Debuff Master - Chapter 1124

Chapter 1124

“…What?”

Beowulf cast a baffled gaze at the Rabbit Foot of Regression dangling from Siegfried’s hand.

“Was this the reason why you were acting so high and mighty? Were you going to rewind time and do something to me, is that it?” Siegfried asked.

There was not a hint of his usual playfulness in his voice this time.

“H-How did you…?”

Beowulf looked genuinely confused and lost, as he couldn’t understand what was going on.

How did Siegfried even know about the Rabbit Foot of Regression? How did he steal it? When did he steal it?

The whole situation was beyond comprehension and utterly bizarre to Beowulf right now.

“I’ve been quite suspicious for a while now. A guy suddenly comes out of nowhere and claims to be a Master and then a Grandmaster after a short while,” Siegfried said with a scowl. Then, he added, “Yeah, something was hella fishy about that.”

“…”

“You haven’t done anything noteworthy, barely anyone ever hunted with you, and nobody knows where you leveled up. For someone on your level to have that shroud of mystery and anonymity? That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

His suspicions were not unfounded.

After all, something extraordinary was bound to stand out sooner or later, so someone with real skill couldn’t just hide their presence so easily.

In Beowulf’s case, his unnatural rise raised more than a few red flags.

“But that couldn’t have been your only clue. Making such an assumption based on just that wouldn’t be enough,” Beowulf growled, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh, there’s more.”

“What…?”

“Remember that time you talked to me behind that veil? I noticed that…”

Siegfried proceeded to explain how he pieced things together, and when he started suspecting him. He even mentioned spotting the Rabbit Foot of Regression hanging from Beowulf’s waist, an artifact identical to the one he read about in the ancient texts.

“I see… I thought I was being careful, but I guess I wasn’t careful enough,” Beowulf muttered, slowly nodding his head and looking impressed.

“Why did you do it? You clearly have the talent, skills, and drive. You probably make a fortune too. So what’s the point of all this?” Siegfried asked, sounding genuinely curious.

This was one thing that did not make sense to Siegfried, as Beowulf was what one would call a hardcore gamer.

Why would he destroy the game he played so much?

“Hmm… Who knows? I’ve played enough, got stronger than I wanted, and made enough money to last a lifetime,” Beowulf answered with a shrug.

“And what about it?”

“It got boring.”

“What?”

“I wanted to start over again. You know, have a go at season two? I mean, who cares if this season gets wrecked? The artificial intelligence can just make a new one, right? Everyone will just start over again. But even if they do, I’ll be on top again. Like you said, I’ve got the skills and the talent.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“And once I get bored with season two, I’ll just destroy it, too. Then, I’ll start season three.”

“So basically…” Siegfried muttered. Then, he asked, “You wanted to control when the game starts and ends?”

“Exactly! This game doesn’t have an admin, right? That means the most powerful player can either destroy it or save it!”

“Absolutely disgusting,” Siegfried shot a look filled with contempt.

And the same went for his comrades…

“This bastard’s seriously twisted, hyung-nim.”

“He wants to control when he can destroy a game?”

“Just kill him already, oppa.”

“He’s so damn full of himself…”

Beowulf’s mindset was just pure selfishness.

Sure, it was normal to burn out or grow bored with a game eventually. When that happened, they ought to just quit, move on, and touch some grass. They could just find a new game to play as well.

Instead, he wanted to blow it all up, ruin the fun for hundreds of millions of other players, and restart the game just because he was bored.

BNW with its doppelganger algorithm was unmatched, but still…

“So by your logic…” Siegfried muttered. Then, he vanished with a flash, reappeared right in front of Beowulf’s face, and asked, “It’s fine for me to crush you, since I’m more powerful than you, right?”

“Khahaha! Maybe right now, sure. But you’re gonna lose your powers soon, aren’t you? Do you think you can beat me when we’re both Grandmasters?”

Beowulf had already figured it out, and he was not wrong at all.

Siegfried was about to lose the near-omnipotent power he wielded. He would still be a powerhouse even without it, as he was now a Grandmaster.

But against another Grandmaster like Beowulf?

