Debuff Master

Chapter 1189

The red barrier protected Siegfried’s party from the projectiles, allowing them to successfully make it near the palace without suffering any damage.

However, they were unable to infiltrate the palace itself.

Why?

It was all because there was an extremely powerful barrier erected around it.

On top of that, Goblin Mages were stationed on the palace walls and rooftops, unleashing powerful magic spells at them.

Thud!

“We’re almost there,” Siegfried said upon landing. He spotted the palace entrance roughly a hundred meters away. An overwhelming number of Goblin Knights were pouring out from the palace entrance.

For Siegfried and the others to enter the palace, where the Goblin Emperor was presumed to be located, they would have to break through this wave of Goblin Knights.

“Buff me again!” Siegfried shouted toward Hamchi and Chae Hyung-Seok.

“Kyuuuu!”

“Damn it!”

Hamchi and Chae Hyung-Seok cast their buffs on Siegfried once more.

Clenching his teeth, Siegfried activated Crushing Tremor and Invincible Spear Art.

‘I just have to break through this.’

“Kyaaaak!”

“Kieeek!”

“Kikiiii!”

The Goblin Knights were extremely powerful Champion Class monsters, but they were no match for Siegfried. He swept away the charging Goblin Knights with ease, as if they were no different from ordinary mobs.

“That crazy bastard just keeps growing stronger…” Chae Hyung-Seok muttered, overwhelmed by the sight before him.

Was this monster really the same pathetic pushover who he had easily crushed under his feet in the past? How could a person change into such a monster in just a few years?

‘Is he… going to crush Lee Geon, too?’ Chae Hyung-Seok wondered.

He had a feeling that maybe—just maybe—that could well happen. At Siegfried’s current growth rate, there was no guessing where his limits were. At this pace and momentum, he could probably defeat even the one hailed as the most talented gamer in the history of video games, Lee Geon.

“Phew!”

Siegfried let out a deep breath after taking down every Goblin Knight blocking their path.

“This is exhausting. I’m getting drained already.”

Dealing with a swarm of Goblin Knights had put quite the strain on him.

His character, Siegfried von Proa, was fine. There wasn’t even a single injury on him, and his stamina bar was still full.

However, Han Tae-Sung himself was tired. Maintaining extreme focus during battle had been straining him mentally, and fatigue was building up inside him.

“Kyuuu! Look out, owner punk!” Hamchi shrieked.

At Hamchi’s cry, Siegfried snapped back to reality and turned.

Whoosh!

A goblin carrying a powder keg strapped to its back was sprinting toward Siegfried at terrifying speeds.

[Goblin Suicide Bomber]

[A goblin fanatically loyal to the Ancient Goblin Empire.]

[These fearless goblins would charge straight toward enemy lines with powder kegs strapped to their backs.]

[They are the embodiment of madness itself.]

[Type: Monster]

[Race: Goblin]

[Affiliation: Ancient Goblin Empire]

[Rank: Private First Class]

[Grade: Champion Monster]

[Level: 500]

[Class: Suicide Bomber]

[Note: This goblin cannot be slowed.]

‘What the heck?!’ Siegfried jumped and immediately thrust the +10 Sky Piercer toward the oncoming goblin.

Puuuk!

The +10 Sky Piercer pierced the goblin’s skull.

“…!”

Even though there was a hole in its head, the Goblin Suicide Bomber did not give up. With the final vestiges of its strength, it yanked the fuse connected to the powder keg on its back and—

Click…!

Kaboooooom!

An explosion erupted, swallowing Siegfried up.

“Argh!”

Thanks to his exceptionally high defense, Siegfried did not suffer significant damage from it.

“What the hell is this place…?” he grumbled under his breath.

But that was not the end of it…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ground rumbled, and from the distance, thousands of Goblin Suicide Bombers with powder kegs on their backs began charging toward him.

“Y-You’re got to be kidding me…” Siegfried muttered.

He instinctively walked backward after seeing the approaching horde, but escape seemed impossible here.

The Goblin Suicide Bombers were immune to slow effects, meaning even Embrace of Despair couldn’t stop them.

