able to understand at their current intellectual level. *** ¡®Alright, it seems that it¡¯s pretty effective. As expected, the only solution to yourck of ability is doping,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smirk on his face. He was fine despite being struck by lightning, and it was all because of the elixir he had taken beforehand. [Recluse Elixir] [A sub-standard elixir created by a low-ranking alchemist.] [It slightly raises the user¡¯s lightning resistance.] [Type: Potion] [Cost: 500 gold] The Recluse Elixir increased his resistance against the lightning attribute, and that was why he could withstand the lightning attribute attacks of the Albino Goblins. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Two days ago... ¡°I have something I want to ask you, Sir Bleigh,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°What is it?¡± Bleigh asked in response. ¡°Do we have a Recluse Elixir in the territory by any chance?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°A Recluse Elixir? Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure, but why do you need it?¡± Bleigh responded. ¡°The Albino Goblins are fearsome because of their lightning,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Killing the Albino Goblins won¡¯t be that difficult as long as we have a few bottles of Recluse Elixirs,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°T-That¡¯s right! There was that! Haha! Why did I not think of that? We can easily get rid of those Albino Goblins as long as we have that!¡± Bleigh eximed. ¡°Will you be able to procure a few bottles?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I will try my best to get some. We should have a few bottles in the castle storehouse,¡± Bleigh replied. ¡°I request your assistance on the matter, then,¡± Siegfried said with a bow. ¡°Alright, I will do whatever I can to prepare them.¡± Bleigh nodded. Fortunately, Bleigh managed to find a few bottles of Recluse Elixirs tucked away in the castle storehouse that had been collecting dust for a long period of time, and they became the main critical factor in how Bleigh and the elite forces were able tost longer than five minutes against the Albino Goblins. However, they only managed tost more or less five minutes against the Albino Goblins because of the level difference between them. Fortunately, this wasn¡¯t applicable to Siegfried, who was now Level 30. Siegfried couldpletely resist the Albino Goblin¡¯s lightning thanks to his overpowered stats as the Debuff Master coupled with the bottle of Recluse Elixir he had taken before the fight started. ¡®The Albino Goblins can¡¯t do anything against me now. I just have to take care of them one by one while being wary of Gorgo,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was nning to avoid confronting Gorgo as long as possible while focusing on dealing with the Albino Goblins first. *** Things proceeded ording to Siegfried¡¯s ns. sh! A bolt of lightning struck Siegfried once again. [Siegfried] [HP: ??????????] However, the result remained the same as his HP did not even go below 90%, and he didn¡¯t get stunned or electrocuted by it as well. The Albino Goblins were no longer a threat to him because his innate resistance coupled with his doping rendered their lightning useless. Siegfried, armed with his overpowered stats and resistance, killed the Albino Goblins one by one with his steel rod. Pak! Pukeok! Pak! He smashed the goblins¡¯ heads and knocked them to the ground. [You have sessfully hunted an Albino Goblin!] [Experience Points +1,200] One goblin. [You have sessfully hunted an Albino Goblin!] [Experience Points +1,200] Two goblins. [You have sessfully hunted an Albino Goblin!] [Experience Points +1,200] And three goblins¡­ ¡°Kyaaaahk!?This bastard dares! You insolent human!¡± Gorgo shrieked with fury. It seemed that the Goblin Lord was trying to intimidate Siegfried in an attempt to intimidate and distract him from the fight, but it was not that effective since the Albino Goblins weren¡¯t a match for Siegfried in the first ce. [You have sessfully hunted an Albino Goblin!] [Experience Points +1,200] Then, the final Albino Goblin fell at the hands of Siegfried. ¡°Y-You dare¡­! You dare kill my subordinates¡­! You insolent! Kyaaahk!¡±?Gorgo shrieked in an enraged voice. This was the second time that the annoying human had made a fool out of the Goblin Lord, which would eventually be the King of the Goblin Kingdom. The Goblin Lord had never imagined it would lose its eye and its subordinates to the same human. Grrr¡­ Fwwaaaaa! mes zed on Gorgo¡¯s skin, and sparks started jumping along with the mes. Bzzt¡­! Bzzt¡­! The Goblin Lord Gorgo was a monster with both lightning and fire attributes¡ªit was a dual-attribute monster. ¡°I will kill you! I swear I will kill you! Kiiiik!?You dare show such insolence toward me?!¡± Gorgo shrieked as its temper made its body re. Tak! While the Goblin Lord was shrieking in anger, Siegfried charged at it. Words were unnecessary! Siegfried responded to the Goblin Lord¡¯s threats with actions rather than words. *** The fight between Siegfried and Gorgo was an intense one that captivated every single creature on the territory, and it was not an exaggeration to call it the main event of the war. It was safe to say that it was the main event of the war since this was the fight that would decide the fate of the entire Biermann Territory. The Biermann Territory soldiers were currently exhausted from their fight against the goblin soldiers, and all of the soldiers along with the citizens would certainly be massacred by the goblins if Siegfried were to lose the fight against the Goblin Lord. Perhaps that was the reason the Biermann Territory residents, regardless of their age and gender, were anxiously watching the fight between the Goblin Lord and Siegfried from a safe distance. ¡°Go, Siegfried!¡± ¡°The fate of our territory lies in your hands! You have to win!¡± ¡°Hang in there Siegfried-oppa!¡± ¡°Please kill those evil goblins!¡± The Biermann Territory residents cheered and watched as they anxiously hoped for their savior to dominate the evil goblin; however, that moment did not arrive. ¡°Kyahk!¡±?Gorgo shrieked while swinging its scythe. Whenever the Goblin Lord swung its scythe, small wounds would appear on Siegfried¡¯s body. The Goblin Lord was simply too powerful. Facing it was apletely different taskpared to when he fought against multiple Albino Goblins at the same time. Fwaaa¡­! Fwaaa¡­! On top of that, the pir of mes summoned by Gorgo limited his mobility, and the mes also gnawed away at his HP. It was inevitable since he did not have any fire resistant elixirs. Puuuuk! Gorgo stabbed its scythe into Siegfried¡¯s shoulder. ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°Siegfried!¡± ¡°Watch out!¡± The Biermann Territory residents screamed in horror when they saw how their savior got caught by the evil goblin. ¡°Kuheok!¡±?Siegfried winced. ¡°Does it hurt? Yeah? Say it hurts! Tell me it hurts! Kihihi!?Kihihihit!¡±?Gorgo shrieked whileughing with a hideous smile on its face. Puuk¡­ Sukeok¡­ The Goblin Lord dug its scythe deeper into Siegfried¡¯s shoulder and twisted it to inflict as much pain and suffering as it could on the insolent human. ¡°Keuuuugh¡­!¡±?Siegfried groaned in pain. ¡°It hurts, right? Yeah? Kihihit!?Let me give you more of that! More!¡± Gorgo shrieked before it pulled its scythe out and unleashed a barrage of attacks against Siegfried. However, Siegfried did not stand by and let the Goblin Lord do as it pleased. Pukeok! He mmed his knee into the Goblin Lord¡¯s abdomen. Pak! Then, he immediately continued with Smite before smashing his steel rod into the Goblin Lord¡¯s face. ¡°Kyahk!¡± Gorgo shrieked as it was flung back by the impact. [Gorgo] [Level: 50] [HP: ??????????] However, Siegfried¡¯s attack failed to reduce the Goblin Lord¡¯s HP by even 5%, and this was all because of the level gap. The massive 20-level gap had rendered Siegfried¡¯sbo of Smite, Circle of Mortality, and Circle of Weakness useless. ¡°Kyak?¡±?Gorgo got up and tilted its head in confusion, and then it said with a hideous smile on its face, ¡°Keke!?I admit that you are nimble! Kihit! However, your attacks are useless against me! Kihihi!?Kihihihit!¡± Then, the Goblin Lord arrogantly spread its arms wide open. ¡°Ah¡­ I can¡¯t deal even a single scratch¡­ Is it because of the level difference¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered to himself. ¡°Kihit!?What are you mumbling about?¡± Gorgo asked with a smug smirk. ¡°Then, I just have to activate it,¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Kyahk??What are you mumbling about?! You dare ignore me¡­!¡± Gorgo shrieked in anger. Fwoooosh¡­! At that moment, a blue aura and red aura rose from Siegfried¡¯s body and enveloped him, but it didn¡¯t end there¡­ Wooong! Another debuff circle appeared beneath Siegfried¡¯s feet; the glow and the circle were Speed Restraint and Contempt for the Strong. Siegfried activated the Level 30 skills of the Debuff Master at once! *** A message popped up in front of Siegfried. [You have activated ¡®Contempt for the Strong¡¯!] [Skill Duration: 59 seconds] [Cooldown: 300 seconds] ¡®Now, it¡¯s a battle of speed,¡¯?he thought as he immediately realized what he had to do while Contempt for the Strong was active. The skill explosively increased his strength for a short period of time, but it had a long cooldown of five minutes after the effect ended. This was what most yers referred to as the ¡®sage time.¡¯ ¡®Time to get moving. I don¡¯t have much time. I need to end this within a minute,¡¯?Siegfried thought. A minute¡­ The oue of this fight¡ªwhich would also decide the fate of the Biermann Territory would be decided in a minute. *** Pak! Siegfried smashed Gorgo¡¯s head with Smite, but the effect was different this time around. [Gorgo] [Level: 50] [HP: ??????????] The Goblin Lord¡¯s HP was reduced by 10% with a single Smite. ¡°Kyaahk!¡±?Gorgo shrieked in agony. Then, it seemed to have noticed that there was something wrong with its body because it revealed an astonished look. ¡°Kihit? Kii??My body is heavy all of a sudden¡­!¡± Gorgo shrieked in surprise. The Goblin Lord could not move its body as it did a while ago. It felt like both of its legs were shackled, and even the arms holding its scythe felt as heavy as lead. In fact, the Goblin Lord could not even speedilymand the pir of mes anymore, which was what it had been using to limit Siegfried¡¯s mobility. The Goblin Lord was caught right in the middle of Speed Restraint, and it would pay a heavy price for falling victim to the Debuff Master¡¯s Level 30 skill. Pak! Siegfried smashed the Goblin Lord¡¯s head with his steel rod. Pak! Pak! Pukeok! Pak! He smashed the Goblin Lord over and over again, and he showed not even an ounce of mercy while swinging his steel rod. ¡°Kuak!?Kuaa¡­!?Kuaaaaak!¡±?Gorgo shrieked in agony. ¡®T-This human¡­! Why did he suddenly be so strong?!¡¯?the Goblin Lord thought, astonished. The power behind every single blow from the human felt different from before, and it even felt as if the human was getting stronger and stronger after each and every blow. ¡®Is this even possible?! Kuak!¡¯?Gorgo eximed inwardly. It felt like going insane from the pain. However, that was none of Siegfried¡¯s business as he continued to diligently and consistently smash his steel rod into the Goblin Lord¡¯s head. Pak! Pak! Pukeok! [Gorgo] [Level: 50] [HP: ??????????] Siegfried reduced Gorgo¡¯s health to 30% thanks to his Level 30 skills. However, the Goblin Lord didn¡¯t just stand to take the beating. It finally decided to retaliate. It started with a roar instead of a shriek. ¡°Kiee¡­?Krruuwaaaaah!¡± Then, its golden body started to burn hot red. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±?Gorgo screamed and swung its scythe. Swoooosh! The Goblin Lord¡¯s scythe cut across Siegfried¡¯s chest, which caused blood to flow down Siegfried¡¯s chest. Rampage. Gorgo possessed a trait that would make it lose all reason and go on a rampage when its HP was reduced to 30%. While on a rampage, all of its stats were massively amplified. ¡®Damn it! I never expected it to go on a rampage!¡¯?Siegfried inwardly cursed. A rampaging monster was a very annoying enemy to deal with since going on a rampage basically meant the monster on the verge of being sessfully hunted would suddenly lose its temper and its stats would be amplified. Sukeok! Puk! Puk! Gorgo continuously stabbed and shed Siegfried. It seemed that even the Speed Restraint debuff wasn¡¯t working that much against the rampaging Goblin Lord. [Siegfried] [HP: ??????????] Siegfried¡¯s HP was depleted in an instant. ¡®Eh? This is getting dangerous,¡¯?he thought as he grimaced. [Contempt for the Strong is currently active!] [Skill Duration: 10 seconds] [Cooldown: 300 seconds] [9¡­ 8¡­ 7¡­ 6¡­] [5¡­ 4¡­ 3¡­] Even worse, the main buff Siegfried was counting on to stand toe to toe against the Goblin Lord was about to go on cooldown, and the conclusion of the fight would be obvious once Siegfried lost his buff while the boss monster was on a rampage. While Siegfried was looking at the messages, Gorgo swung its scythe in an arc toward Siegfried¡¯s waist. Thetter immediately saw that it would be difficult for him to avoid it. ¡°Nooooo!¡± ¡°Aaack!¡± ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± The onlookers cheering for Siegfried screamed in horror when they saw the Goblin Lord¡¯s scythe carving its way toward Siegfried. Puuuuuuk! Gorgo¡¯s scythe dug deep into Siegfried¡¯s side. ¡°S¡ªSiegfried!¡± Bleigh screamed in despair. Pukeok! However, Siegfried managed to smash his steel rod into the Goblin Lord¡¯s head the moment thetter¡¯s scythe dug into his waist. It was a cross-counter. 1. Sage time is a term used to exin the low after a high, and this term is also used as the Korean version of ¡®post-nut rity¡¯. You learn something new every day! Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Chapter 31 ¡®It¡¯sing¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he continued to observe the Goblin Lord¡¯s movements, and then he decided, ¡®Let¡¯s give it up.¡¯ He decided that it was going to be better for him to let the Goblin Lord stab his side than try to avoid or block it. Of course, he was not the type of person to give something up for free, so he was nning to profit handsomely from letting the Goblin Lord stab him. ¡®Let¡¯s give what it wants and end this fight in return!¡¯?he steeled his resolve as he decided to take Gorgo¡¯s life in exchange for getting stabbed by its scythe. Giving up the flesh to take the bone! Siegfried was reckless enough to take a calcted risk to kill the Goblin Lord in return for letting it wound him. Puuuuk! Gorgo¡¯s scythe dug into his side. ¡®I have to endure it!¡¯? Siegfried steeled his resolve and gritted his teeth. It was all over if he fell here, and he might as well forget about dragging the Goblin Lord down with him. ¡®Die¡­!¡¯?he eximed inwardly as he gritted his teeth and gripped his steel rod. Paaak! He swung his steel rod as hard as he could and used Smite at the same time to smash the Goblin Lord¡¯s head. Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Cross-Counter!] His life dangled on a paper-thin margin between life and death, but things turned out ording to his ns. However, the results were much greater than what he had anticipated. [Gorgo] [Level: 50] [HP: ??????????] The Goblin Lord had 30% HP left, but¡­ [Gorgo] [Level: 50] [HP: ??????????] Siegfried managed to kill the Goblin Lord in one hit thanks to the damage buff he received from the ¡®Contempt for the Strong¡¯ skill! [1¡­ 0¡­] [The buff duration has ended.] His buff timer expired right on time, and the bluish-red aura enveloping his body dissipated. *** Thud¡­! Gorgo fell to the ground. Silence nketed the entire Biermann Territory, and everybody held their breaths. Gulp¡­! The sound of someone swallowing their saliva could be heard. ¡°Did we¡­?¡± someone carefully muttered. Then, another person suddenly eximed, ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± The shout signaled the start of the Biermann territory¡¯s celebration as jubnt shouts resounded throughout the territory. ¡°Waaaaaah!¡± ¡°Bravo! Bravo!¡± ¡°We won! We woooon! The Goblin Lord has fallen!¡± ¡°Siegfried won!¡± ¡°Kyaaaaaaaah!¡± ¡°Siegfried has in the Goblin Lord!¡± Shouts of praise praising Siegfried¡¯s name started to resound throughout the territory. ¡°Siegfried! Siegfried! Siegfried!¡± The Biermann Territory citizens continued shouting the name of the hero who protected their homnd¡ªSiegfried. *** Siegfried was at a loss after killing the Goblin Lord, Gorgo, and it was not because of the people shouting his name. It was because of the numerous messages that appeared in front of him. [You have sessfully hunted the Goblin Lord!] [Experience Points +5,600!] [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 31!] The first series of messages notified him of the experience points he had gained and his level rising up to 31. Then, it was followed up with many more messages. [The effect of Recluse Elixir has expired.] The next message informed him that his doping had worn off. [Alert: You have sessfullypleted the Quest: ¡®Protect the Biermann Territory¡¯!] [Alert: Go to the Mercenary Guild to collect your reward!] [Alert: You have sessfullypleted the Quest: ¡®Goblin Lord Gorgo¡¯!] [Alert: Go to the lord of Biermann Territory, Baron Wegmann to collect your reward!] More quest clear messages appeared. [Congrattions! The residents of Biermann Territory like you!] [Alert: The Biermann Territory resident¡¯s Affinity with you has increased by +1,000!] [Alert: The increase of the Biermann Territory resident¡¯s Affinity with you has increased your Fame by +150!] [You will be able to obtain more Fame when you domendable deeds inrge cities.] [Alert: The Affinity of the Biermann Territory¡¯s citizens with you has been upgraded from ¡®Respect¡¯ to ¡®Revered¡¯!] [Congrattions! You are now the legendary hero of the Biermann Territory!] [Your deeds as the legendary hero will be passed down from generation to generation and you will be remembered by the residents of Biermann Territory as long as the territory exists!] Even messages informing him of the residents¡¯ increase in Affinity with him popped up, and even more other messages appeared, covering Siegfried¡¯s vision. [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®Goblin yer¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®Protector of the Biermann Territory¡¯!] He even obtained two titles. ¡®Goblin yer¡¯ allowed him to deal twenty percent more damage to goblin-type monsters, and ¡®Protector of the Biermann Territory¡¯ allowed him to use various facilities within the territory for free, along with a tax exemption if he ever decided to purchase real estate in the territory on top of various other benefits. He was bound to have a ton of messages waiting for him since he had just cleared the chain of quests after finally killing the boss monster, Gorgo. ¡®Excellent,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a huge smile on his face. ¡®It was a bit difficult because of the level difference, but¡­ did I really deal that much damage¡­? Haha¡­¡¯?he thought whileughing inwardly in disbelief. He was very satisfied with his buff skill ¡®Contempt for the Strong¡¯ since it allowed him to wipe thirty percent off of a boss monster¡¯s HP twenty levels stronger than him. ¡°Siegfried!¡± Bleigh called out. He approached Siegfried and said, ¡°Well done! You did a magnificent job! You protected our territory!¡± ¡°Not at all; this is all thanks to you, Sir Bleigh, as well as your elite troops for buying me time,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°But¡ª¡± Bleigh muttered. However, Siegfried interrupted him and said, ¡°Please do not push yourself too hard. Medic! Hurry up and escort Sir Bleigh!¡± Bleigh¡¯s condition was very bad. His life might not be in danger since Siegfried had fed him potions and tied a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding, but it was still a grim situation. After all, the Knight Captain had lost an arm. ¡°Siegfried¡­¡± Bleigh muttered. ¡°Please rest for now; we can always talkter on,¡± Siegfried insisted. ¡°Ah¡­ alright¡­¡± Bleigh muttered with a hint of disappointment in his voice. ¡°Everyone! Hurry up and get moving! The wounded still needs help!¡± Siegfried shouted to the others. Their victory against the goblin army was indeed a joyous asion that made the residents want to celebrate, but the Biermann Territory was currently a huge mess. There were corpses strewn all over, and the cries of the wounded filled the air. Buildings and structures were destroyed, and there were even some buildings currently burning. It was imperative for them to attend to the issues at hand before celebrating their victory. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°As expected of Siegfried!¡± ¡°He is a man who knows how to prioritize things!¡± ¡°He is truly an amazing young man!¡± The Biermann Territory residents started to praise Siegfried even more. ¡®Ah¡­ don¡¯t exaggerate and praise me for every little thing I say, will you??Siegfried thought while feeling awkward. ¡®Haaa¡­ I should get some rest as well. But first, I should collect the item that bastard dropped,¡¯?he thought. While he was about to go and collect the loot, a soldier¡¯s voice reverberated. ¡°The Lord is here! Pay your respect!¡± A white-haired old man made his appearance¡ªhe was Baron Wegmann. ¡°Are you Siegfried?¡± Baron Wegmann asked. ¡°Yes, Baron Wegmann,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Thank you for saving our territory. I¡ªthe lord¡ªand my people deeply express our gratitude to you,¡± Baron Wegmann said. ¡°I just did what anyone would have done¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Thank you,¡± Baron Wegmann said, going down on one knee in front of Siegfried. ¡°I¡ªBaron Wegmann¡ªthe lord of Biermann, pay my respect to the hero who saved our territory,¡± Baron Wegmann said. He wasn¡¯t alone¡­ ¡°We pay our respects to our hero.¡± Everyone in the Biermann Territory got on their knees, and they showed their respect and gratitude toward their hero. ¡°Ah, please do not do this,¡± Siegfried said as he hurriedly helped the baron up before continuing, ¡°I am an Adventurer from another world as you are aware. I did not protect the territory purely out of goodwill, so you do not have to be so excessively grateful.¡± ¡°No.¡± Baron Wegmann shook his head and said, ¡°Your reason for protecting our territory is not important. You have given your everything to protect ournd, and you have sessfully defended it from the monsters. Our territory would have already fallen into the hands of those evil goblins if it weren¡¯t for you and your heroic bravery.¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in embarrassment. ¡°I have been watching over you for quite a while now. You are quite diligent and passionate, but it did not seem like you were being driven only by the rewards. You seem to be faithfully doing your best in every situation, and that is indeed admirable,¡± Baron Wegmann added. ¡°Your words are far too gracious,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I wish to give you a gift,¡± Baron Wegmann said. ¡°A gift¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered. He suddenly remembered that the message had asked him to visit Baron Wegmann to collect his rewards forpleting the quest ¡®Goblin Lord Gorgo.¡¯ ¡°Come, follow me,¡± Baron Wegmann said and led the way. ¡°Would you kindly give me a moment then?¡± Siegfried asked. He continued while pointing at Gorgo¡¯s corpse. ¡°I have to harvest that bastard¡¯s blood as soon as possible, you see¡­¡± The blood of the Goblin Lord, Gorgo, was an expensive material sought after by alchemists, and Siegfried had to move quickly to collect it before it got spoiled. ¡°Ah, alright. I can wait for as long as you need me to,¡± Baron Wegmann replied. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried said with a bow. He immediately took out ancing device with ancet attached to it to collect blood and stabbed thencet into Gorgo¡¯s neck. Siegfried slowly squeezed and released the pump attached to thencing device, then Gorgo¡¯s blood slowly traveled through the hose and dripped into a leather bag coated with magic. A message popped up in front of him. [Alert: You have collected 10 Liters of ¡®Goblin Lord¡¯s Blood¡¯!] ¡°Alright, I am done,¡± Siegfried said after sucking every single drop of blood out of the Goblin Lord¡¯s corpse. ¡°Is it fine if we take the corpse?¡± Baron Wegmann asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Siegfried coolly replied. The Goblin Lord¡¯s corpse was nothing but a lump of meat after its blood was drained. ¡°Thank you. Hey! Cut that evil goblin¡¯s head off and put it on a stake to decorate the entrance to our territory!¡± Baron Wegmannmanded. ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± the soldiers replied. They hurriedly ran toward the goblin¡¯s corpse and dragged it away. The goblin that dreamt of erecting the Goblin Kingdom and bing a king had met a pitiful demise. *** Baron Wegmann brought Siegfried to a treasure vault located deep within the castle. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be deemed as a treasure in the castle¡¯s treasure vault as the only things in it were a few sacks of gold, some precious stones, and some mediocre-looking weapons and armor. This was already expected since the lord of a small rural territory wouldn¡¯t be able to earn that much from taxes. ¡°This is the treasure vault of our territory, and as you can see¡­ It''s shameful to even call it a treasure vault. It¡¯s called a treasure vault, but it¡¯s nothing more than a normal vault to store gold. However¡ª¡± Baron Wegmann trailed off as he opened arge steel chest. Then, he retrieved a small wooden chest from it and passed it over to Siegfried. ¡°This is different. The thing inside this box is the real treasure being safeguarded by the Biermann Territory, and I can confidently say that even therger territories do not possess a treasure more valuable than the thing inside that chest as far as I know,¡± Baron Wegmann exined. The fact that the baron seemed pretty confident of the thing inside the chest made Siegfried all the more curious about it. ¡®I wonder what it is¡­ why is he acting like this? Is it something that amazing¡­?¡¯?he wondered. However, he did not have a clue about what was inside the chest. In the end, Siegfried decided to ask the baron directly, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°See for yourself,¡± Baron Wegmann replied. He motioned for Siegfried to open the chest. ¡°Ah, yes¡­ then¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in response as he slowly opened the chest while thinking, ¡®I doubt it¡¯s going to be anything that valuable¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t actually expecting anything when he opened the chest. ck¡­! ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly confused after opening the chest. The treasure Baron Wegmann was so confident of was a piece of old worn-out parchment the size of a lottery ticket. ¡°Coupon to use the Mercedes Workshop¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered therge words written on the paper, and then he read the words again, ¡°Mercedes Workshop¡­ Hmm¡­ Huh¡­? Is it that Mercedes Workshop?¡± All of a sudden, Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot open the moment he realized that the Mercedes Smithy written on the paper referred to one of the three most reputable workshops in all of N¨¹rburg Continent. 1. This is a Korean proverb of letting the enemy wound you so that you can take their life. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Chapter 32 The N¨¹rburg Continent was a world where magic, alchemy, and crafting were quite developed, but the developments of these technologies did not happen overnight as they were developed over thousands of years and used the wars that shaped the continent to fuel its development. Strangely enough, these three arts started to drop their fiercepetition for one another at some point in history, and they started to connect by exchanging technologies. In short, their technologies started to fuse together, and the result of those mixtures was none other than the artifacts. Artifacts came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and the swords that breathed out fire, shields that blinded their enemies, and armors that could be equipped and unequipped in a second were all artifacts made from thebination of magic, alchemy, and crafting. There were three giant workshops on the N¨¹rburg Continent that professionally developed, manufactured, and sold these artifacts, and every workshop had its own distinct characteristics and motto when creating artifacts. The three workshops were Autonika of Technology, Bavarian of Power, and Mercedes the Greatest. These three workshops were known as the ¡®Big Three Workshops¡¯ since they were the threergest workshops that created the best artifacts on the entire continent. In fact, they wererger in size, greater in skill, and more expensive than any other workshops on the continent, and the artifacts they produced could not bepared tomon workshops out there. However, the best among these three was none other than the Mercedes Workshop, and the reason they were the best was that they were the first workshop to ever create and coin the term ¡®artifact¡¯ on the continent. The artifacts created by the Mercedes Workshop were more than enough to prove their worthiness as their design and performance were much better than those made by Autonika and Bavarian, and this was why they were able to put ¡®the Greatest¡¯ in their workshop¡¯s slogan. On top of that, the artifacts made by the Mercedes Workshop were considered luxury products since they were around thirty percent more expensive than the ones made by Autonika and Bavarian. ¡®Mercedes Workshop¡­? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s ¡®that¡¯ Mercedes¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking at the piece of paper Baron Wegmann gave to him, and he soon realized that the piece of paper was not an ordinary paper but rather a coupon issued by the Mercedes Workshop. Although, it seemed that a couple of hundred years had passed since the coupon had been issued. ¡®I wonder what coupon it is¡­?¡¯?he wondered as he quickly nced over the words written on the coupon. The words written on the coupon were as followed: [Mercedes Workshop 100% +12 Enhancement Coupon (No Level Limit)] [An enhancement coupon officially issued by the Mercedes Workshop.] [The Mercedes Workshop will enhance any artifact requested by the coupon holder 12 times with a 100% sess rate.] [Type: Coupon (Consumable)] [Price: 1,000 gold] The coupon worth a thousand gold turned out to be a guaranteed +12 enhancement coupon issued by the Mercedes Workshop! Moreover, the coupon guaranteed the +12 enhancement regardless of the level of the artifact being enhanced! ¡°T-This is¡­!¡± Siegfried could not help but exim in surprise at the details of the piece of paper. *** The +12 guaranteed enhancement coupon from the Mercedes Workshop was akin to a nk check, and the fact that any artifact regardless of its level could be enhanced meant that the holder had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity topletely turn their life around as long as they possessed a decent artifact. Of course, the enhancement level of an artifact was not capped at +12, so this coupon was not going to instantly turn an artifact into the most powerful weapon on the continent, but the fact that it was a guaranteed +12 alone was more than enough to prove its value. ¡°It was around seven hundred years ago when the Mercedes Workshop first opened its doors. They were a new workshop at that time, and they were suffering financial difficulties. As such, they started selling these coupons for just a thousand gold.¡± Baron Wegmann reminisced with a smile. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in response. ¡°However, nobody bought their coupons. Of course, the entire continent will be turned upside down if they announce that they would be selling these for a mere thousand gold right now, but that was not the case back then. After all, who in their right mind would pay a sum of a thousand gold to buy a coupon from a workshop that nobody had ever heard of back then?¡± Baron Wegmann continued. He was right. These coupons were issued seven hundred years ago when the concept of artifacts was practically none existent, and that meant that the value of these coupons back then was no different from a piece of toilet tissue paper. Not to mention the fact that a thousand gold seven hundred years ago was a huge amount in today¡¯s gold. ¡°But my ancestor, Baron Graham was a very entric man. In fact, some might say that he was a bit¡­ foolish,¡± Baron Wegmann said. ¡°Your ancestor purchased this¡­?¡± Siegfried asked cautiously. ¡°That¡¯s right. He purchased a coupon. I have no idea if he did it spectively or if he just bought it on a whim, but I think it¡¯s thetter since there were records of him gambling his entire fortune away a while after buying this. Anyway, buying this coupon turned out to be the best investment he ever made in his life,¡± Baron Wegmann exined. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Siegfried could not help but let out an awkwardugh since thevish spending of an entric man ended up being such a great investment. Of course, it did take seven hundred years for it to prove its worth, but Baron Graham¡¯s choice turned out to be a wise one in the end. ¡°Anyway, it seems that this coupon has finally found its rightful owner,¡± Baron Wegmann said. ¡°Are you giving this to me? But this is a very expensive item¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, taken aback. ¡°I am,¡± Baron Wegmann replied. ¡°But this is too much¡ª¡± Siegfried started. However, Baron Wegmann interrupted him. ¡°Nobody will be able to use it anyway.¡± Then, he added, ¡°That coupon is supposed to be used for the creation of a good weapon when a promising child is born in our household.¡± ¡°Then, why¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Do you still not get it even after seeing me stuck in this rural ce?¡± Baron Wegmann asked. ¡°N-No¡­?¡± Siegfried mumbled. ¡°Forget about a promising child; there was not even a single promising ant born in our territory in thest seven hundred years. It¡¯s quite ironic that not even one of our descendants was born with the potential to be a Master despite our house being a martial household. Heck, forget about a master; none of them were born with the physique to even get close to the realm of being one. The most promising descendant so far is my son, but¡­¡± Baron Wegmann grumbled before trailing off. ¡°What happened?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°He¡¯s nowhere near enough as well. He is currently studying at the kingdom¡¯s academy, but he still hasn¡¯t managed to get past the early stages. Well, I reckon he just isn¡¯t talented enough,¡± Baron Wegmann continued with a sigh. People often said that parents were bound to have biased opinions of their own children, but it seemed that Baron Wegmann¡¯s son simply had no talent at all, judging by his bluntness. ¡°I could sell it off and develop this territory, but what use is developing a territory this rural? I doubt it¡¯s going to improve any further than this, and we aren¡¯t reallycking in funds, too. Besides, we don¡¯t really want to develop ourselves any further than this. We are satisfied, and we don¡¯t really want to bring in a huge crowd from the outside. That¡¯s why my family and my territory have no need for that coupon,¡± Baron Wegmann exined. ¡°So¡­ are you really giving this coupon to me?¡± Siegfried asked expectantly. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Baron Wegmann replied with a nod before adding, ¡°But I have one condition.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I¡¯m not simply giving this to you as a gift. I am investing in you,¡± Baron Wegmann exined. ¡°Investing in me¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in confusion. ¡°Let¡¯s call it an investment in a promising sprout. They say that as the twig is bent, so grows the tree, don¡¯t they? I can see that you are going to be a hero that will make his mark on the entire continent,¡± Baron Wegmann said with a smile. ¡°You tter me,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Nonsense. I saw you with my own two eyes. My martial prowess might be disastrous, but I am confident in my eye for talent. Actually, all who witnessed how you fought today will undoubtedly think that you are bound to be a Master one day,¡± Baron Wegmann firmly said. ¡°I thank you for your kind praises,¡± Siegfried humbly replied. ¡°Hoho, no need to be so humble now,¡± Baron Wegmann said with augh, and then he continued, ¡°Anyway, my condition is that you will not sell this coupon off to someone else. My hope is that you will treasure this coupon until the right timees, which is when you obtain the best suitable weapon for you, and then, I want you to use this to enhance your weapon. I¡¯m certain that you¡¯ll be even stronger by then, and your fame would have already spread throughout the continent by then as well, am I right?¡± ¡°It would be great if that happens,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I¡¯m certain it will,¡± Baron Wegmann said in a firm and confident voice, and then he looked at Siegfried and said, ¡°I hope that one day¡ªwhen you have made enough achievements¡ªyou will remember our territory and repay us for today. It doesn¡¯t matter what or how you repay us.¡± ¡°I most certainly will,¡± Siegfried confidently said while thinking, ¡®I will earn money anyway, and getting a guaranteed +12 enhancement is not something that you can buy with money. I should keep this safe and sound for the day that I¡¯ll use it for myself.¡¯ He had no ns on selling the coupon for some quick cash even if the coupon he had obtained just now should him more than ten billion won in cash when sold. He was nning on using the coupon for himself. Why? It was all because money wasn¡¯t the only thing that mattered to him. His goal in life was to stand at the pinnacle of BNW rather than be a fat pig that onlyzed around infort all day. In fact, he would have already sold off the Hyper Capsule Ogre if he were someone who valued money above everything else. ¡°I swear that I will never sell this coupon. I will wait until I manage to get my hands on an excellent weapon and use it to enhance it by then. And you do not have to worry about my repayment to you and this territory. I will never forget the kindness the Biermann Territory and you have shown to me,¡± Siegfried said with firmness and confidence in his voice. ¡°Excellent!¡± Baron Wegmann eximed in delight before he meekly added, ¡°By the way¡­ can you care for my son if you ever get to the capital?¡± ¡°By ¡®care¡¯ you mean¡­?¡± Siegfried asked in response. ¡°I mean, if you can help my child if he is ever in any danger,¡± Baron Wegmann rified. ¡°I certainly will,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Can you promise me?¡± Baron Wegmann asked. ¡°I promise,¡± Siegfried replied. A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Promise With Baron Wegmann¡¯.] The quest was rtively straightforward. [Promise With Baron Wegmann] [Type: Normal Quest] [1. Repay the Biermann Territory for today¡¯s kindness once Siegfried reaches the level of a Master.] [2. Go to the capital and establish a rtionship with Baron Wegmann¡¯s son.] [Progress: 0% (0/2)] [Rewards: Fame + ???] [Note: More Fame will be rewarded the higher thepletion level.] Oddly enough, the reward for Baron Wegmann¡¯s quest was an unknown amount of Fame. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not something I have to do immediately,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He decided to brush his curiosity off to the side for now. For now, he was nning to focus on leveling up. After all, he didn¡¯t have the time to care for the baron¡¯s son, and he also couldn¡¯t reach the level of a Master sooner orter. In fact, Siegfried cared more about his own growth right now that he had no ns to care for the baron¡¯s son any time soon! Besides, he only had to do that after reaching the level of a Master just like what Baron Wegmann had just said. ¡°Then, you are now the rightful owner of this coupon,¡± Baron Wegmann dered before handing over the Mercedes Workshop coupon to Siegfried. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried said. He received the box where the coupon was being stored and ced it into his Inventory. [Alert: You have obtained the item: ¡®Mercedes Workshop 100% +12 Enhancement Coupon¡¯!] Siegfried had just obtained a once-in-a-lifetime item as a reward. *** The enhancement coupon was not the only thing he received as a reward. Siegfried finally received his rewards two dayster, after the destruction caused by the war had been somewhat taken care of. It was the rewards from his previous quests and the rewards from his outstanding aplishment in the war. However, the amount was far greater than what he had been anticipating. ¡°Here you go, that is five thousand gold including your rewards from the Mercenary Guild,¡± Baron Wegmann said as hemanded his soldiers to ce a sack in front of Siegfried. ¡°What¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief, seemingly doubting his ears. It was only natural that he would doubt his ears since five thousand gold was an astronomical sum equivalent to two hundred and fifty million won in real life. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

¡°Isn¡¯t it too much¡­?¡± Siegfried asked while staring at the sack in a daze. ¡°Uh¡­ The Goblin Lord seemed to have hoarded up quite a bit of gold,¡± Baron Wegmann exined with an awkward smile while scratching the back of his head. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Siegfried gasped when he realized what the baron meant. ¡°And we also gathered supplies and resources from the now-fallen Schreyer Territory, and that amounted to quite a bit as well,¡± Baron Wegmann added. Siegfried had been wondering where all the gold came from, but now, he realized that all of it was thanks to the gold Gorgo had hoarded when it was alive. ¡°Of course, I wish to give you more of it, but we have topensate the families of the soldiers who had fallen in battle, and we have to spend some of it on restoring the territory, so¡­¡± Baron Wegmann trailed off. ¡°I am satisfied with this,¡± Siegfried said as he waved his hand to gesture that the baron had no reason to apologize. Five thousand gold was a decent sum. In fact, it was almost unheard of for a Level 30 user to rake in such a profit even though Brave New World was a game where real-life cash could be used to boost one¡¯s character. Not to mention, Siegfried even obtained the enhancement coupon for Mercedes Workshop, Gorgo¡¯s blood, and other misceneous profits from this war. As such, the total profit he raked from the Biermann Territory alone could be worth more than tens of billions of won. Of course, he had no ns to use or sell the enhancement coupon anytime soon. ¡°I am already grateful after receiving so much,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I¡¯m d that you see it that way,¡± Baron Wegmann replied with a smile. ¡°Thank you very much, Baron Wegmann,¡± Siegfried said. He gave a slight bow toward the baron. ¡°Then¡­ are you going to be leaving now?¡± Baron Wegmann asked. ¡°Yes, I will have to get going now,¡± Siegfried replied. It was now time for him to leave since there were no longer any Mutated Creatures to hunt in this ce. He had to leave this small territory and move on to arger one. ¡°I see. That is indeed a shame, but there is nothing we can do about it since a person like you would eventually have to y on a bigger ying field. However, I would like to ask you to stay a couple more days,¡± Baron Wegmann said. ¡°I would love to do that, but I hope that you will understand that it is going to be a long journey, so¡­ I hope that you will be understanding of it,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Of course, I understand what you mean,¡± Baron Wegmann replied with a nod, but it was evident through the expression on his face that he would have preferred to have Siegfried stay a few more days in the territory. ¡°Hey, Siegfried,¡± Bleigh suddenly called out. ¡°Yes, Sir Bleigh?¡± Siegfried responded. ¡°I wish to thank you once again. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°It was only possible since Sir Bleigh believed in me,¡± Siegfried replied in a humble manner. ¡°Haha! No need to be so humble now!¡± Bleigh said with augh. ¡°Please take care of yourself till we meet again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about me. I n to focus on recovering as fast as possible and train my swordsmanship again. My skills were nothing to be proud of even when I still had both of my arms, but I can¡¯t simply abandon the sword just because I lost an arm. I¡¯m a knight after all, am I right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really cool, Sir Bleigh,¡± Siegfried said. He was genuinely in awe of the Knight Captain. Bleigh was a man walking the path of a knight regardless of his skills or his position, and he was truly a cool person just as Siegfried had said. ¡°Siegfried.¡± The Mercenary Guild receptionist, Jericho, came and called out to him the moment Siegfried was done chatting with Bleigh. ¡°You have really done such a huge thing for us, thank you for your hard work,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you for your hard work too, Mr. Jericho,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Here, take this,¡± Jericho said. He extended something toward Siegfried. [Mercenary Guild License] [Name: Siegfried] [Type: Adventurer] [Tier: Silver III] [ss: No ss] [This license proves that the Adventurer above has passed the rigorous tests of the N¨¹rburg Continent¡¯s Mercenary Guild.] It was his new mercenary license. ¡°Silver III? I don¡¯t recall going through a promotion exam¡­?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly confused. ¡°Do you really think that you still need to go through a promotion exam? Your achievements from this war are more than enough to prove your worth. In fact, I would love to rank you up to Silver I immediately, but Silver III is the highest tier our branch can give so just take that for now. I¡¯m sure you are aware that the Mercenary Guilds are all connected so that license will definitely be handy in your journey,¡± Jericho said. ¡°Thank you very much, Mr. Jericho,¡± Siegfried said. He bowed in gratitude toward the guild receptionist. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± ¡°I can join the elite forces now, and it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± ¡°I will never forget you.¡± Thompson and the other mercenaries thanked Siegfried as they saw him off. ¡°See you at a high-level dungeon next time.¡± ¡°I hope you can carry us again then.¡± ¡°Haha, leveling up sure was easy thanks to you.¡± The Korean yer, Jang Man-Bok, and the other Adventurers said as they took turns shaking Siegfried¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you very much for everything, and I wish you good health and fortune,¡± Siegfried said as he bowed toward everyone who came to see him off. Then, he walked toward the gates of the Biermann Territory. p¡­! p¡­! p¡­!? Everyone in the Biermann Territory pped as Siegfried started walking away. ¡°See you!¡± ¡°You will definitely be a hero!¡± ¡°You are our hero no matter what!¡± ¡°Thank you for everything!¡± ¡°We will never forget you!¡± The citizens passionately bid him farewell, and their passion was definitely befitting of the ¡®Revered¡¯ Affinity level they had with him. ¡°All citizens!¡± Baron Wegmann¡¯s voice boomed. ¡°Salute to the hero who saved our territory, Siegfried!¡± When Baron Wegmann¡¯s words reverberated, every single person in the Biermann Territory raised a salute toward Siegfried as he was walking away into the distance. The sound of people saluting him and pping for him rang in Siegfried¡¯s ears, and he could not help but smile upon hearing them. *** ¡°Log out,¡± Siegfried muttered. He logged out after leaving the Biermann Territory and reaching the nearest gateway. A gateway was a magic circle especially installed for Adventurers. There were a few things he had to take care of in reality. ¡°I have some money now, so¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he looked at the Ogre before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ll have to move into a better ce and pay off some of my debt, too.¡± To Tae-Sung, money was ephemeral. He left his house and went straight to a nearby realtor¡¯s office. ¡°Aigoo, wee young man!¡± A middle-aged realtor greeted Tae-Sung. ¡°Are you looking for a house?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°What are you looking for? A one-bedroom? A two-bedroom?¡± she enthusiastically asked. ¡°A two-bedroom,¡± Tae-Sung replied. Since he had the Ogre, he could no longer live in a one-bedroom unit. ¡°What is your budget?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered for a moment before he replied, ¡°Around twenty million for the deposit and seven hundred thousand per month for the rent?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± the middle-aged realtor muttered in disbelief before she decided to ask just in case she misheard, ¡°Twenty million and what¡­?¡± ¡°Around seven hundred thousand won,¡± Tae-Sung repeated. ¡°For a two-bedroom?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Hey, young man¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not joking with me right now, right?¡± ¡°Why would I joke with you¡­?¡± ¡°Hey, young man¡­¡± the middle-aged realtor said as she looked at Tae-Sung with eyes full of pity before asking, ¡°Where in the world are you going to find a two-bedroom for that price?¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Is this some rural backwater town? Why are you bringing up prices from a decade ago?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know what? Your budget can only get you something in the outskirts even a decade ago! What a frustrating young man you are. Tsk tsk¡­¡±?the middle-aged realtor grumbled while clicking her tongue. It seemed that rental prices had skyrocketed along with the advancement of technology. ¡°You will have to set a budget of at least thirty million won for the deposit and 1.2 million won per month for the rent if you want to find a decent two-bedroom unit these days,¡± she added. ¡°Thirty million and 1.2 million¡­?¡± Tae-Sung muttered in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s only possible since we are in this neighborhood. Why don¡¯t you go and look at Gangnam? You will have to pay at least fifty million for the deposit and two million for the monthly rent!¡± ¡°Crazy¡ª¡± ¡°What did you call me just now?¡± the middle-aged realtor asked with a grimace. ¡°No, I was referring to the rental prices. It¡¯s crazy expensive,¡± Tae-Sung hurriedly exined while waving his hands. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­?How will you survive being so ignorant?¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He found it difficult to continue his words. ¡®Thirty million and 1.2 million¡­? That¡¯s highway robbery! Damn it¡­?haa¡­¡¯?he cried inwardly. ¡°Please show me the ones you have for thirty million in deposit and 1.2 million in monthly rental¡­¡± Tae-Sung said in a weak voice. ¡°Do you want a capsule room?¡± she asked. The capsule room the realtor was referring to was none other than a room where the interior was designed to fit a VR capsule perfectly. ¡°That would be even better,¡± he replied. ¡°That will cost you an additional three hundred thousand won, is that okay?¡± she asked. Tae-Sung managed to suppress the sudden urge to bite his tongue. ¡®Should I just sell the enhancement coupon¡­?¡¯?he wondered. It seemed that saving the enhancement coupon wouldn¡¯t be as easy as Tae-Sung had thought it would be. *** After an hour, Tae-Sung left the realtor¡¯s office and muttered, ¡°It¡¯s a rough world I¡¯m living in¡­¡± He managed to lease a room on the spot thanks to an avable vacant unit. ¡°Why the hell does rent cost 1.5 million a month¡­ Damn it¡­¡± he grumbled without an ounce of strength in his voice. However, there was no way that the skyrocketing real estate prices in South Korea were going to plummet just because he was spending his time grumbling at it. His original budget of twenty million for the deposit and seven hundred thousand for the rent were prices from the days when people used to y games on PC. ¡°Let¡¯s make more money¡­ money¡­¡± he muttered weakly. He managed to earn a huge sum of money in a week thanks to Lady Luck smiling at him, but it seemed that he still had a long way to go. He still had a mountain of debt to clear and a family to care for in his hometown. ¡®Let¡¯s clear my debt first. I have already decided to move out from my ce, so I should start focusing on clearing my debt from now on,¡¯?he thought as he steeled his resolve once again. He walked toward the nearest bank to wire transfer some money to the loan sharks. *** At some office in a run-down building at Guro-gu¡­ ¡°Boss, Han Tae-Sung just transferred money to us.¡± The youngest in the office, Halibut, reported to his boss sitting at a table. ¡°What? Who transferred money?¡± Halibut¡¯s boss, Ma Dong-Po, was counting money when he paused before looking up and asking, ¡°Han-who?¡± ¡°Han Tae-Sung, Boss,¡± Halibut repeated. ¡°Who¡¯s Han Tae-Sung?¡± ¡°That guy you know¡­ Last year, he¡¯s the one who¡­¡± Halibut said before whispering the details into Ma Dong-Po¡¯s ear. ¡°Huh?¡± Ma Dong-Po doubted his ears for a moment before he asked, ¡°That bastard transferred money to us?¡± ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± ¡°Well, look at that?¡± Ma Dong-Po muttered before he continued, ¡°That bastard is still alive? I thought he did a long time ago.¡± ¡°Boss, Han Tae-Sung is also a debtor, so isn¡¯t it a bad idea if he dies? Shouldn¡¯t he pay you back first and ask you for permission before dying?¡± ¡°Look at you¡ªyou¡¯ve grown up now. You sound like a true loan shark now!¡± Ma Dong-Po said with a grin. ¡°Hehe,?thank you, Boss,¡± Halibut replied with a huge smile on his face. ¡°That¡¯s that. How much did Han Tae-Sung transfer?¡± ¡°Two hundred million won, Boss.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°He transferred around a hundred million four months ago, too. Were you not aware of it, Boss?¡± ¡°Do you really think that I will trouble myself with a small fry like Han Tae-Sung? I¡¯m already busy as it is,¡± Ma Dong-Po grumbled. It was exactly as he said¡­ Ma Dong-Po was an illegal lender who specifically targeted gamers, and he was currently at the peak of his career thanks to the rise of virtual reality games. The rise of virtual reality games attracted lots of ignorant wannabe gamers trying to make it big by borrowing money from loan sharks. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less as long as he pays his interest on time,¡± Ma Dong-Po added. ¡°You are right, Boss.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ how much did that Han Tae-Sung borrow from me?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Halibut muttered while scanning the records. Then, he replied, ¡°He borrowed a total of eight hundred million won. We took his apartment unit worth five hundred million and his car, so that offsets around four hundred million after the fees, so he had around four hundred million won left.¡± ¡°So he paid back a hundred million four months ago, and he paid back two hundred million just now?¡± Ma Dong-Po asked. ¡°Yes, Boss. He only has to pay us around a hundred million won,¡± Halibut replied. ¡°Well, look at this bastard¡­¡± Ma Dong-Po muttered before he added, ¡°How the hell did that broke bastard pay off the principal when the interest alone should have been more than enough to drag him through the mud?¡± The interest rates of the illegal loan shark, Ma Dong-Po, could only be described as highway robbery. His interest rates were beyond the legally allowed twenty percent as he was charging thirty percent for his services. A thirty percent interest on a three hundred million won debt would be around ny million won, and it would be equivalent to 7.5 million won a month when divided into twelve months. ¡°I have no idea how he did it, Boss,¡± Halibut said while scratching his head. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ma Dong-Po muttered as he rubbed hisrge chin. He tilted his head and said, ¡°Did he win the lottery? Or did he open a business and made it big? No¡­ there¡¯s no way that he would be able to earn that much money with a business¡­¡± ¡°I think so, too, Boss.¡± ¡°In addition to paying off the interest, he paid off the principal amount as well? Hmm¡­ something smells fishy here¡­ Sniff¡­! Sniff¡­!¡±?Ma Dong-Po said as his nostrils started squirming. It was his habit whenever the scent of money was in the air. ¡°Halibut,¡± Ma Dong-Po called out. ¡°Yes, Boss,¡± Halibut responded. ¡°Ask the boys to go and find out what Han Tae-Sung has been up to these days.¡± ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± ¡°I have a feeling that I will have to call our financier right now,¡± Ma Dong-Po said as he picked up the phone. 1. Some of you might be aware, but the rental market in South Korea works in a different way. The tenant will ce a deposit, which is usually a sizable amount and pay monthly rent on top of it. Then, thendlord will fully return the deposit at the end of the lease term. This is done to prevent rent prices from skyrocketing since South Korea has one of the most expensive real estate prices in the world. The other rental system is called ¡®Jeonse¡¯ which is to ce a deposit and use the unit without paying rent. More on that here: Chapter 34

Chapter 34

A message popped up on the ATM screen. ¡¸Your transfer has been sessfully processed.¡¹ After reading the message, Tae-Sung realized that two hundred million won had truly just left his bank ount, so he couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± ¡°So I only have a hundred million won left¡­?¡± he muttered. Of course, the hundred million won was not his only remaining debt because that was only the debt he had with Ma Dong-Po, the illegal loan shark. In fact, he still had two hundred million won worth of loans with a bank that he took during his heydays. ¡°A hundred million won with Ma Dong-Po, and two hundred million won with the bank¡­ I only have three hundred million left to pay back. Let¡¯s pay it all back soon, but I should never borrow money to y games ever again¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He finally realized how horrible one¡¯s life could be at a momentary misjudgment. To be frank, he wanted to sell the Mercedes Workshop 100% +12 Enhancement Coupon and pay off his debts, buy a nice house, and drive a nice car, but he knew very well that doing that would be akin to killing a goose thatid golden eggs. ¡°I¡¯ll eventually pay off my debts, and I¡¯ll eventually start making money, too. Let¡¯s just suffer for now,¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he steeled his resolve. He would pay off his debt as long as he managed to be stronger. He knew very well that there were a plethora of ways to make money on Brave New World. He could sell items or gold for real-world cash, or he could open his own channel on ¡®G-Tube¡¯ and make money out of it by live-streaming or uploading his videos on top of the sponsorships he would receive if he ever became famous. In addition, he could run a service helping lower-leveled users clear a dungeon or power level them, and there was also the possibility of bing a pro gamer and receiving a huge sry, as well as bonuses fromrge conglomerates. However, time was the main problem. Tae-Sung had to be at least Level 200 to aplish the money-making methods he could think of. His level was going to be very important if he ever decided to be a streamer since most viewers would lose interest if his level were too low. ¡°As expected¡­ there¡¯s no other way other than to level up¡­¡± he muttered as he left the bank with leveling up, leveling up, and leveling up in his mind. *** Two dayster, Tae-Sung moved out of his one-bedroom unit and moved into the two-bedroom unit he leased for a thirty million won deposit and 1.5 million won rent a month. He managed to move so soon because his previousndlord gave his deposit back. The moving did not take long since the only things Tae-Sung possessed were himself, a few clothes, worn-out appliances, and the Ogre. ¡°The instation is finished, Han Tae-Sung-nim,¡± said Lee Jae-Sung, a mechanic from V-Lounge. He was the same mechanic who installed the Ogre in Tae-Sung¡¯s previous apartment. ¡°Thank you for your hard work,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Not at all; we are just doing our job. Ah, but you moved quite earlier than expected. I think it hasn¡¯t even been a month?¡± ¡°I will be moving quite often from now on,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a smile, and then he added, ¡°I n to slowly expand you see.¡± ¡°Then, I guess we will meet each other more often from now on,¡± Lee Jae-Sung replied. ¡°Maybe? I should wish to meet you more often since frequently meeting you would mean that my gaming career is going well.¡± ¡°Haha! I hope that you can move into a duplex penthouse soon then!¡± Lee Jae-Sung jokingly said as he cheered Tae-Sung on. ¡°I hope so, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you will...¡± Lee Jae-Sung no longer questioned Tae-Sung when he discovered that Tae-Sung was a V-Lounge VVIP customer. ¡®I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something special about him for the main office to sponsor him the Ogre. I¡¯m sure a person of his caliber will definitely make it to a penthouse unit. Ah¡­ I¡¯m jealous¡­ If I were discovered to have some gaming talent in me, I would quit this job as soon as possible and earn tons of cash...¡¯?Lee Jae-Sung inwardlymented. ¡°Then, we shall take our leave since the instation has finished.¡± ¡°Thank you very much once again for your hard work,¡± Tae-Sung said as he bowed toward the mechanics and saw them off. ¡°So I finally managed to move¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered while looking around his new ce with a big smile. The house was not luxurious at allpared to the expensive rent he was paying for it. After all, how good could a forty-square meter two-bedroom unit be? However, it was still a hundred; no, a thousandfold better than the previous one-bedroom unit he lived in. His old ce reeked of mold with yellowed walls. Tae-Sung was already satisfied by the fact that he could have a separate room to install his VR capsule because he no longer had to sleep in the fetal position beside his VR capsule. ¡°Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s work hard and live in a penthouse one day,¡± he thought as he recalled the mechanic¡¯s jest before cing his hand on the Ogre to boot it up. He immediately dove back into BNW without even enjoying his new sanctuary. *** A message notifying Siegfried of his current location popped up in front of his eyes. [Outskirts of Biermann Territory: In front of the 33rd gateway of the Macan Kingdom.] The gateways were warp gates installed all over different kingdoms, and this made it easier for the yers to move around the vast N¨¹rgburg Continent. However, it was not possible for the yers to go anywhere they wanted just because they could use the gateways, and that was because the gateway of each kingdom had a different magic frequency that depended on whether one kingdom¡¯s frequency matched with another kingdom¡¯s. On top of that, there were a lot of areas where the usage of gateways was limited due to security concerns, so the gateways weren¡¯t the answer to all of the yers¡¯ traveling needs. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Where should I head next¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he looked at the hologram that popped up when he stepped onto the gateway. The hologram showed him the ces he could ess with the 33rd gateway. [1. Vermouth Territory] [Suggested Level: 20 to 30] [2. Sohoca Ruins] [Suggested Level: 40 to 60] [3. Demeter Forest] [Suggested Level: 150 to 170] [4. City of Pleasure, Dondegiri] [Suggested Level: 40 to 50] There were four areas essible through the 33rd gateway. ¡°I¡¯m sure that only horrible death awaits me as soon as I enter Demeter Forest. The Vermouth Territory is no different from the Biermann Territory, so the only choices I have left are either Sohoca Ruins or Dondegiri¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before he opened ¡®Web Surfing¡¯ from his user interface and essed ¡®New World,¡¯ which was thergest BNW Community forum to check for any information rted to Sohoca Ruins or Dondegiri. The reason why Siegfried scoured the Community forums to gain information on these two ces despite being a seasoned BNW veteran was that BNW was simply too vast. The BNW world map area was a gigantic thirty million square kilometers, which was three times the size of China in real-life. It was impossible for a yer to be perfectly aware of everything going on in the N¨¹rburg Continent despite their experience in the game. ¡°The City of Pleasure, Dondegiri¡ªthere¡¯s nothing much to it aside from pleasure and entertainment. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to be full of those looking for adult content,¡± he muttered while checking the City of Pleasure¡¯s information on the Community forum. BNW¡¯s adult content was essible only to yers 19 years old and above, and they would have to pay to have sex once a week in the game. ¡°Let¡¯s check Sohoca, then,¡± he muttered as he crossed Dondegiri off his list and focused on getting more information on the Sohoca Ruins. [Best Post: Area Information on ¡®Macan Kingdom, Sohoca Ruins¡¯: 99,999 Hits!] Siegfried clicked on the post with the highest upvotes andments. Sohoca Ruins was where the Level 500 super high leveled monster, ¡®Python¡¯ fell thirty years ago based on the game storyline, and it was a hunting ground frequently visited by adventurers Level 40 to 60. [Aronami18: This ce is a hell crawling with thunder attribute monsters (??;) I don¡¯t rmend those using the lightning attribute toe here.] [(!???!): It¡¯s the best ce to just shut up and hunt all day. There are a ton of monsters here;;;] [Mong9: This ce is really for grinding only. The mob regeneration speed is crazy, and you will crawl out exhausted after hunting all day. Kekekeke!] [hatachi05: This ce is filled with mobs. I suggesting as a party.] Siegfried could tell from thements that Sohoca Ruins was the best ce if Level 40 to 60 Adventurers wanted to power level. ¡°This is it¡­¡± Siegfried muttered without a hint of doubt. He was certain that this was the next ce he had to go to. He nned to hit Level 60 as soon as possible at Sohoca Ruins and move on to the next ce. ¡°The fee is¡­ ten gold,¡± he grumbled after checking the 33rd gateway fee to go to Sohoca Ruins. ng¡­! ng¡­!? He threw ten gold?into the magic circle. [Alert: You have paid the gateway fee: 10 gold!] [Alert: The gateway is activating!] [Alert: Your destination: ¡®Sohoca Ruins¡¯!] The magic circle unleashed a bright light. [Warping in¡­ 5¡­ 4¡­ 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­] [Warp!] Siegfried disappeared along with the magic circle¡¯s bright light shortly after the final notification message appeared. *** [Sohoca Ruins Entrance: In front of the Mercenary Guild] Siegfried arrived in front of the Mercenary Guild located at the entrance to Sohoca Ruins. ¡°What the heck?¡± Siegfried looked around and grimaced before muttering, ¡°Why is it so crowded?¡± The entrance to Sohoca Ruins was so packed with people that it resembled a marketce more than the entrance to a ruin. ¡°Looking for party members! We have two DPS and one Healer! We need one Tanker!¡± ¡°Buying Shard of Lightning in bulk!¡± ¡°Power leveling services for ten gold an hour! I¡¯ll boost you to your specific level in an instant soe,e!¡± ¡°Swordsman with a Unique weapon looking for a party! I¡¯m good at killing mobs! Invite me ASAP!¡± The entrance to Sohoca Ruins was filled with those looking for a party, merchants, and boosters looking to give low leveled yers a bus ride, as well as many other yers and N¨¹rburgians alike that it resembled a bustling marketce. ¡°They said it¡¯s a ce where you shut up and grind the whole day¡­ I guess that was true¡­¡± Siegfried confirmed the information he read on the New World Community forums before heading into the Mercenary Guild. ¡°Take a number,¡± a guild staffer said as he passed a numbered ticket to Siegfried at the entrance. ¡°671? How long do I have to wait?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Around two hours?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Customer number 281 is currently inside, so it¡¯s going to take around that long for your turn.¡± Siegfried was speechless at the amount of time he had to wait to receive a quest. ¡°You can go and hunt while waiting for your turn,¡± the guild staffer said. ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t I have to get a quest first?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly confused. ¡°There are no such rules here,¡± the guild staffer replied with a shrug, and then exined, ¡°The monsters in this ce drop a small shard when they die. If you find it bothersome to wait, you can just bring those shardster and get them acknowledged toplete the quests.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He finally realized what the Community forums members meant when they said that this ce was only for grinding. ¡®I guess the quests are just going to be those useless repetitive ones,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he realized that the quests wouldn¡¯t be anything special. Now that he thought about it, it was expected since there would be no quest worth giving at a ce where monsters endlessly spawned. ¡®I should go hunt first and collect those Shard of Lightning or whatever they call it beforeing back,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he left the Mercenary Guild to start hunting ording to the guild staffer¡¯s suggestion. ¡®I¡¯ll go around alone for now¡­¡¯? While he was thinking of his next move, someone suddenly grabbed his hand. ¡®What the hell?¡¯? Siegfried was taken aback by the sudden grab. ¡°Hello,¡± an Adventurer with the ID ¡®Gosran¡¯ greeted Siegfried. ¡°Ah, yes, hello,¡± he replied. ¡°Are you in a party?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m not since I just came here and I don¡¯t n to look for one¡ª¡± Siegfried replied. However, she suddenly cut him off and said, ¡°Do you mind partying up with us then? We have one slot left, and I thought that you are suitable to fill the spot up.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s party together, please? We will be nice to you,¡± Gosran pleaded earnestly before some other people showed up behind her. ¡°Let¡¯s party up. We are a pretty good team.¡± ¡°Come on, join us.¡± ¡°Wee, wee! Come and party with us!¡± Gosran¡¯s other party members appeared while looking at Siegfried with big smiles on their faces. ¡®What the heck¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered why they were so intent on recruiting him. However, those thoughtssted only for a minute because he instantly noticed the real reason they were trying to recruit him. After all, Siegfried was quick to catch on. ¡°Looking for a Buffer!¡± ¡°We are looking for a Physical Buffer!¡± ¡°Looking for a Priest!¡± ¡°Urgently looking for a Buffer! Experienced DPS are waiting!¡± Numerous shouts desperately looking for a Buffer or a Priest could be heard all over the ce. 1. There are a lot of cases where thendlord will stall for time before returning the deposit or just refuse to give it unless there is a court order which takes a long time. 2. To ride a bus usually means to get carried Chapter 35

Chapter 35

It was exactly as Siegfried thought. ¡°Looking for a Buffer! Buffer!¡± ¡°Priest! We will depart as soon as you join!¡± ¡°Urgently looking for a Buffer!¡± ¡°Dear Buffer-nims! Pleasee and grace these peasants with your gracious presence! We, peasants, are waiting for your benevolent¡­ Aaaah! F*ck! Juste, will you? Did all Buffers die or something?!¡± The cries of yers looking for a Buffer or a Priest rang throughout the area, but that was not the end of it. ¡°Ah¡­ it seems that we have to give up on hunting today¡­¡± ¡°It seems that Buffers have dried up.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ this is stressing me out¡­¡± There were numerous parties struggling after failing to recruit a Buffer or a Priest. ¡°I give up! These Buffer bastards are acting too high and mighty!¡± There were also some yers that left their parties after getting into an argument with a Buffer. ¡®What the hell? Wasn¡¯t this a low-level area? Are Buffers also treated as royalty in these ces¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He could not understand the scene in front of him. Sohoca Ruins was a low-level Level 40 to 60 hunting ground, but was there really a need for people to use a Buffer in this ce? Buffers were only useful in hunting grounds at least Level 150 from what Siegfried could recall. ¡®I¡¯ll eventually find out why this is happening¡­ So the reason why this party is recruiting me must be because of my ss then?¡¯?Siegfried thought. It seemed as if he had already figured out the reason the party approached him after analyzing the situation. Debuff Master. His ss name could perfectly be misunderstood as a support ss based on its name alone. ¡®They say that beggars can¡¯t be choosers,¡¯?he thought as he realized that the party had to have definitely failed to recruit a Buffer, so they had to settle for Siegfried, who had the ss, Debuff Master. However, they would have never imagined in their wildest dream that Siegfried was actually an insane DPS. ¡®Okay, I guess I can use these people as my guide around the ruin whileying down debuffs and leeching experience points,¡¯?he thought as he decided to take advantage of the party instead of letting them take advantage of him. He nned to take full advantage of them. How? Siegfried did not n to do anything else aside from cing down his debuff circles, and he nned to fully role-y as a support ss yer just as Gosran and her party members had mistaken him to be. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s my first time here, so I was thinking of partying up. Let¡¯s go for a round, shall we?¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Really?¡± Gosran asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Great! Wee to our party! I will definitely treat you well!¡± she eximed. It seemed that Gosran was not only pretty, but she had a bright, outgoing personality that suited her looks. She could also be just pretending to get a support ss yer to join her party, but Siegfried had no intentions of finding out her motives for now since she did not seem to have any bad ulterior motives. Siegfried¡¯s hunch about her motive turned out to be correct. ¡®It¡¯s my first time seeing such a ss. It must be a supporter-type ss, right¡­?¡¯?she wondered. She found Siegfried by chance when she was shing her Rune of Insight all over the ce. ¡®But his level is too low¡­ he¡¯s just going to instantly die the moment he enters the dungeon¡­ I¡¯m certain that¡¯s why the other parties didn¡¯t spare him a nce. Should I just recruit him? We can¡¯t find a Buffer so I guess we should just settle for him. It¡¯s a win-win situation for both of us since he gets to join a party despite being a low-leveled yer, and we will get a supporter-type ss to assist us¡­¡¯ This was Gosran¡¯s train of thought¡­ Of course, there was no way Siegfried would be aware of her thoughts, and neither did he want to be aware of her thoughts. ¡°Then, shall we make a move?¡± Gosran asked as she took the lead. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Phew! It¡¯s finally time to hunt!¡± ¡°Go, go, go!¡± The other party members followed behind Gosran like a group of baby chicks. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I joined a party,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he walked toward the dungeon entrance. *** It turned out that Sohoca Ruin was a ce so vast that the word ¡®vast¡¯ was aplete understatement to describe it. It was around half the size of Seoul in reality, and that was why Siegfried and his newfound party had to use one of the five gateways installed at the entrance to enter the dungeon. A message notifying Siegfried of his current location popped up in front of his eyes. [Sohoca Ruins: Western Outskirts] [Sohoca Ruins] [Sohoca was a sprawlingrge city in the past, but when the Lightning Python fell on it and rampaged thirty years ago, it became a vast empty city.] [The humans have sessfully managed to kill the Lightning Python in the end, but the unknown mana possessed by the monster spread all over Sohoca and naturally started raising lightning attribute monsters.] The mana left behind by the Lightning Python made the ce crawling with lightning attribute monsters, and the Adventurers had to exterminate those monsters. That was the concept of this hunting ground ording to BNW¡¯s storyline. BNW ced great importance on the game¡¯s storyline since the entire game ran on one giant story called the ¡®N¨¹rburg Saga.¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s go this way for now,¡± Gosran said as she led the party members and exined, ¡°We can get surrounded if we move too quickly, so¡ª¡± Bzzt¡­! bzzt¡­! bzzt¡­!? Crackling sounds interrupted her words, and then a bunch of shining spheres started to make their way toward the party. [Ray Zergling] [Spirit-type monsters born from the remnant energy left behind by the Lightning Python.] [They arerge in numbers and they often form a mob to attack humans.] [Extra caution is advised when dealing with them.] [Level: 35] [Race: Spirit] [Attribute: Lightning Attribute] [Special Abilities: Lightning Property Attack (Ranged), Teleport] The Ray Zerglings were special monsters that could not be found anywhere else on the N¨¹rgburg Continent aside from Sohoca Ruins. ¡®So this is why they desperately needed a Buffer,¡¯?Siegfried thought. After seeing the mob of Ray Zerglings, he finally realized why this low-leveled hunting ground required a Buffer. There were simply too many of them. Adventurers liked more mobs, but there were simply too many of them right now. Perhaps there were around fifty of them? No, the number of Ray Zerglings that had gathered could easily exceed a hundred. If the monsters in a hunting ground often formed a mob this size, then it was imperative for a party to possess a Buffer or a Healer, even if it was a low-leveled hunting ground. It was all because the fight would certainly take a while, so someone had to support the Tankers and DPS fighting at the front lines. The ideal scenario for a party would be to receive buffs from a Buffer and slowly cut down the mobs one by one since the buffs could help them conserve their mana and potions in the long run. ¡°Prepare forbat!¡± Gosran hurriedly shouted as she ryed instructions to the party, ¡°Tankers! Block the front! Swordsman-nim, please go and fight at the front while I deal AOE damage!¡± . Gosran¡¯s party was made up of two Tankers, one physical damage DPS, and one magic damage DPS. It was a standard party setup where the two Tankers would block the mobs while the physical damage DPS would take care of any monsters that managed to get through the Tankers, and the magic damage DPS would unleash AOE spells upon the monsters. The fight started, and it seemed that the party was getting pushed back by the mob. Ziiiing! Ziiiiiing! The Ray Zerglings shot an endless barrage of lightningser beams, which pressured the party on their back foot, and there were even a few Ray Zerglings that used Teleport tounch an ambush from time to time. ¡®The monster¡¯s health and defense are just average, but their numbers make it tricky to deal with them. A Buffer would be very valuable even though this ce is just a low-leveled hunting ground,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He analyzed the situation and once again confirmed the importance of Buffers in this ce. While he was analyzing the situation, the party¡¯s line of defense started to crumble. ¡°Ah! Damn it! There are too many of them!¡± ¡°There are too many!¡± ¡°I¡¯m running out of mana! I¡¯ll take a potion, so block them off for now!¡± Gosran¡¯s party was starting to fall into disarray, and the reason was quite simple. They could not handle the sheer number of Ray Zerglings rushing at them. ¡®There¡¯s a lot of mobs, so that¡¯s going to be a lot of experience points but¡ª¡¯?his thoughts trailed off. Gosran had shouted at him, ¡°Siegfried-nim!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Sorry, but can you cast debuffs on them?! We are struggling here!¡± she shouted. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll cast debuffs now,¡± Siegfried said after apologizing to his party members. Then, he immediately ced down his debuff fields: Circle of Mortality, Circle of Weakness, and Speed Restraint. The effects were unbelievable. *** Siegfried¡¯s debuff circlespletely turned around the entire battle. [You have sessfully hunted a Ray Zergling!] [Experience Points +1,700! (5% Party Bonus)] [You have sessfully hunted a Ray Zergling!] [Experience Points +1,700! (5% Party Bonus)] [You have sessfully hunted a Ray Zergling!] [Experience Points +1,700! (5% Party Bonus)] Siegfried¡¯s experience points started to pile up at a frightening pace, and this meant that the battle had swung in their favor. ¡°Huh? Why did they suddenly be so weak?¡± ¡°They died after getting hit a few times¡­?¡± ¡°Wow!?Look at how slow they are!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this too easy¡­?¡± The groans and struggles of the party members had suddenly vanished, and it was reced by a massacre of Ray Zerglings. It took them less than five minutes to kill the more than a hundred Ray Zerglings that had formed a mob against them. [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 32!] Siegfried¡¯s level increased when all Ray Zerglings fell. ¡°Level up!¡± ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°I leveled up as well!¡± ¡°Wow! Me too! I leveled up, too!¡± It seemed that Gosran¡¯s party members had leveled up as well. ¡°Siegfried-nim,¡± Gosran called out. ¡°Yes?¡± Siegfried responded nonchntly. ¡°I apologize for not realizing it sooner.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Just¡ªI never realized you were so amazing¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°Aigoo! I apologize for not recognizing such a precious person!¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really amazing. I thought only Buffers were amazing, but the Debuff Master is also an amazing ss!¡± ¡°I really thought that beggars can¡¯t be choosers, so we ended up choosing you. However, it turned out that we were mistaken after all! Haha! This is amazing!¡± The party members tried their best to appeal to Siegfried while openly showing how amazed they were. ¡®I hope I didn¡¯t upset him a while ago¡­¡¯ ¡®Please stay with us all day¡­!¡¯ ¡®Please¡­ don¡¯t go¡­!¡¯ Siegfried could easily tell what they were thinking since their desperate thoughts were clearly written on their desperate faces. ¡®I guess they want to keep hunting with me. Is this why Buffers are all acting so high and mighty? I guess this is why they feel like royalty,¡¯?he thought. Siegfried was very well aware from his experience with BNW of how different sses were categorized into different categories the higher their level, simr to a caste system. A yer would obviously want a dependable ally to entrust their backs to since monsters with higher HP and defense would have even moreplicated attack patterns the higher their level. In lieu of that fact, it was only natural for Buffers to be treated as royalty since they could buff and look after the entire party, and a party¡¯sbat prowess could double or even multiply just from the presence of a Buffer. ¡°I never knew that there was a ss that specialized in debuffs. Is it a hidden ss by any chance¡­?¡± one of the party members suddenly asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible,¡± Siegfried said as he denied it. There was no way for them to find that out no matter many times they scanned Siegfried with the Rune of Insight. After all, the system did not let anyone see what type of ss a yer had until they reached their first awakening; otherwise known as the 2nd ss advancement. ¡°If I had a hidden ss, I wouldn¡¯t be here. I would have been with somerge guild getting boosted by Rankers instead,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right? I thought you had a hidden ss since you were too awesome! Haha!¡± the party member said beforeughing. ¡°Hahaha¡­ Thank you¡­ hahaha¡­!¡± Siegfried replied with an awkwardugh. He had no idea if the party member were just trying to suck up to him or if he were being sincere, but he could not deny flinching when the party member asked him whether he had a hidden ss or not. Gosran suddenly said to Siegfried in a nervous voice, ¡°S- Siegfried-nim¡­?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Siegfried responded. ¡°You will¡­ continue to hunt with us¡­ right? No, you will continue to hunt with us, right?¡± Gosran then asked in a manner that sounded more like she was begging rather than asking. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Siegfried did not feel the need to reject the pleading of his party members. ¡®There¡¯s no reason to refuse a free meal, right?¡¯?he thought. It was exactly as he thought; there was no reason to refuse a free meal, especially when it would be convenient for him as well. All he had to do was follow around with his hand behind his back and ce his debuff circles and watch as his experience bar filled up. After experiencing it himself, he finally understood why many people choose to be Buffers. Since Siegfried¡¯s debuff circles were twice more effectivepared to most buffs, Siegfried¡¯s experience bar filled up at a frightening pace. It also resulted in an explosive increase in his party¡¯s hunting speed. No wonder they were constantly nervous about Siegfried suddenly deciding to leave their party. ¡°I agree!¡± ¡°Hyung! Don¡¯t leave us!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go all the way together! Please!¡± The two Tankers and even the Swordsman desperately begged Siegfried. ¡°Of course,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod before he added, ¡°Since we¡¯ve already gotten together, we should stay together until the end. After all, I have to level up as well.¡± ¡°R-Really?!¡± one of the party members eximed in surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried coolly replied. ¡°Kyah!¡±?a party member shrieked in excitement; he was truly happy. ¡°Everyone, you heard that, right? Siegfried-nim will continue to hunt with us!¡± a party member eximed. Then, the other party members smiled brightly at the good news. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°I will ensure yourfort as much as possible!¡± The party¡¯s treatment of Siegfried changed a hundred and eighty degrees, even though thetter simply ced a few debuffs circles. ¡®But I¡¯m a Physical DPS¡­ Haha¡­¡¯?heughed inwardly. The party members were overjoyed and excited while beingpletely oblivious about just what kind of a ss the Debuff Master was and what it was capable of. *** It had been a few hours since Siegfried decided to continue hunting with the party, yet the hunt was still ongoing. However, the funny thing was that Siegfried¡¯s state waspletely different from his party members¡¯. ¡®Ah¡­ it¡¯s sofortable and convenient¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind hunting twenty hours a day if it¡¯s always like this¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. The hunt was a bit boring for Siegfried, but his fatigue was close to zero since all he had to do was to ce his debuff circles. Then, his party members would kill the monsters, and all he had to do afterward was watch his experience bar fill up while leisurely sipping on mana potions. Meanwhile, his party members squeezed every ounce of strength and stamina they had to hunt. ¡®Today is the day! I have to keep hunting!¡¯ ¡®I have to suck every experience point I can before the Debuffer leaves!¡¯ ¡®This is a rare opportunity! We have to maintain this party for as long as possible!¡¯ ¡®When will we ever meet a Debuffer like him again? We have to keep him in our party for as long as possible¡­!¡¯ The party members gnashed their teeth as they squeezed every ounce of their strength to make the lump of blessing stay in their party. It proved how effective Siegfried¡¯s debuff circles were. The circles made it easier and faster to hunt the monsters, which meant that not only was it easier to kill them but killing them was also less burdensome for his party members. In addition to the insanely fast hunting speed, there were also some economic benefits from staying with Siegfried:bat wasn¡¯t so tiring anymore, their equipment¡¯s durability decreased at a far slower rate than before, and the number of potions and elixirs they had to take had significantly reduced as well. Thanks to that, the party members wanted to hunt for as long as humanely possible as long as Siegfried was in their party, and they wanted to keep him with them for as long as they possibly could. Perhaps it was because of that, but Gosran passed a few shiny stones to Siegfried. [Lowest Grade Shard of Lightning] [A shard made up of the energy left behind by the Lightning Python.] [A faint lightning energy can be felt from it.] [Type: Material] [Price: 1 copper] The yellow shiny stone worth 0.01 gold was the item that could be obtained from hunting monsters in Sohoca Ruins. Adventurers often sold these shards to the store or gathered a few of them to upgrade or exchange them for items being sold by the Mercenary Guild. In short, this Shard of Lightning was the only source of ie for the Adventurers hunting in Sohoca Ruins. ¡°Huh? Why are you giving me this? I picked up a few a while ago,¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°It¡¯s only right that we give this to you,¡± Gosran replied. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°In this hunting ground, there¡¯s an unwritten rule to give these to Buffers,¡± she exined. ¡°Ah¡­ so it¡¯s the same here¡­¡± he muttered while nodding. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s amon practice to give loots to the Buffer,¡± Siegfried exined. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, it gets worse the higher the level since there will be many DPS yers but only a handful of Buffers. That¡¯s why parties would set the loot distribution in a way that would let the Buffers get the biggest slice of the pie,¡± Siegfried added. This was a ssic example of an unbnced supply and demand. There were many DPS yers but only a few Buffers. It was all because it was extremely difficult for a Buffer to level up in the early stages since giving buffs was the only thing a Buffer could do, yet their buffs were so ineffective in the early stages of the game that they were bound to be looked down on by parties. In fact, they were supposed to be thankful for finding a party willing to take them in the first ce! To make matters worse, a Buffer couldn¡¯t really deal much damage, so it was impossible for them to solo y, which it even more difficult for them to level up. The main reason there were so few Buffers was mainly due to the stereotype that it was a boring ss to y. As such, there was a saying that the real game would only start at Level 150 for Buffers, as only at that level would their buffs start making an impact. ¡°I see¡­¡± Gosran muttered while nodding before saying, ¡°I guess it does make sense. Since Buffers are precious, they have to be treated in a special way.¡± ¡°As long as they don¡¯t power trip and act all high and mighty,¡± Siegfried added with a shrug. In fact, the infamy of high-level Buffers was so bad that the term ¡®power buffer,¡¯ which was abination of the words ¡®power tripping¡¯ and ¡®buffer'' was coined to refer to the power tripping of high-level Buffers. Their power-tripping came from a sense of entitlement that stemmed from their sorrows of being treated poorly in the past, coupled with the increased demand yet low supply for their ss. ¡°Siegfried-nim won¡¯t be doing that, right?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t n to,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug while thinking, ¡®I don¡¯t have to since they will offer the loot to me even without me telling them to do so.¡¯ He recalled Deus¡¯ teachings. ¡°My disciple.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go around power-tripping like a moron. A truly strong person does not have to look like a fool acting high and mighty. That¡¯s something only losers do, do you understand? People wille and offer their belongings and money to a truly powerful person without thetter asking them for it.¡± ¡°Huh? Is that true, Master?¡± ¡°Yes, things will fall on thep of a truly strong person while they are just sitting around. They won¡¯t have to cry about it or demand it from people. They just have to look as rxed as possible, and people wille in droves, lining up to offer their things to them. However, you have to make sure that you take just enough from them, and you will notice that their opinion of you has changed, and they will praise your name.¡± ¡°But, Master. That is something I find hard to believe. A person¡¯s greed will not allow them to offer something to someone else for free so easily.¡± ¡°You will naturally realize the meaning behind my words one day.¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°If you really have to power trip, then you should mind the ce and time before doing so. Don¡¯t act like a moron acting high and mighty all the time to everyone you meet. And I will emphasize this once again, but a truly strong person will gain the favor and trust of the people around them without having to do anything. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to exin the difference between someone who has to ask to get what they want and a person who does not have to ask to get it, right?¡± ¡°I will remember your teachings, Master.¡± His master was right. Gosran had taken the initiative to offer up a Shard of Lightning, even though Siegfried hadn¡¯t asked for them. ¡°Here, take this.¡± ¡°Take mine, too.¡± ¡°Here, please take mine, too.¡± The other party members also offered their Shard of Lightning to Siegfried. Of course, they were giving it in return for something, but the difference between asking for it and getting it without asking was like heaven and earth. ¡°Please, take this,¡± Gosran said. She forcefully ced her Shard of Lightning in Siegfried¡¯s hand. ¡°I think that Siegfried-nim has the right to receive these. It¡¯s only because of Siegfried-nim that we can hunt like we¡¯re on a stroll, and I don¡¯t feel that it¡¯s a waste to give these to you,¡± she said. The other party members seemed to agree with her. ¡°It might not be much, but I hope it will be of some help when you buy an item.¡± ¡°Please take mine!¡± ¡°I will give all of my loot to you in the future.¡± Siegfried soon found himself with a small pile of shards in his hand. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried muttered for a moment before saying, ¡°If you insist, then I won¡¯t refuse. Thank you very much, everyone. Now, shall we continue hunting?¡± *** That evening¡­ [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 33!] [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 34!] [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 35!] Siegfried left Sohoca Ruins after gaining another three levels when the hunt ended. ¡®It¡¯s really fast. My level increased a lot after a day of power leveling here. It was indeed the right call toe here,¡¯?he thought, greatly satisfied by his choice ofing to this ce. A message suddenly popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You may now learn a new skill!] ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯?he wondered as his hands instinctively moved toward ¡®My Skills¡¯ in his status window and checked which skill he could learn this time. [Attribute Absorption] [A support skill that allows the user to absorb energies with attributes.] [The user gains increased resistance toward an attribute the more energy of that attribute they absorbed, and the user can enhance their skills after absorbing enough energy.] [The attribute energy¡¯s source does not discriminate, the source can be a monster¡¯s blood, heart, or core. Attribute energy can also be gathered from minerals or herbs .] [Lightning: 0] [Darkness: 0] [Water: 0] [Fire: 0] ¡®Oh?¡¯?Siegfried muttered in surprise as his eyes shot wide open. He had never imagined that he would gain a skill to absorb attribute energy and gain resistance toward them. Gaining resistance was one thing, but he was excited just thinking about the endless possibilities of enhancing his skills with attributes. All of a sudden, a message notifying him that he could absorb the Shard of Lightning to gain its lightning attribute energy popped up in front of him. [Alert: You may now use ¡®Attribute Absorption¡¯ to absorb the lightning attribute energy from the ¡®Lowest Grade Shard of Lightning¡¯!] ¡®Perfect, shall we test it out?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was about to test his new skill out, but Gosran suddenly interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Siegfried-nim?¡± she called out. ¡°Yes?¡± he responded. ¡°What are you thinking about? You did not respond no matter how many times I called you.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. I was distracted for a moment.¡¯ ¡°You are leaving now, right?¡± ¡°I have to since we have been doing nothing but hunt for the past nine hours after all.¡± ¡°Will we meet again?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. Siegfried was nning to hunt at Sohoca Ruins tomorrow, but he did not feel the need to confirm that he would party up with Gosran and the others. ¡®Establishing camaraderie is not a good idea,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He recalled the experience of being backstabbed by his own trusted Guild members in the past. ¡°That¡¯s a shame¡­¡± Gosran muttered. Siegfried nonchntly said, ¡°It¡¯s just how things work.¡± ¡°Then, thank you very much for today, and thank you once again for partying with us today,¡± Gosran said with a bow. ¡°Same here,¡± Siegfried casually responded. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s a shame¡­ I hope you would party with us again tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Take care, hyung!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hunt together tomorrow if we bump into each other!¡± The party members seemed sad at the fact that it was now time to say goodbye. ¡°Then, I¡¯m off,¡± Siegfried said before leaving Gosran and her party. However, the only thing in his mind was none other than¡­ ¡®Attribute Absorption¡­ I wonder what skills can be enhanced with this?¡¯?he wondered. Siegfried was fully immersed in imagining ways to utilize his new skill. *** After leaving Gosran¡¯s party, Siegfried went to the forever sanctuary of Adventurers, the ¡®Intervention Hotel.¡¯ ¡°Do you wish to check in?¡± a hotel reception staffer asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Have you used our Intervention Hotel before?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, you must be familiar with the rules. Please sign here and pay the fee. You will be paying upfront, right?¡± they asked while extending a parchment of paper toward Siegfried. The terms written on the paper were as follows: [Adventurer ____ wishes to stay at the ¡®Intervention Hotel¡¯ from ____ to ____and agrees to adhere to the rules set forth.] [Adventurer ____ understands that no criminal actions such as arguing, stealing, peeping, murder, etc. will be tolerated while staying at the ¡®Intervention Hotel,¡¯ and they are not allowed to fight with anyone under any circumstances.] [Adventurer ____ agrees to be ced on the kingdom¡¯s wanted list if they were to break the aforementioned rules.] [Signed, Adventurer: ____ ] [Warning: You may end up having to quit BNW if you break the Intervention Hotel¡¯s rules.] [Please be extra careful and mindful!: Hive Games Entertainment] The terms and conditions seemed pretty intense for a hotel. 1. Hyung is ¡®big brother¡¯ in Korean, and it is used by a man to call another man older than them. In this case, this is used by the party member to act close yet respectful toward Siegfried. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The Intervention Hotel was a very special amodation facility created to purposely segregate the Adventurers from the N¨¹rburgians. Numerous fights and misunderstandings broke out between the yers and NPCs when the N¨¹rgburg Continent first appeared¡ªwhen the BNW server first opened¡ªbecause of the cultural differences, and most of these fights broke out in public ces like inns or pubs. As such, the kingdoms on the continent established a special amodation facility exclusive to Adventurers, and that was none other than the Intervention Hotel. Of course, there was now that Adventurers were supposed to only use the Intervention Hotel. It was up to them to decide whether they wanted to stay in a normal inn or in the Intervention Hotel. However, despite all of this, the reason Siegfried purposely came to this ce was because of the benefits it provided. The Intervention Hotel¡¯s quality was guaranteed since it was operated by the kingdom, and these hotels were usually located in close proximity to hunting grounds. Their services were impable as well. The guests only had to pay a small fee to use the equipment repair service, personal training grounds, discounted potions and elixirs, and various other services provided for cheap. The Intervention Hotel provided convenience the average inn did not offer. Last but not least, the Adventurer¡¯s privacy was fully protected while they were staying in the Intervention Hotel, and their safety was guaranteed as well since any quarrel or arguments within the premises of the hotel were considered criminal offenses. What would happen if onemitted those criminal offenses? ¡®They may have to quit the game altogether,¡¯?Siegfried thought while thinking of a Ranker who had to quit BNW after causing a fuss at the hotel. The particr Ranker was in the top 100 list, but they stopped ying the game exactly one month after they tried to attack a rival Guild¡¯s master in the Intervention Hotel. To cause a scene at this hotel was scary¡­ Why? It was all because the kingdoms of the N¨¹rgburg Continent would not spare any effort to punish those who broke the rules of the Intervention Hotel. In addition to deploying their knights, they would even payrge sums to other Adventurers to ensure that the criminal would have to quit the game. [Signed, Adventurer: ¡°Siegfried¡±.] Siegfried did not hesitate to sign the check-in form of the Intervention Hotel. After all, he wasn¡¯t nning on causing any trouble, and the reason he checked in here in the first ce was for the safety and security it provided. *** After checking in, Siegfried went up to his room and retrieved the pouch containing the Lowest Grade Shard of Lightning he had collected from the party hunt. ¡°Is this how I should do it¡­?¡± he muttered as he extended his right hand toward a Shard of Lightning. Ssss¡­! Then, the shard let out a yellowish light that was absorbed into his right hand. [Alert: You have absorbed 0.01 Lightning Attribute from the ¡®Lowest Grade Shard of Lightning¡¯!] [Alert: Your Lightning Attribute Resistance has increased by 0.01!] Perhaps it was because of the ¡®lowest grade¡¯ suffix, but he only managed to obtain 0.01 attribute energy from it. How much difference would raising his lightning resistance by 0.01 even make? ¡°Let¡¯s absorb all of them first and see,¡± Siegfried mumbled. He calmed down and decided not to get disappointed by the meager increase since the increase could differ from each shard. After about fifteen minutes¡­ ¡°The increase is too meager¡­ Maybe because they¡¯re of the lowest grade?¡± Siegfried grumbled while looking at a shard that looked no different from a normal rock after its energy was absorbed. The total number of shards he possessed was 141, and his lightning resistance only increased by 1.41. On top of that, there was no information provided on how much lightning energy he had to umte before he could use it to enhance his skills. ¡°I feel like I got the short end of the stick here¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled under his breath. It was inevitable for him to grumble since each shard was worth 0.01 gold or five hundred won in real-life cash, and 141 of these shards would amount to 1.41 gold. A single gold was worth around fifty thousand won, so he just ended up absorbing, or rather, wasting nearly seventy thousand won! He could not help but feel that he suffered a loss since he spent seventy thousand won to raise his lightning resistance by a mere 1.41. It was a big amount for him since he was someone who lived off of pre-packaged food and cup noodles from convenience stores. ¡®Should I keep doing this¡­?¡¯ Siegfried wondered. He felt that it was a waste to throw away his hard-earned ie for the day to gain a bit of attribute resistance. ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head. He had to satisfy his curiosity about what kind of enhancement his skills would receive after umting enough attribute energy to enhance them. ¡°There¡¯s no way that a skill my master has created is wed. Let¡¯s trust in him and grind it out,¡± Siegfried steeled his resolve by thinking that his wasteful actions would be an investment that would pay him off in the future. *** The next morning, Tae-Sung ate the pre-packaged meals and some cup noodles he had bought from a nearby convenience store before logging back in BNW as the Adventurer, Siegfried. ¡®I¡¯m going to continue hunting here, so I guess I should increase my resistance to the lightning attribute,¡¯?he thought. It would be a grind on par with manualbor, but he did not mind it at all since his main goal ofing to Sohoca Ruins in the first ce was to focus solely on grinding. He just decided to convince himself that he wouldn¡¯t pick up any Shard of Lightning while grinding since absorbing them for the tiny increment they provided to his attribute resistance would be less painful for him this way. ¡®Hunting solo is inefficient here, so I should look for a party today as well¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while leaving the Intervention Hotel lobby. It was then when a familiar voice suddenly called out to him, ¡°Siegfried-nim!¡± ¡®Who¡¯s that?¡¯?Siegfried wondered as he looked around for the person who shouted his name. ¡°Over here! Here!¡± Siegfried turned around and found Gosran waving her hand at him. ¡°Huh?¡± he muttered in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re up early!¡± she enthusiastically said. ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± ¡°You are going to hunt, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I guess so¡­?¡± Siegfried replied in an awkward voice while thinking, ¡®Had she been waiting for me? No way¡­¡¯ No matter how he looked at it, it seemed Gosran had been waiting for him outside the hotel. ¡°Let¡¯s hunt together!¡± she eximed while extending her hand toward him. ¡°Again¡­?¡± ¡°Yes! I have actually been waiting for you for quite a while now because I want to hunt with you again,¡± she replied. ¡°¡­?¡± Then, Gosran turned around and asked, ¡°I think it has been an hour¡­ right, everyone?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Hyung, let¡¯s go hunt together!¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t stalking you¡­ We just waited for a little bit in case you came out!¡± The same members from yesterday came out from a dark alley with awkward yet desperate smiles. ¡®They had really been waiting for me¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought, dumbfounded. He had never imagined that they would wait for him first thing in the morning, and it seemed that they had already nned things out among themselves the moment he left the party yesterday. ¡°S-Siegfried-nim¡­? You will hunt with us¡­ right¡­?¡± Gosran asked with pleading eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to¡­ We will be fine¡­ we just have to look for another Buffer. Maybe it will just take us three hours? Ah, we might find one in an hour if we get lucky¡­¡± Gosran muttered. ¡°You can just look for another Buffer?¡± Siegfried asked with a smirk. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°You said that you can just look for another Buffer if I don¡¯t want to join,¡± Siegfried sneered. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± Gosran eximed, seemingly taken aback by his response. Then, she suddenly shouted, ¡°No! Siegfried-nim is mine!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief, doubting his ears. ¡°So! Ummm¡­ That¡¯s¡­ ah¡­ How should I say this¡­¡± Gosran muttered with a flushed face. ¡®What the hell? What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He had no idea why she was acting strange, but he decided to ignore it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hunt together,¡± he then coolly said. ¡°Really?!¡± Gosran eximed in delight. ¡°Yes, since we¡¯ve met again, we might as well hunt together. Let¡¯s work hard again today,¡± Siegfried said to the rest of the party members. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Oh! Thank you! Thank you, God of Debuffs!¡± ¡°We can power level again today! Thank you for gracing us with your presence!¡± The party members reacted with so much zeal they were about to get on the ground and start worshiping Siegfried. This showed how desperately they wanted to hunt with him since his presence made everything quick, convenient, and safe. Their reaction made it seem like the Buffers they once treated as royalty became peasants overnight. *** The hunt continued for nine hours, and Siegfried gained two levels over the hunt. [You are now Level 36!] [You are now Level 37!] ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Please, take these.¡± ¡°Please take all of it!¡± ¡°Thank you very much for today as well; please take these!¡± The party members automatically offered their shards to Siegfried, even though he hadn¡¯t asked for them. After all, the benefit of having Siegfried with them far outweighed the value of the shards. ¡°There¡¯s morepared to yesterday¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while counting the shards he had obtained after returning to his hotel room. ¡°249¡­ Alright, let¡¯s absorb them all.¡± He decided before extending his right hand toward the pile of shards and absorbing their energy. [Alert: Your Lightning Attribute Resistance has increased by 2.49!] A message informing him of his resistance increasing by 2.49 popped up, but other than that, there wasn¡¯t anything else¡ªespecially a message informing him that he could now enhance his skills. ¡°I¡¯m sure it wille soon¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He was certain that he would get to enhance his skills one day so long as he continued to absorb these shards. He convinced himself of that once again before he logged out of the game. *** Siegfried focused on leveling up and absorbing the shards of the Lowest Grade Shard of Lightning he would obtain while hunting with Gosran and the others. This continued for two consecutive days. [You are now Level 39!] [You are now Level 40!] He finally reached Level 40. ¡®Hmm¡­ There¡¯s no new skill at Level 40? I wonder if there¡¯s one when I hit Level 45?¡¯?Siegfried thought. All sses would have new skills for yers to learn whenever their level increased by five, but it seemed that the Debuff Master had no skills in store for Siegfried at Level 40. ¡°Yeah, there has to be one at Level 45,¡± Siegfried convinced himself before logging out of the game. *** The next morning, Siegfried left the Intervention Hotel just like any other day. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯?he wondered the moment he stepped out of the hotel lobby. Murmur¡­ murmur¡­ murmur¡­? He couldn¡¯t help but wonder because there were nearly a hundred Adventurers lining up outside of the hotel. ¡®Had there been a skirmish between parties or something¡­?¡¯?he wondered. Skirmishes between parties or Guilds weremon in BNW, and the entrance to the hotel would surely turn into a warzone the moment a skirmish broke out. It was amon urrence for the party or Guild members to camp outside of an Intervention Hotel branch before ambushing their enemy who had just left the hotel. However, Siegfried¡¯s expectation was off the mark. ¡°Hey! He¡¯sing!¡± ¡°The Debuff Master is over there!¡± ¡°The Debuff Master has appeared!¡± ¡°Scram! He¡¯s mine!¡± ¡°Shut up! I put dibs on him!¡± The dozens of Adventurers rushed at Siegfried like a horde of zombies. ¡°W-What the hell! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Siegfried shouted while taking a few steps back. While he was still confused about what was going on, Gosran suddenly appeared and grabbed his wrist. ¡°Siegfried-nim! This way!¡± she eximed before dragging him away. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Siegfried decided to follow Gosran since his instincts were telling him to run away for now. ¡°Somebody stop them!¡± ¡°Catch him!¡± ¡°The Debuff Master is running away!¡± ¡°Excuuuuse meeee! Can we please talk for a minute?!¡± ¡°Get lost! The Debuff Master is mine!¡± ¡°Where do you think you are going?!¡± The Adventurers started chasing after Siegfried and Gosran. ¡®What the hell is going on?!¡¯?Siegfried thought while running away. ¡°I¡¯ll use Teleport!¡± Gosran suddenly eximed. ¡°What? Teleport? How will you draw a magic circle in this situation?! Instant casting? That¡¯s a high-level skill isn¡¯t it?!¡± Siegfried shouted in response. There were two ways to use Teleport in BNW. The first one was to learn spatial magic at Level 200, and the second way was to slowly and precisely draw a magic circle before activating it with a spell. Doing either was currently impossible, considering their situation. ¡°I have a scroll with me! It will take us far enough from here!¡± ¡°Ah, a?scroll! Then, use it! Hurry up!¡± A teleport scroll was an expensive item, but their current priority was to get away from the horde of Adventurers chasing after them. Riiip! Gosran ripped the teleport scroll, and the two were engulfed in a white light. sh! Siegfried and Gosran disappeared in the blink of an eye. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Gosran teleported with Siegfried to a secluded forest on the outskirts of Sohoca Ruins. ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡­ rumors of me have spread?¡± Siegfried asked in disbelief. ¡°Yes,¡± Gosran replied. ¡°And there is a video of me uploaded to New World?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes. Here, look,¡± she replied before passing a link to him. It was a link to a video on the Community forums of BNW¡ªthe New World¡ªunder the ¡®Sohoca Ruins¡¯ tab. [Best Post: Cheat ss Appeared at the Outskirts of Sohoca Ruins! (Likes: 12,311) (Comments: 1,191) Hit!] [Here, take a look at the video of the Debuff Master before you go ???] [Looks like the Buffers are going to be jobless soon! Kekekeke!] [Wow! Look at the damage!] [The monsters instantly die the moment that Debuffer ces those circles¡­ (??;;) ] [I think hunting with that Debuffer-nim is way faster than having two Buffers in a party¡­?] [That can no longer be considered as a party hunt¡­ that¡¯s just boosting¡­;;] [I was able to power level for four days thanks to this person hehehe¡­] [Does anyone know if this guy has a hidden ss?] The post depicting Siegfried garnered more than 12,311 likes and 1,191ments. ¡°What the hell¡­ why the hell did someone upload this without my permission?¡± Siegfried grimaced. Then, he slowly observed the video to look for the perpetrator who uploaded the video. ¡°Itzu filmed it.¡± He was certain from the angle of the video taken that the one who filmed the video was the DPS of Gosran¡¯s party, Itzu. ¡°Why the hell did he take a video of someone else without permission? Tsk¡­?This is souring my mood,¡± Siegfried said, clicking his tongue. ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s quite hical of him,¡± Gosran said while shaking her head. ¡°Do you know where he is right now?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I don¡¯t. I remember him saying that he would move to another zone yesterday.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hit and run then. No, wait¡­ is it a film and run in this case¡­?¡± ¡°There are all sorts of people out there, right??Haha¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ They are after me because of that video? Is it because they want me to join their party?¡± Siegfried asked while massaging his temples. ¡°That¡¯s because Siegfried-nim¡¯s debuffs are overpowered. They obviously want you in their parties since your debuffs can increase the hunting speed by more than twofold! The monsters practically melt the moment you debuff them.¡± ¡°Still, I think they are getting too worked up.¡± ¡°It shows how sick and tired they are of the Buffers acting high and mighty.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that I won¡¯t do the same, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure some of them are curious as well. The Debuff Master is a rare ss, right? I tried searching for it, but it said that there¡¯s no such ss. Even I couldn¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s a hidden ss.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± he said, feigning ignorance. His life would be troublesome the moment everyone found out that he had a hidden ss. Why? The top ten Guilds would never stop harassing him with their recruitment offers. ¡®Things might befortable if I enter a Guild since they will boost me for free, take me on boss raids, and equip me with items,¡¯?Siegfried thought of the astonishing benefits he would stand to gain if he were to enter one of the top guilds. However, he knew very well that there was no free lunch in this world. ¡®They will squeeze me dry until I cough up everything I had received from them.¡¯ He would quickly reach Level 200 if he were to join a top Guild, but he would end up just being another cogwheel ying the game solely for the Guild¡¯s benefits afterward. He had to give as much as he had received. No, he had to give more than what he had received. ¡®Let¡¯s keep things under wraps until my first advancement¡­¡¯? Siegfried made a decision to hide the fact that the Debuff Master was a hidden ss. It was impossible for anyone to know the rank of a ss before the particr yerpleted their first ss advancement. It was because the names of everyone¡¯s sses after their first advancement would be covered in a color, which would specify their ss type, and the colors were as follows: purple for Normal, pink for Unique, emerald for Legendary, and gold for Hidden sses. Nobody would know his ss rank unless he told them about it. ¡°It¡¯s a Unique ss that¡¯s only good at debuffing. I can¡¯t do anything aside from casting debuffs,¡± Siegfried lied, and then he added some words to sound even more convincing, ¡°I would have fought on the frontlines if I were a hidden ss owner, you know? Why would I stay behind and just ce my debuff circles?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gosran muttered. ¡°Anyway¡­ I wanted to go hunt today, but I guess that¡¯s not going to happen today since it¡¯ll be impossible to enter the ruins while avoiding all those people¡­¡± Siegfried said. ¡°That is not the case at all! In fact, you now have the right to decide,¡± she said. ¡°Right to decide¡­?¡± ¡°You can just party up with strong people, right? Siegfried-nim can be considered a noble of this area now, so you have the right to select whom you are going to party up with, and you won¡¯t have to worry about being bad-mouthed as long as you don¡¯t start bossing people around like those Buffers,¡± Gosran exined. ¡°That¡¯s too bothersome¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. It was exhausting to check and vet each and every party applicant and thenpare them to other candidates. It was a job that required attention to minor details. ¡°I will do all of that,¡± Gosran suddenly said. ¡°You will?¡± Siegfried muttered in surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± Gosran replied with a smile, and then she continued, ¡°I will make sure that Siegfried-nim will be satisfied with the party I will form if you leave it to me, but you have to let me join the party, okay?¡± It was an interesting proposal. After all, Siegfried wanted to hunt, but he found the whole process of setting up a party bothersome, while Gosran wanted to stay in a party with him. It was a perfect situation where they both wanted something from each other. In addition, they could satisfy each other¡¯s needs as well. ¡°Then, can I leave it up to you?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes! Just give me thirty minutes, and I will make sure you¡¯re satisfied,¡± Gosran said with a confident smile. *** After thirty minutes, Gosran returned to the secluded forest with three other Adventurers with her. ¡°Siegfried-nim! I¡¯m back!¡± Gosran called out. ¡°Is this guy the Debuffer?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°Your debuffs were awesome! I¡¯m looking forward to working with you! Haha!¡± The Adventurers greeted Siegfried in their own ways. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to meet you as well,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. However¡­ ¡®What¡¯s up with these guys¡­?¡¯?he thought while inspecting them. The Adventurers Gosran brought with her were all equipped with not-so-ordinary-looking equipment. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to pay up,¡± Gosran said toward the Adventurers. Then, the Adventurers each retrieved a silver¡ªwas worth five thousand won¡ªand handed them over to Siegfried. ¡°What¡­ is this¡­?¡± he muttered in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s the boost fee,¡± Gosran said with a smile. ¡°Boost fee?!¡± Siegfried eximed in disbelief. A boost fee was usually paid by low-level yers so that high-level yers would apany them into dungeons and hunt the monsters in their stead, so they could level up faster. However, it was unprecedented to see a yer paying such a fee to someone on the same level as them. ¡°Yes, boost fee,¡± Gosran confirmed. ¡°Why should I charge a boost fee?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly confused. ¡°That¡¯s because hunting with you is as fast as hunting with a booster,¡± Gosran exined with a smile. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°However, I charged them less than the market rate since they will have to kill the monsters themselves,¡± Gosran added. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be burdened. Look at them; they are all financially better than you,¡± Gosran whispered to him. ¡®Yeah¡­ I can tell from their equipment alone¡­¡¯?Siegfried could tell that she was right since they were armed with expensive equipment despite being low-leveled yers. ¡°It¡¯s a silver per person, so that will be three silvers because there are three of them, and three silvers should be worth around fifteen thousand won, so you are earning the minimum wage in real-life per hour while hunting. They also promised to hand over all of the Shard of Lightning to Siegfried-nim, so you are profiting off of that too,¡± Gosran exined. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. It was safe to assume that Gosran was Siegfried¡¯s manager at this point. ¡°Now, shall we get moving? Just give me ten minutes,¡± Gosran said before she started drawing a teleportation magic circle on the ground. She no longer had a teleport scroll, and she was a low-leveled magician, so she could not instantly cast the spell. After ten minutes, she finallypleted the magic circle and extended her hand toward Siegfried. ¡°Shall we get going?¡± *** Siegfried became a booster through a strange turn of events as he entered the [Sohoca Ruins: South] with them to start hunting. The hunt proceeded quickly¡­ ¡°Wow! They¡¯re just melting! They¡¯re melting, I tell you!¡± ¡°This is crazy¡­ It took us less than ten minutes to take care of a wave¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before¡­!¡± The Adventurers could not help but be shocked at the insane hunting speed thanks to Siegfried¡¯s debuffs. The hunting proceeded much faster than the previous party since the party members this time around were armed with better equipment. However, they weren¡¯t the only ones benefiting from the hunt. [You are now Level 41!] [You are now Level 42!] Siegfried¡¯s level rose incredibly quickly as well. ¡®This is amazing¡­!¡¯?Siegfried thought. He couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge Gosran¡¯s idea. He was literally killing two birds¡ªno, three birds with one stone since he was leveling up and earning gold on top of the Shard of Lightning dropped by the monsters. After the hunt¡­ ¡°Thank you for your hard work today.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± Siegfried and Gosran bid goodbye to their party members and headed for the Intervention Hotel. ¡°S-Siegfried-nim¡­?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Will you be hunting tomorrow as well?¡± ¡°I have to...¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care tomorrow as well.¡± ¡°R-Really?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet tomorrow at ten in the morning. Goodbye, then,¡± Siegfried said before he went into the hotel lobby. ¡°Ah, right. I¡­!¡± Gosran shouted. She called out to him, but Siegfried had already vanished into the lobby and logged out of the game. ¡°I wanted to ask for your number¡­¡± Gosran could only say to herself. *** Siegfried¡¯s boosting services quickly spread through word of mouth. And it resulted in¡­ ¡°Double!¡± ¡°Double on the double!¡± ¡°Double on the double? Then, I¡¯ll double on the double of that double!¡± The number of Adventurers wanting to party with Siegfried appeared from all over the ce. ¡®Ah¡­ what the hell is going on?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He could not make heads or tails of the situation. However, the Adventurers¡¯ response was only natural. Most yers hunting at Sohoca Ruins were sick and tired of the tyranny of the low-leveled Buffers, and they were quite frustrated by the fact that they had to kowtow to those people. In fact, there were even a few Buffers brazen enough to charge exorbitant boosting fees. Siegfried¡¯s appearance in the midst of everything was like rain in a drought. He did charge the same boosting fee as the Buffers, but his debuffs made the hunting speed as fast as the boosting services provided by high-leveled yers, and this made the Adventurers want to party with him no matter what. ¡°Siegfried-nim,¡± Gosran called out. ¡°Yes?¡± Siegfried asked in response. ¡°I will start handing out queue stubs, so please rest assured,¡± Gosran exined. Siegfried had nothing to worry about thanks to Gosran, who had basically volunteered to be his manager. ¡®I wonder when I can fill this lightning attribute energy up¡­¡¯?Siegfried wondered while Gosran was busy handing out queue stubs to the Adventurers lining up. ¡®It¡¯s already over forty¡­¡¯? He had absorbed every single Shard of Lightning he came across, but there were no signs of any of his skills being enhanced. He was starting to notice that it was bing a pattern. The Debuff Master¡¯s skill tree was vague like it was hidden behind a veil, which made it extremely difficult for Siegfried to n things out. Gathering lightning attribute energy was a grind moreborious than doing repeating quests since he did not get much energy from the lowest-grade, low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and highest-grade Shard of Lightning. He could speed things up by focusing on only gathering the highest-grade shards, but their drop rate wasn¡¯t that greatpared to shards of the lower ranks ¡®How much more do I have to pour into this¡­?¡¯?he inwardly grumbled. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving, Siegfried-nim,¡± Gosran said, interrupting Siegfried¡¯s train of thought. It seemed that she was done handing out queue stubs to the Adventurers in that short period of time. ¡®Ah¡­ screw it. Something should happen if I just keep on doing it¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He decided that he would be patient for now and continue the grind. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The hunt disguised as a boosting service continued. Siegfried reaped quite the profit after devouring the experience points and the boosting fee on top of the Shard of Lightning his party members gave him. However, that did notst long¡­ ¡®I¡¯m slowly getting bored¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. His body started itching since what he had been doing so far was basically just cing debuff circles from the backlines. [You are now Level 43!] [You are now Level 44!] His level continued to increase in the midst of his boredom. [Alert: You will soon be able to learn a new skill once you reach Level 45!] [Alert: You may check the details of the new skill you may learn from the ¡®My Skills¡¯ page in your status screen.] Then, the veil surrounding the details of his Level 45 skill was finally lifted. ¡°Let¡¯s take a five-minute break. I have something to do,¡± Siegfried stopped his party from going onto the next stage. The party members immediately agreed to take a break. ¡°Of course, we do need to take a break from time to time!¡± ¡°Hyung, just let us know once you are ready!¡± ¡°No one here will object! Haha!¡± It seemed that nobody was willing to go against anything Siegfried would say. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardly muttered as he tapped on ¡®My Skill¡¯ and checked the Debuff Master¡¯s Level 45 skill. [Flying Spur] [An offensive skill that allows the user to set a target before throwing their weapon.] [The weapon thrown will follow the target for five seconds.] [You may retrieve your weapon after using this skill.] [This skill deals twice the damage of Smite, and the damage inflicted increases the further away the target.] [This skill¡¯s cooldown will be three times the cooldown of Smite.] The Debuff Master¡¯s Level 45 skill was a ranged skill that reminded Siegfried of a homing missile. ¡®Oh, it follows the target andes back to me? And it deals twice the damage of Smite. Isn¡¯t this perfect for sniping?¡¯?Siegfried thought as his expression brightened after reading the skill description. The fact that the skill had a long cooldown was a minus, but it was still a huge boost to him since he had no ranged attacks until now. Still, it wouldn¡¯t be one of his main offensive skills since the Flying Spur¡¯s main use was to attack a target from a distance when it was necessary. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. Whenever he gained a new skill, he would always be on cloud nine. It was no different this time around. ¡°Siegfried-nim, did something good happen?¡± Gosran asked. ¡°Not really,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug, and then he said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go hunt.¡± He wanted to reach Level 45 as soon as possible so that he could learn Flying Spur and test it out. *** [You are now Level 45!] Siegfried finally reached Level 45 the next evening while hunting deep inside Sohoca Ruin, and he could finally learn ¡®Flying Spur.¡¯ p! p! p! His party members pped and congratted him. ¡°Congrattions!¡± ¡°Hyung, you are Level 45 already? I guess you will graduate from this ce soon?¡± ¡°Wow! Look at his leveling speed! Awesome!¡± Then, one of his party members suddenly said, ¡°Hyung! You need to reach Level 50! Shall we hunt till the morning? Let¡¯s go, go, go!¡± Unfortunately for them, Siegfried had other ns. ¡®I¡¯ll go for another round, then it¡¯s time to hunt solo,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He no longer wanted to continue hunting as a party. He could feel that his instincts as a DPS yer would go berserk sooner orter because he basically didn¡¯t do anything in the past few days. Hunting as a party was the most efficient method of leveling up for him, but today would be an exemption. Siegfried was itching to try out just how strong he was as a Level 45 Debuff Master. *** Five minutes before their hunt was supposed to end for the day, an incident urred. Bam! When one of the party members mmed their warhammer toward a ¡®Lightning Shadow,¡¯ cracks suddenly appeared on the ground. Crack¡­! ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The party members tilted their heads in confusion while staring at the ground. Drruuu! And it suddenly copsed¡­ *** ¡°What the hell¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He was shocked when his vision suddenly turned ck. [Status Ailment!] [You are stunned!] All of a sudden, he was stunned. ¡°The ground copsed, and I fell, so I got stunned¡­ Is that what happened?¡± Siegfried grumbled as he assessed the situation. After all, the person in the VR capsule would not get stunned just because their in-game character got stunned. [5 seconds remaining!] [4¡­ 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­!] [You havee back to your senses!] His vision slowly came back, but he could not help but feel nauseous all of sudden. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± ¡°W-Where are we?¡± ¡°What the hell happened?¡± ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± ¡°What happened just now?¡± The party members seemed confused. Then, a message suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Sohoca Ruins Underground: Laboratory of the Church of Osric] He could not understand the message. ¡°Church of Osric¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in confusion as even he, who was a veteran BNW yer, had never heard of the Church of Osric before. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ This isn¡¯t a hidden dungeon, right?¡± Gosran muttered. Her words shocked everyone else. ¡°Hidden¡­ dungeon¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me!¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± The party members eximed in surprise. ¡®Is this really a hidden dungeon?¡¯?Siegfried thought in surprise. Just as its name stated, a hidden dungeon was a secret ce with special monsters or quests waiting for those who discovered it first. ¡®If this is really a hidden dungeon, then¡­ we hit the jackpot¡­!¡¯? It was a tremendous opportunity for him since there was a chance that the quest or the special monsters in this ce would give them generous rewards. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Gosran asked Siegfried. ¡°What else can we do? We should push on,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°But¡­¡± Gosran hesitated. After all, a hidden dungeon was usually the most dangerous and difficult area to clear on a map. ¡°Then, should we just give up even though we just found a hidden dungeon?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We need to clear a hidden dungeon as soon as we find it, or other people will snatch it away. And...¡± Siegfried said before he leaned forward and whispered into Gosran¡¯s ears, ¡°Can you trust all of them?¡± ¡°What?¡± Gosran muttered while seemingly taken aback. ¡°Do you really think those guys will just back off just because we decided to back off? If I was them¡­ I would call everyone I know toe here and monopolize this hidden dungeon,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Gosran gasped. She finally understood what he was trying to say. A hidden dungeon was finder''s keepers, and it was usually best to clear it as soon as it was found, so one could monopolize the riches and rewards. ¡°Another party coulde while we dilly-dally here,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Gosran replied with a nod. ¡°There¡¯s a saying that perfectly fits our situation,¡± Siegfried said as he started walking forward before turning around and saying, ¡°It¡¯s all or nothing.¡± There was no way he could simply walk away from an opportunity like this just because it was going to be dangerous. *** The party members agreed with Siegfried¡¯s ¡®all or nothing¡¯ reasoning and decided to try and conquer the hidden dungeon that they had chanced upon. Not one of them raised any objection. ¡®Items! Let¡¯s go and get some items!¡¯ ¡®A hidden dungeon¡­ I wonder how much I can earn from this¡­?¡¯ ¡®Who knew a day like this was going toe to me?!¡¯ They were all excited at the prospects of striking it rich. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried muttered. He squinted his eyes and looked into the darkness before saying, ¡°There¡¯s someone over there.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Gosran asked. ¡°A person,¡± Siegfried replied while pointing about fifty meters in front of him. ¡°Keuh¡­¡±?the person Siegfried found was lying on the ground moaning in pain. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Gosran asked. She tried to approach the person, but Siegfried suddenly stopped her and said, ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Did you want to approach that person?¡± asked Siegfried. ¡°Huh..? But that person is¡ª¡± Gosran started. However, Siegfried cut her off again and said, ¡°This is a dungeon.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t trust anyone except for your party members,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Gosran eximed upon realizing what he meant. Yes, this was a dungeon, and they obviously had to be careful of anyone or anything they encountered here. This unwritten rule applied especially to a person since they could just be something pretending to be a ¡®human.¡¯ ¡®In fact, I can¡¯t even fully trust my own party members...¡¯?Siegfried muttered inwardly. He learned that nobody could be trusted the hard way by going through all sorts of hardships on the N¨¹rburg Continent. However, he didn¡¯t feel the need to say that out loud. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Siegfried asked the person from about five meters away. ¡°Keuh¡­?W-Who are you¡­?¡± the man asked. ¡°We are Adventurers,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Adventurers¡­?¡± the man muttered before looking at the back of Siegfried¡¯s hand. There, he saw the mark that differentiated an Adventurer from a N¨¹rburgian. A yer would possess the Rune of Insight which allowed them to ess their status window, and the Rune of Transcendence which allowed them to level up. ¡°I see¡­ So you people are Adventurers¡­ That¡¯s a relief, that¡¯s really a huge relief¡­¡± the man muttered. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I¡¯m a member of a secret organization called the Guardians. We exist to protect the continent from evildoers and maintain peace throughout thend¡­¡± the man exined. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I came to this ce, Sohoca Ruins, after receiving a report that there was a seed of evil growing in this ce, but I ended up failing my mission¡­ Keuhuek!¡±?the man suddenly grabbed his chest and groaned in agony. He collected his breath before continuing, ¡°We almost seeded¡­ but their resistance was too fierce¡­ We had no choice but to retreat¡­ However¡­ we still have a chance¡­ we might be able to stop them if we go now. Y-You¡­ will you go and stop the Church of Osric in our stead?¡± Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried and the others. ¡°What do we have to do?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Destroy theirboratory¡­ destroy the five remaining Energy Orbs and kill the snake in the incubation room. A disaster will fall upon the continent if that snake is revived¡­ Cough! Cough!¡±?the man coughed blood. He gasped for air and squeezed the vestiges of his strength to ask, ¡°Will you¡­ do it? We don¡¯t have much time left¡­¡± ¡°I will,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. Ding! The quest details appeared. [Stop the Church of Osric] [Type: Hidden Quest] [Destroy the Energy Orbs at the Church of Osric¡¯sboratory and stop their evil ns by killing the boss monster.] [Progress: 0%] [Energy Orbs Destroyed (0/5)] [Boss Monster Killed (0/1)] [Rewards: The rewards will be bestowed after the boss monster¡¯s death.] [Caution: The boss monster will grow stronger the longer it takes you to destroy the Energy Orbs.] Siegfried and the party members reviewed the quest details. ¡°Will you really do it¡­?¡± the man asked. ¡°Yes, I will,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°T-Thank you! Thank you very much¡ªCough! Cough!¡±?the man said before coughing up more blood. He wheezed for a while before he collected himself and said, ¡°Be careful¡­ those Osric guys are strong, and they are evil as well¡­¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°May luck¡­ be with you all¡­ You must seed no matter¡­¡± the man said hisst words. Thud¡­! And then he died¡­ ¡°S-Siegfried-nim!¡± Gosran eximed. Siegfried shook his head and replied, ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°A dagger pierced his heart, and his intestines were spilling out. Even a high-leveled ranker can¡¯t heal him,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­¡± Gosran muttered. ¡°The only thing we can do for him is to clear this dungeon,¡± Siegfried said as he paused for a moment and looked at the man lying motionlessly before continuing, ¡°That¡¯s why we should hurry up and¡ª¡± While he was speaking, a ruckus from within the dungeon interrupted him. ¡°Over there!¡± ¡°Catch them!¡± ¡°Kill them all!¡± A bunch of people draped with dark robes and cone hats on their heads with hideous-looking masks ran toward them with torches. They were from the Church of Osric. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

A fight broke out in an instant. [Church of Osric Member] [A normal member of the Church of Osric.] [Level: 45] [Race: Human] [Abilities: Dagger Throw] Around fifty members of the Church of Osric charged at Siegfried and his party while swinging their daggers, but that was the only thing they could do. Woooong! Siegfriedid his debuff circles down. ¡°Bring it on, you bastards!¡± ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°The debuffs are cast!¡± ¡°Be careful! I¡¯m about to cast an AOE spell!¡± The battle shifted in Siegfried and his party¡¯s favor the moment Siegfriedid his debuff circles down. Afterward, his party members jumped into the fray. [Church of Osric Official] [An official of the Church of Osric] [Level: 47] [Race: Human] [Abilities: Dagger Throw] There were three officials mixed in with the bunch, but they couldn¡¯t do anything against the party. [Church of Osric Low Ranked Priest] [A low-ranked priest of the Church of Osric.] [Level: 49] [Race: Human] [Abilities: Dagger Throw] There was only one enemy left. His level seemed slightly higher than the others, but he couldn¡¯t do much against the party. ¡°W-Who are you?!¡± the low-ranked priest asked Siegfried while kneeling on the ground. ¡°Adventurers,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Adventurers¡­? Why are Adventurers here¡­?¡± the priest muttered, seemingly taken aback. ¡°I am the one who should be asking questions,¡± Siegfried said before asking, ¡°I will spare you if you lead us to yourboratory.¡± ¡°Cut the crap! Do you really think that I will betray the Church just to beg for my life?!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure!¡± ¡°Then, you leave me with no choice¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head before he turned around and told his party members, ¡°Gag this guy up. Put something over his mouth, so he won¡¯t be able to make a sound.¡± ¡°Leave that to me!¡± Gosran said. She retrieved a bandage and a leather belt from her Inventory. Siegfried shoved the bandage into the priest¡¯s mouth so thetter couldn¡¯tmit suicide by biting his tongue. ¡°Eup!?Eupp¡­!¡±?The priest groaned and squirmed after being gagged. ¡°Then¡­¡± Siegfried muttered and took his steel rod out. Puk! Pukeok! Paaak! Then, he proceeded to beat the shit out of the priest without a single word. *** ¡°S-Siegfried-nim¡­¡± Gosran and the party members were greatly taken aback by his actions. ¡°Wow¡­ this hyung is scary¡­!¡± ¡°That just gave me goosebumps!¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you ask something while beating him¡­?¡± They could not help but be horrified at Siegfried¡¯s cruelty while interrogating the priest. He was not particrly using any torture devices or any torture techniques, but the way he swung his steel rod in a consistent motion was more than enough to send chills down their spine. Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!? He struck in equal intervals and force. Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!? ¡°¡­¡± He did not threaten or interrogate the priest. He simply continued to beat the shit out of the priest without uttering a single word. ¡°Eup! Ack!?Aaaack!¡±? Thanks to that, the priest squirmed as if he was about to spill the beans. ¡®Hey! Stop hitting me, you bastard! I¡¯ll tell you already! I said I¡¯ll tell?youuuuu!¡¯ The priest could only say these words in his head because his mouth was fully sealed. Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!? However, Siegfried continued to beat him despite his willingness to talk. After a while, the beating finally stopped, but of course, the priest was already half-dead by the time the crazy Adventurer was done beating him up. ¡°Ughhh¡­¡±?The priest groaned in agony. ¡°Do you want to lead the way or not?¡± Siegfried asked. Nod! Nod! The priest vigorously nodded as if he was showing hisplete submission to Siegfried. ¡°Hurry up and lead the way, then,¡± Siegfried said without a hint of expression on his face before pushing the priest forward. ¡®Wow¡­ how can a human be so cold¡­?¡¯ ¡®Is he a psychopath¡­?!¡¯ ¡®I should remember not to mess with that hyung¡­¡¯ ¡®I never knew Siegfried-nim was someone so scary¡­¡¯ The party members nervously gulped while following behind Siegfried. *** The party was able to find theboratory without getting lost thanks to Siegfried making the low-ranked priest surrender to him. ¡°I think that¡¯s it,¡± Gosran whispered while pointing at a flickering torch in the distance. ¡°I think so, too,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. Pukeok! Then, he smacked the priest on the head with his steel rod. Thud! The priest copsed to the ground. ¡°¡­!¡± Gosran and the rest of the party members were stupefied by his actions. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried nonchntly said without paying any attention to their reactions. *** Theboratory of the Church of Osric located at the center of Sohoca Ruins was about to enter the final stages of its project. However, theboratory was currently in a mess. Anyone would be able to tell in a single nce that a battle had broken out; judging by the pools of blood, ravaged equipment, and the dead bodies across the floor. Clench! Romulus, a high priest of the Church of Osric, clenched his fist after looking at theboratory¡¯s state. ¡°What a stubborn bunch. How long do you n on pestering us and disrupting our Church¡¯s ns?!¡± Romulus shouted. The stubborn bunch that the high priest was referring to here was none other than the secret organization, the Guardians. ¡°We will continue to do so for eternity! We will never let your evil nse to fruition! Forever! Never!¡± said a member of the Guardians. ¡°What??Ha!¡± Romulus scoffed in response and said, ¡°Watch closely as you fail, you foolish imbecile! Yourrades are all dead, and the one who escaped will soon be caught by the ones we sent after him.¡± ¡°Ptooey!¡±?the man spat at the high priest and eximed, ¡°Don¡¯t even think that this is thest of us! We, the Guardians, will never give up! We will soon¡ª¡± Sukeok! However, Romulus decapitated the man before he could finish. Shwaaaaa! The man¡¯s neck turned into a blood fountain. Thud¡­! The man¡¯s head rolled on theboratory floor. ¡°Get that out of my sight,¡± Romulus said in a cold voice. ¡°Yes! High Priest,¡± the church members replied. They quickly moved to dispose of the man¡¯s body. ¡°You might have sessfully hindered our ns every single time but not this time. You have failed, and we have be stronger than ever,¡± Romulus said with a smile before adding, ¡°I will sessfullyplete my mission today, then our Church shall achieve our¡ª¡± It was then¡­ Fshwooo¡­! A red ball flew. Kaboom! And it hit one of the five remaining Energy Orbs. Fwaaaaaa! The mes from the red ball devoured the Energy Orb. ¡°Nooo!¡± Romulus cried in despair as he watched the burning orb. *** ¡°Nice shot,¡± Siegfried said while raising his thumb up toward Gosran. The red ball that destroyed the church¡¯s Energy Orb just now was none other than Gosran¡¯s fireball. ¡°That was nothing,¡± Gosran said with a smirk. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried said toward the party members, and his words signaled the start of the battle. *** ¡°Who are you bastards?! How dare youe and hinder our Church¡¯s ns?!¡± Romulus cried out in anger. However, Siegfried and his party members did not utter a response as they immediately proceeded to massacre every Church member in theboratory. ¡°You sons of bitches!¡± Romulus cursed before hemanded, ¡°Listen to me, my fellow believers! We shall pass our judgment onto these imbeciles! Increase power output! We shall speed up the resurrection!¡± Every single able-bodied Church member mobilized and blocked Siegfried and his party while theboratory scientists activated theplex machinery to increase the Energy Orbs¡¯ output. Bzzt! Bzzzzt! Then, the remaining four Energy Orbs started to absorb lightning energy across Sohoca Ruins. Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried and his party members¡¯ eyes. [Alert: The revival process has started!] [You will have 5 minutes to destroy all of the Energy Orbs to prevent the boss monster froming back to life!] [Remaining Time: 04:59] [Remaining Time: 04:58] [Remaining Time: 04:57] A timed quest started¡­ *** The battle was fierce. The party managed to easily cut down the normal members of the Church of Osric, but the resistance of the church officials and low-ranked priests was fierce. The church officials and low-ranked priests utilized their numbers advantage and pressured the party members even while on top of Siegfried¡¯s debuff circles. ¡°Ack!?There are too many of them!¡± ¡°Damn it! Why are these bastards so strong?!¡± ¡°Help me out here!¡± The party members were slowly reaching their limits. On top of that, Romulus, who was a named viin, drove Siegfried¡¯s party into a corner. [Romulus] [A high priest of the Church of Osric.] [Level: 55] [Race: Human] [Tier: Named] [ss: Dark Priest] [Abilities: Shadow of the Dead] Romulus¡¯ ability, ¡®Shadow of the Dead,¡¯ was a dark magic that extracted the shadow of the dead church members. In short, it was somewhat simr to raising zombies or skeletons, but they were vengeful spirits in this case. Siegfried¡¯s party was slowly getting driven into a corner because of the enemies¡¯ overwhelming advantage in numbers thanks to Romulus¡¯ Shadow of Death. ¡°These bastards are standing up again!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Fuck this!¡± They could not ovee the enemy¡¯s numbers advantage since the enemies kept on reviving no matter how many they killed. Most importantly, the countdown timer was still going down even as they were being pushed back. [Remaining Time: 3:15!] [Remaining Time: 3:14!] [Remaining Time: 3:13!] They only had three minutes left to destroy the remaining four Energy Orbs; however, that wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounded. ¡°Protect the orbs! Risk your lives to protect it!¡± Romulus shouted as the Church members protected the Energy Orbs with their bodies. ¡®Ah¡­ Is it time for me to step up?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. If things continued like this, the situation wouldn¡¯t end well. However, Siegfried was still hesitating to make a move. ¡®If I fight, my identity will be exposed¡­¡¯?he thought. He had been pretending to be a Debuffer all this while to keep his ss under wraps, and he was certain that his ss would get exposed if he were to go to the front and start dealing damage suddenly. By then, the major Guilds would focus on him, and he was certain that his life would be tiresome for him. [Remaining Time: 2:31!] [Remaining Time: 2:30!] [Remaining Time: 2:19!] However, time was not on Siegfried¡¯s side. Bzzzt! Bzzzzt! In addition, the Energy Orbs started emitting sparks that signaled the imminent disaster. ¡°Ack!¡±? While Siegfried was contemting whether to fight or not, one of his party members copsed to the ground. [Your party member ¡®Royal Jelly¡¯ has died!] That was not the end of it¡­ [Your party member ¡®Nam Thang Mo¡¯ has died!] [Your party member ¡®Chicken Patty¡¯ has died!] Aside from Gosran, all his party members died before he could even make a move. ¡®Damn it!¡¯?Siegfried cursed under his breath. The death of his party members was unfortunate, and it made the situation turn for the worse. Unfortunately, he just could not risk drawing the attention of the major Guilds, which would hinder him in the future. A message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Warning!] [Hurry! There is only 1 minute remaining before the boss monster is revived!] [Remaining Time: 59 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 58 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 57 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 56 seconds!] There were still four Energy Orbs left with less than a minute remaining. ¡°S-Siegfried-nim! I think we need to make a run for it! We won¡¯t be able to stop them with just the two of us!¡± Gosran shouted. ¡®Ha¡­¡¯?Siegfried sighed inwardly while looking at Gosran. He was having mixed feelings about the current situation since it would have been better if Gosran died with the others. Unfortunately, she somehow narrowly escaped death. ¡®What should I do¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought, conflicted. There were three choices he could make: 1. Continue to keep his ss under wraps and give up the hidden dungeon. 2. Kill Gosran and clear the dungeon alone. 3. Fight and expose his ss to Gosran. He no longer had any time to think as he needed to make his decision quickly. ¡°Gosran-nim,¡± Siegfried called out after smashing the head of a church member. Grip¡­! Then, he tightly gripped his steel rod. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

¡°Gosran-nim,¡± Siegfried called out as he walked toward her while tightly gripping his steel rod. Then, a Church official suddenly lunged at him while shouting, ¡°Die, heretic!¡± Pukeok! Siegfried smashed the Church official¡¯s head with his steel rod. ¡°Keuk!¡±?the Church official let out a groan before dying. ¡°S-Siegfried-nim¡­?¡± Gosran muttered in surprise. Why was she surprised? That was because she just witnessed Siegfried, who should have been unable to do anything aside from debuffing enemies, kill a Church official in one blow. ¡°How did you¡ª¡± she muttered. However, Siegfried suddenly cut her off, ¡°Gosran-nim.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°Close your eyes.¡± ¡°Close my eyes¡­?¡± ¡°Like this,¡± Siegfried said as he turned her around, so her back was facing the enemies. ¡°S-Siegfried-nim¡­?¡± Gosran muttered, seemingly perplexed by his request. ¡°Keep your eyes closed. Don¡¯t turn around no matter what,¡± he said. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°And promise me one thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Promise me that you are not going to record a video or take a screenshot of me and that you will keep any information about me a secret.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Can you do that?¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± ¡°If you can promise me that, I will clear this hidden dungeon.¡± It seemed that Siegfried had finally made up his mind. *** Siegfried racked his brain in a split second to choose whether he was going to give up the hidden dungeon, kill Gosran, or showcase his strength in front of her. However, a single thought suddenly intruded into his mind, which greatly influenced his decision. ¡®I don¡¯t want to give up¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose¡­¡¯ He did not want to lose. Was it because of the items and the rewards? No, he did not care about that. The rewards and profits he would make from clearing the dungeon were irrelevant for now. ¡®I can¡¯t continue running away for the rest of my life,¡¯?he thought. He had spent most of his time on the run after going against the Genesis Guild, and he did not want to turn around and run with his tail tucked between his legs again when he had finally gotten a fresh start. In addition, there was another reason. ¡®I might not make friends, but let¡¯s not make enemies if we can help it,¡¯?he thought. Siegfried had a lot of enemies. There were many of them; they were strong, and he was alone. What would happen if he killed Gosran here and she ended up harboring a grudge against him? He would end up having to add another person to his list of enemies. And it was a fact that Gosran wasn¡¯t an annoying yer like Antote, whom he had no choice but to kill when he was hunting Mutated Bisons. As such, Siegfried simply had no reason to stab her in the back when she had been faithfully supporting him all this time. ¡®Let¡¯s trust her,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he made a tough decision. *** [Remaining Time: 43 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 42 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 41 seconds!] Time was running out. ¡°Can you promise me?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes¡­ I promise¡­¡± Gosran replied. ¡°Alright, you promised, okay?¡± Siegfried reconfirmed. ¡°Yes,¡± Gosran replied. ¡°It will be over soon so just be patient for a while¡­¡± Siegfried said before he checked the message alert and said, ¡°Just forty seconds.¡± Then, he immediately darted forward. Pak! Pak! He killed two Church members in an instant. Pak! Pak! Pak! Pukeok! Pukeok!? Then, he went on a rampage with his steel rod and smashed heads left and right. ¡®Great!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly. [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] He did not upgrade his equipment, and his weapon was still the same steel rod he had purchased at the Biermann Territory, but the mobs died left and right whenever he swung it. They died in one shot if it was a critical strike and in two shots otherwise, but that was nowhere enough. ¡®There¡¯s no time,¡¯?he thought as he checked the countdown timer. [Remaining Time: 26 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 25 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 24 seconds!] This was not the time for Siegfried to keep himself upied with the mobs since the four Energy Orbs were still active. ¡°Kuhahahaha!¡± Romulus burst outughing before he confidently eximed, ¡°You seem to be strong! Sure! Why don¡¯t you squirm and do your best? You won¡¯t be able to stop the resurrection anyway!¡± The high priest was confident that the revival would seed since all four Energy Orbs were still active. ¡°So that¡¯s what you think?¡± Siegfried said. ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± Romulus asked with a grimace. When the high priest asked, Siegfried suddenly hurled his steel rod. Whooosh! Shwiiiiii! The steel rod flew at a frightening speed while drawing an arc. It was the Debuff Master¡¯s Level 45 skill, Flying Spur! Boom! The right-most Energy Orb was destroyed with a booming sound. ¡°¡­!¡± Romulus stared dumbfounded when he saw the Energy Orb explode, and it was far toote by the time he came back to his senses. Boom! The steel rod flying through the air destroyed another Energy Orb, and it showed no signs of slowing down. Boom! Another Energy Orb was destroyed, and there was only one left. ¡°Stop that! Stooooooop!¡± Romulus let out a desperate cry. *** Unfortunately, Siegfried had failed to destroy all four Energy Orbs. ¡°For the chaos that will descend upon this world!¡± One of the Church officials shouted some nonsense before throwing himself at Siegfried¡¯s steel rod. As such, the Church official managed to protect the final Energy Orb. Thud! The Church official died in exchange for protecting the final Energy Orb. Shwiiii! Siegfried had no choice but to retrieve his steel rod thanks to the Church official who had sacrificed himself and blocked it after it lost most of its momentum from destroying three Energy Orbs. ¡°Ah¡­ How can that miss¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. It was a line often used by gamers whenever they missed a skillshot. There was still one energy orb. [Remaining Time: 9 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 8 seconds!] [Remaining Time: 7 seconds!] Less than ten seconds remained¡­ A message asking Siegfried to hurry up popped up in front of him. [Hurry! There are only 5 seconds remaining before the boss monster is revived!] [You have to destroy the final Energy Orb!] Tak! Siegfried kicked off of the ground and ran, but it was not toward the final Energy Orb. ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Romulus shouted at Siegfried. It was because Siegfried was running toward the named viin, Romulus. ¡®It¡¯s already toote. My only option is to kill that named monster and fight one on one with the boss monster,¡¯?he thought. It was a logical decision since the boss wouldn¡¯t be as strong as it was supposed to be after the Guardians destroyed five Energy Orbs, Gosran destroyed one, and Siegfried destroyed three. It would be much easier for Siegfried to fight against the boss if the named viin was no longer in the picture. Besides, the boss fight was going to be much more exciting if it were a one-on-one duel to the death. ¡°It seems that you have a death wish¡­!¡± Romulus screamed at Siegfried. The high priest was greatly taken aback when Siegfried ran toward him since he had already directed all of his minions to protect the Energy Orb, which left him wide open. Unfortunately, it was already far toote for him by the time he realized his mistake. Pak! Siegfried smashed his steel rod into Romulus¡¯ forehead. ¡°Kuheok!¡±?Romulus gasped in agony as he staggered, but Siegfried did not give him any time to recover before unleashing a barrage of attacks. Pak! Pukeok! Pak! The steel rod hit Romulus three consecutive times on the head. ¡°Keuk!?You¡­ you insolent¡­! Stop! Why are you only hitting my head?!¡± Romulus cried out. ¡°That¡¯s where it hurts the most,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I like the feeling of hitting it, too,¡± Siegfried nonchntly added before he used Smite and mmed his steel rod as hard as he could into Romulus¡¯ head. Pukeoook! The high priest¡¯s head exploded like a watermelon. Fwooosh¡­ Then, the vengeful spirits the high priest had raised disappeared the moment he died. [Time¡¯s up!] [You have failed to prevent the revival of the boss monster!] [Energy Orbs destroyed (0/4)] [Brace yourself! The boss monster is going to awaken at any moment now!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes, and the entireboratory started trembling at the same time. *** ¡°Siegfried-nim¡­!¡± Gosran eximed in surprise. She could tell what was going on even while she was facing away from the battle. It was impossible for her not to notice what was going on unless she was deaf since the sound of Siegfried beating up the Church of Osric¡¯s members along with the Energy Orbs exploding could be heard throughout the entireboratory. [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] On top of that, her experience bar filling up nonstop showed that Siegfried was continuously killing the mobs. ¡®You liar! You said you can only cast debuffs!¡¯?Gosran inwardly eximed when she realized that Siegfried had been hiding his true strength all this while. And that was why she decided to ask, ¡°Siegfried-nim! Had you been hiding your strength all this time¡­?¡± ¡°Later, let¡¯s deal with the boss monster first,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Hiing¡­¡±?Gosran whimpered in response before nodding in agreement. Rumble¡­ rumble¡­ rumble¡­? Theboratory trembled as if it woulde crumbling down at any moment now. Woooong! A bright white light shot out from a steel door deep within theboratory, and that signaled that they didn¡¯t have the luxury to chitchat. ¡°But you have to tell me why you hid your true strengthter!¡± Gosran said. ¡°Alright,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod before tightly gripping his half-broken steel rod. Bam! Something started knocking on therge steel door. Bam! Bam! Bam!? It continued knocking¡­ Creak¡­ Creak¡­! The steel door crumbled and the creature knocking on it finally made its appearance. ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°Heok¡­!¡± Siegfried and Gosran gasped in horror. That was because¡­ [Lightning Python] [A monster revived thanks to the Church of Osric¡¯s experiment.] [This is the creature from another dimension that crashed into Sohoca and turned the area into ruins overnight.] [Level: 70] [Race: N/A] [Tier: Boss] [ss: Lightning Buster] [Abilities: Charged Barrier, Charged Breath.] The twenty-meter-long boss monster was none other than the Lightning Python. *** ¡°Are we in¡­ you know¡­?¡± Gosran asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Siegfried asked in response. ¡°You know what they say¡­ Are we in deep¡ªthat one,¡± she nervously asked. ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head and added, ¡°It¡¯s only Level 70.¡± Fortunately, the Lightning Python¡¯s level was not that high since nine out of the ten Energy Orbs used to revive it were destroyed, and it was probably not even as strong as its single fang back in its heyday when it destroyed an entire city overnight. ¡°But, aren¡¯t our levels too low¡­?¡± Gosran hesitated. ¡°That¡¯s even better,¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk. ¡°What do you mean? The boss is twenty-five levels higher than us¡­¡± Gosran retorted. ¡°That¡¯s good for me,¡± Siegfried replied. Then¡­ Slither¡­! The Lightning Python slithered toward Siegfried and Gosran at a terrifying speed. Bzzt! Bzzzzt! Moreover, the boss monster truly lived up to its name as it emitted sparks all over its scales while slithering toward them. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this,¡± Siegfried said as he ran toward the Lightning Python. Fwaaa¡­ Blue and red aura started to rise and envelope his body. It was the visual effect of the Debuff Master¡¯s skill, Contempt for the Strong. Shwiik! The Lightning Python opened its jaws to try and swallow Siegfried whole. ¡®I¡¯ll avoid it then counterattack!¡¯?Siegfried thought. He twisted and smashed his steel rod into the boss monster¡¯s head. Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! When Siegfried¡¯s steel rod struck the Lightning Python, the sparks enveloping its body shot forward and electrocuted Siegfried. It was the boss monster¡¯s skill, ¡®Charged Barrier.¡¯ However¡­ ¡®Huh?¡¯?Siegfried muttered in surprise when the boss monster¡¯s ability did not do as much damage as he thought it would. Then, he eximed after suddenly realizing something, ¡°Ah!¡± Siegfried grinned as he muttered, ¡°Who knew this would end up being a free meal?¡± Gosran could not make heads or tails of the situation, especially after hearing what Siegfried had muttered just now. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

¡°A free meal¡­?¡± Gosran muttered in confusion at Siegfried¡¯s words. A free meal basically meant obtaining something without having to put much effort into it, and the Buffers leeching experience points after casting a few buffs from the safety behind their party members was a prime example of this phrase. ¡°How is that monster a free meal¡­?¡± Gosran asked. She found it difficult to make sense of what Siegfried had said. Her gaze seemed like it was screaming, ¡®Look! That¡¯s the Lightning Python!¡¯ Of course, the boss monster was not as strong as it was in its prime, but it was still a huge monster that spanned twenty meters long. In short, it was not a free meal for Siegfried who was currently Level 45. However, Siegfried seemed to disagree with that. ¡°I think it is a free meal. It¡¯s not that difficult of an opponent,¡± he said. ¡°What?!¡± Gosran eximed in surprise. ¡°Let me show you¡­¡± ¡°Show me what¡­?¡± ¡°Show you how I eat the free meal,¡± Siegfried said before dashing toward the Lightning Python once again. *** The look on Gosran¡¯s face after hearing Siegfried¡¯s words was confusion itself. ¡®What the hell is he thinking? How can he even think of beating a boss monster so easily¡­?¡¯?Gosran thought, but she could not imagine Siegfried easily winning against the boss monster. ¡®Is he perhaps¡­ overgeared¡­?¡¯?she wondered. However, her assumption was off the mark as Siegfried was still holding the same steel rod while fighting against the Lightning Python. Yes, it was?that same half-broken steel rod. However, the damage the steel rod dealt to the boss monster was not only significant, but it also dealt a blow to the ¡®logic¡¯ Gosran had about the game. Kwang! Siegfried smashed the steel rod into the boss monster. ¡°Heok¡­!¡±?Gosran gasped in surprise. [Lightning Python Level 70] [HP: ??????????] The boss monster¡¯s HP was reduced by 20% with a single blow from Siegfried, but the surprise did not end there. Kwang! Siegfried smacked the boss monster once again. [Lightning Python Level 70] [HP: ??????????] The boss monster¡¯s HP was reduced by 20% once again. Kwang! Another 20%... Kwang! Another 20%... Kwang! And the final strike! [Lightning Python Level 70] [HP: ??????????] The boss monster¡¯s HP dropped to zero. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s cheating!!¡± Gosran blurted without realizing it. *** Siegfried¡¯s performance against the Lightning Python looked like cheating to Gosran. No, it looked more like a bug than a cheat at this point. It was impossible for her to fathom that a Level 45 Debuffer had just killed a Level 70 boss monster in five blows. However, Siegfried was neither a bug nor a cheat. ¡®The Charged Barrier¡¯s damage is too weak, and it only managed to make me flinch for a split second¡­ that¡¯s all,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he realized that the boss monster¡¯s ability, ¡®Charged Barrier,¡¯ wasn¡¯t that strong. ¡®I wonder what is going to happen if I endure it and strike back as a counterattack¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered as he thought about the increased damage provided by his skill, Contempt for the Strong. If one knew their enemy and themselves, they need not fear the oue of a hundred battles. Siegfried remembered a famous quote that even kids these days had heard. ¡®Let¡¯s give it a shot,¡¯?he decided to use the boss monster¡¯s skill to boost his damage further. And that was how the boss fight got started¡­ Bzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzt! When the Lightning Python¡¯s Charged Barrier zapped Siegfried, he gritted his teeth and swung his steel rod as hard as he could. Grit¡­ It was a decision he made considering the fact that the boss monster¡¯s skill dealt damage over time, so any attack he did while his HP was being chipped away by it would be considered a counterattack by the system. Kwang! Siegfried mmed his steel rod into the Lightning Python. ¡®It worked!¡¯?he inwardly eximed the moment he confirmed that his theory was true. Now that he had confirmed that his theory was true, what should he do? Of course, he had to end the fight as soon as possible! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Siegfried swung his steel rod four consecutive times into the boss monster. ¡°Kyaaaaahk!¡±?The Lightning Python let out a shriek. Then, its body copsed upon receiving the cruel beatdown. It was a quick and decisive victory. *** [You have leveled up!] [You are now Level 46!] Siegfried gained a level after killing the Lightning Python. [Alert: You have cleared the Quest: ¡®Stop the Church of Osric¡¯!] [Alert: Collect your reward from the Lightning Python¡¯s remains!] It seemed that the rewards from the unnamed Guardian¡¯s quest were the many loots obtainable from the Lightning Python¡¯s body. ¡°Gosran-nim?¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes?!¡± Gosran responded with a flinch. ¡°Let¡¯s collect the rewards and get out of here.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°Other Adventurers might suddenly arrive,¡± Siegfried said before taking out a variety of tools he could use to dismember the Lightning Python. ¡°But, Siegfried-nim¡ª¡± Gosran started. However, Siegfried cut her off and said, ¡°When we get outside.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over until we collect all of the loot and get out of here. Do you understand?¡± he added. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Thene here and help me out.¡± Siegfried was someone who knew how to prioritize things. *** Dismembering the Lightning Python was difficult. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Python¡¯s Scales¡¯.] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Python¡¯s Blood¡¯.] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Python¡¯s Meat¡¯.] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Python¡¯s Bones¡¯.] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Python¡¯s Eyes¡¯.] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Python¡¯s Fangs¡¯.] The Lightning Python had a lot of obtainable parts from its remains since it was such a huge monster. ¡°Tsk¡­?I think our Inventory is gonna get full from this¡­¡± Siegfried said while clicking his tongue. ¡°I think so, too¡­¡± Gosran added. ¡°But I think I will manage somehow since¡­ I don¡¯t have much in my Inventory, to begin with.?Haha¡­¡± Siegfried said with a hint of sadness in his voice. ¡°But, Siegfried-nim¡­¡± Gosran muttered. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Excuse me, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Is it possible to split it nine to one¡­?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean by nine to one?¡± Siegfried retorted as if he was saying, ¡®what are you talking about?¡¯. ¡°I guess that¡¯s asking for too much, right?¡± Gosran said with a forced smile before adding, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Siegfried-nim¡­¡± ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± ¡°Because I asked for ten percent of the loot, even though I didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°You have to take thirty percent.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Gosran¡¯s eyes shot wide open in surprise. ¡°Gosran-nim is a party member, too, right? What do you mean by you did nothing? We fought together toe all the way here,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°A-Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°Heok!¡± ¡°In return,¡± Siegfried said before he continued, ¡°you have to swear not to tell anyone else about me.¡± ¡°I swear!¡± ¡°Then, that settles it.¡± ¡°But I refuse¡­¡± ¡°What? Why would you?¡± ¡°Thirty percent is too much for me. I will only take ten percent.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°I also have a conscience, you know?¡± Gosran shrugged before saying, ¡°Ten percent is more than enough for me.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you just take it while my offer still stands¡ª¡± ¡°No, my conscience won¡¯t allow it if I take more than that.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Siegfried-nim,¡± Gosran said with a big smile. ¡®I never knew someone can refuse something being offered to them when it¡¯s so good¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He found Gosran to be a strange character, but he did not try to convince her any further since she had already refused of her own volition. ¡°Then, do as you please,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Now, shall we clean up?¡± he said and tried to cut open the Lightning Python¡¯s lower jaw. Roll¡­ An orb the size of an adult¡¯s fist rolled out from the boss monster¡¯s jaws. ¡°What the hell is this¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered and picked the orb up. [Python¡¯s Core] [A lump of energy from the Lightning Python.] [It contains a huge amount of lightning attribute energy.] [Type: Consumable (Edible)] [Price: 3 coppers] ¡°Huh¡­??Should I just eat it¡­?¡± Siegfried wondered after checking the item¡¯s details. He thought that perhaps consuming the python¡¯s core would put an end to his daily grind for lightning attribute energy. ¡°Wow!?It¡¯s a python¡¯s core,¡± Gosran said as she suddenly popped up and added, ¡°I think that¡¯s going to be expensive.¡± ¡°It should be¡­¡± Siegfried responded. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me...¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That belongs to Siegfried-nim,¡± Gosran said. ¡°Why are you so nice to me¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. He could not understand her at all. Gosran was so nice to him she was probably the nicest person he had ever known. ¡°I¡¯m not a nice person,¡± Gosran replied. She shook her head and exined, ¡°It¡¯s just that I like Siegfried-nim.¡± ¡°Why do you like me?¡± ¡°I just like being with you.¡± ¡°What do you like about being with me¡­?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I just have this feeling that you¡¯re a nice person. It¡¯s more like¡­ you¡¯re someone I want to get along with?¡± ¡°Come on¡­ No way.¡± Siegfried scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just think that you are a nice person, then,¡± Siegfried said and decided not to pry any further into how she felt about him. Flinch! Gosran flinched at her words, but Siegfried did not seem to notice it. ¡°Thank you for sharing this with me, then¡ª¡± Siegfried ced his hand on the python¡¯s core. ¡°Wait...¡± When he was about to absorb it, someone suddenly emerged from the darkness and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± *** ¡®What the¡­? I didn¡¯t notice anything¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He could not help but doubt his ears since his senses were extremely sensitive thanks to his master¡¯s tempering and quenching coupled with the benefits the Hyper Capsule Ogre had given to him. However, the owner of the voice from within the darkness managed to escape being detected by Siegfried¡¯s sharp senses and the person even got close to him unnoticed. ¡®Is it a high-leveled Sylph¡­? Or a Vampire¡­?¡¯?he recalled the sses specializing in stealth. ¡°Debuff Master¡­¡± the voice muttered while observing Siegfried. Siegfried noticed that the man had both the Rune of Insight and Rune of Transcendence at the back of his hands, which confirmed that he was not an NPC. ¡°That¡¯s a hidden ss, right?¡± the man asked. The man looked peculiar. His hair was golden, and his red right eye resembled rubies, while his blue left eye resembled sapphires. He was pretty tall with a face that looked like it was a mixture of eastern and western features. Siegfried could tell from the man¡¯s appearance alone that thetter was a high-leveled yer. ¡®Is he a Ranker?¡¯?Siegfried thought as he activated his Rune of Insight and checked the man¡¯s information. [Cheon Woo-Jin] [Type: Adventurer] [Race: N/A] [Level: N/A] [Title: N/A] However, he could not figure anything out. ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin shook his head and continued, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to find out anything about me. In fact, no one will be able to unless they are over Level 600. Only then could they possibly find out more about me.¡± ¡°What are you?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°That¡¯s a secret,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a smirk. ¡°What do you want?¡± Siegfried asked as he raised his guard. ¡°Nothing you have to offer so you can rx.¡± ¡°I know that much...¡± Siegfried knew that much since there was no way a high-leveled Ranker would salivate over his trashy equipment and the loot from a Level 70 monster. Of course, there were Rankers obsessed with money. ¡°What I want to know is¡ª¡± Siegfried started. However, Cheon Woo-Jin cut him off. ¡°I¡¯m a member of the Guardians.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± ¡°I heard that they failed their mission, so I came running over here. But it seems that you finished the job for us.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s how it turned out.¡± ¡°I enjoyed watching you fight. You seemed to be pretty good at it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°Let''s meet.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re Korean, right? Are you free tonight?¡± ¡°What do you mean by free?¡± ¡°Come to Sinsa-dong tonight,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin suddenly asked for a meeting in real life. ¡°Why would I do that¡­?¡± Siegfried asked in disbelief before adding, ¡°Do I have to go running just because a Ranker told me to do so?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin shook his head. ¡°Then, why are you asking me to go?¡± ¡°You have to meet me.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Because I want to know.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin started while staring straight at Siegfried before he continued with the words that instantly captured Siegfried¡¯s attention, ¡°What is your rtionship with Deus-nim?¡± Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words captured Siegfried¡¯s interest. The name of his master, the Level 999 Hidden NPC Deus, was of grave importance to Siegfried. ¡°Do you know him?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I would say just a tiny little bit,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a peculiar smile, and then he added, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure how much I should know about a person to be able to say that I ¡®know¡¯ them.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°But I do know one thing for certain.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°He¡¯s invincible,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. It seemed that Cheon Woo-Jin was aware of the most urate description of Siegfried¡¯s master. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said as he stared at Siegfried. He seemed baffled as he said, ¡°It¡¯s really strange¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± Siegfried asked with a grimace. ¡°The skills you used¡­¡± ¡°What about them?¡± ¡°They looked like Deus-nim¡¯s skills, but they looked like a very low-quality version of them,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. Siegfried did not like how Cheon Woo-Jin had emphasized that his skills were a ¡®very low-quality version¡¯ of Deus¡¯ skills, but he decided to let it go for now as Siegfried thought the same as him. ¡®He isn¡¯t wrong per se¡­ My skills are truly pathetic whenpared to Master¡¯s skills.¡¯ Siegfried knew very well that the difference between his skills and his master¡¯s skills was like the difference between heaven and earth. ¡°That¡¯s why I couldn''t help but wonder¡ªwonder if you are Deus-nim¡¯s disciple.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin pointed out. Siegfried did not respond. ¡°That is why I¡¯m telling you this:e to Sinsa-dong tonight,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said as he requested a meeting with Siegfried again before adding, ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°That will be your decision,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin calmly said, but he added, ¡°It will be better for you toe, though.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°No, I¡¯m trying to reel you in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you need to cast a bait to reel something in.¡± ¡°You will get to know a few secrets about you if youe to Sinsa-dong tonight.¡± ¡°Secrets¡­?¡± ¡°Midnight at Sinsa-dong. Look for me, Cheon Woo-Jin, at Club Heaven near Sinsa Station.¡± ¡°What kind of¡ª¡± Siegfried muttered. He was about to ask ¡®what kind of secrets?¡¯ but Cheon Woo-Jin suddenly vanished in front of him. Fwoosh¡­ Cheon Woo-Jin disappeared without a trace. ¡°Was he a ghost¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered while standing there, stupefied. *** ¡°I wonder who he was¡­ I couldn¡¯t find any Rankers with the ID Cheon Woo-Jin. I can¡¯t find anything about him,¡± Gosran remarked. ¡°I have no idea as well,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug, and then he muttered, ¡°The Rune of Insight should have worked properly, but it didn¡¯t work, and that¡¯s pretty rare¡­ I wonder who the hell was he¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ are you going?¡± Siegfried shook his head and replied, ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even aware of everything about myself; who the hell is he to tell me my own secrets? He just spouted some nonsense.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ you¡¯re pretty level-headed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just not stupid.¡± Siegfried shrugged before looking at the Python¡¯s Core in his hand and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s take the loot and leave after I¡¯m done with this.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Gosran nodded. ¡°What secret? Nonsense¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled before using Attribute Absorption. Wooong¡­! A message popped up in front of his eyes after he was done absorbing the Python¡¯s Core. [Alert: You have absorbed 60 lightning attribute energy from the ¡®Python¡¯s Core¡¯!] [Alert: Your lightning resistance has increased by 60!] He absorbed an insane amount of lightning attribute energy he could only dream of absorbing from shards. [Alert: You may enhance a skill with your lightning attribute energy!] [Alert: Go to the ¡®My Skill¡¯ tab to check which skill you can enhance.] The message notified him that he could now enhance a skill. Finally, he had achieved what he had been grinding for all this while. Siegfried grinned after reading the message. [Alert: Do you wish to enhance the skill?] There was no reason for him to hesitate. [Yes!] *** Siegfried soon got the opportunity to test out his newly enhanced skill. ¡°Kyaahk!¡± ¡°Kihit!¡± ¡°Keek! Kieeeek!¡± Dozens of monsters formed a mob and rushed at Siegfried and Gosran after they came up from the hidden dungeon. ¡°Let me take care of this,¡± Siegfried said and stopped Gosran from casting her spell. ¡°As you wish,¡± Gosran said and stepped aside. She didn¡¯t hesitate to step aside since there was no way she could get rid of all those monsters with her current ability. ¡®I wonder what he¡¯s trying to do¡­¡¯?Gosran thought while looking at Siegfried with eyes filled with curiosity. While Gosran was intently observing Siegfried, thetter suddenly hurled his tattered steel rod toward the monsters. Shwiiik! He had used Flying Spur. Baam! His steel rod smashed into the monster at the forefront. Bzzt! Then, a bright light shed ensued. Bzzzztttt! Hundreds of bolts of lightning burst from Siegfried¡¯s steel rod and scattered throughout the mob. Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! . The bolts of lightning did not show any signs of dissipating as it jumped from one monster to another and continuously dealt damage to the mobs. [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] A flurry of messages popped up in front of Gosran¡¯s eyes, and there were so many of them that she had a long list of messages to scroll through. The name of the skill that dealt this insane AOE damage was called ¡®Lightning Flying Spur,¡¯ and this was the lightning attribute energy-enhanced version of the Flying Spur. [Lightning Flying Spur] [Flying Spur enhanced with lightning attribute energy.] [A chain of lightning will burst and deal damage to every nearby enemy when the user¡¯s weapones into contact with the target.] [The damage increases with every bounce.] However, Flying Spur wasn¡¯t the only skill enhanced by the lightning attribute energy. ¡°Five more to go,¡± Siegfried muttered with a smile while looking at the monsters that managed to survive the massacre. Kwang! Siegfried used Smite on one of the five remaining monsters. [Lightning Smite] [Smite enhanced with lightning attribute energy.] [Three bolts of lightning will fan out and hit all nearby enemies when the user strikes the target.] The enhanced version of Smite, Lightning Smite, was activated. Bzzzzt! Three bolts of lightning shot out from Siegfried¡¯s steel rod the moment he struck his target and the bolts of lightning fanned out and zapped the monsters behind his primary target. [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] The five monsters copsed and died at the same time, as if they had an agreement beforehand. Gosran¡¯s reaction to what she had just witnessed was easy to deduce. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ Isn¡¯t that cheating¡­?¡± *** After leaving the dungeon, Siegfried exined why he had been hiding his strength. ¡°And that¡¯s why I have been hiding my strength. The top ten Guilds have be toomercialized. Joining them might look nice on the outside, but they operate just like the military inside. In fact, the others of the Guild Masters will even affect you in real life.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I refuse to be another pawn of those guilds,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°I see¡­¡± Gosran muttered before saying, ¡°The top ten Guilds will probably do whatever it takes to recruit someone like Siegfried-nim.¡± ¡°That is exactly why I had been trying to hide my strength. I wasn¡¯t mocking you from behind or anything. Earlier, I was actually contemting whether or not I should give up on the hidden dungeon,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I understand,¡± Gosran replied with a nod, and then she added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t misunderstand you, and neither did I think you were mocking me in any way.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful if you think that way.¡± ¡°I will keep your secret since I don¡¯t want to see Siegfried-nim getting pestered by others.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be even more grateful if you could do that.¡± ¡°What are your ns now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He pondered for quite a while before he replied, ¡°I should probably leave this ce since I don¡¯t have a reason to stay here any longer. We have cleared the hidden dungeon after all¡­ I also have to go to a city and upgrade my gear.¡± He opened his arms and showed his current state. His armor was all worn-out, and his steel rod was bent. Not a single part of Siegfried¡¯s equipment was in good condition, and they were in such bad shape they seemed beyond repair. Gosran could not help but admire the fact that Siegfried was still alive, even though his equipment had basically turned into rags. ¡°What about you?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Me?¡± Gosran muttered before she replied, ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay here for a bit longer. I¡¯m gonna level up and earn some more money to upgrade my gears as well.¡± ¡°Then, it was fun partying with you,¡± Siegfried said with a slight bow. ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have to.¡± Siegfried had to move to another area to continue growing. ¡°That¡¯s a shame¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we will meet again someday.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet again in the future, Gosran-nim.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Gosran nodded and said, ¡°See you. It was fun partying with you, too.¡± Their conversation ended there. Step¡­ step¡­? Siegfried walked toward the gateway leading to the other areas while Gosran stared at his back getting farther and farther away. *** ¡°Where should I go next¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before getting on the gateway. ¡°Umm¡­ Excuse me¡­¡± someone called out to him. He turned around and saw a kid staring at him. ¡°Are you Siegfried Ahjusshi?¡± the kid asked. ¡°That¡¯s right, but who are you?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I¡¯m an errand boy.¡± ¡°An errand boy¡­?¡± ¡°Some ahjusshi asked me to give this to you.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Here,¡± the kid extended a letter over to him and gave a quick bow before saying, ¡°Goodbye, then.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Siegfried muttered and opened the letter. The letter said¡­ Midnight at Sinsa-dong. Look for Cheon Woo-Jin at Club Heaven. P.S. Don¡¯t y so hard to get, Siegfried, no¡­ should I call you Tae-Sung instead? Flinch! Siegfried was stupefied that Cheon Woo-Jin knew his real name, which was also his previous yer ID. ¡®How the hell did he find out?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. It was practically impossible to uncover someone¡¯s information since BNW ced great importance on securing the privacy and information of their yers. In fact, BNW¡¯s policies stated that it was impossible to change one¡¯s yer ID. A person could only use one ount, and it was impossible to register for another ount after quitting the game. Siegfried was a special case who only managed to change his yer ID thanks to his master, Deus. However, Cheon Woo-Jin actually knew his identity. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that he has been stalking me ever since I met my master¡­?¡¯?All sorts of thoughts flooded into Siegfried¡¯s mind, ¡®If this bastard really knows who I am¡­ then¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but get anxious. If Cheon Woo-Jin exposed his identity, Siegfried would end up being targeted by the Genesis Guild again. ¡®No¡­! I can¡¯t let that happen!¡¯?he inwardly eximed while clenching his fist. He could not afford to be targeted by the Genesis Guild once again. After all, that would mean the end of the Debuff Master whose full potential never got to awaken. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Siegfried sighed and grumbled. ¡°Alright, your bait worked.¡± He had no choice but to admit defeat on this one. Siegfried decided to go to Sinsa-dong and meet Cheon Woo-Jin at Club Heaven tonight. 1. The famous gingko tree-lined street in Gangnam, also a popr tourist spot 2. This means like mister or uncle in Korea. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

After a few hours, Tae-Sung rested for a bit after logging out before he rode the subway to go to Sinsa Station. ¡®How the hell did he find out? Is he really a stalker? What if he is somehow connected to the Genesis Guild¡­ Damn it¡­ I should have just given up on the hidden dungeon¡­¡¯ Many thoughts crossed Tae-Sung¡¯s mind. ¡®I should¡¯ve just quietly yed solo¡­ Why did I get greedy with party y¡­ Uggghhh¡­¡¯?he inwardly grumbled and regretted trying to take the easy way. - The next station is Sinsa, Sinsa Station. The door is on your right. He looked up Club Heaven on his smartphone after reaching Sinsa Station, and it did not take long for him to find Club Heaven. The rows of supercars lined up outside made Club Heaven stand out. In fact, none of the cars outside the club were of domestic brands, and the cheapest one parked was a Mercedes AMG GT. Vroom! Vroom! Vroooom! The Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens,?and other supercars revved their engines while waiting for their turn to the valet parking. ¡®Why the hell did he call me to this kind?of a ce¡­? Is he trying to rub it in my face or what?¡¯?Tae-Sung grimaced and inwardlyined. His appearance did not suit the atmosphere of Club Heaven, which was the most luxurious club in all of South Korea. His discolored jeans and shirt with stretched neckline, coupled with his old tattered Adidas Superstar?could make a Golden Goose?shoe, which was a brand well known for its vintage designs, run for their money. His attire was more befitting of someone going to their neighborhood convenience store. Tae-Sung was embarrassed for a split second before he muttered, ¡°Well¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m here to enjoy. There¡¯s no need to be so conscious when I¡¯ll just be seeing him once in my life.¡± His face was already steel-ted¡ªno, diamond-ted after meeting his master, and he did not feel the need to shrink back in front of others. ¡°Eh? What the heck?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to be barred. I¡¯m sure of it. Keke!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ At least he has guts.¡± ¡°Shhh! He could be the son of some rich conglomerate. The super-rich leisurely strolls in here even with their pajamas on so be careful about what you say!¡± The clubbers lined up outside murmured among themselves while stealing nces at Tae-Sung, but the brazen gamer did not pay attention to the judgmental gazes cast at him. It was finally Tae-Sung¡¯s turn in the queue. ¡°Your ID please¡­¡± the club bouncer said before he flinched and thought, ¡®Where the hell did this beggar crawl out from?¡¯ Tae-Sung¡¯s attire was just that?bad. ¡°Excuse me¡­ did you book a table?¡± the bouncer asked. ¡°No,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t enter if you haven¡¯t booked a table,¡± the bouncer said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ you should have looked into a mirror beforeing¡­¡± ¡°I did when I showered.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Your attire is not up to our standards so you can¡¯t enter unless you have booked a table.¡± Tae-Sung was currently experiencing ¡®selective entry¡¯ clubs like this were famous for. ¡°Then, I just have to book a table, right?¡± Tae-Sung said, ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t make a reservation, right?¡± the bouncer responded. ¡°Sure, well¡­ I¡¯ll take whichever table is free if that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°Really?¡± the bouncer raised a brow and muttered before asking his colleagues for any unreserved table through his walkie-talkie. ¡°One of the C Tier tables is free. So, do you want to book it?¡± the bouncer asked while looking at Tae-Sung with a haughty expression that seemed to say, ¡®does a beggar like you even have the money to do so?¡¯ ¡°Sure, how much is it?¡± Tae-Sung asked. The bouncer inwardly scoffed and thought, ¡®As expected. This?fucking?beggar who doesn¡¯t even know shit came here to sightsee. Otherwise, he should know what the table tiers are and how much they cost. Tsk.. tsk¡­¡¯ There were six table tiers in Club Heaven: D, C, B, A, VIP, and VVIP. It was rare for someone toe to Club Heaven without even being aware of such a thing, and that was the reason the bouncer assumed that Tae-Sung was a loser trying to act cool. ¡°Ha¡­ hey, Customer-nim,¡± the bouncer said with a sigh. ¡°What?¡± Tae-Sung nonchntly replied. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that a C Tier table will cost fifteen million won?¡± ¡°Fifteen million?¡± Tae-Sung grimaced. He had no idea how a table for a night could cost fifteen million won. ¡°Not 1.5 million, but fifteen million?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fifteen million.¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­ how can a mere table cost that much¡­¡± ¡°Mister, this is not a ce for someone like you toe so why don¡¯t you go to Hongdae and hang out with the alcoholics over there if you don¡¯t have any money?¡± the bouncer said in a threatening manner. ¡°Here,¡± Tae-Sung said as he extended a card. ¡®It¡¯s a lot of money, but I have to meet that bastard and shut him up no matter what. I managed to get this chance to start all over again¡­ Let¡¯s not get so worked up over money¡­ I can just earn it again¡­¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. He decided to prioritize what was important and think of this endeavor as an investment. However, it felt more like he was throwing money down the gutter rather than an investment. ¡°That¡¯s a debit card so just charge the full amount,¡± Tae-Sung casually said. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I said, swipe it. Full payment. You said I can¡¯t go in if I don¡¯t book a table, right? Then, I just have to book one. Is there a problem?¡± Tae-Sung shrugged. ¡®Wow¡­ look at this crazy bastard¡­ Is he spending all of his savings in one night?¡¯?the bouncer thought as he received Tae-Sung¡¯s debit card. He had no reason not to ept it since the customer was willing to pay for it anyway. ¡°Requesting reception staff to the entrance. A C Tier table customer is entering,¡± the bouncer called while thinking, ¡®I¡¯m sure his card is going to be declined and he¡¯ll get kicked out anyway. Keke!¡¯ The bouncer was sure Tae-Sung was just trying to act cool despite not having even a penny under his name. However, his expectations were shattered in an instant. ¡°Thank you for your payment; please follow me, sir,¡± the reception staffer said as she courteously guided Tae-Sung. ¡°Sure,¡± Tae-Sung nonchntly said and followed the staffer after paying. ¡°Wow¡­ he paid it just like that? Was he actually rich? Maybe he was a rich person pretending to be poor¡­?¡± The clubbers who saw Tae-Sung murmured in surprise as they tried guessing his identity. *** ¡°This way,¡± the staffer guided him to a table at the corner of the club before saying, ¡°This is the menu for the drinks and mixers.¡± ¡°Just give me anything,¡± Tae-Sung replied indifferently. His sour mood was only natural since he had just spent a ridiculous sum of money to get in here. Moreover, he was in no mood to even check the menu as he wasn¡¯t really nning on drinking anyway. ¡®What a ridiculous bunch throwing money away,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought while looking around the club. Boom! Boom! Boom!? None of the clubbers dancing to the EDM music in Club Heaven seemed poor. The clubbers here did not consider brands such as Gi?or Prada?as luxury products, and it was prettymon to see Chanel?and Hermes?among the crowd as if they were school uniforms. The people gathered here alone truly proved that Club Heaven was the most luxurious club in all of South Korea, and this was made possible by the fact that most of the clubbers here were young people with very high worths. ¡®Come to think of it¡­ I¡¯m here, but where the heck is that bastard?¡¯?Tae-Sung thought. It would be impossible for him to look for Cheon Woo-Jin in this huge crowd when he had never met the guy before nor did he know what Cheon Woo-Jin looked like. It would be extremely inefficient for him to ask every single male in here if they were Cheon Woo-Jin, so that method was out of the question. ¡°Excuse me, do you know anyone by the name of Cheon Woo-Jin by any chance? I came here to see him,¡± Tae-Sung asked the club staffer setting up his table. ¡°Mr. Cheon Woo-Jin? He is our club¡¯s VVIP,¡± the staffer replied. ¡°Ah, really?¡± ¡°Yes, you will find him in the room at the end of this corridor, but I doubt he is going to meet you.¡± ¡°I have an appointment with him.¡± ¡°An appointment with Cheon Woo-Jin-nim¡­?¡± the staffer looked at Tae-Sung before she asked through her walkie-talkie to confirm whether was telling the truth or not. ¡°Oh, you were right. I have been asked to guide you to the room,¡± the staffer said after checking. ¡°Alright,¡± Tae-Sung replied. He got up to go to the VVIP room while thinking that he had made the right choice to ask the staffer instead of searching person to person. *** The price of alcohol in the VVIP room of Club Heaven reached hundreds of millions of won per bottle, and the room¡¯s interior was decorated asvishly as possible to fit its title as the VVIP room perfectly. On top of that, the rows and rows of high-end whiskey along with the champagne known as the king of champagne, Dom Perignon Oenotheque lining up in the room would easily make one wonder how much money the patrons of this room had in their pockets. The yer known as Cheon Woo-Jin was waiting for Tae-Sung in such a luxurious ce¡ªalong with one beauty in each arm. ¡°Han Tae-Sung?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked with a hint of familiarity in his voice. He looked exactly like his in-game character if his blond hair and eyes were removed. In fact, this was the case for most yers ying BNW. ¡°Cheon Woo-Jin?¡± Tae-Sung asked in response. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you asked to meet in a ce like this. I had to spend fifteen million won just to get in¡­¡± Tae-Sung grumbled with an annoyed look. ¡°I never asked you toe in,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a shrug. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just say my name at the entrance?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you spent money to book a table just toe in?¡± Tae-Sung had to fight the sudden urge to smash the alcohol on the table into Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s head. ¡°You should have told me sooner¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked in response. ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡± Tae-Sung groaned. ¡°Oh, my bad,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin coolly apologized before he added, ¡°Well, there¡¯s no helping it if you already spent the money. Have some fun before you go back since you already paid for it.¡± ¡°The hell are you saying¡­¡± Tae-Sung angrilyined. ¡°Don¡¯t be so upset. I know you spent it knowing you can earn it back. Just give it a year, and you will be earning not just fifteen million but a hundred million overnight,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a grin. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just money you will earn back.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words hit Tae-Sung right on. Money? All Tae-Sung needed was time. Anyone with a hidden ss was bound to earn money with a flick of their finger as soon as they reached Level 150. ¡°Oppa, who is that person?¡± the woman beside Cheon Woo-Jin asked while obviously expressing her discontent toward Tae-Sung. ¡°Why are you asking?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°Just¡ªI can tell he has something based on how you are talking to him, but¡ª¡± the woman said. However, Cheon Woo-Jin suddenly cut her off. ¡°Get out.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I said get out.¡± ¡°Did you just¡­ ask me to go out?¡± ¡°How dare you speak ill of my guest?¡± ¡°O-Oppa!¡± ¡°Get lost. Don¡¯t make me say it twice.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Surprisingly, the woman left the VVIP room without uttering a singleint. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Ah, the only daughter of the chairman of the Baeksan Group,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin nonchntly replied. ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered in surprise. He could not fathom how great of a person Cheon Woo-Jin was. 1. The term in Korean is ??? or ???? which means to deny someone entry because of their attire or looks. It¡¯s used tobel someone ugly after getting denied entry into clubs. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The Baeksan Group was not arge conglomerate, but it was a pretty bigpany, and there was no need to say how haughty and arrogant the only daughter of its chairman had to be. However, the surprising thing was that Cheon Woo-Jin was able to tell that haughty woman to ¡®get lost,¡¯ and the even more surprising part was when the woman left without uttering a single word ofint. ¡°You¡­ what the hell are you?¡± Tae-Sung asked Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Me? Money,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied, and then he added, ¡°I have a lot of money. I have a lot of cash, to be exact. Her father¡¯s money is going to dry up if I get upset, and she left without uttering a word because she knows that very well.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°How dare she judge my guest when she isn¡¯t all that great herself? Damn it,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled. Tae-Sung was curious about just how much money Cheon Woo-Jin had for him to be able to treat the daughter of a chairman that way. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s nice to meet you, Han Tae-Sung,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said as he extended his hand toward Tae-Sung. ¡°¡­¡± Tae-Sung shook his hand, but he could not afford to respond to Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s greeting. Instead, he asked Cheon Woo-Jin, ¡°What is the reason you called me, and how did you know me?¡± ¡°Here,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said as he poured a drink for Tae-Sung before adding, ¡°Let¡¯s take our time and talk while we enjoy our drinks.¡± That was how the conversation between Tae-Sung and Cheon Woo-Jin started. *** ¡°The reason I called you is to ask you to join our organization,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°I refuse,¡± Tae-Sung directly rejected the offer and said, ¡°I hate anything remotely simr to a guild.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not a guild. I can¡¯t expose the name of my organization just yet, but it¡¯s nothing like a guild,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°What is it then?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ something like the Avengers?¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He almost spat his champagne out. ¡°I¡¯m giving you the closest example to it. We are fighting against the evil forces that seek to destroy the peace and order of the N¨¹rburg Continent, which is also the stage where BNW is ying out,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin exined. ¡°That¡¯s cringey¡­ aren¡¯t you being too immersed in a game?¡± Tae-Sung asked with a grimace. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m currently a hundred percent immersed in the game,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin coolly admitted, and then he said, ¡°Real life is too boring for me. I have a lot of money and time, and I can get and do anything I want on top of that. In fact, I have already done everything and anything I wanted to do, but it¡¯s different in BNW. I¡¯m just a rich guy dying of boredom in real life, but I have to roam around the entire continent in BNW busily. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m so immersed in it.¡± In short, he was saying that he was trying to relieve his boredom from real life by immersing himself in BNW. ¡°So¡­ how did you find out who I was?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°I have been observing you ever since you picked a fight with the Genesis Guild. It just turned out that way that I continued observing you in the game¡ªand in real life,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied. ¡°Even in real life¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you just a stalker, you bastard¡­?¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be so harsh on me. It¡¯s nothing like that. I just happened to see you since you kept popping up wherever I look.¡± ¡°What the hell are you trying to say?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you everything right now. I have a lot of things I want to tell you but now is not the time to tell you about them. I will tell youter so just continue to focus on the game. You don¡¯t really have a choice but to focus on the game, right?¡± ¡°What if I have to find out?¡± Tae-Sung asked while thinking, ¡®I¡¯m not going to dance on the palm of your hands.¡¯ Cheon Woo-Jin was holding Tae-Sung¡¯s weakness¡ªa weakness that could send his life spiraling down once again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. Fortunately, it did not seem like Cheon Woo-Jin had any ns to threaten or shake Tae-Sung up. ¡°I have no ns to toy with you so just rx.¡± ¡°How can I trust you?¡± ¡°Do you really think you will just obediently sit still if I tell the Genesis Guild about you? You look like you are about to smash that alcohol bottle into my head at any moment now.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not thinking of anything like that,¡± Tae-Sung feigned ignorance. ¡°No, you can do worse than that,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. He seemed to have an urate grasp of Tae-Sung¡¯s personality. ¡°That is because the game is your life. There is no way you are just going to sit still if someone is about to ruin your life, and I have no ns to do that and get stabbed on the way home,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin added, and then he rified, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not calling you a game addict or anything like that so don¡¯t misunderstand. After all, BNW is a game worth risking your life for, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the only thing I have left¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He didn¡¯t bother bluffing by saying something like ¡®I have other things than this game¡¯ since he thought that someone like Cheon Woo-Jin would have already checked his background by now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m not so fond of them, too. Frankly, I¡¯m just letting them do what they want since they haven¡¯t caused any trouble yet, so¡­ just believe me, will you? Ah,?also¡­¡± ¡°Also what?¡± ¡°Why are you so obsessed with the head? You seem to only aim for the head when attacking.¡± ¡°Ah, that one? It¡¯s perfect to kill the enemy in one hit, and it also feels different when you hit the head,¡± Tae-Sung replied nonchntly. ¡°Are you a psychopath or what¡­?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin muttered while shaking his head, and then he said, ¡°Anyway, I will tell you the ¡®behind the scenes story¡¯ about you once you be strong enough. Come and find me once you hit Level 200.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m curious¡ª¡± Tae-Sung was about to ask. However, Cheon Woo-Jin cut him off. ¡°I told you I can¡¯t tell you anything right now, and I will keep your secret so don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just have to trust you, then...¡± Tae-Sung muttered with a shrug. ¡°In return¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin started. ¡°In return?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you help our organization out from time to time whenever you¡¯re free? It¡¯s nothing difficult, and we will handsomely reward you for your time. We have a mountain of tasks to do, but we don¡¯t have enough helping hands.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not difficult, but why me? There are a lot of other Rankers out there.¡± ¡°Why do you even have to ask? You are Deus-nim¡¯s disciple. What other reason do you need aside from that? You will soon crush most of the Rankers in a bit, so being strong or weak is not important right now.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin was referring to Tae-Sung¡¯s potential. ¡°So, what do you think of my offer? Well, I won¡¯t call it an offer, though¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not bad at all.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s toast to that,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said as he extended his ss. Tae-Sung extended his ss and clinked Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s while thinking, ¡®I have no idea what the hell this guy is, but let¡¯s wait and see¡­¡¯ *** Ten minutester¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll get going now,¡± Tae-Sung said. Tae-Sung chatted with Cheon Woo-Jin before finding out that they were of the same age. ¡°Why? Why don¡¯t you hang out for a bit longer? Isn¡¯t this ce awesome?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°I¡¯m not interested. If I have time to waste here, I¡¯d rather hunt in a dungeon,¡± Tae-Sung said with a shrug. ¡°I like your passion.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin grinned. ¡°I¡¯m just doing my best. I¡¯m not a pro gamer, but the game is my job. Isn¡¯t it just natural for someone to work hard on their job?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°I agree,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°See youter. Ah, and can we meet at a caf¨¦ if we really have to meet in real life? Or let¡¯s just meet in the game,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Let¡¯s do that if you find this ce ufortable,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin coolly replied. ¡°I¡¯m off,¡± Tae-Sung said. He waved before leaving the VVIP room. The club was bustling with people since it was currently peak hours. There were all sorts of people in the club from celebrities, athletes, pro gamers, famous streamers, criminals who made their money from operating illegal gambling sites, drug dealers, models, and people working in the ¡®entertainment¡¯ industry. They partied like there was no tomorrow as they drank and danced the night away. The clubbers mighte from all sorts of different backgrounds, but there was one thing inmon among them¡ªthey were high-ie earners. ¡®They look like they¡¯re enjoying themselves,¡¯?Tae-Sung thought while looking at them. He had no desire to mingle with them, but he wanted to be sessful like them. ¡®Let¡¯s work hard. Let¡¯s be sessful¡­ It¡¯s all for the sake of not being looked down on if ever Ie back here¡­¡¯ Tae-Sung thought as he steeled his resolve before leaving the club. *** When Tae-Sung left the club, a beautiful woman passed by him. ¡®I wonder if I¡¯ll get to meet Tae-Sung¡­¡¯?she thought. The bouncers did not dare to block her or ask her for her ID. Why? It was because she was a beauty who could enter Club Heaven without paying or even showing her ID. *** The next morning, Tae-Sung hopped into his VR capsule. He would sleep at two in the morning, get up at nine in the morning, and log in to BNW at ten in the morning. He stuck to this daily routine as if he was in the military. ¡°Where should I go¡­¡± he muttered while standing on top of the gateway. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go to a huge city if I want to dispose of all of these¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered while staring at his Inventory. He had a mountain of items to sell like the Gorgo¡¯s hide and blood, Albino Goblins¡¯ hide, and the various loot and items he had gained from the Lightning Python. ¡°I have to upgrade my gears as well¡­¡± He had to upgrade his gears as soon as possible since the gears he had been using were basically scrap metals now. He pondered for a while before he finally decided on his next destination. ¡°Let¡¯s go there,¡± Siegfried muttered before activating the gateway. sh! *** [City of Pleasure, Dondegiri: North Gate] ~ Siegfried decided to go to the ce where adult content could be found in BNW¡ªthe City of Pleasure, Dondegiri. After paying, yers would gain ess to adult content. However, they could only ess it once a week. ¡°Oh, an Adventurer,¡± the guard in front of the gate muttered. He blocked Siegfried¡¯s path and said, ¡°Show me your ID.¡± ¡°Here,¡± Siegfried replied and extended his Mercenary License. ¡°Hmm¡­ Siegfried¡­ Silver III¡­¡± the guard muttered while inspecting the license for a while before saying, ¡°Alright, you may enter.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Siegfried replied. He was able to easily enter the City of Pleasure thanks to his Mercenary License. ¡®I¡¯ll sell all my loot on the ck market, then upgrade my gears before moving on to the next area,¡¯?Siegfried thought. The reason he came to the City of Pleasure, Dondegiri, of all ces, was that he was aware that arge ck market existed at this ce. There were all sorts of items on the ck market, and it was the ce where illegal things were traded. In addition, there were some good items sold at a cheaper price here more often than not. It would also be possible for Siegfried to sell the rare items he had obtained as loot for a higher price, and he would also be able to upgrade his gears here. ¡®The ck market is quite far¡­ I¡¯ll have to go straight along this road and¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while checking the map. While he was measuring the distance until he reached the ck market, he was interrupted by someone¡¯s shout, ¡°Catch that bastard!¡± ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯?Siegfried thought as he turned around. ¡°Got you!¡± ¡°Hi? Where are you going?¡± ¡°It has been quite a while.¡± ¡°Wow! I thought you quit the game. I never expected to see you here, of all ces.¡± A group of Adventurers surrounded Siegfried. There was a V-Shaped emblem engraved on their clothes, and Siegfried immediately recognized them from the emblem. ¡®The Genesis Guild¡­¡¯? The name of the Guild, which was his mortal nemesis, popped up in his head. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The Genesis Guild possessed ten thousand strong members, and they were one of the top ten Adventurer Guilds on the N¨¹rburg Continent. It was also the Guild that crushed Siegfried while he was still using the yer ID Tae-Sung. Their members were currently surrounding Siegfried while openly showing their hostility toward him. ¡°It has been a while,¡± said one of the Genesis Guild members. ¡®Choi Cheol-Ki¡­ This damned traitor¡­¡¯?Siegfried recognized the man. Choi Cheol-Ki used to be a member of the Beamer Guild, and he was also the culprit behind the arson of their Guild Headquarters before running away and jumping ships. ¡°I thought you quit the game, but it seems that you¡¯re still here. I was starting to wonder why I haven¡¯t heard any news about you recently,¡± Choi Cheol-Ki said. Siegfried almost retorted when a thought suddenly crossed his mind, ¡®Cheon Woo-Jin, that bastard.¡¯ He instantly suspected that Cheon Woo-Jin was behind this since Choi Cheol-Ki was talking as if Siegfried¡¯s identity as Tae-Sung had already been exposed. However, Siegfried decided not to easily admit he was Tae-Sung. For now, he decided to feign ignorance for now. ¡°Huh? I have no idea what you are talking about¡­¡± Siegfried said with a dumbstruck face before asking, ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Doo yoo noe mee?¡± Choi Cheol-Ki sneered. ¡°Hey, Han Tae-Sung. Are you joking with me right now? You¡¯re Han Tae-Sung, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°My name is Siegfried.¡± ¡°Sieg¡ªwhat¡­?¡± ¡°I have no idea who Han Tae-Sung is. I think you have confused me for someone else.¡± ¡°Look at this little weasel! Hey, do you really think I¡¯m stupid? Ha?! You bastard.¡± ¡°Check my info,¡± Siegfried said while pointing at the Rune of Insight at the back of Choi Cheol-Ki¡¯s right hand. ¡°Ha!?Look at this bastard being so brazen¡ª¡± Choi Cheol-Ki eximed. However, one of hisckeys interrupted him and said, ¡°Cheol-Ki hyung-nim.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not Han Tae-Sung,¡± theckey said. ¡°What?¡± Choi Cheol-Ki red at theckey. ¡°I checked his info, but his ID says Siegfried. His ss isn¡¯t Elemental Mage. It says that he¡¯s a Debuff Master, and he¡¯s only Level 46 as well,¡± theckey exined. ¡°I-Is that so¡­? But there¡¯s no way¡­ There¡¯s no way¡­ Doesn¡¯t this bastard look like Han Tae-Sung?¡± Choi Cheol-Ki said in disbelief. He found it difficult to believe the words of hisckey. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you check it yourself¡­¡± theckey muttered. ¡°Alright, shall we take a look¡­¡± Choi Cheol-Ki said as he activated his Rune of Insight and checked Siegfried¡¯s information. [Siegfried] [Type: Adventurer] [ss: Debuff Master] [Race: Human] [Level: 46] [Title: Goblin yer, Guardian of Biermann Territory.] Choi Cheol-Ki doubted his eyes the moment he saw Siegfried¡¯s information. He looked down at the information and back to Siegfried¡¯s face a few times before he said in disbelief, ¡°Wow¡­ You look exactly like him. How is that possible¡­?¡± Siegfried looked exactly the same as the Han Tae-Sung in his memories. ¡°Who do I look like?¡± Siegfried asked as he sensed that this was his chance. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s this guy called Han Tae-Sung who dared to pick a fight with our guild about a year ago, and we crushed him real good,¡± Choi Cheol-Ki replied. ¡°Ha?¡± ¡°That bastard looked exactly like you and¡ªHmm¡­ I think you are more handsome than that bastard now that I have taken a closer look at you¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°What is?¡± ¡°I can tell that you guys are from the renowned guild, the Genesis Guild so I think a user being targeted by your guild would have already quit ages ago. Is there a reason that you are after someone who had already quit the game¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ I think it was around two weeks ago? Our higher-ups received a message that the bastard is still ying the game,¡± Choi Cheol-Ki grumbled. ¡°Wow! Really?¡± Siegfried purposely gave an even bigger reaction so that he would be able to extract more information from Choi Cheol-Ki as he added, ¡°I would¡¯ve quit the game if that happened to me. How can he even think about ying the game when he got on the bad side of a guild like the Genesis Guild?¡± ¡°That bastard is a stubborn one. He is piss-poor with nothing to his name except for his stubbornness,¡± Choi Cheol-Ki said with a smug smirk. When Choi Cheol-Ki smugly smirked, anger welled up from within Siegfried. ¡®The piss-poor bastard with nothing to his name except for his stubbornness whom you are looking for is right here,¡¯?he thought while suppressing his anger. Siegfried wanted nothing more than to immediately whip his steel rod out and smash this damned traitor¡¯s head, but he suppressed his rage as hard as he could. ¡°But I still think that it¡¯s strange¡­ I¡¯m sure that the bastard quit the game, but I have no idea why they are thinking that he¡¯s still ying¡­¡± Choi Cheol-Ki said while rubbing his chin. ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a nod. ¡°Still, it¡¯s the guild master¡¯s orders, so what can I do about it?¡± Choi Cheol-Ki shrugged. Choi Cheol-Ki was willingly spilling out information, even though Siegfried had just rubbed him a little. ¡°I¡¯m sure the higher-ups have something on their mind, but I think they are also having trouble pinpointing his current location since they just drew a sketch of him and distributed it to all of our guild members,¡± Choi Cheol-Ki said. ¡°Aha¡­¡± ¡°I think our guild master is being leery... anyway, you be careful now.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, you. You two look scarily alike that even I almost got fooled. You might get attacked out of nowhere if some of the other guys see you.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a bit too much¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with the best pity-inducing face he could put on. ¡°That¡¯s your luck. Why did you have to go and look like that bastard Han Tae-Sung of all people? Tsk tsk¡­¡±?Choi Cheol-Ki said while clicking his tongue. ¡°Do you really think I wanted to look like him or something? What can I do when this is how I was born?¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°Anyway, you better be careful. Our guild can be quite merciless so don¡¯t go around drawing attention and keep a low profile, so you don¡¯t get mistaken for him. You got that?¡± Choi Cheol-Ki warned with a hint of arrogance and pride in his voice. ¡°Aigoo¡­ Of course, I should be careful. I know how scary the Genesis Guild can be,¡± Siegfried replied while looking genuinely scared. However, Siegfried was doing the best he could to suppress how he really felt right now. ¡®I want to beat him up¡­ I want to beat him up¡­¡¯? ¡°That¡¯s good if you got what I mean. Then, have fun ying. Let¡¯s go boys,¡± Choi Cheol-Ki said with a satisfied nod after seeing Siegfried scared out of his wits, and then he withdrew along with the other guild members. ¡°Ooohhh, you were so scary you almost made me piss myself,¡± Siegfried muttered with a grin while ring at the backs of the Genesis Guild members. *** Some of the facts he found out through Choi Cheol-Ki was that the Genesis Guild currently had no information about him ¡®I¡¯m certain that they have no idea I changed my yer ID and reset my character. In that case, it means Cheon Woo-Jin did not tell them about me. Then, where did the leake from¡­?¡¯?he wondered, but he could not think of any possibility of how the Genesis Guild discovered that he was still ying the game and even distributed a sketch of him. However, he was certain that his information had leaked from somewhere. ¡®Anyway¡­ I should be as careful as much as possible for now since it doesn¡¯t seem like they know about me yet,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he decided to maintain a low profile for now. After all, he had to be at least Level 150 or Level 200 to be able to do something against them. *** The ck market was located on a road called ¡®Sukhumvit.¡¯ Sukhumvit was located in the western part of Dondegiri, and it was a road that stretched three kilometers long. The road was tightly packed with hundreds of peddlers, and there was a joke that they sold anything and everything one could imagine since they sold a huge variety of stuff. ¡®Let¡¯s sell the loot I obtained first,¡¯?he thought after entering the ck market. He immediately set out to sell his loot, but the problem was that the ck market merchants seemed to have no sense of shame at all. ¡°Goblin Lord¡¯s Blood? Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll give you a hundred gold for it.¡± ¡°Python¡¯s Scale¡­? I¡¯ll give you seven coppers for it. I¡¯m already losing money by doing this.¡± ¡°How much have you asked around?¡± The merchants seemed to be dead set on scooping up Siegfried¡¯s items for cheap, and it seemed that his low level made him an irresistible target for them. ¡°Have a nice day.¡± Siegfried was not stupid, so he did not even bother to exchange words with the shameless ones. He immediately left their shops in search of other shops that would have more conscience in dealing business. Three hourster¡­ ¡°These are quite difficult to find, but you somehow managed to collect them. Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll pay you quite handsomely for these.¡± Siegfried finally found a merchant in a small rundown shop willing to pay him what his items were worth. ¡°That¡¯s 7,800 gold in total. Go ahead and count it,¡± the shop owner said. ¡°What¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief as he doubted his ears. Then, he asked just to confirm, ¡°How much did you say it was?¡± ¡°I said, it¡¯s 7,800 gold. Is it too little? I think it¡¯s quite a fair price though,¡± the shop owner replied. 7,800 gold converted to Korean Won would be approximately four hundred million won. ¡®What the hell¡­? Was it this valuable? I thought it would already be a good deal if I made around two thousand gold out of it¡­¡¯?Siegfried was shocked since he had never realized that the loot he had obtained would be so valuable. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I was shocked since I got more than I thought I would¡­ Haha¡­¡± Siegfried replied while scratching the back of his head. ¡°Hmm? Did you really have no idea?¡± ¡°I was expecting to get around two thousand gold for it at most¡­¡± ¡°Damn it, I should have scammed you instead,¡± the shop owner grumbled. ¡°Do you regret it?¡± ¡°Regret? I paid you 5,800 gold more than what you expected. Ah¡­ I¡¯m too nice for my own good¡­ Tsk¡­¡±?the shop owner clicked his tongue and said while genuinely regretting his choice. ¡®Those damned bastards¡­ They were trying to scoop up these items worth 7,800 for just five hundred gold?¡¯?Siegfried inwardly cursed and gritted his teeth when he remembered the merchants who tried to ¡®rob¡¯ him for the past three hours. ¡°I have no choice but to ept since I made the mistake,¡± the shop owner shrugged. ¡°You are quite cool about it,¡± Siegfriedmented. ¡°That¡¯s the rule in this line of business. You just have to ept the fact that you got scammed if you got scammed. They don¡¯t call it the ck market for nothing, you know?¡± ¡°I guess so¡­¡± ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not really getting the short end of the stick here. The Goblin Lord¡¯s Blood is an extremely rare material, and the python parts are even rarer than that. No, how the hell did you manage to get these in the first ce when the pythons have gone extinct hundreds of years ago?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret,¡± Siegfried replied with a cheeky grin. ¡°Is that so? Then, I guess I¡¯ll have to give up asking.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡± ¡°This is the ck market. What use is there if the seller doesn¡¯t wish to disclose their source? Do you really think that someone who deals with stolen goods would want to know their goods are stolen in the first ce?¡± ¡°No...¡± ¡°One can ask out of curiosity, but the rule of this ce is to not bug another for information. That goes the same for the buyer.¡± ¡°Thank you for your advice.¡± Siegfried liked this shop owner, but he made sure not to forget that the shop owner was a merchant as well. ¡®He¡¯s definitely going to take advantage of me the first chance he gets.¡¯ ¡°Thank you for the fair deal,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Likewise,¡± the shop owner replied. Siegfried left the shop with light steps after concluding the deal with the shop owner. ¡®I can pay off my debt, upgrade my gear, and send some money back home with this!¡¯?he thought with a beaming smile. He had been feeling sick after having to spend fifteen million won at Club Heavenst night, but who knew he had so much money lying in his Inventory? Siegfried thought that this was a perfect example of a blessing in disguise after checking the huge sum of gold in his possession. ¡®Let¡¯s go and upgrade my gears first,¡¯?he thought as he was now a buyer in search of an appropriate weapon and armor. *** However, choosing a weapon wasn¡¯t as easy as he thought it would be, and that was because¡­ [Alert: You will soon reach Level 50! Please select your main weapon!] Since he had already grown stronger, it was about time for him to choose the main weapon he would be using from now on. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The Debuff Master could use the following weapons, and Siegfried had to choose one from them. [Blunt Weapon Mastery] [Shield Mastery] [Greatsword Mastery] [Gauntlet Mastery] [Spear Mastery] The reason Siegfried initially went with a blunt weapon was that it was not only cheap but easy to use as well. However, it was now time for him to seriously choose a weapon that he would be using from now on. On top of that, he could not help but be very careful when choosing his weapon since the type of weapon would affect his skills¡¯ damage, cooldown time, and attack speed. ¡®Hmm¡­ A shield is a no-go. The Debuff Master is a melee-type physical damage dealer. A shield might reduce damage taken, but it will take too long for my skills to cool down and that is going to reduce my DPS,¡¯?he thought while going through the list. DPS, otherwise known as ¡®Damage per Second,¡¯ was the term used to calcte the total damage dealt to an enemy, and it was also one of the most important factors when measuring the worth of a DPS yer. Why? That was because no matter how strong the attack of a DPS yer was, it was bound to be useless if they had slow attack speed and skill cooldown that made them fall behind those who could consistently deal damage. ¡®Let¡¯s test things out,¡¯?Siegfried decided to test each and every weapon out since his decision today would affect his future, and that was why he could not carelessly decide on a whim. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Siegfried called out to the weapon shop owner before saying, ¡°Give me each and every one of these.¡± ¡°Hmm? All of these?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you say so¡­¡± ¡°Here you go,¡± Siegfried ced a pouch filled with gold on top of the counter. *** Someone in the weapon shop was observing Siegfried while he was busy purchasing weapons. The person¡¯s big body was covered from head to toe in a dark hood, so Siegfried did not particrly pay any attention to him. Smirk¡­! He was intently observing Siegfried with a smile. ¡°Thank you,¡± Siegfried said before leaving the weapon shop. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± the person muttered as he continued to observe Siegfried. That was not the end of it¡­ Step¡­ step¡­? He walked out of the shop as well and followed behind Siegfried. *** Siegfried checked in to the Intervention Hotel after purchasing his test weapons and immediately headed to a private training ground. [Alert: You have entered a private training ground!] [Alert: Do you want to summon a Shadow Boxer?] A Shadow Boxer was a sandbox dummy with decent defense and unlimited HP. It was more like a test dummy Adventurers often used to check their damage and skills from time to time. ¡°Summon, Shadow Boxer,¡± Siegfried summoned the test dummy and tested his skills and damage with each and every one of the weapons. As expected, the specialty of the shield was its destructiveness. It dealt the most damagepared to any other weapon, but its main weakness was the fact that his skills had a long cooldown time when using it. ¡®The DPS is lower than a blunt weapon¡­ I could swap out the blunt weapon with the shield from time to time, but the shield is not suitable as my main weapon,¡¯?Siegfried thought that it was a waste to master the shield since he could switch his weapons around, but he could only choose one weapon to master. ¡®Then, it¡¯s the greatsword this time¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he put down the shield and equipped the greatsword. Siegfried¡¯s test continued on for hours. He equipped the different weapons he purchased and tested out his skills on the Shadow Boxer. He kept track of the maximum damage each weapon dealt and calcted the total damage each weapon had done after a certain period of time. He was intent on testing his skills as earnestly as he possibly could. Around two hours into the test, someone suddenly said, ¡°What you¡¯re doing is useless.¡± ¡®What the?!¡¯? Siegfried jumped up in surprise and immediately turned around toward the voice. This ce was a separate dimension created solely for personal use, and it was designed in a way that nobody else aside from the user could enter this ce. ¡®How did they get in? No, can someonee in and out of this ce in the first ce?¡¯?Siegfried thought, perplexed by the fact that someone was able to force their way into this ce. ¡°Who are you?¡± Siegfried said in a polite manner. He was certain that someone capable of intruding into this ce was powerful. ¡°I¡¯m just a passing wanderer,¡± said the intruder. ¡°You must be joking¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°You have an excellent physique,¡± the intruder said while inspecting Siegfried from head to toe, and then he continued, ¡°I saw you by chance at a shop in Sukhumvit.¡± ¡°Did you trail me all the way from there¡­?¡± ¡°I did¡­¡± ¡°Why would you trail me?¡± ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? You have an excellent physique that only appears once in five hundred years.¡± Siegfried was suddenly reminded of his meeting with Betelgeuse. ¡®Why does this feel exactly the same as that time¡­?¡¯ His instincts were right on the money. ¡°To be honest¡­ I want to have you as my disciple,¡± the intruder started courting Siegfried. In the end, Siegfried¡¯s excellent physique managed to seduce yet another NPC aside from Betelgeuse. ¡°You excellent physique¡­ Your reaction speed¡­ You can be a Master if you train yourbat sense just a little bit¡­!¡± ¡°I hope so too, but do you really think that¡¯s possible for me? Haha¡­¡± Siegfried said with an awkwardugh while scratching the back of his head. ¡°Hmm¡­ What a humble person.¡± ¡°Not at all¡­¡± ¡°Your talent is outstanding, but you are humble on top of it. That¡¯s admirable of you.¡± ¡°Not at all¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in embarrassment. ¡°What is your name?¡± the intruder asked. ¡°My name is Siegfried.¡± ¡°My name is Shakiro,¡± the intruder introduced himself as he took off the hood covering his face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± Siegfried was surprised because he knew Shakiro. *** Weapon Master Shakiro. He was a martial artist and one of the Five Star Heavens along with Betelgeuse. He was a Master of eight weapons, and he became famous for his capability to wield any weapon at a certain level at any time. The title Weapon Master was truly a befitting title for him. [Shakiro] [Type: Named NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 354] [Title: Weapon Master. ¡ïFive Star Heaven¡ï] Siegfried was astonished after he confirmed that the man in front of him was indeed Weapon Master Shakiro, but he did not express it outside. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if it''s Betelgeuse or Shakiro¡­ I don¡¯t have anything to do with them,¡¯?Siegfried thought since his standards had be too high after serving Deus, who was the very definition of invincibility itself. ¡°I apologize, but I cannot be your disciple,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already have a master. A talented young man like you is bound to have one,¡± Shakiro said. Fortunately, it seemed that Shakiro wasn¡¯t the type to force himself on someone like Betelgeuse. ¡°But it¡¯s alright,¡± Shakiro added. ¡°What is alright¡­?¡± ¡°I already have a multitude of disciples.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°I had a disciple for each weapon I master, but ironically, none of them could reach my level of mastery.¡± It was obvious since everyone was born with different talents, and it was not an overstatement to say that nobody else could be as skillful as Shakiro with so many types of weapons. ¡°I do not think I will be any different since I doubt I will be able to disy the same skills as Shakiro-nim no matter how talented I¡ª¡± Siegfried said. ¡°That is exactly the reason,¡± Shakiro interrupted. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that you don¡¯t have the same talent as I have since I was born with this talent, but my talent has nothing to do with my strength since I had to train for it as well.¡± ¡°But, why me¡­¡± ¡°Your skills. There are some differences depending on the weapon you use, right?¡± ¡°Did you see it?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw everything from the very beginning.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a waste to use your skills with just one weapon. You need to use other weapons as well for the situation you are in.¡± ¡°But that is impossible¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head and said, ¡°There is the issue with proficiency, and a weapon isn¡¯t that cheap as well. On top of that, carrying all of them around is¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll solve that for you,¡± Shakiro interrupted him. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t force you to be my disciple. Just think of it as a senior giving a bit of advice to his junior while passing by,¡± Shakiro said with passion seemingly burning in his blue eyes. *** Shakiro wasn¡¯t fickle like Betelgeuse, and that was because he was well aware that his ability to handle all weapons was a unique talent only he possessed. As such, Shakiro chose to equally distribute his knowledge to numerous people instead of cramming everything he knew into one person. He realized the limitations of having a single disciple and decided topromise ordingly to it. That was why he had numerous disciples under him, and that was also the reason he chased after Siegfried. He wanted to teach Siegfried at least one weapon technique just as he did with his numerous other disciples. However, Siegfried was different from all of his other disciples, and he saw that the young man was notcking in any way. Of course, he was not a hundred percent satisfied with Siegfried. ¡®You are different from me. You might be talented, but you do not have the same talent as I do,¡¯?Shakiro thought. Unfortunately, Siegfried did not have the talent to use every single weapon just like the disciples he previously taught, but there was one thing different about Siegfried, and it was Siegfried¡¯s skills. Shakiro could not help but be shocked after seeing the skills Siegfried was using, which were the Debuff Master¡¯s skills. ¡®This guy¡¯s skills¡­ There¡¯s a multitude of differences based on the weapon he is using¡­! Oh my god! Who created those skills?! How is it possible for a skill to have such differences based on the weapons being used? Not to mention, the effects perfectly match the weapon as well!¡¯?Shakiro thought. Shakiro, who was truly befitting of the title of Weapon Master, was able to get a glimpse of the greatness of Siegfried¡¯s master through the skills Siegfried had showcased. ¡®How is this possible?! I¡¯m certain that the person who created those skills has the same talent as I do! No, I¡¯m certain that they¡¯re someone better than me at handling weapons! That is the only exnation of how somebody can create such skills!¡¯?Shakiro inwardly deduced, and his deduction was spot on. Why? It was because Siegfried¡¯s master¡ªDeus¡ªwas an invincible being who had reached the pinnacle of everything. He was capable of disying far greater control over any weaponpared to Weapon Master Shakiro. ¡®I have to impart my wisdom to this kid! He might not be a Weapon Master like me, but it¡¯s possible for him to switch weapons ording to his needs!¡¯?Shakiro thought as he steeled his resolve to teach everything he knew to Siegfried. *** ¡°Did you say your name was Siegfried?¡± Shakiro asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I cannot dare to be your master.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ your master is a person who has reached the pinnacle. Someone like me can¡¯t even dare topare against your master.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly surprised at Weapon Master Shakiro¡¯s words. ¡°I got a glimpse of the shadow of your master¡¯s greatness thanks to my innate talent. Your master is a being far greater than someone at the pinnacle¡ªno, he¡¯s at the level of a god in my opinion. Even the Great Grandmasters would not dare topare against him.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Even Grandmasters will not be able to create the skills you are using. Creating a skill that promptly adapts to the weapon being used and is affected by it¡­ It might sound easy, but that is something only possible for someone who has reached the pinnacle of the pinnacle,¡± Shakiro exined. He could say what he said since he had reached the pinnacle of every single weapon type. ¡°You are the disciple of such a being, so how could I dare to ask you to be my disciple?¡± Shakiro added. ¡°I am very grateful that you were able to recognize my master¡¯s greatness,¡± Siegfried said as he respectfully bowed toward the Weapon Master. It was his way of showing respect toward his senior. ¡®As expected of Master,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was filled with pride. The fact that the master he was serving was someone Weapon Master Shakiro had described as ¡®someone at the level of a god¡¯ made Siegfried feel extremely proud. ¡°That is why I won¡¯t ask you to be my disciple since my pitiful teachings will only tarnish what your master has taught you,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°Please do not mention it¡­¡± ¡°But I want to provide you with some help at least.¡± ¡°What kind of help are you referring to?¡± ¡°I wish to teach you everything I know about weapons and help you find the most suitable weapon for yourself.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Shakiro muttered before he extended a cool-looking belt toward Siegfried and said, ¡°Take this. It¡¯s my heirloom.¡± ¡®This guy¡¯s crazy! Is he really giving this to me?!¡¯?Siegfried could not help but inwardly exim after checking the information about the belt Shakiro had extended over to him. In fact, he felt dizzy when he saw it. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The item Shakiro was handing over to Siegfried was an extremely expensive one. No, it was more appropriate to say that it was an item whose value could not be expressed by numbers. [Megingjord] [A magical belt that allows the user to store unlimited weapons.] [This belt was made to replicate the belt of the God of War Bk in the mythology of the N¨¹rburg Continent¡¯s creation.] [Type: Armor (Belt)] [Rating: Mythic] The item that Shakiro gave him was a ¡®Mythic¡¯ rated item. The item rating in BNW wasprised of eight categories: Normal, Magic, Rare, Unique, Legendary, Epic, Mythic, and Universal. Megingjord belonged to the eighth one in the category which was ¡®Mythic,¡¯ and its options truly lived up to its Mythic rating as well. Siegfried was stupefied upon seeing the item¡¯s description. [Special Options(5)] [Fast Draw: Allows the user to take out a weapon stored in the belt quickly.] [Fast Store: Allows the user to store a weapon in the belt quickly.] The two special options attached to the belt allowed the user to switch their weapons quickly, and this was known as ¡®Fast Switching¡¯ in gaming terms. yers who use more than two weapons, or those known as Dual ss yers, treated Fast Switching as the bread and butter of their y style. However, the fast switching option of the Megingjord was just a drop in the bucket whenpared to its other options. [Soulbound: The weapons stored in Megingjord will not drop even if the user dies. The Megingjord will also not drop when the user dies.] The binding option seemed peculiar here since losing an item, a weapon at that, was something all gamers feared, but the Megingjord didn¡¯t allow that to happen. In fact, the Megingjord itself was soulbound making it impossible to drop upon death, and Siegfried did not have to worry about losing a weapon, which was akin to a gamer¡¯s own limb. The value of this ¡®soulbound¡¯ option was probably worth tens of billions of won by itself. And that wasn¡¯t all¡­ [Added Mastery: The user will be able to master another weapon aside from their primary weapon. The number of weapons that can be mastered will increase as the user¡¯s level increases.] [Shared Proficiency: The user¡¯s proficiency with other weapons will increase even if the user trains only one weapon. (Limited to until 80% weapon proficiency)] Thest set of Megingjord¡¯s options gave the user the talent and mastery they didn¡¯t have. On top of that, it also gave Siegfried mastery of a second main weapon in addition to his Blunt Weapon Mastery. Considering all these, one didn¡¯t have to mention just how much of a cheat the Mythic item was. ¡®I might be able to buy a 50-floor building in the middle of Gangnam with just this item alone, but he¡¯s giving this to me¡­? For free?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was dumbfounded upon realizing Megingjord¡¯s value. ¡°A-Are you really giving this to me¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Shakiro nonchntly replied. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll die and disappear one day,¡± Shakiro said with a smile, and then he continued, ¡°Everyone will die one day, and that is the same for you. You might be an immortal in the N¨¹rburg Continent, but you will someday die in your own world.¡± The world that Shakiro was talking about was the other world the NPC thought of when referring to the hometown of the yers. In short, they were referring to the real world outside of the game. ¡°I can¡¯t bring this with me to the afterlife when I die, so why should I hoard it?¡± Shakiro said. ¡°You are correct, but¡­ do I even have the right to receive such a precious item¡­?¡± Siegfried was hesitant. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Then, why¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you are the most worthy despite being unworthy. In fact, there¡¯s nobody worthy of being the sessor to my title as Weapon Master, which proves just how rare my innate talent is. I¡¯m also certain that there won¡¯t be none like me in the future.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving that to you since I don¡¯t really have any other options. Of course, I could pass it down to one of my disciples since I do have plenty of them, but they don¡¯t have the skills you possess.¡± It seemed that the Weapon Master was giving the Mythic item to Siegfried, not because of his potential but solely because of the perfectly created skills in his possession. ¡°I don¡¯t have much use for this item anyway since I was born with an aptitude for all weapons. This item just makes it convenient for me to carry around numerous weapons,¡± Shakiro added. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Siegfriedughed in disbelief. ¡°So, what do you think? Will you ept my keepsake?¡± ¡°Is this a memento¡­?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be one if I die someday?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ you are not wrong¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Shakiro said after forcing Megingjord into Siegfried¡¯s hands. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°To the arena,¡± Shakiro replied. *** The main reason why Dondegiri was called the City of Pleasure was that all sorts of vices anyone could possibly imagine could be experienced in this ce. Dondegiri was littered with all sorts of adult content such as brothels, opium dens, bars, clubs, gambling houses, etc. Of course, minor yers were barred from essing these adult contents as per thews of virtual reality games. One of the most famous adult content in Dondegiri was none other than the arena. The arena was one of the adult contents in BNW that minors couldn¡¯t ess, and it was all because the arena in Dondegiri did not simply operate as a dueling ce. It was also a ce where people could gamble on the fighters. ¡®Ugh¡­ it stinks¡­¡¯? Siegfried grimaced from the stench while following Shakiro through the arena. The arena had a hard-to-describe stench. The closest description that could describe it was the mixture of the stench of something decaying, mold, blood, sweat, and tears¡ªmaybe not tears, but alcohol, cigarettes, food, cheap perfumes of whores, the disgusting breaths of drunkards, and the smell of sweaty men who haven¡¯t showered for days. Siegfried felt his head throb after smelling the reviling scent of the arena for the first time in his life. ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°To train,¡± Shakiro replied. ¡°What kind of training can I even do here¡ª¡± Siegfried asked. However, Shakiro cut him off and exined, ¡°It will be much more efficient for you to train your proficiency in weapons by fighting humans rather than monsters. How efficient do you think it will be if you train your weapons against monsters when they were created to harm humans?¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be tough, so you better prepare yourself.¡± ¡°That is something I am looking forward to,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. His smile was a knee-jerk reaction to training with suffering, which would remind anyone of Pavlov¡¯s dog. That was because Siegfried had personally experienced how ¡®vicious training¡¯ could blossom into ¡®strength,¡¯ thanks to Deus. *** That evening, Siegfried paid some gold to register himself as a fighter and made his debut at the arena. Five minutes before the start of the fight¡­ ¡®Will this even be effective¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought about how joining the arena as a fighter would benefit him. ¡®The strongest fighter in the arena is going to be an NPC who is slightly higher leveled than me¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought after looking around and discovering that there weren¡¯t any potential opponents who could help him train in this ce. In fact, Siegfried bumped into the current champion of this arena on the way to the waiting area, and he managed to gauge the champion¡¯s strength. ¡®I think I can beat him up in five minutes¡­ Just what do I stand to gain by fighting against these guys¡­?¡¯ The champion was Level 65, and Siegfried judged that it wouldn¡¯t be that difficult for him to crush the champion in a fight. ¡°Wear this,¡± Shakiro said as he extended something made out of metal over to Siegfried. ¡°What is this?¡± Siegfried asked while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°You will know once you put it on,¡± Shakiro replied. ¡°I have no idea how to wear it¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly perplexed. The reason Siegfried was perplexed was that the thing Shakiro gave him looked like a ¡®Skeleton Armor¡¯ made up of metals resembling human bones, and the armor looked like it was not going to protect him from any attacks except for his joints. ¡°It willtch itself onto you if you ce it on your shoulder,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°Okay,¡± Siegfried replied and wore the armor ording to Shakiro¡¯s instructions. ck! ck! The armor moved by itself and covered Siegfried¡¯s entire body. However, there were still open spots all over his body, so his defense could be considered zero. ¡°Wear this, too,¡± Shakiro said and handed over a leather armor, a cape, and a dirty-looking bone mask. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are familiar with blunt weapons, right?¡± Shakiro asked. ¡°I am,¡± Siegfried confidently replied. ¡°Then, we shall start with a greatsword,¡± Shakiro said before picking out an average-looking greatsword from the weapon rack and handing it over to Siegfried. ¨C Now! The newbie of the arena, Weaklingman is about to debut! Siegfried heard the arena host¡¯s announcement after putting on his equipment. ¡°Weakling¡ªman¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered with a grimace and asked, ¡°Is he talking about me?¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± Shakiro smiled and said, ¡°You can¡¯t use your real name when fighting at an arena like this. It¡¯s just a nickname so don¡¯t mind it too much.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Alright¡­¡± ¡°Ah, and¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use any of your skills. Fight with only the basics. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°Then, I wish you luck.¡± ¡°I will see youter,¡± Siegfried said with a bow before leaving the waiting area. ¡°You will realize why your nickname is Weaklingman in a while,¡± Shakiro said with a mischievous smile while looking at Siegfried¡¯s back. *** ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! I give you, WEAKLINGMAAAAAN!¡± the host enthusiastically shouted to announce Siegfried¡¯s entrance to the arena. Siegfried was surprised the moment he saw his enemy. [Mickey] [Type: NPC] [Race: Mimic] [Level: 37] [Title: Scythe of Massacre] His first enemy was a member of a humanoid race called ¡®Mimic,¡¯ and his opponent looked like a crossbreed of a mantis and a human. However, his opponent¡¯s level surprised Siegfried the most. ¡®Can it even withstand a blow or two¡­?¡¯? Siegfried was worried for his opponent. He wasn¡¯t really overconfident nor was he looking down on Mickey, but he sincerely thought that he could crush Mickey with a single Smite. ¡°Booo! Weaklingman!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that skeleton get up?! Are you trying to show off or something?!¡± ¡°Mickey! Go and pull that skeleton¡¯s head off!¡± The ignorant spectators¡ªno, gamblers booed Siegfried. ¡®Why are you being like this to me¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. Then, he decided to ignore the spectators coolly. When he was starting to wonder about Shakiro¡¯s motives, a message suddenly popped up in front of him. [Alert: The Debuff Armor is scanning your opponent¡¯s ability.] ¡®Debuff Armor¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was surprised when he saw the real name of the skeleton armor he was wearing. [Alert: Scanplete!] [Alert: The user is going to be nerfed ordingly!] A confounding message appeared¡­ ¡®User? It¡¯s going to nerf me?¡¯?Siegfried thought in surprise. While Siegfried was distracted by the Debuff Armor, a bunch of sharp objects shot out from the armor and stabbed him all over. Puk! Puk! Puk!? Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The armor Shakiro gave Siegfried ended up having an interesting function. [Debuff Armor] [A magical armor that restricts the user.] [Type: Armor (Full Body)] [Rating: Legendary] [Abilities: Nerf] [: Nerf: Scans the user and the enemy¡¯s abilities and nerfs the user until they were 20% weaker than the enemy.] Siegfried had no idea what kind of pervert made this armor, but the armor nerfed its user rather than buffing them. Moreover, the nerfing process was pretty painful. Puk! Puk! Puuuk! The thin thorns that shot out from the bones making up the armor mercilessly stabbed Siegfried¡¯s muscles and nerves. However, that was not the end of the surprise¡­ ck! ck!? The mechanical mechanism in the Debuff Armor started to constrict Siegfried¡¯s body. ¡°Keuk!¡±?Siegfried groaned out in pain before falling down on one knee. ¡°Puhahahaha!¡± ¡°Look at him getting scared! No wonder his name is Weaklingman!¡± ¡°Why did you even bother toe out?! Get lost!¡± The spectators started mocking Siegfried. ¨C Ah! Weaklingman seems to have been overwhelmed by his debut match! The host seemed to have joined in on the fun of mocking Siegfried. ¡°What a weak pathetic human,¡± Mickey, his opponent, said before exuding killing intent toward him. ¨C Then, let the match between Mickey and Weaklingman¡­ BEGIN! The match started. ¡°Die!¡± Mickey shouted as the humanoid wasted no time to open its wings and charge at Siegfried. ¡®It¡¯sing!¡¯?Siegfried reacted and tried to move away. Sukeok! A sound rang in his ears and then¡­ Fwaaaaa! Blood started spurting out of his arm¡­ *** ¡®Damn it! I could have avoided it!¡¯?Siegfried inwardly cursed, seemingly taken aback by what happened. Siegfried could have easily avoided that attack and even counterattack twice while he was at it. However, he couldn¡¯t do it. [Alert: Warning! Your stats are 20% lower than your enemy''s!] Siegfried could not overpower Mickey because of his Debuff Armor¡¯s ¡®Nerf¡¯ ability. ¡°You got lucky, human,¡± Mickey said while licking Siegfried¡¯s blood off of its scythe before it asked, ¡°But do you really think you¡¯ll survive the next one?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit annoyed right now, so can you please shut up?¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°I see that you have a big mouth,¡± Mickey said with a grin before it added, ¡°I¡¯ll finish you slowly. I¡¯ll cut your arms off and then slowly rip your legs¡­¡± It seems that Mickey was nning to toy with its prey before finishing Siegfried off. *** ¡®You must be frustrated and wronged right now,¡¯?Shakiro thought with a mischievous smile while observing Siegfried from the spectator stands. ¡®You won¡¯t be able to use your excellent physique and your skills, but Siegfried¡­ there¡¯s no other method as effective as this when ites to raising your proficiency with weapons. Not using your mana and skills and relying only on the fundamentals is the most effective and proper way to understand your weapon¡¯s capabilities,¡¯?Shakiro thought. That was the reason Shakiro brought Siegfried to the arena. The arena was a ce where fighters using all sorts of weapons were gathered, but it was not that high-level of a ce since it was just a ce for gamblers to ce their bets. This meant that this was the best ce for Siegfried to experience fighting against many different weapon users while solely relying on his basic weapon. ¡®You may have always fought with the upper hand, but this ce is different. You will have to fight as the underdog in this ce,¡¯?Shakiro thought. However, Shakiro had one misconception about Siegfried. Siegfried had never had the upper hand in his fights; he had always been the underdog in every battle he fought. This fact remained the same whether it was his previous life as the Elemental Mage or his current life as the Debuff Master. Siegfried had always been chasing after a spot higher than where he was currently standing, so he always had to fight against those who were stronger than him. As such, it didn¡¯t take that long for Siegfried to show what he was truly capable of. ¡®Abandon your sense of superiority and start from the bottom¡­¡¯?Shakiro thought. However, the next thing that happened took him by surprise. Sukeok! The sound of something getting severed could be heard from the stage. ¡°¡­!¡± The entire arena froze, and Shakiro froze over as well. ¡®I-Impossible!¡¯?Shakiro inwardly eximed as he doubted his eyes. ¡°Kwuaaaaak!¡±?Mickey was screaming in agony while holding onto his severed arm. *** Siegfried struggled against the humanoid. sh! sh! Mickey unleashed a barrage of shes with its scythe, cutting Siegfried up all over. ¡°You little rat!¡± Mickey cried out in frustration It thought that it would be able to easily cut off one of the arms of the weak human called Weaklingman, but the human managed to avoid every decisive blow that it had hurled at the human so far. ¡®Let¡¯s calm down and think¡­¡¯? Siegfried calmly ignored Mickey and tried to understand why Shakiro had given him this logic-defying trial. Siegfried¡¯s current state was theplete opposite of Shakiro¡¯s expectations. Was he frustrated? Yes, he was, but the frustration wasn¡¯t driving him crazy. Why? Had there ever been a time when he had the upper hand against his enemies? The main buff skill of the Debuff Master was called Contempt for the Strong. The reason for his ss¡¯ existence was to beat up those stronger than him, so there was no reason for him to be agitated after getting nerfed a little bit. ¡®Shakiro is a Weapon Master¡­ A master of all weapons, he isn¡¯t like some tom, dick, and harry in the streets¡­ I¡¯m sure he has a reason for making me do all these,¡¯?Siegfried thought. However, something suddenly caught his eye. sh! He noticed that Mickey¡¯s scythes were its arms as well. ¡®Isn¡¯t that a de in a sense¡­?¡¯?Siegfried discovered something. ¡®If we say this bastard¡¯s scythes are des¡­ Then, I¡¯m currently fighting against a swordsman stronger than me, right?¡¯? He had discovered the answer. Siegfried finally understood Shakiro¡¯s motives for forcing him into this arena match. ¡®A greatsword is more inclined toward shing rather than stabbing, and it would also be a big deciding sh instead of an average one. A de can be single-edged, but a greatsword is double-edged. Let¡¯s see if I can use that to my advantage,¡¯?Siegfried thought as his movements started changing. ¡®What the hell is this bastard? Why does it feel like he suddenly became stronger?¡¯?Mickey thought, taken aback by Siegfried¡¯s sudden change. And it resulted in¡­ ng! ng! ng!? Siegfried¡¯s greatsword continuously blocked Mickey¡¯s attack. The spectators burst intoughter at the scene unfolding before them. ¡°Puhahahaha!¡± ¡°Look at that bastard!¡± ¡°Look at him squirm! Haha!¡± ¡°Way to go¡­ way to go! Just fuck off bastard!¡± Siegfried¡¯s movements looked like a joke to the spectators since his body wasn¡¯t perfectly reacting the way he wanted it to react thanks to the Debuff Armor, and it looked like he was barely hanging on for dear life while trying to awkwardly defend himself from Mickey¡¯s attacks. ¡®Shwik! This bastard! His swordsmanship is improving!¡¯? However, Mickey was flustered by the sudden improvement in Weaklingman¡¯s swordsmanship. ng! When Siegfried parried Mickey¡¯s scythe with his greatsword¡­ Woosh¡­! He suddenly spun in ce and shifted his weight. ¡®Ah! No¡­ no¡­!¡¯?Mickey inwardly eximed after realizing the danger it was in. But it was toote. Whoosh! Siegfried swung his greatsword in a big arc. Thud¡­! Mickey¡¯s right arm fell to the ground. It didn¡¯t take long for Siegfried to be enlightened by the trial Weapon Master Shakiro had set up for him. *** ¡®H-How did he¡­?!¡¯?Shakiro was astonished. ¡®Oh my god! I never expected him to realize it so quickly! This guy¡­ how fast does his mind work?!¡¯ Shakiro didn¡¯t expect that Siegfried would quickly understand the purpose of the trial he gave thetter, but there was something else that greatly surprised the Weapon Master. ¡®He was neither shocked nor frustrated by the nerf he suddenly received. And he did not shrink back after realizing that his enemy was stronger than him. How is that even possible? Geniuses like you should have always enjoyed having the upper hand in a battle¡­ How did you maintain such calmness that can only be found in a veteran who had fought tens of thousands of battles?!¡¯?Shakiro thought in awe. He was awed by how quickly Siegfried had analyzed, understood, and grasped the situation. However, this was all Shakiro¡¯s misunderstanding because of his ignorance of the path of agony and shame Siegfried had to walk to reach where he was. *** ¨C The winner is¡­! Surprisingly! The winner is Weaklingman! The host screamed out loud. In the end, Weaklingman had a sessful debut thanks to winning his debut match. ¡°Wow! That was crazy!¡± ¡°Look at his luck¡­ It¡¯s almost as if¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Weaklingman, you bastard! Go and buy the lottery! You got that?!¡± ¡°I lost all my money because of that bastard!¡± ¡°Damn it! Isn¡¯t this maniption?! Ha?! How can Weaklingman win against Mickey?!¡± ¡°Holy cow! How much did I win?!¡± The spectators went ballistic at the result since most of them had bet on Mickey¡¯s victory, yet Weaklingman ended up winning the match. However, Siegfried paid no heed to them as he silently walked toward the waiting area. Step¡­ step¡­ step¡­? The arena was a ce for him to raise his proficiency with weapons¡ªnothing more, nothing less. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Shakiro weed Siegfried to the waiting area and said, ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Siegfried sincerely expressed his gratitude toward Shakiro, and then he said, ¡°I have finally realized what Shakiro-nim wanted me to learn from this ce.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised.¡± ¡°Why were you surprised?¡± ¡°I thought that you were just someone born with an excellent physique when I first met you, and I thought that you were just someone fortunate enough to be born with that physique and to train under an excellent master.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°But I realized I was wrong when I saw your match just now,¡± Shakiro said while staring intently at Siegfried. ¡°What did you realize?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly confused. ¡°You¡¯re a genius.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered with a face that seemed to say, ¡®what bullshit are you spouting?¡¯ ¡°Me? A genius¡­?¡± Siegfried asked while pointing at himself. ¡°Yes...¡± Shakiro nodded. ¡°No, that is impossible.¡± ¡°What do you mean, impossible?¡± ¡°How am I a genius? I am just trash,¡± Siegfried said with sincerity in his voice. ¡°You¡¯re trash. A useless piece of trash. Am I wrong?¡± He had to endure being called all sorts of dehumanizing insults such as trash, useless trash, useless fool, talentless fool, a talentless, useless fool, etc, by his master, Deus. ¡°Tsk¡­?Being too humble can be a w, too¡­¡± Shakiro said with a grimace. ¡°I¡¯m not being humble, though,¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°I have never seen anyone with such a level ofprehension other than you. People mostly refer to my disciples as geniuses,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°Well, they are definitely geniuses considering they¡¯re Shakiro-nim¡¯s disciples¡ª¡± Siegfried muttered. However, Shakiro cut him off and said, ¡°You are greater than all of them.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Your level ofprehension is far greater than anyone else I have taught, and your passion for greatness is far above any of them. You are born with a talent beyond anyone else, and your humble temperament is the perfect temperament to pursue the path of martial greatness,¡± Shakiro exined. ¡°Ah¡­ Why are you doing this to me¡­¡± Siegfried mumbled. He wanted to dig a hole and hide in it after hearing Shakiro¡¯s cringey words. He had never imagined that someone would call him a genius, and it seemed that all sorts of things would really happen to people as long as they lived long enough. ¡°I¡¯m d to have met a junior like you in my final¡ª¡± Cough! Shakiro was smiling when he suddenly vomited blood. Bleugh¡­! His dark blood covered the floor of the waiting area. ¡°Shakiro-nim!¡± Siegfried eximed as he hurriedly rushed over toward Shakiro. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

¡°Cough! cough! cough!¡±? There was something strange about Shakiro¡¯s coughing. A lump of dark blood woulde out whenever he coughed, and it was quite difficult to say he was fine since the skin on Shakiro¡¯s neck looked dark for some reason. ¡°Shakiro-nim, I think you should go to the temple¡ª¡± Siegfried suggested. By temple, he meant the temple of the Goddess of Healing. However, Shakiro cut him off and waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s just an illness I¡¯ve had for quite a while now, so you don¡¯t need to be worried about it.¡± ¡°But, still¡­ you do not look so good¡­¡± ¡°I know my illness the best, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to tidy myself a bit,¡± Shakiro said as he gently pushed Siegfried away and retrieved a dark handkerchief to wipe the blood off of his mouth. ¡°Anyway, you are truly a genius. I¡¯m certain of it,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°No, you are a genius.¡± ¡°I said, I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Who can be called a genius if you aren¡¯t?¡± ¡°Who knows¡­ anyway, I am not a genius.¡± ¡°Your humbleness is starting to sound like you¡¯re mocking me right now.¡± ¡°No¡­ That is not what I meant¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s drop it,¡± Shakiro said. He stared intently at Siegfried with his blue eyes before adding, ¡°It¡¯s difficult to listen to a genius mocking me.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried sighed in resignation. ¡°Anyway, you saw through my intentions. On top of that, you fully grasped the greatsword and understood how the de worked.¡± ¡°I am not sure if I managed to fully grasp it, but I think I got the hang of it now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You have clearly understood the greatsword.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just the start. Now, you are to use the greatsword and face all sorts of weapons that exist in this arena. And that is not all; you will have to repeat the same process with another weapon once you get used to the greatsword,¡± Shakiro exined. ¡°I agree with you,¡± Siegfried said. He truly agreed with the Weapon Master¡¯s words. ¡®I will have to face all sorts of enemies from now on, so I have to learn how to fight against each and every one of their weapons. This is a blessing, so I should treat it as one and take advantage of this opportunity to study as much as I can about weapons,¡¯?Siegfried thought that it was fine if he dyed leveling up for a bit since he would surely reap even more profits while learning under an overqualified teacher like Shakiro. ¡°I like how you think. You are not in a rush and are willing to learn,¡± Shakiro said with a satisfied smile. ¡°The opportunity to be bestowed such great teachings is rare,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Not at all; I¡¯m certain that all you had until now were great teachings. Anyone who has reached a certain level would covet teaching you as their disciple, your physique will certainly tempt them,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°That was not the case in the past...¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I was trash whom nobody was willing to spare even a nce just a couple of months ago.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible,¡± Shakiro said. He didn¡¯t believe Siegfried¡¯s words. ¡°Are you telling me that your physique has improved so much in a span of just a few months? That is impossible. You will have to reach the level of a Master first and rearrange your entire body structure to achieve such a physique, and I¡¯m certain that you haven¡¯t gotten anywhere near the Master level yet, right?¡± Shakiro said. ¡°There was something like that¡­¡± ¡°I refuse to believe you.¡± ¡°I will not try to convince you. I can¡¯t even exin it myself anyway.¡± ¡°Well, shall we forget about this debate? Is there anything more important right now than your learning?¡± ¡°You are correct,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. *** Since his debut, Weaklingman, who had suddenly appeared like a meteor, crushed the arena with an unbelievable record of 100 wins in 100 fights. Weaklingman was a strange being, and he would always be weaker than his opponents. His fighting pattern would always remain the same: he would always struggle at the start of the match, but he would always grasp a single opportunity tond a big attack against his enemy and emerge victorious. ¡°Hey, is that bastard really weak? Or is he strong¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this match fixing?! Damn this!¡± ¡°He won again?¡± ¡°I thought he would surely lose this time, but he won again?! AAHHH!¡± Thanks to that, the gamblers of the arena were in a state of confusion regarding their future bets. It was all because Weaklingman would always look like he was a candle about to be snuffed out in front of his enemies, and he always seemed weaker than every single one of his enemies. The fact that he achieved a record of 100 wins in 100 matches drove the gamblers crazy. They could have just bet that Weaklingman would win, but then the uncertainty and the possibility of his sudden defeat were always there, dangling on top of the gamblers¡¯ heads, which drove them even crazier. Besides his apparent weakness, there was one other thing about Weaklingman that stood out, and that was the fact that he kept changing his weapon. He first started with a greatsword, then a saber, then a shield, gauntlet, sword, rod, scythe, and so on. Weaklingman continued to fight in the arena as if he were Weapon Master Shakiro. ¨C W-Weaklingman! Weaklingman has reached 500 consecutive victories! After a month, Weaklingman seeded in reaching five hundred victories, a historical achievement at the arena in Dondegiri. However, the even more surprising thing was¡­ ¡°I¡¯m retiring,¡± Weaklingman said. He disappeared from the arena with those two words after his five-hundredth victory. The only thing he left behind was the legend of his five hundred consecutive victories in the City of Pleasure¡¯s arena. *** A forest on the outskirts of the City of Pleasure, Dondegiri¡­ ¡°To think you would achieve five hundred victories in just a month¡­ Amazing¡­ that is truly an amazing feat, even if it was just at an arena like that one,¡± Shakiro said while praising Siegfried. ¡°I just did my best, and it somehow happened. Haha¡­¡± Siegfried replied with an awkwardugh while scratching the back of his head. ¡®I had no idea time could pass so fast¡­ It was really fun,¡¯?he thought. Siegfried did not even notice how much time had passed since he had been so immersed in studying how each and every weapon worked. That was how much fun he had been having when it came to analyzing the different types of weapons. Moreover, his tedious training also gave him a sweet, sweet fruit. [Blunt Weapon Mastery (Level 10): You deal additional damage when using blunt weapons.] He discovered his talent for blunt weapons during his training over the month, and he ended up choosing blunt weapons as his main type of weapon without an ounce of hesitation. It wouldter turn out that the weapon he had initially chosen without giving it much thought was the weapon he would be using for the rest of his life. However, that was not the end of it. It was just one of the benefits of Megingjord¡¯s options, but Siegfried also discovered that he was quite skilled with the spear as well. In fact, his spear thrusts were so ferocious even Shakiro himself was surprised by it. ¡°You are quite good at thrusting. You could be the best spearman on the continent just by mastering thrusting alone,¡± Shakiro said. He wasn¡¯t stingy with his praise. [Alert: The magic belt, Megingjord has bestowed upon you a new ability!] [Alert: Congrattions! You have received a new ability!] [Alert: You have received ¡®Spear Mastery¡¯!] [Alert: The magic belt, Megingjord has increased your ¡®Spear Mastery¡¯ proficiency to 80% of your ¡®Blunt Weapon Mastery¡¯ proficiency!] Siegfried could handle the spear pretty well even without grinding, thanks to the Mythic item. [New!] [Spear Mastery (Level 8): You deal additional damage when using a spear. (An additional ability Megingjord has bestowed upon you!)] Siegfried obtained mastery of two weapons despite only training in one, and this meant that he could now use two versions of his skills, with both blunt weapons and the spear. ¡°A blunt weapon and a spear. It¡¯s a goodbination. It¡¯s a hundred times better than using a sword and a saber at the same time. You might be able to be a true Dual ss if you continue training,¡± Shakiro said as he congratted Siegfried. ¡°I have learned a lot from you even though I am not talented in every single weapon,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°There is no need for you to be talented in every single weapon. Honestly¡­ this talent of mine is nothing but a parlor trick.¡± ¡°Why are you saying that?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t really reach the pinnacle just because you can use every single weapon. The Five Star Heaven would have be the Four Star Heaven, while the Three Jewels would have long be the Four Jewels by now if it were that easy,¡± Shakiro said. Shakiro was correct. Unfortunately, he could not make any more progress. ¡°But the martial path you have been walking is not a waste, Shakiro-nim. The fact that you decided to walk on that path is meaningful enough, and you have reached the Master level, have you not? Honestly speaking, it is not thatmon for someone to be a Master, right?¡± Siegfried said. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I guess I¡¯m amazing because I managed to be a Master! Haha!¡± ¡°Thank you for your teachings. I might not be able to serve you as my master, but you have truly taught me a lot of invaluable things, and I would like to show my gratitude to you,¡± Siegfried said with a bow to show his sincere gratitude. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to you as well. It has been really fun to meet a talent like you in theter stages of my life, and you reminded me of the past, too,¡± Shakiro said with a smile. ¡°Reminded you of the past means¡­?¡± ¡°There are only two people who managed to reach five hundred victories in the arena at Dondegiri. Those two people are you and me,¡± Shakiro exined. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°It has been a hundred years, but I can still remember that day as if it happened yesterday. The day when I was just a mere third-rate fighter, yet I reached five hundred victories and retired.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Shakiro-nim was the legendary fighter¡ª¡± ¡°What legend? How strong can someone be when all they did was fight at a low-level arena? I was just a third-rate fighter. You saw the level of the arena yourself, right? That ce is nothing more and nothing less than a gambling den.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not as if it was truly meaningless, since I managed to survive till now. Haha!¡± Shakiroughed and said, ¡°I remember those days whenever I look at you, and it makes me feel young again.¡± ¡°I do not know how to respond to that, haha¡­¡± ¡°I hope that you will continue on your path with the same conviction and passion as you have today. You are a really good junior whom I¡¯m proud of,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°Thank you,¡± Siegfried responded with a bow. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°You will find out once you follow me,¡± Shakiro said as he led Siegfried somewhere. *** [City of Pleasure, Dondegiri: Abandoned Mine] Shakiro led Siegfried to an abandoned mine that had been abandoned for hundreds of years. ¡°Why here of all ces¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking for something,¡± Shakiro replied. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°A treasure map.¡± ¡°Huh? A treasure map¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this object I have been looking for in the past thirty years, and I heard that the map where its location is recorded can be found in this abandoned mine.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± ¡°I did some research, and it turns out that this ce is a dungeon. I could have easily cleared it myself, but I decided to hold back.¡± ¡°Why did you hold back?¡± ¡°To give you back the time you lost.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your growth was stunted for the past month because of the training, so isn¡¯t it time for you to kickstart your growth once again?¡± ¡°Are you telling me to clear this dungeon?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Shakiro replied with a smirk before continuing, ¡°This dungeon is far too dangerous. You will not be able to clear this dungeon with your strength, and you might even die after clearing just a fifth of it.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I will clear it.¡± ¡°Heok¡­!¡± ¡°You did well for the past month. This dungeon¡¯s clearance is my gift to you, and the only thing you have to do is to follow me from behind.¡± Siegfried immediately understood what Shakiro meant. Boosting. Weapon Master Shakiro wanted to boost Siegfried in a high-level dungeon. ¡®Wow¡­ I had never imagined that an NPC will boost me of all people¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardly muttered, but he was both happy and dumbfounded at the same time. He had experienced being boosted by a yer after paying a certain sum to them for their services, but he had never received a boosting service from an NPC, let alone a voluntary booster at that. Siegfried was most surprised about the fact that this would be a free boost. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Shakiro said as he headed into the abandoned mine. ¡°Yes!¡± Siegfried replied and hurriedly followed behind Weapon Master Shakiro. *** Shakiro had been right to say that Siegfried could only clear a fifth of the dungeon before dying. No, it seemed like clearing even a tenth of the dungeon would still be impossible for him. That was because¡­ [Chimera¨C0154] [A monster created from aplex mechanism along with the body parts of various monsters.] [It is a monster created with the sole purpose of killing. An extremely dangerous monster.] [Level: 150] [Race: Mixed (Chimera)] [Rating: Normal] The normal mob that popped up as soon as they entered the abandoned mine was a Level 150 monster. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The Chimera-0154 was a powerful monster Siegfried would barely be able to kill even if he threw everything he had at it. On top of that, the real problem was that there were hundreds of these monsters in this dungeon. Siegfried would certainly find himself dead on the floor in less than a minute if he had entered this dungeon alone. But for Shakiro, it was different. He disyed strength worthy of being one of the five officially recognized Masters on the continent, and he easily disposed of the Level 150 monsters. Seuk! Siegfried suddenly found Shakiro holding a de he retrieved from out of nowhere. Chwaaaak! The de danced in his hand. Thud¡­! Thud¡­!? The Chimera-0154s were cut into dozens of pieces. [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] A barrage of messages indicating the increase in his Experience Points appeared in front of Siegfried. [You have reached Level 47!] [You have reached Level 48!] He leveled up twice in the blink of an eye. ¡®Wow¡­ what a massive wave of Experience Points¡­!¡¯?Siegfried inwardly marveled at the Experience Points he was getting. He felt like he would get drunk on the experience. That was only natural since the Level 150 Chimera-0154s were lumps of Experience Points for him, who was only Level 50, and killing them was akin to hunting dozens of boss monsters. However, that was not the end of the surprise¡­ [Standard Saber] [A normal saber that can be made by any cksmith with decent skills.] [Type: de] [Rating: Magic] The weapon Shakiro was using to cut down the Chimera-0154s was not special in any way, and it had no special abilities or options attached to it. An ordinary saber was massacring the Level 150 monsters as if they were air¡­ It really went without saying that a master would not me their weapon. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Shakiro after killing dozens of Chimera-0154s. ¡°Yes!¡± Siegfried eximed and followed the Weapon Master. *** The boosting service that Shakiro was giving Siegfried could only be described as ¡®fxcking awesome.¡¯ ¡®This isn¡¯t a normal boost anymore¡­ this is like putting wings on me! I don¡¯t think even Rankers could boost someone like this¡­!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly. He wasn¡¯t really mistaken because no yers had reached the Master level so far. ¡®This is awesome¡­ Amazing!¡¯?Siegfried thought. He resolved to suck every single drop of Experience Points Shakiro would give him. [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] His Experience Points kept piling up. [You have reached Level 49!] [You have reached Level 50!] He leveled up. [Alert: You are now able to learn new skills!] Upon reaching Level 50, Siegfried could finally learn the Debuff Master¡¯s new skill. [Proof of Existence] [A buff that increases damage dealt by 20% when attacking debuffed targets.] Proof of Existence was a skill that lived up to its name. It ensured that the presence of the Debuff Master would be felt. The buff could only be cast on oneself, and it allowed the user to deal increased damage to a debuffed target. It would cement the Debuff Master¡¯s position as a hybrid Debuffer and Physical DPS. ¡°It seems you got something good out of what we had done here. Congrattions,¡± Shakiro said with a warm smile while looking at Siegfried checking his new skill. ¡°Thank you,¡± Siegfried replied with respect. ¡°Your master seemed to have engraved the skills he created in your brain, am I correct?¡± Shakiro asked while observing Siegfried. ¡°How did you know?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly surprised. ¡°Your master is an astounding person. I¡¯m certain that he engraved those skills in you so that you will not have to go through the process of trial and error or go down the wrong path.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± ¡°His confidence is amazing as well. That¡¯s not something someone can do without being a hundred percent confident in the skills they have created. It seems as if he is trying to tell you that his way is the path to invincibility. A teacher would usually ce a few forked roads to help their disciple enlighten themselves¡­¡± Shakiro muttered. ¡°He is indeed capable of doing that,¡± Siegfried confidently said. In fact, Deus did mention something simr to what Shakiro had just said. ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Don¡¯t even be curious. The thoughts of someone like you are not important. Just shut up and do as I say. Eventually, you will be invincible. Do you understand?¡± However, the way Deus had said it was quite different from Shakiro¡­ ¡°You are truly blessed¡­¡± Shakiro praised. ¡°It is a bit hard to look at it that way¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I should create my own path as well. I don¡¯t feel sofortable being spoon-fed by my master like this. It feels like¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Shakiro boisterouslyughed at Siegfried¡¯s words, and then he said, ¡°Truly amazing! The more I look at you, the more admirable you be!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°How can I be as passionate as you? I can¡¯t understand how you can think of wanting even more, even though you already have the entire map of the path toward invincibility.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I still have a conscience, hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s important to create your own path, but there¡¯s no reason for you to do that since you already have theplete blueprint with you. What¡¯s more important than all of your concerns is your life.¡± ¡°My¡­ life?¡± ¡°Yes, you inherited theplete and perfect blueprint, but the life that you will live with it will certainly be different from the one your master lived, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± ¡°And eventually, you will have to forge your own path.¡± ¡°Will that day reallye?¡± ¡°Yes, once you can stand with your master as equals.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°A crossroad will appear on that day, and you might be an invincible being that transcends invincibility itself.¡± The Weapon Master¡¯s words just now were simply astounding. Surpassing his master? Siegfried wasn¡¯t sure if such a thing were even possible in the first ce. ¡°Will that day¡­e? I am not sure of that¡­ My master has surpassed the limits of this world and is on the verge of bing a god,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Why? You aren¡¯t confident?¡± Shakiro asked with a smirk. ¡°I am not confident that I can achieve that¡­¡± ¡°My, my¡­¡± ¡°How can I be confident about doing that? Thinking that I can surpass my master is not being confident but being arrogant, but¡­¡± Siegfried said with a smile before he paused for a moment and continued, ¡°I feel like I do want to surpass him one day.¡± That ¡®one day¡¯ could be the day BNW ended its services and shut its servers down, but bing a Level 999 user and leaving a legacy in this game did not sound so bad to Siegfried. However, such words were perfect to tell one¡¯s parents if one wanted to get pped. ¡°Heh¡­!¡± Shakiro grinned after hearing Siegfried¡¯s words, and then he said, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Good?¡± ¡°You have the qualifications to achieve that since you didn¡¯t get consumed by the shadow of your master¡¯s greatness. There are many people out there who cannot achieve enlightenment because they are being pressured by their master¡¯s greatness. But the way you look at things from a different perspective makes you different from them. My, my¡­ I am honored. I could be talking to an invincible being of the future right now,¡± Shakiro said. He wasn¡¯t stringy with his praise. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t happy upon receiving such praise. ¡°Is there a hole I can use to hide around here¡­?¡± he muttered while lowering his head in embarrassment. ¡®Ah¡­ why is he praising me so much when I¡¯m?just trash...¡¯? Those were Siegfried¡¯s honest thoughts. *** [You have reached Level 51!] [You have reached Level 52!] [You have reached Level 53!] The dungeon boosting service continued even after Siegfried leveled up three more times. When they were about to reach the end of the dungeon, Siegfried suddenly asked, ¡°May I ask you something?¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Shakiro coolly replied. ¡°I¡¯m just curious, but¡­ just what exactly are you looking for? What is it that you had to dedicate your entire life to finding it¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Are you aware of the top three workshops?¡± Shakiro said. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. There was no way he was unaware of the top three workshops on the N¨¹rburg Continent: the Autonika of Technology, Bavarian of Power, and Mercedes the Greatest. ¡°Then, do you know that the Bavarian Workshop has one special department?¡± Shakiro asked. ¡°Are you talking about the Hometown of Death?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡­¡± The Hometown of Death department was the producer of the best artifacts for the Bavarian Workshop. Their artifacts boasted the highest destructive and killing power, and they lived up to the ¡®Bavarian of Power¡¯ motto of the workshop. ¡°What about the name of the best master craftsman within the Hometown of Death?¡± Shakiro asked. ¡°I am not aware of that¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in response. ¡°Herbert is the legendary master craftsman who had been nominated as the third head of the Hometown of Death. He is the best master craftsman in the history of the Bavarian Workshop. Moreover¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°He is also famous as the mad cksmith unrivaled throughout history.¡± ¡°What do you mean by mad¡­?¡± ¡°He was obsessed with making lethal weapons. In fact, he even learned how to draw so that he could draw a portrait of his weapon killing a human being.¡± ¡°He¡¯s insane¡­¡± It became clear as day to Siegfried that Herbert was indeed a madman. ¡°In theter years of his life, Herbert started creating the deadliest weapon he could ever create. It was naturally deadlier than any of the hundreds of weapons he had ever made, and it was his masterpiece¡ªno, his life¡¯s work,¡± exined Shakiro. ¡°Then¡­ what you¡¯re looking for is¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m looking for Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work,¡± Shakiro replied with a nod. ¡°Aha¡­¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m not nning on using that weapon. I have already given away all of the weapons I had to my disciples, and I don¡¯t particrly need another weapon,¡± Shakiro hurriedly rified. Siegfried knew that Shakiro was telling the truth since the Weapon Master managed to make quick work of Level 150 monsters with a mere Standard Saber. ¡°Then, why are you looking for it?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Let¡¯s say that there is some lingering regret?¡± Shakiro replied while rubbing his chin. ¡°By lingering regret, you mean¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just this thing I had in my younger days. I told myself back then that I will find and obtain Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work.¡± ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s your dream?¡± ¡°Well, you can put it that way. A dream from my younger days.¡± ¡°You will find it¡­¡± ¡°I hope so, too. Perhaps I can call it my long life¡¯s final wish? It¡¯s nothing amazing, though.¡± ¡°What are you going to do with it once you find it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure since I don¡¯t really have any use for it¡­¡± Shakiro muttered. He then looked at Siegfried and said, ¡°I¡¯m thinking of selling it to you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What do you think about it? If I managed to find Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work, will you buy it?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He shook his head and said, ¡°I cannot possibly afford it.¡± ¡°You can pay in installments,¡± Shakiro said nonchntly. ¡°Do you mean in installments of 1,200 months? I think the monthly interest alone will be worth a whole city. I dislike the thought of being in debt, so I shall politely refuse. A man has to be able to pay for things in one go, so I have no intention of buying things in installments,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Even if I will sell it to you for cheap?¡± ¡°It will still be worth a whole kingdom even if you give it to me for cheap. I shall only ept your thoughts. I cannot take more from you since you have already taught me a lot, and you even helped me grow stronger.¡± ¡°You are truly a rare man in this time and age¡­¡± ¡°I just hate the thought of being in debt.¡± The life¡¯s work left behind by Master Craftsman Herbert would surely be a Legendary weapon at the very least. Siegfried didn¡¯t even try to feel any greed over it since he knew that he wouldn¡¯t have the capability to purchase it. He was also certain that he would drown in the interest alone if he were to purchase it in installments. ¡®I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t n on selling it, though¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardly grumbled. He couldn¡¯t help but think that Shakiro was just teasing him. ¡°I think we¡¯re almost there,¡± Siegfried said, shifting the topic. ¡°It should be over there,¡± Shakiro said while pointing at a spot about fifty meters away. In front of them stood arge stone door engraved with the emblem of the Bavarian Workshop as well as the letter ¡®M,¡¯ which was the hallmark of the Hometown of Death department of the Bavarian Workshop. ¡°There should be a clue to Herbert¡¯s final work in that ce,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I think so as well,¡± Shakiro replied with a nod. ¡°We wandered for quite a bit, but we finally found it¡ª¡± Siegfried¡¯s words were interrupted by someone¡¯sughter from behind ¡°Kekeke!¡± It seemed that someone had been trailing them all along. 1. This is an age-old saying that basically means that a professional does not care what they are using. An example would be that a professional guitarist could y just as well with a $100 guitar while a noob would still y badly with a $100,000 one. 2. Boost in Korean is actually called ¡®bus¡¯ so the original said ¡®this isn¡¯t a bus anymore but an airne¡¯, but there was no way to put that into English. 3. Really? (-_-) Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Siegfried and Shakiro immediately turned around and found a man in red robes sleazily smiling at them. The man looked pretty suspicious. He had silver hair, red eyes, small slit eyes, and a red hue floating around his mouth. On top of that, his pale face and sharp nose made it seem like he could be easily mistaken for a vampire instead of a human. ¡°Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work is the property of our church, so get lost,¡± said the red-robed man. The red-robed man seemed pretty confident, even though he had no idea of whom he was speaking to. Siegfried was a low-level Adventurer, who shouldn¡¯t really be in this dungeon, but Shakiro was a different story altogether. How many people were brave enough to tell Weapon Master Shakiro of the Five Star Heaven to get lost? ¡®Wait a minute¡­ did he just say church? Could it be¡­¡¯? A thought suddenly shed across Siegfried¡¯s mind, and he flinched as a result. ¡°Are you the Red Cardinal?¡± Shakiro said. Surprisingly, it seemed that Weapon Master Shakiro was aware of the red-robed man¡¯s identity. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise to see the appearance of the man who had always been hiding behind a veil,¡± said Shakiro. ¡°Shakiro¡­ If you know who I am, get lost,¡± the Red Cardinal retorted. It was shocking to see that the so-called ¡®Red Cardinal¡¯ remained seemingly unfazed despite being aware of Shakiro¡¯s identity. ¡°Get lost?¡± Shakiro muttered with a scoff, and then he growled. ¡°How dare you¡ª¡± However, the Red Cardinal cut him off and said, ¡°You dying relic of the past.¡± ¡°You dare!¡± Shakiroshed out. ¡°An elderly that could die any time soon shouldn¡¯t be so active, don¡¯t you agree?¡± the Red Cardinal sneered, and then he added, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you have to be a bit more conservative if you want to live your pitiful life for a bit longer? Right, Shakiro??Keke!¡± ¡°I told you to shut your mouth,¡± Shakiro warned the Red Cardinal. The Weapon Master¡¯s blue eyes shone red all of a sudden, and it looked as if a fire were burning within it. However¡­ ¡°Oh~ How scary~ I¡¯m so scared that I¡¯m trembling~ Kekeke!¡±?the Red Cardinal kept on sneering despite the Weapon Master¡¯s warning. ¡°I shall shut your mouth for you then,¡± Shakira said, and then¡­ sh! His saber shed and flew toward the Red Cardinal. Was it 0.1 seconds? No¡­ it was more like 0.01 seconds. The Weapon Master¡¯s saber flew at the speed of light, and an ear-splitting sound reverberated afterward. ng! Siegfried stood frozen. He had just witnessed an unbelievable sight as well as the Red Cardinal¡¯s sleazy smile. Smirk. ¡°Too slow! Kekeke!¡± the Red Cardinal eximed after blocking Shakiro¡¯s attack with a lengthy weapon resembling a spear. ¡°Hey, Shakiro. What are you trying to do with your ragged body? I heard you gave away all of your weapons to your disciples, too. Ha! Do you seriously think that you can do something against me with that piece of junk? Can¡¯t you use your head for a second, you relic of the past?!¡± the Red Cardinal arrogantly taunted the Weapon Master. ¡®I have to help¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He sensed that things were going south. But just as he moved his hand, Shakiro said, ¡°Stay back.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. Shakiro gently pushed him back and continued, ¡°He is an inquisitor from the Church of Osric. He isn¡¯t someone you can fight so don¡¯t worry and leave him to me.¡± ¡°Oh~¡± the Red Cardinal muttered while inspecting Siegfried, and then he said, ¡°I thought you were familiar. I think it was a month ago? I received a report from the Sohoca Ruins, and it was quite amusing. The report said that a random greenhorn dared to disrupt an important event of our church. Perhaps¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I never thought of meeting that greenhorn here! How dare you disrupt our event? You shall pay for your transgressions with your life,¡± the Red Cardinal said as he extended his hand toward Siegfried. Shwaaaaaak! Red thorns shot out from his hand and flew toward Siegfried. ¡®Keuh! I won¡¯t be able to avoid it¡­¡¯?Siegfried realized that it was going to be difficult¡ªno, impossible to avoid the attack. He couldn¡¯t avoid the needle-like thorns flying toward him. However, Shakiro stood in front of Siegfried and shouted, ¡°How dare you!¡± Chwak! The Weapon Master fiercely swung his sword and created a ferocious stream of air that blocked the red thorns. ¡°Are you trying to prove that you still have your mrs left despite losing your fangs?¡± the Red Cardinal asked with a smile. ¡°I thought that you were nothing but a walking corpse now, but¡ª¡± The Red Cardinal flinched and could not finish his words. Shwiiik! Shakiro¡¯s weapon suddenly changed, and he swung a whip at the Red Cardinal¡¯s face. And thus, the battle started¡­ *** Weapon Master Shakiro and the Red Cardinal of the Church of Osric. The battle between these two could only be described as awe-inspiring. Shakiro constantly switched weapons, living up to his title as the Weapon Master while the Red Cardinal spread a sinister-looking red energy around him while thrusting his spear. Meanwhile, Siegfried could not properly observe the battle. ¡°Keuk¡­!¡± No, it was more appropriate to say that he could not stand the overwhelming pressure they exuded amidst their fight. ¡°W-What kind of pressure is this¡­?!¡± Siegfried eximed in awe. The shockwaves emitted whenever the Weapon Master and the Red Cardinal shed were so powerful that Siegfried was having a hard time withstanding it. However, Siegfried tried his best not to miss a single moment of the battle. ¡®This is a fight between Masters. It¡¯s not something that you can watch even if you pay a huge sum of money. I have to watch them and learn¡­!¡¯? He steeled his resolve as he withstood the overwhelming pressure. It was true that there was no way to watch a fight between Masters since there were currently zero yers at the Master level. As such, Siegfried considered himself lucky to be able to watch, listen, and feel the battle between these two Masters. ¡®Will I also be able to do such movements upon bing a Master¡­?¡¯?he wondered while observing their movements. While Siegfried was intently observing their fight, Shakiro¡¯s sword finally managed to dig deep into the Red Cardinal¡¯s abdomen. Puuuuk! Chwak! Chwaak! In addition, the Weapon Master immediately wielded a nunchaku and unleashed a barrage of strikes at the Red Cardinal¡¯s face. ¡°Keuuuuaaah!¡±?the Red Cardinal screamed in agony. ¡®As I expected, Shakiro-nim will win¡­¡¯? Siegfried was convinced that Shakiro would win, but the next scene caught him off guard. ¡®Huh?!¡¯ He didn¡¯t expect it at all. Kwachik! The Red Cardinal grabbed Shakiro by the neck. How was this possible when the Red Cardinal¡¯s abdomen had a sword sticking out of it, and he had just been beaten to a pulp by the nunchaku? ¡°¡­!¡± Shakiro was just as surprised as Siegfried. ¡°Keuk¡­ Keke¡­ Kekeke!¡± The Red Cardinal burst out intoughter with a hint of madness on his face before saying, ¡°Weapon Master Shakiro¡­ You forced me to be a beast¡­ you walking dead¡­!¡± ¡°Euk!¡±?Shakiro groaned when the Red Cardinal tightened his grip. ¡°I shall¡­ rip you¡­ into pieces¡­ Keuhehehe!¡±?the Red Cardinal eximed as heughed sinisterly. Then, the Red Cardinal transformed. The Red Cardinal¡¯s paleplexion slowly turned dark-purplish, and his eyes slowly turned ck. His barely-visible blood vessels bulged throughout his body, and his feeble-looking physique slowly grewrger. The Red Cardinal¡¯s new appearance resembled a ¡®beast¡¯ just as he said a while ago, and it seemed like he was transforming into Bruce Banner?from the Marvel?the Hulk. ¡®That¡¯s¡­! That bastard is the one Master told me about!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly when he ¡®instinctively¡¯ recognized the Red Cardinal¡¯s true identity. [Alert: Quest: ¡®Master¡¯s Regret¡¯ has activated!] [Master¡¯s Regret] [Type: Quest] [Details: Find and crush the seven sessors of the people known as the strongest eight on the continent five hundred years ago. [Progress: 0%] [Descendant of Thunder God Vajra 0/1] [Descendant of Sword Saint Murcigo 0/1] [Descendant of Great Sage Sieghart 0/1] [Descendant of Blood Master Berserk 0/1] [Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris 0/1] [Descendant of God Arrow Windforce 0/1] [Descendant of Supreme King Braum 0/1] It turned out that the Red Cardinal from the Church of Osric was the descendant of one of the people whom Deus did not get the chance to beat. He was the descendant of the Blood Master, Berserk. [dimir] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 301] [Affiliation: Church of Osric] [Position: Inquisitor] [Title: Red Cardinal] [Additional Information: The descendant of the devil known as the Blood Master, Berserk, who painted the continent in blood in the past.] The Red Cardinal¡ªdimir¡ªturned out to be one of Siegfried¡¯s Quest objectives. *** dimir was as powerful as he looked in his ¡®beast¡¯ form, and he was able to overpower and push Shakiro into a corner. No, it was more appropriate to say that he managed to push Shakiro one-sidedly into a corner, and the Weapon Master couldn¡¯t put up much of a resistance. Kwachik! dimir grabbed Shakiro¡¯s face and mmed him into the ground. ¡°Keuhak!¡±?Shakiro screamed in agony for the first time since the battle started. ¡°I shall rip you¡­ into pieces¡­ Kehehe¡­?I will chew on your limbs, and after I¡¯m done¡­ Kekeke!¡± ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± ¡°Die! Kruwah!¡±?dimir shouted and swung his fists toward Shakiro, unleashing a barrage of vicious punches. Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!? dimir¡¯s fist rained down on Shakiro. ¡°Keuh! Kuwaaah!¡±?Shakiro screamed in pain. ¡®I have to help him!¡¯?Siegfried thought. He could no longer just stand by and watch. He knew it would be futile, but he could not simply stand by and watch Shakiro die. If he was a true man, he couldn¡¯t just stand around and watch like a coward while Shakiro was dying, right? Moreover, dimir was the descendant of Blood Master Berserk, so he would eventually have to crush the Red Cardinal as well. There was no reason he shouldn¡¯t intervene. Wooong! Siegfried activated Circle of Mortality, Circle of Weakness, and Speed Restraint on dimir before charging at him¡ªno, he tried to charge at dimir. sh! A bright light manifested all of a sudden, and a sword surrounded by a blue aura appeared in a sh. The sword was not made out of metal. It seemed to be made out of mana, the energy of nature, and it seemed that a human¡¯s will materialized it. In addition¡­ sh! sh! sh! A weapon constructed from mana appeared every time there was a sh. A saber, spear, shield, mace, scythe, greatsword, etc... Every weapon that could be found in this world had appeared. ¡®What the hell are those?!¡¯ Siegfried was astonished to see the weapons constructed from mana. While Siegfried was standing there in a daze, the ground started shaking as the weapons made out of mana started spinning around the battlefield. Wooooooooong¡­! Smirk¡­ Shakiro suddenly smirked. ¡°Kruoh?¡± dimir tilted his head in confusion. However, he noticed that something was off when he saw the Weapon Master¡¯s smile. Shwaaaaaaa! The weapons rained down on the battlefield. However, it was more urate to describe the scene as a ¡®storm¡¯ of weapons. *** Siegfried didn¡¯t manage to witness the end of the awe-inspiring skill. Other than how the weapons rained down on the battlefield, he didn¡¯t manage to see much because¡­ [Alert: Status ailment!] [Alert: You have been stunned!] [Alert: 29 minutes and 59 seconds until recovery¡­] [Alert: 29 minutes and 58 seconds left¡­] [Alert: 29 minutes and 57 seconds left¡­] [Alert: 29 minutes and 56 seconds left¡­] Tae-Sung¡¯s game character Siegfried couldn¡¯t withstand the explosive mana that burst from the storm of weapons and was knocked out by the storm¡¯s sheer pressure. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

¡°Ah!¡± Tae-Sung kicked a fuss inside his VR capsule in frustration as he shouted, ¡°Why do I have to get stunned now of all times?! Why?! Damn it, why is it now?!¡± Who knew that his character would get stunned? However, there was nothing he could do. In fact, he should think he was lucky that his character did not die upon taking the brunt of the shockwaves from the mana explosion. He was Level 53, while Shakiro and dimir were over Level 300. There was a saying that a shrimp would get squashed when caught up in a fight between whales, and Siegfried shouldn¡¯t have survived the impact of the shockwaves from their battle. It didn¡¯t matter whether he had a hidden ss or something even more special. However, the main reason Siegfried got stunned was because of Shakiro¡¯s skill. ¡®Just how strong is he?¡¯ Tae-Sung wondered, recalling the powerful skill that manifested earlier. Weapons constructed from mana? This could only mean that Shakiro could manifest weapons made out of mana at will. Those weapons rained down on the battlefield at the Weapon Master¡¯s will as well. ¡°Shakiro must have won¡­ Well, there¡¯s no way he would lose after using a skill like that,¡± Tae-Sung was convinced¡ªno, he was confident of Shakiro¡¯s victory. ¡°Ah¡­ I want to log back in as soon as possible¡­¡± he grumbled. His impatience only made the clock tick even slower, which made him even more frustrated as he waited for the countdown timer to end. Thirty minutester¡­ [5¡­] [4¡­] [3¡­] [2¡­] [1¡­] [You have recovered!] [The yer¡¯s character has recovered from ¡®stun¡¯!] Tae-Sung¡¯s vision returned after the countdown timer ended. *** ¡°Euk¡­!¡±?Siegfried groaned. He had just recovered from the effects of Stun, but there was already a pain inundating him. He was a total mess. The durability of all his equipment was reduced to one except for Megingjord, and both his HP and mana were reduced to ten points. It was a testament to the strength of Shakiro¡¯s skill. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Siegfried heard a familiar voice. ¡°Shakiro-nim!¡± Siegfried eximed. He forced himself to get up and turn toward the familiar voice. Shakiro stood tall in front of Siegfried, and he looked so calm that nobody would believe that he was just in a middle of a vicious fight to the death. ¡°What happened? What was that skill just now?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Thousands of weapons litter the skies to descend as a rain of steel. Whenever I use that skill, blood rains all over the battlefield. It¡¯s my secret skill. It contains everything I had learned throughout my life. I stumbled upon it by chance while experimenting with an ancient book I found in a ruin,¡± Shakiro exined.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Torrential Flower Rain,¡± Shakiro uttered the name of the skill that contained everything he lived for. ¡°It¡¯s awesome,¡± Siegfried said in awe, and then he added, ¡°It¡¯s an ultimate skill that certainly suits you. What a shame, I couldn¡¯t bear witness to it¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be ashamed about it. It¡¯smendable enough that you were still alive after taking the impact of its shockwaves. Honestly, I was worried that you might get swept up and die¡­¡± ¡°Come on, what does it matter if I die? I wille back to life anyway,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. ¡°No¡­¡± Shakiro shook his head before saying, ¡°If you died, we wouldn¡¯t be able to meet again.¡± ¡°Huh? Do you have somewhere you have to be?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Setting that aside¡­¡± Shakiro changed the topic, ¡°From now on, you have to be careful since you have be a target of the Church of Osric. The Red Cardinal, dimir, is going to be looking for you from now on.¡± ¡°Huh? He¡¯s still alive?¡± Siegfried asked in surprise. ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± Shakiro directed his gaze at a spot around ten meters away. There was a severed arm that seemed to belong to dimir. ¡°He has quite the skill for someone who had just be a Master. No, can you even call that skills¡­? Anyway, he is strong. He managed to survive and lose only an arm despite receiving the skill I have devoted my entire life to,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Of course, if my body were in good shape, it would have been a different story,¡± Shakiro added. In addition to his body being in bad shape, Shakiro had also given away all of the legendary weapons he possessed to his disciples, so he fought dimir with quite a penalty. ¡°I recall you mentioned that you¡¯re sick¡­¡± Siegfried carefully said. ¡°It¡¯s not an illness. My body is just giving up on me,¡± Shakiro nonchntly replied. ¡°What? Your body is giving up on you?!¡± Siegfried eximed in surprise. ¡°It has been a long time since I started fighting the Church of Osric. They are an organization that disrupts the peace and brings chaos to the continent. It was my calling to put an end to their evil ns as a Master, but I ended up suffering a grievous wound while fighting them. However, I have no regrets. I don¡¯t mind sacrificing myself for the sake of world peace,¡± Shakiro exined. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you focus on recovering rather than being here? Let us hurry up and¡ª¡± Siegfried started. However, Shakiro cut him off. ¡°If it were curable, I would have treated it long ago.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°It was nice meeting you, Siegfried.¡± Shakiro suddenly bade goodbye. ¡°My journey started here, and I wanted a quiet end to my journey while aimlessly walking around the streets, reminiscing about the past. I walked down the streets I once walked while looking back at the life I lived,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°Shakiro-nim!¡± ¡°I saw you while I was walking. I thought you possessed a pretty unique physique for a young man, and I wanted to teach you anything that would be helpful to you. However, you turned out to be far more talented than I initially thought. I was proud of you. Setting aside your physique, I admire your passion and your mindset. You are truly a rare young man in this day and age, and I didn¡¯t expect that you were qualified to dream of bing an invincible being on top of all that,¡± Shakiro continued. ¡®No! Nooo!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly when he realized that Shakiro was really saying goodbye. ¡°It was fun being with you. I was happy despite the short time we spent together,¡± Shakiro said. ¡°No! You can¡¯t leave just like this!¡± Siegfried eximed with desperation in his voice. ¡°Siegfried,¡± Shakiro called out. His body was slowly disappearing as if he were a ghost. ¡°Take Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work with you. It will be my final gift to you. I wasn¡¯t able to find it myself, but I know that you will fulfill the dreams of my youth and find it.¡± ¡°Ah! Please, Shakiro-nim! That item isn¡¯t important right now!¡± ¡°I hope you will use it for the greater good, and this is the skill that contains my life¡¯s work¡­¡± Shakiro waved his hand, and an old tattered book dropped in front of Siegfried¡¯s feet. ¡°It¡¯s not as useful as what your master bestowed upon you, but I know that it will be useful to you one day. Practice it whenever you get the chance.¡± ¡°Shakiro-nim!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose your heart, as it will be your strongest weapon. And if you do manage to be powerful one day, then I want you to use it for the greater good. I want you to be a responsible person who knows how to use his strength in the right way.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Lastly¡­¡± Shakiro muttered with a weak smile, ¡°Siegfried¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Shakiro-nim¡­ please¡­¡± Siegfried begged. ¡°I consider you my disciple.¡± Those were Shakiro¡¯sst words. Fwaaa¡­ Shakiro vanished after leaving hisst words. Weapon Master Shakiro could no longer be found except in his memories. ¡°Why?!¡± Siegfried screamed out loud. ¡°Siegfried¡­ I consider you¡­ my disciple¡­¡± The Weapon Master¡¯sst words continued to ring in Siegfried¡¯s ears. *** For quite a while, Siegfried remained in ce. ¡°Ah¡­ why¡­ he¡¯s just an NPC¡­ Haa¡­¡±? Siegfried didn¡¯t feel good at all. If put bluntly, Shakiro was just an AI created by Hive Entertainment Games, and he was just a bunch of data made up of zeroes and ones. However, Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel sorrowful for his passing. It was because NPCs in BNW were created after analyzing the actions and manner of speech of humans so that the NPCs could replicate them. In short, they were beings who knew how to speak, listen, and feel just like normal human beings. Once a yer was immersed in BNW, it was normal for them to forget the fact that they were ying a game and that NPCs were just a bunch of data. BNW captivated the entire world because they could make anyone find it hard difficult to distinguish what was reality and fantasy. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Siegfried let out a sigh and calmed down. He picked up the book Shakiro had left behind. ¡°Siegfried¡­ I consider you¡­ my disciple¡­¡± Shakiro¡¯sst words continued to ring in his ears. ¡°It was nice to meet you as well, and I was happy I met you. I will certainly avenge you¡­ I will be leaving now, and I hope that you rest in peace¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before adding, ¡°Master...¡± Siegfried ended up acknowledging Shakiro as his second master. - Haha! What did you just say? Did you just call me Master? My, my! What an honor! He wasn¡¯t sure if it was real, but he could faintly hear Shakiro¡¯s voice. *** Siegfried opened therge stone door where Herbert¡¯s final work seemed to be located. There was no need for a key, and he also didn¡¯t have to break the door open by force. It was because Shakiro had already destroyed the four guardians guarding the door. Ddruuuk! Siegfried pushed therge stone door. There was nothing special about the room beyond the stone door. Inside, there was only a lone box. ¡®Is Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work inside that box? Isn¡¯t it too small¡­? Is it a dagger rather than a sword or a spear?¡¯?Siegfried wondered while observing the box the size of an apple box that could probably only fit a dagger, short sword, or a gauntlet at most. It didn¡¯t seem like it could contain the world¡¯s most powerful weapon. ¡®Well, it could be a special weapon,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he opened the box. However, rather than a weapon, the box contained¡­ ¡°What the hell is this¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered while picking up the item inside the box. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 1¡¯!] It was an old piece of paper rather than Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work. ¡°Just for this¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, and his body quivered as rage started to rise up within him. He had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that the item Shakiro had sacrificed his life to obtain wasn¡¯t Herbert¡¯s final work that he had been dreaming of obtaining in his younger days but a treasure map piece. Even worse, it wasn¡¯t even a full treasure map but a map that was ripped in half. ¡°Is this some kind of a joke?¡± Siegfried growled under his breath. It was then¡­ [Alert: Congrattions!] [Alert: You have gathered both ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half¡¯! (2/2)] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Treasure Map¡¯!] A notification popped up in front of him. *** ¡®What? I gathered all of them? What is this talking about?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the message that popped up in front of him. Why was it saying that he had gathered all parts when he had just obtained ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 1¡¯ just now? ¡®Is it a bug?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2¡¯!] [Alert: Try toplete the map!] He suddenly remembered an old piece of parchment lying in his Inventory, and it was none other than ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2¡¯. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

¡°Ah! That thing I picked up that time was this¡­? Great¡­!¡± Siegfried eximed in disbelief when he realized that the item that was in his possession for the longest time was actually the other half of the map that would lead him to where Herbert¡¯s final work was located. Siegfried obtained ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2¡¯ during his glory days right before everything crumbled. He was Level 200 at that time, and he obtained a quest from the lord of a territory to exterminate a group of bandits. He obtained ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2¡¯ while looting spoils from that bandit¡¯s den. ¡°What the hell is this piece of paper? Does anyone want this? No one?¡± The problem was that ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2¡¯ was so tattered and worn out that nobody wanted it since no one could tell what treasure it was depicting and where the other half could be. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll keep it¡­¡± That was how Siegfried ended up shoving ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2¡¯ into his Inventory without much thought. A year and a halfter, Siegfried¡¯s guild was in ruins, Siegfried was ruined, he met Deus and started a new life, and then he met Weapon Master Shakiro in Dondegiri. Meanwhile, ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2¡¯ was still sitting in Siegfried¡¯s inventory. It was a bit of a waste to throw it away, but he had no idea where he could use it, so he ended uppletely forgetting about it. ¡°Is this what they call luck? Or is this what they call a coincidence? I guess all sorts of things do happen in this world¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in awe when he realized the true value of the ¡®Treasure Map Ripped in Half 2¡¯ that had been sleeping in his Inventory. It was aplete coincidence that worked out for him in the end. He had never imagined¡ªeven in his wildest dreams¡ªthat the item he had obtained out of pure coincidence would find its true purpose after meeting Shakiro by pure coincidence. If he hadn¡¯te to Dondegiri, if he hadn¡¯t met Shakiro, and if Shakiro hadn¡¯t shown any interest in him, Herbert¡¯s final work would have been lost forever. It would have remained as nothing more than a folktale passed down from generation to generation. ¡°I feel like I have used up all of my luck in these past few months¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief at such a monumental coincidence. However, there was one thing Siegfried had overlooked. It could have all been a coincidence like he thought, but all of this wouldn¡¯t have been possible if it wasn¡¯t for his stubborn determination to produce results. In fact, what he had gone through and obtained were the fortunes Siegfried had worked hard to create for himself, and meeting Deus to eventually turn his life around was a testament to what his determination could achieve. Had Deus only been looking at Siegfried? No, Deus had been observing hundreds¡ªno, thousands of people but none of them were able to captivate him. Siegfried was the only one who managed to pique his interest. His unquenchable thirst for victory and his unyielding spirit to fight against a top guild like the Genesis Guild, and the tears he had shed out of frustration after continuously losing against them¡ªthese were what captivated the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus. It was the same for his meeting with Shakiro. The Weapon Master wouldn¡¯t have treated him so well if Siegfried were arrogant just because he had some nice skills, and Shakiro would have probably just ended up teaching him a few tricks before leaving. However, Siegfried hadn¡¯t disyed any arrogance before the Weapon Master, and he faithfully carried out every single thing Shakiro had asked him to do. And Siegfried had always been humble, only striving to grow stronger. However, turning a coincidence into a fortune or into an opportunity still depended on one¡¯s determination and passion. ¡°Well, this coincidence is so hard to believe, but¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he ced ¡®Treasure Map 1 Ripped in Half¡¯ inside his Inventory. Then, he dered, ¡°I will definitely find Herbert¡¯s final work for you, Master Shakiro-nim.¡± With theplete map in his hands, Siegfried could now look for the weapon Herbert had poured his entire life into creating because he didn¡¯t have to find any clues as to its whereabouts. *** Siegfried returned to Dondegiri and checked in to the Intervention Hotel before seriously contemting his next move. The first thing that popped into his mind was avenging Shakiro. ¡®Shakiro-nim¡¯s body would not have disintegrated that quickly if it wasn¡¯t for that bastard¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he started boiling in rage. The ultimate skill Shakiro had used, Torrential Flower Rain, had obviously sped up his body¡¯s deterioration. ¡®That¡¯s more than enough reason for me to kill him,¡¯?Siegfried thought while clenching his fists. In addition, dimir was the descendant of Blood Master Berserk, so he was one of the people Siegfried had to defeat anyway. As such, it wasn¡¯t strange for Siegfried to harbor such animosity toward the former. However, that wasn¡¯t the only reason. Church of Osric. They were the organization Siegfried had gotten tangled up with, and in a bad way at that, twice at the Sohoca Ruins and here in Dondegiri. They would obviouslye after him now since they already knew his existence, which was what Shakiro had warned him about. ¡®Why does it feel like I¡¯m making more enemies these days¡­¡¯?he thought. His head ached when he thought about making another big enemy like the Church of Osric on top of the Genesis Guild, but he decided not to worry and disregard them for now. Why? ¡®I just have to be stronger and crush them in one go,¡¯?Siegfried thought, clenching his fists. He was currently walking on the path to invincibility. He was currentlycking, but he was bound to obtain power that can contend against them sooner orter, so there was no need for him to get scared of them. ¡®Let¡¯s upgrade my gears for now and leave this ce as soon as possible,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he left his room. ¡°Excuse me, are you Siegfried customer-nim?¡± a hotel staffer approached and asked when Siegfried was about to leave the hotel. ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°There is a telegram message for you,¡± the staffer said. ¡°Huh??A telegram message for me?¡± Siegfried was surprised. A telegram message was a keymunication feature in BNW since the game didn¡¯t have the ¡®whisper chat¡¯ system ubiquitous in other PC games. The developers opted to go without it to further enhance the realistic experience the game could give. What use would offering a realistic experience be if the users could simply whisper to each other while being miles away from each other on such arge map? The game¡¯s bnce would have surely crumbled by now if yers far apart from each other could easilymunicate via the whisper system. After all, the yers would definitely abuse it, as it was something the NPCs didn¡¯t possess. As such, the developers of BNW¡ªHive Games Entertainment¡ªdecided to get rid of the whisper system and implement a telegram system in its stead. The yers could leave a telegram message through the Intervention Hotel, so they could stillmunicate with one another. However, this was also one of the reasons some people ended up developing anti-social and psychotic behavior, which resulted in them getting locked up in mental hospitals. ¡°Would you like to check the telegram message?¡± asked the staffer. ¡°Sure,¡± Siegfried replied nonchntly. ¡°Here it is,¡± the staffer extended an envelope to Siegfried. ¡®Just who would send me a message?¡¯?he wondered as he opened the envelope. Then, he discovered that the message was from Gosran two days ago. To: Siegfried, Siegfried-nim! How are you? I¡¯m doing well. I was just curious about where you are ying these days, so I thought of sending you a message. I¡¯m not asking you to hunt with me, so do not worry about that! I just wanted to say hi and keep in touch. Do not misunderstand¡­! @.@ Then, I will wait for your reply. From: Gosran There was nothing special in the letter, and she was just keeping in touch. ¡°Ah, Gosran-nim sent it. Hmm¡­ I guess it¡¯s good that she is doing fine,¡± Siegfried muttered, and that was the end of it. He didn¡¯t bother to reply. ¡°I¡¯m busy¡­¡± he muttered, justifying his anti-social behavior. He had no time to dillydally and chat with people. He had to go and upgrade his gears as soon as possible and decide on his next destination before anything else. Siegfried decided to postpone his reply to the telegram message and left the Intervention Hotel. *** When Siegfried left the Intervention Hotel to upgrade his gears, hundreds of millions of users were currently in a heated debate at BNW¡¯srgest Community forum, New World. They were debating about the ¡®World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡¯ that was going to be hosted by the continent¡¯srgest and strongest empire, the Marchioni Empire. [Preamble] I, Stuttgart Von Posteriore, the 16th Emperor of the Marchioni Empire, congratte the Adventurers from another world. Adventurers! I, the Emperor, am well aware of your exploits! I would have never imagined that you, visitors from another world, woulde and risk your lives to fight against monsters and the forces of evil to protect our world. Your courageous feats are honorable and admirable! You deserve to be respected. I, the Emperor, the empire I rule, and the citizens I rule over, salute you for your bravery. Henceforth, I hereby announce that all the gateways in my empire shall be free to use and the rates for the Intervention Hotel shall be reduced by thirty percent as a token of my appreciation for your valor. Furthermore, I hereby announce the ¡®World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡¯ will be held under my name. The ¡®World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡¯ will test your mental fortitude, physical abilities, martial prowess, strategicpetence, and many more things required to prove your worth and stand proud as a truly strong warrior. Lastly, I shall confer the winner of the ¡®World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡¯ the title of ¡®Grand Duke¡¯ and grant them fertilends as their territory to rule over. They shalle under the wings and protection of I, the Emperor of the Marchioni Empire, and be crowned as a king under the empire. I, the Emperor, shall look forward to your participation. Signed, Stuttgard Von Posteriore 16th Emperor of the Marchioni Empire The important parts were the conferring of a Grand Duke title, a territory to rule over, and bing a crowned king. The winner of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament would obtain the glory of bing the first-ever king of a country among the yers. A king! In addition, the first-ever yer crowned king would receive massive advantages since no yer had managed to obtain a title higher than a Baron up until now. Not to mention, the ¡®fertilend¡¯ promised as a reward, which was the ¡®Proatine Province¡¯ located in a strategic location and was geographically decent as well. Its ruler would surely obtain unfathomable riches if managed properly. However, joining the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounded. [World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament]
  • Summary: Thest remaining survivor is the strongest person!
  • Date: World Calendar Year 3717, Month 5, 1st Day, 00:00 O¡¯clock.
  • Period: World Calendar Year 3717, Month 5, 1st Day, 00:00 O¡¯clock till the day there is only one person standing.
  • Location: The Burning Ind, located at the center of the White Archipgo.
  • Reward: All territories within Proatine Province.
  • Registration Fee: 1,000 gold
  • Maximum Participants: 10,000 people on a firste, first-served basis.
  • Warning: The participants will lose all of their skills and their Rune of Transcendence will be sealed for 10 years if they die during the tournament.
    • The ¡®Warning¡¯ part of the announcement caused an uproar. They would lose all their skills if they died? This was as good as having their character reset or deleted. In addition, their Rune of Transcendence, which was the Adventurer¡¯s source of strength, being sealed for ten years basically meant that the yer wouldn¡¯t be able to level up for ten years. As such, the users of the New World Community forum were in a heated debate as they discussed the ¡®Warning¡¯ written on the announcement, and thements on the post alone had already reached hundreds of millions. In the end, the email servers and phone lines of Hive Games Entertainment crashed due to the sheer number of calls and emails sent by users asking for rification regarding the matter. The Vice Chairman of Hive Games Entertainment, Oppenheimer, was even forced to conduct a press conference to rify Hive¡¯s stance on the matter. Chapter 55

    Chapter 55

    It was five in the morning in Korea and two in the afternoon local time. The developer and distributor of BNW¡ªHive Games Entertainment¡ªwas holding a press conference at their headquarters in Tennessee, United States of America. One minute before the start of the press conference¡­ Murmur¡­ murmur¡­? The Comb Section Stadium, where the press conference was being held, was filled with noise because of the crowd that gathered for the press conference. It was normal for such a crowd to gather and fill up an entire stadium since BNW was a game that boasted more active userspared to all previous games that held the top spotbined, and the influence of the game thatmanded three hundred million active users was massive. Their revenue? It was a shocking figure, but that wasn¡¯t important since a long time had already passed since BNW took over the world¡¯s mainstream media through its three hundred million active users. In fact, there were many videos,ics, fan art, E-Sports, novels, movies, and a lot of other multimedia content that used BNW as their model. Software power! BNW was able to acquire significant influence over the world by offering ¡®Earthlings¡¯ an otherworldly experience, and this effect was simr to how Hollywood gave significant influence over the world in the early years of the film industry. Therefore, the Comb Section Stadium was filled with not only reporters from every mainstream news channel but from independent reporters, reviewers, and bloggers as well. ¡°Hello, my name is Oppenheimer, and I am the Vice Chairman of Hive Games Entertainment,¡± Oppenheimer said as he appeared in front of the guests, and then he continued, ¡°Our stance on the recent event that has caused an uproar¡ª¡± However, Oppenheimer couldn¡¯t finish his words. ¡°Is it an event by Hive?¡± ¡°There is a conspiracy theory that this is all a plot by Hive to restrain users! I would like your opinion on that!¡± ¡°What kind of an event ruins a user¡¯s ount? Isn¡¯t this crossing the line?!¡± ¡°If the Rune of Transcendence is sealed, won¡¯t leveling up be impossible?¡± ¡°What will happen to those who lose? Will Hive bend the rules and let them create a new ount?!¡± A torrent of questions came crashing down on Oppenheimer. There were bound to be a lot of questions from themunity and media since all sorts of rumors and misinformation were flying around on themunity forum rted to the event. However, it didn¡¯t take Oppenheimer long to answer their questions. ¡°First of all¡­¡± Oppenheimer¡¯s words silenced the rowdy crowd. ¡°All of you will have to remember our stubborn stance on managing the game. I emphasize once again that ourpany does not get involved in the game unless there is a bug, graphical error, or technical issues, including but not limited towork connectivity issues. Therefore, this event was created by the NPCs rather than ourpany. In short, I am officially announcing that this event was fully nned and created by the officials under the Emperor of the Marchioni Empire,¡± Oppenheimer exined. ¡°Vice Chairman-nim! What does sealing the Rune of Transcendence when a yer dies in thepetition mean?¡± a reporter asked. ¡°It means that their level will be reset to one and they can no longer level up,¡± Oppenheimer calmly replied. ¡°Then the ounts of those who lose will be¡­¡± the reporter muttered. ¡°It will be no different from an empty can. The user will have their level reset to one, and they will be unable to level up for the next ten years,¡± Oppenheimer continued the reporter¡¯s words. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too much of a price to pay for losing an event¡­?¡± the reporter asked in response while seemingly taken aback by Oppenheimer¡¯s straightforward response. ¡°All of you will have to remember the ¡®high-risk, high-return¡¯ philosophy. Nobody is forcing the users to join the tournament, and the decision to take the risk is solely up to them. They do not have to join if they are scared of the consequences,¡± Oppenheimer nonchntly replied. ¡°The users still think that the consequences are a bit too much¡­ Can¡¯t Hive intervene in this matter and reduce the risk¡­?¡± the reporter asked. ¡°Does it not exist in hardcore modes?¡± Oppenheimer retorted. ¡®Hardcore Mode¡¯ was a difficulty mode in video games, and dying in that difficult mode meant that the game was over. ¡°H-Hardcore mode¡­?¡± ¡°Joining the event simply means that the users are switching on ¡®hardcore mode¡¯ by their own will. They do not have to participate if they do not want to,¡± Oppenheimer added. Gasp! The crowd was shocked by his words. ¡°In lieu of that, ourpany will not provide any support to the losers of this tournament, and this is something that will not change no matter what,¡± Oppenheimer emphasized once again. ¡°Then¡­ the losers will have to delete their ounts and leave the game¡­¡± muttered a reporter. ¡°The answers can be found within the game,¡± Oppenheimer said. He paused for a moment and smiled before he continued, ¡°Any issues that happen within the game may only be solved from within the game. Who knows? Perhaps someone will be able to find a solution to this? However, it is not going to be easy since there can only be one winner, and it would be better for the losers to just quit the game outright.¡± ¡°Can the losers in the tournament make aeback?¡± asked a reporter. ¡°I do not know,¡± replied Oppenheimer with a shake of his head. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I could find out if I wanted to, but ourpany is not interested in finding out, and we do not have any ns of looking into it as well,¡± Oppenheimer added with a grin. ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°I think I have resolved all of your queries so shall we call it a day? Thank you very much foring here today. Then, I shall excuse myself,¡± Oppenheimer said before directly leaving the press conference. The press conference was supposed to end right there and then, but¡­ ¡°Vice Chairman-nim!¡± ¡°Please wait a moment!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too irresponsible?!¡± ¡°How is this any different from making content that¡¯s basically no different from gambling, then pushing all the responsibility and consequences to the users?!¡± It seemed that the people at the press conference were not satisfied with his response, as they desperately tried to prevent him from leaving, but Oppenheimer had already left the stage, and he soon disappeared from their view. *** Tae-Sung logged out of the game after upgrading his gears. He essed Trade Mania to exchange his gold for cash. In front of the bank, Tae-Sung smiled while looking at his remaining debt. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s only a bit more to go.¡± He was really about to repay all of his debt. He only had three hundred million won left to pay back before he could kiss his debtor life goodbye. A hundred million won to the loansharks, and two hundred million won to the bank. He would end up penniless after repaying all of his debts, but he was sure that his life would take a turn for the betterpared to when he was still drowning in debt. In addition, he wasn¡¯t really worried about the future anymore because he would start earning more money from now on. ¡°So the day when I can pay off all of my debt ising¡­¡± he muttered while looking up into the sky. He could finally see the light at the end of the hopeless tunnel he was in, and when he stretched his hand out, he could see that there were only a few steps left before he could finally escape from this life. ¡°I should pay off all my debts as soon as possible and buy a small building to¡ª¡± Tae-Sung was suddenly interrupted by a call. Vrrr! He took his vibrating phone out and looked at the screen. It was a call from¡­ ¡¸Iing call from ¡®Scumbag¡¯¡¹ *** ¡°What is it?¡± Tae-Sung curtly said after answering the call. Then, an image of the caller appeared through the hologram disy his phone was equipped with. Tae-Sung was using one of the new generation phones that seeded the smartphones of old¡ªthe V-Phone. ¡ª How have you been? The image of the scumbag being projected by the hologram asked. The scumbag was none other than Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°I¡¯m still doing the same thing, but why did you call?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡ª There¡¯s no particr reason. I just thought of calling you and saying hi. Have you leveled up quite a bit? ¡°Not really.¡± ¡ª Why? ¡°I had some business to take care of.¡± ¡ª In the game or in real life? ¡°In the game.¡± ¡ª What is it? ¡°Noment.¡± Tae-Sung curtly said. He didn¡¯t feel the need to divulge the details of what he had been doing to Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡ª Well, I guess I can¡¯t force it out of you¡­ I¡¯ll just figure it out myself. ¡°That¡¯s up to you,¡± Tae-Sung nonchntly replied. He had no ns of stopping Cheon Woo-Jin from doing what he wanted. ¡ª How much have you earned so far? ¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡ª How much did you earn since January? ¡°Huh? Why are you asking that?¡± ¡ª You earned more than five hundred million won, right? ¡°Of course...¡± ¡ª Hmm¡­ You will get bombed soon. ¡°Bomb?¡± ¡ª I¡¯m sure the tax people will love you. You sure are a patriot. ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. Then, he grimaced the moment he recalled it. Tax¡­ Cheon Woo-Jin was talking about the tax office, which was known to be more vicious than loan sharks. Yes, taxes were horrifying to face. In fact, it was extremely fearsome that the founding father of the United States of America, Benjamin Franklin, once said that there were two things one could not avoid in life: death and taxes. And the alpha and omega among scientists¡ªAlbert Einstein¡ªonce famously said: the hardest thing in the world to understand is the ie tax. ¡ª The ongoing tax rate for ie above five hundred million won is forty percent so¡­. I guess you will have to pay at least two hundred million won if we say that you made around five hundred million won? Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s holographic projection said with a mischievous grin. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He looked heartbroken as if he would burst into tears at any moment. He wouldn¡¯t have any money left after paying off his debt, and he only had until May of next year to start earning as much as he could to pay off his tax bill which would be at least two hundred million won. ¡°Ipletely forgot about that¡­ ugh¡­¡± ¡ª I¡¯ll introduce a good ountant to you so ask them to calcte things for you. They will be able to shave off some of your tax bills. Cheon Woo-Jin was offering Tae-Sung help¡ªhelp he desperately needed right now. ¡ª They won¡¯t be able to shave off much since you are a gamer, but it¡¯s better than paying the whole bill, right? You also have the option of paying 100% of your taxes and contributing to your country. ¡°Give me their contact details,¡± Tae-Sung said without an ounce of hesitation. Tae-Sung had not an ounce of patriotism in him. Why? It was because he would have to pay at least tens of millions of won if he didn¡¯t hire an ountant to get his taxes in order. Tax evasion was a crime, so he had no ns of going anywhere near that, but to reduce one¡¯s tax payment was a whole different story. It was illegal to evade taxes, but reducing taxes waspletely legal as long as it was within the boundary of thew. ¡ª I guess even you are scared of thew. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡ª You better start stockpiling cash if you don¡¯t want to cry tears of blood next May. ¡°Alright¡­¡± ¡ª Ah, also¡­ I¡¯m just curious but¡­ do you have any ns of joining that ¡®World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡¯¡­? ¡°I was taught not to get involved in those kinds of things,¡± Tae-Sung said with a grimace, and then he added, ¡°I don¡¯t have any ns of ending my life so soon. I would be insane to join that tournament. Why would I kill a goose thatys golden eggs?¡± He was absolutely correct. His ount had the potential of turning into a cash cow, and he would inevitably earn heaps of cash sooner orter, so he had no reason to take on such a huge risk by joining the ¡®World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament.¡¯ ¡ª Fine then. Cheon Woo-Jin nodded, seemingly satisfied with Tae-Sung¡¯s response. ¡ª I was worried that you would¡ª ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that at all¡­¡± Tae-Sung cut him off before adding, ¡°I have no ns on joining even if they offered to make me the emperor as the reward.¡± Tae-Sung proved that someone who had a lot of things to lose would be more careful than anyone. *** The next day, Tae-Sung logged into BNW as usual and descended into the N¨¹rburg Continent as Adventurer Siegfried. He boarded a small aircraft known as a Zeppelin that was heading toward the southern seas. Siegfried was heading toward the southern seas because thepleted treasure map was guiding him there. Of course, he had no ns of looking for Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work since it would be impossible. It was an impossible endeavor to do with his current level, and right now, it was nothing more than a pie in the sky. ¡®I¡¯ll just go and take a look,¡¯?Siegfried thought. The reason Siegfried was still heading to the ce the map had indicated was that he wanted to know the difficulty of the dungeon where Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work was located. It would help him roughly gauge when he should attempt to retrieve the treasure. ¡®They said it¡¯s going to take about an hour, so¡­ I should probably read a book or something,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He plopped down on the aircraft floor and retrieved books from his Inventory. They were the books Weapon Master Shakiro had left behind, and they contained the skills he had asked Siegfried to practice from time to time. [Book 1: Lightning] [Book 2: Torrential Flower Rain] The books Shakiro had left behind were titled ¡®Lightning,¡¯ which contained spear artsprised of multiple forms, and ¡®Torrential Flower Rain,¡¯ which was a skill that could basically be considered as the amalgamation of everything he had learned throughout his lifetime. These two books contained the secret skills Shakiro had created, and the Lightning Spear Arts alone was already more than enough to be considered a very high-level skill. ¡°Lightning is a very simple spear artprised of Form 1, Form 2, Form 3, and Form 0¡­¡± Siegfried read the words in the book while engraving every single one of them into his brain. Around thirty minutes since he started reading, a piercing rm rang throughout the Zeppelin. Beep! Beep! Beep!? ¡®What¡¯s that sound?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He turned his gaze toward the cockpit. The cockpit door suddenly swung open, and the captain came running out while shouting, ¡°T-There¡¯s an emergency!¡± ¡°Huh? What emergency?¡± Siegfried asked. He had no idea what was going on. ¡°There is a storm headed straight for us!¡± the captain eximed. ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? You said that the weather today was clear¡ª¡± Siegfried argued. However, the captainpletely ignored and cut him off with a shout, ¡°But do not worry! I have been driving an airship for more than twenty years! I will certainly bring you safely to your destination, so please trust me and¡ª¡± Boom! Something exploded on the right side of the airship. [Alert: Warning! Warning!] [Alert: The airship¡¯s right engine has exploded due to its age and poor maintenance!] A message popped up. The message gave no credibility to the captain¡¯s plea to trust his twenty years of experience driving an airship, as the captain had actually neglected the maintenance of his airship while driving it for the past twenty years. However, their troubles didn¡¯t end there¡­ Dudududududududu! The airship wildly shook, signaling its descent¡ªthey were about to crash. 1. This means that it¡¯s useless and can¡¯t do anything. 2. In Korea, they call getting a huge tax bill getting ¡®bombed by taxes¡¯. Nobody loves taxes. Nobody¡­ but feel free toment if you do. lol Chapter 56

    Chapter 56

    Inside the crashing airship¡­ ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry! We can still safelynd even though we lost one of the engines!¡± the captain shouted, and he hurriedly ran into the cockpit to try andnd the airship. Unfortunately, an emergencynding was difficult. [Alert: A storm is raging up ahead!] The powerful winds from the storm that appeared out of nowhere shook the airship. It would be extremely difficult to control the airship when it was missing an engine while being battered by the raging storm¡¯s powerful winds. Even a veteran pilot with twenty years of experience would find it tough to perform an emergencynding in such conditions. ¡°Huh?¡± the captain muttered with a look of disbelief. Whooosh! The airship started spinning in ce as if it were a pinwheel the storm¡¯s powerful winds swept it away. [Alert: The airship is about to crash!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried. ¡°You told us not to worry while unting your twenty years of experience or something, but you couldn¡¯t even maintain your airship¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled while ring at the captain. ¡°What can I do when I have so much on my bar tab?!¡± the captain angrily retorted, and then he shouted, ¡°Do you really think that I didn¡¯t want to maintain my airship?! Ha?! I was aware that the bearing on my right engine was cracked! I knew it, but the bar threatened to tell my wife if I failed to pay my tab within the week!¡± ¡°You call that an excuse?¡± Siegfried muttered as he covered his face with his hands before retorting, ¡°This isn¡¯t because of human error in maintenance; you simply didn¡¯t maintain it at all!¡± ¡°What do you know? Ha?! Punk!¡± the captain angrily shouted and scoffed. ¡°Shut up and just drive if you want to live. I wille back to life if I die, but aren¡¯t you going to really die?¡± Siegfried nonchntly said. ¡°Ha¡­?¡± the captain tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Then, thank you for your hard work,¡± Siegfried said. He leisurely held onto a handgrip and said with a smirk, ¡°It¡¯s a matter of life and death for you, so I¡¯m sure you will try very hard to get yourself out of this, right?¡± ¡°T-This punk actually dares to¡­!¡± the captain angrily muttered. ¡°You should¡¯ve maintained your airship properly, then¡­ Tsk¡­¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue. He had to right to be brazen toward the captain since this entire problem happened because the captain chose to pay his bar tab instead of paying to maintain his airship. It was a relief that this happened in a virtual reality game rather than in real life since this incident caused by carelessness and a carefree attitude would surely be stered all over the evening news, and the media would me the entire industry for itsck of discipline and management. ¡®What is it to me if an old man like that makes it out alive or not?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. His attitude toward the captain was cold since he would suffer a penalty if he died. He would lose a level if he died, but the worse part of it was the fact that he had no idea where they would crashnd. If he ended up trapped on an uninhabited ind, he would have to waste a few days without being able to y the game properly. While Siegfried was grumbling, the airship started to spin even more violently. Whoooooosh! ¡°Noooo!¡± the captain cried out while tightly holding onto the airship¡¯s steering wheel in desperation. He was trying his best to regain control of the airship, but¡­ Whoooooosh! The airship had already left the captain¡¯s control a long time ago. [Alert: The airship is about to crash! Brace for impact!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried. ¡®Just hurry up and crash¡­ I¡¯m getting dizzy from this fiasco¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He prayed that the airship would crash as soon as possible while suppressing his pent-up frustration and anger. *** Surprisingly, the airship neither crashed nor broke apart into pieces. ¡°We arendiiiiing! Hold on tiiiiight!¡± the captain shouted while tightly gripping the airship¡¯s steering wheel. Was it out of pure luck, or had his twenty years of experience yed a part? It was probably out of pure luck, but the captain managed to safelynd the airship that was being flung around by the storm while missing an engine. Swooooosh! The airship flew in an arc and tilted forty-five degrees. Baaaam! Ssh! Itnded and sshed onto the surface of the water. ¡°Ahuehuehuehuehuehue!¡±?The captain let out a strange peal ofughter that sounded closer to a cry after sessfully performing an emergencynding. ¡°You saw that, you punk? Did you see my skills? Don¡¯t you go around looking down on a veteran with twenty years of experience! Keke!?I¡¯m a veteran captain who can always guarantee my passengers'' safety!¡± the captain eximed proudly with his chest out. The captain seemed quite proud of the fact that he was able to safelynd the airship. However, the words he said just now weren¡¯t something that should havee out of the mouth of someone who had paid off his bar tab rather than buying spare parts. ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe he survived,¡± Siegfried was dumbfounded. However, their reliefsted only for a short while. Shwaaaaa! The sound of raging water could be heard from somewhere nearby. Siegfried looked outside the airship window to see where the sound wasing from. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He did not have the habit of cursing or saying crude things, but he couldn¡¯t help but cuss right now. ¡°What a ce tond¡­ we¡¯re fucked¡­¡± he muttered. Shwaaaaaaaa! The airship was currently being carried by raging waters toward the edge of a cliff. Yes, they were about to fall down a waterfall. *** Ten minutester, Siegfried gnashed his teeth while pulling himself out of the water onto the riverbank. ¡°Ugh!¡±? ¡°All sorts of stuff do happen when you have shitty luck,¡± he grumbled. Who could have imagined that even though they managed to safelynd the airship, they actuallynded right on top of a waterfall? ¡°I¡¯m never going to ride one of those ever again. Never,¡± Siegfriedined while swearing to take a boat next time, even if the journey would be longer. ¡°Did that old man die?¡± Siegfried muttered while looking around in search of the veteran captain, but he couldn¡¯t find any signs of the captain. There was a high chance that he had already be food for the fish underneath the waters or he plopped somewhere down the riverbank if he were fortunate enough to have survived. As expected, he could not find any signs of the airship anywhere around him since the piece of flying metal was probably smashed into pieces when it fell down the waterfall. The waterfall¡¯s pressure would have dragged it down the water as well. Only a few nks littered across the water''s surface remained from the airship that managed to survive a storm. ¡°It¡¯s not my business whether he survived or kicked the bucket. More importantly, where the hell am I?¡± Siegfriedined while looking around before opening ¡®World Map¡¯ on the interface to check his current location. However, Siegfried couldn¡¯t figure out his current location. He couldn¡¯t even make a rough guess because the World Map wasn¡¯t showing him anything aside from¡­ [Erengel: Area 9] Only the word [Erengel: Area 9] showed up on the World Map. ¡°Where in the hell did we crashnd¡­?¡± Siegfried grumbled and bit his lips. He contemted for a moment before muttering, ¡°Let¡¯s just reconnect¡­¡± Siegfried decided that it would be better for him to reconnect to the game instead of wandering around an unknown area without a map. In addition, finding his way out could cost him a few hours. There was a feature that transported yers to the nearest vige four hours after logging out of the game. Siegfried decided to take advantage of that feature. *** Four hourster, Tae-Sung reconnected to the game after resting for a bit. Then, he opened his eyes as Siegfried in an Intervention Hotel room. ¡°It¡¯s a relief to find myself here at the Intervention Hotel,¡± Siegfried muttered with a sigh of relief after looking around the room. Since he got teleported into an Intervention Hotel, it meant that he wasn¡¯t stuck in the middle of nowhere. He left his room and went down to the lobby. ¡°What the¡­?¡± he mumbled in surprise ¡°Wee, customer-nim. How may I help you?¡± The hotel receptionist who greeted him wasn¡¯t human. [Reception9] [Type: Creation] [Race: Marite] [Level: 1] [Affiliation: Erengel Area 9 Intervention Hotel] [Position: Senior] [Title: Kind Marite] [Additional Information: An extremely kind Unmanned Intervention Hotel Receptionist. Can only do basic conversation and service. Cannot surpass the limits of a marite.] Surprisingly, the hotel receptionist was a wooden doll, and Siegfried could tell at a nce that it was a humanoid doll being operated by magic based on the mana stone embedded at its heart, or rather, at its chest area. ¡°Where is this?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°You are at the lobby of Erengel Area 9¡¯s Intervention Hotel,¡± the receptionist replied. ¡°No, what I mean is¡­ where is Erengel located at?¡± ¡°This ce is Erengel Area 9¡¯s Intervention Hotel.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m asking you where in the N¨¹rburg Continent is Erengel located?¡± ¡°This ce is Erengel Area 9¡¯s Intervention Hotel.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried asked multiple times, but he could not get any satisfactory response from Reception9. He decided to give up on trying to get any answers from it since it looked like it was macro-programmed to give the same response over and over again. ¡°There¡¯s no point asking till I get sick and tired of that thing¡¯s response¡­¡± Siegfried groaned and gave up. He eventually left the hotel since he knew that there was no point in asking Reception9 or the other marites at the hotel. However, his troubles didn¡¯t end there¡­ ¡°Is this a ghost town or what¡­?¡± he mumbled in disbelief when he was greeted by a deste town as soon as he left the hotel. The town had no traces of life in it as if it were an empty movie set. Siegfried entered a building just to make sure, only to find it void of any signs of human life as well. ¡°Wee to the Erengel Area 9 smithy.¡± ¡°Wee to the Erengel Area 9 general store.¡± ¡°Wee to the Erengel Area 9 restaurant.¡± The only thing that existed in the town was a bunch of marites dressed in uniforms befitting their job description, simr to Reception9 back at this ce¡¯s Intervention Hotel. ¡®Where the hell am I¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered with furrowed brows. ¡®The world map is not working, and there¡¯s no one to ask¡­ I have no idea where the gateway is as well. Just where in the hell did wend¡­?¡¯? Siegfried felt like he was about to go crazy. In the end, Siegfried decided to leave the town out of frustration. Siegfried was walking along a shoreline road thirty minutester. ¡°What the hell is that¡­?¡± He came across a horse standing in the middle of the road, but the horse wasn¡¯t a living, breathing creature. It was simr to the marites. [Steel Horse] [Level: Tier 3] [Fuel: 10/10] [Additional Information: A horse made out of steel. It will keep running without getting tired as long as it has fuel.] First a humanoid marite and now a steel horse? Siegfried¡ªa seasoned veteran of anything rted to BNW¡ªcouldn¡¯t make heads or tails of where he was located and just what in the hell this ce was. ¡°Where in the hell am I really¡­?¡± Siegfried mumbled. He decided to hop on the horse and take a look around. Clop! Clop! Clop!? Siegfried rode the steel horse and looked around for a gateway, but he couldn¡¯t find anything resembling a gateway nearby. ¡°Ah¡­ where the hell is that gateway¡­¡± he grumbled in frustration. He eventually reached the coastline while looking for a gateway, and something caught his eye in the distance. ¡®Hmm? Is that a boat?¡¯?he thought as he squinted to try and get a better look. He saw a boat instead of a gateway quite a distance away from him. Then, he realized that there were multiple shipsing to the coastline. ¡®One¡­ two¡­ three, four¡­ what the hell? Why are there so many ships?¡¯?he wondered while observing the shipsing closer to the coastline. More ships started to appear in Siegfried¡¯s view, and there were so many of them that they sailed in a long single file that almost covered the entire horizon. However, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that surprised Siegfried. ¡®Airships?!¡¯?he inwardly eximed in absolute shock when he looked up and saw that the sky was covered by a great multitude of airships, and their numbers were so great they covered the sky like a swarm of locusts, or in this case, it seemed like there was an uing air raid. Chapter 57

    Chapter 57

    ¡®Shit?¡¯? That was the only word that came to Siegfried¡¯s mind while he was staring absent-mindedly at the ships covering the surface of the sea and the airships that covered the sky with his mouth agape. ¡®Is there an ongoing n war between top ns¡­? No, they can just fight on drynd¡­ why would they go through the trouble of waging war on an ind¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He could not make sense of the scene unfolding before his eyes. ¡®Ah¡­ damn it¡­ why does it feel like I got caught up in something bad¡­¡¯? While he was deep in his thoughts, someone¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the entire ind. - One hour left before the Adventurers make theirnding! - Activate barriers five kilometers to the front! - Barriers activated! - All enemies that pass through the barriers will now be inflicted with ¡®Aura of Self-Destruction!¡¯ A bunch of words Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand were being broadcasted throughout the ind. ¡®Barrier? What¡¯s an Aura of Self-Destruction?¡¯? Siegfried¡¯s brows furrowed, wondering what the announcement was talking about. Unfortunately, there was no one else around him whom he could ask to alleviate his curiosity. ¡®Let¡¯s just wait and see¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he hid and decided to observe for now. The wisest thing to do whenever one was in an unknown situation was to remain neutral and collect information. *** Siegfried rode the steel horse up the nearest hill and hid behind arge boulder. He continued to observe the ships, and that was when he suddenly noticed something. ¡®They¡¯re noting from only one direction¡­?¡¯ After going up the hill, Siegfried finally noticed that there were ships and airshipsing from all over the ce. ¡®That¡¯s not even north, east, south, west, anymore¡­ they¡¯reing from all major cardinal directions? Are they trying to force their way through with sheer numbers?¡¯?he thought. The ships and airships around the entire ind looked as if they were creating an encirclement. ¡®What the hell are they doing¡­?¡¯ While Siegfried was wondering what was going on, the ships and airships finally managed to get within five kilometers of the ind. Wooong¡­ Wooong¡­! A deep sound echoed whenever the ships and airships passed through the purple barrier. Then¡­ Shwiiik¡­ Ssh! The ships reached the shore and put down their anchors. Ssh! Ssh!? The Adventurers onboard the ships started jumping into the waters one by one as they swam for the shoreline. It was the same for the airships. Shwiiiiik¡­! Dozens of Adventurers surrounded with gravity magic fast-roped their way down to the ground. ¡®What the hell are they doing¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. However, his question was soon answered when a message popped up in front of him. Ding! [Alert: The World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament is about tomence!] After reading the message, Siegfried grimaced so hard his face resembled an enraged demon. ¡°Fuck my life¡­¡± A curse unknowingly escaped his mouth. *** Siegfried suddenly remembered the words he muttered to no one in particr after seeing where the airship was about to make an emergencynding. ¡°What a ce tond¡­ we¡¯re fucked¡­¡± Those were words he muttered after finding out that they hadnded right in front of a waterfall, but it turned out that something much worse had been waiting for him. Did it even make sense that hended where the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament would take ce? Forget about the waterfall; he was currently in the worst region of the continent¡ªthe Land of Death. It was often said that misfortune followed fortune. No wonder things were going too well for him these days. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried groaned as his head turned nk and became filled with despair. This wasn¡¯t fair. He barely managed to obtain his hidden ss, but everything would turn into dust if he died here. The second chance he painstakingly got could end even before he could enjoy it. ¡°That damned old man¡­ I swear I¡¯m going to rip him into pieces¡­¡± Siegfried growled when he recalled the veteran captain. Siegfried still had no idea whether the captain was dead or alive. If the old man was dead and he missed the chance to end the old man¡¯s life with his own hands, he was thinking of digging up the old man from his grave and killing the bastard twice ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried despaired at the sense of impending doom crawling up his body. This could no longer be considered bad luck or misfortune¡ªhe was cursed at this point. Who could have imagined that the airship he was on would crash at the ce where the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament, also known as the extreme high risk high return match, would take ce? However, Siegfried had no time to wallow in despair. Tak! Tak! Tak!? The Adventurers that fast-roped down the airshipsnded one by one, and that wasn¡¯t all. Ssh! Ssh! Ssh! The Adventurers that jumped off of the ships reached the shoreline one by one, and they made a run for it. A message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Alert: Five seconds left before the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournamentmences!] [5¡­] [4¡­] [3¡­] [2¡­] [1¡­] [Alert: The World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament has officially started!] Fierce fighting broke out as soon as the message appeared before the Adventurers¡¯ eyes. ¡°Die! You bastard!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°You dare fight me?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s gonna die, you moron!¡± *** The ind suddenly turned into what could only be described as ¡®hell on earth¡¯ since everyone was an enemy on this ind, and the only ally the participant could depend on was themselves. Perhaps it could be described as a never-ending war to the death? The ind had be the main stage for the royal rumble, where everyone had to die and thest man standing had to be crowned the winner for it to end. The ind was instantly painted with blood the moment the death match started as the participants mercilessly massacred each other. [Alert: Muller-nim has died!] [Alert: Calcutta-nim has died!] [Alert: Notkimochi-nim has died!] A message would pop up whenever an Adventurer died. Thud¡­! Thud¡­! Thud¡­!? The items dropped by those who died were littered across the ground. Ding! Another message popped up in front of the participants¡¯ eyes. [Rule #1] - The most valuable possession of the deceased participant will drop on the ground. - The rest of their belongings will disappear. It seemed that it was one of the tournament¡¯s rules. ¡®Ah¡­ what the hell does dropping an item matter at this point?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled in disbelief. There were bound to be precious items among the ones dropped by the participants, but what use was that if they couldn¡¯t be thest man standing? The precious items they looted would end up as junk if they failed to survive on this ind. After all, they would lose everything the moment they died. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s someone stupid enough to pick those up¡­¡¯? Siegfried was immediately proven wrong. After all, a human¡¯s greed could transcend logic and understanding. ¡°Huh? Boots of the Colossus? Awesome!¡± an Adventurer eximed after seeing a pair of steel boots on the ground. Boots of the Colossus was a high-level item famous among physical damage dealers because of its attached options, and it was a pretty expensive item. Its price dropped a bit in recent years, but buying one with decent options would surely set someone back at least two hundred million won. ¡°Jackpot!¡± Blinded by greed, the Adventurer licked his lips as he bent down to pick the boots up. However, carelessness was bound to bring death in ces like this. Puuuk! Another Adventurer stabbed his sword deep into the side of the greedy Adventurer. ¡®Wow¡­ there really are greedy morons blinded who will still try to pick up items in this situation¡­¡¯? Siegfried was amazed while looking at the greedy Adventurer. However, that Adventurer wasn¡¯t the only one who had been blinded by greed. There were quite a few of them who gave up on fighting as they ran around the area looting the dropped items before making a run for dear life. ¡®Tsk¡­ humans¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. To think that some people would still have the luxury to put their materialistic greed forward in this kind of situation¡­ ¡®Humans are going to be humans no matter what,¡¯?Siegfried thought in disbelief. He let out a sigh when he realized that he couldn¡¯t really judge other people. ¡®Yes¡­ I¡¯m a bastard who?sold out a country?in my previous life¡­¡¯ Siegfriedmented his pitiful luck, and he couldn¡¯t help but be tongue-tied and dumbstruck at how unfortunate of a life he had been living so far. He really thought that he would be able to live a decent life from now on, but who could have known that life actually had such a surprise waiting for him? Anyway, he eventually decided that there was no point crying over spilled milk. He decided toe back to his senses and steel his resolve. It didn¡¯t take him long to calm himself down since he had already experienced every single thing imaginable in life, and he could already consider himself a veteran when it came to the misfortune that life could possibly throw at someone. ¡®I will definitely survive this no matter what happens. Definitely¡­ I will do whatever it takes to survive¡­!¡¯? Siegfried gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve. Gnash! He gritted his teeth so hard that one of his mrs ended up getting chipped from the force. He was desperate enough to grit his teeth over a game, as what would happen here would affect not only his virtual life but his real life as well. Why? Because aside from his game ount, his life was on the line as well. ¡®Let¡¯s wait and observe for now,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He decided to quietly hold his breath and hide for now. *** The ind finally quieted down around an hour after the tournament started. Those fated to die had already died, while those fated to live were still alive as they went their separate ways and ventured deeper into the ind. The ind, thick with hostility in the air, was painted red from the blood of those who died. Their corpses and the items they left behind were littered across the ground. ¡®I¡¯m not going out¡­ Never¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while hiding beneath a boulder. It would definitely be a foolish and costly mistake for him to make a move right now. The ind had be quieterpared to a while ago, but there was a high chance that there were some people lurking in the shadows lying in wait¡ªsimr to what Siegfried was doing. While he was deep in his thoughts, he heard the rustling of bushes nearby. Rustle¡­ rustle¡­ Someone seemed to be crawling underneath the bushes while looting whatever useful items they could find on the ground. ¡®That person is probably going to die soon¡­ Maybe in around ten seconds¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. Puuuk! Exactly ten secondster, an arrow flew from somewhere and pierced the looter¡¯s head. Hostility filled the air once again. ¡®Only death awaits me if I move without thinking. Let¡¯s ignore the items and focus on survival for now¡­¡¯?Siegfried once again steeled his resolve of stubbornly waiting things out. *** Thirty minutester, the Adventurer who shot the arrow a while ago finally appeared and approached the looter. Then¡­ ¡°Heok!¡±?The Adventurer gasped in surprise. The looter had dropped a pretty valuable¡ªno, it would be an understatement to describe it as valuable. The Adventurer couldn¡¯t help but wonder how an item like that even appeared in this ce. The Adventurer considered its appearance illogical because¡­ [Soul Separation Device] [A ne containing the War God, Iskandar¡¯s enlightenment.] [Type: Ne] [Rating: Mythic] [Abilities: Separated Soul.] [Separated Soul: Allows the user to obtain another ss. (Dual ss)] The ne named ¡®Soul Separation Device¡¯ was a priceless item. It was something like the Boots of the Colossus could not even dare topare against. It was because the Soul Separation Device could allow its user to obtain a 2nd ss. Dual ss! This didn¡¯t refer to something like a hybrid ss that was neither here nor there like the Magic Swordsman. The Soul Separation Device allowed the user to be a knight and a magician at the same time and master both sses simultaneously. As such, the Soul Separation Device was extremely expensive that it could probably allow its user to purchase an entire building at the heart of Gangnam once sold. In fact, the item was abnormally precious even Siegfried struggled to hold back when he saw it. ¡®I have to pick that up¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he tried his best to suppress the greed welling up inside of him. ¡®Get a grip! Don¡¯t risk it all for some item!¡¯? He rebuked himself while suppressing his greed through superhuman patience. However, it seemed the others had different ideas. Tak¡­! Tak¡­! Tak¡­! Someone suddenly darted out from the bushes, clearly aiming for the Soul Separation Device. ¡°Fuck off! That¡¯s mine!¡± another Adventurer appeared out of nowhere and blocked the person who darted out from the bush. Then, Adventurers started showing up one by one. They all seemed to be aiming for the Mythic item. Where the hell had they been hiding all this time? ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Fuck off, you bastards!¡± ¡°What did you just say?! Do you have a death wish?!¡± ¡°Has money clouded your sense of judgment? Heh!¡± More than a dozen Adventurers started fighting to the death over the Soul Separation Device. ¡®What a mess¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardly muttered. He felt sick at the sight of the never-ending human greed unfolding right in front of his own two eyes. 1. Sold out a country in their previous life is a Korean saying used for people with the worst luck since it is believed that the karma from their previous life caught up to them in their present life. Chapter 58

    Chapter 58

    The brawl happening in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes could be considered the ultimate ¡®character deletion fight¡¯. A character deletion fight where an item worth an entire building in Gangnam was on the line started. However, the brawl didn¡¯tst long. Sukeok! Sukeok! Sukeok!? An Adventurer appeared out of nowhere and started cutting down the others one by one, but the surprising part was that they died in a single attack. In fact, the Adventurer didn¡¯t use any skills and the attack that cut the others down was just a basic attack. The other Adventurers died without even being able to resist in the face of such an overwhelming power. ¡°Euk!¡± ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The only thing they could do was groan before dying. Thud¡­! Thud¡­! Thud¡­!? The items dropped by the Adventurers rolled on the ground. Seuk¡­ The Adventurer extended his right hand toward the dead Adventurers. Then, the items they dropped slowly floated before being absorbed into the Adventurer¡¯s Inventory¡ªincluding the extremely expensive Soul Separation Device. ¡®Who¡¯s that?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He raised his left hand as quietly as possible and activated his Rune of Insight. . [BJ Raptor] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 261] [ss: Asura] [Titles: Thousand Man ughterer, One Who Walks the Path of Blood, Diligent ughterer.] The Adventurer who killed the group of Adventurers like taking candy from a baby was none other than the Korean gamer¡ªLee Gwang-Jin¡ªalso known by his ID, Raptor. He was a streamer specializing in BNW-rted content, and he was ranked 99th in the rankings. Of course, there were many variables taken into consideration when determining a yer¡¯s rank, so one¡¯s position on the rankings was not an absolute statement of their strength. However, there was no need to mention how difficult it was to ce in the top 100 of a game yed by hundreds of millions of people. Raptor was definitely strong. In fact, he could be the leading candidate to win the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament. *** ¡°Keuh¡­!¡±?Raptor let out a satisfied groan after obtaining the Soul Separation Device. ¡°Who knew I¡¯d pick this up here?¡± he muttered. Meanwhile, his chat window went into a frenzy. [¡ïBrand¡ï: Soul Separation Device¡­ LOL] [Yuljae: Awesome;;;;;;;;;;;] [Pimei999: He got that item¡­ WTH;;;] [AwesomePark: Crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy!] [Threesecondhangang: What¡¯s with his crazy luck?] [Loghead: Raptor is going to be a Dual ss now?;; It seems that he is going to enter the top ten rankings soon;;;] It was just natural that his viewers were in an uproar. His live stream viewers already numbered over a million when he announced that he would join the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament, and there were even other streamers who opened their streams just tomentate on his progress. In addition, the fact that he had just obtained the Mythic-rated item Soul Separation Device sent his viewers into a frenzy. It was a frenzy he very much weed. [Alert: You have received a 10,000-won donation!] [Alert: You have received a 1,000-won donation!] [Alert: You have received a 5,000,000-won donation!] The more than a million subscribers started throwing donations at him, and his most loyal fans¡ªenchanted by Raptor¡¯s signature arrogance¡ªstarted throwing more than ten million won at him in donations. Thanks to his viewer¡¯s enthusiasm, Raptor was able to amass an astonishing 1.1 billion won in donations within five minutes. Of course, those donations were chump changepared to the value of the Soul Separation Device. ¡°Thank you.¡± That was all Raptor had to say to his viewers after receiving 1.1 billion won in donations. Yes, he was arrogant by nature, but such an amount was considered a spare change for BNW Rankers, and this was a privilege only the rankers in BNW possessed. Their privilege to earn astronomical sums of money made them consider such a sum to be nothing but spare change in their pockets. ¡°Guys¡­¡± Raptor said with his trademark sleazy smile that instantly gathered his viewers¡¯ attention. Then, he continued once he was certain that all of his viewers were focused on him. ¡°Rmend me a second ss. What should I take? A magician-type? Or a tanker-type? Go ahead and make a suggestion if you know something. Ah, how will I afford all the equipment I will need? Hey guys, I think I¡¯ll be broke afterward. What should I do?¡± Another round of donations started pouring into his pocket. Raptor confidently smiled. He was certain that he would emerge victorious in this tournament. That was why he was able to leisurely say such things without a hint of hesitation. *** ¡®Ah¡­ why the hell is a Ranker here¡­?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled in disbelief. A Ranker should have no business joining a tournament like this in the first ce. In fact, most Rankers viewed the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament negatively since they had too much to lose and the risks were stacked against their favor. They stood to lose their level, items, and influence. They were also unwilling to risk their character, which was basically a goose thatid golden eggs, by taking part in such an absurd tournament. The existence of their characters alone basically earned them an absurd amount of money, simr to Gangnam building owners, so they had no reason to risk their character that could earn them billions after a single live stream or dungeon raid. Those at the top had more to lose than what they stood to gain from the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament, and that was why the level of most of the participants in this tournament was between Level 10 to Level 150. Most of the participants were low-level adventurers who stood to lose a little but stood to gain the whole world if they managed to win in this tournament. However, Raptor was different¡­ ¡®I¡¯m damned sure that those ranked higher than me won¡¯t be joining, so¡­ that can only mean that I¡¯ll win this tournament by andslide, right?¡¯? He knew that those ranked higher than him would be averse to joining this tournament, so he decided to target a niche market for himself. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯d be in the top ten if I yed this game just half a year earlier. Hmm¡­ I wish I can meet someone ranked higher than me. I¡¯d love to smash their head, take their items, and win this thing. Hehe, those scaredy cats can¡¯t do anything without depending on their ns and items,¡± Raptor brazenly said with an air of arrogance to further incite his viewers. He was just boasting. He only joined the tournament because he was sure that no other Ranker would join the tournament aside from himself, but this was only possible because he was a top 100 Ranker. ¡®I have to y it safe. I can kiss my life goodbye from a tiny mistake¡­!¡¯?Siegfried thought as he watched Raptor disappear with the Soul Separation Device. ¡®I¡¯m at the bottom of the food chain right now. Don¡¯t you even think about picking up items and just focus on surviving this, you got that?¡¯?Siegfried told himself as he resolved to be even more cautious from now on. After all, he had just confirmed with his own two eyes that a top ranker was a participant in this tournament. *** Three hourster, the sun started to set as darkness slowly descended upon the ind. Seuk¡­ Siegfried carefully crawled out from beneath the boulder after vigntly looking around for the past three hours. Ding! A message suddenly popped up in front of him. [Rule #2] - Any participant that wishes to rest may rest at the town nearest to them. However, the participant will die if the town is destroyed while they are resting in it. - Participants will not be able to kill each other in town. - All participants leaving a town will receive an ¡®Immortal Aura¡¯ buff for thirty minutes to ensure their safety. - The safest way for the participants to rest is to take advantage of ¡®Break Time.¡¯ Break Time willst for three consecutive hours at a time. The tournament was bound to be an arduous one. Break Time was provided so that all yers could log out at the same time and get some rest, but this also meant that the guaranteed rest time every twenty-four hours was only a measly three hours. ¡®They want us to y the game while only sleeping for three hours on top of this being a Hardcore Mode tournament? Are they insane?¡¯?Siegfriedined and gnashed his teeth after reading the message. Even a gaming addict would find it difficult to maintain high levels of concentration for the entire day while running on only three hours of sleep, not to mention ordinary yers. ¡®Let¡¯s go to a nearby town for now,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He had to prepare for Break Time, even though it was unknown when it would start. However, he decided to leave the steel horse behind. ¡®It¡¯s going to give my location away.¡¯ Riding the steel horse in the middle of the night was no different from announcing, ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± to everyone nearby. Seuk¡­ seuk¡­ seuk¡­ Siegfried tread as carefully as he could while making his way to a nearby town. While Siegfried was quietly moving through the bushes, he suddenly came face to face with another Adventurering from the other direction. ¡°Heok!¡±?The Adventurer gasped in surprise. ¡°Eh?¡± Siegfried muttered in surprise as well. They were weaving through the bushes as suspense and tension filled their hearts when they suddenly came face to face with each other. Then, three¡­ two¡­ one¡­! Siegfried was the first to react. Bam! He smashed his mace into the Adventurer¡¯s head. Thud¡­! Fortunately, the Adventurer was only Level 27. He instantly died after Siegfried¡¯s mace crushed his head. Roll¡­ The Level 27 Adventurer left behind a junk item that no one would take, even if it were given for free. ¡®Ah¡­ I almost had a heart attack,¡¯?Siegfried calmed his pounding heart down before he continued on his journey toward a nearby town. However, things didn¡¯t go as smoothly as he wanted. ¡°Catch him!¡± ¡°Over there! Get him!¡± ¡°He¡¯s crouched over there! What are you doing?! Hurry up and kill him!¡± Around ten Adventurers were running toward Siegfried¡­ ¡®Are theying for me¡­?¡¯? Siegfried was bbergasted at the entire situation. He had never expected that people would cooperate together in this Hardcore Mode tournament. Siegfried inspected the iing Adventurers closely and discovered that they all had something inmon¡ªtheir levels were low, and they were wearing red bandanas. It seemed that a bunch of low-level yers had decided to party together and join the tournament. Although it was a party on borrowed time since they would have to kill each other sooner orter. ¡®I have to fight¡­¡¯? Siegfried gripped his mace and prepared to fight when the Adventurers surrounded him. It was another stroke of fortune, as the Adventurers surrounding him were only around Level 20 to 40. Bam! Siegfried gathered his lightning attribute energy into his mace and used Lightning Smite on the enemy in front of him. Bzzzt! When Lightning Smitended on his primary target, three other bolts of lightning shot out and electrocuted the other Adventurers surrounding thetter. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your enemies have been electrocuted by your skill ¡®Lightning Smite¡¯! You may deal 10% extra damage for 10 seconds!] The ¡®electrocute¡¯ status ailment from the lightning attribute amplified the damage dealt to the affected enemy. Whoosh! Siegfried used Flying Spur and threw his mace at the electrocuted enemies. Pak! Pak! Pak!? The mace struck the electrocuted Adventurers one by one. [Triple Kill!] When Siegfried killed three of them in a single shot, an announcement echoed throughout the entire ind. [Alert: The battlefield¡¯s climate will periodically change from now on!] ¡ª The climate will randomly change until the end of the tournament. When the announcement ended, the entire ind¡¯s climate instantly changed. [Alert: Area 1 Blizzard!] [Alert: Area 2 Fog!] [Alert: Area 3 Earthquake!] [Alert: ¡­] [Alert: ¡­] [Alert: Area 9 Bombardment!] The issue was that Area 9¡ªthe area where Siegfried was currently located¡ªdid not experience a change in the climate. Instead, it was suddenly being bombarded. ¡®B-Bombardment?!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly at the absurd message. Shwooooooong¡­! Mortar shells started raining down from the sky. KABOOOOOOM! The first shellnded and exploded, but it was just an appetizer. Boom! Boom! Boom! The entire area was quickly set aze by the explosions. ¡®Damn it!¡¯?Siegfried inwardly cursed as he immediately got down on the ground. It was an instinctive response that was embedded in his brain while serving in the military, and all military servicemen were taught that this was the best way to protect themselves during an artillery bombardment. A mortar shell would explode the moment it made contact with the ground, and the shrapnel it would send out would go flying in a V-Shaped direction. As such, it was known that it was better to get as close to the ground as possible and pray that one would make it out alive rather than trying to make a run for it. ¡°Euk!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Sure enough, most of the Adventurers Siegfried was fighting against just a few moments ago died from the shrapnel rather than from the explosion. However, there were some who were unfortunate enough to receive a direct hit from a mortar shell. They had to go through excruciating pain before dying. ¡®Please¡­!¡¯?Siegfried desperately prayed, again and again, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t end up as another casualty from the bombardment. He prayed to every single god he knew while desperately hoping that he would make it out alive. ¡®Buddha, God, Ah, Mom, Master! Please! Spare me just this once¡­!¡¯ However, it seemed that his desperate prayers had fallen on deaf ears. Shwiiiiiing¡­ A mortar shell headed straight for Siegfried¡¯s head. Kaboooom! The explosion devoured Siegfried. [Siegfried] [HP: ??????????] His HP was reduced to zero. [Alert: You have been killed by a mortal shell!] He prayed desperately, but it seemed that the merciless heavens had forsaken him. [Alert: Death Penalty has been applied!] [Alert: You have lost three levels! (Level 53 ? Level 50)] [Alert: You will not be able to log in for the next 49 hours!] [Alert: You will be forcefully logged out from the game!] [Alert: Your connection will be terminated!] A string of messages appeared before Siegfried¡¯s eyes. Adventurer Siegfried was about to get kicked out from the N¨¹rgburg Continent and sent back to his own world. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tae-Sung groaned in despair in his VR capsule. His ghastly pale face made it seem as if he had just seen a ghost. 1. ¡®Character Deletion Fight¡¯ is a term used in the highly toxic Korean online gamemunity where the loser of a fight or duel has to delete their character or ount. There are some games that provide an option to automatically delete the loser¡¯s character in the event they lose the bet. If you ever wondered why Korean gamers are so hardcore then you have your answer. 2. This means that owning a building in Gangnam is like owning a building in New York, and the rent you collect from it alone will rake you in an absurd sum of money without having to do anything. 3. South Korea has a mandatory conscription system for all able-bodied men, so Tae-Sung was forced to serve in the military. He is not an ex-professional soldier. Chapter 59

    Chapter 59

    A monitoring team whose sole task was to monitor the yers who inherited the ¡®double-o¡¯ codename existed within Hive Games Entertainment. The team was referred to as the Section within thepany. The team was further divided into smaller teams named based on the double-o yer they were tasked to monitor. For example, the team tasked with monitoring yer 000 was called ¡®Section 0,¡¯ the team tasked with monitoring yer 001 was called ¡®Section 1,¡¯ the team tasked with monitoring yer 002 was called ¡®Section 2,¡¯ and so on. As such, the team in charge of monitoring Tae-Sung was called ¡®Section 7,¡¯ and their team¡¯s office was located in South Korea. ¡°Code name 007¡­ has died,¡± one of the operators of Section 7 reported with a trembling voice. The team leader of Section 7 asked, ¡°Died where?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± the operator hesitated. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he died at the dungeon where Herbert¡¯s final work is tucked away? That ce doesn¡¯t have any monsters, right?¡± asked the team leader while recalling Tae-Sung¡¯sst destination. ¡°No¡­¡± the operator replied while shaking her head. ¡°Then where?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ team leader-nim¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I think our team will be disbanded as of today¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about? We have a team dinner tonight. Weren¡¯t you the one who chose the pork rib ce at Nonhyeon-dong?¡± the team leader asked while furrowing his brow at the operator. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ team leader-nim¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Code name 007¡­ I mean¡­ Han Tae-Sung died in Erengel¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Where did you say he died?¡± ¡°Erengel.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, there¡¯s no way¡­¡± The team leader waved his hand and dismissed the operator¡¯s words before continuing. ¡°Why would 007 go to Erengel? That ce is currently in hardcore mode, right? Why would a gamer with a hidden ss go there? Well, he would if he were insane, but I doubt it. Why don¡¯t you check again? I¡¯m sure you made a mistake.¡± ¡°I did, but it is correct.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon~¡± ¡°Look,¡± the operator uploaded her screen when the team leader refused to believe her words, and then she exined, ¡°He did not go out of his own volition. He was on the way to look for the weapon Herbert had left behind when the airship he was in crashed. The problem is that he¡­ he crashed into Erengel of all ces¡­ He has quite a crappy luck crashing there, but the way he died is even more absurd. He was not killed by someone else, but he died after getting hit by a mortar shell... Hmm? Team Leader-nim, what are you doing right now?¡± The operator tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What else?¡± the team leader weakly muttered in response while putting everything on his desk into a box before he looked at the operator and said, ¡°I¡¯m packing up¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You should pack up, too. It was fun working with you. I thought I was finally going to take it easy after getting promoted to this team, but¡­?ah¡­ what is this misfortune¡­¡± the team leadermented. He was certain that their team would be disbanded sooner orter. He stopped for a second and looked at the monitor before grumbling, ¡°But¡­ that Han Tae-Sung guy¡¯s fortune is quite shitty¡­ did he sell out his own country in his previous life or what¡­?¡± *** Glug¡­ glug¡­ glug¡­ A paper cup was filled with soju, and Tae-Sung downed the entire cup in one go. He had neither appetizers nor chasers, and he was drinking soju on an empty stomach. This was already the fifth bottle he had drunk, but he continued drinking. His mind refused to work as he could not think of anything, and he could not utter a single word. This was a normal reaction. People would think that someone who lost everything overnight would be infuriated and cause a scene, but those only applied to those who had never truly experienced a total loss. Most people who lost their entire fortune because theirpany went bankrupt, the stock they invested in went bust, or they gambled away everything would usually just stare into the void without being able to do anything¡ªjust like Tae-Sung right now. Tae-Sung quietly drank soju ever since he was forcefully logged out after being killed by a mortal shell. It was after he drank the soju in his cup that his brain finally functioned. Worry and anxiety over his future slowly started to creep in. ¡®What am I gonna do¡­? I thought I could finally live a normal life once again¡­¡¯?he despaired. It was often said that someone unlucky was going to break their nose even when they fell backward, and this was exactly what had happened to Tae-Sung. Who could have known that he would end up crashing into the ind where the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament would be while on the way to find Herbest¡¯s final work? Thanks to his shitty fortune, he was as good as broke once again. His debt wasn¡¯t that big of an issue anymore, as he had already paid off most of it, but the main problem right now was the tax bill looming over his head. He was going to be pped with a massive tax bill worth hundreds of millions of won this uing May, but he could no longer y the game, which was his only source of ie. It turned out that he would have to be indebted to not only a loan shark and the bank but to the government as well. However, he still had his immediate living expenses to worry about from now on before he could even worry about the uing tax bill. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Tae-Sung let out a sigh of defeat. *** The imperial city, also known as the ¡®Blood Pce,¡¯ was located in the capital of the Marchioni Empire, Motorwagen. The Emperor of the Marchioni Empire resided here. Baron Neighdelberg requested an audience with the emperor, and he was currently waiting at the emperor¡¯s office. The reason Baron Neighdelberg was able to request an audience with the emperor¡ªa private audience at that¡ªdespite being only a baron was that the emperor greatly trusted and favored the baron. Otherwise, there was no way that a baron could ever be granted an audience with the emperor himself. ¡°Your loyal subject, Neighdelberg, greets Your Majesty the Emperor,¡± Baron Neighdelberg greeted while lowering his head. The emperor looked out the window and said, ¡°Sir Neighdelberg.¡± It was only after the emperor called his name that the baron finally lifted his head. The emperor had pearly white skin, flowing golden hair that put gold itself to shame, and a beauty that would even the most beautiful women to shame while exuding a sense of charisma and authority. The current emperor, Emperor Stuttgart von Posteriore possessed an appearance that would make one wonder how it was possible for a person to be so perfect. On top of that, he was just thirty-two years old despite being the emperor. ¡°Your Majesty, there is something I must report,¡± Baron Neighdelberg said. ¡°Is there something to even report about?¡± Emperor Stuttgart asked in response. However, he paused for a moment and asked, ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Something must have happened since it¡¯s not every day that you report something personally. Alright, what happened?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Baron Neighdelberg muttered before he carefully continued, ¡°A third party has interfered.¡± ¡°A third party¡­ Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I received a report that an Adventurer crashed into Erengel a few hours before the tournament started, and I have confirmed the details just now.¡± The tournament that Baron Neighdelberg was referring to was the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament, and the reason he was reporting to the emperor about the issue that arose from the tournament was that the emperor was the mastermind of this tournament. ¡°A few hours ago¡­¡± Emperor Stuttgart muttered before hemanded, ¡°Just proceed as nned.¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Survival of the fittest is the theme of the tournament. Just leave that Adventurer alone and let them do what they want. I¡¯m only interested in fulfilling our objective behind this tournament.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Baron Neighdelberg replied with a bow. He didn¡¯t dare to speak any further regarding the matter since the emperor had already decided. *** Thirty-six hours after his death¡­ ¡°No¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered before putting down the paper cup filled with soju, ¡°It can¡¯t end like this¡­¡± It had only been a few hours since he made a decision to give up and look for a job at a nearby factory, but he soon realized that such a decision wouldn¡¯t solve his problems. Of course, there was nothing wrong with diligently working and making a living from one¡¯s own sweat, but that was only possible for him if he had no debts to repay. He could have toiled away at a factory and saved up bit by bit to purchase a house on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do and live a frugal life. But in addition to his debts, he also had to take care of his mother and sister, who were living a difficult life back in his hometown. His circumstances didn¡¯t allow him to have the luxury of living a frugal life. Moreover, he would need to have some sort of expertise to be able to make a living out of manualbor, but the only license he had aside from his high school diploma was his driving license. This meant that the only manualbor work Tae-Sung would be eligible to do was to work as a brick carrier. He couldn¡¯t even be a bricyer at a construction site. ¡°Master¡­ I have to go find my master¡­¡± Tae-Sung decided to look for Deus¡ªhis only remaining hope. Yes, his master was a Level 999 Hidden NPC, so he would surely have a solution to his predicament. It was unfortunate that his level had decreased, but he had to unseal his Rune of Transcendence no matter what, as he wouldn¡¯t be able to level up without it. He knew that it was shameless of him to ask Deus for help, but he couldn¡¯t think of any other option aside from asking his master for help. ¡°How many hours do I have left before I can log back in¡­?¡± Tae-Sung looked at the clock. The death penalty was forty-nine hours of login restrictions, and it had only been thirty-six hours. He would be able to reconnect to the BNW client after thirteen more hours. ¡°It¡¯s myst hope¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered before putting away the paper cup and soju. Yes, it was too early for him to despair. He still had his final hope¡ªhis master¡ªDeus. *** Finally, it had been forty-nine hours since the death of Tae-Sung¡¯s game character, Siegfried. Tae-Sung sat in his VR capsule, the Ogre, as he waited for the clock to strike, which would allow him to reconnect to the BNW client. [Alert: User verification¡­pleted!] [Alert: You are now connecting to the BNW Client!] [Alert: Loading¡­ Please wait¡­] [Alert: Wee to the N¨¹rburg Continent!] The message Tae-Sung had been longing for had finally appeared. sh! However, Tae-Sung didn¡¯t return to the N¨¹rburg Continent as the unfortunate Adventurer Siegfried, who died after being struck in the head by a mortar shell. [Erengel: Area 9] A message notifying Siegfried of his current location appeared. ¡°Why am I still here¡­? Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be forcefully expelled from this ind?¡± He looked at the message notification before taking a look around him. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± he furrowed his brows after looking at his surroundings. He looked further around and muttered, ¡°I think it¡¯s a town, but¡­ why is it in such a state¡­?¡± The state of the town rendered him speechless. The town was in ruins, and not even a single building was standing, as they had beenpletely razed to the ground. On top of that, there were mortar shells everywhere, and the ground had many ditches the bombardment had created. In fact, there was even a marite lying in pieces on the ground. In addition, there were a bunch of items that seemed to have been dropped by the Adventurers who died here. ¡°Did the bombardment wreak havoc in the town as well¡­?¡± Siegfried wondered. He decided to log into New World to check what was going on. ¡°Obliterated¡­? Area 9 has been closed off?¡± Based on the information posted in the Community forum, it seemed that Area 9 wasn¡¯t in such a state because of the bombardment but because of the Obliteration Effect. The Obliteration Effect would literally obliterate anything, anyone, and everything within the area an hour after it was activated, and it would close the area off afterward. ¡°Who the hell decided to close it off? I¡¯m still here¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. He was having a hard time making sense of what was going on. He died and respawned in a closed-off area. He should have been expelled from the ind based on the information he had gathered from the Community forum. ¡°Ha¡­ there¡¯s no gateway here, so how am I supposed to leave this ce? Don¡¯t tell me that I¡¯ll be trapped here for the rest of my life¡­?¡± he groaned while preparing to go to the Hive Games Entertainment¡¯s Korea Head Office and stage a one-man protest in front of it. He had nothing to lose at this point, and he was prepared to get locked up over his character¡ªwhich was now as good as ruined¡ªas long as his actions could give them negative press. ¡°I need to go find Master as soon as possible¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before opening ¡®My Information.¡¯ He already knew that he would find his level reset and his Rune of Transcendence sealed, just like what he had read on the Community forum. He simply checked just in case his ss was also changed to ¡®No ss.¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­?!¡± His eyes shot wide open at what he saw. [Siegfried] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 50] [ss: Debuff Master] [Titles: Goblin yer, Protector of the Biermann Territory.] There was something strange about the whole situation. 1. Soju is the go-to alcohol for all Koreans. More info here: Chapter 60

    Chapter 60

    Why did his level not reset? The Community forum clearly mentioned that those who lost in the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament would have their level reset to one. In fact, there were loads of users crying on the forum after they got their level reset and Rune of Transcendence sealed. However, the other users on the forum only sneered and said, ¡°Serves you right~! You brought it upon yourself~!¡± So why did his level not reset? Siegfried doubted his eyes and decided to check his Inventory. [Overly Dried Jerky ¡Á 43] [Low-Grade Healing Potion ¡Á 11] [Low-Grade Mana Potion ¡Á 9] [Completed Treasure Map ¡Á 1] [Mercedes Workshop 100% +12 Enhancement Coupon (No Level Limit) ¡Á 1] [Mid-Grade Dismemberment Tool Kit ¡Á 1] [etc.. etc.. etc¡­] His Inventory was fine. ¡®Huh? How about my equipment¡­?¡¯?Siegfried hurriedly clicked on the ¡®My Equipment¡¯ tab. [My Armor] [Body: Titanium Mail] [Legs: Titanium Mail] [Shoulders: Titanium Mail] [Hands: Titanium Mail Gauntlets] [Belt: Megingjord] [Feet: Titanium Greaves] Surprisingly, Siegfried¡¯s most expensive item, the Megingjord, was still wrapped around his waist. In addition¡­ [My Weapons] [Weapon 1: Golem¡¯s Rock Fist (Mace)] [Weapon 2: Vicious Fang (Spear)] Both the armor and weapons he had purchased from the City of Pleasure, Dondegiri, were still in his Inventory. Why? Howe he retained his level, ss, and items despite dying? Then, was his Rune of Transcendence, which was the catalyst that allowed an adventurer to level up, sealed up? Siegfried hurriedly changed tabs and checked whether his Rune of Transcendence was sealed or not. [Rune of Transcendence] [An ancient rune that holds the power of infinite growth.] [The holder of this rune will be much more powerful when they umte enough experience.] [Type: Passive (Cannot be deleted)] [Status: Active] ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Siegfried was stupefied. Surprisingly, his Rune of Transcendence, which was supposed to be sealed up, was still active. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­? How is it still active?¡± Siegfried wondered, He took his gauntlet off and checked the back of his hand. The Rune of Transcendence, which was the symbol of the level-up system, was giving off a glow as if it were trying to prove its presence. ¡°Am I¡­? My character is not ruined¡­?¡± Siegfried was dumbfounded when he finally realized that everything was still the same as if nothing had happened. ¡°Why? Why am I the only one who¡¯s fine¡­? Everyone else had their Rune of Transcended sealed, and their character reset¡­¡± Siegfried wondered. He opened New World once again and browsed through the posts of those whining after getting eliminated from the tournament. He even went through the screenshots they posted just to confirm what a sealed Rune of Transcendence looked like. ¡°Huh?¡± While he was browsing through the posts, he found something rather peculiar. *** He noticed that there was one thing that all of those who were eliminated had inmon. It was something he was aware of as well. [Aura of Self-Destruction] [The Adventurers inflicted by this aura will have their levels reset and their Rune of Transcendence sealed.] [The seal shall survive for a period of ten years.] [Those who wish to get rid of the aura will have to drink the ¡®Elixir of Proof,¡¯ which is one of the rewards given to the winner of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament.] Siegfried suddenly recalled the announcement he had heard a few days ago. ¡°Activate barriers five kilometers to the front!¡± ¡°Barriers activated!¡± ¡°All enemies that pass through the barriers will now be inflicted with ¡®Aura of Self-Destruction¡¯!¡± He also recalled the ships and airships that let out low grating noises as they passed through the barrier. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ a thought suddenly struck him. ¡°I was already on the ind before the barrier was formed, so I¡¯m¡­¡± Siegfried mumbled. He finally realized the reason he was the only one unaffected by the character reset and rune-sealing penalty. It turned out that the rules didn¡¯t apply to him. He was already on the ind before the barrier was formed, and thanks to that, he didn¡¯t get afflicted by the Aura of Self-Destruction. ¡°Fwah¡­!¡± It was only after that he made sense of the whole situation that he finally let out a sigh of relief. Badump! Badump! Badump!? His heart was beating like a drum, and he was certain that the heart of his real body lying in the capsule was also beating in a simr way. ¡®Ah¡­ that scared the heck out of me¡­ really¡­ Eugh¡­!¡¯? Siegfried felt dizzy, and he suddenly fell on his butt. His legs lost all strength in them when he finally realized that his life hadn¡¯t been ruined. However, he had no time to dilly-dally like this. ¡®I have to get out of here,¡¯?Siegfried decided to find a way off the ind as soon as possible. Siegfried forced himself up and forced his legs to start walking. However, something shiny caught his eye. ¡°Hmm?¡± The items dropped by those who were eliminated were sparkled as if they were begging him to pick them up. ¡°Hmm¡­ ehem¡­ ehem¡­¡± Siegfried stopped and faked a cough. He wanted to leave the ind as soon as possible, but he thought that he would be disrespecting the deceased if he just ignored the items they had left behind. Most of the items on the ground were pretty valuable, and it was because of the tournament rules stating that the most valuable item in the participant¡¯s possession would drop in the event of their death. Sure enough, all the items in front of Siegfried were expensive ones. ¡®Ehem¡­ shall we take a look at the things they left behind?¡¯?he thought before checking the items with his Rune of Insight. - Pathfinder - Steel Dumbbells of Schwarzenegger - Commander¡¯s Dual Heart - Quicksilver Gloves - Ramsay¡¯s Frying Pan - Torn Waistcloth - Camouge Cape - Inzaghi''s Compass - Furry Handcuffs of a Noble Child - Earrings of Greed: Blood - Earrings of Greed: Chi A few sketchy items were mixed in, but most of them were truly valuable. However, the following items held immense value: The Steel Dumbbells of Schwarzenegger, which explosively increased one¡¯s stamina, the Quicksilver Gloves, which increased one¡¯s attack speed, the Camouge Cape, which allowed one to blend into their surroundings for ten seconds, Inzaghi''s Compass, which directed the user to where fortune could be found, and the Earrings of Greed, Blood and Chi, which granted the user 7% life steal. These items would cost quite a fortune if Siegfried were to purchase them. ¡®They¡¯re ownerless, so it should be fine for me to pick them up¡­ no¡­ it is my right to pick them up¡­ yes, that¡¯s right,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he picked the items up one by one. The air smelled pretty fresh for him today for some odd reason¡­ *** Erengel, the ind where the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament was being held, was divided into thirteen areas. These areas were randomly connected to each other. As such, one could ess Area 3, Area 5, and Area 11 from Area 9, which was where Siegfried was located. However, the issue was if Siegfried could even go to another area. After all, he was inside a closed-off area. ¡®Is it possible¡­?¡¯?he wondered while walking the boundary of Area 11, which was another closed-off area. He wanted to test whether it was possible or not. A purple barrier divided Area 11 and Area 9. ¡®Just a foot in¡­ Nice and easy¡­¡¯?Siegfried nervously extended his foot into the barrier. Shuuuk! And his foot passed through the barrier and into Area 11 before safely stepping on the ground. ¡®Huh? It worked? Then¡­¡¯?Siegfried squeezed his courage and stepped into Area 11. Nothing happened¡­ ¡®Then¡­¡¯?He hopped back into Area 9. He could perfectly go in and back without anything happening to him. ¡®Is it because I¡¯m not afflicted by the Aura of Self-Destruction¡­?¡¯?he wondered. Siegfried couldn¡¯t be sure if it were indeed because of the aura, but that wasn¡¯t important to him right now. ¡®If I can cross over to the other areas, then¡­¡¯?Siegfried caught a whiff of the sweet scent in the air as he thought, ¡®I can just go around the closed-off areas and pick up all the items, right?¡¯ It sounded possible to him, although it was tant cheating against the tournament rules, but what was that to him? He had no ns of joining this tournament in the first ce. He was just unfortunate enough to crash on this ind. ¡®Let¡¯s do it,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he clenched his fists. *** The closed-off areas could only be described as a treasure trove, and Siegfried only roamed around the closed-off areas, picking up every single valuable item he could find. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Knight¡¯s Sacrificial Talisman¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Ne of Silence¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Scream of the Nameless One¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Orochi¡¯s Tongue¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Hostile Sword¡¯!] ~ The ites in his inventory were worth millions to tens of millions won. ¡°Ehem¡­ Ehem¡­¡±?Siegfried faked a cough before he brazenly uttered, ¡°These items are now ownerless anyway¡­¡± He was talking to himself since he was feeling guilty about taking these items and wanted to justify it, but why did it seem like he had a huge smile on his face? ¡°They say that blessingse in disguise. I thought my life was over, but what is this jackpot? Haha¡­¡± Siegfried weakly chuckled. He had been prepared to kneel in front of Deus and beg him to help him just a few hours ago, but it turned out that he hadn¡¯t sold his country out in his previous life. Instead, he had to have been a hero who saved his country. *** The team in charge of monitoring code name 007 was diligently carrying out their duties as they tracked Siegfried¡¯s every single movement. Their team managed to live on borrowed time after the whole fiasco Siegfried had put on, and their team leader with dreams of bing a sry thief managed to keep his spot and continue being a sry thief. ¡°Wow¡­¡± the sry thief¡ªno, the team leader muttered while looking at the screen before asking, ¡°How much are all of those worth?¡± ¡°Almost¡­ five hundred million won¡­?¡± the operator, Choi Hee-Jung, replied. ¡°Five hundred million won?! Wow¡­ that¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°There are still four more closed-off areas, so¡­ he¡¯ll probably make around 1.5 billion won if he loots those areas as well.¡± ¡°1.5 billion¡­? He stands to make 1.5 billion from walking around and picking up items?!¡± ¡°Yes...¡± . ¡°This damned unfair world!¡± the team leader screamed, and then he cried out, ¡°Someone is leisurely walking around, picking up millions of won like they¡¯re pieces of paper on the street, while I have to sit ten hours a day in front of a monitor just to watch him make money! This damned life is so unfair! UNFAIR!¡± ¡°You can be a gamer too if you feel so wronged¡­¡± Choi Hee-Jung meekly retorted. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I suck.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Haaa¡­ When I was young, my parents used to scold me saying, ¡®What good will ying games do? You will only end up sufferingter in life if you get too absorbed in them.¡¯ They told me to study hard and go to a good university to have a good life¡­ See? This is why early life education is important¡­¡± the team leader grumbled. ¡°Why are you ming your parents? Don¡¯t you suck because you¡¯re not talented in video games?¡± ¡°Well, t-that is that¡­¡± ¡°People without talent tend to be talented at ming others. Tsk¡­ Tsk¡­¡± ¡°Ms. Choi Hee-Jung,¡± the team leader called her name in a disgruntled voice before asking, ¡°Have you already reported what happened to the higher-ups or not?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®what do you mean?!¡¯ Is there anything else other than the fact that cold name 007 crashed on the ind where the tournament is being held?!¡± It was the team leader¡¯s attempt to teach the operator, Choi Hee-Jung a lesson by using his authority, and this was nothing but a petty attempt to get back at her. ¡°Of course, I did.¡± ¡°Y-You did?!¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°What did they say¡­?¡± ¡°Just the usual, like they always say. Have they ever said anything other than that?¡± Choi Hee-Jung was referring to their job to monitor and only monitor Tae-Sung, which was the one and only task they had in their department. 1. A sry thief is someone that takes a paycheck home when they barely do anything. The original term used in Korea is ¡®Paycheck Lupin¡¯, Lupin being the legendary thief, but the author decided to go with a thief for some reason. 2. Author-nim used ?? which means controlling with one¡¯s feet. This is another Korean gaming term used to tease people who suck at the game by saying ¡®Are you ying with your feet?¡¯ Chapter 61

    Chapter 61

    Two dayster, the Obliteration Effect that started from Area 9 slowly spread over to the other areas, and Siegfried followed it, looting every area it passed through. Aside from Area 8, Area 12, and the closed Area 13, Siegfried had already looted the nine other areas. A message popped up in front of him. [Alert: Your Inventory is full!] Siegfried¡¯s looting filled his Inventory to the brim. ¡°Ah¡­ Tsk¡­?but I only picked up the good ones¡­¡± he muttered while clicking his tongue. He had to leave behind the cheaper ones in favor of the more expensive items since his inventory could no longer amodate any more items. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the really expensive ones from now on and ignore the average ones¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled at the fact that he could not sweep everything up because of his limited Inventory space, and he was kicking himself for not expanding his Inventory space beforeing here. ¡°Still¡­ This much should¡­¡± he trailed off while looking at his Inventory with eyes filled with hope. If he could safely leave this ind and sell off all of these items¡­ Debt? He could kiss that goodbye. In fact, he would have two to three hundred million won left after paying off his uing tax bill next year. ¡®I can pay for Tae-Hee¡¯s tuition center and her university tuition with this amount. Then, I¡¯ll buy some nice herbal medicine for Mom and move them to a nice house,¡¯?he thought. It was possible to get a decent small-sized apartment with two to three million won in the province. After all, the housing prices over there weren¡¯t as high as in Seoul. Meanwhile, while Siegfried was happily walking on a rosy path¡­ [Alert: ¡®Evangan¡¯ has died!] [Alert: ¡®Alrayyan¡¯ has died!] [Alert: ¡®Itzykirk¡¯ has died!] The news of the participants¡¯ deaths continued to pop up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡®I think I¡¯ve picked up most of the things here,¡¯?he thought as he hopped on a half-destroyed steel horse. The steel horse¡¯s durability was less than thirty percent, and he found it while he was roaming around the closed-off areas. ¡®The remaining areas are Area 8 and Area 12. Area 13 hasn¡¯t opened yet so I can stay here for a while and move on to the first area that gets closed off,¡¯?he recalled the information being broadcasted around the ind a while ago as he parked the steel horse in front of the boundary to Area 8. Then¡­ ¡°Euaaaaaaak!¡±? Someone¡¯s scream echoed through the air. *** ¡®Was that scream from Area 8?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He carefully peeked into Area 8 to see what was going on and saw a lone Adventurer surrounded by a group of Adventurers. ¡®What? Why don¡¯t they just kill him?¡¯?Siegfried grimaced while watching over the scene. Siegfried was disturbed by the scene because the Adventurer who screamed¡ªno¡ªwas still screaming was being ganged up so badly it started to look like he was being lynched. ¡°You piece of trash!¡± ¡°Take this, you bastard.¡± ¡°You dirty little scum.¡± ¡°You dare stand up against us? Know your ce! You loser from a tiny country!¡± ¡°Never go against us! We are thergest country in the world!¡± The assants were wearing red bandanas just like the group who tried to gang up on Siegfried, and Siegfried was able to tell at a single nce that they were Chinese gamers. ¡®What do you expect? Those bastards only act tough in groups,¡¯?Siegfried thought while clicking his tongue. It seemed that the game had brought out their darkest trait. There was nothing wrong with that. After all, everyone had one or two bad traits, but their actions toward the lone Adventurer lying on the ground could only be described as heinous. ¡°Pull out his fingernails!¡± ¡°Shave his head! Keke!?Shave it!¡± ¡°Hihi!¡± ¡°You better cough up all of your items, you Bangzi!¡± There was no problem if they just killed the Adventurer off, but the group didn¡¯t do that. Instead, they kept on mocking and torturing him. In fact, one of them took the Adventurer¡¯s dagger and started cutting his hair with it. ¡®That has nothing to do with me¡­¡¯? Siegfried decided not to get involved. After all, the tournament was a melee free-for-all. Even though he found the group¡¯s actions to be distasteful and repulsive, he was still a third party, so he didn¡¯t really have a reason to get involved. ¡°I¡­ I have to survive! I have to survive no matter what! Come and fight me, you bastards!¡± the Adventurer being lynched screamed at the top of his lungs. Surprisingly, the Adventurer didn¡¯t give up on his survival. He tried to resist his assants. Was he all talk? Yes, he was¡­ However, the Adventurer seemed unfazed by his powerlessness as he continued to resist. Siegfried was reminded of someone he knew while he was looking at the struggling Adventurer¡­ ¡®It feels like I¡¯m looking at my old self¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He couldn¡¯t help but recall the days when he used to fight against the Genesis Guild. ¡®Ah¡­ I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡¯? Siegfried tightly clenched his fist and suppressed the desire to get involved. Step¡­ However, he was subconsciously walking toward Area 8¡¯s barrier. *** Whoosh! A mace flew from out of nowhere, and the mace¡¯s name was Golem¡¯s Rock Fist. Bam! Bam! Bam! The mace smashed the assants in the head one by one. Thud! Thud! Thud!? Five of the assants immediately fell to the ground, and there was only one of them left in the blink of an eye. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?!¡± the final assant eximed in surprise at the sudden turn of events. Siegfried wearing Camouge Cape appeared like a ghost behind the final assant, and what happened afterward was obvious. Pukeok! Golem¡¯s Rock Fist smashed the final assant¡¯s head. Now, there were six dead Adventurers and six dropped items on the floor. Aside from the deceased and their items, there was one more Adventurer¡ªthe lynching victim Siegfried saved. Siegfried inspected the items dropped by the assants, but he found that they weren¡¯t really valuable. Seuk¡­ He raised his mace at the remaining Adventurer while thinking, ¡®this is better than being tortured.¡¯ All along, he had been nning to administer the coup de grace to the Adventurer. ¡°N¡­ No¡­!¡± the Adventurer named Seung-Gu cried out like a wounded beast. [Seung-Gu] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 81] [ss: Golem Maker] [Titles: Site Leader, Construction Site Maestro, Skilled Administrator.] Seung-Gu was a ¡®Golem Maker,¡¯ but his golems were nowhere to be found. ¡°I can¡¯t die here like this! Never! Come at me!¡± Seung-Gu screamed and red at Siegfried, but his character could no longer fight as both his HP and stamina were already close to rock bottom. It was pretty admirable for him to fight until his character was incapacitated, and Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but wonder why he wanted to go to such an extent. ¡®What is he fighting for?¡¯ Huff¡­ Huff¡­? Seung-Gu tried to look for whatever way he could use to block Siegfried¡¯s attack. ¡°Why? Why do you keep fighting?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Because I have to survive¡­¡± Seung-Gu replied. ¡°I¡¯m asking you why¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a reason to tell you¡­¡± ¡°Then, die,¡± Siegfried nonchntly said. He prepared to swing his mace down. ¡°Euaaaaak!¡±?Seung-Gu gritted his teeth and screamed. He wanted to dodge Siegfried¡¯s mace. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you for the final time. Why do you have to survive?¡± Siegfried asked after stopping his mace halfway. ¡°W-Will you spare me if I tell you?¡± Seung-Gu nervously asked. ¡°Who knows?¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. It was not difficult for Siegfried to spare him. Why? Because he wasn¡¯t a participant in this tournament. ¡°My mom¡¯s¡­ operation fee,¡± Seung-Gu said in a weak voice, and then he further borated, ¡°My mom has to receive bone marrow transnt surgery, but there¡¯s no match. We have to buy them from overseas, but it¡¯s quite expensive¡­¡± ¡°Stop with the sob story,¡± Siegfried said with a grimace. It was pretty obvious to him that the guy was just trying to weasel his way out with a sob story. It would be much more believable for him if he said something like ¡°I want to be the best in this game¡±?or something. ¡°Why did you even ask if you won¡¯t believe me? Asshole¡­¡± Seung-Gu grumbled before saying, ¡°I¡¯m not some ungrateful bastard who¡¯s going to lie about his own mother¡¯s condition. What kind of a bastard says such things about their mother just for a game?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. However, he was still staring at Seung-Gu with a look full of doubt. ¡°This is my social media ount and my katalk ID¡­¡± Seung-Gu said as he opened his social media apps and showed them to Siegfried. ¡®Is it true?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He checked the Adventurer¡¯s social media ount while keeping his guard up. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯?He was able to confirm that Seung-Gu was indeed telling the truth. It was impossible for him to make this up since both of the faces in the photos uploaded to the social media ount and the face in front of him right now were the same. ¡¸SeungGu1207: I hope my mom can recover soon. I¡¯ll treat her to lots of meat once she recovers!¡¹ ¡¸SeungGu1207: Looking for a bone marrow donor! The blood type is¡­ [read more]¡¹ ¡¸SeungGu1207: I love you mom??¡¹ Seung-Gu¡¯s social media ount was full of pictures of a middle-aged woman, and Siegfried assumed that she was Seung-Gu¡¯s mother. There were many posts wishing her a full recovery. ¡°I can make enough money to pay my mom¡¯s surgery costs if I win this tournament¡­ that¡¯s why I have to win this,¡± Seung-Gu said. ¡°Go,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°What?¡± Seung-Gu asked in disbelief. ¡°Although you will end up dying soon,¡± Siegfried added. He turned around while thinking, ¡®Is there a reason for me to kill him myself? He¡¯s going to die anyway¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t the type to show mercy to someone else, but killing someone desperately trying to survive to be able to pay off their mother¡¯s hospital bills didn¡¯t sit well with him. Ding! A message popped up, announcing the beginning of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament finale. [Alert: All participants may now ess Area 13 from now on!] [Alert: Area 8 and Area 12 will be obliterated and closed off in thirty minutes!] ¡°You better move fast. You wouldn¡¯t want to get bombarded and die after I spared you, right?¡± Siegfried nonchntly said. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Seung-Gu muttered. He forced himself to stand up. He then toward Siegfried and said, ¡°I will pay you back for your kindness. I will.¡± ¡°What kindness are you talking about?¡± Siegfried said with a smirk. *** Siegfried went back to one of the closed-off areas after separating from Seung-Gu. There, he waited for the obliteration of Area 8 and Area 12. However, he stumbled upon someone familiar. ¡°Why the hell are you here?¡± Siegfried asked. It was none other than Cheon Woo-Jin. Cheon Woo-Jin seemed to have been waiting for Siegfried behind the barrier. ¡°I wonder why I¡¯m here?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked in response, and then he said, ¡°I came because I was worried about the dude who seemed to have sold his country out in his previous life.¡± ¡°Who sold what out?¡± Siegfried grimaced. He then smirked before saying, ¡°I was sucking this ce dry. This ce is and flowing with honey.¡± ¡°I know. I came running because I was worried you were going to die, but what a surprise! Whew, this ce does smell like sugar,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said while pretending to sniff the air. ¡°How did you get in here? Did youe in here before the tournament started simr to what happened to me?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I just came here,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin nonchntly replied. ¡°How? The barrier¡ª¡± Siegfried started. However, Cheon Woo-Jin cut him off and said, ¡°A barrier like that is¡­ how should I put it? Nothing to me?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°Of course, I did have to make some concessions. I won¡¯t be able to fight for the next three months,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a shrug. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Siegfried asked while seemingly confused. ¡°It¡¯s something like that. Anyway, it¡¯s none of your business,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a mischievous grin. ¡°By the way, it seems that you managed to escape the Aura of Self-Destruction,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said, changing the subject. ¡°As you can see,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. ¡°Then¡­ why don¡¯t you just win this tournament since you¡¯re already here?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin suggested that Siegfried should just be the winner of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament. 1. Bangzi is a derogatory term used by Chinese to call Koreans or Ethnic Koreans. 2. Katalk is short for ¡®Kakaotalk¡¯ which is South Korea¡¯srgest messenger application. 3. Author originally used the term ¡®sucking honey¡¯ which means hitting the jackpot without having to do anything. Chapter 62

