Debuff Master

Chapter 711

It took less than thirty seconds for the Head Crusher Guild to completely annihilate the ambush squad from the Pandemonium Guild. Gosran unleashed a rain of arrows at them right after Siegfried decapitated Descartes.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

This was all made possible thanks to Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance. The Head Crusher Guild managed to position themselves in advance, as they had full knowledge of the Pandemonium Guild’s position, allowing them to assassinate them rather than getting ambushed by them.

Thud!

The final member of the ambush squad fell to the ground.

“Kyaaak! Kyaaak!”

The Three-Legged Crow’s apparition appeared and collected all of the dropped items.

[Alert: You have acquired +14 Sharp Saw!]

[Alert: You have acquired +11 Amya!]

[Alert: You have acquired +13 Giant Belt!]

[Alert: You have acquired +17 Rusted Pickaxe!]

[Alert: You have acquired +16 Butcher’s Cleaver!]

[Alert: You have acquired... (omitted)]

Siegfried quivered in satisfaction after seeing the enhanced items get sucked into his inventory.

“A-Aaah... Hnngg!” Siegfried let out a moan after savoring the feeling of looting other people’s hard-earned items.

“W-What’s wrong, oppa? Are you not feeling well?” Yong Seol-Hwa asked, sounding concerned.

“Huh? No, why?” Siegfried replied, tilting his head in confusion.

“But you made a weird sound just now.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Haha! Hahaha!”

Siegfried wiped away the sweat from his brow and awkwardly tried to divert his attention.

Hamchi shook his head and thought, ‘People are going to think that he’s playing with himself or something... Kyuuu...’

The giant hamster knew that Siegfried had a habit of getting high whenever he made a lot of money, as if he were a scoundrel. However, Hamchi did not fault him for being so money-minded.

‘The more money he makes, the longer I can be with him! Kyuuu! I must help him!’

Hamchi wanted to live happily with Siegfried for a long time, so he knew that earning money was a good thing. Of course, it would be best if Siegfried did not make such strange noises whenever they made money.

“Alright, that’s the end of that. It’s time to move; we don’t have much time,” Siegfried said. They had three hours to fulfill their win condition, and they had already used twenty-five minutes of that three hours.

They only had two hours and thirty-five minutes left to infiltrate and destroy the throne.

***

Meanwhile, over at the V-Sports Stadium.

— That was incredible!

— The Head Crusher Guild has annihilated the squad of Pandemonium Guild members in the blink of an eye!

— Han Tae-Sung’s side takes the lead!

The shouts of the caster and two commentators echoed across the stadium.

Waaaaah!

The crowd erupted into cheers at the Head Crusher Guild’s dominating start, but the volume of cheers was not what it normally would be for a match of this size. After all, nearly thirty percent of the spectators had left the stadium after hearing that the Head Crusher was hit by a suicide bombing attack.

Most fans expected the Pandemonium Guild to win easily, so they lost hope of watching an exciting match, resulting in them leaving the stadium in droves.

— The Head Crusher Guild is advancing toward the fortress!

— Their backs are up against the wall, but they are not showing any signs of giving up!

— Such a commendable attitude from the Head Crusher Guild! Things looked really bad for them, but they're still fighting to win! The map layout is in their favor, and so is the terrain! There is still hope!

The commentators raised their voices, emphasizing that there was still a chance for the Head Crusher Guild. This seemed like they were being biased toward them, but they had no other choice, as this was necessary given the current circumstances.

They had to do whatever they could to make the match more exciting than it looked, as thirty percent of the crowd had left before the match even started. In fact, even the remaining spectators did not seem to be convinced they were getting the show they came to watch, and the only reason they remained was that they were reluctant to waste their efforts on coming all the way to the stadium.

It was then...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The siege of the fortress finally started.

Seung-Gu summoned his Iron Golems and spread them out about thirty meters apart.

The golems surrounded the fortress and bombarded it with shells from the cannons on their shoulders. Shockingly to the viewers, the accuracy of the bombardment was nothing short of extraordinary.

“Ack!”

“Aaaah!”

“Kyaaah!”

The bombardment commenced, and the screams of the Pandemonium Guild members filled the air. Those on the walls fell to the ground one after another.

— Unbelievable!

— Seung-Gu’s Iron Golems are hitting their targets with perfect accuracy! Every artillery shell is hitting a Pandemonium Guild member without fail! It's like he's sniping them from seven hundred meters away! And this is happening in a night battle with barely any moonlight!

The commentators were genuinely in awe of Seung-Gu’s abilities. They weren't saying this to hype up the match or anything, as they were truly impressed by him.

What was the secret behind Seung-Gu’s pinpoint accuracy?

It was none other than Siegfried’s Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance.

Siegfried gave the exact coordinates of the enemies, allowing Seung-Gu to adjust his aim perfectly. As a result, the Iron Golems managed to snipe the enemy from a long distance using their cannons.

—- What a super play! The Head Crusher Guild is showing their best performance even in the worst possible scenario!

— Seung-Gu’s super play is mounting pressure on the Pandemonium Guild!

— I cannot believe my eyes! How are they fighting with such confidence even in such a dire situation?! They are displaying outstanding focus and skill!

