Debuff Master - Chapter 1221

Chapter 1221

As expected, the locust swarm vanished without a trace as soon as Agnes of Hunger perished. Unfortunately, the damage and devastation caused by the locusts were not reversed.

The vast field of crops they had devoured hadn’t returned, and the fields lay ravaged and empty.

Fortunately, Siegfried was able to strike Agnes of Hunger down before the locusts could rampage throughout the fields, so the destruction was not as catastrophic as it could have been.

While it was true that the locusts devoured swaths of fields in that short period of time, the plains of the Espadrille Province stretched as far as the eye could see, so the damage sustained wasn’t that big.

Of course, the farmers who put in their blood and sweat into their fields would be devastated by the damage, but they could get back on their feet with proper compensation and support from the Proatine Empire.

‘That’s a relief…’

Siegfried was glad and relieved that the farmers’ blood and sweat had not been completely ruined.

He was truly a ruler who deeply cared about his people.

However, his work was far from over. Agnes of Hunger was only the first of the three boss monsters who had escaped from the rampaging Ancient Dungeons, so he had to get moving right away.

Flash!

Without wasting another second, he headed to the southern region of the Proatine Empire, a place located near the Piaro River.

The Piaro River traversed across the continent, and the downstream of the river opened into the sea. This area, the mouth of the river, was located in the southern region of the Proatine Empire, and it was a place rich with aquatic life.

Every town and village along the riverbanks had docks, both large and small, and the people here mostly thrived on fishing the rich fishing grounds along the mouth of the river.

“…What the hell?”

Siegfried froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.

The pristine waters of the Piaro River had taken on a red hue. The waters looked like red wine under the moonlight, and it would, without a doubt, look like a river of crimson blood under the sunlight.

But that was not all…

“Ugh!” Siegfried groaned and covered his nose.

A putrid, disgusting stench radiated from the river. It was the stench of blood so thick that it not only stung his nose but also rattled his brain, making him feel dizzy.

“Kyuuu! Look over there, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed, pointing in the distance.

“Ah…” Siegfried groaned after seeing what Hamchi was pointing at.

Aquatic life of various kinds floated above the water.

Floating fish that looked pale and lifeless could be found belly-up as far as Siegfried’s eyes could see. A mass die-off of aquatic life had occurred, and the river waters turning crimson red most likely had something to do with it.

“This… This is really bad…” Siegfried muttered under his breath.

The Piaro River was the lifeline of not only the Proatine Empire but the entire continent.

Countless people depended on it as the foundation of their lives. People fished there for food, drew water for daily use, and irrigated their farms with it.

Water was the core of civilization itself, as evidenced by how the earliest settlements had always been built along the riverbanks.

For the Piaro River to run red with blood meant disaster for countless people.

Farming would collapse without irrigation, causing widespread crop failure. Once the crops died, famine would follow—a famine that was worse than any in the recorded history of the continent.

But that was not the only problem…

One of the main sources of protein for the populace, fish, would vanish from the food chain. However, the biggest problem was that the water itself would be undrinkable.

Survival itself would become nearly impossible without water, and having the biggest water supply of the continent tainted meant that countless people would suffer, or even worse, die.

While most would dismiss it as the river turning red, in truth, it was a catastrophe of unimaginable scale.

‘I have to do something about this.’

Realizing the urgency of the situation, Siegfried soared over the river and searched for the boss monster responsible for this disaster.

He even activated Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance right away to scan the surroundings, as every second counted right now.

However, two hours passed, and there were no signs of the boss monster.

‘Don’t tell me… It ran away already?’ Siegfried thought.

After a moment, he doubted that the boss monster had run away. The boss monsters rarely ran away unless they faced an opponent they couldn’t defeat, so the one responsible for this disaster had to be nearby somewhere.

Siegfried decided to follow the trail of crimson spreading through the current, heading eastward.

‘Over there!’

At last, he reached the source, the point where blood seeped out into the Piaro River, staining it red.

‘Where are you…?’

He heightened every single one of his senses and even used Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance to locate the boss monster.

However, he still couldn’t locate the boss monster.

Meanwhile, the blood kept churning into the water, tainting it with the putrid stench of blood.

The Piaro River, once the lifeline of the continent, was slowly becoming more and more like a river of death.

‘Damn it! Where the hell is this bastard hiding?!’

Siegfried searched desperately, but the source of the calamity refused to show itself.

“Kyuuu! Why not try looking underwater instead of wasting time like this, owner punk?!”

“Huh? Underwater?”

“Think about it! If it’s not on the surface of the river, then it must be underwater! Kyuu!”

“Oh? I think you might be onto something.”

“Exactly! We need to check the depths! Kyuuu!”

What Hamchi said made sense. Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance scanned the surface, but it did not penetrate underwater.

‘Right. It could be lurking below.’

With that thought, Siegfried decided to take the risk and dive into the bloodstained river to search for the one responsible for this calamity.

***

Shwoooong!

Siegfried dove straight down into the water.

Splash!

A perfect dive!

The river was dark.

It was the dead of night with only faint moonlight, so visibility underwater was close to zero, but it didn’t matter at all. Siegfried’s eyes were sharp enough to pierce through the pitch-black darkness, allowing him to see clearly even in the midnight waters.

He would have to activate Sensory Eye to find his way if this were the Illusion Village: Javiern, but that wasn’t necessary here.