    Chapter 62

    ¡°Are you telling me to be the winner of this tournament¡­?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly dumbfounded by Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words. Cheon Woo-Jin nodded and said, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m asking you to be a king. Shouldn¡¯t you suck this ce dry properly if you were going to do so in the first ce?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Siegfried said with furrowed brows, ¡°I¡¯m not really interested in that. Whoever wins will probably be the winner after fighting to the death, and someone like me who isn¡¯t even a participant shouldn¡¯t even dream of winning this¡ª¡± Cheon Woo-Jin cut him off and asked, ¡°Do you feel guilty about winning?¡± ¡°Well, something like that. I¡¯ve already profited enough from this, and do you really think that the people who hosted this tournament will stand by and watch if I win this entire thing?¡± Siegfried asked in response. Siegfried was aware that sucking too much honey would end up earning him diabetes, and by diabetes¡ªhe meant earning the ire of the tournament host. The host of this tournament was none other than the emperor himself, and Siegfried was certain that anyone, regardless of whether they were an NPC or not, would dearly pay the price for upsetting the NPC with the highest rank on the continent. In short, life on the N¨¹rburg Continent would be hell for anyone who sessfully struck the emperor¡¯s nerve. However, Cheon Woo-Jin seemed like he was thinking otherwise. ¡°No, the emperor will not get involved.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I have my ways. In fact, he might even be pleased by the fact that you won the tournament. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t find it displeasing. And Raptor might end up winning this whole thing. Are you fine with that?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked with a mischievous grin. ¡°He¡¯s winning with his own ability, so that doesn¡¯t concern me at all¡­¡± Siegfried replied. However, Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s next words astonished him. ¡°Even if Raptor bes the Vice Guild Master of the Genesis Guild?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Siegfried eximed in surprise. The archenemy that he had to destroy one day was the Genesis Guild. Yes, Cheon Woo-Jin had just said that Raptor would join the Genesis Guild as their Vice Guild Master. *** ¡°Tell me the details,¡± Siegfried urged. ¡°They have already agreed to recruit Raptor as the Vice Guild Master of the Genesis Guild if he wins this tournament,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin nonchntly exined. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Raptor wasn¡¯t able to debut as a pro gamer. Do you know why? It¡¯s because he was a trash talker who doesn¡¯t know how to hold back. He even made remarks about other people¡¯s families in the past, and he was also famous for receiving cash for boosting other people¡¯s ounts in other games. You must be well aware why a Ranker like him has never joined a guild all these years, right?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°Yeah, I do¡­¡± Siegfried replied. Raptor was ying solo without being affiliated with any guild because most top guilds cared about their public image. Someone like Raptor in their ranks was bound to tarnish their image, so they kept a distance from him. They wanted to avoid being hammered by the public upon recruiting Raptor. ¡°Raptor and Desire made a deal,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. yer ID, Desire, real name, Chae Hyung-Seok. He was the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild and the pro gamer who crushed Siegfried until he despaired. ¡°Chae Hyung-Seok is close with the association, and he is also a rumored sessor of the Pro Gamers¡¯ Association of South Korea,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin added. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see South Korea¡¯s gaming industry doing so well~¡± Siegfried sarcastically sneered before asking, ¡°So? What kind of deal did they make?¡± ¡°Raptor will transfer all thends and even the kingship title bestowed upon him to Chae Hyung-Seok if he wins this tournament. In return Chae Hyung-Seok will¡ª¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. Siegfried finished his sentence for him. ¡°Help Raptor debut as a pro gamer by using his authority as the Chairman of the Pro Gamers¡¯ Association?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a smile. ¡°If that happens¡­ then the Genesis Guild will have their very own base¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before saying, ¡°They could even establish their own country. A country ruled not by NPCs, but a country ruled by yers, and the NPCs will be under their rule.¡± ¡°The first Adventurers¡¯ Kingdom will be born,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin added. ¡°And¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. Cheon Woo-Jin added the following words for him. ¡°It will be a kingdom ruled by the executives of the Genesis Guild¡ªthe guild you swore to destroy.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let that happen,¡± Siegfried immediately made a decision. He clenched his fists and said, ¡°I can¡¯t let Raptor win.¡± He hated the idea of a Ranker joining the ranks of the Genesis Guild, and he loathed the idea of his nemesis¡ªChae Hyung-Seok¡ªbing a crowned king. ¡°But that guy should just continue live streaming and ying solo. Why the hell is he trying to be a pro gamer all of a sudden?¡± he grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s because he is an attention seeker,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied. ¡°Attention seeker?¡± ¡°Raptor has already amassed quite a fortune. What else is there left for him to chase? it is naturally fame and honor.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Raptor is a special kind of attention seeker. He tries not to show it, but he loves being at the center of attention. Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s dying inside because of the mistakes he made in the past? After all, if it weren¡¯t for those, he could have already be a pro gamer. People like him are only obsessed with money until they start living in a nice house and start driving a supercar. Afterward, they will surely start looking for something else.¡± ¡°Are you speaking from experience?¡± ¡°You will find out once you make enough money.¡± There was no way for Siegfried to understand how the mindset of the rich because he had never been in their position. ¡°Then, I just have to stop Raptor from winning this, right?¡± ¡°No,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin shook his head and said, ¡°There are four forces in Erengel right now. The first one is Raptor, the second is Khalifa, the third is Seung-Gu and the other rabbles like him, andstly you.¡± ¡°Khalifa?¡± ¡°The Imic Extremist gamers.¡± ¡°Ah, those bastards¡­¡± The cultural and religious tendencies of people were bound to stay the same regardless of whether it was in reality or in a game. The people who instilled terror while screaming that Ah?was the one and only god and Im was the only way¡ªthose people were doing the same things in games as in reality. Now, it seemed that there were extremists here from a group called Khalifa. ¡°They were rambling about building Ma in the N¨¹rburg Continent or something.¡± ¡°Wow...¡± ¡°Imagine if one of those bastards wins this tournament. That will be a sight to see, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Then what about the rest?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like giving a pearl ne to a pig. I checked all of them, but none of them seemed worthy. Forget about being worthy; they won¡¯t even be able to protect thend as soon as they get it.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s the same for me, right?¡± ¡°Are you a preteen?¡± ¡°Huh? Preteen?¡± ¡°I said, aren¡¯t you being too pretentious?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why are you acting so weak when you have a hidden ss?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m weak¡ª¡± ¡°You are weak¡ªfor now.¡± ¡°Ehem¡­?Ehem¡­¡± ¡°Go and win this tournament,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said, urging Siegfried even more, ¡°You should grab the opportunity while it¡¯s present. And it¡¯s the same here in the game and in reality. The one who owns somend will always be better off than others. Do you really think that the saying:ndowner is above the creator exists for no reason? Owningnd will automatically make you reap tremendous profits. Lands don¡¯t lie. You wanted to be rich, right? Grab the opportunity while it¡¯s up for grabs.¡± Thend would never lie! It was indeed a wise saying, and this saying was given credibility by the fact that Cheon Woo-Jin owned numerous high-rise buildings in Gangnam. ¡°You can¡¯t win just because you want to win, right? I¡¯m just asking you to give it a shot. There¡¯s no way that you can win against the likes of Raptor or those Khalifa bastards,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°Give it a shot you say¡­¡± ¡°Just remember to shut up if you do manage to win. The emperor won¡¯t be so happy the moment you disclose how you won.¡± ¡°I will...¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going now. Oh, by the way,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin paused. He waved his hand, and something surprising happened. [Alert: Your Inventory weight has increased by 100kg!] It was truly an astonishing sight. ¡°W-What the hell?!¡± Siegfried eximed. ¡°I have increased your inventory capacity so have fun sucking more honey,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said as a magic circle appeared underneath his feet. Wooong¡­! Then, he disappeared with a bright sh. ¡°Just what the hell is that bastard?¡± Siegfried muttered while staring at where Cheon Woo-Jin stood a few moments ago. Cheon Woo-Jin was truly someone Siegfried couldn¡¯t quite decipher. *** While Siegfried was happily looting items from Area 8 and Area 12, a message popped up in front of him. ~ [Alert: A blizzard shall descend upon Area 13 from now on!] ~ The final stage of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡ªArea 13¡ªwas entering its final stages as fighting broke out all over the area. ¡°You bastard! You dare betray me?!¡± ¡°I have to put myself first, right?! I can¡¯t sacrifice myself for you!¡± Many groups started fighting each other as internal strife shattered their coalitions. ¡°Sigh¡­?Garbage.¡± And Raptor took advantage of the groups¡¯ infighting to mercilessly cut them down. ¡°Ahu Akhbar!¡± The Khalifa Group also went on their way, chanting ¡®God is the greatest¡¯ while ughtering the infidels ording to their own logic. ¡°D-Damn it!¡± ¡°Dieeeee!¡± ¡°Euaaaak!¡± The participants turned into a bunch of lone wolves who could only trust themselves as they fought to be the winner of the tournament, and it didn¡¯t take long before the entire snowfield was drenched in blood. It was during this entire scuffle that the Imic Extremist group, Khalifa and Raptor came face to face. The encounter could be considered a fateful, inevitable encounter since the tournament started. Why? The sh between the two-digit Ranker and the groupposed of users whose levels were Level 100 on average was unavoidable. ¡°I shall take your head, infidel,¡± Ishmael¡ªa Level 220 Adventurer as well as the leader of the Khalifa Group¡ªsaid to Raptor. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting, you oily Arab bastard?¡± Raptor said in his usual arrogant straightforward tone as he sneered at the extremists. The sh between the two giants, which signaled the start of the tournament¡¯s second half, had finally started! *** Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Go and win this tournament. You should grab the opportunity while it¡¯s present. And it¡¯s the same here in the game and in reality. The one who owns somend will always be better off than others. Do you really think that the saying:ndowner is above the creator exists for no reason? Owningnd will automatically make you reap tremendous profits. Lands don¡¯t lie. You wanted to be rich, right? Grab the opportunity while it¡¯s up for grabs.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words continued to echo in Siegfried¡¯s head. The opportunity had arrived, and he could grab it for himself. However, Siegfried hesitated¡­ ¡®These guys are fighting for their lives to survive¡­ I can¡¯t just suddenly appear and snatch the title from underneath them.¡¯ He could see from atop a cliff located behind the safety of the barrier that the participants were fighting for their lives to be the winner. But he was supposed to snatch it all away for his own benefit? It wasn¡¯t an easy decision for him to make unless he was corrupted to the core. It became even more difficult for him to do that when he saw how the participants fought while shedding blood, sweat, and tears. ¡®I have a hidden ss, so I still have a lot of opportunities¡­ But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone else¡­¡¯? Siegfried¡¯s conscience was bothered at the idea of stealing the daily bread of someone hanging by a thread. After all, he could be considered someone fortunate enough to be entitled. ¡®Let¡¯s keep watching for now¡­ It¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s not Raptor or Khalifa. I¡¯ll jump into the fray when it starts looking like either Raptor or Khalifa will win¡­¡¯? Siegfried decided that the victor of this tournament didn¡¯t matter as long as it wasn¡¯t a distasteful organization like the Khalifa Group or Raptor, who was a potential threat to him. However¡­ Puuuk! Siegfried watched as Raptor stabbed his de deep into the abdomen of Khalifa¡¯s leader, Ishmael, but the main problem was the fact that this was not the end of it. ¡°Die, you Arab bastard.¡± Raptor swung the sword sticking out of Ishmael¡¯s abdomen upward. Fwaaa! Blood spurted all over the ce as Ishmael¡¯s body was split into two. Thud¡­! Thud¡­!? ¡°¡­!¡± The remaining Khalifa members were stunned at the sight of their leader being split in half. ¡°Line up, boys. I¡¯ll take care of you one by one,¡± Raptor said with a smile. His eyes were filled with madness. Siegfried bit his lips at the scene unfolding before his eyes. It seemed like Raptor was going to massacre the rest of the participants and be crowned as this tournament¡¯s winner. What if that really happened? Another powerful foe would be added to Siegfried¡¯s list. The Genesis Guild would surely shoot up the rankings and be the strongest guild on the continent the moment Raptor, who would be a Dual ss yer thanks to the Soul Separation Device, joined them. In fact, there was a high chance that things would turn out exactly as Cheon Woo-Jin had said and the first Adventurers¡¯ Kingdom would be born as well. ¡®I can¡¯t let that happen¡­!¡¯? Siegfried clenched his fists. He got up and started moving. 1. Author used a Korean wordy joke here ??? -> ???. Kim An-Ja sounds like a middle-aged woman¡¯s name while Ki-Man-Ja means someone that¡¯s pretentious or deceitful. Writing it as it is made negative two hundred percent (-200%) sense in English, so I had to write a dad joke of my own. Badum¡­?Tsss¡­! 2. The saying in Korea is a wordy since ??? and ??? both have the same ending sound. Basically, it means that thendowner is above the creator who created thend. Chapter 63

    Chapter 63

    Thud! When Siegfried was about to enter Area 13, one of the remaining participants died to Raptor¡¯s sword without being able to let out a scream. [Alert: Ten yers left!] A message popped up in front of everyone remaining on the ind. ¡°That means there are nine left excluding myself,¡± Raptor muttered before he arrogantly asked his viewers, ¡°Hey guys, this means I¡¯m about to win this, right?¡± [Andew: Agreed;;;] [Gpagos Turtle: What¡¯s up with his insane control?] [Anchovy Broth: Will he win this and be crowned the King of Survival?] [W572: Agreed. This guy just made me piss myself.] [RomanticMoving: I fucking agree.] [Jobless Highschool Dropout: Are you going to beat up the top rankers after winning this?] [Yeon Bo-Gyeon: He should!] The chat window of Raptor¡¯s livestream started to go crazy. In fact, the chat had already exploded while he was fighting against Khalifa with hundreds and thousands of messages popping up every second. ¡°Yeah, I agree as well,¡± Raptor said with an arrogant smile. Then, he started walking and announced, ¡°Shall we go and exterminate some cockroaches?¡± It seemed that Raptor was pretty confident of his victory at this point. *** The tournament turned into a game of hide and seek after the Khalifa Group was exterminated by Raptor. ¡°Hey, where are you going? Leave your head behind if you¡¯re in such a rush,¡± said the seeker, Raptor. Meanwhile, the hiders hurriedly ran away and eximed, ¡°Get¡­ Get away from me!¡± None of the remaining nine participants were powerful enough to fight Raptor, and it wasn¡¯t simply because of the difference between their level or between their equipment. [Raptor] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] [Stamina: ??????????] Raptor only had ten percent left in his HP, Mana, and Stamina. He wasn¡¯t in a state where he could disy his full capabilities. This wasn¡¯t surprising, because Raptor was human as well. He hadn¡¯t been able to sleep properly for the past five days as he wandered around the entirety of Erengel and killed anyone he came across. Not to mention, he had to fight a one-man battle against the Khalifa Group, which further exacerbated his current status and reduced the durability of his items to their limits. Despite all of that, the reason nobody could stand against Raptor was that¡­ [Anchovy Broth: Raptor¡¯s control is giving me the chills;;;] [W572: Crazy¡­ he killed that yer just like that?] [RomanticMoving: He should be considered a gaming machine at this point¡­ kekeke!] ¡­Raptor¡¯s control was enough to shame most pro gamers. His overpowered equipment and skills? Raptor didn¡¯t need those from the start. Sukeok! Raptor¡¯s sword directly pierced the throat of an Adventurer who dared to stand up against him. He didn¡¯t have to use any skills. All he had to do was to parry the iing sword and counterattack by stabbing his enemy in the throat. The reason Raptor was able to take the 99th spot on the ranking was mainly because of his otherworldly control. [Alert: Nine yers remaining!] Another message popped up in front of the participants, and it seemed to signal the forting end of this grueling tournament. *** Siegfried scoured around in search of the safest position to safely watch over what was happening in the tournament, and it was possible for Siegfried to find the best spot to safely watch over the battle between the remaining participants and Raptor thanks to Inzaghi¡¯s Compass which guided him to the best possible location. [Alert: Nine yers remaining!] [Alert: Eight yers remaining!] [Alert: Seven yers remaining!] Raptor slowly hunted down the remaining participants one by one, and he was inching closer to winning the entire tournament. ¡®Only seven are left?¡¯?Siegfried wondered whether he was included in the seven or not. There was no way for him to find out whether he was indeed considered one of the participants or not, but he was certain that he had to do whatever it took to prevent Raptor from winning the tournament. ¡®I need to know if I¡¯m included or not to be able to urately gauge my timing¡­ no, Cheon Woo-Jin asked me to win this thing. I should be included in the count if it¡¯s possible for me to win this thing in the first ce¡­¡¯?he assumed. While he was deep in thought, the remaining participants appeared one by one in front of Raptor. *** There was a saying that a wounded tiger was bound to attract a pack of wolves, and that was the perfect saying for the current situation. One, two, three, four, and five. The remaining participants appeared in front of Raptor after seemingly establishing an agreement among themselves. Why? Because they understood that there was no rosy picture awaiting them as long as Raptor was alive, and they instinctively understood as well that it was going to be better for them to take out the biggest threat and then fight it out among themselves rather than be picked off one by one by the Ranker. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid, got that?¡± Seung-Gu said while looking at the other participants. Siegfried had been wondering what happened to him, but it turned out that he was still alive. ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t do anything stupid yourself,¡± another participant retorted. ¡°Of course, but where¡¯s the other one?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°Beats me. I¡¯m sure he is cowering somewhere. Anyway, he is very, very, very strong so you guys better throw everything you have at him.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s mess up that opportunistic bastard after we are done with this one!¡± The Adventurers all got riled up as they cursed whoever was hiding while they were surrounding Raptor. However, Raptor seemed to be smiling after being surrounded by them. ¡°Oh, you came?¡± Raptor greeted them with a smile before he shed a different kind of smile that sent chills down everyone¡¯s spine before saying, ¡°You insects.¡± He seemed to be showing that he was actually grateful for their appearance since he didn¡¯t have to go looking for them one by one. Crack¡­! Crack¡­!? Raptor cracked his knuckles and swung his sword a few times while walking toward the Adventurers. ¡°Bring it on, you bunch of cockroaches,¡± Raptor said in a leisurely yet arrogant voice that only those with true power could afford to use. *** Raptor would have been crowned as the winner of this tournament if Siegfried hadn¡¯t crashnded on Erengel, and if Siegfried hadn¡¯t met Cheon Woo-Jin and remained ignorant of the secret deal Raptor had made with the Genesis Guild. Raptor would have emerged victorious and be the King of Survival if it weren¡¯t for Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s intervention. Unfortunately, it was still difficult to tell if Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s intervention would actually make any difference. ¡°K¡ªKeuheok¡­!¡±?Seung-Gu groaned while gasping for breath and wildly iling his legs. Raptor was raising him off the ground by his throat with one hand. ¡°L¡­ Let go¡­ you bastard¡­¡± ¡°Well, look at you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to¡­ die¡­ I can¡¯t die¡­ I will be the one to kill you¡­¡± ¡°No, not at all,¡± Raptor said with a chilling smile. Then¡­ Puuuk! Raptor stabbed the sword in his hand into Seung-Gu¡¯s neck. ¡°Kuheok¡­!¡±?Seung-Gu gasped as he coughedrge amounts of blood. Thud¡­! Raptor hurled Seung-Gu, with his neck half-severed, to the ground like a ragdoll. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t die like this¡­¡± Seung-Gu muttered. He tried his best to get up and control his character to no avail. Thud¡­ Seung-Gu¡¯s character bowed down. Roll¡­ The most expensive item he had in his possession rolled on the snow-covered ground. Was it a coincidence? The most expensive item Seung-Gu possessed was a ring called ¡®For My Mother.¡¯ *** [Alert: Two yers remaining!] A message notifying Seung-Gu¡¯s death popped up. ¡°Hoo¡­ There¡¯s only one left,¡± Raptor said while looking around in search of the final participant. He then asked his viewers, ¡°Hey guys, where do you think this bastard is hiding¡­¡± ¡°Over here,¡± Siegfried said as he appeared before Raptor. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Raptor muttered, seemingly annoyed before grumbling, ¡°You should have just appeared with them a while ago. Why did you make things troublesome for me? Are you thinking that you¡¯re the final boss?¡± ¡°No, not at all,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here,¡± Raptor leisurely said. He smiled and added, ¡°Let¡¯s not make things difficult between us and end this the easy way¡ª¡± Raptor couldn¡¯t finish his words because a spear suddenly flew, aiming for his face. Shwoooosh! ¡°¡­!¡± Raptor was so surprised he couldn¡¯t even utter a sound. The spear was extremely fast, and he dared say that it was the fastest spear he had ever seen on this ind. However, the spear¡¯s speed was the least of his concern. Where did the speare from? Did ite from top to bottom or from bottom to top? The angle where the spear came from was quite peculiar. Raptor was certain that the spear came from the front, but the true angle it came from seemed different from how it looked when it flew. Raptor immediately judged that his opponent¡¯s spearmanship was iparable to the ones he had seen on this ind so far. Drip¡­ Drip¡­? Blood was dripping down his face. ¡®I couldn¡¯t perfectly avoid it? I couldn¡¯t¡­?¡¯?Raptor was shocked to find himself injured. He moved to avoid it out of instinct, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Unfortunately for him, this was just the beginning of his troubles. Shwoosh! Shwoosh! Shwoosh!? The spear continued to thrust at him without giving him any space or time to recollect himself. Puk! Puk! Puk!? The spear managed to leave small wounds on him. ¡®I¡¯m losing? His control is better than me¡­?¡¯? Raptor couldn¡¯t believe it. His enemy was weaker than him, and he could tell that the opponent was a measly Level 50 whose ss wasn¡¯t even a ss like Lance Master that specialized with spears, but rather a Debuffer ss called Debuff Master. He was being pushed back by a yer with a support ss. To make matters worse, his opponent wasn¡¯t using any skills and was driving him into a corner with just basic attacks. It seemed that his opponent was trying to show that he was ying around with him and was driving him into a corner for fun. *** Meanwhile, Raptor¡¯s chat window was going wilder than it had ever been before. [1111II1111: Who the hell is that?;;;] [RippedButthole: Is he overpowering Raptor purely with his control¡­?] [Yellowy: Wow¡­ look at his movements¡­ ??;;] [Kitty6: Awesome;;; His controls is fucking top ss¡­] [ChickenHunter: Is this for real¡­?;;;;;] The viewers were shocked by the skills and control of the Level 50 Adventurer named Siegfried. He was driving Raptor, a top 100 Ranker, into a corner. In addition, they were even more shocked when they noticed how Siegfried was using nothing but basic attacks. Of course, the hardcore fans, who were members of the ¡®Raptor Till We Die¡¯ fan club, defended Raptor. [KaraokeMasterLeeSangJun: Raptor is just exhausted ??] [RapMaster: That low-level bastard is such a coward.] [AMG-M-RS: Raptor is going to beat him upter. Are you guys crazy?;;;;] [ManagerShin: Raptor can drop him with a single skill¡­] [E220d: Can those who can¡¯t tell what¡¯s going on just shut up or leave? How can you say that a low-level bastard is overwhelming Raptor¡­?] ¡°I¡¯m Lee Gwang-Jin, you asshole!¡± Raptor screamed before fiercely charging into Siegfried¡¯s blind spot. It was a judgment that came from Raptor¡¯s vast experience. He took advantage of the fact that the spear¡¯s length gave the user plenty of openings in closebat. ¡°Let me give you a nice hole in your stomach!¡± Raptor eximed as he stabbed forward with his sword. However, it was a critical misjudgment on Raptor¡¯s part. His sword was about to plunge into Siegfried¡¯s side, but something shed from Siegfried¡¯s hand, and the spear suddenly turned into a mace. sh! Siegfried used one of the abilities of his belt, the Megingjord, ¡®Fast Draw & Fast Store¡¯! *** ¡®A mace?!¡¯?Raptor was stupefied when the spear in Siegfried¡¯s hand suddenly turned into a mace since that could only mean that he wasn¡¯t in his enemy¡¯s blind spot. He had walked into his enemy¡¯s attack range instead. Baaaam! Siegfried¡¯s mace¡ªGolem¡¯s Rock Fist¡ªsmashed into Raptor¡¯s head. Fwaaa! Blood started flowing down Raptor¡¯s head after getting struck by the mace, but Raptor was no ordinary gamer. ¡®D-Distance¡­! I have to widen the distance between us!¡¯? He was able to instinctively react and take a step backward even after getting struck on the head. He didn¡¯t want to let his enemy take the opportunity tond another hit on him. However, Raptor¡¯s quick reaction was also well within Siegfried¡¯s calctions. sh! Siegfried¡¯s hand shed once again. ¡®A spear this time?!¡¯?Raptor was astonished to find that the weaponing toward him instantly changed from a mace to a spear. A mace woulde flying if he closed the distance and a spear woulde flying if he widened it. He was at a loss on how to deal with his opponent¡¯s attack pattern. However, the most ridiculous thing about the entire situation was¡­ sh! Siegfried¡¯s hand shed once again, and the spear turned into a saber as soon as Raptor avoided the spear, and the saber was aiming for his legs. ¡®How¡­ how the hell am I supposed to avoid that?¡¯? Raptor had no idea how to avoid the iing attack, but he had to make a decision. ¡®Jump!¡¯?he decided to jump rather than risk having one of his legs severed. However, that decision proved to be a fatal one. Shwooosh! A spear came flying toward Raptor while he was in mid-air. He could twist his body and try to avoid it, but it was impossible for him to ¡®move¡¯ from his spot. In short, he was a sitting duck. ¡°N¡­ No, don¡¯t¡ª¡± Raptor was about to say something, but the spear dug deep into his chest and pierced his heart before going through his back. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯? Raptor realized it by then¡­ ¡®I¡¯m fucked¡­¡¯ He had also realized that even though he was exhausted, a two-digit Ranker like him was still one-sidedly beaten up by a Level 50 newbie. Chapter 64

    Chapter 64

    Thud¡­! Raptor copsed, and the most valuable item in his inventory¡ªSoul Separation Device¡ªrolled on the snowy ground, which was drenched with his blood. Roll¡­ ¡°No hard feelings. I had to get rid of you because you¡¯ll get in my way¡­ that¡¯s all there is to it,¡± Siegfried muttered while staring down at Raptor¡¯s lifeless body. Victory? Siegfried wasn¡¯t interested in that. He would have given up on winning the tournament without any hesitation if the other Adventurers managed to take Raptor down. A message popped up in front of him. [Alert: One yer remaining!] [Alert: The winner of the 1st World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament is the Adventurer, Siegfried!] And that was how Siegfried obtained the title¡ªKing of Survival. *** On the other hand, Raptor¡¯s screen turned gray, and a gray screen in any game indicated one¡¯s demise. [Alert: Your character has died!] A message popped up on the gray screen. [Jiyeon: ?] [Gym is my life: ;;;;;] [Eio1121: Is this for real¡­?] [K Park Chang-Min T: ???] [S1novel: ;;] [b-_-V: This is crazy¡­] The hundreds of thousands of people watching Raptor¡¯s livestream doubted their eyes. Raptor had died to a Level 50 yer. Moreover, he died to a bunch of basic attacks. Nobody had expected such a tragic twist of events, but no one was as shocked as Raptor himself. ¡°Ah¡­¡± That was the only word that came out of Raptor¡¯s mouth. [Alert: The streamer has stopped their live stream.] The viewers'' screen turned ck as Raptor ¡®rage-quitted¡¯ his livestream. ¡°I¡­ lost¡­? I lost to a bastard like that¡­?¡± Raptor muttered while sitting in his VR capsule. He stared nkly and continued muttering, ¡°He overpowered me purely with his control¡­?¡± He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he instinctively knew that the Level 50 low-level yer that went by the name Siegfried was a better yer than him. ¡°Eaaaaauaaaaaak!¡±?Raptor suddenly let out an outburst, and his next action was a patternmonly found in upset gamers. Bam! Bam! Bam! Raptor took a chair and started to smash his VR capsule with it. ¡°Aaaaack!?Grauauuaah! Aaaaaah!¡± He felt like he would not be able to endure the fury boiling inside of him if he didn¡¯t vent it out by smashing the things around him. After all, the tower he had built brick by brick had juste crashing down. *** Siegfried won against a two-digit Ranker, but he wasn¡¯t in a celebratory mood. ¡®I would have died if Raptor had some mana left¡­¡¯? Siegfried was well aware that the only reason he managed to win was due to the fact that Raptor was in an exhausted, worn-out state. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t use any of his skills, even though he could have ended the battle much earlier because¡­ ¡®He was pretty good. It would have been fun if we could have had a match of control while he¡¯s in a good condition.¡¯? Siegfried¡¯s instincts as a gamer wanted to have a match of skills against a ranker like Raptor. Of course, there was no way he could fight Raptor from now on since thetter¡¯s character had just been rendered basically unyable. Anyway, Siegfried was still satisfied since he was able to remove a potential threat. ¡°Now¡­¡± he expectantly muttered while walking toward the item Raptor had dropped. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Soul Separation Device¡¯!] The item which would allow a user to obtain a second ss was now in Siegfried¡¯s hands. ¡°This item alone is worth an entire building in Gangnam¡­¡± he muttered and clicked his tongue in disbelief while looking at the small ne that was apparently worth over ten billion won. ¡°Should I use this or should I¡­¡± While Siegfried was stuck in a happy dilemma, a gigantic airship suddenly cast a shadow over him. Shwoooong¡­! Thud¡­! The airshipnded a few distances away from Siegfried. ¡°All forces! Attention!¡± A group of elite soldiers instantly mobilized and formed two parallel lines. Flutter! A group of servants came down from the airship and unrolled a red carpet over the bloody snowfield. A middle-aged man came down from the airship and stepped on the carpet. He walked toward Siegfried and said, ¡°I, Baron Neighdelberg, am here as the envoy of His Majesty the Emperor of the great Marchioni Empire, Stuttgart von Posteriore.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. My name is Siegfried.¡± ¡°Firstly, I sincerely congratte you for winning the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament.¡± ¡°Thank you very much...¡± ¡°I shall now recite His Majesty, the Emperor¡¯s imperial edict to you. Kneel.¡± Siegfried quickly got down on one knee. ¡°I, Stuttgart von Posteriore, the Emperor of the Marchioni Empire¡­¡± Baron Neighdelberg proceeded to read the emperor¡¯s imperial edict. There was nothing special about it. The edict only congratted Siegfried and asked him to continue to work hard for the empire. ¡°In lieu of this, I hereby grant Adventurer Siegfried the authority to rule over the Proatine Province, and Adventurer Siegfried shall now therefore be¡­¡± Then, Siegfried¡¯s name suddenly changed. [Alert: Your nickname has changed from ¡®Siegfried¡¯ to ¡®Siegfried van Proa¡¯!] A suffix signified a person¡¯s nobility and lineage on the N¨¹rburg Continent. Von?meant a person was of imperial royalty lineage. Van meant a person was of royal lineage. D¡¯ meant a person was of a noble lineage and they were at least a marquis or higher. De meant a person was of a normal noble lineage. Siegfried¡¯s name was given the suffix ¡®van¡¯ since he was the victor of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament, and he was awarded territory and the title of ¡®King¡¯ by His Majesty the Emperor. The surname suddenly added to his nickname ¡®Proa¡¯ was derived from the name of his territory ¡®Proatine.¡¯ In short, it could be understood that Siegfried¡¯s new name, ¡®Siegfried van Proa¡¯ basically meant ¡®Siegfried from Proatine¡¯. Baron Neighdelberg continued. ¡°¡­King Proa of Proatine. King Proa will be exempted from paying taxes for the next three years and shall use my grace to bolster the military forces and administrative capacity of Proatine to protect it from foreign invaders. And the Kingdom of Proatine shall be considered as an independent and autonomous country¡ªIt will not be treated as a subject of the empire.¡± Then, another set of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®King of Survival¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®Ruler of Proatine¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®King¡¯!] A series of titles that did not suit a Level 50 yer popped up one after another. ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty,¡± Baron Neighdelberg said after reading out the emperor¡¯s edict. He didn¡¯t forget to address Siegfried properly. It was only right for Neighdelberg, who was only a baron of the empire, to respectfully address Siegfried. After all, thetter was no longer just Adventurer Siegfried. He was now Siegfried van Proa¡ªthe ruler and king of the Proatine Province. Of course, a baron of the empire was still considered to be more powerful than most kings considering the Marchioni Empire¡¯s influence and power. ¡°Oh, and¡­¡± Baron Neighdelberg approached Siegfried and whispered into his ears, ¡°This is only my opinion, but I think it will be better for your Majesty to refrain from sharing with anyone else regarding the fortune that allowed you to win the tournament. This is to ensure that His Majesty the Emperor¡¯s prestige will be maintained and nobody will question the fairness of the tournament¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Of course,¡± Siegfried immediately replied with a small nod while thinking, ¡®So they knew it all along¡­¡¯ The tournament organizers were actually aware that Siegfried had crashednded on the ind before the tournament even started just like what Cheon Woo-Jin had said, and they were also willing to overlook the matter. As such, Siegfried was left with no choice but to agree to zip his mouth regarding his unintended cheating. And it wasn¡¯t that difficult for him to agree to it since he had no intentions of boasting about it in the first ce. ¡°You have made a wise decision, Your Majesty,¡± Baron Neighdelberg said. ¡°Not at all,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Here is His Majesty the Emperor¡¯s gift to you, Your Majesty,¡± Baron Neighdelberg said as he motioned to the soldiers. The soldiers carried a huge chest over and ced it in front of Siegfried. Siegfried opened the chest and found that it was filled to the brim with all sorts of valuable jewels and gold. On top of the piles of jewels and gold was a vial of the ¡®Elixir of Proof,¡¯ which was the only thing that could nullify the Aura of Self-Destruction¡¯s effects. *** Three days after the 1st World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡­ ¡°Hooo¡­¡± Seung-Gu wiped the sweat off of his forehead with a towel. The first thing he did right after getting eliminated from the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament was to go to a manpower office and apply for a job at a construction site. He carried bricks and shoveled sand for the whole day to earn money for his mother¡¯s surgery. Ziiing! On the third day of his work, he received a call. ¡°What?¡± Seung-Gu eximed in surprise as he doubted his ears. He decided to ask again just to make sure, ¡°My mother can get the bone marrow transnt operation?!¡± ¡ª Yes. ¡°B-But¡­ how?!¡± ¡ª An anonymous donor has made a donation, and your mother is now eligible for the surgery. ¡°Who? Who would give such a big donation¡­¡± ¡ª I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to divulge that detail since it was an anonymous donation. ¡°But is this for real? I¡¯m not dreaming, right?¡± ¡ª Yes, it is true. ¡°Really?¡± ¡ª Anyway, why don¡¯t youe to the hospital first? There are a few documents that you will have to sign regarding the surgery. ¡°I¡¯m on the way!¡± Seung-Gu eximed as he threw his shovel away. *** At an upscale bar in Cheongdam-dong¡­ Tae-Sung was drinking whiskey with Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°What? Are you feeling guilty?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°Why would I?¡± Tae-Sung grumbled in response. ¡°You did that because you felt guilty for winning the tournament, right?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a grin. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a scoff, and then he added, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thrust my spear into Raptor¡¯s abdomen if I felt guilty about it.¡± ¡°Still¡­ that kind of a donation to help someone in need¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin muttered before continuing, ¡°But he¡¯s still a stranger. I mean, his situation is quite unfortunate, but three hundred million won is not exactly a small figure.¡± ¡°His will to survive looked cool,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a shrug. He then smiled and said, ¡°And he¡¯s a good son.¡± ¡°Well, he is indeed a good son.¡± ¡°I earned quite a lot this time as well, and someone once told me that I have to spend as much as I have earned to be able to earn more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, thanks for the information. It would have been more difficult for me to fight the Genesis Guild if a Dual ss Raptor were to join them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°But¡­ What the hell are you? What is your role in the game¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°I strive for peace and prosperity on the continent,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a mischievous smirk. ¡°You sound like a Miss Universe?participant¡­¡± Tae-Sung grumbled. ¡°But it¡¯s true?¡± ¡°Cut the crap and just tell me honestly. Are you some secret agent working behind the scenes to destroy the world¡­¡± ¡°You got the wrong person.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that and just tell me, will you? You¡¯re so secretive¡­¡± Tae-Sung grumbled. ¡°I told you to ask me once you hit Level 200, right? Why are you so curious when you are just a low-level newbie? Why so curious when you won¡¯t be able to do anything anyway¡ªHuh? Hey, where are you going? Are you upset by any chance?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin hurriedly asked when Tae-Sung got up and prepared to walk away. ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°Then where are you going¡­?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. Tae-Sung looked at him and smirked before saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to level up.¡± *** That morning, deep within a cave located on an uninhabited ind at the southern edge of the N¨¹rburg Continent. ¡°So that¡¯s Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. 1. Some of you, especially from Europe or into medieval history, would point out that these are not proper titles. It will be easier if you just think that this is how it works in the N¨¹rburg Continent ;) 2. Author uses you came to the wrong address, which is a yful way of telling someone they are wrong in Korean, but it does not sound good in English. Chapter 65

    Chapter 65

    Tae-Sung went home after meeting Cheon Woo-Jin, and then he immediately logged in to BNW. Siegfried hopped on board an airship provided by the empire and headed south to where Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work was supposedly located. ¡®There¡¯s no way it¡¯s going to crash again, right¡­?¡¯?he thought. He was scared and worried that the airship would crash once again. How scared he had to have been when he realized that the ce he crashnded on was none other than the ind where the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament was being hosted? How much despair he had to go through when he died after being hit by a mortar shell? Contrary to his worries, the airship didn¡¯t crash this time. Why? The airship provided by the empire was very well maintained, and the pilot was a veteran pilot who was also a lieutenant in the empire¡¯s air force. Siegfried followed the treasure map and arrived where Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work was apparently located, but the treasure Herbert had left behind as his final masterpiece, the treasure that he ground his entire soul and being into was¡­ ¡°A stick?¡± The item known as Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work turned out to be a stick made out of metal. ¡°No wonder there were no monsters guarding this ce¡­¡± The final masterpiece Herbert had left behind didn¡¯t suit the titles it had. In fact, the descriptions it was given were greatly exaggerated. Siegfried climbed up the rocks and went closer to inspect if the stick was indeed Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work. The rod was about 180 centimeters long, and there was nothing out of the ordinary. With its thickness, any adult male could grab it with one hand. Perhaps the only thing that stood out was the material used to make it. The rod was made out of an unknown material that exuded a low luster as if it were showing off that it was alive. And the ancient texts engraved on its surface gave a mysterious feel to it. But aside from those, there wasn¡¯t really anything extraordinary about it. Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand how this silver rod was the deadliest and most powerful weapon of destruction Herbert had ever created. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. He extended his hand out and inspected the rod with his Rune of Insight. [Rod of God] [A rod created to imitate the rod used by the Lord of Chaos, one of the main gods of the continent¡¯s mythology.] [Type: Rod] [Rating: Mythic] [Durability: Unlimited] The item named ¡®Rod of God,¡¯ which was apparently Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work, was an indestructible weapon that possessed infinite durability. However, the main strong point of this weapon wasn¡¯t its unlimited durability but the ability it possessed. Its ability made it live up to its Mythic rating. [Abilities: Scourge of God] [Allows the user tounch the Rod of God into the air and drop it at the desired location. The range is eight thousand thousand kilometers with a ten-meter margin of error. The Rod of God will wreak absolute havoc within a fifty-kilometer radius from ground zero.] [The Rod of God weapon will automatically return to the user once used. (Cooldown: One Year)] ¡°What the hell? Is this an ICBM?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief while reading the weapon¡¯s description which resembled the description of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Rod of God had the ability toy waste within a fifty-kilometer radius from its ground zero, and it had a range of eight thousand kilometers away. ¡°This is¡­ this is the weapon Herbert dedicated his entire life to create?¡± Siegfried muttered while looking at the weapon. The Rod of God¡¯s ability was indeed amazing, but Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel that this wasn¡¯t the end of it. He remembered Shakiro¡¯s words. The deranged mad cksmith, Herbert, was someone who enjoyed seeing the weapons he made be drenched in blood on the battlefield. However, someone like him actually made a weapon like the Rod of God, which would never be drenched in blood? It was indeed a destructive weapon, but it didn¡¯t fit Herbert¡¯s aesthetic philosophy. ¡°Well¡­ It doesn¡¯t really matter¡­¡± Siegfried said. He then extended his hand toward the Rod of God. Bzzt! Bzzzzzzt! The Rod of God shot a powerful current toward Siegfried, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough to prevent him from grabbing the weapon. The sparks soon died out, and a string of messages popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: The ¡®Rod of God¡¯ has acknowledged you as its owner!] [Alert: The ¡®Rod of God¡¯ is not satisfied with you, but it has acknowledged your potential.] [Alert: You have obtained the ¡®Rod of God¡¯!] [Alert: The ¡®Rod of God¡¯ has been bound to you!] [Alert: You are the only one who can use the ¡®Rod of God¡¯!] The messages confirmed that he was now the owner of the Mythic-rated weapon Herbert had left behind. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a weapon like this resist a few times at the least¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disappointment at theckluster turn of events, but he wasn¡¯t reallyining about it. Good things were good, and it was better for him that things had worked out this easily. ¡°I thought it was a spear, but it¡¯s a rod¡­¡± While Siegfried was mumbling to himself, his heart suddenly started to beat wildly. Badump! Badump! Badump!? sh! The scenery in front of his eyes changed in a sh. A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood appeared in front of him, and the scene made Siegfried think that he was getting a glimpse of hell itself. ¡ª Keke¡­ Siegfried heard someone¡¯sughter. ¡ª It seems that you are the greenhorn who is going to continue my legacy. Siegfried turned around toward the voice and found a short yet muscr being looking at him with a huge grin on their face. *** ¡°I¡¯m certain I was in a cave just now¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. However, the short yet muscr being suddenly said. ¡ª It¡¯s an illusion, kiddo. ¡°An illusion?¡± ¡ª That¡¯s right. These are the memories I stored within the Rod of God. ¡°Then, you are¡­¡± ¡ª Yes, I am the cksmith of Death, Herbert. ¡°Herbert wasn¡¯t human¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in surprise. It was exactly as he said. The cksmith of Death, Herbert, wasn¡¯t human. He had a long ponytail that almost reached the ground, arge nose that resembled a pig, lower teeth that protruded ten centimeters out of his mouth, and yellow skin that had a texture simr to those found on insects. Herbert wasn¡¯t human but an orc. ¡ª You didn¡¯t know I wasn¡¯t human? ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡ª So, do you have anyints because I¡¯m not human? ¡°Not at all. I was just surprised since I would have immediately recognized you if you were a dwarf instead.¡± ¡ª Keke! A dwarf, you say? Don¡¯tpare me to those fools. How dare you mention those imbeciles that only have a few tricks up their sleeves to someone like me, the Great Herbert? The Orc cksmith Herbert was calling the dwarves imbeciles and fools with a very arrogant smile. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t mind Herbert¡¯s arrogance at all. He also didn¡¯t find it unpleasant. Why? It was because a legendary cksmith like Herbert could be as arrogant as he wanted when it came to his field of expertise. ¡ª Anyway, it¡¯s nice to meet you, greenhorn who is going to continue my legacy. ¡°Legacy? Please don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re going to ask me to improve orplete your final masterpiece or something¡­¡± Siegfried muttered nervously. The legacy Herbert was referring to meant something akin to a business or traditions passed down from generation to generation, and Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but interpret Herbert¡¯s words as the cksmith of Death asking him to create an even more powerful weapon of mass destruction. ¡ª That¡¯s right. You will have toplete the most powerful weapon of mass destruction for me. I¡¯m talking about that, my final masterpiece. ¡°This is iplete¡­?¡± ¡ª Unfortunately, yes¡­ ¡°Tsk¡­?To think that it¡¯s iplete¡­¡± Siegfried surreptitiously grumbled and grimaced. ¡®Ah¡­ Master Shakiro¡­ he said it¡¯s iplete¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He suddenly imagined Shakiro replying to his thoughts, ¡®Damn it¡­ I even wasted my entire life searching for it¡­¡¯ It was definitely for the better that Shakiro didn¡¯t find out about this in his final days. Siegfried was sure that Shakiro would have died from high blood pressure if he had discovered that the weapon he had been searching for was an iplete one. ¡ª Who the hell are you to grimace like that? It should be me who should be upset because that weapon is iplete! It¡¯s my only lingering regret! ¡°Everyone has their own stuff to handle¡­¡± Siegfried said with a shrug, and then he muttered under his breath, ¡°What¡¯s with the regret when he¡¯s already dead? Wait, is that why he stored his memory like this?¡± ¡ª You damn arrogant punk! Hey, you unqualified fool! I let you be the owner of the Rod of God, but what did you just say? Everyone has their own stuff to handle?!] Herbert¡¯s voice boomed. ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s how it went¡­¡¯ Siegfried finally realized that things had only gone smoothly because Herbert had helped him out. ¡ª You ungrateful little bastard! ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m indebted to you in any way, so please refrain from saying things like that.¡± ¡ª W-What did you just say?! ¡°This is your iplete final masterpiece, right? Who willplete it for you if not me? Well¡­ Should I just throw it into the ocean or something?¡± Siegfried said while swinging the Rod of God a few times. ¡ª N¡­ No! Don¡¯t do that! Anything but that! Herbert pleaded with a pale face. ¡°Let¡¯s not do anything that will cause a rift between us. Do you understand?¡± ¡ª T-This¡­! This little¡­! Herbert gnashed his teeth, but he didn¡¯t say anything else that could potentially upset Siegfried. The hierarchy between Herbert and Siegfried was established with Siegfried the one with more say in this situation. ¡°So¡­ this thing is iplete?¡± ¡ª That¡¯s right¡­ Herbert responded to Siegfried¡¯s question, and then he exined. ¡ª I sessfully managed to recreate the scourge of the Lord of Chaos to create the world¡¯s most powerful weapon of mass destruction. ¡°But why is it sockluster?¡± ¡ª You bastard¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll throw it away.¡± ¡ª I¡¯m sorry¡­ ¡°We agreed to be careful with our words, right?¡± ¡ª We did¡­ ¡°So, you wanted to create a weapon of mass destruction, but you only managed to make this rod?¡± ¡ª My illness worsened, so I could no longer work on it. Although I was finally able toplete the weapon¡¯s design¡­ ¡°So you barely managed to work on it¡­ what should I do toplete this, then?¡± ¡ª Take this. Herbert passed a scroll over to Siegfried. ¡ª It¡¯s the blueprint. ¡°Blueprint, you say¡­¡± ¡ª A Grand Master cksmith will be able toplete the weapon once they see this blueprint. ¡°That sounds easy, but finding a Grand Master cksmith isn¡¯t as easy as it sounds, you know that?¡± ¡ª You don¡¯t have to worry about that since there will certainly be at least one of them in every generation. And they will burn with passion the moment they see my blueprint, so you don¡¯t have to worry about convincing them. The problem is not with the cksmith. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡ª The main problem is gathering the materials. ¡°How difficult can it be¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He unrolled the scroll and looked at the list of materials necessary toplete the weapon of mass destruction. Upon seeing the list, he clicked his tongue and gasped. ¡°This is crazy¡­¡± The materials necessary toplete the weapon of mass destruction were the following: [Herbert¡¯s Blueprint] [A blueprint of the most powerful weapon of mass destruction. A Grand Master cksmith will easily understand it, and they will be able toplete Herbert¡¯s final masterpiece as long as they have the following ingredients.] [Type: Recipe (Universal Weapon)] [Materials:] [Rod of God ¡Á 1 ?] [Omnipotent Mechanical Gear ¡Á 1] [Horn of Chromatic Dragon ¡Á 1] [Soul of the Vampire Lord ¡Á 1] [Eye of the Storm ¡Á 1] [Universal Grade Mana Stone ¡Á 3] [Heart of the Demon Lord ¡Á 1] It turned out that the weapon of mass destruction Herbert had been dreaming of creating was actually meant to remain as nothing but a dream. *** The news of Raptor¡¯s character being reset spread all over the world in a heartbeat. A single video was uploaded to the top game streaming website ¡®G-Tube,¡¯ and the video garnered a record-breaking one hundred million views in three days. ¡¸[BNW] Control ability of the Level 50 that overpowered Raptor.avi (99,999+)¡¹ The star of the video wasn¡¯t Raptor, but the Level 50 Adventurer, Siegfried. The guild masters of the top ten guilds reacted the same after they were done watching the video. ¡°Find out his phone number.¡± ¡°Get in touch with him.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s recruit him before anyone else does.¡± ¡°Does anyone know who he is?¡± ¡°Is he a pro gamer from another game?¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°This bastard is mine.¡± ¡°Recruit him immediately! Immediately!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to fire our entire recruitment team if someone else recruits him first. Mark my words!¡± However, there was one guild master who showed a different reaction from the rest. ¡°Han Tae-Sung¡­?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok, the Guild master of the Genesis Guild, stared intently at the screen while doubting his eyes a hundred¡ªno, a thousand times. Chapter 66

    Chapter 66

    However, Chae Hyung-Seok couldn¡¯t be a hundred percent sure if the man in the video was really Han Tae-Sung. ¡®BNW does not allow dual ounts or nickname changes¡­¡¯?he thought. . Hive Games Entertainment, which was the developer and distributor of BNW, was known to be the strictestpany when it came to user verification, and they were very famous for not allowing yers to delete their ount and create a new one or change their yer ID. On top of that, the Han Tae-Sung he knew was Level 200, but the man in the video was only Level 50. ¡®He does look like Han Tae-Sung¡ªno, he looks more handsome than him, and he gives off a different feeling. That bastard Han Tae-Sung has a deranged look in his eyes while this guy doesn¡¯t¡­ but they look too simr to simply ignore¡­¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok pondered, seemingly confused. There was no way Chae Hyung-Seok would be able to tell that it was Tae-Sung at a single nce since even Choi Cheol-Ki, who used to be one of Tae-Sung¡¯srades, didn¡¯t recognize him as Siegfried. ¡°Hey, this Siegfried guy¡­ Keep an eye on him and try to find out anything you can about him. Find out where he lives and what he does for a living. Leave no stones unturned,¡± Chae Hyung-Seokmanded. Themand meant that the Genesis Guild would keep a close eye on Siegfried from now on. *** ¡°Did you really design this to be created?¡± Siegfried asked while staring at Herbert with eyes full of pity before saying, ¡°How the hell do you expect someone to make this?¡± ¡ª T-That is¡­ ¡°I can somewhat understand the deal with the other materials, but don¡¯t you think you went too far with the Demon Lord¡¯s heart?¡± ¡ª Ehem¡­?Ehem¡­ ¡°How can you be so shameless? No, do you even know what shame is in the first ce?¡± Siegfried continued to berate the cksmith of Death, but Herbert couldn¡¯t retort at all. ¡®I think I should just consider this opportunity as a hit-or-miss¡­ I could end up spending the rest of my life trying toplete this if I focus only on this. I¡¯m sorry, Master Shakiro¡­ but I think I will have to do this only if the opportunityes¡­¡¯? Siegfried decided not to think aboutpleting Herbert¡¯s final masterpiece for now. He was willing to try andplete it if he ever came across the materials required, but it was simply too burdensome for him to drop everything and purely upy himself with this quest. ¡°I won¡¯t be able toplete this. My time is too precious to chase after something uncertain,¡± Siegfried honestly said. ¡ª I understand. Herbert seemed to agree with Siegfried¡¯s words. ¡ª However, please don¡¯tpletely give up on it. I beg you. Just try and gather the materials necessary toplete it from time to time whenever you have time. That¡¯s all I ask. ¡°That¡¯s not difficult¡­¡± ¡ª I regret that I wasn¡¯t able to work on it sooner¡­ Siegfried clicked his tongue at Herbert¡¯s state. thetter¡¯s body had probably dposed long ago and was a pile of bones by now. However, Siegfried could tell how obsessed he had to have been with his final masterpiece when he was still alive. It was all because the cksmith of Death was still obsessed with his final masterpiece even after bing a spirit. ¡ª Anyway, I hope that you will be able toplete my final work. And this is a present I have prepared for you. ¡°A present?¡± Siegfried repeated as his ears twitched at the word ¡®present.¡¯ ¡ª This is an Elixir of Recklessness. Herbert retrieved a sk and gave it to Siegfried. [Elixir of Recklessness] [Type: Consumable] [Effect: The user will receive 70% increased experience points for one week after consuming this elixir. However, the user will lose a few levels if they fail to gain enough levels within the time limit. (More than 10 levels in a week)] It seemed that this elixir was created to force the user to level up as much as they could. ¡°Oh?¡± Siegfried muttered, and a huge smile appeared on his face. He was pretty happy with the present since he was always thirsty for more levels. It had a side-effect, but it was nevertheless the perfect item for him since he had wasted a lot of time and even lost three levels at the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament. As such, he urgently had to increase his level. ¡ª And this is a medallion with my signature on it. Take this with you when you visit the main office of the Bavarian Workshop. They will give you a fifty percent discount when purchasing an artifact. ¡°Thank you,¡± Siegfried said after taking the elixir and medallion from Herbert. ¡®It sure is a lot just to ask someone to do the bare minimum...¡¯ Siegfried actually reaped quite the reward. After all, being able to purchase an artifact from the Bavarian Workshop, which was one of the top three workshops on the continent, at a discounted price was an amazing thing. ¡ª Please. I ask of you. ¡°I already told you that I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡ª You have to do your best if the opportunity presents itself. ¡°I already told you not to worry.¡± ¡ª Just in case¡­ if you see any hope of it gettingpleted¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­?Can you stop insisting?¡± Siegfried said with a hint of annoyance. He was slowly reaching his limits of enduring Herbert¡¯s childish nagging. ¡°Go rest. I¡¯m going now.¡± ¡ª Please. You have to¡­ ¡°Bye¡­¡± Siegfried said. He turned around and walked away from Herbert while waving his hand as if he was showing that he was fed up with thetter. Shwoook¡­ The hell in front of him disappeared and was reced by the dark cave he was in. *** Tae-Sung logged out of the game and rushed to the bank. ¡¸Your transaction has been sessfullypleted!¡¹ ¡¸Your transaction has been sessfullypleted!¡¹ First of all, he paid off his debt to the loan shark before paying off his bank loan. And that was it¡­ Sniff¡­! Tae-Sung was ovee by emotions after he was done wiring the money. This was the end. He could finally kiss his debt goodbye. What forced Tae-Sung to live a pitiful and poor life was finally gone, and this was thanks to the items the participants of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament had dropped upon their deaths. ¡°This is only the beginning¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered with a smile. His ount bnce decreased in size after paying off his debts, but his body felt lighter and freer than it had ever been in recent months. Besides, he didn¡¯t really return to square one after paying them off, as he still had a lot of money left in his ount. [Remaining Bnce: 1,141,173,822 won] He still had 1.1 billion won left in his ount after paying off his loans and paying for the surgery of Seung-Gu¡¯s mother. This was only possible because he picked up every single item the yers had dropped on Erengel. ¡®Let¡¯s send some money home and move house..¡¯? Tae-Sung decided to move to a house that suited his hyper capsule, the Ogre. *** ¡°Mr. Tae-Sung¡­¡± a woman sighed in resignation. The woman was none other than the ountant that Cheon Woo-Jin had introduced to Tae-Sung. She was the ountant who would help Tae-Sung reduce his taxes. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You will have to spend more from now on.¡± ¡°Spend more money¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, you have to spend a lot more than you are spending now.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°You made too much money, so you will be pped with a hefty tax bill next year. You are on track to be charged¡­¡± the ountant trailed off as she punched some numbers on her calctor and showed Tae-Sung the figure before continuing. ¡°You will have to pay around this much.¡± ¡°No way¡­ haha¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered andughed in disbelief after seeing the figure. He then weakly asked, ¡°Why is my tax bill so high¡­?¡± ¡°This is just the beginning¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still May, and there are still seven more months to go before the end of the year. That figure has not taken into consideration the amount you will earn for the next seven months.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how things will turn out, but your tax bill will be approximately this amount judging by your current earnings.¡± The figure on the calctor was a whopping eight hundred million won. Tae-Sung would have to pay forty percent of his earnings as taxes, assuming that his total earnings for this year would be around two billion won. ¡°Haha¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Tae-Sung chuckled hollowly. ¡®I just finished paying off my debts but¡­ I have to pay eight hundred million won in taxes next May?¡¯?he despaired. This meant that eight hundred million won out of the 1.1 billion won in his bank ount actually belonged to the government rather than to him. ¡°I think you will have to move houses first. It¡¯s toote for you to set up apany, so we will have to register you as a sole proprietor for now.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± ¡°Move houses and lease a car as well. The money will be deducted from your tax bill anyway, so it will be best for you to shave off as much as you can through such fixed expenses.¡± ¡°What should I do¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked, seemingly at a loss. His tax bill was eight hundred million won? It was money that he had to pay as a citizen, but it was still a huge amount for Tae-Sung, who had just started earning money. ¡°First of all, go and register a personal business under your name, then get a house and a car. You will be able to shave off your tax bill with them, so please do not worry about the amount and get whatever house and car you want. Please do not forget to send me a copy of the lease agreement for the house and the vehicle registration of the car.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°And use your credit card as much as possible from now on. You should change all of your electronic devices to thetest models while you are at it as well, and¡­¡± Tae-Sung¡¯s tax consultationsted for two more hours after that. *** ¡°Phew¡­?Why do I have so many things to do¡­?¡± Tae-Sung sighed after descending upon the N¨¹rburg Continent as Siegfried. He had to move houses, buy a car, deal with the bank, get a credit card issued for himself, and so on. He had so many things to deal with after reaping a handsome profit that he didn¡¯t have time to y the game for the past two days. ¡°I should just be quiet and y solo for now¡­¡± Siegfried made up his mind. However, it wasn¡¯t because he was busy; it was because of something else. The reason was none other than the fact that the video of him fighting Raptor one-on-one had already rued more than two hundred million views on G-Tube. In fact, Siegfried¡¯s duel with Raptor was broadcasted on the TV program ¡®Hot Clips of This Week,¡¯ and anyone ying the game would definitely recognize him if they ever bumped into him on the field. ¡°I have toy low for now¡­¡± he resolved. One was bound to lose something after gaining something, and Siegfried was aware that Chae Hyung-Seok was definitely suspicious of him. But it was fine as long as Chae Hyung-Seok wasn¡¯tpletely sure of his identity. Why? That was because Chae Hyung-Seok should know that it was impossible to change one¡¯s yer ID or create a new ount in BNW, and Siegfried could confidently say that he was safe for the next few months at the very least. ¡°First, let¡¯s pay a visit¡­¡± Siegfried decided to visit the territory he had received as a reward before going on a power-leveling journey. [Alert: The citizens of Proatine Province are waiting for you!] [Alert: Go to your kingdom and take your ce as the first King of the Proatine Kingdom!] Siegfried was originally nning on looking for a dungeon, but he was left with no choice but to pay his territory a visit because of the string of messages that kept urging him to go there. *** [Proatine Territory: At a forest in the southwest region of the Proatine Kingdom] A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes after using the gateway. ¡°What kind of a kingdom doesn¡¯t even have a gateway?¡± Siegfried grumbled. [Alert: Go to Casein Castle at the heart of the Proatine Province.] [Alert: Casein Castle will be the temporary capital of the country that you will rule from now on.] There were no gateways connected to Casein Castle, which was his destination, so Siegfried had to walk around thirty kilometers before he could reach his destination. ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s pretty far¡­ Sigh¡­¡± Siegfried sighed while looking at his mini-map. ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± While Siegfried was engrossed in his mini-map, a scream echoed from somewhere. *** Kyahk! Arge burly hand pped a woman on her face. ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± The Adventurer who pped the woman even cursed her. ¡°Just obedientlye with me! Why are you resisting and making life difficult for me, ha?!¡± ¡°P-Please let me go!¡± The woman, who turned out to be an elf, was pinned underneath the Adventurer. She resisted to the best of her abilities, but the Adventurer was simply too huge in contrast to her that she couldn¡¯t do anything substantial. ¡°Hehe! Let you go? I can¡¯t do that since you¡¯re my prey...¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± ¡°Just follow me, okay?¡± said the Adventurer as he cuffed the elf¡¯s hands and ankles. ¡°Keke!?That bitch looks expensive!¡± ¡°She looks prettier than the one we previously caught! Look at her soft smooth skin! Don¡¯t you think so as well?¡± ¡°I think we can make a thousand gold with her.¡± The other Adventurers snickered and jested among themselves. ¡°Ehem!?I really want to lock her up and fulfill my¡ª¡± the Adventurer started, but he couldn¡¯t finish his words. Bam! A mace flew out of nowhere and smashed the head of the Adventurer on top of the elf. The mace really did smash his head since the Adventurer¡¯s head suddenly let out an audible pop before it disappeared from between his shoulders. ¡°W-What the?!¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°Look at this fearless bastard!¡± Therades of the dead Adventurer growled at the man wielding the mace. ¡°Who am I?¡± The mace-wielding Siegfried responded, ¡°I¡¯m thendlord here.¡± Chapter 67

    Chapter 67

    Thirty seconds ago¡­ ¡°Those bastards are at it again¡­ Sigh¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled and let out a sigh while looking at the Adventurers hunting a female elf down. The reason he said that was that these Elf Hunters were a group of Chinese and Ethnic Korean Chinese gamers who were actual criminals in real life. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Chinese and Ethnic Korean Chinese gamers were bad people, but this specific group wasprised of those two demographics. And BNW was a hotspot for criminals because it was a game where a lot of money could potentially be made. There was a saying that some people would never change, and this perfectly suited these criminals since they brought their criminal impulses into the game as well. These criminals usually lived a life of poverty in real life, but they started earning heaps of gold in the game bymitting murder for hire, harvesting organs, operating a gambling den, and other criminal activities targeting both yers and NPCs alike. That was not all; these people were pretty rampant as criminals back in the real world as well. They were known to operate illegal betting sites, which allowed people to bet on guild wars or duels between high Rankers, which made gambling much more essible not only to adults but to minors as well. ¡®They are at it again¡­ tsk tsk¡­¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue since he was very familiar with these criminals¡¯ deeds. As such, he decided to get involved. He normally would not have gotten involved and simply continued on his way, but the reason he decided to act out of character and get involved was simple. ¡®This is mynd. I can¡¯t let these bastards do as they please in my backyard¡­¡¯? The entire Proatine Province belonged to him. The mountains, fields, rivers, and viges belonged to him. Even a single strand of grass, a single tree, and even a single ant was his property. However, the elf wasn¡¯t his property. She was more like his neighbor, but he couldn¡¯t simply sit still and watch when a crime was beingmitted in hisnd. As such, Siegfried decided to get involved. *** ¡°Landlord¡­?¡± ¡°What the hell is this bastard spouting? Landlord? Who?¡± ¡°Who do you think you are? Do you even know where this is?¡± The Elf Hunters scoffed and sneered at Siegfried in return. This was because the Proatine Province was well known as and the empire had abandoned hundreds of years ago, so it was technically and without an owner. ¡°Ah, never mind¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled while waving his hand in annoyance. Then, he asked, ¡°Why is your imagination so shallow? Do you guys have a rule that you can only make money from illicit activities? Why are you acting like this even in a game?¡± Siegfried seriously found it difficult to understand the Elf Hunters. These were people who often med society and the environment they had grown up in whenever they were asked why they were living a life of crime. Since this was a game, there was no reason for them to be criminals even here, right? BNW was the type of game where one could work hard and grind without dirtying their hands to earn money. One of the Elf Hunters cracked his knuckles and walked threateningly toward Siegfried while saying, ¡°This bastard¡­ Who the hell do you think you are to lecture us¡ªKuheok!¡± Siegfried did not give the Adventurer a chance to finish his words as he smashed thetter¡¯s head with a mace just like what he did to thetter¡¯srade a few moments ago. ¡°W-Wait a minute!¡± ¡°This guy¡­ isn¡¯t he the one who defeated Raptor?!¡± The remaining two Adventurers finally managed to recognize Siegfried, but it was already toote. Bam! Bam!? Siegfried swung his mace twice. Thud¡­! Thud¡­!? The remaining Elf Hunters dropped dead to the ground. ¡°Since they had the time to do these kinds of things, they should have just used that time to focus on leveling up. Tsk, tsk¡­¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue while looking down at the Adventurers¡¯ corpses. The Elf Hunters were only Level 30 to 40, so they weren¡¯t Siegfried¡¯s match who was Level 50, and the reason he clicked his tongue was that he found it absurd that a bunch of low-level yers was trying to hunt elves. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Siegfried approached the elf and extended his hand out. ¡°¡­¡± However, the elf didn¡¯t grab Siegfried¡¯s hand. It seemed that she was traumatized after what she had gone through with the Elf Hunters. Now, it looked like she would find it difficult to trust another human. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I won¡¯t hurt you so stand up,¡± Siegfried said as he extended his hand further toward her. ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­¡± the elf hesitated for a moment before she grabbed Siegfried¡¯s hand. ¡°You must have been surprised,¡± Siegfried started as he retrieved a handkerchief from his Inventory and cleaned the dirt and blood off of the elf. Afterward, he retrieved a potion and applied it to her injuries. ¡°¡­¡± The elf flinched when he touched her, but she neither resisted nor pushed him away. It seemed that she instinctively realized that he wasn¡¯t a bad person. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± the elf said after calming down a bit. ¡°My name is Natasha. May I ask the name of my savior?¡± Natasha asked. ¡°My name is Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°Siegfried van Proa¡­?¡± Natasha muttered in surprise before saying, ¡°From what I know¡­ the Proa surname is this territory¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, it just so happened that I was passing by.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯re this territory¡¯s ruler?¡± ¡°Yes, I just started a few days ago, though.¡± ¡°That is a surprise¡­¡± Natasha muttered, ¡°Thest time a king appeared in this ce was¡­ around two hundred years ago if my memory serves me correctly...¡± ¡°What? Two hundred years ago?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± Siegfried could not understand what Natasha was trying to say. The Proatine Province¡¯s location could be considered a bit rural on the continent, but it was positioned in a very strategic location. Moreover, it also possessed arge river that cut across the N¨¹rburg Continent. As such, traveling to the center of the continent wouldn¡¯t be that difficult from here. The only downside of the Proatine Province was that half of the province was made up of rugged mountains. ¡°Thesends are unimaginably difficult to tame, and there are a lot of problems here as well,¡± Natasha said. ¡°What are those problems? Can you tell me?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I will tell you as much as I know, King of the Humans,¡± Natasha replied with a bow in a show of respect for Siegfried. *** While they were on their way to the elf vige, Siegfried discovered the province¡¯s problems through Natasha, and he couldn¡¯t help but think that the future was bleak as he grumbled, ¡°This is hopeless¡­¡± The reasons were the following: 1. The barbarians living in the northwest would alwayse down every winter to pige, which often led to wars. 2. A Vampire Lord¡¯s castle exists within the province, and it was mandatory to send a citizen of Proatine as a monthly offering. 3. The Elf Hunters frequented the province to kidnap elves. 4. Countless ancient dungeons existed in the province. 5. Powerful and vicious monsters inhabit thesends. It was safe to assume that this wasn¡¯t a territory but a dungeon at this point. However, the biggest problem was¡­ ¡°The humans neglected thesends after establishing the empire, and they would only send the absolute minimum required support to the people here, and they had never been consistent with that as well,¡± Natasha said. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that¡­ this is a rough neighborhood? Is it something like that?¡± Siegfried asked with a bbergasted look. ¡°It is an extremely rough neighborhood.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I do not really want to say this but¡­ it will not be easy for you to rule over thesends¡­¡± The neighborhood would definitely be rough if even the elves were calling it rough. Why? The reason was simple. The elves had better abilities and were stronger than humans. ¡®What kind of a reward is this? This is just a bag of shit. No wonder the emperor was willing to give it away for free¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardlyined and gnashed his teeth at the emperor after listening to Natasha¡¯s exnation. The Proatine Province could be considered something akin to chicken ribs. It was a waste to throw away, but it was pretty difficult to make proper use of it. This was the reality of thend Siegfried had received as a reward. ¡°King of the Humans, I shall take my leave now,¡± Natasha said while pointing at a small narrow road. ¡°Hmm? Will you be alright?¡± ¡°Our vige is just up ahead, so it will be safe from here.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°And this is...¡± Natasha extended a small flower ring to Siegfried and said, ¡°This is a token of my gratitude for saving me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This is something my mother gave me before she passed away, but I want to offer this to you, King of the Humans.¡± The ring was called ¡®Flowering Ring with Maternal Love.¡¯ [Flower Ring with Maternal Love] [Type: essory (Ring)] [Rating: Unique] [Abilities: Mother¡¯s Love.] [Mother¡¯s Love: The user¡¯s HP will be instantly restored to 80% if it falls under 10%. This ring will disappear once the ability is triggered. (Consumable)] It was a piece of consumable equipment, but the ring Natasha gave had a lifesaving ability. ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head and said, ¡°I cannot receive this. Please, take it back.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I am an Adventurer from the other world. I wille back to life if I die, but that is not the case for you. You only have one life, so I should not take this from you¡­¡± ¡°Take it,¡± Natasha forced the ring into Siegfried¡¯s hand and said, ¡°This ring would have disappeared if it weren¡¯t for you saving me.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°You are my savior, and I am willing to offer my life to you as well,¡± Natasha said. Then, she nimbly backed away from Siegfried after giving him the ring and bowed before adding, ¡°Thank you very much, King of the Humans.¡± ¡°Natasha!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°Pleasee and visit me in our vige if you ever need my help. Then, I shall take my leave¡­¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Siegfried shouted, but she had already disappeared into the forest. . ¡°Ah¡­ She didn¡¯t have to give me something like this¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a troubled look. It was quite burdensome for him to receive a potentially lifesaving item from an NPC because he knew what it meant. *** Siegfried continued his march after separating from Natasha, and he finally reached his destination, which was the capital of the Proatine Province, Casein Castle. Casein Castle was a mountain fort nested on top of a rugged mountain, and it was more appropriate to call it a fortress rather than the capital of a kingdom. ¡®The terrain is too rugged. The poption is too small. There¡¯s no need to mention its productivity¡­ This can¡¯t even be called a country¡­ this is just another feudal territory¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardlyined while assessing the Proatine Province¡¯s situation with his own two eyes. ¡°Halt!¡± a guard standing in front of the castle gates raised his spear at Siegfried and eximed, ¡°Who goes there? Identify yourself!¡± The reason the guard immediately turned hostile was that this ce was simply too rural, which meant tourists were pretty rare. ¡®What should I say¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered how he should introduce himself to the guard. He was conflicted since the thought of saying, ¡°I¡¯m your new king!¡± felt extremely cringey to him. ¡°I said, identify yourself! I will give you a nice new hole in your neck if you don¡¯t respond in three seconds!¡± the guard threatened while shoving his spear near Siegfried¡¯s neck. ¡°One¡­ two!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ so¡­ I am¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I am the new¡­ k-king¡­¡± ¡°The new what?¡± ¡°The new king.¡± ¡°Kiiiing?¡± the guard revealed a condescending look that seemed as if it was saying what kind of bullshit Siegfried had just said. ¡°Hey! Look at this guy! He says he¡¯s the new king!¡± the guard called out to his colleagues. ¡°King?¡± ¡°The new king hase?¡± ¡°Really?!¡± The guards immediately looked at Siegfried. Exactly three secondster¡­ ¡°Bahahahaha!¡± ¡°Look at this crazy guy!¡± ¡°Hey! You punk! Did you eat something wrong today? Didn¡¯t your mom teach you not to eat anything you find on the ground just because you¡¯re hungry?¡± ¡°Kekekeke!?He said he is the king! THE KING!¡± The guards had a field dayughing at Siegfried while pointing fingers at him. Yes, they were having the time of their lives. 1. Ethnic Korean Chinese are people with Chinese nationality but Korean ancestry. Refer to this link for more information. 2. Gambling and betting are illegal in Korea for both minors and adults. Chapter 68

    Chapter 68

    Siegfried was neither upset nor enraged at their reaction. ¡®Ah¡­ this is so embarrassing¡­¡¯? However, he felt like he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. ¡®It feels even more embarrassing after saying it with my own mouth¡­ It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand why they areughing at me¡­ A greenhorn suddenly appears out of nowhere and ims to be the king¡­ How can someone notugh at that?¡¯? Siegfriedpletely understood and agreed with the guards¡¯ responses, and he decided to exin the situation to them rather than get worked up over it. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he retrieved two items from his Inventory and showed it to the guards. The items Siegfried had retrieved from his Inventory were the appointment letter bestowed on him by the emperor and the emperor¡¯s letter for Baron Verbon regarding Siegfried¡¯s appointment as king. ¡°I¡¯m really the new king,¡± Siegfried said once more, and then he exined, ¡°I happened to win the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament and was awarded the Proatine Province by His Majesty, the Emperor. I know it¡¯s difficult for you to believe me, but you will understand if you read these letters¡­¡± However, the guards weren¡¯t interested in what Siegfried had to say, so they immediately dismissed his words. ¡°Wow, this guy is really nuts.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Did you hear that? He says it¡¯s an appointment letter and a personal letter from the emperor~¡± ¡°It has been quite a while since we had such a lunatic in town.¡± In fact, the guard that had his spear shoved close to Siegfried¡¯s neck was the one who got upset and growled, ¡°Hey, kiddo. Listen up. You just made a grave mistake.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I have no idea where you learned such a scam that even a monkey won¡¯t fall for. Sure, we can just let you off and think that you are just young and cute, but what did you just say? The emperor? How dare you bring up that bastard¡¯s name in front of us?¡± the guard said, openly disying his animosity toward the emperor. No, he wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°The emperor was the best you coulde up with? Tsk, tsk¡­¡± ¡°So what if he is the emperor? He did jackshit for us, but what now? He even gave us away as a reward? Ha!¡± ¡°We will never acknowledge you as our king even if you do turn out to be someone appointed by the emperor. Do you understand?¡± It seemed that the guards of Casein Castle didn¡¯t have a favorable opinion of the emperor. ¡®I¡¯m not getting through to them at all¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardlyined as he finally gave up on talking to them. ¡°I have no idea why all of you are being like this. If you won¡¯t believe me, then please call your superior,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Superior?¡± the spear-wielding guard growled with fury. ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°This bastard¡­!¡± the guard eximed as he tightened his grip on his spear. He was about to press the spear tip closer to Siegfried¡¯s neck, but things didn¡¯t turn out as he wanted. Tak! Siegfried easily pushed the spear away from his neck, and then he repeated in a more rigid voice. ¡°Please call your superior. And I am warning you not to make the same mistake twice. You will seriously get hurt.¡± ¡°Ha!?Listen to this bastard!¡± the guard scoffed. He then thrust his spear toward Siegfried. Whoosh! The spear failed to connect with anything. Pukeok! Siegfried dug his knee into the guard¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Kuheok!¡± ¡°I already warned you that you will get hurt.¡± ¡°This¡­ this bastard dares to¡­¡± ¡°Call your superior while I¡¯m still being nice. Then, I will let this incident slide. Let¡¯s not cause any trouble between us, shall we?¡± ¡°Kill that bastard!¡± And it started¡­ ¡°This crazy bastard!¡± ¡°You wanna die? Ha?!¡± ¡°Who do you think you are?!¡± The guards at the castle gate ganged up on Siegfried. *** Almost a hundred guards were moaning in pain on the ground in front of Casein Castle¡¯s gates. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Uwooo¡­¡± ¡°Argh¡­ Argh¡­¡± ¡°Do you need more beating to understand what I¡¯m saying? When is your superioring?¡± Siegfried asked with a hint of annoyance mixed in his voice. He tried to resolve things in a peaceful manner with them, but they attacked him instead of calling their superior. Siegfried fought them with a significant handicap, as he had to make sure not to kill them since they were necessary to guard the castle gates. ¡°We sent someone to call him, so just wait right there¡­¡± replied the spear-wielding guard while groaning on the ground. He was the first one who attacked Siegfried. It seemed that he was still fine because he still had the strength to threaten Siegfried. ¡°The elite forces will be here at any moment now, and they will rip you apart¡ªKwek!¡± A mace flew and smacked him on the head, interrupting his threat. Whooosh¡­ Pukeok! ¡°Ha¡­¡± Siegfried let out a sigh as heined, ¡°If you had just let me through, none of this would have happened¡­¡± ¡°Kill that bastard!¡± All of a sudden, fifty knights appeared along with someone¡¯s shout, and they instantly surrounded Siegfried. In addition¡­ ¡°What¡¯s all the ruckus about?!¡± a high-pitched voice eximed. Another group wearing light leather armor rather than heavy armor appeared. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯?Siegfried wondered while looking at the two groups that had just appeared. ¡°Sir Ronan, what happened here? Why are the guards on the ground?¡± said the woman, who seemed to be the leader of the group wearing leather armor, to the knight whomanded the other group to kill Siegfried. ¡°Ah, Dame Oscar,¡± Ronan responded, seemingly taken aback before exining, ¡°That bastard dared to cause a fuss at the castle gates, so I came running here.¡± ¡°A fuss? Who dared to raise a fuss here?¡± asked the woman named Oscar. ¡°That kid over there,¡± Ronan replied, pointing at Siegfried before saying, ¡°That Adventurer appeared out of nowhere and started beating our guards.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Oscar red at Siegfried. [Oscar] [Type: NPC] [Level: 101] [Affiliation: Proa Territory] [Position: Vice Commander of Proa Territory Forces, Commander of the 1st Mountain Battalion, Commander of the 2nd Artillery Battalion.] [Rank: Lieutenant Commander] The female knight named Oscar was a tall beautiful woman who seemed to be more than 170 centimeters tall. She had flowing golden hair and mesmerizing deep blue eyes. However, she had a very cold demeanor that would make any man tense up, and her stern manner of speech was more than enough to send chills down anyone¡¯s spine. ¡°Is it true that you kicked up a fuss at the castle gates?¡± she asked. ¡°No,¡± Siegfried replied with a shake of his head. ¡°Bullshit! There¡¯s no doubt that this bastard did this to the guards!¡± Ronan eximed before asking the guards on the ground, ¡°Am I correct?¡± ¡°That bastard did this to us!¡± ¡°You have to kill him!¡± ¡°That devil did this to us!¡± The guards started to exaggerate the things Siegfried had done. Shiik¡­! Oscar unsheathed her sword and asked, ¡°Are the guards speaking the truth?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. ¡°No?¡± ¡°I am the newly-appointed king of this ce.¡± ¡°What did you just say¡­?¡± Oscar asked. She seemed to be having a hard time believing Siegfried¡¯s words as she said, ¡°I must have heard you wrongly, so I will ask once more¡ª¡± ¡°Look at this¡­¡± Siegfried cut her off and extended the appointment letter and the letter personally written by His Majesty the Emperor and said, ¡°That¡¯s the appointment letter from His Majesty the Emperor, and this is the letter from His Majesty addressed to Baron Verbon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Oscar muttered as she went through the letters. ¡°It is a grave crime to forge official documents of the empire, and it is even a greater crime to forge a letter from His Majesty the Emperor. Anyone caught guilty of thetter will be severely punished and have three generations of their family killed.¡± ¡°Check it,¡± Siegfried coolly said. ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to check this. I will just have to usemunication magic. Will you be able to handle the consequences?¡± she asked. ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°Alright,¡± she nodded and called, ¡°Signalman.¡± ¡°Yes, Dame Oscar!¡± ¡°Go to themunication room at once and check whether the contents of these letters are real or not. And inquire if His Majesty the Emperor has sent a new lord over to ournds.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am!¡± the signalman replied with a salute before taking the letters over to themunication room. ¡°In the event that you are lying¡ª¡± Oscar started. However, Siegfried cut her off as he nonchntly said, ¡°Just cut my head off then.¡± ¡°Dame Oscar!¡± Ronan butted in once more and eximed, ¡°Why are you falling for the lies of that bastard?!¡± ¡°I am not. I am just checking whether it is indeed true or not,¡± she replied. ¡°What is there to check?! What kind of a mad emperor will give hisnds to an Adventurer?! It is obviously a lie, so we should cut his head off this instant!¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Oscar cut him off and said, ¡°It is not toote for us to cut his head off after we have proof of his crimes.¡± ¡°Dame Oscar! How can someone be so rigid? We should just cut his head off first since it¡¯s obviously¡­¡± ¡°I will no longer entertain any of this,¡± Oscar drew the line before saying, ¡°I am having a hard time believing this man¡¯s words as well. However, what will you do if it turns out that he was indeed telling the truth? Then, you and I will bebeled as shameful ¡®King yers¡¯ if that happens.¡± ¡°What are you even trying to imply¡­¡± Ronan grumbled. And they continued arguing for quite a while¡­ ¡®Both of them don¡¯t get along. I can see that much,¡¯?Siegfried observed. *** ¡°D-Dame Oscar!¡± Around ten minutester, the signalman returned with a ghastly pale countenance. ¡°It is true! T-That bastard is¡­! No, that person is the newly-appointed king of the Proatine Province! I have confirmed his name and face! Siegfried van Proa! He is indeed the new king!¡± ¡°Are you sure? Are you a hundred percent certain?¡± Oscar asked. ¡°Yes! I checked three times! There¡¯s no doubt about it!¡± the signalman eximed. Then¡­ ¡°I, Oscar, greet my lord!¡± Oscar immediately knelt and greeted her new lord as soon as the signalman finished his words. *** At the Lord¡¯s Hall deep within Casein Castle¡­ Baron Verbon grimaced and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± He was a fat middle-aged man with tiny eyes the size of a needle¡¯s hole. ¡°The new king hase?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± replied a knight named Batista. He was a loyal subject of Baron Verbon along with Ronan. ¡°He really came?¡± Baron Verbon asked once more. ¡°Pardon?¡± Batista asked in response. ¡°There was a message from the royal capital a few weeks ago. They said that a new king was going to be crowned,¡± Baron Verbon said while rubbing his fat chin. ¡°Is that true?¡± Batista¡¯s eyes shot open in surprise. It was a normal response since thesends had long been forsaken by the empire. ¡°I doubted it, but who knew it would actually happen?¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± ¡°What do you mean what should we do?¡± Baron Verbon smirked and said, ¡°We just have to chase him out.¡± ¡°However, the emperor himself has appointed him¡­¡± ¡°Batista, I never knew that you were such a nice person.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Were you the type to easily let someone else take your rice bowl away from you?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°I might be stuck here in the middle of nowhere, but as you know¡­ Ehem¡­?Ehem¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let someone else take away my cash cow. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°I agree, but¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s kill him first, and then we¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°Kill him¡­?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t really die since he¡¯s an Adventurer, so let¡¯s kill him for now and then think about what to do.¡± ¡°How do you n to handle the bacsh¡­?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t going to kill him with our own hands, so what would be the problem? We can just call them and ask them to do it on our behalf and make it look like he got assassinated. We aren¡¯t paying them for nothing, right?¡± ¡°I understand. I will ask them to pay the castle a visit tonight, then,¡± Batista said before leaving the Lord¡¯s Hall. Chapter 69

    Chapter 69

    Silence ensued, and the deafening silence didn¡¯te as a surprise. A king. He was indeed the king. The little greenhorn Adventurer turned out to really be the king His Majesty the Emperor himself had appointed, and he was indeed the new ruler of the Proatine Province. They thought it was an obvious lie¡­ ¡®Damn it! He¡¯s really the king?!¡¯ ¡®That little greenhorn Adventurer is the new king?!¡¯ ¡®Ah fuck! We¡¯re fucked!¡¯ ¡®Shit does happen if you live long enough! Damn it!¡¯ ¡®What kind of a messed-up turn of events is this¡­?¡¯ As such, the guards were extremely anxious. After all, every single offense they hadmitted would be enough to have them beheaded over and over again. ¡°M-My lord! I havemitted a grievous sin! Mercy! I ask for your gracious mercy, my lord!¡± Ronan, who was the most vocal one when it came to having Siegfried killed, had to push his head on the ground and ask for Siegfried¡¯s clemency while inwardly thanking Oscar over and over again. ¡°I, Oscar, greet Your Majesty Siegfried van Proa,¡± Oscar respectfully said while bowing her head toward him. ¡°Ah, yes, sure¡­¡± Siegfried mumbled, seemingly embarrassed over the whole fiasco. ¡®This is making me feel awkward as hell¡­¡¯?he thought while cringing hard inside. He couldn¡¯t help but still find it awkward to hear people address him with titles such as ¡®my lord¡¯ or ¡®Your Majesty,¡¯ even though this was all in a game. ¡°Enough with that. Please rise,¡± Siegfried said toward Oscar, and then he added, ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you. Dame Oscar, Sir Ronan¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Oscar said. She remained in her spot and bowed her head even deeper before continuing, ¡°I, Oscar, dare to request something from Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± ¡°Please grant your gracious pardon on me and the others for our insubordination toward you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Siegfried smirked and scoffed as if he found it funny before continuing. ¡°Just forget about it. It wasn¡¯t intentional anyway, so isn¡¯t it better for all of us to forget about it this one time?¡± ¡°Are you certain, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied as he helped Oscar to her feet and said, ¡°I would have found the whole thing difficult to believe as well, so let us all forget that it ever happened.¡± ¡°I, Oscar, thank Your Majesty, King Proa, for your grace!¡± Oscar eximed and bowed her head once again. ¡°T-Thank you for your graciousness!¡± Ronan also bowed once more. ¡®I¡­ I survived!¡¯ ¡®I almost got fucked¡­!¡¯ ¡®I thought I was going to lose my head for sure¡­¡¯ ¡®Crazy¡­ he was really the king¡­!¡¯ The guards finally managed to let out sighs of relief as they bowed their heads toward Siegfried. After all, if their new king had a bit of a temper, he could have said, ¡°off with their heads!¡± rather than pardoning them. ¡°Shall we go in for now? I will have to meet Baron Verbon as well.¡± ¡°Please allow me to lead the way, Your Majesty,¡± Oscar said as she ran up beside Siegfried. ¡®She seems pretty dependable. She knows how to take care of her subordinates, too.¡¯ Siegfried smiled while looking at the knight. *** Siegfried met Baron Verbon at the banquet hall of Casein Castle. ¡°Hello, King Proa. I am the lord of this ce, Verbon.¡± ¡°Yes, hello. I am Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°I am certain that you are famished from your long journey, so I have prepared some food for Your Majesty,¡± Baron Verbon said, showing off the feast on the table. ¡°Thank you. Please join me, Baron Verbon,¡± Siegfried said as he took up his knife and fork. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Baron Verbon called out. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I, Verbon, sincerely congratte Your Majesty for your appointment.¡± ¡°Please, do not mention it.¡± ¡°I wanted to ask you¡ªmay you kindly give your servant some time?¡± ¡°Time?¡± ¡°There are still some citizens who are unaware of your Majesty being crowned the king. I wish to announce this joyous news far and wide, so I would like to host a coronation event for you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°How will people ept their new king if such a basic formality has not been carried out? Do you not agree, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°How much time will you need?¡± ¡°It will require at least a week to get everything in order, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°A week, you say¡­¡± ¡°Please approve my request, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Fine, you may do as you wish.¡± Siegfried decided to ept Baron Verbon¡¯s request because he didn¡¯t see any reason to refuse it in the first ce. ¡°Oh! Thank you for your overflowing grace, Your Majesty! Please, feel free and rest assured while I prepare everything that is required¡ª¡± ¡°But first,¡± Siegfried cut Baron Verbon off. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I want to receive a report about the Proatine Province first.¡± ¡°A report¡­?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°What kind of report do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Well, what is the total poption, how many viges are there, how many troops we have, our total production in a year, and our annual tax revenue, something like that?¡± ¡°Ehem!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be better if I just take the detailed reportter, so why don¡¯t you give me a rough estimate for now?¡± ¡°Ah, I understand, Your Majesty. I shall ask the administrators to work on a report at once.¡± It was just for a brief moment, but Baron Verbon¡¯s eyes red at Siegfried as he thought, ¡®Look at this greenhorn?¡¯ ¡°Then, shall we continue with our meal?¡± It was unclear whether Siegfried had noticed it or not, but he seemed to be enjoying his sulent steak as well as the other dishes. *** After the banquet, Siegfried was escorted by the maids to the best guest quarters in the castle. The reason Siegfried wasn¡¯t escorted to the lord¡¯s quarters despite being the ruler was that Baron Verbon was still upying it. ¡°My name is Elize, and I shall be Your Majesty¡¯s personal maid from now on. Please, do let me know if you need anything, Your Majesty.¡± The young-looking maid named Elize ced a tray with water and whiskey on Siegfried¡¯s bed table. ¡°Then, I wish you a pleasant rest,¡± Elize said with a bow. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Siegfried replied. Once Elize was gone, Siegfried finally startedining to himself, ¡°This isn¡¯t a reward but a bag of shit¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but think that the emperor was a scammer. The emperor should have given him a developed territory as a reward, so what the hell was this? The terrain was hopeless, and the poption was sparse. On top of that, there was close to no infrastructure and talented individuals in this ce. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expectingnds simr to Gangnam or something, but shouldn¡¯t he at least give mend in Gangbuk? This is just a rural mountain province!¡± However, Siegfried knew very well that nothing would change even if he grumbled about it. ¡°Let¡¯s just do our best¡­ Thesends are mine now after all¡­¡± he decided to work on developing his territory as long as it wouldn¡¯t get in the way of his personal growth. Why? It was because he was alone. He had to have at least this territory for him to be able to stand up against the Genesis Guild. After all, he had already promised not to join any other guild. On top of that, he still had a lot of time. The emperor misled him, but he did promise to ce the territory under his protection for a period of three years, which meant that the Genesis Guild would not be able to invade it for now. ¡°Anyway, I should clear all of the dungeons here as soon as I¡¯m done with the coronation¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled before he suddenly turned his gaze toward the terrace. Then, he summoned his spear stored within Megingjord and threw it toward the terrace. Shwiiik! The spear flew at a ferocious speed. ng! The sound of metal shing with each other reverberated throughout the air. *** ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion when he recognized the person hiding on the terrace. The intruder was none other than the knight that he initially thought would be a dependable ally. ¡°Dame Oscar¡­?¡± ¡°I, Oscar, greet Your Majesty the King,¡± Oscar said as she kneeled down before Siegfried. ¡°Why are you on the terrace thiste at night¡­?¡± ¡°I had something I had to tell Your Majesty in secret.¡± ¡°In secret...?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What is it? No, before that, you¡¯re bleeding,¡± Siegfried hurriedly approached her when he found that her hand was bleeding. It seemed that she was grazed by the spear he had thrown. ¡°You should have at least informed me or something if you had something to say in secret¡­¡± ¡°I am fine, Your Majesty. I am a knight. A scratch like this is nothing to¡ª¡± ¡°Stay still, will you?¡± Siegfried grumbled as he retrieved a potion and a bandage from his Inventory and applied it to her hand. ¡°Y-You do not have to¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so reckless with your body. You are my subordinate after all.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°So, what is it that you wanted to tell me in secret?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Oscar muttered, seemingly hesitant before she carefully said, ¡°Does Your Majesty truly wish to rule over thesends?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, you will not be able to half-heartedly rule thesends. The Proatine Province is a vicious ce that nobody has been able to tame for the past two hundred years.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I shall dare say this if Your Majesty ns to be a half-hearted ruler of this ce...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Please leave.¡± Oscar stared right at him with her deep blue eyes. *** ¡°I am aware that this is not something I should be saying to my lord as a knight, but this is something that you have to be aware of. Your Majesty, if you do n to half-heartedly rule over thesends, then¡ª¡± Oscar started with a seemingly determined look. However, Siegfried cut her off by saying, ¡°Enough.¡± ¡°You do not have to worry about that, Dame Oscar. These are mynds now, and I have no ns to rule over it half-heartedly.¡± ¡°Those words¡­ May I trust those words?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± ¡°Is there not a single lie in your words?¡± ¡°I already told you¡­¡± ¡°If that is the case then¡­ Your Majesty has to be wary of Baron Verbon.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Siegfried furrowed his brows before asking, ¡°I find that hard to understand. You¡¯re Baron Verbon¡¯s subordinate just a few hours ago.¡± ¡°I have never pledged my loyalty to Baron Veron.¡± ¡°Then, to whom have you pledged your loyalty?¡± ¡°My loyalty lies with thesends and this territory. Baron Verbon is not worthy of my loyalty.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He is engaged in elf trading in cahoots with the Adventurers.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°And he is sucking the blood of our citizens with his insane tax rate.¡± This knight turned out to be a whistleblower. *** Baron Verbon was rotten to the core, but he was also a skilled individual. He solidified his position in the Proatine Province after being chased out of the capital by working with the Adventurers in the elf trade. The deal was simple. Baron Verbon would feign ignorance toward the atrocitiesmitted by the Elf Hunters. In exchange, thetter had to clear the monsters around Casein Castle. He even paid the Elf Hunters a stipend while disguising it as a price to pay for the maintenance of public safety and order. In addition, Baron Verbon also managed to prevent the Vampire Lord from invading the territory by signing a pact with thetter, increasing the number of citizens to be sacrificed from one to ten citizens of the Proatine Province every month. ¡®How is this different from real life¡­?¡¯? Siegfried clenched his fists after hearing Oscar¡¯s report. A corrupt high-ranking official working in cahoots with a bunch of gangsters and thugs? How was this any different from real life? It seemed that BNW replicated even the good-for-nothing real-life events so that the game would be even more realistic. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a sinister smile before saying, ¡°Then, we just have to get rid of Baron Verbon.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, you cannot do that. Baron Verbon might be a corrupt individual, but the public does not think badly of him.¡± ¡°Why? Is it because they are safe thanks to him even though he is rotten to the core?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why he is sacrificing people to the Vampire Lord¡­¡± Then, Siegfried growled in anger. ¡°You are asking me to turn a blind eye to that?¡± ¡°I do not mean to ask you to turn a blind eye to it. Instead, I am asking you to work on it slowly¡ªstep by step¡­¡± ¡°For how long?¡± Siegfried retorted. He then called the knight out. ¡°Dame Oscar.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Time is gold.¡± ¡°I am aware of that¡­¡± ¡°And the peace Baron Verbon is providing¡­ isn¡¯t that all at themon people¡¯s expense? Who are the ones shouldering the high taxes? Who are the ones being sacrificed to the Vampire Lord? Themon folks are the ones being burdened by everything while Verbon is reaping all the rewards, right?¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried said as he stood up. ¡°Your Majesty, where are you going?¡± Siegfried turned around and asked the knight in response, ¡°Where else?¡± Then, he tilted his head as if he found the knight¡¯s question to be absurd before he exined, ¡°I¡¯m going to smash Verbon¡¯s head first and think about how to deal with thingster. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Oscar realized it by then. ¡®I fucked up!¡¯ A thought shed in her mind that perhaps¡ªthis new king was crazier than even her wildest imagination. 1. Gangnam is the most expensive district in Korea. 2. Gangbuk is another expensive district that is located north of Gangnam Chapter 70

    Chapter 70

    ¡°Your Majesty! It¡¯s still too early to do such a thing! There will be severe consequences if you suddenly carry out a purge!¡± Oscar tried her best to convince Siegfried to do otherwise. He wanted to carry out a purge when he had just gotten here? Sending the previous lord¡¯s head flying off when he had just gotten here was too rash, and things would certainly spiral out of control if that happened. Not to mention, the peace and security Baron Verbon had built through his corrupt dealings woulde crumbling down as well the moment he died. However, the new king didn¡¯t seem concerned with the aftermath. ¡°It¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t going to cook just because you are scared of flies, right? Let¡¯s just get rid of him and think about things after that.¡± ¡°Your Majesty! Please! Please give it some time first¡­¡± ¡°What if Baron Verbon retaliates? Let¡¯s say a power struggle breaks out. Then who will stand to lose the most out of it?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Is it my blood? Or is it Dame Oscar and the soldiers?¡± Oscar could no longer retort at Siegfried¡¯s words since she knew very well that it was neither Siegfried¡¯s nor Verbon¡¯s blood that would drench thesends. It was the soldiers. The people whose only task was to enforce the peace and safety of the territory were the ones who would end up paying the price in the event of a political conflict. ¡°If we strike now, everything will end with only Verbon¡¯s blood as the price. The consequences? We can think about things like thatter on. Things will just go into a death spiral if we let things be¡­ at least that¡¯s what I learned from life,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°This is the perfect timing. I am the king appointed by the emperor himself. Verbon will not be able to carelessly attack me because he will get arrested for going against the emperor¡¯s wishes, so I have to strike first while he is looking for an excuse to do something against me. Alright, that¡¯s the end of the exnation,¡± Siegfried started walking toward the doors once again after finishing his exnation. Oscar could no longer stop Siegfried as the words he said echoed in her mind. ¡°Let¡¯s say a power struggle breaks out. Then who will stand to lose the most out of it?¡± She could not help but feel that Siegfried was going to be an excellent ruler. Of course, his tendency to bulldoze over things without thinking of the consequences that he showed just now worried her a bit. *** ¡°I came to meet Baron Verbon. Is he inside?¡± Siegfried asked Baron Verbon¡¯s maid. ¡°The lord is currently in a meeting,¡± the maid replied. ¡°At this hour?¡± ¡°He is currently in a meeting with Sir Ronan and Sir Batista.¡± ¡°Where is the meeting room?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. You will be able to find it at the end of this corridor, Your Majesty.¡± Siegfried immediately headed toward the meeting room. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­!¡± Two knights who were direct subordinates of Baron Verbon were guarding the entrance to the meeting room. ¡°I came to meet Baron Verbon,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Baron Verbon is currently in a meeting with Sir Ronan. What do you think about visiting him tomorrow morning, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It iste as well, so it will be better for Your Majesty to rest for the night.¡± The knights tried their best to convince him to go back to his chambers. ¡®Look at these bastards,¡¯?Siegfried thought as his eyes turned cold. The king came to meet his subject, but his subject¡¯s subordinates were asking him to go back since the subject was busy? ¡°Open it,¡± Siegfriedmanded in a cold voice. ¡°We cannot do that.¡± ¡°There is an important meeting going on right now, Your Majesty.¡± The two knights resisted despite Siegfried¡¯smand. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Siegfried let out a sigh before¡­ Pak! Pak! He smashed the heads of the knights guarding the door with his mace. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Oscar muttered in horror after witnessing Siegfried¡¯s tendency in action. *** ck! The meeting room¡¯s door was flung open. ¡°So, you are saying that we should wear that greenhorn out until he leaves of his own ord? W-What the hell?!¡± Baron Verbon eximed and turned around toward the door to check what themotion was about. He wasn¡¯t the only one who turned toward the door. ¡°Who¡¯s that bastard?!¡± ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t he that bastard?!¡± ¡°The King of Survival?¡± ¡°Hey! Are you brave or just in stupid?¡± The Elf Hunters eximed after recognizing Siegfried, but he didn¡¯t care or react to them. ¡°Baron Verbon? I think we need to have a talk,¡± Siegfried said while staring straight at Baron Verbon. ¡°Huh? W-What kind of talk¡­?¡± ¡°Come here for a second. I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Y-You can just say it from there, Your Majesty¡­¡± Baron Verbon tried to maintain a distance between himself and Siegfried when he noticed that there was something wrong with the entire situation. ¡°C¡¯mon, how can we do that? We have to talk face-to-face, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°I am fine where I am, haha¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not fine with it, so why don¡¯t youe closer? This is an order.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± Baron Verbon couldn¡¯t help but obey Siegfried¡¯s order. After all, Siegfried¡¯s rank was higher than his. ¡®He can¡¯t just kill me, right?¡¯?Baron Verbon thought as he went closer to Siegfried. ¡°So¡­ what is it that you urgently have to tell me¡­?¡± ¡°Baron Verbon.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I sentence you to death.¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°Your crimes are corruption, bribery, and the persecution of another race. Your execution is effective immediately, and I will be carrying it out myself.¡± ¡°W-What do you mean by that¡­?¡± Baron Verbon tried to defend himself but¡­ Pukeok! Siegfried smashed Baron Verbon¡¯s head with his mace. Thud! Verbon copsed to the ground. ¡°¡­!¡± Everyone in the meeting room froze in horror. *** ¡°Hey, are you crazy?!¡± ¡°Have you gone insane?!¡± ¡°This fucking bastard!¡± ¡°Hey! You lunatic!¡± The Elf Hunters started cursing Siegfried. It was a normal reaction since Baron Verbon was their important business partner. He closed his eyes whenever they were hunting elves, and he even paid them a stipend for keeping the peace around Casein Castle. However, Baron Verbon¡¯s death meant that their main source of ie was gone. ¡°Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± Oscar immediately replied. ¡°Go ahead and sweep them up. I can¡¯t stand seeing such dirty things in my household.¡± ¡°I, Oscar, have received my lord¡¯smand.¡± Oscar unsheathed her sword and cut the Elf Hunters down one by one. She was Level 101, while the Elf Hunters were only Level 50 to 80 at most, so the battle¡¯s result didn¡¯t need to be said. ¡°Are you crazy??Ha?!¡± the strongest Elf Hunter screamed in anger as he made a run for Siegfried. He was Level 85, which meant that he was 35 levels higher than Siegfried. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Oscar rushed to defend Siegfried. She couldn¡¯t tell the levels of the Elf Hunter and Siegfried since she was an NPC, but her instinct as a knight told her which one of the two was stronger. Between her lord Siegfried and the Elf Hunter. Her instincts were telling her that the Elf Hunter was definitely stronger than her lord. ¡°Your Majesty! I will handle him! Please stand back!¡± Oscar shouted in a hurry. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s alright,¡± Siegfried dismissed her concern while waving his hand before saying, ¡°I will take care of him, so just make sure not to let a single one get away.¡± ¡°But¡­!¡± ¡°This is an order,¡± Siegfried said before blocking the Elf Hunter¡¯s attack. ng! Sparks flew all over when the sword and mace shed against each other. ¡°Have you lost your mind?! You low-level punk!¡± the Elf Hunter screamed at Siegfried. ¡°Yes, you high-level punk,¡± Siegfried sneered as he activated Contempt for the Strong. Shwiiik! Shwiiiik! A blue and red aura started rising up from Siegfried¡¯s body. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of his buffs. He also cast Proof of Existence, which was the other buff skill of the Debuff Master that allowed him to be an explosive damage dealer. Woooong! He quickly activated his three debuffbo of Circle Mortality, Circle of Weakness, and Speed Restraint. ¡°This bastard dares!¡± the clueless Elf Hunter swung his sword at Siegfried. Seuk! The sword grazed Siegfried¡¯s shoulder, and that was the Elf Hunter¡¯s one and only attack. Baaam! After the sword grazed his shoulder, Siegfried used Smite and smashed the Elf Hunter¡¯s head with his mace. It was a perfectly timed counterattack. Thud¡­! The Level 85 Elf Hunter copsed on the spot in one hit, and the other Elf Hunters couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. ¡°W-What the?!¡± ¡°A Level 50 killed a Level 85 in one hit?!¡± ¡°How was that possible?!¡± The Elf Hunters were bbergasted by what they just witnessed. It was logically iprehensible that a Level 50 was able to kill a Level 85 in one hit, and what happened just now defied the sole iron rule in most games where levels were king. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and take out the trash,¡± Siegfried said without paying attention to the other Elf Hunters¡¯ reactions. He only wanted to rid hisnds of scumbags like them as soon as possible. *** It took less than five minutes for Siegfried and Oscar to take care of the Elf Hunters. ¡®How... How was it possible? I¡¯m certain that the Adventurer was stronger than His Majesty, so how did he win so easily? He won?in a?single strike as well¡­ Were my instincts mistaken? Or is His Majesty a powerful being who can trick my senses? I don¡¯t know¡­¡¯? Oscar was troubled and confused. ¡°Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried called out. Oscar immediately abandoned her thoughts and replied, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± ¡°Summon everyone at once.¡± ¡°D-Do you mean right at this instant, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried nodded in response before saying, ¡°After stirring things up, we have to patch things up as soon as possible.¡± Hearing that, Oscar finally realized¡­ ¡®Ah¡­ His Majesty isn¡¯t an ordinary person¡­!¡¯ She finally realized that Siegfried wasn¡¯t an ignorant greenhorn inside, unlike how he looked on the outside. *** Two hourster¡­ ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Hoho, who knows why we are called to assemble at this hour?¡± ¡°Did something happen? It hasn¡¯t even been a day since the new king arrived¡­¡± The influential officials of the Proatine Province, who numbered less than ten, gathered at the lord¡¯s hall, and they were all confused about the reason for the summons since it waste at night and it was an inappropriate time to summon everyone. ¡°His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa has arrived!¡± Siegfried appeared after a servant eximed and announced his arrival. ¡®Huh? That kid is the new king?¡¯ ¡®What happened to Baron Verbon? Where is he?¡¯ ¡®I wonder what he is going to say¡­?¡¯ The officials looked at their new king while wondering what he was going to say. Step¡­ Step¡­? Siegfried was well aware of what the officials were thinking, but he didn¡¯t utter a word as he silently walked up and sat on his throne. He wanted to keep them anxious. His steps were full of confidence, and his eyes were sharp as arrows while his expressionmanded authority and respect from those around him. It was exactly as he had learned from Deus. There was no way he was going to forget the first lesson he had learned from his master. ¡®Should I sit here?¡¯? Siegfried wondered while staring at the throne. Then, a message suddenly popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: Quest: ¡®Sit on the Throne!¡¯ has appeared!] [Alert: Do you wish to ept this Quest?] A Quest appeared out of nowhere. Chapter 71

    Chapter 71

    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯?Siegfried tilted his head at the message that popped up, but he clicked on ¡®Yes¡¯ anyway. Then, the Quest details popped up in front of him. [Sit on the Throne!] [Type: Special Quest (This quest is only granted to the yers with the title ¡®Ruler¡¯)] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: A special effect will be added to the title ¡®Ruler of Proatine¡¯.] It turned out that the Quest was rted to his title ¡®Ruler of Proatine¡¯. ¡®Well¡­ the title was a bit toockluster¡­¡¯?Siegfried recalled that the title didn¡¯te with any benefits. [Ruler of Proatine] [I am the ruler of the Proatine Province!] [Type: Title] [Rating: Legendary] [Options: N/A] It was one of those titles that were purely aesthetic. ¡®Let¡¯s sit on it and see what happens,¡¯?Siegfried wondered what the reward was going to be as he sat on the throne that he would have to use quite often from now on. [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Sit on the Throne¡¯!] A message popped up in front of him. Wooong¡­! A set of ancient texts appeared on the floor around the throne, and a magic circle activated in a burst of white light. [Alert: ¡®Force of the Lord¡¯ has been activated!] It seemed that the ancient texts had activated an ancient magic that was thought to be lost in history. ¡®What is this?¡¯?Siegfried was surprised as the burst of white light that had a hint of holiness to it enveloped him. Fwaaaaa! ¡®What is going on?¡¯? Siegfried tried to identify the powerful light. [Alert: An additional option has been bestowed upon your title, ¡®Ruler of Proatine¡¯!] As the bright light enveloped Siegfried, his title received an upgrade. [Ruler of Proatine] [I am the ruler of the Proatine Province!] [The holder of this title will receive a significant home advantage buff while in the Proatine Province.] [This title¡¯s effect will only be activated while the title holder is within the boundaries of the Proatine Province.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Legendary] [Options] - All status +20% - All experience points gained +30% - Level +10 The boost given by the title was so strong that it was indeed a significant home advantage buff. In addition¡­ - Every 1 day +1 level (Level 1~ 50) - Every 3 days +1 level (Level 51~ 100) - Every 7 days +1 level (Level 101~ 150) - Every 15 days +1 level (Level 151~ 200) - Every 30 days +1 level (Level 201~ 250) - Every 60 days +1 level (Level 251~ 300) The title Ruler of Proatine came with a cheat-like effect that gave him a level just by staying and breathing in Proatine. ¡®Are these options for real¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought in disbelief. He was stupefied when he saw the option that allowed him to level up without doing anything, but that wasn¡¯t the end of his surprise. The ancient magic ¡®Force of the Lord¡¯ heated up the Rune of Transcendence on the back of his hand before it disappeared. [You have reached Level 51!] [You have reached Level 52!] [You have reached Level 53!] [You have reached Level 54!] [You have reached Level 55!] [You have reached Level 56!] [You have reached Level 57!] [You have reached Level 58!] [You have reached Level 59!] [You have reached Level 60!] He truly gained ten levels in an instant. [Alert: You are now able to learn a new skill!] [Alert: You may check the new attainable skill on the ¡®My Skill¡¯ page on your status screen.] A new skill of the Debuff Master was unlocked. *** The thoughts of the officials gathered in the hall instantly changed the moment they saw the ancient magic ¡®Force of the Lord¡¯ envelop Siegfried¡¯s body. In fact, their first impression of Siegfried wasn¡¯t that good. ¡®Where did that punke from?¡¯ ¡®They say he¡¯s the king. I never knew that just about anyone could be one.¡¯ ¡®Tsk¡­ this is going to be annoying¡­¡¯ ¡®That bastard Verbon is rotten to the core, but he is flexible, at least. Isn¡¯t he just going to break the bnce we had been maintaining for so long¡­?¡¯ However, their opinion flipped a hundred and eighty degrees the moment they saw the Force of the Lord. Force of the Lord was a mysterious ancient magic that border territories possessed. This spell engraved by the magicians of the old was meant to provide power and authority to the rulers of these rough ruggednds. However, nobody, including the deceased Baron Verbon, had been able to activate the ¡®Force of the Lord¡¯ engraved in the Proatine Territory for the past two hundred years. The reason was that this ancient magic was very selective when it came to activating, and it would only activate when someone worthy of bing a ruler sat on the throne. And that selective and picky Force of the Lord actually activated¡­ This only meant that the ancient texts engraved on the floor had recognized the new king as someone worthy of bing a ruler, and that was why the officials couldn¡¯t help but instantly change their opinions of Siegfried. ¡°Ohhh!¡± ¡°The ancient magic has activated¡­!¡± ¡°Oh my god! To think that the day when I will see the Force of the Lord with my own two eyes woulde!¡± ¡°You have awakened the long-lost ancient magic!¡± The officials looked at Siegfried with awe and respect after thetter managed to spur the Force of the Lord into action. And¡­ ¡®I¡­ I have to write this down¡­!¡¯ One of the scribes present in the lord¡¯s hall immediately took out a quill pen and recorded this historic moment on a parchment. Ah! Force of the Lord! The ancient magic that was only thought to be passed down as a legend! The long-lost authority of the king! How long have you been waiting for the worthy one? Have you been waiting for the one worthy of your powers? Have you been waiting for His Majesty Siegfried van Proa all these years? His Majesty sat on the throne, and the ancient powers enveloped the throne! - Records of the Proa Kingdom Chapter 1 Verse 1 The first page of the records that Siegfried would never get the chance to read waspleted, and this signaled the start of the records of the feats that he would achieve from now on. *** The awe-striking moment passed¡­ ¡°Greetings to you all. My name is Siegfried van Proa, and I have been appointed as the king of this Proatine Province from today onward,¡± Siegfried greeted the officials while smiling leisurely, and then he continued, ¡°I apologize for summoning all of you at this hour. I hope for your understanding in this matter.¡± The officials bowed down and replied¡­ ¡°Not at all, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°We are always at yourmand, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You may summon us anywhere and anytime you wish, Your Majesty.¡± It seemed that the officials suddenly felt a surge of loyalty toward Siegfried after witnessing the Force of the Lord. ¡°Firstly, I would like to make a request to each and every one of you. There are a lot of things I am not aware of since it has not been a day since I became the king, so I am hoping for your unconditional support from now on.¡± Everyone was all smiles for now, but that did notst for long. ¡°And there is something that I wish to inform all of you about. Two hours ago, I executed the previous lord of the Proatine Province, Baron Verbon.¡± *** The lush blue forests of the Proatine Territory were decorated with beautiful trees with leaves resembling the color of the sky. However, the forest was far from beautiful. It was all because of a small fortress in the forest, which was being used by the Elf Hunters as headquarters. A disturbing sound echoed from the fortress. The fortress had rows of cages that were used to keep wild animals. ¡°Heuk¡­!¡± ¡°Eup! Eup!¡± ¡°Euuup!¡± However, the creature in the cages weren¡¯t animals but bound and gagged female elves. ¡°What did you say?¡± A man sitting at the center of a long rectangr table grimaced. He had an overgrown beard with a knife scar on his right cheek, and his eyes seemed to reflect his vicious character. The man was a criminal gamer that yed BNW with the ID Cheon-Ryung, and he was also the Guild Master of the Heavenly Peaks Guild, which was a guild made up of Elf Hunters. ¡°Verbon is dead, and our boys died as well?¡± ¡°Yes, boss.¡± ¡°It seems that things are going to get rowdy from now on.¡± ¡°What are we going to do?¡± ¡°Call the ve traders and sell all of the merchandise we have as soon as possible, you got that?¡± The merchandise Cheon-Ryung was referring to were the captured female elves. ¡°And ask the boys to¡ª¡± Bam! Cheon-Ryung was about to say, ¡®ask the boys to gather¡¯ so they could enact revenge, but a deafening noise interrupted him from somewhere. And the noise was followed by shouts¡­ ¡°For Proa!¡± *** A few hours ago¡­ ¡°I will notpromise nor negotiate,¡± Siegfried dered to the officials. ¡°I am different from Verbon. I will not negotiate with criminals to uphold the peace of ournds. I will not squeeze our people dry or persecute the other races. How long do you think peace achieved from such methods willst?¡± However, Siegfried¡¯s words sounded nothing but the ideological rambling of an inexperienced king. ¡°But¡­ Your Majesty!¡± ¡°That is too extreme!¡± ¡°Hoho¡­¡± ¡°I understand Your Majesty¡¯s concern, but¡­¡± The officials tried to argue, but Siegfried didn¡¯t give them the chance. ¡°Of course, it will be difficult for now. I know that, too, but I¡¯d rather die than watch those criminals run freely around mynds. I will uphold the peace myself, so I ask you not to go against my wishes. This is an order,¡± Siegfried said in a very direct manner. Siegfried showed his resolve to never back down or change his mind, and he also showed the officials how things would be run from now on. ¡°Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Oscar immediately knelt at Siegfried¡¯s words. ¡°I appoint you as themander of our army from this point onward.¡± ¡°I shall carry out yourmands, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I herebymand Commander Oscar.¡± ¡°Your loyal servant is listening, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You are to issue a full mobilizationmand, and you are to fully mobilize our forces and wait. And¡­¡± Siegfried nced at the clock and continued, ¡°We will be departing in three hours. Our target is to subjugate their headquarters.¡± Siegfried had no ns to give any additional time to the Elf Hunters. *** The elite knights of Proatine and the 1st Mountain Battalion rushed like a tsunami toward the headquarters of the Heavenly Peaks Guild. Fierce fighting broke out¡­ The elite knights lived up to their reputation as they systematically moved and overpowered the Adventurers. Moreover, the soldiers of the Proatine Territory were hardened by the rugged terrain and frequent skirmishes with the barbarians, so they were iparably stronger than soldiers from any other territory. However, their opponents were Adventurers rather than ordinary people. The Adventurers were known to be armed with various skills and artifacts depending on their sses, and they weren¡¯t opponents that could be easily subjugated no matter how experienced and hardened the Proatine Soldiers were. On top of that, the Adventurers weren¡¯t afraid of death. As such, an Adventurer would always be a threat to an NPC regardless of their level because they weren¡¯t afraid of dying. ¡°Your Majesty! I shall go and join the fray. We will suffer massive casualties if this¡ª¡± Oscar hurriedly shouted while protecting Siegfried. However, Siegfried shook his head and cut her off as he said, ¡°No, just let the soldiers take care of them.¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty! Our casualties will be massive, so even if we win this battle¡­!¡± Siegfried nonchntly said, ¡°We just have to help them overpower the enemies if they can¡¯t overpower them through their own abilities,¡± ¡°W-What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?¡± Oscar asked, seemingly confused by his words. Wooong¡­! Siegfried did not bother to exin as he silently cast his debuff circles. 1. The name means Heavenly Dragon if literally tranted. Chapter 72

    Chapter 72

    ¡°We just have to help them overpower the enemies if they can¡¯t overpower them through their own abilities.¡± These words from the king did not make any sense to Oscar, but she finally understood what her liege meant the moment he disyed the powers of the Debuff Master. ¡®Impossible! Our troops are suddenly winning!¡¯?Oscar inwardly eximed in disbelief even after personally witnessing her liege¡¯s powers. The debuff circlespletely turned the bnce of power around. ¡°Euak!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Why are they dealing so much damage?!¡± ¡°C-Crazy! I can¡¯t use my strength at all!¡± The criminals afflicted by the debuffs could no longer properly fight back, and the Proatine Territory soldiers subsequently massacred them. It was an obvious oue. The reason the Heavenly Peaks Guild was able to resist the soldiers was thanks to their superior stats, but Siegfried¡¯s debuff circles neutralized that. Their superior stats were cut in half by the debuff circles, which meant that the Heavenly Peaks Guild lost their advantage against the soldiers. ¡°Done,¡± Siegfried nonchntly said with a smile. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Oscar bowed in awe and reverence toward her king. However, Siegfried¡¯s disy of his magical abilities didn¡¯t end there. ¡°I think they need some help as well,¡± he said while looking at another area where a number of enemies were clustered. ¡°Hey, you bastards!¡± ¡°Have you gone insane?!¡± ¡°Come get some!¡± There were around ten Heavenly Peaks Guild members that seemed to be stronger than the average member of their guild over there, and they seemed to be putting up quite a fight against the Proatine Territory soldiers. They managed to resist until now because they were a bit far, and Siegfried¡¯s debuff circles couldn¡¯t reach them. ¡°I shall go at once,¡± Oscar said as she prepared to unsheathe her sword. ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head in response. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°There is no reason for Dame Oscar to get involved,¡± he said while gripping his Golem¡¯s Rock Fist. ¡°Stand back!¡± Siegfriedmanded the soldiers. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± the soldiers replied. They immediately widened the distance between them and the Adventurers. Whooosh! Golem¡¯s Rock Fist flew at a frightening speed toward the Adventurers. It was Lightning Flying Spur. Bam! Golem¡¯s Rock Fist smashed the head of the Heavenly Peaks Guild member at the front. Bzzzaaat! Then, hundreds and thousands of bolts of lightning emerged like a pack of hungry beasts, devouring the Heavenly Peaks Guild members. ¡°I told you there¡¯s no need to get involved, right?¡± Siegfried turned toward Oscar. ¡°Y-Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Oscar nodded, seemingly in a daze. The sight of the Heavenly Peaks Guild members being grilled by the countless sparks of lightning behind Siegfried seemed to have surprised her a bit too much. Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! The Heavenly Peaks Guild members dropped dead to the ground by the time the lightning dissipated. *** The battle swung heavily in favor of the Proatine Territory¡¯s forces after Siegfried got involved, and the dozens of Heavenly Peaks Guild members were reduced to not even ten people. No, there were only two people left to be exact. They were the Guild Master of the Heavenly Peaks Guild, Cheon-Ryung, and Vice Guild Master Meng-Ho. They were the only ones capable of resisting the Proatine Territory soldiers after being debuffed, so they were still alive. "Your Majesty,¡± Oscar said as if she had been waiting for this moment as she exined, ¡°That man, Cheon-Ryung, is the ringleader of the Elf Hunters. Please allow me to dispose of him. I will guarantee to bring his neck and offer it to Your Majesty if you grant me this request.¡± It seemed that Oscar was pretty confident of her victory. However, Siegfried shook his head again for the third time and said, ¡°No. I will face him, but I would like to ask Dame Oscar to face him instead.¡± He was referring to the Level 100 Vice Guild Master of the Heavenly Peaks Guild, Meng-Ho. ¡°But, Your Majesty! I am well aware that I should not judge my liege as I am but your subject, but my instincts tell me that¡­¡± Oscar retorted. She wanted to tell him that he wasn¡¯t Cheon-Ryung¡¯s match. It wasn¡¯t because she was underestimating Siegfried. ¡®I will protect His Majesty.¡¯ Those words echoed in Oscar¡¯s mind. Her instinct as a knight was hell-bent on protecting her liege. However, Siegfried was already walking toward Cheon-Ryung by the time she finished her words. ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡± Oscar cried out. ¡°It will be fine. I am an Adventurer, after all. Ah, I am saying this just in case, but you are not allowed to die. It hasn¡¯t been that long since I met you, Dame Oscar, so I hope my subject won¡¯t die on me so early,¡± Siegfried said. Oscar was left confused by Siegfried¡¯s words since those words were something that she should have told him instead, but it was already far toote to say anything. Siegfried was already close enough to Cheon-Ryung that they could start exchanging moves. ¡°Your loyal subject is getting very worried about the future¡­¡± Oscar muttered anxiously after witnessing Siegfried¡¯s bulldozing tendency once again. *** ¡°Hey, it¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± Cheon-Ryung greeted Siegfried with a smile. However, his expression was far from friendly because he looked quite intimidating. Cheon-Ryung was smiling, but he wasn¡¯t smiling inside. The look on his face was ferocious indeed. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re having the time of your life. Hey, how does it feel to win the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament? Life is good, right?¡± ¡°Of course, it is,¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk, and then he added, ¡°I get to sweep up scumbags like you after all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not scared? Can you even afford to talk like that, considering your level?¡± ¡°Are you even in the position to say that? I would feel embarrassed to say something like that if I were you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cheon-Ryung grimaced and asked, ¡°What. Did. You. Just. Say?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ How can you even think of bragging about Level 100¡­?¡± Siegfried sneered. It wasn¡¯t something a Level 60 could say to a Level 100, but Siegfried remainedposed nheless. He had reached Level 200 in the past, so a Level 100 was nothing but a cute opponent for him. Not to mention, Siegfried had much morebat experiencepared to Cheon-Ryung. ¡°I will pull out your tongue and¡­¡± Cheon-Ryung started as he gripped his axe. Shwiiik! However, Siegfried¡¯s spear flew toward him without giving him a chance to finish his words. It was a cowardly ambush. *** The 1st Form of Lightning, which was the spearmanship left behind by Weapon Master Shakiro, pierced Cheon-Ryung¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Keuk!¡±?Cheon-Ryung groaned in agony before jumping back. However, Siegfried had already expected Cheon-Ryung¡¯s reaction. Pak! He smacked Cheon-Ryung¡¯s thigh with Golem¡¯s Rock Fist. ¡°How dare you!¡± Cheon-Ryung growled as he tried to retaliate, but even this reaction from him was already within Siegfried¡¯s calctions. Puuuk! Using the 2nd Form of Weapon Master Shakiro¡¯s spearmanship, Siegfried pierced Cheon-Ryung¡¯s left thigh. ¡°Euuuaaak!¡± Cheon-Ryung screamed in agony, but Siegfried did not give him an inch as he activated all of his debuffs and buffs. ¡°You fucking son of a bitch! I will beat you to death! I swear it on my life!¡± Cheon-Ryung roared after recovering his bnce. Wooong! Mana started rising from Cheon-Ryung¡¯s body as he cast Bloody Butcher, his most powerful skill. However¡­ ¡®What the hell? What is this? What¡¯s going on?!¡¯?Cheon-Ryung eximed inwardly. He realized that something wasn¡¯t right. It was strange¡­ It felt as if the flow of his mana was tangled up. It feltpletely different from how it usually felt whenever he cast this skill. What could it be? He only knew that something was hindering his skill¡¯s activation. ¡°Why is my skill not¡ª¡± Cheon-Ryung tried to cast his skill once again. However, Siegfried smashed his mace into Cheon-Ryung¡¯s head. Kwachik! Cheon-Ryung copsed to the ground, and a message appeared in front of him. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has suffered a concussion after being hit on the head! Your character will be incapacitated for three seconds!] He copsed because of the status ailment that often appeared whenever a character suffered a powerful blow to their head. ¡®Move! I said move, damn it!¡¯? Cheon-Ryung was furious as he struggled to force his character to move, but his character, which had already suffered a concussion, remained motionless on the ground. ¡®If I get more hits¡­!¡¯? It would be game over for him. It would be a tragic death at the hands of a yer forty levels lower than him, and the cause of death would be a beating without being able to retaliate even once. No, it was already tragic. Why? It was all because Siegfried had never been someone who would let an opportunity like this slide. Pak! Pak! Pak! Pukeok! The mace struck Cheon-Ryung¡¯s head multiple times. How many times did he hit the incapacitated yer¡¯s head? As many times as it took until Cheon-Ryung¡¯s head was smashed open. *** ¡°Ah¡­ Why is he so weak?¡± Siegfried let out a groan that clearly showed his dissatisfaction. He had been hoping that the Level 100 yer would put up a fight, but Siegfried didn¡¯t expect that Cheon-Ryung would die so easily. Cheon-Ryung¡¯s ss was a fully offensive DPS-type ss called Axe Reaper, and that was why his defenses were weak, and he died so quickly. However, that wasn¡¯t the reason why Siegfried easily defeated him. It was all due to the Debuff Master¡¯s Level 60 skill. [Wave of Oppression] [Unleash a wave that disrupts the skill activation of units struck by the wave.] The Debuff Master could not only debuff his enemies, but he could also disrupt their skill channeling. Moreover, Siegfried had be much stronger than he should have because of the immense home advantage buff from Force of the Lord. ¡°The ringleader has been taken care of,¡± Siegfried said before turning around. Puuuk! Oscar drove her sword deep into Meng-Ho¡¯s abdomen. "Your Majesty,¡± Oscar said as she knelt before Siegfried and offered Meng-Ho¡¯s head to him. ¡°I, Oscar, havepleted Your Majesty¡¯smand. Here is the enemy¡¯s head, and it is my first gift to Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Siegfried let out an awkwardugh that was as awkward as his smile as he looked at his bloodied first gift. ¡°His Majesty has killed the enemy¡¯s leader!¡± one of the soldiers shouted while raising Cheon-Ryung¡¯s head triumphantly. ¡°Hurray for King Proa!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± ¡°Hurray for King Proa!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± ¡°Hurray for King Proa!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± The boisterous voices praising Siegfried¡¯s name reverberated throughout the forest. It was his first victory as the King of the Proatine Province. *** After the battle¡­ ¡°Dame Oscar.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Please make sure to pay extra attention to the injured. I do not wish for my soldiers to sumb to their wounds and die. I do not wish for them to end up disabled as well.¡± ¡°I can feel that Your Majesty cares deeply for his soldiers.¡± ¡°Really¡­? I just need them alive and well to squeeze them dry, though¡­¡± Siegfried responded with a shrug. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± ¡°If Dame Oscar or the soldiers die¡­ then who can I order around?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just joking¡­ well, I was half-joking, so¡­ don¡¯t take it too seriously. Hmm¡­ I¡¯m an Adventurer, so I¡¯m immortal, but Dame Oscar and the soldiers aren¡¯t immortals. That¡¯s why I said that.¡± After witnessing Shakiro¡¯s death, Siegfried developed an aversion to NPCs¡¯ deaths. ¡°I, Oscar, will work until myst dying breath for Your Majesty.¡± Oscar smiled and bowed respectfully toward Siegfried. She couldn¡¯t help but express her respect toward her liege, who valued his subjects¡¯ lives. *** ¡°You may go now. You are free, and I promise you that these things will never happen again in thisnd. I promise you as the human king of the Proatine Province,¡± Siegfried told the rescued elves. Then, the elves expressed their gratitude toward Siegfried. ¡°Thank you, King of the Humans.¡± ¡°You will forever be remembered.¡± ¡°May the forest bless you forever.¡± Siegfried did not stop there. ¡°Dame Oscar.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Please escort them until they have safely entered their vige. Make sure that you are vignt at all times while escorting them.¡± ¡°I, Oscar, shall carry out Your Majesty¡¯smand with my life on the line.¡± Siegfried seemed to be pretty meticulous when it came to things like this¡­ *** The next afternoon¡­ ¡°I will never forgive those who persecute the other races from now on. In addition, I am issuing a kill order against those who have persecuted the other races,¡± Siegfried issued a decree that officially ended the elf hunt. This was Siegfried¡¯s first decree as king, and a scribe recorded this historic moment. Then, one of the servants came and informed Siegfried, "Your Majesty. The chiefs of the elf viges have requested an audience with you.¡± ¡°Tell them to enter,¡± Siegfried replied. He decided to grant them an audience. Chapter 73

    Chapter 73

    There were eight elven chiefs that came to request an audience with Siegfried, and if there were eight elven viges in the Proatine Territory, then it was safe to assume that every single elven chief hade to meet him. ¡°It is an honor to meet you, King of the Humans. I am the chief of the Sunset Vige, Alexandro,¡± the eldest chief among the elves stepped forward and introduced himself as he greeted Siegfried. The elf named Alexandro was an old yet beautiful elf. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you, Chief Alexandro. My name is Siegfried van Proa, and I am the new ruler of the Proatine Province,¡± Siegfried greeted in response, and then he followed up with a question, ¡°What brings you here today?¡± ¡°We are here today as representatives of our respective viges to express our gratitude to you,¡± Alexandro said. ¡°What do you mean by gratitude?¡± Siegfried shook his head and then continued, ¡°I only righted a wrong, so I do not think that I did something deserving of gratitude.¡± ¡°Haha,¡± Alexandroughed before he said, ¡°You are quite humble, Lord Siegfried.¡± ¡°I am not being humble at all. I was just cleaning up the shit the previous lord shat. Ah,?did you perhaps see it?¡± Siegfried asked. He was referring to Baron Verbon¡¯s head that was hung on the castle walls. ¡°Yes, it is quite a handsome decoration,¡± Alexandro replied with a smile. ¡°That is my stand on the matter, so I hope that you would be able to forget the things that happened in the past. I am hoping to maintain a good rtionship with the elves.¡± ¡°We understand what you mean. Things were already at a breaking point, but who knew things would turn out this way?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean by breaking point¡­?¡± ¡°Actually, we elves.. we were already fed up with how things were, and we could no longer just stand around and watch. That was why we requested help from our kingdom, and our king promised to send us an army by next week.¡± ¡°What you mean by that is¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it is what you are thinking. We had been preparing for war, and our kingdom was nning to send three orders of knights, one squadron of magicians, and five hundred warriors here to the Proatine Province.¡± Alexandro¡¯s words came as a huge shock. ¡°O-Oh my god!¡± ¡°The knight order of the elven kingdom!¡± ¡°Those soldiers will be more than enough to¡­¡± Siegfried¡¯s officials anxiously murmured amongst themselves. It was an understandable reaction since the territory would be burned down in an instant if the army that Alexandro had just mentioned waged war against them. ¡°You suddenly ascended the throne in the midst of it all, and you were the first to offer peace,¡± Alexandro said. ¡°I see¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in response. ¡°That is why we now think that there is no reason for war anymore. Do you agree?¡± ¡°That is correct. We do not wish to shed unnecessary blood.¡± ¡°I have decided to trust you, King of the Humans.¡± ¡°You will not regret your decision.¡± ¡°And this is a gift from us elves to you. This is in return for saving our daughters,¡± Alexandro said as he ordered a group of elves to bring arge chest into the hall and ced it in front of Siegfried. The chest was filled to the brim with gold and many specialty products of the elves. ¡®Wow¡­ how much are all of these worth¡­?¡¯? Siegfried was surprised at the gift the elves had prepared for him, and he could roughly tell from the size of the chest that there had to be more than ten thousand gold in it. Surprisingly, Siegfried didn¡¯t instantly devour the present. ¡°No, I cannot ept this.¡± ¡°Why? Is it not to your liking, or is it not enough?¡± Alexandro asked, seemingly taken aback by his response. ¡°I cannot receive marypensation for doing what is right.¡± ¡°Please do not think like that. Think of it this way then, you are tantly ignoring the gratitude and sincerity of us elves if you refuse to ept this.¡± ¡°If you insist that I ept this¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Then, please use these gold and treasures to improve the rtionship between the elves and humans from now on.¡± ¡°Hmm?!¡± ¡°I heard that thends we inhabit aren¡¯t very secure. What do you think of creating a security force with humans and elves with this money? We can subjugate monsters and criminals together.¡± Alexandro and the rest of the elven chiefs were so shocked that they couldn¡¯t say anything in response to Siegfried¡¯s words. They had never imagined¡ªeven in their wildest dreams¡ªthat the human king would be the first to offer to cooperate and coexist with the elves! The elven chiefs weren¡¯t the only ones who were shocked. ¡®H-How did he think of something so wise?!¡¯ ¡®To think that he didn¡¯t get blinded by greed and chose to put the security of the territory before anything else!¡¯ ¡®Ah!¡¯ The officials were surprised. After all, Siegfried¡¯s decision would not only prevent a war from breaking out with the elven kingdom and establish an alliance with the elves, but it would also improve the stability and security of the territory. ¡®My workload will be reduced if I do this, right?¡¯ However, Siegfried had actually proposed that idea so that he wouldn¡¯t have to work so hard in managing the territory and that he would have some degree of freedom. *** The elven chiefs pondered for a bit, but they epted Siegfried¡¯s proposal in the end. It wasn¡¯t that difficult for them to make a decision since the human king was the one who personally led his troops to rescue the captured elves. After the elven chiefs left, Siegfried ordered... ¡°I shall bestow all rights and authorities to Dame Oscar concerning this issue, so please focus on improving the stability and security of our territory for the time being.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°And I would like to ask each official to submit a report regarding the current affairs of our territory,¡± Siegfried added. He thought that he needed to have a rough idea of how things were going in his territory. After all, if he wanted to rule the territory properly, he had to know its current affairs, no matter how inconsequential it was. ¡°Your grace is overflowing, Your Majesty!¡± the officials bowed and eximed in response to his words. The way they looked at him changed from wary to respectful in the proverbial blink of an eye. *** The next morning, Tae-Sung woke up and took a shower just like any other day before eating a triangle kimbap and cup noodles for breakfast. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± He had a jaw-dropping 1.1 billion won in his bank ount, but his meal was still the usual convenience store food. ¡°Isn¡¯t this going to end up holding me back¡­?¡± Tae-Sung grumbled with an anxious look while eating his triangle kimbap. He further grumbled, ¡°Forget about leveling up¡­ I might really end up ying SimCity?at this rate if I continue to focus on running Proa¡­¡± He had quite the dilemma as his priority had always been his own growth. However, he felt that it would be difficult for him to focus entirely on his own growth since he had already ascended the throne. He was sure that he would encounter more shit that Verbon shat while he was running the territory for the past decade. Yes, forget about leveling up; he was even racking his brain about how he would manage his time from now on. ¡°Ah¡­ what should I do? I wonder if there¡¯s a talented individual out there who can help me with administrative work¡­? I want nothing more than to leave all responsibilities to them and disappear to level up¡­¡± The real work hadn¡¯t even started yet, but Tae-Sung was already thinking of ways to pass the responsibilities onto someone else. Bzzt! His phone suddenly vibrated and notified him of an iing call. It was none other than the mysterious Ranker, Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°What do you want?¡± Tae-Sung red at the hologram image of Cheon Woo-Jin. The way he red at Cheon Woo-Jin couldn¡¯t be considered amicable or friendly at all. ¡®This is all that bastard¡¯s fault¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung grumbled inwardly. He believed that Cheon Woo-Jin was the main reason why he had inherited the bag full of shit called Proatine. Things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way if it weren¡¯t for Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s suggestion about how he should win the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡­ ¡ª Why are you looking at me like that? ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡ª The way you¡¯re ring at me feels quite offensive, you know? ¡°So what if you¡¯re offended? What are you gonna do? Tell the Genesis Guild about me?¡± ¡ª What if I do? ¡°Go ahead,¡± Tae-Sung nonchntly said before saying, ¡°If you do, you better be careful at night. I¡¯ll bring a knife with me to stab you.¡± ¡ª Why don¡¯t you just tell me why you¡¯re so upset? ¡°Do you know in what state Proatine Province is in?¡± ¡ª I do. ¡°You know?¡± ¡ª In a shitty state? ¡°You knew about it, but you asked me to win the damned tournament?¡± ¡ª It¡¯s shit right now, but it will be pretty lucrative if you were to care for it and nurture it properly. What kind of a first-world problem are you talking about when others are desperate to have a small parcel ofnd under their name? The countries on the N¨¹rburg Continent enforced a strictw that prevented Adventurers from legally possessingnds. In short, Tae-Sung had not only received an entire country, but he was also the one and only yer on the entire continent withnd under his name. ¡°I¡¯d understand it if I had a guild backing me up, but you do know that I¡¯m alone, right? What do you expect me to do alone? Hole up in the castle and y house with the NPCs?¡± ¡ª Well, that does make sense since you don¡¯t have any friends. ¡°Yeah, I have no friends. So what?¡± Tae-Sung grumbled in response, and then he added with a shrug, ¡°I don¡¯t need friends.¡± ¡ª What about subordinates? ¡°Subordinates¡­?¡± ¡ª Yeah, subordinates. You know, those people who you can order around. ¡°Of course, I¡ª¡± ¡ª You need them for sure. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? I don¡¯t need friends, but I will definitely need subordinates.¡± ¡ª See youter at night in the game. ¡°Why?¡± ¡ª I will tell youter when we meet. See ya. Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s hologram image disappeared afterward. The former ended the call before Tae-Sung could even respond. ¡°I swear I will smash that bastard¡¯s head in one day¡­ Damn it¡­¡± Tae-Sung gnashed his teeth and swore to himself. He was actually serious about it because he steeled his resolve to aplish it one day. *** Tae-Sung took the subway to Gangnam after the phone call with Cheon Woo-Jin. He got off at Gangnam City Hall Station and went to a nearby real estate office. ¡°It will be better for you to look for an expensive rental unit since you have already registered yourself as a sole proprietor. The rent can be shaved off of your tax bill, so¡­ hmm¡­ I think getting a unit with a rental of three to five million won will suffice.¡± Tae-Sung decided to listen to the ountant¡¯s advice about spending money, so he visited a real estate office to look for a house to move into first thing in the morning. ¡®I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m doing the right thing, though¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung wondered, seemingly troubled since he couldn¡¯t even begin to believe that he was about to rent a unit with a monthly rental of millions. After all, he was surviving off of cheap convenience store meals. However, Tae-Sung decided to muster up his courage. Reducing his tax bill was more important than anything else! He would be pped with a hefty tax bill in the hundreds of millions if he sat around and did nothing. As such, he had to spend his hard-earned money. ¡°Hello, I want to take a look at some avable units,¡± Tae-Sung said after entering the real estate office. ¡°Ah, wee. Please, have a seat. Hmm¡­ do you have a budget in mind?¡± asked the realtor. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of around five hundred million won in deposit and three to five million for the monthly rental?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the realtor pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°You can get a luxurious unit with three bedrooms with that budget.¡± ¡°It will be better if you could provide one with a room ready to have a capsule installed,¡± Tae-Sung said with his hyper capsule, the Ogre in mind. ¡°Ah, are you a gamer?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Now that I take a closer look¡­ I feel like I have seen you somewhere¡­¡± said the realtor after squinting his eyes and taking a closer look at him, ¡°Are you perhaps¡­ the winner of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡­?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tae-Sung hesitated while thinking, ¡®What the hell? Somebody can recognize me?¡¯ However, Tae-Sung seemed to havepletely misunderstood something. In fact, he was quite off the mark. The video of his fight against Raptor had already garnered more than five hundred million views online. This meant that anyone remotely interested in BNW should havee across the video at least once. That was how the realtor managed to recognize him. ¡°Wow, you really are that person. My son adores you.¡± ¡°Huh? I do not understand what you mean¡­¡± ¡°My son just entered high school, but the kid does not study and just watches G-Tube the entire day, but¡­ ah, excuse me, but what is your name?¡± ¡°It is Han Tae-Sung.¡± ¡°Ah, Mr. Tae-Sung, my son really looks up to you. He keeps going on about how awesome your control is or something¡­ but I could also tell that you have pretty good control! Haha!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ about that¡­ is it possible for you to give me an autograph?¡± the realtor carefully asked. Tae-Sung signed an autograph for the first time thanks to the clip from Raptor¡¯s livestream channel. *** That evening, Tae-Sung signed a quite luxurious rental unit at a discounted rate thanks to the realtor whose son was a fan of his. The rent was discounted, but most people could only dream of paying such a figure for rent alone. Tae-Sung entered his VR capsule and connected to the BNW client. Once again, he descended on the N¨¹rburg Continent as Adventurer Siegfried. At the lord¡¯s office of Casein Castle¡­ ¡°Your Majesty, these are the reports from the officials. Please have a look,¡± Elize, Siegfried¡¯s exclusive maid, said while pointing at the stack of documents on top of the table. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried was speechless. ¡®Why is there a mountain here¡­?¡¯?he thought while looking at the mountain of documents that were just a few papers shy of touching the ceiling. ¡°Then, I wish you a pleasant evening,¡± Elize said before leaving the office. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Siegfried let out a sigh as he despaired at the thought of when he would be able to go through all of these documents. After all, he desperately wanted to level up, so every single second was valuable for him. ¡°You¡¯re quite blessed when ites to your workload,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Ah! You surprised me!¡± Siegfried jumped up in surprise after seeing Cheon Woo-Jin, and then he grumbled, ¡°Let me know you¡¯re here, will you? What kind of ss do you have that your presence can¡¯t even be felt at all? Are you an assassin or something?¡± ¡°No way,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a smug smile while shaking his head. ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°Are you curious about my ss?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Let me tell you...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll tell you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Quest Maker,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said, revealing his ss to Siegfried, ¡°That is my ss.¡± It was a ss Siegfried had never heard before in his entire life. Chapter 74

    Chapter 74

    ¡°Quest¡­ Maker¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion before muttering, ¡°A Quest Maker should be¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s a Hidden ss, and the codename given to me by Hive is Double-O zero (000).¡± ¡°Then, you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°I guess I can say that I¡¯m the first yer to receive an epic code in this game, right?¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly unsurprised. ¡®It should be possible if it¡¯s this guy¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he recalled the numerous times Cheon Woo-Jin did something out of the ordinary. As such, the fact that he was a Hidden ss yer wasn¡¯t that surprising to Siegfried. ¡°So what does the Quest Maker do, to be exact?¡± ¡°What else aside from making Quests?¡± ¡°Making Quests¡­¡± ¡°It will be easier to exin if¡ªlook at this,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said while pointing at his red and blue eyes. ¡°Your eyes?¡± ¡°The Taeguk Eyes can see through everything in the world, and it¡¯s also the trademark, as well as the most precious asset of the Quest Maker.¡± ¡°What can you do with those?¡± ¡°A message pops up in front of my eyes whenever I look at an incident or an ident, and I get to decide if I want to create a Quest out of it or not.¡± ¡°What happens if you create one?¡± ¡°Then I will have to go and look for a yer who can do it. I have to choose carefully since the penalty for failing a Quest will bite me.¡± ¡°What if they seed?¡± ¡°Then, I get Experience Points. An unimaginable amount of Experience Points.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m always on the lookout for incidents since I have to make Quests out of them and find yers who can carry them out.¡± ¡°Sounds like a troublesome ss¡­¡± ¡°Troublesome? Of course, it¡¯s quite troublesome since I have to be all over the continent. Every second counts for the Quest Maker, you see.¡± Siegfried thought that the Quest Maker was an attractive Hidden ss, but he knew very well that it wasn¡¯t something that he could do even if he were offered the chance to do so. Its unique growth mechanism of giving out Quests and gaining Experience Points whenever the Quests were cleared was pretty interesting, but that was the only thing he found nice about the ss. ¡®It¡¯s not a ss where it can grow stronger on its own,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was certain that the Quest Maker had to depend on others to grow. ¡°So, did you level up a lot?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, I did. A lot. I think there aren¡¯t a lot of yers who are higher in level than me¡­ maybe three or four at most?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± Siegfried was dumbfounded. ¡°I could roughly tell that you were a Ranker, but you were actually a single-digit Ranker?¡± ¡°Not quite. I¡¯m not included in the ranking, you see.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you are aware that the ranking is not a credible measurement of one¡¯s true strength, right? There are a lot of high-level yers that aren¡¯t on the list. Every single one of them has their own reasons why they chose to y the game in peace rather than be on the ranking list.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Then you must be very strong.¡± ¡°I am¡ªI¡¯m very strong,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a smirk before adding, ¡°I think I¡¯m the strongest yer in the game once or twice a month.¡± ¡°Once or twice a month? What nonsense are you talking about?¡± ¡°The Quest Maker can level up really quickly, and it is pretty strong as well, but there is a condition that has to be met for all of those. I have to gather stacks to be able to exert my full abilities. You can think of it this way¡ªI gain points whenever a yer clears the Quest I gave them, and I use those points to unleash my powers.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do something like that¡­¡± Siegfried said with furrowed brows. He found the ss to be too troublesome, even though it was attractive. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t. This ss only suits people like me.¡± ¡°What is ¡®people like me¡¯ to be exact?¡± ¡°People bored of real life.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You know, people that find life too boring no matter what they do that they start thinking ofmitting suicide because living is too pointless.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t rte to something like that¡­¡± ¡°Everyone is different. Anyway, I¡¯m sure you have probably noticed by now the reason I came to see you today,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°You want to¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I want to give you a Quest. A Quest suitable for you recently appeared, you see?¡± A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. *** The Quest details appeared after the message. [Alert: Quest Maker ¡®Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯ has granted you the Quest: ¡®Abducted Talents¡¯!] [Abducted Talents] [Type: Special Quest] [Rescue the various talented people abducted by the Church of Osric!] [Progress: 0%] [Rewards: B-Rank Stone of Transcendence ¡Á 1, Metamorphosis Mask ¡Á 1.] Ironically, the objective of the Quest Cheon Woo-Jin gave Siegfried was to disrupt the ns of the Church of Osric once again. ¡°Church of Osric?¡± ¡°Yes, do you remember what I told you before? I work to uphold the peace and order of this world,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°You did say something like that¡­¡± ¡°The Church of Osric is one of the viins trying to disrupt the peace and order of this world. Their goal is to plunge the world into chaos by resurrecting the Goddess of Chaos, Nessarose, and I have to stop them as a member of the Guardians.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. The Church of Osric was his sworn enemy as well, and they were second only to the Genesis Guild. The Church of Osric was the nemesis of Weapon Master Shakiro as well, and one of his Quest objectives, the descendant of Blood Master Berserk, Red Cardinal dimir, was affiliated with the Church of Osric. ¡°Just in case¡­ am I going to run into the Red Cardinal?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°No way,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin shook his head and said, ¡°If you will run into the Red Cardinal, I wouldn¡¯t send you there in the first ce. You don¡¯t know this, but the Red Cardinal is¡ª¡± ¡°A Master,¡± Siegfried concluded Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words. ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°Just a bit. I only know that the Red Cardinal is a Master and his name is dimir.¡± ¡°How do you know about that? The information regarding the Red Cardinal is ssified even among the Guardians.¡± ¡°I have my ways,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug and a smirk. ¡®It¡¯s your turn to be curious now, hehe¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while enjoying the dumbstruck look on Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s face. It was Siegfried¡¯s first time seeing that look on Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you ran into the Red Cardinal before?¡± ¡°Noment.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Tell me more of what you know if you want me to tell you.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ you aren¡¯t taking revenge right now¡­ are you?¡± ¡°Think what you want. Anyway, all I have to do is rescue those who got kidnapped, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why is the Church of Osric abducting people?¡± ¡°Any organization will need more manpower once they have grown past a certain point. They will need people for administration, ounting, marketing, or whatever is rted to their operations, and the Church of Osric isn¡¯t an exemption. They are bound to run into a talent crunch, and they will need various talents if they want to continue expanding their operation, as well as the business they are operating in secret.¡± ¡°So¡­ they decided to abduct people for that¡­?¡± ¡°They abduct them first before brainwashing them, and then they¡¯ll force them to work. That is how the Church of Osric operates. After all, they don¡¯t have any other option aside from abducting and brainwashing people.¡± ¡°Figures¡­ There¡¯s no way a sane person will work for a cult like their church.¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± ¡°When should I depart?¡± ¡°Tomorrow morning. You can follow this for the location.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin handed a map over to Siegfried. ¡°Is it far?¡± Siegfried opened and inspected the map. ¡°What the¡­? This ce is¡­?¡± Siegfried grimaced. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s your house.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin nodded. The ce where the Church of Osric kept and brainwashed those they had abducted was none other than Siegfried¡¯s own house, which was the Proatine Province. *** The next morning¡­ ¡°Dame Oscar.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I have to go somewhere, so can you handle things here for two to three days?¡± Siegfried said. He was nning on passing his responsibilities onto the knight before leaving Casein Castle. ¡°It is not a wise choice to leave me in charge of things, Your Majesty,¡± Oscar replied, seemingly dissatisfied with his request. ¡°Come on. There¡¯s nothing much to do anyway. I just want you to stay in my ce for a few days.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave it to you, Dame Oscar.¡± Siegfried passed the mountain of documents to her, which was the exact opposite of what he had said just now. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now!¡± Siegfried hurriedly left his office. ¡°Ha¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡± Oscar let out a sigh before grumbling, ¡°Your humble servant has no idea how to do these kinds of work¡­¡± The knight who held a sword rather than a pen her entire lifemented at the cruelty of her liege. *** Siegfried hopped onto a horse and followed the map Cheon Woo-Jin had provided him. After around an hour, Siegfried looked around after arriving at a forked road in front of a willow tree. ¡°This seems to be it,¡± he muttered. ¡°Did I arrive too early¡­?¡± Siegfried stopped here because this was the rendezvous point of the Quest. The Quest stated that he should head southwest of Casein Castle and wait for reinforcements in front of the willow tree. After around five minutes, someone shouted and called out to him. ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Siegfried looked at the person who called him and muttered, ¡°Seung-Gu¡­?¡± It was none other than the yer Siegfried had spared in the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament. Siegfried also paid for the hospital bills of the yer¡¯s mother. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim! It¡¯s me!¡± Seung-Gu responded enthusiastically. ¡°Why are you here¡­?¡± ¡°Cheon Woo-Jin, or whatever his name told me that I can meet you if I came here, so I ran as fast as I could!¡± ¡°What¡­? Then are you the reinforcement?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Level 1 right now¡­?¡± ¡°Cheon Woo-Jin told me that hyung-nim can get rid of the Aura of Self-Destruction for me!¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°I heard you received two vials of the elixir that can get rid of the Aura of Self-Destruction. Is it correct?¡± It seemed that Cheon Woo-Jin had lied because Siegfried only received a single vial of the elixir. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue when he realized Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s intentions. ¡®It¡¯s not even his reward to give¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. It seemed that Cheon Woo-Jin wanted him to give the elixir to Seung-Gu. ¡®Is it even worth giving this to him? I don¡¯t really need it, but¡ª¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s train of thought was suddenly interrupted by Seung-Gu. ¡°Ah, right! That¡¯s not what¡¯s important, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Then, what¡¯s important right now¡­? No, why are you even calling me hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Please receive my gratitude and bow!¡± Seung-Gu eximed. He then got down on the ground and bowed before Siegfried. ¡°Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden¡­?¡± ¡°I know that hyung-nim was the one who paid for my mother¡¯s surgery! Hyung-nim! Thank you very much! You¡¯re my savior, and I will serve you for the rest of my life!¡± ¡°That little rat¡­¡± Siegfried grimaced. He had a feeling that he knew the culprit since he was only able to help Seung-Gu thanks to Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s help. ¡°R-Rat¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking to myself.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu eximed. He bowed toward Siegfried once again and said, ¡°Hyung-nim! You are truly my savior, and I¡¯m not joking when I said that I will serve you for the rest of my life. Please work me like a horse! I¡¯m serious!¡± ¡°What horse are you talking about all of a sudden¡­¡± ¡°Please ask me to do anything! I will do everything you ask me to! I will go and get a girl¡¯s number if you ask me to, or I will go and buy bread if you tell me to! I will go and get you Kim Il-Sung¡¯s head if youmand me to do so!¡± Seung-Gu eximed passionately. Siegfried had no idea how this guy nned to get Kim Il-Sung¡¯s head when thetter had already died decades ago. Meanwhile, Seung-Gu was actually sincere about everything he said just now. ¡®Mom lived thanks to him! He¡¯s the benefactor of my entire family, so I have to serve him. I have to serve him without a doubt¡­¡¯?Seung-Gu thought. It was only natural that he worshiped Siegfried like a god. After all, Siegfried had saved his mother, whom he loved a lot. ¡°Hyung-nim! Please let me serve you!¡± Seung-Gu eximed with a smile. The only thing Siegfried could think of while looking at Seung-Gu was¡­ ¡®I think I¡¯m younger than you, though¡­?¡¯? He had no idea how old Seung-Gu was, but Seung-Gu¡¯s face seemed like he was in histe thirties, at the very least¡­ 1. Taeguk here refers to Taegukgi, which is the national g of South Korea. The center of the g has a circle with a mix of red and blue, which is the reason why the eyes are called Taeguk Eyes. 2. This is amon thing for bullies to ask their victims, especially in school. The bread part is the mostmon form of bullying in South Korea. Chapter 75

    Chapter 75

    ¡°Umm¡­ How old are you¡­?¡± Siegfried carefully asked. ¡°I¡¯m twenty-four years old, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°No way! You don¡¯t seem like it!¡± Siegfried sneered. ¡°But I really am twenty-four years old, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I was born in the year of the dog. Do you want me to show you my ID?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ He¡¯s actually younger than me¡­¡± Siegfried cursed under his breath. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Seung-Gu asked while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°By any chance¡­ have you heard that you look old for your age?¡± ¡°I get that a lot,¡± Seung-Gu replied with a grin, and then he proudly added, ¡°I was able to buy booze and cigarettes without anyone being suspicious of me when I was in middle school.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡± Siegfried said while staring at Seung-Gu¡¯s face. ¡®He looks so old¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking at Seung-Gu¡¯s grinning face. He truly looked thirty years old, at the very least. ¡°But there are a lot of advantages to it, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Like what¡­?¡± ¡°People like me will look young when we get old!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I win in the end if I look young when I get old, right? Do you agree, hyung-nim? Do you?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­?How are you so childish with that face¡­¡± Siegfried sighed and shook his head. ¡°D-Do you agree¡­? Please agree with me¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re too noisy. Shut up and let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried grumbled and pulled the reins. He paused for a moment before throwing a bottle to Seung-Gu and said, ¡°Drink that first.¡± ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­!¡± Seung-Gu eximed. He looked like he was about to cry after receiving the Elixir of Proof from Siegfried. ¡°Thank you, hyung-nim! Loyalty! I swear my unshakeable loyalty to you!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Siegfried covered his face when he realized that things were going to get rowdy from now on. *** Five minutester, Seung-Gu recovered his levels after drinking the Elixir of Proof. [Seung-Gu] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 81] [ss: Golem Maker] [Titles: Site Leader, Construction Site Maestro, Skilled Administrator.] This was the second helping hand that Siegfried gave Seung-Gu. ¡°Hyung-nim! I will serve you from now on!¡± Seung-Gu eximed passionately. ¡°How?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Please give me a moment,¡± Seung-Gu said. He threw one of his five rings to the ground. Wooong! An octagram magic circle appeared on the ground, and somethingrge started to rise up from it. [Range Wagon] [The main method of transport for the Golem Maker. It is capable of traversing most terrains, and it is widely known as the king of off-road vehicles.] [Type: Mechanical Tank Golem] [Level: 81] [Additional Details: The Range Wagon grows along with its user, and it can be equipped with various equipment to further enhance its capability as a vehicle and as a heavy equipment.] Surprisingly, Seung-Gu¡¯s Range Wagon was an extremely versatile vehicle, and it resembled an armored vehicle rather than a normal vehicle. ¡°Please, hop on board, hyung-nim. It looks rough, but it is prettyfortable,¡± Seung-Gu said, showing off his tank-sized Range Wagon. ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty fast as well. It¡¯s as fast as a horse running at top speed. Hehe!¡± ¡°Then, shall we give it a try?¡± Siegfried said after hopping on board the Range Wagon. ¡°Vroom! Vroom! Here we go! Giddy up!¡± Seung-Gu eximed excitedly. Siegfried could not understand why he had to say ¡®giddy up!¡¯ while driving a vehicle¡­ *** The Church of Osric¡¯s hideout in the Proatine Province was a normal-looking grape farm with a brewery attached to it. However, its name was actually the Center for Cultivation of New Believers, and this was where they brainwashed the people they had abducted by forcefully indoctrinating them with their ideology and forcing them to pledge their loyalty to the church. Of course, the indoctrination was just mind-control magic. A problem urred at the Center for Cultivation of New Believers. Booom! A mortar shell flew from out of nowhere and destroyed the tall walls surrounding the brewery. Mud, stone, iron, and fire golems rushed into the opening. ¡°It¡¯s an enemy!¡± ¡°Prepare the followers for battle!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an enemy ambush!¡± The average-looking brewery workers shouted, and they changed into long ck robes with masks on their faces. Afterward, they took up arms. However, they couldn¡¯t retaliate. Vroooom! Arge tank suddenly charged into the brewery and ran over the Church of Osric members. ¡°Hyung-nim! I swept them up! What do you think? It¡¯s a bulldozer, right?!¡± Seung-Gu eximed and smirked after parking his vehicle. ¡°Agreed,¡± Siegfried replied. He had to agree with Seung-Gu this time. [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] Seung-Gu¡¯s rough parking just now killed five Church of Osric members in the blink of an eye. ¡°Hyung-nim! The boys and I will escort you! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Sure¡­ Let¡¯s go¡­¡± Seung-Gu and the golems surrounded Siegfried as if they were his bodyguards. ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel so bad¡­ Having somerades feels good for a change,¡¯?Siegfried thought as his opinion of Seung-Gu slightly changed. Golem Maker Seung-Gu wasn¡¯t that strong in one-on-one fights, but he clearly made up for it with his powerful golems. ¡®He seems pretty useful,¡¯?Siegfried thought while observing Seung-Gu. No, he was much more useful than he initially thought. The 3.5 meters tall golems weighed hundreds of kilograms each, and they were nothing short of a disaster for the Church of Osric members. Seung-Gu didn¡¯t even have to join in on the fight. All he had to do was follow his golems leisurely. [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] [You have gained experience points!] And Siegfried thoroughly savored the deluge of Experience Points¡­ *** The Center for Cultivation of New Believers had a room in the basement called the Room of Faith, and the abducted people were currently being brainwashed in it. The abductees had long needles inserted into their heads while they were bound. ¡°C¡­ Cardinal-nim! There is an emergency!¡± ¡°Emergency?¡± a blonde-haired woman wearing a white robe turned around. [Leaz] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 110] [Affiliation: Church of Osric] [Position: New Believer Cultivator] [Title: White Cardinal] Leaz held the title of White Cardinal as one of the five cardinals of the Church of Osric. ¡°What do you mean, emergency?¡± Leaz asked. ¡°Ah, we think that we¡¯re being attacked by the Guardians!¡± replied the follower. ¡°What? The Guardians?¡± Leaz muttered in surprise. Then, her eyes boiled with visible rage as she growled, ¡°How did they find out about this ce?! We kept this ce as secret as possible!¡± ¡°I¡­ I do not know how, but it seems that there has been a leak somewhere.¡± ¡°Damn it! How many enemies are there?¡± ¡°There are two.¡± ¡°Two?¡± Leaz seemed taken aback as she asked, ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°However, one of them seems to have golems under their control¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll personally deal with them,¡± Leaz said in a cold voice beforemanding, ¡°You! Go to our nearest base and request for reinforcements just in case things go south. Do you understand?!¡± She had to request for reinforcements because the Center for Cultivation of New Believers was a tightly guarded secret. They were trying their best to keep things under the radar as much as possible, so there weren¡¯t many people stationed in it. ¡°Ha! Those fools dare mess with me?¡± Leaz scoffed with a sinister smile before grumbling, ¡°They dare to invade with only two people? Hehe¡­ I will rip them to pieces and feed them to¡ª¡± Booom! All of a sudden, something demolished the walls of the Room of Faith. The ¡®thing¡¯ that demolished the walls was an iron fist asrge as an adult¡¯s head. Then¡­ Crumble¡­ Crumble¡­! Fourrge golems emerged from the opening, and they crammed themselves into the Room of Faith. Behind them were Siegfried and Seung-Gu. ¡°You!¡± Leaz shouted after recognizing Siegfried, and then she raged, ¡°Siegfried! You little monkey! You dare disrupt our ns again?!¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Ha! How can I not? The informationwork of our church is not that dull! You¡¯re that greenhorn who disrupted our ns at the Sohoca Ruins and at Herbert¡¯s Grave!¡± Leaz angrily screamed in response. ¡°Wow! I had no idea that you¡¯re a big shot, hyung-nim! Even a deranged cult member is familiar with you! You are legen¡ªwait for it¡ªdairy!¡± Seung-Gu eximed. Seung-Gu seemed childish, unlike his middle-aged looks. ¡°W-What does that mean?! You dare exchange cryptic messages in the presence of I, the White Cardinal?!¡± Leaz screamed, seemingly taken aback by Seung-Gu¡¯s words. There was no way that she would understand what Seung-Gu was saying since such childish humor didn¡¯t exist in this world in the first ce. ¡°I have no idea what he¡¯s saying either. This guy is a bit weird, you see,¡± Siegfried replied while distancing himself from Seung-Gu. ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­ Am I weird¡­?¡± Seung-Gu asked with a very sad look. ¡°Yes, you are embarrassing me, too,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ too mean¡­¡± Seung-Gu sulked. ¡°Just stay out of this¡­¡± Siegfried pushed him back and charged toward Leaz. ¡°No, hyung-nim! I will handle her!¡± ¡°What? Do you n to bring this whole ce down?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Then I won¡¯t use my golems!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re weak...¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle her, so go up and get rid of the small fries upstairs,¡± Siegfried concluded. ¡°Okay¡­¡± It seemed that Seung-Gu received a lot of emotional damage after being told that he was weak. Unfortunately, it was inevitable. Why? Because he was truly weak. Golem Maker was a ss that was as good as dead if their golems were destroyed or if they ran out of mana. It was the most fatal weakness of Seung-Gu¡¯s ss. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you regret your decision. How dare you even dream of standing up against me, a cardinal of the church!¡± Leaz growled. Pukeok! In response, Siegfried smashed his mace into her thigh. ¡°Kyaaaahk!¡± Leaz screamed in agony. ¡°How dare youe here and cause a scene in my house? Do you have a death wish?¡± Siegfried said while smashing his mace into the White Cardinal. ¡°You son of a bitch¡­!¡± ¡°Hmm??You look like you¡¯ll be very pretty with stic surgery. What do you think of having your chin slightly pushed in?¡± Siegfried said while staring at her protruding chin. ¡°W-What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this thing called anterior segmental osteotomy. I¡¯ll do it for free, so you¡¯re in luck.¡± And it started. Pak! Pak! Pak! Siegfried mercilessly struck the White Cardinal¡¯s protruding chin with his mace. Performing unlicensed surgeries was illegal under thew, and anyone caught would face imprisonment, but that didn¡¯t matter to Siegfried. Why? Because he wasn¡¯t on Earth, but in the N¨¹rburg Continent. *** Leaz didn¡¯tst long. She couldn¡¯t even put up a fight against Siegfried despite being the White Cardinal of the Church of Osric. She died after receiving a one-sided beatdown from Siegfried with his mace. There was nothing surprising about the oue since the reason she became the White Cardinal in the first ce wasn¡¯t because of herbat prowess but because of her medical knowledge and the magic she possessed that could dominate and control the minds of people. In short, the White Cardinal, Leaz, was a nonbatant specializing in cultivating loyal followers for the church. ¡°Tsk¡­¡±? Siegfried clicked his tongue while looking down at Leaz¡¯s lifeless body. ¡°The surgery went well, but the patient could not endure the process.¡± Meanwhile, a Church of Osric signalman hiding in the corner felt chills all over his body after hearing Siegfried¡¯s words. ¡®What do you mean the surgery went well?! You damned psychopath bastard! You just smashed her face in!¡¯ Consult a doctor. Get your treatment from a doctor. Do your cosmetic enhancements from a doctor. This was a ssic example of what would happen to your face if an unlicensed quack were to operate on you. ¡°T-This is the Center for Cultivation of New Believers! This is the Center for Cultivation of New Believers! Requesting response. Over!¡± the signalman eximed into the radio receiver. However... Bzzt¡­ Bzzt¡­ Only static could be heard over the radio. ¡°Hmm?¡± Siegfried stared at the signalman¡¯s fear-stricken face for quite a while before saying, ¡°You look like you¡¯ll look really handsome if we slightly alter your nose¡­¡± ¡°H¡ªHiiik!¡±?the signalman shrieked as his face turned ghastly pale. ¡°It looks like you have an aquiline nose... That can cause rhinitis in the future¡­¡± ¡°I am fine! I will just live with it! Aha¡­ ha¡­ hahaha¡­!¡± ¡°No, your looks are quite important, you know? People are prettypetitive out there these days. I think that you will look really handsome if we slightly alter it a bit, what do you say?¡± ¡°No! I am thankful for what my parents gave me!¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be so mean and refuse my offer now¡­¡± Siegfried said while walking toward the signalman with a bloody mace in his hand. Drip¡­ Drip¡­? A warm liquid drenched the signalman¡¯s pants. It seemed that he ended up pissing himself after witnessing the horrors of the Unlicensed Quack, Dr. Siegfried. 1. Author-nim used a different wordy here, but there¡¯s no way to trante it into English because it¡¯s pure gibberish nonsense, even in Korean. Just an expression without any meaning¡­ so this expression from a certain famous si was used instead. Let me know in thements if any of you knows where it¡¯s from. lol 2. Also known as a hooked nose, see for more information Chapter 76

    Chapter 76

    The signalman¡¯s stic surgery was finally over. Ring¡­! Ring¡­! Ring¡­!? The radio rang. ¡°Hello?¡± Siegfried answered the call. ¡ª Done? ¡°What the? Is that you?¡± Siegfried grumbled after recognizing the voice on the other end of the line. ¡ª Yeah, it¡¯s me. The person on the other end of the Church of Osric¡¯s radio was none other than Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°How are you using this line for a phone call?¡± ¡ª I¡¯m currently at another one of their bases. ¡°So it was a multi-pronged operation?¡± ¡ª That¡¯s right. Cheon Woo-Jin orchestrated multiple operations on different Church of Osric bases at the same time. ¡ª Both you, me, and another party attacked three bases of the Church of Osric in the Proatine Province. All three attacks were sessful, and the Proatine Province is finally free from the Church of Osric. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡ª I¡¯ll give you the coordinates, soe over here and clean this ce up as well. ¡°Are you telling me to go and clean the shit from the ground¡­?¡± ¡ª You have to clean yourwn yourself. It¡¯s your house, after all. Siegfried recalled hearing something simr in the past. ¡ª I¡¯m hanging up. I¡¯ll see youter in the evening since I will have to acknowledge thepletion of the quest I gave you. ¡°I should probably tidy this ce up then,¡± Siegfried replied. He then hung up and went to work to sweep up the remaining rabbles of the Church of Osric. *** Siegfried went up to handle the remaining members of the Church of Osric here, and he saw Seung-Gu scream while flying in mid-air. ¡°Euaaak!¡± There wasn¡¯t a single golem in sight around Seung-Gu. ¡°H-Hyung-nim! Help me!¡± Seung-Gu cried out after seeing Siegfried. ¡°What the? Where are your golems?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± Seung-Gu muttered. He seemed embarrassed before exining, ¡°I ran out of mana¡­ I¡¯m actually mana impotent¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°C-Can you help me¡­?¡± The golemless Seung-Gu was getting shoved around by even the basic members of the Church of Osric. The Golem Maker¡¯s excessive dependence on their golems and their high mana consumption were one of the fatal weaknesses of the Hidden ss. It was also the reason Seung-Gu struggled during the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament. *** Siegfried helped Seung-Gu. Afterward, he chased down and conducted a beatdown on those who tried to run away. ¡°I think we¡¯re done here, so let¡¯s go and save the hostages.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± Siegfried went with Seung-Gu to rescue the abducted hostages. ¡°W-Where is this¡­?¡± ¡°I remember being abducted by some people¡­¡± ¡°Are you the ones who saved me?¡± The hostages were at a loss, but they soon expressed their gratitude to Siegfried after realizing what was going on. ¡°My name is Siegfried van Proa, and I am the one in charge of the Proatine Province.¡± ¡°Van Proa¡­? Are you the king of this ce?¡± asked an old man among the hostages. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Siegfried did not try to hide the fact that he was the king. It seemed that he had already epted his position and was starting to be confident in his new identity. ¡°Oh my god! Your Majesty personally came to rescue us with only one subordinate apanying you?¡± ¡°It just turned out that way¡­¡± ¡°I, Gormillet, a head researcher of the Magic Tower, greet His Majesty, the King of Proatine.¡± Surprisingly, the old man turned out to be a mage affiliated with the Magic Tower. The Magic Tower was the holynd of all magicians on the N¨¹rburg Continent. It was the ce where all magic-rted knowledge was passed down, and a head researcher from the tower was bound to be able and talented. ¡°I greet the King of Proatine!¡± The other rescued hostages got down on one knee and bowed their heads toward Siegfried. It was their way of showing respect toward the ruler of the Proatine Province, who was their savior as well. ¡°I cannot put into words my gratitude for Your Majesty personallying to save this old man.¡± ¡°Please do not mention it. I just could not stand the thought of people getting abducted and brainwashed in my ownnds.¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ you are humble on top of being brave¡­¡± ¡°I am sure you are still at a loss from everything that happened, so please, have some rest for now. I will instruct my soldiers to escort you and ensure that you make it home safely.¡± It was then¡­ ¡°Die! Die! Die! Dieeeeeeee!¡± *** Siegfried turned around and looked at where the scream came from. Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!? He saw a young man lifting arge stone and smashing it into something over and over again. ¡°Keuh!¡± ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Keuaaak!¡± Siegfried looked closer and saw that the young man was smashing the stone into the head of a Church of Osric member who was still alive. Puk! Puk! Puk! The young man did not stop smashing even though the church member had already passed away. He continued smashing until the dead church member¡¯s skull cracked open, and fragments of his skull and brain sttered all over the ce. ¡°Enough,¡± Siegfried said, pulling the young man back. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± ¡°Die! Die! Dieeeeee!¡± In the end, Siegfried had no choice but to use force to stop the young man. ¡°Let me go! I said let me go!¡± ¡°I already told you to stop.¡± ¡°I will kill them all! I will not leave a single one of them alive!¡± It seemed that the young man harbored intense hatred toward the Church of Osric. ¡°I will avenge¡­ I want revenge¡­ I will kill all of them¡­¡± His bloodlust and hostility could be felt from every wording out of his mouth. ¡°Hoho¡­¡± Gormillet let out augh mixed with disbelief and pity for the young man before he asked, ¡°Your Majesty, may I send this young man to sleep?¡± ¡°I think that will be for the best,¡± Siegfried replied. Gormillet cast sleeping magic on the young man as soon as Siegfried gave his permission, and the young man slowly calmed down and fell asleep. ¡°How can such a young man go through such hardships so early on in life¡­¡± Gormillet muttered while shaking his head. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I heard a bit of his story when I first came here, but it seems that those evil people killed all of that young man¡¯s family before abducting him.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± It turned out that the young man truly had a valid reason for his anger and hatred. ¡°This young man has no ce to go to¡­ How about Your Majesty takes him in?¡± ¡°I am not someone who can take responsibility for someone else,¡± Siegfried replied and shook his head before adding, ¡°But I think I will have to take him in for now. It seems like he is going to get himself in trouble sooner orter if he were left alone.¡± ¡°May your will be done, Your Majesty,¡± Gormillet said with a bow. *** ¡°The Magic Tower will never forget Your Majesty¡¯s grace. I hope for the day to meet you again, and I will never forget this debt,¡± Gormillet sincerely thanked Siegfried. The other hostages thanked Siegfried as well, and each and every one of them promised to repay the debt one day. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Seung-Gu.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± Siegfriedmanded the soldiers to take care of the rest as he returned to Casein Castle with Seung-Gu along with the fast-asleep young man in tow. *** Later that night, Cheon Woo-Jin appeared before Siegfried. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± There was a golden exmation point on top of Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s head, which was the symbol that appeared on top of an NPC¡¯s head that notified a yer of their quest¡¯spletion. [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Abducted Talents¡¯!] [Alert: Get your rewards forpleting ¡®Abducted Talents¡¯ from Quest Maker, ¡®Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯!] Siegfried looked at Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Here,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said, handing over a rainbow-colored mask and a pink stone with ancient runic texts engraved on it. [Alert: You have received the Quest reward ¡®Metamorphosis Mask¡¯ forpleting the Quest!] [Alert: You have received the Quest reward ¡®B-Rank Stone of Transcendence¡¯ forpleting the Quest!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried, notifying him about thepletion of his quest after receiving the quest rewards from Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ What are these for?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Take a look for yourself,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a shrug. ¡°Sure¡­¡± Siegfried used his Rune of Insight to check the details of the quest rewards. [B-Rank Stone of Transcendence] [A growth elixir made by a skilled alchemist.] [Type: Elixir (Consumable)] [Effect: The user will gain ten levels after absorbing this stone¡¯s energy. (Only applicable for those under Level 100)] Surprisingly, the B-Rank Stone of Transcendence was an amazing item that increased the user¡¯s level by ten. It did have a restriction¡ªonly those under Level 100 could use it, but it was the perfect item for Siegfried, who was currently in desperate need of levels. [Metamorphosis Mask] [The best item for criminals!] [Type: essory (Mask)] [Effect: Attempts to scan the user¡¯s information using the Rune of Insight will be blocked.] The Metamorphosis Mask was a pretty handy item for Siegfried. After all, he didn¡¯t want any information leak about himself. ¡°I just picked out the items that are going to be extremely helpful to you, so you don¡¯t have to be so thankful,¡± said Cheon Woo-Jin with a smirk. Siegfried red at him and said, ¡°Hey,¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t like them¡­?¡± ¡°Do you have any other quests?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Give me a few more if you have some. Your quests are delicious,¡± Siegfried said. After getting a taste of the Quest Maker¡¯s Quests, he started craving it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I have nothing else to give,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said while shaking his head in disbelief. Eventually, he sighed and said, ¡°There are a lot of avable quests, but you¡¯re too weak to do any of them.¡± ¡°I asked for a quest, but you¡¯re roasting me instead¡­?¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a sigh. ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°The Church of Osric is an organization that¡¯s much more dangerous than you think, and they are extremely powerful as well. To be honest, even I haven''t even been able to measure the depths of their strength just yet. Oh, and you better be careful from now on. You poked the ho¡¯s nest real good this time, after all.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°So you better get stronger as soon as possible so that I can give you more quests. I have a lot, but you have to be strong enough to do them.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I understand, so get lost,¡± Siegfried waved his hand and chased Cheon Woo-Jin away. ¡°Well, if you say so,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a shrug. However, he suddenly turned around and said, ¡°Oh, right. You better take good care of that guy.¡± ¡°Who? That young guy?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°These are the information on the abducted victims. Go and look up Michele de Petronas,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said as he handed over a few pages of documents to Siegfried. Michele de Petronas. That was the name of the young man Siegfried brought back with him. ¡°You should be pretty interested in what that document has to say. Of course, whether you keep him with you or not is entirely up to you, but I can guarantee that you will be delighted.¡± ¡°Is he that amazing?¡± Siegfried asked. He took the documents and went through them. Exactly three secondster, Siegfried muttered in surprise, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This guy is¡­¡± ¡°I can guarantee that you will regret losing him,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a smirk. ¡°Yeah, I think I will regret it¡ªno, I will definitely regret it.¡± Siegfried agreed with Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words. The details of the young man named Michele de Petronas were along these lines: [Michele de Petronas] [The eldest son of Viscount Hamilton, the head of a small family called the Petronas Family. They do not possess anynds, and his father works as a tutor for families in rural areas.] [Genius Administrator] [He received top marks on the national exam hosted by the Marchioni Empire two months ago, and he is the youngest Valedictorian in the history of the empire.] [Michele will start working as a high-ranking administrator at the capital within a month¡¯s time.] [Gender: Male] [Age: 15] [Affiliation: Petronas Family of the Marchioni Empire.] [Additional Information: Unable to gather mana in his body.] The young man was exactly what Siegfried needed right now. Chapter 77

    Chapter 77

    ¡°The fact that he received top marks in the national exam means¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin started. Siegfried concluded. ¡°He¡¯s a genius.¡± ¡°Precisely. He¡¯s a genius indeed. Emperor Stuttgart himself seemed to have personally favored him, saying that he is the future of the empire or something,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin continued. ¡°I think he¡¯s good enough to receive such praises¡­ I mean, he aced the whole exam, right? He totally deserves it.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a genius, so there¡¯s not a single thing he can¡¯t do. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s politics, administration, foreign affairs, construction, arts, city nning, economics, etc¡­ No wonder those bastards from the Church of Osric were hell-bent on abducting him.¡± ¡°But will those cult heads be able to handle the bacsh? It¡¯s someone the emperor himself favors, right?¡± ¡°The Church of Osric wants to sow discord and plunge the world into chaos. The emperor? They don¡¯t care about him at all. In fact, one of their main goals is the copse of the empire. Do you really think they¡¯re scared of the emperor?¡± ¡°Those guys aren¡¯t scared of anything¡­?¡± ¡°They were brazen enough to abduct the Head Researcher of the Magic Tower. To do something like that, someone can only be one of two things¡ªeither they¡¯re crazy or¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re confident in themselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s either of the two for sure, but I¡¯m heavily leaning toward thetter. They aren''t pushovers, so you have to be careful as well. They could be much more dangerous than we had ever bargained. Even the Genesis Guild may not be able topare against them.¡± ¡°Aigoo¡­ I¡¯m so scared I don¡¯t think I will be able to sleep peacefully at night,¡± Siegfried sneered before saying, ¡°These Church of Osric bastards on top of the Genesis Guild¡­ I really need to get stronger.¡± ¡°Yeah, you better grow stronger so the cards I have under my sleeve will increase.¡± ¡°Cards? What am I? Your pawn?¡± ¡°Of course, you are one of the choices I have prepared. Who knows? You could end up bing a jokerter on.¡± ¡°Dream on,¡± Siegfried scoffed and said, ¡°I just want to y the game. I have no ns of bing your pawn.¡± ¡°Who said anything about bing my pawn? For now, we¡¯re just going in the same direction, so we can separate anytimeter. Anyway, try to recruit him since talents like him are quite difficult toe by.¡± ¡°Do you really think he will want to work under me? Even the emperor favors him, after all.¡± ¡°Well, that depends on your ability to convince him. Anyway, I¡¯m going first,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said as he waved his hand and suddenly disappeared as usual. ¡°Michele¡­¡± Siegfried muttered the young man¡¯s name. The fact that he couldn¡¯t muster mana didn¡¯t matter since what Siegfried needed right now wasn¡¯t martial strength but a smart mind. *** The first person Michele saw as soon as he opened his eyes in the infirmary was not a doctor or a nurse, but an Adventurer¡ªthe same young Adventurer he saw at the Church of Osric¡¯s hideout. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Where¡­ am I¡­?¡± It seemed that Michele had calmed down a bit since the way he spoke had changed. However, only his way of speech seemed to have calmed down because his eyes were still burning with the desire for vengeance. ¡°Casein Castle,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Who are you¡­?¡± ¡°Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°The new king of¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me. I¡¯m also the one who saved you.¡± ¡°I will pay you back for saving me. I definitely will one day.¡± ¡°Not one day, to be exact.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as one day. You will pay me back from now on.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°Work for me.¡± ¡°I cannot do that.¡± Michele shook his head. ¡°I¡­¡± He paused for a moment before he gnashed his teeth and said in a voice burning with fury, ¡°I have to pay them back for what they did to me. I have to get revenge¡­!¡± ¡°How? I heard you can¡¯t muster mana, right? Then, how do you n to get revenge against those bastards?¡± Siegfried asked bluntly. ¡°I will find a way¡­¡± ¡°Why? Do you n to beg the emperor for help?¡± ¡°That is one of my options¡­¡± ¡°Do you really think that the emperor is going to drop everything and help you out of the kindness of his heart?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°He could send someone to investigate, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll give up once he finds out that it isn¡¯t that easy. I¡¯m willing to bet that something like that will happen,¡± Siegfried added. Michele couldn¡¯t retort at all. Michele was a very smart boy. He knew very well that the emperor would help him, but he also knew that the emperor wouldn¡¯t use the full might of the empire to help him out. Why? It was all because the emperor wasn¡¯t someone who would concern himself with the revenge of a lone country bumpkin. The emperor was aware of the Church of Osric¡¯s existence, and he was also aware of the dangers they posed to the empire. He would definitely subjugate them one day to purge them from the continent, but Michele knew very well that there was no way he could get involved in that conquest. ¡°Do you even know the people who abducted you?¡± ¡°I just know that they are an evil cult¡­¡± ¡°They are called the Church of Osric. Their aim is to sow discord and plunge the entire continent into chaos. Their operations are so ndestine that even I don¡¯t know much about them.¡± ¡°Church of Osric¡­¡± ¡°The Church of Osric is my enemy as well. One of my masters passed away because of them, and someone that I have to kill no matter what is affiliated with them as well. Anyway, what I want to say is¡­ We share amon goal.¡± ¡°Does Your Majesty think of those bastards¡ªno, the Church of Osric as your enemy?¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Siegfried nodded before exining, ¡°I will exterminate the entire Church of Osric from the summit down to the very bottom without leaving a single one of their member behind. So you should work for me from now on. I will help you exact revenge and let you cut the head of the Church of Osric¡¯s mastermind¡ªwhoever they are¡ªI will let you cut their head off with your very own hands.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty is weak,¡± Michele retorted before saying, ¡°Your Majesty is weak. You do not possess a formidable army, and your territory is¡ª¡± ¡°We will grow stronger.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I will put you in charge of internal affairs so you can grow our forces. Meanwhile, I will focus on my personal growth.¡± ¡°I do not think that getting stronger is something that can be achieved so easily¡­¡± ¡°Just wait and see. I¡¯ll quickly be stronger.¡± ¡°I learned that it is not good to make empty promises.¡± ¡°You can just wait and see, right? Hmm¡­ perhaps around a year?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Work for a year under me as repayment for saving your life. Then, you can watch me from the sidelines and see whether I¡¯m getting stronger or not, and¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off before throwing bait at Michele. ¡°Your body can¡¯t muster mana, right? I might be able to solve that problem for you¡­¡± ¡°That is impossible. There is no way anyone can change my¡ª¡± Michele replied. However, Siegfried suddenly cut him off and said, ¡°I know someone who can.¡± He was thinking of Deus, the embodiment of invincibility. ¡®Master is omnipotent. It is possible for him to help this kid.¡¯ Since Deus managed to fix Tae-Sung¡¯s hopeless body, he was certain that Deus could fix Michele¡¯s body as well. ¡°I-Is that true?¡± ¡°My master is someone greater than the Five Star Heaven, and I¡¯m sure that he can fix whatever problem you have.¡± ¡°Impossible! The only Grandmasters are¡ª¡± Michele retorted. Siegfried immediately cut him off and said, ¡°Whether you¡¯ll believe me or not, it¡¯s all up to you, but I¡¯m telling you the truth. Now, it¡¯s time for you to make a choice: do you want to work for me and exact revenge with your very own hands, or do you want to depend on the hope that the emperor will do it for you? Anyway, just think about it and rest for now. You¡¯re free to leave whenever. I have no ns of stopping you.¡± Siegfried left the infirmary after casting the bait. Now, he could only wait for the fish to bite. *** A weekter¡­ ¡°Your Majesty, Michele requests for an audience with you.¡± ¡°Send him in.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Michele entered Siegfried¡¯s office as soon as permission was given. ¡°I greet Your Majesty, King Proa,¡± Michele greeted with the utmost respect. ¡°What brings you here so early in the morning? I think it¡¯s too quick for you to have made up your mind?¡± ¡°I wish to work for Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°It is just as you have said. I wish to see with my own two eyes¡ªjust how powerful Your Majesty can grow.¡± ¡°Good choice,¡± Siegfried said with a smile, and then he added, ¡°That will be the best choice you have ever made in your entire life, and it will stay that way for decades toe. By the way, don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is¡­ Don¡¯t think of anything stupid like ¡®if only I were stronger, I could have protected my family¡­!¡¯ or something like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You were never at fault. Those bastards were just evil, that¡¯s all. You shouldn¡¯t think that way because it wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Siegfried said. He was sincerely concerned that Michele would end up despising himself. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Michele muttered while looking at Siegfried with eyes filled with respect. It seemed that Siegfried¡¯s words just now had touched the kid¡¯s heart. ¡°Take this,¡± Siegfried said, passing something big over to him. ¡°W-What are these¡­?¡± ¡°What else? Those are the documents that need to be reviewed.¡± Siegfried shamelessly a portion of the mountain of work he was supposed to do on his own onto Michele. ¡°You can start today. I would love to let you rest more, but a person will only get more depressed if they sit around and do nothing. Yes, this is all for your sake. You should immerse yourself in work so that you can forget about everything¡ªnot that you will be able to forget¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Just give it a try. You are free to rest if you think that it¡¯s still too early for you to work. All right, I have a meeting to attend to, so I¡¯ll be off,¡± Siegfried said as he waved his hand and left his office to go for the daily morning meetings with the officials. ¡°Why does it feel like he had been waiting for the opportunity to dump these on me¡­?¡± Michele grumbled. However, his grumblingsted only for a short while. Flip! Flip!? Sukeok¡­ Sukeok¡­? Soon, only the sound of pages being flipped and the sound of quilt writing on paper could be heard in the room. The papers Siegfried should have originally signed had a different signature this time. - Signed by the administrative aide of His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa, Michele de Petronas. -? *** ¡°Is this where I¡¯m going to live from now on??Haha¡­¡± On moving day, Tae-Sung muttered andughed in disbelief as he looked around the new ce he would soon call home. The ce was still a mess since he was still unpacking, but it was good nheless. His new house was a luxury apartment with three bedrooms. He divided the bedrooms into his bedroom, VR room, and utility room. Tae-Sung was particrly excited at the thought of turning his utility room into a dressing room where he could put other misceneous things as well. ¡°It¡¯s really big¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered with a smile. Ding! Dong! His doorbell suddenly rang... ¡®Hmm? Who¡¯s that? Did the movers leave something behind?¡¯?he wondered. He opened the door without even checking who was outside. ¡°I guess you finished unpacking just now,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said while stealing a peek into the house. ¡°What the hell? Why are you here?¡± Tae-Sung grimaced while ring at Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Why else? It¡¯s a housewarming visit,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin nonchntly replied as he walked into the house. ¡°Hey¡­ who invited you in? Wait, how did you even find my house?¡± Tae-Sung grumbled. It was then¡­ ¡°I¡¯m here, hyung-nim! Wow! Amazing! This is double amazing~ triple amazing~ amaze balls~!¡± The familiar face of a middle-aged man¡ªno, a young man appeared from behind Cheon Woo-Jin and entered Tae-Sung¡¯s house. People would usually feel awkward meeting in real life after knowing each other online, but it seemed that Seung-Gu had an extremely thick face. ¡°Hyung-nim! I bought you tissues as a present! I think you will be set for an entire year!¡± ¡°Hey¡­ why did you bring so many tissues¡­?¡± ¡°Ehem¡­ you know¡­¡± ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°A young man needs a lot of tissue, right?¡± ¡°Why would young men need tissues¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hyung-nim needs to have a good time as a bachelor, right?¡± Seung-Gu said while moving his hand up and down as if he was hinting at something. ¡°Disgusting¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered and grimaced while thinking, ¡®Where the hell did this crazy guye from?¡¯ It seemed that Seung-Gu was the type of person whose personality in the game and in real life was exactly the same down to thest letter. 1. Cheon Woo-Jin means that Siegfried can be the deciding factorter on since a joker is the strongest card in most card games. Chapter 78

    Chapter 78

    Tae-Sung was able to finish unpacking his things thanks to Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu¡¯s help, although it was mainly thanks to him not having that many things to unpack in the first ce. ¡°It seems that we are finished, so why don¡¯t we go to a bar and have a ss of wine?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°Shall we?¡± Tae-Sung replied. He had a bit of time on his hands since the instation of the Ogre was going to be dyed by a few days because the mechanic in charge of installing the Ogre, Lee Jae-Sung, was on vacation. ¡°But I¡¯ve never drunk wine before¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered while scratching the back of his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing amazing about it. The wine that suits your taste buds will be the good wine in the end. There are a lot of people out there who aren¡¯t even that rich, and they like to drink expensive wine and make remarks about what¡¯s a good wine and whatnot, but those are all bullshit. It¡¯s just the pretentious bravado of the poor,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a shrug. His words sounded pretty convincing. After all, he could be considered to have achieved true wealth. ¡°Anyone with assets less than five hundred billion won should just shut up,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin added. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk when you just struck it rich,¡± Tae-Sung grumbled in response. ¡°But I did strike it rich. I have the most cash in South Korea, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s hurry up. We have to stop by the mall on the way.¡± ¡°Why the mall all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Because of you.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin pointed at Tae-Sung. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°You are embarrassing.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean I¡¯m embarrassing?¡± ¡°Your clothes,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. He looked at Tae-Sung¡¯s worn-out shirt with its cor stretched and wrinkled. ¡°What about it? Will your clothes pay your bill? No right? Let¡¯s just go,¡± Tae-Sung said with a shrug. ¡°We can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to a club afterward. Do you n to go wearing like that?¡± ¡°A club? Hmm¡­ then I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping first.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Tae-Sung had to agree with Cheon Woo-Jin since even he thought that he looked bad. In addition, he had to take care of his appearance as well. ¡°Oh yeah! What an amazing~! double amazing~! triple amazing~! decision you made, hyung-nim! I also thought that you looked?too modest for someone of your caliber,¡± Seung-Gu chimed in. Tae-Sung¡¯s clothes did look quite modest for the house that he would live in from now on. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the mall then.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, hyung-nim.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu grabbed Tae-Sung from both sides. ¡°Hey, but isn¡¯t it toote? It¡¯s already ten¡­ what kind of a mall would still be open at this hour¡­?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a confident smirk before saying, ¡°Malls are open around the clock for me.¡± ¡°Malls run twenty-four hours a day these days¡­?¡± ¡°You will find out once you get there.¡± Tae-Sung tilted his head in confusion, but he decided to hop into Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s car anyway. Afterward, they drove off for L Department Store in Jamsil. *** It turned out that what Cheon Woo-Jin meant by ¡¯around the clock¡¯ was literally true. Most department stores and malls were closed by now since it was already past ten in the evening, but Cheon Woo-Jin was an exception. ¡°Wee.¡± They were greeted by two rows of employees as soon as they entered the door that an ordinary person would never get to enter in their lifetime. ¡®Can I get this treatment if I make money, too¡­?¡¯?Tae-Sung wondered. He did not particrly enjoy something like this, but he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he could achieve the same height of sess once he started making money. Of course, the answer to this would only appear once he started to make some serious money. ¡°Shop to your heart¡¯s content. Everything is on my tab today¡ª¡± Cheon Woo-Jin started. However, Tae-Sung suddenly cut him off and retorted, ¡°You think I¡¯m a beggar? I have money too, you know? I¡¯ll pay for my own stuff.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want it even if it¡¯s free?¡± ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m shopping after earning some money, so how can I let someone else pay for it? I¡¯ll pay for my own stuff, so why don¡¯t you just hurry up and give me a quest? Don¡¯t you have any quests for me?¡± ¡°I already told you I don¡¯t have one for the meantime¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied while shaking his head in disbelief. He could have never imagined that somebody would refuse an offer to shop for free, and he also realized that Tae-Sung was as crazy in real life as he was about BNW. Well, it didn¡¯t reallye as a huge surprise since Tae-Sung was only able to w his way back up after going bust because he was crazy about the game. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for him instead if you don¡¯t need it.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin pointed at Seung-Gu. ¡°Sure. Hey, Seung-Gu. This rich dude says he will pay for everything you buy. Don¡¯t be shy and buy as many things as you want,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Is that true?!¡± Seung-Gu eximed in surprise as his eyes shot wide open. ¡°Chew off as much as you can while you¡¯re at it since this guy is filthy rich,¡± Tae-Sung said with a smirk. ¡°B-But still¡­¡± Seung-Gu muttered, seemingly hesitant. At that, Cheon Woo-Jin extended his credit card over to Seung-Gu and said, ¡°Here. It¡¯s my credit card.¡± ¡°Woo-Jin hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Buy as many stuff as you want. You can use Han Tae-Sung¡¯s portion as well since he doesn¡¯t want any. Ah, that card has no limits, so no need to hold back.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim! I will make sure to drill a hole in your ount today!¡± Seung-Gu eximed as he epted Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s credit card without an ounce of hesitation. ¡°See youter,¡± Tae-Sung said. He decided to make a move, and their shopping trip started just like that. The brand stall he went over first wasn¡¯t a brand stall for male clothes. Instead, it was a shop famous as the Alpha and Omega of women¡¯s luxury bags, Chanel. ¡°Wee, customer-nim,¡± the staffer greeted him. ¡°I want to take a look at some bags that I can give to my mother as a present,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Please,e this way,¡± the staffer replied with a slight bow. The first product that Tae-Sung wanted to buy after earning some money wasn¡¯t something for himself but a present for his mother back in his hometown. *** Soon, their shopping trip ended. ¡°What¡¯s that¡­?¡± ¡°Hyung-nim¡­? Did you even shop at all¡­?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu tilted their heads while looking at Tae-Sung. Tae-Sung was only carrying two Chanel shopping bags and a Uniqlo?shopping bag. In contrast, the two of them were carrying more shopping bags than their hands could handle. ¡°Ah, this?¡± Tae-Sung said with a smile and exined, ¡°They¡¯re a bag and a backpack for my mom and my sister. I wanted to buy them a present.¡± ¡°No, not that¡­ I¡¯m talking about that,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said while pointing at the Uniqlo?shopping bag. ¡°What else? It¡¯s my clothes.¡± ¡°I told you to buy clothes from a luxury brand, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Later. I just started making money recently. I can¡¯t go ahead and splurge it all on luxury goods, right? This is more than enough for me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s go and eat something,¡± Tae-Sung said before taking a seat in the backseat of Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s car. ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin let out a sigh and shook his head at Tae-Sung¡¯s stubbornness. *** That evening, Tae-Sung, Cheon Woo-Jin, and Seung-Gu had a good time. They ordered a bunch of appetizers and some wine before they went to another ce to drink some whiskey. Then, they went to Club Heaven and drank bottles of champagne after champagne. Tae-Sung was tipsy, but it wasn¡¯t an issue. He shook his body to the EDM music and had a good time on his own since he didn¡¯t need a woman to have fun. ¡®Who could have known that I would get to have the luxury to enjoy like this?¡¯?he thought while dancing the night away. The fact that he could enjoy himself without being worried about his debt and piling interest was more than enough for him to have a great time without thepany of a woman. Besides, nobody found him particrly attractive, so he was able to enjoy his time undisturbed. Club Heaven was a warzone crawling with wolves and foxes. A person¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t important in this ce as their outward appearance was the only thing people would find important about them. As such, Tae-Sung was bound to be ignored here. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that not a single soul was interested in him at all. A woman was intently staring at him from about two meters away. *** The next morning, Tae-Sung woke up with a splitting headache. ¡°Ugh¡­?my head hurts¡­ how much did I drinkst night?¡± he grumbled. He cked out, and his memory from 3 am to 5 am was very hazy and fuzzy, and the only thing he could remember was¡­ ¡°Are you alright?¡± He went out to get some air, and a woman approached him. ¡°She looked somewhat familiar¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. He racked his brains and tried to recall her face. However, he couldn¡¯t make out her face from his memory since it had been distorted after cking out. ¡°How much did you drink? Come here and hold on to me. Heave-ho! How much did you drink? Sigh¡­ What am I going to do with you? Where do you live? I¡¯ll bring you home.¡± The only thing he could remember was the fact that ¡®she¡¯ was pretty, nice, and quite friendly to the drunk Tae-Sung. But why? Why did shee to him when the whole ce was littered with people who practically looked like celebrities? He couldn¡¯t understand it at all. ¡°Did she really bring me home?¡± Tae-Sung wondered. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said from the foyer. ¡°W-Who are you?!¡± Tae-Sung shouted in surprise. ¡°Who else? It¡¯s your partner fromst night.¡± ¡°Huh?! W-What do you mean?!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry since nothing happened,¡± the voice calmly said as if she wanted him to calm down, and then she continued, ¡°I got tired as well after bringing you home, so I took a nap. I hope you won¡¯t misunderstand what happened. You¡¯re still wearing your clothes, right?¡± ¡°EH?!¡± Tae-Sung hurriedly checked his clothes, and he let out a sigh of relief after finding his shirt and pants still on him, ¡°Phew¡­¡±? A few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, but it seemed that nothing really happenedst night. ¡°I had fun. Then, I¡¯ll be off now.¡± ¡°E-Excuse me!¡± Tae-Sung eximed. He hurriedly ran out from his bed and chased after the mysterious woman, but the woman had already left his house. ck¡­! ck¡­! ck¡­!? Only the sound of her high heels remained¡­ Tae-Sung was in a daze. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. He didn¡¯t know her name, face, or even her phone number. The only thing he knew about her was her voice, and he knew he would forget it soon. Vrrr! His phone vibrated. ¡¸Hey, where are you? Why did you suddenly disappear without a wordst night? Call me when you sober up. ¡¹ - Scumbag ¡¸Hyung-nim! What happened to you? Did you find yourself a prettydy and left the club? I am getting worried! @.@ ¡¹ - Seung-Gu He found messages from Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu on his phone. ¡°Ugh¡­?I must have been crazy¡­¡± he grumbled while sincerely regretting going overboard and drinking way past his limitsst night. Who could have imagined that he would ckout and get escorted home by a random woman? Perhaps the silver lining was that he didn¡¯t end up making an irreversible mistake while he was drunk? It seemed that he ended up lowering his guard and going overboard after finally being able to enjoy things to his heart¡¯s content without worrying about anything for a very long time. ¡°Just who was she? I did not even get to thank her properly¡­ sigh¡­¡±?Tae-Sung muttered while thinking of the woman who suddenly disappeared like a mirage. ¡°Let¡¯s not drink until we drop ever again¡­¡± Tae-Sung steeled his resolve to be more prudent from now on. After all, he had always hated those who lived a degenerate lifestyle. *** Two hourster¡­ ¡°It seems that you moved houses again¡­ hahaha¡­¡± Lee Jae-Sung¡ªthe mechanic in charge of installing Tae-Sung¡¯s VR capsule¡ªsaid after looking around Tae-Sung¡¯s new house. He then muttered under his breath, ¡°To think that he can afford to move houses twice in just a few months¡­¡± ¡°It just turned out this way,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°It seems that you earned a lot of money. Congrattions, customer-nim,¡± Lee Jae-Sung sincerely congratted Tae-Sung. After all, he had personally witnessed him move from an old, moldy, and cramped single-bedroom unit to this ce. ¡®How much did he even earn recently? Isn¡¯t he getting rich a bit too fast¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much money Tae-Sung was earning every month¡­ *** ¡®It¡¯s going to be hardcore grinding and power leveling from today onward!¡¯?Siegfried clenched his fist and steeled his resolve to sweep through the dungeons in his territory and power level as fast as he could. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Oscar eximed as she hurriedly entered his office. She wasn¡¯t wearing her usual military leather uniform. She was wearing her full te armor set this time. ¡°Ah, Dame Oscar. What is the matter?¡± Siegfried asked with a slight grimace. He was still recovering from his hangover. ¡°We received intel that the barbarians north of us have upied three viges and a fort!¡± . ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°ording to the intel¡ª¡± Oscar was about to make a detailed report when a loud explosion reverberated, and the office¡¯s ceiling came crumbling down. Kwaaaaang! ¡®Ah, what is it this time?!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly as he jumped to the side and avoided the debris. Afterward, he shouted at Oscar, ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty! There¡­ Over there¡­!¡± Oscar stuttered while pointing toward the building that housed the lord¡¯s hall. ¡°What the hell is that¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. ¡°Gwuoooooooooh!¡± A green dragon had appeared out of nowhere. It was sitting on the roof of the lord¡¯s hall as it let out an ear-splitting roar. 1. Jamsil is a posh neighborhood in Gangnam. Chapter 79

    Chapter 79

    ¡°G¡­ Green Dragon¡­?¡± The creature that took over the roof of the lord¡¯s hall turned out to be a real dragon. The Green Dragon was a wood-attributed dragon with green scales and the ability to breathe out an extremely dangerous gas called ¡®Poison Breath¡¯. ¡°Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°Was there a Green Dragon in our territory¡­?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly dumbfounded at the sudden appearance of the dragon. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any as far as I am aware of¡­¡± ¡°Then why is that thing here all of a sudden¡­?¡± ¡°I was about to report it to you, though¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Report what¡­?¡± ¡°Actually¡­ that Green Dragon is a pet raised by one of the leaders of the barbarians¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­? Why would a barbarian raise a dragon as a pet¡­? I don¡¯t think they should be considered a barbarian then¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Oscar tried to exin. However, Siegfried interrupted her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talkter.¡± Then, he took out his weapon and said, ¡°It¡¯s time to fight.¡± What more was there to say when the dragon had already invaded his house? The only thing he could do right now was to fight it. *** Thends north of the Proatine Province were very impoverishednds inhabited by around thirty barbarian tribes, and the wars the tribes waged among themselves turned their impoverishednds into a living hell. The ¡®Pullman Tribe¡¯ was one of the barbarian tribes inhabiting thends north of Proatine, and they were known to worship the dragons as their deity and ancestor. There was an artifact passed down from generation to generation within the Pullman Tribe, and it was a rein called ¡®Dragon Steering¡¯ that allowed them to control a dragon. Durian was once a young warrior from the Pullman Tribe, and he possessed a grand ambition to be a Dragon Rider and unite the entire ins north of Proatine and dere himself the King of the Barbarians as soon as he became an adult. It had been twenty years since then, and he spent the entire two decades searching for a dragon hatchling to control with the Dragon Steering artifact. Then, he was finally able to be a fully-fledged Dragon Rider at the end of his two-decade-long journey. It was a miracle created by his hard work and luck. He returned to his tribe after bing a Dragon Rider, and he dered in front of his tribesmen, ¡°I will conquer the ins, and I will put the entire continent in my hand as your chieftain!¡± After that, he conquered a few tribes and turned the Pullman Tribe into the most powerful faction north of Proatine. The achievement gave Durian confidence to venture south and start his conquest of the continent. The firstnds that he targeted were none other than thends directly adjacent to the impoverished ins where Durian lived his childhood, the Proatine Province. *** Thankfully, things didn¡¯t escte into an all-out confrontation right away since the man riding on top of the dragon seemed like he wanted to speak to Siegfried first before waging war. ¡°Are you the king of this ce?¡± asked the man on top of the dragon. He had arge frame, long hair, and bulky muscles that would make a bodybuilder have a run for their money. The only word that came to Siegfried¡¯s mind upon seeing the man was the word ¡®barbarian¡¯. ¡°Yes, I am the king,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I am the Great Conqueror Durian,¡± the man on top of the dragon proudly introduced himself. Meanwhile¡­ ¡®What a name¡­ Makes me want to smash this bastard¡¯s head open with a durian¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly in disbelief. Who in their right mind would name themselves durian? Of all things, why would anyone name their kid after a tropical fruit? ¡°I will unite the tribes of the north and conquer thesends!¡± Durian grandly eximed. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± Siegfried grumbled. However, Durian didn¡¯t give him any space to speak as he immediately said, ¡°Listen, you weak human!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I herebymand you as the Great Conqueror and Father of Dragons!¡± Durian eximed. ¡°Tell me,¡± Siegfried replied. He was curious about what the madman had to say. ¡°I will give you three days to make your decision! Will you surrender or choose death? If you choose to fight, then¡­¡± Durian said in a threatening voice, and the Green Dragon he was riding on let out a vicious growl as if it was finishing its master¡¯s words. ¡°Grrr¡­!¡± This was indeed a straightforward threat. ¡°I will kill every single man and son in yournds. Your women and daughters will be forced into very! And I will chop your body into pieces and feed it to my dragon!¡± Durian threatened in a vicious manner befitting a barbarian tribal chief. Afterward, the barbarian chief asked just to make sure that the human king fully understood him, ¡°Three days. I expect you to prepare fifty beautiful virgins and my crown when Ie back here. Do you understand, weak human?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ sure sure¡­¡± Siegfried nonchntly agreed in a skeptical manner. He found the whole spectacle to be absurd. However, the problem was that the barbarian seemed to have no knowledge of the concept of skepticism. It seemed he misunderstood Siegfried¡¯s skeptical response as his agreement. ¡°Good,¡± Durian said with a satisfied look before he gripped the reins of his dragon. aaap! Then, the Green Dragon spread out its gigantic wings and prepared to take flight. ¡°I hope that you will not make a foolish decision,¡± Durian said before pulling the reins and flying away. The reason Durian didn¡¯t cause any more fuss before leaving was that he already considered Casein Castle and everything in it as his belongings. It already belonged to him anyway, so he didn¡¯t feel the need to destroy or kill anything in it. ¡°Who the hell was that dumb f*cker?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief while watching Durian and his dragon fly away into the distance. If one lived long enough and yed enough games, strange things would truly happen to them. *** An emergency council was immediately conducted. ¡°We are going to fight. It will be difficult, but it is worth giving a shot,¡± Siegfried dered while standing in the roofless lord¡¯s hall. The reason he considered fighting was that the dragon Durian was riding looked to be too young. It seemed as if it was in its adolescent stage at most. The average lifespan of a dragon on the N¨¹rburg Continent was eight thousand years, and the dragons that lived for less than five hundred years were called ¡®hatchlings¡¯. They would only be considered mature after they lived for more than five hundred years. On top of that, the dragons that had just matured weren¡¯t that strong. They wouldn¡¯t be able to live up to their titles as dragons since they weren¡¯t experienced enough to use ¡®Dragon Magic, which was the trademark ability of dragons. A dragon would have to live for at least a thousand years before it could call itself a dragon and instill fear in the hearts of others. Moreover, dragons that lived for longer than three thousand years were in a different league when it came to their size and their ability to use Dragon Magic. By then, they would be considered mobile natural disasters. Siegfried was able to calmly calcte their chances of winning since he paid very close attention to the dragon while Durian was busy delivering his speech. ¡®I think it was around thirty meters long¡­ It shouldn¡¯t be any older than seven hundred years old¡­ A party of high-level Rankers should be able to bring it down without much difficulty,¡¯?he thought while deducing the rough age of the Green Dragon. The fact that the Green Dragon ended up being controlled by a barbarian was more than enough evidence that it was still in its juvenile stage. ¡°That fool is going toe back three dayster to receive our unconditional surrender. That is our opportunity to strike,¡± Siegfried said. His eyes looked like they were full of greed. It was only natural for him to feel greedy After all, every single part of a dragon¡¯s body was highly valuable. The horn, bones, blood, scales, meat, eyes, hides, and its heart, which was also known as the legendary Dragon Heart, where a dragon stored their mana, were extremely valuable materials that boasted an astronomical price. The main reason for the price tag that came with the dragon parts was the scarcity and difficulty of hunting a dragon. A 3000-year-old dragon was almost impossible to defeat, and even attempting to hunt one was definitely a bad idea. However, that wasn¡¯t the case when it came to a juvenile dragon or a dragon that had just recently matured. Those dragons were worth hunting down since the rewards one could reap far outweighed the risks. ¡®What a jackpot. Who knew a young dragon was going toe waltzing in? I have to slurp this up before anyone else catches wind of this! It¡¯s not every day that you get to hunt a young dragon!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly while clenching his fists. A young dragon was very well aware that it was weak and would keep a low profile in itsir. It would continuously eat and sleep until it grew big enough. This cycle would usually go on for hundreds of years, and that was why it was considered to be rare or even impossible to find a young dragon outside of its ownir. However, the foolish barbarian seemed to be oblivious to this fact as it proudly rode its dragon down and set it up nicely on disy for everyone to see, as if he were begging people to hunt it down and rip it apart for its materials. It seemed that there was truly a reason why a barbarian was a barbarian¡­ ¡°But, Your Majesty¡­ the casualties will be unimaginably high!¡± ¡°What if we request support from the empire¡­?¡± ¡°It will be impossible for us to contend against a dragon with only our strength alone!¡± It seemed the officials thought otherwise. They knew very well a single young dragon couldn¡¯t possibly devastate the kingdom, but they preferred to y it safe and offer up the dragon to the empire to curry favors from them. ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried immediately shook his head and shot their suggestions down. There was no way he would hand over a lump of fortune that came crawling in with its own two feet to someone else. ¡°We will hunt it down with our strength alone. I have hunted a dragon before. I would like to request every single one of you to stop raising any concerns regarding this issue and instead focus on calming down our people. They are definitely anxious right now.¡± Siegfried wasn¡¯t lying. ¡®I¡¯m d I joined that raid that time,¡¯?he thought, recalling his experience when he was still the Level 200 Elemental Mage Tae-Sung. Back then, he managed to join a raid to hunt down a 2000-year-old dragon. The raid expedition members were Siegfried and other high Rankers. It was an amazing and intense battle that made it to the history books of the N¨¹rburg Continent. ¡®It¡¯s not even a thousand years old yet. We can hunt it as long as we thoroughly prepare for it. Hold on¡­ how did we hunt it that time¡­?¡¯?Siegfried tried to recall what they did back then. Experience¡­ This was the biggest weapon he could use to fight the disaster his kingdom was facing. *** Siegfried immediately prepared for the dragon raid after concluding the emergency council meeting. ¡°Hyung-nim, is it true?¡± Seung-Gu asked after logging in a whileter. ¡°Why are you asking me if it¡¯s true when you already saw what happened to the roof?¡± Siegfried grumbled in response. ¡°Is it even going to be possible, hyung-nim? I know the dragon is still young, but it¡¯s still a dragon with extremely high innate defense from its scales alone. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something we can face at our current levels.¡± ¡°We just have to reduce its defense.¡± ¡°But its HP will be far higher than anything we have ever faced! The HP regen will also be¡­¡± What Seung-Gu meant by ¡®HP regen¡¯ here was Health Regeneration. ¡°You think it¡¯s going to regenerate more health than the damage we can deal to it?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a solution for that. Well, a part of it.¡± ¡°H-How¡­?¡± ¡°You will see for yourself soon enough,¡± Siegfried said while recalling his experience from the raid. He then said, ¡°Your job is to go to the nearestrge city and procure the things listed here.¡± ¡°What are these?¡± Seung-Gu asked while browsing through the list. ¡°What else? It¡¯s the things we need to prepare,¡± Siegfried said with a confident smirk. *** Siegfried went to the nearest gateway after sending Seung-Gu on his way. He moved to arge city called Werke. The reason Siegfried came to Werke was simple¡­ ¡®With my current items, there¡¯s no way I can hunt a dragon, let alone a drake¡­¡¯ He had to upgrade his gears once again. The generic items he bought from a cksmith wouldn¡¯t be able to scratch the dragon, let alone inflict any injuries to it. He decided to upgrade his gears through¡­ ¡°It¡¯s amazing¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He was standing in front of arge stone building with arge signboard depicting an emblem of windmill des with the words ¡®Bavarian¡¯ written in thenguage of the continent. It was none other than the Bavarian Workshop, one of the top three workshops on the N¨¹rburg Continent. He chose toe here since he needed a weapon that boasted immense attacking power, and the Bavarian Workshop specialized in such weapons. ¡°How may I help you?¡± a staffer dressed formally greeted Siegfried at the workshop entrance. ¡°I¡¯m here to visit the Hometown of Death,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Hometown of Death? Excuse me, but do you have an appointment? Everyone needs an appointment to be able to go to the Hometown of Death,¡± said the staffer. ¡°I don¡¯t have an appointment, but please take a look at this,¡± Siegfried said as he showed the que he received from Herbert. ¡°T-This is¡­!¡± Thankfully, it seemed that the staffer recognized the que. ¡°It seems that customer-nim is a VVIP of our workshop. Please,e this way. I shall guide you to the best of my abilities,¡± said the staffer with a bow. Thanks to Herbert¡¯s gift, Siegfried was given ess to the Hometown of Death without a hitch. ¡®This thing seems pretty useful,¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking at the que with a wide smile. 1. For those not aware, ¡®durian¡¯ is a fruit(?) native to South-East Asia, and it is famous for its potentially fatal smell and tough spikes. More information here: Chapter 80

    Chapter 80

    The Hometown of Death was located deep within the workshop, and its interior truly lived up to its name as Death¡¯s ¡®hometown¡¯. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯?Siegfried was in awe after seeing the Hometown of Death¡¯s interior. Obsidian. The Hometown of Death¡¯s floor, ceiling, and even the walls were fitted out with ck shining obsidian. Gold and emerald were even embedded in between the spot where the obsidian met. The entire ce made it resemble a temple to worship Death. ¡®How much are these items¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered while looking at the disyed artifacts with covetous eyes. The artifacts manufactured by the Hometown of Death were only being used by 0.01% of Adventurers, and they were famous as extremely expensive items. ¡®I heard those who chose sses rted to assassination love the items from here,¡¯?he thought while continuously looking around. Drrruuudruuu¡­! A group of people suddenly started rushing toward him. ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was taken aback at the sudden surge of people. ¡°Are you the one who brought Herbert-nim¡¯s namete?¡± ¡°Did you really bring Herbert-nim¡¯s namete?!¡± ¡°Did you find Herbet-nim¡¯s final life¡¯s work?!¡± ¡°Why does an Adventurer like you have that precious item?!¡± Twenty-plus people surrounded Siegfried and showered him with questions. ¡®Why are they doing this to me?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was at a loss for words. Siegfried was surprised, but there was a reason they were kicking up a fuss. Mad cksmith Herbert was the best as well as the evilest craftsman that the Hometown of Death had ever produced. No one managed to reach the same level as Herbert had when he was still alive. As such, the craftsmen of the Bavarian Workshop worshiped Herbert like a god. The Bavarian Workshop was practically turned upside down today. After all, it had been hundreds of years since Herbert died, and an Adventurer suddenly popped out of nowhere with his namete. ¡°Silence, all of you!¡± a dwarf who seemed to be the eldest among the craftsmen shouted and calmed the rowdy crowd down. Afterward, he turned around toward Siegfried and said, ¡°I apologize for their behavior, young one. I am the one responsible for the Bavarian Workshop, Quandt.¡± ¡°By responsible, you mean¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in response. ¡°I¡¯m the current head of the Bavarian Workshop as well as the head cksmith of the Hometown of Death.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Siegfried eximed in surprise. The dwarf had to be at least a Master cksmith if he was indeed the Quandt Siegfried was familiar with. The dwarf, Quandt, was a well-known Named NPC, and he was the head of the Bavarian Workshop as well as the head of the Hometown of Death. [Quandt] [Type: Named NPC] [Race: Dwarf] [Level: 310] [upation: cksmith] [ss: Death Sculptor] [Title: Great Master] After checking the dwarf¡¯s details through the Rune of Insight, Siegfried confirmed that the dwarf in front of him was the same dwarf he was familiar with. ¡°So you are Quandt-nim. My name is Siegfried van Proa,¡± Siegfried introduced himself. ¡°Van? Proa? Are you a royalty from the Proatine Province?¡± Quandt asked in response. ¡°I am a king.¡± ¡°Hmm? A king? Is that true?¡± ¡°It just turned out that way.¡± ¡°Hoho¡­¡± ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, but who are these people¡­?¡± Siegfried asked while ncing at the other craftsmen. ¡°They are the elders of our workshop and the cksmiths working in the Hometown of Death. They came running here when they heard the news that you brought Herbert-nim¡¯s namete with you.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let me get to the point and ask you, King Proa. How did youe to possess Herbert-nim¡¯s namete? Don¡¯t tell me Herbert-nim has¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it just turned out that way as well,¡± Siegfried replied as he activated Megingjord¡¯s ability and retrieved the Rod of God. ¡°Hiiik!¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°The Rod of God?!¡± ¡°Herbert-nim¡¯s legendary final masterpiece?!¡± The craftsmen went wild once again. Each of them was skilled enough to tell that the item Siegfried had taken out was the Rod of God. They didn¡¯t need Siegfried¡¯s exnation. ¡°Y-You found Herbert-nim¡¯s final life¡¯s work!¡± Quandt eximed in utter shock. ¡°Yeah¡­ well¡­¡± Siegfried awkwardly replied. ¡°Is it true?! Tell me!¡± Quandt asked with bloodshot eyes. ¡°It also turned out that way¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. Quandt didn¡¯t give him any time to finish as he immediately eximed, ¡°Hoho! Oh, God of Death! You have not forsaken our Bavarian Workshop!¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand what the fuss was all about when the rod was just an unfinished item. ¡°Oh! Look at this craftsmanship!¡± ¡°What material did he use to be able to create this?! I can¡¯t seem to get a hint at all!¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°Haha¡­ haaa¡­ haaa¡­!¡± The cksmiths and the elders marveled over and over again while busily observing the iplete item. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to break this to you, but¡­¡± Siegfried carefully said as he tried not to hit them hard with the harsh reality, ¡°That is not¡­ Herbert¡¯s¡­ I mean, that¡¯s not Herbert-nim¡¯s final masterpiece¡­¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± Quandt screamed in surprise, ¡°That¡¯s not possible! This fine craftsmanship! This unknown mineral! This unexinable aura! Herbert-nim made this item without a doubt¡­! ¡°That is correct, but it is not aplete product,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°So what happened was¡­¡± Siegfried exined the entire story behind the Rod of God with a slight twist of his own. *** ¡°I see¡­ So that¡¯s what happened. Herbert-nim did not get to finish his final masterpiece. Tsk¡­¡±?Quandt clicked his tongue in frustration. ¡°Hoho¡­ So the heavens did not allow thepletion of the artifact.¡± ¡°This is a loss¡­ an utter loss for the world!¡± ¡°To think that the heavens would do this!¡± The craftsmenmented over and over again. ¡°So I guess you are the only one who canplete Herbert-nim¡¯s final life¡¯s work,¡± Quandt said. ¡°I am the only one who can do that as long as it remains bound to me,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Ehem!?Completing that will be difficult¡­ You will have to dedicate your entire life to it¡­¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°You have your own path to walk, so it will be difficult for you toplete Herbert-nim¡¯s legacy, am I right?¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± ¡°I hope that you won¡¯t give up on itpletely. I want to ask this favor from you as the head of the Bavarian Workshop.¡± ¡°I will do my best whenever the opportunity arises.¡± ¡°That is more than enough for me. Ha¡­ It¡¯s really a shame¡­ Why did the materials have to be only those that are pretty difficult to get? Anyway, that¡¯s the end of this discussion. Why did youe here today?¡± ¡°I need some artifacts.¡± ¡°What kinds of artifacts?¡± ¡°A weapon and a set of armor.¡± ¡°What¡¯s their purpose?¡± ¡°I n to go up against a Green Dragon.¡± ¡°A G-Green Dragon?¡± ¡°Yes, I think it is worth a shot. The dragon is not even a thousand years old yet.¡± ¡°Ah! Indeed, a human can defeat a dragon that had just matured. Finding such a dragon is much more difficult than defeating one, though, so where did you even find it?¡± ¡°I need a weapon and a set of armor to use against the dragon. Is it possible for me to make a request?¡± ¡°Of course! What do you think of our Bavarian Workshop? Something like an artifact to fight a dragon is a piece of cake for us! However¡­ I don¡¯t think you will be able to fully utilize the strength of our artifact with your current ability¡­¡± Quandt said. Quandt was referring to the fact that Siegfried¡¯s current level was too low for him to use the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s artifacts, which usually had a level restriction. Level Restriction¡­ A yer¡¯s level had to be high enough for them to fully draw out the powers of a high-end artifact. ¡°I am aware of that. I will be satisfied with whatever artifact I can use at my current level.¡± ¡°That is going to be a difficult request. An artifact to defeat a Green Dragon, but a restriction at your current level?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but¡­ the production time will be¡­¡± ¡°Three days.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I hope you canplete it within three days.¡± ¡°Three days?! That¡¯s too short! It will take more than three days to temper the materials alone, not to mention removing the level restriction!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ If that is the case¡­ I guess I will have to pay Autonika or Mercedes a visit then. I think they can do it¡­¡± Siegfried muttered and brought up the name of the other two workshops. They reacted almost immediately. ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Quandt screamed, ¡°If our Bavarian Workshop can¡¯t do it, then those useless fools won¡¯t be able to do it either! Especially those idiots at Mercedes! How do you think it¡¯s possible for those fools to create an entire set of armor and weapon that can be used against a Green Dragon in three days?!¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Siegfried responded with a smirk, and then he sneered, ¡°Mercedes is the best among the top three workshops. Ask anyone on the street who is the best, and nine out of ten will tell you that it¡¯s the Mercedes Workshop.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?!¡± ¡°But that is the public¡¯s opinion¡ª¡± ¡°Exaggeration! That is nothing but an exaggeration! They can¡¯t even see the true value of an artifact! You see, the true value of an artifact is in its lethality!¡± ¡°I heard the artifacts from the Mercedes Workshop are quite deadly these days¡­ Anyway, I understand your concern. I will be heading to the Mercedes Workshop now. Thank you for your time¡­¡± Siegfried said with a bow. He turned around to leave. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Quandt screamed before asking, ¡°Where do you think you are going?! You¡¯re someone rted to us, the Bavarian Workshop!¡± ¡°But three days¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a hint of disappointment on his face. ¡°I will do it! I said I will do it, so don¡¯t you dare go to those idiots!¡± Quandt screamed with desperation in his voice. The other craftsmen seemed to have the same feelings as Quandt. ¡°We will do it, so don¡¯t go to those garbages!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say this, but¡­ their artifacts could explode in your hands while you¡¯re using them!¡± ¡°I will make sure toplete it in three days for you!¡± It seemed Siegfried¡¯s provocation was more effective than he thought. The craftsmen at the Bavarian Workshop weren¡¯t dumb. They could clearly see through Siegfried¡¯s intention behind his provocation, but they couldn¡¯t do anything about it. The Bavarian Workshop had always been second to the Mercedes Workshop, and they had a severe inferiorityplex toward them. In addition, their pride just couldn¡¯t let the person who suddenly appeared with Herbert¡¯s life¡¯s work in handmission the Mercedes Workshop. ¡°I will make them for you in three days no matter what,¡± Quandt promised. ¡°Will it be possible?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°There will be some issues with the durability¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind using them only once this time.¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t mind purchasing single-use artifacts if it meant sessfully hunting the Green Dragon down. After all, he could always buy another one afterward. ¡°Anyway,e back in exactly three days. I will show you what the Bavarian Workshop can do.¡± ¡°I will put my faith in your words, then¡­ but how much will it cost¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s free just this once! Free! I can do this much for the person who brought Herbert-nim¡¯s final masterpiece back! We, the Bavarian Workshop, are different from those stingy Mercedes punks who don¡¯t know how to give even a little bit of discount! We¡¯re on a whole new level, I tell you!¡± ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried said with a bow while smiling from ear to ear. *** Three dayster¡­ ¡°I mighte back a bitte, so I hope you will be able to minimize the damage, Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Please leave it to me,¡± Oscar replied with a determined look, but she seemed nervous as well. They would face a member of the weakest species among dragons, but it would still be an overwhelming opponent. ¡°Hyung-nim, just leave it to me. I will hold it back for as long as I can!¡± Seung-Gu said with bottles of mana potions dangling all over his body. He had so many potions with him to make up for the weakness of his ss. ¡®I wonder if it¡¯s ready?¡¯? As he stepped into the gateway, Siegfried hoped that the Hometown of Death was done crafting the artifacts he needed. Chapter 81

    Chapter 81

    Siegfried went back to the Hometown of Death. ¡°Please,e this way, Your Majesty,¡± a staffer directed him to the ce where artifacts were passed onto the customer once they were done. ¡°When will it be ready?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°It has entered the final stages and will be finished soon. We will bring the artifact set to you if you give us a bit more time.¡± ¡°Faster, please¡­¡± Siegfried urged the staffer. He didn¡¯t want to rush them because crafting was a meticulous process, but he had no other choice. ¡®Every second counts right now. Please, hurry up¡­!¡¯?he thought. He didn¡¯t have the luxury of remaining calm since Durian could attack any minute now. He waited for quite a while in the waiting room. Tap¡­ Tap¡­ Tap¡­ While Siegfried was tapping his finger on the table, the door connected to the workshop finally opened. ¡°I apologize for making you wait.¡± The head of the Bavarian Workshop and the Hometown of Death, Quandt, appeared along with his top disciples. ¡°Is itplete?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Please, have a look for yourself,¡± Quandt said. Afterward, his disciples carried over arge tray with the finished artifacts on top of it. Shwaaa¡­! The red-colored artifact set designed solely to fight against a Green Dragon let out steam as if it was announcing itspletion. ¡°This is the anti-Green Dragon artifact set?¡± ¡°Please take a look at the weapon first. This guy¡¯s name is Stunner,¡± Quandt said. He extended a hammer emitting a reddish glow toward Siegfried. The hammer had a pointed tip on one side and a t surface on the other, so it was possible to stab and smack the enemy at the same time. [Stunner] [A hammer with destructive capabilities.] [It is an anti-dragon weapon made out of a mixture of steel and red dragon¡¯s bone.] [Type: Blunt Weapon (Hammer)] [Rating: Unique] [Attribute: Fire] [Level Requirement: N/A] [Attack Power: 1,100] [Durability: 30/30] [Effects: Dragon yer, Seal of Fire, Concussion Smash.] [Dragon yer: Deal 7% more damage against dragon-type monsters.] [Seal of Fire: Burn the enemy and suppress the recovery of the affected area.] [Concussion Smash: Upon the seventh consecutive strike, the enemy will be stunned for 1.5 seconds.] The weapon was truly an anti-dragon weapon. Its options were perfect against a dragon. ¡°You used a Red Dragon¡¯s bone? That must have been an expensive material¡ª¡± Siegfried started. However, Quandt immediately interrupted him and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. With your level, you won¡¯t be able to handle a full-fledged Dragonyer weapon. I mixed a Red Dragon¡¯s bone with the steel to make it usable for you, so it¡¯s not going to be as strong as a full-fledged Dragonyer weapon, but it will be more than enough to deal significant damage against a young Green Dragon.¡± ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried expressed his sincere gratitude to Quandt. ¡°Please, take a look at the armor set as well,¡± Quandt said. ¡°Alright,¡± Siegfried replied before he inspected the full te mail set made up of seven parts. [Firebat Full te Armor] [A full te armor designed as an anti-Green Dragon set.] [Type: Armor (Full te Mail)] [Rating: Unique] [Attribute: Fire] [Level Requirement: N/A] [Defense: 700] [Durability: 30/30] [Effects: Dragon yer, Poison Resistance, Porcupine, methrower.] [Dragon yer: Deal 7% (1% x 7) increased damage to dragon-type monsters. [Poison Resistance: +100 Resistance to poison.] [Porcupine: Send long thorns out from the back.] [methrower: The armor can spew mes.] The stats of the armor set could only be described as perfect. ¡°Thank you very much once again. This will be more than enough,¡± Siegfried expressed his gratitude to Quandt once again. It wasn¡¯t as perfect as he wanted it to be, but this artifact set was probably the best artifact set Siegfried could use at his current level. ¡°It was pretty tough making it. We stayed up for three whole days to finish it,¡± Quandt said. The eyes of his disciples, as well as his eyes, had huge dark circles underneath them, their hairs were disheveled and oily, and they reeked of sweat that hadn¡¯t been washed off for a few days. It was the price they had to pay to create such a powerful artifact set in just three days. ¡°Thank you very much for your hard work,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Ha! What hard work? Rather than that, how is it? Have you seen what our Bavarian Workshop is capable of? The Hometown of Death is much greater than those Mercedes fools! Haha!¡± Quandt eximed. ¡°Of course,¡± Siegfried replied. He had no idea if that really were the case, but for him, the Bavarian Workshop was the best workshop among the top three at this moment. ¡°But you have to be careful. We did imbue it with poison resistance, but it is impossible to withstand the Poison Breath of a Green Dragonpletely.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯re in a rush. Please, be on your way now.¡± ¡°Yes, I will pay you a visit againter,¡± Siegfried said as he stuffed the artifact set into his Inventory and departed from the Hometown of Death. *** Just as Siegfried left the Hometown of Death... Thud! Dragon Rider Durian rode the Green Dragon under his control andnded on thewn in front of the lord¡¯s hall. The officials of Proa and fifty beautifuldies had lined up to deceive him. ¡°A wise choice indeed,¡± Durian said with a satisfied smile as he hopped down from his dragon. To give in to the terms and conditions of a barbarian would never be a wise choice, but it seemed like a wise choice to Durian, who was born and raised among the barbarians in a remote mountain vige. He seemed to have lost all sense of morality after taming the Green Dragon. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that Durian thought that way. After all, he expected that being the ¡®father of a dragon¡¯ alone would make the mainders tremble in front of him and his mighty dragon. ¡°Yes, so you have decided to surrender,¡± Durian said with a grin. ¡°That is correct. Oh, father of dragons!¡± Oscar eximed. She pretended to surrender and knelt in front of Durian. ¡°Where is your king? Why is he not here to greet me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Shwiiiiik! Oscar was about to respond when an arrow flew toward Durian¡¯s head. However, the chieftain of a barbarian tribe would never be an easy enemy to deal with, regardless of whether he had a dragon or not. Tak! Durian grabbed the arrow with hisrge hand. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Durian asked, furious. ¡°Our king has no intention of surrendering to the likes of you, barbarians,¡± Oscar replied with a smirk. ¡°Kehehehe!¡±?Durian let out a sinisterugh before asking, ¡°So, you dare to go against the ruler of the ins and the father of dragons?¡± ¡°Die, barbarian!¡± Oscar interrupted the barbarian¡¯s words and pulled out her sword. The entire Casein Castle became filled with noises when Oscar pulled her sword out. ¡°Evacuate! Hurry up and evacuate!¡± ¡°The officials and women should run away!¡± ¡°All forces! Prepare for battle!¡± The battle against the barbarian and his dragon began... *** One of the most basic strategies to hunt a dragon was a strategy called ¡®Holding¡¯. A dragon had a monstrous physical ability as well as magic on top of being mobile thanks to its ability to fly. As such, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it would be impossible to fight it once it took flight. A goodparison would probably be the picture of an infantry unit without anti-air capabilities being decimated by a fighter jet. As a result, focusing all attacks on the dragon¡¯s wings and preventing it from taking flight was probably the most important thing to do when it came to fighting a dragon. ¡°Kwahaha!?Alright! I¡¯ll grant your wishes and send all of you to your deaths!¡± Durian eximed whileughing like a madman before hopping onto his dragon, ¡°I will make you all regret the fact that you failed to stop me from mounting Smogger!¡± Not being able to stop a dragon rider from mounting their dragon was as good as failing to stop the disaster that would happen soon afterward. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Smogger! Fly! Let¡¯s kill these bastards!¡± Durianmanded. The Green Dragon spread its wings and prepared to fly. And Durian had just made one of the most critical mistakes he could make. Shwaaaak! The sound of metal reverberated from somewhere, and a chain flew and wrapped around Smogger¡¯s wing. ¡°What a strike!¡± The chain was thrown by none other than Golem Maker Seung-Gu. He used the chain attached to his Range Wagon. Boom! Boom! Boom! Afterward, the four golems under Seung-Gu¡¯smand clung to Smogger¡¯s wing and prevented it from flying. ¡°Smogger! Fly up! I said hurry up and fly up!¡± ¡°Gwuoooooh!¡± Smogger tried its best to fly up after Durian¡¯s repeatedmands, but it couldn¡¯t fly since one of its wings was bound. ¡°Archers! Prepare to fire!¡± Oscar shouted. Seuk¡­ Seuk¡­ Seuk¡­? The hidden elven archers pulled their bowstrings at the knight¡¯smand. Shwiiiiiiiiiiiik! Nearly two hundred arrows flew in an arc and lodged themselves in the Green Dragon¡¯s body. The reason the arrows were able to lodge themselves in Smogger¡¯s body was that the elves aimed for the small crack in between the dragon¡¯s scales. ¡°Gwaaaaaaaaak!¡±?Smogger cried in agony. ¡°¡­!¡± Everyone involved in the dragon hunt was suddenly frozen stiff. Dragon Fear. It was a shockwave attack that carried the dragon¡¯s mana. ¡°Smogger! Hurry up and open your wings!¡± Durian hurriedlymanded the dragon upon noticing that the enemies had stiffened from the Fear. ¡°Grrr!¡±?Smogger let out a growl as it spread its wings out once again. Shwiiik! Baaam! But before it could take flight, a hammer emitting a reddish glow flew while leaving a trail of fire. It smashed into the dragon¡¯s head. Siegfried van Proa had finally arrived. *** ¡°Elite forces, attack,¡± Siegfried ordered with a loudmanding voice. ¡°For Proa!¡± ¡°For Proa!¡± ¡°For Proa!¡± The elite forces ran as soon as Siegfried gave hismand. They clung to the dragon¡¯s body and started thrusting away with the gray swords in their hands. ¡°Gwuooooooh!¡±?Smogger cried out in agony. Unfortunately, its misery had just started¡­ Slurp¡­! Slurp¡­! Slurp¡­!? The excruciating pain that followed wasn¡¯t because of the wounds it sustained after being injured by the elite forces¡¯ swords. It was because of the magic imbued in the gray swords the elite forces were using. [Vampiric Sword] [A greedy magic sword that sucks the HP of its enemy.] [Type: Sword (Longsword)] [Rating: Unique] [Attribute: N/A] [Level Requirement: N/A] [Attack Power: 50] [Durability: 1/1 (Consumable)] [Effect: Life Steal] [Life Steal: Siphon the enemy¡¯s HP and prevent recovery.] The Vampiric Sword was one of the items Siegfried had asked Seung-Gu to prepare since it was an item that would surelye in handy against a dragon. After all, dragons were famous for possessing a ridiculous amount of HP. The dragon¡¯s HP didn¡¯t recover after being stabbed by almost a hundred Vampiric Swords. ¡®Good. The groundwork isplete,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he tightly gripped the Stunner. He kicked off of the ground and activated all of his debuff skills. Wooong! Fwaaaa! He also activated all of his self-buff skills. Afterward, he used the Debuff Master¡¯s Level 65 active skill. Siegfried used the ¡®B Rank Stone of Transcendence¡¯ Cheon Woo-Jin gave him, which increased his level from Level 60 to Level 70. As such, Siegfried managed to learn the Level 65 and Level 70 skills of the Debuff Master thanks to Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s gift. Bam! Bam! Bam! King Proa started beating the dragon¡¯s head with his newly obtained skill. Chapter 82

    Chapter 82

    [Smogger] [HP: ??????????] The skill that reduced the green dragon¡¯s HP by 10% was the Level 65 active skill of the Debuff Master, ¡®Machine Gun Smash¡¯. [Machine Gun Smash] [Strike the enemy twenty times in 1 second.] [The number of strikes increases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The enemy will be afflicted by Speed Restraint upon a sessful strike and will not be able to escape the subsequent strikes.] [Level: 1] [Cooldown: 40 seconds] [Skill Duration: 1 second] [Maximum Strikes: 20] Every strike from the Machine Gun Smash wasn¡¯t as strong as Smite, but it had the highest DPS among Siegfried¡¯s skills. ¡°Gwuooooh!¡± Smogger cried out once again. ¡°You dare!¡± Durian growled. He pulled his scimitar out and charged toward Siegfried. He couldn¡¯t just sit around and watch. Bam! Bam! Bam! Smogger continued to thrash about while Durian and Siegfried were on top of its head. The two grabbed each of Smogger¡¯s horns to maintain their bnce while fighting on top of the dragon¡¯s head. ¡°You coward! You don¡¯t have the right to call yourself a warrior! You agreed to surrender, but what is this deception?!¡± Durian shouted in fury while unleashing a barrage of attacks. ¡®This dumb f*cker is strong¡­¡¯? Siegfried was taken aback by Durian¡¯s strength. [Durian] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human (Northern ins Barbarian)] [Level: 131] [Job: Chieftain of the ins] [ss: Dragon Tamer/Wild Warrior] [Titles: Ruler of the ins, Father of Dragons.] Durian was only Level 131, but he was much stronger than anyone Siegfried had ever faced so far, aside from when he was still Elemental Mage Tae-Sung. This was the reason the barbarian tribes were fearsome. Their bodies had been tempered and hardened by their near deste and impoverishednds, and their temperament also became rough and aggressive thanks to their environment. It was impossible to quantify the strength of a barbarian chieftain simply with levels. But that was all¡­ Siegfried specialized in killing those stronger than him, and Durian¡¯s strength and level advantage only ended up bing the main reason why Durian would lose for sure. ¡®An opening. I¡¯m going to stab it!¡¯? Siegfried used Stunner¡¯s pointed part like a pickaxe and dug into Durian¡¯s waist. Puuuk! ¡°Kuwaaaah!¡± Durian cried out in agony. Puuuk! Stunner prated through the leather armor and dug into Durian¡¯s shoulder. ¡®Now the head..¡¯? This time, Siegfried swung his hammer toward the barbarian¡¯s head. Bam! Kwachik! Stunner¡¯s t surface smashed Durian¡¯s head, and the sound of something being cracked open could be heard. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Ughhhh¡­!¡± Durian¡¯s eyes widened in shock the moment the hammer connected with his head. He then let out a moan and fell to the ground. Thud! [Alert: You have killed the Barbarian Chieftain, ¡®Durian¡¯!] The ruler of the ins who dreamt of ruling the entire continent had his life cut short by a yer and the king of a backwater territory. The price he paid for his ignorance of the world beyond the ins was a heavy one. ¡°Grrr¡­!¡± The Green Dragon was freed from Durian¡¯s control upon his death, and its green eyes started shining in a yellow hue. [Warning: The Green Dragon, ¡®Smogger¡¯ is on a rampage!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried. ¡°Rampage¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Grrwuooooooooh!¡± Dragon Fear pervaded the entire Casein Castle. *** After being freed from Durian¡¯s control, Smogger was confused. ¡®Why am I here? Why are the humans and elves attacking me? I¡¯m sure I was hibernating in myir¡­?¡¯?it thought. The Green Dragon wondered for quite a while, but its thoughts quickly turned into anger. ¡®These insignificant insects dare try to hunt me? They dare?!¡¯ The dragon had just recovered its sanity, but it was so furious it lost its sanity once again. ¡°GRRRWUOOOOOOOH!¡± The Green Dragon unleashed its anger, and the ¡®real disaster¡¯ a dragon could cause was finally revealed. This terrifying and overwhelming Dragon Fear on par with a natural disaster could be the actual strength of the Green Dragon. Durian wasn¡¯t a full-fledged Dragon Tamer, and he only managed to put Smogger under his control thanks to the Dragon Steering artifact of the Pullman tribe. In short, he simply got lucky and stumbled upon the hibernating Green Dragon. Since it was asleep, he managed to put the artifact around its neck¡­ Smogger could finally disy its full strength after being freed from Durian¡¯s clumsy control. The power of a dragon was truly fearsome, regardless of their age! Bam! Bam! Bam! Smogger thrashed about, and the lord¡¯s hall of Casein Castle started crumbling down! The second phase of the Dragon Raid had officially started. *** The grounds of Casein Castle were instantly demolished. ¡°Bring thes and the chains! Elves! Please aim for the dragon¡¯s wings!¡± Siegfried urgently shouted. It was a wise choice to make. After all, preventing the dragon from taking flight would eliminate its racial advantage. Fortunately, a dragon¡¯s wings and eyes were its weaknesses, so it wasn¡¯t totally impossible to raid this powerful monster. ¡°GRUWOOOOH!¡± However, the main problem was that it was still impossible to bring the Green Dragon under control despite thebined efforts of the elves¡¯ arrows, therge metals, and chains. Kwang! The floor and walls of Casein Castle would crumble every time Smogger haphazardly smashed with its long, powerful tail. Crumble¡­! The walls of the lord¡¯s hall crumbled when Smogger smashed its head into them. ¡®This crazy bastard dares to wreck with my house?!¡¯?Siegfried cursed inwardly. He couldn¡¯t just sit around and watch as the Green Dragon continued to wreak havoc in his house! Smite, Flying Spur, and Machine Gun Smash. Siegfried used his active skills and pummeled Smogger¡¯s head. [Smogger] [HP: ??????????] However, Smogger¡¯s HP only decreased slightly despite his efforts. Any other monster would have already dropped dead after those vicious attacks¡­ ¡®Human¡­ I will tear you apart!¡¯ Smogger transmitted its hostile intentions directly into Siegfried¡¯s mind through telepathy. Creak¡­! Creak¡­! ck! The chains ands binding Smogger snapped, and a member of the mightiest species on the continent was finally free from restraints. ¡®You bastards¡­! I will devour¡­ all of you¡­!¡¯ Smogger immediately rushed toward Siegfried. Whooosh! The Green Dragon swung its tail at Siegfried. ¡°Noooo!¡± ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Everyone froze and watched in horror as Smogger¡¯s tail flew at breakneck speeds toward Siegfried. However, Siegfried started glowing in a golden color. Woooong! Smogger¡¯s tail connected with Siegfried. Kwang! ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°W-What happened just now?¡± ¡°How can this be possible¡­?!¡± However, Siegfried remained standing. In fact, he stood steadfast without moving a single step, even after being hit by the Green Dragon¡¯s tail. In addition, Smogger had swung its tail with all of its might, so the attack just now carried tons of kic energy. Of course, his HP was reduced. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] In fact, his HP was reduced by a whopping 20% in a single hit. However, it was already a miracle that he wasn¡¯t sent flying after being hit. The miracle was produced by the Debuff Master¡¯s Level 70 skill, ¡®Adamant Body¡¯. *** [Adamant Body] [The user will gain ¡®Super Armor¡¯ giving them infinite ¡Þ Hit Recovery when the buff skill is activated.] [While active, Adamant Body prevents the application of all crowd control effects, including but not limited to: knockback, knockdown, and airborne. The user¡¯s defense will receive a significant boost as well. ] [Level: 1] [Cooldown: 1 minute] [Duration: 30 seconds] [Defense Increase: Armor +30%] ¡®I will be able to attack even after getting hit if I use Adamant Body, but what if I add Contempt for the Strong¡¯s counter-attack damage on top of that?¡¯?Siegfried thought. Explosive Damage! ¡®I will be able to dish out as much explosive damage as I can as long as my HP can withstand it!¡¯?he thought with a grin. Kwang! Siegfried mmed his hammer into Smogger¡¯s tail. [Smogger] [HP: ???????????] Ten percent of Smogger¡¯s HP disappeared in an instant. Its tail was crushed as well. ¡°Grrrr!?Grwuoooh!¡±?Smogger roared in pain and thrashed about. Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!? Meanwhile, Siegfried drank a whole bottle of potion. ¡®I have to use potions sparingly if I want to enter into a slugfest with this thing,¡¯?he thought. He had to stake his HP on the line if he wanted to continue dealing explosive damage against the Green Dragon. *** The slugfest between Smogger and Siegfried continued for five minutes. [Smogger] [HP: ??????????] [Siegfried] [HP: ??????????] Siegfried¡¯s HP was reduced to 40%, while Smogger only had 20% left. Ssseuup! Smogger opened its mouth and inhaled a huge amount of air. ¡®No!¡¯? Siegfried instantly knew what the Green Dragon was trying to do. It was trying to use the trademark skill of a dragon, Dragon Breath. He was certain that the Green Dragon was going to use its destructive Poison Breath, and he instinctively knew that everyone in Casein Castle would die if they were exposed to the Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive poison breath. Siegfried had to prevent that from happening no matter what. As such, Siegfried immediately used Wave of Oppression and interrupted Smogger¡¯s channeling. Then, he threw himself at the Green Dragon to prevent it from casting its Dragon Breath once again. Unfortunately, Smogger was actually just pretending to channel its breath once again, so when Siegfried threw himself at the Green Dragon, Smogger opened its mouth and swallowed him whole. Gulp! ¡°Grr¡­?Grwuoh¡­ Grwuoooooohh!¡± Three secondster, Smogger roared in agony as it thrashed and rolled about before sprawling on the ground. [Smogger] [HP: ??????????] Siegfried had used the Firebat Full te Armor¡¯s ¡®Porcupine¡¯ and ¡®methrower¡¯ to turn the green Dragon¡¯s insides into a mess! *** Inside Smogger¡¯s stomach¡­ [Alert: You have killed the Green Dragon, ¡®Smogger¡¯!] [Alert: You have reached Level 71!] [Alert: You have reached Level 72!] [Alert: You have reached Level 73!] [Alert: You have reached Level 74!] [Alert: You have reached Level 75!] [Alert: Congrattions! You have sessfully hunted a dragon!] [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®Dragon yer¡¯!] A string of messages appeared in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes, but he wasn¡¯t smiling even after reading them. He was currently in excruciating pain since he was directly exposed to the Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive toxic gas. ¡°Keuk!¡± he groaned in pain. Shhheuuuu¡­! In addition, Smogger¡¯s stomach was still full of radioactive toxic gas that it didn¡¯t manage to unleash earlier. ¡®I can¡¯t let this get out of here!¡¯?Siegfried thought. He knew that every single one of his subordinates in Casein Castle would die, and his castle would turn into thend of the dead if the poison gas managed to get out. ¡®Let¡¯s try absorbing it. Everyone will be safe if I absorb it until I die. It¡¯s worth a try!¡¯? Siegfried decided to use Attribute Absorption. He activated Attribute Absorption not only with his hands but with his entire body as he started absorbing the Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive toxic gas. Chapter 83

    Chapter 83

    Ssseuuu¡­! Inside the dead Smogger¡¯s stomach, the mass of radioactive toxic gas within the Green Dragon¡¯s body turned into energy particles before being absorbed into Siegfried¡¯s body. [Warning: You have reached the maximum pain tolerance allowed by the system!] [Warning: You could end up experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)!] [Warning: Please log out immediately to avoid any side effects!] The system sent him numerous warning messages, but Siegfried didn¡¯t log out of the game. ¡®This level of pain feels just like a tickle to me!¡¯?he thought as he gritted his teeth. The tempering and quenching process he had to go through under Deus far exceeded the pain tolerance allowed by the system! The pain Siegfried was experiencing from the virtual reality game¡¯s system was nothing whenpared to the extreme pain he had to endure a hundred times. ¡®It has been quite a while since I felt something so refreshing~¡¯?Siegfried thought. He felt like he was in a spa getting a massage treatment. Thanks to his experience, he was able to savor the pain and focus on absorbing the Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive energy. ¡®Focus! The NPCs in the castle will die if I fail to absorb all of this. I have to stop this! Suck it all up! Come on! I can do this!¡¯?Siegfried thought as he focused and gathered every single energy particle that touched his body before absorbing them. [Alert: You have absorbed 10 Radioactive Energy from the ¡®Green Dragon Smogger¡¯!] [Alert: Your Poison Attribute Resistance has increased by 10!] [Alert: You have absorbed 10 Radioactive Energy from the ¡®Green Dragon Smogger¡¯!] [Alert: Your Poison Attribute Resistance has increased by 10!] [Alert: You have absorbed 10 Radioactive Energy from the ¡®Green Dragon Smogger¡¯!] [Alert: Your Poison Attribute Resistance has increased by 10!] The immense radioactive energy of the Green Dragon was absorbed into Siegfried¡¯s body, and they gathered in his mana hall. Then, the energy particles harmonized with every single cell in Siegfried¡¯s body and explosively increased his poison resistance. ¡®It works!¡¯?he eximed inwardly before heposed himself and focused, ¡®There¡¯s still a lot left. More! Absorb more of it! More! More!¡¯ Siegfried did not stop absorbing the Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive toxic gas. In fact, he aggressively absorbed every single bit of the radioactive energy when he found out that Attribute Absorption was really working against it. Shwoooo! The radioactive energy particles gathered and formed a tornado before being absorbed into Siegfried¡¯s body. *** ¡°Hyu¡­ Hyung-niiiiim!¡± Seung-Gu cried out and ran toward the Green Dragon while screaming, ¡°Wait for me! I will save you!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Oscar suddenly blocked Seung-Gu and said, ¡°Sir Seung-Gu, pleasepose yourself.¡± ¡°Huh? Compose myself? How can you say that when you saw what happened?! Hyung-nim was eaten alive by that lizard!¡± ¡°Then, what do you n on doing? Do you n to cut open that dead dragon?¡± ¡°Is it not obvious?!¡± ¡°We will all die if you do that,¡± Oscar retorted and exined, ¡°Look at that. Can you see the poison gasing out from the Green Dragon¡¯s mouth? The Green Dragon¡¯s poison gas will spread all over the castle the moment you cut its stomach open.¡± ¡°Heok?¡± ¡°I am also worried about His Majesty¡¯s safety, but please do not forget that His Majesty is someone from another world and an immortal being. I do not think that you have to be so worried for him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I will issue an evacuation order now,¡± Oscar said before she shouted in amanding voice, ¡°Listen up! I am dering an emergency evacuation order throughout the entire castle! Everyone should immediately evacuate from the castle this instant!¡± Oscar urately judged the situation and made a wise decision befitting of a seasoned soldier. A cmity born from the Green Dragon¡¯s toxic gas spreading all over the castle would have urred if she didn¡¯t stop Seung-Gu. ¡°Sir Seung-Gu should evacuate, too,¡± Oscar said. ¡°What about Dame Oscar?¡± Seung-Gu asked in response. ¡°I shall remain here,¡± Oscar replied. She then ripped a poison resistance scroll. ¡°Huh? Dame Oscar¡­ Have you gone insane?¡± Seung-Gu asked with wide eyes before saying, ¡°Dame Oscar¡­ If you die, then you will¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then why do you insist on remaining behind?¡± ¡°I am a knight. I cannot turn around and leave when my liege was swallowed whole by a dragon.¡± ¡°Huh¡­??What kind of horseshit is that? Why don¡¯t you stop spouting nonsense and just run?¡± Seung-Gu couldn¡¯t understand Oscar at all, and it wasn¡¯t a surprise. Oscar was an NPC born and raised as a knight on the N¨¹rburg Continent, so there was no way a gamer like Seung-Gu would understand her logic and conviction. ¡°Can you stop being stubborn and stupid? Let¡¯s just run!¡± ¡°I will not¡­¡± ¡°Will someone give you a castle or a title if you die?! Ha?!¡± ¡°I will stay by His Majesty¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Aigoo!?Damn it! From which parent did you get your stubborn mindset?!¡± While Seung-Gu was frustrated by Oscar¡¯s stubbornness, the green Dragon¡¯s jaws slowly opened. Chwiik¡­ Chwiiiik¡­.! ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Oscar and Seung-Gu froze and stared at the Green Dragon¡¯s jaws. ¡°Ugh¡­?that stinks¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. He was covered with the Green Dragon¡¯s gastric fluids. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Oscar and Seung-Gu cried out at the same time. ¡°Don¡¯te! You will die if youe close!¡± Siegfried hurriedly shouted. He had just absorbed the Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive energy, so there were still traces of it surrounding his body. ¡°Huh? Hyung-nim, what are you talking about? You¡¯re fine, right?¡± Seung-Gu said. He ignored Siegfried¡¯s warning and approached him. Thud! He died. [Seung-Gu] [HP: ??????????] His HP was instantly reduced to zero after being exposed to the radioactive energy Siegfried¡¯s body was emitting. ¡°I told you not toe¡­ Tsk¡­¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue while looking at Seung-Gu¡¯s lifeless body. There were people who would only regret their decision once it was toote, and it seemed that Seung-Gu was one of them. ¡°Your Majesty! Are you alright? Sir Seung-Gu died, but how is Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine. You do not have to worry about me,¡± Siegfried said while waving his hand, and then he added while pointing at Seung-Gu¡¯s lifeless body, ¡°Don¡¯te near me, though. You will die¡­ a dog¡¯s death if you do¡­¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I cannot be poisoned anymore, Dame Oscar.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Let¡¯s just say that I am now immune to all poison out there?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Anyway, it just turned out that way...¡± ¡°Immunity to all poison!¡± Oscar eximed in surprise. Siegfried had basically imed that he could no longer be poisoned by anything. Oscar was stupefied because a legendary body like that could only be obtained by Grandmasters after going through Metamorphosis and Physical Reconstitution at least twice. *** Five minutes ago¡­ [Alert: You have absorbed 10 Radioactive Energy from the ¡®Green Dragon Smogger¡¯!] [Alert: Your Poison Attribute Resistance has increased by 10!] [Alert: Your Radioactive Energy has reached the maximum! (1,000)] [Alert: Your Poison Attribute Resistance has reached the maximum! (1,000)] A bunch of messages appeared in front of Siegfried after he voraciously absorbed the Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive energy. In the end, he seeded in absorbing all of the Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive energy! [Alert: The ¡®Radioactive Energy¡¯ in your body has evolved your skill!] [Alert: ¡®Circle of Weakness¡¯ has evolved after being exposed to the ¡®Radioactive Energy¡¯ within your body!] [Alert: Please check the updated skill details in your ¡®My Skill¡¯ tab!] [Alert: Your Poison Attribute Resistance has reached the maximum! (1,000)] [Alert: Congrattions! You are now the owner of a body that is immune to all types of poison!] [Alert: Your body is now ¡®Immune to All Poison¡¯!] The Green Dragon¡¯s radioactive energy evolved Siegfried¡¯s body as well along with the Circle of Weakness. As such, Siegfried obtained one of the two physical attributes of a Grandmaster, which was being immune to poison. ¡®Huh? What¡¯s going on? My skill evolved?¡¯?Siegfried was surprised. He immediately opened ¡®My Skills¡¯ and checked how the radioactive energy affected Circle of Weakness. The new details of the Circle of Weakness were as follows. [Irradiate] [The user unleashes radioactive energy.] [The radioactive energy has the same effect as a Green Dragon¡¯s Poison Breath, and it pushes every single living creature to its demise while they are afflicted.] [The skill¡¯s power increases depending on the amount of mana used, but the mana cost exponentially increases on subsequent casts.] [The cooldown time decreases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The skill¡¯s damage and range increases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The user¡¯s radioactive energy disappears quickly upon deactivation.] [Level: 17] [Cooldown: 360 seconds] [Duration: ¡Þ] [Area: 5-meter radius] [Mana Cost: 15+ per second] [Type: Radioactive] Surprisingly, the Circle of Weakness turned into apletely different skill. ¡®It¡¯s no longer a circle but something that I spread five meters around me? Doesn¡¯t this mean that I can just switch it on and cling to my enemies¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought while reading the description of his new skill ¡®Irradiate¡¯. Then, he pondered for a moment and thought of a great idea, ¡®I should try using this against the barbarians.¡¯ He hatched a sinister n to use his new skill against the barbarian tribe that dared to cause a mess in his house¡­ *** ¡°I will fairly distribute the loot. Everyone who participated in the hunt will get a cut out of it,¡± Siegfried said. He decided to be a benevolent ruler and fairly distribute the spoils of war. ¡°Thank you very much for your hard work. I hope that we humans and elves can be very good neighbors from now on,¡± Siegfried said as he gifted the dragon scales to the elven archers who participated in the hunt. The Green Dragon had a lot of scales, so distributing some of them to the elves wouldn¡¯t be a big loss to him. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a dragon scale!¡± ¡°If I create an arrowhead out of this¡­!¡± The elves were delighted at the gifts they had received, and they excitedly returned to their viges while thinking of ways to turn the dragon scales they had received into weapons. [Alert: The Elves¡¯ Affinity with you has increased by +100!] [Alert: The Affinity of the Elves with you has been upgraded from ¡®Wary¡¯ to ¡®Trusted¡¯!] He managed to earn the elves¡¯ trust with his decision, and he finally cleaned up the shit that the previous lord, Baron Verbon, shat for good. ¡°I bestow the dragon¡¯s ribs to Dame Oscar and our elite knights. I will request the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s Hometown of Death to forge them into Dragon Bone Swords for all of you,¡± Siegfried said. He didn¡¯t forget to reward his own subordinates. ¡°D-Dragon Bone Sword!¡± ¡°Your Majesty! You are far too gracious for us!¡± ¡°Oh! Your Majesty! Nobody on the continent is more gracious than you are!¡± A dragon¡¯s bone was a very rare and precious material, and possessing a sword forged out of it was a huge honor for a knight. ¡°Your Majesty, I, Oscar, ept the gift you bestow with all of my heart,¡± Oscar said as she knelt down on one knee in front of her liege. ¡°Ah, Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I bestow a fifth of the dragon¡¯s heart to you.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Oscar ended up shouting in surprise at his words. A dragon¡¯s heart was one of the purest forms of mana, and it was bound to provide exponential growth to whoever consumed it. ¡°Please consume the dragon¡¯s heart and be stronger. Then, I want you to stay by my side. Can you do that?¡± ¡°I, Oscar, shall devote myself to Your Majesty until I turn I am reduced to mere bones and forced to wander the depths of hell!¡± Oscar said with a sincere and emotional voice. ¡°Forget about hell. Just don¡¯t die,¡± Siegfried said. The awarding ceremony ended with Siegfried¡¯s word of advice to the knight. ¡¯20% for Oscar, 20% for Seung-Gu, and 60% for me¡­ that sounds about right¡­¡¯? He could have been greedy and consumed the whole thing by himself. After all, nobody would dare to say anything about it, but he didn¡¯t do that. ¡®I have a lot of enemies, so I need strong allies andrades. I need trustworthy and strong people around me,¡¯?Siegfried thought while clenching his fists. While Siegfried was clenching his fists and deep in his thoughts, Michele suddenly appeared before him. ¡°Your Majesty, there is something I must inform you,¡± Michele said with his head bowed. 1. The raws actually says ¡®will someone give you a surname if you die?!¡¯, but the Korean word for surname and castle is the same ? so I decided to write it as both a castle and a title (instead of a surname) Chapter 84

    Chapter 84

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Siegfried allowed Michele to speak. ¡°First, I wish to sincerely congratte Your Majesty for bing a Dragon yer,¡± Michele said. ¡°Thanks. So what is it that you wanted to say?¡± ¡°Please bestow me an official governmental position.¡± ¡°A governmental position?¡± ¡°The administrative state of the Proatine¡­ it¡¯s a mess, so there is a limit to what I can do with my current authority. If you bestow me with an appropriate rank, then I can¡ª¡± Siegfried interrupted the boy and said, ¡°I hereby appoint Michele de Petronas as the Minister of State.¡± Siegfried appointed the boy as the Minister of State on the spot. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Michele eximed, stupefied by the sudden appointment. He wasn¡¯t alone¡­ ¡°Ha!?Minister of State?!¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°Haha!?A boy is the Minister of State?!¡± The officials of Proatine were taken aback as well. It was understandable. After all, the Minister of State would be the king¡¯s proxy when it came to the internal affairs of the kingdom, and it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Michele was now the second-inmand in the kingdom after Siegfried. ¡°I have high expectations from you, Michele¡ªno, Sir Michele. I know that you likewise have high expectations from me, but I want you to be patient for now. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty! I understand!¡± Michele replied while bowing once again to show his reverence toward his liege, and then he said, ¡°Then, Your Majesty. Can I establish a decree tomemorate the day I started officially serving Your Majesty?¡± ¡°A decree?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Please, read this,¡± Michele said before extending a document toward Siegfried. ¡®What the hell is that¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He took the document and read therge letters written on its first page. Three-Year Development n: National Defense n of the Proatine Kingdom Siegfried was instantly interested in the document and asked Michele, ¡°A three-year development n¡­ When did youe up with this?¡± ¡°I started on it the day I decided to be Your Majesty¡¯s subject,¡± Michele replied. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Siegfried chuckled. Michele¡¯s cleverness had astonished him. ¡®They said that he was a genius administrator¡­ Who knew that he woulde up with something like this so soon?¡¯?Siegfried was awed when he realized that the boy¡¯s title as a genius hadn¡¯t been fake. ¡°Hmm¡­ This three-year development n¡­ the core n is to make an elite force? Basically, you want to go with quality over quantity?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°This ce is hopeless. The Proatine Territory is seventy percent rugged mountains, and we also do not have many natural resources. On top of that, our poption is low, so our productivity is very low.¡± Michele went straight to the point and hit a sore spot. ¡°Well¡­ It is hopeless indeed¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°And each of the three borders of our territories borders different countries, so ournds will be in danger the moment the three-year protectorate status the empire had promised us expires.¡± ¡°So? You want us to establish a small group of elite soldiers?¡± Siegfried asked while going over the document. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. That is the course of action we have to take. We will have to fight with quality over quantity, in whatever field it may be in. For example, we should cultivate and export expensive items like spices or luxuries instead of normal agriculture and industrial products.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°And it is quite evident that we do not have manpower due to our low poption, so we will have to establish ties with the other races to supplement ourck of manpower. Afterward, we need to establish schools in each vige and city to educate talented individuals.¡± Michele said all the things he thought would benefit Proatine, and Siegfried seemed like he agreed with everything the boy had said. ¡®He is indeed different. It was a good idea to recruit him,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was extremely satisfied by the fact that he recruited the boy to work for him, and he could finally somewhat understand why the Church of Osric wanted to brainwash the kid and have him work for them. ¡°However, these ns will take time and a huge budget, so it will be difficult to execute all these at once,¡± Michele said. ¡°You have a point,¡± Siegfried replied. The time in BNW flowed equally with reality at a 1:1 ratio, so it would take an extremely long time to implement the policies Michele had mentioned just now. ¡°We need to prioritize our national defense. The only way this hopeless country can survive is for us to create an elite force powerful enough to protect ournds from invaders.¡± ¡°So you basically want us to recruit Adventurers?¡± Siegfried asked. This was the key solution stipted in Michele¡¯s three-year development n. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Adventurers are excellent human resources since they grow strong really quickly, and they are immortals as well. They are basically an infinite resource.¡± ¡°Adventurers¡­ Then, what kind of adventurers do you wish to recruit?¡± ¡°Your Majesty should be aware after looking at the document, but I wish to recruit Adventurers like Necromancers, Summoners, Golem Makers, Elementalists, Magicians, etc.¡± ¡°A small group that can act as a one-man army with the potential to cause massive destruction?¡± Siegfried said. He urately pinpointed themon simrity between all of the sses Michele had mentioned. ¡°That is correct,¡± Michele replied with a nod before exining, ¡°If we recruit just ten of these individuals who are as powerful as an army of thousands, nobody will dare to look down on our national strength.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Siegfried eximed in awe at Michele¡¯s words. It was exactly as the boy said. They wouldn¡¯t have to work so hard to establish a standing army if only they could hire Adventurers who could fight as a one-man army. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t hurriedly ept Michele¡¯s proposal. ¡®Betrayal¡­ I don¡¯t want to experience that again, though¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. Siegfried found it hard to trust other yers once again after being betrayed by his previous guildmates. ¡°Michele.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t bring myself to trust Adventurers, to be honest...¡± ¡°Why can you not trust them, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Betrayal.¡± ¡°Have you experienced it?¡± ¡°A huge one,¡± Siegfried replied with a downcast look. ¡®I got stabbed real bad¡­¡¯?he thought. This was the reason Siegfried didn¡¯t exchange contact details with his party mates and stubbornly chose to solo y. It was all thanks to the fact that he had to experience the pits of hell because of the traitors who betrayed him. ¡°Your Majesty, you only get betrayed if you deserve it,¡± Michele said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°A betrayal has many reasons behind it: envy, greed, hatred, mistrust, and other emotions.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please try to recall the time you were betrayed. What kind of a person was Your Majesty at that time? Were you someone trustworthy enough to trust until the end? Were you someone worth risking one¡¯s life for?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried tried to retort, but he couldn¡¯t find the words. ¡°Trust is the most important thing in a rtionship. I have no idea what kind of a person Your Majesty had been, but I can tell you one thing¡ªYour Majesty probably failed to earn the trust of yourrades and subordinates, and Your Majesty probably failed to give them hope as well.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried agreed and said, ¡°Back then, I was weak, and my enemies were simply too powerful. We would have been ruined if we continued fighting, and I did get ruined in the end.¡± ¡°What about now?¡± Michele asked. ¡°I will win,¡± Siegfried replied without an ounce of hesitation before saying, ¡°It will take some time, but I will definitely seed and get my revenge.¡± ¡°Then, go and gatherrades whom you can trust to be around you. Your Majesty has already be someone who can earn people¡¯s trust and give hope to others. Not many people will be able to betray Your Majesty as long as you remain the same as you are now and as long as you be stronger so that Your Majesty will¡ª¡± Michele said. Siegfried interrupted and concluded Michele¡¯s words for him. ¡°Will be feared. I need to be strong enough to show those who betray me the kind of hell I will drag them through.¡± He agreed with Michele¡¯s words, and he thought the same as well. ¡®In the past, I was¡­ yes¡­ I would have betrayed myself and joined the Genesis Guild as well because I was weak,¡¯?he thought. However, that was no longer the case. ¡°Those who are truly strong will have people following them around even though they didn¡¯t do anything to warrant such a following.¡± Siegfried was reminded of Deus¡¯ teachings. He still wasn¡¯t at the level where people would follow him without telling them to do so, but he somewhat understood what Deus meant. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try and recruit Adventurers,¡± Siegfried decided. It seemed that he had matured even more after pushing away his fears. Was physical strength the only measure of growth? No, being able to ovee one¡¯s painful past was also a form of growth. Doing that indicated mental growth, and at times, mental fortitude would be a far more important trait than physical prowess. ¡°One-man army, mass destruction, small elite forces¡­ Alright, these sound good to me,¡± Siegfried said with a nod. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Michele bowed. Siegfried and Michele smiled aftering to an agreement on the matter. *** The next afternoon, Siegfried visited the Hometown of Death once again. ¡°I wish to make a request,¡± he said. ¡°Request? What request are you talking about? Don¡¯t tell me! Did you perhaps¡­ sessfully hunt the Green Dragon?¡± Quandt muttered with a hint of disbelief in his voice. ¡°Yes, I hunted it,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. ¡°Ha! To think that Your Majesty would seed! I¡¯m certain you had a hard time with your current level!¡± ¡°I got lucky.¡± ¡°Ha! What amazing news!¡± It seemed that Quandt was really surprised by the news. ¡°The dragon¡¯s remains will soon leave my kingdom¡¯s warp gate and arrive here.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Will you be able to craft artifacts out of the dragon¡¯s bones?¡± ¡°Hoho! Of course! Of course! We were having a rough time these days due to ack of dragon bones! I¡¯m willing to craft them for free if you¡¯re willing to spare us some dragon bones!¡± Quandt eximed. ¡°That sounds fine to me,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. It was a win-win situation. The Bavarian Workshop would get their hands on precious and rare dragon bones, while Siegfried would get to have artifacts for his subordinates for free. ¡°And will you be able to craft around a thousand javelins with the dragon scales?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Javelins? Why do you need a thousand javelins? What¡¯s the exact purpose of those? A javelin is usually considered a consumable item since they are thrown, so making those out of dragon scales will be very inefficient when ites to feasibility¡­¡± Quandt asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He hesitated for a moment before whispering into Quandt¡¯s ears, ¡°I have a skill called Torrential Flower Rain¡­ I learned it from someone¡­¡± ¡°Shakiro!¡± Quandt immediately eximed. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you inherited the skills of Weapon Master Shakiro?!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s¡­ just his spearmanship and the Torrential Flower Rain,¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°You might as well have inherited everything if you managed to learn Torrential Flower Rain from him! Torrential Flower Rain is the most powerful skill of Weapon Master Shakiro! It¡¯s his ultimate skill as well!¡± Quandt eximed. It seemed that Quandt was familiar with Weapon Master Shakiro. Actually, it would be weird if Quandt wasn¡¯t familiar with Shakiro. After all, Shakiro had a personal rtionship with the head cksmiths of the top three workshops on the continent. ¡°I see¡­ Are you thinking of using something throwable like a javelin for your Torrential Flower Rain?¡± ¡°I do not have the ability to use all weapons freely, but I think I will have a shot if it is with a javelin.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. The Torrential Flower Rain is a skill that uses throwables instead of normal weapons. Shakiro¡¯s Torrential Flower Rain was¡­ rather unique since it was closer to the ¡®Heart of Swords¡¯ rather than a skill¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ will you be able to make them for me?¡± ¡°I will make you the best possible throwing weapon set,¡± Quandt confidently promised Siegfried before saying, ¡°You¡¯re Shakiro¡¯s disciple, which makes you my friend¡¯s disciple. It is only right for me to make you the most destructive and deadliest weapon set out there.¡± ¡°I will be grateful if you can do that for me.¡± ¡°In return, why don¡¯t you give me some time this time, Siegfried van Proa? You¡¯re my friend¡¯s disciple and a Dragon yer. I will need some time to craft you a throwing weapon set befitting of the Torrential Flower Rain that you will unleash.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. Afterward, he extended a long belt-like object and asked, ¡°And¡­ can you take a look at this?¡± ¡°This is¡­!¡± Quandt was astonished when he saw the object. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Dragon Steering? Hoho!?This ancient artifact is¡­¡± ¡°I think it got destroyed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It has been destroyed, so trying to control a dragon with this will be impossible.¡± ¡°So¡­ It¡¯s a useless piece of garbage then?¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It seems that you are a lucky man, Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°The Dragon Steering has been destroyed, but it wasn¡¯t rendered useless. Actually, this rein is not leather or cloth but metal!¡± ¡°Huh??How is that a metal¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s an extremely rare metal called mind metal. It¡¯s a metal capable of releasing the same wavelengths as the brain of a living creature¡­¡± Quandt exined with a slightly sinister smile. Chapter 85

    Chapter 85

    ¡°I do not quite understand what you mean¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Just wait and see,¡± Quandt said with a sinister smile before he added, ¡°The Green Dragon¡¯s scale plus the mind metal¡­ I will make you the deadliest throwing weapon set on the continent!¡± Siegfried had no idea what kind of n this seasoned cksmith was hatching in his head right now, but Siegfried was certain of one thing. ¡®I guess I¡¯m going to get a really good weapon¡­¡¯? The abilities of the throwables being crafted by the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s best division when it came to making high-end artifacts, the Hometown of Death, would definitely be a good one. ¡°But there is one problem¡­¡± Quandt said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The dragon¡¯s scale and the mind metal aren¡¯t enough for me toplete the throwing weapon set I wish to craft.¡± ¡°What else do you need?¡± ¡°I need a mind sapphire.¡± ¡°A mind sapphire¡­? What is that¡­?¡± ¡°The mind sapphire is a mineral that reacts to the brainwaves of a creature like mind metals. I will be able to further enhance the specification of the throwing weapon set with it.¡± ¡°Then you mean¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He finally understood what Quandt was trying to say, ¡®It¡¯s a quest.¡± From his experience, the only reason an NPC would speak like this was when they wanted to give a quest to a yer. ¡°Do I have to go and get a mind sapphire?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Exactly,¡± Quandt replied with a nod, and then he added, ¡°Of course, I can make it without the mind sapphire, but the item won¡¯t be that good without it¡­ I will only be able to call itplete with the mind sapphire, so can you go and procure one?¡± ¡°Where can I find this mind sapphire?¡± ¡°Look for the Dahomey Barbarian Tribe up north. I heard that the chieftain of the Dahomey Tribe is in possession of an artifact made out of a mind sapphire.¡± Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Quest: ¡®For the Torrential Flower Rain!¡¯ has appeared!] [Alert: Do you wish to ept this Quest?] The quest details were then revealed: [For the Torrential Flower Rain!] [Type: Normal Quest] [Description: Take possession of the mind sapphire in the possession of the chieftain of the Dahomey Barbarian Tribe up north.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: Quandt¡¯s Masterpiece] [Caution: None] There was no need to even think about it. [Yes!] Siegfried epted the quest from Quandt without an ounce of hesitation. He had been nning to go up north and wipe out the barbarian tribes anyway. ¡°I will bring the mind sapphire back,¡± he confidently said. ¡°Will you do that? Then, I can promise you that I will craft a masterpiece if you do manage to bring back a mind sapphire,¡± Quandt said. ¡°I look forward to your masterpiece,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. *** ¡°We are going to subjugate the barbarians,¡± Siegfried dered as soon as he returned to Casein Castle. ¡®This is killing three birds with one stone,¡¯?he thought. Subjugating the northern barbarian tribes was an opportunity for him to expand and strengthen his border defenses as well as level up on top of being able to clear the quest ¡®For the Torrential Flower Rain!¡¯. As such, the term ¡®killing three birds with one stone¡¯ truly suited such an endeavor. ¡°But, Your Majesty,¡± Oscar interjected and said, ¡°It is not going to be easy subjugating the barbarians of the ins. I advise that we establish a long-term n and slowly subjugate them instead of rushing it this time¡­¡± It was very wise advice from a seasoned veteran. ¡°Dame Oscar is right, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°That is indeed the wiser choice.¡± ¡°Subjugating all of the barbarian tribes is going to prove to be a difficult task. It is far wiser for us to proceed with caution on the matter.¡± The other officials seemed to agree with Oscar¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Is that so? I understand. I shall take your suggestions into consideration and think about it one more time. Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried replied. He wanted to be a wise king who listened to the opinions and advice of his loyal subjects. As such, he was willing to rethink his decision about subjugating the barbarian tribes. ¡°I thought about it again, but I still think that now is the perfect time for us to subjugate them. Haha!¡± Siegfriedughed. The problem was he only thought about it for three seconds before deciding once again¡­ ¡°¡­¡± The officials of Proatine were rendered speechless by their king¡¯s actions. ¡°It is a wise choice, Your Majesty,¡± Michele suddenly said and supported Siegfried¡¯s decision before adding, ¡°The barbarians of the ins are currently in disarray thanks to Durian¡¯s failed attempt at conquest. We won¡¯t be able to exterminate or subjugate thempletely, but we will surely gain satisfactory results from our campaign. Based on my humble calctions¡­ I think that we will be able to deal enough damage to ensure that the barbarians would not dare invade ournds for the next few years at the least.¡± ¡°I agree with your words, Sir Michele,¡± Siegfried said with a smirk. ¡°On top of that, Your Majesty has killed both Durian and the Green Dragon under hismand. Can you imagine how much morale the barbarians will lose if Your Majesty personally participates in the battlefield? Combat power is important in a war, but morale is equally important as well. That is why I judged that this is the right timing for us to strike them.¡± Michele continued to support Siegfried¡¯s decision. That was not the end of it¡­ A few officials vehemently opposed the campaign by providing their logic, but Michele stepped up and rebuke every single one of them. He squashed every dissent over the barbarian subjugation campaign. ¡®This is a disaster¡­¡¯?Oscar thought. She realized that things weren¡¯t going in the right direction for the kingdom. ¡®Nobody can go against His Majesty¡¯s decision as long as Sir Michele is supporting him¡­¡¯? Oscar realized that nobody would be able to go against Siegfried¡¯s decisions as long as his authority was backed up by the logical reasoning of a genius. ¡°Now then, is there anyone else against the campaign? I¡¯m checking just in case,¡± Siegfried asked the officials. ¡°¡­¡± The officials shut their mouths after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Michele¡¯s oratory skills and logic. Tremble¡­! Tremble¡­!? The officials could only clench their fists and tremble in anger. They couldn¡¯t do anything after being crushed by the young minister, who they believed was only appointed to his position due to his connection with the king. ¡°Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Oscar immediately responded. ¡°Prepare to set out tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°I, Oscar, ept Your Majesty¡¯smand!¡± Oscar replied after going down on one knee. *** The skies were clear, but it seemed dark for the Pullman Tribe as a great disaster befell them. ¡°Listen, you barbarians!¡± A knight mounted on a white horse with five hundred troops behind her shouted at the base of the barbarian tribe. ¡°Lay down your weapons and surrender to the ruler and king of the Proatine Territory, His Majesty Siegfried van Proa! You will be spared if you swear your allegiance to His Majesty, but you will die if you choose otherwise!¡± However, there was no way that the Pullman Tribe would be fazed by such a sudden threat to surrender. ¡°Kuhahaha! This bitch actually dared to appear out of nowhere and ask us, men of the ins, to surrender?!¡± ¡°Listen how that dirty bitch from the continent barks! Hahaha!¡± ¡°That bitch looks quite fair and delicate, though! Come here! Let me show you how a man of the Pullman Tribe handles a woman! Kuhaha!¡± Even among the barbarian tribes of the ins, the Pullman Tribe was renowned for their aggressiveness as well as their crudenguage. However, Oscar wasn¡¯t fazed at all despite the sneering and sexual harassment from the barbarians. In fact, she smiled at their response before retrieving something and raising it high up. Then, she asked with a chilling smile, ¡°Do you know who this is?¡± Oscar had raised the half-crushed head of a human being. ¡°¡­!¡± The eyes of the Pullman Barbarians shot wide open in horror when they saw the head. Durian. Their chieftain, who went south to conquer the Proatine Kingdom, returned to them as a half-crushed head! *** ¡°Im¡ªImpossible!¡± ¡°This is all a trick! These bastards from the continent are trying to pull a fast one on us! There¡¯s no way that¡¯s our chieftain¡¯s head!¡± ¡°Kuhahaha!?Look how devious that bitch is! How dare you try to trick us?!¡± Even after seeing Durian¡¯s head, the Pullman Barbarians didn¡¯t believe that it belonged to Durian. They considered it to be a cowardly, honorless ploy of the people from the continent. The funny thing was the fact that they never seemed to have questioned even once why their chieftain never returned after going south to conquer the Proatine Kingdom, even though three full days had already passed¡­ ¡°Bring the carts,¡± Oscarmanded. Creak¡­! Creak¡­! Creak¡­!? The soldiers pulled arge cart and tilted it, so it would be in full view of the Pullman Barbarians. On the cart was none other than a Green Dragon¡¯s head with its horns sawed off and its eyeballs dug out. ¡°That¡¯s Smogger¡­!¡± ¡°Dra-Dragon! It¡¯s a dragon¡¯s head!¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± It was only after seeing the Green Dragon¡¯s head that the Pullman Barbarians finally realized that their chieftain had indeed fallen in battle at the hands of the people of the continent. ¡°Do you believe me now? Your chieftain is dead, and we hunted his dragon down. I suggest that you drop your futile resistance and surrender. That is the only way that all of you will be spared. His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa is a gracious and merciful man!¡± Oscar shouted, asking the Pullman Barbarians to surrender once more. ¡°Avenge the chieftain!¡± ¡°Kill them! Kill those dogs from the continent!¡± ¡°Rip them to pieces and feed them to the wolves!¡± However, the Pullman Barbarians¡¯ morale didn¡¯t decrease at the news of their chieftain¡¯s death. In fact, they went berserk as they charged to avenge their chieftain. It was an extremely stupid and illogical decision that could onlye from theirck of intellect and reasoning, but that was simply the way of the Pullman Barbarians. The word ¡®surrender¡¯ didn¡¯t exist in the dictionary of the Pullman Barbarian Warriors. Their sole purpose in life was to fight even though the odds were stacked against them. This was the reason why the Pullman Tribe became renowned for their aggressiveness in these vast wide ins. *** Rumble¡­! Rumble¡­! Rumble¡­!? The Pullman Tribe cavalry charged toward the Proatine Forces. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this,¡± Siegfried said, stepping forward. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, Your Majesty. A cavalry¡¯s charge can be quite¡­¡± Oscar started. However, Siegfried interrupted her and said, ¡°I have to step up, so our soldiers won¡¯t get hurt, Dame Oscar.¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time that you ce your trust in me?¡± ¡°I¡­ I shall follow yourmands¡­¡± Oscar muttered. She finally gave up on trying to dissuade Siegfried. ¡®What are you going to show us this time, Your Majesty?¡¯?Oscar wondered. She decided to wait and see what her liege had in store for her this time. Woooooong! Siegfried ced a field of Speed Restraint up ahead. Clop¡­ Clop¡­ Clop¡­ The barbarian cavalry¡¯s speed noticeably slowed down once they entered the field. ¡®Irradiate¡­ Hmm¡­ I wonder if I can erase?all of them with it¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered about how strong his new skill was as he walked toward the barbarian forces. ¡®Let¡¯s find out¡­¡¯? He smiled and activated his Evolved Circle of Weakness, a.k.a. Irradiate. Seuuu¡­! A green cloud of fog slowly seeped out from his body and into the surroundings. Exactly ten secondster, a cmity would descend upon the barbarians. 1. This is a reference to the game Starcraft where a unit called a Science Vessel used the ability Irradiate on themselves and moved around enemy troops to ¡®erase¡¯ them like an eraser. It is a well-known game lingo in the Korean gamingmunity thanks to the poprity of Starcraft back then. Chapter 86

    Chapter 86

    The power of Irradiate could only be described as vicious. It was basically a skill that was simr to the trademark skill of a Green Dragon, Poison Breath, and the radioactive toxic energy from it killed everything that it touched. ¡°Neiiiiigh!¡± The horses of the barbarian cavalry plopped dead on the ground, and the Pullman Barbarian Warriors that fell from the horses met the same fate. ¡°Euaaaaak!¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± ¡°Gweuoook!¡± Their eyes rolled backward, and they foamed from their mouths as their bodies uncontrobly trembled like they were having a seizure before they ceased moving altogether. They were only exposed to the skill for roughly a second or two, but they were already on their way to the afterlife. Just like what happened to Seung-Gust time¡­ [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have gained Experience Points!] A message would pop up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes whenever a Pullman Barbarian Warrior died. ¡®This is amazing!¡¯?he eximed inwardly in awe of Irradiate¡¯s power. He had never imagined that it would be this easy to kill an entire group of enemies with Irradiate. A Magician''s AoE skill? That was child¡¯s ypared to Irradiate. The closest thing a Magician ss could do was probably the trademark spell of the Poison Wizards called Cloud Kill, but that was still miles away whenpared to the lethality of Irradiate. Cloud Kill was a spell that poisoned arge group of enemies in an area, but it couldn¡¯t kill instantly. However, Irradiate drove the tough barbarian warriors to death simply with just a brief exposure to it. ¡°D-Demon!¡± ¡°A demon has appeared!¡± ¡°The god of death has descended!¡± Irradiate was an extremely powerful skill that forced the aggressive and battle-starved Pullman Barbarian Warriors to run away in extreme fear. ¡°Where are you guys going?¡± Siegfried asked. he kicked off of the ground and chased after the barbarian warriors. Tak! Swiiiiiiish! Pak! Pak! Pak!? He used Flying Spur and smashed the heads of the fleeing barbarian warriors. [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] What happened to the enemies who chose to stand their ground and fight? Seuu¡­! The radioactive energy from Irradiate was more than enough to kill them. [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] [You have obtained Experience Points!] There was really no need for Siegfried to earnestly fight the barbarian warriors since all he had to do was get close to them with Irradiate active. ¡®I¡¯m going to melt all of them,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he focused his mana into Irradiate. Seuuuuu¡­! Then, the green fog of death started spreading throughout the ins. Step¡­ Step¡­ Step¡­? Every step Siegfried took¡­ ¡°Kuheok¡­!¡± ¡°Euuuk¡­¡± ¡°Heok¡­ Heoook¡­!¡± ¡­brought death to his surroundings. At this very moment, Siegfried was no different from ¡®Death¡¯ itself. *** It only took Siegfried five minutes to annihte the entire army of the Pullman Tribe. Tss¡­ When the radioactive energy from Irradiate receded, none of the Pullman Barbarians were left standing. It was aplete massacre. ¡°¡­¡± The Proatine Forces were so speechless they couldn¡¯t even let out a victory cry despite their overwhelming victory. Gulp¡­! Only the sound of their gulps could be heard. Siegfried had turned into the embodiment of Death to his enemies and Fear for his allies after disying the power of Irradiate. Well, it wasn¡¯t like he cared¡­ ¡°Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Oscar instantly responded. ¡°Command the troops to collect the spoils of war and upy the enemy¡¯s base. It will not be that difficult to upy it since their army had just been annihted. Ah, the energy I unleashed just now will dissipate in about a minute, so please remember tomand the troops to move ordingly with that in mind,¡± Siegfriedmanded. The radioactive energy Siegfried had unleashed was different from the radioactive energy in real life since it was derived from the Green Dragon. As such, it wouldn¡¯t contaminate the soil for decades. And it was much more potentpared to the radioactive energy in real life¡­ ¡°I shall carry out Your Majesty¡¯smand without fail,¡± Oscar replied with eyes sparkling with reverence toward her liege. *** Siegfried did not stop at annihting the Pullman Tribe as he pressed on and subjugated the other barbarian tribes in the vicinity. The method he chose to subjugate the barbarian tribes was quite simple. He demanded them to surrender, and if the barbarians refused, he would use Irradiate to exterminate the enemy. Afterward, his troops would upy the barbarian¡¯s base. He rinsed and repeated this simple routine regardless of which barbarian tribe he faced, and he managed to exterminate four barbarian tribes from the ins in just three days. Siegfried also gained a few levels in the process of exterminating the barbarians. [Alert: You have reached Level 76!] [Alert: You have reached Level 77!] [Alert: You have reached Level 78!] Siegfried managed to achieve the growth he desperately wanted after subjugating and exterminating the barbarian tribes. ¡®The levels of my other skills are good enough now, so I should probably invest more skill points into Irradiate¡­¡¯? Siegfried decided to put all of his remaining skill points into Irradiate. [Alert: Your skill ¡®Irradiate¡¯ has leveled up!] [Alert: Your skill ¡®Irradiate¡¯ has leveled up!] [Alert: Your skill ¡®Irradiate¡¯ has leveled up!] Then, he invested all of his additional stat points into Strength, just like he had been doing. It was probably time for him to invest a few points into mana, but because he had too much mana, he refrained from doing that in the meantime. ¡®The dragon¡¯s heart is truly amazing. I¡¯m overflowing with mana¡­¡¯?he thought. Siegfried didn¡¯t bother wasting any additional stat points to increase his mana since he had gained a huge boost to it after consuming sixty percent of the dragon¡¯s heart. *** The news of Siegfried¡¯s conquest of the barbarian tribes spread throughout the ins like wildfire. A king from the continent is exterminating the tribes. A mountain of corpses piles up wherever he passes by. He is the god of death. The chieftains of the tribes Siegfried hadn¡¯t visited yet gathered and conducted an emergency meeting toe up with a n against the conqueror from the south¡ªtheir mutual enemy¡ªthe Grim Reaper of the ins. The emergence of this fearsome enemy threatened the very existence of the barbarian tribes, and this made the tribes that bickered and squabbled on a daily basis gather together and unite against theirmon foe. However, there was no way that the ignorant and foolish barbarians would be able toe up with a proper n just because they gathered their heads together. ¡°How dare you spout such bullshit?!¡± ¡°Hey! You dog-faced loser! I want no less than to skin you alive right now when I remember how you killed my father!¡± ¡°Ha! Look at those cowardly tribes bicker!¡± ¡°I will kill you! You asshole!¡± It seemed like the chieftains were about to draw their weapons out at any moment now and start cutting each other down instead ofing up with a n. It was then that the chieftain of the Dahomey Tribe, Nascimento, said, ¡°I have a n.¡± ¡°What n are you talking about?¡± ¡°Ha! What good n cane from a weak tribe like the Dahomey Tribe?¡± ¡°Do you really think that you guys have what it takes to push the Grim Reaper of the ins away from the ins?¡± The Dahomey Tribe used curses and poison, so the other tribes of the ins had always been looking down on them because they considered the ins as the Land of Warriors. ¡°Then, how do you n to fight against the Grim Reaper of the ins?¡± Nascimento asked. ¡°That¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°We will gather all of the warriors from each tribe¡­¡± ¡°Then we will ambush him with a human wave tactic¡­ Hmm¡­¡± It seemed that none of them could confidently say that ¡®this is the n!¡¯ when they were asked by the Dahomey Tribe Chieftain. Smirk. A smile appeared on Nascimento¡¯s face after listening to the barbarian chieftains, and then he asked, ¡°I heard that the Grim Reaper of the ins is someone who uses powerful curses. Anyone thates into contact with the fog that he emits will surely die. Then, how do you n to fight against someone like that? Do you n to rush to your demise as the other tribes did?¡± The barbarian chieftains trembled in anger after listening to Nascimento¡¯s criticism, but none of them said anything in response. They clearly saw how the four tribes got annihted, so they knew that throwing warrior after warrior at the enemy was never the solution, no matter how dumb they were. ¡°However, we, the Dahomey Tribe, have a solution against the Grim Reaper of the ins. Although I¡¯m not sure if all of you will agree to it¡­¡± Nascimento trailed off. ¡°What is your n, Nascimento?¡± asked the Chieftain of the Dengkere Tribe. ¡°We need sacrifices,¡± Nascimento replied. ¡°Sacrifices?¡± ¡°We need the blood of children and the strong hearts of warriors.¡± ¡°What did you just say?!¡± the Dengkere Tribe Chieftain stood up while seemingly furious at Nascimento¡¯s words as he growled, ¡°Are you telling us to offer live sacrifices? Our fellow humans, nheless?¡± ¡°That is the only way we can use the powerful curse that has been passed down generation after generation in our tribe,¡± Nascimento nonchntly replied. ¡°You crazy bastard.¡± the Dengkere Tribe Chieftain growled in disgust, and then he spat on the ground before saying, ¡°What did I expect from the chieftain of a tribe made up of a bunch of cowards?¡± ¡°I just told you my n, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t test us, Nascimento. You¡¯re nning toplete that evil spell of yours through this opportunity and take control over the entire ins, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, and neither do I trust the evil spells your tribe uses.¡± The other barbarian chieftains seemed to be in agreement with what the Dengkere Tribe Chieftain had said just now. Offering humans as live sacrifices wasn¡¯t something that they were willing to do, no matter how savage of a barbarian they were. However, it seemed that the Dahomey Tribe had no reservations about it. ¡°Is that so?¡± Nascimento said in response to what the other barbarian chieftains said, and he no longer brought up the matter. Why? It was because Nascimento could afford to be easygoing regarding the current crisis. ¡®Fools. It¡¯s useless no matter how many times you swing your swords,¡¯?he thought. Nascimento was confident that the other chieftains would eventually ept his offer. After all, he was an intellectual who knew how to think instead of using only his body. It only took two days for things to turn exactly as Nascimento had predicted. The Dengkere Tribe Chieftain who vehemently opposed Nascimento¡¯s n was annihted along with his entire tribe. *** A heavy silence filled the atmosphere of the second meeting of the chieftains. ¡°¡­¡± The other chieftains were like a bunch of mutes. After all, they had just discovered the hard way what would happen if they simply hurled warrior after warrior at the Grim Reaper of the ins. ¡®Hoho! I knew that things would turn out like this in the end, so they just wasted precious sacrifice,¡¯?Nascimento thought, shing a smile. The Dahomey Tribe Chieftain was drawing a big picture in his head. ¡®We will be able to push back the Grim Reaper of the ins once weplete the forbidden spell, and then our Dahomey Tribe will rule over the ins!¡¯ ¡°We will have to collect children from every tribe. We will need a thousand of them. Newborn babies are fine. We also need a hundred hearts from powerful warriors. It isn¡¯t that huge of a quantity if each tribe contributes,¡± Nascimento said. It was quite a sinister thing to say, but the other chieftains didn¡¯t retort or go against his words. More specifically, they couldn¡¯t retort since they would eventually get annihted by the Grim Reaper of the ins at this rate¡­ *** Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Alert: The Barbarians of the ins fear you!] [Alert: You have obtained a new title!] Siegfried tilted his head in confusion before checking the details of his new title. [Grim Reaper of the ins] [The barbarians refer to you as the Grim Reaper of the ins. They think that you are Death incarnated.] [Type: Title] [Effect: Fear Incarnate] [Fear Incarnate: Damage received from barbarians is reduced by 10%. Deal 10% increased damage against barbarians] An extremely useful title appeared out of the blue. ¡°Ah, so they¡¯re calling me the Grim Reaper of the ins¡­ Why the hell does it sound so cringey, though?¡± Siegfried grumbled after finding out what the barbarians were calling him through his new title. ¡°Grim Reaper of the ins!¡± A voice reverberated across the ins all of a sudden. ¡°What the hell?¡± Siegfried muttered as he looked in the direction where the voice came from. [Nascimento] [Level: 150] [Type: NPC] [ss: Voodoo Shaman] [Position: Dahomey Tribe Chieftain] [Title: Snake of the ins, Cunning Shaman.] His main target, Dahomey Tribe Chieftain Nascimento, appeared in front of him. It seemed that there was no need for him to go and look for the barbarian. ¡®Jackpot,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a huge grin. Chapter 87

    Chapter 87

    The barbarian who called out to Siegfried was a dark-skinned skinny barbarian with long slender eyes. He was wearing various trinkets, and there was a skull of a goat on his head. He was also holding a staff with three skulls hanging from it. Anyone could tell that he was the Chieftain of the Dahomey Tribe just from his looks. ¡°Wee,¡± Siegfried greeted Nascimento, and then he said, ¡°How did you think ofing all the way here out of your own volition? I can¡¯t praise you enough for that.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Alright, what do you want? Do you wish to surrender?¡± ¡®This crazy bastard is the Grim Reaper of the ins¡­?¡¯ Nascimento was dumbfounded at Siegfried¡¯s words. He was Siegfried¡¯s enemy, so how could Siegfried greet his enemy with such a bright smile? It was as if he was weing his enemy and that he was d to meet him. Nascimento was dumbfounded. After all, he wasn¡¯t aware of Siegfried¡¯s true motives. ¡°Are you the Grim Reaper of the ins?¡± Nascimento asked. ¡°Maybe?¡± Siegfried gave a somewhat half-hearted response. He felt embarrassed to say that he was the ¡®Grim Reaper of the ins¡¯. ¡°I will ask you again. Are you the Grim Reaper of the ins? I¡¯m asking you if you are indeed the ruler of the small kingdom that invaded ournds?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Why did youe? Do you want to surrender?¡± ¡°No way,¡± Nascimento replied with a snicker. His eyes turned sharp as he said, ¡°I came to fight, Grim Reaper of the ins.¡± ¡°You came to fight me? One-on-one?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a hint of disappointment in his voice, ¡°I thought you came to surrender¡­ tsk¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you came to surrender or not. Alright, let¡¯s fight. How do you wish to fight? Right now? Oh, wait¡­¡± Siegfried said before he dismounted from his horse and said, ¡°Let me ask you one thing.¡± ¡°What is it, Grim Reaper of the ins?¡± ¡°Do you perhaps¡­ have something that has been passed down generation after generation in your tribe? The mind sapphire is a blue gem, so I heard¡­¡± ¡°Are you talking about this?¡± Nascimento pointed at his earrings. [Wail of Wraith] [An essory with the power to call forth ghosts.] [Type: essory (Earrings)] [Rating: Legendary] Siegfried checked the details of the earrings with his Rune of Insight, and he could immediately tell that the Nascimento¡¯s earrings were an artifact crafted from the mind sapphire he needed to acquire. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s what I¡¯m looking for,¡± Siegfried said while nodding. He then smirked and said, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re quite prepared. Wow, I¡¯ll tell you that I¡¯m very impressed.¡± ¡°Prepared? What do you mean by that?¡± Nascimento asked. ¡°I was about to go take that from you. I kind of need that, you see¡­ so¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off as if he was hinting at something before continuing. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you hand that thing over?¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°In return, I will spare you and your tribe. What do you think?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pushing it with your bullshit¡­!¡± Nascimento retorted in disbelief. ¡®I really think he¡¯s insane. Hmm¡­ there¡¯s nothing to gain out of talking to a madman like him,¡¯?Nascimento thought. He gripped his bone staff and said, ¡°I don¡¯t wish to exchange words with you. Come, fight me, Grim Reaper of the ins. I, the chieftain of the Dahomey Tribe, Nascimento, will be your opponent.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you want¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a sigh as he walked toward the barbarian while grumbling inwardly, ¡®Howe not a single one of them wants to take the easy way out¡­?¡¯ He had already annihted four barbarian tribes, but none of them even thought of surrendering. ¡°Then, we¡¯re really going to fight.¡± ¡°Bring it on, Grim Reaper of the ins!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Siegfried replied as he slowly walked toward the barbarian chieftain. *** ¡®Hehe¡­ Grim Reaper of the ins, I admit that you are strong, but¡­¡¯?Nascimento thought with a smile. Nascimento was unfazed in the face of the man called the ¡®Grim Reaper of the ins¡¯. It was all because he had alreadypleted the forbidden spell that had been passed down from generation to generation in their tribe. In fact, he was actually pretty confident of his victory. Swhoooosh¡­! A white aura started revolving around Nascimento¡¯s body, and¡­ Kyaaaaaaah! Heuk¡­ heuk¡­ heuk¡­! Kiii¡­! Kieeeee¡­! Wraiths slowly appeared one by one and started encircling him. Wraith Summoning! Nascimento had used the live sacrifices toplete his evil spell and call forth a legion of wraiths from the Underworld. ¡°Go, my wraiths! Go and cling to that foolish human!¡± Nascimento confidentlymanded the legion. The wraiths numbering in the thousands flew toward Siegfried at the barbarian chieftain¡¯smand. *** ¡®What the hell is that?!¡¯?Siegfried was shocked at the swarm of wraiths flying toward him. He tried to avoid them, but he couldn¡¯t avoid them. The wraiths were extremely fast, and they phased through everything, so he couldn¡¯t seek refuge behind anything nor block them with his weapon. [The Counterattack of the Dead] [The wraiths have clung onto you.] [Your stats will decrease by a small amount (0.1 defense and magic resistance) for every wraith clinging to you.] The wraiths summoned by Nascimento instantly surrounded Siegfried. [Alert: The wraiths have clung onto you! Your defense and magic resistance has been reduced by 0.1!] [Alert: The wraiths have clung onto you! Your defense and magic resistance has been reduced by 0.1!] [Alert: The wraiths have clung onto you! Your defense and magic resistance has been reduced by 0.1!] Almost a thousand messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡°Haha! You are now weakened!¡± Nascimento said with a triumphant smile before he confidently dered, ¡°I will fight you now and emerge victorious!¡± Afterward, he summoned five hundred Wraith Warriors, a swarm of locusts, and a flock of frogs to attack Siegfried. An army of Wraith Warriors, a swarm of locusts, and a flock of frogs. The army summoned by Nascimento was weak individually, but their overwhelming numbers were more than enough to overwhelm their enemies through umted damage. ¡°You will soon turn into a pile of bones!¡± Nascimento triumphantly eximed. Seuuu¡­! However, Nascimento was interrupted by Siegfried¡¯s radioactive energy. Siegfried unleashed his radioactive energy and instantly decimated the swarm of locusts and the flock of frogs. ¡°Ha! Stop resisting! The Wraith Warriors will¡ª¡± Nascimento was interrupted once again. sh! It was Siegfried¡¯s lightning attribute skills Lightning Smite and Lightning Flying Spur. The two skills unleashed a wave of lightning, which decimated the wraiths clinging to Siegfried. The wraiths possessed the darkness attribute, so the lightning attribute skills were extremely effective against them. ¡°Hii¡­?Hiiik!¡±?Nascimento cried out in surprise. *** ¡®Tsk¡­ Tsk¡­ He calls this a debuff?¡¯? Siegfried clicked his tongue. He thought that the barbarian chieftain was pathetic. The thousands of wraiths summoned by the barbarian chieftain tried to reduce his defense and magic resistance, so they were meant to debuff him. However, he managed to instantly eliminate those wraiths, which freed him from the debuff. The debuff Nascimento had prepared, which was likely his trump card, was child¡¯s y whenpared to the Debuff Master¡¯s unavoidable debuff skills. And the effects of the wraiths¡¯ debuffs wereughablepared to the effects of the Debuff Master¡¯s debuffs. ¡®Let me show you what a real debuff looks like,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a sinister smile as he ced his debuff field underneath the barbarian chieftain. Woooong! Nascimento was taken aback by the strange energy that suddenly enveloped him. ¡®What is this¡­?!¡¯ His body suddenly felt heavy, a migraine struck him, his muscles ached all over, and both of his feet felt like they weighed a ton. Shiver¡­! A chill went down Nascimento¡¯s spine, and he started profusely sweating as if he had caught the flu. ¡®Did I¡­ be weaker¡­?¡¯?Nascimento realized as his instincts cried out. The reason for his sudden weakness was obvious¡­ ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Heok¡­!¡± ¡°Shall we see who is weaker now?¡± Siegfried asked as he slowly approached Nascimento. ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me!¡± ¡°Am I weaker, or are you weaker? What do you think?¡± Siegfried asked with a sinister smile. He was openly mocking the barbarian chieftain for trying to cast a pitiful debuff in front of the Debuff Master. ¡°Shall we test it out?¡± Siegfried asked before swinging his hammer at Nascimento. *** Thud! Nascimento¡¯s corpse rolled on the ground with his head caved in. It was the price he had to pay for trying to act strong in front of someone stronger than him. ¡°Pathetic,¡± Siegfried said while looking down at Nascimento¡¯s dead body. [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Wraith¡¯s Wail¡¯] [Alert: You have satisfied the quest requirements of ¡®For the Torrential Flower Rain!¡¯ after obtaining the ¡®Wraith¡¯s Wail¡¯!] [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®For the Torrential Flower Rain!¡¯] [Alert: Bring the ¡®Wraith¡¯s Wail¡¯ to Quandt!] Siegfried smiled after reading the string of messages. He was d that Nascimento came looking for him since he would have wasted a few days chasing after Nascimento if thetter had decided to go on the run. ¡°Congrattions on your victory, Your Majesty!¡± Oscar approached Siegfried and congratted him. ¡°Congrattions on your victory, Your Majesty!¡± The Proatine Forces also congratted him at the top of their lungs. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile and waved his hand in dismissal. Then, he asked, ¡°Shall we press on?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± the Proatine Forces replied with resounding enthusiasm. Siegfried had no ns of leaving the barbarian tribes alone. *** Two dayster¡­ ¡®I¡¯m currently Level 83, and I¡¯ve umted 80% of the required Experience Points for the next level¡­ I think I can gain two more levels today as long as they don¡¯t surrender¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought after he logged in to the game. He seemed to be more interested in whether he could level up or not rather than in the subjugation campaign itself. The barbarians weren¡¯t the type to easily bend their knee against a conqueror. Surrender? They didn¡¯t even know what that was as it didn¡¯t exist in their dictionary. The reason Siegfried continued to offer them the option to surrender was that he wasn¡¯t really fond ofmitting a massacre. However, it seemed that there simply was no difference no matter how many barbarian tribes he wiped out. In fact, the barbarians grew even more aggressive. Most of them attempted to ambush or raid the Proatine Forces from the back lines. Fortunately for Siegfried, the aggressive attitude of the barbarians gave him a boost. He was able to power level thanks to them. ¡®They¡¯re going to be a nuisancee winter, so I might as well clean them up while I¡¯m at it,¡¯?Siegfried thought. The barbarians would surely invade hisnds when winter arrived, and their historically proven actions of piging and burning viges were a huge risk factor as well if he turned around and let them be. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Oscar eximed as she rushed into Siegfried¡¯s tent and said, ¡°I have something to report.¡± ¡°What is it, Dame Oscar?¡± ¡°The chieftains of the barbarian tribes have requested an audience with you.¡± ¡°Tell them to line up and wait,¡± Siegfried said, seemingly annoyed. Then, he added, ¡°Or you can tell them to gang up on me. Anyway, just tell them to wait, and I¡¯ll be right there after I¡¯m done allocating my additional stat points¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re here to ask for a duel against you.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°The barbarian chieftains have agreed to a surrender.¡± ¡°Surrender¡­? They will surrender¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ why are they surrendering now?¡± Siegfried grumbled with a grimace. ¡°Your Majesty? Are you not d of this news?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± Oscar was taken aback by Siegfried¡¯s response. It didn¡¯t make sense how Siegfried wasn¡¯t happy at the enemy¡¯s surrender. She really couldn¡¯t understand her liege¡¯s thoughts. ¡°No, tell them not to surrender.¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Why are they surrendering now? They did not listen when I told them to! No way, never, I¡¯m never going to ept it. I will kill them all, all of them.¡± ¡°Your Majesty! Please show your mercy to the ignorant and foolish barbarians!¡± ¡°No way, nuh-uh. I have no intentions of epting their surrender, so tell them to hurry up and leave.¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡± Oscar eximed. She wanted to change Siegfried¡¯s mind. ¡°¡­I¡¯m just kidding,¡± Siegfried said with a smirk before adding, ¡°I should ept it if they want to surrender, right? But it would have been much better if they surrendered much earlier. Fewer people would have died that way¡­ tsk¡­¡± ¡°Is¡­ Is that so? I thought that Your Majesty wasn¡¯t going to ept the barbarians¡¯ surrender¡­¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, there¡¯s no way I will do that. Well¡­ I could grow much stronger after wiping them out,¡± Siegfried said while caressing the Rune of Transcendence at the back of his hand before he added, ¡°But still, I should at least listen to what they have to say since they have decided to surrender, right? Come, let¡¯s go and meet them.¡± Siegfried left the tent to go and meet the barbarian chieftains. Chapter 88

    Chapter 88

    ¡°The chieftain of the Atta Tribe greets the Grim Reaper of the ins.¡± ¡°The chieftain of the Pitkoin Tribe greets the Grim Reaper of the ins.¡± ¡°The chieftain of the Etherion Tribe greets the Grim Reaper of the ins.¡± The barbarian chieftains from each tribe kowtowed in front of Siegfried. ¡°It is nice to meet you all, chieftains of the tribes that inhabit the ins. I am Siegfried van Proa, the king and ruler of the kingdom that borders yournds,¡± Siegfried introduced himself before he continued, ¡°First, I want to make it clear that I only invaded yournds because of the chieftain of the Pullman Tribe, Durian. He invaded mynds with his dragon and demanded me to surrender whilst threatening me with his dragon. Unfortunately, this caused me to kill Durian and his dragon and annihte his entire tribe. Furthermore, you, tribes from the ins, have time and time again invaded mynds and killed, piged, burned, and raped, so because I¡­¡± Siegfried continued with various detailed reasons to justify his subjugation campaign against the barbarians, and he emphasized over and over again that his invasion was an act of self-defense and was justified. ¡°Despite all of that, I have decided to be merciful and gave you the opportunity to surrender. However, you people have¡ª¡± Siegfried said, but he was interrupted by Oscar. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Oscar said before whispering something in his ear, ¡°Based on the information we have just received¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Live human sacrifices?¡± Siegfried doubted his ears for a moment. ¡°Yes, and it also seems that their tribesmen are very angry with them right now¡­¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes turned cold after hearing Oscar¡¯s report. ¡°Ah, this just came to my knowledge¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He looked at the barbarian chieftains and asked, ¡°I heard that you sacrificed your young children and warriors to Nascimento just to kill me. Is this true?¡± None of the barbarian chieftains dared to respond to his question. After all, even they knew that the act of offering their own tribesmen as human sacrifices was a shameful act. ¡°Ha¡­ These things don¡¯t even deserve to be called humans¡­ Dame Oscar!¡± Siegfried eximed. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± Oscar responded immediately. ¡°Do this.¡± Siegfried gestured with his thumb slicing across his neck. ¡°Drag these abominations away and cut their heads off!¡± Oscarmanded the soldiers. ¡°G-Grim Reaper of the ins!¡± ¡°How can you kill us when we have already surrendered?!¡± ¡°Hey, you coward¡­!¡± ¡°You said that you will spare us if we surrendered!¡± The chieftains protested and gnashed their teeth at Siegfried. ¡°I did say I will spare your tribes,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. His smile turned into an extremely sleazy one as he said, ¡°But I never said I¡¯ll spare those worse than dogs. I will take good care of your tribesmen, so don¡¯t worry and go in peace.¡± Of course, the destination Siegfried was telling them to go to was none other than hell. *** It was the right call to behead the barbarian chieftains since the barbarian tribesmen were already at odds with them over the fact that the barbarian chieftains offered their fellow tribesmen as live human sacrifices. In particr, the decision of the barbarian chieftains to sacrifice children as well brought upon them the wrath and fury of their tribesmen. Siegfried¡¯s decision to behead the chieftains was well-received by the barbarian tribes. Siegfried asked the knights to summon the second-inmand of each tribe and appointed them as chieftains before giving them his firstmand. ¡°I am well aware of the reason why you barbarians have invaded ournds time and time again. Yournds are deste next to none, and that is why you are forced to pige and wage wars just to survive. However, all of that is going to change from now on. You are now toy down your weapons and wield tools instead,¡± Siegfried said. He then handed an armband to each of the chieftains he had just appointed before saying, ¡°All of you will be the citizens of my kingdom, and you shall work for me.¡± The faces of the newly appointed chieftains darkened. Siegfried¡¯s words just now sounded like they would be dragged away as ves to the kingdom in the south. ¡°All of you will receive fair wages for yourbor. You are now to abandon your ways of piging and earn an honest living through the sweat of your brows from now on.¡± One of the newly appointed chieftains carefully asked once Siegfried was finished speaking, ¡°We¡¯re too dumb and ignorant, so we didn¡¯tpletely understand what you said just now, Grim Reaper of the ins. Are we going to be ves?¡± ¡°No, you will not be ves,¡± Siegfried replied with a shake of his head. ¡°Then what are we going to be?¡± ¡°Laborers.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You barbarians are uneducated without any useful skills as well, so it will be impossible for you to function as a part of society. However, you do have your hardened bodies and grit honed by the ins, and the best job for people like you will be physical and manualbor. Therefore, all of you are going to be workers for my kingdom. The warriors will be soldiers, and those who can¡¯t be soldiers will work at the construction sites. You will earn an honest wage every month from now on.¡± ¡°I-Is that true?¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± ¡°But we do not know if we foolish barbarians can do such tasks properly¡­¡± ¡°I will help you,¡± Siegfried said with a smile, ¡°I will also be considerate so that you and your families will not be discriminated against in mynds. I want you to work as hard as you can. Besides, aren¡¯t you tired of running around swinging your swords at each other? How long do you n to continue such a lifestyle? Why don¡¯t you try to be reborn through this opportunity? If there are those among you who are itching to pick a fight, then you can go and join the army. I¡¯m willing to promote you into knights as well, so go do your best.¡± The influx of barbarians into Proatine, which was suffering from ack of manpower, would be an excellent boost to the kingdom¡¯s national poption. ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Grim Reaper of the ins. Our tribe is willing to ept your offer and do our best,¡± a young chieftain said as he showed his respect by kowtowing on the ground. ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Grim Reaper of the ins.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Grim Reaper of the ins.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Grim Reaper of the ins.¡± The rest of the chieftains kowtowed on the ground and paid respect to Siegfried. Ding! A message suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried. [Alert: The Barbarians of the ins have sincerely submitted to you!] [Alert: The Barbarians of the ins ¡®Revere¡¯ you!] [Alert: Congrattions! You have sessfully conquered the ins!] Then, Siegfried received another title. [Alert: You have received a new title, ¡®Conqueror: Beginner¡¯ for conquering the ins!] The effect of the newly obtained title was as follows. [Conqueror: Beginner] [A title bestowed to monarchs who have sessfullypleted their first conquest.] [Type: Title] [Restriction: Feudal Lord or above] [Effect: Road to Conquest] [Road to Conquest: All damage dealt to enemies during a conquest is increased by 5%. (This buff effect affects not only the title holder but the forces under them as well.)] Siegfried wasn¡¯t sure if he would go on conquest campaigns in the near future, but the effect of his new title wasn¡¯t that bad since the buff also affected every single troop under hismand. ¡°Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Oscar responded. ¡°Let us go back. We do not have a reason to stay here any longer.¡± ¡°I shallmand our forces to withdraw.¡± ¡°Ah, I will leave the rest to you, Dame Oscar, and Sir Michele,¡± Siegfried said. He didn¡¯t forget to leave the tedious part of the work to his subordinates. *** Siegfried went to the Hometown of Death after the sessful campaign. ¡°Oh! Did you really find the mind sapphire?!¡± Quandt eximed, earnestly weing Siegfried. There was an exmation mark on top of Quandt¡¯s head, which was a Quest Clear Marker that let Siegfried know that he had sessfullypleted the quest. ¡°Yes, here it is,¡± Siegfried said as he handed over the mind sapphire he had obtained from Nascimento to Quandt. [Alert: You have cleared the Quest: ¡®For the Torrential Flower Rain!¡¯] ¡°Just give me a week. I will make you a throwing weapon set that will certainly be to your liking,¡± Quandt said confidently after receiving the mind sapphire from Siegfried. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Siegfried replied. *** A weekter, Quandt ced a chest in front of Siegfried. ¡°Here you go,¡± ¡°I guarantee that you will be able to use Torrential Flower Rain right away with this set.¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± Siegfried was shocked. The Torrential Flower Rain was a skill that ced great importance on mastery, but one also had to pour in a great deal of effort grinding it until one could finally use it properly. Practice, practice, and practice¡­ One would have to throw a throwing weapon at a target over and over again to raise the mastery of their ¡®Throwing¡¯ skill, and they would have to repeat that over and over again until they gained the ¡®Throwable Weapon Mastery¡¯ skill and raise its mastery level. ¡°Hoho! Don¡¯t look down on the Hometown of Death! This is a piece of cake for us!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Come on! Hurry up and open it!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± At Quandt¡¯s urging, Siegfried opened the chest containing the throwing weapon set. ¡°Is this a throwing weapon set? It looks like a disk to me?¡± Siegfried said, seemingly baffled after opening the chest. The reason for his confusion was that there were two green disks instead of a throwing weapon set in the chest. ¡°Yes, it looks like that, but why don¡¯t you take a closer look? Like this¡­ Now, does it still look like a disk to you?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Ipressed the dragon scales and forged them into thin throwing weapons. I stacked them into the shape of a disk! Haha!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°There are five hundred on each stack. You can use it with both hands!¡± Siegfried immediately used his Rune of Insight to check the details of the throwing weapon set Quandt made for him. [Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set] [A throwable set crafted from the scales of a Green Dragon.] [A throwable weapon crafted by the head of the Hometown of Death, Quandt. It is crafted toplement Weapon Master Shakiro¡¯s ultimate skill, the ¡®Torrential Flower Rain¡¯.] [Type: Throwable (Shuriken)] [Rating: Legendary] [Attribute: N/A] [Level Requirement: N/A] [Attack Power: 100 + damage from Torrential Flower Rain] [Durability: 1,000/1,000] [Effect: Throwable Weapon Mastery +10, Throwing Mastery +10, Torrential Flower Rain +3.] [Special Effects: Poison, Flying Sword] [Poison: Radioactive energy is infused at the tip of this throwable.] [Flying Sword: The user will be able to control the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set. Costs 11% of the user¡¯s mana every second. Mana cost is reduced the higher the level of Torrential Flower Rain.] The option and effects provided by the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set were simply amazing. How about its damage? It dealt one hundred damage per piece, which meant that throwing all one thousand pieces at a single target would deal one hundred thousand damage to them, excluding resistances and defense. Not to mention, the artifact increased the skill levels of Throwable Weapon Mastery and Throwing Mastery by 10 each, and it also increased the skill level of Torrential Flower Rain by 3. Everyone would agree that increasing a skill¡¯s level was the best possible option for an artifact, but the fact that it also increased the skill level of Torrential Flower Rain, which was a very difficult skill to level up, was nothing short of extraordinary. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in awe as he ced the disk in his hand. [Alert: You have obtained the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set!] [Alert: The Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set has been soulbound to you.] [Alert: Your Throwable Weapon Mastery skill has increased by 10 levels!] [Alert: Your Throwing Mastery skill has increased by 10 levels!] [Alert: You have learned the skill, Torrential Flower Rain!] [Alert: Your Torrential Flower Rain skill has increased by 3 levels!] A string of messages popped up in front of him as soon as he grabbed the disk, and one of them was informing him that the skill level of Torrential Flower Rain, which was the most difficult skill to level up in his arsenal, had increased by 3. ¡°So, how is it? What do you think of the skills of our Hometown of Death?¡± Quandt asked with a confident smile. Quandt said ¡®Hometown of Death¡¯ instead of ¡®my skills¡¯ because of the deep sense of affiliation and pride he had for the workshop he had dedicated his entire life to. ¡°It¡¯s the best,¡± Siegfried replied with a thumbs up. Where else on the continent could he find an artifact tailor-made for his needs? It was an artifact that he would have only dreamt of owning, but the Hometown of Death turned it into reality. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Keke! Don¡¯t mention it! If you¡¯re really grateful, then you just have to tell people that it was made by the head cksmith of the Hometown of Death, Quandt. That is the biggest joy for us craftsmen! Hahaha!¡± Quandt boisterouslyughed. ¡°I will definitely do that,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. Chapter 89

    Chapter 89

    Siegfried immediately returned to Casein Castle after obtaining the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set from Quandt. ¡°What the hell is that thing¡­?¡± Siegfried grumbled while looking at the lord¡¯s hall, which was still being reconstructed after it was destroyed by Smooger when it went on a rampage. However, there was something strange that seemed to be out of ce in the lord¡¯s hall. ¡°Why is that over there¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly confused. ¡°Hyung-nim! That is a symbol of your authority, don¡¯t you think so??Hahahaha!¡± Seung-Gu, who was overseeing the construction site, said with a burst of boisterousughter before asking, ¡°You¡¯re going to be a Ranker, so don¡¯t you think you need a throne that looks as cool as that?¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. ¡°Kyah! Look at that! Awesome! Double-Awesome! Triple-Awesome!¡± Seung-Gu raised a fuss while pointing at a structure in the lord¡¯s hall. ¡®Ah¡­ what the hell is this? Does he even know how much that thing is worth?¡¯?Siegfried thought with his face covered in despair. ¡®What kind of an idiot turns a dragon¡¯s skull into a throne¡­?¡¯? Siegfriedmented as his chair, which was previously made out of simple steel and metals, had transformed into a luxury chair carved out of a dragon¡¯s skull. Michele, who was also overseeing the construction progress, appeared and said, ¡°I believe it will be wise to leave it as it is.¡± ¡°Just leave it as it is? Leave that like that?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Do you know how much that is worth¡­? With that money, we can¡ª¡± ¡°Money can only measure an item''s present value. Do you not agree, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°A luxury item is indeed not worth what it costs if you judge it solely by its functions, but it is an entirely different matter if you include what kind of message it sends. A luxury item is a symbol. A throne made out of a dragon¡¯s skull is a very useful thing to proim Your Majesty¡¯s authority and glory to those fortunate enough to witness it.¡± ¡°But still¡­ isn¡¯t that crossing the line?¡± ¡°It is something I decided as the Minister of State, so I hope that Your Majesty will graciously allow it,¡± Michele added while earnestly bowing toward Siegfried. ¡®This damned little brat¡­!¡¯? Siegfried clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. Anger welled up inside of him when he thought about how the dragon¡¯s skull was wasted. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to swallow it and cry tears of blood since he couldn¡¯t simply ignore and overturn the decision made by Michele, the Minister of State he had personally appointed. It seemed that Siegfried was still a good distance away from splurging on luxury items¡­ *** The next afternoon¡­ ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave it to you,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°You do not have to worry about anything here,¡± Michele replied. ¡°Cool,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. He passed everything he had to do onto Michele and left Casein Castle. It had been a while since he cooped up in his territory. Now, it was time for him to go on an adventure again to bolster his growth. Woooong! The warp gate installed in Casein Castle emitted a bright light. Siegfried didn¡¯t even have to think about his next destination. ¡®I¡¯m Level 83, so that ce will be the best with my current level¡­¡¯? Siegfried stepped into the warp gate with a specific hunting ground in mind. *** sh! The warp gate let out a bright light once again. [Southern Tip of the N¨¹rburg Continent: Arachnid Temporary Outstation] A message popped up in front of Siegfried. ¡®It has been a while¡­¡¯?he thought as he looked around with a smile. ¡°Looking for party members!¡± ¡°Any Healers Level 150 or above?!¡± ¡°Personal boosting services, anyone interested?!¡± ¡°Buying each mutated beast¡¯s heart for three gold each!¡± ¡°Physical damage party on standby! Looking for a Physical Buffer!¡± The Arachnid Temporary Outstation was filled with thousands of Adventurers, and the multitude of Adventurers made the entire ce look like a bustling marketce. ¡®Nothing has changed,¡¯?he thought, reminiscing about the past. This wasn¡¯t his first timeing to the Arachnid Temporary Outstation. This ce inhabited by mutated creatures was one of the busiest ces on the entire continent. Why? It was because this ce was overflowing with monsters to hunt. Cryptids, the mutated creatures here, suddenly formed groups one day and started mutating amongst themselves. They mutated so rapidly that it was no longer appropriate to call it a ¡®mutation¡¯ anymore. Thanks to that, the once thriving Arachnid Territory was overrun by Cryptids, and it had been a long time since they turned the ce into theirir. ¡®Shall we go and get a quest first?¡¯? Siegfried scoured his memories and went somewhere. *** Siegfried went to the Coalition Forces¡¯ Conscription Station in the Arachnid Temporary Outstation. ¡°I wish to join the Cryptid Subjugation Campaign,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Please fill up this form. Everything will be randomly decided, so just keep that in mind,¡± said the receptionist at the conscription station. The Arachnid Temporary Outstation had always been run this way. It was impossible to find the usual nonchnt operation of the Mercenary Guild found in other hunting grounds. Cryptids were famous for their habit of moving in a groupposed of ten at a minimum and up to tens of thousands. As such, it was imperative for Adventurers to work in a systematic manner with the army for this specific hunting ground. As a result, the Adventurers had to listen to themands of an army officer assigned to them by the Continent Coalition Forces even though they had already formed their own respective parties. [Conscription Form] [Name: Sieg] [Type: Adventurer] [Sex: Male] [Mercenary Guild Rank: Silver III] [Affiliation: N/A] [Title: N/A] [Joining Motive: World Peace] [I hereby dere that the information given above is true and correct to the best of my knowledge, and I swear that none of them are false.] [Signed: Sieg] Siegfried decided to hide his identity since he wasn¡¯t worried about getting found out. [Sieg] [Type: Adventurer] [ss: Poison Mage] [Level: 83] [Mercenary Guild Rating: Silver III] [Title: N/A] Siegfried was currently wearing the Metamorphosis Mask he had received from Cheon Woo-Jin, so he managed to hide from the Rune of Insight. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re Silver?¡± asked the receptionist with a look that seemed to say ¡®where the hell did this even weaklinge from?¡¯ while he was looking at Siegfried. ¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡± ¡°Your rank is a bit low¡­ will you be alright?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Where shall I send you? I will assign you to the area you want, but the squad you will be assigned to will be randomly decided.¡± ¡°I think a C Rank area will suffice.¡± ¡°What?! C Rank area?!¡± the reception eximed in surprise. The Arachnid Temporary Outpost was divided into U, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F Rank areas, and the C Rank area was where Level 100 to 120 Adventurers hunted. ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯re just a Silver III Adventurer¡­¡± ¡°I am. Please just assign me to the C Rank area.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess it will be fine since you guys don¡¯t die anyway¡­¡± the receptionist said. He sighed in resignation while shaking his head before stamping Siegfried¡¯s conscription form. Tak! *** [Alert: You have been assigned to Area C-21 ¡®Alligator Squad¡¯ by the Continental Coalition Forces!] [Alert: Go and look for the Squadron Leader of the ¡®Alligator Squad¡¯ at Area C-21!] Siegfried went to the C-21 area within the C Rank area to find his squadron. ¡°Alligator¡­ Alligator¡­¡± he muttered while looking around. It wasn¡¯t to look for the Alligator Squad since there were so many squadron gs in the area. ¡°They¡¯reing!¡± one of the soldiers suddenly shouted while pointing in the distance. Afterward, the NPCs and Adventurers in the area sneered. It seemed each of them had something to say. ¡°Buahahahaha!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ they¡¯re pretty resilient I give them that¡­¡± ¡°Another wipeout?¡± ¡°The Squadron Leader survived again? Is he invincible or what?¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ Tsk¡­¡± Siegfried listened to thements from the masses and found that none of them were positive. He turned and followed everyone¡¯s eyes and thought, ¡®I guess that exins it¡­¡¯ He realized why the people were murmuring and sneering. Losers. With just a single nce, he could tell that they were losers and the survivors of their squad even from a mile away. However, the symbol engraved on the g the losers were carrying was indisputably an alligator. In short, the squad greeted by the public¡¯s sneering and mocking upon returning from the battlefield was none other than the squadron assigned to Siegfried. And the Squad Leader of the Alligator Squad was¡­ [Carell de Biermann] [Type: NPC] [Level: 71] [ss: Knight] [Title: Lowest-Ranked Sword Expert] [Affiliation: Continent Coalition Forces, 3rd Corps 8th Division 2nd Infantry Battalion Alligator Squad] [Rank: Captain] [Job: Squad Leader] [Title: Undying Loser, Country Bumpkin, Useless Commander, Commander Marked By Death, Expert Loser] Surprisingly, the Squad Leader of the Alligator Squad was none other than the son of Baron Wegmann. However, Baron Wegmann¡¯s son was supposedly studying at the Royal Knight Academy. *** Thirty minutester¡­ ¡°Adventurer Sieg has been assigned to the 3rd Corps 8th Division 2nd Infantry Battalion Alligator Squad! Salute!¡± Siegfried eximed, raising a salute to Baron Wegmann¡¯s son. ¡°Salute. At rest.¡± ¡°At rest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Sieg. I am the Squad Leader of the Alligator Squad, Carell de Biermann¡­¡± Carell introduced himself with apleteck of enthusiasm. ¡®This looks serious¡­¡¯? Siegfried clicked his tongue while observing Carell. Carell¡¯s current state was extremely pitiful. He was a captain and a squad leader, but he had no air of authority around him. Even the average soldier and Adventurer were moremanding than he was. Carell¡¯s current appearance perfectly fit the description of a loser returning from war as his eyes were dazed, he was trembling from anxiety, his hair was disheveled, his uniform was torn, his sword was chipped, and his skin looked like he hadn¡¯t washed the filth off of it for several days. ¡°I hope that we can fight together for a long time¡­ I really hope so¡­¡± Carell weakly muttered. It was then¡­ ¡°We are going now, Squad Leader.¡± ¡°Have a nice day.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you will survive. Let¡¯s wait and see¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ How can someone like him be amanding officer? Ah, everyone died because of him. Tsk!¡± ¡°I knew something was fishy the moment I stepped in here!¡± A group of Adventurers appeared and gave a one-sided request for dismissal before leaving. Siegfried could tell at a single nce that they were furious after losing their party members and missing out on Experience Points. They all med Carell for their losses. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Carell let out a sigh. He looked at Siegfried and said, ¡°Did you say your name was Sieg? It will be best for you if you request for dismissal as well¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t live to see another day if you stay with me¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Nobody has stayed long around me. My soldiers died, and the Adventurers left. It will be best for you to leave before you get disappointed¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Siegfried shook his head and said, ¡°This is my first day, so how can I request for my dismissal?¡± ¡°You will regret it.¡± ¡°We just have to see, don¡¯t we? Anyway, I will be on standby. Salute!¡± ¡°Salute¡­¡± Not a single part of Carell looked like a soldier, even as he reciprocated Siegfried¡¯s salute with his own. *** ¡®I wonder what the hell happened to him?¡¯?Siegfried wondered as he went around and asked the soldiers and Adventurers about Carell. The responses he got were all the same. ¡°Ah¡­ that guy¡­¡± ¡°I would love nothing more than to request for a transfer or get dismissed, but¡­ haaa! The adventurers aren¡¯t professional soldiers, so they can request for their own dismissal or transfer as much as they want, but that isn¡¯t the case for us. Damn it¡­ I don¡¯t think I will get to live a long life because of that bastard¡­¡± ¡°It might be better for us to jump into battle without amander than let that bastard lead us to our deaths!¡± ¡°Ah, I only have a bit left before I level up once more, so I¡¯ll request for dismissal after one more battle.¡± ¡°Desertion is my only hope for survival at this point¡­ damn it¡­¡± Every single one of them rated Carell as either ¡®pathetic¡¯ or ¡®the worst,¡¯ and it seemed that the NPCs'' opinion of him was worse than the Adventurers¡¯ opinion of him. It was all because the Adventurers were immortal, so they could just request for a transfer or dismissal after a failed campaign, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the NPCs. They couldn¡¯t do the same, so they had no choice but to put their lives in Carell¡¯s hands. ¡®How pathetic is he, though¡­?¡¯? Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but wonder about Carell¡¯s abilities after hearing all the feedback. Chapter 90

    Chapter 90

    It did not take long for Siegfried to get the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity. That afternoon¡­ ¡°Alligator Squad! All forces report to your squad tent!¡± Siegfried was leisurely watching some videos posted by top Rankers when the Assemblemand was given. He slowly went to the tent that was acting as the squad¡¯s headquarters. ¡°We received an order from the top. We will be ambushing the Cryptids¡¯ colony in exactly one hour,¡± Carell said. Then, the squad members, the NPCs to be exact, grimaced at his words. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ ¡®We have to mobilize again?!¡¯ ¡®What sins have Imitted in my previous life¡­?¡¯ ¡®Aren¡¯t they just tantly sending us to our deaths¡­?¡¯ ¡®How the hell are we supposed to obey themands of that bastard again¡­?¡¯ ¡®Ah¡­ mothers¡­¡¯ Their reactions reminded Siegfried of a famousmercial song that went along the lines of something like: ¡°I can tell even if you don¡¯t tell me~¡± The squad members¡¯ faces openly conveyed the thoughts in their minds, and it was clear that they were filled with distrust and anxiety over Carell¡¯s leadership. ¡°Uhm¡­?squad leader-nim¡­? How many squads are joining this operation?¡± asked one of the soldiers. ¡°It will only be us,¡± Carell replied. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°It is an order from above. Only our Alligator Squad will mobilize for this mission.¡± ¡°Fuck this shit! Is this some kind of a bad joke?!¡± the soldier cursed out loud before continuing. ¡°Does this even make sense?! Only five hours have passed since we returned after fighting all night, but they are asking us to mobilize again?! Ha?! Only our squad on top of that? Aren¡¯t they just sending us to our deaths at this point?!¡± The other soldiers seemed to agree with the soldiers¡¯ words. ¡°They should just ask us to jump off a cliff at this rate.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ should we just plop dead then? Is that what they want?¡± ¡°Who gave this order?¡± There was severe discontent since the soldiers were still tired from their previous mobilization. ¡°It is amand from above¡­¡± However, Carell responded to their discontent by saying that it was amand from above, so they should just carry out their duties even though he himself seemed to be the most exhausted among the squad members. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re going to die a dog¡¯s death because of our squad leader!¡± ¡°Why do we have to suffer when he is the one who has a problem with the higher-ups?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t he just go and die already?¡± Carell was openly criticized and cursed at by the soldiers, but nobody dared mention anything about insubordination among them, and neither did Carell say anything about it. ¡°We will mobilize in an hour¡­ that¡¯s all¡­¡± Regardless of the soldiers¡¯ cursing, Carell said whatever he needed to say before going back into his tent. ¡°This is a disaster¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He had been quietly observing the situation from the back. *** An hourter, the Alligator Squad mobilized to ambush a small Cryptid colony. ¡°They¡¯re going to their deaths again.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk¡­?I feel bad for them.¡± ¡°I hope at least more of them can return this time¡­¡± The other squad looked at them with pity. ¡°¡­¡± Silence ensued throughout the entire Alligator Squad on their way to the Cryptid colony. ¡°It is a simple ambush operation. The colony is not that big, so you don¡¯t have to be so nervous¡­¡± Carell tried his best to carry out his duties as the squad leader and alleviate the squad members¡¯ anxiety, but there was no way that was going to work. Their situation was currently so dire that even a skilledmander¡¯s words of encouragement were going to fall on deaf ears. As such, there was no way that the words of a useless and patheticmander like him would raise the squad¡¯s morale. ¡°The small colony is right up ahead after these trees¡ª¡± Carell trailed off. He couldn¡¯t finish his words because the squad members started cursing once again. ¡°Small colony?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s small?!¡± ¡°Fuck this shit!¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± In fact, even Siegfried chimed in as heughed in disbelief and muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s small at all¡­?¡± The ¡®small¡¯ colony of Cryptids turned out to be arge one that would be too much to handle even if an entire battalion was mobilized. ¡°T-This is¡­¡± Carell¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Squad leader-nim! We cannot continue with this operation! We¡¯re all going to die!¡± one of the soldiers raised an objection. ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°Are you telling us to go die? This is an order from the top for us to die! Does this even make sense?!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Carell shouted before stuttering, ¡°I¡­ I am¡­ I am a knight.¡± ¡°Huh? What does that matter right now?¡± the soldier muttered, seemingly confused. ¡°And all of you are soldiers¡­¡± Carell continued. ¡°Ha!¡± the soldier scoffed. ¡°We willmence with the operation. A soldier lives by themand and dies by themand. That is the path of a¡ª¡± Carell went on. ¡°Hey, you crazy bastard!¡± the soldier shouted at his squad leader. Insubordination. The fact that a foot soldier from a normal background dared to curse at his superior, who was a knight of noble lineage, was a serious offense that justified being cut down on the spot. However, none of the soldiers rebuked him for his insubordination since the soldiers gathered in the squad were all conscripted soldiers. This meant that these soldiers didn¡¯t possess the same patriotism or sense of duty as the professional soldiers who graduated from military school. As such, these soldiers ced far greater importance on their own survival than themand from the higher-ups. What about the Adventurers? They didn¡¯t really care about what was going on since they were something like a mercenary here, and they were immortal anyway, so they didn¡¯t really get involved with the affairs of the NPCs. ¡°Go ahead and die on your own if you want to die so badly! Fuck that you are a soldier or whatnot bullshit you¡¯re spouting¡ª¡± the soldier cursed However, Carell cut him off with a shout, ¡°It is an order from above! I will not tolerate any further insubordination! We aremencing the operation!¡± ¡°This son of a bitch, really¡­¡± the soldier grumbled and gnashed his teeth. ¡°Any further disobedience or mutiny will be paid for with death!¡± Carell pulled out his sword. ¡°Death? Ha!?Sure, go ahead, you bastard! Go ahead and kill me! Kill me! We¡¯re all going to die anyway, so what difference does it matter if I¡¯m killed by you or those monsters? Ha?!?And there is no way a pathetic knight like you will be able to kill me¡ª¡± Patatata! Something interrupted by flying toward them. . ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡±?the soldier screamed as he was scooped up into the air. ¡°¡­!¡± The entire squad shifted their gaze above them. ¡°Kyaaak!¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± And they found dozens of flying monsters going straight for them from above. ¡°E-Enemy!¡± ¡°Flying monsters have appeared!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ambush!¡± The attack of the Cryptids hadmenced. *** ¡°Euak!¡± ¡°Save?meeee!¡± ¡°Gwuaaak!¡± The soldiers started dying one by one, starting with the soldier who dissed Carell. ~ [Mostid] [A Cryptid that is capable of flying.] [It shoots out poison from above and dives down to pick up its enemies before flying back up.] [Type: Mutated Creature (Flying)] [Level: 100] ~ The Mostids¡ªeach the size of a bull¡ªdevastated the entire squad by shooting poison and picking up soldiers one by one. In the midst of all these¡­ ¡°D-Defend yourselves! Enemy ambush!¡± Carell called out. He didn¡¯t give any propermands. He simply shouted the words ¡®defend¡¯ and ¡®ambush¡¯ again and again. ¡°Hey! Use your shield and defend us!¡± ¡°Anyone with crowd control skills?! Try to hold them down when they dive down!¡± ¡°Hahaha! This is insanely fun! Wow!¡± Meanwhile, the Adventurers, who had long gotten used to party hunting, were doing well as they fought the Mostids without Carell¡¯smands. In fact, even the soldiers ran and stuck with the Adventurers rather than sticking around Carell. However, thatsted only for a little while¡­ ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ there goes my forty-nine hours!¡± ¡°Ah, screw this shit. How are we supposed to win this?¡± The Adventurers logged out or died one by one, and the squad suffered even more casualties after they disappeared. ¡°N-No¡­!¡± Carell shouted with obvious desperation in his voice, but that was it. He didn¡¯t give out any usefulmands, and he also didn¡¯t try to maintain order like a truemander would have done in a situation like this. ¡®Wow¡­ Forget about a disaster¡­ Isn¡¯t this situation just unsalvageable¡­?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled while looking at Carell, and he finally realized why the Alligator Squad ended up bing the icon of defeat and humiliation. A patheticmander on top of unreasonablemands from the top? This was no different than driving the soldiers to their deaths. Siegfried could somewhat understand the soldiers¡¯ feelings now. ¡®I don¡¯t think I can continue watching any longer, so¡­¡¯? Siegfried finally made his move. *** Meanwhile¡­ Badump! Badump! Badump!? Carell¡¯s heart started beating like crazy as he thought, ¡®I¡­ What should I do¡­? My soldiers are dying¡­ I¡¯m theirmander¡­ I have to save them! But what am I¡­ what am I supposed to do in this situation¡­?¡¯? However, no solution came to his mind, no matter how much he racked his brain. His mind had already been tainted with fear, confusion, and self-doubt to the extent that he could no longer think rationally. Things had always been like this. He had always been useless in situations like this, and the only reason he managed to survive was because of his personal abilities. Frankly speaking, Carell¡¯s abilities had been growing steadily ever since he got stationed here at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost. His potential as a warrior started to blossom after every life-and-death situation against the Cryptids. Was it not a clich¨¦ that a warrior would be stronger for every life and death situation they faced? Unfortunately, being a skilled warrior and being a skilledmander who could maintain their cool in situations like this were twopletely different things. Carell had been swinging his sword for the sake of his own survival, and he had never once tried to maintain a level head nor analyzed the situation. As such, he got unsurprisinglybeled as the infamous ¡®Undying Loser¡¯ or the ¡®Commander Marked by Death¡¯. However, it seems that he had reached his limits. The abilities that had kept him alive until now were nowhere near enough to keep him alive against this group of Mostids. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± A Mostid made a dive for Carell. ¡°Keuk!¡±?Carell groaned as he fell to the ground. ¡°Kyaaak!¡±?The Mostid shrieked before opening its hideous mouth. The Mostid was about to shoot its poison at Carell, but a hammer flew from out of nowhere and swatted the Mostid away from the knight. Whoooosh¡­ Pak! Splurt! The Mostid¡¯s body exploded after being hit by the hammer, sending its green gooey blood all over the knight. *** Carell managed to avoid being poisoned by the Mostid¡¯s blood thanks to his full armor. ¡°Sir, it is time for you to get up,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°S-Sieg¡­!¡± ¡°Sir, you have to get up and startmanding. Sir, look, your soldiers are all dying, sir,¡± Siegfried said while pointing at the battlefield. His way of speech suddenly reverted back to the days when he used to serve in the military. ¡°B-But¡­ There is nothing that I can do¡­¡± ¡°Sir, just give out amand, sir¡­¡± ¡°Amand¡­?¡± ¡°Sir, I will go and sweep all of them up, sir.¡± ¡°Can you really do that?¡± ¡°Just give themand. I will make it happen,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. Carell saw that Siegfried¡¯s smile carried a sense of confidence only those who were truly powerful enough to back up their own words could show. Siegfried was able to maintain his cool despite the overwhelming numerical disadvantage since he had already experienced much worse battles than this one. ¡°S-Sieg¡­¡± ¡°Yes, squad leader-nim?¡± ¡°Please go and take care of them¡­ if that is really¡­ possible¡­¡± ¡°I can really do it, you know? Ah, and¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°You should go and care for the wounded while I sweep these monsters up, and you should handle any stragglers that I might miss.¡± ¡°U-Understood!¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before taking out two green disks. Tak! He jumped up into the sky with both green disks in his hand. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± ¡°Kyak!?Kyaaaak!¡± ¡°Kyaaak!¡± The Mostids rushed toward Siegfried. ¡®Torrential¡­¡¯?Siegfried tightly gripped the two disks in each hand. ¡®Flower Rain¡­¡¯? Then, he threw both disks! sh! A green light shed in the sky, and then¡­ Shwak! Shwak! Shwak!? The flower petals of death filled the sky. 1. It is mandatory for all able-bodied Korean men to serve in the military once they hit 18. The above sir, sir, sir, is azy and sarcastic way of speaking once a mandatory conscript gained a few ranks. The actual word in Korean is ¡®????¡¯ which means I say or I mean, but that doesn¡¯t sound right, so I went with multiple sirs instead. Chapter 91

    Chapter 91

    It was Siegfried¡¯s first time using Torrential Flower Rain, but its overwhelming power was still something simply impossible to put into words. The disks thrown by Siegfried separated into a thousand shuriken that painted the sky green before mercilessly cutting the Mostids down. The Mostids possessed an exoskeleton that was pretty tough, but the Torrential Flower Rain¡¯s destructive power didn¡¯t have any problems shredding the flying monsters. On top of that, the radioactive energy infused in the shuriken was so powerful that it managed to poison the Mostids, even though they possessed resistance against poison. The shurikens only had to graze them, and they would immediately die. However, that was only the beginning¡­ The shurikens didn¡¯t stop after a single attack. Whiiiiiish! Siegfried¡¯s mana turned into a storm that covered the sky! Shwaaak! His shurikens continuously flew throughout the sky along with his mana! The Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set, which was crafted from a Green Dragon¡¯s scales, mind sapphire, and mind metal, did not lose its kic energy even after hitting a target. As such, Siegfried could move them around at will and wreak havoc across the entire battlefield. The entire scenery looked like¡­ ¡°It¡¯s raining¡­ death. The flower petals of death¡­ they¡¯re covering the entire sky¡­¡± someone muttered while looking up in a daze. It looked like flower petals were flying throughout the sky, and it was indeed a beautiful sight. *** While Siegfried was busy using Torrential Flower Rain to sweep up the Mostids¡­ ¡®I have to regainmand! That¡¯s the only way the soldiers will survive¡­! I am their squad leader!¡¯?Carell thought as he gnashed his teeth. ¡°Hey, you there! Move! This is yourmander¡¯s order! Don¡¯t just stand around! Move the injured to a safer ce!¡± ¡°The three of you! Go around and deal the final blow to the monsters that fell down from the sky!¡± ¡°Adventurers! Protect your fellow allies!¡± He pointed at each soldier individually and gave them amand as he showed a side of him that waspletely different from his usual self. ¡®An Adventurer is carrying the full weight of a squad! I have to do something as well!¡¯? Carell steeled his resolve. He was a patheticmander, but he wasn¡¯t an irresponsible person. In fact, he was a diligent and responsible person who strived to do his best in any situation. There was no problem with his personality as a knight. Unfortunately, the tasks he had been receiving were far too overwhelming for him to handle all alone. *** When the flower petals of death stopped their carnage, Mostids could no longer be seen in the air. An overwhelming victory! The thousands of shuriken flying across the air turned the Mostids into sitting ducks. ¡®Excellent¡­ this is the best¡­! Master Shakiro-nim, you are truly the best!¡¯?Siegfried thought with a huge smile after using Torrential Flower Rain. The skill truly lived up to its reputation as the ultimate skill personally created by one of the Five Star Heavens, Weapon Master Shakiro. [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have gained Experience Points!] Naturally, Siegfried gained a ton of experience points thanks to it. However, the skill consumed a lot of mana. The Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set¡¯s ¡®Flying Sword¡¯ option consumed 11% of his mana per second on top of the 30% mana required to activate the Torrential Flower Rain in the first ce. Thanks to that, Siegfried¡¯s mana was currently empty¡ªzero. ¡°What was that skill just now?¡± ¡°Hyung, weren¡¯t you a Poison Mage? What skill was that? Was that a spell?¡± ¡°Hmm? Look at his item. That¡¯s an artifact crafted by the Hometown of Death, right?¡± ¡°Oh¡­?he¡¯s overgeared¡­¡± ¡°What kind of item raises Throwable Weapon Mastery and Throwing Mastery by 10 levels¡­?¡± ¡°What kind of skills was that Torrential Flower Rain? Was that it just now?¡± ¡°Hyung, you¡¯re super awesome!¡± The Adventurers in the same squad as Siegfried gathered around him and started praising his item and skill. ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I¡¯m just overgeared¡­ haha¡­¡± Siegfried used the convenient exnation that he was overgeared without giving any clear answers to their questions. ¡®You guys are annoying, so just back off¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. Siegfried felt that he had no obligation to exin his item and skill to people unrted to him. Not to mention¡­ ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± ¡°Kireuk!?Kireuk!¡± ¡°Krreuk!?Kreuuu¡­!¡± A swarm of monsters was rushing out from the Cryptid colony in the distance, and this meant that the battle wasn¡¯t over just yet. ¡°They¡¯reing again. Get ready for battle,¡± Siegfried said. He drank a mana potion while pointing at the swarm of monsters. He had no choice but to consume mana potions. The Torrential Flower Rain he had just cast had consumed all of his mana, after all. ¡°Can you guys buy me some time until I replenish my mana? I will handle them once I recover,¡± Siegfried asked. The Adventurers tilted their heads in confusion at his words before grimacing. ¡®What? He will take care of all of that when he isn¡¯t even Level 100?¡¯ ¡®Isn¡¯t he being too arrogant just because he got some good items after spending a shit ton of cash?¡¯ ¡®I think his items got into his head¡­¡¯ ¡®Ah, another yer spouting bullshit¡­¡¯ The Adventurers in the squadron, who were mostly Level 100 and above, could only understand Siegfried¡¯s words to be the nonsensical ramblings of a rich yer who managed to get his hands on some nice items. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t really care about what they thought. ¡®I will have to be careful using Torrential Flower Rain from now on¡­ the mana consumption is simply too high¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while drinking bottle after bottle of expensive mana potions with a heavy heart. *** The Alligator Squad shed against the swarm of monsters while Siegfried was recovering his mana. The mutated monsters resembled normal predators like wolves and tigers. However, powerful monsters like orcs, ogres, trolls, and minotaurs were mutated as well, which made fighting the Cryptids an extremely challenging task. In addition to the insane reproductive ability of the Cryptids, one would have a swarm of monsters that made the monster wave at Sohoca Ruins look like a walk in the park. ¡°How long do we have to hold on?!¡± ¡°You said you¡¯re replenishing your mana!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Damn it! Who the fuck nned this campaign?!¡± ¡°Euaaaaak!¡± While the squad members were busy screaming all sorts of grumblings,ints, and curses, Siegfried stepped forward and said, ¡°Stand back. I won¡¯t take responsibility if you die because you were nearby.¡± ¡®Look at him trying to act cool as if he¡¯s a Ranker¡­¡¯ ¡®He won¡¯t take what if I die?¡¯ ¡®Ha! Shall we take a look if he can put his money where his mouth is? He probably only knows how to depend on his weapons¡­ tsk!¡¯ The eyes of the Adventurers looking at Siegfried gleamed with distrust rather than curiosity. Their eyes seemed like they were saying something along the lines of ¡®alright, let¡¯s see what you can do¡¯?as they red at him. Weakling. Siegfried¡¯s level was simply too low for anyone to take his words seriously in this ce, but their opinions of him soon changed the moment he activated Irradiate and faced the swarm of monsters head-on. Sseuuu¡­! Radioactive energy flowed out from Siegfried¡¯s body. Step¡­ Step¡­ Step¡­ The Cryptids were about to make contact with the greenish fog around Siegfried. In short, ¡®Death¡¯ was about to descend upon the battlefield. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Thud¡­? . The Cryptids dropped dead one by one¡­ ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°What is that damage?!¡± ¡°He instantly killed the Level 100 monsters?!¡± ¡°Is that an eraser or what?¡± The Adventurers were shocked at what they were witnessing with their very own eyes. Insta-kill. The HP bar of the Cryptids was depleted in just a second the moment they came into contact with Irradiate. The Cryptids were at least Level 100 monsters. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead,¡± Siegfried said before adding, ¡°Maybe around ten seconds? You will be fine as long as you maintain a safe distance from me. If not¡­ you will die.¡± He warned the squad members regarding his poisonous fog before walking toward the direction of the Cryptid colony. It looked like he was going tomit suicide. What kind of a sane person would walk into a colony swarming with thousands of monsters? He was certainly going to be surrounded in an instant and ripped to shreds before he could even notice it. However, Siegfried remained unfazed because¡­ He was Death incarnated in this ce. ¡®Oh~ Sweet~ Experience~ Points~¡¯?He merrily hummed inside as he entered the Cryptid colony, which looked like a mine filled with a mother lode of experience points. [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 84!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 85!] The monsters below Level 200 dropped dead like flies exposed to insecticide the moment Irradiate, which possessed the same traits as a Green Dragon¡¯s Poison Breath, came into contact with them. *** The Alligator Squad managed to conquer the Cryptid colony in an instant with the Grim Reaper named ¡®Sieg¡¯ at the vanguard. Champion monsters? Named monsters? Mini-Boss? None of the monsters in the C Rank area could survive Siegfried¡¯s Irradiate, and the boss monster was no exception. [Alert: You have sessfully killed the Boss Monster, ¡®King Mostid¡¯!] [Alert: You have destroyed a C Rank hatchery!] In addition to killing the boss monster, Siegfried also destroyed the hatchery of the C Rank area, and the Alligator Squad returned to Area C-21 after sessfully destroying the key facility of the Mostids. Then, the news of their triumphant return and heroics reached the ears of the knight in charge of Area C-21, Lt. Colonel Fallschirm from the Macan Kingdom. He was also themander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion. Of course, there was no need to mention that the culprit behind the absurd orders to Carell was none other than Lt. Colonel Fallschirm. ¡°The Alligator Squad came back alive from that operation?¡± Fallschirm asked one of his officers. However, his eyes were still fixated on the parchment in front of him without showing any particr emotion or reaction to the news. ¡°How many returned alive? Ten? Twenty?¡± he asked. ¡°No, sir, fifty-six out of seventy-eight survived,¡± the officer reported. ¡°Hmm?¡± Fallschirm raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Fifty-six? Is that even possible? That colony would have been impossible to conquer even with a battalion¡­ The reason I gave that order in the first ce was to scout that colony¡¯s strength¡­¡± ¡°The reports state that one of the newly recruited Adventurers had the ability tomit arge-scale massacre. The person of interest is Private Sieg, a Silver III Adventurer of the Mercenary Guild.¡± ¡°Private Sieg¡­ It seems that a useful one came in. Monitor him from now on.¡± ¡°Yes,mander-nim.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Alligator Squad¡­ They keeping back alive. Are they simply lucky, or does theirmander has some skills up his sleeves? Hoho!¡± ¡°How should we follow up?¡± ¡°Follow up?¡± ¡°It is amendable achievement. We will have to award them for¡ª¡± the officer started. However, Fallschirm cut him off and said, ¡°They¡¯re going to die anyway.¡± Then, he continued. ¡°What¡¯s the point of giving rewards to disposable soldiers? Our battalion¡¯s finances are precious; remember that. We don¡¯t have to give any rewards to trash like them.¡± ¡°Then shall we select a few of them and give them a vacation as a reward?¡± ¡°Vacation? Who is going to protect ournds if our soldiers go on vacation? Who will fight? Will you take their ce?¡± ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Just think of them as walking corpses on borrowed time. All right? Is there a reason to feed corpses?¡± At that moment, the officer couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Ah¡­ what a cruel bastard¡­ Ha¡­ what does he think of human life? What? Disposable soldiers?¡¯ The officer boiled with anger inside. Fallschirm. He was amander who thought of his soldiers as nothing but disposable pawns. He considered this battlefield, where countless lives were lost every single day and where the future of the Macan Kingdom hung in the bnce, as nothing more than a stepping stone for his future. It could also just be a simple game of chess for him. Chapter 92

    Chapter 92

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be afraid of losing soldiers on the battlefield. You can just replenish them again, right? Besides, the adventurers will continue to flock over here anyway, and they are the type of people who will jump headfirst into a dragon¡¯s jaw if someone tells them that they can grow stronger by doing that. Those reckless people are immortal, after all. Our soldiers, you say? Aren¡¯t we being sent reinforcements from all over the continent?¡± Fallschirm nonchntly said with a shrug. ¡°But the officers¡­¡± ¡°Of course, the officers are indeed a valuable resource since the number of freshmen knights we have this year is less than three hundred, or so I believe, and ten of them were unfortunate enough to be sent here as soon as they were knighted. However, a person¡¯s pedigree is what¡¯s most important to them. What¡¯s the background of Squad Leader Carell of the Alligator Squad again?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the son of a remote province¡¯s¡­ feudal lord¡­¡± ¡°His father, Biermann, won¡¯t be able to utter a single word even if his son dies a dog¡¯s death here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There are two kinds of people in this world. The kind that you can treat however you want and those who have to be treated well. Carell is in the former. We just have to use him until his dying breath and rece him with someone else. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some poor knight somewhere who¡¯s from the same or even less of a house than he is from, so we shouldn¡¯t have much trouble recing him.¡± Fallschirm¡¯s words were heartless, and this was the reason he earned the moniker ¡®Heartless Fallschirm¡¯. ¡°Set your useless emotions aside and submit a report about the matter.¡± ¡°Yes, I was about to¡ª¡± ¡°Our battalion exterminated a C Rank colony. Sounds good, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Battalion? But this operation was carried out by the Alligator Squad alone¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the Alligator Squad a part of our battalion?¡± ¡°That is correct, but¡­¡± ¡°How long has it been since you were promoted to lieutenantmander?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You will have to be a lieutenant colonel at least to be able to get a nice position at the capital in yourter years¡­ Hmm¡­ now that I think about it¡­ I believe it is time to sign your performance evaluation for this month¡­¡± Fallschirm said as he retrieved a document with the officer¡¯s name on it. ¡°The report¡­¡± the officer muttered. He clenched his fists and said, ¡°I will write it as you have instructed, sir. ¡®Our battalion exterminated a C Rank colony¡¯ does sound appropriate for the report.¡± In the end, the officer had no choice but to give in to what Heartless Fallschirm wanted. ¡°Good,¡± Fallschirm said with a smile. Bam! He stamped a parchment of paper with his seal. The details on the paper were¡­ [Sorscimus de Smallball] [Rank: Captain] [Position: Officer] [Performance Evaluation: S] [Battalion Commander, Fallschirm de Coldhand (sign)] *** The Alligator Squad¡¯s return with most of their members alive was enough to surprise the entire battalion. ¡°Huh? They survived?¡± ¡°They came back alive?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The other squad couldn¡¯t hide their confusion and surprise. It was indeed a surprising turn of events. Why? The Alligator Squad had always returned defeated and at the brink of annihtion. ¡°Squad leader-nim,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Ah,?Private Sieg!¡± Carell responded with enthusiasm, and then he proceeded topliment him, ¡°You were truly¡ª¡± However, Siegfried immediately cut him off and asked, ¡°Do you have a minute?¡± ¡°Huh? Me?¡± Carell asked in response, seemingly confused. ¡°A new recruit wishes to get some counseling from his superior. Haha¡­¡± Siegfried replied, albeit awkwardly. He decided to meet Carell in private since he felt that there were simply too many things that seemed off. *** Behind the tent at a spot away from people¡¯s eyes and ears¡­ ¡°Squad Leader Carell-nim.¡± ¡°Yes, Private Sieg.¡± ¡°Is your father Baron Wegmann-nim of the Biermann territory?¡± ¡°Are you acquainted with my father?¡± ¡°It was around¡­ six months ago? I went to your father¡¯s territory by chance and built a¡ªyou could say¡ªa rtionship with your father?¡± Siegfried was about to exin what took ce at the Biermann Territory in his early days as the Debuff Master when¡­ ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­!¡± Carell muttered in surprise with his eyes wide open. ¡°I somehow ended up being handsomely rewarded by your father and received a few presents, too¡­¡± ¡°Carell of Biermann greets our hero-nim!¡± Carell eximed as he instantly got down on one knee and paid his respect to Siegfried. *** ¡°Come on, sir. Don¡¯t do this, sir,¡± Siegfried said as he pulled Carell back to his feet, ¡°What are you going to do if someone sees us? They might misunderstand what¡¯s going on¡­¡± ¡°I have heard of your exploits from my father, hero-nim!¡± ¡°I am not a hero, and you are a squad leader and a captain, so you shouldn¡¯t be doing these things to me, a private.¡± ¡°Not at all! Besides, isn¡¯t your status much higher than mine? Your Majesty, Siegfried van Proa?¡± It seemed that Carell was well-versed in the events happening around the world as he was also aware of Siegfried¡¯s victory in the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament and the fact that he became a crowned king. ¡°You have saved me twice now, hero-nim.¡± ¡°Not at all, hahaha! Ah, that aside. What is going on here?¡± ¡°Please, talk to me as if I am one of your subordinates, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Come on, how can I do that?¡± ¡°Your Majesty has saved my life twice now, and I am just a son of a baron few people have ever heard of. Please, I request you not to address me formally, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ if you insist¡­ I¡¯ll speak like this when it¡¯s just the two of us. A hierarchy exists in an army regardless of age and status after all.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Carell replied with a smile. ¡°Anyway, what is going on here?¡± Siegfried asked what was on his mind, ¡°This is the military, I know, but does it make sense for them to give such an outrageousmand? How does it make sense for them to p you with a ¡®captain¡¯ title and send you off to a C Rank area when you just graduated?¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°The most promising descendant so far is my son, but¡­ he¡¯s nowhere near enough as well. He is currently studying at the kingdom¡¯s academy, but he still hasn¡¯t managed to get past the early stages. Well, I reckon he just isn¡¯t talented enough.¡± Carell was ate bloomerpared to other people based on what Baron Wegmann had told him. As such, Siegfried was all the more confused about why he got stationed here at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost and in a C Rank area nheless when he just graduated and became a knight. On top of that, Siegfried could also tell from the information he had gathered that the Alligator Squad would always be assigned dangerous tasks far more times than any other squad in Area C-21. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Carell muttered with a downcast look. He bit his lips for a moment before saying, ¡°Ha¡­ what is there to exin? I am the one at fault. That is the best way to put it¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I will just be spitting on my own face if I exin. Please, do not ask me any further regarding this, your Majesty. I feel¡ª¡± ¡°Forget about that,¡± Siegfried cut him off, and then he said, ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°I cannot do that.¡± ¡°Who are you going to tell if it¡¯s not me? Will you go crying to your father?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Do you know what Baron Wegmann gave me?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°An upgrade coupon from the Mercedes Workshop.¡± ¡°Heok¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He gave me your family¡¯s treasure. That¡¯s what I received.¡± ¡°Your Majesty is deserving of such a reward. Our territory would have been decimated if Your Majesty did not¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you think. People don¡¯t usually give this much as a reward. However, Baron Wegmann gave that to me. And do you know what he said as he gave it to me?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°He asked me to take care of you if I ever run into you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Father¡­¡± Carell muttered as tears welled up in his eyes. ¡°Just think of me as your uncle or brother and tell me what¡¯s going on. You probably have been keeping it all to yourself for so long, right? It¡¯s good to let it out once in a while so that you can feel refreshed, too.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Carell fought back his tears and suppressed the sorrow welling up from inside him before heposed himself and said, ¡°I will tell you at my tent.¡± ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°I think I will need a drink¡­ is that alright, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± ¡°Please follow me,¡± Carell said as he led Siegfried to his tent. *** ¡°Please, have a drink. It is not an expensive liquor, but I hope it will suit your taste, Your Majesty,¡± Carell said as he poured cheap vodka into Siegfried¡¯s ss. ¡°So, what happened?¡± Siegfried asked while pouring Carell a drink in kind. ¡°Actually¡­ it¡¯s nothing big¡­¡± ¡°Nothing big?¡± ¡°It was seven years ago¡­¡± Carell said while staring at his ss of liquor. Carell¡¯s dream ever since he was young had always been to be a knight, and he managed to enroll at his country¡¯s, the Macan Kingdom¡¯s Knight Academy through his perseverance and painstaking effort. ¡°I have admired and respected Sir Bleigh since I was young. He¡¯s not a strong knight, but he honored the knight¡¯s code more than anyone else I knew¡­¡± Carell said. ¡°I agree,¡± Siegfried replied. He smiled when he remembered Bleigh. Bleigh was a hopeless knight whose abilities weren¡¯t even in the realm of a Sword Expert when his abilities were questioned, but he was second to none when it came to his honor and valor as a knight. ¡°It was difficult, but I managed to enroll at the academy in the end. Well, it was difficult since I ced 300th out of three hundred applicants¡­¡± It seemed that he barely managed to put his foot over the line to enroll at the academy. ¡°Things started to go downhill after I enrolled¡­¡± Carell said as he bit his lips. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried listened on. ¡°The Royal Knight Academy is the kingdom¡¯s top academy where all sorts of geniuses gathered, so there was no ce for an average person like me. It was normal for me not to be able to keep up with the sses, and I was always at the bottom of my ss. My ssmates were all from prestigious houses that could afford to educate them from an early age¡­¡± It seemed that he had somehow gotten lucky and managed to enroll at the academy, but the Royal Knight Academy¡¯s standards were simply too high that an ordinary person like Carell couldn¡¯t keep up with it. ¡°I worked my ass off. I gritted my teeth every day and endured everything thrown at me.¡± Was it perhaps the fruit of his efforts? He managed to graduate from the academy and be a fully-fledged knight in the end. Although he retained for three consecutive years before graduating because of his grades¡­ ¡°I was appointed as a second lieutenant after I was knighted, but the firstmand I received was¡­ to be a squad leader here at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Siegfried asked. He couldn¡¯t understand what the hell they were thinking, ¡®Have they gone nuts? They sent a fresh graduate to be a squad leader in a C Rank area?¡¯ He would have understood if it were the E Rank area, and he would also have understood if it were the D Rank area, although that would be a stretch. However, assigning someone like Carell to be a squad leader in the C Rank area was no different than telling him to die. ¡°I am the son of a provincial lord. I don¡¯t have any money or anyone¡¯s backing. How could it be possible for me to get a good position? I did manage to be a squad leader in just three months because there were too many vacancies after the senior officers died, but what good is that to me?¡± Carellmented before he downed his ss. ¡®I think I know what¡¯s going on now¡­ I guess the shitty privileges, connections, and what-not are exactly the same whether in reality or in a game¡­ tsk¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled and clicked his tongue after hearing Carell¡¯s story. Siegfried was sick and tired of such stories that he couldn¡¯t help but feel enraged whenever he heard them. Someone privileged had a bright future rolled out in front of them, while the less privileged were left out to fend for themselves and die. Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand why humans were so cruel, and he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if oppression, discrimination, and favoritism were the key traits of being human. ¡°My dream was to be a knight like Sir Bleigh and return to my hometown after finishing my military service. Then, I wanted to inherit our territory and be a respected lord, but¡­¡± Carell said with a trembling voice before trailing off. Then, he said with a weak voice filled with despair, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can achieve that dream now¡­¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m going to end up bing another nameless corpse in this ce¡­¡± Carell muttered. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Siegfried retorted, and then he said, ¡°Who¡¯s going to die? No matter how the world out there works¡­ Nobody can defeat a lucky bastard.¡± ¡°W-What do you mean¡­ Your Majesty?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a lucky man.¡± ¡°I am?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Siegfried said with a nod before he suddenly grumbled in a low voice, ¡°Ah¡­ Master told me that trash shouldn¡¯t attempt to teach another trash¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Ah, forget about it. Anyway, why don¡¯t you get hit for now before we go any further?¡± Siegfried said before suddenly throwing a punch at Carell. Pak! Siegfried¡¯s fist dug into Carell¡¯s face. Chapter 93