There was no guarantee that he could win against him.

Why?

It was all because nobody knew what Beowulf was capable of doing. Of course, no one knew his true powers as well.

“True enough,” Siegfried said with a shrug. Then, he flashed a smirk and added, “But I’m stronger than you right now.”

“Enjoy your little win,” Beowulf sneered in response. Then, he continued, “Because this victory of yours will be the last—”

Bam!

Siegfried didn’t let him finish and slammed his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp straight into Beowulf’s face.

Thud!

Beowulf collapsed dead.

“Phew… It’s finally over,” Siegfried said, standing over him, looking relieved.

He was completely exhausted.

From the moment he cleared the Crossroads of Life and Death quest to stopping the invasion of the fallen angels, he hadn’t been able to rest for even a minute.

Rather than spend the energy he did not have and bicker with Beowulf, he found it easier to just kill him and be done with it.

After all, they were bound to face off again soon, so there was no point in dragging it out.

Siegfried turned to his companions and said, “Okay, let’s finally take a break.”

At long last, it was now time for them to get the rest they all deserved.

***

Tae-Sung logged out and slept like a log for almost twenty-four hours straight.

He had been playing for forty-six hours without a single wink of sleep, so when he finally hit his bed, he passed out immediately.

“Ughh…”

When he finally woke up, groggy and dazed, he threw on a pair of sweats and stepped outside. Normally, he would have taken a quick shower, hit the gym, or gone to the restaurant exclusively reserved for the residents to grab a meal, but not today.

‘My head feels like it’s going to explode…’

Tae-Sung figured a bit of fresh air would help clear his head, so he decided to take a walk along the Han River. Fortunately, his apartment was just ten minutes on foot from the river, which made it easy to get some fresh air.

As luck would have it, the skies were unusually clear without a trace of fine dust, and it was warm as well, making it the perfect weather for a walk.

Just as he stepped outside…

“Where are you headed, Young Master?”

His head of security suddenly appeared at his side and blocked his path.

“Just out for a walk, why?”

“I am afraid now is not a good time, sir.”

“…Huh? Why?”

“I really think it would be best if you returned home for now.”

“Why, though?”

“Well, the thing is…”

Just as he was about to explain…

“Han Tae-Sung!”

“Move! Move!”

“It’s Han Tae-Sung!”

“He’s over there!”

“Excuse me! Please answer some questions!”

“Get out of my way!”

A crowd of dozens of reporters suddenly appeared with their cameras flashing as they rushed toward Han Tae-Sung like a horde of flesh-eating zombies.

“How does it feel to be BNW’s official main character?!”

“Just a moment of your time, please!”

“We heard you stopped BNW from shutting down!”

“Please, just a few words!”

After he rallied the gamers from around the globe and fought off the fallen angels that invaded the Middle Realm, word had gotten out that he became the main character of BNW.

Of course, the media were in a frenzy trying to get a scoop.

“L-Let’s go back inside!” Tae-Sung exclaimed while retreating backward.

The sheer fervor of the reporters coming at him was more than enough to intimidate him. As always, the media’s hunger for an interview with him was no joke—no, it had probably gotten even worse.

“Yes, sir. Right this way.”

Tae-Sung abandoned all thoughts of taking a walk and was forced to retreat straight back into the safety of his home.

“I guess I need to move or something…” he muttered under his breath, still flustered.

Having his address known to the public was more than just an inconvenience. For someone as famous as him, that was practically a hazard.

Obsessed fans could show up uninvited, paparazzi would always be lurking around the corners, and reporters would camp out waiting for him just to ask a few questions.

The loss of privacy was the price he had to pay for the fame he enjoyed, along with the immense wealth it brought him. Even something as simple as eating a meal in a public place was now impossible for him to do without attracting attention.

“Let the press know that I’ll hold a short press conference tomorrow afternoon.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rather than letting things spiral out of control at his doorstep, Tae-Sung decided to gather the media in one place and conduct a press conference.

Why?

It was all because even though it was not his doing, he was still being a nuisance to the other residents in the building.

“Oh, and… Hive Games Entertainment Korea is here to see you, sir.”

