Debuff Master

Siegfried wanted to know more about the current situation rather than just jump right into the fray, since the fact that the Mutated Creatures had teamed up together and formed a monster wave was something he thought to be impossible.

“Something’s strange. There has been no precedent of Mutated Creatures triggering a monster wave ever. That is why I feel that it is important for us to investigate the matter. There are only six of us anyway, so it’s not going to severely affect the territory’s defenses,” Siegfried explained.

His words made sense. There were only six of them, and none of them were Level 20, so they wouldn’t be able to contribute that much to the defense except for Siegfried.

“We will also take some of the monsters out along the way since that will lessen the burden on the territory,” Siegfried added.

“So, we’re a detached force!” Thompson exclaimed before he asked, “So, we are going to act independently, is that correct?”

“Yes,” Siegfried replied.

“I think it’s a good idea. I also feel that there’s something wrong. It’s exactly as you said, the Mutated Creatures might be aggressive and vicious, but they are not the type to form a monster wave together,” Thompson said.

“I agree,” Gazelle said.

“I also agree,” Noowu said.

“What about you guys?” Siegfried asked the Adventurers.

“Hmm… I’m just a novice so... Haha… I’ll just do as you tell me to,” Jang Man-Bok replied.

“As you like,” Expact said.

“We won’t die anyway, so it doesn’t matter to me,” Lowe replied.

There was no way that these three Adventurers would have any opinions on the matter. After all, they were ‘real’ novices.

“Then, I will take it as everyone being in mutual agreement, and I’m going to report this to the captain. We will depart in around thirty minutes, I think? I think that will be enough time for us to get ready,” Siegfried said.

He obviously had to report his decision to the command center even if he was the leader of the party since a hierarchy existed in a military operation like this.

“See you in thirty minutes then,” Siegfried said before making his way toward the Biermann Territory’s command center.

***

“So you are the adventurer that single-handedly protected Grandpa Bukati’s ranch and helped the workers escape,” said Knight Captain Bleigh, who was also the Biermann Territory’s commander-in-chief.

Knight Captain Bleigh looked like a typical bureaucrat working a desk job.

“Did you say that your name was Siegfried?” Bleigh asked.

“Yes, Sir Bleigh,” Siegfried replied.

“Thank you,” Bleigh said.

“Huh?” Siegfried muttered in confusion.

“I wanted to thank you on behalf of the lord and the citizens of Biermann Territory,” Bleigh clarified.

“Ah, you are praising me too much,” Siegfried replied.

“Not at all! The display of courage you showed last time is indeed worthy of praise. I will make sure that your heroic valor will be reported to the lord as soon as we resolve this situation. I will ensure that you will get rewarded for your deeds as well,” Bleigh added.

“Thank you,” Siegfried replied while bowing slightly.

“So, for what purpose did you come to find me today?” Bleigh asked.

“I want to go investigate something,” Siegfried replied.

“Investigate?” Bleigh muttered. Siegfried’s words seemed to have piqued his interest.

“I thought that Mutated Creatures bunching up together and forming a monster wave is something unprecedented,” Siegfried explained.

“Ah!” Bleigh exclaimed.

“On top of that, I find it suspicious that they are only targeting our territory, and that is why I cannot shake off this feeling—this feeling that there’s somebody behind this,” Siegfried said.

“It’s not that I haven’t thought of that possibility, but it’s a stretch to send out a detachment to investigate…” Bleigh replied.

“I’m certain that it would be difficult for you to lose even a single one of your excellent soldiers,” Siegfried said.

“It is as you said. We are already stretched thin just by holding these Mutated Creatures back from breaching our walls,” Bleigh said with a hint of frustration in his voice.

“That is why we would like to volunteer for the task. After all, we are not a part of the main force, and we have never trained alongside the soldiers, so we won’t be a big help in the defense. I think that it might be better for us to go and investigate or disturb the enemies behind enemy lines instead of staying here and defending the walls,” Siegfried explained.

“Ohhh…” Bleigh muttered. He looked at Siegfried with eyes filled with interest.

“It seems that you have quite the sharp eyes to analyze the situation. I also agree with what you said,” Bleigh said.

“Then…” Siegfried muttered while expecting a positive response from the commander.

“I shall approve your request,” Bleigh replied.

A message popped up in front of Siegfried.