    Chapter 93

    Pukeok! Blood spurted out from Carell¡¯s nose. ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­! Why are you doing this¡­?!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t teach you with words so¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°You will just have to remember it with your body. This is all I can do for you for now,¡± Siegfried said before punching Carell in the face once again. Whoosh! Carell managed to avoid Siegfried¡¯s punch despite being tipsy, but the attacks didn¡¯t end there. Pukeok! Siegfried¡¯s left-hand jab and right-hand hook hit Carell in a one-twobo. ¡°Kuheok!¡± ¡°If you want to survive¡­¡± Siegfried said while grabbing Carell by his hair. He stared down at the young knight before adding, ¡°You have to feel it with your body first. That¡¯s the only way you can survive.¡± ¡°I do not understand what you mean by that¡­ Kuheok¡­¡± ¡°You will be enlightened after getting hit a few times.¡± ¡°W-Who taught Your Majesty something so barbaric¡­¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s some old guy,¡± Siegfried said while thinking of Deus. Beat the shit out of them before anything else. That was Deus¡¯ teaching method. It seemed that there was truly a reason for the existence of the saying: martial artists grew stronger the more life-and-death situations they faced. There simply was no better way for a person to learn how to move like an expert other than for them to move purely out of survival instinct. A person was bound to understand and get used to how to evade attacks after receiving another beating. ¡°He told me that trash shouldn¡¯t try to teach another trash, but¡­ I guess we don¡¯t have a choice right now. I¡¯m trash, but you¡¯re even worse than me.¡± If his memory served him right, Deus said¡­ ¡°My disciple.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go around teaching other people just because you had grown stronger. Trash teaching another trash will only result in even worse trash.¡± ¡°I will remember your words.¡± However, Siegfried had no other choice right now since the only thing he could do for the young knight was help him be stronger, even just a little bit, and the only way he could achieve that was to beat the living daylights out of the young knight. How badly was he nning to beat him? Just until Carell was barely alive. ¡°You better grit your teeth, so none of them falls off,¡± Siegfried warned. ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Here Ie!¡± That was how the one-sided beating disguised as a duel started, and it was a very severe and cruel beating. *** The next morning, Siegfried logged in first thing in the morning and appeared in Carell¡¯s personal tent. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Carell was moaning on the ground, wrapped up in a nket. ¡°Get up,¡± Siegfried said coldly. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be hitting you with this today, so prepare yourself,¡± Siegfried said while holding a long stick. ¡°Hiii¡­?Hiiiik!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget to drink this first,¡± Siegfried said before throwing a Mid-Grade potion toward Carell. It was a ssic case of ¡®hitting someone and applying medicine afterward¡¯. *** The same afternoon, a messenger from headquarters informed Carell. ¡°An order hase from headquarters. The Alligator Squad is to prepare within an hour and mobilize.¡± ¡°What is our mission?¡± asked Carell. ¡°Subjugation of a Cryptid colony.¡± ¡°How many squads will join the operation¡­?¡± ¡°It will be just the Alligator Squad.¡± ¡°Just¡­ our squad¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The order came directly from the battalionmander. I will excuse myself, then¡­¡± the messenger ryed the nonsensical order and left. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Carell could only let out a sigh at his plight. *** The mobilization order caused an uproar within the Alligator Squad, but the reactions from the squad members were mixed. ¡°Oh! Jackpot!¡± ¡°Time to power level!¡± ¡°I was about to request for a transfer, but we¡¯re going out again? Sweet!¡± The Adventurers weed the mobilization order since their main goal was to level up, but it was an entirely different matter for the NPC soldiers. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°That battalionmander is a son of a bitch!¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he just execute us himself? Ha?!¡± ¡°Does it even make sense to send us all alone? Again?!¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t even reward us, but he¡¯s asking us to go out again?!¡± The NPCs needed rest, unlike the Adventurers. The fatigue from their previous campaign was still there, but the fact that they had to mobilize once again caused them to go crazy. Carell had the same feelings as them. ¡°It seems that Lieutenant Colonel Fallschirm really wants to kill me,¡± Carell said with despair in his voice before adding, ¡°The soldiers haven¡¯t even recovered yet¡­ I wonder, just what does he want?¡± ¡°What are you so worried about when I¡¯m here? Just focus on bing stronger. I¡¯m a pathetic trash, but I¡¯m not so pathetic that I won¡¯t be able to teach you a thing or two,¡± Siegfried consoled the young knight. ¡°Not at all! How can Your Majesty call yourself trash?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a Master yet, so I¡¯m trash.¡± ¡°But being a Master is¡­¡± ¡°Remember this¡­¡± Siegfried tapped Carell¡¯s head before saying, ¡°The things I¡¯m teaching you are the basic fundamentals that I received from Master Shakiro.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Carell screamed in surprise, and then he asked with both eyes wide open, ¡°By Shakiro, you mean¡­ is Your Majesty talking about Weapon Master Shakiro? Shakiro of the Five Star Heaven?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh my god¡­! Your Majesty is Shakiro-nim¡¯s disciple?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t my real master. I serve a different master. It¡¯s just that I have some sort of rtionship with Shakiro-nim.¡± ¡°S-Still! That¡¯s amazing! I never knew Your Majesty inherited his teachings!¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t petty with his teachings, so I¡¯m sure he would teach you his swordsmanship as well if he were me.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I do not think so¡ª¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s willing to bestow his teachings upon anyone as long as they have the passion and desire to learn.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Yeah, so work hard and train hard. I know it looks like I¡¯m just beating you like a dog, but there¡¯s a reason behind all of this.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± Carell eximed enthusiastically. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried said while thinking, ¡®Another mobilization order! Jackpot!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but be hyped up at the mobilization order. He was also an Adventurer after all. *** The Alligator Squad was tasked to destroy one of the main forms of transportation used by the Cryptids, which were known as ¡®tunnels¡¯ instead of destroying another colony. The destruction of the tunnels was a vital task for the Continent Coalition Forces since the Cryptids often used the tunnels to ambush the Continent Coalition Forces or send reinforcements from their colonies to the front lines. It was a task often carried out by the Continent Coalition Forces since all they had to do was install explosives in the tunnel and detonate it. ¡®Ah¡­ I¡¯m d it¡¯s just some manualbor this time¡­¡¯ ¡®I guess we will be able to go back faster than I expected.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not that dangerous to destroy tunnels after all¡­¡¯ As such, the squad members marched with light steps toward their destination. However, the destination they were given didn¡¯t have a tunnel for them to destroy. Instead, they arrived at a vast empty in with nothing in sight. ¡°What? I thought there were a lot of tunnels here?¡± one of the soldiers grumbled. Puuuk! All of a sudden, a sharp thorn shot from the ground and stabbed the soldier between his legs. The thorn ended up sticking out of his chest. ¡°¡­!¡± The squad members looked at the scene in horror. The thorns that shot out from the ground symbolized the emergence of the Cryptid feared by all soldiers, the Needletid. The Needletid was the result of a small insect known as a mole cricket undergoing a mutation and turning into a monster. Those mole crickets grew to the size of a bull, but they couldn¡¯t attack their enemies on the surface. It was all because their main weapon was the spikes on their backs, and it could only attack upward. However, a Needletid was considered to be far more dangerous than most Crpytid because they possessed excellent mobility while underground. What did all of this mean? The Needletids lurked underground, lying in ambush to kill their enemies with their spikes in one shot. They would be safe from the humans¡¯ attacks since they were tucked underground, and most humans couldn¡¯t really reach them, let alone attack them. ¡®Damn it! Lt. Colonel Fallschirm is driving us to our deaths once again!¡¯?Carell gnashed his teeth and cursed inwardly after witnessing the appearance of the Needletids. He knew what was going on since this wasn¡¯t the first time. Fallschirm had the tendency to send the Alligator Squad to ¡®test the waters¡¯ before doing anything else, and this was his method of checking the strength of Cryptids in an area before sending in arge detachment force. Unfortunately, such a method would still result in arge number of casualties. In that case, why was he doing it then? Because ordinary soldiers were receable, and the Adventurers were immortal beings. Yes, he treated his own soldiers as nothing but disposable pawns on the battlefield. Lieutenant Colonel Fallschirm was that kind of a man. It would have probably been better if he just tantly said, ¡®I don¡¯t like?you?guys, so off with your heads¡¯?rather than dragging them through the mud in this manner. ¡°Fall back! All forces retreat!¡± Carell hurriedly gave themand to retreat. It was an excellent decision as there was no Detector¡ªsomeone with the ability to find hidden enemies¡ªamong the NPCs and Adventurersbined. It was obvious that only annihtion awaited them if they marched through the field of Needletids. ¡°Good choice. A wise decision, squad leader-nim,¡± Siegfried said with a thumbs up. ¡°It is impossible for us to fight them, Private Sieg-nim,¡± Carell replied with an awkward smile, but then his tone instantly changed as he said, ¡°But I don¡¯t know what we should do¡­ It will be difficult for us to avoid punishment if we go back like this¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Siegfried raised a brow and asked. ¡°Lt. Colonel Fallschirm¡­ I mean, the battalionmander¡­ he had always emphasized that a soldier lived by themand and died by themand. He has this mentality that a soldier has to carry out themands they received regardless of whether it is reasonable or unreasonable.¡± ¡°What about you? Are you going to march off a cliff just because you were told to do so?¡± Siegfried curtly asked. ¡°I have no idea since that hasn¡¯t happened yet¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m certain that a serious punishment is waiting for us if we return like this. What should I do? Ha¡­¡± Carell let out a sigh. ¡®This Fallschirm guy sounds like a stubborn military man, or he simply doesn¡¯t care as long as he isn¡¯t the victim¡­ It¡¯s going to be a pain in the ass no matter what path we take¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He could immediately tell what kind of a person Fallschirm was since he was an able-bodied Korean male who had served in the military. It would have been frustrating yet eptable if it were the former since this was the military, after all. However, it would be the worst possible thing ever imaginable during one¡¯s military service if it were thetter. Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel that Fallschirm fell on thetter¡­ ¡°This is frustrating¡­ I cannot see a way out of this¡­¡± Carellmented. ¡°Why not?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Is there a way? Is there really a way out of this?¡± ¡°I mean, we have to give it a try, right, sir? I will try to do something about it so just ask the soldiers to stay back and watch.¡± ¡°But even if it¡¯s Private Sieg-nim¡ª¡± ¡°I have something in mind, so stop worrying about me. Just sit back, rx, and wait for me, sir,¡± Siegfried said. He then started walking on his own toward the field that was definitely infested with Needletids. *** Siegfried was walking toward the minefield all alone, and those who saw him were stupefied. ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°Private Sieg! Hey! You dumbass! Are you insane?!¡± ¡°Hey!?You asshole! You will die at this rate! So what if you¡¯re an Adventurer? Are you trying to show off to us right now?!¡± The NPC soldiers started sneering and flinging curses at Siegfried while seemingly worried for his safety at the same time. ¡°Huh? There¡¯s no way the stuff he showedst time is going to work, right? I mean, all the enemies are underground¡­¡± ¡°I wonder what he¡¯s nning¡­¡± ¡°Maybe he has something up his sleeve? Well, a Poison Mage is still a magician, so he definitely has detection magic or something, right?¡± Meanwhile, the Adventurers watched with curious eyes, waiting for Siegfried¡¯s next move. However, there was no trick or anything special about the method Siegfried chose. Shwiiiiik! A Needletid¡¯s spike shot up. Whoosh! Siegfried slightly tilted his body. In addition to avoiding the spike, he also thrust his spear into the spot where the spike came from. Puuuk! The sound of flesh being prated could be heard. 1. The equivalent of this saying is ¡®to make trouble and then give help¡¯ or ¡®carrying fire in one hand and water in the other,¡¯ but the Korean version was literally tranted since the key point here was the word ¡®medicine¡¯ since it was rted to the potion. Chapter 94

    Chapter 94

    ¡°One down,¡± Siegfried muttered before walking forward once again. An endless cycle started, and the pattern was simple: 1. Siegfried will walk. 2. A Needletid will shoot its spike. 3. Siegfried will avoid it. 4. Siegfried will thrust his spear into the ground. 5. The Needletid dies. 6. Repeat. Siegfried¡¯s movement pattern was extremely simple and straightforward that it would be suspicious if it was indeed the method he was using to get rid of the Needletids. ¡°What the hell is he doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t died yet¡­ Is he really killing the Needletids right now?¡± ¡°No idea¡­¡± The NPC soldiers had no idea what Siegfried was doing right now, but the Adventurers knew. [You have obtained Experience Points!] [Party y Bonus +3%] [You have obtained Experience Points!] [Party y Bonus +3%] [You have obtained Experience Points!] [Party y Bonus +3%] The Adventurers could immediately tell whenever Siegfried killed a Needletid since a message notifying them about the increase in their Experience Points would pop up whenever he thrust his spear into the ground. ¡°What the hell¡­? Is his control for real?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he avoiding them too well for it to be simple control skills¡­?¡± ¡°Can he predict their attacks? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s using any detection skills¡­¡± It was impossible for even the Adventurers to know Siegfried¡¯s secret to get rid of the Needletids so easily, and of course, his secret was his to keep. *** ¡®This is a bit¡­ problematic¡­¡¯?Siegfried initially thought when he first stepped foot onto the field infested with Needletids. An attack with lightning energy? It wouldn¡¯t work since electricity had a high energy loss rate, so it wasn¡¯t going to be effective underground. Irradiate? The ground would act as a shield for the Needletids burrowed underneath it, so it wouldn¡¯t be that effective. ¡®I think my ass is going to get fucked if I make a careless step here¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardly grumbled. However, a thought suddenly came to his mind. ¡®Ah! There was that!¡¯?he eximed inwardly when he remembered that he had a very useful item that could help him with his positioning. That item was none other than Inzaghi¡¯s Compass. [Inzaghi¡¯s Compass] [Apass used by Inzaghi, the great explorer of the unknown.] [It will notify the user of any danger lurking nearby.] [Type: essory (Compass)] [Rating: Legendary] [Durability: 3/5] [Special Effect: Good Positioning] [Good Positioning: Alerts the user of any nearby dangers and guides them to safety.] The Inzaghi¡¯s Compass Siegfried had picked up during the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament was an item that could roughly identify any danger and lead its user to safety. ¡®Let¡¯s try this¡­¡¯? ording to the legend, Inzaghi, the great explorer of the unknown, used a specialpass to escape from sticky situations. Siegfried decided to use that verypass. ¡®This spot is safe, but this spot is¡­ It says it will be dangerous if I approach any further, so this much should be¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while testing out thepass. However, a spike suddenly shot up. Siegfried flinched in surprise, but he was able to avoid the attack since he had already somewhat expected it thanks to Inzaghi¡¯s Compass. ¡®That scared the shit out of me!¡¯? The next step? ¡®First form¡­¡¯? Siegfried used the skill he inherited from Weapon Master Shakiro and thrust his spear into where the spike hade from. Puuuk! He could feel it prate something hard¡­ [You have obtained Experience Points!] A message popped up in front of his eyes. ¡®It worked!¡¯?Siegfried rejoiced inwardly when he finally got the confirmation that his idea was working. Afterward, he thought with a smug smile, ¡®Then, shall we continue?¡¯ Siegfried did exactly as he did with the first Needletid and repeated it over and over again. He would first identify where they were hiding, evade the iing spike, and thrust his spear into the ground where the spike hade from. [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 86!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 87!] Siegfried would gain Experience Points whenever he thrust his spear into the ground, and his level rose as well from time to time. ¡®Jackpot,¡¯?he thought with a smile. *** ¡°Battalion Commander-nim, there is news that might surprise you,¡¯ an officer reported to Fallschirm. ¡°Surprise me? Don¡¯t tell me that the regimentmander ising for an inspection?¡± Fallschirm asked with a hint of anxiety in his voice. It was unavoidable formanders from both Korea and the N¨¹rburg Continent to be nervous when amander higher in rank than them suddenly visited them for an inspection. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± the officer trailed off. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°The Alligator Squad we sent to the Needletid-infested area¡­¡± ¡°The Alligator Squad?¡± ¡°They returned safely.¡± ¡°Returned safely?¡± Fallschirm muttered. He seemed surprised before asking, ¡°Hey, the Alligator Squad doesn¡¯t have a Detector as far as I know¡­ but they returned safely? Don¡¯t tell me they ignored mymand and ran away from¡ª¡± ¡°No, that isn¡¯t the case.¡± ¡°No? What happened then? Ha?¡± ¡°They returned safely except for one, and they came back with two hundred Needletid corpses¡­¡± ¡°Now look at that¡­¡± Fallschirm said with a sleazy smile before continuing, ¡°How did those bastards without a Detector manage to return safely from a Needletid-infested area with even two hundred corpses in tow?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ the new mercenary, Private Sieg, seemed to have done it again¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°The reports say that he thrust his spear into the ground and killed the Needletids by pure instinct.¡± ¡°Hooo¡­ Private Sieg, you say? He seems to be much more amazing than I had expected. Who knew he would save the Alligator Squad once again? Hey, you.¡± ¡°Yes, Battalion Commander-nim.¡± ¡°Write up a report for the higher-ups.¡± ¡°Shall I write it the same asst time?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± It was a decision Fallschirm had made to snatch the Alligator Squad¡¯s achievement for himself. ¡°And assign the Alligator Squad for all dangerous missions from now on.¡± ¡°Huh? B-But¡­ the soldiers¡¯ fatigue levels¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I recall telling you once that those disposable pawns can be reced any time?¡± Fallschirm said those ruthless words without a hint of emotion. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s important is that Private Sieg, and you said he was an Adventurer, right? Those punks will drink lye if it would make them be stronger. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll wee the frequent deployment, so don¡¯t worry and continue to assign missions to the Alligator Squad, understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Battalion Commander-nim,¡± replied the officer. He had no other choice but to do as he was told. *** ¡°Ah, is someone talking about me? Why are my ears so itchy?¡± Siegfried grumbled to himself while digging into his ears with his finger. It should have been a pretty strange sight since a user wasn¡¯t supposed to feel any itch or migraines while ying a virtual reality game. However, BNW was an exception as it ced great importance on making it as realistic as possible. For example, they worked on making users feel an ufortable sensation whenever they put on their steel boots or start sweating while wearing their armor. ¡°I feel nervous, Your Majesty,¡± Carell said. ¡°Why would you?¡± Siegfried asked in response. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Fallschirm is¡­ a stubborn person.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°He¡¯s apetent soldier, but he isn¡¯t a good superior officer. His greed for personal glory and getting a promotion is famous to be the worst among all of his peers, and he is someone more than willing to send the entire battalion to a Cryptids¡¯ colony if he could get promoted for it.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a sinister smile after listening to Carell¡¯s exnation. Then, he asked, ¡°So he¡¯s that kind of a person? That battalionmander?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Carell replied. He bit his lips before continuing, ¡°He¡¯s probably having a st right now with all sorts of ideas on how to take full advantage of you. He¡¯s going to use you for his personal gain now that he has heard of your exploits, so we will probably have to mobilize quite frequently from now on¡­¡± ¡°Pfft!¡±?Siegfriedughed and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s going to take advantage of whom?¡± ¡°Huh? Well¡­ the battalionmander will take advantage of Your Majesty¡ª¡± Carell replied, seemingly confused. However, Siegfried suddenly cut him off and said, ¡°That¡¯s what he thinks. Tell him to give it his best shot.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Just wait and see.¡± Siegfried was nning on staying in this ce for quite a while. After all, he had to level up as well as teach Carell to be a better knight. As such, he decided to wait and see what kind of tricks the battalionmander would pull from now on. ¡®Take advantage of me? Go ahead, but you will have to be ready to pay the price,¡¯?Siegfried thought inwardly as his hostility toward Fallschirm intensified. *** A few dayster, Siegfried and Carell were sitting in front of a chessboard withyers of dark circles under their eyes. Actually, they were dozing off rather than ying chess. Snore¡­?Snore¡­? Nod¡­ Nod¡­? ¡°Ack! Hooooot!¡± In fact, Carell ended up spilling the red tea he was supposed to be drinking on his thigh. ¡°Ah, you surprised me.¡± ¡°H-Hot! Ack!¡± ¡°Hey, can I get some sleep? Can you shut up?¡± Siegfried grumbled while rubbing his drowsy eyes. ¡°I¡­ I apologize¡­ Umm¡­¡± Carell apologized, and his eyes started closing afterward. It seemed that his desire to sleep defeated the immediate pain from the burn he had just sustained from spilling his hot red tea. ¡°Ugh¡­?I think I¡¯m going to die¡­ Who could have known that the day when I wanted nothing more than a peaceful sleep woulde?¡± Siegfried grumbled while rubbing his tired eyes. The reason for his grumbling was simple. Stand by and stand by. They were on standby for twenty-four hours a day. He couldn¡¯t log out and get some sleep since they had no idea when a mobilization order would arrive. Why? It was all because Alligator Squad would get annihted without him. The squad¡¯s sess despite Fallschirm¡¯s unreasonablemands was solely because of him, who had already be no different from a one-man team. Siegfried was only able to sleep two or three hours a day for the past few days, and it was all because he had no idea when Fallshcirm would issue an order for them to mobilize. He only logged out to avoid receiving warnings for staying online for fourteen hours straight. It was the worst ¡®march¡¯ of his life, and this was probably something that even those addicted to games wouldn¡¯t be able to pull off so easily. However, Carell¡¯s warning that Fallschirm would take full advantage of him soon came to fruition. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ I think I¡¯m going to die at this rate¡­ I¡¯m so sleepy¡­ I think I¡¯m dying¡­¡± Carell muttered weakly. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled in response. While they were grumbling, a messenger from the headquarters barged into their tent and shouted, ¡°A mobilization order has arrived!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I can¡¯t take this anymore. Isn¡¯t he going too far? Should I just go and kill him¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled with a grimace once more. ¡°Private Sieg-nim!¡± Carell hurriedly tried to appease Siegfried. ¡°This is now going to be our ninth solo operation¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°I am aware,¡± Carell said bitterly. ¡°No¡­¡± the messenger shook his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Siegfried asked while furrowing his brow. ¡°The Alligator Squad won¡¯t mobilize alone this time. The entire battalion will mobilize for this operation,¡± replied the messenger. ¡°Is that so? Hmm¡­¡± It seemed that a portion of Siegfried¡¯s anger was alleviated after hearing that it wouldn¡¯t be a solo operation this time. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s hurry up and mobilize,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, let us go, Private Sieg-nim,¡± Carell said before following Siegfried out of the tent. *** The entire battalion was mobilized for the operation. The goal was to subjugate and destroy a rather small Cryptid colony, and things initially proceeded quite smoothly. However¡­ ¡°A B Rank Cryptid army ising from three kilometers northwest of us!¡± ¡°A B Rank Cryptid army? Damn it¡­ I guess we have no choice but to retreat.¡± Fallschirm decided to retreat after receiving the report from the scout in the middle of the battle, but the problem was that Fallschirm didn¡¯t want to notify the battalion of his decision. ¡°Yes, Battalion Commander-nim. I will immediately sound the rm to retreat¡ª¡± said his officer. However, Fallschirm cut him off and asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Fallschirm then grimaced and asked, ¡°Sound the rm? Here? All of us will have to run away together if that happens. Who¡¯s going to watch our backs, then? Are you saying that we should all die together?¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± ¡°There will be nomand for a retreat. We will make it look like we¡¯re making a tactical maneuver, but we¡¯ll prioritize moving ourmand center to a safe location before anything else.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The Tulip Squad will man the frontlines, the Tiger Squad will keep a distance between themand center and the frontlines, and the Alligator Squad will¡­¡± Fallschirm nced at the area where Siegfried was massacring the Cryptids with Irradiate before muttering, ¡°They will cover our left nk.¡± Battalion Commander Fallschirm and Siegfried. It seemed that a spark had finally ignited between the two. Chapter 95

    Chapter 95

    ¡°The main forces and the Tiger Squad are going to maneuver and attack the enemy¡¯s base! Tulip Squad, to the front! Alligator Squad, to the left nk!¡± Themand was given. ¡°Alligator Squad! All forces to the left nk!¡± ¡°To the left nk!¡± The Alligator Squad was able to catch a breather thanks to the order that required them to move out of the frontlines and to the left nk. There were fewer Cryptids attacking from the left nk, so they were finally able to catch a break after a long time. ¡°Private Sieg-nim.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It seems that the battalionmander has issued a fair order for once. Thanks to this, our forces are able to take a break.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in response after smashing a few Cryptids with his hammer. He had switched off Irradiate a while ago, so he had to resort to smashing them apart. Gulp! Gulp!? He drank a bottle of Mana Potion before saying, ¡°It is indeed a relief, but something seems off¡­¡± Siegfried had the word ¡®skeptical¡¯ written all over his face. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Carell asked after he split a Cryptid into two. Carell was only able to do that since he had gotten a lot stronger after being beaten¡ªno, trained by Siegfried in the past few days. ¡°The front line has to push the enemy back a bit for the main forces and the Tiger Squad to maneuver around.¡± ¡°S-So¡­?¡± ¡°But they shifted us, who have the strongest firepower, to the left nk and assigned the front lines only to the Tulip Squad. Don¡¯t you think something is off about it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Carell tilted his head in confusion before he finally realized what Siegfried was trying to say. ¡°It is indeed strange now that I think about it. Why did he send us to the left nk, even though it¡¯s rtively calm here?¡± All of a sudden, one of the lieutenants screamed. ¡°Sq¡­. Squad leader-nim!¡± ¡°What is it, Lieutenant Randell?¡± ¡°Look¡­ Look over there!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°In front¡­ In front of us!¡± Siegfried and Carell turned their heads at the same time. ¡°I knew it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried shed a cold smile while Carell stared at the sight with despair written all over his face. ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡± ¡°Kwuek! Kweuuuuuk!¡± ¡°Kiruek!?Kiruek!¡± A swarm of B Rank Cryptids was headed toward the left nk. *** Two hourster, a small struggle broke out in front of the battalionmander¡¯s tent. ¡°Private Sieg! Return at once! You may not meet themander without a prior appointment!¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m sure he isn¡¯t that busy. Just let me meet him for a minute.¡± Siegfried was having an argument with Captain Sorscimus de Smallball. ¡°Look here, Private Sieg. This is the army. We have to abide by militaryw.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°If you want to meet the battalionmander, then you have to report to your toonmander first, then to the squadmander, and then¡­¡± ¡°Even if I want to meet him for a minute and have a cup of tea?¡± ¡°It is impossible under any circumstances without any prior arrangements. Return at once.¡± ¡°Ah, he is ying hard to get¡­¡± ¡°Silence! How dare a private say such¡­¡± Captain Sorscimus was about to teach Siegfried a lesson when Fallshcirm suddenly spoke from within the tent, ¡°Let him in.¡± ¡°Go ahead...¡± Sorscimus stepped aside. ¡°Hello, Battalion Commander-nim,¡± Siegfried greeted Fallschirm, who was enjoying a scrumptious-looking steak and a ss of wine. ¡°Salute your superior officers, Private Sieg,¡± Fallschirm said before adding, ¡°You might be an Adventurer, but you are my subordinate as well.¡± ¡°Ah, of course. Salute!¡± Siegfried saluted. ¡°Salute,¡± Fallschirm responded with a slight nod, and then he said, ¡°You are quite the obedient one. I thought you weren¡¯t going to salute me.¡± ¡°There is no reason for me not to,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug before he added, ¡°We salute to the rank and not to the person, right sir?¡± Fallschirm raised a brow and thought, ¡®Oh? Look at this bastard.¡¯ It was clear as day that Siegfried had dealt a blow to Fallschirm just now, and the first round of their battle of wits ended in Siegfried¡¯s victory. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t fuss over it since you aren¡¯t wrong. So, why did you want to see me? I hope you¡¯re not here to stir up trouble for what happened a while ago. You should return to your squad if that¡¯s what this is for¡­¡± Fallschirm said. ¡°Huh? Why would you think that?¡± Siegfried asked in response. ¡°Why would I think that? That¡¯s because¡­¡± Fallschirm started, and he almost blurted out, ¡®That¡¯s because I pushed your squad to the jaws of death and ran away alone.¡¯ ¡®Where did this damned bastard evene from¡­?¡¯?Fallschirm inwardly cursed. ¡°Did I say something that hit a sore spot?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°No. Allmands are given after careful consideration of tactics and strategy, and there is nothing that we can do about it even if there were an error somewhere.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± ¡°Why? Do you have a problem with that?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Siegfried shook his head before saying, ¡°Why would the forty-nine casualties of the Alligator Squad be the battalionmander¡¯s fault? It was a decision made to make it easier to retreat after all.¡± The battle that urred two hours ago ended up with forty-nine NPC soldiers and twenty-one Adventurers dead out of the eighty-nine squad members. It was impossible to save the entire squadron against the B Rank Cryptids even if Siegfried used Irradiate, Torrential Flower Rain, and all of his debuffs. ¡°Is that the reason you came looking for me? I¡¯m disappointed if that were the case,¡± Fallschirm said with a sleazy smile before adding, ¡°But aren¡¯t you an Adventurer? You¡¯re getting stronger the more battles the Alligator Squad gets involved in, thanks to that ancient rune you guys have, right?¡± ¡°I am very thankful for that,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. ¡°If you came all the way here because of those dead soldiers, then I find that humorous of you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so funny about it?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny? A person from another world getting all sentimental just because one of our soldiers died,¡± Fallschirm said with a shrug. And Siegfried finally decided at that very moment¡­ ¡®I¡¯m going to kill this bastard.¡¯ He decided to kill Fallschirm with his very own hands. *** The NPCs in BNW could see, hear, speak, and think just like normal humans. As such, Siegfried had never treated the NPCs like trash. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for Fallschirm, who was an NPC himself. He thought of them as nothing more than disposable pawns, and he was willing to sacrifice an entire squad if it meant his safe retreat from danger. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Fallschirm was the worst kind of superior one could ever meet in an army. ¡°Private Sieg, you should mind your own business, and I will mind my own. Then, I will win my battles, and you will grow stronger. Isn¡¯t that a win-win situation for both of us? Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, sure,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug before he added, ¡°Then, please take good care of me from now on.¡± ¡°I hope I can live up to your expectations,¡± Fallschirm replied with a sleazy smile. They red at each other while respectively thinking¡­ ¡®I¡¯m gonna kill you.¡¯ ¡®You can¡¯t do anything against me. Hehe. You¡¯re a weakling getting emotional all over the death of some disposable pawns, tsk tsk¡­ You still have a long way to go.¡¯ *** ¡°H-How did it go?¡± Carell asked as soon as Siegfried entered the tent. ¡°What do you mean by how did it go? I just went to check something,¡± Siegfried grumbled in response. ¡°What do you mean by checking something¡­?¡± ¡°Whether to kill Fallschirm or not.¡± ¡°T-Then your decision is¡­?¡± ¡°I n to kill him,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°You cannot do that.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You will be wanted by the kingdom if Your Majesty kills Fallschirm. Then, the Proatine Kingdom and our Macan Kingdom will end up waging war against each other.¡± ¡°I never said I¡¯m going to kill him myself.¡± ¡°Huh? Then how do you n to kill Fallschirm?¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of riding out the storm?¡± ¡°R-Riding out the storm...?¡± ¡°Yeah, it basically means we will tough things out.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± ¡°We need to ride out the storm right now. We will just keep enduring it, and Fallschirm will end up drying himself out.¡± ¡°I do not follow what you mean by that¡­¡± ¡°Just wait and see. Fallschirm will end up drying himself out,¡± Siegfried said with a sinister smile. Siegfried had a lot of experience serving¡ªno, hunting in this ce. What did that mean? He knew very well how the ecosystem of the Arachnid Temporary Outpost worked. ¡°I guarantee that in probably¡­ two weeks? Fallschirm is going to be in a difficult position within that time,¡± Siegfried confidently said. His ¡®prophecy¡¯ was a direct result of his confidence in his experience. *** That afternoon, another mobilization order came, and it seemed that Fallschirm was hell-bent on squeezing everything he could out of the Alligator Squad for his own benefit. To be exact, he was taking full advantage of Siegfried. ¡°Another mobilization?¡± ¡°Just kill us!¡± ¡°That damned battalionmander!¡± ¡°That son of a bitch!¡± Fallschirm wasn¡¯t interested in the likes of Carell. He was simply mobilizing the squadron where Siegfried was assigned so that he could continuously ¡®harvest¡¯ victories for his track record. Of course, this drove the Alligator Squad members insane. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Siegfriedpleted his duties without a fret. ¡°Issue a mobilization order to the Alligator Squad,¡± Fallschirm said. He diligently issued mobilization order after mobilization order to the Alligator Squad as he greedily built up his reputation off the back of Siegfried¡¯s efforts. The intense exchange between Fallschirm, who was abusing the Alligator Squad for his own gain, and Siegfried, who was silently carrying out all missions assigned to his squad, was like seeing a sh between a spear and a shield. A few dayster¡­ ¡°First toon! Support the left nk! Third toon! Keep enduring! Second toon! Drive the enemies back until Private Sieg recovers his mana!¡± Carell was reborn as a skillfulmander who knew how to lead his men in battle. [You have reached Level 94!] [You have reached Level 95!] [Alert: You have five levels remaining before you may learn a new skill!] Siegfried was about to reach Level 100, but that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°They¡¯reing. We¡¯re going to stab them in three. One¡­ two¡­ three¡­ stab!¡± ¡°Stab!¡± The Alligator Squad fought against the Cryptids with minimal movement. ¡°Someone go and help Sieg-nim replenish his mana!¡± ¡°Tankers! Forward!¡± ¡°AOE magic ready to be fired!¡± The Adventurers in the squad diligently worked to fight against the Cryptids. The entire Alligator Squad was obviously growing stronger. Time and time again, they were pushed to the brink of death, which turned the surviving soldiers into hardened veteran soldiers. And that wasn¡¯t the only change that urred to the Alligator Squad. ¡°Corporal Tasty Daughter-inw! Reporting for duty!¡± ¡°Sergeant Shevchenko! Reporting for duty!¡± ¡°Sergeant ncpain! Reporting for duty!¡± The adventurers with the ID Tasty Daughter-inw, Shevchenko, and ncpain were the first Adventurers to transfer to the Alligator Squad, and they were soon followed by a swarm of Adventurers fighting for a spot in the squad. Physical DPS? Sorted out! Magic DPS? Sorted out as well! Even the elusive Healers and Buffers signed up for the Alligator Squad. ¡°W-What is going on¡­? Your Majesty, is this really happening? Is this a dream? The Adventurers are signing up for our squad of their own volition!¡± Carell eximed, seemingly surprised at the sudden change. ¡°Ah, that? It¡¯s only natural,¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. ¡°N-Natural¡­?¡± ¡°The Adventurers have the privilege to ¡®choose¡¯ their squad.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I am aware of as well, but¡­¡± ¡°Do you know what squads the Adventurers want to join?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ probably a strong squad that can fight well? ¡°That¡¯s why they are signing up for our squad.¡± ¡°I-Is that how it is now?¡± ¡°If not, what is it then? Do you really think that there are squads in the C Rank area that are as strong as us?¡± ¡°Well¡­ of course¡­ there aren¡¯t any¡­ ah!¡± Carell gasped in surprise upon finally realizing what Siegfried was trying to say. ¡°The Adventurers want a squad where they can hunt one more monster with ease since that¡¯s the only way they can grow stronger through their Rune of Transcendence. Now, where do you think the Adventurers in this area will gather? Isn¡¯t the answer obvious?¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°How do you think the battalionmander will react? Our squad has more than two hundred Adventurers, including the reserves. I think we can now be considered a battalion judging by the number of Adventurers we have, am I right? Haha!¡± Siegfried said with a smirk. 1. The raws use the Korean word ?? which means ¡®endure the fuck out of something,¡¯ but it sounded kinda off in English. Chapter 96

    Chapter 96

    The Macan Kingdom¡¯s 3rd Corps was a huge corps unit made up of the 7th, 8th, and 9th divisions, and they were in charge of the B Rank area, as well as the C Rank area of the Arachnid Temporary Outpost. ¡°Ehem!¡± Recently, themander of the 3rd Corps, Lieutenant General Overlock de Gunzack, could feel something out of the ordinary. ¡°This 8th Division 2nd Infantry Battalion¡­¡± Lieutenant General Overlock was currently focused on the 2nd Infantry Battalion. ¡°Hey, adjutant,¡± he called out. ¡°Yes, Corps Commander-nim,¡± Lieutenant Colonel Guinness, who was the direct aide of Overlock, responded. ¡°Take a look at this report.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a report detailing Fallschirm¡¯s recent achievements.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Lieutenant Colonel Guinness read the report Overlock had handed over to him. ¡°Seventeen C Rank Cryptid colonies destroyed¡­ Seventeen Needletid-infested areas cleared¡­ Thirty-one tunnels demolished¡­ Two B Rank Cryptid colonies¡­ This is¡­!¡± Guinness couldn¡¯t hold back eximing in surprise. Then, he looked at Overlock and said, ¡°Corps Commander-nim! I think this is more than enough justification to bestow a medal upon the battalionmander! This isn¡¯t an achievement that a battalionmander can achieve on his own!¡± ¡°I think so, too,¡± Overlock replied with a nod. Guinness was right. The contents of the report were extremely bbergasting. Fallschirm had reported a list of achievements that was impossible for a battalion to achieve in such a short period of time. ¡°It is indeed surprising that a single battalion would rack up this many achievements.¡± ¡°I think you will have to reward the entire battalion and award Fallschirm with amendation on top of a medal of honor from the Department of Defense¡­¡± Guinness muttered. However, Overlock seemed skeptical as he muttered, ¡°Hmm¡­ who knows¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Guinness.¡± ¡°Yes, Corps Commander-nim.¡± ¡°Do you know anything about Fallschirm?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it is only natural that I do not know anything about him, right? I¡¯m three years more senior than him so¡­¡± ¡°Right? You don¡¯t know him, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°But I know him.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°As you are aware, I make an effort to know at least a little bit about my subordinates.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Remember this. A goodmander should know his subordinates. Why, you ask? That¡¯s because a goodmander had to be better at managing people than fighting on the battlefield.¡± This was Overlock¡¯s secret and the reason he became a corpsmander despite his poor social and academic background. He didn¡¯t graduate from the Royal Knight Academy. He was amon foot soldier who climbed the ranks to be a three-star general. ¡°You should make it a habit to know more about your subordinates from now on if you really want to be a goodmander.¡± ¡°I am ashamed of myself¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be ashamed about it; we all learn things along the way. Anyway, the Fallschirm I know isn¡¯t amander capable of achieving all of these. Hmm¡­ If I were to describe him, he¡¯s someone without the capabilities but very greedy. That is the kind of person the Fallschirm I am familiar with, but the battalion under hismand is suddenly giving ster result after result.¡± ¡°Do you think so, sir? That guy was pretty capable back then¡­¡± ¡°No, Fallschirm isn¡¯t as capable as you think he is. Here, take a look at this,¡± Overlock said as he passed another document over to Guinness, and then he added, ¡°I have been recently looking into him, but do you know what¡¯s surprising?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Guinness asked. ¡°The mortality rate of his battalion.¡± ¡°Mortality rate¡­?¡± ¡°I took a look at the statistics and found that his battalion has a fatality rate of 84.5%. That figure is excluding the adventurers, so you can say that 8.5 soldiers drafted end up dead in less than a year in that battalion.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Oh my god!¡± Guinness eximed in surprise. A mortality rate of 84.5% was too high even at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost. ¡°What you mean is¡­¡± Guinness muttered. ¡°Yes, Fallschirm isn¡¯t a goodmander. I suspect that all of these achievements were earned from the lives of our soldiers. In short, this is an achievement built on the blood, sweat, and bones of our soldiers.¡± ¡°You need to punish him, sir! These figures are simply too much! I am certain that the troops have already reached the limits of their patience!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s the case. How is it possible that we just recently saw these unreasonable figures? It seems that I have been quitezy with my work¡­ Hoho¡­ How can I face thete soldiers?¡± Overlock grumbled and recused himself. ¡°Not at all! How could you check every single detail about the battalions? It¡¯s already amazing that you managed to catch this now thanter!¡± Guinness retorted. Guinness was correct. It was impossible for a corpsmander to know every single tiny detail about the three battalions under hismand. ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong, but¡­ I can¡¯t help but think that I had been cking off as the highest-rankingmander. After all, I didn¡¯t even realize until now that something like this was going on in my own corps¡­¡± ¡°Corps Commander-nim¡­¡± Guinness muttered while looking at Overlock with respect-filled eyes. ¡°Anyway, we will have to right this wrong now that this hase to our attention.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. You will have to harshly punish Fallschirm for this.¡± ¡°Of course, I have to do that. I don¡¯t need such a scoundrel of amander under mymand. And I n to punish the toonmanders and squad leaders of that battalion as well.¡± ¡°Should I ry yourmands right now, sir?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s something we have to investigate further.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°The mortality rate dropped quite a bit if you look at the recent reports. What do you think this means? Do you think Fallschirm changed his style or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°These achievements aren¡¯t because of Fallschirm. I¡¯m certain that an Adventurer with outstanding skills has joined the 2nd Infantry Battalion. Aside from that, there is no other exnation that can justify these sudden changes.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± ¡°We will have to investigate what is happening at the 2nd Infantry Battalion.¡± ¡°I shall inform the defense security forces at once to investigate¡ª¡± ¡°No, I will personally look into it,¡± Overlook shook his head. ¡°You will personally investigate?¡± Guinness asked, seemingly taken aback. ¡°I was nning to conduct an inspection anyway, and coincidentally, a good motive appeared just in time. Hoho,¡± Overlook replied with a smile. *** Fallschirm was troubled. ¡°The Alligator Squad has returned, Battalion Commander-nim.¡± ¡°The result?¡± ¡°An overwhelming victory.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Fallschirm wasn¡¯t happy despite Sorscimus¡¯ good news. Grit! He gnashed his teeth and cursed inwardly, ¡®Damn it¡­ They¡¯re getting too big now. I¡¯ll be in danger sooner orter if this keeps up.¡¯ The reason Fallschirm felt threatened was that the Alligator Squad had grownrge enough to endanger his position as the battalionmander. The Alligator Squad was reborn as a powerful squadposed of one hundred squad members; thirty were soldiers, while the remaining seventy were Adventurers. In fact, the Alligator Squad¡¯s reserve forces¡ªwhich were the recement forces on standby in case one of the squad members were to leave or die¡ªhad an astounding one hundred thirty members. The Adventurers wanting to join the Alligator Squad and hunt with them had devised a queuing system among themselves where one would have to get a number and wait for an opening. As a result, Fallschirm felt threatened¡­ ¡®Damn it¡­ I was having so much fun controlling them that I didn¡¯t realize that I was tightening a noose around my neck as well¡­ If the higher-ups found out about how I abused the Alligator Squad and stole their achievements, then¡­¡¯ It would be his end. The greed which pushed him to take full advantage of Siegfried was flying toward him like a boomerang and was about to hit him. ¡°Battalion Commander-nim! Private Sieg requests an audience with you,¡± announced the sentry guarding Fallschirm¡¯s tent. ¡°Private Sieg? Ehem! Let him in.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The tent opened, and Siegfried waltzed in with a huge grin. ¡°Sa~ lute~¡± he coyly said. ¡°¡­Salute,¡± Fallschirm responded to Siegfried¡¯s salute before asking, ¡°So, why have youe today, Private Sieg?¡± ¡°Yes, Battalion Commander-nim. I was wondering if¡­ you could mobilize us somewhere?¡± Siegfried asked with a smirk. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°The Adventurers in our squadron are stirring up trouble because they want to mobilize as soon as possible, you see, sir?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give us themand to mobilize, sir?¡± At that, Fallschirm¡¯s rxed expression almost crumpled, and he almost inadvertently revealed his true feelings. ¡®This damned bastard!¡¯ Siegfried was teasing and taunting him. Siegfried was basically asking him to try and use him again if he dared. Siegfried seemed like he was saying, ¡®why don¡¯t you try to satisfy that greed of yours again?¡¯ or ¡®nothing will happen even if you try and take full advantage of me¡¯. No, those were exactly what Siegfried was trying to say right now. ¡°C¡¯mon, Battalion Commander-nim, you have to get your promotion, right? I have a feeling you can be a colonel with all of the achievements you have recently garnered, am I right, sir?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I will work my ass off to help Battalion Commander-nim get promoted; you got that, sir?¡± Siegfried was now taunting Fallschirm to continue hoarding all of the achievements as much as he could and try to cover the sun with his finger. Could someone cover the sun with their finger? Nope. It was impossible to cover the sun with a finger. A battlefield was a ce filled with eyes and ears, and rumors were bound to circte. Especially when Fallschirm had always been abusing the Alligator Squad as well as hoarding their achievements. ¡°Enough¡­ you may leave now,¡± Fallschirm grumbled and tried to chase Siegfried out. ¡°Huh~? But, Battalion Commander-nim¡­¡± ¡°GET OUT!¡± Fallschirm shouted before continuing, ¡°How dare a private request to meet the battalionmander like this?! Am I your friend? Ha?!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ why are you getting mad and all?¡± Siegfried asked with a sleazy smile. Then, he retreated a few steps back before saying, ¡°Then, I shall be on my way. Enjoy your meal, sir. Sa~ lute~¡± Siegfried gave a sleazy salute before leaving Fallschirm¡¯s tent. Tremble¡­! Tremble¡­!? Fallschirm¡¯s body trembled from rage. ¡°How¡­ dare¡­ How dare he¡­!¡± he muttered under his breath in fury. Unfortunately, that was the only thing he could do since he couldn¡¯t really go and relieve his anger by killing Siegfried or anything¡­ *** At an empty lot near the Alligator Squad¡¯s tent¡­ ¡°You improved quite a lot,¡± Siegfried praised Carell. ¡°T-Thank you very much!¡± Carell replied. The young knight was a mess right now. His uniform was tattered, he was bleeding all over, his body was covered in bruises, and his entire body was drenched in sweat and blood. However, the young knight was smiling. It was the bliss brought by achieving something. ¡®I have gotten stronger!¡¯?Carell eximed inwardly. The pain he felt was nothingpared to the bliss he felt whenever he saw himself growing stronger and stronger after every sparring with Siegfried. Honestly, Carell had grown quite a lot recently. [Carell de Biermann] [Type: NPC] [Level: 87] [ss: Knight] [Tier: Low-Ranked Sword Expert] He was only Level 71 when he first met Siegfried, but he was now Level 87. He gained a whopping 16 levels and his tier upgraded from a Lowest-Ranked Sword Expert to a Low-Ranked Sword Expert. This was considered to be an explosive growth when taking into ount that only two weeks had passed since they started training. ¡°You¡¯re doing great, and you look good these days,¡± Siegfried praised the young knight before saying, ¡°Honestly, you look like apletely different person now. When I first met you, did you know that I was asking myself when you will be a decent person?¡± ¡°Come on, I wasn¡¯t that bad, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m pretty sure you looked like you were about to cry at any moment back then.¡± ¡°Me? Why would I? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, Your Majesty,¡± Carell lightly retorted with a shrug before asking, ¡°Ah, what did the battalionmander say?¡± ¡°The battalionmander?¡± Siegfried smirked before replying, ¡°He seemed on edge.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°What? Do you really think I would lie? Keke! I¡¯m sure he was initially having a lot of fun. We fought pretty well, so he probably enjoyed our achievements. What about now, though? The results our squad has been recently delivering are on par with what a regiment brings whenever they mobilize. Those results aren¡¯t something a battalion can do, so what do you think is going to happen next?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the higher-ups will be interested?¡± ¡°Exactly¡­¡± Siegfried nodded before saying, ¡°There¡¯s this proverb that says, ¡®like an awl in a pocket.¡¯ You see, an awl in a pocket will stick out no matter how well you try to hide it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Fallschirm is definitely scared that his falsified reports will get exposed the more great achievements we bring back.¡± ¡°Oh! Then that means¡­¡± ¡°Correct. Well, the higher-ups have their own faces to save, so someone like Fallschirm is a threat to them in the long run since the officers will startining. In addition, the officers¡¯ loyalty will drop the longer he¡¯s around. In the end, Fallschirm will end up choking on his own greed. Everything he had done will ricochet back to him.¡± ¡°Was Your Majesty aware that things would eventually turn out this way?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Word travels fast on the battlefield. Wouldn¡¯t it be stranger if no rumors are spreading, even though there are so many people on the battlefield? Our achievements are bound to surface no matter how hard Fallschirm tries to hide them from the higher-ups.¡± ¡°Wow! Your Majesty is omnipotent!¡± ¡°I just have experience.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I have been through a few things. Fallschirm was stationed here for six months, right? Well, I have been here longer than him¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Your Majesty has only been here recently if my memory serves me right¡­¡± Carell muttered while tilting his head in confusion. Siegfried was a newbie among newbies to him based on what he remembered. ¡°Well, it¡¯s something like that,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. ¡°¡­?¡± Carell was left confused by Siegfried¡¯s words, and he wouldn¡¯t understand what Siegfried meant any time soon. *** The next evening, inside Fallschirm¡¯s tent¡­ ¡°S-Saluuuuute!¡± Fallschirm saluted while screaming at the top of his lungs. Why? It was all because he was extremely familiar with the old soldier before him. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Fallschirm greets Corps Commander-nim!¡± The old soldier was none other than Corps Commander Overlock. ¡°At rest, Lieutenant Colonel Fallschirm.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°I heard that your battalion has been achieving great featstely?¡± Overlock asked. ¡°N-Not at all, sir!¡± ¡°What do you mean by not at all? From what I saw, those achievements aren¡¯t achievable by a lone battalion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the Adventurers and our soldiers fighting hand in hand¡ª¡± Fallschirm started. However, Overlock cut him off and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s all thanks to the Adventurers and our soldiers.¡± ¡°Pardon? O-Of course, you are correct, sir¡­¡± Fallschirm said, seemingly taken aback. ¡°Of course, it is their achievement. After all, what did you even do?¡± Overlock coldly stared at Fallschirm before saying, ¡°The only thing you did was shove all sorts of unreasonable and impossible missions to a mere squad, right?¡± ¡°C-Corps Commander-nim!¡± ¡°Since when did the merits of a squad be the merits of the battalionmander?¡± ¡°Corps Commander-nim, that¡¯s¡­ there has been a misunderstanding. A squad is a part of the battalion, so¡ª¡± ¡°Shut that mouth of yours.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You treated the soldiers under you like insects, and you even dared to make falsified reports on top of that? Hoho! You¡¯re quite the brave one, aren¡¯t you?¡± It was at this moment that Fallschirm realized¡­ ¡®I¡¯m fucked!¡¯ Chapter 97

    Chapter 97

    The next morning, an order to the entire 2nd Battalion to gather at the drill ground was announced. ¡°All forces! Attention!¡± Sorscimus, the deputy of the battalionmander, screamed at the top of his lungs, ¡°Salute to the Corps Commander!¡± ¡°Salute!¡± The entire battalion roared and greeted the corpsmander standing on the podium. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet all of you, my fellowrades. I¡¯m your corpsmander,¡± Overlock said, and then he started his speech, ¡°The corpsmander is delighted to see each and every one of you, and as your corpsmander¡­¡± Overlock referred to himself in the third person as ¡®the corpsmander,¡¯ and he spoke in a very stern military form of speech. The officers were ready to listen to another boring monologue given by amander, and some of them seemed to be steeling their resolve for it. However, what came afterward was no boring monologue. ¡°The corpsmander is greatly moved by the efforts you have made, 2nd Battalion, and the corpsmander could not help but be deeply moved by the efforts of the Alligator Squad led by Carell de Biermann. Squad Leader Carell de Biermann and Private Sieg! Come forward!¡± Carell seemed confused at what was going on as he made his way up to the podium, but it was different for Siegfried. ¡®It looks like the rumors have spread all the way there. I thought it was only going to reach the divisionmander at most¡­¡¯?he thought. Siegfried, who had Fallschirm dancing at the palm of his hands, had been expecting a high-ranking officer toe and congratte them. ¡°Nice to meet you, Squad Leader Carell.¡± ¡°CAPTAIN CARELL GREETS THE CORPS COMMANDER!¡± Carell screamed at the top of his lungs in response to the three-star general¡¯s greeting. ¡°You must be that Adventurer. Nice to meet you, Private Sieg.¡± ¡°Private Sieg greets the corpsmander,¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. He wasn¡¯t nervous at all, as befitting of an Adventurer, even though he was in front of a three-star general. ¡°I heard that both of you have worked really hard until now. The corpsmander is someone who greatly respects the achievements both of you have made, so I personally wanted to congratte and reward you for your merits,¡± Overlock said before taking the medal his adjutant, Guinness, had extended over to him before continuing, ¡°I am hereby promoting the Alligator Squad¡¯s, Squad Leader Carell de Biermann. Squad Leader Carell, step forward.¡± ¡°Huh? Do you mean me, sir?¡± ¡°Who else is the squad leader aside from you? What are you doing? Hurry up ande.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, sir!¡± Carell clumsily rushed toward Overlock. ¡°A soldier is bound to get promoted quickly on the battlefield, especially a skilledmander like you,¡± Overlock praised. ¡°CAPTAIN CARELL THANKS THE CORPS COMMANDER!¡± Carell screamed at the top of his lungs in response. ¡°You¡¯re going to pop my eardrums,¡± Overlock grumbled. ¡°I¡­ I APOLOGIZE TO THE CORPS COMMANDER!¡± ¡°I can see that you have our military discipline deeply instilled in you, that¡¯s good. Now,e closer.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Overlock reced the medal with three diamonds on Carell¡¯s chest into a medal with a single (*). ¡°Congrattions, Lt. Commander Carell.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°You are no longer a captain but a lieutenantmander.¡± ¡°I do not quite follow what you mean¡­ by that, sir¡­?¡± ¡°Hoho! How am I supposed to exin if you ask me that after achievements have you made?¡± ¡°B-But Corps Commander-nim! This is too much¡­¡± The reward Carell received was certainly too much. He was a newbie among the newbies since it had only been a year since he officially became an officer, which meant that it was far too early for him to be a lieutenantmander. ¡°The corpsmander is aware of that as well, but you are in no waycking when taking into consideration how you endured those hardships and led your men to victory. So you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Just embrace your promotion.¡± ¡°Corps Commander-nim¡­¡± ¡°I look forward to your continued hard work.¡± Overlock tapped the young knight¡¯s shoulder before he turned and said, ¡°And Private Sieg...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I should promote you as well. Does it make sense that a war hero like you is still a private?¡± Overlock asked. Overlock was right. ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t make sense that he¡¯s still a private.¡± ¡°How stingy was the battalionmander that a war hero like him is still a private?¡± ¡°Will he get a three-rank promotion?¡± Even the troops seemed to agree with their corpsmander¡¯s words. ¡°Private Sieg. The corpsmander is¡ª¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡ªthinking of appointing you as an officer. What do you think?¡± ¡°An officer?¡± Siegfried was taken aback by the sudden proposal. Why? The system here at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost explicitly ced the Adventurers under themand of the NPCs, and it was safe to assume that there was no way an Adventurer could even be an officer. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m well aware that you are the type to personally fight on the frontlines rather than to stay back andmand troops, but there are no rules that say that amanding officer should always stay back and rx. A truemanding officer should know how tomand his troops while he is engaged inbat himself.¡± ¡°So what are you trying to say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of appointing you as the battalionmander of an independent battalion.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Lt. General Overlock has made you an offer!]
  • Yes: Yes, I wish to be the battalionmander of an independent battalion!
  • No: No, I do not think that position suits me.
    • He was given a choice. ¡®What should I do?¡¯?Siegfried contemted whether to ept the offer or not, but it did not take long for him to make a decision. He had to level up anyway, so he had been nning to stay for quite a while here at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost. ¡®I guess it¡¯s better to be amander than a soldier. I¡¯ll have more freedom, and I won¡¯t have to sit around and wait formands,¡¯?he thought. He then agreed to Overlock¡¯s offer, ¡°Yes, I will do it.¡± ¡°Oh! I didn¡¯t expect you to ept my proposal! Alright, I am hereby appointing you as the battalionmander of an independent battalion. Here, take this,¡± Overlock said as he removed the private rank badge on Siegfried¡¯s chest and reced it with the rank badge of a lieutenant colonel (**). [Alert: Congrattions!] [Alert: Your achievements have been recognized, and you have been promoted from a private to a lieutenant colonel!] [Alert: You have obtained a title!] [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®Another Legend¡¯!] Then, the details of his new title popped up in front of his eyes. [Another Legend: 777] [You are the 777th Adventurer to be promoted to an officer!] [Type: Title (Achievement)] [Rating: Legendary] [Effects: Leadership +500, Fame +500, All Experience Points gained from clearing quests will increase by +2%] The effects weren¡¯t that good, but it was a symbolic title. There were around three hundred million yers ying BNW, and the fact that he was the 777th yer to be an officer meant that it was a pretty remarkable feat. ¡°Then, I look forward to your continued efforts. We can slowly discuss the specifics about your battalion¡¯s formation,¡± Overlock said. ¡°Thank you,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Congrattions, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg,¡± Overlock added with a smile. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Sieg thanks the corpsmander!¡± Siegfried replied with a salute. p¡­! p¡­! p¡­!? The troops gave Siegfried a round of apuse. ¡°Now, shall we start the court martial? Bring in the criminal!¡± Overlockmanded the gendarmerie knights. ¡°Heok?!¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°What the hell? Why is he over there?¡± The troops were stupefied to see the criminal. ¡°The battalionmander is wearing a prison uniform!¡± someone shouted. It turned out that the criminal was their ex-battalionmander. He was wearing prison garb and was tied up as he was dragged out by the knights. *** ¡®I¡¯m sure the corpsmander had no choice but to court martial him,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a cold smile while looking at Fallschirm. Siegfried already knew that this was going to happen sooner orter. Fallschirm had gone overboard with his antics. A skilledmander should have the guts to sacrifice his troops to attain victory, but that was only going to be the case once or twice at most. Fallschirm had driven the conscripted soldiers to their deaths and even went as far as stealing the merits they had earned, so the higher-ups couldn¡¯t just turn a blind eye to it. Why? It was all because it would be difficult for the army to earn the loyalty and trust of their officers if Fallschirm wasn¡¯t punished. The officers could even resort to mutiny or desertion after killing theirmanding officers. On top of that, the falsified reports had earned the ire of every single one of the officers superior to Fallschirm. This all stemmed from Fallschirm¡¯s excessive desire to get promoted. A judge advocate wearing a white mask appeared and said, ¡°Criminal Fallschirm, listen up. You have abused your powers as a battalionmander and poorly carried out your duties, and you have mistreated your subordinates as well¡­¡± The judge advocate listed Fallschirm''s crimes before sentencing him. ¡°The court martial has decided to sentence you under Article 6 uses 19 and 23, Article 7 uses 5 and 6, Article 11 use 2. The criminal Fallschirm is going to be stripped of his position as the battalionmander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion and will be excluded from all promotions for the next ten years. And¡­¡± It seemed that Fallschirm wouldn¡¯t get executed. ¡°You are hereby demoted to the rank of Private for a year and start your military career all over again afterward. Failure to carry out your sentence is punishable by hanging.¡± Wasn¡¯t it strange that capital punishment seemed to be the better choice for Fallschirm? ¡°N-NOOO¡­!¡± Fallschirm screamed. ¡°Yahoo!¡± ¡°Yeeesss!¡± ¡°Make way for the new recruit!¡± ¡°Hey, newbie! Why don¡¯t youe to our squadron?¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Meanwhile, the officers seemed to wee the sentence handed down to their ex-battalionmander. Fallschirm would have to serve as a private for a year, and he had to start from scratch all over again? The sentence was more than enough to kickstart the adrenaline of the officers who had suffered injustice at the hands of Fallschirm, and they weren¡¯t even affiliated with the Alligator Squad. ¡°N-No! Judge Advocate-nim! Please! Anything but that!¡± Fallschirm begged. ¡°No, that¡¯s it. Go away,¡± the judge advocate sternly replied, and then he added, ¡°This punishment has been passed in hopes that you will understand how those soldiers you abused and drove to death felt.¡± However, Fallschirm continued to beg. ¡°Please¡­¡± ¡°You may request to change your sentence to hanging if you don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The decision is yours to make, Fallschirm.¡± The sentence handed down to Fallschirm was no different from the death penalty. It was going to be excruciatingly difficult for someone who was previously a lieutenant colonel to suddenly be demoted to a private. ¡°Please just send me to prison instead! I want to be locked up instead, so please¡­!¡± ¡°Restart your military career from the bottom or be executed by hanging. You may only choose either of the two.¡± ¡°Judge Advocate-nim¡­!¡± ¡°This is the verdict. The criminal, Fallschirm, shall be given twenty-four hours to decide.¡± Bam! Bam! Bam!? The judge advocate mmed his gavel down three times, concluding the trial. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m a private¡­? I have to start from scratch?¡± Fallschirm muttered in disbelief. However, nobody felt sorry for him. ¡°Come to our squadron!¡± ¡°We will show you lots of love if youe to ours!¡± ¡°Are you good at picking up soap?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll drill you until you shit blood! Kekeke!¡± The officers went into a frenzy as they tried to recruit Private Fallschirm to their squadron. *** Two dayster, Siegfried became the battalionmander of a battalion mostlyposed of Adventurers, and he was given his own tent to use. Carell was also transferred to Siegfried¡¯s battalion, and the young knight was now his direct subordinate. [Alert: You are almost Level 100!] [Alert: You may learn a new skill once you reach Level 100!] Siegfried was now close to Level 100. ¡®I need to gain one more level to hit Level 100, and after learning a new skill, whates next? I should probably just increase my level to Level 150 here,¡¯?Siegfried thought before exiting his tent with Carell. He had a lunch appointment with another battalionmander to discuss strategy and their future ns. They were about to leave the other battalion¡¯s barracks, but Siegfried saw a familiar face at the barracks. ¡°Hmm? Ohh¡­¡± A sinister smile appeared on Siegfried¡¯s lips when he recognized the familiar face. ¡°Carell.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think he looks familiar?¡± ¡°Huh? Is that Fallschirm?¡± It turned out that the familiar face was none other than Private Fallschirm, who was a lieutenant colonel just a few days ago. In the end, Fallschirm ended up choosing to restart his military career rather than be executed by hanging. 1. Fancy way of saying military police. Decided to go with this term since police and knight in the same sentence sound weird. Chapter 98

    Chapter 98

    ¡°¡­!¡± Private Fallschirm¡¯s face turned pale the moment he saw Siegfried and Carell. Their roles have now switched. Fallschirm¡¯s current state was theplete opposite of his previous self. From lieutenant colonel, he was demoted to private, and the baton he used was reced with a broom to sweep the barracks. His dashing military uniform was reced with a worn-out discolored uniform no one knew how many people had worn. Meanwhile, Siegfried and Carell were proudly walking through the barracks after being respectively promoted to lieutenantmander and lieutenant colonel. The switch was so drastic that one would have to wonder if this was actually even possible in the first ce. ¡°Salute¡­¡± Fallschirm weakly raised a salute. He thought of feigning ignorance and pretending as if he hadn¡¯t seen them, but he did often scold those under him for not saluting properly to him. ¡°Salute.¡± ¡°Salute.¡± Siegfried and Carell responded by saluting back. Seuk¡­! Then, they walked past Private Fallschirm without saying a single word. It was as if he wasn¡¯t worth their attention¡­ ¡°How long do you think he willst?¡± Carell asked. . ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s none of my business, though,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug, and then he added, ¡°But do you really think he¡¯llst long? That guy is weak.¡± ¡°I agree, and even if he did manage to endure it¡­¡± Carell trailed off before continuing. ¡°Our troops are not going to let him be. All sorts of idents happen duringbat, do you not agree, Your Majesty?¡± Carell was hinting at Fallschirm¡¯s death being disguised as an ident by the Alligator Squad members. ¡°Well, that is a possibility. Anyway, let¡¯s not think about him. He isn¡¯t worth our attention,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°But are you not delighted, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean, Fallschirm, who bothered Your Majesty for so long, ended up like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Who the hell is he? I mean, he did get on my nerves, but that¡¯s about it. I just want to do my duties as an Adventurer and diligently hunt monsters, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t done anything, someone else would surely take care of him, so why would I even mind him in the first ce? I didn¡¯t even have to rack my brains to screw him over or dirty my hands in the process, right?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Greedy people like him are bound to ruin themselves. The really scary ones are those you can¡¯t tell whether they are greedy or not.¡± ¡°I will remember your words.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even worth remembering. Let¡¯s just go train,¡± Siegfried said with a smirk after picking up a wooden sword. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Carell replied with a smile and hurried after Siegfried as if he was now enjoying Siegfried¡¯s beatings. *** That evening, there was an uproar in the 2nd Infantry Battalion, which was now called an independent battalion. A concert to boost the soldier¡¯s morale! A famous girl group called the ¡®Three Goddesses of Pleasure¡¯ came all the way from the capital to the Arachnid Temporary Outpost. It was Lt. General Overlock¡¯s way of paying back the soldiers for their hard work. ¡ª I will silently pounce like a prowling tiger and kiss you like an elf~ The soldiers were going insane. ¡°Waaaaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°My nket¡¯s going to burst tonight!¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting fired uuuuuppp!¡± The concert was like rain in the midst of a drought for these young healthy men who had to suppress their desires and risk their lives on the battlefield. No, it was more urate to say that it was like a downpour instead of rain! ¡®I see the military is the same whether it¡¯s in reality or in the game,¡¯?Siegfried thought while quietly observing the soldiers with a smile. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Carell suddenly appeared and said, ¡°I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are truly the savior of our household.¡± ¡°What savior? I¡¯m just repaying your father for what he gave me.¡± ¡°It still will not change the fact that you are indeed our savior. I hope that¡­¡± Carell trailed off. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°When I manage to grow into a powerful knight¡­¡± Carell carefully muttered before he continued. ¡°Will you ept me as one of your subjects?¡± ¡°You¡­?¡± ¡°I know that I¡¯mcking, but if I manage to be strong enough to satisfy your requirements, then¡­¡± ¡°Well, I won¡¯t refuse that,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile before adding, ¡°But working for me is not going to be easy. I have a lot of enemies, and their numbers are beyond what you can ever imagine. In fact, some of the Adventurers in our battalion are affiliated with my sworn enemy. They just haven¡¯t realized it since I¡¯m currently using a disguise,¡± Siegfried said. He was aware that there were two Adventurers from the Genesis Guild in his battalion. Of course, they were normal members rather than executives of the guild. ¡°I-Is that so?¡± ¡°Look,¡± Siegfried said. Pshheuuuk! Then, he pulled his skin out to reveal a face that looked starkly different from the one a while ago. ¡°Heok?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a Metamorphosis Mask, but this is my real face.¡± ¡°I never knew.¡± ¡°Of course, you didn¡¯t. You only heard of me, but you have never seen me, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not that good of a boss to serve, and it will be very dangerous for you as well.¡± ¡°I am still willing to serve Your Majesty. I swear toe and find you when my abilities have grown strong enough to properly serve you one day.¡± ¡°You will regret it.¡± ¡°I will not. My life is already as good as¡ª¡± All of a sudden, the sound of something flying overhead could be heard. Whiiiiiiing¡­ Kaboooooom! A powerful explosion rocked the ce. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Siegfried and Carell immediately got up and scouted their surroundings. ¡°What¡­ What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Did someone blow up the armory?!¡± ¡°What the hell?!¡± The others got up and looked around in surprise as well. One of them suddenly screamed, ¡°D-Droptids! The Droptids haveunched an airstrike!¡± Those words made everyone look up at the dark sky, and they all saw a bunch ofrge circr objects floating in the sky. Droptids were flying mutated creatures that dropped powerful living bombs or ferried hundreds of small Cryptids in their stomach. In short, it was a monster that acted as a bomber or air transportation for the Cryptids. There were around twenty Droptids visible in the night sky above them. ¡®Damn it!¡¯?Siegfried grimaced upon identifying the Droptids in the night sky. ¡°ALL FORCEEESSS! Prepare for battle! The Droptids haveunched an airstrike!¡± Siegfried infused mana into his voice and screamed at the top of his lungs. ¡°All forces, prepare for battle!¡± His orders were quickly ryed throughout the entire battalion, and a battle started under the night sky. *** The Droptids were so scary because of their ability to drop powerful living bombs on top of being able to ferry one hundred small Cryptids and fifty medium-sized Cryptids in their stomach. In short, it was safe to assume that the appearance of a single Droptid would mean that there would be at least a hundred Cryptids along with it. However, there were close to twenty Droptids right now. This meant that there would be a thousand medium-sized Droptids, at the very least. ¡®An ambush!¡¯?Siegfried gnashed his teeth. The troops were in the middle of enjoying the concert when a thousand Cryptids suddenly appeared. As such, Siegfried was sure that the entire battalion would be annihted at this rate. Moreover, most of the troops were drunk, so they couldn¡¯t properly fight the enemies. ¡®Why now of all?times¡­?!¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. It became clear that a creature with intelligence was among the Cryptids judging by the timing of the ambush. Boom! Boom! Boom!? The Droptids started dropping living bombs. Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions urred throughout the barracks. ¡°Euaaaak!¡± ¡°Save me!¡± ¡°Ambush! It¡¯s an ambush!¡± Screams could be heard from all over the ce, but that was only the beginning. ¡°Kireuk!¡± ¡°Kedeuk!?Kedeuk!¡± ¡°Keeeek!?Kieeeek!¡± All sorts of Cryptids dropped into the barracks and started to one-sidedly ughter the defenseless soldiers. ¡°Battalion Commander-nim!¡± a signalman ran toward Siegfried and reported, ¡°Headquarters have instructed us to retreat after we reported the current situation!¡± ¡°Retreat? We can just request reinforcements from the other battalions¡ª¡± Siegfried muttered. However, the signalman hurriedly interrupted him. ¡°It is the same over there! The 1st Battalion, the 2nd Battalion, and the 3rd Battalion! They have been ambushed by the Droptids!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Headquarters havemanded all three battalions to retreat to this point!¡± said the signalman as he opened a map and pointed at a location. ¡°Fifteen kilometers? Damn it!¡± Siegfried cursed. The retreat point was too far from their current location. ¡°What about the reinforcements? This distance is too far for us to retreat¡­¡± ¡°It is impossible! Our regiment and brigades have been hit by the Cryptids as well! You will have to retreat at least to this point for them to be able to send reinforcements!¡± When the signalman¡¯s words fell, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. Ding! [Alert: Quest: ¡®Operation: Retreat in the Dead of the Night¡¯ has appeared!] The quest details were as followed. [Operation: Retreat in the Dead of the Night] [Type: Normal Quest] [Lead your troops out of the ambush and retreat to a safe location.] [Progress: 0/15 (15 km) [Reward: Military Merit Medal, Fame +1,000, 10,000 gold.] [Caution: 50% of the battalion has to survive. The quest will fail if you fail to save half of your troops.] The quest seemed pretty difficult. [Alert: Do you wish to ept the Quest: ¡®Operation: Retreat in the Dead of the Night¡¯] [Yes/No] However, Siegfried had no reason to refuse. Honestly, he also had no idea how to refuse the quest. ¡°Okay,¡± Siegfried gnashed his teeth andmanded, ¡°All forces! Retreat!¡± He decided to ept the quest. [Yes!] [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Operation: Retreat in the Dead of the Night¡¯!] [Alert: Retreat! You have 94% of your forces remaining!] The system was nice enough to disy how much of his troops were remaining. [Alert: Please retreat at once! You have 93% of your forces remaining!] [Alert: Please retreat at once! You have 92% of your forces remaining!] [Alert: Please retreat at once! You have 91% of your forces remaining!] However, the number of his troops was dropping pretty fast. Boom! Boom! Boom!? The Droptids continued to drop bombs on the army. ¡°Kierrr!¡± ¡°Kedeuk!?Kedeuk!¡± ¡°Kieeek! Kieeeeeek!¡± Then, the Cryptids flew all over the ce. ¡°Euak!¡± ¡°R-Run away!¡± ¡°Somebody save me!¡± The troops couldn¡¯t react to the ambush. ¡°Carell!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Gather as much of our forces as you can! I will take care of these bastards!¡± Siegfried said while pointing at the Droptids in the sky. ¡°Yes!¡± Carell replied and instantly went into action as hemanded the troops. ¡°All armed forces, over here! We need to band together! Hurry up and raise your arms! Over here! Come over here!¡± It seemed that he had grown quite a bit as he skillfullymanded the troops despite their overwhelmingly disadvantageous position. ¡®That punk¡­¡¯?Siegfried muttered with a smirk while looking at the young knight. Then, he immediately went to gather the Adventurers. Chapter 99

    Chapter 99

    ¡°Magicians and Archers! Please gather here! Hurry up!¡± Siegfried urgentlymanded and led the Adventurers to get rid of the Droptids. ¡°Archers! Please aim at the Droptids! They can¡¯t do much aside from dropping bombs, so it will be easy for you to deal damage against them! The same goes for the Magicians! It will be easier for us to fight if we get rid of the Droptids, so we need to make sure to stop them from dropping living bombs on our troops! That is the priority! Oh, is anyone capable of casting flight-type magic?¡± Siegfried asked after giving out hismands. ¡°I do,¡± said an Adventurer with raised hands. Ironically, the Adventurer was one of the two adventurers in the battalion who were members of the Genesis Guild. ¡°Please cast it on our DPS. DPS, please fly up toward the Droptids and bring them down as fast as you can,¡± Siegfriedmanded. It was the right strategy against Droptids, and Siegfried was able to make this call since he had faced these monsters countless times in the past. ¡°Remembers, prioritize the Droptids! Now, move out!¡± Siegfried gave themand, and the Adventurers scattered in response. Shwiiiik! The Archers aimed at the sky and let their arrows fly toward the Droptids. ¡°Three, two, one, fire!¡± The Magicians infused their firepower on top of the arrows to unleash a ferociousbination at the Droptids. ¡°Let¡¯s?gooooo!¡± ¡°Fuck them all!¡± ¡°Go, go, go!¡± The melee damage dealers flew up toward the Droptids after getting buffed by the Genesis Guild member. Meanwhile, Siegfried didn¡¯t just sit around. ¡®Torrential Flower?Rain?doesn¡¯tst that long, and it uses too much mana. I can¡¯t use Irradiate here as well since I¡¯ll end up bing a troll who¡¯s going to kill my teammates¡­ In that case¡­¡¯? Siegfried recalled one useful ranged skill he had in his arsenal. It was a very powerful skill¡­ Kwak! Siegfried gripped his hammer tightly. Whiiiiiiish! Flying Spur ripped through the air and shot toward the Droptids in the sky. Bam! Bam! Bam! The hammer smashed itself into the Droptids. ¡°Kuoooooh!¡± ¡°Kueeeeek!¡± ¡°Kieeeeeek!¡± The Droptids crashed to the ground one by one after the fierce counterattack from Siegfried and the Adventurers. It wasn¡¯t that difficult to get rid of the Droptids as they were pretty slow, and they had no other attack method aside from dropping living bombs and Cryptids. ¡®Alright!¡¯?Siegfried rejoiced after confirming that the army was no longer in danger against the Droptids¡¯ bombs. However, his joysted only for a moment. [Alert: Please retreat at once! You have 83% of your forces remaining!] [Alert: Please retreat at once! You have 82% of your forces remaining!] [Alert: Please retreat at once! You have 81% of your forces remaining!] [Alert: Please retreat at once! You have 80% of your forces remaining!] The number of his troops was steadily and quickly decreasing. At this rate, the battalion would get wiped out before they could even start their retreat. ¡°Gather up if you are done with the Droptids! We will quickly retreat while covering our allies!¡± Siegfried instructed and urged the adventurers. Their chances of winning against the Cryptids were next to none, and the whole situation seemed to be in line with the quest name ¡®Retreat Operation¡¯. There were simply too many of them, and the swarm of Cryptidsing toward them was so great that the entire horizon was covered with the monsters. The Adventures did take care of the Droptids, but that was only after the flying monsters had fulfilled their duties to transport the living bombs and the Cryptids. Now, it was safe to say that the entire barracks had be a Cryptidir. *** The retreat in the middle of the night was an operation with their survival on the line. The independent battalion Siegfried led, as well as the 1st Battalion, the 2nd Battalion, and the 3rd Battalion, could not even fight properly as they all ran as fast as they could to retreat to safety. Fortunately, Siegfried and Carell¡¯s leadership allowed the officers and Adventurers to gather pretty quickly, so they were able to move in a coordinated manner while fighting the Cryptids in the middle of their retreat. ¡°We will hold them off here one more time! Carell! Lead the troops to safety!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°Yes, Battalion Commander-nim!¡± Carell shouted in response. Siegfried did not have the luxury to catch a breath as he shouted to the Adventurers, ¡°I will use my skills first! I need you to cover me once I use up my mana and enter sage time!¡± Then, he turned around and faced the swarm of Cryptids all on his own. Shiiing! Shiiing! He took out two green discs and hurled them toward the iing swarm. sh! A green lightning shed¡­ Shwaaaaaaaaa! The flower rain of death scattered throughout the battlefield, shredding the Cryptids into pieces. However, the carnage didn¡¯tst that long. ¡°Heok! Heok!¡±?Siegfried gasped for air as he retreated behind allied lines after exhausting all of his mana by using Torrential Flower Rain for long as he could. The Adventurers stepped in to fill his shoes while he was replenishing his mana. ¡°Tankers! Forward!¡± ¡°Hang on until Battalion Commander-nim recovers his mana!¡± ¡°Use as much AOE magic as you can!¡± It was such an intense battle! The battle was so intense one would question if it was even possible for a mere game to make something so intense look so real. ¡®There are still ten kilometers left? Damn¡­ It¡¯s too far¡­¡¯?Siegfried gnashed his teeth and grumbled inwardly after checking his mini-map. They still had a long way to go, but the retreat operation was just getting started¡­ *** The retreat operation continued for two more hours. ¡°We¡¯re almost there! Let¡¯s hang on for a bit longer!¡± Siegfried shouted while pointing at the gorge in front. The Snake Gorge. They just had to cross that gorge that stretched over two kilometers, and they would finally be able to meet up with the reinforcements. ¡®Just a bit more¡­¡¯?Siegfried checked his HP, Stamina, and Mana bars to assess his situation, ¡®I think I will be able to push them back one more time¡­¡¯ But all of a sudden¡­ ¡°Kedeuk!?Kedeuk!¡± ¡°Kedededeuk!¡± ¡°Kedeuk!?Kieeek!¡± A huge number of Gobletids appeared in droves. A Gobletid was a mutated goblin with low HP but with fast movement and attack speed. Considering their current situation, these monsters were the most dangerous monster for them toe across because they had to reach the retreat point as fast as possible. ¡®No!¡¯?Siegfried screamed inwardly. ¡°They¡¯reing!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Why are there so many of them?!¡± The Adventurers were bbergasted and shocked as well. How many were there? A thousand? No, two thousand? It seemed like the number of Gobletids far surpassed the number of Cryptids that had been chasing them until now, even though these Gobletids seemed like they were the reinforcements. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly in despair. ¡®It¡¯s meaningless to fight. We will be quickly surrounded if we attempt to fight back,¡¯?he thought. The Gobletids were mobile monsters. A hit-and-run tactic against them was not going to work, and Adventurers would obviously get wiped out if they dared to even attempt such a thing. In short, this only meant that they only had one thing that they could do¡­ ¡°Everyone¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before shouting at the top of his lungs, ¡°RUN! Run as fast as you can! Run and don¡¯t look back!¡± Yes, the only thing they could was run for their dear life. *** ¡°Euaaaaak!¡± ¡°Heok! Heok! Heok!¡° ¡°Don¡¯te near me! Fuck off, you monsters!¡± ¡°R-Run! Ruuuun!¡± Everyone ran for their dear lives, the officers, soldiers, and even the Adventurers. They ran for their dear lives toward the Snake Gorge regardless of their rank or status. They ran and ran as fast as they could. Many of them fell behind while running, but Siegfried helped each and every one of them while running away. ¡°Get up! Keep running! I will hold them off! Run if you want to live!¡± Siegfried shouted at the NPC soldiers. ¡°Somebody save me!¡± However, he didn¡¯t help Fallschirm, who miraculously managed to survive until now. Unfortunately, it seemed that this was the end of the line for him as he seemed to have twisted his ankle while running away. He desperately tried to limp away, but the Gobletids had already surrounded him. ¡°Aaaaah¡­!?AAAAGH!¡± Fallschirm screamed in agony as dozens of Gobletids ate him alive. Fallschirm died three days after he chose to restart his military career all over again¡­ ¡®It doesn¡¯t really matter whether that bastard dies or not,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He didn¡¯t spare even a nce at Fallschirm. Instead, he dedicated all of his efforts toward rescuing the soldiers that needed help. Some soldiers had already entered the gorge, while most of them were still desperately running for their lives. However, one man suddenly ran in the opposite direction. ¡°Battalion Commander-nim! Where are you going?!¡± Carell screamed. ¡°Go ahead!¡± Siegfried shouted in response. ¡°But¡­!¡± ¡°Go! Someone has to hold them off! I will follow soon, so lead the troops to safety!¡± Siegfried shouted while waving his hand. Then, he ran toward the swarm of Cryptidsing for the army. ¡°Please buff me on your way!¡± Siegfried asked the Buffers passing by him, and then he added, ¡°I will take care of the enemy!¡± The reason he chose to take such drastic action was that his troops were still steadily decreasing. [Alert: Please retreat at once! You have 51% of your forces remaining!] Siegfried was sure that he would fail the quest and the entire battalion would get annihted if nobody stepped up and stopped Cryptids here. Someone had to buy the troops time to safely leave the gorge. [Alert: Your party member has replenished and buffed your mana!] [Alert: Your party member has healed and buffed your HP!] [Alert: Your party member has boosted and buffed your stamina!] [Alert: Your party member has increased your armor!] [Alert: Your party member has cast a barrier on you!] The Buffers focused all of their buff skills on Siegfried. ¡®Let¡¯s try and hold them back¡­!¡¯?Siegfried after receiving numerous buffs. Then, he urged his mana hall to its limit and used Irradiate. Sseuuu¡­! A green poison fog scattered, and the ce he was standing on became the forbiddennd of death. ¡®This won¡¯t be enough¡­!¡¯?Siegfried took it one step further and cast Circle of Mortality, Speed Restraint, and Wave of Suppression as well. [Alert: You have used ¡®Contempt for the Strong¡¯!] [Alert: You have used ¡®Proof of Existence¡¯!] [Alert: You have used ¡®Adamant Body¡¯!] He buffed himself with Contempt for the Strong, which allowed him to deal additional damage and counterattack damage to enemies stronger than him, Proof of Existence, which let him deal additional damage to debuffed enemies, and Adamant Body, which explosively increased his defense and made him immune to crowd control effects. Siegfried used all of his skills as he faced the iing swarm of Cryptids. ¡®This could be the best course of action I could take,¡¯?he confidently thought. After all, he couldn¡¯t freely use his debuff skills, which were the bread and butter of his ss, while running away. What could he do even if he ced his debuff fields while running away? The Cryptids would just bypass it while chasing after him. But now, the situation waspletely different. All he had to do was to ce his debuff fields and hold them off using the narrow ravine of the gorge. In addition, he had activated all of his buff skills on top of the buffs he had received from the Buffers on the way here. ¡®I¡¯m strong right now,¡¯?he thought as he tightly gripped his hammer. ¡®Splitting Heaven and Earth¡­ let¡¯s give it a shot¡­!¡¯? Siegfried jumped into the air. Splitting Heaven and Earth was the Level 100 active skill of the Debuff Master. He had learned it a while ago after finally hitting Level 100. Woooong! A powerful energy coalesced on his hammer. Whoooooosh! Siegfried dropped straight down to the ground, carrying his hammer all the way and smashing it into the ground. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The Adventurers¡¯ eyes almost popped out the moment they witnessed the scene. One of them even muttered, ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­ Isn¡¯t that a nuclear strike?¡± The sheer destructive power of the skill Siegfried had used just now was immeasurable, no¡ªit was unreasonably powerful. 1. Sage Time is the Korean term for post-nut rity. They say that the rity you get after spending everything makes you feel like a sage, and they use this in games when you have spent all of your mana. Chapter 100

    Chapter 100

    Boooom! Siegfried crashed into the ground. Creak¡­ Creak¡­! The ground cracked and was turned inside out, but it was just the beginning. Whoosh! Perhaps he struck the ground too?strongly? The fragmented ground shot up into the sky after the impact. ¡°Kieeek?!¡± ¡°Kyaahk!¡± ¡°Kieeek!¡± The Cryptids running toward Siegfried floated up as well. What happened next? Of course¡ªwhat goes up has toe down. Crash! The ground, rock, and everything that floated up came crashing to the ground, and the whole turn of events looked as if a high-ranked magician cast the high-ranked spell ¡®Reverse Gravity¡¯. The ground split open and the sky fell, and the whole scene looked like heaven and earth splitting open. In fact, the skill''s name was ¡®Splitting Heaven and Earth¡¯. [Splitting Heaven and Earth] [The user smashes the ground with a cataclysmic strike, causing the creation of heaven and earth.] [The user smashes the ground dealing immense damage and splitting the ground to inflict multi-hit damage to enemies. Finally, the groundes back down after being forcefully sent upward, dealing additional damage to enemies.] [The ability range and damage dealt increases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [The skill can be enhanced with attribute energy including but not limited to fire, water, lightning, and darkness.] [Level: 1] [Cooldown: 300 seconds] [Duration: 5 seconds] [Ability Range: 1,000 square meters] [Mana Consumption: 1,000] The Debuff Master¡¯s Level 100 active skill Splitting Heaven and Earth wreaked havoc in an area the size of two basketball courts. ¡°Crazy¡­ That¡¯s Poison Mage?¡± ¡°Could it be Earthquake Magic? No, that looks more like Reverse Gravity magic¡­?¡± ¡°Is that a psychic-type skill?¡± ¡°What the hell is he¡­?¡± The Adventurers who saw Siegfried¡¯s Splitting Heaven and Earth couldn¡¯t hide their shock as they started murmuring among themselves with all sorts of spections regarding Siegfried¡¯s identity. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ he¡¯s a Hidden ss user?!¡¯? In the end, they could only assume that Siegfried was a Hidden ss user. *** Siegfried didn¡¯t feel the power of his Splitting Heaven and Earth, but he didn¡¯t really have to feel it to know its might. Unfortunately, Siegfried didn¡¯t have the luxury of being amazed by it since the real fight was just about to start. ¡°Kyaahk!¡± ¡°Kedeuk!?Kedeuk!¡± ¡°Keeheehee!¡± A swarm of nearly three thousand Cryptids was still charging into the gorge, and Siegfried¡¯s task of guarding the gorge had just started. *** The Adventurers initially thought that it was impossible for Siegfried to hold the Cryptids back. ¡®Isn¡¯t he pushing it?¡¯ ¡®I mean¡­ even if there¡¯s a bottleneck¡­ just look at how many there are¡­¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s not an army you can fight on your own just because you received some buffs¡­¡¯ ¡®I heard he has the lowest level among us, right?¡¯ It was only right for them to think that way. After all, the number of Cryptids was simply far too overwhelming, no matter how advantageous the terrain was, but it didn¡¯t take long for Siegfried to prove them wrong. ¡°The¡­ The monsters are melting!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s insane¡­ Look at that!¡± ¡°Does it make sense that he can fend them off alone¡­?¡± ¡°Crazy¡­ how many has he killed so far? I think his kill count has surpassed a thousand already, right?!¡± Siegfried was literally melting the Cryptids away. It was as if he had turned into an eraser, no, into boilingva. He turned every Cryptid that got near him into ketchup. This was only possible thanks to the Debuff Master¡¯s ability tomitrge-scale massacres through its debuff fields, self-buff skills, and radioactive energy on top of the various buffs he had received from the Adventurers. Lastly, the advantageous terrain was the most important part of all of this. It was only thanks to the terrain that he could hold the monsters back. [Alert: You have reached Level 101!] [Alert: You have reached Level 102!] [Alert: You have reached Level 103!] [Alert: You have reached Level 104!] [Alert: You have reached Level 105!] [Alert: You have reached Level 106!] [Alert: You have reached Level 107!] [Alert: You have reached Level 108!] [Alert: You have reached Level 109!] [Alert: You have reached Level 110!] Unbelievably, Siegfried managed to level up a whopping ten times in the span of just ten minutes. He had killed so many Cryptids he couldn¡¯t even count them anymore. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] [Stamina: ??????????] Siegfried was so exhausted, and his status bars were about to be depleted. However, for some reason, the Cryptids didn¡¯t dare to barge into the gorge anymore. ¡°Kereuk¡­!¡± ¡°Kyahk¡­¡± ¡°Kiiieek¡­¡± The few dozen remaining Cryptids just growled at him from a distance. They didn¡¯t dare to approach the gorge Siegfried was guarding. They were afraid. Siegfried had managed to instill fear into these emotionless mutated monsters by threatening their very survival. Well, it was impossible for the monsters not to fear him as the bodies of his victims could be piled up into a mountain, and their blood could be a river. ¡®Is this the end¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought, sighing in relief while looking at the Cryptids cowering in the distance. He was already at his limits, and he couldn¡¯t fight anymore. His character¡¯s HP, Mana, and Stamina were almost depleted, and the buffs the Adventurers cast on him had long expired. It was impossible for him tost even another minute against these monsters. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter since the quest will be cleared soon,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He ced greater importance on his quest ¡®Operation: Retreat in the Dead of the Night¡¯ than his own life. The quest was already as good as cleared since the troops had already safely exited the Snake Gorge. ¡°Hyung! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Great work!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The Adventurers watching him fight also passed the gorge and reached the safe zone. Ding! A message appeared in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have obtained a title!] [Alert: Congrattions! You have gained an outstanding achievement that will be recorded in the history of the Macan Kingdom!] [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®Lord of the Battlefield: Martial¡¯! Siegfried was familiar with this title. [Lord of the Battlefield: Martial] [An honorable title bestowed only to those who have faced 1,000 enemies alone through their martial prowess.] [There is another title that exists rted to this called, ¡®Lord of the Battlefield: Intellect¡¯, and it is a title bestowed to those who have disyed extraordinary strategic prowess on the battlefield.] [This title may be upgraded to ¡®God of the Battlefield¡¯ once the user has achieved great feats against more than 10,000 enemies on the battlefield.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Legendary] [Effects: Physical Damage Dealt +7%, Magic Damage Dealt +7%] [Buffs: The Lord of the Battlefield¡¯s buff will activate when there are more enemies than allies on the battlefield. The user¡¯s HP Regeneration, Mana Regeneration, and Stamina Regeneration will increase by 200% when active.] The Lord of the Battlefield title was a title that most Rankers on the ranking page of BNW possessed, provided that they once hunted in the Arachnid Temporary Outpost, and it was considered a must-have title for Rankers. It was fine if a Ranker didn¡¯t have the God of the Battlefield title, but it was widely known that owning the title Lord of the Battlefield was almost mandatory for one to be a Ranker. In fact, it was pretty easy for someone to find a party at a high-ranking dungeon if they possessed this title since the title itself was proof of the yer¡¯s qualification and the worth of their ss. Why? BNW was a cash-dependent game with an almost pay-to-win system, and there were numerous ¡®Abusers¡¯ who paid their way into the ranking page. As such, most parties at high-ranked dungeons tended to be skeptical of people with good items, good ss, and high level since they could have paid their way to it. In fact, it was difficult for yers to join a party in high-ranked dungeons if they had nothing else to prove their true worth other than their cash-bought items. Meanwhile, a yer with not-so-expensive items could still find a party to join as long as they had the title ¡®Lord of the Battlefield¡¯. ¡®Wow¡­ I actually got this title¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smile. Lord of the Battlefield. He had never expected that he would one day obtain the title he always thought was exclusive only for those ¡®talented bastards¡¯. There was a popr saying that said something about disasters rolling over to be blessings in life. Siegfried realized that one had to live life to the fullest to see what it truly had in store for them. ¡®I guess I won¡¯t have a hard time looking for a party at high-ranked dungeonster,¡¯?Siegfried thought before he turned around and red at the remaining Cryptids. It seemed that the monsters had given up their chase, and Siegfried casually walked toward the safe zone. But before he could reach the safe zone, a loud boom shook the ground. Boom! Boom! Boom!? ¡®What was that?¡¯?Siegfried turned toward the source of the booming sound. ¡°Ah¡­ What the hell is it this time¡­?¡± Siegfried grumbled. He was seemingly bbergasted as he muttered, ¡°How am I supposed to beat that thing?¡± The monster that appeared just when he thought everything was finally over was a Boss monster known as an ¡®Ultra Minotaur¡¯. *** [Ultra Minotaur] [A minotaur mutated into a Cryptid.] [It is an extremely powerful Cryptid known as the most powerful monster in the B Rank area.] [Level: 160] [Race: Cryptid] [Type: B Rank Cryptid] [Rank: Boss] [ss: Bulldozer] [Attribute: Fire] [Special Ability: Super Armor] The Ultra Minotaur was an overwhelming being. It was fifteen meters tall, and it weighed several tons. The mutated minotaur was only a Level 160 creature, but its immense HP and incredibly high defense made it nearly impossible to fight one-on-one. In short, it wasn¡¯t a monster one could duel. One had to party with numerous yers and treat this monster as a ¡®raid¡¯ target. ¡°Why did I even try toplete that quest when we were already doomed from the start?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief while looking at the Ultra Minotaur. It was only natural that he was in disbelief because the Ultra Minotaur was more than capable of destroying the entire Snake Gorge, catching up to the escaping troops, and wiping them out. ¡°Puff! Puff!¡± The Ultra Minotaur puffed steam out of its nostrils as it charged toward the gorge without paying attention to Siegfried¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Ah¡­ screw it¡­¡± Siegfried tightly gripped his hammer and grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not so fond of running away anyway, so I might as well buy those guys some time.¡± Shwiiiiiiish! All of a sudden, an arrow flew out of nowhere and struck the ground in front of Siegfried. ¡°¡­!¡± Siegfried looked down at the arrow in front of him, ¡°What the hell are these¡­?¡± There were a bunch of bottles tied to the arrow. [Highest Grade Mana Potion ¡Á 1] [Highest Grade Health Potion ¡Á 1] [Highest Grade Stamina Potion ¡Á 1] There were three bottles of the Highest Grade Potions that were famous for being pretty expensive. There was also a letter attached to the arrow. The letter said: Can you still fight? Drink those up and recover if you can. I will buy you some time to recover. Then, let¡¯s fight together once you are ready. I will help you. Who? Just who would send something like this? Siegfried had no idea, but he understood what the sender was trying to say. They wanted to cooperate with him in bringing down the Ultra Minotaur. ¡®I have no idea who you are, but let¡¯s give it a shot!¡¯?Siegfried clenched his fists. What the sender had done was more than enough reason for him to try and beat the Ultra Minotaur. Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Siegfried drank the potions attached to the arrow. ¡°Mooo!¡±? Meanwhile, the Ultra Minotaur bellowed out its signature roar and charged toward the Snake Gorge. It seemed the monster was hell-bent on destroying not just Siegfried but the entire gorge. 1. Author-nim actually made a reference to the game League of Legends where if you get 6 kills, then it will call you Lord of the Battlefield in Korean, but in the English version of the game, the yer just gets a message ¡®Dominating!¡¯ instead. Chapter 101

    Chapter 101

    Bam! Bam! Bam! The footsteps of the Ultra Minotaur grew louder as it got nearer to the gorge. ¡®Ah¡­ screw it. Let¡¯s give it a shot,¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. He chose to trust his anonymous helper and continued drinking the potions. Bam! Bam! Bam!? One hundred meters, fifty meters, and twenty meters! The Ultra Minotaur was practically right in front of him, but he didn¡¯t stop chugging down the potions. When the Ultra Minotaur was about ten meters away from Siegfried, an arrow enveloped by bluish mana flew toward the Ultra Minotaur and struck its chest. Shwiiiiiii¡­! Kabooom! The arrow exploded instead of embedding itself in the Ultra Minotaur¡¯s chest. Seeuuu¡­! A bluish fog appeared after the explosion and enveloped the Ultra Minotaur. [Alert: Ultra Minotaur has been afflicted with the status ailment: Frozen! (1/50) (This effect is stackable until fifty times)] A message popped up in front of Siegfried. ¡®Huh? What is this feeling¡­?¡¯? Siegfried suddenly felt a strange sensation. He wasn¡¯t sure how to put it into words, but he suddenly felt strange after seeing the arrow that froze the Ultra Minotaur. It was an indescribable feeling that he couldn¡¯t ignore. However, he had no time to leisurely ponder and identify the feeling because¡­ Shwiiish! Shwiiish! Shwiiish!? The mysterious helper continued to rain freezing arrows down at the Ultra Minotaur, and they were obviously buying Siegfried some time. ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s just drink these potions first.¡¯? Siegfried made a decision as he threw the empty Highest Grade Health Potion bottle aside and chugged down the Highest Grade Mana Potion this time. He had to prioritize recovering his HP, Mana, and Stamina while his mysterious helper was buying him time to recover. *** The arrows shot by the mysterious helper were pretty strong. Gulp! Gulp!? Siegfried was astonished by the arrows¡¯ power while he was drinking potions. ¡®What the hell? How are those so strong?¡¯?he wondered. The arrows infused with the power of frost managed to render the Ultra Minotaur, which possessed Ultra Super Armor and the charging ferocity of a minotaur, immobile. ¡°Mo¡ªoooo!¡±?The Ultra Minotaur cried out and thrashed, but it didn¡¯t manage to take a single step from where it was standing as the freezing effect from the arrows continued to tie it down. The arrows were immensely effective against the boss monster, and their damage was pretty huge as well. [Ultra Minotaur] [HP: ??????????] The mysterious helper only shot a few arrows at the Ultra Minotaur, but those arrows managed to reduce the boss monster¡¯s HP by almost 20%. ¡®Is that the famous Arctic Arrow? I can see that its power is as ferocious as the rumors said¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. However, he suddenly flinched in surprise and inwardly questioned. ¡®What the hell¡­? How did I know what that skill¡¯s name is¡­?¡¯ Siegfried was dumbfounded. How did he know what skill his mysterious helper was using? Was it because it was amon skill? Far be it from that! It wasmon to find archers with the ability to shoot arrows infused with the element of frost, but none of them should be able to disy the same power as these arrows just now. Not to mention, the arrows shot with the skill ¡®Arctic Arrow¡¯ would instantly explode upon impact and freeze their target. Even Siegfried¡ªa BNW veteran¡ªhad never seen or heard of that kind of advanced skill before. However, how did he know the skill name? [Alert: Your HP has fully recovered!] [Alert: Your Mana has fully recovered!] [Alert: Your Stamina has fully recovered!] Meanwhile, he was able to get back into tip-top shape after chugging down all three highest-grade potions. ¡°Alright¡­¡± he muttered while looking at his mysterious helper in the distance. The mysterious helper, covered from head to toe with a ck robe, continued shooting arrows at the Ultra Minotaur from a vantage point atop the gorge. ¡°I will have to carry my own weight since¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off as he cast his debuff circles Circle of Mortality and Speed Restraint underneath the Ultra Minotaur. Seuuuu¡­! Then, he activated Irradiate and spread out his radioactive energy. ¡°Since you¡¯re holding it down for me!¡± he eximed as he charged at the Ultra Minotaur. Whooosh¡­ Kwang! His first attack started with Flying Spur. Kwang! The second attack was Smite. Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! The third attack was Machine Gun Smash! [Ultra Minotaur] [HP: ??????????] The Ultra Minotaur lost 20% of its HP in an instant. Seuuu¡­! On top of that, the radioactive energy continuously gnawed away at the Ultra Minotaur¡¯s HP. ¡®So you¡¯re really a high-level monster?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled when Irradiate didn¡¯t deal the same amount of damage as it did to the mobs. It seemed that the radioactive energy wasn¡¯t that effective against monsters with a certain amount of magic and poison resistance. ¡®Should I try using that¡­?¡¯?he wondered as an exciting idea popped up in his head. Torrential Flower Rain. What would happen if all one thousand of his throwables struck a single target? He was thinking of something like that¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s give it a shot.¡¯ Siegfried decided and gripped the green discs in each hand. Whoosh! The two green discs flew toward the Ultra Minotaur. ¡®Torrential¡­ Flower¡­ Rain!¡¯?He eximed inwardly and urged his mana to scatter the throwables contained within the discs. Shwaaaaa! The one thousand throwables ferociously flew toward the Ultra Minotaur. Puk! Puk! Puk! The Ultra Minotaur was quickly swarmed by the throwables. Thuudd! The fifteen-meter-tall boss monster copsed to the ground like an old rotten tree, and its HP was¡ª [Ultra Minotaur] [HP: ??????????] Its HP was reduced to zero. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered with a look of disbelief that seemed to say, ¡®what the hell?¡¯ *** On top of the gorge, a person with their face covered by a hood muttered in disbelief, ¡°Impossible¡­¡± They were the mysterious helper who shot the Arctic Arrow and tied down the Ultra Minotaur just a few moments ago, but even they were stunned by the power Siegfried had disyed just now. For a yer to instantly reduce the HP of a Boss monster like the Ultra Minotaur by 60% was unfathomable. ¡°He¡¯s too strong¡­¡± the mysterious helper grumbled as if finding the game unfair. Arctic Arrow was a powerful skill that could kill nearby mobs with just the freezing aura it emitted upon explosion, but it was iparable to the strange skill Siegfried had used just now. Grit¡­! The mysterious helper could be heard gnashing their teeth beneath the hood. Grip¡­! Siegfried¡¯s mysterious helper aimed their bow and muttered under their breath, ¡°Try blocking this.¡± This time, the target wasn¡¯t thete Ultra Minotaur but Siegfried. *** ¡°Wow¡­ What was that unreal damage I dealt just now¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly stunned by Torrential Flower Rain¡¯s damage. Of course, that damage was only possible thanks to Siegfried¡¯s self-buff, debuffs, and the one thousand throwables aimed at a single target. On top of that, Arctic Arrow had tied down the Ultra Minotaur, which made it easier for Siegfried to target it. As such, Arctic Arrow also greatly contributed to the unimaginably huge damage he had just dealt. In short, the damage just now was only possible because various factors lined up for Siegfried, which allowed him to dish out a hundred percent of his power. ¡°Isn¡¯t it insanely strong? Of course, it uses too much of my mana¡­¡± he grumbled. Earlier, he recovered by drinking an entire bottle of the Highest Grade Mana Potion, but his mana hall was empty once again. ¡°Ah, we should thank them¡­¡± While Siegfried was thinking of thanking the mysterious helper or greeting them at the very least, an arrow suddenly flew toward him at a ferocious speed. Shwiiiiiiish! Siegfried flinched in surprise upon noticing the iing arrow. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­? It¡¯s aimed at me?!¡¯ He tried to avoid the arrow, but¡­ sh! The arrow let out a sh before disappearing from view, and then¡ª Shwiiiik! It appeared right in front of his eyes. ¡®This is¡­!¡¯? Siegfried was taken aback, but he didn¡¯t have the luxury to continue thinking. His mysterious helper turned hostile and ambushed him, and the arrow they shot grazed him. ¡°You helped me, but now you¡¯re attacking me?¡± Siegfried grumbled while ring at the person who shot the arrow at him. ¡°No, before that¡­ I think that skill just now was ¡®Teleport Arrow¡¯?¡± Siegfried muttered with a grimace when he finally realized the identity of the mysterious helper who turned hostile. Teleport Arrow was an advanced archery skill that made an arrow appear in front of its target in the blink of an eye. It didn¡¯t matter whether one was cognizant of the arrowing toward them, it was still a cheat skill that was almost impossible to avoid. Of course, the only Archer with that kind of cheat skill was¡­ ¡°The descendant of God Arrow Windforce¡­?¡± Siegfried was certain that it was definitely one of God Arrow Windforce¡¯s skills, and God Arrow Windforce was one of the beings his master, Deus, didn¡¯t get to defeat. *** Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: The Quest: ¡®Master¡¯s Regret¡¯ has activated!] It was exactly the same when he met Red Cardinal dimir. [Master¡¯s Regret] [Type: Quest] [Details: Find and crush the seven sessors of the people known as the strongest eight on the continent five hundred years ago. [Progress: 0%] [Descendant of Thunder God Vajra 0/1] [Descendant of Sword Saint Murcigo 0/1] [Descendant of Great Sage Sieghart 0/1] [Descendant of Blood Master Berserk 0/1] [Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris 0/1] [Descendant of God Arrow Windforce 0/1] UP! [Descendant of Supreme King Braum 0/1] The fact that the quest had popped up meant that his hostile mysterious helper was definitely the descendant of God Arrow Windforce. ¡®Why?¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. Why did the descendant of God Arrow Windforce help him out? And why was the descendant attacking him after helping him out? ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know¡­ I guess I¡¯ll find out after beating that bastard to a pulp,¡± he grumbled aftering up with a surefire way to resolve all of his questions. Siegfried gripped his hammer tightly. *** Siegfried couldn¡¯t beat the descendant of God Arrow Windforce to a pulp. The distance between them was simply too far. Shwiiish! Shwiiish! Shwiiish! In addition, countless arrows rained down on him as well, and they gave him no chance to close the distance. Grit...! ¡®I can¡¯t get close at all¡­¡¯? Siegfried gritted his teeth. He couldn¡¯t close the distance, let alone climb up the gorge. It was all thanks to the skill Teleport Arrow, which made arrows instantly appear from all sides to attack him. ¡®What the hell is this cheat skill?¡¯?Siegfriedined inwardly at the unfair skill the descendant of God Arrow Windforce possessed. Meanwhile, the descendant of God Arrow Windforce couldn¡¯t help but think that Siegfried¡¯s control was cheating. ¡®What¡¯s with those movements? I can¡¯t hit him at all! That¡¯s cheating!¡¯ It was ridiculous, but the two of them thought that the other party was cheating. Many arrows were shot, but Siegfried avoided all of them as ten minutes passed with both sides still in a stalemate. Shwiiish! The descendant of God Arrow Windforce shot another arrow. ¡®I¡¯ll avoid it again anyway,¡¯?Siegfried thought confidently. He focused all of his concentration on the arrow and was prepared to avoid it once again, but the arrow this time wasn¡¯t a Teleport Arrow. Shwiiiish! Pat! The arrownded on the ground right in front of Siegfried. ¡°Hmm?¡± he wondered, but all of a sudden¡ª Booom! The arrow exploded and unleashed a bright sh of light that engulfed Siegfried. ¡°Ack!¡±?Siegfried covered his face and screamed. He lost his vision, and his surroundings turned white thanks to the arrow that exploded just now. Chapter 102

    Chapter 102

    ¡®I can¡¯t see¡­!¡¯?Siegfried was blinded. [Alert: You have been inflicted with a status ailment!] [Alert: Your character is blind!] [Alert: This effect willst for ten seconds!] That wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ Beeeep¡­! Even his sense of hearing disappeared. [Alert: You have been inflicted with a status ailment!] [Alert: Your character is deaf!] [Alert: This effect willst for ten seconds!] He lost both his vision and his hearing at the same time as the arrow shot by the descendant of God Arrow Windforce afflicted him with status ailments. The arrow exploded like a shbang grenade in real life. In fact, the name of the skill itself was ¡®shbang Arrow¡¯. ¡®That bastard dares to pull cheap tricks!¡¯? Siegfried covered his head and rolled on the ground. He was trying his best not to get hit by an arrow while he was blinded and deafened. However, there were no follow-up attacks from the descendant of God Arrow Windforce. [Alert: Your vision has returned!] [Alert: Your sense of hearing has returned!] The shbang Arrow¡¯s effect ended, but the descendant was nowhere to be seen on top of the gorge. ¡°What the hell? Where¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered. The descendant of God Arrow Windforce disappeared simr to how they appeared. ¡°What were you trying to do with me?!¡± Siegfried shouted, but he didn¡¯t receive any response. His meeting with the descendant of God Arrow Windforce ended without a single conversation. They cooperated once and fought once, and that was the end of it. *** Siegfried sessfully defended the Snake Gorge against the Cryptids, and he retreated to the 3rd Corps of the Macan Kingdom to reunite with his battalion members. ¡°Battalion Commander-nim!¡± The first to greet him was none other than Carell. ¡°You were alive! What took you so long?¡± Carell asked. ¡°Something happened on the way, and what¡¯s the big deal if I die? I¡¯lle back to life after two days anyway,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. ¡®The descendant of the God Arrow, eh¡­¡¯?His mind was upied with only one thought. He couldn¡¯t think of anything else aside from the descendant of God Arrow Windforce, and it was all thanks to what Deus had told him. ¡°My disciple.¡± ¡°Yes, Master?¡± ¡°Be careful of the descendant of God Arrow Windforce.¡± ¡°Why is it specifically the descendant of God Arrow Windforce, Master?¡± ¡°The skills that you possess will be directly countered by God Arrow Windforce. You won¡¯t be able to beat the God Arrow Windforce¡¯s descendant unless you reach a certain level so remember to run away if ever you bump into them. You can stay if you want to be a porcupine, but I suggest retreating. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be able to beat them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How will they counter me?¡± ¡°You will realize it yourself once you sh with that descendant.¡± ¡°Then, will I be able to win if I reach a certain level?¡± ¡°Yes, you will be able to beat the descendant of God Arrow Windforce once you reach the 2nd stage of the skills I created.¡± ¡°How strong is the 2nd stage?¡± ¡°You will realize it once you reach that level, so don¡¯t be too conscious of it and train hard for now.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Since even Deus had told him that defeating the descendant of God Arrow Windforce was impossible until he reached the 2nd stage of his master¡¯s skills, it was definitely impossible for Siegfried to defeat God Arrow Windforce¡¯s descendant in the meantime. ¡®Tsk¡­ I wanted to test my skills against that person¡­¡¯?Siegfried clicked his tongue and grumbled inwardly in regret. He wanted to fight the God Arrow¡¯s descendant to test out what ¡®counter¡¯ and 2nd stage Deus was talking about. ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get to meet and fight them again,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was looking forward to meeting God Arrow Windforce¡¯s descendant once again. After all, God Arrow Windforce¡¯s descendant was an enemy he had to defeat one day. p! p! p!? All of a sudden, a round of apuse came from nowhere. ¡°Hmm?¡± Siegfried turned toward where the apuse wasing from. ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°Battalion Commander-nim is a true hero!¡± ¡°Hurray for Battalion Commander-nim!¡± ¡°Thank you, Battalion Commander-nim!¡± ¡°I survived thanks to you! I respect you, Battalion Commander-nim!¡± Countless troops cheered and fervently pped for Siegfried. Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have cleared the Quest: ¡®Operation: Retreat in the Dead of the Night¡¯!] [Alert: Go and collect your reward from Overlock, themander of the 3rd Corps!] The message notified him that he had finally cleared the difficult quest. ¡°Battalion Commander-nim! Where is Commander Sieg-nim?¡± A soldier from themand center could be heard shouting Siegfried¡¯s alias. The soldier ran toward him when the former spotted him. ¡°Salute! Are you Commander Sieg-nim?¡± asked the soldier. ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°The Corps Commander-nim wishes to meet you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired...¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be on my way, so ask him to wait for a bit.¡± ¡°Yes, sir! Salute!¡± the soldier saluted to Siegfried before running toward themand center tent. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m so tired. Why does he want to meet now of all times?¡± Siegfried grumbled. He eventually sighed in resignation and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll have to go since it¡¯s the corpsmander calling me after all¡­¡± He would have ignored the call and logged out if it was the divisionmander calling him, but he had to go because the corpsmander was a three-star general. *** ¡°Oh!?Lieutenant Colonel Sieg!¡± Overlock eximed and warmly weed Siegfried before saying, ¡°Great job! You did great! Come, take a seat over here!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­¡± Siegfried weakly muttered in response. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a drink first? What do you want? Wine? Beer? Whiskey? Brandy? Perhaps vodka?¡± ¡°Just a cold ss of water will do, sir,¡± Siegfried replied. He felt pretty thirsty after the exhausting ordeal. It seemed that he was nning to cut the conversation short and log out so that he could finally get some rest back in reality. ¡°Here,¡± Overlock said as he extended a ss of water over to Siegfried. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Back to what I was saying. You really did a great job! It must have been a very difficult operation, but many of our troops survived, and it¡¯s all thanks to you!¡± Overlook revealed a wide smile. ¡°I just did what I was supposed to, sir,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re a hero! A war hero!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°I will inquire with my kingdom if they can bestow upon you a medal! A war hero like you deserves to have their merits recognized!¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Lieutenant General Overlock sincerely thanked and praised Siegfried. ¡°Ah, this is a reward,¡± Overlock extended a chest over to Siegfried. ¡°What is this, sir?¡± Siegfried asked before opening the chest. [Check for 10,000 gold ¡Á 1] [Mercedes Speedrunner ¡Á 1] The chest contained the rewards for ¡®Operation: Retreat in the Dead of the Night,¡¯ which were a check for ten thousand gold and a pair of ck socks. ¡°What are these, sir?¡± ¡°What else? Those are your rewards!¡± ¡°I know, but these socks¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you check them out first before asking? You will be able to tell with that Rune of Insight of yours, right?¡± Overlock suggested. ¡°Ah¡­ Alright¡­¡± Siegfried then used his Rune of Insight on the ck pair of socks. [Mercedes Speedrunner] [A pair of socks crafted by the Mercedes Workshop.] [Its durability is very low, and it cannot be repaired.] [Type: Armor (Socks)/Disposable] [Rating: Unique] [Durability: 3/3] [Special Abilities: Movement Speed +100, Superspeed] [Superspeed: Movement speed will increase by 500% for 3 seconds.] The pair of ck socks turned out to be an artifact crafted by the famous Mercedes Workshop, and it granted its user the ability to move extremely fast for a few seconds. ¡®Such a shame¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have lost the God Arrow¡¯s descendant if I had this with me¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly while thinking of God Arrow Windforce¡¯s descendant. ¡°Have you checked it?¡± Overlock asked. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°As you saw, it¡¯s not a permanent artifact, but it is still something that you can use in urgent situations. In fact, this might be just what you need in risky situations. This is a very expensive artifact only provided to high-ranked officers once a year, mind you,¡± Overlock exined. ¡°Are you really giving this to me, sir?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Of course!¡± Overlock eximed and nodded in response before saying, ¡°This is actually not enough of a reward for a war hero like you! Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°No, sir. I am thankful that you were being mindful of me.¡± ¡°Hoho! Look at how humble you are!¡± Overlock looked at Siegfried with eyes full of affection before saying, ¡°Hmm¡­ by the way¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you have any ns to work for our kingdom?¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°We are not on par with the empire, but our Macan Kingdom is still a formidable country. I¡¯m certain that the kingdom will be willing to grant you a noble title and knight you if you so wish for it. Then, you can be the knight of a kingdom and¡ª¡± Overlock started. ¡°I refuse,¡± Siegfried immediately refused the offer before saying, ¡°Bing a civil servant is just not my style, sir.¡± What Siegfried meant by a civil servant wasn¡¯t simply those who work for a country to get paid a monthly wage. The civil servant Siegfried was talking about here was the Adventurers affiliated with a country. Adventurers affiliated with a country would receive a stipend from their affiliated country every month, and they would convert their received stipend into real-life cash, which made them exactly like civil servants in real life. Now, why would a country in the game hire Adventurers? The reasons were simple: 1. An Adventurer had the Rune of Transcendence, which allowed them to quickly be stronger. 2. They were immortals. The Adventurers had quick and unlimited growth thanks to their Rune of Transcendence, and this simple fact was more than enough for them to be pretty attractive in the eyes of the countries on the continent. On top of that, the Adventurers were immortal beings, so the country could deploy them wherever they wanted without fear of losing the Adventurers. As such, the Adventurers were almost equal to an infinite source of manpower for the countries. The only downside to their deaths was the fact that they would disappear for forty-nine hours. Of course, they would immediatelye back and start working again after that. The reasons above were the reason why each country on the continent hired Adventurers left and right by offering them a pretty high ¡®sry¡¯ to be affiliated with their country. The reason Overlock made such an offer to Siegfried was no different. He was currently scouting Siegfried in hopes of strengthening the Macan Kingdom¡¯s national power. However, Siegfried had no ns to work underneath someone, and he was already making a pretty decent amount of money without having to work for someone else. Not to mention, Siegfried was already a king, so why would he even bother bing affiliated with the Macan Kingdom to serve another king? ¡°I have no ns to be affiliated with a specific country, sir,¡± Siegfried rified. ¡°Hoho¡­¡± Overlockughed. However, he seemed disappointed as he said, ¡°Figures. An Adventurer with a bright future like you is bound to refuse being tied down by a country, but I still can¡¯t help but be disappointed by your refusal. It would be great if you were to be a subject of our Macan Kingdom¡­¡± ¡°I respectfully decline, sir.¡± ¡°I understand. I won¡¯t bother you with it anymore. Instead, I hope that you will do your best while you¡¯re in this ce. Can I ask for that from you, at the very least? Our forces are in dire need of a hero like you,¡± Overlock said while looking desperate. Patriotism. The Macan Kingdom was in charge of driving back the Cryptids for the past few decades now, and most of their national strength was being poured into this ce. It was a long and tiring war against the Cryptids, and the entire kingdom was already weary from the long war. As such, it was inevitable for Siegfried to be a special existence in this ce. He was one of the few people who was able to blow a new breath of life into the army and instill bravery in them during these dark times. The soldiers and officers of the Macan Kingdom were looking up to him as well. ¡°If you continue to do your best and keep racking up achievements¡­¡± Overlook trailed off. ¡°¡­?¡± Siegfried listened intently, expecting something big. ¡°I will allow you to marry my daughter,¡± Overlock concluded. It was pretty good how he managed to capture Siegfried¡¯s undivided attention and interest, but Overlock somehow managed to screw it up with his nonsense. Chapter 103

    Chapter 103

    ¡°Pardon¡­? What did you say just now, sir?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly doubting his ears. ¡°I said I will allow you to marry my daughter,¡± Overlock repeated. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± Siegfried muttered in a low voice. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I apologize, but I am an Adventurer, so I cannot marry your daughter¡­¡± ¡°Why not? I have seen countless Adventurers marry and live good lives with kids and all.¡± Lieutenant General Overlock said that because BNW was a game that allowed yers to get married to NPCs. yers aged neen and above were allowed to have sexual intercourse with an NPC once a week for a fee. In fact, there were even some rare cases of NPC children being born with the Rune of Transcendence and Rune of Insight. As such, many yers got the opportunity to experience romance they never experienced in real life. ¡®Lieutenant Colonel Sieg¡­ You are certainly going to be someone great in the future. That¡¯s why I have to make you marry my daughter and make you mine! I would gain a thousand-man army for my kingdom as long as I make you mine! Hoho!¡¯? It seemed that the old general was sure of his scheme¡¯s sess because he started drawing up all sorts of things while seemingly oblivious to the fact that the person in question had no ns whatsoever to ept his offer. ¡®He¡¯s pretty handsome, and he¡¯s going to be powerful in the future as well. On top of that, he¡¯s also humble as well. Yes, I will have no problem giving my precious daughter to a man like you. Yes¡­ No problem at all¡­¡¯?Overlock thought while staring at Siegfried. The fact that he liked Siegfried as a man and saw him as a potential son-inw was another reason why he suddenly made this proposal. ¡°Ah, I apologize, but I have no ns to marry a woman from this world,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Well, I understand what you mean,¡± Overlock nonchntly replied without being disappointed by Siegfried¡¯s refusal. ¡°However, I guarantee that you will change your mind once you meet my daughter,¡± Overlock said with a grin. ¡°Pardon..?¡± ¡°Hoho! How can you be slow when ites to rumors?¡± ¡°What rumors are you talking about, sir¡­?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? My daughter is the most beautifuldy in all of Macan Kingdom!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There are a ton of guys asking for my daughter¡¯s hand in marriage. Oh, she is probably getting proposed to as we speak. But so far, no one seeded in charming my daughter, and neither could I agree to give my daughter in marriage to a nobody,¡± Overlock exined. He looked at Siegfried and said, ¡°But it¡¯s going to be different if it¡¯s you. I¡¯m certain that you will be able to convince my daughter, who is the most beautiful woman in all of Macan Kingdom, to open her heart and marry¡ª¡± ¡°I will pretend that I did not hear this, sir,¡± Sieg interrupted Overlock before saying, ¡°I will say this again, but I have no ns to marry a woman from this world.¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ I guess you can be quite stubborn as well.¡± ¡°I do not believe that people from different worlds can be happy together.¡± ¡°Then I guess there¡¯s no forcing it. I understand what you mean,¡± Overlock said, but his thoughts were different from his words ¡®Sure, you might refuse me now, but you see, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg¡­ You will surely change your mind once you meet my daughter¡­ Hohoho!¡¯ Confidence! As the father of the most beautiful woman in all of Macan Kingdom, Overlock was confident that Siegfried would fall for his daughter once heid his eyes on her. ¡®I¡¯m already a gaming addict, so I can¡¯t add virtual romance on top of that¡­ right?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. Meanwhile, Siegfried had no ns for a virtual marriage at all. In addition, he really never had any dating experience due to his gaming obsession. ¡°Anyway, Corps Commander-nim.¡± Siegfried got back to the main topic they were discussing. ¡°I¡¯m just an Adventurer. As you are aware, there are plenty more Adventurers who are stronger than me, but you still valued me highly despite all that. Therefore, I will promise to do my best and fulfill my obligations while I am stationed here.¡± ¡°Oh!?Excellent! I would like nothing more than that! And what use is being strong? A true war hero is someone who does their best and faithfully fulfills the tasks given to them! I am confident that there is none like you in all of C Rank Area and B Rank Area!¡± ¡°You are too kind, sir. I¡¯m not a soldier, but I¡¯m currently a uniformed personnel. So is it not obvious for me to do my utmost to fulfill my obligations?¡± ¡°Haha! Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± Overlock eximed while patting Siegfried on his shoulders. ¡°Uhmm¡­ Corps Commander-nim¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Is it fine if I take my leave and rest¡­? I think I¡¯m about to die of exhaustion¡­¡± ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry! Ipletely ignored the fact that you must be very exhausted! Go on and get some rest! Rest up!¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­ then¡­ I will excuse myself now,¡± Siegfried said. He took his rewards and left Overlock¡¯s tent. ¡®Let¡¯s?rest for two days¡­ Yeah, let¡¯s rest up¡­¡¯?he thought. He really wanted to do nothing else aside from sleeping and resting right now. *** Tae-Sung went to sleep as soon as he logged out, and he only woke up after sleeping for sixteen hours. ¡°Ugh¡­?My head hurts¡­¡± Tae-Sung moaned as he got up. Was it because he overslept? Tae-Sung woke up with a severe migraine. Diring! His cell phone rang. ¡¸11 Missed Calls¡¹ There were quite a few missed calls. ¡®Huh? Do I even have someone to call me?¡¯?he wondered. Tae-Sung lived like a reclusive hermit, so he wasn¡¯t really in contact with anyone aside from his family. ¡¸Mother 5 Calls¡¹ ¡¸Sister 3 Calls¡¹ ¡¸Seung-Gu 2 Calls¡¹ ¡¸Scumbag 1 Call¡¹ The people who called Tae-Sung were exactly the people he expected would call him. ¡°Hello? Did you call, Mom?¡± The first person Tae-Sung called was his mother, as he was worried that something happened at home. ¡ª Why weren¡¯t you picking up your phone? I was worried. ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy these days. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡ª Nothing happened, right? ¡°Of course. Everything is good these days. In fact, only good things are happening these days.¡± ¡ª Really? ¡°Yes, my gaming is doing great these days, so I already paid back all of my debt, and I will be able to start saving up now.¡± ¡ª Is that true? ¡°Of course!¡± ¡ª Aigoo¡­ that¡¯s a relief. I thought you were going through a rough patch these days¡­ ¡°I will visit soon and tell you in person, Mom.¡± ¡ªSoon? It will be Chuseok soon. Are you noting home? ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡ª Tae-Sung¡­ ¡°¡­Yes?¡± ¡ª Chuseok is the day after tomorrow already¡­ ¡°Heok¡­¡± Tae-Sung immediately looked at the calendar. ¡®It¡¯s true¡­! It will be Chuseok in two days, so the holidays will start tomorrow. Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t notice the passage of time because I got too engrossed with the game¡­¡¯?he thought. It was the only proof he needed to show his diligence in ying the game so that he could live a normal life¡­ ¡°I was so busy I forgot it would be Chuseok soon. I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡± ¡ª It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s normal to forget things if you¡¯re busy. Anyway, you¡¯reing, right¡­? I haven¡¯t seen you for so long¡­ ¡°Of course, I will be there.¡± Tae-Sung thought this was a great opportunity for him to go home after so long since he had some gifts to give them, and he was also nning to move his family to a ce that was somewhere better. ¡ª Really? Are you reallying? ¡°Yes.¡± ¡ª I will be waiting then. ¡°Yes, please say hello to Tae-Hee for me as well. Tell her that I¡¯ll be going home soon. ¡ª Alright. ¡°See you soon, Mom.¡± Tae-Sung called Seung-Gu after he ended the call with his mother. ¡ª Hyung-nim! I wanted to greet you hard before the Lunar New Year! I wish you a merry and prosperous new year! ¡°It¡¯s Chuseok¡­¡± ¡ª I-Is¡­ is that so¡­? ¡°Yeah, have a good time, and see you soon.¡± ¡ª Yes, hyung-nim! The next person he called was Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Did you call to greet me for Chuseok as well? ¡ªNo? ¡°Then why did you call? Do you have a quest for me? But I have to go home for the next few days¡ª¡± ¡ª Don¡¯t tell me you forgot we were going to look for a car yesterday¡­? ¡°A car¡­?¡± ¡ª Yeah, we agreed to go look for a car for you, right? ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡± ¡ª You forgot? Hey, you should probably y the game moderately. ¡°Look who¡¯s talking. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you should say.¡± It was indeed not something a nouveau-riche bored of reality, so he spent most of his time ying games should be saying. ¡ª Anyway, I¡¯m busy today, so you need to go alone. I will send you the location so find your own way. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry I forgot about it.¡± ¡ª Why don¡¯t you start by answering your phone if you are really sorry? ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡ª Sigh¡­?What am I doing trying to talk to a gaming addict¡­ ¡°What?¡± ¡ª I¡¯m hanging up. It seemed that Cheon Woo-Jin was really busy today, judging by the fact that he only dissed Tae-Sung once before hanging up. ¡°Hmm¡­ A car¡­ Alright, I need to spend my money one way or another anyway¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered as he walked toward the bathroom to take a shower. *** Vroom! Vrooooom! The next afternoon, Tae-Sung¡¯s red supercar¡¯s exhaust noise reverberated throughout the street but¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ There¡¯s traffic¡­¡± The roads were jammed up because of the holidays. Forget about speeding down the road, Tae-Sung couldn¡¯t even move. ¡°What¡¯s the use of having a Ferrari?when I¡¯ll still end up being stuck in traffic anyway¡­¡± Tae-Sung grumbled. Ferrari!?The brand that upied the pinnacle of supercars along with Lamborghini! Not only that, the Ferrari?that Tae-Sung purchased was thepany¡¯s gship model, the ¡®Pininfarina GT¡¯ that cost a whopping seven hundred million won. Of course, he did not forget to ¡®lease¡¯ the car instead of ¡®buying¡¯ it so that he could legally reduce the taxes he owed the government. ¡°It still feels good to be sitting in one. It feels like I¡¯m making a triumphant return home after achieving something,¡± he muttered while sitting in his new luxury supercar. Anyone should have imagined driving a luxury supercar home during the holidays at least once in their life, right? Anyone driving a cherry red Ferrari?home would probably feel pretty sessful after all. ¡°Ah¡­ I want to arrive soon. Open up, will you?!¡± Tae-Sung grumbled in frustration while ring at the jammed-up road. Perhaps his frustrated grumbling was heard as the road that had been no different from a parking lot slowly started moving before it fully opened up. ¡®Shall we step on it for real this time?¡¯?Tae-Sung smirked before stepping on the elerator. Vroooooooom! The ten-cylinder V10 engine let out a monstrous cry as the red car ferociously shot forward. Blink! Blink!? When Tae-Sung turned the turn signal on to switchnes, the Miracle of Moses was recreated. *** ¡°¡­So I somehow managed to earn money, pay off my debts, and save up a lot,¡± Tae-Sung exined aftering home after a long time. His mother and sister, Tae-Hee, remained stupefied even after listening to his exnation. It was only normal for them to be so surprised since Tae-Sung came home in a cherry red Ferrari.?In addition, his exnation was pretty difficult to believe as well. Moreover, he even brought home a luxury brand bag that was worth at least ten million won, a credit card with a monthly limit of three million won, and a bank book with five hundred million won written on it. ¡°I-Is¡­ is that all true? Can I trust you?¡± asked his mother. ¡°Oppa¡­ we are no longer poor then¡­?¡± Tae-Hee asked. ¡°Yes, Mom. It¡¯s all true, and why would I lie about something like this in the first ce?¡± Tae-Sung replied. He then looked at his sister and said, ¡°And Tae-Hee, we are no longer poor. You can at least eat whatever you want without being worried, and we no longer have to worry about not being able to pay the bills. Actually, we can live a bit luxuriously from now on. We no longer have to hold back from buying things we want¡­ haha¡­¡± Tae-Sung earned three hundred million won this month alone¡ªthree hundred million in a month, not in a year. His family no longer had to worry about being ¡®poor.¡¯ Instead, they had to start worrying about how to live ¡®luxuriously¡¯ from now on. *** Tae-Sung wanted to spend more time with his family, but sadly, he had to go back to Seoul and get back into BNW. ¡®I can¡¯t getzy just because I made this much money¡­¡¯? Tae-Sung reminded himself not to start gettingzy just because he made some money. After all, he was just getting started. From now on, he would use the Arachnid Temporary Outpost as a springboard to explosively level up and reach greater heights. ¡°Wee back!¡± Carell greeted him as soon as he descended on the N¨¹rburg Continent. ¡°Hey, Carell,¡± Siegfried responded. ¡°Did you rest well?¡± ¡°I guess? Actually, I wanted to rest more, but I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I suggest that you ask for a few days off instead¡­¡± ¡°Later. I want to be here for a few months at least.¡± Siegfried had no ns to rest for longer than a week until he reached Level 200. ¡°Salute! Lieutenant Colonel Sieg-nim! The corpsmander-nim has called for a meeting!¡± a messenger came inside Siegfried¡¯s tent and reported. ¡°Tell the corpsmander-nim that I will be on my way,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes after the messenger left the tent. [Alert: Lt. General Overlock is waiting for you! Go to his tent and receive a quest from him!] Siegfried received a quest as soon as he got back from his break. 1. The legal age for ess to adult content, smoking, drinking, etc., starts from neen years old. 2. Chuseok is Mid-Autumn Festival in other Asian countries or the fall thanksgiving in the United States. 3. There are two major holidays in Korea, Chuseok and Seol. Chuseok is the Mid-Autumn Festival, while Seol is the Lunar/Chinese New Year, and some people tend to confuse the two. 4. There¡¯s no such model as far as I¡¯m aware, but I decided to keep what author-nim wrote just in case there is such a model. Can anyone leave ament if such a model exists? 5. This is a reference to how the Dead Sea was parted by Moses, and it is used in Korea to describe situations where the crowd suddenly parts into two to give way to something or someone. It¡¯s used to describe Tae-Sung¡¯s situation since nobody wanted to get into an ident with a Ferrari. Chapter 104

    Chapter 104

    Siegfried went over to Lieutenant General Overlock at themand center tent. ¡°Wee, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg! Did you rest well?¡± Overlock warmly weed Siegfried with a smile. ¡°I rested as much as I could, sir, but who are these people¡­?¡± Siegfried asked while looking at the people sitting at the meeting table. ¡°They are Adventurers just like you. Why don¡¯t you greet each other first? This is Lieutenant Colonel Sieg, who obtained quite the achievement recently.¡± Overlock introduced Siegfried to the Adventurers. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the famous guy everyone has been talking about.¡± ¡°Pleasure to meet you.¡± The Adventurers greeted Siegfried one by one, except for one of them. ¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Sieg,¡± Siegfried greeted the Adventurers. ¡°Hmm¡­ shall we get to the topic now that all of you have gathered? The reason why I called all of you here today is¡ª¡± Overlock trailed off. Gulp¡­! Gulp¡­!? The Adventurers nervously gulped, waiting for what the corpsmander had to say. ¡®Haaa¡­ I can hear you all gulping¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking at the thirsty Adventurers expectantly waiting for a quest. It seemed a quest truly was the greatest motivator for Adventurers. These Adventurers definitely received the same message, and that was probably why they were waiting like a bunch of hungry animals for what Overlock had to say. ¡®Hmm¡­ For him to build up suspense, I wonder just how amazing the quest he prepared for us¡­¡¯ Siegfried was also curious about what Overlock had prepared for them. ¡°¡ªto give all of you a very important task,¡± Overlock said. ¡°What is that important task?¡± asked the Adventurer who didn¡¯t greet Siegfried. ¡°You will have to go and investigate how the Cryptid¡¯s hierarchy works. The way they operate has be much shrewder and more careful in recent days. They weren¡¯t like this just six months ago. Thanks to that, our forces have faced consecutive losses, and we have lost a lot of good men.¡± ¡°What are the exact details of our task?¡± asked the Adventurer once more. ¡°Infiltrate the Cryptid Greater Colony and find out what is going on inside. Find out the main reason behind their sudden change. We have to know our enemy if we want a chance to beat them, right?¡± Overlock replied. A message popped up in front of the eyes of all of the Adventurers present at the meeting. [Alert: Quest: ¡®Investigate the Cryptid Greater Colony¡¯ has appeared!] However, none of them instantly epted the quest. The reason was that infiltrating a Cryptid Greater Colony was no different frommitting suicide. How the hell were they supposed to infiltrate a ce crawling with those mutated creatures? It was probably better to ask them to jump off a cliff and die. ¡°Ah¡­ Is this some sort of a bad joke?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go yourself, sir?¡± ¡°What is this? Mission Impossible?¡± ¡°Excuse me, Corps Commander-nim¡­ you should probably ask for something that at least sounds possible, sir¡­¡± ¡°This is a bit¡­ insane¡­¡± The Adventurers reacted quite negatively to the quest given¡ªexcept for one person. Someone raised their hand and said, ¡°I will do it.¡± ¡°Oh! As expected! I knew I could count on you, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg!¡± Overlock eximed in delight while smiling brightly at Siegfried. *** Siegfried¡¯s thoughts werepletely different from the Adventurers¡¯. ¡®Since when did people be so picky with quests? Well, they can continue picking only the easy ones if they want. I mean, how do you n to be stronger like that? Anyway, I¡¯m going to give this a try, at the very least,¡¯?Siegfried thought. His mindset was basically different from the other Adventurers. ¡®This is an opportunity. I have to grab this regardless of whether it¡¯s easy or difficult,¡¯?Siegfried considered Overlock¡¯s quest as an opportunity. He could tell from experience that there was no way that a quest of this difficulty would simply be given without a corresponding and appropriate reward, and these kinds of difficult quests were actually a privilege reserved for those who showed that they were beyond a certain level. In short, this quest was actually a blessing in disguise. ¡°Good! Excellent! I can¡¯t ask for anything else if you are going to be the one volunteering for this task! Hahaha!¡± Overlock eximed before letting out a burst of boisterousughter when Siegfried epted the task. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Investigate the Cryptid Greater Colony¡¯!] The quest eptance message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡°So, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg has epted the task. Is there anyone else?¡± Overlock asked the Adventurers. ¡°That is¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a loss if I die while doing the task, so¡­ haha¡­¡± The Adventurers seemed hesitant to ept the quest. The Adventurer, who ignored Siegfried earlier, suddenly asked, ¡°How much?¡± [Pyo Cheol-Ju] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 171] [Affiliation: Camellia Guild/Continent Coalition Forces 3rd Corps, 9th Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry Battalion] [Position: Guild Master/Regiment Commander] [ss: Knife Fighter] [Title: Another Legend: 776, God of the Battlefield: Martial, Ambush Master] Siegfried could tell from the adventurer¡¯s ID and face that he was a Korean in his thirties. The man had square jaws and sharp eyes that made him give off a merciless and cruel impression. His hair was in a pomade style with tons of gel applied to it. It was inevitable for Siegfried to be reminded of a gangster just by looking at him. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it out. How much are you going to pay us?¡± ¡°Are you talking about the reward? Without a doubt, it¡¯s certainly going to be pretty generous. I n to award one hundred thousand gold to the Adventurer who sessfullypletes this task,¡± Overlock replied. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°In addition, whoeverpletes this task will receive a medal from the kingdom on top of the gold. A very good artifact you Adventurers seem to love is also one of the rewards.¡± ¡°Forget about your medal. What artifact is it?¡± ¡°Have you heard of the Book of Absorption?¡± ¡°Book of Absorption¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mysterious book imbued with the Authority of Absorption. Whoeverpletes this task will receive the book that will allow them to absorb another person¡¯s ability.¡± A message popped up in front of the Adventurers¡¯ eyes as soon as Overlock was done speaking Ding! [Investigate the Cryptid Greater Colony] [Type: Limited Quest] [Infiltrate the Cryptid Greater Colony and collect information.] [Progress: 0%] [Rewards: 100,000 gold, Book of Absorption: Chi] [Caution: You will have to thoroughly investigate as only information with concrete evidence will be counted toplete this quest. This quest will bepleted on a firste, first-served basis, and only the first one who brings the information to Lieutenant General Overlock will be rewarded.] It was an insanely difficult quest with a proportional and appropriate reward. Forget about the ¡®Book of Absorption: Chi¡¯, the one hundred thousand gold reward was already an insanely huge reward by itself. Who could have imagined that clearing a quest in the game would a yer five billion won in real life? ¡°One hundred thousand gold¡­?¡± ¡°Crazy¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m kind of getting tempted now¡­¡± The Adventurers started to waver when the immense rewards were brought up. ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying too hard to get a discount?¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju suddenly said with a smirk that seemed to imply that he was looking down on Overlock before adding, ¡°As you said, this will decide the fate of the entire coalition forces. In that case, don¡¯t you think one hundred thousand gold is far too cheap?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that you are right, but we cannot afford to give more even if we wanted to. We have taken a hit from the continuous string of defeats, and we barely managed to scrape this one hundred thousand gold together to give as a reward,¡± Overlock replied. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°We wanted to hire stronger Adventurers, but their buttocks are simply too heavy to move with this amount.¡± Siegfried understood what Overlock meant by his words about how stronger Adventurers had heavier buttocks. ¡®Figures. Every level counts starting from Level 200, so dying once or twice just for five billion won won¡¯t make sense to them,¡¯?he thought. Leveling up once an Adventurer was above Level 200 was incredibly difficult, and most of them could barely level up after a month of continuous grinding. However, the penalty for dying at their level was losing three levels. ¡°Well, if you insist. I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m not the type to be so picky over work anyway,¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju said with a nod, seemingly hinting that he was doing Overlock a favor. Pyo Cheol-Ju became the second to ept the quest after Siegfried among the Adventurers. However, the other Adventurers were still split 8:2 regarding the matter. ¡°These kinds of quests are just a waste of time.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather go out and hunt another monster than waste my time on a quest like this.¡± ¡°Have a nice day, I¡¯m out.¡± Quite a few of them directly gave up on the quest. ¡°Shall I try my luck?¡± ¡°I guess I can give it a try¡­¡± There were some who got enticed by the discounted yet still immense reward promised by Overlock. ¡°Now, the equipment you will need to infiltrate is in here, so take one with you before you go,¡± Overlock said as he passed a sack to the Adventurers. ¡°Then, I will see you soon,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Sieg.¡± Overlock called out to Siegfried before he could leave the tent. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What are you apologizing for, sir?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that is¡­ I mean¡­ you know¡­ there¡¯s something like that¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t despise me. I¡¯m doing this for your sake¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about, sir¡­?¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand what Overlock was mumbling about. ¡°You will have to speak clearly for me to understand you. I will not be able to understand you if you keep mumbling like that¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Never mind.¡± ¡°Ah¡­?alright¡­¡± Siegfried left the meeting tent while a bit displeased about the whole exchange. A few dayster, Siegfried woulde to learn why Lieutenant General Overlock had been acting funny toward him. *** Siegfried opened the sack Overlock gave him as soon as he went back to his battalion. There were five items in the sack. [Cryptid Ghillie Suit (Orc)] ¡Á 1 [A disguise created from the hide of a Cryptid. It can fool the Cryptids, but it will not be a hundred percent effective at all times. The user is advised to act discreetly while the item is equipped.] [Elixir of Haste] ¡Á 3 [The user¡¯s Movement Speed, Attack Speed, and Casting Speed will increase by 25% for thirty seconds after consuming this potion.] [Memorize Monocle] ¡Á 1 [A magical monocle that may record the user¡¯s memories.] [Tactical Map] ¡Á 1 [A map made by the coalition forces with the Cryptid Greater Colony marked out.] [Confidential Note] ¡Á 1 [A confidential note with the list of Cryptids guarding the colony.] The provided items were just the ones he required toplete his task. These were important items, but they were just the bare minimum required to infiltrate a Cryptid Greater Colony. ¡°What should I do¡­? I¡¯m just going to instantly die if I were to carelessly approach this¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He was in a dilemma. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Carell asked. ¡°Ah, that is¡­¡± Siegfried exined the task he received from Overlock. ¡°It is indeed a difficult mission¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and that¡¯s why I will need to find a way to sessfullyplete it.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty will have to prepare a concrete n since if you were to carelessly enter a colony, then¡­ ah¡­ just thinking about it is already too morbid¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be eaten alive until not a body part remains.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Well, I wonder if there¡¯s a good n¡­ a good n¡­¡± ¡°May I suggest something, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°What is it? Do you have a good idea?¡± ¡°It is not a good idea per se¡­. but I think it will make it easier for Your Majesty to move around¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What do you think of diverting the attention of the Cryptids at the Greater Colony?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°A battle.¡± ¡°A battle, you say¡­¡± ¡°If we bring the whole battalion and pick a fight with them¡­ I think they wille crawling out, right? Then, Your Majesty can use that opening to infiltrate the Greater Colony.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound bad at all, even though it¡¯s a pretty rash n¡­¡± Siegfried seemed to agree with Carell¡¯s n. ¡®Yeah, this is the only way I have unless my ss magically bes a high-ranked thief all of a sudden¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. The Debuff Master didn¡¯t specialize in infiltration. After all, it didn¡¯t have even a single skill that would allow him to hide. As such, Carell¡¯s n was the only viable option he had right now. ¡°Alright, I will leave it to you then, Carell.¡± ¡°Are you sure, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yeah, and you willmand the battalion while I¡¯m infiltrating the colony.¡± ¡°Huh? Me?¡± ¡°Of course, it will be you, who else is there? You are the Vice Battalion Commander of our battalion, after all.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, then,¡± Siegfried quickly patted Carell on the shoulder. ¡°Y-Your Majesty! I cannot do it! How can Imand a whole battalion?!¡± ¡°Just do it if I say so, punk.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to be court-martialed for insubordination?¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Carell muttered, seemingly on the verge of crying. Chapter 105

    Chapter 105

    ¡®Ah¡­ should I have just kept my mouth shut¡­? I think I should have just kept my mouth shut¡­¡¯?Carell thought when he realized that he was screwed. After all, he wasn¡¯t really confident inmanding a battalion in Siegfried¡¯s ce. ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Would you kindly rethink your decision? I¡¯m not confident aboutmanding the battalion in your ce no matter how many times I think about it, Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°You did just fine as a squad leader, so what¡¯s the problem now?¡± ¡°A battalion is several times bigger than a squad¡­¡± ¡°Does it matter? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking you to lead a regiment or a division.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to get locked up for refusing orders?¡± Siegfried threatened before grumbling, ¡°How can a manin so much? Just do it, will you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried that my mistake would cause the entire battalion to¡ª¡± ¡°Then so be it. Just let the battalion get annihted; what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°P-Pardon¡­? Is that even an option¡­?¡± ¡°Eighty percent of our battalion isposed of Adventurers anyways, so they will juste back to life once they die. What¡¯s the problem, then? You just have to take care of the officers and soldiers or just outright exclude them from the mission.¡± ¡°S-So there was that option!¡± Carell eximed. He looked like he was struck by an epiphany. ¡°Don¡¯t be a wuss,¡± Siegfried smirked before saying, ¡°Carell.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I believe in you.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You have the ability, punk. Don¡¯t be scared. Have some faith in yourself, got that?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave it to you. It¡¯s up to you what strategy to use. Oh,?by the way, let me just ask one more thing from you.¡± ¡°What is it, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Set up a rescue team just in case. I have to make it out alive, too, right?¡± ¡°Please do not worry about that as I have already prepared it in advance. Now, when should wemence our operation?¡± Carell asked. ¡°Tonight,¡± Siegfried replied before hurriedly exining, ¡°This mission is on a firste, first-serve basis. We have to move quickly.¡± ¡°I will immediately prepare our forces.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll leave that to you then. I¡¯ll go meet the regimentmander for a while.¡± ¡°The Regiment Commander-nim?¡± ¡°We are up against a greater colony. We will not be able topletely draw them out with just our battalion, so the regiment¡¯s forces should be helpful as well.¡± ¡°I hope the higher-ups will cooperate with us¡­¡± Carell grumbled. ¡°I hope so, too. Alright, see youter tonight,¡± Siegfried said before leaving the tent. *** ¡°Don¡¯t you worry! We won¡¯t be able to face them head-on, but we will be able to employ gueri tactics to help you out!¡± themander of the regiment Siegfried¡¯s battalion was affiliated with replied positively to Siegfried¡¯s request to act as bait to draw out the Cryptids guarding the greater colony. However, the problem was the divisionmander. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Why would a division mobilize just to support an Adventurer on their mission? You¡¯re insane!¡± It seemed that the divisionmander wasn¡¯t that fond of Siegfried. ¡°It is an order from the Corps Commander-nim himself,¡± Siegfried replied. He wasn¡¯t really the type to back down. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whose order it is. Picking a fight against a greater colony will surely cause huge casualties. Aren¡¯t you aware of that?¡± ¡°Then, are you just going to sit around and watch those monsters get smarter by the day? We have to know the reason why they¡¯re getting smarter, so we can get better at fighting them as well, don¡¯t you think so? And this is the military. We have to make sacrifices for the greater good at times¡ª¡± Siegfried was exining his side. However, the divisionmander cut him off and shouted, ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To mobilize a division as a diversion¡ªsuch actions will not be tolerated regardless of the mission¡¯s importance,¡± said the divisionmander. Siegfried didn¡¯t even listen to what the divisionmander, Royder, had to say. ¡°Signalman!¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg-nim!¡± the signalman immediately responded. ¡°Send a message to themand center this instant so that I can speak to Corps Commander-nim. He will ept the transmission if you tell him that Lieutenant Colonel Sieg is asking to speak to him.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The signalman immediately rang up themand center. ¡°H-Hey! What do you think you are doing right now?!¡± Royder eximed in surprise. Siegfried sarcastically replied, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell, sir? I¡¯m making a report to the higher-ups, sir.¡± ¡°Are you snitching on me¡ªright before my face?!¡± Royder was furious. ¡ª Lieutenant Colonel Sieg! What¡¯s the matter? I think you¡¯re calling from the divisionmand center, if I¡¯m not mistaken. ¡°Ah, that is¡­¡± Siegfried proceeded to snitch on the divisionmander¡¯s refusal to cooperate. ¡ª Ha! Royder! ¡°M-Major General Royder!¡± Royder immediately responded. ¡ª How can you tantly ignore your subordinate¡¯s request for support just like that? Ha?! ¡°Corps Commander-nim! T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡ª He isn¡¯t even asking you to face the enemy head-on. He just wants you to draw them out for a bit, but what? Are you not even capable of doing that? Ha?! ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª Do you even realize how important this mission is? How could you refuse to give support to such an important task? Will you take full responsibility if this mission fails? Will you do that?! ¡°I¡­ I apologize, sir¡­¡± ¡ª I must say that I¡¯m quite disappointed in you. I guess there goes your additional star. Oh well, just do what you want. I have no ns to intrude upon yourmand anyway, but remember this; you might as well kiss your promotion goodbye¡­ ¡°I will carry it out at once, sir!¡± ¡ª Oh? I¡¯m d you made the right decision. Best of luck to you, then. I have to go do a spot-check now, so I¡¯ll be hanging up. Let¡¯s see¡­ I wonder where I should go and scrutinize every single tiny detail and enforce my full authority¡­? ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª I wonder which division I should go and inspect¡­ The transmission ended with Lieutenant General Overlock¡¯s final words that might as well be a threat. Tremble¡­! Major General Royder quivered in anger, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Why? Simple¡­ Rank was the only thing that mattered in the military. After all, hierarchy was the only thing that allowed a military to function, right? ¡®Ah¡­ I understand your desire not to do anything rash, but this is a really important mission. Can¡¯t you tell that it¡¯s important, you stubborn old man? How did you even get two stars when you¡¯re such a coward?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. It wasn¡¯t that Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand where Royder wasing from, but the investigation of the greater colony was far more important than preventing casualties. A single piece of information about the enemy was sometimes far more capable of turning the tides of war than an entire army. ¡°Ehem¡­!¡±?Royder faked a cough to explicitly express his discontent before saying, ¡°Now that I think about it, this mission is of great importance. Alright, I will mobilize my division to be a diversion just as you requested.¡± ¡°Thank you, Division Commander-nim.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Come to think of it¡­ Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a bit too impatient? You directly contacted Corps Commander-nim without even giving me a chance to stop you¡­¡± Royder muttered. ¡°I sincerely apologize. I was simply in too much of a rush that I¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off in his apology. He wasn¡¯t really apologetic for what he did, but he apologized just to butter up Major General Royder. After all, nothing good woulde out of being at odds with a higher-ranking officer. ¡°I will be more cautious from now on,¡± Siegfried continued. ¡°I¡¯ll be grateful if you can do that. Alright, I shall mobilize my troops tonight, but don¡¯t expect too much from us. We¡¯re just going to act as a diversion. We¡¯ll avoid any head-on confrontation against the enemy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be grateful if you can just draw them out.¡± ¡°Alright, then, go on your way. Oh, right, can you put in a good word to Corps Commander-nim for me? Ehem!?Ehem!¡± ¡°I will put in a very good word for you, so please do not worry about it.¡± ¡°Please make sure that you do that.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Then, salute!¡± Siegfried saluted with an arrogant smirk before leaving for his barracks. *** That evening, the 8th Division Siegfried was affiliated with, along with the 1st Independent Battalion temporarily under Carell¡¯smand, made their way toward the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony. However, the scale of the operation was a bit strange¡­ As he prepared to infiltrate the Cryptid Greater Colony, Siegfried saw the diversion operation¡¯s actions in the distance, and he couldn¡¯t help but mutter in disbelief, ¡°W-What the hell are they doing¡­?¡± Kaboom! Kaboom! The artillery¡¯s suppressive fire. Swhoooong¡­ Kabooom! The airstrike from the air forces... ¡°Let¡¯s gooooo!¡± ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± ¡°Chaaaarge!¡± And the full-scale charge of the infantry. ¡°How is this any different from a full-scale offensive¡­?¡± Siegfried was dumbfounded. A diversion operation was supposed to¡ªjust as its name¡ªact as a diversion, but the ongoing operation was a full-scale offensive no matter how Siegfried looked at it. The attack was so fierce even the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony would probably never imagine, even in their wildest dreams¡ªif they could even dream at all¡ªthat this was but a mere diversion tactic. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Hoho! Can you see this, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg? Can you see how I¡¯m sparing no effort to help you? I need you to soar higher! Higher than anyone else! Bwahahaha!¡± It turned out that the culprit behind this full-scale diversion operation was none other than Lieutenant General Overlock. He mobilized the entire corps unit so that he could fully support Siegfried inpleting the quest. ¡°I¡¯ll be too embarrassed to lift my head up if I fail this considering what¡¯s going on right now¡­ Well, I just have to seed, right?¡± Siegfried resolved himself as he slowly made his way toward the Cryptid Greater Colony. *** Siegfried arrived at the outskirts of thepletely empty 34th Cryptid Greater Colony. He then proceeded to hide in the nearby bushes to change into the disguise made out of Cryptid hide. [Cryptid Ghillie Suit (Orc)] ¡Á 1 [A disguise created from the hide of a Cryptid. It can fool the Cryptids, but it will not be a hundred percent effective at all times. The user is advised to act discreetly while the item is equipped.] [It is made out of the hides of mutated orcs, Orctids, and it has also been smeared with the feces of the Orctids to give it their pungent stench.] [Type: Armor] [Rating: Umon] [Durability: 1/1] [Special Effect: None] The Cryptid Ghillie Suit (Orc) was crafted to allow the user to turn into an Orctid. As soon as Siegfried equipped the suit, he turned into an Orctid. ¡°Ugh¡­?I feel like I¡¯m going to puke¡­¡± Siegfried tried his best to suppress the urge to vomit upon being surrounded by the Orctid¡¯s stench. ¡®Shall we go?¡¯? Siegfried then carefully made his way toward the 34th Crypted Greater Colony while disguised as an Orctid. *** There were still a ton of Cryptids crawling in the greater colony despite the full-scale offensiveunched by the coalition forces. ¡°Chwiiik!¡± ¡°Chwik!?Chwik!¡± ¡°Chwik!?Chwiiiik!¡± Fortunately, the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony was mostly filled with Orctids right now, so Siegfried was able to infiltrate deep into the greater colony without much trouble. ¡®Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking around. He tried his best to spot anything remotely suspicious, but the interior of the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony was no different from the interior of the colonies he had conquered and destroyed in the past. Except for the hatchery¡­ The hatchery looked different from the usual ones. A hatchery was a living structure made out of the Cryptids¡¯ genes. In short, all Cryptids start off as an egg from this living structure, and the hatchery was the main reason the Cryptids could reproduce so quickly. However, the 34th Cryptid Greater Colony¡¯s hatchery was muchrger than any other hatchery Siegfried had evere across, and it was the size of the Seoul Sports Complex in Jamsil. ¡®This is the hatchery¡­? Hmm¡­ maybe I should go in.¡¯? Siegfried decided to enter the hatchery after failing to find anything out of the ordinary outside. ¡®Careful¡­ Watch your step¡­¡¯? Siegfried moved as discreetly as possible. Inzaghi¡¯s Compass led him toward the safest route possible as he tried to enter the hatchery. However, a huge Orctid blocked Siegfried¡¯s path the moment he tried to enter the hatchery. ¡°Chwiiiiiik!¡± It seemed that Inzaghi¡¯s Compass wasn¡¯t omnipotent after all¡­ ¡®Heok!¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Who are you?! Which unit are you affiliated with?!¡± asked the Orctid in front of Siegfried. There was no way Siegfried would understand what the Orctid was asking since the only thing he could hear was, ¡°Chwik!?Chwik?chwik!?Chwiiiik! Chwik!¡± ¡®Ah¡­ I¡¯m fucked¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardly grumbled as he closed his mouth shut. He couldn¡¯t really respond to the Orctid since he couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying. ¡°Chwiik!?Chwiiik! Chwi¡­?Chwiiik!?(Answer me! I asked you about the unit you¡¯re from!)¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Chwik!?(This bastard dares to test my patience!)¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Chwiik!?Chwiiiiiiiiiik!?(Hey! There¡¯s someone suspicious over here!)¡± The dozens of Orctids guarding the hatchery gathered around when the Orctid blocking Siegfried¡¯s path chwiked loudly. ¡°Chwiik!?(This bastard!)¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Chwik!?Chwiiiik! Chwik Chwik!?(I will eat you alive if you don¡¯t respond!)¡± The Orctid interrogated and even threatened him, but Siegfried couldn¡¯t respond due to thenguage barrier. ¡®Ah¡­ What the hell is it saying¡­? Ha¡­ I guess infiltrating won¡¯t work¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardly sighed. He prepared to retrieve his weapons from Megingjord. ¡°Chwiiiiik!?(This bastard is suspicious!)¡± The Orctid ferociously growled and chwiked at Siegfried. ¡°Chwiiik!¡± ¡°Chwik!¡± ¡°Chwik!?Chwik?Chwik!?Chwik?Chwik?Chwiiiik!¡± The other Orctids followed suit and surrounded Siegfried. It seemed that they were ready to attack Siegfried at any time. It was an intense situation that could escte anytime soon. ¡°Chwiiii¡­?(Kill this bastard¡­)¡± The Orctid blocking Siegfried¡¯s path was about to give themand to attack, but¡ª ¡°Chwi¡­?Chwiik¡­?¡±?Siegfried chwiked in the most awkward way possible, but he managed to sound simr to the Orctids¡¯ chwiks. ¡®Ah, fuck it. Let¡¯s try this out first. Afterward, I can decide whether I should escape or fight and barge in to collect information. Of course, I could also die or something if this doesn¡¯t work,¡¯?Siegfried inwardly grumbled. However, he decided to roll the dice. In some way, it was ast resort that made him look extremely pitiful and desperate. ¡°Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik?Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik, Chwik Chwik¡­ Chwiiiiiik¡­?¡±?Siegfried imitated the Orctids¡¯ chwiks as best as he could. And the Orctids responded¡­ 1. Apparently a Lt. General outranks a Major General while a Major outranks a Lieutenant. More information can be found here 2. South Korea¡¯srgest sportsplex that was built for the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics. This sportsplex is known to be around 295,000 square meters and has a maximum capacity of 200,000 people. More info here: Chapter 106

    Chapter 106

    ¡°Chwik??Chwiiik¡­?Chwik??(What? The mother of the colony has asked for you?)¡± . ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Chwik!?Chwik!?Chwik!?Chwik!?(Why would the mother of the colony look for someone like you?!)¡± Siegfried instinctively realized that he might be onto something here. ¡®What the hell¡­? I just?squealed whatever, but it seems like I¡¯mmunicating with them¡­?¡¯ He tried to take it a step further. ¡°Chwik¡­?Chwiik¡­ Umm¡­?Chwik¡­?Chwiiik¡­?¡±? However, the Orctids reacted unexpectedly. ¡°Chwik?!?Chwik??Chwiiik, Chwiiik!?(What? You want to eat human meat¡­?)¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Chwiiiiik?!?(What the hell are you saying?!)¡± ¡°Ch¡­?wiiik¡­¡±?When the atmosphere suddenly turned hostile once again, Siegfried weakly muttered and racked his brain to recall exactly how he chwiked a while ago. ¡°Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik?Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik¡­?Chwiiiiiik¡­??(The mother of the colony is looking for me.)¡± ¡°Chwik, Chwik??(The mother of the colony is looking for you?)¡± ¡°Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik?Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik¡­?Chwiiiiiik¡­??(The mother of the colony is looking for me.)¡± ¡°Chwik¡­?(Hmm¡­)¡± The Orctid that blocked Siegfried¡¯s path seemed discontent about something as it scratched its chin and mumbled, ¡°Chwik¡­ Chik¡­?Chwiiik¡­?(Why would the mother of the colony ask for someone like you¡­)¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Chwik¡­?Chwiik¡­?Chwik?Chwik?Chwik¡­?Chwiiik??(Is it a confidential matter that you can¡¯t tell me?)¡± ¡°Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik?Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik¡­?Chwiiiiiik¡­??(The mother of the colony is looking for me.)¡± Siegfried continuously repeated the first phrase he chwiked out as he could not understand what the Orctid was saying. ¡®Ah¡­ please¡­ just let me go, will you¡­?¡¯? Siegfried inwardly pleaded for his luck to get him out of this predicament. ¡°Chwiik¡­?(I guess I have no choice¡­)¡± ¡°Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik?Chwiiik¡­?Chwik.?Chwiiiik,?Chwik?Chwik¡­?Chwiiiiiik¡­??(The mother of the colony is looking for me.)¡± ¡°Chwik!?Chwiiiik!?(Pass!)¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Chwik!?Chwiiiiiik!?(I said you may pass!)¡± The Orctid blocking Siegfried¡¯s path, as well as the others surrounding him, went back to their respective positions for some odd reason. ¡®Who could have known that it would work¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. The fact that his nonsensical gibberish actually worked baffled him, but he soon calmed down and focused onpleting the mission he was given. *** The interior of the hatchery could only be described as horrible. ¡®Ugh¡­ I feel like I¡¯m going to puke¡­¡¯?Siegfried groaned as he tried his best to suppress the vomit going up his throat after seeing the countless Cryptid eggs within the hatchery. The eggs squirmed as if something was going to pop out of them anytime, and the way they squirmed was a hideous, grotesque, and disgusting sight that would make anyone¡¯s stomach turn. However, the main thing that turned Siegfried¡¯s stomach and almost made him puke was the fact there were Cryptids munching through a pile of human corpses near the eggs. These Cryptids were a mutated form of various insects mashed together, and they were also known as ¡®Mothertids¡¯. The Mothertid couldn¡¯t fight, but it was responsible for reproducing and rearing the Cryptids. Munch! Munch! The Mothertids busily munched through the pile of human corpses brought by the Cryptids as they prepared to infuse nutrients into the eggs. ¡®I¡¯m itching to burn this ce down¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while going around the hatchery. ¡®Huh? Where the hell is that one going?¡¯?he wondered while observing a Mothertid that was going somewhere with a human corpse in tow. He continued observing the Mothertid and saw it enter a tunnel located at the center of the hatchery. ¡®Let¡¯s follow it,¡¯?he instinctively could tell that there was definitely something over there. ¡®What is that¡­? I don¡¯t recall ever seeing something like that¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was shocked to find a Cryptid species he had never encountered before. Slurp! Slurp! The Mothertid brought the human corpse to a new type of Cryptid, and the creature proceeded to suck the brain out of the human corpse. Surprisingly, this new type of Cryptid was a small humanoid Cryptid with a huge brain on its head. Siegfried used his Rune of Insight and got the following details regarding the creature. [Mother of the 34th Colony] [Race: Cryptid] [Level: 1] [Rank: Brigadier General (¡ï)] [ss: Cryptid Commander] [Remarks: This Cryptid has very high intelligence, and it uses its brainwaves to control the Cryptid army. It grows stronger through consuming the brain of humanmanders, and its understanding of tactics and strategies will increase the more it devours talented humans. It is very fast and agile, but it does not have anybat capabilities.] ¡®I knew it¡­¡¯?Siegfried finally realized the reason behind the Cryptids suddenly moving in an organized and strategic fashion after seeing the new Cryptid¡¯s details. It turned out that themand center¡¯s suspicion about the Cryptids having an intelligence-type Cryptid among them was true. ¡®I should collect information first,¡¯?he took out ¡®Memorize Monocle¡¯ and recorded the Mother of the 34th Colony sucking a human¡¯s brain out. Ding! Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have sessfullypleted the Quest: ¡®Investigate the Cryptid Greater Colony¡¯!] [Alert: Go to Corps Commander, Lt. General Overlock, to collect your reward!] The quest that seemed borderline impossible was cleared quite easily, contrary to what Siegfried had expected. Now, all he had to do now was go back and collect the five billion won reward on top of the ¡®Book of Absorption: Chi¡¯ extra reward. ¡®I just have to go back¡­ Wait a minute¡­ No, it¡¯s a bitckluster if I go back like this¡­¡¯?Siegfried hesitated just as he was about to leave the hatchery, and then an idea struck him. ¡®What if I capture that Mother of the Colony alive¡­?¡¯ Siegfried figured that capturing the enemymander alive would be much more helpful to the coalition forces than simply returning with some information regarding it. He also thought that it would be possible to make the Cryptids fight among themselves if the coalition forces found a way to use the new type of Cryptid to their advantage. ¡®It is going to be pretty risky but¡­ You have to take risks once in a while, right¡­?¡¯? Siegfried realized that he didn¡¯t really stand to lose anything since he had already finished collecting the information necessary toplete the quest. Not to mention, he was not even Level 200 yet, so the penalty for dying wouldn¡¯t be that painful. Seuk¡­ Siegfried made his way toward the Mother of the Colony after making his decision. ¡°!@$@***$!@***!@***!@!***! (Who are you?! How did you get in here?!)¡± The Mother of the Colony was busily sucking on a human brain when she suddenly noticed Siegfried and cried out in an unintelligible Cryptidnguage. ¡°Err¡­ That is¡­¡± Siegfried muttered awkwardly in response before grabbing the Mother of the Colony by its neck. ¡°Kehek!¡± ¡°You will have to go with me somewhere.¡± ¡°Kehek! Keheeeeeeeeeek!¡± Suddenly¡­ ¡°Kaduk duk¡­?¡± ¡°Kiiiiek?¡± ¡°Kihit?¡± A bunch of humanoid Cryptids appeared out of nowhere and encircled Siegfried. [Cryptid Guardian] [Race: Cryptid] [Level: 150] [Rank: Captain (???)] [ss: Cryptid Knight] [Remarks: A guardian in charge of guarding the Mother of the Colony. It is quite powerful. Caution is advised when fighting it.] There were almost one hundred Cryptid Guardians surrounding Siegfried, and even he¡ªthe Debuff Master¡ªcould not muster the courage to fight so many of them. ¡°Aigoo¡­ There are so many of you,¡± Siegfried said with an awkward look. ¡°Kehek! Keheeeeeeek!¡±?The Mother of the Colony cried out louder than it did a while ago while squirming as hard as it could. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you go to sleep for a while?¡± Siegfried grumbled. He grabbed the Mother of the Colony by its ankle and mmed it to the ground as hard as he could. Puk! Puk! Pukeok! He mmed the Cryptid to the ground a total of five times. ¡°Gueeek¡­¡± The Mother of the Colony let out a groan before losing consciousness. ¡°Phew¡­?Now it¡¯s a bit quiet,¡± Siegfried said while letting out a sigh of relief. Shiiing¡­! The Cryptid Guardians surrounding him raised their arms resembling des. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± Siegfried sneered with a smirk, and then he held the Mother of the Colony by its ankle and shook it like a rag doll. ¡°This thing here is going to die if you try and do anything funny.¡± Fortunately, the Cryptid Guardians seemed to have understood what he said as they started hesitating. ¡°Good. I¡¯m going now, and don¡¯t follow me,¡± Siegfried said with the Mother of the Colony in tow as he casually left the hatchery. ¡°¡­¡± The Cryptid Guardians quietly followed behind him as if to show that they were ready to strike the moment Siegfried gave them an opening¡­ *** Siegfried was immediately surrounded by thousands of Cryptids the moment he walked out of the hatchery, but none of the Cryptids dared to attack him. They didn¡¯t attack him because he was holding the Mother of the Colony hostage. Siegfried abused the Cryptids¡¯ trait by threatening to kill the Mother of the Colony if they attempted to attack him, and he was able to leave the greater colony without a single scratch. ¡°I will kill this thing if you don¡¯t get out of my way. Oops! I almost killed it by mistake! Hehe,¡± Siegfried threatened as he made various gestures like dropping the Mother of the Colony or pretending to twist its neck. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Sir! The Cryptids from the 34th Greater Colony are suddenly retreating!¡± Lieutenant General Overlock received news of the Cryptids¡¯ retreat from one of his adjutants. ¡°Retreating? Without any reason?¡± Overlock asked. ¡°Yes, Corps Commander-nim!¡± ¡°That is strange¡­ There¡¯s no reason for them to retreat. It doesn¡¯t make any sense at all¡­¡± ¡°It is indeed strange, sir¡­¡± ¡°That can only mean¡­¡± Overlock muttered while rubbing his chin. The sudden retreat of the Cryptids was strange, but a seasoned veteran like Overlock immediately realized the reason for their sudden retreat. ¡°It seems Lieutenant Colonel Sieg sessfullypleted his mission!¡± he eximed. ¡°Huh? H-How do you know that, sir?¡± ¡°How can I not?! Do you really think that those monsters would run with their tails between their legs if they managed to find and kill Lieutenant Colonel Sieg?¡± ¡°Heok¡­!¡± ¡°They¡¯re definitely retreating because something happened at their base! Lieutenant Colonel Sieg had to have seeded in his mission!¡± ¡°Oh! Then that means¡­!¡± ¡°We have to go and rescue Lieutenant Colonel Sieg as soon as possible! Who is in charge of the rescue team?¡± ¡°Lieutenant Commander Carell from the independent battalion is tasked to meet Lieutenant Colonel Sieg at the exfil point, sir.¡± ¡°Is that so? Darn it! That¡¯s a pity¡­ I wanted to see Carell in action for a bit longer¡­ Tsk!¡± Overlock clicked his tongue. Lieutenant General Overlock was a bit dismayed by the fact that Carell was going to leave because Carell was currently controlling the entire battlefield. ¡®Hmm¡­ He is very skilled inmanding for his age¡­ Was there such a talented individual in our kingdom? Perhaps Lieutenant?Colonel?Sieg taught him well? Hoho! Either way, this is yet another reason to rejoice! Hohoho!¡¯?Overlock thought with a smile as heid his eyes on Carell without thetter even realizing it. ¡°I wanted to watch that youngster do more, but I guess there¡¯s no helping it. Hey, adjutant,¡± he called out to one of his officers. ¡°Yes, Corps Commander-nim!¡± ¡°Go and immediately send out a rescue party for Lieutenant Colonel Sieg.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the officer responded. Then, he immediately ran out of the tent to ry the order. *** Siegfried was able to leave the colony and reach the exfil point without sustaining a single scratch because he took the Mother of the Colony hostage. Countless Cryptids gnashed their teeth and chased after him, but it was simply too easy for him to chase them away. ¡°I will kill you first if they keep chasing after me, you got that? I will pull out your arms and legs first before I¡ªI don¡¯t have to exin what will happen next, right?¡± Siegfried whispered into the ears of the dazed Mother of the Colony. Nod! Nod! The Mother of the Colony fervently nodded to his words and immediately shot out its brainwaves tomand the Cryptids to return to the greater colony. ¡°Oh, and ask your forces fighting at the frontlines to retreat as well, okay?¡± Siegfried said with a smile. Controlling the Cryptids became a walk in the park with the Mother of the Colony in his hand. Thirty minutester¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ I think it was around here somewhere¡ªOh?¡± Siegfried muttered in surprise after arriving at the exfil point. He met with the rescue party after arriving at the exfil point, but the problem was that the so-called rescue party wasn¡¯t the one he expected to meet. ¡°You came faster than I expected,¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju, the adventurer Siegfried met at the meeting tent, greeted him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Siegfried asked. He had no idea why Pyo Cheol-Ju was at the exfil point instead of Carell. Chapter 107

    Chapter 107

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the rescue party¡¯s supposed to be led by my subordinate, so why are you here with those Adventurers?¡± asked Siegfried. ¡°Ah,?so what happened was¡­¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju trailed off with a smirk before he shrugged and continued. ¡°You mean Carell? That NPC won¡¯t being.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°He is too busymanding his forces. He said that he can¡¯te to rescue you because the battle is simply too fierce for him to leave his spot.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we came instead of him,¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju said as he pointed at the men behind him with his chin. There were twenty Adventurers affiliated with the Camellia Guild standing behind him. ¡°Is that so? Hmm¡­ there¡¯s no way that Carell is simply going to¡ª¡± Siegfried started. However, Pyo Cheol-Ju cut him off and said, ¡°I thought you needed a rescue party. I don¡¯t see a single Cryptid behind you, though. Did you manage to shake them off?¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju didn¡¯t wait for Siegfried to answer as he said, ¡°Mother of the Colony? Is that the one controlling the Cryptids?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh, you cleared the quest?¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju asked with a hint of certainty in his voice. The reason that he sounded certain was that he could see the details of the Mother of the Colony through the Rune of Insight he possessed as an Adventurer. ¡°Amazing, I failed mine, you see? I barely managed to escape alive.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Anyway, shall we start heading back? Let¡¯s go, we don¡¯t know when it¡¯s going to start bing dangerous again,¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju said. He motioned to Siegfried with his hand. However, Siegfried did not follow him. Instead, he replied, ¡°You are dumber than you look, aren¡¯t you? I know I look stupid, but I¡¯m not that stupid, you know?¡± ¡°Stupid? Dumb? What are you talking about?¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju feigned ignorance. ¡°ying dumb, are we?¡± Siegfried smiled and pointed at Pyo Cheol-Ju¡¯s sleeve. ¡°That blood, whose blood is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s mine, of course. I failed my quest and barely made it out alive. I didn''t even have the time to rest before they asked me to join the rescue party.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are on about.¡± ¡°Where is the rescue party?¡± ¡°We are the rescue party¡­¡± ¡°Where is the?real?rescue party?¡± Siegfried asked once again. ¡°What the hell? Are you using us of doing something to the rescue party?¡± ¡°Finally, we¡¯re talking. Did you kill them?¡± ¡°Are you writing a novel? Why are you making things up all of a sudden?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a limit to how much you can feign ignorance, you know? I¡¯m sure that you spared no effort to cover your tracks, but you should have done a better job.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Where is the rescue party?¡± Siegfried asked with certainty in his eyes. He could see faint traces of battles between humans all over the forest, and he could see some traces of battles between Pyo Cheol-Ju and the Adventurers as well. He could onlye to the conclusion that Pyo Cheol-Ju and his gang ambushed the rescue party, no matter how much he thought about it. ¡°I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding here. It¡¯s not what you think¡­¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju muttered. He slowly approached Siegfried with a troubled look. Puuuk! A grotesque noise echoed all of a sudden. Thud! The sound of something falling to the ground could be heard as well. *** Mount Kunlun. The mountain located at the northwestern tip of the N¨¹rburg Continent, which was the main stage for BNW, was the highest mountain not only in the continent but in the entire world. There was a house approximately one kilometer below its peak, and the ruler of Mount Kunlun was living in that house. That ruler was none other than the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus. ¡°Hmm¡­ I miss my disciple,¡± Deus muttered. He was starting to miss his disciple, who left him a few months ago. ¡°That little punk. How dare he not even contact me after so long? Shouldn¡¯t he at least send a letter to his master, no matter how busy he is? Ehem!?What an ungrateful brat! Just wait and see, I will beat the living daylight out of you once youe back!¡± Deus seemed upset, even though he was the one who sent Siegfried far away without warning. *** ¡°This bastard!¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju gnashed his teeth and red at Siegfried from the floor. A few seconds ago¡­ ¡°I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding here. It¡¯s not what you think¡­¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju walked toward Siegfried. However, Siegfried suddenly ¡®ambushed¡¯ him out of nowhere. Lightning Spear Art: First Form. Siegfried stabbed Pyo Cheol-Ju using the spear art Weapon Master Shakiro had handed down to him. ¡®I definitely made the first move¡­!¡¯? Pyo Cheol-Ju was baffled. He was nning to nonchntly approach Siegfried and stab thetter like what he had always done to his many other victims, but he could have never imagined¡ªeven in his wildest dreams¡ªthat his target was faster than him. However, he couldn¡¯t have imagined that he was like an open book in front of Siegfried. ¡®Traces of battle at the exfil point, a sudden change in the rescue party, and suddenly approaching me for no reason¡­ Isn¡¯t he being too obvious¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. There was no way that such a cheap parlor trick was going to work on him since he was a seasoned veteran in BNW who had gone through all sorts of things. Pyo Cheol-Ju was obviously lying in wait to steal the quest clear item¡ªMemorize Monocole¡ªfrom a yer who managed toplete their own quest. After all, Pyo Cheol-Ju had already failed his quest. He was definitely nning on stealing the quest clear item from someone else and bringing it to the NPC while pretending that he had cleared his quest. This was amon urrence in BNW, and it was even moremon when it came to quests with extremely great rewards. That was why Siegfried ambushed Pyo Cheol-Ju before thetter could do it first. ¡°You cowardly bastard¡ª¡± Pyo Cheol-Ju gnashed his teeth and cursed at Siegfried, but he was not given the chance to finish cursing as Siegfried¡¯s spear suddenly turned into a hammer. Paaak! Siegfried used Smite and mmed the hammer into Pyo Cheol-Ju¡¯s head. ¡°Kuheok!¡± Siegfried did not even react to the huge amount of blood Pyo Cheol-Ju coughed out. He silently continued to m his hammer down until Pyo Cheol-Ju died. ~ [Alert: You have killed ¡®Pyo Cheol-Ju¡¯!] ~ A message popped up once Pyo Cheol-Ju died, and something shiny dropped on the ground as well. A yer would experience a random item drop penalty once they died, and naturally, Pyo Cheol-Ju was no exception. Siegfried did not even spare a nce at the item Pyo Cheol-Ju had dropped as his eyes were solely focused on the Camellia Guild members standing behind Pyo Cheol-Ju. ¡°What the hell?! How is he so strong?!¡± ¡°Did you see that damage just now?!¡± ¡°Guild Master-nim died¡­?¡± ¡®It¡¯s going to be a problem if this thing dies¡­¡¯? Siegfried tossed the Mother of the Colony aside. Sseuuu¡­! Then, a fog of green radioactive energy seeped out from his body and surrounded the Adventurers. The radioactive energy melted the under Level 200 yers in the blink of an eye. The Camellia Guild members, whose levels were much lower than Pyo Cheol-Ju instantly melted as soon as the radioactive energy touched them, and they turned into a pool of bloody mess. The only thing they left behind was the items they dropped as the penalty for their deaths, just like how Pyo Cheol-Ju dropped a random party as well. ¡°Now, where is the original rescue party?¡± Siegfried asked the Adventurer he purposely spared. ¡°O-Over there¡­ We threw them behind those bushes¡­ Kuheok!¡±? At that, thest remaining Camellia Guild member died. Siegfried smashed his hammer into the Adventurer¡¯s head as soon as he heard the information he wanted. Then, he rushed toward the bushes leaving behind the Camellia Guild members¡¯ corpses and the items they left behind. Those were not important to him right now as his main priority was¡­ ¡®Carell!¡¯? The only thing on Siegfried¡¯s mind right now was Carell¡¯s safety. *** It did not take long for Siegfried to find the rescue party. More specifically, he found their bodies littered across the ground. ¡®Don¡¯t die, Carell!¡¯?Siegfried pleaded while going through the corpses in hopes that he would not find Carell there. But then¡­ ¡°K¡­ Keuk!¡± ¡°Carell!¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­?¡± Siegfried found Carell among the corpses with a knife stuck in his chest. ¡°Breath! Breath!¡± ¡°Your Majesty. I do not think that¡­ I will make it¡­¡± ¡°Shut up and breathe! I will give you a potion, so drink it and stop with your nonsense!¡± Siegfried eximed. He took out a bottle of potion and poured it into Carell¡¯s mouth, and then he took out a bandage and put pressure on the wound to stop it from bleeding. ¡°I am d that I got to see¡­ Your Majesty one more time¡­ before I die¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to die, so shut up and breathe!¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°I will carry you and run. Hang on. I will chase you to the depths of hell if you die!¡± Siegfried shouted. He then carefully picked Carell up and ced him on his back. Then, he used the active effect of the Mercedes Speedrunner he had received from Overlook. He also used an Elixir of Speed to exponentially increase his speed. ¡®I¡¯m not going to let you die¡­¡¯? With Carell in tow on one side and the unconscious Mother of the Colony on the other, Siegfried steeled his resolve and ran toward themand center at breakneck speeds, thanks to the artifact and the elixir. *** ¡°Medic! Mediiiic!¡± Siegfried arrived at themand center and rushed to the medical tent to look for a medic. Then, the medic, who was capable of using healing magic and had some medical knowledge, rushed over to treat Carell. However¡­ ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Sieg-nim, I think you should prepare for the worst¡­¡± said the medic after checking Carell¡¯s condition before adding, ¡°He has sustained a wound that not even a high-ranking medic can cure, so I think it will be best if you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to treat his wound. I just want you to save his life. Just save him, okay?¡± Siegfried interrupted the medic. ¡°Pardon¡­?¡± ¡°Just keep him alive.¡± ¡°That is possible, but¡­ it is going to be no different from keeping a corpse alive. He will be bedridden, and he will have to depend on potions and healing magic for the rest of his life¡­¡± ¡°That is not your business, so just make sure you keep him alive. Do you understand?¡± Siegfried sternly said. ¡°Yes, sir. If you wish so¡­ However, I am informing you this as a medic, but that is really not a wise decision. He will be alive, but he will be as good as dead, and it will be no different than making him suffer for the rest of his remaining miserable life¡ª¡± ¡°Just do as you¡¯re told, soldier!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Shut up and follow orders!¡± Siegfried¡¯s sudden change in attitude changed the atmosphere within the medical tent. ¡°Hey, Captain Aaron.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°I know what your concern is, but I also have a n, so just follow mymands. I also don¡¯t want my most precious subordinate to be a living corpse, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°B-But sir, my professional opinion is that¡ª¡± Before Captain Aaron could continue, Siegfried pointed his spear at the medic¡¯s neck and warned. ¡°Any other word from your mouth will be treated as insubordination.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Just do as you¡¯re told and keep him alive if you don¡¯t want a hole in your neck. You said it yourself that you can keep him alive, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, sir¡­¡± In the end, the medic, Captain Aaron, was forced to keep Carell alive under duress. ¡®I just need him to stay alive. I will be able to save him then¡­¡¯? Siegfried desperately thought. He was confident that he would be able to save Carell. He looked toward the northwest, or rather, exactly in the direction where Mount Kunlun was located. Chapter 108

    Chapter 108

    Siegfried ced Carell in the medic¡¯s care and immediately went to meet Lieutenant General Overlock. ¡°Wee, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg! So, did you manage to finish¡ª¡± Overlock greeted with excitement. However, Siegfried cut him off and said, ¡°Please prepare the Warp Gate.¡± ¡°Hmm? Warp Gate? What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Lieutenant Commander Carell is dying.¡± ¡°What?! Lieutenant Commander Carell is what?! Was the rescue operation that fierce¡ª¡± ¡°No, that was not the case.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°There was a rat among us.¡± Siegfried immediately exined what Pyo Cheol-Ju and his gang had done. ¡°What?!¡± Overlock shouted in anger. His face slowly turned red in fury as well before he eximed, ¡°They dare ambush and kill their own allies? They even tried to kill you as well! Ha! I know they¡¯re Adventurers, but how can they be so despicable when they¡¯re also uniformed soldiers?!¡± ¡°There are many of them out there. Something like this isn¡¯t so rare,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I will immediately arrange for them to be put on the hit list. I will not simply let this matter slide! This is not a simple matter of militaryw or discipline but a tant attack against our kingdom! How dare theymit such atrocious crimes while hiding amongst us! Lieutenant Colonel Sieg, don¡¯t worry, I will immediately form a squad from our kingdom¡¯s Order of the Knights of Punishment and...¡± The Knights of Punishment were an order of knights established by each country on the N¨¹rburg Continent to hunt down and punish Adventurers who hadmitted serious crimes. ¡°Do you really think that they haven¡¯t thought of that? I am pretty sure that they have taken that into consideration beforemitting to their ns. I am certain that they nned to strike it big and relocate to the other side of the continent to avoid being caught,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Ehem¡­¡±?Overlock faked a cough in embarrassment. ¡°I will take care of it, so please do not concern yourself with them, sir.¡± ¡°Alright, but I will still issue a warrant of arrest against them, so don¡¯t concern yourself too much with them as well. Ha¡­ anyway, is Lieutenant Commander Carell¡¯s state that bad?¡± ¡°He is barely breathing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a huge problem! Lieutenant Commander Carell is someone I have been eyeing for a while now! I will immediately ask for a high-ranking medic toe from the capital and¡ª¡± Overlock eximed. However, he was interrupted by Siegfried once again. ¡°No, sir.¡± ¡°I will take care of Carell, so please just open a Warp Gate to Mount Kunlun and prepare an airship for me,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°W-What are you talking about? What do you mean by Mount Kunlun? I have no idea why you want to go there of all ces, but that¡¯s simply too far! Lieutenant Commander Carell would have already passed away by the time you get there!¡± ¡°I have to go. That is the only way if we want Carell to survive.¡± Lieutenant General Overlock tried to stop Siegfried out of concern, but he seemed like he wouldn¡¯t change his mind at all. ¡®I¡¯m sure that Master will be able to save Carell,¡¯?Siegfried deeply believed that Deus could save Carell even though the medic here had already asked him to prepare for the worst. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m sure that you have your own reason for being so adamant about it. Alright, I will make the necessary preparations for you to quickly and safely reach Mount Kunlun. Lieutenant Commander Carell is a precious asset of our kingdom as well.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Hoho! You are truly surprising.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried was baffled. ¡°Most Adventurers would not be concerned about us, and they would never go to great lengths like you to save us. I have always felt that most Adventurers treat us like we are not even human beings to them¡­¡± Overlock pointed out the fact that most yers had always been treating NPCs as just AIs rather than real humans. ¡°I could be just like them, but not with Carell. He is basically my disciple, and I also owe his father. He is one of the few people whom I must look after no matter what it takes.¡± ¡°Hoho! I had no idea that you were the type to get attached to people. Alright, I hope that you will be able to save Lieutenant Commander Carell.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But what is that Cryptid you brought? It¡¯s my first time seeing that type of Cryptid¡­¡± Overlock changed the topic. ¡°It is called the Mother of the Colony,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Mother of the Colony?¡± ¡°This thing is¡­¡± Siegfried recounted his whole ordeal and every piece of information he came upon regarding the Mother of the Colony. Afterward, he passed the Memorize Monocle over to Overlock. ¡°As expected! So the Cryptids truly had amander among them! No wonder they suddenly started using tactics and strategies, and the way they fought changed all of a sudden! But how did you even think of capturing this thing alive? Your mission was to just collect information, right?¡± ¡°I believe that we can cause great confusion among the Cryptids as long as we make proper use of this thing, so I decided to capture it¡­¡± ¡°H-How did you even think of something like that?! Is that even possible?¡± ¡°We won¡¯t know for sure until we try. What do you think about locking it up and running some experiments for now? Perhaps something like a biological experiment or a biological experiment on a living creature. Maybe a biological experiment on a living breathing creature that could possess emotions¡­?¡± ¡°Oh!?An excellent idea! This grueling battle of attrition might juste to an end if things go as you said!¡± ¡°I hope that will be the case¡­¡± ¡°Great work! Excellent job! I was right to ce my hopes in you! Hahaha!¡± Overlock eximed and boisterouslyughed. It had been quite a while since heughed so heartily. Of course, he was only able tough so freely since a sliver of hope to end this long and burdensome war had finally appeared in sight. ¡°It was well worth putting my trust in you. Thankfully, the troops who had to sacrifice themselves in this diversion operation didn¡¯t die in vain¡­¡± ¡°I truly hope that will be the case,¡± Siegfried sincerely replied, and then a message popped up in front of him. [Alert: You have sessfullypleted the Quest: ¡®Investigate the Cryptid Greater Colony¡¯!] Lieutenant General Overlock handed Siegfried a golden check¡ªa piece of paper made from a special type of metal¡ªworth one hundred thousand gold and the ¡®Book of Absorption: Chi¡¯. ¡°Here, these are your rewards.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°I will quickly prepare the Warp Gate to Mount Kunlun, so wait until first aid has been administered to Lieutenant Commander Carell.¡± ¡°Yes, I probably should.¡± ¡°Hoho, it would be great if Lieutenant Commander Carell survives this ordeal. It is too much of a waste for him to die just like that. I hope he recovers and blossoms into a wonderful young man.¡± ¡°Do you like Carell that much, sir?¡± Siegfried asked. He couldn¡¯t understand why Overlock seemed to be obsessed with Carell. That was only normal since Siegfried didn¡¯t get to see Carell in action because he was busy infiltrating the Cryptid Greater Colony. ¡°Of course, he is one of the most promising officers I have seen in the past few years, and it is impossible not to look forward to what he is going to be since he is still very young.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Please do not worry about that. I will definitely save him as I myself do not want him to die. Then, I will take my leave now.¡± ¡°Get some rest. I will call you once everything has been prepared,¡± Overlock said. Siegfried felt somewhat proud as he left Lieutenant General Overlock¡¯s tent. *** However, keeping Carell alive was not an easy task at all. ¡°I think it will be difficult to keep him alive unless we freeze him...¡± said the medic with a troubled look. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°He is losing so much blood that his organs are already shutting down. We will not be able to stop his organs from decaying even with the best potions¡­¡± ¡°What do we propose we do?¡± ¡°A skilled Water Mage could freeze his organs, but that is a truly difficult thing to do because going even a little bit overboard could cause the organs topletely freeze up. Moreover, finding such a skilled Water Mage in the first ce would be difficult as well¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try and look for one. I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s someone since we have a ton of Adventurers in this ce,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°We will be able to extend Lieutenant Commander Carell¡¯s life by then.¡± ¡°How much time do we have?¡± ¡°We have approximately six hours. Any longer than that will be a stretch for him.¡± ¡°Just wait for me. I will definitely return with a Water Mage,¡± Siegfried said. He immediately left the medical tent and went to Lieutenant General Overlock again. ¡°I will definitely help you!¡± Overlock eximed after hearing Siegfried¡¯s request. At that, Lieutenant General Overlock sent a notice and sted announcements to the entire corps in search of a high-ranking Water Mage. Of course, there was no such thing as free lunch in this world, so a reward was necessary to move the Adventurers. The army would pay for it, so Siegfried didn¡¯t have to spend a single penny from his own pocket. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Sieg, we have found a high-ranking Water Mage and sent them to the medical tent. Why don¡¯t you hurry up and go there as well?¡± Overlock said. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried replied. Fortunately, there was a high-ranking Water Mage within the army barracks. ¡®Yeah, you can¡¯t die here. Just hang in there. You will be as good as new as long as you can make it to Master¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He clenched his fist and ran as fast as he could toward the medical tent. He entered the tent and saw the Water Mage, but¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± he muttered in surprise when he recognized the Water Mage¡¯s face, ¡®Gosran-nim¡­?¡¯ The high-ranking Water Mage they found was none other than Gosran. *** Gosran¡­ She was the yer who volunteered to be Siegfried¡¯s manager at the Sohoca Ruins, and there was genuine camaraderie between them. She was a Frost Mage who specialized in water attribute magic. [Gosran] [Type: Adventurer (yer)] [Level: 189] [Race: Human] [ss: Frozen Mage] [Affiliation: 6th Corps, 2nd Infantry Division (B Rank Area)] [Rank: First Sergeant] [Title: Owner of the Cold, Lord of the Battlefield: Martial] Siegfried used his Rune of Insight and saw that Gosran had grown quite a lot. Well, she had always been at a much higher level than Siegfried, anyway. ¡®What business does Gosran-nim have here? And when did she level up so much¡­?¡¯?Siegfried had to wonder. He instantly recognized her, but he didn¡¯t act as if he knew her because he was currently incognito using the Metamorphosis Mask. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be easy, but¡­¡± Gosran muttered. She gathered water attribute energy in both hands and slowly injected it into Carell. Sseuu¡­! Gosran injected water attribute energy into Carell, and thirty minutester¡­ ¡°It¡¯s done. Phew¡­!¡±?Gosran said while wiping the sweat off of her forehead. The fact that her character sweated meant that she had to exert a ridiculous amount of concentration to control her water energy. ¡°It felt like I would freeze his organs if I exerted a bit too much, yet it felt like there wouldn¡¯t be any difference if I didn¡¯t put in enough effort. It was a very tricky and difficult job to pull off. Anyway, the operation was sessful, so his organs have stopped dying for now,¡± Gosran exined. ¡°Thank you for your hard work,¡± Siegfried expressed his gratitude. ¡°No problem, Sieg-nim,¡± Gosran said coyly. Siegfried flinched for a split second when he heard the way she said ¡®Sieg-nim,¡¯ but heposed himself and replied in a manner that made it seem like he was meeting her for the first time. ¡°This guy is like my little brother, and he survived thanks to you. Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried said calmly. ¡°You are wee. I am happy to be of help to Sieg-nim anytime,¡± Gosran said with a smirk. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Siegfried feigned ignorance. However¡­ ¡°Did you really think that you could fool me? You could fool anyone else but not me, Sieg-nim¡ªno, Sieg-f-r-i-e-d-nim.¡± ¡°Heok!¡± ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡®How did she find out?¡¯?Siegfried wondered, but he extended his hand in response. ¡°H-How did you notice?¡± ¡°I have my ways.¡± ¡°How? Is it the system? Or is it a skill?¡± ¡°That is a trade secret, so I am afraid I will not be able to tell you~ Hehe~¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°You see, I can tell where and what Siegfried-nim is doing.¡± ¡°Huh??What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°I am omnipresent you see.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, no way.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. I have always been close to you, Siegfried-nim.¡± ¡°You sure know how to jest.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Anyway, did you really n to hide your identity even from me? How could you pretend to meet me for the first time like that? Ah¡­ you really made me sad¡­¡± ¡°Because I have a lot of enemies,¡± Siegfried honestly answered without trying to hide it. He felt sorry for having to pretend as if he couldn¡¯t recognize Gosran, but he had his own reasons for doing so. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not your enemy,¡± Gosran muttered, seemingly disappointed. ¡°There are many eyes and ears here.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then¡­¡± Gosran hesitated for a moment before she meekly muttered, ¡°Shall we go somewhere quiet?¡± Chapter 109

    Chapter 109

    ¡°Somewhere quiet¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Gosran replied. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°I want to speakfortably with Siegfried-nim, but there are too many eyes and ears here, like you said, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go,¡± Gosran said and grabbed Siegfried¡¯s wrist. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried was taken aback as he thought, ¡®What¡¯s with her speed?¡¯ Gosran¡¯s hand moved so fast that she caught him without Siegfried realizing it. ¡®What¡¯s up with those movements? She could be an excellent pickpocket or gambler with that speed. Was it because I let my guard down? Ah¡­ forget about it¡­¡¯?Siegfried could not figure out the secret behind Gosran¡¯s insanely quick movement. *** Gosran brought Siegfried behind the bushes, not too far away from the medical tent. ¡°This looks like a good ce,¡± Gosran said. Siegfried looked around and agreed, ¡°It does look very secluded and quiet.¡± ¡°We will be able tofortably talk here, right? I do not think anyone will being here.¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± ¡°But it is a bit cramped¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Can you scoot over a little bit?¡± Gosran lightly pushed Siegfried. She sat down on the floor and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit as well, Siegfried-nim?¡± ¡°Ah, well¡­ okay¡­ but do we really have to talk here? It¡¯s a bit cramped¡­¡± The space behind the bushes was indeed small, and it had just enough space for two grown adults to crouch down and hide behind it. ¡°Does it bother you? Don¡¯t worry, you will not die just because of some skin-to-skin contact,¡± Gosran teased. ¡°That is not what I meant¡­¡± ¡°How have you been doing? Have you been well?¡± ¡°Yeah, kind of¡­ I guess I could say that I have been doing quite fine. I made some money and raised my level quite a lot.¡± ¡°You earned a lot?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± said Siegfried. ¡°Then, you must have moved to a nice house, bought a nice car, and dressed up to go to a club, too.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°You must have spent the night with a woman you met for the first time at the club like a degenerate, too, right?¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± Siegfried retorted in denial while seemingly taken aback, but he was thinking at the back of his mind, ¡®W-Well¡­ something like that did happen¡­¡¯ He did spend the night with a stranger because he got too drunk¡­ Of course, nothing really happened, and he passed out from being too drunk that night. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s with your reaction? Did you really do that?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Something simr happened, but nothing happened. I was too drunk, so I did not even see that woman¡¯s face.¡± ¡°Liar!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°I knew it. All men are the same.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You are all animals.¡± ¡°No, wait a minute¡­!¡± ¡°Just kidding. Pfft!¡±?Gosran cheekilyughed before saying, ¡°Anyone can end up in that situation, and besides, Siegfried-nim is already an adult. You are young as well, so you should enjoy life to the fullest.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t really want to¡­?¡± ¡°C¡¯mon~¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I do not wish to enjoy life by mingling with strangers.¡± ¡°Hooo? Then I guess something like that won¡¯t be happening ever again?¡± ¡°Of course! I was just too drunk that night.¡± ¡°Then, that is a relief...¡± ¡°What about you? How have you been?¡± ¡°I have been doing well. Nothing really interesting happened recently. Hmm¡­ if I have to choose one, then¡­ maybe the fact that Siegfried-nim did not respond to a single one of my letters?¡± ¡°T-That is¡­ I don¡¯t really have the time to open my mailbox nowadays¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I¡¯m sure you were busy, but let us keep in touch at least from now on.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Anyway, what do you n to do from now on? I heard from the medic that you wanted that NPC to be alive, but how are you going to treat him?¡± ¡°I will bring him to Mount Kunlun.¡± ¡°Mount Kunlun?¡± ¡°My master is there. I¡¯m sure that my master can save him.¡± ¡°Hmm? Then, I can get to meet Siegfried-nim¡¯s master?¡± ¡°Huh? You want to meet my master? Why do you want to meet my master¡­?¡± ¡°Because you will need me to keep that NPC alive?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I have to infuse mana and freeze his organs once every four hours, or his organs will start rotting. That is why Siegfried-nim has to let me tag along to Mount Kunlun since you will need me.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ Then, I apologize for bothering you, but¡­ would you kindly apany me to Mount Kunlun?¡± ¡°Of course, Siegfried-nim is my friend, after all~¡± ¡°Thank you. I will make sure topensate you for the experience points and gold you would lose from wasting your time¡­¡± ¡°Forget about that. What are friends for if we do not help each other?¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Instead, would you buy me lunch or dinner sometime? I live in Seoul. Where do you live, Siegfried-nim?¡± ¡°I live in Seoul, too.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s have a meal. I want something expensive.¡± ¡°Will you be fine with just that?¡± ¡°Yes, but I want something delicious and expensive~¡± ¡°Deal!¡± That was how Siegfried and Gosran ended up going to Mount Kunlun together. *** ¡°Take care,¡± Lieutenant General Overlock wished Siegfried well before sending him off. However, before Siegfried could leave, he made sure to ask, ¡°Will you being back?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going to happen,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I see¡­ Well, I did not expect you to stay in this ce for a long time,¡± Lieutenant General Overlock said. However, he continued holding onto Siegfried¡¯s hands as if he didn¡¯t want to let him go before saying, ¡°But it is truly a shame¡­ I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t even host a proper farewell to a war hero like you¡­¡± ¡°There is no helping it since the situation is urgent. It is not your fault, Corps Commander-nim.¡± ¡°But I still can¡¯t help but feel bitter about it, Lieutenant Colonel Siegfried. I hope that you wille to visit us again since that is the only way that our kingdom can bestow you with a medal and reward you for the achievements you garnered, right?¡± ¡°I will try my best when I have the time.¡± ¡°Alright, I sincerely hope to see you again. I will be waiting.¡± ¡°Yes, Corps Commander-nim.¡± ¡°Hurry up and go on!¡± Siegfried left the Arachnid Temporary Outpost and made his way toward the warp gate to Mount Kunlun. ¡°Ugh¡­?I hate work trips¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Siegfried-nim.¡± He was apanied by Carell on the stretcher, Gosran, and the medic, Captain Aaron. *** The journey toward Mount Kunlun was difficult. ¡°Ah,?how many more warp gates do we have to go through?¡± Siegfried grumbled. He could not help but grumble as five hours had already passed, and they had already used twelve warp gates since they left the Arachnid Temporary Outpost. ¡°My head hurts,¡± Gosranined. It seemed that even Gosran was having a headache from the many warp gates they had to use. ¡°Euuurk! Bleck!¡±? Meanwhile, Captain Aaron was in pretty bad shape. It was all thanks to the side effects of warp gates. Unfortunately, they had no other choice. The Arachnid Temporary Outpost and Mount Kunlun were simply too far from each other, and there were no warp gates that directly connected the two ces. In fact, the only reason they managed toe so far so quickly was that Lieutenant General Overlock used many of his connections and sent written requests to various countries to allow them to have free ess to warp gates. Otherwise, the entire journey to Mount Kunlun would take an entire week if they went about it in a roundabout way. This was a unique trait of BNW that made it impossible for the yers to traverse across the vast continent in a single day, even with the help of the magical structures known as warp gates. ¡°Just hang on Siegfried-nim. We only have two more warp gates to cross,¡± Gosran said. ¡°Yeah, I should,¡± Siegfried replied. They crossed a warp gate followed by another warp gate. They had to cross a total of fourteen warp gates to be able to reach the warp gate closest to Mount Kunlun. ¡°Is that Mount Kunlun? It looks pretty tall¡­¡± Gosran muttered while looking up at the imposing mountain in front of them. She then looked at Siegfried and asked, ¡°Will we be able to climb it?¡± ¡°We cannot climb it on foot,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Then what should we do?¡± ¡°I heard that an airship has been prepared¡ªah, it¡¯s over there,¡± Siegfried said while pointing at the sky. Arge airship had crossed over the warp gate, and it was now descending tond in front of them. Thud! The airshipnded. ¡°I came just in time! Are you Adventurer Sieg?¡± However¡­ ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in response as his eyes started quivering. ¡®What the hell? Is it that old man? He looks exactly like him?¡¯ He was startled because the pilot of the airship looked familiar. ¡°Uhmm...?excuse me, but¡­¡± Siegfried said carefully. ¡°Hmm?¡± the pilot muttered in response. ¡°Do you remember me?¡± ¡°Hmm? Why would I remember you?¡± ¡°I met you at the Southern Seas¡­¡± The pilot looked exactly like the pilot of the airship that crashnded on the ind where the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament was being hosted. In fact, they looked so simr that he had to be the doppelganger of that pilot, or he was that pilot. ¡°Southern Seas? You think you met me at the Southern Seas?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the Southern Seas, then¡­ Did you meet my brother by any chance?¡± ¡°Your brother?¡± ¡°My younger brother operates a small airship around the Southern Seas. We are identical twins, you see. He served in the air force just like me when he was younger.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Is he doing well? Is he still drinking at every chance he gets?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯s doing fine¡­¡± Siegfried replied. However, he didn¡¯t voice out his thoughts,?¡®He¡¯s probably doing fine in hell?¡¯ He had no idea whether that damned old man was alive or not, but there was a huge chance that he was dead. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s such a shame that the bastard is still alive¡­ he should just go ahead and die in a ditch or something.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame to hear that he is still alive and well.¡± ¡°I thought you said he was your younger brother¡­?¡± ¡°He is, but you know what? How would you feel if your brother ran away from home with the deed to your house? That would feel quite shitty, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I would love nothing more than to kill him with my own hands, but I had to hold back since he is my brother, after all. However, I just wish that bastard would hurry up and die already.¡± It was often said that those who often caused trouble at home would often cause trouble outside their homes as well. It seemed that the pilot who almost ruined Siegfried¡¯s life was a troublemaker back in his home, too. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s nice to meet you. My name is Sebastian, the pilot that will bring you to the top of Mount Kunlun. My brother that you met before is called Alfred.¡± ¡°Ah,?yes¡­¡± ¡°Hop on aboard. It will take us quite a while to reach all the way up there.¡± Siegfried and his party hopped on board the airship of the damned pilot¡¯s twin brother, Captain Sebastian, and they made their way to the top of Mount Kunlun. It was right after the airship took off¡­ ¡°Uhmm¡­ Sieg-nim?¡± Gosran called out. ¡°Yes?¡± Siegfried responded. ¡°Are you unwell? You do not look so good,¡± she asked, seemingly worried about him. He was looking nervous for some reason, which made her worry about him. No, it was more urate to say that he seemed to be afraid of something. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, please do not mind me.¡± ¡°You can log out and get some rest if you feel tired. I will look after Carell.¡± ¡°I am fine,¡± he replied before he thought, ¡®There¡¯s no way both brothers are messed up in the head, right¡­?¡¯ Siegfried could not help but be worried as Captain Sebastian looked exactly like that damned old man whi almost ruined his life. *** In the evening two dayster, Siegfried and his party finally reached their destination after a tiresome and grueling journey. The reason was that Mount Kunlun was a very tall mountain that was impossible to climb all the way to the top, even with an airship. ¡°Is that the hut?¡± Gosran asked while pointing at a hut in the distance. ¡°Yes, that is the ce,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. It was a small hut filled with memories of the time he had spent with his master, Deus, and it was now right in front of him. ¡®Master, your disciple has returned,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he walked toward the hut filled with excitement and anticipation. ¡°Is he Sieg-nim¡¯s master?¡± Gosran asked while pointing at arge man chopping firewood. ¡°No?¡± ¡°Huh? He is not your master?¡± ¡°My master is not that big, you see¡­¡± ¡°Then, who is he¡­?¡± ¡°I have no idea¡­ it¡¯s my first time seeing him¡­¡± It was then¡­ ¡°Hmm? Who woulde to a ce like this¡­?¡± therge man chopping firewood muttered and turned around when he noticed the presence of a group of people. Then, his eyes met with Siegfried¡¯s eyes¡­ ¡°What?! You are...!¡± Therge man screamed in surprise the moment he recognized Siegfried. It seemed that the man possessed the same ability as Gosran because he saw right through Siegfried¡¯s Metamorphosis Mask. ¡°W-Why are you here¡­?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly stupefied. Therge muscr man who seemed to be more than two meters tall and weighed more than a hundred and twenty kilograms was none other than Betelgeuse. Yes, it was that same Betelgeuse who begged Siegfried to be his disciple back at the Biermann Territory. Chapter 110

    Chapter 110

    ¡°S-Siegfried!¡± Betelgeuse screamed and ran toward Siegfried. ¡°Sieeegfrieeed!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I missed you! I missed youuuuuu!¡± Betelgeuse charged at Siegfried so fast that Siegfried couldn¡¯t even avoid him. Betelgeuse hugged him as tightly as he possibly could. It was impossible for Siegfried to avoid the huge old man as he was a Master. Creak¡­ Crack¡­! As such, Siegfried felt as if he was being crushed as excruciating pain washed over him. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] In fact, he lost twenty percent of his HP with just one hug. ¡°Euk!?You crazy old geezer! It hurts! I said it hurts!¡± Siegfried screamed and thrashed around. However, Betelgeuse did not budge an inch as he continued shouting, ¡°Siegfried! My Siegfried! I missed you so much! I missed you soooo?muuuuch!¡± ¡°Ah,?hey, let go of me¡­¡± ¡°Heuk¡­ heuk¡­ heuk¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Kuheuuuk¡­!¡± . Betelgeuse started crying while hugging Siegfried. He cried. He wept. Then, he started wailing out loud. ¡°Ah, why the hell are you crying all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m just too happy to see you! Heuk! Heuk! Heuk!¡± ¡°Do you not have any shame? You are already over 130 years old, right? You said you were the leader of the Five Star Heavens? Why the hell are you crying all of a sudden?¡± ¡°T-That is¡­ Heuk! Heuk! Heuk!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°It was too painful¡­ too painful¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°That is¡­ No, this is not the time for that! Hurry Siegfried! Run away! Run!¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that now? Why should I run away?¡± ¡°The Demon Lord lives here!¡± ¡°D-Demon Lord¡­?¡± ¡°A truly ferocious old geezer lives here! Hurry up and run away! You will be forced into very forever if he catches you!¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying¡­?¡± Siegfried could not make heads or tails of what Betelgeuse was saying. ¡®The Demon Lord lives here? But my master is the only one here. What does he mean by very¡­? Oh¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯?Siegfried muttered inwardly as a thought suddenly struck him. ¡°So, you havee.¡± A friendly voice suddenly entered his ears. ¡®Huh?¡¯?Siegfried thought as he forced himself free from Betelgeuse¡¯s restraint and turned toward the voice. Deus was standing there looking at him with patient eyes as if it hadn¡¯t been that long since they separated. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°It has been a while.¡± ¡°Your disciple greets Master!¡± Siegfried eximed. He bowed in front of Deus. ¡°Hello, elder. I am a friend of your disciple, Gosran,¡± Gosran said. She also bowed next to Siegfried. ¡°Hiiiik?!¡± Betelgeuse cried out in surprise as he thought, ¡®S-Siegfried is¡­ that devil¡¯s¡­?!¡¯ He was shocked by the fact that Siegfried was the disciple of the Demon Lord who forced him into very. ¡°Yes, have you been well?¡± Deus asked. ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Siegfried eximed in response. Siegfried did not care whether Betelgeuse was in shock or not. He was simply too full of emotions after finally reuniting with his master. ¡®Oh, my god! No wonder he refused to be my disciple¡­!¡¯?Betelgeuse thought. Deus suddenly looked at Betelgeuse and asked, ¡°What did you say a while ago? What? A devil? The Demon Lord?¡± ¡°E-Elder!¡± Betelgeuse eximed in response as he turned ghastly pale. ¡°Hooo, is that truly what you think of this great me?¡± ¡°N-No! Not at all! Why would I dare¡­¡± ¡°Come to the backyardter. I have something to discuss with you in private.¡± ¡°H-Hiiik!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had a massage these past few days, so my body is itching. Hoho!¡± Betelgeuse knew it by then. ¡®I-I¡¯m screwed!¡¯ *** A few months ago, Betelgeuse was on a journey to be a Grand Master when he stumbled upon Mount Kunlun and got into a fight with some old man. The reason they got into an argument was quite¡­ childish¡­ ¡°Hey, excuse me.¡± Betelgeuse was looking for a vige nearby after running out of supplies when he came across the old man. He decided to ask for directions from the old man. However, the problem was that Betelgeuse had spoken casually to the old man. ¡°Hey, you, can you tell me the directions?¡± ¡°Tell you the directions?¡± The old man, Deus, was taken aback. He was irritated by the fact that this young guy in front of him was asking for directions as if he was talking to his subordinate. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m looking for a vige, but I can¡¯t find my way around here. How about you show me the way?¡± ¡°Show you the way?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that look? You have a problem?¡± ¡°Ha! Look at this young punk! Where are your manners?¡± ¡°Young punk?! Ha! Do you have a problem that this ¡®young punk¡¯ asked you for directions?!¡± Betelgeuse retorted in disbelief before saying, ¡°Hey, you, young punk! I¡¯m 130 years old this year, but what did you just say? You, young punk?! You look like you are 80 years old at most!¡± ¡°Look at this little greenhorn,¡± Deus muttered with a cold smile and said, ¡°You dare act all high and mighty in front of this great me when you aren¡¯t even 200 years old?! Haha!?You are quite the funny one! You are indeed funny!¡± ¡°What? How old are you to spout such nonsense?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m over 500 years old.¡± ¡°500 years oooold??Haaaaa? Tsk, tsk¡­ Look at this young punk going all senile already. Hey, you snotty little punk. Do you even know who I am?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m one of the few people Master and one of the five stars of this continent! I am one of the Five Star Heavens, the Sword Emperor Betelgeuse!¡± ¡°Kekeke!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You dare talk about the heavens in front of this great me at your pathetic level? Hoho!?It seems that there are quite a few street urchins wandering around with their noses up!¡± Betelgeuse was in disbelief at the old man¡¯s response. ¡®It seems that he has really gone senile. Tsk tsk¡­ He doesn¡¯t look that old¡­ Well, it¡¯s only normal for ordinary people to go senile at his age¡­¡¯ He treated Siegfried¡¯s master, Deus, as an old man with dementia, so he decided to just ignore the senile old man and go on his way. However¡­ ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go on my way. Why don¡¯t you just go home and stay home? You should be considerate of your children.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Remember not to smear your shit on the walls and make your kids¡¯ lives miserable. Anyway, this hyung will get going now,¡± Betelgeuse said. He then decided to leave in search of the vige, but he could not leave. ¡°I said, where do you think you are going?¡± ¡°Heok!¡±?Betelgeuse gasped in surprise. ¡®Since when?!¡¯ The old man he treated like a dementia patient suddenly appeared right in front of him. Afterward, the old man clenched his fists and said, ¡°I hope your body can take a few hits.¡± Crack¡­! ¡°W-What are you saying¡­?!¡± ¡°You better grit your teeth.¡± ¡°Kuheok¡­!¡± The old man punched Betelgeuse. Then, he was hit again and again and again without being able to retaliate. The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse was beaten to a pulp by a senile old man. *** ¡°I n to keep him around and make him do some chores. He is stronger than he looks, so he is pretty good with menial tasks,¡± Deus said. ¡°Did something like that happen? Haha!¡± Siegfried chuckled. ¡®Tsk tsk¡­ how can you be so fearless and stupid at the same time to pick a fight?with Master? What an unfortunate old geezer.¡¯ Siegfried knew better than anyone that Betelgeuse was just an ant in front of Deus, despite being a Master. ¡°But how are you acquainted with such an ill-mannered buffoon?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± Siegfried told the story of how he met Betelgeuse. ¡°I see. He actually dared to salivate all over this great me¡¯s disciple with his pathetic skills? He seems to be much more ill-mannered than I thought.¡± ¡°I am sure he did it without knowing of your greatness, master. I hope that you will be able to forgive him with your benevolent heart¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m already benevolent toward him. Isn¡¯t it enough that I spared him?¡± ¡°Your grace is as wide as the universe, Master,¡± Siegfried sincerely said. He wasn¡¯t really trying to butter up to his master as he thought, ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s right. He is lucky to be alive.¡¯ ¡°Anyway, it has been a while, my disciple.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t send a single letter to me all this while. What brings you to your old master today?¡± Deus said while ring at Siegfried with eyes that seemed to be rebuking him. ¡°I apologize, Master. Your pathetic disciple has forgotten to pay a visit to his great master because he was too busy trying to live his life. Please forgive me, Master.¡± ¡°Ehem!¡± ¡°Truthfully, I thought of sending you a letter at least, but I figured that it is disrespectful for me to greet Master with a piece of paper so¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you have been neglecting your master after descending this mountain?¡± ¡°I apologize once again, Master. I will make sure not to repeat this mistake ever again!¡± ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°As a token of my apology¡­ I have brought you a present, Master.¡± ¡°A preseeent?¡± ¡°Yes, Master. It is not something that can measure up to the grace you have bestowed on me, but I thought that this was the least I can do as your disciple¡­¡± Siegfried said as he extended something toward Deus, and then he added, ¡°I hope you find it to your liking, Master¡­¡± ¡°T-This is?!¡± Deus eximed as his eyes shot wide open as he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ this brandy is¡­ the Blood Tears of Revenge?!¡± ¡°You are correct, Master,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. The brandy Siegfried gifted to Deus called the ¡®Blood Tears of Revenge¡¯ was an expensive luxury brandy that an emperor a thousand years ago drank while swearing vengeance upon his enemies. ¡°Y-You managed to get your hands on something this precious?¡± ¡°Yes, Master! I bought it to offer as a present to you, Master!¡± ¡°Kekeke! Good! Good!¡± ¡°Do you find it to your liking, Master?¡± ¡°Of course! I love it! Who could have thought you would bring me something this precious?¡± ¡°I hope that you will enjoy it, Master.¡± ¡°Yes, I will drink it at onceter this evening.¡± The disappointed look on Deus¡¯ face toward Siegfried disappeared in an instant thanks to the ¡®Blood Tears of Revenge¡¯. ¡°But what is that living corpse you brought with you?¡± Deus asked while pointing at Carell. ¡°He is someone I have been looking after, but they say that there is no hope for him.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°That is why I have decided to be brazen and ask Master for¡­¡± ¡°Let me take a look,¡± Deus said. He took a cursory nce at Carell before saying, ¡°That is a fatal wound. He would have already died a long time ago if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he¡¯s being forced to stay alive.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°I can see why you brought him to this great me since those pathetic people they call doctors would not be able to save him.¡± ¡°Master¡­¡± Siegfried was about to make a cautious request when Deus cut him off and said, ¡°I will save him, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I-Is that true, Master?¡± ¡°There could be some problems, but saving him won¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°As expected¡­!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ His organs are frozen pretty well. It¡¯s frozen just enough to make him survive. This skill¡­ is it yours?¡± Deus asked Gosran. He was indeed sharper than a ghost. ¡°My name is Gosran,¡± Gosran said with a bow before she continued, ¡°It is an honor to meet¡ª¡± Deus cut her off and said, ¡°You seem to have talent, but why are you hanging out with my disciple?¡± ¡°I am your disciple¡¯srade¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk in privateter.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°Are you deaf? I said I will see you in privateter, so wait for me to call you,¡± Deus retorted while ring at her with a chilling gaze. ¡°Heok¡­!¡±?Gosran gasped in horror before she copsed to the ground. Thud! ¡°Gosran-nim!¡± Siegfried shouted. He hurriedly ran over to her side, but it was to no avail. Gosran could not withstand Deus¡¯ gaze and died on the spot. [Gosran] [HP: ??????????] Chapter 111

    Chapter 111

    ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried was speechless. ¡®Is this for real¡­?¡¯? He was bbergasted by the sudden unexpected death of Gosran after being red at by Deus, but it seemed that Deus was taken by surprise as well. ¡°Huh? She died?¡± ¡°I¡­ I think so, Master¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ To think that she would die from being red at¡­ she is weaker than she looks. Hoho!¡± Deus med Gosran for dying under his re. ¡°My disciple, can¡¯t you find sturdy and dependable ones to hang around with? What kind of help will she be when she¡¯s so weak?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Of course, you¡¯re weak as well.¡± As always, Deus did not forget to insult Siegfried. ¡°Anyway, you want me to save that guy?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Deus pondered for a moment before he said, ¡°It goes against thews of this world to save someone that¡¯s already at death¡¯s door, but I can¡¯t ignore the request of my one and only beloved disciple¡­ Alright, I will save him.¡± Deus looked at Carell andmanded, ¡°Wake up.¡± At that, Carell¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡®He woke up just because he was told to do so¡­? But he was dying¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was once again in awe of Deus¡¯ abilities. ¡°E-Euk!¡± Carell groaned. ¡°Carell!¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Where¡­ Where am I? Did Your Majesty fall in battle, too¡­?¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m an Adventurer, right?¡± ¡°Oh, right¡­ T-Then this ce is¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my master¡¯s ce. My master saved¡ª¡± Siegfried said. However, Deus interrupted and said, ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± Carell immediately fell back to sleep after Deus waved his hand. A half-dead person woke up after he was told to do so, and then he immediately went back to sleep after he was told to do so. Deus seemed like God or something. ¡°Master? Why did you send him back to sleep?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because we don¡¯t have enough materials.¡± ¡°Materials¡­? What kind of materials do you mean, Master?¡± ¡°This great me¡¯s infinite mana can sustain his life and restore his broken life vessel, but it is difficult for me to restore his rotting organs with simply my mana. Of course, nothing is impossible for my esteemed self, but my body will disappear if I attempt that. Keke!¡± ¡°Huh¡­? Master¡¯s body will disappear¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Master?¡± ¡°This great me has unraveled the mysteries of everything in this universe, and I am at the pinnacle where I can see through everything,¡± Deus said. He smirked and added, ¡°Which means that I am no different than a god.¡± ¡°I-I think so, too, master.¡± ¡°However, thews of the universe do not permit people like me to embody themselves in the flesh. That is also the reason why a god does not exist in the realm of mortals.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°That means that I will lose my body and disappear into the realm of the gods once I disy my full powers.¡± ¡°Heok¡­¡± ¡°I am not able to disy a hundred percent of my powers, and I don¡¯t have any ns to do that for now. I need to at least see the beloved disciple that I gained sote in my years rule over the continent or something, right? Perhaps, I wouldn¡¯t be so reluctant to be a god then. In fact, I¡¯m already struggling to keep this fading body of mine in this world, so that is why I can¡¯t fix that kid¡¯s heart and organs.¡± Siegfried could not dare to even start interpreting what Deus had said just now as it seemed like it was something so great a person of his caliber should not even dare to understand it. ¡®Is this something like a restriction penalty for being overpowered¡­?¡¯?he wondered. Nevertheless, Siegfried tried his best to process what he was told just now in video game terms since that was the closest thing he coulde up with. ¡°But if you truly wish to save this kid, then you need to find a new heart that can rece his decaying one. For example¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°The Clockwork Empire possesses a mechanical device that is simr to a heart. It will be possible to save this kid and perfectly patch him up if we have one of those mechanical hearts. So, what are you going to do, my disciple? Will you go and get one of those mechanical hearts?¡± Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: A quest to obtain a mechanical heart has appeared!] [Alert: Do you wish to ept the quest?] The quest for a mechanical heart was the second quest Deus had ever given Siegfried. *** [Obtain a Mechanical Heart] [Type: Normal Quest] [Description: Go to the capital of the Clockwork Empire, ¡®Metropolis¡¯, and kill the boss monster ¡®Mecha Lord¡¯ to obtain a mechanical heart.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: Mechanical Heart, ?] The quest was pretty straightforward, but the problem was¡­ where on the continent was the Clockwork Empire? ¡®Clockwork Empire¡­? Where is that? Was there such a ce on the world map?¡¯? He was pretty proud of his knowledge when it came to BNW, but he had never heard of a ce called the Clockwork Empire before. ¡°Master, in which country can I find this Clockwork Empire?¡± ¡°The Clockwork Empire was ruined a thousand years ago.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ then do I have to go and find the ruins of this ancient empire?¡± ¡°I see that you have learned how to use your head. I always thought it was just a decoration on top of your shoulders. Keke!?That¡¯s right, you will be able to obtain a mechanical heart if you go to the ruin of the Clockwork Empire. Will you go in search of a mechanical heart? I will keep this guy alive until youe back, so you don¡¯t have to worry about him. I will keep him alive for a thousand or even ten thousand years, so you can rest assured that he won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Yes, Master. I will go and get one,¡± Siegfried replied and epted the quest. ¡°Excellent. Then, go forth and bring back a mechanical heart! I shall listen to your tales once youe back with the mechanical heart. Ah, don¡¯t worry about getting there. This great me will send you directly to it. That is the least I can do for my beloved disciple as your master, right?¡± ¡°I understand. Thank you very much, Master.¡± ¡°Alright, then get going now,¡± Deus said and waved his hand at Siegfried. *** The experience was the same as when Siegfried first descended Mount Kunlun. Deus waved his hand once and ¡®warped¡¯ Siegfried tens of thousands of kilometers away. If there were a difference between that experience and this one, then that would be the fact that he crashed into the ground after being warped, but he managed tond safely on his feet this time. ¡®Where am I¡­?¡¯?Siegfried looked around. [Metropolis: Northern area outside the Clockwork Empire¡¯s ruins.] A message popped up in front of his eyes. It informed him he was at the capital of the Clockwork Empire, Metropolis. ¡®Judging by how everything is so dark without a sky and this damp humid air¡­ I must be underground,¡¯?Siegfried thought. While he was looking around, a mechanical voice that sounded like it was pre-recorded echoed from somewhere. ¡°Lifeforce detected.¡± ¡°Intruder.¡± ¡°Lifeforce detected.¡± ¡°Intruder.¡± ¡°Lifeforce detected.¡± ¡°Intruder.¡± There were numerous voices¡­ sh! sh! sh! The darkness was suddenly illuminated by lights being turned on as the sources of the voices finally revealed themselves. ¡®Eight-legged machines?¡¯? Siegfried used his Rune of Insight on them. [Mecha Octopus] [Type: Monster (Mechanoid)] [Race: Mechanoid] [Level: 130] [ss: Energy Buster] [Details: A mechanical watchman in charge of the Clockwork Empire¡¯s capital, Metropolis¡¯ security. It possesses a very powerful skill called ¡®Disintegration Ray¡¯. Caution is advised when facing it.] Once Siegfried was done reading the Mecha Octopuses¡¯ details, Blue energy gathered at the center of the Mecha Octopuses¡¯ bodies. The energy umted more and more before it was shot toward Siegfried. Woooong! It was the main attack of the Mecha Octopus¡ªDisintegration Ray. ¡®I knew it,¡¯?Siegfried had already expected their attacks, so he was able to easily dodge them. Then, he used a version of Splitting Heaven and Earth enhanced by the lightning attribute¡ªSplitting Heaven and Earth: Lightning. He judged that the lightning attribute would be fatal to mechanoid monsters. Baaam! Siegfried mmed his hammer into the ground. Whoosh! Splitting Heaven and Earth threw the Mecha Octopuses into the air. Baaam! Then, they crashed into the ground. Krwaaaaa! Lastly, ferocious bolts of lightning descended upon them as if they were prey. It was super effective! [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points.] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points.] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points.] It was exactly as he expected. The mechanoid monsters were extremely vulnerable to the lightning attribute. ¡°That is a lot of damage. This isn¡¯t a bad ce to grind, I guess? Should I stay here and hunt for a bit?¡± he muttered to himself while passing by the remains left behind by the Mecha Octopuses. Sparkle¡­! Sparkle¡­! However, something sparkling caught his eye and made him stop in his tracks. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯?he picked up one of the sparkling stones that the Mecha Octopuses dropped. [D Grade Mana Stone Fragment] [The fragment of a D Grade Mana Stone installed in the Mecha Octopus¡¯ engine.] The sparkling stone was none other than a mana stone fragment. It was just a fragment, but it was still a pretty expensive item. ¡°I have to take these!¡± The mana stone fragments were going to be an excellent source of ie, so Siegfried took the time to rummage through the remains of the Mecha Octopuses and pick up every single one of the fragments. ¡°Ah¡­ What a waste¡­ I should have just dealt with them the normal way¡­ Why did I have to use Splitting Heaven and Earth and blow these babies up? Tsk,¡± Siegfried grumbled at the thought that he could have gotten a whole mana stone if he used a different skill to attack them. However, it seemed that the heavens heard Siegfried¡¯s grumblings. ¡°Lifeforce detected.¡± ¡°Intruder.¡± ¡°Lifeforce detected.¡± ¡°Intruder.¡± ¡°Lifeforce detected.¡± ¡°Intruder.¡± Mecha Octopuses started appearing one by one. ¡°Heok!¡±?Siegfried gasped in shock. Of course, he didn¡¯t feel threatened at all. ¡°What is this¡­ a jackpot?!¡± he eximed as his eyes shot wide open. He was shocked because these mechanoid monsters had basically approached him to offer up their oh-so-expensive mana stones. *** While Siegfried was busy harvesting the mana stones offered up to him. A huge group of around one hundred Adventurers squeezed themselves through narrow tunnels to arrive at the southern outer area of the Metropolis. ¡°This is a hidden dungeon, so you all better be on your guard,¡± Park Sung-Jin looked back and warned the Adventurers behind him. Park Sung-Jin was a Level 200 Buffer ss Adventurer. He had a V-shaped wing badge on his chest, and it depicted the insignia of none other than one of the top ten guilds on the continent. The Genesis Guild¡­ *** ¡®Wow¡­ How much are all of these?¡¯?Siegfried thought in disbelief while looking at his Inventory. His inventory was filled with the D Grade Mana Stones he looted from the remains of the Mecha Octopuses. They weren¡¯t fragments like the ones he had picked up earlier, but whole mana stones. It was all because Siegfried paid special attention not to hit the mechanoid monsters too hard to prevent damaging their mana stones. ¡®This dungeon is a jackpot!¡¯?he eximed inwardly in excitement at the thought of obtaining even more expensive mana stones from the monsters here at Metropolis. It was safe to assume that all of the mechanoid monsters in Metropolis used mana stones as their energy source. As such, there was a huge chance that they had mana stones in their bodies. ¡®The boss should obviously be at the center of the map, right? I should slowly start heading south then,¡¯?Siegfried thought before making his way south. Of course, he did not forget to continue ¡®harvesting¡¯ mana stones along the way. Chapter 112

    Chapter 112

    New types of mechanoid monsters known as Giga-Type Mechanoids appeared and blocked Siegfried¡¯s path the closer he got to the boss room. These giga-type mechanoids were a much more powerful bunchpared to the Mecha Octopus. Siegfried was also delighted to find that they also possessed mana stones above D-Grade. [Alert: You have obtained a C-Grade Mana Stone!] [Alert: You have obtained a C-Grade Mana Stone!] [Alert: You have obtained a C-Grade Mana Stone!] Thus, Siegfried was able to fill his Inventory with mana stones of a higher grade. [Alert: You only have 30% Inventory Capacity left!] A message popped up in front of his eyes. ¡®I think my inventory will be full even before I reach the boss room¡­ I guess I should invest in expanding my inventory capacity soon¡­¡¯?he thought. He was able to increase his inventory capacity during the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament thanks to Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s magic, which allowed him to loot more items than he initially could have, but he felt that he was going to run into the same problem this time and in the future as well. ¡®I should be able to buy three apartment units with the money I saved up so far in addition to what I¡¯m going to earn from these. I should start investing in my own items and my character. It¡¯s time for me to start gearing up as well.¡¯ He was now Level 141 after grinding at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost, which meant that it was now time for him to invest in his equipment and character rather than selling off his gold for cash. He had to upgrade his character and prepare to hunt at more advanced dungeons from now on. ¡®How far is the boss room? It feels like I still have a long way to go¡­¡¯?he thought while checking his mini-map. There still seemed to be quite a distance toward the center of the map where the boss room was located, and it was probably going to take him two days to be able to reach it and hunt the boss. ¡°Well¡­ I think I¡¯m the only one here, so I can probably take my sweet time¡­¡± He did not sense anyone else¡¯s presence, so he decided to leisurely make his way to the boss room. However, he soon realized that things would not go the way he wanted them to all the time. ¡°Someone was here¡­?¡± he grimaced and grumbled in disbelief. He said after seeing remains of mechanoid monsters littered on the ground leading to the boss room. There were piles after piles of mechanoid monster corpses, and it seemed that at least a hundred, no, a thousand of them had been hunted down. ¡®The steels seem hot, and there is still smoke here and there¡­ This can only mean that the battle took ce recently. A battle broke out, and the mechanoid monsters were annihted. Someone else is here. Either it¡¯s someone really strong, if they¡¯re alone, or it¡¯s a huge raid party, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s thetter. I mean, there are no footprints¡­ Huh? I can¡¯t see any human footprints. Did these mechanoid monsters?die?after fighting each other to death?¡¯?Siegfried wondered as he investigated the area. He could not find a single human footprint anywhere, no matter how closely he looked. Finally, he found a set of footprints, but they were much bigger than the feet of a male adult. ¡®What the hell? Is it someone with the Lycanthrope ss?¡¯?he investigated the footprints closely. yers with the Lycanthrope ss could transform into a werewolf, in simpler terms. If an Adventurer with the Lycanthrope ss had single-handedly taken care of this many mechanoid monsters, then¡­ ¡®They¡¯re extremely strong. Someone of that caliber will definitely take the boss monster down in a split second,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he hurried toward the center of the map. *** The remains of the mechanoid monsters trailed all the way to the center of the map, where the boss room was supposedly located. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re already done hunting it down?¡¯?Siegfried nervously thought. He had to get the mechanical heart to save Carell, so he became even more nervous at the thought that the boss was already dead. ¡°What the hell is that thing?¡± Siegfried muttered while looking at something white and furry on the ground in the distance. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a hamster? Why the hell is it so big?¡± The white ball of fur on the ground was a hamster that was the size of a small dog. It was covered in wounds and was profusely bleeding all over. ¡°Kyuu¡­ K-Kyuu¡­¡±?the hamster moaned in pain. ¡°Huh¡­??Did this guy fight with the mechanoid monsters?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion and looked around before he scoffed and said, ¡°No way. There¡¯s no way this little guy did all of these. Yeah¡­ A hamster is just a hamster. I¡¯m sure it just got lost here.¡± However, Siegfried heard someone cursing at him all of a sudden. ¡°Hey, you fucker¡­¡± ¡°What? Fucker?¡± ¡°Yeah, you little fucknut.¡± ¡°Heok!¡±?Siegfried gasped in surprise as his eyes opened wide, and then he eximed, ¡°A hamster just cursed at me!¡± ¡°You think that¡¯s all I can do? I can do this too, you fucknut!¡± the hamster retorted as it gave Siegfried the middle finger. ¡°Wow, this is awesome¡­ A hamster can even give the middle finger¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in awe. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m about to die here, so why don¡¯t you keep going on your way?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Or¡­ you can throw me a potion or two if you want¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Kyuuu¡­¡± ¡®What the fuck is this hamster?¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking at the foul-mouthed hamster. He raised his hand and activated his Rune of Insight to find out more information about it. [Prometheus Cactus Hydra Leviathan Bless Zachariah Anabolica Gardo] [A Great Spirit that has taken the form of a Sacred Creature.] [It looks cute on the outside, but one will regret looking down on it due to its adorable appearance.] [Level: 200] [Race: Sacred Creature] [ss: Trickster] [Titles: Tyrant of the Forest, Guardian of the Forest, Demon of the Forest, Foul Mouth of the Forest, yboy of the Forest.] [Skills: Ang!?I¡¯m Cute, Right?!, Give it your best! Go, Go, Go!, Hamster is Sad T_T, Go Fetch!, Meerkat~!, Time to be Bossy, and other skills currently locked (13).] It seemed that this foul-mouthed hamster with an incredibly long name, starting with ¡®Prometheus¡¯ and ending with ¡®Gardo,¡¯ was not an ordinary hamster but a Great Spirit of the Forest that had taken the form of a Sacred Creature. ¡°Kyuuuuu!¡±? The foul-mouthed hamster screamed at Siegfried, ¡°Hey! I told you I¡¯m about to die! You little fucker!¡± ¡°So¡­ what do you want me to do¡­?¡± Siegfried replied with narrowed eyes. ¡°Do you even have to ask?! Hey, you stupid fucknut! Are you dumb or stupid? Ha?!¡± ¡°Why should I help you?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Why would it matter to me if a foul-mouthed rat like you dies?¡± Siegfried said while coldly staring down at the hamster. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I thought so. Anyway, I¡¯m going now. Take care~¡± Siegfried said. He turned around and started walking away while thinking, ¡®Phew¡­ that was a close call. The boss should still be alive if that hamster were the culprit behind hunting those mechanoids down.¡¯. ¡°Hey!¡± However, the foul-mouthed hamster called Siegfried out. ¡°Hey! Stop! Halt! Attention! Hey! You dare ignore me?! I said stooooop!¡± ¡°Is there a dog barking somewhere¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered while picking his ear. ¡°Who are you calling a dog?! Hey! Are you that confident? Do you want to have a go at it? Ha?!¡± ¡°Fine, you are a rat then.¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± ¡°Hey, you should be begging instead of doing all that, you know?¡± ¡°S-Save me¡­!¡± The foul-mouthed hamster¡¯s attention suddenly took a drastic turn. ¡°I will never forget this favor if you help me out!¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you cursing me just a while ago? Why not keep going? You were pretty good at cursing.¡± ¡°I¡­ I must have eaten something bad¡­ Kyuu¡­?I think it was because I chewed too many metals just a while ago, so¡­ Kyuu¡­ Kyuu¡­¡±?the foul-mouthed hamster said pitifully. ¡®Pfft¡­! Its mouth needs a thorough washing with soap, but it looks ridiculously cute.¡¯? Siegfried found the foul-mouthed hamster to be pretty cute. In fact, the hamster was so cute that Siegfried was thinking of taking it in as a pet and annoying it from time to time whenever he was bored. ¡°Just help me out¡­ I beg you, human¡­¡± the hamster pleaded, and then it said in a sincere manner, ¡°We have to stop that evil Mecha Lord from resurrecting. The forest where I live will be the first target if that bastard resurrects.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There is a cave abundant with ¡®Stone of Transcendence¡¯ in the forest I live in¡­¡± The Stone of Transcendence was necessary to enhance equipment, and it was pretty expensive. It was simr to mana stones in price. ¡°The Mecha Lord will get stronger the more Stone of Transcendence it consumes, and it will definitelye for the forest I live in once it resurrects. I fought against the Mecha Lord one thousand years ago, and my friends died at that time¡­ I was the only one who survived¡­ Kyuu¡­¡±?the hamster said as its tears started welling up in its cute eyes, and then it added, ¡°I want to protect my friends in the forest. I don¡¯t want to lose my friends ever again¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°And the world will be in danger if the Mecha Lord resurrects. A great war could break out if that bastardes back! We have to stop it at all costs. Help me¡­ Kyuu¡­¡± It seemed that the foul-mouthed rat was kind-hearted despite being so vulgar. ¡°I¡­ I hate humans, but if it means stopping the Mecha Lord, then¡­ I will¡­¡± All of a sudden¡­ Thud¡­! The hamster lowered its head. ¡°Huh? Hey! Hey, foul-mouth? Foul-mouth?¡± Siegfried jumped in surprise as he immediately ran over and pped the hamster, but there was no reaction from it. ¡°Hey, foul-mouth! Are you ying dead? Hey! Answer me, will you? Hey!¡± Siegfried tried his best to wake the hamster up, but the hamster remained still without moving. However, he could tell that the hamster was still breathing, albeit faintly. ¡°Geez¡­ You should have told me earlier if you had such a story¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled and clicked his tongue. ¡®Should I save this guy or not?¡¯?he pondered. He was going to feel like shit if he saved this foul-mouthed hamster that had been cursing at him earlier just for it to stab him in the back. However, his dilemmasted only for a few seconds, and he soon made up his mind. ¡®It¡¯s cute, so¡­¡¯?He decided to save the foul-mouthed hamster just because it was cute. ¡°Hey! Breathe! Try to breathe!¡± he eximed. He retrieved his potions and proceeded to do first aid on the hamster. *** The foul-mouthed hamster did not show any signs of waking up, no matter how many health potions and stamina potions Siegfried used. ¡®How much HP does this thing even have¡­?¡¯?He looked down at the hamster in disbelief as he threw another empty potion bottle onto the pile of bottles. ¡°Kyuu¡­¡±? The foul-mouthed hamster finally woke up and looked around. ¡°Have youe to your senses now?¡± ¡°M-Mana stones¡­ Kyuu¡­¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Mana stones¡­¡± ¡°Did you just say mana stones¡­?¡± ¡°Kyuu¡­?I¡¯m a Great Spirit¡­ I need to eat mana stones¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Kyuu¡­ Kyuu¡­¡± ¡®Ugh¡­ Look at this thing¡¯s mileage¡­ Does it think it¡¯s a supercar or something?¡¯?Siegfried inwardly grumbled. His blood pressure shot up when he heard the foul-mouthed hamster ask for mana stones. Did this thing have any how expensive a single mana stone was? A D-Grade mana stone was 1.5 times more expensive than gold, and mana stones of a higher grade fetched a much heftier price than that. ¡®Should I save this or not¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was in a dilemma once again. In the end, he decided to be empathetic and close one eye as he took out a D-Grade mana stone from his Inventory and then hurled it into the hamster¡¯s mouth. ¡®It¡¯s cute, so I can spare one,¡¯?he thought. As expected, the hamster¡¯s cuteness turned out to be its most lethal weapon. [Alert: You have started taming the Great Spirit of the Forest (Prometheus Cactus Hydra Leviathan Bless Zachariah Anabolica Gardo)] However, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes the moment he fed the D-Grade mana stone to the foul-mouthed hamster. [Alert: A spirit will serve its life¡¯s savior as its master!] [Alert: You will have to feed it more D-Grade mana stones to sessfully tame the Great Spirit of the Forest! (Mana Stones Fed: 1/100)] The message notified him that he would be able to tame the Great Spirit of the Forest if he fed it more mana stones. Of course, he had to invest a whopping one hundred mana stones to be able to tame it sessfully. ¡®This thing is willing to be my pet? The Great Spirit of the Forest is willing to do that? Wait a minute¡­ What was this thing called again?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He recalled the details of the hamster he had seen a while ago. ¡®A Great Spirit is going to be on par with the King of the Spirits, right? I mean¡­ It is still a Great Spirit despite being an overgrown hamster. In that case, I¡¯m not getting the short end of the stick, am I right? This guy has a lot of skills, too. Alright, let¡¯s try investing. It has a vulgar mouth, but I think it¡¯s pretty kind-hearted. Its story is quite sad, too¡­¡¯? Siegfried decided to invest a hundred D-Grade mana stones. *** An hourter, the foul-mouthed hamster greedily munched through the D-Grade mana stones Siegfried had painstakingly gathered. It ate the expensive mana stones like they were candies. Munch¡­! Munch¡­!? ¡®Sigh¡­ Look at its cheeks about to explode. Ah¡­ I should probably feed it to its heart¡¯s content, since I¡¯ve already decided to save it¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. The cheeks of the foul-mouthed hamster blew up like a balloon as it chewed the mana stones. [Alert: You have fed enough mana stones! (Mana Stones Fed: 0/100)] [Alert: You have sessfully tamed the Great Spirit of the Forest! (Prometheus Cactus Hydra Leviathan Bless Zachariah Anabolica Gardo)] [Alert: You mayplete the contract with the Great Spirit of the Forest (Prometheus Cactus Hydra Leviathan Bless Zachariah Anabolica Gardo) by giving it a new name!] Ten minutester, the foul-mouthed hamster instantly got up and smacked its belly to show that it was satisfied. ¡°Burp!?I¡¯m done! Kyuuuuu!¡± ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m alive now! Thanks a fucking lot for the meal! Kyu!¡± Then, the foul-mouthed hamster bowed toward Siegfried before saying, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get into a contract now. I despise humans more than anything else, but¡­¡± ¡°You want me to give you a new name?¡± ¡°Kyu??How did you know?¡± ¡°I have my ways, punk.¡± ¡°You are smarter than you look! Kyu!?Alright, I will serve you as my owner from now on if you give me a new name, you punk!¡± Siegfried had no idea why the hamster called him ¡®punk¡¯ after calling him its owner, but he decided to let it slide this time. ¡°Alright! Time for you to give me a name! Make sure it¡¯s a fucking cool one while you¡¯re at it, punk!¡± The foul-mouthed hamster was expecting a grand name. However, Siegfried muttered, ¡°Uhm¡­ How does Hamchi sound?¡± Siegfried simply blurted out the first word that came to his mind. Chapter 113

    Chapter 113

    ¡°Hamchiiiii?!¡± the foul-mouthed hamster cried out in disbelief as his face convulsed, and then heshed out, ¡°Hey! You damned owner, punk! What the fuck is wrong with your naming sense? Ha?!?I asked for a cool name, but what? Hamchi?! Hamchiiiii?! What do you take me for? A stupid piece of shit?! Ha?!¡± The foul-mouthed hamster tried his best to reason with Siegfried, but it was toote¡­ [Alert: Prometheus Cactus Hydra Leviathan Bless Zacariah Anabolica Gardo¡¯s name has been changed to ¡®Hamchi¡¯!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. Sseuuu¡­! The foul-mouthed hamster¡ªHamchi¡ªdirected a deathly re at Siegfried as his body started emitting light that Siegfried absorbed. [Alert: Contract Complete!] [Alert: You have sessfully made a contract with the Great Spirit of the Forest!] [Alert: The name of your pet, the Great Spirit of the Forest, has been changed to ¡®Hamchi¡¯!] [Alert: You can give amand to Hamchi!] [Alert: From now on, Hamchi will help you to the best of its abilities!] [Alert: Hamchi will now be your trusty ally, and he will apany you on your long journey!] The string of messages signaled that the contract was sessfully established. [Hamchi] [Great Spirit of the Forest] [Adventurer Siegfried¡¯s Pet] [Level: 200] [ss: Trickster] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] [Stamina: ??????????] Hamchi¡¯s detailed status popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡°Huh? The contract is already established?¡± he muttered in surprise. ¡°Hey! You nutjob owner! What the hell did you do just now?! How dare you change my name to Hamchi?! You fucking son of a¡ªKyuuu!¡±?Hamchished out. ¡°But it sounds cute...¡± ¡°Kyuuu?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can change it anymore, so why don¡¯t you just live as Hamchi from now on?¡± ¡°You crazy owner, punk! Are you spouting nonsense from your asshole or shit from your mouth?! Ha?!¡± ¡°You can go ahead and be the owner if you want. Go on.¡± ¡°Kyuu¡­ Kyuuuuuuuu¡­!¡± Hamchi gnashed his teeth in anger, but there was nothing else he could do. After all, the System had already designated him as Siegfried¡¯s pet. The only thing he could do was gnash at Siegfried with his fur standing up to look as threatening as possible. Of course, it wasn¡¯t really going to do anything. *** ¡°Hey, Hamchi,¡± Siegfried called. ¡°What do you want? Owner punk¡­¡± Hamchi curtly replied. He was obviously pretty upset over his new name. ¡°The Mecha Lord is still there, right?¡± ¡°It should be, but we have to hurry up. They should have started the resurrection ritual. The Mecha Lord is going toe back to life once the ritual is finished, so we have to make haste, owner punk! We don¡¯t have time! Kyuu!¡± ¡°Is that so? Then I guess we should hurry up¡­¡± Tak! All of a sudden, Hamchi jumped up andnded on Siegfried¡¯s shoulder, and then he manded¡¯ him. ¡°Owner punk! I choose you! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°This little rat bastard¡­¡± ¡°Giddy up! Kyuuuu!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­?Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have saved this bastard¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s gooooooo! Kyuuuuu!¡±?Hamchi shouted while pointing forward. ¡®This bastard is actually pretty cute.¡¯?Siegfried smiled. The hamster¡¯s mouth was foul, but it seemed that Siegfried truly found him cute. *** While they were on their way to the room where the Mecha Lord was located, Hamchi suddenly turned his head. ¡°Kyu?¡± Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!? Hamchi started sniffing around with his ears perked up. ¡°Hey, owner punk.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a battle up ahead.¡± ¡°A battle?¡± ¡°Yes, and a big one at that. There are a bunch of humans fighting against one powerful being, and I think the humans are fighting the Mecha Lord.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?! I can hear it, you know?! I can smell the stench of blood and grease in the air as well as fire, too! Kyuuu!¡± A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Your pet, Hamchi, has used its skill ¡®Meerkat~!¡¯ and has detected a battle 2km up ahead from your current location.] [Meerkat~!] [Hamchi¡¯s five senses are heightened to scan the surroundings.] [Hamchi¡¯s scanning ability has not only a huge range, but it can also detect hidden or cloaked enemies.] Hamchi used Meerkat~!. ¡®Wow, that¡¯s a very convenient skill. Who could have known that this bastard had scanning abilities?¡¯?Siegfried smiled. ¡°Hey, owner punk!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to go there!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The Mecha Lord is losing! Kyuuu!?I think the humans are lynching the Mecha Lord¡­ Ah! Damn it! I wouldn¡¯t have entered into a contract with you if I had known that this was going to happen! Damn it! Hamchi is ruined! RUINED! I would have just chilled in the forest if I knew this was going to happen. Fuck¡ªHuh? Kyu¡­ Kyuuu?!¡± Hamchi cried out in surprise because Siegfried was running as fast as he could. *** Two hours ago, Park Sung-Jin led two hundred Genesis Guild members to the boss room where the Mecha Lord was located, and thanks to their overwhelming numbers, they were able to disrupt the resurrection ritual as well. [Mecha Lord] [Thest emperor of the Clockwork Empire that existed one thousand years ago.] [The Mecha Lord was regarded as one of the worst tyrants on the N¨¹rburg Continent.] [His desire to rule for eternity made him undergo surgery to turn himself into a cyborg, but the rebellion that urred in the process led to his downfall.] [Level: 220] [Race: Cyborg] [Type: Boss] [ss: Iron Fist] The Mecha Lord¡¯s resurrection was interrupted, and he was forced to wake up earlier because of the Genesis Guild. There was a fierce battle between them. ¡°You bunch of insignificant trash dares to stand in myplete resurrection?!¡± The Mecha Lord roared in a mechanical voice as he unleashed a barrage of attacks at the Genesis Guild. However, it was not possible for him to disy the same might he previously had when he used to rule over the Clockwork Empire with an iron fist. It was all because his resurrection was interrupted. He only recovered around thirty percent of his original power. [Mecha Lord] [HP: ??????????] The lynching proved to be pretty effective as the Mecha Lord only had 10% HP remaining, and it was in a state that could only be described as ¡®ragged¡¯. ¡°Press on! We¡¯re almost done!¡± Park Sung-Jin urged his guild members. It went without saying that he himself was not fighting at the front lines and was only givingmands from the rear. Why? Park Sung-Jin was a Buffer which was the pinnacle of all nonbat sses. He only had to cast a round of buffs to the others before retreating to the safety of the rear, just like what most Buffers normally do. After all, this could be said as one of the golden rules of online games, right? There was a good reason why Buffers were treated like they were nobles. ¡®Alright, keep fighting, you ves. Keke,¡¯?Park Sung-Jin thought. In fact, Park Sung-Jin thought of his guild members as nothing more than his ves. ¡°These insolent humans dare to stand up against me!¡± the Mecha Lord screamed and made hisst stand. [Alert: Your ally has been killed!] [Alert: Your ally has been killed!] [Alert: Your ally has been killed!] ¡­ The Genesis Guild members started dying one by one, but that only went on for so long. ¡°I¡­ To think that I will be beaten by these insignificant insects¡­! My dream to rule for eternity¡­ I¡ªthe emperor¡­!¡± The Mecha Lord cried out as it was forced to its knee. ¡°Hey! Hurry up, will you? We don¡¯t have time to sit around and listen to thest words of some monster! We have to go and pick up the loot!¡± Park Sung-Jin shouted in an irritated voice. It was exactly as he said, they still had a mountain load of work to do after killing the Mecha Lord. They had to collect the B-Grade Mana Stones from the remains of the Mechanic Knights that were guarding the Mecha Lord, and they also had to collect the C-Grade Mana Stones from the remains of the Mechanic Workers that were performing the resurrection ritual. The treasure room was also located somewhere in the boss room and had a pile of Stone of Transcendence, which was a keyponent required for the resurrection of the Mecha Lord. In short, the Genesis Guild still had to spend at least two hours here, even after killing the Mecha Lord. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to maximize their profits from the raid. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, Raid Leader-nim! We will get to work immediately!¡± one of the Genesis Guild members replied and swung his sword at the Mecha Lord. No, he tried to swing his sword. Whoooosh! A hammer flew from out of nowhere¨C- Baaam! ¡ªand smashed into the head of the guild member who was about to deliver the final blow. Whiiish¡­ Baaam! The hammer bounced after killing the guild member and smashed into the Mecha Lord¡¯s head. The guild member¡ªno, someone else dealt the final blow to the Mecha Lord. ¡°¡­!¡± The entire Genesis Guild raid party was bbergasted at the sudden appearance of the hammer, and they were at a loss. They couldn¡¯t quite grasp what just happened. ¡°What was that¡­?¡± ¡°Was it an idental skill discharge¡­? Hey! Who was that? Which bastard did that?¡± ¡°What was that just now?¡± ¡°Did you see how much damage that hammer dealt?¡± While the entire Genesis Guild was still baffled by the sudden turn of events, one of the guild members carefully said, ¡°This¡­ I think someone just stole a kill from us?¡± The guild member¡¯sment was right on the money. Why? It was because no one from the Genesis Guild received any system message about how they obtained any Experience Points from the Mechal Lord¡¯s demise *** [Alert: You have sessfully hunted the boss monster, the Mecha Lord!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] The system message didn¡¯t appear in front of the Genesis Guild members, but it appeared in front of Siegfried. [You have leveled up!] [You have reached Level 142!] He gained a huge amount of experience points as well as a level after killing the boss monster. ¡°Kyu? Wow, our owner punk is actually much more shameless than I thought¡­¡± Hamchi muttered in disbelief. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Your shamelessness is unrivaled. Did you drop your conscience somewhere? Or were you born without one? Kyu!¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about? You got a problem with it?¡± Siegfried red at the hamster. ¡°No, I actually like it.¡± ¡°What¡­? You like it¡­?¡± ¡°Kyu!?Now you¡¯re starting to look more worthy of my owner!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I like how you roll! Kyu!?I don¡¯t really like nice pushovers. I prefer people like you!¡± Hamchi said with an evil smirk. ¡®Ugh¡­! This thing is crazy! I think this hamster is an imp in disguise rather than a Great Spirit¡­!¡¯?Siegfried thought while facepalming. It was as if he gained an imp as a pet instead of a Great Spirit¡­ ¡°But why did you attack them as well?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°Because they are my enemies,¡± Siegfried replied. The Genesis Guild. Siegfried had to destroy them sooner orter. ¡°Is that so? Kyu!?Then, let¡¯s fight! But can you win, owner punk? It looks like there are more than a hundred of them¡­¡± Hamchi asked with a hint of doubt. ¡°I will win. I know them better than anyone else,¡± Siegfried confidently replied. ¡°Alright! Hamchi will help you! Kyu!?Our weak-ass owner can win against them if the Great Hamchi helps him! Kyuuu!¡± ¡°Who''s the weakling here? Just shut up and let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried grumbled as he walked toward the Genesis Guild members with his right hand extended. Whiiiish¡­ Tak! The hammer that smashed the heads of the Genesis Guild member and the Mecha Lord flew back to his hand. ¡®It¡¯s been a while, Genesis.¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s eyes became filled with bloodlust. Siegfried vs. Genesis Guild. The old me of animosity between the two was about to be rekindled. Chapter 114

    Chapter 114

    ¡°Who¡¯s that bastard?¡± Park Sung-Jin asked. He had no idea who Siegfried was, and his guild members had no idea as well. There were two reasons why they couldn¡¯t quite grasp Siegfried¡¯s identity. The first reason was that Park Sung-Jin and the Genesis Guild members did not have the same ability as Gosran or Betelgeuse to see through the Metamorphosis Mask Siegfried was wearing. The second reason was that Park Sung-Jin and his guild members were not affiliated with the Genesis Guild during the days when the Genesis Guild was still shing against Siegfried. None of the Genesis Guild members at Metropolis had any idea of Siegfried¡¯s identity. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Park Sung-Jin asked, and then he shed a sinister smile and asked again, ¡°Do you have any idea what the hell you did just now?¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± Siegfried asked in response, feigning ignorance. ¡°What did you just say¡­?¡± ¡°I said, what did I do?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Park Sung-Jiughed in disbelief before he looked at his guild members and said, ¡°Hey, guys. This guy says that he has no idea what he did just now.¡± Then, the Genesis Guild members reacted one by one. ¡°Wow! Is he brave or just stupid?¡± ¡°Look at this brazen bastard!¡± ¡°I think this will be hisst day ying the game.¡± ¡°He has balls of steel. I''ll give him that!¡± ¡°The guy has cojonesing here, feigning ignorance and all!¡± The Genesis Guild members sneered at Siegfried. ¡°Hey, owner punk. Why the hell are they acting so strong? Aren¡¯t they just a bunch of weaklings?¡± Hamchi asked after inspecting the Genesis Guild members. ¡°You¡¯re right. They are just a bunch of weaklings,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°But why are they acting so high and mighty? Hamchi is confused! I¡¯m so confused! Kyu!¡± There was no way that Hamchi was aware of the Genesis Guild, which was one of the top ten guilds on the continent, so his reaction was understandable. ¡°Why are they acting so high and mighty? Who knows¡­? Maybe they believe that there¡¯s strength in numbers?¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. ¡°Are you telling me that these fucking weaklings are acting like that because there are a lot of them? Is lynching the only thing they have in their brains?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Kyuuu!?No wonder they look like fucking losers! Kyu!¡±?Hamchiughed hysterically while pointing at the Genesis Guild members. ¡°That crazy hamster dares to¡­!¡± Park Sung-Jin grimaced and growled after hearing Hamchi and Siegfried¡¯s conversation. ¡°Hey, newbie. Did you just say that you have no idea what you just did? Can¡¯t you see this?¡± Park Sung-Jin proudly pointed at the V-Shaped badge on his chest and said, ¡°We are the Genesis Guild.¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion and asked. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°What about it? Ha¡­ Do I have to spell it out for you? We are¡ª¡± Park Sung-Jin arrogantly started. However, Siegfried cut him off and said, ¡°What? Top ten guild? Are you talking about that? Then, I¡¯m aware of that.¡± Then, Siegfried continued, ¡°I know you guys very well. Your guild gathers weaklings like you guys and depends on your numbers. Yes, if you are referring to your guild, then I am very well aware of who you guys are.¡± ¡°This bastard dares to¡­! Do you really think you will be able to handle the consequences¨C-¡± Park Sung-Jin retorted. However, Siegfried cut him off again. ¡°You have no business worrying about that.¡± Whiiiish! Siegfried ambushed Park Sung-Jin by throwing his hammer at thetter using Flying Spur. However, his ambush failed. ¡°Raid Leader-nim!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± The Adventurers tasked with protecting Park Sung-Jin, who was the main Buffer and leader of the raid party, blocked the hammer with their bodies. Thud...! Thud¡­! Of course, they died on the spot. ¡°Have you finally gone crazy? Hey! What are you guys doing? Go and kill that bastard!¡± shouted Park Sung-Jin while pointing at Siegfried. ¡°Yes, Raid Leader-nim!¡± The Genesis Guild members responded in unison like soldiers and instantly rushed toward Siegfried. This kind of reaction was only possible because the Genesis Guild ced heavy importance on their hierarchy, simr to the military. ¡°Owner punk! The weaklings areing after us! Kyuu!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, I know.¡± Siegfried caught his hammer flying toward him and gripped it tightly as he prepared for the battle that was about to begin. *** ¡®Sigh¡­ Why did you mess?with us of all?the people you can mess with?¡¯ ¡®Will he evenst ten seconds?¡¯ ¡®Aren¡¯t we being too cruel to that piece of shit? I mean¡­ we don¡¯t really have to gang up on him at once¡­¡¯ The Genesis Guild members were confident of their victory against Siegfried. Well, it was a logical conclusion. They outnumbered him almost more than fifty to one, and their levels were much higher than his, but most importantly, they possessed the ¡®very special strategy,¡¯ which was the trademark of the Genesis Guild. [Alert: Park Sung-Jin has cast a 7% Attack Power increase buff on you!] [Alert: Park Sung-Jin has cast a 7% Defense increase buff on you!] [Alert: Park Sung-Jin has cast a 7% Movement Speed increase buff on you!] [Alert: Park Sung-Jin has cast a 7% Attack Speed increase buff on you!] The main keyword of the Genesis Guild¡¯s special strategy was none other than ¡®buff¡¯. The archnemesis of Siegfried and the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild, Chae Hyung-Seok, possessed a very unique ss known as the ¡®Holy Saint¡¯. The Holy Saint was a ss that possessed the ability to connect Adventurers with Buffer-type sses to him to enhance their buffs. In short, he possessed a ss that allowed him to be the leader of Buffers. The Genesis Guild became the guild with the most Buffers among their ranks on the N¨¹rburg Continent thanks to Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s unique ability, and their numbers explosively increased since then. Their army of Buffers, coupled with their overwhelming numbers, instantly catapulted them to join the ranks of the top ten guilds on the continent. The strategy used by the Genesis Guild members attacking Siegfried was the same. Their main Buffer, Park Sung-Jin, along with nine other Buffers, cast buffs on the ny plus others to explosively increase their stats, and they were going to use their overwhelming numbers and buffed stats to gang up on Siegfried. However, the buffs that catapulted the Genesis Guild to one of the top ten guilds on the N¨¹rburg Continent were nothing in front of Siegfried. Why? Siegfried¡¯s ss¡ªDebuff Master¡ªspecialized in neutralizing buffs. In other words, he was the Genesis Guild¡¯s natural enemy. Siegfried¡¯s debuffs were powerful enough to not only neutralize the buffs cast by nobodies like Park Sung-Jin and his gang, but it could even drag their stats to the ground as well. ¡®Time to set up my debuff fields¡­¡¯?Siegfried casted Circle of Mortality, Speed Restraint, and Wave of Oppression at the same time. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ ¡®Did they cast the buffs or not?¡¯ ¡®Why do I feel weak all of a sudden?¡¯ ¡®Is it just me, or am I moving slower than usual¡­?¡¯ The Genesis Guild members who naively walked into Siegfried¡¯s debuff field were confused when they suddenly felt weaker than usual, but it was already toote for them to realize what was going on. ¡®Eat this!¡¯?Siegfried smashed his hammer into the ground. Baaam! The ground split open as jaw-dropping damage struck the Genesis Guild members, but that was not the end of it. Whoosh! The Genesis Guild members were thrown into the air. Craaashhh! They were suddenly mmed into the ground. sh! Lightning then shed from above as dozens of lightning bolts mercilessly struck the ground. [Alert: Your ally has been killed!] [Alert: Your ally has been killed!] [Alert: Your ally has been killed!] A flurry of messages popped up in front of the leader of the Metropolis Raid Party, Park Sung-Jin. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± he cried out in horror, and then he turned toward the other Buffers andshed out. ¡°B-Buffs! Why are they dying so quickly?! It looks like they didn¡¯t receive any buffs at all! Do your job properly, you bastards!¡± However, the Buffers felt wronged by hisshing out. It wasn¡¯t that they did not do their job properly, but rather, Siegfried¡¯s debuffs were so powerful that their buffs were basically rendered useless. ¡°But we buffed them¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that I cast my buffs on them!¡± ¡°My skills are even on cooldown right now!¡± The Buffers vehemently protested against Park Sung-Jin¡¯s usations against them. Sseuu¡­! Siegfried unleashed his radioactive energy to finish off the Genesis Guild members that did not die from Splitting Heaven and Earth. The poor guild members melted and died instantly. ¡°Is that bastard really Level 142? How is he so strong?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy! He¡¯s just Level 142?!¡± ¡°Do something! They¡¯re dying!¡± The Genesis Guild members were in chaos and confusion as more than forty of their guild members instantly died at the hands of a Level 142 weakling they were looking down on just a while ago. ¡®As expected. These small fries are not scary at all,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smile. This was the main reason that he was able to confidently pick a fight against the Genesis Guild this time. The Genesis Guild had a lot of weaknesses because of their sudden increase in numbers, and one of their main weaknesses because of that was the ¡®quality¡¯ of their members. This was a problem that they were bound to run into as they epted every Tom, Dick, and Harry to their guild. Of course, this was not a weakness known to the general public as even a dog or a cow could be a wolf or a minotaur as long as they had an army of Buffers. However, it was a whole different story if it was against the Debuff Master, Siegfried, who had the ability to turn a wolf or a minotaur into a dog or a cow with his debuffs alone. In short, he was an enemy that could tantly expose the ¡®quality¡¯ weakness of the Genesis Guild with his debuffs. ¡°Damn it!¡± Park Sung-Jin cried out. ¡°That bastard is a Debuffer! A Debuffer! Get away from those circles on the ground! The buffs will disappear if you stand on top of it!¡± The Genesis Guild members immediately tried to get away from the debuff circles at Park Sung-Jin¡¯smand. ¡®No way I¡¯m gonna let you.¡¯?Siegfried chased after the Genesis Guild members trying to get away from his debuff circles. *** Ten minutester, the Genesis Guild members who managed to escape from the debuff circlesunched all sorts of ranged attacks at him, and the ones who were strong enough toughened out the radioactive energy and attacked him up close and personal. ¡®This isn¡¯t as easy as I thought it would be¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. ¡°Die, you bastard!¡± ¡°Eat this!¡± ¡°Oh? You evaded it? Try avoiding this!¡± In fact, the remaining Genesis Guild members were able to attack Siegfried ferociously after the weaker members were gone because they could finally move about without bumping into each other. On top of that, the buffs that were distributed among the countless members were consolidated to the remaining few strong members, which ended Siegfried¡¯s one-sided ughter party. However, Siegfried¡¯s debuffs weren¡¯t the only tricks he had up his sleeves. ¡°How the hell is he so good at fighting? Is he really Level 142? What the hell is with that control? Is he a pro gamer? Tsk¡­¡± Park Sung-Jin clicked his tongue while watching Siegfried fight evenly against the guild members, even without the help of his debuff circles. Honestly, it was more appropriate to say that he was still overpowering the Genesis Guild members. Whiiiish¡­ Baaam! Siegfried¡¯s hammer ignored thews of physics and smashed into the heads of the Genesis Guild members attacking him far away. Shiiik! He drilled holes in the bodies of the Genesis Guild members close to him. Kam! In addition, he even had a shield that appeared out of nowhere from time to time to bash the guild members who managed to get too close to him. Siegfried was using three weapons almost simultaneously to kill the Genesis Guild members one by one as if the concept of weapon equipping cooldown did not exist for him. Siegfried¡¯s debuffs weren¡¯t that useful anymore, but he was disying awe-striking control that was on par with top Rankers. ¡®That bastard will be able to kill Rankers once he reaches Level 200! Where did this monstere from? Is he a Ranker from another game or something?!¡¯?Park Sung-Jin could not help but be in awe at Siegfried¡¯s abilities, despite thetter being an enemy. While Park Sung-Jin was in awe of his enemy, he was stupefied once more, ¡°W-What the hell?! Why is he getting stronger?! How the hell is he getting stronger again?!¡± Siegfried was already disying superb control and abilities, even without the help of his debuff circles, but he became explosively stronger and started massacring the remaining Genesis Guild members one by one. 1. There was a previous mention that Chae Hyung-Seok or Desire¡¯s ss is a mix of a Priest and a Knight Temr, but author-nim decided to call it Holy Saint from now on. Chapter 115

    Chapter 115

    Siegfried¡¯s sudden explosive increase inbat power was a mystery to Park Sung-Jin. ¡®What the hell? Does he possess a unique artifact or something? Or was he hiding his true strength all along? This doesn¡¯t make sense¡­!¡¯?Park Sung-Jin was baffled at the sudden turn of events. ¡°R-Raid Leader-nim! Something¡¯s not right! Look at that!¡± one of the Buffers shouted while pointing in the distance. ¡°Focus on the battle! Cast another buff if you have time to look around! Can¡¯t you see that we¡¯re losing right now?!¡± Park Sung-Jinshed out at the Buffer. ¡°T-That is¡­! I think you have to see it for yourself!¡± the Buffer urged. ¡°What is it?!¡± Park Sung-Jin snapped at the Buffer before he turned and was forced to mutter in disbelief, ¡°What the hell is that thing¡­?¡± It was so strange he was starting to doubt his own two eyes. *** Park Sung-Jin was not the only one taken aback by Siegfried¡¯s sudden power-up. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯?Siegfried could feel that he had suddenly gotten a lot more powerful while fighting against the Genesis Guild members, and he could tell very well that he wasn¡¯t mistaken. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± The Genesis Guild members were helplessly beaten one after another without even being able to do anything against him. It was as if they were just a bunch of training dummies Siegfried was casually beating up. ¡®Was I always this strong¡­? But I don¡¯t even have my debuff fields here¡­?¡¯?he wondered as even he himself could not figure out the reason behind his sudden explosive power up. He suddenly got worried and thought, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ this is a bug?!¡¯ However, a system messageid his worries to rest. [Alert: Your pet Hamchi has used his skill ¡®Give it your best! Go, Go, Go!¡® increasing all your stats by 15%!] Rumble¡­ Rumble¡­ Rumble¡­? Then, he heard the sound of something rolling toward him. ¡®What¡¯s that¡­?¡¯?he wondered and turned around to look at where the sound wasing from. When he saw Hamchi doing something strange, he couldn¡¯t help but ask in surprise, ¡°What the hell are you doing over there¡­?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡±?Hamchi replied while gasping for breath. ¡°No¡­ I mean¡­ I can see what you are doing, but why the hell are you doing that?¡± Siegfried asked in disbelief. Roll¡­! Roll¡­! Roll¡­!? Hamchi was out of breath because he was doing something absurd. He was currently busy running inside a ¡®hamster wheel¡¯. The hamster wheel that Hamchi was running on was colored in a mixture of pink, gold, and white, and it would exert a powerful golden-colored energy whenever it spun. Then, that golden energy would fly toward Siegfried and into his body. ¡®What is that hamster wheel¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. He used his Rune of Insight and checked the details of Hamchi¡¯s hamster wheel. [Wheel of Support ?] [A magical hamster wheel Hamchi summons after using his skill ¡®Give it your best! Go, Go, Go!¡¯.] [This magical hamster wheel is an ancient spiritual artifact crafted with the most advanced technology and the magic of the spirits.] [Hamchi may buff a target by running on and spinning this wheel.] [Effect: All stats +15%] [Note: The buff¡¯s effect increases the higher Hamchi¡¯s level. The buff is amplified the faster Hamchi spins the wheel.] The ¡®Wheel of Support ?¡® looked like a childish and cute item, but it was a very powerful artifact capable of giving a buff that would render most Buffers ashamed. ¡°Hey! Owner punk! Huff¡­! Huff¡­! Huff¡­!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving you a hand because you look like you¡¯re losing! Keke! Hurry up and get rid of them! I¡¯m getting tired! Huff¡­! Huff¡­!¡±?Hamchi pressed Siegfried while running on the hamster wheel. It seemed that running on the wheel was much more tiring than it looked. ¡°Wow~ So you can actually pay for your meal, eh?¡± Siegfried asked with a grin. ¡°Quit standing around and do something, you stupid owner punk! Huff! Huff! Huff!?Hurry up and get rid of them, will you?! Kyuuu!¡± ¡°Alright, hang in there for a bit longer,¡± Siegfried replied. He gripped his hammer tightly and started walking toward the Genesis Guild members. Roll¡­ Roll¡­ Roll¡­ The sound of the spinning hamster wheel echoed incessantly. *** Siegfried¡¯sbat power after receiving the buff could only be described as Lu Bu-like Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Bam! Bam! Bam!? The heads of the Genesis Guild members were smashed in whenever Siegfried swung his hammer, and his power was further amplified when his debuff skills went off cooldown. ¡°How the hell are we supposed to fight him?! Fuck!¡± one of the guild members shouted in frustration. The other guild members were frustrated as well. They found it difficult to fight Siegfried, who had numerous weapons. In addition, Siegfried would also unleash his fatal radioactive energy whenever they tried to get near him. They tried to fight him from a distance, but his hammer would ferociously fly from unpredictable angles like a missile and smash into their heads. On top of that, he used Splitting Heaven and Earth whenever it went off cooldown, which flipped the world upside down and dealt a lot of damage to them. The only saving grace from this entire one-sided massacre was probably the fact that they could easily escape Siegfried¡¯s debuff fields. Unfortunately, a strange childish hamster spinning a wheel nullified their efforts with a ridiculously powerful buff. ¡®How the hell are we supposed to fight him?¡¯ ¡®This is disgusting! It¡¯s cheating!¡¯ ¡®Fuck this shit!¡¯ The Genesis Guild members could only curse as they waited for their turn to be massacred by Siegfried after exhausting all options avable to them. ¡°Go at him together! Just lynch him! I will buff you to my limits!¡± Park Sung-Jinmanded the Genesis Guild members tounch a final all-out attack against Siegfried. The situation would only be more unfavorable to them if things dragged on, so he made the call to risk everything in ast stand. However, Park Sung-Jin¡¯s decision would be the most fatal decision he had ever made in this battle. Twelve. Among the Genesis Guild members, only twelve Adventurers had a ss specializing inbat, and they charged at Siegfried. Shwaaaa! The Buffers went all out, and just as they charged at Siegfried, flower petals suddenly rained down on them. The flower petals signified death, and the torrential downpour wouldn¡¯t spare anyone. *** The entire battlefield was drenched in blood. The one thousand sharp petals rained down on the battlefield and enveloped the Genesis Guild members, ripping them into pieces. Thud! Thud! Thud! The corpses of the Genesis Guild members that charged at Siegfried dropped lifelessly to the ground with hundreds of petals embedded in their bodies. ¡°¡­!¡± Park Sung-Jin and the Buffers froze at the sight. Defeat. A hundred-member-strong Genesis Guild raid party was defeated by a mere Level 142 Adventurer. Nobody could have imagined that they would get wiped out in this manner. ¡®This is crazy¡­ What the hell is that bastard? Who is he?!¡¯?Park Sung-Jin was dumbfounded and curious about Siegfried at the same time. After all, it was logically impossible for a Level 142 adventurer to do what the man in front of him had done. Of course, his thoughts weren¡¯t really important right now Step¡­ Step¡­ Step¡­? Siegfried walked toward Park Sung-Jin and the Genesis Guild members without saying a word, and he started the ¡®execution¡¯. Pukeok! ¡°Ack!¡±?A Buffer would scream whenever Siegfried swung his hammer. There was no mercy. Most Buffers were nonbatants, so they couldn¡¯t put up a fight as they were killed one by one. Puk! Puk! Puk! Finally, Park Sung-Jin emerged as the sole survivor of the one hundred Genesis Guild members. ¡°You¡­ Who the hell are you? Are you a Ranker from another game? Are you a pro gamer, perhaps? No¡ªbefore that, which guild are you affiliated with? I¡¯m certain that you are from one of the top ten guilds¡­¡± he asked nkly. ¡°Affiliated? The top ten guilds?¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°You did this to us because you have some powerful force backing you up, right?¡± Park Sung-Jin said with absolute certainty. ¡°Pfft¡­!¡±?Siegfried snickered and said, ¡°I hope you¡¯re not trying to say that only members of the top ten guilds can beat you guys.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?!¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡®I stood up against all of you even when I was weak and alone. What nonsense are you talking about?¡¯?Siegfried thought before shing a sinister smile. There was simply no reason for him to cling to a guild just to exact revenge against the Genesis Guild. After all, he had already be the Debuff Master. ¡°Why don¡¯t you be a man and tell the truth now? You seem to be trying to hide which guild you are affiliated with, but that¡¯s not going to work. You can run, but you can¡¯t hide from us! Your guild has basically dered war against ours because of what you did just now!¡± Park Sung-Jin eximed with a confident smile. ¡°Sure. Keep writing your novel,¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I got goosebumps just now, you know? I mean, you people actually believe that you guys are something when you¡¯re just third-rate trash who relies on buffs and your numbers. Wow¡­ that¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°You bastard! How dare you speak ill of our great Genesis Guild¡ª¡± Park Sung-Jinshed out, but he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Pukeok! Park Sung-Jin¡¯s head exploded like a watermelon after Siegfried swung his hammer into the former¡¯s head. Park Sung-Jin¡¯s headless corpse fell to the ground with a thud. Roll¡­ The death penalty kicked into action as one of Park Sung Jin¡¯s items dropped to the floor. ¡°Ah, he was actually piss poor...¡± Siegfried grumbled in disappointment when he saw the item Park Sung-Jin had dropped as a result of the death penalty. *** Right after Park Sung-Jin died, Hamchi immediately stopped what he was doing and ran toward Siegfried. He then hopped onto Siegfried¡¯s shoulder and eximed, ¡°Hey! Owner punk! Great job! Huff! Huff!?I almost died! That was fucking exhausting! Kyu!¡±? ¡°You did a great job, too,¡± Siegfried said and patted the hamster¡¯s head. ¡°Stop it,¡± Hamchi tried to push Siegfried¡¯s hand away. With a re, he said, ¡°Move your hand away.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°A man touching me feels disgusting. It¡¯s fucking gross.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you want to touch me, you will have to castrate yourself first¡ªKyu!¡± It seemed that Hamchi knew his preferences. ¡°Fine. You stingy brat,¡± Siegfried grumbled in response. ¡°If you want to praise me, then just feed me something delicious,¡± said Hamchi. ¡°Something delicious? Hey¡­ don¡¯t tell me you want mana stones again?¡± ¡°I only need mana stones when my energy is running low. They¡¯re tough and tasteless.¡± ¡°Phew¡­?Anyway, let¡¯s wrap things up here first before anything else.¡± ¡°Alright! Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi diligently roamed and looted the items on the floor. [Alert: You have obtained a ¡®Mechanical Heart¡¯!] Siegfried prioritized the Mechanical Heart. ¡®Just wait a bit more¡­ I¡¯ll be right there,¡¯?he thought of Carell. He smiled when he realized that he would truly be able to save Carell. Ding! Another message suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried. [Alert: You have found one of the materials required toplete ¡®Herbert¡¯s Final Masterpiece¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Omnipotent Mechanical Gear¡¯ from the Mecha Lord¡¯s remains!] It was a message rted to the quest that Siegfried hadpletely forgotten. 1. Lu Bu is a famous general from the Three Kingdoms era of ancient China. He is famed for being a one-man army that swept through hordes of enemies alone. More info here: Chapter 116

    Chapter 116

    The legendary cksmith Herbert. He dedicated his entire life to his sole goal of creating the most powerful weapon of mass destruction, and he almost managed to create a ¡®Universal Tier¡¯ weapon before the embers of his life ran out. Unfortunately, Herbert only managed to create the blueprint of the Universal Tier weapon of mass destruction before dying, and his legend was passed down from Shakiro to Siegfried. Herbert¡¯s ghost pleaded to Siegfried over and over again. ¡®I should have started this when I was much younger¡­ Anyway, I hope that you will be able toplete my life¡¯s masterpiece.¡¯ Hundreds of years had already passed since his body had dposed and be one with the ground, but his spirit was still here with the sole purpose of witnessing thepletion of the weapon of mass destruction he had always been dreaming about. The ¡®Omnipotent Mechanical Gear,¡¯ which was one of the seven iparably rare materials necessary to craft Herbert¡¯s weapon of mass destruction, was right in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. To be more urate, it was buried underneath the old scrap metals left behind by the Mecha Lord¡­ ¡®Who could have known that I would find it here by pure coincidence?¡¯?Siegfried thought as he picked up theplex-looking contraption from the ground. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Omnipotent Mechanical Gear¡¯!] Then, a message popped up in front of his eyes. [Herbert¡¯s Blueprint] [A blueprint of the most powerful weapon of mass destruction. A Grand Master cksmith will easily understand it, and they will be able toplete Herbert¡¯s final masterpiece as long as they have the following ingredients.] [Type: Recipe (Universal Weapon)] [Materials:] [Rod of God ¡Á 1 ?] [Omnipotent Mechanical Gear ¡Á 1 ?] [Horn of Chromatic Dragon ¡Á 1] [Soul of the Vampire Lord ¡Á 1] [Eye of the Storm ¡Á 1] [Universal Grade Mana Stone ¡Á 1] [Heart of the Demon Lord ¡Á 1] Siegfried somehow managed to obtain two of the required materials toplete the Universal Tier weapon. All of a sudden, he couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Wasn¡¯t the Vampire Lord my neighbor¡­?¡¯ He remembered hearing that the Vampire Lord resided within the Proatine Territory. He could obtain the ¡®Soul of the Vampire Lord¡¯ if he managed to kill the Vampire Lord. If that happened, then he would only need four materials to craft the Universal Tier weapon. ¡®C¡¯mon, how am I going to find the rest even if?I did somehow?manage to y the Vampire Lord?¡¯?Siegfried thought. The main problem was the fact that it would be nearly impossible for him to obtain the four remaining materials. Not to mention, he had no idea how he was going to contain the Vampire Lord¡¯s soul, even if he somehow managed to y the powerful monster. ¡®Let¡¯s just forget about it. I have no reason to work so hard to fulfill some dead guy¡¯s wish,¡¯?he inwardly grumbled as he decided to erase all thoughts of the weapon of mass destruction from his mind. *** Siegfried continued to loot the rest of the items after first picking up the Mechanical Heart and the Omnipotent Mechanical Gear from the remains of the Mecha Lord. There was a lot of loot lying on the ground. The D-Grade Mana Stones used for the resurrection ritual of the Mecha Lord were there, the items dropped by the Genesis Guild members after dying, and the B-Grade Mana Stones that had been powering the Mecha Knights guarding the Mecha Lord. ¡®I don¡¯t think I can bring all of these back with me. My Inventory is already full¡­¡¯? Siegfried got it right. [Alert: Your Inventory is full!] [Alert: You will not be able to pick up any more items! [Alert: It is advised that you look for a high-ranked magician to increase your Inventory Capacity!] He had always been afraid of running out of Inventory Capacity when it mattered the most, and the dreaded problem finally happened to him. ¡°Ah, there are still so many items¡­¡± Siegfriedmented before wondering out loud. ¡°Should I go to a nearby bank and deposit everything? How do I do that ande back here afterward?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that! Kyu!¡±? ¡°No need?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hamchi has a bag!¡± Hamchi eximed. He swung his front legs, and a pouch appeared out of nowhere. [Infinity Pouch] [A magical pouch summoned by Hamchi¡¯s Go Fetch! skill.] [The Infinity Pouch is a magical artifact that opens the gateway to the void, and it is able to store an infinite number of items.] [Hamchi may wear this pouch on his back and go around picking up items.] Hamchi looked up at Siegfried with the Infinite Pouch on his back. ¡°Hey! Owner punk!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just say the word, and this Hamchi shall pick everything up for you! Kyu!¡± ¡°You will pick up everything?¡± ¡°Yes, I already told you so, punk! Just say, ¡®Hamchi, Go Fetch!¡¯ and I will pick up everything for you!¡± ¡°Erm¡­ Go Fetch?¡± With that, Hamchi used his ¡®Go Fetch!¡¯ skill and ran at breakneck speeds to pick up all the items on the ground. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Boots of Requiem¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®B Grade Mana Stone¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Bracer of Strong Man¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®B Grade Mana Stone¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Earrings of Tracking¡¯!] ¡­ A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes whenever Hamchi picked up an item and stored it in his Infinity Pouch. ¡°Wow, this is awesome,¡± Siegfried gasped upon witnessing the might of Hamchi¡¯s skill, and then he immediately grumbled, ¡°I won¡¯t have to work twice with this, right? Ah¡­ it¡¯s a shame I didn¡¯t meet this guy earlier¡­¡± He suddenly remembered all of the items he had to turn his back on at the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament, which he could have picked up if Hamchi were there with him. ¡°Hey! Owner punk! I¡¯m done picking up everything! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi ran back to Siegfried. ¡°Good job, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Heh! This is nothing to me!¡± ¡°I will buy you a lot of nuts once we get back to the city.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare forget what you said!¡± ¡°I won''t, so let''s go.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°To Mount Kunlun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fucking far¡­ I think we will die of old age walking all the way there¡­¡± ¡°Who said anything about walking? We will be using the gateways and airships. Anyway, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi eximed before hopping onto Siegfried¡¯s shoulder. *** Just as Siegfried left Metropolis and was on the way back to Mount Kunlun... Gosran was finally resurrected after forty-nine hours, and she was standing in front of Deus once again. Flinch! Gosran froze on the spot as soon as she saw Deus, and a string of messages popped up in front of her eyes. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been ¡®overwhelmed¡¯!] [Alert: Yourpatibility with the ¡®Ogre¡¯ has significantly dropped!] [Alert: You are no longer able to control your character properly due to the drop inpatibility!] How strong was this NPC? In addition to instantly killing a Level 189 character with a gaze, he also overwhelmed her with his presence alone. ¡°What are you standing around for? You should greet your elders the moment you see them! Tsk¡­ Tsk¡­!?Kids these days have such bad manners!¡± Deus grumbled while clicking his tongue. ¡°Ah¡­ Hello¡­¡± Gosran immediately greeted him with a bow. ¡°I greet the master!¡± ¡°Ha! What use is it if you had to be forced to do it!¡± ¡°I apologize if I offended you, elder-nim. I was just too surprised that I did not know what to do,¡± Gosran said before apologetically bowing once again. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think you¡¯ll be pretty good as long as you get educated.¡± ¡°Not at all, elder-nim.¡± ¡°Alright, what happenedst time was regretful. I seemed to have failed the power in my eyes at the time. It seems that even this esteemed self still needs to train more. Hohoho!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To think that I would fail to control my gaze at this age¡­¡± That was what he said, but his next words surprised Gosran. ¡°¡­I killed you on purpose, to be honest.¡± ¡°Pardon me? What do you mean by that, elder-nim?¡± ¡°You would have tagged along with my disciple if you were alive, right? I did not wish for that to happen.¡± ¡°Did I do anything wrong, elder-nim¡­?¡± ¡°Are you questioning me?!¡± Deus¡¯ voice was a bit louder this time. ¡°Heok¡­!¡±?Gosran gasped. Her face immediately turned pale. [Gosran] [HP: ??????????] Deus¡¯ slightly louder voice carried his mana, and it instantly deleted seventy percent of Gosran¡¯s HP. ¡°I will be the one asking the questions. You just have to answer me,¡± Deusmanded. ¡°Why are you loitering around my disciple? Ah, don¡¯t even think about lying to me. I will be able to tell if you are lying or not.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I will ask again. Why are you loitering around my disciple?¡± Deus asked again. Gosran bit her lips before she replied, ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± *** Exactly two days and a half since Siegfried left Metropolis, Siegfried finally returned to Mount Kunlun. He ran toward his master and kowtowed. ¡°Master! I have returned!¡± ¡°Wee back, my disciple.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± ¡°I see that you seem to have obtained the Mechanical Heart. Oho¡­?You obtained the Omnipotent Mechanical Gear as well?¡± ¡°You can see my Inventory, Master?¡± ¡°This great me can see everything, my disciple.¡± ¡°As expected of my master!¡± ¡°But what is that squirrel with you?¡± asked Deus while pointing at Hamchi, who was eating sunflower seeds on top of Siegfried¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hmm¡­ That looks like the Great Spirit of the Forest. Did you tame him?¡± ¡°It turned out that way, Master.¡± ¡°He¡¯s pretty difficult to tame, but it seems that you managed to tame him after saving his life.¡± Deus disyed his omniscience once again as he urately pinpointed what had happened. ¡°Hey, squirrel.¡± ¡°Yes, Transcendent.¡± Surprisingly, Hamchi replied so courteously to Deus that Siegfried felt goosebumps breaking out all over his body. The foul-mouthed hamster was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Look after my disciple to the best of your abilities. Do you understand? I will see to it that your karma will be reduced, and you will be able to return to the Spirit World if you do.¡± ¡°I shall do as you havemanded.¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®Just what the hell is this guy? Why is he acting so different all of a sudden?¡¯ Hamchi¡¯s attitude toward Deus was a stark contrast to how he had been acting toward Siegfried. ¡°Hey, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Why are you acting like that all of a sudden? Was there something in the sunflower seeds?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Come here¡­¡± Hamchi motioned for Siegfried to bring his ears closer, and then he whispered, ¡°You know I value my life, right? That¡¯s why I have to watch my words.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I could instantly lose my life with a single mistake. You should know that too, Kyu!¡± It seems that the Great Spirit of the Forest instinctively knew how great of a being Deus was and decided to act ordingly¡ªfor the sake of survival. *** A storm was brewing at the headquarters of the Genesis Guild just as Siegfried returned to Mount Kunlun. ¡°Our raid party was annihted by a mere Level 142 yer¡­ Are you asking me to believe that nonsense?¡± asked the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild, Chae Hyung-Seok, with a sarcastic look. His reaction was understandable. After all, it was impossible for a mere Level 142 yer to defeat a one-hundred-man-strong raid party. ¡°¡­¡± None of the guild executives could speak. They understood that Chae Hyung-Seok was not joking right now despite his sarcastic expression. They knew from experience that they would have to shoulder all of the me if they were to speak rashly amidst all this. However, Chae Hyung-Seok wasn¡¯t really the type to becent and arrogant in front of a new threat. ¡®Debuff¡­ That¡¯s a rare ability, but we have to be the wariest when ites to people like that¡­ Hmm¡­ something is off about this¡­ Am I overreacting if say that it feels like we are being targeted right now? Don¡¯t tell me that one of the top ten guilds raised a hitman to keep us in check, and they were just testing their secret weapon out?¡¯? Manyplicated thoughts ran through Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s mind. Why? It was because he was well aware that the Genesis Guild lived by their buffs and died by their buffs, and a powerful Debuffer was no different from their natural enemy. ¡°Look into it. Investigate the fool who dared to stand up against us, and find out who he is affiliated with. Ask the guild members who participated in the raid that day for screenshots or screen records, and make aposite sketch of that guy and spread it around¡­¡± ¡°Find him. Find him at all costs. Do you understand me?¡± said Chae Hyung-Seok. The Genesis Guild executives simultaneously shouted in response. ¡°Yes, Guild Master-nim!¡± Chapter 117

    Chapter 117

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and y with Blockhead while this great me is fixing that kid you brought?¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master¡­ but who is Blockhead?¡± Siegfried asked with a confused look. ¡°Who else if it¡¯s not that fool who dared to salivate all over this great me¡¯s disciple without knowing his ce?¡± Deus replied with a smirk. He then scoffed and added, ¡°I disciplined him a bit so he won¡¯t be able to spout nonsense like that ever again.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I understand, Master¡­¡± Betelgeuse, a Master swordsman as well as one of the Five Star Heaven was being called ¡®Blockhead¡¯ in a tiny hut on a remote ce up a massive mountain. ¡°Blockhead went to get some firewood, so he should be back by now.¡± . ¡°I understand, Master.¡± ¡°And¡­ Hey, you quack!¡± Deus called over the medic who came along with Siegfried. ¡°Ah! Yes, Elder-nim!¡± Captain Aaron shouted in response. It seemed that he had also been disciplined by Deus while Siegfried was away, as he had a huge ck eye. Siegfried could also tell that he probably did something to earn the ire of his master. ¡°I will need your help. Bring your surgical equipment ande in. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Captain Aaron shouted in response at the top of his lungs. It was pretty rare for a medic to shout. ¡°But, Master. Where is the Adventurer who came with me?¡± ¡°She left.¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°She said that something urgent came up, so she had to leave, and she said she will contact youter.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Why? Are you regretting something?¡± ¡°I just hope that I could have at least said goodbye to her¡­¡± ¡°If you have time to fool around with women, you should train harder!¡± ¡°Ah!?No, Master. It is not what you think it is!¡± ¡°Silence! I will be fixing that kid you brought, so go out and y with Blockhead. Let¡¯s go, you quack!¡± Deus turned around and left with Captain Aaron before even hearing Siegfried out. ¡®Does Master?dislike the fact that I¡¯m acquainted with Gosran-nim?¡¯?Siegfried had to wonder. *** Ten minutes since Deus and Aaron went inside the hut to operate on Carell. ¡°Huh?! Elder-nim!¡± Siegfried bowed and greeted after seeing Betelgeuse walking toward the hut with luggage on his back. However, Betelgeuse rushed over and stopped Siegfried from bowing toward him. ¡°Aigoo! Young master! Why would you lower your head to your servant? You should not do that!¡± ¡°Huh? Servant?¡± ¡°T-That is¡­¡± Betelgeuse hesitated for a moment before tears started welling up in his eyes as he exined, ¡°I became the elder¡¯s manservant, you see¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, Young Master should start calling me ¡®Blockhead¡¯ from now on, too¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± There was a saying about how one should be careful even of leaves in theter days of their life, and that was the perfect saying to describe Betelgeuse¡¯s current situation. He picked a fight with the wrong person and was forcefully demoted to a manservant, despite his old age. ¡°But how can I call Elder-nim ¡®Blockhead¡¯ when you¡¯re a hundred and thirty years old?¡± ¡°You must call me that!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Please save me! Do you really think your humble servant wants to be in this state at my age?¡± ¡°B-But, still¡ª¡± ¡°I beg you, Young Master!¡± In the end, Siegfried had to reluctantly agree after a long struggle with Betelgeuse. However, rather than calling the moniker ¡®Blockhead,¡¯ they decided on Siegfried calling Betelgeuse¡­ ¡°Young Master?¡± ¡°Yes, Elder Blockhead-nim?¡± ¡°The master has told me that I am allowed to teach the young master just one of my techniques. What do you think, Young Master? Do you want to learn?¡± ¡°Huh? Your technique?¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡± ¡°I will definitely learn it if Master has allowed it!¡± ¡°Oh! Then your humble servant shall immediately teach you my secret technique!¡± Siegfried was fortunate enough that Deus had allowed Sword Emperor Betelgeuse to teach him one of his secret techniques. ¡°The secret technique your humble servant will be teaching you is Quick Draw.¡± Quick Draw. It was a skill that allowed one to quickly unsheathe their sword to attack. ¡°The name of the skill is Quick Draw, and it is pretty straightforward. You just have to draw your sword as fast as you can and sh your opponent.?Ah,?of course, you could draw your sword much faster if you have that magical belt called Megingjord that a guy with the name Shakiro carries around¡ª¡± ¡°Are you talking about this?¡± ¡°H-How is that in your possession, Young Master?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Siegfried recounted his story of how he met Shakiro and what happened to thetter. ¡°Hoho¡­ Who could have known that he would meet such an end? He was probably the best with the sword on the entire continent aside from me¡­¡± Betelgeusemented when he heard the news of Shakiro¡¯s passing. ¡°Still, I am certain that he died without any regrets since he was able to pass down his secret techniques to you, Young Master.¡± ¡°I truly hope that he is resting in peace.¡± ¡°Anyway, shall your humble servant start teaching you my secret technique?¡± Betelgeuse drew his sword and started exining the mechanics behind his greatest secret technique, ¡®Quick Draw¡¯. *** The same evening, Siegfried met with Deus after learning Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s secret technique. ¡°He¡¯s all fixed.¡± ¡°I knew you could do it, Master!¡± ¡°But it will take at least two weeks for him to wake up, and he will need at least three months of rest for his body to fully recover.¡± ¡°That is more than enough! Thank you very much, Master! I would like to show my gratitude. Please receive my bow, Master,¡± Siegfried said before kowtowing toward Deus once again. ¡°Keke! This is nothing! I can do much more as long as my one and only disciple asks me to do it! Kekeke! Anyway, did you have fun ying with Blockhead?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°That guy is weak, but that skill of his is particrly useful.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind consideration, Master.¡± ¡°What consideration are you talking about? I allowed it because I knew it was going to be useful for you. Now, shall we hear the tales of my one and only disciple?¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Siegfried recounted the things that happened after he descended Mount Kunlun in detail to Deus while pouring drinks for thetter. ¡°You became a king? Hoho! What is happening to this world?!¡± ¡°Cheon Woo-Jin? You can think of him as ast resort weapon prepared by an ancient secret organization, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should feel inferior to him or anything.¡± ¡°Torrential Flower Rain¡­ That is an ancient skill, and it is far superior to the Quick Draw skill that Blockhead is using, so you better practice it diligently.¡± ¡°Good! So you beat up the subordinates of the guy who was bullying you before?¡± Deus listened and enjoyed Siegfried¡¯s stories all night long. Siegfried enjoyed seeing Deus¡¯ reaction, which made him even more enthusiastic. The master and disciple strengthened their bond while chatting away into the night. *** Siegfried spent a week receiving Deus¡¯ teachings before he descended Mount Kunlun. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to be spontaneous on your own path, do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± He really wanted to stay here even longer, but he had his own journey to resume, so he had to cut his stay short. ¡°That kid will wake up soon, and for Blockhead¡­ I will let him descend the mountain after he reaches the level of a Grandmaster, so don¡¯t worry about them. Ah, by the way. Don¡¯t forget to send me some news about you once in a while. I can¡¯t help but be curious about what you are doing when you don¡¯t update me on what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Haha! I will certainly send you greetings from time to time from now on.¡± ¡°Anyway, where are you going?¡± ¡°I n to return to my territory.¡± ¡°Good, I shall send you there, then,¡± Deus said. He then extended his hand toward Siegfried. *** ¡°Wee back, Your Majesty.¡± The first one to greet Siegfried as soon as he returned to his kingdom was none other than the captain of the royal knights as well as the first knight under Siegfried¡¯smand, Oscar. ¡°Ah,?Dame Oscar.¡± ¡°How was your journey, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°It was pretty good. How about you? How have you been?¡± Siegfried chatted with Oscar on the way to the throne room. ¡°There has been nothing special in particr. Although Sir Michele has been hard at work¡­¡± Oscar said. ¡°It sounds like he is paying his dues, at least,¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Please summon all of the officials to gather in two hours'' time. I will be holding a meeting with them,¡± Siegfried gave his firstmand after returning home. However, the first meeting he hosted did not go as smoothly as he wanted it to be¡­ ¡°That is why our kingdom has to invest in battleships and airships as well. We have to increase not only the number of our infantry, but we have to invest in their quality as well so that¡ªYour Majesty? Your Majesty?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Have you fallen asleep, Your Majesty?¡± Michele called out a few times, but Siegfried sat motionless on the throne made from a dragon skull with his head drooping. ¡°Kyu¡­?Sunflower seeds¡­ I want¡­ to eat¡­ Kyuu¡­¡± Hamchi was talking in his sleep while sprawled out near Siegfried¡¯s feet. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Oscar shouted. ¡°What?! What happened?!¡± Siegfried jumped up in surprise. ¡°You are currently having an audience with your subjects! How could you fall asleep? I urge you to take your rest in your bed chambers!¡± ¡°Oh,?right¡­¡± ¡°Please be mindful of your royal appearance.¡± ¡°I-I will keep that in mind,¡± said Siegfried, but he slowly started dozing off once again as his subjects presented their reports, and he could himself slowly feel himself sink into a swamp of sleepiness. ¡®Ugh¡­ my eyelids are getting heavy¡­ I don¡¯t think I can stay awake any longer¡­ I hope someone throws me a quest or something¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he desperately tried to stay awake. He fought as hard as he could to stay awake, and finally, his savior. ¡°Your Majesty! An Adventurer by the name of Cheon Woo-Jin requests an audience with you,¡± announced the royal attendant. ¡°Really?!¡± Siegfried jumped up from his throne, and then he immediatelymanded, ¡°Let him in at once! Oh, right! Unfortunately, I will have to conclude our meeting today due to unforeseen circumstances. As for the unsubmitted reports¡­¡± Siegfried scanned the officials before his eyesnded on his most able subjects, ¡°Discuss them with Sir Michele and Dame Oscar.¡± Michele and Oscar both looked like they were saying ¡®sigh¡­ there¡¯s nothing we can do about him¡¯ and ¡®can you please focus on your task, Your Majesty¡­?¡¯ respectively. *** ¡°Wee! It¡¯s really, really, really good to see you!¡± Siegfried warmly weed Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°What the hell? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin grimaced. ¡°Well, something happened.¡± ¡°You look like a high school kid who just got freed from ss¡­¡± ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very obvious.¡± ¡°This king thing doesn¡¯t really suit me, I guess?¡± ¡°You were probably at the bottom in your ss during your school days, right?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± ¡°Anyway, why are you here? Do you have a quest for me?¡± Siegfried immediately changed the topic to save himself from further embarrassment while thinking, ¡®Why is he poking my sore spot¡­ Damn it.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t particrly proud of his academic achievements. ¡°Yeah, I want to give you a quest, but can you please answer your phone? Do you know how many times I called you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really check my phone.¡± ¡°Does that mean you have no friends?¡± ¡°Are you picking a fight with me?¡± They bickered back and forth. Siegfried and Cheon Woo-Jin acted exactly how boys the same age would as they dissed and cussed each other back and forth like school kids. ¡°So what kind of quest are you going to give me this time that you brought your precious self all the way to my humble abode, Mr. Got-Rich-Overnight?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to leave if you keep that up.¡± ¡°Do as you please.¡± Siegfried had no qualms about letting Cheon Woo-Jin go as he had already used thetter to escape the endless meeting. ¡°You act all high and mighty when you actually don¡¯t have anyone else. Don¡¯t try your luck when you¡¯re the one who needs my help.¡± ¡°Oh,?how did you know?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked, seemingly taken aback. ¡°You said you have a lot of high-level Rankers around you, right? Of all people, you came to me, so I can easily deduce that they¡¯re busy right now,¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°What is it? Go on, tell me.¡± ¡°Well, there is a port city in the north called Masavara, and they are having problems these days as their waters are getting infested with pirates. Can you go and sort it out for me?¡± asked Cheon Woo-Jin. A system message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes as soon as Cheon Woo-Jin was done speaking. [Alert: Quest Maker Cheon Woo-Jin has granted you the Quest: ¡®Rowdy Northern Shores¡¯!] [Rowdy Northern Shores] [Type: Special Quest] [Description: Subjugate the pirates infesting the waters of the northern port city ¡®Masavara¡¯ and bring peace and order to the region.] [Progress: 0%] [Rewards: Autonika Workshop Random Box ¡Á 10] The quest did not seem to be that difficult. Cheon Woo-Jin asked Siegfried, ¡°So? Are you going to do it or not?¡± Siegfried replied, ¡°Nope.¡± Chapter 118

    Chapter 118

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to do it?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked, seemingly taken aback. ¡°Nope. You can go and do that quest yourself,¡± Siegfried replied nonchntly. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the reward.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What the hell is a random box? Are you making fun of me? Do you really think I¡¯m dumb enough that you can undercut me like that?¡± Siegfried grumbled. The Autonika Workshop Random Box was exactly as the item name stated¡ªa random box. An artifact manufactured by the Autonika Workshop would appear once the user opened the box. As obvious as it sounded, the chances of good itemsing out from random boxes were extremely small because they were RNG-based. ¡°What¡¯s the problem with random boxes? The quest is not that difficult, so ten random boxes from the Autonika Workshop is pretty reasonable, don¡¯t you think? You can earn at least thirty thousand gold if you just sell it in the market,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin retorted. The random boxes from the Autonika Workshop were more of an entertainment, but the Autonika Workshop was still one of the top three workshops on the continent, so each random box would fetch at least three thousand gold in the market. ¡°And you can earn at least fifteen thousand gold if you use the boxes yourself and sell the artifacts, and that is the minimum, provided that the artifacts you get are all trash,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin added. ¡°It¡¯s still a no for me.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, why are you so adamant in refusing this quest?¡± ¡°I know I look like this, but I¡¯m expensive, you know? How dare you try and make me work for a measly thirty thousand gold.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You can either fork up more or find someone else to do it.¡± ¡®Come on¡­ You should fork out a bit more¡­ You¡¯re rich, so why are you so stingy?¡¯ To be honest, the rewards weren¡¯t that bad. They were actually pretty good. Siegfried just wanted to try his luck and get more out of Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°C¡¯mon, are you going to do this to your friend? Cut me some ck, will you?¡± ¡°I thought money was the only thing you have?¡± Siegfried retorted before saying, ¡°And who¡¯s your friend? I have no friends. I thought I heard someone say I had no friends??Oh, was it you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Fifteen boxes. Otherwise, good luck,¡± Siegfried gave an ultimatum. ¡°Sigh¡­?Alright, I¡¯ll give you fifteen boxes, is that okay?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin sighed in resignation. He increased the rewards from ten random boxes to fifteen random boxes. The back-and-forth bickering ended up in Siegfried¡¯s victory. [Alert: Quest Maker Cheon Woo-Jin has adjusted the quest rewards for the Quest: ¡®Rowdy Northern Shores¡¯ to fifteen ¡®Autonika Workshop Random Boxes¡¯!] [Alert: Do you wish to ept the Quest?] [Yes!] Siegfried immediately epted the quest. Smirk! He shed a triumphant smile after sessfully haggling with Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Tsk¡­!?You¡¯re too much. Just wait and see what happenster,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled. ¡°Aigoo~ You¡¯re making me shake in my boots~¡± Siegfried replied sarcastically. ¡°Oh, right, I won¡¯t take any responsibility for the rewards if it bes a chain quest.¡± ¡°A chain quest?¡± ¡°Who knows, right? A quest can be quite spontaneous. We agreed on fifteen random boxes, so just deal with it if anything elsees up.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Siegfried agreed to Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s terms without giving it much thought. He knew that he would be pushing the envelope if he demanded more rewards for possible additional quests. ¡°Then, I will be off now,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin bid goodbye and left the throne room. Smirk! Siegfried couldn¡¯t see it, but there was a wide smile on Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s lips when he turned around and started walking away. *** Two hourster, Siegfried finally arrived at the northern port city, Masava, together with Hamchi, Seung-Gu, and Oscar. Masava was a city-state that wasn¡¯t affiliated with any kingdom. Their main industries were fishing and maritime transportation, so it was a trading port city with traffic consisting of thousands of ships. However, the Masava Siegfried saw wasn¡¯t what he had been imagining on the way here. There were only ten battleships out in the sea, and the other boats¡ªsuch as fishing boats and transport ships¡ªwere anchored at the harbor. It looked as if all of them had gone on strike together or agreed to go on a vacation together or something. ''It does look like something bad is happening here,¡¯ Siegfried muttered to himself. Siegfried looked at his party members and said, ¡°First of all, let¡¯s go check in at the Intervention Hotel and then head toward the Mercenary Guild.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim,¡± Seung-Gu nodded. ¡°Your Majesty, I have somewhere I wish to drop by. May I go sort it out?¡± Oscar asked. ¡°You have something to sort out? Sure.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. Then, I will see youter.¡± Oscar bowed before disappearing into an alley. ¡°Where is Dame Oscar going, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± ¡°I thought you knew everything, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m a irvoyant? Let¡¯s just go and check in at the Intervention Hotel first. I have a feeling that we will be staying here for a few days,¡± Siegfried said as he headed toward the hotel. *** ¡°Hmm¡­ Siegfried¡­¡± The receptionist at the Mercenary Guild was looking at the license Siegfried had submitted. ¡°Silver III?¡± asked the receptionist. ¡°Well, yes¡­¡± Siegfried replied awkwardly. ¡°The other one is Silver I?¡± said the receptionist while looking at Seung-Gu. Seung-Gu¡¯s rank as a mercenary was higher than Siegfried, but that was only because Siegfried preferred to do personal quests rather than take quests from the Mercenary Guild. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that both of you are just silvers, but we need all the help we can get because we are in a state of war. Alright, I wish you the best and hope you will do your best for this city,¡± said the receptionist with a shrug. Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried and Seung-Gu¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have received the Quest: ¡®Subjugate Pirates¡¯ from the Mercenary Guild!] The quest was pretty straightforward. [Subjugate Pirates] [Type: Repeatable Quest] [Description: Subjugate the pirates attacking the harbor.] [Progress: 0% (0/10)] [Reward: 100 gold] Siegfried and Seung-Gu immediately got into action after epting the quest. ¡°Where are the pirates?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°They will ambush you if you loiter near the harbor,¡± replied the receptionist. ¡°Thank you.¡± Siegfried and Seung-Gu left the Mercenary Guild and headed toward the harbor where the ships were moored. ¡°What are you doing, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu asked while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°What else? I¡¯m wearing my mask,¡± Siegfried replied while putting on his Metamorphosis Mask. ¡°Why are you wearing a mask and covering your handsome face?¡± ¡°I told you. I have a lot of enemies, and I don¡¯t think I can be considered handsome, though?¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, how could you be not handsome? If you aren¡¯t handsome, what am I? A squid?¡± ¡°I think you kind of look like one¡­¡± ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­!¡± ¡°All right, shut up. Let¡¯s get moving.¡± After leaving the Mercenary Guild, they walked around for fifteen minutes when the sound of cannon fires reverberated. Booom! Booom! ¡°It¡¯s the pirates! The pirates are here!¡± ¡°Those bastards areing!¡± ¡°Ambush! It¡¯s an ambush!¡± The soldiers and the Adventurers at the harbor busily moved about as they prepared to defend against the invading pirates. ¡°Geez¡­ We just got here, but we have to fight already?¡± Seung-Gu grumbled. Of course, he still summoned his golems. ¡°It¡¯s actually a good thing.¡± Siegfried smiled while holding his hammer. *** The pirates'' attack could only be described as ferocious. The speedboats they were using, which were called ¡®Aqua Runners¡¯ easily avoided the cannonballs the Masavara Marines were shooting, and they effortlesslynded at the beach. Then, all hell broke loose as the battle descended into meleebat. The problem was that the pirates weren¡¯t a ragtag bunch of people. They were north inders renowned for theirbat prowess. [Nordic Marines] [They are known as the rulers of the sea, and they possess the renownedbat prowess of the Nordic tribes.] [Type: NPC] [Level: 110] [Rank: Private] [ss: Battle Warrior] The Nordic Marines wore horned helmets, and they wielded axes, greatswords, hammers, and other menacing weapons. They quickly overpowered the Masavara Forces and the Adventurers. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°These crazy bastards are tough! Watch out!¡± ¡°They¡¯re too strong!¡± ¡°T-There are too many of them!¡± The Masava Forces and the Adventurers couldn¡¯t withstand the onught of the Nordic Marines, and they were now being pushed back. The oue wasn¡¯t surprising at all. After all, the Nordic tribes were well known for their tenacity, and every single one of these warriors easily surpassed Level 100. ¡°Bwahaha!?Look at these weaklings from the continent! Die! I¡ªWarking¡ªhase!¡± The appearance of the two-meter-tall Nordic General, Warking, struck fear into the hearts of the Masavara Forces and Adventurers. Their morale decreased, and the tides of war swung even further in their enemies¡¯ favor. [Warking] [General of the Nordic Marines] [A skilled and powerfulmander.] [Level: 190] [Type: NPC] [Rank: Brigadier General] [ss: Warhammer/War Buffer] Warking was a Level 190 NPC, and he was wielding an enormous hammer with no trouble at all. As such, it was an understatement to say that he ¡®crushed¡¯ his opponents with his hammer. Moreover, the Nordic Marines would gain a buff called ¡®Bloodlust¡¯ whenever Warking let out a shout, which further pushed the Masavara Forces back. ¡°That looks good,¡± said Siegfried the moment he spotted Warking. Actually, he was staring at Warking¡¯srge hammer. [Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot] [A hammer infused with the breath of a frost dragon.] [A magic hammer infused with powerful cold energy. It was crafted from the bones of a White Dragon.] [Type: Blunt Weapon (Hammer)] [Tier: Unique] [Attribute: Water] [Level Restriction: 140] [Attack Power: 1,650] [Durability: 28/30] [Effects: Dragon yer, Creeping Chill, Stacking Chill.] [Dragon yer: Deal 8% additional damage to dragon-type monsters.] [Creeping Chill: Enemies are slowed upon being struck.] [Stacking Chill: Freeze the enemy for one second after three consecutive strikes.] The ¡®Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot¡¯ Warking was wielding was very attractive in Siegfried¡¯s eyes because Stunner¡¯s durability was about to be exhausted. In addition, he leveled up a lot, so it was about time for him to use even more powerful weapons. ¡°Hey, Hamchi. Time to get up.¡± ¡°Kyu?!?Why are you waking me up, owner punk!¡± Hamchi grumbled while rubbing his eyes. He was sitting on Siegfried¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I need you to buff me.¡± ¡°Kyu??Why do you need it so soon?¡± ¡°I have my reasons.¡± Siegfried looked at the Adventurers around him. ¡®There are many people from Genesis here, so I will attract a lot of attention if I were to use my debuffs here,¡¯?he thought. He had just used his debuffs to wipe a raid party of the Genesis Guild not too long ago, so he had to be careful about using them around members of the Genesis Guild. ¡°Kyu!?Alright!¡± Hamchi eximed. He then activated Give it your best! Go, Go, Go! and summoned his magical hamster wheel. ¡°Fight as you see fit, Seung-Gu, but don¡¯t you dare die,¡± Siegfried warned. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim! I will fight to my heart¡¯s content!¡± Seung-Gu replied enthusiastically before charging into battle with his golems. Ddruu¡­! Ddruu¡­! Ddruu¡­!? Meanwhile, Hamchi hopped into his magical hamster wheel and started to run on it. [Alert: Your pet Hamchi has used his skill ¡®Give it your best! Go, Go, Go!¡® increasing all your stats by 15%!] Siegfried¡¯s stats increased explosively after receiving the buff. ¡®Shall we have a go?¡¯?he thought as he confidently ran toward Warking. *** ¡°What is this little greenhorn?¡± Warking said when a kid was suddenly picking a fight with him while he was busy showing off his strength. ¡°An anchovy like you dares to wield the weapon of true men?! I will teach you a lesson and show you that not everyone has the right to wield hammers!¡± Warking growled in anger at the scrawny Adventurer. Siegfried was actually pretty well-built at 75 kg and 181 cm both in the game and in reality, but he was nothing more than an ¡®anchovy¡¯ in the eyes of Warking. The Nordic General found itughable that a mere anchovy was wielding the weapon of true men¡ªthe hammer. ¡®Bring it on! I¡¯ll smash you to a pulp in one fell swoop!¡¯? Warking prepared to swing his hammer and crush the little greenhorn. Bam! ¡°Heok¡­!¡± However, when their two hammers collided, Warking almost let go of his Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot. His hand immediately went numb the moment it made contact with the greenhorn¡¯s hammer. ¡®How is this anchovy so strong?!¡¯?Warking couldn¡¯t believe it. Unfortunately, that was his final thought. Puuuk! A spear pierced his abdomen¡­ Sukeok! And a sword chopped off his head¡­ Thud¡­ Roll¡­ Warking¡¯s severed head rolled on the harbor. The skill that severed the mighty Warking¡¯s head in a single move was none other than Quick Draw. Chapter 119

    Chapter 119

    ¡°¡­!¡± Warking¡¯s death sent shockwaves throughout the entire battlefield as both foe and ally alike stopped in their tracks. The only difference between the two would be the fact that the allied forces were surprised while the enemies were horrified. However, Siegfried was actually the one who was the most surprised. ¡®Huh? He¡¯s dead?¡¯? Siegfried was taken aback about how easy it was for him to severe Warking¡¯s head. In addition, he didn¡¯t really do anything special. Hamchi simply buffed him, and they exchanged just a single blow with their hammers before Siegfried used Megingjord¡¯s ability to swap into his spear and stab Warking in the abdomen before exploiting the opening to test Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s secret technique, Quick Draw. However, he could have never imagined that Warking¡¯s head would go flying so easily. All of a sudden, Siegfried recalled Betelgeuse¡¯s words. ¡°Young Master, this technique is my ultimate technique, and it cut offs the enemy¡¯s head in a sh. That is why I named it Quick Draw.¡¯ Siegfried¡¯s impression of Betelgeuse was a muscle-brained old man unfortunate enough to mess with Deus and was forced into bing a manservant. However, it turned out that his impression of the Sword Emperor was way off the mark. The old man got beaten to a pulp because he met Deus of all people, but the Sword Emperor, Betelgeuse, was indeed a Master with a powerful secret technique. [Quick Draw] [A secret technique of the Sword Emperor and one of the Five Star Heaven, Betelgeuse.] [Quickly unsheathes the sword to deliver a single lethal strike.] [Cooldown: 24 hours] [Mana: 30% of total mana] [Effect: Executes targets below Level 200 (The execute level threshold increases the higher the user¡¯s level).] Quick Draw had a not-so-disadvantageous disadvantage in the form of a long cooldown like Torrential Flower Rain, but Siegfried could tell from the skill¡¯s description that it was incredibly powerful. The Nordic Marines were greatly shaken after their general fell in battle. ¡°G-General Warking has fallen!¡± ¡°General Warking has fallen in battle!¡± ¡°Oh my god! General Warking has been beheaded!¡± The ¡®Bloodlust¡¯ buff that was likely the key to their invasion disappeared when Warking died, and their morale subsequently plummeted to the ground. ¡°Now¡¯s our chance! Attack! Push them back! Kill them all!¡± themander of the Masavara Forces seized the initiative and rallied his troops. Ten minutester, the Nordic Marines started frantically running away from the harbor, and this reversal was caused by just one skill, Quick Draw. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°R-Retreat! Retreaaaat!¡± *** The retreat of the Nordic Marines was fast, and they lived up to their name as marines even as they retreated from battle. Most of them sped through the beach and hopped onto their ¡®Aqua Runners¡¯ before speeding off into the horizon. ¡°We won! Victory! We won the battle!¡± ¡°Waaaaaaa!¡± ¡°The enemies have retreated!¡± ¡°Look at them running away with their tails tucked between their legs! Hahaha!¡± [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot¡¯!] Siegfried picked up the hammer dropped by the enemy general, but he had no ns to let the battle end this way. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi ran toward the beach. Whooosh! Siegfried ran at breakneck speeds as he zipped past everything thanks to the artifact ¡®Mercedes Speedrunner¡¯ Lieutenant General Overlock gave him. He ran toward the waters and jumped,nding on one of the retreating Aqua Runners. In short, he had no ns of letting the Nordic Marines run away. ¡°¡­!¡± The Nordic Marines were surprised at his sudden appearance¡­ Bam! Bam! Bam! They were shocked because he was wielding Warking¡¯s trademark weapon, the Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot, and he was bashing the heads of the marines one by one with it. [Alert: You have sessfully captured an ¡®Aqua Runner¡¯!] . [Alert: You now havemand of the ¡®Aqua Runner¡¯ you are on!] Messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. He grabbed the handle of the Aqua Runner without hesitation and chased after the rest of the Nordic Marines. ¡°Wait for a second, owner punk!¡± Hamchi shouted. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hamchi will drive this thing!¡± ¡°You? How?¡± ¡°Like this!¡± Poof! A cloud of white smoke appeared as soon as Hamchi was done speaking. [Alert: Hamchi has used ¡®Grow!¡¯ and grewrger in size!] The cloud of white smoke receded. ¡°Kyu!¡± Hamchi grew to the size of arge dog and grabbed the controls of the Aqua Runner. ¡°Just trust Hamchi, owner punk! Hamchi is good at driving! I¡¯m the best driver! Kyu!¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, so you better hold on tight. Here we gooo! Let¡¯s gooooo!¡± When Hamchi shouted, the Aqua Runner shot forward ferociously. ¡®Who¡¯s going to believe that I was involved in a high-speed chase on the water riding a vehicle driven by a hamster¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He found the entire situation to be absurd, but he did not dislike it at all. He had noints at all whether the driver was a hamster or a squirrel as long as he could catch up to the fleeing Nordic Marines and turn them into experience points. ¡°Step on it! Cut them off! We will start hunting them down from the front!¡± Siegfried shouted excitedly. The chase¡ªno, the hunt started right there and then. *** ¡°I-Is that even possible¡­?¡± an Adventurer muttered in disbelief while staring at the sea. There was an Adventurer riding on an Aqua Runner driven by a hamster that was presumed to be his pet, and he was massacring the Nordic Marines who were running away. The Adventurer threw his hammer and sunk the pirate ships waiting out in the sea, and he even boarded the pirate ships to fight the Nordic Marines face-to-face. In addition, he even threw green shurikens and mercilessly massacred the ones who jumped overboard to run away. ¡°W-Who is that Adventurer?!¡± shouted themander of the Masavara Forces, Major General Cherokee while pointing at Siegfried. ¡°Not only did he behead the enemy general, but he is chasing those pirates! Where did that powerful Adventurere from? Hey, adjutant! Go to the Mercenary Guild at once and investigate that Adventurer¡¯s identity!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± replied the adjutant. He then sprinted toward the Mercenary Guild as fast as he could. *** Thirty minutester, Siegfried triumphantly returned to the harbor while riding on the Aqua Runner being driven by Hamchi. The des he earned in this single battle were the following: - Killed the enemy general, Warking. - Captured neen Aqua Runners. - Destroyed seven Aqua Runners. - Killed 112 Nordic Marines. It was hard to believe that a Silver III mercenary earned such achievements in his first battle here! However, there was an issue elsewhere. [Rowdy Northern Shores] [Type: Special Quest] [Description: Subjugate the pirates infesting the waters of the northern port city ¡®Masavara¡¯ and bring peace and order to the region.] [Progress: 0%] [Rewards: Autonika Workshop Random Box ¡Á 15] The quest progress was still at zero, even though he earned so many achievements. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is the progress at zero? I think this should have risen by a few percent at the very least¡­¡¯?Siegfried wondered if there was a mistake or something. It didn¡¯t make sense that his quest progress was still at zero despite annihting an entire group of pirates. ¡°Waaaaah!¡± p! p! p!? p! p! p! While Siegfried was deep in his own thoughts, the Masavara Forces started cheering and pping. ¡°Great job! Great job, indeed! We would have suffered heavy damage if it was not for you! Thank you very much!¡± Major General Cherokee eximed as he greeted Siegfried with open arms before continuing. ¡°A pleasure to meet you! I am Major General Cherokee, and I am themander in charge of the Masavara Forces.¡± ¡°Wee, Siegf¡ª¡± Major General Cherokee was about to utter Siegfried¡¯s name that he obtained from the Mercenary Guild. ¡°Sieg. My name is Sieg,¡± Siegfried quickly interrupted before whispering, ¡°I have my reasons, so please keep my identity hidden for now and call me Sieg¡­¡± ¡°Ah, is that so? Alright, I will do as you said,¡± Major General Cherokee coolly agreed. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Anyway, we were able to win an overwhelming victory thanks to you! You were truly outstanding! I will be formally thanking you on behalf of our city of Masavara pretty soon! So, I was thinking, are you interested in enlisting¡ª¡± ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I will have to respectfully decline it.¡± Siegfried had just returned from serving at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost, and he had no ns of bing a soldier again anytime soon. ¡°Ah¡­?that is really a shame¡­ tsk¡­?We will be able to take care of those pesky Nordic Pirates and end the war in an instant if a hero like you is with us.¡± Major General Cherokee clicked his tongue. ¡°Huh? A war? I thought they were just ordinary pirates?¡± Siegfried asked with wide eyes. ¡°The Nordic Pirates are not your average pirates plundering loot at the sea. This side of the continent has a different culture and history from you mainders, so you should know that the group of pirates we are fighting could be considered a small kingdom from where you came from,¡± Cherokee exined. ¡°I got the short end of the stick if that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled out loud. ¡°Hmm? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Siegfried felt like Cheon Woo-Jin had cheated him upon discovering the truth behind the pirates whom he would have to fight toplete the quest. ¡®I thought I just had to subjugate a group of pirates? Do I actually have to fight against a group of pirates huge enough to be a small kingdom on the maind? Isn¡¯t this war instead of a subjugation? That damned bastard Cheon Woo-Jin lied to me. I got cheated¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. The quest was called a pirate subjugation quest but Cheon Woo-Jin had basically sent Siegfried to a warzone. Finally, it made sense why the quest progress bar remained steadfast at zero despite what he did just now. If Cheon Woo-Jin truly cheated him, then¡­ Grit¡­! Siegfried gnashed his teeth the moment he remembered what Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°Oh, right, I won¡¯t take any responsibility for the rewards if it bes a chain quest.¡± ¡®He shortchanged me¡­!¡¯?Siegfried realized. He initially thought that he emerged victorious in haggling the quest rewards with Cheon Woo-Jin, but it turned out that the bastard had already expected him to haggle and made ns to cheat him from the start. ¡°Then, I hope you will be able to stay with us for a bit longer and fight with us against the pirates¡ª¡± Major General Cherokee was about to ask for Siegfried¡¯s assistance. However, Siegfried cut him off and replied, ¡°I apologize, but I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I will have to leave right now.¡± ¡°Hmm? W-What do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Then, goodbye,¡± Siegfried bid farewell. He no longer had a reason to continue working on this quest. *** ¡°Hyung-nim! Why are we leaving? Aren¡¯t we just getting started here?¡± Seung-Gu asked as he tilted his head in confusion after hearing that they would return to Proatine. ¡°I got scammed by that bastard Cheon Woo-Jin,¡± Siegfried grumbled in response. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°So what happened is¡­¡± Siegfried recounted what happened and exined why he was giving up the quest. ¡°Oh¡­ Cheon Woo-Jin hyung-nim did you dirty¡­ Yeah, he did you dirty alright¡­¡± ¡°Right? You think so, too, right?¡± ¡°I agree with you on this one, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°So let¡¯s collect those Aqua Runners I captured and head back.¡± While Siegfried and Seung-Gu were preparing to pack up and leave, Oscar finally returned after finishing her business. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Oscar greeted with a bow. ¡°Ah, Dame Oscar. Where were you this entire time?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I went back home.¡± ¡°Home¡­?¡± ¡°This is my hometown, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh,?so that¡¯s why you wanted to tag along¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I see, but we are going to be leaving soon.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going back?¡± ¡°Yes, that is the n. We came here after receiving a quest, but the quest turned out to be a scam.¡± ¡°I do not understand what Your Majesty means, but I will follow Your Majesty¡¯s decision.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ alright¡­¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°May I request a vacation?¡± ¡°Vacation? Are you worried about your hometown? If that is the case, then¡ª¡± ¡°I am a citizen of the Proatine Kingdom, and the kingdom is my home. The lord I serve is my lord, who is standing right in front of me rather than the Mayor of Masavara.¡± ¡°Then, why¡­?¡± Oscar¡¯s face turned ugly as she replied, ¡°I just learned that my sister has been kidnapped by the Nordic Pirates.¡± ¡°What? Kidnapped?¡± ¡°I will return after rescuing my sister, so I implore you to graciously grant me some time off,¡± Oscar said with a bow. Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: A chain quest has been added to the Quest: ¡®Rowdy Northern Shores¡¯!] [Alert: The Quest: ¡®Kidnapped Tomboy¡¯ has appeared!] At that moment, Siegfried realized it once more. ¡®Ah, I got scammed big time¡­¡¯ Now, it was impossible for him to abandon the quest and go back home. Chapter 120

    Chapter 120

    [Kidnapped Tomboy] [Type: Special Chain Quest 1] [Description: Go to the base of the Nordic Pirates, the ck Inds, and help Oscar rescue her sister!] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: Oscar¡¯s Loyalty +1,000] The quest was simple and straightforward, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about its difficulty. ¡®The ck Inds? Is this quest really asking me to go behind enemy lines?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled in disbelief after seeing the quest details that were more befitting to be given to a suicide squad. However, he didn¡¯t even hesitate to do it. ¡°Dame Oscar,¡± he called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I will give you the vacation you requested.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your graciousness, my lord.¡± ¡°And I will be going with you as well...¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to save your sister, right? In that case, I should definitely help.¡± This was a decision Siegfried made to help his loyal subject, Oscar, and his decision wasn¡¯t rted to the quest Cheon Woo-Jin had given to him. ¡°No, Your Majesty. This is my personal business, so I cannot put Your Majesty in danger¡­¡± ¡°Dame Oscar¡¯s business is my business, and my business is Dame Oscar¡¯s business. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­!¡± Oscar eximed. She looked emotional for a split second before she instantlyposed herself. ¡°Besides, how can I send my loyal subject to a ce crawling with pirates all alone?¡± Siegfried added. ¡°But, Your Majesty¡ª¡± Oscar muttered. She was about to say something. However, Siegfried cut her off by turning around and shouting, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± *** On the way back to the harbor¡­ ¡°How did you end up bing a knight of Proatine instead of Masavara?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°A Proatine Knight saved my life when I was young. I decided to be a knight by then, and I followed the knight who saved me to Proatine after that,¡± Oscar exined. ¡°I see. Who is that knight? Is he still¡ª¡± ¡°He fell in battle.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°It was the day when I graduated from the Macan Kingdom¡¯s academy and became a fully-fledged knight. There was a monster invasion that day, and he fell in battle while protecting the territory.¡± Oscar was talking with her usual calm andposed demeanor, but Siegfried noticed a hint of sadness in her voice. ¡°Dame Oscar¡­¡± ¡°It is all in the past, Your Majesty. That person was also a knight, and I am certain that he was prepared to die by the sword the moment he picked it up. I have the same resolution as well. I am a knight, and I am prepared to die honorably inbat any time.¡± Those who dared to pick up the sword should be prepared to die by the sword as well. ¡°Dying inbat is an honorable thing for a knight, and I am certain that he had no regrets in his final moments. I am prepared to put my life on the line and fight Your Majesty¡¯s enemies until myst breath.¡± ¡°That is not going to happen, Dame Oscar,¡± Siegfried said with a smile before asking, ¡°Why are you going to die? Our enemies are the only ones who are going to die.¡± ¡°That is impossible, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Well, a true leader should make that possible. I will also do whatever it takes to bring you back to life if something were to happen to you, so you do not have to make such resolutions in the first ce.¡± ¡°I am not someone from another world like Your Majesty, so it is impossible for me toe back to life.¡± ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not?listening~¡± Siegfried covered his ears and said, ¡°I am going to bring you back to life one way or another, so you better not die if you do not want toe back as something strange. Do you understand? This is an order, by the way.¡± ¡°I, Oscar, have received my lord¡¯smand,¡± Oscar replied with a smile. Did it make sense for a lord to be so concerned with his subordinate? Siegfried would seem irresponsible and careless sometimes, but she couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to this side of him. ¡°How are we going to save your sister, Dame Oscar? Are we going to barge in and turn the ce upside down?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­ don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit too reckless?¡± Seung-Gu asked, taken aback. ¡°Then, what should we do? We don¡¯t even have a clue where her sister is located,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°T-That is that but¡­ don¡¯t you think barging in like that is tantamount tomitting suicide? We could just assume a disguise and sneak in or something¡­¡± Seung-Gu said, seemingly nervous. ¡°I have a n,¡± Oscar interjected. ¡°What is your n?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°We can use the Nordic Tribe¡¯s habit against them.¡± ¡°The habits of the Nordic Tribe¡­?¡± ¡°The Nordic Tribe considers war as sacred, and they worship the strong. We should use that against them.¡± ¡°But how?¡± ¡°We will have to find a high-ranking official of the Nordic Tribe in the next battle, and they have to be at least a general.¡± Siegfried held the Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot. ¡°And then?¡± ¡°We will challenge them to a duel in the next battle and strike them down. Then, we just have to waltz into their base after that, and I am confident that they will wee us.¡± ¡°What? Why are they going to wee us? Won¡¯t they rip us to shreds instead?¡± Siegfried asked while perplexed at Oscar¡¯s n. ¡°That is the culture of the Nordic Tribe, and they do not harbor any resentment for what happens on the battlefield. In fact, they will recognize anyone who ys their powerful warriors, and they are known tovishly wee the victor to their homes,¡± Oscar exined. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡± ¡°I cannot understand their customs, too, but I assume that this tradition of ¡®survival of the fittest¡¯ is what has been keeping them alive in the harsh environment they live in.¡± ¡°Well, I guess culture is something that exists despite being unexinable,¡± Siegfried muttered with a nod. After all, this ce was neither on Earth nor South Korea but the N¨¹rburg Continent, which was the setting of a game. It was actually feasible since they weren¡¯t even on the maind, and the Nordic Tribe was a quasi-barbarian tribe living in the harsh ck Inds. ¡°In that case, shall we give it a shot?¡± Siegfried said as he started walking. ¡°Where are you going, Your Majesty? That is the direction to the harbor,¡± Oscar asked. ¡°Where else? We are going to the ck Inds.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t in a Nordic General yet, so we will have to wait until the next battle¡­¡± Oscar said. Siegfried pointed at the Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot and said, ¡°This one.¡± ¡°I killed one just now, you see,¡± he nonchntly added. ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty? You have already in an enemy general¡­?¡± ¡°This hammer was too good to pass up on, you see¡­ Haha.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Shall we go?¡± Siegfried asked with a smile as he started walking toward the harbor once again. *** A few hourster, Siegfried and his party rode the Aqua Runners he captured in the previous battle and arrived at the vicinity of thergest ind in the Nordic Tribe¡¯s territory, ¡®Fan Ind¡¯. Naturally, they were instantly surrounded by the Nordic Marines as soon as they approached. ¡°Halt! Who goes there?!¡± A Nordic Admiral shouted at Siegfried and his party. ¡°We are emissaries,¡± Oscar replied before continuing. ¡°This person right here is His Majesty Siegfried van Proa of the Proatine Kingdom, and he hase to conduct business with the Nordic Tribe, so pay your respects to him!¡± ¡°What? The Proatine Kingdom? Isn¡¯t the Proatine Kingdom a kingdom on the maind that¡¯s the size of a booger? How dare the king of such a small kingdome here and act all high and mighty?!¡± the Nordic Admirable retorted. ¡°Look at this!¡± Oscar said as she pointed at the Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot before adding, ¡°This afternoon! His Majesty yed your general, Warking! The duel between them was a sacred duel that no one interfered with! I¡¯m certain that your marines have witnessed the duel as well, so you can go and check with them!¡± ¡°We, the Nordic Tribe, will wee your king if that is true. However, you lot better be prepared to end up as fish food if you are lying!¡± the Nordic Admiral threatened before he left to check whether Oscar¡¯s ims were real or not. The Nordic Admiral returned five minutester, and he became extremely respectful and polite as he said, ¡°We have confirmed that your king has indeed in General Warking.¡± ¡®How the hell are they so cool about all this?!¡¯?Siegfried screamed inwardly. He found the Nordic Admiral¡¯s reaction quite bbergasting, but he decided to ept it since their customs should make perfect sense for them as people who treated wars as a sacred thing. ¡°We will wee your king as our guest. Please, leave your Aqua Runners ande aboard our battleship. We wish to make sure that your journey from here on out will be afortable one,¡± said the Nordic Admiral. ¡°Thank you for your kind consideration,¡± Oscar replied. Siegfried and his party left their Aqua Runners and hopped aboard the Nordic Battleship. *** The Fan Ind in the Nordic Tribe¡¯s territory was not a tiny ind. It was a huge ind, at least three times the size of Jeju Ind. Siegfried and his party hopped off the battleship and rode a carriage as theyfortably made their way to the Nordic Tribe¡¯s capital, Gotnd, and the Nordic Tribe¡¯s king warmly weed Siegfried. ¡°Wee! I am the king of thesends, Lionbreath. Are you King Siegfried from the Proatine Kingdom? I wish to pay my respects and gratitude to you for guiding General Warking to his rest,¡± the Nordic King weed Siegfried and his party. [Lionbreath] [The king of the Nordic Tribe and the ruler of the ck Inds.] [Level: 280] [Type: NPC] [Position: King] [Rank: Generalissimo (¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï)] [ss: Warlord] [Titles: Ruler of the ck Inds, Lion King] Nordic King Lionbreath was a gigantic man and a high-level NPC with an astonishing Level 280. ¡°I am the king of the Proatine Kingdom, Siegfried. I thank you for your warm wee,¡± Siegfried greeted Lionbreath. ¡°It is nice to meet you, Siegfried. I have already heard of your brave exploits in our previous battle. It is definitely rare for the king of a country to disy such martial prowess, so I can clearly tell that you are someone worth respecting.¡± ¡°You tter me.¡± ¡°So, why have youe all the way to my territory?¡± Lionbreath asked. ¡°One of your soldiers has abducted my knight¡¯s little sister, and I wish to take her back,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Hmm¡­ so you havee to retrieve the spoils of war,¡± Lionbreath muttered. ¡°Huh? Spoils of war?¡± Siegfried grimaced in response. Oscar hurriedly whispered into Siegfried¡¯s ear, ¡°Your Majesty, the Nordic Tribe has the tendency to call anything, and anyone looted from the war as spoils of war.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I advise that you ignore their terminology, Your Majesty.¡± It seemed that the Nordic Tribe was a bunch of people obsessed with fighting. ¡°Well, sure, let us call her the spoils of war. Anyway, I havee to retrieve my knight¡¯s little sister.¡± ¡°You may take her back if you offer up something of equivalent value, but you may not do so immediately. I want you to give me some time to find the soldier who collected the spoils of war first. I think a day or two will suffice.¡± Perhaps it was because of their customs toward the strong, but Lionbreath was extremely courteous toward Siegfried. ¡°I thank you for your consideration.¡± Siegfried liked how courteous Lionbreath was toward him. ¡°Thank you, King Siegfried.¡± ¡°You are most wee.¡± ¡°Then, I hope that you will enjoy our warm wee while I search for the soldier who has the spoils of war you are looking for.¡± Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Kidnapped Tomboy 2] [Type: Special Chain Quest 2] [Description: Enjoy the Nordic Tribe¡¯s warm wee to the best of your abilities while King Lionbreath is searching for the Nordic Marine who abducted Oscar¡¯s little sister.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: Nordic Beauty ¡Á 11] [Warning: You will have to show the Nordic Tribesmen that you are enjoying their reception for you. You could incur the wrath of the Nordic Tribesmen if you seem insincere to their courtesy.] The quest details looked strange for some reason¡­ 1. Thergest ind in South Korea. More info here: Chapter 121

    Chapter 121

    He had to enjoy the reception to the best of his abilities. The quest''s clear condition wasn¡¯t that difficult, but the quest reward was problematic. ¡®Eleven Nordic Beauties? What kind of a quest reward is this¡­?¡¯?Siegfried thought in disbelief. ¡°We will host a banquet for you tonight, King Siegfried of Proatine. I will see you then,¡± Lionbreath said. ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you for your consideration,¡± Siegfried replied. With that, he left the Nordic King¡¯s throne room and was then guided over to the amodation the Nordic Tribe had prepared for them. *** A grand banquet was held in the Nordic Kingdom the same evening. There were dozens of oak barrels lined up one after another, and there was a vast variety of seafood and meat prepared on the long table. The Nordic Tribesmen yed their traditional instruments, and there were dozens of beauties dancing along to the tune. Siegfried was seated at the seat of honor beside the Nordic King, Lionbreath. ¡®Wow¡­ This is an extravagant banquet,¡¯?he thought. However, annoying noises were distracting him. Munch¡­ Munch¡­ Munch¡­? The sound of someone¡ªno, something voraciously munching through the banquet food distracted him. He looked sideways and saw Hamchi eating up every single food he could get his hands on. ¡°Hey, Hamchi,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°What do you want? Munch! Munch! Munch!¡±?Hamchi replied while busily stuffing himself with food. ¡°Is it alright for an animal to eat human food? Does it even taste good to you?¡± ¡°Hamchi eats everything delicious! I¡¯m busy, so don¡¯t talk to me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Munch! Munch! Kyu!¡± The hamster was going at the food as if it were a human being. Lionbreath raised his ss that more or less resembled a basin as he shouted, ¡°Listen up, everybody!¡± The rowdy banquet hall instantly went quiet, and the instant shift in the atmosphere was a testament to Lionbreath¡¯s power and authority in this ce. ¡°My fellow warriors! Allow me to introduce the esteemed guest of honor of this banquet, King Siegfried van Proa of the Proatine Kingdom! He is the man who yed General Warking inbat and sent him to the resting ce of warriors!¡± Lionbreath announced. He then looked at Siegfried and shouted, ¡°Cheers to King Siegfried van Proa!¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± Everyone present at the banquet hall raised their sses and shouted at the top of their lungs. ¡®Wow¡­ aren¡¯t they being too nonchnt about things?¡¯?Siegfried thought. He felt awe and shock at the same time. He knew that the Nordic Tribe was a battle-crazed tribe that would not harbor any grudge over what happened on the battlefield, but he found them to be extremely ¡®chill¡¯ over the death of theirrade. The fact that they not only invited but even threw such a grand andvish banquet for their enemy who yed their general was something that Siegfried could not understand. To be frank, Siegfried could not help but feel a bit guilty and uneasy for killing the Nordic General after receiving such a reception. However, he could also see that the Nordic Tribesmen were the very definition of a warrior. Perhaps that was the reason, but even a Private among them was over Level 100. There wasn¡¯t anyone who had reached the realm of a Master among them, but the overall strength of the Nordic Tribe was much stronger than the people of the maind. ¡°King Siegfried,¡± Lionbreath called. ¡°Yes, King Lionbreath?¡± ¡°I am very grateful to you.¡± ¡°Why? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°We Nordic people see it as a great honor to fall in battle.¡± ¡°If I may, I would like to know why you think like that.¡± ¡°A warrior should be prepared to kill and be killed on the battlefield once they wield the sword, don¡¯t you think so?¡± It was the exact same thing Oscar had said before they departed for the ck Inds. ¡°That is what it means to be a warrior, and I am certain that you know that as well.¡± ¡°Yes, I do know it.¡± ¡°A warrior bing enved by the enemy or dying after being hit by an enemy artillery is truly a futile death.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°A fight to the death with no regrets is a far more befitting death for a warrior if they are going to die on the battlefield anyway, don¡¯t you think so? That is the honor that we Nordic Warriors seek, and that is also the reason why we are weing you with suchvishness as you have given General Warking an honorable death.¡± ¡°I think I can finally understand your customs.¡± ¡°Of course, my warriors will try to take your life without an ounce of hesitation if we were to meet at the battlefield after you have left ournds.¡± ¡°The feeling is mutual then,¡± Siegfried said with a smile, and then he added, ¡°I¡¯m not so merciful toward those who dare to stand in my path.¡± ¡°Oh! I can¡¯t help but admire that side of you, King Siegfried! You are a true man! Yes, that is how a man should be, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Indeed, you are right.¡± ¡°I feel good today! Ah¡­ I should show you the martial skills of our warriors!¡± Lionbreath eximed before he turned toward the crowd and shouted, ¡°Warriors! Is there anyone among you that wishes to disy our martial skills to our esteemed guest of honor, King Siegfried?!¡± Then, dozens of Nordic Warriors ran to the front and started showcasing their swordsmanship. ¡°Hohoho! Excellent! Excellent, my warriors!¡± Lionbreath eximed. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. However, Lionbreath suddenly said, ¡°Excuse me, King Siegfried.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I would love to witness your martial skills if possible. Would you kindly grant me this wish of mine?¡± Lionbreath asked with curiosity in his eyes. ¡°Ah, sure. That is not difficult at all,¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied before he walked toward the center of the banquet hall while thinking, ¡®Hmm¡­ What should I show them?¡¯ Flying Spur? Smite? Quick Draw? They were pretty powerful, but theycked impact¡­ And it wasn¡¯t like he could use ¡®Splitting Heaven and Earth¡¯ and turn the banquet hall into a mess. He could use Irradiate but¡­ ¡®I can¡¯t contaminate this ce with radioactive energy and massacre them¡­¡¯?he thought that it was a better choice to just wreck the entire banquet hall with Splitting Heaven and Earth rather than causing fatalities with Irradiate. Then his only other choice was¡­ Whoosh! Whoosh!? Siegfried took out two green discs and threw them into the air. Torrential Flower Rain! This was the best skill he possessed if his main objective was to show something extremely shy. Shwiik!?Shwiik!?Shwiik!? Siegfried controlled the one thousand shurikens and sent them flying to the banquet hall ceiling. The shurikens flew while leaving behind a stream of mana before they slowly descended to the ground like flowers blooming in springtime. Green Flowers¡­ These flowers were extremely beautiful yet extremely deadly at the same time. The Nordic Tribesmen reacted explosively to the Torrential Flower Rain. ¡°Wooooooow!¡± Whistle! ¡°He is indeed the man who gifted General Warking an honorable death!¡± ¡°What was that ability?!¡± ¡°Wonderful! Beautiful!¡± The Nordic Tribesmen could not hide their surprise after seeing Siegfried¡¯s Torrential Flower Rain, and the banquet¡¯s atmosphere was kicked up a notch thanks to it. In addition, Siegfried¡¯s heavy drinking earned the favor of the Nordic Tribesmen. Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!? *** ¡°Please, have another ss,¡± one of Lionbreath¡¯s subordinates offered Siegfried a ss of liquor. ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Siegfried nonchntly received and drank it. Thud¡­! The Nordic Warriors passed out one after another after challenging Siegfried to a drinkingpetition. Siegfried drank so much, yet he did not even show any signs of getting tipsy, and the secret behind that was simple. [Alert: Alcohol has been detected in your character¡¯s body!] [Alert: Your liver¡¯s function has been increased to ¡®MAX¡¯!] [Alert: The alcohol that entered your body has been detoxified!] [Alert: Detoxification¡­ Complete!] The tempering and quenching of the Body Modification process Siegfried had to go through under Deus¡¯ supervision made his physique extremely powerful. Naturally, his organs had also been tempered to the point that alcohol entering his body would be instantly detoxified by his liver. Thanks to that, Siegfried was able to crush all of the Nordic Warriors who dared to challenge him to a drinkingpetition. ¡°Euuuughhh!¡± The Nordic Warriors were able to see what they had for dinner after challenging Siegfried¡­ ¡°Oh!?He holds his alcohol quite well!¡± ¡°He is a man! He is an alpha male! How is it possible for someone to hold their alcohol so well?!¡± ¡°How many of us has he knocked out by now?!¡± ¡°He is the best among all drunkards I have ever seen!¡± Thanks to that, Siegfried earned a new title. [Alert: You have gained a new title: ¡®Alcoholic¡¯!] It was a useless title, though¡­ ¡®Oh! He is an alpha male! To think that someone so young and strong could also hold his liquor! I¡¯m starting to like him more and more now!¡¯?Lionbreath was overjoyed to see Siegfried overpowering his men. Afterward, he approached Siegfried and made a proposal, ¡°King Siegfried! I am greatly humbled and impressed by your martial skills that you are making me want to be your sworn brother! What do you think, King Siegfried? Do you wish to be sword brothers?¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Then, I think I¡¯m much older than you, so can I be the older brother?¡± ¡°Of course, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Bwahahaha! I like your personality!¡± Lionbreath eximed after letting out a burst of boisterousughter. He then looked at the crowd gathered at the banquet and shouted, ¡°Listen up! King Siegfried over here is now my sworn brother, so make sure to pay him your respect!¡± Siegfried had a lot of enemies, so he immediately epted Lionbreath¡¯s proposal. [Alert: Congrattions! You have be sworn brothers with King Lionbreath!] [Alert: King Lionbreath is a loyal man of honor, so he is going to be a dependable ally!] ¡°His Majesty has be sworn brothers with King Siegfried!¡± ¡°The Proatine Kingdom has be our sister country!¡± ¡°Drink up! Cheers!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s drink till we drop!¡± The banquet atmosphere became even livelier thanks to the two kings¡¯ pact. An hourter, every single participant in the banquet was intoxicated. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± ¡°Ueeek!¡± ¡°More booze¡­ Give me more¡­ booze¡­¡± ¡°One more¡­ round¡­ Let¡¯s go one more round¡­!¡± ¡°King Siegfried,¡± one of the Nordic Maids approached Siegfried and said, ¡°It is now time for you to go to your bedroom.¡± ¡°Ah, sure,¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. ¡°I will guide you there,¡± the maid said and led him away. Siegfried followed the Nordic Maid without giving it much thought. *** Siegfried¡¯s bedroom was pretty luxurious. The bedroom decorated with traces of Nordic culture was prettyrge, and the decorations were extravagant as well. In fact, the bed was so big that ten adults would not have any problems sleeping on it at the same time. ¡®Huh¡­? What¡¯s wrong with this?¡¯? Siegfried tilted his head in confusion after noticing something strange. [Kidnapped Tomboy 2] [Progress: 89% (0/1)] The quest progress was only at 89%, even though he enjoyed the banquet to the best of his abilities. ¡®Why did it stop all of a sudden? I don¡¯t think they had any problems with me, and I even became sworn brothers with?Lionbreath, so why? What more do I have to do¡­?¡¯?he wondered. [Alert: The Quest: ¡®Kidnapped Tomboy 2¡¯ has not beenpleted yet!] [Alert: You will fail the quest if you log out from the game beforepleting it!] Messages popped up in front of his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s not over yet?!¡¯? While Siegfried was stewing in shock, someone knocked on the door. Knock¡­ Knock¡­? ¡°Who is it?¡± he asked. ¡°May I enter, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Sure, I am still awake.¡± ¡°Then, I will be opening the door now¡­¡± The door opened, but the sight Siegfried saw stupefied him. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± He was shocked to see eleven Nordic Beauties walking into his room in a single file. However, the womening into his room weren¡¯t what shocked him the most but the message that popped up in front of him. [Alert: The locked adult content will be made avable for 12 hours! (Remaining Time: 11 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds)] [Alert: You may now enjoy the adult content ¡®y Mom and Dad¡¯ with the NPCs until the timer runs out!] Siegfried couldn¡¯t remember ever paying for ess to adult content, but he could now enjoy it for free. Chapter 122

    Chapter 122

    Most virtual reality games, especially the RPG ones, supported adult content. However, the adult contents weren¡¯t so readily avable or widespread as the users might fully turn their backs on reality and end up being addicted to the game. That was why most virtual reality games ced a restriction in the form of a paywall that could only be purchased once in a few days, and this was the same case for BNW. BNW called the physical interaction between an NPC and a gamer ¡®ying Mom and Dad,¡¯ and this additional adult game content came with a whopping price tag of 398,000 won every time it was availed. However, Siegfried did not have to pay to ess the additional game content. He had never paid for adult content even when he was still pretty sessful back then because he didn¡¯t want to have nocturnal emissions while in the capsule. He didn¡¯t want to deal with cleaning both his capsule and his underwear. ¡®Why?is the adult?content suddenly made avable?¡¯ Siegfried wondered, astounded. [Alert: The climax of the Quest: ¡®Kidnapped Tomboy 2¡¯ will now start!] A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: The Nordic Tribe wees the strong by hosting avish banquet followed by offering their beautiful women to the guest of honor.] [Alert: This tradition started because the Nordic Tribe wishes to obtain the ¡®seed¡¯ of the strong guest and allow their women to give birth to strong children.] [Alert: The Nordic Tribe also supports marriage between their women and outsiders!] It turned out that the reason the Nordic Tribe offered their women to their guests wasn¡¯t that they wanted to offer sexual service but to collect the genes of strong people. In short, they were looking forward to collecting the ¡®seed¡¯ of Siegfried, who was currently a ¡®stud¡¯. On top of that, they were also trying their luck to make Siegfried be one of them by enticing him with the women. ¡®I¡¯m being treated as a stud?! These people are crazy¡­! Just how obsessed are you guys with strength? To think that you can do this kind of thing to your own people¡­ You guys are really¡­¡¯?Siegfried cursed inwardly. He could have never imagined in his wildest dreams that the Nordic Tribe would not only throw avish banquet for him but offer up their women to him as well. [Alert: You will fail the quest if you log out from the game beforepleting it!] [Alert: Do your best to thoroughly enjoy the Nordic Tribe¡¯s warm wee!] The system sent one message after another as if it was sneering at Siegfried. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± the maid called out. ¡°Yes?!¡± Siegfried nervously replied. ¡°These women selected to sleep with Your Majesty are all from respectable households.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°We, the Nordic Tribe, do not offer prostitutes to our esteemed guests because that is tantamount to disrespecting our guests.¡± ¡°I-Is that so?¡± ¡°These women are all from noble backgrounds, so I hope that you will enjoy them to the best of your vigor.¡± Why did she sound like she wanted her to do his best in the uing physicalbor? ¡°Then, does Your Majesty wish to enjoy the women all at once or would you prefer to enjoy them one by one?¡± ¡°What is the difference between enjoying them all at once and enjoying them one by one¡­?¡± ¡°If you wish to enjoy them all at once, then you will be bringing all of these women to your bed and devour¡ª¡± ¡°One by one! I will have them one by one!¡± Siegfried hurriedly interrupted the maid while protesting inwardly, ¡®How do they expect me to do something so hardcore?!¡¯ There was no way Siegfried or Han Tae-Sung, who had been single since birth and had no experience with women, would be able to take on all of these women at once. ¡°If that is what Your Majesty wishes, then I shall instruct them to pleasure you one by one. How would you like the turns to be arranged?¡± ¡°A-Anything is fine with me.¡± ¡°Then, I will be sorting them ording to their status and background.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Siegfried had no choice but to y along/ ¡°I will see youter~¡± ¡°You better be prepared to be sucked dry tonight!¡± ¡°I will be having your child tonight, no matter what it takes!¡± ¡°You are so cute~¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go all out from the start if you want to thoroughly enjoy meter, okay?¡± The Nordic Beauties said, or rather, threatened as they left the room one by one. *** Five minutester, Siegfried was now all alone with a very beautiful woman. She had milky white skin, flowing golden hair, a voluptuous chest, and firm hips. Her body was nothing short of fantastic, and she stood 175 cm tall with a slender figure. The problem was her identity¡­ [Ingrid] [Nordic Princess] [The Seventh Daughter of King Lionbreath.] Siegfried almost screamed in surprise the moment he discovered her identity. ¡®Hey! This is madness!¡¯?he eximed inwardly in horror. He did hear the maid say that the women were from ¡®noble¡¯ lineage, but he could have never expected, even in his wildest dreams, that his sworn brother, Lionbreath, would send his own daughter to him! They were going to enter his bedroom based on their social standing, and it seemed that her background was the reason why she came in first before everyone else. ¡®These people are the real deal, all right. They are the real deal¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly in disbelief while in awe at the Nordic Tribe¡¯s obsession with collecting outstanding bloodlines. ¡°Hello,¡± Ingrid broke the ice. ¡°Ah,?hello¡­¡± Siegfried replied awkwardly. ¡°My name is Ingrid, and I am a princess.¡± ¡°My name is Siegfried¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± Ingrid replied. She then jumped into Siegfried¡¯s chest. ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± ¡°We have to do that...¡± ¡°W-What is that?¡± ¡°Do I really have to say that with my own mouth? Just enjoy it. It will just be for the night anyway.¡± ¡°But we are technically still enemies¡­¡± ¡°What does that matter? The only thing that matters right now is that you are a strong man!¡± ¡°Is that really the only thing that matters¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, that is the only thing that matters. We, the Nordic Tribe, have always considered strength to be the most important thing. Thesends are harsh and deste, and the only reason we could thrive in thesends for thousands of years and unify the tribes into a kingdom is all thanks to our obsession with obtaining superior quality bloodlines.¡± Ingrid¡¯s hands started exploring Siegfried¡¯s body. ¡°W-Wait a minute!¡± Siegfried eximed to stop Ingrid from taking his pants off. However, that did not deter Ingrid. She even counterattacked by licking his ear. ¡°Haang¡­!¡± ¡°E-Excuse me! I¡¯m your father¡¯s sworn brother! This is wrong on so many levels! How can I do this with my brother¡¯s daughter¡­¡± ¡°But you are not blood brothers, right? And you are not my uncle, and¡­ the one who sent me here was none other than my father,¡± Ingrid replied nonchntly. ¡°Oh, my god¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in horror. ¡°Please impregnate me. I want to bear your child. Our child will be born with a far superior bloodline than anyone else! You and me. I am certain that the child between us is going to be unbelievably strong!¡± Ingrid eximed and took off her shirt. Flutter! ¡®No! I can¡¯t do this! This is wrong on so many levels!¡¯?Siegfried protested inwardly. He was about to push Ingrid off of him when Hamchi suddenly spoke in his head. ¡ª You are so frustrating! Just go ahead and get it over with! I want to see how humans do it! Kyu! ¡®What the heck? Where are you?¡¯? ¡ª Here. Siegfried looked around, and he found Hamchi hiding inside the grandfather clock and peeking out of it. The hamster was definitely trying to peek at Siegfried, who was about to y Mom and Dad with the beauties. ¡®Hey! Do something! How can I do something like that with this girl?!¡¯?Siegfried urgently requested help. ¡ª What¡¯s the problem? She seems to have no problems with it. Just go ahead and do it, owner punk! ¡®Hey! You crazy bastard!¡¯ ¡ª I¡¯m looking forward to the show! Kyu! ¡®Do something right now, and this is amand! No¡­ please, do something¡­ I¡¯m your owner, right? No¡­ Do as I say! I¡¯m your owner!¡¯ ¡ª Are you sure you won¡¯t regret it? She¡¯s beautiful with an amazing body! ¡®I¡¯mmanding you to do something, damn it!¡¯ ¡ª Tsk!?Such a waste! I wanted to have a front-row seat to the live show¡­ ¡®Hurry up and do something!¡¯ ¡ª Fine¡­ Sigh¡­!?It¡¯s being handed over to you on a silver tter, but you still don¡¯t want to take it? What a dumbass¡­! Hamchi grumbled, but he still put his hand on his mouth and sent a flying kiss. Smooch~! A pink heart-shaped aura flew from Hamchi toward Ingrid. [Alert: Hamchi has used ¡®Charm¡¯!] [Alert: Ingrid has been afflicted with a status ailment!] [Alert: Ingrid has been charmed by Hamchi¡¯s magic!] ¡°¡­!¡± A few messages popped up in front of Siegfried, and Ingrid suddenly stopped trying to devour him. She sat up, staring into space. ¡°What the heck? How did you do that?¡± ¡°How else? She is currently in a dream, and she is doing the deed with you right now in that dream, Kyu!¡± ¡°I-Is that so?¡± ¡°Look, owner punk!¡± Hamchi said before pointing at Ingrid. ¡°Ah! Siegfried! Aaaah! Haaang~!¡± While under Hamchi¡¯s spell, Ingrid let out all sorts of sensual sounds while calling out Siegfried¡¯s name. *** On the afternoon of the next day, Siegfried visited his sworn brother, Lionbreath. ¡°Brother, so you¡¯vee to see me. Ughh¡­¡±?Lionbreath groaned in bed. He was currently stuck in bed because of a hangover. He was suffering from a bad hangover after challenging Siegfried to a drinking contestst night and losing miserably. ¡°Have you had a pleasant night¡¯s rest, hyung-nim?¡± Siegfried greeted. ¡°Not at all. Thanks to you, I puked eleven times. I never imagined that you would be such a heavy drinker. I thought I was in a contest with the god of alcohol himself¡­¡± Lionbreath groaned. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°How are you so fine despite drinking so much¡­?¡± ¡°Ah,?I was just born this way.¡± ¡°Amazing¡­ You are truly amazing, and you are indeed a man among men¡­!¡± ¡°Does drinking a lot make someone a true man¡­?¡± ¡°Drinking isn¡¯t the only thing you¡¯re good at, right? You are a strong warrior, heavy drinker, and good in bed! Who else can be considered a true man if it is not you, my brother?¡± ¡°G-Good in bed¡­?¡± ¡°Hehe, I have heard of your exploits and conquestst night,¡± Lionbreath said while shing a sleazy smile, and then he added, ¡°There is a saying that a hero has endless libido, and I can see that is indeed the case. Hohoho! I did not think that you would be on a whole different level in that field as well! Keke!¡± ¡°W-What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°I heard everything. I heard that you are quite the pervert in bed! Hohoho!¡± ¡°A pervert¡­?¡± Siegfried¡¯s face crumpled. ¡°I have received a detailed report on how you have enjoyed those young girlsst night! Keke!¡± ¡°W-What kind of a report did you receive¡­?¡± ¡°I heard that you went all out and did ?????? and ????? then you did ????? and then made them do ?????? for you. I also heard that you even went as far as making them ?????? I never knew you were so brazen! Keke!¡± Siegfried gnashed his teeth in anger. ¡®That perverted rat! You¡¯re going to get it this time¡­ I¡¯m not going to give you even a single sunflower seed from now on! You could have imprinted a more normal fantasy! What kind of fantasy did you make them see?!¡¯ Actually, Siegfried didn¡¯t do the deed with any of the Nordic Beautiesst night. He didn¡¯t want to make a mess in his capsule, so he let Hamchi use ¡®Charm¡¯ on Ingrid and on the otherdies. However, the main problem was that the one who created the fantasy the Nordic Beauties had seen wasn¡¯t Siegfried but Hamchi, the Perverted Hamster. The fact that Lionbreath, who imed to have received a report of what happenedst night, was calling him a ¡®pervert,¡¯ ¡®horn dog,¡¯ and ¡®stamina king¡¯ was more than enough for him to have an idea how hardcore was the ¡®dream¡¯ Hamchi gave those women. It seemed that the ¡®yboy of the Forest¡¯ title Hamchi possessed wasn¡¯t just for show. ¡°So, I¡¯m saying this, but¡­¡± Lionbreath said in a serious tone as he looked straight into Siegfried¡¯s eyes and asked, ¡°Can you teach your brother those amazing techniques you usedst night?¡± Lionbreath then whispered into Siegfried''s ear, ¡°I want to know your secret. How did you manage to master suchplex and perverted bedroom skills? Hoho! They say that nobody can beat the libido of a young man¡ªit seems the saying was true! Hahaha!¡± Siegfried felt like crying all of a sudden. Chapter 123

    Chapter 123

    ¡°Oh,?let me know as well if you have any supplements you are taking for stamina,¡± Lionbreath said with expectant eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not taking any supplements¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Hoho! C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be like that between us. Let me in on your little¡ªno, big secret! Keke!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? There is no secret¡­¡± ¡°I mean, just think about it rationally. It doesn¡¯t make sense that you can satisfy eleven women in a single night, no matter how naturally gifted you are. I¡¯m sure you have something special you are doing, right? I want to know the secret behind your limitless sexual stamina, so just let me in on it. We¡¯re brothers, right?¡± ¡°I said I don¡¯t have any¡ª¡± ¡°Ha! Look at this heartless man! They say that even a piece of bean can be shared between two people, but you can¡¯t even tell me what supplement you are taking? Ah, you want to be the only one enjoying at night, is that it?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡±?Siegfried let out a sigh of resignation at the constant usations as anger slowly started to well up from inside of him. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to teach you, hyung-nim, so please stop asking me about it.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­?What a petty fellow¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I am petty, and that is a trade secret, so I will not be making any furtherments.¡± ¡°Ha!?You¡¯re making me feel really?sad?now!¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t respond to Lionbreath¡¯s tantrums. In the end, the Nordic King gave up on asking about Siegfried¡¯s secret supplement and changed the subject. ¡°So, what do you think of my daughter? Do you want to be my brother and my son-inw?¡± ¡°No, I am a piece of trash, so I am not so keen on falling in love,¡± Siegfried replied. His image had already plummeted, so he no longer cared about keeping up his appearance. ¡°You are truly a man,¡± Lionbreath replied with a nod. ¡°What the heck¡­?¡± ¡°Love is just a stumbling block for a man destined for greatness. Yes, that¡¯s right¡­ You are truly a man walking on the path of greatness!¡± Siegfried somehow felt that these Nordic Tribesmen were going to sing him songs of praise even if he took off his pants and shat on the king¡¯s throne¡­ ¡°I understand what you mean, brother. I will no longer push the issue.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Oh,?I found the whereabouts of that girl you were looking for. I have handsomelypensated the marine who plundered her, so you don¡¯t have to worry about her now.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, hyung-nim.¡± With that, a message informing him of a quest¡¯spletion appeared in front of him. ¡®We finally found Dame Oscar¡¯s sister. That¡¯s a huge relief¡­¡¯?Siegfried smiled. *** ¡°I have something I am curious about, hyung-nim. Is it alright if I ask you?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Something you are curious about?¡± Lionbreath asked in response. ¡°That is¡­¡± Siegfried hesitated. ¡°What is it that you are curious about, my brother?¡± Lionheart asked in a warm and gentle yet charismatic voice befitting of a king. ¡°That is¡­ Why do you insist on waging wars and pirating when it is crashing the public image of the Nordic Tribe? I can¡¯t help but find it difficult to understand¡­¡± ¡°Ehem¡­¡± ¡°You do not have to answer if it is difficult for you, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Lionbreath waved his hand and said, ¡°I won¡¯t even consider replying if it were someone else, but I will satisfy your curiosity since you are my sworn brother.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± ¡°The Immortal King of Frost has resurrected.¡± ¡°Immortal King of Frost¡­?¡± A message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Alert: A chain quest has appeared: ¡®Old Tales¡¯!] . [Old Tales] [Type: Special Chain Quest 3] [Listen to the old tales recounted by the Nordic King Lionbreath.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but wonder how long this damned quest wouldst¡­ *** Three hundred years ago, the Nordic Tribe were divided into five tribes, and they were fighting tooth and nail with each other for the right to rule over all of Fan Ind. The ¡®Fan Ind Civil War¡¯ persisted for more than a century, and it was an endless cycle of revenge begetting revenge. But one day, an evil ck Magician who ran away from the N¨¹rburg Continent settled at the northern tip of Fan Ind. The evil ck Magician entered into a contract with demons and became a top-tier undead known as a ¡®Necrolich¡¯. Then, the Necrolich went out for revenge against those who chased him out from the continent, and the first step in his vengeance was taking over Fan Ind and creating his own legion. The Necrolich called himself the ¡®Immortal King,¡¯ and he proceeded to hunt down the Nordic Tribes one by one. The war between the Nercolich and the Nordic Tribes persisted for more than a decade, and the war only ended after Vlotron, who was one of the Five Star Heaven, jumped into the fray. ¡°The war against the Immortal King helped unify the Nordic Tribes, and all of us made a resolve that day to no longer fight amongst our own kind.¡± ¡°I see¡­ So something like that happened¡­¡± ¡°It was a time when we Nordic people learned a lot, and our culture of worshiping the strong and obsessing over strength was formed at the time.¡± Siegfried finally understood the Nordic Tribe¡¯s obsession with strength. [Alert: You have cleared the Special Chain Quest: ¡®Old Tales¡¯!] Lionbreath continued. ¡°But strange things have been happening up in the north since six months ago, and we just found outst month that the Immortal King resurrected.¡± ¡°That sounds a bit strange to me¡­ Why would you waste your troops invading Masavara if you will eventually fight the Immortal King?¡± ¡°We¡ªthe Nordic Tribe¡ªare not going to fight against the Immortal King.¡± ¡°What? You are going to avoid a fight?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t stupid. None of the countries from the continent helped us three hundred years ago when we were fighting against the Immortal King. In fact, some of them were even shameless enough to try and invade us right after the Immortal King was in. It was the continent that created the demon called the Immortal King, but we were the ones who had to suffer the consequences of their actions.¡± ¡°That is quite a shitty story¡­¡± Siegfried could somehow rte to Lionbreath. ¡®They were the ones who shat their beds, but they had the audacity to just sit around and watch someone else clean it up. Not only that, they were even shameless enough to stab them in the back afterward¡­¡¯ Ah, how shameless and petty could the species called humans be? ¡°It will be no different this time. We are the only ones who will suffer if we were to fight the Immortal King, and we will bear all of the consequences. In the end, even if we manage to beat the Immortal King, we will have to fight invaders, too.¡± ¡°Is that why you are waging war against Masavara? Were you thinking of abandoning Fan Ind and living on the continent?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Lionbreath nonchntly admitted, and then he exined, ¡°We have made our decision to abandon these barren and coldnds in exchange for settling on the continent.¡± ¡°So you are going to move your entire kingdom¡­¡± ¡°I think that is the smarter choice rather than letting history repeat itself. Besides, the Immortal King can reanimate the dead.¡± ¡°He has to be the worst kind of opponent for the Nordic Tribe as dying inbat just to be resurrected as an undead soldier of the Immortal King¡ª¡± ¡°Exactly. There will be nothing more shameful for us warriors than that.¡± Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes once again. [Alert: A Special Chain Quest: ¡®Ambitious Proposal¡¯ has been created.] It was another chain quest¡­ [Ambitious Proposal] [You may make the following proposals to Lionbreath as a powerful man he has acknowledged and as his sworn brother.] [Please select one of the two choices and decide on the path that you will walk on from now on!] [1. Alright, hyung-nim. I will help the Nordic Tribe settle down on the continent.] [2. Hyung-nim, moving to the continent is a wise decision, but I do not think it is a wise choice to wage war and hastily move your kingdom to another ce. Instead, I will try to stop the Immortal King.] [Please decide which is your choice.] It was time for him to make a decision. *** ¡®I would love to help hyung-nim and his tribe settle in the continent¡­¡¯? Siegfried was in a dilemma. He wanted to help the Nordic Tribe get back at the people who turned a blind eye to their plight and even went so far as to kick them when they were down three hundred years ago. However, he couldn¡¯t make a hasty decision here. The continent was hiring hundreds and thousands of Adventurers through the Mercenary Guild, and Siegfried was certain that he was going to end up in an awkward or even precarious position if he decided to help the Nordic Tribe. In addition, the Nordic Tribe was a powerful tribe, but they were nothingpared to the countless powerful Adventurers on the continent. What if the immortal beings known as the Adventurers joined the war against the Nordic Tribe? ¡®This is not the right solution¡­ The Nordic Tribe can¡¯t force their way into the continent with brute force. Stopping the Immortal King shoulde first,¡¯?Siegfried made up his mind. ¡°Hyung-nim.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I will help the Nordic Tribe settle on the continent.¡± However, Siegfried¡¯s words were the exact opposite of what he had been thinking. ¡°What?!¡± Lionbreath gasped. His eyes shot wide open from shock, and just to make sure, he asked once more, ¡°You are going to help us settle on the continent?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I-Is that true? Are you certain? I don¡¯t think this is an easy decision, even for someone like you!¡± ¡°It is only right for me to help my sworn brother, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Ha! You are a true man indeed! A loyal one! A very loyal one! To think that you are going to make such a big decision when it has only been a day since we swore to be sworn brothers!¡± ¡°In return, can you listen to my request?¡± ¡°What is it? Tell me anything you want!¡± ¡°Give me two days, and I wille up with a n that will surely satisfy you.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°You will most definitely be satisfied.¡± ¡°Alright! That sounds good to me!¡± Lionbreath readily epted Siegfried¡¯s offer. [Alert: You havepleted the Chain Quest: ¡®Ambitious Proposal¡¯!] *** Siegfried left Lionbreath¡¯s chambers and immediately used a piece ofmunication equipment to call the Minister of State of the Proatine Kingdom, Michele. ¡°Michele.¡± ¡ª Yes, Your Majesty? ¡°I need you toe here.¡± ¡ª What is the matter, Your Majesty? ¡°That is¡­¡± Siegfried exined the situation with the Nordic Tribe and the events brewing up north, and then he exined what Lionbreath was thinking. ¡ª Excellent decision, milord. Michele praised Siegfried for his quick thinking. ¡ª So Your Majesty is thinking of asking the Nordic Tribe to give way to the Immortal King and allow him to wage war against the continent, am I correct?¡± ¡°Oh??How did you know?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly impressed by Michele¡¯s insight. However, he also felt as if the boy could easily read his thought¡­ ¡ª It was quite obvious. ¡°So, do you think it will be possible?¡± ¡ª It is possible. I will immediately go to the nearby Warp Gate and crossover to where Your Majesty is located. ¡°Then, I will be waiting for you.¡± ¡ª Yes, Your Majesty. Siegfried ended the call with Michele, but he was in a dilemma once again. ¡®This isn¡¯t enough¡­ I need something impactful if I want to make hyung-nim and the entire Nordic Tribe move ording to my n. I need something symbolic to convince them, but I wonder what that is¡­ What can I use to make the Nordic Tribe move ording to my wishes?¡¯?he wondered, but he couldn¡¯t think of a concrete solution. ¡®Hmm¡­ I think strength is the answer. These guys are obsessed with strength, so¡­ I need strength¡­ strength that can captivate them in an instant¡­¡¯?he thought. However, Siegfried knew very well that he was nowhere near strong enough to captivate the Nordic Tribe. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess I need to use my connections. I mean, when will I use that person if it¡¯s not for times like this?¡± he muttered with a smirk as he thought of someone that he could use to his heart¡¯s content, and that person was a very strong individual. ¡°Excuse me!¡± Siegfried called out to the maid standing outside his bedroom. The maid instantly opened the door and responded, ¡°Yes, King Siegfried?¡± ¡°The Nordic Tribe has a Warp Gate and an airship, right?¡± ¡°Most certainly, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I will have to go to Mount Kunlun, so please prepare the Warp Gate and the airship. Ah,?please get me a brandy called ¡®Blood Tears of Revenge¡¯ as well,¡± Siegfried said as he prepared to head back to Mount Kunlun. Chapter 124