“…Hive?” Tae-Sung muttered, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Yes, sir.”

“What do they want?”

“I am afraid they did not disclose that to me. But they claim it is an urgent matter they have to discuss with you. They are waiting outside, shall I bring them in?”

“Sure,” Tae-Sung replied with a nod.

It was one thing to turn away the reporters, but a representative from the beehive was not someone he could just brush off.

***

Thirty minutes later—

“It has been a while, Han Tae-Sung.”

Cha Hye-Mi, the representative from the beehive, greeted Tae-Sung courteously.

“Ah, it is nice to see you again,” Tae-Sung replied.

“I see that you have been making waves lately. Headquarters has been closely following everything you do these days.”

“Thank you for the kind words.”

“You have officially become the main character of the game now.”

“Haha! You are praising me too much,” Tae-Sung replied with a laugh. Then, his gaze shifted to the man standing beside her and asked,” But who is this you brought with you? Is he one of your employees?”

“Ah, he is not an employee,” Cha Hye-Mi replied.

“Then who is he?”

“He is a novelist. A web novel author.”

“Oh?”

Tae-Sung was not much of a reader, but he at least knew what web novels were. They were stories published online and usually were fiction like romance, fantasy, or martial arts stories.

“Nice to meet you. It is a real honor to meet you.”

The man, who looked to be in his early thirties, had messy hair and round glasses.

“Hello, my name is Han Tae-Sung.”

Tae-Sung greeted the man briefly before turning to Cha Hye-Mi.

“But… May I ask why you brought a web novelist here all of a sudden?”

“We want to adapt your story into a web novel.”

“…Excuse me?!”

Tae-Sung was stunned.

He never imagined that the dramatic in-game title he gained would actually become reality this fast.

“A-Are you serious?” Tae-Sung stammered.

“Very,” Cha Hye-Mi replied with a nod. Then, she continued, “Headquarters has been planning a project to adapt the stories of the top-ranking gamers into novels. After the novel is written, we plan to expand into webtoons, animations, and eventually films on the big screen.”

“Oh, wow…”

“The author here will be writing the novel based on your journey.”

“I see…” Tae-Sung muttered, turning back to look at the author again. Then, a thought crossed his mind, ‘I don’t know… Something about him makes him seem… unreliable.’

Why was Tae-Sung feeling doubtful? It was all because the author looked fragile.

Considering this would be a long-term series, consistency was going to be key. Tae-Sung was worried that this fragile guy might collapse halfway through, have frequent hiatuses, or just drop the project due to health issues.

After all, it was not uncommon for web novelists to drop projects due to health issues.

Tae-Sung hesitated before asking, “Erm… Do you have any chronic health conditions?”

“…Excuse me?”

“You know… diabetes, high cholesterol, maybe a slipped disk? Perhaps carpal tunnel syndrome?”

“No, none of that.”

“How’s your stamina?”

“Average.”

“You’re not the unreliable type, are you? Like the type to miss a deadline, play games instead of writing your novel, ghosting when you’re stuck… none of that, right?”

“I’ve never done any of that.”

The author seemed annoyed and insulted by the barrage of questions.

“Ah! My apologies,” Tae-Sung immediately bowed and apologized after realizing just how rude he sounded. “I did not mean to offend you. I imagine this will turn into a really long series, and I was worried that it might take its toll on you.”

The author paused for a while, seemingly lost in thought.

“Hmm… I might not be the most talented writer out there, but if there is one thing I take pride in, then that would be my work ethic.”

“Really?”

“I have been a novelist for about ten years. Unless it was something out of my hands, I have never gone on hiatus or dropped a series. Also, I have never ghosted my publishers just because I was stuck.”

“Got it. Oh, I seem to have forgotten to ask for your pen name. May I ask now?”

“I… go by Damhwagong.”

Tokki’s Thoughts:

Just in case some of you aren’t aware… Damhwagong is author-nim. Yes, he included himself in the story LMAO.

Ironically, given his deposition to name things Proatine (Protein) or mention Ronny Coleman etc. I didn’t expect him to call himself fragile.