Debuff Master - Chapter 1112

Chapter 1112

[Alert: You have leveled up!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 450!]

[Alert: Your character’s tier has increased!]

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: You have reached the great realm of Grandmaster!]

Just like that, Siegfried cleared the Hardcore Epic Quest and shattered the wall blocking his growth.

However, there was one problem—his mana hall.

C-Crack…!

A sharp cracking noise echoed in Siegfried’s ears.

Utterly drained, he muttered weakly, “N-No…”

His mana hall was breaking apart, and he could feel the energy resources stored within it leaking out at an alarming rate.

“Sit down and cross your legs,” Deus said.

“…Huh?”

“Don’t you think you have to undergo metamorphosis before your mana hall completely shatters?”

“But I—” Siegfried was about to say that he had no idea how to undergo metamorphosis, but there was no need for him to continue his sentence.

Ding!

A notification popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: A new skill has been created – Metamorphosis]

[Metamorphosis]

[A privilege granted only to those who have reached the great realm of Grandmaster.]

[Type: Active Skill]

[Level: 1]

[Cost: 100% of all currently held energy sources]

[Usage Limit: One-time use only]

[Effect: Reconstructs the body to become even stronger]

[Note: Can only be used once immediately upon acquisition]

“I will help you,” Deus said gently. Then, he warned with urgency, “There’s no time to waste, my disciple. You have to undergo metamorphosis now, unless you want to lose all the energy you’ve obtained until now.”

“Y-Yes, master.”

Following Deus’ instructions, Siegfried sat down cross-legged and activated Metamorphosis.

[Alert: Will you use Metamorphosis?]

[Yes/No]

[Input: Yes!]

The moment he activated the skill, his transformation began.

C-Craaack! Fwoosh! Fwooosh!

His skin cracked, and his body caught fire.

Strangely enough, the flames didn’t feel hot at all. Instead, they felt soft, warm, and comforting, as if he was being cradled in his mother’s arms.

‘So this is… metamorphosis?’ Siegfried thought, awestruck as he watched his body change right before his eyes.

Ssseuuk….

His charred skin slowly turned to ash and flaked away, and from beneath it emerged new flesh. Just like a phoenix reborn in flames, his body was being consumed and rebuilt anew.

But that was not all…

His mana hall, his very core and life force, began to surge with a violent storm of energy.

‘Arggh…!’

Siegfried clenched his teeth and endured the pain of his mana hall being reconstructed.

“G-Ghrrrk!”

However, he couldn’t stop groaning in agony. The agony of reconstructing his mana hall was far greater than anything he had ever experienced.

“I’ll guide you through it, so just focus, my disciple,” Deus said, placing a hand gently on top of Siegfried’s head.

“Y-Yes, Master—arghhh!”

“Don’t talk. Just focus.”

Following Deus’ command, Siegfried endured the pain and focused all of his mind on reconstructing his mana hall.

[Alert: Metamorphosis in progress!]

[Alert: 3 hours, 58 minutes, 41 seconds remaining until Metamorphosis is completed!]

Siegfried looked at the notification that popped up in front of his eyes, but then his consciousness started slipping away.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: Your character is now in trance!]

[Alert: Your character will now forget everything and focus solely on Metamorphosis!]

Now that his character, Siegfried von Proa, had entered a state of trance, there was nothing more Han Tae-Sung could do.

All he could do now was wait for the Metamorphosis to finish.

***

Siegfried was in the middle of a metamorphosis after becoming a Grandmaster, and Verdandi’s effort to remove the barrier in Felix was still in full swing.

The barrier was rapidly receding, and by now, more than two-thirds of the barrier around Felix had been lifted. However, it didn’t mean that they could finally enter the city or even peek inside.

The barrier had to be fully removed—one hundred percent—before any breakthroughs could be made.

“I hope it’s successful…” Michael muttered. He watched Verdandi as she worked tirelessly to dispel the barrier, silently praying with all of his heart.

He had to temporarily suspend his quest to retrieve the remaining wings the moment he heard that the real Celestial Gate was about to open.

The whereabouts of the last two wings were unknown, and blindly wandering in search of them was no longer an option. Thus, he returned and rejoined the others.

“Don’t worry so much. It will all go well,” Shakiro said. Then, he added, “She’s done wonderfully so far.”

“I know. I believe that they can do it,” Michael replied with a nod.

By them, Michael meant the sentient beings of the Middle Realm.

Now, gathered at this place were not just the Allied Forces and the Adventurers, but also the armies of various races from the Middle Realm, including the Elven Kingdom of Elondel.

All of them were united by a single goal—to protect the Middle Realm from the descent of the angels.

They had set aside race or status and come together, united as one, to resist the coming threat from the Celestial Realm.

Of course, the best-case scenario would be dispelling the barrier and stopping the opening of the Celestial Gate.

“I can only hope there will be no more bloodshed,” Michael said earnestly. He had already been branded a traitor by his fellow brethren and was even forced to kill his own kin with his very own hands.

Given everything he went through, it was only natural that he wished for this all to end.

“I feel the same,” Shakiro agreed with a nod.

Everyone wished for peace, as the Middle Realm had been suffering for many years. The countless lives lost at the hands of disasters, wars, and chaos left deep scars in those living in the realm.

Millions perished during the Marchioni Empire’s recent civil war as well as the conflict between the Allied Forces and the Holy Alliance. It had indeed been a long, unending darkness, and surely it was about time for peace to finally return.

***

[Alert: Your character is no longer in a state of trance!]