    Chapter 124

    On Mount Kunlun¡­ ¡°Master!¡± ¡°What brings you here so soon? It hasn¡¯t been that long since you descended the mountain!¡± ¡°Some things came up, so I will have to brazenly ask for your help, Master.¡± Siegfried smiled as brightly as he could in response to Deus¡¯ question. ¡°Please take this first. Your disciple has prepared a small gift for you,¡± Siegfried added as he offered the ¡®Blood Tears of Revenge¡¯. ¡°You managed to find this precious thing again?¡± ¡°How can Ie empty-handed when your benevolence is as wide and vast as the ocean? Hehe!¡± ¡°Hoho! Look at this cheeky little fellow! Do you really think that this great me will listen to your request just because of some gift?¡± ¡°That will always depend on your will, Master.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I should grant your request! You are my one and only beloved disciple, after all, so how can I turn a blind eye to your plight?!¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Master!¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not doing this because this brandy is extremely delicious or anything, so you better don¡¯t get the wrong idea. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Of course, Master.¡± ¡°Alright, what do you need from me?¡± ¡°May I borrow Elder¡ªno, Blockhead for a while?¡± This was Siegfried¡¯s main objective behinding to Mount Kunlun once again. He wanted to use Deus¡¯ manservant, Betelgeuse, to mesmerize the entire Nordic Tribe. Why? Betelgeuse was ¡®strong¡¯; that was why! It would be extremely easy to convince the Nordic Tribe if he put the Sword Emperor Betelgeuse, who was one of the Five Star Heaven, in front. ¡°Hmm? What do you need that blockhead for?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± Siegfried exined what happened so far. ¡°Oh! Do you want to borrow his name instead of his strength? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± Deus asked, seemingly intrigued. ¡°Yes, Master. Why should your disciple rely on Blockhead¡¯s strength? I will forge my own path to invincibility with my own two hands!¡± replied Siegfried while clenching his fists. ¡°Excellent!¡± Deus nodded with a satisfied look before saying, ¡°You need to strategize from time to time instead of charging head-on with only strength. Of course, a strategy would be meaningless if you¡¯re already in the same realm as me, but this is all a part of growing, don¡¯t you agree? This is going to be a good experience for you.¡± ¡°Then, are you giving me your permission, Master?¡± ¡°Of course, why shouldn¡¯t I approve it when my disciple is trying to act shrewd and use his brain for a change? Go ahead and take that blockhead with you.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Master!¡± ¡°In return, you will have to send him back quickly. Blockhead is too dumb to reach the realm of a Grandmaster, so every second of training counts for him.¡± Siegfried sessfully managed to borrow Deus¡¯ manservant, Blockhead. ¡°Elder Blockhead,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Aigoo! Wee, Young Master! What brings you here today?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Pardon me? Where are we going?¡± ¡°Vacation.¡± ¡°V-Vacation¡­? Has the great elder allowed me to go on vacation?¡± ¡°Yes, Elder Blockhead-nim. You may go on vacation for a week starting today, so let¡¯s hurry up and go.¡± ¡°Am I dreaming right now?¡± Blockhead couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up before Master changes his mind! We can¡¯t do anything if that happens!¡± ¡°H-Hiiik!¡± ¡°A vacation tastes the sweetest right before you get fired, right?¡± ¡°Y-Your humble servant will lead the way!¡± Blockhead eximed as he ran down the mountain. ¡°You insolent fool! I graced you with a vacation, but you dare run away without even greeting me?! I should teach you a lesson that you will never forget!¡± Blockhead was beaten up by Deus once again because he tried to leave without paying his respects. *** ¡°H-How can this be?! Sword Emperor Betelgeuse is your distant rtive?!¡± Lionbreath screamed in surprise. Who was Sword Emperor Betelgeuse? Was he not the one who fought for the title of the strongest among the Five Star Heaven?! To think that one of the Masters of the continent was a distant rtive of his sworn brother! Lionbreath was bbergasted. ¡°Are you the king of the Nordic Tribe? Nice to meet you, my name is Betelgeuse,¡± Blockhead greeted. ¡°It is a great honor to meet you! I never imagined that I would get to meet a Master like you in my lifetime! Oh my god!¡± Lionbreath cried out as he grabbed Blockhead¡ªno, Betelgeuse¡¯s hand with both hands as he bowed multiple times. Then, he pped himself a few times just to confirm that he wasn¡¯t dreaming. ¡°Hyung-nim,¡± Siegfried exined the n he had to Lionbreath, whose eyes had already turned into hearts long ago. ¡°What do you think of negotiating with the Immortal King through Betelgeuse-nim over here? We will open the way for the Immortal King to go to the continent. That way, the Nordic Tribe won¡¯t suffer any losses, and you will no longer have any reasons to continue this reckless war as well.¡± ¡°I-Is that really possible? Will the Immortal King easily ept that proposition? I¡¯m not so sure¡ª¡± ¡°The Immortal King will. Betelgeuse-nim is extremely powerful, so even the Immortal King will be under pressure in his presence.¡± ¡°That makes sense¡ªno, it makes perfect sense¡­!¡± Lionbreath eximed with a nod. ¡°I think that the leaders of the north will agree to this n as soon as they meet Betelgeuse-nim,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°That goes without question!¡± ¡°So, what do you think, hyung-nim? Do you think my n is worth giving a shot?¡± ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go with your n! What do we have to be afraid of when we have a Master on our side? Bwahahaha!¡± At that moment, Siegfried finally confirmed that his idea would work exactly how he wanted it to work. *** ¡°¡­So we will open the way for the Immortal King,¡± Siegfried exined to the Nordic Tribe officials. Siegfried¡¯s prediction about how the Nordic Tribe officials would react was right on the money. ¡°Bullshit! Go feed your n to the dogs outside!¡± ¡°You just want us to stop our invasion of the continent!¡± ¡°Do you really think that this will work?¡± ¡°Why would the Immortal King ept such a ridiculous proposition?¡± ¡°It sounds good in theory, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s realistic at all¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, everyone,¡± Betelgeuse said as he made a dramatic entrance, and then he introduced himself to the Nordic Tribe officials, ¡°Greetings, I am a distant rtive of this man here, Siegfried. My name is Betelgeuse.¡± At that, the Nordic Tribe officials started to noisily murmur among themselves. ¡°Betelgeuse¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°Is he iming to be that?Sword Emperor Betelgeuse?¡± ¡°One of the strongest people alive on the continent?!¡± Betelgeuse pulled out his gigantic de, which was also his trademark weapon, and showed it to the Nordic Tribe officials. ¡°Look! This sword is me, and I am this sword! This is the de of Permanence that is also the symbol of I¡ªthe Sword Emperor! I will help you force the Immortal King!¡± Betelgeuse eximed before unleashing his aura at the Nordic Tribe officials. This was a theatrical y that Siegfried had requested in advance. He wanted Betelgeuse to enamor the Nordic Tribesmen with his tremendously powerful aura. Siegfried¡¯s expectation was spot on. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°This n will work if Betelgeuse-nim is with us!¡± ¡°Ha!?The Immortal King lost to the Heavenly King of the North, Vlotron,st time! The Sword Emperor Betelgeuse is as strong as the Heavenly King of the North, right?! I¡¯m certain the Immortal King is going to ept our proposition!¡± ¡°What an excellent idea!¡± The Nordic Tribe officials instantly agreed to the n after seeing Betelgeuse with their own eyes. Now, they just had to execute the n. The name of the n was ¡®Operation: Fan Passing¡¯. *** The next morning, Siegfried attempted to establishmunications with the Immortal King¡¯s territory. Bzzt! Bzzt! However, it wasn¡¯t easy establishing amunication channel with them. ¡®Do we have to go there personally? But that¡¯s a bit too dangerous¡­¡¯? While he was thinking about what he should do, a Nordic Signalman shouted, ¡°We have establishedmunications with the Immortal King¡¯s territory!¡± ¡ª What do you want, foolish barbarians? Why are you calling me? Have we ever had the need tomunicate about anything? A magic hologram device projected the Immortal King. [Immortal King] [An evil ck magician who ran away from the continent three hundred years ago.] [He entered into a contract with Vernas, the Demon Lord of Vengeance, and turned into a Necrolich.] [A Necrolich specializes in controlling undead monsters.] [The Immortal King is dreaming of continuing his failed invasion three hundred years ago.] [Type: Undead Monster] [Level: 280] [ss: Necrolich] [Rating: Boss] [Title: Immortal King of Darkness, Immortal of Vengeance.] The Immortal King gave off a gothic impression with his horned helmet and extravagant robe, and he was a powerful Level 280 undead monster befitting his ss as a Necrolich. However, he wasn¡¯t as strong as he used to be in his prime. After all, he had just resurrected. ¡°Are you the Immortal King? Nice to meet you. Wow, I heard you resurrected after three hundred years. How does it feel to get some fresh air after being stuck for so long? Does the air feel fresh in your nose?¡± asked Siegfried with a snicker. ¡ª What did you just say?! The Immortal King eximed in disbelief. ¡ª They say that fools rush in where angels fear to tread! You insolent little fool! How dare you speak that way to me, the Immortal King?! ¡°Hey, calm down now. I just asked how you were doing. Geez¡­ Why escte it so far¡­¡± ¡ª Are you ying games with me?! I will see to it that you will regret your insolence! I¡ªthe Immortal King¡ªwill soon raise an army to teach you fools a lesson! ¡°Really? You might regret it. I mean, do you want to get beaten up and thrown back to where you came from?¡± ¡ª Where is your baseless confidenceing from? I already know that you don¡¯t have anyone like Vlotron among you! It seemed that the Immortal King had been diligently collecting information about his surroundings. ¡ª Why would I¡ªthe Immortal King¡ªbe defeated when you don¡¯t have anyone as powerful as Vlotron among you? Just wait, foolish Nordic Tribe! I will be taking my revenge for the shame you have given me three hundred years ago! I will not spare a single one of you. I will turn all of you into my undead¡ª ¡°But we have one,¡± Siegfried cut the Immortal King off. ¡ª You have one? What do you mean, little insolent fool? ¡°I mean, we have someone really strong with us.¡± ¡ª Bwahaha! I thought you were only insolent, but I see that you¡¯re also a liar! My information tells me that¡ª ¡°Tada~!¡± Siegfried pulled Betelgeuse toward him before asking, ¡°Guess who this is?¡± ¡ª Hmm? ¡°I¡¯m sure you have heard of him, right? This man right here is none other than the Sword Emperor Betelgeuse, who is one of the few Masters on the continent as well as one of the Five Star Heaven.¡± ¡ª F-Five Star Heaven?! ¡°Oh, right. Vlotron was one of the Five Star Heaven three hundred years ago, right? This could be something like a pseudo reunion between the two of you, then.¡± With that, Betelgeuse greeted the Immortal King. ¡°Nice to meet you, Immortal King. I am one of the current Five Star Heaven, Sword Emperor Betelgeuse. Ehem¡­?Ehem¡­?This is a bit embarrassing for me to say with my own mouth, but you can say that I am the strongest one among the Five Star Heaven for now.¡± ¡ª Lies! There¡¯s no way that big old man is one of the Five Star Heaven! Do you expect me, the Immortal King, to believe such an outrageous lie?! The Immortal King vehemently retorted Siegfried and Betelgeuse¡¯s ims. ¡°Why don¡¯t you see for yourself if you find it hard to believe?¡± Siegfried nonchntly sneered, and then he added, ¡°I will give you exactly thirty minutes, so why don¡¯t you go and check, then call me back?¡± ¡ª Ha! I, the Immortal King, will not be fooled by such petty tricks! ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m hanging up now. Oh, you have to call me back in thirty minutes. Otherwise, Betelgeuse-nim will go there and beat you up.¡± ¡ª You insolent¡­! ¡°Bye~¡± Siegfried said before hanging up. ¡°Young Master?¡± ¡°Yes, Elder-nim?¡± ¡°Do you really think that the Immortal King is going to call us back? Your humble servant thinks that he did not buy what I said just now. I believe it will be better for us to go and meet him in person instead because it is difficult to gauge someone through amunication channel¡­¡± Betelgeuse¡¯s words made perfect sense. Communication magic couldn¡¯tmunicate one¡¯s aura, so it was only natural that the Immortal King couldn¡¯t sense Betelgeuse¡¯s might. ¡°He¡¯s going to call us back.¡± However, Siegfried seemed certain that the Immortal King would call them back. ¡°Why do you think so, Young Master?¡± ¡°Because he has an informant...¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Think about it. How did that numbskull know that there was no Master among the Nordic Tribe? And who would have resurrected that numbskull after three hundred years? There can only be one answer, and it is obvious.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that there is someone behind that numbskull?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± Siegfried smiled and added, ¡°The person behind him will confirm whether you really are the Sword Emperor or not, and the Immortal King will have no choice but to call us back¡­¡± Siegfried was about to finish his words, but themunication device started ringing once again. Ring! Ring! The Immortal King appeared as a hologram. ¡ª W-What are your demands¡­? The Immortal King looked dejected for some reason, which was a stark contrast to his confident demeanor just a few moments ago. ¡®Excellent. Shall we start the negotiations?¡¯?Siegfried thought with an evil grin. Chapter 125

    Chapter 125

    ¡®What bullshit is this?! Why is there another Master with them?!¡¯?the Immortal King protested inwardly after his informant confirmed that therge old man he had just been speaking with was indeed Sword Emperor Betelgeuse. It felt like the entire world was crumbling down for the Immortal King. How long had he painstakingly been waiting to be resurrected? The Immortal King nned to finally achieve the three hundred years old vengeance he did not manage to achievest time and teach the Nordic Tribe, who stopped himst time, a lesson while he was at it. However, who could have known that those barbarians would have another Master with them this time around?! The Immortal King could not help but feel pressured after confirming that there was another being as strong as the Master who stopped him three hundred years ago. No, he was actually scared. He knew very well that there was no way that he would win against someone like the Sword Emperor when it hadn¡¯t even been a year since he was resurrected. ¡®Is this how it¡¯s going to end again? I waited for so long toe back to life¡­ but why did I have to meet a Master from the get-go?! Why?!¡¯?the Immortal Kingmented. However, he couldn¡¯t wallow in his sorrow. He decided to snap out of it and call back that insolent little greenhorn. Why? It was all for the sake of survival. ¡°What do you want?¡± the Immortal King asked Siegfried. ¡ª Who knows? We were nning to barge in and crush that thick skull of yours~ ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª I mean, it only makes sense for us to beat you up when you¡¯re still weak, right? That¡¯s going to make us suffer fewer casualties, too. Siegfried shrugged and spoke quite nonchntly to the point that he was starting to look arrogant. However, the Immortal King did not have the liberty to think of anything else aside from the fact that he had made the right choice in epting the initial call from the Nordic Tribe. ¡®Phew! That was a close call¡­ A close call worth three hundred years!¡¯?he thought while letting out a sigh of relief. He couldn¡¯t help but imagine what would have happened if he didn¡¯t answer the call, and the Nordic Tribe came rushing in with a Master with them. Moreover, the assault was going to be a very effective ambush since he had no idea that they had a Master with them. ¡°You could have juste and ended me right away. What is your purpose for calling me?¡± the Immortal King asked a logical question to Siegfried, and he proved that he was indeed an intellectual being. ¡ª Oh? That¡¯s a very good question. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡ª I¡¯m sure you know what happened three hundred years ago when we were fighting you, right? You know, the one where nobody from the continent helped us. ¡°I am well aware of that. It made it easier for me to wage war against you.¡± ¡ª Then, let¡¯s be realistic and smart about this whole thing. Why do we have to fight in the first ce? What you wanted from the start was to take revenge, right? You wanted to take revenge against those on the continent, am I right? ¡°Y-Yeah, I guess?¡± ¡ª You could have just gone straight to the continent instead of picking a fight with us and getting beaten up in the process. Geez¡­ ¡°Ehem!?You do have a point¡­¡± The Immortal King was slowly getting convinced by Siegfried¡¯s logic. ¡ª So, what do you think about cleanly letting bygones be bygones? Well, we do have some bad blood between us, so we won¡¯t be able to cleanly let go of the past, and that is going to make it difficult for us to enter into an alliance. However, we can just ignore each other and continue with our lives, right? ¡°W-What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡ª We will open the way for you to go to the continent. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡ª Go ahead and get your revenge on whoever you want to get your revenge on. We don¡¯t really care what you do over there, to be honest. ¡°Hmm¡­ That is quite intriguing¡­ but why are you making such a good offer in the first ce?¡± ¡ª The only ones who got screwed three hundred years ago were you and us. Those cowards on the continent got away scot-free, right? I mean, think about it! They forced you into this ind and grabbed popcorn while watching us fight it out to the death. If you look at it from our perspective then you will understand that those bastards are sly, cheeky assholes. ¡°Are you telling me that we are both victims?¡± ¡ª Precisely! Finally, we¡¯re on the same page! The only ones who will profit if we fight again are those sly bastards on the continent! That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying! ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re absolutely right!¡± ¡ª And we would definitely win if we fought you, but we would suffer heavy losses as well. So why should we bleed for no reason at all? In the end, we will be getting the shorter end of the stick if we fight! ¡°Oh! Exactly! I, the Immortal King, agree with your logic!¡± ¡ª Anyway, just go and do your own thing. We will let you pass scot-free since we don¡¯t really feel like fighting for no reason. ¡°Do I have your word?¡± ¡ª Hey¡­ Did you even understand what I¡¯ve been saying this whole time¡­? I already told you we have nothing to gain from fighting you, so why would we even stab you in the back? ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess you are right now that I think about it. You¡¯ll gain nothing from stabbing me in the back¡­¡± ¡ª Then, can I assume we have reached an agreement? ¡°Alright, I will invade the continent with my army once you open the way for me, and there will be no more wars between us.¡± ¡ª Deal. Siegfried smiled brightly after reaching an agreement with the Immortal King. *** There was a grand and exotic sight on Fan Ind a week after Siegfried and the Immortal King came to an agreement. The sight was the Immortal King and his undead legion. The tens of thousands of undead monsters marched from the north of Fan Ind and passed by the Nordic capital as they made their way south. The surprising thing was that the Immortal King and the undead monsters did noty a single finger on the Nordic Tribesmen while marching south. . ¡®Wow! Was something like this even possible?¡¯ ¡®King Siegfried is indeed a wise and powerful man!¡¯ ¡®I somewhat knew that he was not a normal person the moment he became our king¡¯s sworn brother, but who could have known he was capable of carrying out such a miracle?¡¯ Thanks to that, the Nordic Tribe¡¯s respect toward Siegfried increased exponentially. Not that it mattered to him anyway¡­ ¡°Hey! Immortal King!¡± Siegfried shouted toward the Necrolich leading the march and cheered in a loud voice. ¡°Take care! You got this! You better get your revenge! We¡¯re rooting for you!¡± ¡°Thank you, young one! I will most definitely repay your good wishes by sessfully achieving my revenge!¡± the Immortal King replied while waving toward Siegfried. It seemed that his eyes and mouth were smiling, even though he only had a skull with no features. ¡°Hey, Immortal King! I wish you victory! Go and teach those bastards who persecuted you a lesson!¡± shouted Betelgeuse, who tagged along as nothing but a menacing tool. ¡°Hoho!?What in the world are you, brother?¡± Lionbreath asked. He found the entire exchange to be quite awe-striking. ¡°Hmm? Me? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡± Siegfried asked while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°I have never seen a man like you in my fifty years in this world. You not only possess strength at such a young age, but you¡¯re quite the heavy drinker, and your sexual stamina is¡ª¡± ¡°C-Can we drop the talk about that?¡± Siegfried muttered with his ears turning red. ¡°Not only are you quite the strategist yourself, but you are even rted by blood to the Sword Emperor! Not to mention, you have balls of steel to be able to treat the Immortal King as any other bumpkin on the street!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you praising me a bit too much?¡± ¡°Not at all! I¡¯m still young, so I still have a lot of things to learn, but you are one of the people I sincerely respect.¡± Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: The Nordic King, Lionbreath¡¯s Affinity with you has increased by +10,000!] [Alert: The Nordic King, Lionbreath¡¯s Affinity with you has changed from ¡®Trust¡¯ to ¡®Complete Trust¡¯!] [Alert: Congrattions! You have earned the trust of not only the Nordic King, Lionbreath but the trust of the entire Nordic Tribe as well!] [Alert: Lionbreath and the Nordic Tribe haveplete loyalty toward you!] Siegfried had built a strong rtionship with the Nordic Tribe just like he did with Betelgeuse, even though it wasn¡¯t really his goal. ¡®Why is it I¡¯m only getting these messages from old men? It must be a coincidence, right¡­? It shouldn¡¯t mean anything, yes¡­¡¯?he convinced himself that it was all nothing but a big coincidence. *** ¡°Hurry up and get going¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while looking at the southern beach. Ssh! Ssh!? The undead legion of the Immortal King was diving into the sea one by one as they headed for the continent south of Fan Ind. The undead had no issues marching underwater for as long as they wanted because they didn¡¯t have to breathe. ¡°What are your ns now, brother?¡± Lionbreath asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Siegfried asked in response. ¡°It seems that we have sessfully convinced the Immortal King, but he is going toe back stronger very soon. What if he recovers his former strength andes back¡­¡± ¡°You cannot trust him because he is an evil undead at the end of the day, is that right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Am I crazy? Why would I keep my promise with a filthy undead? I¡¯ll rather do a pinky swear with a goblin.¡± It seemed that Siegfried did not have the slightest bit of intention to honor his promise to the Immortal King. ¡°T-Then¡­ Do you n to stab the Immortal King in the back?!¡± ¡°Of course, we have to do that.¡± ¡°Then, I will immediately mobilize our army and¡­¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the right time. We will have to be patient for now.¡± ¡°Hoho, you are quite an unpredictable one.¡± Lionbreath clicked his tongue. ¡°Hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Yes, brother?¡± ¡°Who are our enemies?¡± ¡°The Immortal King is without a doubt our¡ª¡± ¡°It should be the Immortal King AND the damned cowards who stabbed us in the back three hundred years ago, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?If you look at it that way, then yeah. They are the reason why the Immortal King came to be, but they did not even bother to help us at all. Moreover, they even attacked us after we cleaned up their mess,¡± Lionbreath said with a hint of anger in his voice. ¡°We just have to pay them back. Please do not tell me that the Nordic Tribe is filled with a bunch of people who do not know how to take revenge?¡± ¡°Ha!?We want nothing more than to get back at those bastards for what they did to us!¡± ¡°Then, just wait patiently and watch. I will ensure that you¡¯ll be able to pay them back for what they did, and with interest at that,¡± Siegfried said with a sinister smile. *** It had been a week since the Immortal King started making his way toward the continent. The city-state Hommetown, Pilos, and the small kingdom Hermates. These were the three main culprits behind the birth of the Immortal King as well as the ones who stabbed the Nordic Tribe in the back. They were currently in great danger against the invading undead legion, and theircency was the reason they were helpless against the multitude of undead monsters. Hommetown, Pilos, and Hermates could have never imagined that the Immortal King could get resurrected. As such, they never made any preparations. Honestly, even if they knew that the Immortal King woulde back to life, they still wouldn¡¯t have made any preparations. Why? They expected the Nordic Tribe to act as their shield once again. These three nations did not station any scouts or spies in the ck Inds, and they also didn¡¯t try to establish any diplomatic rtions to collect information regarding the Immortal King. It was all because of these that the Immortal King¡¯s undead legion was sessful in their ambush against the three nations. They suffered devastating damage from the Immortal King¡¯s first wave of attacks. ¡°Those useless barbarians!¡± ¡°What is going on? Has the Immortal King wiped out those barbarians already?!¡± ¡°What are those useless buffoons doing letting the Immortal Kingunch an ambush against us?!¡± The officials and leaders of these three nations gathered together to make sense of the situation, but they only spent their time ming the Nordic Tribe without even realizing what actually happened. Their assumptions were instantly shattered by the words of a messenger. ¡°The Nordic Tribe has sent an envoy!¡± The coalition forces could have never imagined that the barbarians would send an envoy to them. Why? They had been certain that the Immortal King had already annihted the Nordic Tribe. Chapter 126

    Chapter 126

    ¡°Greetings, Governor Fernandes. My name is Michele, and I am here to represent the Nordic Tribe,¡± Michele introduced himself. ¡°Represent the Nordic Tribe? What nonsense is that? The Nordic Tribe should have fallen long ago!¡± Fernandes, who was the leader of the three-nation coalition forces, retorted. ¡°I regret to inform you that we, the Nordic Tribe, are still alive and well.¡± ¡°Alive and well?¡± ¡°Yes, our forces are still at a hundred percent without a single casualty.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Are you saying that the Immortal King just passed through your territory without doing anything?¡± ¡°We opened the way for him.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The officials and the leaders of the coalition forces were stupefied to hear that. ¡®Oh my god!¡¯ ¡®Have they gone insane?!¡¯ ¡®Why would they open the way for the Immortal King?!¡¯ It seemed to them that the battle-crazed Nordic Tribe had agreed to a ceasefire with the Immortal King and allowed the Immortal King to waltz past their territory, but was something like that even possible in the first ce? Forget about those barbarians, would the Immortal King even agree to such an arrangement? ¡°Are you asking me to believe that? And are you admitting to the fact that you allowed that evil Necrolich to simply waltz past your territories without even attempting to stop him?!¡± ¡°Then what did your coalition forces do to us three hundred years ago?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°We have no reason to bleed for your sake.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± Unlike his looks, Michele didn¡¯t act like a young and innocent child. Smirk¡­! He smiled while looking down at the coalition forces. Michele was basically openlyughing at the coalition forces, and his smile was his attempt to make sure that they knew what he was doing. ¡°H-How dare you! Who do you think you are talking to?!¡± ¡°I would like to cordially ask you to shut up. You¡¯re making me sick, you see,¡± Michele retorted, and then he nonchntly added, ¡°I havee here to issue an ultimatum rather than to negotiate or request an alliance with you.¡± ¡°T-This little! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!¡± ¡°I will give you two days. Your coalition is to sign an agreement stating that you are willing to give up twenty percent of yournd and offer two tons of gold every year for the next ten years as tribute, then we might consider helping you out.¡± ¡°Ha! Where did this crazy little brat evene from?! Do you even know what you are spouting right now?!¡± ¡°You have two days,¡± Michele warned before turning around to leave. ¡°Catch that brat! I will rip him to shreds and send his body back to¨C-¡± ¡°Governor! No! You must not! The Nordic Tribe is not going to help us if you kill that boy now!¡± Sadeng, who was a strategist from Hommetown, tried to stop Fernandes frommitting a grave mistake. However, Fernandes showed no signs of restraining himself. ¡°There will be no future for our nations if you kill that young man! Please hold back!¡± ¡°B-But that little brat¡­!¡± Fernandes growled before backing down. ¡°Hey, did you say your name was Michele? Why did you bring a proposal like this when you fully know that you guys will be in danger as well if the coalition forces fell? The Immortal King is an evil undead monster! How can you not see that you will be the next target?!¡± Sadeng eximed. ¡°Who said we don¡¯t know that?¡± Michele replied with a smirk. ¡°Then, why are you making such a one-sided unfair proposal despite knowing what will happen?! This is foolishness! We all are going to die together in the end¡ª¡± Sadeng protested. ¡°You lot will die first,¡± Michele nonchntly interrupted. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Please do not attempt to y a chicken game with us. Time is not on your side, and you will be the ones who¡¯ll die first if it ever runs out. Then, I will excuse myself now,¡± Michele said with a smirk before he finally left. Nobody could block Michele¡¯s path. A chicken game started between the Nordic Tribe and the three nations. Unfortunately for thetter, the Nordic Tribe had a massive advantage over them. *** ¡°Unni!¡± A blonde-haired girl ran toward Oscar. She was Oscar¡¯s little sister who got kidnapped by a Nordic Marine. ¡°Francoise!¡± Oscar eximed and hugged her sister tightly before asking, ¡°Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Unniii! Sniff! Sniff!¡±? ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s all going to be alright now. Your unni is here. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Oscar consoled her sister. She was currently not the rigid, inflexible knight Siegfried was familiar with. The knight who valued discipline over anything else was acting exactly like any other worried sister would act. ¡®So Oscar has that side to her as well¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. It was something he would only find out muchter, but Oscar used to be an infamous street urchin back in her days. ¡°Hoho! There¡¯s nothing more beautiful than a reunion between sisters!¡± Lionbreathughed heartily. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry about your sister. We don¡¯t force ourselves on our women regardless of whether they are our own or someone we abducted.¡± ¡°That is admirable.¡± ¡°War crimes are nothing but cancer to the morale of the army.¡± The Nordic Warriors could be called ¡®gentlemen of the battlefield¡¯ at this point. ¡°Oh, what happened to the negotiation, by the way? It has been three days, right?¡± Lionbreath asked. ¡°I am sure Michele is doing his best right now. He is extremely smart, so he is probably toying with those three nations as we speak,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I mean, there is a reason why I appointed him as my Minister of State, after all. Just wait and see, hyung-nim. He¡¯s going toe back with the debt from three hundred years ago fully paid with interest.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sure it will happen as you say it will,¡± Lionbreath said nonchntly. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of worry on his face. Why? ¡®It¡¯s good to have a brother like this guy~ Haha!¡¯ Because it was Siegfried¡­ *** Three days after Michele visited the coalition forces, the three nations decided to ept the proposal of the Nordic Tribe despite its one-sidedness. It was all because they could no longer withstand the assault of the Immortal King¡¯s army. They called Michele to inform him of their decision, but¡­ ¡°Haa¡­?thirty percent of yournds and four tons of gold every year,¡± Michele said as he ced his feet on top of the meeting table and puffed a cigar. Michele looked nothing like an envoy right now. It would be more suitable to call him a hooligan racketeering in the marketce. ¡°What is the meaning of this?! Thirty percent of ournds and four tons of gold?! That wasn¡¯t what we discussed!¡± Sadeng retorted. However, Michele shrugged and replied nonchntly, ¡°Dy fee.¡± ¡°D-Dy fee?!¡± ¡°A whole day has passed since the deadline. Is it not obvious that you should be charged for the dy?¡± ¡°What kind of extortion is this?! Aren¡¯t you being too much just because you have the upper hand?! Do you have no shame at all?!¡± ¡°Till midnight,¡± Michele said. He didn¡¯t even listen to what Sadeng had to say. Then, he rubbed his cigar on the meeting table and waltzed out of the ce. The next morning, the three nations were still trying to reach a consensus. ¡°What are you trying to say? We should give in to their demands?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just die together!¡± ¡°We need to survive to be able to see another day!¡± ¡°Hey, you frustrating knuckleheads! What will be left of us if we give in to their demands?!¡± ¡°Who do you think you are pointing your finger at?!¡± ¡°That will be forty percent of yournds, along with five tons of gold every year. On top of that, let¡¯s add a thousand D-Grade mana stones as well. You see, our dy fees are a bit expensive. I think it is only right because three hundred years is a long time, and the debt had to have matured long ago,¡± Michele said casually. He didn¡¯t forget to remind the three nations of what they had done three hundred years ago. ¡°T-This insolent¡­! I won¡¯t tolerate this any further! Let¡¯s just die altogether!¡± Fernandes screamed as he tried to bluff his way to an agreement. However, Michele easily called his bluff without batting an eyelid. ¡°Fifty percent of yournds, ten tons of gold annually, and an entire D-Grade Mana Stone mine as well. Ah, don¡¯t get me wrong. This is not a dy fee, but a fee for hurting my feelings.¡± ¡°I will kill you! You little hooligan! I will make sure to kill you first before the Immortal King kills me!¡± Fernandes screamed in anger. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Michele said with a shrug before he took out a dagger and threw it on the table, and then he added, ¡°Fifty percent of yournds, ten tons of gold yearly, and a D-Grade Mana Stone mine. These are the terms, and you better decide before the light on my cigar goes off, or else I will kill myself on this spot.¡± It turned out that instead of threatening them with a suicide bomb, he threatened them with his own death. *** Right before the cigar went off, a ¡®Magic Contract¡¯ with the seal of all three nations¡¯ leaders was ced in front of Michele. ¡°H-Here is the agreement¡­¡± said Fernandes. Michele did not say anything in response as he signed the contract and stamped it with the seal of the Nordic Tribe. Once he was done, an unexpected change urred. ¡°Thank you very much for your cooperation. I would like to sincerely apologize for my rudeness,¡± Michele said courteously. He suddenly sounded extremely diplomatic, which was a stark contrast to his hooligan-like behavior just a while ago. ¡°¡­¡± The leaders and officials of the three nations were bbergasted by Michele¡¯s sudden change in attitude. ¡°Y-You are quite a fearsome man. I see that you put on an act and provoked our pride, so we won¡¯t ept the offer so easily,¡± said Sadang. ¡°It would increase the value of this agreement after all,¡± Michele said with a bright smile before adding, ¡°A diplomat should be prepared to do anything and everything as long as it benefits his country, right?¡± ¡°This one is for the history books, all right? Who could have known that the style of those back alley hooligans would ever be used in a negotiation among nations¡­¡± ¡°What is the difference between negotiations between hooligans and nations? Aren¡¯t all negotiations just the same?¡± ¡°I see. I envy the Nordic Tribe. To think that they possess an excellent strategist like you¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No¡­?¡± ¡°I am not a subject of the Nordic King.¡± ¡°Then, who is your liege?¡± ¡°I am the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s Minister of State, and I serve His Majesty Siegfried van Proa,¡± Michele said before leaving the conference room. ¡°Siegfried van Proa¡­ Just how great of a man is he that someone like him would be his loyal subject?¡± Sadeng wondered as he watched Michele disappear into the distance. *** Siegfried immediately called for a military meeting as soon as he received word that Michele had sessfully finished the negotiations. ¡°We are now going tounch a full-scale attack against the Immortal King.¡± The reason Siegfried was the one leading the meeting was simple. The Nordic King, Lionbreath, appointed Siegfried as the suprememander of this war. ¡°All forces. Move out,¡± said Siegfried. The hundreds of ships stationed at the harbor instantly set out as soon as Siegfried gave themand. Exactly three hourster, the Immortal King was enraged after discovering that his rearguard was being attacked by the Nordic Tribe. - Those Nordic Bastards¡­! - All forces! To the rear! The Immortal King shouted as he raised his magic sword into the sky. *** The thirty thousand Nordic Forces shed against the undead legionposed of fifty thousand undead monsters. Anyone watching the battle would be sure that the battle would end with an overwhelming victory for the Immortal King¡¯s forces. However, that was not the case at all. The Nordic Forces split into three battalions of ten thousand forces each, and they pierced through the center of the undead legion to arrive right in front of the Immortal King. - Damn it! The Master among them has joined the fray! The Immortal King cried out. He suspected that Sword Emperor Betelgeuse was the one sweeping through the center of his army. However, the Immortal King was mistaken, as there was no Master fighting in the middle of his army. ¡°Forward! Forward!¡± Siegfried shouted as he led the Nordic Forces into battle with his debuff fields while ughtering the undead creatures standing in his way. In short, the culprit behind the copse of the undead legion¡¯s formation in the middle of the legion wasn¡¯t Sword Emperor Betelgeuse but Debuff Master Siegfried. Chapter 127

    Chapter 127

    Siegfried and the Nordic Marines plowed through the Immortal King¡¯s forces like bulldozers, and the main driving force behind this fearsome charge was none other than Siegfried. ¡°I¡¯m cing a circle,¡± he said before activating his debuff fields. ¡°Let¡¯s gooo!¡± ¡°Chaaarge!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you guys over and over again!¡± The Nordic Marines swept through the debuffed undead monsters, and the result of the charge was simply astonishing. [Alert: You have reached Level 143!] [Alert: You have reached Level 144!] [Alert: You have reached Level 145!] [Alert: You have reached Level 146!] [Alert: You have reached Level 147!] [Alert: You have reached Level 148!] [Alert: You have reached Level 149!] [Alert: You have reached Level 150!] Siegfried earned an absurd amount of Experience Points by simply cing his debuff fields. This was only reasonable since the Nordic Marines found it extremely easy to ughter the undead monsters that snapped like rotten twigs after getting debuffed by the Debuff Master. [Alert: You may now learn two new skills!] [Alert: You can check the new learnable skills on the ¡®My Skill¡¯ page on your status screen!] Siegfried could finally learn new skills after reaching Level 150, and the names of his new skills were called ¡®Elemental Shower¡¯ and ¡®Seal Damage¡¯. [Elemental Shower] [Cast to summon a debuff field that significantly decreases the elemental resistance of the enemies standing on the field. The reduction increases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [Seal Damage] [Cast to summon a debuff field that significantly reduces the Attack Power and Magic Power of the enemies standing on the field. The reduction increases the higher the skill¡¯s level.] Elemental Shower and Seal Damage truly deserved to be Level 150 skills. ¡®Let¡¯s try them out.¡¯?Siegfried immediately ced the two new debuff fields, and the results were jaw-dropping. sh! . Siegfried mustered his lightning attribute and unleashed them at the undead monsters, and the monsters on top of the Elemental Shower debuff field were instantly ¡®deleted¡¯ from the game. Moreover, the number of Nordic Marines who fell in battle was significantly reduced after he ced the Seal Damage debuff field and greatly weakened the undead monsters. The Immortal King had no blood nor veins, but his blood pressure shot up after seeing his legion getting ughtered by the humans. - T-Those insolent¡­! How dare they do that to my beloved soldiers! The Immortal King felt like he was going crazy when he saw the number of his troops getting shaved off by the thousands every minute. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. His undead forces were getting crushed like sand castles, but those damned Nordic Marines seemed to be getting more resilient as the battle progressed. On top of that, the huge swing in the tides of the battle explosively increased the morale of the Nordic Marines. The Immortal King instinctively knew that he was in a bad spot. ¡®I can¡¯t just sit around and let this continue,¡¯?he thought as he gripped the magic sword in his hand and made a decision, ¡®I should get rid of that greenhorn first.¡¯ He could no longer sit around and watch when even his advanced undead soldiers were falling down one by one. Whooooosh! The Immortal King activated his flight magic and flew toward the front lines where the undead monsters and Nordic Marines were fighting. *** ¡®Something¡¯s iing!¡¯?Siegfried sensed something powerful flying toward them. Whoooosh! The Immortal King was flying toward them at high speeds, and his robe fluttered as he zoomed through the air. [Immortal King] [Level: 299] The Immortal King was only one level short of Level 300, while Siegfried was only Level 150. This meant that their level gap was almost two times. In addition, every Level 300 creature would acquire great powers enough for them to be considered on the brink of bing Masters. The single level between Level 299 and Level 300 was the boundary between a Master and a Non-Master, but the Immortal King was just one level shy of bing a ¡®Great Wizard¡¯. ¡®Should I havee sooner¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. - Hey, greenhorn. The Immortal King called out as he aimed his magic sword engulfed in ¡®ghost me¡¯ at Siegfried. ¡®Hmm?¡¯? Siegfried did not hear what the Immortal King had to say because the magic sword in thetter¡¯s hand caught his attention. [Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger] [Description: A gift from one of the thirteen demon lords of hell, the Demon Lord of Vengeance, Vernas. It is a magic sword infused with a demon lord¡¯s Authority.] [Type: Sword] [Rating: Myth] [Attack Power: 2,543 (+543)] [Magic Power: 2,543 (+543)] [Mana: +2,000] [HP Consumption: -500 HP every thirty seconds while equipped.] [Stamina Consumption: -500 STA every thirty seconds while equipped.] [Options: All stats +10%, Darkness-type skills +7 levels, and Experience Points gained +25%.] [Special Abilities: Soul Harvest, Soul Extract] [Soul Harvest: Traps a soul within the magic sword and empowers the magic sword¡¯s ability using the soul as the furnace. The magic sword¡¯s Attack Power and Magic Power increases the more souls are trapped within it.] [Soul Extract: Extract the souls trapped within the magic sword to explosively amplify the user¡¯s abilities with rapidly decaying HP and Stamina while the ability is active.] Surprisingly, the magic sword the Immortal King was wielding was a gift from a demon lord, and it was probably the reason why the magic sword¡¯s options were extravagant enough to distract Siegfried. Of course, the HP and Stamina decay every thirty seconds whenever it was equipped was a huge penalty, but if he somehow found a way around it, then¡­ ¡®I want it!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly with sparkling eyes. The magic sword Avenger was an item any gamer would want if their ss had darkness-type skills. In fact, they would probably be willing to even change their entire ss into a darkness-type swordsman if they could get their hands on Avenger. Unfortunately, greedpletely blinded Siegfried. ¡°Die, kid!¡± the Immortal King swung his magic sword at Siegfried. No, he tried to swing it, but he couldn¡¯t do it. Flinch! The Immortal King suddenly flinched and shuddered as he muttered, ¡°M-My life vessels¡­!¡± He shuddered as felt the destruction of one of his life vessels. *** Three hundred years ago, the Immortal King lost one of his life vessels after losing to the Nordic Sword Master, Vlotron. However, his life vessel didn¡¯t getpletely destroyed. It split into several pieces and scattered throughout Fan Ind. Three hundred yearster, someone helped the Immortal King resurrect, and upon resurrecting, he immediately split his life vessel into four pieces. He hid three of them across Fan Ind, and he used thest one as his current physical body. This was a type of insurance just in case something happened to him in battle. However, the cunning Siegfried and smart Michele weren¡¯t the types of people who would simply pass on such a golden opportunity. ¡°If someone who died three hundred years ago suddenly returned to life, then that could only mean that his life vessel was somehow reconstructed, right?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°That seems to be the case, Your Majesty. I am certain that someone helped the Immortal Kinge back to life,¡± Michele replied. ¡°I think so, too, but where do you think the Immortal King¡¯s life vessels are located?¡± ¡°It is possible that he split them into multiple pieces and kept them somewhere safe, do you not agree, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Should we form a search party? I don¡¯t think it will be that easy to find them¡­¡± All of a sudden, Hamchi shouted. ¡°Hey! Owner punk!¡± Hamchi was currently in a cage designed for pets. It was his punishment after giving the Nordic Beauties those perverted dreams. It was the price he had to pay for dragging his master¡¯s public image through the mud. ¡°Let Hamchi go! Then, perhaps I will think about helping you find that numbskull¡¯s life vessels!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Hamchi is really good at finding those kinds of things! Sniff¡­! Sniff¡­!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You don¡¯t sound so convincing¡­¡± ¡°Have you been scammed your entire life? Kyuuu!¡± ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you give it a shot? I will give you a whole packet of sunflower seeds for every life vessel you find.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Hamchi was able to negotiate for his release in exchange for helping Siegfried find the Immortal King¡¯s life vessels. He used ¡®Meerkat~!¡¯ around Fan Ind and searched every nook and cranny of it diligently. Siegfried gave the task of destroying the Immortal King¡¯s life vessels to Oscar and Seung-Gu, Lionbreath and his royal knights, and Sword Emperor Betelgeuse. Then, the three teams fought their own battles through the undead monsters that were ced by the Immortal King to safeguard his life vessels. All of this happened before Siegfried shed against the Immortal King. Obviously, the first one who managed to destroy one of the Immortal King¡¯s life vessels was Sword Emperor Betelgeuse. ¡°Hoho, look at this lump of evil energy,¡± Betelgeuse said with a leisurely smile. He instantly broke through the hordes of undead guarding the dungeon, where the Immortal King hid his life vessel, and made it all the way in front of the altar where it was being kept. However, someone stood between him and the life vessel. It was none other than the Fifth Disciple of the Church of Osric, the Purple Cardinal, ¡®Linverse¡¯. [Linverse] [A sorcerer of the Church of Osric in charge of resurrecting the evils of old. He specializes in resurrecting powerful evil beings that were vanquished in the past, and he is using his abilities to help the Church of Osric wreak havoc and chaos throughout the world.] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 260] [Rating: Boss] [ss: Resurrector] [Affiliation: Church of Osric] [Position: Fifth Disciple, Purple Cardinal] ¡°Who are you to interrupt the church¡¯s¡ª¡± Linverse asked. sh! However, a ray of light interrupted him. Then¡­ Shwaaaa! Thud¡­ Roll¡­ Linverse head rolled on the ground as his headless body wobbled around while spewing blood from the headless stump. Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Quick Draw took Linverse¡¯s life. ¡°How dare you act all tough in front of me, the Sword Emperor? Keke!¡± Betelgeuse scoffed at the insolent cardinal lying dead in front of him. The Purple Cardinal, who was a Level 260 character, was nothing but a fly in front of the Sword Emperor, who was already a Master. Betelgeuse was a manservant in front of Siegfried¡¯s master, Deus, but no one would dare to look down on him throughout the continent. After all, he was the Sword Emperor, Betelgeuse. *** The moment Sword Emperor Betelgeuse crushed one of the Immortal King¡¯s life vessels... [Immortal King] [Level: 269] The Immortal King instantly lost thirty levels, and his level dropped from Level 299 to Level 269. - ¡­! The Immortal King immediately attempted to cast a magic spell. He couldn¡¯t waste his time fighting this kid in front of him because he had to prioritize the safety of his remaining life vessels. ¡®Why isn¡¯t my magic working¡­? I¡¯m sure I cast it just now¡­?¡¯?he wondered. For some reason, the Immortal King couldn¡¯t take flight despite casting his flight magic. ¡®Again!¡¯?the Immortal King tried once again, but the result was the same. He flew around fifty centimeters off the ground before instantly dropping back to the ground. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is my flight magic not working? Wait a minute¡­ What is this intrusive wave? Something is interrupting my magic and disrupting my flow of mana. Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­? Is iting from that kid?!¡¯?the Immortal King immediately turned toward the ¡®kid¡¯. His keen sense and sensitivity toward mana as a magician allowed him to instantly discover the culprit who was interrupting his magic. Wooooong¡­! The kid¡¯s body was emitting numerous waves that interrupted his spells. It was none other than the Wave of Oppression. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Siegfried asked with a smirk before saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t you y with me? Come on, let¡¯s y~¡± He then dashed toward the Immortal King at breakneck speeds. Chapter 128

    Chapter 128

    - Get lost! The Immortal King swung his magic sword at Siegfried. - Die! I don¡¯t have time to y around with the likes of you! However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t someone who would easily let the Immortal King go. ¡®I should dodge that.¡¯ Siegfried didn¡¯t carelessly try to block the Immortal King¡¯s attacks. The difference between their weapons was simply too huge, and he was sure that the Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot would get crushed if he tried to take the magic sword¡¯s attack. Bam! Siegfried dodged and smashed his hammer into the Immortal King¡¯s chin. Puuk! Then he took out the Rod of God and used Weapon Master Shakiro¡¯s Lightning with it. [Immortal King] [HP: ??????????] However, the Immortal King¡¯s HP did not show any signs of decreasing. The Necrolich was considered to be one of the strongest undead monsters, and its defense was ridiculously high. Moreover, the huge difference in their levels somehowpensated for the debuffs Siegfried had cast. - Burn to ashes! The Immortal King recovered the HP he lost and immediately summoned a ck wall of fire to block Siegfried¡¯s path. Fwaaa! The ck wall of fire slithered like a snake as it looked down at Siegfried before diving down to deal fire damage and darkness damage. Meanwhile, the Immortal King tried to recast his flight magic while Siegfried was trapped by the wall of fire. ¡®I need to get out of here and protect my life vessels!¡¯?the Immortal King thought as he was about to cast his flight magic, but Siegfried had always been stubborn. Kwang! He used Splitting Heaven and Earth to cancel the flight magic the Immortal King was trying to cast. Whoosh¡­ Crash! The Immortal King was thrown into the air before he was mmed into the ground, and then multiple bolts of lightning came crashing down from the sky toward him. - This little insect dares to¡­! The Immortal King was enraged. Damage? It wasn¡¯t that high, but the fact that a mere human was holding him back when he was in a rush to go and protect his life vessel irritated him. Time wasn¡¯t on his side as he had no idea when the remaining two life vessels would get destroyed. - I will never forgive you¡­! The Immortal King was about to curse Siegfried when a sharp pain pierced his nonexistent heart. Badump! C-Crack¡­! The sound of something breaking echoed in the Immortal King¡¯s head. [Immortal King] [Level: 239] The Immortal King lost another thirty levels. Smirk! Siegfried shed an evil grin after he checked the Immortal King¡¯s level with his Rune of Insight. *** ¡°Great work, Sir Seung-Gu.¡± ¡°You did all the freakin hard work, Dame Oscar!¡± The second life vessel was destroyed by Seung-Gu and Oscar. ¡°Kyu!?Great job!¡± Hamchi was with Seung-Gu and Oscar just in case, but he also contributed quite a lot in destroying the life vessel. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. ¡°Let¡¯s go, my honorable warriors.¡± The Nordic King, Lionbreath, led his royal knights and Veteran Nordic Marines. They were now about to destroy the Immortal King¡¯s third life vessel. There were dozens of high-ranking Church of Osric officials and hundreds of church members standing in their way. There were even three Duhans, which was a high-ranked undead monster, as well as eight Death Knights guarding the life vessel. However, the Nordic Warriors, who were a bunch of people obsessed with strength, ughtered the Church of Osric members who stood in their way and hacked their way through the defenders defending the life vessel. Thud¡­! Thest enemy fell to the ground. ¡°I leave the rest to you, brother,¡± Lionbreath said with a smile before walking toward the life vessel. *** ¡®I have to go now!¡¯?the Immortal King unleashed powerful spells at Siegfried before immediately trying to use Blink. His n was to create a distance between himself and Siegfried. sh! Thankfully, he was able to widen the distance between them without any issues ¡®Now¡¯s my chance! Flight Magic!¡¯?the Immortal King started channeling it, but¡­ Whooosh¡­ Kwang! Siegfried threw his hammer, striking the Immortal King on the head. The flight magic¡¯s channeling was interrupted once again. Grit¡­! The Immortal King gritted his teeth. - Hey! You stubborn little bastard!] In the end, the Immortal King forgot about keeping up his kingly appearance as he started to unleash a torrent of cuss words at Siegfried. - You son of a bitch! Just leave me alone, will you?! Leave me alone! You goddamned son of a bitch! The little rat would run away if he tried to kill him, but he would stubbornly chase after him if he tried to escape. In short, Siegfried was the worst kind of enemy for someone like the Immortal King, who was currently pressed for time. - This stubborn little¡ª Badump! A sharp pain struck the Immortal King¡¯s heart once again, and he was greatly weakened. ¡®Ah! N-No¡­! My life vessel!¡¯?the Immortal King despaired. It was over. [Immortal King] [Level: 209] The Immortal King¡¯s level dropped by ny levels, and this was a significant drop when taking into consideration that he was an insurmountable Level 299 when Siegfried first fought him. ¡®I just have to make my enemies weaker if they are stronger than me,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smirk after confirming that the Immortal King had lost his levels. Debuff? Sure, it was strong, but it wasn¡¯t overpowered enough to ovee a gap of a hundred levels. As such, Siegfried simultaneously targeted the Immortal King¡¯s life vessels before going all out against him, and thankfully, hisrades sessfully aplished the missions he had given to them. When facing a strong enemy head-on, it wasn¡¯t that bad to implement a strategy, right? In the end, Siegfried stayed true to Deus¡¯ teaching and chose to debuff his enemy just as he was taught. Now, the only thing left for him to do was to beat the Immortal King to a pulp and put an end to this war. Step¡­ Step¡­? Siegfried started walking toward the Immortal King. Step¡­ Step¡­? The Immortal King took a step back whenever Siegfried took a step toward him. Ironically, the situation wouldn¡¯t have taken such a drastic turn for the Immortal King if Siegfried didn¡¯t manage to buy enough time for hisrades to destroy the Immortal King¡¯s life vessels. Now, the Immortal King¡¯s morale had plummeted to the ground, and fear started creeping up his bony body. He could not escape because of the strange disruption skill and flying hammer the human was using, and he knew that he had gotten cornered. ¡®My only option now is to kill this greenhorn as fast as I can and escape¡­¡¯? The Immortal King made up his mind, but¡­ Pukeok! Siegfried¡¯s hammer was much faster than the Immortal King. The real life and death between the Immortal King and Siegfried finally started. Whoosh! Whoosh!? The Immortal King swung the magic sword gifted by a demon lord, Avenger, in his right hand and attacked Siegfried while simultaneously channeling magic with his left hand. He disyed outstanding skill and coordination worthy of a Necrolich, which also proved why he was called the Immortal King. ¡®When he gathers his mana in his left hand¡ªWave of Oppression!¡¯? However, Siegfried wouldn¡¯t lose that easily to the Immortal King. The reason was simple. The Debuff Master was a ss better than any other ss when it came to fighting magicians. Wave of Oppression. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that this skill was pretty deadly against magicians, considering that it interrupted spell channeling and skill activation. On top of that, the effect was greatly amplified when it was used against enemies near the caster. ¡®Ack! He is messing with my mana again¡­!¡¯?the Immortal King¡¯s casting was interrupted once again. Kwang! Whenever his channeling was interrupted, he would always get hit by Siegfried¡¯s hammer. Wooong¡­! The human greenhorn ced a colorful circle underneath the Immortal King¡¯s feet. It was the debuff field Elemental Shower, and it significantly reduced the target¡¯s elemental resistance. ¡®There¡¯s nothing more effective against the undead like lightning attacks¡­!¡¯?Siegfried infused his lightning attribute into his hammer and started smashing the Immortal King¡¯s head with Machine Gun Smash. Bam¡­! Bam¡­! Bam¡­! The Immortal King¡¯s skull cracked after taking everything the Machine Gun Smash had to offer, and a reddish orb suddenly became visible deep in his skull. Siegfried was certain that the orb was the final life vessel of the Immortal King. The Immortal King was now in mortal danger. - AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH! The Immortal King¡¯s eyes turned bright red before shooting out powerful beams. Then, the magic sword, Avenger, started to burn brighter in his hands. ¡®He¡¯s rampaging, but his magic sword is acting up as well. I¡¯m going to die if I were to let him be,¡¯?Siegfried instinctively sensed danger. What was he supposed to do? He knew very well that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the Immortal King once thetter unleashed the power stored within the magic sword. ¡ª Kyaaaaaaaaakh!? A requiem of agony rang out from the magic sword. Siegfried instantly switched weapons from a hammer to a sword. Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Quick Draw would execute a target under Level 200, but the issue was that the Immortal King was currently Level 209. Still, even if Quick Draw failed to execute the target, Siegfried was sure that it would deal enormous damage. ¡®Here goes nothing!¡¯?Siegfried used Quick Draw and executed an overhead swing. Sukeok! The Immortal King¡¯s skull was split in half, and it flew into the air¡­ sh! The Immortal King¡¯s final life vessel flew into the air as well, and it seemed that Siegfried¡¯s attack had split it in half. *** Thud¡­! The Immortal King fell to the ground. ¡ª ¡­ The magic sword, Avenger, which seemed like it was about to unleash a catastrophic disaster into the world, turned docile. Afterward, a flurry of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have sessfully killed the Boss Monster, the Immortal King!] [Alert: You have reached Level 151!] [Alert: You have reached Level 152!] [Alert: You have reached Level 153!] [Alert: You have reached Level 154!] [Alert: You have reached Level 155!] He gained a total of five levels after killing the Immortal King, and it was probably because of the Immortal King¡¯s level. ¡°Wow, I almost got fucked just now¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he let out a sigh of relief. ¡®I was lucky that he let his guard down¡­ I would have been in serious trouble if he managed to unleash the magic sword¡¯s full power¡­¡¯? Siegfried knew that the only reason he won was that he managed to destroy the Immortal King¡¯s final life vessel before thetter managed to unleash Avenger¡¯s full power. ¡®Is this?the?gift from the demon lord?¡¯?Siegfried extended his hand and grabbed the Avenger. Badump! Badump! Badump! However, his heart suddenly started beating rapidly. - Revenge¡­ Revenge¡­!] - Kyaaaahk!] -I was wronged¡­ I was wronged¡­!] The souls trapped within the magic sword started crying out to Siegfried in his mind. ¡®This feels like shit¡­ I should probably stay away from it for now and try using itter when I¡¯m alone¡­¡¯?he thought as he shoved the magic sword into his Inventory. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯!] The magic sword of Demon Lord Ignato now belonged to Siegfried thanks to the Immortal King¡¯s kind contribution, but that wasn¡¯t the only reward he earned from this battle. Sparkle¡­! Sparkle¡­! Something sparkling buried beneath the Immortal King¡¯s remains caught Siegfried¡¯s eye. [Essence of Darkness] [An orb filled with the dark energy the Immortal King umted throughout his life.] ¡®Dark energy¡­?¡¯?Siegfried used Absorb Attribute without much thought after reading the Essence of Darkness¡¯ description. [Alert: You have absorbed the required amount of dark attribute energy!] [Alert: You may enhance a skill with your dark attribute energy!] [Alert: You may enhance ¡®Speed Restraint¡¯ with the dark attribute energy you have gathered!] [Alert: You may enhance ¡®Splitting Heaven and Earth¡¯ with the dark attribute energy you have gathered!] [Alert: You may enhance ¡®Smite¡¯ with the dark attribute energy you have gathered!] It seemed that the Essence of Darkness contained a ton of dark energy because he could immediately enhance his skill as soon as he absorbed it. It was a stark contrast to when he had to grind at the Sohoca Ruins to raise his lightning attribute energy¡­ ¡®Well, I guess I won¡¯t have to grind for dark attribute energy thanks to this guy,¡¯?Siegfried smiled. The Immortal King had just resurrected after three hundred years of slumber, but he died once more. Fortunately for Siegfried, the Immortal King gave him a huge present before dying. ¡°Aaaahhh!¡± The Nordic Warriors let out a battle cry upon witnessing the Immortal King¡¯s defeat at the hands of Siegfried. Chapter 129

    Chapter 129

    Right after the Immortal King copsed¡­ ¡°Hear me, warriors of the north! Let this sight be engraved in your hearts forever!¡± ¡°Engrave them forever!¡± The cries of the Nordic Warriors filled the entire battlefield. ¡°Brother!¡± Lionbreath used teleportation magic to instantly appear on the battlefield, and he grabbed Siegfried¡¯s hand with both hands. ¡°Good job! Excellent work! You defeated our foe, the Immortal King! You have avenged us!¡± Siegfried looked a bit embarrassed by the sudden grand treatment as he awkwardly scratched his cheek and replied, ¡°We did it together, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? We couldn¡¯t have easily defeated the Immortal King if it weren¡¯t for you!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Come, let us go!¡± ¡°Huh? Go where?¡± ¡°We have already won the war, so isn¡¯t it time for a banquet?¡± A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. Ding! [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Rowdy Northern Shores¡¯ you have received from the Quest Maker, Cheon Woo Jin!] The tiring quest chain that popped up one after another with no end in sight was finally over, and Siegfried, who finally cleared the quest, was thinking¡­ ¡®Just you wait, you lying bastard¡­!¡¯? Siegfried gritted his teeth in anger while thinking of the liar who paid him fifteen random boxes in exchange for this difficult quest, Cheon Woo Jin. *** The Nordic Tribe¡¯s victory banquet that evening was much more exciting than the weing banquet they had thrown for Siegfried. This banquet was a rowdy, wild, and grand banquet that was iparable to the one before. ¡°Drink up! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink up the booze!¡± Did a Korean yer drop by this ce in the past by any chance¡­? The Nordic Tribesmen were acting like Koreans for some odd reason. ¡®Where the hell did they learn all of that¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered while watching the Nordic Tribesmen act like Koreans all of a sudden. However, this was not the time for him to be sitting there and watching others drink. [Alert: Adult content has been unlocked!] [Alert: You may now enjoy to your heart¡¯s content!] Lionbreath¡¯s daughter, Ingrid, was sitting right next to Siegfried, and she was poking his waist. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡± she said. ¡°G-Go where?¡± ¡°To do it...¡± ¡°D-Do what?¡± ¡°Why are you feigning ignorance? Are you seriously going to pretend that you don¡¯t remember how you messed me up that night?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m about to go crazy, and I need you to mess me up again just like you did that night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not what you think it is¡­¡± Siegfried said while profusely sweating and trying to push Ingrid off of him. He immediately tried to make an excuse, ¡°The banquet is still ongoing, so I don¡¯t think¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just do a quickie and thene back. Yes¡­ let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m currently extremely¡ª¡± Ingrid was about to say something extremely scandalous when a voice was suddenly transmitted into Siegfried¡¯s head. ¡ª Are you having fun? It was Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s voice. ¡®What the? Where the hell are you?¡¯?Siegfried asked in response. ¡ª On the roof. Siegfried looked up and saw Cheon Woo-Jin standing on top of the crystal roof. ¡®Just wait right there, you damned liar. I¡¯ming to get you!¡¯?Siegfried growled as he stood up from his seat. ¡°Where are you going?!¡± ¡°To the restroom.¡± ¡°Oh! Do you want to do it in the restroom? Well¡­ I haven¡¯t tried that before, but it does sound exciting¡­¡± The Nordic Women seemed to be pretty open-minded. Ingrid herself didn¡¯t seem to shy away from anything and everything. ¡°I¡¯m really going to the restroom.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be right back, so just sit tight and wait for me. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with doing it in the restroom, too¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not fine with it, so just stay put and wait for me. I¡¯ll mess you up and even destroy you once I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Haaang¡­!¡±?Ingrid let out a strange moan as she squirmed in her seat. Siegfried decided to just y along with Ingrid because his main objective right now was to go after that lying bastard. He left the banquet hall and made his way toward Cheon Woo-Jin. *** On top of the banquet hall roof, Cheon Woo-Jin brazenly greeted Siegfried with a smirk. ¡°Good job! Here, your rewards.¡± He presented Siegfried with fifteen random boxes from the Autonika Workshop. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try to pull that stunt on me! Do you seriously think that you can call it quits with just fifteen random boxes? Do you even know what shame is, you damned liar!¡± Siegfried growled. ¡°Ouch¡­ That¡¯s a bit harsh, isn¡¯t it? What do you mean, liar?¡± ¡°You already knew that this quest would be a chain quest, didn¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°I had no idea. How am I supposed to know that? Just because I¡¯m the Quest Maker does not mean I know how the quest is going to end, you know? I would have given you aplete walkthrough if I had known how it¡¯s going to progress.¡± ¡°Stop lying through your damn teeth, liar!¡± Siegfried had no intention of getting fooled twice. ¡°Hey, what do you mean by that? I¡¯m telling you the truth. Well, I did?kind of?shortchange you, but I had no idea that this quest was going to be this difficult.¡± ¡°Thank you, and what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m really being serious here¡­ And I¡¯m sure you profited quite handsomely from this, right? Ten tons of gold plus a D-Grade Mana Stone mine is nothing to scoff at.¡± ¡°Huh??How did you know that?¡± ¡°I have an informant amidst the coalition forces. You really squeezed them dry. I¡¯m sure you gave thend to the Nordic Tribe, and you will be keeping the money for yourself, right?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin was right. Thends that they gained from the coalition forces were going to be given to the Nordic Tribe for them to settle in thosends, while the ten tons of gold plus the D-Grade Mana Stone mine would belong to the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°Just let me off the hook this once. I really had it rough, too, you know? Do you know how many incidents I had to handle around the world?¡± ¡±I¡¯m going to let you know that this isn¡¯t the only incident I had to handle. I¡¯m going crazy trying to take care of every single one of them¡ªCrazy! Sometimes I can¡¯t help but feel that whatever I¡¯m doing is futile¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jinined. Hisints continued on for quite a while, and Siegfried decided to forgive him just this once, but it wasn¡¯t because he was starting to pity Cheon Woo-Jin. It was because he was getting tired from listening to the former¡¯sints. ¡°I¡¯m not a famous Ranker, but don¡¯t you ever think of using me for cheap! I¡¯m not going to sign up for any intern pay, so you better pay me properly from now on.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, so what will you do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to go to the Martial God Temple,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°About time you went there. You can enter once you hit Level 150 so you can start working on getting your license, right?¡± ¡°I should start doing that since I¡¯m already Level 155. I need to start gearing up, too.¡± ¡°Anyway, good luck and take care of yourself. The Church of Osric is keeping tabs on you, after all.¡± The Church of Osric could be said to be Siegfried¡¯s archnemesis or something by now, so Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words to Siegfried about being careful of the Church of Osric weren¡¯t strange at all. ¡°I know that much, and that is why I have to be stronger.¡± ¡°Sounds good. See youter.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What do you say we go for a driveter tonight or a few dayster?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say ¡®see youter¡¯?¡± ¡°Thatter could be tonight.¡± ¡°Excuse me, are you Mr. Crazy Bastard?¡± ¡°Calling me that sounds a bit harsh. Besides, how long do you n to stay cooped up in your house and waste away ying games? You should go out and enjoy from time to time as well.¡± ¡°Should I¡­?¡± The offer sounded pretty enticing. After all, Siegfried had been cooped up in his house and ying BNW for the past week. He also figured that he didn¡¯t really have anything better to do, so he took up Cheon Woo-Jin on his offer. ¡°Alright, see youter at seven, then. I¡¯ll call you.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin disappeared, and Siegfried went back to the banquet hall. ¡°Brotheeeer! Driiiiink uuuup!¡± ¡°Yes, I am on my way.¡± ¡°Hey, owner punk! Have a drink! Kyu!¡± The severely intoxicated Lionbreath and Hamchi, along with the lustful Ingrid, stuck to Siegfried at the same time. ¡®Why is it that there¡¯s not even a single normal being around me¡­?¡¯?Siegfriedmented as he covered his face with both hands. *** The next morning¡­ ¡°Brother! Thank you for everything! We do not share a single drop of blood, but I sincerely think of you as my real brother!¡± ¡°I also think of you as my real brother, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Your Proatine Kingdom and we, the Nordic Tribe, are going to be bound together from now on. Feel free to call us anytime you need our help. We will drop everything on our hands ande running toward you.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your generous offer, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t you going back so soon? Why don¡¯t you stay a few more days? Ingrid is going to miss you a lot. She has beenining every night that you didn¡¯t y with her.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m a bit busy, so I won¡¯t be able to stay much longer¡­¡± Siegfried started profusely sweating as he made an excuse. ¡°Ah, then that can¡¯t be helped. Make sure you drop by once in a while.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Then, you should get going since you¡¯re busy.¡± Siegfried and his party left for the Warp Gate to Proatine. ¡°Please stay a bit longer!¡± ¡°Please stay with us forever!¡± ¡°Great Hero! Please stay with us a few days more!¡± The Nordic Warriors cried as they saw Siegfried off. However, the one who cried the most when Siegfried was about to leave was none other than¡­ ¡®Siegfried! Don¡¯t go! I don¡¯t want to go back to elder-nim¡­¡¯?Betelgeuse was inwardly screaming as he looked at Siegfried with pleading eyes. Siegfried could see the desperation in the Sword Emperor¡¯s eyes. ¡®I guess he really does not want to go back to Master¡­ but you still have to go back. As long as you keep training under Master, you will surely be able to reach the realm of a Grandmaster¡­¡¯ ¡®Well, I know that, but it¡¯s too painful¡­ How can I endure getting beaten up like a dog at this age¡­?¡¯? ¡®You have to be strong. Master is going toe after you if you don¡¯t return, and once he catches you¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®Something good will definitelye out of it, so please return if you had enough fun. That¡¯s what everyone feels when their vacation ends, but they still went back to work, right?¡¯ Betelgeuse looked despondent. ¡®Why does a 130-year-old man look like a private going back to the barracks after his very first time off?¡¯?Siegfried thought. ¡®See youter, Siegfried¡­¡¯ ¡®Yes, Elder-nim.¡¯ Siegfried bid farewell to Betelgeuse and left the Nordic Tribe¡¯snds. He left proudly as the hero who finally vanquished the Immortal King after three hundred years. *** That afternoon, Siegfried didn¡¯t really have to go far since even though his territory was small, it still had a Martial God Temple. ¡°It has been a while since I¡¯ve been here¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while standing in front of the Martial God Temple. The Martial God devotees worshiped Ares, the Martial God. ¡°How may I help you? Have youe to offer your prayers to the Martial God or¡ª¡± asked a blonde female priest at the entrance. ¡°I came to prove my right,¡± Siegfried replied. There was no way that Siegfried would pray to a god of his own volition, even if it were in a game. In addition, he didn¡¯t really have any religious beliefs in real life. The reason that he came to this ce was simple. He was here to use the dimensional arena being operated by the Martial God Church. The Arena was a ce where fairpetition and various other contents existed. As long as one¡¯s rank was high enough, one would be able to ess dungeons across the continent. In short, Siegfried came here to obtain a license that would allow him ess to the dungeons of the continent. Moreover, the Arena was a good source of experience points. It was also frequented by many fighters from many different disciplines, so it was a good ce to train one¡¯s skills against many different enemies. ¡°Please write your details here,¡± said the female priest as she extended a piece of paper over to him. Siegfried wrote down his details. [Siegfried van Proa] . [Position: King of the Proatine Kingdom] [Rank: Total Newbie] [Ring Name: N/A] It was possible for anyone to use an alias known as a ¡®Ring Name¡¯ at the Arena, as there was no rule that forced people to use their real names. ¡®The Genesis Guild mighte and disturb me if I use my real name here¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he contemted about the ring name he would use in the Arena. Eventually, he finally came up with a good ring name. [Ring Name: Cansomeonepleasebeatme?] Siegfried¡¯s naming sense was abysmal, so this was the best name he could think of. ¡°Huh¡­? Y-Your Majesty! I apologize for not recognizing you earlier! I hope that you¡¯ll forgive me for my rudeness¡­¡± eximed the female priest as she immediately kowtowed. ¡°I¡¯m not wearing a nametag saying I¡¯m the king or whatnot, so please don¡¯t be so worried about it,¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk. ¡°But¡­ Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Your ring name is a bit¡­¡± ¡°I-Is there a problem?¡± ¡°I think it will attract too much attention, so¡­¡± The female priest seemed to be trying to say that Siegfried¡¯s ring name could cause other people to aggressively target him. ¡°Who cares? The more people I get to fight, the better, am I right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then, may I enter?¡± ¡°Please follow me, Your Majesty,¡± said the female priest as she guided Siegfried toward the Warp Gate that was going to bring him to the Arena. 1. This is a game or a song Koreans usually sing or y while drinking. Chapter 130

    Chapter 130

    The Arena was a huge dimensional spaceposed of three massive subspaces where the participants could duke it out with each other. Siegfried ended up arriving at the ¡®Hall of Bnce¡¯ where beginners fought to take their first steps into the martial path. [Alert: You have entered the ¡®Hall of Bnce¡¯!] [Alert: The ¡®Aura of Bnce¡¯ is active in this field!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes after he arrived at the Hall of Bnce. [Aura of Bnce] [An aura that bnces the stat, level, skill cooldown, etc., of all participants at the Hall of Bnce. Skills are sealed with a three-minute-long initial cooldown. Skill cooldowns are also significantly increased.] [Only those with a solidbat foundation and innatebat sense will be able to survive in this ce as long as Aura of Bnce is active.] Every newbie could use the Hall of Bnce, and since it was fair to everyone, the Adventurers could test their mettle and see how great their skills were against others. In short, this ce was sort of the same as the game ¡®Virtual Fighter¡¯ that Siegfried yed against the rich spoiled kid with the Ogre on the line. ¡®I need to reach the Total Expert rank, so I should do my best so I can get out of this ce as soon as possible,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he took his first steps into the Arena. He did not have to be at the top of the rankings or anything like that. His sole purpose ining here was to gain a high enough rank so that he could be allowed ess to dungeons. Siegfried casually walked over to the ce where he could start the matchmaking process. However, the Adventurers gathered at the lounge all started talking about Siegfried. Siegfried felt as if he were aggroing a herd of monsters¡­ ¡°Who the hell is that bastard?¡± ¡°Keke!¡± ¡°Cansomeonepleasebeatme? Has he gone insane?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t he be embarrassed if he loses with that ring name?¡± It seemed that his ring name was attracting a lot of attention, just as the female priest feared and warned him about beforehand. ¡®Oh¡­ Perhaps I should¡¯ve chosen a different ring name¡­?¡¯? Siegfried slightly regretted his decision, but it was toote for him to change it. A yer was only allowed one ring name, and they couldn¡¯t change it afterward. ¡®Ah¡­ This is embarrassing¡­ Let¡¯s just hurry up and go¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as the numerous hostile gazes of the Adventurers pierced him. He went over to the ¡®Door of Infinity¡¯ which was the automatic matching system here. The door basically allowed anyone who entered it to match against someone on the same level as them. Click¡­ ck¡­! Siegfried opened the Door of Infinity. [Gamzadori (Ring Name)] [Level: 150] [Rank: Total Newbie] [Match Results: 2W 1L (66.6%)] Siegfried was matched with an Adventurer whose level was roughly the same as his. [Alert: You will be promoted from ¡®Total Newbie¡¯ to ¡®Newbie¡¯ upon winning three battles! (Remaining Wins: 3)] [Alert: The Martial God, Ares, wishes you victory!] Siegfriedpletely ignored the message in front of his eyes. What mattered more to him than victory or defeat was to ce a bet on his match. [Alert: Please input the amount you wish to bet on your victory!] [Experience Points: 50,000 (minimum)] [Gold: N/A] [Level: N/A] [Item: N/A] Siegfried decided to bet the minimum required fifty thousand experience points because this was his first time fighting in the Arena after a long while. Fifty thousand experience points were equivalent to three percent of his experience bar. [Alert: Please check your opponent¡¯s bet and ept it!] As expected, Siegfried¡¯s opponent bet the same amount. It seemed that his opponent was a newbie as well. ¡°I hope you will teach me a thing or two,¡± Siegfried greeted his opponent. ¡°Sure~ I¡¯ll beat you while I¡¯m at it since you¡¯re begging for it~¡± His first opponent gave off the stench of an elementary school kid judging by the way he spoke, and Siegfried could easily tell that his opponent had a DPS-type ss thanks to the de his opponent was wielding. [3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­] [Fight!] The battle started, and Gamzadori dashed and swung his de in a flurry. ¡°Watch out for your head, or you¡¯ll lose it!¡± Gamzadori shouted while excitedly swinging his de. Puk! Siegfried smashed his hammer into Gamzadori¡¯s side. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°Please watch your head,¡± Siegfried warned before mming his hammer into Gamzadori¡¯s head as thetter staggered from the very attack. Thud¡­! Gamzadori fell to the ground. Puk! Puk! Puk! What followed next was a one-sided beating that only targeted Gamzadori¡¯s head. It was quite a brutal sight. There was no way Gamzadori could beat Siegfried, even if he used all his skills. Gamzadori¡¯s HP quickly reached zero, and a message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Alert: ¡®Cansomeonepleasebeatme?¡¯-nim has won!] [Alert: You have gained 50,000 experience points!] [Alert: You have two wins remaining for your promotion!] [Alert: You have gained 1x ¡®Battle Coin¡¯ for your victory!] Siegfried nonchntly left after beating Gamzadori. He opened the Door of Infinity once again and fought once more [Alert: ¡®Cansomeonepleasebeatme?¡¯-nim has won!] [Alert: You have gained 50,000 experience points!] [Alert: You have one win remaining for your promotion!] [Alert: You have gained 1x ¡®Battle Coin¡¯ for your victory!] [Alert: ¡®Cansomeonepleasebeatme?¡¯-nim has won!] [Alert: You have gained 50,000 experience points!] [Alert: You have gained 1x ¡®Battle Coin¡¯ for your victory!] [Alert: You have cleared the Arena Quest!] [Alert: ¡®Cansomeonepleasebeatme?¡¯-nim has been promoted from Total Newbie to Newbie!] He easily obtained three victories¡ªno, three consecutive victories. ¡®What the hell¡­? Why are they so bad? Are the yers here really this weak¡­?¡¯? . Siegfried was surprised after winning three consecutive matches. It wasn¡¯t strange that he was surprised because the Martial God Temple was only essible to those Level 150 and above, so he expected his opponents to be pretty strong. ¡®Hmm¡­ I think I just got lucky,¡¯?Siegfried inwardly concluded before opening the automatic matching door once again. *** Three dayster, Siegfried continued to fight again and again, and from his point of view, he kept on getting ¡®lucky¡¯ because the opponents he faced so far were weak in his eyes. [Cansomeonepleasebeatme? (Ring Name)] [Level: 163] [Rank: Intermediate] [Match Results: 77W 0L (100%)] He reached the ¡®Intermediate¡¯ rank after winning seventy-seven matches with a 100% win rate in just three days. The rankings in the Arena were Total Newbie, Newbie, Low, Intermediate, Expert, and Total Expert, and this meant that he went up three ranks in just three days. On top of that, he gained eight levels since he bet experience points in every match. ¡®They are getting better the more I fight, but¡­ isn¡¯t this still too easy¡­? Maybe I¡¯m just strong?¡¯?he wondered. He knew that he had undoubtedly be stronger after meeting Deus, but he still found it difficult to believe that he was strong enough to win every single match he fought in the Arena. Moreover, he rarely fought PVP with other users because he was mostly focused on hunting monsters, which made it even more difficult for him to believe what was going on. Of course, he did achieve a ridiculous five hundred victory record at the arena in Dondegiri, but the participants there were just a ragtag bunch looking to earn a quick buck, so they wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to be used as measuring sticks. In short, Siegfried still hadn¡¯t an Adventurer who was strong enough to make him realize just how strong he had be. ¡®No¡­ I must have gotten extremely lucky with my matches so far. Yes, I shouldn¡¯t let my victories get to my head¡­¡¯?he thought in disbelief as he opened the Door of Infinity once again. And finally, he was matched with another Adventurer who seemed to be quite strong. [Fighting Cock] [Level: 187] [Rank: Total Expert (Veteran)] [Match History: 899W 11D 521L (63.3%)] This Adventurer with the ID ¡®Fighting Cock¡¯ had fought over 1,400 matches and won 63.3% out of them, which could be considered a decent win rate. On a side note, the Arena didn¡¯t take into consideration draws whenever it calcted the win rate. However, the most important part was that Fighting Cock¡¯s rank was Total Expert. High win rate¡­ More than a thousand matches¡­ High Arena rank¡­ These three factors made Siegfried look forward to fighting him. ¡®Oh, this looks fun?¡¯?Siegfried was finally happy with the matchmaking. ¡°Cansomeonepleasebeatme? Pffft!?Wow! You have balls. I give you that.¡±?Fighting Cock sneered upon seeing Siegfried¡¯s ring name. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Siegfried let out an awkwardugh before he exined, ¡°I just wrote whatever came to my mind, but yes, it is pretty embarrassing¡­¡± ¡°It happens~ GG~¡± ¡°Yes, GG.¡± The match was about to start when Fighting Cock suddenly tilted his head in confusion. ¡®What the hell is wrong with his match history? Seventy-seven wins and zero losses¡­?¡¯? He squinted as he read Siegfried¡¯s details. ¡°Excuse me, did you really win all of your matches?¡± Fighting Cock asked. ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°Are you on a seventy-seven-win streak?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­ it somehow turned out that way¡­¡± Siegfried replied nonchntly. ¡°Are you an Abuser by any chance?¡± ¡°Abuser? No?¡± Abusers were wintraders who would fix matches to boost their win rate, and Siegfried wasn¡¯t the type to do something so despicable like wintrading. ¡°I just kept winning for some reason¡­¡± ¡°Are you telling me that you won seventy-seven matches out of pure luck¡­? Do you really expect me to believe that¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I find it hard to believe, too¡­ Haha¡­¡± ¡°You must be hacking, then. Ha!?What a world we live in! Who knew that BNW was going to getpromised as well? I thought this game was going tost forever, but I guess it¡¯s going to close down soon,¡± Fighting Cock scoffed and started to say whatever fantasy was in his mind. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do this kind of shit¡­¡± ¡±Why are you wasting your time boosting your rank with a hack when you¡¯ll eventually get discovered the moment you fought the big boys?¡± ¡±You will just be a nuisance if you join dungeon raid parties once you get your rank boosted with your pathetic skills¡­ Tsk tsk¡­?I feel sorry for you. Have fun crying in your closet once your ount gets banned.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go write a novel since you seem to be pretty good ating up with stories? If you¡¯re not going to fight, get lost and stop wasting my time. Stop using me of being a hacker before I lose it,¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°Oooh~ I¡¯m so scared~ Did you expect me to react like this?¡± Fighting Cock sneered as he pressed the ready button. He even revealed a confident smile before saying, ¡°Your hack is working against newbies, I guess, but it¡¯s not going to work against me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Get lost if you don¡¯t want to lose your precious, filthy win rate.¡± Fighting Cock seemed to be pretty confident in his skills. It was evidenced by the fact that he seemed sure of his victory even against someone who was apparently a hacker. ¡®You¡¯re confident in your own skills, is that it?¡¯?Siegfried was in awe of Fighting Cock¡¯s fighting spirit. Then, he pressed the ready button as well. Badump! Badump!? Siegfried¡¯s heart started to beat wildly in excitement. The fact that he had gotten used of being a hacker didn¡¯t feel that good, but the thought of fighting a strong Adventurer greatly excited him. [3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­] [Fight!] The fight started! *** Fighting Cock took the initiative. Whoosh! Whoosh!? The sound of something cutting through the air resounded across the arena as Fighting Cock pressured Siegfried with his shy footwork. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!? He threw three consecutive jabs. Fighting Cock showed off shy movements resembling pro boxers, and he threw consecutive punches with his gauntlet. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly in awe. Fighting Cock was indeed on a different levelpared to those he had been fighting against here at the Arena, but the problem was the fact that he could still easily read Fighting Cock¡¯s every single move. ¡®One¡­ Two¡­ Hook¡­ This one is a feint. He is just trying to throw my bnce off¡­ I should block this, and he should throw a straight afterward¡­¡¯? Siegfried easily avoided Fighting Cock¡¯s straight punch. ¡®Now¡¯s my turn!¡¯?Siegfried swung his hammer. Bam! The hammer smashed into Fighting Cock¡¯s head. *** Five minutester¡­ ¡°I was a bit nervous because you were a Total Expert, but what the hell is this¡­?¡± Siegfried grumbled while looking severely disappointed. [Cansomeonepleasebeatme?] [HP: ??????????] Siegfried still had ny percent of his HP remaining. [Fighting Cock] [HP: ??????????] However, Fighting Cock was already dead. [Alert: ¡®Cansomeonepleasebeatme?¡¯-nim has won!] [Alert: You have gained 1x ¡®Battle Coin¡¯ for your victory!] Even the Arena veteran Fighting Cock didn¡¯t stand a chance against Siegfried. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Are you an abuser?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°A-an Abuser?!¡± Fighting Cock eximed as his blood pressure shot up. He nearly had a stroke in real life upon hearing Siegfriend¡¯s taunt. Chapter 131

    Chapter 131

    Fighting Cock felt like he was going to go insane from anger. The fact that he lost one-sidedly against someone he thought was a hacker was extremely infuriating, but the hacking bastard even called him an Abuser, which increased his blood pressure. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t really trying to taunt or provoke Fighting Cock in any way. He was serious when he asked if Fighting Cock were an Abuser. ¡°You must be an Abuser, right? I mean¡­ there¡¯s no way that someone with your match history and rank is this weak¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­?Why did I have to meet an Abuser of all people¡­¡± Siegfried muttered and sighed. However, every single word he spat stabbed Fighting Cock¡¯s pride like a dagger. ¡°Hey!¡± Fighting Cock screamed. He pointed his finger at Siegfried and raged, ¡°You bastard! What did you say just now?! What? Abuser? Me?!¡± ¡°Hey, I mean¡­ does it make sense that a Total Expert with over 1,400 matches and a 60% win rate would get one-sidedly beaten up by a newbie like me? Hey, don¡¯t do this kind of shit. Why are you wasting your time boosting your rank when you¡¯ll eventually get discovered the moment you fought the big boys?¡± ¡°T-This crazy bastard actually dares to¡­!¡± ¡°You were using me of being an Abuser when you were the Abuser. Are you a pot calling the kettle ck or something?¡± ¡°Y-You...!¡± ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself.¡± ¡®I want to kill him! I seriously want to kill him! I want to kill him in real life!¡¯?Fighting Cock was ready to offer up, even his soul, as long as he could kill Siegfried, who was trampling on his pride right now. Of course, he had the freedom to think of whatever scenario in his head. ¡°Alright, GG~¡± Siegfried said before heading straight for the Door of Infinity. It was the final blow that shot Fighting Cock¡¯s blood pressure through the roof. ¡°Hey! Where are you going?! Wait! Hey!¡± Fighting Cock screamed at the top of his lungs, but Siegfried had already disappeared into the Door of Infinity. *** Siegfried entered the Door of Infinity in hopes of meeting a true expert after beating the living daylights out of the Arena veteran, Fighting Cock. However, the automatic matching system matched him with users that were no different from Fighting Cock. In fact, they reacted the same as Fighting Cock upon seeing Siegfried¡¯s match history and win rate. ¡°Aigoo~?You went a bit too far with abusing~¡± ¡°A perfect win rate? Eighty-six out of eighty-six? Are you a hacker by any chance¡­?¡± ¡°You seem to have pulled some shady stunts. You could lose your ount doing that, you know?¡± Abuser and Hacker¡­ Every Adventurer he matched up with seemed to have agreed beforehand that they would call Siegfried either an Abuser or a Hacker. ¡°Did you y another game before ying BNW? Wait, are you a pro gamer?¡± Of course, there were a handful of people who reacted positively, but a handful was a handful. Fortunately, Siegfried could no longer be bothered by other people¡¯s thoughts. ¡®I can¡¯t even believe my own win rate, so it¡¯s only natural that they would think the same. Ipletely understand their misunderstanding.¡¯ Siegfried knew that the ruckus was all because of his win rate. Therefore, he decided not to stress about what others thought of him anymore. Why? What Siegfried needed right now wasn¡¯t the praise of others but a high enough Arena rank to act as his entry ticket into the high-ranking dungeons. However, he had to admit that he was incredibly dissatisfied with his matches. When he finally obtained his 87th consecutive victory¡­ ¡®Why are they so weak¡­? Where are the strong ones? I know that Abusers cannot be avoided in the Arena, but everyone shouldn¡¯t be this weak¡­¡¯?he thought. The fact that he had be exponentially stronger than before he met Deus never crossed his mind. Rather, he started suspecting that the Arena had beenpromised and was nowpletely filled with Abusers. The Adventurers in the Arena weren¡¯t weak at all. Siegfried just couldn¡¯t see that he had be extremely strong. However, it was understandable that Siegfried still couldn¡¯t see his true strength. After all, the difference between Tae-Sung and Siegfried was simply too massive for him to begin wrapping his head around it. In fact¡­ ¡°There¡¯s nobody again¡­?¡± Siegfried grimaced after opening the Door of Infinity. This was now his fiftieth time opening the door, but the door couldn¡¯t give him an opponent. ¡°Ah¡­ What the hell¡­ Why isn¡¯t it matching me with anyone? Is today a bust? Ah, forget it. I¡¯ll just go for a drive with that bastard Cheon Woo-Jin,¡± Siegfried grumbled and left the Hall of Bnce. One couldn¡¯t log out from the Arena, so he had to leave the hall and return to the Martial God Temple in Proatine. ¡®Should I try going to the higher fields? Hmm¡­ no¡­ the skill difference is not going to jump just because I went to the higher fields,¡¯?thought Siegfried. He was in a dilemma because he would definitely find more experts if he went to the ¡®Battlefield of Bnce,¡¯ which was the next field. The Battlefield of Bnce also had the ¡®Aura of Bnce,¡¯ and it was frequented by martial artists who wanted to fight with their abilities rather than relying on their stats and skills. ¡°Over there!¡± All of a sudden, someone shouted. ¡°That¡¯s him! Over there! The bastard I told you about!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Ah!?You know, that guy! The one I told you about a while ago!¡± Siegfried turned toward themotion and found Fighting Cock pointing at him. Thanks to him, all eyes in the lounge immediately darted toward him, and a few people whom he fought recognized him. ¡°Huh??Oh, it¡¯s that guy from a while ago. He was really good!¡± ¡°Hyung, how many matches did you win in a row? I think you were at thirty consecutive victories when we fought?¡± ¡°I think that guy is hacking¡­ He was at seventy-nine consecutive victories when I fought him¡­¡± Many people started murmuring while looking at him. ¡®Ah¡­ are things going to be troublesome once again?¡¯?Siegfried grimaced. ¡°Excuse me.¡± All of a sudden, the Adventurer standing next to Fighting Cock walked up to Siegfried and asked, ¡°Have you ever been in a match with my friend?¡± ¡°No,¡± Siegfried lied through his teeth. ¡°What do you mean, no?! You even used me of being an Abuser!¡± Fighting Cock screamed. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who fought him¡­¡± Siegfried pointed at someone else. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. You got the wrong guy,¡± said the stranger. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that now,¡± said Siegfried. Fighting Cock¡¯s friend revealed a strange smile at the sight and said, ¡°Are you free, by any chance?¡± Siegfried took a closer look at Fighting Cock¡¯s friend, and he tilted his head in confusion as he slowly recognized Fighting Cock¡¯s friend. ¡®Huh? Have I seen this guy before?¡¯? ¡°By any chance¡­ Do you stream on G-Tube by any chance? Meowbro?¡± Siegfried asked carefully. ID Meowbro. He was in his mid-thirties and was a BNW Arena streamer on G-Tube. He was a pretty famous streamer as well. *** ¡°It¡¯s you, right? Meowbro?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Haha¡­ Yes, well, I am Meowbro,¡± Meowbro awkwardlyughed and scratched the back of his head in response. ¡°Wow! I watched a lot of your streams before!¡± Siegfried eximed. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! I used to support your streams with whatever money I had left! My nickname at that time was¡­¡± Siegfried looked around before whispering into Meowbro¡¯s ear at a volume that only Meowbro could possibly hear. ¡°¡­ig.¡± ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡± ¡°¡­pig.¡± ¡°Sorry, I cannot hear you¡­¡± ¡°Male Pig. My ID was Male Pig.¡± ¡°Ah! So you¡¯re Male Pig-nim¡ªEup!¡± Siegfried hurriedly covered Meowbro¡¯s mouth with his hand. ¡°It¡¯s a secret. A secret!¡± ¡°Eup! Eup!¡± ¡°Top secret!¡± ¡°A-Alright.¡± Meowbro was dumbfounded by Siegfried¡¯s sudden actions. ¡°Anyway, M¡ª¡± ¡°Shh!¡± ¡°So you are that person. I do remember you. You used to donate one thousand or two thousand won on my stream.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I remember you asking this and that question whenever you donated, and you used toment quite a lot in all of my videos.¡± ¡°Wow! You remember all of that?!¡± ¡°Haha! Yes.¡± ¡°It is an honor to be remembered by you!¡± Siegfried was so starstruck that he extended his hand and asked to shake hands with Meowbro. Meowbro was the one who made Siegfried start ying BNW. Three years ago and about a year since BNWunched and took the world by storm, Siegfried stumbled upon Meowbro¡¯s stream and instantly got hooked to BNW. ¡®Hmm? This game looks pretty fun¡­¡¯ Meowbro¡¯s stream was unique because his content was more on the educational side, and he also gave a lot of tips and information rted to the game. Siegfried absorbed all of the information from watching Meowbro¡¯s streams and used them to be even stronger in BNW. Naturally, watching Meowbro¡¯s streams became his daily habit. In short, Meowbro was the one who turned viewer Han Tae-Sung into the gamer Han Tae-Sung of today. ¡°But why did you stop streaming? I think it has been nearly two years since yourst stream,¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Ah,?that¡¯s¡­¡± Meowbro¡¯s expression darkened as he replied, ¡°I was always cooped up in my room, and I kept on eating takeaway that it started affecting my health. I started exercising, but it was already toote. I suffered a stroke while exercising, and I had to retire.¡± ¡°Aigoo¡­¡± ¡°Still, the rehabilitation therapy was sessful, so I am much better now, but mypatibility with the game isn¡¯t as good as it used to be. Well, it is still better than the average gamer, so I have no qualms with it.¡± ¡°That is indeed a relief,¡± Siegfried replied with full sincerity. ¡°Thank you very much. I will soon start streaming again.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yes. To be honest, I find streaming to be much more funpared to ying the game.¡± ¡°I will be rooting for you, and I cannot wait to watch your streams again, hyung.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Fighting Cock¡¯s face turned red from anger at the sight of Siegfried and Meowbro leisurely chatting. ¡°Ah! Hyung! That bastard is a hacker!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that one of my viewers is a hacker¡­¡± ¡°Argh!?Hyung! Do you actually believe this guy¡¯s bullshit? Look at this guy¡¯s win rate! He was at seventy-seven consecutive wins when I fought him! I couldn¡¯t even touch him, you know?! He¡¯s a hacker! A hacker!¡± Fighting Cock screamed and started rallying the other Adventurers against Siegfried by saying that Siegfried was a hacker. ¡°Jun-Hyeok, you shouldn¡¯t easily use someone of being a hacker¡­ It is a serious allegation, you know?¡± ¡°I know! But does his win rate make sense to you, hyung? And his movements are unbelievably good! It was too good to be true!¡± ¡°What if he¡¯s just¡­ good?¡± ¡°Are you saying that he could be some sort of a genius?!¡± ¡°Not necessarily, but anyway, you shouldn¡¯t use someone so easily like that. And he is eventually going to get discovered if he is indeed a hacker, so you don¡¯t have to get so worked up over it.¡± ¡°Ah! Again! You are doing it again! That Mr. Good Guy thing of yours!¡± Finally, Siegfried carefully butted in and asked Meowbro, ¡°Uhmm¡­ if it¡¯s alright with you¡­ do you want to spar?¡± ¡°A spar?¡± ¡°I cannot trust other people, but I feel that I can trust you.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Meowbro asked, tilting his head in confusion. Siegfried decided to share his concern. ¡°The yers here are too weak, and I suspect that all of them are Abusers. I can¡¯t find even find anyone to fight anymore because the automatic matching system has stopped working.¡± ¡°Huh??You think these people are Abusers because they are too weak, and you cannot find a match with the automatic matching system?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ hahahaha¡­!¡± Meowbroughed in disbelief at Siegfried¡¯s words before asking, ¡°So, is that why you want to spar against me? You want to test your skills?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Meowbro wasn¡¯t a Ranker, but he was a proven expert. As such, there was no one better than him to spar against if Siegfried wanted to test the limits of his abilities. ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s have a round. I have to grant your request since you are one of my loyal viewers.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Siegfried bowed in gratitude. ¡°Then, I will go set up the room. Pleasee in once it¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Siegfried and Meowbro walked toward the Door of Infinity. ¡°Hyung! Put me in as a spectator!¡± Fighting Cock shouted as he chased after them. *** Badump! Badump!? Siegfried¡¯s heart started beating wildly as he stood in front of his idol, Meowbro. ¡®Who could have known that I would get to fight Meowbro-nim one day?¡¯?he thought. He was getting excited at the thought of sparring with his idol, whom he could only watch through a screen back then. [Meowbro] [Level: 221] [Rank: Ultra Total Expert I (Veteran)] [Match History: 3891W 21D 1911L (67%)] Meowbro lived up to his reputation as a BNW Arena content streamer. His rank and match history were leagues better than Fighting Cock¡¯s. Among the opponents Siegfried fought since he started fighting in the Arena, Meowbro was undoubtedly the one with the highest rank among Siegfried¡¯s opponents. Participants of the Arena were divided into the following ranks¡­ ¡ª Total Newbie/Newbie ¡ª Low/Intermediate/Expert ¡ª Total Expert/Super Total Expert ¡ª Ultra Total Expert III, II, I ¡ª Hero III, II, I ¡ª Overlord III, II, I ¡ª War God III, II, I ¡ª Martial God Meowbro was still Ultra Total Expert I despite his long absence. There was a saying about how an old eagle was better than a young crow, and the saying definitely suited him. Without a doubt, Meowbro was strong. ¡°Let¡¯s have a good match, hyung.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± Siegfried and Meowbro greeted each other with a bow. [Ready!] [3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­] [Fight!] ¡®You¡¯re fucked now,¡¯?thought Fighting Cock with a smirk. He was happy because the hacker who dared to call him an Abuser was about to be humbled by Meowbro. He believed that Meowbro would be able to beat the shit out of Siegfried. Chapter 132

    Chapter 132

    The smile on Fighting Cock¡¯s face soon disappeared¡­ When the fight started, Siegfried took the initiative and attacked. ¡°Here Ie.¡± ¡°Ready when you are.¡± Meowbro blocked Siegfried¡¯s attacks with the ws in both of his hands. ng! ng! ng! A fierce closebat battle urred between Siegfried and Meowbro. ¡®He¡¯s really good!¡¯?Siegfried was in awe of Meowbro¡¯s skills. Meowbro¡¯s skills were on apletely different levelpared to the Adventurers Siegfried had been fighting until now, including Fighting Cock. ¡®This feels great! Now it feels like I¡¯m fighting someone for real!¡¯ If an analogy were made about how Siegfried felt right now, then it would be like a pro tennis yer finally having a proper rally with a fellow pro tennis yer after ying against ordinary yers for a long time. Forget about the rally¡ªthe people Siegfried had been fighting until now couldn¡¯t even return his serve, so he had gotten a bit thirsty for a proper match. Meowbro was truly on a different levelpared to them. They continued to exchange blows¡ªno, Meowbro was actually threatening Siegfried with his fierce w attacks. Chwak! Meowbro¡¯s w managed to graze Siegfried¡¯s shoulder, drawing three red lines. Puk! At the same time, Siegfried¡¯s counterattack struck Meowbro in the chest. [Cansomeonepleasebeatme?] [HP: ??????????] [Meowbro] [HP: ??????????] Of course, Meowbro sustained more damage since Siegfried was using a blunt weapon with a higher base damage than Meowbro¡¯s ws. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really good, hyung. You are definitely on a whole other levelpared to the others,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you should be saying¡­ You¡¯re much better than me, Male P¡ªno, Cansomeonepleasebeatme-nim. Have you always been this good?¡± Meowbro asked with a bitter smile. ¡°Me?¡± Siegfried was surprised. ¡®Is he being serious right now?¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but doubt his own ears after being praised by someone like Meowbro, who was a widely acimed skilled gamer. ¡°You¡¯re really good. It¡¯s a bit early to say this, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a Super Total Expert at this rate without much difficulty.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious. I will help you realize it. Let¡¯s go again.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be in your care, then.¡± The fight resumed, and a neck-and-neck battle unfolded in the Arena. However, the battle soon got even fiercer as the skills that the Aura of Bnce sealed finally went off cooldown after their three-minute-long initial cooldown. *** Shwiiik! Siegfried¡¯s Flying Spur flew in a strange trajectory as it made a beeline for Meowbro¡¯s nape. Chwaaaak! Meowbro possessed the ss ¡®Blood Fist,¡¯ and the ss allowed him to swipe his ws quickly in multiple directions. ¡®What the hell?! How is that bastard so good?!¡¯?Fighting Cock got increasingly frustrated as the battle dragged on, and it didn¡¯t take long for him to start doubting his eyes. Bam! Siegfried smashed his hammer into Meowbro¡¯s temple. ¡°Kuheok!¡±?Meowbro eximed as he fell to the ground. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t done. He immediately unleashed everything he had at Meowbro. Splitting Heaven and Earth threw Meowbro into the air, and once he reached the maximum height, he would immediately start falling to the ground. In the interim, Siegfried decided to unleash his fullbo before Meowbro could fall. Whoosh! While Meowbro was airborne, Siegfried activated his debuff fields and significantly decreased Meowbro¡¯s stats. Wooong! ¡®Heok!¡¯?Meowbro panicked while he was falling. Bam! Siegfried used Smite followed by three basic attacks. Tak! Tak! Tak!? And then he used Machine Gun Smash as soon as Meowbro collided with the ground, creating a scene simr to how martial artists often beat their opponent to a pulp while their opponent was on the ground. Bam! Bam! Bam! The frighteningbo ensured that Meowbro would never be able to get back up. [Alert: ¡®Cansomeonepleasebeatme?¡¯-nim has won!] [Alert: You have gained 50,000 experience points!] [Alert: You have gained 1x ¡®Battle Coin¡¯ for your victory!] [Alert: ¡®Cansomeonepleasebeatme?¡¯-nim has been promoted to Expert!] Siegfried emerged victorious. *** ¡°You¡¯re really good. Did you really learn from watching my streams? I think I should be the one learning from you!¡± ¡°Not at all¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious. Can¡¯t you tell even after winning so one-sidedly?¡± It was true. Siegfried didn¡¯t notice it because he was so immersed in the battle, but he did one-sidedly beat Meowbro up, even though the Arena was basically thetter¡¯s home ground. ¡°I will be honest with you. I think you will be able to be an Overlord.¡± ¡°O-Overlord?!¡± ¡°I have no doubt that you will be an Overlord, but I¡¯m not so sure about the ranks higher than that as it will heavily depend on your ss and gears¡­¡± Meowbro said that because the effects of Aura of Bnce would start to diminish the higher one¡¯s rank. At the highest level, a yer¡¯s abilities weren¡¯t the only ones that would significantly affect the oue of the match. Why? It was all because BNW wasn¡¯t a fighting action game but an MMORPG. Of course, Siegfried could just stay in the Hall of Bnce forever to bnce out hisck of gearpared to the high-ranked yers, but he would eventually reach a teau with his points gained. In short, he had no choice but to fight in the advanced fields and be an Overlord. ¡°A-am I really that good¡­?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that you can¡¯t trust me. You know that I¡¯m an Overlord I at my prime, right?¡± ¡°Ah! Of course, I know that, and I trust you, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Then, believe me. You will realize it once again by the time you reach the upper ranks of the Arena. In addition, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll find it hard to be a Hero.¡± ¡±Wow~ this feels really good, you know? It really makes me happy that one of my viewers managed to surpass me. In addition, you even have the potential to be a part of the Arena¡¯s upper echelons. Doing all of those educational streams was really worthwhile, I guess? Hahaha!¡± This was probably the bestpliment one could ever receive from their idol. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Siegfried¡¯s feelings were indescribable. The only response he could give was a sincere bow toward Meowbro. Of course, he also thanked thetter from the bottom of his heart. ¡®I thought I was just relying on my ss and capsule¡­ but I guess I really have gotten stronger¡­!¡¯?Siegfried was overjoyed. This whole thing felt strange and foreign to him. The opportunity that he gained by pure coincidence¡­ His second gaming life¡­ His growth¡­ And the things that happened today¡ªthey all felt surreal. His life did turn around, and he started earning a lot of money after bing the Debuff Master, but now, he could finally feel that his life had truly changed drastically. He could personally feel it in his bones. Siegfried had to give up entering high-ranked dungeons when he was still ying as Tae-Sung because he failed to make it past the Expert rank, but it seemed like that would no longer be the case this time around. ¡°You will realize it the moment you step into the advanced fields in the Arena. The best way for you to know that you have be even stronger is to personally test your skills out, am I right?¡± ¡°Yes, and thank you very much for your advice.¡± ¡°Oh, and¡­¡± Meowbro looked at Fighting Cock and said, ¡°Apologize to him, Jun-Hyeok.¡± ¡°F-For what¡­?¡± ¡°I know it was perfectly logical for you to mistake him for a hacker, but you still need to apologize to him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for¡­ saying all of those things¡­ I had no idea that you¡¯re just too good, and your win rate was just so crazy, so¡­¡± Fighting Cock muttered to Siegfried. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I did use you of being an Abuser, too. Besides, I was able to meet Meowbro thanks to you.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Anyway, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The conflict between Siegfried and Fighting Cock was resolved thanks to Meowbro¡¯s intervention. ¡°What are you going to do? Are you going to get one hundred wins and go to the Battlefield of Proof?¡± ¡°I should probably do that.¡± ¡°Do you n to continue fighting at the Arena?¡± ¡°Just until I be a Total Expert.¡± ¡°Ah, you came for the license.¡± ¡°Yes, that is the case. I¡¯m here for the license. I¡¯m just fighting to test my skills on the side.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Meowbro nodded before he carefully added, ¡°Hmm¡­ Why don¡¯t you aim for the Super Total Expert rank at least before you go?¡± ¡°Is there a reason for me to do that?¡± ¡°This is a secret, but¡­¡± Meowbro muttered. He went closer and whispered into Siegfried¡¯s ear. *** ¡°What?! I will be able to enter dungeons of a higher rank than the average ones as long as my Arena rank is high enough before getting the license?!¡± Siegfried shouted in surprise as his eyes shot wide open. ¡°Most people think that they only need to be a Total Expert to ess high-ranked dungeons. Yes, they can start entering dungeons at the Total Expert rank, but it depends on the dungeon. Apparently, if you¡¯re an Overlord before getting your license, you will be able to enter dungeons that are still unknown to most yers.¡± ¡°Really? Why haven¡¯t I heard of that before?¡± ¡°You should know by now, but it¡¯s pretty difficult to find information in this game.¡± Rankers and guilds would often hide information about the game so that they would be the only ones who could monopolize certain resources in a certain area. Why? It was all because profits would taste much sweeter if one didn¡¯t have to share them with anyone else. Information meant profit in this game, and that was why Rankers and guilds would often restrict the spread of information. BNW was a highly profitable game, so they were pretty serious when it came to information restriction. Those who dared to divulge critical information to the public had always been subjected to harassment or even kill orders by those in power. ¡°You should be aware that you get first dibs on good quests the higher your mercenary rank is, right? It¡¯s the same for the Arena rank, you get ess to better dungeons the higher your rank is. Ah, this is highly sensitive information, but¡­ I will share this just with you. There is a dungeon called ¡®Abandoned Laboratory¡¯ in the Marchioni Empire¡­¡± ¡°Was there such a dungeon¡­? I¡¯ve never heard of it¡­¡± ¡°Yes, those below Super Total Expert probably never heard of that dungeon, and the dungeon is useless to them because they won¡¯t be able to enter it anyway.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s a dungeon that gives an insane amount of experience points and items. You will earn at least one thousand gold every time you hunt there.¡± ¡°R-Really?!¡± ¡°Yes, this information is only known to the veterans of the Arena, so please don¡¯t go around spreading it, okay? I¡¯m sharing this with you since you are one of my loyal viewers, and I want to see you be even stronger.¡± ¡°Of course! Thank you very much, Meowbro-hyung!¡± ¡°Haha! Don¡¯t mention it.¡± It didn¡¯t take Siegfried that long to reach one hundred victories, which was the prerequisite for entering the advanced Arena fields, and he quickly made his way to the Battlefield of Proof. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s hit Super Total Expert while we¡¯re at it,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smile. After all, he had never been the type to pass up on opportunities. *** Siegfried entered the Arena field with Hamchi as pets were allowed into the Battlefield of Proof. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Where the heck are we?¡± Hamchi asked while looking around. ¡°This ce? It¡¯s the Arena,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Wow, are you that bored? Are you so free that you have time to waste here?¡± ¡°I have my reasons, so we will have to stay here for a while.¡± ¡°I swear that you humans really have nothing to do in life aside from eating and shitting. You humans always fight each other whenever life gets toofortable, and it seems that it is applicable to you as well¡­¡± ¡±Why don¡¯t you just go woo and sleep with women if you have time to wrestle with sweaty men? I think that will be more beneficial to your mental health.¡± ¡°You really are a perverted little rat¡­¡± ¡°Who are you calling a perverted rat?! Hamchi is a man! A man needs to be good at mating!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go around using the word ¡®mating¡¯ in public. It¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡± Siegfried said as he looked down at Hamchi with disgusted eyes. All of a sudden, a message popped up in front of his eyes. Ding! [Alert: A quest has appeared!] [Alert: Go to High Priest Leonardo of the Martial Church to receive the quest!] High Priest Leonardo was the one in charge of the Battlefield of Proof, and if one wanted to receive quests or exchange their Battle Coins for exclusive Arena items, then they would have to visit High Priest Leonardo. ¡°Hello,¡± Siegfried greeted the high priest. ¡°May the blessings of Martial God Ares be with¡ªAh!?You are¡­¡± High Priest Leonardo eximed as soon as he saw Siegfried. ¡°You are the Adventurer who won one hundred consecutive victories and maintained a 100% win rate at the Hall of Bnce!¡± ¡°Do you know me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I do! How can the church not hear of a super rookie like you?! I knew you were going toe to find me, but I can¡¯t help but be happy now that we finally met!¡± ¡°Thank you very much for yourpliments.¡± ¡°The church has something to discuss with you, so you came just in time!¡± ¡°Pardon? What is it that you want to discuss with me¡­?¡± ¡°You are a true warrior who achieved a hundred-match winning streak, and there have only been three warriors like you in the past four years! It is going to be a matter of time before you reach greater heights.¡± ¡°Thank you again¡­?¡± ¡°So, the church is thinking of giving you a mission, and we are willing to reward you by boosting your rank to Hero III if you managed toplete it.¡± ¡°What kind of mission is it?¡± Siegfried asked. His interest was immediately piqued. This was much better than mindlessly grinding through the matches. ¡°Go and get rid of those sphemers.¡± ¡°sphemers? What did they do to be called sphemers?¡± ¡°What else? They dared to fix matches in the holy temple of Ares-nim! If I¡¯m not mistaken... you, Adventurers, call it¡­ what was it again¡­? Ah! Abusing? Is that the word? Anyway, go and punish those scoundrels!¡± Siegfried suddenly had an identity crisis. ¡®What the hell¡­? I¡¯m not an Administrator, so why is he asking me to take care of Abusers?¡¯ Chapter 133

    Chapter 133

    ¡°I apologize, but¡­ shouldn¡¯t these kinds of issues be resolved by the church¡­?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly in disbelief. ¡°We are trying to resolve it on our own, but look at that over there,¡± Leonardo replied and pointed at the square where the Adventurers were gathered. There were a bunch of muscr NPCs who looked like they would shout ¡®Sparta!¡¯ at any moment now and rush toward somewhere. ¡°They are the execution unit of the church. Hoho, what do you think? Don¡¯t they look strong?¡± ¡°Ah,?well¡­ I guess they do look strong¡­?¡± ¡°But they can¡¯t catch those match-fixers. There is a limit to what they can do.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°That is why the church has decided to employ the services of true warriors like you. Hmm¡­ you can think of it as outsourcing the work or something like that.¡± Siegfried¡¯s interest was further piqued after hearing the words ¡®outsourcing the work¡¯. ¡°And we have statistics that ny-nine percent of the match fixings are done by Adventurers. The Martial God Temple corrupted by the Adventurers was cleansed by an Adventurer. What do you think? It sounds good, right?¡± After hearing that, it started to make sense for Siegfried. The developer of BNW, Hive, was also infamous for not interfering with the game no matter what, so it wasn¡¯t strange at all if this was the game¡¯s way of dealing with people abusing the game without interference from the developers. ¡°Hmm¡­ It makes total sense now that I listened to your exnation,¡± Siegfried said with a nod. ¡°So, will you do it?¡± ¡°Yes, I will do it.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± The quest details popped up in front of his eyes. Ding! [Arrest the sphemers!] [Go and arrest the sphemers abusing the Arena system and unfairly enjoying the privilege of ess to the many different dungeons across the continent!] [Reward: Arena rank boost! (Hero III)] [Progress: 0% (0/10)] [Caution: You may only arrest the Adventurers once their HP goes below 20%, and you will not be able to arrest deceased Adventurers.] The quest was pretty straightforward, but the problem was that Siegfried had no idea what the ¡®arrest¡¯ part meant. ¡°How do I arrest the Adventurers¡­? I¡¯m also an Adventurer, and I think it¡¯s impossible to ¡®arrest¡¯ Adventurers as far as I know?¡± ¡°If there is a will, there is a way! You are immortals from another world, so I¡¯m aware that it¡¯s impossible to arrest you guys like normal people.¡± ¡°Then¡­ how¡­?¡± ¡°Here, take these.¡± High Priest Leonardo passed a bunch of items to Siegfried. [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Tracker¡¯s Compass: sphemy¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Insignia of the Martial God¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Rope of Shame x 20¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Book of Savage: Total Binding¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Return Scroll of the Martial God Church¡¯!] The Insignia of the Martial God was going to vouch for his identity, Tracker¡¯s Compass: sphemy would allow him to find the Abusers, and the Return Scroll of the Martial God Church would allow him to instantly transfer the arrested Abusers to the church. However, the two remaining items exuded a sinister aura for some odd reason. ¡°What are these two items?¡± ¡°That is a book with instructions on how to bind sphemers and a magical rope. You will be able to arrest the sphemers once you study that book.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so this is basically a skill book?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. ¡®A gamer is going to be?arresting a gamer? That sounds fresh¡­¡¯ Siegfried agreed to do the quest since it didn¡¯t look particrly difficult, and he immediately moved to do the quest. ¡°W-Wait a minute!¡± eximed High Priest Leonardo as he stopped Siegfried from walking away. ¡°Kneel down on one knee first. I will bless you with Martial God Aries¡¯ blessing so that you will have a higher chance of sessfullypleting the quest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Siegfried got down on one knee as instructed, and High Priest Leonardo ced his hand on Siegfried¡¯s forehead and said a word of prayer. [Alert: You have been blessed by ¡®Blessing of Aries¡¯!] [Alert: All of your stats will be increased by 15%! (Duration: 72 hours)] An extremely powerful buff was cast on Siegfried. ¡°Alright, I wish you sess!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Siegfried left the temple to go and arrest the sphemers. Unfortunately, he waspletely oblivious to the fact of how ugly this quest was going to get, and he was definitely going to be in for one huge ugly surprise as well. *** While he was on his way to arrest the sphemers, Hamchi started talking, ¡°Hey, owner punk! You said you were going to wrestle with sweaty men, so where are you going?¡± ¡°Oh, that is¡­¡± Siegfried exined what happened and the details of the quest to Hamchi. ¡°Tsk¡­ Tsk¡­?You, humans, are really foolish. Why would you do something that is eventually going to be ruined soon enough?¡± ¡°Who knows? I guess it¡¯s because it looks cool to have a high Arena rank. They probably wanted to show off to others and make other people go ¡®wow!¡¯ or something.¡± ¡°Are you saying that they want to put on airs? Haha!?That sounds dumb?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Siegfried agreed with Hamchi while looking at the Tracker¡¯s Compass and the map. ¡°It should be around here somewhere¡­¡± When he was about to get closer to an abandoned temple, a fully-armed knight with a group of soldiers appeared. ¡°Halt! This is a restricted area. Turn back now if you don¡¯t want to suffer the consequences!¡± eximed a knight who looked like the leader of the group. ¡°I have something to say. Will you hear me out?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Siegfried told them about what he was doing, and he showed the Insignia of the Martial God as well. ¡°Hmm¡­ so you are from the Martial God Church? That¡¯s good. We have been getting a lot of ragamuffins here recently, and it has been getting much more difficult to control the area.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°As you might be aware, these kinds of dungeons managed by the kingdom are called ¡®Dimensional Rifts¡¯.¡± Dimensional Rifts were strange phenomena that appeared all over the N¨¹rburg Continent one day, and they were strange ces where either time flowed in reverse, or they were inhabited by monsters from other dimensions. If left alone, these Dimensional Rifts could unleash a terrible disaster or a wave of monsters on their surroundings. Therefore, every nation paid special attention to the Dimensional Rifts in their territories by stationing armed troops to manage them or hiring skilled Adventurers to clean the monsters up for them. In addition, the criteria for bing a ¡®skilled¡¯ Adventurer was a high enough Arena rank. ¡°I am aware of the Dimensional Rifts.¡± ¡°There has been a steep rise in parties that fails their tasks, so we did some digging and found¡ªHa!?Just thinking about it makes me mad!¡± the knight scoffed in disbelief before continuing, ¡°I mean, it seems that these assholes manipted the matches at the Arena!¡± ¡±They obtained the qualification to enter Dimensional Rifts through shady means because they aren¡¯t qualified!¡± Basically, these unskilled gamers managed to enter dungeons that they couldn¡¯t handle by abusing the Arena. There was no problem if that was the end of it, but these people were basically just parasites trying to leech off of others, and their pitiful skills would usually put the entire party in jeopardy. ¡°How can we trust the Martial God Church when they are sending those kinds of Adventurers? And how can we trust you as well, Adventurer?¡± It seemed that the entire yer poption would be the ones who would suffer the consequences of what the Abusers had done. ¡°Anyway, I hope you sessfully arrest those bastards.¡± ¡°I am here to do just that, so please leave it to me,¡± Siegfried said as he retrieved the Tracker¡¯s Compass. Then, the Tracker¡¯s Compass pointed at the entrance of the Dimensional Rift. ¡°It seems that a criminal is in there,¡± Siegfried said as he showed the Tracker¡¯s Compass to the knight. ¡°Oh? Really? Get going, then! You better catch him and bring him to me first! Let me have a look at that bastard!¡± the knight eximed beforemanding his troops, ¡°Give way!¡± The soldiers moved, allowing Siegfried to enter the Dimensional Rift. *** There was a party of five Adventurers in front of the Dimensional Rift. Each and every one of them was a Super Total Expert in the Arena. Their first hunt went well, but the party started copsing when the humanoid monsters showed up. The culprit behind the copse of the party was an Adventurer named ¡®Sanagat,¡¯ and this Adventurer made all sorts of blunders during the hunt. Sanagat could not live up to his rank as a Total Expert, as he was one-sidedly beaten up by the humanoid monsters. As such, the entire party had to step in and run all over to try and salvage the situation, but they had already reached their limits. ¡°Hey! You shouldn¡¯t let them go over there!¡± ¡°Ah, are you kidding me?!¡± ¡°Argh!?Fight properly, will you?!¡± ¡°This is driving me crazy. Let¡¯s just give up. This is aplete waste of time¡­¡± The party members started expressing their anger at Sanagat while they were fighting the boss monster. ¡°Are you an Abuser by any chance? How could someone with your skills be a Super Total Expert?¡± One of the party members voiced out his suspicions. ¡°Now that I think about it, you may be right¡­¡± ¡°I mean, he¡¯s overgeared, and his rank is Super Total Expert, but his skills are¡­¡± ¡°Ah, we should have kicked him out from the start. Why did we bring trash like him all the way to the Boss Room?¡± Unfortunately, the party could no longer keep on harassing Sanagat. [Humans! I will rip you all to shreds!] Boss Monster Blood Zombie unleashed a fierce attack on the chaotic party. ¡°Ah! Fuck! I could clear all this by myself if I were in good condition today! Stop talking shit at me!¡± Sanagatshed out. However, his bluff only further angered his party members. Why? It was all because everyone disliked people who couldn¡¯t take responsibility for their blunders. ¡°Really?¡± Someone whispered in Sanagat¡¯s ear. ¡°Of course! Everyone has a bad day or two, right? So¡ªWhoa! Who the hell are you?!¡± Sanagat screamed and jumped in surprise. ¡°Hi~¡± Siegfried greeted with a smile. ¡°Who are you? How did you get in here when you¡¯re not one of our party members?!¡± ¡°Me? I came to catch you.¡± ¡°What bullshit are you spouting¡­?¡± ¡°The Martial God Church asked me to catch Abusers like you, so l came to catch you. Anyway, juste with me without causing a scene, okay?¡± ¡°M-Martial God Church?!¡± Sanagat screamed once again. ¡®Wasn¡¯t it all over after I ran?away that time?!¡¯?he thought as he recalled the time he narrowly escaped from the Arena when the executioners came looking for him. He hadn¡¯t taken even a single step in the Arena since that day. They actually came out to catch him. However, why did they send an Adventurer rather than an NPC? ¡°W-what nonsense are you spouting?! You¡¯re not an Administrator!¡± Sanagat retorted. However, Siegfried let his hammer do the talking as he smashed his hammer into Sanagat¡¯s head. Pak! ¡°Kuheok!¡±?Sanagat eximed and fell to the ground. [Alert: The sphemer¡¯s HP has fallen below 20%!] [Alert: You may use the Rope of Shame and arrest the sphemer!] Siegfried retrieved a Rope of Shame after reading the message in front of him. ¡°Oh, right¡­ I have to use the skill book first¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He hurriedly retrieved the skill book High Priest Leonardo handed over to him. ¡®Huh? What the hell is this? These pictures are a bit¡­ strange,¡¯?he thought while flipping through the pages with illustrations of people bound in strange positions. ¡°W-Who are you?¡± asked one of the party members. ¡°I came to arrest this guy, so please don¡¯t mind me and carry on with your business. Ah,?hey you! It¡¯s dangerous over there!¡± Siegfried shouted at one of the party members. He told them not to mind what he was doing, and he even used Flying Spur to save one of the party members in danger. [Alert: You have read the secret book ¡®Book of Savage: Total Binding¡¯!] [Alert: You have learned the skill ¡®Tortoise Shell Rope Binding¡¯!] Siegfried started binding Sanagat with the Rope of Shame using the extremely suspicious skill he obtained from the extremely suspicious-looking skill book. ¡®This looks a bit¡­¡¯?he felt awkward throughout the entire process. Kwak! Siegfried pulled the final knot of the Tortoise Shell Rope Binding, and Siegfried immediately shut his eyes upon seeing his masterpiece. He started screaming in agony as well. ¡°Ack!?My eyes¡­!¡± ¡°Hey! You fucking son of a bitch! Release me at once! Release meeee!¡± Sanagat screamed at the top of his lungs. For some reason¡­ the secret binding technique of the Martial God Church put the victim in a very shameful and precarious position¡­ Chapter 134

    Chapter 134

    ¡°What the heck? That guy is weird¡­¡± ¡°Is he a pervert¡­?¡± ¡°He appeared out of nowhere and tied someone up¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that something you only see in hardcore x-rated movies?¡± The Adventurers fighting the Blood Zombie were greatly taken aback by what Siegfried had done. They were happy that they tied up the annoying Sanagat, but the method he chose was quite¡­ embarrassing and shameful. ¡°It all makes sense now. Kyu¡­¡±?Hamchi muttered with a mischievous smile. ¡°W-What makes sense?¡± Siegfried nervously asked in response. ¡°I know what your preference is now~¡± ¡°My preference¡­?¡± ¡°You like to tie people up, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°NO! I¡¯m just doing what the Martial God Church asked me to do!¡± Siegfried vehemently denied the allegations against him. ¡°Stop making excuses~ Kyu!¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°You are a hypocrite! You pretend not to be interested in women and sex, but you even knew how to tie people up like that! Shameful! Kyu!¡± ¡°Fine! Just think whatever the fuck you want¡­¡± In the end, Siegfried decided to go along with it and became a pervert. ¡®What kind of a religious organization does things like this? Are they crazy?¡¯?Siegfried could not help but wonder if the Martial God Church was even a church in the first ce. ¡°Hey! Release me! You crazy bastard! What the hell is this?! Tie me up normally if you want to tie me up!¡± Sanagat screamed while foaming in the mouth in anger. ¡°I want to tie you up normally, but it¡¯s a quest, so¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Well, you wouldn¡¯t be in this position if you didn¡¯t abuse the system from the start, so¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, feeling apologetic. ¡®This is too embarrassing¡­! Let¡¯s hurry up and leave.¡¯ Siegfried ripped a Return Scroll of the Martial God Church. *** Two dayster. [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Arrest the sphemers!¡¯] Siegfried sessfully arrested all ten Abusers andpleted this embarrassing quest, and he was promoted to Hero III just as the quest reward stated. [Cansomeonebeatmeplease? (Ring Name)] [Level: 170] [Rank: Hero III] [Match History: 100W 0D 0L (100%)] Siegfried had a perfect record of one hundred wins in one hundred matches and a high rank of Hero III. In addition, he also leveled up quite a bit thanks to the experience points he gained from his matches. Therefore, it was about time he ¡®graduated¡¯ from the Arena. ¡°Here you go,¡± High Priest Leonardo handed over a ring with a red jewel embedded in it. [Ring of Hero] [A souvenir given to the Adventurers who managed to reach the rank of ¡®Hero¡¯ at the Martial God Arena.] [Type: essory (Ring)] [Rating: Unique] [Effect: Allows entry into ¡®Dimensional Rifts¡¯.] The Ring of Hero acted like a license that would allow anyone to ess the Dimensional Rifts. ¡°And these are the items that you may purchase with the Battle Coins you have umted. As you can see, these are highly valuable artifacts. I believe your undefeated record has increased the value of your Battle Coins by multiple folds¡­¡± High Priest Leonardo guided Siegfried to an area where all sorts of essories were disyed. High Priest Leonardo mentioned the value of Siegfried¡¯s Battle Coins because every Battle Coin held a different value. Battle Coins were magical money with a variable value depending on the win rate, consecutive victories, the difference in ability against opponents won, and more of the one who possessed the coins. ¡°I choose this,¡± Siegfried said after looking through the essories and chose a ring with a purple jewel embedded in it at the far end. [Tenacious Fighting Spirit] [Explosively increases HP, Mana, and Stamina Regeneration of the user.] [This ring is an Arena-exclusive item.] [Type: essory (Ring)] [Rating: Unique] [Options: HP Regeneration per Minute +250, Mana Regeneration per Minute +250, Stamina Regeneration per Minute +250.] The reason that Siegfried chose this item was simple... ¡®I will be able to use the magic sword for a few seconds with this ring,¡¯?he thought after checking the ring¡¯s options. He still hadn¡¯t tried using the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger, but he was certain that the ring was going to relieve him of some of the burdens from its side effects. ¡°Excellent choice, I must say. There¡¯s nothing better than being able to fight without being exhausted,¡± said High Priest Leonardo with a nod of approval. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not so sure about that. It¡¯s like a bottomless pit¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled under his breath. ¡°Hmm? Did you say something just now?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Siegfried figured that nothing good was going toe from talking about a magic sword in front of a priest, especially when the magic sword came from a demon lord. ¡°Then, I will be leaving,¡± Siegfried bid goodbye and prepared to go back to Proatine. ¡°Alright, take care.¡± Siegfried was able to see the punishment of the Abusers he personally caught on the way out of the Martial God Arena. ¡°Fuck this shit¡­!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Do I really have to do this for ny days? This is going to drive me crazy¡­¡± ¡°What is this? Why did this happen to me?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have abused the system¡­¡± The Abusers were forced to do menialbor such as scrubbing the walls and floors of the Arena or pulling out the weed growing in the area. They were afflicted with a status ailment called ¡®sphemy¡¯ and were forced into a ¡®quest¡¯ that made it mandatory for them to clean the whole ce for a week up to ny days. However, they should have been d that they didn¡¯t outright get permanently banned, right? ¡®Does this game even have something like a permanent ban?¡¯?Siegfried wondered if the infamous cker Hive would actually permanently ban people from ying their game. *** ¡°Ah~Today¡¯s weather is great~¡± Tae-Sung left his character at the Proatine Kingdom and spent the day leisurely rolling around in bed. However, his bliss didn¡¯tst for long. ¡®I need to y the game¡­ I need to get stronger as soon as possible to get back at those Genesis Guild bastards¡­¡¯?his inner voice kept whispering as his eyes kept darting toward the VR capsule. He was getting stronger at an astonishing speedpared to others, but he was still anxious about his progress. However, this didn¡¯t mean that he could just keep ying the game without taking a rest. Tae-Sung was sure that if he kept on ying the game at this rate, he would definitely get sick and would end up retiring for a while. In the end, he decided to rest from the game for a full day at least once every two weeks. Bzzt! Tae-Sung¡¯s phone vibrated. ¡ª Whoa! What happened to you? You actually answered your phone? Cheon Woo-Jin sounded quite surprised on the other end of the line. ¡°It¡¯s my day off,¡± Tae-Sung replied while buried under his nket. ¡ª Are you even resting properly? ¡°Just get to the point.¡± ¡ª Let¡¯s go for a drive if you have nothing better to do. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡ª What the? Why did you agree so easily? ¡°What?¡± ¡ª You will usually refuse two or three times before epting, and it¡¯s¡­ no fun to see you agree so easily. ¡°Hey, you crazy bastard, are we flirting with each other or what? Why the fuck would I do that?¡± ¡ª It¡¯s kind of harsh for you to call me a crazy bastard¡­ ¡°Ah, shut up. I will drive over to your ce, so I¡¯ll see you there.¡± ¡ª Deal. . Tae-Sung decided to get changed and hurry out before hepletely gave in and returned to his VR capsule. He met up with Cheon Woo-Jin, and they drove over to Paldang Dam. They enjoyed a nice cup of coffee at a caf¨¦ with a great view over the Han River. This had been Tae-Sung¡¯s repertoire whenever he wasn¡¯t ying the game. He would either go on a drive or sit at a caf¨¦ and drink a cup of coffee. He thought that this was more than enough as a hobby even though he wasn¡¯t really doing anything exciting. ¡®A person should fully rest during their rest time. There¡¯s no need to go looking for things to do.¡¯ Cheon Woo-Jin suddenly asked, ¡°Hey, Han Tae-Sung, do you want to try going on a blind date?¡± ¡°Where did that bullshite from? A blind date? Me?¡± Tae-Sung asked in response while sipping on his hot cup of caf¨¦tte. ¡°Life can be quite boring sometimes, right? You¡¯ve made a lot of money, and you¡¯re not that ugly, so why are you spending your off days drinking coffee with another dude?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking as if you¡¯re drinking coffee with a woman right now¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sick of women already. I have too many women.¡± ¡°Awesome. Bravo to you. Hurray¡­¡± Tae-Sung raised his middle finger and pushed it toward Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s face. ¡°Are you really not interested? I know someone really pretty. She is really~ pretty~. She has a great background as well, her personality is even better than her background.¡± ¡°Not interested.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already busy with the game, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have time to go on dates.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s that damned game again¡­¡± ¡°I have to get revenge on those Genesis bastards. I¡¯d rather level up than fool around with women. I¡¯m currently Level 170, and I just got the rank of Hero III, so I n to level up and gear up in the Dimensional Rifts for now.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re already Hero III?¡± ¡°They just gave it to me after I earned one hundred consecutive victories and cleared a quest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cheating¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled with a bbergasted look. ¡®This guy is getting even more amazing as the days go by¡­¡¯?Cheon Woo-Jin thought. He started to feel scared of Tae-Sung. Bzzt! All of a sudden, Tae-Sung¡¯s phone vibrated. ¡®Hmm? Is it mom?¡¯?he wondered as he picked up his phone. ¡ª Hyung-nim! It was Seung-Gu. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s up? I think I told you I¡¯m not going to be ying today?¡± ¡ª We¡¯re fucked! ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re fucked?¡± ¡ª A Dimensional Rift appeared in the territory of our neighbor in the south, and¡­ Seung-Gu reported. ¡°Give me an hour. I¡¯m going to head back and connect to the game.¡± Tae-Sung looked grim once the call ended. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°A Dimensional Rift appeared at a small kingdom south of us, and the monsters from the rift are crossing over to our territory.¡± ¡°So? Do you have to personally go over? Can¡¯t you just let your subordinates take care of it?¡± ¡°Will you befortable sipping coffee when someone is wreaking havoc in your house?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡± ¡°A king can¡¯t be absent in times like this,¡± Tae-Sung said before running over to his car. Vrr¡­ Vroooom! Then, a red Ferrari let out a resonant hum as it zipped out of the parking lot. *** ¡°His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa!¡± The head eunuch announced Siegfried¡¯s arrival. ¡°Michele,¡± Siegfried looked for his Minister of State as soon as he arrived. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Michele responded. ¡°Report,¡± Siegfried said. Michele immediately understood and started reporting on the current situation, ¡°Arge Dimensional Rift has appeared in our southern border this morning.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°The Dimensional Rift appeared on the Renoma Kingdom¡¯s side of the border, but their knights lured the monster wave over to our side and¡ª¡± Grip! Siegfried gripped his armrest so hard that he identally crushed it. ¡°¡­!¡± The officials froze on the spot at the unprecedented sight. ¡°Alright~ Let¡¯s call it a day~¡± ¡°¡­snore.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go eat if we¡¯re done. What? We¡¯re not? Nah, just call it a day~¡± Siegfried was usually quite carefree when it came to his kingdom¡¯s affairs, and he loved passing his work to his subordinates. He often dozed off during meetings, and he always addressed his subordinates with respect, which was unique among the monarchs of the continent. But right now, Siegfried looked nothing like the carefree king they knew him to be. ¡°Michele!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Inform the Renoma Kingdom at once. Tell them to clean up their own shit or face the consequences.¡± ¡°As youmand, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Give me a report of the casualties on our end, along with the direction of the monster wave.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Listen up!¡± Siegfried looked at the officials and said, ¡°We are not in wartime, but make sure that you carry out the tasks assigned to you and be alert around the clock from now on!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I will go to the front lines and personally assess the situation.¡± Siegfriedmanded before leaving his throne room. 1. A real dam in Korea. More info here: Chapter 135

    Chapter 135

    In the Renoma Kingdom¡¯s throne room¡­ ¡°Oh! Lord Retona! Your brilliant idea has saved this kingdom!¡± King Fitzgerald eximed, and he spared no praise toward the man responsible for the sessful operation. ¡°Great work indeed! It should have been a difficult mission, but you wlesslypleted it! You are truly a treasure to our kingdom and a true patriot! Hoho!¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your gracious words, Your Majesty. I just did my job as your loyal subject,¡± Baron Retona replied while kneeling on one knee with his head down. ¡°Not at all! Our kingdom would have been overrun by the monsters from the Dimensional Rift if you hadn¡¯te up with your brilliant idea! On top of that, you killed two birds with one stone by making the Proatine Kingdom face ruin instead! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s insight is truly awe-striking, but speaking of which, Your Majesty¡­¡± Baron Retona started. However, Baron Retona was interrupted by a messenger who rushed in and announced, ¡°Your Majesty! We have received a magic transmission from the Proatine Kingdom!¡± King Fitzgerald was taken aback for a moment before he waved his hand and replied, ¡°Hmm¡­ Tell them we have an urgent matter in our kingdom, and we will call them back at ater date.¡± King Fitzgerald seemed like he wanted to avoid anymunication between his kingdom and Proatine out of guilt. ¡°No, Your Majesty, I will speak with them,¡± said Baron Retona. ¡°You will? It could put us in a pickle, so why don¡¯t we just ignore them for now?¡± King Fitzgerald asked in response. ¡°Your Majesty, this is a great opportunity. We have to be even more thick-faced and brazen in times like this. Why should we save face when our country¡¯s benefit is at stake? We should reap whatever profit we can harvest from this situation!¡± ¡°What do you mean? What profit can we make from this situation?¡± ¡°Please leave it to me. I will make sure that our kingdom will handsomely profit from this, and we shall flourish soon enough!¡± ¡°Is that so? Alright, I will leave it to you then!¡± Baron Retona immediately called for the signalman and received the call from the Proatine Kingdom after receiving King Fitzgerald¡¯s approval. ¡°Who might you be? You look quite young?¡± Baron Retona asked, seemingly taken aback after seeing Michele on the other end. ¡ª My name is Michele, and I am the Minister of State of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°A young man like you is a minister? Geez¡­?it seems like your kingdom is desperate for talented people¡­¡± ¡ª I can perform a thousand times better than you with my eyes closed, so shut your stinking mouth and put King Fitzgerald on. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡ª I don¡¯t think you are at a level to be speaking with a minister like me. Baron Retona almostshed out with curses at Michele¡¯s provocations. ¡®This damned little bastard actually dared to¡­!¡¯ He had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that a boy not even twenty years old would dare to be so insolent toward him. However, Baron Retonaposed himself and smiled. He would teach this upstart a horrifying lesson. ¡°Hoho! I see that you haven¡¯t been taught manners. Hey, did you say your name was Michele? You should know that your actions could have severe diplomatic consequences if you are truly the Minister of State of the Proatine Kingdom and¡ª¡± ¡ª I¡¯m pretty sure I told you to shut your stinky mouth and put King Fitzgerald on the line. ¡°Hoho¡­ His Majesty is currently busy looking after the affairs of his kingdom, so he tasked me to speak to you instead.¡± ¡ª I hope he didn¡¯t pass his responsibilities onto his subordinate and is hiding somewhere¡­ ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª You don¡¯t look that reliable as well. Anyway, I will get straight to the point since you are iming to be King Fitzgerald¡¯s representative. ¡°I don¡¯t look reliable?¡± ¡ª His Majesty Siegfried van Proa conveys that you should clean up your own shit. ¡°Shit? What do you mean by that? Are you iming that we did something wrong against your kingdom?¡± ¡ª We already know that you lured the monster wave over to our territory. ¡°There must be some sort of mistake. The monsters simply chase us while we were conducting military drills. This is a huge misunderstanding,¡± Baron Retona feigned ignorance like a pro. He even pretended like he realized something as he revealed a look of stupefaction and muttered, ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Are you having a hard time fending off the monster wave, so now you¡¯re trying to drag us into your problem as well?!¡± ¡ª ¡­? ¡°If that is the case, then you better listen up, young one. Our kingdom is not going to fall for petty tricks like these, so you should stop with your underhanded tactics and pay up fair and square if you need our assistance.¡± ¡ª Pay up fair and square¡­? ¡°Obviously, you need troops, but we can¡¯t simply let our soldiers bleed for someone else without fairpensation. We might consider offering you military aid if you respectfully submit a proposal.¡± The officials of the Renoma Kingdom could not hide their amazement at Baron Retona¡¯s brazenness. ¡®Oh! As expected of Baron Retona!¡¯ ¡®Who knew he would be so thick-faced?!¡¯ ¡®Not only did he lure the monster wave over to them, but he is now extorting gold out of them!¡¯ ¡®This makes me feel pretty dirty, but I have to agree that this is all for the benefit of our kingdom¡­¡¯ How was this any different from pushing someone into the water and asking them to pay up in exchange for fishing them out? Baron Retona¡¯s brazenness was something that even the worst of criminals would note down in awe. ¡ª Haa¡­?I guess there are all sorts of scum in this world. Michele sighed and revealed a sinister smile. ¡°Scum?! Ha! Do you even have time to speak such insults when time is running out for your kingdom?¡± ¡ª You better prepare yourselves. His Majesty is really pissed off, and you guys are about to get royally fucked. ¡°Keke! I¡¯m afraid that we won¡¯t lend you any aid if you keep up this insolence!¡± ¡ª Your Majesty, I think we should just kill them all. I see no value in keeping them alive. Michele said out of the blue. ¡°Hmm? Who are you talking to? It seems that King Siegfried is with you right now. King Siegfried, I know you¡¯re there, so why don¡¯t you stop hiding behind a little kid and show yourself?¡± Baron Retona openly taunted Siegfried. He taunted Siegfried, thinking that he was beside Michele right now, but Siegfried wasn¡¯t next to Michele at all. Crack¡­ Craaang! The ss ceiling above Baron Retona shattered into pieces. Thud! And a man suddenly fell from the hole in the ceiling¡­ ¡°W-Who are you?! How dare you trespass on our castle!¡± Baron Retona shouted in anger. ¡°Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°S- Siegfried van Proa? A-Are you the king of Proatine?!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Why would the king of Proatine be here¡­?¡± ¡°You called me, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°W-When did I¡­?¡± ¡°You told me to stop hiding and show myself?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean it literally¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s start with some good ol¡¯ beating first,¡± Siegfried said. He immediately retrieved his hammer and smashed it into Baron Retona¡¯s head. Puuuk! Baron Retona¡¯s head exploded like a watermelon. ¡°¡­!¡± The officials of the Renoma Kingdom were both horrified and stupefied at the sight. *** ¡°Haa¡­?His Majesty can be quite entric and unpredictable sometimes¡­¡± Michele shook his head and sighed as he ended themunication. It was Siegfried¡¯s own idea to infiltrate the Renoma Kingdom. Three hours ago, when Siegfried was about to exit his throne room¡­ ¡°Hold up¡­¡± Siegfried suddenly stopped walking. He fell into deep contemtion for a while beforeing up with a brilliant idea. ¡°Michele.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°How do you think is the Renoma Kingdom right now?¡± ¡°It should be quite empty, I believe? They sessfully lured the monster wave over to us, but the Dimensional Rift is still there. They would have to send most of their forces over there to deal with any monstersing out from it.¡± ¡°Is that so? They probably have suffered some casualties as well, so they probably stationed their army near the Dimensional Rift just in case another monster wavees out from it again¡­¡± ¡°Precisely, but why are you asking this, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a mischievous smile. ¡°I should probably charge into their base instead.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Why bother talking to them when I can just go kill a few of their officials and abduct their king?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± Michele¡¯s eyes widened in both shock and horror at Siegfried¡¯s idea of abducting the enemy king instead of dealing with the monster wave first. ¡°But, Your Majesty! That is dangerous¡ª¡± ¡°I can do it,¡± Siegfried replied with confidence and continued. ¡°They are just another small kingdom like us, right? It would be a different story if it¡¯s a bigger kingdom, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s possible against them? I highly doubt that they have a Master among them.¡± ¡°But it could still be possible¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be off then~¡± Siegfried nonchntly waved his hand and left. That was how Siegfried decided to enact revenge and then take care of the monster wave instead of taking care of the monster wave and then enacting revenge. It was truly a brilliant and unprecedented idea. *** ¡°Hey, Hamchi.¡± ¡°What, owner punk?¡± ¡°Go and fold them in half. I¡¯ll give you one pack of nuts for every single one you fold,¡± Siegfriedmanded. ¡°Alright! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi eximed. He slowly gotrger until he becamerger than a grizzly bear. It was Hamchi¡¯s skill ¡®Grow Bigger!¡¯. ¡°Kyu!?I¡¯m going to fold you! For my nuts!¡± The huge Hamchi was still cute, but his strength wasn¡¯t cute at all. Whoosh! Hamchi swung his front leg. ¡°Euck!¡± A Renoma Kingdom official folded in half like a shrimp. Hamchi dealt with him exactly as Siegfriedmanded. ¡°K-Knights! Hurry up and stop him!¡± The royal knights of the Renoma Kingdom appeared and brandished their swords. Whoosh! Whoosh!? They were knights of a small kingdom, but Siegfried could see that their swords were infused with aura. It seemed that the royal knights were made out of knights who could use aura. However, Siegfried simply responded by activating the ¡®Wave of Oppression¡¯ and disrupting their flow of mana. Psshh¡­ The shining swords of the Renoma Kingdom royal knights were extinguished. ¡®What?!¡¯ ¡®M-My aura!¡¯ ¡®My mana is not listening to me¡­!¡¯ While the Renoma Kingdom royal knights were stewing in their own shock at the indescribable, unprecedented turn of events¡­ Puk! Bam! Puk! Siegfried swung his hammer and took most of them down. Only one royal knight was fortunate enough to survive Siegfried¡¯s attack, and he immediately charged Siegfried to counterattack. However, he would soon realize that he had made a mistake. ¡°Keu¡­?Keuhup!¡± Siegfried unleashed his radioactive energy, and the royal knight died on the spot. The Renoma Kingdom¡¯s throne room instantly became chaotic. King Fitzgerald, who was now left all alone, couldn¡¯t do anything but tremble in fear. He tried to crawl away quietly from the chaos, but Siegfried quickly caught him by his nape. ¡°L-Look here, King Siegfried, why don¡¯t we calm down and resolve this with words¡ªKuheok!¡±?King Fitzgerald tried to peacefully resolve the situation, but Siegfried replied with a punch to his face. ¡°Kuheok¡­¡± ¡°Would you be able to ¡®calm down and resolve this with words¡¯ if you were in my shoes?¡± ¡°I-I apologize¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I know you did it for your own survival, but don¡¯t expect me to be too kind.¡± ¡°I apologize, so please don¡¯t kill me¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n on killing you. You can do a lot of things for me, after all,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. Then, he picked up King Fitzgerald and called out to Hamchi. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Alright! Kyu!¡± Hamchi deactivated ¡®Grow Bigger!¡¯ and ran toward Siegfried. Siegfried was about to rip a teleportation scroll and escape from the Renoma Kingdom, but he noticed something strange. ¡®What the hell are those¡­?¡¯? Fwaa¡­ Fwaa¡­? Embers started floating out of the corpses on the ground. Chapter 136

    Chapter 136

    ¡°W-What the heck? Why are there embers floating out of the corpses?¡± Siegfried muttered to himself in confusion while tilting his head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, owner punk?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you see those?¡± Siegfried asked while pointing at the embers floating above the corpses. ¡°Are you talking about the corpses?¡± ¡°No, not that. That thing floating on top of the corpses.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡±?Hamchi tilted his head in confusion and rubbed his eyes a few times, and then he said, ¡°Hey, owner punk.¡± ¡°Do you see it now?¡± ¡°I think you have been ying with your hands a bit too much these days and that¡¯s why you¡¯re seeing things now¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about??¡± ¡°I think you haven¡¯t been sleeping and have been mastur¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Siegfried cut him off. He red at the hamster and asked once more, ¡°You really can¡¯t see them? There are embers floating out of the corpses!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget to wash your hands before going to bed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What the hell are you even talking about? What embers?¡± It seemed that Hamchi really couldn¡¯t see the embers Siegfried was seeing. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Am I really seeing things?¡¯?Siegfried started doubting his own eyes. However, he could still see the embers no matter how many times he opened and closed his eyes, and there was one ember for each NPC lying dead on the ground. ¡°Hiyaaaaaah!¡±? A knight suddenly popped out of nowhere and tried to strike Siegfried down. Pak! Kwang! Siegfried nonchntly waved his hammer and sent the knight flying while staring at the embers. Atst¡­ [Knight¡¯s Soul] [The soul of a knight from the Renoma Kingdom.] The mystery behind the floating embers was finally resolved when a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡®Huh? It¡¯s a soul? Why would I suddenly start seeing souls all of a sudden¡­?¡¯? Siegfried wondered when another message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: Use the ¡®Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯ to absorb the soul!] ¡®Ah! It¡¯s because of the magic sword!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly the moment he realized that he was seeing the souls thanks to one of the options of the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger. [Soul Harvest: Traps a soul within the magic sword and empowers the magic sword¡¯s ability using the soul as the furnace. The magic sword¡¯s Attack Power and Magic Power increases the more souls are trapped within it.] [Soul Extract: Upon activation, resource consumption rate is massively increased to extract the souls trapped within the magic sword, explosively amplifying the user¡¯s abilities while the ability is active.] Siegfried could see the souls of the dead NPCs thanks to the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger, and he could ¡®harvest¡¯ their souls. ¡°How do I do this? I should probably hold the magic sword first¡ªHeok!¡±?Siegfried gasped in surprise. Chwak! Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!? The magic sword started sucking his HP, Mana, and Stamina like a hungry beast the moment he held the sword¡¯s hilt. ¡°Hey! Owner punk! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Hamchi screamed. He noticed something amiss. ¡°Let go of that thing, owner punk! That¡¯s going to suck you dry! Kyu!¡±? ¡°Wait!¡± Siegfried shouted. He suppressed his own survival instinct, which was screaming at him to let go of the magic sword and aimed the magic sword at the NPCs lying on the ground. Afterward, he activated Soul Harvest. Shwaaa! The souls floating on top of the corpses gathered and spun like a vortex before the magic sword sucked them at once. [Alert: You have absorbed ¡®Knight¡¯s Soul¡¯!] [Alert: The Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯s Attack Power has increased by 0.2!] [Alert: You have absorbed ¡®Knight¡¯s Soul¡¯!] [Alert: The Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯s Attack Power has increased by 0.2!] [Alert: You have absorbed ¡®Knight¡¯s Soul¡¯!] [Alert: The Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯s Attack Power has increased by 0.2!] That was not the end of it¡­ [Alert: You have absorbed ¡®Official¡¯s Soul¡¯!] [Alert: The Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯s Magic Power has increased by 0.2!] [Alert: You have absorbed ¡®Official¡¯s Soul¡¯!] [Alert: The Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯s Magic Power has increased by 0.2!] [Alert: You have absorbed ¡®Official¡¯s Soul¡¯!] [Alert: The Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯s Magic Power has increased by 0.2!] The souls of the Renoma Kingdom officials increased the magic sword¡¯s Magic Power. [Alert: The strength of ¡®Soul Extract¡¯ has increased by 1%!] On top of that, the main skill of the magic sword, Soul Extract, also got stronger. However, it seemed that Siegfried wasn¡¯t thoroughly lucky. [Alert: The Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger has grown stronger! Avenger will be greedier the stronger it bes, and it will start sucking more resources from its user!] It was a double-edged sword. The Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger was the very definition of a double-edged sword that could kill Siegfried first by sucking him dry before he could even kill his enemy. ¡®The Immortal King could use it because he was a lich¡­¡¯? Siegfried finally discovered how the Immortal King was able to use this sword without a hitch. ¡®I should take my time and think of a way to use this magic sword¡­¡¯? With that, Siegfried decided to stash away the magic sword for now. Siegfried sheathed the sword and hurriedly stashed it into his Inventory before it could suck him dry. ¡°Owner punk! Are you alright? You don¡¯t look so good!¡± Hamchi ran over, seemingly ¡®worried¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s nothing; let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Siegfried ripped the teleport scroll. *** Three hourster, Siegfried finally returned to Proatine after wreaking havoc at Renoma Kingdom. Themander of the forces stationed at the Dimensional Rift that appeared on the border, General Hydern (¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï), received a baffling message from a man iming to be the king of Proatine. ¡°Ha! So you are telling me to move my forces from the Dimensional Rift and attack the rear of the monster wave?¡± They went through hoops to lure the monster wave over to the Proatine Kingdom, so why would they ept such a ridiculous request? They were basically ying ¡®hot potato¡¯ at this point, but the Proatine King was asking them toe and get the hot potato for themselves. ¡ª Ah¡­ Siegfried grumbled, seemingly annoyed. ¡ª I think I already told you three times. Are you deaf or something? ¡°Hoho! It seems that you have gone crazy from the current predicament you are facing. I mean, I¡¯m sure that head between your shoulders isn¡¯t there for decorative purposes, right? In that case, what do you think? Am I stupid or crazy?¡± ¡±Why should I grant your request? I¡¯m the proud general of the Renoma Kingdom, and I will only act for the benefit of my kingdom.¡± ¡ª Alright, and I¡¯m telling you that it will also benefit your kingdom. Siegfried grumbled while shaking his head in frustration. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­?I¡¯m going to hang up now if you¡¯re going to continue spouting such rubbish.¡± General Hydern was about to hang up when all of a sudden¡­ ¡ª Hey! You bastard! The king of the Renoma Kingdom, King Fitzgerald, suddenly appeared on the screen and started cussing at General Hydern. It looked like King Fitzgerald had been severely beaten or even tortured because his face was swollen and bruised. ¡ª Just do as he says! You fucking bastard! ¡°¡­!¡± ¡ª Do you want to be stripped of your rank?! Ha?! Just stop whining and do as he says! ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­?¡± General Hydern muttered with question marks popping up above his head as he asked, ¡°Your Majesty, why are you over there? And why do you look so¡ª¡± ¡ª Can¡¯t you tell?! I¡¯m being held hostage right now! ¡°¡­!¡± ¡ª I¡¯m saying this as the king and suprememander of the Renoma forces. You are to attack the monster wave from the rear with MY ARMY. GET MOVING NOW IMMEDIATELY! King Fitzgerald screamed until his face turned red and blood vessels started popping up his neck. ¡ª RIGHT NOW! What? Do you want to see me lose my head? Ha?! ¡°N-No, Your Majesty!¡± ¡ª DO IT RIGHT NOW! Right¡ªKuheok! Somebody suddenly pped King Fitzgerald¡¯s face. ¡ª Ah¡­?You¡¯re too damn noisy. Shut up, will you? What, are we in your house or something? ¡ª I-I apologize for my insolence¡­ ¡ª Just go and sit in the corner if you¡¯re done. ¡ª Yes¡­ King Fitzgerald went to the corner and sat down. Then, the culprit who pped the face of the Renoma Kingdom monarch appeared and asked General Hydern. ¡ª You saw that, right? ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª Your kingdom will benefit if you do as I say. Do you understand? ¡°D-Did you abduct his Majesty?¡± ¡ª Can¡¯t you tell after seeing all that¡­? Siegfried pointed at King Fitzgerald, who was crying on the floor. ¡ª This will be thest time I¡¯m going to say this. I¡¯m holding your king hostage, so you better mobilize your troops and attack the rear of the monster wave if you want to save your king. Otherwise¡­ Siegfried shed an evil smile. ¡ª I will turn that thing between your king¡¯s shoulders into a decorative piece and hang it above my castle gates. ¡°I will immediately¡­ mobilize my troops and attack the monster wave,¡± General Hydern replied reluctantly. There was nothing the general could do at this point. After all, the enemy had abducted his king. *** Once Siegfried was done speaking to General Hydern, Michele was quick to praise Siegfried as he said, ¡°Excellent work, Your Majesty. We have reduced our burden by quite a lot with this, and this is all thanks to Your Majesty¡¯s crafty n.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough. The monsters number one hundred thousand, but we only have twenty thousand troops and twenty thousand from the Renoma Kingdom. We¡¯re not even half the monster wave¡¯s numbers,¡± Siegfried grumbled, seemingly agitated. ¡°That is true¡­¡± ¡°How long will it take before our defensive lines arepromised?¡± Siegfried looked at the map and grimaced. The Proatine Forces were currently turtling up in strategic locations and blocking the advance of the monster wave. ¡°Commander Oscar and Sir Seung-Gu are doing their best to dy the monsters¡¯ advances, but their efforts seemed to be insufficient. I estimate that it is going to take around twenty-four hours before our defensive lines crumble.¡± ¡°Even if the Renoma Forces are with us?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± In the end, the risk Siegfried had to take by abducting King Fitzgerald only eased their burdens. It didn¡¯tpletely resolve the problem. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you,¡± Siegfried said and started walking away. ¡°No way¡­! Are you going to close the Dimensional Rift, Your Majesty?¡± Michele asked in surprise. ¡°What do you think is going to happen if another monster wavees out? Where do you think they¡¯ll go?¡± ¡°They will be going after the rear of the Renoma Forces, Your Majesty.¡± The second monster wave would obviously go after the rear of the Renoma Forces after emerging from the Dimensional Rift. The reason the Renoma Kingdom stationed their forces at the Dimensional Rift was none other than to lure them over to the Proatine Kingdom the moment they appeared. The Proatine Kingdom was definitely going to be on the road to extinction if another monster wave sessfully marched through their territory. Monster Wave > Renoma Forces > Monster Wave > Proatine Forces¡­ This was the order of events, and the Renoma Forces would be the monster wave¡¯s first prey. Then, the two monster waves were going to merge together and form a gigantic monster wave that would destroy Proatine¡¯s forts and bring ruin to Proatine. In short, the most important thing to do right now was to close the Dimensional Rift itself. It was essentially treating the illness at its roots rather than simply relieving the symptoms. ¡°Your Majesty! You should not go there alone! It is impossible for you to close it all alone¡ª¡± Michele vehemently protested. Siegfried interrupted him. ¡°I know.¡± Siegfried knew very well that he couldn¡¯t possibly close a Dimensional Rift. After all, Dimensional Rifts were equivalent to high-ranked dungeons. Dimensional Rifts were dungeons that even Adventurers of Total Expert rank at the Arena could barely clear with a party. Therefore, it was obviously extremely difficult to solo-clear a Dimensional Rift. ¡°What do you think about forming a squad of Adventurers? There are quite a few Adventurers crossing ournds these days¡­¡± ¡°What if the Adventurers fail?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Round up the Adventurers and deploy them to the forts. We need every man we can get, so make sure you don¡¯t skimp on using our funds and gather as many Adventurers as you can.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I will try my best to close the Dimensional Rift and group up with youter,¡± Siegfried said. Then, he hurriedly made his way toward the border. Chapter 137

    Chapter 137

    Siegfried went to the storeroom and took all the potions with him before leaving. ¡°Just in case¡­¡± The Dimensional Rift was a high-ranking dungeon that was extremely difficult to solo-clear, so he had to thoroughly prepare for the worst-case scenario and take with him every bottle of potion he could find. HP¡­ Mana¡­ Stamina¡­ It didn¡¯t matter whether they were Low, Intermediate, High, or even the Highest Grade potion. He took them with him before making his way toward the Dimensional Rift. There were fifty Renoma Kingdom magicians standing in front of the Dimensional Rift with their hands on a Mana Amplification Device. They started turning the Dimensional Rift into a dungeon. Turning a Dimensional Rift into a dungeon was a process that would ensure that no more monster waves were going to emerge from it for a while. The dungeon¡¯s opening would only ur once every hundred days. What would happen once a Dimensional Rift became a dungeon? A group of skilled Adventurers would have to enter the dungeon and kill the boss monster to ¡®clear¡¯ it, which would reset the monster wave timer back to zero. However, this was something that had to be done unceasingly until a method to fully ¡®close¡¯ a Dimensional Rift was discovered. In short, with the current technological and magical level of the N¨¹rburg Continent, it was still impossible for anyone to close Dimensional Rifts. However, the main problem at hand was the fact that it would take at least two weeks before the Dimensional Rift could be turned into a dungeon. In addition, the magicians working on turning the Dimensional Rift into a dungeon could be ughtered if a monster wave emerged out of it. Therefore, Siegfried had no choice but to enter the Dimensional Rift and prevent any monster waves until the magicians were done turning it into a dungeon. ¡°Halt!¡± a knight tasked with protecting the magicians blocked Siegfried¡¯s path and exined, ¡°Please turn back. A Dimensional Rift is currently being turned into a dungeon here. Only authorized personnel is allowed beyond this point.¡± ¡°My name is Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I believe you have received orders from above.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­!¡± Siegfried showed his identification card, and the knight almost reacted by pulling his sword out. Why? It was all because Siegfried was the monarch of the enemy kingdom that abducted King Fitzgerald, and there was no way that a knight was going to simply let someone who painted their throne room red and even abducted their king go without a fight. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare pull that sword out. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t be able to rest in peace if you were to die after simply pulling your sword out.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please continue what you were doing,¡± Siegfried said before walking past the knight. ¡®Who could have known that the day where I would have to solo y a Dimensional Rift woulde¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. Just as he stepped right in front of the Dimensional Rift¡¯s entrance¡­ Gwuooooooh! The energy around the Dimensional Rift started ferociously spinning like a vortex, and it started emitting a bright red light as well. ¡°¡­!¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes widened. The energy spinning out of control and the entrance glowing bright red could only mean one thing. The Dimensional Rift was preparing to unleash another monster wave. The worst-case scenario was happening right in front of Siegfried. *** They knew it could happen, but the Renoma Kingdom magicians and knights were still shaken at the sight. After all, a monster wave was about to emerge at the Dimensional Right standing just right in front of them. ¡°Aaah¡­!¡± ¡°We¡¯re screwed!¡± ¡°We¡¯re all going to die¡­!¡± The magicians despaired andmented their impending doom. Their ability to run away became moot the moment they started turning the Dimensional Rift into a dungeon, and they would be nothing but sitting ducks for the monsters of the monster wave. Why? Their mana hall was connected to the Mana Amplification Device, and it would take them at least thirty minutes before they could disconnect themselves from it. What if they forcefully unplugged their mana hall from the Mana Amplification Device? Their mana would run wild and explode, which would obviously lead to their deaths. Tragically, one of the magicians could not withstand the fear of the iing monster wave, so he forcefully disconnected himself from the Mana Amplification Device. ¡°Kwuaaaaaak!¡± Blood immediately gushed out of his seven orifices, and he soon dropped dead. However, they were all going to die anyway, so his death didn¡¯t really matter in the eyes of the Renoma Kingdom magicians and knights here. ¡°Knights¡­!¡± muttered the knight who blocked Siegfried¡¯s path earlier before shouting, ¡°Retreat!¡± It was a decision the knights had to make. They had no way of helping the magicians here, and staying here was suicide, so it was better for them to retreat while they could still run. ¡°I wish you luck,¡± the knight said before they hurriedly left the scene. The knights left, and the magicians had already epted their cruel fate. However, one person didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Hey, old man! Are you the one in charge here?¡± Siegfried asked the oldest-looking magician. The old magician¡¯s name was Decimato de Mickelson. He was a viscount and the Head Magician of the Renoma Kingdom. ¡°That is correct; I am the Head Magician of the Renoma Kingdom,¡± Decimato replied. ¡°Is it possible for you to narrow the entrance of the Dimensional Rift?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°You mean to narrow the gate?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s impossible to stop the monster wave, but is it possible for you to narrow the gate? We can prevent the monsters from flooding out all at once if we do that.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Is it possible or not?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°What if it¡¯s impossible?¡± Decimato asked in response. ¡°Then I¡¯m going to escape by myself,¡± Siegfried replied without a hint of hesitation. ¡°What if it¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°I will stay and fight.¡± ¡°W-What absurdity is that?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth a try, right? We should fight until the bitter end and exhaust all of our options. I can fight all day long as long as you¡¯re willing to fight as well.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Time is not on our side, so hurry up and answer me. Is it possible or not?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible, but it¡¯s impossible right now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°As you might be aware, It is impossible to stop a Dimensional Rift from churning out a monster wave, but it is possible to narrow its gate¡­¡± ¡±There are cases where a monster wave urred while they were converting a Dimensional Rift into a dungeon, and they bought time by narrowing the gate. However, we need a powerful artifact to do that.¡± ¡°A powerful artifact? How powerful does it have to be?¡± ¡°It has to be strong enough to withstand the Mana Amplification Device and our amplified mana, and it should have excellent mana conductivity¡ª¡± ¡°Will this work?¡± Siegfried extended the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger over to Decimato. ¡°Ack!?T-That¡¯s¡­! That¡¯s a magic sword gifted by a demon lord!¡± As expected, Viscount Decimato instantly recognized the magic sword. It seemed that he truly was the Head Magician of the Renoma Kingdom. ¡°However, that sword alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. It already contains so many souls that it wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand our amplified mana¡ª¡± ¡°Then, what if we add this?¡± Siegfried retrieved a lengthy stick. [Rod of God] [A rod created to imitate the rod used by the Lord of Chaos, one of the main gods of the continent¡¯s mythology.] [Type: Rod] [Rating: Mythic] [Durability: Unlimited] He couldn¡¯t really find any use for the artifact after obtaining it, but it seemed that the artifact had finally found its purpose. Although its purpose had to be a bit different from what Legendary cksmith Herbert envisioned. *** ¡®Is today the day?¡¯?Siegfried wondered if it was time to use his trump card. After all, the second monster wave was imminent. [Abilities: Scourge of God] [Allows the user tounch the Rod of God into the air and drop it at the desired location. The range is eight thousand kilometers with a ten-meter margin of error. The Rod of God will wreak absolute havoc within a fifty-kilometer radius from ground zero.] [The Rod of God weapon will automatically return to the user once used. (Cooldown: One Year)] Using the Scourge of God was the only method Siegfried could think of to stop the second monster wave. It was the only method he had to guarantee a clean sweep. ¡®I wanted to give this rod¡¯s first time to the Genesis Guild as a gift. What a shame¡­¡¯? Siegfried clicked his tongue in disappointment. He originally nned to use Scourge of God and sweep the Genesis Guild off the face of the continent at least once if they ever got into a fight. What he meant by sweeping them off the face of the continent was killing all of the Genesis Guild members and preventing them from logging into the game for forty-nine hours. Now that he thought about it, Siegfried suddenly found it a waste to use such a precious skill on a mere monster wave. One year. The skill¡¯s cooldown was an entire year, and it made him hesitant to use this skill, even though it would guarantee massive destruction on the target location. In the end, he came up with another solution¡­ ¡®I can just narrow the gate and beat down whatever jumps out of it one by one, right? It will be impossible to win if they overwhelm me with numbers, but it should be possible if I reduce their numbers¡­¡¯ ¡¯Yeah, I can fight without getting exhausted, so it should be possible. The only issue is if they can really narrow the gate. Let¡¯s ask,¡¯?he figured that it wouldn¡¯t cost him money to ask, so he decided to ask Decimato. *** ¡°What in the world is that rod? I can¡¯t tell what it is, but I can feel an extremely powerful force in it! Even my shallow knowledge can tell that it is the embodiment of strength itself!¡± Decimato eximed in awe. ¡°Is it possible?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Hmm?!¡± ¡°Stop the useless talk and just answer my question, will you? Is it possible or not?¡± ¡°It should be possible, but we should use both artifacts just in case¡­¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Siegfried walked over to the Mana Amplification Device and ced the rod and magic sword on its pedestal. ¡°What should I do next?¡± he asked. ¡°Connect those cables to the artifacts,¡± Decimato replied. Whiiiiiiii! All of a sudden, the Dimensional Rift¡¯s energy started spinning faster and faster. Crack¡­ Crackle¡­! Then, the space around it started to warp as the gate gradually came to view. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time! You need to hurry up! Hurry!¡± Decimato shouted urgently. ¡°Don¡¯t rush me!¡± Siegfried retorted as he tried to connect the cables to the rod and magic sword. Bzzt¡­! Bzzzt! The Mana Amplification Device suddenly unleashed a huge amount of mana. ¡°Listen! Pour out your mana and focus on narrowing the gate! This is the only way we can make it out of this alive! Squeeze every single ounce of strength you have!¡± Decimato shouted. The magicians gathered all of their mana and poured it onto the Dimensional Rift. Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Quest: ¡®Endure to the Bitter End!¡¯ has appeared!] [Endure to the Bitter End!] [Stop the monster waveing out from the Dimensional Rift!] [Progress: 0% (0/1,000)] [Rewards: Useful recruits, Loot dropped by the boss monster.] Thankfully, the second monster wave wasn¡¯t as big as the first one, but Siegfried did not even have the liberty to read the quest in detail. He had no time to read it, so he immediately epted it. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Endure to the Bitter End!¡¯] The monsters coulde out at any moment, so there was no way Siegfried would spend time reading the quest details. The magicians tried their best to narrow the gate, but they were a step toote. The monsters were already pouring out. In addition, the first thing the monsters targeted as soon as they emerged from the gate was none other than the Mana Amplification Device. ¡°No¡­!¡± Siegfried shouted and ran like the wind to stop them. Chapter 138

    Chapter 138

    The monsters that came out of the Dimensional Rift were unidentified humanoid aliens. They were creatures that certainly didn¡¯t exist on the continent. [Mirmic Race] [Abat race from an alien that evolves by mimicking stronger races.] Some of the Mirmic Warriors that flooded out of the Dimensional Rift immediately charged at the magicians who were working on narrowing the gate. [Greater Mirmic Warrior] [A high-rank warrior of the Mirmic Race.] [They possess abilities equivalent to an Intermediate sword expert, and they exude an aura that amplifies the stats of nearby Lesser Mirmic Warriors.] Viscount Decimato and the other magicians were now in danger of getting killed by the Greater Mirmic Warriors. ¡°Hey! Hamchi! The magicians can¡¯t die at all costs!¡± Siegfried shouted urgently. ¡°Hamchi only has one body! Huff! Huff! Huff!¡±?Hamchi retorted. Siegfried and Hamchi were moving as fast as they possibly could to defend the magicians, but their efforts were nowhere near enough as the number of Mirmic Warriors that had exited the gate was probably close to two hundred by now. They couldn¡¯t possibly protect all of the magicians along with the Mana Amplification Device. ¡°Protect the magicians! We need to protect them at all costs!¡± The knight squadron that had run away a while ago returned and jumped into the fray, but even with them, there still wasn¡¯t enough manpower to protect every magician. The Mirmic Warriors were far too powerful for the knights of a small kingdom like the Renoma Kingdom. ¡°King¡­ Siegfried¡­!¡± the knight captain reluctantly addressed Siegfried in a desperate voice. ¡°D-Do you have a n? We won¡¯t be able to hold them back much longer! We will be annihted at this rate¡­¡± Woooong! Siegfried replied by activating Circle of Mortality. His debuff circle spread out around the battlefield, and the knights¡¯ morale was greatly boosted. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°The enemies are getting weaker!¡± ¡°Now¡¯s our chance!¡± The Renoma Kingdom knights started pushing back the Greater Mirmic Warriors. In addition to protecting the magicians, they were alsounching a counteroffensive against the Mirmic Warriors. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t done just yet. He followed up by casting Speed Restraint and greatly slowed down the enemy¡¯s Movement Speed, Attack Speed, and Casting Speed. However, this Speed Restraint was different from the ones he usually cast. The color of this Speed Restraint was different. The Speed Restraint that Siegfried often cast had a bright sky-blue color, but this one had a pitch-ck color that seemed to be signaling the advent of something sinister. Sssssss¡­ Moreover, there were a bunch of silhouettes arising from the debuff field which looked like the shadows of the Greater Mirmic Warriors. *** This new skill was the enhanced version of Speed Restraint that Siegfried gained after absorbing the essence of darkness from the Immortal King. [Shadow Swamp] [Speed Restraint enhanced with darkness attribute energy.] [The skill¡¯s effect, cooldown time, duration, and range are the same as the original Speed Restraint.] [Enhanced Effect: Materializes the shadows of the enemies standing on the field. The shadows will possess 20% of the enemy¡¯s stats, but they will continue to materialize even after dying. The Debuff Master maymand the shadows as he sees fit.] A new skill! However, the Renoma Kingdom knights had no idea that the shadows were born from Siegfried¡¯s skill, and they couldn¡¯t help but panic. ¡°T-There are more enemies!¡± ¡°Are they evil spirits?!¡± ¡°W-What should we do now¡­?¡± ¡°We barely managed to turn the tides in our favor, so what¡¯s with this now?!¡± While the knights were panicking, the shadows looked toward Siegfried and knelt down on one knee to pay their respects. They appeared as if they were a royal army waiting for Siegfried¡¯smand. However, Siegfried did not have the luxury of ying king because he was busy smashing the heads of the Greater Mirmic Warriors. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Bam! ¡°Have time.¡± Bam! ¡°For this.¡± Bam! ¡°So you better.¡± Bam! ¡°Start fighting!¡± Bam! The shadows immediately moved and attacked the Greater Mirmic Warriors. ¡®Siegfried¡­ Just who in the world are you¡­?¡¯? The knight captain couldn¡¯t help but wonder about Siegfriend¡¯s true identity. Siegfried possessed the ability to paint the walls of a kingdom¡¯s throne room with blood despite his young age, and he even showed cunningness by abducting King Fitzgerald and using him as a hostage to manipte the Renoma Forces as he pleased. He also possessed a stubborn grit that remained steadfast even in the worst of situations. Moreover, his amazing skills had never been seen or even heard of before on the continent. ¡°You are the enemy of my kingdom¡­¡± the knight captain muttered under his breath, but he soon realized that he did not have the time to think about anything else. ¡°What are you doing?! Get a grip! Push back the enemies!¡± The knights flinched when the knight captain screamed at them. The battle to protect the magicians became somewhat easier thanks to the debuff fields that Siegfried ced, but the enemies were still pouring out of the gate with no end in sight. ¡°Uay! Uay!¡± ¡°Lokhtar! Ogar!¡± ¡°Lic ma!¡± The gate had narrowed quite a bit, but it was still wide enough for the Mirmic Warriors. ¡®I have to stop them at the exit. That¡¯s the only way we can win!¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was about to rush toward the gate, but Hamchi interrupted him. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Hamchi will help you!¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Watch closely!¡± Hamchie inhaled a huge amount of air. ¡°Haaaaaaaap!¡± He started growing in size¡­ ¡°KYUUUUUUUUU!¡± ¡­then he shot out a golden beam from his mouth at the Dimensional Rift. It was one of Hamchi¡¯s skills, Kyu-Beam! *** Zaaaaaaap! The golden beam decimated the Mirmicsing out of the gate. ¡®Is he a dragon or what?¡¯?Siegfried thought in disbelief at the sight of the golden beam that resembled a dragon¡¯s breath. However, he quickly woke up from his stupor. Siegfried knew that he couldn¡¯t just stand around and watch. ¡®Now¡¯s my chance!¡¯ Hamchi¡¯s Kyu-Beam! was preventing the Mirmics from leaving the gate. Tak! Siegfried kicked off the ground and rushed toward the Dimensional Rift. Hamchi¡¯s Kyu-Beam! was about to end, but Siegfried was already standing in front of the gate. The gate had narrowed down to the size where only one or two Mirmics could pass at once. In short, all Siegfried had to do was kill whatever Mirmic emerged from the gate as fast as he could in a one-on-one or one-on-two battle. ¡®Bring it on!¡¯?Siegfried stood in front of the gate. ¡°Sakh Tkar!¡± A Greater Mirmic Warrior came out from the gate and rushed toward him. Wooong! Siegfried activated Elemental Shower and reduced the Greater Mirmic Warrior¡¯s elemental resistance. Bzzt¡­ Bzzt¡­! He infused his hammer with lightning attribute energy and struck the Greater Mirmic Warrior. Bam! Bam! Bam! More urately, he smashed the lightning energy-infused hammer into the Greater Mirmir Warrior¡¯s head. Thud! The Greater Mirmic Warrior fell to the ground. [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 171!] [Alert: You havepleted 23.1% of the Quest: ¡®Endure to the Bitter End!¡¯ (231/1,000)] Siegfried finally had time to read the system messages. ¡®Only 231 of 1,000? That¡¯s too little¡­ that means there are still 769 of them left. I don¡¯t have time for¡ªno, that¡¯s not it¡­¡¯?Siegfried shook his head after the thought of retreat shed across his mind. [They exude an aura that amplifies the stats of nearby Lesser Mirmic Warriors.] This specific ability of the Greater Mirmic Warrior bothered Siegfried. It meant that the Greater Mirmic Warriors were something like Knight Temrs. As such, the Greater Mirmic Warriors possessed not onlybat capability, but buffing abilities as well. On top of that, the effect of the buff was excellent. It would be a massive problem if all this escted into a full-scale war. ¡®If the first wave were the foot soldiers, then¡­ this wave should be themand center and themanding officers. It will be disastrous if they manage to group up. I have to cut them off here.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t just let them group up with the first wave that served as the vanguard. Siegfried had to wipe out the second wave. He couldn¡¯t let even one of them reach the vanguard. Shwik! All of a sudden, a different type of enemy appeared from the gate. Its front legs resemble scythes. Shwik! Shwik! Siegfried avoided the attacks before counterattacking with his ownbo. Bam! Bam! Bam! Siegfried¡¯s hammer smashed the weird-looking Greater Mirmic Warrior¡¯s head. [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] ¡°Thank you, next,¡± Siegfried said after killing another Greater Mirmic Warrior. The so-called battle had turned into something like a fan meeting event for some odd reason. *** The knights sessfully managed to kill all of the stragglers and protect the magicians while Siegfried was blocking off the Mirmicsing out from the gate. There were a total of seventy-six magicians working on the Mana Amplification Device. Unfortunately, seven of the magicians died, so there were only sixty-nine of them remaining. However, they still sessfully narrowed the gate, which enabled them to control the situation. ¡°Haa¡­ Haa¡­¡±?the knight captain finally caught his breath, but his gaze was fixated on Siegfried, who was currently making quick work of the Greater Mirmic Warriorsing out of the gate. This unbelievable result was all thanks to Siegfried. He had initially swept through the battlefield with his unbelievable martial prowess, and then he had suddenly started summoning weird circles thatpletely shifted the battle in their favor. What could have happened if Siegfried hadn¡¯t been here? The magicians could have been massacred by the Mirmic Warriors, and the second monster wave could have wreaked havoc across thend. The second monster wave could have joined up with the first monster wave and wreaked havoc on the Proatine Kingdom as well. ¡°C-Captain¡­?¡± one of the knights whispered to the knight captain. ¡°Yes, Carlisle?¡± ¡°What do you think of making a move on that guy after the battle ends?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the monarch of the enemy kingdom. He is also the culprit that not only shed blood in our throne room but abducted His Majesty the King. Yes, we did fight together asrades for a short while, but he is our enemy in the end, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­¡± ¡°Captain, I am not sure when this battle will end, but he will definitely be tired once this battle ends. Of course, he is an Adventurer, so we will not be able to kill him in the truest sense, but we will be able to stunt his growth by killing him¡­¡± ¡°At the same time, His Majesty would be able to recover his face,¡± said Carlisle. However, the knight captain did not respond as he continued observing Siegfried. ¡°Next!¡± Siegfried shouted as if he was asking for the next customer in line¡­ *** The battlested for a long time, and Siegfried couldn¡¯t even count the Greater Mirmic Warriors that had fallen by his hands anymore. ¡®Ugh. This is getting boring¡­¡¯?he inwardly grumbled while killing whatever came out from the gate. The nerve-wracking situation that had him on his toes had suddenly devolved into a tedious grind. The magicians were safe and sound while the knights made quick work of the Mirmic Warriors outside of the gate thanks to Siegfried¡¯s debuff fields. [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 172!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 173!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 174!] Well, the idea of doing almost nothing and getting Experience Points for free was pretty appealing to Siegfried, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel bored and sleepy. However, Siegfried couldn¡¯t really be med. After all, he had been doing this for three consecutive hours by now. [Mirmic Elite Knight] [A Mirmic of noble blood and elite genes.] [It exudes an aura that greatly amplifies the stats of Lesser Mirmic Warriors within a five hundred meters radius.] It was another Mirmic that seemed to be stronger than the Greater Mirmic Warriors, but there was nothing exciting about it. It was just a bit tougher than the average Greater Mirmic Warriors, but it wasn¡¯t that strong enough to endanger Siegfried in any way. The only thing that Siegfried felt from this was boredom and nothing else¡­ ¡°Snore¡­?Snore¡­ Snore¡­!¡± In fact, Hamchi seemed to be having a good nap on the ground with his belly facing up. ¡®That little rascal¡­ How dare he go take a nap when his owner is working so hard¡­¡¯? Siegfried red at Hamchi. ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s a relief that there are only a thousand of them¡­ I would¡¯ve mentally given up first if there were tens of thousands of them.¡¯? Siegfried shuddered at the thought of killing them tens of thousands of times in such a monotonous way. Well, if he had to fight tens of thousands of them, he probably would have just used Scourge of God. Fortunately, this mundane task was about to end. [Alert: You havepleted 99.4% of the Quest: ¡®Endure to the Bitter End!¡¯ (994/1,000)] He could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel¡ªhe only had to kill six more. Bzzt¡­! Bzzt¡­!? However, powerful sparks suddenly emerged from the Dimensional rift. ¡°¡­!¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot wide open. Shwiiiik! The energy around the gate started to grow stronger. Woooong! A powerful burst of energy exploded from the gate. Thud¡­ Thud¡­? A creature exuding a mighty aura stepped out from the gate. It was a creature that was leagues above the mob that Siegfried had been killing in the past few hours. Chapter 139

    Chapter 139

    [Chiffon] [A high-ranking official of the Mirmic Race.] [Level: 190] [Rank: Named Monster] [Special Abilities: It exudes an aura that greatly increases the stats and Movement Speed of Lesser Mirmic Warriors within a one-kilometer radius.] The named monster, Chiffon, looked down at Siegfried and said, ¡°An insignificant creature like you dares to stand against us?¡± Chiffon was capable of speaking in the humannguage, which was one of the characteristics of most named monsters. ¡®As expected of a named monster. These are the kind of guys that I should never allow to meet up with that first wave,¡¯?Siegfried thought while ring at Chiffon. He recognized why Chiffon was a named monster simply by looking at its buff ability, which had an insane range of a one-kilometer radius. He definitely couldn¡¯t allow Chiffon to meet up with the massive army that had gone ahead. ¡°You dare stand in our way? I will make you pay for your insolence, insignificant creature.¡± Chiffon charged Siegfried at a frightening speed. It seemed that Chiffon specialized in speed. However, Siegfried was basically Chiffon¡¯s natural enemy because Siegfried possessed the ability to drastically reduce his enemy¡¯s speed. Woooong! He ced down Shadow Swamp the moment it went off cooldown. Seuk¡­ Chiffon¡¯s shadow emerged from the ground and grabbed its ankle. ¡°Keuk!¡±? Chiffon was thrown off bnce, and he tumbled on the ground. Then, the shadow hurriedly got on top of Chiffon and locked its leg around Chiffon¡¯s arm before pulling as hard as it could. Crack! There was an audible crack as Chiffon¡¯s bones were fractured. Armbar. The shadow had used the most mainstream submission move known to every mixed martial artist. ¡®That guy knows how to do an armbar¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was stupefied at the shadow¡¯s actions. He didn¡¯t even give it amand. ¡®Ah¡­ I shouldn¡¯t stand around and do nothing.¡¯? Siegfried shook himself awake and dashed toward Chiffon. Bam! Bam! Bam! Siegfried unleashed a barrage of attacks at Chiffon with Machine Gun Smash. Puk! Chiffon¡¯s head cracked open after being mercilessly struck by Siegfried¡¯s hammer. Named Monster? It was nothing against Siegfried. ¡°Ah¡­ I got nervous for nothing,¡± Siegfried grumbled while staring down at Chiffon¡¯s corpse. ¡°I thought some big shot showed up¡­ Sigh,?let¡¯s just hurry up and finish this quest. I still have a lot to do,¡± he muttered and looked toward the gate before saying, ¡°Next, please.¡± ¡°C-Captain¡­? I think getting revenge will be¡­ very?difficult¡­¡± Carlisle whispered into the knight captain¡¯s ear. ¡°I think so, too,¡± the knight captain replied with a sullen look. *** After Chiffon of Speed, Siegfried fought against four more named monsters. Ramirez of Strength. Juanchief of Endurance. Chinok of Buff. Verenas of Defense. The five named monsters of the Mirmic Race all possessed great abilities, but Siegfried made quick work of them through the help of his debuff fields. ¡®It would have been a nightmare if these guys managed to merge with the first wave¡­¡¯? Siegfried knew very well how powerful these named monsters¡¯ buffs would have been if they managed to merge with the one-hundred-thousand-strong first wave. This knowledge came from his experience of fighting against the Genesis Guild, which depended on their overwhelming numbers and buffs to overwhelm their enemies. [Alert: You have progressed 99.9% of the Quest: ¡®Endure to the Bitter End!¡¯ (999/1,000)] However, the quest was still in its final stages. ¡®Let¡¯s wrap this up and go help the others out.¡¯? Siegfried wanted to put an end to this tedious grind once and for all. Step¡­ Step¡­? The final monster stepped out of the gate as if it was responding to Siegfried¡¯s desire. Was it because of the boss monster? ¡°Kyu?¡± Hamchi woke up. His eyes shot wide open, and his ears perked up. Hamchi¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t strange. After all, what had just emerged from the gate was a powerful enemy. In fact, Siegfried had the same reaction. ¡°This guy¡­ looks quite strong¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He felt slightly overwhelmed by the boss monster¡¯s presence. [me Ignito] [The Great General of the Mirmic Race.] [Type: NPC (Mirmic Race)] [Level: 210] [Rank: Boss] [ss: ze Runner] The boss monster had ck skin with vascr red veins, his eyes were red like fireballs, and his body was constantly releasing steam as if he were an active volcano. The boss monster, me Ignito, looked exactly like his name. ¡°Are you the one who blocked my loyal subjects¡¯ path?¡± me Ignito asked. ¡°So what?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I will turn you into ashes,¡± me Ignito rushed toward Siegfried. ¡®He¡¯s fast!¡¯?Siegfried was taken aback by me Ignito¡¯s speed¡ªno, he didn¡¯t even have the luxury of being surprised. Bam! me Ignito¡¯s fist dug into Siegfried¡¯s chest. ¡°O-Owner punk! Are you alright? Does it hurt?!¡± Hamchi shouted in surprise and tried to help Siegfried. ¡°Shut up!¡± Siegfried shouted in response as he blocked me Ignito¡¯s next attack and immediately tried to widen the distance between them. ¡°Where are you going?¡± me Ignito chased after Siegfried. A fierce game of tag ensued, and the boss monster didn¡¯t give Siegfried even an inch of breathing room at all. ¡°Wow¡­!¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t see their movements!¡± ¡°Is that even possible¡­?!¡± Siegfried and me Ignito¡¯s battle was fast, shy, and fierce at the same time. How fierce was it? [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] [me Ignito] [HP: ??????????] It had only been thirty seconds since the battle started, but the two of them had already lost thirty percent of their HP. The fierce exchange between the two only ended after they both hit each other with vicious cross-counters. Pak! Siegfried¡¯s hammer smashed me Ignito¡¯s waist. Bam! me Ignito¡¯s fist dug itself into Siegfried¡¯s abdomen. They jumped back and widened their distance from each other. ¡°You¡¯re a bit strong,¡± Siegfried said while wiping the blood off of his lips. ¡°Same goes for you¡­¡± me Ignito acknowledged, but mes suddenly started shooting all over me Ignito¡¯s figure as he set himself aze and said, ¡°But don¡¯t be mistaken. I¡¯m not going to go easy on you anymore.¡± [Alert: Danger!] [Alert: Warning! Your equipment¡¯s durability will be reduced if ites into contact with me Ignito¡¯s ¡®mes of Destruction¡¯!] A warning message appeared in front of Siegfried, and it was his first time seeing that kind of warning message. ¡®Oh, the timing is the worst¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled. He instinctively knew that the timing was the worst because he had long memorized the cooldown of his skills. Therefore, he knew that Circle of Morality was about to go on cooldown. [Alert: The duration of ¡®Circle of Mortality¡¯ has ended and will now be on cooldown! The skill will be avable 30ster!] Circle of Mortality finally went on cooldown. Moreover¡­ [Circle of Mortality: 30 seconds] [Shadow Swamp: 19 seconds] [Wave of Oppression: 2 seconds] [Elemental Shower: Avable] [Irradiate: 5 seconds] Most of his skills were still on cooldown because he had just fought against five named monsters not too long ago. [Contempt for the Strong: 17 seconds] [Adamant Body: Avable] [Proof of Existence: 22 seconds] His buff skills were on cooldown as well. It was especially painful to see that Contempt for the Strong and Proof of Existence were still on cooldown because these two skills were responsible for most of his damage. Elemental Shower was avable, but it was a support-type debuff skill. It couldn¡¯t allow him to deal explosive damage to the enemy. ¡®I will have to toughen out for at least twenty seconds¡­¡¯? Siegfried activated Adamant Body and decided to endure whatever me Ignito was going to throw at him through Adamant Body¡¯s Super Armor. However, me Ignito didn¡¯t seem to be willing to give Siegfried enough time until his skills went off cooldown. ¡°Burn, my mes of destruction!¡± me Ignito waved his hand, and the mes around him shot toward Siegfried to engulf thetter. Fwaaaa! me Ignito¡¯s power was frightening, especially after he activated mes of Destruction. The mes seemed to have given him some sort of buff as his Strength and Movement Speed had explosively increased. ¡®I wish I could have disrupted that skill..!¡¯?Siegfriedmented the fact Wave of Oppression still had five seconds remaining on its cooldown when me Ignito activated his mes of Destruction. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Hamchi will help you!¡± Hamchi hopped onto his magical hamster wheel and buffed Siegfried. Ddruuu! Ddruuu! Ddruuu!? Hamchi spun the wheel as fast as he could. Hamchi¡¯s efforts bore fruit because Siegfried managed to survive the mes of Destruction. Unfortunately, the same couldn¡¯t be said for Siegfried¡¯s items. However, the same could not be said about his items. [Alert: ¡®Shoulder Guard¡¯ has been destroyed!] [Alert: ¡®Left Boot¡¯ has been destroyed!] [Alert: ¡®Bracer¡¯ has been destroyed!] The durability of Siegfried¡¯s defensive equipment soon plummeted to zero under the mes of Destruction. Without his equipment, Siegfried was no longer me Ignito¡¯s match despite Hamchi¡¯s buffs. He needed the Debuff Master¡¯s Debuff fields to fight on equal footing with the boss monster because the difference in their basic stats and level was just far too great. ¡°Hey! Spin it faster! Faster!¡± Siegfried shouted at Hamchi. ¡°Huff! Huff! Huff!¡±?Hamchi ran as fast as he could and spun the magic hamster wheel. Ddruuu! Ddruuu! Ddruuu! The buff on Siegfried became stronger as the wheel spun even faster. Unfortunately, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to ignore me Ignito¡¯s next attack. ¡®The buff is not enough! I won¡¯t be able to take it at this rate!¡¯? Siegfried desperately tried to think of a solution. Fwaaa! However, the mes of Destruction mercilessly devoured him before he could even think of a way. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] He instantly lost a huge chunk of his HP. [Alert: The duration of ¡®Adamant Body¡¯ has ended and will now be on cooldown! The skill will be avable 60ster!] Adamant Body went on cooldown, and Siegfried lost his Super Armor, which was the only thing protecting him against me Ignito¡¯s attacks. me Ignito nonchntly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and smashed him into the ground. ¡°Ughh¡­¡±?Siegfried groaned in agony. ¡°I am. Stronger than you,¡± me Ignito said. ¡°Well¡­ I guess I should acknowledge that part,¡± Siegfried replied with a sarcastic smirk. ¡°Survival of the fittest. This is thew of the universe. You are weaker than me, so¡ª¡± Whoosh! Siegfried interrupted me Ignito¡¯s speech by throwing a disk at thetter¡¯s face. ¡°Do you really think that such petty tricks will work on me?¡± me Ignito moved his head to the side and easily avoided the disk. Chwaaak! The disk flew past me Ignito¡¯s head and split into numerous pieces. Then, the five hundred shurikens flew like a swarm of bees and relentlessly attacked me Ignito from behind. ¡°Kwuaaaaaaaah!¡±? It was not a perfect Torrential Flower Rain because he only used one disk. It was only able to exert thirty percent of Torrential Flower Rain¡¯s power, but that was more than enough for Siegfried to narrowly escape death at the hands of me Ignito. ¡°Phew¡­!¡±?Siegfried let out a sigh of relief. ¡°You dare to resist your fate?¡± me Ignito asked with a hint of anger in his voice. Wooong¡­! Siegfried activated Shadow Swamp and drastically reduced me Ignito¡¯s Movement Speed. [Alert: Proof of Existence has been activated!] [Alert: Contempt for the Strong has been activated!] He simultaneously activated his two most powerful buffs. ¡°W-What is this power¡­?!¡± While me Ignito was stewing in his own shock after seeing Siegfried¡¯s sudden surge of power, a shadow emerged from the ground and wrapped its arms around me Ignito¡¯s figure. ¡°Hold it tightly!¡± Siegfried kicked off of the ground and darted toward the immobile boss monster. He then unleashed a barrage of basic attacks mixed with Smite and kept going at it until another skill went off cooldown. [Circle of Mortality: Avable] The core skill of the Debuff Master, Circle of Mortality, finally went off cooldown. Wooong! Siegfried immediately activated Circle of Mortality to drastically reduce me Ignito¡¯s Defense and Magic Resistance. The binding effect of Shadow Swamp, coupled with the Defense and Magic Resistance shred of Circle of Mortality, set the stage for Siegfried. Now, all he had to do now was to deal as much damage as possible. Siegfried used Smite to smash me Ignito¡¯s chest with his hammer and instantly connected it with Machine Gun Smash to unleash a barrage of attacks right on the boss monster''s head. Kwang! He activated Splitting Heaven and Earth to rip through the boss monster¡¯s remaining Defense. me Ignito was thrown into the air by Splitting Heaven and Earth, and Siegfried was about to deal the final blow. ¡®I¡¯ll cut you into pieces, you bastard¡­!¡¯? He prepared to unsheath his de and use Quick Draw as the killing blow. However, a thought interrupted him before he could even pull out his de. ¡®Wait a minute, this guy has a debt to pay...¡¯ With that, he watched as me Ignito crashed to the ground. Why? Throb! Throb!? His abdomen was still in pain from that punch just a while ago, so he had to collect that debt before sending me Ignito on his way. Chapter 140

    Chapter 140

    Ten minutester, me Ignito held his stomach and groaned. ¡°Kuheok! E-Enough... Just kill me already...¡± ¡°Nuh-uh, you still have thirty-three punches to go,¡± Siegfried replied nonchntly. ¡°P-Please...¡± ¡°The universe revolves around the survival of the fittest or something like that, right? You¡¯re weaker than me, so it¡¯s natural for me to beat the living shit out of you, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°But why are you only aiming for my abdomen...? Just hit me a few times and kill me if revenge is what you want...¡± ¡°You hit me really hard a while ago, you know?¡± ¡°...!¡± ¡°An eye for an eye.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too much? I only hit you once, so why do you want to hit me a hundred times?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a very generous person that will only get satisfied after paying my debt a hundredfold, you see. And what are you going to do about my items? Are you rich? Do you have a lot of money?¡± ¡°Money... Our race does not deal with material currency. Those things don¡¯t hold any value to us...¡± ¡°Then, you just have to pay me back with your body.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I usually charge a thousandfold, but I¡¯m a bit busy right now, so you¡¯re in luck as I¡¯m giving you a ny percent discount. Got that? Anyway, you have thirty-three more left, so good luck to you,¡± Siegfried grabbed me Ignito¡¯s head and dragged him back up to his feet. The intimidating boss monster that could wield the mes of Destruction had long disappeared. Right now, me Ignito had be a poor little alien that got on a stronger person¡¯s wrong side. ¡°Great work being a sandbag...¡± Siegfried finally let go of me Ignito after hitting him one hundred times. ¡°It¡¯s finally over... am I going to die now...?¡± ¡°Yeah, you can die now.¡± ¡°I see... so I can finally taste death ...¡± me Ignito looked emotional for some reason as he closed his eyes. Pukeok! [Alert: You have cleared the Quest ¨C ¡®Endure to the Bitter End!¡¯] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 175!] A string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ah... That was exhausting...¡± Siegfried grumbled. The whole fightsted for four hours, so it wasn¡¯t strange that he was exhausted despite it just being a game. ¡°Huff... Huff...¡± Hamchi was already sprawled on the ground after exhausting all of his energy running on the magical hamster wheel. However, they had no time to rest. ¡°Hey, Hamchi. Get up and collect the loot,¡± Siegfriedmanded. ¡°Huff... Huff... Hey, owner punk...! I¡¯m very tired... I want to rest...¡± Hamchi retorted. ¡°I¡¯m also on the verge of dying from exhaustion, but what can we do? We have to rush back to the fort and help them out. They should be at their limits already.¡± They had defeated the second wave, but their troubles hadn¡¯t ended just yet. They had to return as soon as possible and help the others fight against the first wave. ¡°All right, you just rest up. I¡¯ll go loot the items,¡± Siegfried walked over to me Ignito¡¯s remains. When he was about to pick up the dropped item ¡®Ignito¡¯s Core,¡¯ someone suddenly pointed their sword at Siegfried¡¯s neck. ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Siegfried grumbled as he looked at the perpetrator. ¡°King of Proatine, Siegfried van Proa.¡± The one who pointed their sword at Siegfried was none other than a knight of the Renoma Kingdom, Carlisle. *** ¡°You are the enemy of my kingdom. I¡ªCarlisle¡ªwill avenge my kingdom for the atrocities you havemitted against¡ª¡± Carlisle was interrupted by someone else. Shiik! The other person pointed their sword at Carlisle¡¯s neck and said, ¡°Put down your sword.¡± They were Carlisle¡¯s superior, a knight captain of the Renoma Kingdom¡¯s knights. ¡°Captain! What is the meaning of this?!¡± ¡°I said put your sword down.¡± ¡°Are you trying to protect the enemy of our kingdom?! You are ordering me to spare our enemy! This is treason!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but he saved our magicians, and he fought those enemies alone. Do you really think that pointing your sword at someone like that is something that a knight should be doing?¡± ¡°Did you just say what a knight should be doing?! What oath did you swear? Did you not swear loyalty to your country and to your lord?! That is what it means to be a¡ª¡± ¡°Justice,¡± the knight captain interrupted Carlisle with one word before continuing. ¡°That is the most basic principle of being a knight. He¡¯s not an ordinary civilian, but he¡¯s not an evil person in my eyes.¡± ¡°He is our enemy!¡± ¡°Who made him our enemy?!¡± ¡°...!¡± ¡°Our country did something unforgivable and cowardly for our own survival, and he is only doing the same for the survival of his kingdom. The things he did, like killing our officials, abducting our king, and manipting our armies, are the price we have to pay for our actions!¡± ¡°So what?! What do you want me to do now?! Are you saying that we should just let him go? I cannot and will not do that! If you insist on stopping me, then I will have no choice but to cut you down first, captain¡ª¡± Another sword was pointed at his neck. Shiik! It was the sword of one of hisrades. ¡°Put down your sword, Carlisle.¡± ¡°I-Ivan! You too?!¡± It wasn¡¯t just Ivan... ¡°Hey, stop that man...¡± ¡°Today¡¯s not the day.¡± ¡°We should fight him fair and square. What shameful disy is this?¡± Most of the knights stepped up and stopped Carlisle. However, Siegfried was tilting his head in confusion. ¡®What the hell are these guys talking about? I don¡¯t remember saying I¡¯ll drop dead for them...¡¯ The whole thing was surprising, but he decided to keep quiet and observe in the meantime. ¡°...I will report this to our superiors,¡± Carlisle said. He finally put down his sword and walked away from Siegfried. Once he was far enough, he red at Siegfried and threatened, ¡°Just you wait, the enemy of my kingdom! I will have your head one day and make you pay for what happened today!¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°The day we meet again will be your¡ª¡± Carlisle started. However, Siegfried interrupted him. ¡°Will that really daye?¡± Siegfried wasn¡¯t a fool, and he also wasn¡¯t the type of person who would let someone who had threatened him and drawn their sword against him go scot-free. He had always believed that letting a seed of vengeance grow would bite him in the ass one day. However, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You will not be able to receive the quest rewards for the Quest ¨C ¡®Endure to the Bitter End!¡¯ if you kill Carlisle right now.] ¡®I won¡¯t be able to receive the rewards? Wait a minute. What were the rewards again? Item dropped by the boss monster? It must be that thing on the ground, and what does useful recruits mean...?¡¯ The message seemed to have stumped Siegfried. ¡°Please forgive my subordinate¡¯s insolence,¡± the knight captain apologized to Siegfried. ¡°Well, yeah... he was quite rude, so I was about to¡ª¡± Siegfried was about to say ¡®kill him.¡¯ However, the knight captain interrupted him and said, ¡°I have something to tell you, King Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡± ¡°Will you ept me?¡± ¡°What? ept who?¡± ¡°My name is On de Mongrave, and I have been ordained as a knight by the Renoma Kingdom. However, I am willing to swear loyalty to you if you are willing to ept me,¡± On said as he got down on one knee in front of Siegfried. *** On wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to swear loyalty to Siegfried. ¡°I wish to swear loyalty to you, Your Majesty.¡± The other knights got down on their knees, showing their intent to swear loyalty to Siegfried. In addition, the knights weren¡¯t the only ones willing to swear fealty to him. ¡°This old one wishes to swear loyalty to Your Majesty as well.¡± Viscount Decimato and the magicians came over after finally being freed from the Mana Amplification Device. It was clear that they also wanted to swear loyalty to Siegfried. ¡®The useful recruits were these knights and magicians?¡¯ Siegfried finally understood. Surprisingly, the quest rewards this time weren¡¯t items but people. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m just an Adventurer,¡± Siegfried asked. He then added, just to make sure, ¡°I don¡¯t have any grand ambition to unify the continent or expand my territorial borders. I just want to turn my small kingdom into a ce where people can live peacefully. That¡¯s all.¡± Siegfried was an Adventurer and a gamer down to the core. His natural instinct as a gamer was to roam around the main stage of BNW, the N¨¹rburg Continent, to hunt monsters, collect items, level up, and clear quests. Of course, managing one¡¯s own country was also a part of the game. It was pretty fun too, but... ¡®I don¡¯t want to get stuck in my office all day signing papers throughout my gaming time...¡¯ Siegfried knew very well that the mountain of documents would only growrger together with his territory. In short, Siegfried¡¯s ambition was more on the self-centered side rather than the nation-building side. However, the knights and the magicians somehow found this side of him to be much more attractive than he had intended. ¡®To think that there is a ruler who ces his people¡¯s peace and prosperity above his own ambitions...! That is only something a true ruler can say!¡¯ ¡®Waging wars without any casus belli is something only those deranged war-crazed rulers would do. He is a true ruler who ces his people above anything else...!¡¯ The knights and magicians misinterpreted Siegfried¡¯s reluctance to grow his kingdom because of his phobia of documents, and they ended up picturing him as some kind of honorable ruler. ¡°I will like nothing more than to serve Your Majesty if that is how you feel about things.¡± ¡°I hope that you will consider epting this old man to serve you.¡± On and Decimato bowed their heads toward Siegfried once again. The rest of the knights and magicians followed suit. They all bowed their heads toward Siegfried and shouted in unison. ¡°We swear our loyalty to Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Hey, owner punk! Just ept them, will you? They want to get used and abused by you, so why are you refusing them? Kyu!¡± ¡®Well... I guess I do need more people,¡¯ thought Siegfried upon recalling Michele¡¯s grumbling about how they needed more manpower. Michele had also been pushing him to go and recruit more people for the longest time now. In the end, Siegfried decided to ept these ¡®useful recruits¡¯ as his subordinates. ¡°Alright, I will ept all of you as my subordinates,¡± he said with a smile. [Alert: On and 57 knights have joined your kingdom!] [Alert: Decimato and 69 magicians have joined your kingdom!] Two messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡°Please give us yourmand, Your Majesty,¡± On said. ¡°Let¡¯s clean this ce up and hurry over to Proatine,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I, On, ept Your Majesty¡¯smand!¡± On responded in a booming voice. The rest of the knights and magicians immediately stood up and got to work. Siegfried retrieved the Rod of God and Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger before going over to me Ignito¡¯s remains and picking up the item that the boss monster had dropped after dying. [mes of Destruction Orb] [An orb containing the mes of Destruction.] [A powerful fire attribute energy is contained within it.] Siegfried used Absorb Attribute as soon as he was done reading the orb¡¯s description. [Alert: You have absorbed the required amount of fire attribute energy!] [Alert: You may enhance a skill with your fire attribute energy!] [Alert: You may enhance ¡®Circle of Mortality¡¯ with the fire attribute energy you have gathered!] Siegfried had finally gathered the necessary amount of lightning attribute, dark attribute, and fire attribute energies to enhance his skills. This time, he enhanced Circle of Mortality, which was the core skill of the Debuff Master, with the fire attribute. ¡®Nice! My skill has been enhanced, so it¡¯s time to absorb the souls.¡¯ He pointed the magic sword toward the named monsters¡¯ souls. [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of ¡®Chiffon¡¯.] [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of ¡®Ramirez¡¯.] [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of ¡®Verenas¡¯.] [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of ¡®Juanchief¡¯.] [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of ¡®Chinok¡¯.] [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of ¡®me Ignito¡¯.] However, he only received a string of messages notifying him that he had ¡®absorbed¡¯ the souls of the named monsters and the boss monster. That was it. There were no other messages informing him of how the magic sword¡¯s power had increased or anything. ¡®What¡¯s going on? This is confusing. Where is the increase? It should be more powerful now than before,¡¯ he wondered. Of course, there was no way he would get any answers right now, and he also didn¡¯t have anyone he could ask about it, so he decided to ignore it for now. [Alert: You have obtained a ¡®Dimensional Fragment¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained a ¡®Dimensional Fragment¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained a ¡®Dimensional Fragment¡¯!] He then collected all of the Dimensional Fragment, which was an item that only monsters from Dimensional Rifts would drop. Once he was done collecting every Dimensional Fragment, he gathered his new subordinates and made their way back to Proatine. Chapter 141

    Chapter 141

    There was a fierce battle between the one-hundred-thousand-strong Mirmic Race army and the Proatine Forces at Turtle Fort. Turtle Fort was a strategic and key defensive fort that held together the entirety of the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s border defense. The odds were stacked heavily against the Proatine Forces. ¡°For Proatine!¡± ¡°Die! Die! Dieeee!¡± ¡°Hey, you bastards! Make sure you don¡¯t let a single one of them climb up!¡± The soldiers fought with their lives on the line. Boom! Boom! Boom! The canons had long turned red hot from the consecutive shooting. ¡°Hang in there! His Majesty is going toe to help us soon!¡± ¡°Argh! Stoping, you little bastards!¡± Oscar and Seung-Gu were valiantly fighting against the alien invaders as well. However, they were still struggling against the Mirmic Forces despite their best efforts, and they would have immediately copsed if it weren¡¯t for the Renoma Forces that were wreaking havoc at the Mirmic Forces¡¯ rear. In the midst of the fierce fighting, the fort gates that stood steadfast against the attacks of the invaders started to crack, and it was soon destroyed by the alien invaders. Craaaaash! The Mirmics flooded into the fort. ¡®No!¡¯ Oscar cried out inwardly at the sight. She had done her best to lead the army. In fact, she had done quite well with what she had avable. The corpses of their enemies had piled up like a mountain outside the fort walls, and it was a testament to how well she had been leading her troops and how valiantly the troops had been fighting. They had achieved a great feat by holding back such a great army for so long. However, this was only possible thanks to Oscar¡¯s impable leadership as well as the tenacity of the Proatine soldiers. The Proatine soldiers also racked up realbat experience by going on monster subjugations. However, they had finally reached their limits. The enemies flooded the fort like a deluge, and it would only be a matter of time before the Proatine Forces were decimated. Grit...! Oscar gritted her teeth before jumping down to the castle gate. ¡°I will stop all of you even if I have to put my life on the line...!¡± she shouted. . Fwaaaaaa! All of a sudden, a huge red circle appeared on the ground and consumed its surroundings in an inferno. Fwaaa! Fwaaaa! The mes danced like serpents as they chased after the Mirmic Warriors and devoured them down like hungry beasts. Once a lick of me was done consuming a victim, it would then jump to another unfortunate victim. A man was standing in the midst of the mes. ¡°Please stand back. I will take care of everything,¡± Siegfried said. He stood in the way of enemy troops flooding into the gates after regrouping with the Proatine Forces. He had just showcased the enhanced version of Circle of Mortality called ze Field. *** The ze Field had the following effect... [ze Field] [Circle of Mortality enhanced with fire attribute energy.] [The skill''s effect, cooldown time, duration, and range are the same as the original Circle of Mortality.] [Enhanced Effect: Enemies within ze Field are set aze with the mes of Destruction. The mes of Destruction reduces the afflicted¡¯s Defense and Magic Resistance. The Defense and Magic Resistance shred increases for every second a target is aze. There is a percentile chance of destroying a target¡¯s equipment. The mes of Destruction are not easily extinguished, even after the target leaves the field. The mes of Destruction will bounce off of every afflicted target and nearby enemies.] The ze Field possessed the basic debuff effects of Circle of Mortality, but it improved thetter¡¯s effects by bing an over time debuff that would increasingly shred the afflicted¡¯s Defense and Magic Resistance while they were aze. In addition, targets afflicted with the mes of Destruction through ze Field would be a hazard to theirrades because the mes of Destruction would bounce off of them and toward their nearbyrades. Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but think that ze Field would be his number one skill because it basically enhanced the effects of the Debuff Master¡¯s bread and butter, which was Circle of Mortality. ¡°It¡¯s time to die,¡± Siegfried muttered. He smashed the heads of the Mirmic Warriors within ze Field. The fort was secured once again. It happened so fast that a few even started doubting whether the enemies had actually managed to get inside the first in the first ce. Of course, this was only possible thanks to Siegfried¡¯s new skill that allowed him to ¡®instant delete¡¯ his enemies before the named monsters coulde into the fort. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t stop there as he pushed back even the monsters just outside the fort gates andpletely secured the fort. Afterward, he stepped out of the fort and acted as the gatekeeper who killed anyone that dared to approach him. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Hamchi will help you! Kyu!¡± Hamchi took out his magical hamster wheel again and buffed Siegfried. Ddruuu! However, Hamchi wasn¡¯t running as fast as he did when Siegfried was fighting me Ignito. ¡®I don¡¯t have to run so hard. I just have to buff that punk enough so he doesn¡¯t copse from exhaustion.¡¯ Hamchi knew very well that the key to this battle was not strength but endurance. ¡°This is our first battle for His Majesty! All forces! Attack!¡± On shouted as he led the knights and ran up the fort walls to help the Proatine Forces push back the Mirmic Warriors trying to scale the walls. The magicians did not participate in the battle because they had already exhausted their mana just to close the Dimensional Rift. When Siegfried and the Renoma knights joined the fray, the battle quickly became neck-and-neck. *** It had only been just an hour since Siegfried joined the battle, but the corpses of the Mirmic Warriors had already piled up as high as the fort walls. The Turtle Fort was now in danger once again. ¡®The difference in numbers is too big...!¡¯ Siegfried bit his lips. Their enemies weren¡¯t strong, but there were too many of them. Sseeuuuu! Siegfried had been using Irradiate at full throttle, but the enemies still kept on charging at them. In addition, Siegfried couldn¡¯t protect all sides of the fort, so the walls would soon be taken over by the enemies, even if he were to fight for a dozen hours more. The casualties of the Proatine Forces started piling up, and the soldiers defending the castle walls started to fall one by one. These were the tell-tale signs of a disaster. However, this was purely due to the difference in their numbers, and it sadly proved that quantity would triumph over individual skills if the difference in number were big enough. ¡°W-We don¡¯t have any more mortar shells!¡± To make matters worse, the cannons were now out of service after exhausting all of their ammunition, and their dmission severely decreased the defensive capability of Turtle Fort. ¡°Who could have known that things would turn out this way?¡± Siegfried grumbled. He had to find a way to turn things around¡ªa solution to win despite the overwhelming number of enemies... ¡®I guess I should prioritize the enemy in front of me over someone I¡¯ll fight in the future... tsk...¡¯ he clicked his tongue and reached for his magic belt, and the magic belt instantly ced the Rod of God in his hand. In the end, he could not allow any further allied casualties, so he decided to use the trump card he wanted to save for his archnemesis. ¡®I can¡¯t be stingy right now. Protecting my housees first,¡¯ thought Siegfried as he tightly gripped the Rod of God. He was about to cast the Rod of God¡¯s overpowered skill... However, Seung-Gu interrupted him. ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu pointed at the skies and shouted, ¡°Woo-Jin hyung-nim is here!¡± ¡°What? Cheon Woo-Jin is here?¡± ¡°Woo-Jin hyung-nim has brought reinforcements! Awesome timing, right?!¡± Siegfried looked up at the sky after hearing Seung-Gu. ¡®Airship...?¡¯ There were ten airships with an emblem of a shield emzoned on them. It was the fleet of the secret organization¡ªthe Guardians. *** On the deck of Albatross, thergest airship in the fleet... ¡°My friend¡¯s house is burning down to the ground, so I better help him, right?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin smirked. He was wearing an admiral¡¯s coat while enjoying a cup of wine in his luxurious leather seat. Tap... Tap... Cheon Woo-Jin tapped the microphone with his finger. ¡ª Ah... Ah... Mic test one two, mic test one two. Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s voice echoed throughout the entire battlefield. ¡ª Precision airstrike iing in ten seconds. ¡ª 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... ¡ª 2... 1... ¡ª Fire in the hole! The ten airships unleashed a barrage of artillery fire. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Kabooom! The entire battlefield was devastated in the proverbial blink of an eye. ¡ª All ships return to base. Once the airships were done dumping all of their ammunition at the target location, Cheon Woo-Jin gave themand to retreat. ¡ª I¡¯ve paid my debts from the random box incident, so don¡¯t cry about it anymore. ¡°Yeah, I have received your payment, and it is well-received,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. ¡ª Alright, then, adios! ¡°Cringe...¡± Siegfried grimaced at Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s chuuniness. *** The ten airships and the thousands of ammunition they had dumped on the battlefield instantly turned the tides of the battle. ¡®All right, this should be more than enough.¡¯ Siegfried was finally confident of his victory. However, Cheon Woo-Jin wasn¡¯t the only one who had been helping all this while. ¡°In the name of Renoma!¡± ¡°Kill them all!¡± ¡°His Majesty hasmanded us to kill the enemy!¡± The Renoma Forces led their thirty-thousand-strong army and shed against the rear forces of the Mirmics. The Renoma Forces weren¡¯t the only ones who came to help. ¡°Elf! It¡¯s the elves! The Elven Archers are here!¡± a soldier shouted. Siegfried turned and saw hundreds of elves climbing up the walls and firing down at the Mirmics. One of the elves smiled brightly at Siegfried. It was Natasha, the elven girl whom Siegfried had saved from the Elf Hunters. [We havee to repay our debts, my savior.] Natasha transmitted through telepathy. ¡®Thank you...¡¯ Siegfried sincerely thanked her inwardly because he had no idea how to reply through telepathy. The world was a cruel ce where one could get sued by the very person one had saved from drowning. Gratitude? Such a thing had ceased to exist a long time ago, and many had actually forgotten about it. What was gratitude again? Was it something edible? The world was filled with intelligent beings that had forgotten the very basic principle of gratitude. However, the people whom Siegfried had helped without much thought in the past were now here to repay him for his kindness. ¡®I won¡¯t forget your help...¡¯ Siegfried thought with a smile. ¡°Warriors of the North! Heed my words!¡± ¡°We heed the words of our king!¡± All of a sudden, another group of reinforcements arrived. A huge army of around twenty to thirty thousand Nordic Warriors appeared and charged at the Mirmics. ¡°Brother!¡± A loud voice reverberated across the battlefield. It was the voice of the Nordic King, Lionbreath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I waste! I came as fast as I could, but this ce is too far!¡± ¡°Not at all! You came just in time!¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s a relief, then! Haha! Don¡¯t you worry about anything now! I will teach those bastards a lesson! Bwahahaha!¡± Lionbreath boisterouslyughed. Lionbreath¡¯s ss was Warlord, and even hisughter was one of the skills in his arsenal. Hisughter buffed and increased the morale of nearby troops. ¡°Bwahahaha! Look at those insects! How dare you bugs pick a fight with my brother?! I¡ªLionbreath¡ªwill teach you the true meaning of pain!¡± Lionbreathughed maniacally while ughtering the Mirmics. ¡®Alright! This should be more than enough¡ªhuh? What¡¯s that?¡¯ Another group of reinforcements appeared... p! p! p! A group of elves riding on top of winged horses, known as Pegasus, rained down arrows from above. ¡°Proud warriors of Elondel! ept our king¡¯smands and eradicate those evil creatures!¡± Elondel was an elven kingdom that existed somewhere on the continent, and it had always been a mysterious kingdom that only existed in legends because it was incredibly rare to stumble upon theirnds. It seemed that Siegfried¡¯s good rtionship with Natasha had also attracted the aid of the legendary elven kingdom. The tides of the battlepletely turned with the help of these powerful reinforcements. Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s armada... The Renoma Kingdom¡¯s forces... The elven archers... Lionbreath and the Nordic Warriors... The Pegasus Unit of the legendary elven kingdom... The Adventurers Michele had gathered after issuing a quest... And finally, the Proatine Forces... The Mirmic Forces were pushed back under the might of the seven reinforcements. ¡°Hey! Siegfried!¡± Someone suddenly shouted at Siegfried. ¡®Who was that...?¡¯ Siegfried turned around and saw a female warrior making her way toward him while beheading every single Mirmic that dared toe close to her. ¡°You son of a bitch! I will see youter! You actually dared to run away after enving my body?! I can¡¯t sleep at night anymore because I¡¯m always thinking of you!¡± [Alert: Adult content has been unlocked! You may now enjoy the adult content to your heart¡¯s desires!] The adult content was once again forcefully unlocked for his enjoyment. Favorite Chapter 142

    Chapter 142

    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep at night because all I can think about is you!¡± Ingrid screamed passionately at the top of her lungs. Everyone¡¯s eyes on the battlefield darted toward Siegfried. It was unknown whether she had inherited Lionbreath¡¯s loud voice, but her voice was so loud that everyone on the battlefield had heard what she had said. ¡®W-What did you do to make her say something like that so loudly?!¡¯ ¡®Wow... I wonder how good he is to make a beauty like that sleepless at night...¡¯ ¡®His Majesty seems to be young and full of vigor! Hoho!¡¯ ¡®Wow! He is a man indeed! A true man!¡¯ The soldiers wore sleazy smiles as they looked up to their strong king. A vein protruded on Siegfried¡¯s forehead as a result of the misunderstanding. Now, it wasn¡¯t just the Nordic Tribesmen; his entire kingdom would also misunderstand him now. Even worse, the elves of the forest and the elves of the elven kingdom would definitely start having the same thoughts as well. ¡®Hamchi... I¡¯m going to kill that perverted rat!¡¯ Siegfried instantly turned and red at the hamster because his public image had just plummeted to the ground. However, the quick-witted hamster had already run away and was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately for Siegfried, someone important heard Ingrid¡¯s scandalous confession. ¡°To think that his Majesty had this side of him...! I must record this for the history books!¡± The scribe and historian of the Proatine Kingdom, Gringore de Noveldrawer, started frivolously writing down on a piece of parchment with sparkling eyes. *** A scribe was someone that recorded the history of their nation, and the most important task of a scribe was to observe the king at all times and leave behind records of them. However, Gringore had be something akin to a sry thief because Siegfried was always away from Proatine. There was nothing for him to record because the king¡ªSiegfried¡ªwas always full of wanderlust and away from his throne. Thanks to that, Gringore had be a strange civil servant that had been spending more time with his hobbies rather than working on what was supposed to be his full-time job. One day, the Minister of State, Michele, called Gringore to his office. Michele had realized that the sry being used on Gringore wasn¡¯t really being put to use. ¡°Scribe Gringore.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Michele?¡± ¡°I heard you are quite free these days, so why don¡¯t you take a side job?¡± ¡°Pardon me? A side job...?¡± ¡°I heard that you are quite an artist, and you have reached a certain level above most artists.¡± ¡°That is only because I used to study at the Empire¡¯s Academy of Arts...¡± ¡°I heard that you are good at writing poems, singing, ying stringed instruments, dancing, and even acting?¡± ¡°You tter me too much... Anyway, what ¡®side job¡¯ do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you perform this and that at the Royal Theatre if you¡¯re going to be ying all day? You can write poems on the side and recite them from time to time too.¡± ¡°What...?¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re probably bored as well, and your performances at the theater are going to help our coffers as well.¡± ¡°A-Are you telling me to earn my keep...?¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because of your academic qualifications, but your sry is quite high for someone not doing anything.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°We are conducting a lot of projects in the kingdom, so our budget is quite tight these days. This is the only way I can think of that will not deduct your sry.¡± Michele was telling the truth. The three-year n he had developed put a heavy strain on the financial situation of the kingdom. In fact, the kingdom¡¯s financial situation was so bad that Michele personally volunteered to have his sry shed to set an example for the people. ¡°P-Please! Anything but that, Sir Michele! I have my mortgage to pay off, and I still have thirty-four months remaining on the airship I purchased!¡± ¡°Then, I guess you won¡¯t have any qualms about earning your keep?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I will inform the Royal Theatre to make preparations for your shows, Scribe Gringore.¡± And that was how Gringore ended up bing the lead actor, singer, speaker, musician, and dancer of the Royal Theater. Even more shocking was that his performances were always blockbusters, selling tens of thousands of tickets. This was all thanks to Siegfried¡¯s wanderlust. However, today was different. King Siegfried was currently in Proatine, and he was valiantly fighting against the monsters that had crawled out from the Dimensional Rift. In short, Gringore was finally able to work on his main job instead of his side job for today. Scribble! Scribble! Gringore moved his pen as fast as he could, jotting down every detail he could see after finally being able to work as a scribe. His Majesty has personally led the charge against the evil creatures. He used his mighty and mystical skills to protect the breached gate and protect his people, but the evil creatures numbered more than one hundred thousand. The outlook was bleak. Ah! Is this the end? The cries of the soldiers reached the heavens, and their cries were heard as help came from above! A fleet of airships appeared out of nowhere and rained down fire at the evil creatures, but that was not the end of it... The Elven Archers came out of their forests to shoot volleys of arrows at the enemy. The valiant Nordic Warriors shed against the evil creatures. The otherworldly Adventurers joined the battle in the Quest to protect Proatine from evil. The knights of the legendary elven kingdom rode on their Pegasus and bravely defended Proatine. It is impossible to lose this battle! Ah! This miracle was made possible by the blessings of His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa! Let the people sing praises of His Majesty¡¯s benevolence that is as vast as the oceans! This part was great, but the problem started afterward. The battle was about to reach its climax... The Nordic Princess valiantly fought at the frontlines while letting out cries of how she missed His Majesty, and her cries touched the hearts of the soldiers on the battlefield. She cried out that she could never forget the night she spent with His Majesty and how she longs to be in his arms every night. Ah! How beautiful is this burning love? How fascinating is her zing desire? How sweet was His Majesty¡¯s embrace? How powerful was His Majesty¡¯s love? How thirsty had she been for His Majesty¡¯s love that she¡ªa princess¡ªhad put down her pride and dered her longing for him in front of the multitude? This moment shall be engraved in history and stand as a testament to His Majesty¡¯s charm, passion, and vigor! Let all who see His Majesty¡¯s face today stand in awe! - Records of the Proatine Kingdom Book 1 Chapter 2 Siegfried van Proa the 1st ¨C King¡¯s Love These words would be written down in the records of the Proatine Kingdom, so a few parts were purposely exaggerated, but it managed to preserve the overall idea of what had urred. ¡°Don¡¯t go writing shit on your own! Who gave you the right to write and cement this down?!¡± Siegfried screamed with obvious rage in his voice after reading what Gringore had written down. The records written by a scribe were something that even a king could not touch, and the word cement used by Siegfried was pretty urate. ¡°Erase it.¡± ¡°I cannot do that, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°This is a royalmand. Erase it.¡± ¡°It is impossible, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I said, erase it!¡± ¡°Please behead your humble servant instead!¡± Gringore vehemently refused. Even a king couldn¡¯t go against the principles of a scribe wielding their pen. ¡®Who the hell is this guy, anyway?¡¯ Siegfried grumbled in disbelief as he checked the details of the scribe who dared to write down the details of the shameful misunderstanding for the world to see. [Gringore de Nobledrawer] [The scribe of the Proatine Kingdom.] [Graduated top of his batch at the Empire¡¯s Academy of Arts.] [He is highly skilled in singing, acting, dancing, and writing poems. He was born with beautiful features that would haveunched him as one of the top celebrities in the empire, but he gave up his future to fulfill his childhood dreams of bing a scribe.] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 10] [Position: Scribe] [Rank: Viscount] [ss: Great Artist] [Titles: Masked King, Thousand Faces, Phantom Dance, Talented Actor, Sry Thief, Pro-Forex Earner, Typography Addict, Record Nerd.] Gringore was only Level 10, but he didn¡¯t seem to be a good-for-nothing extra NPC walking down the street. ¡®Who cares?!¡¯ Siegfried fumed. He didn¡¯t care whether Gringore was a hidden talent or not. ¡°Hey, you should only record facts, right? Why the hell would you record something like that?¡± he asked. ¡°A scribe¡¯s duty is to record every single thing his lord does. If Your Majesty would allow it, then I would love to record every single mole on your body as well.¡± ¡°Ugh...¡± Siegfried rubbed his nape in frustration at Gringore¡¯s brazenness. ¡®Ah, is this the end of my public image...?¡¯ Siegfriedmented, worried about what people would think of him from now on. Still, he couldn¡¯t execute the scribe because the scribe was just doing his job. Siegfried was left with no choice but to ept the fact that the shameful misunderstanding was going to be made avable for everyone to see. Today¡¯s record was going to be an excellent topic for discussion among historians hundreds of yearster. A historian in the future was going to pen a biography of Siegfried titled ¡®Siegfried van Proa,¡¯ and the book would have these words at the start. - That was the beginning of everything... ...or something like that. ¡®Aigoo... What¡¯s wrong with my fate...?¡¯ Siegfriedmented once again when he thought about how the future generations might mistake him as a degenerate king. ¡°Your Majesty! Please gather the troops and go up the walls! It is time for us to wipe out the enemy!¡± Oscar shouted, unaware of Siegfried¡¯s feelings right now. ¡°All right...¡± Siegfried muttered in response. He solemnly bit his lower lip and turned toward the Proatine Forces before saying, ¡°I herebymand you as your king.¡± His voice became filled with authority and was heard loud and clear after he infused mana into his voice. ¡°All forces. Attack!¡± The Proatine Forces ran out of the fort and charged toward the enemy at Siegfried¡¯smand. ¡°For Proatine!¡± ¡°For His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa!¡± ¡°CHAAARGEEE!¡± The Proatine Forces screamed at the top of their lungs and let out a warcry as they started wiping out the Mirmic Warriors. *** The battle of the coalition forces against the one-hundred-thousand-strong Mirmic armysted for two hours. ¡®I will kill them all!¡¯ Siegfried thought. He was furious at what the scribe had done, so he decided to vent his anger on the Mirmics. [Alert: You have reached Level 176!] [Alert: You have reached Level 177!] [Alert: You have reached Level 178!] [Alert: You have reached Level 179!] His anger served as excellent fodder for his growth, and he hit Level 179 in no time. [Alert: You have reached Level 180!] And he reached Level 180 after killing thest remaining Mirmic Warrior... ¡°Haa... Haa...¡± Vroooooo! The horn signaling their victory sounded. ¡°WAAAAH!¡± The cries of the coalition forces reverberated loudly through the air. They had emerged victorious. *** After the battle ended, Siegfried triumphantly returned to Turtle Fort. ¡°Hurrah for the Proatine Kingdom!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± ¡°Hurrah for His Majesty!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± ¡°Great work, everyone. Today¡¯s victory is all thanks to you. I am extremely proud of each and every single one of you. Your bonuses and thepensation for those who have fallen in battle will be discussed after everything has concluded.¡± ¡±I hope that all of you will work hard to clean up the battlefield.¡± Siegfried gave a short speech to the soldiers before he went over to themand center in Turtle Fort to greet and thank the leaders of the reinforcement armies. Then, a grand victory banquet was held to celebrate their victory. While the mor in the banquet was at its peak... ¡°Please excuse me,¡± Siegfried said as he went to the bathroom. ¡®Now¡¯s my chance!¡¯ Ingrid secretly followed Siegfried. However, Siegfried disappeared the moment he turned into a corner. Ingrid could not help but gnash her teeth after losing Siegfried once again. ¡°Argh! Siegfried! I will eat you one day!¡± She steeled her resolve to have Siegfried one day by saying out loud an old one-liner from a snackmercial. *** ¡°I¡¯m not a cheetos...¡± Siegfried grumbled. After shaking off Ingrid, he went out of the fort to the ins where the battle had taken ce. He came here for the mountains of Mirmic Warrior corpses. Fwaa! Fwaa! There were one hundred thousand souls hovering above the Mirmic Warriors¡¯ remains. ¡®The elves might find it detestable so...¡¯ He came here in secret because of the elves. He didn¡¯t feel sofortable using a magic sword gifted by a demon lord in front of the elves, who were known to be forest dwellers and nature lovers. ¡°I feel something evil and sinister in this ce... Hmm... Am I being too sensitive...?¡± In fact, the captain of the elven squadron from the elven kingdom said that to Siegfried during the banquet, which made him feel like he had to be even more cautious about this. ¡®Will it be able to absorb all these souls?¡¯ he wondered if the magic sword was capable of absorbing all these souls as he pointed it to the sky. [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of a ¡®Lesser Mirmic Warrior¡¯!] [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of an ¡®Intermediate Mirmic Warrior¡¯!] [Alert: You have absorbed the soul of a ¡®Greater Mirmic Warrior¡¯!] Messages appeared like a deluge in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡®Huh? It¡¯s still absorbing? It¡¯s not going to stop?¡¯ Siegfried was shocked by the magic sword¡¯s insatiable hunger, and it wasn¡¯t showing any signs that it would stop anytime soon. The magic sword seemed like it was showing off its near-limitless storage capacity and was telling Siegfried to feed it more souls. Soon, the magic sword finally consumed all of the souls. ¡®I wonder how powerful it is now...¡¯ Siegfried used his Rune of Insight to check the magic sword¡¯s stats. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been exposed to powerful dark mana!] [Alert: Your control over your character is being encroached on! Your control over your character has weakened!] A series of sinister messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes, and his entire body slowly turned dark blue.
    1. A sry thief is someone that is employed by apany but doesn¡¯t have any tasks or work. 2. The snackmercial here is Ch**tos in Korea. Chapter 143

    Chapter 143

    The magic sword bared its fangs at Siegfried, infusing its dark mana into him and slowly taking control of his character. Siegfried was shocked at the sudden change in the magic sword¡¯s demeanor. ¡®Hey! That¡¯s not fair! You can¡¯t do this without giving me a heads-up!¡¯ He knew that the Magic Sword of Avengence: Avenger was a dangerous weapon, but he thought that sucking away at his HP and Stamina was the only thing that it could do. However, the magic sword actually backstabbed him. [Alert: Dark mana is being injected into your character! (Progress 19%)] [Alert: Warning! The dark mana is starting to take over your character!] [Alert: You will soon loseplete control over your character!] A series of nerve-wracking messages appeared while he was desperately trying to let go of the magic sword. Unfortunately, the magic sword didn¡¯t want to let go of him. The magic sword slowly started taking control over Siegfried¡¯s right arm, and his arm¡¯s color slowly turned dark blue. Badump! Badump! His blood vessels grew to the thickness of his index finger as the dark mana slowly crept toward Siegfried¡¯s heart. [Alert: Dark mana is being injected into your character! (Progress 33%)] [Alert: Warning! The dark mana is starting to take over your character!] [Alert: You will soon loseplete control over your character!] The same warning messages popped up once again. ¡°Euuuk...!¡± Siegfried groaned in agony. He tried his best to get rid of the magic sword, but it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to let go of it no matter what. The magic sword seemed like it had glued itself to his hand. He tried using his own mana to push the magic sword away, but the dark mana that the magic sword was forcing into his palm was simply too strong. He also tried using his lightning attribute energy to no avail. ¡®What should I do? Should I cut my hand off? What can I do to get rid of this damned sword?¡¯ The situation had spiraled out of control. Siegfried started contemting whether or not he should just cut his entire arm off. While he was struggling against the magic sword, he suddenly came up with an idea. ¡®The only thing that I can do is...¡¯ Woooong...! Siegfried started emitting mana waves from his body and made them converge toward the magic sword. It was the debuff skill that specialized in interfering with the flow of mana, Wave of Oppression. Siegfried could only ce his bet on Wave of Oppression, and it was effective. [Alert: Dark mana is being injected into your character! (Progress 45.1%)] [Alert: Dark mana is being injected into your character! (Progress 45.2%)] [Alert: Dark mana is being injected into your character! (Progress 45.3%)] The progress rate that was skyrocketing slowed down until it was only increasing in small increments of 0.1%. However, Siegfried¡¯s mana was already running out. Why? Wave of Oppression wasn¡¯t a skill that was meant to be cast consecutively. It was a skill that should only be cast once whenever one wanted to interrupt an enemy¡¯s channeling or skill activation. In short, Siegfried was basically pouring all of his mana into maintaining Wave of Oppression. ¡®I¡¯m about to run out of mana...! If I had known that this was going to happen, I would have at least brought Hamchi with me!¡¯ Siegfried gritted his teeth. sh! All of a sudden, a ray of light pierced through the darkness and illuminated Siegfried. [Alert: The ¡®Light of Salvation¡¯ is pushing the dark mana out of your body!] The light was called Light of Salvation, and it possessed powerful light attribute energy. It enveloped Siegfried and pushed out the dark mana from his body. However, the light didn¡¯t stop there as it disintegrated the dark mana and suppressed the magic sword at the same time. Thud...! A minuteter, Siegfried was finally able to let go of the magic sword, thanks to the Light of Salvation. ¡°Haa... Haa...¡± he tried topose his breathing. ¡°That was a close call,¡± a voice spoke from within the darkness. Siegfried looked toward where the voice hade from and saw a woman walking out from the darkness. She had pointy ears, which was a unique characteristic of elves and a gorgeous figure. She had bright orange hair and sparkling green eyes. [Brunhilde] [A princess of Elven Kingdom Elondel. She is also the Captain of the Pegasus Flying Squadron and the owner of the divine mount, Hyperion.] [She is also the owner of the divine artifact of the Archangel Uriel, Holy Sword Phoenix.] [Type: NPC] [Level: 299] [Race: Elf (369 years old)] [ss: Angel Knight (Ultimate Sword Expert)] [Position: Flying Squadron Captain] [Rank: Brigadier General] [Titles: Kind Knight, Sad Spinster, Considered Ugly among Elves, One Who Has Struck a Wall.] Her name was Brunhilde, and she had sensed the evil manaing from the magic sword earlier. *** ¡°Thank you very much. It¡¯s all thanks to you that I survived. If it weren¡¯t for you, then I would have...¡± Siegfried expressed his gratitude with a bow. ¡°You would have been devoured by the magic sword,¡± Brunhildepleted his words. ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°Things would have been really bad if I were a bitte. That magic sword is the divine artifact of a demon lord¡ªno, it is a monster that devours the mind and body of any human that dares to touch it...¡± ¡±You would have turned into a djinn if you had failed to suppress the dark mana and waspletely overwhelmed by it, and a djinn like you would definitely be able to devastate the entire continent.¡± She waspletely right. The status ailment that Siegfried was suffering from a while ago could have made him lose full control of his character, and he would have ended up in a state simr to a permanent ban. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to continue ying the game if the magic sword managed to take over his body. ¡°But why does a hero like you possess a dangerous weapon like that?¡± ¡°Ah, that is...¡± Siegfried exined the story behind how he had obtained the magic sword. ¡°I see. I guess the Immortal King was able to use that magic sword because he was no longer a living being but an undead monster.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± ¡°Please be careful, and do not try to use that magic sword ever again. You will have to reach the level of a Master if you wish to use that sword.¡± ¡°I will remember your advice.¡± ¡°Hmm... If you give it to me instead, then...¡± Brunhilde said as she was about to say ¡®I will bring it back to our kingdom and seal it¡¯. However, Siegfried immediately shook his head and replied, ¡°No, I will keep it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use it right now, but I am certain that I will need it in the future.¡± ¡°But it is a dangerous artifact that could turn you into a djinn.¡± ¡°I have enemies that I have to destroy even if it means turning into a djinn.¡± ¡°Revenge...¡± ¡°Yes, revenge.¡± ¡°Still, that is far too dangerous. If you do end up bing a djinn for the sake of your own vengeance and put the continent in danger, then...¡± ¡°You may cut me down by then.¡± ¡°...!¡± ¡°You do not have to worry about me. I will take care of myself.¡± ¡°I hope you will,¡± Brunhilde replied. She then used her psychokinesis to lift the magic sword and put it in its sheath. ¡°I hope that you will always be careful,¡± Brunhilde said once again. ¡°I will,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. ¡°Then, shall we head back?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Siegfried ended up walking back to Turtle Fort together with Brunhilde in the middle of the night. *** On the way back to the fort... ¡°Uhmm... Can I ask you something?¡± Brunhilde asked while seemingly hesitant. ¡°Hmm? Ah, sure, go ahead.¡± ¡°What... do you think of me?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Am I ugly?¡± ¡°Ha?¡± ¡®Is this woman fishing forpliments? I¡¯m grateful she saved me, but what¡¯s this all of a sudden...?¡¯ Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand what Brunhilde was trying to do here. Siegfried didn¡¯t really have the best of personalities, so he wasn¡¯t a fan of answering rhetorical questions. However, he did manage to ovee one of the biggest crises in his gaming career, so he decided to give her the answer she probably wanted to hear. ¡®Well, it¡¯s true that she is beautiful anyway,¡¯ he thought as he replied, ¡°No? You are quite beautiful.¡± ¡°R-Really?!¡± Brunhilde eximed as her eyes shot wide open. Then, she asked once more, just to make sure. ¡°Am I beautiful? Really?!¡± ¡°Well... Yes?¡± Siegfried was a bit confused at her reaction over something that was obvious, but he decided to continue telling her what she wanted to hear. ¡°I think Brunhilde-nim can pass as a gorgeous woman.¡± ¡°L-Liar...!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true...¡± ¡°I think you are lying just because I saved you...¡± ¡°Have you ever looked in a mirror? Or do elves not have mirrors in their houses? We humans usually have at least one mirror in our houses. Most women have handheld mirrors with them at all times, too...¡± At that, Brunhilde gasped ¡°Ah...!¡± ¡°Yes, that was it...¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°What is it...?¡± ¡°You are a human. I apologize for asking a stupid question. I forgot that the beauty standards of humans and elves vary greatly from each other...¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about...¡± When Brunhilde saw Siegfried¡¯s confused look, she revealed a solemn look as she started exining, ¡°Actually... Elves with ginger hair like me are considered ugly in our society...¡± ¡°What?! What kind of bull¡ªI mean, what kind of nonsense is that? Does that even make sense in the first ce? How can someone¡¯s hair color determine whether or not someone is ugly?¡± ¡°Most of the elves possess outstanding beauty.¡± ¡°So...?¡± ¡°Our facial features do not really matter when considering beauty since all of us are naturally born with beautiful facial features, so the elves ce great importance on the color of their hair.¡± ¡°I see...?¡± It made sense and didn¡¯t make sense at the same time. However, the elves were intelligent beings, so they definitely had their own beauty standards, just like humans, and it made perfect sense that they would look for another measurement of beauty since they were all born beautiful. ¡°Is that why... gingers are called ugly in your society?¡± ¡°Yes, for the longest long time... they have been calling me ugly for the past 369 years. I haven¡¯t been able to go on a date even once thanks to my hair color, and I wasn¡¯t able to get married at my prime, so I decided to dedicate myself to the sword my entire life.¡± ¡°Geez~ The elves are a bad bunch,¡± Siegfried said with a smirk. ¡°Huh...?¡± ¡°Does it make sense to treat someone like that just because of their hair color? I think that you¡¯re really beautiful, Brunhilde-nim.¡± ¡°R-Really?! Do you really think so?!¡± ¡°Yes, really.¡± ¡°Ah...!¡± ¡°Why? Do you really think that I would lie about something like that?¡± ¡°This is the first time someone has ever told me I¡¯m beautiful...¡± ¡°I¡¯m just stating fa¡ª¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t manage to continue his words. It was all because Brunhilde suddenly jumped and hugged him. ¡°...!¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t see the ambushing and was caught in her embrace. ¡®Is this the agility of a Level 299...?!¡¯ he marveled. He felt it oncest time when he was forced by Betelgeuse, but he was once again reminded about the massive chasm between him and those who were truly powerful. Brunhilde was Level 299, while Siegfried was Level 180. There was no way he could have avoided Brunhilde¡¯s attack, who was on the brink of bing a Master. ¡®I have to be stronger. I¡¯m too weak right now...!¡¯ Siegfried realized that his stats were the problem. His skills¡¯ effects were considered strong, but the main problem was his low stats due to his low level. Strength... Endurance... Mana... Reflex... Items... Et cetera... He was once again reminded of a gulf that could not be ovee by mere control or his powerful skills. ¡®I have to level up. I guess I got toocent. I still have a long way to go...¡¯ Siegfried reflected on how shortsighted he had been all this while. ¡°Sniff... Sniff... Thank you...!¡± Brunhilde said while crying. ¡°Huh? Thank you for what...?¡± ¡°That was my first time hearing that... everyone had always been calling me ugly behind my back, but... you told me that I¡¯m beautiful...¡± ¡°Oh...¡± It seemed that the color of her hair had scarred her quite a bit while growing up, and Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel empathetic to her. Pat... Pat... He patted her on the back and stood still for as long as she needed topose herself. Why? Brunhilde was his benefactor. Siegfried could afford to do this much for her. ¡°It must have been very difficult...¡± ¡°Heuk... Heuk...!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You did nothing wrong, and the elves who said those horrible things about you are the ones who are at fault. Just ignore those elves. I think you are really beautiful and strong. You are truly a respectable being, Brunhilde-nim.¡± ¡°Siegfried-nim...¡± ¡°Looks do not really matter. Besides, what should matter the most is what is inside if we are truly intelligent beings, right?¡± ¡°Heup!¡± Brunhilde suddenly pulled Siegfried toward her and smashed her lips with his. Heok! Those who had been peeking at Siegfried and Brunhilde under the cover of the darkness stared at the sight in disbelief, and their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Chapter 144

    Chapter 144

    There were three individuals peeking at Siegfried and Brunhilde. To be exact, there were two humans and an animal. An hour ago, Ingrid was going around the fort looking for Siegfried when she ran into Hamchi, and she asked him about the whereabouts of the man she ¡®desperately wanted to eat¡¯. ¡°So, you want to know where my owner punk is? Kyu?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I only take advance payments.¡± ¡°Advance payments...?¡± ¡°The world revolves around give and take. If you want to get something, then don¡¯t you think you have to give something? Kyu!¡± ¡°I see... What do you want?¡± ¡°Hamchi loves sunflower seeds! How many packets can you give me?¡± ¡°Ten packets?¡± ¡°Top that up with five more.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Follow me. I will show you where my owner punk is. Oh, if you top it up by five more packets, then I will tell you that guy¡¯s fetishes.¡± ¡°Fetishes...?¡± ¡°This is a secret, but he has a thing for ropes...¡± ¡°Ropes?!¡± ¡°Ropes are...¡± In exchange for twenty sunflower seed packets, Hamchi ratted out Siegfried¡¯s whereabouts and the story behind the Rope of Shame. Of course, he conveniently excluded the story about how Siegfried was also a victim. However, Hamchi and Ingrid weren¡¯t the only ones looking for Siegfried... ¡®I have to do my best while His Majesty is still in the territory!¡¯ Actually, Gringore had spotted Siegfried much earlier than Hamchi and Ingrid. His Majesty is a strong drinker. He continued drinking without showing any signs of being intoxicated even after the Nordic King, Lionbreath, had already passed out from drinking. - Records of the Proatine Kingdom Book 1 Chapter 3 Siegfried van Proa the 1st ¨C Interesting Facts About the King Part 1 Gringore was burning with the resolve to write down every single thing as long as it was rted to Siegfried, and he ended up witnessing the historical scene of his king and the elven princess locking lips in the darkness. It waste at night... His Majesty made love with an elven princess and the Captain of the Pegasus Flying Squadron, Brunhilde, out on the ins under the cover of the darkness. - Records of the Proatine Kingdom Book 1 Chapter 4 Siegfried van Proa the 1st ¨C The King¡¯s Love It went without saying that he also recorded Siegfried and Brunhilde¡¯s kissing scene. ¡®Ah! His Majesty is actually a bad boy! To think that he would cast away the Nordic Princess to make love with the Elven Princess!¡¯ Gringore was in awe as a sleazy smile shed across his face. ¡°Hey!¡± someone¡¯s voice cut across the darkness. ¡°SIEGFRIED YOU SCUMBAAAG!¡± *** ¡®N-No...! My... first kiss was in a game! Nooo...!¡¯ Siegfried¡¯s face turned bright red. Brunhilde had just stolen his lips. Yes... The gamer, Han Tae-Sung, was single since birth, and he had never kissed a girl until now. He was what people would call on the inte a ¡®single virgin¡¯. However, he had never imagined¡ªeven in his wildest wet dreams¡ªthat he would end up having his first kiss in a game. ¡®Ah, I know I¡¯m a gaming addict, but... this is wrong... why did I have my first kiss with a game character...?¡¯ Siegfried couldn¡¯t enjoy the sensation of Brunhilde¡¯s lips against his and her warm tongue squirming in his mouth. Siegfried struggled to break free from her after he was ovee with the shame of kissing a game character when he had never even kissed a woman in real life. They kissed for quite a while before Brunhilde recovered her senses and jumped back in surprise with her face flushed red. She bowed apologetically to Siegfried and stammered, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I-I got so overwhelmed that I made a mistake...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry! I have done something unforgivable! Please forgive me...!¡± Brunhilde fervently apologized to him without stopping, ¡°I must be irredeemable... to think that I would kiss a human for my first time...¡± ¡±This is a very shameful thing for us elves...! What right do I have to do that when I¡¯m just an ugly elf?!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s alright...¡± Siegfried tried his best tofort the elf while he was still wallowing in his self-pity. ¡®This woman is pretty hard on herself. Just how difficult has her life been...?¡¯ he wondered while feeling a sense of kinship to her, even though she was an NPC. Of course, it was because she managed to remain single since birth for over 369 years. ¡°Don¡¯t mind what happened,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°How can I not mind it...? And you already have a very beautiful lover, too...¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m not in any sort of rtionship with that per¡ª¡± Siegfried assumed that Brunhilde was talking about Ingrid, so he tried to dispel the misunderstanding. Unfortunately, it seemed that fate wasn¡¯t going to let him clear up the misunderstanding. ¡°Hey! SIEGFRIED YOU SCUMBAAAG!¡± Siegfried jumped up in surprise and started looking around. ¡°H-Hiik!¡± Then, he found a furious Ingrid stomping toward him, and he almost passed out from shock when he saw Ingrid¡¯s face. Why? Ingrid looked like a demon who had in countless people and was marching toward her next victim. ¡°I-I will let you two talk. I¡¯m going first!¡± Brunhilde shrieked and ran away as fast as she could after instinctively sensing the iing danger. Thanks to her instincts, Siegfried was now left all alone. ¡°I-Ingrid! I-It¡¯s not what you think...!¡± ¡°Stop... your... filthy... excuses...!¡± ¡°Listen to me first...¡± ¡°You made me like this... You enved my body to desire you, but here you are sucking another bitch¡¯s lips?!¡± Another set of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Warning! Warning!] [Alert: You are advised to run away! Ingrid¡¯s anger toward you has exceeded the maximum threshold!] The problem was the next set of messages after it. [Alert: Ingrid¡¯s affinity toward you has increased by 1,000,000!] [Alert: Ingrid¡¯s affinity toward you has reached ¡®Mad Obsession¡¯!] Ironically, Ingrid¡¯s love for Siegfried didn¡¯t reduce. Instead, it had reached a level that he had never even heard before. ¡®I have to run away!¡¯ he kicked off of the ground and ran away as fast as he could. ¡°Hey! Stop right there!¡± Ingrid screamed and threw a dagger at him before chasing after him. [Alert: A poisoned dagger ising toward you!] [Alert: The poison is not fatal, but you will be incapacitated and immobilized upon being hit!] The message motivated Siegfried to run even faster than he had ever done in his entire gaming career. He disyed near-superhuman control as he dodged all of Ingrid¡¯s daggers flying toward him. The chasested for two hours before he finally found a safe ce to hide and log out. ¡°Ugh... What¡¯s with my rotten luck...?¡± He could not help but wonder why he had always been consistently hitting obstacle after obstacle throughout his gaming career. *** At a luxury caf¨¦ near Paldang Dam... ¡°So... you lost your first kiss to an NPC?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked in disbelief. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you?¡± Tae-Sung replied in a gloomy tone and grumbled, ¡°Ah... My first kiss was stolen by an NPC...¡± ¡°See? You should¡¯ve just taken my offer and gone on those blind dates. I told you that there¡¯s someone really good.¡± ¡°No, thanks. I have to level up,¡± Tae-Sung shot down the offer. ¡°That¡¯s why you had your first kiss stolen by an NPC. At this rate, you could lose your first time as well...¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a mischievous smile. ¡°Keep on talking, and I¡¯ll push you down the dam,¡± Tae-Sung growled in response. ¡°Aigoo~ I¡¯m shaking in my boots~¡± ¡°You wanna know if I¡¯m serious?¡± ¡°N-No...¡± Cheon Woo-Jin instantly backed down upon sensing that Tae-Sung wasn¡¯t joking at all. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re starting to attract quite a lot of attention these days.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I saw a lot of videos about you being uploaded.¡± ¡°Ah... There were a lot of Adventurers in the battle... I guess someone took a video and uploaded it,¡± Tae-Sung said with a nod when he remembered asking Michele to give out quests to hire Adventurers for the battle in exchange for gold. ¡°It was a low-level fight, so there weren¡¯t that many people who got interested, but there were quite a certain few who watched it.¡± ¡°Genesis?¡± ¡°Probably, and I think the other top guilds have been watching your videos as well.¡± ¡°Damn it... There¡¯s nothing good from sticking out too much. Sigh... I should probably get even stronger and destroy the Genesis Guild as soon as possible. How can I peacefully sleep at night knowing that they could be after me at any moment?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re sleeping without a problem at night.¡± ¡°How do you know? Are you peeping on me?¡± ¡°The monster wave is one thing, but do you really think that the emperor is going to sit still if Adventurers suddenly invaded one of the kingdoms under his rule?¡± His Majesty Emperor. He was the one who bestowed upon the Proatine Kingdom to Siegfried, and he had promised a protection period of three years, which was the main reason that none of the guilds would definitely dare to invade his kingdom in the interim. But of course, they could always employ some underhanded tactic simr to the monster wave to inflict damage on him. Cheon Woo-Jin was right. Tae-Sung was well aware of the protection. It was the primary reason that he wasn¡¯t really worried about his kingdom¡ªfor now. ¡°Still, I should hurry up and take care of them.¡± ¡°Then, you should go ahead and level up.¡± ¡°You know that, but you¡¯re pushing me to go out on blind dates?¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it goes?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin sneered and stared sarcastically at Tae-Sung. ¡°Hey, Tae-Sung.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There¡¯s some stenching from somewhere. Can¡¯t you smell it?¡± ¡°What stench?¡± ¡°Euk! The stench of a virgin!¡± ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± Tae-Sung grabbed a nearby stic bottle and swung it at Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Hey! I was just kidding! A joke! Can¡¯t you take a joke?!¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m joking too.¡± ¡°Hey! You crazy bastard! Did you get so used to smashing heads in the game that you¡¯re doing it in real life now?! Ack! Somebody help!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin screamed while trying to protect his head from being smashed open by the enraged virgin. *** Tae-Sung rested for as long as he could. Actually, he was only waiting for Ingrid to go back to Fan Ind before logging into BNW and descending onto the N¨¹rburg Continent as Adventurer Siegfried three dayster. Michele was the first to greet him, ¡°Wee back, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± Siegfried asked almost immediately. ¡°She has left, so please be at ease.¡± ¡°Phew... That¡¯s a relief...¡± Siegfried finally let out a sigh of relief before asking, ¡°How¡¯s the cleanup going?¡± ¡°It is proceeding smoothly, Your Majesty. All you have to do now is to make a decision.¡± ¡°What decision?¡± ¡°The Renoma Kingdom. What are you going to do about them?¡± ¡°Hmm... What should I do?¡± ¡°You have two choices. The first one is to invade and put an end to them.¡± ¡°A conquest?¡± ¡°Yes, we will conquer and absorb them into our kingdom.¡± ¡°Our territories are going to expand, and the workload is going to increase, right?¡± ¡°Well, yes, that is a given...¡± ¡°The second option?¡± ¡°We will install a king favorable to us and create a de-facto government.¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± Siegfried agreed. ¡°Hmm... We have our public image to handle, so it won¡¯t be wise for us to wage wars right now. I think establishing a puppet government is going to be our best course of action right now. We do have the right to do that, right?¡± ¡°An excellent choice, Your Majesty. The Renoma Kingdom is riddled with all sorts of problems, so absorbing them is going to be a loss rather than a profit for us in the short term...¡± Michele said, ¡±I also think that we should establish a puppet government and just reap the profits from them.¡± ¡°However...¡± Michele stared at Siegfried. ¡°...?¡± Siegfried seemed confused at the sight of that. ¡°I think Your Majesty is more concerned about the increased workload...¡± ¡°Huh~? No way~ Who said that?¡± Siegfried waved his hand and feigned ignorance before asking, ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯m someone who would make such a choice just to escape working?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Anyway, I will proceed as you have decided and keep Fitzgerald hostage for now.¡± ¡°Sure! Make sure you send him to the coal mines. Let him suffer until he dies.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Ah! Would you like to take a trip down to the storage?¡± ¡°The storage? Why?¡± ¡°The Nordic Tribesmen found the Immortal King¡¯sir while cleaning up their ind.¡± ¡°So? What does that have to do with me?¡± ¡°They found all sorts of treasures and rare items while sweeping through their, so they sent a portion of it as gifts for Your Majesty...¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes sparkled as he inwardly thought, ¡®Jackpot!¡¯ The Immortal King was an undead monster, but he had definitely amassed quite a lot of valuable treasures since he was on the brink of bing a Great Wizard. ¡°The gifts are stored at the storage, so please go and have a look at them yourself if you wish to check them,¡± Michele said. ¡°All right,¡± Siegfried replied. He then made his way toward the storage. *** ¡°Wow, these are mine...?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. He couldn¡¯t hide his surprise while standing in front of his secret storage. The size of the storage was around three hundred thirty square meters, and it was filled to the brim with all sorts of treasure and gold. Actually, there was nothing surprising about it. Siegfried was a king, and a portion of the taxes the Proatine Kingdom had been collecting would always be sent over to his personal royal treasury. Moreover, the amount that he had extorted from the coalition forces during the Immortal King¡¯s invasion on top of the treasures he had looted from hisir amounted to a massive mountain that filled his storage to the brim. ¡®Wow... How much are all of these...? If I add these to what I have in my Inventory, then...¡¯ Siegfried couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how much money he would earn after selling all of them. ¡®I... I¡¯m rich...? I think I can buy a building with this, right?¡¯ It should be more than enough. He should be able to buy an average small-rise building in Gangnam with just a fifth of the gold and treasures here. Siegfried¡¯s first kiss was stolen by an NPC, but he found sce in the fact that he would now be a building owner, which was considered to be above the creator. He found sce in it, but it didn¡¯t mean that he couldugh about it... ¡®That¡¯s that, but I should either open or sell all of these...¡¯ Siegfried remembered the random boxes that Cheon Woo-Jin had given him. He saw them sitting in his Inventory before he could inspect the treasures here in the storage. A few secondster, Siegfried finally made his decision. ¡°All or nothing.¡± He ced down the Autonika Workshop Random Boxes on the storage floor. Then, he extended his hand toward the first box. ¡°Tadah!¡± he eximed an onomatopeia as he opened it. ¡°Lla~ L~ La~ Hum hum hum~ Hum hum~ Hum~ Duru dudu~ dududu~ Hum hum hum~¡± All of a sudden, a piece of strange background music could be heard from somewhere. Siegfried turned toward the source of the sound and found Hamchi lying on top of the mountain of gold and treasures while humming a tune. ¡°What the hell are you doing over there...?¡± ¡°What else? Can¡¯t you tell? Hamchi is spectating! Kyu!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Hurry up and open it! I can¡¯t wait to see what¡¯s going toe out! Well, not that it will matter since all of them will be a bust¡ªKyu, kyu, kyu!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Can Hamchi open one?¡± ¡°No, these babies have to be opened by my own hand, even if they¡¯re going to be a bust. That¡¯s the right way to open them,¡± Siegfried shot down the hamster¡¯s request. ¡°Kyu...¡± Hamchi cried, looking dejected. ¡°Anyway, shall we warm up by opening one?¡± Siegfried extended his hand toward one of the boxes. Click... ck...! sh! The box opened, and a beam of bright green light shot out from the random box.
    1. The raw is ???? which is a social media derogatory term for a virgin male, think ¡®virgin loser¡¯? 2. This is a joke in Korea that the building owner has a higher standing than the creator that created thend it¡¯s built on. Chapter 145

    Chapter 145

    Ding! A notification popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Bi-Turbo Shoulder¡¯ from the Autonika Workshop Random Box!] The sh of green light signified that it was a set item. ¡®Wow! Jackpot!¡¯ Siegfried eximed in delight. Most set items were known to be excellent items regardless of their rating. He immediately checked the item¡¯s options. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this that item?¡± Siegfried was quite familiar with it. [Bi-Turbo Shoulder] [A unique armor set crafted by the Autonika Workshop. It is an artifact with twin turbochargers installed on it.] [Set effects are only active when three items in the same set are equipped.] [Type: Armor (Shoulder)] [Rating: Unique Set] [Level Restriction: Level 180] [Options: Defense +1,100, Magic Resistant +1,100, Health +700, Attack Speed +7%.] The stats of the item were average. Its options were exactly what one would expect from a Unique armor. However, the item¡¯s set effect was pretty attractive. [Bi-Turbo Set:] [Bi-Turbo Shoulder ?] [Bi-Turbo Gloves] [Bi-Turbo Mail] [Set Effects: Skill Power +20%, Skill Area +70%.] The set effect contained the word ¡®power¡¯. BNW used many words to describe the effects of set items, but the meaning of those words actually wasn¡¯t straightforward and differed depending on what word was used to describe the effect. For example, the word ¡®power¡¯ didn¡¯t simply mean damage. In this case, the words ¡®Skill Power¡¯ meant that the effects of the user¡¯s skills would be increased. This meant that if Siegfried were to use the Bi-Turbo Set and activate ze Field, the Defense and Magic Resistance shred would increase, and the skill¡¯s area of effect would increase as well. Therefore, the Bi-Turbo set was especially attractive to Adventurers with many Area of Effect skills. However, the amount that one would have to pay to gather all three parts of the set would usually be billions of won. Siegfried smiled. It was a shame that he did not get a legendary or epic artifact. However, the fact that he got a part of the Bi-Turbo Set made the random box reward extremely worth it. ¡®Should I try gathering all of its parts? This is the perfect gear for me right now. The area of effect of my debuff skills will increase, and its effects will be more powerful, too...¡¯ Siegfried smirked as he inwardly thought, ¡®The timing is perfect as well. I mean, it¡¯s about time I start gearing up.¡¯ It was time for him to gear up. Yes, he could have technically still used his current items for twenty more levels, but that was no longer possible as most of his defensive gears were destroyed in the previous battle. ¡®Ah... I should¡¯ve hit that bastard more. That asshole...¡¯ Siegfried grumbled inwardly upon recalling how the me Ignito had destroyed his items. ¡°Kyu? Hey, owner punk. Did something goode out?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°Yeah, this item alone is worth a fortune,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Tsk... Hamchi wanted to see your despair. What a shame... Kyu...¡± Hamchi pouted. ¡®Ah... What should I do with this little bastard?¡¯ Siegfried suppressed his sudden urge to smack the hamster by diverting his attention toward the remaining random boxes. As expected, the next set of random boxes only contained trash. [Mechanical Chastity Belt] [A mechanicallyplex chastity belt.] [The belt will blow up if an unauthorized person touches it.] It seemed like an item that was developed to prevent someone from cheating on their significant other, but the method was pretty morbid. ¡°I should probably sell this to a noble or something,¡± Siegfried grumbled as he threw the Mechanical Chastity Belt aside. ¡°Jackpot! Kyu!¡± Hamchi eximed. He ran and picked up the Mechanical Chastity Belt. ¡°Why are you picking that up?¡± Siegfried asked in disbelief. ¡°Mind your own business! Kyu!¡± ¡°Yeah, sure... You can have it...¡± Siegfried muttered and sighed in resignation while thinking, ¡®Sigh... that perverted rat is definitely cooking up something bad...¡¯ Siegfried opened thest remaining random box. sh! A bright green light shed out from the random box. [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Bi-Turbo Gloves¡¯ from the Autonika Workshop Random Box!] The glove part of the Bi-Turbo Set greeted Siegfried with a bright sh of green light. ¡°Oh!¡± Siegfried eximed in delight upon seeing the Bi-Turbo Gloves. Thirteen out of the fifteen random boxes were a bust, but the fact that he managed to get two out of three items of the Bi-Turbo Set made it obvious that he had profited greatly from this endeavor. [Bi-Turbo Set:] [Bi-Turbo Shoulder ?] [Bi-Turbo Gloves ?] [Bi-Turbo Mail] [Set Effects: Skill Power +20%, Skill Area +70%] ¡®Theplete Bi-Turbo Set will cover my shoulder, hands, and torso. So I would only need trousers and a headgear...¡¯ Siegfried muttered to himself. He started racking his brain to find a way toplete his gear. He decided to use the Bi-Turbo Set as the core of his gear because it would enhance his debuff skills. He left the storage to head for the Autonika Workshop. Siegfried had decided to simply buy thest remaining part that wouldplete the set. After all, he had already gathered two of the three required items toplete the set. *** The headquarters of the Autonika Workshop was located in the capital of the Ingolstadt Kingdom. [Ingolstadt Kingdom Capital: Horch] Siegfried arrived at Horch through a Warp Gate and turned on the minimap to find the main store of the Autonika Workshop. There, he would buy thest remaining part of the Bi-Turbo Set¡ªBi-Turbo Mail. ¡°Ah, I think this is the artifact that you are looking for...¡± ¡°Oh, we do not have any ongoing sales for this product. I apologize for the inconvenience.¡± ¡°Do you have any nice swords?¡± The Autonika Workshop¡¯s main shop was bustling with Adventurers and NPCs even though it was a weekday morning. ¡°But why is nobody entertaining me?¡± Siegfried muttered while looking around the shop. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Are you seriously asking that question?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look at yourself right now! You look like a beggar!¡± ¡°Oh... is that why...?¡± It was only after Hamchi had pointed it out that Siegfried finally realized how bad he looked right now. He had lost most of his defensive gear while fighting me Ignito, so he looked like a beggar who had just entered the game. ¡°Mind your appearance, will you? Kyu!¡± Siegfried already knew that it was important to be presentable, so he did not particrly me the shop staffer for not entertaining him at all. Finally, a shop staffer approached and politely greeted him. ¡°Hello, customer. My name is Shinozukan, and I am one of the managers of the Autonika Workshop¡¯s main store.¡± ¡°Ah, hello, Manager Shinozukan-nim. My name is Siegfried.¡± ¡°Pardon me? Are you the king of the Proatine Kingdom, Siegfried van Proa, by any chance?¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± Siegfried was surprised. ¡®What the hell? How does an NPC know about me?¡¯ He was a king¡ªyes, but his kingdom couldn¡¯t be described as a huge kingdom at all. It was a surprise that a shop manager would be aware of his name. ¡°Most certainly, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I am a salesman, so I have thoroughly studied the names of highly influential people on the continent that might be one of my clients, and Your Majesty¡¯s name is on that list,¡± Shinozukan replied. ¡°Amazing...¡± Siegfried was awed by the Shinozukan¡¯s dedication to his work. However, Shinozukan was even more amazing than Siegfried thought. The moment Siegfried stepped foot into the store, Shinozukan was the only one who considered Siegfried a potential customer among the many staffers in the store. ¡®Hmm... He looks poor, but his every step exudes confidence. His eyes are the eyes of someone that has the luxury to spend... I have to grab him! I must make him buy something from me!¡¯ Shinozukan made a decision the moment he saw Siegfried. He decided to take hold of Siegfried while the other staffers were ignoring Siegfried. ¡°Haha! You are being far too generous, Your Majesty. I¡¯m just working hard to put food on the table. So, tell me, what kind of artifact are you looking for today? I will do my best to be of assistance to you,¡± Shinozukan said respectfully. Siegfried was surprised by Shinozukan¡¯s respectfulness. After taking a moment topose himself, he then inquired about the Bi-Turbo Mail. However... ¡°Oh...¡± Shinozukan muttered with a troubled look before saying, ¡°I regret to inform Your Majesty that the Bi-Turbo Set was discontinued three months ago.¡± ¡°What? Really? Why would you discontinue the production of such a great artifact? Are you really speaking the truth?¡± ¡°Yes, I am, Your Majesty.¡± Siegfried immediately switched on the in-game browser and looked up information regarding the Bi-Turbo Set online. ¡®This is crazy...! The prices are five hundred percent higher than three months ago!¡¯ Shockingly, the price of the Bi-Turbo Set has explosively increased in a short period of time thanks to it being discontinued by the Autonika Workshop. In fact, he even went on to Trademania but could not find any of it listed. ¡°Why was it discontinued? Wasn¡¯t it a popr set item?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I would love to answer your question, but... there is no way that a salesman like me would know why the higher-ups had made that decision. If it is fine with you, we do have another artifact set simr to that one. Would you like to take a look, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°All right.¡± In the end, Siegfried had no choice but to follow Shinozukan and take a look at the other artifacts. It was the smart choice to make. After all, there was no way he would spend all of his money just to forciblyplete the Bi-Turbo Set. Moreover, he could just buy another artifact set with simr options. However, none of the other artifact sets could satisfy his requirement. ¡°Hmm... Nothing really catches my eye. They¡¯re all good, but they aren¡¯t as good as the Bi-Turbo Set.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the first one to have said that, Your Majesty. Haha...¡± Shinozukan let out an awkward chuckle. ¡°Is there really no way for me to get my hands on it? I already have two of the three parts. I only need the mail toplete the set.¡± ¡°I think you canmission one of our craftsmen to create the item, but they can be pretty picky when ites to the qualifications of the requestor...¡± Shinozukan muttered with a bitter smile. ¡°What are those qualifications?¡± ¡°One has to have purchased at least a hundred artifacts from our Autonika Workshop, or they could also have a high social standing. Unfortunately, Your Majesty doesn¡¯t really qualify because¡ª¡± ¡°Because I am the king of a small kingdom. Is that correct?¡± ¡°I apologize for being unable to assist you,¡± Shinozukan apologized and bowed. ¡®Ah, what should I do? I really want toplete the set, but it seems that there¡¯s no way I can buy it even if I have the money to buy it. It will also be a dumb move to buy one from the scalpers...¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t use my status here because my kingdom is too small in the big picture. I wonder if there¡¯s a way for me to convince them to craft it for me...¡¯ Siegfried pondered. A few momentster, he suddenly came up with a brilliant idea. Siegfried decided to give it a shot. ¡°E-Excuse me, manager-nim?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I think that... I deserve to be treated as a VIP of your workshop,¡± Siegfried said. He had made a decision to thicken his face as thick as possible. Favorite Chapter 146

    Chapter 146

    The Bavarian Workshop and Autonika Workshop were at odds with each other since the olden times. The reason why these two workshops were forever rivals was that they had always been fighting for the second-ce spot behind the Mercedes Workshop. ¡°They are a third-rate workshop. Only losers would buy their cheaply designed, cheap artifacts.¡± This was the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s opinion of the Autonika Workshop. ¡°Those dumbasses are still stuck in ancient times. They don¡¯t have any technology at all. And what¡¯s with their designs? Do dogs draw their designs for them? How dare they call themselves master craftsmen when they can only make useless antiques¡­¡± This was the Autonika Workshop¡¯s opinion of the Bavarian Workshop. ¡°Why are those idiots always fighting with each other? Kekeke!¡± This was the Mercedes Workshop¡¯s opinion of both Autonika and Bavarian. ¡®I¡¯m sure that they will try to appeal to me in hopes of stealing a customer away from the Bavarian Workshop. I mean, I¡¯m a VVIP of the Bavarian Workshop, after all.¡¯ Siegfried decided to put his BNW knowledge to the test. ¡®What?! Why is he being so thick-faced all of a sudden? However, I don¡¯t think that he is the type of person to bluff. Hmm¡­¡¯?Shinozukan was confused by Siegfried¡¯s sudden change of attitude. The technological advancements and financial capabilities of each of the three workshops were massive, and they were probably more influential, more powerful, and richer than most kingdoms out there. Therefore, it was quite baffling that the king of a small kingdom would dare to demand VIP treatment from them¡ªthe Autonika Workshop. In fact, it was so ridiculous that any other staffer out there would have already scoffed at Siegfried for attempting to use his status against them. ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Shinozukan maintained his professionalism as a salesman and calmly asked, ¡°Why do you think you deserve to be a VIP?¡± ¡°I am a VVIP customer of the Bavarian Workshop, so do you not agree that I should be treated as a VIP here at the very least?¡± replied Siegfried. ¡°I-Is that true?¡± Shinozukan¡¯s eyes shot wide open in surprise. He then quickly added, ¡°If Your Majesty isn¡¯t lying, then I might be able to assist you by asking our main office.¡± ¡°Yes, it is true. Take a look at this¡­¡± Siegfried replied. He was once again in awe of Shinozukan¡¯s professionalism and courteousness. Afterposing himself, he presented the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set. ¡°T-This is an artifact custom-made by the Hometown of Death!¡± Shinozukan eximed in disbelief upon seeing the green disks. Shinozukan instantly recognized the emblem of the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s Hometown of Death engraved on the green disks. ¡°That is correct,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. ¡°Oh! Your Majesty is truly an extraordinary person! May you kindly give me a moment? I will go up and make a report to the main office!¡± Shinozukan eximed. ¡°I will be grateful if you can do that for me,¡± Siegfried replied with a bright smile. *** The Autonika Workshop immediately responded to him. ¡°Greetings, your majesty Siegfried van Proa. My name is Boothroyd, and I am the one in charge of the Autonika Workshop¡¯s Smithy of Advancement.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you; my name is Siegfried.¡± Boothroyd was a young man who looked to be in his twenties at most. He had long curly hair that almost covered his eyesses, and he was wearing a white gown that scientists often wear on Earth. ¡®He looks more like a researcher to me than a cksmith.¡¯?Siegfried was a bit taken aback by Boothroyd¡¯s appearance, but he decided not to think too much about it. ¡®Does it really matter??As long as he can craft the item that I want, he can wear anything.¡¯ The young man¡¯s abilities were more important rather than his outward appearance. ¡°First of all, I would like to thank you foring to our Autonika Workshop. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. Our workshop will be treating Your Majesty as our VVIP customer from now on, so I hope that you will visit us frequently,¡± Boothroyd said. ¡°Huh??VVIP? Are you sure it¡¯s not VIP?¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± ¡°Why are you treating me so well all of a sudden? I mean, I am notining, but I think that it is a bit too much¡­¡± Siegfried was a bit surprised. He knew that there was a high chance that the Autonika Workshop would ept hismission for a custom-made artifact as long as he used their hostile rtionship with the Bavarian Workshop. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t expect that the head cksmith of Autonika¡¯s Smithy of Advancement woulde out to greet him. ¡°We are just providing you with the treatment you deserve, Your Majesty. Those Bavarian bastards are uncivilized, dumb, and artistically illiterate, but they have the eye for the rightful owner of their creations.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°It is only fitting for the VVIP customer of those Bavarians to receive equal or even greater treatment in our workshop.¡± ¡°I still did not expect that you would personallye to greet me. I mean, you¡¯re the head cksmith.¡± ¡°The VVIP customers of the top three workshops have special privileges.¡± ¡°Special privileges?¡± ¡°A customer does not simply be a VVIP customer just because of their influence or wealth.¡± ¡°By that, you mean¡­¡± ¡°We are talking about the rightful owner of artifacts.¡± ¡°Rightful owner?¡± ¡°A lot of our VIP customers are influential and wealthy people, but I can confidently tell you that not all of them have the right to be owners of artifacts. The artifacts they usually purchase from us often end up as expensive disy pieces, which would umte dust over time. They are usually stored in disy cabs or disyed on their waists for them to brag about their wealth.¡± Siegfried nodded in agreement. ¡®Yeah, my driving skills are pretty bad, but I still insist on driving a Ferrari,¡¯ he thought. How many people with supercars could utilize at least fifty percent of their supercars¡¯ capabilities? It was safe to assume that only one out of a hundred owners were probably skilled enough to drive those cars to their limits. ¡°I would love nothing more than not to sell our artifacts to people like them if it weren¡¯t for our financial requirements to fund our research, development, and material needs¡­¡± ¡±However, Your Majesty is different from those people. You are someone who will actually use our artifacts, which means that you have the potential to be our workshop¡¯s brand ambassador as well.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°VIP customers increase our workshop¡¯s revenue, but they cannot increase our brand¡¯s value. However, a carefully chosen VVIP customer will be able to increase our brand¡¯s value, which in turn would increase our workshop¡¯s revenue as well¡­¡± ¡±It is safe to assume that the benefit we will gain from a VVIP customer is equivalent to a thousand¡ªno, ten thousand VIP customers.¡± It was a response that one could expect from amercialized workshop. ¡°That is why the workshops are always on the lookout for anyone with the potential to be our VVIP customers,¡± Boothroyd added. ¡°I understand,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. ¡°But¡­ may I ask what you require from our workshop??Ah,?it must be because you were not satisfied by the hopeless skills of those Bavarian bastards, am I right? Your Majesty?¡± Boothroyd asked with a hint of excitement and expectation on his face. Unfortunately, Siegfried could not bring himself to lie. ¡°That is not the case¡­¡± ¡°Ah,?that is a shame¡­¡± Boothroyd muttered with a disappointed look. ¡°An artifact that I really need is from your workshop, so I dropped by. Unfortunately, it seems to have been discontinued.¡± ¡°Is that so? Please tell me what artifact it is, and I will make it for you.¡± ¡°I need the Bi-Turbo Set.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Boothroyd muttered nkly. A few momentster, he said, ¡°I regret to inform Your Majesty that we cannot craft the Bi-Turbo Set in the meantime.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we are unable to procure the materials necessary to craft those artifacts¡­¡± Ding! A few messages suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Quest: ¡®Entropy Stone¡¯ has appeared!] [Alert: Do you wish to listen to Boothroyd¡¯s story?] After reading the messages, Siegfried asked, ¡°Hm, did something happen?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Boothroyd recounted the story. *** The Entropy Stone, which was the core material necessary to craft the Bi-Turbo Set, was already an expensive material, but the ongoing war between Stone Ind and Adunyadet had pushed the prices of Entropy Stones to astronomical heights. The main reason behind the astronomical prices was that Entropy Stones could only be found on Stone Ind. The second most important reason was that the Adunyadet Kingdom was preventing all sea route ess to Stone Ind, which also effectively severed all trade with the ind. ¡°And that is why our workshop has to stop the production of the Bi-Turbo Set.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time hearing that, but I¡¯m pretty sure your workshop¡¯s influence should be able to easily resolve that kind of issue.¡± Siegfried pointed out. ¡°We could solve our supply crunch in the interim, but we¡ªthe craftsmen of the top three workshops¡ªhave sworn not to get involved in the political issues of the continent.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°That is why we will not get involved unless provoked.¡± ¡°What if I help you procure the material you need?¡± ¡°That would be difficult, but¡­ I will craft you an even more powerful set item if you do manage to bring me the material that I need.¡± ¡°An even more powerful set?¡± A quest message popped up. [Looking for Entropy Stone] [Procure an ¡®Entropy Stone¡¯ from the city-state Stone Ind located at the southwest region of the continent and bring it back to Boothroyd.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Rewards: Quad-Turbo Set (The Quad-Turbo Set is an upgraded version of the Bi-Turbo set).] The quest reward was unexpectedly generous. [Quad-Turbo Set] [An upgraded version of the Bi-Turbo Set crafted by the best department of the Autonika Workshop, the Smithy of Advancement.] [It is equipped with two more turbochargers than the Bi-Turbo Set for a total of four turbochargers.] [Set Effects: Skill Power +30%, Skill Area +80%, All Skills +2 Levels.] The reward perfectly matched what Siegfried needed as the Debuff Master. Actually, it was even better because it was an upgraded version of the Bi-Turbo Set. ¡°I will go ahead and procure it,¡± Siegfried epted the quest without a hint of hesitation. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Looking for Entropy Stone¡¯!] It could be considered impolite to the NPC if he took a rain check. *** Siegfried emerged from the doors of the Smithy of Advancement department of the Autonika Workshop. It had to be known that the Smithy of Advancement was responsible for the creation of the Autonika Workshop¡¯s ultimate artifacts. Upon leaving, Siegfried immediately returned to Proatine. Once he was done with his preparations, he headed for the Warp Gate that would lead him to Stone Ind. However, Siegfried noticed that someone else aside from Hamchi was following him. ¡°What do you want?¡± He had snuck into the Warp Gate the moment Siegfried stepped into it, and he was none other than the scribe of the Proatine Kingdom, Gringore de Noveldrawer. ¡°I¡¯m off to do some work, you know?¡± said Siegfried. ¡°I am aware, Your Majesty,¡± Gringore replied with a bow. ¡°Then, why are you following me? You should go back and earn us some foreign currency,¡± Siegfried said. He remembered what Michele said about how Gringore had been earning them a pretty penny through his theater performances. ¡°I am a scribe, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°My job is to record everything that you do as the King of Proatine.¡± ¡°More like exposing my shameful, dark history¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled under his breath. ¡°Did you say something, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head after inadvertently blurting out his thoughts. ¡°Anyway, please go back and focus on earning us money.¡± ¡°I do not want to.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s a royalmand?¡± ¡°I am the only scribe in all of Proatine. Therefore, I am legally allowed to disobey Your Majesty¡¯smand if my job is involved.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to die?¡± Siegfried tried threatening the scribe, but thetter didn¡¯t budge even an inch. ¡°Please do as you wish, Your Majesty. I had long resolved to put my life on the line the day I made the decision to be a scribe. Is Your Majesty aware of how many scribes had been put to death by their kings?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However, I hope that Your Majesty will be aware that the kings who killed their scribes went down as tyrants in history.¡± When it came to politics, Siegfried was basically powerless against Gringore. ¡®Sigh¡­ he¡¯s just going to be a burden if I bring him with me, and I don¡¯t really think that he¡¯s going to be useful.¡¯?Siegfried inwardly grumbled. However, Siegfried soon realized that the scribe was useful in thetter¡¯s own way. Chapter 147

    Chapter 147

    On the southwestern seas of the N¨¹rburg Continent, the officials of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s navy were having a meeting at the bridge of the navy¡¯s mothership¡ªthe Chakri. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many times we will have to do this!¡± eximed themander of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s navy and the captain of the Chakri, Admiral Brumnat. He was visibly frustrated. ¡°Do you know how many times we have conducted arge-scalending in the past six months? Eleven! But we still can¡¯t put an end to this war! We¡¯ve done that eleven times now! Eleven times!¡± The Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s officials were at the receiving end of his rebuke, and none of them could say a single word in response. They were afraid of having to take responsibility if they ended upmitting a mistake. ¡°It was hard, but we have sessfully embargoed them. In that case, does it make sense that we failed in every singlending attempt so far?! I had no idea that our marines were useless!?Ha!¡± In the end, the me fell upon the marines because they were responsible for thending operations. ¡°W-well¡­ Themander of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s marines, Vice Admiral Mahidon, broke out into a ton of sweat as he nervously replied, ¡°The Stone Ind infantry is tough as you might be aware¡­¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that?! We learned that six months ago!¡± Admiral Brumnat screamed in response. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We have cut off all of their supply lines three months ago, and no reinforcements can possibly go over and reinforce them, so how are we continuously losing when they¡¯re exhausted and starving?! Are our marines so bad that they can¡¯t defeat our starving and exhausted enemies?!¡± Vice Admiral Mahidon couldn¡¯t say anything in response. Actually, he had a lot of things to say, but he chose not to speak. ¡®This bastard¡­! What do you want me to do when their knights are fully equipped with powerful artifacts?! Why don¡¯t you speak after increasing our budget or something first?!¡¯ The Stone Ind infantry wasposed of troops far superior in terms of qualitypared to the numerically superior Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s ordinary troops. Stone Ind was an extremely affluent city-state that had been selling gold, silver, mana stones,va stones, and other highly valuable minerals since time immemorial. Their poption was small, but their soldiers and knights were so well-equipped to the point that the word overgeared would describe them the best. Thanks to their gear, the Adunyadet Kingdom troops still couldn¡¯tnd on their shores to end the war, even though Stone Ind¡¯s navy had already been wiped out long ago. ¡°When do you n to win? When?!¡± ¡°I-I apologize¡­!¡± ¡°Stop apologizing! Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop that?!¡± ¡°You did¡­¡± ¡°Then, why are you apologizing again?! Go and find a solution if you have the time to apologize!¡± ¡°B-But, Admiral¡­¡± In the end, Mahidon decided to speak. ¡°As you may be aware¡­ we have been secretly growing our naval strength for the past ten years, but that is not the case for our marines. The training of our marines isn¡¯t that advanced, and the equipment our men are using is quite outdatedpared to our enemy¡¯s equipment.¡± Vice Admiral Mahidon wasn¡¯t lying. The Adunyadet Kingdom had been secretly growing its naval strength and was making preparations for the past ten years to take control of the affluent Stone Ind. The Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s patient preparation earned them a tremendous victory over their enemy¡¯s naval forces, and it was a victory worthy of being recorded in the history books. However, that was the end of their achievements. They were so fixated on the naval victories that they hadpletely neglected to invest in their marines, who were responsible for thending operation. Their marines¡¯ failure to perform a sessfulnding led to their string of defeats. ¡°I advise that we request support from His Majesty to invest time and money into our marines¡ª¡± ¡°Excuses!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You just have to ovee the difference in equipment through mental fortitude! Fix your mindset! Are you trying to say that our marines are losing just because the enemies have better equipment?!¡± ¡±Ha!?I see that you have been toofortable these days! I should have known that you were useless the day you came in. You aren¡¯t even a graduate of our prestigious cadet academy!¡± Vice Admiral Mahidon¡¯s veins bulged. He could barely suppress the urge to grab the nearby ashtray and smash it into Admiral Brumnat¡¯s head. ¡®Argh! Should I just whack him? Does he really think that he won because of the strategies he learned from the cadet academy? I could have done the same if I had the same budget!¡¯ To be fair, Admiral Brumnat wasn¡¯t really an able-bodied Admiral. He was born into a prestigious family famous for producing excellent naval officers, and he was actually a graduate of the cadet academy. However, he only became an admiral thanks to his family background and connections from the academy. In short, he was someone better suited for politics rather than warfare. In addition, his overwhelming victory over the naval forces of Stone Ind was only made possible by the exorbitant sum he had spent in the war. He justified his spending to the higher-ups by saying that their losses could be recouped upon conquering Stone Ind. In other words, Admiral Brumnat¡¯s leadership and skills weren¡¯t the reason behind his victory over the naval forces of Stone Ind. Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Mahidon wed his way up the ranks with his skills without attending the cadet academy, to boot! ¡®You only know how to scream and burn through funds all day! What? Mental fortitude? Mindset? Ha! Our equipment can¡¯t even make a dent in theirs, so what do you want me to do? With just a fifth of the money you had spent on your ridiculous naval warfare, I could have ended this war long ago!¡¯ Vice Admiral Mahidon gritted his teeth, but he couldn¡¯t voice out his frustrations. Why? It was all because he could be court-martialed for treason if he did something like that. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­?As expected, I should meet His Majesty and create a petition for the overhaul of the marine corps at the end of this war! Themanding officer is a mess, so it¡¯s no wonder that the marines are a bunch of disorganized throngs!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vice Admiral Mahidon remained quiet. ¡°This war would have ended long ago if you had achieved even a fourth of what my navy achieved!?Ha!¡± All of a sudden, a signalman barged in and reported, ¡°Admiral! His Majesty is calling us!¡± ¡°What?! Tell His Majesty that I will be right there!¡± Admiral Brumnat stopped grilling Vice Admiral Mahidon and rushed out of the office. *** ¡°I was disciplining the Commander of the Marine Corps for their repeated failures in producing results, Your Majesty,¡± Admiral Brumnat replied to Maja the Second¡¯s question. Maja the Second was the King of the Adunyadet Kingdom. Admiral Brumnat was well aware of the reason behind their string of defeats. He med the Marine Corps in front of His Majesty. After all, he was the one who shed the budget of the Marine Corps to invest in his own navy. Therefore, someone else had to take the me for him. ¡®The royal treasury¡¯s funds are about to hit rock bottom. My mistake will be exposed if I were to ask for financial support for the marines. I need to end this war without any budget increase, and the only way to do that is to keep pestering that fool¡­¡¯ The so-called mental fortitude and mindset that he had been saying earlier were nothing but a bunch of excuses he had made to save his own skin. ¡ª Isn¡¯t it better to immediately rece the Commander of the Marine Corps? ¡°We do have that option, but we are currently at war. It might affect the morale of our troops, Your Majesty.¡± ¡ª?Hmm¡­ ¡°We will be conducting anotherrge-scalending invasion tomorrow, and I will definitely bring you good news if you give him this onest chance.¡± Admiral Brumnat was well aware that Vice Admiral Mahidon was a skilledmander, so he couldn¡¯t afford to lose thetter right now if he wanted to win this war. ¡ª?Hmm¡­?I see¡­ Then, I will give him another chance. ¡°Thank you very much, Your Majesty! You have made a wise choice!¡± ¡ª What about the naval blockade? ¡°Please take a look, Your Majesty,¡± Admiral Brumnat said as he confidently turned themunicator¡¯s lens toward the sea before he continued, ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s navy haspletely surrounded the waters around the ind. I am confident that not even a single ant will be able to pass through our irond blockade!¡± ¡ª Is that so? ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡ª That does not look like the case to me. What exactly do you mean by irond blockade? ¡°P-Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡ª What is that thing over there? I don¡¯t think that is one of my forces. Maja the Second pointed at a speedboat speeding on top of the waters, and Admiral Brumnat turned his head toward it. Shwaaaaa! There was a single speedboat zipping through the waters at breakneck speeds, and it managed to slip past the Adunyadet¡¯s navy forces in the process. ¡°W-What is that?! Sink that thing immediately!¡± Admiral Brumnat shouted in anger while pointing at the speedboat. *** Boom! Boom! Ssh! The artillery spat out their shells, disturbing the waters. The Adunyadet Battleships fired incessantly at the speedboat, but the speedboat showed no signs of stopping as it continued toward Stone Ind. The one driving the speedboat wasn¡¯t human but a giant hamster. ¡°Kyuuuu!?Let¡¯s goooo!¡± Hamchi shouted excitedly. Hamchi skillfully drove the Aqua Runner past the rain of cannonballs and amidst the ssh of water. ¡°Bleuuurghhh!¡±?Gringore started puking his guts out. Hamchi was driving too haphazardly and fast for him to endure. ¡°Wow¡­?they can¡¯t evennd a single hit¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in awe while looking at the Adunyadet Battleships firing at them in the distance. The speedboat of the Nordic Tribe, the Aqua Runner, was fast. Honestly, calling it fast was an understatement. The words ¡®extremely fast¡¯ would be more suitable to describe it because it could run circles around the battleships without getting hit. ¡°Well, the Masava Forces had trouble catching up to these as well¡­¡± Siegfried recalled how the Nordic Forces managed to run circles around the Masava Navy as well. The Aqua Runners weren¡¯t equipped with canons, but it was probably the best vehicle out there when it came tonding operations. ¡°Make way!¡± Siegfried shouted as the speedboat zipped past through a barrage of cannonballs without even flinching, thanks to the Aqua Runners'' superior specifications. ¡°T-That little¡­!¡± Admiral Brumnat fumed in anger. However, that was none of Siegfried¡¯s business. ¡°Kyu!?Hey, owner punk! Did you see that? Did you see Hamchi¡¯s driving skills?!¡± Hamchi eximed while brimming with pride. ¡°Good boy!¡± Siegfried replied and threw him a packet of sunflower seeds. ¡°Lla~ Ll~ L~ Lla~ La~ Ll~¡± All of a sudden, a beautiful and enchanting melody sung by a woman could be heard. ¡°Where is that songing from?¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± Siegfried and Hamchi tilted their heads in confusion. [Alert: Status Ailment!] Siegfried¡¯s vision suddenly swam. Wooong! He channeled his mana to counter it, but it was to no avail. ¡®Euk¡­ What kind of skill is this¡­?¡¯ [Alert: Your character has been exposed to a powerful magical voice!] [Alert: Your character has been Charmed!] [Alert: Your control over your character has weakened!] [Alert: The magical voice has started destroying your character¡¯s body!] The messages in front of him informed Siegfried that he had been charmed. Once he was done reading the message, a surge of pain electrified him. Drip¡­ Blood started flowing from his ears, nose, and mouth. Throb! Throb! His eyes started swelling as if they were going to pop out of their sockets. Woooong! The mana in his mana hall started to spin wildly. In addition, his body was moving on its own and was trying to jump into the water. ¡°Euk¡­ H¡­ Hamchi¡­ What is¡­ this¡­?¡± ¡°Kyu? What¡¯s wrong, owner punk? Are you alright? Are you not feeling well?¡± ¡°A-Are alright? D-Don¡¯t you feel anything¡­?¡± ¡°Kyu??Hamchi is feeling great!¡± Hamchi seemed to be doing just fine as opposed to Siegfried. ¡°T-Then what in the world is this¡­? Is it that song¡­?¡± While Siegfried was trying his best to find the reason behind the status ailment, a deep voice reverberated along with the bewitching magical voice. ¡°Woo~ Woo~ Woo~ Oh~ Oh~ Oh~¡± ¡®What the hell is it this time?¡¯?Siegfried inwardly grumbled. He was anxious as he turned toward where the voice wasing from. ¡°Ooooh~ La~ Woo woo woo~¡± Unexpectedly, the voice wasing from Gringore, who was singing along with the bewitching magical voice while standing at the bow of the speedboat. Chapter 148

    Chapter 148

    While singing at the bow of the speedboat, Gringore looked significantly differentpared to his usual demeanor. He was maintaining perfect control over his breathing as he sang along with the bewitching magical voice. In addition, he was an outstanding singer. His voice was near perfect, and he sounded like he was singing using a microphone. His voice had a strong charismatic depth to it while sounding extremely gentle and soft at the same time. It seemed that he didn¡¯t earn his titles in vain. It was undeniable that Gringore¡¯s voice sounded great, but Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand why the scribe was suddenly singing. ¡®Why is he singing all of a sudden¡­?¡¯ Siegfried wondered. He deduced that Gringore was also under a status ailment. No, he looked like he was in worse shape than Siegfried. He looked like he would copse at any moment now. The blood flowing down from his nose, ears, and mouth had formed a puddle beneath him, and his skin turned paler and paler by the second. Despite all that, he continued singing the melody as if he was hell-bent onpleting the duet with the bewitching magical voice. All of a sudden¡­ [Alert: Status ailment has been lifted!] [Alert: You have escaped the effects of ¡®Charmed¡¯!] [Alert: Your character has been freed from the powerful voice!] [Alert: Control over your character has been restored!] The status ailment that was dealing excruciating pain to Siegfried suddenly vanished. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯?Siegfried looked at Gringore. ¡®Your Majesty! I cannot hold on anymore¡­!¡¯ Gringore conveyed his desperate thoughts to Siegfried through his eyes. ¡®The status ailment vanished because this guy sang along and disrupted the voice? If that is the case, then my only chance is to find the culprit behind that horrible melody before it resumes!¡¯?Siegfried realized it after ncing at the struggling Gringore. ¡®Where are you?¡¯?he anxiously looked around in search of the culprit. Then, his eyes found something on top of the water. ¡°L~ Ll~ L~ Lla~ L~¡±?A creature was standing on top of a rock in the middle of the sea while singing a melody. ¡®Over there!¡¯?Siegfried immediately took the steering wheel from Hamchi. Shwaaaa! The Aqua Runner sped through the waters as it made its way toward the singing creature. *** The culprit behind the horrible melody turned out to be a Siren. [Siren] [A monster living in the southern seas. It sings a melody to charm humans before devouring them. The sailors of the southern waters fear this creature the most.] [Race: Mermaid] [Rating: Champion Monster] [Level: 200] [ss: Soprano of Death] [Additional Information: Extremely low endurance and extremely weak in close-quarterbats. However, it has an extremely powerful ranged voice skill.] Siegfried gripped his hammer upon briefly checking the Siren¡¯s details. Ssh! The siren immediately jumped into the water to escape. However, it couldn¡¯t escape. Whiiish¡­ Pak! Siegfried used Flying Spur and threw his hammer before the siren could enter the water. ¡°Kyahk!¡±?the siren shrieked. It then fell into the water and floated motionless. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more suitable for fishing than a harpoon, right?¡± Siegfried grumbled with a hint of anger in his voice. He used Megingjord to switch weapons. Shwiiik! Then, he used the Lightning Spear Art to stab the siren in the back. *** Gulp! Gulp! Gringore downed an entire bottle of potion without leaving even a single drop behind. ¡°I really thought I was going to die, Your Majesty,¡± Gringore said with a grimace. ¡°Great job, Scribe Gringore,¡± Siegfriedmended the scribe. ¡°Not at all. I am your loyal subject, so it is only right for me to throw myself and help if Your Majesty is in danger.¡± ¡°You were quite the singer. I was really moved.¡± ¡°It is nothing but a cheap talent I have.¡± ¡°Come on, what do you think the singers out there will feel if you call your singing skill the mere product of a cheap talent? I finally understand why Michele said that your performances bring in quite the revenue for our kingdom.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However, how did you know what to do? I have never heard of anyone singing along with a siren to nullify their ability,¡± said Siegfried. He was curious. ¡°Ah,?well¡­ I stumbled upon the information in a book that discussed the corrtion of mana and singing while I was still studying harmonics at the academy,¡± Gringore replied with a smile. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The book said that singing can affect a human body by infusing mana into certain wavelengths.¡± ¡°So you remembered what was written in that book and decided to use it against the siren?¡± ¡°Yes, I harmonized the melody of the siren to nullify its effect on the human body.¡± ¡°But how is that even possible? Were you aware of the sirens¡¯ melody?¡± ¡°I listened for a while and found that the chord progression was not that difficult, so¡­¡± Gringore trailed off as if he was embarrassed. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°It is embarrassing for me to admit this, but I have the gift of perfect pitch and photographic memory, so these kinds of things are not that difficult for me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He was in awe of Gringore¡¯s ability. ¡®He¡¯s hopeless inbat, but I guess he¡¯s still an awesome NPC?¡¯ Siegfried was convinced that Gringore wasn¡¯t just an excellent source of revenue¡ªno, an artist. Siegfried was sure that Gringore could be considered a genius at this point. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Look at that!¡± Hamchi eximed while pointing at the surface of the water. A sparkling purple orb was floating in the water. ¡®What is that?¡¯ Siegfried activated his Rune of Insight and checked the orb¡¯s details. [Siren¡¯s Voice] [An orb containing the essence of a siren.] [It tastes horrible.] [Type: Consumable (Edible)] [Price: 10 gold] [Effects: Mana +100, Singing +10, Beauty +5.] The sparkling purple orb turned out to be an item that was in demand among female NPCs and Adventurers alike, but it wasn¡¯t that useful for someone like Siegfried. The only thing that seemed useful for him among its effects was probably the mana increase, but the small increment of a hundred points didn¡¯t really pique Siegfried¡¯s interest. ¡°Take this. Your singing skills will improve, and you will be more handsome if you consume this,¡± Siegfried said as he extended the Siren¡¯s Voice to Gringore. ¡°Thank you very much, Your Majesty, but¡­ I believe that it is better if Your Majesty consumes it,¡± Gringore replied. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°W-well¡­ It is not going to be particrly useful for me¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m notcking in the looks and singing department, so¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up and eat it before I shove it down your throat,¡± Siegfried threatened. He felt offended by Gringore¡¯s words for some odd reason. ¡®Hearing a handsome and talented guy like him praise himself like that makes me want to beat the living shit out of him¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly while suppressing the urge to admit defeat. Gringore was sincerely trying to give the item to Siegfried, but it seemed that Siegfried had taken it the wrong way. ¡°It will increase your mana as well, so take it. You should take care of your health.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You need to be healthy to be able to continue earning money for our kingdom, right? Hurry up and eat it. This is a royalmand.¡± In the end, Gringore couldn¡¯t disobey his liege¡¯s order. He was forced to swallow the horrible-tasting Siren¡¯s Voice. ¡°Bleurgh!?T-This tastes horrible, and it smells awful¡­!¡± Gringore cried out. ¡°Eat up. Swallow it.¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­! This tastes horrible! I feel like throwing up¡ªBleurgh!¡± ¡°Your king has bestowed that upon you while thinking of your health, so you better eat it all up without leaving a single speck behind.¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­!¡± ¡°Why??Oh¡­?you can¡¯t disobey these kinds ofmands with your privilege as a scribe? Am I right??Kekeke!¡±?Siegfried cackled sinisterly. He was finally able to vent out a portion of his frustration to the scribe. *** However, Gringore¡¯s suffering didn¡¯t end there. The waterway leading toward Stone Ind was filled with rocks and corals inhabited by sirens, and the sirens tried to devour Siegfried and his party every single time they passed by. It was Gringore¡¯s job to sing along and disrupt the mana in the sirens¡¯ voices. Then, Siegfried would use Flying Spur and Lightning to hunt them down. And it resulted in further suffering for Gringore. ¡°Ugh¡­?Y-Your Majesty! I cannot eat any more of these¡­¡± Gringore groaned after consuming his tenth Siren¡¯s Voice. Gringore¡¯s mana had increased by a lot, and his skin had visibly improved as well. Of course, there wasn¡¯t any need to mention his singing. However, he had to suffer in exchange. ¡°Eughhh¡­!¡± ¡°Kyu!?Shut your filthy mouth! Your breath smells fishy!¡± Hamchi screamed at the suffering scribe.e Meanwhile, the Aqua Runner finally reached the shores of Stone Ind. However, a group of ten knights and fifty soldiers immediately rushed toward Siegfried and his party as soon as they switched off the Aqua Runner¡¯s engine. ¡°Enemy spotted!¡± ¡°The enemy hasnded on our shores again! Wipe them out!¡± ¡°Those cowardly Adunyadets havee for ournds again! Kill them!¡± ¡°Wait! I¡¯m not from the Adunyadet Kingdom! I¡¯m just here on personal business¡­¡± Siegfried tried to exin. However, the Stone Ind knights didn¡¯t bother listening to his excuses. ¡°Kyu!?Owner punk! I think we have to fight them,¡± Hamchi said. ¡°It looks like it,¡± Siegfried let out a sigh and shook his head. He then added, ¡°It¡¯ll be hard to exin if even one of them were to die, so make sure to just incapacitate them, okay?¡± ¡°All right, owner punk!?Kyu!¡± ¡°Please step back a bit, Scribe Gringore,¡± Siegfried said to the zerobat power scribe. Then, he tightly balled his fist instead of gripping his hammer. Siegfried was afraid that he might identally kill one of them if he were to use his hammer. ¡®Hmm¡­ What should I do? These knights look like they can¡¯t be underestimated, but I might burn their gears if I use ze Field¡­¡¯?He could incur the wrath of the Stone Inders if he identally destroyed their gears. ¡®All right, since I just need to neutralize them, I can only use that, then¡­¡¯ Siegfried had the perfect skill for this situation, and he mustered his mana upon making his decision. Wooong! The skill that he chose was none other than the debuff skill, Shadow Swamp. ¡°M-My body feels heavy¡­!¡± ¡°Euk!?It¡¯s hard to move¡­!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± The Stone Ind knights and soldiers were in disarray after being affected by the Movement Speed Reduction, Attack Speed Reduction, and Casting Speed Reduction debuffs of the Shadow Swamp. Sseuk¡­ Sseuk¡­ Then, their shadows rose up from the ground and turned toward Siegfried. ¡°Just subdue them. Make sure that they won¡¯t get hurt,¡± Siegfriedmanded. The shadows immediately moved. Everything was perfect, but the method that the shadows used to perfectly subdue the Stone Inders was a bit too¡­ ¡°O-Owner punk¡­?¡± Hamchi stuttered at the sight. ¡°What?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t you think that they are going too far¡­?¡± ¡°I-I think so too¡­¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but agree with Hamchi for the first time in a while. It was all because the shadows were using a method of subjugation that could be considered?cowardly?in a sense. Chapter 149

    Chapter 149

    The shadows crouched and sent an uppercut, but the issue was where they were aiming¡­ Puuuk! The shadows¡¯ fists struck the soldiers¡¯?important?ce. ¡°¡­!¡± The soldiers¡¯ eyes shot wide open. Low Blow! The shadows used the forbidden skill ouwed by all contact sports, which was hitting a man¡¯s?important?ce. ¡°Euaaaaaaak!¡± The agonized screams of the soldiers filled the beach as they fell one by one to the ground. ¡°M-My balls¡­ MY BAAALLSSS!¡± ¡°Owner punk! Hamchi can¡¯t watch this!¡± Hamchi cried out in horror as he covered his eyes. He wasn¡¯t the target of the low blow, but watching the soldiers squirm in pain while screaming in agony made him feel the pain in hisher regions as well. ¡®Hey, someone passing by might think that I popped your balls or something¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled after seeing the hamster¡¯s overreaction, but he agreed that the shadows¡¯ method of subjugation was very despicable. The low blows weren¡¯t the end of it. They poked the soldiers in their eyes, kicked their shins, scratched their faces, et cetera. The shadows did not shy away from using all sorts of despicable skills that even the most despicable and cowardly wrestler in all of history would never dream of doing. As expected, their method was effective as they slowly started pushing the Stone Inders into a corner. ¡®Where the hell did they learn those things? I never taught them that¡­¡¯?Siegfried wondered where the shadows had learned those despicable moves, but he knew that he wouldn¡¯t get any answers from them. ¡®Ah, forget about it. Let¡¯s just subdue them for now.¡¯ With that being said, Hamchi and Siegfried joined the battle and started punching the Stone Inders in the gut one by one. ¡°All right, listen up. Please calm down and listen to me,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Kyu!?Eat this, sucker! Hamster Gut Punch!¡± Hamchi seemed to be enjoying it. ¡°Bleurghh!¡± ¡°Bleurgh! Bleurghhh!¡± ¡°Bleurghhhh!¡± The Stone Ind knights and soldiers fell one by one as they grabbed their abdomen and puked what they had for lunch. The Stone Ind shorelines were tainted with their vomit, and the stench was so horrible it was fetid beyond all conception. Gringore was speechless. ¡®Do they even have the right to call others despicable¡­?¡¯ The shadows¡¯ method was despicable to fight against the knights and soldiers, but Siegfried and Hamchi were the embodiment of devils as they deliberately punched the Stone Inders in their guts. ¡®Hmm¡­ I have a feeling that these shadows are the reflections of His Majesty¡¯s dark side.¡¯?Gringore deduced that the shadows were taking after their masters. There was a high chance that he was correct. After all, the shadows were made by Siegfried¡¯s Shadow Swamp, and it might contain Siegfried¡¯s dark persona. ¡°Phew¡­!?That was tough¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while wiping the sweat off his forehead. ¡°I agree!?Kyu!¡±?Hamchi eximed in agreement. The Stone Inders seemed to have distracted both Siegfried and Hamchi enough for them to forget about the despicable things that the shadows had done to the former. *** ¡°O¡­ Ouch¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Bleurgh¡­!¡± ¡°My balls¡­?sniff sniff¡­!?My precious balls¡­¡± After the battle, the Stone Ind knights and soldiers were rolling on their own vomit while moaning in pain. ¡°Y-You said you were here on personal business, right?¡± asked one of the knights. ¡°I think I already told you three times?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°If you told us earlier, then¡­¡± ¡°You attacked me without warning and refused to listen to anything I had to say. What are you trying to say here? Are you trying to paint me in a different picture?¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°E-Ehem!¡± The captain of the defense forces exined, ¡°W-well¡­ Those Adunyadet bastards have failed time and time again tond on our beaches, so they started resorting to sending a small detachment of elite forces to conduct subterfuge missions.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°That is why we have received orders from above to kill anyone on sight that conducts any unauthorizedndings on the beach.¡± ¡°Oh,?I finally understand what¡¯s going on.¡± In the end, Siegfried couldn¡¯t find fault with the Stone Inders. After all, they were just doing their job. ¡°I did not kill a single one of you to prove that I¡¯m not an enemy.¡± ¡°I am grateful for that, but¡­¡± the captain muttered before swallowing the words?¡®I am now a seedless watermelon¡­¡¯?with a dejected look. He nced at his soldiers and said, ¡°I think some of my subordinates would have chosen to die if they had known this oue¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Anyway, I will report to my superiors and inform them of your arrival. After all, you mentioned that you are here on personal business.¡± Siegfried went through a short interrogation, and he had to wait for quite a while before he was allowed entry to the main area of Stone Ind. *** ¡®Is this a city in a game¡­? Or is this what a city would look like if magic and science developed hand-in-hand?¡¯?Siegfried wondered while looking around in awe at the city¡¯s advanced technology. The main area of Stone Ind lived up to its reputation as an affluent city-state, and the word?innovative?could also be used to describe this ce aside from?affluent. Every single street was lined up with streetmps thanks to their energy system that used mana stones as fuel, and there were numerous extravagant buildings standing proudly all over the city. Simply put, the city could be considered unmatched when it came to how advanced they were in addition to the city¡¯s public cleanliness. . If one were to pinpoint a fault in this marvelous ce then that would be the gloomy faces of the people walking in the streets and the anxiety-filled faces of the soldiers standing watch in their respective stations. ¡®I want to do what they have done here. Is it even possible, though? I think it¡¯s impossible since my kingdom¡¯s technology isn¡¯t as advanced as theirs yet¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking around Stone Ind with ambitious eyes. He was dreaming of developing the Proatine Kingdom into the current Stone Ind. ¡°Are you His Majesty Siegfried van Proa from the Proatine Kingdom?¡± asked a knight who walked up to him. ¡°Yes, I am Siegfried.¡± ¡°The President of Stone Ind, Lord Angele, wishes to meet Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm??Me?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried pondered for a moment, but he decided to ept the offer. There was a chance that meeting the president would help in his quest to purchase an Entropy Stone, which was known to be pretty rare and expensive. ¡°Wee, Your Majesty. I am the President of Stone Ind, Angele,¡± said Angele. She was a middle-aged woman who exuded a charismatic yet gentle air. ¡°My name is Siegfried.¡± ¡°I will get straight to the point. Why did you take the risk ande all the way to Stone Ind? I¡¯m sure that it had been difficult for you to break through the encirclement of the Adunyadet Kingdom.¡± ¡°I came to buy an Entropy Stone.¡± ¡°Entropy Stone¡­¡± Lord Angele muttered for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you interested in making a trade by any chance?¡± ¡°A trade?¡± ¡°I will give you an Entropy Stone. In return, I would like the blueprint of the speedboat and the speedboat itself that you used to break through the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s encirclement.¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± Siegfried immediately shot down the offer. ¡®A person has to be loyal,¡¯?he thought. The Aqua Runner was an exclusive technology of the Nordic Tribe, and they were the only ones with the skills to create Aqua Runners on the continent. Siegfried had no intentions of giving up even a single Aqua Runner, even though he had dozens of them. Siegfried also knew that such actions were tantamount to disrespecting the countless hours the Nordic Tribe had spent in developing the technology necessary to create Aqua Runners. In the worst-case scenario, his amicable rtionship with them would be ruined. In short, he had no reason to trade his rtionship with the Nordic Tribe for a single Entropy Stone. ¡°I cannot give you the speedboat even if you put a knife to my neck, and I actually do not have the blueprint with me.¡± ¡°I see that Your Majesty is quite straightforward.¡± ¡°The speedboat belongs to the Nordic Tribe, which is an ally of mine. Their leader and the tribe itself are my sworn blood brethren, so I am afraid that I cannot simply hand over something that does not belong to me. I hope for your understanding.¡± However, what seemed to have caught Lord Angele¡¯s attention was the part where he mentioned that he was an ally and sworn blood brethren of the Nordic Tribe. ¡°The Proatine Kingdom and the Nordic Tribe have a blood-pact alliance? Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, by any chance¡­¡± ¡°I do not wish to shed the blood of my brothers for my personal business.¡± Siegfried what Lord Angele was going to say and instantly shot it down before she could even finish her sentence. ¡®She is probably thinking of involving the Nordic Tribe to break through the blockade, but I do not wish to do that,¡¯?Siegfried thought. Meanwhile, Gringore was in awe of Siegfried¡¯splete change in demeanor and attitude. Gringore diligently wrote down every single word Siegfried used while talking with Lord Angele. ¡®His Majesty employed his wisdom and revealed a side of him that is normally hidden from the public to wisely deal with the situation. He has also convinced me again that he is an upright ruler who knows how to separate personal and business matters.¡¯ ¡®Following His Majesty was the right call. I have so many things to record! I should continue following him around from now on!¡¯?Gringore resolved to be Siegfried¡¯s shadow from now on and follow thetter until hisst dying breath. ¡°I understand what Your Majesty means¡ªSigh¡­¡±?Lord Angele let out a sigh of resignation. Then, she added, ¡°I do not think that threatening you will work, so I will rescind my offer here.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°I would love to give you an Entropy Stone for your outstanding feat of breaking through the blockade and visiting us, but I am afraid to inform you that even we do not have any single Entropy Stone in our possession. It is impossible for us to mine Entropy Stones in the meantime because the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s shelling had destroyed our mines.¡± The bad news didn¡¯t end there. ¡°In addition, the seal at the bottom of the dungeon where we were mining Entropy Stones had shattered, so the monsters lying dormant in the dungeon had started crawling out of the mine.¡± ¡°The monsters and the shelling had also made rescue operations extremely difficult¡ªno, impossible because of the ongoing war.¡± Unfortunately, it seemed that it would be impossible for Siegfried to get his hands on an Entropy Stone while the war was still ongoing. However, Siegfried had never been the type to give up so easily. ¡®And how can I just give up on the Quad-Turbo Set?¡¯?he grumbled inwardly at the thought of losing the set item that would greatly amplify his ss¡¯ main abilities. ¡°What if I went and rescued them personally?¡± ¡°Your Majesty will rescue them personally?¡± asked Lord Angele in disbelief. ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod and added, ¡°I will restore the mine, kill the monsters, and assist you in the rescue operations. In return, I would like to request a single Entropy Stone.¡± ¡°Since you need it that badly, then I will not stop you¡­¡± Lord Angele muttered. Immediately afterward, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: The Quest: ¡®Looking for Entropy Stone 2¡¯ has appeared!] It was a quest message. [Looking for Entropy Stone 2] [Go to the mine located in the northeastern district of Stone Ind.] [Kill the monsters there, restore the mine, and rescue the miners.] [Progress: 0%] - Remove Debris (0/100,000)] - Kill Monsters (0/489)] - Rescue Miners (0/49)] [Reward: Entropy Stone] The quest was difficult. Killing the monsters was one thing, but restoring the mine and rescuing the miners were tasks that could be considered extremely difficult for any adventurer out there. However, Siegfried epted the quest without any hint of hesitation because he had an ace up his sleeve. ¡°May I use yourmunication device for a moment?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Please feel free to use it anytime,¡± Lord Angele replied. Siegfried looked at Gringore. ¡°Scribe Gringore.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Please call our kingdom and ask them to bring?them?over.¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­ do you n to call?them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I-I understand¡­!¡± Gringore eximed and immediately ran toward themunication room to call?them?over to Stone Ind. Chapter 150

    Chapter 150

    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Lord Angele let out a sigh first thing in the morning. ¡°Lord Angele¡­¡± The Commander-in-chief of the Stone Ind infantry, navy, and airforce, General Uriage (¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï), looked at Lord Angele worriedly. ¡°It is truly a shame. If the king of Proatine, Siegfried van Proa, had only agreed to act as an intermediary between the Nordic Tribe and us, then this war could have ended right there and then¡­¡± General Uriage muttered. ¡°I thought so as well, but I could see that he wouldn¡¯t budge at all, so I had no choice but to just let it go¡­ I thought of threatening him to hand over the speedboat at least, but¡­¡± Lord Angele trailed off. Angele could not bring herself to do something so extreme to someone else just because they were in a difficult position. She made the decision as the leader of Stone Ind, which had been a mining and trading city ever since it was first established. ¡°What if you ask him for help one more time¡­?¡± General Uriage suggested. However, Lord Angele immediately shot her suggestion down, ¡°He is not a fool. You saw how resolute he was, right? He is someone who knows how to differentiate personal and official matters, and he highly values his rtionship with the Nordic Tribe¡­¡± ¡±He is not the type of person that will be swayed just because we appealed to his sympathetic side.¡± ¡°But¡­ that is our only hope right now¡­¡± ¡°As unfortunate as it sounds, we will have to give it up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s forget about what happened with Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that he will find an Entropy Stone and safely return to his kingdom.¡± ¡°But is that going to be easy? Restoring the mine is not going to be a simple matter of whether he¡¯s strong or not¡­¡± Before the conversation could continue, Lord Angele¡¯s secretary came into the office and reported. ¡°Lord Angele, King Siegfried has restored thirty percent of the mine.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Is that true? He managed to restore thirty percent of the mine in just a day?¡± Lord Angele and General Uriage jumped up from their seats in surprise. It was unbelievable. How could it make sense for him to restore thirty percent of the copsed mine in less than a day? The secretary¡¯s report was so baffling that they could not help but suspect that she was lying. ¡°Are you speaking the truth?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Angele.¡± ¡°Have you looked into how it was made possible?¡± ¡°Eighteen additional speedboats broke through the encirclement and arrived from the Proatine Kingdomst night, and the people who had arrivedst night were the ones who are working on restoring the mine right now.¡± ¡°Are you telling me that a group of people in only eighteen speedboats managed to do all that? I¡¯m afraid to say that I find it hard to believe what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°But, Lord¡­ I am telling the truth.¡± ¡°I guess I will have to see it with my own eyes.¡± In the end, Lord Angele decided to personally rush to the mine and see for herself. *** The Sterlumen Mine in the northeastern region of Stone Ind had more than thirteen different kinds of minerals that could be mined from it, so it became famous as a diverse mine in the mining industry. Of course, it had be nothing but a pile of rocks after the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s shelling. Lord Angele could not believe her eyes the moment she arrived at the Sterlumen Mine. ¡°M-my god! How is this possible?!¡± Lord Angele eximed in surprise. She was so surprised because the Sterlumen Mine looked totally different from what she had been expecting it to look like on the way here. The monsters infesting the mine¡¯s entrance had vanished, and the only evidence of their presence was the traces of blood on the ground. In addition, the mountains of rocks had been cleared, and the mine could now be essed from the entrance. ¡®This is impossible! Even the dwarves couldn¡¯t possibly work this fast!¡¯?Lord Angele was shocked. She was especially aware of how fast the dwarves were when it came to their craft. The people who had created this unbelievable sight in front of her were probably five times more efficient than the dwarves. ¡®How is this possible¡­?¡¯?she wondered. ¡°Listen up! Hurry up and get back to work if you have finished eating!¡± Arge tanned man shouted at the hundreds of soldiers wielding shovels, pickaxes, and other tools. ¡®T-The barbarians of the north?!¡¯?she was stupefied upon recognizing the soldiers. The barbarians of the north were hardy people that possessed outstanding physical capabilitiespared to normal people, but they were apparently impossible to train as soldiers due to their aggressive and barbaric nature. However, these barbarians were currently wearing uniforms while working on the restoration of the mine¡­ ng! ng! Puk! Puk! Puk! In fact, the barbarian soldiers were working at a speed that far exceeded the dwarves¡¯ working speed. However, what surprised Lord Angele the most was the sight of twentyrge golems working as heavy machinery. Whiiing¡­ ck! A golem equipped with a crane the size of a house started putting away therge rocks piled on the ground. Blood Golems, Stone Golems, Iron Golems, Mud Golems, Fire Golems, Ice Golems, and golems of various types were currently deployed and working on the site. Their job was to handle therger debris that the barbarian soldiers couldn¡¯t handle on their own. ¡°All right, get out of the way! The golems are about to start working!¡± shouted an Adventurer standing on top of one of the golems. He ordered the barbarian soldiers around while skilfully controlling the golems. ¡®Soldiers made up of barbarians and an Adventurer who can control golems. So this was how they managed to do so much restoration work in just a day¡­¡¯ Lord Angele could finally understand how the whole thing was made possible, and she couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s workforce. ¡°King¡­ Siegfried¡­?¡± muttered Lord Angele while approaching Siegfried. Siegfried was currently sitting on a makeshift chair with Hamchi. For some reason, he was wearing a safety helmet. ¡°Ah,?Lord Angele,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°This is¡­ surprising¡­¡± ¡°Huh??What is surprising?¡± ¡°I have worked with many dwarves before, but none of them can match the speed of your workers.¡± ¡°Ah,?you mean our Labor Squad?¡± ¡°Labor Squad¡­?¡± ¡°They are previously living in the northern part of my territory, but I ended up conquering them. Back then, they were so poor and hungry that they would kill each other for food¡­¡± ¡±Anyway, they were a mess, so I took them in. It was a waste to kill all of them, so I turned some of them into soldiers¡­¡± ¡±I turned the strong ones into skilledborers. It did take some training, but the Labor Squad is the fruit of all those training,¡± Siegfried exined with a shrug. ¡°¡­¡± Lord Angele didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°As you can see, they are really good workers. They are in charge of both small and big projects in my kingdom, and the Adventurer controlling the heavy machinery is a close brother of mine,¡± Siegfried said while pointing at the Golem Maker, Seung-Gu, who was using one of his golems as an excavator. ¡®The Proatine Kingdom. We can¡¯t look down on it just because it¡¯s small. If their Labor Squad is already this amazing, then I can only imagine how strong their soldiers are¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m certain of it, the Proatine Kingdom is small right now, but they¡¯re definitely going to be a powerhouse in the future,¡¯?Lord Angele misunderstood Siegfried as a sleeping tiger. The Labor Squad and Seung-Gu¡¯s working efficiency and speed had given her that deep of an impression. Suddenly, she couldn¡¯t help but ask herself. ¡®I wonder how strong King Siegfried is¡­¡¯ ¡°We should be able to start the rescue operation this evening, judging by our current work in progress, so please don¡¯t worry about here and focus on defending your territory from the Adunyadet Kingdom,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. He naturally had no idea of her thoughts as he tried to assuage her by reassuring her that the rescue operations would begin soon enough. ¡®Sigh¡­ she¡¯s definitely having a hard time right now. I mean, her country is being threatened, so it¡¯s only natural¡­ Anyway, I¡¯ll take care of things here and mine the Entropy Stone myself, so don¡¯t you worry about here,¡¯?he thought. Siegfried was a gamer, and Angele was an NPC, so they werepletely different from each other by nature, but they had something inmon. They were rulers of their own countries. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Siegfried would be willing to involve the Nordic Tribe in their war or give their speedboats away just to help someone else out. ¡°I think what I have done here so far should be enough payment for an Entropy Stone, right?¡± ¡°Yes, you are correct.¡± Lord Angele couldn¡¯t deny Siegfried¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t assist her in her biggest problem, which was the ongoing war, but the fact that he was helping her with the mine when her nation was suffering from a manpower shortage was more than enough as payment for an Entropy Stone. ¡°We managed to catch a breather thanks to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Then, I¡¯m sure you are busy with the war, so please focus on that and leave this ce to me. And I¡¯ll have to excuse myself now because I have work to do,¡± said Siegfried. He then reced his cheap chair with a luxurious leather seat and put on an indifferent expression. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to start now,¡± said Gringore. Gringore was wearing a beret for some reason, and he was surrounded by all sorts of art materials, such as pallets, canvas, oil drums, etc. He started painting a portrait of Siegfried sitting on a leather chair. Gringore was tasked with not only recording everything Siegfried would do and had done, but he also had to paint portraits of thetter because he was also a royal painter of the Proatine Kingdom. Siegfried couldn¡¯t simply reject Gringore¡¯s?demand. After all, Gringore was a royal painter, so there wasn¡¯t really any reason for Siegfried to reject Gringore¡¯s?demand. ¡®This guy is pretty annoying to be with¡­¡¯ Unfortunately, Siegfried still couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed by Gringore¡¯s presence. *** Shortly after Lord Angele left the mine, Gringore looked up and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Huh??You¡¯re already done? I thought it would take you at least a few hours¡­¡± ¡°I am a bit quick with my brush.¡± ¡°Huh??Are you sure you didn¡¯t do it half-assed?¡± ¡°Not at all, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Let me take a look,¡± Siegfried decided to check the portrait himself while being skeptical of Gringore¡¯s working speed. ¡ª?His Majesty overseeing the restoration work of a mine. It was the caption on the canvas. The portrait looked quite artistic, and the portrait of Siegfried wearing a safety helmet with a green cross on it looked pretty high-quality. ¡°Did you really draw this in less than ten minutes?¡± ¡°As you have witnessed, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°How is the quality so great, even though you didn¡¯t really spend that much time?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?It is not that difficult, actually. I did it like this¡­¡± Gringore said. He then started moving his brush on another empty canvas. Once he was done, he showed the canvas to Siegfried and said, ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s easy, right?¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re crazy¡­¡± ¡°What is the matter, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­ you really have it all,¡± Siegfried grumbled while ring at Gringore. ¡®Is he Mr. Bob Ross or what?¡¯?he grumbled inwardly as well. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! All of a sudden, explosions could be heard from the shore. ¡°What is that?¡± Siegfried immediately looked toward the shore and saw that the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s troops were crawling all over the beach. It seemed that the artillery fire signaled the start of therge-scale beachnding invasion. ¡°All forces! Stop working!¡± Siegfriedmanded. Then, an official from Stone Ind¡¯s side rushed over to him and said, ¡°Your Majesty, this area is no longer being targeted by the enemy after their previous shelling. They¡¯re confident that they have already brought ruin to this ce, so they are probably going to target other ces. You can continue working without any worries.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Most people won¡¯t think about shelling the same ce twice, so you can rest assured,¡± replied the official. ¡°I will stop the work nevertheless. I loathe the idea of one of my subordinates getting even a scratch on their bodies,¡± Siegfried said while shaking his head. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°And they came all the way here to shovel dirt and pickaxe through boulders just to put food on the table for their foxy wives and cute children, so how can I expose them to danger? It is not something urgent, and I¡¯m sure that the bombardment will be over in an hour or two, so we will just think of the shelling as recess.¡± ¡°But¡­!¡± ¡°Safety first. Haven¡¯t you heard of that phrase before?¡± The Stone Ind official couldn¡¯t retort. ¡®To think that a ruler who cares so deeply about his subjects actually exists! Everything will definitely be turned upside down if even one of them died by ident¡­¡¯?thought the official. While the official was staring in amazement at Siegfried, a mortar shell from the Adunyadet Kingdom flew in an arc andnded on the worksite, causing an explosion that shook the surroundings. Chapter 151

    Chapter 151

    The cloud of dust from the explosion finally settled down, and Siegfried could finally see the casualties with his own eyes, and it was a horrible scene to behold. Twenty had died on the spot. Bleeding from the shrapnel could be considered a light wound, considering the severity of the injuries that the others had sustained from the sudden shelling. ¡°M-My leg¡­!¡± Someone lost their leg, while someone else literally exploded into pieces upon being struck. ¡°H-Help me! Argh¡­!¡± Someone¡¯s entire lower body was buried under the rubble. The only sce was the fact that the mortal shell didn¡¯tnd where most people of them had gathered. However, Siegfried still couldn¡¯t help but feel regret. If he had only told them to stop working a few minutes earlier¡­! ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t reveal any particr reaction. Instead, he turned toward Seung-Gu and Hamchi. ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡± ¡°Speak, owner punk.¡± At Seung-Gu and Hamchi¡¯s urging, he finally spoke, ¡°Let¡¯s save them first.¡± Siegfried then ran toward the injured and dragged them one by one to safety. *** Therge-scalending invasion by the Adunyadet Kingdom was truly arge-scale invasion. It started with the shelling and was quickly followed by beachndings. They sessfullynded more than ten thousand marines, and they capitalized on their momentum by attempting to rapidly conquer Stone Ind¡¯s Turnlock Fort. ¡°Is this how it¡¯s going to end for us?¡± Lord Angele muttered with a downcast look while staring at the invaders. She couldn¡¯t smile at all. The knights and the soldiers of Stone Ind could fend off the invaders if the invaders were only made up of poorly equipped marines, but the problem was the navy of the Adunyadet Kingdom. Boom! Boom! The Adunyadet Battleships fired their canons incessantly, and they soon managed to neutralize the Turnlock Fort¡¯s canons. Boom! Boom! Boom! The dozens of battleships turned their canons toward the fort gates and focused it down. Crack¡­! The fort that withstood numerous battles was finally showing signs of falling. ¡°The gates are open!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to these stubborn bastards!¡± The Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s marines flooded into the Turnlock Fort. In addition to the marines, the Adventurers hired by the kingdom were in the fray as well, which made the situation even grimmer for the Stone Inders. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Lord Angele gasped in horror. ¡°So this is the end of Turnlock Fort. It had been holding the line pretty well for us until now.¡± ¡°Lord Angele¡­¡± ¡°What about the deration of surrender?¡± ¡°No! You cannot do that! Please have hope!¡± General Uriage protested the moment surrender was mentioned. She went even further and said, ¡°The war isn¡¯t over just yet! Even if Turnlock Fort falls today, we will still be able to hold on for two more months!¡± ¡°What good will that do? The war will simply turn into a siege,¡± Lord Angele said while shaking her head. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Resistance will be futile once Turnlock Fort falls, and we will simply be sending our soldiers to their deaths if we were to force them to fight afterward. Let me ask you this¡ªdo we have any trump cards that will help us turn the tables?¡± ¡°We still have twelve ships in our sea caverns¡­¡± ¡°The enemy¡¯s blockade is still there. Our ships will be sunk as soon as they emerge from the sea caverns.¡± Lord Angele wasn¡¯t simply giving up. She was making an objective and rational analysis of their current situation, and she eventually reached a single, grim conclusion¡ªthere was no way they could turn this around. There was no hope. They had no chance of winning this war¡ªunless and unless¡ªthe blockade of the Adunyadet Kingdom was broken. ¡°The Congress has already mentioned surrendering two months ago. We have endured long enough, and any more than this will only produce meaningless sacrifices. Let us surrender¡­¡± Lord Angele said and shed a tear. ¡°Lord Angele¡­¡± General Uriage muttered. She shed a tear as well. While they were crying to themselves, a change suddenly urred on the battlefield. ¡°What¡­ is that¡­?¡± Lord Angele muttered. She was waiting for a pen and parchment to write the deration of surrender, and while staring at the battlefield, Lord Angele noticed something strange. There was a thick green fog coupled with sparks of me burning at the gates of the Turnlock Fort, and the ground around the fort turned pitch ck as shadows from the ground rose up and attacked the Adunyadet Marines. The tides of the hopeless war were slowly starting to shift in their favor¡­ *** Siegfried closed his eyes after burying the dead and tending to the wounded at the Sterlumen Mine. Grit¡­! He gritted his teeth so hard that it looked like they would shatter at any moment now. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I will repay them a thousand-fold,¡± Siegfried said furiously. He headed toward the ce where most of the Adunyadet Forces were gathered to vent out his anger. Sseeuuu¡­! He then activated Irradiate as soon as he arrived at the Turnlock Fort, which was currently being besieged by the invaders. ¡°Keuh¡­!¡± ¡°Argh¡­!¡± The Adunyadet Marines could not withstand the power of Irradiate, and they started falling one by one. Their equipment was so bad that their current Poison Resistance was a t zero, which made the poison all the more effective against them. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if there would be any difference even if they were equipped with Poison Resistant items because only advanced artifacts could withstand Siegfried¡¯s Irradiate. Thirty secondster, Siegfried had already ughtered more than a hundred Adunyadet Marines before he finally deactivated his skill. ¡®The?mana consumption is getting worse¡­¡¯?he inwardly remarked. he felt that the skill¡¯s mana consumption would up by ten percent for every level increase in its skill level. The realization made Siegfried decide that he would use it more sparingly from now on. Why? It was all because he didn¡¯t really need to depend on Irradiate. After all, the Debuff Master¡¯s raison d¡¯etre was to debuff their enemies and beat them to death! Siegfried deactivated Irradiate and cast the two skills that represented the Debuff Master the best. Wooong! He simultaneously activated ze Field and Shadow Swamp. Fwaaa! Fwaaa! The Adunyadet Marines¡¯ defense would be significantly reduced whenever the mes touched their equipment, and the mes would also jump from one marine to another, wreaking havoc across the battlefield. Even worse, the mes were slowly gnawing away at their equipment. The Adunyadet Marines had no choice but to fight naked while under the Movement Speed reduction effect of Shadow Swamp. ¡°Kill them all,¡± Siegfriedmanded the shadows. The Adunyadet Marines had be akin to sheep waiting to be ughtered as the shadows mercilessly killed them at Siegfried¡¯smand. And that wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ ¡°Beat them to a pulp! You better regret getting on our hyung-nim¡¯s bad side, you bastards!¡± Seung-Gu, who was equally as pissed as Siegfried, was shouting in fury as numerous magic circles on the ground started shining. Boom! Boom!? Various golems appeared from the magic circle and turned the Adunyadet Marines into pancakes. ¡°Are they Adventurers?¡± Vice Admiral Mahidon asked while in the safe confines of his battleship. He urately judged that the strange turn of events at the fort gates was caused by an Adventurer. ¡°Those Adventurers have always been tricky to deal with because theye back to life no matter how many times you kill them.¡± For the NPCs, the Adventurers were extremely annoying to fight. Immortal beings? That was a one-dimensional way of looking at the problem. An Adventurer possessed all sorts of different skills and abilities as opposed to NPCs who would only be either knights or mages. This meant that an Adventurer would almost always be more powerful than an NPC, provided they had the same level and prowess. In short, the Adventurers had far more advantagespared to NPCs. ¡°An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. We need a strong Adventurer if we want to fight against a strong Adventurer,¡± Mahidon muttered to no one in particr before he turned toward his adjutant and said, ¡°Send them in.¡± ¡°Do you mean¡­ those guys?¡± ¡°A blitz had always been an effective tactic. That Adventurer is probably the trump card those Stone Inders had prepared, so we should acknowledge their efforts and show our own trump cards, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡±Besides, the only thing that¡¯s going to umte the longer we dy will be our casualties. Deploy them at once without any further dy. We have to capture Turnlock Fort today and end this war once and for all.¡± Vice Admiral Mahidon was well aware that his head would go flying if the operation this time ended up in failure. Moreover, his mothend, the Adunyadet Kingdom, would suffer huge losses as well. He knew better than anyone else that it was about time for him to throw caution into the wind and fight for victory at all costs. ¡°Roger that! We will send them in at once!¡± replied the adjutant with a salute. Soon, a single speedboat was deployed from the battleship, and the speedboat quickly made its way toward the ind. *** The Commander of the Turnlock Fort was a shrewd individual. ¡°Now¡¯s our chance! Sally out and kill them all!¡± he shouted. They had been patiently defending, and the opportunity they had been waiting for finally presented itself. It didn¡¯t matter where or how this opportunity came to be, as the only thing that mattered to him right now was to make full use of the situation¡ªeven if the decision could bite him in the asster on. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s kill them all!¡± ¡°Avenge ourrades!¡± The Stone Ind knights and soldiers defending the Turnlock Fort all sallied out at themander¡¯smand andunched a fierce counteroffensive against the Adunyadet Marines. The tides of war thenpletely shifted in the favor of the Stone Inders. The Stone Ind Forces numbered only around three thousand people, but Stone Ind lived up to its reputation as one of the most affluent nations as all of its troops were extremely well-trained and well-equipped. The shift in momentum wasn¡¯t that strange if one took into consideration these overgeared troops and Siegfried¡¯s debuff fields. In addition, most of the Adunyadet Marines were recruited in a hurry and haphazardly for this campaign. Therefore, most of them were actually inexperienced new recruits. Even worse, these inexperienced greenhorns weren¡¯t even properly equipped because most of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s war funds had been invested in their navy. In short, a significant portion of these marines was nothing but meat shields. Meanwhile, the culprit behind the sudden shift in momentum did not seem to be satisfied with what he had achieved. ¡°Hmm¡­ I still feel angry¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled to no one in particr before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m venting my anger in the wrong ce. I should go straight to the culprit first¡­¡± In the end, he decided that it would be better for him to look for the culprit who caused the incident than mercilessly ughter hundreds of enemy troops. ¡°Hamchi.¡± ¡°Yes, owner punk?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go find the guy who shot the canon and teach him a lesson.¡± ¡°Great idea! Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi then went to the beach to look for the culprit behind the bombardment. There was a popr saying about how one should enter a tiger¡¯s den to have any luck in hunting a tiger, and the exact saying was applicable to him right now. Siegfried ran into the next batch of troops from the battleship, but he ran into the Adventurers that the Adunyadet Kingdom had hired to exterminate the Stone Ind NPCs. ¡°Wow¡­¡± the Adventurer standing at the forefront muttered in amazement. He then clicked his tongue and said, ¡°They got wiped out by a Level 180? Isn¡¯t this a bit overboard¡­?¡± The Adventurer was twenty-five levels above Siegfried. Chapter 152

    Chapter 152

    Siegfried used his Rune of Insight to check the information of the Level 205 Adventurer. [PyakPyak] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 205] [Affiliation: N/A] [Position: N/A] [ss: Arrow Buster] [Arena Rank: Super Total Expert] [Titles: Lord of the Battlefield: Martial, Quick Firing Master, Porcupine Maker.] The Adventurer with the ID PyakPyak was an Arrow Master, so this meant that PyakPyak specialized in using the bow and arrow. Siegfried could now see the Arena Rank of other Adventurers because his Rune of Insight was upgraded when he fought in the arena. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m going to kill you because of a quest, so please don¡¯t take it personally against me, all right? Just think of it like this: I gave you a two-day vacation off the game. No hard feelings, okay?¡± PyakPyak told Siegfried. ¡°Ah, all right. Then, please don¡¯t take it personally, too. No hard feelings as well, okay?¡± Siegfried replied nonchntly. ¡°Huh?¡± PyakPyak tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I mean, I could kill you as well,¡± Siegfried exined with a smile. ¡®Is he crazy?¡¯?PyakPyak was in disbelief. He had already checked that Siegfried was only Level 180, and there was a huge 25 level difference between them. Therefore, his chances of dying to Siegfried were zero. ¡°Wow¡­ I have to say¡ªI really admire your confidence. Are all Level 180 yers as confident as you are these days?¡± asked PyakPyak. ¡°Yeah, Level 180 yers these days can be quite scary.¡± Siegfried sneered. However, Siegfried inwardly felt nervous about the uing fight. ¡®Our difference in stats is huge¡­¡¯ Level 200 was an important crossroad in BNW, and it was often said that a yer¡¯s true gaming experience would start from this level onward. The reason was that a yer would receive additional stat points for leveling up starting from Level 200. Therefore, the stats of a yer twenty-five levels higher than someone else could differ significantly if the former was above Level 200. On top of that, PyakPyak was not alone. The Adunyadet Kingdom hired a total of twenty Adventurers, and the neen others were all between Level 150 to Level 180. ¡°O-Owner punk¡­ Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re fucked? Kyu¡­?¡±?Hamchi muttered as he broke out into a cold sweat. PyakPyak chimed in, ¡°Your pet is pretty smart. I think that thing is better than its owner.¡± He was trying to say ¡®you can bluff all you want but nothing will change in the end¡¯. It was simply impossible for Siegfried to defeat PyakPyak considering their difference in level and stats. It could be said that PyakPyak was ny-nine percent urate. ¡°Hey, Hamchi. Can I ask you a favor?¡± Siegfried asked Hamchi without responding to PyakPyak. ¡°What favor?¡± ¡°I want you to clean up.¡± ¡°Kyu¡­?¡± Hamchi tilted his head in confusion. Shwing! Siegfried suddenly hurled two disks into the air. *** ¡®My chances are bleak¡­¡¯? Siegfried knew very well that he stood no chance against these Adventurers. The Adventurers that had been hired by the Adunyadet Kingdom had different sses, so Siegfried would die in the blink of an eye if he were to face them head-on. He also couldn¡¯t iste a one-on-one because the terrain wasn¡¯t suitable for it. ¡®I have no idea what will happen next, but I have to kill them all with a preemptive strike.¡¯ Having made his decision, Siegfried chose to use Torrential Flower Rain as his solution. Whoosh! Shwiiik! When the disks were about to split into many projectiles, Siegfried quickly activated Splitting Heaven and Earth. Kwang! The ground trembled. Whoosh! And his enemies were thrown into the air¡­ ¡®ce my circle¡­¡¯? Siegfried ced ze Field underneath his enemies to shred their resistance. Shwaaaa! It all ended when the flower rain of death came crashing down on the Adventurers. Thud! Thud! Thud! The corpses of his enemies and their items fell to the ground with dull thuds. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] Siegfried¡¯s Mana waspletely exhausted. However, his n was a huge sess. He had perfectly chained his skills tounch a perfect preemptive strike, and he had managed to kill most of his enemies. However, the scariest enemy was still alive. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± PyakPyak muttered in horror. He managed to roll to safety when the ground started trembling earlier, so he didn¡¯t get captured by Siegfried¡¯sbo. In disbelief, he stared at the ruins and the oue of Siegfried¡¯sbo. The neen Adventurers that had been hired by the Adunyadet Kingdom were now lying on the ground as corpses. It was a horrible death as well; their bodies were torn to shreds, making them look like tattered rags. They all died in just onebo. The skillbination was near wless, and it managed to kill almost all of the Adventurers without giving them a chance to retaliate. ¡°A Level 180 can actually deal that much damage¡­?¡± PyakPyak muttered in disbelief. PyakPyak had no time topose himself as a huge front paw came flying toward his head. *** ¡®Ah¡­ He didn¡¯t die¡­ damn it¡­!¡¯?Siegfried was shaken after seeing that PyakPyak was unscathed. His main target was PyakPyak, but the main target somehow managed to escape. [PyakPyak] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] PyakPyak had disyed outstanding instinct and control befitting of a Level 205 Super Total Expert by getting out of harm¡¯s way the moment Siegfried had activated his skills. He had proven that hisbat sense was leagues above those of normal gamers. ¡°Hey, Hamchi. Go and buy me some time. I¡¯m like this now,¡± Siegfried made a neck-slicing gesture with his thumb. Torrential Flower Rain hadpletely exhausted his Mana, and his arsenal could be considered useless against PyakPyak without both ze Field and Splitting Heaven and Earth. ¡°Sigh¡­?Owner punk is impotent! Impotent!¡± Hamchi eximed with a sigh. ¡°What the hell did you just say?!¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°Hamchi will cover for you! Just go and recover from your post-nut rity!¡± The hamster turned Siegfried into a eunuch. Then, Hamchi squirmed and grew to the size of an elephant before charging toward PyakPyak. ¡°What kind of hamster is that big?!¡± PyakPyak shouted at the sight. Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Siegfried was busy gulping expensive mana potions from his Inventory in the quest to replenish his Mana. Unfortunately¡­ Shwiiiik! Siegfried sensed something flying toward him, and he immediately turned to the side. Puuk! An arrow around forty centimeters in length lodged itself into the ground. ¡®Where did that evene from?¡¯?Siegfried felt a chill travel down his spine as he immediately turned toward Hamchi and PyakPyak. ¡°Replenishing your Mana is a no-no~¡± Surprisingly, PyakPyak still had the leeway to snipe Siegfried while fighting Hamchi. Roll¡­ Roll¡­! PyakPyak even rolled away to create space between him and Hamchi before aiming his crossbow at Siegfried once again. Shwiik! Shwiik! Shwiik!? He fired dozens of arrows in the proverbial blink of an eye. *** PyakPyak wasn¡¯t only fast; he was cunning as well. ¡®He obviously went all-in and exhausted all his Mana. I have no idea what other tricks he has up his sleeve, so I should ignore his pet and focus him down first.¡¯ He stuck to the golden PVP rule of dealing with the yer before their pet. In addition, he had a very good understanding of how his ss worked. He took full advantage of his ss as a ranged physical DPS and efficiently used his movement skills to create space between himself and Hamchi while sniping Siegfried. He had also proven that he was a veteran yer by making sure that every arrow was aimed properly at his target rather than haphazardly shooting arrows. He also dealt a significant amount of damage to Siegfried. Puuuk! An arrow dug into Siegfried¡¯s right thigh. ¡®Huh?¡¯? Siegfried felt weightless all of a sudden. Crash! Siegfried lost his bnce. He spun a few times before crashing to the ground. The arrow had pierced his defenses and pushed his leg back just as he was about to take another step. ¡°Stop bullying my owner punk! Kyuu!¡±?Hamchi screamed. He chased after PyakPyak to save Siegfried. However, PyakPyak¡¯s movement was too good for the hamster. Tak! PyakPyak crouched and tripped Hamchi. ¡°Kyu¡­?¡±?Hamchi lost his bnce and fell to the ground. To make matters worse, hended on top of Siegfried of all ces. Thud! ¡°Argh!¡±?Siegfried gasped in agony. ¡°Hey! You fucker! Get off me! You¡¯re fucking heavy¡­!¡± Siegfried cursed. ¡°S-Sorry! Kyu!¡±? Siegfried and Hamchi ended up unintentionally filming Dumb and Dumber?for a second. ¡°What are you guys doing¡­?¡± PyakPyak asked while shaking his head in disbelief. He could not help but find the chemistry between Siegfried and Hamchi to be quiteical while looking strong at the same time. ¡°Time to kill your pet, then,¡± PyakPyak aimed at Hamchi. The giant hamster was currently simply too big for PyakPyak to find an opening to kill Siegfried, so he decided to get rid of the hamster first. Shwiik! Shwiik! Shwiik! Hamchi ended up bing Siegfried¡¯s meat shield as dozens of arrows were lodged into Hamchi¡¯s back. ¡°Your HP is quite big,¡± PyakPyak marveled at Hamchi¡¯s Defense and HP. He had already shot about a hundred arrows by now, and the giant hamster had turned into a porcupine long ago. Despite that, PyakPyak still couldn¡¯t see any signs of Hamchi¡¯s imminent death. In fact, the giant hamster¡¯s HP remained above fifty percent despite PyakPyak exhausting his magical quiver, which could contain a maximum of one hundred twenty arrows. The giant hamster could no longer move after exhausting his stamina. ¡°Wow¡­ I didn¡¯t expect that I would end up using a quiver of arrows just to deal with a mere pet,¡± PyakPyak grumbled. He was about to reload his magical quiver, but a ck field suddenly manifested beneath his feet. Wooong! A shadow that resembled him rose from the ground and aimed its bow at him. ¡°W-What the hell is that¡­?¡± PyakPyak muttered in confusion. The shadow¡¯s arrow pierced PyakPyak¡¯s stomach before he couldpose himself. Puuuk! Fwaaa! Then, a powerful ze engulfed his body. Roll! Meanwhile, Hamchi rolled away and Siegfried got up from the ground. His face had turned red from the exertion of withstanding Hamchi¡¯s weight the entire time. ¡°Good job, Hamchi. You did great,¡± he said. It didn¡¯t go as well as he had intended, but he managed to replenish a portion of his Mana because Hamchi defended him with his life on the line. ¡°That hurt a lot¡­ Kyu¡­¡± Hamchi cried in agony. ¡°Hamchi has turned into a porcupine¡­¡± The giant hamster truly looked more like a giant porcupine right now with dozens of arrows stuck in its back. ¡°I¡¯ll put some medicine on your wounds once we¡¯re done,¡± Siegfried said. Then, he cracked his neck left and right. He shed a sinister smile at PyakPyak and said, ¡°Hey,e here! Wanna talk heart-to-heart?¡± Siegfried gripped his hammer tightly and walked toward the Level 205 Adventurer. Chapter 153

    Chapter 153

    ¡°What? A heart-to-heart conversation? Don¡¯t make meugh,¡± PyakPyak replied. He did not shrink back even though Siegfried had recovered a portion of his mana. ¡°Pfft!¡± PyakPyak couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Do you really think that you¡¯re a hidden ss or something?¡± PyakPyak wasn¡¯t sneering at Siegfried without any basis. The difference between their base stats was simply too huge for a non-hidden ss yer to ovee. ¡®It was great how he managed to kill neen people in an instant with an AoE, but there¡¯s no way he¡¯s strong in a one-versus-one as well,¡¯?PyakPyak inwardly calcted. It was a logical conclusion. After all, yers with Mage sses could deal a ton of burst damage with their AoE skills, but their sses were inherently terrible at close-quartersbat. Of course, there were some exceptions, but Mage sses had always been famous for their weak Constitution. The same was applicable vice versa. A yer with a Mage ss specializing in close-quartersbat would always have horrible burst damage. This equilibrium existed in every single game as if it were an unwritten rule, and it was also the main reason each ss had its own unique charm. In short, there was no way that Siegfried could deal enough damage in close-quartersbat unless he had a cheat-like ss. After all, he had already revealed his tremendously high AoE burst damage. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a lesson,¡± PyakPyak said smugly as he aimed his crossbow at Siegfried. ¡®What the heck? What happened to my Attack Speed?¡¯? PyakPyak could feel that his Attack Speed had somehow gone down. He would have already sent an arrow flying toward Siegfried by now and had reloaded his crossbow as well, but he still hadn¡¯t even shot an arrow. Shwiik~ In addition, when his arrow finally flew, it lost the shrill sound it used to make as it flew through the air. It gave off a calming noise as it flew ever so slowly that one could already deduce where it wouldnd. ¡®What¡¯s going on? What happened to my Attack Speed and Movement Speed? Why am I so slow, all of a sudden?¡¯? PyakPyak could sense that something was wrong. He immediately checked his status window only to find that his Attack Speed, Movement Speed, and Casting Speed had been reduced significantly to the extent that they might as well be zero. ¡®Debuffs¡­?¡¯?he suddenly recalled that debuffs existed in this game. Pukeok! Siegfried smashed his hammer into PyakPyak¡¯s chest while thetter was busy trying to make sense of what was going on. ¡°Ah!¡±? PyakPyak was forcefully shoved to the ground. Before he could recover, a shadow emerged from the ground and locked his arm in an armbar. Crack¡­! ¡°Aaaargh!¡± PyakPyak screamed in agony. The horrible noises continued at length as Siegfried kept smashing his hammer into PyakPyak. *** PyakPyak got into this situation because he had gotten toocent andmitted a fatal mistake by trying to get rid of Hamchi first before Siegfried. The fatal mistake was none other than distance. He hadpletely ignored the distance between him and his enemy when he saw Hamchi on top of Siegfried. Making sure that there was enough distance between a ranged DPS and an enemy was one of the cardinal rules of ying a ranged DPS. He had thought that all he had to do was get rid of the giant hamster and take his sweet time killing Siegfried. After all, Adventurers were nothing but empty cans without their mana. Therefore, PyakPyak felt safe despite being only five meters away from Siegfried and Hamchi. It was the fatal mistake he hadmitted. Five meters¡­ It was within the Cast Range of Siegfriend¡¯s debuff fields, so he immediately cast Shadow Swamp the moment he recovered enough mana. ¡®This dark ground must be the debuff field! I got toocent and got too close to him! I have to get out of here!¡¯?PyakPyak realized the mistake he made even though he was locked in an armbar. He squirmed as hard as he could to escape. ¡°Just stay right there. I¡¯m going to bash your head in soon,¡± Siegfried said. PyakPyak¡¯s head was going to get bashed in by a Level 180 Adventurer unless he escaped the clutches of the shadow behind him. It was now or never. ¡°Arrrgh!¡±?PyakPyak screamed at the top of his lungs. He sessfully freed himself from the shadow¡¯s clutches and quickly got up. ¡°I have to get out of here¡­¡± he groaned. ¡°Do you really think that you can just leave just because you want to leave?¡± asked Siegfried. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± ¡°Time to get a beating!¡± eximed Siegfried before closing the distance between him and PyakPyak. Thetter was still trying to leave the confines of Shadow Swamp, but he had to release a barrage of attacks at Siegfried rushing toward him. PyakPyak was not going to go down without a fight. He somehow evaded Siegfried¡¯s attacks despite being debuffed, and he even counterattacked with kicks and jabs with his left hand rather than his bow whenever there was an opening. In fact, he even went after a few openings by using his kicks to create a small distance between him and Siegfried before firing an arrow. It was an excellent disy of control and reflexes, but PyakPyak wasn¡¯t that good of a gamer in Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡®He has some tricks under his sleeve, but I can¡¯t say he¡¯s good. This is all because of the difference between our stats. He looks like he¡¯s a good yer because of his better stats.¡¯ PyakPyak¡¯sbat sense and control were above average for sure, but they weren¡¯t enough to threaten Siegfried. The only thing that was threatening about PyakPyak was his stats and his stats alone. In addition, PyakPyak¡¯s gears were considerably better than the garbage that Siegfried was wearing, but it wasn¡¯t really strange because PyakPyak was a veteran high-level yer. In short, the twenty-five-level difference between the two was so significant in many ways that the bonus stats of Siegfried¡¯s hidden ss was made obsolete. Siegfried didn¡¯t find it too difficult to deal with enemies thirty levels higher than him because, despite the huge gap in levels, his opponents were still below Level 200. It was unfortunate, but it seemed that oveing the gap between levels would be more difficult the higher Siegfried¡¯s level. ¡®It¡¯s impossible to beat him without my debuffs, and I also can¡¯t say for sure if I can really beat him with my debuffs. In that case, there is only one answer: I have to brute force it!¡¯ ¡®I have to continuously debuff him and take full advantage of my ss! I¡¯m the Debuff Master, and I shouldn¡¯t forget that!¡¯? ¡®It¡¯s about time I finish this¡­¡¯?Siegfried mustered his mana. Woooong! A reddish field superimposed on the ck field. Fwaa!?Fwaaaa! All of a sudden, mes engulfed PyakPyak, shredding his Defense and Magic Resistance. This meant that Siegfried¡¯s attack would be significantly more effective from now on. ¡®It¡¯s my Defense and Magic Resistance this time?! What¡¯s up with this shred?! He shreds double than most Debuffers! What¡¯s going on?! Is he cheating?!¡¯?PyakPyak screamed inwardly, He even used Siegfried of cheating, but he couldn¡¯t dwell on the thought for too long. Siegfried cast three buff skills. The skill that allowed him to deal more damage to enemies if they were of a higher level than him¡ªContempt for the Strong. The next skill he cast was Proof of Existence. It was a skill that allowed Siegfried to deal increased damage against enemies debuffed by the Debuff Master. Lastly, he cast Adamant Body, just in case PyakPyak managed to take advantage of brief openings to counterattack. These three buff skills turned him into a ferocious beast as he unleashed a flurry of attacks at PyakPyak. Pak!?Pukeok! Siegfried smashed his hammer twice into PyakPyak before activating Machine Gun Smash. He attacked with such gusto and speed that it looked like he wanted to turn PyakPyak into minced meat. Puk! Puk! Puk! ¡®Fuck! I¡¯m losing to a Level 180?! What bullshit is this?!¡¯?PyakPyak cursed inwardly. He gritted his teeth and screamed, ¡°Dieeeeeee!¡± PyakPyak screamed as loud as he could, and his scream carried his frustration and all sorts of emotions as the crossbow in his hand shone red. The crossbow got so hot that it released steam. It was the Ultimate Skill of the Arrow Buster¡ªRelentless Quick Fire. Wooong! Siegfried casually interrupted PyakPyak¡¯s Ultimate Skill using Wave of Oppression. Of course, the Ultimate Skill was cast before Siegfried could react. Fortunately, Wave of Oppression still managed to interrupt PyakPyak¡¯s Relentless Quick Fire. Piu~ Piu~ Piu~ The ultimate skill should have fired a torrent of power arrows under normal circumstances, but after getting hit by Siegfried¡¯s Wave of Oppression, the arrows helplessly fell down. They only managed to fly less than a meter before plopping to the ground. ¡°W-What happened?!¡± PyakPyak started panicking at his Ultimate Skill¡¯s weird behavior. Siegfried replied by smashing his hammer into PyakPyak¡¯s face. Pukeok! The hit was so clean and powerful that PyakPyak¡¯s head was bent backward as two streams of blood shot out from his nostrils, along with a few of his teeth flying into the air. ¡®Ah, I¡¯m craving popcorn¡ªI¡¯m suddenly craving popcorn,¡¯?Siegfried thought while staring at the teeth in mid-air. ¡®Should I ask Cheon Woo-Jin to go out and watch a movie with me next week¡­?¡¯?he wondered as he dealt the final blow to the dizzy PyakPyak. Pukeok! Thud¡­! PyakPyak died and fell to the ground. Naturally, he dropped one of his items as well. And that was how the Level 205 Adventurer, PyakPyak, ended up dying at the hands of Siegfried, who was only Level 180. *** ¡°I got lucky¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He wasn¡¯t happy about his victory at all because it was true that he only won because he got lucky. He would have definitely lost if he fought PyakPyak and the neen other Adventurers at once. In addition, he would have turned into a pincushion if Hamchi hadn¡¯t grown in size andnded on top of him. Siegfried was confident in a one-versus-one fight against PyakPyak. In fact, he believed that he would have won even though it would have been a bit difficult of a battle. The victory that Siegfried had achieved over PyakPyak wasn¡¯t the victory he wanted. ¡®I have to hurry up and raise my level. I can¡¯t let a Level 205 yer stump me. I have to reflect on this fight and work on bing better the next time¡­¡¯? Siegfried once again made the decision to raise his level a bit faster. It was a bit ironic since he had been leveling up faster than anyone else ever since he had reset his character. Siegfried went over to Hamchi and asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡± He went over to the hamster that decided to put his life on the life to protect him. He didn¡¯t even nce at the items on the ground. ¡°Kyu¡­?It fucking hurts¡­ Kyu!¡±?Hamchi cried in agony. ¡°Stay still. I¡¯ll pull them out for you.¡± Siegfried reached out toward the arrows sticking out of Hamchi¡¯s back. ¡°Kyu?! Kyyyuuuuuu!?Owner punk! Be gentle! Hamchi is dying!¡±?Hamchi screamed. ¡°I haven¡¯t even touched them yet¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Kyu¡­ Kyuu¡­?¡± ¡°Stop overreacting, will you?!¡± ¡°R-Really¡­? S-Sorry¡­ Hamchi is just in so much pain right now¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pull one out on three, okay?¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± ¡°One¡­¡± Puuuk! Siegfried¡¯s hand moved like lightning and pulled out an arrow from the giant hamster¡¯s back. ¡°KYUUUUUUUUU!¡±?Hamchi let out a horrible scream. ¡°Gotcha~¡± Siegfried snickered. *** Once Siegfried was done taking out all of the arrows sticking out of Hamchi¡¯s back, he collected the items that the Adventurers had dropped upon death. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Blue Blood Brooch¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Earrings of Silence¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Rooted Boots¡¯!] The Adventurers he had killed this time were of high levels, so the items he had obtained were pretty useful. He could also sell the items for a hefty profit. However, the best item among them was the item that dropped from PyakPyak. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Compact ster Ballista¡¯!] It was the unique item PyakPyak was using on his right hand. It wasn¡¯t an artifact crafted by the Hometown of Death, but it was still an artifact crafted by the Bavarian Workshop, so it would definitely fetch a handsome price. ¡°Tsk, tsk¡­¡±?Siegfried clicked his tongue. The gamepany hadn¡¯t released any official numbers so far, but the yers reckoned that the chance of dropping a weapon as the consequence of dying was less than five percent. Even worse, PyakPyak had actually dropped his main weapon. ¡°I feel bad for that guy. I guess he¡¯s someone who will break his nose even if he falls backward,¡± said Siegfried, pitying PyakPyak¡¯s rotten luck. Once Siegfried was done collecting all the items on the ground, he looked at Hamchi. ¡°Kyu¡­¡±?Hamch had reverted back to his original size, and his back was covered in so much blood from the many wounds that he had sustained. It also looked like Hamchi couldn¡¯t even move right now. ¡®Going any further when he¡¯s is in that state will be a bit too much,¡¯?thought Siegfried. It was clear that asking Hamchi to drive the Aqua Runner in his current state would be asking for the impossible, so Siegfried decided to retreat for now. ¡®I retreat and nurse him for a bit.¡¯? Having made up his mind, he walked toward the hamster. Then, he crouched down with his back toward the hamster and said, ¡°Hey, get on.¡± 1. They call teeth corn kernels in Korea. Chapter 154

    Chapter 154

    ¡°Kyu¡­?¡±?Hamchi¡¯s eyes shot wide open in surprise. ¡°Kyu??What are you talking about? Just get on,¡± Siegfried grumbled in response. ¡°O-Owner punk¡­ Are you offering to give me a piggyback ride¡­?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ just get on, will you? Crouching like this is tiring.¡± ¡°All right¡­ Kyu¡­¡± Hamchi got on Siegfried¡¯s back after hearing thetter¡¯s annoyed grumbling. ¡°Kyu¡­?Owner punk¡­ is Hamchi not heavy?¡± Hamchi asked with a slight blush. ¡°You¡¯re fucking heavy,¡± Siegfried curtly replied. ¡°T-Then put me down. Hamchi can walk alone¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up. Do you really think that you can walk when you¡¯re in that state? Your back is a pincushion right now. It¡¯s full of holes!¡± ¡°Kyuu¡­¡± ¡°It hurts a lot, right? Just hang in there. I¡¯ll make you feel better in no time.¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°And thank you. It¡¯s all thanks to you that we won. The two of us would have died if it weren¡¯t for you,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°T-That was nothing! Hamchi is strong! That was nothing for Hamchi!¡± ¡°Forget it. Just don¡¯t do that ever again.¡± ¡°Kyu¡­?!¡± ¡°I¡¯lle back to life if I die, but that¡¯s not the case for you. Just run away next time if you don¡¯t think that you can hold on any longer. Do you understand?¡± ¡°H-How can I do that?! Hamchi will always protect owner punk no matter what!¡± ¡°Shut up, and just don¡¯t die¡­¡± Siegfried said with a hint of anger in his voice. ¡°Kyu¡­?¡± ¡°What, do you expect me to watch you die?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who is protecting someone? I have to protect you, too. We have to protect each other and watch each other¡¯s backs.¡± ¡°Owner punk¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t ever do something like that again. And don¡¯t forget that I cane back to life after two days.¡± And that was the end of it¡­ Siegfried did not say anything else after that. He silently walked toward Turnlock Fort with Hamchi on his back, and Hamchi didn¡¯t say anything during the entire walk either as he buried his face into Siegfried¡¯s back and closed his sleepy eyes. Zzz! Zzz! Zzz! Siegfried walked toward Turnlock Fort with Hamchi¡¯s snores as his background music. The sun was setting, and the orange hue of the sunset painted their surroundings. *** The battle at Turnlock Fort was done by the time they returned. Seung-Gu greatly contributed to the defeat of the Adunyadet Marines. ¡°Wow, you performed pretty well,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I leveled up quite a bit after you left, hyung-nim,¡± Seung-Gu replied proudly. Seung-Gu was already Level 165. He had leveled up a lot after taking care of the small skirmishes and dungeons urring in the Proatine Kingdom during Siegfried¡¯s absence. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°What happened to the hamster? Is he hurt?¡± Seung-Gu asked while pointing at Hamchi on Siegfried¡¯s back. ¡°Ah, that is¡­¡± Siegfried exined. ¡°Y-You managed to defeat them¡­?¡± ¡°I was lucky. I managed to kill neen of them in a single blow, and I got lucky because I managed to replenish a portion of my mana while fighting thest one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing, hyung-nim. That¡¯s really sick!¡± Seung-Gu was amazed by Siegfried¡¯s story of going against twenty high-level gamers on his own. ¡°I cannot even dream of doing that!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you can¡¯t fight one¡ª¡± Siegfried trailed off. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± ¡°Well, what matters is you¡¯re making full use of your advantage.¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t feel the need to tell Seung-Gu that he sucked at one on one fights. His ss, Golem Maker, was hopeless when it came to one-on-one fights, but he was extremely devastating to fight against in a group fight. He was strong against many people, so what if he was hopeless in one-on-one fights? In the end, Seung-Gu¡¯s own view and perspective of his ss were what mattered the most. It was up to him whether to view his ss specialty as an advantage or a disadvantage. Siegfried believed that the best fun a gamer could have was whenever they were seriously min-maxing their characters and making themselves even more powerful as a result. ¡°But what¡¯s going on here? I thought we won?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion while looking around. The Turnlock Fort was enveloped with a heavy solemn atmosphere. ¡°¡­¡± The faces of the knights and the soldiers in the fort were far from jubnt, and they were silently moving the dead away. They moved their dead to one ce while they stacked the corpses of the Adunyadet Soldiers and burned them. ¡°Did we really win¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°That¡¯s because we can¡¯t see any hope in all this...¡± Someone replied to his question. ¡°Ah, Lord Angele,¡± Siegfried recognized the voice and turned toward her. Lord Angele was surrounded by her attendants, and they were all wearing the same solemn looks. ¡°Stone Ind has no hope. We won today¡¯s battle, but our enemies are going to swarm us once again. The victors and losers of this war have already been decided, and it is only a matter of how long we can dy the inevitable. How can we smile when we know that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I seem to have babbled about useless things. It¡¯ste, but please ept my gratitude,¡± Lord Angele said. She respectfully bowed toward Siegfried before adding, ¡°We would have surrendered if it weren¡¯t for Your Majesty¡¯s help.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°We took care of your deceased people, so you can take them back to your kingdom. We also treated the injured among your people,¡± said Lord Angele. ¡°Thank you very much for your kindness,¡± Siegfried replied. He had been worried about how he was going to transport the corpses of those who had died in the shelling, so Lord Angele¡¯s words brought him much relief. ¡°But, Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If I may¡­ May I make a proposal to Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Later.¡± Siegfried immediately cut her off. He pointed at the hamster on his back and exined, ¡°This guy is in bad shape right now. Let¡¯s talkter. I have to look after him first.¡± Siegfried¡¯s response made Lord Angele think, ¡®Siegfried van Proa¡­ You truly are a king who cares deeply for your subjects. I don¡¯t sense any vanity or malice in your actions as well. You are truly a benevolent king¡­¡¯ Truth be told, how many kings were there on the continent who would go crazy just because a fewborers in their kingdom had died? Most of them would diplomatically say that it was a regretful incident before trying to squeeze as much value from it. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for Siegfried. He came running down from the mine and massacred the Adunyadet Forces just because a few of his subjects had died from a wave of shelling. Of course, a king of a nation couldn¡¯t be emotional. After all, a king would still have to take into consideration various factors such as their kingdom¡¯s political standing as well as any diplomatic ties involved in it, along with vested interests. At that angle, Siegfried was either of the two¡ªhe was either a fool whocked control over his own emotions¡ªor he was either a king confident enough to take responsibility for whatever trouble he stirred up. ¡®Just where is your limit?¡¯?Lord Angele wondered. She was certain that Siegfried definitely belonged to thetter. However, Siegfried neither belonged to the former nor to thetter. Rather, he was living with the philosophy of repaying whatever he had received. ¡®The fate of us Stone Inders will be in your hands¡­¡¯? Lord Angele decided to ce the destiny of her nation in the hands of a foreign king. *** Siegfried disinfected Hamchi¡¯s wounds. He poured a potion on them and applied ointment on them before bandaging his wounds up. Afterward, he crushed a few mana stones and fed them to Hamchi. Once he was done, he went over to meet Lord Angele. ¡°You took quite a while,¡± she remarked. Siegfried took three hours to patch Hamchi up. ¡°I couldn¡¯t just watch him suffer,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°You seem to really care about your subjects.¡± ¡°You can put it that way, but I¡¯m just trying to take responsibility for them.¡± ¡°Responsibility¡­?¡± ¡°My people died while working in a ce thousands of miles away from their homes, and my partner also turned into a porcupine. They all got hurt while trying to help me, so it is only right that I take responsibility and look after them.¡± ¡°But you could have let the professionals treat them¡­¡± ¡°It is only right for me to do as much as I can with my own hands, right?¡± ¡°Why are you going that far?¡± ¡°It is not because I am nice or anything, but maybe¡­ I think it¡¯s maybe because I do not have a lot of friends?¡± Siegfried replied. Immediately afterward, he inwardlympooned. ¡®Did I just smear shit on my face?¡¯ Siegfried gnashed his teeth. Why? It was all because the gamer, Han Tae-Sung, only had two people he could call friends. They were none other than Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu. ¡°Those are very wise words. It seems that being a leader truly is a lonely path,¡± Lord Angele said. However, it looked like she misunderstood Siegfried¡¯s words. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Most people in seats of power tend to feel lonely at times. Even I myself, although I was voted into authority¡ªI also cannot help but feel lonely sometimes, too.¡± Lord Angele seemed to have interpreted Siegfried¡¯s loneliness as something that all people in authority had inmon. ¡®Let¡¯s not tell her the truth. There¡¯s no reason to go around telling people how much of a loser I am, right¡­?¡¯?Siegfried decided that he had no reason to tell her the truth. ¡°Anyway, what proposal did you want to make?¡± Siegfried asked to change the subject. ¡°I wish to enter into an alliance with your kingdom,¡± Lord Angele replied. ¡°An alliance¡­?¡± ¡°Please help us.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°We will certainly repay you for your help once the war is over.¡± Then, a quest popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Danger! Stone Ind] [Help Stone Ind destroy the Adunyadet Kingdom.] [Type: Normal Quest] [Progress: 0%] [Rewards: Chance to benefit from trade with Stone Ind +200%, Chance to obtain Stone Ind architectural blueprints, Chance to obtain Stone Ind energy source technology.] The rewards were amazing. ¡®This is insane! How much are all of these worth if Iplete this quest?¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly. The quest rewards were bountiful simply because this wasn¡¯t a deal between people but a deal between nations. Siegfried suddenly recalled what Cheon Woo-Jin saidst time. ¡°And it¡¯s the same here in the game and in reality. The one who owns somend will always be better off than others. Do you really think that the saying:ndowner is above the creator?exists for no reason? Owningnd will automatically make you reap tremendous profits. Lands don¡¯t lie. You wanted to be rich, right? Grab the opportunity while it¡¯s up for grabs.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin definitely wasn¡¯t kidding. If Siegfried had been a normal Adventurer, then the quest rewards would have either been a lot of gold or a decent artifact. However, the scale of the quest rewards was greatly amplified because he was a king, even though his kingdom was tiny. In the end, Siegfried¡¯s ownership ofnd helped him potentially obtain a tremendous amount of profit. The truth involving how a person could earn a lot of money but would never be able to earn as much as a country would earn was applicable here. Of course, he had toplete the quest if he wanted to earn these amazing rewards. ¡®How the hell am I supposed to destroy the Adunyadet Kingdom? I can help them vent their anger, but this is a bit¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. The Adunyadet Kingdom was a small kingdom, but it was only small whenpared to the average size of kingdoms on the continent. The Adunyadet Kingdom was still at least three times bigger than the Proatine Kingdom or its proxy kingdom¡ªthe Renoma Kingdom. In short, there was nothing much Siegfried could personally do against the Adunyadet Empire. ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I do not think that I can decide on the spot,¡± Siegfried replied. He had no ns to waste time attempting an impossible quest, so he decided to buy more time to look for a feasible solution that would enable him toplete this seemingly impossible quest. ¡°Can you give me more time? I know I¡¯m not in a position to y hard to get, but I don¡¯t want to ept your offer on a whim and end up being unable to uphold my end of the bargain.¡± ¡°I am confident that you will not disappoint. I believe in you, Your Majesty. Please enter into an alliance with us and lead us to victory in this war. I beg of you, Your Majesty!¡± If a third party were here, they would definitely mistake Siegfried as a Master judging from how desperate Lord Angele sounded as she begged him to ept her offer.v However, those cognizant of Stone Ind¡¯s current situation would agree that they were truly in desperate need of help. ¡°Please give me two or three hours to think about it,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I will wait for your response, then,¡± Lord Angele agreed. Afterward, Siegfried went straight to themunications room and called Michele to seek advice. Michele was the smartest in Proatine, so he should be able to quickly judge whether the offer was worthwhile or not. ¡°¡­So what do you think? Should I ept it or not?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡ª You should ept it. ¡ª The alliance will be a pot of gold. It was a bit absurd, but it seemed that Michele didn¡¯t think as deeply as Siegfried when it came to the question of establishing an alliance with Stone Ind. 1. The saying in Korea is a wordy since ??? and ??? both have the same ending sound. Basically, it means that thendowner is above the creator who created thend. Chapter 155

