Debuff Master

Chapter 550

The Adventurers braving the noxious green fog of Irradiate were none other than the United Guild members.

Every single one of them was wearing a necklace with a large shining jade as its jewel.

[Poison-Eating Jade Necklace]

[A necklace that explosively increases the user’s Poison Resistance.]

[This is a masterpiece of the Mercedes Workshop. It has been discontinued, so it is extremely valuable.]

[Type: Accessory]

[Rating: Unique]

[Level Restriction: 100]

[Durability: 1,000/1,000]

[Effects: +500 Poison Resistance]

[Note: The necklace will absorb any DoT from the poison that the user’s resistance fails to resist. The absorbed damage will replenish a portion of the user’s HP, Mana, and Stamina.]

The United Guild members could withstand Irradiate due to the Poison-Eating Jade Necklace, which was the necklace that they were wearing.

“Oh? I didn’t expect to see that here,” Siegfried muttered.

The Poison-Eating Jade Necklace was a very rare and famous item. Its rating was just Unique but it was far more useful and valuable compared to some Legendary and Mythic items.

The item had become famous when a Ranker used it in the raid against a nine-hundred-year-old Black Dragon two years ago. Siegfried had participated in that raid as well, but he wasn't the Debuff Master; he was still an Elemental Mage.

He was not a part of the main party as well. His role was to kill the Guardians, which were monsters that spawned to protect the Black Dragon’s lair. In other words, he was one of the many Adventurers who had been recruited to kill the mobs.

Anyway, he remembered that the Rankers managed to withstand the Black Dragon’s poisonous breath attack due to the Poison-Eating Jade Necklace.

“I think you’ve had enough fun,” the United Guild member standing at the forefront said; there was a clear threat in his voice.

Siegfried was familiar with this Adventurer. His name was Shuroken, and he was one of the vice guild masters of the United Guild, just like Descartes.

“Hmm... What's going on here? Are you taking revenge for what happened?” Siegfried asked.

Shuroken shook his head and replied, “Nope. This is just business. There’s not an ounce of personal feelings involved here.”

“Oh?”

“Can’t you tell? The Immortal Kingdom has hired us,” Shuroken replied, tugging his uniform.

“Oh, I see...” Siegfried replied with a nod. However, he was skeptical about it and had a feeling Shuroken was lying.

‘Hmm... I don’t think so. This is revenge, no matter how I look at it. They probably just joined the Immortal Kingdom to get back at me...’

And he was right...

The United Guild joined the Immortal Kingdom to get revenge for what happened to Descartes. Of course, the pay they got for joining and the bounty placed on Siegfried’s head was a bonus.

“So... You bought those rare jade necklaces just to kill me?” Siegfried asked.

“We need to prepare this much to kill an overpowered cheat like you, right?” Shuroken replied with a shrug.

It seemed that rumors of Siegfried being overpowered had already spread. Well, it was not that strange for such rumors to spread, as Irradiate alone was already overpowered.

“Anyway, I think you’ve had your fun, so what do you say you just call it a day? What do you think?” Shuroken asked.

However, Siegfried knew what he truly meant. He was basically taunting him about what he was going to do now that Irradiate wouldn't work against them.

“What do I think?”

“...?”

“Ta-Dah!”

Chwaaaak!

Siegfried spread his Black Crow Wing Suit and spun quickly.

***

The Blade Falcon Feathers attached to the Black Crow Wing Suit were refined to the point they were sharper than most swords. Siegfried used the Sword Emperor, Betelgeuse’s secret technique, Quick Draw, to cut off Shuroken’s head with the Blade Falcon Feathers.

The result of that was—

Thud!

—Shuroken’s head was severed from his body and fell to the ground.

Pshwaaaaa!

Blood gushed out from his severed neck like a fountain.

“...!”

The United Guild members were shocked to see Shuroken’s head flying in a single attack.

Shuroken was not a single-digit Ranker, but he was still a Ranker, so who would have imagined he would killed so easily?

“It’s nothing personal,” Siegfried said, walking past the headless body. Then, he stood in front of the United Guild members and added, “It’s just business.”

He placed down Blaze Field and Shadow Hell at the same time before swinging his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp faster than the United Guild members could react.

Just like that, a one-sided massacre started.

Siegfried did not bother dragging the battle. He spread open his Black Crow Wing Suit and used Torrential Flower Rain the moment he saw an opportunity.

Shwaaaaaaak!

The one thousand projectiles crafted into the Black Crow Wing Suit shot out and slaughtered the United Guild members.

A flower rain of death!

The Torrential Flower Rain skill shredded the United Guild members to pieces and even stirred up a deadly tornado that cut everything in its path.

Whoosh...!

None of the United Guild members were left standing by the time the Torrential Flower Rain was over.

Total Annihilation!

Siegfried killed every single one of the United Guild members in that short period of time.

“Oh? He’s becoming more amazing by the day...” Yong Tae-Pung muttered in awe. He ran over, thinking Siegfried was in danger, but he instead ended up witnessing the United Guild members' instant annihilation.

Yes, Siegfried had grown leaps and bounds compared to the first time Yong Tae-Pung had met him. Yong Tae-Pung was just impressed by Siegfried’s reflexes, as that was the only thing special about him at that time, but it seemed to no longer be the case. Siegfried had grown leaps and bounds, and he was now probably strong enough to face most Rankers one-on-one and still emerge victorious.

Of course, his level was still a bit too low, but he was definitely not weak compared to the Rankers.

“I have a feeling the broadcasting stations are going to come flocking to him...” Yong Tae-Pung muttered while smirking. He had no doubts that Siegfried was going to make his pro gamer debut very soon.

***

After the battle...

