Debuff Master

“Yeah, we’re in quite a pinch because of the durability of our defensive gears, and I have a feeling we will continue to suffer because of it... Haa...” Siegfried replied with a sigh.

His frustration was understandable, as the loss of item durability was one of the most stressful things a gamer could face. They definitely had the capability and capacity to venture deeper into the dungeon, but their items’ declining durability not only made them act more conservatively but they even had to abandon the expedition entirely.

Some would argue that they could simply make do without their defensive gear, but that was simply out of the question, as they would be completely exposed to their enemies’ attacks without their defensive gear.

Another source of stress was the financial constraint brought upon by their items’ declining durability. Yes, they did receive a thirty percent special discount from the Bavarian Workshop, but the fact that they had to keep repairing their items before every attempt was bound to add up sooner or later.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes?”

“Have you heard of the Kautschuk Tree by any chance?” Monterey asked.

“Kau—what tree? It’s my first time hearing about something like that,” Siegfried replied while tilting his head in confusion.

“I am bringing this up just in case Your Majesty is not away but...”

“But?”

“What do you think of using the milky sap naturally oozing out from the Kautschuk Tree?”

“The milky sap naturally oozing out from the Kautschuk Tree? What’s that going to do?”

“As far as I know, the milky sap from the Kautschuk Tree is an excellent repellent against corrosion or rust, and the natives even drink it as an antidote whenever they get bitten by a poisonous animal.”

“Really?! Are you certain?” Siegfried asked with his eyes shot wide open.

“I have only heard of it, so I am not certain, but I believe it is worth asking the natives if you do get the chance to meet them.”

“I should do that!” Siegfried exclaimed out of sheer delight. Then, he smiled and added, “Thank you, Mr. Monterey!”

“Not at all, Your Majesty! You have been gracious enough to allow me to make a living, so it is only right that I be of some use to Your Majesty!”

“Hmm... I think I have to reward you for this...”

“Pardon me, sire...?”

“Do you think you can work in the Security Forces of our kingdom?”

“S-Security?!”

The Security Forces were in charge of maintaining a kingdom’s internal peace and order, and they were something like the police in the real world.

“A-A lowly person like me working in the Security Forces?”

“Why not?”

“B-But... I have a criminal record, so I do not deem myself fit for such a—”

Siegfried waved his hand and replied, “I’m the king so it’s fine. I mean, you know things will open up like the Autobahn for you if I command it, right? So don’t worry and do your best to maintain the peace and order in our capital, okay?”

“A-Autobahn...? What is—no, Y-Your Majesty! Sniff! Y-You will allow a... Sniff! criminal like me to work for the kingdom’s peace and order...!”

“H-Hey! Why are you crying all of a sudden?!”

“Your Majesty! Thank you for your grace!”

“It’s fine so calm down, will you?!” Siegfried exclaimed.

However, Monterey was too happy to calm down right now.

“Kids! I’m now a civil servant! You won’t starve anymore!” Monterey shouted with his fists raised to the sky.

‘Geez... Haha...’ Siegfried smiled and felt like he would tear up if he watched him any further.

Gosran approached him and asked, “But where will we obtain information regarding the Kautschuk Tree, Siegfried-nim?”

“Ah, don’t worry about that.”

“Do you know something about that tree?”

“Nope, I have no idea.”

“...?”

“But I know someone who probably knows it very well. Hehe!”

“What do you mean by that...?”

“Please give me a second,” Siegfried said before he walked away from Gosran.

***

Siegfried called the Proatine Kingdom to request an Amazoness Warrior to come to the Southern Great Jungle.

Unfortunately for someone, the warrior that came was none other than the second-in-command of the Amazoness Tribe, Sandra.

“I, Sandra, greet the Great Chieftain!” Sandra bowed and greeted him.

“H-Hiiik!”

However, the one who replied first was not Siegfried but rather, Seung-Gu.

Sandra was the strongest warrior of the Amazoness Tribe, and she was the one Seung-Gu had spent steamy nights and days with.