***

The Goblin Suicide Bombers rushed toward Siegfried.

‘Bring it on.’

Siegfried unleashed every area-of-effect skill in his arsenal, attempting to wipe them all out before they could get any closer.

He unleashed Splitting Heaven and Earth, Wave of Annihilation, Heaven and Earth Cleaving Blade, Quick Draw, Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain, and other skills at the horde of Goblin Suicide Bombers.

He even activated Green Hell Magno, but there was no way these high-level monsters would die from it.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Kieee! Kieee!”

“Kikikiiii!”

The Goblin Suicide Bombers were downright terrifying. They stepped over and leaped across the corpses of their fallen comrades as they drew closer to Siegfried and the others.

‘I can’t stop them,’ Siegfried realized it was impossible to hold them back.

If that was the case, then the answer was to take them head-on.

“Hey! Cast all your defense buffs on me! Don’t stop the healing, too!”

“What?! Are you planning to stop them with your body?!” Chae Hyung-Seok exclaimed in shock.

“What else can I do?! Just do as I say!”

“You’re crazy!”

“Hurry!”

“Don’t blame me if you die!”

Realizing Siegfried was serious, Chae Hyung-Seok crawled up to the Demonic Cross to make himself invincible, and then he stacked every defensive buff in his arsenal on Siegfried.

“Get away from here, Hamchi!” Siegfried shouted.

“Kyuuuu! Got it!” Hamchi replied without any hesitation.

He shrank and slipped easily between the Goblin Suicide Bombers to escape.

Now that Siegfried was alone, he activated Overclocking’s third stage.

‘A man should be tough.’

He also used Shield of Malice along with the barrier formed by the Invincible Emperor’s Might Armor Set.

[Alert: Your Defense has increased!]

[Alert: Your Defense has increased!]

[Alert: Your Defense has increased!]

[Alert: Your Defense has increased!]

(omitted…)

[Alert: Your Defense has increased!]

His defense skyrocketed after receiving buffs from Chae Hyung-Seok. After activating all of his skills and being armed with powerful buffs, Siegfried was now the very definition of a tank.

His Defense was so high that most tanks would not be able to match it, and he had become so durable that even a nuclear explosion would not kill him.

Siegfried clenched his teeth and…

Kaboom!

The Gobline Suicide Bomber at the front jumped right in front of him and yanked the fuse.

And that was the beginning…

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kaboom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom! Kabooooom!

Siegfried curled on the ground and braced himself as thousands of Gobline Suicide Bombers set off a chain of explosions that swept through the entire area.

The blasts were so powerful that the nearby buildings crumbled, and even the entrance to the palace collapsed from the impact.

The explosions continued for two to three whole minutes, and it only came to an end once the very last Goblin Suicide Bomber was dead.

“Are you still alive…?” Chae Hyung-Seok muttered, looking at the center of the blast.

Siegfried was nowhere to be seen.

The lingering dust and thick smoke from the explosions made it impossible to see through the destruction.

“Kyuuu! Owner punk!” Hamchi shouted toward the site of the blasts.

However, nobody answered his call.

“Kyuuu! Are you dead, owner punk?!”

“Hey, Han Tae-Sung! I told you not to be reckless!”

Just as Hamchi and Chae Hyung-Seok started panicking over Siegfried’s condition…

Shwaaa…

A breeze blew and swept away the thick smoke covering the area.

Down on one knee, Siegfried appeared behind the smoke.

***

Surprisingly, Siegfried was still alive.

[Siegfried von Proa]

[HP: ■■□□□□□□□□]

He somehow managed to survive the swarm of Goblin Suicide Bombers.

“Kyuuuu! Owner punk!”

“Hey! Han Tae-Sung!”

Hamchi and Chae Hyung-Seok ran toward him.

“Ugh… I thought I was a goner…” Siegfried groaned, looking worn out.

His whole body was aching—and rightfully so. He had taken thousands of suicide blasts with nothing but his body, so his body was bound to ache all over.

