Debuff Master

Chapter 582

“Huh? What’s wrong with my damage?”

Siegfried could not understand what was happening, but he made sure to hit Serengeti’s head with a half second interval, locking him in a chain of stuns.

“What’s going on?” Siegfried muttered before flashing his Rune of Insight to check what kind of armor Serengeti was using.

However, there seemed to be nothing special about the armor he was using.

It was then.

“Oh?”

Siegfried recognized the helmet Serengeti was wearing.

[Ultimate Skull Protector]

[A helmet that is extremely good at protecting the wearer's head.]

[Type: Helmet]

[Rating: Unique]

[Durability: 172/200 (86%)]

[Effects: +1,500 Defense, +300% Defense to the wearer's head, +90% Physical Damage reduction to the head, The user’s head is immune to critical attacks.]

It turned out that Serengeti's helmet, the Ultimate Skull Protector, was an item that specialized in protecting the wearer's head. It allowed Serengeti to withstand Siegfried’s attacks, even though he was under the effects of Blaze Field.

The Ultimate Skull Protector was just a unique-rated item, but it was so good at protecting the wearer that it could be considered a legendary item.

“Ah, so that’s why your head is so tough,” Siegfried grumbled. Then, he gripped his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp and slammed it into Serengeti’s face.

“Kuheok! W-Why the face...?! Hit me somewhere—Argh! Else—Ack!” Serengeti protested. He could not understand why Siegfried was hitting his face of all places, but his protest was cut short after getting smacked.

Actually, his protest was valid. Why did Siegfried go for his face when it would be easier to kill him by striking his chest instead?

“Why am I hitting your face?”

“W-Why?! Ack!”

“Because it’s tough...”

“...?!”

“You’re making me want to smash it open. Hehehe...!”

“Y-You crazy psychopa—!”

Serengeti was about to hurl curses at Siegfried, but he couldn't do so.

SMACK!

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp smacked his face, and that was the beginning of his suffering.

Smack, smack, smaaack!

Siegfried mounted Serengeti and smacked his face repeatedly with the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

For how long did he do that?

Of course, it was until Serengeti’s HP reached zero.

“W-What the hell was that...?”

“He’s crazy...”

“Whoa! I didn’t know he was a psychopath!”

“Pervert... He’s a pervert...”

The spectators were shocked by Siegfried’s actions.

“Come here. Don’t look at that.”

What he did was so bad that Brunhilde was forced to cover Verdandi’s eyes. The thing he was doing was so horrible that seeing it would most likely affect the little girl’s mental health in a negative way.

One minute later...

Pukeok!

Serengeti’s head was smashed open like a watermelon. It was true that he was wearing the Ultimate Skull Protector, but it failed to protect him for longer than a minute.

“Phew!” Siegfried wiped away the sweat on his forehead. He looked as if he managed to scratch the itch that had been bothering him for years.

“That feels much better—Huh?”

He suddenly felt something amiss, so he turned around and looked at his surroundings.

“He’s a psychopath...”

“I got goosebumps.”

“Whoa...”

The spectators were not looking at him in a nice manner.

‘W-Why are they looking at me like that?’ Siegfried wondered. All he did was satisfy his desire to smash Serengeti’s head open, but he ended up painting himself as a psychopath.

“Haha... I guess that’s it for today. It’s time to go home,” Siegfried said awkwardly, walking toward his family in the VVIP area. Then, he looked back at the arena and called out, “Hey, Hamchi! That’s enough. Let’s go.”

“Kyu! Alright!” Hamchi replied.

Of course, he did not forget to give one last word of advice to the spirit beasts.

“Kyuuu! Make sure you do better from now on, okay? Do I really have to go this far?”

The spirit beasts flinched and nodded in agreement as if to show that they understood what Hamchi was trying to say.

“What the...?” Siegfried muttered in amazement. He could not help but be curious after seeing what Hamchi was doing to the spirit beasts, so he decided to ask him directly.

“Hey, Hamchi.”

“Kyu?”

“Why are they so obedient to you? Are all spirits like that?”

“Kyu! No, they’re not!”

“Huh?”

“Yes, we spirits have a very strict hierarchy, but it’s not to the point that a spirit would abandon its summoner!”

“But?”

“Hamchi is special! Kyuuu!”

“What’s so special about you?”

“That’s a secret! Kyuuu!”

“Hmm...”

Siegfried could tell Hamchi was hiding something from him, but he decided to let it go for now.

The entourage from the Proatine Kingdom left the arena.

***

The preliminary rounds weren't over yet, and Siegfried fought twice or four times a day, making his way up the preliminary stages. The arena was packed with people from the industry and spectators on days he had matches.

However, there was a saying that disappointment was sure to follow with great expectations.

Siegfried’s matches ended really quickly. Perhaps it was due to his luck, but none of the opponents he met in the preliminary round were considered top-tier PVP specialists.

Thus, Siegfried was able to cruise through the round without fighting a proper battle and without exposing his true strength.

Han Tae-Sung called Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu to commemorate getting through the preliminary rounds, but—

Cheon Woo-Jin grimaced and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you squirming so much?”

“When did I squirm?” Tae-Sung retorted.

“You’re squirming right now.”

