Debuff Master

Five days later.

Siegfried woke up earlier than usual at seven in the morning and logged in to BNW. He was immediately busy upon arriving in the game.

[Hennessy]

[Status: Hatching (80%)]

[Time Remaining: 33 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds...]

Hennessy would hatch in just thirty-four hours, which was five in the afternoon tomorrow, counting from the time Siegfried logged into the game. In other words, Siegfried had no time to laze around and sleep.

“Welcome back, owner punk! Kyuuu!”

“Good morning, hyung-nim.”

“Welcome back, Your Majesty.”

“Did you sleep well?”

As Siegfried entered the tent that would act as the command center, he was greeted by his comrades.

“Good morning, everyone!” Siegfried greeted his comrades and used Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance once again to check the current situation. Then, he rubbed his chin and muttered, “Hmm... They made a lot of progress overnight. We’re literally right in front of the outskirts now.”

The Adventurers progressed really fast these past five days. Their progress was nothing short of remarkable, as not a single mutated monster could be found in the Great Jungle except for the ones in the Ishuka Ruin.

Simply put, the mutated monsters were already extinct in this vast jungle, and this was a testament as to how fervently the Adventurers hunted them down so they could get their hands on a Top-Rank Ignite Crystal.

In fact, Siegfried scanned the mini-map numerous times and he could not find a single red dot in the Great Jungle except for the ones clustered within the Ishuka Ruin.

Well, there was probably one of two stragglers somewhere, but that was probably it.

That meant...

Siegfried turned to his comrades and declared, “We will be launching a full-scale assault today. There are no longer any monsters to kill, so the only monsters for the Adventurers to hunt are in the Ishuka Ruin anyway.”

“I agree. The Adventurers have been grumbling since last night that no more monsters were spawning, hyung-nim,” Seung-Gu replied.

“Yes, he is right. I checked with the blacksmiths of the Bavarian Workshop early in the morning, and they told me that quite a lot of Adventurers already possessed Top-Rank Ignite Crystals. Also, quite a few Adventurers were forced to stop at High-Rank Ignite Crystals because they couldn’t get their hands on the otherworldly essences anymore,” Gosran added.

“That’s excellent news,” Siegfried replied with a smile at the news.

What Gosran basically said was proof that the Adventurers were starting to feel anxious about missing out on this opportunity to craft their own Top-Rank Ignite Crystal, and this meant that they were going to charge into the Ishuka Ruin in search of the Green Otherworldly Essences on their own even if Siegfried did not ask them to do so.

Siegfried looked at Carrell and instructed, “Go mobilize our soldiers and block off all paths to the Ishuka Ruin.”

“P-Pardon me, sire?!” Carrell shrieked in horror. Then, he blinked twice and asked, “Block? Do you mean to say we should prevent the Adventurers from entering the ruin?”

“Yes.”

“But the Adventurers have to charge into the ruin for Your Majesty to stab them–”

“What did you say, punk? Stab who?”

“I-I did not say anything, sire.”

“You better watch your mouth. Do you want to have your pay deducted too? Ha?!” Siegfried warned and threatened.

“H-Hiiik! I apologize! Please! Anything but a pay cut!”

“You better watch it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Anyway, block off the entrances of the ruin.”

“But if I may ask, why should we block off the–”

“Do you want them to get annihilated one by one?”

“...!”

“They have to rush in all at once to sweep away the enemy. We’re only going to have casualties if they trickle in bit by bit.”

“Oh my god... Your Majesty’s wisdom is truly divine!”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes! Your Majesty!”

Carrell was not the only one thinking this way. Hamchi, Seung-Gu, and Gosran were all in awe of his strategy and were nodding their heads in agreement.

Well, this was not all that surprising, and it was to be expected from Siegfried. After all, one needs to have enough brain cells to be able to stab others in the back, right?”

“The ruin will be blocked off until one in the afternoon. We need to give time for the Adventurers to gather before letting them attack,” Siegfried said.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Carrell replied with a salute.

“And...” Siegfried looked at Hamchi, Seung-Gu, and Gosran. Then, he first said, “Seung-Gu, you take the mid-lane and show off your firepower.”