Sandra looked at Seung-Gu and said, “Hmm... It has been a while since we last met.”

“W-Well, y-yeah, it has been a... long time...” Seung-Gu stuttered in response.

“I missed you.”

“W-What?! Y-You what me?!”

“I believe I have already told you before that I’m in love with you?”

“In l-love with me?!”

“I hope you have gotten better in bed while we were apart.”

“H-Hiiiiik!”

“I will not forgive you if you are flimsy in bed,” Sandra said with a glare. Then, she turned to Siegfried and said, “Great Chieftain! I have heard that you are searching for the Kautschuk Tree.”

“Yes, I am.”

“The Kautschuk Tree is extremely difficult to find.”

“Really?”

“The Kautschuk Tree possesses the ability to disguise itself like the tree around it, so it is nearly impossible for a human to tell it apart from most trees.”

“Then how are we supposed to find it?”

“This guy will find it for us,” Sandra pointed at a mole-like creature she brought with her.

“Oink! Oink!”

The mole-like creature made the crying sound of a pig, yet it looked like a mixture of an anteater and a mole judging by its appearance.

[Sniff Snaff Snuu]

[A mammal inhabiting the Southern Great Forest.]

[It looks like a mixture of an anteater and a mole, and it lives off sucking the Kautschuk Tree's milky sap.]

[Type: Neutral Creature]

[Level: 50]

[Note: It is extremely good at locating Kautschuk Trees.]

“This creature is called a Sniff Snaff Snuu, Great Chieftain,” Sandra said.

“So you’re telling me this guy can find the Kautschuk Tree for us?”

“Yes, Great Chieftain.”

“Then shall we go?”

“I shall lead the way,” Sandra said before she entered the Great Jungle with her pet.

***

Siegfried entered the Great Jungle once again, but he was accompanied only by Seung-Gu, Hamchi, Gosran, Sandra, and her pet.

“Oink! Oink!” Sniff Snaff Snuu cried out.

The creature moved quite quickly through the jungle, but they were yet to find a single Kautschuk Tree. Sandra had already mentioned that the tree they were looking for was quite rare even in the Great Jungle, so the party was forced to roam around the jungle a few times in search of one.

The reason they were having a hard time locating the tree even though they had a guide was solely due to the fact that they were restricted to moving around near the edge of the Great Jungle, as they would come in contact with the Mutated Great Jungle Fire Ants if they ventured any deeper.

It was then.

“Oink! Oink! Oiiiink!” Sniff Snaff Snuu cried out before dashing toward a tree that looked just like the others around it.

“Great Chieftain! We have found a Kautschuk Tree!”

“T-That’s a Kautschuk Tree?!”

“Yes, Great Chieftain!”

“Wow... It looks just like the other trees...”

“I shall harvest its sap for you, Great Chieftain!” Sandra said.

Then, she took out a machete and swung it at the tree Sniff Snaff Snuu was crying toward.

Bam! Bam! Bam

A few minutes later.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

A stream of milky white liquid burst forth like a waterfall from the opening Sandra made.

“Great Chieftain! This is indeed a Kautschuk Tree!” Sandra exclaimed while filling up a jerry can with the liquid.

“Oh? Is that the milky sap of the Kautschuk Tree?”

“Yes, Great Chieftain!”

Gosran approached Siegfried and asked, “But why is she calling you ‘Great Chieftain’, Siegfried-nim?”

“Ah, that? I’m the ruler of this place,” Siegfried replied.

“Eh?! What do you mean by that?!” Gosran freaked out.

“I own the Great Jungle, you see.”

“Huh...?”

“There’s something like that... Haha...”

Siegfried did not bother getting into the details and redirected his focus back to the Kautschuk Tree and Sandra.

Sandra filled up jerry cans after jerry cans with the sap from the tree.

“Alright, it’s time to go back,” Siegfried said after checking that they already had more than enough sap.

***

Siegfried went to Quandt with the jerry cans of the sap from the Kautschuk Tree.

“So you’re telling me that this thing has the ability to detoxify acid and poison?” Quandt asked.

