Debuff Master - Chapter 1180

Chapter 1180

The next day, Tae-Sung and Yong Seol-Hwa did not wake up and get moving until the sun was high in the sky.

After all, there was quite a big incident the night before, so both of them slept like logs and ended up sleeping in.

Of course, it didn’t matter in the slightest.

Their vacation was planned for two full weeks, and there were still thirteen days left, so sleeping in for a day or two would not be a problem at all.

“Good morning, Young Master. I think it would be best to order room service for today.”

When Tae-Sung finally got up, his head bodyguard gave him a piece of advice.

“Why? We were just about to head out to eat.”

“There are reporters waiting in the hotel lobby.”

“Huh?”

Tae-Sung was genuinely surprised that reporters were tailing him even here in Europe.

He was still unaware, but his relationship with Yong Seol-Hwa was a global headline at this point. Thus, it was not strange at all that reporters were bound to show up at the hotel they were staying in.

“So, I suggest having your breakfast in the room—”

“Nah, we will go out and eat,” Tae-Sung cut him off. Then, he said with a shrug, “It’s already out there, so what’s left to hide?”

“Pardon me…?”

“There are photos of us together plastered all over the place, so what’s left to hide? We will eat at that restaurant in front of the hotel.”

“…Understood.”

Once he made his intention clear, Tae-Sung waited for Yong Seol-Hwa to get ready.

“Did I keep you waiting?” Once she was ready to go out, Yong Seol-Hwa walked out.

“Nope. Let’s go eat,” Tae-Sung replied with a smile.

“Okay!”

The two of them were closer than ever now. After that incident last night, their relationship had taken a step forward.

As a result, they agreed to share one bed from now on for the rest of the trip. They had already gone all the way, so there was no reason to sleep in separate rooms anymore.

Tae-Sung and Yong Seol-Hwa began their day with a wonderful brunch at the restaurant.

“They are currently on vacation right now. We apologize, but interviews and photos are not allowed at this time. We ask for your understanding.”

The security team blocked the reporters and fans trying to approach them, allowing the couple to enjoy their date.

On any other day, Tae-Sung would gladly give his fans his time, but not today. At least for this trip, he wanted to be Yong Seol-Hwa’s boyfriend rather than a pro gamer.

However, he asked his security team not to stop the people from snapping photos from afar.

Thus, the reporters and fans freely took pictures of Tae-Sung and Yong Seol-Hwa enjoying a meal together.

After they were done eating, Tae-Sung asked, “Should we go check out the Swiss Alps?”

“Sure, oppa!” Yong Seol-Hwa replied enthusiastically.

It was then.

Waaaaah!

A child’s cry echoed from somewhere nearby.

“Hm?” Tae-Sung turned his head and saw a young boy—probably in primary school—clutching his mother’s pants and bawling.

‘Why is he crying?’

Tae-Sung put on his earbuds and ran the boy’s words through a translation app. It was a good age to be alive, as technology had advanced so much that language barriers had practically disappeared.

“He says he is busy right now. Be patient, dear.”

“But… But…!”

The boy would not stop crying, as the thought of not getting Tae-Sung’s autograph was too much for him.

‘Well, this is a bit awkward…’

Just then—

“Why is that kid crying, oppa?” Yong Seol-Hwa asked, glancing over at the kid.

“Ah, he wants an autograph so…”

“Really?” Then let’s go give him one.”

“Huh? But right now we’re—”

“It’s okay. He’s just a baby.”

“Hmm…”

“Come on. Let’s go do it.”

Seeing Tae-Sung hesitate, Yong Seol-Hwa took the lead herself.

She walked over to the boy, spoke to him gently, and gave him an autograph.

‘She’s really such a nice person…’

Watching her, Tae-Sung felt his love for her swell even more. This vacation was so precious that they wanted to keep it just for themselves, yet she was the one stepping up first for a fan.

Her kindness shone even brighter in his eyes.

***

Tae-Sung spent the next two weeks with Yong Seol-Hwa, enjoying every moment together to the fullest. They drove through Europe, stayed at the finest hotels, dined at world-famous restaurants, and took lots of pictures together.

It was like living in a dream.

