Debuff Master

Chapter 220

Unbeknownst to the people of Proatine, the rocky mountain west of Preussen was the lair of a wyrm-class dragon, which was a mature adult dragon.

This specific dragon constructed his lair around four hundred fifty years ago in the rocky mountain of the Proatine Territory, but this dragon was a creature unrecorded in history and was soon forgotten, so the citizens had no idea that the dragon was there.

The mighty creature also had no idea that there were humans living near his lair, and the reason was that the mighty creature had been in deep slumber for the past four hundred fifty years.

However, that all changed today after the mighty dragon was awakened by a powerful tremor that shook his lair. It soon realized that the humans were encroaching on his territory.

The mighty dragon found out that the reason the humans woke him up from his slumber was to test out the power of their useless weapons.

“Those imbeciles…!” The wyrm-class Chromatic Dragon, Lagonda Taraf, gnashed his teeth in anger toward the humans who dared disturb his sleep. “These vermin will surely build a massive settlement if I let them be. They are no different from rats and cockroaches, after all.”

Lagonda Taraf scorned the human race, similar to most dragons. Of course, not all dragons scorned humans, but Lagonda Taraf was one of the dragons that were a bit extreme against humans, as he was one of the infamous ones when it came to slaughtering mankind.

It was around four hundred fifty years ago that Lagonda Taraf destroyed three kingdoms and earned the nickname Evil Dragon Lagonda Taraf right before he went into hibernation.

His contempt toward the human race was so strong that he even established an army composed of other races and encouraged them to kill any human being in sight.

It was then during his extermination campaign against the humans that a human champion stood up against him, and he sustained a grievous wound during the battle.

He fled from the human champion, and he hid deep within the rocky mountains of the Proatine Territory to recover from his wounds.

“Humans…! Humans…! Those despicable vermin are at it again! Those vile creatures that harbor nothing but evil right from their mother’s wombs!” Lagonda Taraf roared as he slowly awakened his body.

He started with his scales first.

Squirm…! Squirm…!?

His scales squirmed after awakening for the first time in four and a half centuries.

“Hmm… The wound has almost healed, but it will take a few days for my body to fully awaken…”

He was a mighty dragon, but his body had been inactive for four and a half centuries, so he could not immediately control his limbs at will.

“I’m hungry… I should find something to devour.”

Lagonda Taraf decided to feast on the humans who dared disturb his sleep, but a part of him was slightly worried about something…

“I hope that bastard isn’t there anymore…”

He was talking about the human who made him run away with his tails tucked between his legs four and a half centuries ago. He wasn’t the most powerful human, but he was certainly strong.

Lagonda Taraf could not help but hesitate when he remembered that human, but he soon realized that it was probably highly unlikely for the human to be there.

“There’s no way. Humans can’t live that long…”

It was possible for powerful humans to live a bit over a century, but almost four and a half centuries had passed since then. And dragons were creatures that became bigger and more powerful as they age, while the same could not be said for humans.

Lagonda Taraf was no longer the same dragon he was four hundred fifty years ago.

He was currently 6,911 years old, and he was going to turn 7,000 years old in less than a hundred years and evolve into an ancient-class dragon.

One hundred years was definitely not a short period of time, but it was a short moment for creatures like dragons that lived for centuries and millennia.

“It doesn’t matter even if that human is alive. He has probably become weaker while I have become stronger.” Lagonda Taraf decided to wait until he regained full control of his body before going out to wipe out the humans who dared to encroach on his territory.

The dragon was furious at the humans who disturbed his sleep.

Well, it was almost time for him to wake up, anyway, and he wasn’t throwing a tantrum or anything because he wanted to sleep in a little bit more… not at all…

***

Siegfried successfully maximized the Great King’s Blessed Lands. He was about to embark on another personal journey after seeing his kingdom’s affairs, but he first had to work on hiding the Proatine Kingdom.

Michele’s advice prompted him to hide the kingdom.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“I believe it will be wise to hide our kingdom’s strength for now.”

“Why? You are aware that people are making fun of us as a small and weak kingdom, right?”

“I understand Your Majesty’s concerns, but it seems wiser to hide our strength for now.”

“Why?”

“Our neighboring nations will not look favorably on our progress. They won’t invade us because of the emperor’s protection, but they will definitely pull all sorts of tricks to slow us down in any way they can.”

“Hmm…”

“On top of that, we have no idea what your enemies, mainly the Genesis Guild and Church of Osric, are plotting against us. I understand it will be frustrating for Your Majesty, but I implore that you swallow the shame until the right time presents itself.”

“Okay, let’s say that makes sense, but…” Siegfried agreed with Michele’s advice, but there was a problem in executing the said advice. “How are we going to hide our kingdom’s strength? I know we’re small, but is it even possible to hide an entire kingdom?”

“We will conduct a detailed census and count every citizen living in our kingdom. Then, we will enforce strict border control to check anyone who enters our kingdom, and we will ask them to sign a written oath.”

“Yeah, but they can just observe us from a distance then, right?”

“I have a way, Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

“Marquis Decimato is a Great Wizard, right?”

“So?”

“And Marquis Decimato has an excellent teacher by the name of Daode Tianzun.”

“Don’t tell me… you’re planning to hide the entire kingdom with magic?”

