Debuff Master

Chapter 553

‘My body is decaying?!’ Siegfried was shocked at the message that popped up in front of his eyes.

How was it possible that his body was suddenly decaying?

‘Huh?’ Siegfried saw the back of his hand turning black.

Ding!

Then, another string of messages popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Your character’s body has started to rot due to the effects of Decay!]

[Alert: You are turning into an undead!]

[Alert: There are 4 minutes and 59 seconds remaining until you become an undead!]

[Alert: 4 minutes 58 seconds... 4 minutes 57 seconds...]

It turned out that the black fog was not poisonous but rather something much more sinister. Who would have imagined it would turn those it touched into the undead? Did it even make sense that he had less than five minutes before turning into an undead?

“What in the world is this...?” Siegfried grumbled in disbelief while staring at his decaying arm.

Death Fog smirked and said, “I have offered to grant you a painless death, yet you refused it, insect.”

“...”

“But I am a benevolent being, so I will still grant you a painless death if you tell me the whereabouts of the fragments. If not...” Death Fog said. Then, he flashed an insidious smile and continued, “You will become my slave!”

It was then.

“Grrr...! Grrrrr!”

Seung-Gu started growling like an animal. His eyes rolled back, showing the whites, and he convulsed uncontrollably. Half of his body had already decayed, and he would soon become a zombie.

He possessed the lowest level among the participants of Operation Trojan Horse, so he was quickly becoming an undead.

“Seung-Gu!”

“H-Hyung-nim... Kuheok! Grrr! Grrr Aaah!”

“Damn it...!” Siegfried cursed under his breath. He gnashed his teeth and glared at the boss monster, ‘I did expect we would suffer, but this is...’

He expected them to run into difficulties against the boss monster, but this was something he did not expect at all. How was he supposed to know what kind of attack pattern the boss monster had, their skills, and their overall strength/

These kinds of unexpected situations were the only thing an Adventurer could expect when they were facing a boss that nobody had ever faced before.

However, Siegfried remained unfazed by the current situation. Instead, he tightly gripped his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp and charged at the boss monster.

‘Time is of the essence!’

The only thing on his mind right now was to kill Death Fog within five minutes.

***

Meanwhile, Cheon Woo-Jin was having a chat with Iris back at the headquarters of the Guardians located somewhere on the continent.

“How do you find this place? Is there anything you find uncomfortable?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked.

“I am fine, so please do not be so worried,” Iris replied.

“That is a relief,” he said with a smile. Then, he added, “I was worried you'd feel suffocated being trapped in here.”

“I have always lived as a recluse in my mansion, so I am used to it.”

“Oh?”

“As you might be aware, I do not like going out. Therefore, staying indoors all the time does not frustrate me at all, nor does it make me feel suffocated.”

“I see. I guess I was overthinking it.”

Cheon Woo-Jin opened his inventory and took out a canvas, palette, watercolors, oil paints, and many different other art supplies.

“I heard that you enjoy painting, and your paintings are all masterpieces”

“Ah.”

“So I prepared these, hoping that you'd use them whenever you are bored.”

“Thank you for the kind thoughts, but I will have to decline them.”

“Huh?”

Cheon Woo-Jin was perplexed when Iris refused his gifts. He thought she would accept these art supplies, as her only hobby was painting.

“I have decided to stop painting. I am no longer interested in it,” Iris explained.

“Ah...”

“I have painted for hundreds of years, and I believe it is time for me to stop. Also, the fact that my skills did not improve despite painting for hundreds of years makes me want to quit too.”

“I see...”

“But I am grateful for your consideration. Please forgive me for my rudeness.”

“Not at all. I had no idea that was how you felt,” he replied with a smile.

“Thank you.”

“Haha...”

“But may I ask you something?” Iris asked.

“Of course.”

“Until when do I have to stay here?”

“Hmm...” Cheon Woo-Jin pondered for a moment. Then, he replied, “It will be best if you remain until the Church of Osric is completely destroyed. They covet your abilities, and they will not give up until they either get their hands on you or until they are completely destroyed.”

“I see.”

“We will do our best to annihilate them as quickly as possible, so please wait for us.”

“You do not have to push yourselves just for my sake.”

“Of course, it is not like they can be destroyed just because we push ourselves.”

“Hmm...” Iris pondered for a second. Then, she looked up and asked, “May I help you then?”

“Huh? How...?”

“I have experimented and mastered alchemy for a very long time.”

“Yes, I am aware that you have.”

“And I have learned that even a human’s body could be changed using alchemy.”

“Huh? A human’s body...?”

“Yes.”

“...!”

“It is possible to overcome the limits of mankind using alchemy. In fact, it is safer to use alchemy compared to using magic or black magic.”

“Oh my god...” Cheon Woo-Jin gasped.

Who would have known that it was possible to enhance a person’s body with alchemy? What Iris had mentioned just now was something that was only ever heard of in legends, which was called the so-called "Human Transmutation."