Unfortunately, those two weeks felt far too short, as before they knew it, it was already time to go back home.

“We will be landing shortly at Gimpo Business Aviation Center.”

Just before they landed back in Korea…

“Oppa?”

“Yeah?”

“Should we go travel the world together when we retire someday?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Neither of them knew when that day would come, but Tae-Sung made that promise without hesitation.

Someday, his career as a pro gamer would come to an end too, and when it did, he thought it would not be so bad to travel the world with Yong Seol-Hwa and live life at a slower pace.

Once they landed at the airport, the couple said goodbyes before heading to their respective homes.

“Get home safe and tell your parents I said hello. Let them know I’ll be paying them a proper visit soon, too.”

“Okay! And I’ll visit your mom soon, too!”

“Good. Let’s make sure we make time to do that.”

They promised to meet each other’s parents soon. They were not planning to get married immediately, but they just thought that it was nice to have a relationship where both parents were aware.

Tae-Sung headed home and finally logged back into the game after a long two-week absence.

[Proatine Empire: Imperial Palace]

He received a brief report from Michele the moment he logged back into the game.

“That’s good. I’m glad nothing bad happened while I was gone.”

Surprisingly, there had not been any major incident while Siegfried was away.

However, he couldn’t help but grimace when he heard the report about Michele’s conversation with Duke Neighdelberg, specifically about sending Verdandi to the Marchioni Empire in a year’s time for the sake of her education.

He expected it, but it still felt unpleasant now that the clock was ticking.

“Got it. Let’s start getting ready.”

“Yes, sire.”

“Let me know right away if anything else comes up. I’m going to see my master now.”

Siegfried headed straight to find Deus after receiving the reports from Michele.

“Greetings, Master.”

“Mmhm.”

As always, Deus was sitting by the lakeshore, doing some fishing.

“Have you been well, Master?”

“And why wouldn’t I be?”

“Hahaha…”

“Judging by that troubled look on your face… I’m guessing you went somewhere and got your face smashed in, didn’t you?”

“Eh?!” Siegfried exclaimed and flinched.

It was like Deus could see right through him.

‘Hold on… Don’t tell me he was watching this whole time…?’

A cold shiver ran down his spine at the thought that Deus probably witnessed his fight with Lee Geon.

“Kekeke! So, where did you get your face bashed in this time?” Deus asked with a chuckle.

“Well, that is… erm…”

“You ran into someone using the Devouring Grand Art, didn’t you? Did your energy get sucked dry?”

“H-How did you know that, master…?”

“I could tell at a glance,” Deus said with a smirk. Then, he asked, “Did you meet someone who uses the Devouring Grand Art?”

“Yes, I did, Master.”

“Then why did you lose?”

“Pardon me…?”

“You would’ve won if you’d just held out a bit longer.”

“What do you mean by that, Master…?”

“How many times have I told you? If you cram different types of energy resources into the same mana hall, it’s bound to cause problems.”

“I am aware of that, too, Master.”

“And yet you still got beaten up so badly?” Deus retorted, furrowing his brow.

“T-That was…”

“You fool! The Devouring Grand Art looks invincible at first glance, but when you force different energies into it, they will most definitely clash against each other! There’s a reason the old folks always said not to eat just anything you come across because it’s bound to make you sick!”

“Y-Yes, Master…”

“The trick to beating the Devouring Grand Art is simple. Just hold out for five minutes, and it will self-destruct on its own!”

“You mean… The user’s mana hall will reach its limit in five minutes?” Siegfried asked.

“Precisely.”

“But the opponent I faced lasted well over five minutes—no, it was nearly ten minutes. I am quite sure that—”

Bam!

Deus struck the top of Siegfried’s head with his knuckle, and a deafening sound reverberated throughout the serene lake.

“Aaaack!” Siegfried screamed and fell to his knees.

“Do I have to spoon-feed you everything, you fool?!”

“U-Ughh…”

“There must’ve been a medium, you fool! A medium!”

“Huh?”

“A sword, accessory, armory, or whatever! Something that acts as a vessel to store all that absorbed energy instead of letting it pile up in the mana hall!”

“Ah…!”

