Debuff Master

Siegfried sensed something was off the moment the mana storm raged.

Then, the moment he realized what was going on…

“Oscar! Hamchi! Dodge! Hurrryyyy!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Right after he screamed, Splitting Heaven and Earth attacked Siegfried instead of Chimera 474 and the monsters. The powerful area of effect skill attacked the caster instead of the monsters.

“Your Majesty!”

Oscar and Hamchi shouted after seeing Siegfried get swept up by Splitting Heaven and Earth. They would have gotten swept up by it, too, if Siegfried hadn't warned them in time.

[Siegfried van Proa]

[HP: ⬛⬛⬛⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜]

He only had thirty percent HP remaining, and it was a miracle he did not die after getting swept up by Splitting Heaven and Earth.

“Your Majesty! Are you alright?!” Oscar shouted worriedly.

He glared at Chimera 474 and grumbled, “What the hell was that just now? Why does it seem like my skill was reflected back at me…?”

Chimera 474 glared back at him and moaned, “Pain… I don’t want to be in pain anymore… No more pain…”

Blaze Field scattered flames throughout the area around him.

“Pain… I’m in so much pain…”

It seemed that Chimera 474 couldn't reflect Blaze Field.

“I just have to kill it without using any big skills,” Siegfried said with a grin and gripped Horse Fly.

Siegfried swung Horse Fly like a madman at the monsters and Chimera 474 as Blaze Field shredded the latter's defenses.

Of course, that wasn't the end of it.

More monsters appeared in the distance, and they seemed to have been attracted by the commotion from the battle.

“Dame Oscar! I’ll leave the cave entrance to you! Make sure you help her, Hamchi!” he shouted.

“Yes! Your Majesty!”

Hamchi and Oscar stood in front of the cave entrance to repel the monsters trying to enter it.

“You’re playing with me,” Siegfried said as he walked toward the Chimera 474.

“Pain… I’m in so much pain…”

“Let me kill you. You will no longer feel any pain once you're dead,” he said before he placed down Blaze Field once again.

The second Blaze Field covered a smaller area but was far stronger than the first one, spread throughout the entire battlefield. In other words, Siegfried cast Discharge and placed down a second Blaze Field just to defeat Chimera 474.

“Pain… It’s painful!” Chimera 474 screamed before charging toward him.

The Chimera 474 did not seem to be a warrior, as its movement was very rough and unrefined. However, it was not to be underestimated as its speed, power, and jump strength were superhuman.

Siegfried smacked the monster’s head with Horse Fly.

[Chimera 474]

[HP: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬜⬜]

A single hit took twenty percent of the monster’s HP. His damage was amplified several fold thanks to the efficiency of his second Blaze Field.

What if he could not use mana?

He was just going to fight.

What if he could not use his skills?

Then, he was going to place down his debuff fields and fight.

Why?

Siegfried’s basic attacks were as strong as his skills.

The Debuff Master was a war machine designed by the Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus, and this class was designed to win no matter what kind of situation he faced. The Level 999 Hidden NPC, Deus, didn't design the Debuff Master as a normal class; he infused every bit of his knowledge and philosophy into it.

Siegfried beat the living daylights out of the Chimera 474.

A few minutes later, Chimera 474 fell and—

A snow-white field spread out around Siegfried.

A blinding burst of bright white light flashed from the field.

“…!”

Then, the swarm of monsters charging toward him like a tidal wave suddenly stopped in their tracks as if time had stood still.

It was the most powerful crowd control skill of the Debuff Master, Absolute Zero, that froze every single one of the oncoming monsters, and the entire scene looked as if time had frozen still.

***

Siegfried had just used Absolute Zero to freeze all of the monsters.

“Sire!”

“Your Imperial Majesty!”

“Your army has arrived!”

“Where are you, my lord?!”

Thousands of Marchioni Empire Soldiers appeared on the battlefield where a fierce battle had unfolded just a while ago, but there was nothing for them to do.

Siegfried had already frozen the swarms of monsters, so all the empire’s knights and soldiers had to do was safely escort Emperor Stuttgart out of this mess.

One of the knights spotted Siegfried and approached him, “King Siegfried van Proa, where is His Imperi—“

“Stop,” Siegfried raised his hand and said, “Don’t take another step further.”

“Pardon me…?”

“You could… die if you come closer,” Siegfried said before pointing at the knight’s feet.