“I-Is that even possible?”

“It is more than possible.”

“Then by helping us, you mean...?”

“I will enhance all of the Guardians.”

“...!”

“I believe that should make it easier for you to destroy the Church of Osric and...” Iris trailed off. Then, she looked him in the eyes and continued, “It will make it easier to kill the powerful beings controlling that clandestine organization from behind the shadows.”

“Are you serious? Will you really help us?”

“Yes. I am also a part of this world, so I cannot let those who dream of destroying it run amok. If you are fine with it, then I would love to use my alchemy to help you.”

“Thank you, Ms. Iris.”

Cheon Woo-Jin did not refuse the offer–no, he had no reason to refuse the offer. The members of the Guardians were indeed strong but the Church of Osric had their own powerful members too.

Thus, the assistance offered by Iris would surely be of help in defeating those powerful members of the Church of Osric.

“As shameless as it sounds, I will not be refusing your offer. Thank you very much for helping us,” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a bow.

That was the beginning of the new secret project spearheaded by Cheon Woo-Jin and Immortal Alchemist Acheron.

***

‘I need to hurry up and end this.’ Siegfried gripped his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp and went on the offensive despite his body starting to decay.

However, Death Fog possessed an insane amount of HP. His HP was so high that it wouldn't reduce, no matter how many clean hits Siegfried managed to land on him.

The Fragment of Apocalius, Death Fog, possessed the scary ability of transforming his enemies into undead creatures. However, it turned out that he had a gargantuan HP bar as well.

“It’s futile!” Death Fog exclaimed and swung his gigantic scythe.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave burst forth from the scythe and sent Siegfried flying.

Bam!

Siegfried slammed into the wall, causing it to crack and crumble.

“You can’t beat me, insect.”

“Argh...!”

“You will slowly decay until you become my slave!” Death Fog exclaimed. Then, he smirked and said, “So accept your fate and serve me.”

“Ughh...”

“Or you have the option of telling me where the other fragments are.”

“It’s in...”

“Hmm?”

“Your heart.”

“What?”

“Shut the fuck up and let’s continue the fight,” Siegfried growled before activating the second stage of Overclocking.

Wooooong!

A golden aura burst out of Siegfried as he activated Super Armor, which rendered him immune to knockbacks.

“Fool!” Death Fog shouted and swung his gigantic scythe once more.

The very next moment...

Bam!

Siegfried swung his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp to block the gigantic scythe, creating a powerful shockwave that tore across the throne room. The shockwave was so powerful that Yong Tae-Pung and the other Rankers fending off the undead monsters at the entrance were thrown off their feet upon getting hit.

However, Siegfried remained steadfast and didn't budge an inch even after getting hit by the shockwave, and this was all thanks to one of the effects provided by Overclocking, which was Super Armor.

“...!”

Death Fog couldn't believe his eyes after seeing that the insect had managed to withstand the shockwave of his attack. However, he could not stay shocked for long, as Siegfried immediately swung his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp at him.

‘I'll be in danger if I get hit by that!’

Death Fog attempted to evade the incoming attack, but it was to no avail, as Siegfried's target wasn't him but the ground before him.

Bam!

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp struck the ground.

Fwaaaaah!

Pillars of fire shot up from the ground and instantly hardened to form an indestructible barrier that swallowed both Death Fog and Siegfried.

It was the Barrier of Victory created by the Debuff Master’s skill that maximized his stats in one-on-one duels, the Grand Duel.

‘I’ll keep the pressure on him,’ Siegfried thought and went on the offensive.

Bam!

Death Fog was blasted away, and he crashed into his throne after getting smacked by the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp. The throne was destroyed into pieces, and its fragments scattered all over the ground.

‘I can’t let this drag any longer. I have to end it quickly,’ Siegfried thought while running toward the boss monster.

[Alert: There are 3 minutes and 51 seconds remaining until you become an undead!]

[Alert: Your character’s body has decayed!]

[Alert: All stats have been reduced by 30%!]

Siegfried suffered a massive hit to his stats due to the effects of decay, so he could not afford to let the fight drag any longer. He placed down all of his debuff fields within the Barrier of Victory and prepared to use his most powerful offensive skill, Touch of Death.

‘My opponent is one of the Fragments of Apocalius. He won’t die unless I use Touch of Death,’ Siegfried thought before throwing himself toward the boss monster.

It was then...

Bam! Krwaaang!

The ceiling crumbled, but the duel between the two wasn't interrupted. Siegfried had no idea what was happening above them, but he paid no heed to it as nothing could enter into the Barrier of Victory while it was active.

‘I don’t know what that is, but I can’t lose focus here!’ Siegfried had his eyes on Death Fog and on Death Fog alone.

‘Now’s my chance!’

Krwaaaang!

Siegfried imbued his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp with the overwhelming energy of the Touch of Death before swinging it toward the crown of Death Fog’s head.