The passionate shouts of the commentators soon infected the crowd, and they went wild as well.

Whooaaa!

“That’s insane!”

“He’s so cool!”

“Kyaaaah!”

“He actually hit them from that range...?”

And then, it finally began...

One of the spectators chanted, “Head! Crusher! Head Crusher!”

Head! Crusher! Head Crusher!

Head! Crusher! Head! Crusher!

Soon, the other spectators joined in, and their voices rose together into a unified cheer.

The suicide bombing incident and the departure of nearly a third of the audience had splashed cold water on this highly-awaited battle, but the super play displayed by the Head Crusher Guild reignited the stadium.

Soon, the faint hope that was quashed earlier was now slowly starting to burn hotter and hotter once again.

***

“N-No...! This can’t be happening!”

Chae Hyung-Seok trembled in fear after receiving news that the ambush team was annihilated. On top of that, their guild members manning the ramparts were falling one by one after getting hit by the artillery bombardment.

“Something’s wrong! No, not again! Damn it! It’s happening again! AGAIN!” Chae Hyung-Seok screamed and panicked.

“Hey! Calm down, Chae Hyung-Seok!” Diesel rushed over and attempted to calm him down before his panic spiraled out of control, but it was to no avail.

“...It’s over.”

After getting tormented by Siegfried over and over again, Chae Hyung-Seok instinctively knew that disaster was going to strike. He knew too well from experience that this situation was only going to go from bad to worse, and it was going to happen fast.

“It’s happening all over again... They must be already inside the fortress. They’re going to toy with us... just like before...!” Chae Hyung-Seok despaired.

“Come on! Pull yourself together!” Diesel shouted.

He couldn't believe the fear in Chae Hyung-Seok’s eyes right now. The guy looked absolutely terrified of Siegfried, and it seemed that his trauma was so severe that the mere thought of being in this similar situation had paralyzed him with dread.

Chae Hyung-Seok was clearly no longer capable of making rational decisions due to his deep-rooted trauma of Siegfried.

“Tsk... Pathetic,” Diesel grumbled, shaking his head. Then, he ordered the ranged guild members to return fire toward the source of the artillery bombardment.

But amidst the chaos...

“They’re already inside... he’s here...! They’re gonna wreck everything! Siegfried is already here! I’m sure about it!” Chae Hyung-Seok continued babbling while paralyzed by fear.

***

Chae Hyung-Seok’s nonsensical babbling was right. Siegfried was already inside the fortress, as he had successfully infiltrated during the chaos of the bombardment.

Gosran picked off the sentries situated atop the fortress wall with pinpoint precision, giving them space to enter the fortress without raising an alarm.

Siegfried could have sniped them from the distance with his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp in Sniper Mode, but he didn't do that.

Why?

It was all because gunshots were too loud.

Unlike Gosran’s arrows, the sound of a gunshot would draw too much attention.

“Man, who’s talking about me so much?” Siegfried muttered while scratching the inside of his ear.

“Hey, I can think of at least a dozen people probably cursing you right now, owner punk. Kyuuu!” Hamchi said.

“Hmm... Good point—wait, what did you say, punk?!”

“Kyuuu! Get a grip! We’re in enemy territory! Do you wanna get caught?!”

“Oh, right!” Siegfried collapsed his hands over his mouth. Fortunately, nobody was around to hear his outburst.

“Now what, owner punk?” Hamchi asked, his little voice brimming with anticipation and excitement.

“Hmm? Now we stir things up,” Siegfried said with an evil grin.

He pulled out the Metamorphosis Mask from his Inventory and wore it. In an instant, his features began to shift and contort until he no longer looked like himself. This mask was truly a useful item, but it had the unfortunate drawback of changing his face at random.

‘Tsk... If only I could control the transformation and turn into Chae Hyung-Seok, it would be extremely fun,’ Siegfried thought with a chuckle. He turned around the corner and saw a group of Pandemonium Guild members patrolling the corridors. He slipped into them and casually blended in as if he were on their side.

“Do you think this battle will end quickly?” one of them asked.

“I doubt it,” another replied.

“Nah, they’ll probably drag it out. Try different tactics to find a weak point out of desperation. But you know, they’re just gonna fail in the end,” a third one chimed in.

“True,” another one agreed.

‘What a sloppy bunch,’ Siegfried thought with a smirk while hidden among them. He could not help but laugh at their lack of discipline. In the end, he could not resist joining in on their conversation.

“So what are your plans after this? I’m thinking of hitting the town tonight after we’re done,” he asked.

The Pandemonium Guild members took the bait.

“I’ll probably just keep playing.”

“Oh, I have a date with my girlfriend.”

“Me? I’m going straight to bed. I’m tired as hell today.”

They continued chatting while walking, completely unaware that their enemy, Siegfried, was walking along with them. As Siegfried moved, he discreetly activated Erase Swarm, releasing a faint tinge of his radioactive energy into the air around them.

Sseuu...

A soft yet barely noticeable hum echoed as the radioactive energy seeped out of him

Bit by bit, the Pandemonium Guild members were getting infected unbeknownst to them. They were like frogs being slowly but surely boiled in water, and they'd never realize it until it was too late.