    Chapter 155

    ¡°A pot of gold?¡± Siegfried doubted his ears. ¡ª Yes, a pot of gold. I think a few Adventurers would refer to it as a mother lode? Anyway, it is a very profitable offer. Michele seemed to be well aware of the terms used by Korean gamers, but Siegfried had no idea where he had picked them up from. ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡ª The Adunyadet Kingdom is on the brink of destruction. ¡°Really? It looks like Stone Ind is the one on the brink of destruction to me¡­¡± ¡ª It looks like that on the outside, but based on my resources, the Adunyadet Kingdom is on the brink of financial bankruptcy after its excessive investment in this war. ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡ª The Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s royal family is known for their opulence and extravagance, but they are currently auctioning their luxury items off. Not only that, the amount of military rations they have been procuring has been reducing day by day. ¡°How do you know that¡­?¡± ¡ª I have been maintaining good rtions with merchantpanies to collect information. After all, a nation¡¯s economy is directly rted to its military might, right? ¡°Oh! As expected of our brain!¡± ¡ª And I heard that the amount they have been paying the Adventurers has been reduced to a third of the original payment that they had promised the Adventurers. ¡°That sounds a bit strange¡­¡± Siegfried recalled that most of the Adventurers that the Adunyadet Kingdom had hired were useless. ¡®Are they really taking austerity measures?¡¯? Siegfried had an idea of what was going on over there based on the quality of the enemy troops. ¡°Is that why they could not conquer Stone Ind despite a sessful blockade? Is it because they don¡¯t have any more money to hire Adventurers?¡± ¡ª As expected, you¡¯re quick on the uptake, Your Majesty. ¡°Hold on, but what about Stone Ind? They have a lot of money, right? They should have been able to send outmunications even if directly warping here would be difficult. They could have asked for help from other kingdoms or hired Adventurers of their own to fight the Adunyadet Kingdom, but why didn¡¯t they do that¡­?¡± ¡ª That is a bitplicated. ¡°What¡¯s soplicated?¡± ¡ª The only nations that Stone Ind can send outmunications to are a total of five nations, including our nation. The first thing that the Adunyadet Kingdom had done was destroy all transmission lines from the ind. However, they didn¡¯t bother with the lines leading to smaller kingdoms that did not pose a threat to them. ¡°Ah, so we¡¯re small, and we¡¯re not a threat¡­ haha¡­ should I be happy about that?¡± ¡ª ¡­ Michele remained silent as if he found the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s evaluation of their nation a bit humiliating. ¡ª Ehem¡­?Anyway, they could have asked the small kingdoms to ask the Mercenary Guild for help in their stead, but¡­ ¡°But?¡± ¡ª The Mercenary Guild only deals directly with their clients. They never make deals with a third party. In addition, they ask for payment upfront, especially for a huge request like this. After all, it would be a huge blow to them if they ended up unable to collect payment. ¡°So the smaller kingdoms don¡¯t have the sufficient military might toe to Stone Ind¡¯s aid, and they also don¡¯t have enough funds to hire mercenaries for Stone Ind¡¯s stead¡­¡± ¡ª Precisely. Michele nodded and continued. ¡ª Of course, they could have also reached out to the kingdoms with a good rtionship with them using the smaller kingdoms as messengers. ¡°Huh? Really? Then why didn¡¯t they do it?¡± ¡ª I assume that those kingdoms intentionally avoided answering Stone Ind¡¯smunication requests. ¡°Why?¡± ¡ª As far as I know, I think it¡¯s because Stone Ind has quite a lot of bonds with those kingdoms. ¡°Bonds? Are you talking about those kingdoms¡¯ debt?¡± ¡ª Yes, Your Majesty. Stone Ind is a very affluent nation, so they invested quite a lot in those friendly kingdoms. ¡°W-wait¡­ are you telling me that they saw the war as an opportunity to get rid of their debt to Stone Ind, and that was why they intentionally avoided answering Stone Ind¡¯smunication requests?¡± ¡ª Indeed. Their debts are too big, so even if they helped Stone Ind, there is no way that thetter would forgive their debts. ¡°So they decided that it was going to be far more beneficial for them to ignore Stone Ind¡¯s plight¡­ They will get to save manpower while getting rid of their debt once and for all¡­¡± ¡ª Yes, Your Majesty. ¡°Wow¡­ Are they thugs or what?¡± ¡ª That is how diplomacy works, Your Majesty. There is no such thing as a forever ally or a forever enemy. Those who make the first move and hits the head of the other party first will profit the most. ¡°Let¡¯s not try to be like those people, okay? Such methods are too despicable. ¡ª Yes, Your Majesty. ¡°But hitting someone¡¯s head does feel good¡­¡± ¡ª ¡­ ¡°Anyway, what should we do now?¡± ¡ª It is simple. ¡°Simple? How so?¡± ¡ª I will tell you what you will have to do from now on, Your Majesty. Michele then exined his n of bringing down the Adunyadet Kingdom. *** Siegfried went to meet Lord Angele around thirty minutes after he was done speaking to Michele. ¡°Alliance¡­ I ept it,¡± he said. ¡°Really?!¡± Lord Angele eximed in response. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your kindness! Thank you very much! You are our only hope!¡± She bowed with the utmost respect a noble could show to someone else. ¡°Y-You do not really have to put it that way¡­¡± ¡°Stone Ind will never forget your kindness.¡± Siegfried felt like he wanted to hide in a hole from embarrassment at Lord Angele¡¯s excessive reaction. ¡®Hey¡­ We¡¯re practically getting these rewards for free, you know? It should be me who should be grateful!¡¯?thought Siegfried while secretly feeling guilty. It was impossible for Lord Angele to know what was going on, so Siegfried definitely looked nothing short of a savior for her right now. ¡°First things first¡­¡± Siegfried calmed her down before continuing. ¡°My Minister of State is currently drafting our alliance agreement, so we can sign thatter. Anyway, I have something I wish to discuss with you first¡­¡± ¡°What is it, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°We have to know Stone Ind¡¯s capacity right now so that we can prepare ordingly.¡± ¡°Are you asking about our military forces?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°You asked me about that much earlier than I had expected¡­¡± ¡°It is best to be quick with these kinds of stuff.¡± ¡°I understand. I will immediately send you a report of our forces.¡± Lord Angele instructed her secretary to prepare a report on their avable forces. This signaled the start of the Stone Inders¡¯ revenge. *** ¡®What? This could be easier than I thought it would be¡­¡¯? Siegfried muttered inwardly while reading the report. He came to that conclusion because Stone Ind had twelve battleships equipped with state-of-the-art technology hidden in a cove. The battleships were named Great White Sharks, and they were developed and equipped with the goal of strengthening Stone Ind¡¯s naval forces. However, the main problem was that these battleships were currently surrounded by twenty-five Adunyadet Battleships in a fan-like formation. They could easily break the blockade, but the issue was that the Adunyadet Battleships would definitely sink the Great White Sharks one by one as they exited the cove in a single file. ¡°This¡­ I will try and safelyunch these twelve Great White Sharks,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°C-can you do it?!¡± Lord Angele eximed in response. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll win this war if you seed!¡± However, the quest''s clear condition wasn¡¯t the destruction of the Adunyadet Navy¡¯s blockade but theplete destruction of the Adunyadet Kingdom. Siegfried decided to exin his other n to Lord Angele. The n involved ensuring the destruction of the Adunyadet Kingdom. ¡°What do you think? The Adunyadet Kingdom won¡¯t be able to hang on if we do that.¡± ¡°Yes! That will finish them off for sure! It¡¯s a n that will surely send them to their demise!¡± Lord Angele eximed in joy. ¡°I think so, too,¡± Siegfried smiled and said, ¡°Then, we¡¯re going with this n.¡± ¡°As you wish!¡± ¡°Alright, let us start first thing in the morning, then.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to start so soon?¡± ¡°I think I have already told you, but the n has already been set in motion.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I guarantee that the Adunyadet Kingdom will have a taste of hell tomorrow.¡± Siegfried sounded pretty confident for some reason. *** The next morning, there was a storm in the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s throne room. ¡°How will you take responsibility for this?!¡± ¡°Damn it! The kingdom¡¯s coffers are empty, and even the royal family¡¯s coffers are about to be exhausted! How can you fail tond twelve times after using so much money?! Do you want to die together? Is that what you want? We haven¡¯t paid our soldiers for two months now, and we can¡¯t afford to feed them from this week onward! At this rate, all of us are going to die before we win the war!¡± Maja the Second¡¯s face was flushed red in anger, and he looked like a demon that was about to rip his subjects to shreds. It wasn¡¯t strange that he was angry because his lifelong dream was for his kingdom to graduate from the ranks of ¡®weak¡¯ nations and be one of the continent¡¯s powerhouses. It was the reason he waged a war to conquer Stone Ind. Unfortunately, it had been six months since then, but the war was still at a standstill. The war had drained the kingdom¡¯s coffers, and the kingdom was currently on the brink of ruin after running out of money to spend. Y-Your Majesty!¡± Brumnat broke out into a cold sweat in front of Maja the Second as he exined, ¡°This is all because the marines failed to bring down the enemy forts afternding, so¡ª¡± ¡°SILENCE!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Are the marines not a part of the navy? The marines are under the control of the navy, too! They¡¯re not an independent branch!¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°For how long do you n to keep ming the Marines?! FOR HOW LONG?!¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty, the navy has done all of its tasks! So, how can you say that¡ª¡± ¡°Are you ying a game with me right now? I am not a fool! We would have sessfully encircled the ind and conquered the forts if you gave at least a tenth of the navy¡¯s budget to the marines! This mess wouldn¡¯t have happened in the first ce!¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Trusting you has been my biggest mistake! This happened because I believed in you and gave you everything you wanted!¡± The other royal subjects present in the throne room started defending Brumnat. ¡°B-But this is due to the marines¡¯ inability to conquer the forts¡­ I beg Your Majesty to rethink the issue.¡± ¡°Admiral Brumnat is right, Your Majesty. It is a fact that the navy used quite a significant portion of the budget, but the responsibility for failing to conquer the forts lies solely with the marines!¡± ¡°We cannot refute the fact that the marines were poorly equipped, but a battle is not decided with gears alone! They failed because their minds were weak!¡± ¡°Those who wish to live will die, and those who wish to die will live! Does it really matter if the enemy has superior equipment if our soldiers were to fight them wholeheartedly?¡± The bribes that Brumnat had paid to the royal subjects were finally starting to pay off. ¡°Ehem¡­!¡±?Maja the Second faked a cough after seeing the subjects vehemently defend Brumnat, and their eagerness slowly changed his mind as well. ¡°Now that I think about it, I believe that all of you are correct. How can a soldier of our proud kingdom make such excuses? It is a soldier¡¯s duty to achieve victory with or without a weapon! Am I correct?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Your Majesty!¡± Brumnat immediately responded. He looked like he had found a golden opportunity as he eximed, ¡°Your majesty! Please give your loyal subject one more chance!¡± ¡°What kind of chance are you asking for?¡± ¡°Please sentence themander of the marines, Vice Admiral Mahidon, to the gallows as punishment for his previous defeats, and Your Majesty should appoint a newmander for the marines!¡± ¡±Your Majesty has graced him with twelve opportunities, but that fool has failed to repay Your Majesty¡¯s grace even once! I am certain that he will ept his punishment as just, and he will be more than d to be an example to the soldiers!¡± ¡°What do you n on doing afterward?¡± ¡°Please use the remaining finances of the kingdom to hire Adventurers. We should be able to finish them off with one final assault as long as we have enough Adventurers on our side¡­¡± ¡±They¡¯re expensive to hire, but one of them is far better than a hundred weak-minded marines! I believe even a five-year-old knows that, do you not agree, Your Majesty?¡± In the end, Brumnat suggested that they should use what little was left of the kingdom¡¯s treasury as quest rewards for the Adventurers. ¡°It is now time to go for the kill, Your Majesty!¡± ¡±Our kingdom will not only recover our losses, but we will also gain a tremendous amount of wealth the moment we upy Stone Ind! That is the reason behind this war, so it is now time to go all-in, Your Majesty!¡± Brumnat eximed. He was doing his best to convince Maja the Second. ¡°You sons of bitches!¡± Mahidon suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs. He was currently tied up and was on the floor of the throne room. ¡°What bullshit are you spouting?! You people are worse than dogs!¡± ¡°Mahidon! You insolent little¡ªHow dare you raise your voice and speak such vulgar words in the presence of His Majesty?! Shut your mouth!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Y-You¡­!¡± ¡°Shut your trap with that weak-minded bullshit of yours! Don¡¯t make meugh, you fucker!¡± Mahidon thought that he had nothing to lose because he was about to die, anyway. ¡°You didn¡¯t even feed the soldiers properly, and you armed them with antiques that break for no reason! And now you¡¯re saying what? They¡¯re weak-minded?! You son of a bitch! Why didn¡¯t you just ask us to go die instead?!¡± ¡°Hoho! Look at this guy!¡± ¡°Good luck because you are going to need it! The king is a fool, and his subjects are treacherous snakes who only know how to line their pockets with bribes! Do you really think that you¡¯ll win this war?! You will never win!¡± Mahidon¡¯s words incurred the wrath of Maja the Second. ¡°A loser like you actually dares to insult me?! Guards! Grab that insolent fool and¡ª¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± A messenger came running into the throne room and interrupted the chaos to report. ¡°An urgent matter requires your attention! Adventurers hired by Stone Ind have crossed our borders and have taken over three of our forts!¡± And that wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ ¡°Your Majesty! A dire situation requires your attention! A group of Adventurers is wreaking havoc in the following cities¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty! The Adventurers have sabotaged and piged our trading routes!¡± ¡°The Adventurers¡­¡± ¡°Adventurers¡­¡± ¡°A group of powerful Adventurers abandoned¡­¡± A total of ten messengers rushed into the throne room one after another, and they carried with them news about how the Adventurers were causing trouble in their kingdom. However, the nail in the coffin was¡­ ¡°Your Majesty¡­! Twenty-five of our battleships have been captured, and our blockade is broken!¡± ¡­the report about the destruction of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s one and only hope at redemption¡ªthe destruction of their Stone Ind blockade. 1. The word here is actually honey and damn honey. Changed to make more sense in English. Chapter 156

    Chapter 156

    The chain of Adventurer-caused issues was Siegfried¡¯s doing. Last night¡­ ¡°Excuse me¡­ Lord Angele¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I have a bit of cash¡­¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± Lord Angele was greatly taken aback by the remark. ¡®Hey¡­ I really do have money¡­ Please don¡¯t look at me with those eyes¡­¡¯? Siegfried sulked upon noticing the kind of gaze she was using to stare at him. Of course, it was true that the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s finances were not that great, but that was only in recent times. The treasures of the Immortal King that the Nordic Tribe had brought were so immense that selling only half of them would be more than enough to hire the Adventurers he needed to put his n in motion. ¡°Lord Angele¡­¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± ¡°You were surprised just now, right? I mean, I¡¯m just the king of a small backwater kingdom, so how much money could I possibly have, am I right?¡± ¡°N-Not at all!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m right, though¡­¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty is mistaken! The thought that Your Majesty Siegfried van Proa is dirt-poor and is barely managing to scrape whatever you have in your coffers never crossed my mind! I swear! It never did! Haa¡­ Haa¡­ Haa¡­¡± For some odd reason, Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but think that Lord Angele was lying. After all, the more someone insisted that a certain statement was a lie, the more likely it was to be true. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe, but I really do have money¡­¡± ¡°W-why are you saying that all of a sudden¡­?¡± ¡°I will hire Adventurers from the Mercenary Guild and sow discord at the Adunyadet Kingdom.¡± ¡°H-Hire Adventurers from the Mercenary Guild? But hiring enough Adventurers to sow discord in the Adunyadet Kingdom is going to cost a fortune¡­¡± ¡°What if I have that much money¡­?¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Siegfried started pondering if he should abandon this quest and let the inders meet their demise, but he managed to suppress his intrusive thought and calm down. ¡°I will pay the Mercenary Guild in advance, so please reimburse me after the war is over.¡± ¡°I will even pay you a handsome interest if you can do that for us!¡± ¡°Come on, there is no need for you to pay interest. I just need to be reimbursed, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°No,¡± Lord Angele said. She shook her head and continued. ¡°Stone Ind has been a mining and maritime trading nation since centuries ago, and we value our credibility more than our lives. We know how to repay another for the kindness they showed us.¡± ¡°Well, if you insist¡­ I will leave it up to you to decide how much the interest will be,¡± Siegfried replied. He decided to let her decide how much she wanted to pay him, and then he added, ¡°I willmence the operation, then.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then, I will go out and hunt for some cannons in the meantime.¡± Siegfried immediately went to the next phase after initiating his first n of sowing discord in the Adunyadet Forces¡¯ homnd. *** The next morning, the Adventurers who received quests from the Proatine Kingdom started wreaking havoc across the Adunyadet Kingdom. Shwaaaaa! Siegfried took five Aqua Runners with him and sped toward the cove where Stone Ind¡¯s battleships were harbored. The cove had long be a death zone because of the twenty-five Adunyadet Battleships standing guard near the cove. Who could have imagined that Stone Ind¡¯s secret naval base was the reason behind the Adunyadet Navy¡¯s blockade? Surprisingly, Siegfried didn¡¯t back down. He took the risk without a hint of hesitation. ¡®It¡¯s not like they can hit me, anyway. I just have to be careful of the waves the cannon balls will make upon hitting the water.¡¯? Siegfried was confident that he wouldn¡¯t get hit as long as he drove the Aqua Runner properly. While Siegfried was deep in thought, the Adunyadet Naval Forces finally spotted his Aqua Runners and started aiming at him. ¡ª Target identified! ¡ª Aim! ¡ª All cannons prepare to fire! ¡ª 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ ¡ª FIRE! Boom! Boom! Boom! The cannons spat fire as they unleashed their cannon balls. Ssh! Ssh!? The cannon balls that narrowly missed the Aqua Runners stirred up the waters. ¡°Euk!¡±?Siegfried was taken aback as the Aqua Runner dangerously rocked back and forth. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t capsize. The Nordic Tribe¡¯s technology was so advanced that the Aqua Runners wouldn¡¯t capsize even if a fierce storm were raging in the seas. The four other Aqua Runners rocked back and forth as well, but none of them sunk. ¡®All right¡­¡¯? Siegfried¡¯s eyes beamed with confidence after emerging unscathed from the first volley of attacks. He sped through the waters and was now only twenty meters away from the Adunyadet Naval Forces. ¡°All speedboats! Prepare to fire!¡± Siegfried shouted. The Aqua Runners were speedboats designed for maximum speed, so they didn¡¯te equipped with any cannons. However, the members of thebor force on the Aqua Runners took out an unidentified object that did not resemble a cannon and took aim. The identity of the cannon was none other than¡ªa living organism. *** Nine hours ago... ¡°Hunt for some cannons¡­?¡± Lord Angele muttered as she tilted her head in confusion, and then she asked, ¡°Was it even possible to hunt for cannons? I thought those were manufactured in factories?¡± ¡°I suddenly remembered an excellent cannon that can be hunted,¡± Siegfried replied nonchntly. ¡°What kind of a cannon is that¡­?¡± ¡°I think it would be better for you to see it yourselfter.¡± Siegfried went to the Aqua Runners with Gringore, and they headed out to the seas. ¡°Your Majesty! Where are we going??Haha!¡± Gringore asked while in high spirits. He had no idea why Siegfried had suddenly asked him toe along when Siegfried had always been running away from him. However, Gringore didn¡¯t really care as long as he could apany his liege. Siegfried replied nonchntly, ¡°We¡¯re going to hunt.¡± ¡°Hunt?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What are we going to hunt, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Before that¡­¡± Siegfried said. He retrieved a tray of eggs from his Inventory and gave it to Gringore. ¡°Why don¡¯t you drink these first?¡± he said. ¡°W-What are these, Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? These are eggs¡­¡± ¡°But why are you asking me to drink so many eggs¡­?¡± ¡°You will be able to tell after drinking them.¡± ¡°I-I think this is too much¡­¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s a royalmand?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Now, drink up. Bottoms up!¡± Siegfried said with a sinister smile while gesticting. ¡®It¡¯s really good to be above others in times like this¡­ Keke!¡¯?he thought. Meanwhile, Gringore was forced to cry tears of blood andment his lowly bloodline as he drank the raw eggs one by one. That evening, Gringore was forced to assist Siegfried in hunting down the sirens by singing until his lungs and vocal cords gave out. ¡°Lla~ L~ Lla~ L~ L~ Lla~¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­ My throat¡­ hurts¡­ I¡¯m¡­ talented¡­ I admit¡­ but I have been singing¡­ for the past six hours¡­ already¡ªCough! Cough!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think you need more eggs,¡± Siegfried muttered. He then proceeded to retrieve another tray of eggs from his Inventory and extended it toward the scribe. ¡°I-I don¡¯t need them at all, Your Majesty!¡± Gringore hurriedly shook his hand. He felt like he would puke his guts out if he were to drink another raw egg. ¡°I-I can do it, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Then, go ahead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Your suffering will continue if you keep following me around. Hohoho!¡¯ Siegfried couldn¡¯t be considered petty at this point. He should be called the Petty Demon Lord. ¡°Anyway, start singing. I can see another one over there.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± In the end, the scribe was forced to sing until daybreak. He sang again, and again, and again. Siegfried managed to wipe out the Siren poption in the area, and he also bagged fifty living sirens. Of course, it was all thanks to Gringore. ¡®This guy is pretty useful. This is great!¡¯? Siegfried''s opinion of his loyal subject slowly started to change for the better. *** The captured sirens were stored in magical sacks and were loaded onto the Aqua Runners as living cannons. ¡°Fire!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°Fire!¡± The members of the Labor Forces shouted in unison as they hurled the sirens onto the deck of the Adunyadet Battleships. ¡°W-What is that?!¡± ¡°It seems that the enemy has thrown something onboard, but what are those¡­?¡± ¡°F-Fish?!¡± The Adunyadet Forces were stupefied to see a half-human, half-fish monster on the deck. However, they were even more stupefied upon realizing that the monsters were sirens. ¡°S-sirens!¡± one of the soldiers shouted. ¡°A siren?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a siren!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Those bastards threw sirens at us?! This¡­ This is ab¡ª¡± Just as they started cursing, the sirens started singing. ¡°L~ Ll L~ Ll L~ Lla Lla~¡± ¡°Throw them faster! We¡¯re leaving soon!¡± Siegfried pushed the members of the Labor Forces to work faster because the sirens¡¯ song could affect them as well if they left even a beatter. Shwaaaa! Siegfried led the four other Aqua Runners and went around throwing the sirens onto the decks of the battleships. Then, the sirens stranded on the ship decks started singing to charm the Adunyadet Forces as their survival instincts kicked in. ¡°L~ Ll L~ Ll L~ Lla Lla~¡± The effect was instantaneous. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Something¡¯s strange¡­ I suddenly feel like going for a swim¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s so hot¡­ I''m going for a dip¡­¡± The Adunyadet Forces started bleeding from their eyes, noses, and mouths as they walked toward the stern of their ships. And then they started diving into the sea one by one¡­ ¡®All right!¡¯?Siegfried rejoiced at the sess of Operation: Siren Bomb. After a moment of celebration, he immediately drove the Aqua Runner in the other direction. However, he suddenly felt blood dripping down his nose, but he wasn¡¯t the only one. ¡°Ah¡­ I want to¡­ go into the water¡­¡± ¡°My head¡­ My head hurts¡­!¡± ¡°I can endure this¡­ I¡¯m a man¡­ I should be able to endure this¡­!¡± The soldiers were at their limits while Siegfried just got a nosebleed. The mana waves from the fifty-plus sirens singing at the same time managed to catch up to them. ¡®We have to get as far away as possible from here!¡¯?Siegfried saw that his subordinates were already at their limits, so he immediately shouted, ¡°Hurry up! Go faster if you don¡¯t want to die! Step on it!¡± Shwaaa! The five Aqua Runners went full throttle as they tried to get as far away as possible from the Adunyadet Battleships. Ssh! Ssh!? Siegfried saw the Adunyadet Soldiers jumping off the battleships to their demise. *** ¡°Oh¡­ Oh my god¡­!¡± Lord Angele saw the entire scene unfold from atop a cliff. Oh my god! Those were the only words she could use to react to Siegfried¡¯s tactic of throwing sirens onto the enemy ships¡¯ deck. ¡°Siegfried¡­ Just what in the world are you¡­?¡± she muttered in awe at his ingenious n. She was convinced that no one else could have thought of such a method. Of course, she was not aware that this entire thing was only made possible thanks to Gringore¡¯s abilities, who was currently Siegfried¡¯s most useful subject. Ssh! Ssh!? As a result of the ingenious n, the hundreds of soldiers onboard the twenty-fire Adunyadet Battleships all jumped into the waters to their demise, leaving their ships empty. ¡°Lord Angele! This is not that time for you to just watch from the sidelines!¡± General Uriage shouted, ¡°You mustmand the Great White Shark fleet to set sail at once! This is our chance!¡± ¡°Y-You are right! Now is our chance! Great White Sharks! Set sail!¡± Lord Angelemanded. The Stone Ind¡¯s state-of-the-art battleships, the Great White Sharks, left their secret base one by one at their leader¡¯smand. Chapter 157

    Chapter 157

    One ship, two ships, three ships, four ships, and twelve ships¡­ The Great White Shark fleet left the secret cove one by one and formed a U-shaped formation as they charged toward the Adunyadet Battleships. ¡®They¡¯re finally out,¡¯?Siegfried thought after spotting the Great White Sharks. He immediately called the six other Aqua Runners on standby nearby. The six Aqua Runners were packed with Stone Ind Sailors and Gringore. ¡°Scribe Gringore!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± said Gringore, sounding hoarse. ¡°I need you to push yourself for thest time. We will only be able to capture those battleships with your help, Scribe Gringore,¡± Siegfried said while pointing at the twenty-five empty Adunyadet Battleships. The soldiers manning the battleships had already plunged into the sea, so these battleships were basically free for the taking. However, it was going to be impossible for them to stop the sirens from singing if Gringore wasn¡¯t there. ¡°I¡­ I shall carry out yourmand, Your Majesty¡­!¡± Gringore said. He didn¡¯t dare to refuse Siegfried¡¯smand, even though his voice could barely be heard with how hoarse he sounded. After all, who would dare to refuse their king¡¯smand? Besides, even though Siegfried was abusing him to his very limits, Siegfried was not doing all this for his own personal gain but for the benefit of his kingdom. In addition, Gringore had always been a patriot down to his very bones. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have stayed in his hometown, the Proatine Kingdom. Why? His artistic talents alone were enough for him to be eligible to be a naturalized citizen of the empire. He could have also debuted as a celebrity as well, which would have guaranteed him a life of fame and wealth. Gringore¡¯s patriotism alone was more than enough of a reason for him to obey his king¡¯smand. For the king! For his hometown, Proatine! The scribe gathered every ounce of strength he had remaining to sing. ¡°Oooh~ Oooh~ Oh oh oh~ Lla~ La~ Oooh~¡±?Gringore¡¯s voice reverberated. ¡®Wow¡­ There are really those who have it all¡­¡¯?Siegfried clicked his tongue in envy at Gringore¡¯s beautiful song. Siegfried was surprised that Gringore could still sing beautifully despite his hoarse voice. As a matter of fact, his voice not only sounded beautiful, but his voice was also loud andmanding enough that it easily overpowered thebined voices and songs of the fifty sirens onboard the battleships. ¡®Wait a minute¡­ I don¡¯t have time to stay here.¡¯? Siegfried knew that it was his turn to do his job rather than stand idly by in awe of his scribe. Tremble¡­ Tremble¡­? Gringore started to tremble uncontrobly as he approached his limits. Siegfried had to go and kill all of the sirens before Gringore could no longer hold on. ¡°All forces! Board the battleships!¡± Siegfried shouted. The ten Aqua Runners immediately sped through the waters and headed toward the battleships. ¡°Boarding the battleship!¡± ¡°Boarding!¡± The Stone Ind Sailors followed Siegfried¡¯smand and hurled ropes to climb up the battleships. ¡°Siren neutralized!¡± ¡°Neutralized!¡± The Stone Ind Sailors easily killed the sirens thanks to Gringore¡¯s song. With the defeat of the sirens, their songs slowly vanished. When the sirens¡¯ song could no longer be heard, Gringore¡¯s song disappeared as well. Thud! Gringore copsed from exhaustion after singing thest note. ¡°Navigation officers! To your positions!¡± ¡°To positions!¡± ¡°Gather the marbles from the sirens¡¯ bodies and go to your positions!¡± ¡°Marble collected! Going to position!¡± The Stone Ind Sailors moved busily around the battleships and got into their positions. ¡°Give all of the marbles to Scribe Gringore! He needs to recover!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°H-Hiiik!¡±?Gringore gasped in horror right before he lost consciousness. ¡®Is he going to make me eat that disgusting marble again¡­?! There are fifty of them this time!¡¯?Gringore inwardly cried in horror after remembering the torture of eating those marbles. The fishy taste of the marbles, coupled with their chewy texture, made them feel like the most disgusting thing one could ever ingest, and the fact that they would release a ton of gas afternding on one¡¯s stomach made them even worse to consume. In fact, it was so bad that some sailorspared its taste to that. What was that? One could only imagine what that was¡­ ¡°Scribe Gringore! Eat these and get well soon! I will take responsibility for your well-being!¡± Siegfried eximed with a bright smile. His smile didn¡¯t contain even a hint of pettiness in it. He looked genuinely concerned. ¡®I should take good care of him since he worked so hard. Fifty of those marbles would be¡ªwow¡­ They say that many a little makes a mickle, but that¡¯s a crazy five thousand additional mana! Wow! He sure is lucky!¡¯ The Siren¡¯s Voice would increase the user¡¯s mana by a hundred points, their singing by ten points, and their charm by five points. This meant that Gringore was going to gain a whopping five thousand additional mana on top of the other benefits as well. The five thousand mana was tempting even to Siegfried becauseck of mana had long be a chronic problem for him. However, he decided to give every marble to his scribe rather than consuming them for himself. ¡®This would have been impossible without Gringore, so I have to give those marbles to him. I can¡¯t be so stingy to my own subordinate, right?¡¯?Siegfried thought. ¡°Y-Your¡­ Majesty¡­ please¡­ just kill me¡­¡± Gringore groaned in agony. However, it seemed that Siegfried¡¯s graciousness was agonizing for Gringore. *** The Stone Ind Navy sailed back to the ind to replenish their forces after obtaining twenty-five battleships for free, thanks to Siegfried and Gringore¡¯s efforts. After all, they needed soldiers to man the battleships after capturing them, right? The battleships sailed for Stone Ind, leaving behind the drowning Adunyadet Soldiers. Nobody bothered to save them. There was no reason for the Stone Inders to save the invaders who had been blinded by greed. After they were done regrouping, the Stone Ind Navy sailed the sea confidently with their twelve Great White Sharks and twenty-five captured battleships in search of the Adunyadet Navy. An hourter, the Stone Ind Navy and the Adunyadet Navy shed. ¡°Aim cannons!¡± ¡°Fire!¡± The Great White Sharks and twenty-five battleships simultaneously spat fire. Boom! Boom! Boom! The Adunyadet Navy encircling the ind couldn¡¯t even retaliate before their ships were sunk. Atst, the Adunyadet¡¯s blockade was shattered for good. ¡°Huh? This isn¡¯t good... How am I supposed to catch the culprit if their ship sinks?¡± Siegfried grumbled while thinking of the culprit behind the shelling of Sterlumen Mine. ¡®I¡¯m going to bash that person¡¯s skull in even if that¡¯s the only skull I get to bash this time!¡¯?he grumbled inwardly before driving his Aqua Runner behind enemy lines. What he was doing was an extremely dangerous thing to do. Boom! Boom! Boom! The thundering of cannons filled the air, and he could end up getting shot down by friendly fire if he were unlucky. Despite the risks, Siegfried didn¡¯t hesitate to go behind enemy lines. ¡®I will bash your skull in no matter what. I can just avoid the cannon fires and jump onto other ships¡­¡¯ Siegfried had belief in his control, but his actions could still be considered recklessness. He had been blinded by anger, and his mind was filled with thoughts of avenging histe subordinates, so he took the risk to personally go and punish the culprit. However, his recklessness actually plunged the Adunyadet Navy into further chaos because they didn¡¯t expect to receive a visitor while locked in a fierce sh against the Stone Ind Navy. ¡°Enemy spotted!¡± ¡°An enemy hase aboard!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± The Adunyadet Soldiers raised their arms and charged at Siegfried as soon as thetter boarded their ship. Of course, the number of soldiers who managed to fight him for more than five seconds could only be counted on one hand. It was an expected result because these soldiers were sailors trained to operate ships rather than fight in close-quarterbat. Pukeok! Pukeok!? Siegfried made quick work of the enemies, and he quickly found and made his way over to the enemy ship¡¯smanding bridge. Atst, he finally found the alleged culprit. Bam! Siegfried kicked themanding bridge¡¯s door down ¡°Was it you?¡± he shouted at the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s navymander. ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± ¡°I asked you if it was you!¡± ¡°What do you mean?!¡± ¡°Were you the one who gave themand to bomb Sterlumen Mine?¡± ¡°Sterlumen Mine? We have already neutralized that ce in the initial round of artillery fire, so¡ª¡± ¡°Then, no?¡± ¡°I have no idea why you are asking this, but no, it¡¯s not me.¡± ¡°Really? Tsk¡­¡±?Siegfried clicked his tongue after failing to find the culprit. He then asked, ¡°Then, do you know which ship was the one that fired at Sterlumen Mine?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ the ship that fired at that mine¡­¡± Themander fell into deep thought, and he snapped his fingers when he emerged from his thoughts. ¡°I remember! It¡¯s that one! Over there!¡± he eximed while pointing at another ship in the distance before saying, ¡°Themander of that ship mentioned that they misfired yesterday!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! He said that they missed their target, and the shotnded somewhere else¡­¡± ¡°Okay, thank you for the precious information,¡± Siegfried said with a nod. ¡°Are you going now?¡± ¡°What? Did you expect something more? Do you want to die? It¡¯s bothersome, but I can do it in one blow. What do you think?¡± asked Siegfried while showing his bloody hammer. ¡°N-No! I refuse your offer. I do not wish to die just yet!¡± themander vehemently shook his head. ¡°Really? All right then. I¡¯m going now.¡± With that being said, Siegfried finally left themanding bridge. ¡°Haa¡­¡±? Themander let out a sigh of relief and calmed his heart which was still crazily pounding against his chest. ¡°Why is he looking for the person who shelled Sterlumen Mine? Is he really going through all of this trouble just because of a copsed mine¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand the man¡¯s actions, no matter how hard he thought about it. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Was he an investor that invested in the¡ª¡± Kaboom! A mortar shell shot by the Stone Ind Navy blew away the entire bridge, and themander died while wondering about Siegfried¡¯s true identity. He managed to avoid being killed by the man thirsty for vengeance, but he didn¡¯t manage to avoid Stone Ind¡¯s mortar shell of vengeance. Chapter 158

    Chapter 158

    ¡°Are you the bastard?¡± Siegfried asked after kicking down themanding bridge¡¯s door. ¡°B-Bastard¡­? What are you talking about?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re the bastard that fired at Sterlumen Mine.¡± ¡°Sterlumen Mine¡­? Ah! You must be talking about that misfire yesterday!¡± themander remembered his mistake. He then continued. ¡°Yes, one of the soldiers under mymand made a mistake and fired at Sterlumen Mine.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re the culprit¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a smile. ¡°So what about it? It was a misfire! Besides, we have already shelled that ce in our initial artillery strikes, so there was probably nobody¡ª¡± ¡°My subordinates were there.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°We were conducting restoration works over there.¡± ¡°Restoration works¡­?¡± ¡°Twenty casualties in total. Eleven are dead, and the nine are¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Two lost their arm, one lost both of his legs, one had his face ripped to shreds by shrapnel, one had debris lodged into his abdomen and is still fighting for his life, three suffered serious burns that melted their skin, and one lost their eye after a shrapnel pierced it.¡± Siegfried recited the dead and the wounded¡¯s injuries without forgetting a single one of them. It was impossible for him to forget them as he had personally buried the dead and tended to the wounded. ¡°W-What does that have to do with me?!¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°People die in war! People can lose their eyes from a stray arrow, and they can get blown up by a stray mortar! In fact, some people even die from friendly fire!¡± ¡°I think you are mistaken about something. We are not Stone Inders.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re not from the ind?!¡± ¡°We just came here because of a business, and we helped out in restoring the mine. We didn¡¯t even participate inbat. You killed the soldiers of another kingdom unrted to this war.¡± ¡°That is quite regretful¡­¡± ¡°Regretful?¡± ¡°I feel sorry for yourte subordinates, but what can I do about it? The fact that they were there was their fault. Your subordinates being somewhere where they shouldn¡¯t have been is technically your fault, no?¡± The culprit¡¯s brazenness truly lived up to the infamy of the Adunyadet Kingdom. Kudeok¡­! Siegfried wanted to bash the bastard¡¯s skull in right now with his hammer, but he decided to hold back. ¡®I should hand you over to the guys instead of punishing you with my own hands,¡¯?he thought. The members of the Labor Force had been integrated into society, but their instincts as aggressive barbarians were still there. What was going to happen if he threw this guy to the enraged barbarians? Siegfried couldn¡¯t tell for sure, but one thing was certain. This bastard was going to experience excruciating pain at least a thousand times more than having his skull bashed in. ¡°Kill me. I am a proud officer of the great Adunyadet Kingdom. I have no intention of begging for my life,¡± the culprit said. He even puffed his chest out. ¡°No, you¡¯re going to end up groveling. So¡­¡± Siegfried said with absolute certainty as he balled his fist and punched the bastard¡¯s stomach. ¡°Ewaauuuughk¡­!¡± The culprit was hit so hard that he ended up puking out what he had eaten for lunch. ¡°You cannot do that. You have a reputation to maintain, Mr. Officer of the Great Adunyadet Kingdom.¡± Siegfried sneered at the culprit writhing in agony on his own vomit before smacking thetter¡¯s nape. Then, Siegfried dragged the culprit out of themanding bridge. Twenty secondster¡ª Kaboom! ¡ªa mortar shell fired by the Stone Ind Navy struck the bridge. *** Meanwhile, the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯smand center continued to receive a flurry of bad news. ¡°The third fleet¡­ Seventeen ships out of twenty-five were sunk¡­ and eight were captured by the enemy¡­¡± ¡°The fourth fleet¡­ all twenty-five ships were sunk¡­¡± ¡°The fifth fleet¡­ is currently engaging with the enemy, but their chances look bleak¡­¡± It had only been three hours since the naval warfare started, but the Adunyadet Kingdom had already lost four out of its five fleets. The Great White Sharks of the Stone Ind Navy, which was equipped with state-of-the-art technology, easily overpowered their enemies. The Stone Ind Navy even used the ships they had captured to further tilt the bnce of power. However, this wasn¡¯t the end of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s problems. ¡°The Adventurers are causing more destruction across our kingdom!¡± ¡°A mercenary troupeposed of Adventurers has burnt down a few of our border towns¡­¡± ¡°Ourmunication lines have been destroyed by the Adventurers! Allmunication channels were destroyed!¡± ¡°Seven of our high-ranking army officials were found dead! The Adventurers most likely assassinated them!¡± Their main facilities were destroyed¡­ Theirmunication channels were destroyed¡­ Their military officials were assassinated¡­ Riots were urring all over their cities¡­ Their border towns were suffering from the constant gueri warfare of the Adventurers. The Proatine Kingdom had hired nearly three hundred Adventurers to shake the Adunyadet Kingdom to its core. ¡°W-We have to maintain naval superiority at all costs! Engage the enemy ships around the Chakri! The Chakri will be able to withstand whatever they throw at us, no matter how strong their cannons are!¡± Maja the Second shouted. ¡°Your Majesty! We have received a call from the Chakri!¡± eximed a messenger. A call came from thest hope of the Adunyadet Kingdom, the Chakri, and Maja the Second instantlymanded for the call to be answered. However, the one who appeared on the video being transmitted from the Chakri wasn¡¯t the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s admiral, Brumnat. ¡ª Greetings, everyone. A young man that Maja the Second and the officials had never seen before appeared on the screen. ¡°Who are you?!¡± Maja the Second screamed in anger at the young man. ¡ª My name is Siegfried van Proa, and I am the king of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°Proatine Kingdom? Where the hell is that?¡± ¡ª ¡­ ¡°Has anyone ever here heard of this Proatine Kingdom?¡± Maja the Second asked his subjects, but only one raised his hand. The official who had some knowledge about the Proatine Kingdom then proceeded to report what he knew about the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°Your Majesty, the Proatine Kingdom is located on the northwestern territory of the continent. They are a kingdom only by name, and their territory is as big as a booger. They are actually closer to a feudal territory than a kingdom.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ so it¡¯s a small and weak kingdom among all of the small and weak ones?¡± ¡°That is correct, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hey, then¡­¡± Maja the Second turned toward Siegfried and asked, ¡°How dare a no-name insolent fool like you call me from my own ship?! Put Brumnat on this instant!¡± ¡ª Oh¡­ that is¡­ Siegfried muttered with a pissed-off look. ¡ª Admiral Brumnat isn¡¯t in the condition to answer the call. ¡°Are you telling me that he called his king and put a no-name like you instead because he is busy?¡± ¡ª Well, that sounds about right if you put it that way¡­? ¡°What insolence is this?! Put Brumnat on this instant!¡± ¡ª Didn¡¯t I tell you that he cannot talk right now? ¡°What?!¡± ¡ª You know what? Perhaps you¡¯ll understand if you take a look for yourself. Siegfried slightly turned the magical mirror that was acting as a camera. ¡°¡­!¡± Maja the Second¡¯s eyes shot wide open in horror after seeing Brumnat, and he finally understood why Brumnat wasn¡¯t in the condition to answer the call. Why? It was all because Brumnat was missing his head. ¡°B-Brumnat¡­!¡± ¡ª Yes. Siegfried nodded and continued. ¡ª He just got executed, so he can¡¯t speak right now. ¡°That means¡­¡± ¡ª Yes, this ship belongs to me from now on. Once the final syble of Siegfried¡¯s words fell, a signalman reported with a trembling voice. ¡°The first fleet¡­ is on the brink of annihtion, and our gship, the Chakri, has been captured¡­¡± Maja the Second and the rest of the officials were stunned, and their faces turned pale. The Chakri was the Adunyadet Kingdom Navy¡¯s strongest weapon and their strongest card in this war. Moreover, they had also poured more than twenty percent of their entire national budget into the Chakri¡¯s development. Therefore, the Chakri became extremely powerful. The enemy¡¯s Great White Shark fleet was advanced and powerful, but Stone Ind would still find it difficult to defeat the Adunyadet Kingdom as long as the Chakri remained standing. However, the Chakri was actually captured by someone whose name they had never even heard of until today. This could only mean that it was only a matter of time before the Adunyadet Kingdom copsed. ¡ª Surrender, you king of a weak kingdom. Siegfried¡¯s words were technically true. The Adunyadet Kingdom was now technically weaker than the Proatine Kingdom without its gship, the Chakri. *** ¡°Argh!?I should expand my territory or make it stronger. What did he say? My territory¡¯s as big as a booger? Feudal territory? Ha!¡± Siegfried grumbled in anger. He managed to deal a significant blow to Maja the Second¡¯s pride, but his pride had also gotten hurt. ¡°Please do not be so troubled about what they said, Your Majesty. I am certain that Proatine is going to be a powerful nation in the near future,¡± Lord Angele said. ¡°I hope that will be the case.¡± ¡°It will definitely happen. Your Majesty has the ability to make it happen.¡± Lord Angele looked at Siegfried with eyes filled with respect and confidence. ¡°I still have a long way to go. I¡¯m still very weak,¡± Siegfried said, shaking his head. ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± Lord Angele was flustered at his response. ¡®Does he want to be called strong instead¡­?¡¯?she wondered. Siegfried sounded like he was fishing forpliments. He had infiltrated the Chakri, which had been an impregnable fortress, all alone and had annihted the Adunyadet Soldiers and Knights before capturing the Adunyadet Navy¡¯s gship. In that case, why was he considering himself to be weak? The Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s soldiers and knights couldn¡¯t really be considered powerful, but capturing the enemy¡¯s gship on his own was a significant feat. Siegfried wasn¡¯t really fishing forpliments. He truly believed that he was still weak. ¡®I just got lucky this time again,¡¯?he thought. The Aqua Runner had allowed him to invade the Chakri. The battle was also limited to the deck of the enemy¡¯s gship, so he managed to take full advantage of his debuff fields because all of his enemies were within his debuff fields. Siegfried had then proceeded to whack them down one by one after weakening them. Siegfried truly believed that he had just gotten lucky because all the stars had aligned. He sincerely thought that he was still a weakling. ¡°I have to be stronger. I need to be way stronger than this,¡± Siegfried said with passion burning in his eyes. ¡°I am certain that you will be stronger, Your Majesty,¡± Lord Angele said with a smile after realizing that Siegfried wasn¡¯t fishing forpliments at all. He simply had an unquenchable thirst to be even more powerful. ¡®His Majesty seems like he only cares about bing more powerful¡­¡¯? Lord Angele couldn¡¯t help but respect the man, even though he was ten years younger than her. ¡°Thank you for your words, then¡­ Shall we go and put an end to this war?¡± Siegfried said while looking at the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s naval base in the distance. Time was of the essence! It was time for him to go and end this war, which was actually a quest for him. It was only a matter of time before the Stone Inders won this war after they had wiped out the enemy¡¯s naval forces and captured their gship. Siegfried also had another trick up his sleeve, and it was a trick that would finally put an end to this six-month-long war. Chapter 159

    Chapter 159

    The Adunyadet Kingdom did not give up. They decided to be on the defensive, just like what the Stone Inders had done. Their navy was annihted, but they still had their infantry forces. However, there was a huge difference between Stone Ind and the Adunyadet Kingdom when it came to defending. Stone Ind was an affluent nation, so its troops were very well-trained and equipped. On the other hand, the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s infantry forces were slightly better than their navy, but that was about it. This meant that the two were basically going to be mismatched if they fought on drynd. The Stone Ind Navy bombarded the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s naval base beforemencing a beachnding. As a result, the Stone Ind Forces were able to capture the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s naval base just two hours afternding, thanks to the fire support from their battleships. ¡°We won!¡± ¡°We have upied their base!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s march all the way to their capital!¡± The Stone Ind Forces¡¯ cries of victory could be heard from the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s naval base. ¡°Now, shall we use some more money?¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Money?¡± Lord Angele tilted her head in confusion. ¡°We already control the seas, so ferrying money across will be an easy feat, no?¡± ¡°Do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s gold or precious stones. Bring over anything that has value and¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. ¡°Make an official request to the Mercenary Guild?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Siegfried nodded and said, ¡°Shall we put it as showing off the power of money? You had no chance to properly use that power, but now¡¯s the chance, so why don¡¯t you use it to your heart¡¯s content?¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Lord Angele said with a nod before adding, ¡°We can always dig up some money, anyway.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I will do as Your Majesty said and use our wealth to our heart¡¯s content.¡± Siegfried felt that the mineral deposits beneath Stone Ind had to be well-nigh inexhaustible when he heard how she said that they could always dig up some money. However, Lord Angele¡¯s statement made Siegfried understand why the Adunyadet Kingdom had spent all its money to try and conquer the ind. ¡°Remove the cannons from the battleships and put them on wagons,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Strip the cannons from the battleships?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remove all of it because no one knows what could happen. Load the cannons onto the wagons and use them to assist us inying siege on their forts and walls,¡± exined Siegfried. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°That will further boost the power of our infantry, which will end this war much sooner. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°I-I¡­ I agree! Their walls wille crumbling down in no time!¡± ¡°All right, it seems that you understood what I said, so we only have to set things in motion,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. *** Three dayster, the tremendous power of show me the money was revealed. The news of Stone Ind hiring mercenaries spread like wildfire throughout the continent, and Adventurers from every corner of the continent came flocking toward what was once the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s naval base. Nearly two thousand Adventurers answered the call and gathered. There weren¡¯t that many high-level Adventurers, but the sheer number of these immortal beings was enough toy waste to any feudal territories on their way. Of course, the huge mothball of Adventurers would stand no chance if a Ranker were to appear. ¡®As expected¡­ they came running like dogs since the rewards are pretty nice,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smile. He was a gamer himself, so he knew a gamer¡¯s thought process. A gamer was bound to chase after their own profits, so there was no way that they would ignore a jackpot of a quest like this. ¡®Money sure is scary. The Adunyadet Kingdom wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold a candle against Stone Ind if they had failed to destroy Stone Ind¡¯smunication facilities in their ambush.¡¯?Siegfried was awed by the power of money. ¡°All forces. Advance!¡± Lord Angelemanded. Then, the Stone Ind Infantry, numbering over three thousand, the Adventurers, numbering over two thousand, and the three hundred cannons marched toward the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s capital. *** Three dayster, the Stone Ind Forces used the power of money to build a highway reaching all the way to the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s capital, and they finally seeded in capturing the city. ¡°Waaaah!¡± ¡°Lower your gazes, you bastards! We Stone Inders are in charge now!¡± ¡°You see this? We won! We won!¡± The Stone Ind Soldiers screamed at the top of their lungs after sessfully capturing their enemy¡¯s capital city. [Alert: The Quest: ¡®Danger! Stone Ind!¡¯ has progressed up to 99%!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡®Who could have known that I would be involved in a war when I only visited Stone Ind for a stone?¡¯?Siegfried thought in disbelief. The entire journey was quite baffling in a sense, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel d that it happened when he thought of the immense rewards he would get after clearing this quest. The Stone Ind Forces had finally arrived in front of their final destination after entering the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s capital city. The army gathered in front of Siam Castle. The Siam Castle was their final destination because the king of the Adunyadet Kingdom, Maja the Second, was refusing to surrender. He was insisting on resisting until the very bitter end. Lord Angele deduced that the three hundred years old monarchy was probably having a hard time epting the fall of their kingdom. ¡°You should¡¯ve just quietly stayed within the confines of your home from the very beginning¡­ Why did you have to go and invade someone else¡¯s house? Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡±?Siegfried clicked his tongue. ¡°Their conquest had almost seeded. If it hadn¡¯t been for Your Majesty, then the Adunyadet Kingdom would have won this war,¡± said Lord Angele. ¡°Come on, you give me too much credit. It just worked out in the end,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Your Majesty is too humble.¡± ¡°What do you mean, humble? I would prefer to be called very realistic and reasonable.¡± ¡°¡­lies.¡± ¡°What did you say¡­?¡± ¡°N-Nothing!¡± Lord Angele waved her hands in denial after identally blurting out her thoughts. Then, she suddenly looked around and asked, ¡°Do you smell that? Euk¡­!?There is an awful stenching from somewhere!¡± ¡°What smell? I don¡¯t smell any¡­ Huh?! Euk!?Where is that smelling from? It smells like rotting fish¡­!¡± Siegfried grimaced and immediately covered his nose. He looked around, looking for the source of the stench. Sniff! Sniff!? He sniffed around for a while before finally finding the source of the smell. The source was five meters away from where he and Lord Angele were standing. Scribble! Scribble! Scribble! Someone was drawing Siegfried and Lord Angele talking to each other. - Inmemoration of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s fall. Gringore continued drawing the appropriately titled drawing. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Scribe Gringore?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ can you get away from us? You smell so bad that it¡¯s painful¡­¡± ¡°Smell¡­?¡± ¡°You smell like rotten fish that it¡¯s giving me a headache¡­¡± ¡°I-Is that true?!¡± ¡°Look around you.¡± Siegfried gestured. There was nobody around Gringore in a ten-meter radius, and the knights standing behind Siegfried and Lord Angele all had tissues or paper shoved up their nostrils to withstand the smell. The culprit behind the stench Gringore was emitting was none other than the excessive care that Siegfried had for his subordinate. The dozens of marbles that he had forced the scribe to consume made the scribe emit a foul odor. The scribe was a handsome man that nobody on the continent could match in terms of physical beauty, but he was probably going to have to live with the title Human Skunk in the meantime. ¡°So, can you shoo away for now? You stink really bad¡­¡± ¡°Heuk¡­¡±?Gringore gasped. His expression changed as he became downcast. Still, he started walking away from Siegfried while muttering to himself, ¡°A skunk¡­ I¡¯m a skunk¡­ A stinky skunk¡­¡± He walked away while emitting an even fouler odorpared to just a few moments ago. Gringore was a near-perfect being if hisck ofbat ability was excluded, but after meeting his evil liege, Gringore had gone through various hardships and shame that he hadn¡¯t been destined to go through. ¡°Phew¡­?I can breathe again now that the Human Skunk is gone. Anyway, what is taking so long?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. Thirty minutes had passed since the castle gates were breached, but the fight was still ongoing. The constant screaminging from within the castle was evidence that the Adunyadet Kingdom was putting up quite a fierce resistance. ¡°Perhaps that is theirst stand? A cornered rat is bound to bite a cat as well, so their fierce resistance is without our expectations,¡± Lord Angele replied. ¡°Hmm¡­ I can¡¯t stand this,¡± Siegfried said. He then started walking toward the castle. ¡°Where are you going, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I want to go and take a look for myself if the resistance is actually fierce.¡± Siegfried was starting to get bored of waiting, so he decided to personally put the icing on the cake for this quest. *** After entering the castle, Siegfried immediately sensed that there was something off. The castle interior that was supposed to be filled with soldiers was eerily empty that not even a single ant could be seen. This ce should have been bustling with screams and noises of metal shing against each other, but¡­ Chomp! Champ! Chomp! The only sound that could be heard sounded like there was a rat munching on something. Not a single soul could be seen at all. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is it so quiet¡­? The battle should have ended a while ago.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but wonder about what was going on because there were five above Level 200 Adventurers among the vanguard. Those five were more than enough to make quick work of the Adunyadet Kingdom Forces. ¡®What the hell¡­?¡¯ Bam! A section of the wall crumbled, and a group of Adventurers emerged from it. ¡°Waaaaaaaaaah!¡± ¡°Get out of the way! Get out!¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯te near me! I said don¡¯te near me!¡± The Adventurers broke the wall when they could have used the door, and they frantically ran past Siegfried while screaming as if they had seen a ghost. ¡°Huh??What¡¯s going on? What did they see in there?¡± Siegfried muttered with a grimace. He turned to look at where the Adventurers hade from. 0.1 second¡­ Exactly a tenth of a secondter¡­ ¡°Oh, shit!¡±?Siegfried screamed and ran after the Adventurers. Chomp! Champ! Chomp! Siegfried saw more than a hundred thousand beetles the size of a pebble, and they were all swarming out of the wall that the Adventurers had shattered to escape. *** The beetles were magical creatures summoned through ck magic, and their stats far surpassed the stats of insects. [ck Beetle] [A beetle summoned with ck magic.] [These beetles suffer from insatiable hunger. They possess sharp and strong teeth that can rip through steel.] [Level: 100] [Race: Insect] [Rating: Champion Monster] [Attribute: N/A] [Traits: Immune to Fire, Enhanced Defense, Movement Speed +7 Levels, Increased Attack Speed, Chance to destroy enemy equipment.] The ck Beetles were insect-type monsters that were immune to fire, which should have been the weakness of all insect monsters. They had many other buffs as well, and their Movement Speed was also seven levels higher than their level, which allowed them to move pretty fast for insects. Naturally, the slow Adventurers were quickly surrounded by the ck Beetles. ¡°Eu¡­?Euaaaaak!¡± And they ended up bing food for the swarm of hungry insects¡­ ¡°W-What the hell are those?!¡± Siegfried eximed in disbelief at the gruesome sight. However, the even more shocking part was that the ck Beetles even devoured the gears of the Adventurers, and it only took them three seconds to devour an Adventurer down to their bones. It was safe to assume at this point that the ck Beetles weren¡¯t simply devouring their prey. They had to be using some sort of chemical reaction to melt their prey down to their bones. ¡°Ahuehuehuehue!¡±? A sinister and eerieughter reverberated throughout the castle. Siegfried turned toward the source of theughter and saw a familiar face. The man was holding a pot of burning incense whileughing hysterically. [Starved King] [Maja the Second has unsealed the dark artifact Starving Incense Burner and has turned himself into a demon.] [He has been afflicted with the curse of insatiable hunger and is now a ck Magician with a swarm of ck Beetles under his control.] [Type: NPC] [Level: 220] [Race: Human] [Rating: Boss] [Attribute: Darkness] [Special Abilities: Immune to Fire, Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Magic Resistance, Mana +7 Levels.] ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­ Hehe¡­ Hunger¡­¡± said Maja the Second with a sinister smile. He looked around for a bit before shouting, ¡°I will devour everything! Not a single speck of flesh will be left in this world! Go, my minions! Devour them to your hearts¡¯ content and replenish my starving soul!¡± At the Starved King¡¯smand, the ck Beetles went on a rampage and came crashing down on the Adventurers like a tidal wave. 1. This is a cheat code in the game Starcraft Chapter 160

    Chapter 160

    Chomp! Champ! Chomp! The Adventurers were helpless in front of the swarm of ck Beetles, and it wasn¡¯t because the Adventurers were weak. The issue was with the ck Beetles¡¯ traits. The Adventurers couldn¡¯t do much against the overwhelming speed and numbers of the ck Beetles. How many gamers could fight against thousands of monsters swarming toward them at once? The ck Beetles¡¯ Physical Damage Resistance was high enough that they were impossible to kill in a single strike, and they were so fast that they were able to avoid any magic attacks even before the caster could cast them. It would be ideal to cast AoE fire spells, which was the weakness of all insect-type monsters, but the ck Beetles had resistance against fire. In short, the Adventurers who had entered the castle to end the war had no chance against the ck Beetles. ¡°Eu¡­ Euaaaaack!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°They¡¯re eating me alive!¡± ¡°What bullshit is this¡ª¡± The Adventurers tried their best to put up a fight, but they were devoured by the ck Beetles in the end. Someone was eaten alive while channeling their spell. Someone was fully armed in te mail, but the ck Beetles went into the small gaps in their armor and devoured them inside. A magician had used an AoE skill to kill many ck Beetles, but she was eaten alive during the slight casting dy after she was done casting her spell. It hadn¡¯t even been five minutes since the ck Beetles caught up with the Adventurers, but two hundred of them had already died. The ck Beetles followed the Starved King¡¯smand and rushed at the Adventurers like a tidal wave. They would only separate to avoid any attacks directed at them, and they would even go into all sorts of different formations to attack and defend. The Adventurers couldn¡¯t attack the Starved King directly because he was surrounded by ck Beetles that had formed a wall around him as though they were his bodyguards. It was the Starved King¡¯s skill, ck Beetle Shield. ¡°Die, you disgusting basta¡ªEuaaaaak!¡±? An Adventurer tried to attack the Starved King, but the result was horrible as the Adventurer left behind a scream and a random item before being reduced to mere bones. ¡°It¡¯s still not enough¡­ Nothing can satiate me, but I must keep eating! I will devour everything in this world! Kekeke!¡± the Starved King eximed with a famished look. The Starved King had no choice but to keep eating after being afflicted with the curse of insatiable hunger. Even the items and the Adventurers the ck Beetles had consumed for him were nowhere enough to satiate him. ¡°How are we supposed to kill that?!¡± ¡°Ah, his attack pattern is tricky¡­¡± ¡°This is my first time seeing such a disgusting boss monster¡­!¡± The Adventurers were helpless. They despaired in front of the Starved King. They couldn¡¯t find a way to fight the Starved King. The Starved King¡¯s level wasn¡¯t very high, but he was a tricky opponent. In the end, the Adventurers who had entered the castle were annihted. They didn¡¯t manage to hold out for even five minutes against the Starved King. Of course, with the exception of one¡ªSiegfried was the only one who somehow survived the ck Beetles¡¯ onught. ¡°You are the insolent fool who dared to¡­ disrupt my ns¡­ It¡¯s good to see you¡­¡± the Starved King said with furrowed brows upon recognizing Siegfried. However, Siegfried couldn¡¯t really care less about what the Starved King was saying. ¡°Ah, my bad side took over today. I should repent my sins¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. It was a surprise how he mentioned something about repenting his sins all of a sudden. ¡°You insolent fool! How dare you ignore¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t run away because I can¡¯t screw someone like you, okay? Just shut up and let me repent my sins,¡± Siegfried sharply retorted. The reason he was suddenly reflecting was none other than because of his greed. *** Two minutes before the Adventurers were annihted¡­ ¡®What the hell? That guy¡¯s easy to defeat¡­¡¯? Siegfried was confident that he could make quick work of the Starved King. He had run away with the Adventurers because he was caught off guard by the swarm of ck Beetles, but he soonposed himself and assessed the situation. He then realized that the solution to this problem was much simpler than he thought. Irradiate. He was confident that the Level 100 ck Beetles wouldn¡¯t be able to scratch him, even if they swarmed him. ¡®I got scared for nothing.¡¯ However, something caught his eye just as he was about to melt the ck Beetles with Irradiate. Flicker! His eyes darted toward the items that thete Adventurers had dropped. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯? He felt that the items on the ground were talking to him. ¡°We look tasty, right?¡± ¡°How much do you think all of us will be worth if you keep us all to yourself?¡± ¡°We¡¯re¡­ FREE for the taking~!¡± ¡°Keep us all to yourself¡­ keep us all to yourself¡­ hehe¡­¡± The items were whispering to him¡ªtempting him. If he let the Adventurers die and killed the boss monster without them, he would be able to keep thete Adventurers¡¯ item to himself. However, executing the idea that he had in mind meantmitting one of the worst offenses a gamer couldmit in the world of gaming. Indeed, it was a heinous crime to wait until one¡¯s party members were dead before killing the boss monster and taking all the loot for oneself. Siegfried thought about it hard and realized that he had no real reason to follow unwritten rules that had never been followed down to the letter in the first ce. ¡®They aren¡¯t my?party?members, so do I really have to help them? Do I really have to care whether they lose their items or not?¡¯?he pondered. The answer depended on which angle one would use to look at the situation. The Adventurers were mercenaries that Stone Ind had hired, and Siegfried was their indirect employer. Siegfried had paid so much money just to hire them, so why would he help and take care of their items for them? The idea sounded weird. Obviously, helping someone in need and distributing the loot evenly was the right thing to do, but¡­ Siegfried pondered over it for a bit longer before finally making up his mind ¡®I need money. I need to earn as much as I can while I can. A man has to be ambitious and greedy while he¡¯s still young, right?¡¯ He decided to keep the hundreds of dropped items to himself. *** Upon making his decision to keep the dropped items to himself, Siegfried had to wait until thest remaining Adventurer was dead. This was the reason why he was repenting. ¡°Haa¡­?I am a greedy bastard. I sincerely repent my love for materialistic wealth, so please forgive me just this once I will not do this again, so¡ªhold on¡­ what if another opportunity presents itself? Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried prayed in repentance only to stop halfway when he couldn¡¯t bring himself to promise not to do this again if an opportunity to do the same appeared once more. Technically, his part was to hunt down the boss monster while the Adventurers were still alive, so he definitely had to repent no matter what. ¡°I will give some gold as a bonus to those who died, so please forgive me,¡± Siegfried prayed. He repented by promising to give out bonuses to those who died in hopes of reducing his crimes. Afterward, he turned toward the Starved King. Ssseeeuuu! A powerful green mist emerged from Siegfried. ¡°This crazy bastard actually dares to¡ªhehe¡­ I will not grant you an easy death. I will not kill you no matter how hungry I am! kekeke!¡± the Starved King said. He swung the incense burner in his hand andmanded the ck Beetles. ¡°Go, my minions! Go and devour that bastard¡¯s flesh, but don¡¯t kill him! I will inflict as much¡­ pain on him as possible¡­ kekeke!¡± However, none of the ck Beetles could even touch Siegfried¡¯s body. Forget about touching him, they couldn¡¯t even approach him. Shiver¡­! The ck Beetles convulsed before dying and crashing to the floor. ¡°W-What is this?!¡± the Starved King couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. The ck Beetles that stripped hundreds of Adventurers down to their bones in a matter of seconds couldn¡¯t even approach the young man. Who could have known that these monsters with enhanced stats and abilities would die before even getting anywhere near their target? This meant that the Starved King couldn¡¯t fight Siegfried at all. After all, he had no special abilities aside from his control over the ck Beetles. The only thing left for him to do was to offer himself as a punching bag for Siegfried. ¡°I¡¯m pretty busy, so let¡¯s start with you, shall we? Come over here,¡± Siegfried said as he started walking toward the boss monster while his Irradiate was active. He had to finish the battle as soon as possible since it would take him a long time to pick up the items that thete Adventurers had dropped. Debuff? It was unnecessary this time. Irradiate was more than enough to kill the ck Beetles, and the Starved King ended up being an opponent that was easier to handle than Siegfried had expected. Ssseuuu! Siegfried unleashed his radioactive energy and killed every ck Bettle that dared to approach him. The ck Beetles didn¡¯t really give a lot of Experience Points. In fact, the experience gained was negligible. However, their sheer numbers made up for the ridiculously negligible amount of Experience Points they gave, and Siegfried managed to amass quite a bit of Experience Points. [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have reached Level 181!] [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have reached Level 182!] [You have gained Experience Points!] [You have reached Level 183!] He massacred thousands of ck Beetles with every step he took toward the Starved King, and the ck Beetles all turned into Experience Points. [You have reached Level 184!] [You have reached Level 185!] [You have reached Level 186!] [You have reached Level 187!] [You have reached Level 188!] [You have reached Level 188!] [You have reached Level 190!] He leveled up ten times in the blink of an eye and reached Level 190. A new set of messages popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You are now able to learn a new skill!] [Alert: You may check the new attainable skills on the ¡®My Skill¡¯ page on your status screen.] There was only a handful of ck Beetles left by the time Siegfried had leveled up enough to unlock the next skill of the Debuff Master. The insects scurried as far away as possible from Siegfried and even hid behind the walls. ¡°H-How can¡­ this be¡­? This is¡­ impossible¡­!¡± the Starved King muttered in disbelief. He staggered backward as he stared wide-eyed at Siegfried. ¡°Hey, quit whining and just die. I still have to pick those items up,¡± Siegfried grumbled in annoyance while walking toward the boss monster. Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak He repeatedly smashed the boss monster¡¯s head with his hammer, and the fourth blow was the final blow. ¡°T-This is¡­ unfair¡­!¡± the Starved King uttered hisst words. There was no way he would survive after his head was cracked open by Siegfried¡¯s hammer. He was once a king who dreamt of conquering Stone Ind and using its enormous wealth to catapult his kingdom to the position of a powerhouse. However, his grand ambition was foiled by a lone corrupt general. Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have cleared the Quest: ¡®Danger! Stone Ind!¡¯] [Alert: Visit Lord Angele to collect your quest rewards!] Now, he just had to collect his quest rewards and an Entropy Stone. Afterward, he could visit the Autonika Workshop once more. Of course, he still had a few things to do before that. *** Right after the Starved King died. [Starving Incense Burner] [An incense burner infused with a tremendous amount of dark energy.] [After lighting the incense burner, the user will be able to takemand of the creatures of darkness, ck Beetles. However, the user will be afflicted with the curse of insatiable hunger for eternity.] [Type: Weapon] [Rating: Legendary] [Durability: 98/100] [Special Abilities: Command ck Beetle, ck Beetle Wave, ck Beetle Shield.] Siegfried ced the item that the Starved King had dropped into his Inventory. ¡®I should bring this incense burner to the Bavarian Workshop and strike a deal.¡¯ He would fetch a much more handsome price if he sold the dark artifact of mass destruction to the Bavarian Workshop rather than to the Autonika Workshop. There was also a very good chance that everything would go ording to his n. ¡®I should keep it hidden before anyone sees it¡­¡¯? He decided not to say a word about the dark artifact until he was done selling it to the Bavarian Workshop. Afterward, he went around the castle grounds to pick up the items that the Adventurers had dropped upon dying. Chapter 161

    Chapter 161

    Siegfried¡¯s hands moved as fast as lightning as he collected the dropped items. [Alert: You have obtained Genuine Sword!] [Alert: You have obtained Alpha Romeo¡¯s Retaliation!] [Alert: You have obtained Widowmaker!] [Alert: You have obtained Vnia¡¯s Start!] [Alert: You have obtained Ring of Calmness!] [Alert: You have obtained Chinook¡¯s Belt!] [Alert: You have obtained Seira¡¯s Madness!] The Adventurers had dropped quite a few expensive items. ¡°Jackpot¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in delight as he greedily stashed the items into his Inventory. He hadpletely forgotten about his repentance just a few minutes ago. Of course, there was quite a lot of garbage among the dropped items as well. ¡®Why the hell are they carrying shit like this in their inventories¡­?¡¯?he grumbled inwardly while shaking his head after observing the garbage?on the ground. Those items were the following¡­ - Third-Rate Writer¡¯s Wet Panties - Expired Canned Sardines - Tattered Teddy Bear Siegfried had no idea why those Adventurers had been carrying them. ¡®Whatever, they should still fetch a coin at least, so let¡¯s pick them up.¡¯? He decided to pick everything up since he wouldn¡¯t run out of inventory capacity anytime soon. Of course, it was all thanks to Hamchi. Siegfried borrowed one of Hamchi¡¯s magical inventory pouches just in case to avoid running out of inventory capacity. He didn¡¯t want to experience the pain of having to abandon precious items because he couldn¡¯t carry them in his Inventory anymore. ¡®This is expensive, this is average, this is fine¡­¡¯?he muttered inwardly while roaming around the castle grounds as if he were the groundskeeper. Siegfried decided to keep a few useful and expensive items on him rather than sell them. - Beam of Justice - Mechanic Force - Super Megaphone The three items that he had decided to keep for himself were actually gifts for Oscar, Seung-Gu, and Gringore. ¡®They have excellent stats and options. This is my chance to show them my appreciation. I should keep these with me and give them to themter.¡¯? Having made up his mind, Siegfried continued picking up items. [Alert: You have obtained the skill book Shimiken¡¯s Finishing Moves!] The finalst remaining item ended up being a strange skill book that contained sixty-nine different skills. [Skill Book: Shimiken¡¯s Finishing Moves] [A skill book containing the sixty-nine secret techniques of Shimiken¡ªa legendary figure who dominated a certain era in history.] [Powerful skills that can finish off the other party regardless of race, age, and sex are sealed within this book.] [Type: Skill Book] [Rating: Legendary] [Special Effects: The user will automatically obtain Shimiken¡¯s sixty-nine secret techniques. Learning the sixty-nine skills will not consume any skill points, and all skills will be at MAX Level upon learning.] Siegfried became filled with expectations upon reading the description of the strange legendary skill book. ¡®I wonder what skills are they¡­?It?can actually finish off anyone, regardless of their rage, age, and gender?! This Shimiken guy had to have been a true Master!¡¯?Siegfried marveled. He could barely wait to find out the true power of the skills in the skill book. However, he hesitated just as he was about to open it. In the end, he decided not to open the skill book, and the reason was simple. ¡®I¡¯m the Debuff Master, so do I really need other skills? Besides, Shakiro-nim and Elder Blockhead have already taught me plenty of skills¡­¡¯?he thought. The idea of learning the skills of a legendary master was tempting, but he didn¡¯t want to stray too far away from his identity as the Debuff Master. However, a person¡¯s curiosity couldn¡¯t be easily suppressed. ¡®Should I just learn those skills? I just don¡¯t have to use them, right? I¡¯m sure there are a lot of things I could learn from those skills as well¡­¡¯?Siegfried contemted for quite a bit before he decided to take a peek at the book. Flip¡­ Siegfried opened the first page of the book and muttered in disbelief, ¡°What the hell?¡± He grimaced upon sensing that something was wrong after reading the words written on the first page. Rejoice, dear reader! You are now about to dive into the secret art of the Ultimate Fornication Techniques! If his presumption was right, then there was definitely something wrong here. ¡°Did I just get scammed¡­?¡± he muttered. sh! All of a sudden, a powerful pinkish beam shot out from the skill book and engulfed Siegfried. ¡°Arghhhh!¡± Siegfried was right. The sixty-nine skills could only be used while ying mommy and daddy, and they flooded Siegfried¡¯s mind like a deluge. ¡°What is this?! What the¡­ that awkward posture¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ need this¡ªEuk¡­!¡±? He tried his best to block the data being forced into his brain, but the skill book was simply too powerful for him to stop. ¡°N-No! The skills are getting engraved¡­ on my mind¡­!¡± Siegfried really tried his best, but he was forced to give up in the end. Sseuu¡­! A pink light shed in Siegfried¡¯s eyes. *** [Alert: You are now able to learn new skills!] [Alert: You may check the new skills on the ¡®My Skill¡¯ page on your status screen!] [Alert: The Ultimate Fornication Techniques can only be used when adult content is activated!] In the end, Siegfried¡¯s curiosity earned him ultimate skills exclusive only to adult content. [Alert: Adult content cooldown time has been reduced by 50%!] [168 hours > 84 hours] [Alert: The cash required to activate adult content has been reduced by 100%!] [398,000 cash > 0 cash] [Alert: You have obtained the title: ¡®Seggs Stamina King¡¯!] He even obtained the title Seggs Stamina King on top of the skills. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± Siegfriedmented while pulling out his hair as he muttered lifelessly, ¡°How am I supposed to go around with a title like this? Everyone is going to make fun of me. Haaa¡­?my public image¡­¡± The NPCs didn¡¯t have the Rune of Insight, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to take a peek at his titles. However, the other yers were different. ¡°Do you go all night?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Are you only ying this game for its adult content?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die early at this rate. You better slow down, man¡­¡± ¡°Are you here to y or fool around? Why don¡¯t you just go to a club in real life or something?¡± He could already imagine the type of criticism he would receive from other yers. *** Siegfried dragged the Starved King¡¯s corpse out of the castle, signaling the end of the six-month-long war between Stone Ind and the Adunyadet Kingdom. ¡°Hurray for Stone Ind!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± ¡°Hurray for King Siegfried van Proa!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± ¡°Hurray for Lord Angele!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± The crowd cheered for Siegfried and Lord Angele. It was a gross overstatement to say that the Stone Inders won the war. If it hadn¡¯t been for Siegfriend, the Adunyadet Kingdom would have sessfully annihted them all. Therefore, Siegfried truly deserved their cheers. Siegfried stayed on Stone Ind for a few days, and they weed him with an even grander celebrationpared to the celebration that the Nordic Tribe had weed him with. Siegfried stayed on Stone Ind because he still had to collect the Entropy Stone and the reimbursement he deserved from Stone Ind. Of course, he also stayed to establish official trade ties with the ind. Siegfried also went over to collect his quest rewards from Lord Angele. In the end, Siegfried and the Proatine Kingdom earned a tremendous profit from this endeavor. ¡°For the next hundred years, products from the Proatine Kingdom are exempt from payment of duties and or taxes. Minerals we export to the Proatine Kingdom will also be sold with a thirty percent discount.¡± The Proatine Kingdom gained tax exemption, a huge discount on minerals, as well as advanced technological blueprints, which would improve the territory. Of course, the effects of the deal wouldn¡¯t be readily apparent, but the Proatine Kingdom would profit tremendously in the long run. ¡°Thank you very much for your generosity.¡± ¡°Not at all! We are simply repaying what we owe. This is the least that we can do for our savior!¡± Lord Angele hurriedly waved her hands at Siegfried¡¯s expression of gratitude. In addition, she even smiled brightly to show that she didn¡¯t feel as if she were on the losing end of the deal. Siegfried and Seung-Gu instructed the members of the Labor Force to restore the mines after the trade agreement with Stone Ind was signed. Then, they went to the Adventurers to award them bonuses for participating in the war. The Adventurers felt immensely grateful for the bonus. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to¡­¡± ¡°You are a well-mannered person. Haha!¡± ¡°Please call me again next time. I wille running immediately!¡± ¡°Thank you. I was feeling depressed because my main gear had dropped when I died¡­¡± The Adventurers had no idea that the bonuses Siegfried gave them actually came from the Adventurers¡¯ own pockets. ¡°N-Not at all¡­?Hahaha¡­¡± Siegfried felt slightly guilty, but that was about it. Frankly speaking, the Adventurers had died because they weren¡¯t strong enough. If they were strong enough, then their items wouldn¡¯t have dropped. Siegfried¡¯s act of giving them a bonus was actually quite generous of him. Why? It was all because other gamers wouldn¡¯t have given them even a cent after looting all of their items. ¡°Hey, owner punk.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How much did you make without spending a dime¡­?¡± Siegfried had actually made more than what he had spent since Stone Ind had reimbursed him the full amount he had spent, and they had even paid him interest on top of it. Moreover, the items that he had looted from the dead Adventurers would also earn him a tremendous sum once they were sold, so he hadn¡¯t technically spent a single dime as capital despite reaping such a huge profit. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ Haha¡­¡± ¡°We won the fucking jackpot!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Buy me lots of tasty things since you made a fortune! Hamchi has been craving something sweet these days! Kyuuu!¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to curse me for being shameless?¡± ¡°Why would I curse you? It¡¯s not your fault they died because they were weak, right? I mean, technically¡­ they didn¡¯t even do their job properly.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true?¡± ¡°Ha¡­?You¡¯re too good for your own good! Hamchi wouldn¡¯t have given them even a single cent! No, I would have chased them out for being so useless!¡± It seemed that the hamster was even more ruthless than his owner¡­ *** The next morning¡­ ¡°We got it, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu eximed. He extended a small stone he had mined after the restoration works were done. It was the raw form of Entropy Stones. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Raw Entropy Stone¡¯!] [Alert: Bring the item to Boothroyd to collect your reward!] Siegfried¡¯s journey to collect the final piece of the Quad-Turbo Set finally ended. ¡°It¡¯ll be great if you stay a few days longer¡­¡± Lord Angele muttered with a hint of regret. ¡°I would love to do so, but I¡¯m busy, so¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°I understand, but I cannot help but feel regretful about it¡­¡± ¡°We shall meet again.¡± ¡°You will always be wee here. Ah, we will send the gold we owe you as soon as our warp gates are restored. The amount that we are nning on sending is quite a sizeable amount to transport manually¡­¡± ¡°Huh??How much do you n on sending¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm??Ten times the original amount.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Siegfried shouted with wide eyes. ¡°Stone Ind isn¡¯t simply going to repay Your Majesty with money. You saved us from the brink of extinction. We are not capable of paying you back a hundredfold, but we can at least pay you back tenfold.¡± ¡°B-But that¡¯s too much¡­¡± ¡°Please do not refuse it. It won¡¯t make a dent in our finances.¡± ¡°Then, I will dly ept your offer. Thank you very much, Lord Angele,¡± said Siegfried. He was sincerely grateful that she was willing to reciprocate his kindness. The Stone Inders gave him a grand farewell as well. ¡°Take care, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Pleasee again!¡± ¡°We love you!¡± ¡°Hurray for King Siegfried van Proa!¡± ¡°Hep, hep, hurray!¡± Siegfried drove his Aqua Runner into the horizon. His next destination was the Autonika Workshop¡¯s Smithy of Advancement. Chapter 162

    Chapter 162

    As usual, the Autonika Workshop¡¯s Smithy of Advancement was busy researching and developing powerful artifacts. An artifact from them would always be considered a piece of art that was thebined product of magic, alchemy, crafting, mineral handling, designing, and other technical skills. Constant research, testing, and development were required to create the perfect artifact. Of course, theboratory was filled with sounds of explosions more often than not, as most experiments would end up in failure, but the researchers had long gotten used to those noises. And today was no exception¡­ Boom! Crrackk¡­! The walls of Laboratory 431 crumbled with a deafening explosion as thick ck smoke filled the corridor. ¡°Cough! Cough! Kek! Kek!¡± Boothroyd emerged from Laboratory 431. He looked like a lump of charcoal and was in agony. He was regarded as the youngest head cksmith-cum-alchemist in the history of the Autonika Workshop, and he had long be famous for spending at least twenty hours out of twenty-four hours a day at theboratory researching new artifacts. Why? It was all because the Autonika Workshop would never be able to close the gap that had for centuries between the three major workshops otherwise. ¡°Cough! Cough! Ugh¡­?Maybe I should have put more dragon blood?¡± Boothroyd had almost lost his life in the explosion just now, but his mind was filled with nothing but his research. Of course, Boothroyd wasn¡¯t actually being reckless. He wasn¡¯t afraid of dying because he had an advanced artifact that protected its wearer from damage. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think this research is going to be a long one¡­¡± All of a sudden, one of the researchers rushed toward him and shouted, ¡°Boothroyd-nim! The King of Proatine, King Siegfried van Proa, wishes to see you!¡± ¡°King Siegfried?¡± ¡°He brought an Entropy Stone with him!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Boothroyd was shocked. ¡®He really managed to bring one back? How did he get through the blockade?¡¯?Boothroyd knew very well that the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s blockade wasn¡¯t something that the king of a small and weak kingdom could break through. So how did he get his hands on an Entropy Stone¡­? ¡®Hmm¡­ It seems that he truly is an extraordinary person. I¡¯m sure those fools from the Bavarian Workshop knew something about him, so they made him their VVIP customer¡­¡¯?Boothroyd thought. He then told the researcher, ¡°Tell him that I¡¯ll be there right away!¡± A VVIP customer hadpleted an impossible quest, so there was no reason for him to dilly-dally. *** ¡°Wee, Your Majesty. I heard that you have procured an Entropy Stone?¡± Boothroyd greeted Siegfried. ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied, and a quest clear message popped up in front of his eyes. ¡°How did you manage to get your hands on one? Did you really go to Stone Ind or¡­¡± ¡°I went to Stone Ind.¡± ¡°How did you manage to get there? The Adunyadet Kingdom is small and weak, but they have naval superiority over Stone Ind¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. Then, he exined how he managed to reach Stone Ind. ¡°I see¡­ so that was how you managed to procure that stone. I wasn¡¯t aware that Your Majesty has ties with the Nordic Tribe.¡± ¡°The mine copsed, and I did run into some troubles, but I managed to get an Entropy Stone in the end.¡± ¡°The mine copsed¡­?¡± ¡°One of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s battleships misfired and¡­¡± Siegfried exined what happened next. ¡°What?!¡± Boothroyd shouted in surprise. ¡®What in the world am I hearing right now?!¡¯?he eximed inwardly. The stories that Siegfried was telling him right now were so hard to believe that Boothroyd started doubting his ears. ¡°S-So¡­ you destroyed the Adunyadet Kingdom because you were upset?¡± ¡°No way, how can I do that? I just helped them out a bit, that¡¯s all.¡± Siegfried shook his head in response before exining, ¡°I was pissed off after what happened, so I just killed anyone from the Adunyadet Kingdom. Then, Lord Angele gave a tempting proposal that was too good to pass up on, so I somehow ended up bing allies with Stone Ind.¡± ¡°D-Does that mean that the Adunyadet Kingdom has fallen and Stone Ind emerged victorious from the war?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Boothroyd couldn¡¯t believe Siegfried¡¯s words at all. All he could do wasugh awkwardly in disbelief. He surreptitiously signaled the researcher, who was serving them tea. ¡®Go and find out¡­¡¯?he gestured with his eyes. ¡®Yes, sir.¡¯?The researcher nodded before walking out of the door. Boothroyd was actually more interested to know if the Adunyadet Kingdom had really fallen rather than knowing if Siegfried¡¯s heroic tales were true. ¡°Hmm¡­ I understand what you mean, Your Majesty. As promised, I will craft the Quad-Turbo Set for you because you managed to procure an Entropy Stone.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°I will have to enhance the other set pieces, too, so can you please give them to me?¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± Siegfried replied. He opened his Inventory and handed over the two set pieces in his possession. ¡°It will take approximately three days for me toplete the set items.¡± ¡°I can wait for as long as it is needed,¡± Siegfried coolly replied. Then, he seemed to have fallen into deep thought as if he was hesitating about something. He seemed hesitant as he spoke, ¡°By any chance¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Do you¡­ purchase artifacts?¡± Siegfried asked as nonchntly as possible. *** Siegfried immediately headed for the Warp Gate to the Bavarian Workshop after leaving the Autonika Workshop. ¡°W-Wee, Your Majesty, Siegfried van Proa!¡± the staffer at the entrance eximed. The workshop was obviously giving him preferential treatment. It wasn¡¯t really strange because Siegfried was the workshop¡¯s only hope ofpleting the Universal Tier artifact that the legendary cksmith Herbert had left behind. Therefore, the Bavarian Workshop made sure to treat Siegfried as friendly as possible and to do that, they even drew his face and sent copies of his face to all of their shops throughout the continent. This way, everyone would recognize him, and they would avoid making a mistake. Siegfried¡¯s portrait was sent to even the smallest shops of the Bavarian Workshop in the most remote areas. It was the reason the staffer manning the door instantly recognized him. ¡°W-What was that?¡± ¡°He person must be famous¡­¡± ¡°Is he a VIP? He doesn¡¯t look like one, though¡­¡± Siegfried attracted everyone¡¯s eyes before he could even step foot into the workshop. ¡®This is embarrassing, so let¡¯s hurry up and go in¡­¡¯? Siegfried rushed into the workshop and ran all the way to the Hometown of Death. ¡°What?! His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa is here?!¡± ¡°Yes, Head cksmith-nim.¡± ¡°I should go there at once! Tell him I¡¯m on my way!¡± ¡°B-But you have an appointment with the Crown Prince of the Leopolt Kingdom¡­¡± ¡°That is not important right now! King Siegfried is here, but what?! But who?! Cancel that appointment this instant!¡± Upon hearing about Siegfried¡¯s visit, the Head cksmith of the Bavarian Workshop, Quandt, had no qualms about one-sidedly canceling his appointment with the Crown Prince of the Leopolt Kingdom, which was a powerful nation among many others. Why? It was all because Siegfried could be the destined one who wouldplete the Universal Tier artifact of the Bavarian Workshop. The workshop had always been dreaming about crafting a Universal Tier artifact, after all. ¡°Wee, Your Majesty! You look great!¡± Quandt greeted Siegfried. ¡°It is nice to see you, Quandt-nim.¡± ¡°So, why did youe? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Quandt looked around before whispering, ¡°Have you already gathered all the necessary materials toplete Herbert-nim¡¯s artifact?¡± ¡°I guess you can say that? Although, I only got one,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. ¡°I-Is that true?!¡± Quandt eximed in surprise. He nonchntly asked half-jokingly since there was no way that there would be any progress in such a short period of time, so he was astounded to hear Siegfried respond positively to his joke. ¡°Here¡¯s one of them¡­¡± Siegfried muttered and retrieved the Omnipotent Mechanical Gear from his Inventory and showed it to the head cksmith. ¡°I have no idea what it can be used for, but¡ª¡± ¡°T-The Omnipotent Mechanical Gear!¡± It seemed that Quandt knew the material very well because he instantly recognized it. ¡°That is a treasure from a once-thriving ancient civilization, right?¡± ¡°Oh? You know it?¡± ¡°How did you manage to find that? That thing should have disappeared centuries ago! That is not something that can be found no matter how much time and money you spend!¡± ¡°Was it the Mecha Lord? Anyway, he used to be the Emperor of the Clockwork Empire. I somehow ended up getting into a fight with him, so¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Oh my god¡­!¡± Quandt couldn¡¯tpose himself after hearing Siegfried¡¯s story. ¡®I knew that he was extraordinary! He definitely got lucky, but how can someone who¡¯s not even a Master go around the continent so easily like that?!¡¯ Quandt was technically a Master if he were abatant, and he had seen many Adventurers as a Master cksmith, so it would be dumb to ask if Quandt had seen a truly powerful Adventurer. Siegfried was much weaker than those Adventurers, but he had something that those Adventurers didn¡¯t possess. However, it was something indescribable. ¡®Hmm¡­ They say that you can tell if a tree is going to be fruitful or not by looking at its leaves¡­ I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s going to be an important figureter on. He seemed to have gotten strongerpared to the first time I met him, which means that his rate of growth is extremely quick¡­¡¯?Quandt thought. ¡®It should only be a matter of time before the continent witnesses the birth of a Master for the first time in a while¡­¡¯? Quandt couldn¡¯t help but look forward to Siegfried¡¯s growth. ¡°Thank you! Thank you very much! You only collected one of the necessary materials, but that is already a huge thing for us! I sincerely thank you on behalf of the Bavarian Workshop. Thank you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°But what is the purpose of your visit this time? I don¡¯t think you came just to tell me you found one of the necessary materials, right? Do you need a new weapon or armor by any chance?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with an awkward smile before he asked, ¡°Do you¡­ purchase artifacts, too, by any chance?¡± He used the exact same words he had used against Boothroyd. *** Two dayster, Boothroyd and the high-ranking officials of the Autonika Workshop gathered at a theater to purchase a bunch of artifacts being sold by some Adventurer. The artifacts were second-hand artifacts that wouldn¡¯t have normally piqued the interest of these high-ranking officials, but they all came today because of the seller. The Adventurer who was selling the artifacts today was a super rookie, who had a dazzling future ahead of him, and the Autonika Workshop wanted to build strong ties with him no matter what. The Proatine Kingdom was a weak and small kingdom that was the size of a booger on the map, but their king, King Siegfried van Proa, was a VVIP customer of the Bavarian Workshop, which was the archrival of the Autonika Workshop. Of course, the high-ranking officials of one of the top three workshops on the continent wouldn¡¯t gather simply because of that. However, the fact that King Siegfried van Proa had caused the demise of the Adunyadet Kingdom was more than enough to make all of them get off their seats and run over here. ¡°Boothroyd-nim.¡± ¡°Have you looked into it?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Is what he said true?¡± ¡°Yes, it was all true.¡± ¡°T-Then¡­!¡± ¡®Stone Ind won the war, and the main reason they won was all thanks to King Siegfried.¡± ¡°Main reason? Exin it to me in detail.¡± ¡°I looked into what happened and¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± Boothroyd could still remember being shocked by the researcher¡¯s report. Siegfried hadn¡¯t bluffed, nor had he exaggerated anything. In fact, he had actually toned his story down so that he wouldn¡¯t sound like he was boasting. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that he had single-handedly destroyed the entire Adunyadet Kingdom. ¡®We must report this to the higher-ups! We can¡¯t estimate his limits, but I¡¯m certain that he¡¯s a customer who can bring great profit to our brand¡¯s image!¡¯?Boothroyd thought. He had called for a meeting to inform the officials of the super rookie¡¯s appearance, and they had all agreed that their next topmercial model would be the king of the small and weak kingdom. Of course, Siegfried had no idea about all this. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. The Autonika Workshop also ended up benefiting greatly when the war between Stone Ind and the Adunyadet Kingdom. Their supply chain had been interrupted, so they were having trouble keeping their shelves stocked. It wasn¡¯t actually just the Entropy Stone. They had also been having trouble procuring other raw materials from Stone Ind. When the war ended, they could finally resume the production of most of their artifacts. Therefore, they were able to continue the production of artifacts that they had to discontinue for a while. The Autonika Workshop was immensely grateful to Siegfried for ending the war. That was the primary reason why the high-ranking officials of the Autonika Workshop neither grumbled norined about having toe all the way to the theater. ¡°Hmm¡­ Why do we have toe here personally? We could have just sent our bids from our office, right?¡± asked Arfal. He was one of the elders of the Autonika Workshop. ¡°I¡¯m confused as well,¡± Boothroyd replied, but he added, ¡°But I am certain that there is a reason behind it. I have received a report that King Siegfried is quite the strategist himself, so I¡¯m certain that he has a n¡ªAh!¡± Boothroyd gasped before he could even finish his sentence. He looked like he had seen something he shouldn¡¯t have seen as he stood there in stupefaction. Chapter 163

    Chapter 163

    ¡®So this was his n¡­!¡¯?Boothroyd eximed inwardly. He had just discovered why Siegfried wanted to host the sale at a theater. The Head cksmith of the Bavarian Workshop, Quandt and a few elders of their workshop were about to enter the theater. It seemed that the people of the Bavarian Workshop saw them as well as Quandt flinched and shouted, ¡°Ha!?Those bastards! The morons who only know how to waste materials and make shitty artifacts are actually here?!¡± Quandt dealt the first blow. ¡°Shut up, Quandt! You ignorant fool who doesn¡¯t have even an ounce of artistic sense! Do you even know what technology is?!¡± Arfal retorted. With that, a war ignited between the Bavarian Workshop and the Autonika Workshop. First, it was a war of words. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just open up a jewelry store if you¡¯re going to bber about design all day? I think that would suit you a lot better!¡± ¡°Can the artifacts you make even kill a goblin? Haha!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see how far you can go with that design of yours! I¡¯m sure your products are only famous to spoiled noble children! Haha!¡± The Bavarian Workshop¡¯s attacks targeted the Autonika Workshop¡¯s design-centric approach and the fact that their artifacts were weaker than the other two workshops. ¡°Ha! Big words for a ragtag bunch whose artifacts belong to scrapyards!¡± ¡°Is that why your revenue is so good? I heard you guys are giving out discounts these days! Keke!¡± ¡°Can you even craft lethal weapons with your level of technology? Pfft!¡± The Autonika Workshop targeted the fact that the Bavarian Workshop recently gave out discounts for their artifacts. The war of words between the two soon escted as all sorts of curses flew from both sides. ¡°Look at this moron! Have you gone insane? Let go of me!¡± ¡°What are you going to do about it?! Keke!¡± Quandt, who had a nasty temper, grabbed Arfal by his cor. ¡°You ill-mannered bastard! Die!¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± One of the elders of the Bavarian Workshop got so worked up that he drop-kicked an Autonika Workshop member. The dropkick signaled the start of the second war¡ªa brawl. ¡°Die! You cowardly bastards! Can you even call yourself a man?!¡± ¡°Shut your trap before I close it for you!¡± ¡°What? You bastard¡­! Let go of me! Let go!¡± ¡°Ha! Did you just bite me? If you¡¯re going to bite, then bite properly! This is how you do it!¡± ¡°Ack!?This bastard actually scratched me!¡± ¡°Heeelp!¡± The two workshops seemed like they weren¡¯t satisfied with just punching each other, so they started scratching, biting, pulling, hair-pulling, and all sorts of childish brawl tricks avable out there. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± asked Siegfried. He had just arrived and saw a brawl taking ce between the two workshops. At the sight, he shamelessly uttered, ¡°I-It seems that they get along¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± He knew that the two workshops were at odds with each other, but he didn¡¯t expect that they would go on an all-out brawl against each other. ¡°E-Excuse me¡­?¡± Siegfried tried to stop the brawl to no avail. The two groups were so worked ups that they were in a tangled mess. They couldn¡¯t even hear Siegfried¡¯s voice. He couldn¡¯t go around pulling them apart one by one, so he mustered his mana as he started regretting his idea of calling both of them here at the same time. Wooong¡­! A ck field materialized beneath Siegfried¡¯s feet. Sreuk¡­ Ssreuuuk¡­! Shadows emerged from the ground, and they turned toward Siegfried. ¡°Try to pull them apart without hurting them.?Ah, don¡¯t even think of hitting them there, got it?¡± Siegfried said, emphasizing the word there. What did he mean by there? It didn¡¯t have to be exined. ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°H-Heup..!¡± ¡°This is?!¡± ¡°Ack!?I can¡¯t move¡­!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± The shadows subdued them one by one, stopping the brawl between the two workshops. ¡°Excuse me, everyone? Why don¡¯t we just stop here and take a seat?¡± said Siegfried. He then turned around and walked away. Quandt and Boothroyd¡¯s eyes sparkled while they were looking at Siegfried¡¯s back. ¡®Hooo¡­ An ability to summon a field that brings forth shadows¡­ Where did you learn such a mystical skill, Siegfried?¡¯ ¡®He is indeed unique. He is unique even among the multitude of Adventurers I have met so far¡­¡¯ Quandt and Boothroyd could finally somehow understand how Siegfried managed to achieve all his achievements, even though thetter didn¡¯t really look that strong. *** The two workshops sat on the right and left sides of the private theater. ¡°Those damned bastards¡­¡± ¡°Petty little shitheads¡­¡± ¡°Those cowards¡­¡± They were in a horrible state. Each of them either had swollen eyes, bruises, and scratch marks all over their faces. In addition, some of them were even bleeding from their noses. ¡®Sigh¡­ Are you guys kids or what¡­?¡¯?Siegfried sighed inwardly and shook his head. After inwardlympooning, Siegfried snapped his fingers. Pop! The curtains covering the stage slowly opened, and Hamchi wobbled over to the tform in the middle of the stage. ¡°Kyu!?We are now going to start the used artifacts auction!¡± Hamchi cried out. Then, the officials of the two workshops started muttering among themselves. ¡°Auction?¡± ¡°Is he asking us topete with money against those fools?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°So this is why he called the both of us¡­¡± The officials finally understood Siegfried¡¯s intent, and theyughed in disbelief upon realizing it. Had there ever been someone daring enough to summon both the Bavarian Workshop and the Autonika Workshop to one location and made thempete in an auction? Nobody had been brazen enough to do such a thing, and aside from Siegfried, the officials of the two workshops reckoned that no one else would do such a thing. However, the king of this particr small and weak kingdom was different. He showed awe-inspiring courage by calling both rival workshops and forcing them topete against each other in an auction. ¡®Hey, you could have just sent a few staffers. Why did all of you have toe here? Now, I feel pressured¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. The fact that the high-ranking officials from both workshops were here topete against each other in an auction for used artifacts burdened him. ¡°Kyu!?We will now start the auction! This is the first artifact! The price will start at 150 gold!¡± Hamchi showcased an artifact and signaled the start of the auction. ¡°160 gold!¡± The Bavarian Workshop started bidding with a ten-gold increase from the base price. ¡°161 gold!¡± The Autonika Workshop made a counterbid. The third war between the two workshops finally started, and it was a bidding war. ¡°What? 161 gold? 170 gold!¡± ¡°Pfft!?Look at you getting all worked up over 170 gold! 200 gold!¡± ¡°210 gold~¡± ¡°You crazy bastards! You¡¯re going to buy that thing for 210 gold?!¡± ¡°Just go home if you can¡¯t match it~¡± ¡°250 gold! What about that?!¡± ¡°250 gold?! You¡¯re crazy¡ªAh,?whatever! 300 gold! HAHAHA!¡± ¡°Are you insane?! Who in their right mind will buy that piece of crap for 300 gold?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my money! I can do what I want with it! Just fuck off if you¡¯re poor! Keke!¡± ¡°What? Poor??Ha! Listen to that senile fool! Allow me to show you our workshop¡¯s wealth! Next! Bring out the next artifact! I¡¯ll show that fool how to spend money!¡± The auction turned into a full-blown bidding war with the pride of both workshops on the line, and both workshops bought the used artifacts Siegfried auctioned for at least three to four times their market price. In the end, the true winner of this war was none other than Siegfried. Smirk¡­! The smile on Siegfried¡¯s lips would get bigger, the more artifacts were auctioned off. The auction finally ended when the Bavarian Workshop bought the artifact that the Starved King had dropped the Starving Incense Burner, for eleven times its market price. However, the Bavarian Workshop didn¡¯t really win because they fell into the trap that the Autonika Workshop had created for them. ¡°Pfft!?Stupid fools. Did you really just buy that artifact for that price? Tsk, tsk¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°That artifact is undoubtedly valuable, but it¡¯s not worth that?much. Do you guys have that much money to throw away? Hohoho!¡± ¡°Y-you¡­!¡± ¡°Have fun with that expensive~?artifact you bought~ Kekeke!¡± The Autonika Workshop was also interested in the Starving Incense Burner, but they didn¡¯t desire it as much as the Bavarian Workshop because of the strong concentration of dark energy in it. The Autonika Workshop used that fact to its advantage by driving up the price of the artifact. They managed to raise the artifact¡¯s price eleven times its market value. Tremble¡­ Tremble¡­! The Bavarian Workshop officials were trembling in anger, while the Autonika Workshop members were rejoicing at their sess. ¡®Let¡¯s try not to smile¡­ Try not to smile¡­!¡¯? Meanwhile, Siegfried was struggling not to show his joy. *** After the auction, Siegfried personally thanked the representatives of both workshops who had fought with their pride on the line. The first person he thanked was the Head cksmith of the Autonika Workshop, Boothroyd. ¡°I have heard that you can be quite ruthless, but I had never expected that you¡¯re ruthless to this extent,¡± Boothroyd said with a smile. ¡°No way! Me? Ruthless? I just wanted to make a bit more money, that¡¯s all.¡± Siegfried denied the allegations against him. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess you are right, but I cannot seem to discard the thought that you are indeed ruthless, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°However, our Autonika Workshop promises to always treat Your Majesty with the service that you rightfully deserve.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°And this is the artifact set that Your Majesty hasmissioned,¡± Boothroyd said as he handed over the Quad-Turbo Set to Siegfried. [Quad-Turbo Set] [An upgraded version of the Bi-Turbo Set crafted by the best department of the Autonika Workshop, the Smithy of Advancement.] [It is equipped with two more turbochargers than the Bi-Turbo Set for a total of four turbochargers.] [Set Effects: Skill Power +30%, Skill Area +80%, All Skill +2 Levels.] Siegfried finally acquired the set item that was perfectly suitable for his ss, the Debuff Master. It was obvious, but the Quad-Turbo Set was far superior by at least three timespared to the Bi-Turbo Set. Needless to say, it was far more expensive than thetter. ¡°And¡­¡± Boothroyd trailed off before whispering, ¡°Our workshop is confident that we can treat you better than the Bavarian Workshop, so pleasee to us at any time.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ sure¡­¡± Siegfried replied with an awkward smile. ¡°Then, I shall wait for your visit,¡± Boothroyd said with a bow. After receiving the Quad-Turbo Set from Boothroyd, Siegfried immediately went over to the Head of cksmith of the Bavarian Workshop, Quandt. ¡°Thank you very much for participating in the auction.¡± ¡°Hoho! Not at all!¡± ¡°I apologize if you were offended in any way¡­¡± ¡°No way! I enjoyed seeing those Autonika bastards after a long time, and I was able to vent all of my stress by beating the shit out of them, too! Keke!¡± Quandt¡¯s words didn¡¯t really sound great when he had a huge ck eye himself. However, Siegfried decided not to say anything else after hearing that Quandt had noints about the matter. ¡°But, what is that? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re wearing something made by those Autonika bastards¡­? It looks like an artifact that went through a lot of tuning.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ it just so happened that way¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my god! Take that off! What kind of misfortune do you want to fall on you?! You might start looking for men at this rate!¡± ¡°W-What kind of logic is that?¡± ¡°Did you abandon us for those bastards? Are you in bed with them now?!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°How far have you gone?!¡± ¡°Gone, where¡­?¡± Siegfried furrowed his brow in disbelief. ¡°You are in that kind of a rtionship with them, aren¡¯t you?! Tell me honestly! Is it us or those bastards?! Tell me! Pick!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not what you think. I just needed something from them, and it turned out this way¡­¡± ¡°Ha! You sold yourself for some artifact?! Was the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance not enough for you? Weren¡¯t you satisfied?!¡± ¡°Please listen to me first¡ª¡± ¡°Autonika? Forget about those bastards! I will buy your heart! How much do you need?! What do you need?! Tell me what kind of artifacts you need! I¡¯ll make you anything you want for free as long as you bring the materials I need!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course! It looks like you still need a trouser, a pair of boots, and a headgear! We will fill that up for you!¡± Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Quest: ¡®How Much Do You Need?¡¯ has appeared!] Siegfried had justpleted a quest from the Autonika Workshop, but a quest from the Bavarian Workshop appeared right afterward. Chapter 164

    Chapter 164

    [How Much Do You Need?] [The Bavarian Workshop will provide you with the following equipment that you need¡ªtrousers, boots, and headgear.] [Type: Affinity Quest] [Progress: 0% (0/3)] [Rewards: Bavarian Workshop Crafting Coupon: Three Free Advanced Artifacts.] It was an unexpected opportunity. ¡®Oh! Jackpot! I¡¯m Level 190 right now, so I should take advantage of this opportunity when I hit Level 200!¡¯?Siegfried rejoiced inwardly. He still had to upgrade parts of his equipment, so the quest came at the perfect timing. ¡°What do you think? I can¡¯t possibly tell you not to wear an artifact set that you¡¯re already wearing, but you should wear ours, too! Haha!¡± Quandt boisterouslyughed. ¡°S-Should I¡­?¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll throw in a cape as well! That¡¯s four parts! We have a deeper rtionship, so you should wear one more part from uspared to those Autonika bastards!¡± The quest reward changed to Bavarian Workshop Crafting Coupon: Four Free Advanced Artifacts. ¡°So, what do you think? Will you ept our workshop¡¯s offer?¡± ¡°I have no reason to refuse it,¡± Siegfried immediately epted the offer. He then added nonchntly, ¡°You know I like the Bavarian Workshop better.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°I was getting along with the Autonika Workshop because I needed this artifact set, but that¡¯s not the case with the Bavarian Workshop. After all, we¡¯re really close with each other, right?¡± ¡°Exactly! We have a rtionship forged by fate!¡± ¡°Shall we go?¡± Siegfried said. He held Quandt¡¯s hand before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look at your artifacts.¡± ¡°Hoho! You really are¡­ you are really good at ying with my heart! Hoho! I can¡¯t get a hold of myself!¡± Quandt blushed when Siegfried squeezed his hand to show that they were really close. ¡°Owner punk, you really are evil¡­¡± Hamchi muttered to himself while looking at his owner. The Siegfried he was seeing right now was a cunning Siegfried. It seemed that making people jealous was basic for the cunning Siegfried. In addition, he was even pretending that he wasn¡¯t happy, even though he was inwardly jumping and shouting in joy. Moreover, Siegfried could also pretend that he was happy, even though he wasn¡¯t really happy. He was also pretty good at ying hard to get. He also knew how to reel in people that saw him favorably and extract the most profit he could extract out of them. ¡°Hey, owner punk¡­ Why don¡¯t you try bing a swindler if you¡¯re free?¡± asked Hamchi while shaking his head. *** ¡®Ugh¡­ What is this? This is so embarrassing¡­¡¯?Siegfried shut his eyes tightly as he stood in front of the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s main office building. ¡°The Bavarian Workshop wees His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa!¡± ¡°WELCOME, Your Majesty!¡± It was all because the workshop¡¯s staffers had run out and formed two lines that stretched over thirty meters. In addition, they even bowed at a ny-degree angle and shouted at the top of their lungs. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ ¡°His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa, is entering!¡± someone announced Bam! Bam bam bam bam! Bam bam bam bam!? A marching band appeared out of nowhere and started ying a familiar tune. And that wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ The doors swung wide open, and a huge roll of red carpet appeared. Two peopleid the carpet down all the way toward Siegfried. It was an even grander weepared to the one he had received a few days ago. (Grand) His Majesty, Siegfried van Proa! (Wee) The icing on the cake was the huge dazzling banner one would probably only see in rural provinces. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite grand¡­¡± ¡°Is he someone famous?¡± ¡°Siegfried van Proa? I think I heard that name before¡­¡± The Adventurers and NPCs in the area stared at Siegfried, and the crowd was muchrger than the crowd a few days ago. ¡®Ack! I don¡¯t like this. It¡¯s too cringey!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly and cringed. He quickly made his way into the building. ¡°Hey! Wait for me, owner punk!¡± shouted Hamchi before chasing after him. Tak! Tak! Tak! Siegfried and Hamchi rushed all the way to the Hometown of Death, which was located deep within the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s building. Siegfried turned a corner, and he came face-to-face with someone. ¡®Huh?¡¯? The individual was giving off a weird vibe. The man was more than a hundred and ny centimeters tall with flowing ck hair, and he had an indifferent look that seemed devoid of any emotions. Shiver¡­ Siegfried felt a chill travel down his spine. His instincts were screaming at him that the man was dangerous. He couldn¡¯t really pinpoint the reason behind the weird feeling that he could feel from the man, but Siegfried was sure that he was standing in front of a powerful individual. ¡®Who is he? Is he an Adventurer or an NPC? Let¡¯s take a look¡­¡¯? Siegfried tried to discreetly turn his hand and activate his Rune of Insight. However, he couldn¡¯t activate it. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you. Where did you learn that bad habit of scanning other people without their permission? Are you an Adventurer?¡± asked the man, interrupting Siegfried. ¡°Ah, excuse me. I apologize if I offended you,¡± Siegfried apologized. Then, he exined, ¡°I felt something powerful from you, so my curiosity got the better of me.¡± ¡°If we were outside¡­¡± the man said in a cold voice, ¡°You would have been dead by now.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too harsh¡­?¡± Siegfried grumbled with furrowed brows. He could not help but feel offended. After all, he had already apologized. ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯ll just give you my head? Why don¡¯t you give it a try¡ª¡± Siegfried retorted. However, the man interrupted him. ¡°Consider yourself lucky, Adventurer.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I will rip your throat out the next time I see you,¡± the man threatened before walking away. ¡°Hey, we¡¯re not done talking¡ª¡± Siegfried called out. However, a voice interrupted him. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s the rush? We prepared quite a lot of things to wee you, you know?!¡± ¡°King Siegfried! Please have a cup of tea first!¡± ¡°We will prepare our catalog for you! Please give us a second!¡± Quandt and the rest swarmed Siegfried. ¡°Wait a minute! Hey! You! Over there!¡± Siegfried shouted. Quandt and the rest carried him away, making him look like a celebrity being pushed by his fans. He ended up losing the tall, ck-haired man. In the end, Siegfried was dragged by Quandt and the Bavarian Workshop staffers into the VVIP room, where only a very select few were allowed to enter. The Bavarian Workshop¡¯s obsession over the iplete masterpiece that Legendary cksmith Herbert had left behind was so immense that they treated the weak king of a weak kingdom as if he were the emperor himself in their workshop. Indeed, Siegfried was still a weak king if only his level was taken into ount. ¡®Ah¡­ that guy bothers me. I have a feeling that I¡¯ll run into him outside, and we will have a go at each other,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He could feel a certain vibe?from the tall, ck-haired man earlier. *** Thirty minutester, Siegfried finally pointed at three artifacts in the catalog. ¡°Hmm¡­ this one, this one, and this one,¡± said Siegfried. [Monster Strength Greaves] [Bloody Iron Boots] [Head Breaker Helmet] The three artifacts he chose wouldn¡¯t amplify the Debuff Master¡¯s abilities like the Quad-Turbo Set, but their individual option was excellent. They provided a huge boost to HP, Mana, and Stamina of the user, but they also provided high Defense, Magic Resistance, and Attack Power. In fact, they also increased the Strength?of the user by quite a bit. In short, the stats of these artifacts were pretty high. ¡®The Quad-Turbo has great options but mediocre stats, so these three willpensate for that,¡¯?Siegfried thought while choosing the artifacts. Of course, their stats weren¡¯t the only thing that was excellent. The artifacts that Siegfried chose were crafted by the Hometown of Death, which boasted that their artifacts would have immense killing abilities, so all three artifacts had their own unique option. The Monster Strength Greaves would give the wearer 150% increased damage dealt whenever the wearer attacked their enemies using their knees¡ªmore specifically, using knee strikes. The Bloody Iron Boots allowed the wearer to deal 150% increased damage dealt using kicks, while the wearer of the Head Breaker Helmet would deal 150% increased damage dealt when headbutting an enemy, and the wearer would also take 50% less recoil damage from the headbutt. In short, the three artifacts that Siegfried had chosen from the Bavarian Workshop not only possessed immense stats, but their options also increased his damage dealt. Siegfried felt like he was turning his entire body into a weapon. It made even more sense when one considered that those three artifacts were mostly worn by meleebat-type sses. Of course, Siegfried didn¡¯t really care about that. ¡®I have no other choice. I would have to give up on the Quad-Turbo Set if I were to choose anything other than these¡­¡¯?Siegfried inwardly mulled. ¡¯This is the best gearbination at my current level, so I need to pick artifacts that will boost my stats. Besides, thesebat-centric leg and shin armor seem quite useful¡­¡¯ A gamer would eventually have to look for the best gearbination based on their avable items, the set options of those items, their level, et cetera. There was no such thing as a perfect gearbination, and there would be times when one would be forced to use items that didn¡¯t match their ss for the sake of maintaining the bnce of their stats. So what if these artifacts didn¡¯t suit the Debuff Masters when the stats he was gaining from them was more than enough topensate for the shoring of the Quad-Turbo Set? ¡°Hmm¡­ Excellent choices, I must say. Then I will rmend you a cape,¡± Quandt said while scanning the catalog. Then, he retrieved a cape and showed it to Siegfried. [Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings] [A cape that brings forth bloodshed. Its tips are sharper than any de, and it can cut through steel with just a graze.] [Type: Armor (Cape)] [Rating: Legendary] [Durability: 100/100] [Options: Defense +17%, Magic Resistance +17%] [Special Abilities: Larvae, Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance] [Larvae: Activate to cover the entire body with the cape. Explosively increases Defense and Magic Resistance.] [Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance: Upon activation, the wearer can flutter the cape, cutting down enemies. The user maybine this ability with a simr ability. (Combinable Skill: Quick Draw)] The cape that seemed to be from the same product lineup as the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance Throwable Set possessed immense Defense and Attack Power. ¡®Huh? I won¡¯t have to use a sword with this. It will be much more efficient for me to use this and increase my Defense rather than to carry around a sword just to use Quick Draw¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. The item came at the perfect timing because he had been carrying a sword around for the sole purpose of using Quick Draw. ¡°Wow, your suggestion is great, I like it¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Hoho! I knew it! Our workshop knows you best, no matter what anyone else says! Those Autonika bastards can¡¯t possibly hold a candle to us! Hahaha!¡± Quandt eximed while letting out a burst of boisterousughter. ¡°Well said,¡± Siegfried added. Of course, he would say the exact opposite while he was in the Autonika Workshop¡­ Ding! A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®How Much Do You Need?¡¯!] Upon seeing the message, Siegfried knew what wasing based on his experience. ¡®He is probably going to tell me what materials he needs and give me another quest¡­¡¯ He decided to make the first move and ask Quandt to trigger the next quest. ¡°What materials will you need to craft these?¡± ¡°As you can see¡­ I need a lot of materials to craft these artifacts, but we are willing to shoulder most of themon materials, so you just have to bring¡­¡± Quandt spelled out the materials he would need to craft the four artifacts. [Alert: The Quest: ¡®This Is All You Need!¡¯ has appeared!] As expected, another quest appeared in front of Siegfried. Chapter 165

    Chapter 165

    The quest was quite simple and straightforward as all he had to do was to collect the materials required, but the problem was the number of materials he had to collect. [This is All You Need!] [Bring the following materials to Quandt, the head cksmith of the Bavarian Workshop.] [Progress: 16%] [Dimensional Fragment: 21,812/25,000] [Heavenly Silk: 0/10] [Blood Moth Wings: 0/2] [3KG of ck Steel Ore Lump: 0/3] [Titan¡¯s Tendons: 0/30] He had to collect five types of materials. The easiest was the Dimensional Fragments, but he had to collect a jaw-dropping twenty-five thousand pieces. It was an extremely tedious task to collect so many Dimensional Fragments, but fortunately, he had already collected 21,812 fragments. ¡®It¡¯s good that I picked those up and kept them. Otherwise, when am I ever going to gather twenty-five thousand of those? Even five thousand is going to be a difficult task.¡¯? Siegfried let out a sigh of relief when he saw that he already had a ton of Dimensional Fragments in his Inventory. ¡°So what do you think? Can you get them for me?¡± Quandt asked. ¡°Yes, there won¡¯t be any problems,¡± Siegfried replied confidently with a nod. Then, a message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®This is All You Need!¡¯] After epting the quest, Siegfried left the Bavarian Workshop. ¡°Owner punk! Where are we headed? Kyu!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop by Proatine first to get some rest. Then, we¡¯ll have to prepare before we gather the necessary materials.¡± ¡°Sounds like a n! Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi then headed for the Proatine Kingdom. *** ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Siegfried was surprised. An unfamiliar scenery greeted him upon arriving at the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°What the hell? Why is everything a mess? What happened here?¡± ¡°Kyu??What¡¯s going on? Why is everything in shambles?¡± Everything was in shambles because the entire city was currently being renovated, with the royal pce in the middle of it. Obviously, Siegfried and Hamchi had no idea what was going on, so they were stupefied by the sight. ¡°Wee back, Your Majesty,¡± Michele greeted Siegfried. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is everything¡ª¡± ¡°We have started arge-scale construction.¡± ¡°Arge-scale construction?¡± ¡°We¡¯re installing an energy system that will use mana stones as fuel all over the city with the royal pce at the center.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already installing it?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll bepleted soon, and our treasury is also full thanks to our recent trade agreement with Stone Ind, so I did not see any reason to dy it any further,¡± Michele exined, ¡°Everything should be done in a month or two, ording to what the technicians had said, and we also have quite a lot of mana stones in our storage.¡± The reason why the kingdom the size of a booger had so many mana stones was all thanks to the unfair agreement that Michele had forced upon the three nations back then, which resulted in Proatine owning a mana stone mine. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great, then. I am looking forward to the result,¡± Siegfried replied. He remembered the highly advanced streets of Stone Ind, and he couldn¡¯t help but look forward to Proatine¡¯s transformation. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯ll grow it step by step until we will no longer be called a small and weak country. I mean, we¡¯re not a punching bag, but why is everyone looking down on us wherever I go? It always makes me feel like shit¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. He then looked at Michele and asked discreetly, ¡°What about my personal treasury¡­?¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the king, right? So¡­ shouldn¡¯t I have my personal treasury?¡± ¡°You do not have to worry about that, Your Majesty. An ample amount has been set aside for your personal treasury.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t afford to invest everything he had earned into the kingdom¡¯s development. He needed money to live abundantly in real life, and he also needed money in the game to regrly upgrade his character¡¯s gears. He also needed money to hire other Adventurers who would help him in his war against the Genesis Guild in the future. ¡®Sigh¡­ I guess I will need to keep earning money no matter what¡­¡¯?he sighed inwardly. This was the main reason why he was bing greedier and greedier as time went on. He had a lot more things to pay forpared to a normal Adventurer, so he had to constantly grind for money. ¡°Oh, do you know if Stone Ind mines ck Steel Ores?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes, they should be mining that ore. I believe that the quantities are limited, but they do mine it as well,¡± Michele replied. ¡°Then go ahead and call Stone Ind. I need a few ck Steel Ores.¡± ¡°As you wish, Your Majesty.¡± Michele bowed and called a signalman over. ¡ª Your Majesty! I did not expect you to call so soon! Have you been well? Lord Angele appeared on the screen and greeted Siegfried. ¡°I am doing well, thanks to you, and the energy system construction is progressing quite smoothly as well,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. ¡ª That is great! I hope that you will be able to get it running soon. ¡°But¡­ Do you have any ck Steel Ores by any chance? Would you be willing to sell some to me if you do?¡± ¡ª ck Steel Ores? Please give me a moment to check. Not even a minuteter, Lord Angele returned. ¡ª We have around eleven tons of it. How much do you need? ¡°Eleven tons?!¡± ¡ª We are one of thergest producers of ck Steel Ore on the continent. Anyway, how much do you need? ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Siegfried hesitated for a moment before he said weakly, ¡°Three pieces of three-kilogram lumps¡­¡± ¡ª Hmm? Three tons?¡± ¡°No¡­ three pieces of¡­ three-kilogram lumps¡­¡± ¡ª Your Majesty needs three pieces of three-kilogram lumps of ck Steel Ore? ¡°Y-Yes¡­ I don¡¯t need tons of it, so can you sell me just three pieces of lumps that are three kilograms each?¡± ¡ª We will immediately send it over. ¡°How much would that be?¡± ¡ª No, Your Majesty. We cannot simply take money from you over something like this. We will give those lumps to you as a gift. ¡°Thank you very much¡­¡± Siegfried had no reason to spend money and buy those expensive ck Steel Ores when the rich noona was willing to splurge on him. However, he was inwardly crying tears of poverty. ¡®The wealth gap is real¡­¡¯? ¡°Your Majesty! We have received three pieces of three-kilogram lumps of ck Steel Ore from Stone Ind!¡± Lord Angele sent over the ck Steel Ores as soon as she told Siegfried that she was going to give them for free. Siegfried received them instantly, thanks to the Warp Gate that was connecting Proatine and Stone Ind to each other. [3KG of ck Steel Ore Lump: 3/3] ? Thanks to Lord Angele¡¯s prompt action, Siegfried managed to obtain the fourth material he needed for the quest. Then, he started walking away with Hamchi in tow. ¡°Aaaaack!?Save me! Spare meeeeee!¡± Siegfried was startled by the sound of someone screaming at the top of their lungs. ¡°W-What was that?¡± he asked the servant behind him. ¡°That is the voice of one of the prisoners we had captured, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Prisoner?¡± ¡°I believe he is an officer from the Adunyadet Kingdom.¡± ¡°Ah, it must be that guy, then.¡± Siegfried finally recalled the owner of the screaming voice. The voice belonged to the one who ordered the shelling of Sterlumen Mine. ¡°The Labor Forces members must be torturing him right now,¡± he said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. They are subjecting him to all sorts of cruel torture without killing him.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk¡­?I knew it.¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue when his presumption ended up being right. ¡°Kill me. I am a proud officer of the great Adunyadet Kingdom. I have no intention of begging for my life.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re going to end up groveling¡­¡± Siegfried could still remember that the man was confident that he wouldn¡¯t beg for his life. However, the members of the Laber Forces were just getting started, but the man was already begging for the sweet release of death. ¡°Just go and bite your tongue or something¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t think he has the balls to do that. Kyu!¡±?Hamchie added. Siegfried looked at the servant and said, ¡°It¡¯s too noisy. Ask them to torture him at an underground prison or something.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°And tell them to lock him up in a coal mine or something if they aren¡¯t going to kill him,¡± Siegfried added before walking away. He and Hamchi eventually arrived in front of the Warp Gate. ¡°Where are we going? Kyu?!¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Siegfried was in a dilemma. He only had to collect four materials. The Dimensional Fragments weren¡¯t really a problem for him to collect because he could simply go to a nearby dimensional rift to collect the rest of them. In that case, Siegfried¡¯s destinations were clear. ¡®I can only obtain the Titan¡¯s Tendons from the Vaxen Mountains¡­¡¯?Siegfried went over the quest details once again. [Blood Moth] [A gigantic moth that inhabits the Sunset Forest near White Town. It isrge and powerful, so caution is advised when dealing with it.] [Heavenly Silk] [A silk produced by a mysterious worm. It can be purchased from the Thierry Merchant Company at White Town. It is quite expensive.] Siegfried had two destinations¡ªhe could either farm the Titan¡¯s Tendons at the Vaxen Mountains, or he could head over to White Town, where he could obtain both the Blood Moth Wings and Heavenly Silk. He would eventually have to visit both ces, so he only had to decide where he would go first. ¡®Finishing everything as soon as possible is always the best choice, right? All right, we¡¯re going to White Town.¡¯? Having made his decision, Siegfried activated the Warp Gate. *** Siegfried immediately went to look for the Thierry Merchant Company as soon as he arrived at White Town. The Thierry Merchant Company was famous for dealing with silk, trinkets, leather goods, shoes, clothes, et cetera. The merchantpany had a deep foundation, and they were also famous for their high prices. In other words, the merchantpany was like a luxury brand in this fantasy game world. Of course, they dealt with various things aside from fashion goods. After all, they were still a merchantpany. ¡°Wow¡­ Their building is a work of art¡­¡± ¡°It is..! Kyu!¡± Siegfried immediately went to the receptionist and requested a meeting with their supervisor. He also expressed his intention to purchase the Heavenly Silk from them. ¡°Excuse me, but would you mind telling me who you are? We do not simply sell the Heavenly Silk to anyone, you see¡­¡± said the manager. ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I am from the Proatine Kingdom¡ª¡± Siegfried started. However, the manager interrupted him. ¡°Oh, are you talking about that small and weak kingdom?¡± Siegfried almost lost hisposure when the manager described his kingdom as both small and weak, but he was able to suppress his anger through superhuman self-control. ¡°Yes, I am the king of that small and weak kingdom. Let me introduce myself once again, I am King Siegfried van Proa, the king of a small and weak kingdom.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The manager was momentarily stupefied, but his eyes quickly shot wide open in shock. ¡°I-I apologize, K-King Siegfried van Proa. Forgive me for my insulting words¡­¡± ¡°Not, not at all. What you said wasn¡¯t insulting at all because everyone knows that my kingdom is. the. size. of. a. booger.¡± ¡°I-I will immediately call our head!¡± the manager eximed before running away. Soon, someone else arrived and introduced themselves. ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty, Siegfried van Proa. My name is Gio de Thierry, and I am the current head of the Thierry Merchant Company.¡± ¡°My name is Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I have heard from my staff that you were hoping to purchase our Heavenly Silk, is that correct?¡± ¡°Did he also mention that I was the king of a small and weak kingdom?¡± ¡°Pardon me? I am not sure that I follow¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Hamchi looked at Siegfried and thought, ¡®This owner punk is extremely petty, all right.¡¯ Hamchi came to the conclusion that his owner was extremely ck-heartedpared to other humans. He also judged Siegfried as cunning, ruthless, and petty. ¡°I regret to inform Your Majesty that only a limited quantity of the Heavenly Silk is being sold for now,¡± Gio said with a troubled look. ¡°Limited quantity?¡± ¡°There are simply too many people wanting to purchase itpared to the amount we can produce so¡ª¡± Gio tried to exin. However, Siegfried cut him off and asked, ¡°Hmm¡­ Do I need a high enough social standing and significant wealth to purchase it?¡± Fortunately, he was wrong this time. ¡°What you have mentioned is the criteria used by the top three workshops. Our merchantpany is different from them. Haha¡­¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°To earn the right to purchase our Heavenly Silk, you will have to defeat the three Maestros of the Weapon Academy.¡± Gio¡¯s words sounded weird in Siegfried¡¯s ears. ¡®Hey¡­ What¡¯s the corrtion between the Heavenly Silk and defeating three Maestros or whatever?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. He decided to ask Gio the reason behind such a requirement because he simply couldn¡¯t quite grasp why he had to fulfill that condition before he could earn the right to purchase their Heavenly Silk. 1. Steele from iron ores. I know. Chapter 166

    Chapter 166

    ¡°Why? The Heavenly Silk is precious, but your condition is strange,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Well, we have our reason for that¡­¡± Gio replied. ¡°Reason?¡± ¡°We are limiting the sales of our Heavenly Silk as it has gotten quite popr among noble kids. Those kids love to walk around with a cape woven out of Heavenly Silk¡­ Sigh¡­¡± Gio let out a sigh before he continued. ¡°The son of an influential noble fashion household attended a ball with a cape woven out of Heavenly Silk, and afterward, we received more than five hundred orders for it¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Ourpany isn¡¯t happy that our Heavenly Silk is being treated as just another luxury item¡­¡± ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it better for you since you can sell it for a higher price?¡± ¡°Our production capacity is limited, so we want it to be used for meaningful purposes. Besides, our merchantpany has many other streams of ie, so we do not really have to depend on selling Heavenly Silk for a higher price just to earn.¡± ¡°But what¡¯s the corrtion between those young nobles wanting the Heavenly Silk and winning against those Maestros or something?¡± ¡°The Heavenly Silk is a treasure that only the Thierry Family can produce, and we cannot simply stand by and watch our treasure be treated as a fashion statement by some kids¡­¡± Gio said. ¡±I personally cannot stand by and watch a spoiled kid acting high and mighty at the academy just because he has a cape made out of Heavenly Silk, and an arrogant spoiled kid wearing our Heavenly Silk will soil our image as well,¡± Gio added. It was often said that merchants were ruthless and vicious when money was involved, but it seemed that Gio truly didn¡¯t want to treat the Heavenly Silk as just anothermodity that he could sell to other people. ¡°However, those noble kidse from powerful families, so we cannot keep refusing them. They¡¯re also rich enough to afford it, even at absurd prices.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why¡­¡± ¡°Yes, we added this absurd condition because it is difficult for us to t-out reject their orders. There is no way that those spoiled brats can defeat the Weapon Academy Maestros, after all¡­ Haha!¡± Gio¡¯sughter sounded like he was trying to say ¡®it must be annoying, right? Bleh!¡¯ ¡®In the end, he doesn¡¯t want it to be treated as just another item that those spoiled kids could use to show off their wealth¡­¡¯?Siegfried understood Gio¡¯s intent. Money wasn¡¯t the only thing that mattered to people. And the fact that the Heavenly Silk was a treasure of the Thierry Family was another reason for them to value it more than money. ¡°Then, if I want to purchase the Heavenly Silk¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty most certainly will not be an exemption. I would love to sell it directly to you right now, but¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°You are more than worthy to purchase the Heavenly Silk since you are a VVIP customer of both the Bavarian and Autonika workshops.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve heard of me?¡± ¡°Information is power and the lifeblood of a merchant. Anyone who runs a merchantpany should never staycent with information gathering. I have heard of your fame and exploits, King Siegfried van Proa.¡± Siegfried wasn¡¯t aware of this, but Gio had a lot of connections. The Thierry Merchant Company provided design consultations to the Bavarian Workshop, and they coborated with quite a lot of the Autonika Workshop¡¯s clothing artifacts. Not only that, they even had an existing trade deal with Stone Ind as well. Therefore, Gio knew Siegfried very well. Of course, a mere employee¡ªlike the manager earlier¡ªwouldn¡¯t be aware of Siegfried¡¯s identity because he was the king of a¡ª ¡°It is unfortunate, but the high-ranking nobles from powerful nations will not stand idly by and watch if we were to sell the Heavenly Silk to you without any conditions.¡± ¡°I do not wish to receive any special treatment.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it a shot. Your purchase condition,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. Ding! A message popped up informing Siegfried that he had epted the quest. [Challenge] [Go to the Weapon Academy and get more than three victories over their Maestros.] [Progress: 0% (0/3)] [Reward: Right to purchase the Heavenly Silk.] Siegfried had no idea of the Maestros¡¯ strength, but he still decided to give it a shot. ¡®Even if I fail, the experience will still be a valuable learning experience for me since I¡¯m sure those Maestros are powerful,¡¯ thought Siegfried. ¡°I¡¯m well aware that you will be in an awkward position if you give me special treatment.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Gio simplyughed in disbelief at Siegfried¡¯s response. ¡®He is exactly as I heard¡­ Most people would probably want special treatment, but I had never imagined that he would nonchntly agree with my condition. He has such an excellent character¡­¡¯?Gio thought in awe. Of course, there was no way he would know just how ck-hearted Siegfried was deep inside, and that was the reason he promised an additional reward. ¡°We will sell the Heavenly Silk at a thirty percent discount if Your Majesty manages to sessfully fulfill the condition,¡± Gio added. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Siegfried asked in surprise. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll definitely give it a shot.¡± Siegfried left the merchantpany¡¯s building and headed straight for the Weapon Academy. *** Murmur¡­ Murmur¡­? There was quite a crowd outside the Weapon Academy. ¡°What the hell? Why is it so crowded?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a flea market here! A flea market! Kyu!¡± It was exactly as Hamchi said. The Weapon Academy had turned into a flea market, thanks to the crowd of both NPCs and Adventurers. Most members of the crowd were Level 30 Adventurers. They would disappear somewhere after paying a fee at the reception. ¡°Ah¡­ Is this that ce? The ce where people with Normal sses go to change sses?¡± Siegfried said while looking around. Ny-six percent of BNW yers would start as a Normal ss Adventurer for their first ss. An Adventurer¡¯s ss was Normal, and they could choose to be a magician, knight, thief, or other specific sses. Then, they would level up or clear quests that would allow them to get their second-ss advancement to obtain a specific ss. The Weapon Academy was a ce that the Adventurers could visit to finally change into a specific ss. Tae-Sung started off at a Magic Academy in a rural backwater province as well. It was called a Magic Academy, but it was actually a ce where kids learned how to conjure small fireballs and y around with them. ¡®I wonder why I chose to go there? Haha¡­¡¯?Siegfried smiled while looking at the rookie Adventurers. He couldn¡¯t help but reminisce about the past. However, his good vibes were shattered when someone pointed their finger at him. ¡°What the hell is wrong with this guy?¡± A Level 31 Adventurer was pointing at him. It seemed that he had seen Siegfried¡¯s details using his Rune of Insight. Of course, he couldn¡¯t see detailed information about Siegfried because they were masked, but the problem was with his titles¡­ ¡°What the hell is Seggs Stamina King? Pffft!¡± ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯?Siegfried was mortified. The Metamorphosis Mask disguised all of his details and titles, but it wouldn¡¯t cover the title Seggs Stamina King for some reason. He couldn¡¯t manipte the mask¡¯s ability to disguise details. He could only set a temporary name that he could use whenever he was in disguise. It seemed that the mask had judged that Siegfried wouldn¡¯t be in any danger even if his title Seggs Stamina King was on full disy. Of course, whether he was going to be severely embarrassed by it or not wasn¡¯t the Metamorphosis Mask¡¯s business. ¡°Wow! Look at that guy! He¡¯s the Seggs Stamina King! Keke!¡± People started flocking and shing their Rune of Insight at him. ¡°Pfft!?What an amazing title!¡± ¡°I-Is he big¡­?¡± ¡°His capsule probably smells like chestnut flowers. He probably jizzes inside his capsule a few times a day, considering his title.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that someone would be that dedicated to adult content. Wow¡­ He must be such a loser in real life hees to a game toe, get it? Tsk, tsk¡­¡± ¡°Hey, bro! You¡¯re going to get mummified at this rate! Slow down! Kekeke!¡± The Adventurers sneered and teased Siegfried upon seeing his Seggs Stamina King title. ¡®Ah¡­ What¡¯s going to happen to my image now? Who¡¯s going topensate me for it?!¡¯? Siegfried suddenly felt like hiding in a hole. He had to run away. How could he have known that he would be subjected to eternal suffering after opening a skill book out of curiosity? ¡°Hey! Wait for me, my sexually active owner! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi shouted and chased after Siegfried. *** ¡°Do you wish to enroll?¡± asked the receptionist. ¡°No, I am not here to enroll but to duel against the Maestros,¡± Siegfried stated his reason foring to the Weapon Academy. ¡°Ah, duel¡­¡± the receptionist grumbled and said, ¡°Here is your number. Please go and wait over there.¡± ¡°Huh? Number?¡± ¡°Please go wait over there. Next!¡± The receptionist seemed quite busy as she hurriedly shooed Siegfried away before greeting the Adventurers who came to actually enroll or change sses. ¡®What the heck was that? That was a bit rude¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled. He felt that something was off, judging by the receptionist¡¯s response. He soon arrived at a huge training ground. There were many people, and they looked quite rich. They were also quite handsome and were equipped with all sorts of expensive and shy artifacts. If one looked at them from a certain angle, then they were like the fashionistas of the N¨¹rburg Continent. ¡°A cape made out of Heavenly Silk is the trendiest item of our time. I will definitely beat three Maestros today.¡± ¡°An item like a cape made out of Heavenly Silk is a must-have item for people like us.¡± ¡°Number 121? How much longer do I have to wait? Tsk!¡± They were undoubtedly the children of rich nobles. However, they looked hopeless in Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡®Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think they can fight. They just look like a bunch of spoiled brats to me. No wonder Gio was against selling the Heavenly Silk to them¡­ Tsk, tsk,¡¯?Siegfried clicked his tongue. ¡°Number eighty-seven! Number eighty-seven!¡± A handsome blond guy stood up when his number was called. He then disappeared somewhere. ¡°Ugh¡­¡±? Someone was being carried away on a stretcher. He had definitely challenged the Maestros without knowing his ce. The same scene was reyed a few times until Siegfried¡¯s turn finally arrived. ¡°Number 144! Number 144!¡± ¡°Ah, here!¡± ¡°Which Maestro do you wish to challenge?¡± asked the staffer. ¡°I can choose?¡± ¡°Of course, you get to choose how you want to get beaten up¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Excuse me?¡± ¡°Ah,?nothing! Please don¡¯t mind me!¡± the staffer eximed after a Freudian slip. However, the staffer¡¯s slip of the tongue gave Siegfried a nce into what the staffers thought of the rich nobles challenging the Maestros. ¡°You may choose one from the sword, de, spear, shield, blunt weapon, dagger, and whip. Then, you will be matched with a Maestro of the weapon of your choice.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think I¡¯ll go with¡ª¡± Siegfried was about to choose. However. the staffer interrupted him. ¡°Go with the spear.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°It is the easiest.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not a fan of doing things the easy way¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°You might end up regretting it,¡± the staffer said. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go with the spear as you suggested.¡± ¡°Yes, you might be able to win. Although, it would be your only win¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t like the tone that the staffer was using to talk to him, and he also didn¡¯t like her unwanted advice. However, he decided to go along with it for now. ¡®I can just fight all of them, why does the sequence matter?¡¯?he shrugged. Siegfried was nning on fighting against all of the Maestros at the Weapon Academy, even after winning three times. He made his way to the duel arena of the Weapon Academy to duel against the Spear Maestro. ¡°Hello, I am the Spear Maestro of this academy, and my name is Luna.¡± Spear Maestro Luna was a Level 200 beautiful blonde NPC, and she looked like she wasn¡¯t even twenty years old just yet. ¡°My name is Siegfried,¡± Siegfried introduced himself. ¡°Shall we start?¡± Luna asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Wooong! All of a sudden, the arena¡¯s floor emitted a bright red light. [Alert: ¡®Aura of Bnce¡¯ has been activated!] An aura simr to the aura being used in the Martial God¡¯s Arena was activated. ¡°I will go first,¡± Spear Maestro Luna said. She thrust her spear at Siegfried. ¡®Huh? That looks somewhat familiar¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was taken aback by the attack. The attack that Luna had performed somehow felt a bit familiar to him¡­ Chapter 167

    Chapter 167

    The duelmenced under the effect of the Aura of Bnce, so the use of skills and mana was restricted for both parties. This meant that the duel was going to depend solely on each participant¡¯s physical ability andbat sense. Mana and skills were important in a battle, but the most important thing for any martial artist was their foundation. Therefore, the duel between Luna and Siegfried was quite intense and realistic. S-Shwikk! Luna¡¯s spear aimed for Siegfried¡¯s vital points. ¡®Ah, where did I see those movements? It looks so familiar¡­¡¯? Siegfried wondered while evading the attacks. Luna¡¯s attacks that shy, but they carried amanding weight behind every movement. Her attacks stayed true to the basics of a spear, and it was probably difficult to find a better role model for the spear than her. And it made all her attacks even scarier¡­ ¡®Wow¡­ She¡¯s attacking like that? That¡¯s quite sharp¡­¡¯?Siegfried was impressed by her spear technique. Luna was only Level 200, but her understanding and mastery of the spear were pretty advanced for her level. She was certainly going to be someone that not even powerful individuals could look down on once she reached the realm of a Master with the spear. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t the only one thinking this way. Luna tried her best to suppress her astonishment. In fact, she was three times more surprised than Siegfried. ¡®Who is this man?! This is my first time seeing someone so good with their blunt weapon! He seems to be better than Maxim oppa!¡¯?Luna eximed inwardly. Maxim was the Blunt Weapon Maestro of the Weapon Academy, and he was a master of blunt weapons. However, this mysterious young man who appeared out of nowhere seemed to be better than Maxim when it came to handling blunt weapons. This was epic! Only three challengers had managed to beat her so far, and that was only because she couldn¡¯t use her mana and skill. She only lost after running out of stamina. However, this mysterious young man was different. ¡®H-he¡¯s fierce! I might actually lose for real at this rate!¡¯?Luna gritted her teeth upon sensing her looming defeat. The mysterious young man possessed a remarkable foundation, and it seemed that he would defeat her soon enough with just basic attacks. ¡®Where did this guy evene from¡­?¡¯?she wondered. Whoosh! Siegfried suddenly closed the gap between them and swung his hammer diagonally toward her hips. ¡®Heok!¡¯?Luna felt a sense of impending doom. She was sure that Siegfried¡¯s attack would shatter her hipbone. It was an unexpectedly fiercer attack than Siegfried¡¯s attacks so far. Luna was forced to use her ultimate skill, which was also her hidden skill. Her ultimate skill enhanced her basic capabilities to the fullest and allowed her to be empowered despite being under the effects of Aura of Bnce. Shwiik! Luna¡¯s spear swung her spear, aiming for Siegfried¡¯s lower body. ¡®This is¡­!¡¯?Siegfried eximed. He finally recognized why her spear technique felt so familiar to him. *** A spear was a ranged weapon, and it was designed to strike at an enemy from a distance. Therefore, the fundamentals of the spear involved widening one¡¯s distance from one¡¯s target. However, a fight wouldn¡¯t always go ording to the whims of anyone. A spear could end up useless if a melee opponent suddenly rushed in and sessfully closed in on the spearman. The spearman would definitely lose once that happened, and it could even lead to their death. However, Luna had an ultimate technique that would allow her to fight in close quarters. Whoosh! Luna decided to do just that as she flipped her spear with her left hand and¡ª Kwak! ¡ªgripped the spear shaft with her right hand. Then, she turned her spear into something like a tonfa, which was shorter than a sword. This was a skill that allowed a spearman to fight in close-quartersbat by simply changing their grip. They wouldn¡¯t have to change their weapon at all. However, that was not the end of it¡­ Luna changed her grip and twisted to swing her spear in a split second after Siegfried swung his hammer toward her hips. She performed the same motions that one would perform when trying to stab someone with a dagger. The skill that looked simple but was highlyplex wasn¡¯t something that someone could perform unless they had shed sweat and blood to practice it repeatedly, and it deserved to be called an ultimate technique. The name of the ultimate technique was¡­ Zero Form of Lightning. *** Shwiiik! Luna¡¯s spear targeted Siegfried¡¯s abdomen, and her spear traveled much faster than Siegfried¡¯s hammer. She had identified the weakness behind Siegfried¡¯s attack and counterattacked with her ultimate skill. sh! However, there was a sh of light. Sukeok! Luna heard a sound that sent a shiver down his spine. Thud¡­! The dull sound of something falling to the ground could be heard. [Alert: You have progressed 33.3% of the Quest: ¡®Challenge¡¯!] However, the quest wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°Whew,?you surprised me. I almost killed you just now. Hey, I thought this was just a duel? Why did you use such a scary technique out of nowhere? You scared me,¡± said Siegfried with a grimace. His protest was justified because Luna ended up using a dangerous technique, and Siegfried had no choice but to respond in kind by performing an ultimate skill without actually performing it. Elder Blockhead¡ªno¡ªSword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Quick Draw. It was one of his ultimate skills, and Siegfried was forced to use it. ¡°I-I apologize! I just got surprised, so I¡ª¡± Luna apologized, but her curiosity got the better of her, so she asked, ¡°W-what was that skill just now? I couldn¡¯t see what happened, and how did you use a skill when mana was being suppressed? Is that even possible in the first ce? And that was my first time seeing such a skill¡­¡± ¡°What I did was the same as yours, don¡¯t you think?¡± Siegfried responded. There was no need for him to reveal that the skill he had used just now belonged to Sword Emperor Betelgeuse. Siegfried continued. ¡°And I should be the one asking questions here, so can I ask you something?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Shakiro-nim? Do you know him by any chance?¡± ¡°Of course I do. He is my master, after all. I am Master Shakiro-nim¡¯s disciple.¡± ¡°Your master?¡± Siegfried suspected it, but he had never imagined that Luna was actually one of Shakiro¡¯s disciples. However, Siegfried¡¯s surprise disappeared when he recalled his conversation with the Weapon Master Shakiro. ¡°I apologize, but I cannot be your disciple.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you already have a master. A talented young man like you is bound to have one, but it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°What is alright¡­?¡± ¡°I already have a multitude of disciples.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°I had a disciple for each weapon I master, but ironically, none of them could reach my level of mastery.¡± Shakiro had mentioned that he couldn¡¯t find anyone with the same level of talent as him, so he decided to take a disciple for each weapon he had mastered. It was the reason he had many disciples. In short, Luna was indeed one of Shakiro¡¯s disciples. Needless to say, she was immensely talented. ¡°Yes, it is embarrassing, but¡­ he is indeed my master. Unfortunately, I¡¯m still not at a level that won¡¯t tarnish his reputation,¡± Luna said and bit her lips. ¡°What do you mean, tarnish?¡± Siegfried shook his head and continued. ¡°There¡¯s no way that you are tarnishing his reputation. You¡¯re already pretty good with the spear.¡± ¡°You¡¯re praising me too much. I am nothingpared to my master.¡± ¡°Anyway, this is the Weapon Academy, right?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes, it is¡­¡± ¡°Then, the other Maestros are¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, they are Master¡¯s disciples. Look,¡± Luna said and pointed at a wall. ¡®Huh?¡¯?Siegfried looked at where she was pointing and was surprised. There was an image of the sun and a cherry blossom flower surrounded by many different weapons. The sun was in the middle, and the weapons around it were letting out mes from the sun. ¡®Why does that look like the Torrential Flower Rain?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. ¡°This Weapon Academy was established by Weapon Master Shakiro, and we teach his teachings here,¡± Luna exined before continuing. ¡°He has always been fond of sharing his knowledge with others, and that is the reason that we¡ªhis disciples¡ªhad gathered and established this academy. It is to introduce his teachings to those who are just starting on the martial path. Of course, we don¡¯t charge exorbitant prices.¡± It was often said that the disciple was bound to take after the master, but Shakiro¡¯s disciples were excellent individuals who had taken after his character. Unlike someone?else¡­ ¡°However, we cannot call ourselves Weapon Masters. The knowledge we possess is only a fragment of our master¡¯s knowledge¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But it is more than enough for us to carry out his will and use martial arts to bring peace to this world. That is the reason that we had gathered around our master¡¯s first disciple, Brother Hakken, and set up this academy.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Okay, it is now my turn to ask you a question¡­ What was that skill a while ago?¡± ¡°Dunno,¡± Siegfried responded with a strange look before adding, ¡°I will tell you after I¡¯m done with the challenge. This is only the first round, after all.¡± Siegfried only had a single thought in his mind¡ªhe had to duel against Shakiro¡¯s other disciples. *** Siegfried continued doing his Challenge quest and dueled against Shakiro¡¯s other disciples after beating Luna. [Alert: You have won against the Weapon Academy¡¯s de Maestro!] [Alert: You have progressed 66.6% of the Quest: ¡®Challenge¡¯!] He managed to defeat the Saber Maestro, Verenas, after Luna. [Alert: You have defeated the Weapon Academy¡¯s Shield Maestro!] [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Challenge¡¯!] [Alert: Go to Gio of the Thierry Merchant Company to collect your reward!] Upon defeating Shield Maestro Velkanto, Siegfried¡¯s quest was finallyplete. He finally obtained the right to purchase the merchantpany¡¯s Heavenly Silk. However, Siegfried still had no intention of stopping. ¡°Is it fine if I¡­ continue?¡± Siegfried asked Luna, Verenas, and Velkanto. ¡°A-As much as you want!¡± ¡°I wish to see you fight more, so you may continue if you want to.¡± Luna and Verenas agreed. ¡°Ugh¡­?Aigoo, my joints¡­ my whole body¡­ you should have gone easy on me¡­¡± ¡°I apologize.¡± ¡°No need to apologize ¡­ Anyway, go ahead with it if you want to¡­ Duels are always weed here¡ªEuk!¡±? Shield Maestro Velkanto kept on groaning in pain after getting mercilessly whacked by Siegfried¡¯s hammer. Despite that, he readily nodded when he was asked if he could still fight. ¡°Owner punk! Are you all right? Kyu!?I don¡¯t think you got out unscathed from the duels so far! You got beaten up!¡±?Hamchi eximed. ¡°Yeah, I did. I need to rest and drink some healing potions,¡± Siegfried replied. He was also in a terrible state right now. It became clear to him in the duels just now that Shakiro¡¯s disciples weren¡¯t a bunch of people who would go down without a fight. The fact that they had to fight under the effects of Aura of Bnce also made it much more difficult for him to beat Shakiro¡¯s disciples. Siegfried had long noticed that he had been umting damage the more disciples he challenged. ¡°Hamchi will take care of you, owner punk. Come over here.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Hurry up and sit here! Kyu!¡± Siegfried listened to the hamster and sat on a bench at the arena. ¡°Hamchi is going to put medicine on you, but you should still keep drinking the potions,¡± Hamchi said. He earnestly nursed Siegfried by applying ointments and wrapping bandages over his injuries. It seemed that he could still remember the love and care that Siegfried had shown himst time after the battle against PyakPyak. ¡®He¡¯s a good guy, after all,¡¯?Siegfried thought. However, it seemed that Siegfried was mistaken. ¡°Here I go, Kyu!¡± ¡°Yeah, hurry up before the other Maestrose¡ª¡± When Hamchi applied something to his injuries, Siegfried was suddenly struck by a wave of terrible pain. ¡°Ack!?That stiiiiiingsssss!¡± Siegfried ended up screaming at the top of his lungs. 1. Quick Draw can be performed without activating the skill, so Siegfried probably just swung really fast without activating the skill because activating it will be lethal. Chapter 168

    Chapter 168

    The pain was pretty bad. Badump! Badump!? In fact, the area where Hamchi applied the medicine started to throb in pain. ¡°Kyuuuu! Kyuu~ Kyu! Kyu! Kyu! Kyu! Kyu! Kyu!?This is revenge! You punk ass owner!¡± Hamchi eximed in delight. ¡°R-Revenge¡­?¡± Siegfried was in disbelief. He had no idea what the hamster was talking about. ¡°What? You forgot about it already? You told me you¡¯ll pull them out in three, but you pulled them out in one! Kyu!¡± It was often said that pets would take after their owners, and it seemed that Hamchi was as petty as his owner because he had been harboring a grudge all this while. It became clear that the saying birds of the same feather flock together existed for a reason. ¡°Are you a hooligan?! Why the hell are you taking revenge over something like that now of all time?!¡± ¡°Kyu~?Kyuuu~?Feels good~¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Siegfried screamed, ¡°What the hell did you put on me?! Aren¡¯t you going too far?!¡± ¡°I put this!¡± Hamchi replied and showed him a bottle. [Red Potion] [A medicine that has been proven effective in healing wounds, but it causes agonizing pain for the patient.] [This medicine is also often used for torture.] [Type: Consumable (Potions)] [Rating: Unique] [Price: 100 gold] This medicine that was made out of god-knows-what cost a pretty penny, and it seemed to have been designed to replicate the medicine Povidin?in real life. ¡°U-Used for torture? HEY! What the hell are you putting on me right now?!¡± ¡°KYU!?Suck it up like a man! This medicine works wonders on all injuries! It¡¯s a panacea!¡± ¡°Why the hell are you talking like an army sergeant all of a sudden?! Do you really think that we¡¯re in the Korean military or something?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Korean military?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something like that, stop asking!¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Cut the bullshit with your medicine! Do you really think that a panacea exists¡ªhuh?¡± Siegfried was about to berate Hamchi for his boasting, but he stopped talking when he realized that the pain disappeared. His wound had alsopletely healed without leaving even a scar behind. The medicine was unbelievably effective, and it quickly healed his wound. ¡°It works really fast¡­?¡± ¡°See! I told you it¡¯s good for you despite how painful it is!?Kekeke! Stay still, you still have a wound here as well! KYU!¡± ¡°Aaaaack!?Slowly! Be gentle! Be gentle!!¡± ¡°No pain, no gain! Kyu!¡± The Maestrosughed in disbelief at Siegfried and Hamchi¡¯s si. ¡°They really suit each other,¡± Luna said with a smile. ¡°Hey! What did you say just now?¡± ¡°Take back what you said!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi shouted at her. However, the Maestros became even more convinced of their thoughts when the two replied at the same time. ¡®Wow¡­ They really do suit each other¡­¡¯ ¡®Hmm¡­ the owner and the pet are basically a carbon copy of each other¡­¡¯ ¡®How can an animal take after a human so well?¡¯ They were vehemently denying being simr, but the Maestros were thoroughly convinced that they were a match made in heaven. *** After his tirade with the hamster, Siegfried resumed beating Shakiro¡¯s disciples one by one. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried said. His next opponent was Hestia, a Maestro specializing in weapons suitable for assassinations, such as daggers, et cetera. ¡°Okay,¡± Hestia replied. She raised her hands with multiple kunai between her fingers. The duel soon started. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°I wonder who is he? How is he so adept with weapons?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think big brother will have toe out at this rate?¡± ¡°Who in the world is he¡­?¡± ¡°It has been a while since I saw someone as skilled as him¡­¡± The Maestros of the Weapon Academy couldn¡¯t hide their astonishment. Siegfried was definitely not an ordinary person in their eyes, especially the fact that he was skilled in many different weapons. He had only been using a hammer during his duels, but the Maestros could see that Siegfried was very familiar with every weapon the Maestro he was up against was using. It also seemed that Siegfried knew every weapon¡¯s weaknesses and how to take advantage of them to seize victory. The Maestros were confident that the result would have been the same even if Siegfried were to use a different weapon against them, judging by Siegfried¡¯s level of understanding of each weapon. ¡°It¡­ It feels like I¡¯m watching Master¡­¡± Luna muttered in awe. When Luna¡¯s words fell, Siegfried suddenly switched out the hammer that he had been using into a set of green throwable weapons. He hurled them at Hestia¡¯s thigh. Shwik! ¡°T-Throwables!¡± ¡°He can use throwable weapons, too?!¡± ¡°How?!¡± ¡°What did I just see¡­?¡± ¡°He managed tond a blow on Hestia using throwables?¡± The Maestros couldn¡¯t believe their eyes, even though they personally saw what happened just now. Shwiiik! Siegfried¡¯s hammer stopped five centimeters away from Hestia¡¯s head. ¡°¡­!¡± Hestia¡¯s eyes shot wide open in horror. When she realized what would have happened if Siegfried¡¯s hammer connected with her head, cold sweat broke out all over her back. ¡°I¡­ I admit defeat¡­¡± she said. ¡°Thank you for the duel. I learned a lot,¡± Siegfried said and retrieved his hammer. ¡°N-No¡­ I am the one who learned something today,¡± Hestia replied in shock. It seemed that she had never expected that she would lose after getting hit by throwable weapons, which were one of the weapons she had mastered. The Maestros watching were in shock as well. In fact, Siegfried¡¯s disy of his ability just now shocked all of the Maestros except for the Sword Maestro, who was still missing. Who could have known that this unknown challenger would end up defeating every Maestro here? However, the man responsible for shocking the Maestros, Siegfried, was also surprised by what happened. ¡®Wow, I thought I was going to lose. Why the hell are they so strong? They¡¯re much better than those Abusers at the Arena. As expected of Shakiro-nim¡¯s disciples¡­¡¯? He couldn¡¯t help but look favorably at the Maestros because they were Shakiro¡¯s disciples. He had only spent a short while with Shakiro, but their rtionship ran deep. He also treated Shakiro as his master. In fact, Siegfried could consider himself arade of the Maestros since he had also learned from the Weapon Master. If Shakiro had opened a school, then he would be ssmates with Shakiro¡¯s disciples. Of course, Siegfried would be like a transfer student. ¡°Can we rest for a bit before continuing?¡± Siegfried asked the Maestros. The Maestros nodded in agreement. There was only one remaining Maestro, and he was the first disciple of Weapon Master Shakiro¡ªSword Maestro Hakken. *** Sword Maestro Hakken was the dean of the Weapon Academy. As usual, he was currently instructing the youngsters who were dreaming of bing swordsmen and swordswomen. Needless to say, the sword was the most popr type of weapon out there, and it was the reason why Hakken had more students under his wingspared to the other Maestros. ¡°Is that true? A challenger managed to defeat all of my brothers and sisters?¡± Hakken asked. ¡°Yes, Hakken-nim.¡± ¡°Everyone, today¡¯s lesson ends here,¡± Hakken said. He immediately dismissed the entire ss and headed for the arena. ¡®He¡¯s either a master of weapons like us or a genius¡­¡¯?Hakken thought as he headed toward the arena. Hakken couldn¡¯t help but think that the challenger was a genius because the existence of the Aura of Bnce meant that only those with superior talent,bat sense, and control would emerge as the victors in a duel against the Maestros. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here, big brother.¡± ¡°Hello, big brother.¡± ¡°Wee, big brother.¡± The Maestros greeted Hakken with respect the moment he entered the arena. The disciples of Shakiro weren¡¯t blood-rted, but they treated each other as family. ¡°Why do you guys look so¡­?¡± Hakken asked in surprise. He was taken aback upon seeing his brothers and sisters. They looked pitiful. They looked like they got whacked left and right by a blunt object. ¡°Hello, my name is Siegfried.¡± Siegfried approached Hakken and greeted him before adding, ¡°I wish to challenge you, Sword Maestro-nim.¡± ¡°Ah,?you must be the challenger who won against my brothers and sisters,¡± Hakken replied while inspecting Siegfried from head to toe. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I wish to learn a thing or two from you,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I most certainly don¡¯t mind,¡± Hakken replied. Hakken wasn¡¯t the type of person who would get caught up in petty vengeance. He viewed Siegfried¡¯s challenge as his honor. Soon, the duel between Siegfried and Hakken started. ¡°T-They are neck and neck!¡± ¡°Big brother is getting pushed back!¡± ¡°This is unbelievable!¡± ¡°Crazy¡­¡± ¡°What am I witnessing right now¡­?¡± The Maestros were stupefied once again while watching Siegfried and Hakken¡¯s duel. The two resembled a dragon and a tiger while exchanging blows. *** While exchanging blows with Siegfried, Hakken was astonished. ¡®H-he¡¯s strong¡­!¡¯ Whenever the two of them exchanged blows, Hakken could feel Siegfried¡¯s might down to his very bones. However, the same could be said for Siegfried. ¡®Wow, he¡¯s indeed the strongest among them¡­ If it weren¡¯t for the Aura of Bnce, I¡¯m sure he would have beaten me to a pulp by now!¡¯?Siegfried thought. Hakken was a whopping Level 230 Swordsman, so Siegfried was sure that he would have lost long ago if it weren¡¯t for the Aura of Bnce. Sword Maestro Hakken was so skilled and powerful that Siegfried knew that he would lose even if he could use the cheat-like abilities of the Debuff Master. It was then¡­ [Alert: Your skills are now avable!] [Alert: The cooldown time of your skills has returned to normal!] [Alert: Don¡¯t worry! The damage dealt by your skills will still be adjusted by the Aura of Bnce!] The duel was neck and neck, and it was obvious that neither of them was willing to back down and lose. The Aura of Bnce finally allowed them to use their skills to put an end to this duel. This happened as well when Siegfried fought Meowbro back then. The duel continued¡­ The spectators¡¯ jaws fell to the floor as Hakken and Siegfried continued to disy their jaw-dropping techniques. Hakken was eventually forced to activate a skill. Puuuuk! Blood spurted all over as a gash appeared on Siegfried¡¯s waist. ¡°O-Owner punk!¡± Hamchi eximed. Shwiiik! Hakken then thrust his sword toward Siegfried¡¯s chest, but his thrust failed to connect. sh! A bright light shed as Siegfried reced his hammer with a spear and kept Hakken at bay. ¡°T-That is!¡± Luna screamed in surprise. She was extremely familiar with the skill Siegfried had used just now, the skill wasn¡¯t the only one that was familiar to her. The fact that he was able to suddenly change his weapon using his belt could only mean one thing. The belt had to be Megingjord. ¡®T-That¡¯s¡­!¡¯?Hakken was shocked. Zero Form of Lightning and Megingjord. Hakken was stupefied to see the mysterious young man using his master¡¯s skill and artifact. However, the shock of the Maestros and Hakken didn¡¯t end there. Whooosh! Siegfried hurled two disks. Chwaaaaak! The disks scattered into thousands of sharp projectiles. Shwaaaaa! A flower rain of death descended upon Hakken. However, the projectiles didn¡¯t cut even a single strand of Hakken¡¯s hair because they stopped mere centimeters away from him. However, the projectiles still ended uppletely surrounding him. ¡°¡­!¡± The Maestros were absolutely shocked and speechless. Hakken was the first to break the silence as he muttered in utter disbelief, ¡°Torrential¡­ Flower Rain¡­!¡± He had never imagined¡ªeven in his wildest dreams¡ªthat a random young man would walk into their academy one day and disy his master¡¯s ultimate skill. ¡°W-who are you? How did you¡ªhow can you use master¡¯s ultimate skill?¡± Hakken asked. ¡°Err¡­ Can we talk somewhere else?¡± Siegfried asked as he withdrew the projectiles. ¡®Ah, how should I exin this¡­?¡¯?he pondered. Siegfried pondered how he would tell them that Shakiro had already passed away. Chapter 169

    Chapter 169

    They went somewhere else. ¡°Brother,¡± Hakken addressed Siegfried. He addressed Siegfried as brother rather than asking for Siegfried¡¯s true identity because he had no doubt that Siegfried was one of Shakiro¡¯s disciples as well. Well, it was partly true that Siegfried was Shakiro¡¯s disciple. ¡°What did you learn from Master?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I learned how to handle weapons from him,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Which weapon, to be exact¡­?¡± ¡°A few weapons¡­¡± ¡°Heok!¡± ¡°T-That means¡­!¡± ¡°Master finally found a disciple who can¡­!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Siegfried¡¯s response caused an uproar among the Maestros. Their reaction wasn¡¯t strange because Megingjord was in Siegfried¡¯s hands, and he had also activated Torrential Flower Rain, which was a skill that none of them managed to learn. The fact that he defeated all the Maestros also made itpletely usible that he might be the Weapon Master¡¯s sessor. However, what Siegfried meant by a few weapons was that he learned each weapon¡¯s advantages and disadvantages from Shakiro. ¡°T-Then that means you¡¯re Master¡¯s sessor!¡± Hakken eximed in surprise. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°The Torrential Flower Rain is Master¡¯s essence! You¡¯re the only disciple who had the privilege of learning that skill from Master, which means that you¡¯re Master¡¯s sessor!¡± ¡®I think they are misunderstanding something¡­?¡¯?Siegfried realized that the conversation had taken a wrong turn. ¡°No, that isn¡¯t what happened¡­¡± Siegfried tried to steer the conversation back in ce. However, Hakken grabbed Siegfriend¡¯s hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Senior Brother.¡± Then, the other Maestros also started addressing Siegfried as Senior Brother. It was clear that they had recognized him as Shakiro¡¯s sessor. In other words, Siegfried was the next Weapon Master in their eyes. ¡°Senior Brother!¡± ¡°I greet the Senior Brother!¡± ¡°I hope to get along with you from now on, Senior Brother!¡± ¡°Senior Brother! I am so d that you came to visit us!¡± Siegfried was stupefied by the sudden turn of events. ¡°Ah, no¡­ That¡¯s not¡­ Please listen to me first¡­¡± he started. This wasn¡¯t the time for him to revel in their misunderstanding. ¡®I have to tell them what happened to Master Shakiro-nim. Ah, how can I say that in this situation? Please, can¡¯t you guys listen to me first¡­?!¡¯ he inwardly cried out. He was supposed to break the news to them, but he found it difficult to do so amidst the lively atmosphere. Eventually, Siegfried managed to find the right timing and said, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but I have some unfortunate news¡­¡± ¡°Unfortunate news?¡± Hakken asked in response. ¡°Yes¡­ Actually¡­ Master Shakiro has¡ª¡± Siegfried paused. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Master passed away a few months ago¡­¡± The faces of the Maestros turned pale at those words. *** Siegfried tried his best to exin his rtionship with Shakiro. He also told them about Shakiro¡¯s final moments. ¡°And that was how he passed away. He did not leave any will behind,¡± Siegfried exined. ¡°Sniff!?So Master has really passed away¡­¡± ¡°Church of Osric¡­!¡± ¡°I will never forgive them¡­!¡± ¡°Master¡­¡± ¡°Thest time we met was three years ago¡­¡± The Maestros all had the same reaction. Anger and sadness, and they couldn¡¯t tell which of the two emotions was currently greater than the other. ¡°I apologize for the unfortunate news. He was a very good teacher to me as well,¡± Siegfried apologized to the Maestros before continuing. ¡°And I had mentioned, but I am not his sessor. I only spent a short with him to receive his teachings¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Hakken interrupted Siegfried and shook his head. ¡°Senior Brother is indeed Master¡¯s sessor.¡± ¡°Huh? I just told you that I¡ª¡± ¡°He had never taught any of his disciples Torrential Flower Rain, and the fact that Master taught it to you means that Master had judged that you were the only one capable of learning his ultimate skill.¡± ¡°I do not think so¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head and responded, ¡°He passed down Torrential Flower Rain to me because he was on the brink of¡ª¡± ¡°You are mistaken. Master never cared whether his ultimate skill will survive or not.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Master used to mention quite often that he wasn¡¯t going to pass down Torrential Flower Rain unless someone worthy of it appears.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°It is true. The others probably heard Master mention this a few times as well. Am I right, brothers and sisters?¡± Hakken asked the other Maestros. They all nodded in agreement. ¡°No way¡­!¡± ¡°It is true, and¡­¡± Hakken trailed off. ¡°¡­?¡± Siegfried stared at Hakken, urging him to continue. ¡°Master kept on mentioning how only his sessor would have the privilege of learning Torrential Flower Rain.¡± Hearing that, Siegfried became sure that there was no way that he could keep on denying that he was Shakiro¡¯s sessor. He had no other choice but to ept that he was indeed Weapon Master Shakiro¡¯s sessor. ¡°Would you consider being the Chief Mourner?¡± ¡°C-Chief Mourner?!¡± ¡°Would you lead the funeral rites for Master?¡± ¡°No way! Who am I to do that?!¡± ¡°Please. It has to be you. You¡¯re Master¡¯s sessor, so you have to be the Chief Mourner. I mean, who else is worthy of that position if it¡¯s not you, Senior Brother?¡± The rest of the Maestros also urged Siegfried to agree to the offer. It seemed that it was only natural for them that their master¡¯s rightful sessor should lead their master¡¯s funeral rites. ¡®Sigh¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to expend some emotional energy. I received a lot from Master Shakiro, so it¡¯s only right for me to repay him even if this is only a game¡­¡¯?Siegfried sighed inwardly upon realizing that he had no other choice but to ept the offer. In the end, Siegfried¡¯s emotional side urged him to ept the position as the Chief Mourner for Shakiro¡¯s funeral. Siegfried had always been guilty about not being able to host a proper funeral for Shakiro, so he epted the offer. ¡°All right¡­ I will be the Chief Mourner.¡± Siegfried ended up bing the Chief Mourner of Weapon Master Shakiro¡¯s funeral, and he also ended up staying for three whole days at the Weapon Academy. *** Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t proceed with Shakiro¡¯s funeral because Scythe Maestro, Scarlett and Blunt Weapons Maestro Maxim were currently in another region. ¡°Huh? Vaxen Mountains?¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Yes, Senior Brother. We received reports that a group of man-eating titans had descended from the mountain, so we sent Scarlett and Maxim to go check it out. I think we will have to wait until they return¡­¡± Hakken replied. ¡°I will go there personally and bring them back here,¡± Siegfried said. ¡®I have to go to the Vaxen Mountains, anyway, so this would be killing two birds with one stone,¡¯?he thought. He had to collect thirty Titan¡¯s Tendons, so he was nning on going there to collect them while bringing Scarlett and Maxim back with him in the process. ¡°No, we will send one of our brothers or sisters to bring them back. How can Senior Brother go there personally?¡± Hakken objected. ¡°I have some business there as well, so I¡¯ll just bring them back while I¡¯m at it.¡± Siegfried decided that it was going to be a much better use of his time if he personally went to do his business and bring the two Maestros back with him rather than sitting around, waiting for them toe back. ¡°But it is not right for Senior Brother to go personally just to¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go,¡± Siegfried said and waved his hand dismissively. ¡°All right then, we will entrust the matter to you,¡± Hakken replied. Then, a system message popped up in front of his eyes. [A Sad Message] [Go to Vaxen Mountains and look for the Maestros, Scarlett and Maxim, who went to subjugate the titans.] [Progress: 0% (0/2)] [Scythe Maestro Scarlett: 0/1] [Blunt Weapons Maestro Maxim: 0/1] [Reward: Affinity with the Weapon Academy Maestros +500.] [Caution: Hurry up.] ¡°Yes, I will go and bring them back with me,¡± Siegfried replied and epted the quest. ¡°And do you mind speakingfortably with us?¡± Hakken asked carefully. ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°Senior Brother is Master¡¯s sessor. You hold the highest position among all of us brothers and sisters, so there is no need for you to speak so respectfully to us.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Please, speakfortably to us.¡± ¡°T-Then, I will¡­¡± Siegfried had no choice but to ept Hakken¡¯s request because the rest of the Maestros were looking at him with pleading eyes. ¡°A-Anyway, I¡¯ll go and get them so you guys prepare for Master¡¯s funeral,¡± Siegfried said, feeling slightly awkward. ¡°Yes, Senior Brother,¡± Hakken replied with a smile. *** ¡®I wonder why this quest is telling me to hurry up. Is there a reason that the funeral can¡¯t be dyed?¡¯?Siegfried wondered while reading the quest details. He soon arrived at Vaxen Mountains. ¡®The Ranger Corps¡­¡¯?Siegfried went to the base of the 101 Ranger Corps, which was in charge of subjugating the titans. ¡°Owner punk!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rush? Slow down, will you!¡± ¡°You can just be smaller if you¡¯re having a hard time keeping up.¡± ¡°Alright! Kyu~ Kyu!¡± Hamchi became as small as a rabbit and hopped onto Siegfried¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But why are you in a rush?¡± ¡°I just want to get this over with.¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t see the point of exining what the quest details said, so he gave a vague response, but the quest details message about how he should hurry up was bothering him. However, he found it difficult to find the base of the 101 Ranger Corps in the vast expanse of the Vaxen Mountains. The Ranger Corps was a part of the army, so their base was located pretty deep within the mountain, which made it challenging to locate. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think I can continue searching today. Let¡¯s rest for now and continue the searchter,¡± Siegfried said as he sat on the ground. He decided topletely give up on looking for the Ranger Corps¡¯ base. ¡°Hey, Hamchi. Let¡¯s take a nap in this cave for a few hours,¡± he said. ¡°Are you tired?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been online¡ªno, I haven¡¯t slept for eighteen hours now. Let me close my eyes for a bit.¡± ¡°All right, go ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wake up in around five or six hours.¡± ¡°Alright, kyu!¡± Six hourster, Siegfried descended upon the N¨¹rburg Continent once more after sleeping and eating. He started looking for the 101 Ranger Corps once again. ¡®Huh?¡¯? Siegfried was surprised to see a prompt suddenly appearing right in front of his eyes. [Alert: The details of the Quest: ¡®A Sad Message¡¯ has changed!] Siegfried immediately checked the quest details. [A Sad Message] [Go to Vaxen Mountains and look for the Maestros, Scarlett and Maxim, who went to subjugate the titans.] [Progress: 0% (0/2)] [Scythe Maestro Scarlett: 0/1] [Blunt Weapon Maestro Maxim: 0/1] [Reward: Affinity with the Weapon Academy Maestros +500.] [Caution: Hurry up as fast as you can.] The quest details had changed. He was supposed to look for both Maxim and Scarlett, but Maxim¡¯s name was struck out. On top of that, the warning had changed from?hurry up?to hurry up as fast as you can. ¡®Huh?¡¯?Siegfried was confused, but it onlysted for a moment. ¡°Hey, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Why, owner punk?¡± ¡°Run.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± Siegfried grabbed Hamchi and kicked off of the ground. Chapter 170

    Chapter 170

    The quest system in BNW wasn¡¯t a special quest system. It was just a tool to guide users in their journey throughout BNW, and that was it. Quests could be obtained by having a conversation with an NPC or from events between an Adventurer and an NPC. It was rare for quests to change on their own. However, the quest actually changed on its own¡­ ¡®I¡¯ve heard of this before¡­¡¯?Siegfried somewhat had an idea of what this meant. He could still remember a gamer¡¯s question about this in a past conference hosted between gamers and the developer of BNW, Hive. This was the response of Hive¡¯s Vice Chairman, Oppenheimer¡­ ¡°A change in the quest details does not mean that it was altered by the quest system itself. It¡¯s triggered by an alternate consciousness of the system.¡± ¡°An alternate consciousness¡­?¡± ¡°You may think of it as something like a foreknowledge.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Just like how some people would have d¨¦j¨¤ vu in real life. You may think of such unnatural events that you experience in the game as something created by the alternate consciousness of the system, just like how you might experience something inexplicable in real life.¡± ¡°T-That¡­¡± ¡°Quest details changing without any interaction with NPCs or events means that the alternate consciousness of the system had changed the quest details. It¡¯ll be easier to understand if I say that the game system is trying to tell you something by changing the quest details.¡± This was probably what Oppenheimer meant. It felt like the game system knew what was going on and was trying to tell him something. If he had to make an analogy, then this was probably when Zhang Fei?saw Guan Yu?in his dreams before thetter died in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Therefore, Siegfried decided to pick up the pace. ¡®Maxim has probably died, and the quest system is warning me that Scarlett is in danger as well!¡¯?Siegfried gritted his teeth and ran as fast as he could. ¡°Hey, Hamchi! Use that!¡± ¡°Use what?!¡± ¡°That thing you do! That sensing magic thing!¡± ¡°I¡¯m using it right now, but this ce is too big. The trees are getting in the way, too!¡± ¡°Argh!?Keep trying! It¡¯s an emergency!¡± ¡°Okay! Kyu!¡± Hamchi cranked up Meerkat~! to the max at Siegfried¡¯s request. ¡®Argh! What the hell is this quest?! Why did it turn like this all of a sudden?!¡¯?Siegfried cursed inwardly. Hamchi suddenly shouted, ¡°Kyu!?I found it, owner punk!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Seven kilometers to your left! There are many humans over there!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Siegfried ran as fast as he could toward the direction that Hamchi had pointed out. *** Siegfried finally managed to find the base of the 101 Ranger Corps, but what greeted him was bad news. ¡°Missing?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. ¡°Yes, they joined a reconnaissance party and went to scout out a small titanir, but we lost contact with the entire party,¡± the Ranger Captain replied with a serious look. ¡°Oh, my god¡­¡± ¡°We formed a search party and went to look for them, but all we found were the seven remains of our rangers¡­¡± ¡°Could the titans really kill them? The titans are strong, but the Rangers had to be quite skilled as well¡­¡± Siegfried had to ask because he couldn¡¯t imagine Shakiro¡¯s disciples losing to a bunch of titans. It turned out that his hunch was right. ¡°I thought so as well, so I did some investigation. I suspect that the titans weren¡¯t the culprit¡­¡± ¡°Is it by any chance¡­¡± ¡°Based on the tracks¡­ I think they were ambushed by humans.¡± ¡°Humans?¡± ¡°Yes, but there was something strange about it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I only saw one set of footprints belonging to their enemy, but their wounds seemed as if they had been attacked by many different weapons¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Their enemy¡¯s footprint was pretty huge big as well. It was around 290 millimeters, so I think the attacker is at least 190 centimeters tall.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Ranger Captain¡¯s words bothered Siegfried ¡®Okay, so an assant taller than 190 centimeters attacked the Weapon Maestros Maxim and Scarlett using many different weapons?¡¯? He couldn¡¯t quite grasp the situation. ¡°Fortunately, we didn¡¯t find the remains of Maxim and Scarlett, so there is still hope that both of them are¡ª¡± Siegfried did not bother listening to the rest of what the Ranger Captain had to say. ¡®Maxim is already dead, even if his remains are still missing. I have to hurry up and save Scarlett¡­!¡¯ He had no time to stand around and talk about hope when time was of the essence. Siegfried hurriedly started looking for Scarlett. *** While Siegfried was busy roaming Vaxen Mountains in search of Scarlett, the Weapon Academy decided to close temporarily in preparation for Shakiro¡¯s funeral Actually, they didn¡¯t really have a lot of things to prepare. Shakiro was an orphan and a former diator at Dondegiri. He was single, and he had no children as well, so there weren¡¯t many people to invite to his funeral. Most of his acquaintances were spread all over the continent, so it was pretty difficult to send invitations to all of them. Therefore, Hakken decided to host a modest funeral with only the disciples. However, that did not mean that they didn¡¯t have to prepare anything. They still had to prepare all sorts of funeral tools to appease Shakiro¡¯s spirit in the afterlife. ¡°Can you go to the Temple of Justice and invite a high priest, Velkanto?¡± ¡°Of course, Senior Brother¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just your brother now,¡± Hekkan said with a smile before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m no longer the Senior Brother now that Senior Brother Siegfried is here.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I made a mistake¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°It is quite distant, so make haste and apany the high priest here.¡± ¡°Yes, brother.¡± Velkanto left White Town and rushed to the Temple of Justice. *** The next evening, Velkanto was making his way back to White Town with a high priest from the Temple of Justice at Condor. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Velkanto suddenly sensed that someone was tailing them on their way to the Weapon Academy. This was a road less traveled, so he was certain that whoever was following him had bad intentions. ¡°Did you just ask me who I am?¡± said a low voice. The person following Velkanto emerged from the darkness. Seuk¡­ Then, he pulled back the hood covering his face. ¡°You! You bastard¡­!¡± Velkanto eximed in horror. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you being too much by calling me a bastard?¡± ¡°Oh, my god¡­¡± ¡°I should teach you a lesson.¡± ¡°Heok!¡± The skill that the assant disyed shocked Velkanto. *** Siegfried wandered all over Vaxen Mountains for almost half a day before he finally tracked them down. ¡°Over there! Around five kilometers! But it¡¯s dangerous! Something heavy is stomping on the ground and attacking a human! Kyu!¡± Hamchi shouted while pointing to the right. Siegfried immediately understood Hamchi¡¯s words. ¡®Someone is being attacked by a titan!¡¯?Siegfried concluded, and he immediately rushed toward the direction Hamchi was pointing at. He ran so fast that he ended up using half of his Stamina in the process. He finally arrived at the location and found an unarmed woman being attacked by a group of titans. The woman was in a very bad state, but she was still fighting for her dear life against the titans. [Scarlett] [Weapon Master Shakiro¡¯s fifth disciple.] [Her main weapon is a scythe.] [Level: 205] [ss: N/A (Lost)] [Affiliation: Weapon Academy] [Position: Scythe Maestro] [Titles: Chilling Scythe, Cruel Beauty, Neat Executioner.] Siegfried used Rune of Insight and discovered that the woman being attacked by the group of titans was indeed Scythe Maestro Scarlett. ¡®Where¡¯s her weapon? What happened to her ss?¡¯? He noticed something strange about her status, but he didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it because the situation was turning dire. He cast Shadow Swamp. This was his first time using a debuff field after equipping the Quad-Turbo Set. However, his skill didn¡¯t immediately activate. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was perplexed. However, his confusion was resolved when the Quad-Turbo Set started glowing. Shwaaa¡­! Wooooong! The Shadow Swamp spread out, covering a muchrger area than usual. [Alert: The Quad-Turbo Set has enhanced the effect of your debuff field!] [Alert: A slight ¡®turbog¡¯ of 0.2 seconds has urred after casting your debuff skill!] The message in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes exined the slight dy. Turbo Lag. The dy seemed to be the drawback of the Quad-Turbo Set, but the set¡¯s effects were more than enoughpensation for the dy. The size of his debuff field astonished Siegfried, but he was even more shocked when he saw that his skill managed to significantly slow down the four-meter-tall titans to the point that they looked like they weren¡¯t even moving anymore. However, the most shocking of all these was the shadows that emerged from Shadow Swamp. The shadows stood as tall as the titans, and theirbat prowess was on a whole new levelpared to before. They suddenly knew how to perform all sorts of submission moves on top of the arm bar, such as figure four leg locks, sharp supers, guillotine chokeholds, twisters, triangle chokeholds, et cetera. The shadowspletely immobilized the titans. ¡®Wow¡­ The turbog doesn¡¯t really matter at this point, right?¡¯? Siegfried wasn¡¯t bothered about the turbog because it only affected his debuff skills. His debuff fields were also not that reliant on timing, so a dy of 0.2 seconds wouldn¡¯t make a significant difference. However, Siegfried couldn¡¯t continue to stew in his amazement as he immediately activated ze Field as well. Fwaaaaaah! The mes of Destruction erupted from the ground and set the titans aze. The mes stubbornly clung to the titans as well as if titans were doused with gasoline beforehand. ¡°The meat has been marinated¡­¡± Siegfried said. He gripped his hammer and ran toward the titans while shouting, ¡°Time to mince them!¡± ¡°Kyu!?Mince those bastards!¡± Hamchi eximed and grew into a giant hamster. *** It only took Siegfried and Hamchi five minutes to dispose of the eleven titans. ze Field and Shadow Swamp were simply too overpowered because of Siegfried¡¯s overpowered gears. In the end, they only had to hit the titans a few times to kill them. ¡°Hey, Hamchi! Go and harvest their tendons for me!¡± ¡°All right!¡± Siegfried gave Hamchi the task of collecting the Titan¡¯s Tendons, which was one of the quest materials he needed toplete a quest. He then ran toward Scarlett, who was lying now on the ground. ¡°T-Thank you for¡­ saving me¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Drink this first.¡± Siegfried held Scarlett¡¯s head and poured a healing potion into her mouth. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± However, her wounds were so severe that she couldn¡¯t swallow the potion. ¡°Slowly, drink it slowly.¡± ¡°W-We do not have time¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°C-Can I ask you a favor¡­?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Maxim¡­ is dead¡­ White Town¡­ Weapon Academy¡­ Must warn them¡­¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± . ¡°Must warn¡­ my brothers and sisters¡­ danger¡­¡± And that was it¡­ Scarlett¡¯s head tilted to the side, and she closed her eyes. Chapter 171

    Chapter 171

    ¡°¡­!¡± Siegfried froze when he saw Scarlett close her eyes. ¡°Scarlett! Scarlett!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Scarlett! Get a grip! Wake up! Scarlett!¡± However, there was no response. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Siegfried ced his ear on her chest. Badump¡­ Badump¡­ Badump¡­? Fortunately, he could still hear the faint sound of her heartbeat. ¡°Ah¡­ That scared the hell out of me¡­ Phew¡­!¡±?Siegfried let out a sigh of relief after confirming that she was still alive. He had no idea how he was supposed to face Shakiro if Scarlett died as well after Maxim. ¡®Master Shakiro¡­ I couldn¡¯t save Maxim, but I will definitely save Scarlett.¡¯? Siegfried clenched his fist before carefully carrying Scarlett on his back. ¡°Hey, Hamchi! Are you done?!¡± ¡°All done! Here are the tendons!¡± Hamchi handed over the Titan¡¯s Tendons to him. [Alert: You have obtained 44 ¡®Titan¡¯s Tendons¡¯!] Siegfried obtained forty-four tendons because it was possible to obtain a tendon from each limb of the titan¡¯s limbs. [Titan¡¯s Tendon: 44/30] ? Siegfried finally gathered two out of the five materials required toplete This Is All You Need! However, he still had another quest toplete. [A Sad Message 2] [Go to the Weapon Academy and convey Scarlett¡¯s words.] [Type: Time Attack Quest] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Time Remaining: 03:59:59] [Rewards: Affinity with the Weapon Academy Maestros +9,999] [Caution: Hurry up as fast as you can!] The quest ¡®A Sad Message¡¯ changed into ¡®A Sad Message 2,¡¯ and the difficulty of the quest went up a notch along with its name. Four hours was nowhere enough for Siegfried to go back to White Town and warn the Weapon Academy Maestros even if he used a Warp Gate. He was also currently deep within the Vaxen Mountains, so it would take quite a while for him to reach a Warp Gate. ¡°This is driving me crazy, I will need at least two more hours¡­¡± Siegfried cursed his rotten luck. Scarlett¡¯s life was hanging on by a thread, so there was no way that he could simply abandon her. However, it would be toote by the time he arrived at White Town if he were to prioritize Scarlett¡¯s treatment. ¡°Hey, Hamchi,¡± Siegfried looked at the hamster. ¡°What is it, owner punk?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go our separate ways.¡± ¡°K-Kyu?!?What are you saying right now?! Are you abandoning Hamchi?! You made it impossible for me to live without you, but now, you¡¯re abandoning me?!¡± ¡°This is not the time for jokes. Can we please be serious?¡± ¡°All right, owner-nim,¡± Hamchi replied with a serious look this time. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the Weapon Academy. You take her to the Ranger Corps¡¯ base and get her treated as soon as possible. Afterward,e to the Weapon Academy.¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± ¡°See you, then.¡± Siegfried bid goodbye to his hamster and rushed toward the nearest Warp Gate. *** Farming did not usually go ording to how one wanted it to. There were times that the harvest would be abundant, while there were times that the harvest would be sparse. Farming wouldn¡¯t usually go ording to one¡¯s whims. There were times when the harvest would be abundant, and there were also times when the harvest would be sparse. Raising children was the same. A parent could shower their child with as much love and affection as they could, but there was no guarantee that the child would grow up to be an upright individual. Shakiro¡¯s first disciple possessed genius-like talent, but he had a rotten personality. ¡°Master, I will seed you one day and be the next Weapon Master.¡± ¡°All right, you will be the next Weapon Master as long as you work hard.¡± ¡°I will be powerful enough to rule over everyone else.¡± ¡°Rule over everyone else¡­¡± ¡°I heard that a Master would receive treatment as if they were a duke no matter which nation they decided to visit, but I am not going to be satisfied with bing equal to a duke. I wish to be a king and grow further to be the emperor!¡± The heart of Shakiro¡¯s first disciple contained an extreme ambition, and the ambition in his heart grew even bigger after he witnessed his master using Torrential Flower Rain. ¡°Master, please teach me how to use Torrential Flower Rain.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s too much for you.¡± ¡°How? I¡¯m extremely talented. I¡¯m certain that I can replicate Torrential Flower Rain if you teach it to me!¡± ¡°You will have to understand each and every weapon if you wish to learn Torrential Flower Rain, but you have only learned how to use Lightning.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re not teaching me! Master! Why are you not teaching me how to use other weapons?! Why?! I am stronger than any of your other disciples! I¡¯m confident that I can handle their weapons better than they do!¡± ¡°That is not the problem here¡­¡± ¡°Shall I prove it to you? Will you acknowledge me and teach me how to use Torrential Flower Rain if I beat that bastard Hakken with a sword?!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to beat Hakken with a sword.¡± ¡°I can do it!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to believe me.¡¯ ¡°I can absolutely beat him! I¡¯ll show you that I can beat Hakken with a sword!¡± And that was how Shakiro¡¯s first and second disciples dueled against each other with the sword. Rather than dissuading them, Shakiro allowed the duel. He could have stopped the duel, but he didn¡¯t do that because he wanted his first disciple to know his limits. However, the decision to allow the duel ended up being one of the biggest mistakes Shakiro had ever made in his life. Hakken one-sidedly crushed Shakiro¡¯s first disciple. There was no way that the first disciple could defeat Hakken with a sword. He was extremely talented in various weapons, but Hakken had been training with the sword his entire life. ¡°I refuse to ept this. I refuse to ept this¡­!¡± ¡°Senior Brother!¡± ¡°I lost to someone like you? Me? I lost? I could have learned Torrential Flower Rain, but you made me lose! You¡¯re the reason why I lost!¡± ¡°Senior Brother, calm down!¡± ¡°Dieeeeee!¡± The first disciple couldn¡¯t suppress the rage boiling inside of him. The rage soon took over his reasoning as he grabbed his spear and rushed at Hakken with the intent to kill. Shakiro stepped in and blocked the spear, but tragically, his first disciple ended up falling off a cliff from the impact. The name of Shakiro¡¯s first disciple was Gerard. *** ¡°Gerard¡­?¡± Hakken muttered in disbelief while looking at the man who had dragged Velkanto¡¯s corpse into the Weapon Academy. The man was Shakiro¡¯s first disciple, who was presumed to have died a long time ago. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Hakken,¡± Gerard said with a smug smirk. ¡°H-How? We thought you were dead¡­!¡± ¡°I almost died¡ªno, I would have died if that person hadn¡¯t saved me.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The one who found me at the foot of the cliff was none other than the man I once served as my master!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I would have died that day if it hadn¡¯t been for him, but he immediately expelled me after saving me.¡± ¡°Expelled¡­¡± ¡°That day¡ªhe had abandoned me that day, and I had abandoned him as well.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t excuse what you have done! You¡¯re rubbing dirt on Master''s face right now!¡± ¡°He should have taught me Torrential Flower Rain! I was the only one capable of learning that ultimate skill, but he ignored and cast me aside!¡± ¡±I was his first disciple, but now, I know¡ªhe must have been scared of me. He must have been scared that he would lose his title as the Weapon Master if he had taught me Torrential Flower Rain.¡± ¡°Bullshit! You¡¯re delusional! There is no way you couldnd even a single blow on Master, even if you used Torrential Flower Rain!¡± Hakken retorted furiously. ¡°Do you really think so? Why do you think someone who calls himself a master wouldn¡¯t teach me his ultimate skill? The one and only exnation is that he was scared of my growth!¡± Gerard eximed with absolute certainty. ¡°You are insane¡­ Your words only make sense to you because you are truly evil and rotten. Master is not someone who would be scared by the likes of you¡­¡± Hakken drew his sword and said, ¡°You are truly an evil being, Gerard. Are you not satisfied belittling our master that you are now killing your brothers and sisters?¡± ¡°Kill? Haha! I¡¯m not killing anyone here. No, no, I¡¯m only collecting the fragments andbining them into one. This Rune of Plunder is going to absorb all of your abilities and techniques!¡± Gerard said. He shed his left hand to Hakken and said in a low voice, ¡°I will gather all of the fragments andplete the Torrential Flower Rain!¡± Shwiiiik! A ck aura emerged from Gerard¡¯s hand, and it turned into a sharp scythe. ¡°This is called a Shadow Weapon. It¡¯s extracted from the Demon Lord¡¯s shadow, and it is a weapon that can transform into any weapon out there.¡± ¡°Are you relying on dark artifacts now?¡± ¡°Let me show you something even more amazing!¡± Shwiiik! When Gerard¡¯s words fell, the weapons of the Weapon Maestros¡ªa scythe, a mace, and a shield appeared and orbited him. It seemed that he had the ability to control these three additional weapons on top of the Shadow Weapon he was using. ¡°Today, I¡¯m going to gather the fragments that the man who had abandoned me had left behind and be the Weapon Master.?Ah,?It¡¯s a pity that he¡¯s already dead. Otherwise, he could have witnessed my sess.¡± Gerard smiled as he walked toward Hakken and the other Weapon Maestros. *** ¡°So weak,¡± Gerard said while pressing his feet on Hakken¡¯s chest. Hakken was reduced to a bloody mess and was now lying on the ground. ¡°K-Keuhk!¡± ¡°How does it feel? How does it feel to be trampled by the one you used to trample?¡± ¡°I-I have never¡­ trampled¡­¡± ¡°Really? Was there really not a time when you buttered up to that so-called master of yours and tried to undermine me, your Senior Brother?¡± ¡°You rascal¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Master, me, and everyone else¡­ nobody looked down on you¡­ why are you stubbornly insisting on living such a crooked life when all of it is just in your head? You¡¯re simply projecting your insecurities onto others, you poor thing¡­¡± ¡°Poor thing? Me? Kekeke!?You have finally gone insane! I will soon be the Weapon Master! He had abandoned me, but I will show the world that I am his rightful sessor!¡± ¡°Pffft!¡± ¡°Hohoho¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Hahahaha!¡± All of a sudden, the Maestros on the floor startedughing. ¡°Keuk¡­! Kekeke!¡± Of course, Hakken wasughing as well. ¡°You dareugh at me?¡± Gerard muttered in disbelief. Their response astonished him, and he couldn¡¯t quite grasp why they wereughing. Why were theyughing? How could theyugh when they had lost all of their abilities and techniques in addition to losing to him? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡ªPffft!¡±?Hakkenughed before continuing. ¡°Master chose his rightful sessor before passing¡­¡± ¡°His rightful sessor?¡± ¡°Senior Brother has already learned how to use Torrential Flower Rain. You still don¡¯t get it? Let me exin, you¡¯ve failed, but someone out there has learned how to use the ultimate skill that is the amalgamation of Master¡¯s lifetime experience!¡± ¡°Stop lying! Torrential Flower Rain is an ultimate skill that only those with genius-like talent in all weapons can use¡­!¡± Gerard refused to ept Hakken¡¯s words. ¡°I know that it sounds like a lie, but it¡¯s true¡­ Senior Brother¡­ He has already learned it, and he is going to plunge you into despair once hees back. Just like how you lost to me that time¡­!¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense! I am the rightful sessor¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one spouting nonsense.¡± Someone suddenly interrupted Gerard. ¡°Hey, you know me, right?¡± asked the one who had interrupted Gerard. Gerard looked toward where the voice wasing from and saw Siegfried standing there with a flushed face. Siegfried downed a Stamina Potion and said, ¡°What did you say back then? You will rip my throat out the next time you see me?¡± It turned out that Shakiro¡¯s first disciple was the tall man who had threatened him back then in the Bavarian Workshop. 1. Koreans refer to raising children as ¡®farming or cultivating children¡¯, which is theparison that the author used here. Chapter 172

    Chapter 172

    A few days ago, Gerard went to the Bavarian Workshop to enhance the Shadow Weapon. Unfortunately, he was rejected. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we only purchase these kinds of evil artifacts for research. We don¡¯t enhance them for others.¡± The Bavarian Workshop was obsessed with weapons of mass destruction, but they had a very strict policy of not providing any services to holders of evil artifacts. Thanks to that, Gerard had to leave the Bavarian Workshop empty-handed, and the person he bumped into on the way out was none other than Siegfried. ¡®No wonder I felt like bashing his skull open that time,¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly after realizing Gerard¡¯s identity. Gerard wasn¡¯t the descendant of the people who won against Deus five hundred years ago, but Siegfried had a feeling that he was going to have an ill-fated encounter with Gerard sooner orter. ¡°Are you that rude Adventurer?¡± Gerard asked with a smug grin. ¡°Can you really do anything if I check you out?¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk before he shed his Rune of Insight. Then, Gerard¡¯s details popped up in front of his eyes. [Gerard] [Shakiro¡¯s first disciples, but he was banished after causing trouble.] [Type: NPC] [Level: 240] [ss: Weapon Collector] [Affiliation: Church of Osric] [Position: Apostle-To-Be] [Remarks: He possesses a dark magic called ¡®Rune of Plunder¡¯ that allows him to steal the abilities and skills of others. He is able to conjure a wide variety of weapons thanks to his Shadow Weapon.] Siegfried grimaced after checking Gerard¡¯s details through his Rune of Insight. ¡°Church of Osric? Wow, look at this little bastard. Was it really that hard for you to find friends that you lumped together with those who killed Master Shakiro? Unbelievable¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled before he looked at Gerard with eyes full of pity and said, ¡°Do you really think that Master Shakiro will apud you if he were here?¡± ¡°Master Shakiro?¡± Gerard muttered with a confused look. It was then¡­ ¡°Senior Brother!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over for you now that Senior Brother is here¡ªKeke!¡± ¡°Senior Brother is going to dispose of you in master¡¯s stead¡­ you better prepare yourself, bastard¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s over for you¡­ Senior Brother is not going to let you do what you want¡­!¡± Hakken and the other Weapon Maestros growled at Gerard. ¡°Senior Brother¡­?¡± Gerard muttered. He looked at Siegfried and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you¡¯re the bastard whom Hakken has been calling Shakiro¡¯s sessor?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m his rightful sessor. Whatcha gonna do bout it?¡± Siegfried sneered. Meanwhile, he was thinking, ¡®Ah¡­ I can¡¯t deny it anymore¡­ I¡¯ll have to live as the next Weapon Master¡­¡¯ He knew that he was now going to be the official Senior Brother of the Weapon Maestros after dering that he was Shakiro¡¯s sessor¡­ ¡°Is this the part where Iugh?¡± Gerard smirked. ¡°Shakiro seems to have gone senile before going six feet under. Who could have known that he was going to name a greenhorn like you as his sessor? Well, he was senile from the start, after all. He was scared of my talents, so he refused to pass down the Torrential Flower Rain to him¡­¡± ¡°Why look at this dumb little bastard¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°This asshole is apletely ungrateful bastard.¡± Siegfried was not the type of person to cuss in such a manner, but his anger toward Gerard made him utter such words. Of course, what he said about Gerard wasn¡¯t technically wrong, judging by the things that Gerard had done until now¡­ ¡°Can you even call yourself a human?¡± Siegfried said as he walked toward Gerard before he stopped and let out a sigh, ¡°Sigh¡­?You¡¯re such a coward¡­¡± ¡°C-Coward¡­?!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? You came crawling out because you heard that Master Shakiro was killed by the Church of Osirc.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, looks like I¡¯m right,¡± Siegfried interrupted Gerard before he could defend himself. ¡°N-No! You¡¯re wrong!¡± ¡°Ha? What¡¯s with the denial? You are nothing but a coward piece of shit, right?¡± ¡°Y-You! You dare¡­!¡± Gerard gritted his teeth and growled in anger. Siegfried had struck him right where it hurt. Gerard had been roaming the continent as nothing but a mercenary when Shakiro was still alive. However, he stumbled upon the Church of Osric by chance, and he had learned of the Weapon Master¡¯s demise. Gerard immediately headed for the Weapon Academy afterward. Why? It was all because Shakiro was no longer around. Gerard was the most afraid of Shakiro, and after finding out that Shakiro was gone, he decided to go after his brothers and sisters. ¡°Your mouth¡­! I¡¯m going to rip your mouth!¡± Gerard screamed and rushed at Siegfried. *** Siegfried ended up screaming inside right after the fightmenced. ¡®Am I fighting an octopus?!¡¯ Gerard¡¯s Shadow Weapon was threatening, but Siegfried was most concerned about the many different weapons flying around Gerard. Sword, saber, spear, shield, blunt weapons, assassination weapons, scythe, and a whip. There were eight kinds of legendary-level weapons orbiting Gerard, and they would attack Siegfried whenever he got near Gerard. Thanks to that, Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was currently fighting a nine versus one battle, and he could only defend without fighting back. In fact, he couldn¡¯t even ce his debuff fields because he had no time to cast them. ¡®Let¡¯s try to push him back for now¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he unleashed his radioactive energy. Fwaa¡­! A poisonous green fog surrounded Siegfried. ¡®Nice, he won¡¯t be able to approach me with this,¡¯?he thought. Whiish! Whiish! Siegfried was about to cast his debuff fields when the eight weapons pierced through the fog and attacked him. ¡°It looks like you were nning on widening the distance between us, but it¡¯s too obvious. Did you really think that such a shallow trick would work on me?¡± Gerard sneered. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rip you to pieces,¡± Gerard said as he controlled the eight weapons to attack simultaneously. ¡°Senior Brother!¡± Hakken shouted urgently. There was no gap in Gerard¡¯s attack, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange if Siegfried ended up being ripped to shreds. However, things didn¡¯t turn out ording to their expectations. ¡°I-I really don¡¯t like getting hit¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled under his breath. sh! Then, his body was covered in a sh of golden light. Adamant Body. Adamant Body raised Siegfried¡¯s Defense and gave him Super Armor. Bam! Shwiiik! Puk! Sukeok! Siegfried managed to withstand everything that Gerard had thrown at him. Of course, his HP decreased, but he didn¡¯t get incapacitated because of Adamant Body¡¯s Super Armor. Wooong! He activated Shadow Swamp and ze Field at the same time, and then he followed it up by activating Contempt for the Strong and Proof of Existence as well. However, Gerard wasn¡¯t an enemy that Siegfried could easily defeat just because he was able to cast his debuff and buff skills. Gerard was fifty levels higher than Siegfried, which meant that their stat difference was massive. ¡°What are these strange abilities you¡¯re using? I thought you were Shakiro¡¯s rightful sessor? Hmm¡­ I guess it was all a lie,¡± Gerard said with a smirk. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re nothing but an empty shell, so how does it make sense that you¡¯re Shakiro¡¯s sessor?¡± Gerard asked while upping the pressure against Siegfried. Gerard was strong. He was not a run-of-the-mill NPC judging by how he would attack Siegfried immediately after cutting down the shadows that were trying to cling to him. Danger. Siegfried¡¯s debuff skills were overpowered, but they weren¡¯t overpowered enough that they would allow him to beat someone fifty levels higher than him. Otherwise, his ss was no longer going to be a Hidden ss. It would be a broken ss instead. Meanwhile¡­ ¡®Do I have no other choice but to depend on my new skill?¡¯?Siegfried recalled the new Level 190 skill he had just obtained. It was quite difficult to hit the target with it, but it was definitely going to turn the battle around if he managed tond it. ¡®Let¡¯s give it a shot¡­¡¯ Siegfried decided to go for it. After all, it was his only way to turn the tables. *** ¡°Shakiro was a fool until the end, judging by how he named a trash like you as his sessor,¡± Gerard sneered while grabbing Siegfried by his neck. Then, he asked, ¡°Did you even learn the Torrential Flower Rain?¡± ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°You just know how to swing that¡ª¡± Woooong! All of a sudden, a small circle the size of a manhole cover appeared underneath Gerard¡¯s feet. ¡®What the heck is this?¡¯?Gerard wondered. Boom! Something seemed to have exploded inside the hole, and a blue me shot up to burn Gerad. The blue pir of me didn¡¯t directly reduce Gerard¡¯s HP, but it shredded something else. [Gerard] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] Gerard¡¯s HP and Mana were at eighty percent and forty percent, respectively, before he was struck by the blue pir of me. [Gerard] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] Gerard¡¯s Mana plummeted to zero upon being struck by the blue pir of me. [Mana Burn Fire] [Summon a pir of me that burns mana. A direct hit will burn up to 80% of the target¡¯s mana.] Mana Burn Fire was a strong skill, but its long casting time, small range, and the small dy after casting the skill meant that the user had to be meticulous if they wanted to make use of it effectively. The skill¡¯s range was so small that the manhole-sized hole beneath Gerard¡¯s feet earlier was already under the effects of the Quad-Turbo Set¡¯s buff. However, it was going to be possible to burn all of the target¡¯s mana, even after a direct hit. An enemy without mana was as good as an empty shell, and this was quite true for someone like Gerard, who was heavily mana-dependent. In short, Mana Burn Fire was basically a critical hit for him. Mana Burn Fire was truly a skill befitting the Debuff Master. Why? Because the Debuff Master could simply burn off his enemies'' mana and beat them to a pulp if his debuff skills were ineffective¡­ The result was¡­ Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!? Gerard lost control of the weapons orbiting him, and the weapons dropped to the floor one by one. ¡°Eat this!¡± Siegfried swung his hammer at the dumbstruck Gerard¡¯s chin. ¡°Kuheok!¡±? Gerard flew backward after getting smacked by the hammer. *** ¡°Keuok!¡±?Gerard groaned as he forced himself up. He had suffered a concussion, and half of his chin had turned into a gory mess. ¡®I¡¯m going to kill him¡­!¡¯? Still, Gerard had no doubts about his victory. He had zero mana, but he still had his trump card¡ªthe Shadow Weapon. The greenhorn got lucky and managed tond a hit on him. However, Gerard was certain that his powerful artifact was more than enough for him to win. ¡°You chatan¡­ How dare you¡­!¡± Gerard growled in anger. However, he noticed something strange. The weapons¡­ ck¡­! ck¡­! ck¡­!? The weapons on the floor started trembling before they floated into the air one by one. The strange phenomenon confused Gerard. ¡°W-What are you doing right now¡­?!¡± Gerard eximed. ¡°Why? Did you really think that you¡¯re the only one who can do this?¡± Siegfried asked nonchntly. ¡°How can someone like you¡ª¡± Gerard was in shock. ¡°I mean, you can do it, so why can¡¯t I?¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. Moving the weapon? That was a piece of cake for Siegfried. There was no way that moving a few weapons would be difficult for him when he could use Shakiro¡¯s ultimate skill¡ªTorrential Flower Rain. . ¡°Anything you can do, I can do better,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°You¡­ You bastard¡­!¡± ¡°But the things I can do? You can¡¯t do them.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you call me a chatan a while ago? I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s the real chatan here,¡± Siegfried said. Whiiiish¡­! The legendary-level weapons started orbiting Siegfried. ¡°N-No! T-this is impossible¡­!¡± Gerard screamed in denial. Chapter 173

    Chapter 173

    ¡°How can a greenhorn like you use the second stage of the Torrential Flower Rain¡­?!¡± Gerard eximed in disbelief. The Torrential Flower Rain had three stages. The first stage was to use a ton of throwable weapons, the second stage was to control many different weapons and use them, and the third stage was to conjure weapons out of mana, which was in the realm of the Heart of Swords. Siegfried was currently in the second stage. Gerard managed to control the weapons, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing that Siegfried could do. Whiiiish! The weapons rapidly orbited him, and anyone witnessing this sight could tell that a flower rain of death was about to descend upon the battlefield. ¡°Watch closely and tell me who the chatan is,¡± Siegfried said with a smug smirk. Then, the flower rain of death came crashing down on Gerard. *** Thud¡­! Gerard fell to the ground. He was in a mess, and he resembled a worn-out tattered rag. It was actually a miracle that he was still alive despite being on the receiving end of the barrage of attacks unleashed by the legendary-level weapons. ¡°H-How¡­ How can someone like you use the Torrential Flower Rain¡­?¡± Gerard asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m better than you by¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ ten thousand times?¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. ¡°I can¡¯t ept this¡­ I refuse to ept this¡­!¡± ¡°Huh? Who the hell are you to ept it or not? Just hurry up and die. I don¡¯t feel like mixing words with you anymore,¡± Siegfried said and swung his hammer. Whoosh! Pukeok! Gerard¡¯s head was squashed. Then, numerous blue lights emerged from Gerard¡¯s corpse and floated toward the Weapon Maestros. The abilities and techniques that he had stolen using dark magic finally returned to their rightful owners. Shortly afterward, the Shadow Weapon in Gerard¡¯s hand crumbled into dust and scattered away. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a shame¡­ It would have fetched a pretty penny¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. However, he decided to forget about it because there was no point crying over a weapon that had already turned into dust. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Siegfried asked while extending a hand. ¡°Senior Brother¡­¡± Hakken looked at him with eyes full of emotions. ¡°Only unfortunate things seem to be happening these days, but what can we do? We just have to get back up and move on.¡± ¡°You are absolutely right, Senior Brother¡­¡± ¡°Okay, time to get up,¡± Siegfried said as he pulled Hakken to his feet. *** Three dayster¡­ ¡°¡­May the blessings of the God of Justice be with you.¡± A priest recited a prayer. ¡°May you rest in peace¡­¡± Siegfried said and ced three gold coins on the altar. He was carrying out his duties as the Chief Mourner for Shakiro, Maxim, and Velkanto¡¯s funeral. ¡°¡­¡± A deafening silence descended on the entire Weapon Academy. The Maestros did not say a single word even after the funeral. It was only a few days ago that they received news of their master¡¯s passing, but two of their brothers, Maxim and Velkanto, ended up being murdered by the biggest son of a bitch, so there was no way that the mood was going to lighten up in the academy. ¡°Kyu¡­¡±? Even the usually rude hamster, Hamchi, obediently stayed in a corner with his ears drooping because of the solemn atmosphere. ¡°Hakken,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, Senior Brother.¡± ¡°Shall we have a chat?¡± ¡°Most certainly.¡± Siegfried called Hakken aside and gave him an old book. ¡°Take this.¡± It was the skill book he received from Shakiro. ¡°W-What¡­ is this¡­?¡± ¡°The Torrential Flower Rain.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it anymore, so you can have it.¡± ¡°But Senior Brother! I am not master¡¯s rightful sessor!¡± Siegfried shook his head and replied, ¡°No, you are Master Shakiro¡¯s rightful sessor.¡± ¡°But I am not talented with other weapons¡­¡± ¡°Me, neither. I just read that book and learned how to use the Torrential Flower Rain.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I have a true master I serve, and carrying his shoes is already too much for me. So, you should inherit Master Shakiro¡¯s legacy. And¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°You will see that the ultimate skills of each weapon are also written in it. I skipped over them because I don¡¯t really need them, but you will be able to fill the void left behind by Maxim and Velkanto with that. It¡¯s going to be a problem if the blunt weapon and shield were to disappear from Master Shakiro¡¯s legacy, right?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you. It¡¯s your duty to raise the Shield and Blunt Weapon Maestros.¡± ¡°I understand what you mean, Senior Brother,¡± Hakken replied as he received the skill book from Siegfried. ¡°One more thing,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°What is it, Senior Brother?¡± ¡°What are your ns from now on?¡± ¡°We, brothers and sisters, are nning to take revenge on the Church of Osric¡­¡± ¡°What about the Weapon Academy?¡± ¡°I am afraid it will be difficult for us to continue running it¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Then, I have a proposal, do you want to hear it?¡± ¡°What kind of proposal do you mean, Senior Brother¡­?¡± ¡°You see¡­ I run a small country¡­¡± ¡°A-Are you telling me that you are a king, Senior Brother?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing amazing. It¡¯s just a small rural province that I run.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°What do you think about running the Weapon Academy over there while going after the Church of Osric from time to time? The Church of Osric is also our kingdom¡¯s mortal enemy. Well, I also have some personal beef with them, too. Anyway, what do you think?¡± ¡°We will go,¡± Hakken immediately epted the proposal and exined, ¡°We have been making ns and looking for another ce to move our academy, so your offer is perfect for us, Senior Brother.¡± ¡°Good choice. The Weapon Academy is going to be targeted by the Church of Osric if you¡¯re out in the open.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± ¡°All right, it¡¯s decided, then. You guys will wrap things up over here ande with me to Proatine.¡± ¡°Proatine? Did you just say Proatine?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Senior Brother, I apologize, but¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Where is Proatine?¡± Hearing that, a tear fell from Siegfried¡¯s eye. *** Siegfried went to the Sunset Forest to hunt the Blood Moth while waiting for the Weapon Maestros to finish preparing to move the Weapon Academy. [Alert: You have reached Level 191!] [Alert: You have reached Level 192!] [Alert: You have reached Level 193!] [Alert: You have reached Level 194!] [Alert: You have reached Level 195!] He reached Level 195 after killing a ton of Petite Blood Moths, which was the normal mob in the Sunset Forest. [Alert: You have obtained a ¡®Blood Moth Wings¡¯!] Siegfried went to the Thierry Merchant Company after obtaining the Blood Moth Wings. ¡°Wee, Your Majesty,¡± Gio greeted him and said, ¡°I have heard the news that you ran into some unfortunate circumstances.¡± ¡°It turned out that way,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I truly wonder how this world will turn out when such evil beings are running amok¡­ Haha¡­¡± ¡°But what are your ns from now on?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Did you not hear the news that the Weapon Academy is moving to Proatine?¡± ¡°Ah,?you do not have to be concerned if it is about that issue,¡± Gio replied with a smile before continuing. ¡°There is bound to be a solution to all problems, but it is truly a shame that the Weapon Academy is leaving this town. After all, they have greatly contributed and assisted White Town whenever help was necessary...¡± Gio was sincere. He didn¡¯t personally attend the funeral, but he sent quite a lot of funds for the funeral. Thanks to him, the Weapon Maestros didn¡¯t have to spend a dime for their treatment as well as for the priest who held the funeral. ¡°It is truly unfortunate indeed¡­ Ah,?this is the Heavenly Silk I promised to sell to Your Majesty,¡± Gio said and extended a roll of fine silk. [Heavenly Silk] [A silk produced by a mysterious worm. It can be purchased from the ¡®Thierry Merchant Company¡¯ at White Town, and it is quite expensive.] [It is harder than steel but softer than silk.] The Heavenly Silk truly lived up to its reputation because it looked quite mysterious and shiny. Of course, It also looked expensive. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°With the thirty percent discount, that would be¡­¡± Gio calcted. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Siegfried doubted his ears after hearing the price. He then chuckled before saying, ¡°Come on, there¡¯s no way.¡± ¡°Haha! It¡¯s difficult to believe, yes, but it¡¯s true. Was Your Majesty perhaps¡­ not aware of its price?¡± . ¡°Yes, I was not aware of it. So, is it possible to get an additional ten percent discount¡­?¡± ¡°No, thirty percent is already a huge discount, Your Majesty,¡± Gio tly rejected. ¡°Then¡­ F-Five percent¡­?¡± ¡°I apologize, but I cannot do that.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± In the end, Siegfried was forced to purchase the ridiculously expensive Heavenly Silk while crying tears of blood. *** Siegfried had gathered four out of the five materials he needed after purchasing the Heavenly Silk. Now, he only needed dimensional fragments. He didn¡¯t bother wasting his time farming the 3,188 Dimensional Fragments he required. He simply bought them off the market. He didn¡¯t really need that much, and it wasn¡¯t that expensive as well, so it wasn¡¯t that painful for him to purchase them. [This is All You Need!] [Bring the following materials to Quandt, the chief cksmith of the Bavarian Workshop.] [Progress: 100%] [Dimensional Fragment: 25,000/25,000] ? [Heavenly Silk: 10/10] ? [Blood Moth Wings: 2/2] ? [3kg of ck Steel Ore Lump: 3/3] ? [Titan¡¯s Tendons: 30/30] ? A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes after he had collected all of the required materials. [Alert: Go to the Hometown of Death at the Bavarian Workshop and collect your rewards from Quandt!] Siegfried told Hakken to find his own way to Proatine before setting out for the Bavarian Workshop with Hamchi. ¡°Ack!?It¡¯s King Siegfried van Proa! Where¡¯s the team in charge of weing His Majesty? Hey! Weing team?!¡± However, one of the gatekeepers shouted after spotting Siegfried walking toward the Bavarian Workshop. ¡®Damn it!¡¯?Siegfried cursed inwardly. He had no ns of being subjected to the same torturest time, so he ran as fast as he could all the way to where Quandt was located. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re already here? I thought that it would take you a month at least!¡± Quandt eximed in delight. ¡°I got lucky and managed to gather it quickly,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°But why didn¡¯t you tell us you wereing? We would have prepared a grand wee for you if you had told us¡­¡± ¡°Can you stop doing that strange thing?¡± ¡°W-Why? D-Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°Are you even aware that you¡¯re subjecting me to public humiliation by doing that¡­?¡± ¡°Ehem¡­!?It seems you didn¡¯t like it¡­¡± ¡°Please stop it. I beg you.¡± ¡°All right, I will tell them to prepare something else next time,¡± Quandt replied with a nod. Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel like crying after hearing Quandt¡¯s response. *** Siegfried returned to the Proatine Kingdom after passing the materials over to Quandt. Then, he ran into someone he was quite familiar with. ¡°So, Your Majesty decided to take in the Weapon Maestros?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it take in. They can run the Weapon Academy here and fight together with us against the Church of Osric. It¡¯s killing two birds with one stone, right?¡± ¡°Excellent choice, Your Majesty. The Weapon Maestros are definitely going to be skilled, so they will be a huge support in our fight against the Church of Osric,¡± Michele said with a smile. He was delighted by the news of the Weapon Maestros joining their side, as the Church of Osric was his sworn nemesis as well. ¡°Please give the Weapon Academy the funds they need to start again,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I will carry out yourmands, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Siegfried thought of something all of a sudden. He figured that it was best to build the new Weapon Academy in a suitable ce. It should also be great if they built facilities that synergized with the Weapon Academy. ¡°Let¡¯s build the Weapon Academy at a ce where monsters frequently appear. Not somewhere where the strong ones appear, but somewhere where the likes of goblins or orcs often show up.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°Think about it. Who are the ones who will go looking for the Weapon Academy? It¡¯s going to be the Adventurers, right?¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°The Adventurers are going toe to change sses or learn some skills, so they will hunt the monsters on the way to the academy. Then, they will need to eat to replenish their Stamina, and they would need to drink potions to replenish their HP and Mana¡­ Not to mention, they will need to repair their gears at a cksmith¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Should we just build an inn as well? Well, I¡¯m sure you get what I¡¯m trying to say right now. Something like a ce where one can learn knowledge and grow stronger at the same time?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Michele eximed in awe before he continued, ¡°That is an excellent idea, Your Majesty! The Weapon Maestros will have no problem running the Weapon Academy with that, and our kingdom will be able to drain the pockets of¡ª¡± ¡°What do you mean drain the pockets?¡± Siegfried interrupted Michele and rebuked, ¡°You have to watch your mouth as the Minister of State. I just wish to ensure that all of the Adventurersing to the Weapon Academy will have every facility they need. I wish to cater to their convenience, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°I have made a mistake just now, haha¡­¡± Hamchi was watching the exchange between the two while thinking, ¡®What a match! Those two are putting bandits to shame. They¡¯re practically plotting a highway robbery¡­!¡¯ All of a sudden, one of Siegfried¡¯s subjects announced. ¡°Your Majesty! A retired serviceman seeks an audience with you!¡± Chapter 174

    Chapter 174

    ¡°Retired serviceman? Who is it? I don¡¯t really know any retired serviceman¡­¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°He ims to be a former officer in the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s navy, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm??Is he here for revenge?¡± Siegfried could only think that way. Why? He was the main culprit behind the downfall of the Adunyadet Kingdom, after all, and someone an officer would obviously want to avenge his nation. ¡°I believe it will be wise to send him back. I am concerned that the individual might try to do something to Your Majesty,¡± Michele advised. ¡°No,¡± Siegfried shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll just have to subdue and beat the shit out of him if he tries anything funny.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Besides, if he came here for revenge, why would he announce his arrival and ask for an audience? I have a feeling that he wants to say something.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I can just die if he pulls anything. I¡¯m an Adventurer, after all.¡± Siegfried wasn¡¯t that concerned about meeting the retired serviceman from the Adunyadet Kingdom because even if he were to die, he would stille back to life after forty-nine hours. ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty.¡± The man iming to be a retired serviceman from the Adunyadet Kingdom greeted Siegfried, and then he introduced himself. ¡°My name is Mahidon, and I once served in the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s navy. I was a vice-admiral in the navy and themander of the marines.¡± ¡°Ah,?you must be ¡®that¡¯ Mahidon.¡± ¡°Have you heard of me, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I have heard of you. Youmanded the marines twelve times and lost all twelve¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But why did youe here today?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°T-That is¡­ A person who suffered twelve major defeats shouldn¡¯t say this, but¡­ I came for an interview¡­¡± ¡°Interview? Do you mean you¡¯re looking for a job?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± Mahidon replied while breaking out into a cold sweat. He felt nervous after finding out that Siegfried was aware of his consecutive string of defeats. ¡°I was almost executed by the Adunyadet Kingdom, but I luckily managed to survive after they lost the war.¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°I could not find a job after the Adunyadet Kingdom was absorbed by Stone Ind.¡± ¡°Was it impossible for you to continue serving?¡± ¡°I lost twelve consecutive battles, but many Stone Inders died because of me. I believe that is the reason that they weren¡¯t willing to take me in.¡± ¡°Why did youe to me, of all people?¡± ¡°Lord Angele rmended Your Majesty. And even though the Proatine Kingdom is an extremely weak nation that is the size of a booger, I believe that it has a bright future. I believe that it has the potential to be a powerhouse in the future.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I wish to inform Your Majesty that even though I was a high-ranking officer in the Adunyadet Navy, I no longer have an ounce of loyalty toward them. This is my resume, and I hope that Your Majesty would at least give it a read¡­¡± Mahidon said and extended his resume to Siegfried. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t even bother looking at the resume. He simply threw it at the corner of his table in front of Mahidon. ¡°¡­¡± Mahidon grimaced and thought, ¡®Ah¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to look somewhere else, but where else can a loser like me go?¡¯ Lord Angele¡¯s referral was one thing, but the main reason Mahidon came to Proatine was because of his outstanding?career track record. Twelve defeats out of twelve battles. His career record was blemished with the failed beachnding, so it was going to be extremely difficult for him to find a nation willing to hire him for his services. ¡®Sigh¡­ I¡¯m just going to try working for a maritime tradingpany if the Proatine Kingdom is not willing to take me in¡­¡¯?Mahidon sighed inwardly. However, Siegfried¡¯s following words stupefied Mahidon. ¡°When do you want to start?¡± ¡°Huh? W-What do you mean by start? A-are you saying that you want to hire me, Your Majesty?¡± stammered the flustered Mahidon. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty did not even read my resume¡­¡± ¡°You fought and lost all twelve battles, but your casualties were low. Am I correct?¡± Siegfried was well aware of Mahidon¡¯s exploits, so he didn¡¯t have to read thetter¡¯s resume. ¡°I have heard of your exploits from Lord Angele. She also mentioned that you are a skilled admiral.¡± ¡°I-I am nothing but amander who lost¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s officials were a bunch of clowns and not because of you, right? Isn¡¯t it strange to ask amander to lead a bunch of troops armed with half-rotten leather armors and rusty swords, expecting them to win?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°They probablymented on your mindset or something, too.¡± ¡°H-How did you know that, Your Majesty¡­?!¡± Mahidon was shocked. ¡°There are people like that in my world, too.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°My kingdom doesn¡¯t have a marine corps just yet, so why don¡¯t you take up the reins and create one for me?¡± ¡°Are you serious, Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t say things that I can¡¯t back up. I will instruct my Minister of State to prepare your letter of appointment, so hurry on and get ready.¡± ¡°T-Thank you, Your Majesty! I will swear my loyalty to you from now on!¡± The scapegoat admiral, who ended up beingbeled as a loser, managed to receive another opportunity by joining the naval forces of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡®I will definitely achieve an overwhelming victory and get rid of my title as a loser¡­!¡¯? Mahidon clenched his fists and steeled his resolve. *** Two dayster, Siegfried went back to the Hometown of Death and received the artifacts from Quandt. ¡°All done! Why don¡¯t you take a look at them?¡± [Alert: You have obtained the ¡®Monster Strength Greaves¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the ¡®Bloody Iron Boots¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the ¡®Head Breaker Helmet¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the ¡®Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings¡¯!] Siegfried took off his worn-out gears and put on the new artifacts. ¡°Oh! It looks good on you! You look quite cool!¡± Quandt eximed. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I think we have to draw a painting of you or something!¡± ¡°Come on, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that good¡ª¡± ¡°Take a look for yourself!¡± Quandt eximed as he took out a full-body mirror. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried was taken aback after seeing his reflection in the mirror. ¡®Oh? I do look quite good¡­¡¯?he thought. His reflection wearing the Quad-Turbo Set from the Autonika Workshop, along with the three special artifacts of the Bavarian Workshop, looked pretty awesome. Moreover, the red cape specially tailored for him was like the icing on the cake. ¡°The helmet has an on-and-off function, so you may hide it until you need it. Do you see this part? You can switch it on and off by pressing this part, and it will turn into an earring.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ An artifact can actually do that?¡± ¡°Hoho! What do you think of our workshop¡¯s skills? These kinds of functions are just basic! Basic!?Kekeke!¡± ¡°The Bavarian Workshop is indeed the best. Thank you very much, Quandt-nim.¡± ¡°Try using them inbat. They look cool, but their effects are even cooler. Keke!¡± ¡°I will definitely try them out inbat. Thank you once again, Quandt-nim.¡± ¡°Keke! No need to thank me as long as youplete Herbert-nim¡¯s final masterpiece!¡± ¡°I will do my best.¡± Siegfried promised to do his best to finish Herbert¡¯s final masterpiece before finally leaving the Bavarian Workshop. ¡®Where should I head next?¡¯?thought Siegfried while looking at the world map. ¡®I¡¯m almost Level 200, so it would be best if I go?hunt¡­ Yeah, I should probably do that because I¡¯ve been cking off recently¡­¡¯?he wasn¡¯t able to do much hunting after getting swept up in two sets of chain quests from Stone Ind and White Town. ¡®Hmm¡­ but those Genesis bastards are making me worried, so it¡¯ll be risky if I go to a famous hunting ground¡­¡¯? Siegfried recalled that most of the higher-ranking members of the Genesis Guild were in the range of Level 180 to Level 220, so he was bound to run into them if he went to the famous hunting grounds. ¡®The suitable hunting ground for me would be¡­ somewhere with not a lot of people, but the mobs give a ton of experience ¡­¡¯?Siegfried scoured the world map. ¡®Hmm? This ce looks great for me¡­¡¯? He found a ce that met all of his requirements. It was a hunting ground that most Adventurers avoided, which made it the perfect hunting ground for him. After confirming his next destination, he immediately started walking away. *** Siegfried decided to return to Proatine first to get Hamchi before going on his journey. sh! The Warp Gate shed, and Siegfried emerged from it along with Hamchi. [N¨¹rburg Continent Northern Region: Ruin of Madness] A message informing him of his current location popped up in front of his eyes. The reason that Siegfried came to this ce was that the monsters that inhabited this ce gave a ton of experience points, but most Adventurers avoided hunting here because of the monsters¡¯ extremely high Defense. However, Siegfried was the Debuff Master, so he could simply shred the monsters¡¯ Defense with his debuff skills. Therefore, he had no reason to avoid this ce. ¡°Kyu??Where is this?¡± Hamchi asked while looking around his surroundings. ¡°Here? Well, you can think of it as a huge tomb?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Kyu¡­?¡±?Hamchi tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I think it was around two thousand five hundred years ago? The entire continent was unified by an emperor, and he built a huge tomb for himself and created one million stone soldiers to guard him before his death,¡± Siegfried exined what he knew. ¡°Ah! Gran Cabrio! You¡¯re talking about that crazy emperor, right?¡± ¡°Huh? How did you know?¡± ¡°That bastard is quite famous! Is this really his final resting ce?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Siegfried nodded and exined, ¡°I think it was around thirty years ago? The soldiers in this tomb suddenly started moving and went on a rampage.¡± ¡°Then, are we going to be fighting those soldiers?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°The end of the world ising! To think that those dead bastards were going toe to life and sow discord in this world! Why are the evil bastards of antiquitying back to life?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that there¡¯s a culprit behind it?¡± someone suddenly asked. ¡°Hiik!?You scared the bejesus out of me!¡± ¡°KYU?!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi jumped in fright. ¡°Hmm? Why are you so surprised?¡± Gringore asked with a confused look. ¡®What the hell is this guy? Just when did he follow us?¡¯?Siegfried wondered in disbelief as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Gringore¡¯s appearance here had truly startled him. He didn¡¯t sense Gringore¡¯s presence at all¡­ ¡°Scribe Gringore¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°When did you follow us¡­?¡± ¡°I stepped into the Warp Gate when you stepped into it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ I never imagined that you would leave me behind,¡± Gringore said with a sinister smile before continuing. ¡°I am Your Majesty¡¯s humble scribe. I will follow Your Majesty everywhere until Your Majesty¡¯s final breath! My life¡¯s sole purpose is to write down everything Your Majesty does and says! Hehehehe!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re scaring me.¡± ¡°Hmm? Are you scared of me, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very scared of you right now¡­¡± ¡°W-Why¡­?¡± ¡°You sound like a stalker¡­¡± ¡°A stalker?¡± Gringore muttered, seemingly hurt. Then, he pouted and grumbled, ¡°But¡­ I just want to write down everything Your Majesty says and does¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you sound like a stalker to me right now¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I should exile you to some ind or something,¡± Siegfried grumbled. He recalled that the scribe was the culprit who had exposed all of his humiliating affairs. Of course, Gringore was an extremely able NPC if the fact that he had zerobat capability was excluded. ¡°E-Exile¡­?!¡± ¡°Be very careful,¡± Siegfried said with a sinister smile. All of a sudden, the screams of hundreds of Adventurers could be heard in the distance. ¡°Catch that bastard!¡± ¡°Catch that little rat!¡± ¡°Kill that rat! We just need to take the Ark of the Covenant from him!¡± The Adventurers were approaching them. ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°What is going on, Your Majesty?¡± Siegfried¡¯s party was startled by the suddenmotion. ¡°Hey! Just let me be, you stubborn bastards! Give me a chance to turn my life around! Please!¡± An Adventurer screamed as he ran past Siegfried¡¯s party, and the Adventurer was carrying a huge box on his back. ¡°What¡¯s going¡ª¡± Siegfried started. However, the parade of Adventurers finally arrived and interrupted him. Siegfried swept his gaze across the Adventurers in hot pursuit and saw that they were wearing the same V-shaped wing badge. Genesis. They were all members of the guild that Siegfried considered his mortal enemy. Chapter 175

    Chapter 175

    ¡®Ah¡­ No wonder my luck has been so good these days¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly while gnashing his teeth. It was often said that unlucky people would somehow break their noses even if they fell backward, and it seemed that he was unlucky enough to be like that. He had intentionally picked a not-so-famous hunting ground so that he could avoid running into the Genesis Guild, but who could have known that he was going to run into them here? ¡®Let¡¯s just stay still for now. I¡¯m not their target,¡¯?he thought as he took a step back and decided to watch the situation unfold. However, someone pointed at Siegfried and shouted, ¡°Who¡¯s that bastard? Kill him!¡± ¡°Who are you?!¡± ¡°Fuck off! You bastard!¡± The Genesis Guild members charged toward Siegfried. ¡°Hey! W-Wait a second! Let¡¯s talk things out! Let¡¯s be civilized!¡± Siegfried eximed. He tried his best to avoid any conflict with them because he couldn¡¯t see any point in fighting them right now. However, his pleas fell on deaf ears. ¡°Did word already spread so far that these kinds of losers are already showing up?¡± ¡°Ha!?He must be trying to strike it big!¡± The Genesis Guild members said a bunch of things that made no sense to Siegfried before attacking him. Bam! Siegfried smashed his hammer into the ground. Whoosh! The fifty Genesis Guild members were flung into the air. Splitting Heaven and Earth decimated everything as far as Siegfried could see, thanks to the Quad-Turbo Set. Fwaaah! Fwaaaaaah! Siegfried cast ze Field as a follow-up. Whooosh¡­ Chwaaak! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Then, he used Lightning Flying Spur and hurled his hammer. The hammer unleashed a current of electricity that jumped from one Genesis Guild member to another. [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: Your infamy will not rise upon killing an opponent if the opponent attacked first!] He gained a ton of experience points and¡ª Thud¡­! Thud¡­! Thud¡­! ¡ªdozens of items fell to the ground¡­ ¡°You said you wanted to talk things out! I knew it, you¡¯re a psychopath! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi eximed and shook his head in disbelief. ¡°They didn¡¯t want to talk, and I can¡¯t just drop dead because they want me to, right?¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯re right, kyu!¡± ¡°But what¡¯s wrong with these guys? I mean, they¡¯re quite the delinquents, but as far as I can remember, they weren¡¯t so bad that they¡¯ll attack others on sight¡­¡± The Genesis Guild was one of the top ten guilds, and it was rare for them to arbitrarily kill Adventurers without asking any questions. Naturally, it was all for the sake of their public image as a renowned guild. Not only that, but it would be quite troublesome if their members suddenly attacked someone and that someone turned out to be a High Ranker affiliated with one of the top ten guilds. ¡°Hmm¡­ I wonder what¡¯s going on¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He turned his gaze toward the escaping Adventurer. More urately, he used his Rune of Insight on the thing that the Adventurer was carrying on his back. [Ark of the Ancient God] [An ark containing the authority of an ancient god.] [The ss Change Scroll: Hidden ss 009 will appear once the seal is broken.] [Rating: Epic] [Weight: 50kg (This item is extremely heavy!)] [Remarks: Cannot Be Transported, Cannot Be Soulbound, Sealed.] [Cannot Be Transported: This item cannot be transported through Teleport, Warp, Warp Gate, etc¡­ [Cannot Be Soulbound: This item cannot be stored in the Inventory.] [Sealed: To unseal this item, A skilled magician has to perform a special rite.] Siegfried¡¯s following words were¡­ ¡°Hey, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°I think¡­ I think we have to catch that Adventurer¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exinter. Go pick those items up for now and catch up to me.¡± ¡°All right, owner p¡ª¡± Whooosh! Siegfried ran away before Hamchi could even finish replying. *** In Siegfried¡¯s eyes, the obvious choice was to try and catch the running Adventurer. ¡°Excuse me!¡± Siegfried shouted after managing to overtake the Adventurer. ¡°Wait a moment! Let¡¯s talk!¡± ¡°Fuck off!¡± ¡°Just a moment will do, so let¡¯s talk. I¡¯m not trying to steal that thing from you, so just give me a minute of your time.¡± Siegfried had no ns of stealing the Ark of the Ancient God. Well, it was true that his greed was piqued when he saw the description of the Ark. After all, the Soul Separation Device that he had obtained from the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament was still sitting in his Inventory, and it allowed the user to possess two sses at the same time. If he managed to get his hands on the ark, Siegfried would be the very first and only person with two hidden sses. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t the type of person that would blindly steal someone else¡¯s belongings. No, what he had in mind was far more important than him obtaining the ark. ¡®I can¡¯t let those Genesis Guild bastards get their hands on that¡ªover my dead body!¡¯? Siegfried gnashed his teeth. What would happen if Chae Hyung-Seok got his hands on a hidden ss? The answer was quite obvious. Siegfried¡¯s revenge would be much more difficult. ¡®Never! I should either help this guy escape with that thing, or I¡¯ll take it for myself. There¡¯s no other choice aside from those.¡¯?Siegfried concluded that it would be better if a random person obtained a hidden ss as long as they weren¡¯t Chae Hyung-Seok. Therefore, Siegfried decided to talk with the Adventurer. ¡°I will help you, so¡ª¡± he said. However, the Adventurer snapped back even before Siegfried couldplete his sentence. ¡°Shut up! Do you know how hard I worked to steal this from under their noses?!¡± ¡°Huh? You stole it¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered and tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Those damned executives¡­ They always take everything for themselves! They can¡¯t roll the dice and share something like this with the rest of us, right? Those bastards¡­ they only know how to order us around¡­!¡± the Adventurer grumbled. ¡°Erm¡­ You¡¯re a Genesis Guild member?¡± Siegfried asked as his eyesnded on the Adventurer¡¯s chest. He saw the symbol of the Genesis Guild on the Adventurer¡¯s chest. Siegfried still didn¡¯t have aplete grasp of what was going on, but it seemed that a Genesis Guild member stole what belonged to the Genesis Guild. This meant that the Ark of the Ancient God was as good as an ownerless item in Siegfried¡¯s eyes. In short, finder¡¯s keepers... ¡®Excellent,¡¯?Siegfried smiled. He decided to take the Ark of the Ancient God for himself. Shwik! Someone suddenly appeared behind the Adventurer carrying the ark. Puuuk! A sword was thrust into the Adventurer¡¯s head. Siegfried was certain that the perpetrator was an Adventurer with an assassin-type ss. Thud¡­ Booom¡­! A random item dropped from the Adventurer¡¯s corpses, and the Ark of the Ancient God also fell to the floor with a loud bang. ¡°Excuse me,¡± the assassin said. He carried the ark on his back and started running away. The assassin also had the Genesis Guild badge on his chest. ¡°What a mess¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. He was rendered speechless. Who could have known that the guild members of one of the top ten guilds would kill each other over an item? However, what they were doing wasn¡¯t that unreasonable in Siegfried¡¯s eyes. It was well worth killing a guildmate if an unknown hidden ss was on the line. Siegfried considered himself the prime example of what a hidden ss was capable of doing. His life had taken aplete turn after he got a hidden ss, and he was now going around hunting other Adventurers whose levels were higher. ¡®Do you really think that I¡¯ll let you get away?¡¯? Siegfried decided to take the Ark of the Ancient God for himself. After all, he had never been able to find a suitable ss that was also worthy of the Soul Separation Device. However, the same wasn¡¯t true for a hidden ss. A hidden ss was definitely worthy of being his second ss. Whoooosh! Siegfried threw his hammer, and the hammer flew at breakneck speeds toward the assassin¡¯s head. Tak! Whoosh! However, the assassin simply leaped into the air and twisted to avoid Siegfried¡¯s hammer. ¡°Ha!?Dumbass! Do you really think that an attack like that will work¡ª¡± Whoosh¡­ Pukeok! The hammer turned back and smashed the assassin¡¯s head. Thud¡­! The assassin copsed to the ground and muttered, ¡°It worked¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t get up anymore. Unfortunately, the hammer dealt a critical hit, killing him instantly. Thud¡­ Boom! A random item dropped, and the Ark of the Ancient God also dropped to the ground with a loud bang. ¡®Let¡¯s hurry up and pick that up.¡¯?Siegfried ran toward the two items. ¡°Finder¡¯s keepers!¡± However, a dark-skinned Adventurer suddenly appeared and picked up the Ark of the Ancient God before making a run for it. ¡°Hey! You¡­!¡± Siegfried shouted and ran after the dark-skinned Adventurer. It was the start of the bloody battle royale for the chest containing a hidden ss. *** Meanwhile, Desire was at the raid dungeon¡ªDimensional Rift: Devil¡¯s Forest, Chernoba¡ªwith his guild members. He logged out from the game to take a break. Desire¡ªChae Hyung-Seok¡ªreceived an unexpected call. ¡°What did you just say? The Ruin of Madness? What did you say was found there?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok doubted his ears. The report he had just heard from a guild executive could only be described as shocking. ¡ª The Ark of the Ancient God. We don¡¯t know for sure what¡¯s inside it, but the item description says that a ss change scroll for a hidden ss is inside it. ¡°Do you have a screenshot?¡± ¡ª I do. ¡°Send it to me.¡± ¡ª Give me a second. Chae Hyung-Seok anxiously waited for around ten seconds before an image arrived on his mobile messenger application. [Ark of the Ancient God] . [An ark containing the authority of an ancient god.] [The ss Change Scroll: Hidden ss 009 will appear once the seal is broken.] Chae Hyung-Seok was certain¡ªthe Ark of the Ancient God¡ªwas an item that would allow someone to change into a hidden ss. ¡°So, did you secure it? Who has it right now?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok asked with a hint of urgency in his voice. ¡ª That¡¯s¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Someone ran away with it?¡± ¡ª Yeah¡­ ¡°Which crazy bastard dared to do that?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok asked furiously. His logic was that whenever a guild member found a valuable item, they had to hand it over to him¡ªthe guild master. ¡°Which bastard is it? Which crazy bastard dares to covet my item?!¡± ¡ª Well¡­ ¡°¡­?¡± ¡ª It¡¯s not just one person. ¡°Not just one person? What?¡± ¡ª Everyone aside from those who are loyal to the guild is going nuts over the item. ¡°So, who has it right now?¡± ¡ª ¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ You have no idea¡­?¡± ¡ª The item keeps changing hands. I think this is the twentieth time that it changed hands¡­ ¡°This is crazy¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok covered his face with both hands. He finally realized what was going on, but it wasn¡¯t really that umon. It would happen once in a while. There were some extremely valuable items in BNW that couldn¡¯t be transported and couldn¡¯t be soulbound, and a fight would always break out over the ownership of such items. ¡°Hey, Min-Woo¡­¡± ¡ª Yeah, hyung? ¡°I¡¯m currently in Chernoba, so I can¡¯t go there. Going there will take me a day at least.¡± Chernoba was a very massive forest, and the only way to leave the forest was to clear at least three sectors in it. In short, Chae Hyung-Seok wouldn¡¯t be able to join the fight for the ark. ¡ª I know... ¡°Please find a way to secure the item. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± ¡ª Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m currently doing my best. But the problem is¡­ I can¡¯t trust anyone here¡­ ¡°Why is it now of all times¡­ haa¡­¡±?Chae Hyung-Seok sighed. He couldn¡¯t believe his luck¡ªto think that he would be stuck in a dungeon when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change into a hidden ss had appeared. ¡ª Hyung, don¡¯t worry about it and trust me. I¡¯ll find a way to get that item. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll change into a hidden ss. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± ¡ª All right. ¡°And make sure that this doesn¡¯t leak out. You know that, right? The whole server coulde running if word got out.¡± ¡ª Don¡¯t worry about that. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the game now. I¡¯ll try to clear this dungeon as soon as possible, so keep me posted.¡± ¡ª Sure. Chae Hyung-Seok ended the call. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± he muttered while going through his contacts. Then, he dialed one of the numbers, ¡°Hello? Hi, hyung, it¡¯s me. Do you remember one of my close brothers, Min-Woo? Yeah, that guy. I¡¯m sorry to bother you, but I¡¯ll send you his address, so can you send a few of your guys to his ce? Just ask them to stand by there for two to three days. Hmm? What is it about? Well¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok immediately called a hyung-nim right after he was done talking with Min-Woo. He asked the hyung-nim to send a few guys to Min-Woo¡¯s house. Why? It was just in case Min-Woo had any funny ideas about the Ark of the Ancient God. Chae Hyung-Seok trusted no one. 1. A hyung-nim is an older brother, but it can also be used for gangster boss or mob bosses. Chapter 176

    Chapter 176

    The battle royale for the ark seemed like it wasn¡¯t going to end anytime soon. ¡®I¡¯ll run out of energy if I keep chasing after them like this¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while chasing after the ark. He decided to hide behind the trees and catch his breath. The Genesis Guild members fought, fought, and fought over the Ark of the Ancient God. Siegfried felt that he could possibly die from either a stray arrow or from exhaustion if he kept running after the ark like he had been doing just now. ¡°Sniff! Sniff!?Hey, owner punk! Why are you hiding here? Anyway, Hamchi finished picking up the items!¡± Hamchi said. ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­?Your Majesty¡­ Can we please¡­ slow down¡­? Huff Huff¡­!¡±?Gringore begged for mercy. The two of them seemed to have caught Siegfried¡¯s scent and found him behind the trees. ¡°Shh!¡±?Siegfried gestured for them to be quiet before saying, ¡°Keep it down. I need to observe just what the hell is going on right now.¡± He observed the entire battlefield after silencing Hamchi and Gringore. The result was¡­ The Ark of the Ancient God containing the hidden ss scroll changed hands thirty-one times within three hours. ¡°They¡¯re all crazy¡­ Hahaha¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Siegfriedughed in disbelief after witnessing the crazed mob fighting over the ark in the hidden ss scroll. ¡°Greed is such a scary thing¡­ kyu¡­¡± ¡°It feels like a bunch of zombies fighting over the living, Your Majesty.¡± Even Hamchi and Gringore shook their heads and clicked their tongues. The battle royale for the ark was fierce. Thirty-one people ended up dead, and the random items they dropped littered the ground. ¡°I probably would have done that as well,¡± Siegfried bitterly smiled after observing the insane fight. He was not wrong. Siegfried¡ªno, Tae-Sung would have probably been worse than them. However, he was now Siegfried, so the story was different now. He could possibly be the most fearsome Adventurer on the continent if he managed to get a dual ss of two hidden sses, but what mattered to him right now was making sure that the hidden ss wouldn¡¯t end up in the hands of the Genesis Guild; particrly, their guild master, Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡®The best case scenario is me getting ownership of that ark¡­ and the next best thing is making sure that it doesn¡¯t fall in Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s hands. I¡¯ll just have to bide my time and wait. I won¡¯t stand a chance if I exhaust myself.¡¯? Siegfried made a level-headed decision. It was a decision he wouldn¡¯t have made if he was still Tae-Sung. ¡®They¡¯re going to keep gathering, and more of them will definitely flock to the ark. I¡¯ll wait until the very end and take it from right under their noses,¡¯?Siegfried drew up his ns. He looked at the giant hamster. ¡°Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Do you have any nuts?¡± ¡°A lot¡­!¡± ¡°Take some out.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Just hurry up and take them out.¡± Hamchi naturally reached for his pockets and took out a stic bag filled with many different types of nuts. Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel that there was a human being hiding beneath the fur and that he would most likely find one if he skinned the giant hamster. Anyway¡­ ¡°Here you go, but what do you need it for?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°What else?¡± Siegfried opened the bag of nuts and threw one into his mouth before saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to eat it. ¡°K-Kyu?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s sit back, rx, and eat some nuts while watching them fight to the death.¡± ¡°No¡­!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Hamchi¡¯s nuts! Don¡¯t eat Hamchi¡¯s nuts, owner punk! Why are you stealing my nuts?!¡± ¡°Hey, why are you being so petty?¡± ¡°What do you mean petty?! Those are Hamchi¡¯s nuts! Don¡¯t touch my nuts!¡± ¡°Sheesh¡­ I didn¡¯t know you were so petty¡­¡± All of a sudden, Gringore retrieved something and offered it up to Siegfried. ¡°Would you like some, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°It is called popcorn,?Your Majesty.¡± ¡°P-Popcorn?!¡± ¡°I love caramel popcorn, so I always keep some with me, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Popcorn doesn''t taste that good when they get soggy and soft¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s in a magical pouch, so it¡¯s still crunchy. Please try it, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Should I?¡± Siegfried took the bag of caramel popcorn and threw the bag of nuts back to the giant hamster. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not going to eat your petty nuts. Take it.¡± ¡°Good to know! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi retorted and hugged his two bags of nuts. ¡°Oh, by the way, Squire Gringore,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think you will have to run back to the kingdom for an errand.¡± ¡°The kingdom? But¡­ I¡¯m supposed to record everything Your Majesty does¡­¡± ¡°This is an important mission that could be extremely beneficial to our kingdom.¡± ¡°Is that ark really that amazing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then¡ªYour Majesty¡¯s loyal subject¡ªGringore, shall ept Your Majesty¡¯smand!¡± ¡°Thank you, Squire Gringore.¡± ¡°Not at all, Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°You will just have to go back and ry everything I say word-for-word to Michele.¡± ¡°I understand, Your Majesty.¡± . ¡°So what you have to say it¡­¡± Siegfried whispered his message for Michele into Gringore¡¯s ear. *** Gringore had already departed for the Proatine Kingdom, but the battle royale for the Ark was still ongoing. An hour, two hours, three hours, and eight hours¡­ Night had already fallen a long time ago, but the ark continued to change hands. It changed hands so many times that Siegfried had long lost track of how many people hadid their hands on the ark. The fight continued even after the eleventh hour since Siegfried decided to take the back seat and just observe from behind the trees. ¡°Ack!¡± One of the Genesis Guild members screamed and copsed. ¡°Stubborn bastards¡­¡± Another guild member grumbled and picked up the ark. Shwiiiik¡­ Kaboom! A fireball flew from somewhere and charred the guild member picking up the ark. Thud¡­! Boom! The heavy ark fell to the ground once again. ¡°¡­!¡± Five Adventurers jumped out from behind the trees, but they jumped and emerged at the same time, so they were now in a standoff against one another with the ark between them. The five of them had been hiding behind the trees and had been biding their time, just like Siegfried. Of course, the difference between them and Siegfried was that they were far too impatient and ended up being in a five-way battle royale. ¡°D-Die!¡± ¡°You asshole!¡± ¡°Come here and die!¡± ¡°Fuck off!¡± ¡°That¡¯s mine!¡± They pounced on the ark and started beating each other up. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± A voice suddenly rang out, and it was obvious from the tone of voice that the speaker was mocking the Adventurers. You guys can¡¯t y the game to save your lives, but you dare covet the hidden ss?¡± [vUltimate Headshotv] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 245] [ss: Shooting Star] [Titles: The Man Who Had Shot a Star, Twinkle Twinkle, Veteran Marksman.] The ID had an extremely strong Chuuni vibe to it, and it seemed that he was suffering from it as well. However, the most important detail was his level. Ultimate Headshot was an astounding Level 245 user, which meant that he was fifty levels above Siegfried, who was currently Level 195. Not to mention, he was much more powerful than the five Adventurers currently brawling for the ark. A truly high-level Adventurer had finally appeared to put an end to the battle royale. ¡°Just die, all of you,¡± Ultimate Headshot said as mana emerged from both of his hands. Bang! Bang! Boom! Ultimate Headshot disyed his prowess as a Shooting Star by unleashing a barrage of condensed mana toward the Adventurers. The mana pierced the Adventurers'' heads, killing them instantly. The whole scene looked as if there had been a shooting star on the ground, but the damage he had dealt was even more astonishing than the scene. ¡°Now listen up. I¡¯m taking this with me, so anyone with a problem about that should speak up now,¡± Ultimate Headshot said. After the overwhelming disy of power just now, nobody dared to stand in front of him, and he leisurely walked toward the ark and flung it over one of his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m going to shoot a hole in the head of anyone who dares follow me,¡± he warned. He then walked away, stepping over the dozens of random items and corpses. Still, greed was a powerful motivator, and no one would be willing to watch someone else take what they believed belonged to them. Ssreuk¡­! Ssreuk¡­!? The bushes in the surroundings rustled as hordes of Adventurers started trailing Ultimate Headshot. Ultimate Headshot was strong, so nobody dared to oppose him openly, but there was no way they would simply going to let him go scot-free. The Adventurers trailed Ultimate Headshot like a pack of hyenas stalking a lion walking away with its prey in its mouth. ¡°Hey, Hamchi,¡± Siegfried called Hamchi. The giant hamster woke up and rubbed his eyes before responding, ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°How many do you think there are? I mean those on the move right now.¡± Hamchi¡¯s ears stood upright before he replied, ¡°Hmm¡­?There are exactly forty-two of them.¡± ¡°What about those still hiding?¡± ¡°There are seven...¡± Hamchi¡¯s sharp senses picked up the presence of even those hiding. ¡°But why aren¡¯t you moving, owner punk?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°What can I do? I won¡¯t be able to go far even if I get my hands on the ark,¡± Siegfried replied. He decided to wait a bit longer. Ssreuk¡­!?Ssreuk¡­!?Ssreuk¡­! Five minutes since Ultimate Headshot disappeared, the Adventurers?hiding in the bushes emerged one by one, which signaled the start of another battle royale. However, the battle royale this time wasn¡¯t over the ark but over the random items on the ground. ¡®One, two, three, four, five, six, and seven¡­ it¡¯s time.¡¯? Thest remaining Adventurer in hiding finally emerged. Woooong! Siegfried finally emerged from behind the threes as well, and he used Shadow Swamp and ze Field to ambush the seven Adventurers vying for the dropped items. [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: Your infamy did not rise because the opponents were engaged in PVP.] [Alert: You have reached Level 196!] Siegfried only managed to kill five out of the seven Adventurers because the other two died before he could kill them. However, he still managed to level up after killing only five of them. ¡°Hum~ Hum~¡±?Siegfried hummed in joy as he picked up the more than fifty items on the ground after gaining a ton of Experience Points. ¡°Hey, owner punk¡­ You seem to be getting eviler as time goes on¡­¡± Hamchi muttered under his breath. ¡°Hmm? What did you say?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and pick all these up.¡± ¡°Alright! Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi were soon immersed in collecting the items on the ground. *** It was great that Siegfried managed to freely loot the items that the Genesis Guild members had dropped upon their deaths, but there was one problem¡­ [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Boots of Speed¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Burning de¡¯!] [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Knight¡¯s Vow¡¯!] ¡­omitted¡­ After picking up all the items on the ground, Siegfried obtained a new title. [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®Vulture¡¯!] [Alert: Your new title has increased your Inventory capacity by 50kg!] Of course, obtaining a new title had always been a good thing. [Vulture] [A title given to Adventurers who had looted five hundred items dropped by others upon death. (A vulture feeds on the carcasses of other animals, and they are known as the scavengers of the wild!)] [Type: Title] [Rating: Unique] [Effect: +50 Inventory Capacity.] The effect of the title was quite useful, but the problem was the title itself. The title effect was useful, but the issue was with the title itself. Vultures had never had a good reputation because most people were bound to misunderstand the title. Unfortunately, this could also be considered Siegfried reaping what he had sowed. He had obtained the title after getting too obsessed with looting items that the dead had left behind. ¡®Ah¡­ It was Seggs Stamina Kingst time, and now it¡¯s Vulture?¡¯?Siegfried despaired. He was convinced he could no longer salvage his public image. ¡°Hey, owner punk? What¡¯s wrong? Why are you crying?¡± Hamchi asked. Siegfried wordlessly replied by shedding another tear. *** [Alert: You have killed the 74th area¡¯s boss monster, Saber Jaguar!] [Alert: You have gained Return Stone after clearing three areas.] Chae Hyung-Seok bulldozed through the dungeon without rest, hearing from Min-Woo that a hidden ss scroll had appeared. He was able to get his hands on a Return Stone in record time. ¡°Huh? Where are you going, hyung-nim?¡± asked one of the Genesis Guild executives in Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s party. The executive¡¯s question wasn¡¯t strange because Chae Hyung-Seok seemed like he was in a hurry to go back as soon as he obtained the Return Stone. ¡°I have some urgent things to attend to at home. Great job, you guys,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok said before leaving Dimensional Rift: Chernoba and heading straight for the nearest War Gate. There was no need to mention that his destination was the Ruin of Madness, and he was definitely nning on joining the battle royale for the Ark of the Ancient God. Chapter 177

    Chapter 177

    Siegfried went over to the bush where Seung-Gu was hiding and tapped thetter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Ah,?hello, hyung-nim.¡± Siegfried rubbed his eyes and said, ¡°Ah, I feel like I¡¯m going to die from theck of sleep. I only slept for three hours.¡± ¡°You should go and sleep a bit more. I have a feeling that you can sleep for at least ten hours¡­¡± Seung-Gu replied. The maximum hours a yer could stay logged into BNW was forty-eight hours, and the only way to reset this timer was to stay logged out for at least three hours. Siegfried expected the battle royale tost longer than three hours, so he asked Seung-Gu to sit in for him and keep track of what was going on so he could log out and reset the timer. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep even sleep because I¡¯m worried. What if something suddenly happened?¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Nothing really happened. Ah, that Chuuni guy¡¯s is Ultimate Headshot, right? He kept taunting everyone and eventually died. And two Adventurers, Level 230 and Level 250, appeared, but they died after trying to y the hero. Nobody dared to approach the ark after that,¡± Seung-Gu pointed at the owner-less ark. The ark containing the hidden ss scroll was left on top of a mountain of corpses and items. Nobody dared to approach it, and it seemed that it was going to stay that way for quite a while. This meant that nobody was confident enough that they would be able to overpower the other challenges and take the ark for themselves. It was the same for Siegfried as well. He still?did not have the strength to be a one-man army. The keyword was still¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ Something¡¯s strange¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°What do you mean, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°Where the hell is Chae Hyung-Seok? What is he doing right now?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you mean that bastard?¡± Siegfried had already shared his story with Seung-Gu over drinks, so Seung-Gu was now referring to Chae Hyung-Seok as a bastard. ¡°A priceless artifact appeared, but Chae Hyung-Seok still isn¡¯t here? He should have appeared from the start judging by his personality¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it is truly strange, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°There are only two possibilities. It¡¯s either the Genesis Guild members haven¡¯t reported the existence of the ark to Chae Hyung-Seok, or he is currently caught up with something.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Honestly, I have no idea, but... do you trust me, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu suddenly asked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I mean, what if I suddenly run off with the ark?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re not Chae Hyung-Seok, right? I mean, I won¡¯t lose anything even if you run off with that thing and change into a hidden ss.¡± ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ you really have balls of steel.¡± ¡°My balls have nothing to do with it. I just won¡¯t lose anything,¡± Siegfried said. He smirked before continuing. ¡°If a ss that doesn¡¯t synergize with my ss pops up, you can have it.¡± ¡°A-Are you serious?!¡± Seung-Gu eximed with wide eyes. This meant that Siegfried was willing to give the hidden ss to him. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee it¡¯s going to be a ss suitable for me, and our kingdom¡¯s going to have two hidden ss users if you be one. By then, won¡¯t it be a piece of cake to crush those Genesis bastards?¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± ¡°That settles it, then...¡± Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Thud¡­? A new challenger finally appeared to take ownership of the ark. The Adventurer wasn¡¯t alone; he was apanied by a massive party of twenty people, and they were members of the Genesis Guild. ¡°From now on, those who dare to stand in our way will die,¡± Min-Woo told the other Adventurers. Min-Woo was Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s close brother, and his words sparked yet another chaotic battle royale over the ark. *** The loyal Genesis Guild members went around the forest, killing the Adventurers in hiding. ¡°You dirty bastards!¡± ¡°You dare call yourself a member of the Genesis Guild?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not toote to turn back. You can still join us.¡± The guild members who wanted to take the ark for themselves sensed that they were going to lose. However, they decided not to surrender to Min-Woo¡¯s party. Instead, they decided to form a temporary coalition to kill the loyal guild members of the Genesis Guild. It was only natural to do so, and it proved that the saying¡ªthe enemy of my enemy is a friend¡ªexisted for a reason. This was the best way to describe the decision that the Adventurers had made against the Genesis Guild. Anyone who had failed to join an emerging faction was bound to be overwhelmed and killed once that faction grew big enough, and the only way they could survive was to gather temporarily to fight theirmon enemy. Siegfried continued to observe the situation while hiding behind the trees. He knew that thest man standing in this chaotic mess would be the true winner, and he had already made up his mind to shut up and continue observing until thest second, no matter what. Meanwhile, the Loyal Genesis Guild members and the Ex-Genesis Guild members shed against each other, and the fighting soon reached its climax. Surprisingly, the Loyal Genesis Guild members were getting massacred by the Ex-Genesis Guild members as every single Adventurer hiding in the vicinity ran out to kill themon enemy. ¡®Huh? Will the Genesis Guild copse just like this? Are they seriously just going to implode¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was in disbelief. sh! Shwaaaaa! There was a sudden sh of light as an array of lights shot down from the heavens and enveloped the Loyal Genesis Guild members. ¡®Huh?¡¯?Siegfried grimaced. The light belonged to a skill that he would never forget throughout his entire life. Two years ago, Siegfried led his guild to fight the Genesis Guild, and the light just now was the main reason he couldn¡¯t put up much of a resistance at the time. He could still clearly remember the nightmare of the massacre of his guild members after the light doubled the stats of the Genesis Guild members. ¡°Holy Rain¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. Holy Rain was a buff skill the ss Holy Saint possessed, and it could be considered the ss¡¯ trademark skill. Its appearance meant that the person whom Siegfried loathed the most in this world had finally arrived here. ¡°Chae Hyung-Seok¡­¡± Siegfried muttered under his breath. The Guild Master of the Genesis Guild¡ªSiegfried¡¯s arch-nemesis¡ªhad arrived. *** Shwaaaa! Beneath the Holy Rain, Min-Woo shouted, ¡°Hyung!¡± ¡°Guild Master-nim!¡± ¡°You are finally here, Guild Master-nim!¡± ¡°Keke!?Are you here to obtain a hidden ss, Guild Master-nim?¡± The loyal Genesis Guild members were overjoyed to see Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°Great work, everyone,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok praised his guildmates, whom he actually considered to be his subordinates. He motioned with his chin at the group of Ex-Genesis Guild members before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this up.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°You¡¯re all dead, you bastards!¡± After seeing their guild master and receiving Holy Rain¡¯s buffs, the morale of the loyal Genesis Guild Members skyrocketed. It took only a single person to reverse the tides of the battle. ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s Chae Hyung-Seok!¡± ¡°Desire is here¡­¡± ¡°Chae Hyung-Seok¡­¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ Why did he have to show up¡­¡± The morale of the Ex-Genesis Guild members plummeted upon seeing Chae Hyung-Seok. It wasn¡¯t really strange. [Desire] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 276] [ss: Holy Saint] [Affiliation: Genesis Guild] [Position: Guild Master] [Titles: One Who Creates Miracles, Holy Commander, One Who Chases Away Death, Merciless ughterer, Guild Predator, Cold Conqueror, (see more)] Chae Hyung-Seok was famous, and he frequently appeared on gaming channels. He was a famous pro gamer and was also a top streamer on the game streaming tform, G-Tube. However, he was most well-known for being the guild master of one of the top ten guilds on the continent, the Genesis Guild. He was an imposing figure that even most High Rankers couldn¡¯t oppose. Of course, his ss, Holy Saint, was a nonbatant support-type ss with zerobat prowess, but Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s name alone was more than enough to crush the morale of those who had been blinded by greed. A Level 240 Ex-Genesis Guild member shouted, ¡°Fuck! So what?! Do we have to offer the hidden ss to him just because he¡¯s Chae Hyung-Seok?! Hey! Listen up, you bastards who are still hiding! Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s going to take that hidden ss for himself if you don¡¯t show up now! Hurry up ande out!¡± His words were effective because the remaining Adventurers emerged one by one. ¡°Ah¡­ He really ratted us out just like that¡­¡± ¡°I mean, he¡¯s not wrong¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, we need to kill that bastard Chae Hyung-Seok first before fighting over the hidden ss among ourselves¡­¡± It seemed that nobody wanted to see Chae Hyung-Seok be an Adventurer with a hidden ss. ¡°These bastards¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok gritted his teeth. Pro Gamer, Ranker, Celebrity Streamer, and Guild Master. These titles were usually more than enough to convince people to think twice before standing up against him, so Chae Hyung-Seok was extremely annoyed when he saw the greedy Adventurers standing up against him. ¡°You people will die,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok said coldly. He looked at the Genesis loyalists and . ¡°What are you guys standing around for? Go and kill those bastards.¡± ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Our guild master-nim is the rightful owner of the ark!¡± ¡°The ark is mine, your bastards!¡± ¡°You crazy bastards!¡± A fierce battle broke out once again between the loyal Genesis Guild members led by Chae Hyung-Seok and the greedy Ex-Genesis Guild members. The final showdown for the ark had finally started. ¡°It¡¯s time to get moving,¡± Siegfried said and stood up. *** ¡°Hey, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Can you find the ones who are still in hiding?¡± Siegfried asked. He was sure that there were still a few opportunistic Adventurers in hiding, even though Chae Hyung-Seok had already appeared. ¡°Easy peasy! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi eximed. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°Exactly eleven!¡± ¡°You know where they are, right?¡± ¡°Yes! Hamchi¡¯s nose and ears are really good! My nose is a dog¡¯s¡ªno, a hamster¡¯s nose!¡± ¡°Lead the way, then. We¡¯re going to kill them one by one.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Siegfried went around with Hamchi and killed the hiding Adventurers while the final showdown was ongoing. Seuk¡­ He appeared behind an Adventurer hiding behind a bush. Shwik! Ambush! He smashed the head of an Adventurer with his hammer. One, two, three, four, five, and finally eleven¡­ Siegfried had finally eliminated the future threats. ¡°Are there any more of them left?¡± ¡°No more¡± ¡°Then, we will wait again,¡± Siegfried said and turned his gaze toward the final showdown. The Genesis Guild was obviously winning¡ªno, it was more like they were crushing the more than one hundred Ex-Genesis Guild members. ¡®You just made a big mistake, Chae Hyung-Seok¡­¡¯?Siegfried muttered under his breath and smiled. ¡®You¡¯re stronger the more allies you have, and while you¡¯re surrounded by other Buffers. You should have brought your entire guild if you really wanted the ark.¡¯ Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s fatal mistakemitted was not being able to trust his own guild members anding here on his own with just a bunch of loyalists rather than with the guild executives. Of course, there had to be a couple of legitimate reasons why he came here without the executives, but it wasn¡¯t Siegfried¡¯s problem. ¡®Let me show you how it feels to have something stolen right under your nose¡­¡¯? Meanwhile, the final showdown reached its climax, and the casualties started piling up on both sides. ¡°Hyung-nim, shouldn¡¯t we go and make our move now? I think the timing¡¯s perfect,¡± Seung-Gi said. The final showdown was starting to simmer down after reaching its climax. ¡°Yeah, now¡¯s the right time.¡± Siegfried nodded. He then smirked and said, ¡°Before that, we wait for our reinforcements.¡± He retrieved a signal re pistol from his Inventory and¡ª Shwoooo¡­ Kaboom! ¡ªshot a re into the skies. The re exploded upon reaching its maximum height, creating an array of red light in the sky. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Siegfried finally emerged from the bushes. Chapter 178

    Chapter 178

    Siegfried emerged from the bushes and cast Shadow Swamp at where the Genesis Guild members were fighting. Woooong! The Shadow Swamp was cast, and a shadow for each Adventurer emerged from the ground. Seuk¡­ Srreuk¡­! The shadows were powerful enough to slow down even the high-level Adventurers. ¡°W-What¡¯s this?!¡± ¡°Which bastard did this?!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the fucking troll?!¡± Everyone cried out in frustration at the annoying shadows. It didn¡¯t matter even if they were the loyalists or the traitors. Fwaaa! Fwaaaaaa! Siegfried followed up by casting ze Field to reduce the Defense and Magic Resistance of everyone within the field. The word reduce was actually an understatement because Siegfried had basically neutralized their Defense and Magic Resistance. ¡®The circles are ced,¡¯?Siegfried thought, but he stopped there. He did not join the fray. Why? Was he not going to fight? Of course, not. Why would he jump into that chaos? He wasn¡¯t that crazy or dumb. ¡®You see that chest? Pick it up and throw it to me,¡¯?hemanded the shadows. Srreuk¡­ Tak¡­! A shadow picked up the ark and threw it to another shadow. . Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! A ry ensued as the shadows transported the ark by passing it to each other amidst the slowed Adventurers. In the end, the ark finallynded in Siegfried¡¯s hands. [Alert: You have obtained the item ¡®Ark of the Ancient God¡¯!] Someone quickly shouted, ¡°Get that bastard!¡± ¡°How can you even think of doing something like this?!¡± ¡°That bastard has a death wish! Kill him first!¡± ¡°Kill that scum!¡± The Adventurers started hurling expletives at Siegfried. It didn¡¯t matter even if they were the loyalists or the traitors. However, Siegfried couldn¡¯t care less about what they thought about him, so he didn¡¯t even bother to respond. ¡®Hold them down.¡¯?He gave the shadows anothermand before running away. ¡°Hamchi! Time to run!¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi ran as fast as they could after obtaining the ark. ¡°Catch that bastard! We must catch him! ARGH!?What the hell are these?!¡± ¡°L-Let me go! Let me go, you fucking shadows!¡± ¡°What are these stubborn bastards!¡± Unfortunately, there was no way that the shadows would listen to them and let go when Siegfried had explicitlymanded them to hold the Adventurers down. When Siegfried finally went out of the Shadow Swamp¡¯s range, the shadows abruptly disappeared. The loyalists and traitors got up to chase after Siegfried. ¡°Not so fast!¡± Seung-Gu suddenly appeared. Boom! Boom! Boom! He summoned eleven Iron Golems. The Iron Golems smashed the ground and lifted the ground to form an earth barricade. The Mechanic Force that Siegfried gifted Seung-Gu allowed thetter to summon an army of eleven Iron Golems. Mechanic Force was a powerful legendary item that allowed the user to create seven Iron Golems on top of increasing the user¡¯s skill levels by three. Seung-Gu managed to create an army of Iron Golems, which were much more powerful than most types of golems. Seung-Gu alsopleted his second-ss advancement. [Seung-Gu] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 178] [ss: Iron Lord (Legendary)] [Affiliation: Proatine Kingdom] [Position: Captain of the Labor Force] [Titles: Site Leader, Construction Site Maestro, Skilled Administrator, King of Labor, One Who Handles Iron, Newbie Pilot.] The Iron Lord was a ss that specialized in handling Iron Golems, and the core ability of the ss was the ability to pilot Iron Golems. Baaaam! An Iron Golem stood over four meters tall, and it towered over any other golems. These huge golems grouped up and formed a barricade. ¡ª Hyung-nim! I will handle the rear! Run as fast as you can with the ark! Seung-Gu urgently shouted at Siegfried while on board an Iron Golem¡ªno, the Titan. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡ª Don¡¯t mention it! Hurry up and go!¡± Seung-Gu¡¯s voice had a tinge of anxiety. It was unavoidable for him to feel that way, as he knew very well that he was not going to be able to hold back these high-level Adventurers, even with eleven Iron Golems and the Titan that he was piloting. However, his main purpose was to buy enough time for Siegfried, so he didn¡¯t think that his army of golems and the Titan wouldn¡¯t be capable of doing just that. *** Meanwhile, there were three airships flying in the night sky above where the hot pursuit was taking ce. These airships were coated with magical camouge paint that made them impossible to spot from the ground with the naked eye. On top of that, the airships were armed with special silent motors that got rid of the characteristic motor sound of most airships, which made it impossible to detect by sound. ¡°A ze has been spotted on the ground!¡± reported a soldier d in the military uniform of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°Hmm¡­ A ze, you say? That must be a signal from His Majesty.¡± Michele nodded and said, ¡°All right, all airships! Prepare to fire all weapons at the ground!¡± ¡°Prepare to fire!¡± The soldiers moved busily to load the canons as soon as Michele gave themand, and they aimed all of the canons at the Adventurers on the ground. ¡°All cannons are ready to fire, sir!¡± ¡°Prepare to fire!¡± Michele eximed, ¡°Three, two, one¡­ fire!¡± ¡°Fire!¡± The soldiers eximed and simultaneously pulled the trigger. Shwoooong¡­ Shwooooong¡­! The mortar shells unleashed by the three airships plummeted toward the heads of the Genesis Guild members on the ground. *** Siegfried had no ns of joining the fray from the start, so that was why he had been thinking about it. ¡®How can I sweep them up without fighting¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯te up with any idea that would allow him to defeat the high-level Adventurers. There was also a ny-nine percent chance that things could turn south on him really quickly, judging by how many people were vying for the ark. In addition, everything would end up as a coin toss the moment he joined the chaos. A light bulb had popped up in Siegfried¡¯s mind. ¡®Hold on¡­ I can just use my kingdom¡¯s forces, right?¡¯ He hade up with a brilliant idea¡ªutilize the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s military. The Proatine Kingdom was a small nation the size of a booger, but it was still an entire nation, which meant that Siegfried currently had more options at his disposalpared to other Adventurers. In the end, Siegfried decided to seek Michele¡¯s advice on how he could use his kingdom¡¯s resources to resolve his current dilemma. ¡°Scribe Gringoire.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Go and ask Michele if there is a way for me to kill all of those Adventurers and obtain ownership of the ark without going out to fight for it personally.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± Gringoire went back to Proatine and delivered the message to Michele. ¡°His Majesty wishes to kill all of those Adventurers without going out to fight personally?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Michele.¡± ¡°Without having to fight personally¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s simple...¡± Michele quickly came up with a solution to Siegfried¡¯s difficult request. ¡°We just purchased threebat airships.¡± ¡°Threebat airships¡­?¡± Gringoire was surprised. It wasn¡¯t strange because even the smallest airship designed forbat was an extremely expensive vehicle, and he couldn¡¯t imagine that their small Proatine Kingdom could actually afford even one of those, not to mention three. ¡°It was a bit expensive, but we were able to buy it thanks to our flourishing trade. After all, there was also that incident with the Dimensional Rift¡­¡± Michele was regretful that they had nobat airships at the time. The monstersing out of the rift would have been easily disposed of with abat airship. ¡°I will send Sir Seung-Gu. Please tell His Majesty to give us the signal, and our fleet ofbat airships will drop bombs on top of the Adventurers¡¯ heads.¡± ¡°Oh! Excellent idea!¡± Gringoire was impressed. The Adventurers from another world possessed strange abilities that made them extremely powerful, but it should be impossible for them to survive a direct hit from a bomb. The owner of the ark would have already been decided long ago if one of them was powerful enough to survive a direct hit from a bomb. And Michele¡¯s n resulted in¡­ Boom! Boom! Boom! The bombs dropped by the threebat airships blew the Genesis Guild members to smithereens. None of them were able to sense the approaching airships, so they were all caught off guard by the sudden bombing. ¡°Halt!¡± Michele gave themand to stop the bombing before giving anothermand. ¡°All ships shall wait until His Majestyes on board.¡± ¡°Switch to hover mode¡­!¡± ¡°Switching to hover mode¡­!¡± The Proatine Kingdom¡¯s threebat airships silently hovered and waited for Siegfried¡¯s arrival. *** ¡°Phew¡­?I almost got caught up in the bombing¡­¡± Siegfried let out a sigh and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. ¡°Kyu!?Hamchi almost got bombed, too!¡± Hamchi eximed. If they had dyed their escape by at least ten seconds, then they would have died by friendly fire just now. A smoldering crater just seven to eight meters away from Siegfried proved that the bombs were capable of annihting the two of them. ¡°Anyway, what matters is that we¡¯re alive. Now, we should¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. He had already secured the ark, but there was no way he would just run away like this. ¡°We should pick up all of the items.¡± ¡°All right, kyu!¡±? Siegfried was sure that there were no survivors from the bombing just now, so he could rest easy and collect the items that the Adventurers had dropped due to the death penalty. There was no need to take a rain check on collecting free?items on the ground, right? ¡®I should collect Seung-Gu¡¯s item as well and return it to him¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. Seung-Gu had died from the bombing, so Siegfried decided to prioritize collecting Seung-Gu¡¯s item. ¡°Where is it¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, scouring through the charred battlefield. ¡°Wow¡­ Look at this¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in surprise after spotting an item on the ground. He chuckled hollowly in disbelief and said, ¡°He¡¯s quite the unlucky one, isn¡¯t he? How could he drop his main weapon out of everything he could have dropped¡­?¡± Siegfried saw a long stick in the rubble of the Iron Golems. The long stick was none other than Mechanic Force, which had already be Seung-Gu¡¯s lifeblood. The chance of dropping one¡¯s main weapon upon dying was extremely low. It was actually more likely for someone to slip on a pile of dog feces, fall backward, and break their nose. Siegfried was very familiar with that fact. After all, he had already be an expert on the death penalty after being hunted down by the Genesis Guild. Siegfried started wondering if his ss were Scavenger instead of the Debuff Master. Well, he wasn¡¯t really ashamed of what he was doing because he had already obtained the title of Vulture. ¡°Still, it¡¯s great that I managed to find it. Thanks for your sacrifice, Seung-Gu¡­¡± Siegfried muttered as he ced Mechanic Force into his Inventory. He was extremely grateful to Seung-Gu for thetter¡¯s sacrifice. With that being said, he resumed his scavenging. [Alert: You have obtained the item Sword of Truth!] [Alert: You have obtained the item Sledgehammer!] [Alert: You have obtained the item Bone Shield!] [Alert: You have obtained the item Cup of a Third-Rate Novelist!] [Alert: You have obtained the item Regal Brass Knuckles!] For some reason, the item Regal Brass Knuckles sounded strange in Siegfried¡¯s ears, but he still picked it up. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Thud¡­ All of a sudden, Siegfried sensed someone walking toward him from the other end of the charred battlefield. ¡®Someone survived the bombing?¡¯?Siegfried was surprised as he turned toward the survivor. ¡°W-Who the fuck are you¡­?¡± The survivor growled in anger. Chae Hyung-Seok. He was the only survivor of the bombing. Chapter 179

    Chapter 179

    Chae Hyung-Seok miraculously survived the bombing despite taking a few direct hits. The reason he survived the bombing despite not being a Tank was solely because of his high level. His absurd Level of 276, coupled with his various buffs, gave him the endurance he needed to survive the bombing. In addition, it had also be quitemon for Healers and Buffers to increase their defenses to avoid dying in one hit or bing tanky enough to be an off-tank. ¡°Hey, I asked you a question. Who the fuck are you?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled. ¡°Who knows?¡± Siegfried shed a sleazy smirk before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m also wondering what kind of a fucker I am, too. Maybe¡­ Seggs Stamina King? Or perhaps I¡¯m a Vulture.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok muttered in disbelief at Siegfried¡¯s self-roast before he grimaced and thought, ¡®Where the hell did this nobodye from? How does he have airships at his disposal¡­?¡¯ A thought suddenly crossed his mind. ¡®Hold on¡­ airships? Is that even something a gamer could buy? Is there a gamer that possesses an airship?¡¯ The cogs in his mind turned madly, but he couldn¡¯t think of a gamer with an airship at their disposal. Aw on the N¨¹rburg Continent prohibited an Adventurer from owning an airship. It was also illegal to sell airships to Adventurers. The main reason was that airships were simply too overpowered that the Adventurers might use them to challenge the authorities of the continent. The continent made a unanimous decision and passed thew. Of course, there were a few exceptions, but as far as Chae Hyung-Seok was aware, there were no Adventurers with airships. However, there was one person that he suspected was capable of owning an airship. ¡®It¡¯s impossible for someone to own an airship personally¡­ The NPCs will never sell an airship if the buyer is not a nation. In other words, the owner of those airships isn¡¯t an individual. However, the only gamer who can purchase an airship is¡­¡¯?he thought of one person. They were none other than the gamer shrouded behind a veil of mystery¡ªSiegfried. He was the monster who appeared out of nowhere during the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament and defeated the ny-ninth ranking Ranker, Raptor, in a duel of control. He then became the first gamer in the world to be a king with his own nation in BNW. It would make perfect sense that Siegfried could purchase airships under his kingdom¡¯s name. How he managed to purchase one was a mystery as he hadn¡¯t posted anything in the forums nor had he uploaded any videos, so most people assumed that he stayed holed up in his castle and was only interested in ying lord over his territory. There was also a time when the Genesis Guild was rapidly expanding that they shed against this Siegfried, and Chae Hyung-Seok noticed that Siegfried resembled some loser he knew long ago. ¡°You¡¯re that bastard, aren¡¯t you? That Siegfried or whatever your name is. You¡¯re the winner of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok asked. ¡°Who knows?¡± Siegfried grinned. ¡°Fuck your who knows! How can an Adventurer ownbat airships?! Are you fucking with me right now?!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok cussed. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right¡­ It¡¯s a dead giveaway¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a startled look. Now that he thought about it, he had basically announced his identity by using thebat airships of his nation. ¡®Well¡­ there was no other way aside from this, so I guess there¡¯s no helping it,¡¯?he decided to shrug it off. There was no other way for Siegfried to run away from an angry horde of high-leveled Adventurers with the ark. He had no other choice but to borrow the military might of the Proatine Kingdom. The Law of Equivalent Exchange... He had obtained the ark in exchange for exposing his identity. Of course, he had no idea that Michele would use thebat airships, but he wasn¡¯t in a position to me anyone because he also didn¡¯t expect that Chae Hyung-Seok would survive the bombing. In other words, he had miscalcted. Besides, securing the ark was much more important right now than keeping his identity under wraps, and this was the reason that Siegfried was not bothered by having his identity exposed. It was much more important for Siegfried to secure the ark right now rather than to keep his identity under wraps. Therefore, Siegfried was unbothered by the fact that his identity was exposed. Of course, he still felt that it was a bit of a shame that his identity was exposed here rather than during an opportune time. ¡°Let me ask you one question. Are you that bastard?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok asked with a re. ¡°That bastard? Who¡¯s that bastard?¡± Siegfried feigned ignorance. ¡°That stubborn bastard¡ªHan Tae-Sung,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled. ¡°So what if I am?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said, I¡¯m Han Tae-Sung,¡± Siegfried took his Metamorphosis Mask off. There was no point in hiding the truth. Now that Chae Hyung-Seok knew that he was the King of Proatine, the Genesis Guild would definitely hunt him down. ¡°You¡¯re Han Tae-Sung?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok was surprised. He asked just in case, but he didn¡¯t expect that Siegfried would confess. ¡°Are you kidding me? How did you change your name and ss?¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business~¡± Siegfried replied in a high tone before saying, ¡°It¡¯s time for round two, so you better watch yourself.¡± ¡°Watch myself? Do you really think that a nobody like you can¡ª¡± Chae Hyung-Seok scoffed. Pukeok! However, Siegfried suddenly charged and smashed Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s head with his hammer. *** Pukeok! There was no way that Chae Hyung-Seok would die in a single hit. He still had ten percent of his HP, and his absurdly high overall defense wasn¡¯t something that Siegfried could pierce with his current Attack Power. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t stop attacking Chae Hyung-Seok despite being aware of it. ¡®He¡¯s just an empty shell. I just have to keep beating him up,¡¯?he thought. He knew very well that a Buffer without allies was nothing but a punching bag. Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s overall defense was absurdly high defenses on top of his Level of 276, but he was still a Buffer, so there was nothing he could do in a one-versus-one situation. And Siegfried was right on the money¡­ Puk! Puk! Puk! Chae Hyung-Seok was reduced to nothing but a sturdy punching bag without any allies to cast his buffs on and help him. Siegfried took advantage of this opportunity to beat Chae Hyung-Seok up to his heart¡¯s content. He used Smite followed by Machine Gun Smash. He used his elbow, knees, fist, and various possible attacks to beat the living hell out of Chae Hyung-Seok. The one-sided beating was so brutal that anyone passing by would wonder if it were fine for a person to beat someone else up in such a ruthless way. Siegfried showed no signs of stopping as he beat, beat, and beat Chae Hyung-Seok up. Chae Hyung-Seok screamed in fury, ¡°You little FUCKEEEEEER!¡± He was ovee by rage after being one-sidedly beaten up by the insect that he could once crush with a flick of his finger. In fact, Tae-Sung was just an insect whom he had ruined with a singlemand. However, the fact that Chae Hyung-Seok couldn¡¯t even retaliate made him feel like he was going crazy. ¡°You asshole!¡± Puk! ¡°Fuck!¡± Pukeok! ¡°Heeeeeey!¡± Bam! Ironically, Chae Hyung-Seok couldn¡¯tnd a single blow no matter how hard he struggled against Siegfried despite his iparably higher HP and Defense. Well, their difference in stats were so great thatparing them side by side was going to end up embarrassing Siegfried. However, their Strength and Agility were almost equal, with Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s Strength and Agility being slightly higher than Siegfried¡¯s. This meant that Chae Hyung-Seok had much higher statspared to Siegfried despite being a Buffer. Nevertheless, he was receiving a one-sided beating from Siegfried without being able tond a single blow in retaliation. It was a one-sided beating despite his higher stats. This was more than enough proof that Siegfried was much more talented than Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡®I-I¡¯m getting beaten up by this insect?! By Han Tae-Sung? Nonsense! This can¡¯t be real!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s logic and pride couldn¡¯t ept his reality. Well, Siegfried couldn¡¯t really care less about what Chae Hyung-Seok thought or his curses. He just kept on beating Chae Hyung-Seok up. ¡°Hmm¡­?My damage is low¡­ I wonder how high your Defense is¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while looking at his prey with curious eyes before saying, ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s because I was only using normal attacks¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you fucking son of a bitch!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled in anger. Siegfriedpletely ignored him. ¡°I should buff myself first.¡± He activated all of the self-buff skills that the Debuff Master possessed and proceeded to beat Chae Hyung-Seok once again. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess the damage is a bit higher, but¡­¡± ¡°Y-You¡­ what are you doing right now? A-are you¡­ are you testing your damage on me¡­?!¡± ¡°Shadow Swamp has no effect on damage dealt, so¡­ I guess I should use ze Field.¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Siegfriedpletely ignored his prey¡¯s screams and cast ze Field. He then proceeded to test his damage dealt on his living punching bag after drastically reducing his punching bag¡¯s Defense and Magic Resistance. However, he wasn¡¯t actually just fooling around. He was trying to find out what would work best against Chae Hyung-Seok in case he ran into thetter in the future. Fwaaaaa! Fwaaaaa! The mes of Destruction hissed and clung to Chae Hyung-Seok. Bam! Siegfried smacked his prey with his hammer. Chae Hyung-Seok still had nine percent of his HP, but Siegfried¡¯s blow took a huge two percent of his HP, which made his HP drop to seven percent. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess it should be enough once I reach Level 250 and arm myself with a +12 legendary weapon¡­ Ah,?it¡¯s a shame¡­ I could have tested more skills if he had more HP remaining¡­ I think he¡¯s not going tost long if I use my skills¡­¡± ¡°Y-You¡­! Han Tae-Sung, you bastard! Do you really think that you will be safe after doing this?! I will fucking drag my guild to your doorstep and make you quit the game once again! Kekeke! Keke!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok roared and broke out intoughter. Siegfried smirked and replied, ¡°Go ahead. Do you really think that the emperor will let that happen?¡± ¡°The emperor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still under the emperor¡¯s protection, and I will remain under His Majesty¡¯s protection for the next two years and two months~¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°The Genesis Guild will be annihted the moment youe to my doorsteps to attack me. What do you say? Do you want to quit the game together?¡± ¡°Y-You bastard¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok finally remembered the emperor¡¯s announcement. He knew very well that he would have to quit the game if the emperor sentenced him to death. His status as the guild master of one of the top ten guilds wouldn¡¯t matter by then. ¡°I think there was a screenshot somewhere that the lowest-leveled knight under the emperor¡¯smand was¡ªhm, was it Level 270?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There were five hundred knights in that screenshot alone, so¡­¡± ¡°You better run and hide. I¡¯m going to rip you to pieces if I catch you!¡± ¡°Good luck scouring the world map looking for me~¡± Siegfried decided to infuriate Chae Hyung-Seok as much as he could. After all, his identity was already exposed. ¡®So it begins. You and me¡ªto the death¡ªuntil one of us ends up quitting the game.¡¯?Siegfried nned to interfere with everything the Genesis Guild would do from today onward and maximize the remainder of the emperor¡¯s promised protection period. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now, so no hard feelings, all right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to drive you crazy at the end of it.¡± Siegfried then swung his hammer at Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s head. Puk! Puk! Puk! He stubbornly and persistently aimed for Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s head. *** C-Crack¡­! Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s head finally cracked open. Thud¡­! With a dull thud, he died and dropped an item. [Alert: You have obtained the item Miracle Rune Earrings!] The Miracle Rune Earrings was a Mythic essory that Buffers used, and this item was going to fetch billions of won if he sold it. ¡°Wow~ Who could have known that the day when I would get to pick up an item that Chae Hyung-Seok had dropped woulde?¡± Siegfried smiled. He had just done what Tae-Sung couldn¡¯t even dream of doing, even in his wildest dreams. ¡°Hmm¡­ I should probably be on my toes from now on since the tea has been spilled.¡± He was a bit nervous about the retaliation, but he figured that nothing would happen as long as he was careful. History wouldn¡¯t repeat itself as well because he had the Proatine Kingdom as his sanctuary, so he wouldn¡¯t be stuck in the endless cycle of being killed likest time. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Are you done?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Siegfried shot another signal re. Adder soon descended from an airship hovering in the night sky. He climbed thedder with the Ark of the Ancient God in tow, and he climbed aboard the mainbat airship. Afterward, thebat airships of the Proatine Kingdom silently flew across the night sky. *** Thud! The capsule cover opened. ¡°Han Tae-Sung¡­ You son of a biiiitch!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok screamed at the top of his lungs with a flushed face. His reaction was totally understandable. After all, he had lost the ark containing a hidden ss, and he had also be Han Tae-Sung¡¯s punching bag, whom he had treated as an insect in the past. ¡°You actually dared to screw me over after hiding like a rat all this time? Just wait and see¡­! Struggle as much as you want¡ªit¡¯s useless! I¡¯ll show you that you¡¯re still nothing to me. Do you really think that you can do anything against me just because you have a hidden ss??Hehe¡­ Hehehe¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok vowed to destroy Siegfried¡ªno, Han Tae-Sung once again. Just like what he had done two years ago¡­ Chapter 180

    Chapter 180

    After getting back to the Proatine Kingdom, Siegfried spoke to Michele, ¡°Michele.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I unintentionally screwed up¡­¡± Siegfried then exined what happened. ¡°I see¡­¡± Michele muttered before covering his face with his hands as hemented inwardly, ¡®Ah¡­ I¡¯m already on the verge of dying from overwork¡­ How can you go and cause another mess¡­ urgh¡­¡¯ Michele was truly in pain. He already had a mountain of work, but Siegfried just had to go and pick a fight with one of the top ten Adventurer guilds on the continent. ¡°Please request for the empire¡¯s protection, and Your Majesty also needs to be careful until you be strong enough. It will be too burdensome for our kingdom to fight the Genesis Guild with our current status,¡± Michele said. ¡°I know,¡± Siegfried replied with an awkward smile before saying, ¡°I¡¯m just informing you. I¡¯m not asking you for a solution.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Just keep it in mind for now. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m going to take care of it eventually.¡± The Proatine Kingdom wouldn¡¯tst even a single day if the Genesis Guild decided to invade it, and Siegfried knew that fact better than anyone. ¡®I¡¯ll have?to power?level for real from?now on, but before that, I have to open the ark, so I can probably be a dual-ss,¡¯?Siegfried knew that he would be able to crush the Genesis Guild if he managed to be a dual-ss Adventurer. Of course, he still had no idea what kind of hidden ss would emerge from the ark. ¡°Do we have a magician?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°A magician, Your Majesty?¡± Michele replied, tilting his head in confusion. ¡°Yeah, I need a skilled magician to open this. At least, that¡¯s what it says¡­¡± The reason that Siegfried was looking for a magician was because of the third sentence in the ark¡¯s description. [Sealed: To unseal this item, A skilled magician has to perform a special rite.] Siegfried wasn¡¯t a magician, so he couldn¡¯t unseal the ark. ¡°What if you ask Marquis Decimato to do it, Your Majesty?¡± Michele asked. ¡°Oh, right¡­ There was that guy¡­¡± Marquis Decimato had be Siegfried¡¯s subject after the dimensional rift incident. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go and discuss it with him,¡± Siegfried said. He then summoned Marquis Decimato. ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty. It has been a long time since Ist saw you. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to call this humble subject of yours,¡± Decimato greeted. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°But what business do you have with this old one?¡± ¡°Can you take a look at this?¡± Siegfried pointed at the ark on the table. ¡°Hmm¡­ This is¡­¡± Decimato inspected the ark. He was not simply inspecting it with his eyes; he was currently using magic to appraise the ark. ¡°I believe there is a powerful force hiding within this chest, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°It looks like this chest is around two thousand years old judging by its shape and how much it has deteriorated¡­ Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Do you know how to open it?¡± ¡°I apologize, Your Majesty. I do not know what is inside this chest, but I am certain that my abilities are nowhere near enough to open this. It is an impossible task for me.¡± ¡°Huh? You can¡¯t open it?¡± Siegfried was surprised. Decimato was a high-level NPC magician, so he didn¡¯t expect that thetter would use the word impossible. ¡°This chest has been meticulously crafted to withstand the tests of time, and the sealing magic they ced on it is not something that I can dare to go up against. It is a high-level ancient spell.¡± ¡°Then¡­ We can¡¯t open it?¡± Siegfried could not help but feel cheated. ¡®I exposed my identity just to get my hands on this, but I actually can¡¯t open it?¡¯ He was certainly going to be in a pinch if he could not possess another hidden ss now that Chae Hyung-Seok knew about his identity. ¡°Well, it is not totally impossible per se, but I am certain that it is impossible with my prowess. I advise that Your Majesty should look for another magician.¡± ¡°Another magician, what do you mean?¡± ¡°Your Majesty should visit the Magic Tower.¡± The Magic Tower was known as the paradise of all magicians on the continent and was the root of all magical developments. The Magic Tower definitely had a magician capable of opening the ark. ¡°I apologize for not being of any help to Your Majesty,¡± Decimato said with a bow. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Siegfried shook his head and continued, ¡°Your advice was more than enough.¡± ¡°You are far too generous, my lord.¡± ¡°Anyway, thank you.¡± Decimato left Siegfried¡¯s office. ¡°I¡¯ll be going, then,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Please be careful, Your Majesty,¡± Michele saw him off. Siegfried boarded an airship with the Ark of the Ancient God in tow and flew toward the Magic Tower. *** The paradise of all magicians as well as the root of all magic¡ªthe Magic Tower¡ªwas located at the second capital city of the Marchioni Empire, Voluvard. Siegfried was currently on his way to Voluvard. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Themander of the airship fleet, which only had three airships, reported to Siegfried, ¡°We will have to temporarilynd to cool our engines and replenish our mana stones. May I get your permission tond, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± The airships in the N¨¹rburg Continent had a shorter flight rangepared to the airnes of the real world, so they had tond from time to time to cool their engines and replenish their mana stones. A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes uponnding. [Southwest of Marchioni Empire: Twin Sprout Vige] ¡°Huh? Twin Sprout Vige?¡± ¡°Why? Do you know this ce?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°Yeah, I do. This is where I started my game¡ªno, my adventure. I descended on this ce three years ago,¡± Siegfried replied with an awkward smile. ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Who could have known that I would be able to visit this ce again one day¡­ I wonder if my master is doing well.¡± ¡°Your master is at Mount Kunlun!¡± ¡°Not that Master.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°I told you that I used to be a magician, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, you told me¡­!¡± ¡°The person who taught me magic lives here.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s still here¡­ I think he already passed away...¡± Siegfried paused to ponde. Then, he asked themander of the airship, ¡°How long do we have to stay here?¡± Themander of the airship, Brigadier General Crown, replied, ¡°We will be here for at least two hours, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go somewhere for a while. Fire a signal re if anything happens,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Siegfried went toward the Twin Sprout Vige with Hamchi. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going out to see if Master is still here.¡± ¡°Do you n to visit him?¡± ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s no harm in visiting him since I¡¯m already here.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. Kyu!¡± Siegfried started thinking about the days when he first started ying BNW. ¡®Who could have known that I would be walking this path again after three years?¡¯ He was a noob at the time, so he was ignorant of the game. In addition, most of the information uploaded on the forums or given by streamers at the time was useless. He was now a BNW veteran and was a hidden ss holder as well. However, the Tae-Sung of that time was someone who could be perfectly described by the word noob. ¡®I¡¯m much better now, but¡­ at the time I was¡­ haha¡­ hahaha¡­¡¯? Siegfried was embarrassed after remembering the past. He continued walking for around ten minutes, and he passed by a rundown abandoned house on the way to the vige entrance. ¡°Do people actually live here? Isn¡¯t this abandoned?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°It looks like that, but this is the academy,¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk. ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Look.¡± Siegfried pointed at a signboard in front of the rundown house¡¯s door. Percival Magic Academy We will drill the basics of magic into you. The Percival Magic Academy was an academy by name, but it was more like a small tuition center located in the most rural provinces back in the real world. It would be more urate to say that it was a rundown library in a provincial backwater. ¡°Did you really study here¡­?¡± Hamchi asked in disbelief. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°I think I finally know why you were such a loser back then¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Do they even properly teach you here? Will you learn how to cast a fireball at least?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest, but they¡¯re really good at teaching you the basics,¡± replied Siegfried with a shrug. He then knocked on the door and called out. ¡°Is anyone home?¡± An old magician peeked out the door and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± The old magician was the magician running the magic academy in this provincial backwater¡ªPercival. ¡°Hello, Master. Do you recognize me?¡± Siegfried greeted with a smile. ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t recognize you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Tae-Sung.¡± ¡°Tae-Sung¡­? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I learned magic under you around three years ago.¡± ¡°Three years ago, you say¡­?¡± The old magician started jugging his memories around while muttering, ¡°Three years¡­ Tae-Sung¡­ Tae¡­ Sung¡­ Hmm¡­ Who did I teach three years ago? Tae-Sung¡­ Hold on¡­ If it¡¯s three years ago, then are you that?Tae-Sung?¡± ¡°Do you finally remember?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re the youngster whose talent was as big as a quarter of a rat¡¯s shit. Are you really that youngster who made me cry tears of blood and age a hundred years?!¡± ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t havee¡­¡¯? Siegfried suddenly regretted his decision toe here. ¡°Yes! I remember now! You¡¯re?definitely that Tae-Sung!¡± Unfortunately, it was already toote to turn back now because the old man seemed to have finally remembered him. ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± ¡°Hoho!?Look at you! It¡¯s so good to see you again! I had never really heard from you again, so I had been wondering if you died in a ditch somewhere. Keke!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Can you finally cast a fireball properly? Or does it still explode in your hand?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s all from the past¡­¡± ¡°How many times did you die practicing fireball??Hmm¡­ I think it was sixty-nine times from what I counted by myself...¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I taught nearly five thousand disciples, but you were truly unique! Even a trash can is more talented than you! Kekeke!¡± ¡°Understandable, have a nice day.¡± Siegfried bowed and turned around. ¡®I was crazy¡­ I shouldn¡¯t havee here¡­¡¯?He could have never imagined that this supposedly harmless st from the past would st him with the memories he specifically wanted to forget. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?! You shoulde in and have a cup of tea at least!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy, and¡­ I¡¯m already done checking that you¡¯re still alive, so I¡¯ll be on my way now¡­¡± ¡°Stop right there! Are you looking down on your master now that you¡¯ve grown up a bit?!¡± ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s just that I came out of goodwill but ended up getting called a loser and a trash so¡­¡± Siegfried said. He made it obvious that he was upset. ¡°Hoho! They say that the frog eventually forgets that it was ever a tadpole¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, it seems that you¡¯ve be somewhat sessful. Anyway,e in and have some tea.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Siegfried ended up chatting over a cup of tea with Percival¡ªhis master from three years ago. Their conversationsted for two hours. ¡°Farewell.¡± ¡°I wille and visit you again.¡± ¡°All right, make sure you visit me again, and¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You made the right choice by giving up on being a magician, so make sure you do your best in the new path you had chosen. I¡¯m sure you already know, but your talent¡¯s as big as a quarter of a rat¡¯s shit, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I did teach you since you stubbornly insisted on bing a magician, but I regretted teaching you since I knew you wouldn¡¯t make it far as a magician¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I am also relieved that I had chosen to go down a different path. Then, I wish you good health,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. ¡°Sure, you take care of yourself, too.¡± Siegfried left Twin Sprout Vige and reached Voluvard, where he met a high-ranked magician by the name of Pellos. ¡°Hmm¡­ So you want to open this chest?¡± Pellos asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried was taken aback by the unexpected response. Chapter 181

    Chapter 181

    Impossible? What bullshit was that? ¡°Excuse me¡­ this is the Magic Tower, right?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes, that is correct,¡± Pellos replied. ¡°Did you just say it¡¯s impossible?¡± Siegfried asked in disbelief. Pellos fixed his sses and replied, ¡°I think I did.¡± ¡°How? This is the Magic Tower, right?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t perform miracles just because we¡¯re a part of the Magic Tower. I guarantee you that even the Tower Master will not be able to remove that seal,¡± Pellos said with absolute certainty. The Tower Master of the Magic Tower and the Magician¡¯s Guild was the Great Wizard known as Violet, and this Great Wizard was a member of the Five Star Heavens just like Betelgeuse and Shakiro. ¡°Are you telling me even the Great Wizard cannot unseal this?¡± Siegfried asked with his eyes widened. ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°This object was created approximately two thousand five hundred years ago, and it seems that this was created toward the end of Emperor Gran Cabrio¡¯s reign judging by the intricate symbols here¡­¡± Pellos replied whileparing the ancient symbols on the ark with the ancient encyclopedia in his hand. ¡°That should be correct since this came out from Gran Cabrio¡¯s tomb.¡± ¡°The problem is¡­ the spell is tooplex, and these engravings are written in ancient texts, so there are no magicians that can solve this. The only person who can unseal this magic is¡­¡± Pellos hesitated for a moment before continuing. ¡°The previous Tower Master of the Magic Tower, the Archmage, Daode Tianzun Elder-nim¡­¡± Daode Tianzun was known as the Ultimate Magician and was one of the Grandmasters on the continent. He was also known as the venerable Heavenly Lord of Dao and its Virtue. ¡°Where can I meet Daode Tianzun Elder-nim?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I have no idea¡­ It has already been twenty years since Daode Tianzun Elder-nim wasst sighted.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that he is still alive, but even his disciple¡ªthe current Tower Master of the Magic Tower¡ªhas no idea of his whereabouts.¡± ¡°Are you saying he is missing¡­?¡± ¡°Not really, you might be able to find him if you were to turn over every rock on the continent.¡± ¡°Huh? How can I search for him when I don¡¯t even know what he looks like?¡± ¡°That is why I am telling you that it is impossible.¡± ¡°Hey, owner punk,¡± Hamchi suddenly said. He pointed at a portrait behind Pellos and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve seen that face before?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Look closely. I think it looks like someone we know¡­¡± ¡°Someone we know¡­?¡± ¡®Huh?¡¯ Siegfried decided to ask Pellos, ¡°Who is that person over there?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? That venerable being is the previous Tower Master of the Magic Tower and the Archmage, Daode Tianzun Elder-nim¡­¡± Pellos grumbled in response. ¡°Okay, have a nice day,¡± Siegfried said. He bowed and took the ark with him away. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Pellos asked. ¡°I thought you said you cannot unseal this?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, I did¡­¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to someone who can unseal it.¡± ¡°But only Daode Tianzun Elder-nim can unseal that¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, you already told me. Anyway, have a nice day.¡± Siegfried exited the Magic Tower and headed straight for his airship. ¡°Were you able to aplish your objective, Your Majesty?¡± Brigadier General Crown asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to respond to that,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take off for now.¡± ¡°Should we head for Proatine?¡± Siegfried shook his head and replied, ¡°No, we set course for the Twin Sprout Vige.¡± His next destination after the Magic Tower was back to the Twin Sprout Vige. *** Siegfried finally arrived in front of the Percival Magic Academy and knocked on its old door. Knock! Knock!? ¡°Who is it?¡± The old magician, Percival, peeked out the door. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s you, Tae-Sung.¡± ¡°Yes, it is me. However, I am not Tae-Sung anymore but Siegfried.¡± ¡°Ah! You told me you changed your name, right? My goodness, my age seems to be catching up with me that I keep forgetting things¡­¡± ¡°May Ie in?¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± Percival opened the door for Siegfried and Hamchi before asking, ¡°What is the matter? It hasn¡¯t even been a day since you left, no?¡± ¡°I wanted to ask a favor,¡± Siegfried replied as he ced the ark on the table. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°This is an ark created two thousand five hundred years ago during the reign of Emperor Gran Cabrio. No one in the Magic Tower is capable of unsealing it. They said that only the venerable Daode Tianzun Elder-nim would be able to unseal it.¡± ¡°S-So?¡± ¡°What do you mean, so? I am here to seek help from the venerable Daode Tianzun Elder-nim. The Venerable. Daode. Tianzun. Elder. Nim.¡± Siegfried came here because the venerable being in the portrait in Pellos¡¯ office and Percival looked a hundred percent identical. ¡®This is crazy¡­ they say that things are always right under your nose. I guess they weren¡¯t lying¡­¡¯?Siegfried was astonished. Who could have known that the NPC he had met three years ago in some backwater rural vige would turn out to be the great and venerable Daode Tianzun¡ªthe Heavenly Lord of Dao and its Virtue? However, the truth also made Siegfried realize that he had indeed been an untalented piece of trash who was only good at wasting oxygen. After all, even Daode Tianzun himself had judged him to be talentless. At the same time, Siegfried was awed by Deus¡¯ ability to turn trash like him into what he was today. ¡°Hoho¡­ Daode Tianzun you say¡­¡± Percival chuckled and said, ¡°Siegfried, I think there¡¯s some sort of misunderstanding here. Why would a great being like Daode Tianzun run an academy in a backwater rural vige?¡± ¡°I have no idea. How can I read your mind? In fact, if I may ask, why are you teaching snotty little kids in this backwater rural vige, Daode Tianzun Elder-nim?¡± ¡°Hoho! I already told you that I am not,¡± Percival said with a smile. ¡°Then, I dare you to say¡ªDaode Tianzun is a son of a bitch,¡± Siegfried challenged with wide eyes. ¡°W-What?!¡± Percival eximed in disbelief. ¡°Go ahead¡ªDaode Tianzun is a son of a bitch,¡± Siegfried stared into the old magician¡¯s eyes. ¡°D-Daode¡­ Tianzun¡­¡± Percival trailed off. ¡°Is a son of a bitch,¡± Siegfried urged him on. ¡°Is a son of a¡­¡± ¡°Son. Of. A. Bitch.¡± ¡°Son of a b¡­¡± ¡°Good, keep going. You just have to say bitch now.¡± ¡°Son of a bit¡ªUrgh¡­¡± ¡°Daode. Tianzun. Is. A. Son. Of. A. Bitch.¡± ¡°Daode Tianzun is a son of a¡ªArgh¡­!¡±?Percival screamed and eximed, ¡°I can¡¯t do it! I can¡¯t¡­!¡± ¡°Aha~ You¡¯re Daode Tianzun~¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­!¡± ¡°Sure~¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t bring myself to curse the name of someone great and venerable like Daode Tianzun Elder-nim!¡± Ssseuuuu¡­! Siegfried suddenly unleashed a wave of green fog toward the old magician¡¯s face. His high skill proficiency allowed him to control his radioactive energy urately. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡±? However, Percival simply started coughing after being exposed to the green fog. He didn¡¯t show any reactions aside from coughing. [Percival] [Type: NPC] [Level: 50] [Affiliation: Percival Magic Academy] [Position: Dean] [ss: Magician] [Title: Old Magician in a Backwater Rural Vige] Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t get affected by the green dragon¡¯s radioactive energy despite only being a Level 50 NPC. In fact, the green fog failed to deal even a single digit of damage to him. ¡°W-What are you doing?! How dare you use the green dragon¡¯s radioactive energy on someone else¡¯s face?!¡± Percival eximed in anger. ¡°Pfft!¡±?Siegfried smirked. ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Percival flinched after realizing something. ¡°I think that is the end of your old magician in a backwater rural province cosy, Daode Tianzun Elder-nim.¡± ¡°N-No! I was born with high resistance to poison! I also have an artifact for poison resistance, so¡­¡± Percival tried toe up with a bunch of excuses, but he stopped after seeing Siegfried¡¯s eyes. The certainty in Siegfried¡¯s gaze showed that he had no doubts that Percival was Daode Tianzun. ¡°How did you find out?¡± asked Percival¡ªno, Daode Tianzun. Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but smirk. He ended up being correct. Percival was indeed the great and venerable Daode Tianzun. *** ¡°How did you know? Looking like the person in a portrait is one thing, but it shouldn¡¯t be enough for you to be so sure as you are right now,¡± Daode Tianzun asked. ¡°You are correct, Elder-nim. After all, there are a lot of lookalikes in this world,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. ¡°Then, how?¡± ¡°I became sure of it because I noticed that Elder-nim was too normal.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°My master told me that a Master will undergo a qualitative physical transformation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s already a known fact¡­¡± ¡°And he also said that a Master bing a Grandmaster will have to go through another transformation, which will allow them to erase their presence as they wish.¡± ¡°Presence?¡± ¡°I heard that they could hide their presence so well that you won¡¯t even notice them even if they¡¯re sitting right in front of you. It was then that I realized that I did not feel even an ounce of mana from you, Elder-nim.¡± It was exactly as Siegfried said. He couldn¡¯t feel a single ounce of mana from the old magician, which made it seem as if he possessed zero mana. ¡°I mean, it is impossible for a magician not to exude any mana even if they are old and working in some backwater rural vige, right?¡± ¡°Ehem¡­¡± ¡°They say too much of anything is bad for you, right?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ it seems I overlooked that part¡­¡± ¡°But why would an Archmage like you stay in a ce like this?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°That¡¯s because the workings of this world got too tiresome and troublesome for me. I no longer felt any drive nor passion for greater heights, so I decided to just immerse myself in small things and be content with them,¡± Daode Tianzun replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m almost two hundred years old now, and I have already experienced anything and everything a human could possibly experience. Not to mention, I already have an outstanding disciple as my sessor, so what else could I want?¡± he added. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I want to live my life in peace, so please don¡¯t tell the Magic Tower about my whereabouts.¡± ¡°I will keep it a secret, I promise.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Now, as a token of your appreciation for me keeping this as a secret¡­ May you kindly take a look at this chest?¡± Siegfried said with a business-like smile and pointed at the ark with both hands. ¡°I thought you said that I was a son of a bitch?¡± Daode Tianzun said with squinted eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°As much as I find you to be insolent, I¡¯ll take a look at it for old time¡¯s sake.¡± Fortunately, Daode Tianzun wasn¡¯t petty enough to hold grudges. Perhaps it was also the reason that he was satisfied with living in a backwater rural vige. ¡°Hm,?let¡¯s see¡­¡± Daode Tianzun muttered. He drew a magic circle the size of his palm and started inspecting the ark. Green rays shot out of Daode Tianzun¡¯s eyes, and the rays seemed to be scanning the ark. ¡°Ehem!¡± ¡°How is it? Can you do it, Elder-nim?¡± Siegfried eagerly asked. ¡°I can, but¡­¡± Daode Tianzun trailed off¡­ Siegfried already knew from experience how this sequence would y out, so he immediately asked, ¡°I just have to go get a few things, right?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°What do I need to open this?¡± ¡°You will need three things to open this chest.¡± ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°First, a magic circle from a powerful magician. I can handle that.¡± ¡°Then, what about the other things?¡± ¡°The second is the music sheet of the song that used to be sung by the Ancient Empire¡¯s Royal Orchestra, the Aria of the Sun King, andstly, we will need a male singer who can perfectly sing that song,¡± Daode Tianzun replied. Ding! A quest notification popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Requiem] [You will need to prepare the following things and bring them to Daode Tianzun to open the Ark of the Ancient God.] [Reward: ss Change Scroll: Hidden ss 009] [Progress: 50% (1/2)] [Music Sheet: Aria of the Sun King] [Male singer who can perfectly sing the song ?] Thankfully, half of the quest objectives had already beenpleted. ¡®Wow¡­ He¡¯s going to help me out again,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He already had a perfect male singer in mind. ¡°But why do we need the music sheet and a singer?¡± he asked. ¡°Actually, the chest contains the soul of a woman¡­¡± Daode Tianzun muttered. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°She met a tragic end after getting buried alive with Emperor Gran Cabrio¡¯s remains in a sacrificial burial¡­¡± ¡°That crazy fucker¡­¡± Siegfried ended up cussing after hearing the words sacrificial burial. The sacrificial burial was a special ritual where a living person was buried alongside a deceased person of higher standing. They would then be thetter¡¯s attendant in the afterlife. It was probably one of the most despicable ideas that humankind had ever created. ¡°There was a very horrible incident two thousand five hundred years ago,¡± Daode Tianzun said. ¡°A very horrible incident?¡± Siegfried muttered in response. ¡°Let me show you.¡± Daode Tianzun waved his hand. Whoosh! A video projection appeared in front of Siegfried, and it depicted the memory of a young woman from two thousand five hundred years ago. Chapter 182

    Chapter 182

    The crazy bastard Gran Cabrio looked at me and grinned. I gnashed my teeth in anger after sensing the madness behind his grin. How many people had died in front of that grin? Ten thousand? Hundred thousand? A million? The crazy emperor had massacred people left and right since he ascended the throne, and that bastard was smiling at me right now. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you smiling?¡± he asked. His grin deepened as he said, ¡°Smile, my beloved bitch.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You are now this esteemed being¡¯s bitch, so why aren¡¯t you smiling?¡± ¡°Your grace is¡­ immeasurable¡­ my lord.¡± I was forced to bow my head and speak shameful words. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the right response.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re my bitch, so you¡¯re going to stay by my side forever, both in this life and in the next, and even in the distant future! Kekekeke! Kekekeke!¡± I could not understand what this crazy bastard was saying, but if only I understood him. if only I understood what he meant by how we would be together even in our next lives. If I had understood it, I would have killed myself right there and then. No, I should have just killed myself at the time. However, I chose to live not for fear of my own life but to protect the precious people around me from that madman. Ironically, I failed to realize that a clean swift death was far better than a long despicable life. Twenty yearster¡­ ¡°You have to go with me¡­ Kekeke¡­?You will never escape from me, my beloved bitch¡­¡± The madman was obsessed with me despite his fatal illness. I could not understand, and I did not want to understand the madman. The only thing I understood was that something so precious and sincere like love actually had such a despicable and hideous side to it. The madman¡¯s obsession for me far surpassed the boundaries of insanity and despicableness that even the devil himself would doubt his own abilities and start looking for another job. I was captured by the magicians on the same day the madman breathed hisst, and I was dragged to some ce where they had done something unforgivable to me. They separated my soul from my body. Yes, my soul was separated from my body and was stuffed in a chest. I realized something after being locked in the chest, but I could not tell anyone about it. Far away in the distant future¡­ the madman woulde back to life. He was definitely going to open this chest and transfer my soul into a new body. ¡°By my side forever, both in this life and in the next, and even in the distant future!¡± I thought the madman had bluffed when he said that, but it wasn¡¯t a bluff at all. He was dead set on keeping me by his side for eternity. The idea of having to stay by his side forever was absurd, and I hated it. I did not want to be the madman¡¯s bitch?again and be subjected to his deranged obsession hiding beneath the veil of love. I refuse to do so. Never¡­ But just in case¡­ just in case that madmanes back to life and tries to open this chest containing my soul¡­ I did not want that to happen, so I ced my dying will in this chest. The only man I loved¡­ The man who suffered all his life at the hands of the madman¡­ I pleaded that only his song would be able to free me from this chest. That way, the madman would never find me¡­ *** Right after the shback ended. ¡°W-What was that? The soul within this chest is the empress?¡± Siegfried stuttered. He was in absolute disbelief. ¡°That is correct, the soul stored within that chest is the soul of the Infamous Tyrant¡¯s empress,¡± Daode Tianzun replied with a grim smile. ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± ¡°She was engaged, but she was forced to be Gran Cabrio¡¯s ything and suffer her entire life. Her soul is still suffering even now.¡± ¡°The man she was supposed to marry was a singer of the Royal Choir? The one who sang the Aria of the Sun King?¡± ¡°Exactly¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ the only way to open the chest is to appease the soul of the empress within it, and the way to do that is to sing the Aria of the Sun King?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Siegfried finally understood the quest. ¡®But what¡¯s the rtionship between the empress¡¯ soul and the hidden ss?¡¯?he wondered. He had many questions, but it was impossible to find the answer to each and every one of them. ¡®Ah, let¡¯s just clear the quest.¡¯?Siegfried decided not to ask so many questions. He decided to just focus on clearing the quest. ¡°Where can I find the music sheet of the Aria of the Sun King?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Beats me,¡± Daode Tianzun replied with a shrug. He rubbed his beard before continuing. ¡°I think it was around fifty years ago? I heard that a male singer at the Royal Arts Academy had one in his possession, but I¡¯m not really sure.¡± ¡°The Royal Arts Academy¡­ I think I will be able to find it.¡± ¡°Hmm? Really?¡± ¡°You will be here, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I will¡­¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Siegfried bowed toward Daode Tianzun and immediately walked away. ¡®That guy is quite useful in many ways¡­¡¯?he thought of Gringore. Gringore was immensely talented in singing, and he was a graduate of the Royal Arts Academy. Gringore was the key to clearing this important quest. *** Siegfried immediately summoned Gringore after returning to Proatine. He asked Gringore about the Aria of the Sun King. ¡°The Aria of the Sun King? Hmm¡­¡± Gringore pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°I heard that one of my batchmates has that music sheet.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Siegfried expectantly asked. ¡°I was not able to see or listen to it. She imed that it was a family heirloom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame¡­ You probably won¡¯t even need a music sheet if you¡¯ve heard it¡­¡± Siegfried knew very well and slightly despised the fact that Gringore possessed perfect pitch. Therefore, it wouldn¡¯t have been difficult for Gringore to remember the song. ¡°She majored in visual arts,¡± Gringore added. ¡°Oh,?really?¡± ¡°We are taught many forms of arts in our first and second year at the academy in an effort to broaden our horizons, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, she¡¯s severely tone-deaf. Haha¡­¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I will write a letter or call my batchmates and ask about her whereabouts because Your Majesty requires that music sheet.¡± ¡°Thank you, Scribe Gringore.¡± ¡°Not at all, Your Majesty.¡± *** The next morning, Siegfried logged into the game. Gringore immediately went over to him to report. ¡°I found her, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Do you wish to pay her a visit? I will be d to apany you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Siegfried, Hamchi, and Gringore then went to find the person in possession of the music sheet. Knock! Knock! Knock! Gringore knocked on the door of a luxurious-looking mansion. A butler opened the door and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, my name is Gringore.¡± ¡°Gringore¡­ Are you by any chance the youngdy¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that is me.¡± ¡°Oh! Who could have known that I would get to meet the best artist on the continent?! I am honored!¡± Surprisingly, the butler called Gringore the best artist on the continent. ¡®You should¡¯ve just been a celebrity¡­ Why did you be a scribe and go through so many hardships¡­? Don¡¯t you feel like your talents are being wasted?¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand Gringore¡¯s thought process. However, he knew very well that there was a stark difference between being good at something and doing something one loved, and it was extremely rare to find a job that was applicable to both. In the end, Siegfried decided to mind his own business. After all, Gringore¡¯s life wasn¡¯t his life to live. ¡°But why are you here? Are you here to meet the youngdy?¡± asked the butler. ¡°Yes..¡± Gringore replied. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the butler muttered with a troubled look before he replied, ¡°I apologize, but the youngdy is currently¡ª¡± ¡°Gringore!¡± An extremely beautiful woman suddenly popped up behind the butler. ¡°Oh!?Julianne!¡± Gringore eximed. ¡°How long has it been?! But, you¡­ you¡¯ve be extremely handsome¡­ I mean, you were already handsome before, but¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°Well¡ª¡± Gringore was about to exin. However, the butler suddenly interrupted. ¡°Young Lady! You should not be here. Please hurry and go back inside!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t treat me this way. It is true that I have shamed our household, but are you telling me that I should not meet my friends from the academy?¡± Julianne retorted in a cold voice. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Gringore is famous as a tight-lipped individual since our academy days, so you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± ¡°I understand, Young Lady¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t forget to keep this a secret from Father, too.¡± It seemed that Julianne had a personal issue she was currently dealing with based on her conversation with her butler. ¡°Come in,¡± she said to Gringore. ¡°Thanks,¡± Gringore replied and stepped inside. ¡°Ah, pleasee in too. Omo! So cute!¡± Julianne was about to usher Siegfried in when she suddenly squealed in joy after seeing Hamchi. However, Gringore interrupted. ¡°Julianne¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°Are you by any chance¡­?¡± Julianne smiled and replied, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m pregnant.¡± Anyone could see that Julianne was pregnant¡ªher tummy was too big for her to be otherwise. ¡°I¡¯m already eight months pregnant.¡± ¡°Y-Young Lady!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Julianne growled and red at the butler. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gringore was rendered speechless. It finally became clear that she was indeed troubled, and Gringore had a good idea what was troubling her. ¡°Hmm¡­ Julianne¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°That is¡­?Hmm¡­?How should I put this¡­¡± ¡°It is out of wedlock and also without love.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°I mean, this is still love, right? Anyway,e in first. We can talk inside, and Father isn¡¯t home right now as well.¡± The group then walked into the house. Chatter¡­ Chatter¡­ Chatter¡­ Gringore and Julianne chatted about their days back in the academy, just like most people would do after an overdue reunion. ¡®How can I destroy Chae Hyung-Seok¡­?¡¯? Meanwhile, Siegfried was still trying his best toe up with a way to destroy the Genesis Guild while petting the giant hamster on hisp. An hourter, Julianne finally addressed the elephant in the room and asked, ¡°What brings you here all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Ah, let me introduce this person first,¡± Gringore replied. They had a motive for their visit, but it wasmon courtesy to greet and chat with the host before addressing the elephant in the room. Gringore finally introduced Siegfried to Julianne. ¡°This person is the King of the Proatine Kingdom, His Majesty Siegfried van Proa, and he is also my liege.¡± ¡°Omo! Why did you just tell me?! I thought he was your manager or something! I apologize for my rudeness, Your Majesty. My name is Julianne de Renoir, and I hope for your understanding.¡± ¡°Aigoo!?Not at all!¡± Siegfried replied almost immediately. He couldn¡¯t even feel bad about how he got treated as Gringore¡¯s manager. It was all because Julianne was greeting him ording to how nobledies would greet esteemed guests despite being eight months pregnant. ¡°Your body does not belong to you anymore, and I¡¯m just a king of a small kingdom. Please do not strain yourself,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Please sitfortably. I implore you to.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind consideration, Your Majesty.¡± Julianne sat down at Siegfried¡¯s behest. ¡°Do you remember, Julianne?¡± Gringore asked. ¡°Remember what?¡± Julianne replied. ¡°The Aria of the Sun King.¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s our heirloom.¡± ¡°The Aria of the Sun King is the reason I¡¯m here with His Majesty.¡± ¡°Why do you need that song all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a top-secret matter, so I can¡¯t go into the details, but His Majesty needs that music sheet. If it¡¯s difficult to show us the music sheet, then you can also y it for us at least once.¡± ¡°Is it because your memory is really good, and you have perfect pitch?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°No.¡± Julianne shook her head. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a difficult favor, but I can¡¯t give it for free.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I have a condition,¡± Julianne said. She turned toward Siegfried before continuing. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°May I tell you my condition?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Please give me a house and a job in your kingdom.¡± ¡°A house and a job?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all so that I can leave this ce and raise my child on my own. This house is suffocating me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not difficult¡ª¡± ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Please find this man for me.¡± *** Tremble¡­ Tremble¡­! Thirty minutester, Siegfried was trembling in anger as he gripped the sketch of a man. ¡°This damned¡­ chain quest¡­ ARGH!¡±? [Looking for Husband Kim on the Continent] [Provide a house and job for Gringore¡¯s batchmate¡ªJulianne¡ªin the Proatine Kingdom. Then, help her find the father of her child, Adventurer Swallow.] [Reward: Music Sheet of the Aria of the Sun King] [Progress: 0% (0/3)] [1. Provide a nice house: At least five hundred square meters.] [2. Provide a job: Arts professor at the Proatine Arts Academy.] [3. Find her husband: Bring Adventurer Swallow to her.] It turned out that the most important quest that would lead to the opening of the ark containing a hidden ss was finding Julianne¡¯s Adventurer husband. In other words, Siegfried had to look for a gamer and bring him to Julianne in the game. 1. Husband Kim is like John Doe for unnamed husbands since Kim is the mostmon surname in Korea. Chapter 183

    Chapter 183

    Adult content was one of BNW¡¯s biggest content. BNW boasted realistic sensations to its yers, so consuming adult content in BNW was no different from the real thing. The sensations were too realistic to the point that yers would often jizz in their pants in real life while consuming adult content in BNW. It was actually one of the reasons Siegfried had been trying his best to avoid consuming BNW¡¯s adult content. In addition, the developer and distributor of BNW¡ªHive Games Entertainment¡ªwas famous for their absurd attention to detail. Therefore, they made sure that the yers wouldn¡¯t be able to haphazardly consume adult content. The Pregnancy Event. Consummating BNW¡¯s adult content with an NPC meant that the yer could possibly impregnate an NPC. Hive Games Entertainment was apany based in the United States, so they were much more sensitive to gender equality issuespared to Korea. Hive Games Entertainment¡¯s culture made it possible for all genders to ess the Pregnancy Event through BNW¡¯s adult content. [Possible to Get Pregnant] [Female Gamer ? Male NPC] [Male Gamer ? Female NPC] [Female Gamer ? Male Gamer] [Impossible to Get Pregnant] [Female Gamer ? Female Gamer] [Female Gamer ? Female NPC] [Male Gamer ? Male Gamer] [Male Gamer ? Male NPC] BNW had no restrictions concerning same-sex rtionships. However, it was impossible for a game¡ªeven if it was a fantasy game¡ªto ignore the naturalws of biology. Therefore, a Pregnancy Event couldn¡¯t ur between same-sex couples. In addition, the babies born from the event were going to be NPCs because they were conceived in the game. Julianne¡¯s case was a ssic case of a Male Gamer impregnating a Female NPC. ¡°His name is Swallow, and he is a being from the other world just like you, Your Majesty,¡± Julianne said. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°We fell madly in love with each other. He was a very charming and romantic man, and he was very gentle with me, too. In the end, our seed of love bore fruit, as you can see,¡± Julianne said while caressing her stomach. She got pregnant out of wedlock, but she showed no signs of regrets about her rtionship with Adventurer Swallow. It seemed to have remained true despite being locked up at home for bringing shame to her family. ¡°Those must have been happy memories for you,¡± Siegfried said. He couldn¡¯t help but smile even though the love Julianne was describing was love between a human being and an NPC. How did it make sense that those expressions, words, eyes, and voices were simply a block of zeroes and onespiled together? A gamer was going to be a psychopath or a sociopath if they couldn¡¯t consider the realistic NPCs in BNW as real people. ¡°I was happy¡­ until I started having problems with him,¡± Julianne replied. ¡°Problems?¡± ¡°He suddenly said that his mother was sick, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to descend on the continent for a while. He had to work in his world because hecked money for her treatment.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I opened my family¡¯s vault to contribute a bit, but it seemed that my contributions were nowhere enough¡­¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s a bit¡­¡± ¡°My father scolded me a lot, but it did not matter to me. I truly love him, and I still love him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, it has been seven months since Ist heard from him, and he has sent not even a single letter. After he found out that I was pregnant with his child, he even asked me to marry him.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain that he has encountered a problem in the other world. Otherwise, he shouldn¡¯t have gone missing with not even a single letter in the past seven months. I would like to ask Your Majesty to try looking for him in the other world. I will dly hand over the music sheet to you once you¡¯re done.¡± Siegfried ended up epting the quest before leaving the mansion. *** ¡°Ah¡­?How am I supposed to find that Swallow or Shallow among three hundred million gamers?¡± Siegfried grumbled. BNW had exactly three hundred million gamers, and finding the Adventurer named Swallow among them and bringing him to Julianne would be a difficult feat. In fact, there wasn¡¯t any proof that Swallow was his real character name. He could have just told Julianne that his name was Swallow, even though it wasn¡¯t his real character name. BNW was also implementing a strict limit to their total number of users, and the maximum number of yers was three hundred million yers. BNW would delete ounts without any log-ins in the past one hundred and eighty days. This meant that clearing the quest was near impossible for Siegfried if Swallow¡¯s ount was deleted due to inactivity. ¡°Ah¡­ Should I just steal it? I think it¡¯s going to be easier for me to barge into the mansion and just outright steal itpared to clearing this quest,¡± Siegfried let out his thoughts without realizing it. The evil side of him emerged after realizing the quest¡¯s absurd difficulty. ¡°O-Owner punk! Calm down!¡± ¡°Please calm yourself down, Your Majesty¡­¡± Hamchi and Gringore tried their best to appease him. ¡°I¡¯m just saying. Anyway, let¡¯s try looking for now. I mean, it¡¯s not like we have no clues,¡± Siegfried said with an anguished look. He decided to give it a shot since he had already obtained a sketch and description of Adventurer Swallow from Julianne. ¡®If I can¡¯t clear it, then I should just go back to her and tell her honestly in hopes that she¡¯ll still help me out. If she doesn¡¯t help me out, then I¡¯ll just steal it,¡¯?he thought. Of course, his evil side still lingered just beneath the surface, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. *** Vroom! Vroom! Tae-Sung logged out from the game and hopped into his red Ferrari, which met the wrong owner and couldn¡¯t run more than fifty kilometers a month. He headed to a famous luxury caf¨¦ in Cheongdamdong¡ªHere Coffee Lab. Here Coffee Lab was the luxury gship store created by the low-cost caf¨¦ franchise Here Coffee. Tae-Sung reached the parking lot of the luxury caf¨¦. Tae-Sung¡¯s car wasn¡¯t the only expensive car in the parking lot. The parking lot was also filled with various models of luxury and exotic cars. ¡°Wee, I will be helping you park your car if you keep your key in your vehicle. The parking rates will be three thousand won for two hours,¡± the valet greeted him. ¡°Thank you,¡± Tae-Sung replied. He passed his Ferrari over to the valet and entered the caf¨¦. His Ferrari was parked right in front of the caf¨¦ while the other average?imported vehicles had been exiled to the basement car park. This was capitalism at its finest. The price, design, and rarity of a car dictated whether it was going to be proudly disyed in front of an establishment or if it was going to be exiled to the basement. Of course, Tae-Sung didn¡¯t really care that much about that. Tae-Sung went up to the second floor. ¡°Over here, hyung-nim! Over here!¡± Seung-Gu eximed and waved his hand. ¡°Thanks foring, Seung-Gu,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Come on! I am on standby twenty-four hours a day for your call, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°I have a favor.¡± ¡°A favor?¡± ¡°We will have to search until we drop dead,¡± Tae-Sung said as he took out hisptop. ¡°Search¡­?¡± ¡°So what happened is¡­¡± Tae-Sung exined the content of the quest. ¡°W-Why is a hidden ss quest exceptionally difficult¡­?¡± ¡°It is indeed difficult, but what can we do? It¡¯s a hidden ss, so we have to find a way no matter what.¡± ¡°You are right, hyung-nim. I mean, we can do worse things with that hidden ss, right?¡± ¡°Come to think of it, you¡¯re no longer speaking like those brats these days?¡± ¡°The trend has passed, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You should keep up with the trend, hyung-nim. I mean,?that?trend has long passed. Heh.¡± Tae-Sung was taken aback, but he was relieved by the fact that Seung-Gu had abandoned his childish manner of speech. ¡°Anyway, I need your help. Besides, this could end up bing your ss, right?¡± ¡°Oh! You are absolutely correct, hyung-nim! Let¡¯s start!¡± Tae-Sung and Seung-Gu started browsing through the world wide web armed with the information that Julianne had provided them. They were looking for Adventurer Swallow in real life. A few hourster, Tae-Sung and Seung-Gubed through the search engines, but they failed to find a lead on Swallow. They even searched through all social media sites in vain. ¡¸He told me that he is from a country called America in the other world, and he worked as a sergeant in the military when he was young¡­¡¹ ¡¸He was very good at shooting, and he often traveled with a shotgun on his back.¡¹ ¡¸He told me that his name in the other world is Billy Gatiss.¡¹ It was near-impossible for Tae-Sung to look for Swallow inside the game as Julianne knew little about him in the first ce, and it was impossible to tell if the name Swallow whom he had given Julianne was even his real character name. And the biggest issue was¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ I have no idea what this is saying, hyung-nim¡­¡± ¡°I guess these trantors have a limit¡­¡± Tae-Sung and Seung-Gu weren¡¯t really the studious type, so they couldn¡¯t quite grasp what the English websites were telling them. They managed to find a few Americans with the name Billy Gatiss and pictures of the bird Swallow. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± A familiar voice suddenly called out to them. Tae-Sung turned around and saw Cheon Woo-Jin staring down at them. ¡°Huh? What brings you here?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°What else? I came here for a cup of coffee,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a shrug. He stared at them worldlessly for a moment before asking, ¡°What are you two doing here¡­ without me?¡± ¡°Ah, um¡­¡± Tae-Sung gave Cheon Woo-Jin a rundown. Cheon Woo-Jin was stupefied as he asked, ¡°S-So¡­ you found a chest with a hidden ss, and you have toplete that quest to open it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy, Han Tae-Sung¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Does it make sense for someone to be a hidden ss dual ss?¡± ¡°It should be fine. Anyway, we still have no idea what ss is inside the chest.¡± ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin shook his head in resignation and muttered, ¡°What a lucky bastard¡­¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Tae-Sung said in response. ¡°Who knows what?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of being lucky when I can¡¯t use it to my advantage? The old magician who taught me three years ago turned out to be an Archmage, and he said that I was a hopeless talentless trash.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± ¡°Anyway, just enjoy your coffee and go home if you¡¯re not going to help,¡± Tae-Sung said. Afterward, he turned his eyes to the hologram screen that hisptop was projecting. Cheon Woo-Jin saw the sketch and asked, ¡°What the hell? You¡¯re looking for that fucker? The NPC is looking for that fucker?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s the American gamer Julianne has been looking for,¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°You don¡¯t know this fucker?¡± ¡°Why? Do you know him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a very famous fucker, didn¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin seemed familiar with the person Julianne was looking for. ¡°I¡¯m not a hundred percent sure, but I think this fucker streams on G-Tube. He¡¯s not well-known among Koreans, but he¡¯s famous overseas.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah...¡± ¡°Why do you keep saying fucker? It¡¯s making you sound cheap¡­¡± Tae-Sung grumbled. Some people might think that cursing is cool, but most people actually found the person saying it to look quite cheap. A few people would find cursing to be cool, but a person who often cursed was actually a cheap person in the eyes of most people. ¡°Because he¡¯s a bastard who deserves to be called that way¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Give me yourptop. Let me check if it¡¯s that fucker,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin took over Tae-Sung¡¯sptop. He essed G-Tube and typed PussyWagon in the search bar. A list of videos uploaded by the user PussyWagon quickly appeared on the screen. ¡°Huh??That video¡­ that¡¯s¡­ Julianne?¡± Tae-Sung muttered after seeing the thumbnails. One of the thumbnails of the videos had Julianne¡¯s face in it. ¡°This fucker is infamous for doing that kind of shit to NPCs, and I think the NPC who gave you the quest was one of his victims.¡± ¡°What shit is he infamous for?¡± ¡°Flirting with NPCs in the game and creating sex tapes with them.¡± Tae-Sung grimaced. His eyes turned red in fury as he growled, ¡°Can I kill that fucker?¡± The thumbnail of the video marked explicit?depicted Julianne sleeping with her private parts barely covered. Chapter 184

    Chapter 184

    As expected, the name Swallow was fake, and his name in the real world¡ªBilly Gatiss¡ªwas fake as well. The real character name of the American Adventurer was actually Wagon, and he was a dirtbag streamer who mostly posted indecent videos of female NPCs he managed to seduce. Wagon posted his information on his G-Tube homepage. [Wagon] [Type: Adventurer] [Level: 233] [Affiliation: N/A] [ss: Heavy Shooter] [Arena Rank: Super Total Expert III] [Titles: Pickup Artist, Skilled Liar, Dirty Cassanova, Girl Collector, Pimp, Underwear Collector, Girl Hunter, King of P2P: Adult Contents, etc¡­] His titles alone made it clear to anyone just what kind of a dirtbag Wagon was. He was a scumbag who would approach and seduce female NPCs using all sorts of lies in an effort to turn them into his ythings. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t a weak Adventurer judging by his Arena rank of Super Total Expert III. However, what truly separated him from the other dirtbags was the fact that he had a link on his G-Tube homepage that would redirect people to his personal website, where he sold explicit images and uncensored videos of his NPC victims. The videos he uploaded on G-Tube were heavily edited to barely avoid getting gged as inappropriate. It was his way of marketing his videos to find customers willing to pay for the raw, uncensored videos. In short, he was using G-Tube to promote his personal porn site. ¡°This piece of trash¡­ Isn¡¯t he being too much? Is this something a human being can do? I mean, I know it¡¯s just a game, but he¡¯s crossing the line¡­!¡± Tae-Sung gnashed his teeth. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been calling him a fucker,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied. ¡°But does this even make sense? Is it possible to snap a screenshot or film a video while using adult content?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve tried¡­¡± ¡°You tried¡­?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin suddenly flinched and covered his mouth. ¡°You piece of trash¡­¡± Tae-Sung scolded under his breath. Cheon Woo-Jin immediately tried toe up with an excuse, ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not it. I took it for myself only¡­ Ehem¡­?Ehem¡­?It wasn¡¯t with an NPC but with another female gamer, and we agreed. Yes, it was consensual, and we have a copy ¡­¡± ¡°Why do you do those kinds of things?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an adult thing¡­ Yeah, something like that¡­¡± ¡°But is Hive or G-Tube not going to do anything about this? This is crossing the line¡­ The NPCs have rights as well, and it¡¯s just porn at the end of the day¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s America. Besides, have you ever seen Hive do anything other than control the number of users and run the game? They don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s shit about anything else other than that,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a shrug. ¡°Then, what about G-Tube? Are they not going to do anything with that porn site?¡± Tae-Sung retorted. ¡°It¡¯s all legal. To be precise, virtual porn is legal in the state where that fucker lives. I think it¡¯s impossible to legally ess that fucker¡¯s site from Korea. You will probably run into a warning message or something.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin was right. Tae-Sung clicked on Wagon¡¯s personal website, and he was greeted with a warning message. ¡°Anyone that does the same shit he does is going to end up behind bars in Korea, but¡­¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Anyway, you found what you¡¯re looking for, but it¡¯s not what that NPC is looking for, I guess?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin was right when Tae-Sung thought about it. Who could have known that the man Julianne loved turned out to be an unsalvageable piece of trash? ¡°How should I break the news to her¡­ Ugh¡­¡±?Tae-Sung groaned. He had somehow managed to find out Swallow¡¯s identity thanks to Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s help, but he now had another dilemma. ¡°It says here that he¡¯s going to do a live event tomorrow, so why don¡¯t you find out where he is on the continent and go catch him?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin suggested after reading the announcement on Wagon¡¯s G-Tube. It seemed that Cheon Woo-Jin knew how to speak English. ¡°I should probably do that,¡± Tae-Sung responded with a nod. *** The next morning, Tae-Sung watched Wagon¡¯s stream with Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s help. ¡°I thought his content was to go around flirting with NPCs? Why is he in a dungeon?¡± Tae-Sung tilted his head in confusion while watching the stream. Tae-Sung was confused when Wagon suddenly appeared on stream fully armed and standing in a field of snow. ¡°I think it looks like a dungeon¡­ Hold on, let me listen to what he¡¯s saying,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. He listened intently to what Wagon was saying on the stream. ¡°What¡¯s he saying?¡± Tae-Sung asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ So that fucker is saying¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin tranted what Wagon was saying. [Hello, friends. Today will mark the thirty-seventh day I have entered this dungeon. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. It¡¯s too cold here.] [To be honest, this dungeon is a repulsive ce to be. You can¡¯t leave this ce unless and until you kill all of the monsters and the boss. You will be stuck here even if you die!] [My friends! Someonee and help me leave this ce! I beg you! I can¡¯t seem to clear this ce on my own! This dungeon is the seventy-seventh Dimensional Rift located in the northern area of the Macan Kingdom! Help me!] [Damn it¡­ It seems that there¡¯s nobody¡­ All right, I guess I have no choice but to challenge this damned dungeon again¡­] [Ah, I¡¯ve finished editing the uncensored version of the eighty-eighth video. I will be uploading it on my personal website tonight, so I hope you guys will like it! Keke!] ¡°On a side note¡ªthis bitch was feistier than any of the other ones I fucked¡ªis what he says,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin tranted. ¡°There¡¯s no need to trante things like that. I don¡¯t want to know about it,¡± Tae-Sung grumbled with a disgusted look. ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°What else? I¡¯ll go catch him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going into that dungeon?¡± ¡°Then, what other choice do I have? He¡¯s stuck in that dungeon, so I just have to drag him out of it, right?¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going, then. Take care on your way back.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Look at this guy throwing me aside after using me till thest drop¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s life. Get used to it, buddy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ciao~¡± Tae-Sung immediately headed home and entered his VR capsule. *** ¡®Should I just say he died¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was faced with a dilemma while he was on his way to capture Wagon. It could be for the better if he just lied to her. She was pitiful, but it seemed better for her to just let her live with the good memories she had of him. How could cope with the fact that the man she loved turned out to be a one-of-a-kind scumbag? How could she cope with the fact that the intimate memories she shared with that man were broadcasted for the world to see? Julianne would definitely fall into shock upon learning the truth of the matter, and she could end up either taking her own life or doing something to the baby. ¡°Hey, owner punk. What are you thinking of right now? You don¡¯t look so good,¡± Hamchi said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried shared his concern with the giant hamster. ¡°I see¡­ It might be better to tell her that he died instead. I mean, what if something happens to the baby¡­? Kyu¡­¡±? ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking about what to do right now¡­ I think it¡¯s much better to just tell her that he died.¡± However, the thought of lying did not sit well with him. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a perfect lie, and if she finds out the truthter on, then¡­¡± ¡°Kyu¡­¡± ¡°Ah, What should I do¡­?¡± Siegfried continued to think about his dilemma until he arrived in front of the seventy-seventh Dimensional Rift located in the northern region of the Macan Kingdom. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Gringore suddenly called out to him. ¡°Fuck! You scared me!¡± Siegfried jumped up in surprise. Gringore had a strange talent; he was talented at erasing his presence from other people¡¯s minds despite being present the entire time. In fact, he had been following Siegfried all this while. However, he hadn¡¯t really been doing anything other than observing Siegfried, so thetter ended up forgetting him. ¡°The Julianne I know is¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­?¡± ¡°She will definitely get hurt by it, but she will be able to ovee it in no time.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Lying to her is the crueler thing to do. Won¡¯t she miss him for the rest of her life if Your Majesty tells her that she died? I believe that doing that is going to be much more painful for her.¡± ¡°That makes sense¡­ Thank you for your advice, Scribe Gringoire,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Not at all, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then, shall we go and catch that fucker?¡± Siegfried said. He approached the knight guarding the Dimensional Rift and showed the ring he had received from the Martial God Temple. ¡°Heok!?A Hero rank!¡± the knight eximed. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while feeling embarrassed. ¡°However, there is another Adventurer inside the dimensional rift, so it is not possible for you to enter. However, he has been in there for thirty-seven days now,¡± the knight said with a troubled look. ¡°Can¡¯t you make an exception?¡± ¡°As I have mentioned, the rules state that we are to prevent any other Adventurer¡¯s entry into the dimensional rifts if someone else is already inside.¡± ¡°Still, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I apologize, but we cannot let you enter.¡± ¡°The fact that he has been in there for thirty-seven days means that hecks the ability to reset the Dimensional Rift, right?¡± ¡°I still cannot let you enter.¡± ¡°But, Knight-nim¡­ What''s your rank?¡± Siegfried asked out of the blue. ¡°Pardon me?¡± the knight tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I said, what¡¯s your rank?¡± ¡°I am a captain¡­ but why¡­?¡± ¡°Hey, captain,¡± Siegfried said in a different tone, ¡°I¡¯m an Adventurer, but I served as the Lieutenant Colonel of the army at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost.¡± ¡°L-Loyalty! My name is Captain Samuel, sir! I apologize for failing to recognize you, sir! But¡­ may you kindly let me know your name?¡± the knight asked. ¡°My name is Lieutenant Colonel Siegfried.¡± ¡°Heok!?Are you really Lieutenant Colonel Siegfried?!¡± Samuel eximed. ¡°Hmm? Do you know me?¡± ¡°General Overlock has instructed us to fully cooperate with you, Lieutenant Colonel Siegfried, should you ask for anything, sir!¡± ¡°General Overlock? Did he get promoted?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Please go ahead and enter, Sir Siegfried. You are exempted from the rules, sir!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Siegfried managed to enter the seventy-seventh Dimensional Rift thanks to his umted aplishments. *** The seventy-seventh Dimensional Rift was also called Cursed Winter Forest. Wagon was currently fighting the Frozen Chameleon, which was a Named Monster. ¡°Fuck! Fuck!¡± Wagon kept on cursing at the top of his lungs while unleashing a barrage of bullets at the Frozen Chameleon, but he couldn¡¯tnd a single clean hit. The Frozen Chameleon was extremely fast, and it had a cloaking ability that made it difficult to hit. The main issue was the fact that Wagon was a ranged damage dealer, but he entered the dungeon on his own without any teammates. Kwachik! In the end, Wagon was trapped beneath the Frozen Chameleon¡¯s foot. ¡°Ugh¡­?Am¡­ Am I going to fail again today¡­? This damned ce¡­!¡± Whiiiish! Bam! A hammer suddenly flew out of nowhere and buried itself in the Frozen Chameleon¡¯s head. ¡°W-Who¡¯s there?!¡± Wagon shouted in surprise. ¡°You asked for help, right? I¡¯m here to save you,¡± Siegfried replied with his hand extended toward Wagon after using Flying Spur to kill the Frozen Chameleon. Wagon grabbed Siegfried¡¯s hand and stood up. ¡°Oh! Did youe here to save me after seeing my SOS, bro?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried nodded before exining, ¡°I¡¯m a fan. Although I have to change my IP a few times since it¡¯s difficult to ess your uncensored content in Korea¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, really.¡± Wagon cast his Rune of Insight at Siegfried after thetter imed to be his fan. ¡°Seggs Stamina King? Wow!¡± Wagon¡¯s face lit up after seeing Siegfried¡¯s Seggs Stamina King title. ¡°We¡¯re kindred spirits! Oh my god! Who could have known that a fellow man of culture woulde here to save me?!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I also have a title rted to sex!¡± Wagon eximed. Then, the title Seggs Stamina yboy popped up above his head. Ding! The title started shing in pink. ¡°I¡¯m just a yboy, but you¡¯re a king? Oh! My! God!?How many women have you fucked to be a king of sex?! I have a lot to learn from you, bro!¡± Kwachik! Siegfried gripped his hammer so tightly that it made an audible noise. Siegfried¡¯s face was distorted in anger as he thought, ¡®Should I kill this bastard first?¡¯ He could have never imagined that the scumbag in front of him would treat him as a kindred spirit. Chapter 185

    Chapter 185

    Tremble¡­! Siegfried had to exert superhuman strength to suppress the anger welling up inside of him, thanks to Wagon¡¯s big mouth. ¡®Hold it in¡­ Hold it in¡­ It¡¯s not the right time. We have to get out of this dungeon first¡­¡¯?he told himself again and again while suppressing the anger raging in his abdomen. ¡°So, how many did you have to fuck to be a king, bro? A hundred? Five hundred? I haven¡¯t even screwed a hundred, bro!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Come on! Let me in on your secret, bro!¡± Wagon continued talking without realizing that Siegfried was suppressing the desire to crack his skull open. ¡°Wow! Hey, friends! Are you watching? My fan came to save me! This awesome cool Korean guy! Look at him! He¡¯s a king! A king!¡± Wagon even introduced Siegfried to his viewers. ¡°Just¡ªI should just kill him right now¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°O-Owner punk! Don¡¯t do it!¡± Hamchi hurriedly tried to stop him. ¡°Hmm? Are you arguing with your pet, bro?¡± Wagon asked. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing, hahaha¡­ hahaha!¡± Siegfried awkwardlyughed in response while thinking, ¡®I will crush those soon. I swear.¡¯ Siegfried¡¯s eyes were focused between Wagon¡¯s legs where a bulge could be found. Siegfried had this powerful urge of wanting to smash his hammer into that bulge. ¡°Where are you looking right now, bro?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why are you looking at my goods so intently? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°You better forget about it if that¡¯s the case, bro. I¡¯m not homophobic, but I don¡¯t like men. My personal preference will always be women¡­¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s not that, fucker,¡± Siegfried ended up cursing, but he immediately covered it up by adding, ¡°I looked at it because it looks so healthy, and I got jealous. Don¡¯t start overthinking.¡± ¡°Aha~! I see, so that¡¯s what it was! That exins it! I guess I¡¯m quite~ blessed~ down there! Hahaha!¡± ¡°¡­Fucker.¡± Siegfried cursed under his breath. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ah,?it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t mind me,¡± Siegfried hurriedly said while waving his hand. Then, he immediately turned around. He thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop himself from killing Wagon before clearing the dungeon if he continued looking at Wagon¡¯s smug face. ¡®Patience¡­ Let¡¯s be patient¡­ Clearing this dungeones first. I have to earn his trust first and then take him back after we clear the dungeon. Things will getplicated if I were to kill him right now,¡¯?Siegfried reiterated in his head again and again. For the first time in his life, he felt like he didn¡¯t want toplete a quest. *** Siegfried ended up going through all sorts of hardships and difficulties at the Cursed Winter Forest with Wagon. The Dimensional Rift required the cooperation of a party for it to bepleted, but only the two of them were in here. ¡®Why the hell did this guy decide toe here alone?¡¯?Siegfried wondered if there was any reason behind Wagon¡¯s decision. ¡°Ah, that? No reason, to be honest. I just wanted to test out how good I was in difficult dungeons. That¡¯s all,¡± Wagon replied. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it was too difficult. Hahaha!¡± It seemed that this guy¡¯s brain only worked while he was seducing and flirting with women. ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯? However, what really made things difficult for Siegfried was none other than Wagon¡¯s unending chatter. ¡°Hey, bro! How do you usually approach women? Do you use your pet as bait? Using your pet to approach women is a very traditional yet effective method!¡± ¡°How many girls have you seduced so far?¡± ¡°How much do you pay for adult content? I found out that you get discounts the higher your title level bes!¡± ¡°Wow!?You¡¯re strong!¡± ¡°Hold up! Come to think of it¡­ You¡¯re a king, right? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Are you the guy who won the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament? The first gamer to be a king?¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand why an attractive beauty like Julianne fell for an imbecile like this moron. [Alert: You have reached Level 196!] [Alert: You have reached Level 197!] Siegfried finally reached Level 197 after killing the mid-boss. He decided to sit Wagon down and talk about Julianne. He figured that it was about time for him to address the elephant in the room now that Wagon had seen what he was capable of doing. ¡°Hey, Wagon,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not your fan.¡± ¡°What?! You¡¯re not my fan?!¡± ¡°I have something to talk about with you, so switch the stream off.¡± ¡°Is that so? All right, I¡¯ll close it for a while.¡± Siegfried went to the point after confirming that Wagon had turned his stream off. ¡°Do you know Julianne?¡± he asked. Wagon tilted his head in confusion and replied, ¡°Julianne? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that¡­?¡± Siegfried felt the urge tomit murder once again, but he decided to suppress it with superhuman willpower. Then, he exined what happened to Wagon, but of course, he removed most of the details. ¡°Ah! Seventy-three sent you!¡± Wagon eximed. ¡°Seventy-three¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in confusion. ¡°I mean, how am I supposed to remember all their names? I just assign a number to each of them,¡± Wagon exined with a shrug. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that¡­ you will help me get out of this dungeon. In exchange, I have to apologize to that girl, am I right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I mean, apologizing is not that difficult, anyway. You just want me to make sure she doesn¡¯t get hurt, right? I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯spletely possible, but I¡¯ll give it a try,¡± Wagon said with a shrug. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But don¡¯t ask me to take responsibility for the kid and start being a father. I have no ns to look after some NPCs. Understand?¡± ¡°All right, that¡¯s a deal.¡± Surprisingly, Wagon easily epted Siegfried¡¯s offer. ¡°Well, apologizing once and getting out of here is much better than staying stuck here for weeks, right?¡± Wagon didn¡¯t seem to have any emotional burden in apologizing to Julianne. Well, that was probably the reason he could live as human trash. ¡°But it¡¯s truly a shame. I thought you were my fan and we were kindred spirits, but why aren¡¯t you my fan? I mean, you have an identical title to mine¡­¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried strongly rejected the notion and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t get this title intentionally, and I¡¯m different from a degenerate like you who lives only for adult content.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Anyway, we have a deal, so let¡¯s hurry up and kill the boss. By the way, I¡¯m going to say this one more time¡ªwe¡¯re not kindred spirits,¡± Siegfried emphasized once again. *** [Alert: You have reached Level 198!] [Alert: You have reached Level 199!] [Alert: You have one level remaining before your next skill(s) are unlocked!] Two dayster, Siegfried could now see the light at the end of the tunnel. His journey with the annoying Wagon was about to end now that he was Level 199. They were fighting the boss monster of the Cursed Winter Forest¡ªthe Frozen King. It had taken them nearly an hour to reduce the boss monster¡¯s HP to a few percent. ¡®All right, it¡¯s time to deal the final blow and put an end to this,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He prepared to deal the coup de grace to the boss monster. Click¡­ ck! However, the bullets that were keeping the Frozen King at bay suddenly flew to the back of Siegfried¡¯s head. ¡°Your usefulness has run out, yellow monkey! Goodbye! Bang!¡± Wagon eximed. Bang! His rifle¡¯s nozzle spat fire. ¡°Hehe!?There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to honor a promise I had made with a monkey. I guess it¡¯s time for me to kill the boss and collect the item you dropped¡­?huh?¡± Wagon trailed off and doubted his eyes. Sseuk¡­ The thick cloud of smoke emitted by his rifle dissipated, but the result wasn¡¯t what he had been expecting. What came into his view was a red cape, and he was certain that it was the cape that had been fluttering on Siegfried¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Wagon raised the infamous death g. Chwaaak! The red cape, rather, the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings, flew at the speed of light. Thud¡­ ck! A b of meat and a piece of metal fell to the ground. Fwaaaaaaaa! Then, a fountain of blood spurted out from Wagon¡¯s right shoulder. The perfectbination between offense and defense! The artifact crafted by the Hometown of Death¡ªBlood Butterfly¡¯s Wings¡ªwas truly an outstanding piece of workmanship. ¡°M-My arm!¡± Wagon cried out. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to die, fucker,¡± Siegfried said. He looked down at his prey with cold eyes and called out. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°K¡ªKeuh¡­!¡±?Wagon grimaced in pain. Siegfried¡¯s Quick Draw had severed his right arm. ¡°Do you really think that this is my first day ying this game?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°You fucking yellow monkey¡­!¡± Wagon growled in response. ¡°No wonder talks were proceeding too smoothly,¡± Hamchi said. He stepped out and kicked Wagon¡¯s head while shouting, ¡°How dare you try to double-cross us! Kyu!¡± Hamchi then stepped on Wagon¡¯s head and shouted at Siegfried, ¡°Hey, owner punk! Hamchi¡¯s going to take care of this piece of trash, so go ahead and focus on that abomination!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Siegfried replied. He turned his attention toward the boss monster. His cape fluttered once more, and the Frozen King¡¯s head was split into four pieces. [Alert: You have killed the boss monster, the Frozen King!] [Alert: You have obtained experience points!] [Alert: You have obtained the item Frozen Core!] [Alert: You have obtained the item Return Stone!] [Alert: The cooldown timer of the dungeon Dimensional Rift: Cursed Winter Forest has been reset!] Siegfried obtained an orb that contained powerful water attribute energy and a Return Stone. He collected the items and walked toward Wagon. He pressed his hammer against Wagon¡¯s prey¡¯sher region and said, ¡°This is the root of all evil, right? This one.¡± ¡°Noooooooo!¡± ¡°I should probably make you stop using this from now on.¡± ¡°N-Not that¡­!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just do as I say, all right? Otherwise, I¡¯m going to chase you down to the ends of the continent and keep mincing this precious meat of yours.¡± ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± ¡°Try pulling a fast one again; I dare you,¡± Siegfried warned. Siegfried could confidently threaten Wagon because he was confident of his chances of beating Wagon if the two of them went head-to-head. ¡®Let¡¯s just go in peace so I can finally clear this damn quest¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly and hoped that Wagon wouldn¡¯t attempt to escape. *** . Meanwhile, the Ruin of Madness was finally quiet once more. The number of people visiting the dungeon had been reduced to a mere handful. The scuffle for the ark had ended, so the ruin returned to its eerily quiet nature. The main reason Siegfried visited this ruin in the first ce was that people rarely visited the ce. Most Adventurers would calcte the Experience Points they would stand to gain against the time they would have to invest, and they discovered that the Ruin of Madness wasn¡¯t an efficient ce to hunt unless one had a specific quest in the ruins. Nevertheless, there were still a few Adventurers who frequented the Ruin of Madness. ¡°Wow¡­ The Defense of the mobs here is crazy¡­¡± ¡°These damn monsters are so sturdy¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, but we just have to hunt down five hundred of them, so let¡¯s hang in there.¡± A partyposed of people from different nationalities was chatting while going over their gear. They chatted while passing bottles of potions to each other to replenish their HP, Mana, and Stamina while waiting for their skills to go off cooldown. Fsshwuu¡­ Fsshwuu¡­ A strange sound suddenly came from the ceiling above them. Sseu¡­ Then, white powder started falling from the ceiling. ¡°W-What¡¯s this?!¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Something¡¯s strange¡­¡± Brrr! Rumbling noises could be heard in the distance as the entire dungeon started trembling. Ddrruu¡­ Baaam! A minuteter, the wall across where the Adventurers were camping copsed with a loud explosion, and a tall man around a hundred and ny centimeters emerged from the opening. Chwaak! The stone soldiers standing around fifty meters away from the Adventurers suddenly started moving, and they simultaneously shouted in a thundering voice. ¡°We greet the mighty and glorious emperor!¡± Chapter 186