“I assumed it would be possible, so I went to ask them, and they confirmed that it is indeed possible as long as they get the budget for it.”

The Proatine Kingdom was extremely affluent for its size, so it did not have any problems when it came to money. In short, it was possible to hide the entire kingdom with magic.

“Then let’s do it. We’ll think of it as an investment to buy time to grow our military strength,” Siegfried said.

There was no reason for him to refuse the advice of a talented subordinate like Michele.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“No need to thank me.”

“But when do you plan to depart for your next adventure?”

“I think it will be in three days,” Siegfried replied.

He decided to leave in three days because his title Ruler of Proatine, was about to trigger.

[Ruler of Proatine]

[Level 1 to 50: +1 level per day]

[Level 51 to 100: +1 level every three days]

[Level 101 to 150: +1 level every seven days]

[Level 151 to 200: +1 level every fifteen days]

[Level 201 to 250: +1 level every thirty days]

[Level 251 to 300: +1 level every sixty days]

[Alert: You will level up in seventy-two hours! Please remain in your territory to gain the free level!]

He was going around the continent so much that he never had the chance to take advantage of the free level-up option of the title. However, he was quite busy these past few weeks after crossing Level 200, as he had to work on various administrative things.

He could not help but be delighted by the fact that he could gain a free level just by sitting and doing paperwork, and this feeling was further amplified by the fact that it was extremely difficult to level up at his level.

‘I should dedicate these three days to doing administrative stuff, and then I’ll leave once I gain a free level,’?Siegfried decided to stay until he fulfilled the level-up condition.

“Commence with that project as we discussed,” he said before he suddenly remembered something, “Oh, right… I’m expecting someone important, so please prepare accordingly to welcome them.”

“Pardon me…?”

“My kingdom is slowly starting to take shape, so it’s time for me to invite Master here.”

“Y-Your Majesty’s master?!” Michele was shocked.

He had no idea who Siegfried’s master was, but he could tell that he was someone strong enough to treat Daode Tianzun like a kid. It was an unbelievable thought, but Michele couldn’t help but believe it for some reason.

“Yeah, I feel bad for not visiting or writing to him often. I was thinking that this was going to be the perfect time to invite him and do my duties as his disciple. I’m sure he will like it since it’s been a while since he went outside.”

Siegfried was someone whom even the devil envied when it came to his devious schemes, but he was not an ingrate who would forget his benefactors.

“Yes, I understand. I will make sure that the preparations for the arrival of Your Majesty’s master are perfect.”

“My master likes to drink, so make sure to prepare a lot of high-quality booze.”

“Leave it to me, Your Majesty.”

“All right then, I’m going to write a letter to my master now…” Siegfried grabbed a quill pen.

***

Four days later, Deus met with the messenger from the Proatine Kingdom while he was training Elder Blockhead, a.k.a. the Sword Emperor Betelgeuse.

“Hmm? My disciple wants to invite me?”

“Y-Yes! Royal Teacher-nim!”

“Royal Teacher?”

“Elder-nim’s disciple, his majesty Siegfried van Proa, is a king. Therefore, it is only right for us to address elder-nim as Royal Teacher-nim…”

“Hoho…?Royal Teacher, you say… That kind of flimsy title does not suit someone as great as me,” Deus said with a chuckle. He possessed the power to conquer the entire universe if he wanted to do so. Therefore, a title from a small and weak kingdom didn’t mean anything to him. “But I guess I’ll overlook it this time for my one and only disciple’s sake.”

“I am grateful for your great compassion that is as vast as the ocean, Elder-nim!” the messenger said as he kowtowed. However, his thoughts betrayed his actions.

‘Just who the hell is this old man? Why is he so arrogant? I know he’s the Great King’s master, but I think he’s crazy…’

Still, the messenger made sure to treat Deus with the utmost respect to the best of his ability, as he recalled what Michele told him right before he left. He was instructed not to do anything that could upset Deus.

“A single glance from him can make your heart stop beating if you get on his bad side, so please be careful.”

They even went as far as to task Gringore to give lessons on how to be respectful?before sending the messenger.

“It looks like you’re trying too hard. Your expression is too stiff. No, try it like this…”

The messenger could not understand why he had to go to such lengths, but he decided to do his best with his mission.

“All right, it seems my disciple misses me a lot, so I guess I have no choice but to go see him. I was thinking of visiting him once anyway, so the timing is just great,” Deus said.

‘It felt like the Law of Causality was guiding me to my disciple’s land for a while now… I guess there’s something I have to do there. Hohoho! I never imagined there’s still something left for me to do in this world!’?he thought.

Deus had been getting the feeling that he should visit Siegfried for the past two days, but he had no idea why.

“Thank you, Elder-nim!” the messenger exclaimed and bowed.

“Blockhead!” Deus shouted.

“Yes, Elder-nim! I am coming!” Blockhead replied and rushed after hearing his name called.

“Shall we go and see my beloved disciple?”

“Yes, Elder-nim!”

“Then, let’s go?”

Seuk…!

Deus and Betelgeuse abruptly vanished without a trace.

It was a warp spell without any incantations.

Deus could teleport anywhere without any preparations or incantations.

“H-Hik!”

The messenger cried out in horror upon realizing Deus’ might.

1. Yes, I know it sounds very weird. Let’s just agree that this is how it works in this specific fantasy world.