Debuff Master - Chapter 1241
Chapter 1241
“Neighhh!”
The old horse let out a shrill cry and turned its long neck sharply to the side.
Siegfried smirked the moment he saw the old horse’s reaction.
The horse was an aging beast, one so old that it struggled to even carry someone old and frail like Akrapovic.
And yet, it dodged Siegfried’s attack?
If it were really just an old horse, then that would be impossible.
How could an old beast dodge an attack from a Grandmaster?
“Hey, let’s not make this tiring for both of us. Just show your true form,” Siegfried said with a smirk.
“…”
“You’re already exposed. There’s no point pretending.”
The old horse did not respond and merely stared quietly at Siegfried with its large, round eyes.
Ten long seconds passed.
“Quite the clever one, aren’t you?”
The old horse finally spoke, its voice sounding raspy and sinister.
“I didn’t expect a mere human to see through me like that.”
“It was too obvious,” Siegfried snorted with a scoff. Then, he shrugged and added, “Akrapovic was the only one who went around causing all that madness, yet he wasn’t the culprit? Then who else could it be but the thing that always tagged along with him?”
“Hmm…”
“Trying to infest me with your fleas was a grave mistake.”
“Hohoho! I’ve always despised quick-witted ones like you.”
“Well, I guess we agree on something then. I hate sharp ones too.”
“Then you must know just how much I loathe you right now.”
“I know very well.”
“Time to make you pay the price.”
The old horse’s body was suddenly engulfed in light. Moments later, a humanoid monster stood before Siegfried.
It had the body of a human and the head of a horse.
“Ughh…” Siegfried groaned and grimaced at the grotesque sight.
The horse monster was bare-naked, wearing nothing. It brazenly flaunted its obscenely massive manhood, and the sight of it alone was enough to make Siegfried’s eyes rot.
‘No way… Don’t tell me… It shouldn’t be, right?’
A shudder ran down Siegfried’s spine at the thought that the horse monster could actually wield his massive manhood like a weapon.
‘N-No, there’s no way that’s possible, right? It’s not gonna attack me with that thing. Ugh… My brain is rotting from just thinking about it.’
Siegfried vigorously shook his head before glaring back at the demonic horse monster.
[Blood Drinker Gabe]
[A demonic entity from ancient times.]
[Long ago, he spread fleas throughout the world that corrupted officials and drove them to exploit the people they governed.]
[The people were exploited so badly that they were squeezed dry by the officials.]
[Gabe’s body houses an immense swarm of fleas; being in close proximity to him stirs uncontrollable greed within anyone, turning even the most upright rulers into tyrants who will bleed their subjects dry.]
[He was hunted down by the Chief Archangel, Michael, and sealed away in the Celestial Prison, Purgatory.]
[Type: Evil Spirit]
[Race: Evil Spirit]
[Level: 750]
[Class: Bloodsucker]
[Note: One of the Ten Calamities. Extreme caution is advised.]
Blood Drinker Gabe was the embodiment of the calamity known as the Bloodsucking Parasites.
The fleas running wild and sucking the blood of their hosts were problematic, as they corrupted officials and nobles, transforming them into tyrants who would bleed their people dry.
“Hehehe! I’ll drain your blood as well!”
Having completed his transformation, Blood Drinker Gabe flashed a wicked grin.
“Cut the crap. I’m busy, so let’s finish this fast,” Siegfried retorted confidently.
With his +10 Sky Piercer in hand, he charged straight at Blood Drinker Gabe.
***
The battle between the two raged with absolute ferocity.
Blood Drinker Gabe was quite the formidable enemy.
Armed with a very sinister-looking hook in each hand, he swung them with pinpoint precision with power that could only be described as devastating.
His movements were both refined and quick, too.
Among all the demonic monsters Siegfried had faced so far, Blood Drinker Gabe’s combat prowess was without a doubt unmatched.
He was so strong that even Siegfried struggled to land a single clean hit.
‘What? He managed to dodge that, too?’ Siegfried thought, surprised.
Blood Drinker Gabe effortlessly avoided every attack he dished out with Invincible Spear Art.
