Debuff Master

The chase was on once again, but the roles had been reversed.

The goblin army marched toward the Biermann Territory while Siegfried’s detachment force chased after them.

“Those pesky humans…” Gorgo grumbled.

The Goblin Lord with an eye patch made out of gold covering its eye shrieked. “I will never forgive them! I will feast on the flesh of your friends, families, and children and I shall bathe myself in their blood! Kihit!

It seems that the Goblin Lord had come to its senses just as Siegfried had predicted, and the goblin realized that it would be more beneficial for it to march toward the Biermann Territory instead of chasing after the pesky human who took its eye. The Goblin Lord made the decision to march straight for the human territory instead of catching the elusive human since it could just punish the elusive human by killing his family and friends.

Of course, the march toward the Biermann Territory wasn’t as easy as the Goblin Lord thought it would be.

Shwiiiik! Shwiiik!

A goblin soldier would die whenever the humans shot an arrow toward them.

Thud! Thud!

“Kyaaahk!?Focus on occupying the human base first! Don’t be shaken! Kihyat!”?Gorgo shrieked as it urged its soldiers onward.

***

After a few hours…

“O-Over there! They are coming!”

“They’re here!”

“The bastards have finally shown themselves!”

The lookouts on top of the watchtowers around Biermann Territory shouted as they signaled the arrival of their enemies.

“Everyone! Prepare for combaaaaat!” Bleigh shouted. His voice resounded throughout the walls.

“Prepare for battle!”

“Hurry! Prepare for battle!”

The soldiers repeated as they urged the others to raise their arms.

‘We managed to finish our preparations thanks to Siegfried buying us time. Now, it’s time for us to face them head-on!’?Bleigh thought as he clenched his fists.

They had done whatever they could, and it was now time for them to face the goblin army head-on.

This was the battle that would decide the fate of the Biermann Territory.

“They are getting closer! There’s less than a kilometer left!” one of the troops shouted while observing the enemy through a spyglass.

“Eight hundred! Six hundred! Five hundred! Three hundred! They are closing in! Two hundred! A hundred meters!” the soldier continued to relay information as the goblin army approached.

“Kyaaak!”

“Kihit! Kihit!”

“Kiki! Kikiki!”

They could finally hear the hideous shrieks of the goblins because the goblin army was now right in front of the Biermann Territory.

“Prepare to fire!” Bleigh commanded.

“Ready!” the archers shouted.

“Three… two… one…! Fire!” Bleigh shouted.

“Fire!” the archers repeated as they let their arrows fly.

Shwiiiiik!

A rain of arrows descended on the goblin army, and they signaled the start of the battle.

***

The battle was fierce.

It looked as if the humans initially had the upper hand through their ranged volleys, but their advantage lasted only for a brief moment.

The Biermann Territory’s wall could not really be called a fortified wall since it was a wall only a bit above four meters tall and was made out of stones piled on top of each other. As such, it wasn’t that difficult for the goblin soldiers to charge through the rain of arrows and climb over the walls.

“Euaak!”

“S-Save me…!”

“Hey! You son of a bitches!”

A fierce melee broke out on top of the stone wall.

“Pour the oil! Pour it!” Bleigh commanded.

Shwaaaa!

The soldiers poured barrels of oil on the climbing goblin soldiers.

“Fire! Light them up!” Bleigh shouted as soon as the goblin soldiers were drenched in oil.

“Kyaaaaahk!”

“Kireeeukkk!”

“Kyaak! Kyaaaaak!”

The goblin soldiers were set ablaze, and they shrieked in agony as they fell from the wall one by one.

However, that only lasted for a brief moment as well…

“Kyahk!?Kyaahk!”?Gorgo said something in the goblin language toward his subordinates carrying his palanquin.

Afterward, the goblins carrying the palanquin started to make a run for it toward the gates of the territory.

Boom!

The goblins rammed the palanquin into the gates.

Boom!

.

It seemed that Gorgo’s palanquin wasn’t just a palanquin. It also served as a battering ram to break the gates down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!?

The goblins continued to ram Gorgo’s palanquin into the gates.

“Block it! Fend them off!”

“Fire arrows at them!”

“Pour the oil!”

The soldiers shouted as they tried to stop the palanquin, but all of their efforts were futile as the gates were starting to get breached by the palanquin which was simply too sturdy.

Bam!

Gorgo’s palanquin smashed into the gates once again.

Creak… crack…!

The wooden gates started to crack like a rotten tree.

Then, Gorgo sounded the command to its soldiers to charge the gates. “Kyaaaaaaaahk!”

Rumble…! Rumble…! Rumble…!?

The goblin soldiers rushed to the gates while kicking up dust, and they started pouring into the gates like a tidal wave.

However, this was all part of the plan.

However, just as the goblin soldiers stepped around thirty meters into the territory, the ground suddenly started to shake and crack.

Creak… crack… crack…

“Kihit?”

“…?”

“Kiiiik?”

The goblin soldiers tilted their heads in confusion at the sudden movement of the ground.

“Pull!” Bleigh shouted.

The soldiers patiently waited while holding onto the ropes connected to the ground. When they heard the order, they pulled it as hard as they could and caused the ground to collapse.

Booooom!

The ground caved in and swallowed up more than a hundred goblin soldiers.

“Pour the oil! Hurry! Pour it!”

“Pour the oil! Light them up!”

The Biermann Territory soldiers holding barrels of oil and torches rushed toward the goblins that had fallen into the trap.

Fwaaaa…! Fwaaaaaaaaa!

A huge fire blazed from underneath the ground as the goblin soldiers were burned alive.