“I am?”

“Yeah.”

“No, I’m not,” Tae-Sung grumbled in response.

“You are squirming, hyung-nim,” Seung-Gu chimed in.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“I-I see...” Tae-Sung acknowledged, albeit awkwardly. Then, he let out a sigh, “Haa...”

Cheon Woo-Jin asked, “What’s up? Is there some problem at home?”

“Nope.”

“Then why the long sigh?”

“Because of the tournament...”

Cheon Woo-Jin tilted his head in confusion and asked, “The tournament? Why would you be worried about it? I mean, it looks like you’re going to win the whole thing easily.”

Tae-Sung shook his head and replied, “That’s not the problem. I’m not worried about the result.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“The preliminary rounds are over, which means the group stages will start next, right?”

The Super Rookie Tournament was divided into the preliminary rounds held online, the group stages, and the finals. The online preliminary rounds were now finished, so the rest of the tournament was now going to be broadcast live with the broadcasting station that won the rights to broadcast the event.

In other words, the tournament was now going to be held in the V Sports Stadium, and the participants were going to show their real faces.

“The group stages will be broadcast live.”

“Of course?”

“Then my face will be exposed, right?” Tae-Sung closed his eyes and said. He seemed to hate the idea of even thinking about it.

“Hmm? Do you have stage fright?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked after realizing the reason behind Tae-Sung’s problem.

“Yeah. It’s not really a problem since I’ll be inside the capsule. I should be able to focus on the game, then.”

“True.”

“But just thinking of walking into that stadium is... Ughhhh!”

“Haha!” Cheon Woo-Jin burst into laughter. Then, he smirked and said, “Wow, I didn’t know you were such a scaredy cat.”

“What did you say?”

“Just get in there confidently! What’s the problem?”

“Woo-Jin hyung-nim is right. You can just walk up to your capsule and pretend nothing’s happening,” Seung-Gu chimed in as well.

Tae-Sung did not like what they were saying.

“Hey, are you taking it easy because it’s not your problem? It's going to be my first time getting broadcast live, you know? I've always been cooped up in my house!” Tae-Sung wasn't lying. It was true that he had been spending most of his time playing the game, and leaving his house even once a week was already a surprise.

The fact that he had to stand in front of a huge crowd was not something easy for him.

“Hey, what are you worried about? You’re tall, handsome, and good at the game. You’re not lacking in any way compared to the others, you know?” Cheon Woo-Jin said, patting Tae-Sung’s back.

“What? Are you talking about me?” Tae-Sung replied, pointing at himself. Then, he grumbled, “I get the part about the game, but tall and handsome? Are you sure you’re talking about me?”

“Wow... Look at this guy...” Cheon Woo-Jin muttered in disbelief.

“What did I do?”

“Hey, Seung-Gu,” Cheon Woo-jin looked at Seung-Gu.

“Yes, hyung-nim?”

“This guy is fishing for compliments, right? He wants us to tell him he’s handsome.”

“I think he is, hyung-nim.”

“Tsk... This is why people who got it all are problematic...”

“The world is a scary and unfair place, hyung-nim.”

Cheon Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu were certain that Tae-Sung was just being a crybaby.

This was an understandable conclusion, as Tae-Sung looked decent by the current standards.

Well, he looked like a mess with his unkempt hair and branded tracksuit, as all he did was play games at home, but he was not bad looking by all means.

“Why you little...!” Tae-Sung grimaced in disbelief.

“Ah, forget about it. I’ll find you a good manager and introduce a salon to you, so don’t worry about anything. There are two weeks left, right? Why don’t you go practice for it?”

“A manager and a salon...?”

“This big brother will take care of everything, so you just focus on the game.”

“...”

“Hohoho! Tae-Sung’s makeover is going to be fun!”

“What did you say? Why are you turning this into a different genre? Am I a dating sim character?”

“Yeah, that’s why I love watching you grow,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied, nodding his head with big innocent eyes.

“You son of a bitch!” Tae-Sung lashed out and lunged at him.

***

There were two weeks remaining before the group stages.

Siegfried decided to train with Bruce rather than train at the arena.

Frankly speaking, he was not that interested in the Super Rookie Tournament.

“Sigh...”

He sat at the center of the training ground and let out a sigh.

‘I don’t think I can win even if we have a rematch. I guess the only way is for me to hit Level 299 and then climb that wall to become a Master, too...’

He was more concerned about the Weapon Seeker rather than the Super Rookie Tournament. The bitter defeat he tasted that day had never left his mind. He had been replaying the duel in his head since then, but he would always reach the same conclusion—he couldn't beat the Weapon Seeker.

There was a clear difference in their abilities, and the gap between the Weapon Seeker, who was a Master, and Siegfried, who had yet to even reach Level 299, was as clear as day.

“Damn it... I should’ve recorded the whole thing,” Siegfried grumbled, regretting not recording the battle. He shook his head, as there was no point in moping around. He knew what he had to do, and that was to train and level up to become stronger.

“Let’s go again, Bruce.”

“My name is Bruce—Bruce Wood!”

Siegfried grabbed Bruce’s hand and got up to his feet.

Ding!

A message suddenly popped up in front of Siegfried's eyes.