Since that was the case…
Fwoooosh!
Sseuuu!
Siegfried unleashed Embrace of Despair and Karma Flare, afflicting Blood Drinker Gabe with crippling debuffs.
Blood Drinker Gabe’s movements became noticeably slower and stiffer than before the moment the debuffs hit.
Still, Siegfried found it difficult to land a decisive blow on him.
Why?
It was all because Blood Drinker Gabe was a fearsome warrior. He was so good that Siegfried was finding it difficult to find an opening for him to exploit. However, truth be told, the bigger problem was…
‘Fuck this shit… Damn it! That thing is getting on my nerves!’ Siegfried grumbled inwardly.
He had to fight with a certain thing in his line of sight. A monstrous part of the demonic monster was swaying obscenely before him.
Maintaining focus was a nightmare, as his eyes would involuntarily drift toward it, forcing him to jerk his head away again and again. Although Blood Drinker Gabe probably hadn’t intended to use it as a distraction, his massive manhood was a colossal distraction for Siegfried.
In other words, his manhood was a passive skill that made it difficult for his opponent to concentrate on the battle.
‘For crying out loud! At least put some damn clothes on your monsters, you damn beehive! Even orcs and ogres wear underwear, don’t they?!’
Cursing the developer and distributor of BNW, the Hive Games Entertainment, Siegfried squeezed his eyes shut. Then, he activated the skill that allowed him to perceive everything with perfect clarity, even with his eyes closed—Sensory Eye.
Now that he was free from Blood Drinker Gabe’s massive passive skill…
‘Time to hit him hard with ranged attacks!’
Siegfried unleashed Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain.
Shwiiiik!
Tens of thousands of aura blades appeared in the sky and rained down toward Blood Drinker Gabe. Each aura blade was imbued with ice attribute energy that could freeze its target by simply grazing them.
Blood Drinker Gabe was a tough opponent to handle, so Siegfried planned to use his slowing debuff and freezing aura blades to restrain him first before dealing the finishing blow.
Puuuk! Puk! Puk! Puk!
Hundreds of aura blades pierced Blood Drinker Gabe.
“G-Gaaah!” Blood Drinker Gabe roared in agony after being turned into a pincushion by the aura blades.
However, the Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain was far from over.
After riddling Blood Drinker Gabe’s entire body with holes using aura blades, the remaining aura blades turned into missiles, detonating upon impact rather than piercing him.
Shwiiiik!
Kaboom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A chain of explosions erupted around Blood Drinker Gabe, unleashing waves of bone-chilling frost that froze him in an instant.
‘Not enough! I’m not done yet!’
Not satisfied with just the Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain, Siegfried cast Absolute Zero.
A surge of freezing frost swallowed Blood Drinker Gabe whole.
‘That’s not enough.’
Still unsatisfied, Siegfried unleashed Frozen Hell, turning the entire area around them into a frozen wasteland with a raging blizzard.
“T-This is… impossible…”
Blood Drinker Gabe’s movement slowed to a standstill after being trapped by the endless freezing effect. Not even a demonic monster of his caliber could move upon taking the brunt of Frost stacked thousands of times over.
On top of that, Siegfried even cast Elemental Shower to strip away Blood Drinker Gabe’s resistance to elements. Thus, he was completely frozen solid, and the fact that he was still alive without shattering into pieces was a miracle in itself.
But that was about it…
Woooong!
Siegfried charged up Touch of Death into his +10 Sky Piercer.
‘Now that’s what I call a proper debuff,’ he thought with a grin.
Freezing the demonic horse monster with a colossal thing until he could no longer move felt incredibly satisfying.
Now that Blood Drinker Gabe was immobilized, all that remained was to finish him off.
Shwiiiik!
In the blink of an eye, Siegfried drove his +10 Sky Piercer charged up with Touch of Death toward Blood Drinker Gabe’s obscenely massive body part.
That thing had been an eyesore ever since the battle began, so Siegfried took the chance to skewer it clean.
“G-Ghaaaaaghk!”
Blood Drinker Gabe’s scream of agony shook the air—
Kaboom!