“The user of the Devouring Grand Art knows that they need something to take the load off their mana hall, unless they’re an idiot like you! Otherwise, they would just blow themselves up, wouldn’t they?!”

‘Hold on…!’

Siegfried’s eyes widened upon recalling something.

“So you finally get it?” Deus asked, noticing the change in Siegfried’s eyes.

“Yes, Master. I think… I know… what to do now…” Siegfried groaned in response, still holding his throbbing head.

Just like that, Siegfried’s mind kicked into overdrive as he came up with ideas on how to counter the seemingly invincible Devouring Grand Art.

***

‘When different types of energy resources gather in the mana hall, they’re bound to clash and cause side effects. Master said that the only way to avoid that is to have a vessel that can hold all that energy. If that’s the case, then…’ Siegfried thought to himself.

An object flickered in his mind—the greatsword Lee Geon had used at the time.

Clang!

The sword had not been damaged during the fight, but it shattered into pieces as soon as Lee Geon was killed.

In addition, the energy absorbed didn’t flow directly into Lee Geon when he used the Devouring Grand Art. Instead, it gathered in that sword first.

‘So that’s why it broke. The greatsword took the burden off of his mana hall and shattered in its place,’ Siegfried thought.

Now that he thought about it like that, everything fell into place and made sense. Overcoming the fatal flaw of the Devouring Grand Art by using an item was a brilliant idea.

Of course, it was not without any drawbacks.

Every time Lee Geon used the Devouring Grand Art, an insanely expensive item worth hundreds of millions of won would be destroyed.

The skill seemed invincible, but it was no different from a supercar that guzzled fuel and demanded a staggering upkeep cost.

However, if the user—in this case, Lee Geon—had deep enough pockets and used the skill only when he really needed it, then…

‘This is it. That’s the secret behind his absurd power.’

Thanks to Deus’ advice, Siegfried finally grasped the mechanism behind Lee Geon’s skill.

Money.

That was it.

The key to safely using the dangerous skill, the Devouring Grand Art, was in sheer, reckless spending.

“Do you understand now?”

“Yes, <aster!”

“I suppose you won’t get beaten up again, will you?”

“Not a chance, Master!” Siegfried replied with confidence and resolve. Then, he clenched his fists and thought, ‘I’m not going to lose again. Just wait and see.’

Now that he knew how Lee Geon’s skill worked and its weakness, he swore to himself that he would never struggle against him like that again.

Just then, Deus spoke to him.

“Hmm… The Invincible Spear Art… It truly is a peerless martial art, one even I must acknowledge. It’s the perfect vessel for the techniques I have developed, so train it without ceasing and reach the pinnacle. Understood?”

“Yes, Master!” Siegfried replied enthusiastically, his voice ringing with determination.

Hearing Deus acknowledge the Invincible Spear Art only fueled Siegfried’s confidence even further.

***

While Siegfried was piecing together the clue to beat Lee Geon with Deus’ help, an unexpected wave of cataclysmic disasters began to erupt across the Marchioni Empire’s territory.

“T-Terrible news from the north! A massive tidal wave has struck from the northern seas and wiped out thirteen coastal cities! There are no survivors!”

“Urgent report! Asuncion has turned into a giant dungeon! Monsters are emerging from it and attacking nearby cities!”

“Undead monsters are appearing all over the territory and are attacking our people!”

It was not just one, but three disasters that struck all at once.

However, those three disasters were only the beginning, as dozens of disasters struck after that.

The disasters weren’t the end of it.

“Urgent news from our scouts! A swarm of powerful monsters has set up a lair on our borders!”

“A dungeon swarming with monsters has been found near the capital! We must make haste and eliminate them before they reach our walls!”

Dungeons crawling with powerful monsters began popping up here and there throughout the empire, and the Marchioni Empire found itself plunged into another crisis.

Of course, word of this chaos reached the Proatine Empire as well and was immediately reported to Siegfried. He had just returned to his office after receiving Deus’ guidance, but he was immediately met with the relevant report.

“So it has finally begun…” Siegfried muttered, as if he had been expecting this turn of events all along.

The ancient monsters once sealed in the Celestial Prison, Purgatory, had finally begun making their move on the continent.