    Chapter 186

    Siegfried¡¯s prediction ended up being correct because Wagon didn¡¯t keep his promise. Tak! Tak! Tak!? He attempted to make a run for it as soon as they exited the Dimensional Rift. Whiiiish! Bam! However, Siegfried¡¯s Flying Spur struck him before he could go far. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: You have been afflicted by ¡®Status Ailment: Lower Body Paralysis¡¯!] [Alert: You are immobilized!] A string of alerts popped up in front of Wagon¡¯s eyes. ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t going to listen,¡± Siegfried grumbled. He looked down at Wagon and smiled coldly before saying, ¡°Yeah, it won¡¯t be fun if you¡¯re obedient.¡± ¡°Y-You fucking obsessive Korean¡­! Keuk¡­!¡±?Wagon cursed in response. ¡°Yeah, we Koreans are quite obsessive, all right,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. Koreans¡¯ obsession with games had long be a well-established fact. ¡°But I¡¯m more obsessive than the average Korean,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°Just wait and see¡­!¡± Wagon growled in response. ¡°Well, it¡¯s time for you to die once,¡± Siegfried said and swung his hammer into that ce. Pukeok! ¡°¡­!¡± Wagon abruptly froze at the loud cracking sound. Exactly one secondter¡ª ¡°AAAAAAARGGHHHHHH!¡± ¡ªa scream of agony reverberated throughout the surroundings. ¡°Just die. Yeah, just go ahead and die,¡± Siegfried said nonchntly before swinging his hammer once again. Puk! Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Puk! Puk! Siegfried repeatedly swung his hammer into that ce until Wagon died. *** Fifty hourster, Wagon spawned at a nearby vige. ¡°That damned Korean¡­ Just you wait¡­ I¡¯m going to put a bullet in your head¡­!¡± However, his desire to kill Wagon quickly vanished. ¡®Hmm? Wow, that girl¡¯s pretty. I can feel my thing reacting to her!¡¯?he eximed inwardly and started salivating after spotting a female NPC sitting all alone at a coffee shop, enjoying a cup of coffee. [Charlotte] [Type: NPC] [Level: 180] [Affiliation: Macan Kingdom Border Defense] [Position: toon Leader] [Rank: First Lieutenant ] ¡®Oh! I hit the jackpot! Who could have known that I would?find a military?beauty in this ce?!¡¯?Wagon eximed inwardly once again while practically drooling. Charlotte was indeed a beautiful woman. She had flowing blonde hair and a slim figure. She was tall with a morous body. Her figure was so good that even her military uniform¡ªwhich covered her entire body¡ªfailed to hide her figure. ¡®I wonder how she¡¯s going to look like while blushing? Uniform fetish will never be out of trend, so I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to sell a lot,¡¯?he thought while salivating over the NPC. He quickly started streaming. ¡°Hello, my friends! I have finally escaped from that dungeon! It¡¯s all thanks to that Korean, but unfortunately, he turned out to be a bad person. However, I will tell you all about it at ater date¡­ Why, you ask? That¡¯s because catching our preyes first!¡± Wagon directed the camera view toward the NPC beauty, who was drinking coffee. ¡°Do you see her? She¡¯s a knight working for the border defense. What do you think? She¡¯s a nice catch, right? How do you feel about half-stripping that uniform of hers? You guys must be thinking what I¡¯m thinking, right? All right, shall we slowly start approaching our prey?¡± Wagon breathed in and out for five seconds before wiping off all of the perverseness and vile look from his face. He then approached Charlotte with sadness and mncholy in his eyes. ¡°Rozelle?¡± he said. ¡°Pardon me?¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t it you, Rozelle?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? My name is Charlotte.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Wagon eximed and pretended to be shocked before he continued, ¡°A-Apologies,dy.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I must have mistaken you for someone else¡­ You look exactly like her, that I¡­¡± Wagon said. He sat across from her and continued, ¡°She was a very precious person to me¡­ A very¡­ very precious person¡­¡± ¡°Was she also a soldier like me?¡± Charlotte asked. Wagon shook his head and replied, ¡°No, but she looked exactly like you, even though she¡¯s not a knight.¡± ¡°So why did you mistake me for her?¡± ¡°I have no idea,dy¡­ I guess it is because I miss her dearly¡­ I cannot help but miss her all the more now that I cannot see her anymore¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ You must have broken up with her.¡± ¡°Yes, we broke up.¡± ¡°I thought she was precious to you? Why did you break up with her, then?¡± ¡°I had to send her somewhere far away.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She sumbed to her illness and¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± ¡°I know that I cannot see her anymore, but¡­¡± Their conversation continued. Wagon mixed various storylines and lies he had devised himself and used them meticulously to trick Charlotte. ¡°I apologize for saying this, but¡­ I think you are a pitiful man¡­ I cannot help but feel sorry for you,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°I do not think so. Loving her was my own choice, so I do not regret my choice¡­¡± ¡°I am sure she is at a better ce now.¡± ¡°I can only hope that is the case¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my, look at the time. It is already time for me to return to base.¡± ¡°If¡­ If it is alright with you¡­ May I apany you to your base? If that is not a burden to you, mydy¡­¡± Wagon asked while looking down at the ground. Charlotte smiled brightly and replied, ¡°Sure. My base is quite far away, so I tend to get bored on the way.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s fine?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ will you be fine on the way back?¡± ¡°Please do not worry about me.¡± ¡°All right, then shall we go?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I am extremely d to be friends with you.¡± ¡°The same goes for me, mydy.¡± ¡°May I excuse myself and use the restroom before we depart?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°Yes, I will be waiting for you, mydy,¡± Wagon replied with a nod. Charlotte went to the restroom. ¡°Did you see that, my friends? We¡¯re about to seed! I¡¯m halfway there already! It¡¯s really a good idea to appeal to a woman¡¯s maternal instinct! Now, shall we keep pressing on? I n to steal her lips on the way!¡± Wagon eximed to his viewers. However, things didn¡¯t go as smoothly as he nned. He was on the way to the base with Charlotte when he suddenly called out to her. ¡°Excuse me, Charlotte¡­?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Wagon made his move the moment Charlotte turned to him to reply. He wrapped his arm around her neck and tried to kiss her. Pukeok! However, a loud smack could be heard as Wagon¡¯s head was forcefully swung away. ¡®Huh? She¡¯s feistier than I thought¡­¡¯? Wagon was taken aback by the sudden p, but as expected from a seasoned scammer, he immediately pretended to be apologetic and apologized to Charlotte. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ve done something I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± he said. ¡°I guess you deserve more beating if you know what you¡¯ve done,¡± she replied. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I hate scum like you,¡± Charlotte said. She pulled off the skin on her face and put it in her pocket. Her name suddenly changed from Charlotte to something else. It turned out that she was wearing a Metamorphosis Mask. [Oscar] [Type: NPC] [Level: 180] [ss: Knight] [Tier: Mid-Tier Sword Expert] [Affiliation: Proatine Kingdom] [Position: Army Commander] [Rank: Major General] That wasn¡¯t all¡­ ¡°Great job, Dame Oscar.¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi suddenly appeared from behind a bush and thanked Oscar. ¡°You bastards!¡± Wagon cried out. ¡°I told you, right? I¡¯m much more obsessive than most Koreans,¡± Siegfried replied nonchntly. ¡°Do you really think that you¡¯ll be¡ª¡± Wagon growled. However, Siegfried waved his hand and interrupted him. ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t. Anyway, it¡¯s time for another beating.¡± He dashed toward the scumbag Wagon and started a beatdown thatsted for exactly and exactly two minutes and twenty-two seconds. Puuuuk! Finally, Siegfried¡¯s hammer smashed into Wagon¡¯s nuts. ¡°AAAARRRGHHHH!¡± The cry of the nutless Wagon could be heard throughout the entire forest. *** Wagon¡¯s agony didn¡¯t end there. ¡°H-Hiiik!¡± He was at a pub trying to seduce the NPC barmaid when he shrieked in horror after Siegfried and Hamchi raised their beer mugs at him while smiling. Needless to say, he was dragged out of the pub and was beaten to a pulp before being killed with the same hammer strike to the nuts. However, it seemed that Wagon¡¯s problem wouldn¡¯t end anytime soon. Wagon logged into BNW three dayster and made a run for the Warp Gate. However, a pair of familiar faces were already waiting for him there. ¡°Hey! Do you know how long we¡¯ve been waiting? Hurry up!¡± ¡°Kyu!?Hurry up!¡± He got beaten up to a pulp once more, but the beatings were focused on hisher region. ¡°M-My dick! My diiiiickkk!¡± He even seemed to have taken a psychological hit because he immediately grabbed his privates and cried out as soon as he returned to reality upon being logged out of the game. The torture continued two more times before Wagon couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡®That bastard¡­ I know Koreans can be quite scary and obsessive, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t have known that they could be THIS scary and obsessive¡­!¡¯?Wagon thought. In the end, he gave up on escaping and went to find Siegfried. Siegfried was drinking coffee with Hamchi at a caf¨¦¡¯s terrace when he spotted Wagon. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± he said. Of course, his gaze on the scumbag didn¡¯tst even two seconds? ¡°That NPC¡­ I¡¯ll go meet her¡­¡± Wagon said. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re done already? I thought you needed to die ten more times,¡± Siegfried said in surprise. ¡°Let¡¯s stop this¡­ I¡¯m exhausted¡­¡± ¡°Will you go and apologize?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Too bad¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I would have preferred if you continued running away, so I can go and find you whenever I get bored¡­ Maybe a hundred times more? Anyway, it really sucks to lose a ything¡­¡± ¡°H-Hiiiik!¡± Wagon was terrified by Siegfried¡¯s obsession. *** A few hourster, Wagon bowed and apologized to Julianne. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Truth be told¡­ I didn¡¯t love you. I was just¡­ I was just a piece of trash.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the child you¡¯re carrying, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡± p! Julianne pped Wagon as hard as she could. ¡°¡­¡± Wagon didn¡¯t say anything in response. He was a true piece of trash, but even he knew that there was nothing he could say in a situation like this. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Julianne turned toward Siegfried. ¡°Speak,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I beg of you¡­ Please kill him¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I want to see that scumbag die¡­¡± Julianne said with tears streaming down her cheeks. At the sight, Siegfried wordlessly grabbed his hammer. Pukeok! He mmed his hammer and crushed Wagon¡¯s nuts. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± He kept on doing so until Wagon breathed hisst. ¡°A-Actually¡­ I knew all along. I knew it when I saw his expression the day I told him I was pregnant¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I realized I got tricked a few months after he disappeared, but I just¡­ I just had to see him¡­ I just wanted to see him onest time¡­ I don¡¯t know why¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°But I¡¯m fine now,¡± said Julianne. She wiped her tears and smiled brightly before continuing. ¡°It is all behind me now. I¡¯m going to focus on my unborn child.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°This baby is my child no matter what anyone says, and I want to raise this child to the best of my abilities. I want to raise this child into a healthy and upright child.¡± Ding! A message alert informing Siegfried that he had cleared the quest Looking for Husband Kim On the Continent popped up, and he was now one step closer to opening the Ark of the Ancient God ¡®I¡¯ll be supporting you, so try to be the best mother you can be¡­¡¯? Siegfried decided to support the mother and her unborn child to the best of the kingdom¡¯s abilities. Who knows? Perhaps it was one of his callings as a gamer to heal the wounds of the NPCs that were inflicted on them by the other gamers. Chapter 187

    Chapter 187

    Two hourster, Julianne offered the music sheet of the Aria of the Sun King. ¡°Please take this, Your Majesty,¡± [Alert: You have cleared the Quest: Requiem!] [Alert: Go find Daode Tianzun to collect your quest rewards!] Siegfried finally obtained the keyponent to open the Ark of the Ancient God. ¡°Thank you, Julianne. This will be a huge help,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°You are wee, Your Majesty,¡± Julianne replied. ¡°I have already instructed my people at the kingdom to prepare a house and a job for you as you have requested, so you can move anytime you think is¡ª¡± ¡°I will go there right now.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going right now? Don¡¯t you have to pack first¡­?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Hehe¡­¡± Julianne muttered with an awkward smile. Bam! The door was suddenly flung open by an old gentleman. ¡°You ungrateful bitch!¡± shouted the old gentleman. Siegfried, Hamchi, and Gringore¡ªyes, he was here as well¡ªturned pale. Who could have known that she had stolen it¡­? ¡°You stole from our family¡¯s fortune to give to some Adventurer, and you got pregnant out of wedlock! Now what? You dare steal our family¡¯s heirloom and try to run off with it?!¡± ¡°F-Father!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough! I¡¯m going to shave your head off and send you to a monastery in the mountains!¡± The gentleman seemed to be Julianne¡¯s father, and he was understandably furious. ¡®I mean¡­ I¡¯d be furious as well if my daughter did something simr to what she had done¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was surprisingly on the side of Julianne¡¯s father. Which father would look favorably upon his daughter if she caused problem after problem and even ended up stealing the family¡¯s heirloom? ¡°E-Excuse me¡­ please calm down for a second. We just need to look at the music sheet once, and we will return it, so¡­¡± Siegfried tried his best to appease the worked-up gentleman. There was no need for them to take the music sheet because of Gringore¡¯s photographic memory. Actually, it was probably the best course of action that they could take at the moment. However, Julianne¡¯s father didn¡¯t listen to even a single word that came out of Siegfried¡¯s mouth. It wasn¡¯t really strange because he was beyond enraged. ¡°Shut up, you thieves! You put her up to this!¡± Julianne¡¯s father shouted and instructed the high-leveled knights that he had brought with him. ¡°Capture those thieves this instant!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Yes, Count-nim!¡± The eight knights ran toward them. ¡°Hey, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s run,¡± Siegfried said. He grabbed Julianne and ran through the nearest window. Crack¡­ Crash! ss fragments scattered all over the ce. Thud¡­! Siegfriednded on the ground quite lightly despite jumping from the fourth floor of the house. He used his mana to make a perfectnding to prevent hurting the child inside Julianne. What happened next? Run! Siegfried ran for his life with Julianne in his arms. ¡°Hey! Wait for me, owner punk!¡± ¡°Your Majesty! Help me!¡± Hamchi and Gringore chased after Siegfried¡ªno, they ran away as fast as they could away from the knights. *** Siegfried headed for the Twin Sprout Vige as soon as possible afterpleting the long arduous quest. Of course, he did not forget to assign a few knights to protect Julianne. ¡°Oh! You managed to find it?¡± Daode Tianzun eximed. ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. ¡°All right, I was about done preparing the magic circle to unseal the ark,¡± said Daode Tianzun while pointing at the ckboard on the wall. The entire ckboard was filled with all sorts ofplicated drawings and magic forms. It resembled the ckboard of a math professor at Stanford University. ¡°I think it will take me half a day toplete it. Why don¡¯t you go and hunt somewhere? Maybe go hunt somewhere nearby and reduce the number of monsters to make the vige a safer ce?¡± Another quest message popped up in front of Siegfried. Ding! [Protector of the Twin Sprout Vige] [Subjugate the monsters around Twin Sprout Vige.] [Progress: 0% (0/100)] [Reward: +50 Affinity with Daode Tianzun] Siegfried did not really have anything to do in the meantime, so he decided to ept Daode Tianzun¡¯s quest. ¡®I guess I can go level up while waiting.¡¯ Daode Tianzun looked at Gringore and said, ¡°You have to start practicing because your singing will have to be near perfect to unseal the chest.¡± ¡°I will do that,¡± Gringore replied. ¡°This song seems quite difficult andplex. Can you perfect it within half a day¡­?¡± Daode Tianzun asked as he scanned the music sheet. ¡°It seems that you will require a huge range of F1 to C6 judging by the variations in this sheet¡­ Do you think you can practice that in half a day? I think you will require at least a month to practice this.¡± Daode Tianzun was referring to ¡®-1 octave¡¯ for F1 and ¡®3 octave¡¯ for C6. In short, the Aria of the Sun King required the singer to possess a very wide vocal range. On top of that, the song had to be sung with near perfection, so it was not only about belting out the notes but also making sure that the harmonization was right. In other words, only a talented genius could sing the Aria of the Sun King. ¡°It is more than enough. I have practiced a few songs simr to this one during my days at the academy, and I have even sung a few in concerts,¡± Gringore replied confidently. ¡°Hoho! You sound confident of your singing skills!¡± Daode Tianzun eximed. ¡°A little bit, sir,¡± Gringore replied humbly. Siegfried red at the scribe and grumbled inwardly, ¡®That little prick¡­¡¯ It was often said that if one were too humble, people would shun them. This was the perfect example of that saying. ¡°Anyway, I will go hunt some monsters in the meantime. Let¡¯s go, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu!?Let¡¯s go!¡± Siegfried went out to uphold the security of the Twin Sprout Vige. *** There were not that many dangerous monsters around the Twin Sprout Vige. The only monsters that could be found here were goblins or other low-ranking monsters like slimes. [Alert: You have cleared the Quest: ¡®Protector of the Twin Sprout Vige¡¯!] It only took Siegfried an hour to clear the quest Protector of the Twin Sprout Vige. ¡®What if I cause the extinction of the monsters around here¡­?¡¯? Siegfried was suddenly concerned. He was concerned because Daode Tianzun would definitely give him another useless quest like Protector of the Twin Sprout Vige 2. ¡®Hmm¡­ Should I go hunt at a high-level dungeon for now?¡¯?he wondered. In the end, he decided to hunt at a high-level dungeon, so he headed for the closest Warp Gate with Hamchi. ¡°Where are we going, owner punk?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°The same ce asst time. I figured we should just hunt there while waiting,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°All right! Kyu!¡± Their destination was the Ruin of Madness, but¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. He noticed something off upon arriving at the Ruin of Madness. ¡°Has this ce always been like this¡­?¡± he muttered. ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up with the devastation? Was there a war here or something?¡± The Ruin of Madness was devastated, and there were many corpses strewn across the ground. In addition, there were hundreds of thousands of hoof prints on the ground. Something huge had definitely happened here¡­ ¡®Well¡­ It¡¯s not really my concern.¡¯?Siegfried shrugged. He proceeded to enter the Ruin of Madness. However, the entire ruin was empty. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°Kyu??Where did all the bad guys go?¡± ¡°Beats me¡­¡± A thought suddenly popped up in Siegfried¡¯s mind. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that all of those monsters went out¡­?¡¯ He ran out of the ruin and checked the hoof prints. He followed the hoof prints, and they eventually led him to a vige thirty minutes away from the ruin. The vige waspletely devastated, but Siegfried managed to find an NPC survivor who provided him with a vital piece of information. ¡°The mad emperor has awakened¡­ and his army in the Ruin of Madness has awakened with him as well¡­¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°He imed to be on his way to reim his woman, and he was going to chase her down to the ends of the continent¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°He smiled sinisterly and said that she would be stuck with him forever. Then, heid waste to our vige and left with his army¡­¡± Ding! A message suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Protect the Twin Sprout Vige!] [The Mad Emperor, Gran Cabrio, is looking for the Ark of the Ancient God! Protect the Twin Sprout Vige from him and his army!] The resurrected Mad Emperor, Gran Cabrio, was currently headed toward where the Ark of the Ancient God was located, which was the Twin Sprout Vige. The quest was asking Siegfried to fight and protect the vige against his army. ¡°Ah¡­ What is this¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered. However, he looked calm for some reason. ¡°Tsk Tsk¡­?Poor guy, how unlucky can he be? Does he even know where he¡¯s heading right now?¡± he felt sincerely sorry for the Mad Emperor. Who was currently residing in the Twin Sprout Vige? It was none other than the most powerful magician on the continent and one of the Three Jewels¡ªthe Archmage¡ªDaode Tianzun. Siegfried had no idea how powerful Gran Cabrio and his army were, but he knew for a fact that they couldn¡¯t possibly be a match for Daode Tianzun. In short, there was no reason for Siegfried to step up and clear this quest. ¡°Shall we go and watch how powerful Elder Daode Tianzun is?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Then, are we just going to watch from the sidelines?¡± Hamchi asked in response. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Kyu!?Watching is always the best! Let¡¯s go, owner punk! Don¡¯t forget to prepare popcorn!¡± ¡°Shall we? Let¡¯s grab some popcorn and head toward the Twin Sprout Vige.¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi merrily took their time toward the Twin Sprout Vige. *** Siegfried came in contact with the Mad Emperor, Gran Cabrio and his army at a ce around five kilometers away from the Twin Sprout Vige. Of course, he didn¡¯t directly run into them. He emerged from a Warp Gate that was a short distance away from the army. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that I knew about it beforehand. The vige would have been razed if it got ambushed,¡¯?he thought. Then, he shifted his attention toward Gran Cabrio¡¯s army in the distance and shed his Rune of Insight. [The Mad Emperor, Gran Cabrio] [An infamous tyrant that ruled the entire continent two thousand five hundred years ago.] [Type: NPC (Monster)] [Level: 310] [ss: Knight] [Rank: Sword Master] [Titles: Insane Emperor, Mad Emperor, Master of ughter, Master of Execution] Gran Cabrio turned out to be a vicious monster at the level of a Master, and Siegfried couldn¡¯t possibly fight him at his current level. ¡®It¡¯s a Master. How dare a Master pick a fight against a Grandmaster? Tsk Tsk¡­ You¡¯ve got quite the rotten luck, my friend¡­¡¯?Siegfried sincerely pitied the Mad Emperor one more time before he headed toward Daode Tianzun¡¯s house. ¡°I think you have toe outside and take a look, Elder-nim,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s going on?¡± Daode Tianzun tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I think Gran Cabrio or whatever has resurrected and left the ruin. He is currently headed here.¡± ¡°Really? He¡¯s probably looking for that chest. How far away is he?¡± ¡°Around three or four kilometers, I believe.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess we have plenty of time. I¡¯ve just finished the preparations for the ritual, so we can open the chest first and go take care of them. I¡¯m sure four or five meteors will take care of them.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Siegfried chuckled in disbelief when Daode Tianzun nonchntly mentioned casting one of the ultimate magic spells¡ªMeteor Strike¡ªa few times. ¡°Hmm¡­ Shall we start the ritual? Are you ready?¡± Daode Tianzun asked Gringore. ¡°Yes, elder-nim,¡± Gringore confidently replied. ¡°Then, we shall begin.¡± The ritual started. *** The Aria of the Sun King was a song that had no lyrics and was hummed for its entire duration. In short, it was mainlyposed of inarticte sounds such as ¡®ah,¡¯ ¡®oh,¡¯ and ¡®woo¡¯. ¡°Woo~ Wooooo~ Woo~ Woo~ Woo~ Woooo~ Ah~ Ah ah!¡± Gringore¡¯s Aria of the Sun King echoed throughout the cabin. Sseuuu¡­! Daode Tianzun cast his high-ranked spell to unseal the chest. The ritual continued for five more minutes before a bright white light started seeping out from the seams of the chest. The chest soon burst open, and the cabin was pervaded by the blinding light. A woman¡¯s face appeared. A nce was enough to deduce that she was definitely an empress. The Ark of the Ancient God was opened, and a ss change scroll could be seen in it. [Alert: The item ss Change Scroll: Hidden ss 009 has appeared from the Ark of the Ancient God!] Siegfried quickly read through the system message before immediately shing his Rune of Insight to check what kind of ss Hidden ss 009 was. Chapter 188

    Chapter 188

    The details of the hidden ss popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [ss Change Scroll: Hidden ss 009] [A portrait of a woman carrying the resentment of the continent¡¯s best singer as well as the empress¡ªthe wife of the Mad Emperor¡ªGran Cabrio. It allows one to change into the Hidden ss 009, the Phantom Singer.] [The Phantom Singer is a magician-type ss that sings songs carrying mana to decimate their enemies.] [However, the Phantom Singer is hopeless at physicalbat and close-quartersbat, so they should always be worried about protecting themselves at all times.] The ss introduction was a bitckluster, but it didn¡¯t sound bad at all. However, what came next was the main problem. [Type: Consumables (ss Change Scroll)] [Rating: Hidden] [Price: 100,000 Gold] [ss Change Conditions: S+++ Singing, S+++ Looks, Perfect Pitch] Unfortunately, Siegfried couldn¡¯t change into the Phantom Singer ss. He wasn¡¯t good at singing, and he wasn¡¯t handsome enough to fulfill the ss change requirement. He also didn¡¯t have perfect pitch, which was the most important requirement. He could somewhat supplement hisck of singing ability and looks by massacring all of the Sirens on the continent, but there was no way he could have perfect pitch, which was an innate talent. ¡°Aah¡­?Argghaaa¡­!¡±? Siegfried convulsed and grabbed the back of his neck out of frustration. Who could have known that the hidden ss he had worked so hard to obtain would end up as a pie in the sky? A treasure one couldn¡¯t possess¡ªthere was no crueler idea than that. However, Siegfried was the most upset of¡­ ¡°Why the hell does this ss discriminate against people by their looks?¡± hemented. He could have never imagined¡ªeven in his wildest dreams¡ªthat looks would be a prerequisite for a ss. Of course, Siegfried wasn¡¯t really ugly or anything. In fact, he was considered above average among men. However, the real problem was the fact that one had to possess S+++ Looks to be the Phantom Singer. Disqualified. Siegfried¡¯s looks could be described with that one word. ¡°No¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head, and he said with a voice full of determination, ¡°I will definitely find a way to obtain this ss.¡± Siegfried looked out of it at this point as he took out the Soul Separation Device from his Inventory and pointed it at the ss Change Scroll: Hidden ss 009. He was aware that it wouldn¡¯t do anything, but Siegfried did it anyway out of frustration. After all, he had suffered too much just to obtain and open the ark. ¡°I suffered a lot, and my identity was even exposed¡­ A piece of trash worse than rotten food waste thought I was his kindred spirit, and I was mistaken for a thief as well. What is this? Are you saying that I¡¯m too ugly¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered. A tear dropped from the corner of his eye. However, the ss Change Scroll: Hidden ss 009 didn¡¯t care about his efforts or the hardships he had to go through. It tly refused to amodate him. [Alert: You have failed to change ss! You do not possess the required Looks!] [Alert: You have failed to change ss! You do not possess the required Singing Skills!] [Alert: You have failed to change ss! You do not possess Perfect Pitch!] [¡­I don¡¯t want to!] A woman¡¯s voice even rang in Siegfried¡¯s ears. Needless to say, the voice belonged to the empress stuck within the ss change scroll. ¡®Y-You don¡¯t want to¡­?¡¯?Siegfried flinched in surprise. [¡­Go away!] ¡®¡­¡¯ [Please! Go away! I beg you!] ¡®A-Aren¡¯t you being too much¡­?¡¯? Siegfried was hurt by the empress¡¯ vehement refusal to amodate him. However, the pain quickly turned into anger. ¡®Hey, aren¡¯t?you being too much discriminating?against people by their looks? I tried to be understanding because of what you had to go through, but you¡¯re nothing but a piece of ungrateful trash¡­!¡¯ Siegfried was so enraged that he tried to rip apart the ss Change Scroll: Hidden ss 009 apart. [No¡­!] ¡®Hmm?¡¯ [It is only because you do not match me. I am nothing but the vestige of a poor woman who lived a pitiful life¡­] ¡®So?¡¯ [I do not see any resemnce of the man that this woman loved on you. She wanted to feel even a tiny speck of familiarity with the man she loved even after her passing¡­] Just how much she loved him? Just how deep was her anger and resentment toward Gran Cabrio for being separated from her lover that her feelings had stayed even after her death? Just how heavy was her longing for the man she loved that she was fine with anyone as long as they possessed even just a tiny speck of resemnce to him? [So please do not rip that!] ¡®A-Alright¡­¡¯ [She does not want you, but she wants that man over there.] The empress¡¯ soul was pointing at none other than Gringore. *** Siegfried shed blood and tears to acquire the hidden ss scroll. He had stumbled upon it out of pure coincidence and luck, and he had taken possession of it and even opened it after much effort. However, it turned out that he wasn¡¯t the rightful owner of the hidden ss. There was a saying about how every valuable object in the world had its own predestined owner, and it seemed that the ss¡ªPhantom Singer¡ªwasn¡¯t an exception to that saying. ¡®I¡¯m not the rightful owner of the hidden ss, but its rightful owner is my subordinate. He is my loyal subject, so this ss indirectly belongs to me¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while holding the ss change scroll. He didn¡¯t have to hesitate. ¡°Scribe Gringore,¡± he called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± Gringore responded. Siegfried shook his head and said in a voice filled with authority, ¡°No, my loyal subject, Scribe Gringore de Noveldrawer. Stand in front of me.¡± ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty¡­?¡± Gringore muttered. He seemed puzzled by his liege¡¯s sudden change of demeanor. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with His Majesty? Did I do something wrong¡­?¡¯?he wondered. Siegfried had always beenx and gentle with his subordinates, so he was confused when Siegfried was suddenly acting formal and authoritative. However, he couldn¡¯t defy his king¡¯smand, so he immediately walked up to Siegfried. ¡°Kneel,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Gringore replied and knelt. Siegfried retrieved a sword decorated with precious jewels from his Inventory. It was the decorative longsword that he often used as the ruler of Proatine during formal asions. ¡°I, the King of Proatine, Siegfried van Proa, hereby appoint my loyal subject and scribe, Gringore de Noveldrawer¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°As a knight.¡± ¡°Heok!¡±?Gringore was shocked. A knight? How did it make sense for him to be a knight when he possessed less than a rat¡¯s shit ofbat prowess? Gringore could not believe what he had heard just now. Of course, he had heard his liege loud and clear, but he still couldn¡¯t help but doubt his ears. ¡°But, Your Majesty! I am nothing but a scribe! I have attended not even a single lesson on how to be a knight¡­!¡± ¡°Gringore de Noveldrawer.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Recite the Knight¡¯s Oath.¡± ¡°B-But¡­!¡± ¡°This is a royalmand.¡± Gringore had a lot of things he wanted to say, but he could no longer retort. Why? Because it was a royalmand¡­ Gringore started reciting the Knight¡¯s Oath while kneeling in front of Siegfried, ¡°I, your loyal subject, Gringore de Noveldrawer¡­ vow to swear loyalty to my kingdom, the Proatine Kingdom, and my lord, King Siegfried van Proa. I will be my lord¡¯s sword, and I will protect him until myst breath. I swear to cut down each and every one of my lord¡¯s enemies with all of my might.¡± Seuk¡­ Siegfried lightly tapped Gringore¡¯s shoulders and head with his sword as soon as Gringore was done reciting the oath. Ding! Then, a message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You have appointed Gringore de Noveldrawer as your knight!] Gringore was now Siegfried¡¯s loyal subject, scribe, and knight. ¡°Take this,¡± Siegfried said. He could finally give the empress¡¯ portrait to Gringore now that Gringore was his knight. ¡°That will be your sword,¡± he added. ¡°My sword¡­? This portrait is¡­¡± Gringore tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Yes, it will be the sword that will turn you into my most powerful sword,¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk. ¡°I do not understand what you mean, Your Majesty¡­¡± Gringore muttered. ¡°Hmm?¡± All of a sudden, Gringore noticed that a warm liquid was flowing down his head. ¡°What¡¯s this? Red? B-Blood?! Is this my blood?!¡± he cried out while wiping the blood off of his face. Yes, blood. Blood was down Gringore¡¯s head. More specifically, blood was flowing down the crown of Gringore¡¯s head, where Siegfried had tapped him with the decorative longsword. ¡°Y-Your Majesty! Why would Your Majesty cut my head open while appointing me!¡± Gringoreined. ¡°Ehem¡­?Ehem¡­?Anyway, you should rip that portrait,¡± Siegfried said while feigning ignorance. ¡°Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°Well, good luck!¡± Siegfried said as he quickly escaped. *** At Hive Games Entertainment¡­ Section 7 was in charge of monitoring call name 007, Siegfried. They were stupefied by the sudden turn of events. ¡°D-Double-O Seven failed to acquire Double-O Nine¡­¡± the operator reported with obvious shock filling her voice. The team leader was sleeping soundly, but he abruptly woke up and eximed, ¡°What?! Double-O Seven failed?!¡± ¡°Yes, even I cannot believe it, sir¡­¡± ¡°Why?! How?!¡± ¡°I think the epic code of Double-O Nine did not match with Double-O Seven.¡± ¡°Hmm? Were they a bad fit from the start?¡± ¡°I believe so¡­¡± ¡°So what happened?¡± ¡°Well¡­ An NPC obtained the call name Double-O Nine¡­¡± ¡°WHAAAAAAT?! An NPC obtained the hidden ss?! What nonsense!¡± ¡°I was surprised, too, Team Leader-nim.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ Who could have known that it¡¯s possible for an NPC to obtain a hidden ss¡­ Then, what¡¯s going to happen now? Do you think HQ¡¯s going to do something about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They¡¯ll probably act as usual,¡± the operator shrugged. ¡°They¡¯ll just let it be?¡± ¡°Probably?¡± ¡°Then, the brand new Section 9 is going to be monitoring an NPC¡­?¡± Ding! All of a sudden, a message from the headquarters was projected on the hologram screen, and the message contained¡­ [Section 7 is to continue monitoring Codename 007 along with Codename 009 from now on.] There was nothing particrly wrong with the directive because Gringore¡ªCodename 009¡ªwas an NPC subordinate under Siegfried, who was Codename 007. ¡°Ah¡­ Our workload has just increased¡­!¡± The team leader had been enjoying his life as a sry thief so far, but his workload suddenly increased by roughly two times. Therefore, the directive was anything but good news to him. *** Gringore stopped his bleeding and ripped the portrait to change ss. Meanwhile, Siegfried and Hamchi were squatting on the magic academy¡¯s frontwn while nibbling on some snacks. ¡°Hey, owner punk. Don¡¯t you feel it¡¯s a waste?¡± Hamchi asked. Siegfried shook his head and replied, ¡°Not at all. It would have been better if I could im it as my own because a hidden ss is a force to be reckoned with, but what can I do when it¡¯s not suitable for me?¡± ¡°Kyu¡­¡± ¡°Gringore is my subject, so I¡¯m going to be stronger if Gringore bes stronger. I¡¯ll just think of it that way and¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. He smiled before continuing. ¡°I think this strength of mine is more than enough. It should be fine as long as I use it to its full potential.¡± ¡°Kekekeke!¡± Daode Tianzun¡¯sughter suddenly rang out. He smiled warmly at Siegfried and said, ¡°Hoo!?You have grown up! You were this ignorant and good-for-nothing imbecile who always wanted to bite off more than he could chew.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°To be honest, your nature of biting off more than you could chew made me worry, so I had been watching over you.¡± ¡°You had been¡­ watching me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I was a bit worried since you¡¯re the worst and trashiest talent among all my disciples, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ah, my bad¡­ I hope my words didn¡¯t hurt you just now.¡± ¡°I already got hurt.¡± ¡°Ehem!¡±?Daode Tianzun faked a cough at Siegfried¡¯s sharp retort. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m d to see that you have matured a lot mentally. Not only did you obtain power, but your personality has also improved as well. It¡¯s truly awe-inspiring,¡± Daode Tianzun said. ¡°What do you mean by awe-inspiring¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve finally realized that yourrade¡¯s strength is your strength as well, have you not? Someone will only think that way if they truly trust theirrade.¡± It seemed that Daode Tianzun was sincerely impressed by Siegfried. ¡°It¡¯s also truly impressive that you decided to focus on improving your own strength instead of looking for shortcuts. A person walking on a single path is bound to reach the end of that pathpared to those walking on numerous paths,¡± he added. ¡°Thank you for your words of wisdom,¡± Siegfried deeply bowed in gratitude. ¡°If you understood what I meant, then I hope that you will continue to improve the strength you currently possess. The fact that a hopeless and talentless fool like you got that power in the first ce is¡ª¡± Siegfried suddenly interrupted. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Would you like a beating?¡± Siegfried failed to suppress his anger. He was about tomit insubordination when the academy doors were flung open. m! Sseeuuu! Gringore stepped out of the academy. His eyes were emitting beams of white light. He looked at Siegfried and said, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I, your loyal subject, Gringore de Noveldrawer, shall go and¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°...annihte Gran Cabrio¡¯s army and return to Your Majesty.¡± Chapter 189

    Chapter 189

    ¡°What did you just say¡­?¡± Siegfried doubted his ears. [Gringore de Noveldrawer] [The Scribe of the Proatine Kingdom.] [Graduated top of his batch at the Empire¡¯s Academy of Arts.] [He is highly skilled in singing, acting, dancing, and writing poems. He was born with beautiful features that would haveunched him as one of the top celebrities in the empire, but he gave up his future to live and fulfill his childhood dreams of bing a scribe.] [He became the Phantom Singer after being appointed as a knight by the King of Proatine, King Siegfried van Proa.] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 14] [Position: Scribe, Knight] [Rank: Viscount] [ss: Phantom Singer] [Titles: Masked King, Thousand Faces, Phantom Dance, Talented Actor, Sry Thief, Pro-Forex Earner, Typography Addict, Record Nerd.] [Skills: He is currently empowered and may use all of his skills!] There was no way that Gringore could fight against the Master monster, Gran Cabrio, and his army regardless of whether he was the Phantom Singer or not, as he was just a measly Level 14. ¡°Excuse me¡­ I think you¡¯re a bit out of it right now. Forget about annihting them, you¡¯re going to die in vain. Why don¡¯t you just stay here and leave Gran Cabrio to Daode Tianzun Elder-nim?¡± Siegfried said with utmost concern. ¡°No, it is possible, Your Majesty,¡± Gringore shook his head and replied. ¡°Let¡¯s use logic and facts for now¡­¡± ¡°I must do it. A woman¡¯s voice keeps whispering in my head. She is asking me to exact vengeance and kill them all. She wants me to send them all to hell.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re really out of it.¡± ¡°I must go, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I said, it¡¯s impossible¡ª¡± Daode Tianzun interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Siegfried was shocked. He retorted, ¡°How on earth is it possible?!¡± ¡°The power he currently possesses is at the level of a god right now thanks to the empress¡¯ hatred and desire for revenge that has umted over a long period of time. Her wrath has pierced the skies.¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°Her wrath has been umting for over two thousand and five hundred years, which means that it is an incredible amount of wrath and anger. In other words, he is currently empowered.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± ¡°On top of that, the object of the empress¡¯ wrath is our current opponent. There¡¯s no doubt that he can do what he said, but of course, whates next is¡­¡± Daode Tianzun paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°He¡¯ll be extremely weak to the extent that an ordinary monster will be capable of killing him. However, he is currently empowered?right now, and he is capable of wielding a power greater than a Master.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to be a sight to behold, so why don¡¯t you sit back and watch?¡± ¡°I will do that.¡± Siegfried epted Daode Tianzun¡¯s suggestion and decided to watch Gringore go up against Gran Cabrio¡¯s army. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Take out the popcorn we bought a while ago!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Siegfried and Hamchi started munching on popcorn. *** Gringore got ready to annihte Gran Cabrio and his army. However, rather than walking toward them, Gringore floated ten centimeters off the ground before zooming off toward the army like a ghost. Sseuuuuu! [Dance of Ghosts] [The Phantom Singer¡¯s mobility and evasive skill.] [This is the bread and butter of the Phantom Singer. The Phantom Singer¡¯s survivability is horrendous, so this is the skill that will allow the Phantom Singer to protect himself from danger.] The Phantom Singer truly lived up to its title as a hidden ss judging by its not-so-normal skill. Gringore reached the entrance of the Twin Sprout Vige. Gran Cabrio and his army weren¡¯t that far away anymore. Seuk¡­ He took out the item Super Megaphone and started singing using it. [Song of Destruction] [The Phantom Singer¡¯s Ultimate Skill] [A terrifying song that incites sound waves to vibrate to their limits to?disintegrate all enemies.] [*The Phantom Singer¡¯s skills will deal 1,000% Additional Damage against Gran Cabrio and his army.] The destructiveness of the Phantom Singer¡¯s Ultimate Skill¡ªthe Song of Destruction¡ªwas jaw-dropping. . Whoosh! Whoosh! Crack¡­ Crack¡­ Gran Cabrio¡¯s Level 180 stone soldiers crumbled into dust without being able to put up any resistance. In the blink of an eye, Gran Cabrio was left all alone. However, even the Master Gran Cabrio couldn¡¯t withstand the Song of Destruction. ¡°M¡­ My¡­ bit¡­¡± Gran Cabrio couldn¡¯t utter even a single sentence. Gringore also didn¡¯t give him the chance to speak as he sang the Song of Destruction even harder. Gran Cabrio let out a scream of agony, ¡°Aaak!?AAAAACCCCCCKK!¡± Fwaaaaaa! His scream quickly vanished as blood gushed out of Gran Cabrio¡¯s ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. Crack¡­ Crack¡­! The Mad Emperor who hade back to life in search of his empress crumbled into dust and was swept away like a cloud of dust. Annihtion. The tyrant who hade back to life after two thousand and five hundred years suffered an anti-climactic annihtion. It was definitely not a fitting end for an emperor of Gran Cabrio¡¯s caliber. This was the vengeance the empress wanted to exact against the Mad Emperor. She wanted to make sure that he would die without aplishing anything aftering back to life because aplishing nothing would be crueler than any other punishment for the resurrected tyrant. ¡°Can you¡­ smile now?¡± Gringore muttered under his breath. [She will never be able to smile. Forever.] ¡°¡­¡± [But she will no longer be in pain¡­] ¡°I hope you rest in peace.¡± Thud! When Gringore¡¯s words fell, he copsed to the ground. The empowerment exhausted all his strength, leading to his copse. *** ¡°Crazy¡­ Most magicians wouldn¡¯t be able to hold a candle against that AoE skill¡­¡± Siegfried was dumbfounded. Gringore¡¯s AoE skill was that powerful, and it left quite a big impression on Siegfried. ¡®I should use himter once I start fighting the Genesis Guild for real,¡¯?he thought. Gringore was still a newborn Phantom Singer, so he wouldn¡¯t be of much help right now, but Siegfried knew that Gringore would be vastly stronger than he was right now as long as he was given enough time to level up. ¡°What a terrifying might. The vigers could have been swept up by that power if I hadn¡¯t cast a protective barrier over the vige,¡± Daode Tianzun remarked. Siegfried and the others remained safe from the Song of Destruction because Daode Tianzun had cast a powerful barrier that blocked the sound waves of the song. ¡°Look around. The trees and grass are dead.¡± ¡°Heok¡­?¡± ¡°What a fearsome ability. They say that a woman¡¯s wrath could rain snow in the depths of hell, but it seems that two thousand and five hundred years worth of wrath is powerful enough to let a song cause absolute destruction.¡± ¡°I agree with you, elder-nim.¡± ¡°Anyway, where are you going?¡± Daode Tianzun asked Siegfried. Siegfried suddenly started walking away, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°I am going over to see if there is anything to loot,¡± Siegfried replied casually. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I am very good at picking up waste paper products. My nickname is Vulture, a scavenging vulture.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, but that nickname oddly suits you¡­¡± ¡°This old man is really testing me¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled under his breath. He had to exert superhuman patience to push down the urge to smack the old man in the face for constantly making fun of him. *** Fortunately, the Song of Destruction didn¡¯t destroy items as opposed to what Siegfried feared. [Alert: You have obtained the item Full te Mail of Madness!] [Alert: You have obtained the item Greatsword of Madness!] [Alert: You have obtained the item Tyrant¡¯s Cape!] Siegfried obtained three legendary items at the spot where Gran Cabrio died. He technically obtained eight legendary items because the armor he had obtained was a full te mail consisting of six parts. ¡°Jackpot¡­¡± he muttered with a smirk. He had given¡ªno, he was forced to give the hidden ss to Gringore, but he took sce in the fact that he obtained three legendary items in return. ¡°Hey, owner punk,¡± Hamchi said. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Stop scavenging. You could get indigestion at this rate.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Did you forget that I¡¯m a scavenging vulture?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ah,?that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to turn bald if I keep scavenging. Bald people have nothing to do with scavenging, and that¡¯spletely unrted to why I¡¯m a vulture, okay?¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about right now, owner punk¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying¡­¡± Siegfried shrugged. Dududududu! Roughly a hundred knights on horseback appeared in the distance. ¡®Who are they? Enemies?¡¯?Siegfried thought as he gripped his hammer. However, the roughly one hundred knights weren¡¯t enemies he could contend against. ¡®How are they so strong? What¡¯s up with their levels?¡¯?Siegfried was taken aback when he found out that the knights were all Level 270. In fact, even their mount¡ªPurebred Warhorse¡ªwas Level 100! The knight at the helm of the cavalry was named¡­ [Randoll de Valencia] [Type: Named NPC] [Level: 350] [ss: Imperial Knight] [Tier: Sword Master] [Affiliation: Marchioni Empire Knights of Retribution] [Position: Marquis] [Rank: Army - Lt. General (¡ï¡ï¡ï)] [Position: Captain of the Knights of Retribution] [Titles: Master Swordsman, Emperor¡¯s Sword, Five Star Heavens ¡ï] It was another Master, Randoll de Valencia. He was famous as the Emperor¡¯s Sword. Randoll stopped in front of Siegfried and asked, ¡°Are you an Adventurer?¡± ¡°Yes, what about it?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Identify yourself.¡± ¡°My name is Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°Ah, so you are King Proa,¡± Randoll said while looking down at Siegfried from his horse. He didn¡¯t bother dismounting despite learning that he was talking to a king. However, this wasn¡¯t something surprising at all. After all, a marquis of the great Marchioni Empire was powerful enough to treat the king of a backwater kingdom like an insect. The fact that he had acknowledged Siegfried and had spoken formally to him was more than enough. ¡°I have heard of your exploits, King Proa. I can see that you possess quite the sturdy and well-developed body,¡± Randoll said. ¡°You are praising me too much,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Pardon the question, but we are here to subjugate the Mad Emperor and his army. They suddenly disappeared from our sight. Have you seen them? Where did they go?¡± ¡°My loyal subject annihted them.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Siegfried exined. ¡°I see¡­ so something like that happened. I understand, I will go and report this to His Majesty the Emperor and make sure that your merits will be recognized.¡± ¡°There is no reason for you to do that¡­¡± ¡°No, the Mad Emperor¡¯s army razed numerous cities and viges of the empire, and you managed to stop them. How are we supposed to turn a blind eye to your contributions? I will definitely report the matter to His Majesty and see to it that you get rewarded. Well then,¡± Randoll led the Knights of Retribution and rode off into the distance. ¡®Crazy¡­ They sent only a hundred knights to subjugate?Gran Cabrio?and his army? Wow, I still have a long way to go¡­¡¯? Siegfried thought while watching the knights disappear into the horizon. He felt extremely small in front of the Knights of Retribution. However, this feeling was not something exclusive to him because every other Adventurer who had managed toe face-to-face with those knights felt the same. Why? It was all because it was impossible for the gamers to beat some NPCs in BNW, and this was also the reason that the Adventurers couldn¡¯t freely do as they wished in the game. ¡®I would have had to issue a kingdom-wide draft and prepare for a war against the Mad Emperor¡¯s army if Gran Cabrio were targeting Proatine. I guess my kingdom is really nothingpared to the empire. Sigh¡­ I have to be stronger. Proatine needs to be stronger as well¡­¡¯? Siegfried sighed and steeled his resolve to further develop his kingdom. *** ¡°Thank you very much for everything. I wille to visit you again,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Sure, take care on the way back, and feel free toe here whenever you get bored,¡± Daode Tianzun replied. Siegfried went back to the Proatine Kingdom with Hamchi and Gringore. Then, he logged out from the game and headed to Here Coffee Lab in Cheongdamdong. ¡°So¡­ that NPC used the ss change scroll and became 009?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I guess all sorts of things can happen in life.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin was bbergasted. ¡°I could have imagined¡ªeven in my wildest dreams¡ªthat an NPC would be a hidden ss holder¡­¡± Seung-Gu was stupefied as well. ¡°Well, what can we do? Let¡¯s just think that we have obtained a powerful ally.¡± ¡°Yeah, all¡¯s well that ends well. I think that¡¯s a better oue since you¡¯re going to be extremely busy from now on.¡± ¡°Huh? Busy? What are you talking about? I¡¯m already busy enough,¡± said Tae-Sung with his head tilted in confusion. ¡°Tadah!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin showed a few news articles to Tae-Sung. [V Sports] D-7 ¡®Genesis VS GT¡¯ Who will emerge victorious from this sh of the titans? The news articles contained news about the Genesis Guild¡¯s war against the eighthrgest guild of the N¨¹rburg Continent¡ªthe GT Guild. ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t you feel like sprinkling chili powder all over them?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked with a smirk. 1. Picking up waste paper products is what most scavengers in Korea make a living out of. 2. Sprinkling chili powder is a term used in Korea for ¡®messing things up¡¯. Imagine you cooked a nice carbonara for your family then someonees along with a handful of chili powder and dumps it on your masterpiece. Yes, you get the idea, right? Chapter 190

    Chapter 190

    ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t you feel like sprinkling chili powder all over them?¡± ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t you feel like sprinkling chili powder all over them?¡± . ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t you feel like sprinkling chili powder all over them?¡± ¡­ Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words echoed repeatedly in Tae-Sung¡¯s ears, showing no signs of stopping. ¡°Chili powder¡­ Of course, I want to do that¡­ I¡¯d love to pour a sack of chili powder made from Thai Bird¡¯s Eye Chili over them, but¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°Heok!?Look at this evil bastard! Do you know how spicy that thing is?!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin eximed in horror at Tae-Sung¡¯s words. However, his expression quickly turned serious as he continued. ¡°You might end up dousing them in gasoline instead if you hear the backstory that I¡¯m about to tell you.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin had a sinister smile. ¡°What backstory are you talking about?¡± Tae-Sung tilted his head in confusion. ¡°How do you think I found you~?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said coyly. It seemed that he was about to finally reveal the secret Tae-Sung was dying to know. ¡°You said you would tell me once I reach Level 200, right? I¡¯m already Level 199, so wait just a bit longer.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll just say it now.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Well, Level 199 and Level 200 are almost the same. Besides, you¡¯re already at 91% experience points, so I might as well just tell you now.¡± ¡°What is it, then?¡± ¡°So what happened is¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin started his story. *** It was two years ago when Tae-Sung¡¯s Beamer Guild was getting beaten up by the Genesis Guild. ¡°Hey, Woo-Jin. I¡¯m really sorry, but can you help me just this once?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin received an urgent plea for help from a gamer, and the gamer¡¯s story was quite interesting. ¡°¡­so you lost everything to the Genesis Guild, but the item you desperately needed was being sold for cheap. So you took out some loans from loan sharks to buy that item¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why the hell would you borrow money from loan sharks? Hyung, are you stupid?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ the banks refuse to give out loans to gamers aside from mortgages, so how was I supposed toe up with the money? I really needed that item¡­¡± ¡°Sigh¡­?How foolish can you be?¡± ¡°So, I was thinking¡­ Can you lend me 1.1 billion won to pay off my debt? I can¡¯t shoulder the interest anymore.¡± ¡°All right, but I¡¯m lending this to you because you¡¯re like a brother to me. In return, please don¡¯t pick a fight against the Genesis Guild ever again. Don¡¯t go charging into them just because you got a new item and some cash.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin casually lent 1.1 billion won to his gamer friend. The gamer yed the game while avoiding the gaze of the Genesis Guild, and he was able to repay Cheon Woo-Jin back within a year. ¡°So, what are you going to do now, hyung? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re thinking of revenge¡­?¡± ¡°What revenge? Just thinking about how much I suffered for the entire year is already giving me a migraine. I want to just peacefully y the game.¡± ¡°Good choice.¡± Then, Cheon Woo-Jin spotted something pretty interesting. He was passing by the loan sharks office when he noticed that quite a lot of gamers were visiting the ce. ¡®Huh? Isn¡¯t he a famous streamer? I¡¯m sure he must be earning a decent buck, so why is heing out of that building? Hmm¡­ I can smell something fishy going on here¡­¡¯? Cheon Woo-Jin decided to track down the Genesis Guild in the game. He was stupefied by what he discovered. A fight broke out between the Genesis Guild and Gamer A. Gamer A was subsequently cornered by the Genesis Guild. Then, an item that Gamer A desperately needed was on sale for cheap. Gamer A borrowed money from loan sharks to buy the item, and Gamer A picked another fight against the Genesis Guild afterpleting his gear. However, Gamer A got beaten to a pulp once again, and he ended up losing all of his items in the game. Finally, Gamer A ended up penniless and riddled with debt in real life. It was then that Cheon Woo-Jin finally found out about the Genesis Guild¡¯s cunning scheme. They purposely didn¡¯t use their full force against their enemies and even went as far as letting them win by a narrow margin from time to time so that their enemies would think that¡ªah! I could¡¯ve won with that item!¡ªor something along those lines¡­ The gamer would then take out loans to buy the item they needed, and the Genesis Guild would finally show their full force by then. They would trample on their enemies in the game and make sure they were riddled with debts from loan sharks in real life. In short, the Genesis Guild would make sure that their target would experience excruciating suffering and pay a hefty price in both the game and in reality. It was so bad that there were even some gamers who hadmitted suicide due to the massive interest of the loan sharks. Surprisingly, Cheon Woo-Jin found out that the financial backer of the loan shark the gamers frequented was none other than the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild, Chae Hyung-Seok. In short, Chae Hyung-Seok was using the Genesis Guild to plunge his enemies into the quagmire of debt. *** Back to reality¡­ ¡°What was his name again¡­? You know, that loan shark.¡± ¡°Ma Dong-Po.¡± ¡°Yeah, Ma Dong-Po. I was bored, so I parked my car in front of his office building, and then I saw you. But the guy riddled in debt suddenly obtained a hidden ss? That¡¯s why I started snooping around you.¡± ¡°But how did you recognize me? Do you have a super memory or something?¡± ¡°You bawled in front of the office¡­ remember¡­?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Mom, I''m sorry! Mom! I promise that¡ª¡± ¡°Shut it¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered firmly. He then went closer and whispered into Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s ears, ¡°...Before I bash your skull in.¡± ¡°M-My bad¡­¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that I was a victim of the plot that Chae Hyung-Seok had devised?¡± Tae-Sung asked with a cold smile. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s actually bigger than you think,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied. ¡°Bigger?¡± ¡°You remember those traitors? You know, those who stabbed you in the back and jumped ship to the Genesis Guild.¡± ¡°Yeah, there were quite a few of them.¡± ¡°They were originally members of the Genesis Guild.¡± ¡°What did you just say¡­?¡± ¡°You were targeted the day you created your guild,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin shrugged before continuing. ¡°Of course, you aren¡¯t the only victim. They would pick a few kind-of talented people and coax them to make their own guild. The guild¡¯s going to grow as time passes by, right? And that is when they¡¯ll devour you. It¡¯s something like¡­ cage farming, I guess?¡± ¡°H-Hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu eximed when Tae-Sung suddenly stood up and was about to storm out of the caf¨¦. ¡°P-Please calm down! Where are you going?¡± ¡°Let go,¡± Tae-Sung said. ¡°Hyung-nim! Please! I know what you¡¯re made of, but you can¡¯t do this!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin chimed in as well. ¡°Hey! Tae-Sung! I didn¡¯t tell you all that for you to act like this! Do you want to ruin your life?!¡± ¡°Woo-Jin hyung-nim is correct! Killing Chae Hyung-Seok in real life won¡¯t change anything!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu tried their best to stop Tae-Sung. ¡°What?¡± Tae-Sung grimaced and asked, ¡°What are you doing? So embarrassing¡­ Look! Everyone¡¯s looking at us...¡± ¡°Hey, Tae-Sung. Don¡¯t do this. I know you¡¯re mad, but going to Chae Hyung-Seok is not going to¡ª¡± ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s going to Chae Hyung-Seok?¡± Tae-Sung grumbled and added, ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡± ¡°H-Home?¡± ¡°Yeah, to y the game.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fucking angry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to poke a new hole in Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s body?¡± ¡°Why would I do that? I have no ns of ruining my life over someone like him. Besides, it hasn¡¯t been that long since my life turned decent. More specifically, it has only been a few months.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fucking angry, so I¡¯m going to prepare a sack of chili powder to shove up his ass,¡± Tae-Sung said before going to his Ferrari. ¡®I¡¯m going to change my family name to Dog. My name will be Dog Tae-Sung if you manage to win the guild war,¡¯?Tae-Sung grumbled under his breath. He was determined to make sure that Genesis Guild would lose the uing guild war. *** Tae-Sung logged into BNW and descended on the N¨¹rburg Continent as Siegfried. He headed straight for his office upon arriving. ¡®I can¡¯t just let them be. I have to stop them no matter what,¡¯?he thought while walking through the corridor. The Genesis Guild would be out of his reach if they managed to defeat the GT Guild in the guild war between them. However, the main problem was that a head-on collision against the Genesis Guild was impossible. The only reason Siegfried managed to beat Chae Hyung-Seok upst time was simply because he got lucky. Chae Hyung-Seok went alone to the brawl for the hidden ss change scroll because he could not trust his guildmates and executives, while Siegfried mobilized his airship armada to wipe them all out. ¡®This could be for the better. They already know about me, so I have to do my best and pour as much chili powder as I can on them. I will gnaw away at them bit by bit until they¡¯re weak enough, and then I¡¯ll deal the final blow once they¡¯re in tatters¡­? Siegfried recalled his master¡¯s teachings¡ªhe had to weaken his enemies until he could kill them in a single blow. Siegfried wasn¡¯t strong enough to kill Chae Hyung-Seok in a single blow, but he could at least faithfully adhere to Deus¡¯ teachings of weakening his enemies. He would definitely be stronger than the Genesis Guild if he dumped chili powder all over their ns. By then, it would only be a matter of time until the roles were reversed. ¡®Hmm¡­ but how am I going to deliver the first batch of chili powder? Is there a way for me to join the guild war¡­?¡¯?he wondered. Siegfried had no way to join the guild war. First and foremost, a guild member had to be registered with the guild for at least six months before they could participate in a guild war, so he couldn¡¯t enlist as a mercenary for the GT Guild. ¡®Ah, what should I do¡­? How can I royally screw that bastard up? I wonder if there¡¯s any way¡­¡¯?he pondered. ¡°¡­Your Majesty?¡± Michele interrupted Siegfried¡¯s train of thought. ¡°Ah,?when did you get here? I didn¡¯t notice you,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Is something troubling you, Your Majesty?¡± Michele asked. ¡°Ah,?that is¡­¡± Siegfried exined the situation to him. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­ that is indeed a difficult situation¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It would have been easy if it were just a war, but guild wars are held in a dimensional space, so I cannot see any way for us to intervene¡­¡± The battle between guilds in BNW was divided into two categories. The first one was just a war, and it was quite straightforward. It was basically a PVP that urred in a PVP-enabled field where the guilds ughtered each other around the clock until a guild conquered the other¡¯s base. The guild that had their base conquered would be subjected to Loser¡¯s Shame, and those under the effects of Loser¡¯s Shame would receive fifty percent additional damage from the members of the winning guild for an entire year. At that point, the guild would have no choice but to disband because most of its members would definitely leave the guild to avoid the debuff. The second one was a guild war. Guild wars would take ce in a dimensional field called Battlefield of the Victorious, and both guilds would slug it out in that field. There were no bases, but both guilds would ce their rights and items on the line. The war between the Genesis Guild and the GT Guild was a guild war, so there was no Siegfried could get involved in it. ¡°Hmm¡­ It is truly a difficult problem¡­¡± Michele muttered with a grimace. He was a genius, but there was no way he could help Siegfried enter the Battlefield of the Victorious. ¡°But it is not impossible per se¡­¡± ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot wide open as he said, ¡°Tell me if you do. I have to stop them no matter what.¡± ¡°It is not that difficult, Your Majesty,¡± Michele replied. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°You just have to assassinate their key figures right before the guild war starts. Do you not agree, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Assassinate¡­?¡± ¡°How long does it take for an Adventurer toe back to life after they die? If my memory serves me correctly, then that is¡­¡± ¡°Exactly forty-nine hours¡­¡± The reason Adventurers would resurrect after forty-nine hours rather than forty-eight hours was that one of the developers thought it would be fun to implement the Buddhist concept of a soul wandering around for forty-nine days upon dying. Of course, forty-nine days were too long, so they used forty-nine hours instead. ¡°Your Majesty just has to kill the key figures of the Genesis Guild, so they¡¯ll miss out on the guild war. We also have the option of unleashing arge-scale artillery barrage right before the Genesis Guild enters the Battlefield of the Victorious¡ª¡± Michele came up with a few ideas, but he suddenly panicked after seeing Siegfried trying to log out of the game. ¡°Y-Your Majesty? Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m off to collect information,¡± Siegfried said. He turned around as the log-out magic circle shed beneath his feet. Chapter 191

    Chapter 191

    There were only forty-eight hours and fifty minutes remaining until the guild war between the Genesis Guild and the GT Guild started. One of the key figures of the Genesis Guild, Welches, was leisurely taking a stroll in a low-level dungeon. He was taking a stroll in a low-level dungeon because of a guild announcement. [Guild Message: Everyone is prohibited from entering high-level dungeons and raids forty-nine hours before the guild warmences.] The announcement stated that guild members shouldn¡¯t engage in any risky endeavors before the guild war against the GT Guild. A guild war required the full power of a guild, and this was a preventative measure most guilds would ce to ensure that all of their key figures would be avable for the guild war. In other words, Welches hade to this dungeon that was far beneath his normal hunting caliber to make some pocket money and kill time. ¡®The thought of sucking these noobs dry is already giving me the chills!¡¯?Welches thought. He was a high-level Buffer that enjoyed seeing low-level Adventurers sucking up to him. Welches was an infamous Pro-Buffligan¡ªBuffer-cum-Hooligan¡ªwho often tormented weaker Adventurers for entertainment. Well, it was amon trait that people would disy in games once they got strong enough, so it wasn¡¯t weird at all. ¡°I should turn on my live stream first¡­¡± Welches decided to turn on his personal livestream channel while walking toward a dungeon. He chatted with his viewers to kill time, ¡°Hello, everyone! I¡¯m on my way to a Level 200 dungeon. Shall we see how much damage the Adventurers I buff can dish out? It¡¯s going to be amazing. My show is amazing. Do you agree? My stream is amazing, right?¡± Most of his viewers were here for the catharsis that they would feel while watching a low-level Adventurer dish out hundreds of thousands of damage simply because of a buff from a high-level Buffer. ¡°Oh!?Thank you for the thirty thousand won donation, Dakjji-nim! Huh? The guild war? Ha!?It¡¯s obvious our guild is going to win. Those GT bastards are nothing against us. I will show you during the guild war that¡ª¡± Kwang! A hammer flew from out of nowhere and struck the back of Welches¡¯ head. ¡°Kuheok!¡± Welches fell to the ground. Puk! Puk! Puk! Afterward, someone mercilessly whacked Welches on the head with the same hammer. ¡ªLee Dong Yeol: ? ¡ª2312211111: What¡¯s going on?;;;; ¡ªMbenzAMG: Is that an ambush? ¡ªtnlrhtlvdj: Welches is getting beaten to a pulp¡­ ¡ªnia: The hammer viin has appeared! The viewers were stupefied because it seemed that an unknown hammer-wielding assant had appeared out of nowhere to mercilessly beat Welches up. ¡°Kuek¡­!¡± The beatdown continued until Welches died. *** The next morning. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok hurriedly logged into the game after receiving a call, and he was so dumbfounded that he even forgot to get angry. ¡°Twenty-two of our key figures¡­ can¡¯t join the guild war? Does that even make sense¡­?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok muttered in disbelief. ¡°Hyung¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± Minwoo¡ªChae Hyung-Seok¡¯s loyalckey¡ªhurriedly exined what happenedst night in a trembling voice. Of course, Chae Hyung-Seok didn¡¯tpletely trust Minwoo. ¡°Some madman is assassinating our guild members¡­¡± ¡°Who was the bastard who dared to assassinate our members? Huh? Who is it?!¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t confirmed anything yet. We weren¡¯t able to collect any footage as the assant emerged from the live stream camera¡¯s blindspot, so¡­¡± ¡°Did those GT bastards finally lose it¡­?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok believed that the culprit behind the assassination of their key figures was none other than their opponent for the guild war, the GT Guild. It wasn¡¯t strange that the GT Guild would resort to such underhanded tactics because of the astronomical amount of rights and items that were on the line. ¡°Those shameless bastards actually dared to do something so despicable with only two days left before the guild war? I heard they even signed an agreement to live stream the guild war¡­¡± There was a use in guild wars that prohibited the guilds from attacking each other before the guild war started. Both guilds would usually enter into an agreement after cing their stakes, and a professional TV channel would usually be the arbitrator for these events. It was imperative for the TV channel that both guilds fought with their full power, as their viewers could get bored andin if the fight ended up being one-sided. However, the contract agreement was nothing but a piece of paper because the identity of the assassin was unclear. ¡°I¡¯ll go meet Jung Tae-Hwan, so ask our members toy low and stay somewhere safe.¡± ¡°All right, hyung.¡± Chae Hyung-Seok logged out of the game and went straight to a caf¨¦ in Gangnam to meet the Guild Master of the GT Guild, Jung Tae-Hwan. The English luxury sedan and pride of Ennd¡ªthe Bentley Continental GT stopped in front of the caf¨¦. ¡°Hm??What brings you here? I don¡¯t think we¡¯re close enough to visit each other like this in real life¡­?¡± A man who looked like arge-framed gangster got off from the Bentley?and sneered at Chae Hyung-Seok. The man was none other than the Guild Master of the GT Guild, Jung Tae-Hwan. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m here to visit a bastard like you?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Ha! Who would want to see someone who looks like trash? What? Visit you in real life? Do you really think that there are people out there who would go out of their way just to see your ugly face?¡± ¡°Is this bastard drunk in broad daylight, or did you go insane from shivering in your boots? Hey, Chae Hyung-Seok. I didn¡¯t like your tone when you called me a while ago. What? You want to have a go at it now?¡± Jung Tae-Hwan waspletely worked up, and it looked like he was going to attack Chae Hyung-Seok at any moment now. He was arge-framed man with a rough demeanor simr to a true gangster. However, Chae Hyung-Seok didn¡¯t bat even an eyelid at his threat. He climbed his way to the top with his grit alone, so there was no way he would back down from a simple threat like this. ¡°Yeah, should we have a go at it? Do you want to wage war instead of a guild war?¡± ¡°War?¡± ¡°Hey, you despicable and cowardly piece of shit. You signed the agreement with the broadcasting station for a fair fight, but did you even read what you signed?¡± ¡°What bullshit are you spouting¡­?¡± Jung Tae-Hwan seemed really confused. Why was he suddenly talking about the contract? ¡°Hey, Jung Tae-Hwan.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is my final warning. Let¡¯s fight fair and square.¡± ¡°What fair and square are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°You should take out twenty-two of your men to make things leveled.¡± ¡°What? Take out twenty-two of my men? Hey, are you high? Why the hell would I take twenty-two of my men out from the guild war?¡± ¡°You assassinated our guys.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let it slide this once, so take out twenty-two of your men. Let¡¯s fight fair and square.¡± ¡°Who assassinated who?¡± Jung Tae-Hwan retorted in disbelief. Then, his eyes narrowed as he asked, ¡°Hey, Chae Hyung-Seok. What are you talking about? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you think I assassinated your guys¡­?¡± ¡°Then, you didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Am I crazy? Why would I assassinate your guys two days before the guild war? What if I get caught doing that? The penalty use is three times the contract amount, you know? I¡¯m getting five billion won out of this! That means I¡¯ll have to cough up fifteen billion won if I get caught doing that!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m calling you a crazy bastard. Who else would dare to assassinate my guild members if not for you?¡± ¡°Are you suffering from dementia by any chance?¡± Jung Tae-Hwan asked out of nowhere. ¡°Dementia¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, dementia. You know, Alzheimer¡¯s or something.¡± ¡°Hey, listen up, you shoulde up with a better excuse than that if you want to get out of this.¡± ¡°No, you listen up, Chae Hyung-Seok. I know it¡¯s normal for you to use us since there are only less than two days before the guild war, but you should probably use that head of yours if it¡¯s working. How many people do you think hates your guts¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy. There are at least a thousand of them¡­¡± All of a sudden, a name shed in Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s head¡ªHan Tae-Sung. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now, so no hard feelings, all right? I¡¯ll make sure to drive you crazy at the end of it.¡± Why did his name pop up out of all people? There was a truckload of gamers who were gnashing their teeth at him in hatred, but¡­ ¡°Looks like you thought of someone,¡± Jung Tae-Hwan said with a hint of ¡®I told you so¡¯ in his voice. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ that bastard¡¯s not that strong to do something like this,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok replied. ¡°Go and argue with that guy you thought of instead ofshing out at me,¡± Jung Tae-Hwan said with a smirk. ¡°Fuck off.¡± Chae Hyung-Seok waved his hand like he was swatting a fly. ¡°Good luck~¡± Jung Tae-Hwan sneered before adding, ¡°It seems that someone¡¯s dead set on messing with your guild. You should be careful at night. Neither of us is clean by all means, but there are more people who loathe you than me. I doubt anyone wants to kill me so desperately, but I can¡¯t say the same for you.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a given¡ªhold on, what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Who knows? I¡¯m sure you know better than me, right? I mean, you¡¯re too greedy if you think you can live a good life after screwing other people up. Take it slow, you¡¯ll probably end up dead in a ditch somewhere at this rate.¡± ¡°What the fuck are you saying¡ª¡± Chae Hyung-Seok wanted to retort. However, Jung Tae-Hwan nonchntly left the caf¨¦ and hopped into his Bentley. *** While Chae Hyung-Seok was talking with the Guild Master of the GT Guild, Jung Tae-Hwan¡­ ¡°Aren¡¯t those GT bastards going too far?¡± ¡°Is this going to turn into a fully-fledged war?¡± ¡°What, war? It will probably happen after the guild war. We have already signed the agreement for the broadcasting rights, and there¡¯s also the revenue from live streaming plus the advertisements we got.¡± ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t care. Let¡¯s just wait and see. Our guild master has already gone to meet Jung Tae-Hwan. Just hurry up and deal the cards.¡± Some of the Genesis Guild¡¯s key members were gathered in a pub ying a card game. The card game was called Hardstone,?and it was something like a mini-game using a magical deck. There was a pile of gold coins on the table, and they were obviously fighting to take ownership of the pile of gold. Chae Hyung-Seok had specifically told them to stay low somewhere safe, but it seemed that ying cards in a pub was their definition of staying low and safe. Ding! A singer stepped up onto the small stage in the corner of the pub and started strumming his guitar. ¡°What? Why is that NPC so handsome for an NPC? Makes me want to ruin his face¡­¡± a Genesis Guild member grumbled in envy. It wasn¡¯t strange that he was jealous because the NPC on the stage possessed near-immacte beauty that even men would feel either jealous or fall in love with him. Of course, none of the Genesis Guild members bothered to use their Rune of Insight on the NPC. Why would anyone bother with checking the status of an NPC singing in a pub? ¡°Hey, did you shuffle properly? Why the hell is my hand so bad?¡± ¡°Fuck off if you¡¯re scared. Haha!¡± ¡°Look at these kids bickering among themselves. Why are you so worked up when it¡¯s obvious that I¡¯m going to win in the end?¡± The Genesis Guild members were getting riled up with their card game. Meanwhile, the singer finally started singing. Ding! Ding! Exactly one minuteter, the Genesis Guild members ying cards started bleeding from their eyes, nose, and lips. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think I lost this round¡­ huh? Hey, what¡¯s up with that nosebleed?¡± ¡°Nosebleed? Hey, you¡¯re bleeding from your ears!¡± ¡°Hey! Wake up! Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°What the hell is going on? Why do I feel so weak¡­?¡± ¡°My eyes are¡­ I can¡¯t see my cards¡­¡± The Genesis Guild members started panicking at the strange and sudden turn of events. Thud! The door was flung open, and a hooded figure entered the pub. The hooded figure was holding a hammer, and blood was trickling down the hammer. Whoosh! The singer immediately ran out of the backdoor upon seeing the hammer-wielding hooded figure. Sseuuuu¡­! A thick green fog seeped out from the hooded figure, and it quickly pervaded the air in the tiny pub. Chapter 192

    Chapter 192

    The green mist pervaded the tiny pub and siphoned the HP of the Genesis Guild members. ¡®I¡¯m dealing three times more damage since this is a cramped closed-off space¡­¡¯ Siegfried was surprised to see Irradiate¡¯s damage. Of course, there was another reason why Irradiate was dealing so much damage, and that was none other than the singer on the stage a while ago. The singer on the stage was Gringore wearing a disguise, and he sang Ghost¡¯s Song¡ªa Phantom Singer skill. [Ghost¡¯s Song] [Damages and disorients hostiles. Hostiles will receive additional damage from allies, and allies will have a higher chance of dealing critical hits.] The song¡¯s effect and the cramped space boosted Irradiate¡¯s damage output by three times. Of course, Gringore¡¯s song wasn¡¯t as effectivepared to when he was in an empowered state. However, what if Siegfried¡¯s debuff fields were added on top of it? ¡®Let¡¯s try it out¡­¡¯? He cast ze Field in the cramped pub. Fwaaaa! Fwaaaa!? The mes of Destruction scorched the Genesis Guild members. Puk! Pukeok! Siegfried immediately started a massacre, but the Genesis Guild members had no ns of going down without a fight. ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± ¡°Do you have a death wish?!¡± ¡°Die! Die!¡± The Genesis Guild members rushed at Siegfried. Bam! Bam! Kam! The tiny pub soon descended into chaos as a brawl broke out. Well, the pub was already a mess thanks to Irradiate and ze Field, so there wasn¡¯t really that much of a difference. Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Siegfried smashed the Genesis Guild members¡¯ heads with his hammer. [Alert: You have dealt a critical hit!] [Alert: You have dealt a critical hit!] [Alert: You have dealt a critical hit!] The word Critical kept on popping up in front of Siegfried. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Thud¡­! A minuteter, the Genesis Guild members¡¯ remains and their items littered the floor. Siegfried picked up the items and put them into his Inventory before leaving. Pat¡­ Pat¡­ Pat¡­ Blood dripped down his hammer as he left, and the rusty smell it emanated made it obvious that Siegfried hadn¡¯t been able to clean his hammer at all. [Alert: You have acquired a new title!] [Alert: You have acquired a new title!] Perhaps that was the reason why Siegfried acquired a new title. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s see how far I¡¯ve fallen.¡± Siegfried wasn¡¯t happy about the titles at all. [Alert: You have acquired the title ¡®Hammer Murderer¡¯!] [Alert: You have acquired the title ¡®Skull Breaker¡¯!] The titles¡¯ effects were quite interesting. [Hammer Murderer] . [A title given to Adventurers who has killed enough people¡ªNPC Included¡ªwith a hammer.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Rare] [Effects: The first attack upon an ambush will deal 10% increased damage.] [Skull Breaker] [A title given to Adventurers who has cracked open enough heads.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Unique] [Effects: Head blows will deal 10% increased damage. Head blows are 35% more likely to result in critical hits.] The two titles provided excellent bonuses, but the problem was the titles themselves. Siegfried was already known as Seggs Stamina King and Vulture, but now, it would only be a matter of time until he became known as the Hammer Murderer and Skull Breaker. Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel that the system was messing with him. He felt that the system was trying to drag his image all the way down to the earth¡¯s mantle. ¡°I¡¯m just reaping what I sowed¡­¡± Siegfried muttered and let out a sigh of resignation. He had already given up on his titles. ¡®Now, whates next is¡­¡¯?he thought while leaving the pub. ¡°Halt..!¡± A knight and soldiers responsible for the vige¡¯s security blocked Siegfried¡¯s path. ¡°Drop your weapon and get down on the ground, now!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You are under arrest for murder, arson, destruction of property, and disturbance of public order!¡± This was the main reason Adventurers avoided PVP in viges or cities. It was all because of the NPCs responsible for responding to any chaos within the safe confines of the viges and cities. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I don¡¯t think Imitted any crimes¡­¡± Siegfried brazenly told the knight. ¡°What?! There is overwhelming evidence of the atrocities you havemitted!¡± the knight retorted. ¡°I only killed Adventurers, and I don¡¯t think that counts as murder¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Arson and destruction of property aren¡¯t applicable as well because I own this ce. I mean, I can do what I want to my own building, right?¡± ¡°The building is yours¡­?¡± ¡°Here you go,¡± Siegfried said. He handed over the building¡¯s certificate of ownership and thend deed. The document looked fresh, and the ink was still wet. Well, the document was signed just an hour ago. ¡°Excuse me, can you sell yournd and the building to me?¡± ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you double the market price right now¡ªcash.¡± Siegfried bought the pub and thend from its owner just an hour ago in cold hard cash. ¡°T-This¡­!¡± the knight was flustered. ¡°Sir Mobidick! It is true! That building belongs to that Adventurer! I just sold it to him!¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°I sold it for twice its price! Kekeke!¡± In the end, even the pub¡¯s owner stepped in and testified that the pub indeed belonged to Siegfried, and the knight no longer had any justification for arresting him. ¡°Here you go,¡± Siegfried handed over a few gold coins. ¡°W-What¡¯s this¡­?¡± the knight was flustered. ¡°The fine.¡± ¡°What fine¡­?¡± ¡°I denymitting murder, arson, and destruction of property, but I admit to disturbing the public order.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ It¡¯s just a misdemeanor, but it¡¯s still a crime!¡± ¡°Go somewhere nice and have a meal with your soldiers with this. I mean, the weather has been really hottely, so wouldn¡¯t it be great to drink a refreshing beer? Oh, can you drink while on duty?¡± Siegfried passed another gold coin before walking away. ¡®I should repair that ceter and open a shop at least. I lost money today, but I can recoup my lossester on,¡¯?he thought. Siegfried had always been the type of person who knew when to spend his money whenever it was necessary. *** Chae Hyung-Seok logged into the game. ¡°Kyung-Jin¡­ Ho-Seok¡­ Tae-Ho¡­ Min-Ji¡­ Jong-Won¡­¡± Min-Woo made his report and recited the names of the deceased Adventurers, and hearing every single name made Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s blood pressure rise. He tried his best to suppress the fury boiling in him. ¡°So¡­ We lost thirty-three people while I was away¡­?¡± he asked in a low deep voice. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Min-Woo replied. p! Chae Hyung-Seok pped Min-Woo. ¡°H-Hyung¡­!¡± ¡°Hey, Min-Woo.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°I told you to manage the guild members, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°But thirty-three died under your watch?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because that bastard ambushed our guild members¡­¡± ¡°Shut your mouth, you ipetent bastard!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I trusted you, but this is how you¡¯re going to repay me?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled before saying, ¡°Gather all of our guild members without leaving a single one behind. Pass down a kill order.¡± ¡°A kill order? Did you find the culprit?¡± ¡°Han Tae-Sung. No, I think his name is Siegfried now. That bastard is the culprit.¡± Chae Hyung-Seok had no doubt that Siegfried was the mastermind behind all this. *** ¡°Hey, who the hell is this bastard?¡± ¡°I heard our guild screwed him overst time. I think his name was Han Tae-Sung?¡± ¡°Han Tae-Sung? I know him. He¡¯s one stubborn bastard. He ain¡¯t got rat¡¯s shit worth of talent, but he is extremely stubborn. He doesn¡¯t know when to quit.¡± The Genesis Guild members gathered and started talking about the target of the kill order¡ªSiegfried. They looked around, but they were bound to fail because Siegfried was using the Metamorphosis Mask. The Genesis Guild members went around shing their Rune of Insight on every single Adventurer and NPC, but they couldn¡¯t catch even a glimpse of their target. In addition, they couldn¡¯t find Siegfried unless Siegfried himself appeared in front of them. ¡°Ah,?where can we find this bastard? Is he already hiding?¡± ¡°Hey! You guys over there!¡± someone eximed out of the blue, ¡°Hurry up! Over here!¡± A Genesis Guild member covered in blood was shouting at them. ¡°What the¡­? What happened to you?¡± ¡°In the forest! Our guild members and that Siegfried bastard is fighting in there! We¡¯re losing, so we need backup. Hurry up!¡± Fifteen Genesis Guild members entered the forest, but they couldn¡¯t find anyone in the forest. ¡°Huh? There¡¯s no one here.¡± ¡°Where is he? Are we at the right ce?¡± ¡°Hey! Lead the way properly!¡± The confused Genesis Guild members were flustered when shadows started rising from the ground. Seuk¡­ Seuk¡­ Puk! Pukeok! The shadows delivered low blows to the manhood of the Genesis Guild members, and they quickly forced them to submit using submission holds. The Genesis Guild members saw the same system messages while the shadows were restraining them. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character¡¯s important ce was struck! You are experiencing an ¡®Out of Body¡¯ experience! Try toe back to your senses!] [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: You are being restrained!] The Genesis Guild member who guided them to the forest threw his guild badge to the floor. ¡°Ew¡­ I almost got cursed by that thing,¡± Siegfried grumbled while dusting off his chest where the guild badge sat earlier. He felt disgusted that he had to wear the Genesis Guild badge, even though he had done it to deceive his enemies. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess it¡¯s time to clean up,¡± said Siegfried as he started swinging his bloody hammer. *** ¡°T-This¡­!¡± Two hourster, Chae Hyung-Seok was trembling in anger once again. He had just received multiple reports about the deaths of his guild members. The reports only had an interval of twenty minutes between each report. The Genesis Guild members died in strange ways. Some got decapitated by a cape, while others died after following someone to a forest and getting their heads smashed in, but the strangest manner of death was dying after getting seduced by a beautiful NPC. However, what enraged Chae Hyung-Seok the most was the fact they were all Buffers. ¡°Han Tae-Sung, you bastard¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok would be stronger on the field the more Buffers there were around him because those Buffers would amplify his massive AOE buffs. The fact that they had lost so many Buffers meant that their guild was currently severely weakened. The Genesis Guild only managed to be one of the top ten guilds thanks to Chae Hyung-Seok and his Buffers buffing their horde of guild members. Quantity over quality¡ªthis was the Genesis Guild¡¯s motto. Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s power depended on his guild¡¯s numbers and their overall cohesion rather than the individual strength of their members. However, their very foundation was currently being threatened, and the attack couldn¡¯t havee at a worse time, as they were about to engage in a guild war with numerous rights and items on the line. To make matters worse, the insect he had stepped on two years ago was the assant. The insect hade back to life to bite him. ¡°Gather the guild executives¡­ We have to catch that bastard before the guild war starts¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok issued amand. Shwoooooong¡­ All of a sudden, the shrill noise of something ripping through the air echoed. Kabooooom! An explosion decimated the building that the Genesis Guild was using as their headquarters. Chapter 193

    Chapter 193

    A guild¡¯s headquarters was a guild¡¯s most important structure. One would expect that most guild¡¯s headquarters would be riddled with all sorts of defensive spells against air raids, but the majority of guilds didn¡¯t bother cing those defensive mechanisms. Why? It was all because there was no way a yer could get their hands on abat airship. From the perspective of the guilds, there was no need for them to invest heavily in such defensive mechanisms when the chances of them getting bombarded from the air were nil. It was the same for the Genesis Guild. Their headquarters was located in a small castle, and it had no defensive mechanisms against air raids. ¡®Strike them where it hurts,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He led his threebat airships above the castle. ¡°Drop the bombs!¡± he said. ¡°Drop the bombs!¡± Shwooooong¡­ Kabooom! The airships dropped their bombs and unleashed their cannons toward the Genesis Guild¡¯s castle. Boom! Boom! Boom! It was super effective! The Genesis Guild¡¯s castle was defenseless against the air raid without any anti-air defense mechanisms. Naturally, the Genesis Guild members were caught up in the bombardment. ¡°Kekeke!¡± Siegfried snickered. The death of the Genesis Guild members from the air raid wasn¡¯t the only reason he was snickering. ¡°How much do anti-air defense systems cost again? I recall they cost a fortune! Kekeke!¡± Siegfried used to run his own guild, so he knew how expensive anti-air defense mechanisms were. The cost to install a normal barrier would set a guild back around a thousand gold, but a barrier for air attacks would cost at least eight thousand gold. However, those numbers were only enough to protect a small building. Arger building was bound to be more expensive to defend. This meant that from now on, Chae Hyung-Seok had no choice but to invest a fortune in anti-air defense mechanisms. Why? It was all because there was a chance that Siegfried would visit his guild once again and bombard their headquarters whenever he was bored. Well, it was kind of useless since the castle had already been bombarded, but Chae Hyung-Seok had no choice but to erect a barrier if he wanted to avoid the same losses in the future. ¡®Keke! You¡¯ll have to spend a fortune, but I¡¯m not going to bomb you anymore. Then, you¡¯re going to realize that you spent a fortune in vain. I wonder how you¡¯ll feel by then¡­ You¡¯ll have to spend all of the money you¡¯ll get from selling the broadcasting rights for something you won¡¯t need. Kekeke!¡¯? Siegfried was ted. He felt an adrenaline boost at the thought of draining Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s wallet. The Genesis Guild was definitely going to suffer from financial difficulties if Chae Hyung-Seok invested in the anti-air defense mechanisms, and they would definitely find it difficult to recover financially unless the guild managed to increase its revenue. In the end, their spending would affect other parts of their guild¡¯s operation, which would signal their decline. Siegfried had definitely dealt a huge blow to Chae Hyung-Seok this time. ¡°All ships return to base.¡± ¡°Returning to base!¡± Siegfried issued amand, and thebat airships leisurely flew back to the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°HAN TAE-SUUUUUNG!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s ear-splitting cry could be heard in the distance. ¡°YOU SON OF A BIIIIITCH¡­!¡± How did Siegfried react after hearing that? ¡°Yes, yes~ I¡¯m a son of a bitch~ Lla~¡± Siegfried hummed a tune. He was on cloud nine. *** After the bombardment. ¡°I think I poured enough chili powder¡­ should I get some sleep first?¡± Siegfried checked the time. He logged out of the game after he was done messing with the Genesis Guild. ¡°Catch him! Do whatever it takes to catch that bastard!¡± the furious Chae Hyung-Seok issued hismands. The Genesis Guild members got busy scurrying around in search of Siegfried while totally oblivious to the fact that Siegfried had already logged out of the game and was having a very nice sleep back in real-life. Twelve hourster, Tae-Sung recovered and was in peak condition after getting a good night¡¯s sleep, and he logged back into the game to mess with the Genesis Guild once again. ¡°Ah¡­ I think he¡¯s not in the game¡­ Do we have to keep looking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so tired¡­¡± ¡°All these for one person¡­¡± The Genesis Guild members were exhausted, but they were still looking around their headquarters for Siegfried. ¡®Are they NPCs or something¡­?¡¯? Siegfried wondered while observing the guild members. They looked more like NPCs from old-generation games rather than human yers at this point. Old-generation games had simple AI that limited them to repetitive and mundane tasks. Siegfried was nning on assassinating the NPC-like guild members one by one, and he hade up with a straightforward method to do so. He would pass by them at a secluded ce and cut their heads off with his cape, or he would use Lightning¡¯s first form to quickly discreetly stab them while they were in a crowd. What if his target copsed and the others saw it? ¡°S-Someone copsed! Help!¡± He would shout like that to avoid suspicion. There had been dangerous moments as well¡ªfor example¡ªhe was in an alley behind a bustling marketce. Chwak! Siegfried had used his cape to decapitate his target, but the issue was that the guild member possessed extremely high Defense. The ambush dealt critical damage, but Siegfried failed to kill the target in one shot. Spurt! Spurt!? The Genesis Guild member red at Siegfried as blood furiously spurted out of his injured neck. ¡°Y-You dare¡­ Kuheok!¡± ¡°You need to apply pressure on that!¡± Siegfried shouted. He immediately went to press down on the Adventurer¡¯s neck. Then, he tore his shirt to create a makeshift bandage and wrapped it around the Adventurer¡¯s neck. The passersby thought that Siegfried was performing first aid on an injured individual, so they apuded him for his actions. However, the victim broke out into a cold sweat after witnessing Siegfried¡¯s capability to manipte people. Why? Kwak! Siegfried was acting like he was saving the Adventurer, but he was actually choking him to death with the bandage. However, what really gave the Adventurer the chills was that Siegfried wore an expression that no one else could see other than him. Smirk¡­! Siegfried was smirking as he whispered, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you dying? Hurry up and die.¡± Was he the embodiment of evil itself¡­? ¡®This¡­ This bastard is scary¡­!¡¯?The Adventurer felt like he was watching a horror movie instead of ying an MMORPG. Thud¡­ The Adventurer was logged out after dying, and he dropped an item to the floor. ¡°Ah¡­ I was toote with my first aid¡­¡± Siegfriedmented so brazenly. ¡°Wow~ That item looks expensive.¡± ¡°Does anyone know the guy? Maybe they can return the item to him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Genesis Guild members were busy eyeing the item that the Adventurer had dropped rather than looking for the culprit. ¡°Rock paper scissors!¡± The person who would get to pick up their deceasedrade¡¯s item was decided on a game of rock paper scissors. ¡®Wow¡­ These guys are a different kind of trash¡­¡¯? At the sight, Siegfried realized that the entire Genesis Guild wasposed of unsalvageable trash. [Alert: 99% Experience Points!] Siegfried¡¯s hunt brought him to the doorsteps of Level 200. *** ¡°Instruct all guild members below Level 250 to log out until the guild war.¡± Chae Hyung-Seok finally surrendered. It was an unavoidable decision. Siegfried was simply too cunning and slippery. In addition, it seemed that he possessed an item that allowed him to hide from the Rune of Insight, so it was impossible to find him. There was nothing else the Genesis Guild could do aside from bing sitting ducks against Siegfried¡¯s gueri tactics. Who was going to be at a disadvantage between someone prepared and someone caught by surprise? There was no need to answer such an obvious question. The scariest part was that Siegfried was quite experienced when it came to gueri tactics. In fact, most of the tactics he had employed in the past against the Genesis Guild were gueri tactics. In other words, the Genesis Guild stood nothing to gain but everything to lose if they were to continue fighting the cunning and stubborn insect. The Genesis Guild was confident that they could wipe the Proatine Kingdom off of the face of the continent in a head-on confrontation, but that wasn¡¯t an option because the kingdom was still under the protection of the emperor. ¡°Just wait and see, Han Tae-Sung¡­! I¡¯ll crush you again one day¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok gnashed his teeth and swore to get his revenge. *** In a secluded alley, Siegfried finally reached Level 200 after hunting another yer. [Alert: You have reached Level 200!] [Alert: You are now able to learn a new skill! You may check the new attainable skills on the ¡®My Skill¡¯ page on your status screen!] [Alert: The experience points required to level up will drastically increase from Level 200, but you will gain more stat and skill points in return!] Siegfried checked the stat and skill points he had obtained after reaching Level 200. ¡®As expected¡­ They gave me a lot,¡¯?he thought. It seemed that the saying about how the real journey in BNW started on Level 200 didn¡¯t be popr in vain. In Siegfried¡¯s case, he would obtain much more stat and skill pointspared to other Adventurers per level due to his perks as a hidden ss user. ¡®This is where the real fun begins¡­¡¯? He smirked while roaming the alley in search of a new target. Then, he suddenly noticed something, ¡®Oh, so you¡¯re not going to face me, is that it?¡¯ He noticed that the number of Genesis Guild members out in the open had reduced dramatically, and the only members he could see were high-level members of the guild. What about his main targets, the Buffers? Not a single one of them was in sight. ¡®I¡¯m certain that they left only the strong ones and told everyone else to log out. They aren¡¯t nning on dealing with me right now, but I¡¯m sure that bastard is gnashing his teeth in anger. Keke!¡¯?Siegfried urately read Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s thoughts. ¡®I think I¡¯ll have to go back now¡­¡¯? He was about to turn around. However, a voice interrupted him. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re that bastard, right?¡± they asked. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried remained silent. ¡°I guess I¡¯m right,¡± they said. They were currently in a small alley, and there was a deceased Genesis Guild member right behind Siegfried. ¡®Ah, I got caught.¡¯?Siegfried realized. In that case, he had no other choice but to catch the Genesis Guild member off guard rather than trying to talk his way out of this situation. Whoosh! Siegfried shot out like lightning and swung his hammer at the Genesis Guild member¡¯s face, but the Genesis Guild member raised their weapon and sessfully parried the attack. ng! Siegfried¡¯s hammer and the Genesis Guild member¡¯s weapon collided. Crack¡­ ng! Siegfried¡¯s hammer shattered, and its fragments fell to the ground. ¡®Weapon Aura¡­!¡¯? Siegfried was shocked to see a powerful light surrounding the Genesis Guild member¡¯s weapon. Chapter 194

    Chapter 194

    The Unique weapon Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot had a Level 140 level requirement, so it was definitely not a suitable weapon for a Level 200 like him. However, Siegfried had his own reasons as to why he was still using this weapon. ¡®Is there a reason for me to spend money and buy a new weapon? I¡¯m just going to rece itter on, all right?¡¯?he thought. He would eventually have to change his weapon, so he decided to use Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot until it was really time for him to change it. ¡®I¡¯m dealing enough damage with this, so what¡¯s the point of changing it? I¡¯ll just keep using this.¡¯ The Debuff Master made up for the weapon¡¯s shorings, so Siegfried had never felt the need to get a new weapon. His debuffs also allowed him to smash the heads of the people who were stronger than him, so the thought of changing his weapon had never really crossed his mind again after that one time. Those were the reasons Siegfried was still using Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot, and they were ultimately rted to money. This proved that he was stingy down to the core. However, hisid-back thinking led to his current predicament. His weapon was shattered in a single collision. Of course, his weapon¡¯s durability was already low due to overuse, but the biggest reason why his weapon shattered was that his opponent¡¯s weapon was simply too powerful. [+12 Executioner¡¯s Greatsword] The Genesis Guild member¡¯s weapon was a Unique item with a Level 230 requirement, and it had also been enhanced twelve times! It wasn¡¯t strange that Frost Dragon¡¯s Foot shattered after a single collision against such a monstrous weapon. ¡®Ipletely forgot about it. The number of people with enhanced weapons drastically increases above Level 200¡­¡¯?Siegfried was truly surprised, but it was toote. ¡°Gotcha, you bastard.¡± The Genesis Guild member wielding the +12 weapon shed a sinister smile and swung his greatsword at Siegfried. *** Siegfried immediately took out his spear and parried the greatsword. ng! One. ng! ng! Two, three¡­ ng! Four¡­ Crack¡­! Siegfried¡¯s spear shattered only after four collisions against the +12 greatsword. The attack went past Siegfried¡¯s spear and drew a long cut on his chest. [Alert: The durability of ¡®Quad-Turbo Armor¡¯ has been reduced by 30%!] If it weren¡¯t for the armor that the Autonika Workshop had crafted for him, his chest would have burst into a bloody fountain. ¡®Damn it¡­ All of my items will get destroyed at this rate¡­¡¯? Siegfried got a firsthand experience of just how strong +12 weapons were. It wasn¡¯t really strange that the weapon was powerful. The stats of every item in BNW would increase explosively after the tenth enhancement, so a weapon that had been enhanced twelve times was a weapon with monstrous specifications. There was a difference in the weapon tier, but there were rumors that a Unique weapon enhanced twelve times was three times stronger than the same weapon but without any enhancement. In short, Siegfried didn¡¯t stand a chance against the Genesis Guild member. All of his weapons would end up getting destroyed, and his armor would suffer a huge durability reduction if this were to go on. Was there a way for him to win? It would be possible if he could avoid getting hit, but¡­ ¡°You armed yourself with a bunch of trash you picked up from somewhere and tried your luck against us? Aren¡¯t you a crazy bastard? Keke!¡± The Genesis Guild member knew that he had the upper hand and openly mocked Siegfried. In fact, he was so confident that he didn¡¯t even bother calling for reinforcements. ¡°I¡¯ll cut your head off and give it as a gift to the guild master¡­¡± Pukeok! Siegfried made a move and smashed his knee into the Genesis Guild member¡¯s stomach. ¡°Kuheok!¡± However, it was just the beginning. Fwaaa! Siegfried cast ze Field. Puk! Siegfried sent another knee to the Genesis Guild member¡¯s abdomen. Pak! He followed up with an elbow to the face. Pukeok! Then, he sent a hook to the Genesis Guild member¡¯s cheek. Pak! Finally, a headbutt. ¡°W-What¡¯s with this crazy damage¡­?! Kuheok!¡± The Genesis Guild member was taken aback by Siegfried¡¯s punch, elbow, and kneebo. He couldn¡¯t understand why Siegfried was dealing so much damage, even though he wasn¡¯t a Brawler. It was all thanks to Siegfried¡¯s equipment. Monster Strength Greaves¡­ Bloody Iron Boots¡­ Head Breaker Helmet¡­ These items had the important stats for a closebat damage dealer, so Siegfried could deal increased Physical Damage against his enemies. ¡®Wow, these are useful¡­¡¯? Siegfried was surprised as well. He could deal a ton of damage to the Genesis Guild member, and he was slowly starting to gain the upper hand in the battle. However, his opponent wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight. ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± The Genesis Guild member let out a cry and swung his +12 greatsword. ¡®Huh? I can¡¯t dodge that¡­¡¯?Siegfried was flustered. He wasn¡¯t a Brawler, so he wasn¡¯t an expert when it came to close-quartersbat. ¡®Ah, who cares?!¡¯?Siegfried covered himself with his cape. He decided to trust in his cape¡¯s Defense. After all, he couldn¡¯t avoid the attack. It was also better than not doing anything because he didn¡¯t really want to die here. Of course, he knew that the cape alone was nowhere near enough, so he used the Level 200 skill of the Debuff Master against the Genesis Guild member. Chwak! A blue aura shot out from his hand and covered his enemy. [Frost Wave] [Hurls a st of cold energy, which reduces the opponent¡¯s damage by 20% and slows them by 20%. The effectsts for five seconds.] [The duration, damage reduction, and slow will increase the higher the skill¡¯s level.] [Cooldown: 300 seconds] The skill was called Frost Wave?because the Frozen Core he possessed automatically upgraded it. The +12 greatsword struck Siegfried¡¯s back. More specifically, the greatsword struck the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings. ¡®Huh? It¡¯s not that bad¡­¡¯?Siegfried felt a strong jolt, but it wasn¡¯t that painful. It seemed that this cape made from mysterious materials wouldn¡¯t get easily destroyed by a +12 weapon. It truly lived up to its price tag. Of course, the main reason Siegfried was able to withstand the attack was thanks to his new skill¡ªFrost Wave¡ªwhich reduced his opponent''s damage. ¡®My turn!¡¯?Siegfried kicked the Genesis Guild member¡¯s leg and tripped him. ¡°A good overgeared is a dead overgeared,¡± he said before mercilessly punching his enemy with Machine Gun Smash. Puk! Puk! Puk!? Puk! Puk! Pukeok! His fists kept on raining them as if there were pistons behind them. Crack¡­! The Genesis Guild member¡¯s teeth flew all over the ce like freshly popped popcorn. Pukeok! The final punch cracked the Genesis Guild member¡¯s head open. Thud¡­ He died and left behind an Intermediate Stamina Potion. ¡°Tsk¡­?You should have dropped something more worthwhile¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled at the Genesis Guild member¡¯s divine luck. Thetter was lucky enough that his +12 greatsword didn¡¯t end up dropping upon his death. Regardless, Siegfried picked up the potion. After all, he was a good scavenger. ¡®I should get out of here.¡¯? Siegfried didn¡¯t waste any time and immediately left the alley. However, the fight caused quite a ruckus that attracted the attention of the people in the vicinity. ¡°That bastard is suspicious! Catch him!¡± ¡°Catch him!¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s that bastard!¡± A few Genesis Guild members pointed at Siegfried and ran after him. It was at this moment that Siegfried realized¡­ ¡®...I¡¯m fucked!¡¯ *** The Genesis Guild members pursued him stubbornly. ¡®Why did I have to get caught?now of all times?!¡¯?Siegfried cursed his rotten luck. He had no weapons to use, so the only thing he could do right now was to keep running away. The only silver lining in his current situation was probably the fact that there were only twenty Genesis Guild members chasing after him, but their numbers were still burdensome to him because he had no weapon to fight them. ¡®Should I just die? I already achieved my goal, right?¡¯?he pondered while running. He had already caused greater damage than his initial n, so dying wasn¡¯t really a loss to him. He could drop a valuable item as a penalty, and he would definitely lose a level, but he was prepared to lose that much in exchange for the damage he had dealt to the Genesis Guild. ¡®I¡¯ll just try my best and die¡­¡¯? Siegfried made up his mind. One of the reasons why games were better than real life was that one could simply choose to die after trying their best. The fact allowed Siegfried to run away with a light heart. All of a sudden, Siegfried heard someone shouting at him. ¡°Your Majesty! I have arrived!¡± Someone went past Siegfried and cut down the Genesis Guild members chasing after Siegfried. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried was surprised. ¡°Carell¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, it is I, Your Majesty!¡± The reinforcement was none other than Carell. As far as Siegfried could remember, Carell was still recovering. ¡°Are you okay now? When did you descend?¡± ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine now, Your Majesty! I descended three days ago. I went straight to the Proatine Kingdom, and they told me that Your Majesty is probably somewhere around here.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Siegfried eximed in joy. He shed his Rune of Insight at Carell, but there was something strange. [Carell de Biermann] [Type: NPC] [Level: 250] [ss: Metal Heart] [Titles: Able Commander, One Who Returned From Death, Mechanical Heart Owner, Unstable Heart.] He had be a whopping Level 250 individual, and his ss became Metal Heart rather than Knight. Siegfried had never heard of such a ss before. ¡°W-What happened to you¡­? How did you be so strong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of this¡­¡± Carell pointed at his chest and exined, ¡°The heart Your Majesty gave me was hiding an immense amount of power.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Elder-nim and Grandpa Blockhead also bestowed me their teachings while I was recovering.¡± Carell exined that his secret to leveling up so dramatically in the span of a few months was that he had obtained immense power from the mechanical heart and had received teachings from the Level 999 Hidden NPC and Master Rank Named NPC. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty amazing.¡± ¡°Not at all, Your Majesty. Elder-nim said that I have zero potential to grow stronger, so it will be impossible for me to be a Master,¡± Carell said with a downcast look. It wasn¡¯t strange that he was discouraged. After all, Deus¡¯ words were reliable, so the fact that he said something like that meant that Carell¡¯s chances of bing a Master were less than one percent. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter¡­ The ability to use this heart for Your Majesty¡¯s cause is more than enough for me. I shall cut down Your Majesty¡¯s enemies.¡± Ziiiiing! When Carell¡¯s words fell, the sound of something spinning was heard from Carell¡¯s heart, and the noise pervaded the surroundings. Chapter 195

    Chapter 195

    The Mechanical Heart that was created for the emperor of the ancient Clockwork Empire boosted Carell¡¯s power. [Heart Booster] [The Metal Heart may send their heart into overdrive to power up.] The shocking part was with the boost itself. ¡®A fifty percent boost in power?!¡¯?Siegfried was bbergasted after seeing that Carell had received such an overwhelming buff. The explosive buff allowed Carell to easily overpower the Genesis Guild members. ¡°W-What the hell is this NPC?! Why is he so strong?!¡± ¡°This crazy bastard!¡± ¡°Who the hell is he?!¡± The Genesis Guild members couldn¡¯t even retaliate against Carell. ¡®I should help him.¡¯?Siegfried cast ze Field and Shadow Swamp. ¡°Thank you!¡± Carell eximed. He danced through the battlefield,mitting a one-sided ughter. However, his dance was cut short. ¡°Keuk!¡± Carell was struck by a shield, and he was flung far away. ¡°Carell!¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden?¡± Siegfried asked. He hurriedly helped Carell to his feet. ¡°It seems that¡­ I have run out of steam¡­¡± ¡°What¡­? ¡°It has been thirty seconds, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Carell¡¯s strength came with one fatal w. ¡°Carell, you¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°You¡¯re suffering from premature¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°G-Good job. Now, hurry up and run away.¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty! I shall protect you!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re already out of mana¡­¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°Just hurry up and run. I¡¯ll take care of things here. I can just die, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡®I should at least unleash Torrential Flower Rain once before croaking,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he faced the iing Genesis Guild members after letting Carell escape. However, it seemed that Carell wasn¡¯t his only reinforcement. Thud! Thud! Thud! An army of Iron Golems was running toward him. ¡°Hey! Owner punk! We¡¯re here! Kyu!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Your Majesty! I shall sing for you!¡± Hamchi, Seung-Gu, and Gringore joined the battle and used their abilities. ¡®This changes things,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smile. He was no longer alone. They were few in number, but they were definitely strong together. Most importantly, he trusted hisrades, so he could smile amidst the danger. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this up and run away,¡± Siegfried said. He retrieved two disks from his Inventory and aimed them at the iing Genesis Guild members. *** The Genesis Guild was forced to fight against the GT Guild without most of their powerful members. The guild war started, and hundreds of millions of people tuned into it. [The guild war today looks grim for the Genesis Guild. They don¡¯t have that many Buffers.] [I agree. The Genesis Guild¡¯s biggest strength is in their Buffers, so what happened to them?] [I think this guild war has been decided¡­?] The expert analysts tasked withmentating on the guild war expected the Genesis Guild to one-sidedly lose the guild war. [The expressions of the Genesis Guild members look grim. Did something happen recently?] [They look like they went to raid a high-level boss beforeing here¡­] [Their characters have eye bags, and it means that they aren¡¯t feeling well in real life, too.] The analysts pointed out that the Genesis Guild members seemed exhausted and that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to suddenly bleed from their noses and copse from exhaustion. The analysts were correct. The Genesis Guild members were on the brink of copse from exhaustion after struggling with Siegfried for the past forty-eight hours. It was a different story for Siegfried. He would strike whenever he wanted to strike with his gueri tactics, but the entire Genesis Guild had to be on their toes at all times, expecting an attack. In the end, their reduced number of Buffers and the umted fatigue of their members turned the analysts¡¯ expectations into reality. Besides, the GT Guild was ranked higher than the Genesis Guild in the first ce, so the oue of this guild war was as good as decided. . ¡°What¡¯s up with them? I asked them toe to have some beer and fried chicken while watching the guild war, but where the hell are those two? They aren¡¯t even answering their phones¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled while watching the guild war on his phone. Cheon Woo-Jin was sitting in front of three whole fried chickens and three mugs of beer. He wanted to watch the Genesis Guild¡¯s annihtion together with Tae-Sung and Seung-Gu, but they couldn¡¯t be seen. He hadn¡¯t heard from the two as well. Tae-Sung and Seung-Gu ignored his calls and messages, which was quite strange. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that those two are doing something without me¡­?¡± Unfortunately, he was correct. Of course, they weren¡¯t eating or drinking without him; they were busy in the game. They were currently at a farm roughly five kilometers away from the Genesis Guild¡¯s headquarters¡­ Bam! Bam! Bam! Seung-Gu¡¯s Iron Golems stomped. ¡°Ah~ Ah~ Ah~ Aaaah~¡± Gringore¡¯s song wilted the nts in the vicinity. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Those are expensive medicinal herbs! Let¡¯s steal all of them! Kyu!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Siegfried and Hamchi dug up the expensive medicinal herbs that were not only expensive to grow but took a long time to grow. ¡°Keke! Robbing an empty house is the best!¡± Siegfried snickered while merrily digging the ground. The farm wasn¡¯t an ordinary farm. It was a farm that was being operated by the Genesis Guild, and this was where they grew various expensive medicinal herbs and magical nts for alchemy. In short, Siegfried was robbing the Genesis Guild¡¯s farm, shops, barn, mine, etc., while they were busy with the guild war. ¡°Ah¡­ It sucks I don¡¯t get to see Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s face¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled in disappointment. He tried to imagine what kind of face Chae Hyung-Seok would make after he returned from losing the guild war, only to find that his guild¡¯s properties had been ransacked to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll bother you until the day you off yourself from stress. It¡¯s time for me to pay my debts a hundred, no, a thousand, no¡ªten thousand fold!¡± Siegfried eximed and cackled sinisterly. *** ¡°Do I have to go hire a professional¡­?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok seriously pondered after losing the guild war. The professionals he was referring to were hitmen one would often see in movies or TV shows. He was already furious that he lost the guild war because of the insect, but he got even more furious upon discovering that the insect had ransacked his properties. He was so enraged that he seriously consideredmitting murder, but it seemed that his anger wouldn¡¯t stop there. No, it couldn¡¯t stop there¡­ ¡°Hyung¡­ I think that bastard has gone nuts¡­¡± Min-Woo showed Chae Hyung-Seok a video that was uploaded to G-Tube. ¡°What is it?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok looked at the video. The video was uploaded just an hour ago, but it had already garnered more than one hundred thousand views. [Genesis Guild Massacre Mad Movie.avi (312 Kills)] What was the name of the uploader? It was none other than¡­ [Siegfried TV] [Video Description: This is a videoption depicting me massacring the Genesis Guild members. I will keep this up until the day their guild disappears. ^^] [Caption: Genesis ?] Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s face turned ugly out of fury after seeing the video. ¡°Hey, Min-Woo¡­¡± ¡°Yes, hyung?¡± ¡°Go hire a hitman.¡± ¡°H-Hyung!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok grabbed his nape, and his character¡ªDesire¡ªcopsed to the ground. Thud! ¡°H-Hyung?! What¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°C¡­ Call¡­ an ambnce¡­ to my house¡­ I¡¯m logging out¡­.¡± ¡°HYUNG!¡± Min-Woo shouted. Thud¡­ Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s character¡ªDesire¡ªdropped a random item. It seemed that his character perished after his blood pressure shot up while he was in the VR capsule. *** ¡°Lla~ Lla~¡±?Siegfried hummed merrily upon returning to Proatine. [V Sports News sh: Pro Gamer Chae Hyung-Seok is in the ER after suffering from a sudden stroke.] A news article he had seen first thing in the morning made him hum in joy. ¡°Hmm¡­ Should I collect water and start praying that he croaks?¡± Siegfried wondered, but he quickly decided against it as he muttered, ¡°No, this is just the beginning. I can¡¯t let him die just yet. I¡¯ll pray for your quick recovery. You can¡¯t die now even if you want to die.¡± It was a bit hrious to see that he was praying for Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s recovery, even though he hated thetter the most. Of course, it wasn¡¯t really strange, considering his motive of inflicting more damage to Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°That¡¯s why you should have exercised regrly. It¡¯s not strange for pro gamers to suddenly suffer from stroke¡­ tsk, tsk¡­¡±?Siegfried shook his head and clicked his tongue. Most pro gamers nowadays suffer from all sorts of illnesses along withplications such as spinal disc hernia after many years of ying. After surviving on takeaways and sitting on their chairs or VR capsules for years, it was actually strange that most pro gamers were unaware that their health was declining. ¡°I¡¯m praying for your recovery, Chae Hyung-Seok. I hope that you¡¯ll make a full recovery,¡± Siegfried prayed for his archnemesis¡¯ full recovery before heading to his throne room. ¡®I need a weapon before anything else¡ªa weapon from the Mercedes Workshop. Then, I need to use the enhancement coupon on it¡­ Come to think of it¡­ why are those Osric bastards so quiet these days¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was busy thinking about his own personal issues rather than running his country. And it was evidenced by¡­ Zzzz¡­ Zzzzzz¡­ Siegfried fell asleep on the throne just five minutes after the morning meetings started. Sseuk¡­!?Sseuk¡­!?Sseuk¡­! His figure flickered numerous times, and a magic circle flickered beneath him as well. This was happening because Tae-Sung had also fallen asleep in his capsule in real life. The capsule couldn¡¯t decide whether it should log him out or not. ¡°There¡¯s no stopping him¡­ really¡­¡± Michele shook his head and sighed. However, he smiled bitterly after recalling how busy Siegfried had been in the past two days. ¡°The meeting will be conducted by me, the Minister of the State, in the stead of His Majesty. Our first order of matter is the welfare and vengeance of the single mothers that the Adventurers had abandoned¡­¡± The meeting continued while Siegfried was sound asleep. ¡°¡­Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Please wake up, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already over? Yawn! Ah, I feel so stiff. I should have probably logged out and slept properly if I was going to sleep¡­¡± Siegfried stretched. He looked around and said, ¡°I think that¡¯s all for today, so I¡¯m going to go andmission a weapon for myself¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You may not go yet,¡± Michele stopped him. ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t the meeting over?¡± ¡°Yes, the meeting is over, but there are many people who wish to meet Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Me? Who? How many are there?¡± ¡°There are at least a thousand Adventurers requesting an audience with you.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± Siegfried failed to understand why those people wanted to meet him. Chapter 196

    Chapter 196

    ¡®Why do they want to see me¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. Was there even a reason for thousands of gamers to suddenlye in droves just to meet him? Siegfried racked his brains and came to a conclusion. ¡®There shouldn¡¯t be any reasons¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t think of any reason why they were here unless they were members of the Genesis Guild seeking revenge. He dared say that there was no concrete reason for the Adventurers toe looking for him. The video he had uploaded on G-Tube did garner a lot of views, but he couldn¡¯t see why that would make the gamerse to see him in the game. ¡°Why are they here¡­?¡± he muttered. ¡°Do you wish to meet them, Your Majesty?¡± Michele asked. ¡°No? Why should I? Chase them all out,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°It could be those Genesis bastards in disguise. What if they went crazy and ignored the emperor¡¯s protection? I don¡¯t see any reason for the Adventurers toe to see me. Send them back.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I agree with Your Majesty¡¯s thoughts. I will send them back at once,¡± Michele replied. ¡°All right, and don¡¯t ept any Adventurer for now. Let¡¯s focus on the newbies starting in our kingdom first,¡± Siegfried added. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What happened to the Weapon Academy?¡± ¡°It is still under construction, but the reactions from the people are quite explosive.¡± ¡°The reactions are explosive?¡± ¡°There are a ton of Adventurers flocking to the makeshift building asking to be taught.¡± ¡°They seem to be doing well¡­¡± ¡°It seems that they are the best teachers when ites to learning the basics of the weapons.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± It was then. ¡°Your Majesty! A magician by the name of Percival from the Magic Academy at the Twin Sprout Vige has requested an audience!¡± the guard announced. ¡°What?! Daode¡ªI mean, Master Percival is here?!¡± Siegfried was shocked and immediately stood up after hearing that Daode Tianzun hade here to see him. ¡°Percival¡­ is it that person by any chance¡­?¡± Michele asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°God¡­¡± Michele was shocked that Daode Tianzun was here. ¡°Your Majesty, please go and greet the elder-nim at once.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Siegfried rushed out of the throne room to greet Daode Tianzun. *** ¡°Long time no see! Have you been well?¡± Daode Tianzun eximed. ¡°It has only been a few days. How have you been, elder-nim?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Why does it feel like you¡¯re not happy to see me?¡± Daode Tianzun asked as he inspected Siegfried from head to toe. ¡°That is because you call me trash or whatever whenever you are bored¡­¡± ¡°Then, what should I call trash aside from trash?¡± ¡°But I am no longer a piece of trash¡­?¡± Siegfried looked into Daode Tianzun¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°I have be quite strong¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I admit that you have truly be strong¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I guess I should call you recyble trash from now on.¡± ¡°I was about to be insubordinate¡­¡± Siegfried almost lost it. He clenched his fists as hard as he could. ¡®Y-Your Majesty! Pleasepose yourself! Our kingdom will be ruined if you do that! We will be wiped off the face of the continent in less than a day!¡¯?Michele felt his heart drop. Who was Daode Tianzun? He was a living legend among magicians, and he was a Grandmaster Archmage. In other words, he could annihte an entire kingdom with a single wave of his hand. What if Siegfried messed with someone like that¡­? ¡®Your Majesty! It hasn¡¯t even been a?year?since our kingdom was established!¡¯?Michele pleaded in his heart without being able to voice out his concerns. Of course, the two figures couldn¡¯t care less about his concerns. ¡°Sure! Go ahead! Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re made of! Hit me! Come on! Hit me! Hit this dying old man! Go ahead!¡± ¡°Why, you¡­!¡± ¡°Kekeke!¡± Daode Tianzun taunted Siegfried. Siegfried had to exert superhuman self-control to avoid smacking the old magician in the face. All of a sudden, Daode Tianzun said, ¡°Give me some pocket money.¡± The Archmage suddenly asked for money. ¡°What? You want pocket money from me¡­?!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I suggest you collect your pocket money from your real disciples. There will be people lining up to give you everything they have if you go to the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°Come on! That¡¯s too burdensome! How can I leech off my disciple at this age?¡± ¡°What about me¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a king. It doesn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ll make much more than I do if you decide to¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m already old, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The vige no longer has any children, and myst disciple set out on an adventure a year ago. That¡¯s why I need some money.¡± That was when Michele intervened. ¡°E-Excuse me¡­ Daode Tianzun Elder-nim¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm? Who¡¯re you? My, you look quite smart.¡± ¡°I am the Minister of State, Michele. Are you perhaps experiencing a management crisis with your academy?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. I haven¡¯t had any disciples for a year now, so I had to recently resort to foraging food from the nearby forest.¡± ¡°Then, with all due respect, may I suggest that you open your Magic Academy in our kingdom instead?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°His Majesty is interested in investing quite a hefty sum in you, Daode Tianzun-nim. He will be willing to give you a huge allowance and build you an academy if you allow him to do so.¡± ¡°Hoho! Look at this smart little kid! It sounds like you¡¯re trying to keep me here.¡± Daode Tianzun instantly saw through Michele¡¯s thoughts. Michele was indeed thinking of tying down Daode Tianzun to the Proatine Kingdom. After all, he was a Grandmaster Archmage, and nobody would call the Proatine Kingdom a weak nation if the world¡¯s strongest magician were living in the kingdom. Of course, they couldn¡¯t tell the world that Daode Tianzun was residing in their kingdom. ¡°Not at all. I am just hoping to be of assistance to yourfortable retirement. The Twin Sprout Vige has a very small poption, and it is remote as well, so there is no one there to receive your teachings.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡± ¡°I humbly suggest that youe to our kingdom and live afortable lifestyle in retirement while raising your disciples¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That doesn¡¯t sound bad at all. I don¡¯t have anyone else to teach at Twin Sprouts Vige¡­¡± ¡°The disciples of the Weapon Master, Shakiro, have already set up a Weapon Academy in our kingdom.¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± ¡°The basics are the most important in anything, do you not agree, Elder-nim? Our Proatine Kingdom¡¯s vision is to help the next generation excel at whatever they want to do by establishing different academies for the sake of a strong solid foundation.¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds intriguing.¡± ¡°Besides, your name is synonymous with magic itself. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t personally teach thews of magic, but I strongly believe that there is no better candidate to teach the next generation the fundamentals of magic other than you, Elder-nim.¡± Michele indeed had a very glib tongue, and he truly lived up to his title as the Brain of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°Hmm¡­ In that case, I think I should give the Magic Academy a shot? An academy that focuses on teaching the fundamentals of magic¡­?¡± ¡°That sounds like an excellent idea, Elder-nim.¡± ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s do that!¡± In the end, Michele coerced Daode Tianzun into establishing his roots in the Proatine Kingdom. It was a magnificent reversal because Daode Tianzun hade here to extort money from Siegfried. ¡®Oh my god¡­ A Grandmaster is going to stay in our kingdom¡­!¡¯?Michele was in disbelief, even though he was the one who had coerced the Grandmaster in question. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t think the same. ¡®Ah¡­ I picked up an annoying old fart¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t really see the point in taking in Daode Tianzun when he wouldn¡¯t be that helpful in boosting their national power. Therefore, Siegfried thought of the old magician as an annoying old man. ¡°Ah,?I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m busy, so you guys take care of it yourselves. Hey, where¡¯s Hamchi? Hamchi! Where are you? Let¡¯s go!¡± Siegfried decided not to concern himself with the matter. After all, his current top priority was to procure a new weapon. *** However, Siegfried was faced with an obstacle while he was on his way to the Warp Gate with Hamchi. ¡°Your Majesty, the Adventurers have set up tents outside the city, and they are not showing any signs of budging.¡± ¡°Huh? Tents?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. They said they won¡¯t go away until they get an audience with you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ What¡¯s wrong with them¡­?¡± Siegfried narrowed his eyes at the guard¡¯s report. ¡®I¡¯m already busy, so why do they have to hinder my ns¡­? It seems like they¡¯re dead set on meeting me, judging by how they even pitched tents. Hmm, will they really stay here if I refuse to meet them¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was annoyed by the stubborn Adventurers. In the end, he decided to meet them today. After all, meeting themter wouldn¡¯t make a difference. ¡°I¡¯ll go meet them now, so please tell them to get ready.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The guard immediately left the city to deliver Siegfried¡¯s message. ¡°Hamchi.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going for a few minutes, so go ahead and wait for me at the Warp Gate.¡± ¡°Kyu~?Must be such a hassle for you, owner punk. Go on, Hamchi will be sunbathing while waiting for you~¡± ¡°All right.¡± Siegfried went to meet the Adventurers. Murmur¡­ Murmur¡­ The location where the Adventurers had pitched their tents started to grow rowdy reminiscent of a marketce. It wasn¡¯t strange because they had just heard the news that Siegfried woulde here to meet them. ¡°Over there! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Siegfried!¡± ¡°Siegfried has appeared!¡± The nearly two thousand Adventurers gathered in front of the city. Siegfried was worried that the crowd had Genesis Guild members in hiding. Fortunately, it seemed that nothing untoward would happen. ¡°Siegfried!¡± The Adventurer at the helm shouted into a microphone made out of wood. His name was DailyBNW. ¡°Many people are interested in what you have done against the Genesis Guild!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Before that! Please introduce yourself! What is your nationality? You look Korean! How old are you?!¡± However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ ¡°Siegfried!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do an interview!¡± ¡°Why did you do something so rash?!¡± There were reporters from various media outlets such as GameKorea, BNWInventory, and BNWGallery. There were also reporters from major media outlets such as GTV and TheWorldKorea, which was the Korean office of thergest BNWmunity in the world. ¡®Are these bastards here for a scoop¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was in disbelief. However, it wasn¡¯t really strange that they had gathered here. The fact that the entire Genesis Guild, which was one of the top ten guilds, was brought to its knees by a Level 200 Adventurer had sent shockwaves throughout the entire world. The people got even more curious about him upon learning that Siegfried was the winner of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament and the first yer to ever be a king. ¡®Was that something to get this worked up for¡­?¡¯? Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, and he couldn¡¯t have expected something that it would blow up like this. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you make a guild!¡± ¡°Hey, bro! Let¡¯s fight together!¡± A bunch of yers attracted Siegfried¡¯s gaze. There were many Adventurers along with the crowd of reporters. ¡°Hey! Get out of the way! Get your scoopter. We have something important to tell him!¡± Someone forced his way to the front of the crowd just to get closer to Siegfried. ¡°Excuse me, hyung,¡± said the person after making his way in front of the crowd. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a guild together.¡± ¡°A guild? What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a guild. We¡¯llbine our strength to destroy those Genesis bastards.¡± Siegfried immediately understood. ¡®Could these people be the same as me? Did they get stomped on by the Genesis Guild?¡¯ Chapter 197

    Chapter 197

    Siegfried was right. The nearly two thousand Adventurers who hade to see him were victims of the Genesis Guild. Was this what the saying¡ªyou reap what you sow¡ªmeant? The Genesis Guild expanded their forces aggressively since their founding, so they naturally made quite a lot of enemies in the process. Most of their enemies were small guilds like the one Siegfried used to own or solo yers, and they always held the upper hand because they were arge group, and their targets were always weaker than them. That was the main reason why their victims didn¡¯t dare to exact vengeance. However, a single incident changed all of that. A certain Adventurer appeared out of nowhere and inflicted massive damage against the Genesis Guild through gueri warfare, and he even went as far as posting the video of the one-sided massacre on G-Tube! Most of the Genesis Guild¡¯s victims thought that Siegfried was a skilled gamer who would soon be affiliated with a guild. ¡®He¡¯s going to get it in the end.¡¯ ¡®I wonder how he ns to handle their retaliation¡­¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s got the balls. I give him that¡­¡¯ However, the Adventurer turned out to be the first Adventurer to be a king in the game, and he was under the protection of the emperor as well. Everything changed when that fact came to light. ¡®An Adventurer under the protection of the emperor? Then¡­ the Genesis Guild won¡¯t be able to do anything against him, right¡­?¡¯ ¡®Does that mean that we have a safe haven?¡¯ ¡®That ce is paradise!¡¯ The gamers zeroed in on the fact that the Proatine Kingdom was a safe haven against the Genesis Guild. The Proatine Kingdom was basically a sanctuary to these people who would never want to bump into any Genesis Guild members. In addition, the kingdom was also attractive in their eyes because they could just run to the kingdom after messing with the Genesis Guild members. ¡®Let¡¯s go and have a look.¡¯ ¡®I have a feeling that he¡¯s a victim like us¡­ Should webine forces and attack the Genesis Guild?¡¯ ¡®Our headquarters can never be attacked if we establish a guild over there, right?¡¯ Therefore, the victims naturally gathered at the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°Let¡¯s create a guild!¡± ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s make a guild!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s fight together and show those bastards who¡¯s the boss!¡± The Adventurers pressured Siegfried to establish a guild. ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± The crowd started chanting guild while pumping their fists into the air. ¡°H-Hey! Excuse me! Stop it!¡± Siegfried protested, but his protests fell on deaf ears. ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± ¡°I have no ns to make a guild¡ª¡± ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± ¡°Calm down and listen to me¡­¡± ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± ¡°Are you guys a bunch of parrots¡­?¡± ¡°Guild! Guild! Guild!¡± The Adventurers didn¡¯t listen to Siegfried. They kept on shouting about what they wanted Siegfried to do. ¡®This could be an opportunity¡­¡¯? Siegfried realized that there was an opportunity amidst all this. After all, there was a saying that said¡ªthe enemy of my enemy is my friend. Siegfried had no ns to create a guild or join a guild, but it was a good option if he wanted to fight the Genesis Guild. ¡®Come to think of it¡­ It¡¯ll be better to use Adventurers to fight rather than NPCs¡­¡¯? It was exactly as he thought. A full frontal confrontation against the Genesis Guild would inevitably break out between Siegfried and Genesis Guild. Therefore, it would be much better for him to fight alongside Adventurers instead of NPCs. NPCs would stay dead if they died, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the Adventurers. The Adventurers woulde back to life after forty-nine hours. ¡°Then¡­ Shall we make a guild together?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°WAAAAAAH!¡± The crowd went wild at his words. ¡°However, I have a few conditions¡­¡± said Siegfried. *** ¡®Yes, that¡¯s what I need¡­¡¯?Siegfried finally realized why he had to establish a guild. It was for the sake of none other than the Loser¡¯s Shame debuff. This debuff was important because Adventurers would alwayse back to life. What was the point of winning the war if their opponents simply came back to life? However, it would be a different story altogether if the guild that lost the war was made unable to retaliate against the winner for a whole year. The losing guild¡¯s members would be subjected to a fifty percent increase in damage received from the winning guild¡¯s members, which meant that they were going to be ughtered like sheep even if they simply stumbled upon each other. But what if the winning guild became hell-bent on chasing down the loser to the ends of the earth? The answer was simple¡ªthe losing guild¡¯s members would have to disconnect for forty-nine hours every time they were caught. In short, the Loser¡¯s Shame debuff was like a restraint to the immortality of Adventurers. ¡®Yes, I need a guild for that¡­¡¯? Therefore, Siegfried decided to create a guild with the Adventurers who hade here to visit him today. ¡°I had no ns to join or create a guild, but my mind changed after seeing all of you. I have decided to create a guild, but I have a few conditions,¡± he said. ¡°What is it? What are your conditions?¡± an Adventurer asked. ¡°We will only work together in bringing the Genesis Guild down. Aside from that, we¡¯re not going to care about what we do. I have no ns to wage war against other guilds and¡­¡± Siegfried scanned the crowd before continuing. ¡°Don¡¯t think about causing trouble outside and running rampant here. We are not going to protect you if you do that. This ce is not a sanctuary for criminals.¡± Siegfried decided to draw the line. He didn¡¯t want Proatine to turn into awlessnd that harbored criminals. ¡°No problem!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any issues with that as long as I get to kill those Genesis bastards!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that!¡± The Adventurers easily epted his condition. ¡°In addition, I will send you my email address. Send me your story with the Genesis Guild, and make sure you include proofs like screenshots or something else. I can¡¯t ept everybody blindly. We¡¯re going to have each other¡¯s back from now on, so I need to know who I¡¯m fighting with. I will contact you once the guild has been made, so do what you want until then,¡± Siegfried added. They would berades, but only while they were fighting the Genesis Guild. After all, that was the only thing that Siegfried wanted from this guild. *** The reporters wrote all sorts of articles based on Siegfried¡¯s deration to establish a guild while the Adventurers were shouting guild. Of course, this happened purely out of coincidence. He had no intentions of blowing the matter up and making it go viral. [V Sports: Siegfried will rise up against the Genesis Guild with two thousand gamers.] [BNW Forum: Things are looking hot!] [V Sports Exclusive: Is Siegfried a Korean?] Of course, he didn¡¯t really care about those articles. ¡®I need to prioritize getting a new weapon,¡¯?Siegfried thought. What good was establishing a guild to him if he didn¡¯t have a weapon to use while fighting? His top priority right now was to find a suitable weapon that he could use in battles. Therefore, he decided to stop by the Bavarian Workshop. He had to find a suitable weapon that deserved to be enhanced using the Mercedes Workshop Enhancement Coupon. ¡®Change Identity.¡¯ Siegfried reached the outskirts of the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s headquarters. He used the Metamorphosis Mask to change his face and identity. Seuk¡­ He now looked like a middle-aged man with a thick beard. He had two reasons why he had decided to hide his identity before entering the workshop. The first reason was the Genesis Guild. ¡°Who the hell was that guy again? I heard our guild master once crushed him like an insect?¡± ¡°The old timers said that he was apparently a stubborn insect¡­¡± Adventurers and even NPCs frequented the Bavarian Workshop, so there was bound to be a bunch of Genesis Guild members in the workshop. Therefore, Siegfried had to hide his identity before entering the workshop. How about the second reason? ¡®I should avoid the public embarrassment¡­¡¯? Siegfried simply wanted to avoid being embarrassed. He could still remember the cringe-worthy way the workshop had greetedst time with the banners, fanfare, and all. In fact, there was actually a group of people on standby outside the building with instruments and a red carpet. They seemed to be waiting for him to show up. ¡®Wait, do they do that every day? Like, do they wait for me every day?¡¯? At the thought, goosebumps broke out all over Siegfried. ¡°How may I help you today?¡± a staffer asked. ¡°I wish to look at some blunt weapons,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Pleasee this way¡­¡± He didn¡¯t need an expensive weapon, so he didn¡¯t bother going to the Hometown of Death. He decided to take a look at the artifacts on disy. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one,¡± Siegfried chose a mace with high Attack Power. It was only a Unique weapon, but it was far stronger than the Frost Dragon''s Foot because of its Level 200 Level Requirement. ¡°How do you wish to pay?¡± ¡°By cash. Ah,?and¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Pleasee over here for a second¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Siegfried showed his real face to the staffer and said, ¡°I¡¯m actually Siegfried. Please don¡¯t forget about my thirty percent discount.¡± ¡°Heok!?Y-Your Majesty¡ª¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Please keep my visit a secret.¡± ¡°B-But we have to report every time you visit¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to buy anything, then.¡± ¡°B-But that¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Please keep it to yourself this time.¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± Siegfried bought the Level 200 mace without anyone knowing about his visit. He managed to exit the workshop in peace. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Where are we going now?¡± Hamchi peeked out from his pocket once they were out of the workshop. ¡°To the Mercedes Workshop,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. *** The Mercedes Workshop was known as the best among the top three workshops on the continent. The Bavarian Workshop specialized in killing power, while the Autonika Workshop specialized in design and functions, but the Mercedes Workshop specialized in everything. This meant that they had been creating artifacts that could only be described as crazy. However, they had be so good at their craft that most people deemed this period of time as the Golden Age of the Mercedes Workshop. ¡®Shall we go have a look at how amazing they are?¡¯?Siegfried decided to take a look for himself. He wanted to see just how good the Mercedes Workshop was at their craft. Siegfried was astonished upon arriving at the Mercedes Workshop¡¯s headquarters. ¡®Why are there so many people¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered after seeing a huge crowd of both NPCs and Adventurers. ¡®I heard they¡¯re the most expensive out of the three, but they actually have the most number of customers despite that? Just how amazing are their artifacts?¡¯ He went and checked the artifacts, and he could only describe them as works of art. The artifacts possessed powerful specifications, wless design, and excellent functions. The Mercedes Workshop¡¯s artifacts were the clear winnerpared to the artifacts from the Bavarian Workshop or the Autonika Workshop. It finally became clear why they were called the best. ¡°Hello, how may I help you?¡± Their customer service was excellent as well. ¡°Hi, I want to buy an artifact¡­ A blunt weapon.¡± ¡°A blunt weapon¡­? Hmm¡­?May I rmend some products to you?¡± ¡°That would be great, but¡­¡± Siegfried took out the Mercedes Workshop 100% +12 Enhancement?Coupon?from his Inventory and showed it to the sales representative. ¡°I need an artifact to use this on. Can you show me the best artifacts you have?¡± Siegfried was determined to buy the best artifact avable. After all, he would be using the enhancement coupon to enhance it. ¡°T-This is¡­! I heard that there are only a few of these left on the continent¡­!¡± the sales representative eximed. ¡°I guess so? It was sold during the early days of the workshop, after all¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Please follow me. I will guide you to where we serve our VVIP customers,¡± the sales representative said. And that was how Siegfried ended up being treated as a VVIP customer by the Mercedes Workshop¡­ He was now a VVIP of all three top workshops in the N¨¹rburg Continent. Chapter 198

    Chapter 198

    ¡°Enhancement coupon?¡± Wilhelm muttered as his eyes shot wide open in surprise. Wilhelm Maybach was the head cksmith of the Mercedes Workshop as well as the leader of their high-performance artifact department¡ªthe Cradle of Genesis. He was a tall man with slick back hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was also wearing a perfect-fitting tuxedo suit. He was a middle-aged gentleman that resembled a noble more than a cksmith. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The staffer nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re talking about that enhancement coupon our workshop first sold when it was opened seven hundred years ago? And it¡¯s a +12 enhancement coupon, you say¡­?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Wilhelm covered his face with his hands. He then said in a tired-sounding voice, ¡°To think that someone still possesses that thing¡­ enhancing an artifact twelve times is going to cost us a fortune¡­¡± Hemented the news of the enhancement coupon because guaranteeing an enhancement was an extremely difficult task. Even seasoned cksmiths would fail if they made even the slightest mistake. Therefore, every workshop had an enhancement machine that enhanced artifacts with the same sess rate in front of their shops. Why would they do that? It was all because there had been a few people who had lost all sense of reasoning and went berserk after the enhancement on their artifacts failed, which led to them murdering the cksmiths out of rage. Thus, the workshops decided to rece all enhancement services with machines since the sess rate didn¡¯t really differ much, and the cksmiths wouldn¡¯t get harmed if the artifacts they were enhancing were destroyed upon enhancement failure. Well, there were cases where the enraged yers destroyed the machines, but it was better than the cksmiths getting murdered. However, the fact that they had to guarantee the sess of the enhancement was a heavy burden, not to mention doing it twelve times on the same artifact. ¡°But we don¡¯t have a choice. This is the promise our forefathers made, so we will have to honor it. Go and tell the customer to wait for a bit.¡± ¡°Yes, head cksmith-nim.¡± The staffer bowed toward Wilhelm and left his office. *** ¡®Wow~ Their interior design is out of this world. It¡¯s much more luxuriouspared to the Bavarian and Autonika Workshops. This ce is making the shops of those workshops look like a roadside smithy¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. It was then¡­ ¡°Hello, my name is Wilhelm Maybach, and I am the head cksmith of the Mercedes Workshop.¡± ¡°Ah, hello. My name is Siegfried.¡± They shook hands and greeted each other. ¡°I heard that you brought the enhancement coupon issued by our workshop seven hundred years ago.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Have you decided which artifact you wish to enhance?¡± ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m nning on looking for an artifact right now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Wilhelm rubbed his neatly-trimmed beard before showing a catalog to Siegfried. Flip, flip, flip¡­ Siegfried flipped through the pages before stopping at a page. ¡®I can¡¯t waste twelve enhancements on Unique items¡­ The Legendary items are a bit iffy, too¡­ remember¡­ This is twelve. Not one or two but twelve. I need to choose the best artifact¡­¡¯? The tier one step higher than Legendary was Epic, but those items could only be obtained after satisfying certain conditions rather than crafted. The Universal tier was totally out of the question. It would be impossible for the Mercedes Workshop to craft one even if they sacrificed the souls of their cksmiths to craft it. ¡®I wonder if they have a Mythic weapon. Let¡¯s see, blunt Weapons¡­ blunt¡­¡¯?Siegfried flipped through the pages and found one blunt weapon that could be crafted by the Mercedes Workshop. [Gaia¡¯s Fist] [A mace infused with the power of the Earth Goddess, Gaia.] [The mace¡¯s power brings forth destructiveness equal to a cmity.] [Rating: Mythic] [Attribute: N/A] [Level Restriction: 210] [Attack Power: 4,000] [Durability: 100/100] [Additional Stats: Strength +500] The mace called Gaia¡¯s Fistpletely captivated Siegfried. It wasn¡¯t really strange that he was enthralled as it boasted an Attack Power stronger than Level 250 maces, and the five hundred extra additional Strength it gave its user made it a no-brainer choice even without any of its extra perks. It was hands-down the best weapon a melee damage dealer could imagine. In addition, it would take a very long time before it would get power crept by most weapons because of its massive Attack Power. In other words, Siegfried could use it for a very long time. Lastly, its destructiveness would definitely increase explosively once it was enhanced twelve times. ¡°I choose this one.¡± ¡°Gaia¡¯s Fist¡­?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± Siegfried nodded before immediately asking, ¡°How much is it? Since it¡¯s in the catalog, it should be for sale, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that artifact costs¡­¡± Wilhelm mentioned the price. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°As I said, that artifact is going to cost¡­¡± ¡°W-Wait a second.¡± Siegfried suddenly felt dizzy, and he grabbed the back of his head. ¡°O-Owner punk! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°My blood pressure¡­ it went up all of a sudden¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Get a grip! You¡¯re going to end up like that Chae Hyung-Seok guy at this rate!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I need to get a grip¡­¡± Siegfried nearly ended up like Chae Hyung-Seok after hearing the price. ¡®What kind of a weapon costs thirty times the Heavenly Silk¡­?!¡¯ This mace called Gaia¡¯s Fist was so expensive that Siegfried nearly had a stroke after hearing its price tag. In fact, it was so expensive that he had to sell a third of everything he had looted so far just to be able to afford it. ¡°Discount¡­¡± ¡°Our workshop has a no discount policy even to our VVIP customers.¡± ¡°Do you have all of the materials? What if I go and procure the materials you need?¡± Siegfried asked in hopes of being able to pay for a portion of the weapon with his body. However, it was futile. ¡°I apologize, but we already have all of the materials we need,¡± Wilhelm tly rejected his offer. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh, but you may purchase it on an installment basis.¡± ¡°I-Installment?!¡± ¡°It wille with an annual interest rate of twenty-eight percent, but many customers still avail it.¡± ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s basically loan shark rates, no¡­?¡± Siegfried suddenly became depressed. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡®Ah¡­ Should I just go to the Bavarian or Autonika Workshops¡­?¡¯ However, it didn¡¯t feel right to use the Mercedes Workshop enhancement coupon on an artifact from another workshop. ¡®No, let¡¯s try to haggle a bit. Buying this at its price tag is something only a lunatic would do¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He decided to grill Wilhelm. Until when did he n to grill him? The grilling wouldst until he gave him a quest, of course¡­ *** ¡°Wilhelm-nim.¡± ¡°Yes, customer-nim?¡± ¡°Is there no other way for me to purchase this weapon at a cheaper price?¡± ¡°I can guarantee you that it will not be possible if we¡¯re the ones who are going to craft it.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Siegfried noticed something. ¡°Then, what if the workshop doesn¡¯t have to craft? Will it be possible, then?¡± ¡°You are quite sharp, customer-nim. Yes, it is possible.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°You may purchase a finished product somewhere on the continent.¡± ¡°A finished product?¡± ¡°Actually, the Gaia¡¯s Fist on that catalog is a high-quality replica of the real Gaia¡¯s Fist.¡± ¡°Then, where is the real Gaia¡¯s Fist?¡± ¡°As far as I know¡­ the real Gaia¡¯s Fist is at the temple serving the Goddess Gaia¡­¡± ¡°As far as you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, but Goddess Gaia-nim¡¯s temple was swallowed by a dimensional rift three years ago, and half of their temple is in the rift¡­¡± A message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Search for the Mythical Weapon] [Investigate the Goddess Gaia¡¯s temple that has been swallowed by a dimensional rift, and search for the mythical item, Gaia¡¯s Fist.] [Reward: N/A] [Progress: 0%] A quest popped up. ¡®There it is!¡¯?Siegfried rejoiced inwardly. He would have cursed inside and muttered to himself that the quest was definitely going to be a chain quest, but it was different this time. ¡®I¡¯d rather pay it with my body instead¡­¡¯? He clenched his fists after recalling the weapon¡¯s price tag. He was determined to do anything as long as he didn¡¯t have to spend his own money. ¡°I will try looking for it.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Thank you for the information.¡± Siegfried thanked Wilhelm and left the Mercedes Workshop. Then, he headed straight to the temple of Goddess Gaia. *** The temple of Goddess Gaia was as big as an average kingdom because the dimensional rift had distorted the space around it. ¡°This is a bit serious¡­ I think I might have bitten off more than what I can chew¡­¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue upon arriving at the temple. ¡°Yes! Kyu!?It looks extremely dangerous too!¡± Hamchi agreed. A soldier guarding the entrance of the temple approached him and asked, ¡°Are you an Adventurer?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°If you are nning to enter this dimensional rift, then I suggest that you rethink your decision.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°This dimensional rift is not a single rift. We have confirmed the presence of seventeen rifts inside this huge dimensional rift. We currently have no idea how many other rifts are in it, so you could get trapped forever if you step in¡ª¡± However, the soldier couldn¡¯t continue speaking. It was because Siegfried and Hamchi had ignored him outright and stepped into the rift. ¡°I guess you can¡¯t stop people from killing themselves¡­¡± the soldier shook his head. ¡°I agree¡­¡± ¡°Ack!?You scared me!¡± the soldier jumped in surprise. ¡®Where the hell did this guye from?¡¯ A man suddenly appeared like a ghost, and he entered the rift after Siegfried. Gringore. He hadpletely turned into a ghost after bing the Phantom Singer. *** [Alert: Your character has been swept away by the dimensional rift!] [Alert: You will arrive at a random dimensional rift.] [Alert: You have entered the City of Nightmares!] Siegfried arrived at the City of Nightmares to look for clues about Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°What kind of ce is this¡­?¡± ¡°Owner punk! This ce is too eerie¡­!¡± Hamchi looked around and trembled in fear. The City of Nightmare resembled an abandoned city enveloped in a thick dense fog, and it felt as if a ghost would pop out of nowhere at any moment. Gwuoooo! In addition, the blowing breeze sounded like pained groans, as if heralding the appearance of a horde of zombies or wraiths. ¡°I should probably infuse lightning energy into my weapon¡­¡± Siegfried took out the mace that he had bought from the Bavarian Workshop and infused his mana into it. It seemed obvious that they were going to run into undead monsters here, so he got ready to fight before they appeared. ¡°Kyu?¡±?Hamchi¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°Hey, owner punk.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can hear someone shouting and running toward us from that direction.¡± ¡°Really? How many are there?¡± ¡°Just one,¡± Hamchi said. Gringore suddenly appeared out of nowhere and said, ¡°I think that person is screaming, not shouting.¡± ¡°Ack!?You f¡ªscared me!¡± Siegfried eximed, almost cursing at the scribe. ¡°Hey, scribe-nim.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Can you please make your presence be felt? You¡¯re going to shorten my lifespan at this rate¡­¡± ¡°I-I apologize, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What if you turn into a ghost at this rate? Your presence is getting fainter and fainter by the day you know. I can¡¯t even tell whether you¡¯re there or not.¡± ¡°I am not doing this on purpose¡­ this power is slowly erasing my presence¡­¡± Gringore replied while breaking out into a cold sweat. Meanwhile, Siegfried was deep in thought. ¡®Just how sensitive are these guys'' senses? I thought I was quite sensitive, but these guys are on a whole different level¡­¡¯ The changes Deus had made to his body had catapulted him to the upper echelons of Adventurers when it came to senses, but his senses still couldn¡¯tpete against an animal and a possessor of perfect pitch. ¡°Ack!¡± An Adventurer suddenly popped out in the distance and screamed while running past Siegfried and the others. ¡°AAAAAAAH!¡± ¡°Hey! Hold up!¡± Siegfried shouted. However, Adventurer did not even pretend to have heard him before disappearing again into the distance. ¡°What was that all about?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Keke! You damned insect. Do you finally realize what you got yourself into?¡± Then, he heard a familiar voice from behind. He instantly turned around and saw Chae Hyung-Seok smirking at him. It was a smirk filled with disdain. ¡®Chae Hyung-Seok?¡¯?Siegfried doubted his eyes. He was definitely sure that Chae Hyung-Seok had suffered a stroke and was in the emergency room right now, so how was he ying the game? However, Siegfried did not have the time to continue doubting what was happening. He was suddenly ovee with immense fear, and his legs started trembling. ¡°O-Owner punk! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Hamchi and Gringore rushed to his side, but he didn¡¯t respond to them. Siegfried was retreating one step at a time after being overwhelmed by extreme fear. Chapter 199

    Chapter 199

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, owner punk? Is that thing that scary to you¡­?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°What is the matter, Your Majesty? Are you alright?¡± Gringore asked. They couldn¡¯t understand what was going on with Siegfried. They were confused because Siegfried was trembling in fear in front of a¡­ scarecrow. ¡°Chae Hyung-Seok, you bastard!¡± On top of that, he was even calling the scarecrow Chae Hyung-Seok¡ªthe Guild Master of the Genesis Guild. ¡°Hey, did you eat something wrong today?¡± ¡°Pleasee to your senses, Your Majesty!¡± Hamchi and Gringore called out to him, but he didn¡¯t respond. Whoosh! The scarecrow suddenly swung its fist at Siegfried. Thud! Siegfried grabbed the scarecrow¡¯s fist. ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion after grabbing the scarecrow¡¯s fist before muttering, ¡°Why is Chae Hyung-Seok here? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be in a hospital? And this guy¡¯s items are different from Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s items at the time...¡± Siegfried realized that the Chae Hyung-Seok he was looking at right now resembled the Chae Hyung-Seok he knew from two years ago. In addition, the surroundings looked exactly like two years ago. The ground was littered with the corpses of the Beamer Guild members, and he was surrounded by the Genesis Guild members. It was exactly like the day when Chae Hyung-Seok stomped on him. ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Siegfried grumbled and smashed Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s head with his hammer. Pukeok! Thud! Chae Hyung-Seok disappeared and was reced with a scarecrow with a crushed head. The nightmarish scenery from two years ago disappeared as well. ¡°Hey, owner punk. Are you okay now?¡± ¡°What happened just now, Your Majesty?¡± Hamchi and Gringore asked, looking extremely concerned. ¡°I think that thing showed me some strange hallucinations. I almost fell for it, to be honest¡­ What the hell is this ce? Is this some sort of a horror game?¡± Siegfried grumbled. The scene he had seen was one of his traumas, so he was stricken with fear. ¡®I waspletely fooled. But how the hell did they make it so real? Is it even legal for a game to do this? Ah¡­ those guys are really serious about making this game feel as real as possible¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly and cursed the developer of BNW¡ªHive Games Entertainment. [Nightmare Scarecrow: A] [A scarecrow that brings forth nightmares.] [Type: Monster] [Level: 210] [Attribute: N/A] [Race: Evil Spirit] [Skills: Materialization of Trauma] [Materialization of Trauma: Makes the target relive their most traumatic experience.] The Materialization of Trauma skill of the Nightmare Scarecrow managed to realistically recreate Siegfried¡¯s traumatic experience from two years ago. It was so real that he failed to tell that he had been hypnotized by the monster. In fact, it even made him forget that he had ever met Deus and had already be stronger than the version of him two years ago. ¡°Getting caught by this skill could end up with me being beaten to death without being able to put up a fight¡­¡± Siegfried was relieved. Things could have gone really ugly for him. After experiencing it once, Siegfried was confident that he wouldn¡¯t be fooled anymore. Siegfried was sure that the others who had entered this dungeon had to have gotten fooled by that scarecrow at least once. ¡°Hmm¡­ It seems that we will need some protection. I shall sing us a song,¡± Gringore said. Then, he started singing a lively tune. A strange warmth enveloped Siegfried. [Alert: The Phantom Singer has sung the Song of Courage!] [Alert: The Song of Courage has increased your status ailment resistance by 50%!] Surprisingly, the Phantom Singer wasn¡¯t just an area-of-effect damage dealer, but the Phantom Singer was also capable of buffing their allies. ¡®This is awesome. I guess he isn¡¯t a hidden ss for nothing.¡¯?Siegfried was impressed. Gringore received a ton of Experience Points after massacring Gran Cabrio and his army, but he was still a meager Level 50. The fact that he could already provide such a substantial buff despite his low level proved that the Phantom Singer was indeed a hidden ss with immense power and potential. Of course, the drawback was that Gringore was totally hopeless in meleebat, which meant that he would die if an enemy managed to get close enough to him. ¡°Thank you, Scribe Gringore.¡± ¡°Haha! It is my pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°All right, shall we march on?¡± Siegfried and his party continued their adventure after getting buffed by Gringore¡¯s song. However, they couldn¡¯t find any clues regarding the whereabouts of Gaia¡¯s Fist even after a long time of searching. The only thing they managed to find in this dungeon was a bunch of Type A, B, C, D, and E Nightmare Scarecrows, and their variety made Siegfried dub them Nightmare Scarecrow Series. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the right ce¡­¡± Siegfried came to the conclusion that Gaia¡¯s Fist wasn¡¯t here, so he immediately headed for the Boss Room. ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡± ¡°Heeek¡­ Heeek¡­¡± ¡°M-My throat is hoarse¡­ Your Majesty¡­¡± An hourter, Siegfried¡¯s party sessfully killed the boss of the City of Nightmare¡ªthe Nightmare, and Siegfried leveled up once after the battle. [Alert: You have reached Level 201!] Of course, he wasn¡¯t the only one who leveled up. [Alert: Gringore has reached Level 51!] [Alert: Gringore has reached Level 52!] [Alert: Gringore has reached Level 53!] It wasn¡¯t that surprising that Gringore leveled up, but Hamchi gave Siegfried a pleasant surprise by leveling up. [Alert: Hamchi has reached Level 201!] ¡°Kyu! Hamchi has gotten stronger!¡± Hamchi eximed in joy. ¡°What? You can level up, too?¡± ¡°Level up? What¡¯s that? Kyu?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?There¡¯s something like that. Anyway, do you feel like you have suddenly be stronger?¡± ¡°Yes! Kyu!¡± ¡°So pets can level up, too¡­¡± ¡°I have no idea what that level thing is, but Hamchi can definitely be stronger! But Hamchi stopped bing stronger after meeting his owner punk¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah! But I¡¯m getting stronger again!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­ His level is probably capped to mine¡­¡± Siegfried immediately understood how Hamchi¡¯s leveling system worked; he theorized that Hamchi¡¯s growth was linked to his growth because they were soulbound. ¡°Anyway, great job. Let¡¯s collect the items and get the hell out of here,¡± Siegfried said. They proceeded to pick up the numerous Dimensional Fragments on the ground. *** Two dayster, Siegfried still couldn¡¯t find any clues about Gaia¡¯s Fist. He had cleared the dungeons: City of Nightmares, Burning Fields, Nasty Banquet, Hall of Beasts, etc¡­ He had cleared a total of seven dungeons, but he still couldn¡¯t find any clues. The progress bar of the quest Search for the Mythical Weapon didn¡¯t even budge an inch, even though all he had to do was find a clue about its whereabouts. If there were anything he had obtained from the time he had invested in this dimensional rift, then that would be the Dimensional Fragments. He leveled up once as well, but that was about it¡­ ¡®Hmm¡­ Do I have to keep clearing these dungeons, or should I just stop? The NPC mentioned that they found seventeen dungeons in this dimensional rift so far, which means that I¡¯ll have to search for at least ten more dungeons¡­ I¡¯d rather just save my time and¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought of just throwing money to solve his problem. ¡®No¡­ Let¡¯s hold it in. It¡¯s possible to obtain, right? Let¡¯s search a bit more. When will I use my stubborn grit if not right now?¡¯? Unfortunately, Siegfried¡¯s stubbornness was suddenly triggered, and it made his life much more difficult. His stubbornness was his greatest weapon, but¡­ ¡°Shall we do our best today as well?¡± A weekter, Siegfried finally cleared his 31st dungeon. He also leveled up to Level 203 with Hamchi. ¡°Ugh¡­?I¡¯m sick and tired of this ce...¡± he groaned. He leveled up three times in ten days after clearing dungeon after dungeon in the dimensional rift. His leveling speed was a big deal because it was extremely difficult to level up beyond Level 200. ¡®Should I just buy it? I can buy it, enhance it, and use it to raid better dungeons than this to level up, right¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was in a dilemma, but his stubbornness grabbed his ankle once again. ¡®No, what¡¯s the point of buying it right now when the item requires Level 210 to use it? I¡¯ll stay here for at least a month or until I reach Level 210, and then I¡¯ll think about it again.¡¯ As expected, his stubbornness prevented him from leaving. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do our best today as well,¡± he said before entering another dimensional rift. The name of the dungeon appeared in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Dimensional Rift: Temple of Purgatory] Upon stepping into the dungeon, Siegfried was greeted by dozens of people. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°F-Finally!¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°Our savior hase!¡± ¡°Thank you, Gaia-nim! You haven¡¯t abandoned us!¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Huh?¡± Then, he checked the details of the NPCs. The Rune of Insight informed him that they were followers of the Goddess Gaia. More specifically, they were priests of her temple. The eldest one among the priests, Cardinal Vergollio, walked up to Siegfried and asked, ¡°Oh!?Great Savior-nim! The Lion of Gaia-nim! What is your name?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just an Adventurer,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Adventurer? Are you talking about those beings from another world?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°Oh! Gaia-nim has sent a being from another world to rescue her distressed sheep!¡± Siegfried vehemently shook his head and replied, ¡°T-That¡¯s not it¡­ I¡¯m just here in search of the weapon Gaia¡¯s Fist.¡± ¡°Gaia¡¯s Fist?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah! This is truly the will of Gaia-nim! The fact that you were searching for Gaia¡¯s Fist meant that the goddess had led you here! Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you put it that way¡­¡± ¡°That weapon is over there!¡± [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Search for the Mythical Weapon¡¯!] The quest''s clear message suddenly appeared in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. Grit and stubbornness¡­ He had resisted the temptation of the God of Shortcuts and continued to clear the dungeons until he found the whereabouts of Gaia¡¯s Fist. Siegfried¡¯s strongest weapon had finally revealed its might. ¡°Is that weapon really here?¡± he asked. ¡°That is indeed correct. Do you see that tent over there? That weapon is somewhere deep inside that tent,¡± Cardinal Vergollio replied. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Siegfried smiled before muttering, ¡°It¡¯s a huge relief. I thought I would have to spend a lot of money¡­¡± ¡°A lot of money? What do you mean?¡± ¡°N-Nothing¡­¡± Siegfried immediately covered his mouth and thought. ¡®That was close!¡¯ ¡°Anyway, thank you foring here. Please liberate us from this cursed ce! I beg of you!¡± Cardinal Vergollio grabbed both of his hands and pleaded. A quest appeared in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Savior] [Clear the Temple of Purgatory and save the priests of Goddess Gaia.] [Reward: Gaia¡¯s Fist] [Progress: 0%] The quest that he had been desperately searching for had finally appeared. Siegfried smiled brightly and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely find a way to get all of you safely out of here.¡± ¡°Oh! Thank you! Thank you very much! We were running out of food, and we were on the brink of dying from hunger! You have trulye at the right time!¡± Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! All of a sudden, sparks flew in mid-air as space twisted and opened. A group of Adventurers exited the rifts in space. ¡®Huh?¡¯?Siegfried doubted his eyes for a second. He recognized the neers. They were Adventurers affiliated with the fifth strongest guild in the world¡ªthe Mandate of Heaven Guild. ¡®Yong Tae-Pung ahjussi?¡¯?Siegfried muttered inwardly. Moreover, the Guild Master of the Mandate of Heaven Guild was still an active pro gamer despite his old age of fifty years old, and he was one of the Adventurers who had just emerged from the rifts in space. Chapter 200

    Chapter 200

    ¡®Wow¡­ Who knew I¡¯d meet him here of all ces?¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t believe it. Yong Tae-Pung was a legendary figure in many ways, but the rumors about him were true. He was a pro gamer back in the days when people still yed games on PC, and he had participated in numerous international tournaments and even brought five gold medals to South Korea. Of course, his des didn¡¯t end there. Yong Tae-Pung became deemed one of the best gaming casters after he started his casting career upon retiring from the eSports scene. He even showed off his skills as the coach of an eSports team. When virtual reality games started to be popr, he announced his return to the gaming world with the generic phrase¡ªage is just a number. He was over fifty years old when he started ying virtual reality games, but he managed to be quite sessful. Unfortunately, he had be old, so his godly controls had long abandoned him. Therefore, he decided to go through intense physical training such as weightlifting, reflex training, brain ability enhancement training, and other training to be one of the best gamers in the world once more. His grit and perseverance made him receive the nicknames Strongest Old Man, World¡¯s Strongest Ahjussi, Legend, and Immortal Gamer. There were even some people calling him World¡¯s Most Stubborn Old Man for fun. Badump! Badump! Badump! Siegfried was starstruck after seeing a legend in the flesh. It was an obvious reaction as Yong Tae-Pung was a person that Siegfried deeply respected ever since he started ying games. ¡®But why is he here?¡¯?he wondered. He used his Rune of Insight to check Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s details. He saw that Yong Tae-Pung was already Level 299 and had one foot into the realm of a Master. Of course, an Adventurer was bound to run into a wall upon hitting Level 299, and it was also known as the impossible phase, where leveling up was deemed impossible. Whatever the reason might be, Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand why such a powerful person woulde to a ce like this. ¡°Oh!?Who might you be?¡± Cardinal Vergollio asked. ¡°We are Adventurers,¡± Yong Tae-Pung replied. ¡°Oh my god! Gaia-nim has truly not abandoned us!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about your goddess. I¡¯m here to investigate the dimensional rift.¡± ¡°That is also Gaia-nim¡¯s will! Please carry out her will and save us!¡± ¡°I guess all of you have been stuck here for a long time. Please wait a little longer, I will get you out.¡± That was the end of the conversation... Yong Tae-Pung did not ask anything after receiving the quest. He immediately mobilized his guild members. ¡°Try to keep up if you want to hop on the bus,¡± he said to Siegfried and his party before disappearing. ¡®He¡¯s cool¡­¡¯?Siegfried was in awe of how cool the old man was. Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s possessed this domineering aura. It felt like he was capable of crushing any resistance and obstacle in his way. He truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned veteran pro gamer. ¡®Hold on. I don¡¯t have time to be starstruck¡­ What if that old man?takes Gaia¡¯s?Fist?¡¯? Siegfried suddenly discovered an issue. He had no idea what kind of quest Yong Tae-Pung had received toe and investigate the dimensional rift, but Siegfried had to be the one who would clear the dungeon. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get his hands on Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up,¡± he urged his party and was about to run after the old man when he suddenly stopped and thought, ¡®No, I don¡¯t know?what¡¯s up ahead. I should keep a safe distance and collect information for now¡­¡¯ He went to Cardinal Vergollio and asked, ¡°May I ask why you people are trapped here? I can see that your Holy Knights are with you, too.¡± ¡°Ah,?it¡¯s because¡­ it¡¯s because we can¡¯t use mana in there,¡± Cardinal Vergollio replied. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not only mana. Even holy power doesn¡¯t work there. The monsters are extremely strong as well.¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± ¡°One must depend on brute force to clear that area without relying on any mystical energies.¡± What did he mean by mana use was restricted? The answer was simple¡ªskills would be sealed upon entry. In other words, magician-type sses like Gringore were practically useless. Gringore possessed a hidden ss, but he would be nothing more than a slightly healthier ordinary person in there. ¡®I¡¯ll be at a disadvantage, then¡­ Their levels are high, and their gears are overpowered as well¡­¡¯?Siegfried remembered the items that the Mandate of Heaven Guild members were using. His items were patheticpared to theirs. Siegfried¡¯s gears were low-level, and they had not even a single enhancement. He was truly at a disadvantage. Right now, it was impossible for him to beat Yong Tae-Pung and obtain Gaia¡¯s Fist. However, Siegfried refused to give up. He steeled his resolve and made a decision. ¡®I still have to go!¡¯? He had never been the type of person who would give up without even trying. Moreover, he was the type of person who would rather die trying than not trying at all. ¡°Scribe Gringore.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Stay here.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Gringore didn¡¯t retort. He also heard that mana was sealed at the field up ahead, so he knew that he would just be Siegfried¡¯s burden if he were to go with him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hamchi!¡± ¡°Kyu!?Let¡¯s go, owner punk!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi hurriedly chased after Yong Tae-Pung and his party. *** ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried and Hamchi were bbergasted at the sight in front of them. ¡°Those crazy people¡­¡± ¡°D-Did something pass by here? Kyu¡­?¡± They were bbergasted because there was a highway in front of them. Monster? Not a single monster was in sight aside from their corpses and the items they dropped upon death. Obviously, Yong Tae-Pung and his party were extremely rich. They didn¡¯t have to bother with the cheap items on the floor as they plowed through the dungeon. From the way they were tackling this dungeon, it looked like Yong Tae-Pung and his party were trying to speedrun the dungeon. ¡°Hamchi, how far are we from them?¡± ¡°Around a kilometer¡­¡± ¡°What?! They¡¯re already a kilometer ahead of us when it has only been a minute since they entered?!¡± ¡°They¡¯re extremely fast! They¡¯re killing everything in their path!¡± In other words, Yong Tae-Pung and his party were moving at a speed of sixty kilometers per hour. They couldn¡¯t use their skills, but their physical stats were probably so high that it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal for them to smash the monsters left and right. ¡°Crazy¡­ Let¡¯s run, Hamchi!¡± ¡°Kyu!?Let¡¯s go!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi ran as fast as they could to catch up to Yong Tae-Pung and his party. The duo was extremely fast as well, and they ran for quite a while until they were able to close the gap between them and Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s party. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ This is fucking frustrating¡­¡± ¡°If only I could use my mana¡­¡± ¡°The difficulty level suddenly¡­¡± The Mandate of Heaven Guild members had hit a roadblock by the time Siegfried caught up to them. Yong Tae-Pung was struggling as well. Chwaaaak! Monsters would die left and right whenever Yong Tae-Pung swung his +15 Legendary weapon, but things still weren¡¯t looking great for them. After all, there was a limit to how much they could do without ess to their skills. Why? It was all because the monsters here possessed higher statspared to Adventurers on the same level. In short, there was a limit to how much damage an Adventurer could deal to the monsters here with only their normal attacks. On top of that, they were void of any buffs or heals since those skills had been sealed as well because of the mana restriction. In a long, drawn-out battle, the Adventurers would eventually fall into a disadvantage. ¡®Should I help them? I don¡¯t think I can deal any damage even if I?stepped?in, and it¡¯s not like I can cast a debuff on them¡­¡¯?Siegfried pondered while looking at the struggling Mandate of Heaven Guild members. The Mandate of Heaven Guild members were armed with +10 weapons, but even they found it difficult to inflict enough damage on the monsters. What could a low-level Adventurer with a low-level weapon like Siegfried do in this situation? ¡°Owner punk! Hamchi will give you strength, so go and fight!¡± Hamchi shouted. ¡°What? Give me strength? How? We can¡¯t use mana here, did you forget?¡± ¡°Hamchi doesn¡¯t use mana! Hamchi is the Great Spirit of the Forest! A spirit¡¯s energy is different from mana!¡± ¡°You eat mana stones whenever you¡¯re bored¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I digest mana to replenish my spirit energy! Kyu!?Anyway, Hamchi can do it!¡± ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll be counting on you!¡± Hamchi took out his magical wheel and started running on it. Ddruuu! Ddruuu! Ddruuu! The wheel started spinning, buffing Siegfried, who was now running to help Yong Tae-Pung and his party. Of course, Siegfried wasn¡¯t acting rashly here. ¡®My level and stats are still too low, even with Hamchi¡¯s buff.¡¯? Siegfried knew his role very well and what he should be doing. ¡®I just have to block the monsters¡¯ attacks so they can fight more efficiently and save anyone in case they¡¯re in danger.¡¯? Siegfried gripped his weapon and ran toward the monsters. The entire battle quickly shifted in the Adventurers¡¯ favor. ng! Siegfried blocked a monster¡¯s attack. The monster was aiming at one of the Mandate of Heaven Guild members. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°Watch your back. Be careful.¡± ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t all¡­ ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°I got you!¡± Siegfried ran and grabbed a guild member who lost her bnce and was about to fall to the ground. Then, he quickly parried the iing attack. He truly looked like a knight in shining armoring to rescue the princess in distress. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll block it, so prepare to counterattack!¡± ¡°I got it!¡± Siegfried either filled the gap in the Mandate of Heaven Guild members¡¯ defenses or created opportunities for them to attack. He had basically be a support character. Rather than fighting a monster for an extended period of time, he moved around diligently to fill the gaps here and there, allowing the Mandate of Heaven Guild members to fight more efficiently. Thanks to his efforts, the battle was now in their favor, and the Mandate of Heaven Guild members made quick work of the monsters. It was quite ironic that he was the best support on the battlefield because his ss wasn¡¯t even a support-type ss in the first ce. ¡®Oh? That kid¡¯sbat sense is sharp. That¡¯s difficult to find these days. His control is excellent, and he¡¯s quite quick on his feet. He¡¯s aware that his stat iscking, so he avoided directbat and focused on supporting,¡¯?Yong Tae-Pung thought while observing the young Adventurer. He had been treating Siegfried like any other low-level Adventurer, but his thoughts changed after seeing thetter in battle. ¡®He looks like abat-type ss yer, but hisbat sense when ites to supporting his allies is much better than most Healers or Buffers. God¡­ Where did this guye from?¡¯?Yong Tae-Pung wondered while watching Siegfried with twinkling eyes. Eventually, the old legend came to a conclusion. ¡®Hmm¡­ He¡¯s great. I like him. I really like him. I want to abduct him and force him to join our guild¡­ Hohoho¡­¡¯ Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s sparkling eyes suddenly turned ferocious. He looked like a beast eyeing its prey. Chapter 201

    Chapter 201

    ¡°Haa¡­ Haa¡­ Haa¡­?I¡¯m so tired¡­ It feels like I ran a full football game¡­¡± Siegfried was finally done dealing with the monsters, and he was trying his best to catch his breath. It wasn¡¯t strange that he was tired. After all, he had around at least four or five times more than anyone else who had participated in the battle. He even yed the role of support without the help of his skills. ¡°Drink this.¡± Someone offered Siegfried a murky-white liquid potion. ¡°Ah, thank you very much,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Drink up.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Siegfried drank the murky-white potion, which was a Stamina Potion of the highest tier. Siegfried felt invigorated. He was no longer having a hard time breathing. In fact, he started to feel rxed. ¡®What the? Isn¡¯t this a Stamina Potion of the highest tier? Isn¡¯t this really expensive¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was surprised after discovering the identity of the potion he had just drank. He looked at the person who gave him the potion. Smirk¡­ It turned out that they were the legendary gamer Yong Tae-Pung. Yong Tae-Pung was smiling at him as well. ¡°Huh? Senior Yong Tae-Pung-nim?¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°What, senior?¡± Yong Tae-Pung said with a smile, ¡°Are you a pro gamer?¡± ¡°Ah! I apologize!¡± ¡°Just call me hyung-nim.¡± ¡°How can I call senior¡ªI mean, how can I call you that, Yong Tae-Pung-nim? We are at least thirty years apart, as far as I know. Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Then, call me uncle.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°I saw that you are quite skilled. It felt like I was looking at my younger self.¡± ¡°Huh? No way!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. Your control was just that amazing. You¡¯re the only youngster I¡¯ve seen with such skills. You were truly amazing,¡± Yong Tae-Pung said. He seemed emotional, and Siegfried could feel that he was reminiscing the glory days. ¡°T-Thank you very much!¡± Siegfried eximed and bowed. He had no idea what to do. ¡®H-he praised me? Me? A piece of trash like me?¡¯ Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but think that he was dreaming. After all, both Deus and Daode Tianzun had regarded him as a talentless piece of trash. In other words, it was Siegfried¡¯s first time being praised for his talent. Of course, Deus and Daode Tianzun had transcended humanity, so Siegfried was probably trash by their standards¡ªmaybe? ¡°So I was thinking¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Are you already in a guild? If not, then what do you think about joining our guild?¡± ¡®W-What¡¯s with those eyes? Those eyes look exactly like Elder Blockhead-nim¡¯s eyes whenever he was staring at me¡­¡¯?Siegfried immediately recognized the burdensome look Yong Tae-Pung was giving him, and he felt like throwing up from the immense pressure after seeing Betelgeuse¡¯s silhouette ovepping Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s figure. ¡°Do you want to go eat something yummy, my lovely Siegfried?¡± ¡°Or do you want me to buy you an item? I¡¯m pretty rich, you know?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Just hear me out. Just an hour will do¡ªno, thirty minutes will do¡­!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a drink somewhere nice¡ªno, a cup of tea will do since we¡¯re going to seriously discuss our future.¡± The memories of when Betelgeuse was trying his best to force him to be his disciple suddenly popped up in Siegfried¡¯s mind. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you well, so if you join our guild¡ª¡± ¡°I apologize. I am grateful for your words, but I do not wish to be affiliated with any guild right now,¡± Siegfried refused politely. ¡°Why? Our guild is great. There are only a few of us elites, and we don¡¯t really mind what you do with your own time. We share items with each other and raid boss monsters together. On top of that, it will be extremely easy for you to debut as a pro gamer if you join our guild.¡± ¡°I will still have to refuse.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I cannot stand being under someone else, and I have a country to run, so I cannotmit myself somewhere else.¡± ¡°You have a country to run¡­?¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°Hold on¡­ wasn¡¯t there a king among yers? If I¡¯m not mistaken, then¡­¡± Siegfried immediately realized that he had messed up. ¡®Ah¡­ This damn mouth of mine¡­ This damn mouth¡­¡¯ He ended up revealing his identity unknowingly. How? It was all because there was only one yer who was a king among all three hundred million users. ¡°Wait¡­ are you that gamer? The one who uploaded that viral video? Are you the one who has been assassinating the Genesis Guild members these days?¡± ¡°Y-you watched it¡­?¡± Yong Tae-Pung smiled and eximed, ¡°I certainly did! You were quite amazing, I must say. I couldn¡¯t really tell how good you were from the video, but you were quite brave with a good head between your shoulders!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ it turns out that you¡¯re brave, smart, and strong as well¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­?not really¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, it is truly a shame¡­ I would¡¯ve loved to abduct you and force you into our guild¡­?tsk¡­¡± ¡°I am grateful for your thoughts.¡± ¡°It is truly a shame¡­ It has been quite a while since someone appealed so strongly to me¡­ tsk¡­¡± Yong Tae-Pung clicked his tongue once more. Then, he thought, ¡®Heh, do you really think I¡¯m going to give up on you? Punk, you have no idea what I¡¯m capable of. I¡¯m going to make sure you will join our guild one way or another. I like¡ªno, I love you already. Hehehe¡­!¡¯ He seemed quite determined to make Siegfried join the Mandate of Heaven Guild¡­ ¡°Anyway, you have to clear this dungeon, too, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go together. It¡¯s much more difficult than I thought, so we¡¯ll need your help clearing it.¡± ¡°It will be my honor to assist you.¡± Siegfried bowed slightly. Yong Tae-Pung invited him to their party, and they set out to clear the Temple of Purgatory together. *** The fight continued, and everyone fought valiantly even though their mana was sealed. However, the ones who shone the brightest in the battles were Yong Tae-Pung and Siegfried. Yong Tae-Pung used his +15 weapon with great dexterity and proficiency, and he proved that he wasn¡¯t in any way behind the young gamers these days when it came to control and battle sense. Meanwhile, Siegfried didn¡¯t possess an enhanced weapon, but he supported the Mandate of Heaven Guild members with his ability alone. Thanks to that, the Mandate of Heaven Guild members put theirplete trust in him. ¡®Wow¡­ I thought he was just a lunatic when I heard that he picked a fight against the Genesis Guild¡­¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s really good. How is he doing all these with those crappy items¡­? He can bulldoze through everything once he gets his hands on an enhanced weapon¡­¡¯ ¡®I wonder what his ss is? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a Poison Mage¡­¡¯ The Mandate of Heaven Guild members initially thought that Yong Tae-Pung was overestimating Siegfried, but as the battle went on, they couldn¡¯t help but admit that he was worthy of such recognition. Why? Siegfried¡¯s level was lower than they expected, and his items wereplete crap in their eyes, but the effect he had on the battlefield was nowhereckingpared to Yong Tae-Pung himself. This meant that Siegfried¡¯s skills were on par or far above a pro gamer''s. ¡®I can¡¯t stop loving him the more I see him¡­ I wonder what I can do to force him into our guild¡­ What can I offer¡­? Should I tell him that we will fight the Genesis Guild to the death if he joins us?¡¯?Yong Tae-Pung was in a serious dilemma. The Mandate of Heaven Guild was one of the most powerful guilds on the continent, but dering war against another one of the top ten guilds was still a burdensome thing to do. However, Yong Tae-Pung found Siegfried attractive enough to go to war against another one of the top ten guilds. ¡®I need toe up with a way to recruit this guy¡­ That¡¯s the only way our guild can rise up the ranks¡­¡¯? Yong Tae-Pung was salivating at the thought of bagging Siegfried. Of course, he still had to level up and gear up, and Yong Tae-Pung still had no idea just what exactly was Siegfried¡¯s ss. However, all those didn¡¯t really matter. Siegfried had already captivated the old pro gamer. They arrived in front of arge door while the old pro gamer was busy thinking of ways to make Siegfried join their guild, ¡°Hyung-nim! I think that¡¯s the boss room!¡± ¡°Check your gears and rest up! Recover your HP and Stamina before we enter!¡± Yong Tae-Pung immediately said to the party. He looked at Siegfried and called out to him. ¡°Hey, youngster.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Where do you live? Do you live in Seoul?¡± ¡°I live near Gangnam City Hall.¡± ¡°Really? I live near the city hall. Do you know Brown Castle?¡± Brown Castle was a luxury condominium near Gangnam City Hall, and it was known as the most expensive residential condominium in the area. A single unit in the Brown Castle was at least seven billion won. There were numerous celebrities, professional athletes, and sessful entrepreneurs living there. It was a condominium that only the top one percentile of South Korea¡¯s poption could even think of purchasing. ¡°Yes, I know. I had no idea you were living there.¡± ¡°So I was thinking¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°What do you think? How about we get a cup of tea sometime or grab something yummy to eat? A senior can treat his lovely junior to a meal, right? But if it¡¯s too burdensome to you, then¡ªhuh?¡± ¡°Now, now! Listen up!¡± Siegfried sensed that the old man was trying to pull something, so he immediately changed the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I will open the door in three, so please get ready!¡± Siegfried shouted as he urged the party members to get ready. ¡®That little weasel dares to y hard to get?! I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!¡¯?Yong Tae-Pung thought. However, he felt the exact same thing Betelgeuse felt before. An iron wall¡­ Siegfried was putting up a wall between himself and the old man to protect his body. ¡®Just wait! I will have you for myself soon! Huehuehue!¡¯ However, Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s obsession with Siegfried only grew stronger. *** Creak¡­! The doors to the boss monster room opened. ¡°Who dares to awaken this eon of hell¡­?¡± The boss monster appeared. [Guardian of the Eon: Taecilius] [A demon guarding the Temple of Purgatory] [An ancient demon swept up by the dimensional rift. He is as powerful as the God of War.] [Type: Monster (Demon)] [Rating: Boss] [Attribute: N/A] [Level: 300] [Additional Information: A demon famous for his fighting prowess even among demons. He is a legendary figure in the demon world for defeating other demons without using any abilities and by relying on his physical prowess alone.] ¡°Kekeke! A bunch of weaklings dared toe here? Sure, I will grant you death today and make sure your souls will be trapped forever in this Eon of Hell!¡± Taecilius smirked smugly and cackled. The boss battle quicklymenced. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Crazy bastard! Why is he dealing so much damage¡ªAaaack!¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± And the Mandate of Heaven Guild members started dying one by one¡­ ¡®He¡¯s too fast!¡¯? Siegfried couldn¡¯t even support the party members because they died so quickly. At the sight, Siegfried and Yong Tae-Pung thought of the same thing. ¡®I think I¡¯ll just be a burden if I try to step in. I should probably leave this to Yong Tae-Pung?ahjussi.¡¯ ¡®I guess it¡¯s time for me to step up.¡¯ Siegfried looked at Yong Tae-Pung and said, ¡°Senior-nim, I think you will have to fight it alone.¡± ¡°I think so, too,¡± Yong Tae-Pung replied and nodded. He was once again impressed by Siegfried¡¯s ability to read the flow of the battle. Yong Tae-Pung finally stepped in front of Taecilius¡¯ path. ¡°You look like a worthy opponent¡­ However, you seem a bit too old,¡± Taecilius said. ¡°Ha! A monster actually dares talk about age? Haven¡¯t you heard of the phrase¡ªan old ginger is spicier?¡± Yong Tae-Pung retorted. The fight between the two titans began. They fought toe-to-toe, and it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand between the two of them. ¡®A legend is a legend, after all,¡¯?Siegfried thought while watching the battle in awe. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how the old man, who was way over fifty years old, was able to perform such movements. ¡®It would be impossible for me to disy such movements if I were his age, right? That?ahjussi?is truly a legend for a reason¡­¡¯?he thought, acknowledging that the old pro gamer was truly a one-of-a-kind figure. After all, nobody above the age of fifty could make simr movements as Yong Tae-Pung. It seemed that the phrase¡ªform is temporary, but ss is permanent¡ªtruly suited him. However, the stalemate was soon shattered. Paaak! Taecilius¡¯ fist mmed into Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s abdomen, and he flew almost twenty meters into the air. ¡°Kuheok!¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯re old, but your concentration is hopeless,¡± Taecilius said as he lifted the old pro gamer in a chokehold. ¡°You dare¡­! If I were only ten years younger¡­¡± Yong Tae-Pung growled. ¡°There¡¯s no point in holding on to the past. How foolish,¡± Taecilius replied with a sigh. ¡°But it¡¯s not over yet, you damn demon.¡± ¡°Nonsense, you are going to die soon, and no one else is powerful enough to fight me.¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Yong Tae-Pung said with a smirk. He threw his +15 weapon away. Whoooosh! Tak! The +15 weapon¡ªHwaryongdonded in front of Siegfried¡¯s feet. ¡°Hey, junior!¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but can you teach this insolent bastard a lesson for me?¡± ¡°W-What do you mean¡­? What am I supposed to do¡­?¡± ¡°My weapon is in front of you! Use that and beat this bastard up!¡± Yong Tae-Pung decided to lend his +15 weapon to Siegfried. Chapter 202

    Chapter 202

    ¡®Is he really lending me his +15 weapon?¡¯? Siegfried couldn¡¯t believe Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s words. Why? What was weird about lending someone a +15 weapon? Lending someone a +15 weapon was akin to entrusting one¡¯s life to that person. A +15 weapon would be worth hundreds of billions of won, depending on its quality. What would happen if Siegfried decided to run away with the weapon? The consequences were unimaginable¡­ ¡°What are you doing?! Hurry up and use it! That weapon has no level restriction, so don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Yong Tae-Pung shouted. ¡°But, Senior-nim¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m entrusting it to you, so hurry up! Kuheok!¡± Taecilius mmed his fist into Yong Tae-Pung¡¯s face. ¡°Shut up, old human,¡± Taecilius said indifferently. ¡°This bastard dares to¡­¡± ¡°Do you really think that greenhorn can beat me?¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± Taecilius started beating Yong Tae-Pung up, and the old pro gamer¡¯s HP depleted rapidly from every punch. ¡°Kuheok¡­!?H-Hurry up¡­! It¡¯s going to take forever for me to regain the levels I¡¯ll lose if I die¡­! Don¡¯t worry! Use that weapon! Hurry up!¡± ¡°O-Okay¡­!¡± Siegfried was left with no choice but to grab the +15 weapon, Hwaryongdo. [Alert: You have obtained the item +15 Hwaryongdo!] Yong Tae-Pung had removed the soulbound option on his weapon and transferred the +15 Hwaryongdo¡¯s ownership to Siegfried. ¡®I wonder how powerful this +15 weapon is going to be¡­¡¯?Siegfried wondered while holding the +15 weapon. He gripped the weapon tightly and walked toward Taecilius. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a go at it.¡± ¡°Go where?¡± ¡°I want to know how it feels to be overgeared,¡± Siegfried said before rushing at the demon. *** ¡°Hmm¡­ Hmm¡­ Hmm¡­¡± The Head Magician of the Proatine Kingdom, Decimato, was currently facing a huge dilemma. ¡®I¡¯m already over seventy years old, but I don¡¯t see any hope of advancing my magic¡­ I had dedicated my entire life to magic, but it seems that the farthest I can reach is the sixth circle¡­¡¯?hemented inwardly. Decimato started thinking this way was that he ended up facing a wall after trying to carry out the various national projects that the Proatine Kingdom was undertaking. The Proatine Kingdom was trying to bolster its defenses against invaders by installing illusion, space distortion, and time rift traps on their borders. However, it was an incredibly difficult undertaking. Most of the kingdom¡¯s magicians only possessed three to five circles in their hearts, so it was extremely difficult for them magicians to install those kinds of traps. In fact, the Minister of State, Michele, had decided to outsource the work to an external entity because the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s magicians weren¡¯t capable enough to do the work on their own. ¡®To think that the work to protect my country ended up getting outsourced¡­ haa¡­ I¡¯m truly a hopeless magician¡­¡¯?Decimatomented inwardly. Of course, Decimato wasn¡¯t a hopeless magician. He was a Sixth Circle magician, and he could also be considered the cream of the crop among his peers. It was an outstanding achievement when taking into consideration that most magicians would get stuck at the fifth circle. Of course, there were Great Wizards¡ªMasters¡ªbeyond the sixth circle and were already at the eighth circle. Still, the fact that he couldn¡¯t to his country¡¯s defenses was eating him from the inside, and his pride as the Head Magician of the kingdom was severely damaged. ¡®I think I have no hope of bing a Great Wizard. I can only hope that I¡¯ll reach the seventh circle before my life ends¡­¡¯?thought Decimato. ¡°Hoho! You there, what are you so troubled about?¡± Someone suddenly called out to Decimato. ¡°Hmm?¡± Decimato turned around and saw an old magician smiling brightly at him. ¡°Were you talking to me?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± the old magician replied. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I noticed that you were troubled about something, and it felt like you were dying inside.¡± ¡°Hooo¡­ Was it that obvious? I apologize,¡± Decimato apologized and thought, ¡®I guess I was putting on all sorts of faces just now. Hoho¡­¡¯ He suddenly noticed something about the old magician and asked, ¡°But who might you be? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around here.¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m not an important figure. I¡¯m just nning to establish a Magic Academy here.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you Percival by any chance?¡± Decimato heard from Michele that an old magician by the name of Percival would settle in the Proatine Kingdom to open a Magic Academy. ¡°Yes, that is me. I¡¯m Percival.¡± ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you. I am the head magician of this kingdom, Decimato.¡± ¡°The head magician¡­ why would someone like you be so troubled? Are you having problems with your children, or is your mistress throwing a fit?¡± ¡°Hoho!?You are quite the joker. I am quite old, and I¡¯m already in my final years to worry about trivial things like that. It is just that my magic has been stuck in the same ce for the past fifteen years, and the wall in front of me seems truly insurmountable.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°If I may ask, which circle are you on right now?¡± Decimato asked. ¡°Me? I am on a single circle,¡± Percival nonchntly replied. ¡°A single circle?!¡± ¡°Yes, is there a problem?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± Decimato was stunned after hearing that Percival was only a First Circle magician. ¡®A mere First Circle magician wants to open a Magic Academy? What does he n to teach his disciples¡­?¡¯ Decimato was in disbelief because he failed to properly understand what Percival meant when he said that he was on the first circle. Why? A Tenth Circle Magician¡ªrealm of Grandmaster Magicians or Archmages¡ªwould consolidate their circles into one powerful circle. Decimato couldn¡¯t even be a Master, so he hadn¡¯t thought of the possibility that Percival was an Archmage. No, it was more like there were no records of an Archmage consolidating their circles into one. ¡°Hoho!?A single circle, you say¡­ I guess that you would be far more troubled than I am,¡± Decimato said while looking at Percival as if he was pitying thetter before further asking, ¡°Just how long have you been on the first circle?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think it has been twenty-five years now¡­¡± ¡°Hooo¡­ I see¡­ you have been stuck on the first circle for twenty-five years¡­ I¡¯m ashamed to be troubled after being stuck on the sixth circle for only fifteen years.¡± ¡°Those things aren¡¯t important at all. That is just how the world works¡­¡± ¡°I will carve your teachings on my heart and try to be less greedy from now on. I guess I should realize that everyone has their limits, and epting one¡¯s limits is also wisdom in itself.¡± ¡°Hoho!¡± ¡°Then, I shall take my leave now. I will see youter.¡± Decimato bid goodbye to Percival. ¡®Yes, this isn¡¯t the time for me to be disheartened. I still have other tasks assigned to me, right? I need to give it my all for the sake of my kingdom¡­¡¯ ¡°There is this saying in the book that Daode Tianzun wrote¡­¡± Percival trailed off before saying, ¡°A wall that stops a magician from growing is not created by magic spells or incantations, but it is created by the magician themselves.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°A magician loses himself and bes nothing but a machine that casts spells with their wand once they start getting too obsessed with circles and forms. What does it matter if a magician is on the first or sixth circle? A circle is nothing but a method for magicians to use their mana efficiently¡­¡± ¡®H-Hold on!¡¯?Decimato suddenly eximed inwardly upon being struck by an epiphany. Of course, he didn¡¯t suddenly understand theplex theories of circles after hearing Percival¡¯s words, but he could deeply rte to the words¡ªa magician loses himself and bes nothing but a machine that casts spells with their wand once they start getting too obsessed with circles and forms. ¡®Yes! I was nothing but a wand casting spells! What is magic? What is magic in nature? What is a human being?¡¯?Decimato started pondering again and again until the realization struck him. Wooong! The six circles inside him let out resonant hums as they started to separate. ¡®Ah! This is it!¡¯?he rejoiced. Decimato was in a state of what the East would call a trance. ¡®Good job! I just threw him a hint, and he figured it out himself. Hoho!¡¯?Daode Tianzun eximed inwardly in joy after seeing Decimato¡¯s changes. Actually, Daode Tianzun had no intention of helping Decimato reach greater heights. He just wanted to give thetter a hint and let thetter think about it himself, but it seemed that Decimato had analyzed the hint and managed to find the path to the seventh circle. This was proof of how troubled Decimato had been and how much he had been studying magic just to be able to reach the seventh circle. ¡®It will be problematic if he¡¯s in that state out in the open, so maybe I should give my junior a gift,¡¯?Daode Tianzun thought. He warped Decimato to his house so that he could continue his trance without being disturbed. Of course, the warp was done so discreetly that Decimato didn¡¯t realize that it even happened. *** Meanwhile, Siegfried was holding the +15 Hwaryongdo and was standing in front of the natural fighter, Taecilius. They two fought so fiercely that the battle between Taecilius and Yong Tae-Pung looked like a children¡¯s quarrel. ¡®H-he¡¯s a human who has just reached Level 200¡­?¡¯?Taecilius tilted his head in confusion. ¡®Crazy¡­ This bastard is really talented¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. ¡®Ah¡­ I don¡¯t feel like ying this game anymore¡­¡¯??the Mandate of Heaven Guild members started to feel inferior small after seeing Siegfried in action. How was it possible for him to make those movements? His level was low, his gears were crap, and he didn¡¯t have even a single decent weapon that he had to borrow someone else¡¯s weapon. Nevertheless, Siegfried was currently overpowering?Taecilius, who managed to defeat Yong Tae-Pung. Siegfried seemed like was dering to the world that¡ªI can beat the shit out of all of you if I gain some more levels and get proper gears! The guild members would have scoffed and called him delusional if he were someone else, but Siegfried was an exception. They personally witnessed that the young man held immense potential. It might just be possible for him to achieve that greatness. The scary part was that Siegfried¡¯s potential wasn¡¯t the type where they had to see him grow to be able to tell whether he would blossom or not. His talent was the type where his growth was already guaranteed, and all he needed was time. ¡®Ah, damn it! I would have beat the shit out of this bastard if my stats were a bit higher! Keeping up with this demon is so difficult because of my low stats¡­¡¯? Siegfried was absolutely inferior to the demon boss monster when it came to stats, so he had no choice but to see a few steps ahead just to avoid the demon¡¯s attacks. Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to consistently read the enemy¡¯s movements a few steps ahead, and the effort was putting a lot of strain on him. ¡®I need to end it in one shot.¡¯?Siegfried decided to settle the battle once and for all. ¡°You damned greenhorn¡­!¡± Taecilius roared before dashing toward Siegfried. Puuuuk! Siegfried took out the Rod of God and stabbed it into Taecilius¡¯ abdomen. Then, he swung the +15 Hwaryongdo with all of his might. Slice! Thud! There was a grotesque sound followed by a dull thud. Taecilius¡¯ head flew into the air and rolled on the ground. The +15 Hwaryongdo was truly a fearsome weapon. It was strong enough to kill a boss monster with just its basic attack. Siegfried couldn¡¯t even imagine just how powerful it would truly be once it was imbued with mana. Was that the reason? Was that the reason why Siegfried suddenly thought of something extremely dangerous. ¡®Should I¡­ Try upgrading my weapon to +15 as well¡­?¡¯ Yes, it was extremely dangerous because the endeavor could bankrupt him once more. Chapter 203

    Chapter 203

    A mace dropped to the ground when Taecilius finally died. Thud! ¡®Huh? Is that what I think it is¡­?¡¯?Siegfried saw the dropped weapon, and it was kind of ironic since Taecilius fought with his bare fists. It was the item that Siegfried had been looking for¡ªGaia¡¯s Fist. However, the item¡¯s description was a bit different from the stats of the Gaia¡¯s Fist he had seen in the Mercedes Workshop¡¯s catalog. [Gaia¡¯s Fist] [A mace infused with the power of the Earth Goddess, Gaia.] [The mace¡¯s power brings forth destructiveness equal to a cmity.] [Rating: Mythic] [Attribute: N/A] [Level Restriction: 210] [Attack Power: 4,500] [Durability: 100/100] [Additional Stats: +1,000 Strength] [Additional Options: Hits grant a stack of Earth¡¯s Strength. At 100 stacks, consume all stacks to cast Earthquake. (Earthquake may bebined with Splitting Heaven and Earth!)] The real Gaia¡¯s Fist gave an extra five hundred points in Strengthpared to the high-quality replica of the Mercedes Workshop. It seemed that the saying about how an imitation would never be better than the original was true here. ¡°Hey, youngster!¡± Yong Tae-Pung shouted. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You want that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That is the reason I came here¡­¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Take it. That belongs to you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°We would have been annihted if it hadn¡¯t been for you, so it¡¯s only right that you take it. You guys agree as well, right?¡± Yong Tae-Pung looked at the Mandate of Heaven Guild members. ¡°I have no problem with that.¡± ¡°I almost got the death penalty, so I¡¯ll just think of it as payment for my life.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just d that it didn¡¯t drop the weapon type that I use. Haha! Yes, that youngster can have it¡­¡± The Mandate of Heaven Guild members unanimously agreed that Siegfried was the rightful owner of Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡®Well, I guess losing a level after dying is much more critical to them than this item,¡¯?Siegfried thought. Indeed, dying was a horrifying experience for any Adventurer above Level 250, and it could break the mind of the yer. Why? It was all because they could also lose the item they had painstakingly enchanted in addition to losing their precious levels. Dying was only eptable for those below Level 200. It was an entirely different ball game once an Adventurer¡¯s level went past 250. ¡°Then, I will help myself to it,¡± Siegfried said before picking up Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°But, youngster¡­¡± Yong Tae-Pung called out. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can you return my weapon? I hope you¡¯re not nning to run away with it¡­¡± ¡°Ah!?No, here it is,¡± Siegfried immediately returned the +15 Hwaryongdo to the old pro gamer. He would be lying if he said that he hadn¡¯t thought about running away with the weapon, but Siegfried wasn¡¯t stupid. ¡®I¡¯m really going to get fucked if I run away with that weapon.¡¯? Siegfried knew very well that he would have to quit the game if he were to start a war against a top 5 guild of the game, considering that he was already at odds with the Genesis Guild. He could end up dying again and again until he dropped everything he had, including the +15 Hwaryongdo. ¡°Great job, youngster.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°This must be fate, so why don¡¯t we go to a caf¨¦ and have a cup of coffee¡ª¡± Siegfried immediately ran away before Yong Tae-Pung could even finish speaking. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hamchi!¡± ¡°Kyu!?Good job, owner punk!¡± ¡°Thanks for the buffs!¡± ¡°Hamchi was really exhausted! You better give me a lot of nutster!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go buy some nuts!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi knew that the old pro gamer was up to something, so he decided to run away immediately. However, Siegfried wondered while running, ¡®Is it just me, or am I getting a bit too involved with old men¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he were secreting a pheromone that specifically attracted middle-aged men¡­ *** Decimato¡¯s eyes snapped open, and a light shed in both of his blue pupils. He waspletely naked, and he saw his charred robes next to him. ¡°This feeling is¡­¡± Decimato muttered as he touched his arms, chest, and legs. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is my skin so smooth?¡¯?he wondered. The wrinkles that hadpletely covered his old hands were nowhere to be seen. ¡°Did I die¡­?¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t...¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You have be a Master, so you¡¯ve gone through body transformation as well. You¡¯re still alive.¡± Decimato lifted his head and looked toward where the voice hade from and found the First Circle magician that would be in charge of the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s Magic Academy, Percival. The old magician was smiling and was looking at him with warm eyes. ¡°What do you mean by Master, sir¡­?¡± Decimato asked tentatively. Decimato instinctively knew that Percival was extraordinary, so he instinctively used honorifics to address the old First Circle magician. ¡°Yes, that is indeed the case. Why don¡¯t you check it out for yourself rather than me exining it to you? Go on and count how many circles are in your heart,¡± Percival replied. ¡°How many circles¡ªWHAT?!¡± ¡°Kekeke!?It¡¯s exactly eight! Am I right?¡± ¡°How can this be possible?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because you have been studying and researching magic for such a long time that you immediately reached an epiphany after receiving just a hint.¡± ¡°God¡­¡± ¡°Ah, but it¡¯s going to take you at least another thirty years to be enlightened to what a single circle really means. It is highly likely that you¡¯ll be gone by then.¡± ¡°Just who are you, Elder-nim? Wait¡­ No way¡­¡± Decimato wanted to ask if the old magician¡ªPercival¡ªwas the individual that suddenly popped up in his mind. ¡°Keke! Why is it important who I am? I¡¯m just Percival, a First Circle magician. I¡¯m in this backwater kingdom to run the Magic Academy, and my life¡¯s motto is¡ªdeepen your foundations! Kekeke!¡± ¡°Elder-nim¡­¡± ¡°I got you some new clothes, so wear those clothes before you go. I¡¯m a bit tired after watching over you all this while.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Elder-nim!¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, congrattions¡­¡± Percival trailed off and smiled as he opened the door. Then, he looked back at Decimato before continuing. ¡°...for bing a Great Wizard.¡± And that was how one of the subordinates whom Siegfried had obtained through his quests became a Great Wizard¡­ *** ¡°I should call it a day earlier today and go roam some dungeons,¡± Seung-Gu muttered to himself while he was on his way to the construction site. Seung-Gu¡¯s daily routine consisted of logging in, going to the construction site, going to a dungeon, and then logging out. It was a bit monotonous, but Seung-Gu found no issues with it. ¡°Marquis Decimato-nim!¡± eximed Seung-Gu after noticing the familiar back of the old magician. ¡°Good morning, Sir Seung-Gu. Did you have a pleasant night¡¯s sleep?¡± Decimato replied with a smile. ¡°Huh??You¡¯re not Marquis Decimato?¡± Seung-Gu inspected Decimato from head to toe with narrowed eyes. ¡°I thought I was correct since you looked like him from the back¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Sir Seung-Gu? It is me, Decimato.¡± ¡°Cut the crap.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Marquis Decimato is not as young as you, you know? He¡¯s an old man who should have been in a nursing home by now.¡± ¡°A-a nursing home¡­?¡± ¡°Where are you from? Are you a spy from the Genesis Guild?¡± Seung-Gu asked before shing his Rune of Insight at the middle-aged magician. [Decimato de Mickelson] [Type: NPC] [Level: 300] [Sex: Male] [Age: 72] [ss: Wizard] [Tier: Beginner Great Wizard (Master/8th Circle)] [Affiliation: Proatine Kingdom] [Title: Marquis] [Position: Head Royal Magician] [Titles: Struggling Magician, Renoma¡¯s Rain, Proatine¡¯s Wisdom] Seung-Gu doubted his eyes. ¡®What the heck¡­? The details are definitely Marquis Decimato, but¡ªwait, could it be that he improved so much overnight?¡¯ Seung-Gu suddenly recalled an announcement from BNW. [A Sudden Growth event could be triggered for an NPC once certain conditions were satisfied. The NPC¡¯s that had triggered their Sudden Growth event would quickly surpass Level 200.] [They will undergo body transformation, and their stats will increase explosively.] [For example, a normal Level 70 knight could suddenly be a Level 300 Sword Master.] ¡°No way¡­ Marquis Decimato-nim?¡± ¡°Kekeke! I was fortunate enough to have attained enlightenment, Sir Seung-Gu,¡± Decimato replied and chuckled. ¡°Crazy¡­ aren¡¯t you a bit overpowered¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°N-No, nothing¡­¡± Seung-Gu shook his head. He then said with sincerity in his voice, ¡°Congrattions, Marquis Decimato-nim.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Seung-Gu.¡± ¡°Hyung-nim will be delighted once he hears of the news,¡± Seung-Gu said. He was raring to see Siegfried¡¯s reaction. *** Siegfried and the Mandate of Heaven Guild members separated. Siegfried decided to go straight to the Mercedes Workshop after obtaining the real Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°I will leave the Gaia¡¯s priests in your care.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then, I will be on my way.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to give Yong Tae-Pung the responsibility of taking care of Gaia¡¯s priests before leaving. He was now at the Mercedes Workshop. ¡°God¡­ You really managed to obtain it,¡± Wilhelm muttered in disbelief. He could have never imagined, even in his wildest dream that someone would dive into a dimensional rift just to retrieve an artifact, not to mention that the dimensional rift in question was known to be arge rift with numerous smaller rifts within it. ¡°God¡­ Your Majesty truly deserves to be a VVIP customer of the workshops¡­¡± Wilhelm acknowledged. Wilhelm¡¯s acknowledgment was a big deal because the top three workshops were extremely picky with their clientele. The Mercedes Workshop was especially infamous for its pickiness. In addition, the Mercedes Workshop was infamous for its unwillingness to be diplomatic, so the acknowledgment of the Mercedes Workshop¡¯s Head cksmith was truly a remarkable feat. Perhaps that was also the reason that Siegfried obtained a new title¡­ [Alert: You have obtained the title Triple Crown!] [Triple Crown] [A title given to the VVIP customer of all three top workshops on the continent.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Legendary] [Effects: 30% discount from the top three workshops, +3% enhancement sess chance when enhancing equipment with the top three workshops.] ¡®I-It increases the enhancement chance of my items?!¡¯?Siegfried was stupefied. Games had always been extremely conservative when it came to sess rates, and it had always been like that since time immemorial. It had also long be an unwritten rule among developers. There were even some developers that had gone as far as deliberately making it nigh impossible to enhance items at higher enhancement levels. Their reasoning was simple¡ªenhanced equipment could break the game¡¯s bnce. In fact, there were games that lost all of their yers after tweaking their enhancement system to be favorable to spenders. This game was no different. BNW made sure not to include any cash items that could increase enhancement sess rates to prevent any imbnces in the game. There had been some special cases like enhancement coupons, but those cases were extremely rare. Every Adventurer had the same enhancement sess rate, which leveled the ying field for everyone. Of course, there were some rumors and superstitions floating around that a certain enhancement machine in a certain area was more generous than others, but those were just baseless rumors that the Adventurers had spread out of desperation. ¡°Then, may you kindly give us two days? We will enhance your weapon in two days,¡± Wilhelm said. ¡°Sure,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod before asking, ¡°But is it fine, even if the weapon wasn¡¯t crafted by the Mercedes Workshop?¡± ¡°Yes, we have no problem with that,¡± Wilhelm replied with a smile. He then exined, ¡°To be honest, it is not important where the equipment hade from or which organization had made it. We were just limiting things for the sake of tradition.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Then, I will see you the day after tomorrow,¡± Wilhelm said before disappearing into the workshop with Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°Hey, owner punk! What are we going to do in the meantime? Kyu!¡±?Hamchi asked. ¡°Well, I guess we have a few days to hunt in the dungeons around here,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. Chapter 204

    Chapter 204

    Siegfried stopped in his tracks after hearing themotion outside the workshop. ¡®Are enhancement machines always that busy¡­?¡¯?he wondered while looking at the machines lined up outside the workshop. Adventurers had a love-hate rtionship with enhancement machines. Anyone who wanted to enhance their gear without the use of a guaranteed enhancement coupon like Siegfried would have to depend on their own luck after putting their gear in the machine. Even seasoned veteran cksmiths had no choice but to rely on their own luck when it came to enhancing, and there were no guarantees. Therefore, the workshops decided to install enhancement machines to save money, time, and power. After all, there wouldn¡¯t be that much of a difference. In addition, the machines would also protect the cksmiths from furious Adventurers who might kill them after enhancement failures. ¡°Kyu??What are you looking at, owner punk?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°That,¡± Siegfried replied while pointing at a line of enhancement machines. There was a crowd of people in front of the enhancement machinesbeled Mercedes Workshop Enhancement Machine One. Some of them were watching others enhance their equipment while others were putting their gear into the machines. The machinesbeled as one by the top three workshops were rumored to possess the highest sess rate among all machines, so they tend to be the busiest machines among every other enhancement machine. ¡°I¡¯m quitting this game if this fails!¡± An Adventurer shouted before shoving his +11 weapon and enhancement materials¡ªgold and enhancement stones¡ªinto the machine. He was attempting to bring his weapon to the next level of the spectrum, which was the realm of +12 and above. Woooong! The machine vibrated vigorously¡­ Chik! Chik! Poof!? It started releasing steam¡­ Chik! Chik! Poof!? The enhancement machine¡¯s pistons worked faster as it released more steam. A cloud of steam eventually surrounded it. Fwooooosh¡­! Thirty secondster, the enhancement machine released its final cloud of steam. sh! Light shed as the enhancement machine opened its mouth, announcing the result. [Alert: The enhancement requested by Evil Buddha-nim has failed!] [Alert: The item +11 Blue Crescent Sword has been destroyed!] The equipment¡¯s enhancement levels were either setback by one or reset to zero in the event of a failed enhancement from zero to ten, but there was a chance that the equipment was going to be destroyed starting from eleven and above. The consequences of enhancement failure depended on the item¡¯s enhancement level From +1 to +10, equipment would either lose an enhancement level or lose all of its enhancement levels in case of a catastrophic enhancement attempt. However, enhancement failure on items +11 and above meant the destruction of the item. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Evil Buddha muttered nkly as he looked at the pile of dust that the enhancement machine had spat out. However, the nearby Adventurers rejoiced. ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Kyah~?It happened!¡± ¡°Hell, yeaaaah!¡± ¡°It blew up! Kekeke!¡± It was indeed pleasurable to watch someone else suffer. The Adventurers revealed looks of ecstasy the moment the weapon went poof! ¡°Fuck! This trash game! I¡¯m quitting this shitty ass game! I¡¯m quitttiiiiiiing!¡± Evil Buddha screamed at the top of his lungs. However, no one gave a damn about him because he was no longer the center of attention. ¡°Hey, fuck off!¡± ¡°Move! It¡¯s my turn!¡± ¡°No, I got here first!¡± The others started fighting for their turn with their +11 weapons in hand, and their enthusiasm seemed to have been fueled by the superstition that this machine now had a higher chance of sess. The Adventurers believed in a particr superstition¡ªan offering. There was a popr belief that destroyed equipment was an offering to the enhancement machine, which would increase the sess rate of the next person. This wasn¡¯t really a rare sight, as most games with transparent enhancement rates had the same superstition. [Alert: The enhancement requested by Minju Magician-nim has failed!] [Alert: The item +11 Sage¡¯s Seal has been destroyed!] Of course, there was no way that their enhancement would seed just because the person that had gone after them had failed. ¡°Sigh¡­?What do they hope to achieve by doing all of that? Can¡¯t they just be satisfied with what they have? They¡¯re going to go bankrupt at that rate¡­¡± Siegfried shook his head at the crowd. There were actual cases of people selling their houses, cars, and possessions just to enhance their equipment to a certain level. In fact, it had gotten so bad that there had been news of gamersmitting suicide after losing everything they had in an effort to enhance their items. ¡°Let¡¯s not be like them, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu!¡±?Hamchi eximed, obviously in agreement. Siegfried shook his head and left. ¡°Y-Your Majesty? Can you please wait for me¡­?¡± Gringore said as he followed right behind Siegfried. As usual, his presence was so low that Siegfried didn¡¯t even notice that he was right behind him. *** Siegfried¡¯s party arrived at the nearest dimensional rift and started hunting. Soon, Siegfried encountered what people called a wall. [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You need 56.6% Experience Points to level up!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You need 56.6% Experience Points to level up!] Siegfried was currently Level 203, and he was now at the level where hunting strong monsters wouldn¡¯t increase his Experience Points by even the slightest bit. The only silver lining was that his Experience Bar would increase by one percent if he were to hunt a mini-boss or a named monster. This was the reason why high-level Adventurers were extremely afraid of dying. ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s really not going up¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. He had reached Level 201 back when he was an Elemental Mage, but it had been his limit. He couldn¡¯t have imagined that the difference between Level 201 and Level 203 would be so huge, even though they were only two levels apart. ¡°I should look for a dungeon that¡¯ll give more experience points¡­¡± he grumbled as they headed toward the center of the dungeon. *** Three dayster, Siegfried received his enhanced Gaia¡¯s Fist from the head cksmith of the Mercedes Workshop, Wilhelm. [Alert: You have obtained +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist!] [Attack Power: 4,500 (+1,105)] Gaia¡¯s Fist enhanced twelve times possessed a whopping +1,105 bonus Attack Power. ¡®This is awesome¡­! I have never even dreamt of owning a +12 weapon in my life. Wow, what if I smack a debuffed enemy with this?¡¯?Siegfried thought while holding the +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist. He was currently stewing in euphoria. Perhaps he could finally defeat strong enemies in one hit, just like what Deus had told him¡­ ¡°Do you like it?¡± Wilhelm asked. ¡°Absolutely¡­ this is the best¡­¡± Siegfried replied with dazed eyes. He was only staring at the mace. ¡°I guarantee that you will love it even more once you start using it.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure I will. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll love it¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while nodding. ¡°I shall see you out then. Please do not forget that our Mercedes Workshop is going to treat Your Majesty Siegfried as a VVIP client from now on.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Godspeed!¡± Siegfried left the Mercedes Workshop with his new +12 Mythic weapon in hand. ¡®It would have been better if they would enhance it twelve times no matter its enhancement level and with no questions asked¡­¡¯?Siegfried calcted greedily and thought that his weapon could have been powerful enough to destroy gxies if it were enhanced to +22. He originally wanted to ask them to enhance it with the coupon once the weapon was already +10. Unfortunately, the coupon¡¯s terms and conditions didn¡¯t allow that to happen. [1. This coupon may not be used on enhanced equipment.] [2. This coupon will guarantee an equipment¡¯s enhancement level until +12.] The enhancement coupon itself was already destroying the bnce of the game, so it only made sense for it to have so many restrictions. ¡®I have to level up to survive! Just seven levels more!¡¯?Siegfried could only think about reaching Level 210 as soon as he left the workshop. In other words, he still had to obtain seven more levels to finally be able to use the +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist. It was extremely difficult to farm Experience Points, but his thirst for Experience Points was only amplified after he obtained the +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Meanwhile, Siegfried saw a few demons testing their patience and greed. They were none other than the people trying their luck enhancing their equipment for the thirteenth time in front of the Mercedes Workshop Enhancement Machine One. [Alert: The enhancement requested by Gilbro-nim has failed!] [Alert: The item +12 Natural Force has been destroyed!] [Alert: The enhancement requested by Horse King-nim has failed!] [Alert: The item +12 Power Lifter has been destroyed!] [Alert: The enhancement requested by Arnold Bro-nim has failed!] [Alert: The item +12 Health Chain has been destroyed!] No one knew for sure who was the first sacrifice that triggered this expensive chain of events, but there were already dozens of +12 items that had ended up turning into dust in the wind. Unfortunately, an event like this wasn¡¯t that umon. Adventurers with +11 and +12 equipment would just go crazy one day as if they had been bewitched by something, and they would try to enhance their equipment one more time. They would be in a trance-like state, and they would strongly believe that everyone else¡¯s items that had been destroyed during the enhancement process were offerings to the machine, and they were the chosen ones. [Alert: The enhancement requested by Ryu Miho-nim has failed!] [Alert: The item ¡®+12 Mad Cat w¡¯ has been destroyed!] And that marked the twenty-third weapon that the machine had consumed and destroyed since Siegfried started watching the crazy Adventurers¡­ ¡°Is it rigged?¡± ¡°The machine¡¯s cursed!¡± ¡°Those Mercedes bastards! Are they fucking with us?! So many weapons went in, so does it make sense that everything was a bust?!¡± ¡°I think they tweaked the sess rate¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s rigged! The machine¡¯s rigged! We¡¯re getting scammed!¡± The situation got so bad that both the onlookers and the Adventurers started using the machine, saying that it was rigged. In fact, they started trolling by saying that the machine was rigged. ¡°I¡¯m picking you~ Who are you~? You are scammchu~! Pika, pika, scam chu~!¡± The onlookers who were here for fun were also in disbelief. They couldn¡¯t believe that so many +12 weapons actually got destroyed in such a short period of time. ¡°Hey, does anyone else have a plus twelve equipment?¡± ¡°What about plus thirteen or fourteen? I think even a plus twenty is going to seed with so many offerings!¡± ¡°Is nobody else going to step up? I think more than fifty pieces of equipment have been offered by now!¡± It seemed that nobody was brave enough to step up. None of them seemed to be interested in bing the victor?or the fool in front of this particr enhancement machine. Why? It wasn¡¯t that they were not interested. More specifically, those who were interested had already lost their equipment to the machine. ¡°Is there no one else? This is your chance to turn your life around! Just man up and try your luck! Think about how many offerings have been sacrificed! Your sess has to be guaranteed by now!¡± ¡®N-No, I must resist¡­! This is the first time I¡¯m holding a +12 weapon¡­ I can¡¯t let this go to waste when I haven¡¯t even used it yet¡­ I mean, this is worth a few houses already. I¡¯d rather just sell it and buy some houses instead of throwing it into that machine¡­¡¯? Siegfried struggled and exerted superhuman self-control to resist temptation, but¡­ ¡®Huh¡­? What¡¯s going on? Why am I standing in front of this machine¡­?¡¯?he wondered after finding himself standing in front of the Mercedes Workshop Enhancement Machine One. He was now standing face-to-face with the monster that had an insatiable appetite for +12 weapons. ¡®Resist it¡­ I must resist the urge¡­ H-Huh? What¡¯s going on¡­? Why is my hand moving on its own?!¡¯?Siegfried tried his best to pull his hand back, but a voice whispered into his ears, ¡®Think about how much equipment has been offered to this beast! A man must know when to take chances, and you also have the Triple Crown title. Three percent can make a huge difference! In other words, you have a three out of one hundred chance to seed when others fail a hundred times. Let¡¯s go!¡¯ It was hard to tell whether being a man and being reckless had any connection with each other, but Siegfried found himself inserting his +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist into the Mercedes Workshop Enhancement Machine One. Woooong! The machine vibrated vigorously... Chik! Chik! Poof!? Chik! Chik! Fwoooooooosh! The monster finally let out its final cry. sh! The message announcing the fate of the +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist popped up in front of Siegfried. Chapter 205

    Chapter 205

    The twelfth enhancement was the boundary of the upper echelons of power. A weapon¡¯s stats wound increase explosively upon reaching the thirteenth enhancement level. However, a person had to be prepared to lose something to gain something. The chances of sessfully enhancing a weapon past the +12 mark would dramatically decrease than enhancing a +11 weapon to +12. No, it was an understatement to say that the enhancement sess rate would decrease dramatically. An Adventurer had calcted the probability of sessfully enhancing a +12 weapon and found that there was only a 3.5% sess rate. Of course, the test was conducted with crappy weapons, so the data¡¯s uracy was arguable. Why? It was all because nobody knew if the item¡¯s level restriction, tier, or stats affected the enhancement sess rate. However, one thing was for sure¡ªgoing from +12 to +13 was extremely challenging. It was proven by the dozens of failed enhancements that Siegfried had witnessed so far. Of course, there was no need to mention just how difficult it was to go from +13 to +14 and +14 to +15. In short, the people with such equipment had taken the risk and were rewarded bydy luck, or they had enough cash to burn through until they seeded. ¡®It¡¯ll work¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work¡­¡¯?Siegfried believed in his own luck. It was the primary reason he had decided to put his Gaia¡¯s Fist into the Enhancement Machine One. And the result was¡­ sh! Light shed from the machine... Bam! Bam! Bam!? Booo! Booo! Hiiiish! Siegfried could hear all sorts of noises, and he grimaced the moment he realized what those sounds meant. ¡®Ah¡­ I¡¯m fucked¡­¡¯?he muttered inwardly. The sound that he had heard just now was something that only the one who had attempted the enhancement could hear, and it was one of the two sounds that would be yed whenever an Adventurer attempted an enhancement. The first one was the sound of boisterousughter upon sessful enhancement. Hahahahahahahaha! It was a sound that urately expressed how the Adventurer would feel after their gamble paid off. However, the problem was that Siegfried couldn¡¯t hear that sound, which meant¡­ Booo! Booo! Hiiish! Enhancement failure¡­ The +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist had be just another offering to the hungry enhancement beast. [Alert: The enhancement requested by ¡®Seggs Stamina Machine¡¯-nim has¡­] He was currently hiding his identity, so his name was currently Seggs Stamina Machine. Anyway, Siegfried was starting to panic, but the message that everyone had been expecting didn¡¯t appear. Why? Fshwooooooh¡­! The enhancement machine was now bright red after enhancing dozens of items before the Gaia¡¯s Fist. Poof! Poof! Boom! The machine blew up. [Alert: The Mercedes Workshop Enhancement Machine One has broken down!] [Alert: The enhancement request of ¡®Seggs Stamina Machine¡¯-nim has been stopped!] An unexpected message popped up in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°What? It broke down?¡± ¡°Huh? So what happened? Was the enhancement a sess, or did it fail?¡± ¡°I guess these things do break down sometimes¡­¡± The Adventurers were at a loss. Meanwhile, Siegfried was suffering inside. ¡®Ah, I¡¯m crazy¡­! I was crazy¡­! Why did even I do that? Why¡­?¡±? Siegfried¡¯s suffering was made all too visible by his bodynguage. ¡°He looks like he¡¯s in pain¡­¡± ¡°The enhancement stopped, but he¡¯s in pain? Hey, he should have heard the sound effect, right? I guess he knows whether he seeded or not, right?¡± ¡°Wait, what if it seeded, but the machine broke down¡­?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s crazy¡­ I would go insane if that happened to me¡­ Imagine finally getting your hands on a +13 weapon only for the machine to break down in the process¡­¡± Everyone else thought that Siegfried was sessful because there had been so many offerings after him. ¡°Move! Out of the way!¡± ¡°Please step aside!¡± A couple of NPCs from the Mercedes Workshop appeared and surrounded the machine as they started investigating the matter. It only took them five minutes to respond when they heard the news that the machine had broken down. Murmur¡­ Murmur¡­ Murmur¡­? Meanwhile, the Adventurers started guessing whether Siegfried had seeded or not. ¡®I¡¯m screwed¡­ I¡¯m done for¡­¡¯? Meanwhile, Siegfried was still in a daze. ¡°Are you the one who requested the enhancement just now?¡± Wilhelm asked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Please follow me. I will exin what happened,¡± Wilhelm said. He leaned forward and whispered into Siegfried¡¯s ears, ¡°Please follow me, Your Majesty.¡± Siegfried decided to hide his identity, but Wilhelm easily deduced his identity based on the +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist that was still in the enhancement machine. *** Back at the Mercedes Workshop, Wilhelm bowed and said, ¡°I apologize for what happened, Your Majesty. We always pride ourselves on being the best, so we have always been doing our best to maintain a certain standard for all of our products, so what happened today was inexcusable.¡± ¡°I am certain that you were surprised by what happened, but even we did not expect our enhancement machine to break down. I guess the Adventurers were quite riled up today¡­ Anyway, I apologize once again,¡± added Wilhelm. ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡± Siegfried replied nkly. ¡®Let¡¯s go to the Han River¡­¡¯ Siegfried was already imagining jumping into the Han River. Ssh! ¡°So I was wondering¡­¡± Wilhelm muttered. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Do you wish to continue with the enhancement, or do you wish to start over?¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot wide open at those words. ¡°Huh??Start over?¡± ¡°Your Majesty may opt to redo the enhancement because it was our fault that the machine broke down, but you may also opt to wait until the machine is repaired. You can continue with your enhancement by then.¡± ¡°No! No!¡± Siegfried frivolously shook his head, and then he said, ¡°Let¡¯s pretend it never happened.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that I never tried to enhance it in the first ce. I would like my weapon back, please,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Unfortunately, that is impossible.¡± ¡°Impossible¡­?¡± ¡°I apologize once again, but the enhancement energy is unstable right now, so there¡¯s a chance that it will explode if we were to remove the weapon right now. An explosion at that scale would damage the entire country.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue. ¡®Tsk¡­ I thought I had a chance to make things right¡­¡¯ He had acted like a man just a while ago, but he was now trying to run with his weapon?tucked between his legs after realizing that the enhancement had failed. Of course, nobody could really me him. After all, even the most hardened man would feel his heart drop upon realizing that their weapon was about to get destroyed. Enhancement was a beast that didn¡¯t discern between youngsters, old women, or children. It would ruthlessly bring ruin to anyone foolish enough to challenge it. ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s cancel that one and redo it¡­¡± Siegfried said. ¡®Anyway, it¡¯s a relief that I¡¯m getting another chance¡­ Phew¡­!¡¯?He couldn¡¯t retrieve his weapon, but at least he had another chance to try his luck. ¡®Ah¡­ the heavens truly helped me this time.¡± It was a huge relief that the enhancement machine broke right before it destroyed his weapon. Otherwise, Siegfried would have seriously considered going to the Han River Bridge with four bottles of soju. ¡°Are you certain that you wish to redo the enhancement? It could have been a sessful enhancement,¡± Wilhelm asked. ¡®Ah¡­ He has no idea that it failed. I should probably shut up¡­¡¯? The head cksmith had no idea the enhancement failed, so Siegfried decided to feign ignorance. ¡°Enhancing a piece of equipment has a certain thrill to it, but all the excitement is gone now. I want to start all over again to feel the same thrill,¡± he said. ¡°Hmm¡­?I see that Your Majesty is quite the thrill seeker¡­ Yes, I understand. I will make preparations so that Your Majesty may redo the enhancement as soon as possible,¡± Wilhelm replied. ¡®All right! I¡¯m not screwed¡ªyet! Not yet! Hahaha!¡¯?Siegfried rejoiced, jumped, and tumbled inside. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that the sess rate would go up or anything, but at least he would get a second chance to redeem his weapon. ¡°But we will need some materials to redo the enhancement, and unfortunately, our workshop has run out of those materials¡­ I apologize¡­¡± ¡°What materials do you need?¡± Siegfried asked. He could smell the fragrance of a quest. As expected, Wilhelm exined what materials he would need to allow Siegfried to redo the enhancement. A quest message popped up in front of Siegfried. [A Close Call!] [Go to the Thierry Merchant Company and procure the rare material Regenium!] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: A chance to redo the enhancement of ¡®+12 Gaia¡¯s Fist¡¯.] [Warning: This quest will not affect the enhancement sess rate in any way.] ¡°The Thierry Merchant Company¡­ I should go and see Gio-nim,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Oh, are you acquainted with Gio-nim?¡± ¡°I have met him before,¡± Siegfried said. He undid his disguise and equipped his cape before saying, ¡°It¡¯s when I purchased this...¡± ¡°The Heavenly Silk¡­!¡± Wilhelm eximed after recognizing the material that made up the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings. He inspected Siegfried¡¯s other equipment and muttered, ¡°In addition, you¡¯re also wearing a customized artifact set from the Autonika Guild¡¯s Smithy of Advancement. Your Majesty is truly extraordinary.¡± ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m a normal person who will still cry a river of blood if the enhancement fails¡­¡± Siegfried said while shaking his head. ¡°Hahaha! Crying and rejoicing at the enhancement result is the way of this world! Even the renowned heroes of the continents were not exempted from it,¡± said Wilhelm. He was correct. It didn¡¯t matter whether one was a hero or a farmer. Anyone would cry rivers of blood and tremble upon seeing their weapon getting destroyed right in front of their eyes. Who wouldn¡¯t be affected by a failed enhancement? Perhaps it was going to be a different story if they were someone who had let go of all their materialistic greed, but how many people had done that? ¡°We will pay for the materials, and Your Majesty will just have to bring the item for us while we repair the enhancement machine,¡± Wilhelm said. He immediately took out a check and passed it over to Siegfried. Siegfried looked at the check, and his eyes shot wide open in disbelief. ¡®Why is it so expensive¡­?¡¯ However, he wasn¡¯t really affected or shaken by the many zeroes on the check. Why? The money didn¡¯t belong to him, anyway. *** Siegfried immediately went to where the Thierry Merchant Company was located, White Town. As expected, he saw Gio there. ¡°Your Majesty! What brings you here?¡± Gio weed him with open arms. Siegfried went straight to the point, but¡­ ¡°I am sorry to inform you, but we cannot sell the Regenium at this time¡­¡± Gio said. ¡°What is it this time¡­?¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes narrowed before saying, ¡°Let me guess¡­ the children from noble families are crazy over an essory crafted from Regenium these days?¡± Siegfried figured that it was the exact same event as when he had tried to purchase the Heavenly Silk, and it seemed that he was correct. ¡°H-How did you know, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°W-wait, I¡¯m right? Those damn brats¡­ who do I have to defeat this time?¡± ¡°I was just kidding, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your Majesty seemed so eager to make a guess that I felt slightly mischievous.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, it has been difficult for us to procure Regenium because our caravan got ambushed.¡± ¡°Ambushed¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, a new up-anding band of mountain bandits called the Supreme Mountain Bandits have ambushed our caravan and looted all of our Regenium.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have any in stock?¡± ¡°No, our caravan was in the process of moving all of our stock to our new warehouse, so¡­¡± ¡°How long will it take to craft new Regeniums?¡± ¡°Mining Regeniums isn¡¯t that hard, but purifying them is an extremelyplex and tricky process, so it takes a lot of time. I believe it will take at least six months to prepare one¡­¡± A quest message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: The quest ¡®Take It or Leave It¡¯ has appeared!] Siegfried wasn¡¯t given a simple yes or no but rather two choices this time, and it seemed that the game had even analyzed his speech patterns and presented him with two choices that he would most likely make. [1. Hmm¡­ I guess I have no choice but to wait for six months¡­] [2. Where is their base? I will go subjugate them and recover the stolen goods for you.] Needless to say, Siegfried chose the second one. ¡°Where is their base? I will go subjugate them and recover the stolen goods for you.¡± The quest Subjugate Mountain Bandits immediately popped up in front of him. Chapter 206

    Chapter 206

    The quest details popped up in front of Siegfried. [Subjugate Mountain Bandits] [A new group of mountain bandits, the Supreme Mountain Bandits, has started appearing around White Town.] [Subjugate the Supreme Mountain Bandits and retrieve the goods stolen from the Thierry Merchant Company!] [Reward: Gio¡¯s Affinity +500, A Special Gift] [Warning: The Supreme Mountain Bandits are a vicious and powerful group. Caution is advised when facing them.] It was a straightforward quest aside from the warning. ¡®I can just think of it as hunting monsters and leveling up. I will need to grind seven more levels to reach Level 210, anyway,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he epted the quest from Gio. He left the Thierry Merchant Company¡¯s building and went straight to the ce suspected to be the Supreme Mountain Bandits¡¯ hideout. *** The leader of the Supreme Mountain Bandits, Cesc Graham, was immersing himself in training. ¡°Hap!¡±?Cesc shouted before grabbing the steel rod on the ground. The steel rod had five tes crafted out of special metals on each side, and each of the tes weighed five hundred kilograms. In short, the special metal tes alone weighed five tons, and the steel rod made out of special steel weighed a hundred kilograms. All in all, the total weight that Cesc Graham was lifting was a massive 5.1 tons. Of course, this wasn¡¯t an impossible weight to lift. Why? It was all because of mana¡¯s existence. A person¡¯s muscle strength would increase a dozen to a few hundred times with the help of mana, and that was the reason why it was possible to lift such a heavy weight in this world. However, that was not the case for Cesc Graham¡­ ¡°Yeah, buddy! Lightweight baby!¡± he shouted a few phrases he had learned from an Adventurer in the past. The surprising thing about Cesc was that he was lifting 5.1 tons of weights without using a single drop of mana, and he was performing deadlifts, squats, and bench presses without using mana as well. ¡°Huff! Hap! Haaap!¡±?Cesc lifted the weights a total of eight times. ¡°Huff¡­! Huff¡­! Huff¡­!¡± He collected his breath for around one minute before performing five deadlift sets in a row, but he didn¡¯t stop there. He adjusted the weight tes and performed squats and bench presses as well. He squatted 4.6 tons and bench pressed 4.1 tons, and he did not use a single ounce of mana while doing all of those. ¡°Hmm¡­ My bench press weight is not increasing at all¡­ Have I been cking off?¡± he scolded himself after finishing his workout. This monster of a human being had lifted abined total of thirteen tons by performing three big lifts, and he had a personal record of fifteen tons. However, he seemed serious when he rebuked himself, and it was because of the book that had turned him into a monster. Cesc was a normal mountain bandit who was interested in bodybuilding, and he stumbled upon a book one day that said¡ªanyone with a big three lifts total of less than twenty tons is an anchovy. The book was titled Supreme King¡¯s Book, and the skills of a true warrior were written down on it. In short, the book that Cesc had stumbled upon by pure luck turned him¡ªwho had been an ordinary mountain bandit¡ªinto the monster he was today. Now, he was a monster capable of lifting weights in tons, and the crafting method for the special weights that he was using was written in the Supreme King¡¯s Book as well. ¡°I wonder when I¡¯ll be able to lift more than twenty tons and graduate from being an anchovy¡­?¡± Cesc seriously wondered. The book mentioned that anyone who could lift abined total of fewer than twenty tons and weighed less than a hundred and fifty kilos was an anchovy. In short, the Supreme King considered 99.999% of the poption as mere anchovies. It made Cesc wonder just how what kind of a monster the Supreme King was. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s graduate from being an anchovy first¡­ Afterward, I can start dreaming about bing the Bandit King,¡± Cesc desperately wanted to be a true warrior. It was his dream to be powerful enough to make all seventy-two named bandit groups on the continent kneel in front of him and proim himself as the one and only Bandit King. ¡°Boss!¡± Zolge, one of his subordinates, was running to him while shouting, ¡°There¡¯s trouble!¡± ¡°Trouble?¡± ¡°Our scouts got messed up!¡± ¡°Messed up? Exin.¡± ¡°An Adventurer showed up and dered that he was going to subjugate us!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Do I have to step up?¡± Cesc asked while rubbing his beard. ¡°I-I think so? Our bandit group technically doesn¡¯t have anyone strong aside from you, boss¡­ Hahaha¡­ Haha¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Tell our brothers to stay hidden. I will personally take care of that Adventurer myself once hees here.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to go and take care of him, boss?¡± ¡°Not now,¡± Cesc said as he stood up from the bench. ¡°Hiiik!¡±?Zolge cried out in horror as the bandit leader towered over him. The bandit leader towered at one hundred ny centimeters tall while weighing more than a hundred fifty kilograms. The pressure he was exerting thanks to hisrge muscles couldn¡¯t be glossed over. And his muscles were glistening under the sunlight¡­ ¡®I-I want to lick it¡­ Ack! What the hell are you thinking? Moron!¡¯?Zolge almost forgot his sexual orientation. ¡°Why can¡¯t you go right now, boss?¡± ¡°I have to replenish my protein and take a shower.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, just tell our brothers to stay safe until he arrives here. I will personally take care of him by then,¡± Cesc said. He then entered his tent to replenish his protein. *** Siegfried was baffled on the way to the Supreme Mountain Bandits¡¯ hideout. ¡°What the hell? These guys are a bunch of weaklings¡­ Aren¡¯t they supposed to be strong? These guys are no different from a bunch of farmers wielding weapons that they had never learned how to use¡­¡± he grumbled in disbelief. The Supreme Mountain Bandits averaged between Level 5 to Level 10, so Siegfried focused on beating them up with his fists and extorting information from out of them rather than killing them. And that was why he quickly discovered their hideout¡­ He was currently on his way to their hideout. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Maybe their boss is strong? Kyu!¡±?Hamchi replied. ¡°Do you think so?¡± ¡°I have a feeling! How can these ragtag weaklings make a living out of plundering?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­ A single one of the merchantpany guards could probably take on hundreds of them, so this doesn¡¯t make any sense at all.¡± Siegfried and Hamchi realized that the Supreme Mountain Bandits were probably nothing without their leader, so they walked toward the bandit hideout without much suspense. ¡°Why are the doors wide open¡­?¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re asking us toe in.¡± Thirty minutester, Siegfried and Hamchi reached the makeshift vige in the mountain, and they were surprised to find that the wooden barricades were all put aside to make it easier for them to go in. ¡°Come in! Come in!¡± ¡°Our boss is waiting for you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re dead!¡± The weaklings started taunting Siegfried. ¡°Have these bastards gone nuts? Hey! Come here! What did you just say?¡± Siegfried shouted and raised his hand. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Hiiik!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The bandits immediately jumped up in fright and bowed toward him. ¡®Is he a bandit leader or the eldest brother looking after his siblings¡­?¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but wonder about their leader¡¯s identity. Anyway, he managed to enter the bandit hideout without shedding a single drop of blood. ¡°Hey,¡± Siegfried called out. One of the bandits immediately responded, ¡°Y-Yes, sir?!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your boss?¡± ¡°T-There¡­ He¡¯s over there,¡± the bandit pointed at arge tent. ¡°Thanks,¡± Siegfried thanked the bandit and went straight to therge tent, and then he called out, ¡°Excuse me! Can youe out if you¡¯re home? I have something to discuss with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± A deep voice replied from the tent, and arge man emerged from it. ¡°Huh? Their boss is a titan?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Stupid owner punk! That¡¯s a human! A titan is not that small! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi eximed. ¡®Then, what¡¯s up with his size¡­? Isn¡¯t he a giant instead of a human¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered while looking up at the bandit leader¡¯s imposing figure. He shed his Rune of Insight at the bandit leader. [Cesc Graham] [Type: NPC] [ss: Strength Master] [Level: 240] [Affiliation: Supreme Mountain Bandit] [Title: Boss] [Titles: One Who Dreams of Bing The Bandit King, Muscle Maniac, Descendant of the Supreme King, King of Exhibition, Large and Sturdy Man] Siegfried noticed something in the bandit leader¡¯s details. ¡®Huh? Descendant of the Supreme King¡­? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ [Alert: The Quest: ¡®Master¡¯s Regret¡¯ has been activated!] A quest window popped up in front of Siegfried. [Master¡¯s Regret] [Type: Quest] [Details: Find and crush the seven sessors of the people known as the strongest eight on the continent five hundred years ago. [Progress: 0%] [Descendant of Thunder God Vajra 0/1] [Descendant of Sword Saint Murcigo 0/1] [Descendant of Great Sage Sieghart 0/1] [Descendant of Blood Master Berserk 0/1] [Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris 0/1] [Descendant of God Arrow Windforce 0/1] [Descendant of Supreme King Braum 0/1] UP! The leader of the Supreme Mountain Bandits, Cesc Graham, was none other than the descendant of Supreme King Braum. ¡°Okay, this is great,¡± Siegfried muttered with a smile. It seemed that he would be able to clear not only the Subjugate Mountain Bandits quest but also a portion of Master¡¯s Regret. ¡°Let¡¯s have a go,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Sure,¡± Cesc replied. The bandit leader nonchntly epted the duel request and stood in front of Siegfried. ¡®Hooo? Look at this guy. He¡¯s purposely showing so many openings.¡¯? Siegfried noticed that the bandit leader was full of openings, so he decided to take the initiative. Shwiik! Siegfried¡¯s mace cut through the air and smashed Cesc¡¯s precious ce. The reason he aimed for that ce was that Cesc wasn¡¯t wearing anything else aside from his triangr underwear. The steel mace mmed into Cesc¡¯sher region. ng! The sound of metal shing against metal echoed. ¡°Ack!?What the hell was that?!¡±?Siegfried shouted. The rebound almost made him let go of his mace. ¡®Why did my hand hurt when I hit him there¡­? Is his underwear made out of metal or something?!¡¯? Siegfried was shocked. He had smashed his mace into the bandit leader¡¯sher region, but it felt like he was the one who got injured instead. Another strange thing was that the sound went ng!?instead of puk! However, the most surprising thing was that Cesc Graham seemed fine. ¡°You have decided to go after a man¡¯s weakness,¡± Cesc said without batting an eye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you, but I have no weakness. And my thing has the highest defense out of all of my body parts. You can¡¯t even imagine what kind of hellish training I had to go through just to train my thing.¡± ¡°W-What? Where and how did you train your thing¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. ¡°I tied it to a rope and¡ª¡± Cesc politely exined ¡°Stop!¡± Siegfried hurriedly interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. Take this instead!¡± Siegfried swung his mace one more time. ng! The mace smashed into Cesc¡¯s face, but it failed to deal any damage. ¡°You¡¯ve hit me twice,¡± Cesc said. ¡°W-What are you¡­? A monster¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. ¡°It should be my turn now, right?¡± Cesc punched Siegfried¡¯s chest. Kwang! ¡°AAACK!¡±?Siegfried screamed in agony before he was sent flying. 1. Anchovy is what Korean bodybuilders call scrawny people. Chapter 207

    Chapter 207

    ¡°O-Owner punk!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Hamchi and Gringore were shocked. Siegfried was sent flying in one hit? They could have never imagined that a day woulde when Siegfried would be sent flying away with just one hit, especially when he had been holding his ground against enemies much more powerful than he was. Thud! Siegfried crashed to the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­!?Why is a Level 240 NPC so strong¡­?¡±?he grumbled and checked his HP. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] He was shocked to find that ten percent of his HP was missing after getting hit by a single punch, and it was even more horrifying considering how it was only a simple punch without any mana. ¡®Is this what the Descendant of the Supreme King is capable of? He¡¯spletely different from other Level 240 NPCs¡­¡¯?he thought. However, Cesc was shocked as well. ¡°Huh??You¡¯re sturdier than you look. I thought you were going to die in one hit. Not bad for an anchovy.¡± ¡°Anchovy?¡± Siegfried pointed at himself and asked, ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re 183 cm tall and around seventy-seven kilograms.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re an anchovy.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Anyone under a hundred fifty kilograms and lifts less than abined total of twenty tons for the big three lifts is an anchovy.¡± Hearing that, a thought popped up in Siegfried¡¯s mind. ¡®So this bastard is the type to call a snakehead fish an anchovy¡­¡¯ ¡°Anyway, I guess we can keep going,¡± Cesc said as he started walking toward him. ¡®I¡¯m dead if I drop my guard,¡¯?Siegfried acknowledged the bandit leader¡¯s power and decided to fight seriously. He gritted his teeth. Badump! Badump! Badump! He could feel his heart racing. Why? It was all because it had been a while since he fought against someone powerful. *** Cesc managed to prove that he was indeed powerful in just less than thirty minutes. Whooosh! ng! It was at that moment that Siegfried¡¯s mace mmed into Cesc¡¯s face once again¡­ ¡°Why are you carrying that weak weapon around?¡± Cesc asked. He grabbed the mace with his hand. Crack¡­! ck! Cesc snapped the Bavarian Workshop¡¯s mace in half. [Alert: Weapon Destroyed!] [Alert: Your weapon, Bloody Mace, has been destroyed!] Siegfried was in total disbelief. ¡®Just how strong is this crazy bastard¡­?¡¯ He knew his weapon had no enhancements, but it was still a Level 200 Unique weapon. However, Cesc snapped it with his bare hands. Actually, this wouldn¡¯t have happened if Siegfried had invested in his weapon. After all, there was a famous saying about how a +10 was an absolute must the moment one reached Level 200. Unfortunately, Siegfried decided against it. He felt that it would be wasteful to invest in something that would soon be reced by the +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist, and this mindset of his had finallye to bite him on the ass. Indeed, the saying¡ªbetter safe than sorry¡ªtruly existed for a reason. ¡®This is too much!¡¯?Siegfried cried out inwardly. He was aware that this could have been avoided if he had invested in his weapon, but he still found Cesc¡¯s strength to be borderline absurd. However, the main problem was that strength was not the only thing that the bandit leader possessed¡­ ¡°It¡¯s my turn to hit your face.¡± Cesc swung his fist toward Siegfried¡¯s face. Whoosh! ¡®He¡¯s also fucking fast!¡¯?Siegfried was horrified when he realized that he couldn¡¯t avoid the attack. It wasn¡¯t really strange because a human being¡¯s speed came from their muscle strength. Most people would think that a skinny person was faster than a muscr person, but that was a big misconception. In fact, a sprint race between a sprinter and a weightlifter would be in the weightlifter¡¯s favor for the first few meters. It was all because the weightlifter¡¯s muscr body would allow them to burst out like a bullet. Of course, there were numerous factors at y after the initial few meters, such as stamina, weight, air resistance, etc. In other words, the sprinter would win in the end, but the general idea was that speed came from strength as well. The explosive kic energyunched Cesc¡¯s fist toward Siegfried like a bullet. ¡®I can¡¯t avoid it! I¡¯ll try to block it instead!¡¯?Siegfried immediately gave up on evading and wrapped himself with his cape in an effort to protect himself. Pukeok! When Cesc¡¯s fist collided against Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings, a message popped up in front of Siegfried. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been inflicted with Status Ailment: Stun!] [Alert: Your character will be incapacitated for 1.5 seconds!] Cesc took advantage of the status ailment to beat Siegfried up. Bam! Bam! Pukeok! Thud! Siegfried was thrown to the ground once again. ¡°Ughh¡­¡±?he groaned in pain. Meanwhile, Cesc was thoroughly impressed by his enemy. ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re really tough.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡±? ¡°I thought for sure that you¡¯d, but you¡¯re still alive? I guess anchoviese in different shapes and durability!¡± ¡°Can you stop calling me an anchovy? Otherwise, this anchovy here might beat you up.¡± Siegfried growled while forcing himself to his feet. ¡°Beat me up? You¡¯re going to beat me up? Ah,?I guess you can hit me, but that¡¯s all you can ever aplish against me,¡± Cesc replied with a confident smirk. He looked like he was saying¡ªyou can hit me a hundred or even a thousand times, but nothing is going to change. ¡°Owner punk! Hamchi will help you!¡± ¡°Your Majesty! Let me sing a song for you!¡± Hamchi and Gringore tried to help, but¡­ ¡°Stay back,¡± Siegfried raised his hand and stopped them. ¡°I would have epted your help, but it¡¯s different this time.¡± He was currently trying toplete a portion of Master¡¯s Regret. In other words, he couldn¡¯t receive hisrade¡¯s help. The Master¡¯s Regret quest required him as the Debuff Master to defeat the descendants of the other legends. He couldn¡¯t gang up on the target with hisrades. This fight had to be a one-on-one battle against the Descendant of the Supreme King, and he had to emerge victorious. Wooong! A kaleidoscope of colors enveloped Siegfried as he cast the Debuff Master¡¯s buff skills¡ªContempt for the Strong, Adamant Body, and Proof of Existence. Of course, he wasn¡¯t done just yet. Woooong! Siegfried ced his debuff circles as well. Seuk¡­ Seuk¡­ Shadows emerged from the ground. ¡®I¡¯m going to win,¡¯?thought Siegfried. He gnashed his teeth and decided to give it his all against this bandit leader¡ªthe Descendant of the Supreme King. *** Meanwhile, Michele was in a dilemma. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± He wasparing the files he had received from the Guardians and the files that the Proatine Kingdom had independently procured about the Church of Osric, but he couldn¡¯t figure out just what that organization was no matter how much he searched through the files. Who was their leader? What was their objective? Where were their headquarters? It felt like it would be impossible to get to the bottom of their identity. ¡°I wonder what I have to do to get more leads on them. They will definitely need food, clothing, and shelter since they are humans as well¡­¡± Michele was trying toe up with a way to catch the tail of the Church of Osric. ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± Michele suddenly thought of something. ¡°I¡¯m not aware of their scale, but they still need money, right? They¡¯ll need a lot of money to pull off whatever they¡¯re doing. In other words¡­¡± Michele muttered. He immediately searched for reports on all of the merchantpanies on the continent. ¡®Yes, their financial capacity. They will need a lot of money to run such a huge organization, and they will need even more money to pull off their ns. That means someone is funding them from somewhere¡­¡¯?he immediately started penning a letter to the Guardians after finding a clue that might just catch the Church of Osric¡¯s tail. *** The battle between Siegfried, who was using his full power now, and Cesc, who was more of a monster than a human being, was like a fight between an out-boxer and an in-fighter. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Cesc threw numerous jabs at Siegfried, and his fist cut through the air like a bullet. His insane jabs were so fast that their speed alone was more than enough to cut Siegfried¡¯s skin. The wind pressure from Cesc¡¯s jabs was also strong enough to reduce the durability of Siegfried¡¯s items. However, what was more baffling about the bandit leader¡¯s strength was that he didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the shadows clinging to him. Slow? The debuff that managed to slow even high-level Adventurers was rendered obsolete against Cesc¡¯s monstrous strength. Siegfried could see that the bandit leader would only get slowed down by five percent, and it only happened whenever he got lucky. Cesc Graham was so powerful that it was hard to believe that he was a bandit leader. Unfortunately, his strength was useless if he couldn¡¯tnd his attacks. ¡°Until when¡­ do you n on running away¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­¡±?Cesc asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll die in one hit, so shouldn¡¯t I keep on evading your punches¡­?¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Then¡­ Why don¡¯t you just run away?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Catch me if you can~¡± A vein popped on Cesc¡¯s head. He strongly flexed his muscles and charged toward Siegfried. ¡®Avoid it with a step,¡¯?Siegfried thought while reading the bandit leader¡¯s movement. He cast Shadow Swamp once again once it went off cooldown to hinder Cesc¡¯s movement even by a little bit. This was Siegfried¡¯s entire game n against the Descendant of the Supreme King. He was nning on running, evading, and using Shadow Swamp whenever it was off cooldown. He simply rinsed and repeated those actions without bothering about how he could attack the bandit leader. Of course, there was a good reason behind his actions. ¡®He¡¯s too strong, fast, and tough, but I can tell that his stamina isn¡¯t that good,¡¯?Siegfried immediately identified the bandit leader¡¯s weakness, and it would be his key to victory. And the fact that Shadow Swamp could finally slow Cesc down meant that the bandit leader was starting to run out of gas. The bandit leader¡¯s sweat andbored breathing were further proof that Siegfried¡¯s n was effective. ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡± Ten minutester, Siegfried smiled after confirming that the bandit leader was out of gas. ¡°You¡¯re tired, right?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°N-No¡­¡± Cesc replied while gasping for breath. ¡°Really~?¡± Siegfried sneered. ¡°But your movement¡¯s getting slower, and your punches are getting weaker~¡± ¡°N-No! You¡¯re wrong!¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re suffering from premature~¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Ha! To think that a premature sufferer would call me an anchovy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not suffering from premature¡­!¡± ¡°You are...¡± Fwaaaah! Siegfried finally cast his other debuff field¡ªze Field. ¡°Enough chatter. I¡¯m going to beat the living daylights out of you, so you better get ready,¡± Siegfried said before throwing an uppercut. ¡°Kuheok!¡± The bandit leader¡¯s extremely high defense was shredded by the debuff field. Bam! Bam! Pukeok! The uppercut was followed by a punch, elbow, knee, and kick. ¡°Ack!?Stop hitting me! AAACK!¡±?Cesc cried out in agony after falling to the ground. ¡°Oh, right, you said you¡¯re quite tough down there, right?¡± Siegfried shed an evil grin while walking toward the bandit leader on the ground. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Shall we test how tough it is, then?¡± Kwachik! Siegfried stomped on Cesc Graham¡¯s?precious ce with his Bloody Iron Boots. Chapter 208

    Chapter 208

    ¡°K-Keuk!¡± Cesc was definitely not fine after Siegfried stomped on his precious ce. Fortunately, it did not look like it got injured at all, which made Siegfried wonder just how much he had been training that part. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be in much pain,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°N-No¡­ It hurts¡­!¡± Cesc replied. ¡°Hmm¡­ No, you look fine,¡± Siegfried insisted. He stomped on Cesc¡¯sher region once again. ¡°Hap!¡± This time, it seemed that he inflicted a bit more damage, but¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ No, it¡¯s still not enough. This isn¡¯t the reaction I was hoping for¡­¡± Siegfried said while rubbing his chin. ¡°No! It hurts!¡± Cesc retorted. However, Siegfried replied in a stato manner, ¡°No. It. Is. Not. Enough.¡± ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be in pain as much as I want you to be.¡± ¡°Hey, you crazy bastard! I already told you it¡¯s painful! Just what are you looking foo¡ªAARRGH!¡± Cesc screamed in agony when Siegfried stomped on hisher region with the Bloody Iron Boots, but the sadistic Adventurer was just getting started¡­ Puk! Puk! Puk! Siegfried¡¯s foot moved like a piston and stomped on Cesc¡¯s precious ce?numerous times. He stomped on it consistently and rhythmically as if he were a machine¡­ ¡°AAACCK! Stop!?STOOOOP!¡± ¡°I thought you had no weakness?¡± ¡°Please stop¡­!¡± ¡°You said this is the toughest part of your body.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not anymore¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can still say it¡¯s tough after it pops~¡± ¡°P-Pops? What¡¯s going to pop?¡± ¡°What else~¡± Siegfried shed a bright smile that sent chills all over the bandit leader¡¯s body, and then he continued, ¡°I¡¯m talking about your eggs. Those two eggs hanging below your belt~¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see whether they¡¯ll pop or not.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hamchi and Gringore were speechless after witnessing Siegfried¡¯s brutality. Siegfried was wless in battle. He made up for hiscking speed and strength with his superior control, and he was able to emerge victorious after a long battle of attrition. However, what he did after he won was something that would make even the devil worry about making a living from now on. In fact, he was so evil that Hamchi and Gringore could only shake their heads while thinking that Siegfried was crossing the line here. ¡°That owner punk¡­ He¡¯s really petty¡­¡± Hamchi said while covering his eyes with his front paws. Meanwhile, Gringore was busy recording Siegfried¡¯s atrocities. Sukeok! Sukeok! Sukeok! His Majesty disyed his wisdom and courage in battle, and he emerged victorious from the battle that looked like he was going to lose. However, His Majesty¡¯s wrath was not quelled by victory alone¡ªno, it burned even greater. His Majesty¡¯s patience is as vast as the ocean, but he disyed today that anyone incurring his wrath was going to experience what cruelty truly means.? Yes, His Majesty was so cruel that even the devil himself came out from the depths of hell to take notes from his cruelty. Records of the Proatine Kingdom Book 1 Chapter 3 Siegfried Van Proa the First His Majesty¡¯s Personal Affairs The scribe wrote it in a roundabout manner, but he had basically recorded in the annals of history that Siegfried¡¯s temper was bad. *** Siegfried was oblivious to the fact that his cruelty was currently being recorded in the annals of history. ¡°Wow¡­ They aren¡¯t popping at all,¡± he muttered. ¡°Eup!?Euuuup!¡± ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll pop if I do this?¡± ¡°AAAAACK!¡± Siegfried stubbornly tested the durability of Cesc¡¯s eggs. [Alert: You have defeated the Descendant of Supreme King Braum!] [Alert: You have progressed 14.28% of the Quest: Master¡¯s Regret!] Siegfried stopped the durability test when the message that he had been waiting for finally appeared. [Master¡¯s Regret] [Type: Quest] [Details: Find and crush the seven sessors of the people known as the strongest eight on the continent five hundred years ago. [Progress: 14.28% (1/7)] [Descendant of Thunder God Vajra 0/1] [Descendant of Sword Saint Murcigo 0/1] [Descendant of Great Sage Sieghart 0/1] [Descendant of Blood Master Berserk 0/1] [Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris 0/1] [Descendant of God Arrow Windforce 0/1] [Descendant of Supreme King Braum 1/1] ? There were only six descendants remaining. Siegfried had already run into the descendants of Blood Master Berserk and God Arrow Windforce, but he still had yet to meet the other four descendants. Of course, whether he could win against them or not was something he had to see once he fought them. ¡°Oh, well, I guess I should continue what I was doing,¡± Siegfried said with a shrug before lifting his foot once again. ¡°H-Hyung-nim!¡± Cesc immediately got up and kowtowed before begging. ¡°Can you please overlook it just this once? It really hurts¡­ I feel like my legs are going to blow up¡­ Please forgive me, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Why am I your hyung-nim? Am I a bandit or something? Why are you calling me hyung-nim?¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°N-No¡­ but you defeated me, so I will serve you as my hyung-nim from now on!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I am a mountain bandit, and it is not strange for mountain bandits to serve someone stronger than them as their hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t really fancy the idea of having bandits under me,¡± Siegfried said and lifted his foot once more. ¡°W-Wait a minute!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ What is it this time?¡± ¡°I am fine with not serving you as my hyung-nim! I will swear loyalty to you and be your dog! Please forgive me!¡± ¡°Loyalty¡­?¡± Siegfried¡¯s ears twitched at the word. ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound bad at all¡­ this guy is really strong, so it¡¯s not a bad idea to keep him around. He can dish out decent damage and tank a lot of damage, too¡­¡¯ Cesc was a mountain bandit, but he was still the descendant of the Supreme King Braum, who was one of the most powerful people on the continent five hundred years ago. He would definitely benefit greatly from having someone like him as his subordinate. ¡®Master will be delighted to hear that the descendant of the Supreme King has be my subordinate. He¡¯s going to be happy about it, right? The descendant of the person he had failed to beat centuries ago has actually be the subordinate of his disciple¡­¡¯? Siegfried was sure that Deus would be able to let go of a portion of his regret if he were to present him with this gift. ¡°Hey, will you really swear loyalty?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to try and get revengeter on?¡± ¡°Not at all! I¡ªCesc Graham¡ªam a bandit and the son of a poor farmer, but I still know what honor is!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It is a shame that I cannot be the Bandit King, but I will swear loyalty if you ept me as your subordinate!¡± Cesc eximed while thinking, ¡®Giving up on bing the Bandit King is much better than bing a eunuch¡­¡¯ Frankly speaking, the only reason Cesc was so obsessed with bing the Bandit King was that was the only thing he knew how to do. In other words, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to directly give up that ambition after finding something else to do. ¡°Are you sure? Hmm¡­ okay then, I¡¯ll trust you this once,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Then, you should stop being a bandit and¡­¡± Siegfried said. He stopped and thought for a second before bestowing a new identity upon the bandit leader, ¡°¡­you should be our kingdom¡¯s Ranger.¡± ¡°A R-Ranger¡­?¡± Cesc muttered. A Ranger usually operated in mountains and rough terrain. They were in charge of carrying out gueri tactics against enemy forces or subjugating monsters living in the mountains. ¡°You¡¯re still going to be operating in the mountains, so isn¡¯t it better for you to be a soldier rather than a bandit? You will be making an honest living, and people will like you as well,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°But the ie is¡­!¡± ¡°Do you want your eggs popped?¡± ¡°N-No, sir! I will do it!¡± Cesc eximed. ¡°Hey, you guys over there! I have a feeling you guys became bandits because you can¡¯t make a living. Why don¡¯t you be Rangers instead? I mean, it¡¯s better than dying a dog¡¯s death as bandits, right?¡± Siegfried shouted at the other bandits. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°A r-ranger¡­?¡± ¡°An enlistment¡­¡± The Supreme Mountain Bandits hesitated at Siegfried¡¯s offer. Siegfried let out a sigh in disbelief and said, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it better to be a Ranger than die a dog¡¯s deathter as a bandit¡­? Do you have any idea how good is it to be a soldier? You get a house, clothes, and food. The kingdom will pay you a steady sry as well. Oh,?did I mention that you will be considered civil servants?¡± The keyword civil servants was enough to convince the bandits. ¡°C-Civil servants?!¡± ¡°It makes sense now that I think about it! It¡¯s way better to be a Ranger than a bandit. It sounds more stable, too.¡± ¡°Yeah! A soldier is also a government employee, right? We¡¯re not being forced to enlist, we¡¯re simply getting hired!¡± It seemed that the people of the N¨¹rburg Continent also wanted to be civil servants like the people of Korea. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯d rather put on a uniform and make an honest living than keep being a bandit!¡± ¡°B-But, hyung-nim¡­¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Which country are we going to be Rangers of¡­?¡± Cesc asked. ¡°The Proatine Kingdom.¡± ¡°P-Proatine? Where on the continent is that? This is my first time hearing of that kingdom¡­ Does it even exist¡­?¡± Cesc asked. Siegfried¡¯s expression turned ugly. ¡°I¡¯m just curious since I have never heard of that ce¡ª¡± Cesc continued asking,pletely oblivious to Siegfried¡¯s mood. Siegfried interrupted him. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Head down on the ground, ass up, now.¡± ¡°E-Excuse me¡­?¡± ¡°I said put your head on the ground and lift your ass up,¡± Siegfried growled while crying tears of blood. *** Siegfried returned to the Thierry Merchant Company after sessfully defeating Cesc Graham and hiring his subordinates. [Alert: You have sessfullypleted the Quest: ¡®Subjugate Mountain Bandits¡¯!] [Alert: Gio has rewarded you forpleting the quest!] [Alert: Affinity with Gio has increased by 500!] [Alert: Gio now has in you!] Siegfried read the message that popped up in front of him. ¡°Here is your Regenium,¡± Gio said. ¡°Thank you. This is the payment,¡± Siegfried replied and extended the check. ¡°No! How can I charge you when you managed to bring our stolen goods back? Please think of that Regenium as a token of my gratitude!¡± Gio waved his hands and refused the check. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Siegfried smiled. Gio¡¯s refusal meant that he would be able to pocket a check that the Mercedes Workshop had written. ¡®Jackpot!¡¯ [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Regenium¡¯!] Siegfried managed to clear two quests, acquire new followers, and obtain the Regenium for free, thanks to the chain of events. He headed straight for the Mercedes Workshop after obtaining the Regenium, but his heart and steps were heavy¡­ ¡®Please¡­ Please let it seed this time! PLEASE!¡¯?he earnestly prayed the whole way back, hoping that the +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist¡¯s enhancement would end up being sessful. *** ¡°Wee back, Your Majesty. Have you brought the Regenium?¡± Wilhelm asked. ¡°I certainly did,¡± Siegfried replied. He proudly presented the beautifully packed Regenium to the head cksmith. [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®A Close Call!¡¯] [Alert: Please proceed with the enhancement!] Wilhelm immediately ordered. ¡°Listen up! Put the Regenium in and switch on the enhancement machine! Prepare to restart enhancement!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Mercedes Workshop cksmiths got busy restarting the enhancement machine. Ten minutester, Wilhelm returned and said, ¡°Everything has been prepared, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s time¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Yes, please try and enhance your weapon once again,¡± Wilhelm said while pointing at the lever of the enhancement machine. The lever was capable of sending someone to either heaven or hell with just a single pull¡­ ¡®Please¡­ +13! Let¡¯s go! LET¡¯S GOOOO!¡¯?Siegfried earnestly prayed as he grabbed the level with trembling hands. Then, he pulled it down. Chik! Chik! Poof! The enhancement machine abruptly unleashed steam. Chik! Chik! Poof! Bam! Bam! Bam!!? Chik! Chik! Poof!? Bam! Bam! Bam! The enhancement machine spat out a cloud of steam while thumping in a way that seemed to be in sync with Siegfried¡¯s heartbeat. Chik! Chik! Poof!? Fwooooooosh! The enhancement machine finally spat out itsst cloud of steam. ¡®Please¡­ PLEASE!?PLEAAAASEEEE!¡¯?Siegfried prayed fervently. He wasn¡¯t showing it on the outside, but he was literally dying inside from the suspense. However, the only thing that he could do was pray to whatever god he knew. sh! While Siegfried was earnestly praying, the enhancement machine let out a sh of light that was iparably brighter than the previous sh of light. The light soon became a rainbow. 1. Just a quick exnation here. Most Koreans dream of bing civil servants since it¡¯s the most stable job in the country and pays very well, too on top of other benefits. 2. This is amon practice in Korean military as a form of punishment, and it has nothing to do with what you¡¯re thinking right now. Chapter 209

    Chapter 209

    This was Siegfried¡¯s second time enhancing his weapon after the enhancement machine broke. And the result was¡­ A certain sound effect echoed in Siegfried¡¯s ears. Hahaha! Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot wide open after hearing the boisterousughter. ¡®This is¡­!¡¯ The particr noise could only be heard upon sessful enhancement, so¡­ [Alert: The enhancement requested by Seggs Stamina Machine-nim is sessful!] ¡­it was a sess. His +12 weapon had be a +13 weapon. [Alert: Seggs Stamina Machine-nim has sessfully enhanced the +12 Gaia¡¯s Fist to a ¡®+13 Gaia¡¯s Fist¡¯!] However, the following messages were problematic. [Alert: Seggs Stamina Machine-nim has sessfully enhanced the +13 Gaia¡¯s Fist to a +14 Gaia¡¯s Fist!] [Alert: Seggs Stamina Machine-nim has sessfully enhanced the ¡®+14 Gaia¡¯s Fist¡¯ to a +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist!] Siegfried doubted his eyes for a second. ¡®Is it a bug¡­?¡¯ He could have sworn that he only enhanced his +12 weapon once, but it suddenly became +15? This was something that defied the very logic of the game. ¡®Hmm¡­ It must be a bug. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just a text error. I should probably report this to Beehive¡¯s customer service.¡¯?Siegfried shrugged and turned his attention toward what he thought was his +13 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Seuuu¡­! Steam was rising out from the +13 Gaia¡¯s Fist that was still piping hot. ¡®I wonder how strong its Attack Power has be¡­¡¯? Siegfried thought before using the Rune of Insight on the +13 Gaia¡¯s Fist [+15 Gaia¡¯s Fist] However, there was something strange about the item¡¯s name. *** There was something strange about its Attack Power as well. [Attack Power: 4,500 (+2,432)] The Attack Power increase was by +2,432. It was more than double if taking into ount that it only had +1,105 bonus attack power when it was only a +12 weapon. ¡°Give me a minute,¡± Siegfried said and logged out of the game. Woooong! A magic circle appeared underneath his feet before he disappeared. sh! He returned thirty secondster in front of the enhancement machine. ¡°Reconnecting usually works in cases like this¡­¡± he muttered. BNW was a perfect game without any bugs or hacks, but there were certain instances where the VR capsule would not be in sync with the server, causing caused glitches in the texts or graphics. Naturally, most of those glitches wouldn¡¯t affect the game, and they would usually resolve on their own after a simple disconnect and reconnect. ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered after using his Rune of Insight on the supposedly +13 Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°I reconnected, but it¡¯s still like this? Perhaps I should log out once more?¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­?¡± Wilhelm tried to say something. However, Siegfried interrupted him. ¡°Give me a moment.¡± Siegfried immediately logged out before Wilhelm could stop him. Thirty secondster, he was back in the game. However, he did it once more for a total of three times. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­? Is it really plus fifteen?¡± Siegfried was extremely confused. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Wilhelm approached him and exined, ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s unbelievable, but you have indeed sessfully enhanced the artifact to its fifteenth enhancement level.¡± ¡°Huh? How is that possible? I¡¯m certain I only enhanced it once¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not certain myself, but I suspect that the energy from the previous enhancement was still in the weapon, so the machine enhanced it two more times.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s why it reached its fifteenth enhancement level.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Then, what are we going to do? Don¡¯t tell me I have to return it to plus thirteen¡­?¡± Siegfried asked as he shoved the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist into his Inventory just in case Wilhelm would ask for it. ¡°No, an item enhanced to that level can be destroyed, but it can¡¯t be downgraded,¡± Wilhelm replied with a smile. ¡°T-then, does that mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty is now the proud owner of a plus fifteen weapon.¡± Siegfried immediately eximed inwardly, ¡®I¡¯m eating premium beef tonight!¡¯ He immediately dered today as a special day that called for a special meal, so he wouldn¡¯t be eating convenience store lunch boxes today. A +15 weapon! Who would believe that he had a +15 weapon? It wasn¡¯t a +12, +13, or a +14 weapon but a +15! The weapon only had one downside, and it was the fact that it was just a Level 210 weapon. However, the enhancement alone was more than enough to make up for its low level. ¡®I think I can use this forever¡­¡¯?he thought. The Debuff Master didn¡¯t really depend on weapons, but using a weapon with high Attack Power would always be helpful. A +15 weapon was a weapon he could use until he was Level 299. ¡°Congrattions, Your Majesty. It seems that our mistake has been an unexpected boon for you.¡± ¡°It seems like it. I got a trip down to hell and up to heaven thanks to you,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s a figure of speech¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Siegfried was able to safely retrieve his weapon thanks to the enhancement machine going out of service, and his weapon was also enhanced to fifteen. ¡°Huh? It looks like someone seeded in enhancing their weapon to +15!¡± ¡°What? The enhancement machine one is already fixed? But who is it?¡± ¡°How does it make sense that they went straight to fifteen¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him! That¡¯s him!¡± The Adventurers flocked toward the repaired Enhancement Machine One. [Alert: The Adventurer Seggs Stamina Machine-nim has sessfully enhanced +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist!] The Adventurers were in an uproar after seeing the +15 sess message, but their excitement quickly turned into incitement. ¡°Let¡¯s go one more time!¡± ¡°Sixteen! Let¡¯s go!¡± The crowd started chanting. ¡°Round of Sixteen!¡± A huge crowd gathered in front of Siegfried, and they started chanting at the top of their lungs. ¡®Are they talking about football or what¡­?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. However, he understood why the Adventurers were acting like this. ¡®Yeah! Go and fuck yourself up!¡¯ ¡®Screw up and go take a plunge into the Han River!¡¯ ¡®A man should go for it and off himself if he fails!¡¯ The Adventurers didn¡¯t want him to seed. They wanted to see a +15 weapon shatter in front of their eyes. Siegfried was aware of that, so there was no way that these Adventurers would seed in their ns. He turned toward the crowd and smirked. ¡°Heh.¡± ¡°Have a nice day~¡± he said before logging out. ¡°Hey! You coward!¡± ¡°No balls, loser!¡± ¡°Did you see him run away with his tail tucked between his legs?!¡± ¡°Fucking coward!¡± The Adventurers started hurling all sorts of insults at him, but Siegfried had already logged out, so it was none of his concern. Meanwhile, Tae-Sung emerged from his VR capsule and eximed at the top of his lungs, ¡°JACKPOT! I¡¯m eating beef today!¡± ***. Sizzle¡­ Sizzle¡­ Sizzle¡­ Tae-Sung called Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu. He invited them to a premium beef ce in Cheongdamdong the same evening. ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden dinner invitation, Mister Stingy Miser? You always refused to pay for meals whenever I asked you to pay, so what¡¯s with the sudden change of heart?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°Hmm? You don¡¯t want to eat?¡± Tae-Sung asked. He immediately tried to grab Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s te. However, Cheon Woo-Jin defended his te and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. It¡¯s just strange that someone as stingy as you would suddenly treat us to an expensive beef dinner course.¡± ¡°Oh,?that? Well, it¡¯s because something good happened,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a smirk. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I sessfully enhanced my weapon to fifteen.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s definitely something that calls for a¡ªhuh?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin repeatedly blinked before asking, ¡°What did you just say? You have a plus fifteen weapon?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have a Mythic weapon I enhanced to twelve with a coupon, and I got lucky enough to enhance it to fifteen.¡± ¡°Ha! Stop lying,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin shot him down. ¡°I think you¡¯re exaggerating a bit too much, hyung-nim¡­¡± Seung-Gu chimed in. ¡°Hey, can¡¯t youe up with something more believable? Okay, the coupon makes a bit more sense, but enhancing it to fifteen right away? No way.¡± ¡°Want me to show you?¡± Tae-Sung retorted. He showed them a video of his freshly enhanced +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist before turning toward them with a smug smirk and asking, ¡°Now, do you still think I¡¯m lying?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu suddenly red at him, and the look on their faces made it clear that they were trying to ascertain Siegfried¡¯s identity. ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re such a lucky bastard.¡± ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ you should share some of your luck with me¡­¡± However, Tae-Sung begged to differ. ¡°It¡¯s not luck. I was once at the bottom, so I¡¯m probably just beingpensated for what I had to go through.¡± Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu¡¯s eyes narrowed. They thought that Tae-Sung would end up being a trillionaire if life decided to be fair and rewarded him for his troubles a few more times. Still, they decided to drop it and congratte Tae-Sung on his new +15 weapon. ¡°Oh,?right, have you heard the news, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°What news?¡± ¡°The one about Marquis Decimato.¡± ¡°Marquis Decimato? What about that old man?¡± ¡°He became a Great Wizard.¡± ck! Tae-Sung dropped his chopsticks. ck! Cheon Woo-Jin dropped his chopsticks as well. ¡°Marquis Decimato became a Master?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the old magician? Are you telling me that NPC became a Great Wizard?¡± Tae-Sung and Cheon Woo-Jin asked at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how it happened, but he told me that he attained enlightenment all of a sudden and gained one hundred levels. I think he¡¯s over Level 300 now¡­¡± Seung-Gu replied. ¡°I guess he triggered a growth event. Something probably happened, but it¡¯s quite amon urrence among NPCs. An event will trigger, and they¡¯ll end up gaining more than one hundred levels once they satisfy its conditions,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin exined. ¡°I-Is that so?¡± ¡°I think it was mentioned somewhere on the main website. The NPCs are provided with those events in exchange for not having a Rune of Transcendence like us Adventurers.¡± ¡°I think I heard of it somewhere¡­¡± Tae-Sung trailed off. Cheon Woo-Jin shrugged and said, ¡°Well, it seems that the Proatine Kingdom has a Master now, so¡­¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re no longer a small and weak kingdom,¡± Tae-Sung concluded. Master. It was a title given to someone beyond Level 299. Level 300 was the starting point for individuals who were truly powerful. There were only five officially known Masters on the continent¡ªthe Five Stars Heaven, but they were reduced to four after Shakiro¡¯s passing. In other words, the fact that the Proatine Kingdom had a Master meant that the other kingdoms couldn¡¯t mess with it anymore. ¡°I guess you finally managed to steer your kingdom in the right direction. You seemed to be struggling initially,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a nod. ¡°But that¡¯s not all, hyung-nim. Oscar is leveling up like crazy these days, and I think she has already surpassed Level 200,¡± Seung-Gu said. ¡°Oscar?¡± Tae-Sung was surprised once again. ¡°Yes, she levels up almost every day, and I¡¯m starting to wonder whether NPCs have some sort of buff that helps them level up fast.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± Tae-Sung tilted his head in confusion. ¡°What are you talking about? That¡¯s all because of you,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said before exining, ¡°The NPCs are bound to get affected by the Adventurers. They¡¯ll move and do their own stuff, even when there are no Adventurers around since their AI system is ridiculously good, but they¡¯ll still get affected by the choices of the Adventurers around them.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I know from experience. And you have more influence over those NPCs since you are their king.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I think you will beat those Genesis bastards soon once you get enough numbers on your side,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said with a smirk. Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s phone suddenly started ringing. ¡°Hello? Yeah, so? What?!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s eyes shot wide open. ¡°Hey, Tae-Sung,¡± he said. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You better hurry up and log in.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Your house is in trouble.¡± ¡°What do you mean? And how do you know that?¡± ¡°A member of the Guardians is in touch with your Minister of State, and he told me...¡± ¡°Told you what?¡± ¡°He told me that¡­ the Vampire Lord is looking for you.¡± Chapter 210

    Chapter 210

    ¡°The Vampire Lord? What about him? Why is he looking for me?¡± Tae-Sung could not understand why the Vampire Lord was looking for him. ¡°He¡¯s your distant rtive,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin replied. ¡°My distant rtive¡­??Oh!¡± Tae-Sung finally remembered that the Vampire Lord was residing within the territory of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°Yeah, I remember having a neighbor like that¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered. ¡°Hey, did you do something to him? Why is the Vampire Lord looking for you?¡± ¡°Beats me¡­¡± Tae-Sung shrugged and said, ¡°However, I made sure to supply him with constant offerings.¡± ¡°Offerings?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°What offerings?¡± ¡°I have been sending him ten criminals as offerings since he wanted live humans,¡± Tae-Sung replied. The Proatine Territory used to make the entire popce draw lots and send whoever was picked to the Vampire Lord. Of course, there were certain privileged people that were excluded from the lot drawing. However, Siegfried changed this policy and made it so that only criminals charged with murder, rape, arson, etc., would be sent as offerings to the Vampire Lord. He would also order Oscar and the knights to hunt criminals if they ran out of offerings in the dungeon. He wasn¡¯t strong enough to subjugate the Vampire Lord, so he could onlye up with a temporary measure. ¡°But why does he suddenly want to see me?¡± Tae-Sung tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Why are you asking me? You should know best what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s your house, after all,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin retorted. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Just hurry up and go.¡± ¡°All right, you shoulde, too,¡± Tae-Sung told Seung-Gu, who was currently busy stuffing his face with beef. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim,¡± Seung-Gu replied. He hurriedly stuffed a few more beef slices into his mouth before standing up. Cheon Woo-Jin was left all alone at the table. ¡°Why is he so busy? I know he¡¯s obsessed with the game, but he should take a break from time to time and go on dates. Why does he keep refusing whenever I try to introduce him to someone? Tsk¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin suddenly realized something. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Excuse me!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± a waitress responded. ¡°Has this table been paid by any chance?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°Please give me a moment¡­¡± the waitress checked the counter and said, ¡°No, nobody paid for it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ okay¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin muttered in response. He knew that those two would most likely dine and dash, but he didn¡¯t expect that they would actually do it. ¡°Han Tae-Sung, you petty little bastard! You dare run off without paying? Damn it! How much are these? That nasty little prick!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled. Meanwhile, Tae-Sung rushed into his car and eximed, ¡°Seung-Gu! Hurry up and get in!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, hyung-nim? Is our kingdom really in danger?¡± Seung-Gu replied while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t pay for the meal.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°We need to hurry up and leave before Cheon Woo-Jin catches us!¡± Seung-Gu immediately hopped into the car, and Tae-Sung floored the Ferrari¡¯s elerator. Vrooooom! The supercar¡¯s engine cried out as it sped away from the parking lot. ¡°Hehe! That was a perfect dine and dash!¡± Tae-Sung eximed with a proud smirk. *** Tae-Sung hurriedly jumped into his VR capsule and descended on the N¨¹rburg Continent as Adventurer Siegfried. He went straight to the Proatine Kingdom. Fortunately, there was a direct Warp Gate from the Mercedes Workshop to the Proatine Kingdom, so it did not take him much time to reach his kingdom. sh! The Warp Gate in the middle of the town shed, and Siegfried emerged from it. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Michele ran up to him. ¡°Huh? Why are you here?¡± Siegfried was surprised to see his Minister of State waiting for him in front of the Warp Gate. ¡°I have been waiting for Your Majesty¡¯s arrival. I was the one who contacted Your Majesty through that Adventurer affiliated with the Guardians.¡± ¡°I heard about that, but what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It seems that the Vampire Lord is upset about our offerings.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°He wishes to speak to Your Majesty, but what does Your Majesty think about it?¡± ¡°Are my thoughts important right now? I have no choice but to hear him out first and try to understand what¡¯s he so upset about,¡± Siegfried said and immediately started walking. *** ¡°His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa, has arrived!¡± the guard announced the king¡¯s entrance to the throne room. The atmosphere in the throne room was quite tense, and it felt like a cold breeze was blowing throughout the throne room. The atmosphere was so tense because there was an ongoing standoff between one guest and the numerous officials of the kingdom. It went without saying that the guest was none other than a handsome pale-skinned blond vampire. The Vampire Lord was clothed in extremely luxurious clothing that only the great nobles of the empire would wear, and his red cape mixed with a hint of white in it looked far more extravagant than anything else in the throne room. However, the most eye-catching thing about the Vampire Lord was none other than his cold expression, which seemed to exude evil itself. In fact, the Vampire Lord looked so sinister and evil that it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call him the Demon Lord. The officials of the Proatine Kingdom led by Hamchi stood against him. The other loyal subjects of Siegfried seemed like they were prepared to draw their weapons at any time, and even the recently enlightened Great Wizard, Decimato, seemed to have already channeled his new powerful spells. It was a tense situation that made it difficult for the officials of the kingdom to breathe, but the problem was the Vampire Lord¡¯s demeanor. One versus many. There was a saying that quality was at the mercy of quantity, but the Vampire Lord looked extremely nonchnt despite facing the numerous officials of the kingdom. No, it was more urate to say that he didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by them at all. The Vampire Lordpletely ignored the officials and was casually reading a book while waiting for Siegfried. The thing was¡­ the Vampire Lord was casually reading a book while sitting on the dragon throne, which was a seat only Siegfried could sit on. To make matters worse, the Vampire Lord was sitting on the throne right in front of Great Wizard Decimato. He was treating Decimato as if he were air. ¡®This guy is no joke¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as soon as he saw the Vampire Lord. Then, he shed his Rune of Insight on him. [Magnus von Nosferatu] [A Vampire Lord residing in the Bloody Castle located at the Proatine Kingdom.] [He has been sleeping for the past three years and has finally awakened from his slumber.] [Type: Named NPC] [Race: Vampire (Pure Blood)] [Level: 400] [Affiliation: Bloody Castle] [Position: Vampire Lord] [ss: Lord of the Blood] [Titles: Master of Blood Magic, Demon Lord of Blood, Ruthless yer, Immortal, Night Predator, One Who Creates A Sea of Blood.] The Vampire Lord or Magnus¡¯ details proved why he was so carefree in front of the entire Proatine Kingdom¡¯s forces. ¡®This is crazy¡­ What¡¯s up with his level?¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Magnus was a whopping Level 400, and he was the highest-level NPC that Siegfried had met so far if he excluded certain people like Deus or Daode Tianzun. Magnus wasn¡¯t just a powerful being. He could be extremely powerful when taking into consideration that the self-proimed leader of the Five Star Heavens¡ªBetelgeuse¡ªwas only Level 361. ¡°You shoulde and greet me, king of these lowly humans,¡± Magnus said as he red at Siegfried. Shiver! The sinister killing intent and madness in Magnus¡¯ eyes made Siegfried tremble without realizing it. In addition, the unknown energy that Magnus was exuding immobilized Siegfried, so he couldn¡¯t move even if he could resist the Vampire Lord¡¯s re. ¡°Are you going to keep standing there? How dare you ignore,¡± Magnus said. ¡°The King of Proatine¡ªSiegfried van Proa¡ªgreets the Vampire Lord,¡± Siegfried hurriedly knelt on one knee and greeted the Vampire Lord as if he were thetter¡¯s subject. ¡°¡­!¡± The officials were stunned. Why? It was all because the Siegfried that they knew would have immediately picked a fight rather than kneel. Siegfried had never been the type to care about pride or authority, but he certainly drew the line when it came to his enemies. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t believe that Siegfried was kneeling to someone else. However, Siegfried''s thoughts were different. ¡®It¡¯s going to be a pyrrhic victory even if we won somehow. We¡¯re not prepared, and at least half of us are going to die in battle. The NPCs will sacrifice the most, and the entire kingdom will be destroyed. It¡¯s a result that¡¯s going to directly affect me in both the short and long term. Let¡¯s kneel for now and bide my time¡­¡¯ Siegfried suddenly found himself caring more about the well-being of his subjects and his kingdom rather than his own pride and anger. Besides, they were at the core of the kingdom. A fight here would destroy his entire castle. Magnus smirked after seeing Siegfried¡¯s response. ¡°I see you¡¯re quite quick on your feet. I was about to ughter everyone in this room if you had remained stubborn,¡± he said nonchntly. ¡°I thank your lordship¡¯s grace.¡± ¡°You have quite the glib tongue.¡± ¡°I just wish for your lordship to spare my life.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Magnus'' smile grew bigger as he added, ¡°That¡¯s how livestock should act.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excellent attitude from the king of my livestock.¡± Magnus praised. ¡®What the fuck is this son of a bitch saying?¡¯?Siegfried growled inwardly after hearing the Vampire Lord call humans his livestock. He wanted nothing more than to rip that smug smile off of the vampire¡¯s face, but he knew it wasn¡¯t the right time to do so, so he feigned ignorance and remained kneeling to the Vampire Lord. ¡°We need to know our ce to continue surviving. A vampire is a predator while we are your prey. I fully agree with your lordship¡¯s judgment. Indeed, we are nothing more than livestock grazing the outskirts of your lordship¡¯snds,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Excellent!¡± ¡°If your lordship may allow me, may I ask one question?¡± ¡°As you like¡­¡± ¡°I wish to know why your lordship suddenly decided to grace us with your presence. We would have prepared a grand feast to wee your lordship if you had just informed us of your visit¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. He nced at his subjects and shouted, ¡°Lower your weapons and pay respects to the Demon Lord of the Night!¡± The officials were taken aback, but they obeyed their king. Siegfried bowed to the Vampire Lord and said, ¡°I hope that your lordship may find it in your gracefulness to forgive the transgressions of my subjects.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to like you the more I hear you speak, my livestock!¡± ¡°Thank you for your grace, my lord.¡± ¡°Then, I shall tell you the reason I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Please, speak, my lord.¡± ¡°The quality of the offerings has significantly reduced in recent months¡­ Since you have taken over as the king of my livestock. What do you think about that?¡± Magnus asked while staring deeply at Siegfried. ¡°Is that so, my lord? I was not aware of it,¡± Siegfried feigned ignorance. ¡°You weren¡¯t aware of it¡­?¡± ¡°I was aware that they were selecting the offerings by drawing lots, but I changed that policy to cement my political standing. We decided to send criminals as offerings.¡± ¡°You dare admit that you knowingly sent me criminals?¡± ¡°Your humble subject was ignorant. I did not know that it would upset my lord. I thought that all blood is the same, and there was no such thing as good or bad quality blood.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s a usible excuse. It does make sense,¡± Magnus muttered while rubbing his chin. ¡°Your humble subject begs for your lordship¡¯s forgiveness.¡± ¡°I will overlook it this once since you weren¡¯t aware of it, but under one condition.¡± ¡°Please, speak, my lord.¡± ¡°Increase the offerings by three times since I have finally awakened.¡± ¡°I hear and obey.¡± ¡°And I want only the best offerings to be sent to me.¡± ¡°What would satisfy my lord¡¯s requirement?¡± ¡°I want virgin boys and girls under the age of thirteen. The blood of an innocent soul is always the best.¡± It was a ridiculousmand. ¡°I shall do as my lord says. I shall make sure that the next offerings for your lordship will satisfy my lord,¡± Siegfried easily agreed to the request. He agreed because there were still twenty-seven days until the next round of offerings. ¡®Twenty-seven days is almost a whole month. I just have to raise seven levels and use my +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Maybe I¡¯ll gather some party members to raid this bastard by then. It¡¯s possible¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He had already made his calctions when the Vampire Lord asked for virgin boys and girls, but there was no way things would proceed smoothly just because he wanted it to proceed smoothly. ¡°No.¡± Magnus shook his head and said, ¡°I will give you three days.¡± ¡°My lord requires the offerings in three days¡­?¡± Siegfried asked in disbelief. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long since I awakened from my slumber, so I¡¯m extremely hungry. Besides, I think three days are more than enough to prepare thirty virgin boys and girls, right?¡± ¡®Hey, you fucking son of a bitch!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly. He almost uttered those words out of his mouth, but he was able to suppress them by exerting superhuman self-control. Siegfried decided to ept the demands as courteously as possible. ¡°Indeed, my lord. I shall prepare the offerings and ensure that they will be to your liking.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Excellent¡­ I already like you, king of my livestock.¡± ¡°I thank my lord for your grace.¡± ¡°I shall be watching you to see how good of a livestock you are¡­¡± ¡°Please be on your way, my lord,¡± Siegfried bowed t on the ground. With that, Magnus turned into a bloody mist that rushed out of the window. ¡°¡­¡± Silence enveloped the throne room. ¡°¡­¡± Even Siegfried was speechless, and he didn¡¯t budge even an inch for quite a while. Ten minutester, Siegfried growled. ¡°You¡¯re fucking dead. You¡¯re dead, you insolent fucker of a mosquito.¡± Siegfried showed his true colors after making sure that the Vampire Lord wouldn¡¯t hear him. Chapter 211

    Chapter 211

    Right after Siegfried showed his true colors¡­ ¡°Keke! I knew it, you owner punk! Kyu!¡± ¡°A-As expected¡­!¡± ¡°You truly live up to your reputation, Your Majesty.¡± The officials of the Proatine Kingdom let out a sigh of relief after hearing what Siegfried said. They did not even consider the possibility that Siegfried hadpletely submitted to the Vampire Lord, Magnus, but his acting was so spot-on that they started getting confused about what was going on. ¡°Three days¡­¡± Siegfried gnashed his teeth. There was not enough time. It was impossible for him to gain seven levels in three days to equip the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Everyone knew that one would have to hunt day and night for three straight days just to level up once, starting from Level 200. And there was also no guarantee that he could defeat Magnus even if he used the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. After all, the Vampire Lord was Level 400. ¡®I need a solution¡­¡¯? Of course, Siegfried had no ns to offer thirty boys and girls to that mosquito. ¡°Let¡¯s start the meeting,¡± Siegfried said as he sat on the throne. ¡®Ah¡­ This feels weird¡­¡¯?he thought. It was probably his imagination, but the throne felt a bit strange after Magnus sat on it. ¡°Michele,¡± he called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Tell me what¡¯s our best course of action.¡± Michele immediately replied, ¡°Our best course of action is to give in to the Vampire Lord¡¯s demands.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If we approach this in a rational manner, then we stand to gain nothing from fighting the Vampire Lord. The public¡¯s sentiment will get swayed if we offer the children as sacrifices, but that is not going to affect our kingdom¡¯s strength.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°So we should offer the sacrifices and cate the Vampire Lord for now, and then we will bide our time until we are strong enough to fight him, but¡­¡± Michele trailed off. He smiled before saying, ¡°¡­I am well aware that my suggestion is not an option for Your Majesty, so it is not even worth mentioning.¡± ¡°You do know me very well,¡± Siegfried smirked and nodded. Michele¡¯s option was the most realistic and best option the Proatine Kingdom could take right now. Why? The kingdom¡¯s officials, except for Siegfried and Seung-Gu, were going to get ughtered by the Vampire Lord if they were to fight thetter. Offering children to the Vampire Lord would ensure that the kingdom would suffer less damage. However, the most realistic and best option would often be the worst option from an emotional point of view. ¡®This isn¡¯t right. People say that the lives of the few can be sacrificed for the greater good, but this is no different from offering human sacrifices¡­¡¯?Siegfried loathed the realistic?option. On top of that, the fact that he was being treated as livestock hurt his pride as well. ¡°Marquis Decimato,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Congrattions on bing a Great Wizard.¡± ¡°This is all thanks to Your Majesty¡¯s endless grace! I, Decimato, have be a Great Wizard, but my loyalty to Your Majesty hasn¡¯t changed at all. I will dedicate myself to you until my final dying breath,¡± Decimato said with sincerity. He had been visiting Daode Tianzun these days to learn magic, and he finally learned the reason why Daode Tianzun decided toe to the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°The reason you met me is all thanks to Siegfried, so don¡¯t be arrogant just because you¡¯ve be a Great Wizard. Make sure you continue to dedicate yourself to him, do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I will, elder-nim.¡± Decimato would have never met Daode Tianzun if it hadn¡¯t been for Siegfried, and he would have still been the same Six Circle magician that would have never even dreamt of bing a Great Wizard until the day he died. In short, Decimato owed Siegfried a lot. Ironically, Siegfried was already his savior since he saved him during the dimensional rift incident when all of his allies had given on him, along with the other magicians. In other words, the old magician was now indebted to his savior once again. ¡°I will look forward to it.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Can youe up with an answer now that you are a Great Wizard?¡± ¡°Your humble subject has be a Great Wizard now, but I am still learning how to walk. Ick the wisdom and experience¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Not to mention, the Vampire Lord is an extremely powerful being. He is almost on par with the Demon Lord, and He is not a being that can be beaten with strength alone, as far as I know.¡± ¡°For example?¡± ¡°The Vampire Lord is also known as an immortal being. It is possible to incapacitate him, but it is impossible to kill him.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°My knowledge is limited, so I am not that knowledgeable about the Vampire Lord, but perhaps you could seek the counsel of a wise man instead?¡± ¡°Seek the counsel of a wise man, you say¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while deep in thought. Momentster, he said, ¡°I will conclude the morning meeting here. All forces should be on standby around the clock. I will be taking my leave for now.¡± ¡°Where are you going, Your Majesty?¡± Michele asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to seek the counsel of a wise man,¡± Siegfried replied before leaving the throne room. *** Meanwhile, at the Magic Academy of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°So¡­ You¡¯re about to have your lunch money taken away by the Vampire Lord?¡± Daode Tianzun asked with an interested look. ¡°Yes, that bastard has gone crazy and started treating us like livestock being pumped out of a factory,¡± Siegfried replied with a disgruntled look. ¡°Hoho¡­ That is quite the pinch you¡¯re in,¡± Daodei Tianzun said with a troubled look. ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°To think that you would establish your kingdom at that spot of all ces¡­ Haven¡¯t you heard of location, location, location?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I think it will be better for you to just move to an empty plot ofnd.¡± ¡°Come on¡­ Can¡¯t you be a bit serious? How can you make fun of your ex-discipleing to you for advice?¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°Make fun of who? I¡¯m being serious, you know?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°How are you going to beat the Vampire Lord? I don¡¯t even think that I can go against him.¡± ¡°Even you can¡¯t beat him¡­?¡± ¡°I can beat him, but I can¡¯t kill him. How can I kill an immortal being?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To be honest, your best option is to move your entire kingdom somewhere else or just offer sacrifices.¡± In other words, Daode Tianzun was saying that Siegfried¡¯s strength didn¡¯t matter. It was simply practically impossible to kill an immortal being. ¡°Who knows? You could win by pulling a few tricks, but those tricks are too difficult.¡± ¡°What are those tricks?¡± ¡°I already told you that it¡¯s too difficult.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t give up without even trying, right?¡± ¡°Hoho! I already told you that it¡¯s impossible, but I guess that stubbornness of yours is indeed the only good thing you have,¡± Daode Tianzun said with a gentle smile. Daode Tianzun was right¡ªSiegfried¡¯s stubbornness was his greatest weapon. Siegfried possessed the grit to withstand excruciating pain and the perseverance to do something despite knowing that it was impossible to do. ¡°I hope you know that silver or garlic doesn¡¯t work on the Vampire Lord,¡± Daode Tianzun said. ¡°Yes, I know. He wouldn¡¯t be the Vampire Lord if that worked on him, right? He¡¯s going to be called Vampire 1 or something if garlic or silver works on him,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°What aparison. Anyway, there are numerous requirements to defeat a Vampire Lord.¡± ¡°What are those?¡± ¡°The first thing is an artifact that would limit his life force, the second thing is powerful strength to overpower him, andstly, a powerful artifact to store an immortal being¡¯s soul¡­ but the only artifact that can do that is the magic sword gifted by a demon lord called Avenge¡ª¡± ¡°This one?¡± Siegfried abruptly took out a sword wrapped in chains and cloth. ¡°Huh?! H-How could this be?! That¡¯s it! The sword gifted by Demon Lord Vernas!¡± ¡°Probably?¡± ¡°H-How? W-Why do you have it?!¡± ¡°Some bonehead dropped it,¡± Siegfried briefly exined how he ended up in possession of the magic sword and why it was currently sealed. ¡°Hoho¡­ Who would¡¯ve known that you would already have the most difficult requirement¡­ They say that starting is already half of the journey¡­ I guess you do have the right to stand up against the Vampire Lord!¡± ¡°I guess¡­?¡± ¡°Then, it is worth a shot. I will teach you what to do. Do you want to give it a shot?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°All right, then you should listen closely to what I¡¯m about to tell you¡­¡± Daode Tianzun said. A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have received the Quest: ¡®Extermination of the World¡¯s Strongest Mosquito¡¯!] It was the quest that would help Siegfried prepare to kill the Vampire Lord. *** [Extermination of the World¡¯s Strongest Mosquito] [Make the following preparations to fight against the Vampire Lord.] [Rewards: Vampire Lord¡¯s Soul, Vampire Lord¡¯s Blood, Vampire Lord¡¯s Treasures] [Progress: 25%] [Preparations: Exorcism performed by the priests from the Church of the Sun God Helios, Mirroring Field to trap the Vampire Lord, A powerful magician''s soul binding spell] [Required Items: Regeneration Hampering Artifact, Holy Water of Thanatos, the God of Death, Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger ?] [Warning: You must hunt the Vampire Lord while the sun is up.] There were numerous things Siegfried had to prepare to hunt the Level 400 monster, and the fact that he had to prepare all of these in just three days was a huge burden. ¡°Do your best to prepare these,¡± Daode Tianzun said. ¡°Can¡¯t you just help me¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you feel bad for the innocent people being treated as livestock by the Vampire Lord?¡± ¡°I do, but I have already retired. I no longer wish to interfere with the workings of this world,¡± Daode Tianzun replied. ¡°Howe?¡± Siegfried asked with a hint of anger in his voice. ¡°Who knows? Maybe you would understand once you¡¯re in my shoes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s ever going to happen¡­?¡± ¡°Then, just go along with it. Even I don''t know myself sometimes, so how will you understand me?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand Daode Tianzun at all. Deus was being conservative in meddling with the world¡¯s affairs, as he was en route to bing a god, but Siegfried saw no reason for someone like Daode Tianzun to be conservative at all. ¡®Why do these old people love to live quietly doing random small things¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered why the age-old clich¨¦ of powerful beings doing small insignificant?stuff so as not to interfere with the world¡¯s affairs was always a thing in stories. *** Siegfried left the Magic Academy and headed straight for the Bavarian Workshop. ¡°Hmm? Did I hear you right just now?¡± Quandt asked while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°Yes, you did,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Quandt clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a bit too much asking for one hundred Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech in forty-eight hours for free? I know you¡¯re the only one who could fulfill our workshop¡¯s ultimate wish, but that¡¯s quite pushing it.¡± Quandt was worked up because Siegfried¡¯s request involved the Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech. It was a legendary item that absorbed its victim¡¯s HP while preventing them from regenerating. However, the main problem was its price. The spear was used for hunting powerful monsters with strong vitality and regeneration, so it had quite a hefty price tag. It was also quite rare. Most high-level raid parties would even give priority recruitment to damage dealers with a Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech. However, the main problem was that Siegfried was asking for a hundred of those expensive spears for free, and he was even requesting it to be done in forty-eight hours. It was truly a brazen request that was on the border of shameless and despicable. ¡°You should know your limits when asking for things! You¡¯re asking for too much this time! Do you really think that our workshop is run by a bunch of fools?!¡± Quandt shouted as his voice thundered in the workshop. However, Siegfried remained unfazed. ¡°It will be used to hunt the Vampire Lord,¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk before he called up a quest window and muttered, ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ What did I need toplete this thing Herbert left behind¡­ The Rod of God¡­ I already got this from Herbert. Omnipotent Mechanical Gear, check. Wow, I will have three out of the seven materials required if I get my hands on the Vampire Lord¡¯s Heart!¡± With that, Siegfried started walking away while saying, ¡°Maybe I should go ask the Autonika Workshop if they have something simr to the Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech¡­ I would have to pay up, but I¡¯m sure they will work things out with me¡­¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­?I should probably note here anymore. I mean, does it make sense to ask me to pay up when I¡¯m doing their request?¡± ¡°Please stop, Your Majesty, Siegfried!¡± Quandt immediately ran after him. His character changed all of a sudden as he shouted, ¡°I love you! Our workshop loves you! We have always loved you! Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty! Love! Love! Love!¡± Chapter 212

    Chapter 212

    Five minutester, the small squabble between Siegfriend and Quandt ended. ¡°That¡¯s why you have to make it a habit to let someone finish before speaking up. And you should have at least asked me why I was making such a request. Now let me ask¡ªdid I feel bad when you interrupted me and raised your voice? Yes or no?¡± Siegfried said. The two of them weren¡¯t sitting across from each other. He did not get straight to the point and decided to emphasize Quandt¡¯s mistake first. Of course, it was difficult to say that Siegfried was totally meless¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sure you felt bad! I¡¯m sure you felt very bad!¡± Quandt replied while vigorously nodding his head. He then mmed his head on the table and eximed, ¡°I was wrong! Forgive me!¡± ¡°Why would you do that if you knew you were wrong?¡± ¡°I-I apologize. I was foolish, and I failed to understand the depth of your wisdom¡­¡± ¡°We will have three out of the seven materials required toplete Herbert¡¯s legacy if we do things right this time. We can say we¡¯re already halfway there, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Ah¡­?Maybe I should just stop here¡­¡± ¡°N-No! You can¡¯t¡­! Why are you doing this? I already apologized so many times! Please calm down!¡± ¡°So¡­ Are you going to do it for me or not?¡± Siegfried asked. He nonchntly added, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the Autonika Workshop if you won¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I will do it! No questions asked!¡± Quandt jumped from his chair and shouted at the top of his lungs before continuing. ¡°I asked all of our branches on the continent and found that we have seventy-eight in stock! We just need to craft twenty-two more. We can definitely do that in forty-eight hours!¡± ¡°Really? Can I leave it to you, then?¡± ¡°Of course! Has our workshop ever disappointed you? Don¡¯t worry and leave it to us!¡± And that was how Siegfried obtained one hundred of the extremely expensive Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech for free. Meanwhile, the price of the Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech suddenly shot up all over the continent. ¡°Huh? Why did this item suddenly be so expensive?¡± ¡°Is someone hoarding it?¡± ¡°What the hell? It went up four folds!¡± The reason was that the Bavarian Workshop didn¡¯t really craft a lot of these spears in the first ce. They were able to make twenty-two of them in forty-eight hours since it was quite easy to craft, but the main problem was that the materials required to craft it were quite rare. Siegfried¡¯s sudden hoarding, coupled with the Bavarian Workshop no longer selling it for the meantime, sent its price skyrocketing. It was the same situation at the Mercedes Workshop and Autonika Workshop. Their items that had the same function as the Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech had already gone up by twofold. ¡®This should be more than enough to stop the Vampire Lord from regenerating,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He ticked off the Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech and Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger from the list, and all that was left now was to go to the Church of Thanatos, the God of Death, and obtain their holy water. *** Meanwhile, at the Bloody Castle located within the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s territory¡­ ¡°Luciro.¡± Magnus summoned one of his most loyal servants. ¡°Have you called, my lord?¡± ¡°Go and check what the livestock are doing¡­¡± ¡°The livestock, my lord?¡± ¡°Humans have the habit of trying their luck and trying to do the impossible.¡± ¡°I do not understand my lord¡­ my meager intellect cannot fathom the depths of my lord¡¯s wisdom.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious,¡± Magnus said with a smirk before continuing. ¡°If the new king of my livestock truly submitted to me or not.¡± ¡°But my lord¡­ you do not need to concern yourself with the thoughts of a meager human. Nothing will change whether their king has truly submitted to you or not.¡± Luciro wasn¡¯t lying. Vampire Lord Magnus was also known as the Demon Lord of the Night, and there was no way that a mere human king could do anything against him. In fact, it was even arguable if the current emperor could do anything to the Vampire Lord. The oue would end up being the same, so it didn¡¯t really matter whether the human king had truly surrendered or not. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to check because I want to know what he¡¯s thinking.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I just want to know if the new king is worthy to be my ything or not.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I should be more familiar with him if I want to turn him into my ything, right?¡± Magnus seemed to have already made up his mind to thoroughly turn Siegfried into his ything. He knew that was the only way the livestock were going to fear him. He knew that they wouldn¡¯t even dream of retaliating by then. Magnus¡¯ true aim was to put the livestock in their ce, and Siegfried¡¯s submission wasn¡¯t really important. Why? It was all because Luciro was right¡ªSiegfried¡¯s submission or rebellion wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°I thank you for imparting your precious wisdom to me, your insignificant servant,¡± Luciro said. He bowed and added, ¡°I shall go and see what the livestock are up to.¡± He immediately vanished and made his way toward the livestock farm¡ªthe Proatine Kingdom. What he witnessed upon arriving at the capital of the Proatine Kingdom Preussen was chaos itself¡­ ¡°P-Please! Don¡¯t take my child away, sir knight¡­!¡± a woman cried out. ¡°Shut it, you wench! Your daughter should be honored to be sacrificed to the Vampire Lord, so why are you resisting?!¡± the knight retorted and kicked the woman away. ¡°Sir knight¡­! P-Please¡­!¡± ¡°His Majesty will pay you for your daughter! Be d that you¡¯re getting paid for the honor of having your daughter offered to the Vampire Lord!¡± ¡°No! No, you cannot do that! Please, sir knight¡­! PLEASE!¡± However, the knight ignored the woman and dragged the little girl away. The little girl didn¡¯t even look like she was ten years of age. ¡°Ah!?Mommy! Help me! Mama! Papa!¡± The child cried out at the top of her lungs, but nobody came to help her. The soldiers had already beaten her father to a pulp while the soldiers forced her mother to the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, captain!¡± The soldiers returned to the castle with the child in tow, and the ce instantly became a ghost town. It seemed that everyone had run away in fear of their children being the next offering. ¡®Hmm¡­ Maybe I should observe a bit longer¡­¡¯?Luciro decided to look around the city a bit more just to make sure that he would deliver urate news to the Vampire Lord. ¡°Take me instead! I said take me instead, you bastards!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The livestock seemed to be busily moving about collecting the Vampire Lord¡¯s offerings. ¡®Hoo~ The new king of the livestock is doing quite well. The lord will find it a bit boring, but he surely won¡¯t be disappointed by this,¡¯?Luciro thought before leaving for the Bloody Castle. ¡°My lord, it seems that the king of the livestock is busy gathering the offerings to be presented to you,¡± Luciro said. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. There is a hugemotion in their city as their soldiers are going around collecting your offerings. I have also confirmed that the quality of the offering is quite impressive. They¡¯re boys and girls under the age of thirteen, and none of them seem to have any defects on their bodies.¡± ¡°No defects¡­¡± ¡°They say that a scrumptious-looking cookie will taste good, too, right? My insignificant eyes have gauged that it would not be an overstatement to say that the offerings this time will be the best ones we have ever had. I¡¯m sure that my lord¡¯s hunger will be satiated this time!¡± The best food that a vampire could ever ask for was the blood of innocent and pure human beings. Their blood would taste better the younger, more beautiful, purer, and more innocent they were. The blood and flesh of such humans were the ultimate delicacies for vampires, and it would surely satisfy not only their taste buds but it would also boost their sex drive as well. The blood and flesh of the innocent were an aphrodisiac for vampires because the vampires in this world weren¡¯t really hungry for sex. They attained sexual gratification by sucking the blood of their prey. ¡°Hmm¡­ the best one we ever had... I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Magnus said with a smile filled with anticipation. He was still a vampire at the end of the day, so it was only natural for him to be excited at the thought of sucking the blood out of those young children. ¡°It seems that the new king of my livestock knows how to prioritize his survival. Still, I¡¯m quite surprised that he wasn¡¯t putting on an act. It seemed that he had sincerely submitted to me. It¡¯s a shame that I won¡¯t get to y with him, but I should spare him since he¡¯s trying so hard on my behalf,¡± Magnus said. ¡°Yes, my lord! How could a mere livestock even think of going up against you?! It is a shame that my lord will not get the chance to enjoy ying after a long time, but it is trulymendable for mere livestock to work so hard for my lord¡¯s sake!¡± Luciro eximed. ¡°You¡¯re right, Luciro. I should¡¯ve given him a week instead. The quality of the offerings would have been much better¡­¡± ¡°I am certain that the offering¡¯s quality will greatly increase for the next one if you stress on that part when theye to deliver the first batch!¡± ¡°I can only hope that your words wille true,¡± Magnus said as he licked his lips. His appetite and sex drive slowly welled up from inside of him. *** Meanwhile, at the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s basement dungeon. ¡°Great work, everybody! We didn¡¯t have enough time to practice the script, but you put on a splendid performance,¡± Gringoremended the hundreds of people gathered in the dungeon. The hundreds of people in front of him replied at the same time. ¡°That was a piece of cake!¡± ¡°Haha! It was nothing!¡± ¡°It was quite easy to act out since the scenario was exined very clearly!¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you think you hit me a bit too hard? I¡¯m hurting¡­!¡± ¡°M-My bad¡­ I tried to make it look as real as possible so¡­¡± ¡°I was so into it that I really thought my daughter was getting offered to that bastard! Hahaha!¡± Gringore chimed in as well, ¡°It was awesome! I can proudly say that your acting skills are simply wless, and the future of our kingdom¡¯s drama and poetry looks bright as well, thanks to our talented child performers! Hahaha!¡± The child performers¡ªno, the children that the soldiers had dragged as offerings a while ago smiled brightly. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Really? Can I really be an excellent actor like Gringore-nim?¡± ¡°Yey! Scribe Gringore-nim praised me!¡± The children were naturally happy. Gringore was renowned as a genius artist. He not only excelled in singing, but he also possessed tremendous skills in acting, dancing, and painting. He was truly what one would call a cheat character in the art world. In fact, he was so talented that nobles from many powerful kingdoms traveled all the way to the small and weak kingdom that most people had never even heard of before just to see his performance. The fact that they were praised by someone as renowned as Gringore was more than enough to put these child performers on cloud nine. ¡®They only had a few hours to practice, but I¡¯m certain that the vampires were fooled by the show we put up. I must say that I¡¯m quite impressed with all of them,¡¯?Gringore smiled. However, he suddenly clicked his tongue and smirked. ¡®His Majesty is truly an astounding tactician. It¡¯s to the point that he scares me sometimes¡­¡¯ A few hours ago, Siegfried called Gringore aside and instructed him on a few things. ¡°The vampires mighte and check up on us, so we will need to put on a show for them.¡± ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I want you to round up all of the performers in our kingdom and put on a show with them. Make sure that the vampires will be fooledpletely if they ever decide toe spy on us.¡± ¡°I shall do as youmand, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°And you should use your ability to move around without being noticed by anyone.¡± ¡°You mean Dance of Ghost?¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever that¡¯s called. That thing can trick a vampire¡¯s eyes, too, right? Use that to keep an eye out whether vampires are around to check up on us or not.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Siegfried¡¯s n ended up being super effective to the extent that it fooled Luciro into making a false report to Magnus. However, that was not the end of Siegfried¡¯s hair-chilling tactics. Shiver! Gringore felt goosebumps all over his body after thinking of the ns that his king had prepared for the vampires. ¡®Who could have known that he would attempt to catch three birds with one stone? His majesty is truly a scary person¡­¡¯ Three birds. . Yes, Siegfried had multiple targets. Chapter 213

    Chapter 213

    Siegfried had multiple targets, so he had no choice but to move around busily. ¡°I wish to make a request.¡± Before anything else, he decided to go to the Church of the Sun God and requested an exorcism. ¡°We cannot perform an exorcism without the approval of our headquarters. I apologize, but¡­¡± ¡°This is a letter of rmendation written by Daode Tianzun Elder-nim,¡± Siegfried handed over a letter to the priest. I, Daode Tianzun, acknowledge the bearer of this letter. Go ahead and help him without any reservations. He is on a mission to hunt the Vampire Lord, so your church will benefit greatly as well. Signed, Daode Tianzun Of course, the priest could have suspected that the letter of rmendation was forged, but he was sure that the letter was indeed written by Daode Tianzun himself. The hologram magic cast on the letter was more than enough proof, and the fact that the mark was shining like the twilight was concrete evidence that it was written by Daode Tianzun himself. ¡°I have no idea who you are, but it doesn¡¯t matter when you have a letter of rmendation from the elder-nim. I will immediately write a report to our headquarters and request for priests to perform the exorcism.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But may you please identify yourself so that I have something to write on the report?¡± ¡°My name is Siegfried van Proa, and I am the king of the Proatine Kingdom.¡± ¡°Oh! So you are the king of the Proatine Kingdom?¡± ¡°You have heard of our kingdom?!¡± Siegfried eximed in delight. He was happy to finally meet someone who had heard of his kingdom. Most of the people he had met until now werepletely ignorant of the existence of the kingdom, and they simply brushed it off as a backwater, no-name weak kingdom in some rural province. ¡°How did you hear about us? Most people¡ª¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of it...¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°It was just a knee-jerk reaction since you said you were a king, but I have never heard of that kingdom before.¡± It was an unintended feint followed up by an uppercut. In the end, Siegfried could onlyment inwardly. Drip¡­! A tear fell from the corner of his eyes. *** The Church of the Sun God agreed to help Siegfried thanks to Daode Tianzun¡¯s letter of rmendation. Now, he had to create the Mirroring Field?to trap the Vampire Lord and obtain the holy water from the Church of Thanatos, the God of Death. However, he hit a wall as both of these things were extremely difficult to obtain. The Mirroring Field required the entire area to bepletely surrounded by mirrors, but there was no way that ordinary mirrors could withstand the physical might of the Vampire Lord. [The best way to create the Mirroring Field?is for a powerful water-attribute magician to erect a wall of ice. The ice will then be coated with silver.] Siegfried immediately went to look for a powerful water-attribute magician. [Gosran] [No recent activity (49 days)] The Intervention Hotel told him that the only water-attribute magician he knew¡ªGosran¡ªhad been inactive for forty-nine days now. He couldn¡¯t really contact her because BNW didn¡¯t have a whisper system. In addition, he also wasn¡¯t familiar with her in real life. ¡®Why did she leave like thatst time¡­¡¯?he clicked his tongue after remembering how she died from Deus¡¯ death re at Mount Kunlun. In the end, he couldn¡¯t really expect her toe back soon, so he decided to look for another powerful water-attribute magician. He put a request to the Mercenary Guild and even posted on the BNWmunity forum¡ªThe World¡ªto hire a powerful water-attribute magician. In fact, he even went as far as to ask for help from Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Hey, do you know any powerful water-attribute magicians around you?¡± ¡ª I know one, but they¡¯re extremely busy these days. Why? ¡°I¡¯m going to hunt the Vampire Lord.¡± ¡ª You¡¯re going to hunt a Level 400 named monster¡­? ¡°Then, should I sacrifice those innocent NPCs instead?¡± ¡ª Nope. I understand, I¡¯ll ask that magician for you, so just give me a minute. Five minutester¡­ ¡ª Unfortunately, they¡¯re busy. ¡°Will money convince that magician?¡± ¡ª No, they probably have more money than you. ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª I¡¯ll ask one more time but don¡¯t get your hopes up. ¡°All right, thanks.¡± Unfortunately, the magician still said no despite Siegfried¡¯s pleas. ¡®I should give this job to my own magicians, then¡­¡¯?he decided to ask the kingdom¡¯s magicians. Decimato was currently channeling a powerful spell, so he was out ofmission, so the task of erecting the ice walls was given to the other magicians. Now, he just had to retrieve holy water from the Church of Thanatos, the God of Death. ¡®Ah¡­ busy, busy, busy¡­ I¡¯m like a busy bee¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled. However, he still had more things to do aside from obtaining Thanatos¡¯ holy water. *** Three dayster. The promised time for Siegfried to deliver the offerings to the Vampire Lord hase. ¡°That crazy bastard¡­¡± ¡°That fucking asshole seems to have gotten a bit too brave these days.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s fuck him up!¡± A massive group of Adventurers gathered at a in around fifty kilometers from the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s borders. There were more than one thousand Adventurers gathered here, and they all belonged to the same guild¡ªthe Genesis Guild. The Genesis Guild members grumbled one by one while waiting for someone. They were waiting for none other than Siegfried. The incident startedst night, and it all began when an ID by the name SiegfriedTV suddenly started spamming on the Genesis Guild¡¯s Vice Guild Master, Min-Woo¡¯s livestream channel. ¡¸SiegfriedTV: Is it true that Chae Hyung-Seok has be a vegetable?¡¹ ¡¸SiegfriedTV: Kekekekekekekeke! Huehuehuehue!¡¹ ¡¸SiegfriedTV: Fucking morons! Keke!¡¹ ¡¸SiegfriedTV: These morons arepletely lost without Chae Hyung-Seok! Kekeke!¡¹ Min-Woo initially thought it was a troll, so he was about to ban the troll, but he checked the troll¡¯s information just in case and found out that the troll was the uploader of the Genesis Guild members¡¯ assassinations, which garnered a total of eight million views. ¡°Just fuck off if you¡¯re here to taunt us. You can¡¯t even fight us face to face, you little rat,¡± Min-Woo retorted. SiegfriedTV sneered. ¡¸SiegfriedTV: Who are you calling a rat? I never hid from you guys. Keke¡¹ ¡°Then why don¡¯t you fight us face to face like a man? Never mind, you probably can¡¯t do that because you aren¡¯t a man¡­¡± Min-Woo shot back. However, he got apletely unexpected response. ¡¸SiegfriedTV: Do you really think that something¡¯s going to change if we do that? Fine, why don¡¯t we have a go at it tomorrow? Bring your whole guild tomorrow, and I¡¯ll show you how my royal army will ughter you like pigs. Or¡­ you can just piss off like the bunch of cowards you are. Kekeke!¡¹ Min-Woo wanted to ept the challenge on the spot, but he could not do that because their guild master was currently in a hospital. He immediately called Chae Hyung-Seok to ask if he should ept the challenge or not. ¡°Hyung, this Han Tae-Sung bastard just challenged our entire guild. What should I do?¡± ¡ªK-Kill¡­ kill¡­ him¡­ kill that crazy¡­ fucker¡­ that son of a¡­ bitch¡­ Chae Hyung-Seok was slurring. He still hadn¡¯t fully recovered, but he still managed to convey the rage boiling inside of him directed at Tae-Sung. Rage, anger, lust for vengeance, and killing intent. It wasn¡¯t strange that Chae Hyung-Seok harbored such feelings toward Tae-Sung. After all, the cowardly gueri tactic he had employed¡ªcoupled with the video he had uploaded¡ªmade the Genesis Guild lose the guild war. He also suffered a stroke due to Tae-Sung. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll definitely fuck that bastard up, so you just rest up and leave it to me.¡± ¡ªS-Stream¡­ stream it¡­ I want to see¡­ ¡°Sure.¡± Min-Woo immediately epted the challenge after obtaining Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s approval. ¡¸SiegfriedTV: So, are you up for a fight? What do you think of this ce tomorrow morning?¡¹ SiegfriedTV sent a screenshot of a specific spot on the world map. It was a ce located forty-five kilometers away from the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s borders. It was a vast in where everything could be seen by the naked eye. However, Min-Woo exercised caution and chose another in located a bit further away from the in that SiegfriedTV proposed. ¡°How can I trust you? I¡¯m up for it if we fight here instead.¡± However, SiegfriedTV easily epted Min-Woo¡¯s counter-proposal. ¡¸SiegfriedTV: You better get ready. Kekeke! Kekekeke!¡¹ And that was how the battle between the Proatine Kingdom and the Genesis Guild was finalized¡­ Min-Woo mobilized all one thousand members of the guild to the ins where they were supposed to sh. However, it had already been ten minutes since the promised time, but they still couldn¡¯t see Siegfried. They waited and waited until ten more minutes passed, but there were still no signs of Siegfried or even a single ant in the area. ¡°Ha! That bastard probably got cold feet!¡± someone said. ¡°Why would he act all tough when he can¡¯t follow up with it? Moron¡­¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­?I just wasted my time¡­¡± The Genesis Guild members were about to leave the ins after determining that Siegfried probably got scared and was not going to show up, and it was the same for Min-Woo as well. ¡°That bastard¡­ he was acting all high and mighty, so I thought he was really going to fight us. Well, there¡¯s no way he can fight us even though he¡¯s a king. His kingdom is a fucking small shithole after all, and we would have long razed his kingdom to the ground if it hadn¡¯t been for the emperor¡¯s protection¡­¡± Whistle! All of a sudden, a sharp whistle was heard around ten kilometers from where the Genesis Guild members were located. ¡®What is that?¡¯?Min-Woo instinctively looked in the direction of the sound. ¡°¡­!¡± And he was immediately stupefied... Shwooooooooong¡­! Something was falling from the sky. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Is it a meteor?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a magic spell¡­ It looks like a shooting star judging by how it¡¯s falling.¡± The Genesis Guild members took turns guessing the falling object¡¯s identity. A few secondster¡­ Kabooooom! The falling object¡ªpresumed to be a meteor¡ªcrashed a bit far from where the Genesis Guild members were located. There was a deafening explosion that shook the ground. . A mushroom cloud even formed. ¡°H-Huh??Something¡¯sing our way¡­? W-What¡¯s that¡­?¡± A powerful shockwave swept the entire Genesis Guild. *** ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s a huge crater¡­¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue in amazement while looking around. The explosion had already subsided. ¡°Wow! That was awesome! What the hell was that, owner punk?! Was that the legendary Meteor spell?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Siegfried shook his head and said, ¡°It was all because of this...¡± He extended his hand, and a long stick flew at incredible speeds into his hand. The Rod of God. It was the weapon of mass destruction created by the legendary cksmith Herbert. A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: Scourge of God cooldown: 365 days] The cooldown was a jaw-dropping one year. Siegfried hadn¡¯t been using the Scourge of God, but he decided to finally use it because¡­ ¡®The Bloody Castle should have gotten caught up with that explosion. Now, we can fight in the open,¡¯?he thought. The Proatine Forces had to enter the Bloody Castle to hunt the Vampire Lord, but the problem was that it was impossible for them to enter the castle all at once. They also had no idea what the castle¡¯s interior was going to be like, so their chances of winning against the Vampire Lord in the Bloody Castle were next to none. Therefore, Siegfried ended up swallowing his tears and cast the Scourge of God. He consoled himself by annihting the entire Genesis Guild in the process and making himself feel better by¡­ Sparkle¡­ Sparkle¡­ Sparkle¡­ ¡­basking in the sparkling light of the items that his enemies had dropped upon dying. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and pick those up,¡± he said with a greedy look. ¡°All righty! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi eximed in response. The items now belonged to the Vulture of Proatine¡ªSiegfried. Chapter 214

    Chapter 214

    [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Witch¡¯s typus Staff¡¯!] It was at that moment that Siegfried picked up the 398th item that a message popped up in front of him. Ding! [Alert: You have gained a new title!] [Alert: You have gained the title ¡®Bald Phoenix!] Siegfried grimaced after checking his new title, ¡®What the fuck is a bald phoenix?!¡¯ He could not understand why he kept getting strange names for his titles, and he could not help but suspect that the game¡¯s moderators were doing it on purpose. However, that did not mean that he did not want the titles as their effects fully made up for their embarrassing names. [Bald Phoenix] [An upgraded version of the title Vulture. It is only given to yers who have looted more than a thousand dropped items.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Legendary] [Effects: Strength of Phoenix, As Long As It¡¯s Not Me!] [Strength of Phoenix: Inventory +1,000 kg] [As Long As It¡¯s Not Me!: Chances of losing a level upon death -50%, Chances of dropping an item upon death -50%] Increasing the inventory by one kilogram was going to cost more than fifty gold since the cost would increase the higher the inventory volume became, and the fact that the title increased his inventory capacity by a thousand kilograms was truly amazing. However, the other effect of As Long As It¡¯s Not Me! was even more amazing. Dying was a huge burden for Adventurers, and this title¡¯s effect was basically insurance against death, which was simply awesome. ¡®Y-Yeah¡­ Who cares if it doesn¡¯t look cool as long as it works¡­¡¯?Siegfried consoled himself by repeatedly telling himself that a strong and sturdy product was much better than something that looked cool but would break down often. ¡®Yes! A man shouldn¡¯t care about looks! So what? I¡¯m benefiting from it! I mean, look at these options! How amazing is it? Hahaha!¡¯?he eximed inwardly. But why was it that¡­ Plop¡­! Plop¡­! Plop¡­!? ¡­tears were streaming down his face? There were times when looks mattered more than practicality, and a good example of that was the Vampire Lord. Why? He was extremely strong, but he made himself look like aplete piece of trash pedophile by asking for young boys and girls, right? ¡®I¡¯m going to kill that fucking pervert!¡¯?Siegfried gnashed his teeth and directed his anger from his embarrassing title to the Vampire Lord. ¡°Hey, Hamchi!¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and pick everything! We don¡¯t have time!¡± ¡°Alright! Kyu! Huff! Huff! Kyu! Huff! Huff!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi kicked it up a notch and swept across the ins picking up the dropped items. *** ¡°¡­?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s face was covered with question marks after witnessing the entire Genesis Guild being wiped out by an unknown ability. Min-Woo¡¯s channel soon turned gray, andrge red letters spelling DEAD?appeared on the screen. ¡®Han Tae-Sung, that fucker¡­!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok realized that the coward, Han Tae-Sung, had probably pulled a fast one on them again. however, he became even more furious upon realizing that Han Tae-Sung¡¯s cowardice made him shine even brighter after he managed to wipe out the entire Genesis Guild in a matter of a few seconds. ¡°Urgh¡­ Ugh¡­! AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!¡±? Bang! Chae Hyung-Seok cried out like a beast, and he smashed the tablet PC to the floor. Thud! Bam! ng! He started throwing and destroying everything he could reach in the room. ¡°AAAAHHHKK!?GYAAAAAH!?That fucking bashta! Shon ova pitch! Han Tae-Sung! You fook¡­in¡­ ASSHOLEEEEE!¡± Chae Hyung-Seokpletely lost all sense of reason and started throwing a fit, even though he still hadn¡¯t recovered from his stroke. ¡°Shun oba titch! You smother hopper¡­! F-Fuck¡­! An inshaect liken zhou dares to.. stnjanuqh fsshaa?! I will killiinszhuu! Foozahin asnnqholle!¡± He was trying to say¡­ ¡®Son of a bitch! You motherfucker! F-Fuck¡­! An insect like you dares to stand up against me?! I will kill you! Fucking asshole!¡¯ Of course, he was the only one who could understand what on earth he was saying, as his cries sounded like a wounded beast howling in gibberish to others. However, there was one thing that anyone would have understood from his cries, and that was his killing intent. A gamer would have the sudden urge to kill someone else from time to time, and Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s urge to kill Tae-Sung was at an all-time high. ¡°S-Security! Call security! This patient has gone nuts!¡± ¡°Please calm down! Sir! Calm down!¡± ¡°Should we send him to the psych ward¡­?¡± The hospital staff tried their best to calm Chae Hyung-Seok down to no avail. ¡°Sedatives! Get the sedatives! Sedate this patient and send him to the psych ward! Make sure you tell them to iste him for now and contact his guardian as soon as possible!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok was sedated and locked up in istion after failing to control his anger. Siegfried had no idea, but he gained another victory over Chae Hyung-Seok. *** Chae Hyung-Seok wasn¡¯t the only one that fell victim to Siegfried¡¯s ploy. A few minutes ago¡­ The Vampire Lord Magnus was anxiously waiting for Siegfried while seated on his Throne of Blood. The Throne of Blood was made from a magical fountain of human blood that somehow solidified whenever Magnus sat on it. ¡°Luciro.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°How long before the king of my livestock arrives?¡± ¡°There is still an hour left, my lord.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Magnus muttered. He licked his lips with his long slithering tongue and said, ¡°I have lived close to an eternity, but this is the first time that time has flowed so slowly¡­¡± ¡°Are you looking forward to it, my lord?¡± ¡°I would be lying if I said I¡¯m not. I wouldn¡¯t normally be this anxious, but I¡¯m so thirsty since I just woke up from my slumber¡­¡± ¡°Please be a bit more patient, my lord,¡± Luciro said with a bow. He tried to cate the Vampire Lord by saying, ¡°The king of the livestock is going toe bearing offerings for my lord soon. And he seems quite the sensible human, so he will probably arrive earlier than promised.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°He is dealing with the great and benevolent Vampire Lord, so I doubt he is going toe right on time. He will definitelye thirty minutes earlier if he truly fears my lord!¡± ¡°Do you think so?¡± Magnus shed a chilling smile and looked even more anxious. ¡°I hope that is the case. I will definitely acknowledge him if he does that today.¡± ¡°He will be grateful for my lord¡¯s abundant grace.¡± ¡°I will have no choice but to care for mymb that brings me quality offerings¡ª¡± Boooom! Magnus was interrupted by arge explosion. Rumble¡­! The castle trembled. ¡®It seems that something fell twenty kilometers from here¡­¡¯?Magnus¡¯ sharp senses allowed him to urately grasp the exact distance of ground zero from where the castle was located. However, the explosion was far too powerful, and the shockwave it emitted was approaching the castle at great speeds. ¡®Meteor? No, Meteor is a powerful spell, but it¡¯s not strong enough to cause this much destruction in one strike¡­ What is it? Wait, perhaps a meteor really did crash?!¡¯?Magnus was shocked at the iing shockwave. Khhrwaaaaaaaaaaang! Three secondster, the shockwave swallowed the entire Bloody Castle. The castle was destroyed, and the Vampire Lord could feel himself getting ripped into pieces. The destruction was caused by a single skill of the Rod of God¡ªthe skeleton of Herbert¡¯s final masterpiece. The Scourge of God was so powerful that it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call it a tactical weapon of mass destruction. Of course, its extremely long cooldown of one year was its biggest drawback. *** Siegfried picked up all of the items from the Genesis Guild members and immediately ripped a ¡®Warp Gate Scroll¡¯ to teleport roughly three kilometers away from the Bloody Castle, where the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s elite forces and roughly five hundred Adventurers were waiting for him. The kingdom¡¯s elite forces were a formidable bunch. There were numerous named NPCs among them, and the average knights were at least on the level of an Intermediate Sword Expert. It was the same for the Adventurers. The Adventurers who gathered here today were the ones whom Siegfried was supposed to form a guild to fight against the Genesis Guild. Siegfried made sure to run a thorough background check on these Adventurers, so he was certain that he could trust them. ¡®All right, we should stand a chance against the Vampire Lord with this much firepower,¡¯?Siegfried was satisfied. His army was not as strong as the top ten guilds, but it was still quite formidable. Themander of the army, Oscar, shouted, ¡°All units! Attention! Salute to His Majesty the King!¡± ¡°Loyalty!¡± The Proatine Forces shouted at the top of their lungs. ¡°At rest,¡± Siegfried replied. He proceeded to give a short speech. ¡°It will be a difficult battle, but we don¡¯t have a choice other than to fight if we want to preserve the peace of our kingdom. I hope that all of you will fight with everything you have for our kingdom.¡± The Adventurers were envious of Siegfried. ¡°Wow¡­ he¡¯s so cool¡­¡± ¡°So you can do that too if you be a king?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s better than being a guild master. NPCs will obey every single bit of yourmand, but that¡¯s not the case with Adventurers, right?¡± ¡°They say it¡¯s better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon¡­ I guess they were right¡­¡± They were jealous at the first Adventurer to be a king on the continent, but little did they know that Siegfried found being a king to be quite the hassle. ¡°Then, shall we go?¡± Siegfried said. He turned around and raised his fist into the air before letting loose a battle cry. ¡°Exterminate that arrogant mosquito!¡± ¡°WAAAAAAAAAAH!¡± The Proatine Forces and the Adventurers shouted at the top of their lungs as they rushed toward the Bloody Castle. *** A fifty-kilometer-wide crater appeared where the Scourge of God hit, and the remains of the Bloody Castle and the Genesis Guild members were within the crater. The castle of the fearsome Vampire Lord¡ªthe Bloody Castle¡ªcould no longer be seen. However, it wasn¡¯t really strange that it could no longer be seen. Why? The Scourge of God had disintegrated every single brick of the castle. However, not everything in the castle was disintegrated by the explosion. Whiiiiiik! A current of blood manifested in the air. Seuk¡­! Seureuk¡­! The blood current soon formed the silhouette of a man. Immortality. The Vampire Lord was an immortal being, and the only way to kill him was to seal or destroy his soul. The evidence of his immortality was the current of blood that brought him back to life within a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, Magnus was the only one that made it out of the explosion. Luciro and the rest of his five hundred vampires were annihted. Smirk¡­! Magnus grinned as he red at the humans running toward him from the distance. ¡°This is going to be fun,¡± he muttered as his eyes turned red from rage. He then dered under his breath. ¡°I will show you the consequences of doing something like this to an immortal being! I will make you pay!¡± The Vampire Lord leisurely walked toward the charging army of humans. 1. A vulture is called bald eagle in Korean, so the wordy here is bald phoenix. Chapter 215

    Chapter 215

    Magnus¡¯ was enveloped in a crimson aura as he leisurely walked toward the kingdom¡¯s subjugation force with Siegfried at the vanguard. The Vampire Lord was immortal, and he was also a master of a special kind of dark magic that used blood as its conduit¡ªBlood Magic. This meant that Magnus not only possessed a vampire¡¯s monstrous hardware, such as strength, speed, and vitality, but he also possessed the ability to use the pinnacle of Blood Magic. In short, he was an extremely powerful meleebatant and a Great Wizard at the same time. ¡°Come, I shall quench my thirst with your blood and satiate my hunger with your flesh. I, Magnus, the Vampire Lord, will grant you fools the death you so dearly wish for and bathe in your blood,¡± Magnus muttered under his breath while ring at Siegfried. Chwaaaak! Walls of ice suddenly shot up around three hundred meters away from Magnus. Chwak! Chwak! Chwak! Hundreds of ice walls shot up from the ground and surrounded the Vampire Lord, but that wasn¡¯t the end of it. ¡°Fortify our walls against the enemy¡­¡± ¡°Our fortress will withstand all attacks¡­¡± ¡°Fortify our walls¡­!¡± The magicians that were originally affiliated with the Renoma Kingdom but were now working as magicians for the Proatine Kingdom, cast their spells to fortify the ice walls. A group of magicians cast alchemy magic to coat the ice walls in silver, and another group of magicians cast magic to suppress evil energy within the walls. This was the Mirroring Field, and it was the most effective technique to trap a powerful vampire. A Vampire Lord was extremely powerful, but it was still a vampire in the end. Magnus still ended up getting trapped within the Mirroring Field because he still possessed the racial traits and weaknesses of a vampire. However, Magnus didn¡¯t seem to be troubled in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯m not going to run, you fools. Do you really think that the Vampire Lord is going to turn around and run from his own livestock?¡± Magnus smirked. He was extremely confident that he wouldn¡¯t be defeated by the insignificant humans that served no better purpose than to be his meal. However, his confident smirk soon disappeared. Shwaaaa! It suddenly started raining, but the problem was that the rainwater looked a bit different¡ªthe rainwater wasn¡¯t transparent but ck. Magnus found the strange color of the rain to be quite peculiar, so he looked up at the sky. ¡®An airship?¡¯?he spotted three airships equipped with something simr to a giant watering can, and it sprayed water over him. Shwaaaa¡­! The rain seeped into Magnus, and he started to dpose from the inside. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ The holy water of Thanatos?¡¯? He was surprised upon identifying the holy water. It wasn¡¯t strange that he was surprised. The holy water of the church that worshiped the God of Death, Thanatos, was known to be extremely difficult to get, and it was impossible for someone to get enough of that rare holy water to make it rain from above. However, what surprised him the most was the fact that the human who managed to turn the impossible into possible was none other than the king of the livestock that he had been looking down on¡ªSiegfried. *** Shwaaa! It was raining inside Siegfried¡¯s heart as well. Plop¡­! Siegfried shed a tear. ¡®Money is¡­ falling from the sky¡­ it¡¯s raining money¡­¡¯ He was crying because he had paid an astronomical amount for the holy water. The astronomical figure could be covered if he sold the items that he had picked up from the Genesis Guild members and took some money from the kingdom¡¯s coffers, but it was still a massive amount of money. Siegfried would have been on cloud nine if he managed to obtain the holy water of Thanatos for free. ¡®This is all because of you, you mosquito bastard!¡¯?Siegfried gnashed his teeth in anger. However, the fact that he had to spend a lot of money for this raid was more than enough for him to be enraged. Tak! Siegfried charged at Magnus to vent his anger. *** The Mirroring Field and holy water was used, but those weren¡¯t the only surprises that Siegfried had prepared for the Vampire Lord. The most powerful subject of the Proatine Kingdom, Decimato, channeled a spell. ¡°Sunder the evil and bind it with the fourteen cloths of justice¡­¡± He was channeling a spell that he learned from Daode Tianzun, and it was a spell that only a Great Wizard could cast. Wooooong! Arge magic circle spread out, and it got bigger as Decimato chanted his spell. The spell was once used by a Great Wizard to defeat the Vampire Lord of that era, and it was a spell that would seal the bloodsucking ability and the Blood Magic of vampires. Magnus was stupefied. ¡®T-This ancient magic is¡­!¡±? He could have never imagined¡ªeven in his wildest dreams¡ªthat he would once again witness the ancient spell that was used to kill his father¡ªthe previous Vampire Lord. However, the surprises didn¡¯t end there. Puuuk! A spear flew from out of nowhere and buried itself in the Vampire Lord¡¯s back. The spear was thrown by the Weapon Maestro, Luna. She used Shakiro¡¯s Lightning Fourth Form to throw the spear stealthily. The spear started sucking the Vampire Lord¡¯s HP as if it were a leech with an insatiable hunger. Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! The bad news for Magnus was that he was about to face ny-nine more spears of the same kind as the one stuck in his back. ¡°Eat these¡­¡± Siegfried shouted as he stood inches away from the Vampire Lord. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You mosquito bastard!¡± he shouted and used Lightning First Form to thrust the Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech into the Vampire Lord¡¯s face. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Stab him!¡± ¡°Send the evil monster back to the depths of hell!¡± The NPCs and Adventurers well-versed with the spear instantly flocked toward the Vampire Lord and thrust away using the Spear of the Hell¡¯s Leech. ¡°Kwaaaaaah!¡±?Magnus screamed in agony as the spears poked holes in him. The subjugation force finally started their full-scale attack. Fwaaaaa! Fhwaaa! Siegfried¡¯s ze Field served as the signal for all forces to attack. *** ¡°You dare insult me¡­ the Demon Lord of the Night!¡± Magnus eximed in anger. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Aaargh!¡± ¡°T-This monster!¡± The Vampire Lord proved that he was truly deserving of his title. He exerted monstrous strength and killed Adventurer after Adventurer, even after getting stabbed by a hundred Spears of the Hell¡¯s Leech. The most surprising part was that Magnus¡¯ Defense and Magic Resistance were still incredibly high, even after ze Field had shredded them. ¡®He¡¯s a real monster¡­¡¯?Siegfried clicked his tongue as the Adventurers died one by one. He tried to imagine what would have happened if he hadn¡¯t destroyed the Bloody Castle with the Scourge of God and¡­ Shiver¡­! ¡­he felt a chill travel down his spine just by imagining it. ¡®I guess I need a monster to fight against a monster, right?¡¯?Siegfried smirked. He shouted, ¡°It¡¯s time!¡± Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Arge-framed man with white hair and golden eyes leisurely walked toward Magnus. [Grimwood] [Lycanthrope Lord] [Thest remaining hope of the lycanthropes after they were driven out from their homes by the vampires. He is currently working as a mercenary.] [Type: Named NPC] [Race: Lycanthrope (Wolf)] [Level: 350] [Affiliation: N/A] [Position: Lycanthrope Lord] [ss: Lord of the Lycanthropes] [Titles: Night Predator, Ruler of the Wild, Night Hunter, Beast King, Mercenary King] The man was none other than the lord of the beasts that once stood toe to toe against the vampires¡ªthe Lycanthrope Lord. He was currently working as a mercenary, and he was known as one of the three Mercenary Kings on the continent. There were rumors that it was going to cost someone the same amount to buy a small territory tomission Grimwood, and the sucker who had to pay was, unfortunately, Siegfried. He hired the Lycanthrope Lord, Grimwood, for the sole purpose of killing Magnus. ¡°Grimwood¡­?¡± Magnus muttered and grimaced. ¡°Today will be the day you will meet your maker,¡± Grimwood said with a smile filled with madness. Krawk¡­! Krawk¡­! Fur sprouted all over him as he turned into a lycanthrope. ¡°You dirty little mutt! You couldn¡¯t even dare lift a finger against me, but you actually threw away your honor to side with the humans?¡± Magnus growled. Magnus was right. Grimwood had never even imagined fighting Magnus. Why? They were lord-ss creatures, but a clear gap existed between Magnus and Grimwood. Magnus was also at least a few centuries older than Grimwood. However, it was a different story if they were fighting in an anti-vampire field in addition to the support of the subjugation force of Proatine. Grimwood was no longer an opponent Magnus could underestimate in thetter¡¯s current predicament. ¡°Keke! Let¡¯s see if you can still say that once I tear you apart limb for limb¡­ Kehehe!¡± Grimwood¡¯s transformation wasplete, and he immediately pounced on the Vampire Lord. A bloody battle between the Vampire Lord and the Lycanthrope Lord quickly broke out. *** ¡°Wow! They¡¯re putting quite a show out there!¡± Siegfried eximed in awe. ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s an awesome fight! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi added. The fight between the two monsters was so fun that it could be called the fight of the century. Magnus truly lived up to his title as the Demon Lord of the Night by disying his strength despite being under the many debuffs that Siegfried had prepared for him. Meanwhile, Grimwood was not as strong as Magnus, but he lived up to his titles as the Lycanthrope Lord and Night Hunter. The sh of the two giants could only be described as jaw-dropping. They dealt additional damage to each other as they were from the same bloodline, and their faces quickly became a bloody mess. Unfortunately, it was about time they concluded the battle. They had been fighting for nearly three hours straight now, and even the onlookers were getting tired. However, it wasn¡¯t really strange that they were still fighting. After all, both Magnus and Grimwood were immortal beings. They kept on regenerating despite beating each other up until they were on the verge of dying. Of course, they were bound to be tired at one point, but it seemed that it was going to take at least more than twenty-four hours for that to happen. ¡°Hmm¡­?Shall we end this battle?¡± Siegfried wondered. Siegfried had been cing down ze Field and Shadow Swamp whenever the skills went off cooldown to assist Grimwood, but now, he was going to walk toward Magnus. [Magnus] [HP: ??????????] [Grimwood] [HP: ??????????] The perfect time for Siegfried to get involved was now. The two lords only had ten percent of HP remaining after all. ¡®The first target is the Vampire Lord? I guess you¡¯re quite picky of your opponent since you¡¯re a +15 weapon,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he tightly gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. He was currently Level 210, and he had already satisfied the level requirement of the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. He leveled up seven times in such a short period of time because of Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Hey! Give me a quest that¡¯ll allow me to level up seven times within twenty-four hours!¡± ¡°Hey, you crazy bastard! Do you honestly think that such a quest exists?¡± ¡°Go make one if it doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ look at this daylight robbery. Have you already forgotten that you¡¯re no longer Level 100? You¡¯re already Level 203, so why are you expecting to level up seven times in twenty-four hours?!¡± ¡°I thought you were the Quest Maker? Don¡¯t you have an ace up your sleeves?¡± ¡°I do¡­ but I can¡¯t fight for three months if I use it ¡­¡± ¡°So you do have one? Then, hurry up and hand it over!¡± ¡°Hey! You bastard!¡± ¡°Give it to me!¡± In the end, Siegfried received an ultimate quest from Cheon Woo-Jin, and he immediately jumped from dimensional rift to dimensional rift fighting to the death against many boss monsters before reaching his target level. ¡°All of my stacks are gone¡­¡±? Siegfried could still remember Cheon Woo-Jin grumbling about how he would be out ofmission in the next ny days. Anyway, the first thing that Siegfried did as soon as he gripped the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist was to smack Grimwood¡¯s head. Bam! The +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist mmed into Grimwood¡¯s head. It was a despicable yet extremely effective move. It turned out that Grimwood was one of the three birds that Siegfried was hoping to kill with a single stone. Chapter 216

    Chapter 216

    Pukeok! Grimwood¡¯s head was bashed¡ªno, it exploded. Blood? Flesh? Brain matter? None of those could be seen anywhere as the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist disintegrated his head between his shoulders without leaving any traces of it. ¡®Huh? W-Why is this so powerful¡­? I thought I had to smack him at least four or five times¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was bbergasted, and he felt a shiver down his spine upon recognizing the weapon¡¯s power. He knew a +15 weapon was quite powerful, but he didn¡¯t expect that it would disintegrate?the Lycanthrope Lord¡¯s head in a single blow. Of course, the Lycanthrope Lord had already sustained a lot of damage from his fight against the Vampire Lord, Magnus, and his Defense was shredded by ze Field on top of that, but Siegfried was still shocked by the damage he dealt. However, Lycanthrope Lord Grimwood couldn¡¯t die. He was the same kind of cursed soul bound to this world, just like the Vampire Lord. They were cursed to be bound to the continent for the rest of their lives, and it was impossible for them to die, no matter how badly their bodies were destroyed. They would live as long as they had spiritual energy. In short, they were afflicted with the curse of immortality. Therefore, Siegfried¡¯s attack just now was pointless. Why? Swoosh! Grimwood¡¯s spiritual energy reconstructed his disintegrated head. Magnus looked at Siegfried and asked in disbelief, ¡°Can I ask what¡¯s going on?¡± It wasn¡¯t strange that he was baffled. He couldn¡¯t have expected that Siegfried would suddenly smash the head of the top-tier mercenary he had hired for an absurd sum of money. Magnus tried to think of a reason why Siegfried would smash the head of the only other being capable of standing up against him, the Vampire Lord, but he could note up with any usible exnation. ¡°Because I don¡¯t owe him any loyalty? I don¡¯t have qualms with bashing the heads of monsters that devour humans to satiate their own hunger,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. He smashed Grimwood¡¯s head because the Lycanthrope Lord was infamous for being a cannibal. Well, more like a man-eater since humans were a different race than him. Mercenary King? Yeah, he had that fancy title, but Grimwood was infamous for devouring people alive whenever he was in a bad mood or whenever somebody got on his bad side. He was able to continue working as a mercenary thanks to his title as a top-tier mercenary on top of being immortal, but he wasn¡¯t a good being at all. ¡°How foolish can you be? You betrayed your strongest ally and turned him into your enemy during a battle,¡± Magnus scoffed at him. ¡°Me? When did I? What enemy?¡± Siegfried feigned ignorance. ¡°Do you honestly think that pup is going to cooperate with you after hees back to life? He will probably try to rip you to shreds as soon as he reincarnates.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­?¡± ¡°Just wait and see. I¡¯m certain that pup is going to go berserk on you judging by his personality¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Do you still think so?¡± Siegfried asked as he took out something from his Inventory. ¡°¡­!¡± Magnus¡¯ eyes shot wide open, and his pale face turned beyond pallid. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°Do you want to see if he can recover with his soul sealed?¡± Siegfried asked before unsealing the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger. *** Three days ago, Siegfried asked Daode Tianzun. ¡°Elder-nim, may I ask one favor from you?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Can you make it so that I can use this sword for just ten seconds?¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯re scared of being devoured by that magic sword.¡± Daode Tianzun knew very well why Siegfried was making such a request. ¡°Yes, that is exactly the reason.¡± ¡°Hmm~ It is truly a terrifying object, and that sword was simply too destructive when it was still at the hands of a Demon Lord but¡­ That sword is apletely different weapon in your hands. You¡¯re probably not going to be able to unleash even two percent of that sword¡¯s true power. Of course, that two percent alone is more than what you can handle right now.¡± ¡°That is why I am asking you, Elder-nim. Can you allow me to use this weapon for ten seconds? I have to seal that mosquito bastard¡¯s soul at least if I cannot kill him, right?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I cannot unseal it for you, but I can make it possible for you to seal the Vampire Lord¡¯s soul at the very least.¡± Daode Tianzun took the magic sword and engraved a bunch of ancient runic symbols on it. Siegfried could not swing the sword around to his heart¡¯s content, but he could use it for a few seconds to seal the Vampire Lord¡¯s soul. *** [Alert: You have unsealed the ¡®Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger¡¯!] [Alert: The magic sword¡¯s evil energy is trying to devour you!] [Alert: Daode Tianzun¡¯s protection spells are protecting you from the evil energy!] [Alert: Daode Tianzu¡¯s protection spells will disappear in 14 seconds!] A string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. He had fifteen seconds in total. It was a short period of time, but it was more than enough time for him to seal two souls. Whoosh! Siegfried swung the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger, and the Lycanthrope Lord¡¯s soul¡ªwhich was only visible to Siegfried¡ªwas absorbed into the magic sword. [Alert: Lycanthrope Lord Grimwood¡¯s soul has been absorbed by the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger!] Thud¡­! The headless body of the Lycanthrope Lord helplessly fell to the ground. It was an obvious oue as the soul that was supposed to reanimate the head was suddenly absorbed by the magic sword. The Lycanthrope could no longer stand without his soul. It was truly ackluster ending for the creature once called the Lycanthrope Lord and Mercenary King. ¡°T-That magic sword¡­ It''s the Avenger! How did an insignificant and lowly livestock like you get your hands on that?! HOW?!¡± Magnus cried out in horror. Hepletely abandoned his majesty?as the Vampire Lord and retreated in fear. The Vampire Lord wasn¡¯t afraid of something simple like death. Death? He honestly didn¡¯t mind dying. He was cursed to live for eternity, and his mundane immortal life so far had been an endless cycle of boredom. Death was probably not a bad gift for someone like the Vampire Lord. After all, he could finally get a taste of eternal rest. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t going to give him death. It was something scarier than death¡­ The Vampire Lord was going to be trapped in the magic sword to suffer alongside the other forsaken souls for hundreds or even thousands of years. There was probably nothing more frightening to the Vampire Lord than the makeshift purgatory within the magic sword. His soul would be trapped in the magic sword and be tormented along with its countless other victims instead of going to the afterlife. The idea was more than enough reason to frighten the Vampire Lord out of his wits. ¡°H-Hold on¡­!¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯te near me! I already warned you!¡± ¡°But I want to¡­¡± ¡°Please! I beg you!¡± Magnus screamed. He abruptly turned into a bloody mist and tried to fly away from Siegfried. ¡°¡­!¡± However, the Mirroring Field didn¡¯t allow the Vampire Lord to escape. He was arrogant enough and had underestimated his opponent, so he was now paying the price. Siegfried poured everything he had into this hunt. He had meticulously nned every single part of his n. He had drawn theyout of the Mirroring Field, gathered a subjugation army, and even paid a huge sum to hire the Vampire Lord¡¯s arch nemesis¡ªthe Lycanthrope Lord. In fact, he even went as far as to use Scourge of God which was a skill that he had been saving for the longest time just to destroy the Bloody Castle and increase his chances of victory. The Vampire Lord had been overconfident, so he didn¡¯t bother making any preparations because he was too busy dreaming of what his offerings were going to taste like. However, his most fatal mistake was probably his arrogance to not even attempt to escape from the Mirroring Field despite knowing that he would be under a heavy penalty within it. The conclusion of the battle between the prepared and the arrogant was an obvious conclusion, right? ¡°P-Please! Spare me!¡± In the end, the Vampire Lord was forced to kowtow and surrender at the feet of the human that he once referred to as livestock. ¡°I¡¯m going to beg you on my knees, so please¡­!¡± ¡°Hey, what are you doing? I¡¯m not going to hurt you, soe here,¡± Siegfried said with a warm and gentle smile. ¡°D-Don¡¯te near me!¡± Magnus cried out. ¡°I like you a lot, you know that, right?¡± ¡°Lies!¡± ¡°No, I really like you. Who said anything about killing you? I just want to give you some time off. You know, like a vacation? I know an awesome ce for you to get your much-needed rest.¡± Needless to say, the awesome ce Siegfried was referring to was none other than the purgatory within the magic sword. Step, step, step! Siegfried walked toward the Vampire Lord without an ounce of hesitation. ¡°I said don¡¯te near me!¡± Magnus cried out and swiped at Siegfried with his sharp nails. Whoosh! Siegfried avoided the attack. ¡®You should try getting your head smashed in as well,¡¯?he thought as he tightly gripped the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and swung it into the Vampire Lord¡¯s head. Pukeok!? Boom! Magnus¡¯ head was disintegrated, suffering the same fate as Grimwood¡¯s head. [Alert: Daode Tianzu¡¯s protection spells will disappear in 3 seconds!] Siegfried swung the magic sword at Magnus¡¯ soul. Whoosh! [Alert: Vampire Lord Magnus¡¯ soul has been absorbed by the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger!] Thud¡­! Magnus¡¯ headless body helplessly fell to the ground before crumbling into dust that scattered into the wind. The mighty Vampire Lord suffered ackluster ending simr to the Lycanthrope Lord. *** [Alert: You have reached Level 211!] [Alert: You have reached Level 212!] Siegfried leveled up two times after defeating the two named monsters¡ªthe Vampire Lord and the Lycanthrope Lord. He also gained new titles. [Alert: You have gained the title Vampire Lord yer!] [Alert: You have gained the title Lycanthrope Lord yer!] That was not the end of it¡­ [Alert: You have achieved the Triple Crown!] [Alert: Your Dragon yer title has merged with your new titles!] [Alert: You have obtained the title ¡®Great Hunter¡¯!] [Great Hunter] [A title awarded to those who have achieved the Triple Crown of killing three certain powerful creatures.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Legendary] [Effect: Great Honor (Passive Skill)] The Great Hunter title gave Siegfried the passive skill¡ªGreat Honor. [Great Honor] [Effects: +500 First Impression, +500 Affinity with NPCs, +500 Presence, +500 Charisma] From now on, NPCs would look upon Siegfried favorably under the effects of the Great Hunter. [Herbert¡¯s Blueprint] [A blueprint of the most powerful weapon of mass destruction. A Grand Master cksmith will easily understand it, and they will be able toplete Herbert¡¯s final masterpiece as long as they have the following ingredients.] [Type: Recipe (Universal Weapon)] [Materials:] [Rod of God ¡Á 1 ?] [Omnipotent Mechanical Gear ¡Á 1 ?] [Horn of Chromatic Dragon ¡Á 1] [Soul of the Vampire Lord ¡Á 1 ?] [Eye of the Storm ¡Á 1] [Universal Grade Mana Stone ¡Á 1] [Heart of the Demon King ¡Á 1] [Current Progress: 42.85%] Siegfried had gathered three out of the seven materials he needed toplete the Universal Tier weapon. ¡®Nah, I won¡¯t be able to gather all of it, anyway. The Universal Grade Mana Stone is nigh impossible to get, and how the hell am I supposed to get the Horn of the Chromatic Dragon? And what the hell is up with the Heart of the Demon Lord?¡¯? Siegfried grumbled in disbelief. The remaining materials were practically impossible to get, and the difficulty level was so great that Siegfried reckoned that not even a Grand Master could fulfill it. After all, even a Grand Master couldn¡¯t defeat the Chromatic Dragon or the Demon King. ¡°All right, good job, everyone. Let¡¯s go back,¡± Siegfried said, ordering the troops. *** While they were on their way back to Preussen, the capital of the Proatine Kingdom¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion after seeing the long line outside the capital. ¡°Why is everyone outside?¡± Siegfried¡¯s question was soon answered. ¡°Long live the Proatine Kingdom!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± ¡°Long live the Great King Siegfried!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± The citizens that lined up outside to greet Siegfried started to call him the ¡®Great King¡¯. [Alert: You have obtained the title, Great King!] [Alert: Force of the Lord has been activated!] A burst of light abruptly enveloped Siegfried. Chapter 217

    Chapter 217

    The Force of the Lord was an ancient magic bestowed to the rulers of the frontier territories, and the ancient magic that was activated when Siegfried first became the ruler of Proatine was activated once again. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Our Great King!¡± ¡°Great King Siegfried!¡± ¡°The heavens have sent him to us!¡± The citizens of the kingdom cried out in awe and started to worship Siegfried. It was only obvious for them to worship him as the people of Proatine and their ancestors had been living as the Vampire Lord¡¯s livestock for centuries, and the Great King shrouded in bright holy light in front of them had finally subjugated the evil vampire. The brilliance and glory Siegfried was emitting were truly blinding and awe-striking. The people could not help but worship him as their Great King. [Alert: The ancient magic Force of the Lord has bestowed new powers upon you!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes, describing his new power. Ding! [Great King¡¯s Blessed Lands] [The ancient magic Force of the Lord will bless the territory under Siegfried van Proa while he is sitting on the throne.] [Type: Passive] [Effect: Talent Recognition, Resource Prospecting, Talent Enhancement, Abundant Harvest] [Talent Recognition: Increased chances of finding talented individuals.] [Resource Prospecting: The hidden resources within the territory will start to appear.] [Talent Enhancement: The stats of the citizens will increase, and the officials will experience exponential growth.] [Abundant Harvest: The territory will always have abundant harvests, and all crops will be immune to insects and pestilence.] The Great King¡¯s Blessed Lands was an extremely useful passive skill for a ruler. Siegfried¡¯s ss wasn¡¯t a ss specializing in ruling a country, but this skill alone was more than enough to put him on par with most rulers on the continent. No, he was probably better than most rulers right now¡­ However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ [Great King] [A title bestowed to rulers with tremendous achievements.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Legendary] [Effects: +1,000 Citizen¡¯s Love, +1,000 Citizen¡¯s Loyalty, +1,000 Citizen¡¯s Respect, +1,000 Ruler¡¯s Prestige] The effects of Great King were much better than Great Hunter. It was limited to the citizens of the Proatine Kingdom, but this cemented Siegfried as a beloved king in his territory. *** Gringore had recorded everything. The Demon Lord of the Night demanded offerings, and His Majesty seemed to have epted the demand. However, it was all a part of His Majesty¡¯s great n for the future of his kingdom. He set out to subjugate the Vampire Lord four dayster. Then, His Majesty¡¯s craftiness pitted the Lycanthrope Lord and the Vampire Lord against each other, and he sessfully sealed both of their souls to bring peace to the Proatine Kingdom. s! The citizens started calling His Majesty Great King, and His Majesty was shrouded in glory for everyone to see! Ah! How glorious, you ask? Worship him, all of you! The Great Vampire Lord yer! The Great Lycanthrope Lord yer! Worship him on your knees! Records of the Proatine Kingdom Book 1 Chapter 5 Siegfried van Proa the First His Majesty¡¯s Achievements And Gringore¡¯s records didn¡¯t end there¡­ The depth of His Majesty¡¯s wisdom and cleverness ining up with tactics is as vast as the wide blue ocean. His Majesty is truly a ruler who is talented in both military and literary arts. His wisdom also rivals that of sages. Records of the Proatine Kingdom Book 1 Chapter 6 Siegfried van Proa the First Commentary Gringore had the habit of writing about Siegfried¡¯s embarrassing moments, which were actually just him being faithful to his duties as a scribe. However, he also made sure to write down every single achievement that Siegfried garnered as king. *** Siegfried made sure that he tied all loose ends as well. First, he returned all of the items that the Adventurers had dropped upon dying inbat against the Vampire Lord. He also made sure topensate them. ¡°Wow! Hyung-nim is great!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ He actually returned our dropped items? And he even gave us a bonus!¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t really have to, but I¡¯m really d that he did¡­¡± The Adventurers were extremely grateful to him. Siegfried didn¡¯t forget the NPCs either. He bestowed medals and merits to the NPCs who participated in the battle and promoted them by a rank as a bonus for their valor. Lastly, he made sure to pay special attention to pay respect to those who had fallen in battle. Hepensated their bereaved families as well. ¡°I should promote them by two ranks and hold a kingdom-wide state funeral for them, right?¡± Siegfried asked while browsing through his files. ¡°I believe a state funeral is a bit too much, Your Majesty¡­ Those are only reserved for Dukes or higher-ranking officials¡­¡± Michele replied. ¡°I know, but they died protecting our kingdom. The least we can do for them is to show them the respect they deserve. That¡¯s the only way others will be willing to put their lives on the line for the kingdom in the future if an even greater danger falls upon us.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Make it a state funeral, andpensate their families by paying them their sries for twenty years. Ah,?make sure you increase it every year depending on the intion rate. Our kingdom¡¯s finances are doing quite well right now, so we can do that much, right?¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­¡± Michele muttered while looking at his liege. ¡®He is turning into a true ruler now¡­¡¯? Michele¡¯s respect for Siegfried went up a notch once again. Siegfried was often irresponsible andzy, but Michele knew that his liege was someone worth serving. In fact, Michele considered himself to be a genius and an expert tactician, but the tactics and ideas his liege woulde up with in every crisis so far had been bizarre yet ingenious tactics that sent chills down Michele¡¯s spine. ¡°Then, I will do as youmand, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Siegfried nodded before saying, ¡°Oh, about that crater.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Fill it up, then build farms as well as ranches on top of it. We might as well use thatnd, right?¡± Siegfried was referring to the massive hole that the Scourge of God had created. The crater once had a mountain range and thick forests. The Vampire Lord¡¯s castle once stood there as well. ¡°Or¡­ we can dig a deeper crater and turn it into a reservoir¡­¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­?¡± Michele muttered in horror. ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°Are you unwell, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m fine. Why?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. He looked down at himself and asked, ¡°Why are you asking? Do I look sick?¡± ¡°Y-You suddenly became really smart¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°T-Then, I will go and execute yourmands. I will excuse myself now, as I have a lot of work,¡± Michele said. He hurriedly ran away with a stack of documents. ¡°Hmm¡­ Have I always looked dumb in his eyes until now¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered to himself with a confused look. Well, Siegfried was probably the only one who had no idea that every official had long unanimously agreed that he was dumb. *** Meanwhile, at a luxury beef barbecue ce in Cheongdamdong. Sizzle¡­! Sizzle¡­! Sizzle¡­! The sound of meat sizzling beneath the grills was everywhere. Tae-Sung, Seung-Gu, and Cheon Woo-Jin met up to continue their interrupted beef dinnerst time. ¡°So, you killed both of them?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Tae-Sung nodded in response. Munch! Munch! Munch! He was busy stuffing his mouth with the high-quality beef that he didn¡¯t get to eat properlyst time. ¡°See, I told you it¡¯s just a matter of time before you be strong,¡± Cheon Woo-Jin said. ¡°Do you really think that I won because¡ªmunch, munch¡ªI¡¯m strong? I just outsmarted them¡­¡± Tae-Sung replied while still stuffing his mouth with beef. ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re right now that I think about it. Still, you¡¯re already quite strong, and you¡¯ll be stronger from now on.¡± ¡°I have to¡ªmunch, munch¡ªlevel up to be strong,¡± Tae-Sung replied without even listening properly to Cheon Woo-Jin¡¯s words. The opportunity to eat premium beef was rare for Tae-Sung because he would usually eat lunch boxes from convenience stores. What was the point of earning billions if he had no time to spend it? At the end of the day, Han Tae-Sung was still the same gaming addict, even though he already had a ton of money. ¡°You¡¯re really going to pay for this, right?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice. ¡°Of course¡ªmunch, munch¡ªdon¡¯t worry so much¡ªgulp!?There was an emergency at the time, so I had no choice. Do you really think that I¡¯m someone who would often dine and dash? This costs nothing to me. I¡¯m really rich, you know?¡± ¡°Look at this dude who turned rags to riches. Are you looking down on this premium beef now that you have some money in your pocket??Wow¡­ What a show off¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Tae-Sung said with a shrug, but he was thinking of something else deep inside. ¡®How can I make this bastard pay for this dinner this time? I have no idea why¡­ but that thrill¡­ I want to feel it one more time¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that he did not want to pay, but there was a certain thrill about screwing Cheon Woo-Jin over¡­ ¡°You¡¯re really going to pay for it, right? You¡¯re not going to run away likest time?¡± ¡°Yeah, I already told you,¡± Tae-Sung replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He took out his credit card and threw it onto the table. Tak! ¡°That¡¯s my credit card right there!¡± he confidently eximed. ¡°Wow!¡± Cheon Woo-Jin was impressed by Tae-Sung¡¯s brazenness. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going to the toilet for a while.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Hey, Seung-Gu. Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Okay, hyung-nim,¡± Seung-Gu wiped his mouth with a napkin and followed Tae-Sung. ¡°Why are you going to the toilet like a bunch of kids?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled and sighed in disbelief. ¡°Hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to the toilet¡­?¡± Seung-Gu noticed that Tae-Sung wasn¡¯t headed toward the toilet. He was headed to the parking lot rather than to the toilet. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I know, so hurry up. He¡¯ll chase after us once he notices something strange.¡± Tae-Sung immediately hurried to the valet and passed him a ten thousand won bill. He took the keys to his Ferrari from the valet and ran to his car. ¡°H-Hyung-nim? Are we dining and dashing again?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s fun? There¡¯s a certain thrill to it. It feels really good to dine and dash!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you feel the same?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ A-Actually¡­ I do¡­¡± ¡°Then, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and get in!¡± Tae-Sung eximed. He hopped into his Ferrari and started the engine. Vroooom! Cheon Woo-Jin was leisurely enjoying the premium beef when he suddenly heard the sound of a roaring engine from the parking lot. Cheon Woo-Jin froze. He was sure that the roaring of the engine definitely belonged to a¡­ ¡®No way¡­¡¯?he thought as he ran out of the restaurant. A red Ferrari was leaving the parking lot. Tae-Sung¡¯s Ferrari was leaving the parking lot¡­ ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± the waitress approached Cheon Woo-Jin. ¡°Can you try¡­ this card?¡± ¡°Yes, please wait a moment.¡± Two minutester¡­ ¡°Excuse me, customer-nim¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Erm¡­?this¡­¡± ¡°It declined, right?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked with certainty. ¡°Yes,¡± the waitress replied. Cheon Woo-Jin clenched his fists and trembled in anger after being made to pay for the dinner once again. *** The next morning, Tae-Sung hopped into his VR capsule and booted the BNW client. He descended on the N¨¹rburg Continent as Adventurer Siegfried. ¡®I should spend a few days looking around. It¡¯s my ce, after all, so I should be aware of what''s going on here at least,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He wanted to see how his kingdom was faring after the Vampire Lord was subjugated. He knew nothing about his own kingdom thanks to his habit of signing whatever was thrown at him instead of reading them. He had also shoved all the administrative work to Michele. He was about to step out of the castle. However, Hamchi interrupted him. ¡°Hey, owner punk! Where are we going this time?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to take a look around the kingdom.¡± ¡°Then, Hamchi¡¯s not going with you. I¡¯m going to take a nap instead.¡± Hamchi then disappeared somewhere. ¡°Wow, look at thatzy bastard,¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue. He found the giant hamster to be quite cheeky, but he decided to ignore the hamster because he wouldn¡¯t really need the cheeky hamster this time. Siegfried visited the mine first. The kingdom¡¯s mine was just a tiny small coal mine. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I greet Your Majesty!¡± Theborers at the mine immediately knelt in front of Siegfried. ¡°Wee, Your Majesty,¡± the knight in charge of the mine knelt in front of Siegfried and greeted him. ¡°What brings Your Majesty to a lowly ce like this¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just here to take a look,¡± Siegfried replied. He scanned the mine and asked, ¡°But why is it so quiet here?¡± ¡°Actually¡­ the amount of coal we have been mining hasn¡¯t been that high recently, so we think that the mine has already run out of coal deposits.¡± ¡°Really? Well, I guess we can¡¯t do anything about that. Make a report once it¡¯s fully depleted so that we can close it properly.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Oh, who left a pickaxe here?¡± Siegfried picked up a pickaxe lying on the ground. ¡°Your Majesty! Please do not touch that filthy tool! Allow me to¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just feel nostalgic seeing it,¡± Siegfried said with a smile. He then swung the pickaxe a few times before mming it into the ground with ease. It seemed that his body could still remember the days he had spent at the military digging trenches¡­ Crack¡­! The ground that the pickaxe struck suddenly cracked open. Boom! An explosion urred as a pir of me shot up from the ground. Chapter 218

    Chapter 218

    ¡°Ouch!?That¡¯s hooooot!¡± Siegfried screamed and jumped in fright. The pir of me did not deal a lot of damage to him, but it caught him off guard. Siegfried hadn¡¯t really been thinking when he stabbed the ground with the pickaxe, so the mes made his heart jump. ¡°Water! Bring some water here! His Majesty is on fire!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty! I¡¯ll ssh you with water! Please forgive me for the transgression!¡± The knight shouted before pouring an entire barrel of water on Siegfried. Chwaaa¡­! In just a few seconds, Siegfried was engulfed by mes and drenched with water. ¡°Ugh¡­?This is my first time going around, so what the hell is this¡­?¡± Siegfried grumbled, looking like a wet rat. He had never expected that he would be attacked by both water and fire, and he looked heartbroken at the fact. ¡°Your Majesty, please dry yourself with this towel.¡± ¡°Ah, thanks,¡± Siegfried epted the towel. He cleaned himself with the towel and asked, ¡°What was that? Did you guys bury dynamite here or something?¡± ¡°I have no idea as well, Your Majesty. I shall instruct specialists to check it out, so please move to a safe location.¡± ¡°All right,¡± Siegfried agreed. He went to dry his clothes and hair while the specialists were inspecting the site. ¡°Your Majesty, we have discovered the reason behind the explosion.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± Siegfried asked while drying his hair. ¡°A B-Grade mana stone exploded, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°A mana stone? Do mana stones even explode? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of such a thing¡­¡± ¡°Unrefined B-Grade mana stones and above can explode upon receiving a powerful impact. Therefore, most B-Grade mines are supervised by specialists with enough experience handling mana stones.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but why would something as expensive as a B-Grade mana stone be lying there in the first ce?¡± ¡°I am ashamed to say that I have no idea myself, Your Majesty. Actually, we discovered a pathway within the tunnel, and it looked quite old, so we suspect that it has been there the entire time.¡± ¡°Your¡­ MAJEEESTYYY!¡± A specialist in the mine suddenly ran toward Siegfried while screaming. Thud! He fell on his knees and cried out, ¡°C-Congrattions, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Congrattions?¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®Is he making fun of me right now? I just got burned and drenched, so what is this bastard congratting me for?¡¯ Siegfried¡¯s mind was a bit skewed right now¡­ ¡°I-it¡¯s because¡­!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­!¡± The specialist kept on cutting off his own words to catch his breath. ¡°Hey, just spill it out, will you? What are you congratting me for?¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°That¡¯s because¡ªy-Your Majesty! YOUR MAJESTY! I¡¯m congratting Your Majesty because¡­!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s now a B-Grade!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a B-Grade?¡± ¡°B-GRADE!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your Majesty is now the owner of a B-Grade mana stone mine! Congrattions!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Siegfried doubted his ears for a second, and he asked just to make sure, ¡°I¡¯ve be the owner of a B-Grade mana stone mine?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty! We have discovered that the spot where Your Majesty was scorched was the tip of a mana vein! It¡¯s a B-Grade mana vein on top of that!¡± ¡°A-Are you asking me to¡­ believe you¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty! You are now the proud owner of a B-Grade mana stone mine!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We cannot tell for certain right now, but we expect at least a hundred and fifty years'' worth of mana stone buried in the mine! Congrattions, oh, Great King!¡± With that, the knights, soldiers, workers, and specialists kneeled and worshiped Siegfried. ¡°Oh, our beloved king!¡± ¡°You are truly our Great King! How could a mana vein be hiding in ournds this entire time?!¡± ¡°The lives of our people will certainly improve thanks to Your Majesty¡¯s grace!¡± ¡°We thank the king for his love for his people!¡± It wasn¡¯t strange that they were praising Siegfried. A B-Grade mana stone was immensely valuable, and a kingdom the size of Proatine to own one of those meant that the citizens¡¯ standard of living would improve by at least forty percent. The kingdom could increase its current energy output with B-Grade mana stones, and they could also export the excess energy they would produce to nearby nations, which would bring in substantial revenue. In short, the mana stone mine was nothing short of a blessing for the Proatine Kingdom. ¡®Wow¡­ This is unbelievable¡­¡¯?Siegfried muttered to himself in disbelief. They say that a cow could step on a rat while walking backward if things aligned properly, and who could have known that he was going to find a mana stone mine after randomly swinging a pickaxe? And it was also a huge mystery why a huge mana vein was hidden beneath a coal mine in the first ce¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t this plot too forced?¡¯?Siegfried thought. However, it wasn¡¯t as forced as he thought it was. [Resource Prospecting] [The hidden resources within the territory will start to appear.] The Resource Prospecting effect of the Great King¡¯s Blessed Lands passive skill was the reason why the mana stone mine appeared. In fact, it was the only usible exnation for its sudden discovery, so it was indeed a bit?forced¡­ ¡®Hmm¡­ Resource Prospecting¡­ I guess I should go around the kingdom more often from now on.¡¯? Siegfried decided to maximize the title¡¯s option and look around hisnds. *** Siegfried left the mine and headed for the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s capital, Preussen. ¡®It¡¯s a relief that I have this mask.¡¯ Nobody recognized Siegfried because of his Metamorphosis Mask. There had been numerous instances in history when a king would put on a disguise and venture out of their castle to see how their citizens were doing, and Siegfried felt like he was doing exactly that right now. ¡®Kyah! It¡¯s lively here; the roads are smooth, the buildings look aesthetic, and the people¡¯s faces look bright and happy!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly. Siegfried was extremely satisfied with the sights he had seen so far, especially with the expressions of his people. Worry? Concern? Anxiety? None of those things could be seen on the people¡¯s faces, and the streets were lively. ¡®Yes, this is what I wanted. What¡¯s the point of having a lot ofnd and people if they¡¯re not happy? I¡¯m fine with having a small kingdom as long as my people are happy. I should probably think twice before expanding my borders too soon.¡¯? Siegfried vowed not to increase his kingdom¡¯s borders or poption from now on. He knew that things were going to start bingplicated if he grew the kingdom¡¯s borders and increased its poption, and the happiness he was seeing today would inevitably deteriorate amidst the expansion efforts. He wanted the Proatine Kingdom to be a small yet powerful kingdom. ¡®As expected, I prefer to have a handful of elites. Quality over quantity¡ªhuh?¡¯?His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by amotion on the street. ¡°You insolent punk!¡± Arge-framed man shouted and started beating up a young man. Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Therge-framed man punches were powerful. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°How dare you¡­!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! Ack!¡± Nobody seemed willing to stop therge-framed man from beating the young man up. In fact, the bystanders¡¯ reaction sent a shiver down Siegfried¡¯s spine. ¡°Beat him more! He deserves a good beating!¡± ¡°Yeah! You need to teach him some manners!¡± ¡°Ha! He needs to pay for what he did!¡± Siegfried had no idea what sins the young man hadmitted, but he noticed that everyone was cheering for therge-framed man, and they weren¡¯t showing even an ounce of sympathy for the young man. ¡®What¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯?he wondered as he walked toward themotion. ¡°Wait! Stop!¡± The security forces of the kingdom rushed toward therge-framed man and stopped him from beating the young man up. ¡°Why are you beating this young man?¡± the knight asked. ¡°I¡¯m beating him up because he deserves a beating!¡± therge-framed man boldly replied. ¡°All right, but why? I¡¯m sure that you are aware that you cannot go around beating people in broad daylight without proper justification,¡± the knight said. ¡°Yes, I know that much! I don¡¯t mind if you arrest me for beating this bastard, but give me a moment. I¡¯ll teach this punk a lesson before going to jail!¡± ¡°Why are you doing this, though?¡± ¡°This little bastard dared to¡­¡± therge-framed man trailed off as he suppressed the anger boiling inside of him, but he ended up exploding as he eximed, ¡°...step on a gold coin!¡± ¡°What?! He stepped on a gold coin?!¡± the knight eximed before trembling in anger as well. Siegfried was extremely confused, but the soldiers¡¯ reaction surprised him. ¡°Ha! Serves him right!¡± ¡°How dare he¡ªhe deserves a good beating!¡± ¡°You little ingrate! How dare you step on a gold coin?!¡± The soldiers red at the young man and cursed at him. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with these guys¡­? Are they mad¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered in disbelief. ¡°Hmm¡­ I finally understand why you¡¯re beating this young man up. He hasmitted lese-majeste, and he deserves more than a beating for that. Frankly speaking, I would have joined you in beating this little punk if I weren¡¯t a knight of the kingdom,¡± the knight said. He lowered his head and took out his handcuffs before continuing. ¡°Unfortunately, I have no choice but to arrest you under thews of our kingdom.¡± ¡°I agree that I deserve to be arrested. I was beating this young man up out of a sense of duty, but I am also aw-abiding citizen of our kingdom. I have no qualms about my arrest, so you may arrest me, sir knight,¡± therge-framed man replied. The sudden turn of eventspletely baffled Siegfried, but the young man¡¯s words stupefied him. ¡°S-Sir Knight! Please do not arrest that man!¡± the young man cried out. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°It is true that I was in the wrong! I was blinded by greed and ended upmitting lese-majeste, so please do not arrest him!¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ What am I supposed to do? I have to arrest him ording to thews of our kingdom, but the victim has appealed for clemency¡­¡± the knight said with a chuckle. The very baffling turn of events left Siegfried speechless. *** ¡®Ah! I¡¯m so curious!¡¯?Siegfried scratched his head and tried to make sense of the situation in vain. Eventually, he decided to ask the person in front of him, ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why is it such a big deal that the young man stepped on a gold coin?¡± ¡°Hoho! You could get in trouble for saying that, my friend.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know what¡¯s engraved on the back of the coin?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you must be a foreigner then. Then, let me tell you so you¡¯ll be spared from a good beating. Here, take a look at this,¡± said the man. He took out a gold coin and showed it to Siegfried before exining, ¡°This is the official currency minted by our kingdom, and engraved on its back is¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°...the face of our Great King. Now, do you understand? This coin is as good as the face of His Majesty, Our beloved Great King¡ªKing Siegfried van Proa!¡± ¡°Please¡­ please stop beating people up for my sake!¡± Siegfried screamed, and his face turned bright red. Right now, he really wanted to hide in a hole somewhere. Chapter 219

