Debuff Master

[Elliott de Bertique]

[A passionate climber from the Heather Kingdom.]

[He has attempted to climb Mount Kunlun eight times.]

[This is his eighth attempt at climbing Mount Kunlun together with his Santa Climbers, so he has vast experience climbing the mountain.]

[Type: NPC]

[Level: 150]

[Affiliation: Santa Climbers]

[Position: Leader]

[Class: Persistent Climber]

[Titles: Climber Wanting To Become Famous, Passionate Climber, Knocked Down Seven Times Get Up Eight Times, Longing For The Peak, Mount Kunlun Obsessed.]

Elliott turned out to be a real climber and not a monster based on what the Rune of Insight was showing.

“Are you satisfied?” Elliott asked.

Siegfried shook his head and replied, “No, I have to check the others.”

He proceeded to flash his Rune of Insight at the other climbers. Yes, they were paying him for the night, but he was not stupid enough to simply let them in without checking who they were. After all, they were in Mount Kunlun.

“A climber... climber... climber... climber... knight... and the last one is... also a knight.”

Siegfried finished checking the identities of the Santa Climbers. Five of them, including Elliott, were climbers while the remaining two were knights.

In other words, they were not monsters.

“Alright, I have finished checking,” Siegfried said and put back his +13 Horse Fly.

“Ah, so you were an Adventurer. Yes, you cannot be too careful these days,” Elliott said with a nod. Then, he smiled and said, “Alright, thank you for letting us–”

“Stop,” Siegfried said, raising his hand.

“What is it this time?”

“Have you ever seen an inn letting you pay after your stay?”

“...?”

“Why don’t you try to recall if you paid after doing the deed with your girlfriend or before it?”

Of course, Han Tae-Sung had been single since birth. He had never experienced holding hands with a "real" girl, let alone acting all shy in a motel room with one.

“Tsk... You are quite the meticulous one,” Elliott clicked his tongue and said. Then, he took out a pouch from his inner pocket and extended, “Will this be enough? I have taken into account this place and our current circumstances.”

Siegfried took the pouch and smirked after weighing it with his hand. “This is more than enough.”

The Santa Climbers were finally allowed entry into the warm bunker.

***

“Ah! How lucky are we!”

“I really thought I was going to freeze to death...”

“As expected, Mount Kunlun is not for the faint-hearted...”

The Santa Climbers looked relieved after entering the bunker and thawing themselves.

“Prepare your sleeping bags before anything else and don’t forget to warm yourselves,” Elliott ordered the climbers.

“...”

“...”

Meanwhile, the two knights remained silent without showing any particular expression while nibbling on jerky.

‘One leader, four climbers, and two knights? Their group seems too small. No, that’s not what’s important. Those knights are only Level 220. Can they even protect these climbers with that level?’ Siegfried wondered while observing the Santa Climbers.

It made perfect sense for him to wonder, as he was currently Level 280 yet he was struggling against the Blade Falcons and almost froze to death from the merciless cold winds.

However, they actually only brought two knights for protection, and those knights were only Level 220...

‘They’re more like a suicide squad rather than climbers...’ Siegfried shook his head in disbelief at the composition of the Santa Climbers, which looked perfect for dying a meaningless death.

“Excuse me,” Elliott said, turning to Siegfried.

“Yes?”

“As I introduced myself earlier, my name is Elliott, and I am the leader of the Santa Climbers. But who might you be? Why are you alone in Mount Kunlun? Not to mention, where did you get this rare bunker?”

“Ah, my name is Siegfried van Proa,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“Siegfried van Proa...? Hold on, are you saying you are the king of that weak and tiny kingdom Emperor Stuttgart favors? That Siegfried van Proa?”

“Yes, I am the king of that weak and tiny kingdom.”

“Oh? I apologize if I offended you, King Siegfried,” Elliott said with the utmost respect a noble could show to royalty. Then, he asked, “But what is Your Majesty doing on this rugged mountain all alone?”

“I need to reach the top. Well, I don’t really want to go up, but I have reasons requiring me to,” Siegfried replied while pointing up at the ceiling.

“It seems that reason is something important.”

“I guess?”

“I shan't pry any further, Your Majesty.”

“A wise choice. I would not have answered even if you had.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Then, I shall rest now,” Elliott said with a bow. Then, he added, “I thank you once again for allowing us to stay.”

“Don’t mention it. We had a deal, after all,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“Haha...”

“By the way...” Siegfried muttered before he rummaged through his inventory and took out a few Smoked Mutated Three-Legged Octopus seasoned with all sorts of seasonings and spices. He shook them at the climbers and asked, “Do you want to try these? Not only does it taste good but it’s extra nutritious too! There’s nothing better than this to recover your stamina!”

“...”

Elliott could not tell whether Siegfried was a king or a street vendor.

***

Siegfried woke up early the next day. He wanted to sleep more if he could, but that was a luxury he could not afford, as climbing Mount Kunlun was not something he could complete in a day or two.

Mount Kunlun was so tall that it would make Mount Everest, which stood at 8,848 meters, look like a nameless neighborhood hill. It would take Siegfried at least a week to climb it.

“Kyu! Good morning, owner punk! Did you have a good sleep?” Hamchi greeted.

“Do you think I did? Ugh... I’m so tired...” Siegfried curtly replied.

The VR capsule was designed to be as comfortable as possible, but it was still not as good as sleeping on a proper bed. On top of that, the fact that he did not log out from the game reduced his sleep quality even further.

Siegfried and Hamchi got up and woke the Santa Climbers up.

