Debuff Master - Chapter 1150

Chapter 1150

“And how do you plan to remove him?” Maximus asked.

“He is a reckless fool,” Cain replied.

“A reckless fool?” Maximus raised a brow, intrigued by the response.

“He thinks he is so strong that he believes he is untouchable.”

“That does sound like him.”

Maximus agreed with Cain’s assessment. No matter how powerful Siegfried might be, the fact that he charged alone into the enemy’s strongholds without any hesitation meant that he was reckless and simple-minded.

Rampaging that deep in enemy territory meant that he would someday pay the price for his recklessness—and he would be paying dearly for it.

“He truly believes that he can handle everything on his own.”

“Quite the arrogance, I must say.”

“Yes, Lord Chancellor,” Cain nodded in agreement. Then, he added, “But if we can use that arrogance of his to our advantage, then we can catch him.”

“Are you proposing that we set a trap for him?”

“Precisely, Lord Chancellor!”

“Oh?”

“If we throw out the right bait, he will without a doubt bite. Then, once he is trapped in the snare, we will hunt him down like an animal.”

“But we can’t predict where he will strike next, can we?”

“Are you perhaps familiar with the word HODL?”

“HODL? What is that?”

“It means—well, at least from where I come from, holding on for dear life. Basically, it means holding your ground no matter what happens.”

“Hmm… That is quite interesting.”

“We will set a trap and wait until he walks right into it. Sooner or later, that overconfident bastard is bound to come.”

“Oh!”

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweeter than honey itself. At least, that is what they say, is it not?”

“Sounds good to me,” Maximus said, leaning back.

He decided on the spot to go along with Cain’s plan.

There was no telling when or where Siegfried would be attacking next, so the only choice they had was to dig in and wait.

“Please leave it to me. I will lead my guild members and oversee the whole operation,” Cain said confidently.

“Hm? Leave such a crucial operation in your hands?”

“He and I come from the same world, Lord Chancellor. I know how he thinks, what pushes him, and what tempts him. Place your trust in me, Lord Chancellor, and I will repay your trust in full.”

“So be it. I shall recommend you to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor for Forced Blooming,” Maximus said with a nod.

“P-Pardon me? I am not sure I follow what you mean by that, Lord Chancellor…”

“The Coral Emperor possesses the power to draw out a creature’s full potential. We call this gift Forced Blooming.”

“Forced… Blooming…?”

Cain’s eyes widened the moment he realized that the word “blooming” meant to blossom.

In this instance, the Forced Blooming meant that the Coral Emperor would awaken every ounce of power hidden inside him and make him powerful.

“To receive this gift is a tremendous honor. A true blessing,” Maximus said. Then, he went on, “Even among us Corals, only a few are granted this privilege.”

“Wow…”

“Your defection has great significance to us. You will serve as a fine example, proof that joining us will be truly beneficial. With that, other powerful beings might turn to our side.”

“So… I get to receive that honor, the Forced Blooming?”

“Yes. You will be granted the blessing, so you must use that power and see to it that Siegfried von Proa is eliminated, no matter what.”

“Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty!” Cain dropped to his knees and cried out.

The only thing that mattered to a gamer like him was growing more powerful. A gamer’s thirst for power was so strong that they would do anything if it meant gaining more power.

Cain had already betrayed the Marchioni Empire, so if he could obtain overwhelming strength, then he would bow, bark, or even play dead if that was what it would take for him to obtain such things.

He was willing—no, he was more than happy to become a dog of the Coral Race.

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried launched operation after operation, moving down countless Coral Soldiers and raking in Experience Points.

As long as the growth stimulant was still active, he planned to suck every drop of its benefits without wasting even a bit of it.

[Alert: You have reached Level 495!]

Siegfried hit Level 495 right before the growth stimulant’s duration ended, a feat that would probably not be replicated for years to come.

Ten days.

He gave up on sleep for ten days, pushed himself to the edge, fought battles after battles. And now, he was extremely near Level 500, which was the gateway to his third class advancement.

“A good day’s work~ Is a good day~ Time to finish up~ And go home~ Lalala~”

He hummed a tune as he wrapped up his final mission of the day.