“Okay, hyung-nim,” Seung-Gu replied with a nod.

“And you, Hamchi. You will come with me,” Siegfried said while pointing at the giant hamster.

“Okay! Kyuuu!”

“Carrell, you stay behind and observe the situation. Make sure you send our kingdom’s soldiers to the lanes having a hard time and ensure none of the lanes fall.”

“Yes! Your Majesty!”

Siegfried turned to Gosran and said, “Please go to the mid-lane with Seung-Gu and Gos–”

“Can I come with you instead?” Gosran asked, cutting him off.

“Huh?”

“You must be nervous going alone too, right? Besides, who knows what could happen? I think I will be of help somehow, so why don’t I go with you instead?”

“Hmm... Alright, I guess it’s better to go together than alone,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“Excellent!” Gosran exclaimed while smiling brightly.

Siegfried smiled back at her, but he was looking at her with different eyes deep inside. ‘I’m sure you must be hiding something, and you’ll eventually show your true self when you’re in danger. I’m taking you with me just in case you do show me who you truly are! Hohoho!’

He had long been suspicious about how she was actually a very powerful Adventurer and was only pretending to be weak. Thus, Siegfried saw this as the golden opportunity to get help from someone powerful while unraveling the mystery behind her identity.

“Ah, tell the Bavarian Workshop and the vendors to move their shops to the frontlines. That way, the Adventurers can regroup quickly if they have to and let them rejoin the battle as quickly as possible,” Siegfried commanded Carrell.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The preparation was done.

“Alright! I hope all of you will faithfully do your roles today! Meeting adjourned!” Siegfried ended the meeting and left the tent.

Gosran walked alongside him and asked, “What are we going to do now?”

“We will move behind enemy lines,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“And then?”

“Hmm...” Siegfried pondered for a while. Then, he replied, “We’ll sit down and play Hardstone while waiting... I guess?”

As expected, playing Hardstone was the best thing to do when there was nothing to do in BNW.

***

On that same morning, Siegfried hired another batch of promoters to start riling up the Adventurers.

“Burning event! Only thirty minutes remaining before the end of the event!”

“The event will be over tomorrow! Don’t miss out!”

“Giga Limited Ignite Crystals are up for grabs! You have until five o’clock tomorrow to get them!”

The Adventurers ballooned to thousands by now, and every single one of them rushed to the gateways located at the frontlines after getting riled up by the promoters.

Unfortunately, they couldn't start hunting immediately.

“Halt! You may not enter the Ishuka Ruin!”

The Proatine Marines had blocked their paths.

“Hey! What gives?!”

“Why are you blocking?!”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“I’m so busy, but I made time to come here!”

“Do you know who I am?!”

The Adventurers swarmed around the Proatine Marines like a swarm of angry bees. There were only hours left before the event ended, but not being able to enter the dungeon made them feel extremely frustrated.

“It can’t be helped! A strange occurrence has been spotted among the mutated monsters within the Ishuka Ruin! Therefore, we cannot allow you to enter the ruin! All of you will die a dog’s death at this rate, so wait until one o’clock in the afternoon! The blockade will be lifted by then!” the officer of the Proatine Marines bellowed.

“Damn it!”

“Are they seriously making us wait...?”

“Every second counts right now!”

The Adventurers grumbled at the blockade, but there was nothing they could do. They could not force their way through the soldiers blocking the path, as BNW was a game that heavily penalized Adventurers daring enough to harm NPCs.

This was the reason most of the Adventurers tended not to mess with the NPCs and obey the laws of the continent.

“Ah, let’s just play Hardstone while waiting.”

“No, we should form a party before that. We need all the help we can get.”

“Alright! Listen here, everyone!”

“They said it will open at once, so let’s go do our own thing and come back later.”

The Adventurers decided to form parties or play Hardstone while waiting just as Siegfried expected them to.

Time passed, and it was finally twelve fifty-five in the afternoon.

“Open sesame!”

“Get ready to run!”

“Five minutes! Five minutes!”

“Damn it... Why does five minutes feel so long...?”

The Adventurers in each of the three paths anxiously waited for the Proatine Marines to lift the barricades blocking the path.

Time passed, and it was finally the fated time.