His plan to go and get a quest for himself instead of waiting around for a quest to land on his lap seemed to have worked.

[Alert: You have accepted the Quest: ‘Investigate’!]

The quest ‘Rescue Operation’ became a chain of quests, which included the ‘Protect The Biermann Territory’ and ‘Investigate.’

[Investigate]

[Type: Normal Quest]

[Description: Find out the cause that triggered the Mutated Creature’s monster wave.]

[Progress: 0%]

[Rewards: 200 Gold]

[Warning: N/A]

‘This is a jackpot!’?Siegfried exclaimed inwardly after seeing the quest reward.

The quest was basically a way for Siegfried to hit two birds with one stone since he would level up by hunting monsters in the process of doing the quest. Moreover, he would earn money after completing it as well.

“I officially appoint you and the others in your squad as a detached force. It might be temporary, but all of your actions will be considered as an official duty under the territory and the kingdom, and you will be protected from any consequences thereafter,” Bleigh declared.

“Thank you very much, Sir Bleigh,” Siegfried said with a bow.

“It should be the other way around. You are doing this for our territory, so I should be the one expressing my gratitude for you,” Bleigh said with a smile.

“Haha…” Siegfried let out an awkward laugh.

“Then, I expect to hear good news from you soon,” Bleigh said.

“Yes, sir, leave it to me,” Siegfried confidently replied.

***

Siegfried immediately returned to the fountain at the center of the town square and regrouped with his party members. Afterward, they headed south of the Biermann Territory.

There were still around two kilometers left before they arrived at Grandpa Bukati’s ranch, and Siegfried thought while glancing at the map, ‘The Biermann Territory is over here, and the ranch is over there…’

“It seems that the Mutated Creatures are going straight to town in a single line, and they all seem to be coming from the south,” Siegfried said.

It was the basics of all basics to assess the situation and analyze the enemy’s movements before engaging in combat.

“But they are heading north even though there are other villages on the way. It seems they are purposely targeting the Biermann Territory…” Siegfried muttered while tilting his head in confusion.

“It is exactly as you said!”

“Now that you mention it…”

“So, these monsters are specifically targeting our territory?”

The party members responded. They found some truth in Siegfried’s words.

“That’s what I think for now, but I think we should go and find out more about it,” Siegfried said, and then he added with a voice befitting of a leader, “Let’s continue on and find out more about it. I’m sure we will find something if we trace back where they came from.”

The Mutated Creatures only had the Biermann Territory in their eyes.

***

A few hours passed, and Siegfried and his party passed by the now-devastated ranch of Grandpa Bukati before venturing further south to reach a small territory south of Biermann.

The territory was called the Schreyer Territory, and it was a territory as small as the Biermann Territory.

However…

“W-What the heck…?!” Siegfried exclaimed when he saw the entrance to the territory, “Why the hell are goblins over there?”

The entrance to the Schreyer Territory was guarded by a bunch of goblins rather than humans, but the surprise did not end there.

“The goblins are armed? They are wearing armor and are properly armed.” Siegfried was astonished.

The goblins guarding the entrance to the Schreyer Territory were armed with long spears made out of steel and armor made out of leather just like human soldiers.

It was indeed a strange sight.

People often said that goblins were intelligent monsters, but the way they armed themselves with what humans often used as armor and weapons was unprecedented. After all, these monsters usually armed themselves with primitive stone tools and loincloths made out of animal hides.

However, that wasn’t the end…

“Over there! The goblins are dragging out the Mutated Creatures!” Thompson exclaimed while pointing into the distance.

The Mutated Creatures that attacked Grandpa Bukati’s ranch were pouring out from the Schreyer Territory.

“Kik! Kihit!”

“Kiiihiiit!”

“Kik! Kik! Kik!”

And the goblins were dragging them out.

“What the hell…? What the hell is going on…?” Siegfried muttered in disbelief. He could not make heads or tails of the situation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of drums being beaten resounded from somewhere, and a group of white goblins emerged from the gates.

“Are those Albino Goblins? There are seven of them as well…” Siegfried muttered in disbelief at the sight before him.

Albino Goblins were powerful monsters considered ‘Champion Monsters.’ These goblins possessed white skin just as their names said, and they were monsters capable of dealing lightning attribute damage as opposed to normal goblins. Albino Goblins were considered one of the top-tier variants among the goblins.