Only five more levels remained, just five.

He was so close to that long-awaited milestone that he was in a very good mood.

“You did it, owner punk! Kyuuu!”

“Of course, I did. What did you think? I can’t do it?” Siegfried replied with a smug grin.

“So what now? Kyuuu!”

“I’m gonna head back real quick and check up on the construction progress.”

“Kyuu?”

“I gotta see the prison for myself, don’t I?”

Thanks to Siegfried’s heroics for the past few days, the Marchioni Empire’s mining operation continued, and they mined the Omnistones freely in bulk again.

They refined them into Devouring Iron and shipped them straight back to the Proatine Empire, which had already broken ground on its new construction project.

The new prison, dubbed Aoji Prison, was still in its early construction phase. But once completed, it would soon be the ultimate place to imprison unruly Adventurers.

Thus, Siegfried decided to check the site out himself before logging out for some well-deserved rest.

“Kyuuu! Then let’s go! The transport vessel leaves soon!”

“Yeah, let’s hurry.”

With that, Siegfried and Hamchi made their way toward the transport vessel bound for the Nurburg Continent.

The shuttle terminal was still packed as always, buzzing with new people inbound and those who were returning to the continent. Both NPCs and Adventurers swarmed the terminal like ants, packing the whole place.

Siegfried did not want to draw any attention, so he put on his Metamorphosis Mask before boarding.

As he waded through the crowd…

‘Huh?’

His eyes narrowed upon sensing something amiss.

It felt as if a cold blade was pressed right between his brows. It was the unmistakable sensation of someone directing their killing intent straight at him.

“What’s wrong, owner punk?” Hamchi whispered.

Siegfried scanned the crowd and replied, “Someone’s stalking me.”

“Kyu?”

“What the hell…”

He sharpened every sense, just like a predator sniffing for the faintest trace of its prey, but he couldn’t find anything. The killing intent he felt just a while ago had suddenly disappeared, as if he had imagined the whole thing.

‘Was it just my imagination?’ Siegfried wondered.

However, it did not sit right with him. His razor-sharp senses were never wrong, but the killing intent directed at him suddenly vanished like a mirage.

‘Hmm… Maybe someone with a grudge against me was in the crowd just now? But no one should recognize me right now because of my perfect disguise, no?’

No matter how much he thought about it, it wouldn’t add up at all. However, there was no time to linger on what he sensed, as the shuttle to the continent would not wait for him.

“Let’s go, Hamchi.”

“Okay! Kyuuu!”

And so, Siegfried and Hamchi boarded the transport vessel and departed for the continent.

Meanwhile, someone watched as Siegfried disappeared into the distance, and their face was hidden beneath a hooded robe. The figure turned and melted back into the sea of people, flashing a sinister grin beneath the hood.

“Did you sense me, junior brother?”

***

The construction site was full of vitality, filled with workers moving around.

“Hey! Haul those materials over here! Move it!”

“Keep that leveled!”

“Make sure you do the finishing nicely!”

“What about the magic circle? Is it still not ready? Get it done, now!”

Tens of thousands of workers had been mobilized for the Aoji Prison project.

Siegfried instructed the prison to be finished as quickly as possible, so the Proatine Empire mobilized every single worker in the empire for the project.

However, it didn’t mean that the works were shoddy.

This entire operation was under the command of the Proatine Empire’s so-called elite laborers. These laborers—members of the Proatine Empire’s Labor Vanguard—were composed of barbarians famed for their raw muscle and superb construction skills.

They were frequently dispatched abroad for large-scale construction projects. Thus, these professional laborers ran the site like a well-oiled machine, despite their large number.

“Good,” Siegfried muttered, watching the construction site with a grin.

It wasn’t just the thought of locking up Lee Geon and his lackeys that pleased him.

A vast majority of the tens of thousands of workers deployed to this construction site were refugees who had sought refuge in the Proatine Empire.

They originally lived in the territory of the Holy Alliance, but they lost their homes and livelihoods due to the war.

Now, they were barely surviving off rations handed out by the Proatine Empire.

In the midst of their hardship, this prison construction project was like a ray of hope, as it offered them the opportunity to do honest work and get paid in the dead of winter.