However, that was nowhere enough since the goblins weren’t humans, but monsters that wouldn’t simply die from getting set ablaze, and these goblins could still fight until they were dealt the final blow.

And the final blow was dealt by…

“I’m here!” Siegfried shouted.

Clop! clop! clop!?

Siegfried suddenly appeared from a smaller gate and ran like the wind toward the ditch.

In Siegfried’s eyes, the goblin soldiers on fire looked like a feast exclusive to him.

‘Bon appetite…!’?

He smiled. The ditch full of burning goblins was indeed a feast since most of them were under 50% HP.

[Goblin Soldier]

[HP: ??????????]

[Goblin Soldier]

[HP: ??????????]

[Goblin Soldier] 𝒃𝙚𝒅𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝙣𝙚𝙩

[HP: ??????????]

Considering that, it was only basic etiquette for Siegfried to enjoy the scrumptious meal prepared for him!

Woooong!

Siegfried placed his Circle of Mortality and Circle of Weakness into the ditch. His actions were nothing short of a disaster for the goblin soldiers since the flames were taking away their HP over time.

Pak! Pak! Pukeok!

Siegfried smacked the goblin soldiers crawling out from the ditch with his steel rod.

[You have successfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!]

[Experience Points +650]

[You have successfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!]

[Experience Points +650]

[You have successfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!]

[Experience Points +650]

His experience points continued to increase.

[You have successfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!]

[Experience Points +650]

[You have successfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!]

[Experience Points +650]

[You have successfully hunted a Goblin Soldier!]

[Experience Points +650]

To say that his level had skyrocketed was more appropriate.

[You are now Level 28!]

[You are now Level 29!]

Siegfried gained an additional two levels thanks to the feast exclusive to him.

‘Ah… I only needed a bit more…’?

Siegfried lamented the fact that he only had a level left before hitting Level 30.

He found it a shame that he was still a level short, even after spending the entire week power-leveling as hard as he could.

‘I’m still short by a level… tsk…’?he thought as he clicked his tongue.

While Siegfried was still finding it a shame, Gorgo suddenly shrieked in anger from on top of the palanquin. “You arrogant human! Kyak!?You dare make a fool out of me? I will personally kill you and all of your companions with my own two hands! Kihi!”

Then, the seven Albino Goblins surrounded Gorgo and formed a goblin wall in front of him.

“Ah…” Siegfried grimaced.

He was certain of what was about to unfold.

Boss Fight!

The final battle that would decide the outcome of the war and the fate of the Biermann Territory was about to start.

***

‘What should I do…? I will certainly lose if I fight them right now. I have to hit Level 30 first…’?Siegfried pondered.

The Goblin Lord was a tough enemy, which was a staggering twenty levels higher than Siegfried, even if he managed to reach Level 30. Moreover, Siegfried was certain that fighting the Goblin Lord without reaching Level 30 and without his new skills would be a bad idea since he would surely not last even five minutes against the boss monster.

“Hey, Siegfried,” Bleigh called out. He walked over to Siegfried along with his elite troops.

“You seem troubled. Did you by any chance not reach your desired growth?” asked Bleigh.

“Yes… I’m a bit short…” Siegfried replied.

“Go,” Bleigh said.

“…!”

“Your stepping stones to achieve your growth are over there, aren’t they?” Bleigh said as he pointed toward the gate where the goblin soldiers and the territory soldiers were locked in an intense battle.

“Go and clean those guys up. They will be more than enough for you to fulfill what your Rune of Transcendence needs, right? We will take care of things here,” he added.

“But…!” Siegfried said. He couldn’t easily agree to the offer.

Bleigh was only Level 22, and he was a weakling with skills that could be considered shameful to all knights. Moreover, none of the Biermann Territory’s elite troops were above Level 20.

“It’s alright,” Bleigh said as he waved his hand before adding, “I am aware that I am weak, but I am still a knight. I am without a title conferred upon my name, but I am a knight who has been officially knighted. Besides, I’m still skilled enough to stall for time for you to get ready, you know?”

“Sir Bleigh…” Siegfried muttered.

“Go. Hurry up and achieve the growth you need. Just try to come back as soon as you can, alright?” Bleigh asked.

“Yes… I understand,” Siegfried muttered in response. He had no choice but to accept the offer.

‘Sir Bleigh… You are a true knight,’?Siegfried thought.

The reason Siegfried accepted the offer even though Bleigh could die in the process of stalling for time against the Goblin Lord was that Siegfried could feel the spirit of a knight from the latter.

“I shall be on my way, then,” Siegfried said.

“Hurry on,” Bleigh replied.

“I will be back as soon as I can, so please take care until then,” Siegfried said before he ran toward the goblins.

“Hurry up and come back before we end up all dead,” Bleigh said with a smile. Then, he turned around toward the Goblin Lord and the Albino Goblins before saying, “Goblin Lord, I am the commander-in-chief of the Biermann Territory, Bleigh. I will stop you here!” Bleigh declared.

“Kihit!”?Gorgo shrieked before saying, “Such big words for a weak human! Kik! Kik!?Stop spouting nonsense and kneel before me! Then, your benevolent new lord will especially spare you out of consideration!”

“How dare you spill your bullshit in this place?!” Bleigh retorted and shouted, “Elite forces! Prepare for battle!”

“Prepare for battle!” the elite troops shouted in unison.

Bleigh gripped his sword and exclaimed, “Let’s go and teach that monster scum how scary we Biermanns can be!”

“Waaaaaaah!”?

Bleigh and the elite troops let out a battle cry as they charged toward the Goblin Lord and the Albino Goblins.