However, the main issue was the fact that there were seven of them, and that fact alone made the whole entire situation even more suspicious and strange.

“Don’t tell me… Did Baron Peter use black magic to control the goblins or something…?” Thompson muttered.

“A Monster Tamer, you mean?” Siegfried asked.

“Yeah, that one,” Thompson replied. 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐧𝗼𝘃𝐞𝐥．𝗰𝐨𝗺

“There is some logic to it, but a Monster Tamer is a very rare class, so I doubt they are going to waste their time on goblins,” Siegfried said.

“Is that so?” Thompson asked in response.

“Yes…” Siegfried said with a nod.

“A Monster Tamer is not going to build their main force with goblins since a goblin is just a goblin no matter how strong they become,” Siegfried explained.

However, an epiphany suddenly struck Siegfried.

‘Ah…’?he muttered.

It was a bad memory he always wanted to forget—a memory akin to a nightmare to Siegfried.

“Ah… I hate them… goblins…” he mumbled.

“Hmm? What was that? You don’t like goblins?” Thompson tilted his head in confusion.

However, Siegfried did not respond to his question.

The memory he had with goblins was one of the worst experiences he ever had in his life, and it was also one of the experiences he desperately wanted to forget.

‘I hate goblins the most in this world…’?he grumbled inwardly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Creak… Creak…?

While Siegfried’s thoughts were wandering, the sound of footsteps and the creaking of a structure could be heard from the gates of the Schreyer Territory. The structure was accompanied by goblins standing left and right.

“T-That’s…!”

“What the hell?!”

“That’s a goblin…?”

“That’s hideous…”

The party members were stupefied at the sight of the ‘thing’ that exited the gates.

Siegfried wasn’t aware of what was going on because he was deeply immersed in his thoughts.

‘What’s the fuss?’?

He turned around to take a look.

“Huh…?” Siegfried muttered in disbelief when he saw the structure that came out of the gates, “A palanquin…?”

The structure that came out from the gates was none other than a palanquin being carried by more than fifty goblins, and the creature that was sitting on top of the palanquin was…

“A golden goblin…?” Siegfried muttered.

Yes, a shiny goblin covered in gold was sitting on the palanquin.

***

“Kihit! Kik! Kik kik kik!?Kihihi?Kihiiiiit!”?The crown-wearing golden goblin sitting on the palanquin cried out in an ear-splitting shrieking voice, and the Mutated Creatures started moving at the golden goblin’s shrieks.

Siegfried could instantly tell that the command the golden goblin had shrieked out was for them to start marching north.

‘What the hell is that bastard?’?Siegfried wondered. He stretched his left hand toward the golden goblin on the palanquin and activated his Rune of Insight.

The golden goblin’s details popped up in front of his eyes.

[Gorgo]

.

[A legendary golden goblin that only appears once in a hundred years. It is extremely intelligent and is much stronger than an average goblin.]

[The golden goblin is able to grow stronger without limits, and it can unify the Goblin Tribe Leader under its rule.]

[The golden goblin will become the Goblin Lord once it unifies the goblins.]

[Level: 50]

[Race: Goblin]

[Type: Boss]

[Class: Goblin Lord]

[Attribute: Lightning Attribute/Fire Attribute]

[Special Abilities: Mind Control (May only be used on monsters)]

It seemed that the golden goblin was a member of the rarest variant of goblins at the pinnacle of all goblins, and it also seemed that it was the Goblin Lord.

“A Goblin Lord…?Ha… did it command the goblins to occupy the Schreyer Territory and now, it wants to take over the Biermann Territory?” Siegfried muttered.

After seeing the Goblin Lord, he was finally done analyzing the situation.

“It seems that’s what’s going on right now. There’s no other way to explain what’s going on aside from that.?Hmm… then—” Siegfried trailed off.

“We will have to report this,” Thompson concluded Siegfried’s words for him.

Siegfried nodded. “So we can prepare for it. We might be able to stop the Mutated Creatures someway and somehow, but once that goblin army attacks, the Biermann Territory will be—”

“Destroyed in an instant…” Thompson completed Siegfried’s words again.

“That’s right…” Siegfried nodded. He turned around to face the party members and said, “We have to return and report this as soon as possible.”