‘A job for the people is always good. We have plenty of undeveloped land anyway, so maybe I should push for more construction projects while things are peaceful?’ Siegfried thought. Then, he turned away from the construction site and thought, ‘Just one more month. One month is all I need.’

He had to hold back just until the Aoji Prison was complete. Once it was done, Lee Geon and his lackeys would face the reckoning they deserved. Of course, he first had to hold up his end of the bargain and eliminate the leader of the enemy, the Coral Emperor.

***

Meanwhile, Cain was now a changed man. He was brimming with confidence after receiving the Coral Emperor’s blessing—the Forced Blooming. He was itching to show off his newfound power to the world and prove that they ought to pay attention to him.

“Hm?”

Cain heard that an NPC had defected to the Corals, so he went straight to the command center to see who this NPC was. There, he found a lone NPC standing silently, his face covered by a hood worn down low.

‘Who’s that? Eh? What the hell? Why isn’t my Rune of Insight working on that guy?’

Cain was perplexed by what was happening.

Just who in the world was that NPC? How come Rune of Insight wouldn’t work on him?

“Are you the one who knocked down all of our elite knights?” Maximus asked.

“Yeah. But I didn’t kill them, so they will live if you heal them well enough,” the hooded figure replied calmly.

“And what’s your reason for defecting to us?”

“Your enemy… is also my enemy. I want to work together with you.”

“Work together with us?”

“I possess the power of invincibility, but I possess no faction,” the hooded figure replied, his voice still sounding calm. Then, he added, “Become my faction. Stand behind me and watch as I destroy the Marchioni Empire.”

“Quite the confidence you have,” Maximus said with a faint smirk.

Instead of taking offense at the hooded figure’s arrogance, Maximus was actually intrigued by him. After all, this man was not being arrogant at all, as he was indeed a powerful warrior.

He had marched all the way here on his own and defeated dozens of Elite Coral Knights without killing a single one of them, to boot.

Maximus could tell without a hint of doubt that this man’s might was beyond even Siegfried von Proa’s.

“So, what’s your name?” Maximus asked.

“My name is Sigurd,” the hooded figure replied. Then, he pulled back his hood and asked, “Do you accept my proposal?”

“I certainly will,” Maximus replied with a grin.

He had no reason to refuse, as having someone like Sigurd on their side was worth more than an entire army.

“Very well, I will see that His Imperial Majesty bestows you with his blessings, too,” Maximus added.

“Blessing?”

“We call it the Forced Blooming.”

Maximus intended to recommend Sigurd to the Coral Emperor. Having such a powerful warrior undergo Forced Blooming would unlock his hidden potential and push him to greater heights, making him far stronger than ever before.

However, that was merely Maximus’ hopes.

“I refuse,” Sigurd said, flatly refusing the offer.

“W-What?! You refuse?!” Maximus exclaimed in shock.

Who in their right mind would turn down the Forced Blooming, a blessing bestowed upon by the Coral Emperor?

This was akin to tossing away a golden gift from the heavens themselves!

“I don’t think you understand. Forced Blooming is something most warriors can only dream of—”

“I am the heir to the power of invincibility,” Sigurd cut him off. Then, he said firmly, “I am the one true disciple of the man who had attained the power of invincibility despite being a mortal. No one can unlock my potential but me. And I especially don’t need the help of some alien to do that. This power I wield right now—this is invincibility.”

As expected of Deus’ disciple. Even though he had been cast out, Sigurd had never once abandoned his master’s teachings. His pride as the Debuff Master burned far too strong for him to acknowledge and accept a foreign power, let alone an alien one.

“I’ll destroy your enemies and the Marchioni Empire with my own hands,” Sigurd said without a shred of doubt in his voice.

Shwaaaak!

A violent aura exploded outward, swirling like a vortex around Sigurd.

His hatred for the Marchioni Empire was far greater than his hatred for any other thing in the world.

Yes, he planned to kill Siegfried, but that was in order to prove to Deus that he was the one true heir to the power of invincibility. However, Sigurd’s main goal wasn’t killing Siegfried but exacting vengeance against the Marchioni Empire.