‘Over there.’

He cast his gaze on the spot ahead, where thick blots of blood were bubbling up from the depths. He swam closer until a massive silhouette came into view. It was a giant catfish.

The catfish was as large as a blue whale and was churning the waters as it spewed blood into the river.

[Berth of the Blood Sea]

[One of the ancient monsters once sealed in Purgatory.]

[In ancient times, it turned seas and rivers into blood, destroying ecosystems and bringing about calamity.]

[Type: Demon]

[Race: Catfish]

[Level: 720]

[Class: Blood Sea]

[Note: One of the Ten Calamities. Extreme caution is advised.]

Just as Hamchi guessed, the boss monster tainting the Piaro River was lurking beneath the water.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me… A catfish? Seriously?’ Siegfried scowled as he drew his weapon.

Ding!

Just then, a notification suddenly popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: You have received a new Quest — The Ten Calamities!]

[The Ten Calamities]

[Hunt down and slay the ten most terrifying demonic entities that escaped from Purgatory.]

[Type: Special Quest]

[Progress: 10% (1/10)]

[Reward: +20 Levels]

[Targets:]

– Swarming Locusts ✓

– Bloodstained River

– Destructive Hailstorm

– Plague of Flies

– Endless Darkness

– Mass Extinction

– Curse of Decay

– Bloodsucking Parasite

– Wailing Beasts

– Song of Death

[Note 1: Each slain Calamity drops an item infused with its powers.]

[Note 2: Collect all 10 to gain authority over world-scale disasters for six months.]

[Note 3: This quest is exclusive to the main protagonist of BNW.]

Siegfried had already defeated Agnes of Hunger, who commanded the locust swarms.

‘What…? T-Twenty levels…?’

His eyes widened in shock. He had seen quests that granted five levels or sometimes ten levels, but gaining twenty levels at once was completely unheard of.

In addition, each boss monster dropped an artifact imbued with the calamity they caused, which made this quest a double reward.

‘So that jar was because of this. Then that means this catfish bastard will drop something, too… something tied to its ability to taint water with blood…’

He had no idea if all of the Ten Calamities would drop jars or if it would be a different type of item, but the fact that all of them guaranteed such a drop was immensely good.

Of course, what mattered was that he had to be the one to kill the Ten Calamities.

If anyone else managed to defeat even one of the Ten Calamities, then not only would his quest fail, but the artifact imbued with the power of calamity could fall into the hands of the Marchioni Empire.

On the off chance that the Marchioni Empire managed to get their hands on it and unleash the calamity on the Proatine Empire…

‘No. I’ll be the one to hunt them all, and I’ll claim every artifact. I have to get that reward… twenty levels are no joke.’

Leveling up twenty times meant upgrading the Seven Steps to Invincibility into Six Steps to Invincibility. This meant that Siegfried had no choice but to stake his life on completing this quest.

‘Okay, let’s do this.’

With the +10 Sky Piercer in hand, Siegfried swam through the bloodied water at breakneck speeds, charging straight at Berth.

***

“Kieeeeek!”

The colossal catfish spotted Siegfried and immediately unleashed a sonic wave.

Vwoooom!

The water vibrated, forming a perfect circle that rippled outward to crush him.

‘Not today!’

Siegfried cut through the waters, swimming at speeds that rivaled the fastest of sea creatures. He weaved past the sonic wave and closed the gap with Berth.

‘The eye!’

Siegfried hurled his +10 Sky Piercer like a javelin, throwing it forward like a bolt of lightning that flew straight toward Berth’s left eye.

Whiiish!

However, Berth moved with terrifying agility that seemed impossible for its sheer size.

The boss monster twisted its colossal body and cleanly evaded the +10 Sky Piercer.

Krwaaaang!

The disturbed water caused a current so violent that the river itself seemed to quake.

Berth’s reaction speed was nothing short of monstrous, as Siegfried’s throw had been as fast as a bolt of lightning.

However, Siegfried was not fazed at all.

‘I knew you’d dodge it.’

It was then.

Shwiiiish!

The +10 Sky Piercer jerked and twisted back around.

“…!”

Berth’s eyes widened.

Puuuk!

The +10 Sky Piercer buried itself deep into the boss monster’s left eye.

Siegfried used Flying Sword to guide the +10 Sky Piercer mid-flight, forcing it to twist back and pierce the boss monster’s eye.

“K-Kieeek! Kyaaaaak!”

Berth thrashed wildly after getting struck in the eye. Its screams of agony echoed throughout the water.

‘Now!’

Siegfried seized the moment. He unleashed Karma Flare and Embrace of Despair, crippling Berth with debuffs. Time was not on his side. He had to kill all three boss monsters before dawn, and he needed to end each fight as quickly as possible.

‘A single eye isn’t enough! I have to take the other one too!’

He summoned his +10 Sky Piercer back from Berth’s left eye.

Shwiiiiik!

The +10 Sky Piercer vibrated before shooting back to his waiting hand.

‘Next is the right one.’

Clutching the +10 Sky Piercer tightly, he surged forward again and thrust his spear toward Berth’s remaining eye.

Flash!

This time, a blinding light burst forth.

B-Bzzzzt! Bzzzzzt!

Berth discharged a storm of electricity like an eel, electrocuting the entire river.

Siegfried was electrocuted as well.