The knight was barely two or three centimeters away from the edge of Absolute Zero, which was still unleashing a powerful freezing aura.

“Let me clean these monsters up first,” Siegfried added.

Then, he took out two rainbow-colored disks and threw them into the air.

The two disks abruptly divided into five hundred projectiles each for a total of one thousand.

The projectiles raged like a storm before turning into disks and returning to Siegfried’s hands.ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelenglish.net . ꜰɪre.ɴet

“…?”

“What was that?”

The empire’s knights and soldiers were perplexed at the flashy sight that achieved nothing.

A clean cut suddenly appeared on one of the frozen monster’s torso, and its upper body fell to the ground.

But that was just the beginning…

The upper bodies of the monsters started to split from their bodies and fell to the ground with dull thuds. The bodies of the frozen monsters were cut cleanly by Torrential Flower Rain, and the Absolute Zero field dissipated after every single frozen monster fell down.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The empire’s knights and soldiers were stunned.

No, it was not because Siegfried was strong.

Why?

Because each and every one of these knights was a high-level NPC, and the weakest one among them was a whopping Level 280. However, the spectacle Siegfried displayed just now was like magic, and he looked more like a magician than the countless magicians in the empire.

“Okay, you may escort His Imperial Majesty now,” Siegfried said with a smile and led the way for the empire’s knights and soldiers.

***

The knight captain knelt at the entrance of the cave and exclaimed, “I have come to escort Your Imperial Majesty! Please do not worry, as we will escort you to safety now!”

“Attend to my sword first before me,” Emperor Stuttgart replied as he pointed behind him.

“Yes, Your Imperia—L-Lord Randoll!” the knight captain exclaimed out of sheer horror after seeing the marquis’ severed arm.

Who was Marquis Randoll?

He was one of the continent’s Five Star Heavens and someone who had achieved the realm of a Sword Master. But who would have imagined such a person would lose his arm in battle?

“I only lost my arm and not my life, so don’t worry,” Marquis Randoll replied despite losing his right arm, which was as valuable as his life as a swordsman.

He had lost his arm due to having to fight without his mana, but his spirit as a Sword Master was not going to get extinguished just because he had lost an arm.

“Siegfried van Proa,” Emperor Stuttgart called out.

Siegfried hurriedly knelt on one knee and responded, “Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: You have completed the Quest – Protect the Emperor!]

[Alert: You will receive your reward in due time!]

“I have never imagined my life would be indebted to you, the king of a weak and tiny kingdom, Siegfried,” Emperor Stuttgart said.

“I have only done my duty as your loyal subject. How could Your Imperial Majesty be indebted to your own subject, my lord?” Siegfried replied as courteously as possible.

“A debt is a debt. How can an emperor fail to reward those who have fought for him? You shall be greatly rewarded for your valor today.”

“Thank you very much, Your Imperial Majesty,” Siegfried calmly replied.

“I am in awe of the martial prowess you have displayed today.”

“I do not deserve such praises, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“You have worked hard, so you deserve some rest. Come, let us go together to a safer place.”

“No, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“No?”

Emperor Stuttgart was slightly surprised when Siegfried shook his head.

“Why do you refuse?”

“There are still plenty of rulers waiting to be rescued.”

“…!”

“Your Imperial Majesty is safe now, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the rulers stuck in the hunting ground,” Siegfried said with a smile and added, “Please allow me to go rescue them, sire.”

“My army will rescue them. Or perhaps are you thinking I will let them die a futile death in these woods?”

“Not at all, sire.”

“Then?”

“There is a saying that one hand cannot win against ten hands. We might be able to save another person if I run around.”

Emperor Stuttgart was speechless at Siegfried’s response, and a single word popped into his mind.

It was a title impossible to acquire unless one had outstanding qualities and personalities.

“Siegfried van Proa.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Do as you wish.”

In the end, Emperor Stuttgart could not stop Siegfried from his heroic exploits.

“Thank you very much, Your Imperial Majesty! I will come to greet you once I have made my return!”

Siegfried took Hamchi and Oscar with him to go save the rest of the rulers stranded in the hunting ground.

“It seems that King Siegfried is a rare gem of a hero in these turbulent times, my lord.”

“I believe so.”

Emperor Stuttgart could not help but agree with Marquis Randoll.

However, both Emperor Stuttgart and Marquis Randoll were terribly mistaken about something.