    Chapter 219

    ¡®What¡¯s wrong with these people?!¡¯?Siegfried was mortified, and he felt like dying. Oh my god¡­ Engraving his face on a gold coin was something, but beating someone up for stepping on a gold coin was too much. Not only that, the one who got beaten up suddenly taking responsibility for stepping on Siegfried¡¯s face was a totally bizarre thing. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t aware of public sentiment. In short, this was how his people felt toward him. Siegfried waspletely clueless about his people¡¯s feelings for him, but the loyalty and admiration of the people for him were already at its peak. It would look strange to others as to why they were willing to go to such lengths just to exalt Siegfried, but it would make sense if they Proatine¡¯s situation before Siegfried became its king. The previous lord, Verbon, was a greedy ruler whopletely exploited the people of Proatine. He gave them just enough food and water not to perish, and he even offered ten people every month to the Vampire Lord. However, everything changed the day Siegfried cut Verbon¡¯s head off and became the ruler of thesends. He actively subjugated the monsters, arrested corrupt administrators, subjugated the northern barbarians, secured trade alliances with the Nordic Tribe and Stone Ind that greatly flourished the kingdom¡¯s economy, established the Renoma Kingdom as a proxy state, and many other things. However, his biggest achievement was the subjugation of the Vampire Lord. The aplishments that Siegfried unintentionally racked uppletely turned around the lives of the people who had only been living in fear while consuming only potatoes, dirty water, and stale bread. Nobody in the Proatine Kingdom was worried about being sacrificed as an offering to the Vampire Lord, and the economic boom the kingdom was experiencing made sure that nobody would go hungry anymore. The rising star of the Proatine Kingdom, Gringore, was also working tirelessly to bring in foreign currencies through tourism to fund the various social programs of the kingdom, which greatly improved the lives of non-productive sses¡ªmainly artists and painters. Therefore, the people of Proatine truly adored and revered Siegfried. Their reverence and adoration for their king didn¡¯t stem from being ruled by an iron fist, like most dictatorships. They sincerely revered and adored him from the depths of their hearts and epted him as their one and only king. ¡®Ahhh! Stop it! It¡¯s embarrassing! Don¡¯t do this to me!¡¯? Meanwhile, Siegfried felt his fingers and toes curl from cringing too hard at the love his people were showering him. *** Siegfried headed to the agriculture and woodcutting sectors of the kingdom after confirming?the people¡¯s love for him, but¡­ ¡°Oink! Oink!¡± ¡°Neiiiiigh!¡± ¡°Mooooo!¡± ¡°Baaaaah!¡± ¡°Cluck! Cluck, cluck, cluck!¡± ¡°Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!¡± The farm animals started crying in the order of pigs, horses, cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks. They were so noisy that Siegfried had to cover his ears. ¡°Did something happen here?¡± he asked the farm keeper. ¡°Why yes!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The animals suddenly went crazy and started mating, even though their mating season hasn¡¯t arrived yet!¡± ¡°Huh¡­? The sounds they''re making are mating noises?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not only here, you know? It¡¯s like there¡¯s a disease spreading throughout the entire kingdom that¡¯s making the animals go into heat! We tried to separate them in their pens, but they would break it down and go mate with each other!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s great since the livestock in our kingdom will explosively increase in a few months, but¡ªah,?this is a problem¡­¡± Siegfried immediately realized what was going on with the animals after he heard the exnation. ¡®It¡¯s probably because of my passive skill¡ªGreat King¡¯s Blessed Lands, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ It was the only exnation for this bizarre phenomenon. ¡®The price of meat will go down if there are more animals, which would improve the masses¡¯ diet. I guess we can sell the rest to bring in some much-needed cash¡­ then what¡¯s the first thing I have to do¡­?¡¯? He deliberated for nearly an hour before finallying up with a n. ¡®I need to create more pastures and ranches to amodate all of the animals and set?up meat?processing facilities to speed up the butchering process. Hmm, we can also process the sheep wool and duck feathers into products, right? I guess that¡¯s another thing we need¡­¡¯ Siegfried knew exactly what he had to do to help the livestock industry, and he immediately opened Notepad?in his interface to write down his ns. *** The sound of steel shing against steel reverberated in the Nordic Tribe¡¯s ck Ind while Siegfried was busy managing his kingdom¡¯s internal affairs¡­ ng! ng! ng! It was a sword and an ax shing against each other, but then¡­ Thud! There was a dull thud as someone fell to the ground. Whiiish¡­ Thud! The ax spun in an arc in the air andnded on the ground. ¡°O-Oh my god¡­!¡± The man on the ground was none other than the King of the Nordic Tribe, Lionbreath. Lionbreath looked at the person who defeated him in shock and asked, ¡°J-Just how much stronger do you have to be to be satisfied¡­?¡± They replied, ¡°No, not yet. I have to be stronger faster¡­ Father.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ just how much more will satisfy you¡­?¡± ¡°Master.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I will reach that realm no matter what, and I will do it as soon as possible,¡± Ingrid replied. ¡°My daughter¡­ Do you really have to be so obsessed with power? I know our tribe is obsessed with strength, but your obsession is on a different level now¡­¡± Lionbreath was starting to get scared of his daughter in recent days, and the reason was that his daughter was growing stronger at a frightening speed. Right now, he could no longer beat his daughter. At this rate, the Nordic Tribe would eventually produce its own Master! . ¡°My daughter¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Father?¡± ¡°How did you be so strong all of a sudden? I know you had the talent with the sword, but your growth is quite abnormal.¡± ¡°Father, have you ever loved someone with all of your heart and being?¡± Ingrid asked in response. Lionbreath felt a shiver down his spine upon meeting Ingrid¡¯s burning gaze. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ I have always sincerely loved my women¡­ You know that I have a very good rtionship with your mothers, right? Hahaha¡­¡± Lionbreath was a yboy with two official wives and seventeen concubines, and it was one of the responsibilities and duties he had as the Nordic Tribe¡¯s king. ¡°No, you have never truly loved anyone, Father,¡± Ingrid shook her head. ¡°H-How can you say that?!¡± Lionbreath cried out, feeling wronged. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be so weak if you had truly fallen in love, Father.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, my daughter?¡± ¡°I will be strong. I will be a Master, and he will be mine no matter what!¡± ¡°W-Who?!¡± ¡°Even if I have to use force¡­¡± Ingrid muttered. A burning aura engulfed her as she walked away from Lionbreath and headed for her personal training room. Shwook! A piece of paper fell from her pocket while she was walking away. ¡°Hmm?¡± Lionbreath picked up the paper and¡­ ¡°W-What is this?!¡± He was stupefied by the words on the paper. The paper had the face of a man drawn with the words¡­ [You will be mine no matter what, even if I have to use force. If you can¡¯t be mine, then I¡¯m going to destroy everything with my own hands.] *** Shiver! Siegfried suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. ¡®Huh? What was that¡­? Did Chae Hyung-Seok ce a curse on me or something?¡¯?he wondered. He read an article that Chae Hyung-Seok was currently locked up in a psych war after suffering a mental breakdown. Chae Hyung-Seok would recover, but he probably had to rest up for a very long time. ¡®Yeah, curse me as much as you want since I cursed you a lot, too, but you have a lot of catching up to do since you have no idea how much I cursed you,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He vowed to continue pestering Chae Hyung-Seok when he finally recovered. *** Siegfried roamed all over the kingdom to make full use of his Great King¡¯s Blessed Lands passive skill, and the result was extremely good. Siegfried found a B-Grade mana stone mine, but that was not the end of it. He also found a nameless mountain at the edge of Preussen that had the key ingredient of various top-tier potions known as Alchemy Flower growing on it. The Alchemy Flower was an extremely expensive and precious catalyst, and it was also a precious flower that fetched tons of gold just for their seedlings alone. It was said that a kingdom would pour out almost all of its defense budget and deploy its military just to safeguard those flowers from outsiders if the news were to break out that an Alchemy Flower field was found in their territory. The first thing Siegfried did after finding an entire mountain of them was to call the Great Wizard, Decimato, and task him with safely transporting the Alchemy Flowers to the castle. He found many different resources aside from that, and Siegfried reckoned that he would soon be swimming in gold. The next thing Siegfried did was to issue amand to Michele. ¡°We will see a sharp increase in our animal poption, so please make arrangements ordingly. And make sure you start building ughterhouses to process their meat products and a textile nt to process their feathers, hides, and wool.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­? Why, all of a sudden, Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°Ah,?we will be exporting whatever is left, so please make sure to establish trade routes to other nations.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­ I have failed to understand what you meant by a sharp increase in our animal poption and why you are asking me to establish all of those industries¡­¡± ¡°You should just do as I said when ites to something like this, understood?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.¡± Michele was extremely curious about Siegfried¡¯s ns, but he didn¡¯t probe any further and simply decided to do as he was told. After all, Siegfried was the king rather than him. Then, the people working in the livestock industry were shocked at this news. ¡°How did His Majesty know?!¡± ¡°Oh!?He is indeed our Great King!¡± ¡°Who would have known that His Majesty would concern himself with these kinds of things?!¡± They praised Siegfried¡¯s name and started worshiping him. A bizarre practice started to circte through the Proatine Kingdom when people started hanging up portraits of Siegfried in their living rooms. Of course, Siegfried would have bitten his own tongue and convulsed to death out of embarrassment if he discovered what the people were doing¡­ *** The finale of the Great King¡¯s Blessed Lands effects was none other than the kingdom¡¯s technological advancement. ¡°Your Majesty! We have sessfully developed a new cannon!¡± ¡°A new cannon?¡± ¡°The new cannon causes far greater destruction, faster reload speeds, and lesser recoilpared to the old one!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°We can equip Sir Seung-Gu¡¯s Iron Golems with those cannons! This will definitely boost our kingdom¡¯s military strength!¡± Siegfried was delighted by the Defense Secretary¡¯s news. ¡°Shall we have a look?¡± Siegfried wanted to witness the new cannon¡¯s power with his own eyes, and he was soon guided to a rocky mountain west of Preussen. ¡°Prepare the cannons!¡± ¡°Preparing the cannons!¡± ¡°Prepare to fire!¡± ¡°Preparing to fire!¡± ¡°Three! Two! One! FIRE!¡± ¡°Fire!¡± Ten cannons spat fire toward the rocky mountains. Boom! Boom! Boom! The destructive force of the new cannon was so unbelievable that it seemedparable to the cannons used by the powerhouse kingdoms on the continent. On top of that, if these cannons were equipped on Seung-Gu¡¯s Iron Golems, no words were necessary to describe how helpful these cannons would be in the future. ¡®This is fucking awesome¡­¡¯?Siegfried was extremely satisfied by the new cannons. ¡®Yeah, my kingdom¡¯s slowly starting to look like a real kingdom¡­ Just wait and see¡­ I¡¯m going to show all those people who looked down on my kingdom just how powerful my kingdom has be¡­ Ha!¡¯?he was extremely proud of the advancements his kingdom was making, and he vowed to further develop the kingdom and rub their achievements in the faces of the people who dared to call his kingdom weak. *** Meanwhile, on the rocky mountains west of Preussen¡­ sh! A massive three-hundred-meter-long dragon opened its eyes. ¡°Who¡­ dares¡­ disturb¡­ my sleep?¡± Chapter 220

    Chapter 220

    Unbeknownst to the people of Proatine, the rocky mountain west of Preussen was their of a wyrm-ss dragon, which was a mature adult dragon. This specific dragon constructed hisir around four hundred fifty years ago in the rocky mountain of the Proatine Territory, but this dragon was a creature unrecorded in history and was soon forgotten, so the citizens had no idea that the dragon was there. The mighty creature also had no idea that there were humans living near hisir, and the reason was that the mighty creature had been in deep slumber for the past four hundred fifty years. However, that all changed today after the mighty dragon was awakened by a powerful tremor that shook hisir. It soon realized that the humans were encroaching on his territory. The mighty dragon found out that the reason the humans woke him up from his slumber was to test out the power of their useless weapons. ¡°Those imbeciles¡­!¡± The wyrm-ss Chromatic Dragon, Lagonda Taraf, gnashed his teeth in anger toward the humans who dared disturb his sleep. ¡°These vermin will surely build a massive settlement if I let them be. They are no different from rats and cockroaches, after all.¡± Lagonda Taraf scorned the human race, simr to most dragons. Of course, not all dragons scorned humans, but Lagonda Taraf was one of the dragons that were a bit extreme against humans, as he was one of the infamous ones when it came to ughtering mankind. It was around four hundred fifty years ago that Lagonda Taraf destroyed three kingdoms and earned the nickname Evil Dragon Lagonda Taraf right before he went into hibernation. His contempt toward the human race was so strong that he even established an armyposed of other races and encouraged them to kill any human being in sight. It was then during his extermination campaign against the humans that a human champion stood up against him, and he sustained a grievous wound during the battle. He fled from the human champion, and he hid deep within the rocky mountains of the Proatine Territory to recover from his wounds. ¡°Humans¡­! Humans¡­! Those despicable vermin are at it again! Those vile creatures that harbor nothing but evil right from their mother¡¯s wombs!¡± Lagonda Taraf roared as he slowly awakened his body. He started with his scales first. Squirm¡­! Squirm¡­!? His scales squirmed after awakening for the first time in four and a half centuries. ¡°Hmm¡­ The wound has almost healed, but it will take a few days for my body to fully awaken¡­¡± He was a mighty dragon, but his body had been inactive for four and a half centuries, so he could not immediately control his limbs at will. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­ I should find something to devour.¡± Lagonda Taraf decided to feast on the humans who dared disturb his sleep, but a part of him was slightly worried about something¡­ ¡°I hope that bastard isn¡¯t there anymore¡­¡± He was talking about the human who made him run away with his tails tucked between his legs four and a half centuries ago. He wasn¡¯t the most powerful human, but he was certainly strong. Lagonda Taraf could not help but hesitate when he remembered that human, but he soon realized that it was probably highly unlikely for the human to be there. ¡°There¡¯s no way. Humans can¡¯t live that long¡­¡± It was possible for powerful humans to live a bit over a century, but almost four and a half centuries had passed since then. And dragons were creatures that became bigger and more powerful as they age, while the same could not be said for humans. Lagonda Taraf was no longer the same dragon he was four hundred fifty years ago. He was currently 6,911 years old, and he was going to turn 7,000 years old in less than a hundred years and evolve into an ancient-ss dragon. One hundred years was definitely not a short period of time, but it was a short moment for creatures like dragons that lived for centuries and millennia. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if that human is alive. He has probably be weaker while I have be stronger.¡± Lagonda Taraf decided to wait until he regained full control of his body before going out to wipe out the humans who dared to encroach on his territory. The dragon was furious at the humans who disturbed his sleep. Well, it was almost time for him to wake up, anyway, and he wasn¡¯t throwing a tantrum or anything because he wanted to sleep in a little bit more¡­ not at all¡­ *** Siegfried sessfully maximized the Great King¡¯s Blessed Lands. He was about to embark on another personal journey after seeing his kingdom¡¯s affairs, but he first had to work on hiding the Proatine Kingdom. Michele¡¯s advice prompted him to hide the kingdom. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I believe it will be wise to hide our kingdom¡¯s strength for now.¡± ¡°Why? You are aware that people are making fun of us as a small and weak kingdom, right?¡± ¡°I understand Your Majesty¡¯s concerns, but it seems wiser to hide our strength for now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Our neighboring nations will not look favorably on our progress. They won¡¯t invade us because of the emperor¡¯s protection, but they will definitely pull all sorts of tricks to slow us down in any way they can.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°On top of that, we have no idea what your enemies, mainly the Genesis Guild and Church of Osric, are plotting against us. I understand it will be frustrating for Your Majesty, but I implore that you swallow the shame until the right time presents itself.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s say that makes sense, but¡­¡± Siegfried agreed with Michele¡¯s advice, but there was a problem in executing the said advice. ¡°How are we going to hide our kingdom¡¯s strength? I know we¡¯re small, but is it even possible to hide an entire kingdom?¡± ¡°We will conduct a detailed census and count every citizen living in our kingdom. Then, we will enforce strict border control to check anyone who enters our kingdom, and we will ask them to sign a written oath.¡± ¡°Yeah, but they can just observe us from a distance then, right?¡± ¡°I have a way, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Marquis Decimato is a Great Wizard, right?¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°And Marquis Decimato has an excellent teacher by the name of Daode Tianzun.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you¡¯re nning to hide the entire kingdom with magic?¡± ¡°I assumed it would be possible, so I went to ask them, and they confirmed that it is indeed possible as long as they get the budget for it.¡± The Proatine Kingdom was extremely affluent for its size, so it did not have any problems when it came to money. In short, it was possible to hide the entire kingdom with magic. ¡°Then let¡¯s do it. We¡¯ll think of it as an investment to buy time to grow our military strength,¡± Siegfried said. There was no reason for him to refuse the advice of a talented subordinate like Michele. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°No need to thank me.¡± ¡°But when do you n to depart for your next adventure?¡± ¡°I think it will be in three days,¡± Siegfried replied. He decided to leave in three days because his title Ruler of Proatine, was about to trigger. [Ruler of Proatine] [Level 1 to 50: +1 level per day] [Level 51 to 100: +1 level every three days] [Level 101 to 150: +1 level every seven days] [Level 151 to 200: +1 level every fifteen days] [Level 201 to 250: +1 level every thirty days] [Level 251 to 300: +1 level every sixty days] [Alert: You will level up in seventy-two hours! Please remain in your territory to gain the free level!] He was going around the continent so much that he never had the chance to take advantage of the free level-up option of the title. However, he was quite busy these past few weeks after crossing Level 200, as he had to work on various administrative things. He could not help but be delighted by the fact that he could gain a free level just by sitting and doing paperwork, and this feeling was further amplified by the fact that it was extremely difficult to level up at his level. ¡®I should dedicate these three days to doing administrative stuff, and then I¡¯ll leave once I gain a free level,¡¯?Siegfried decided to stay until he fulfilled the level-up condition. ¡°Commence with that project as we discussed,¡± he said before he suddenly remembered something, ¡°Oh, right¡­ I¡¯m expecting someone important, so please prepare ordingly to wee them.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°My kingdom is slowly starting to take shape, so it¡¯s time for me to invite Master here.¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡¯s master?!¡± Michele was shocked. He had no idea who Siegfried¡¯s master was, but he could tell that he was someone strong enough to treat Daode Tianzun like a kid. It was an unbelievable thought, but Michele couldn¡¯t help but believe it for some reason. ¡°Yeah, I feel bad for not visiting or writing to him often. I was thinking that this was going to be the perfect time to invite him and do my duties as his disciple. I¡¯m sure he will like it since it¡¯s been a while since he went outside.¡± Siegfried was someone whom even the devil envied when it came to his devious schemes, but he was not an ingrate who would forget his benefactors. ¡°Yes, I understand. I will make sure that the preparations for the arrival of Your Majesty¡¯s master are perfect.¡± ¡°My master likes to drink, so make sure to prepare a lot of high-quality booze.¡± ¡°Leave it to me, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°All right then, I¡¯m going to write a letter to my master now¡­¡± Siegfried grabbed a quill pen. *** Four dayster, Deus met with the messenger from the Proatine Kingdom while he was training Elder Blockhead, a.k.a. the Sword Emperor Betelgeuse. ¡°Hmm? My disciple wants to invite me?¡± ¡°Y-Yes! Royal Teacher-nim!¡± ¡°Royal Teacher?¡± ¡°Elder-nim¡¯s disciple, his majesty Siegfried van Proa, is a king. Therefore, it is only right for us to address elder-nim as Royal Teacher-nim¡­¡± ¡°Hoho¡­?Royal Teacher, you say¡­ That kind of flimsy title does not suit someone as great as me,¡± Deus said with a chuckle. He possessed the power to conquer the entire universe if he wanted to do so. Therefore, a title from a small and weak kingdom didn¡¯t mean anything to him. ¡°But I guess I¡¯ll overlook it this time for my one and only disciple¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°I am grateful for your greatpassion that is as vast as the ocean, Elder-nim!¡± the messenger said as he kowtowed. However, his thoughts betrayed his actions. ¡®Just who the hell is this old man? Why is he so arrogant? I know he¡¯s the Great King¡¯s master, but I think he¡¯s crazy¡­¡¯ Still, the messenger made sure to treat Deus with the utmost respect to the best of his ability, as he recalled what Michele told him right before he left. He was instructed not to do anything that could upset Deus. ¡°A single nce from him can make your heart stop beating if you get on his bad side, so please be careful.¡± They even went as far as to task Gringore to give lessons on how to be respectful?before sending the messenger. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re trying too hard. Your expression is too stiff. No, try it like this¡­¡± The messenger could not understand why he had to go to such lengths, but he decided to do his best with his mission. ¡°All right, it seems my disciple misses me a lot, so I guess I have no choice but to go see him. I was thinking of visiting him once anyway, so the timing is just great,¡± Deus said. ¡®It felt like the Law of Causality was guiding me to my disciple¡¯snd for a while now¡­ I guess there¡¯s something I have to do there. Hohoho! I never imagined there¡¯s still something left for me to do in this world!¡¯?he thought. Deus had been getting the feeling that he should visit Siegfried for the past two days, but he had no idea why. ¡°Thank you, Elder-nim!¡± the messenger eximed and bowed. ¡°Blockhead!¡± Deus shouted. ¡°Yes, Elder-nim! I aming!¡± Blockhead replied and rushed after hearing his name called. ¡°Shall we go and see my beloved disciple?¡± ¡°Yes, Elder-nim!¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go?¡± Seuk¡­! Deus and Betelgeuse abruptly vanished without a trace. It was a warp spell without any incantations. Deus could teleport anywhere without any preparations or incantations. ¡°H-Hik!¡± The messenger cried out in horror upon realizing Deus¡¯ might. 1. Yes, I know it sounds very weird. Let¡¯s just agree that this is how it works in this specific fantasy world. Chapter 221

    Chapter 221

    The Proatine Kingdom was quite busy these days after kickstarting Project Utopia. Project Utopia was a secret project to disguise the Proatine Kingdom as a weak impoverished kingdom to outsiders while it secretly grew its military strength, and the key to this secret project was none other than the Great Wizard, Decimato. Decimato was the Head Magician of the Proatine Kingdom, and he led the magicians all over the territory to engrave magic circles that would disguise the kingdom. These magic circles were going to transport anyone who crossed the kingdom¡¯s border to destends instead of the actual kingdom, and it would be a destend filled with all sorts of traps and monsters. The magicians diligently went around the kingdom installing space distortion magic circles while the kingdom¡¯s administrators were hard at work to start the census. They were taking records of every single citizen living in the kingdom, and this was the basis for the Citizen Registration that was going to be employed in the future to make sure that everyone knew their birthdays. ¡°Hey! How old are you?! Show me your citizen identification card!¡± ¡°Sure! Show me yours too!¡± It settled most arguments about whether one party was older than the other. However, that was not the end of Project Utopia. ¡°Your Majesty, what do you think if we establish a lousy city to perfect our disguise?¡± ¡°A lousy city¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion at Michele¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I was thinking about making an exact replica of Preussen before Your Majesty ascended to the throne.¡± ¡°Are you thinking of going the extra mile to build a fake capital that will make us look extremely impoverished¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°That will only be a ghost town in the end, no? I mean¡­ who¡¯s going to move there¡­?¡± ¡°Your Majesty does not have to be concerned about that. We will incentivize our citizens to take turns living there.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Any foreigners who manage to somehow enter our kingdom will bepletely fooled that we are extremely poor. On top of that, I will instruct Scribe Gringore to conduct acting sses, so I¡¯m confident that our disguise will be wless.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we really have to go that far, but I¡¯ll approve it since it¡¯s your suggestion/¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. Oh,?also¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I will be naming that city as the Deception City.¡± ¡°That sounds really good,¡± Siegfried smirked as he liked the name of the new city. *** Meanwhile, at Lagonda Taraf¡¯sir, located deep within the rocky mountains west of Preussen. ¡°They¡¯re doing quite the interesting things¡­¡± The Chromatic Dragon smiled while observing the humans going about their day in front of hisir. ¡°They¡¯re trying their best to hide their territory that¡¯s the size of a rat¡¯s shit.¡± The dragon was belittling the effort of the humans because it seemed meaningless in his eyes. ¡°What are you working so hard for, foolish humans? All of you will be ughtered tomorrow.¡± Lagonda Taraf could feel that it would only take him less than twelve hours to regain full control of his body. Twelve hourster, the humans would have a taste of a disaster in half a day¡¯s time. Evil Dragon Lagonda Taraf was about to reappear and cause havoc. *** The next morning¡­ ¡°Master¡¯s going to visit my kingdom today,¡± Siegfried announced in the morning meeting. He made sure to remind and plead with the officials again and again. ¡°My master is an extremely¡­ scary person.¡± He paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°So please make sure that none of you will offend him, and please inform everyone that they should mind their manners with him. I will not take responsibility if any of you die on the spot because you offended Master, and I hope you will heed my warning as most of you aren¡¯t Adventurers.¡± He felt that the warning was not enough, so he continued. ¡°Just think that you¡¯re in the presence of an Ancient Dragon¡­ No, just imagine he is the Dragon Lord. That should make it easier for you to gauge how scary he is. Do you understand?¡± Comparing the Level 999 NPC to the Dragon Lord was probably the best way to exin Deus¡¯ power, but the kingdom officials couldn¡¯t understand why Siegfried was pleading with them so much. ¡®It seems His Majesty is really dedicated to serving his master.¡¯ ¡®I guess His Majesty is trying to scare us so that we¡¯ll act cordially to his master.¡¯ ¡®Hoho! Treat him like the Dragon Lord¡­ I see that His Majesty still tends to exaggerate from time to time¡­¡¯ It was quite difficult for the officials to ept Siegfried¡¯s words. After all, who would believe that someone was going to be as powerful as the Dragon Lord¡­? The officials would have probably scoffed inside and mocked if it were anyone else who said such words, and the only reason they tried their best to understand Siegfried was that their loyalty toward him was quite high. In fact, even Daode Tianzun¡¯s interest was piqued after hearing Siegfried¡¯s pleas. ¡®Hmm¡­ his real master¡­¡¯?Daode Tianzun attended today¡¯s morning meeting because he was curious about Siegfried¡¯s master. ¡®I¡¯m really curious¡­ I wonder what kind of a person managed topletely transform that good-for-nothing piece of trash who only has grit and no talent¡­ He¡¯s probably a Grand Master. Perhaps he¡¯s a Grand Master of old?¡¯ Daode Tianzun figured that Siegfried¡¯s master was probably another Grand Master that had yet to appear in the world. After all, the highest peak a human being could ever reach was Grand Master, and he was confident that no human being would be able to transcend the realm of Grand Master. ¡®I hope to meet him soon. It would be quite interesting to chat with another Grand Master and maybe share a drink with him too. Keke!¡¯ Chwik! The space in the middle of the throne room abruptly distorted. ¡®Hmm?¡¯?Daode Tianzun was sensitive to mana, so he noticed it before anyone else. ¡®Heok!¡¯?Daode Tianzun gasped in horror just a secondter. Why? A skinny old man and arge-framed old man suddenly appeared out of thin air after the space distorted a bit. Daode Tianzun didn¡¯t feel the presence of any magic circles. ¡®H-How is that possible?!¡¯?Daode Tianzun felt that all of the knowledge he had gathered throughout his life had crumbled in an instant. Teleport? Warp? It was neither. The two old men didn¡¯t appear through either of those spells, and their method could only be described as something that transcended magic itself. ¡®Is he the incarnation of a god?!¡¯?Daode Tianzun eximed inwardly. It indeed felt like a god had descended to the continent. *** ¡°Master!¡± Siegfried rushed up from his throne and bowed t on the ground at Deus¡¯ feet. ¡°Your disciple greets you!¡± ¡°Kekeke! Did you miss me that much?¡± Deus cackled. ¡°The answer is quite obvious, Master!¡± ¡°Hoho! You cute little thing! Keke!¡± Deus burst intoughter, seemingly satisfied by Siegfried¡¯s greeting. ¡°The officials of the Proatine Kingdom greet the Royal Teacher Elder-nim!¡± Michele hurriedly shouted. ¡°We greet the Royal Teacher Elder-nim!¡± The officials shouted in unison and kowtowed. ¡°Oh~ You have educated your pawns very well,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master. I cannot allow anyone to be discourteous toward you when you havee all the way here, right?¡± ¡°Keke! You¡¯re right! A person should know how to respect others! I¡¯m extremely satisfied by what you have done, my disciple!¡± ¡°Thank you very much, Master!¡± Siegfried eximed while letting out a sigh of relief inside. ¡®I really hope that nothing happens¡­¡¯ The fact that Deus could kill someone simply by looking at them was quite burdensome for Siegfried. Of course, he wasn¡¯t worried about himself but rather about the officials of the kingdom. While everyone, including Siegfried, was on the ground, Daode Tianzun saw a familiar face and eximed, ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Betelgeuse?¡± Daode Tianzun continued. ¡°Hmm? Oh! Hyung-nim!¡± Betelgeuse eximed after recognizing the old magician. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Deus¡¯ eyes darted toward Daode Tianzun. ¡®Fuck! He¡¯s screwed! Damn it, I should¡¯ve warned that old man!¡¯?Siegfried felt his heart drop, but there was nothing else he could do because the situation was already out of his hands. ¡°Blockhead.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Elder-nim!¡± ¡°Do you know him?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I taught you to respond immediately whenever I ask you something. Did I or did I not?¡± ¡°You did, Elder-nim!¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a hyung-nim I¡¯m familiar with!¡± ¡°Really? Hmm¡­¡± Deus stroked his beard while inspecting Daode Tianzun from head to toe. ¡®Fuck!¡¯?Betelgeuse was thinking the exact same thing as Siegfried. He immediately ran up to Daode Tianzun while thinking. ¡®This hyung-nim is a really nice person, so I can¡¯t let him be a ve like me¡­!¡¯ Betelgeuse had known Daode Tianzun since his youth days, and he respected the magician quite a lot. Therefore, he hurriedly tried to save him from the clutches of his scary master. ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Please show respect to the elder-nim if you value your life!¡± ¡°Respect¡­?¡± Daode Tianzun tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Elder-nim has transcended the realms of humanity itself, as you have witnessed just now!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Hyung-nim, you¡¯re a Grand Master, I know, but your future is going to be royally screwed if you get on Elder-nim¡¯s bad side! It will be wise for you to show respect to him if you do not want your final years to be in vain!¡± Betelgeuse said with a sense of urgency in his voice. He even added, ¡°Please go and greet him first¡­ if you don¡¯t want to die miserably¡­¡± The Sword Emperor was basically telling him to go greet the skinny old man if he valued his life. ¡®Me?!¡¯?Daode Tianzun was bbergasted. He could have never imagined that a Grand Master like him would one day pay respect to someone else. ¡®No, that old man disyed powers equal to a god just a few moments ago. He is truly a transcendent being, so it is only proper for me to greet him first,¡¯?Daode Tianzun thought. He couldn¡¯t fathom the old man¡¯s might, but he could instinctively tell that Deus¡¯ power couldn¡¯t be measured at all. In the end, he decided to pay respects first. ¡®They say you have to be careful of leaves falling in the final years of your life¡­ Yeah, I should probably heed those words and be careful¡­¡¯ He decided to ept Betelgeuse¡¯s advice and prevent any chances of him ruining his life in his final years. Besides, it had already been years since Daode Tianzun abandoned all desire for power and authority, so it wasn¡¯t that difficult for him to be the first to pay respects to someone else. ¡°Hello, Elder-nim¡ª¡± Daode Tianzun was about to greet Deus, but¡­ Kwaaaaang! The castle started to crumble. *** Five minutes before the castle started crumbling, Lagonda Taraf finally regained full control of his body. ¡°The time hase,¡± Lagonda Taraf muttered. He stretched his curled-up body and immediately kicked down their¡¯s entrance to go out to the world. Their crumbled, but that didn¡¯t matter to him at all. Lagonda Taraf had no ns to use this flimsyir that he hurriedly built four hundred fifty years ago. The sole purpose of thisir was to provide shelter while he was healing from his wounds, and it was also a sanctuary that would protect him from that?human chasing after him. Their that once was his shelter had already served its purpose, so the mighty dragon no longer had any need for it. ¡°I should probably hunt for some dwarves as well¡­¡± Lagonda Taraf was thinking of exploiting the dwarves to build him a newir that was going to be iparably more luxurious than anything else on the continent. Chwaaaak! The mighty dragon spread out his wings. sh! sh! Then, the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s rainbow-colored scales shone brightly beneath the sunlight. ¡°It will be more fun if I destroy things the old-fashioned way instead of using my breath,¡± he smirked as he set his eyes on the human city that was encroaching on hisir. He flew into the sky and spotted the perfect target to start his fun. The mighty dragon aimed for the tallest building in the city and dove straight for it while roaring. ¡°Gwuuooooooh!¡± Dragon Fear! It was an ability that instilled fear in every living creature within earshot of the mighty dragon¡¯s roar! Chapter 222

    Chapter 222

    The Proatine Kingdom¡¯s castle was plunged into panic at the unexpected dragon¡¯s attack, but surprisingly, nobody died in the attack. ¡°Alti¡¯saal!¡± Daode Tianzun reacted with near-godly reflexes and cast a protection spell just in the nick of time, and the old magician that stood at the pinnacle of magic was able to prevent the castle frompletely crumbling with a single word. ¡°I will help you!¡± Decimato hurriedly started casting his protection spell as well. ¡°RWAAAAAAAAR!¡± The Chromatic Dragon unleashed his Dragon Fear throughout the entire castle. ¡°God!¡± Daode Tianzun cried out in horror. Why would the Chromatic Dragon, a creature fabled to be one of the strongest dragons on the continent, bother to attack such a small and weak kingdom? Were there even enough people in this ce to satiate its hunger? The old magician couldn¡¯t understand the dragon¡¯s motives foring here. ¡°All forces! Prepare for battle!¡± Oscar hurriedly pulled out her sword and shouted, ¡°Evacuate the officials! Protect His Majesty!¡± The soldiers of the kingdom immediately jumped into action at her words. The Chromatic Dragon was indeed a fearsome creature that could instill fear in the hearts of the bravest of men, but the reason the soldiers were able to spring into action so fast was not that they were strong or anything. Rather, it was all because of their unwavering loyalty toward Siegfried and their patriotism toward the Proatine Kingdom. Meanwhile, Siegfried waspletely bbergasted by the sudden invasion of the dragon. ¡®This is crazy¡­! Why the hell is a dragon here?!¡¯ The Chromatic Dragon¡¯s horn was an extremely rare material that could be crafted into a Universal weapon, so he could think on the bright side that such a rare raw material hade crawling into his hands. However, that material was more like a natural disaster than an opportunity at Siegfried¡¯s current level. How was he supposed to kill the Chromatic Dragon, which seemed to be a matured dragon and a wyrm-ss dragon at that? In fact, the dragon¡¯s size alone made it obvious that it was on the cusp of bing an ancient-ss dragon. This dragon was not something the Proatine Kingdom could fight against, even if theirbat prowess was amplified by ten times. They would surely be wiped out once the mighty creature unleashed its fury on them. Perhaps one of the silver linings for the kingdom was that Grand Master Daode Tianzun, Great Wizard Decimato, and Sword Emperor Betelgeuse were all present right now. And the Proatine Kingdom had an ace up their sleeve¡ªDeus, the one and only being on the entire continent who could treat the mighty wyrm-ss dragon as a worm-ss dragon. ¡®Ha¡­ We¡¯re fucked¡­ I¡¯m?sure Master?is not going to get involved¡­¡¯?Siegfried knew that Deus could end up turning into a god if he got involved, so it was very likely that he wouldn¡¯t intervene. In other words, the Proatine Kingdom had to fight the Chromatic Dragon without Deus¡¯ help. ¡®Fuck this shit! What¡¯s the point of making another city when the capital and castle are about to get ruined!¡¯?Siegfried cursed andmented his rotten luck. He no longer had to establish the Deception City. They had just encountered a bigger disaster than the Vampire Lord. Right now, Siegfried could only¡ª Kwak! ¡ªHe could only grip his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and prepare forbat. *** ¡®We¡¯re at a severe disadvantage, but I can¡¯t just roll over and give up,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he walked toward the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s head. ¡®We?have a Grand Master, two Masters, and me. We should stand a bit of a chance,¡¯?he thought. His never-yielding spirit and grit were the two main weapons that would help him in the uing battle. ¡°Kyu!?It¡¯s dangerous, owner punk! Hamchi will help you!¡± Hamchi ran next to him. Siegfried looked at Deus, who was standing with his hands behind his back, and he said with the utmost respect, ¡°Master, your disciple will take care of this, so please go somewhere quiet and watch¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Deus cut him off and smirked. ¡°I see that your spirit isn¡¯t wavering despite the danger. You have truly lived up to the expectation of this great one¡¯s disciple. I¡¯m proud of you.¡± Deus was looking at Siegfried with proud eyes. ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°I wish to see my disciple be a great Dragon yer with my own eyes, but I don¡¯t think this is the day for that.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°I shall get rid of that lizard for you.¡± ¡°But, Master! What if you be a god¡­¡± ¡°That would¡¯ve been the case if it was another lizard, but that lizard is an exception.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°That lizard is a part of my causality, so I can exert all of my power against it.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Just watch and see for yourself,¡± Deus said before he leisurely walked toward the Chromatic Dragon. *** ¡°You vermin of a race¡­!¡± Chromatic Dragon Lagonda Taraf smirked after seeing the mobilizing humans. Heughed sinisterly and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it should be. You need to fight so that I can deliver even greater despairter on¡ªHmm?¡± Lagonda Taraf spotted an old man walking toward him while he was busy mocking the humans, and he narrowed his eyes at the old man. Why? Just why was he¡ªa mighty creature¡ªfeeling a sense of dread after looking at the old man? There was a Grand Master and two other humans that weren¡¯t as strong as him but were quite strong on their own ord, but Lagonda Taraf didn¡¯t feel anything toward them. Lagonda Taraf lost against that human four hundred fifty years ago, but he was now on the cusp of bing an ancient-ss dragon, so he was confident that he could take on two human Grand Masters at the same time. But why was he feeling a sense of dread toward this old man? Why? Howe? It didn¡¯t take long for Lagonda Taraf to find out the answer. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while,¡± The old man, Deus, who was also Siegfried¡¯s master and a Level 999 NPC, greeted the mighty dragon. ¡°D-Do you know me?¡± Lagonda Taraf asked in response, feeling slightly flustered. ¡°I think we¡­ go back around four hundred and fifty years, right? Yeah, that was probably thest time we saw each other. My my, this is quite the reunion! Kekeke!¡± ¡°Four hundred fifty years¡­? You saw me back then? I know you¡¯re old, but you¡¯re still a human¡­ how can you have survived four hundred fifty years¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you recognize me? Then what about now?¡± Deus said in a youthful voice that waspletely different from his normal voice. No, Deus suddenly became young. ¡°¡­!¡± All eyes on Deus widened in shock after his face changed into the face of a middle-aged man in the blink of an eye. He had ck hair and ck eyes, and he looked just like a Korean with a dash of Western features. And his expression looked quite cold yet mischievous at the same time. ¡®Huh? Is that?how Master?looked like when?he was young? Wow¡­ So that¡¯s what he looked like back then¡­¡¯?Siegfried could see the resemnce in the two faces. ¡°You¡¯re that bastard! THAT BASTARD!¡± Lagonda Taraf cried out in horror. ¡°Do you remember me now?¡± Deus asked with a smirk. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°How are you alive? Just how¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re alive and well, so why won¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wow, this brings back memories. I think you ran away with your tail tucked between your legs after getting beaten up by me, if my memory serves me correctly. Keke!?You¡¯re quite lucky, you know that? I chased you, but you somehow managed to escape,¡± Deus sneered at the dragon. ¡°Keuk¡­!¡±?Lagonda Taraf trembled in fear as his trauma from four hundred and fifty years ago resurfaced. Yes, the human who almost killed Lagonda Taraf four hundred and fifty years ago was none other than Siegfried¡¯s master, Deus. ¡®Damn it! Why is that bastard here?! How the hell is he alive when he¡¯s human?!¡¯?Lagonda Taraf cursed his rotten luck. However, the mighty dragon overcame his trauma from the past and confidently said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice to see you again, you fucking bastard.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I shall put a close to my traumatic past by killing you today! No, killing you isn¡¯t enough¡­ I will bring a ck magician from somewhere and turn you into an undead who will guard myir for the rest of your damned miserable life!¡± ¡°Kekekeke¡­ KEKEKE!¡± Deus burst out intoughter before asking, ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you tell what kind of a situation you¡¯re in? Do you really think you became stronger just by sleeping this entire time just because you¡¯re a dragon?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Wow, I never knew you were quite theedian. Do you honestly think I didn¡¯t do anything while you were fast asleep? Do you want to test it out and see just how much stronger?you have be in your sleep?¡± ¡°W-What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°You came just in time today. I was a bit troubled by not finishing you off back then, but I finally have the chance to put an end to you,¡± Deus said as he cracked his knuckles, and then he said, ¡°I felt likeing here for some reason, but it seems that you¡¯re the reason behind that urge.¡± Pukeok! Deus suddenly punched Lagonda Taraf. ¡°Kwaaaaaak!¡±? The three-hundred-meter-long dragon was thrown into the sky through the crumbling ceilings of the castle. It was a status effect known as Airborne.?It was quite bizarre that Deus managed to throw such arge creature into the air with a single punch. ¡°¡­!¡± The soldiers of the kingdom that had been relegated to a bunch of spectators watched in both horror and awe as they witnessed the unbelievable sight that they would never get to witness ever again, even in their wildest dreams. This was definitely something that they would never forget for the rest of their lives¡­ On the other hand, Siegfried was not surprised at the unbelievable sight at all. No, his eyes seemed to show a whole different set of emotions, and this emotion was more of feeling empathy and pity for the mighty dragon. ¡®Tsk tsk¡­ That dragon is fucking unlucky. He had already picked a fight against Master before and was beaten up, and I bet he never imagined that he was going to run into Master again. I have a feeling that he¡¯s going to off himself if he were to survive this time¡­¡¯ While Siegfried was feeling sorry for the dragon, he suddenly thought of something, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­! Is that dragon considered a hidden resource¡­? No way¡­ that can¡¯t be¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m probably just overthinking it¡­¡¯ Why was it that he suddenly remembered the effects of his passive skill Great King¡¯s Blessed Land? Of course, there was no way something like a dragon would be considered a resource, but the mighty creature would definitely drop a ton of valuable resources if they managed to hunt it. ¡®Yeah¡­ there¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible¡­¡¯?Siegfried brushed off his gut feeling and decided to focus on the fight between the dragon and Deus. Well, it was called a fight for formality¡¯s sake, but it was more like the Chromatic Dragon was getting a one-sided beating¡­ *** Five minutester, the Chromatic Dragon crashed to the ground. Thud! Flutter¡­! Deusnded as lightly and as gently as a feather afterward. ¡°Well, you¡¯re truly as sturdy as a dragon can be. Hohoho!¡± Deus said as he walked toward the mighty dragon. Then, he said in a spine-chilling tone. ¡°You¡¯re an excellent sandbag.¡± But¡­ ¡°Huh? Hey, are you dead¡­?¡± Deus was surprised after getting close to the dragon. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re dead already? Hey! Wake up! This is our reunion! You can¡¯t die so soon! We have a lot of catching up to do!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Breath! Hey! Breath!¡± However, everyone knew that dead men¡ªno, creatures, told no tales. Lagonda Taraf was sprawled on the ground with his tongue sticking out, and he didn¡¯t respond to Deus¡¯ words. The only thing that the dragon left behind was a small chest named Dragon¡¯s Treasure Chest. ¡°Tsk¡­ This guy¡¯s got no loyalty¡­ I wanted to beat him to a certain extent and talk about the good ol¡¯ days¡­¡± Ironically, Deus was the one who was brazen enough to cuss at the dragon he had killed with his own hands. ¡°Hyung-nim,¡± Betelgeuse suddenly approached Daode Tianzun. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I think I already told you a while ago, but you should go and greet the elder-nim¡­ if you value your life.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah! I¡¯ll do that right now!¡± Daode Tianzun replied. He rushed as fast as he could to pay respect to Deus. Chapter 223

    Chapter 223

    ¡°Master!¡± Siegfried hurried to Deus while carrying a warm wet towel and a dry towel. Deus was currently receiving Daode Tianzun¡¯s greetings. ¡°My name is Percival, Elder-nim. It is truly an honor to meet you,¡± Daode Tianzun said. ¡°Hoho! You are quite well-mannered! However, that¡¯s all you have. You don¡¯t seem that talented in my eyes,¡± Deus replied with a heartyugh. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Daode Tianzun started sweating profusely. ¡®Oh my god¡­ I never imagined that someone would call me talentless in this world¡­¡¯ The old magician was stupefied. Everything he knew about the world had crumbed. Who could have known that there was someone who had transcended the realm of a Grand Master in this world?! Not to mention, the transcended being made quick work of a matured wyrm-ss dragon. ¡°I¡­ I have beenplimented since my younger days that I am quite well-mannered¡­ Hahaha¡­!¡± ¡°I see. You¡¯re different from Blockhead. He was quite the rude young fe.¡± ¡°Block¡­ you mean¡­?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Blockhead,¡± Deus pointed at Betelgeuse and continued. ¡°His real name is Bete something, but who cares about that? He¡¯s not important, anyway.¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°How dare that youngster without any talent to show call himself the Sword Emperor? Ha! Who could have known someone was brazen enough to call himself an ¡®emperor¡¯ when he¡¯s just a Master? That¡¯s something I would¡¯ve never imagined back in my days!¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I felt it was my duty to teach him a lesson and help him improve his skills, too.¡± ¡°Elder-nim¡¯s graciousness is as vast and deep as the ocean!¡± Daode Tianzun immediately started showering Deus withpliments while thinking, ¡®I should be careful¡­ I might end up like Betelgeuse if I end up on his bad side.¡¯ It seemed that a Grand Master possessed the same survival instinct as an ordinary person. ¡°But what do you call yourself? Don¡¯t tell me you call yourself something extravagant like that buffoon when you¡¯re just a Grand Master?¡± ¡°N-Not at all!¡± Daode Tianzun hurriedly denied it and transmitted a telepathic message to Deus. ¡ªPeople call me the Daode Tianzun, but I do not agree with them. Does it make sense in the first ce, Elder-nim? How could I call myself the title of the heavens with my flimsy skills? The reason he spoke through telepathy was solely because only Siegfried and a few other key officials were aware that he was Daode Tianzun. ¡ªI am just a magician that knows a few tricks¡­ Hahaha¡­ ¡ªHmm¡­ You seem to know your ce. I like it. ¡ªThank you, Elder-nim! ¡ªShall this great me bestow some teachings upon you? ¡ªN-Not at all! I have already abandoned all desires for power! I solely wish to live what is left of my life in peace from now on, elder-nim! Daode Tianzun instinctively knew that the teachings Deus was going to bestow were going toe in the form of devilish beatings. ¡ªReally? I think you¡¯re still quite young, though. ¡ªNot at all! I might be a youngsterpared to the esteemed Elder-nim, but my body is already withering away! ¡ªHmm¡­ Then there¡¯s nothing I can do if you so insist. ¡ªThank you for your understanding, Elder-nim! ¡ªToo bad¡­ My new sandbag¡­ ¡ªY-Yes¡­? ¡ªNo, it¡¯s nothing. Deus looked at Siegfried this time. ¡°Please wipe your sweat, Master,¡± Siegfried said as he extended the towels. ¡°Sweat?¡± ¡°Yes, you have a drop of sweat on your forehead, Master.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Deus muttered before he took the towel from Siegfried and wiped his forehead with it once. Then, he said, ¡°I must have gotten too excited in beating that lizard¡­¡± ¡°Here is a dry towel for you, master!¡± ¡°Keke!?My beloved disciple is the only one who looks after me!¡± Deus eximed as he looked at Siegfried with doting eyes that only belonged to grandfathers and would only appear whenever they were looking at their beloved grandson. ¡®My beloved disciple is the most sensible, well-mannered, and quick-witted human out there,¡¯?he thought with a smile. He had called Siegfried a piece of trash and barraged him with inhumane words on top of beating him like a dog, but he was still doting on his one and only beloved disciple. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°What is it, my disciple?¡± ¡°It has been ages since you warmed up, so I believe this calls for a drink. Do you not agree?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?a drink¡­ Yes, that sounds excellent. I¡¯d love to have a drink poured by my beloved disciple! Keke!¡± ¡°I shall instruct them to prepare a table for you, Master.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Siegfried pondered for a moment before asking, ¡°What do you think of dragon sashimi, Master?¡± ¡°Dragon sashimi?¡± ¡°I caught a baby dragonst time, and I heard that a dragon¡¯s meat is a true delicacy that only a few dishes out there could rival.¡± ¡°Oh! I think I¡¯ve heard of something like that before. Sure, that sounds great! We shall have the Chromatic Dragon for appetizers today!¡± ¡°Yes, Master! Your disciple will quickly prepare it for you!¡± Siegfried eximed before throwing a sharp gaze at his subordinates. ¡®Hurry up and prepare the best part of the dragon for Master! HURRY!¡¯ The officials of Proatine jumped into action and started butchering the once-mighty Lagonda Taraf. *** That evening¡­ ¡°Really?! You beat the Supreme King¡¯s descendant to a pulp?!¡± ¡°Yes, Master! I have beaten him into submission, and he agreed to be my subordinate from now on!¡± Siegfried proudly informed Deus about Cesc. ¡°Kekeke!?Excellent! Great job, my beloved disciple! Who could have imagined that the Supreme King¡¯s disciple was going to be my disciple¡¯s ve? Hahaha!¡± Deus eximed in delight. He was extremely satisfied by the result that Siegfried had brought, and he once again confirmed that he had made the right choice in leaving the quest in his beloved disciple¡¯s hands. ¡°Hoo¡­ So this is a dragon¡¯s meat?¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if an old dragon will be tasty, but I guess I¡¯ll find out once I try it. Here, you have some, too,¡± Deus said as he motioned for Siegfried to take a piece as well. ¡®Huh? This is really tasty,¡¯?Siegfried thought after taking a bite. No, it was more urate to say that the meat tasted better than any other meat in the world. It didn¡¯t have any fishy smell like some meat would have, and the meat was incredibly tender while being extremely juicy as well. On top of that, its texture was much chewier than beef, but it had just the right amount of fat in it to make chewing it a joy instead of beingborious. [Alert: You have consumed the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s meat!] [Alert: Your Mana has increased by 10!] [Alert: Your HP has increased by 10!] [Alert: Your Stamina has increased by 50!] Perhaps it was because Lagonda Taraf was a fully matured dragon on the cusp of bing an ancient-ss dragon, but the once mighty dragon¡¯s meat increased Siegfried¡¯s Mana, HP, and Stamina by ten, ten, and fifty, respectively. [Alert: You have consumed the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s meat!] [Alert: Your Mana has increased by 10!] [Alert: Your HP has increased by 10!] [Alert: Your Stamina has increased by 50!] [Alert: You have consumed the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s meat!] [Alert: Your Mana has increased by 10!] [Alert: Your HP has increased by 10!] [Alert: Your Stamina has increased by 50!] The messages informing Siegfried that his Mana, HP, and Stamina increased would pop up whenever he took a bite of the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s meat. The mighty dragon¡¯s meat even increased his sex stamina¡ªnot that it was important. ¡®This¡­ This is awesome!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly. However, he couldn¡¯t be greedy and stuff himself with the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s meat because he was currently eating with Deus. ¡°My disciple,¡± Deus said. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m extremely delighted that you subdued the Supreme King¡¯s descendant and turned him into your subordinate.¡± ¡°I will work harder from now on to crush the remaining descendants, Master.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you will. You are my disciple, after all¡­ That¡¯s why I was thinking¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Do you want to take the dead dragon¡¯s remains for yourself?¡± ¡°Not at all, Master!¡± Well, Siegfried wanted¡ªno, desired the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s remains very badly, but he knew that coveting his master¡¯s trophy was not something a human being should be doing, no matter how evil and rotten to the core he was. He was a master of stabbing people in the back for his own benefit, but he wasn¡¯t an ingrate. However, it seemed that Deus read Siegfried¡¯s mind after all. ¡°My disciple¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Master?¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling bored, so why don¡¯t we make a wager?¡± ¡°A¡­ A wager¡­?¡± ¡°I wish to test your abilities as well. So I was thinking¡­ I will give the dragon¡¯s remains to you as your reward if you manage tond a single blow on me.¡± Ding! A quest message popped up in front of his eyes. [Value of One Hit] [Duel with the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus, andnd a single blow! This quest will be considered cleared even if you only managed to graze him.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: Remains of the Wyrm-ss Chromatic Dragon Lagonda Taraf, Dragon¡¯s Treasure Chest] [Warning: You might die while doing this quest!] The quest name suited the situation as he stood to gain not only the once mighty dragon¡¯s remains but even the treasure chest the dragon had left behind if he managed tond a single blow on Deus. However, the problem was that it was extremely difficult tond a single blow on the Level 999 Hidden NPC. Deus was a monster that even Sword Emperor Betelgeuse failed tond a single hit on, and this quest was probably the most difficult quest Siegfried had ever encountered in the game. However, Siegfried had never been the type to give up without even trying ¡®I have nothing to lose.¡¯ ¡°Yes, Master. I will do as you say,¡± he replied. ¡°Excellent,¡± Deus smiled. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: Value of One Hit!] A message popped up in front of his eyes, and the duel between him and Deus started. *** The next evening, Deus returned to Mount Kunlun and watched the sunset on the horizon with a smile. ¡°Are you satisfied, Elder-nim?¡± Betelgeuse asked. ¡°I definitely am,¡± Deus replied with a nod. ¡°I am certain you are, Elder-nim. Your one and only disciple, the young master, is growing extremely fast.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk¡­¡±?Deus clicked his tongue and asked, ¡°Just what did you see?¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°That kid racked his brain quite a bit, but do you honestly think he managed to hit me?¡± ¡°Y-You mean to say¡­?!¡± Betelgeuse eximed after recalling the duelst night, and then he carefully asked, ¡°Did you¡­ go easy on the young master¡­?¡± ¡°A lot¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°He still has a long way to go.¡± ¡°But why did you go easy on him, Elder-nim? I know for a fact that you will never go easy on someone just to make them feel better about themselves¡­¡± ¡°You ignorant stupid buffoon!¡± Deus rebuked him and eximed, ¡°I needed a reason! A reason!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I needed a reason to give him the dragon¡¯s remains and the treasure chest!¡± ¡°E-Elder-nim!¡± ¡°I wanted to give it, but I couldn¡¯t just give it for free, so I came up with the duel to give it to him. Anyway, he still has a long way to go!¡± ¡°Elder-nim¡¯s love for the young master is truly deep!¡± Betelgeuse said while bowing. Deus was extremely scary to others, but he was the warmest and most gentle person on the continent when it came to Siegfried. *** [Alert: You have obtained Horn of Chromatic Dragon!] Siegfried obtained the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s remains as well as the Dragon¡¯s Treasure Chest after winning the duel, and it allowed him to obtain another material required toplete the weapon Herbert left behind. [Materials:] [Rod of God ¡Á 1 ?] [Omnipotent Mechanical Gear ¡Á 1 ?] [Horn of Chromatic Dragon ¡Á 1 ?] [Soul of the Vampire Lord ¡Á 1 ?] [Eye of the Storm ¡Á 1] [Universal Grade Mana Stone ¡Á 1] [Heart of the Demon Lord ¡Á 1] [Current Progress: 57.14%] However, he was still nowhere close topleting the quest because the three remaining materials were simply impossible to get. Nevertheless, Siegfried ordered theplete dismemberment of the dragon¡¯s remains, and he deposited the tons of gold within the Dragon¡¯s Treasure Chest into the kingdom''s coffers. [Alert: You have leveled up thanks to the Ruler of Proatine title!] [Alert: You have reached Level 213!] He prepared to depart the kingdom for another adventure as soon upon leveling up. ¡°Kyu!?Where are we going now, owner punk?!¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°The Adventurers¡¯ Guild,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time I start making my own guild,¡± Siegfried replied. His destination this time was the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, where Adventurers would go to establish their own guilds. Chapter 224

    Chapter 224

    There was an Adventurers¡¯ Guild in almost every nation on the continent, and they were some sort of an international organization. The main objective of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was to keep the Adventurers'' power struggles in check and safeguard the interests of the NPCs and their assets. There was not a single day on the N¨¹rburg Continent that went by without a group of Adventurers fighting against each other back when the guild content, namely the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, hadn¡¯t been released just yet. Humans were bound to form factions and try to take control of things, so the Adventurers had already formed their own groups and started fighting against each other even before the guild content was released. This led to a lot of small and big conflicts on the continent among the Adventurers. It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if the Adventurers fought amongst themselves, but the main problem was that the NPCs were getting swept up in their fights. Many NPCs lost their lives or their livelihood at the hands of the barbaric Adventurers who instantly PVPed the moment they saw each other, and those Adventurers never bothered topensate the NPCs. Soon, their actions became a social problem throughout the continent, and the nations gathered together to find a solution to the brewing social problem. *** Three years ago¡­ ¡°Those damn bastards! They daree from their world and wreak havoc in ours?! Let¡¯s just kill all of them!¡± ¡°You want to kill the Adventurers on sight? Then who¡¯s going to stop those vicious monsters? We need the Adventurers to stop the sudden increase in monster poption all over the continent!¡± ¡°So what if we kill them? They¡¯re just going toe back to life and seek revenge. How are we supposed to fight immortal beings?¡± The lords or the Minister of State from each of the participating nations debated for three consecutive days toe up with a solution to the problem. It was quite a difficult and tricky situation for the NPCs, as the Adventurers were something like a necessary evil for them, and the situation was made even trickier by the fact that these necessary evils were immortal beings. All of a sudden, a ruler who had been silently observing for the past three days finally said something for the first time. ¡°Allow me to give my input.¡± Everyone in the room stopped talking. The man was none other than the most powerful ruler in the world, the ruler of the strongest nation, the emperor of the Marchioni Empire, Emperor Stuttgart. The Marchioni Empire was the most powerful nation in the world, and it was so strong that it wouldn¡¯t be defeated even if every other nation decided to form a coalition against it. Emperor Stuttgart attended the meeting for three days, but he simply sipped on his wine without saying anything. Therefore, everyone fell silent the moment he opened his mouth for the first time. ¡°It sounds like the problem will naturally go away the moment we create arge battlefield in an alternate dimension. Then, those Adventurers can wage war against each other to their hearts¡¯ content without causing any damage to our people,¡± Emperor Stuttgart said. He took another sip of wine and closed his eyes before nonchntly saying, ¡°Humans are instinctively bound byws. They¡¯re from another world, but they are still humans in the end. ¡°They are bound to follow whatever rules we set, and we could simply punish them once they break the rules we set. If we do that, then we will have the justification to punish them.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The representatives of each nation felt like they were hit by a hammer at the back of their heads. Emperor Stuttgart¡¯s idea precisely solved the main issue that the continent was facing. They simply had to create a ce for the Adventurers to fight, and they would punish them whenever they brokews. It was a move that would surely reduce civilian casualties, and it would even give them the justification to punish criminal Adventurers. It was truly a crafty n that sent chills down the spine of the representatives. ¡®H-he¡¯s crazy¡­ scary¡­¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯ ¡®Did he have this idea all along and just watched us for the past three days to amuse himself¡­?¡¯ They didn¡¯t have any proof to back their assumptions, but they knew that the emperor hadpletely deceived them and had been treating them as entertainment for the past three days. Why? Because he was the emperor of the world¡¯s strongest nation¡­ This was true not only for Stuttgart but any other emperor as well. Emperors held great authority and wisdom, so they usually entertained themselves by toying around with those beneath them. However, the purpose of it was not only to entertain themselves but to send a warning as well. ¡®I already know the answer, and I can read what¡¯s on your mind, so don¡¯t even dream of trying to pull anything behind the scenes. I can thoroughly crush you once I¡¯m done toying with you anytime I want.¡¯ ¡­or something along those lines. ¡°It seems that all of you agree with my idea judging by your expressions. Then, we shall proceed with that. Ah,?I forgot to mention that my empire will shoulder three percent of the annual budget of this new international organization, and the rest of you will divide the remaining ny-seven percent. Then, I will excuse myself,¡± Stuttgart said. He one-sidedly decided the amount he was going to pay and leisurely left the conference room, leaving the representatives to discuss by themselves. ¡°¡­¡± They were stunned after getting toyed around with by the emperor. Then, they btedly realized that the emperor had pulled a fast one on them, but it was already toote. Well, it was not like they could do anything about it, even if they realized it sooner¡­ Emperor Stuttgart was known as a delinquent who did whatever he liked among the internationalmunity, but that was only possible since nobody was powerful enough to stand up against him. What followed after the delinquent left the room was¡­ pure chaos. ¡°I¡¯ll pay five percent!¡± ¡°What bullshit are you spouting?! I heard your territory is experiencing an economic boom right now! Shut it and pay fifteen percent!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any money! I can¡¯t pay that much, so deal with it!¡± ¡°Ha! Why are you fighting among yourselves? I¡¯ll dly shoulder seven percent of the remaining ny percent so you can¡ªWhat? Did you justugh at me, you bastard?! Do you want to die?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay six percent! Nothing more and nothing less!¡± The representatives of each nation were arguing to contribute less to the new international organization required to control the Adventurers. The argument went on for nearly a week, and there were even instances of the representatives cursing, shoving, and even punching each other. The organization born from that chaos was none other than the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, and it was a patch that was released to BNW three months after the chaotic conference. The NPCs basically created an entire game content for the Adventurers by themselves, and this was one of the reasons BNW was able to captivate the entire world. *** The Adventurers¡¯ Guild was the only organization established under the cooperation of the nations on the continent, and its headquarters was located in the city on the easternmost region of the Continent, Arctind. The reason the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¯s headquarters was located at the end of the continent was for the sake of the gateway to the dimensional realm where guild wars often happened. The authorities of this world¡ªthe NPCs¡ªdid not wish to have the Adventurers clump together. Who would think that such an idea was a good idea? These otherworldly beings possessed powerful abilities, and they were going to be an unstoppable force if thousands or ten thousands of them gathered. The NPCs were well aware, and they were scared that the Adventurers would gather together and overthrow their kingdoms. sh! It was midday by the time Siegfried arrived at Artind. ¡®What do I need again¡­¡¯?he tried to remember from his previous experience of running a guild while walking toward the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. It was then. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the bastard?¡± ¡°Hey! It¡¯s him, right?¡± ¡°Has he gone nuts? How dare he set foot here!¡± The Genesis Guild members appeared one by one and started stirring up trouble with Siegfried. ¡°Kyu!?It¡¯s them! What are we going to do, owner punk?!¡± Hamchi cried out. ¡°What else? Just do this¡­¡± Siegfried replied as he raised his right hand and showed his middle finger to them along with a hideous smile. ¡°That crazy bastard! Hey, fucker! Do you have a death wish?!¡± The Genesis Guild members walked toward Siegfried in a threatening manner. ¡°Why? Do you want to take a swing at me?¡± Siegfried taunted while openly disying his cheek. He sneered at them and said, ¡°Take a swing. I dare you~ I¡¯m curious about what¡¯s going to happen if you do. Kekeke!¡± ¡°This bastard¡­!¡± ¡°I said hit?me~ Why? You can¡¯t? Tsk tsk¡­ How can you call yourself a man when you¡¯re all bark but no bite?¡± ¡°This fucker¡­!¡± ¡°Pfft! Big talk for someone who can¡¯t even punch me~¡± Siegfried smirked. He taunted them even further. ¡°Just shut up if you don¡¯t have any guts and go on your way~¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°Oh my~ So scary! I¡¯m shivering in my boots~¡± Siegfried sneered before turning around. Showing his back to his opponent was basically asking for trouble, and the fact that he even raised his middle finger while walking away was him begging for trouble. However, the reason Siegfried could nonchntly do all of this was that Artind had banned all PVP. Of course, it was possible to kill another Adventurer. It was possible to attack someone else since there were no auras or system interventions that prevented it. However, stirring up trouble here was basically picking a fight against every nation on the continent. Crack! Thanks to that, Siegfried was able to make a fool out of the Genesis Guild members without suffering any consequences. ¡°Hey! It looks like that bastard¡¯s about to make his own guild! Hurry up and report this to the management!¡± The only thing the Genesis Guild members could do was report the fact that Siegfried was trying to create his own guild. *** It was not that difficult to establish one¡¯s own guild, and the process was quite straightforward. 1. Fill up the registration form. 2. Submit the registration form and get evaluated by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡ªIt was called an evaluation, but they casually stamped on every form that was submitted to them. 3. Submit thend deed where the guild¡¯s headquarters will be established upon approval. . 4. Build the guild¡¯s headquarters on thend. 5. Create a guild logo to use for badges, icons, gs, etc. 6. Inform the Adventurers¡¯ Guild once the badges, icons, gs, etc., with the guild logo, have been created. 7. Pay 1,000 gold to finalize the guild creation and submit a minimum of three guild members toplete the guild formation¡ªthree, including the guild master. The guild creation process was quite straightforward, and it was even easier for someone like Siegfried, who was a king. Land? The Proatine Kingdom was small, but all of itsnds belonged to Siegfried. Constructing the headquarters? Seung-Gu and the Labor Force could be mobilized for that, and they could easily build a small castle in less than a week. Guild logo? He could give the task to the renowned artist¡ªGringore. Lastly, one thousand gold was a drop in the bucket for Siegfried¡¯s deep pockets. Scribble, Scribble, Scribble! Siegfried filled up the Guild Registration Form and submitted it. ¡®I¡¯m going to choose the best location for the guild once I return to Proatine, and I¡¯ll ask Gringore to work on the logo¡­¡¯?he thought. However, his ns were shattered in an instant. ¡°Siegfried van Proa¡­ You wrote that you¡¯re a king, is it true?¡± the receptionist asked. ¡°Yes, that is correct,¡± Siegfried proudly replied. ¡°I apologize, but it is not possible for you to establish your own guild. I am afraid that I will have to reject your application.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Siegfried eximed and doubted his ears. Chapter 225

    Chapter 225

    ¡°What? Why? I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not that difficult to open a guild¡­ Can¡¯t you just stamp on the paper?¡± Siegfried grumbled in disbelief. Creating a guild was something anyone could do as long as they had money, so Siegfried was confused about the issue. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t make a guild because I¡¯m a king¡­?¡± ¡°No, that is not the reason.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°You are King Siegfried van Proa of the¡­ P-Protein Kingdom¡­?¡± ¡°Proatine. It¡¯s the Proatine Kingdom.¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize. Proatine¡­ I have never heard of it before, that is why I made a mistake¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, it is impossible for Your Majesty to establish a guild right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking the reason. What¡¯s the reason?¡± ¡°You have been cklisted by the Mercenary Guild¡­¡± ¡°Mercenary Guild? cklisted¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Me? Impossible¡­¡± ¡°It says here that you recently hired the Mercenary King Grimwood¡­ and stabbed him in the back like a coward¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Siegfried finally realized. It was indeed despicable of him to hire a mercenary only to stab him in the back, but Siegfried had something to say about that. ¡°Hey, still¡­ Do you know what kind of a person Grimwood was? He ate people whenever he was bored, you know? So why am I cklisted for getting rid of someone evil like him? Does that even make sense?¡± It was true that what he did was despicable, but Grimwood deserved to die. He was an immortal being that wreaked havoc whenever he was bored, and he would ughter countless people for his enjoyment. Siegfried wasn¡¯t expecting the Mercenary Guild to reward him for his services, but he didn¡¯t expect that they would cklist him for it¡­ ¡°I agree with you, and it seems that the executives at the Mercenary Guild agree with you, too. In fact, they seem to be praising you for what you did.¡± ¡°But they decided to cklist me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Well, the requests that Grimwood had epted went up in smoke after Your Majesty killed him, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The Mercenary Guild faced quite the bacsh because of it, and both their and Your Majesty¡¯s credit suffered a blow as a result¡­¡± Pros and Cons. There was bound to be a downside for every upside. It was good that he was able to get rid of both Grimwood and Magnus at the same time, but he never imagined that he was going to get into trouble with the Mercenary Guild because of it. He thought that there wouldn¡¯t be any issues because Grimwood was quite infamous, but¡­ ¡°So I can¡¯t make my own guild?¡± ¡°We have a policy of not approving requests from Adventurers who had lost their credit, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I would advise that you go to the Mercenary Guild and restore your credit with them first if you wish to establish a guild.¡± ¡°All right¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled in response and went to the Mercenary Guild. *** ¡°Owner punk! Did you get rejected?!¡± Hamchi cried out outside the Adventurer Guild. ¡°Yeah¡­ I believe that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± Siegfried replied while sulking. ¡°Then, are you giving up on establishing your own guild?¡± ¡°I want to¡­ but I really need a guild.¡± The reason that Siegfried needed to establish his own guild was because of the debuff Loser¡¯s Shame. It was an extremely scary debuff inflicted on the guild members of the losing guild. This debuff made the losing guild¡¯s members receive fifty percent additional damage from the victorious guild¡¯s members for an entire year. In short, Siegfried absolutely needed this debuff to be able to put an end to the Genesis Guild, and the only way he could cast this debuff on them was through waging a guild war against them. It went without saying that it was going to be impossible to wage a guild war without a guild, which meant that the Genesis Guild members were going to keeping after him no matter how many times he killed them. In other words, their fight would be an endless battle of attrition. ¡°Then, what are you going to do now?¡± Hamchi asked. ¡°What else? I have to go to the Mercenary Guild and restore my credit with them,¡± Siegfried replied while shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried said as he headed toward the Mercenary Guild in Artind. *** Siegfried entered the Mercenary Guild and submitted a request, and he was able to meet one of the guild¡¯s officers soon afterward. ¡°Hello, King Siegfried van Proa. My name is Keres, and I am a manager at the department in charge of evaluating a mercenary¡¯s credit with us,¡± the guild officer named Keres introduced himself. ¡°My name is Siegfried,¡± he replied. ¡°We are quite familiar with the issue you have raised, and we truly believe that it is such a shame that happened. Actually, Grimwood was a monster that even our guild could not do anything about, so¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you guys were familiar with him, but you went ahead and cklisted me?¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°I apologize, but we were barraged withints by Grimwood¡¯s clients, so¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Grimwood was a Mercenary King, so the requests he epted were extremely difficult requests, and our guild had to pay a substantial penalty or pay extra to ask other mercenaries to ept it¡­¡± ¡°It seems that I have unintentionally caused trouble for the guild. I didn¡¯t think that far ahead,¡± Siegfried apologized sincerely. He was evil and vicious deep inside, but he still knew when to admit his mistakes. ¡°Not at all! Grimwood deserved to die based on the evil deeds he hadmitted. There have been a lot ofints about him whenever he went on a rampage, and there was this one instance where he devoured a live infant whole¡­¡± Keres gritted his teeth while recalling the atrocities that the Lycanthrope Lord hadmitted. ¡°Anyway, I am certain that Your Majesty has done something good, but we have no choice but to penalize you ording to our rules¡­¡± ¡°Is there any way I can restore my credit?¡± ¡°May you please give me a moment? I will speak to my superiors and get back to you.¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± Two hourster¡­ ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I found a way for you to restore your credit. Would you like to hear about it?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± ¡°It is actually quite simple. The guild is willing to restore your credit if Your Majestypletes the requests that Grimwood had left behind. I have personally received the approval of my superiors on the matter.¡± ¡®Ugh¡­ It¡¯s a quest again¡­ But what can I do? I¡¯m just reaping what I sowed¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. He gnashed his teeth, annoyed, but he knew that he had no other choice. It was only right for him to clean up the mess he had created, and it didn¡¯t matter even though the mess was created while he was doing a good deed because he still had to take responsibility for it. ¡°What should I do?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°First¡­¡± Keres browsed through his files before replying, ¡°There is one request to rescue a noble child and one request for a special mission at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost¡­ Hmm¡­ Your Majesty just has toplete these two missions to restore your credit.¡± ¡°Can you give me the details?¡± Siegfried asked. Then, the quest details popped up in front of his eyes. [Rescue Operation] [Go to the Alune Kingdom in the western region of the continent and rescue the kidnapped noble child.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: Restore 50% of the credit with the Mercenary Guild] [Warning: You can get cancer during this quest.] [Special Forces] [Meet General Overlock at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost andplete his special mission.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: Restore 50% credit with the Mercenary Guild] [Warning: This quest is extremely difficult!] Siegfried epted both of the quests. He found it quite annoying to deal with them, but he had no choice but to ept them if he wanted to restore his credit with the Mercenary Guild. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Rescue Operation¡¯!] [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Special Forces¡¯!] Siegfried looked at Keres and asked, ¡°Which one should I do first?¡± ¡°I suggest that you start with rescuing the noble child. Here are the files rted to it,¡± Keres replied as he passed a stack of documents to him. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go and rescue the kid first¡­¡± Siegfried replied as he epted the file. He was walking out of the Mercenary Guild while tilting his head in confusion,?¡®I can get cancer during the quest? What does that mean?¡¯ The warning on the quest details was kind of strange for some reason¡­ *** Siegfried suddenly stopped in his tracks after suddenly thinking of something, ¡®Hold on. Why should I do these in the first ce? I mean¡­ I really can¡¯t be bothered¡­¡¯ Then, his brain started running at lightning speed toe up with an ingenious idea. ¡°Kyu??What are you doing, owner punk?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about how I can pass the work to someone else.¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°I mean, there¡¯s no need for me to do both, right? I can just ask someone else to do it for me.¡± ¡°K-Kyu¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just do one and ask someone else to do the other,¡± Siegfried said with a shrug. Then, he went to a Mercenary Guild branch in another city and ced a request. He requested one of the two remaining Mercenary Kings¡ªMercenary King Dreyfus¡ªto take on the Rescue Operation quest. Of course, it cost him quite a lot to ce a request for the Mercenary King, but money was no longer an issue after he gained a massive amount of gold from the Dragon¡¯s Treasure Chest. ¡°Lla~¡± Siegfried nonchntly hummed a tune as he skipped through the streets. ¡°¡­Your genius frightens me, owner punk,¡± Hamchi said while shaking his head in disbelief at his owner¡¯s ingenuity. *** ¡°Ah! Lieutenant Colonel Sieg!¡± Lieutenant General Overlock¡ªno, General Overlock warmly weed Siegfried. ¡°You should have told me that you wereing! I would have prepared a grand wee for our war hero! Hahaha!¡± ¡°There is no need for that, General, haha¡­ Ah, please say hello. This is Major Carell, do you remember him?¡± Carell immediately ran up to General Overlock and greeted him with a salute. ¡°Loyalty! Major Carell greets the general!¡± ¡°M-Major Carell¡­? I thought you fell in battle¡­?¡± ¡°His maj¡ªI mean, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg saved me from the clutches of death and gave me a new lease on life, sir!¡± ¡°Really? Haha! Amazing! You are truly amazing, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg! You have never ceased to amaze me!¡± Overlock eximed while looking at Siegfried with passionate eyes. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, thanks foring! I got promoted, thanks to you!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°We were able to find out how to control the Cryptids after studying the Mother you caught for us, and the war has be much easier for us now! We¡¯re using the monsters to fight the monsters! How amazing is that?! Haha!¡± Siegfried suddenly remembered how he had used Grimwood to fight Magnus. ¡®I got into trouble for that¡­ tsk¡­¡¯ That was the sole reason he had to take these annoying quests in the first ce¡­ ¡°I was able to get promoted because of that, and this is all thanks to you, Sieg!¡± ¡°Congrattions, sir.¡± ¡°Haha! Thank you! Now that I think of it, what brings you here?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± Siegfried exined why he came all the way to the Arachnid Temporary Outpost. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­ so something like that happened¡­¡± ¡°But what is this special mission?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± General Overlock looked around before whispering, ¡°We have a spy in our barracks¡­¡± Chapter 226

    Chapter 226

    ¡°A spy? What do you mean by that?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± General Overlock bit his lips and muttered before he exined, ¡°Things were looking really good after we managed to brainwash the Cryptids. Our coalition forces were able to push them all the way back to their main base, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°They suddenly started reading our ns to the very minute detail.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°We thought we just got unlucky initially since we did move our troops a bit rashly, but we soon realized that wasn¡¯t the case. They were counteracting our ns with pinpoint uracy, and that was when we realized that they knew everything.¡± ¡°So¡­ you think there are some humans that are cooperating with the Cryptids?¡± ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s not baseless reasoning. Think about it, they were able to create numerous intellectual creatures to control them, so I don¡¯t see any reason they won¡¯t be able to nt a spy among us. However¡­¡± General Overlock trailed the end of his words. Siegfried finished it. ¡°You probably do not want to believe that a human is on those hideous monsters¡¯ side.¡± ¡°Yes, you are absolutely correct,¡± General Overlock nodded and continued. ¡°I can¡¯t think of any reason for a human to side with them in the first ce.¡± ¡°Me, too. Anyway, the mission is to find out who the spy is, right?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± A chain quest to the Special Forces quest popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. Ding! [Find the Spy!] [Find the spy leaking the coalition forces¡¯ ns to the Cryptids.] [Reward: Restore 50% credit with the Mercenary Guild] [Progress: 0%] Siegfried epted the quest from General Overlock. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Find the Spy!¡¯] Then, he told General Overlock. ¡°I will do my best to find the spy.¡± ¡°Oh! Thank you! I¡¯m confident that I can leave it to you. It¡¯s a very difficult task that could affect the soldiers¡¯ morale, so we sent a request for Mercenary King Grimwood!¡± General Overlock had no doubts about Siegfried¡¯s ability at all. In fact, he seemed delighted that Siegfried was taking over the request. *** Siegfried looked around the barracks before anything else. The Third Command Center of the Coalition Forces, headed by General Overlock after he got promoted, was filled with high-level NPCs and Adventurers. ¡®A spy¡­ There can¡¯t be a spy here¡­¡¯?Siegfried muttered to himself while flipping through the documents that General Overlock gave to him. The documents were reports of the things the spy had done as well as the failed operations because of the spy. Unfortunately, the lengthy document wasn¡¯t helpful at all. There was basically no corrtion between the operations, and the members deployed were always different. On top of that, even themanders were always different for each operation, so it was nearly impossible to suspect anyone at this point. ¡®What the hell? Does this spy even exist?¡¯?Siegfried scratched his head. He tried toe up with something, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything, no matter how much he racked his brains. ¡®Hmm¡­ Should I try smoking the rat out?¡¯?he wondered. In the end, he decided to call Gringore, who was standing right beside him without any presence. ¡°Scribe Gringore.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Can you go trail the key personnel of themand center and let me know if any of them are acting strange?¡± ¡°Certainly, Your Majesty,¡± Gringore replied. He hid his presence and immediately moved. ¡®Let¡¯s try a few things first. I should get something if I do that,¡¯?Siegfried thought. He was nning to use the authority bestowed upon him to attack a Cryptidir with a few Adventurers. *** On the same afternoon, Siegfried gathered nine Adventurers above Level 200 at random andmenced his own operation. ¡°We will destroy the hatchery and retreat. Do you understand?¡± Siegfried asked. The Adventurers nodded in response. Siegfried also brought a very powerful ally for this mission¡­ ¡°Marquis Decimato.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Shall we start things with a st?¡± ¡°I, Decimato, will carry out Your Majesty¡¯smand!¡± Great Wizard Decimato was indeed a powerful ally who could be considered a cheat code that boosted the party¡¯s overall firepower by two hundred percent¡ªno, at least five hundred percent. Of course, the Adventurers had no idea who Siegfried was or what was Decimato¡¯s level. Siegfried was wearing his Metamorphosis Mask to hide his identity, while Decimato had cast a spell that could deceive the Rune of Insight on himself. The Rune of Insight wasn¡¯t an omnipotent ability, so they were easily deceived into thinking that Decimato was a slightly high-level NPC. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go,¡± Siegfried said. The ambush operation started. Siegfried led the party to the Cryptid¡¯s main base, which was also known as Cryptid Giant Lair,?to attack the Cryptid Giant Hatchery. Fwaaaaah¡­! Siegfried ced down his ze Field, and Great Wizard Decimato cast an area-of-effect magic spell called Hellfire Lightning, which was a fire and lightning property magic. ¡°Sul S¡¯naa¡­ Taqs¡­!¡± [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] Dozens of Cryptids were disintegrated in an instant, and a flurry of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. The Adventurers were bbergasted. ¡°What was that damage¡­?¡± ¡°What happened just now?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°For what did wee here then¡­?¡± They were stunned and rendered speechless by the damage that Siegfried¡¯s buff and Decimato¡¯s spell dealt. Thebo was truly fearsome because Siegfried¡¯s debuff shredded the Cryptid¡¯s Defense and Magic Resistance before it was followed up by Great Wizard Decimato¡¯s spell. However, what was truly surprising was the fact that Decimato only used forty percent of his strength to hide his identity from the Adventurers. ¡®Wow¡­ That damage was crazy¡­¡¯? In fact, even Siegfried himself was surprised at the massive damage that Decimato dealt. ¡°Listen up! Now we¡¯re going to¡­¡± Siegfried looked at the party before he said, ¡°RUN!¡± The party looked toward their and saw a swarm of Cryptids rushing at them, and their great numbers dyed the ground ck. *** The operation was a huge sess. The Cryptids failed to block the ambush, and tens of thousands of eggs in the hatchery were destroyed in the process. The party that carried out the operation returned without a single casualty from their mission. Siegfried immediately went to find General Overlock after returning to base. ¡°Oh! Sieg! You have done something amazing once again!¡± General Overlock eximed. ¡°Not at all, General,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug, and then he said, ¡°Yes, there is indeed a spy.¡± ¡°I agree with you. This operation was an independent one that even I had no idea about.¡± ¡°Yes, the hatchery is a vital facility for the Cryptids, so they would have definitely reacted if they knew about the operation.¡± ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± ¡°Anyway, I am certain that the spy exists, so let us wait a little bit more.¡± ¡°All right, just let me know if you find anything suspicious.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Siegfried said before he left the tent to prepare for the next stage of his n. *** A few dayster, Siegfried noticed that the difficulty of each operation kept on increasing every day. ¡°Well, look at that?¡± muttered Siegfried. ¡®It¡¯s quite strange¡­ It¡¯s normal for them to defend their main base, but it feels that the Cryptids are on the edge¡­ as if they¡¯re expecting something without being sure of what it is¡­¡¯? Siegfried was abruptly pulled out of his train of thought ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Gringore came back from his mission and gave his report, ¡°I haven¡¯t found anything suspicious in the barracks.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I have tailed all of the officers except for General Overlock and his adjutant, Guinness, but there was nothing suspicious about the officers in the coalition forces.¡± ¡°What about the general and his adjutant?¡± ¡°I did not dig into them since they were the ones who made the request to the Mercenary Guild¡­¡± It was then. ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­ D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± Gringore stuttered after seeing Siegfried¡¯s eyes be sharp, and then he asked, ¡°Are you suspecting the general by any chance¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I find it strange that there were only two names who appeared on the reports of the failed operations,¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. ¡°G-General Overlock and his adjutant¡­ Colonel Guinness¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think eliminating them from the list of suspects just because they made the request sounds strange to you?¡± ¡°Still¡­ General Overlock had dedicated his entire life to the coalition against the Cryptids¡­ Do you really think he will side with the enemy?¡± ¡°Then, that only leaves us with Colonel Guinness¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before he racked his brains and came to a conclusion. ¡°It¡¯s very likely that Colonel Guinness is the culprit¡­¡± The sound of hooves suddenly echoed outside the tent. Clop! Clop! Clop! ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯?Siegfried went out to take a look and saw a shocking scene. ¡®What the hell? Why is everyone armed as if they¡¯re going to war?¡¯ ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Carell, who was in another battalion, suddenly came to him and reported, ¡°A mobilization order has been issued. They are nning tounch a full-scale offensive against the Cryptid Giant Lair.¡± ¡°What?! Who gave themand? Which bastard gave such a dumbmand?!¡± Siegfried eximed in surprise. ¡°It came directly from themand center.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ crazy¡­ Does this even make sense at all¡­? They¡¯re aware that there¡¯s a spy in the army, but they¡¯reunching a full-scale offensive? How is this different from sending the entire army to their deaths¡ªhuh?¡± Siegfried suddenly realized something and froze on the spot. ¡°This is insane!¡± he gritted his teeth and made a run toward themand center. *** Siegfried went inside General Overlock¡¯s tent. ¡°Oh!?You¡¯re here!¡± General Overlock warmly weed Siegfried, and then he said, ¡°I was about to call you just now.¡± ¡°General.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Have you gone nuts?¡± Siegfried asked with hostility in his voice. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°There is a spy in the army, but you are issuing a full-scale attack?¡± ¡°Ah,?that¡­¡± General Overlock muttered before he pointed at the map and said, ¡°This point here is quite important. This was an important logistic route for us, but we lost it a few days ago. The entire coalition forces will not be able to replenish its supplies, and it will soon be in danger if we fail to retake this point.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°We have to take risks from time to time, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Who gave thismand?¡± ¡°Who else? I gave themand as themander in charge of this army. Ah,?so I was thinking¡­ What if you stand at the vanguard for the army this time?¡± Pukeok! Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and smacked General Overlock in the head. ¡°Kyu?!¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Hamchi, Gringore, and Carell were stupefied. ¡°Hey! Owner punk! Have you gone insane?! You justmitted treason! How can you kill themander?!¡± Hamchi protested. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Siegfried shook his head and replied, ¡°Does that thing still look like General Overlock to you?¡± ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Take a look,¡± Siegfried pointed at Overlock¡¯s body. Squirm¡­! Squirm¡­! Squirm¡­!? General Overlock¡¯s was smashed open, but he squirmed as if he was still alive. ¡°Keke¡­ Kekekeke¡­!¡±?A spine-chilling cackle came out of his mouth. Chapter 227

    Chapter 227

    ¡°This damned Adventurer dares to¡­¡± General Overlock grumbled as he slowly got up from the ground. His appearance? It was quite grotesque. His head was bashed open, his brain was flowing out from the cracks, one of his eyeballs was dangling from his eye socket, and he was covered in blood. General Overlock¡¯s appearance right now looked like something out of an American gory horror film. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Siegfried asked. General Overlock¡ªno, the creature that had been disguising as General Overlock replied, ¡°Beats me¡­ I wonder who I am?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not General Overlock,¡± Siegfried said before he nonchntly added, ¡°General Overlock is the type of person who would try to hold his ground at least for a week before making any rash decisions.¡± ¡°Kek¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s not the type of person who would order a full-scale offensive just because the supply line has been cut. I mean, he would have already gotten fired otherwise.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought of that, but I knew that my cover won¡¯tst that long..¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably why you ordered this full-scale offensive. You wanted to annihte the entire army before I got the chance to expose you.¡± Siegfried urately pinpointed the intentions of the fake General Overlock. Every single high-ranking officer in the army knew that there was a spy amongst them, so it was not going to be easy for the fake General Overlock to sustain his charade for a long time. On top of that, Siegfried was acting independently to find the spy so it was only a matter of time before the arrows of suspicion were pointed at General Overlock and his adjutant, Colonel Guinness. Therefore, the fake general came up with the excuse tounch a full-scale offensive to reim the supply lines, and the fate of the entire 3rd Field Army Command was¡­ ¡®Annihtion,¡¯?Siegfried thought of the worst-case scenario. The third army yed a vital role in the coalition forces¡¯ war against the Cryptids, and their forces numbered more than eighty thousand men. What if the massive army got annihted? ¡®Then, we¡¯ll be fucked,¡¯?thought Siegfried. The oue was obvious. The war that they painstakingly managed to get the upper hand was going to be flipped in an instant, and the Macan Kingdom was going to be overrun by the Cryptids in a matter of days. The impostor smirked and said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re right but¡­¡± ¡°But what? You mean your n went up in smoke before the army could mobilize?¡± Siegfried sneered. ¡°Guards! GUARDS!¡± General Overlock¡ªno, the impostor ran out of the tent while screaming at the top of his lungs. ¡°Catch him!¡± Siegfried shouted and went after the imposter. However, the imposter ran at a frightening speed. He soon reached the guards and the high-ranking officers. ¡®How the hell is he so fast?!¡¯?Siegfried was shocked by the imposter¡¯s speed. The impostor pointed at Siegfried¡¯s party and said, ¡°Those people tried to assassinate me, themander! Catch them!¡± ¡±¡­!¡± The situation abruptly changed as Siegfried and his party were framed as assassins. ¡°Catch them!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let them get away!¡± ¡°Go after them!¡± The high-level knights and soldiers went after them while utterly oblivious to the fact that they were being tricked¡­ *** ¡®Ha! Fools! Things will be over by the time you manage to proim your innocence! Hahaha!¡¯?The impostor was ted after getting rid of Siegfried. However, there was one thing that the impostorpletely overlooked, and that was the fact that the information he had of Siegfried was quite¡ªno, extremely outdated. The impostor possessed General Overlock¡¯s memories, so he knew Siegfried very well, but even the general had no idea how much Siegfried had be stronger after he left the Arachnid Temporary Outpost. ¡°Can¡¯t you guys use your brains at least?¡± Siegfried smirked and muttered under his breath before using Shadow Swamp. Seuk¡­ Sereuk¡­! The shadows of the soldiers fooled by the impostor suddenly rose from the ground. ¡°Hold them down, but don¡¯t hurt them. And don¡¯t hit them there,?all right?¡± Siegfriedmanded the shadows. There was no need to exin why he had to specifically tell them not to hit them there.?After all, that?was a very important spot. Anyway, it only took a few seconds for the shadows to subdue the soldiers. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Aaaack!¡± The knights and the soldiers were held back by the shadows. ¡°Now, take a good look at this. Okay?¡± Siegfried told the soldiers, who were trying to protect the impostor, before swinging his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Pukeok! The force behind the +15 weapon was so powerful that half of the impostor¡¯s body was blown away. ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°General!¡± ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± The knights and the soldiers were shocked and gnashed their teeth in anger, but it didn¡¯t take that long for confusion to paint their expressions. ¡°You damned bastard dares to¡­!¡± General Overlock cursed and got up, even though half of his body had turned into a bloody mist. ¡°¡­!¡± The knights and the soldiers were shocked once again but for apletely different reason this time. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re quite tough. Let¡¯s see how many times you can regenerate, shall we?¡± Siegfried said with a smile as he walked toward the impostor. *** The creature that had been disguising itself as General Overlock was a Cryptid called Crypt Humans 009. [Crypt Humans 009] [A Cryptid born from the DNA of a human.] [It possesses very lowbat capability, but its regeneration and deception ability is extremely good.] [Type: Monster] [Race: Cryptid] [Tier: Named Monster] [Rank: Brigadier General] [Level: 230] [Other Information: This Cryptid possesses near-immortal regenerative ability, This Cryptid is extremely good at disguising itself, and this Cryptid can absorb a human¡¯s memories.] The Crypt Human Siegfried had exposed was subjected to torture without being able to aplish their objective. However, the torture method chosen was¡­ Fwah¡­! Crackle¡­! Crackle¡­! The monster was skewered and roasted like barbecue. On top of that, the mes that were roasting it weren¡¯t ordinary mes. The mes were born from the signature skills of an Eight Circle Great Wizard, Hellfire¡­ ¡°Hey, Hamchi, turn that thing the other way this time. It¡¯ll burn to a crisp if you only roast one side,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°All right! Kyu!¡±?Hamchi cried out in response before grabbing the handle and spinning it in the other direction. ¡°Spin it clockwise! Kyu!?Spin it counterclockwise! Kyu!¡± ck¡­ ck¡­ ck¡­ The Crypt Human turned golden brown and crispy while it was being roasted¡ªalive. ¡°Ack¡­! Gwaaaaaaah¡­!¡±? The Crypt Human cried out in agony as the Great Wizard¡¯s Hellfire licked its skin as if waiting to devour it whole. The high-ranking officers of the third army were watching the entire scene, and they felt a chill travel down their spine. ¡®That¡¯s a bit¡­¡¯ ¡®H-He¡¯s the reincarnation of evil!¡¯ ¡®I know that¡¯s a monster, but¡­ Isn¡¯t that a bit too cruel¡­?¡¯ ¡®I think he¡¯s the devil himself¡­¡¯ ¡®The devil might resign from his job after seeing how vicious this guy is¡­¡¯ They all agreed that Siegfried was quite an evil and vicious person. Yes, they were currently at war, and the opponent was a monster, but the officers never imagined that someone would be so evil as to roast?their prisoner of war alive. ¡°Shall we sprinkle some salt and pepper?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Kyu!?Great idea, owner punk!¡± ¡°What about some truffle oil?¡± ¡°That sounds even better! Kyu!?Rub the shit on that thing, owner punk!¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s start with the salt¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a vicious grin as he unsparingly sprinkled salt and pepper into the open wounds of the Crypt Human. ¡°Ack! Ugh¡­! AAAACK!?You FUCKING deviiiiil!¡± The Crypt Human cried out in agony and even called Siegfried the devil. It was a Cryptid, but it still possessed the same logic and memories of a human, so it instinctivelypared Siegfried to the devil. However, the poor monster had no idea that Siegfried was far worse than the devil himself. ¡°W-What do you want?! Aaaack!¡± ¡°Information. What¡¯s your purpose? What traps are waiting for us this time? Are there any other spies aside from you? Where is General Overlock? Hmm¡­ I think that¡¯s about it for now?¡± Siegfried replied with a smirk. ¡°I-I¡¯ll speak! I¡¯ll tell you everything so please! Aaaaack!¡± ¡°Really? Then tell me everything you know in detail¡ªbefore I change my mind.¡± And that was how the Crypt Human ended up spilling everything it knew to Siegfried after a small encouragement. *** Siegfried obtained the following information from the Crypthuman. 1. The Cryptid¡¯s main base was not the Cryptid¡¯s Great Lair that the coalition forces were focusing on. The real main base was located underground. 2. There were no other Crypt Humans in the 3rd Army¡¯smand center, but a tenth of the high-ranking officers in the 2nd Army¡¯smand center had already been reced with Crypt Humans. 3. Most of the officers swapped with the Crypt Humans were still alive, and they were being held captive in the Cryptid¡¯s main base underground to be used as test subjects. 4. General Overlock was still alive. 5. The Crypt Human 009¡¯s n was the total annihtion of the third army. 6. More than one hundred thousand Cryptids were buried underground, lying in wait to ambush the third army once they stepped into the kill zone. The high-ranking officers in themand center were speechless at the Crypt Human¡¯s confession. It wasn¡¯t strange. Who could have imagined that the high-ranking officers were actually Cryptids in disguise? ¡°Hey,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Ah! Yes, sir!¡± Crypthuman 009 responded. ¡°You have the list, right?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going somewhere for a bit. Write down the names of your friends and make sure you write every single one of them before Ie back, or else¡­ I don¡¯t have to tell you what¡¯s going to happen, right?¡± ¡°No, you do not, sir! I will immediately get to it!¡± Crypt Human 009 replied with enthusiasm. Siegfried looked at the soldiers and said, ¡°Keep watch over this guy. Make sure he doesn¡¯t try anything funny, if he does, then you¡¯re free to light him up and sprinkle salt on him.?Hmm¡­ maybe you should use tempered chili oil this time¡­ that¡¯s going to give a spicy kick¡­¡± ¡°Yes! Lieutenant Colonel Sieg-nim!¡± ¡°Shall we have a meeting now that we have this information in our hands?¡± Siegfried asked the high-ranking officers. The officers nodded their heads, seemingly scared of him for some odd reason¡­ *** In the meeting tent¡­ ¡°Thank you very much, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg. My name is Lieutenant General Woodbridge, and I¡¯m the vicemander of this army,¡± Woodbridge introduced himself and extended his hand toward Siegfried. ¡°It is nice to meet you, Lieutenant General Woodbridge,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I thank you on behalf of the coalition forces and the Macan Kingdom. Our forces and our kingdom would have been wiped off the face of the continent if it was not for you¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°You are truly our kingdom¡¯s hero!¡± Lt. General Woodbridge eximed. It was not only him. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Sieg! You single-handedly saved our kingdom!¡± ¡°Things could have gotten out of control if it wasn¡¯t for you! Thank you very much!¡± The other high-ranking officers thanked him as well. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it¡­¡± ¡°I will immediately cancel the mobilization order and focus on rescuing General Overlock since we already know their ns.¡± ¡°Huh? Why would you cancel it?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion while looking at Lieutenant General Woodbridge in disbelief. ¡°We should proceed with the full-scale offensive.¡± ¡°P-Proceed with the full-scale offensive¡­? But our enemies are lying in wait for us¡­¡± ¡°Who said anything about that ce? Look here,¡± Siegfried pointed at the map and exined, ¡°That thing said that there are hundreds of thousands of Cryptids lying in wait here, right? Then, what if we pretend we¡¯re falling for their plot while attacking here, here, and here, these three ces simultaneously?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The high-ranking officers were bbergasted. ¡®Oh my god! Why didn¡¯t I think of that?!¡¯ They could deal a huge blow against their enemies because of the information they had on hand. ¡°We will use their spy against them,¡± Siegfried said with a smile that would send a chill down the spine of even the devil himself. Chapter 228

    Chapter 228

    ¡°If you look here¡­¡± Siegfried pointed at the map after analyzing the information he extracted from Crypt Human 009 and exined, ¡°We will split our forces and attack this spot and this spot.¡± ¡°I thought you said we would attack three ces at once?¡± Lieutenant General Woodbridge asked. ¡°I will take care of that spot with my subordinates if you provide me one hundred Adventurers.¡± ¡°What?! You n to defeat that swarm with a bit more than one hundred people? Look here, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg¡­ That¡¯s too risky¡­¡± ¡°It is possible. In fact, I will dly put my neck on the line for it. You may execute me if I fail this mission,¡± Siegfried said confidently. He was confident because he had Decimato and Gringore with him. What if Siegfried¡¯s debuff was cast before these two monsters used their skills? ¡®They¡¯re stronger and more efficient than any other soldier,¡¯?he was nning to use every single card up his sleeve, and they were definitely going to be more than enough. ¡°Put your neck on the line¡­ that¡¯s the best way a soldier can prove their will¡­¡± Lieutenant General Bridgewater muttered, looking conflicted. ¡°Please trust me.¡± ¡°Ah, I?want to, but¡­ you¡¯re an Adventurer, so you¡¯re going toe back to life even if you lose your head, right?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and chuckled. ¡°Hahaha! Ipletely forgot about that¡­ hahaha¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, I will sweep that area if you leave it to me.¡± ¡°All right, I guess I have no choice but to trust you.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it. The full-scale offensive.¡± The 3rd Field Army epted Siegfried¡¯s proposal to continue the full-scale offensive against the Cryptids. Around two hourster¡­ [¡­] Hundreds of thousands of Cryptids were hiding in their burrows. They had been waiting for the third army toe over thest seventy-two hours. However, the humans were still missing. Nevertheless, they continued waiting in their burrows without moving an inch. Why? Simple. Most of the Cryptids weren¡¯t intelligent creatures. They were only driven by their insatiable hunger and aggressiveness, and every other life form was an enemy to them except for their fellow Cryptids. In fact, the Cryptids even recklessly threw their lives away if it meant that they could aplish their task of killing their enemies. The vast majority of them were just killing machines with no intelligence, so they just waited and waited until the human army appeared. They continued waiting¡­ The swarm of more than one hundred thousand Cryptids simply waited until either the human army appeared or a high-ranking intelligent Cryptid gave them a differentmand. Yes, they did not move an inch while their house was about to get ransacked by their enemies¡­ *** While the Cryptids were lying in wait, the 3rd Field Army started ransacking their emptyir. ¡ªAll forces! Attack! Lieutenant General Bridgewater reced General Overlock during his absence and gave themand to attack through the loudspeaker. ¡°WAAAAAAH!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, boys!¡± ¡°Kill them all!¡± The soldiers and Adventurers charged toward the Cryptid Great Lair while letting out battle cries. Meanwhile, a battalion led by Siegfried went to target another important facility of the Cryptids. However, the soldiers and Adventurers in the battalion cursed inwardly while following behind Siegfried. ¡®Fuck! Is he asking us to die with him or what?!¡¯ ¡®I couldn¡¯t disobey orders but¡­ isn¡¯t this a bit too much¡­?¡¯ ¡®What does he n to do with such a small battalion?¡¯ It was only natural for them to question him as it was logically impossible for a single battalion to upy one of the Cryptid¡¯s important faculties. Everybody knew that an entire division was necessary to at least have a chance of seeding, but Siegfried brought less than three hundred men for this operation. Just what in the world was he nning? The soldiers and Adventurers that weren¡¯t a part of Siegfried¡¯s party could not help but suspect that this operation was nothing short of a suicide operation. However¡­ Boom! Boom! Boom! Dozens of Iron Golems appeared out of nowhere and stood at the forefront. Then, they started to smash the Cryptids that tried to get close to the battalion. The sight significantly increased the morale of the troops. Fwaaaaa! Fwaaaaaaaa! Siegfried activated his Quad-Turbo Set to ce an enhanced version of ze Field smack in the middle of the enemy, and a handsome NPC followed it up by singing a song that sent soundwaves toward the Cryptids. ¡°Kyuuuuuuuuu!¡±?Hamchi shot out a golden beam from his mouth to disintegrate the Cryptids. Shwaaaaa! However, the troops were surprised the most by the snowstorm that raged toward the Cryptid. It was an unbelievable sight because it waste spring with the sun high up in the sky. Blizzard. It was a powerful water attribute area-of-effect spell that only those at the pinnacle of magic could cast. The Blizzard engulfed everything and sent chills down the spines of the troops. ¡®What was that?!¡¯ ¡®Look at that damage!¡¯ ¡®So this was not a suicide squad¡­?¡¯ Ironically, the surprise didn¡¯t end there. There was still one final surprise¡ªthemander of the battalion¡ªSiegfried. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill every single one of them,¡± he said with a smirk before running into the fray where the Cryptids and Iron Golems were slugging it out. The Adventurers couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. They were certain that the mace Siegfried was holding was highly enhanced, judging by the luster it was giving off. ¡°W-What in the world?!¡± ¡°O-One shot¡­?¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s cheating!¡± The Adventurers were shocked when Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. One shot, one kill! A Cryptid died whenever Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist, and he swung it like a battle-crazed maniac leaving behind a trail of dead Cryptids. Of course, he was able to kill them in one hit, thanks to his debuffs, but this was still a greatir. The Cryptids in the greatir were at least B-rank Cryptids, and there were even some S-rank Cryptids in the mix. In other words, the Cryptids were extremely powerful. However, Siegfried managed to kill every Cryptid standing in his way with just one swing of his mace. Siegfried finally killed a hundred Cryptids, and he jumped into the air and mmed his mace into the ground uponnding. Tak! ¡°¡­!¡± The Adventurers were stupefied. The Cryptids were flung into the air, lightning bolts came crashing from the sky, a powerful shockwave mmed the Cryptids to the ground, and finally, the earth was shattered open. Siegfried triggered a massive natural cmity with a single strike of his mace. Siegfried had been stacking the Earth¡¯s Strength stack of the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist before using his area-of-effect skill. The Debuff Master¡¯s Splitting Heaven and Earth dealt lightning attribute damage, and this was followed up by an Earthquake that was triggered by the stacked Earth¡¯s Strength, which dealt massive earth attribute damage. The oue was a cmity. ¡°Kireuk!¡± ¡°Kyaaahk!¡± ¡°Kieeeek! Kieeeek!¡± Thousands of Cryptids fell into the massive crater created by the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. The crater was so deep that the hideous creatures found it difficult to climb out of it. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the cleanup to those who can use magic,¡± Siegfried told the magicians before unleashing a green fog and walking toward the remaining Cryptids. The magicians fired their magic spells into the crater to finish off the Cryptids. [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] They easily killed thousands of Cryptids. ¡°What is this battalion¡­?¡± An Adventurer muttered in disbelief, ¡°I think the firepower of those few individuals is equal to an entire division¡­ or am I imagining things¡­?¡± Everyone thought the same, aside from Siegfried¡¯s party members. *** An hourter, Lieutenant General Woodbridge gave themand to retreat to the 3rd Field Army. ¡ªAll forces! Retreat! The Cryptids¡¯ reinforcements are on the way! I repeat! All forces retreat! Why? He had received reports from the scouts that the Cryptids waiting in the burrows had started making their way back to the greatir. In other words, there was no longer a reason for the army to continue fighting here. Why? The army had already destroyed fifty percent of the Cryptid Great Lair, so there was no reason for them to overextend and sh with the swarm of Cryptids. They had dealt more than enough damage to the Cryptids, and retreating without any casualties was the best-case scenario for the army. ¡°Retreat! We are retreating!¡± ¡°Get ready to retreat!¡± ¡°Retreat quickly!¡± The troops immediately retreated as soon as the order was given. ¡ªAll forces! Retreat to Zone 911! I repeat! Retreat to Zone 911! Lieutenant General Woodbridge¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the battlefield. The zone he was talking about was the exact same ce where the hundreds of thousands of Cryptids were lying in ambush a while ago. This meant that the master n was to lure the Cryptid swarm to the greatir so that the army would easily reim the logistic route. Of course, the person who came up with this wise¡ªcowardly¡ªstrategy was none other than¡­ ¡®Lieutenant Colonel Sieg¡­ Your strategy is truly frightening. I finally understand why General Overlock has been holding you in great regard¡­¡¯?Lieutenant General Bridgewater thought. ¡­It was none other than Siegfried. ¡°The Cryptids waiting in their burrows to ambush us will definitelye back if we hit their emptyir, right? Then, we just have to retreat and go back to reim the logistic route we initially lost. What do you think? It¡¯s easy, right?¡± Siegfried wasn¡¯t great at a lot of things, but he was definitely talented when it came to making a fool out of other people. And his target¡¯s race didn¡¯t matter at all¡­ *** Siegfried¡¯s battalion finally destroyed the target facility. ¡°Owner punk! The army is retreating! I think the Cryptids are on the way here!¡± Hamchi shouted. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah! Lieutenant General Woodbridge has given the order to retreat!¡± Hamchi replied while standing with his ears perked up. Hamchi¡¯s Meerkat~! skill was now able to reach distances of numerous kilometers after he started leveling up along with Siegfried. ¡°Hmm¡­ Then I guess we have to retreat as well but¡­ ugh¡­¡±? However, Siegfried didn¡¯t give themand to retreat, and it was all because of a certain living structure that he had discovered. [Cryptid Tunnel] [A tunnel that leads all the way down to the Cryptid¡¯s main base underground.] [The tunnel itself is a living creature.] The tunnel resembled a human being¡¯s tunnel that was used to excrete feces, and Siegfried had the opportunity to be the first Adventurer to enter the Cryptid¡¯s main base. The issue was that the tunnel looked hideous. ¡°Ah¡­ How the fuck am I supposed to go in there¡­? That looks like ass¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled. He wanted to infiltrate the Cryptid¡¯s main base, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but feel repulsed at the thought of diving into a butt hole. Ding! Surprisingly, a quest popped up in front of his eyes. [Martyr¡¯s Rescue Operation] [Infiltrate the Cryptid¡¯s main base through the tunnel and rescue General Overlock along with the other high-ranking officers.] [Progress: 0%] [Reward: ?] Siegfried grimaced and cursed inwardly. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that the reason why the quest is called Martyr¡¯s Rescue Operation is because I have to dive into that butt hole¡­?¡¯ He feared that the quest was asking him to take a leap of faith into the butt hole. Chapter 229

    Chapter 229

    ¡®Ugh¡­ Why does this quest even exist?¡¯?Siegfried was in pain after reading the quest details. The quest Martyr¡¯s Rescue Operation did note from an NPC; it was automatically created by the system. In other words¡­ ¡®Is it something likest time¡­?¡¯?He deduced that the system was sending him a signal just like how it didst time with Shakiro¡¯s disciples. It was highly likely that the system was guiding Siegfried to rescue General Overlock and the others. It was proof that they were still alive. ¡®I need to rescue the general, but¡­ am I supposed to go inside that ass¡­?¡¯? Entering the Cryptid Tunnel that resembled a butt hole was not as easy as it sounded. Squirm¡­! Squirm¡­!? The wrinkles around the tunnel looked quite dirty, and the way it kept pulsating made it look quite repulsive. The thought of entering such a ce was something Siegfried did not want to even imagine in the first ce¡­ ¡°What are you going to do, hyung-nim? I think we have to retreat now,¡± Seung-Gu said. ¡°Give me a moment,¡± Siegfried replied. Many thoughts crossed his mind, but he reached the same conclusion. He had to rescue General Overlock and the others. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled and cried inside. ¡°Everyone will retreat except for Seung-Gu and me,¡± Siegfried told the battalion. Then, Hamchi, Gringore, Decimato, and Carell all looked at him and asked at the same time. ¡°Kyu??What are you talking about, owner punk?¡± ¡°Where is Your Majesty and Sir Seung-Gu going?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, where are you going?¡± ¡°Please bring me with you, Your Majesty!¡± However, Siegfried refused their requests. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to the Cryptid¡¯s main base, and it will certainly be dangerous there. I¡¯m going with Seung-Gu since it doesn¡¯t matter if we die, but the same can¡¯t be said for you guys,¡± he said. Siegfried decided to bring only Seung-Gu since they coulde back to life if they were to die. The NPCs wouldn¡¯t resurrect if something happened at the Cryptid¡¯s base, and they ended up getting overwhelmed by the monsters. The NPCs refused to listen to hismand, and they even argued to go with Siegfried, but Siegfried was adamant that none of them were to join in this mission. Nobody knew how many Cryptids were lying in wait underground, so he wasn¡¯t willing to take the risk of bringing the NPCs with him. ¡°Ah, shut up and stop annoying me. This is an order, so you should go back,¡± Siegfried said while waving his hand. He looked at Seung-Gu and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Where are we going, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Where do you think?¡± Siegfried smirked before pointing at the tunnel. ¡°Right here, of course.¡± Then, Siegfried grabbed Seung-Gu and threw him into the Cryptid¡¯s ass¡ªno, tunnel. Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! The Cryptid¡¯s Tunnel let out repulsive noises that resembled sucking and slurping as it sucked Seung-Gu into it ¡°Ack¡­! A-Ass¡­! ASS! Heup! Heup!¡±?he screamed as the wrinkly butt hole sucked him in. ¡°Do you still want to follow?¡± Siegfried asked with an awkward smile. Everyone simultaneously shook their heads with fervor. ¡°Hamchi is a bit tired¡­!¡± ¡°I believe I have topile some records of Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Ehem¡­?Your humble servant shall pray for Your Majesty¡¯s safe return¡­¡± ¡°I will go patrol the barracks, Your Majesty¡­¡± They came up with their own excuses after seeing the wrinkly butt hole that had just sucked Seung-Gu in. ¡®They were talking as if they were ready to go to the grave with me¡­ Tsk¡­ these dudes ain¡¯t loyal¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled. He cursed his subordinates inwardly, but he fully understood why they changed their minds. After all, even he didn¡¯t want to dive into the Cryptid¡¯s Tunnel. ¡°Your Majesty, this is a Mass Teleport Scroll. You will be able to teleport thirty people to a distance of up to ten kilometers, so please use this to escape,¡± Decimato said while extending a scroll over to Siegfried. ¡°Oh!¡± Siegfried eximed in delight. Great Wizard Decimato was indeed great. ¡°T-Then¡­ I¡¯m going ¡­¡± Of course, Decimato ran with his tails tucked between his legs after passing the Mass Teleport Scroll to Siegfried. [Alert: You have obtained Mass Teleport Scroll!] Siegfried no longer wasted any time after obtaining the Mass Teleport Scroll. He stood in front of the Cryptid¡¯s Tunnel and muttered, ¡°L-Let¡¯s dive into that ass¡­¡± He closed his eyes and jumped into the tunnel. Slurp¡­! Slurp¡­! Slurp¡­! The Cryptid¡¯s Tunnel let out the same repulsive sucking and slurping noises as it slowly sucked Siegfried in¡­ *** St! The tunnel spat Siegfried out into a dark underground tunnel. ¡°Euk¡­!¡±? Siegfried¡¯s head was hurting after being digested by the Cryptid¡¯s Tunnel that resembled an intestine. [Cryptid Main Base: Tunnel 718 Entrance] A message popped up in front of his eyes. ¡°Anyway, I guess I¡¯m in their base now,¡± he muttered. Seung-Gu, who got shat out by the tunnel, eximed in anger, ¡°How could you shove me into that butt hole, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°But I jumped into it myself...¡± ¡°S-Still¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. We need to rescue General Overlock,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu responded enthusiastically. The duo carefully moved around the Cryptid¡¯s main base in search of General Overlock and the other officers. *** However, Siegfried and Seung-Gu couldn¡¯t find General Overlock and the officers. ¡°Why is this ce so big¡­?¡± ¡°I think we have been walking for seven hours now, hyung-nim¡­¡± The Cryptid¡¯s main base underground was vast, and Siegfried and Seung-Gu couldn¡¯t find any clues about where the officers were being held captive. On top of that, they couldn¡¯t move fast because they had to tiptoe and hide whenever an S-rank Cryptid popped up. It would have been impossible for Siegfried and Seung-Gu to make it this far without the help of Inzaghi¡¯s Compass, which had been showing them the way. ¡°I think we¡¯ll end up spending a few days here¡ª¡± Seung-Gu started grumbling. However, Siegfried hurriedly covered his mouth and interrupted. ¡°Shh!¡± ¡ªThose fools! Seung-Gu¡¯s ears weren¡¯t as sensitive as Siegfried¡¯s ears, so he failed to hear the voice, but Siegfried heard it loud and clear. ¡ªI gave you the chance to annihte the coalition forces, but you ended up getting yed and suffered so many casualties? How pathetic! Siegfried was certain that the voice belonged to a human. ¡°Let¡¯s hide,¡± Siegfried whispered. ¡°Okay, hyung-nim,¡± said Seung-Gu. Siegfried then pulled Seung-Gu into a gap in the walls with him. Thud¡­ Thud¡­ Thud¡­ The footsteps got closer and closer, and two people passed by Siegfried and Seung-Gu. Actually, they weren¡¯t two people. One was a Cryptid, while the other was a human. The two were surprisingly talking to each other without any problems. ¡®Careful¡­ I have to be careful¡­¡¯?Siegfried told himself as he discreetly shed his Rune of Insight at the human and Cryptid. [Cryptid Commander: 981] [A Cryptid born with human DNA.] [It does not possess anybat abilities, but its strategic intelligence is extremely high.] [Type: Monster] [Race: Cryptid] [Rating: Named Monster] [Rank: Lieutenant General] [Position: Commander] [Level: 250] [Other Information: This Cryptid has an extremely high intelligence. This Cryptid can give orders to low-ranked Cryptids.] The Cryptid in question seemed to be an intelligent-type Cryptid¡ªamander of the swarm. As for the human talking to the Cryptid¡­ [Horacio] [The Church of Osric¡¯s Blue Cardinal.] [He is in charge of plotting schemes that will plunge the continent into chaos.] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 311] [Affiliation: Church of Osric] [Position: Blue Cardinal] [ss: Chaos Bringer] [Titles: Harbinger of Chaos, Skilled Diplomat, Language Expert, Skilled Negotiator] Surprisingly, the human speaking to the Cryptid was the Blue Cardinal of the Church of Osric. In other words, the Cryptids were working together with Siegfried¡¯s archnemesis, the Church of Osric. ¡°I gave your species the gift of intelligence, and this is how you repay me?¡± Horacio expressed his disappointment to Cryptid Commander 981. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect them to find the spies so quickly¡­¡± Crypt Commander 981 trailed off before adding, ¡°It¡¯s truly a shame they found out about it. This entire war could have ended right there and then if our n seeded¡­¡± ¡°Just how much more help do you need? Shouldn¡¯t you start showing results after I helped your unintelligent race evolve?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, you¡¯re right, but¡­ things aren¡¯t going as nned¡­ Someone keeps popping up at the crucial time and driving a wedge into our ns.¡± ¡°A wedge? Who?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an Adventurer based on what we know so far. He keeps appearing at crucial timings and ruining our ns.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s also the culprit behind our kin getting brainwashed by the humans. I heard that he was also responsible for catching our spies and using them against us to raid ourir.¡± ¡°So, who is he?¡± ¡°What was his name again¡­¡± Crypt Commander 981 thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Sieg. His name is Sieg.¡± ¡°Sieg, you say¡­¡± ¡°However, I don¡¯t think the information is urate. We couldn¡¯t find anything on this Adventurer no matter how much we looked, and I believe it¡¯s highly likely that Sieg?is using an alias¡­¡± ¡°That sounds awfully familiar. Our church has been screwed over by an Adventurer named Siegfried a couple of times.¡± ¡°Siegfried?¡± ¡°The names sound alike, so it¡¯s quite possible that it¡¯s the same person,¡± Horacio narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin. Sieg and Siegfried. It was highly likely that the two were the same person. ¡°That¡¯s why I was wondering¡­ Can you tell us more about the Adventurer?¡± ¡°Sure, that Siegfried bastard is someone our church is after as well, anyway.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°What about the officers from the coalition forces?¡± ¡°We locked them up in that room over there,¡± Crypt Commander 981 said and pointed at the end of the tunnel. ¡°We¡¯re keeping them alive for information, and they will serve as excellent test subjects since they¡¯re good soldiers.¡± ¡°Find out as much information as you can from them, and then pass them to our church once you¡¯re done with them. We¡¯lle up with some ways to put them to good use after brainwashing them.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I will see to it that they will be with your church shortly.¡± The Blue Cardinal, Horacio, and Crypt Commander 981 were exchanging vital information whilepletely oblivious to the fact that the wedge driver¡ªSiegfried¡ªwas listening close by. ¡®Ah, so that¡¯s what you guys are nning¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He wanted to tail them and find out more about their ns, but he didn¡¯t want to risk getting found out and being put in a precarious position behind enemy lines. Siegfried and Seung-Gu carefully tiptoed their way to their next destination. Where? They were headed to the room that Crypt Commander 981 had pointed out. *** There were four S-rank Cryptids standing watch outside the room at the end of the tunnel. ¡®I¡¯ll kill one in one hit and get rid of the other three with Torrential Flower Rain,¡¯?Siegfried rushed at the S-rank Cryptids. Chwaaak! The Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings cut one of the Cryptids in half and¡­ ¡®Torrential Flower Rain!¡¯? He followed up by throwing two green discs to kill the other three. Thud! Thud! Thud!? The three S-rank Cryptids turned into pincushions and copsed to the ground. ¡°Nice shot, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Save it forter. We need to hurry up and rescue General Overlock first.¡± Siegfried and Seung-Gu entered the room. ¡°General Overlock! General!¡± Siegfried eximed while running. The general was tied up by some strange alien-like tentacles, and he seemed to be losing consciousness. ¡°General!¡± Siegfried called out and pped the general¡¯s cheeks a few times. ¡°S-Sieg¡­?¡± ¡°General! Can you hear me?¡± ¡°Why are you¡­ here¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thatter,¡± Siegfried replied. He took out the Mass Teleport Scroll and ripped it with all of his strength. ¡°W-What the hell? Why is this so tough?¡± Siegfried was surprised. The scroll wouldn¡¯t rip, no matter how hard he tried. Kwak! He tried it once again. Woooong! He even tried using mana, but the scroll wouldn¡¯t rip at all. ¡°Kideuk!¡± ¡°Kireuk! Kireeeuk!¡± ¡°Kieeeeek!¡± Meanwhile, the cries of the Cryptids got closer and closer. Siegfried gnashed his teeth and grumbled. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why won¡¯t this rip apa¡ª¡± However, a system message interrupted him. [Alert: It is not possible to use a Teleport Scroll in your current location.] Siegfried was stupefied. He stared at it for a good few seconds before muttering, ¡°Oh¡­?We¡¯re fucked¡­¡± Chapter 230

    Chapter 230

    ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong, hyung-nim¡­?¡± Seung-Gu asked. He started sweating after realizing that something must have gone awry because Siegfried didn¡¯t use the Mass Teleport Scroll. ¡°Erm¡­ That is¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°It says that we can¡¯t teleport out of here¡­?¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Seung-Gu was stupefied, and he shouted, ¡°W-Why are you only bringing that up now, hyung-nim?!¡± ¡°I just found out, too!¡± Siegfried shouted as well and exined, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how deep underground we are right now, but it seems that we¡¯re too deep that Teleport can¡¯t bring us above ground.¡± ¡°That means¡­ we¡¯re fucked, right, hyung-nim¡­?¡± Seung-Gu perfectly described their situation. Fucked?was the perfect word to describe their situation, as they initially nned to locate General Overlock and the officers before escaping with Mass Teleport. However, that was no longer an option because they couldn¡¯t use the scroll, and escaping seemed quite difficult now. No, saying that it was quite difficult was an overstatement. They were currently in the Cryptid¡¯s main base, and it was unknown how many powerful Cryptids were here. However, Siegfried was sure of two things¡ªthere were a lot more Cryptids here than in the greatir above ground, and the Cryptids here would be at least B-rank. In other words, it was impossible for them to escape with incapacitated people in tow. ¡°L-Lieutenant Colonel Sieg¡­ Just what on earth is going on¡­.? Why am I here?¡± General Overlock asked, seemingly confused about everything. It seemed that he had no recollection of what happened from the moment he was abducted by the Cryptids. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly troubled. However, he eventually decided to just tell him the truth. ¡°You have been abducted, General.¡± ¡°Abducted?!¡± ¡°Yes, and I am here to rescue you, but¡­ It seems like we¡¯re fucked just like you, and we have to fight with our lives on the line for us to have any chances of making it alive out of here.¡± ¡°A-All right¡­¡± General Overlock nodded in response. The general couldn¡¯t understand what Siegfried was saying, but he somehow got the gist of their current situation. ¡°Hey, Seung-Gu. I¡¯ll fight at the front, so you make sure to protect those guys,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Siegfried and Seung-Gu escorted General Overlock and the other officers out of the room. They numbered around thirty, including the two rescuers, but they were greeted by an evenrger number of Cryptids in the tunnel. In fact, the Cryptids were so great in numbers that they filled the entire tunnel. [Cryptid Knight] [A humanoid Cryptid. It is the knight of the Cryptids, and it is extremely powerful.] [Type: Monster] [Race: Cryptid] [ss: Cryptid Knight] [Level: 230] [Rating: S] [Warning: This monster is extremely powerful. Caution is advised when fighting it.] The Cryptids were all Cryptid Knights, and Siegfried couldn¡¯t even see the end of the line. One thing was for sure, the Cryptid Knights had truly filled the tunnel to the brim. ¡°I used up most of my mana after Torrential Flower Rain, so¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before drinking a mana potion. He gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist tightly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll just beat the shit out of them.¡± This was the perfect opportunity to test the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist¡¯s true power, and Siegfried smiled in excitement despite their despairing situation. Fwaaaaaah! Fwaaaaaah! He ced down ze Field and growled. ¡°Fuck off!¡± With that, he started beating up the Cryptid Knights. *** Bam! A Cryptid Knight¡¯s head exploded after getting smacked by the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes after he smashed the Cryptid Knight¡¯s head open, and another message popped up after he smashed another Cryptid Knight¡¯s head. Bam! [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] One shot, one kill! Siegfried dealt insane damage with every swing of his mace. The Gaia¡¯s Fist was a powerful weapon, but the enhancement coupled with ze Field exponentially amplified its damage. ¡°Kill them in one blow. It won¡¯t look cool if you have to hit them twice, so it has to be in a single blow.¡± Siegfried was starting to be the true Debuff Master, just like his master, Deus. Of course, Deus could beat an adult dragon with just his fists and without any enhanced weapons¡­ Anyway, Siegfried¡¯s damage was insane, and he plowed through the Cryptids as if he were a bulldozer. [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] He gained a ton of experience points from bulldozing through the S-rank Cryptids, but it seemed that he still had a long way to go to fill his experience bar. ¡°H-Hyung-nim! They¡¯reing from the back as well!¡± Seung-Gu screamed. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to get sandwiched!¡± ¡°Take care of the back! Stop them from breaching the rear!¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu summoned two Iron Golems andpletely blocked the rear. It was an excellent choice. The two Iron Golemspletely filled up the narrow tunnel, and Siegfried¡¯s party managed to remain safe from the S-rank Cryptid Knights that were charging at them from the rear. However, the issue was that the Cryptid Knights were much more powerful than the Iron Golems. In other words, it was only a matter of time before the Iron Golems copsed. ¡°Hyung-nim! I can¡¯t hold them off for much longer!¡± ¡°How many golems do you have?!¡± ¡°I still have eighteen more!¡± ¡°Then, try to hold them back for as long as you can! I¡¯ll try to push through the front!¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist faster than ever as he carved a path and bulldozed his way to their one and only escape hole¡ªCryptid Tunnel 718. *** ¡°Kireuk!?Kireuk?Kiek?Kireuk! Kireuk!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Kireuk! Kireuk! Kireuk!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Crypt Commander 981 gnashed his teeth in fury after receiving the report while he was discussing talking to Blue Cardinal Horacio. ¡°That damned Adventurer is running away with the human officers?¡± Crypt Commander 981 asked the Cryptid. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Horacio asked. ¡°Adventurer Sieg is here¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°That damned bastard infiltrated our main base and is currently escaping with the human officers!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°We need to go catch him now!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I want to have a look at this Adventurer¡¯s face,¡± Horacio said. ¡°All right,¡± Crypt Commander 981 replied. He hastily moved toward where the Adventurer was found. *** The power of the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist was beyond Siegfried¡¯s imagination. Puk! Puk! Puk! A Cryptid would die whenever Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Their rank didn¡¯t matter at all, and the number of Cryptids became visibly fewer than before. However, it wasn¡¯t really a strange change because Tunnel 718 was located in a straight tunnel without any forks or feeding tunnels. Therefore, Siegfried bulldozed through the Cryptids until they were almost at the end of the tunnel. ¡®We¡¯re almost there!¡¯?Siegfried could already see the hole in the distance. There were only around a hundred and fifty meters between him and the hole, and there were less than two hundred Cryptids standing in his way. Siegfried and the others would be able to escape safely as long as he defeated the two hundred Cryptids in front of him. ¡®Ah¡­ I can¡¯t use an AOE attack¡­¡¯?Siegfried bit his lower lip in frustration. The tunnel was too narrow, so he would end up killing everyone if he were to use Irradiate. The entire tunnel would also copse if he were to use Splitting Heaven and Earth. The two skills couldn¡¯t be used here. ¡°H-Hyung-nim! There are some tough-looking guysing over here!¡± Seung-Gu shouted urgently. Siegfried turned around and swept his gaze across the neers. [Cryptid Vanguard] [The evolution of the Cryptid Knight. They are iparably stronger than the Cryptid Knights.] [Type: Monster] [Race: Cryptid] [ss: Cryptid Vanguard] [Level: 260] [Tier: Champion] [Warning: They will explode upon death. Caution is advised when fighting it.] The Cryptid Vanguards were Level 260 monsters, and they could be considered the elites of the elites among the Cryptids. ¡°Why are there so many Level 260 monsters¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. A Level 260 monster was definitely a powerful monster. After all, a monster possessed greater statspared to an Adventurer or NPC of the same level. There was a reason why monsters were called monsters. However, Siegfried was even more stupefied to see the two figures in the midst of the Cryptid Vanguards. [Cryptid Commander: 981] [HP: ??????????] [Blue Cardinal Horacio] [HP: ??????????] It would have been a different story if he were facing them in a different situation, but these two were enemies that he wanted to avoid right now at all costs. ¡°Are you that Adventurer?¡± asked Crypt Commander 981. ¡°It¡¯s time for you toe clean now. You¡¯re Siegfried van Proa, right?¡± asked Horacio. Siegfried didn¡¯t bother responding to them. He shouted at Seung-Gu, ¡°Hold them back as long as you can! A minute is all I need!¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu replied. He summoned all of his Iron Golems to form a barricade. Meanwhile, Siegfried imbued lightning attribute energy into his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist after recovering quite a bit of mana. ¡®I have to pierce through these monsters!¡¯?He gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist imbued with lightning attribute energy and swung it with all of his strength. Bzzt! Bzzzt! Kwaaaaaaaang! The +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist unleashed a bolt of terrifying lightning that devoured everything in its way. [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] Siegfried became a killing machine. ¡°Hey, 981! Hurry up before he escapes!¡± Horacio urged Commander Crypt 981 after seeing Siegfried¡¯s fearsome power. The Blue Cardinal was worried that Siegfried and the others would escape. However, Crypt Commander 981 smirked and replied, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. They¡¯re nothing more than rats in a cage right now.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I called all of our kin above ground to gather where they¡¯re going to pop out. They¡¯ll be instantly surrounded the moment they surface, even if they manage to escape right now. Hoho!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Horacio nodded. It seemed that Crypt Commander 981 was quite intelligent. A full encirclement without any way out. There was no reason for them to rush since the Cryptids on the surface were waiting for the humans. They could slowly tire them out and capture them alive once the humans were exhausted. Meanwhile¡­ Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! Siegfried and the others were already shoving themselves up the butt hole. ¡°Y-You¡¯ll pay for this!¡± Seung-Gu was thest to dive into the tunnel, but he didn¡¯t forget to threaten the Cryptids and give them the middle finger before shoving himself up the butt hole. ¡°Let¡¯s take our time,¡± Crypt Commander 981 said with a leisurely smile. ¡°Sure.¡± The Cryptids took their time destroying the Iron Golems that Seung-Gu had left behind before giving chase. Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! The Cryptids went up the tunnel one by one and went to the surface to chase after Siegfried and the others. However, they were stupefied by the scene they saw upon surfacing. ¡°Kireuk!?Kireuk!¡± ¡°Kieeeek!¡± ¡°Kideuk! Kideuk!¡± The humans were nowhere to be seen. There were only Cryptids as far as their eyes could see. ¡°Damn it! They actually had a teleport scroll?!¡± Horacio was furious. Meanwhile¡­ Shwooooong¡­! A meteor was falling from the sky. Chapter 231

    Chapter 231

    Rumble! A meteor was plummeting to the ground at breakneck speeds. Horacio and Crypt Commander 981¡¯s faces darkened. Why? It was umon to see a meteor falling from the sky. How often would one witness a meteor falling in their lifetime? A meteor falling from the sky wasn¡¯t amon sight¡ªno, it was unlikely that one would ever witness a meteor in their entire life. Just how likely it was to see a meteor falling straight toward someone? One percent? Or a tenth of a percent? Perhaps a hundredth of a percent? It was impossible to know for sure, but everyone would agree that the chances were extremely low. However, a meteor was currently heading straight toward Horacio and Crypt Commander 981. In addition, the meteor was aze in blue mes. Such a sight only meant one thing¡ªthe meteor was made from a spell, and it was aimed at them. A spell that could summon a meteor¡ªMeteor Swarm could only be cast by Eight Circle magicians, and it was an extremely terrifying spell. Of course, the meteor plummeting to the ground right now couldn¡¯t be considered a part of the Meteor Swarm spell. The Meteor Swarm was a spell Daode Tianzun used in the past to totally decimate an important enemy fort. It was a spell that summoned dozens of meteors to crash into the enemy and cause total annihtion. It was a spell that demanded a lengthy channeling time and aplex magic circle. However, it was a different story if it was just a single meteor. A single meteor wasn''t as powerful as the Meteor Swarm, but a meteor was still considered a cmity. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Horacio and Crypt Commander 981 looked at each other and thought of the exact same thing. ¡®We¡¯re fucked¡­¡¯ The two felt like they were in a peaceful vige with sirens that suddenly red and announced¡ªTactical Nuke Iing. Shwoooooong¡­ Kabooom! Not even a secondter, Tunnel 718 and the surrounding three kilometers were engulfed with a dazzling light. *** sh! Meanwhile, Siegfried, Seung-Gu, General Overlock, and the officers safely managed to get ten kilometers away from Tunnel 718. ¡°Wee, Your Majesty,¡± Decimato greeted him. ¡°Huh? You were waiting?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Decimato replied with a smile and said, ¡°How can your servant not wait for his liege?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t want to get into that ass?¡± ¡°W-well¡­ I¡¯m not immortal, so it would have been a dangerous endeavor¡­ I still have decades to work for Your Majesty, so¡­¡± ¡°You do realize making excuses will only make you feel guilty, right?¡± ¡°If Your Majesty gives me a bit more time and budget, I will¡ª¡± ¡°Why are you talking about time and budget all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Ahem¡­!¡± ¡°Anyway, thank you. We survived thanks to you,¡± Siegfried said. He was a bit annoyed by the old magician trying to slither his way out of the predicament, but he decided to stop picking on the issue and let the old magician save face. ¡°More importantly¡ª¡± Siegfried was interrupted by a blue meteor falling from the sky. Shwooong! ¡°Huh? Why is there a meteor¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion once again. ¡°It¡¯s my Meteor Swarm, Your Majesty,¡± Decimato replied proudly. ¡°A M-Meteor Swarm?!¡± ¡°I cast the spell right after Your Majesty made it out safely to annihte the enemies,¡± Decimato said while pointing at his feet. There was a red magic circle underneath his feet. Siegfried immediately noticed that it was a high-level magic circle based on itsplexity alone. ¡°You can use Meteor Swarm¡­?¡± ¡°My proficiency is only at a beginner¡¯s level, but I am a Great Wizard, so I can still cast it. Of course, it¡¯s not even ten percent as strong as a Meteor Swarm that was cast properly since I cast it in a hurry¡­¡± Kaboom! An explosion urred before Decimato could finish his words. sh! Boooooooom! A bright sh enveloped the surroundings, and it was followed by a thundering boom. Siegfried was not looking in the direction of the explosion, but the sound alone was enough for him to tell that it was powerful. ¡°Great Wizard? Meteor Swarm?¡± General Overlock interrupted and asked, ¡°Excuse me, Are you really a Great Wizard?¡± ¡°W-well¡­¡± Decimato was rendered speechless. However, it seemed that General Overlock wasn¡¯t done just yet. ¡°No, more importantly, did you just call Lieutenant Colonel Sieg Your Majesty just now?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Decimatoughed awkwardly. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled after realizing that Decimato had made a mistake, but he figured that there was no longer a need for him to keep hiding his identity. ¡°General Overlock.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you want an exnation, but I think we should return to themand center first. We will have a lot of time to talk about itter.¡± ¡°A-All right¡­¡± Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have acquired a new title: Pesky Brat!] ¡®Yeah¡­ I thought you were a bit quiet these days¡­¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s eyes narrowed. He looked like he knew that the system was about to give him a title. He was a bit taken aback thest time the system gave him a cool title after ying the Vampire Lord, and his instincts seemed to have been spot on because the system gave him another rubbish title. ¡®Sigh¡­ Let¡¯s check the option at least¡­¡¯?he sighed in resignation and checked the title¡¯s details. [Pesky Brat] [A title given to those extremely good at annoying people and running away from their responsibilities.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Unique] [Effects: Swiftness, Come and Get Me!, You¡¯re Dead Meat!] [Swiftness: Movement Speed +7%] [Come and Get Me!: Movement Speed +50% while being chased (Active)] [You¡¯re Dead Meat!: +25% Damage Received while Come and Get Me! is active] The title increased his Movement Speed by seven percent, and his Movement Speed would increase by a further fifty percent while he was being chased. However, the twenty-five percent additional damage received made it a bit annoying. ¡®Is it because someone annoyed will hit you harder once they catch you¡­?¡¯?he wondered while reading the description. It made perfect sense since anyone enraged would definitely hit the person who had annoyed them with their most powerful punches. ¡®I just don¡¯t have to get caught, right?¡¯?Siegfried smirked. In the end, he considered the title to be quite the blessing¡ªas long as he didn¡¯t get caught. ¡°Then, shall we return to base for now?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Pleasee this way,¡± Decimato guided them to a magic circle. ¡®This old man is quite useful in numerous ways,¡¯?Siegfried confirmed once again that it was the right choice to take in Decimato. The party safely managed to teleport back to themand center. *** Toot, Toot, Toot! The sound of trumpets greeted Siegfried and the officers upon their arrival at themand center. p! p! p! A round of apuse greeted them along with the trumpets. General Overlock and the officers took a bath, ate, and went to the meeting room. ¡°I-Is that true? Did that really happen?!¡± General Overlock was shocked after hearing Lieutenant General Woodbridge¡¯s report. ¡°W-Was I really abducted and reced by those monsters?¡± ¡°Yes, General.¡± ¡°Haa¡­ It could¡¯ve been a disaster¡­ I dedicated my entire life to my kingdom and people, but I never imagined that I almost brought the downfall of the very kingdom I swore to protect. It¡¯s a huge relief that their ns were stopped¡­ really¡­¡± General Overlock let out a sigh of relief. It was definitely something to be surprised about. Themander of the coalition forces was swapped with an enemy spy, and things could have turned out really ugly if Siegfried hadn¡¯t discovered them in time. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Sieg¡­ Thank you very much. Really, thank you. You didn¡¯t just save me, but you saved the entire Macan Kingdom and even the entire continent!¡± ¡°I am just relieved that you are safe, General.¡± ¡°No, I will make sure that the pce will dere you as our kingdom¡¯s hero!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Thank you so much¡­¡± General Overlock grabbed Siegfried¡¯s hands and looked at him with teary eyes. Worry for his kingdom, gratitude toward Siegfried, and repentance for messing up as themander¡ªthere were many differentplicated emotions in the old veteran¡¯s tears. ¡°You need to be strong, General. That is the only way you can fight those monsters again, right?¡± Siegfriedforted the old general. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± General Overlock replied. He wiped his tears and gritted his teeth before dering. ¡°I will stake my career and honor as a soldier and put an end to this war once and for all.¡± ¡°You are truly a soldier worthy of respect,¡± Siegfried said with a smile and said, ¡°Please get some rest while I go tie up some loose ends.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let the meat sit for too long, right? I should finish roasting it,¡± Siegfried said with a vicious smile before leaving the tent. ¡°Hey, Sieg! Lieutenant Colonel Sieg! We should continue where we left off a while ago!¡± General Overlock called out to him. ¡°I will tell you everythingter,¡± Siegfried nonchntly brushed him off and ran away. He knew that this wasn¡¯t the right time to tell the old general everything about him. *** Sizzle¡­ Sizzle¡­ Sizzle¡­! Thirty minutester, a barbecue party was hosted in front of the barracks, but nobody dared to touch the meat that was served to them. The reason was that the meat served wasn¡¯t the meat of an animal but the meat of alien-like monsters. It went without saying that these monsters were the Crypt Humans that had disguised themselves as the abducted officers to infiltrate the army. All this was made possible by Crypt Human 009¡¯s betrayal. ¡°Ack!?AAAACK!¡± ¡°ACK!¡± ¡°You demon! AAAARGH!¡± ¡°S-Spare me! Please! AAAAAH!¡± The Crypt Humans were rounded up and subjected to the same torture as Crypt Human 009. ¡°Owner punk! I think we need more chili oil! Kyu!¡± ¡°All right! Drench ''em all!¡± Siegfried eximed. Hamchi jumped and moved a paintbrush with godlike speed to smother the Crypt Humans with chili oil. ¡°AAAACK!¡± ¡°Even the devil himself won¡¯t go as far as you¡ªACK!¡± ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± The Crypt Humans were subjected to excruciating agony at the hands of Siegfried and Hamchi, and the onlookers, including General Overlock and the rescued officers, felt a chill travel down their spine at the sight of Siegfried¡¯s atrocities. ¡°L-Lieutenant Colonel Sieg¡­ Even the Demon King will bow in reverence to you after witnessing your atrocities¡­¡± General Overlock said after seeing the Adventurer¡¯s viciousness. ¡°Now¡­¡± Siegfried grinned and asked, ¡°You¡¯re going to tell us everything you know. Did you get that??Hmm¡­ I guess I won¡¯t need all of you, so it¡¯s going to be on a firste, first-serve basis. Raise your hands in three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ go!¡± However, none of the Crypt Humans raised their hands. ¡°Huh? Why aren¡¯t any of you raising your hands? Oh,?is it loyalty or something like that? Wow¡­ that¡¯s quite impressive¡­¡± Siegfried said in awe. ¡°Hey! You crazy motherfucker! How can we raise our hands when our hands are tied up, you fucking psychopath!¡± ¡°Ah,?you¡¯re right,¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°You can be so smart yet so dumb at the same time, owner punk,¡± Hamchi said while shaking his head. ¡°Hey, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Put more salt and pepper on him. How dare he cuss at me just because I made a mistake! Teach him a lesson!¡± ¡°On it! Kyu!¡± Siegfried made an example out of the Crypt Human by subjecting it to even more excruciating pain. ¡°Now, let¡¯s try that again. The first one to shout will be spared. Got it? Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ go!¡± Siegfried gave the signal. . ¡°Me! I¡¯ll speak!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± ¡°I know everything!¡± The Crypt Humans screamed at the same time. ¡°All right, you first,¡± Siegfried pointed at the Crypt Human that shouted first. He stared coldly at the Crypt Human and said, ¡°Tell me everything you know.¡± ¡°W-well¡­¡± The Crypt Human started to spill everything. Chapter 232

    Chapter 232

    Siegfried found out a lot of information from the Crypt Humans thanks to his ¡®Barbecue Torture¡¯ method, but he was not able to find out key information about the Cryptids. Siegfried¡¯s Barbeque Torture Method allowed him to discover a lot of information, but he didn¡¯t manage to uncover any key information about the Cryptids. It couldn¡¯t be helped because the Crypt Humans themselves had no idea what they were and their raison d¡¯etre. The Cryptids¡¯ raison d¡¯etre was to follow themands of the more evolved Cryptids. That was it¡­ The only information they could provide was that there was an extremelyrge tunnel underneath the greatir, and that tunnel was filled with high-ranking Cryptids. Of course, they provided useful information as well. 1. The Cryptids were originally from an alien. 2. The Church of Osric brought the Cryptids to the N¨¹rburg Continent. 3. There was a deal between the Cryptids and the Church of Osric. 4. The Cryptid¡¯s main base was not the greatir above ground but therge tunnel underground. 5. The Crypt Humans have no idea of their leader¡¯s identity, and it is impossible for a lower-ranking Cryptid to possess information regarding Cryptids with higher ranks than them. 6. There is a secret chamber within the tunnel that nobody can enter, and the Crypt Humans and even the higher-ranking Cryptids have no idea what lies in it. Last but not least¡­ 7. There were a few Adventurers who were working with the Cryptids, and these Adventurers were the ones responsible for the abduction of the army¡¯s high-ranking officers. Those were the information they had gathered from Crypt Human 69. ¡°What? There are Adventurers working with the Cryptids?¡± Siegfried asked in disbelief. ¡°Y-Yes! That is correct!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We used the gold and items we looted from the humans we killed to buy the services and information of the Adventurers.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I can¡¯t believe that there are bastards out there who¡¯ll stoop so low to work with monsters. This is unbelievable¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. BNW guaranteed almost unlimited freedom to the yers, so it wasn¡¯t strange that someone was working with monsters. However, it was quite rare for gamers to work together with monsters, no matter how messed up they were in the head. It was all because there was nothing much to be gained from working with monsters. On the flip side, the Adventurers stood to lose more from working with the monsters since they were going to earn the wrath of the NPCs. They would also be the targets of the other Adventurers, who would definitely receive quests to eliminate them. In other words, only Adventurers with perverse fetishes and who liked to earn the ire of others or those who wanted to y the game while pretending like they were evil would think about working together with the monsters. ¡°Do you have a list of them?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes! I do!¡± Crypt Human 69 instantly replied. ¡°Really? List them down here, and exin how they look to my personal painter over here. He will sketch their faces.¡± ¡°Your personal painter¡­?¡± ¡°Please tell me roughly how they look¡­¡± ¡°Ack!?You surprised me!¡± Crypt Human 69 jumped in surprise when Gringore suddenly appeared. ¡°Shall we start with the shape of their faces?¡± Gringore asked with a pencil and a canvas. The scribe¡¯s presence was so perfectly hidden that even the Crypt Human did not notice him. ¡°Alright, it seems we got all of the information we need so¡­¡± Siegfried turned to the soldiers and shouted, ¡°Listen up!¡± ¡°Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Sieg-nim!¡± ¡°Cut them up into pieces and put them in a¡ªwhat do you call that? Ah,?yes, a barrel and throw them in the sea! Oh, make sure you fill it up with concrete first, got that?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Crypt Humans that divulged everything they knew to Siegfried started cursing at him. ¡°Hey! You despicable bastard! You said you would spare us if we told you everything!¡± ¡°We already told you everything we know! But what? Barrel and concrete?! Are you even human?!¡± ¡°You piece of trash!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not human! You¡¯re a demon! A demon!¡± The Crypt Humans fumed at Siegfried¡¯s betrayal. They unleashed their anger in the face of death. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t seem to give a rat¡¯s shit about them. ¡°Next monster please~¡± he said nonchntly with a smirk. Afterward, he turned to General Overlock and asked, ¡°Shall we have our deep discussion now?¡± ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± General Overlock replied as he followed Siegfried. ¡®Lieutenant Colonel Sieg¡­ Just who in the world are you¡­? Are you a good or an evil person?¡¯?he wondered. He was starting to get scared of Siegfried. *** Meanwhile, at General Overlock¡¯s office, Siegfried proceeded to tell the general more about himself. ¡°Actually¡­¡± ¡°I-Is that true?! Are you really the Adventurer who was bestowed a kingdom by the emperor?!¡± General Overlock couldn¡¯t believe his ears. He was aware of the fact that the emperor had bestowed a kingdom upon an Adventurer as a reward. ¡°Yeah, it sort of happened that way. I was forced to participate in the tournament after the airship crashed, and I fought for my life¡­¡± T-Then¡­ you¡¯re not a normal Adventurer but a ruler of a kingdom?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± General Overlock muttered before he stood up straight and said, ¡°Themander of the 3rd Field Army defending the Arachnid Temporary Outpost and a count of the Macan Kingdom, Commander Overlock, greets the ruler of the Proatine Kingdom, King Siegfried van Proa.¡± The general then saluted Siegfried. ¡°Whoa! What are you doing all of a sudden, General!¡± Siegfried eximed in surprise. ¡°How can I act so discourteously to a ruler of a kingdom? On top of that, Your Majesty is the hero who saved my home country, the Macan Kingdom! It is only right for me to pay tribute to you!¡± ¡°But, still¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, this is something I have to do as themander, so please do not mind it.¡± ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± In the end, Siegfried had to receive the salute of a four-star general. ¡°Ahem¡­ Ahem¡­?I will share whatever I found so far with you, General,¡± Siegfried said after clearing his throat out of embarrassment. He then told him everything he had found so far about the Cryptids and the Church of Osric. ¡°T-There is such an evil organization on the continent?!¡± ¡°Yes, I ran into them by chance before I became a king, and I kept bumping into them whenever I got involved in a big event. And it seems that they are the culprit behind every major problem on the continent. Well, maybe not every single one of the problems, but I dare say that they are behind most of those issues.¡± ¡°Those damned bastards! I will immediately report this to my king and¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Siegfried interrupted and shook his head. He exined, ¡°Please keep this to yourself for now. Our kingdom¡¯s informationwork is investigating them right now after we caught their tail, so it is better for us to wait for now.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Do you think they will sit still and watch if the Macan Kingdom actively searches for them? They¡¯ll be more meticulous in their hiding, which will make it harder for us to find them. So, please keep this to yourself until I tell you to reveal it.¡± ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± General Overlock understood what Siegfried meant, so he decided to ignore the issue for now. ¡°Right now, we should focus on catching the Adventurers in the army who are working together with the Cryptids. Then, we¡¯ll continue with our mission,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I was thinking the same, Your Majesty,¡± General Overlock replied. ¡°I will round up the spies, so leave it to me.¡± ¡°I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Siegfried left the office to start hunting down the Adventurers who had decided to cooperate with the Cryptids. *** Hunting down the Adventurers was not fun at all. Siegfried couldn¡¯t feel any thrill from killing the losers who had sold their race for spare change or perverts with strange fetishes. These Adventurers were honestly not worth his time. [Alert: You have gained ¡®Enkidu Sword¡¯!] [Alert: You have gained ¡®Hourss to Win a Best¡¯!] [Alert: You have gained ¡®Anymore Revolver¡¯!] [Alert: You have gained ¡®Fat Pigeon¡¯s Wings¡¯!] [Alert: You have gained ¡®Indri¡¯s Fire¡¯!] The only silver lining was that Siegfried acquired the items that the Adventurers ended up dropping, and his title was leveling up as well. ¡®I¡¯m almost done with the Quest, so should I go back to the Mercenary Guild?¡¯?he wondered. All of a sudden, General Overlock entered his tent, ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Huh? What brings you here, General?¡± ¡°I received a call from the pce, so I came to see you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Call from the pce¡­?¡± ¡°His Majesty the King wishes to meet Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Me¡­?¡± ¡°It seems that he wishes to meet the kingdom¡¯s hero and express his gratitude in person.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m busy¡­¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I understand that you¡¯re busy, but please ept His Majesty¡¯s invitation even if it is out of courtesy.¡± Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [An Innocent Invitation] [Go to the Macan Kingdom¡¯s capital and meet their king.] [Progress: 0%] [Reward: Massive (the reward will depend on your diplomatic skills!)] [Note: This quest will be profitable to you!] Siegfried immediately changed his stance after reading the quest details. ¡°I gave it some thought, and I think it is only right for me to meet your king. I mean, he went out of his way to invite me, so I should put down everything to visit him, right? I should make time for him even if I¡¯m busy! Hahaha!¡± Then, another message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®An Innocent Invitation¡¯!] Siegfried was the type of person who would never pass up on an opportunity to profit from something. ¡°Oh! I understand! I will immediately tell the pce that Your Majesty has epted the invitation!¡± General Overlock eximed. Siegfried could have never imagined that he would obtain such a quest while doing another quest to restore his credit with the Mercenary Guild. *** The next morning, tens of thousands of people were lined up on the streets of the Macan Kingdom¡¯s capital, Glenfiddich, to get a glimpse of one person. They wanted to take even a glimpse of the war hero who had saved countless lives and achieved numerous aplishments at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost, which was a battlefield the Macan Kingdom had been fighting on for thest few decades. On top of that, he was also the king of a brand-new kingdom¡ªthe Proatine Kingdom. The people of Glenfiddich initially wondered if they even had to give such a grand wee to the king of a kingdom that was the size of a rat¡¯s shit, but their attitude changed aplete one hundred eighty degrees when the king¡¯s achievements at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost was recited for the masses to hear. ¡°Wee the hero!¡± ¡°We must ept the Proatine Kingdom as a sister kingdom!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s help the economically challenged Proatine Kingdom!¡± ¡°The Proatine Kingdom is our savior! We must serve them as our hyung-nim!¡± Siegfried became known as the hero and savior of the Macan Kingdom unbeknownst to him, and it was all thanks to General Overlock¡¯s report. ¡°Three cheers for King Siegfried van Proa!¡± ¡°Hip hip! Hurray!¡± ¡°Hurray!¡± Siegfried was weed by the cheering of tens of thousands of people, and quite a few beauties kissed him before he could meet the King of the Macan Kingdom. His hands, neck, face, and everywhere else were riddled with kiss marks by the time he entered the pce. ¡°Wee, King Siegfried van Proa! Thank you for epting my invitation.¡± The King of the Macan Kingdom warmly weed Siegfried. ¡°Ah,?okay,¡± Siegfried replied. He looked up to the king but¡­ ¡®Heok?!¡¯?he was stupefied. ¡®Why the hell is she so pretty?!¡¯? The King of the Macan Kingdom was prettier than any other beautiful NPCs Siegfried had seen so far in his entire career as an Adventurer on the N¨¹rburg Continent. 1. This is the same as how a cashier would say ¡®next customer please¡¯. Chapter 233

    Chapter 233

    ¡°My name is Arsha van Sekhmet, and I am the King of the Macan Kingdom.¡± The King of the Macan Kingdom was a colorful woman of great beauty. Blonde hair, blue eyes, sharp yet subtle jawline, milky white skin, and beautiful curves. Arsha¡¯s beauty seemed to be screaming that it was the definition of beauty itself. . [Arsha van Sekhmet] [King of the Macan Kingdom] [A beauty above all beauties. She captivates men who haveid eyes on her.] [Type: Named NPC] [Level: 77] [Sex: Female] [Age: 22] [Affiliation: Macan Kingdom] [Position: King] [ss: Lord of the Macan] [Titles: Macan¡¯s Star, Beauty, Top-Tier Beauty, Distressed Young Lord, Flower in Danger] She was so beautiful that Siegfried discreetly shed his Rune of Insight at her to check her details. ¡°It is an honor to meet you as well. My name is Siegfried van Proa, King Arsha,¡± Siegfried greeted. Then, they went straight to the point. ¡°I have heard of your exploits from General Overlock. I heard that Your Majesty has racked up quite the aplishments during your time at the Arachnid Temporary Outpost?¡± ¡°He was just ttering me¡­¡± ¡°The report I received states that¡­ Your Majesty is the hero who saved the Macan Kingdom from peril.¡± ¡°Not at all; it was just a coincidence. Please do not overestimate me.¡± Siegfried acted humbly when his achievements were mentioned, impressing the Macan Kingdom officials with his humbleness. ¡®He is truly an amazing hero!¡¯ ¡®Oh!¡¯ ¡®Hoo! How can such a young hero be so humble as well?!¡¯ ¡®It looks like the Proatine Kingdom will be flourishing from now on!¡¯ The officials didn¡¯t suspect that Siegfried was faking his humbleness. They thoroughly believed that Siegfried was a humble man of honor, and it was all thanks to the effect of Siegfried¡¯s passive skill from the Great Hunter title¡ªGreat Honor. [Great Honor] [Effects: +500 First Impression, +500 Affinity with NPCs, +500 Presence, +500 Charisma] He had obtained the Great Hunter title by bing the Dragon yer, Vampire Lord yer, and Lycanthrope Lord yer. The title¡¯s passive skill was amazing. It seemed like the NPCs were hallucinating while they were looking at Siegfried. A good example of the effect was if Siegfried was sitting on the bench staring nkly into the space in front of him. Ten out of ten Adventurers would think, ¡®What¡¯s that dumbass doing?¡¯?without a sliver of doubt, but NPCs were different. There was an extremely high chance that the NPCs would marvel at Siegfried¡¯s dumb look. The NPCs were probably going to say something along the lines of ¡®Wow! He must be deep in thought about something important!¡¯?or ¡®He looks like a man of wisdom¡­¡¯ This was the exact reaction of the Macan Kingdom¡¯s officials. ¡®His confident strides! He is a man of all men! His stride alone makes me certain that he is indeed a hero!¡¯ ¡®I thought he was nothing special when I heard he was the king of a small kingdom, but who could have known that he would be such a dashing young man?!¡¯ ¡®Hmm¡­ Those deep eyes filled with wisdom¡­ That handsome face on top of those broad shoulders¡­ He¡¯s not a normal person, that¡¯s for sure¡­¡¯ ¡®I want to make him my son-inw!¡¯ The officials of the Macan Kingdom got extremely infatuated with Siegfried the moment theyid their eyes on him. [Alert: The Officials of the Macan Kingdom likes you!] [Alert: The Macan Kingdom¡¯s Officials¡¯ Affinity with you has increased by +100!] [Alert: You havepletely captivated the Officials of the Macan Kingdom!] In addition, a message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes, informing him that even the king¡ªArsha¡ªwas interested in him. [Alert: The King of the Macan Kingdom, Arsha, is curious about you!] [Alert: The King wishes to speak with you in private.] ¡®Huh? Why are they so quick? Is it because of my title¡­.?¡¯?Siegfried was able to pinpoint the reason behind the messages with ease. After all, there had to be a strong enough reason for these messages to appear. ¡°King Siegfried,¡± Arsha said. ¡°Yes, King Arsha?¡± ¡°I wish to discuss something with you in private as a king to another king. Would you be willing to speak with me over a cup of tea?¡± ¡°It is my pleasure,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. He wasn¡¯t dumb enough to refuse the invitation of a beauty. *** Most of the conversation flowed with Arsha asking questions and Siegfried answering them. ¡®Just hurry up and give me my reward¡­ I¡¯m starting to get bored¡­¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s head was filled with such thoughts while talking to Arsha. The only reason he came all the way to the Macan Kingdom was to get his reward rather than drink tea and chat with a beauty. Of course, he answered as courteously and politely as he could whenever Arsha asked him something because he was worried that offending her in any way would affect the reward he was due to receive. ¡°So¡­ our Macan Kingdom wishes to¡­¡± Arsha said, but she bit her lips and stopped talking. Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have cleared the Quest: ¡®An Innocent Invitation¡¯!] [Alert: You will now receive your reward!] The message informed him that he had sessfully cleared the quest and was about to receive his reward. ¡°¡­dere the Proatine Kingdom as our sister kingdom.¡± ¡°Sister¡­ Kingdom¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. We will support the Proatine Kingdom financially from now on, and goods from the Proatine Kingdom will also be excluded from taxes.¡± Financial support and tax exemption. These two would surely bring great profits to the Proatine Kingdom, and these two rewards were better than any other reward Siegfried could have received from the Macan Kingdom. Some people would scoff and say that those rewards were bad because they weren¡¯t tangible rewards. However, the economic and financial profit that the Proatine Kingdom would reap in the long run would definitely be massive. However, it seemed that there were still more rewards. ¡°And we wish to support the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s ability to sharpen their local talents into knights. Therefore, we will open the doors of our kingdom¡¯s Knight Academy to the people of Proatine, and they will be admitted under a fully sponsored schrship program at the expense of our kingdom.¡± The Macan Kingdom was renowned for producing excellent knights, and the secret behind their sess was their Royal Knight Academy, which possessed excellent educational and training infrastructures. Therefore, many kingdoms wanted to send their talented prospects to the Macan Kingdom¡¯s Royal Knight Academy to study. However, it was extremely difficult andplex for a foreigner to be admitted to the Royal Knight Academy, and the tuition fees were another problem even if they managed to get admitted. The tuition fees were just too expensive. If it was going to bepared with reality, the Royal Knight Academy was probably something like the Harvard University of the N¨¹rburg Continent. The privilege to be admitted to such an outstanding educational facility for absolutely free meant that the Proatine Kingdom would be able to bolster its military strength without the financial burden. Why? A kingdom¡¯s military might was directly rted to the number of powerful knights and skilledmanders under their banner. [Alert: You have obtained Financial Support from the Macan Kingdom!] [Alert: You have obtained Tax Exemption from the Macan Kingdom!] [Alert: You have obtained Schrship Fund¡¯ from the Macan Kingdom!] One message after another popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a jackpot¡­? So is this what it?meant by?I¡¯m definitely going to benefit from this quest?¡¯?he thought. He was trying his best to stop his lips from curling all the way up to his ears with near superhuman self-control. This was a huge profit! Siegfried would have received a few gold coins and an honorary title if he were just another Adventurer, but his rewards reflected his status as a king regardless of whether his kingdom was big or the size of a rat¡¯s shit. ¡®I think I need to buy that guy Cheon Woo-Jin a proper meal¡­¡¯?he thought. He recalled that it was Cheon Woo-Jin who had pushed him to win the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament, so he was extremely grateful to him. However, he recently developed a nasty habit of stabbing Cheon Woo-Jin in the back after every meal¡­ Siegfried thanked Arsha for her generosity, ¡°Thank you very much, King Arsha.¡± ¡°Not at all; we¡¯re the grateful ones, our hero and savior.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°But¡­ By any chance¡­¡± Arsha muttered, seemingly hesitant. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Are you not curious about me¡­?¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head with a confused dumb look. He looked extremely dumb as he stared nkly at Arsha. ¡®What¡¯s with that question¡­? Am I supposed to be curious about something?¡¯?he wondered. He racked his brain to try and decipher the meaning behind Arsha¡¯s question. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± Arsha responded, looking slightly flustered. ¡°Is there something I have to ask¡­?¡± ¡°Huh?! What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before he decided toe clean, ¡°This is my first time meeting Your Majesty, and we are meeting as one ruler to another¡­ so how can Imit such discourtesy of asking you all sorts of personal things¡­?¡± ¡°B-But¡­ I have already asked you all sorts of things!¡± Arsha eximed. Her face turned bright red. ¡°Ah!?Please do not misunderstand! I am not saying that Your Majesty was rude or anything! Not at all!¡± Siegfried eximed in response after realizing that what he said could have been misunderstood. He tried his best to exin what he meant, as what he said could be offensive regardless of whether he meant it or not. Well, it was true that what he said could have sounded quite offensive since he basically stated, ¡®I didn¡¯t ask you anything since it¡¯s discourteous of me to do so, but you asked me hundreds of questions despite this being our first meeting, right? I¡¯m not as uncultured as you!¡¯ or something like that¡­ ¡®What if she takes back all of my rewards¡­!¡¯?Siegfried started panicking. Hamchi was quietly watching the entire thing unfold before his eyes, and he shook his head out of frustration. ¡®Kyu¡­ it seems that there truly is a reason why owner punk has been single since birth¡­ Yes, there¡¯s a reason behind it¡­¡¯? Hamchi realized that there was indeed a reason for everything, and it was impossible for there to be smoke without fire. *** Fortunately, Arsha didn¡¯t seem to be offended by what Siegfried said. ¡°Then¡­ You are not curious about anything about me¡­?¡± she asked. ¡°Not really¡­¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. He didn¡¯t try to curry up to her and simply replied as honestly as he possibly could. ¡°Is there something I should be curious about? But I am not really curious about anything¡­¡± he said. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± she muttered in response. Then, a strange feeling started to well up from inside her heart. ¡®This is my first time meeting someone like him¡­ How can it be possible that there isn¡¯t anything he wants to know about me when everyone else tries to ask at least one more question to me¡­?¡¯?Arsha was baffled. Siegfried¡¯s actions felt quite foreign to her, and she¡ªwho was a beauty among all beauties¡ªcould not understand what was going on in his head. ¡®I want to know more about you!¡¯?she eximed inwardly. Something seemed to have been triggered deep inside her heart. A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: The King of the Macan Kingdom, Arsha, is extremely curious about you!] It was a very straightforward message that plunged Siegfried into confusion. He couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the situation, so he decided to ask for help. ¡°Hey, Hamchi,¡± he whispered. ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Why does it keep saying that this woman is curious about me?¡± ¡°Owner punk¡­¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Hamchi will get cancer because of you¡­¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Just cut that thing off, will you?¡± Hamchi said while pointing at Siegfried¡¯s dingdong. Chapter 234

    Chapter 234

    ¡°Why?¡± Siegfried asked. Then, Arsha suddenly called out to him, ¡°E-Excuse me¡­? I think both of you have something to talk about, so I shall excuse myself¡ª¡± ¡°N-No!¡± Siegfried hurriedly waved his hands. ¡®This is a diplomatic catastrophe! No! My rewards could fly out the window if I don¡¯t resolve this!¡¯?He started panicking, worried that his rewards would be canceled, so he decided to focus on addressing Arsha¡¯s needs. However, Siegfried van Proa was probably the only man who was more focused on his rewards than an extremely beautiful woman, even though she was standing just right in front of him. ¡°A-Actually! I¡¯m not really used to meetings like this, so I¡¯m worried that I might offend you in some way, so¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite dense as well. I sometimes end up saying things that could offend people, so I was trying not to say much so that I would not offend Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Arsha eximed. This time, she was the one frantically waving her hands as she continued. ¡°I¡¯m fine! I will not misunderstand!¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful.¡± ¡°So, is there anything you want to ask me?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried started asking questions he wasn¡¯t particrly curious about. He had to do it for the sake of securing his rewards. However, Arsha excitedly answered every single one of his questions. System prompts popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes one after another as he conversed with Arsha. [Alert: Arsha¡¯s Affinity with you has increased by +50!] [Alert: You havepletely captivated Arsha!] [Alert: A big event will trigger once her affinity surpasses a certain point!] ¡®Big event¡­?¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s interest was piqued, but he felt something sinister from those two words, so he immediately stopped the conversation. ¡°King Arsha?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I am a bit busy, so¡­ can I take my leave now?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I have a few urgent matters to tend to, but I made time to ept Your Majesty¡¯s invitation. I am hoping that we could continue our discussion on another date if that is fine with you, and I would like to ask for your kind understanding just for today.¡± ¡°O-Of course!¡± Arsha frantically nodded and agreed. ¡°You are a hero, so I am certain that you must be quite busy! Please, go on your way!¡± ¡°Ah, t-thank you¡­¡± ¡°I apologize for sending you away empty-handed. I would have prepared a banquet for you if I had known that you were going to leave so soon.¡± ¡°No, please do not worry about that. Then, I will excuse myself now,¡± Siegfried quickly ended the conversation and left the Macan Kingdom as if he were being chased away. More system prompts popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: The King of the Macan Kingdom, Arsha, has felt something powerful while meeting you!] [Alert: The King of the Macan Kingdom, Arsha, will be keeping an eye on you from now on!] Siegfried realized that he had made the right call to cut the conversation short. ¡®My passive skill is scary¡­¡¯ Great Honor truly had a terrifying effect on NPCs. *** Siegfried headed straight to the Mercenary Guild after leaving the Macan Kingdom. He agreed to meet with the Mercenary King that he had hired¡ªDreyfus¡ªin one of the Mercenary Guild¡¯s branches in the southern region of the continent. Fortunately, Dreyfus had rescued the kidnapped noble child and was waiting for Siegfried¡¯s arrival. However, there was an issue with Dreyfus¡¯ face. ¡®What the hell¡­? What¡¯s wrong with his face¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was taken aback. Mercenary King Dreyfus¡¯ eyes were hollow, and his lips werepletely pale. Of course, he still looked quite powerful because of hisrge physique. He was still giving off an aura befitting a Mercenary King. His level was a whopping Level 299 as well, which proved that he was indeed strong. So why was it that he looked very sick? Blood was evening out of his ears. ¡°Excuse me¡­ are you Dreyfus-nim¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Are you the one who made the request?¡± Dreyfus asked in response. ¡°Yes, that is m¡ª¡± Kwachik! Dreyfus grabbed Siegfried by his cor. ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± ¡°W-What are you doing all of a sudden¡­?¡± ¡°Do you have a grudge against me?¡± ¡°P-Pardon me?¡± ¡°You should have requested a duel if you have a grudge against me instead of pulling a shady trick like this!¡± ¡°W-What are you talking about?!¡± Siegfried eximed. He grabbed Dreyfus¡¯ hand and twisted it to set himself free. ¡®Hmm? Look at this little punk,¡¯?Dreyfus was surprised. He was the weakest among the Mercenary Kings, but he was still a Mercenary King. He was currently stuck at Level 299, which was also known as the wall that had prevented many strong people from bing Masters, but he was quite the veteran due to his thirty years¡¯ worth of experience as a mercenary. However, a greenhorn from out of nowhere easily escaped his grasp, and he even managed to widen the distance between them. Dreyfus was even more surprised to discover that he was well within the greenhorn¡¯s optimal attack range. ¡°Who in the world are you¡­?¡± Dreyfus asked. ¡°Me? I¡¯m the one who made the request¡­ I told you¡ª¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Stop lying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth¡­¡± ¡°If someone as skilled as you were the one who made a request that is akin to a trap, then¡­¡± Dreyfus muttered under his breath. ¡°Excuse me? What are you so upset about? I just¡­¡± Siegfried asked. He then proceeded to exin things after realizing that there seemed to be a huge misunderstanding between them. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°That is why I took one of the requests and used my own money to hire you, Dreyfus-nim, for the other one. Do you understand now?¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, but I still do not understand why you are doing this to me¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Dreyfus muttered. He took out a sack from his Inventory. The sack started squirming, and someone inside the sack started shouting, ¡°HEY! You fucking bastard! Let me out at once! Let me out! AAAAAAACK!¡± The kidnapped noble child was obviously the one inside the sack. ¡°This request gave me ten years¡¯ worth of stress in just a single week¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It was hell on the continent before I bought this magical sack¡­ This is the first time in my life that I¡¯ve met a girl like her¡­ She¡¯s a demon¡­ I¡¯m certain of it¡­¡± Siegfried suddenly remembered the warning attached to the quest details, and he finally understood what the quest details meant when it said that he could get cancer from the quest. The noble child was so spoiled that those dealing with her would be so stressed out to the point of getting cancer. ¡®Phew¡­ I¡¯m d I gave that quest away¡­ I spared myself from getting cancer. heh¡­¡¯?Siegfried let out a sigh of relief at the fact that Dreyfus was the one who got cancer instead of him. ¡°I see¡­ I apologize,¡± Siegfried said as sincerely as possible. ¡°Am I imagining things¡­? I don¡¯t feel an ounce of sincerity in your voice,¡± Dreyfus said. It seemed that Dreyfus was indeed one of the Mercenary Kings. ¡°Hahaha! N-No way¡­ I¡¯m sincere! In fact, I will increase your reward by ten percent for the trouble, so please do not be so upset with me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And I will also give you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m refusing all of your requests from now on.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Take this,¡± Dreyfus threw the magical sack containing the noble child to him. Siegfried immediately stuffed the sack into his Inventory before the child inside could start throwing a tantrum. Ding! A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: ¡®Rescue Operation¡¯!] [Alert: Go to the Mercenary Guild and restore your credit!] Siegfried finallypleted both quests and went to the Mercenary Guild. ¡°Did you say your name was Siegfried?¡± Dreyfus asked. ¡°Yes, but why do you ask?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not meet again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Never ever¡­¡± Dreyfus seemed like he was still upset. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯? Siegfried felt a shiver down his spine after realizing that he could have been in Dreyfus¡¯ shoes if he had decided to do all the quests by himself. *** Soon, Siegfried was back at the Mercenary Guild. ¡°Oh!¡± Keres eximed in delight after Siegfried returned in just a week. ¡°Your Majesty! I will increase your credit rating to first ss this instant!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°And I will increase your Mercenary Rank to tinum I!¡± Keres actually wanted to raise Siegfried¡¯s rank to Diamond. He even thought of crowning Siegfried as a Mercenary King if he were near the realm of a Master. However, Siegfried hadpleted too few requests, and he didn¡¯t have any official credentials to show that he was a Master, so Keres had no choice but to grant him tinum I instead. This was the best Keres could do for him, as the other mercenaries would definitely kick up a fuss if they found out that Siegfried received a huge jump in rankings without fulfilling the necessary prerequisites. ¡°Your Majesty is now a tinum Ranker, so Your Majesty will receive advance requests by mail.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, I hope that you¡¯ll ept some of the requests whenever Your Majesty has time.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Hoho! Please do not mention it!¡± Siegfried sessfully restored his credit with the Mercenary Guild, and he was even promoted to tinum I. He immediately went back to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to resubmit his guild application form. [We approve the Guild registration of this Adventurer.] - Adventurer Guild Master (Sign) Siegfried returned to the Proatine Kingdom after going through hoops to get his guild application approved, and he was stunned by the sight that he saw upon arriving. ¡°W-What the hell is that?!¡± His throne, which was crafted from the skull of a green dragon, was reced by something else. His new throne was at least double in sizepared to the old one, and it wasn¡¯t green anymore. His throne was as colorful as the rainbow, and anyone could tell that the primary material was the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s skull. Well, the dragon¡¯s horns were missing for some reason, but that wasn¡¯t important. ¡°W-Who did this¡­? Who used that expensive material to make a throne¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. He couldn¡¯t believe that some maniac would actually use the extremely expensive Chromatic Dragon¡¯s bones to craft a throne out of it. He wanted to know the identity of that maniac. ¡°It was me, Your Majesty,¡± the culprit, Michele, replied before asking, ¡°How was your journey, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Hey, have you gone insane? Do you know how much we could¡¯ve made if we melted and sold those bones?!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°Yes, we would have made a lot of money from doing that. However, we can invest more than that if it means increasing Your Majesty¡¯s prestige. Those in your presence will see that throne, and they will surely find it difficult to deal with Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ That¡¯s going to make me look too vain¡­¡± ¡°A ruler needs to be vain!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I have made the decision as Your Majesty¡¯s officially appointed Minister of State, so I hope Your Majesty will ept my decision.¡± Siegfried could not say anything else after hearing Michele go to such lengths to defend his decision. He was forced to cry tears of blood over the dragon¡¯s skull. ¡®Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­! My money¡­?how?much are those bones? Sniff!¡¯? Fortunately, there was still a lot of material left aside from the skull. Of course, the most important part of a dragon was its heart, but the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s heart waspletely destroyed because Deus failed to control his strength. The rest of the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s parts were still untouched, and their value could only be described as astronomical. ¡°Are you nning on establishing your guild, Your Majesty?¡± Michele asked. ¡°Yeah, now is our chance to do so because the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild is currently in a hospital. We need to deal as much damage as we can to them as soon as possible,¡± Siegfried replied. Chae Hyung-Seok was the only one capable of amplifying the skills of the Genesis Guild¡¯s main Buffers, so this was the golden opportunity to deal fatal damage to them. Siegfried¡¯s n was to establish a guild as fast as possible and dere war against the Genesis Guild while Chae Hyung-Seok was absent. ¡°I will instruct our people to rush the construction of the Guild Headquarters.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll leave that to you. Then, I will¡­¡± Siegfried narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°I will filter out those who deserve to stay under the same roof as me.¡± ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty¡­?¡± ¡°There could be spies among those who want to join my guild, right? I should find them and maybe use the spies against each other if I discover a few,¡± Siegfried exined with a shrug. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going to my world for a while,¡± Siegfried said and tapped on the log-out button. Chapter 235

    Chapter 235

    Tae-Sung logged out from the game and checked his email. He had many unread emails from other gamers, and they were all from those who had been bullied by the Genesis Guild. ¡®First things first¡­¡¯?Tae-Sung epted all of the gamers who had participated in the Vampire Lord raid. Why? The Genesis Guild wouldn¡¯t have fallen for his n if there had been a spy among them, so he decided that it would be fine to trust them. The problem was that there were a thousand and eight hundred gamers left after he epted the ones who had participated in the Vampire Lord raid. ¡®How do I filter all of them? Do I have to watch every video and open every screenshot they sent¡­?¡¯?Tae-Sung couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the daunting task in front of him. However, he wasn¡¯t nning on giving up. ¡®I need my own power,¡¯?he knew that he needed enough Adventurers to fight against the Genesis Guild, and this was why he had to embrace the gamers who had approached him first. In the end, Tae-Sung decided to¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go! Manualbor for the win!¡± he eximed. He decided to read every single one of the one thousand eight hundred emails and started filtering the gamers that he was going to ept to his guild. *** Sorting the gamers wasn¡¯t that difficult. The only thing Tae-Sung had to do was to read the email, look at the screenshots, watch the videos, and verify the proof the gamers had sent before deciding whether to ept them or not. However, the problem was that there were one thousand eight hundred of them. ¡°Am I a broadcasting watchdog or what¡­?¡± he grumbled. He felt no different from government employees shifting through media content to see if there was anything that they should censor. The only difference between him and them was that he was trying to see whether the gamer and the Genesis Guild had any rtionship or not. In short, it was truly a boring job. In the end, Tae-Sung decided to¡­ ¡°Hey, Seung-Gu. How many have you done so far?¡± ¡°This is my thirty-seventh one, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Hurry up, will you? I¡¯m already on my seventy-eighth email!¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim¡­¡± Tae-Sung decided to ask Seung-Gu for help, and he was going through the emails with him. ¡°I told you to just use part-timers¡­¡± Cheon Woo-Jin shook his head and looked at the two with eyes full of pity. ¡°You have a ton of money at your disposal, so why are you insisting on doing this by yourself?¡± Cheon Woo-Jin asked. ¡°Do you really think that money grows on trees? Why would I hire part-timers when I can do it myself?¡± Tae-Sung replied. ¡°What a stubborn bastard¡­¡± ¡°Fuck off if you¡¯re just going to watch and nag. We¡¯re busy,¡± Tae-Sung grumbled. He suddenly smirked and added, ¡°Or maybe you can pay for the part-timers?¡± ¡°What?! Y-You¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. How can I trust the part-timers to do a proper job? I have to see these kinds of things for myself.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess you¡¯re right, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say you watched the videos and all, but can you trust those one hundred percent? They could have staged it, you know?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, you¡¯re right¡­¡± Tae-Sung muttered with a surprised look. ¡°What would you do if they sent you staged videos, and then they became spies once you epted them?¡± ¡°What should I do? Should I just fight the Genesis Guild by myself?¡± ¡°Nah, you¡¯re probably going to get wiped out in less than a second if you wage war by yourself.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, you¡¯re probably right¡­¡± ¡°You should see what they¡¯re doing in-game as well instead of relying on these emails.¡± ¡°In-game? Hey, I¡¯m already very busy, you know? How am I supposed to track all of them in-game? There¡¯s more than a thousand of them!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯ll just have to hire around three thousand, then.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The Thieves Guild.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Try cing a request with them. They can find out what anyone in the game is doing, but only if you can request their services.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Tae-Sung eximed after remembering the guild with thergest informationwork on the continent¡ªthe Thieves Guild. *** The ¡®Thieves Guild¡¯ had the word ¡®Thieves,¡¯ but it was more like abor union with the slogan of¡ªuniting to survive! It was formed by the bottom-feeding petty thieves of society. The Thieves Guild wasposed of thieves, snatchers, prostitutes, gangsters, etc. In short, the Thieves Guild was basically the official criminal organization of the continent, and keeping them nearby was quite dangerous since it was normal for them tomit crimes. They would also stir up trouble wherever they went. However, the Thieves Guild possessed thergest informationwork on the continent. They collected information from their millions of guild members throughout the continent, and their information gave them power. And that was why Cheon Woo-Jin suggested the Thieves Guild to Tae-Sung... It was going to be extremely easy to check the background of two thousand Adventurers if he utilized the vast informationwork of the Thieves Guild, and that was definitely going to make his life much easier. But the problem was¡­ how was he going to contact them? ¡°Ah¡­ I need to know where the hell their guild is to ce a request, right?¡± Tae-Sung logged into the game and descended on the N¨¹rburg Continent as Siegfried. He immediately went to the ce famous as the City of Pleasure and the city where he first met Shakiro¡ªDondegiri. The reason he headed straight to Dondegiri was quite simple. The city was known for its bustling entertainment districts. The entire city was basically one huge pot of debauchery. Siegfried thought that this was the first ce he should check if he were going to search for the Thieves Guild. However, getting in touch with the Thieves Guild was definitely not going to be easy because they were basically a criminal organization. They wouldn¡¯t ce a signboard in front of their buildings. ¡®Hmm¡­ I can¡¯t just nab criminals off the streets and start asking them questions¡­¡¯? Siegfried was troubled. He didn¡¯t have even a single clue about the Thieves Guild¡¯s whereabouts, so he was forced to walk around the streets of Dondegiri aimlessly for five hours ¡°Hey! Owner punk! Where the hell is that Thieves Guild? Hamchi can¡¯t get a whiff of their scent! Kyu!¡± ¡°I¡¯m frustrated, too,¡± Siegfried retorted at the hamster¡¯s grumbling. ¡°I cannot seem to find them, too,¡± Gringore added. Thud! Someone bumped Siegfried¡¯s shoulder... ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re going!¡± roared a man who looked like a weasel. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Siegfried immediately apologized to the man. ¡°You better be careful,¡± the man said before walking away. Then, the man looked back at Siegfried once he was far. He smirked before muttering, ¡°Keke! He looked like the son of some rich family. Let¡¯s see¡­ how much does he have¡ªhuh¡­?¡± The pickpocket was shocked to see the content of Siegfried¡¯s pouch. ¡°W-What the heck?! These are nuts!¡± The pouch was filled with many different nuts, such as walnut, almond, macadamia, etc. It wasn¡¯t filled with gold coins like what he had been expecting. ¡°Damn it!¡± The pickpocket fumed, but he soon discovered a problem. ¡°What the heck?! Where¡¯s my wallet?!¡± The pickpocket had decided to satiate his hunger with a chicken skewer, but he noticed that his wallet was missing. *** Meanwhile, Siegfried was enjoying chicken skewers at a nearby stall with Hamchi and Gringore after getting his pouch of nuts stolen. ¡°Munch¡­ Munch¡­?This is really good.¡± ¡°Kyu!?The seasoning is excellent! The meat is excellent!¡± ¡°Hey, can a hamster eat chicken skewers?¡± ¡°Hamchi can eat anything! Stop being racist!¡± ¡°¡­How am I being racist, you crazy hamster?¡± said Siegfried with narrowed eyes. However, Hamchi didn¡¯t spare him even a nce. Hamchi waspletely engrossed in his chicken skewer. ¡°Great Spirit of the Forest, my ass¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled before paying for the chicken skewers to the stall owner. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Aigoo! Thank you very much!¡± ¡°I hope you sell a lot today,¡± Siegfried responded. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t take money out of his Inventory. He took some money out from an old battered leather wallet. ¡°That old piece of trash doesn¡¯t suit you at all, Your Majesty! Should I request them to craft you a wallet made out of the hide of the Chromatic Dragon?¡± Gringore asked. ¡°Oh, this?¡± Siegfried smirked, and then he added, ¡°It¡¯s not mine.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°Some guy bumped into me earlier, and he stole my pouch of nuts, so I decided to steal something from him as well. I lost the nuts, but he¡ªlet¡¯s see¡ªWow! Eleven gold coins and seventy-six silver coins! We can have as many chicken skewers as we want! It¡¯s going to be paid for by that guy!¡± ¡°T-Then the chicken skewer we had just now was¡­?¡± ¡°Paid with the money I stole¡­¡± ¡°Heok!¡± ¡°We¡¯re even. Well, technically¡­ I earned more. Hohoho!¡± Siegfried let out a despicableugh. Siegfried was too sharp, quick, and despicable for the pickpocket that the pickpocket ended up getting pickpocketed. ¡°I guess we can gamble away these eleven gold coins if we get bored¡ª¡± ¡°Hey! You!¡± someone shouted at Siegfried from a nearby alley. Siegfried turned around and saw a familiar face¡ªno, he saw the exact same pickpocket who had gotten a taste of his own medicine. ¡°Come here!¡± the pickpocket shouted. ¡°Me?¡± Siegfried feigned ignorance. ¡°Who else? Come here! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Ah,?yes! I aming!¡± Surprisingly, Siegfried went into the alley after he was called, and then a fewrge men surrounded him and his party. ¡°Hey, you got quite the nimble pair of hands.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°W-What did you say?!¡± The pickpocket was bbergasted. He was trying to sound sarcastic, but it seemed that the young man thought that he was praising him. ¡°Did you just thank me?!¡± ¡°I thanked you because you praised me¡­?¡± ¡°Wow, look at this punk! Do you have a death wish, ha?!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Why did you call me here? And why are these scary-looking hyung-nims here?¡± ¡°Give me back my wallet or else¡ª¡± Pak! The pickpocket felt his vision spin, and he started seeing stars spinning around him. Why? Siegfried had punched him in the face. And the hyung-nims suffered the same fate as well¡­ Puk! Puk! Puk! Siegfried started beating the living daylights out of the pickpocket and the hyung-nims with him. The beating continued for around five minutes before Siegfried stopped and said, ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, sir?!¡± The pickpocket jumped in fright. ¡°Give me everything you have,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I¡­ I do not have anything, sir¡­¡± ¡°Then, can I take everything that I find?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Or what about one thousand punches per silver I find? Deal?¡± In the end, Siegfried got a few gold coins, gold nes, weapons, and even the clothes of the pickpocket and his hyung-nims. Of course, he allowed them to keep their underwear on because his eyes would get scorched if he saw them naked. Siegfried suddenly had a brilliant idea. ¡®Wait a minute¡­ I can just make theme find me if I can¡¯t find them, right?¡¯ There was a saying that one should make the tigere to them if they couldn¡¯t find the tiger¡¯s den. ¡®Should I act like a gangster and wreak havoc in this ce for a while? The Thieves Guild is going toe to me if I be the boss of arge organization, right?¡¯? Siegfried decided to enter the underground world of Dondegiri to get in contact with the Thieves Guild. ¡°Listen up,¡± Siegfried called the attention of the pickpocket and the gangsters before saying, ¡°From now on, you guys are my subordinates, and I¡¯m your boss. You also have to call me Boss from now on. Do you understand?¡± The pickpocket and the gangsters all thought the same thing at the same time¡­ ¡®This guy is a psychopath!¡¯ 1. Hyung-nim is another term for a gangster in Korea. Chapter 236

    Chapter 236

    A new gang was born in Dondegiri after that day. The gang was called Head Crusher Gang, and they started absorbing the small gangs in Dondegiri. Why was it called the Head Crusher Gang? The reason was that their boss carried around a club and enjoyed breaking people¡¯s heads, and the pickpocket, who looked like a weasel, had yed a big role in creating the gang¡¯s name. ¡°From now on, you guys are my subordinates, and I¡¯m your boss. You also have to call me Boss from now on. Do you understand?¡± Siegfried had just announced the creation of his gang when the pickpocket raised his hand and said, ¡°Excuse me¡­ Boss?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You need a gang name.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right¡­ Hmm¡­ What name should we go with?¡± ¡°What do you think of¡­ THE WILD DOGS!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What about the Ax Gang, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too generic.¡± ¡°What about the YOLO Gang?¡± ¡°That sounds dumb.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What should I name it¡­? I¡¯m very bad at naming things¡­¡± Siegfried knew very well that he had an abysmal naming sense. ¡°Ah, whatever. It¡¯s not that important anyway, so let¡¯s call it the Head Crusher Gang.¡± ¡°H-Head Crusher Gang?!¡± ¡°Yeah! You guys will now carry around clubs and bash your enemy¡¯s head open. You got that?¡± ¡°B-But if we use weapons in a fight¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you gangsters? Besides, you guys don¡¯t even have an ounce of loyalty, and you stab others in the back the first chance you get. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°T-That is¡­¡± ¡°Act like a gangster if you¡¯re a gangster. Stop trying to act all righteous. I mean, you guys sell yourrades for coins, sell drugs to kids, prostitute women, steal from the poor, and extort money from people, right?¡± ¡°I apologize¡­¡± The weasel could not say anything in response. A gangster was a gangster in the end. They weren¡¯t some righteous bunch who cared about other people. They were ruthless individuals who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to steal from the poor. ¡°What about our tattoos, Boss?¡± ¡°Tattoo?¡± ¡°We need to have our gang¡¯s logo tattooed on our bodies to inaugurate our gang.¡± ¡°Really? Hmm¡­ Then use that guy,¡± Siegfried said and pointed at Hamchi. ¡°A h-hamster¡­?¡± ¡°Why? You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°N-No, but¡­ everyone in Dondegiri willugh at us and you, Boss, if we have a hamster tattooed on our bodies¡­¡± ¡°Oh, they¡¯re not going tough at me. I¡¯m not going to tattoo anything on me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re free to die if you don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­!¡± And that was how the Head Crusher Gang was formed in Dondegiri¡­ The City of Pleasure was turned upside down with the recent gang wars stirred up by the gang members with a hamster tattooed on their left arms. *** A weekter, a group of gangsters with a hamster tattooed on their left arms formed a line and bowed toward Siegfried. ¡°We greet you, boss!¡± ¡°Hello, Boss!¡± ¡°Have you eaten yet, Boss?!¡± ¡°Boss!¡± It was a ssic gangster greeting. Ironically, they all had bandages around their heads, and they all got their injuries from Siegfried. Siegfried had to smack them into submission before they agreed to be his subordinate. It only took a week for Siegfried to be the boss of a gang with five hundred members, and he even obtained a title thanks to his achievement. [Alert: You have obtained the title Vulgar Walk!] It was a title that suited a gangster. [Vulgar Walk] [A title given to those who have dedicated themselves to being a gangster.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Unique] [Effects: +250 Charisma, +250 Vanity, +30% Critical Chance for stabbing attacks.] Vanity was something that he could do without, but the increased Charisma and increased Critical Chance for stabbing attacks were quite useful. Siegfried was quite satisfied with the title¡¯s options. ¡°B-Boss!¡± Mario shouted and hurriedly ran into the pub. Mario was the weasel-looking pickpocketer, and he was also the self-proimed right hand of Siegfried. ¡°Big problem, Boss!¡± ¡°Problem? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°The White Tiger Gang¡¯s boss is asking for a die-die with you!¡± The White Tiger Gang was thergest gang in Dondegiri. ¡°A die-die? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A death match, boss! The loser¡¯s gang also has to submit to the winner¡¯s gang!¡± ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s a duel between the bosses or something like that?¡± Siegfried smirked and shrugged. ¡°Why not? I was getting tired of running around just to chase them down anyway.¡± ¡°B-But, boss! The White Tiger Gang¡¯s boss is not an easy opponent! Rumor says that he was a knight from a kingdom and¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up and go set the date,¡± Siegfried waved his hand and dismissed Mario. He couldn¡¯t care less about the boss of the White Tiger Gang¡¯s identity. He only had one concern in mind. ¡®When will the Thieves Guild contact me?¡¯? Yes, the only thing he cared about was getting in touch with the Thieves Guild. *** Siegfried was scheduled to fight the White Tiger Gang¡¯s boss in a one-on-one duel in front of more than one thousand gangsters. The stakes were high for this duel, as it would decide which gang would reign supreme in Dondegiri. ¡®Huh?¡¯ He¡¯s strong?¡¯?Siegfried saw that his opponent wasn¡¯t a weakling at all. [Carlo] [The boss of thergest gang in Dondegiri, the White Tiger Gang.] [He used to be a knight and is different from the average gangster.] [Type: Named NPC] . [Level: 250] [ss: Grappler] [Affiliation: White Tiger Gang] [Position: Boss] Surprisingly, Carlo was not a swordsman but a brawler proficient with grappling skills. He was armed with a +11 Gauntlet. ¡°Are you the boss of the Head Crusher Gang?¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Bring it on,¡± Carlo said, motioning for Siegfried to make the first move. ¡°Hmm¡­?Don¡¯t you think we need some BGM to enhance the mood?¡± Siegfried joked while thinking of an old Korean drama¡¯s OST. The whole atmosphere felt like some intense dramatic music should be yed. Siegfried walked toward Carlo and¡­ ¡°Kuheok!¡± He sessfully bashed Carlo¡¯s head in exactly five minutes since the duel began. ¡°¡­!¡± The eyes of the gangsters watching shot wide open. Carlo was the strongest gangster in Dondegiri, so none of them expected him to lose to the neer. However, their shock did notst that long as the White Tiger Gang members knelt one by one. Thud! Thud! Thud! Siegfried was now the boss of thergest criminal organization in the City of Pleasure, Dondegiri, but he still couldn¡¯t get in touch with the Thieves Guild. Another week passed, and Siegfried was finally on the verge of exploding from frustration. ¡°Aaah! None of these gangsters know anything about the Thieves Guild! What do they want me to do? Do those guys even exist in the first ce?! ARGH!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but start doubting if the guild even existed in the first ce. He felt like he had been wasting his time here. However, there was a silver lining in all of these, and it was none other than money. [Alert: You have obtained 2,532 gold from your gang¡¯s racketeering!] [Alert: You have obtained 7,901 gold from your gang¡¯s racketeering!] [Alert: You have obtained 1,116 gold from your gang¡¯s racketeering!] [Alert: You have obtained 792 gold from your gang¡¯s racketeering!] [Alert: You have obtained 4,216 gold from your gang¡¯s racketeering!] [Alert: You have obtained 1,770 gold from your gang¡¯s racketeering!] The amount of gold flowing into his pocket was no joke, even though he was just sitting in his office. It wasn¡¯t really strange because he had be the boss of thergest criminal organization in Dadagiri. ¡®This is crazy¡­ I never knew it was so easy to make money¡­¡¯?he was stunned. However, it was normal for thergest criminal organization in the City of Pleasure to earn so much money in a day. The entirety of Dondegiri ran on activities such as drinking, gambling, adult entertainment, and other borderline-legal activities. It made sense for thergest criminal organization to make a lot of money from racketeering these establishments. Of course, the problem was that most of the money was considered ck money due to its illicit nature. ¡®Wow¡­ Being a gangster is not a bad idea,¡¯?Siegfried was impressed by the influx of cash. While he was busy admiring his ie, Carlo¡ªhis new left hand¡ªcame up to him and asked to speak to him in private. ¡°Boss.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I think it is time for us to pay our fees.¡± ¡°Fees? Who? Me?¡± ¡°Yes, Boss.¡± ¡°To who? I thought I was the head honcho?¡± It had only been two weeks since Siegfried started his career as a gangster, but he was already using all sorts of gangster-like terms. ¡°No, you are mistaken, Boss.¡± ¡°I¡¯m mistaken?¡± ¡°Actually, I was not the one ruling the underworld, and it¡¯s still the same. You¡¯re not the top dog in this city, Boss.¡± ¡°Then, who?¡± ¡°The Thieves Guild.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°The true ruler of this city is the Thieves Guild. Many gangsterse here thinking that they can rule the city, but that¡¯s absolutely not true.¡± ¡°You know about the Thieves Guild?¡± ¡°I know a little bit about them.¡± ¡°Exin.¡± Siegfried got a clue about the Thieves Guild from an unexpected person. *** The same night, Siegfried had to wait for someone with numerous sacks filled with gold in his office. ¡®When are theying?¡¯?he was starting to get bored from waiting. Siegfried was about to get really bored when something flew past the window and entered the office. Shwak! A masked intruder wearing a tight ck suit stood in front of Siegfried. ¡®Oh? He¡¯s fast.¡¯ Still, Siegfried managed to catch every single movement that the intruder had made to enter his office. ¡°It seems that you have heard from the previous boss judging by how you¡¯ve prepared the fees in advance.¡± The intruder¡¯s voice was husky, and it sounded like they had been smoking since they were born. ¡°A voice changer? Can you just speak in your normal voice?¡± Siegfried asked the spandex-wearing intruder. ¡°N-Normal voice?! This is my normal voice!¡± Spandex retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I can tell that you¡¯re a woman, so that voice does not belong to you.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re wrong! I¡¯m a man!¡± ¡°Then, maybe don¡¯t wear those tights? I mean, anyone can tell you¡¯re a woman based on your figure. It¡¯s quite obvious with those tights, you know?¡± Siegfried chuckled hollowly in disbelief. ¡®Is it alright for the Thieves Guild to be so stupid?¡¯? He started to have doubts about the Thieves Guild¡¯s professionalism. ¡°Where are you looking at, you pervert!¡± Spandex screamed. ¡°W-What did you just call me? Did you call me a pervert just now?! Ha!¡± Siegfried scoffed in disbelief. ¡°You should¡¯ve just handed the fees over instead of ogling me with those filthy eyes of yours!¡± ¡°What the fuck are you talking about¡ª¡± ¡°Die! Pervert!¡± Spandex rushed at Siegfried. ¡°No! Calm down! It¡¯s a misunderstanding¡ªheok!¡±? Siegfried had to jump to avoid Spandex¡¯s attack after being framed as a pervert. ¡®How the hell is she so fast?¡¯?he couldn¡¯t believe her speed. She was so fast that he barely managed to react on time despite his godly reaction time. Spandex was startled as well. ¡®Hmm? He avoided it?¡¯ Spandex¡¯s speed caught Siegfried off guard, and he ended up suffering a scratch wound on his chest. Plip¡­ Plip¡­ Blood started dripping from Siegfried¡¯s chest... ¡°I¡¯m going to pop your teeth out, get ready,¡± Spandex growled. She clenched her fists and took on a stance simr to a boxer¡¯s stance. 1. This is the OST he is talking about if any of you are curious: Chapter 237

    Chapter 237

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±?Siegfried let out a sigh, and then he said, ¡°Can we clear up the misunderstanding and talk about business? Anyone can tell that this happened because you were trying to sound like a man with a voice changer, and I wasn¡¯t ogling you like a pervert or anything. Do you understand?¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± ¡°Hey¡­ All right, I¡¯m going to apologize, so can you please calm down¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to KILL YOU!¡± Diplomacy was not an option. Spandex was simply too worked up to even listen to Siegfried¡¯s excuses, and it did not seem like she was going to calm down no matter what he said. Spandex rushed at him with the intent to pop his teeth out, and her punches were lightning quick and urate, making Siegfried feel like he was fighting a pro boxer. ¡®If I get hit by one of her punches¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. Whoosh! Spandex sent an uppercut toward his chin. ¡°¡­!¡± Siegfried reflexively swung his fist and blocked the uppercut. She struck her abdomen with his knee and swept her feet with a low kick to bring her down. Spandex¡¯s attacks were simply too fierce for him to go easy on her, and his instincts kicked in upon sensing danger. Thud! Spandex rolled on the ground. ¡®Did I hit her too hard? I should tire her out first and try to talk to her,¡¯?he thought. Whiiiish! A gray tail suddenly flew and wrapped itself around his ankle. ¡®H-Huh¡­?¡¯?Siegfried muttered when he felt his bnce thrown off. Thud! He fell on top of her. ¡°¡­!¡± They unexpectedly ended up clinging to each other, and their eyes shot wide open from shock. Creak¡­ Carlo entered the office and asked, ¡°Hello, Boss. Are you done paying the Thieves Gu¡ª¡± He abruptly stopped upon seeing Siegfried on top of Spandex. ¡°Ahem¡­?I apologize for disturbing you. I had no idea that you were doing the deed, Boss. All right, then. I hope you¡¯ll enjoy your evening,¡± Carlo said before closing the door. ¡°H-Hey! It¡¯s a misunderstanding!¡± ¡°HEY! You pervert! Let me go! I said let me go! What are you trying to do to me? Do you think you¡¯ll be safe after doing this?!¡± ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m trying to do something?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re on top of me right now!¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°What, no?! You fucking pervert!¡± ¡°ARGH!¡± It took Siegfried quite a while to calm her down. They screamed at each other back and forth before they finally had a proper conversation. *** It turned out that Spandex was a high-level thief of the Thieves Guild, and she was in charge of collecting fees from the City of Pleasure, Dondegiri. [Miho] [A high-ranking member of the Thieves Guild.] [She is a member of the Cat Tribe. An extremely agile professional thief.] [Type: NPC] [Race: Cat Tribe] [Level: 250] [Affiliation: Thieves Guild] [Position: Tax Collector] [ss: Cat Fighter] [Titles: Professional Thief, Cat Punch Expert] It seemed that the secret behind her speed and lightning-quick reflexes was the fact that she was a member of the Cat Tribe. ¡°So you took over Dondegiri¡¯s underworld because you wanted toe in contact with us?¡± Spandex¡ªno, Miho asked in disbelief. ¡°Yeah, I already told you,¡± Siegfried shrugged and exined, ¡°I wanted to request something from your guild, but I couldn¡¯t contact you. What was I supposed to do? This was the only idea I could think of.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s harsh¡­¡± Siegfried shrugged once again and said, ¡°I¡¯m just working hard to get what I want.¡± ¡°You sound crazy to me¡­¡± ¡°Think what you want, but I really need your guild¡¯s services.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell the higher-ups that you want to make a deal with us.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°What about the payment for Dondegiri? Are you going to pay?¡± ¡°Yeah, take this,¡± Siegfried replied and passed the fees to her. ¡°Give us two days. Someone from our guild wille and find you.¡± ¡°Oh? So I just have to wait here?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You just have to wait anywhere you want. We are everywhere and nowhere at the same time.¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going now,¡± Miho said before disappearing into thin air. ¡°Oh, you can use cloaking skills too?¡± Siegfried was quite impressed. However, there was no way she could escape from his eyes. *** Two dayster, Siegfried was warmly weed by the vendors in the marketce while he was making his rounds with hisckeys. ¡°Aigoo! Thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°Have you eaten yet, Boss? Come here and have a bowl of rice stew on the house!¡± ¡°Have a nice day, Boss!¡± The marketce vendors loved him because the protection?fees that the vendors had to pay after he took over had been reduced to a third of the usual amount. ¡°Hey, I know it¡¯s normal to collect this much from the entertainment district, but is it normal to collect so much from the vendors at the marketce? Reduce it to a third starting from now. You should take more from people who can afford it, you know? This is why people call you thugs!¡± Siegfried had no qualms about collecting tax from those involved in alcohol, gambling, or adult services, but he wasn¡¯tfortable with extorting money from the vendors at the marketce, who were simply trying to make a living. He could have just stopped collecting protection fees, but the City of Pleasure, Dondegiri, was infamous for being awless city. This meant that all sorts of thugs were going to start causing a scene if there were no gangs protecting the vendors, which was why he decided to collect the bare minimum to pay for the upkeep and wages of the thugs. It was something like a necessary evil per se¡­ It wasn¡¯t the same in the other cities, but the gangsters were a necessary evil to maintain public security in Dondegiri. ¡°Hahaha!?How is business, everyone? Please let me know if anythinges up. Oh, and make sure you let me know if our boys cause a scene here. I will make sure to teach them a good lesson!¡± Of course, money wasn¡¯t the only reason why Siegfried was beloved. Siegfried was treating the vendors quite well because they reminded him of his mother, who used to sell vegetables at the local market. ¡°What¡¯s the point ofzing around doing nothing?¡± His mother refused to retire and insisted on selling vegetables at the market, even though her son had be quite sessful. He even gave her a credit card with a twenty million won credit limit. ¡°Hoho!?That youngster is really nice.¡± ¡°I was expecting a tough-looking thug when I heard their gang name, but he¡¯s really handsome and neat-looking!¡± ¡°Why would he be a gang leader when he¡¯s so handsome and nice? I wonder if there¡¯s a story behind it¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not lower our guards yet. Don¡¯t forget that the young man conquered Dondegiri in just two weeks. He¡¯s a very scary fe.¡± The vendors at the marketce pitied Siegfried for being forced into this world at such a young age, and this was all thanks to the effects of his passive skill¡ªGreat Honor. ¡°Alms for the poor¡­¡± A beggar suddenly blocked Siegfried¡¯s path and asked for coins. ¡°Hey! How dare you block the boss¡¯ path, you filthy beggar!¡± ¡°Go somewhere else and beg!¡± ¡°Hey, beggar! I¡¯ll give you some coins, so fuck off!¡± Siegfried¡¯sckeys tried to shoo the beggar away. ¡°He¡¯s just asking for some coins. What¡¯s the big deal? Move,¡± Siegfried pushed aside hisckeys and took a silver coin from his pocket before saying, ¡°I suggest that you look for work instead of begging on the streets. Should I help you find a job?¡± ¡°I already have a job¡ª¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, I know begging is a profession, but¡ª¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa,¡± the beggar whispered into Siegfried¡¯s ears. ¡®Huh? How does he know me?¡¯?Siegfried was surprised. ¡°May I have a moment of your time? I¡¯m from the Thieves Guild.¡± ¡°Ah, sure. Let¡¯s do that,¡± Siegfried replied. It seemed that the beggar was the messenger whom he had been waiting for. He sent hisckeys back to his office and went to a dark alley to talk with the beggar. *** The beggar turned out to be an executive of the Thieves Guild. [Django] [A high-ranking executive of the Thieves Guild.] [He is a veteran professional beggar that has been begging for the past forty years.] [Type: NPC] [Race: Human] [Level: 260] [Affiliation: Thieves Guild] [Position: Executive] [ss: Dirty Fighter] [Titles: Expert Beggar, Hidden Beggar¡¯s Strength, Fighting Beggar, Information Collection Expert.] ¡°My name is Django, and I am an executive of the Thieves Guild. I have heard of your aplishments and exploits, King Siegfried van Proa.¡± The high-level beggar, Django, seemed to be well aware of Siegfried¡¯s identity. ¡°How did you know who I am?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Our guild possesses the most information on the continent, so how could we not be aware of Your Majesty¡¯s exploits?¡± Django replied. ¡°But most people have no idea who I am and where my kingdom is¡­¡± ¡°That is only for those without ears and eyes. Do you not agree, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± Siegfried feigned ignorance. ¡°Hoho,¡± Django chuckled and said, ¡°We are aware that your kingdom has already surpassed most kingdoms in terms of financial and military power.¡± ¡°S-So?¡± ¡°We are also aware that you are installing distortion magic around your territory to hide that fact from others.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°The informationwork of our guild is far greater than you think, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in amazement. He was thoroughly impressed by the Thieves Guild. ¡°So, what kind of information are you looking for, King Siegfried van Proa?¡± ¡°That is¡­ I need you to keep an eye on these Adventurers. Can you do it?¡± Siegfried took out the list of Adventurers from his Inventory and gave it to Django ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Django nced over the file before he said, ¡°It is not difficult at all¡­ but it looks like these are the Adventurers who have suffered at the hands of the Genesis Guild.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°It seems that Your Majesty is preparing to fight the Genesis Guild.¡± Django saw through Siegfried¡¯s intentions after a mere nce at the document. ¡°You are probably worried that there are a few spies in the mix, and that is why Your Majesty is requesting us to keep an eye on them. Am I correct?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°There are 1,791 Adventurers on the list, and Your Majesty is probably going to ask us to keep an eye on them around the clock, report within two hours if anything happens, and the request will bepleted once the Genesis Guild is dissolved. Am I correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The price will be¡­¡± Django gave a price quote. Siegfried¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. ¡®Fuck! It¡¯s so fucking expensive!¡¯ The price quote was so expensive that calling it astronomical was an understatement, but Siegfried thought about it and realized that it wasn¡¯t that?expensive at the same time. ¡®Hold on¡­ I can cover this without any problems if I use the collection money from Head Crusher and add a bit from my pocket, right?¡¯? The Head Crusher Gang was collecting an insane amount every month from Dondegiri, and Siegfried could simply top it up a little bit to pay off the Thieves Guild, which made it feel like the expense would be house money. However, there was still another thing that would make it even less burdensome. It was none other than a discount. ¡°Of course, that is only the original price,¡± Django gave the good news, and then he exined, ¡°Our guild holds Your Majesty and your kingdom in high regard. In fact, we¡¯re expecting to see the birth of a new powerful nation from Proatine.¡± ¡°So? What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°We are willing to give you a thirty percent discount to ensure that our guild and the Proatine Kingdom will have a good rtionship from now on.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°In return, our guild would like Your Majesty to promise that you will be our ally and that you will assist us in danger.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Siegfried fell into a dilemma. ¡®The discount is good, but is it really fine if I promise something that I¡¯m not even sure I can keep¡­?¡¯?Siegfried felt conflicted. He knew that he should only make a promise if he were confident about keeping it. Therefore, Siegfried couldn¡¯t readily ept the offer. ¡°What about this?¡± Siegfried gave a counter offer. ¡°I will do my best to help if anything happens to the Thieves Guild. In return, promise me that your guild will not sell my or my kingdom¡¯s information to anyone else, or you can promise to inform me and get my approval first prior to selling our information.¡± ¡°We agree to Your Majesty¡¯s terms.¡± Django nodded. Seuk¡­! Seuk¡­! Seuk¡­!? Siegfried signed the contract with the Thieves Guild in a dark alley of Dondegiri. The most powerful information broker on the continent was now on his side. ¡°Ah, this is a gift from our guild to Your Majesty,¡± Django said. He extended a pair of spectacles over to Siegfried. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°You will be able to see our guild members with these sses. Please feel free to approach one of our members if you need any information. I will be instructing them to provide simple information at a discounted rate, especially for Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Wow, thanks a lot,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. *** Meanwhile, Chae Hyung-Seok was receiving letters to his hospital ward while Siegfried was amassing his own forces with the help of the Thieves Guild¡¯s informationwork. [For Recipient¡¯s View Only] Ie Tax Arrear Notice [Registered Mail] Rent Arrear Notice [Dongseok Capital] Failure to Pay Vehicle Lease The financial pressure was starting to feel heavy on Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s shoulders. He had spent a lot of money to recover from his stroke and for the upkeep of his guild after losing the guild war. Chapter 238

    Chapter 238

    Non-discretionary expenses were expenses necessary for survival, and these expenses wouldn¡¯t change unless there was a sudden change in lifestyle. Some of the things that could be considered non-discretionary expenses were house payments, phone bills, medical bills, food expenses, utilities expenses, insurance, and other costs that would ur as long as a person was breathing. Obviously, the cost would depend from person to person, and it would vary anywhere from hundreds of thousands of won to millions of won a month. After all, non-discretionary expenses were based on an individual¡¯s lifestyle. In the case of Chae Hyung-Seok, his non-discretionary expenses were a lot. The deposit for the luxury house he was living in Hannam-dong alone was already one billion won, and he was paying a monthly rent of twenty million won. Of course, there was more where that came from. Chae Hyung-Seok possessed five luxury imported cars, and one of those cars was known as a hypercar that cost more than three billion won¡ªa Bugatti. Of course, both the house he was living in and the cars he owned were technically rented rather than his personal, permanent property. The main reason he was renting those cars instead of outright owning them was to avoid paying taxes. Renting assets instead of owning them was amon loophole used by the rich to reduce their tax bill, and many people were abusing the loophole to save money. Most wealthy people would use whatever they had saved on taxes using this loophole to invest, and Chae Hyung-Seok was no exception to this. Most of his monthly non-discretionary expenses were paid with his ie from the game instead of his other sources of ie, and it wasn¡¯t difficult to achieve because a Ranker could easily obtain rare items that could be sold for tens of millions of won. He was also earning a pretty amount from running the Genesis Guild. However, his monthly ie from the game was drastically reduced when the maggot known as Han Tae-Sung suddenly made aeback as Siegfried, and theeback of the maggot snowballed into Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s defeat against the GT Guild. The Genesis Guild lost a lot of their rights and assets after losing to the GT Guild. The guild was also affected in reality. Most of its major sponsors abandoned it after it lost against the GT Guild. However, Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s troubles didn¡¯t end there because his guild¡¯s headquarters was bombarded. He had to spend a ton of gold on erecting air defenses that would probably never be activated. The final blow to his ie was the stroke he suffered thanks to Han Tae-Sung. The stroke didn¡¯t allow him to y the game, which reduced his ie to almost nothing. Unfortunately, Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s problems snowballed from there. Even his personal businesses were starting to get affected. Chae Hyung-Seok could have never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that he would suffer such a massive ie loss. Therefore, he had beenvishly spending on both himself and his businesses. Perhaps this was a good example of how greed could ruin people. Ironically, Chae Hyung-Seok didn¡¯t reflect on his own greed and financial mismanagement. He med Han Tae-Sung for his plight. At a mental ward, Chae Hyung-Seok was looking at the mountain of bills in front of him. ¡°Han Tae-Sung¡­ That son of a bitch¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled. He was furious. He didn¡¯t expect that he would suffer a stroke and be on the brink of financial ruin just because of one maggot. ¡°Just you wait¡­ I will fuck you up as soon as I get out of here¡­!¡± he gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. Chae Hyung-Seok only suffered a mild stroke, so he had recovered quite a bit, and his rehabilitation was progressing pretty well to the extent that he could probably be discharged in a month¡¯s time. There was the aftereffect of tremors in his right arm, but that would eventually go away. ¡°Just you wait¡­ I will step on you and make you take your own life¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok clenched his fist and gnashed his teeth at the thought of Han Tae-Sung. He picked up his phone and called someone. ¡°Hello? Hi, hyung. Are you busy? Oh,?really? Anyway, can you help me sell my cars and move mypany offices to smaller ces? I¡¯ll be up and running soon, but I think I¡¯ll have to reduce my spending for now.¡± Chae Hyung-Seok was forced to sell his beloved cars and move hispanies to cheaper ces until he recovered both his health and finances. He swore to crush Han Tae-Sung or better known as Siegfried. He swore to crush Siegfried to the extent that he would never be able to make anothereback. *** Meanwhile, Siegfried picked up the pace after finalizing his deal with the Thieves Guild. Why? [V Sports] Pro Gamer Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s Recovery! [BNW/Interview] Pro Gamer Chae Hyung-Seok ¡°I will be recovering soon. Please look forward to my return¡±. Siegfried discovered from the news articles that Chae Hyung-Seok was about to make aeback. ¡®I have to screw his guild up as much as I can before he returns,¡¯?Siegfried knew that he was running out of time. The first thing he did after returning to the Proatine Kingdom was to bolster their kingdom¡¯s military power. Then, he brought all of the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s bones¡ªexcept for the skull because it was carved into a throne by his subjects unbeknownst to him¡ªto the Bavarian Workshop. ¡°Ah!?You came just at the right time! I was getting curious about what happened! So? Did you manage to obtain the Vampire Lord¡¯s soul¡­?¡± Quandt asked in a voice full of anticipation. ¡°Of course I did.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Siegfried took out the Magic Sword of Vengeance: Avenger and said, ¡°The Vampire Lord¡¯s soul is trapped here in this magic sword. We can use itter once we need it.¡± ¡°Oh! Is it finally about time for us to craft a Universal weapon?¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, we still have quite a long way to go.¡± ¡°Not at all! We already have three out of the seven materials required!¡± ¡°Well, we actually have four.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Do you recognize this~?¡± Siegfried asked in a yful tone as he took out the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s scale and showed it to Quandt. ¡°This multi-colored dragon scale looks like it belongs to¡ªd-don¡¯t tell me?!¡± Quandt eximed as his eyes shot wide open. ¡°Then what about this~?¡± Siegfried asked in the same tone before taking out a huge horn that filled the entire workshop. ¡°Hiiiiik?!¡±?Quandt shrieked in horror and fell on his butt. He immediately recognized the huge horn that glowed in a kaleidoscope of colors, which made it hard to tell its actual color. ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me?! You hunted a Chromatic Dragon?! It looks like the dragon was almost an Ancient-type judging by the size of the horn!¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t personally hunt it¡­ The stupid dragon body mmed into my building andmitted suicide.¡± ¡°Does that even make sense? What nonsense are you¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I was lucky enough to find a dragon thatmitted suicide, and I simply collected its remains.¡± Siegfried was technically telling the truth. The Chromatic Dragon had trulymitted suicide. ¡°A-Anyway¡­ if you have the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s horn, that means¡­¡± ¡°We already have four out of the seven materials required to finish Herbert¡¯s weapon.¡± ¡°Oh!?Oh my god! How can this be?! Four out of the seven materials!¡± ¡°So I was thinking¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while carefully observing the cksmith¡¯s mood, and then he asked, ¡°I will give you the bones and scales of the Chromatic Dragon¡­ Can you craft weapons and armor for my subordinates to wear? Of course, I am willing to¡ª¡± ¡°Free! I will do it for FREE!¡± Quandt cut him off. ¡°Then, can you make me a new throwable set? The Blood Butterfly set is awesome and all, but that was made from the materials derived from a young green dragon, so¡­¡± Siegfried casually added. ¡°No problem! And you¡¯re right! The Chromatic Dragon¡¯s scales are much better than the Green Dragon¡¯s scales! Not only that, but a dragon¡¯s scale bes harder the older the dragon! I¡¯ll definitely make you a new set that will blow your mind away! Haha!¡± Quandt seemed to be in a great mood. *** Three dayster. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Beautiful Massacre Throwable Set¡¯!] Siegfried obtained a new throwable set personally crafted by the head cksmith of the Bavarian Workshop. The new throwable set was an upgraded version of the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Dance, and it was forty percent more powerful than the old set. ¡®Wow, this is awesome!¡¯?Siegfried was astonished at the new item. He returned to the Proatine Kingdom and immediately called for a meeting. He started the meeting with words full of charisma. ¡°I was feeling apologetic for not being able to reciprocate the hard work that all of you have done for our kingdom, but I am d to present these gifts to all of you,¡± he said as he presented the weapons and armor crafted from the bones and scales of the Chromatic Dragon as well as some of the dragon¡¯s meat. The word grateful or surprise was not enough to describe the reactions of the officials of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°¡­!¡± Oh my god! To think that weapons and armor crafted from the scales and bones of the Chromatic Dragon would be given as gifts to his subjects! On top of that, he was even bestowing upon them the dragon¡¯s meat, which was known to be a supplement rivaling most lesser elixirs as gifts! These gifts were the things that officials from most small and weak countries would never even dream of receiving! ¡°We thank the Great King for his grace!¡± ¡°We thank the Great King for his grace!¡± The officials shouted at the top of their lungs. Then, a string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Your subjects revere you!] [Alert: Your subjects nowpletely trust and revere you!] [Alert: Your subjects are now willing to put their lives on the line for you!] [Alert: The loyalty of your subjects has reached the maximum!] [Alert: Your subjects will now fully trust you no matter what you do, atrocities included!] The subjects weren¡¯t simply swayed because of the gifts¡ªno, this was only achieved thanks to Siegfried¡¯s usual demeanor toward them coupled with the fact that he usually showered his subjects with gifts. [Alert: The Explosive Growth event has been triggered!] A unique message popped up in front of Siegfried. [Explosive Growth] [This is triggered when the trust and respect of your NPC reaches maximum. The NPCs will be even stronger while this is active.] [Type: Event (Buff)] [Duration: One Year] [Effects: Experience Points gained by NPC +120%, Chance of NPC surpassing their limit +30%, Chance of NPC unleashing their hidden potential +20%] The Proatine Kingdom¡¯s military power was bound to be even stronger after the Explosive Growth event¡ªthe ultimate affinity event¡ªwas triggered. Why? It was all because of the Explosive Growth event¡¯s bonuses, and the entire year was definitely more than enough for the officials, knights, and soldiers to grow even stronger than they were a year ago. *** Miho from the Thieves Guild visited Siegfried on the same evening. Miho was still wearing her tight suit, and she passed a few documents to Siegfried. ¡°These documents contain the information that Your Majesty has requested from the guild,¡± Miho said. The way she spoke to Siegfried changed after she learned about his status as a king. ¡°There was a spy from the Genesis Guild among the Adventurers,¡± she added. ¡°Really?!¡± Siegfried eximed. He immediately checked the documents. Hemissioned them just in case, so he was surprised to learn that there were indeed spies among them. The Genesis Guild attempted to nt three spies in the new guild Siegfried was creating, and the names of these Adventurers were Morpho, SingSingHighschoolGirl, and Gotchai. The report from the Thieves Guild stated that these three intended to infiltrate Siegfried¡¯s new guild and act as spies for the Genesis Guild. If he had unknowingly epted these three into the guild¡­ If he waged war against the Genesis Guild with these three in his guild¡­ A chill traveled down his spine at the mere thought of it. ¡®I was really about to be royally screwed if I hadn¡¯t taken any precautions¡­!¡¯?he realized that he was one fatal mistake away from being ruined all over again. This was a tactic that the Genesis Guild frequently used. They would nt a spy in an enemy guild or a promising new guild, and then they would use the information they collected to chip away at the guild slowly. Siegfried had fallen for the same tactic while he was still running the Beamer Guild, and this tactic was the reason he entered a downward spiral in both the game and in reality. The mere thought of almost falling for the same trick twice was indeed more than enough to send chills down his spine. ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu suddenly opened the door and barged in. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°The guild headquarters is done!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°We made sure to ce lots of traps and defensive fortifications, so I dare say we aren¡¯tcking in any waypared to the headquarters of the top ten guilds.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go create our guild tomorrow,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. ¡°All right! Then, I will log out first, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Sure, get plenty of rest, and thank you for your hard work. Let¡¯s grab a meal the day after tomorrow or something.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu saluted and logged out. Siegfried¡¯s eyes narrowed while staring at the documents. ¡®So you tried to nt spies in my guild again? What a fine gift, indeed. I guess I should return the gesture in kind. It¡¯s only polite for me to do so, right?¡¯ Siegfried grinned. It was a grin that looked both evil and cold at the same time. Chapter 239

    Chapter 239

    The next morning, Siegfried went to the capital to check the guild¡¯s headquarters. The guild¡¯s headquarters was truly grand. It was not that tall in height, but arge dome was on top of it, which made it give a sturdy and grandiose feel. There were cannons installed all over the ce that made it look insurmountable. That wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ The headquarters was surrounded by twenty-meter-tall walls, and a moat surrounded the walls to make it even more difficult for enemies to scale the walls. It went without saying that the path from the walls to the headquarters itself was riddled with traps to make life even more difficult for the invaders. The interior of the headquarters was in no wayckingpared to the exterior. A plethora of facilities were prepared for the guild members, such as a training area, shops, a lounge area to rx and chill in, and even warp gates connected to most parts of the continent. Last but not least, the meeting room where the guild master was going to host meetings with the guild members contained¡­ ¡°What the hell? Why is that thing over there?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡­the throne carved from the Green Dragon¡¯s skull. ¡°People might get the wrong idea that I have a dragon skull fetish or something¡­¡± he grumbled and shook his head. Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but start to feel burdened by the sadistic hobby that his subordinates had picked up. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re going to use the Demon Lord¡¯s skull and carve a throne out of it down the road¡­?¡¯?he thought for a second before shaking his head. He realized that not a single yer had ever seen the Demon Lord in the game. ¡°Hey, Seung-Gu,¡± Siegfried called out. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu responded. ¡°Let¡¯s start calling the Adventurers.¡± ¡°Okay, hyung-nim!¡± Siegfried decided to finally contact the Adventurers who had contacted him to finalize the establishment of his guild. *** ¡°Hey, Min-Woo! Over here! Over here!¡± Right after Siegfried contacted the Adventurers, The thirty-one-year-old gamer with the ID SingSingHighschoolGirl met the Vice Guild Master of the Genesis Guild, Min-Woo, at a caf¨¦ in Cheongdamdong. ¡°How have you been, noona?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right~ Hoho~¡± ¡°It seems that they finally contacted you judging by how you reached out?¡± ¡°Yes~¡± Her ID in BNW was SingSingHighschoolGirl, but she was actually a noonim who exuded a load of sex appeal in real life. She showed her phone to Min-Woo. [Notice] [The guild headquarter has been fully constructed, and we will be finalizing the list of guild members shortly. Please gather at the border of the Proatine Kingdom at nine in the evening tomorrow.] [The meeting location is below.] - Siegfried. ¡°Huh? That bastard is really starting his own guild? I asked you just as a precaution, but I didn¡¯t expect that he would actually do it,¡± Min-Woo grumbled in disbelief. He didn¡¯t expect that someone was actually insane enough to establish a guild just to challenge one of the top ten guilds on the continent. ¡°Well, it sounds like he¡¯s pretty serious judging by the message.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems like it.¡± ¡°So, what am I supposed to do now?¡± SingSingHighschoolGirl asked while feigning ignorance. ¡°C¡¯mon, noonim. You already know what to do. Haha!¡± Min-Wooughed out loud in response while thinking deep inside, ¡®Look at this fox. She¡¯s always trying to bewitch people be it in the game or in real life.¡¯ SingSingHighschoolGirl was close to a gold digger in the game. She used her sexy figure and god-like makeup skills¡ªshe wasn¡¯t that pretty without makeup¡ªto charm men into doing her bidding. Then, she would sell whatever information she got her hands on. ¡°I just have to infiltrate their guild and collect information while flirting with the guild master, right?¡± she asked. ¡°Exactly.¡± Min-Woo nodded in response and said, ¡°That bastard Han Tae-Sung has always been single since the day he was born, so he will probably give you everything he has to offer if you flirt with him a little bit.¡± ¡°Really? He never had a girlfriend since birth? Omo! He¡¯s cute!¡± SingSingHighschoolGirl eximed with glee. However, her smile turned sinister in the blink of an eye as she muttered, ¡°You know, those kinds of guys are exactly my type. The young ones with a lot of money but with no dating experience.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure they look cute to you,¡± Min-Woo replied while thinking, ¡®Sigh¡­ Look at this fox licking her lips. It¡¯s sending chills all over my body. Tsk, tsk¡­¡¯ Min-Woo knew just how good the fox was at lying, how nasty her temper was, how fussy she could be, how promiscuous she was, and how much she loved branded luxury goods. This was the reason that he couldn¡¯t help but feel repulsed whenever he saw her, regardless of her sex appeal. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t the only one. Those who were familiar with her personality would feel repulsed by her as well. However, Min-Woo decided to endure the fox¡¯s repulsive face to meet with her because he needed a new face to send into Han Tae-Sung¡¯s new guild. It was definitely going to be impossible for him to use the spies he usually used, as the guild in question was no different from a gathering of Adventurers who had suffered at the hands of the Genesis Guild. Some of the Adventurers would definitely recognize their ordinary spices spies, and that was why he decided to enlist the help of the Queen Bee known as SingSingHighschoolGirl. ¡°All right, I got it. I¡¯ll start working on him from today~¡± she said. ¡°Thanks, noona,¡± he replied with a slight bow. ¡°Not at all, I should be the one thanking you,¡± she said before shing a strange smile. Min-Woo obliged and took out an orange shopping bag with the logo of a coachman and a horse carriage drawn on it. ¡®Tsk¡­ This fox demands too much even before lifting a single finger¡­¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. The orange shopping bag had the words HERMES engraved on it, which was a famous luxury French brand, and the bag inside it was a new collection that cost more than fifteen million won. ¡°Hohoho!?Thank you~!¡± SingSingHighschoolGirlughed out loud after receiving the bag, and then she added, ¡°I¡¯ll keep you posted from time to time then~¡± ¡°Okay, I will leave it to you, noonim,¡± Min-Woo replied while forcing himself to smile. *** On the same evening at nine o¡¯clock, around two thousand Adventurers gathered at the warp gate at the border of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°To those who are hoping to sign up for the guild! Please line up over here!¡± The Adventurers were led somewhere by the knights as soon as they emerged from the warp gate, and they soon arrived at the newly-built guild headquarters. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Damn¡­ The guild headquarters looks awesome¡­¡± ¡°When did they make this? A building of this scale is bound to take a long time to make, though?¡± ¡°Just how much did they spend on building this?¡± The Adventurers were shocked at the freshly-built guild headquarters. ¡®Oh? He seems to have spent quite a fortune on this?¡¯?SingSingHighschoolGirl smirked after seeing the guild headquarters. ¡°Pleasee over here!¡± The Adventurers were led inside the guild headquarters to finally meet their soon-to-be guild master, Siegfried. ¡°It is good to see all of you again. I have created a guild that could officially stand up against the Genesis Guild, just as all of you mentionedst time. We are now going to be one big family, so I hope that we can get along from now on,¡± Siegfried greeted the Adventurers. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Nice to meet you too!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s band together and teach those bastards a lesson!¡± The Adventurers started cursing the Genesis Guild. ¡°Yes, I agree with all of you because I am a victim, too. They almost ruined my life. I am not boasting that I was able to make a living from this game despite not being a pro gamer, but¡ªanyway, I have a lot of grudge against them just like all of you, so let¡¯s do our best,¡± Siegfried replied to the crowd. Meanwhile, he was eyeing one single Adventurer from the thousands of Adventurers gathered here. The Adventurer was none other than SingSingHighschoolGirl. Siegfried already had ns to use one of the spies the Genesis Guild had nted, and the spy he had chosen was SingSingHighschoolGirl. He chose only one spy to make it easier for him to control the flow of information. ¡®So that¡¯s the spy. Ah, I¡¯m itching to bash her skull in¡­¡¯?Siegfried had to suppress his desire to rush over and smash SingSingHighschoolGirl¡¯s head apart. This was not the right time. He was nning to use the Genesis Guild¡¯s spy against them, so feigning ignorance was definitely going to be much more beneficial in the long run. Siegfried ignored SingSingHighschoolGirl and addressed the crowd, ¡°I will let all of you present here today to join our guild, so please wait for two days!¡± Then, one of the Adventurers suddenly asked, ¡°Guild Master hyung!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What is the name of our guild?¡± ¡°Heok¡­!¡±?Siegfried was rendered speechless. ¡®Shit! I didn¡¯t think of that yet¡­!¡¯?he was so engrossed in the construction of the headquarters and flushing out the spies that he forgot to decide on his guild¡¯s name. ¡°Yeah! What¡¯s our guild name?¡± ¡°Tell us our guild name so we can ept the invitation!¡± ¡°What¡¯s our guild going to be called¡­?¡± The Adventurers started asking Siegfried one by one. ¡®Ah¡­ What should I do? Siegfried and the Kids? No, that¡¯s too self-centered¡­ Fuck Genesis¡­? No, that¡¯s too weird¡­ Hmm¡­ Head Crusher¡­ I already used that! Damn it!¡¯? Siegfried found it difficult toe up with a guild name because his naming sense was abysmal, and he started sweating profusely under the pressure. However, Siegfried quickly recovered as his glib tongue kicked into action. ¡°I have thought of a few names, but I figured that since all of us have gathered with amon goal in mind, it is not fair for me to one-sidedly decide on our guild¡¯s name just because I am the guild master! Therefore, I want all of you toe up with a name, and I will pick five out of them. We¡¯ll vote from the five to see which name suits us the best!¡± Siegfried used the special skill of anyone shrewd enough, which was passing the workload to someone else! ¡°Huh? That sounds like a great idea¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that!¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± The Adventurers eximed one by one whilepletely oblivious to Siegfried¡¯s intentions. Some of them even started thinking of a guild name on the spot. *** Ten minutester, Siegfried put his hand into a box and eximed, ¡°Then, I will now start the draw!¡± The box had a circr hole in it, and it was filled with two thousand papers with numerous potential guild names written on it. ¡°The first guild name is¡­ Seggs Stamina Band¡­? This is a bit¡­¡± Siegfried smirked before cing the paper as the first option. ¡°Hahaha!¡± ¡°Who wrote that?!¡± ¡°What kind of name is that?!¡± The Adventurers startedughing after hearing the first name. They figured that Seggs Stamina Band was a simple joke by someone. ¡°Now, the next guild name is¡­ Haha¡­ Seggs Stamina Association¡­ Wow, we seem to have a lot of stamina around here¡­?¡± The second name was the Seggs Stamina Association. ¡°Who wrote these? You¡¯ll get a good beating if I find you! Haha!¡± Siegfriedughed it off as a joke while secretly hoping inside, ¡®A normal one shoulde out this time, right?¡¯ But¡­ ¡°Avengers? This is pure giarism! What if Disney sues us?!¡± The third guild name was a bit risky to use as it was a trademarked series owned by Disney, and it was a famous name that was once a household name at one point in the past. Siegfried¡¯s troubles didn¡¯t end there, as even the fourth guild name was a bit strange. ¡°Ne~ Ne~ Ne~ Ne~? Ah¡­ Can¡¯t you guys be a bit more serious¡­?¡± Siegfried grumbled. It seemed that the soon-to-be guild members sucked at naming things just like their soon-to-be guild master. Yes, that was the only way to exin these extremely bad guild names. ¡®This is thest one¡­ Thest one¡­!¡¯?Siegfried prayed before drawing the fifth and final guild name. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He grimaced after reading the words on the paper. I want to do it. Siegfried had no idea what this person wanted to do, but he couldn¡¯t help but suspect that it was definitely something inappropriate. The list was finallypleted but¡­ First: Seggs Stamina Band Second: Seggs Stamina Association Third: Avengers Fourth: Ne~ Ne~ Ne~ Ne~ Fifth: ?? I want to do it How did he end up picking these names from the thousands of names he could have picked? ¡®Our guild master has shitty hands¡­¡¯ ¡®How did he manage to pick the shitty ones from so many names?¡¯ ¡®I think he¡¯s just unlucky¡­?¡¯ ¡®With his luck, I¡¯m willing to bet that he¡¯ll get struck by lightning on a sunny day and break his nose while falling backward.¡¯ ¡°Why don¡¯t we just go with¡­ Head Crusher Guild? Haha! You know, since we¡¯re going to crush those Genesis Bastards¡¯ heads?¡± It was quite a tacky name that he was borrowing from his gang at Dondegiri, but it was the best name that he coulde up with. Ironically, the Adventurers seemed to have acknowledged Siegfried¡¯s effort. They nodded profusely in agreement. Nobody would have expected such a turn of events, but it seemed that all two thousand of these Adventurers sucked at naming things just like Siegfried. Anyway, the name of the guild that Siegfried had created to destroy the Genesis Guild ended up being Head Crusher Guild. Meanwhile, the Head Crusher Gang at Dondegiri was forced to go through the humiliation of changing their name to the Hamster Gang. Well, it didn¡¯t really matter since they all had a tattoo of a hamster on their arms, anyway. ¡®Why is the guild name even important? I just have to achieve my goals, right?¡¯?he shrugged it off before taking the guild registration form with him and heading toward the Adventurer Guild. 1. Noonim is the respectful form of noona, and it is used to address much older women ordy bosses. Chapter 240

    Chapter 240

    Back at the Adventurer Guild. [Guild Registration Form] [Guild Name: Head Crusher Guild] [Guild Master: Siegfried van Proa] [Vice Guild Master: Seung-Gu] [Guild Officials: N/A (1 official can be named per 100 members)] [Current Member Count: 1,986] [Guild Headquarters: Completed] The guild master mentioned above has registered his guild with the Adventurer Guild. Guild Master Siegfried van Proa (sign) Siegfried submitted the registration form along with the guild emblem. Surprisingly, the guild¡¯s emblem was extremely cool, unlike its name, which sounded honestly cheap. The guild¡¯s emblem depicted a hammer smashing a round object, and it perfectly matched the Head Crusher Guild¡¯s name. It was a masterpiece that was drawn on the spot by the genius artist, Gringore. ¡°The guild registration has been approved. May you kindly choose the artifact to emzon your guild¡¯s emblem with while we are waiting for the guild¡¯s g?¡± the clerk asked before passing a catalog to Siegfried. The catalog contained many different artifacts, such as badges, bracelets, earrings, capes, etc. It didn¡¯t take Siegfried that long to decide. ¡°Please make it a ring. The badges are going to make us look like the Yakuzas¡­¡± he said. The Japanese gangsters known as Yakuzas were known to wear badges around, just like the Genesis Guild. ¡°Yakuzas¡­? I apologize, but I have no idea what that is¡­¡± the clerk muttered, seemingly confused. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, please don¡¯t mind me. Anyway, please make it a ring, please,¡± Siegfried replied An hourter, the clerk came back with a blue g and a dimensional pouch. ¡°The pouch contains the rings and g emzoned with the Head Crusher Guild¡¯s emblem.¡± ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Siegfried received the Head Crusher Guild¡¯s g and badges. Ding! Then, a message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You have sessfully established a guild!] [Alert: You are now the Guild Master of the Head Crusher Guild!] [Alert: The Adventurer Guild wishes to see you lead your guild to a path of righteousness!] The guild status screen popped up in front of him. [Head Crusher Guild] [Guild Master: Siegfried van Proa] [Vice Guild Master: Seung-Gu] [Guild Officials: N/A] [Current Member Count: 1,986] [Guild Level: 1] [Guild Bonus: All stats +3%, All skill level +1, Additional 3% Experience when hunting with guild members, +3% rare item drop chance when hunting with guild members.] Guild members would enjoy stat bonuses, while the guild master would enjoy more than that. [Guild Master Bonus: All stats +5%, All skill level +2] This was a privilege only avable to the guild master, but that wasn¡¯t the end of it. [Alert: You have gained new skills!] Siegfried gained new skills after bing the guild master. [Guild Skill: Command] [Type: Active] [The guild master can issue amand to a guild member. The guild member may not refuse the order, and a hefty penalty will be applied should they forcefully refuse the order three times.] [Guild Skill: Dominate] [Type: Active] [The guild master will dominate the guild members. Affected guild members will receive increased damage from the guild master, and it will be extremely difficult for the guild members to defeat the guild master.] The skills Command and Dominate were necessary skills for the guild master to prevent the guild members frommitting mutiny. However, it didn¡¯t mean that the guild masters could simply abuse this skill, as their guild members would simply leave the guild. It was more like a stick to be used at the right time coupled with carrots. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m done with the guild, so¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. He left the Guild Registration office and headed straight for the office with the word Dispute written on it. He called out to the clerk sleeping on the counter. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Snore¡­! Snore¡­!¡± ¡°EXCUSE ME!¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s up? Yawn¡­!¡±? The clerk woke up while rubbing his eyes. ¡°I am the guild master of the Head Crusher Guild,¡± Siegfried introduced himself. ¡°H-Head Crusher Guild? So what about it¡­?¡± the clerk asked, seemingly confused. ¡°I wish to officially dere war against the Genesis Guild.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Here is the deration form,¡± Siegfried said and passed the form to the clerk. [Deration of War] [Applying Guild: Head Crusher Guild] [Target: Genesis Guild] [Reason for Deration: We don¡¯t like them.] The deration form was written quite half-heartedly and without an ounce of sincerity, but it was more than enough to convey the message that it was supposed to convey. War. All hell was about to break loose between the two guilds the moment the form was epted. ¡°B-But¡­ The ink on your guild registration form hasn¡¯t even dried yet¡­?¡± the clerk stammered. ¡°So? Is there a problem with that?¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°No, there¡¯s no problem, but¡­ It¡¯s just that you¡¯re dering war against one of the top ten guilds on the continent five minutes after you¡¯ve established your guild, so¡­¡± ¡°Please hurry up and approve it,¡± Siegfried curtly said. ¡®From which hole did this madman crawl out¡­?¡¯?the clerk wondered before stamping on the deration form. A string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried. Ding! [Alert: You have sessfully dered war against the Genesis Guild!] [Alert: War has broken out between the Head Crusher Guild and the Genesis Guild!] [Alert: The war will continue until one side loses or until both sides have agreed to a ceasefire!] [Alert: PVP Zones are highlighted in red. Anyone caught fighting in zones highlighted in blue will be subjected to a hefty penalty from the Adventurer Guild!] The words In War popped up in the upper right corner of Siegfried¡®s vision. ¡®It¡¯s all or nothing from now on. I¡¯m going to make sure that you¡¯ll have nothing to return to by the time youe back to the game.¡¯?Siegfried gnashed his teeth and clenched his fists. Chae Hyung-Seok would return in less than a month, so Siegfried knew that he had to do whatever it would take to crush the Genesis Guild before the former¡¯s return. *** [Alert: War has broken out between the Head Crusher Guild and the Genesis Guild!] The deration of war popped up in front of the Genesis Guild member¡¯s eyes. ¡°Has that bastard finally lost it? He actually dared to wage war on us when it hasn¡¯t even been a day since his guild was established?¡± To be more urate, the guild was five minutes old rather than a day old, but there was no way Min-Woo would nitpick such details. Min-Woo immediately called Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°Hyung, that bastard just dered war on us.¡± ¡ªThat crazy bastard¡­ Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s voice over the phone sounded extremely cold yet furious. ¡ªLooks like his arrogance had gotten into his head, and he finally lost it. ¡°I think so too, hyung.¡± ¡ªStill, don¡¯t let your guard down in case he pulls another stunt. And don¡¯t forget that a lot of other guilds are prowling around us right now. Chae Hyung-Seok was warning Min-Woo that there were numerous guilds vying for a spot in the top ten guild rankings. In other words, Chae Hyung-Seok was not worried about Siegfried at all. He was worried about the other possible challengers. ¡°All right, I got it.¡± ¡ªCall Queen Bee and ask her what¡¯s going on. You already paid her, so she should hold up her end of the deal, right? The Queen Bee he was referring to was none other than the spy, SingSingHighschoolGirl. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will hit him first if he tries to pull anything this time,¡± Min-Woo replied. ¡ªAlright, call me if anything happens. And tell our guild members that I will be back very soon. ¡°Okay, rest well, hyung.¡± Min-Woo immediately called SingSingHighschoolGirl after ending the call with Chae Hyung-Seok, and he easily got in touch with her because she was not in the game at the moment. ¡°Noona, that bastard dered war on us. We have no idea what that guy is up to, so please keep an eye on him.¡± ¡ªDon¡¯t worry~ I¡¯ll let you know immediately if something happens~ ¡°Alright, thanks, noona.¡± Min-Woo decided to wait for any information from SingSingHischoolGirl before reacting to the deration of war from the Head Crusher Guild. Why? He knew very well that the Genesis Guild would end up as aughingstock if they reacted to a war dered by a guild that was not even a day old. After all, there was a reason they became one of the top ten guilds. *** Meanwhile, at the Head Crusher Guild¡¯s headquarters¡­ ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± Siegfried pointed at a certain point on the map. The Genesis Guild had many businesses throughout the continent, but the most profitable one among them was their vineyard. They were cultivating tons of grapes from theirnd, which was technicallynd that they had rented from a kingdom, and they were producing wine and champagne. The Genesis Guild¡¯s distillery was also armed with thetest technology and veteran winemakers, so the wine that they were producing was quite expensive. Siegfried was confident that he could deal a massive blow to the Genesis Guild¡¯s finances if heid waste to their vineyard. However, attacking the vineyard was not as easy as it sounded. Why? The vineyard was being protected by an ancient spell, and there was no way to enter it without passing through the four entrances located north, east, south, and west of it. It was impossible to bombard the vineyard through an air raid or warp into it with a teleportation spell. ¡®Four entrances around the vineyard, and there are at least fifty high-level Genesis Guild members stationed at each entrance. The entire Genesis Guild is going toe swarming if we make a wrong move¡­ How are we supposed to destroy this ce?¡¯? Siegfried wondered. The vineyard was so important to the Genesis Guild that it was basically a beehive that could summon swarms of their guild members if one poked it. ¡®Hmm¡­ I should pretend to attack this ce before¡­¡¯?Siegfried started to draw up ns to pretend to attack the second-most important business of the Genesis Guild¡ªtheir medicinal nt field¡ªbefore attacking andying waste to the vineyard. *** ¡°Really? That bastard is after our medicinal nt field?¡± Min-Woo was surprised after receiving a tip-off from the Queen Bee. The medicinal nt field of the Genesis Guild was where a wide variety of medicinal nts used to make potions were being cultivated, and there were even rare and mysterious kinds of nts being grown there. The revenue the medicinal nt field was bringing in was only second to the vineyard, so losing the medicinal nt field would deal a significant blow to the Genesis Guild. ¡ªYeah, they¡¯re nning to attack the medicinal nt field and loot the produce tomorrow early morning. SingSingHighschoolGirl ryed the Head Crusher Guild¡¯s ns to Min-Woo. ¡°Thank you, noona. I will make good use of the information you gave me, and I will call you againter.¡± Min-Woo ended the call and immediately proceeded to station around fifty percent of the guild¡¯s manpower at the medicinal nt field. He waited for the Head Crusher Guild¡¯s appearance. Min-Woo and the Genesis Guild stayed hidden to ambush the Head Crusher Guild, and they had been waiting for five hours now. ¡°Why aren¡¯t theying¡­?¡± Min-Woo tilted his head in confusion when they saw not a single Head Crusher Guild member, even though it would be daybreak soon. There was something strange here. The Head Crusher Guild was supposed to be here hours ago, judging from SingSingHighschoolGirl¡¯s information. ¡°Did they cancel their n?¡± Min-Woo¡¯s badge on his chest started vibrating. Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!? The badges of the other Genesis Guild members lying in ambush alongside Min-Woo started vibrating as well, and there was only one reason for this simultaneous vibration. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­? No way¡­¡¯?Min-Woo thought. He instinctively looked in a certain direction. Fwaaaah! Fwaaaaah! Smoke was rising up from the vineyard five kilometers away from them, and the vineyard seemed to have been engulfed in a powerful ze. Chapter 241

    Chapter 241

    Ten minutes ago, Siegfried sessfully nted false information into the Genesis Guild by using SingSingHighschoolGirl against them, and he led around five hundred of his guild members toward the west entrance of the vineyard. The western entrance of the vineyard had ten high-level Adventurers along with various monsters, mercenaries, and traps defending it. ¡®Tsk¡­ that¡¯s?quite a tight?security,¡¯?Siegfried clicked his tongue. The Adventurers were at least Level 250, and they were powerful without a doubt judging by how they were equipped with +12 weapons and +10 armor on top of their levels. There were quite a few high-leveled Adventurers on Siegfried¡¯s side, but it was a bit of a stretch to call them powerful. However, there was nothing strange about the Head Crusher Guild members being weak, as they wouldn¡¯t have fallen victim to the Genesis Guild if they were powerful in the first ce. The Genesis Guild firmly stood by their motto of survival of the fittest, and they grew their guild until its present form by preying only on those who were weaker than them. ¡®They¡¯re strong, but¡­¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s eyes shed while hiding behind the bushes. He smirked. ¡®Will they be able to use their strength if they get hit before they even realize it?¡¯ Adventurers and NPCs in this world were powerful beings that could channel mana to protect their bodies or nimbly evade attacks. However, what if they were caught off guard when they were least expecting it? What if they unexpectedly got hit by an artillery barrage rather than skills or normal attacks? ¡®There¡¯s only one way to find out,¡¯?Siegfried smiled sinisterly before sending a signal to Seung-Gu next to him. Seung-Gu nodded in response and controlled the twenty-five Iron Golems he had already summoned in advance. Whiiing¡­ Click¡­ ck¡­! A faint sound echoed, and the cannons on the twenty-five Iron Golem¡¯s shoulders aimed at the western entrance of the vineyard. The canons mounted on the Iron Golems¡¯ shoulders were the newly developed weapons by the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s military, and their destructiveness had already been tested. Well, the Genesis Guild wouldn¡¯t be aware of it. ¡°Hey, I think there¡¯s something wrong with my hand today! I¡¯m only drawing busts!¡± ¡°Just hurry up and shuffle the deck! Keke!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I think I¡¯ll just fold this round.¡± The high-level Adventurers guarding the vineyard entrance werepletely engrossed in their card game known as Hardstone which utilized magical cards. Hardstone was a card game that the Adventurers in BNW often yed whenever they were bored. Siegfried showed three fingers to Seung-Gu. Then, he folded one to show two fingers, and then he folded another to show a single finger. Lastly, he folded thest finger. Boom! Boom! Boom! The cannons spat fire, and the barragested for quite a while. ¡°W-Wow! Look at that!¡± Siegfried eximed when the barrage died down. He was shocked by the destructiveness of the cannons. None of the Adventurers survived the barrage, and neither did any of the monsters. In addition, the artillery barrage ended up triggering the traps, and the traps killed those who survived the initial barrage. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t have the luxury of time to stand around and be in awe. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± he immediately led his army and ran out from the bushes. *** ¡°Hurry up! Faster!¡± Siegfried urged his guild members. It wasn¡¯t difficult to destroy the vineyard. They could simply set it aze, uproot the trees, or crush the fruits that were ready to be harvested. However, the reason that a vineyard was able to generate the most revenue for the Genesis Guild was quite simple. It was massive¡­ The Head Crusher Guild needed a lot of time to sessfullyy waste to the entire vineyard that extended hundreds of thousands of hectares. In the end, Siegfried decided to use Irradiate after not using it for a long time. Sseuuuuk¡­! Siegfried exuded a green fog that quickly pervaded the air around him. However, there was something strange about the Irradiate he was using this time around. The Irradiate skill seemed to have be much more powerful, judging by therger area that it was affecting and the density of the fog¡¯s radioactive energy. Of course, the skill was still not going to be effective against enemies with resistance against poison or was equipped with decent armor, but it was undeniably much more powerful than Siegfried¡¯s Irradiate back then. Perhaps that was the reason? Thud¡­! Thud¡­! Thud¡­! Thud¡­!? Perhaps that was the reason why the grape vines started to wither and decay all the way down to their roots before helplessly falling to the ground. ¡®It was the right call to consume the Dragon¡¯s Heart,¡¯?Siegfried smiled after remembering that he had eaten a few pieces of the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s heart just a few days ago. Unfortunately, the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s heart was shattered into pieces after Deus struck it, but Siegfried was still able to significantly increase his mana after eating the leftovers. In other words, his Irradiate¡¯s range had increased, and its lethality had also been bolstered. Of course, it still consumed a lot of mana. ¡®Hmm¡­ It¡¯s too dense just to destroy grape vines¡­ I should reduce the density and increase the range,¡¯?he thought before controlling his mana to adjust the green fog. The green fog thinned, but its range grewrger. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal much damage after diluting the green fog, but it was more than enough for him to destroy the grape vines. He didn¡¯t need that much radioactive energy to destroy a single vine in the first ce. It was definitely a waste of mana to use Irradiate in this manner, but Siegfried smirked in satisfaction after seeing the damage he had caused to the grape vines. ¡®Then, shall we start running around?¡¯?he took a step forward before fully elerating and running around the massive vineyard. *** The rate at which the Head Crusher Guild was destroying the Genesis Guild¡¯s vineyard could only be described as jaw-dropping. Physical damage? Magic damage? The type of damage didn¡¯t matter at all. The Head Crusher Guild members unleashed whatever area-of-effect skills they had, and those without area-of-effect skills poured gasoline over the grape vines and set them aze. Fwaaaah! Fwaaaah!? The ze raged and devoured the grape vines. Boom! Boom! Boom! Seung-Gu controlled his army of Iron Golems to shoot their cannons and inflict massive damage to not only the grape vines but to thend as well. Fwaaaah! Fwaaaah! Fwaaaah!? It hadn¡¯t even been twenty minutes since they arrived, but the vineyard spanning hundreds of thousands of hectares was already engulfed in a sea of mes, and the fire had be so big that it was near impossible to extinguish it through ordinary means. Annihtion. Siegfried had sessfully destroyed the Genesis Guild¡¯s biggest source of ie. ¡®All right! This is more than enough!¡¯?Siegfried was satisfied with the results. He rubbed the ring with his guild¡¯s emblem. Bzzt! The ring started vibrating, and it sent a signal to the other rings. ¡°Retreat! The order has been given! Retreat!¡± ¡°Time to make a run for it! Keke!¡± ¡°Run for your lives! Run!¡± The Head Crusher Guild members started running toward the south entrance. What about the west entrance? It was definitely foolish of them to run back there as that was in the direction where the medicinal nt field was located. In other words, the Genesis Guild Members woulde from the west entrance. This whole operation was designed to start from the west, and they would make their way down south to escape. The other five hundred members of the Head Crusher Guild were probably at the south entrance right now, and they had to have already secured it for their escape. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Hamchi!¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi made a run for the south entrance after wreaking havoc on someone else¡¯snd. *** Fwaaaah! Fwaaaaah! Min-Woo¡¯s heart dropped the moment he realized that the vineyard was on fire. The vineyard was the backbone of their guild¡¯s finances, and the fact that it was on fire right now meant that their guild had just suffered a catastrophic blow. He immediately got worried about how Chae Hyung-Seok was going to react to this news. No, Min-Woo wasn¡¯t even sure about how he was even going to break this news to him¡­ ¡°N-No!¡± Min-Woo screamed. His face turned pale after realizing the severity of the situation. He turned toward the rest of the guild members and desperately screamed, ¡°All forces! To the vineyard! Hurry to the vineyard!¡± *** ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± ¡°That felt amazing! Keke!¡± ¡°Serves those fuckers right! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Let them have a taste of their own medicine!¡± ¡°Kekekekeke!¡± Laughter filled the air as the Head Crusher Guild members retreated. This was a huge breath of fresh air for them. They had been pushed around by the Genesis Guild for so long without even being able to retaliate almost throughout their gaming life. However, all of that changed today. These Adventurers managed toy waste to the Genesis Guild¡¯s most valuable source of ie. It was a refreshing feeling that not any beverage could fulfill. Ten years¡ªno, it felt as if a hundred years¡¯ worth of grudge had been instantly lifted off of their shoulders! ¡°Listen up! Stopughing and keep running! We¡¯ll lose if they catch us!¡± Siegfried shouted. He urged them on because the Head Crusher Guild was no match against the Genesis Guild in a direct confrontation. The might of the Genesis Guild was akin to a decent-sized kingdom¡¯s military, thanks to their buffs. The individual power of their members wasn¡¯t that strong, but they possessed the trait of bing stronger and stronger the higher their numbers. This meant that the Head Crusher Guild would be annihted if they shed head-on against the Genesis Guild. ¡®We need to run faster. We wasted too much time at the vineyard,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he ran faster. However, he suddenly came to a stop. ¡®Something¡¯s wrong¡­¡¯?he instinctively could tell that there was something wrong. The rest of the Head Crusher Guild was supposed to be waiting for them at the south entrance, but they were nowhere to be seen. The entrance was wide open, but the ones waiting for them weren¡¯t the Head Crusher Guild members. Corpses littered on the ground, pools of blood all over the ce, severed limbs and heads rolling on the ground, and the shing random drop items that Adventurers would drop upon dying. What awaited Siegfried and his forces was a massacre. However, the problem was that the corpses belonged to the Head Crusher Guild members. ¡®Something went horribly wrong here.¡¯ While Siegfried was trying to analyze the situation, someone showed up and asked him, ¡°Are you that bastard?¡± The man had the badge of the Genesis Guild on his chest, and he was definitely the culprit who had massacred the Head Crusher Guild members. ¡®MassacreGod!¡¯?Siegfried instantly recognized the person blocking their path to safety. ID MassacreGod. He was a famous Adventurer that was in charge of the Genesis Guild¡¯s offense. He was also known as one of the pirs of their guild. *** There was a limit to what buffs could do, but that was not the case for buffs cast by high-level Buffers. The buffs cast by those Buffers were so powerful that most would mistake them as blessings from a god. Why? It was all because their buffs would allow someone to withstand attacks they would normally fail to withstand, pierce defenses they would normally fail to pierce through, and deal damages they normally wouldn¡¯t be able to dish out. There was a reason why Buffers were considered nobles in most video games, and the powerful ones were almost revered as gods. However, there was a limit to their god-like buffs. A buff could turn a weakling powerful, but it couldn¡¯t turn them into an extremely powerful person. Therefore, the Genesis Guild members wouldn¡¯t be able to stand against Rankers no matter how many buffs they received, as their memberscked in quality. It was imperative for even the Genesis Guild to have someone who was beyond a certain threshold if they were to utilize the full potential of their buffs. And that someone was none other than MassacreGod... The Genesis Guild was alwayscking in offensive power as their guild master, Chae Hyung-Seok, was a Buffer, but MassacreGod was one of their pirs thatpletelypensated for the guild¡¯s weakness. In short, MassacreGod was a high-level DPS who was in charge of converting the absurdly powerful buffs of the Genesis Guild and unleashing them as damage to their enemies. MassacreGod wielded revolvers in both hands, and his ss was known as Twin Fire. The offensive power of his ss was something that even the other top ten guilds were aware of and were wary about. ¡®To think that we would bump into that bastard here¡­¡¯?Siegfried gritted his teeth. To make matters worse, MassacreGod wasn¡¯t alone. He was apanied by eleven Buffers and other Genesis Guild members who weren¡¯t as powerful as him but were surely a threat on their own. And that was why it wasn¡¯t strange that the Head Crusher Guild members in charge of securing their escape route on the south entrance had beenpletely annihted. ¡°The vineyard is one thing, but I¡¯m more interested in seeing what you got,¡± MassacreGod said with a confident smirk. Boom! One of his revolvers shone bright red before spitting fire. Chapter 242

    Chapter 242

    ¡°Show me what you got,¡± MassacreGod said. However, his target wasn¡¯t Siegfried. Thud! The one who dropped dead was Seung-Gu. ¡°Seung-Gu!¡± Siegfried shouted, but he received no response. [Seung-Gu] [HP: ??????????] And it was all because he had already died and was no longer in the game. Seung-Gu got struck by one of the MassacreGod¡¯s infamous skills¡ªHeadshot. It was a skill that allowed MassacreGod to bury a bullet in his target¡¯s forehead urately, and those below a level threshold would die instantly from it. It was a bit simr to Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Quick Draw. Whoosh! Siegfried turned around and stared at MassacreGod. ¡°Oh? Your movements are quite nice. I would¡¯ve wasted a bullet if I shot you just now,¡± MassacreGod said with a smirk. He was quite impressed by Siegfried¡¯s reaction time. Siegfried had immediately moved the moment he raised his gun, which forced him to change his target from Siegfried to Seung-Gu. Of course, the consequence of that was Seung-Gu getting killed by Headshot, and the Iron Golems that lost their master disappeared along with his lifeless body. Thud¡­ Of all things, Seung-Gu dropped his main weapon¡ªthe Mechanic Force. ¡®Tsk¡­ That guy always drops his main weapon whenever he dies¡­¡¯?Siegfried clicked his tongue after seeing the Mechanic Force on the ground. Siegfried thought that Seung-Gu was quite the unlucky one, but this wasn¡¯t the time to think about it. ¡®I¡¯m in quite a pinch¡­¡¯?he gritted his teeth. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that Massacre God would be waiting for them at their escape route along with the high-ranking Buffers and high-level DPS of the Genesis Guild. He had a strange feeling that he had been getting quite lucky these days, and it seemed that his luck had run out today. ¡°Allow me to riddle your body with holes.¡± MassacreGod gripped his twin revolvers. Baaam! Siegfried mmed his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist into the ground. Crack¡­ Kabooom! He split both heaven and earth. *** Siegfried immediately used Splitting Heaven and Earth to cast his debuff fields. He had to react as fast as he could because he was up against a powerful enemy. ¡®Strike while the iron is hot! I should throw everything I got plus the kitchen sink right now!¡¯?he gritted his teeth as he ced his debuff fields. There was no way he was going to easily win this fight because his enemy was one of the pirs of the Genesis Guild. The so-called pir was also in charge of the Genesis Guild¡¯s offense. Frankly speaking, it was a stretch for him to expect to emerge victorious against them, and he would be lucky if a few of his guild members managed to escape alive. He had been having it easy until now against the Genesis Guild, but it was a totally different story now that he was up against a truly powerful member of the guild. Siegfried had to give one hundred percent to make it out alive from this. Seuk¡­! Seuk¡­! Seuk¡­! Shadows rose from the ground. Fwaaa! Fwaaa!? And ze Field pervaded the surroundings. ¡®They¡¯re probably in rags right now after getting hit by Splitting Heaven and Earth¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as he gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Bang! Bang! Bang!? Three gunshots rang, and bullets suddenly appeared in front of Siegfried. In addition, the other DPS members of the Genesis Guild, who were not as powerful as MassacreGod but were strong enough in their own right, made a run for the Head Crusher Guild members. Siegfried was shocked. ¡®They¡¯re all fine?! How?!¡¯ He was sure that he had taken them by surprise when he used Splitting Heaven and Earth, but the enemies looked uninjured. ¡®Their control is¡­ these guys are different from the ones I have been fighting until now!¡¯?Siegfried finally realized that his enemies this time were way stronger than the usual Genesis Guild members. Shockingly, even the ten Buffers at the rear were unscathed from the surprise attack. They were experts. Actually, it should not havee as a shock to Siegfried as the key members of the top ten guilds were famous for their abilities that far surpassed ordinary Adventurers regardless of ss. Unfortunately, MassacreGod was on a whole different levelpared to the Adventurers Siegfried had been facing until now. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bullets infused with mana rained down on Siegfried. Woooong! Siegfried immediately activated Adamant Body to take advantage of its Super Armor. Ting! Ting! Ting! The bullets ricocheted off Siegfried after hitting him. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] However, he instantly lost twenty percent of his HP. The bullets carried enough power to put him on the ground if it hadn¡¯t been for Adamant Body. ¡®This damage¡­?what?the hell is this insane damage?!¡¯?Siegfried was shocked at the bullets¡¯ power. Ironically, it shouldn¡¯t havee as a surprise at all as MassacreGod¡¯s weapon was a powerful weapon called Renegade Revolver Set that was enhanced fourteen times, and he had also received many different buffs from the Genesis Guild Buffers. ¡®I have to get close. I have to narrow the distance between us.¡¯?Siegfried gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and rushed at MassacreGod. Sseuuuu¡­! He unleashed Irradiate. He could now fight while Irradiate was active because of his increased MP Pool after consuming a dragon¡¯s heart. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re approaching me? That¡¯s a great idea, but¡­¡± MassacreGod muttered. He smiled and continued. ¡°All right, I¡¯m curious about just how good you are, so I might as well fight you from up close.¡± Surprisingly, MassacreGod didn¡¯t attempt to widen the distance between them despite being a rangedbatant. It was an amazing disy of confidence. MassacreGod was confident in his abilities as the g bearer of the Genesis Guild¡¯s offense. In other words, he was treating Siegfried as a nobody. Just like that, the showdown between MassacreGod and Siegfried began. *** Fwaaaa! Fwaaaa!? The battle between the Head Crusher Guild and the Genesis Guild was as fierce as the burning vineyard. Siegfried was fighting MassacreGod while the remaining guild members fought the Genesis Guild members. The five-hundred-man-strong Head Crusher Guild didn¡¯t lose against the high-ranking members of the Genesis Guild, and the reason was quite simple. ¡®We have to fight on top of the fields!¡¯ ¡®Fighting on the guild master-nim¡¯s field is the only way for us to survive!¡¯ ¡®We need to stay on these fields!¡¯ The Head Crusher Guild members were making full use of Siegfried¡¯s debuff fields Siegfried, whichpletely nullified the buffs of the Genesis Guild members. The natural enemies of buffs were debuffs. The Head Crusher Guild members weren¡¯t going to lose one-sidedly as long as they were on top of the debuff fields. Meanwhile, the battle between Siegfried and MassacreGod was getting fiercer by the second. ¡°Owner punk! Do your best! KYUUU!¡±?Hamchi shouted and buffed Siegfried. Unfortunately¡­ ¡®This guy is the real deal!¡¯? MassacreGod was far stronger than any other opponent Siegfried had fought so far. He could only be described as a monster. A rangedbatant was weak in close-quartersbat? Such a phrase didn¡¯t be a prejudice for no reason. A rangedbatant usually possessed a huge penalty of low Defense, HP, and Stamina. It was only fair for them to have such a penalty since they were capable of dishing out massive burst damage against their enemy from afar. However, that penalty did not seem to apply to MassacreGod. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist with all of his strength, but he couldn¡¯t hit MassacreGod at all. In fact, MassacreGod¡¯s ultra-fast reflexes allowed him to cross his +14 Renegade Revolver Set in front of him to block Siegfried¡¯s attack. ¡®Now!¡¯? ng! At that moment, the mace and revolvers shed. MassacreGod used the recoil from it to fling himself backward before spinning his revolver and shooting at Siegfried. Bang! Bang! Bang! Dozens of bullets flew toward Siegfried¡¯s abdomen. Ting! Ting! Ting! Siegfried managed to stay on his feet by defending himself with Adamant Body, but he had to sacrifice his HP. ¡®Do you really think that I¡¯m the only one who will suffer here?¡¯?Siegfried remained steadfast despite the HP loss. Click¡­! Click¡­!? He noticed that MassacreGod had to reload, so he decided to use this opportunity to unleash a fury of attacks. ¡®It¡¯s my turn.¡¯?Siegfried dashed and pressured MassacreGod. However, MassacreGod kicked off Siegfried and somersaulted to widen the distance between them. Whiish! While he was in the middle of his somersault, he opened his inventory and¡­ sh! ¡­reloaded his revolvers. Click! Click! Click! Bang! Bang! Bang! MassacreGod reloaded his revolvers in the blink of an eye and sent a flurry of bullets toward Siegfried. Bang! Thest bullet was the same bullet that killed Seung-Gu in one shot¡ªHeadshot. A bullet struck Siegfried dead-center on his forehead, and what happened next absolutely surprised him. Thud! He flew away and crashed to the ground despite Adamant Body¡¯s Super Armor. ¡®T-this doesn¡¯t make sense¡­!¡¯?Siegfried was stunned. He was stupefied because MassacreGod had pierced his Super Armor. In other words, MassacreGod¡¯s Headshot was powerful enough to prate Super Armor. ¡°Sigh¡­¡±?MassacreGod let out a sigh of disappointment. ¡°Did you honestly think you could win in closebat quarters just because I¡¯m a rangedbatant?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, I have bad news for you. I¡¯m fucking good in close-quartersbat, too,¡± MassacreGod said with a condescending smirk. He sounded arrogant, but he had the strength to back it up. In addition, he had never underestimated Siegfried. Plop¡­! Plop¡­! However, blood was flowing down MassacreGod¡¯s orifices. ¡°W-What is this¡­?¡± He was baffled upon realizing that his nose and ears were bleeding. ¡°Why is there blood? I¡¯m sure I didn¡¯t get hit even once¡­¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Siegfried said as he slowly stood up. Sseuuuu¡­! A green fog seeped out of him once again. MassacreGod possessed high resistance against poison, but his prolonged exposure to Irradiate, coupled with the debuffs, made him fall victim to the radioactive energy. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been Poisoned!] [Alert: You will start losing Stamina over time, and you¡¯ll find it difficult to control your character!] A string of messages popped up in front of MassacreGod¡¯s eyes. It was said that many a little would make a mickle, and this was the perfect way to describe what happened to him. He had been ignoring Irradiate¡¯s damage because it was negligible, but he didn¡¯t expect to end up getting severely injured from it. ¡°H-Healer! Hurry up! Healer!¡± MassacreGod screamed at the top of his lungs. ¡°On it!¡± a healer shouted and started chanting a spell. It was a spell that detoxified poisoned allies and recovered a portion of their HP and Stamina. ¡°Yai Panod Sam Sam Sam¡­¡± Whoosh! Siegfried¡¯s +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist flew toward the healer and¡­ Bam! ¡­smashed their head open. It was the ranged skill of the Debuff Master, Flying Spur. Thud! The healer fell to the ground with a dull thud and died. ¡°¡­!¡± MassacreGod was stupefied. ¡°Did you really think that I¡¯ll let that happen?¡± Siegfried said. He started running once more. However, he wasn¡¯t running toward MassacreGod. ¡®I just have to make my enemies weaker,¡¯?he thought. His target was the Buffers and Healers of the Genesis Guild. He was nning on eliminating the backbone of the Genesis Guild¡¯s strategy¡ªtheir powerful Buffers. Weaken opponents and beat the living daylights out of them¡­ Siegfried decided to stay true to his roots as the Debuff Master! Chapter 243

    Chapter 243

    ¡®This guy¡¯s not an easy opponent even without his buffs¡­¡¯?Siegfried acknowledged his opponent¡¯s strength. It was no use even if he refused to acknowledge MassacreGod¡¯s strength, as his opponent¡¯s control,bat sense, and reflex were on a whole different levelpared to those that he had fought against until now. MassacreGod¡¯s level was much higher than Siegfried''s in the first ce, but what if such a monster had buffs from high-ranking Buffers? The result would be obvious. Siegfried was definitely going to lose, and he had zero chance of winning. To make matters worse, Siegfried had already ced his debuff fields for the Head Crusher Guild members, so his most powerful weapon as the Debuff Master was on cooldown. He should have avoided fighting a renowned Adventurer like MassacreGod. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like Siegfried could abandon his guild members and run away, so thepromise he made was to target the Healers and Buffers of the Genesis Guild first. His first target was obviously going to be the Healers. He had to stop them from detoxifying MassacreGod. ¡°Yai Panod Sam Sam Sam¡ªHeok!¡±? The Healer channeling a spell to detoxify MassacreGod stopped channeling when Siegfried appeared in front of her. However, there was no way that a Healer could move faster than Siegfried, so she ended up getting her head mercilessly smashed in by Siegfried¡¯s +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Puk! Puk! Puk! The Debuff Master¡¯s Machine Gun Smash smashed her head open. Thud! The Healer fell to the ground with a dull thud and was forced to log out. ¡°You bastard!¡± MassacreGod roared and chased after Siegfried. Bang! Bang! Bang! The +14 Renegade Revolver Set spat fire. ¡®Good luck hitting me this time,¡¯?Siegfried smirked. He protected himself using Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings. Ting! Ting! Ting! The Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings deflected the bullets, but the force behind the bullets still injured Siegfried ¡®The damage is manageable now, though,¡¯?he thought. The damage difference was huge, and it seemed that the cape made out of Heavenly Silk was indeed reliable. ¡®It¡¯s time to hunt,¡¯?Siegfried ran to the Buffers. However, the Buffers didn¡¯t easily give up their lives just because Siegfried wasing for them. They were seasoned veterans and high-ranking members of one of the top ten guilds, so they were quick on their feet. These Buffers were different from the ragtag bunch of Buffers that Siegfried had fought against until now. Whoosh! Whoosh!? The Buffers dodged Siegfried¡¯s attacks and scattered. Surprisingly, Siegfried didn¡¯t seem to be that bothered by the fact that his attacks struck nothing but air. After all, he didn¡¯t really have to hit them to deal damage to them. Irradiate. Sseuuu¡­! The Buffers were poisoned after being exposed to the powerful radioactive energy. They sessfully dodged Siegfried¡¯s attacks, but they couldn¡¯t withstand Irradiate. ¡°K-Keuk¡­!¡± ¡°My¡­ My legs aren¡¯t listening¡­¡± The Buffers¡¯ Movement Speed was shredded the moment they got poisoned, and they became sitting ducks waiting to be killed. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Gwaaaa!¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± The enemies had presented themselves to him on a silver tter, so Siegfried could only oblige and kill them. ¡°Hey, you bastard! Stop right there!¡± MassacreGod screamed fury and started chasing after the head-crushing pervert, who was going around and killing his Buffers. Bang! Bang! Bang! He fired at Siegfried but¡­ ¡°Fuck off! Would you stop if you were in my shoes?!¡± Siegfried retorted. He continued chasing after the remaining Buffers while making sure that there was a certain distance between him and MassacreGod. A game of cat and mouse ensued. Ironically, their roles were reversed. The rangedbatant MassacreGod was the one chasing after the meleebatant Siegfried. *** Siegfried¡¯s decision to go after the Healers and Buffers first was perfect. His decision turned the tide of the battle in favor of the Head Crusher Guild. The Genesis Guild members visibly became weaker every time Siegfried killed one of their Buffers. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°This fucker is nothing without his buffs! Keke!¡± ¡°What happened to your damage? Kekeke!¡± The morale of the Head Crusher Guild reached its peak. Their morale was high because their enemies no longer had their buffs while Siegfried¡¯s debuff fields were still in ce. The power bnce hadpletely swung in favor of the Head Crusher Guild, and the fact that they were already greater in number from the start was the nail in the coffin for the Genesis Guild members. ¡®Fuck¡­!¡¯?MassacreGod cursed inwardly and started to feel pressured. ¡°Stop right there! You fucking rat!¡± he screamed in fury and chased after Siegfried, but¡­ [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been Poisoned!] [Alert: You will start losing Stamina over time, and you¡¯ll find it difficult to control your character!] MassacreGod couldn¡¯t keep up with Siegfried¡¯s speed after getting poisoned, and he was slowly starting to get left behind after losing his buffs one by one whenever Siegfried killed the Buffers. However, the biggest reason he couldn¡¯t catch up to Siegfried was because of Siegfried¡¯s title¡ªPesky Brat. [Pesky Brat] [A title given to those extremely good at annoying people and running away from their responsibilities.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Unique] [Effects: Swiftness, Come and Get Me!, You¡¯re Dead Meat!] [Swiftness: Movement Speed +7%] [Come and Get Me!: Movement Speed +50% while being chased (Active)] [You¡¯re Dead Meat!: +25% Damage Received while Come and Get Me! is active] Siegfried got so fast after activating ¡®Come and Get Me!¡¯ that MassacreGod¡¯s bullets couldn¡¯t hit him anymore. Thud! Thud! Thud! Meanwhile, Siegfried hunted the Genesis Guild¡¯s Buffers, which created a domino effect that caused the deaths of many Genesis Guild members. The cycle of running and chasing continued until MassacreGod realized that he was the only one left. ¡®Everyone¡¯s dead¡­?¡¯?he btedly realized. ¡°Hey,¡± Siegfried called out to MassacreGod and said, ¡°Shall we test your skills?¡± ¡°M-My skills¡­? You dare talk about testing me?¡± ¡°I want to see how good you are without your buffs.¡± ¡°This bastard¡­¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m quite busy, so let¡¯s hurry up,¡± Siegfried said before charging at MassacreGod. The second round of their duel started, but it looked quite different from the first round. ¡®I can win!¡¯?Siegfried was confident. MassacreGod wasn¡¯t that strong without his buffs. ng! The +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and +14 Renegade Revolver Set shed. ¡°Ack!¡±?MassacreGod failed to withstand the force behind the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist without his buffs. His posture was shattered, but it didn¡¯t mean that he was willing to just give Siegfried an opening to attack him. MassacreGod was still an expert even without his buffs, and he was not going to let his opponentnd a hit just because he was thrown off bnce. Bang! Bang!? In fact, he showed his experience as a seasoned veteran by managing to shoot even while he was thrown off bnce. ¡®He¡¯s strong. He¡¯s really strong...¡¯?Siegfried thought. Siegfried reckoned that it was impossible for him to defeat MassacreGod without Irradiate. Why? MassacreGod possessed the ability, control, and level to overpower Siegfried even without the help of his Buffers. Siegfried had an excuse to defend his awful performance in the first round. He had to use his debuff fields to help his guild members, and he was forced to face MassacreGod without his main skills. But this time was different... Wooong! Siegfried gathered his mana and cast Shadow Swamp and ze Field at the same time. ¡®I have to run!¡¯?MassacreGod noticed that he was in danger and tried to escape, but he was a step toote. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Hey, you should y with me. I made time for you despite being so busy, you know?¡± Siegfried suddenly popped up in front of his eyes and swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. MassacreGod was shocked after getting hit for the first time. Pukeok! The +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist smashed into MassacreGod¡¯s chest. ¡°¡­!¡± MassacreGod was too stunned to speak. [MassacreGod] [HP: ??????????] His HP was at seventy percent just a few moments ago. [MassacreGod] [HP: ??????????] However, he lost a massive forty percent of his HP after getting hit once. ¡®W-What the hell is this damage?!¡¯?he was shocked. Unbeknownst to him, the damage was a result of many different factors at y. His buffs had expired, and they were fighting on top of Siegfried¡¯s debuff fields. His Defense as a rangedbatant was innately low as well, and his HP wasn¡¯t really that high. ¡°K-Keuk¡­?What kind of damage is that¡­?¡± MassacreGod groaned. ¡°I thought you were good in close-quartersbat, too?¡± Siegfried smirked. Now, it was his turn to avenge himself. MassacreGod was indeed a skilled Adventurer, but even his talents and experience weren¡¯t enough to ovee his limitation as a rangedbatant. And the result was¡­ Puk! Puk! Puk! The result was MassacreGod taking a one-sided beating from Siegfried. ¡°Kuheok!?J-Just you wait¡­! You bastard¡­! Next time I will¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll probably be stronger than you by then.¡± Siegfried cut him off. ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± MassacreGod growled. Both of his revolvers shone bright red. This was the precursor to the activation of his ultimate skill¡ªSteel Rain. ¡°Die¡­!¡± MassacreGod confidently shouted, but nothing happened. ¡°Huh?¡± ck! ck! ck! The bullets wouldn¡¯te out no matter how many times he pulled the trigger. ¡°Tough luck, buddy, it¡¯s not going to work,¡± Siegfried sneered. ¡°Why¡­? What¡¯s wrong with my skill¡­?¡± ¡°Who knows? What¡¯s wrong with your skill?¡± ¡°How¡­? Why¡­?¡± ¡°There should be a reason, right? But I¡¯m not going to tell you, so just hurry up and die,¡± Siegfried said with a shrug. Pukeok! He then smashed MassacreGod¡¯s head open. ¡®Phew¡­ I almost ended up bing holy¡­ a body full of holes¡­¡¯?Siegfried let out a sigh of relief. He had cast Wave of Oppression just in case, and it proved to be the right call. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We don¡¯t have much time left!¡± Siegfried shouted at the remaining guild members. They didn¡¯t have the luxury of getting drunk in their victory as the main forces of the Genesis Guild were probablying toward them right now, so every second counted. However, there was something they had to do before retreating. ¡°I¡¯ll pick these up and return them to their owners, so you guys go ahead first. Let¡¯s go, Hamchi!¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t forget to pick up the items that his guild members had dropped upon dying. *** ¡ªH-Hyung¡­ I¡¯m really sorry¡­ Sniff¡­! Sniff¡­! Chae Hyung-Seok realized that something was off after hearing Min-Woo cry over the call. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked in a dry voice. ¡ªHyung¡­ That is¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­! ¡°I asked you what happened.¡± ¡ªThat bastard¡­ That bastard did¡­ ¡°Quit crying and say it.¡± ¡ªOur vineyard¡­ the vineyard was¡­ I¡¯m really sorry¡­ Sniff¡­! Sniff¡­! Tak! Chae Hyung-Seok heard the sound of something snapping in his head, and he knew from experience that this was the sound of his reason that was keeping his anger in check, finally snapping. ¡°¡­¡± However, Chae Hyung-Seok didn¡¯t say anything until he heard everything that transpired from Min-Woo. He silently listened to the news of his guild¡¯s biggest source of ie¡ªthe vineyard¡ªgetting razed to the ground. ¡ªSniff¡­ Sniff¡­! Chae Hyung-Seok finally spoke once Min-Woo was done. ¡°Fuck the emperor or whatever. We¡¯re going in,¡± he growled and gnashed his teeth. Chae Hyung-Seok decided to invade the Proatine Kingdom. The imperial decree of the most powerful NPC on the continent¡ªthe emperor¡ªno longer mattered to him. Chapter 244

    Chapter 244

    The Head Crusher Guild suffered many casualties, but they managed to safely return to base after razing the Genesis Guild¡¯s biggest source of ie to the ground. . A string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: Your guild has leveled up!] [Alert: Head Crusher Guild has reached Level 2!] [Alert: Head Crusher Guild has reached Level 3!] [Alert: Head Crusher Guild has reached Level 4!] [Alert: Head Crusher Guild has reached Level 5!] [Alert: Additional bonuses will be given to the guild master and guild members!] [Alert: You may now purchase various monster guardians from the Adventurer Guild!] However, Siegfried paid no heed to the messages. Additional bonuses? Yeah, they were great, but they weren¡¯t that great. It would be a different story altogether if the guild were over Level 100, but the bonus he would receive while the guild was at Level 5 was insignificant. He did receive more bonuses as the guild master, but he was not someone that would be satisfied with chump change. It was the same for the monster guardians that he could hire from the Adventurer Guild. The only monster guardians avable for hire at Level 5 were a bunch of stone-slinging goblins, and it was going to take quite a while before the guild reached a level where they could finally start hiring proper monster guardians. ¡°Hahaha! Those sons of bitches got fucked!¡± ¡°That felt awesome!¡± ¡°It feels like decades worth of burden has finally been lifted off of my shoulders!¡± ¡°Just wait and see! This is only the beginning! Haha!¡± The Head Crusher Guild got drunk in their victory after returning to base, and they started drinking in joy. However, there were two people that were not smiling in this festive mood, and they were both Siegfried and the Genesis Guild¡¯s spy, SingSingHighschoolGirl. ¡®Why did the n suddenly change? D-did they figure out my true affiliation¡­?¡¯?She wasughing on the outside but dying on the inside. Meanwhile, Siegfried was deep in thought, ¡®This isn¡¯t the time for us to be happy¡­ The difference in strength is too big¡­¡¯ He finally realized just how powerful the Genesis Guild was after fighting MassacreGod. ¡®I got lucky. MassacreGod¡¯s Poison Resistance is garbage, and he got poisoned as well¡­ I would have died if his Poison Resistance were a bit higher.¡¯? Siegfried would have lost if it hadn¡¯t been for Irradiate. He knew that the only reason he won was that his enemy had gotten poisoned by Irradiate. The stars had aligned, and he had gotten extremely lucky this time around. ¡®I have to be stronger¡­ My stats are too low. They¡¯re not enough.¡¯ Stats were extremely important in any game. He could possess god-like control and the most cunning strategy or tricks to hit his opponent a hundred times, but he would still die in a single hit if their stat difference were too great. There was a limit to what he could achieve in his current state, and he knew that he needed a trump card if he wanted to crush the Genesis Guild. Siegfried knew very well what that trump card was¡­ ¡®Level and debuffs¡­¡¯?Siegfried clenched his fists. A character¡¯s stats were rted to their level, while debuffs allowed Siegfried to defeat enemies with higher levels than him. ¡®I need to level up first. I got too distracted doing this and that. It¡¯s time for me to prioritize leveling up. The Genesis Guild is full of people like MassacreGod, so I need to be prepared.¡¯? Siegfried reminded himself that MassacreGod was just one of the pirs of the Genesis Guild¡¯s offense. More importantly, MassacreGod wasn¡¯t the only pir. ¡®My debuffs have to be even stronger as well. My stats are important as well, but there are diminishing returns in stats, so my debuffs are more important.¡¯ Thinking about the battle against MassacreGod gave him a headache. He won, but the battle only made him more anxious. ¡°All right, everyone,¡± Siegfried called out to the guild members. ¡°Excellent work, everyone, but all of you are aware that there¡¯s something we have to do before we celebrate our victory, right?¡± Every single eye turned toward someone at Siegfried¡¯s words. ¡°¡­?¡± The recipient of everyone¡¯s gaze tilted her head in confusion, and the recipient of everyone¡¯s attention was none other than SingSingHighschoolGirl. ¡°Excuse me, SingSingHighschoolGirl-nim¡­?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°F-For what?¡± She was extremely flustered when Siegfried suddenly thanked her. ¡°C¡¯mon, you know why,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°What do you mean¡­? Hohoho¡­¡± ¡°We were able to burn down the vineyard thanks to you, so it¡¯s only natural to be grateful to you. Hmm¡­ Do I have to reward you with something big?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I feel so grateful to you that I don¡¯t know what to do with you!¡± SingSingHighschoolGirl¡¯s face turned ghastly pale. ¡°How did you find out?¡± she asked. ¡°Who knows? But do I have to tell you?¡± Siegfried shed a spine-chilling smile. ¡°Hold on, let¡¯s talk this out, shall we? You can trick the Genesis Guild if you use me and¡ªKweeek!¡±?SingSingHighschoolGirl suddenly squealed like a dying pig mid-sentence after Siegfried¡¯s attacknded squarely on his face. ¡°This is why I like this game,¡± Siegfried said with an evil grin. ¡°Trash like you are still considered women in real life, and I¡¯ll be damned if I hit you there. But that¡¯s not the case in the game, right?¡± ¡°You asshole¡­ How dare you hit a woman¡­¡± she growled. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t negotiate with snitches.¡± A snitch would forever be a snitch, and Siegfried would never believe a snitch. ¡°So¡­ I guess you guys can do what you want with her. Feel free to beat her to your heart¡¯s content until she logs out. All right?¡± Siegfried said and threw the snitch to the guild members. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaahk!¡±? The guild members had fun beating her up before she managed to log out. Thud¡­! She dropped a useless item called Noble Lady¡¯s Luxury Leather Bag upon dying. *** Siegfried left the guild headquarters and headed toward his office at the castle. He stayed in his office and contemted many things. His main problem right now was quite simple, and it was the fact that the Genesis Guild was muchrger and stronger than he initially thought. He knew they were strong, but he didn¡¯t expect them to be that strong. Still, there had to be a solution out there. ¡®I just have to be stronger,¡¯?he thought. However, he knew that leveling up wasn¡¯t exactly the right answer, as he was at the stage where it was excruciatingly slow to level up. It would take him ages to crush the Genesis Guild with the stat difference alone. Siegfried knew that his only chance of survival was to stick to his roots. ¡®Debuffs. It¡¯s the answer. That¡¯s my only chance of winning this war.¡¯ Level? Item? Guild? Yes, those were great, but he was the Debuff Master. He would eventually hit a wall if he didn¡¯t level up his debuff skills. Debuff was the only answer. He had been neglecting his debuffs, but the battle against MassacreGod made him realize the importance of his debuffs. His debuffs weren¡¯t only useful against stronger opponents, but they would also help his guild members. ¡®How can I strengthen my debuffs, though¡­? Is leveling up and putting skill points the only answer? Perhaps items¡­?¡¯?he racked his brains as hard as he could. Thud! A dull thud echoed. An old tattered book suddenly appeared in front of him. ¡®Huh?!¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot wide open. The old tattered book was none other than the Debuff Master¡¯s skill book that his master¡ªDeus¡ªhad bestowed upon him. *** ¡®Why did this appear all of a sudden? I thought this turned into dust and disappeared¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was puzzled and surprised after seeing the book. [The secret to invincibility lies in this secret book.] Those words were written in the book, and he remembered a vast amount of information rushing into his brain before the skill book turned into dust thest time he read the words out loud. It had already turned into dust, so why did it appear all of a sudden? ¡®What is going on?¡¯?Siegfried was still confused, but he still reached out for the book. He slowly flipped the pages and started reading. Smite, Circle of Mortality, Circle of Weakness, etc. The familiar names of the skills he had obtained so far and their descriptions were written on the pages until he reached the page of the most recent skill he had obtained at Level 200, Frost Wave. The rest of the pages werepletely nk. ¡®Ah, it¡¯s empty as expected. Tsk¡­¡¯?He clicked his tongue out of disappointment, even though he knew that it would be nk. The Debuff Master¡¯s skill tree was already predetermined by Deus, and all he had to do was unlock them one by one through progression, and the unavable skills werepletely hidden until he reached the required level to unlock them. Of course, it was still no different from being spoon-fed, as all he had to do was reach the requisite level to learn the skill automatically. ¡®Huh? So why did this book even appear?¡¯?he wondered. Letters suddenly appeared on a nk page. Keke! I knew you would think that way. ¡®M-Master?!¡¯?Siegfried was shocked after realizing that Deus was talking to him. Who could have thought that a skill book could be used tomunicate? ¡°M-Master? Are you in there?¡± Siegfried asked, but it was in vain. Tsk tsk¡­ You stupid fool. I¡¯m sorry to say this, but this is not intended formunication. This skill book was infused with my great thoughts. Surprisingly, Deus seemed to have written everything in advance while fully aware of what Siegfried was going to think or say. So stop making a fuss and get rid of your foolish ideas that the great me is talking to you through this book. ¡°Haha¡­ I apologize for being stupid, Master¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with an awkwardugh as a tear dropped from the corner of his eye. Anyway, the fact that this book appeared once again means that you have finally reflected on yourself. So, have you realized it by now? You are bound to go back to your roots no matter how strong you grow or how good your weapons are. Your whole existence starts with the debuff and ends with the debuff. Learning how to use your debuffs to weaken your enemies is your only path to invincibility. Deus¡¯ words pierced him as if they were knives. Since you have realized it by yourself, it is time for me to guide you to be stronger. I¡¯m talking about how you could draw the true powers of your debuff skills! Those words were like rain in a severe drought for Siegfried. ¡®As expected?of Master¡­!¡¯?Siegfried was moved. He was once again awed by Deus'' greatness. He patiently waited for the skill book to bestow new teachings upon him from Deus. However, you will have to undergo training first. You are probably confused after obtaining so many skills. In fact, you probably fail to use your skills to their full potential, and you are probablypletely neglecting some of your skills by now. That¡¯s why you need to train how to use your skills to their fullest before I teach you how to enhance your debuff skills. Now, we¡¯re going to start the training! Are you ready to get beaten up to your heart¡¯s content? ¡°W-What¡­? Beaten up to my heart¡¯s content¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered and tilted his head in confusion. Wooong! A magic circle appeared on the floor of his office, and a figure appeared above it. [World¡¯s Strongest and Most Evil Training Dummy] [A training dummy carved from a ten-thousand-year-old Baobab tree growing in Mount Kunlun.] [It is extremely strong, and anyone going up against it has to be prepared to get beaten to a pulp.] [Type: Monster] [Race: Training Dummy] [Level: 600] [ss: Ultimate Trainer] [Additional Information: It can only be used for training purposes.] ¡°What¡¯s that imposing training dummy¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered, seemingly confused. Who would believe their eyes upon seeing a Level 600 training dummy? However, the training dummy didn¡¯t give him time to contemte. Whoosh!? Shwik! The World¡¯s Strongest and Most Evil Training Dummy abruptly appeared in front of him. ¡®Why the hell is it?so fa¡ª¡¯?Siegfried thought. Pukeok! The training dummy sucker punched him right in the face. Chapter 245

    Chapter 245

    Blood spurted from Siegfried¡¯s nose¡­ ¡°Damn it¡­¡± he wiped the blood and red at the training dummy. Tak! Tak! Tak! The training dummy was bouncing up and down as if it were Bruce Lee or something. ck¡­ ck!? Then, it motioned to Siegfried with its wooden finger before walking away. ¡°Is it asking me to follow it?¡± Siegfried muttered. He seemed perplexed as he followed the training dummy. ¡°Your Majesty? Are you going somewhere?¡± ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty! You¡¯re bleeding!¡± The maids, servants, and guards he met on the way were shocked upon seeing blood dripping from both of his nostrils. ¡°Ah, please don¡¯t mind me and continue with your work,¡± Siegfried replied before following the training dummy. ¡®Huh? Isn¡¯t this my personal training area?¡¯? The training dummy brought him to his royal training area. ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood,¡± the training dummy introduced himself. ¡°W-What did you just say¡­?¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood.¡± ¡°Bruce? Your name is Bruce, and yourst name is Wood¡­?¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood.¡± It seemed that the World¡¯s Strongest and Most Evil Training Dummy only knew how to introduce itself. ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood.¡± The training dummy introduced itself once more before it flicked its finger at Siegfried. ¡°You want me to attack this time?¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood.¡± Siegfried decided to take that as the answer and attacked. He got his ass whooped to his heart¡¯s content. ¡°Ack!?Gwaaah!?S-Stop! Stop hitting meeeee!¡± Siegfried¡¯s cries of agony reverberated throughout the peaceful Proatine Kingdom. *** Meanwhile, Chae Hyung-Seok temporarily left the hospital and went home. He headed straight for his capsule and entered it. Tremble¡­ Tremble¡­? He still hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, so his arms and legs were trembling, but he didn¡¯t care about his trembling limbs. Why? Chae Hyung-Seok was not logging into the game to y. ¡°H-Hyung¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok was met by the teary-eyed Min-Woo after logging into the game. p! And he pped Min-Woo as hard as he could before walking away. ¡°Hyung¡­¡± Min-Woo muttered, stunned. ¡°Don¡¯t show up in front of me whether it¡¯s in the game or reality,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok said coldly before walking away. A few hourster, Chae Hyung-Seok was kneeling on top of avishly decorated red carpet, waiting for someone. The ce he was in right now was decorated unsparingly, was quite vast, and was the epitome of luxury itself. However, this was no surprise because the ce he was kneeling in was none other than the deepest part of the Marchioni Empire¡¯s imperial pce. The Marchioni Empire was the strongest empire on the N¨¹rburg Continent. ¡°His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!¡± The chief eunuch announced the arrival of the emperor in a firm and booming voice. Stuttgart von Posteriore. He was the highest authority of Brave New World, and he appeared to meet Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡®This damn emperor bastard¡­ Why is it so difficult to meet him when he¡¯s only an NPC?¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok grumbled inwardly. The amount he had spent just to request an audience with the emperor was already a few hundred million won in real life. He had to bribe numerous nobles of the empire just for them to write a rmendation letter to the emperor. Emperor Stuttgart was not someone that a mere Adventurer could easily meet. Chae Hyung-Seok hid his inner thoughts and showed respect to the emperor. He was certain without a hint of doubt that a killing order was going to be issued by the empire against him and the entire Genesis Guild if his thoughts were exposed. ¡°I, the guild master of the Genesis Guild, Desire, greet the great and mighty emperor,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok said and bowed down to the ground. ¡°For what reason did you request to meet me, Adventurer Desire?¡± Emperor Stuttgart asked. ¡°That is¡­ I have dared tomit this insolence of requesting an audience with the emperor to make known the atrocitiesmitted against me. I plead the great and mighty emperor to lend an ear to the injustice I have suffered!¡± ¡°Atrocities and injustice, you say¡­¡± Emperor Stuttgart muttered, seemingly interested. He asked, ¡°What kind of injustice have you suffered that you required an audience with me, the emperor?¡± ¡°I am currently being persecuted by a king that the great and mighty emperor has appointed.¡± ¡°A king I have appointed?¡± ¡°The king¡ªSiegfried van Proa¡ªis relentless. He has viciously attacked me and my guild members. He does not allow me to lie down in peace for even a minute.¡± ¡°Tell me what happened in detail,¡± Emperor Stuttgart said sternly. Chae Hyung-Seok listed everything that had happened to the emperor. Why? It was all because to make himself look like the victim. ¡°I see¡­ so that happened¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ What do you want me to do about it?¡± ¡°I merely request the¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok trailed off before continuing. ¡°¡­the revocation of the protection period that Your Majesty has bestowed upon the Proatine Kingdom.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Siegfried van Proa of the Proatine Kingdom has struck me and my guild first, and he has caused massive damage to both property and lives. I merely wish to enact revenge on him.¡± ¡°So you want revenge, but the protection period I have promised is preventing you from doing so?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The reason that Chae Hyung-Seok went through the trouble of meeting the emperor was solely to have the protection period revoked so that he could swoop in andy waste to the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°It is a known fact that King Siegfried has attacked us without probable cause, so I have the right to defend myself. I hope the great and mighty emperor would agree with me.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re not wrong¡­¡± Emperor Stuttgart trailed off and added, ¡°However, I should find out why he attacked you in the first ce.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just revoke an imperial edict after listening to only one side of the story, right?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s heart dropped to the floor. ¡®Fuck! This isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to be!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok immediately realized that he had made the wrong decision. He didn¡¯t expect the emperor to react that way, and it was a gross miscalction on his end. Chae Hyung-Seok underestimated the emperor simply because he was an NPC. He was deluded, thinking that the emperor would move ording to his whims just because the emperor was an NPC. He failed to understand that NPCs in BNW were just like human beings, and it seemed that his inability toprehend that would be his demise. ¡°You may leave,¡± Emperor Stuttgart said before adding, ¡°I will summon King Siegfried and make my decision after investigating the matter.¡± ¡°T-Thank you, Your Majesty¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok muttered. He left the audience hall while drenched in sweat. ¡®FUUUUUUUUUCK!¡¯?he screamed inwardly. There was a saying that fools will somehow rush to their demise when left alone, and Chae Hyung-Seok had done that exactly. *** ¡°S-Stop¡­ H-Hitting¡­ MEEE!?AAACK!¡±?Siegfried screamed at the top of his lungs. He was well into his third day of training with the training dummy Bruce Wood, and he was getting beaten up left, right, and center over the past two days. ¡®Huh? What¡¯s going on? My basic attacks suddenly deal more damage¡­?¡¯?Siegfried suddenly noticed that the random swinging of his mace was dealing a lot of damage. ¡®What is this feeling¡­? Why does my basic attack feel like Smite¡­?¡¯ [Alert: Your active skill Smite has been converted to a passive skill!] A message popped up in front of his eyes. ¡®What?! Smite is a passive skill now?!¡¯?Siegfried was shocked. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that the active skill, Smite, could turn into a passive skill, and this meant that Smite¡¯s cooldown time was reduced to zero now. But that was not the end of the surprise. [Alert: Your active skill Flying Spur has been converted to a passive skill!] [Alert: The name of Flying Spur has changed to Flying Sword!] Siegfried¡¯s one and only ranged attack skill Flying Spur was now Flying Sword. [Alert: You may deal ranged damage using Flying Sword!] Smite and Flying Spur had be passive skills that influenced his basic attacks, which meant their cooldown was reduced to zero. ¡®My DPS is going to be absurdly strong now, right¡­?¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t believe it. DPS meant Damage per Second in game lingo, and it literally meant the amount of damage that one could deal to an enemy per second. Siegfried was certain that his DPS was going to increase explosively because he no longer had to wait for his powerful skills to go off cooldown. ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± Siegfried suddenly realized something. ¡°I think I¡¯ve only used Smite and Flying Spur while training with this dummy. Is that why these two skills changed?¡± He hadn¡¯t noticed anything while he was getting beaten up, but he quickly came to a conclusion upon thinking about what he had been doing so far. Bruce was extremely fast, and its fighting style was a dynamicbination of melee and ranged attacks, which had been confusing the heck out of Siegfried. Siegfried didn¡¯t have the luxury to think about any other skills and had to depend only on Smite and Flying Spur, and it resulted in him receiving the messages that had just popped up in front of him. ¡°Wait¡­ did you force me to use only Smite and Flying Spur?¡± Siegfried asked the training dummy. The training dummy haughtily crossed its arms over its chest and replied proudly, ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± Its reply didn¡¯t change, but it was more than enough of an answer for Siegfried. Siegfried smiled and said, ¡°All right, so I can be stronger by ying with you, right? Then, we should keep going at it.¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my turn now, got it?¡± Siegfried asked before charging at the training dummy. *** After that, Siegfried was subjected to endless physical abuse disguised as training in hopes of bing stronger. The training dummy managed to force him to use his brain andprehend the optimal timing to use his skills. In other words, he was starting to get better at judging when to use his skills. A week of horrendous abuseter¡­ ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± Bruce eximed before pointing at something. Siegfried was a bloody mess, and his eyes werepletely ck and swollen. ¡°H-Hmm¡­?¡± He turned and realized that the training dummy was pointing at the skill book floating next to his right shoulder. ¡°You want me to check the skill book?¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t understand what the training dummy was saying, but he got the gist of what it was trying to say by reading its bodynguage. It seems that you¡¯vepleted your training. Words appeared on the skill book¡¯s nk page... Alright, it seems that you¡¯ve mastered the basics. It is now time for me to teach you how to maximize the abilities of the Debuff Master. ¡°Thank you, Master¡­¡± Siegfried thanked his master at Mount Kunlun and bowed. Then, he focused on the words in the skill book. But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bitckluster if only your debuffs get stronger? I do not wish to see my one and only disciple be content with catching just one bird. Hitting two birds with one stone is the norm, right? Kekeke! ¡°You are absolutely correct, Master.¡± I have prepared a mission for you that will not only make you be even stronger but will also enhance your debuff skills. So do your best toplete the mission and be stronger! Deus was basically telling him to enhance his debuff skills and level up at the same time. ¡®Kyah! As expected?of Master! I¡¯m getting drunk?in his?graciousness!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly while bathing in Deus¡¯ mercy. He patiently waited for the quest details. Ding! A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: A quest has appeared!] Momentster, the quest details of Deus¡¯ quest for him appeared in front of him. Chapter 246

    Chapter 246

    [Back to Basics] [Go to the Elven Kingdom, Elondel, to enhance the Debuff Master¡¯s core skills.] [Hunt down the vicious ancient creature, Earth Monster Terramog, and consume its core.] [Type: Special Quest] [Progress: 0%] [Warning: The Terramog is an extremely powerful monster.] The quest was to hunt a monster called Terramog and consume its core. You will need to consume mysterious powers from time to time to achieve enlightenment and be even stronger. Create the habit of looking at the answer and how that answer was achieved whenever you¡¯re stuck in a bottleneck. Many words appeared in the skill book once more. You will only be wasting your time if you struggle to find the answers on your own. I do not wish to see my one and only beloved disciple waste his time that way. I, your master, have already gone through countless trials and errors over numerous decades. Of course, I will not say that my time was wasted since there are things I picked up along the way. However, I do admit that I wasted a lot of my time in doing so. I have be invincible, but I have done so at the cost of time. I was also forced to detach myself from the world because of thews of causality¡¯s restrictions, and there are things I regret not being able to do. I want to prove to the world that I am the most powerful being, but I cannot do that. Tears started to fill Siegfried¡¯s eyes as he read Deus¡¯ honest thoughts. My disciple¡­ I do not wish for you to live the life that I lived. That is why I have devised this n. I want to help you be stronger sooner rather thanter, and I want to help you be invincible. Do you understand your master now? ¡°Yes, I have always understood you, Master¡­¡± Go! Go and enhance the core skills of the Debuff Master! ¡°I will do it, Master!¡± Siegfried got ready to depart for the Elven Kingdom at once. ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± However, the training dummy blocked his path. ¡°Huh??What do you want? Aren¡¯t we done?¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? I have to go do the quest that Master gave me. Move.¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± However, Bruce didn¡¯t move at all. ¡°Ack!¡± In fact, the training dummy started mercilessly beating Siegfried up once again. ¡°The training is over, you bastard! What the hell is wrong with you?!¡± ¡°My name is Bruce, Bruce Wood!¡± ¡°What the hell are you trying to say?!¡± Siegfried tried his best to reason with Bruce, but the training dummy simply desponded by one-sidedly pummeling him. ¡°Why are you doing this to me¡­?!¡± Siegfried cried out and shed a tear at the abuse. In the end, he was forced into training once again just when he thought that it was all over. [Alert: The buff Contempt for the Strong has been deleted!] [Alert: The buff Adamant Body has been deleted!] [Alert: The buff Proof of Existence has been deleted!] Three of the Debuff Master¡¯s buff skills were suddenly deleted and reced by a new one. [Alert: You have obtained the skill Overclocking!] [Overclocking] [A Debuff Master exclusive skill born from thebination of Contempt for the Strong, Adamant Body, and Proof of Existence.] [The skill has three stages.] [The second and third stages will provide a massive buff to the Debuff Master in exchange for HP, Mana, and Stamina.] [Type: Self Buff] [Level: 1] [Duration: 60 seconds] [Cooldown: 180 seconds] [Effects: Additional Damage dealt to enemies with higher levels (+1,000% for sessful counterattacks), Attack Power increase, Defense Increase, Super Armor, Increased Damage dealt to debuffed targets] ¡°No wonder¡­¡± Siegfried could still remember Bruce interrupting him whenever he tried to activate his buffs. He finally realized why Bruce had been interrupting him. ¡°You¡¯re telling me to use them together instead of using them separately, am I right? You don¡¯t want me to waste time using this and that?¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± ¡°Thanks a lot. It¡¯s going to be easier for me to buff myself in battle now, but there¡¯s a small penalty¡­¡± The hefty penalty of the second and third stages seemed to be the reason why the skill was called Overclocking. However, Siegfried didn¡¯t think that the penalty was bad. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to give up an arm to take my enemy¡¯s life.¡¯ The new skill granted him a huge boost that would allow him to defeat extremely powerful enemies, so it wasn¡¯t really that bad. In addition, he should be called shameless if he grumbled that there was a penalty to the skill that would allow him to beat enemies he normally would have no chance of beating in the first ce, right? Of course, it would have been better if there were no penalties at all, but it seemed that one couldn¡¯t have their cake and eat it as well. ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± Bruce nodded and shooed him away. ¡°You want me to go?¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± ¡°Tell me honestly. You forgot to teach me how tobine the buff and hurriedly tried to make up for it before I left, right?¡± ¡°M-My name is Bruce¡­ Bruce Wood¡­!¡± ¡°Guess I¡¯m right. Youpletely forgot.¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood¡­¡± ¡°I guess you can make mistakes, too. Don¡¯t worry, things happen. Anyway, I¡¯m going now, okay?¡± ¡°My name is Bruce¡ªBruce Wood!¡± And that was how Siegfried¡¯s training¡ªno, one-sided pummeling¡ªended. Siegfried promptly headed for the Elven Kingdom. *** Siegfried stopped by an elven vige in the forest before heading to the Elven Kingdom. Why? It was all because only the elves knew where Elondel was located, and no human knew the Elven Kingdom of Elondel¡¯s exact location. ¡°Hmm¡­ So you want to visit the Elven Kingdom?¡± asked the head of the vige. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid, but that is impossible. The Elven Kingdom is a forbidden ground to humans, and no human has ever set foot in thend of the elves. This is also not the best time to visit the kingdom¡­¡± ¡°I really have to go there,¡± Siegfried insisted before saying, ¡°I heard that an ancient monster is currently lurking in the Elven Kingdom.¡± ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?That¡¯s not good¡­¡± the vige head muttered. He pondered about it for a while before he finally said, ¡°Please give me a moment, King Siegfried. I will contact our kingdom and seek their advice.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Thirty minutester¡­ ¡°King Siegfried.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I am delighted to inform you that our kingdom has approved the entry of you and your subordinates.¡± ¡°Oh? Really?¡± ¡°It seems that they were willing to grant your request this one time for the help you have given to our vige.¡± ¡°Haha!?We are all in this together, right? We should be helping one another as neighbors!¡± ¡°You are indeed correct. Anyway, I shall lead the way for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Siegfried obtained the rare privilege of entry to the Elven Kingdom in just thirty minutes. *** sh! He stepped out of the warp gate and was greeted with a message in front of his eyes. [Central N¨¹rburg Continent: Eternal Forest] This vast dense forest was rumored to have existed since the beginning of time, and it was so vast that four or five kingdoms would have to be put together to match its great expanse. ¡®Wow¡­ It¡¯s over for me if I lose my way here¡­ I¡¯d be wandering until the day BNW officially closes its doors¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking down from the mountain cliff where the warp gate was located. The forest was so vast that he reckoned it was impossible to escape from it without the use of a teleportation skill or scroll. ¡°Are you sure the Elven Kingdom is here somewhere¡­? All I can see are trees¡­ I don¡¯t see any kingdom anywhere,¡± Siegfried asked the vige head. ¡°Keke! That is because this kingdom is shrouded by an ancient spatial distortion magic,¡± the vige head replied with a chuckle. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°The Elven Kingdom exists on another dimensional ne. In other words, it is on the N¨¹rburg Continent while not being on the N¨¹rburg Continent at the same time.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°The emissaries from the Elven Kingdom wille for you shortly.¡± ¡°Emissaries?¡± ¡°It is only proper for the kingdom to receive their guests, no? Besides, you will need a guide as well.¡± Wooong! All of a sudden, the space in front of them distorted. p! p! p! The distorted space was torn open, and dozens of pegasi emerged from the rift. The pegasi looked both majestic and powerful as they pped their wings. There were elven knights riding the mythical creatures. The elven knights were members of the Elven Kingdom¡¯s Pegasus Flying Squadron, which was also known as one of their most elite knight divisions, and the captain of the knight division was none other than¡­ ¡°Siegfried-nim!¡± The hideous princess of the Elven Kingdom, Brunhilde. ¡°Siegfried-nim~ Wee~ I missed you so much!¡± she eximed. ¡°H-Hello¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Siegfried awkwardly replied. He was flustered after seeing the elven princess once more. ¡®My first kiss¡­ sniff¡­ sniff¡­¡¯? The shame of having his first kiss stolen by a game NPC was too much for him to bear. ¡°Wee! I am d that you are visiting us, Siegfried-nim! I missed you so, so, so much!¡± ¡°M-Me too¡­ Haha¡­¡± It seemed that Brunhilde was quite ecstatic about his visit. ¡°Hop on!¡± ¡°Huh? W-Where¡­?¡± ¡°Here!¡± she replied while patting the saddle behind her. ¡°B-Behind you¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°W-Wait¡­! Hold on!¡± ¡°Hurry!¡± she eximed. However, she reached down and pulled Siegfried to the seat behind her before Siegfried could even respond. ¡°Please hop onto the others, too!¡± she told the rest after sessfully kidnapping?Siegfried. Gringore, Seung-Gu, and Cesc were given the privilege and honor of riding on a pegasus. Speaking of Cesc, Siegfried decided to bring him along because he was the strongest Tanker in Proatine. ¡°You have to hold on tightly, okay?¡± Brunhilde said. ¡°Ah¡­ S-Sure¡­¡± Siegfried awkwardly replied. However, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to wrap his arms around her waist. Siegfried¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t really strange because someone behind him would definitely carve the scene of him wrapping his arms around Brunhilde in the retina of his eyes, then painting the scer once they were done here. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for Siegfried to change his mind. ¡°Pegasus Flying Squadron! Take off!¡± Brunhilde shouted. ¡°Taking off!¡± the knights responded at the same time. p! p! p! The pegasi pped their wings, and they soared into the sky at speedsparable to a fighter jet. ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡±?Siegfried screamed in horror. He instinctively wrapped his arms around the elven princess¡¯ waist. ¡°Kyuuuu!?This is awesome!¡± Hamchi cried out. He looked like he was having the time of his life. However, the same could not be said about Siegfried. Shwoooooosh! He was forced to bury his face on Brunhilde¡¯s back after being unable to withstand the intense headwind. However, that wasn¡¯t the only issue. Thud! Thud! Thud! The pegasus pped its wings rigorously, and Siegfried¡¯s butt would bob up and down whenever the pegasus pped its wings. A certain ce was rubbing against Brunhilde in an up-and-down motion. Eventually, the ident that Siegfried wanted to avoid at all costs finally happened. ¡®N-No! Don¡¯t!¡¯?he pleaded to himself. He felt his blood rushing toward a certain body part in hisher region, and he was forced to start contemting if he should just abandon the adventure and kill himself by biting his tongue. Unfortunately, it was already toote now that he was here. [Alert: Adult content has been unlocked!] [Alert: You may now enjoy to your heart¡¯s content!] The restricted content unlocked itself at the best timing ever. ¡®Why did you unlock yourself?! I didn¡¯t ask for this!¡¯?Siegfried protested. He was still not at the level where his mind had full control over his body, so he had no choice but to endure the awkward and embarrassing situation. ¡®I want to die¡­ Should I just die before she notices what¡¯s going on¡­?¡¯?he contemted whether to bite his tongue and log out or not. In fact, he was resolved to do just that if Brunhilde suddenly asked her¡ªSiegfried-nim! What is this thing rubbing against me?¡ªor something. However, it seems that the heavens were still on the vigorous king¡¯s side. ¡°Captain! Enemies have appeared!¡± ¡°Enemies spotted!¡± ¡°Stay alert! We gotpany!¡± The knights shouted. ¡®Enemy?!¡¯?Siegfried turned and saw a swarm of what looked like ck bugs around two kilometers away from them. ¡®What are those? Wyverns¡­? And those are¡­ dark elves?!¡¯? The enemies trying to intercept them were dark elves riding on ck wyverns. Chapter 247

    Chapter 247

    ¡°Siegfried-nim! Enemies!¡± Brunhilde shouted. ¡°Enemies? Aren¡¯t they elves like you?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°No, we are different! Those are dark elves, and they¡¯re evil!¡± ¡°Wait, does that mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes, we have to fight! Hold on tight!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The pegasus flew faster after Brunhilde flicked the reins. ¡°Aaaaah!¡±?Siegfried screamed once more and instinctively gripped Brunhilde¡¯s waist for dear life. The silver lining here would be the fact that the foreboding battle in the air made Siegfried feel nervous, so the blood pumped in hisher region went back up to his brain. [Alert: Adult content has been sealed!] [Alert: A man should be prepared to perform at any given time!] A peculiar message popped up in front of his eyes, but Siegfried didn¡¯t have the luxury to think about it right now. Shwiiiik! An arrow grazed and flew past his earlobe, which signaled the start of aerialbat. Shwiiik! Shwiiik! Shwiiik! The dark elves mounted on the wyverns aimed their crossbows at the Pegasus Knights and unleashed a rain of bolts. ¡°Careful! Their bolts areden with poison!¡± Brunhilde warned. Then, she took out her own bow and pulled its bowstring. ¡®What are those things¡­?¡¯?Siegfried wondered and used his Rune of Insight on the dark elves. [ck Winged Warriors] [The flying unit of the Dark Elven Kingdom, Niflheim.] [They are ck Wyvern Riders, and they are extremely skilled inbat.] [They are the rival of the Elondel¡¯s Pegasus Flying Squadron.] Siegfried learned from the details that the Dark Elves had their own kingdom, and they were not on good terms with the Elves. ¡®But why are they fighting? Were they already on bad terms with each other?¡¯?Siegfried wondered. ¡°You bitch, Brunhilde!¡± A high-pitched scream suddenly echoed as a vicious-looking dark elf riding on a wyvern with ck and gold scales flew toward them. [Menacia] [A princess of Niflheim.] [She is the owner of Zarakhan, the leader of the wyverns, and the Magic Sword of Darkness: Venom.] [She is Brunhilde¡¯s rival.] [Type: NPC] [Level: 299] [Race: Elf (411 years old)] [ss: Cruel de] [Position: Captain of the ck Winged Warriors] [Rank: Brigadier General] [Titles: Self-Professed Spinster, Most Beautiful Dark Elf, Hit A Wall, Cruel Warrior] Menacia possessed identical stats to Brunhilde as befitting of her rival, and she was a beauty that possessed pale violet skin and dark green hair that looked almost ck. She was a beauty, but her vicious expression was more than enough to scare off any potential suitors. ¡°You ugly bitch! You dare bring a human to our sacred forest?!¡± Menacia started hurling curses at Brunhilde. ¡°Your hideous ugliness is not the only thing repulsive about you! Your actions are quite repulsive as well!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too harsh?!¡± Brunhilde retorted in anger. Then, sheshed out, ¡°I know I¡¯m ugly! But I don¡¯t deserve to be called that by someone as evil as you!¡± ¡°Shut up, you dumb ignorant foolish ugly bitch! This sacred forest does not only belong to you, lowlifes! We dark elves reside here, too! How dare you bring a human here? I hope you¡¯re not trying to im that you¡¯re doing something good right now!¡± ¡°Father has approved it!¡± ¡°Ha! What a load of bullshit! Are you trying to say that your old man owns this forest, then?!¡± ¡°You dare speak ill of Father¡­!¡± ¡°Hohoho! Why do you care? I¡¯m going to have your head right now and send it to your old man as a gift!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate this any longer! Hyperion! Let¡¯s go!¡± Brunhilde roared before kicking the side of the divine mount. ¡°Neiiiiigh!¡± The divine mount seemed furious as well. It neighed and flew toward Zarakhan. An aerial duel between the two princesses broke out, and Siegfried was between it. ¡°Ugh¡­! Umffff¡­!¡±?he tried his best to suppress the rising content of his stomach. ¡®I feel like I¡¯m going to puke¡­!¡¯ This was his first time flying on a mount, and it was definitely not a fun experience to be in between the aerial duel of two elven princesses. ng! ng! ng! Even worse, the shockwaves were injuring him as well. It wasn¡¯t really strange because the two were Level 299. In other words, Siegfried was personally experiencing an age-old saying that whenever elephants fought each other, the grass would suffer. ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± ¡°Stop cussing at me!¡± ¡°Die! Ugly bitch!¡± ¡°No, you die!¡± The duel between the princesses grew even fiercer and more emotional, and Siegfried reckoned that one of them would die at this rate ¡°Who¡¯s that human behind you? Ha! What a pathetic man! To think that he would tremble like a dog while hiding behind you!¡± Menacia sneered. ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh,?look at this bitch. Why are you turning red? Is that human your love toy or something?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah!¡± ¡°Omo? He¡¯s really your toy?¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s not a toy, but I like him! So watch your mouth!¡± Brunhilde fumed and screamed at the top of her lungs. ¡°Hohoho! I see! The ugly elf decided to settle for a human instead! Omo!?How pitiful you are! I feel so bad for you! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Y-You evil witch¡­!¡± ¡°I know, I should kill that human first and skin him alive before cutting your head off.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk about him!¡± Bam! Menacia dealt a powerful blow the moment Brunhilde got worked up. It was the perfect ambush that used the enemy¡¯s susceptible mental condition against them. ¡°Kyah!¡± Brunhilde failed to block the attack and fell off Hyperion, but the problem was that they were currently way off the ground. Shwoooooong¡­! Brunhilde plummeted at a frightening speed. ¡°Catch her,¡± Menacia said to her mount. ¡°Kwuoooh!¡± Therge ck wyvern responded with a roar before diving toward Brunhilde. ¡°Neiiiiigh!¡±? Hyperion dove as fast as it could to save its rider, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough. Pegasi was a creature that could ascend extremely quickly to the sky, but it was not that good at descending or diving down. Meanwhile, ck wyverns ascended slowly but descended quickly. Hyperion wouldn¡¯t be able to save Brunhilde before Menacia¡¯s ck wyvern got to her. ¡°Hahaha! Finally! I can finally¡­!¡± Menacia burst intoughter while diving toward Brunhilde. She was already drooling at the thought of decapitating the elven princess. ¡°Today, I will finally¡­!¡± Shwiiiik¡­ Pukeok! Something flew and struck her nape¡­ *** ¡°Kyaaah!¡±?Menacia screamed, and her forehead mmed into Zarakhan¡¯s neck. The impact was so strong that she would have fallen off her ck wyvern if she hadn¡¯t mmed into its neck. ¡°Kwuoh?¡± Zarakhan had to stop in mid-air despite being less than a meter away from catching up to the elven princess. ¡°Neigh!¡± Hyperion didn¡¯t miss the opportunity. It dove down with all of its strength and caught Brunhilde. Thud! Siegfried caught Brunhilde by her waist and safely put her back on the Pegasus. ¡°Siegfried-nim¡­!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°That was a close call.¡± Their conversation was cut short by an ear-splitting scream filled with malice. ¡°W-Who¡­ Which bastard did thaaaaaat?!¡± Menacia screamed while bleeding from her head. ¡°It¡¯s me, bitch,¡± Siegfried replied after catching the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°What? You? Bitch?¡± ¡°Yes, bitch. You need to bite down on some soap. Your mouth is filthier than the filthiest sewage out there,¡± Siegfried said with a smirk. ¡°This bastard dares to¡­!¡± ¡°However, your head is quite sturdy, I give you that. It would have been better if you just dropped dead after a single hit, but I guess there¡¯s a reason why your level is high,¡± said Siegfried. ¡®Well, her Basic Defense alone is already far higher than most NPCs¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t strange that Menacia¡¯s Basic Defense was quite high, as she was a Level 299 who was on the cusp of bing a Master. It would be absurd if she were to die in a single hit, regardless of the weapon¡¯s level enhancement. ¡°You bastard! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Menacia screamed in fury with bloodshot eyes. Siegfried simply sneered, ¡°Good luck~¡± With that, he turned to Brunhilde and asked, ¡°Can you fight? I think it will be difficult for me to fight that filthy mouth by myself.¡± ¡°It will be a bit difficult but¡­ I will do my best!¡± ¡°Then shall we fight together? I will help you.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Brunhilde readily agreed to fight alongside Siegfried, as this was not a one-on-one sacred duel or anything. ¡®There¡¯s not a lot I can do, but I should do whatever I can to help¡­¡¯?he thought. He nced at the others and saw that they were fighting as a group instead of one-on-one like Brunhilde and Menacia. Siegfried shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°Let¡¯s help them, too! Scribe Gringore, you should go sing or something! Stop being so scared!¡± ¡°As! You! Comaaaaaaaand¡­! Your majesty!¡± Gringore screamed while holding onto dear life with his eyes closed. He took a moment topose himself before opening his eyes once more to start singing. ¡°Lla~ L~ Llla~ L¡­ LAAAAAAAA!¡± The Phantom Singer¡¯s song pervaded the skies and pressured the ck Winged Warriors. ¡°Hamchi! Use your skill to bring those wyverns down! Seung-Gu and Cesc! You guys should¡ª¡± Siegfried was about to say something, but he stopped upon realizing that the two were absolutely useless in aerialbat. ¡°Haha¡­ do whatever you can¡­¡± Neither of them could fly nor engage in rangedbat, so they were practically useless here. Anyway, the tides of the battlepletely shifted after Siegfried gave themand, and this was quite visible in the fight between Brunhilde and Menacia. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Siegfried threw his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist with Flying Sword whenever it went off cooldown, forcing Menacia into awkward positions while facing Brunhilde. ¡°You damn human¡­!¡± Menacia screamed in anger. ¡°What did you say a while ago? I¡¯m a what? I was staying out of your fight out of consideration, but you brought this upon yourself, bitch!¡± Siegfried was petty, and he took what Menacia had said about him just a while ago personally. He had been staying quiet since he wasn¡¯t used to aerialbat, and his debuff fields were meaningless in the air. However, he could no longer sit still after being bad-mouthed by the vile bitch. Revenge was enough motivation for Siegfried to teach Menacia a lesson. ¡®What¡¯s the worst that could happen if I fall? Die?¡¯?Siegfried closed his eyes for a second before jumping off Hyperion. Tak! He flew through the skies and eventuallynded on Zarakhan¡¯s back. ¡°You bastard!¡± Menacia growled at him. She stood up and said, ¡°Good, this will make it easier for me to cut your head off¡ª¡± However, Siegfried shrugged and sneered, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not here to fight you.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to beat the shit out of this guy,¡± he said with the gentlest smile in the world before¡­ Bam! He mmed his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist on the poor little ck wyvern¡¯s back. Pukeok! Chapter 248

    Chapter 248

    ¡°Kieeek!¡±?Zarakhan shrieked in agony after eating a knuckle sandwich from Siegfried¡¯s +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. p! p! p! It stopped flying and iled in mid-air to try and get the human off of its back. ¡°You dare!¡± Menacia roared and swung her magic sword at him. Siegfried could tell from the extremely dark green color of the magic sword that it was most likelyden with poison. ¡®I¡¯m gonna die if she hits me¡­¡¯? Siegfried focused and evaded all of Menacia¡¯s attacks, but the ck wyvern was still iling about, so it was a struggle. He was even finding it hard to maintain his bnce on top of the ck wyvern in addition to dodging Menacia¡¯s attacks/ Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°How dare you!¡± Brunhilde shouted. She swooped in with Hyperion and blocked Menacia¡¯s attack. ¡®Nice! I can¡¯t beat this foul-mouthed woman, anyway,¡¯?Siegfried knew that defeating a Level 299 NPC would require an absurd amount of luck. He had no ns of fighting Menacia. His n had always been something else. Woooong! A burst of mana carved a circle on Zarakhan¡¯s back. ze Field! He ced down his ze Field on Zarakhan¡¯s back! However, he wasn¡¯t quite done just yet. ¡®Will shadows appear in mid-air, too¡­?¡¯?he wondered before cing down Shadow Swamp as well. Surprisingly, Zarakhan and Menacia¡¯s materialized, even though they were in mid-air and on Zarakhan¡¯s back. ¡°W-What the fuck?!¡± Menacia shouted in surprise. She was forced to fight against Brunhilde and Siegfried, but Zarakhan¡¯s and her own shadow suddenly materialized and teamed up against her. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t quite done just yet. ¡°Show me your back! Show me your back!¡± he eximed like a madman mming his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist on the Zarakhan¡¯s back. Puk! Puk! Puk! He used Machine Gun Smash to unleash a barrage of attacks. ¡°Kwuoooooooooh!¡±? Zarakhan cried in agony and thrashed in mid-air. Kwachik! Zarakhan¡¯s shadow suddenly pounced on Zarakhan¡¯s neck and bit thetter¡¯s neck. Crunch! Menacia¡¯s shadow jumped in as well andcerated Zarakhan¡¯s back. ¡°Y-You bastards dare to¡­! DIE!¡± Menacia roared and used her ultimate skill¡­ Or so she thought¡­ Woooong! Siegfried perfectly timed Wave of Oppression along with Frost Wave,pletely interrupted Menacia¡¯s channeling. Siegfried had definitely grown stronger. The training with Bruce had not only enhanced his skills, but it also taught him how to perfectly time his skills and use them at the most optimal timing. ¡®This is my chance!¡¯?Brunhilde did not miss the opening. ¡°Hap!¡±?she swung her holy sword, Phoenix, with all of her might. Puuuuk! Blood spurted out from Menacia¡¯s chest like a fountain. ¡°Finish her!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°Yes, Siegfried-nim!¡± Brunhilde responded. The two of them attacked Menacia at the same time. ¡°Kyaaaahk!¡±? However, one of the wyverns dove down and blocked their attacks with its body. ¡°Kyahhh!¡±? The wyvern could not withstand thebined attack of the two and crashed into the forest below. ¡°Keuk¡­!?L-Let¡¯s go, Zarakhan! Retreat!¡± Menacia shouted. Zarakhan squeezed thest of its remaining strength and pped its wing in a bid to escape. ¡°Protect the captain!¡± ¡°The captain is hurt!¡± ¡°Stop that ugly bitch!¡± The rest of the ck Winged Warriors disengaged from their opponents and rushed over to block Brunhilde and Siegfried with their wyverns. They formed a physical barricade to buy time for Menacia to escape, and she managed to escape thanks to their sacrifice. ¡®Damn it! She got away!¡¯?Siegfried cursed inwardly. He could have swept away these dark elves who were in tatters after being exposed to Gringore¡¯s song if they were on the ground. He could have used Splitting Heaven and Earth to throw them into the air and chase after Menacia to finish her off. Unfortunately, they were in mid-air, and he couldn¡¯t use that one skill that would havee in clutch in this situation. His only other choice now was to¡­ ¡®Eat this!¡¯?he threw his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist as hard as he could toward Menacia. Whiiiiish¡­! The +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist skillfully avoided the meat shields. Pukeok! And it struck the back of Menacia¡¯s head for the second time. ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°What a shot~!¡± Siegfried whistled and admired his throw. ¡°Y-You¡­! You fucking asshole!¡± Menacia gritted her teeth until her gums started bleeding. She red in his direction and said, ¡°Just you wait¡­ You damn human¡­!¡± She was no longer in the condition to fight, so she was forced to run for her life with her tail tucked between her legs and arge bump on her head. Whiiiish¡­ Tak! Siegfried caught his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°Tsk¡­?I could have shattered her head if I had a bit more damage¡­¡± he clicked his tongue in disappointment. Ding! A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You have obtained a new title!] [Alert: The new title King of Backstabbing has been created!] The details of his new title were quite impressive. [King of Backstabbing] [A title given to those who often hit their enemies from behind regardless of whether it was a betrayal or a literal backstab.] [Type: Title] [Rating: Unique] [Effects: +20% Increased Back Attack damage, +20% increased Back Attack damage to the head, +15% chance to fool an NPC when lying.] [Warning: This title is not an honorable title.] The warning emphasized that it was shameful to have such a title. Adventurers were probably going to be on their toes if they saw Siegfried¡¯s title with their Rune of Insight. ¡°Haha¡­ I guess I did stab a lot of people in the back¡­ Oops, I guess!¡± However, Siegfried didn¡¯t seem to feel an ounce of shame about his new title. ¡°Yes, I am the King of Backstabbing. Nice to meet you~¡± In fact, he seemed to have reached a new low of enjoying the embarrassing and shameful titles the game was giving him. *** The Pegasus Flying Squadron managed to defeat their rivals in the sky in andslide, thanks to Siegfried and Gringore¡¯s support. The squadron resumed their journey back to Elondel in peace. However, Siegfried was forced to fight another battle that was within him all this while. p! p! p! Hyperion vigorously pped its wings after emerging triumphant against the Zarakhan, and the rigorous motion caused Siegfried¡¯s junior to grind rigorously against Brunhilde¡¯s back. [Alert: Adult content has been unlocked!] [Alert: You may now enjoy to your heart¡¯s content!] The adult content was unlocked once again, and Siegfried was plunged into despair along with the message. ¡®N-No! Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t do this to me!¡¯?he screamed inwardly. In the end, he decided to speak, ¡°Excuse me¡­ Brunhilde-nim?¡± ¡°Yes, Siegfried-nim?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but¡­ Can we go a bit slower?¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Th-That is¡­ Hmm¡­ I¡¯m starting to feel motion sickness¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I apologize, but that will not change even if we go slowly, Siegfried-nim.¡± ¡°S-Stil¡­¡± ¡°The motion sickness ising from Hyperion¡¯s pping, and nothing is going to change even if we go slower. Perhaps it will if we walk on foot, but that will be too inefficient.¡± ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re almost there anyway, so please hang in there! I¡¯ll fly as fast as I can and get there in ten minutes!¡± ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± In the end, Siegfried had no choice but to continue fighting in the battle raging at both the North and South. Brunhilde grinned brightly before looking forward and then¡­ ¡®Hyperion! p your wings harder! PLEASE!¡¯?she transmitted to her pegasus while patting its mane. ¡°Neiiiiigh!¡± The pegasus seemed to have understood its owner¡¯s intent, and it pped its wings with renewed vigor. ¡®A-Aaaack¡­!¡¯? Siegfried was slowly starting to lose the battle. ¡®If I just press myself against him a bit harder¡­¡¯?Brunhilde thought. She slowly and carefully pressed her buttocks and back against Siegfried. *** Ten minutester¡­ ¡°We have arrived!¡± Brunhilde said while pointing forward. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°So that is the Elven Kingdom only found in legends!¡± ¡°Kyu!?It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± The party members, except Siegfried, marveled at the grandiose sight. The Elven Kingdom¡¯s capital, Elondel, was truly a majestic and beautiful city, and anyone that saw its splendor would have immediately been stunned by its majesty. The entire city was decorated with white and blue colors, and there were exquisitely designed structures and spires all over the city. Elondel had a certain natural beauty?in it that could not be found anywhere else on the continent. The nature affinity of the elves seemed to have yed a huge role in decorating the city, as there were both tall and short trees throughout the city, which gave the whole city a sense of vitality. However, not everyone was enjoying the splendor and majesty of the legendary city. [Alert: Warning! Warning!] [Alert: Too much of your blood has been pumped to a single body part!] [Alert: Severe abstinence can be detrimental to your health!] Siegfried was about to explode. *** Mwah! . Brunhilde nted a kiss on Siegfried¡¯s cheek after their safending. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Thank you, Siegfried-nim!¡± ¡°For what¡­?¡± ¡°For saving me! You are truly my savior!¡± ¡°But you also saved me, Brunhilde-nim¡­¡± ¡°That is that, and this is this! Hehe!¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, we can¡¯t consider it that way. Let¡¯s just say that we are even¡ªHeup!¡± Siegfried was interrupted halfway as his lips were stolen by her once again. ¡°Wow¡­ You are truly amazing, hyung-nim! I¡¯m so jealous! To think that such a beautiful NPC would kiss you! I¡¯m so jealous!¡± Seung-Gu eximed. ¡°What¡¯s the use of getting kissed, eh?¡± Hamchi suddenly interjected. Then, he grumbled while sounding frustrated, ¡°That owner punk is a stupid dense fool without an ounce of courage! He can¡¯t even eat the meal prepared for him! Kyu!¡± ¡°Ahem!?Hyung-nim is truly a man amongst men! Look at the size of his tent!¡± Cesc eximed in awe. ¡°I agree with you,¡± Gringore said before taking out his tools. He started jotting down words. His Majesty is truly a humongous man! Ah! They say that an awl will eventually poke itself out of a pocket! How did he manage to hide hisrge, splendid, and vigorous asset all this while? I¡ªthe scribe recording his Majesty¡¯s manliness can only say that he is the epitome of manhood! Records of the Proatine Kingdom Book 1 Chapter 3 Siegfried Van Proa the First His Majesty¡¯s Assets The scribe didn¡¯t specify it, but the words he used left little to one¡¯s imagination. *** After the hardships and temptation, Siegfried finally entered Elondel and met Brunhilde¡¯s father, who was also the king of all elves on the continent. [Lohengrin] [The Ruler of the Elven Kingdom and king of all elves on the continent.] [Type: Named NPC] [Level: 410 (Master)] [Race: Elf (743 years old)] [ss: Magical Sword Master (Dual ss)] [Affiliation: Elondel] [Rank: King] [Titles: The Lord of the Elves, Respected Ruler, Protector of the Eternal Forest, Protector of Nature, Daughter¡¯s Fool, He is a Father Too, Master at Sighing] Lohengrin lived up to his title with his beautiful appearance and extremely high level. ¡®The king of all elves!¡¯?Siegfried was in awe after meeting him. ¡°I am King Siegfried van Proa the First of the Proatine Kingdom. I greet the king and ruler of all elves,¡± he courteously introduced himself. ¡°So you are that Siegfried. I have heard of your exploits and your efforts to coexist in peace with the elves of your territory,¡± Lohengrin replied. ¡°I merely wished for us to help each other as neighbors,¡± Siegfried said with a bow. He was up against the king of all elves, who was seven hundred years old. He thought that it was only right for him to pay respect to his elder. ¡°You are a human ruler that is quite rare to find in this day and age.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°You are quite humble, too¡­¡± [Alert: The affinity of ¡®Lohengrin¡¯ toward you has increased by 1,000!] [Alert: The affinity of ¡®Lohengrin¡¯ toward you has increased by 1,000!] [Alert: The affinity of ¡®Lohengrin¡¯ toward you has increased by 1,000!] A string of messages informing Siegfried of Lohengrin¡¯s affinity with him popped up in front of his eyes. Chapter 249

    Chapter 249

    [Alert: Lohengrin¡¯s opinion of you has reached Absolute Trust!] [Alert: Lohengrin¡¯s opinion of you has reached Favored!] [Alert: The King of Elondel regards you as the Savior!] Siegfried was taken aback by the absurd increase in Lohengrin¡¯s affinity toward him. ¡®H-Huh? Why does he like me so much?¡¯?he wondered. It was truly a mystery. They had just met, so why was he so amicable toward him? Siegfried could not help but be baffled after the elven king¡¯s opinion of him rose to Absolute Trust and Favored after they exchanged greetings for the first time. However, that wasn¡¯t the only strange thing here. ¡®I¡¯m the savior? The savior of what?¡¯?Siegfried was confused. ¡°You are truly an amazing human ruler,¡± Lohengrin said with a smile. The elven king seemed to bepletely oblivious to Siegfried¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Ah¡­ N-Not at all¡­¡± ¡°I was truly pleased to see you work tirelessly to live in harmony with us elves. You are a stark contrast to most humans who only think of us elves as a sexual outlet or toy.¡± Lohengrin was telling the truth. Humans only thought of elves as sex ves or mystical creatures that could grant their wishes through their mysterious magic. ve trading of elves was legal in most countries, as their corrupted nobles were the biggest customers. ¡°We are working hard to survive, so I strongly believe that it is wrong to discriminate against others based on their race. Besides, we can achieve much more if we work together, right?¡± ¡°Haha!?This world would have been much more peaceful if all humans thought like you!¡± ¡°There are a lot of good humans, too,¡± Siegfried said. ¡®I mean¡­ there¡¯s a ton of better people than me¡­¡¯?he thought inside. He knew very well that he was not the good person Lohengrin thought he was. ¡°Still, I thank you for looking favorably upon me, King Lohengrin. Anyway, the reason I havee to Elondel is¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you have your reasons, and you don¡¯t have to exin them to me.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°We, the Elves of Elondel, look quite favorably upon you and the Proatine Kingdom. In lieu of that, you, King Siegfried, may enter our kingdom anytime you wish to, and I hope that you will visit us quite often.¡± Was it because of the affinity? Siegfried had obtained the right to enter Elondel without asking for permission despite being a human. This was a significant achievement in itself, as it was known that it was near impossible for humans to enter the Elven Kingdom. ¡°But are you not curious about the purpose of my visit, King Lohengrin?¡± ¡°Do I really have to be?¡± ¡°P-Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll listen to your reason since you seem to be dying to tell me.¡± . It was then¡­ ¡®Wait a minute¡­ Howe it sounds like he has no idea why I¡¯m here¡­? I¡¯m sure he should¡¯ve heard about the ancient monster¡­ No, even if he hadn¡¯t, shouldn¡¯t he still be curious?¡¯?Siegfried was perplexed by the king¡¯s calmness. He could feel that something was amiss judging by how fast the affinity went up on top of the Elven King not being curious of the purpose of his visit. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I have heard from credible sources that an ancient monster is lurking in yournds,¡± said Siegfried, revealing the purpose of his visit. ¡°Hmm? An ancient monster? Do you perhaps know that monster¡¯s name by any chance?¡± Lohengrin asked. ¡°I believe it was Terramorg.¡± ¡°T-Terramorg?!¡± Lohengrin was shocked. He was stupefied because the ancient monster¡ªTerramorg¡ªappeared around four hundred fifty years ago and destroyed half of Elondel. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Terramorg was vanquished four hundred fifty years ago!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Terramorg was defeated four hundred fifty years ago together with our kingdom¡¯s forces and that human hero¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me, but¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before ncing at Gringore. Scratch! Scratch! Scratch! Gringore immediately drew something and gave it to Siegfried. ¡°Did the human hero look something like this esteemed person?¡± he asked. ¡°Heok!?H-he¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°The human hero was this esteemed person, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yes! He¡¯s the human hero who saved our kingdom! How do you know him? I¡¯m certain that humans can¡¯t live as long as us elves¡­! Are you perhaps the hero¡¯s descendant¡­?¡± The Elven King presumed that Siegfried was the hero¡¯s descendant, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. ¡°This esteemed person is my master.¡± ¡°M-Master?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°H-How?!¡± ¡°My master is still alive and well.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°And he has be even stronger than before¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± Lohengrin was shocked to hear that the human hero who had saved the Elven Kingdom four hundred fifty years ago was still alive. Even more astonishing was that the hero¡¯s disciple hade to visit Elondel, and his disciple turned out to be the King of Proatine, who had established numerousws to foster good rtionships with the elves! Ding! A system prompt appeared in front of Siegfried. [Alert: The affinity of Lohengrin has increased by 9,999,999!] [Alert: Lohengrin¡¯s opinion of you has reached Unshakeable Trust and Respect!] Siegfried was extremely confused. *** Meanwhile, at the Kingdom of the Dark Elves, Niflheim. ¡°My daughter¡­!¡± The King of the Dark Elves, Credos, felt his heart drop after seeing his daughter¡¯s condition. Menacia¡¯s wounds seemed quite grave. Her wounds were numerous and deep, and even the best healers of Niflheim couldn¡¯t restore her chest. In other words, Menacia had to cut off an important part of her as a woman¡ªher breast¡ªto survive. ¡°Argh¡­!?W-Who did this?! Who did this to my beloved daughter?!¡± Credor roared. ¡°T-That bitch¡­ did this to me¡­¡± Menacia growled like a wounded beast. ¡°That bitch? Are you talking about that ugly elf, Brunhilde?¡± ¡°That ugly bitch and her pimp did this to me¡­!¡± ¡°Those bastards¡­! How dare they!¡± ¡°Revenge¡­ I want revenge¡­!¡± ¡°All right, my daughter! Your father will avenge you, so don¡¯t worry and rest. Focus on recovering for now!¡± ¡°Revenge¡­¡± Menacia muttered incessantly. ¡°Those damned elves! They dare bring a human to our sacred forest and hurt my daughter?! I will not let this slide! Never!¡± Credor roared. He quivered visibly in fury. *** ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the hero personally mentioned the Terramorg?¡± Lohengrin asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod. ¡°That¡¯s quite strange¡­ The hero personally killed the Terramorg, and he even butchered its remains to harvest materials from it¡­ Why would he think that the Terramorg hase back to life?¡± Lohengrin asked, seemingly finding it difficult to believe Siegfried¡¯s words. ¡°I have no idea. My master didn¡¯t tell me the details. He simply told me to go to Elondel and kill the ancient monster¡­¡± Siegfried replied, looking quite perplexed as well. ¡°Hmm¡­ That is indeed strange¡­ very strange¡­¡± Lohengrin muttered. However, there was a backstory to this that even the elven king was unaware of. *** Four hundred fifty years ago, Deus killed the Terramorg and harvested its bones, hide, blood, heart, core, horns, and whatever else of value. However, a thought suddenly came to his mind, which made him go underground. ¡®This guy¡¯s a high-ranking monster, so it should have quite the valuable stuff in itsir, right?¡¯ Deus did not stop at simply killing the Terramorg; he even went to ransack itsir. However, what greeted him at the ancient monster¡¯sir was not a mountain of gold or treasures. After all, the Terramorg was not an intelligent creature like the dragons, so it wasn¡¯t materialistic. ¡°Grruk¡­?Grruk¡­!¡± Deus found the Terramorg¡¯s offspring. ¡°Huh? It had an offspring?¡± ¡°Grruuuk!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t bare your fangs at me if you value your life. I can easily snap your neck like a twig.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. Good choice.¡± The young Terramorg instinctively knew that Deus was dangerous and immediately curled up into a ball. ¡°Hmm¡­ What should I do with this punk? Should I just kill it now? I mean, I have to uproot the weeds to stop it from growing back, but¡­¡± Deus contemted while looking at the young monster. Killing it was the correct choice since the young monster was bound to be an adult monster in a few centuries, and the fully-grown Terramorg would definitely terrorize Elondel once again. Seuk¡­ Deus raised his hand to eliminate the young monster. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Should I just let it live? I mean, I won¡¯t really benefit from it if I kill it right now.¡± He suddenly realized that it was a waste to kill the young ancient monster. It wasn¡¯t strange that he wouldn¡¯t benefit from killing the young monster. After all, how much could he harvest from such a young monster? ¡°Yeah, I might need youter, so I¡¯ll spare you for now. Who knows, I might have a disciple down the road, and I will need you by then.¡± Deus decided to spare the young monster. In addition, he was already experiencing changes in his body after consuming the Terramorg¡¯s core. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re my lunch box from now on.¡± ¡°Grruk¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re my emergency food, got it?¡± ¡°Ggruuk¡­!¡±?The young monster couldn¡¯t understand what Deus was saying, but it frivolously nodded for the sake of its survival. ¡°Hoho! Is this what they call free-range livestock? I don¡¯t have to manage it since it will grow by itself! As expected, organic is truly the way to go! Kekeke!¡± Deus decided to save the young Terramorg for the future, and the young monster had no idea it was being grown like livestock to be consumed in the distant future. Of course, that was the final encounter the young monster had with Deus. *** ¡°A Terramorg in ournds is indeed dire news¡­¡± Lohengrin said while looking full of anxiety. Of course, he had no idea about the backstory that took ce four hundred fifty years ago. ¡°A cmity will fall upon Elondel once again if a Terramorg really exists in ournds¡­¡± ¡°I will try and look for it,¡± Siegfried volunteered. ¡°Oh! Will you really do that for us?¡± ¡°Yes, I came here to carry out my master¡¯smand, which was to kill the Terramorg.¡± ¡°That is splendid! You are the hero¡¯s disciple, so Elondel will surely be safe from cmity!¡± ¡°I will do my best.¡± ¡°All right, I will spare nothing to support you. You may take my daughter Brunhilde and her squadron with you.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°But before that, why don¡¯t you take a look around our beautiful city? And¡­¡± Lohengrin suddenly stopped halfway. Then, he lowered his voice and whispered, ¡°Can we speak in private before you leave?¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it about?¡± Siegfried asked in response. ¡°Ahem!?I have something to tell you, but I believe that conversation will be better suited in private¡­¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Siegfried agreed. He had no idea what the elven king wanted to talk about with him, but he couldn¡¯t really decline it, as it was a request from the king of the elves. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go somewhere private.¡± ¡°Yes, King Lohengrin.¡± Lohengrin guided Siegfried to a beautiful pavilion located deep inside the castle. ¡°What did you want to discuss with me?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Lohengrin muttered. He looked around before asking, ¡°Would you take my daughter¡¯s hand in marriage?¡± ¡°WHAT?! M-Marriage?!¡± Siegfried screamed, and his eyes shot wide open. Lohengrin grabbed his hands and eximed, ¡°I beg of you! Please take my daughter!¡± Chapter 250

    Chapter 250

    ¡°T-Take her? Where? Who? Are you talking about Brunhilde-nim? Me?¡± ¡°Yes! Please take my useless daughter!¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit is this¡­?¡± Siegfried ended up blurting his thoughts after getting too bbergasted. Lohengrin¡¯s request was simply too absurd. Who in their right mind would ask a person they just met to be their son-inw right away? ¡°Excuse me¡­ King Lohengrin¡­?¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°By any chance, do elves get mental illnesses¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, why does it seem like you¡¯ve gone insane?¡± ¡°I¡¯mpletely normal.¡± ¡°But why would you spout such a bull¡ªI mean, such a strange thing? Do the elves have a custom of marrying anyone avable¡­?¡± ¡°No, we elves date for two or three decades before getting married.¡± ¡°Then, why¡­?¡± Siegfried was confused. ¡°My daughter has no hope in marrying an elf¡­¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°How can¡­ someone so ugly get married in the first ce?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I do not wish to see my one and only beloved daughter live the rest of her life all alone and getting ridiculed by the elves of Elondel!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ is it because of her hair color? Just because her hair is red¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°What do you mean by JUST BECAUSE HER HAIR IS RED?!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You humans will never understand, but hair color is extremely important to us elves! This is not something as trivial as you humans think! An elf¡¯s hair color is our standard of beauty!¡± Lohengrin shouted and inadvertently stood up. Then, he sat down and looked at the ground with downcast solemn eyes before saying, ¡°You will never understand just how painful Brunhilde¡¯s life has been since she was born...¡± *** Three hundred sixty-nine years ago¡­ ¡°Waah! Waaah!?Waah! Waaah!¡± Lohengrin was full of anticipation as he excitedly prepared to meet his firstborn. ¡°G-Great mother nature¡­!¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°How can this happen?!¡± However, he also heard the screams of the midwife and maids from behind the door, aside from the cries of his child. Lohengrin rushed inside, but what awaited him was the red hair of his newborn daughter. ¡°M-My daughter¡­ My daughter has red hair¡­?!¡± An elf¡¯s hair color was the elves¡¯ standard of beauty. Why? All elves were born with beautiful facial features, slender bodies, and wless skin. It was impossible to measure their beauty from their appearances alone. The only thing that the elves could use to measure their beauty was the color of their hair. The elves ced great importance on their hair color, but the problem was that red hair was frowned upon¡ªno, they abhorred the color red because it signified fire. The elves loathed anyone with red hair, and such elves were considered hideous in their eyes. And that was why Brunhilde had led a life of ridicule since she was born¡­ ¡°You are so ugly, princess!¡± ¡°Don¡¯te near me!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­?Look at her! She¡¯s so ugly!¡± Brunhilde was a princess, but everyone ridiculed and bullied her. This was something that humans wouldn¡¯t understand, but an elf born with red hair was bound to live a pitiful life. ¡°I¡­ I like the sword¡­ and I wish to be a Pegasus Knight, father¡­¡± Brunhilde withstood the abuses by considering her sword as her friend. ¡°My daughter is already two hundred and eighty years old, but she¡¯s still single,¡± Lohengrinmented. It wouldn¡¯t be long before Brunhilde turned three hundred, and she still hadn¡¯t received even a single marriage proposal¡ªno, forget the marriage proposals, she had never gone out on a date before. Lohengrin wanted to do something for her as her father, but his hands and feet were tied because he was the king of the elves. However, it wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t done anything. He tried his best as a father by asking some of the male elves. ¡°Will you marry my daughter?¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± The elves despised Brunhilde so much that they refused Lohegrin¡¯s offer before thetter could even convince them. ¡°I would rather die than marry her.¡± There were even some elves who spoke ofmitting suicide rather than marrying her, which was a huge taboo for elves, as lives were valuable in their eyes. ¡°Wait just a bit longer¡­ I will definitely find a suitor for you, my daughter.¡± ¡°I am fine, Father. I¡¯m satisfied with just my sword as mypanion.¡± ¡°My daughter¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m ugly, but I will dedicate my life to bing the sword of our kingdom.¡± Brunhilde knew that it was impossible for her to marry an elf. ¡°What should I do¡­¡± Lohengrinmented. He did not wish to see his beloved daughter live alone for the rest of her life. ¡°She is quite hideous even in my own eyes, but she has a good heart¡­¡± Ironically, Brunhilde looked hideous even in her own father¡¯s eyes. One day, Lohengrin received news that made him jump from his seat. ¡°What?! My daughter kissed the King of Proatine?! Hahaha!?I should force him to marry my daughter!¡± Lohengrin eximed after receiving the secret report from one of the knights. He anxiously waited for Brunhilde¡¯s return, and he immediately grilled her for answers. ¡°T-That is¡­ He¡­ I like¡­ Him¡­ I am not sure why¡­ Father¡­¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°I keep thinking about him¡­ and I guess this is how love at first sight feels¡­¡± ¡°Good! Don¡¯t worry about it! I will make sure that your love can blossom! Hahaha!¡± ¡°N-No! Please don¡¯t¡­! I will take care of it myself¡­ I n to go see him soon, so¡­¡± ¡°Is that so? All right, I will not do anything then.¡± Lohengrin agreed not to do anything after seeing how embarrassed his daughter was, but¡­ ¡®Hmm¡­ I should investigate what kind of a person the King of Proatine is!¡¯? He investigated Siegfried from that day on until one day¡­ ¡°My king! The King of Proatine, Siegfried van Proa, requests entry to Elondel!¡± ¡°Really? He wishes to visit our kingdom? Grant him permission at once!¡± Lohengrinmanded. He opened the gates of Elondel to a human without a hint of hesitation. ¡®Hoho! You came walking in with your own feet? I can¡¯t thank you enough for this?! Hahaha!¡¯ Lohengrin had been waiting for Siegfried all this while¡­ *** ¡°I wanted you to take my daughter, but I was worried at the same time¡­¡± Lohengrin said. ¡°What were you worried about¡­?¡± Siegfried asked. He could not help but exim inside, ¡®How can you marry someone off without asking the person in question?! Did you ever ask me, old man?!¡¯ Siegfried didn¡¯t like how Lohengrin had decided everything on his own. ¡®Isn¡¯t he just dumping her on me?!¡¯?He felt that the elven king was simply dumping Brunhilde on him after failing to find a suitor for her. Of course, he wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°You are a human, and my daughter is an elf. You will probably die earlier than her even if you get married, and she will be heartbroken for centuries all alone before finally dying in loneliness¡­¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°But you¡¯re his disciple, right?¡± ¡°And¡­?¡± ¡°I have a feeling that you¡¯ll live hundreds of years just like him!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I made up my mind the moment you told me he was still alive and that you were his disciple! You must marry my daughter! And I will make sure that happens no matter what it takes!¡± ¡°I¡­ I hope you are not giving me an ultimatum right now¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while taking a few steps back. ¡°I am!¡± Lohengrin eximed. Then, he continued, ¡°You are not an elf, so my daughter must not be hideous to you. No, she must be absolutely stunning in your eyes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And you¡¯re the hero¡¯s disciple, which means that you will easily live longer than most humans, and you¡¯ll live even longer once you be a Master. This tells me that you are the best marriage candidate! Hoho!¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Siegfried let out an awkwardugh after finally realizing why it was so easy for him to enter Elondel. ¡®I basically walked into the tiger¡¯s den with my own two feet¡­¡¯?he thought. It all made sense now how he was able to enter the Eternal Forest, which was considered one of the forbidden regions throughout the continent. ¡°Your thoughts do not matter,¡± Lohengrin said, suddenly dropping a bombshell before continuing. ¡°I will make sure that you end up marrying my daughter no matter what it takes, and I am prepared to use whatever means at my disposal as the king of the elves to make it happen. So, I advise you to just give up and ept her as your wife. Hoho!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t this something good for you humans? I mean, you get to marry an elf, and the elf is a beautiful princess like Brunhilde!¡± ¡°I still refuse.¡± ¡°Y-You refuse?¡± ¡°I apologize, but I will pretend we did not have this conversation. Then, I will excuse myself,¡± Siegfried said before running away. *** ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to marry an NPC¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled after escaping from the Elven King. He looked quite troubled right now, and it was understandable. One of the biggest hazards of ying BNW was getting too emotionally invested in the game. The NPCs in BNW were extremely attractive, spoke like humans, thought like humans, and acted like humans. They were just dataposed of zeroes and ones, but the Doppelganger Algorithm developed by Hive Games Entertainment allowed the NPCs to basically be humans. How about dating and marrying an NPC? It wasn¡¯t something that could be easily decided, as being too invested in the game could bring detrimental consequences in real life. Quite a lot of yers started to neglect their real lives over the joy of ying the game, and the ones who had gotten in love with NPCs usually were the worst among those yers. ¡°I haven¡¯t dated anyone in real life, and getting involved with an NPC in the game will be¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. To be frank, he was scared. The mental hazards of being too emotionally invested in the game were already a well-researched topic. ¡®I can¡¯t get too emotionally invested in the game. I don¡¯t have friends in real life, and I¡¯m definitely not going to be able to live a normal life if I get involved with an NPC¡­¡¯ And that was why Siegfried had been keeping a distance between himself and the female NPCs in the game. Well, he also didn¡¯t want to ejacte in the capsule while enjoying BNWs adult content, but that was a whole different discussion altogether¡­ ¡®I should probably take a look around the city and search?for the Terramorg?once I¡¯m done sightseeing,¡¯?thought Siegfried. But¡­ ¡°Did you see the human the princes brought? He looks quite cool for a human!¡± ¡°Really? I heard he was a king, and he established numerousws that helped elves!¡± ¡°Omo! Then, that means he¡¯s a good guy, right?¡± Siegfried witnessed a group of beautiful elves chatting under the shade of a tree. ¡°But do you think that the king and the princess will get married? Rumors say¡ª¡± ¡°Nah, I doubt it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure humans have eyes too. Why would he marry the princess?¡± ¡°But humans have different beauty standards from us, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but the princess is too hideous¡­ no?¡± ¡°I agree¡­ I¡¯m sure he can pick from a lot of women since he is a king. There¡¯s no need for him to settle with the princess¡­¡± Siegfried was in disbelief after overhearing the chatter. ¡®Aigoo¡­ Can you please cut your bullshit? Hair color, this hair color, that¡­ It¡¯s pathetic¡­ You¡¯re not supposed to judge others by their appearance, you know? Tsk, tsk¡­ you elves still have¡­ huh?¡¯ His thought was interrupted halfway after his eyes shot wide open. ¡®Brunhilde-nim?!¡¯ He spotted the elven princess discreetly standing next to the chatting elves, and she looked like she was about to cry. Without any warning, Brunhilde took off and ran away. ¡®Damn it!¡¯?Siegfried cursed inwardly and ran after her. Chapter 251

    Chapter 251

    Brunhilde looked for Siegfried in hopes of touring him around Elondel, and she overheard what the other elves were saying about her by pure coincidence. ¡°I¡¯m sure humans have eyes too. Why would he marry the princess?¡± ¡°But humans have different beauty standards from us, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but the princess is too hideous¡­ no?¡± ¡°I agree¡­ I¡¯m sure he can pick from a lot of women since he is a king. There¡¯s no need for him to settle with the princess¡­¡± Their words were knives that pierced her wounded heart. She had already gotten used to hearing such words, but she couldn¡¯t afford to feel indifferent upon hearing those words this time around. ¡®Is Siegfried-nim going to reject me as well¡­?¡¯? The sadness and pain that had umted inside her for centuries welled up all at once at the thought of being rejected by Siegfried. Tak! Tak! Tak!? Then, she ran away. She ran, ran, and ran to the only ce she could cry alone¡­ *** ¡®Damn it! She definitely got hurt by them!¡¯?Siegfried gritted his teeth and ran after her. He understood her feelings, so he didn¡¯t want to leave her alone. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Before that, Siegfried decided to walk over to the elves and give them a piece of his mind. ¡°Y-Yes?!¡± ¡°Omo!¡± The elves were surprised when Siegfried approached them. ¡°Is it true that the elves are kind forest-dwellers that value nature and life above everything else?¡± he asked. ¡°Y-Yes, why do you ask?¡± an elf replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡± he retorted. ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± ¡°Why do you guys have so manyments on how someone looks? Are you guys that great? So great that you can put others down based on their appearance?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Kind, my ass. You guys are just a bunch of trash,¡± he said in a chilling voice. Then, he put his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist on his shoulder and added, ¡°I¡¯m going to bash the skull of whoever speaks ill of Brunhilde-nim in front of me from now on, you got that?¡± It was a warning, and it was quite a serious threat. The tone of his voice made it clear that he was dead serious. ¡°I¡¯m not just saying this to threaten you guys, so you better watch your mouth from now on,¡± Siegfried said before turning around to chase after the princess. *** Right after Siegfried disappeared¡­ ¡°Kyu!?Give it to me!¡± Hamchi said. He popped out of a bush and extended his hand. Lohengrin took out arge pouch and passed it, ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Kyu!?The walnut growing in the Eternal Forest is truly a delicacy! Kyuuuu!?This was an excellent trade!¡± ¡°Hoho! I agree with you. I think this was an excellent trade,¡± Lohengrin said as he let out a satisfiedugh. ¡°But how did you know things were going to turn out this way, Great Spirit of the Forest?¡± ¡°Kyu!?Hamchi knows owner punk the best!¡± Hamchi proudly proimed himself as an expert when it came to Siegfried. ¡°He¡¯s quite blunt, but he¡¯s quite the softie inside! He will never cave in if you threaten him, but he¡¯s quite easy to convince otherwise! Kyu!?He can be quite the jerk who stabs others in the back, but he¡¯s still a nice guy!¡± ¡°It seems that you know King Siegfried very well, Great Spirit. I have learned a lot from you.¡± ¡°Just let me know if you need anything from now on! Kyu!?But don¡¯t forget to pay me! Hamchi likes straightforward deals!¡± ¡°Hoho!?Please don¡¯t worry about that. We will always have tasty nuts from the Eternal Forest prepared for you.¡± ¡°We havepleted the mission, my king.¡± ¡°The mission has beenpleted.¡± The elves that were gossiping about Brunhilde approached Lohengrin and bowed. ¡°Great work, all of you. You disyed excellent acting, even though you were not trained for the task.¡± Lohengrin praised the elves. ¡°Not at all, my king. We did not really have to act¡ªah!¡± ¡°It was refreshing to speak the truth¡ªHeok!¡± The elves failed to control their tongue and blurted out the truth. They immediately ran away after seeing their king¡¯s face darken. Indeed. The mission wasn¡¯t that difficult for the elves because they had always been gossiping about Brunhilde. ¡°Leave¡­¡± Lohengrin muttered in anger at the remaining elves. The remaining elves escaped after sensing their king¡¯s foul mood. ¡°Sigh¡­?I can¡¯t punish them since it¡¯s an elf¡¯s natural instinct to be repulsed by red hair¡­ even I, her father, sometimes feel repulsed by her hair¡­¡± he muttered under his breath. It was inevitable for the kind elves to be so cruel toward Brunhilde, and it was all because of their instinctive hate for the color red. *** ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­!¡±?Brunhilde hid in the forest of the elves and cried. She would always go to this part of the forest whenever she wanted to cry, and it had always been her sanctuary. The whole thing was a plot hatched by Hamchi and Lohengrin¡¯s shady deal, but Brunhilde was unaware of what happened behind the scenes, so the elves¡¯ words hurt her deeply. ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­?Waaaaaah! Waaaaah!¡± She cried her heart out for the first time in five decades. ¡°W-Why¡­! I don¡¯t have any friends¡­ and even Siegfried-nim will¡­ sniff! sniff! sniff!¡± ¡°Brunhilde-nim! What are you doing here?!¡± Siegfried shouted after finally catching up to her. ¡°S-Siegfried-nim!¡± ¡°Why are you crying? Who made you cry?¡± ¡°Siegfried-nim¡­ aren¡¯t you repulsed by me? Are you going to abandon me, too¡­?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Siegfried grumbled. Then, he hugged her while thinking, ¡®Sigh¡­ why would they do this to her? She¡¯s such a nice person¡­¡¯ His reaction was normal. He didn¡¯t need to be in love or infatuated to hug a crying woman. ¡°Siegfried-nim¡­¡± ¡°Stop crying, why do you have to cry, Brunhilde-nim? They are the bad ones.¡± ¡°W-Will you really not go out with me? Is it true? I¡­ I really like Siegfried-nim! I fell in love with you at first sight!¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried found it difficult to answer. ¡°I see¡­ So it was true¡­ You don¡¯t want me¡­ sniff¡­ waaah!¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s not it! You should listen to what I have to say, too!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Siegfried consoled her before exining why he was against seeing anyone right now. Of course, he could not tell her that this world was just a fake world and they were all NPCs, so he came up with a different story that still matched his thoughts. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°In return, I¡¯ll be your friend, Brunhilde-nim,¡± Siegfried said and held her hand tightly. ¡°So please don¡¯t cry. You¡¯re no longer alone,¡± he added. ¡°Siegfried-nim¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dislike you or abhor you like the others, so you don¡¯t have to get hurt anymore. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Brunhilde felt better. ¡®You¡¯re truly kind, Siegfried-nim¡­ You¡¯re too sweet¡­ Ah¡­ Is this what love feels like? I feel like I¡¯m about to go crazy and drunk from this¡­!¡¯?she eximed inwardly after feeling the affection of the opposite gender for the first time in her life. Kwak! Siegfried hugged her tightly, and her face was buried in his chest. Pat, pat, pat¡­ He patted her back and did his best to console her. Ten minutester¡­ ¡°Uhm¡­ C-Can you get off of me now¡­? I can¡¯t breathe¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Omo! I apologize!¡± Brunhilde quickly let go of him after seeing his pale face. ¡°You¡¯re quite strong¡­ Hahaha!¡± ¡°I apologize for being too¡­¡± It was then. Rumble! The entirety of Elondel rumbled, and the magic speakers installed across Elondel red to life. ¡ªWarning! Warning! All forces prepare for battle and assemble at once! ¡ªI repeat! All forces prepare for battle and assemble at once! ¡ªThe dark elves have mobilized their army! Warning! Warning! War. The dark elves of Niflheim had mobilized the army to attack Elondel. ¡°I think I have to go, Siegfried-nim!¡± Brunhilde eximed. She was the captain of the flying squadron as well as one of the elite soldiers of Elondel, so her presence was crucial in battle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, and go!¡± Siegfried replied. He knew how important she was to the elves, so he had no problem sending her away to battle. *** ¡°Hmm¡­ I should go look for the Terramorg, then¡­¡± Siegfried decided to look for the ancient monster instead, as the war was between the dark elves and the elves. ¡°But where the hell is that monster¡­? I don¡¯t have a clue where it could be at¡­¡± he grumbled and pondered for quite a while until he met up with Hamchi, Gringore, Seung-Gu, and Cesc. ¡°We¡¯re now going to focus on our main objective foring here, which is hunting the Terramorg¡ª¡± Rumble! The ground trembled once more, interrupting him. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion before heughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the Terramorg is going to save me the trouble and show up here? Haha¡­?No, there¡¯s no way¡ª¡± Boom! A loud explosion echoed across Elondel as a portion of the city walls crumbled. ¡°Gwuooooook!¡± A monster that looked like abination of a rhinoceros and a turtle let out a deafening roar. The monster was bigger than any buildings in Elondel, and its entire body was surrounded by mes and sulfur smoke. The monster went on a rampage and destroyed everything in its path. ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­? I believe we no longer need any clues to locate the ancient monster¡­¡± Gringore muttered. ¡°Y-You think so, too¡­?¡± Siegfried replied in a daze. ¡°I hope it was not Your Majesty that summoned the monster¡­?¡± ¡°No way¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Both of them were certain that the humongous monster that suddenly appeared out of nowhere was the ancient monster, Terramorg. Siegfried didn¡¯t even have to use the Rune of Insight on it. ¡°Well, I guess it turned out for the better. We¡¯re technically outsiders, so we shouldn¡¯t get involved in the war against the dark elves. In other words, we should focus on the Terramorg while the elves are busy with their war,¡± Siegfried said with a shrug. Most of the elves had left to face the dark elves, so Siegfried led his party to hunt the Terramorg. *** ¡®It¡¯s a strong enemy, so I need to debuff it first¡­!¡¯?Siegfried immediately ced down ze Field and Shadow Swamp to kickstart the raid. A powerful ze shot up from the ground, and a ck shadow that looked identical to the Terramorg rose up. ¡°Gwuoooook!¡± The Terramorg did not stay within the debuff fields after spotting Siegfried. Thud! Thud! Thud! It ran at Siegfried at unbelievable speeds, which betrayed its size. ¡®Huh??It?left the Shadow Swamp just like that?!¡¯?Siegfried was shocked. The Terramorg was so powerful that Shadow Swamp failed to tie it down. No, it was more urate to say that the Shadow Swamp had done its job perfectly and slowed the ancient monster down, but the ancient monster was simply too fast that Shadow Swamp seemed like it hadn¡¯t done its job. Terramorg moved like a steam lotive after leaving the confines of Shadow Swamp. Thud! Thud! Thud! ¡°Huh¡­? Eh¡­?¡± Siegfried was bbergasted at the sudden turn of events. ¡°We¡¯re fucked!¡± He immediately jumped to the side to avoid getting squashed to death. Chapter 252