Thud!

The Proatine Marines removed the barricades and—

“Waaaaaah!”

“Chaaaarge!”

“Run!”

“Fuck! Run as fast as you fucking can!”

“Hurry! Hurry!”

“Aaaaaaah!”

The Adventurers screamed until their lungs became sore and flooded into the Ishuka Ruin. Their fervor was so strong that the Proatine Marines watching them clicked their tongues and shook their heads.

“As expected, His Majesty was right once again,” Carrell muttered with a smile while watching the Adventurers swarm into the ruin. Then, he took out a flare gun and pulled the trigger.

Shwiiiing...

The flare flew into the sky.

Boom!

And exploded like a firework...

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried, Hamchi, and Gosran were enjoying a round of Hardstone on the outskirts of the rear side of the Ishuka Ruin.

‘Ah, I think I lost this one...’ Siegfried grumbled. He was in a pinch in the final stages of the match. He had a seventy percent chance of winning this round, but things turned against him later. It seemed that his defeat was already guaranteed.

Unfortunately, this last round had the biggest pot, so he stood to lose all of the money he had managed to win until now.

‘Ah... It seems like I’ll definitely lose–’

It was then.

Shwiiiing... Boom!

A flare shot up into the sky from the center path, and it exploded like a firework.

“Hmm?!” Siegfried instinctively stood up after seeing the flare.

Crash!

And he ended up accidentally flipping the table their cards were on...

“...!”

“...!”

Hamchi and Gosran's eyes shot wide at the table on the floor, and exactly one second later.

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“SIEGFRIEEEED!”

The two screamed at him in anger, thinking that he had flipped the table on purpose.

However, Siegfried did not spare them a glance as he stared at the flare for a few seconds before turning to look at them with a glare, saying, “Is this stupid card game important right now? The attack has already commenced!”

Siegfried looked so serious right now that he looked like he was about to fight a battle where the fate of his nation hung in the balance.

“Let’s hurry!” Siegfried shouted and ran even before either Hamchi or Gosran could reply.

***

It went without saying that Siegfried did not immediately charge into the ruin right after the flare exploded. There was no point in him waiting all this while at the rear waiting for the Adventurers to attract the monsters’ aggro if he was going to do that.

His entire plan revolved around waiting for the mutated monsters to rush to the front lines and fight as few monsters as possible on his way to the boss monster. Right now, all he had to do now was wait for the Adventurers to push further into the Ishuka Ruin and cause as much havoc as possible.

Thus, Siegfried simply observed the Ishuka Ruin from a distance without stepping foot into it for more than thirty minutes.

“Owner punk! You flipped the table even though you weren’t going to attack! Kyak! I know you did that to avoid losing!”

“Siegfried-nim? I think you need to explain yourself. Did you really do that on purpose?”

Gosran and Hamchi continued to nag and question him for his actions earlier but...

“They’re gaining ground and pushing the monsters back...” Siegfried muttered while inspecting the mini-map. He did not even bother responding to the two and was solely focused on the movements of the dots on the mini-map. Then, he raised a brow and said, “I think they will break through at this rate.”

The momentum of the Adventurers was scary. They massacred the high-ranking mutated monsters with ease and charged deeper into the Ishuka Ruin.

In response, the red dots clustered at the center of the Ishuka Ruin rushed over to the frontlines to stop their advance.

“I guess it’s time for me to make a move too,” Siegfried muttered while still ignoring the two nagging at him.

“Kyaaah! Don’t ignore Hamchi, owner punk!”

“Are you seriously going to be like this?!”

Hamchi and Gosran barraged him with questions while following closely behind him.

Thud!

Then, Siegfried suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Kyu? Are you finally going to explain yourself?”

“Siegfried-nim!”

However, Siegfried ignored the two and threw his +13 Horse Fly about five meters beside Gosran where there was nothing.

Shwiiiik!

The +13 Horse Fly flew in a parabola leaving behind it a rainbow trail.

Pukeok!

Then, it hit something beside Gosran.

“Kuheok!”

A gasp was heard right at the spot where the +13 Horse Fly hit something invisible, and a large humanoid monster appeared like magic, crashing to the ground.

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