“Alright! Rise and shine! Start preparing breakfast so we can be on our way!” Elliott ordered the climbers to start preparing for breakfast. Then, he turned to Siegfried and greeted him, “Good morning, Your Majesty. It is indeed a pleasant morning. We were able to escape from the harsh cold and rest well thanks to Your Majesty’s grace.”

“I am glad to hear that.”

“But Your Majesty.”

“Yes?”

“If I may make a bold request... Would Your Majesty like to accompany us?”

“Accompany you?”

“As you might have noticed, my incompetence has caused us to only prepare the most basic necessities and also...” Elliott trailed the end of his words before stealing glances at the knights chewing jerkies. Then, he added, “We also have severe issues with our safety.”

“Hmm...”

“The only thing more dangerous than the climb are the dangers lurking in these woods. Would Your Majesty not agree?”

“I guess,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he scratched his head and added, “I initially thought you guys came here to commit suicide together.”

“T-That is...”

“...?”

“Our previous failed expeditions have caused many lives, and we lost lots of equipment in the process so...”

“No way...?”

“Yes, I was unable to receive a proper budget this time. I do not blame them, as even I would not invest in someone who failed seven times... Anyway, that is the reason we seem quite ill-prepared for this climb,” Elliott explained with a solemn look.

Siegfried thought his jaw would drop as he thought, ‘Yet you still went ahead with it?!’

He could not believe someone would even think of attempting to scale Mount Kunlun even after knowing they were ill-prepared for it.

“So I was thinking... I have heard Your Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa of the Proatine Kingdom, possesses not only wisdom but also martial prowess.”

“So?”

“If you would agree to climb with us then...”

Siegfried was familiar with this pattern and waited for the quest window to pop up in front of his eyes.

“...”

Unfortunately, there were no quest windows or alerts this time.

“I will never forget this until the day I die, and I will definitely repay Your Majesty in the future.”

“Eh?”

“Also, climbing with us will prove to be more beneficial for Your Majesty’s fame rather than climbing this mountain alone.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nobody will believe that Your Majesty has reached the peak all alone. But it will be different if we are with you! Your Majesty’s claim will have credibility to the masses, and they will engrave your name in history as the greatest climber this world has ever–”

“Bye.”

“What?!”

“I’m going to take my bunker with me, so you guys can eat on the ground. All right, the party's over! Please get out! I’m closing shop! Thanks for your patronage!”

“...”

“Tsk... I have never seen an NPC that doesn’t give quests...” Siegfried grumbled while packing up his Mobile Bunker and stuffing it in his inventory. Then, he looked at Hamchi and said, “Let’s go.”

“Kyu! Let’s go!”

He was not the type of person who would go out of his way and do bothersome things just for superficial things like fame.

***

After leaving the Santa Climbers behind, Siegfried continued on his climb. It was a difficult climb, and the terrain had become steep enough that he was almost rock climbing at this point.

He thought of using his thrusters to fly up but decided against it. Mount Kunlun's fierce winds blew past him occasionally, and it felt as if the winds were prowling for an opportunity to sweep him off the mountain’s surface.

Thus, he was forced to carry Hamchi on his back and climb the almost ninety-degree steep mountain terrain.

Fortunately, he possessed an excellent sense of balance and his thrusters proved useful in helping him stick close to the mountain’s surface. He would jump from one rock to another before activating his thrusters so he would not get swept up by the wind.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“King Siegfried!”

“Please take us with you!”

The Santa Climbers seemed to have decided Siegfried was their only hope judging from how they desperately chased after him even though he was already far ahead of them and was about to disappear into a tiny dot.

“I-Impossible! How is he doing that?!” Elliott could not believe his eyes even though he witnessed Siegfried jumping from rock to rock.

“Oh my god...”

“Is he human or a mountain goat?”

“Most people would die from missing a step... but he’s jumping on rock after rock like it’s so easy...!”

Even the climbers were astounded too. Numerous climbers had already fallen to their deaths after stepping or grabbing onto a loose rock. They would earnestly pray that the rock they had grabbed would not dislodge or the rope would not snap while they climbed the steep mountain terrain.

The climbers were not the only ones feeling anxious, as even the knights struggled and broke into cold sweats while climbing, even though they possessed far better physical prowess compared to the climbers.

However, the Adventurer, who was also a king, in front of them was hopping from rock to rock as if he were taking a stroll.

A mountain goat possessed the ability to hop from rock to rock or stand atop protruding branches, but even they would be in awe if they saw how freely Siegfried moved around the steep treacherous terrain.

Siegfried looked back and grimaced after spotting the Santa Climbers.

“Ah... Why are they following me? Don’t tell me they plan to ask for shelter again,” he grumbled.

It was then.

“O-Owner punk?”

“What?”

“What’s... that? Kyu?” Hamchi asked while pointing at a protruding jagged rock five meters away.

The protruding jagged rock was so large it could shelter a fully-grown adult under it, and it seemed more appropriate to call it a jagged boulder rather than a jagged rock due to its sheer size.

“Hmm? That’s just a rock.”

“Kyu?”

“Should we sit there and munch on some smoked octopus?”

It was then.

Whoosh!

The jagged rock suddenly turned and looked at Siegfried.

“...!”

Its yellow eyes looked straight into his eyes.

‘W-What the hell is that?!’ he exclaimed inwardly.

“Meeeh!” the jagged rock cried out.

“A mountain goat?!”

It turned out that the protruding jagged rock Hamchi had spotted was not a rock but a mountain goat.

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