“Phew! I thought I was gonna get fucked!” Siegfried exclaimed.

The battle was a one-sided slaughter, but his encounter with the United Guild members was still definitely a close call.

“Kyaaak! Kyaaaak!”

The apparition of the Three-Legged Crow appeared and swept up all of the items dropped by the dead Adventurers.

‘I’d be the one dead if things had dragged on...’

The fact that he was forced to ambush Shuroken and use Torrential Flower Rain was proof the United Guild was not an easy opponent. They were all high-level Adventurers possessing excellent items, and they were great players themselves.

What was going to happen if the fight had dragged on against them? Siegfried would have definitely been in danger. The thought of having to evade the skills they would have unleashed against him sent chills down his spine.

He decided to kill the United Guild members as quickly as possible, and his decision was indeed correct.

‘Tsk... These bastards really thought Irradiate was the only thing I could do?’

The biggest reason Siegfried could catch the United Guild members off guard was that they thought Irradiate was the only thing he could do.

“Hmm... I guess it’s about time the United Guild starts acting up. Ah... It’s going to be annoying from now on,” Siegfried grumbled. Then, he looked sideways and said, “More importantly. Hey, Seung-Gu. Can you clean up here? I’m tired so I’ll go rest a bit.”

“Alright, hyung-nim. Rest well,” Seung-Gu replied.

“Thanks.”

Siegfried logged out after leaving Seung-Gu with the responsibility to wrap things up.

Meanwhile, the executives at the United Guild were turned upside down after receiving news that their elite members were one-sidedly defeated by Siegfried alone. They picked some of their best members to hunt him down, but they were killed without being able to do anything against him.

To make matters worse, they had lost extremely rare Poison-Eating Jade Necklaces, which had cost them a fortune.

“Fuck! Let’s just barge into that bastard’s country and raze it to the ground!” Descartes lashed out in the emergency meeting convened. The humiliation he had suffered at Siegfried's hands made him want to beat the latter to a pulp and twist the latter's neck with his very own hands.

“I want to do that too, but...” Palchuck replied hesitantly. He could not agree with what Descartes wanted, and there was a good reason behind his hesitation.

Siegfried was a king, so picking a fight with him was completely different from picking a fight with a normal Adventurer. Thus, the idea Palchuck came up with was to join the Immortal Kingdom and hunt him down under the guise of it just being business.

“We will be in big trouble if we attack his kingdom. The NPCs are not going to leave us alone.”

“Are you really doing nothing because you’re scared of those damned NPCs?! Brother! Have you forgotten what he did to me?! I’ll bring our men and—”

“Shut up,” Palchuck cut him off. Then, he let out a sigh and said, “Sigh... Nobody forgot about anything, so please keep quiet.”

“Brother...”

“We will deploy all of our guild members in this war and also...” Palchuck said before he pondered for a minute. Then, he added, “I’ll personally join too. We need to kill him the next opportunity we get. We can’t let things continue like this.”

Palchuck was left with no other choice but to make this decision. His brother, Descartes, was left penniless, and their elite guild members had been massacred by the same person.

What was going to happen if he stayed quiet and did not do anything? Their guild’s prestige would hit rock bottom the moment word got out—no, their guild’s prestige was already at the edge of a cliff.

He had to prove to the others and his own guild members that the guild was strong, and to do that, he had to destroy Siegfried.

“Derrickson.”

One of the other vice guild masters of the United Guild, Derrickson, replied, “Yeah?”

“Contact the Immortal Kingdom and inquire if they are willing to hire our entire guild.”

“Okay.”

“And tell all of our guild members to assemble...”

“You got it.”

And that was how one of the top ten guilds on the continent, the United Guild, joined forces with the Immortal Kingdom, becoming a brand-new variable in the the ongoing war.

***

The next morning...

“What? The entire United Guild joined the Immortal Kingdom’s side?”

This bad news was the first thing that greeted Siegfried the moment he logged into the game.

“Yes, hyung-nim. The Adventurers’ Guild has announced it this morning.”

“Ugh...”

Siegfried felt like ripping his hair off at the news. The coalition forces were already at a huge disadvantage yet one of the top ten guilds on the continent, the United Guild, had formally declared their active participation on the Immortal Kingdom’s side.

Of course, he had to fight the United Guild sooner or later, but this was the worst timing possible.

“Also...”

“Hmm?”

“Your bounty went up again.”

“Again?! By how much?”

“Five hundred thousand gold per kill and two million gold if you’re captured.”

“Crazy...”

“They say you have the third highest bounty on the continent.”

“T-Then... That means things will be much more hectic from now on...?”

“Probably more than you imagine?”

Siegfried could feel the looming danger on the horizon. Even those who were not interested in the war between the coalition forces and the Immortal Kingdom would suddenly be interested in the war. After all, five hundred thousand gold per kill and two million gold if captured alive was on the line.

“I think five hundred thousand gold is enough for someone to betray their friend...”

“Yes, that is more than enough motivation, hyung-nim.”

“Don’t tell me... You, too?!” Siegfried exclaimed and jumped in fright. Then, he glared and said, “If you have something against me then—”

“N-No way! I won’t dare!”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Look at it this way. Can I even kill you?”

“Hmm... You’re right.”

“More importantly. I think the bounty is too big. Shouldn’t you go into hiding or something? I think you will really get killed at this rate.”

“Ah...” Siegfried muttered. Then, he clicked his tongue and said, “Tsk... I think we need to take drastic measures now.”

“Drastic measures? Like what?”

“Can you hand me over to the Immortal Kingdom?”

“T-That is a bit...”

“I’m being serious right now.”

“Huh?”

“Sell me to the Immortal Kingdom,” Siegfried said.

He took out a rope from his Inventory and started tying himself with it.