“I think so? I actually have no clue, so why don’t we test it out first?” Siegfried replied.

“Sure,” Quandt said with a shrug. Then, he took out a bottle of corrosive acid and dropped a single droplet on the milky sap.

Shaaa...!

The corrosive acid instantaneously disappeared the moment it met with the milky sap.

“Oh! It looks promising!”

“I think so, too!”

“Hmm... So lathering the artifacts with this sap will protect them from corrosion...”

“But do you think just doing that will work? I think it will all flow down and dry up eventually.”

“Yes, so we will have to properly coat it with this.”

“Coating...?”

“Give me two hours,” Quandt said.

Two hours later.

Quandt reappeared and said, “Come over here.”

He brought a deep dish containing a slimy liquid-like substance with him.

“What’s that?”

“It’s wax and glue made from the Kautschuk Tree Sap, and this is the mixture I made with metal dust.”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, I’ll be applying this on your defensive artifacts so hold still,” Quandt said before taking out a paintbrush used to paint walls and started painting the mixture over Siegfried’s defensive gear.

The defensive gear absorbed the mixture like a sponge.

“It’s done.”

“Huh? Did you apply it? I don’t see any changes...?”

“I made it so that it won’t be visible on the outside.”

“Is that how it works...?”

“Do you want to test it out?” Quandt said with a confident smirk. Then, he placed two droplets of the corrosive acid on top of Siegfried’s defensive gear.

The result could only be described as shocking.

“Huh?”

There was supposed to be a sizzling noise, but it was silent. Siegfried was surprised to see that his defensive gear wasn't affected by the corrosive acid at all.

“It’s fine?”

“Oh! It’s extremely effective!”

“Yeah, it seems like it?”

“Why don’t you take it all off so I can fully apply this?”

“Sure,” Siegfried took off his Quad-Turbo Shoulders and gave it to Quandt.

Splash!

Quandt dipped the Quad-Turbo Shoulders into a special container with the corrosive acid, but the result was still the same. The Quad-Turbo Shoulder was supposed to have been corroded by now, but it emerged unscathed from the acid.

“Oh! It’s a resounding success! That Kautschuk Tree is really something!”

“So is this ready?”

“Of course! All we have to do is apply this mixture to your defensive artifacts, and it will be safe from the monsters’ corrosive acid! You won’t have to worry about the durability dropping anymore!”

“OH YESSSS!” Siegfried roared out of joy. Then, he exclaimed, “Alright! We found a solution! Yahoo!”

He and his party members could finally venture deeper into the Great Jungle. After all, their gear was now resistant to the corrosive acid of the fire ants. Of course, there was no telling what kind of strange surprise the Great Jungle had in store for them, but the fact that they could proceed further was already a victory in itself.

“Are you going to venture deeper into the Great Jungle now?”

“Yes, I think that’s what we’re going to do.”

“Then that should make it easier for you to gather the Green Otherworldly Essence, right?”

“I think so? It should drop more frequently the stronger the monster we fight is, right?”

“It should! It definitely should! Hohoho!”

Quandt seemed elated by the news that he was a step closer to obtaining the samples he required.

“B-But... Can I make a request?” Quandt asked.

“What request?” Siegfried replied.

“That is...”

“...?”

“Ahem...!”

“What is it?”

“Ahem... I’m a bit embarrassed to say it...”

“Can you just hurry up and tell me?”

“Is it possible if you... keep this a secret for now?”

“Keep what a secret?”

“Can you keep the Kautschuk Tree Sap a secret for now?”

“Huh?”

“That should let you be the only one to enter deeper into the Great Jungle, and you will gather the Green Otherworldly Essence faster than anyone else!”

“Aha! You’re right!”

“Also...”

“Hmm? Is there another reason?”

“We’re making a killing right now so...”

“...?”

“We are making a lot of money because the Adventurers often come to us to have their artifacts repaired, but once word of the sap gets out, they won’t come as often anymore, right? Then, our workshop won’t be able to earn as much—”

Siegfried narrowed his eyes and muttered, “Wow..."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l