[Alert: Metamorphosis complete!]

Siegfried slowly opened his eyes at the notification flickering in front of him.

“Are you awake?”

Deus’ voice greeted him.

“Yes, I am, Master,” Siegfried replied and gradually got up to his feet.

“Put this on for now,” Deus said, tossing a pair of loose-fitting pants at him.

“Ah!” Siegfried flinched and hastily put the pants on. During the Metamorphosis process, every last bit of clothing he was wearing was incinerated, leaving him completely naked.

“How do you feel?” Deus asked, his eyes observing him closely.

“Well… I feel like I could fly, Master,” Siegfried replied after hesitating for a moment.

“Do you now?”

“Yes, Master.”

His body felt undeniably lighter compared to before, and he felt like he could do anything he wanted. If he had to describe it, then it truly felt like he could take off into the sky without the help of anything.

‘What the hell?!’ Siegfried gasped in disbelief after checking his stats. His strength, endurance, and every other stat had skyrocketed by a whopping seventy percent, making it beyond just dramatic.

The increase in stats was so massive that comparing him to his former self now felt like an insult. His HP had also increased exponentially, and his HP Regeneration Rate became nothing short of monstrous, as it looked like even severe injuries would now heal in mere seconds.

However, the most profound change that happened was his energy resources. Up until now, Siegfried had a wide variety of energy resources such as mana, demonic power, divine power, elemental attributes, and even radiation.

But that was no longer the case…

All of those had disappeared completely, and in their place, only a single energy resource filled his mana hall—Primordial Force.

“This is…” Siegfried muttered, looking confused and completely lost.

“Your mana hall was reconstructed after reaching the realm of Grandmaster. And as a result, all your previous energy resources fused into one.”

“Fused into one…?”

“Yes,” Deus nodded. Then, he explained, “Did you really think it was a good idea to mix every type of energy resource in your mana hall like some pot of stew with random ingredients?

“If I had not modified your body beforehand, your mana hall would have shattered a hundred—no, a thousand times over from those energy resources colliding into each other.”

“Ah…!”

“Primordial Force is the origin of all things. It’s the very embodiment of willpower. That means it can transform into any other energy. Now do you see it? You’ve taken your first step on the path of becoming truly invincible.”

“Thank you for your teachings, Master!” Siegfried exclaimed, falling flat on his face and bowing deeply on the ground.

“Keke! Of course! Do you truly think you could’ve reached the realm of Grandmaster without my help? How laughable if you dared to think so! Kekeke!”

“Every word you say is absolutely right, Master!”

Siegfried did not even try to deny Deus’ self-praise. Because honestly, who else in this world could push him past his limits like that and forcibly elevate him to a higher realm?

“But what were you thinking back then?” Deus asked.

“Huh?”

“What drove you to bite me? You must have had a reason for doing so, no?”

“Well…” Siegfried paused for a moment. Then, he answered, “It was out of desperation, master.”

“Desperation, you say…”

“I had to survive.”

“And why did you need to survive?”

“Because I wanted to protect something.”

“Protect?”

“I have to live and grow stronger to protect the people I care about. If I survive, then I will have another chance to grow stronger.”

“Well said, my disciple. Yes, that’s the spirit,” Deus muttered with a faint smile, looking genuinely pleased by the response he got. Then, he said warmly, “All this time, what you lacked was that genuine desperation. You had the desire to grow stronger, but you didn’t have that burning drive to risk everything to wield absolute power.

“You were a pampered swine.”

“I agree with your words, Master,” Siegfried replied with a bow.

Deus’ words deeply resonated with Siegfried.

It was true. He had overly relied on the broken abilities of his class, the Debuff Master, and had slowly lost the desperation that once fueled him.

“But your spirit wasn’t dead. You kept getting up even as I pummeled you all night long,” Deus added.

“Hahaha…”

“That’s what I liked about you. And that’s why I chose you. Never forget about that spirit of yours, my disciple,” Deus said with an approving nod before giving him a pat on the shoulder.

“Yes, Master!”

“But don’t get cocky. This is only the beginning.”

“…The beginning?”

“Do you think you’ve already attained invincibility? Ha! You’re still leagues away!”

“Yes, Master!”

“You must train relentlessly.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Only with training can you gain the foundation to become even stronger.”

Just then, a new quest popped up before Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: You have received a new quest – Awakening: Road to Invincibility!]

***

The quest details were as follows…

[Awakening: Road to Invincibility]

[Once the Lord of Despair reaches Level 500, he will be eligible for a class advancement through this quest.]

[Type: Awakening Quest]

[Level Requirement: 500]

Upon hitting the Level 500 milestone, Siegfried would be able to advance into the class beyond the Lord of Despair.

‘That means I’ll unlock a whole new set of powerful skills, right?’

The very thought of it made Siegfried’s heart race. When he first advanced from the Debuff Master to the Lord of Despair, the transformation of his skills was nothing short of revolutionary.

If that was the case for his first class advancement, then what would the class after the Lord of Despair be like?

It was impossible to even imagine how overpowered he would become by then, as just the stats he obtained after undergoing Metamorphosis were already beyond unbelievable.

Of course, even then, he still probably wouldn’t be enough to stand toe-to-toe against an archangel, unless he transformed.

“Now go. Use your newfound strength to achieve what you desire, my disciple,” Deus said.

“Yes, Master!”

With those words, Siegfried spread all ten of his wings.

Fwoosh!

He crouched down before shooting up into the sky with a burst of raw power.

At a speed that tore through the air like a violent storm, he made a beeline for Felix.