“You’re now a tank, too? Just go ahead and be a one-man party,” Chae Hyung-Seok said in disbelief.

He said that because Siegfried’s very existence was starting to break the game’s balance. In any game, characters and classes were bound to follow the law of equivalent exchange.

For example, a warrior class with high Attack Power generally had low Defense; a ranged damage dealer with both high Attack and long Attack Range mostly had low Defense.

On the other hand, tanks were extremely durable, but their Attack Power and Attack Range were hopelessly low.

This was one truth in video games that would never change.

Why?

It was all because if a mage was capable of bombarding a wide area with spells while also being powerful in one-on-one combat, then that mage would be too overpowered. In short, every character and class had its strengths and weaknesses.

However, Siegfried was different. Not only could he deal massive burst damage, but he could also take on supporting roles with his debuffs.

The fact that he could cast debuffs and fight on the frontlines already made him an overpowered character, but now that his defense had reached a level that surpassed most tanks meant that he was now truly an all-rounder.

Siegfried was slowly becoming a flawless character that was no different from broken.

“Hey, stop spouting nonsense,” Siegfried grumbled, forcing himself to his feet.

“Kyu?”

“Huh?”

Siegfried opened his Inventory and took out the Infinite Flask. Then, he gulped it down and started heading toward the completely destroyed palace entrance.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s keep going,” he said.

“Kyuuu…”

“That crazy bastard is a real monster…”

Both Hamchi and Chae Hyung-Seok shook their heads after witnessing Siegfried’s stubborn grit.

After a battle of this scale, most would take a moment to rest to recuperate.

However, the fact that Siegfried had chosen to keep going was truly something worthy of admiration.

***

While Siegfried was clearing the Ancient Goblin Empire dungeon—

“N-No way…”

Ninetail, who had been working for over a year to decipher the secret document that Siegfried had found in the Dimensional Rift, finally hit a breakthrough.

At long last, she had succeeded in decoding it.

This ■■■ Neid■■berg ■■■ ■ ■■, ■■ grand em■■ policy ■ Ma■■■■on is ■■■ contained within.

(omitted…)

This ■■’s ■■■ policy is called ■■, ■ to exterminate ■■■ called ■■■ in this world is ■■■ its core aim.

(omitted…)

Among the ■■■ tasks of the ■■■, this ■■■ must remain absolutely ■■■■, and must never be ■■■■.

(omitted…)

Accordingly, ■ieg■■t von ■■oa will be ■■■■ on purpose, and a political marriage with ■■■■ von Pos■■■■e will be arranged to ■■■ the Empire’s ■■■ reception ■■■■.

(omitted…)

Thus, ■■■■ von Pos■■■■e will reside in the Proatine Kingdom to monitor ■ieg■■■t von Proatine’s activities.

However, since ■■■■ von Pos■■■■e is not entirely immune to the possibility of defection, continuous observation and surveillance will be required.

(omitted…)

“This is… This is insane… Complete madness…” she muttered, her hands trembling as she kept reading the deciphered document.

The fully deciphered contents said…

This document was drafted by Duke Neighdelberg and contains the Great Marchioni Empire’s policy toward the Adventurers.

(omitted…)

Among the objectives of this policy, the Adventurer Eradication Policy, and its core is to annihilate all beings known as the Adventurers in this world.

(omitted…)

Since this policy is one of the Marchioni Empire’s most crucial state affairs, it must be kept strictly confidential at all times, and under no circumstances may it be disclosed.

(omitted…)

Accordingly, Siegfried van Proa will be deliberately supported, and a political marriage with Irene von Posteriore will be pursued to show the Marchioni Empire’s reception toward the Adventurers.

(omitted…)

Thus, Irene von Posteriore will reside in the Proatine Kingdom to observe Siegfried van Proa’s movements.

However, since there remains a possibility that Irene von Posteriore is not entirely immune to the possibility of defection, continuous observation and surveillance will be required.

The Marchioni Empire was not simply plotting to destroy the Proatine Empire. Their grand objective went further than that, and it was to exterminate all Adventurers from the continent.