—And a massive explosion followed shortly afterward.
Just like that, Blood Drinker Gabe vanished without leaving a trace.
Blood Drinker Gabe was stunlocke, debuffed, and he even took a direct hit from Touch of Death. It would have been strange if he had somehow remained in one piece instead of getting obliterated.
‘Now that’s what I call damage,’ Siegfried thought, smiling with satisfaction at the damage unleashed by his most powerful offensive skill.
[Alert: You have killed the Blood Drinker Gabe!]
[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]
[Alert: You have leveled up!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 565!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 566!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 567!]
[Alert: Your quest progress has increased!]
[Alert: The Ten Calamities progress has increased to 60%! (6/10)]
Siegfried leveled up and made progress with his quest.
[The Ten Calamities]
[Hunt down and slay the ten most terrifying demonic entities that escaped from Purgatory.]
[Type: Special Quest]
[Progress: 60% (6/10)]
[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.]
He had finally taken down six of the ten calamities.
Thud…!
[Jar of Calamity: Bloodsucking Parasites]
[A bell containing the powers of Blood Drinker Gabe, one of the Ten Calamities.]
[When this jar is opened, Blood Fleas of Greed will swarm the towns and cities, corrupting all officials and nobles they come across, turning them into tyrants.]
[Type: Jar]
[Rating: Mythic]
[Durability: 1/1]
[Note: This is a single-use item. Once opened, the jar will break and cannot be used again.]
[Alert: You have obtained Jar of Calamity: Bloodsucking Parasites!]
Siegfried had secured the sixth artifact of the Ten Calamities.
***
After slaying Blood Drinker Gabe, Siegfried went to find Akrapovic, who was hiding behind bushes.
“Go and look for Michele. If you tell him that I sent you with my recommendation, he will surely lend you an ear. Also, he will appoint you to a position where you can finally put to use the fruits of your long years of work.”
“Y-Your Imperial Majesty…!”
“It is truly an honor to have a man of your caliber in my court.”
“Y-Your grace is immeasurable!”
Akrapovic dropped to his knees and bowed deeply at Siegfried’s feet. He couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the sudden appointment.
His reaction was only natural. As a scholar who had studied public administration for almost his entire life, he longed for a stage where he could show off his academic achievements and put them into practice.
Hence, he had been wandering from one province to another, meeting with officials, sharing his wisdom, and offering them his advice.
He believed that by building up a reputation for being a wise man, he would be recognized and appointed to an important role in the empire someday.
For such a person, Siegfried’s appointment was nothing short of a rain in a drought for Akrapovic.
Combined with Siegfried’s earlier sincere apology, which had already moved Akrapovic deeply, Akrapovic became firmly loyal to the Proatine Empire.
“Your Imperial Majesty! This old man will work until his body breaks down and bones turn to dust if need be! I will give my utmost to make the Proatine Empire prosper!” Akrapovic exclaimed, bowing low to the ground once again.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Siegfried replied with a smile.
Stumbling upon such a wise old sage and successfully bringing him into service was truly a blessing for a ruler like Siegfried.
“Why don’t you come with me? I was planning to return to the imperial palace anyway,” Siegfried added.
“Y-Your Imperial Majesty’s grace is truly immeasurable! It is as vast as the oceans!” Akrapovic exclaimed in response, once again firmly pressing his forehead to the ground at Siegfried’s feet.
Unfortunately, the wise old man had yet to realize what it truly meant to become a high-ranking official in the Proatine Empire.
‘Kekeke! Let’s see how long you can keep up your enthusiasm!’ Siegfried thought slyly.
Why?
It was all because the workload of the Proatine Empire was nothing short of brutal.
Michele and Oscar were practically married to their work. Forget about going home, they would work overtime almost every single day and fall asleep on makeshift beds placed in their offices.
In fact, Michele had even sold off his mansion, opting to move into the imperial palace permanently. The Proatine Empire placed great importance on high-ranking officials leading by example, so the higher one was up the ladder, the higher their workload.
Michele and Oscar were basically second only to Siegfried, so they had far more responsibilities and workload than other officials.