    Chapter 252

    Siegfried jumped out of the way, and the Terramorg crashed into the city walls. Boom! Rumble! A part of the city wall crumbled like it was made out of sand after the ancient monster rammed into it. The ancient monster that spanned fifty meters long and towered twenty meters high easily destroyed the walls of the elves¡¯ city. ¡°What the hell is it?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief after witnessing the ancient monster¡¯s strength. An ogre? An ultra minotaur? The Terramorg was far bigger and stronger than any of the monsters Siegfried had faced so far. ¡°Archers! Fire!¡± The captain of the city guards appeared with a group of archers and unleashed a volley of arrows at the ancient monster. Shwiiiiik! The arrows rained down from the sky and struck the ancient monster¡¯s back, but¡­ Ting! Ting! Ting! The Terramorg¡¯s back was covered with a turtle-like shell with spikes. It was incredibly sturdy. ¡®What the hell is that defense?!¡¯?Siegfried was shocked. The bow and arrows of the elves were renowned for being powerful enough to pierce steel as if it were mud, and their marksmanship was feared by many. However, none of the hundreds of arrows managed to deal any damage to the ancient monster. ¡°Shwoooooop¡­!¡± The Terramorg sucked air in its mouth and expanded like a balloon. ¡®That¡¯s¡­!¡¯?Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot wide open. He knew from experience what it meant when a monster sucked in air, and it could only mean one thing right now. Breath. Most monsters with breath attacks would inhale to unleash a breath attack, and every veteran gamer would know that breath attacks were devastating. ¡°Avoid it! Avoid it! You¡¯re all going to die!¡± Siegfried screamed at the top of his lungs. The archers flinched at Siegfried¡¯s voice carried through the air by mana. The archers were convinced by the urgency in Siegfried¡¯s voice, and they promptly ran away. ¡°Gwuuuuaaaaaaaaaa!¡± The Terramorg unleashed a stream of moltenva at the spot where the elves were gathered just a few moments ago. Tssshhh! The moltenva melted everything that it touched and set everything on fire. ¡°This is crazy¡­! It¡¯s this strong?¡± Siegfried muttered in disbelief. The Terramorg was a monster on a whole different level from anything that Siegfried had faced until now, and this was including the monsters he had fought when he first started the game as Tae-Sung. However, there was one thing that he was not aware of, and that was the fact that this Terramorg still hadn¡¯t matured. This Terramorg had just passed its juvenile stage, and it possessed only a tenth of the power of the Terramorg that Deus had defeated four hundred and fifty years ago. The reason the Terramorg crawled out of itsir before maturing was simply because it could no longer withstand its hunger. However, the young ancient monster still easily destroyed the city walls of the elves and set everything aze. The monster in front of Siegfried right now was not a monster he would ever imagine himself attempting to raid, but he wasn¡¯t nning on giving up. Kwak! He gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°It¡¯s pretty strong, so stay on your toes,¡± Siegfried warned hisrades. ¡°All right! Kyu!¡± ¡°No need to mention that, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Got it, hyung-nim!¡± Hisrades witnessed the ancient monster¡¯s destructive prowess as well, so they agreed with Siegfried¡¯s suggestion. *** Meanwhile, the elves were busy fighting the invading dark elves. ¡°My king! The Terramorg has appeared at our royal capital!¡± ¡°What?! Terramorg?! Oh my god!¡± Lohenrgin was shocked at the report he was hearing. ¡°Why would it appear now of all times?! Is our Elondel doomed to copse?¡± hemented. The Terramorg had onceid waste to half of Elondel, and the elves barely managed to avoid extinction thanks to the human hero who had vanquished the ancient monster back then. Today, they were in a worse situation than back then because they were currently in a war against the dark elves. The situation looked absolutely grim for them. ¡°But my king, I believe it will be fine as long as we manage to finish this war as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°The Terramorg is not as big as the one that appeared in the past, and I believe that it is possible for us to kill it. King Siegfried is currently keeping the Terramorg at bay, so we just have to focus on ending this war as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Really? Oh! Mother Nature has not abandoned us! She sent a savior to Elondel!¡± Lohengrin was ted. The fact that the human king was the disciple of the hero that saved Elondel four hundred and fifty years ago gave greatfort to Lohengrin. However, he wasn¡¯tpletely relieved. ¡°That means we will have to put an end to this war and return as soon as possible. The Terramorg is still a powerful ancient monster, so it will be difficult for my son-inw to deal with it alone.¡± Lohengrin suddenly started referring to Siegfried as his son-inw. ¡°We shouldunch a full-scale attack to push these Niflheim bastards back. Deploy all forces and push them!¡± Lohengrinmanded. However, Lohengrin had no idea that he had just made a grave mistake. Why? The urgency of having to return to the royal capital made him rashly deploy his troops, and he had no idea that his mistake would snowball and swing the tides of this war. However, Lohengrin would discover his massive mistake two hourster. *** The battle between Siegfried¡¯s party and the Terramorg was like attacking a boulder with eggs. Bam! Bam! Bam! Seung-Gu¡¯s Iron Golems unleashed their artillery barrage. ¡°Haaaaap!¡±? Cesc grabbed the ancient monster¡¯s hind legs in an attempt to lift it off the ground. ¡°La~ La~ Lla~ Ll~¡± Gringore sang songs. ¡°Kyuuuuuu!¡± Hamchi shot out aser beam from his mouth. Siegfried hopped onto the ancient monster¡¯s head and unleashed Machine Gun Smash, but he only managed to leave small scratches on the ancient monster¡¯s head. He failed to deal any significant damage. [Terramorg] [HP: ??????????] They were only able to shave ten percent off of the ancient monster¡¯s HP. [Terramorg] [HP: ??????????] ¡°What¡¯s up with its crazy regeneration rate?!¡± Siegfried shouted in disbelief. The ancient monster¡¯s HP returned to one hundred percent in the blink of an eye. However, he did not have the luxury to grumble around andin. ¡°Gwuoooook!¡± The Terramorg was enraged, and it went on a rampage once again. Thud! Bam! Thud! It thrashed wildly and destroyed the surroundings. ¡°Haaaaap!¡±?The Descendant of the Supreme King, Cesc, let out a cry before shouting. ¡°EASY WEIGHT LIGHTWEIGHT!¡± Cesc inherited the Supreme King¡¯s monstrous strength. Perhaps that was the reason he managed to slightly lift the ancient monster off of the ground. ¡°Gwuok¡­?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ He can actually do that¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered while staring at the musclebrain with eyes full of expectation. Could the Musclebrain Bandit flip the ancient monster on its back?! However, the Terramorg simply shook its leg and¡­ Tak! ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡± Cesc was sent flying. ¡°Tsk¡­ I knew it¡­¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue and facepalmed. Cesc had inherited the Supreme King¡¯s monstrous strength, but it was still impossible for him to flip the ancient monster over when he still hadn¡¯t fully awakened. Of course, the fact that he was able to slightly lift the ancient monster off of the ground was impressive, but it was practically useless. In the end, Cesc was forced to temporarily leave the battle after getting flung into the distance by the Terramorg. Unfortunately, Cesc wasn¡¯t the only one who had no choice but to leave the battle. ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­! My songs are not working ¡­!¡± Gringore shouted in a hoarse voice. The Terramorg was deaf, so the Phantom Singer¡¯s songs were ineffective. Its hide was also too thick for the soundwaves to prate its brain and deal any significant damage. In other words, the Terramorg was the Phantom Singer¡¯s perfect counter. ¡°Retreat and stay somewhere safe,¡± Siegfried said before gripping his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist tightly. ¡°Let¡¯s fight all night long then,¡± he muttered under his breath before dashing toward the ancient monster. The battle restarted with only Siegfried, Hamchi, and Seung-Gu. They threw everything they had¡ªincluding a kitchen sink¡ªat the ancient monster, but it only took them two hours to finally realize that defeating the ancient monster by themselves was impossible. [Terramorg] [HP: ??????????] They fired, smacked, whacked, punched, kicked, and did whatever else they could, but the ancient monster¡¯s HP was still at one hundred percent. ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­?That fucking bastard¡­¡± Siegfried cursed while gasping for air. ¡°Kyu¡­ Kyu¡­?Hamchi can¡¯t fight anymore¡­¡± ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ I¡¯m out of potions now¡­¡± Both Hamchi and Seung-Gu were too exhausted to fight¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t this just one of those impossible-to-kill monsters¡­?¡¯?Siegfried gritted his teeth in anger. The Terramorg was simply too powerful. It did not seem to be tired in the slightest, even after fighting for over two hours. In fact, it looked quite fine and fresh, as if it hadn¡¯t been fighting Siegfried and the others. The ancient monster was so strong that it was actually amazing how Siegfried''s party was still alive. ¡®What should I do? How can I kill it? I don¡¯t think Torrential Flower Rain is going to work judging by that thing¡¯s defense¡­¡¯?Siegfried pondered. ¡°Gwuoook!¡± The Terramorgpletely ignored Siegfried¡¯s party and made its way toward the residential area of the elves. Siegfried¡¯s party was just a nuisance to the Terramorg, and they did not look tasty at all. The pesky bastards were also too slippery and agile for it to catch, and it failed to get even a single bite in the past two hours. Therefore, the Terramorg decided to ignore Siegfried¡¯s party and let them do whatever they wanted while it went to feast on the elves in the city. ¡®I have to stop it!¡¯ Siegfried tried to stop the Terramorg to no avail. Bam! Bam! Bam!? He hopped onto the Terramorg¡¯s back and mmed his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist as hard as possible, but the ancient monster didn¡¯t even flinch, not to mention stop. ¡®I can¡¯t stop it¡­ My damage is too low¡­¡¯?Siegfried finally despaired. He knew that he had to do something before the ancient monster started filling its belly with the elves, but his damage was nowhere enough to stop it. ¡®Huh? Maybe that could work¡­?¡¯? A brilliant idea that could stop the Terramorg suddenly popped up in his mind. ¡°Seung-Gu!¡± he shouted. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Do you still have some artillery shells left?!¡± ¡°I have one or two left per golem!¡± ¡°Shoot it over there!¡± Siegfried shouted while pointing at the left side of the ancient monster¡¯s back. ¡°Do you see that slight opening? That looks like a wound!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Focus fire there! Hurry!¡± ¡°Roger that!¡± Seung-Gu was confused, but he obliged. Whiiing¡­ ck! The Iron Golems aimed the new cannons developed by the Proatine Kingdom at a certain spot on the Terramorg¡¯s back. Boooom! The Iron Golems unleashed every single artillery shell they had remaining toward the ancient monster¡¯s wound. It was super effective! ¡°Gwuooook!¡± The Terramorg screamed in agony when its wound was reopened by the artillery shells. ¡®Now¡¯s our chance!¡¯?Siegfried immediately ran on top of the ancient monster¡¯s back. Chapter 253

    Chapter 253

    Siegfried believed that he could not do anything against the Terramorg with his abilities, and he was right. The Terramorg¡¯s carapace was simply too strong. He couldn¡¯t deal any damage at all. However, Siegfried noticed a small wound on the Terramorg¡¯s back, which made him reconsider his previous thoughts. ¡®We can¡¯t kill it from external attacks¡­¡¯?Siegfried came to this conclusion while fighting the ancient monster for over two hours. Were the Terramorg¡¯s internal organs as tough as its carapace? There was only one way to find out; he had to check it out himself. He could have jumped into the Terramorg¡¯s jaws and made his way down into its body, but he wasn¡¯t that dumb. He knew that a monster of the Terramorg¡¯s caliber would have an extremely potent stomach acid. He would surely be digested the moment he entered its stomach. Therefore, he could only ask Seung-Gu to focus fire on the small wound on the ancient monster¡¯s back. That way, Siegfried could forge his own path into its body. ¡°Gwuak! Gwuaaaaaak!¡± The Terramorg roared in agony and thrashed about wildly while Siegfried was running on its neck. Tak! Siegfried disyed jaw-dropping bnce. He managed to keep running without falling off of the ancient monster, and he managed to run all the way from its neck down to the wound on its back without a hitch. ¡®I have a chance as long as I manage to enter that wound!¡¯?he thought. It was an entirely different story if the Terramorg had no wounds, but it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for Siegfried tocerate an open wound. Whoosh! Siegfried swung the cape on his back, which was the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings of the Hometown of Death. Chwaaaak! He used Sword Emperor Betelgeuse¡¯s Quick Draw with the Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings. Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!? The Terramorg¡¯s wound opened up as if it were a secret passage. Pshwaaak! A fountain of purple blood gushed out from it. ¡°Gwuuu?Oaaaaak!¡± The Terramorg roared in agony and thrashed powerfully. ¡®All right!¡¯?Siegfried eximed inwardly in joy. However, his joy didn¡¯tst long. ¡®Huh? What the hell is this regeneration speed?¡¯?He was shocked to find the wound closing up right after it was made. It was an opportunity that he had painstakingly created, but the opportunity would disappear once the wound healed. Unfortunately, the wound was closing up so fast that it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t make it in time. sh! A bright light shed in his hand. He had just used Megingjord to change weapons. He was now wielding the Rod of God rather than his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. The Rod of God was useless aside from its Scourge of God skill, but it was an extremely sturdy piece of wood with infinite durability. Siegfried nned to use the Rod of God¡¯s infinite durability to¡­ Puuuk! ¡­stop the Terramorg¡¯s wound from closing. Chwak! Chwaaak! The Terramorg¡¯s wound seized as the Rod of God stopped it from closing up. ¡®All right!¡¯?Siegfried smiled after securing an entrance. ¡°Hey! Seung-Gu!¡± he shouted. ¡°Yes! Hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu responded almost immediately. ¡°Pick up my item if I die by any chance!¡± ¡°H-Huh¡­? What do you mean by that, hyung-nim? What are you nning to do¡­?¡± ¡°See youter!¡± he shouted before turning around to look into the entrance. He took out his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and gripped it tightly before shouting, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He took a step toward the entrance and grumbled with a smirk. ¡°I went into that butthole of the Cryptids, so this is a piece of cake.¡± The Terramorg¡¯s wound was not that badpared to the Cryptid Tunnel, which resembled a literal butthole. Siegfried gnashed his teeth and eximed, ¡°Here Ie!¡± Puk! Puk! Puk! He swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist as hard as he could to dig himself a path into the ancient monster¡¯s body. ¡°Gwuoo?Oaak!¡± The Terramorg screamed in agony and started rolling on the ground, but it was useless. Why? It was all because Siegfried was already inside of it. *** Meanwhile, the Elondel Forces were quickly advancing toward the Niflheim Forces. ¡®I have to end this war quickly and return with as few casualties as possible to stand a chance at killing the Terramorg¡­!¡¯?Lohengrin thought whilemanding his army. He felt flustered upon thinking that the dark elves were in front of him while the Terramorg was rampaging behind him. Of course, it wasn¡¯t really strange because he was the ruler of Elondel. ¡°Hmm?¡± Credos¡¯ eyes narrowed while observing the movements of the Elondel Forces using a pair of binocrs. ¡°Is that guy drunk, or has he gone crazy? Why is he doing something out of character¡­?¡± He noticed the incongruity of the elves¡¯ movements. Credos had waged many wars against the elves over the past hundreds of years, so he knew how they fought better than anyone else. The Lohengrin he knew was careful, meticulous, and patient. He was also quite the straightforward elf that preferred to defend and minimize casualties at all times. It had always been his pattern during the many wars he fought against the dark elves. However, that pattern was nowhere to be found this time. The Elondel Forces moved swiftly and rashly, seemingly in a hurry. In fact, they even rushed headfirst into areas where the dark elves were known to set up ambushes. ¡°What the hell is that guy plotting? What are you doing, Lohengrin¡­? This isn¡¯t like you at all¡­ You would never move your troops like this¡­¡± Credos muttered under his breath. He was taken aback by Lohengrin¡¯smand. The king of the elves ruled over the Eternal Forest for hundreds of years through many victories against the dark elves because of his careful nature, but his careful nature suddenly disappeared. ¡°Just what are you plotting, Lohengrin? This isn¡¯t like you at all¡­ Hmm¡­ Is it a trap? No, there¡¯s no way he¡¯s going to start scheming when he never did for the past hundreds of years¡­¡± Credos muttered before shaking his head. He could not put a finger on what was going on and was utterly confused. All of a sudden, a messenger ran up to him and said, ¡°My king! I bring good news!¡± ¡°Good news? What are you talking about?¡± Credos asked. ¡°Our scouts reported that the Terramorg is wreaking havoc at Elondel as we speak, my king!¡± ¡°What?! The Terramorg?!¡± Credos was shocked. He was naturally familiar with the Terramorg because it was a monster that nearly wiped Elondel off the face of the earth four hundred fifty years ago when Lohengrin was still the crown prince. ¡°Fuck! Fuuuuuck! If I had known that the Terramorg had appeared in their royal capital, I would have immediately waged war on them! I was too busy fooling around and missed an opportunity that would onlye once in a blue moon!¡± Credos recalled his father, the previous King of the Dark Elves, Psikis,menting and kicking himself for missing the opportunity the Terramorg had presented. It was the opportunity that the great nature had bestowed upon them to finally annihte the elves. Psikis mentioned again and again until the day of his death that he would have gathered every able-bodied dark elf in the eternal forest and waged war against the elves if he had known that the Terramorg was wreaking havoc in Elondel. ¡°Terramorg¡­ Are you talking about that ancient monster? That?Terramorg? In Elondel?¡± Credos asked. ¡°Yes, my king!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Keke¡­ Kekekeke¡­!¡± He snickered. His snicker slowly turned intoughter, and he soon startedughing like a madman. ¡°Bwahahahaha!?Kwahahahaha!¡± ¡°M-My king¡­!¡± ¡°Such an opportunity hase once again! Kwahahaha!?Who could have imagined that the Terramorg would appear in Elondel once again?!¡± Credos led his army to invade Elondel after seeing his daughter, Menacia, being gravely injured by the elf princess, Brunhilde. However, he couldn¡¯t have imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that this would coincide with such an incredible opportunity that his father had missed. ¡°I see¡­ So that¡¯s why that coward is acting strangely¡­ I¡¯m sure his ass is on fire because the Terramorg is rampaging on his undefended territory¡­ Kekeke¡­ Keke¡­?Kwahahaha!¡± Credos couldn¡¯t suppress his delight, and he burst out into a peal of boisterousughter. ¡°I will teach you that rashness is a highway to destruction, Lohengrin! The day hase for you to have a taste of your own medicine! Kwahahaha!¡± Credos was the impatient type who had always suffered defeat at the hands of Lohengrin for the past hundreds of years, and almost every single one of his defeats was due to his impatience and impulsive decisions. However, it was different this time around. The tables had turned. Lohengrin was the one pressed for time, and time was on Credos and the dark elves¡¯ side for the first time in centuries. ¡°Great¡­ This is really great! The elves are going tounch a full-scale attack very soon, so get ready to annihte them,¡± Credosmanded. ¡°Yes, my king!¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Credos shed a sinister smile before continuing. ¡°We have to catch that bitch at all costs to send a message to the elves. Catch her alive if possible, but don¡¯t hesitate to sever her head if she resists.¡± ¡°Yes, my king!¡± ¡°Hohoho!?So today is the day I will finally destroy Elondel with my own two hands! Who could have known that my daughter would bring me such an opportunity?¡± Credos muttered under his breath with a huge triumphant grin. *** Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik! Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist three times and broke through a wall of muscle. Puuuk! He was finally inside the Terramorg. Badump! Badump! Badump! He could feel from the twitching of the muscles that the ancient monster was probably going wild right now. ¡°Euk¡­!?It¡¯s so hard to keep my bnce¡­!¡± Siegfried found it extremely difficult to maintain his bnce inside the ancient monster¡¯s body. He was rolling around back and forth inside of it. ¡°Where am I¡­? I dug through in a straight line, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in its heart cavity¡­¡± he muttered while straining his eyes to see through the darkness. Badump! Badump! Badump! He focused as much as he could and finally heard the ancient monster¡¯s heartbeat. ¡°Ah¡­ I think I¡¯m in the wrong direction¡­¡± he grumbled after realizing that he was digging a part toward the ancient monster¡¯s intestines rather than its heart. Then, he waited for a bit longer until his eyes adapted to the darkness, and his assumption turned out to be correct. The Terramorg¡¯s squirming small intestine was right in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll be covered in its shit if I attack that, right?¡± Thest thing he wanted was to get covered in some monster¡¯s excrement while inside its body, so he left the intestines alone and followed the sound of the heartbeat. Siegfried came across another organ while he was on his way to the Terramorg¡¯s heart. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s thatrge rock? It¡¯s definitely not the stomach and not theva pouch. Wait, why is it glowing green? Oh? It looks like a giant bean. Is it the kidney?¡± Siegfried realized that the organ he came across could be the ancient monster¡¯s kidney. . ¡°If that¡¯s the kidney, then nothing dangerous shoulde out from it even if I destroy it, right? Well, here goes nothing!¡± Siegfried muttered. He gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist tightly. However, there was something he had to do before going berserk at the ancient monster¡¯s kidney. ¡°I¡¯m inside that bastard, so he won¡¯t be able to escape if I ce my debuff fields inside it¡­ Hehehe¡­¡± he let out a sinisterugh. He ced ze Field inside the ancient monster¡¯s body. Fwaaa! Fwaaa!? mes shot up from the debuff field, and it spread like wildfire. ¡°It¡¯s showtime!¡± He tried to maintain his bnce before swinging his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist at the Terramorg¡¯s organ, which he assumed was its kidney. Pukeoook! The sound that Siegfreid¡¯s attack generated echoed throughout the ancient monster¡¯s body. ¡°G¡­ Gwuu¡­ OOOOOOACK!¡±?The Terramorg¡¯s cry was so loud that it generated shockwaves strong enough to shake the earth. Chapter 254

    Chapter 254

    ¡°Aaaaack!¡±? Siegfried screamed while struggling to find his bnce after the Terramorg started rolling on the ground. ¡°Gwuok¡­! Gwu¡­?Oack!¡± The Terramorg eventually settled down. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re quite tough for a kidney¡­ Let¡¯s see how tough you are,¡± Siegfried grumbled. The Terramorg¡¯s kidney was still intact, but it had swollen quite a bit after getting pummeled. Siegfried knew that it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to destroy the Terramorg¡¯s kidneys. He had to deal a lot of damage at once to prevent the Terramorg from thrashing about once again. ¡°Here I go!¡± He tightly gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and swung it mercilessly at the kidney. Puk! Puk! Puk! Machine Gun Smash! The Debuff Master¡¯s skill with the highest DPS hit the Terramorg¡¯s kidney. Splurt! Foul-smelling fluid gushed out from the kidney the moment it was destroyed, and the Terramorg thrashed even harder and roared at the top of its lungs. ¡°GWUU¡­!?Oaarkkk!¡± The Terramorg continued rolling on the ground for around five minutes before it finally calmed down. Then, Siegfried continued marching toward where the heartbeat wasing after finding his bnce when the monster calmed down. Swoosh! He walked like unleashing his green radioactive fog to contaminate the ancient monster¡¯s insides. ¡°Hmm¡­ Is this the liver?¡± Siegfried muttered while looking at an organ he reached with absolute fascination. He could immediately recognize the organ at a single nce, as the ancient monster¡¯s organs looked quite simr to a human¡¯s organs. Theva traveling through the ancient monster¡¯s veins also illuminated its insides, making it easier for him to move about. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be needing this from now on, so¡­¡± Siegfried said while gripping his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. ¡°Gwuu¡­?OOOOAAARK!¡± The Terramorg jumped about in agony and trashed violently after its liver was destroyed. Fortunately, Siegfried was starting to get used to the tremors, so it wasn¡¯t that difficult for him to waltz all the way up to its heart. ¡°Because of your liver~ Because of your liver~¡± he sang an oldmercial song while walking. ¡°I¡¯ll probably melt to death if I pop that, right? Pass!¡± He decided not to mess with arge pouch-like organ that was probably the stomach. He had to be insane to a certain extent to risk getting covered by an ancient monster¡¯s stomach acid. Shwoop! Fwooo! Shwoop! The next organ he reached looked like tworge pouches next to each other that repeatedly deted and inted. ¡°Those must be its lungs,¡± Siegfried muttered. He grinned and gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist tightly. Kwachik¡­! Pukeok! Pukeok! He immediately went on a rampage. Shwooong! Kaboom! Thebination of Splitting Heaven and Earth together with the ability of the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist¡ªEarthquake¡ªwas truly destructive. The Terramorg¡¯s lungs, rib cage, fascia, and other organs were turned into a mess by Siegfried¡¯s atrocities. ¡°Gwuo¡­?GWUOO!?OAAARK!¡±?The Terramorg staggered before crying out in agony. ¡°Gwuok¡­?Gwuo¡­. Gwoo¡­.?Oarkk¡­!¡± The ancient monster could no longer even cry out in pain after its lungs were destroyed. ¡®Hmm? Why look at you?¡¯?Siegfried clicked his tongue upon seeing that the ancient monster¡¯s organs were regenerating. Badump! Badump! Badump! The ancient monster¡¯s heart beat wildly and pumped as much blood and nutrients as it could to regenerate its organs. ¡®So it¡¯s all for naught¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought upon seeing the ancient monster¡¯s insane regeneration rate. The main target was supposed to be its heart. The ancient monster¡¯s heart was the source of its regenerative ability. It was impossible to defeat it with its heart intact. However¡­ Siegfried revealed an insidious grin. Badump! Badump! Badump!. He was right in front of the ancient monster¡¯s heart, and there was nothing it could do about it. He was basically like a virus in its body that would not stop until its heart was destroyed. There was a saying that internal enemies are scarier than external enemies, and this was a great example. Badump! Badump! Badump! It did not take Siegfried that long to reach the ancient monster¡¯s heart, but its heart was protected by thickyers of muscles and membranes. ¡®How am I supposed to get through that? I already used Quick Draw¡­¡¯?Siegfried pondered. Quick Draw had a long cooldown of twenty-four hours. ¡®No, I don¡¯t really have to destroy it, right? I can just contaminate it with my radioactive energy.¡¯?Siegfried shrugged and cranked up Irradiate to max. Swoosh! The green fog around him became so thick that Siegfried was convinced that it would kill anyone that took even the slightest graze or whiff from it in the blink of an eye. The potent radioactive seeped into the ancient monster¡¯s heart muscles. It didn¡¯t take that long for Siegfried¡¯s radioactive energy to spread throughout the ancient monster¡¯s body. [Terramorg¡¯s Heart] [HP: ??????????] A notification popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes, and it informed him that the ancient monster¡¯s heart only had ten percent of its HP remaining. Badump! Badump! Badump! The heart¡¯s beating started to slow down as well. ¡°Just die quietly and peacefully. I¡¯m tired of hitting you,¡± Siegfried grumbled under his breath. Then, he poured all of his remaining mana into Irradiate. *** ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong with that thing all of a sudden?¡± Seung-Gu tilted his head in confusion after seeing the mighty Terramorg fall to the ground and gasp for air. ¡°Gwuok¡­?Gwuok¡­?Gwuok¡­¡±? The ancient monster had be too weak to even thrash about. ¡°¡­¡± It slowly calmed down and closed its eyes. Its auburn hide slowly turned pale, and death¡¯s presence slowly enveloped its gigantic body. [Alert: Your party member Siegfried has sessfully killed the ancient monster, Terramorg!] [Alert: You have gained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] [Alert: You have leveled up!] Seung-Gu gained a jaw-dropping seven levels at once after the Terramorg¡¯s demise, and it was all because his level was lower than the Terramorg¡¯s level. ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­? Did he really manage to kill this thing from its inside?¡± Seung-Gu muttered in disbelief. Chwa¡­ Chwaaak¡­! The Terramorg¡¯s mouth opened, and Siegfried slowly crawled out of it. ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Cesc shouted and ran to the Terramorg¡¯s mouth. He grabbed the ancient monster¡¯s mouth and opened it up with his monstrous strength to help Siegfried. ¡°T-Thanks¡­ ugh¡­?I stink¡­¡± Siegfried grimaced. He had to crawl up the ancient monster¡¯s esophagus to escape, so he got covered in its bodily fluids as a result. ¡°Kyu!?Owner punk! Good job!¡± ¡°Here, a towel, Your Majesty!¡± Hamchi and Gringore rushed over to escort Siegfried. ¡°Wow! Hyung-nim! Did you really kill that monster all by yourself?!¡± ¡°You probably got some experience points, right?¡± Siegfried asked with a smile. [Alert: You have reached Level 216] [Alert: You have reached Level 217] [Alert: You have reached Level 218] Siegfried gained a whopping three levels after killing the Terramorg, which was equal to a jaw-dropping amount of experience points. Siegfried didn¡¯t gain even a single level despite grinding for a whole week. ¡®Three?levels means¡ªwow, this is a huge profit. I¡¯ll invest all of my skill points into my debuff skills as well¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. A single level was a huge chasm between Adventurers above Level 200, and the fact that the Terramorg gave him three levels was astonishing. Ding! A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You have cleared the Quest: ¡®Back to Basics¡¯!] [Alert: Collect the Terramorg¡¯s Core located within the Terramorg¡¯s brain and consume it!] ¡°Good,¡± Siegfried smiled after reading the message. He took out many different tools he would need to dismember the ancient monster and immediately got to work. It was then that an elf kid waltzed toward Siegfried. An elven child walked toward Siegfried and shouted, ¡°King Siegfried!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Thank you for protecting our city!¡± The little kid jumped and nted a kiss on Siegfried¡¯s cheek before cing a flower gand around his neck. However, it seemed that the kid wasn¡¯t the only one with the same thought. ¡°Thank you for protecting Elondel!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You are a hero! We will never forget what you did for us!¡± The elves who were hiding started to appear one by one and thanked Siegfried. The number of elves increased until they reached a massive fifty thousand. These were the elves without anybat abilities, and they would have definitely ended up as the Terramorg¡¯s snacks if Siegfried hadn¡¯t protected them. The city was left undefended after most of itsbatants were deployed for war, and the Terramorg appeared at the city¡¯s most vulnerable time. Siegfried had not only stalled for time against the ancient monster, but he also bravely fought it and even managed to y the beast. . In other words, it wasn¡¯t strange that the elves regarded him as their hero. This achievement alone was more than enough for the elves to fully trust Siegfried and look favorably upon the Proatine Kingdom. *** Two hourster, Siegfried was drenched in his own sweat. ¡°Ah¡­ I thought I was going to grow old from doing this¡­ Why is it so difficult?¡± he grumbled. He barely managed to extract the Terramorg¡¯s Core after going through its hide, bone, fascia, blood vessels, and muscles. The only silver lining was the fact that he was quite skilled at dismembering monster corpses, so he managed to do it in just two hours. Otherwise, he would have had to spend one to two days dismembering it. [Alert: You have obtained ¡®Terramorg¡¯s Core¡¯!] A marble glistening in five different colors was on top of Siegfried¡¯s palm. ¡°Oh, so this is the Terramorg¡¯s core¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a satisfied smile. Whiiiiiiiing! The sirens across Elondel red once again. ¡ªAlert! Alert! ¡ªAlert! Alert! ¡ªA nationwide conscription and mobilization is enforced from this moment onward! I repeat! Nationwide mandatory conscription and mobilization are enforced from this moment onward! ¡ªAll able-bodied elves are requested to gather at the rally point! It was a sudden broadcast for conscription and mobilization. ¡°Huh??Conscription? Mobilization? Aren¡¯t these things only broadcasted during wars?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. Those two words sounded different, but they both served the same purpose¡ªto recruit more manpower for war. In other words, Elondel needed more soldiers. ¡°But why? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Siegfried muttered and raised a g. ¡ªAlert! Alert! The Elondel Forces led by His Majesty have been surrounded by the Niflheim Forces! All able-bodied elves are requested to raise arms and gather at the rally point! ¡ªI repeat! Our king is in grave danger! We need all able-bodied elves to arm up and gather at the rally point! The dreadful news immediately spread throughout Elondel. 1. This is the song in case some of you are curious: Chapter 255

    Chapter 255

    The Elondel Forces were currently desperately fighting for their survival against the Niflheim Forces. The former was currently being surrounded by the Niflheim Forces. ¡°H-how did I make such a mistake¡­?¡± Lohengrin muttered in denial. He couldn¡¯t believe what was going on, nor could he believe that he had made such a stupid mistake. He regretted rushing his soldiers, which led to their current predicament. He realized in hindsight that he had made such a foolish decision. ¡®I panicked because?of the Terramorg, which led to such a critical error! Ah! How did I make such a huge mistake¡­?¡¯?Lohengrin rebuked himself, but it was already toote. The Elondel Forces were surrounded at a location with unfavorable terrain, and their enemies were one-sidedly ughtering them. It wouldn¡¯t have been too bad if that were their only adversity, but they had already lost a fifth of their soldiers. ¡°Your Majesty! Our enemies are charging once again!¡± ¡°We need to prepare! Please give us yourmand, Your Majesty!¡± Hismanders ran up to him one by one. ¡°Is this the end¡­? Are our defensive lines going to crumble¡­?¡± Lohengrin bit his lips. Only absolute carnage awaited the Elondel Forces once their defensive lines werepromised, and they were going to be massacred in this very ce. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Brunhilde¡­¡± ¡°I will open up an escape path with my squadron!¡± ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous! Credos is probably expecting us to do something like that to secure an escape route¡­¡± ¡°But, Father¡­ We will surely die if we don¡¯t do anything. Our soldiers will die as well, and Elondel will fall!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± ¡°Please trust me. I will definitely open up a path for us!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you have to do this, my daughter¡­ It seems that I have put a heavy burden on your shoulders¡­¡± Lohengrin muttered with solemn eyes. Brunhilde was his one and only daughter, and he loved her dearly. Her looks were repulsive ording to the elves¡¯ standards, but there was no way he wouldn¡¯t dote on his own daughter. Lohengrin¡¯s heart felt like they were being torn to pieces at the fact that he had no choice but to endanger his daughter¡¯s life. Of course, Lohengrin could carve a path himself since he was a Master, but their lines would instantly crumble the moment he made such a move. Why? Credos was a Master as well. There was an absolute rule on the battlefield. Masters could only fight Masters, so Lohengrin couldn¡¯t carelessly make a move. He knew that Credos would make a move the moment carved an escape route, so he had no choice but to delegate the dangerous task to his daughter. ¡°Please do not be worried, Father. I will definitely secure a path!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my daughter¡­¡± ¡°I am Elondel¡¯s sword; this is my destiny and my responsibility.¡± ¡°Please be careful and don¡¯t get hurt, my daughter.¡± ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Brunhilde smiled brightly to reassure Lohengrin, but her expression changed the moment she turned around. ¡®I will definitely secure a path for our forces¡­!¡¯? Her expression was resolute, and she was even willing toy down her life for this mission. *** ¡°I should probably help them, right¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered after hearing the broadcast. His conscience wouldn¡¯t let him be if he were to pretend that he had no idea about the elves¡¯ current predicament. The elves were also praising him as their hero, so it would be ironic if he suddenly said¡ªWelp, my business is done here, so hasta vista baby¡ªand ran away. ¡®I should help them, but thises first,¡¯?he thought while looking at the Terramorg¡¯s Core. The item that would enhance the Debuff Master¡¯s very foundation was finally in his hand. ¡°Protect me after I consume this,¡± Siegfried said before swallowing the core. Bleurgh¡­! Siegfried felt his gut churn the moment he swallowed the Terramorg¡¯s Core. ¡°W-What the fuck is this¡­? Blergh!?It¡¯s disgusting! How can something taste worse than dposed trash dug up from andfill?!¡± Terramorg¡¯s Core tasted like a cocktail of cockroaches, feces, urine, rotten fish, sewage water, sewage silt,ndfill leachate, and every other imaginable disgusting fluid. ¡°I¡¯d rather eat the stuff those Sirens dropped¡­¡± he grumbled. The Terramorg¡¯s Core tasted so awful that Siegfried would rather eat the Sirens¡¯ stinky item. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to throw up¡­¡± sh! Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot open, and a string of messages popped up in front of him. [Alert: The Earth Attribute Energy stored within Terramorg¡¯s Core is surging within you!] [Alert: Warning! Warning!] [Alert: Stay focused! The Earth Attribute Energy of Terramorg¡¯s Core is extremely powerful!] Whoooosh! A powerful energy surged out from within Siegfried and conjured a storm that enveloped him. *** ¡°AAAARGH!¡±? Siegfried screamed in agony. The earth attribute energy stored within the Terramorg¡¯s Core was truly powerful. Badump! Badump! Badump! His blood vessels bulged, and they looked like they were about to explode. Badump! Badump! Badump! His muscles twitched and bulged as well. Fwaaaaa! An auburn me enveloped him. ¡°O-Owner punk!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Tae-Sung hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Hisrades tried to rush in and help, but Siegfried shouted to keep them at bay. ¡°N-Noooo! Leave me¡­ I¡¯m absorbing it¡­ I have to absorb¡ªAARGH!¡± Siegfried dragged his concentration to the absolute highest and focused on controlling and absorbing the rampant energy inside him. [Alert: Your Mana has increased by 100.] [Alert: Your Mana has increased by 100.] [Alert: Your Mana has increased by 100.] [Alert: Your Mana has increased by 100.] [Alert: Your Mana has increased by 100.] His Maximum Mana increased, and his skills¡¯ mana consumption decreased as well. [Alert: Quick Draw has been enhanced!] [Alert: Both the power and cooldown time of Quick Draw has been improved!] [Alert: Torrential Flower Rain has been enhanced!] [Alert: The power of Torrential Flower Rain has been improved!] Quick Draw and Torrential Flower Rain consumed thirty percent and one hundred percent of Siegfried¡¯s mana, respectively. These skills heavily relied not only on their skill levels but on Siegfried¡¯s mana as well. However, those skills weren¡¯t the only skills that received an enhancement. [Alert: ze Field has leveled up!] [Alert: ze Field has leveled up!] [Alert: ze Field has leveled up!] ¡­ [Alert: ze Field has leveled up!] [Alert: ze Field has leveled up!] Siegfried¡¯s bread and butter skill, ze Field, leveled up ten times. [Alert: Shadow Swamp has leveled up!] [Alert: Shadow Swamp has leveled up!] [Alert: Shadow Swamp has leveled up!] [Alert: Shadow Swamp has leveled up!] [Alert: Shadow Swamp has leveled up!] Shadow Swamp leveled up five times. Who could have known that the skill levels of these skills would increase without skill point investment?! Siegfried had be even more powerful. [Alert: You have learned a new skill!] He also unlocked a new skill. [Discharge] [Consume Mana to increase ze Field and Shadow Swamp¡¯s range.] [Mana consumption depends on the scale of improvement.] [Type: Active Skill] [Mana Consumption: N/A] [Cooldown: N/A] Discharge was more like a support skill that allowed his ze Field and Shadow Swamp to be even more powerful by sacrificing his mana. Siegfried could finally use ze Field and Shadow Swamp like how he had been using Irradiate. These two skills had not only be even more flexible and powerful, but they had also be even more effective in battles. Siegfried let out a sigh of relief after sessfully absorbing the earth attribute energy within the ancient monster¡¯s core. ¡®I still have skill points since my debuff skills leveled up on their own. In other words¡­¡¯?Siegfried immediately decided to invest his remaining skill points into ze Field. [Alert: ze Field has leveled up!] [Alert: ze Field has leveled up!] [Alert: ze Field has leveled up!] Siegfried had realized that debuff fields were the absolute foundation of the Debuff Master, so it was imperative that he focused on them. Therefore, Siegfried decided to invest his remaining skill points into ze Field. He wanted to focus on his foundation before anything else. Deus¡¯ quest struck him with an epiphany, which allowed him to grow even stronger. *** ¡°Knights of Elondel! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°For Elondel!¡± The knights under Brunhilde¡¯smand valiantly steered their pegasi to avoid the iing arrows and magic in a desperate attempt to secure the elves a path to safety. Of course, they weren¡¯t the only ones who were desperately fighting. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Push them!¡± ¡°Put your lives on the line!¡± There were two elite knight squadrons on the ground, and they were desperately fighting to support Brunhilde¡¯s squadron. ¡®All right! We should be able to punch a hole through their lines as long as we have air superiority.¡¯¡¯? Brunhilde was optimistic about their chances because the Captain of the ck Winged Warriors¡ªMenacia¡ªwas currently out ofmission. In other words, the Elondel Forces could control the skies and nullify whatever disadvantages they had strategically. ¡®We?just have to upy that point¡­!¡¯?Brunhilde gritted her teeth and focused her sights on one spot. A path of retreat was going to open for the Elondel Forces if they managed to control that point. ¡°Cover our allies! We need to help our allies capture that point!¡± Brunhilde shouted. She bit her lips and muttered under her breath, ¡°As long as we capture that point¡­¡± Rumble! The ground vibrated, and a pir of light abruptly shot out and swallowed Brunhilde. However, Brunhilde wasn¡¯t the only one who got struck. sh! sh! sh! The pir of light swallowed the entire flying squadron. Swoosh! The flying knights plummeted to the ground. . ¡®This is!¡¯?Brunhilde immediately recognized her predicament. They had been struck by a gravitational spell that increased the weight of whatever it hit and made any flying objects crash to the ground. In other words, it was a spell that countered Brunhilde and her flying knights. Thud! ¡°Heuk!¡± ¡°Neighhh!¡± Brunhilde and Hyperion couldn¡¯t get up after crashing into the ground. The impact was so strong that the two would have perished on the spot if it hadn¡¯t been for their pedigree. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re quite pretty~¡± someone eximed. ¡°Heuuuk¡­!¡±?Brunhilde struggled to get up. ¡°You would be perfect to capture and use as a ything¡­ Hehe¡­¡± ¡°We can y with her and sell her to the NPC nobles once we get bored of her, right?¡± ¡°Adult content with the elves is the best! Kekeke!¡± A group of men appeared in front of Brunhilde. ¡®H-How?!¡¯?Brunhilde was shocked. She wasn¡¯t that surprised to see humans lusting over elves, so why was she so shocked? ¡®A-Adventurers?!¡¯? She was shocked because the humans were Adventurers. Why? How did the Adventurers enter the Eternal Forest? And why were they fighting alongside the dark elves? However, her question was almost immediately answered. ¡°How does it feel, you bitch?¡± Menacia appeared and red at Brunhilde. ¡°Did you really think you were the only one who could bring Adventurers here??Kekeke!¡± Her wickedughter filled the air and pierced Brunhilde¡¯s ears. Chapter 256

    Chapter 256

    Menacia shed a deranged smile while staring at Brunhilde. ¡°Did you really think you¡¯re the only one who can bring Adventurers here, stupid bitch?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I have to thank you for giving me inspiration.¡± ¡°What inspiration¡­ are you talking about?¡± ¡°On how to break the bnce of power.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Our races have fought against each other countless times over thousands of years, right? But who could have known that there was such a good way to break the stalemate thatsted for thousands of years now!¡± The dark elves and the elves had been at odds with each other over the supremacy of the Eternal Forest, but they were oblivious to the existence of the Adventurers. They were so detached from the world that they had no idea that such people existed in the first ce. However, everything changed when Brunhilde brought Siegfried to the Eternal Forest. The dark elves learned of the Adventurers¡¯ existence. The dark elves valiantly pushed back any human who had attempted to enter the Eternal Forest for thousands of years. They knew that the humans coveted the mystical magic and artifacts of the elven race, and they were also aware that the humans wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until they conquered the Eternal Forest. Therefore, the elves and dark elves cooperated and created a barrier over the Eternal Forest despite being at odds with one another. However, it was a different story for the Adventurers, which were a group of people who were more interested in their personal gains rather than territory or knowledge. In other words, the Adventurers weren¡¯t a threat to the Eternal Forest. And that was why the dark elves decided to bring the Adventurers here. The Adventurers would surely break the bnce of power between the dark elves and the elves. What was the first mission of the Adventurers hired by the dark elves? Their first mission was to capture the elven princess who was trying to secure a path of retreat for the Elondel Forces¡ªBrunhilde. ¡°Kekeke!¡±?Menaciaughed maniacally. She unwrapped the bandage around her chest before saying, ¡°It¡¯s my turn now, right? Look what you did to my breasts! I have this hideous X mark on my chest because of you! You fucking BITCH!¡± Menacia¡¯s beautiful voluptuous valleys were nowhere to be seen. A cliff as t as a teau had taken their ces. ¡°I¡¯ll make you suffer the same shame I suffered! Ah, but not now, of course¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I suddenly want to enjoy some entertainment first. Kekeke!¡± She looked at the Adventurers she hired and said, ¡°Strip her.¡± ¡°W-What are you trying to do?!¡± Brunhilde retorted. ¡°Who knows? I wonder what I¡¯m trying to do~?¡± Menacia sneered in response. She then revealed a malevolent grin and said, ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and strip her! Strip her naked! Kekeke!¡± The Adventurers grabbed Brunhilde¡¯s arms and legs. They then started stripping her of her armor and equipment. ¡°L-Let me go! I said let me go!¡± ¡°Neighhh! Neigh! Neighhhh!¡± Brunhilde resisted with all of her strength. Hyperion tried to stop the Adventurers to no avail. Unfortunately, both Brunhilde and Hyperion were critically injured by their fall. It was actually a miracle that they somehow managed to survive the fall. And that was why Brunhilde couldn¡¯t protect herself against the Adventurers, even though the Adventurers weren¡¯t that strong. In fact, she was in a state where anyone with decent strength could easily subdue her. ¡°Let go! I said let me go!¡± Brunhilde resisted. ¡°Stay still!¡± ¡°AAAACK!¡± ¡°You fucking bitch!¡± An Adventurer pped her hard. ¡°Ah!¡± Brunhilde eximed in pain, and blood trickled down the corner of her lips. ¡°Good¡­ Good¡­ Great work¡­¡± Menacia said with a satisfied look. Then, she said, ¡°Keep going. Ah, I¡¯ll give ten times the promised rewards to those who could defile her the best right here and right now, so you better put on a good show for me.¡± The Adventurers were slightly taken aback. ¡®Ah¡­ That is a bit¡­¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re giving the devil a run for his money¡­¡¯ ¡®Isn¡¯t she quite evil¡­?¡¯ The Adventurers were just gamers, but even they felt that Menacia¡¯s request was a bit too much. ¡°What? What¡¯s up with those faces? You don¡¯t like the reward? All right, I¡¯m in a good mood today, so I¡¯ll give you twenty times the promised reward. How about it?¡± The Adventurers¡¯ minds immediately changed after hearing Menacia¡¯s new offer. ¡°Here we go, adult content! Here Ie, baby!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go recharge my cash. Be right back!¡± ¡°I¡¯m already done recharging! Keke!¡± The Adventurers were blinded by the massive reward, and they decided to abandon their humanity by purchasing the adult content coupon. ¡°J-Just kill me¡­!¡± Brunhilde growled. ¡°Kekeke!?Kill you? No~ No, I can¡¯t do that~ I will make you experience absolute shame and horror first. I will make you beg for death before I kill you!¡± ¡°Just¡­¡± Brunhilde muttered. She opened her mouth and was about to bite her tongue. ¡°Stop her!¡± Menacia screamed, ¡°Open her mouth and stuff it with¡ª¡± Thud! There was a dull thud as something flew from out of nowhere and struck the back of Menacia¡¯s head. Thud! Another dull thud echoed as Menacia fell face-first into the ground. The impact shattered her nose. ¡°M-My nose¡­! My noooose!¡± she shrieked in agony and anger. Fwaaa! Fwaaa! A fiery ze engulfed the surroundings. ¡°W-Who did that? Which bastard dares to hit me!¡± Menacia screamed. ¡°It was me. What are you going to do about it?¡± Siegfried replied and appeared through the mes. ¡°S-Siegfried-nim!¡± Brunhilde shouted with tears forming in her eyes. ¡°You must have been really scared. Just wait for me right there. I¡¯m going to save you,¡± he said. He gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist tightly and rushed at the Adventurers who were trying to defile the princess. *** Fwaaaa!?Fwaaaa! ¡°You¡¯re dead,¡± Siegfried growled and started swinging his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Puk! Puk! Pukeok! The heads of the Adventurers who tried to defile Brunhilde popped one by one like watermelons. ¡°W-who¡¯s that low-level bastard?! Argh!¡± The Adventurers were helpless in the face of Siegfried¡¯s fury, as the gap in their stats alone was too huge of a chasm to cross. Why? The Adventurers that the dark elves had hired were around Level 230. Meanwhile, Siegfried had be much stronger after consuming the Terramorg¡¯s Core, and his debuff had be so ridiculously strong that they were capable of shredding his opponents¡¯ Defense and Magic Resistance to almost zero. In fact, some of the Adventurers saw their Defense and Magic resistance drop to the negative, as their ss didn¡¯t possess High Defense or Magic Resistance in the first ce. Weaken your enemy and kill them in one hit! This was the motto of the Debuff Master, and Siegfried was truly an excellent Debuff Master. ¡°Kill him! Kill that bastard!¡± Menacia''s rage-filled screams filled the air. ¡°Kill him!¡± ¡°Heed the princesses¡¯mand!¡± ¡°How dare he hit our princess!¡± Menacia¡¯s dark elf subordinates rushed at Siegfried. Their levels were quite high, and they were great in numbers, but it wasn¡¯t strange because Siegfried was currently behind enemy lines, which was a ce teeming with dark elves. ¡°You bastard¡­ Do you even know what you got yourself into bying all alone here? Kekeke! You¡¯re strong, but you¡¯ll still die here! Hohoho! ¡±You will soon kneel in front of me, and I will force you to watch those men defile your beloved princess!¡± Menacia cackled like a deranged maniac. ¡°Shut the fuck up,¡± Siegfried retorted and asked, ¡°Who said I was alone?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look up,¡± Siegfried grinned mischievously and pointed at the sky. ¡°Up¡­?¡± Menacia looked up and realized that dark clouds were forming above their heads. ¡°¡­!¡± She was stupefied upon identifying the dark clouds. The dark clouds were eleven airships that belonged to the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s armada. Siegfried knew that it would be difficult for him to fight the dark elves by himself, so he sent an SOS to the Proatine Kingdom. Shwoooong¡­ Shwoooong¡­ Shwoooong¡­? Momentster, hundreds of mortar shells rained down on them. *** The military of the Proatine Kingdom was quite different from an average kingdom¡¯s army. The Proatine Kingdom didn¡¯t have enough manpower, as they were a small nation, so they had no way of increasing their number of troops. As a result, it was impossible for the Proatine Kingdom to divide its forces into the army, the navy, and the airforce like other kingdoms. They couldn¡¯t draft soldiers into multiple military branches and find capable officers to lead them because of their small poption. Therefore, the Proatine Kingdom decided to focus on training their soldiers to specialize in all of the three main branches of the military. It was an incredible feat that not many nations could replicate, and the man behind it was none other than Mahidon. He was once the Vice Admiral and Lieutenant General of the Adunyadet Kingdom¡¯s navy, but he lost his job and was forced to aimlessly wander thends after Siegfried destroyed his mothend. Then, Lord Ang of Stone Ind kindly wrote him a letter of rmendation, which allowed him to seek an audience as well as an interview with the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s king, Siegfried. It had been difficult for him to work for the nation that brought the destruction of his mothend, but Mahidon did not really care about that. ¡°My mothend did not recognize my talents, and the king and his subjects framed me for the defeats and stained my honor.¡± Mahidon loathed his mothend, so he had no qualms about joining the very kingdom that destroyed his mothend. However, he was worried about failing the interview. ¡°Ah¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to look somewhere else, but where else can a loser like me go?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ I¡¯m going to try working for a maritime tradingpany if the Proatine Kingdom is not willing to take me in¡­¡± He lost twelve consecutive crucial battles, so he knew that it would be difficult for him tond a job with his ster?track record. However, Siegfried weed him with open arms despite his track record. ¡°When do you want to start?¡± ¡°You fought and lost all twelve battles, but your casualties were low. Am I correct?¡± ¡°My kingdom doesn¡¯t have a marine corps just yet, so why don¡¯t you take up the reins and create one for me?¡± Mahidon was hired as themander of the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s marine corps that day, and he had been drilling the way of a marine into the soldiers with all of his heart. The result of that was the Proatine Soldiers¡¯ incredible prowess on bothnd and sea. However, Mahidon was still not satisfied. ¡°If we can train these men into paratroopers¡­ Our soldiers could fight in allnd, sea, and air! Our entire military will be made up of special forces!¡± Mahidon recruited the retired paratroopers he knew and brought them to the Proatine Kingdom. The retired veterans proceeded to train the soldiers on how to rappel and handle ropes to turn them into paratroopers. It didn¡¯t take a long time before the entire military of the Proatine Kingdom wasposed of elite soldiers! They made up for theck of numbers by turning all of their soldiers into machines of war that could fight anytime and anywhere. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! The soldiers of the Proatine Kingdom rappelled down the airships and surrounded their king to protect him. Siegfried now had an entire army in the blink of an eye. ¡°Heed my royalmand. Annihte the enemy,¡± he said. It was a simple and straightforward royalmand. . ¡°For Proatine!¡± ¡°For the evesting glory of His Majesty!¡± ¡°The king has spoken! Annihte them all!¡± The soldiers who had rappelled down the airships charged at the dark elves. Of course, these fanatics?had sky-high morale right now because they were fighting in front of their Great King, Siegfried van Proa. Chapter 257

    Chapter 257

    Siegfried didn¡¯t just summon the armada. ¡°Big Brother!¡± ¡°We are here, Big Brother!¡± ¡°I greet the big brother!¡± The Weapon Maestros appeared and stood in front of Siegfried. They were the instructors of the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s Weapon Academy as well as the disciples of Weapon Master Shakiro. ¡°I have arrived, Your Majesty!¡± Carell shouted in glee. He was themander of this operation. ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt or die. And take care of our soldiers. Every single one of them is precious, Carell,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± The Officers of the Proatine Forces quickly moved out tomand the troops against the dark elves. ¡®Haha¡­ Who could have known that I would get to lead an army of paratroopers in this game? Lieutenant General Mahidon¡­ I made the right decision hiring you. Who could have known that such a skilled officer like you woulde to me?¡¯?Siegfried smiled while ncing at Mahidon on one of the airships. Siegfried knew that the veteranmander¡¯s vast experience would be a huge boost to the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s military, but he could have never imagined that his military would receive such an extensive upgrade. ¡®Oh, this isn¡¯t the time for me to be standing around.¡¯ The battle was still ongoing, so this wasn¡¯t the right time to admire someone else. ¡°Scribe Gringore,¡± he said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Pop their eardrums.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± Gringore shouted and started singing to pop the dark elves¡¯ eardrums. ¡°Hey, Hamchi!¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± ¡°Sweep them away.¡± ¡°Hamchi grows big! KYUUU!¡± The giant hamster grew even bigger and wreaked havoc in the dark elves'' lines. ¡°Go and crush their bones!¡± Siegfriedmanded the muscle brain. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Cesc enthusiastically replied before charging toward the dark elves. ¡°And Seung-Gu¡­¡± ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m out of ammo¡­¡± Seung-Gu awkwardly scratched the back of his head. The ammo he was referring to was the special artillery shells developed by the Proatine Kingdom for the cannons mounted on his Iron Golems. ¡°Is that so?¡± Siegfried replied. He smirked and said, ¡°We just have to reload them, no?¡± He snapped his fingers, and something amazing happened. Swoosh! The shrill noise of something falling to the ground echoed above them. Thud! Thud! Thud! Crates of ammunition crashed in front of them. Fortunately, the crates were enchanted with magic, so they didn¡¯t explode upon impact. ¡°These should keep you going, right?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Y-Yes, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and reload!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Seung-Gu summoned his Iron Golems and reloaded their cannons. Siegfried was donemanding his army, but he still had things to do. ¡®Let¡¯s test it out,¡¯?he thought as he gathered his mana. Woooong! Arge amount of mana was expelled from his body before pervading the surroundings. Discharge allowed him to spread his mana on the battlefield, and it also improved the effects of his debuff fields. Fwaaa! Fshwooooosh! The mes of ze Field raged hotter and stronger than ever before, and the area it covered was so vast that it felt like it could burn down a huge chunk of the forest. ¡®Wow! Awesome! Look at that range!¡¯?Siegfried rejoiced. He was extremely satisfied with Discharge¡¯s effects. ze Field covered the entire battlefield with room to spare after being enhanced by Discharged. It went without saying that Siegfried¡¯s mana consumption went up as well. The debuff skill¡¯s effectiveness had also decreased, but Siegfried wasn¡¯t troubled at all. ¡®This is more than enough.¡¯?Siegfried knew that this was more than enough for his allies to defeat their enemies. In fact, the allied forces were currently one-sidedly overwhelming the dark elves and the Adventurers thanks to ze Field. Siegfried followed up with Shadow Swampbined with Discharge to further support his allies. ¡®All right.¡¯?Siegfried nodded in satisfaction. He walked over to Brunhilde and asked, ¡°Are you okay? Cover yourself with this.¡± He took off his Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings and gave it to her so that she could cover her half-naked body. ¡°Siegfried-nim¡­!¡± ¡°Just wait a bit. It will all be over soon.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Siegfried gently patted Brunhilde¡¯s shoulder once before turning toward the root of all this. ¡°Oh? It''s a one-on-one?¡± he jeered. ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a go at it, shall we?¡± he said before charging at the dark elf princess. *** Actually, Siegfried couldn¡¯t really defeat Menacia under normal circumstances. Menacia was Level 299, and she was on the brink of bing a Master, after all. Yes, it was basically impossible. There could have been some hope if he were to fight alongside Brunhilde, but the truth was that he couldn¡¯t possibly beat her by herself. Of course, that was only true if Menacia was at her optimal condition. [Menacia] [HP: ??????????] However, Menacia¡¯s HP still hadn¡¯t recovered after suffering a near-fatal wound from Brunhilde¡¯s attacks, and her movements were still quite sluggish as well. She also had arge wound on her chest, which made it difficult for her to use her chest muscles, which affected her movements. If it hadn¡¯t been for Menacia¡¯s condition, Siegfried wouldn¡¯t have dared to fight a Level 299 NPC one-on-one. ¡®Keep my guard up, and speed is of the essence! I need to finish this as soon as possible!¡¯?Siegfried thought while charging toward the dark elf princess. He buffed himself before anything else. Bzzt! Bzzt! He activated Overclocking, and a powerful electrical current enveloped him. [Alert: Super Armor! You will not be staggered!] [Alert: You will deal more damage to stronger enemies!] [Alert: +1,000% additional damage for sessful counterattacks!] [Alert: Attack Power increased!] [Alert: Defense increased!] [Alert: You deal additional damage to debuffed enemies!] The skill thatbined Proof of Existence, Adamant Body, and Contempt for the Strong gave Siegfried the boost he needed to raid Menacia. Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Siegfried¡¯s relentless attacks pushed Menacia into a corner. ¡°Y-You¡­!¡± Menacia growled in anger. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t even bother to respond to her anger. ¡®A toothless tiger is still a tiger. I can¡¯t let my guard down.¡¯?Siegfried could feel from the way she was defending herself that she was indeed a professional fighter. ng! ng! ng!? She was pushed into a corner, but she was still deftly defending Siegfried¡¯s attacks while looking for opportunities to counterattack. Furthermore, her Defense was already quite high, so Siegfried couldn¡¯t deal that much damage to her despite his relentless attacks. ¡®It would be great if I could ramp up my debuff¡­!¡¯ It was a shame that he couldn¡¯t overpower her with his debuffs, as he also had to use them to support his allies. Siegfried could tell that he would have won this duel long ago if he could concentrate his ze Field on her instead of on the whole battlefield. ¡®Let¡¯s just keep her at bay for now. I need to help my troops fight and survive!¡¯?He wanted nothing more than to recall his debuff field and focus it on Menacia, but the survival and safety of his troops were his utmost priority. ¡®Five minutes¡­ I just need tost for five minutes!¡¯?Siegfried clenched his fists. Shwik! Menacia swung her magic sword and made a three-centimeter wound on Siegfried¡¯s neck. ¡°¡­!¡± Siegfried¡¯s eyes shot wide open from shock at the lightning-quick attack. However, Menacia did not give him any time or space as she followed it up with a kick to his abdomen. ¡°Kuheok!¡± The Super Armor effect helped him stay on his feet, but he lost a huge chunk of his HP. ¡®How the hell is she so strong¡­?!¡¯? The dark elf princess¡¯ Attack Power was strong enough to make Siegfried gasp, even with Overclocking. ¡°You bastard¡­ Did you really think that you could defeat me?¡± Menacia growled. It was her turn to attack. She could still fight quite well, even though her Stamina had already reached rock bottom. ¡°Die! You bastard!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll chop you into pieces!¡± Menacia swung her Magic Sword of Darkness: Venom and started gnawing away at Siegfried¡¯s HP. *** The Proatine Forces were overpowering¡ªno, ughtering the dark elves thanks to Siegfried¡¯s ze Field and Shadow Swamp. Thebined effects of Overclocking and the skills¡¯ enhancement increased the effectiveness of the debuff fields by at least five times, making them far more powerful than buffs. Most buffs were usually cast on a specific target or group of targets and had to be recast once in a while, but the Debuff Master¡¯s debuffs were fields that constantly inflicted debuffs on those standing on top of them. The debuff would persist until the Debuff Master ran out of Mana. Thus, the debuff fields gave a huge boost to the power of the Proatine Forces, and they were able to quickly secure a path of retreat for the Elondel Forces. The final nail in the coffin for the dark elves trying to stop them from securing the path of retreat was none other than Seung-Gu and his Iron Golems. ¡°All right, guys! Siege Mode time!¡± Seung-Gu swung his Mechanic Force andmanded his Iron Golems. Thud! Thud! Thud! The Iron Golems ran into position. Ziiing¡­ Thud¡­ Click¡­ ck! They buried their arms and legs into the ground and transformed intorge canons. The Siege Mode ability of the Iron Golems transformed them into gigantic artilleries. [Alert: Locked and Loaded!] [Alert: Iron Golems are now in Siege Mode!] [Alert: Choose your firing method!] A string of messages popped up in front of Seung-Gu¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­ I should go with the normal method for now¡­¡± he muttered before making his choice. Whiiiing¡­ ck! The artillery cannons aimed at where most of the dark elves were located. ¡°Three! Two! One! Fire!¡± Seung-Gu shouted. ¡ªFire! The Iron Golems unleashed their artillery shells. BOOM! ¡°Sir Seung-Gu has secured the point!¡± ¡°Gather around the artillery!¡± ¡°Go and reinforce the point!¡± The Proatine Forces rushed to reinforce the main point of the retreat path after Seung-Gu annihted the dark elves standing on top of it. ¡°Aaaack!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°A-Artillery! They have artillery with them! Retreat!¡± The dark elves ran with their tails tucked between their legs after witnessing the destructiveness of the new canons that the Proatine Kingdom had developed. Point secured! The Proatine Forces sessfully secured the entire path of retreat for the Elondel Forces. *** ¡®I can¡¯t win without my debuffs¡­¡¯?Siegfried could tell that it was impossible to beat Menacia without the full power of his ze Field. She was a wounded beast, but she was still a Level 299 NPC. He knew that the ze Field was his only hope of winning, as Irradiate was ineffective against her. The magic sword she was wielding, Venom, seemed to be providing her with absurd Poison Resistance, which rendered her immune to Siegfried¡¯s Irradiate. ¡®I have to be smart about it. I¡¯m dead the moment I make a rash move. I just have to hold on until they win,¡¯?Siegfried thought and clenched his fist. Siegfried decided not to fight Menacia head-on. He continued avoiding her attacks while keeping her at bay. ¡°You fucking rat! Fight me! Fight me like a man, coward!¡± Menacia screamed while chasing after Siegfried and swinging her magic sword like a maniac. ¡°Siegfried-nim! Be careful! You will be in grave danger if you receive a wound with that sword!¡± Brunhilde shouted. ¡°Okay!¡± It seemed that Menacia¡¯s magic sword was a poisoned weapon. ¡°Come and face me! You fucking rat!¡± ¡°Not now!¡± Menacia chased after him with bloodlust oozing out of her while Siegfried made full use of his Pesky Brat title to run as fast as possible. It was all thanks to his title that Menacia couldn¡¯t hit him at all. ¡®Hurry up¡­ I can¡¯t hold on for much longer¡­¡¯?Siegfried gnashed his teeth. Boom! The sound of artillery suddenly pervaded the air. ¡®Now!¡¯?Siegfried instinctively knew that it was time. The start of Seung-Gu¡¯s artillery barrage meant that the main point of the retreat path had already been secured, which meant that the Proatine Forces had emerged victorious against the dark elves. In other words, Siegfried no longer had to spread his debuff fields so far and wide for his soldiers. ¡°Die! Bastard!¡± Menacia screamed while swinging her magic sword at Siegfried¡¯s head. Boom! However, a powerful burst of mana shot out of him and sent Menacia staggering backward. Fwaaaa! Fshwoooosh! The mes on the battlefield gathered and slowly converged toward Siegfried. Chapter 258

    Chapter 258

    Siegfried immediately used Discharge after noticing the allied forces¡¯ victory. He made his debuff fields converge on him. The mes of Destruction spread across the battlefield and formed a whirlpool with Siegfried in the middle. Fwaaah! Fshwoooooooosh! The zing mes burned more vigorously than ever as they shredded the Defense and Magic Resistance of Siegfried¡¯s enemies. In fact, it even burned down the vegetation that it merely grazed. The mes of Destruction was made up of spiritual energy, so it shouldn¡¯t have been able to burn the tangible objects around it. However, why was it burning the surrounding vegetation? It could only mean that ze Field had be so powerful that it became palpable, and it was all thanks to Discharge. ¡°T-This¡­! What is this¡­?!¡± Menacia stuttered with a horrified look. ¡°Beats me¡­ who knows? Wanna try taking a guess?¡± Siegfried jeered. ¡°What are you talking about, you crazy son of a bi¡ª¡± Menacia couldn¡¯t continue her sentence. Shwoosh! Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist toward the crown of Menacia¡¯s head. ¡®Ha! I can easily block an attack of this level!¡¯?Menacia confidently raised her magic sword to block the iing mace, but¡­ Kwang! A loud noise echoed as Menacia was flung several meters back. The Debuff Master¡¯s buff skill, Discharge, enhanced ze Field to the point that even a high-level NPCs Defense wasn¡¯t that strong for Siegfried anymore. ¡°Ack¡­!¡±?Menacia screamed. ¡®That bastard! How did he suddenly be so strong?!¡¯? Menacia was worried, but she soon realized that Siegfried hadn¡¯t really be stronger. ¡®N-No¡­ I¡¯m weakened¡­?these?mes are making me weaker! I have to get out of here!¡¯? Menacia realized that the mes were debuffing her, so she tried to get away from them. However, there was no way Siegfried was going to let her escape. ¡°You¡¯vee here as you please, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t leave as you please!¡± Siegfried shouted and buried his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist into Menacia¡¯s abdomen. ¡°K-Kuheok!¡±?Menacia¡¯s back curled like a shrimp after getting hit by the mace. ¡°Bleurgh¡­!?Bleuuuuurgh¡­!¡± She then fell to her knees and started vomiting. Siegfried¡¯s basic attack was now technically a skill, and his basic attacks had be strong enough to rearrange her guts. However, Menacia was truly a formidable enemy. as she managed to evade Siegfried¡¯s follow-up attack even while she was throwing up. She rolled on the ground and got up before trying to slice Siegfried¡¯s leg with her magic sword. Unfortunately, her shadow copied her movement and injured her leg. Slice! Both ze Field and Shadow Swamp had be extremely strong after their enhancement. ¡®This isn¡¯t enough¡­ Our stat difference is still too big. I can¡¯t overpower her with my enhanced debuffs¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. He could defeat her, but he couldn¡¯t overpower her. A Level 299 NPC was too strong for Siegfried to overpower. However, Siegfried wanted to overpower Menacia, and he also wanted to step on her and humiliate her. ¡°Kekeke! Kill you? No~ No, I can¡¯t do that~ I will make you experience absolute shame and horror first. I will make you beg for death before I kill you!¡± Siegfried could still remember the atrocity that Menacia hadmitted against Brunhilde. He knew for a fact that Brunhilde would have either killed herself or she could have been subjected to unspeakable horrors if he had been a stepte. ¡®Let¡¯s use it,¡¯?Siegfried clenched his fist and decided to activate the second stage of Overclocking. This was the only way that Siegfried could overpower Menacia at his current level. Rumble! Mana abruptly surrounded him. Bzzt! Bzzzzt! Blue and red sparks flew around him as his mana went on overdrive. *** ¡®A-Amazing¡­!¡¯?Siegfried was surprised by the power flowing through his body after activating the second stage of Overclocking. Of course, his HP and Stamina diminished at astonishing speeds, but he obtained inexplicable power in exchange. ¡°I¡¯m going to destroy you¡­¡± Siegfried muttered with a chilling smile. Then, he rushed toward Menacia while shouting, ¡°I¡¯ll cut you up into pieces!¡± Menacia prepared all the skills at her disposal to face Siegfried head-on, but¡­ Kwang! Siegfried¡¯s power after activating the second stage of Overclocking was too much for her to handle. On top of that, Siegfried still had two avable debuff skills. Shwaaaa! Wooong! He simultaneously activated the debuff that decreased the enemy¡¯s Attack Power, Frost Wave, and the debuff that interfered with the enemy¡¯s channeling, Wave of Oppression. ze Field, Shadow Swamp, Frost Wave, and Wave of Oppression. Siegfried was armed with these four debuffs as well as the second stage of Overclocking. Menacia couldn¡¯t escape from the debuff fields and was forced to defend herself, but she soon reached her limit. Menacia swung her sword, and it collided against Siegfried¡¯s +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. ng! ¡°Ack!¡±?Menacia inadvertently dropped her magic sword. Whoosh! Puuuk! The magic sword stabbed itself into the ground, leaving an unarmed Menacia. Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Siegfried didn¡¯t miss the opportunity. He unleashed a barrage of merciless attacks all over her head, shoulders, knees, arms, knees, and finally, arms. ¡°Ah¡­ Aaaaargh!¡±?Menacia screamed in agony, but no one would save her. Why? The surrounding Niflheim Forces had already been annihted. ¡°P-Please¡­ Spare me¡­!¡± Puk! Pukeok! ¡°P-lease¡­¡± Puk! Puk! Puk! ¡°¡­¡± Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Menacia had already died from the relentless attacks, but Siegfried didn¡¯t stop beating her up with his mace. He continued for a whole minute until his anger was assuaged. The Princess of the Dark Elves¡ªMenacia¡ªmet a horrible and tragic end. She was reduced to nothing but a pile of unrecognizable meat. *** [Alert: You have killed Menacia!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You leveled up!] [Alert: You have reached Level 219!] A string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. Perhaps it was because Menacia was a Level 299 NPC, but Siegfried obtained an immense amount of Experience Points. ¡®Excellent,¡¯?Siegfried smiled. However, a sudden rush of lethargy took over his body, ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ Shiver¡­ Shiver¡­? His legs started shivering. Badump! Badump!? His muscles started twitching. Badump! Badump!? His veins felt like they were going to burst. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] [Stamina: ??????????] His HP, Mana, and Stamina dropped under ten percent. ¡®It hasn¡¯t even been that long since I activated it, but?the penalty is?actually this crazy?¡¯?Siegfried couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. It turned out that Overclocking was a double-edged sword that granted him immense power in exchange for putting his life on the line. ¡®I should pick that up first before anything else¡­¡¯?Siegfried staggered over the unrecognizable pile of mush and picked up the magic sword Menacia dropped. [Alert: You have obtained Magic Sword: Venom!] Siegfried was thinking of selling Venom. ¡°Siegfried-nim!¡± Brunhilde shouted and ran toward him. ¡®Siegfried-nim saved me! Ah!¡¯?she thought while running. No, it was more appropriate to say that she was limping toward him, but she still dragged herself toward him in hopes of falling into his embrace. However, she was forced to stop in her tracks after a few steps away from him. She hadn¡¯t noticed it because adrenaline was coursing through her veins while she was fighting Menacia, but she finally noticed it. ¡®Euk¡­! W-What is this¡­? What is that disgusting smell?¡¯?Brunhilde grimaced. She couldn¡¯t withstand the repulsive smell that Siegfried was emitting right now. She couldn¡¯t really put a finger on what the smell was, but Siegfried smelled like a mountain of rotting corpses. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it¡­ Buzz¡­ Buzz¡­ Buzz¡­ There were around twenty flies buzzing around Siegfried. ¡°S-Siegfried-nim¡­.?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why¡­ Why are there flies buzzing around you?¡± ¡°Ah,?that¡¯s¡­¡± Siegfried¡¯s face darkened as a single tear fell from the corner of his eye. Plop! It was a real tear that he had squeezed out his eyelid from sheer sadness. Plop! Plop! Plop! Tears started streaming down his cheeks. ¡°Siegfried-nim! Why are you crying?!¡± ¡°I just feel¡­ sad today for some reason¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± He wept¡ªhe wept because of the debuff on him. [Alert: Skunk has 29 days, 21 hours, 12 minutes, and 31 seconds remaining!] The debuff was truly a unique debuff, but it wasn¡¯t unprecedented. [Skunk] [A debuff ced on those who have consumed the item Terramorg¡¯s Core.] [This debuff will make the user emit a rotten stenchparable to a mountain of dposing corpses. A swarm of flies will buzz around them.] [Type: Debuff] [Duration: 30 days] [Note: This debuff cannot be expunged.] Siegfried was emitting a foul stench after consuming the Terramorg¡¯s Core, just like Gringore when thetter consumed arge number of the Siren¡¯s Core. Unfortunately, Siegfried¡¯s debuff not only made him emit a foul stench, but he also attracted flies. ¡®They give me shitty titles, and now this? Those damned developers¡­ Do they hate me or something?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly and cursed the developers of the game while crying. ¡°Siegfried-nim¡­¡± Brunhilde muttered. She tried to approach him, but she recoiled upon being struck by a splitting migraine. ¡®Ugh¡­ He stinks¡­!¡¯ Still, she remained steadfast and got closer to him. The swarm of flies started buzzing around her as well. ¡°Siegfried-nim.¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you very much¡­ You saved me once again, and you are truly my savior¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, I just did what had to be done¡­¡± It was then. Kwachik! Brunhilde hugged him. ¡°Siegfried-nim¡­¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± ¡°I love you.¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t even respond to those words as Brunhilde¡¯s lips collided against his. Buzz¡­ Buzz¡­ Buzz¡­ However, the romantic scene was ruined by the swarm of flies that indifferently buzzed around the pair. Chapter 259

    Chapter 259

    Buzz¡­ Buzz¡­ Buzz¡­ Siegfried and Brunhilde were kissing as a swarm of flies buzzed around them. Momentster, Brunhilde looked down out of embarrassment and hid her blushing cheeks. Badump! Badump! Badump! Her heart was racing wildly against her chest. Meanwhile, Siegfried¡¯s heart was beating wildly as well at the unexpected experience. He looked down at the princess¡¯ face, and his heart raced even further. The slight pinkish blush on her milky-white skin made her look indescribably cute. Siegfried was inwardly conflicted. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t do this¡­¡¯ He finally mustered up the courage to say something, ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Please do not mind it,¡± Brunhilde interrupted him. ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°You are my savior, and I love you.¡± ¡°T-That is¡­¡± ¡°I know that you¡¯re pushing women away right now due to various reasons.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°You do not have to apologize,¡± Brunhilde smiled and said before she continued, ¡°I do not mind if you have your own issues and have to stay away from women or if you end up with someone elseter on.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡± ¡°I will always be here loving you, and I will be here waiting.¡± ¡°Waiting for what¡­?¡± ¡°For Siegfried-nim toe to me or at least¡­ until it will be my turn.¡± ¡°What?! W-What do you mean by your turn?!¡± Siegfried shouted out of shock before waving his hand and said, ¡°Why would you wait for your turn with someone like me? No, I¡¯m not worth making someone wait in the first ce!¡± ¡°It is obvious.¡± ¡°Obvious¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a king, Siegfried-nim.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯smon for human kings to marry many women.¡± This was Brunhilde¡¯s way of saying¡ªI will love you for the rest of my life! She was prepared to stay single for the rest of her life, waiting for Siegfried even if he married someone else. She was willing to line up once Siegfried opened up to the idea of marrying women. Of course, the best-case scenario was Brunhilde bing Siegfried¡¯s first wife. ¡®I will wait and keep waiting. I am an elf, so I can live for hundreds of years just like you. You will be alone after a few decades, even if you marry someone else, so I just have to wait a few decades for my turn toe. I will love you until my turnes¡­!¡¯?Brunhilde thought. She didn¡¯t make the decision out of impulse. She made the decision while thinking about her lifespan as an elfpared to the average human. ¡®This is?what humans?call to hold on for dear life, otherwise known as HODL!¡¯?she clenched her fist while emitting a triumphant air. Besides, it was not like she had any other choice aside from this, as no elf was going to agree to marry her, anyway. ¡°Haha¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Siegfried was profusely sweated after seeing the determination in Brunhilde¡¯s eyes. It was great that Brunhilde was willing to understand and wait for him, but Siegfried knew that what she really meant by that was that she wouldn¡¯t give up on him no matter how long it took. ¡®This is quite bittersweet¡­ What are you going to do if I decide to quit the game, Brunhilde-nim? I will have to quit ying one day and¡­ Well, it¡¯s more likely that the server will close before that, but anyway¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. And that was why a rtionship between an Adventurer and an NPC was dangerous. ¡®Once the servers shut down, you¡¯ll disappear along with it, right, Brunhilde-nim? Like a dream¡­ Like a mirage¡­¡¯? Siegfried suddenly felt his heart ache for some reason when all Brunhilde did was ce her hand on his shoulder and smile brightly at him. ¡°Oh, right, we don¡¯t have time to be sitting around like this,¡± Siegfried said while looking in the direction where the Elondel Main Forces were fighting the Niflheim Forces. ¡°Y-You¡¯re right! The main forces will not hold out for much longer!¡± ¡°This should be the retreat path judging by the terrain¡­ Am I correct?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then, I think we have secured the path, so¡­¡± ¡°We should go rescue our allies!¡± ¡°I will go myself,¡± Siegfried said. Then, he turned around and shouted, ¡°Seung-Gu!¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°You take care of things here. This is an important ce, so make sure you st any enemy that shows up to smithereens!¡± ¡°I understand, hyung-nim! Are you thinking of going to rescue the main forces fighting over there?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°Hey, Seung-Gu¡­¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Do you still don¡¯t know me?¡± ¡°W-What do you mean by that, hyung-nim¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about my style.¡± ¡°W-What about your style, hyung-nim¡­?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Siegfried replied before shing a sinister smile. *** The Elondel Forces surrounded by the Niflheim Forces were close to experiencing the worst defeat in their history and were on the brink of annihtion. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Aaack!¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be happening¡ªKuheok!¡± The soldiers and knights fell one by one after letting out a scream. ¡°Bwahahahaha!¡± ¡°This will be thest day of your lives, vermins!¡± ¡°You lot should¡¯ve gone extinct a long time ago! Die! Die!¡± The dark elves triumphantlyughed while trampling on the elves. There was nothing the elves could do about their current predicament. The Niflheim Forces hadpletely surrounded the Elondel Forces, and they had sent more soldiers in the direction where Brunhilde had left to open a retreat route. The Elondel Forces were now on theirst stand. Meanwhile, the King of the Elves was fighting the King of the Dark Elves. The Niflheim Forces had already won the war, so the duel between the Masters was the finale. ng! ng! ng Lohengrin¡¯s sword and Credos¡¯ saber shed numerous times, sending sparks flying everywhere. Their weapons were surrounded by dense mana, and they were emitting a glow simr to moonlight. Aura de! Only Masters could wield Aura de¡­ ¡°Your skills haven¡¯t gone rusty at all, Lohengrin. Kekeke!¡± Credos sneered, and then he added, ¡°Your tactics and tricks didn¡¯t work this time. You should¡¯ve just fought on the frontlines like a true king. How does it feel to drive your entire race to extinction? Keke!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth¡­¡± Lohengrin growled. However, there was nothing else he could say aside from that. Credos was despicable down to his bones, but Credos was right. ¡®T-to think that the day I¡¯ll hear these words from Credos woulde¡­!¡¯? There was nothing he could say. His impatience and folly had led to the ruin of his entire army. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder about what would have happened if he had put his troops in a defensive formation and pretended to be on the battlefield while rushing back to Elondel to deal with the Terramorg. There was a saying about how someone who got burned once would get startled at the sight of a spark. Who could have known that the trauma from four hundred and fifty years ago would make himmit such a grave error? ¡°Hoho! Why don¡¯t you just hand over your head? There¡¯s no point in struggling. Your army is on the brink of annihtion, and Elondel will be in ruins! Look around you, Lohengrin! These poor elves are all dying because of you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You killed them all, Lohengrin!¡± Credos seemed to be ying mind games on Lohengrin before swinging his de. Perhaps that was the reason, but¡­ ¡°Keuk!¡±? Lohengrin was slowly getting pushed back. ¡®Keke! You can¡¯t be tough like me since you¡¯ve never been in that position! The guilt is probably eating away at you by now! You¡¯re probably distracted by guilt, and that guilt will be the death of you!¡¯?Credos smirked sinisterly. It was needless to say that the difference between the two Masters¡¯ concentrations would be the deciding factor here. Most fights at their level would usually end up being decided by a thin margin, and the winner would be the one with higher concentration. Credos was well aware of that, so he relentlessly attacked Lohengrin with words. ¡°What are you fighting for? Don¡¯t tell me you believe that your daughter will open up a path for you to retreat? Kekeke!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Lohengrin¡¯s eyes shot wide open after his daughter was mentioned. ¡°What do you think happened to your daughter by now?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth! My daughter will not fall into a trapid by someone like you!¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°You brought in the humans¡ªno, Adventurers, right? What happened to our pact of not bringing other races to the Eternal Forest?¡± ¡°That¡¯s only to maintain the bnce of power!¡± ¡°Nah, I have no idea what bnce you¡¯re talking about. However, I do know that those Adventurers won¡¯t invade the Eternal Forest¡­¡± ¡°T-That means¡­?¡± ¡°Your daughter has probably been captured by the Adventurers we hired and is being humiliated by them right now! Bwahahaha!¡± Lohengrin¡¯s face turned pale at those words. He knew that Credos was not bluffing. He already knew from the start that securing a path of retreat through the Niflheim Forces would be a difficult task. It was highly unlikely for Brunhilde to seed in securing the point, but she could definitely escape if things went wrong. Therefore, Lohengrin decided to put his faith in his daughter. After all, his daughter was on the brink of bing a Master as well. On top of that, the battle between the elves and dark elves had been ongoing for thousands of years now, so he was able to calcte the probability of Brunhilde¡¯s chances of sess, which gave him confidence. However, what if a third party suddenly interfered? And what if the third party were those Adventurers known to possess strange powers? ¡®N-No! My daughter!¡¯? Destruction. It would be a miracle to pierce the Niflheim Forces¡¯ lines, but what if a group of Adventurers went after Brunhilde? There would be no hope for her at all. ¡°Hey, did you know,¡± Credos said before he swung his saber. ng! Lohengrin staggered after losing his concentration. ¡°I have a brilliant.¡± ng! ¡°Idea.¡± ng! ¡°I will make your bitch of a daughter¡­¡± ng! ¡°Bear my child¡­¡± ng! ¡°Shut your mouth CREDOS¡­ Aaaaah!¡±?Lohengrin screamed and swung his sword. Unfortunately, he was forced to the ground with blood spurting out of his thigh. Credos distracted Lohengrin by talking about Brunhilde before despicably stabbing Lohengrin¡¯s thigh. It was a wound that could prove fatal to the King of the Elves. ¡°Keke!?Finally!¡± Credosughed triumphantly. He raised his saber high and was about to swing it toward Lohengrin¡¯s left arm. It was then. Fshwaaaaaaah! However, mes suddenly manifested across the battlefield. Fwaaaah! Fwaaaah! Whooosh! ng! A mace suddenly flew out of nowhere and blocked Credos¡¯ saber. ¡°King Lohengrin!¡± ¡°Father!¡± Siegfried and Brunhilde appeared out of nowhere and stood between Lohengrin and Credos. ¡°B-Brunhilde! Son-inw!¡± Lohengrin eximed. Whiiish! Tak! Siegfried caught his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and said, ¡°We have secured a retreat route. Please retreat at once.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that those dark elves will easily let us retreat!¡± Lohengrin retorted. ¡°No, they will be forced to let us go,¡± Siegfried said before hurriedly adding, ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy, so we don¡¯t have time to chat around right now.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± Credos suddenly shouted, ¡°Why is that bitch here?!¡± He was surprised to find Brunhilde standing in front of him when she should have been in captivity. She should have been beneath those adventurers by now. ¡°You should be¡ª¡± Credos muttered in disbelief. Siegfried cut him off and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask about your daughter first?¡± He took out Magic Sword: Venom from his inventory and showed it to Credos. ¡°V-Venom!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious what happened to your daughter?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°This hair¡­ Who did it belong to¡­?¡± Siegfried feigned ignorance while pulling off a lump of hair and scalp clinging to his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Thud! Credos mmed his saber to the ground, and his eyes shot wide open in horror. It took him less than 0.1 seconds to fully understand what Siegfried meant by his words and actions. ¡°YOU SON OF A BITCH!¡± Credos screamed at the top of his lungs and lunged at Siegfried. ¡ªAll forces, retreat! All forces, retreat! An announcement suddenly echoed from the Niflheim Forces¡¯ headquarters. ¡ªI repeat! All forces retreat at once! ¡ªAn unknown air force and a group of Adventurers have ambushed our home! ¡ªAll forces retreat at once and protect our base! The undefended home of the dark elves, Niflheim, was currently under attack. Chapter 260

    Chapter 260

    Boom! Boom! Boom! The city of the dark elves¡ªNiflheim¡ªwas being bombarded by an unknown armada of airships. Wooong! Arge magic circle also appeared and hundreds of Adventurers suddenly stormed the city and turned it upside down. ¡°Hyung-nim! Are you thinking of going to rescue the main forces fighting over there?¡± ¡°Hey, Seung-Gu¡­¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°Do you still don¡¯t know me?¡± ¡°W-What do you mean by that, hyung-nim¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about my style.¡± . ¡°W-What about your style, hyung-nim¡­?¡± This was Siegfried¡¯s style. He was not fond of fighting his enemies head-on. He preferred to hit them where it would hurt the most while they least expected it. In other words, he loved to stab others in the back. ¡®What¡¯s the point of fighting head-on when they¡¯ll retreat on their own ord once their home is burning to the ground? Why would I bother doing such bothersome rescue efforts when I¡¯m already outnumbered two to one?¡¯?Siegfried thought. There were times when Siegfried would be quite smart, and this was one of those times. It was truly far more efficient for him to attack the enemy¡¯s undefended base rather than fight a battle he was outnumbered. On top of that, his personality, although he would refuse to admit it, made it far more appealing to hit the enemy where it would hurt the most rather than fight them head-on. And that was why he assembled the armada and the Head Crusher Guild earlier... ¡°Do you want to go level up? The dark elves give a lot of Experience Points.¡± The Head Crusher Guild members instantly gathered at the Proatine Kingdom after hearing this news, and Great Wizard Decimato was forced to draw a magic circle to open a warp gate for them. ¡°Ugh¡­ To think that I will have to warp this many people over there¡­¡± The Great Wizard was utterly exhausted after transporting so many guild members. ¡°Kekeke! You still have a long way to go!¡± ¡°Elder-nim¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re bound to suffer even after reaching that level, as your knowledge of magic is stillcking.¡± Daode Tianzunughed after seeing Decimato sprawled on the floor. ¡°You¡¯ve already reached that level, but you¡¯recking when ites to drawing efficient magic circles.¡± ¡°I am aware of my limitations, Elder-nim¡­¡± Decimato had be a Great Wizard after attaining enlightenment, but his knowledge of magic wasn¡¯tparable to a true Great Wizard, as he didn¡¯t receive a quality education while he was still young. In other words, he had the talent but not the knowledge to properly utilize his status as a Great Wizard. T Daode Tianzun said, ¡°Come learn about magic from me for now. I tried to teach you from the sidelines, but it seems insufficient. Why don¡¯t you let me teach you properly this time?¡± ¡°A-Are you certain, Elder-nim?¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯m not against sharing my knowledge with others. It¡¯s just that others don¡¯t possess the knowledge to understand what I impart to them.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, elder-nim!¡± It was impossible to count just how many people Decimato had taught before, so Daode Tianzun could be considered his nth disciple. Decimato considered himself extremely fortunate now that Daode Tianzun was going to teach him seriously from now on. Anyway, Siegfried was sessfully able to stab the dark elves in the back, thanks to the Great Wizard¡¯s effort. *** Shwaaaaak! Credos gathered his mana, and blue mes burst out of him. ¡°You son of a bitch dares to¡­!¡± he cursed. He red murderously at Siegfried. ¡°I will kill you¡­ I will kill you¡­!¡±. ¡°My king! Pleasepose yourself!¡± ¡°My king! Time is not on our side!¡± ¡°W-We need to go now, sire!¡± Dozens of high-ranking dark elves rushed over to Credos and tried to stop him. ¡°Let me go! Let go! I will kill that bastard before I go!¡± Credos screamed and iled around. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°H-Hold him down!¡± ¡°We have to stop him!¡± The high-ranking dark elves tried their best to stop Credos. They had no time. Niflheim was under attack, so every second counted. The fact that their princess¡ªMenacia¡ªfell in battle was truly infuriating, but it didn¡¯t mean that they would abandon their city just to avenge her. Credos knew that as well. He was immature and hot-headed, but he was intelligent enough as the King of the Dark Elves, so he understood which matter had to be prioritized. However, the fact that his own daughter was murdered by the ugly elf, Brunhilde, and the Adventurer beside her made his blood boil. The rage he felt right now was truly something that he was feeling for the first time in his life. ¡°I will¡­ Kill you¡­ I will have my revenge and plunge you into despair! I will definitely¡ª¡± Credos growled like a wounded beast. Siegfried suddenly cut him off and sneered, ¡°I¡¯d hurry up if I were you. Do you really think that you¡¯re the first one to tell me that?¡± ¡°You fucker!¡± ¡°I have a lot of enemies, so I already know what you¡¯re going to say. It¡¯s too boring, so just hurry up and go while I¡¯m in a good mood. I can easily kill you here, you know?¡± Siegfried said with a smirk. Actually, he felt that he was missing out right now. He could have let his subordinates burn Niflheim to the ground while he fought Credos together with Brunhilde and Lohengrin, which would have been the best-case scenario. Unfortunately, that scenario was impossible in the current situation, as both Brunhilde and Lohengrin were gravely injured. They could gang up on Credos three-on-one, but it wouldn¡¯t guarantee their victory. Tying Credos down while his subordinates burned Niflheim to the ground wasn¡¯t feasible as well, as they were going to lose too many troops trying to tie a Master. Besides, the priority right now was to tend to Brunhilde and Lohengrin¡¯s injuries rather than deal more damage to the dark elves. At the end of the day, both Credos and Siegfried couldn¡¯t get what they wanted. However, it was needless to say that Siegfried profited the most from this. ¡°I will escort you, Your Majesty,¡± Siegfried said and helped Lohengrin to his feet. They turned their backs on Credos, which enraged the dark elf king even further. Credos gnashed his teeth. He would have chopped that Adventurer into pieces if he weren¡¯t a king. ¡°I will definitely destroy you one day¡­! I will use my entire kingdom and my life to destroy you!¡± Credos vowed to use whatever he had at his disposal to get his revenge on Siegfried. ¡®Geez¡­ That¡¯s another reason for me to be even stronger. I don¡¯t feelfortable leaving someone like him alive.¡¯ Siegfried had another reason for him to grow stronger as soon as possible. *** The war between Elondel and Niflheim ended in a stalemate. As always, both sides sustained massive losses. The atmosphere in Elondel wasn¡¯t that good after the main forces returned. A fifth of the city was destroyed while countless soldiers and knights fell in the war, and it was difficult for the elves to enjoy their victory. However, the elves had another reason to smile, and it was their hero, Siegfried. ¡°Hurray for King Siegfried!¡± ¡°Hurrah!¡± ¡°The Proatine Kingdom is our brethren!¡± ¡°Our brethren!¡± Siegfried cemented his status as the most beloved human in all of Elondel, and this was a tremendous feat when taking into consideration the fact that the elves absolutely loathed and abhorred humans. This was the first time in four hundred and fifty years that the elves trusted a human. Ironically, thest human that the elves trusted four hundred fifty years ago was none other than Siegfried¡¯s master, Deus. ¡°Thank you very much. Elondel would have fallen if it hadn¡¯t been for you!¡± Lohengrin eximed with tears in his eyes while holding both of Siegfried¡¯s hands. Oddly enough, Lohengrin seemed to be speaking to him with deeper affection than he originally did, and the reason was¡­ ¡°Who would¡¯ve known I¡¯ll get such a dependable son-inw? Hahahaha!¡± ¡°S-Son in what¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m confident that not a single elf will be against the union between you and my daughter.¡± ¡°I never said I was¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a reservation!¡± ¡°R-Reservation?!¡± ¡°Yes, a reservation for when you decide to finally marry someone from this world.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Siegfried could onlyugh in disbelief at how pushy the elf was, but what he said next made him stopughing. ¡°I will send a formal letter to the Proatine Kingdom.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°You are a king, and my daughter is a princess. Isn¡¯t it only right for both countries to deal with the matter officially by sending official messages to one another?¡± ¡°Hiiik!¡± Siegfried was mortified at the fact that the King of the Elves was nning to make his reservation?official by putting it into writing. He knew Lohengrin was not joking, and the King of the Elves seemed hell-bent on marrying Brunhilde to him. ¡°What do you think, Brunhilde?¡± Lohengrin asked. ¡°D-Don¡¯t ask me¡­!¡± Brunhilde retorted with her face flushed. Siegfried saw steaming out from both of her pointy ears, which he found quite cute. ¡°Ah!?In addition, I n to officially foster trade and establish a military alliance with your kingdom. What do you think?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­!¡± Siegfried could feel goosebumps all over his body, ¡®It¡¯s a trap! Don¡¯t be fooled by it!¡¯ He knew that Lohengrin was nning to give huge benefits to the Proatine Kingdom through trade and alliance before starting to suggest a political union between the two. ¡°Why don¡¯t you consider it and let me know? Hahaha!¡± ¡°Ah,?okay¡­?hahaha¡­¡± Siegfried replied with augh, but he wasn¡¯tughing inside at all. *** A few hourster, he was greeted by Michele after returning to the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°Wee back, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You really seemed to have pushed yourself this time. I truly respect you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Respect?¡± Siegfried grimaced before asking, ¡°Is it because I helped Elondel¡­?¡± ¡°Well, there is that, but¡­¡± Michele said. He pointed at a document and continued. ¡°I never imagined that Your Majesty would bring such a harvest.¡± ¡°Harvest¡­?¡± ¡°I am talking about the trade deal and military alliance with Elondel.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already here?!¡± Siegfried was shocked. It had only been a few hours since he departed Elondel, but the official letter had already arrived. Siegfried couldn¡¯t quite believe it. ¡®Did that old man prepare it a long time ago?!¡¯?He suspected that all of this was within Lohengrin¡¯s ns. Unfortunately for Siegfried, he ended up being correct. ¡°Hmm¡­ My son-inw is a king, so it¡¯s only right for this matter to be between our countries, right? I should draft a series of agreements that will naturally lead to a political marriage. Haha!¡± In fact, Lohengrin had already nned on doing this after hearing about him from his daughter. Of course, there was no way Siegfried would know that, but he was free to have his own suspicions. ¡°Great work, Your Majesty. Our kingdom¡¯s economic and military power is definitely going to¡ª¡± ¡°I will have to get married if you ept that¡­ I hope you know¡­¡± Siegfried said. ¡°I know, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°You can just go ahead and get married, no?¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°She has an excellent background to be the queen, so why are you hesitating?¡± Michele retorted, and then he shouted, ¡°Your Majesty! Wake up!¡± ¡°W-Wake up? Me?¡± Siegfried was taken aback when Michele suddenly raised his voice. ¡°You will not find a bride with potential like her even if you search every nook and cranny of the continent! She is an SSS-Grade bride! Look at her household! Her abilities! Her personality! She only has eyes for you! Her body! The elves call her hideous, but she is an extreme beauty for us humans!¡± ¡°That is that, but¡­¡± ¡°I will be blunt with you. She is way above your league! You are the king of a small and weak kingdom! Not only that, you stink with flies buzzing around you!¡± ¡°S-Stop it!¡± Siegfried shouted. He almost lost his sanity at Michele¡¯s relentless attacks. ¡°I am losing hair because of our dwindling budget these days! Should you not ept such a wonderful offer since you¡¯ve already brought it home?! You should do it for your kingdom¡¯s sake!¡± The many different projects that the Proatine Kingdom was simultaneously doing ced a great deal of stress on Michele, and he exploded after hearing Siegfried leisurely?talking about not wanting to get married. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ please¡ª¡± Michele pleaded. ¡°Your Majesty! We have an emergency!¡± A messenger shouted after barging in. ¡°Emergency?! What is it? Let¡¯s go!!¡± Siegfried shouted and rushed at his savior¡ªno, the messenger. ¡°Hurry up and tell me!¡± Siegfried urged. ¡°A letter has arrived from the Marchioni Empire!¡± Chapter 261

    Chapter 261

    ¡°The Marchioni Empire¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered and tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Damn it! Why are theying now of all times?! Those damned bastards!¡± Michele shouted. ¡°H-Hey, Michele? What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden? Did something bad happen recently?¡± Siegfried asked after being startled by his sudden outburst. ¡°Please ignore me, Your Majesty¡­ sigh¡­¡±?Michele let out a sigh and tried to suppress his anger before exining, ¡°I just have too much work but too little budget these days¡­¡± ¡°Oh, hahaha.?I-I see¡­¡± Siegfried awkwardly chuckled. He was the culprit behind why Michele was on the edge and extremely stressed these days. ¡®I guess I cked off a bit too much¡­ Hahaha¡­¡¯?Heughed inwardly. Siegfried had been neglecting most of his work, and Michele had been the one catching all the ck for him. Michele. In other words, Michele¡¯s workload was far higher than what he could handle. The fact that Michele managed to finish all of it¡ªdespite the stress¡ªwas proof that he was indeed a genius and hardworking administrator. ¡°Anyway¡­ It¡¯s not good news at all that a messenger from the Marchioni Empire arrived at this time,¡± Michele said after finally managing to suppress his temper. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°First, it is quite tiresome, right?¡± Michele grumbled and exined, ¡°This is a messenger from the Marchioni Empire, the greatest and most powerful nation on the continent. The messenger is amoner, but we will have to treat him as if he were royalty¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Siegfried said and grimaced. ¡°Dealing with the messenger is one thing, but having no clue what message the messenger brings is another headache altogether¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about? The emperor is probably going to ask if we¡¯re doing fine or not, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I am not so sure¡­¡± Michele replied before he said, ¡°I guess Your Majesty has to meet the messenger first, but please make sure not to do anything rash and offend the messenger.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± Siegfried replied and epted the advice. The messenger was basicallying as the emperor¡¯s proxy, so it only made sense to treat them with full respect. After all, there was no way that the Proatine Kingdom could withstand going against the Marchioni Empire, no matter how much they developed in all aspects. The entire kingdom would burn down to ashes within a matter of hours if they incited the wrath of the emperor. ¡°Hold on¡­ but how did they find us? Project Utopia is currently in effect right now, right?¡± Siegfried asked. Project Utopia¡¯s purpose was to prevent other nations from finding out the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s true strength. The project was already ny percentplete, so there was no way for outsiders to step foot into the real territory of the Proatine Kingdom without their approval. ¡°The Marchioni Empire is an exemption.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°The informationwork of the most powerful empire on the continent should not be underestimated. They probably know everything about us right now.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That makes sense.¡± ¡°Besides, they probably are not that interested in us, so there is no point in hiding from them. And we have a direct warp gate connected to the empire, so the messenger does not have to go through our barrier.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why it was easy for them toe to find us, is what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Siegfried nodded and made his way to meet the empire¡¯s messenger. *** Five hourster, Siegfried finally received the empire¡¯s messenger. ¡°Wee, I am Siegfried van Proa,¡± he greeted the messenger while sitting on a in throne. The reason they hurriedly removed the throne crafted from the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s skull was to hide the fact that the king of a small and weak kingdom was sitting on a throne that even the emperor couldn¡¯t sit on. The Proatine Kingdom had to spend five hours cleaning and redecorating the halls to make themselves look poor?before receiving the messenger. ¡°Hello, King Siegfried van Proa,¡± the messenger said with a slight¡ªan extremely slight¡ªnod before continuing. ¡°It has been a while, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Huh? Baron Neighdelberg?¡± Siegfried said as he tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I thank you for remembering me, Your Majesty,¡± Baron Neighdelberg replied. It turned out that the messenger was none other than the one who stood as the emperor¡¯s proxy after Siegfried won the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament¡ªBaron Neighdelberg. ¡°Haha! I should remember you! How can I forget you, baron?¡± ¡°Is that so? Hahaha!¡± ¡°How was your journey? I hope it wasfortable. And I think we kept you waiting for too long, so I hope you were not bored or offended by it¡­¡± Siegfried asked with a hint of worry in his voice. ¡°I am fine, Your Majesty,¡± Baron Neighdelberg replied with a smile. His demeanor waspletelypared to the time that he appointed Siegfried as king in the stead of the emperor. Well, the situation was quite different back thenpared to right now, so it wasn¡¯t strange that his demeanor had changed. ¡°I am confident in my ability to wait. Besides, I came unannounced, so it is only proper for me to give your kingdom the time to prepare, right?¡± ¡°I thank you for your generosity, baron.¡± It was customary on the continent to send at least a half day¡¯s notice before a powerful nation visited a weaker nation. This custom was put in ce to give time to the weaker nations to prepare and avoid getting anything held against them. ¡°But what business do you have with us that you came all the way here¡­?¡± Siegfried carefully asked. ¡°I havee to deliver a letter that His Majesty has written personally,¡± Baron Neighdelberg replied. ¡°A letter that His Majesty has personally written?!¡± Siegfried eximed out of shock. Well, he pretended to be shocked, but he was thinking something entirely different. ¡®Ah, I¡¯m already so busy¡­ Why does he have to send a letter now of all times? Damn it¡­ Is he that free?¡¯ He inwardly cursed the emperor, but there was nothing else he could do aside from that, as he was only the king of a weak and small kingdom. ¡°Please take a seat,¡± Siegfried said, offering the throne to the baron. Baron Neighdelberg sat on the throne as offered, and Siegfried knelt in front of him. ¡®This damn etiquette¡­ It¡¯s not like His Majesty himself is here, so why do I have to fucking kneel down? Argh!¡¯?he grumbled inwardly. However, there was nothing he could do, as this was how things were done on the continent, and he was technically a feudal lord that the emperor had appointed. In other words, the Proatine Territory was the empire¡¯s territory, and the kingdom was technically a part of the empire. Therefore, it was only correct for him to pay respect to the emperor¡¯s messenger. ¡°How are you, Siegfried van Proa?¡± Baron Neighdelberg started reading the emperor¡¯s letter. ¡°This should be the first letter I¡¯m writing to you after you were appointed as king, and I¡¯m curious if everything has been all right so far. I¡¯m slightly worried that you¡¯re upset with me for not checking up on you at least once.¡± ¡°Your grace is immeasurable, Your Imperial Majesty!¡± ¡°This is a huge oversight from me. It is a bit difficult for you to write to me first as a subordinate. I hope that you will find it in you to forgive me¡­¡± There was nothing special in the emperor¡¯s letter. The emperor greeted him, and he asked if he was having any difficulties in running the kingdom, his rtionship status and if he had any ns to get married anytime soon, and other mundane questions. However, the next part revealed a hint of the true purpose behind the emperor¡¯s letter. ¡°The Guild Master of the Genesis Guild has requested an audience with me and pleaded that you have mistreated him. I thought it would be unjust to judge the matter after only hearing his side of the story, so¡­¡± ¡°Chae Hyung-Seok, that bastard¡­!¡± Siegfried muttered under his breath. ¡°Hmm? Did you say something just now? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Baron Neighdelberg stopped reading the letter and tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Ah, n-nothing. I did not say anything. Why would I dare interrupt you while you¡¯re reading His Majesty¡¯s letter? Hahaha!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Is that so? Then I shall continue reading it.¡± ¡°Please do! Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Ahem!?Then¡­ I thought it would be unjust to judge the matter after only hearing his side of the story, so I n to listen to both you and the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild¡¯s story. Therefore, I herebymand that King Siegfried van Proatine of the Proatine Kingdom to¡ª¡± A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. Ding! [Three-Way Meeting] [Go to the Imperial Capital of the Marchioni Empire to meet the emperor and the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild, Desire.] [Type: Special Quest] [Progress: 0%] [Reward: N/A] [Warning: There is an extremely high chance that you will receive a penalty upon quest failure.] Siegfried finally understood what was going on after reading the quest details. ¡®So you decided to?tell on me?instead? Just chop your thing off, you despicable coward!¡¯?he growled inside. Well, the real despicable coward that had to chop his thing off was actually Siegfried¡­ It was a ssic case of the pot calling the kettle ck. However, the reason Siegfried had to chop his thing off was different, as his reason was more rted to his issues with women¡­ [Alert: Do you wish to ept the Quest: ¡®Three-Way Meeting¡¯?] [Alert: Yes / No] A message popped up in front of his eyes once again. [Alert: Yes!] [Alert: You have epted the Quest: ¡®Three-Way Meeting¡¯!] Siegfried had no choice but to ept the quest. There was no way he could refuse His Majesty the Emperor¡¯s summon. ¡°Your grace is immeasurable, Your Imperial Majesty! I, your loyal servant, Siegfried van Proa, ept your summon!¡± Siegfried said as he bowed to the ground. *** Right after Baron Neighdelberg left¡­ ¡°He should¡¯ve just shut up and waited for the protection period to end, but what did he do? He went to the emperor and told on me? That despicable bastard¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled while seated on his Chromatic Dragon throne. It seemed that Siegfried¡®s actions had really gotten on Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s nerves judging by how he went straight to the emperor despite being fully aware of the protection period. Well, it was understandable, as the financial damages he had suffered because of Siegfried were already more than ten billion won. However, that was his problem. Siegfried couldn¡¯t care less about him¡­ Exactly three dayster, Michele sent him off and begged. ¡°Please, please, please! You have to do whatever it takes to resolve the matter. If the protection period gets revoked, then¡­¡± They were currently standing in front of the warp gate just before Siegfried left for the imperial capital. ¡°Ah, I already told you that I know. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to make any mistakes,¡± Siegfried grumbled in response, seemingly slightly annoyed. ¡°You must certainly not make any mistakes, Your Majesty. Having the protection period revoked is no different from a death sentence to our kingdom,¡± Michele said with a desperate look. ¡°C¡¯mon, do you really think he will revoke it just because of this matter? He¡¯s most likely going to honor his promise,¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug. ¡°We cannot be so certain, Your Majesty. The protection period could be revoked if it is proven that we were the aggressors, do you not agree?¡± ¡°I know, but I have my side of the story, too, so don¡¯t worry so much. Anyway, I¡¯ll get going now, so see youter.¡± Siegfried left after reassuring Michele numerous times. ¡°Yes, I will ce my trust in you, Your Majesty¡­¡± Michele muttered. sh! A bright light shed right after Siegfried stepped into the warp gate. A message popped up in front of his eyes. [Capital of the Marchioni Empire: Pce of Blood] [Warp Room: 11,271] The message notified him of his current location. ¡®They have more than ten thousand warp rooms¡­? This is crazy¡­¡¯? Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but be shocked after seeing the warp room number. The Proatine Kingdom had slightly over thirty warp rooms, but the empire¡¯s capital alone had more than ten thousand warp rooms. It was another reminder that the Proatine Kingdom was a small and weak nation. ¡®Can I just step out of this room? This is my first time here, so¡­¡¯?he thought before leaving the room. Creak¡­ ¡°Wee, Your Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa.¡± A servant greeted him as soon as he opened the door and¡­ ¡®Huh?¡¯ Siegfried saw a certain someone emerge from the room directly across from him. ¡®Chae Hyung-Seok?¡¯ ¡®Han Tae-Sung!¡¯ They immediately recognized each other, and a fierce exchange of res soon ensued. ¡®You fucking bastard!¡¯ Chae Hyung-Seok failed to control his anger and threw a punch at Siegfried. Whoosh! His fist was about to hit Siegfried¡¯s face. Chapter 262

    Chapter 262

    Chae Hyung-Seok despised Siegfried with all of his heart that he failed to control himself and threw a punch, but¡­ Chwak! A loud noise echoed as Chae Hyung-Seok was pped across the face. Siegfried blocked the punch and pped Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok muttered, looking confused and horrified at the same time. ¡®This insect¡­ did this insect just p me? He pped me?¡¯¡¯ He wanted to punch the insect, but the insect pped him instead. Drip! He could taste his own blood, and he heard his blood hit the floor. ¡®This loser¡­ this loser pped me?¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°You fucking bastard¡­!¡± He snapped and lunged at Siegfried, but¡­ Pukeok! Siegfried threw him off bnce and threw an uppercut. ¡°Argh!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s head was flung backward. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me,¡± Siegfried warned. He sneered and jeered, ¡°Why are you even picking a fight with me when you¡¯re too weak to fight? Are you trying to show off that you¡¯re a loser?¡± ¡°What? Loser? You fucking bastard!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok screamed and lunged at him once again. ¡°Cease that at once!¡± ¡°How dare you cause a scene in the imperial pce!¡± ¡°You will be executed if you don¡¯t cease at once!¡± However, the knights and soldiers guarding the warp rooms tackled Chae Hyung-Seok. Shwing! A knight pulled out his sword and pointed it at Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s neck. ¡°Calm yourself down, Adventurer.¡± The knight''s voice carried weight and authority. ¡°This is the Imperial Pce where His Imperial Majesty the Emperor resides. A country bumpkin like you can¡¯t do as you pleases here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Answer me, Adventurer.¡± ¡°I will¡­ calm myself down¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok was forced to respond. ¡°This will be your first and final warning, Adventurer.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand¡­¡± He was forced to submit to the knight. Top ten guild? Ranker? Pro gamer? None of those titles mattered in the Pce of Blood, where the most powerful person on the continent¡ªthe Emperor of the Marchioni Empire was residing. After all, every single Adventurer was equal in the eyes of the emperor. ¡°Pfft!¡±?Siegfriedughed and jeered, ¡°Why were you even acting so tough?¡± ¡°This bastard¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try that again? Keke!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok could feel his blood pressure skyrocket and a string of warning messages popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: Warning! Warning!] [Alert: Danger! Your blood pressure has drastically risen too high!] [Alert: You will be forcefully logged out by the system if your blood pressure goes up any higher!] His anger reached its peak and even endangered his real body in the VR capsule. Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s character turned transparent. It was a phenomenon that often happened whenever a yer fell asleep or was suddenly struck by a healthplication while ying the game. ¡°Huh? Are you going downstairs? Hey, it¡¯s been a while since west met, why don¡¯t we grab a cup of tea or something? Keke!¡± ¡°Han¡­ Tae-Sung!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok screamed. ¡®Hold it in¡­! Suppress it¡­!¡¯?He mustered near-superhuman mental strength to suppress his anger and prevent himself from being logged out. Getting logged out from the game was not the problem here. The main issue was that he could suffer another stroke if he failed to control his temper. He had to hang onto dear life and suppress the rage boiling inside of him so that he wouldn¡¯t be hospitalized again. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see youter~ Hopefully~ Keke!¡± Siegfried snickered as he walked away. Chae Hyung-Seok was left on the ground trembling in anger while trying his best not to suffer another stroke. *** [Pce of Blood: Throne Room] A servant guided Siegfried to the throne room of the continent¡¯s most powerful person. He knew that the throne room would be luxurious, vast, and grand, but it still exceeded his expectations. Of course, none of the decorations here couldpare to his throne, which was the epitome of luxury. ¡®Is this what they mean by being overwhelmed by architecture? I wonder how much they spent to build this?¡¯?He couldn¡¯t help but think about money while looking around the throne room, which was no different from a work of art. ¡°Just you wait¡­ Han Tae-Sung¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled under his breath after entering the throne room. Siegfried ignored him and did not retort¡ªno, it was more like he could not retort. ¡°His Imperial Majesty the Emperor has arrived!¡± The chief eunuch announced the arrival of the most powerful person on the continent, Emperor Stuttgart von Posteriore. ¡°I, Siegfried van Proa, the King of the Proatine Kingdom, greet his Imperial Majesty!¡± ¡°I, the Adventurer, Desire, greet His Majesty.¡± Siegfried and Chae Hyung-Seok paid their respect to the emperor. ¡°Thank you both foring here today, King Siegfried and Adventurer Desire,¡± Emperor Stuttgart replied. He exchanged pleasantries and small talks with them for a while before going to the main agenda. ¡°King Siegfried van Proa.¡± ¡°Yes, your Imperial Majesty.¡± ¡°Is it true that you attacked the guild led by Adventurer Desire?¡± ¡°Yes, it is true, sire,¡± Siegfried easily admitted. ¡°And what was your reason?¡± ¡°Both of us have had deep-rooted animosity against each other for many years now¡­¡± Siegfried replied. He proceeded to exin the history between them. ¡®You fucking rat, Han Tae-Sung!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok fumed. He very much wanted to plug Siegfried¡¯s mouth. However, he was currently in the presence of the emperor, and he would definitely suffer a lot if he were to make a scene right now. It would be like booking a one-way ticket to hell. ¡°And that is why I sought vengeance and attacked them first. I hope that your Imperial Majesty¡¯s wisdom will give me your grace on the matter.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Is it true?¡± Emperor Stuttgart asked Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡®What should I do¡­? Do I deny it or do I acknowledge it¡­?¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok was conflicted for a second, but he decided to tell the truth, as it was going to be all over for him if the emperor caught him lying. ¡°Yes, it is true,¡± he replied. ¡°I see¡­ King Siegfried had a casus belli then¡­¡± Emperor Stuttgart muttered. He smirked and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t remember you mentioning anything like this thest time you requested an audience with me?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok felt a chill down his spine. He started sweating profusely as he hurriedly made an excuse. ¡°I¡­ I thought that all of those things were behind us now, so¡­!¡± ¡°So King Siegfried sought revenge and Adventurer Desire retaliated¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± ¡°Your wisdom astounds me, Your Majesty.¡± Chae Hyung-Seok and Siegfried replied at the same time with their heads bowed down. Emperor Stuttgart swept his gaze across them before making his judgment. ¡°My protection for the Proatine Kingdom was under the condition that they would notmit any unprovoked hostile actions against others. Therefore, it is only right for me to revoke the protection I have bestowed upon the kingdom,¡± he said. He then revealed a mischievous smile and said, ¡°However, King Siegfried?had a justification for his actions, so I cannot revoke my protection. Instead, I hereby dere that the protection period I have bestowed upon the Proatine Kingdom will be reduced by one year.¡± ¡°Your grace¡­ is immeasurable, Your Imperial Majesty¡­¡± Siegfried said with his head on the floor. He was fuming inside, but there was no way he could question the emperor¡¯s judgment. Besides, the fact that only one year out of the three years was taken away was already a huge relief for him. ¡°And Adventurer Desire.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I believe that you have realized your mistakes and are reflecting on them. All of this started from your actions, so do you have anything to say about them?¡± ¡°No, I do not. However, all I ask is an opportunity to fight Siegfried fair and square! May you please give our guild an exemption¡ª¡± ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I hereby dere that the Genesis Guild led by Adventurer Desire is not allowed to attack the Proatine Kingdom while it is still under my protection. This is the price you have to pay for trampling on King Siegfried while he was weak,¡± Emperor Stuttgart said. His expression suddenly turned cold as he added, ¡°Do not test my patience any more than this, Adventurer Desire. I am aware of your sins against the weak and the malice within your heart.¡± ¡°P-Please kill me, Your Majesty!¡± Chae Hyeong-Seok bowed to the ground and begged for mercy. Meanwhile, he was cursing inside, ¡®Fuck! Fuck this NPC! This bastard!¡¯ ¡°It is not that I am turning a blind eye to your frustration, Adventurer Desire, so I will show mercy and not punish you this time.¡± ¡°Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°However, I myself think that the atrocities you havemitted against King Siegfried in the past have put him through much misery, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I herebymand Adventurer Desire to reimburse King Siegfried with fifty thousand gold.¡± ¡°F-Fifty thousand gold?! Your Majesty!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s face turned pale at the mention of fifty thousand gold. The price of BNW gold was currently fixed at forty US Dors per gold, so fifty thousand gold converted to Won was¡­ ¡®T-Two billion won?!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok was mortified. It was 2.5 billion won, to be exact. It was quite a burdensome figure for Chae Hyung-Seok, as his ie had drastically reduced in recent days, and he had already sold all of his supercars. ¡°I shall not punish you for your attempt to deceive me, but I shall hold you responsible for the mental stress that King Siegfried had suffered due to your actions, the operational cost he had incurred in his quest for vengeance against you, and the cost of losing one year of the protection I had bestowed upon the Proatine Kingdom.¡± ¡°B-But Y-Your majesty¡­ Fifty thousand gold is too¡ª¡± ¡°You are dismissed,¡± said Emperor Stuttgart. He waved his hand in dismissal, which was basically telling him to scram. ¡°Discuss the terms and timeline of the payment with King Siegfried. I suppose I don¡¯t have to tell you what¡¯s going to happen if you don¡¯t keep your promise, right?¡± ¡°T-Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok was forced to respond while crying tears of blood inside. He could have slowly gotten his revenge on Siegfried, but his n to rush things by getting the emperor involvedpletely backfired on him. Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s body started fading away as he dragged his feet out of the throne room. It was clear that his blood pressure had shot up to greater heights after His Majesty the Emperor had told him that he had to pay a huge sum of gold aspensation. ¡°King Siegfried.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.¡± ¡°I hope you will understand why I had to reduce the protection period.¡± ¡°Ipletely understand, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. All right, you must be busy so I won¡¯t keep you any longer. You are dismissed.¡± ¡°Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty.¡± Siegfried stood up and walked away with his head still lowered. However, he had a massive grin on his face as he walked out of the throne room. *** Siegfried stood in front of 11,271 Warp Room to return to the Proatine Kingdom. ¡®It¡¯s a shame that the protection period was reduced, but I still have a year and two months remaining. This is probably the best result in these circumstances.¡¯?He was extremely satisfied with the result of the Three-Way Meeting Quest. Of course, the best-case scenario was zero reduction of the protection period, but there was no reason for him toin about it, as he knew that it was unavoidable for formality''s sake. ¡°Han Tae-Sung¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s voice echoed behind him. ¡°I have something to say¡­¡± ¡°Something to say? I don¡¯t have time for your bullshit. I¡¯m busy.¡± Siegfried grimaced and shooed him away. ¡°Do you really think that I want to speak with you?¡± ¡°Then why are you here if you don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°I have to discuss thepensation issue with you, moron.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Siegfried finally remembered that he had to discuss hispensation with Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°Hmm¡­ Fifty thousand gold is more than two billion won, so¡­ How much time should I give you? Let¡¯s see~¡± ¡°Han Tae-Sung,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°By any chance¡­¡± ¡°What chance?¡± ¡°In¡­ s¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°S¡­ ta¡­ tall¡­¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying?¡± ¡°In¡­ s-stall¡­¡± ¡°Speak properly. Are you having a stroke again? Why do you keep on stuttering?¡± Siegfried grumbled, looking annoyed. ¡°Can¡­ C-Can I pay¡­ in installments¡­?¡± Chapter 263

    Chapter 263

    ¡°What did you just say? Installments?¡± Siegfried doubted his ears. ¡°Are you seriously asking me if you can pay thepensation in installments?¡± he asked once more just to make sure. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You want to pay partially?¡± Siegfried reworded his question. Chae Hyung-Seok went silent, but he was trembling in embarrassment. He could have never imagined¡ªeven in his wildest dreams¡ªthat he would end up making such a shameful request to Han Tae-Sung, whom he considered to be nothing more than an insect. ¡°Yeah¡­ Can I pay in installments?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok asked once more. ¡°Hey, Hyung-Seok¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before he smirked and said, ¡°That¡¯s so embarrassing.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Hey,e on~ You shouldn¡¯t be making these kinds of requests~ Chae~ Hyung~ Seok~¡± An uncontroble rage welled up from inside Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡®I want to kill him¡­ Should I just stab him?¡¯?He felt the urge to kill Siegfried¡ªno, Han Tae-Sung. He would have probably picked up a knife from somewhere and stabbed Han Tae-Sung¡¯s stomach with it numerous times. No, he would have probably done much more than stabbing him numerous times if Han Tae-Sung were standing in front of him right now. The request he had made to Han Tae-Sung was that humiliating for him. ¡°Wow~ Who could have known that the great Guild Master of the Genesis Guild, the mighty Chae Hyung-Seok, was going to ask such an embarrassing request to an insect like me? Am I dreaming right now~?¡± ¡°Hey, you fucking bastard!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Should I let you pay in installments?¡± ¡°Fuck off! You son of a bitch!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok finally snapped and started cussing him after realizing that Siegfried had no ns of letting him pay in installments. Thetter was even using his request to make fun of him. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have brought it up in the first ce¡­¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok thought while gnashing his teeth. He wouldn¡¯t have brought it up if he had known that Siegfried would use it against him. Asking one¡¯s enemy such a favor would obviously not end well, but Chae Hyung-Seok had his own reasons for making such a humiliating request. He was in a bad financial situation. It was so bad that Chae Hyung-Seok¡ªwho was once touted as a cash king¡ªhad to take out loans from the bank just to pay the bills for his numerous businesses. However, he suddenly had to pay of more than two billion won? And of all people, he had to pay it to the insect in front of him? ¡°I¡¯ll pay you in one month,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok said before disappearing into his warp room. ¡°A month¡­ Hmm¡­ Well, I guess I should give him that much time since 2.25 billion won is not a small amount. I¡¯m sure the man sitting in the big chair will agree that it¡¯s a fair timeline, too,¡± Siegfried muttered. He would love to take the money right now, but he knew that was unreasonable, as it was going to take time to prepare such arge sum. ¡®Would fifty thousand gold be enough to alleviate Michele¡¯s stress? Hmm¡­ I should give him forty thousand gold and keep ten thousand for myself,¡¯?Siegfried thought before entering his warp room. *** While Siegfried was on his way back to the Proatine Kingdom, the Mercenary Guilds on the continent were thrown into an uproar because of an unprecedented influx of requests. ¡°G-Guild Master-nim!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the ruckus?¡± The branch manager of a Mercenary Guild grimaced at the rowdiness of his staff. ¡°Is there a fire or something?¡± he asked. ¡°T-That is¡­!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°We have received requests from the papacy and the imperial family of the Constantine Holy Empire at the same time!¡± ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± He grimaced before asking, ¡°Is it what I think it is¡­?¡± A branch manager of the Mercenary Guild was bound to have ess to a lot of information, so he immediately saw through what was going on. ¡°I think it¡¯s¡­ both the papacy and the imperial family have ced requests to recruit a ridiculous amount of mercenaries!¡± ¡°Oh my god! Has a civil war finally broken out?!¡± The Constantine Holy Empire was established three hundred years ago after the papacy that worshiped the Nameless God acknowledged a man as their emperor. In other words, the empire was ruled by both the imperial family and the papacy. The recent strife between the pope and the emperor divided the country into two, namely the East Constantine and the West Constantine, and they were as good as two separate countries, even without breaking out into civil war. However, both the papacy and the imperial family suddenly ced requests to mass recruit mercenaries from the Mercenary Guild. Anyone could tell what was going to happen very soon¡ªa civil war. This request was proof that the battle for supremacy within the holy empire was about to start. ¡°This¡­ is not something I can decide by myself. Let¡¯s make a report to the higher-ups,¡± said the branch manager. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The branch manager stood up and went to themunications room. *** ¡°Fuck this¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok cursed under his breath after getting stabbed in the back by the emperor and after being humiliated by Siegfried. However, his anger didn¡¯tst that long. . ¡°Damn it¡­ How am I supposed to prepare 2.25 billion won in one month? I¡¯m already squeezed as it is¡­ Do I have to sell some of my properties¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok was so stressed with his finances that he didn¡¯t even have the luxury of feeling angry. He felt like his head was going to crack open from trying toe up with ways ofing up with thepensation money within a month. His guild¡¯s main source of ie¡ªthe vineyard¡ªhad just been razed to the ground, and many people were leaving his guild. ¡®What should I do? Should I go and raid smaller guilds? Or should I just go raid viges?¡¯ There was a saying that some habits would never die, and it seemed to be true as Chae Hyung-Seok started thinking of the numerous criminal activities he had previously engaged in to make some money before he became a guild master. In fact, one of the first criminal activities he did in BNW was plundering small viges inhabited by NPCs and erasing all evidence by burning those viges to the ground. ¡®Ah, fuck¡­ I won¡¯t have much left after dividing the spoils with the guys¡­ It¡¯s impossible to make 2.25 billion won like that¡­¡¯ Chae Hyung-Seok was trying toe up with a solution, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything. Ding! A message suddenly popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: A message has arrived from the ¡®Mercenary Guild¡¯!] [Alert: Please head to themunications room to check it!] ¡°What the hell?¡± It was quite rare for the system to send a message without any interaction with an NPC, so Chae Hyung-Seok immediately went to themunications room to read the message. The message had already arrived at themunications room. [Recruitment Notice 1: Looking for Holy Warriors.] [Client: Papacy of the Constantine Holy Empire.] [Content: Looking for Warriors of Justice to punish and subjugate the heretic emperor that went against the will of God!] [Reward: To be discussed.] ¡°Holy Warrior? Warriors of Justice? Pffft!?What kind of bastard wrote this message? is he trying to buy justice with money?¡± Chae Hyung-Seokughed at the message before opening the second message attached to the Mercenary Guild¡¯s message. [Recruitment Notice 2: Mercenary Recruitment.] [Client: Imperial Family of the Constantine Holy Empire.] [Content: Looking for mercenaries to join the civil war.] [Reward: To be discussed.] ¡°This is much better,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok muttered with a smile. He liked the second message. It was short and straightforwardpared to the message that the papacy had sent, which sounded pretentious at best. ¡°But it¡¯s quite strange that NPCs are recruiting Adventurers for their wars¡­ This has never happened before¡ªWait!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok eximed. His eyes narrowed as he checked the message once again. ¡°Constantine Holy Empire? Those bastards¡­ are they fighting each other?¡± *** ¡°So¡­ I received forty thousand gold, but our protection period has been reduced by one year,¡± said Siegfried. He had decided to meet with Michele upon returning to the Proatine Kingdom. ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s not bad, right? I actually think we profited,¡± said Siegfried with a smug look. He was obviously fishing for praise. Michele pondered for a moment before he replied, ¡°Hmm¡­ Losing a year of the protection period isn¡¯t a huge loss because we still have another year left¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have any problems bolstering our military strength within that remaining year.¡± ¡°Right? Right?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty, but¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I hope you did not receive fifty thousand gold and kept ten thousand for yourself¡­?¡± ¡°N-No! It was forty thousand gold! I swear!¡± Michele¡¯s eyes narrowed as he observed Siegfried closely, like a snake eyeing its prey. ¡°Your Majesty?¡± ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s forty thousand gold?¡± ¡°I-I already told you!¡± Siegfried retorted. He frivolously waved his hand and added, ¡°Why would I keep some for myself? I should bring home the paycheck I earn, right? Hahaha!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Why is it so unconvincing¡­ Oh well, if Your Majesty says so, then it must be the truth.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah! That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°I am certain Your Majesty needs some pocket money, too.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Please spend it wisely.¡± ¡°Spend it wisely¡­?¡± ¡°Then, I will excuse myself since I¡¯m busy,¡± Michele said with a bow before leaving the office. ¡°I think he knows¡­¡± Siegfried muttered and covered his face with his hands. *** Siegfried decided to do some paperwork for the entire day. Bam! Most of the documents had already been checked and revised by Michele, so all he had to do was sign and stamp the documents with his seal. [Alert: A message has arrived from the ¡®Mercenary Guild¡¯!] [Alert: Please head to themunications room to check it!] A message popped up in front of his eyes. He put his paperwork aside and went to check the message. ¡°Ah, the Mercenary Guild has sent a request.¡± Mercenaries above a certain rank could receive quests without visiting the Mercenary Guild. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Siegfried checked the contents of the request. ¡°Constantine Holy Empire¡­ One is from the papacy, while the other is¡­?Huh? It¡¯s from the Constantine Holy Empire? The emperor is looking to recruit mercenaries for his war? Oh, this is a civil war¡­¡± Siegfried quickly saw through the crux, just like Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°Hmm¡­?The Adventurers are going to go at it against each other on a battlefield? That sounds extremely fun. Adventurers give a ton of experience points when they die, and they drop items, too.¡± Hunting monsters was fun and all, but the real power leveling was killing other Adventurers. To make the deal even sweeter, an Adventurer had a ny percent chance of dropping an item whenever they died, unlike monsters, so item farming other Adventurers was much better than monsters. Most of the fights between Adventurers were in the form of guild wars or PVP, and there had been no cases of a mass war between Adventurers for the sole purpose of leveling up. However, what if there was a stage where countless Adventurers could fight in groups and kill each other to their heart¡¯s content? It would be a great source of content for the game! ¡°This is the first time the Adventurers are going to fight on a battlefield in a war on the continent, right? I don¡¯t think something like this happened before¡­¡± The nations on the continent had never involved the Adventurers in their wars until now, and they would only hire a handful of them if necessary. The mass recruitment of Adventurers for the sake of war was unprecedented. In other words, this civil war would be the Adventurers¡¯ first taste of participating in a war between nations on the continent. ¡°This is pretty great. Hmm¡­ I think I¡¯ll join. I need to level up as well.¡± Siegfried decided to ept the request from the Mercenary Guild, but the problem was choosing his side. The papacy? The imperial family? He had no connections to the holy empire, so he couldn¡¯t immediately make a decision. ¡°Hmm¡­?Which side should I join¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered and pondered for quite a while until he recalled a magic spell that Koreans often used to guide them to the right choice whenever they couldn¡¯t make up their mind. ¡°Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch, a, tiger, by, the, toe, if, he, hollers, let, him, go, eeny, meeny, miny, moe!¡± Siegfried¡¯s finger was pointing at¡­ ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the papacy¡­¡± His finger was pointing at the papacy of the Constantine Holy Empire. Chapter 264

    Chapter 264

    The news of the civil war breaking out within the Constantine Holy Empire spread like wildfire, and the whole world kept a close eye on the war. It wasn¡¯t just the N¨¹rburg Continent. Earth was also in an uproar over the news. Thergestmunity forum of BNW¡ªThe World¡ªwas filled with numerous hot threads on the matter created by gamers from all over the world. ¡ª[SchoolFoodWarrior]: Hey! The NPCs are setting the stage for us! ¡ª[Hx3]: OMG! Then we can fight other gamers without joining a guild or entering the arena? Wow! ¡ª[12331221]: Is this new content? ¡ª[HulkHogan]: A war content? A nation using the Adventurers for their war was unprecedented in the game, so it wasn¡¯t strange that there was such an uproar over it. BNW was a game where the NPCs and Adventurers made content together. A good example of this was the creation of the guild war content by the NPCs to resolve the biggest headache that the Adventurers were causing, so it could be said that this was indeed new content being added to the game created by the NPCs. It went without saying that a horde of gamers dialed the customer service hotline of Hive Games Entertainment. ¡°Hello, gamers.¡± The next morning, the vice chairman of Hive Games Entertainment¡ªOppenheimer¡ªstarted a press conference to respond to the gamers¡¯ questions. ¡°As all of you have asked, the civil war within the Constantine Holy Empire is indeed new content, and as you have expected, the new content is war content.¡± ¡°Wooooaaah!¡± The crowd went wild at Oppenheimer¡¯s announcement. ¡°We are well aware that it has been impossible for the gamers to test their mettle against other gamers. PVP battles are often used to settle grudges while guild war content can only be essible to those with guilds.¡± ¡°Of course, the arena is another option, but fighting one-on-one in an enclosed space isn¡¯t an optimal way to fight for others.¡± ¡°However, things will change with the advent of the war content. This new content will have numerous advantagespared to the previous content, such as¡­¡± Gamers from all over the world focused on Oppenheimer as he exined the new content, and it was truly different from anything that the game had to offer to date. 1. A guildless yer can join the war. 2. Everyone is free to choose which side they wish to join. 3. This is a war between NPCs, so the Adventurers may not even have to risk their lives. 4. Joining the war is free. 5. The NPCs willpensate the Adventurers on their side. 6. A huge amount of Experience Points and rare items are waiting! The gamers were extremely riled up, as the war content was truly a ce full of opportunities for them to seize. ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you are aware, but BNW is a game where you, the gamers, and the NPCs create content together. I hope that you will look forward to what changes will ur in how the NPCs view you, the Adventurers, after the civil war.¡± Hive Games Entertainment had acknowledged that the uing civil war in the Constantine Holy Empire was part of the game¡¯s content, and they encouraged the gamers to join the war by promoting it in the press conference. On the same evening, Hive Games Entertainment sent promotional videos to many different news outlets around the world to further promote the new content. [BNW!] [New Content WAR Has Arrived!] [Challenge yourself and be the Lord of the Battlefield!] *** Siegfried set out for the Constantine Holy Empire with Hamchi. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hamchi.¡± ¡°Kyu!?Where are we going this time?!¡± ¡°The Constantine Holy Empire? We¡¯re going there.¡± ¡°Kyu??When did you suddenly be holy?¡± ¡°Holy? Are you crazy?¡± Siegfried smirked and replied, ¡°I¡¯m an atheist.¡± ¡°Kyu??There is a god! Why are you saying someone that exists doesn¡¯t exist?!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried suddenly realized that he was on the N¨¹rburg Continent and took his words back. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t have a religion yet.¡± ¡°So why are you going there?¡± ¡°The Mercenary Guild is recruiting people, so I have to go there.¡± ¡°Kyu!¡± ¡°They¡¯re hiring only Adventurers, so I better bring Seung-Gu along.¡± Siegfried called Seung-Gu, and the three of them set out for the Constantine Holy Empire. They were headed for the papacy¡¯s Papal Pce, to be exact. There was a myriad of Adventurers gathered in front and around the papacy¡¯s Papal Pce in West Constantine. It seemed that the Adventurers were quite interested in the new content. ¡°Listen up! Those who are here to join the war! Line up ording to your ranks!¡± the military recruiter shouted at the top of his lungs to segregate the Adventurers ording to their ranks. ¡°Ah! Any tinum here? Pleasee this way together with yourpanions!¡± Siegfried was guided to apletely different area away from the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Adventurers. ¡°We would like to request all tinum One Adventurers to follow us further,¡± said the military recruiter. Siegfried was at the pinnacle of tinum, so he followed the military recruiter. ¡®Oh? This ce has fewer people, and the interior looks better,¡¯?he thought while looking around.?Siegfried, Seung-Gu, and Hamchi were in arge reception room within the Papal Pce, and the ce was decorated with numerous art pieces dedicated to the Nameless God, which was to be expected of the Papal Pce of the Papacy. ¡®I knew it. A person needs to be high-ranking in something,¡¯?Siegfried thought after realizing that his mercenary rank was indeed useful. He didn¡¯t have to seek refuge in shacks while waiting for his turn. He could leisurely wait while snacking on biscuits and tea. ¡°Hello, I am the military recruiter assigned to you.¡± ¡°Ah, hello.¡± ¡°Your name is¡­ Siegfried van Proa¡­??Ah! You must be King Siegfried of the Proatine Kingdom!¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°I am not sure of the details, but I have indeed heard of you.¡± It was a good thing that the military recruiter in charge of Siegfried didn¡¯t call the Proatine Kingdom a weak and small kingdom the size of a booger. ¡°The contract will be finalized after you sign right here,¡± the military recruiter said as he extended the contract parchment. ¡°Oh??The reward is quite big,¡± Siegfried said. He was surprised at the number written on the contract. ¡°Ah, yes! It¡¯s all because there aren¡¯t that many mercenaries in the Mercenary Guild who are on the same rank as you. Our papacy is also prepared to handsomely reward Adventurers like you.¡± ¡°Oh~¡± ¡°This is all made possible by the grace of God, do you not agree? Hahaha!¡± The military recruiter wasn¡¯t talking about the same god back on Earth, but rather, the ¡®Nameless God,¡¯ and that was the reason any smart person would definitely not confuse the two while conversing with the NPC. ¡°It is indeed the grace of God!?Hahaha!¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Yes, it is! Hahaha!¡± It sort of felt like¡ªmoney equals grace equals blessing¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t important right now. A religious organization like the papacy was bound to be flush with cash. Their followers would voluntarily give them offerings, offer freebor, and even prepare all sorts of food and snacks for the papacy. The Constantine Holy Empire also had the word holy in its name, so it had an extremely religious poption. However, the important thing was that the papacy had never paid a single coin in taxes in their three hundred years of existence. The money that they had umted throughout the years had to be enough for them to reward the Adventurers handsomely. ¡°Oh, I am saying this just in case, but it is fine for the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s military or Your Majesty¡¯s guild to join the war as well.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be for the better, the more holy warriors we have fighting for justice? The blessing of the Nameless God!¡± ¡°The blessing of the Nameless God! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Siegfried unknowingly started chanting the papacy¡¯s chant motto after being blinded by greed at the handsome reward. ¡®I feel faithful out of nowhere! H-Hold on¡­ am I being too materialistic here¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was surprised by the power of money and by how materialistic he was, but it seemed that he truly didn¡¯t really care about his materialistic trait. Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching!? And it was all because he could already hear the gold coins jingling. He was prepared to offer his services to the papacy and teach those imperial thugs from East Constantine a lesson for the sake of gold coins. ¡®Ah, have I finally found my religion¡­? The Church of Capitalism!¡¯ Siegfried was disgusted and ecstatic at the same time at the handsome reward that he would obtain. Seung-Gu poked him. ¡°H-Hyung-nim?¡± ¡°What? You should start worshiping, too! Where else can we find such an opportunity? This is all the blessing of the Nameless God! Hurry up and say it! The blessing of the Nameless God! Hahaha!¡± Siegfried eximed. However, his gaze sharpened as he stared at the two of them and said, ¡°You guys know that I¡¯m joking, right?¡± ¡®Sigh¡­ I think this?owner punk?haspletely sold himself out¡­ He sold himself out?to money¡­¡¯?Hamchi thought while shaking his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, hyung-nim¡­¡± ¡°Then, what?¡± ¡°Look over there.¡± Seung-Gu pointed at a ce that looked much more luxurious than where they were. It was a reception room that was filled with top-of-the-line leather sofas. The utensils used to serve the snacks and tea also looked like they were works of art. It was definitely the VIP reception room for Diamond Adventurers. ¡°What about that?¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°He¡¯s that?bastard, right?¡± ¡°That bastard?¡± Siegfried looked where Seung-Gu was pointing and¡­ ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s that bastard.¡± Siegfried immediately recognized the bastard?Seung-Gu was pointing at. *** Chae Hyung-Seok and the chief military recruiter of the papacy were on the sofa, and it seemed that they were having a very pleasant conversation. ¡°Hahaha! You have a good sense of humor! You¡¯re going to make meugh myself to death at this rate! Hahahaha!¡± ¡°I never imagined that I would be praised for my humor by a renowned Adventurer and guild master of a huge guild such as yourself, Sir Desire! Hahaha!¡± Siegfried smiled coldly at their pleasant exchange. ¡®Wow¡­ Look at hyung-nim¡¯s face. Can a human being even make such an expression? His eyes are so scary¡­¡¯ Buzz¡­! Buzz¡­! Buzz¡­!? Flies were buzzing around the scary-looking Siegfried. Siegfried¡¯s eyes looked extremely cold and dangerous, and the materialistic money-crazed zealot had gone missing. Seung-Gu found it quite scary that the easygoing Siegfried had disappeared in the blink of an eye. ¡°Hyung-nim.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we just go join the East Constantine? I¡¯d rather go join them than fight on the same side as that bastard,¡± Seung-Gu said before adding, ¡°It¡¯s not like we can force the papacy to choose between us, right?¡± What if the papacy was asked to choose between them? [Please pick one.] [1. Siegfried + Head Crusher Guild + Royal Proatine Forces] [2. Genesis Guild] It was obvious who the papacy would choose. The bnce between the two was already lopsided, so Siegfried knew that the papacy would chase him out the moment he asked them to choose. Besides, anyone would choose the Genesis Guild over Siegfried and his ragtag bunch, not to mention the papacy. After all, it was only logical to choose the stronger side. ¡°Hyung-nim, I think we should leave rather than be ufortable in the same bed with our enemy¡ª¡± Seung-Gu said. ¡°Nope,¡± Siegfried cut him off. Then, he signed the contract parchment and added, ¡°We¡¯re going to lie down on the same bed as our enemies from today onward!¡± ¡°What?! H-Hyung-nim!¡± ¡°So tell that bastard to wash up before he hops onto the bed,¡± Siegfried said with a smirk as flies buzzed around him. Chapter 265

    Chapter 265

    ¡°Is that even possible, hyung-nim? I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Seung-Gu said. ¡°Why should I be the one ufortable?¡± Siegfried pouted before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re going to be aughing stock if we change sides just because of him? We should make him move instead.¡± ¡°That would be ideal, but¡­¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s going to be fun, so let¡¯s stay on the same side as that bastard.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It says in themunity that the papacy pays 1.5 times more than the imperial family.¡± ¡®Let¡¯s not think emotionally. I hate having to see that bastard¡¯s face, but making moneyes first. I need money to upgrade my gears,¡¯?Siegfried thought as he suppressed his contempt for Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°And¡­¡± Siegfried trailed off. He looked around before whispering, ¡°We can pour chili peppers on whatever he tries to do in this war, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s scarier than an enemy in war is an ally¡¯s friendly fire from the back. For example, what if my fingers slipped?¡± Siegfried said while shing a sinister grin. ¡°Wow! As expected of you, hyung-nim! You¡¯re already nning to stab him in the back before the war even starts! As expected of the King of Backstab¡ª¡± ¡°What did you say, punk?¡± ¡°N-Nothing¡­¡± Seung-Gu shut his mouth at Siegfried¡¯s re. ¡®Look at that money-grubber,¡¯?Siegfried clicked his tongue while ring at Chae Hyung-Seok. Money. Chae Hyung-Seok obviously participated and sided with the papacy to make money for thepensation he owed Siegfried. ¡®It¡¯s nice to see you working so hard!¡¯ Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but feel ecstatic to see Chae Hyun-Seok working his ass off to make money that would eventually end up in his pocket. ¡®Allow me to show you how low you can get. Let¡¯s go down lower, Chae Hyung-Seok. I¡¯ll give you a tour of the Earth¡¯s mantle and go further down to the core. All right?¡¯?Siegfried thought while snickering. He was just getting started. *** Unfortunately, not all Adventurers could join the new war content. It was obvious, but both sides of the Constantine Holy Empire had limited resources, making it difficult for them to hire everyone who decided to show up. The imperial family was already going through financial difficulties, so they were conservative in hiring Adventurers. Meanwhile, the papacy was extremely loaded, but even the papacy couldn¡¯t afford to hire millions of Adventurers. Thus, the first war recruitment of the content titled Constantine Civil War?ended with thirty thousand Adventurers on the imperial family¡¯s side against seventy thousand Adventurers on the papacy¡¯s side. Not many renowned Adventurers and only a few of the top ten guilds joined the war¡­ Why? The ¡®Constantine Civil War¡¯ wasn¡¯t very attractive for the top Rankers. The top Rankers wanted to join a war that was on a bigger scale, and a good example of this was a nation going up against another nation. Not only that, most of them felt that their time would be better served grinding at high-level dungeons as the quality of the Adventurers joining the Constantine Civil War was intermediate at most, so they wouldn¡¯t give a lot of Experience Points. However, the Constantine Civil War managed to attract a lot of attention despite being rated as a gathering of intermediate Adventurers. Why? It was the first time that one hundred thousand Adventurers would fight in a war, and the scale was expected to be quite grand. Therefore, the Genesis Guild became the protagonist of the Constantine Civil War. [V Sports: Genesis Guild joins the new ¡®war¡¯ content of BNW!] [Column: Will the Genesis Guild spread their wings once again?] [BNW/Interview: Pro Gamer Chae Hyung-Seok after his return¡ªthe Genesis Guild will dominate this war.] The attention of the media and gamers was entirely focused on the Genesis Guild even though the war hadn¡¯t started just yet, as they were the biggest faction joining the war. *** Chae Hyung-Seok was in a tent of the papacy¡¯s forces. ¡®This is our chance to get back up on our feet¡­¡¯?he thought while looking at a map. ¡®More and more guild members are leaving by the day, and even some of the officers are showing signs of leaving. The guild is in danger¡­ I need to increase the guild¡¯s reputation through this war.¡¯ The Genesis Guild could only muster forty percent of their usual forces due to their ongoing crisis. The Constantine Civil War content was vital for Chae Hyung-Seok. He resolved to dominate the war by any means. The media¡¯s attention was on the Genesis Guild, which made sure that he couldn¡¯t slip up. Fortunately, Chae Hyung-Seok was confident that the Genesis Guild would regain their glory during this civil war. Why? It was all because the Genesis Guild¡¯s specialty was to fight in great numbers while maximizing their buffs. On top of that, Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s ss¡ªHoly Saint¡ªwas a unique ss that synergized quite well with the papacy¡¯s forces. Most of the papacy¡¯s high-ranking soldiers were priests or holy knights, so it could be said that the Genesis Guild and the papacy¡¯s forces were a match made in heaven. ¡®Hah! Who could have known that?such great?content woulde at such perfect timing? And who knew it was going to be the Constantine Holy Empire of all ces? As expected, never say never, they say!¡¯? Chae Hyung-Seok was thrilled at the thought of making aeback. ¡°Kyu!?Owner punk! Hamchi wants nuts!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok whipped around at the familiar voice. ¡°Really? Then, take two. You seem to have gained weight recently.¡± ¡°Hamchi didn¡¯t gain any weight! KYAAAUU!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok grimaced and muttered, ¡°The fuck¡­?¡± His face crumpled in disgust after seeing the person he despised the most in this world, Han Tae-Sung. His creditor?entered the same tent as him, along with his pet hamster. ¡°Hey, why the fuck are you here, you bastard?¡± Chae Hyung-Seok asked. ¡°Me? Why else do you think I¡¯m here?¡± Siegfried asked nonchntly in response. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here because of the new content. I¡¯m thinking of leveling up and farming some items while I¡¯m at it.¡± ¡°So why the fuck are you here? You better move to the imperial family¡¯s side while I¡¯m still asking nicely.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to~¡± Siegfried stuck his tongue out and sneered at Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°Besides, why should I be the one to switch sides? I like this side more than the other~ Why don¡¯t you move there if you can¡¯t stand me here~¡± ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± ¡°Hit me, I dare you~¡± Siegfried said. He pulled his cheeks apart and smiled sheepishly before saying, ¡°The emperor would be very proud of you if you decide to punch your creditor without paying your debt~¡± ¡°Y-You¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to keep an eye on you. I want to see if you¡¯re working hard to earn money so that you can pay me back. Anyway, you better work hard, got it?¡± Ding! A message popped up in front of Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s eyes as his figure faded slightly. [Alert: Warning! Warning!] [Alert: Danger! Your blood pressure has drastically risen too high!] [Alert: You will be forcefully logged out by the system if your blood pressure goes up any higher!] . His blood pressure skyrocketed at Siegfried¡¯s taunts. ¡°F-Fuck off¡­ Get out of my sight right now¡­ fuck off¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok said while trying his best to maintain his focus. ¡°But you¡¯re the one who came here? This is my tent, by the way, so you should fuck off.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey, fuck off~¡± Siegfried said while waving his hand and shooing Chae Hyung-Seok away like a fly. It was then¡­ ¡ªWarning! Warning! ¡ªAll holy warriors are requested to gather at the training grounds! ¡ªWarning! Warning! ¡ªThe army of the heretics has crossed our holy borders! ¡ªAll holy warriors are requested to gather at once! A message that signaled the start of the Constantine Civil War echoed throughout the Papal Pce. *** ¡°May the blessing of the Nameless God be with you!¡± Right before the mobilization, Siegfried was blessed by the priests of the papacy and was given a coupon. [Alert: You have obtained Full Indulgence!] [Full Indulgence] [A coupon issued by the papacy for the forgiveness of one¡¯s sins.] [This coupon will forgive all of your sins aside from sphemy.] [Type: Coupon] [Rating: Unique] [Price: N/A (Limited Edition)] ¡°Indulgence? What¡¯s this?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°It¡¯ll forgive your sins.¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion and asked, ¡°Why do I need this?¡± ¡°Well, a person is bound to sin in war. For example, murder.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Our papacy wishes to alleviate the guilt of our holy warriors even by a little bit. We hope that this will cate your conscience.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while thinking, ¡®What horseshit is he spouting? How can a piece of paper forgive someone¡¯s sins?¡¯ Siegfried was an Adventurer, so he had never felt even an ounce of guilt from killing other NPCs. ¡°That coupon has legal value as well, so it is not only to alleviate your guilt, but the truly important thing is one¡¯s heart. Do you agree?¡± ¡°I think so?¡± ¡°Our church sells not only the Full Indulgences but also different kinds of indulgences! If you ever happen to sin in our Constantine Holy Empire, then¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I advise that you buy the corresponding indulgence and have your sins forgiven.¡± ¡°Hahaha!?That is a very unique and convenient system! So I will be forgiven no matter what kind of crime Imit?¡± ¡°You can think of it as making an offering of atonement to the Nameless God.¡± ¡°Ah~ I see~ Fuck this shit!¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Siegfried replied as he waved his hand. Then, he walked past the priest while thinking, ¡®Way to go, Church of Capitalism. They¡¯re forgiving people¡¯s sins with money now? Are these guys crazy?¡¯ He figured that the papacy was probably not an ordinary organization. *** Siegfried was among the many Adventurers making their way to the ce that the Imperial Forces had attacked. ¡°Hello, nice to meet you,¡± he greeted the Adventurers, but¡­ ¡°¡­¡± None of them responded to his greeting. ¡°Hello? Hi?¡± Siegfried greeted them again, but none of them responded. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there.¡± ¡°Why is it so hot over here? Let¡¯s go get some fresh air over there.¡± ¡°What the fuck is wrong with this ce¡­¡± The Adventurers seemed to be avoiding Siegfried for some reason. ¡°Ah, my mood is soured now¡­¡± ¡°Fuck, it stinks¡­¡± ¡°I should move to another battalion or change factions altogether¡­¡± ¡°Ptooey!¡± In fact, some of them even outwardly disyed their hostility toward him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them¡­?¡± Siegfried tilted his head in confusion. ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­?¡± Seung-Gu said as he poked him on his side. ¡°I don¡¯t think the mood is good here,¡± he added. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong with them? Do they hate me or something?¡± ¡°Hyung-nim¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯d react the same if I were them¡­¡± Seung-Gu said while shing an awkward smile. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Look at your title, hyung-nim¡­¡± ¡°My title?¡± Siegfried checked his titles at Seung-Gu¡¯s behest. His titles were quite diverse, and he even had many decent ones, but those weren¡¯t the problematic ones. ¡°Wait, could it be that¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right¡­¡± Seung-Gu nodded and said, ¡°Your public image is rock bottom, hyung-nim.¡± Seung-Gu was right. Some of Siegfried¡¯s titles gave off a negative impression despite their effects. [Seggs Stamina King] [Bald Phoenix] [Hammer Murderer] [Skull Breaker] [Vulgar Walk] [Pesky Brat] ¡ï[King of Backstabbing]¡ï The title that stuck out the most was the title he had obtained recently¡ªKing of Backstabbing. [Effects: +20% Increased Back Attack damage, +20% increased Back Attack Damage to the head, +15% chance to fool an NPC when lying.] [Warning: This title is not an honorable title.] In addition, the stars nking the King of Backstabbing?title ensured that everyone would see it. Buzz, buzz, buzz!? In addition, the stench he was emitting and the flies buzzing around him made everyone avoid him instinctively. Plop! A tear dropped from Siegfried¡¯s eye as the negative titles?he had obtained decided to synergize perfectly in public. ¡°So that¡¯s why everyone has been avoiding me¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. Boom! Boom! Boom! Multiple explosions echoed from out of nowhere before a rain of mortar shells descended upon them. Chapter 266

    Chapter 266

    The East Constantine Forces¡ªled by the imperial faction¡ªsignaled the start of the civil war by cannon fire. ¡ªWarning! Warning! ¡ªEnemy mortars iing! ¡ªHoly warriors are to mobilize immediately! The mobilization order was given, but Siegfried did not move an inch. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going, hyung-nim?!¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°Get down!¡± Siegfried shouted in response. ¡°Huh?¡± Seung-Gu tilted his head in confusion. ¡°You too, Hamchi!¡± Siegfried shouted and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid and run around! Just get down until the bombing stops!¡± ¡°W-What do you mean by that¡­?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you serve in the military?! You¡¯re supposed to leave it to luck while you¡¯re being bombarded!¡± ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Seung-Gu gasped upon recalling his tactical training during his mandatory military service. It was utterly foolish to run around while the enemy was firing their artillery, as it was impossible to avoid them. After all, the mortar shells flew at speeds that human eyes couldn¡¯t follow, so how could they avoid them in the first ce? On top of that, a mortar shell would explode upon impact and throw shrapnel around the zone of impact in a V-shape, so getting down on the ground was the best way to increase one¡¯s chances of survival. But what if someone started running around in hopes of evading the mortar shells? The chances of them dying from the shrapnel would dramatically increase. The true horror of enemy artillery fire was not the st but the shrapnel they unleashed upon explosion. It would have been splendid if they could find cover behind rocks or trees to protect themselves from the enemy¡¯s artillery, but their current location was a in field filled with tents. There was no cover. Therefore, Siegfried decided to follow what he learned during his mandatory military service and get down on the ground while hoping to survive the barrage. After all, it wasn¡¯t like these kinds of survival methods were going to change just because he was currently in a game. ¡°Just get down if you value your life!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°I will block it!¡± Seung-Gu responded and waved his Mechanic Force. Wooong! He understood what Siegfried meant and came up with a clever solution that would definitely guarantee their survival. Dozens of magic circles appeared on the ground as soon as he waved his Mechanic Force, and his Iron Golems emerged from them. ¡°Come over here and form a barricade!¡± Seung-Gumanded his golems. The Iron Golems rushed into action and towered above Siegfried¡¯s party. It was a human¡ªno, golem bomb shelter. Shwoooong¡­ Kaboom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The rest of the enemy artillery finallynded as soon as the golem bomb shelter was formed, and they wreaked havoc throughout the ins. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Uwaaaak!¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± The screams of the Adventurers who were running for their lives or rushing into battle reverberated throughout the ins. A shrapnel was sticking out of someone¡¯s eye, while someone else looked like a pincushion. However, the most gruesome death was probably the Adventurer, who received a direct hit from a mortar shell while running away. Meanwhile, Siegfried¡¯s party was safe thanks to his quick thinking and pure luck. The golem bomb shelter protected them, but it was a relief that mortar shells didn¡¯t fall on their location. Of course, there were mortar shells that crashed nearby that unleashed their deadly shrapnel, but the Iron Golems were protecting Siegfried and hispanions. In addition, they were prone on the ground. Their quick thinking indeed saved their lives. ¡°Ah, I thought my eardrums were going to burst¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled while rubbing his ears after the artillery barrage finally ended. ¡°I thought so, too, hyung-nim,¡± Seung-Gu replied as he got up/ ¡°Hamchi¡¯s ears hurt, too! Kyu!¡± ¡°My ears are extremely sensitive, so it is truly difficult for me to withstand such loud noises, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Ack!?Where the hell did youe from?!¡± ¡°Hiiik! ¡°Kyuuu!?You scared the shit out of me!¡± Siegfried and the others were shocked to see Gringore emerge from out of nowhere. ¡°Hey! Can you please make your presence known?!¡± ¡°I¡­ I apologize, Your Majesty¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Gringore replied while awkwardly scratching the back of his head. ¡®What the hell am I supposed to do with this punk? He can be quite annoying and stubborn at times, but I don¡¯t really mind bringing him along¡­ as long as he stops writing shit about me¡­!¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly while ring at the scribe. A full frontal ground assault would usually follow an artillery barrage, but¡­ ¡°We should¡­ pick these up, right? It¡¯s a waste to leave them lying around¡­¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Ahem¡­?I agree. It¡¯s a waste if we leave them like that, hyung-nim,¡± Seung-Gu replied while clearing his throat. However, the corners of his mouth went up almost to his ears while he tried to maintain a poker face, and it was all because. Sparkle! The dozens of items on the ground came from the Adventurers who perished from the shelling. It seemed like the items were seducing them as they sparkled, seemingly saying¡ªI know you want me~ I know you do~which made it all the more difficult for them to resist the temptation. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly pick them up and go,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Siegfried and Seung-Gu looted the items littered across the ravaged battlefield. [Alert: You have obtained Kinky Handcuffs!] [Alert: You have obtained sma de!] [Alert: You have obtained Dried Carrots!] [Alert: You have obtained Hermes Leather Gloves!] [Alert: You have obtained Pocket Watch of Heartbroken Artist!] It could be said that Siegfried was already reaping profits from the war before he fought even a single battle. *** Meanwhile, at the East Constantine Force¡¯s base¡­ ¡°Your Imperial Majesty! The bombardment has seeded!¡± ¡°Really?¡± The emperor of the Constantine Holy Empire¡ªFrederic von Colonna¡ªrevealed a satisfied smile at the report. Emperor Frederic von Colonna was arge-framed man. He looked like a bear wearing full-te armor. ¡°It was the right choice tounch an artillery ambush,¡± he said while smiling. ¡°Yes, sire! It was indeed a wise n!¡± the officer replied. ¡°We have reduced the enemy¡¯s numbers, so send in our army at once before they can recover. This is our main target,¡± Emperor Frederic said as he pointed at the map. Emperor Frederic von Colonna was renowned as a martial ruler, and he was famed for acting as the militarymander-in-chief as well. ¡°We are outnumbered, but our artillery barrage has done its job. Besides, our forces have the advantage in these terrains, so we will definitely win if we fight them at this¡ª¡± A herald rushed in and eximed, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty! We have an emergency!¡± ¡°Emergency? What do you mean by that?¡± Emperor Frederic raised a brow and asked. ¡°Sire! The fake pope¡¯s army has broken through the perimeter and is shing with our forces!¡± the herald replied. The fake pope the herald was referring to was the present pope, who was also the ruler of West Constantine¡ªPope Theophilus IV. Emperor Frederic used Pope Theophilus of being a fake pope leading a cult. He wanted to ordain his political ally Cardinal Silvestor as pope. Meanwhile, Pope Theophilus IV branded Emperor Frederic as a heretic and emunicated him, which in turn, made him ineligible to continue his tenure as the emperor of the Constantine Holy Empire. ¡°Our lines are in danger, Your Majesty! We need to mobilize our army this instant and block the fake pope¡¯s army!¡± the herald eximed. ¡°What?! It hasn¡¯t been that long since the artillery barrage ended! How could they recover so fast? Impossible¡­ This is logically impossible¡­!¡± Emperor Frederic was shocked. ¡°Our scouts report that the fake pope hired the Genesis Guild and¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± Emperor Frederic¡¯s face turned ghastly pale. He had heard of the Genesis Guild, which was one of the top ten guilds on the continent, and he knew what that meant as a seasoned veteran himself. The Genesis Guild¡¯s specialty of massive buffs coupled with the papacy¡¯s priests and holy knights was a synergy to be reckoned with. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Emperor Frederic gnashed his teeth before growling in anger. ¡°I offered them so much, yet they chose to side with that fake pope¡­!¡± He knew the ramifications behind the Genesis Guild allying with the papacy, so he offered astronomical rewards to Chae Hyung-Seok. Unfortunately, it seemed that Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯sck of response meant that he sided with the papacy, which was the worst-case scenario for the imperial faction. ¡°That bastard¡­ Just how much money did he throw at them?¡± Emperor Frederic growled in anger. However, it was futile no matter how much he cursed the pope, as he knew that the imperial faction did not have the same war chest sizepared to the papacy. In other words, it was impossible for him to convince and change Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s mind. In the end, Emperor Frederic was left to gnash his teeth in anger at the current predicament, but he soonposed himself and immediately altered his ns. ¡°If they¡¯re advancing at this speed, then¡­¡± Emperor Frederic muttered as he scanned the map, and then he pointed at the map and said, ¡°Let them. We¡¯ll pull back.¡± ¡°Y-your Majesty!¡± eximed the adjutant in charge of rying the emperor¡¯smands. He tried to convince the emperor. ¡°If we pull back our armies, our soldiers on the frontline along with the cities and viges will be¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re abandoning them.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Sacrifices are necessary for the greater cause! We have to be prepared to give things up to win this war!¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Your Majesty! I shall ry yourmands!¡± the adjutant replied as a chill traveled through his entire body upon witnessing the emperor¡¯s callousness. The emperor was indeed correct to pull back the armies, but the issue was the coldness he gave off as he gave themand. ¡®The Genesis Guild is with those bastards. This is going to be extremely difficult. I need to find a solution to this,¡¯?Emperor Frederic thought. He felt uneasy about the current situation. He had issued themand to retreat without batting an eye for the greater cause,?but he knew very well that he had to devise a solution against the Genesis Guild. He needed it as soon as possible. *** Meanwhile, the papal forces immediately went on the counter-offensive as soon as the artillery barrage ended, and they easily broke through the imperial forces¡¯ lines. They were getting victory after victory on the battlefield, and the army¡¯s morale was extremely high¡ªexcept for Siegfried¡¯s morale. The Genesis Guild was actually behind the string of victories the papal forces were winning, and Siegfried disliked that. Shwaaaa! It suddenly started raining on a sunny day without a single cloud. Holy Rain! It was the wide-area buff skill that spanned over one square kilometer and doubled thebat abilities of any ally that was showered by the rain. However, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Wooong! Wooong! Wooong! A gentle wave emitted from Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s body was soon replicated by the numerous Buffers of the Genesis Guild. This was his skill called Heavenly Resonance. It connected all ally Buffers into one massivework, which massively amplified the effects of their buffs. What did that mean? It was a buff for the Buffers¡¯ buffs! Chae Hyung-Seok possessed an overpowered skill that allowed him to amplify the buffs of the Buffers around him. It was an understatement to call such a skill overpowered. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Kill them all! Hahaha!¡± ¡°These fuckers are a piece of cake!¡± ¡°They¡¯re so weak!¡± ¡°Piss off, trash!¡± The West Constantine Forces gathered around Chae Hyung-Seok, and the Genesis Guild bulldozed through the East Constantine Forces, creating a sight reminiscent of an absolute ughter. The entire scene looked like a swarm of locusts wreaking havoc andying waste to everything in their path. It was an unprecedented scene as well. ¡®I¡¯m the main character of this war, and no one can say otherwise! I need to use this opportunity to get back up on my feet!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok thought with a confident smile. However, his expression froze upon seeing a few odd messages on the chat room of his livestream. [RicF]: Oh my god! Who¡¯s that cool guy?! [DungBeetle]: That¡¯s a normal attack¡­? Are you sure that¡¯s not a skill? Did he just kill a Level 150 knight with one normal attack? [OnePacThreePac]: Who is that guy? [Keeee]: His damage is insane¡­ The viewers didn¡¯t spare even a nce at Chae Hyung-Seok. Someone else had taken all of their attention away from Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡ª[Bam!]: Siegfried? Isn¡¯t he the winner of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament? That first Adventurer to be a king? ¡ª[HappyRoon]: His control is awesome! ¡ª[ss5300]: Is he really Level 219? He¡¯s killing people with higher levels than him as if they¡¯re just a bunch of goblins¡­ The viewers were captivated by an Adventurer wearing a red cape and fighting on the front lines. Siegfried van Proa. He was the winner of the World¡¯s Greatest Survival Tournament and the first Adventurer to be a king, and he was captivating the war¡¯s viewers worldwide. It was funny, but Siegfried had stolen the spotlight from Chae Hyung-Seok on the stage that thetter had made for himself! Chapter 267

    Chapter 267

    ¡°This is insane¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in shock at the effects of the buffs that Chae Hyung-Seok was showering the battlefield with. Shwaaaa! Woooong! The Holy Saint¡¯s overpowered Holy Rain skill, along with the Heavenly Resonance, made Chae Hyung-Seok look like a god. The descent of an almighty god! There was a reason people called Chae Hyung-Seok God Hyung-Seok?or Holy God whenever he was inrge-scalebat, and the synergy between him and the papacy¡¯s priests and holy knights proved that it was indeed a befitting title for him. Hisbat prowess was hopeless, and he only had his high HP and Defense going for him, but he stood out far more than anyone on the battlefield. He turned the weak into the strong and the strong into the stronger. The wide area buffs he cast made it an understatement to call him a god on the battlefield. ¡®That bastard¡¯s really scary. The day wille when I have to face him head-on, but I don¡¯t think I can do it?with?my current level¡­¡¯?Siegfried felt conflicted after seeing the difference between his guild and the Genesis Guild. He ran a simtion in his head of what would happen if all of his forces fought head-on against Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s Genesis Guild, and the result of the simtion was¡­ ¡®Total annihtion.¡¯? Siegfried didn¡¯t want to admit it, but he knew that it was an inevitable result. He couldn¡¯t defeat the Genesis Guild, even with thebined powers of the Head Crusher Guild and the Proatine Forces. Siegfried¡¯s debuffs easily overpowered Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buff, but the problem was the size of their skills¡¯ range. He could use Discharge to increase the size of his skills¡¯ range, but it came at the cost of efficiency. Meanwhile, Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s Holy Resonance created a massivework of Buffers, with each Buffer representing a single node. In other words, his buffs¡¯ range was virtually infinite. In other words, Siegfried held the advantage in small battlefields, while Chae Hyung-Seok had the advantage inrger battlefields. ¡®I need to find a way to ovee this. There¡¯s a limit to how much I can use the terrain to my advantage, and I will have to fight on arge battlefield at one point sooner orter. I have to be prepared for that battle¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought. However, he couldn¡¯te up with anything at all. ¡®What should I do? I can¡¯t cover as much area as he does even with Discharge and my Quad-Turbo Set cranked up¡­ Sigh¡­¡¯ A mountain beyond the mountain in front of him was waiting for him. He finally managed to enhance the effects of his debuffs, but his skills¡¯ tiny range was holding him back. He had to find a way to increase the range of his debuff fields without losing efficiency. ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu shouted at him. ¡°Behind you!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Siegfried shouted in response before he turned around and smashed the skull of an enemy that had sneaked up behind him. He decided to think about his dilemma for another time, as he was currently in battle. He had to focus on what was in front of him. ¡°Let me have a taste of how good your buffs are, you bastard,¡± Siegfried muttered under his breath with a mischievous smirk. If one knew one¡¯s enemy and oneself, one need not fear the result of a hundred battles! Siegfried decided to focus on savoring Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buff and running wild. Tak! He kicked off the ground and rushed into battle. [Alert: Your ally has buffed you!] [Alert: Your ally has buffed you!] [Alert: Your ally has buffed you!] Siegfried was getting showered by the Genesis Guild¡¯s buffs as he ran into battle, and he could feel himself getting stronger the more buffs he received. However, he was not the type of person that would be satisfied with just this. Fwaaaa! Fwaaaaah! He ced down ze Field while under the buffs. ¡°Die! You dog of the papacy!¡± A Level 150 Knight of the East Constantine Forces rushed at Siegfried. ng! His +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist collided with the knight¡¯s sword, but¡­ ¡®Huh?¡¯?Siegfried noticed something amiss. C¡ªCrack! ng! The knight¡¯s sword was shattered into pieces and¡­ Pukeok! His +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist mmed into the knight¡¯s breastte. Thud! The knight fell to his knees and died right there and then. Instant Kill! A Level 150 NPC died from a single normal attack, which was actually no different from a skill considering its massive damage. ¡°W-What the hell is this damage¡­?¡± Siegfried doubted his eyes. ¡°Hyung-nim? Aren¡¯t you a bit too strong¡­?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°I-I think so?¡± Siegfried replied. He inspected the knight¡¯s breastte and saw a twenty-centimeter-deep dent in it. The +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist shattered a Level 150 knight¡¯s sword and dug a crater?in his breastte¡ªall in one hit. ¡°Hey, Seung-Gu¡­¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim?¡± ¡°I think we need to find ourselves some Buffers.¡± ¡°I agree. I think we¡¯re going to have more fun if we have one. Just imagine your debuff and a few strong Buffers¡ªHiiik!¡±?Seung-Gu squealed at the thought that came to his head. He reckoned that with thatbination, Siegfried would be¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s think about thatter and focus on fighting,¡± Siegfried said with a smirk before he rushed deeper behind enemy lines. ¡°Hey, Hamchi!¡± he shouted. ¡°Kyu?¡± ¡°Spin the wheel!¡± ¡°Roger! Kyu!¡± Hamchi took out his magical wheel and started running on it to cast his buff. Siegfried was already overpowered, thanks to the multitudinous buffs he had received, so Hamchi¡¯s buff only made him even stronger. ¡®Let¡¯s try it out again,¡¯?he thought and went on a rampage with his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Pukeok! Pukeok! Pukeok!? His enemies fell one by one like dead autumn leaves being blown away by a powerful gust of wind. *** Chae Hyung-Seok trembled in anger after seeing thements on his livestream channel. ¡®Why are they focusing on that piece of trash?!¡¯?He screamed inwardly because he had to keep up appearances. ¡ª[Northwood]: Wow¡­;;; ¡ª[Ink_PS]: Freaking awesome¡­! ¡ª[Keke28]: Isn¡¯t he that guy that won against Raptor and made him quit the game when he was a newbie with his control alone? ¡ª[DankeYou]: He¡¯s killing everyone with normal attacks¡­? ¡ª[Billy Herrington]: Omg! Who is that guy?! So cool! ¡ª [Hiru1121]: Is he a live streamer? DM me his link if he does! The entire chat room was only talking about Siegfried. The chat room moderator¡ªa member of the Genesis Guild¡ªkept on telling the viewers to refrain from talking about Siegfried to no avail. The viewers were held captive by Siegfried¡¯s way of annihting the enemies. Of course, there were a few Chae Hyung-Seok fans who tried to downy his performance by saying that it was all thanks to Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buff that he could put on such a disy of strength. However, the viewers turned a blind eye to their attempts. They only had eyes for Siegfried right now. However, it wasn¡¯t really strange that Siegfried was overshadowing Chae Hyung-Seok. After all, thetter was a healer who could only stand on the rearguard to give buffs to his allies while Siegfried was going on a rampage behind enemy lines. It was the same thing as how the vocalist would usually be the center of attention, no matter how skilled the guitarist, bassist, and drummers were in a rock band. ¡®That son of a bitch! I set the stage for that bastard! He¡¯s getting all the attention, and it¡¯s all thanks to my buffs!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok raged inside. It turned out that he had done so much work just to set the stage for Siegfried. He felt like he was going to go insane from having to watch from the sidelines. He wanted to kill the bastard a hundred times over, both in the game and in real life, but he inadvertently set the perfect debut stage for Siegfried in the biggest event of BNW, where the entire world was watching. This fact alone was more than enough to make him gnash his teeth in anger. However, Siegfried couldn¡¯t care any less about Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s thoughts right now. He was busy sweeping through the enemy ranks. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s too many of them¡­ I guess I should put out a big one,¡± Siegfried muttered under his breath before smirking. Bam! He smashed his mace into the ground and used Splitting Heaven and Earth. An extremely loud sound echoed, and it seemed like both Heaven and Earth were copsing at once. Kwang! Boom! Siegfried immediately used Earthquake right afterward. It seemed like he was dissatisfied with killing his enemies in one blow, so he decided to show off his area of effect skill, which killed everyone around him. ¡°That son of a bitch!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°I would have beaten him to a pulp if he were our enemy!¡± The Genesis Guild members gnashed their teeth in anger upon recognizing him, but they couldn¡¯t do anything. Chae Hyung-Seok wasn¡¯t the only one live-streaming the event. Hundreds and thousands of other Adventurers were live-streaming the event as well. What if the Genesis Guild attacked Siegfried? They would be scrutinized by the viewers and media, and their public image would surely hit rock bottom. Siegfried was untouchable right now, and there was nothing the Genesis Guild could do about it. With that being said, it wasn¡¯t like refusing to buff him would make things any different. Chae Hyung-Seok and the Genesis Guild Buffers were no longer refreshing Siegfried¡¯s buffs, but Siegfried was still going on a rampage as if he were the reincarnation of the Martial God himself. How? The priests of the papal faction were focusing all of their buffs on him, and the Genesis Guild couldn¡¯t do anything about it. ¡®Fuck this shit¡­!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok closed his eyes and trembled in anger. He was so angry that even his legs started trembling. He almost copsed on his butt out of fury. *** ¡°Huff! Huff! Kyu! Huff¡­ Huff¡­!?Hamchi is tired!¡± Hamchi had to run as if his life depended on it to sustain Siegfried¡¯s rampage. He not only had to run on the magical wheel, but he also had to quickly hop off of it and pick up the items on the ground whenever Siegfried killed an Adventurer before quickly hopping back onto the wheel. Why? It was all because this battlefield was filled with hundreds and thousands of Adventurers, so an item had to be picked up as soon as it dropped. [Alert: You have gained Natural Strength Champion Belt!] [Alert: You have gained Ronnie Coleman Gauntlet!] [Alert: You have gained Benfica Robe!] [Alert: You have gained Frozen Rose!] ¡­ [Alert: You have gained Northwood Hunting Shotgun!] Thanks to Hamchi¡¯s efforts, Siegfried gained hundreds of items. ¡°Hmm?¡± Siegfried looked around after realizing that there were no more enemies around him. Corpses, corpses, and corpses¡­ He was surrounded by mountains of corpses of both NPCs and Adventurers. They had all fallen to his mace, and there was a river of blood beneath the mountains. ¡°Huh? They¡¯re dead?¡± Siegfried muttered while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­?¡± Seung-Gu muttered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You killed some of our guildmates a while ago¡­¡± ¡°What?!¡± Siegfried was shocked at what he heard. ¡°I saw some of them on the imperial faction¡¯s side, but you just went ahead and bashed their heads in¡­¡± ¡°Heok!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you went too wild? I thought you were a killing machine or something¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess I did go berserk¡­ But what can I do? I should kill them if we meet as enemies, even if they¡¯re my guildmates, right?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you post an announcement to our guild members instead¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, right¡­ I should probably do that¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just bring them over to the papal faction and fight alongside them?¡± ¡°Should I? But this isn¡¯t a guild activity, right? It¡¯s good for us to cooperate as a guild, but having personal freedom is important, too. I mean, I wouldn¡¯t want someone telling me what to do and how to y the game¡­¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, too.¡± ¡°Anyway, I guess I should inform our guild members that I¡¯m in this faction.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± It was then¡­ ¡°Waaaaaah!¡± ¡°We won!¡± ¡°We killed those evil imperial dogs!¡± ¡°Praise be to the Nameless God!¡± ¡°Praise the Nameless God!¡± ¡°Three cheers for the pope!¡± ¡°Hip! Hip! Hurray!¡± The victorious cries of the papal faction reverberated throughout the battlefield. *** Siegfried¡¯s one-man show, which was actually ny-nine percent done by Chae Hyung-Seok, bestowed the papal faction an overwhelming victory.?They easily upied the first strategic location and proceeded to conquer the cities around it. Siegfried and hispanions were sent to conquer a city called Aria, which was located between the current and next strategic point. Their mission was topletely conquer Aria City and maintain order until the next battle started. Aria City didn¡¯t put up any resistance. The civil war was between the papal faction and the imperial faction, so a small city like Aria maintained a stance of¡ªwe¡¯re on the winner¡¯s side. They didn¡¯t put up any resistance to either side and remained neutral, but¡­ ¡°What the fuck are you crazy bastards doing right now¡­?¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but curse as soon as he entered Aria City. ¡°Die! Heretic!¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± ¡°You filthy wench! You probably received the seeds of those heretics! Your filthy body can only be cleansed by death! Repent!¡± ¡°Aaaargh!¡± And it was all because the soldiers of the papal faction decided to massacre every single resident of Aria¡­ Chapter 268

    Chapter 268

    ¡°Kyuuuu!¡±?Hamchi screeched as his furs stood up. ¡°T-This is a bit¡­¡± Seung-Gu muttered. Scribble, scribble, scribble! Gringore did not forget his duties as a scribe and wrote down everything happening in front of his eyes. And Siegfried was¡­ ¡°What the hell are they doing right now?¡± he muttered while utterly confused at the actions of the soldiers and knights. Why? Why were they doing this? Why were they massacring the innocent civilians who had opened the gates in surrender? He couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, but he decided to stop the meaningless bloodshed happening in front of him. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Excuse me,¡± Siegfried said. He stepped between a man and the knight who was about to cut the man¡¯s head off. ¡°Please stop for a moment.¡± ¡°Who are you?! You seem to be one of the mercenaries who applied to be a holy warrior! Move! I¡¯m currently purging these heretics!¡± ¡°Purging?¡± ¡°Damn it! Do I have to exin everything? Do you really n to let these heretics who sided with that corrupt emperor go scot-free? These heretics have to be killed to repent for their sins!¡± ¡°Hap!¡± The officer standing next to the knight drew his sword and swung it at the man¡¯s neck. Shwaaa! A fountain of blood sputtered. Thud! The man¡¯s lifeless body and his decapitated head fell to the ground with a thud. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t say anything. He touched the blood on his face. ¡°Your Majesty¡­ we need to go,¡± Gringore said as he held his arm. ¡°Go?¡± ¡°This is a civil war. And those people are acting upon their faith and zeal right now.¡± ¡°Their faith and zeal¡­?¡± ¡°And Your Majesty is the King of Proatine. You¡¯ve joined this war as a mercenary, but preventing them from doing their duties could have diplomatic repercussions in the future.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please, Your Majesty. Let us just go¡­¡± Gringore was just a scribe, but he was nheless wise enough to give the proper advice to Siegfried and even try to bring him away from the scene of the horrific atrocities beingmitted against the civilians. However, this didn¡¯t mean that Gringore couldn¡¯t feel anything. ¡®These mad zealots produced by faith are truly terrifying creatures¡­ How can theymit such atrocities without batting an eye?¡¯ The sight unfolding right in front of the scribe left a bad taste in his mouth, but his priority right now was to prevent Siegfried from making a grave mistake. He had no choice but to suppress his emotions. ¡°His Majesty tends to act impulsively and cause trouble, so I would like to request you to keep an eye¡­ no, advise him ordingly when necessary.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Michele.¡± And Michele had told him to keep an eye on their king, so he had to be as rational as possible right now, and the same went for Siegfried. ¡®These bastards¡­ They¡¯re making me hate them even more. I don¡¯t condone this atrocity! Never!¡¯?he thought inside, but he had to exert superhuman self-control right now. ¡®This is a civil war between the imperial faction and the papal faction. This isn¡¯t my problem¡­ I¡¯m just a mercenary, so I shouldn¡¯t act rashly. I need to control myself¡­¡¯?he told himself. He was technically not doing much for the Proatine Kingdom these days, so he didn¡¯t want to cause unnecessary trouble for them. After all, he was their king, so he had to keep his people¡¯s best interests at heart. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere quiet¡­¡± he muttered as he dragged Hamchi away. The giant hamster looked like he was about to lunge at the soldiers at any given time, so he had to be dragged away from the ughter. *** ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± ¡°S-Spare me¡ªAck!¡± There was no end to the screams in Aria City. The requiem yed by the massacre rang from every corner of the city, and the rivers of blood merged into a sea of blood. Meanwhile, at an empty tavern in Aria City¡­ ¡°Should I just log out¡­?¡± He felt like his temper was going to get the better of him if he were to stay any longer. He was also worried about causing diplomatic problems with the Constantine Holy Empire. These people were NPCs, but their screams and the stench of blood in the air stabbed his conscience. ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ Why don¡¯t we just log out together? I can¡¯t stand this anymore,¡± Seung-Gu said. ¡°Should we?¡± Siegfried muttered in response. ¡°Kyuuuuu!?Humans are too evil!¡± Hamchi cried out in anger. ¡°It is truly a despicable sight. I thought that was the end of it, but this is simply going too far¡­¡± Gringore said as he bit his lips in anger. ¡®I swear this game gets a bit too detailed from time to time¡­¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. Bam! The old tavern doors were smashed into pieces as a woman was flung into it.? ¡°Ah, this bitch is too stubborn.¡± ¡°Hey, hand it over while we¡¯re being nice.¡± ¡°Are you deaf or something, woman?!¡± A group of Adventurers spat out curses at the woman. ¡°T-This is myte husband¡¯sst remaining memento¡­! P-Please, anything but this, Sir Adventurers!¡± the woman pleaded while holding desperately onto a ne. However, her pleas fell on deaf ears. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s just kill her and take it.¡± An Adventurer pulled out his glowing enhanced sword and walked toward the woman. A V-shaped wing emblem was pinned to his chest. ¡®Genesis¡­¡¯?Siegfried immediately recognized the emblem. ¡°Hey,¡± Siegfried said after stepping between the woman and the Genesis Guild member. ¡°I¡¯m pissed right now, so get lost while I¡¯m being nice.¡± ¡°Get lost while you¡¯re what? Ha!?Who the hell are you?!¡± the Genesis Guild member scoffed before shing his Rune of Insight at him. ¡°S-Siegfried? So you¡¯re that bastard?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m that bastard, so scram if you value your life,¡± Siegfried said with a cold smile. ¡°If I value my life? Keke! This guy has lost it!¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re trying to rob her, but don¡¯t you know you¡¯remitting a war crime? Just stay quiet and act like a mercenary if you¡¯re one. Do you really think that the papal faction is going to¡ª¡± Bang! A Genesis Guild member at the back took out his pistol and pulled the trigger. Thud! The woman fell lifeless to the ground, and her blood painted the tavern flood red. It happened so quickly that Siegfried couldn¡¯t react. ¡°You crazy bastards¡­!¡± he roared. ¡°Fwooh!¡±?the shooter blew the smokeing out of his pistol before putting it back in his holster. He smirked at Siegfried and said, ¡°Long time no see.¡± The shooter who killed the woman was none other than MassacreGod, who was also the Genesis Guild member that Siegfried had killed at the vineyard. ¡°How are you?¡± he asked. ¡°What the hell¡­ are you doing? Do you really think that you¡¯ll be safe after doing this?¡± Siegfried asked while trying to suppress his anger. ¡°Well¡­¡± MassacreGod took out a piece of paper and eximed, ¡°Ta-dah!?I have this thing here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°With this, how could there be any issues? Don¡¯t you know? This is a free pass that forgives whatever crime youmit,¡± MassacreGod said while waving around the piece of paper. It was the same Full Indulgence that the papacy gave to Siegfried. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯? He suddenly thought of something. Why did the papacy give the Adventurers these indulgences? It was going to cause headaches for themter on if the Adventurers abused the Full Indulgences andmitted all sorts of war crimes. No, it was more like they gave these pieces of paper to them as if they wanted them tomit war crimes. ¡°Is this why¡­¡± ¡°Ding! Ding! We have a winner!¡± MassacreGod eximed, and then he said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you just realized? Ah,?perhaps you¡¯re slow because you only have one brain cell in your head? We already knew about it.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°We already know that the papacy is making an example out of a few cities.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Hey, what do you mean by so? It¡¯s going to take a long time for them to run around to do all that, and it¡¯s quite troublesome, too. Therefore, they gave us these indulgences to let us do whatever we want during this war.¡± And that was the true reason behind the indulgences that the papacy had handed over to the Adventurers¡­ The papacy wanted to make an example of the cities that cooperated with the imperial family by branding the entire poption of the cities as heretics and punishing them in the most atrocious manner imaginable. The first few cities within the first strategic point the papal faction wrested control away from the imperial faction would be used as an example to make the cities under the imperial family¡¯s influence tremble in fear. The cities were bound to slowly distance themselves from the imperial faction for fear of being branded as heretics and getting massacred. The papacy wasmitting genocide on a whole different level just to maintain control over the holy empire, which came from their ill-gotten riches as well as the Nameless God¡¯s name. ¡°Well, we should be grateful for this opportunity. We couldn¡¯ty a single finger on these NPCs because of the penalty and whatnot, but we can use this piece of paper to be exempted from punishment. It¡¯s great, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We are allowed to steal if we want to, kill if we feel like it, or even destroy things just for fun! I mean, where else could we find such a good way to relieve our stress? And¡­¡± MassacreGod trailed off. He formed a circle with his index finger and thumb before saying, ¡°Plundering is quite lucrative, and you can find awesome items from these dead NPCs! Isn¡¯t that awesome?! I¡¯m actually thinking of buying a few more indulgences in the future¡­¡± Siegfried didn¡¯t have to listen to the rest of what MassacreGod had to say. Whoosh! Siegfried threw two rainbow-colored discs. ¡°What¡¯s with this dumb ambush?¡± MassacreGod sneered. He pulled out his pistols and blocked the disks. ng! The disks bounced off of his pistols, and the disks abruptly scattered into thousands of throwables. However, Siegfried wasn¡¯t aiming for MassacreGod. ¡°Huh?¡± MassacreGod muttered nkly. Chwaaaaaaaak! The thousands of projectiles kicked up a storm in the cramped tavern and minced?the Genesis Guild members into shreds as if they were in a blender. *** ¡°¡­¡± Hamchi, Seung-Gu, and Gringore were rendered speechless by the Torrential Flower Rain¡¯s might. It had been a while since Siegfriedst used Torrential Flower Rain, and its power could only be described as death?itself. Corpses? None. The thousands of projectiles ripped MassacreGod and hisckeys into shreds without leaving a single body part behind. Sparkle! Sparkle!? The items of the dead Genesis Guild members fell to the bloody tavern floor with a thud. ¡®Why the hell is this suddenly so strong¡­?¡¯?Siegfried was shocked. He didn¡¯t expect to deal so much damage without his debuff fields. The reason Torrential Flower Rain could deal such a ridiculous amount of damage was a bitplicated. First of all, the greatest damage boost was from the disks themselves. The disks were created using the scales of the Chromatic Dragon. Secondly, Siegfried¡¯s recent level-ups had increased the damage output of the skill in ordance with his stats. Lastly, the skill¡¯s damage depended heavily not on the weapon or the user¡¯s level but on the total mana capacity of the user. It had a unique condition of consuming a hundred percent of the user¡¯s mana to cast, so its damage output would naturally change ording to the user¡¯s total mana capacity. Siegfried¡¯s mana capacity had dramatically increased after consuming the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s Heart and the Terramog¡¯s Core, which naturally increased the Torrential Flower Rain¡¯s damage. ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­ I think you caused a problem just now¡­?¡± Seung-Gu muttered. ¡°Yeah, I did. I wanted to hold back since it was none of my business, and I¡¯m no apostle of justice, but¡­ They crossed the line,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°T-Then, what are we going to do?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Siegfried replied with a shrug, and then he shed a mischievous grin and added, ¡°We¡¯re going to properly stab these despicable papal bastards in the back and go over to the opposing faction.¡± Ironically, the title above Siegfried¡¯s head changed from being the Seggs Stamina King to King of Backstabbing as soon as he was done speaking. Chapter 269

    Chapter 269

    ¡°Canal construction, streetlight instation,ndfill construction. Hmm, the budget looks quite tight this month. Argh¡­!¡±?Michele groaned in agony while going through the mountain of documents. Tik, tak, tik! His left hand was busy flicking beads on four different abacuses without stopping for even a second. He could not afford to take a break, as he had to work out the kingdom¡¯s budget, and he had to take into ount even a single copper coin to make things work. This was a glimpse into Michele¡¯s genius and why he was a prodigy in the first ce. ¡°The budget somehow works out thanks to the fifty thousand¡­ fifty thousand¡ªargh!?I meant¡­ forty thousand gold His Majesty brought. Ah, maybe I should¡¯ve just asked him for all fifty thousand?¡± Siegfried would probably sweat buckets if he could hear Michele right now. ¡°No, His Majesty is a king, so he needs money to keep up appearances. I guess the budget has to be tightened this time¡­¡± Michele would have loved to take all fifty thousand gold to make his life easier, but he decided to let Siegfried have his allowance. ¡°Yeah, I will be able to somehow make the budget work even without the ten thousand gold as long as His Majesty doesn¡¯t stir up trouble¡ª¡± Snap! The quill pen he was using inexplicably broke in half. ¡°¡­!¡± Michele¡¯s face turned ghastly pale. Why? Just why did he suddenly recall his conversation with Siegfried before he left? ¡°I will go visit the papacy.¡± ¡°What business do you have there, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°A request came in from the Mercenary Guild.¡± ¡°Are you going to join the civil war in the Constantine Holy Empire?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Okay, but please¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Please do not cause any trouble, Your Majesty. Especially something that could trigger a diplomatic issue. Please¡­ I beg of you¡­!¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t be such a worrywart. Do you really think that I¡¯m some kind of a troublemaker? Can¡¯t you have some faith in me?¡± ¡°No, I find that hard, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I feel like getting on my knees and begging Your Majesty right now.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re mean¡­¡± ¡°Please do not cause any diplomatic issues, and be careful out there.¡± ¡°Just have some faith in me! I won¡¯t cause any problems, so don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Yes, I hope that is indeed the case¡­¡± Why did he suddenly remember that?conversation? A chill traveled down Michele¡¯s spine as his heart became filled with an ominous sense of foreboding. ¡°Haha¡­ No, it can¡¯t be. I must be tired and overreacting. His Majesty isn¡¯t that stupid to go around causing problems left and right. Yeah, I¡¯m overreacting right now. Haha!¡± Michele tried his best to ignore the ominous feeling, but¡­ ¡°Ahem¡­! Ahem¡­!¡± He couldn¡¯t ignore the anxiety growing in his heart for some reason, no matter how hard he tried. ¡°Let¡¯s have some faith in His Majesty¡­ I went as far as to beg him so he probably won¡¯t cause any problems¡­¡± Michele decided to trust Siegfried. *** ¡°Have you decided to stab them in the back, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu asked in a tavern at Aria City. ¡°Yeah, how can we be on the same side as these pieces of trash? Nah, I can¡¯t stomach that,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°I fully agree with you, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu eximed while frivolously nodding. It was difficult to partake in the atrocities beingmitted by the Adventurers under the encouragement?of the papacy, even if this was only a game. It seemed that the evilest part of humans was being shown in this content. The Adventurers partaking in the massacre of innocent civilians were doing all sorts of despicable things that they would never even imagine doing in real life to the NPCs. After all, the Adventurers regarded the NPCs as nothing more than a lump of data, so they didn¡¯t feel even an ounce of guilt while carrying out their massacres. Siegfried also saw the NPCs as a lump of data, so he didn¡¯t feel even an ounce of guilt whenever he killed those who were his enemies. However, killing NPCs in battle and massacring innocent civilians was a different story for him. ¡°Kyu!?Hamchi agrees with stabbing them in the back!¡± ¡°I support Your Majesty¡¯s decision.¡± Hamchi and Gringore supported his choice. ¡°First of all...¡± Siegfried trailed off. He opened a bottle of mana potion and downed it. He had depleted his mana after using Torrential Flower Rain. ¡°Well, the milk has already been spilled, so we should kill all of the Genesis Guild members and papacy forces in this city before making a run for it.¡± He reckoned that it was possible for them to defeat the Genesis Guild members in this city if they employed assassination and gueri tactics. ¡°What should we announce to our guild members, then?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°You take care of it since you¡¯re the vice guild master. Tell them that I¡¯ll be stabbing the papacy in the back and crossing over to the imperial faction, so try asking them to avoid staying in the papacy faction,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to see my guild members running around massacring innocent civilians¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think most of them will be against it in the first ce? The guild was created with the goal of destroying the Genesis Guild, so I¡¯m sure quite a lot of them find it ufortable being on the same side as them.¡± ¡°I can only hope. Anyway, let¡¯s get moving.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim. I will log out now and make the announcement to our guild members.¡± ¡°All right.¡± It was right after Seung-Gu logged out that Siegfried walked over to the dead woman. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being unable to protect you, and this is¡­¡± he said as he ced the ne that the woman¡¯s husband had left behind in her hand. The ne looked like an expensive legendary ne, but Siegfried¡¯s greed didn¡¯t get swayed by it. ¡°I hope it apanies you in the afterlife¡­¡± The NPC wasn¡¯t even a real human being, but Siegfried gave a short prayer for her before walking out of the tavern. He gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist tightly and walked out to the streets. *** The cleansing?operation instructed by the pope was still ongoing in Aria City, and the ones leading the senseless massacre were none other than Chae Hyung-Seok and the Genesis Guild members. Two days ago, Chae Hyung-Seok negotiated his reward with Emperor Frederic before immediately going to the papacy. Then, he met with Cardinal Romulus¡ªthe head inquisitor and the proxy of the pope, who held the true power throughout the papacy. An inquisitor¡¯s job was to find the heretics in the empire and punish them ordingly. ¡°We will pay you 1.5 times more than whatever that imposter of an emperor agreed to give you. Our papacy values you and your guild highly.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°How great is it that such holy warriors have joined us! Praise the Nameless God!¡± ¡°Praise the Nameless God!¡± Cardinal Romulus¡¯ personality matched quite well with Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s personality. ¡°But, Sir Desire¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Cardinal-nim?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking just in case, but¡­ can you punish those heretics in the name of His Holiness?¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about those heretics who sided with the emperor. We can¡¯t let those devils be, don¡¯t you agree? Emunicating them would be ideal, but¡­ that would set a bad precedent.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°The papacy ns to cleanse thesends of those devils by using a few cities as an example. That way, the other devils will wake up and repent! Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°You want to use them to teach the others a lesson?¡± ¡°Haha! You catch on quite fast! Yes, I¡¯m talking about using those devils to give others a chance of repentance! This cleansing is not an option but an absolute necessity!¡± ¡°Then, if we do the cleansing for you¡­¡± ¡°Hoho! What good is it when a person dies? The only thing they bring with them to the afterlife is their faith in the Nameless God!¡± ¡°We will do the cleansing. Please leave it to us.¡± Chae Hyung-Seok understood what the cardinal meant and agreed to the proposal. ¡°I will consider the materialistic things left behind by the devils as god¡¯s way of rewarding us for our services.¡± ¡°Haha! The Nameless God is quite a benevolent god!¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain without a doubt.¡± If the Genesis Guild gained ownership of whatever was left behind by the NPCs they massacred, then¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll pay you back within a week, you bastard.¡¯ This was the perfect opportunity for Chae Hyung-Seok, as he was quite pressed for money. Of course, he was already the type of person who would do anything and everything for his own benefit, so he was still going to ept this proposal even if he had no debts to Siegfried. The papacy and the Genesis Guild¡¯s cleansing of Aria City was progressing quite well. On a street in Aria City¡­ ¡°Hey! The papacy said to round up all the women and bring them back!¡± ¡°Why? Are they going to use them as sex ves?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so? They seem to be setting up wooden stakes with firewood underneath¡­¡± ¡°Ah, are they nning to burn them alive? Something like those witch hunts?¡± ¡°I think so?¡± The Genesis Guild members scoured the city for women after receiving orders from the papacy. ¡°Hey! Come out!¡± ¡°P-Please spare me, Adventurer-nim! Please!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Puk! ¡°Kyahhh!¡± ¡°Damn it! It would be easier to just kill these bitches¡­ What are you doing? Hurry up and drag them out!¡± The Genesis Guild members rounded up every single woman in the city without mercy, and they plundered andmitted arson at every chance they got. ¡°This is the best stress reliever ever!¡± ¡°Do you remember those stories of soldiers massacring civilians in the past? I think this is why they did those things! For stress relief!¡± ¡°Oh!?This house is full of gold! I think it has at least ten thousand gold! Jackpot!¡± The atrocities the Genesis Guild members weremitting were nothing more and nothing less than stress relief?in their eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­ I think there should be something in this house¡­¡± A Genesis Guild member entered a mansion in search of women and gold. ¡°Oh!?This ce looks quite fancy! There must be something¡ª¡± Pukeok! A mace flew out of nowhere and smashed the guild member¡¯s head in. ¡°Close it.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Gringore rushed and closed the door at Siegfried¡¯s signal. A minuteter, two Genesis Guild members entered the mansion. ¡°Hey! Are you plundering by yourself? You fucking cheater!¡± ¡°Leave some for us, too!¡± Pukeok! Siegfried killed one of them with his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Puk! The other was killed by Hamchi¡¯s paw in his giant hamster form. ¡°This mansion is awesome,¡± Siegfried said with a smirk. There was a mountain of corpses behind him, and each corpse was a Genesis Guild member. ¡°I agree, hyung-nim!¡± ¡°Kyu!?You¡¯re right, owner punk! This mansion is excellent bait!¡± Hamchi cried out. Was it because the mansion looked quite luxurious? The Genesis Guild members immediately dropped what they were doing and would rush over to the mansion in hopes of plundering its riches upon seeing it. All Siegfried and his party had to do was wait behind the door and kill whoever entered, and the number of Genesis Guild members they killed through this method numbered more than fifty. ¡°It¡¯s time to go somewhere else. I think this ce has served its purpose, and word will get out quite soon,¡± Siegfried said. He decided that the excellent bait was no longer effective. ¡°Adventurer-nim!¡± A female NPC living in the mansion cried out to Siegfried and held him down. She was the only survivor in this mansion, and she managed to survive when Siegfried and hispanions suddenly appeared. ¡°Please save my little sister, Adventurer-nim!¡± ¡°Sister? Where is your little sister?¡± ¡°She went to wee the soldiers of the papacy, but I lost contact with her. Please save my little sister, Adventurer-nim! My parents are no longer with me, so she¡¯s my only remaining family¡­ Please¡­!¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t easily ept the request. Why? ¡®She¡¯s probably dead¡­¡¯?he thought. The papal forces spared no one, and they killed the young, women, and the elderly. In fact, they went as far as killing even the infants in the city. In other words, the woman¡¯s little sister was most likely dead. ¡°Please! I beg of you, Adventurer-nim! At least try to find her¡­ I will dly give you our family¡¯s treasure if you manage to find news of her¡­!¡± she desperately pleaded. Ding! A quest message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: The Quest: Scene of Madness has appeared!] Chapter 270

    Chapter 270

    The quest was quite straightforward. [Scene of Madness] [Look for Lucy, the second daughter of the Mayor of Aria City, Viscount Moterto, and bring her back to her sister Luna.] [Progress: 0% (0/1)] [Reward: Treasure of the Moterto Family] [Note: You may obtain the reward simply by trying hard.] ¡®I feel bad for epting this¡­¡¯?Siegfried found it difficult to ept the quest. This quest was no different from a free meal, as all he had to do was pretend and show that he was trying hard to obtain the reward.?However, Siegfried¡¯s conscience could not reject the quest after seeing the desperation in the female NPC, Luna¡¯s eyes. ¡°Adventurer-nim! Please! I beg you¡­ My sister¡­!¡± Luna pleaded. ¡°I will try my best,¡± Siegfried replied and held her hands. [Alert: You have epted the Quest: Scene of Madness!] The quest eptance message popped up in front of his eyes. ¡°But how can I find your sister when I don¡¯t even know what she looks like?¡± he asked. ¡°That is a portrait of her,¡± Luna replied and pointed at arge portrait framed on the wall. Viscount Moterto, his wife, and two children were smiling brightly in the portrait. However, Viscount Moterto and his wife were currently on the second floor as lifeless corpses. Their lives had been taken away by the zealots who caused this madness in the name of their Nameless God. Knock! Knock!? Someone knocked on the door. Siegfried and Hamchi immediately prepared for battle. ¡°Pikachu. Raichu.¡± The person on the other side of the door started speaking nonsense. Surprisingly, Siegfried replied to that nonsense with nonsense of his own, ¡°Charmander. Squirtle.¡± Then, he got another nonsense as a response, ¡°Butterfree. Slowbro.¡± ¡°Pidgeotto. Koffing.¡± ¡°We are all friends¡­¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Siegfried said and opened the door. ¡°But I¡¯m not done yet, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu eximed in response. ¡°Shut up,¡± Siegfried grumbled. This secret code between Siegfried and Seung-Gu that started with Pikachu was actually taken from a song[1] from the hit animation series, Pokemon. The song was quite old, so not a lot of people probably remembered the lyrics, and anyone who manages to crack the nonsensical secret code should probably get themselves checked. ¡°What happened?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°I informed our guild members.¡± ¡°What did they say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still difficult to say since those that are online didn¡¯t get the notice.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°But I ran into a few guild members on the way here, and they want to help.¡± ¡°Really?¡± It was great news. ¡°Yes, it was probably difficult for sane people to stand and watch what¡¯s going on here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure most of our guild members won¡¯t join in this madness.¡± Siegfried looked quite proud of his guild members. ¡°You go ahead and meet our guild members. We will engage in gueri warfare for now, and once things start heating up, we¡¯ll make a run for it to¡­ Hold on, where do we run?¡± Siegfried asked. Luna suddenly asked, ¡°Do you need a map?¡± ¡°Yes, we can n our escape with that.¡± ¡°Please wait. We have a map in our house.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°My father is¡ªwas the mayor¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Please give me a second.¡± Luna disappeared somewhere beforeing back with a map of Aria City. [Alert: You have obtained Strategic Map of Aria City!] The map wasn¡¯t an ordinary map but a strategic map created just in case war broke out, and everything about the city was drawn in detail. ¡®Hmm? I might be able to cook something up with this¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while looking at the map. The cogs in his brain turned at breakneck speeds as he starteding up with all sorts of clever ideas, but there was something he needed to do before that. ¡°First off, I need to speak to Michele and request for reinforcements,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be very happy about it¡­ Will you be alright, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu asked with a hint of worry in his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Siegfried said while looking slightly worried. He convinced himself and said, ¡°What is he going to do against his king¡¯smand?! He¡¯s definitely going to shut up and do as he¡¯s told, right? How dare he think of talking back to his king! Should I teach him a lesson?!¡± ¡°I think quite the opposite will happen, hyung-nim¡­¡± ¡°Hey! You don¡¯t trust me?!¡± ¡°N-No! That¡¯s not it!¡± ¡°Just wait and see! I¡¯ll go call him right now!¡± Siegfried said before heading toward themunication room in the mansion. *** Michele was in a bad mood. His quill pen snapping in half was just the start of it. His cup cracked open and spilled coffee all over, he bumped into Cesc while walking and almost broke his back, and a broken piece of de flew and scratched his cheek while he was walking past the training ground. ¡®Things don¡¯t look that good today¡­ It feels as if the god of misfortune is hovering around me¡­¡¯?he thought. People were bound to have unlucky days. A day where they would feel horrible and everything they did would somehow find a way to fail. ¡®It seems the quill pen was the start.?Sigh¡­ Should I clock out early and rest for today?¡¯?he wondered. His fortune seemed so bad today that he¡ªwho always stayed tillte and worked¡ªseriously contemted calling it a day, even though it was still early. Unfortunately¡­ ¡°Minister!¡± A servant rushed toward him and reported, ¡°His Majesty the King has called!¡± ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡¯? An ominous feeling swept over Michele. He ran toward themunications room and looked at Siegfried smiling in the magic mirror. ¡ª Michele~ Siegfried was disying theplete opposite of what he told Seung-Gu he was going to do. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It is I, your servant, Michele.¡± ¡ª How have you been, my Michele~? ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± Michele was slightly perplexed when Siegfried asked about his well-being out of the blue. How long had it been since he left for the Constantine Holy Empire that he was already asking such a thing? ¡°Why are you asking that all of a sudden, Your Majesty? I am fine but¡­?¡± ¡ª Ah~ It¡¯s nothing. Hehehe~ Siegfried awkwardlyughed and scratched the back of his head while sticking his tongue out and grinning like a fool. Michele immediately understood that Siegfried was sending him a signal. I messed up¡­ ?_? Please clean up after me ^o^ Love you ? ¡ª I was just worried about my dear Minister of State~ ¡°Please stop beating around the bush.¡± ¡ª Huh? ¡°Please tell me frankly¡­ Have you caused another problem?¡± ¡ª Not at all! What problem? Do you really think that I¡¯m some sort of troublemaker that stirs up trouble wherever I go?! ¡°I hope that you will reflect on yourself, Your Majesty.¡± ¡ª What? ¡°Now, tell me honestly. What did you do?¡± ¡ª Come on~ It¡¯s not like that, I just¡­ Siegfried exined what happened to Michele, but he cut out quite a huge chunk of the story and kept making excuses along the way that it was difficult to understand what he was trying to say. However, Michele¡¯s genius brain fully understood what his troublemaker of a king had done even before he was finished talking. ¡ª So¡­ We need a mode of transport to escape, and I was wondering if you could help us out with it and¡ª Kwachik! A nerve abruptly bulged on Michele¡¯s forehead even before Siegfried could finish speaking. ¡°Your¡­ MAJESTY!¡± ¡ª W-What? ¡°You promised me you were not going to cause any problems! I am also human! HUMAN! I trusted you this time but¡­!¡± Michele screamed at the top of his lungs. ¡ª T-That is¡­ Michele¡¯s face turned bright red after seeing Siegfried try toe up with an excuse while avoiding his gaze. ¡°Say something! Look at my eyes and say something! Or better yet, answer me! Why did you go and stir up trouble again?! WHY?! ¡±You promised not to do so, but why did you GO AND DO IT? Everything would have been fine if you had stayed put!¡± Micheleshed out mercilessly. He dared to scream at his king simply because of the scale of trouble Siegfried had stirred up this time. How big was it? It was the biggest trouble he had caused so far. Siegfried¡¯s actions could be understood as the Proatine Kingdomunching the first strike against the papacy. What did this mean? The Proatine Kingdom wouldn¡¯t be protected by the Marchioni Empire should the papacy decide to invade. To make matters worse, what if the papacy won the civil war and took full control of the Constantine Holy Empire? The Proatine Kingdom would be¡­ ¡®Destruction! This is a highway to destruction!¡¯?Michele clenched his fists and thought. The papacy had a seventy percent chance of emerging victorious from this civil war, and this was all thanks to their war chest, which was five timesrger than the imperial family¡¯s war chest. Michele couldn¡¯t understand why Siegfried had to go and stir up trouble against the papacy at such a time. Plop¡­! Plop¡­! Tears fell down Michele¡¯s cheek. *** Silence ensued between the king and the servant. ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª ¡­ The first to break the silence was Michele. ¡°Does your head between your shoulders have a brain in it or not, Your Majesty? You are the king, yet¡ª¡± ¡ª I know. Siegfried cut him off. ¡ª I know that I shouldn¡¯t be doing this. I¡¯m a king, and stirring up trouble like this is no different from putting the entire kingdom and everyone else in danger. ¡°Then why¡­?¡± ¡ª I¡¯ll do my best not to put the kingdom in danger, so don¡¯t worry so much. Siegfried suddenly looked confident. ¡ª Do you know what master taught me? He told me everything is permissible. Chasing after glory, money, my own desires, and everything. He taught me to live as freely as possible. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡ª I¡¯m a king, but I don¡¯t wish to be tied down by my position. I can¡¯t turn a blind eye to things I don¡¯t agree with just to be safe. ¡°I apologize for saying this, but¡­ That is not how a ruler should act, Your Majesty. It will be better for Your Majesty to relinquish the throne if you wish to¡ª¡± ¡ª I can just do both, no? ¡°What?!¡± ¡ª I can do what I want while keeping the kingdom safe, no? I mean, that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to be stronger in the first ce¡­ although I¡¯m a bitcking right now¡­ ¡°¡­!¡± ¡ª I can¡¯t stand those papal bastards and the Genesis Guild. I will only be satisfied once I totally destroy them. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡ª So help me. Siegfried looked quite serious in the magic mirror. ¡ª I will be stronger so that the kingdom will not be harmed. I promise. ¡°It is not as simple as that, Your Majesty. Being the strongest on the continent is not enough. You will need to be invincible to achieve that¡ª¡± ¡ª Watch me. I will be invincible one day. ¡°Huh?!¡± Michele tried toe up with something, but he could no longer in the face of Siegfried¡¯s determined look. He felt like he was being sweet-talked by Siegfried¡¯s sugar-coated words right now, but something felt strange and different at the same time. Siegfried was talking about obtaining power that would make him invincible one day, and Michele knew very well that such a thing was very unlikely to happen. Besides, it would take a few decades at the very least before he could obtain such power or perhaps never in this lifetime. But¡­ ¡°Haha¡­¡± Michele chuckled helplessly. ¡®Did you know, Your Majesty? You¡¯re iming to do something that even the great Emperor Stuttgart has failed to do¡­¡¯?he thought. A ruler actually wanted to live freely and do whatever he wanted while staying as a king? It was a dream that had only been achieved by protagonists in tales or fables by supposedly bing invincible. But why? Why did it feel like he was looking forward to it? Michele couldn¡¯t understand, but a big part of him wanted to see his liege obtain such power. ¡°All right, I will send in the reinforcements at once,¡± Michele said as he closed his eyes. ¡ª Thanks. ¡°In return, you have to guarantee that you will destroy the papacy and the Genesis Guild in this civil war. It is the end for our kingdom if the papacy emerges victorious. Please remember that.¡± ¡ª Alright. Siegfried nodded and looked resolute. Michele couldn¡¯t help but suppress the urge to give Siegfried a good whack. ¡®He¡¯s so quick to answer that I doubt he understands the consequences¡­ ugh¡­¡¯ *** ¡°How was it, hyung-nim?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°What else? I went and told him¡ªHey! Send the reinforcements! He saluted me and replied¡ªYes, Your Majesty!¡¯ Keke!¡± ¡°Oh! As expected of hyung-nim!¡± The innocent¡ªno, gullible Seung-Gu totally believed Siegfried¡¯s fantasy. ¡°What did I tell you? I told you he¡¯s going to tuck his tail between his legs if I said something, right?!¡± ¡°Yes! You are the best, hyung-nim! Hahaha!¡± ¡°I am, right?¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim! I heard that Michele would go berserk whenever you caused a problem, so¡­¡± ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim! I heard that he has some life-sized doll in his office he uses to vent his anger!¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably using that to relieve stress¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± Siegfried said while sweating profusely and letting out an awkwardugh. He changed the subject and said, ¡°Hahaha!?Let¡¯s hurry up and get moving. Michele listens very well to me, so the reinforcements will be here in no time! Haha¡­ Ha¡­¡± Actually, Siegfried was afraid of Michele. 1. For those of you that want to hear it ?? Chapter 271

    Chapter 271

    ¡°Kuheok¡­!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The Genesis Guild members in Aria City started dying in mysterious ways for some reason, and it was all because of the Head Crusher Guild members. They had been fighting on the papacy¡¯s side, but now, they were conducting gueri warfare against the Genesis Guild members. The gueri tactics were so effective that the Genesis Guild members had no idea how or when they died. They only realized that they were dead after they were logged out of the game. The Head Crusher Guild members were quite adept at subterfuge and gueri warfare, and it was all thanks to the Genesis Guild. They had been trampled on by the Genesis Guild in the past and were forced to keep running or go into hiding, so they naturally developed the techniques and knowledge to hide and fight from the shadows. In other words, the Genesis Guild was reaping what they sowed. However, there were other victims of the gueri warfare of the Head Crusher Guild aside from the Genesis Guild members. ¡°Kyak!?Kyaaaaah!¡± ¡°Hoho! Quite the feisty one we got here!¡± ¡°L-Let me go!¡± ¡°Yes! Fight back! I love it the more you struggle!¡± ¡°And you call yourself a holy knight?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing god¡¯s work by purifying your body possessed by the devil! Kekeke!?The pope has approved of my services to God, so open your¡ªKuheok!¡± The holy knight forcing himself on a female NPC died on the spot with a sword piercing his throat. ¡°Please get up.¡± A Head Crusher Guild member helped the female NPC up after killing the holy knight. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Who are you bastards¡ªAck!¡± ¡°Kwak!¡± Then, the soldiers and knights of the papal faction started dying one by one after getting ambushed by the Head Crusher Guild members. ¡°T-Thank you! Adventurer-nim!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± the guild member said. he pulled the woman away and continued, ¡°Go straight to this alley and turn right in front of Ronan¡¯s Toy Store. Go three blocks more, then turn right into the back alleys and keep going straight.¡± ¡°W-What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°You will live if you get there. Our guild members are waiting for you, so hurry up! The alleys have been secured, so don¡¯t worry about anything and keep running!¡± Siegfried managed to create an escape route for the people after obtaining the detailed map of Aria City. ¡°Hurry!¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± The rest of the Head Crusher Guild members shouted at the NPCs that they had saved. ¡°Everyone! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Follow the path we told you! You will be safe if you reach that ce!¡± The survivors looked at each other for a second before they started running into the alley. *** Meanwhile, at the base of operations of the papal faction within Aria City¡­ ¡°Our soldiers and knights are dead!¡± ¡°A few of our holy knights have been found dead in an empty house!¡± ¡°Something is strange! This city does not have the manpower to do this!¡± Cardinal Romulus was enraged at the report he received from the soldiers. Bam! He mmed his fist on the table and shouted, ¡°What?! Who dares resist? Which damned bastards dare to go against the will of god?!¡± ¡°It must be the doing of the security forces in charge of Aria City!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Those insects dare to go against us.¡± Cardinal Romulus muttered. He shed a sinister smile and continued, ¡°This leaves me with no choice. I wanted to do a simple cleansing of this ce, but I guess I¡¯ll have to do a thorough cleansing.¡± ¡°By a thorough cleansing, you mean¡­?¡± ¡°We will wipe out every living thing in this city.¡± ¡°Pardon me, Cardinal-nim?¡± ¡°Send more soldiers in and instruct them to kill everything and send them to hell. This city is a den of irredeemable devils.¡± Cardinal Romulus could have never imagined¡ªeven in his wildest dreams¡ªthat Siegfried and the Head Crusher Guild members were behind the assassination of his soldiers. He thought that this was the doing of the resistance forces hiding somewhere in the city. Thus, he decided to take things further by ordering the deaths of every single living thing in the city. Chae Hyung-Seok suddenly interrupted the cardinal and said, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem like it. Something seems off¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°This could be an inside job.¡± ¡°Inside job?¡± ¡°Siegfried van Proa. Do you know him by any chance?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. I heard he¡¯s the king of a small and weak nation called the Proatine Kingdom, but he seemed to have racked up quite the achievement in this war.¡± ¡®Is this fucker blind? Racked up quite the achievement? Who do you think made it possible?¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok growled inwardly. He almost let his words slip out of his mouth, but he managed to swallow them and continue smiling. ¡°I suspect Siegfried is behind all of this. I have a history against him, and he has the tendency to go against the teachings of the Nameless God.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, Cardinal-nim. He probably questions the pope¡¯smands to cleanse these heretics possessed by demons.¡± ¡°Ha!?How foolish! Does he truly not see the depth of the pope¡¯s wisdom?! It must be true if you say so, Sir Desire.¡± ¡°He probably did this because he is foolish, but please don¡¯t worry about him. I will personally go and take care of him.¡± ¡°Oh! Will you do that? I will make sure to inform the pope of you and your guild¡¯s contributions to this war if you seed!¡± ¡°Please leave it to me.¡± ¡°Haha! I will leave it to you, all right!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok immediately mobilized the Genesis Guild after receiving the quest from Cardinal Romulus, and he was smiling almost ear to ear. He would have been jumping up and down in anger after getting the spotlight stolen from him, but he was in an extremely good mood right now. ¡®Stupid bastard! What the hell is he doing? He dares to pick a fight against the papacy? Does he even realize what he just did? You attacked the papacy first, so the emperor can¡¯t protect you anymore! Hahaha!¡¯ Chae Hyung-Seok thought of Siegfried as a massive dumbass. ¡®Well, I¡¯m notining. I couldn¡¯t attack the Proatine Kingdom because of the emperor, but it¡¯s a different story if it¡¯s the papacy. I can simply join the papacy¡¯s conquest of Proatine as a mercenary and raze it to the ground!¡¯ Chae Hyung-Seok started painting a bigger picture. He would lead the papacy to victory in this civil war and convince them to attack the Proatine Kingdom after they had secured influence over the entire Constantine Holy Empire. In fact, he even went as far as imagining his Genesis Guild leading the charge into the gates of the Proatine Kingdom. ¡®Hehehe¡­ Just thinking about it is already making me happy!¡¯?he thought with a grin. *** ¡®They started making a move,¡¯?Siegfried thought after sensing a change in the Papal Forces and the Genesis Guild. ¡®This is bad. I still haven¡¯t found her.¡¯?Siegfried bit his lips in frustration. He still hadn¡¯t found any clues to Lucy¡¯s whereabouts. He went around the city, even checking the corpses just in case one of them was her, but none of them looked like the girl in the portrait. ¡®It¡¯s impossible to keep searching now that they¡¯ve started moving. They¡¯ll discover me if I keep on dilly-dallying¡­¡¯ ¡°S-Spare me!¡± ¡°Please help!¡± ¡°Mercy, knight-nim!¡± Around twenty female NPCs were being dragged away by the Papal Forces, along with some Genesis Guild members. ¡°Hey, owner punk. Isn¡¯t that Lucy?¡± Hamchi whispered. ¡°Huh?¡± Siegfried looked toward where Hamchi was pointing and found her among the women. He bit his lips and cursed under his breath, ¡°Damn it¡­ Why is she over there, of all ces¡­¡± He cursed after seeing the NPC he was looking for surrounded by a ton of enemies. ". The group of women was also being led down a main road, so he would be instantly surrounded the moment he made a move to rescue her. To make matters worse¡­ ¡°Search every nook and cranny! The guys just messaged me, and they¡¯re certain that it¡¯s that bastards doing!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok was leading more than two hundred Genesis Guild members to search every corner of the city for him. ¡°Your Majesty, I believe Ms. Luna¡¯s sister is being led to the main square,¡± Gringore suddenly said. ¡°The main square? Are you talking about this one?¡± Siegfried asked while pointing at the map. ¡°That is the only ce they could be going to. The information we gathered so far says that they were stacking up firewood at the main square¡­¡± ¡°Those crazy bastards¡­ They¡¯re gathering them there?¡± ¡°That is most likely, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Chae Hyung-Seok just went the other way, so¡­¡± ¡°An opportunity has presented itself. I believe it is feasible for us to quickly ambush the main square and rescue the civilians.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the main square, then¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while tracing the map with his finger. He had already nned numerous escape routes throughout the city based on the map, and quite a lot of the civilians had already been evacuated through them. ¡°It looks possible as long as we move fast.¡± ¡°If this operation is sessful, then Your Majesty will be a hero praised for generations toe!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. All I want is to see those bastards suffer.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°All right, we¡¯re going to hit the main square,¡± Siegfried said and infused mana into the ring on his finger. Wooong! Wooong! Wooong!? A message was ryed to all of the Head Crusher Guild members throughout Aria City. [Gather at once. Main square. Ambush and escape. Secure escape routes. Cover fire.] A guild master could send a message to all guild members using the item that symbolized their guild. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and teach those bastards a lesson! Kyu!¡± Siegfried and his party mobilized to rescue the NPCs. *** Aria City Main Square. ¡°Spare us! Please!¡± ¡°I lived piously my entire life! I¡¯m not a witch!¡± ¡°Sniff¡­ Sniff¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ I repent! I repent, so please spare me!¡± Hundreds of female NPCs were rounded up at the main square and tied to stakes. Piles of firewood were beneath the stakes. The stench of gasoline pervaded the air, and a small spark would be enough to set all of the stakes aze, inflicting agonizing pain on the women before killing them all. ¡°Silence!¡± Cardinal Romulus stepped forward. ¡°I, the inquisitor, shall now give judgment to the heretics! Maintain your silence if you believe in the Nameless God!¡± The soldiers and holy knights knelt on the ground. ¡°Through the authority vested in me by our god, I have repeatedly asked these heretics to repent. However, these wenches possessed by the devil colluded with the false emperor and dared to mingle with heretics!¡± Cardinal Romulus was giving a speech that was nothing short of bullshit. His speechsted for ten minutes before he finally picked up a torch. ¡°Therefore, I judge that these wenches are beyond salvation and condemn them to purification by¡ª¡± Sukeok! Cardinal Romulus¡¯ arm abruptly fell to the ground. Thud¡­! ¡°Hmm?¡± Cardinal Romulus tilted his head in confusion. Chwak! Siegfried appeared with obvious rage on his face right next to the cardinal. ¡°Head Crusher Guild,¡± he muttered, ¡°Charge.¡± ¡°Hey! You fucking bastards!¡± ¡°You scums of the continent!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the fuckers who have to die!¡± ¡°You disgusting bastards! Can you even call yourselves humans after doing this?!¡± The Head Crusher Guild members hiding around the main square pounced on the holy knights and soldiers of the papacy. Chapter 272

    Chapter 272

    The moment the Head Crusher Guild members charged into the main square. Fwaaaaah! Blood spurted out of Cardinal Romulus¡¯ arm like a fountain. ¡°A-Arm! My arm!¡± he screamed. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Siegfried asked. He stepped on the torch that the severed arm was holding. ¡°You dare! Do you really think you will be safe after doing this to me, the chief inquisitor of the papacy?!¡± Chwak! The Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings fluttered and severed the remaining arm of the cardinal. Thud¡­! The cardinal¡¯s remaining arm fell to the ground. Shwaaaa! And another fountain of blood spurted out of the stump. ¡°Ack! Aaack! Gwuaaaa!¡±? Cardinal Romulus squirmed on the ground like a cockroach on a hot pan. ¡°Do we have a Healer?¡± Siegfried asked. ¡°Yes! I am a Healer, guild master-nim!¡± A Head Crusher Guild member raised his hand and ran over to Siegfried. ¡°Please stop his bleeding.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Healer cast healing magic on the cardinal¡¯s wounds. The wound closed and stopped bleeding. ¡°N-No! I can¡¯t reattach my arm if you do that!¡± Cardinal Romulus shouted in desperation. ¡°But that¡¯s why I did it?¡± Siegfried said while tilting his head in confusion. ¡°Hiiik!¡± ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time for your legs.¡± ¡°N-No! Not my legs!¡± ¡°Yes, your legs,¡± Siegfried replied with a smile. His wings fluttered twice and severed both of Cardinal Romulus¡¯ legs at the same time. Slice! Slice! Wooong! The Healer immediately healed the wounds and stopped the bleeding. ¡°Ack!?AAAACK!¡±?Cardinal Romulus screamed in agony. The chief inquisitor who had punished countless heretics would now have to live without his limbs from now on. ¡°Just kill me! Just kill me right now!¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to...¡± ¡°You evil bastard! You servant of the devil! You dare do this to a servant of god¡ªKuheok!¡± Cardinal Romulus could not even finish cursing as Siegfried kicked his mouth. Crack! The cardinal¡¯s teeth fell to the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­?yo zare¡­ ze bob will shill yoo¡­! Yo shin zom will be saze zo ze gr¡­¡± ¡°What the fuck are you saying?¡± Siegfried grimaced. He revealed a mischievous smirk before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s take this away as well while we¡¯re at it.¡± Thud! Siegfried stomped his foot on a certain spot. Crack! Pop! There was a crack and a pop followed by¡­ ¡°KWWUOOOHHHH!¡± The cry of a wounded beast reverberated throughout the main square. ¡°My saass¡­! My zewels!¡± ¡°Huh? Weren¡¯t you a cardinal? Why are you sad when you probably don¡¯t need them, anyway?¡± Siegfried asked, seemingly perplexed. He couldn¡¯t help but be confused after hearing a clergymanining about losing their family jewels. ¡°Seems like you were quite busy behind closed doors, eh?¡± he sneered. Meanwhile, the Head Crusher Guild members were busy evacuating the female NPCs and guiding them to the escape route. ¡°Kyu!?Let¡¯s go, owner punk!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Siegfried and Hamchi made a run for it as well after giving the cardinal aplete makeover. *** Chae Hyung-Seok and the Genesis Guild searched every corner of Aria City, but they saw no signs of Siegfried anywhere. The only thing they found were a few NPCs still in hiding. ¡°S-Spare me, please!¡± ¡°Die, trash.¡± ¡°Kuheok!¡± The NPC fell into a pool of blood and died after getting cut by Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s sword. ¡°Take whatever valuables there are!¡± ¡°Hurry! Hurry!¡± The Genesis Guild members got busy plundering. ¡®Where the hell is that bastard?¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok wondered. They would have run into a few suspicious figures by now, but they didn¡¯t find even a single suspicious ant during their search. They only found a bunch of NPCs in hiding and a few Adventurers looting the city. ¡®Where did he go? Did he already make a run for it? No, he needs to pass by the security checkpoints if he wants to leave the city, and if he attacked any of those checkpoints, then¡­¡¯? The Papal Forces would immediately surround and kill him if he dared to attack any of the checkpoints. In addition, the rms would re the moment he attacked the checkpoints. In other words, Siegfried and hisckeys were still in the city. ¡®But where are they hiding? Are they huddled up in a corner somewhere¡­?¡± It was then. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me?!¡¯? Chae Hyung-Seok froze on the spot upon thinking of something. ¡°Fuck!¡± he cursed and shouted, ¡°Leave all of that and follow me! Hurry up!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rush, guild master-nim?¡± ¡°Let me loot these first¡­¡± Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s temper red after seeing the nonchnt attitudes of his guild members. ¡°You fucking idiots! Run to the main square at once! Those bastards are over there! Hurry!¡± he screamed at the top of his lungs before running like crazy toward the main square. He infused mana into the V-shaped badge on his chest and sent a message to all of his guild members in Aria City. [All guild members. Stop everything and rush to the main square at once. I repeat. Rush to the main square at once!] On the way to the main square¡­ ¡®Damn it! Why didn¡¯t I think of that? The bastard will hit the main square without me there!¡¯? Chae Hyung-Seok kicked himself for realizing it toote and gritted his teeth. He should have just waited instead of searching for the insect. He should have hidden in the buildings surrounding the main square and patiently waited for Siegfried to show up. He could have easily surrounded and killed Siegfried if he had done that. Unfortunately, his impatience backfired on him. ¡®I hope I¡¯m not toote!¡¯?Chae Hung-Seok prayed as he ran as fast as he could toward the main square. *** ¡°We only have to go five hundred meters more! Please don¡¯t push and maintain order!¡± Siegfried and the Head Crusher Guild safely rescued all of the women from the main square. ¡°Lucy!¡± ¡°U-Unni!¡± The sisters were finally reunited... Ding! The questpletion message popped up in front of his eyes. [Alert: You havepleted the Quest: Scene of Madness!] [Alert: Collect your rewards from Luna!] Luna hurried over to Siegfried and bowed a few times. ¡°Thank you! Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Ah, I just did what I had to do.¡± ¡°Please take this. It is the treasure of our family,¡± Luna said. She took something out of her pocket and handed it to Siegfried. [Alert: You have obtained Noble¡¯s Dimensional Inventory!] [Alert: It is unknown what item is inside the Noble¡¯s Dimensional Inventory!] [Alert: Open the Noble¡¯s Dimensional Inventory to find out what is inside of it!] Siegfried didn¡¯t check what was inside the item. ¡°Thank you, but please hurry and follow the others for now. We do not have the luxury of time to be standing here,¡± he said. ¡°Yes! T-Thank you very much once again¡­!¡± She bowed and thanked him. ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡± he replied with a smile. There was a manhole connecting to the underground sewer just five hundred meters up ahead, and Siegfried was nning to use that to escape along with the NPCs. This was only made possible thanks to the strategic map of the city he had obtained earlier. ¡®We¡¯re almost there. We just have to reach the manhole, and then it would be smooth sailing from there on,¡¯?he thought as he hurried to the front and led the way. He was nning to secure the manhole and the perimeter around it, but¡­ ¡®Huh? Why is he here?¡¯?Siegfried stopped and thought. The one that appeared five hundred meters up ahead was none other than Chae Hyung-Seok and the Genesis Guild members running toward them like a stampede of angry beasts. The best-case scenario would have been if they had missed each other, but a strange twist of fate made them run into each other right on top of the escape route of all ces. ¡°Halt! Head Crusher Guild! Prepare forbat! Genesis Guild up ahead!¡± Siegfried shouted. The Head Crusher Guild members rushed to the front and prepared forbat. While Siegfried and his guild members were trying to secure the front, Chae Hyung-Seok revealed a sinister smile akin to the smile of the devil himself. ¡°Hey~ Han Tae-Sung~ Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And what¡¯s with those NPCs behind you? Ah,?are you doing a quest by any chance? No need to drag them with you then, you can just kill them right here~¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°Then, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to die!¡± Wooong! Chae Hyung-Seok gathered his mana and said, ¡°Han Tae-Sung! You¡¯ve finally gone crazy! Haha! Did that crown on your head blind you? Are you seriously going up against the papacy now?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s called none of your business,¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­?That¡¯s the problem with you,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok clicked his tongue in a mocking manner and continued, ¡°You seem to have misunderstood your position. I have no idea how you managed to change your character¡¯s name, but do you really think that¡¯s going to turn you into a different person? ¡±An insect is still an insect no matter how hard it tries!¡± ¡°Ah~ Is that why you were asking an insect if you can pay in installments~?¡± ¡°T-That was¡ª¡± ¡°Sigh¡­?That was quite pitiful, Hyung-Seok~¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You talk too much. Just shut up and fight,¡± Siegfried said. He mustered his mana as well. Shwaaaa! The Holy Rain fell from the sky. Fwaaaa! Fwaaaa! A fiery ze shot up from the ground and evaporated the Holy Rain. Siegfried¡¯s debuff against Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buff. This was a sh between two pr opposites. ¡°Leave no one alive,¡± Chae Hyung-Seok said. *** ¡°You need to stay down where you belong!¡± ¡°Time to meet your maker!¡± ¡°Oh? There are a bunch of familiar faces here! Did youe here to die again?!¡± The Genesis Guild members smiled as they rushed at the Head Crusher Guild members. Whiiiing¡­ ck! Thirty Iron Golems with cannons mounted on their shoulders appeared from the alley on the left of the Genesis Guild members. ¡°Fire!¡± Seung-Gu gave themand. Boom! Boom! Boom! Sixty cannon balls ferociously flew toward the side of the Genesis Guild members. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Aaaack!¡± The explosion swept away half of the five hundred Genesis Guild members. ¡°Fuck!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok cried out in anger at the sudden ambush. His cry was the signal for the rest of the Head Crusher Guild members in hiding to make their appearance behind the Genesis Guild members. ¡°Encircle them! Don¡¯t let a single one get away!¡± ¡°This is called getting stabbed in the back! Keke!¡± ¡°They fell for this? They¡¯re dumber than I thought¡­¡± The Genesis Guild members had been surrounded, and an all-out brawl erupted between the two. The Head Crusher Guild had the overwhelming advantage. In fact¡­ ¡°Why are you getting pushed back?! I already buffed you, morons! Why are you losing to those insects?!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok cried out in anger after seeing his members getting pushed back He was perplexed because his guild members had definitely received his Holy Rain and many different buffs. He didn¡¯t expect that the Holy Saint¡¯s buff would one day be useless on the battlefield. ¡°Can you finally see the difference between you and me?¡± Siegfried asked while walking toward Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡°Your buffs are no match for my debuffs.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You should know your ce, Chae Hyung-Seok,¡± Siegfried said with a grin. Then, he made a beeline for the Guild Master of the Genesis Guild. Chapter 273

    Chapter 273

    The only reason Siegfried decided to go up against Chae Hyung-Seok was simple. ¡®My debuff is much stronger than his buffs.¡¯ Trust¡ªhe had absolute trust in his ze Field after consuming the Terramorg¡¯s Core. The debuff was enhanced to the point that it could shred the enemy¡¯s Defense and Magic Resistance to negative figures if used in a small area. Meanwhile, Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buff could cover a veryrge area, but its efficiency was unchanging. In other words, Siegfried¡¯s debuff was way stronger than Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buff on a smaller battlefield. Siegfried also possessed the ability to nullify Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buff. ¡®Hmm¡­ This ce is quite small¡­ What if I used that skill? Shall we see what happens to those buffs you guys are so proud of?¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smirk. Swoosh! A blue circle shot out from where Siegfried was standing and enveloped the surroundings. Frost Wave! It was the debuff skill that shredded the enemy¡¯s Damage, and its effects were immediately noticeable. ¡°Huh? What happened to my damage? Why is it so¡ªAck!¡± ¡°Why am I so weak?!¡± ¡°Guild Master! Where are the buffs?! Are you sure you¡¯re casting it? I can¡¯t deal any damage to these fucking insects!¡± The Head Crusher Guild members capitalized the moment the Genesis Guild members were greatly weakened by the debuffs and attacked them relentlessly. ¡°Die!¡± ¡°These Genesis bastards are a piece of cake!¡± ¡°Morons!¡± The Head Crusher Guild members did not miss the opportunity to beat the Genesis Guild members, who had gotten stripped of their buffs, Defense, and Magic Resistance. ". The Genesis Guild members were receiving more damage than normal. Shwik!? However, their nightmare didn¡¯t end there. Siegfried ced down Shadow Swamp and trapped the Genesis Guild members in a slow hell.?Of course, the shadows that emerged from the ground didn¡¯t forget to use dirty attacks against their enemies. ¡°Crazy! Does this make sense?!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok bellowed in anger. ¡°Why not?¡± Siegfried smirked and asked in response. ¡°H-How can an insect like you¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for some beating.¡± Siegfried immediately raised his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and smacked Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s chin with an uppercut. Bam! Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s head was flung backward as blood spurted all over the air, but blood wasn¡¯t the only thing that flew into the air. Crack¡­! A dozen of his teeth broke after eating an uppercut, and his teeth popped out of their sockets and flew into the air like popcorn. ¡®D-did this bastard just hit me? He punched my teeth out of me?!¡¯?Chae Hyung-Seok was in absolute disbelief. However, he didn¡¯t have the luxury of time to even think as Siegfried continued the attack. Puk! Pukeok! Siegfried jabbed +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist with his fist before using Machine Gun Smash. Puk! Puk! Pukeok! Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s character was in an absolute mess, and his face was covered in tears, snot, saliva, and blood. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been inflicted with Stun!] [Alert: You have lost control over your character!] Chae Hyung-Seok was stunned after getting consecutively hit by the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist, which was a blunt weapon. Now, he was helpless. ¡®Fuck! This insect is beating me up, and I can¡¯t do anything against him?!¡¯? He was absolutely enraged from having to withstand the shame of losing to Siegfried, but the main problem was that he had no way to get out of his current predicament. Why? Siegfried¡¯s control was much better than him. After all, the reason that Chae Hyung-Seok was able to be the guild master of one of the top ten guilds, along with being a pro gamer, was solely because of his buffs skills rather than his skills as a gamer. Chae Hyung-Seok stood no chance against a melee physical damage dealer, and he mostly relied on his guild members, but the fact that his guild members weren¡¯t here to protect him and the opponent possessed monstrous control made the oue quite clear. He had be nothing more than a sandbag, and he knew that all he could do was wait until he was beaten to death. [Desire] [HP: ??????????] However, his Defense and HP were so high that he was still alive despite being on the receiving end of the one-sided beating for quite a while now. The Holy Saint was a ss that boasted tremendous survivability thanks to its enormous Defense and HP. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Siegfried muttered in amazement after seeing stars spinning around on top of his sandbag¡¯s head. It was the visual effect that appeared whenever a character was stunned. ¡°You¡¯re quite durable for a sandbag. Others would have already died, you know?¡± ¡°Y-You shon ob va bishhh!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok retorted in an aliennguage. He could no longer pronounce words properly because most of his teeth were missing However, Siegfriedpletely understood what his sandbag was trying to say, but he decided to feign ignorance. ¡°What? What did you say?¡± ¡°Fookhin bashtuuu!¡± ¡°Huh? I can¡¯t understand you¡ªdid you just say you love me?¡± ¡°You fwoookuuur!¡± ¡°Oh!?I love you too!¡± Siegfried eximed. He grinned before kicking his sandbag. Where? There. Pukeok! The sound of eggs?cracking reverberated throughout the battlefield. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been afflicted with Impotence!] [Alert: Your character has be a eunuch!] [Alert: You are now restricted from using adult content for ny days, even if you resurrect!] Chae Hyung-Seok received the honor of bing a eunuch in the game. *** ¡®I have to be stronger¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while beating Chae Hyung-Seok. ¡®It¡¯s easy to beat him like this, but it¡¯s so difficult to kill him. I need more damage¡­ I can¡¯t defeat him like this!¡¯ He realized from this battle that he wascking in two things¡­ The first one was the area of his debuff. He needed to find a way to maintain his debuff¡¯s efficiency while matching the area Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buff could cover. After all, there was no guarantee that they were going to keep fighting in small areas. The second one was his Attack Power. Siegfried¡¯s damage could be regarded as the top among others with simr levels, and it was quite rare for a character to be able to dish out as much damage as he was doing. However, he believed that it was still not good enough. He wanted to obtain the firepower to easily defeat Chae Hyung-Seok, who was both a Buffer and a Tanker. ¡®I still have a long way to go. Let¡¯s not ck off. I have to focus on growing stronger¡­!¡¯?he said to himself. Siegfried decided to push himself harder to grow stronger. How? By beating up his sandbag, of course! ¡°We¡¯ve almost taken care of them, hyung-nim! I think we have to retreat before reinforcements arrive!¡± Seung-Gu shouted. ¡°Okay!¡± Siegfried replied. He wanted to beat his sandbag for a bit longer¡ªno, he wanted to beat Chae Hyung-Seok until he died. Unfortunately, time was not on his side as he was currently in the midst of the enemy camp. There were dozens of NPCs being killed in the name of the Nameless God in this city, and he had to go save them rather than beat Chae Hyung-Seok to death, no matter how much he wanted to do that. ¡°Everyone,e over here! Go down this manhole as fast as you can!¡± Siegfried shouted at the fearful NPCs. The NPCs started to climb down the manhole one by one with the assistance of the Head Crusher Guild members. ¡°Don¡¯t push! Go orderly one by one! We¡¯re all going to die if you push others just to save yourself!¡± Siegfried shouted once again. He was ushering the NPCs down the manhole while beating Chae Hyung-Seok from time to time to keep him stunned. Perhaps it was thanks to his instructions, but the NPCs surprisingly moved in quite an orderly fashion. ¡°Our guild members will meet you down there! Follow their instructions, and you will be safe!¡± Siegfried shouted before he looked at Chae Hyung-Seok. Pukeok! Of course, he did not forget to refresh the stun once again. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t want to do anything this time since I had to get paid. And I thought it was a good opportunity to watch how you guys fought with my own eyes,¡± Siegfried said with a shrug. ¡°You zhun ova bisshh!¡± ¡°But the things you guys were doing were so despicable that I couldn¡¯t bear to hold myself back. Surprisingly, you made me realize something this time¡­ I¡¯m going to do my best to disrupt everything you do from now on with everything I got.¡± ¡°Mowon¡­ You cunt git yer moneh¡­¡± ¡°So? I¡¯ll just get itter, plus interest. Oh,?now that I think about it¡­ I can make a killing off of you if I keep stopping you from earning money and letting the interest umte, right? You¡¯ll probably have to sell your items if you want to stop the interest from snowballing! Kekeke!¡± ¡°You¡­! You defil¡­!¡± ¡°All right, have a nice day!¡± Siegfried said with a smile. It was then. ¡°Guild Master-nim!¡± ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Catch those bastards!¡± The reinforcements of the Genesis Guild appeared in the distance and started running toward the Head Crusher Guild. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s going to be problematic if they join in¡­¡± Siegfried muttered before he jumped into the air. Bam! He mmed his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist into the ground. Splitting Heaven and Earth! The area of effect attack skill of the Debuff Master was used against the oing Genesis Guild members. [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] [Alert: You have gained experience points!] He couldn¡¯t collect the dropped items, but he gained a tremendous amount of experience points from them. [Alert: Your level has risen!] [Alert: You have reached Level 220!] He leveled up, and this was all because he had been massacring Adventurers left and right since thest battle. ¡°Owner punk! We have to go! There¡¯s a shit ton of theming toward us! Kyu!¡± Hamchi eximed while pulling Siegfried. ¡°All right!¡± Siegfried replied and jumped down the manhole with Hamchi. ¡°Cash them! CAASSHHH!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok screamed at the top of his lungs. *** ¡°Catch them! We have to catch them!¡± Min-Woo led the Genesis Guild members instead of Chae Hyung-Seok after he arrived, and he was currently leading them in hot pursuit of Siegfried in the underground sewer. He brought a group of elite guild members that he had summoned from various other cities after seeing Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s message. [Aria City: Underground Sewer] A message popped up in front of Min-Woo¡¯s eyes after he jumped down the manholedder. Ssh! Ssh!? He could hear the sound of Siegfried and hispanions running away in the distance, and it seemed that they were making a break for it toward an exit around two kilometers away. ¡®Light?! That must be the exit! Those bastards are trying to use that to bypass the checkpoints!¡¯?Min-Woo instinctively realized what they were trying to do. ¡°Run! We need to stop them! Catch them no matter what it takes! Run!¡± Min-Woo screamed at his guild members. The guild members started running as fast as they could, but¡­ ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± The Genesis Guild members suddenly dropped to the ground one by one. ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Why are you guys falling down all of a sudden?! Hey, you fuckers! Run! We have to catch¡ª¡± Min-Woo shouted, but he was soon interrupted by a message. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been inflicted with Radioactive Poison!] [Alert: Your stamina will significantly deplete every second, and you will lose control of your character!] Sseuuu¡­! Min-Woo read the messages and looked down at his feet to find a green fog slithering on the ground. Irradiate. The coward¡ªSiegfried¡ªseemed to have spread his radioactive energy while running away. The green fog got thicker and thicker in the sewer as if there were a fumigation device somewhere! Chapter 274

    Chapter 274

    [Aria City: Underground Sewer] Ssh! Ssh!? The Genesis Guild members fell down one by one after getting exposed to the radioactive energy. ¡®I can¡¯t stop¡­!¡¯?Min-Woo dragged his legs despite being afflicted by the radioactive energy. He had to catch them. There were doubts circting among the guild executives about Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s ability to lead the guild due to the exodus of guild members who had experienced losses from Siegfried¡¯s actions. There had also been rumors circting that the Genesis Guild was in danger of copsing in recent days, which further fueled the doubts. However, the biggest problem would be that the papacy was definitely going to reduce the promised rewards if they were to lose to Siegfried. ¡°Run! We have to catch him no matter what! Run!¡± Min-Woo shouted as his voice echoed in the underground sewer. They had to catch Siegfried this time. ¡°Fuck this!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°My character isn¡¯t moving¡­¡± The Genesis Guild members struggled to chase after Siegfried under the effects of Irradiate. ¡°Heal each other while running! Don¡¯t forget to detoxify and cast barriers on each other! We have to catch them no matter what! We can¡¯t let them escape!¡± Min-Woo shouted at his guild members. However, he had no idea that this decision was going to prove fatal not only for him but for those following him as well. ¡®Poison? Fuck off! Just you wait, Han Tae-Sung! Did you really think these kinds of cheap tricks will work on us?!¡¯?Min-Woo confidently thought as he continued the chase. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take that long for him to change his mind. Thud¡­! Ssh! Thud! It was only after his guild members started falling one by one that he finally realized his mistake. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?! I said make sure you heal each other while running! Why are you dying?! Get a grip, you fuck¡ª¡± Min-Woo was about to curse at his guild members when he was suddenly interrupted. ¡°Hey! Moron!¡± A Genesis Guild member interrupted him. ¡°Heal? What are you talking about when we don¡¯t even have mana anymore?! We keep getting poisoned while our skills are on cooldown, too!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Mana? Can¡¯t you see that our mana has already hit rock bottom? What more do you want? Go on! Keep talking, I dare you! I¡¯m done with this shit!¡± This was a ssic case of a death spiral triggered by rolling debt. Someone with a loan would take out another loan with a higher interest to repay the first loan, and then the cycle would continue until things blew up out of their control. That was the current situation of the Genesis Guild members. They were healing and casting barriers on each other while chasing after Siegfried, but the problem was that the poison persisted while their mana was drying up. ¡°Are we your ves?! You better watch your mouth, you little fucker!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go catch him alone if you want him so badly? I¡¯ve been putting up with your antiques for a while, but I¡¯m done with this shit!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I quit. I¡¯m sick and tired of being treated like shit in this guild.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Ptooey!¡± In the end, some of the guild members who reached their limits threw their guild badges into the sewer waters and left. Internal strife or mutiny was urring within the ranks of the Genesis Guild, which had been steadfast like an army, and it was proof that there were cracks forming within the guild. ¡°¡­¡± Min-Woo was left speechless. He was Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s loyalpdog, but he wasn¡¯t oblivious to the guild members¡¯ feelings. He bit his lips. He sounded defeated as he muttered, ¡°Those who are still here¡­ we have to give chase¡­ Please hang in there, we really have to catch him this time¡­¡± The chase continued, but the situation worsened. Ssh! Thud! Thud¡­! The Genesis Guild members continued falling one by one, and there were only twenty of them remaining by the time they were one hundred meters away from the exit. ¡°W-We can¡¯t let them get away¡­!¡± Min-Woo said while gasping for air. Siegfried suddenly appeared at the exit and shouted, ¡°Hey! Didn¡¯t your mommas teach you not to follow other people? Didn¡¯t she say you¡¯ll get in trouble for that~?¡± He taunted them. ¡°Y-You bastard¡­!¡± Min-Woo¡¯s anger red, but that was all he could do. Whiiiiing¡­ ck! Dozens of cannons suddenly appeared behind Siegfried and took aim at the remaining Genesis Guild members who had survived the poisonous fog. Min-Woo finally realized. ¡°We¡¯re fucked¡­¡± Boom! Boom! Boom! *** Crumble¡­! Siegfried smiled in satisfaction at the destruction. Sseuu¡­! Smoke rose from the cannons on the Iron Golems¡¯ shoulders. The underground sewer¡¯s copse was inevitable when sixty cannons simultaneously bombarded it. ¡°Tsk, tsk¡­¡±?Siegfried clicked his tongue at Min-Woo and the Genesis Guild members, and then he said with a smirk, ¡°You should have listened to your mommas~¡± He turned around and looked at the river dyed red. It was the river the Aria City¡¯s sewagework was connecting with¡ªthe Hudson River. The Hudson River flowed from West Constantine all the way to East Constantine, and it was dyed red with the blood of the innocent civilians murdered by the papacy. ¡°Maintain order! Please get on one by one! We have a lot of ships! All of you can make it out alive, so please don¡¯t push!¡± ¡°We will board the elderly and children first!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t push!¡± The Head Crusher Guild members were helping the NPCs board the ships. They could have used the airships to quickly evacuate all of the NPCs, but they chose not to do so since there was the risk of getting shot down by the papacy¡¯s anti-air cannons or magicians. Siegfried chose to deploy the Aqua Runners. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to use the airships, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°I will deploy all of the Aqua Runners in our kingdom. Please take the Aqua Runners and go down the Hudson River.¡± ¡°Oh? That sounds like a great idea.¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°If you look here, you will see that the underground sewer is connected to the Hudson River.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°If we go down the manhole near the main square and follow the sewer, then¡­ we will be able to escape quite easily.¡± ¡°That is an excellent n, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± ¡°I will immediately deploy the Aqua Runners.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡± Michele immediately went into action by airlifting the Aqua Runners on the airship to the Hudson River, and the Proatine Kingdom Sailors drove the Aqua Runner up the river to meet with Siegfried and the others. ¡®Phew¡­ That was a close one¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought while letting out a sigh of relief. He hadn¡¯t been able to rx for even a second since he entered Aria City, and it seemed that he was finally going to catch his breath after boarding an Aqua Runner. Unfortunately¡­ ¡°Neiiiigh!¡± ¡°Neiiiiiiigh!¡± Clop! Clop! Clop! The sound of hooves could be heard in the distance, along with the horses¡¯ neighing. ¡°They¡¯re escaping!¡± ¡°Archers, take aim!¡± ¡°Catch them!¡± There were thousands of horseback archers rushing toward them in the distance, and they definitely belonged to the papal faction. ¡°Damn it! Why does it have to be horseback archers of all things!¡± Siegfried eximed in anger. It would have been a different story if they were normal cavalry, but archers on horseback were the worst enemy that they could face right now. ¡°Depart now! Hurry up!¡± Siegfried rushed the Aqua Runners to zip downstream. ¡°Aim!¡± The horseback archers had already reached the river banks and pulled their bowstrings. ¡°Fire!¡± The archers let loose a volley at a holy knight¡¯smand, and their arrows ferociously cut through the air toward the escaping Aqua Runners. Shwaaaaa! Thousands of arrows covered the sun above the bloody river. The Aqua Runners were fast, but it was impossible for them to avoid all of the arrows in a river while there were dozens of them. Some of the passengers onboard the Aqua Runners would definitely turn into porcupines once the arrows came crashing down. ¡®I won¡¯t let you!¡¯?Siegfried immediately sprung into action. ¡°Hamchi! Turn the boat around!¡± ¡°Kyu?!?Are you insane, owner punk?! We¡¯ll turn into porcupines if we turn around now!¡± ¡°Turn it!¡± ¡°Do you have a death wish?! Die alone if you want to, moron!¡± ¡°I said, turn it around!¡± ¡°A-Alright¡­! Kyu!¡± Hamchi tightly gripped the Aqua Runner handle and turned it. Vrooom! The Aqua Runner turned sharply as if it was drifting on water. It turned around before elerating. Chwaaak! The Aqua Runner sped toward the river bank. It was a suicidal move. ¡°N-No!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± Siegfried and everyone else in his Aqua Runner cried out in horror. Chwaaaaa! Siegfried stood at the helm of the Aqua Runner and faced the iing arrows all alone. ¡®I can do this¡­!¡¯?he steeled his resolve and jumped into the air. Then, a miracle?urred. *** Meanwhile, the Head Crusher Guild members who had received a secret message from Siegfried were carrying out their ndestine operation at the supply storage of the papal faction. Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ A guild member motioned with his fingers. Puk! Pukeok! The Head Crusher Guild members threw a dagger at the necks of the guards at the door of the storage. The sound of bodies hitting the ground couldn¡¯t be heard as other guild members emerged from the shadows and caught the guards before they could hit the ground. Rustle¡­ Rustle¡­? They stole the guards¡¯ uniforms and disguised themselves. It was the perfect disguise. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± The guild members entered the grain storage that held most of the papal faction¡¯s food supply. ¡°Halt! Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± A holy knight called out to them and stopped them in their tracks. ¡®Fuck!¡¯ ¡®Did we get caught?¡¯ Anxiety swept over the guild members, but one of them with a glib tongue turned around and replied to the holy knight. ¡°Salute! We have received orders to patrol the grain store, sir! We willmence with our patrol to make sure everything is in order, sir!¡± ¡°Is that so? Oh, well, keep up the good work,¡± the holy knight replied. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Go on.¡± The gullible holy knightpletely fell for the lie and even encouraged the guild members to keep up the good work. However, exactly ten minutester¡ª Fwaaaa! Fwaaaaa! ¡ªthe papal faction¡¯s primary grain storage was set aze. Chapter 275

    Chapter 275

    Shwaaaa! The rain of arrows came crashing down from the sky, but Siegfried was jumping toward them. He curled up in the air before spreading his arms out and throwing two disks. Whoosh! Whoooosh! The disks flew toward the rain of arrows. Chwak! Chwaaak! And they scattered into a thousand projectiles¡­ ¡°Torrential Flower Rain!¡± Siegfried chose to use Torrential Flower Rain to protect everyone from the oing arrows, and he had made the right choice. Shwiiiiish! Siegfried used his Flying Sword skill to control the one thousand projectiles, and they flew like homing missiles to strike down the oing arrows. It was a breathtaking sight. The throwables made out of the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s scales shined brightly in the sky, and the entire scenery looked like there were flower petals raining down in springtime. The sight truly befitted the skill name that caused all of it¡ªTorrential Flower Rain. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°B-Beautiful¡­!¡± ¡°This is truly breathtaking¡­¡± The people on the Aqua Runner were captivated by the sight, which made them briefly forget how the papacy¡¯s massacre caused the deaths of their family, friends, lovers, and everyone else they knew. They even forgot that the soldiers were still running toward them. The beautiful sight Siegfried put on was so breathtaking that everyone forgot about everything. Ironically, the flower rain on top of the river dyed with blood made it seem even more breathtaking and grotesque. A breathtaking scene born out of misery! And the painter was none other than Siegfried himself¡­ ck! ck! ck! The arrows cut in half helplessly dropped to the floor. However, a single arrow survived the breathtaking disy of power, and the one who got struck was¡ª ¡°Ack!?My ass!¡± ¡ªSeung-Gu¡­ ¡°Why there, of all ces?!¡± he cried out in pain while grabbing his butt. ¡°Huh? Oops, sorry,¡± Siegfried replied afternding on the Aqua Runner, and then he added, ¡°I let one slip through. Tsk,?I think I need to train more.¡± ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t on purpose, hyung-nim?!¡± ¡°Nope, me it on your rotten luck.¡± ¡°What? Me? Bad luck?¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t you always drop your main weapon whenever you die?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Come to think of it¡­ I think I always drop this whenever I die,¡± Seung-Gu muttered while looking at his Mechanic Force. He remembered that Siegfried would always pick his item up and return it to him whenever he died. ¡°Do you understand now? You¡¯re quite the unlucky fe.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too mean, hyung-nim¡­¡± ¡°What mean? I¡¯m just telling the truth.¡± ¡°Sniff¡­¡± ¡°Well, the truth hurts, so deal with it.¡± While Siegfried was busy chatting with Seung-Gu, Hamchi drove the Aqua Runner downstream as fast as he could in the direction of East Constantine. ¡°Kyu!?Let¡¯s goo!¡± What about the papal forces? ¡°¡­¡± They stood around on the river bank and watched the Aqua Runner disappear into the horizon. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Themander of the army of horseback archersughed in disbelief. ¡°Yeah, we should just let them go¡­ they showed us something amazing after all¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± In addition, they really had no way of chasing after them, and they had already done their best with what they had at their disposal. ¡°Sigh¡­?I guess I¡¯ll have to go write a report on what happened¡­ All forces! We¡¯re going back!¡± Themander let out a sigh after imagining the stack of reports he had to write detailing what happened. Meanwhile, another person had been recording the entire turn of events even before they escaped down the manhole. The Great King joined the civil war that erupted within the Constantine Holy Empire after getting enraged by the atrocities he had witnessed in Aria City. The Great King was troubled. He could not turn a blind eye to the innocent civilians dying, but he could not get involved that easily. (Omitted¡­) However, the Great King braved the risks of diplomatic repercussions and decided to save the innocent citizens of Aria City. The result of that was a resounding sess. (Omitted¡­) I, Gringore, the loyal servant of His Majesty¡ªSiegfried van Proa of the Proatine Kingdom¡ªhave witnessed something that I will never forget for the rest of my life. A river dyed crimson-red from blood. The rain of arrows came crashing down from the sky. And the most beautiful flower petals in the world¡­ The Great King created a miracle to save the lives of the innocent citizens of Aria City, and he sessfully managed to escape with them. The Great King offered salvation to these people that even God had abandoned! Who could understand the lonely path the Great King walks? Records of the Proatine Kingdom Book 1 Chapter 5 Siegfried van Proa the First The King¡¯s Achievements Siegfried created an event worthy of being recorded in history. *** The papacy was turned upside down. ¡°What? They failed to cleanse the heretics?¡± The pope¡ªTheopilus IV¡ªgrimaced after hearing the report. ¡°Even the primary grain storage was razed to the ground?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Your Holiness!¡± ¡°Haha! Look at these pitiful fools. Do you call this a report?¡± Pope Theopilus asked while ring at the messenger with his right eye. Shiver¡­! The pope¡¯s re was simply too scary for the messenger that a chill traveled down his spine, and he almost pissed himself. It was understandable as the pope was missing an eye. He lost it in a fight against a heretic while he was still working as an inquisitor. Yes, the pope himself started as a lowly clergyman at the papacy and wed his way up to his current position. ¡°What is this unholy act in the temple of our god? We are trying to salvage the empire from the clutches of the false emperor here!¡± ¡°A-Apologise, Your Holiness!¡± The messenger bowed t on the ground and prayed that the pope¡¯s wrath was not going to fall on him. Unfortunately, one¡¯s mind and body are bound to act differently in these kinds of situations. Drip, drip, drip. The messenger was so scared that he ended up pissing in his pants. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this smell?¡± Pope Theopilus asked with an ugly look. He seethed and asked once more, ¡°I asked you what this smell was.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness. I believe the messenger in front of you has peed in his pants.¡± ¡°What? Peed? Hoho!?What should we do with this ingrate?¡± Pope Theopilus asked while ring at the messenger. ¡°You fool!¡± ¡°Y-Your Holiness!¡± ¡°You dare dirty this sacred ce with your excrement?¡± ¡°M-Mercy, your grace! I havemitted a grave sin! Please forgive me¡­!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Pope Theopilus shouted. Bam! He mmed his armrest and shouted, ¡°Guards!¡± The knights, holy knights, and the pdins, which was a higher ss of the holy knights, all responded at once, ¡°Yes, Your Holiness!¡± A pdin walked in front of the pope, knelt down, and said, ¡°Your Holiness.¡± ¡°That heathen over there has been possessed by the devil! Kill that devil at once!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness!¡± The pdin pulled out his mace at the pope¡¯s order and walked toward the messenger. ¡°Your Holiness! Your Grace! Please forgive me! This lowly fool has made a mistake! Y-Your Holiness!¡± the messenger desperately cried out. ¡°What are you doing?! Kill that devil at once!¡± Pope Theopilus shouted in anger. There was no chance in hell that the pope was going to forgive the messenger. Why? Was it because he defiled the floor? No¡­ the pope simply needed someone to vent his anger on right now. ¡°Hap!¡±?The pdin gathered his mana and swung his mace. Bam! The messenger¡¯s head popped like a watermelon, and his brain matter and blood sttered all over the ce. Thud! Thud! Thud! The servants rushed over and removed the messenger¡¯s headless corpses from the pope¡¯s presence. ¡°Heed my words!¡± Pope Theopilus shouted after the messenger¡¯s corpse was removed from his sight. ¡°Yes, Your Holiness!¡± ¡°I am quite troubled by these reports. How could we fail to cleanse the heathens that have encroached on our holynds? Not only that, but we even had our holy provisions burnt to the ground by those wretched devils!¡± ¡°Please forgive us, Your Holiness!¡± ¡°I will brand everyone involved as heretics possessed by the devil if these kinds of situations arise once more!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness!¡± ¡°And send an official deration of war to that ce called Proatine.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness!¡± The pope adjourned the meeting, and the Proatine Kingdom was now going to be at war against the Constantine Holy Empire¡¯s papacy. *** An hourter¡­ ¡°Sir Michele! We have received an official letter from the Constantine Holy Empire¡¯s papacy!¡± ¡°Please give it to me.¡± Michele closed his eyes after hearing from his secretary that a letter had arrived. He opened the letter without much expectation as its content was already something he expected. There was a lot of nonsense under the name of the Nameless God written on it, but the key point of the letter was that it was a deration of war. ¡°Sigh¡­¡±?Michele let out a sigh and wrapped his head with his hands. It was only natural for him to be troubled after turning half of the Constantine Holy Empire into their enemy. However, he didn¡¯t me Siegfried. ¡®Your Majesty¡­ I will trust and follow whatever decision you make¡­¡¯?he thought. Michele shared Siegfried¡¯s sentiments. He also thought that the papacy was a corrupted pile of trash, but he still found it quite difficult to justify what Siegfried had done after reading the deration of war. ¡°I guess I have no choice but to cate them for now¡­¡± Michele wanted to let the papacy have a piece of his mind as well. To be honest, he wanted to send them a document filled with cuss words in response to the deration of war, but he was the Minister of State of his kingdom. In other words, he had to remain diplomatic and objective at all times. Thus, he took a parchment and started writing down a reply. We wish to notify you that the Proatine Kingdom is not rted to this incident, and this has been caused not by His Majesty King Siegfried van Proa but by Mercenary Siegfried¡­ *** Siegfried and the others safely navigated down the Hudson River and reached Crane City, which was within East Constantine¡¯s territory. They managed to safely escape. ¡°Thank you! Thank you very much!¡± ¡°You are our savior! Thank you!¡± ¡°I will definitely repay you for your kindness, sir!¡± The NPCs gathered around Siegfried and thanked him with tears in their eyes, but Siegfried didn¡¯t say anything in response. These NPCs had survived the ordeal, but they had gone through so much and lost so much as well. Their houses, families, lovers, friends, etc¡­ What could he possibly tell these people who had gone through so much? In the end, Siegfried could only bow to them in response and make his way toward the imperial faction¡¯s base to request an audience with Emperor Frederic. The reason Emperor Frederic was currently in Crane City was because this was their current frontier after they had lost Aria City and the other cities to the papal faction. ¡°My name is Siegfried van Proa, and I greet the emperor.¡± ¡°So, you are the King of Proatine, King Siegfried van Proa? It¡¯s nice to meet you, my name is Frederic von Colonna.¡± Emperor Frederic weed Siegfried warmly. ¡°Wee, it must have been a long journey. I¡¯m sure those fanatics relentlessly chased after you.¡± ¡°We were able to easily shake them off thanks to my kingdom¡¯s speed boats.¡± ¡°Are those speed boats from the Nordic Tribe? It¡¯s truly fascinating¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°I thank you from the bottom of my heart, King Siegfried. We were able to buy much-needed time thanks to you setting aze their supply storage,¡± Emperor Frederic said with a smile. He seemed to be quite fond of Siegfried despite meeting him for the first time. ¡°I¡¯m extremely grateful that you decided to join our faction, but you even racked up such huge achievements before even joining us! I hereby appoint you as the regimentmander of the Adventurers!¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°And I will give you 1.5 times the reward the papacy had offered you. I would like to give you more, but I¡¯d like to ask for your understanding as our financial situation is not that good¡­¡± ¡°It is more than enough, Your Majesty.¡± Siegfried decided to ept it since he himself knew just how difficult it was for an emperor to mention that he was financially struggling. ¡°It would be great if more and more Adventurers like yourself changed sides to us, but that would be difficult because of the papacy¡¯s enormous war chest. How good would it be if we could attack their coffers, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, thank you for your hard work. I will make sure that I will handsomely reward you and provide full support to the Proatine Kingdom once this civil war is over and I have taken full control of the empire.¡± However, Siegfried felt repulsed the longer he spoke to the emperor. ¡®Hmm¡­ Something¡¯s not right here¡­¡¯?he thought. Emperor Frederic continued to sing praises of Siegfried¡¯s achievements while not even mentioning anything about the massacre that urred in Aria City as well as about the well-being of the female NPCs Siegfried rescued. In the end, Siegfried decided to ask him directly. ¡°Excuse me, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°About the Aria City citizens who had escaped¡­¡± ¡°Oh, you mean those women?¡± Emperor Frederic nonchntly responded, and then he said, ¡°I instructed my men to train them as nurses or cooks to help out in the war efforts. I would love to use them inbat, but they¡¯re weak, untrained women who can¡¯t even use mana¡­¡± ¡°Pardon me¡­?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m relieved that we found use for those scums! Ah! Isn¡¯t this what you Adventurers call recycling,?am I right? Hahaha!¡± ¡®This bastard was a piece of trash, too?!¡¯? Siegfried realized that the Constantine Civil War was actually a power struggle between two powerful pieces of garbage. Chapter 276

    Chapter 276

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Siegfried decided to ask another question. ¡°What about the troops stationed in the cities while you were retreating here¡ª¡± ¡°I abandoned them,¡± Emperor Frederic cut him off and nonchntly responded and continued. ¡°There was no value in keeping those cities anyways, but it¡¯s not that they have any strategic value.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Crane City¡¯s topography simply offers a huge advantage to our forces on top of being abundantly supplied. And I already sort of knew that the fake pope was going to ughter everyone in those cities to set an example to the others.¡± ¡°You¡­ expected it?¡± ¡°Yes, I did! Do you really think I didn¡¯t have the foresight to see that far in the future?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Hoho!?That fool! He wanted to set an example, but all he did was turn the people against him! Haha!¡± Emperor Frederic said with augh. He smiled and continued. ¡°Thanks to his foolishness, the people havepletely turned against the papacy, and the men are enlisting in record numbers out of anger! Hahaha!¡± ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± ¡°Should I say that he outsmarted himself? That cult leader is rich, but he¡¯s going to be judged by the people in the end!¡± ¡°Ah, sure¡­ You¡¯re quite good at manipting people¡¯s sentiments¡­¡± Siegfried muttered under his breath. ¡°Hmm? What was that? Are you mocking me by any chance¡­¡± Emperor Frederic asked with narrowed eyes. ¡°Not at all, I was just marveling at Your Majesty¡¯s wisdom. I, Siegfried, have learned something from Your Majesty today,¡± Siegfried hurriedly made an excuse after mistakenly blurting out his thoughts. He did not forget to praise the emperor. ¡°As expected of a seasoned ruler!¡± ¡°Do you really think so? Kekeke!¡± ¡°I hope you will continue to impart your wisdom on me, Your Majesty, Emperor Frederic!¡± ¡°I like how you¡¯re willing to learn! Alright, I will answer whatever questions you have for me from now on! Kekeke!¡± Emperor Frederic seemed to be in an extremely good mood upon Siegfried¡¯s bootlicking. This was probably how most seniors felt whenever a junior told them that they admired them. ¡®You like it, you piece of shit?¡¯?Siegfried growled inwardly, unbeknownst to the emperor. ¡°May I take my leave now, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Sure, you must be tired. Rest well, and I look forward to more of your achievements on the battlefield! I was really impressed by the martial prowess you disyed when you plowed through my soldiers.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°Take your leave.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Siegfried left the throne room and reunited with hispanions. ¡°How was it, Your Majesty? What kind of person was Emperor Frederic?¡± Gringore asked. ¡°A piece of trash,¡± Siegfried replied without an ounce of hesitation. *** ¡°Are you sure? Kyu?¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Siegfried¡¯spanions were shocked at what they heard about Emperor Frederic. ¡°So what Your Majesty is saying is¡­ Emperor Frederic purposely left those people behind, knowing that the pope was going to massacre them just to turn the people against the papacy?¡± Gringore summarized the whole story. ¡°Yes, exactly,¡± Siegfried replied with a nod, and then he further exined, ¡°Both of them are the same. One massacred the people, while the other set the stage for the former to do so. Both of them are the trash of all trash.¡± ¡°Goodness¡­¡± Gringore muttered. He covered his face with his hands andmented, ¡±How did the rulers of the Constantine Holy Empire be so corrupted?¡± ¡°Holy my ass. I have a feeling I know why their god is the Nameless God. I¡¯d be scared to reveal my name too if my followers act like those bastards,¡± Siegfried grumbled. ¡°That makes perfect sense, Your Majesty,¡± Gringore agreed. How was the Nameless God going to react after seeing what the pope and the emperor were doing? Without a doubt, the Nameless God would probably have a stroke or strike both of them down with divine punishment?after seeing the shameful disy they were putting on. The ironic part about this civil war was the fact that the empire was named Constantine Holy Empire in honor of the Nameless God, but the empire¡¯s emperor and pope were currently fighting each other for power. Unfortunately, the ones who had dearly paid for this power struggle between the two were themon folks of the empire. ¡°Damn it! I stabbed a piece of trash in the back and came all the way here just to be on another piece of trash¡¯s side?¡± Siegfried cursed. ¡°Y-Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°Ah, this is driving me nuts. It¡¯s not like I can leave this war now¡­¡± He wanted nothing more than to not get involved in this war, but he could not afford to do so. He already incurred the wrath of the papacy, so he had to make sure that Emperor Frederic became the ruler of the Constantine Holy Empire. Why? The papacy¡¯s next target after wieldingplete control of the Constantine Holy Empire would be none other than the Proatine Kingdom. The only way for the Proatine Kingdom to be safe from the wrath of the piece of trash that calls itself the pope was to help another piece of trash that called itself the emperor¡­ Siegfried was now stuck between a hard ce and a rock in a tragic twist of irony. ¡°I would love to stab this emperor bastard in the back as well, but¡­¡± Gringore suddenly jumped and screamed, ¡°N-No! You cannot do that, Your Majesty! Pleasepose yourself! You have to help the lesser trash¡ªthe emperor¡ªwin this civil war! You should not betray people anymore! Please think about your public image, too!¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m Lu Bu or something? Why would I betray the emperor as well? I just said I want to, that¡¯s all¡­¡± Siegfried grumbled in response. ¡°Huh? Loo Poo¡­?¡± Gringore tilted his head in confusion. There was no way he would know Lu Bu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms,?as he was an NPC of this world. ¡°There¡¯s someone like that. He¡¯s quite strong, but he kept betraying people until he met his demise,¡± Siegfried exined. ¡°Oh? Is he a general from Your Majesty¡¯s world?¡± ¡°Yes, he was the strongest person alive, but his treachery got him killed in the end.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°I love backstabbing people, but I won¡¯t do that this time, so stop worrying. I also know how to think, you know?¡± Siegfried said before he turned around and left the tent. ¡°Your Majesty! Where are you going?!¡± ¡°I feel stuffy, so I¡¯m going out for a walk. I¡¯ll see youter,¡± Siegfried replied with a troubled look. *** Snap! Michele¡¯s quill pen snapped for the second time this week. ¡°Huh? Haha¡­ No way¡­¡± he muttered. However, he decided not to think about it too much. No, he had to convince himself it was not a bad omen. ¡°No way¡­ There¡¯s no way His Majesty is going to cause another problem, right? He¡¯s not that dumb to stab the pope in the back only to run to the emperor and stab him in the back as well¡­¡± However, why was it that the more he tried to tell himself that there was no way Siegfried was going to do that, the more he was convinced that it was highly possible? The answer was simple. Michele once heard of Emperor Frederic¡¯s temperament. ¡®Emperor Frederic¡­ He looks like a cold ruler on the outside, but he is as evil and corrupt as the pope. If His Majesty works as a mercenary under him, then¡­¡¯ ¡°AAAAAACK!¡±?Michele screamed without even realizing it. He got up from his chair and rushed over to pick up a doll he had tucked away in the corner of his office. The doll oddly resembled Siegfried for some reason¡­ ¡°I¡­!¡± Michele grabbed the doll by the neck and cried out before he started choking it. ¡°It¡¯s my fault! I¡¯m to me!¡± Kwak! He choked it until the doll¡¯s neck was about to snap. ¡°I¡¯m the one to be med for everything!¡± He cried out like a wounded beast before punching the doll. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have sent him there! I should¡¯ve stopped him! It¡¯s my fault! I deserve to die!¡± Michele¡¯s beatdown of the doll continued, and the servants waiting outside his office immediately knew what was going on. ¡®Did His Majesty cause trouble again?!¡¯ ¡®Is it His Majesty again?¡¯ ¡®I thought it¡¯s only been a day since he caused a scene¡­?¡¯ The servants already knew Siegfried was the reason behind Michele¡¯s breakdowns. *** Meanwhile, Siegfried was aimlessly roaming around Crane City while deep in thought. ¡®Let¡¯s calm down for now. It¡¯s my fault for being so weak. I need to be stronger so I don¡¯t have to walk on eggshells around the pope or the emperor¡­¡¯? Siegfried came to the conclusion that he had to obtain the power to be invincible in order not to be in this position ever again. He would only be able to walk freely after acquiring such power. ¡®Let¡¯s not cause another problem¡­ I just need to help Frederic win and return to the Proatine Kingdom. Just let him be, no matter how big of trash he is¡­ The pope and the emperor are not the problem. If I cause another issue, it¡¯s Michele¡­ Michele is going to kill me first before those two can do something to me.¡¯ He convinced himself to stay out of trouble not because of the two rulers of the Constantine Holy Empire but out of fear of incurring Michele¡¯s wrath. Jokes aside, he really had to stay out of trouble from now on. He had dealt a significant blow to the papal faction, but they were still the overwhelming favorites to win this war. And he had also witnessed firsthand just how scary thebination of the papacy and the Genesis Guild could be in battle. Theirbined powers struck fear into the hearts of their enemies while increasing the morale of their allies, and they weren¡¯t the type of opponent he wanted to fight in an all-out war. Siegfried had defeated the Genesis Guild numerous times in recent days, but they were still one of the top ten guilds on the continent, and there was a reason why they obtained that title. ¡®Ah! Forget about it! I should just check what¡¯s in this thing and get my mind off of things,¡¯?Siegfried grumbled before taking out the item he received as a reward forpleting the quest Scene of Madness. ¡®I mean¡­ this was a quest reward, so there shouldn¡¯t be a bunch of trash in it, right?¡¯?he thought and opened the dimensional inventory without much expectation. There were two items in the dimensional inventory. Universal Grade Mana Stone ¡Á 1 Witch¡¯s Talisman ¡Á 1 ¡°H-Hiiiik!¡± Siegfried was shocked out of his socks after seeing the heirloom passed down generation after generation in the Morteto Family. A Universal Grade Mana Stone! The Morteto Family¡¯s heirloom was none other than the mana stone that had equivalent value to twenty S-Grade Mana Stones, which were already extremely rare. ¡°J-Jackpot¡­!¡± However, the real shocker was the fact that the Universal Grade Mana Stone was one of the materials he needed toplete the weapon that Legendary cksmith Herbert had left behind. Of course, he needed three Universal Grade Mana Stones toplete Herbert¡¯s masterpiece. ¡°She gave me this? To me? Crazy¡­ I think I should go find her and give her something in return,¡± Siegfried muttered while sheepishly grinning. ¡®Hmm¡­ I can¡¯t simply ept this. I should go look for Miss Luna andpensate her for this. I know! I¡¯ll bring both of them to Proatine and let them live afortable life without any worries!¡¯? Siegfried came up with a brilliant idea to alleviate his guilt from being given such an expensive item. But first things first, he checked the other item he found in the dimensional inventory¡ªWitch¡¯s Talisman. However¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± He didn¡¯t really have much expectation for the Witch¡¯s Talisman. After all, he had already obtained a Universal Grade Mana Stone, so the Witch¡¯s Talisman was going to be more of a constion prize no matter how good it was. However, he couldn¡¯t be more mistaken. ¡°H-Heok?!¡±?Siegfried stopped breathing the moment he used his Rune of Insight on the constion prize and saw its description. Why? The description said¡­ Chapter 277

    Chapter 277

    [Witch¡¯s Talisman] [A talisman belonging to the Legendary Witch Oswalde, a Master of instation-type magic.] [Type: essory (Ne)] [Rating: Legendary] [Effects: Instation-Type Skill Limit +1] There was no way Siegfried¡¯s mouth could stay shut after reading that. Why? The increase in the limit of instation-type skill meant that he could ce another debuff field. What did that mean? ¡°T-This¡­ It¡¯s going to let me ce down two ze Fields, no?¡± The ability to ce down two ze Fields was already a huge boost, but what if both of those ze Fields were enhanced by Discharge? ¡®This¡­¡¯? Siegfried started racking his brains, trying toe up with ways to utilize the Witch¡¯s Talisman. ¡®I could cover the entire battlefield or easily cover a small fort with this. I still wouldn¡¯t be able to match Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s range, but this will be more than enough to overturn the tides of the battle.¡¯ Siegfried had been troubled by the limitation of his skills, but the Witch¡¯s Talisman resolved that problem for him. ¡®This is really awesome! But how should I use it to maximize its efficiency? What about the mana cost? Argh! I want to test it out right now!¡¯ Siegfried was itching to test out what he could do with the Witch¡¯s Talisman, but the civil war had entered a lull, and it would take a bit of time before it resumed. ¡°Ah¡­ Where can I test this out?¡± he grumbled while itching for a fight. It was understandable¡ªany gamer would want to use a newly obtained skill or item right away! ¡°I should return to my regiment and see if there¡¯s any skirmish I can join,¡± he muttered and decided to go back to his barracks. ¡®Also, I need to go see Miss Luna, too.¡¯ He did not forget to go and meet the benefactor who gave him such items. *** Siegfried arrived at the corner of the military camp where the refugees from Aria City were staying. ¡°Ah! Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Thank you for visiting us, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Please sit here!¡± The dozens of female NPCs that he had rescued from Aria City immediately weed him. ¡°Please wait, Adventurer-nim! What is the name of that esteemed person?¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, my hyung-nim? He¡¯s the King of the Proatine Kingdom. Haha!¡± The women learned from Seung-Gu that their savior was the king of a small kingdom called the Proatine Kingdom, but¡­ ¡®Frederic, that son of a bitch¡­!¡¯?Siegfried was enraged. The state of the refugees was utterly pitiful. They were wearing old tattered clothes that were supposedly their uniform as medics, and their feet were covered with boots riddled with holes all over. What enraged Siegfried the most was that he witnessed one of the women eating gruel made out of nothing but flour from a dirty wooden bowl. ¡®This is the food they gave to these women who barely made it out alive?! Those bastards!¡¯?Siegfried started cursing the emperor inwardly. He understood that the imperial faction was going through a rough patch financially, but this was beyond inhumane. These women needed at least a day or two of rest, and they had to be fed nutritious food to recover. However, they had already been deployed to work in the military camp while being served what looked like an inedible mush. ¡°Scribe Gringore. I know you¡¯re here, so please show yourself,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± Gringore emerged from out of nowhere. ¡°Omo!¡± ¡°K-Kyah!¡± ¡°Heok!¡± The women shrieked out of horror. Most women would be captivated by his handsome beauty afterying eyes on him, but these women weren¡¯t in the state of mind to admire him. ¡°Scribe Gringore.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Take this and buy a few things, and make sure you get ample food,¡± Siegfried said as he passed a pouch filled with gold coins. ¡°I understand,¡± Gringore replied and took the pouch before leaving the tent. Siegfried decided to dy testing out his new item after seeing the women¡¯s conditions. ¡°Thank you for hanging on. I promise you that better days wille soon,¡± he told the women. This was the best he could tell them. ¡°Ah, also, Miss Luna?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Can I speak to you for a second?¡± ¡°About¡­?¡± ¡°I wish to speak to you in private.¡± ¡°Ah, yes! I will do whatever you ask me to, Your Majesty!¡± Siegfried took Luna aside and exined to her. ¡°Miss Luna, I think I will have to reimburse you. You gave me too much,¡± he said. ¡°It is fine, Your Majesty,¡± she replied. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your Majesty saved my one and only sister. What else could be more valuable than a person¡¯s life in this world?¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°If you truly wish to reimburse me, I would be so shameless to ask you to help at least my sister leave this warzone. I am fine, so please, just my sister¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± he pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°I will let you know soon.¡± He immediately went to see Emperor Frederic. ¡°What is it? I thought you went to rest, King Siegfried?¡± ¡°Ah, I had a favor I wished to ask, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°What is that favor of yours?¡± ¡°May I take the refugees I rescued from Aria City with me?¡± ¡°No,¡± Emperor Frederic cut him off before exining, ¡°We¡¯re alreadycking medics, nurses, and cooks. I would¡¯ve easily agreed if we weren¡¯t short on manpower since I get to save money on taking care of them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But using them as medics, nurses, and cooks is far more beneficial in our current situation. Ah, of course¡­¡± Emperor Frederic said before he shed a sheepish grin and added, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to pay for them, then I¡¯d consider selling¡­ no, letting them seek refuge in yournds. Haha!¡± ¡®Are you a ve trader, you fucking bastard?!¡¯? Anger welled up within Siegfried after hearing what the emperor said. He could not understand how a ruler could treat his own people like mere goods for sale, but he knew that this emperor was indeed a scumbag. ¡®All right, I guess I can¡¯t force the issue if you don¡¯t want to hand them over. I can¡¯t save everyone, so let¡¯s not get carried away¡­¡¯?Siegfried decided to give up on taking all of the women with him. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Then, how about if I pay for only the sisters, Luna and Lucy, instead?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I have some personal issues with them¡­ Haha¡­¡± ¡°Sure, go speak to my minister in charge of my finances and make a deal with him.¡± ¡°I thank you for your abounding grace, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Haha!?No need to thank me over such a small matter! It¡¯s a shame that you¡¯re not buying them in bulk, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped since you¡¯re probably cash-strapped, too! Keke!¡± Emperor Frederic seemed to have misunderstood that Siegfried was the king of a poverty-stricken kingdom, so he had to personallye and work part-time to make ends meet. ¡°I will give you a one percent discount! I¡¯m giving this because it¡¯s you, so you better be grateful! Haha!¡± Emperor Frederic eximed as if he was doing Siegfried a huge favor. ¡°Thank you very much, Your Majesty!¡± Siegfried eximed in response while brightly smiling, but he was pouring out all sorts of curses at the emperor inside. ¡®You fucking scumbag¡­ You could¡¯ve fed them properly if you skipped a bottle of booze¡­¡¯? The emperor was drinking an alcohol called Vampire¡¯s Tears, which was known as one of the top-tier wines on the continent. A single bottle of Vampire¡¯s Tears was two hundred fifty gold. It was quite an expensive bottle of wine if taking into consideration that two hundred fifty gold was equivalent to eleven million won in South Korea. How could he give such treatment to the refugees when he was sipping on such an expensive bottle of wine? Siegfried was convinced that the emperor wasn¡¯t poor at all. No, it was not an issue of having enough budget or not; the emperor simply treated his people like a bunch of cattle. ¡®I want to beat him up¡­ I want to beat him up¡­ hold it in¡­ hold it¡­ just close your eyes this one time¡­¡¯? In the end, Siegfried had to clench his fists and meditate to prevent himself from lunging at the emperor. *** Siegfried immediately went to Luna after paying for both of them. ¡°I¡¯ve bought you and Miss. Lucy,¡± he said. ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°My Aqua Runners are still stationed at the Hudson River. Take one of those to reach my kingdom, and I will instruct my subjects to provide you with food and shelter for now.¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you very much!¡± ¡°In return¡­¡± he said before pausing for a moment and then continuing, ¡°¡­please keep this a secret from the other women.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they want to get out of this hell too, and they will be envious if they hear about it.¡± Siegfried was worried about that since she seemed quitepassionate. ¡°Please do not trouble yourself about that, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Ah, okay¡­¡± ¡°Thank you very much¡­ my¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°My king.¡± Luna got down on one knee and repeated, ¡°Thank you very much, King Siegfried, my king.¡± Lucy followed suit and bent her knee as well. They were now citizens of the Proatine Kingdom, and they were paying their respects to their new king. ¡°I hope you will be happy in my kingdom. I will do my best to make sure that both of you will only have happy days ahead,¡± Siegfried promised before passing them over to his marines. ¡ªEmergency! Emergency! ¡ªAll forces! Prepare for battle! ¡ªI repeat! ¡ªEmergency! Emergency! ¡ªAll forces! Prepare for battle! The magic speakers installed all over the camp suddenly red out noisily. ¡°Damn it¡­ I wanted to log out and get some sleep. Tsk¡­?I guess I have no choice,¡± Siegfried grumbled and clicked his tongue before rushing back to his regiment. *** The papacy reorganized and attacked not only Crane City but three other strategic locations of East Constantine despite having their supply storage burnt to the ground. Siegfried was stationed as the regimentmander at Vaper Fortress, which was the smallest yet most dangerous one among all of them. It was at that moment that Siegfried and his regiment of Adventurers entered Vaper Fortress¡­ ¡°It¡¯s the enemy!¡± ¡°The papacy¡¯s dogs are here!¡± ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± The papal forces swarmed toward the fortress. ¡°This is¡­ are they seriously asking us to fend off all of them with just this much troops?¡± Siegfried was bbergasted at his current situation. Vaper Fortress only had roughly ten thousand troops stationed in it, but the oing papal troops seemed to number in tens of thousands. The only silver lining in his current situation was that the fortress was equipped with anti-air cannons, which made it safe from any time of bombardment from the air. However, the situation still looked quite grim for Vaper Fortress. ¡®They want us to fight this? How¡¯s this any different from sending us to our deaths?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled inwardly. He was correct. Emperor Frederic concentrated most of his troops at Crane City and the second most important strategic location, Tenshall Territory. Why? Emperor Frederic¡¯s strategy in this civil war was to sacrifice his troops and people to obtain victory. He knowingly sent fewer troops to Vaper Fortress while bolstering his main forces in hopes of counterattacking when the opportunity arose. The troops and civilians in Vaper Fortress had one task¡ªstall the enemy forces with their lives on the line. In other words, everyone in Vaper Fortress was doomed from the start. ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s understandable for him to make such a decision if he¡¯s desperate.¡¯ Surprisingly, Siegfried tried his best to understand why the emperor made this choice. The imperial faction was already greatly disadvantaged in this civil war, and it was imperative that Vaper Fortress hold back the enemy forces for as long as possible with their lives on the line. The civil war stemmed from a petty power struggle between two corrupted rulers, but this was a matter of life and death for Emperor Frederic, so he had toe up with the strategy with the highest chance of winning. Of course, there was no reason for Siegfried to try and understand the emperor¡¯s position. However, the reason he still tried to understand the emperor was simply because he was knee-deep in this war and could no longer leave. He had to make sure the empire did not fall into the hands of the papacy, so this had also be a matter of life and death for him. ¡°You dirty heretics!¡± ¡°Heathens possessed by the devil!¡± ¡°Be cleansed!¡± The papal forces started their siege of the fortress. ¡°Ah, whatever¡­ I¡¯ll just fight for as long as I can,¡± Siegfried muttered and shook his head before jumping down the walls. He mmed his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist into the ground uponnding. Boom! Splitting Heaven and Earth! Siegfried¡¯s Splitting Heaven and Earth signaled the start of the Siege of Vaper Fortress. Chapter 278

    Chapter 278

    Whoosh! Crack¡­! Bam! Gravity seemed to have briefly vanished as everything was thrown into the sky. Lightning crashed down and struck the ground, splitting it open. Rumble! Siegfried stood in the middle of the destruction created by thebination of Earthquake¡ªthe unique skill of Gaia¡¯s Fist¡ªand Splitting Heaven and Earth. ¡°Aaack!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°H-Help me!¡± The papal troops, who were fortunate to avoid getting swept up by Splitting Heaven and Earth, were swallowed up by the ground after it split open. [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] ¡­ [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] A string of messages popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes. [Alert: You have reached Level 221!] He even leveled up. ¡®Just how many of them did I kill just now¡­?¡¯?he wondered. He was the one who had used the skill, but he had no idea just how many troops he had ended up killing. He hadn¡¯t been paying attention to how many enemies there were in the first ce. He simply used his skills to an area teeming with enemy troops. However, Siegfried was sure that he had killed more than a thousand enemy troops. The papal troops who had witnessed Siegfried¡¯s prowess stopped their charge. ¡°M-Monster!¡± ¡°Why is such a strong person in Vaper Fortress?!¡± The massacre struck fear into the hearts of the papal troops. Any human being would be scared shitless after witnessing a massacre on such a scale. Those who could remain unafraid were either under the influence of drugs or a spell. Meanwhile, the imperial troops¡¯ morale skyrocketed. ¡°Haha! Did you see that, bastards?!¡± ¡°Come, and we will show you what death is!¡± ¡°Do you have a death wish?!¡± Siegfried¡¯s Splitting Heaven and Earth inverted the morale of the two armies, but it onlysted for a few moments. ¡°Imbeciles! Do you really think he can use that skill consecutively, you morons!¡± shouted an Adventurer among the papal forces. ¡°Charge! There¡¯s nothing to be scared of!¡± Themanders of the papal troops finally realized what was going on and shouted at their soldiers, ¡°Charge! Don¡¯t be scared of the heathen! The Nameless God is with us!¡± The papacy¡¯s priests immediately cast their spells. Wooong! Then, holy auras started to emit from the priests¡¯ bodies and spread throughout the entire papal forces. It was the buff Blessing of Courage that increased the morale of allied troops and removed fear from their hearts. Themander of the papal forces shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°For the Nameless God! Charge!¡± Not an ounce of fear could be seen in the eyes of the papal troops as they resumed their siege of Vaper Fortress. ¡°Tsk¡­?I thought I gained a minute or two, but they dispelled it with buffs. Cheaters¡­¡± Siegfried grimaced and grumbled under his breath. Buffs were so annoying to deal with that most people would call them cheats, but these Adventurers probably had no idea that there was something far more disgusting than buffs. Woooong! Siegfried gathered his mana. Fwaaaa! Fwaaaaah! mes shot up from the ground and covered the entirety of Vaper Fortress. However, that was not the end of it¡­ He immediately used Overclocking and activated Irradiate as well. Sseuuu¡­! A green fog radiated from Siegfried. ¡°Die!¡± The soldiers at the vanguard of the papal troops rushed at Siegfried. Thud! However, the soldiers dropped dead even before they could take a swing at him. Tremble¡­! Tremble¡­! The soldiers convulsed as if they had been inflicted by a deadly disease and started foaming at their mouths. ¡°U-Ugh¡­!¡± Their eyes rolled back, and they groaned in agony until they eventually stopped moving. ¡°¡­¡± Low-level soldiers couldn¡¯t possibly withstand Siegfried¡¯s radioactive energy. A split-second exposure was enough for Irradiate to take their lives, but it wasn¡¯t just the low-level soldiers. Even the high-level soldiers eventually died before they could reach Siegfried. In the end, there was nothing the morale buff could do aside from sending the troops to their demise. There were a few holy knights with Poison Resistance. They managed to approach Siegfried, but they also met a tragic end. Bam! Bam! Pukeok! They became sandbags for Siegfried to beat up, and a few swings of his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist sent them to their makers. ¡°Holy Warriors! Hurry up and punish that evil traitor!¡± Themander of the papal troops relied on the Adventurers to dispose of Siegfried. ¡®I saw the videos, and he seems to be quite skilled.¡¯ ¡®Let¡¯s see what you got.¡¯ ¡®Ha! He just got lucky after receiving buffs from the Genesis Guild!¡¯ ¡®How strong can he be against all of us?¡¯ The Adventurers had their own opinion as they surrounded their target, and they were buffed to the brim by the priests from the papacy. However, Siegfried was unfazed despite being surrounded by the fully buffed Adventurers. He was smirking in quite an arrogant manner, showing his confidence about his victory and that he was happy to fight them. Why was he happy to fight so many Adventurers at once? Siegfried was happy because he could finally test his might with the Witch¡¯s Talisman. Wooong! He gathered his mana. Woooong! The Witch¡¯s Talisman reacted to his mana and vibrated. Fwaaaa! Fwaaaaah! Another ze Field emerged from underneath the ze Field on the battlefield. Fwaaaaaaah! Siegfried ced down a smaller ze Field stronger than the first one. The first ze Field he ced down with Discharge focused on covering as much area as possible, but the second, tinier ze Field maximized its effects. ¡®Ah, I think they don¡¯t stack,¡¯?Siegfried realized that the effects of two ze Fields didn¡¯t stack with each other; rather, the ze Field with the stronger effect was applied. Siegfried¡¯s biggest dilemma was the fact that he couldn¡¯t fully maximize ze Field¡¯s effects after cing it down for his allies, which meant he would struggle against strong opponents since he had to face them without his strongest debuff. However, that was no longer a problem. He could ce down one for himself and one for his allies. ¡®Time for me to fight to my heart¡¯s content!¡¯ Siegfried gnashed his teeth and gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist tightly before swinging it like a madman. *** Right before the Battle of Vaper Fortressmenced, the papal forcesid siege to Crane City and Tenshall Territory of the imperial forces. ¡°My god¡­! Since when did that fake emperor have so many troops under hismand?!¡± Themander of the papal forces, General Mikhael, was shocked after seeing the numbers of the imperial forces. This was something he had never expected as his estimate was off by nearly forty to fifty thousand troops on the imperial forces¡¯ side. ¡°Just where did all of those troopse from¡­?¡± A messenger suddenly rushed in. ¡°Commander! We have received word from our forces besieging Vaper Fortress!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°They say that Vaper Fortress has fewer troops than anticipated, and they will be able to conquer it earlier than expected! Congrattions, Commander-nim!¡± The messenger smiled after making the report and expected the general to do the same. However, themander¡¯s response was theplete opposite of what the messenger had expected. ¡°That crazy bastard!¡± General Mikhael growled in anger. ¡°W-What is it,mander-nim?¡± ¡°That fake emperor, Frederic¡­ I never expected him to have the balls to do something like this!¡± General Mikahel shouted in anger. What would happen if the imperial forces emerged victorious in the siege of Crane City and Tenshall City at the expense of Vaper Fortress? The Hudson River, which was a crucial supply route for the papal forces, was going to be blocked off, and the papal forces would be forced to fight in a severely disadvantageous position. ¡°So¡­ you decided to stake everything on this¡­¡± General Mikhael was truly shocked at the emperor¡¯s brazenness. How was it possible that someone who calls himself an emperor would rely on such a tactical gambit? No, this was a gamble more than a tactical gambit. This strategy had no contingency ns to fall back on. It seemed like a shallow move on the surface, but it was actually an extremely intricate and cunning n that had the potential to end this civil war and proim the emperor as the winner if it were to seed. Surprisingly, the gamble almost seeded, as nobody had imagined that the emperor would even use such a strategy in the first ce. ¡®This is a race against time! We need to conquer the Vaper Fortress as fast as possible with minimal casualties. This war will end in our victory if we seed!¡¯? General Mikhael realized that timing?was the most crucial factor in this war. The Vaper Fortress was nothing but bait. The emperor¡¯s main forces in Crane City and Tenshall Territory could drive back the papal forces as long as Vaper Fortress managed to fend off the attackers. ¡®Conquering?Vaper Fortress is no use if we get driven back from Crane City and Tenshall Territory! We need to stop the siege at once and not y into the hands of that fake emperor¡­!¡¯? Making the troops retreat from Crane City and Tenshall Territory was the best move the general could make at this time. Why? Vaper Fortress was bound to fall into the hands of the papal forces sooner orter, and all he had to do was avoid fighting against the imperial forces until that happened. Then, the fake emperor would pay dearly for making such an absurd gamble with his life. ¡°Retreat! Sound the retreat! Stop the siege and ask our troops to fall¡ª¡± It was then that two messengers came and simultaneously made a report. ¡°Commander! The enemies have sallied out of their castle!¡± ¡°We have received word from Tenshall Territory! The imperial forces have sallied out!¡± General Mikhael¡¯s face turned ghastly pale at the reports as he cried out, ¡°N-No!¡± The emperor seemed to be hell-bent on stopping the papal forces from retreating and fighting the decisive battle right now. ¡®No! Was I toote?!¡¯?General Mikhael realized that he had fallen right into the emperor¡¯s trap. ¡°S-Send word to our forces besieging Vaper Fortress! Tell them to conquer the fort with minimal casualties and attack those imperial dogs from behind!¡± The key to the papal forces escaping from the crutches of the emperor was the fall of Vaper Fortress. In other words, the most important battlefield among the three battlefields right now was none other than Vaper Fortress! *** The NPC soldiers and Adventurers stationed at Vaper Fortress were defending the fort, not knowing that they had be the deciding factor in this civil war¡¯s oue. Fwaaaa! Fwaaah! Siegfried and the Adventurers killed enemy after enemy on top of the two ze Fields, and they proved that debuffs were superior to the buffs of the priests. No, it was the mountains of corpses surrounded by mes that proved the superiority of debuffs. Huff¡­! Huff¡­!? ¡°Hey, owner punk! Slow down! You¡¯re going to kill Hamchi at this rate!¡± Hamchi was utterly exhausted from running around to pick up the items that the Adventurers and Siegfried had killed. Meanwhile, the papal forces were frustrated at the progress of the siege. They had received clear instructions from themander to conquer Vaper Fortress as soon as they could and hit the imperial forces from the rear, but they couldn¡¯t progress even a single step toward the fort walls while continuously suffering losses. It was the same for the Adventurers on the papacy¡¯s side. They had been attacking the enemy with everything they got while being fully stacked with buffs from the priests, but they were helpless against Siegfried¡¯s debuffs. In fact, the debuffs were so powerful that they not only nullified their buffs but even shredded their stats as well. ¡°Tsk¡­?That dirty bastard¡­ Should I just log out and watch Hirumi-chan¡¯stest video¡­¡± An Adventurer clicked his tongue and retreated from the ze Field. However, he failed to realize that a dark shadow was cast down on him. Tak! A humongous hand suddenly grabbed the Adventurer¡¯s head. ¡°Desertion is forbidden.¡± Pukeok! The head of the Adventurer who tried to escape exploded like a watermelon. Chapter 279

    Chapter 279

    ¡°¡­!¡± Every eye on the battlefield darted toward the Adventurer, who died a gruesome death. It was thew of this world to put deserters to death, but it was quite rare for the deserter to be executed on the spot, not to mention having his head crushed to a pulp. What was even more surprising was the fact that the deserter¡¯s head was crushed by a person¡¯s bare hands, even though he was wearing a helmet. ¡®What the hell is that monster?¡¯? Siegfried saw the gruesome sight as well. The monster that executed the deserter was a humongous man with muscles all over him, and he seemed to weigh no less than two hundred kilograms with only a single digit of body fat. However, what shocked Siegfried more than the man¡¯s muscr physique was his back. Therge-framed man was a hunchback. However, he seemed to be more than 185 centimeters tall despite being a hunchback, and he would have easily towered two meters and a half if it hadn¡¯t been for his back. ¡®That guy¡¯s strong,¡¯?Siegfried instinctively knew it. He used his Rune of Insight on the hunchback. [Quasimodo] [The executioner of the papacy.] [He was scorned by others due to the defect he was born with, but Theophilus, when he was still a cardinal, took him under his wings.] [He swore absolute loyalty to the pope and would not hesitate to follow any orders.] [He is the most notorious hitman of the papacy, and none has ever survived his visit.] [Type: Named NPC] [Level: 255] [ss: Cruel Punisher] [Affiliation: Papacy] [Position: Executioner] [Titles: World¡¯s Strongest Hunchback, Killing Machine, Grim Reaper, Stronger Executioner] General Mikhael hurriedly sent the papacy¡¯s executioner, Quasimodo, a Level 255 Named NPC, to speed up the siege of Vaper Fortress. In Siegfried¡¯s eyes, Quasimodo seemed to be the strongest person he had ever met in terms of physical strength, and he was definitely stronger than the descendant of Supreme King Braum, Cesc. Cesc had just be the descendant of Supreme King Braum, and he was still in the process of growing stronger. However, Quasimodo had already reached his full potential and was a Named NPC as well. ¡°Are you¡­ the traitor who had betrayed His Holiness and sided with that fake emperor?¡± Quasimodo asked in a screeching voice. ¡°So what if I am?¡± Siegfried nonchntly replied. ¡°I will kill you by ripping off each and every limb of yours.¡± It was quite the spine-chilling threat. The hunchback was basically telling Siegfried that he was going to pull his limbs apart alive. ¡°Let¡¯s see who¡¯s going to die,¡± Siegfried replied. He was unfazed, even though he would be up against a Named NPC thirty levels above him. ¡®I need to hold them back. The number of soldiers stationed here is proof that the scumbag had made a gamble. I need to endure until that scumbag manages to destroy the pope¡¯s army.¡¯ Siegfried hated the thought of cooperating with the scumbag, but he had no choice since they were on the same boat now. ¡®I¡¯ll strike him first.¡¯ Siegfried kicked off the ground and flew toward Quasimodo. Bzzt! Bzzt! He shone in gold as powerful electrical currents surged from him after activating his Super Armor skill. He activated Overclocking as well because his opponent was definitely strong. Shwoosh! Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist at the hunchback¡¯s waist, but¡­ ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered and tilted his head in confusion. He was stunned after seeing the gigantic hands of the hunchback catch his mace. His basic attack was basically a skill in itself, and his weapon was the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. In addition, they were standing on two ze Fields. It was a sight he could not believe even after witnessing it with his own two eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­ that was ticklish,¡± Quasimodo said dryly. He had caught the +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist with his bare hand, but that was the only reaction he gave. ¡®This bastard is a monster¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought to himself and switched his stance. ¡°Die.¡± However, Quasimodo¡¯s left hand flew in an uppercut motion and connected with Siegfried¡¯s chin. ¡°Kuheok!¡± Siegfried coughed blood and flew back in a parab. However, the most shocking part here was the fact that Quasimodo had shattered Siegfried¡¯s Super Armor in just one attack. Thud! Siegfried finally crashed to the ground around fifty meters away from Quasimodo. ¡°O-Owner punk!¡± Hamchi shouted and ran over to Siegfried. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ My¡­ Eyes¡­¡± Siegfried muttered some gibberish as if he had gone insane. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your character has been inflicted with ¡®Stun¡¯!] [Alert: You have lost control over your character!] [Alert: Your vision has dimmed!] A message notifying Siegfried that he was under the effect of Stun popped up in front of him. His Super Armor had shattered, and he even got stunned. ¡°You¡¯re tougher than you look. I thought that was enough to kill you,¡± Quasimodo said while tilting his head. The hunchback started walking toward Siegfried. Siegfried struggled as hard as he could to get back up on his feet. ¡°Hmm¡­ Yeah, you¡¯re indeed tough. That¡¯s quite the admirable spirit you have. I¡¯m sure it will be worthwhile killing you as painfully as possible¡­¡± However, the hunchback made one gross miscalction. What was it? Tak! Siegfried immediately ran after he regained control of his character, but it wasn¡¯t in the direction of the hunchback. Instead, he ran toward the walls of Vaper Fortress and scaled them. His movements were so fast that he reached the top of the fort walls in the blink of an eye, courtesy of Pesky Brat. ¡°Huh? Is he running away?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he ran after just a single hit¡­?¡± ¡°W-What is he doing?¡± The Head Crusher Guild members and Adventurers on the imperial faction¡¯s side tilted their heads in confusion and were perplexed at Siegfried¡¯s actions. ¡°Everyone! Run! That bastard is fucking strong!¡± Siegfried shouted while standing on top of the fort walls. He really did run away after taking a single hit. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Adventurers stared at him, dumbfounded and speechless. *** ¡°This is my first time seeing such a pesky brat¡­¡± Quasimodo said in disbelief. Siegfried was strong. Quasimodo managed to send him flying with a single punch, but the fact that Siegfried was still alive after taking a direct hit from Quasimodo meant that he was strong. On top of that¡­ Throb! Quasimodo hadn¡¯t realized it at first, but his hand that caught the mace was throbbing. He would usually only feel a tickling sensation after catching an enemy¡¯s weapon with his bare hands, but he felt pain for the first time in a long while. Quasimodo trained his hands by covering them with his mana and dipping them in moltenva. In other words, his hands were stronger than most enhanced weapons, but his hands actually felt pain? Siegfried was an enemy and a treacherous traitor at that, but Quasimodo had to acknowledge Siegfried¡¯s strength. Ironically, the hunchback could have never thought that someone he had acknowledged would run away with his tails tucked between his legs after getting hit once. ¡°You have no honor¡­ You¡¯re not a man. No, you are a disgrace to all men! I shall rip you apart, and I will only kill you once I¡¯ve pulled out your manhood. You¡¯ll die as I dangle your manhood right in front of you,¡± Quasimodo said with a fire burning in his eyes. ¡°Hey¡­ That¡¯s a bit extreme¡­¡± Siegfried muttered, trembling in fear after imagining the consequences that his manhood could suffer. Siegfried¡¯s heart was strong, but the hunchback¡¯s threat was on a whole new level¡ªit actually sent chills down his spine. ¡°W-What are you doing?!¡± shouted themander of the papal forces. ¡°The enemymander has run away after losing to Quasimodo! All forces! Charge! Break down the walls of those heretics! Break it down in the name of the Nameless God!¡± Themander of the papal forces¡¯ words boosted the morale of the papal troops as they resumed their charge toward Vaper Fortress. ¡°Waaaaah!¡± ¡°In the name of the Nameless God!¡± ¡°Glory to the Nameless God!¡± The fight in front of the fort gates had be a siege once more. *** On top of the fort walls, Seung-Gu sounded slightly disappointed as he asked, ¡°H-Hyung¡­ Why did you run away? That wasn¡¯t like you¡­¡± ¡°I ran because I can¡¯t beat him by myself,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Well, that monster¡¯s level is higher than you¡­¡± ¡°And who¡¯s going to protect this fortress once I die?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Do you really think that this fortress can defeat the enemy troops without my debuffs? Listen, fighting one-on-one or honor isn¡¯t important during a war. We have to stall the enemy in this battle. Otherwise, the imperial forces¡¯ rear will be exposed.¡± ¡°Wow! As expected of hyung-nim! So it¡¯s all ording to your n?!¡± Seung-Gu¡¯s face lit up after realizing Siegfried¡¯s intentions. The Siegfried he knew always fought against stronger enemies, and he was not someone who would back down from a fight. Therefore, Seung-Gu was relieved to find out that he only backed down this time because he had no choice but to do so. ¡°I need to stay alive and continue debuffing the enemy. That¡¯s the only way this fortress can hold the enemy back until that scumbag destroys that cult bastard¡¯s armies.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Our goal in this battle is not to win but to stall the enemy forces for as long as we can and stay alive. We will retreat at once if the fortress can¡¯t take it anymore, but we need to stay alive no matter what.¡± Siegfried emphasized staying alive because there was no point in putting their lives on the line to protect Vaper Fortress. What if they died? They would lose a level and drop a random item from their Inventory. They would also be temporarily locked out of the game. In addition, their job was to buy time for the scumbag rather than throw away their lives. ¡°They¡¯reing. Stay alert and stay alive. You¡¯re already at the level where losing one level will really hurt, right?¡± Siegfried said while looking at the advancing papal troops. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim. I will keep that in mind,¡± Seung-Gu replied. Seung-Gu¡¯s level had gotten so high that losing a level was guaranteed to bring excruciating pain, so he understood what Siegfried was talking about. ¡®Quasimodo¡­ It¡¯s impossible to defeat him one-on-one, so I should try and keep an eye out for anything that could give me an edge once all hell breaks loose.¡¯ Siegfried used Discharge and covered the entire fort walls with ze Field and Shadow Swamp while observing the hunchback walking slowly toward them from the distance. ¡®I admit you¡¯re stronger than me, and you¡¯ve defeated me as well. However, you can¡¯t kill me. Why? It¡¯s all because you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to die and not me.¡¯ Unfortunately, the edge that Siegfried was looking for didn¡¯te as easily as he thought it would. Soon, the siege started, and a figure kicked off of the ground and soared into the skies. ¡°H-He can jump that high?!¡± Siegfried was shocked at the hunchback¡¯s jump. Swoosh! Quasimodo jumped nearly thirty meters into the air and flew in a parab toward the fort walls. He could jump as high as the fort walls, while Siegfried had to run vertically to reach the top of the fort walls. ¡°Fire!¡± Siegfried shouted at Seung-Gu. He knew without a doubt that the entire fort walls were going to be in absolute ruins if Quasimodonded on it, so he changed Seung-Gu¡¯s main task from firing at the cluster of enemies to preventing the hunchback fromnding on a fort wall. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!? The Iron Golems rooted on the castle walls in their siege mode fired at the hunchback flying in mid-air. ¡°Hamchi! Fire!¡± ¡°Kyuuuuu!¡± Siegfried wasn¡¯t satisfied with the Iron Golems alone, so he ordered Hamchi to shoot his ray as well. In addition, he also threw his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist using Flying Sword. However, thebined attacks of Siegfried, Hamchi, and Seung-Gu failed to stop the hunchback¡¯s flight. Ting! Bam! Siegfried¡¯s +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist struck the hunchback¡¯s chest, but it was deflected and got stuck in the fort walls. Thud! Quasimodo sessfullynded on a fort wall. Hended in front of Siegfried, to boot. ¡°Hello, long time no see. Has it been a minute?¡± Quasimodo asked with a grin. The World¡¯s Strongest Hunchback licked his lips and stared intently at his prey. ¡°H-Have we met before? Hahaha¡­¡± Siegfried replied with an awkwardugh while profusely sweating. ¡°Let¡¯s start with folding you in half,¡± Quasimodo said before lunging at Siegfried with speeds that nobody would believe a hunchback was capable of doing. Chapter 280

    Chapter 280

    ¡®I¡¯m dead if I get hit!¡¯?Siegfried immediately jumped out of the way after seeing the hunchback¡¯s fisting for him. Bam! Quasimodo¡¯s fist mmed into a pir behind Siegfried. Crumble¡­! The pir crumbled into dust upon getting hit. ¡°Hey, damn it! That¡¯s cheating! How can bare knuckles be so powerful?!¡± Siegfried screamed in frustration. It made no sense at all. How was it possible for bare fists to destroy a pir in one punch? Siegfried could make a dent in a pir with a punch, but he couldn¡¯t turn it into dust. What if that punch connected with Siegfried¡¯s face? ¡®Instant death¡­¡¯ He would have died in a single hit. He wasn¡¯t a Tank, after all. Quasimodo was probably the weakest among the strong people Siegfried had met so far, but the hunchback¡¯s raw strength was a force to be reckoned with. Most of the strong?people Siegfried had met until now weren¡¯t his enemies, and the only one he truly fought was Menacia, but it wasn¡¯t even a proper fight. She had already sustained a severe injury from Brunhilde, so it wasn¡¯t a proper fight whatsoever. In other words, he had met a lot of strong people, but it was his first time experiencing the full strength of one of them. The Level 255 hunchback NPC was truly a powerful opponent. Siegfried could feel the huge gap between their strength. It was quite ironic how the weakest strong person Siegfried had met until now was the most threatening opponent he had ever faced. ¡°Your movements are good, but let¡¯s see how long you can keep avoiding my attacks, you treacherous bastard,¡± Quasimodo said with a smirk. ¡°I want to know that, too¡­ I guess?¡± Siegfried replied while profusely sweating and retreating a few steps. Quasimodo pointed at Siegfried and said, ¡°Come face me like a man if you think¡ª¡± However, Siegfriedpletely disagreed with him. ¡°Have a nice day!¡± Siegfried eximed before running away as fast as he could. ¡°Catch that rat!¡± Quasimodo shouted in anger and chased after the rat himself. The hunchback chased after Siegfried at ferocious speeds like a maniac while shouting. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± *** Siegfried ran away deep within the fortress. ¡®He got baited!¡¯?He smirked after seeing the hunchback following him all the way in. His escape was just another one of his ploys, as he already ced down ze Field and Shadow Swamp over the entire fortress. This meant that the imperial troops still held a significant advantage over the papal troops. It would have been perfect if Siegfried could wreak havoc on the frontlines, as it would have been easier for the imperial troops to drive back the invaders. However, he didn¡¯t have to join the battle to contribute. His debuff fields were as good as having thousands of men on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Quasimodo hadmitted a grave mistake by chasing after Siegfried. The hunchback was the most powerful soldier on the papal faction¡¯s side, and he easily overpowered the imperial faction¡¯s most powerful soldier, Siegfried. In other words, there was no reason for him to chase after Siegfried. It would have been much more efficient for him to wreak havoc on the enemy¡¯s fort walls and make it easier for his army to enter the gates. Unfortunately, the hunchback only had eyes for Siegfried right now as he chased after thetter like a ferocious beast. He had been blinded by fury. ¡®You piece of trash! You keep running away when you wield such power?! I will kill you with my own hands and make you pay for your sins of betraying the father of the papacy, His Holiness the Pope!¡¯ The hunchback was the pope¡¯s loyal dog, and his loyalty and reverence for the pope made him loathe Siegfried. The pope was the first person to embrace him despite his disability and hideous appearance. The love shown to him made him swear loyalty toward the pope, and he truly loved the pope deep in his heart. In other words, how could he not be enraged after hearing about how someone had betrayed the pope to stand on the enemy¡¯s side? It was a good enough reason for the hunchback to chase the traitor to the ends of hell. Moreover¡­ ¡°Hey~ Woohoo! I almost died just now~ You¡¯re so strong yet so slow~¡± Siegfried kept on taunting while evading all of his attacks, which made himpletely forget his mission of conquering the Vaper Fortress as soon as possible and attacking the emperor from the back. In fact, he was so enraged by the Adventurer that he wanted to pull thetter¡¯s limbs apart and even pull that?part out. ¡°You pesky brat! Stop right there!¡± Quasimodo¡¯s voice thundered across the fortress. ¡°Not going to~¡± ¡°You rat!¡± ¡°Hey, are you going to stop if you were in my shoes? Whoopsie daisy~¡± Siegfried narrowly evaded a punch and scurried away, which made Quasimodo jump in frustration. ¡®Just a bit more¡­ a little bit more¡­¡¯?Siegfried tried his best to irritate the hunchback and lure him around the fortress. The papal forces were slowly losing the siege thanks to his debuff fields. ¡°Where did that dog Quasimodo go?! He should be focusing on the siege right now!¡± The hunchback¡¯s absence had a profound effect on the battlefield, and even themander of the papal forces started looking for him. Themander was confident they would easily win the siege the moment the hunchback went up the wall, so he didn¡¯t expect the hunchback to disappear into the fortress without a trace. ¡®It¡¯s a sess! Ah, I really thought I was going to die¡­ Why is running away more tiring than fighting? Anyway, I just need to keep this monster tied down,¡¯?Siegfried thought. His title Pesky Brat allowed him to keep running away, and he made sure to keep provoking the hunchback as well. His strategy was a massive sess. ¡®I¡¯ll take full advantage of the terrain to keep running away.¡¯ Siegfried excellently maneuvered throughout the fortress as if it were an obstacle course. He would run into an alley, then climb up a building and traverse through its roof while avoiding the hunchback but making sure that he wouldn¡¯t stray too far away. Bam! Quasimodo destroyed whatever obstacle that stood in his way. He smashed walls, roofs, and even trees along the way. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Kyah!¡± Some of the civilians got hurt due to the hunchback¡¯s rampage, but that was a small price to pay for Siegfried¡¯s sess. ¡®Hurry up and win¡­ you fucking scumbag¡­¡¯? Siegfried earnestly prayed that the scumbag?would destroy the papal forces as soon as possible. *** Meanwhile, at Crane City¡­ ¡°Heed my words, my imperial troops!¡± Emperor Frederic¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the city. ¡°We shall go and punish those that formed a cult under our god¡¯s name! Heaven has chosen only one leader, and that is I, Frederic!¡± The imperial troops sallied out of the city and killed everything in their way, and the same thing was happening five kilometers away at Tenshall Territory. The soldiers that were supposed to be stationed at Vaper Fortress were distributed instead to Crane City and Tenshall Territory, and this made the imperial forces sally out from their gates like a swarm of locusts ravaging everything in its path. ¡°Sir Desire! Rally your guild! There are too many enemies, and we are getting pushed back!¡± Commander Mikhael shouted. ¡°Vee na zoin ah bish!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok retorted. He was still slurring as the beating he had taken from Siegfried still hadn¡¯t healed. Shwaaa! Wooong! Chae Hyung-Seok cranked Holy Rain and Heaven¡¯s Resonance to the max and buffed his allies to mark his presence on the battlefield. But¡­ ¡°T-There are too many of them!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Support the nks! It¡¯s falling apart!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t hold out for too long¡ªAck!¡± The papal troops were falling one by one at the hands of the imperial troops despite the buffs. The buffs were meaningless in a full head-on confrontation due to the sheer number of imperial troops. It was a bizarre sight where five enemies would pop up out of nowhere whenever the papal troops killed one. Strength in numbers! Emperor Frederic decided to use quantity over quality and throw wave after wave of soldiers at his enemies, and it was indeed the right strategy for this battle. ¡°C-Commander! Our center is getting pushed back!¡± ¡°Our left nk is falling apart!¡± The papal forces¡¯ formation was on the brink of falling apart. Meanwhile, Emperor Frederic was enjoying the spectacr view in front of him. ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± he let out a burst of boisterousughter before shouting at the top of his lungs, ¡°Kill them all! We shall emerge victorious in this battle! Show those cult followers the wrath of god!¡± Meanwhile, Commander Mikhael was speechless at the turn of events. ¡°Ah¡­?To think that we are going to lose to something so reckless¡­¡± he muttered in defeat. It was then. ¡ªThe fake emperor is possessed by the devil. The pope¡¯s voice reverberated across the entire battlefield. ¡ªHoly Army of the Nameless God. The devil has taken over the fake emperor¡¯s mind and body. Kill the devil and his followers! Destroy them and send them back to hell! Right after the pope¡¯s voice resounded¡­ ¡°Glory to the Nameless God!¡± ¡°The Nameless God is on our side!¡± ¡°His Holiness is with us!¡± Soldiers wearing the uniform of the papal faction suddenly appeared at the nk of the imperial forces, and theirmander was a man wearing a white robe and a tall hat. ¡°W-Why are you here?!¡± Emperor Frederic cried out. Themander of the army was none other than Theopilus the Fifth. *** Siegfried was quite clever. He lured the hunchback around Vaper Fortress while not forgetting to ce down ze Field and Shadow Swamp whenever they went off cooldown. He also made sure to stay as far away as possible from the fortress walls. He rinsed and repeated this process five times, and the imperial forces eventually repelled the invaders. The imperial troops almost one-sidedly pushed back the invaders, who had scaled the walls with no regard for their numerical superiority. However, it was only possible by the debuffs. ¡°Oh my god!¡± The papal forces had been reduced to half of its size by the time Quasimodo realized what was going on. ¡°I need to join the battle¡­!¡± The hunchback ran for the fortress walls after realizing that he had beenpletely outsmarted by the rat. He could still make an impact on the siege if he went back and joined them. Unfortunately¡­ ¡°¡­!¡± The hunchback suddenly felt his bnce thrown off as he crashed into the ground. Crash! Bam! Thud! The hunchback rolled and flipped a few times beforeing to a stop, and he looked back to see what had tripped him. There was a stick on the ground, and the stick was called the Rod of God. ¡®Now!¡¯?Siegfried suddenly appeared from the alley and lunged at the hunchback. He set up a trap and waited until the hunchback showed an opening. Upon seeing the opening, he immediately used his indestructible rod to trip the hunchback. It was time to counterattack. Fwaaaa! Fwaaaaah! mes shot up from the ground and surrounded the hunchback. ¡®The debuff is set¡­¡¯ Siegfried gripped his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist tightly. ¡®Die.¡¯ Bam! Bam! Bam! He cast Machine Gun Smash and sent a flurry of punches to the back of the hunchback¡¯s head. Unfortunately, the hunchback possessed extremely high Defense, so he couldn¡¯t crack the hunchback¡¯s skull open. However, the pain was unavoidable, and the hunchback was now covered in his own blood. He rolled to safety upon sensing that he would truly die if he kept on taking the same hit on the same spot. The hunchback immediately got up in a bizarre disy of vitality and toughness. ¡®Yeah, you¡¯re probably going to get up,¡¯?Siegfried thought with a smirk. He knew the hunchback would get up, so he had prepared another trap. Chwaaak! Siegfried dashed toward the hunchback and spun. His Blood Butterfly¡¯s Wings shed the hunchback¡¯s face, his eyes, to be exact. The secret technique of the Sword Emperor, Betelgeuse! Quick Draw! ¡°AAAAAAACK!¡± The hunchback screamed and cried out like a wounded beast as blood spurted out of his eyes. Chapter 281

    Chapter 281

    It was a magnificent n. Siegfried knew that he stood no chance in a head-on battle against Quasimodo, so he focused on buying time while cing down his debuff fields. His allies were able to defeat the invading papal troops, and he ced a trap after noticing that his side had won the siege. He used his quick movement speed and the terrain to ce a trap with his Rod of God. The trap was super effective as the hunchback tripped on it, and Siegfried immediately ced down ze Field tounch a fierce attack. Wait, the hunchback stood up. Fortunately, it was within his calctions as well. He executed Quick Draw and gouged the hunchback¡¯s eyes. Quasimodo was extremely tough and tanky, but a person¡¯s eyes definitely didn¡¯t possess adequate defense to withstand an attack from Quick Draw. His judgment was perfect. ¡°My eyes! My EYES!¡± Quasimodo screamed while covering his face. Bam! Thud! Crash! Quasimodo went on a rampage bumping into walls, and the walls he bumped into crumbled as if they were made out of sand. The hunchback¡¯s strength was truly out of this world, and he resembled more of a bulldozer than a human being at this point. However, a man blinded by rage was scary, but a man physically blinded was not scary at all. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­?You should¡¯ve used your brain a bit more~¡± Siegfried sneered. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I will kill you and rip you to shreds!¡± Quasimodoshed out in anger. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°DIE!¡± Shockingly, Quasimodo lunged in the right direction even though he lost both of his eyes. ¡®But I knew you could do that,¡¯?Siegfried was unfazed. He already predicted that a strong person the caliber of the hunchback would be able to locate him without relying on his vision. . ¡°I can kill someone like you without my eyes!¡± Quasimodo screamed while throwing punches. Surprisingly, his punches were so urate that nobody would believe that he had lost his vision. Unfortunately, there was no way Siegfried was going to get hit by someone without eyes. ¡®Sigh¡­ You¡¯re full of openings, my man¡­ Let me hit all of those spots,¡¯?Siegfried smirked before immediately going on the counter-offensive. Fwaaaa! Siegfried used Discharge to reduce the area of ze Field while exponentially increasing its effect, and the mes grew even fiercer as if it was dead set on devouring the hunchback. One was ced around the fortress walls, while the other was used against Quasimodo. This was all made possible by the Witch¡¯s Talisman. ¡°DIEEEE!¡± Quasimodo jumped into the air. He locked his fingers together and was about to m both fists at the rat that had been eluding him for so long. Whoosh! Siegfried took out two rainbow-colored disks. Torrential Flower Rain! This was Siegfried¡¯s gift to hit all of the openings the hunchback was giving him. Shwaaaaaaa! The one thousand projectiles ferociously flew toward Quasimodo. However, it was still to be seen if the Attack Power of the projectiles was enough to prate through the hunchback¡¯s defense that withstood dozens of mortar shells. ¡®I have no doubt it will,¡¯?Siegfried confidently thought. In fact, he was so confident that he didn¡¯t move from his spot and simply watched as the hunchback descended rapidly toward him. Puk! Puk! Puk! And he was right. The one thousand projectiles embedded themselves into the hunchback¡¯s body, and not a single one failed to dig into the hunchback¡¯s flesh. The throwables crafted from the Chromatic Dragon¡¯s scales were extremely thin while boasting excellent durability. In addition, there was a reason dragon bones, horns, and scales were regarded as materials that transcended this world. It was impossible for Quasimodo to withstand these throwables. Thud! The hunchback fell to the ground after getting showered by the flower rain of death. He resembled more of a porcupine rather than a hunchback. Woooong! Siegfried extended his hand toward Quasimodo. Chwak¡­ Whoosh! Then, the one thousand throwables embedded in his body dislodged andbined into two disks once again. ¡°K¡­?Kwaaah¡­¡±?Quasimodo groaned like a wounded beast. Surprisingly, he was still alive despite taking on the entire Torrential Flower Rain. [Quasimodo] [HP: ??????????] Of course, he was just barely alive, and he would die soon. ¡°I don¡¯t like this¡­¡± Siegfried muttered. ¡°W-What¡­ don¡¯t you like¡­?¡± Quasimodo asked while struggling to even speak. ¡°That I couldn¡¯t beat you head-on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ absurd¡­¡± ¡°You deserve a break from running around like a hunting dog. Goodbye.¡± Siegfried swung his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist at the hunchback¡¯s head. Pukeok! Quasimodo¡¯s head exploded. [Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!] [Alert: You have reached Level 222!] Was it because he killed someone strong? Siegfried instantly gained a level when he was currently at the stage where gaining a single level was an extremely excruciating process. He was quite satisfied with the results regardless of how he felt right now. ¡®The only thing I can trust is my Attack Power and debuffs¡­¡¯?he thought. He didn¡¯t dare experiment with his stat and skill points as he invested all of them into strength and ze Field. Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!? He took out a mana potion at the highest grade and drank the entire bottle. His mana waspletely depleted after using Torrential Flower Rain. ¡°Shall we finish this siege?¡± Siegfried muttered while looking in the direction of the fortress walls. However, he suddenly stopped and looked down. ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t really like doing this, but¡­¡± he grumbled while looking at the lifeless hunchback on the ground. *** ¡°Hyung-nim! What happened?!¡± Seung-Gu shouted as soon as he saw Siegfried. ¡°What do you mean what happened?¡± Siegfried asked before he showed what he was holding. ¡°H-Hiiiik!¡±?Seung-Gu shrieked in horror after seeing the object. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ that monster¡¯s head¡­?¡± ¡°Bingo!¡± ¡°Did you win?!¡± ¡°Nope! But I killed him!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I said I just killed him.¡± Siegfried was telling the truth. He didn¡¯t manage to beat Quasimodo. He was just fortunate enough to kill him. ¡°Take this!¡± Siegfried shouted and threw Quasimodo¡¯s head at him. ¡°Ack!?H-Hyung-nim! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Just shut up and announce it!¡± The announcement Siegfried was talking about was to let the papal forces know that Quasimodo was dead to shred their morale. ¡°Ugh¡­¡±? Seung-Gu swallowed whatever was welling up inside of him and picked up a spear lying on the fort wall ramparts, and then he skewered the severed head and lifted it high up. ¡°Hey! Your boss is dead!¡± Seung-Gu shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°Seung-Gu! You need to use your mana! They can¡¯t hear you like that!¡± Siegfried shouted. ¡°Ah, okay, hyung-nim!¡± Seung-Gu gathered his mana and shouted once again. ¡ªHey! Your boss is dead! Look here! The effect was immediate. ¡°S-Sir Quasimodo!¡± ¡°Oh my god! That immortal has died?!¡± ¡°Sir Quasimodo is dead¡­? Ah!?Sir Quasimodo has fallen in battle!¡± The morale of the papal troops was shredded to pieces. ¡®Time to end this.¡¯ Siegfried jumped down the walls and immediately activated Irradiate and Splitting Heaven and Earth to sweep away the papal troops. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Sally out!¡± ¡°Here we go!¡± ¡°Time to fight for real now!¡± The hundreds of Head Crusher Guild members jumped down from the walls and joined the battle. The tides of the battle instantly shifted in the imperial troop¡¯s favor, and it was all thanks to Siegfried. ¡°Keep up the good work, owner punk! Kyuuu!¡±?Hamchi shouted while running on his magical hamster wheel. ¡°Ah~ Ahhh~ Ahhhhh~ Ah ah ah~¡± Gringore sang his song to unleash hell upon the papal troops. ¡°N-No¡­! We¡¯re going to lose!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to die a dog¡¯s death!¡± ¡°Damn it! What kind of debuff is this?!¡± The papal forces cursed as they were forced to abandon the siege. ¡®Alright! We won this instead of just stalling for time!¡¯?Siegfried eximed triumphantly. He looked toward the direction of Crane City and Tenshall Territory before thinking, ¡®Hey, scumbag. I trust that you won your battle by now as well.¡¯ The scumbag he was thinking of was none other than Emperor Frederic, and he hoped that the emperor had already destroyed the enemy forces. ¡®You¡¯re not human if you lose this. You¡¯re an ani¡ª¡± It was then. Clop! Clop! Clop! A group of cavalry forces emerged from the direction of Crane City and Tenshall Territory. ¡®What the hell?¡¯?Siegfried felt his heart drop after seeing the hundreds of horseback riders, and he immediately checked which forces they belonged to. ¡®Oh? Allies? But why are theying here? Are they reinforcements?¡¯?he wondered. The g carried by the gbearer was, without a doubt, the emblem of the emperor, but the problem was that the emperor himself was leading the cavalry. ¡®Why the hell are youing here¡­?¡¯? Siegfried was utterly confused, but it didn¡¯t take long for his confusion to turn into anger. Why? Emperor Frederic looked an absolute mess, and anyone would be able to tell that he lost the battle. He was also screaming for help. ¡°S-Save your emperor! Hurry up and open the gates! Hurry!¡± Yes, Emperor Frederic was escaping to the Vaper Fortress. What did that mean? ¡®H-He lost?! He lost the battle when he had an overwhelming advantage? He lost when I did so much over here?!¡¯?Siegfried was absolutely bbergasted, and his face turned pale. Then, he felt rage welling inside of him, and it wasn¡¯t just a simple rage. It was the same rage one would feel when they spent so much time cooking and setting up the table, only for someone toe and flip it over. And Siegfried got even more enraged after seeing that Emperor Frederic wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Catch that fake emperor! The Nameless God has promised eternal blessings to the one that catches that fake emperor!¡± A man who clearly looked like the pope was chasing after Emperor Frederic along with an army that easily numbered tens of thousands. It was not enough for Emperor Frederic to lose his battle; he even brought the entire enemy army toward Siegfried. ¡°Ah¡­ you¡­¡± Siegfried muttered while trembling in anger, and then he screamed while crying tears of blood. ¡°You fucking animal! You fucking¡ªeven animals will be ashamed to call you their own!¡± Chapter 282

    Chapter 282

    Thirty minutester, a deep sense of hopelessness swept across the entire Vaper Fortress. They had ovee the overwhelming difference in numbers and even sallied out to attack the invaders. It was a battle that would inevitably be recorded as a miracle in the annals of history, and they were just a few steps away from emerging victorious. However, Emperor Frederic lost his battles and ran to Vaper Fortress, bringing along the entire papal forces with him. He even brought the pope along with him, which meant that the entire fortress was doomed. In other words, he shat poop all over the battlefield, which was as good as won. Tremble¡­ Tremble¡­? Siegfried trembled in anger and felt his blood pressure skyrocket. ¡®Argh¡­! What an absolute moron! This guy is so frustrating!¡¯?Siegfried felt his anger welling up while ring at the emperor. He was impressed when the emperor came up with such a strategy, so he decided to support him by fighting as hard as he could, but he didn¡¯t expect that the emperor would not only lose but also bring all of the enemies with him. ¡®Hold it in¡­ Let¡¯s hold it in¡­ It¡¯s not even his fault anyway¡­¡¯?Siegfried gritted his teeth and exerted superhuman self-control to prevent himself from grabbing his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist and cracking the emperor¡¯s skull open. It was true. The emperor was not at fault. He tried his best toe up with a strategy, and he almost seeded. However, the problem was that the pope hadpletely outsmarted him. The pope was as clever as the emperor was, but he was a step ahead this time. He had the foresight to hire droves of Adventurers at thest minute and even forcefully conscript people from his territories. Not only that, he led his army to Crane City and Tenshall Territory to attack the imperial forces from their nk. Pope Theopilus had kept an eye on every single move the emperor had been making, so he had no problem reading what the emperor was going to do, and his efforts blossomed. ¡ª Listen, fake emperor! Heed His Holiness'' words and open the gates! Surrender yourself to the will of god, and I will guarantee at least your life! The Vaper Fortress waspletely surrounded by the papal forces, and Emperor Frederic was trapped along with Siegfried. ¡ª Heed His Holiness¡¯s words, you heretics! Repent! His Holiness is willing to forgive you of your sins and free you from the demons possessing you! The message reverberated throughout Vaper Fortress. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Emperor Frederic, along with his officers, were absolutely speechless. None of them uttered a single word, and all of them had their heads down. ¡®Are we at a funeral or something?¡¯?Siegfried grumbled and observed the emperor while leaning against the wall. Then, he shook his head and thought, ¡®No, this isn¡¯t the time for me to be worrying about them. Damn it¡­ Knowing how to line up is a crucial ability for survival¡­ Why did I have to stab the pope of all people in the back¡­¡¯ Even Siegfried thought that Emperor Frederic was done along with the imperial faction. The Constantine Holy Empire was under the rule of the pope, who was no different from a cult leadermitting genocide. Siegfried already knew the papacy¡¯s next move. They would aim their swords at the Proatine Kingdom. The Genesis Guild would definitely lead the charge in that war. ¡®Ah¡­ I¡¯m royally screwed now¡­ What should I do? Do I have to move my army? Should I summon Decimato as well? But he went to train¡­ Tsk¡­¡¯ The Great Wizard, Decimato, was the most powerful force in the Proatine Kingdom, but he was currently away training under the tutge of Daode Tianzun. However, Siegfried needed to¡ªno, he absolutely had to summon him back if the Constantine Holy Empire invaded the Proatine Kingdom. ¡®This is the worst case scenario¡­ but if we can break through this encirclement and win just one more battle¡­¡¯?Siegfried thought as his head started calcting like a supeputer. He hadn¡¯t given up yet, and he was trying toe up with all sorts of ideas to save the imperial faction that was on the brink of ruin. ¡®Should I spend some money? What if I recruit some Adventurers and hit the papal forces from behind¡­?¡¯ ¡°I guess we have no choice¡­¡± Emperor Frederic broke the silence. Then, he continued in a solemn and defeated voice. ¡°I have no choice but to request assistance from the Amalone Kingdom¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty! You cannot do that! Our empire¡¯s prestige will plummet if the Amalone Kingdom joins, regardless of who wins this civil war!¡± The officer made perfect sense. The empire was going to be subjected to not only ridicule but even interference if they received help from a third-party nation to win their civil war. However, Emperor Frederic begged to differ. ¡°What¡¯s the use of prestige right now?! I¡¯m about to have my head cut off and paraded on a stake! Do you wish to see that cult leader have my head on a stake?!¡± ¡°N-Not at all, Your Majesty! I just wanted to preserve the authority of our empire¡­¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Bam! ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°The imperial bloodline has to survive for our empire to continue! That means I have to survive!¡± Emperor Frederic shouted in anger. Ironically, he was only concerned about his survival. He didn¡¯t care if his people had to live in misery for years toe. ¡°I¡¯m going to send a message to the Amalone Kingdom at once and request for help! Don¡¯t even think about stopping me!¡± Emperor Frederic said before storming out of the room. ¡®Wow¡­ That guy is a real scumbag¡­ The people are doomed regardless of who wins this civil war¡­ Geez, what a country to live in¡­¡¯?Siegfried was amazed at how pathetic the emperor was. However, he was kind of relieved that he didn¡¯t have to mobilize his army as the emperor had decided to request help from the Amalone Kingdom. ¡®But the important question is¡­ How are we supposed to hold out until the reinforcements from the Amalone Kingdom arrive¡­?¡¯? Siegfried urately picked out the most pressing matter. ¡®No, we need to hold out no matter what. We will have a chance if we manage to hold out until the Amalone Kingdom arrives. Phew¡­ It¡¯s a relief that guy¡¯s an even bigger scumbag than I originally thought he was¡­¡¯? Ironically, the emperor¡¯s trash-like attitude ended up helping Siegfried, but the same could not be said for the empire¡¯s citizens. However, Siegfried could only worry about the people of Proatine and the Proatine Kingdom alone since he was their king. It was great that the emperor¡¯s trash-like attitude saved him this time, as he was feeling extremely guilty for putting the lives of everyone in Proatine in peril because of his actions. ¡®I need something¡­ Something that will go with a bang¡­¡¯?Siegfried tried toe up with a surefire solution to their problem. *** Meanwhile, at the papal forces¡¯ base of operation outside Vaper Fortress¡­ ¡°Hoho!¡± Pope Theopilus let out augh while looking at the gates of Vaper Fortress. Surprisingly, he did not seem bothered at all despite seeing the severed head of Quasimodo hanging on the fortress wall. ¡®Hmm¡­ It¡¯s a shame losing such a valuable servant¡­ he was quite a good hunting dog¡­¡¯?he thought. And that was all he felt about the hunchback¡¯s death. One of the cardinals suddenly asked, ¡°May I suggest that we demand them to surrender once more? It has already been three hours since then, Your Holiness.¡± ¡°No, there will be no more chances,¡± Pope Theopilus replied. ¡°Why not, Your Holiness? I implore you to bestow your wisdom upon this fool.¡± The cardinal was asking because Emperor Frederic was still the emperor regardless of how much of a scumbag he was, and making him surrender of his own volition was much better for public sentiment than barging in and capturing him. This was a civil war, but it was still going to stir negative sentiment among the people if they conquered the fort and beheaded the emperor. It was far better for them to force the emperor to surrender and send him into exile on some distant ind before assassinating him with poison and covering it up as natural death. However, the pope seemed to disagree with the idea. ¡°That fool won¡¯t even think about surrendering.¡± ¡°Pardon me, Your Holiness?¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain that fool is going to try and seek help from the Amalone Kingdom.¡± ¡°The A-Amalone Kingdom?!¡± ¡°Hoho! It wasn¡¯t enough for him to be fooled by the devil and betray god, but he¡¯s actually going to turn his back on his own people for the sake of power?! What a treacherous heretic!¡± Pope Theopilus was a master politician. He could clearly see the emperor¡¯s next move. ¡°Then we shouldmence the siege and capture that fake emperor right now, Your Holiness!¡± the cardinal eximed. ¡°Not yet,¡± Pope Theopilus shook his head and continued, ¡°We will wait until the Amalone Kingdom¡¯s forces cross our border beforemencing the siege.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± the cardinal eximed in awe and pped his knee. It was going to take at least three days for the Amalone Kingdom¡¯s forces to reach Vaper Fortress, and the pope could use the emperor of treason against the empire once the Amalone Kingdom crossed into the empire¡¯s border. In other words, the pope¡¯s siege was going to be fully justified. In addition, he would have a reason to capture and execute the emperor without stirring up negative sentiment. If Emperor Frederic was a clever tanuki, then Pope Theopilus was a 999 years old imugi. ¡°We willunch a full-scale assault on Vaper Fortress as soon as the Amalone Kingdom¡¯s forces cross our borders, so make sure to have our holy warriors prepared for battle,¡± Pope Theopilus said with a smile. ¡°Yes, Your Holiness!¡± the cardinal replied and rushed out of the room. Pope Theopilus grinned. He seemed certain of his victory. It wasn¡¯t strange because he could see three steps ahead of whatever the emperor was seeing. *** A few hourster, Siegfried called Michele only after the emperor requested assistance from the Amalone Kingdom. ¡ªSo¡­ You are saying that Emperor Frederic is on the verge of losing everything? ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡ª And that is the reason he requested assistance from the Amalone Kingdom? ¡°That¡¯s what he said? He said they¡¯re on their way now since they already stationed their army at the border.¡± ¡ª N-No! Michele suddenly screamed. ¡°W-Why not?¡± ¡ª It¡¯s a trap! The pope willmence the siege as soon as the Amalone Kingdom¡¯s troops cross the border! He doesn¡¯t have any justification to capture the emperor right now, but the emperor will be branded a traitor against his country as soon as the Amalone Kingdom¡¯s troops enter the empire¡¯s borders! Michele had the foresight to urately see what was going on in the civil war without even stepping foot in the Constantine Holy Empire. ¡°Wow?¡± ¡ªYour Majesty! You need to hold out for as long as possible and protect Emperor Frederic! Ding! A message popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes as soon as Michele finished his words. [Protect the Scumbag!] [Protect Emperor Frederic from the papacy!] [Reward: None] [Note: You will be royally fucked if you fail this quest.] The quest details sent shivers down Siegfried¡¯s spine. ¡ª I will mobilize our allies, Your Majesty. ¡°What? Our allies?¡± Siegfried was surprised at what Michele said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ You¡¯re nning to mobilize an army¡­?¡± ¡ª Yes, Your Majesty. I will form a coalition with our allies and send them immediately. It is impossible for us to have any influence in this civil war with our strength alone. ¡°But this is my own private matter¡­¡± ¡ª It is a hundred thousand times better than war breaking out in ournds, Your Majesty. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡ª Your Majesty is the kingdom, and the kingdom is Your Majesty. ¡°Michele¡­¡± ¡ª If you realized anything from this situation, then I hope you reflected on it and will be mindful of your actions from now on, Your Majesty. Siegfried could not say anything in response to what Michele said. ¡®I¡¯ve put many people at risk because of what I did¡­ I have to be stronger. I need to be much, much, much, much stronger so that I can clean up my own mess. That¡¯s the only way I can protect the Proatine Kingdom from my enemies and myself.¡¯ ?Siegfried reflected on his mistakes and vowed to be stronger. However, the problem was that he didn¡¯t resolve to stop causing trouble from now on, and he even foresaw that he was going to continue stirring up problems in the future¡­ ¡ª You need to protect Emperor Frederic. I will immediately mobilize our army, and Your Majesty just has to hold out for a day. ¡°A day?¡± ¡ª Actually, I have already prepared our armies in advance¡­ ¡°Wow!¡± ¡ª And please stop Emperor Frederic if he ever tries to escape. He is dancing in the pope¡¯s palm, so I¡¯m sure the pope already knows the emperor¡¯s next move. ¡°Alright, thanks, Michele. You¡¯re the best.¡± ¡ª Please do better from now on. PLEASE! ¡°A-Alright¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡ª I will hang up now. The call ended. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Michele startedughing. ¡°You need to take responsibility if you caused a mess, Your Majesty. Hehehe¡­ I¡¯ll make sure that you can¡¯t retort this time. Kekeke¡­ Bwahahaha!¡± Michele broke out in a sinisterugh before signing a document and stamping it with the seal of the kingdom. Bam! What document was it? The title of the document was¡­ Royal Marriage Agreement Between Elondel and Proatine Chapter 283

    Chapter 283

    There was a saying that went¡ªlike father like son, but this situation was more like¡ªlike king, like subject. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ughhhh¡­¡± A few days ago, Michele was struggling toe up with a solution to the mess that Siegfried had caused. Then, he suddenly came up with a brilliant solution. ¡°Hold on¡­ The papacy has the overwhelming advantage in this civil war, so we will be forced to send our army one way or another¡­¡± Michele foresaw that the civil war was going to end with the papacy¡¯s victory no matter how splendidly Siegfried performed in it, and it was going to take a miracle for the imperial faction to win. ¡°If Emperor Frederic loses both battles at Crane City and Tenshall Territory¡­ then that means the situation where our army will be required will definitelye¡­¡± Michele immediatelymanded the army to prepare for war and invade the Constantine Holy Empire at a moment¡¯s notice. However, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that he did. Michele requested help from the Nordic Tribe and Stone Ind, and the two immediately agreed. Unfortunately, Elondel was the problem. ¡°We need Elondel¡¯s help, too, but how am I going to convince them¡­?¡± Michele pondered for quite a while when a brilliant idea popped up. ¡°Hold on! They might just agree if we sign the royal marriage agreement!¡± The marriage proposal from Elondel was another source of headache for him, but the perfect opportunity to resolve it popped up in his head. He nned to ept the marriage proposal and make the Proatine Kingdom benefit tremendously from it. ¡°This is it! His Majesty won¡¯t be able to say anything with this! What¡¯s he going to do if I told him we don¡¯t have a choice because of the mess he created? Hehehe¡­ Your Majesty¡­ I¡¯m going to make you feel the price you have to pay for causing this mess¡­!¡± If the pope was a 999-year-old master politician imugi, then Michele was already a dragon. After all, there was a reason he was a prodigy. Michele was so smart that he could easily backstab the King of Backstabbing, Siegfried, without even lifting a finger. ¡°You have to ept your fate, Your Majesty! Hehehe¡­ I¡¯m such a loyal servant for getting you an elven princess to be your wife. Hehehe¡­!¡± Michele was happy right now, thinking about the immense economic benefit the Proatine Kingdom was going to enjoy once Siegfried agreed to marry the elven princess. Their budget problems would definitely be resolved immediately. ¡°Your Majesty, please devote your body for your future¡ªno, for the kingdom¡¯s future! With your body! Kekeke! Ah, you are truly admirable for sacrificing yourself for your kingdom, Your Majesty!?Hehe¡­ Hehehe¡­ Mwahahahaha!¡± Michele¡¯sughter resounded throughout the hallway. *** While Michele was busy nning to backstab his king¡­ ¡®Ah¡­ It¡¯s all my fault¡­ I¡¯m just nothing but a troublemaker¡­¡¯?Siegfried was reflecting on his actions whilepletely oblivious to what wasing his way. ¡®Yeah, I have to protect that scumbag and make sure we win this war. Ah¡­ I really don¡¯t want to see this ce ever again. No, I¡¯m not even going to pee facing this direction¡­¡¯ It was understandable why he was so upset, as he initially joined this civil war content to level up and loot dropped items, but he probably never imagined in his wildest dreams that he was going to end up in such a mess. ¡ª Warning! Warning! The speakers installed all over the fortress started ring. ¡ª The papal forces have besieged the fortress! I repeat! The papal forces have besieged the fortress! All forces are requested to prepare for battle at once! ¡ª All forces are requested to gather at the fort walls! The Amalone Forces that were gathered at the border finally crossed into the Constantine Holy Empire, and the papacy finally obtained the justification they were looking for. ¡°Damn it! It¡¯s too soon!¡± Siegfried cursed as he ran toward the walls. ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Man the walls!¡± ¡°We have to protect His Majesty!¡± The Vaper Fortress was turned upside down at the news that the siege had started. Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of the papal troops marching in unison could be heard from beyond the walls. Their marching sound was so loud that anyone could tell that it was a great army from the sound alone. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s fight till we drop,¡¯?Siegfried gritted his teeth and resolved to see this battle till hisst breath. ¡°Hyung-nim! Hyuuuung-niiim!¡± Seung-Gu suddenly came running and screaming. ¡°We have a problem!¡± ¡°I know! The enemy is right at our doorstep! Where¡¯s Emperor Frederic? Hurry up and tell him that our army will soon¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± ¡°Then what? What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Emperor Frederic has run away!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Siegfried was shocked at what he heard. ¡°He said he¡¯s going to get caught if he stays here, so he wants to run away!¡± Seung-Gu added. A vein popped on Siegfried¡¯s forehead. Kwachik! ¡°That fucking scumbag! He didn¡¯t even think about defending this ce?!¡± Siegfried screamed in anger, and then he asked, ¡°Where is that bastard?!¡± ¡°He gathered his elite knights and officials, and they are currently discussing how to escape!¡± ¡°Where?! Lead the way!¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim!¡± Siegfried followed Seung-Gu to where the emperor was. ¡®This scumbag is worth less than a speck of dust¡­ I¡¯m going to fuck you over one day!¡¯?Siegfried gnashed his teeth while stomping along the way. *** ¡°Where is this bastard¡­?¡± Siegfried asked in disbelief after seeing the empty meeting room. ¡°H-Hyung-nim¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I think they already escaped through the secret tunnel.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Only a day¡­ That¡¯s all he had to wait before our army arrived¡­ He couldn¡¯t even wait a day and ran away¡­?¡± Siegfried muttered as despair showed on his face. He could feel cancer cells growing in every corner of his body. ¡°And please stop Emperor Frederic if he ever tries to escape. He is dancing in the pope¡¯s palm, so I¡¯m sure the pope already knows the emperor¡¯s next move.¡± Siegfried suddenly remembered the one thing Michele had asked of him. ¡°Hyung-nim¡­ What are we going to do now?¡± Seung-Gu asked. ¡°What else? We need to chase after him to either protect him or drag him back by force. It¡¯s obvious that he will get caught sooner orter,¡± Siegfried grumbled in response. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too frustrating¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, I feel suffocated by that scumbag.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Let¡¯s hurry up then.¡± ¡°Yeah, and we should bring some of our guild members too.¡± Siegfried and Seung-Gu decided to chase after the emperor instead of defending against the siege. Why? Because the emperor was one hundred percent going to get caught by the pope. *** ¡°Hiyah! Hiyah!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Protect His Majesty!¡± Emperor Frederic left Vaper Fortress through the secret tunnel together with five hundred elite knights. The secret tunnel connected to a cave in the forest around five kilometers away from the fortress, and the tunnel was sorge that the entire group could travel on horseback. ¡®That fucking cult bastard! Just wait and see! I¡¯m going to have your head even if I end up as a puppet emperor!¡¯?Emperor Frederic vowed to destroy the papacy. He was absolutely certain that he could destroy the papacy as the Amalone Kingdom was known to be a military powerhouse on the continent. ¡®I¡¯m going to make sure you¡¯re dead even if I have to hand over half of the empire to the¡­¡¯ While the emperor was running as fast as he could and vowing revenge¡­ ¡°Catch the fake emperor!¡± ¡°Catch him!¡± ¡°The fake emperor is running away!¡± ¡°Purge the heretics!¡± The papal troops suddenly appeared out of nowhere and chased after the emperor, and they numbered at least fifteen thousand strong. And the one leading the chase was none other than¡­ ¡°Ha! How far are you willing to go just to avoid paying for your sins in front of god?!¡± It was none other than Pope Theopilus the Fifth. ¡°Y-You!¡± ¡°Foolish heathen! Hurry up and kneel before His Holiness!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­!¡± Emperor Frederic finally realized that he got caught in a trap, and he whipped his horse as hard as he could in a bid to escape. However, his knights fell one by one, and they were dwindling fast in numbers the longer they ran. The chase continued for five hours until¡­ ¡°Damn it! I need to survive no matter what!¡± Emperor Frederic grimaced and cursed while running away. He was able to get away from the pope thanks to the sacrifice of his elite knights, and he was sessfully able to hide in a vige called Soosunhwa Vige. There was nobody around the emperor. ¡°Your Majesty! I will lure them away!¡± ¡°Please take care of yourself, Your Majesty!¡± Most of his loyal knights fell in battle, while the few remaining wore clothes simr to him and went the other way to lure the chasing papal troops away. ¡®Damn it¡­ Why do I have to suffer such humiliation? Just wait and see¡­ I¡¯m going to survive and repay you a thousandfold for this¡­!¡¯?Emperor Frederic vowed to get his revenge while hiding from even the vigers. He searched for a ce to hide where nobody would find him, and the hiding spot he chose was none other than the septic hole of the vige. Buzz¡­ Buzz¡­ Buzz¡­ There were swarms of flies flying around and maggots crawling all over the septic hole, but the emperor patiently toughened it out while thinking of the revenge he was going to have against the pope. Spurt! Spurt!? Some of the vigers came to defecate, but the emperor didn¡¯t utter a single word while he was getting showered by their feces. Around two hourster¡­ ¡°Wee in the name of god to arrest the fake emperor! You are required to cooperate!¡± The papal troopspletely upied Soosunhwa Vige. ¡°The fake emperor is hiding somewhere in this vige! Find him at all costs!¡± The pope was confident that the emperor was hiding somewhere in this vige, as his personal mount was found not too far away from it. This was also the only ce that the emperor could find refuge in, which made the pope certain that he was hiding around here. ¡°Heed my words, servants of god! Join me in this holy task of finding the fake emperor! I, the pope, believe that one of you has been possessed by demons and is hiding the fake emperor! Therefore, I will execute one of your children for every minute the fake emperor is missing!¡± The pope held the children of the vige hostage andmanded the vige people to find the emperor. A minuteter, Pope Theopilus the Fifth screamed, ¡°A minute has passed! Where is he?! Guards! Grab one of those spawns of the devil and beat them to death!¡± ¡°Yes, Your Holiness!¡± The guards grabbed one of the vige boys and beat him to death with their maces. Of course, Chae Hyung-Seok was present as well. ¡®Wow¡­ He¡¯s basically the devil himself¡­¡¯?he thought after witnessing the atrocities of the pope. He knew that he was a piece of trash, but the pope was ten times worse than him in his own estimate. The pope diligentlymanded the guards to beat one child to death for every minute the emperor was missing. /p> Thirty minutes passed, and the lifeless bodies of children who had been beaten to death had piled up into a stack. Ironically, Emperor Frederic refused toe out and continued hiding even though he could hear the pleas and screams of his people. ¡°Your Holiness! P-Please give us more time!¡± ¡°We¡¯re finding him to the best of our abilities! Please! Mercy! Mercy!¡± The vige people cried out to the pope while frantically searching for the emperor. However, the pope did not even bat an eyelid. ¡°Die.¡± ¡°Your Holiness!¡± The guard that acted as the pope¡¯s executioner swung his mace only to stop halfway. The reason was that¡­ ¡°Waaah!?Waaaaah!¡± The thirty-first victim was a newborn infant. ¡°Y-Your Holiness¡­ May you show mercy to this child¡­? This child is simply too young¡­¡± Even the guard who mercilessly beat thirty children to death seemed to have drawn the line at killing an innocent newborn infant. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­?You foolish one¡­¡± Pope Theophilus clicked his tongue and said while looking at the guard with visible disdain in his eyes, ¡°The demons don¡¯t care about the ages of who they possess. Do you n to let that spawn of the devil live?¡± ¡°B-But¡­!¡± ¡°Are you disobeying me?! Hurry up and kill that demon!¡± Pope Theophilus roared. ¡®I¡¯m going to hell¡­!¡¯ The soldier wrestled with his conscience and guilt, but he ended up swinging his mace at the infant. He had no choice but to do it, no matter how much he hated it. Why? It was all because the pope would certainly brand him a heretic and kill him along with his family and rtives. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, child! I¡¯m really sorry¡­!¡¯?the guard closed his eyes as his mace was about to make contact with the child¡¯s head. Shwiiiish! ng! An arrow flew out of nowhere and struck the guard¡¯s mace before embedding itself into the ground. Chapter 284

    Chapter 284

    ¡°¡­!¡± The neighing of horses echoed from the skies. ¡°Neiiiigh!¡± ¡°Hiiiiiing!¡± ¡°P-Pegasus¡­?!¡± The papal soldiers looked up to the sky and were shocked to see a flock of winged horses descending from the clouds. The riders of these mystical creatures were extremely beautiful people with pointy ears. The soldiers immediately realized that these people were none other than the flying squadron of the legendary kingdom of the elves, Elondel. ¡°Oh my god! It¡¯s a flying squadron! It¡¯s Elondel¡¯s Flying Squadron!¡± a knight shouted. ¡®Flying squadron? Why will the kingdom only found in legends suddenlye here?¡¯ Pope Theopilus was baffled. The knights from the kingdom of the elves, Elondel, could only be met by the officials of the Proatine Kingdom, and it was impossible for ordinary people like the pope to meet them. ¡°Neiiiigh!¡± Hyperion neighed loudly beforending in front of the papal troops. Steam blew out from his nostrils in anger as the intelligent creature recognized what was happening in the vige. The beautiful knight riding on the pegasus, the Princess of Elondel, Brunhilde, asked, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The pope smiled brightly and replied, ¡°Ah! You must be Elondel¡¯s legendary flying squadron! It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m a servant of the Nameless God as well as the current pope of the papacy, Theopilus the Fifth.¡± He licked his lips before continuing. ¡°I would like to ask you to reveal your identity first.¡± ¡°I am the Princess of Elondel as well as the captain of these knights, Brunhilde,¡± she replied in a cold voice. The look in her eyes showed obvious contempt for the pope. ¡°Oh! So you¡¯re Elondel¡¯s princess? But what brings you here to ournds and interfere in our business?¡± ¡°Are you seriously asking me that? You¡¯remitting atrocities by selling out the name of god!¡± ¡°Atrocities? Do you think that the papacy ismitting atrocities right now, Princess?¡± ¡°Then, what is this?!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I think you¡¯re greatly misunderstanding something! I have lived far away from evil all my life, princess.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you¡ª¡± ¡°These children are seeds of those possessed by demons,¡± Pope Theopilus cut her off before continuing. ¡°They will also grow up to be possessed by demons! You can¡¯t call these imps children! Do you realize what kind of evil they are capable of once they be adults?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain that you are aware that the best way to remove weed is by pulling it by its roots. I, a faithful servant of god, am currently weeding out these demons by pulling them by their roots! Do you understand now, Princess?¡± Brunhilde was absolutely speechless by the pope¡¯s brazenness. She immediately mobilized her squadron after receiving the Proatine Kingdom¡¯s request to form a coalition, and she happened to witness the atrocities the papal troops weremitting while flying to Vaper Fortress. If she was a stepte, the infant would have been skewered by the sword by now. However, this maniac dared to sell the name of god tomit such atrocity¡­? ¡°You are truly despicable,¡± Brunhilde muttered as rage shed in her eyes, and then she red at the pope and said, ¡°You are the one possessed by a demon. You¡¯re nothing but a demon pretending to be a holy man.¡± ¡°What proof do you have to make such nder against me? Did you say your name was Brunhilde? You should know how to act if you¡¯re truly a princess of the¡ª-¡± Pope Theopilus grimaced and went on a tirade. However, Brunhilde wasn¡¯t interested in his lecture as she immediately shouted, ¡°Flying Squadron! Prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± the elven knights roared in unison. The pegasus flew up into the air and aimed their bows at the papal troops. ¡°I will not tolerate this atrocity any longer! I swear by my bow that all of you will be executed on the spot if youy a single finger on those innocent people!¡± Brunhilde threatened in a voice that sent chills down the papal soldiers'' spines. Her gentle and warm self was nowhere to be found as she waspletely ovee by rage. ¡°I am warning you. Back off now, or else all of you will be executed immediately,¡± she added. ¡°Hohoho!¡± However, Pope Theopilus simplyughed in response. ¡°What a foolish elf¡ªno, bitch.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Do you see the difference in our numbers? You dare threaten me, the pope?!¡± ¡°If you insist on¡ª¡± Brunhilde replied. This time, the pope wasn¡¯t interested in what she had to say this time as he interrupted and shouted, ¡°O, holy warriors of god! Cut those filthy elves that dare to get in the way of our god!¡± ¡°His Holiness has given hismand!¡± The papal troops rushed at Brunhilde the moment the pope gave the order, and the battle between the papal troops and the elves started. *** The battle between the papacy and the elves was truly fierce. The elves only numbered one hundred, but they easily reduced the number of the papal troops. It was a given that the papal troops would have a hard time defending against the elves¡¯ onught, as the elves were raining down arrows on them while flying on their pegasus. However, the elves¡¯ aerial superiority onlysted thirty minutes. The papal troops were slowly pushing them to a corner. ¡°Don¡¯t aim at them! Fire in unison at one area! We are going to herd them where we want them to be with our arrows!¡± The papal troops immediately devised a strategy to form a made out of arrows by shooting at the elves in quick session of volleys, and the strategy was super effective. It was impossible to hit the pegasus in the air, so firing at them in an attempt to herd them instead of hitting them was the far superior strategy. ¡°Neigh!¡± ¡°Neiiiigh!¡± Thanks to that, some of the elves either crashed into the nearby forest or sustained critical wounds and had to retreat from battle. ¡®I have to do something!¡¯ Brunhilde knew that things were going to be bad for them if she did not do anything about the situation. They would have easily won if the papal troops numbered around five thousand at most, but they were far more than that. The soldiers were also armed with bows as well, so every single one of them could attack the elves. Someone had to fight on the ground and prevent the archers from freely firing at the flying squadron, and the only one who could fight while surrounded by enemies was Brunhilde. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hyperion!¡± ¡°Neiiiigh!¡± Hyperion braved the volleys of arrows and descended at frightening speeds. Tak! Brunhilde jumped off of her mount andnded on the ground. Her sword, Holy Sword: Phoenix, burned brightly in her hand. She pointed her sword at the pope, who was currently surrounded by his holy knights. ¡°You demon pretending to be a human¡­ I, Brunhilde, the Princess of Elondel, hereby pass judgment on you in the name of the Earth Goddess!¡± Brunhilde shouted before she ran into a swarm of papal troops. Shockingly, the papal troops fell one by one as soon as she shed against them. Sseuuu! The holy sword burned brightly in her hands, and every swing of it wreaked havoc on the lines of the papal forces. ¡°She¡¯s on the brink of bing a Master!¡± ¡°Stop her! We have to stop her at all costs!¡± The holy knights and pdins tried their best to stop Brunhilde. ¡®There¡¯s no mercy for these evildoers who dared to do such atrocities under the name of God! They shouldn¡¯t have harmed the little ones, at the very least!¡¯ Brunhilde gritted her teeth and fought fiercely. A wall had prevented her from bing a Master, but she was still a top-tier Sword Expert who possessed the title Sword of Elondel. Thud! Thud! Thud! The papal troops fell one by one, and even the pdins were helpless against her. However, there was no stter of blood anywhere on the ground. The holy sword did not permit its wielder to shed the blood of those weaker than her, so it immediately cauterized the wound while cutting through their flesh. ¡°Damn it! That wench dares to go against the will of god?!¡± Pope Theopilus raged. Whiiiiish¡­ Pukeok! A mace flew out of nowhere and struck the back of the pope¡¯s head before flying back to its owner¡¯s hand. ¡°Brunhilde-nim!¡± Siegfried shouted after finally catching up to them. ¡°Siegfried-nim!¡± Her face beamed after she spotted him in the distance. ¡°I¡¯ll help you! Let¡¯s fight together!¡± he said. ¡°It will be my honor!¡± Siegfried joined the fray and¡ª Fwaaaaa! Fwaaaaah! Seuruk¡­ Seuruk¡­! ¡ªBoth ze Field and Shadow Swamp were ced down, and their effects were immediately felt by the papal troops. . ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chapter 287

    Chapter 287

    Tak! Siegfried suddenly thought of a great idea while running toward Xanatos. ¡®Wait a minute¡­ My HP won¡¯t decrease while the buffs are active. Doesn¡¯t that mean I can activate the third stage of Overclocking without any worries?¡¯ Siegfried could only use the second stage of Overclocking for one minute with his current stats, but he currently had the Saintess¡¯ buffs, which meant he didn¡¯t have to be afraid of anything. ¡®Let¡¯s give it a shot,¡¯ Siegfried thought as he cranked up his skill. Bzzt! Bzzzzt! A powerful lightning current burst out of him, and it abruptly turned golden the moment he activated Adamant Body. Wooong! Siegfried mustered his mana. Bzzzt! The powerful golden current spun like a vortex around him as he entered the second stage of Overclocking. [Alert: Saintess Jte is replenishing your HP!] [Alert: Saintess Jte is replenishing your Mana!] [Alert: Saintess Jte is replenishing your Stamina!] Siegfried waspletely unharmed despite entering the second stage of Overclocking, thanks to the Saintess. ¡®Let¡¯s go! Third stage!¡¯ Siegfried took the risk and entered the third stage. Shwaaaa! Siegfried turned into an entirely different creature the moment he entered the third stage of Overclocking. He was surrounded by golden lightning as if he were the incarnation of the God of Lightning. Blue and red sparks danced about him as he entered the third stage of Overclocking. [Alert: All stats have increased by 500%!] The message that popped up in front of Siegfried¡¯s eyes was shocking. Five hundred percent?! It was indeed a ridiculous figure, but it did note without a price. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] [Stamina: ??????????] Siegfried¡¯s HP, Mana, and Stamina dropped to zero the moment he entered the third stage. The fact that it dropped to zero just by entering the third stage meant that he was going to experience instant death the moment he stepped into the third stage. However, he was fine. [Alert: Saintess Jte is replenishing your HP!] [Alert: Saintess Jte is replenishing your Mana!] [Alert: Saintess Jte is replenishing your Stamina!] He was receiving unlimited support from the Saintess right now. [Siegfried van Proa] [HP: ??????????] [Mana: ??????????] [Stamina: ??????????] Saintess Jte¡¯s sustain was like a bottomless spring that fully replenished his HP, Mana, and Stamina in the blink of an eye. This meant that Siegfried¡¯s stats were repeatedly hitting zero and one hundred multiple times in a fraction of a second. ¡®I¡¯m immortal right now.¡¯ Siegfried could tell that the Saintess¡¯ sustain wouldn¡¯t let him die. He set his sights on Xanathos and walked toward the demon. ¡°Do you really think that you can defeat me just because that wench is helping you?!¡± Xanatos growled after getting up from the ground. The demon sneakily threw a punch the moment Siegfried entered punching range, but Siegfried reacted much faster than the demon. Bam! He smacked the demon¡¯s fist with his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. Kwachik! The demon¡¯s fist caved in and dangled from the demon¡¯s wrist like a withered leaf, astonishing everyone. ¡°H-How is this possible¡­?!¡± Xanatos eximed in disbelief. It only had to punch the Adventurer a few times to kill thetter, but thetter suddenly became exponentially stronger in the span of a few seconds. However, even Siegfried himself was shocked by his power. ¡®What the hell? Why am I so strong?¡¯ He could have never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that he would one day destroy the fist of a Level 300 Named Demon in just a single hit. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, quit yapping.¡± Siegfried cut the demon off before adding, ¡°It¡¯s time for you to get some beating.¡± Pukeok! Siegfried started beating the Level 300 Named Demon up with his +15 Gaia¡¯s Fist. It was an unbelievable sight. He was one-sidedly beating a Master-level monster. *** ¡°SON OF A¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s screams of despair reverberated across the battlefield. ¡°WHY! WHYYYYY! Why am I the unlucky one?! Why is that bastard so lucky?! WHYYYY?!¡± He felt wronged. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ally with a demon and conquer an empire hade only for it to disappear like a mirage after the emergence of the Saintess. In addition, the Saintess decided to help Siegfried. Chae Hyung-Seok couldn''t understand why Siegfried was so lucky. Why? Howe? Unfortunately, Chae Hyung-Seok had be quite short-sighted. He immediately reached the conclusion that Siegfried was simply lucky, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all, as Siegfried was far from lucky. He had simply done his best at all times, which allowed him to grab whatever opportunity in front of him. A good example of this was fighting and risking his life against Xanatos, who had disguised himself as the pope. It was more than enough of a reason for the Saintess to step in and choose him out of the numerous people on this battlefield. In other words, Siegfried¡¯s act of righteousness was the impetus for his luck that allowed him to be selected by the Saintess. But what about Chae Hyung-Seok? He had decided to help a demon just for the sake of making money. He was only concerned about sucking the Constantine Holy Empire dry through the demon. The Saintess would have chosen both Siegfried and him if he hadn¡¯t been shameless enough to help a demon for his own profit¡­ Crack¡­! Chae Hyung-Seok gnashed his teeth so strongly that one could hear his teeth crack. It seemed that he was either oblivious to his own mistakes or was simply ignoring them. ¡°No! This can¡¯t be! I risked so much for this opportunity! I can¡¯t let this go! Fuck that Saintess or whatever! I¡¯m going to kill them all¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled under his breath before he poured out all of the buffs in his arsenal onto Xanatos. However, his buffs were utterly useless. Fwaaaa! Fwaaaaaah! Siegfried¡¯s ze Field was overpowering his buffs. The Debuff Master¡¯s abilities were now in the realm of a Master, and it was all thanks to the third stage of Overclocking. Of course, Siegfried couldn¡¯t have done this without the Saintess¡¯ help. Anyway, Siegfried was turning Xanatos into a rag, despite Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s buffs. Bam! Bam! Pukeok! ¡°Ack! Ack! Kwaaak! S-Stop! Enough! Stop hitting me¡­!¡± Xanatos pleaded, which was unbefitting of a demon. However, Siegfriedpletely ignored the demon¡¯s desperate pleas and continued pummeling the demon. He had already gotten so used to beating people with his mace that he didn¡¯t particrly feel anything while doing it. Unbeknownst to Siegfried, his indifference made him look like a psychopath while delivering a brutal beating to the demon. ¡°Kill that bitch! We need to kill that bitch!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok screamed while pointing at the Saintess. Chwak! However, a sword suddenly blocked his path. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± The sword that blocked his path was Brunhilde¡¯s Holy Sword: Phoenix. Brunhilde had gotten back on her feet after getting healed by the Saintess. She pointed her holy sword at Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s neck and said, ¡°You will pay for your sins of helping a demon with your¡ª¡± ¡°Y-You fucking bitch¡­!¡± Chae Hyung-Seok growled. ¡°...life,¡± Burnhilde said before swinging her sword diagonally. sh! A diagonal line abruptly appeared on Chae Hyung-Seok¡¯s right leg before¡ª Thud¡­! ¡ªhis leg dropped to the ground.