Debuff Master
Chapter 934

Chapter 934

“H-Hey, what happened? Why did he just drop dead?!”

Siegfried was dumbfounded after the Adventurer suddenly dropped dead.

Ding!

At that moment, a message popped up over the remains of the Adventurer.

[Sudden Death]

[Cause of Death: Brain hemorrhage from sneezing.]

[A temporary increase in intracranial pressure caused by sneezing led to an acute cerebral hemorrhage resulting in death.]

“What the hell?! What in the scripted reality show is this?!” Siegfried screamed.

A brain hemorrhage from sneezing? This was beyond ridiculous!

“No way... If this so-called sudden death can be triggered that easily, then what if someone just—”

It was then.

“Ugh!”

Just then, an Adventurer clutched his chest in agony. He convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground.

[Sudden Death]

[Cause of Death: Oxygen deprivation in the brain due to cardiac arrest.]

[Acute cardiac arrest is an extremely dangerous condition. To prevent sudden heart failure, abstain from drinking alcohol and smoking; maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly.]

[Saturated fats in fried food and snacks can increase blood cholesterol and form blood clots!]

[Eat fresh, natural food such as fruits and vegetables instead of processed or salty food! Your heart will thank you!]

“...”

The absurdity of it all rendered Siegfried speechless.

First, a brain hemorrhage from sneezing, and now, a sudden heart attack?

What made it really annoying was the fact that emergency treatment or healing magic couldn’t prevent their deaths.

Once Lurking Death was activated, it was game over.

“H-Hey, owner punk... we’re not gonna drop dread from something dumb, are we? Kyuu?” Hamchi asked, tugging nervously at Siegfried.

“We should be fine... I think,” Siegfried replied.

He was not too worried, as both of them were wearing the Lucky Guy Earrings, which was an artifact that boosted their luck.

“But as for the others... I’m not so sure.”

This dungeon was a nightmare for Adventurers with low luck.

Even the smallest action could end up in their deaths. To make matters worse, they could die in the most absurd way possible.

The curse seemed easy to counteract, as one just had to increase one's Luck, but the problem was that Luck was a very difficult stat to increase. In fact, it wasn't a stat that could be raised, and buffs couldn't increase it well.

In other words, this dungeon was a gamble using one’s luck. Those unlucky would die in the most ridiculous manner possible, no matter how skilled or powerful they were.

“All right, everybody gather up. No unnecessary movements or reckless actions. If something even feels slightly off, don’t do anything.”

Siegfried addressed his party before tightening his grip on his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp before leading the party deeper toward the city center.

***

Lurking Death was a far more terrifying curse than Siegfried had anticipated.

“G-Guuuh!” a party member groaned and collapsed.

Ding!

A message suddenly popped up before his corpse.

[Sudden Death]

[Cause of Death: Acute bacterial meningitis and sepsis caused by nose hair plucking.]

[Plucking nasal hair can lead to infections, potentially resulting in acute bacterial meningitis and sepsis. Do not pull nasal hair forcefully with your hands. Instead, always use a proper nose hair trimmer.]

The unlucky party member had a habit of picking his nose and plucking his nasal hair in real life, and doing the same thing in the game ended up killing him.

“Are you fucking serious...? This is ridiculous! What kind of game kills off players like this?!” Siegfried gnashed his teeth in frustration after seeing another comrade succumb to the curse.

Adventurers had vastly superior stats compared to most ordinary NPCs, and they were mostly free from the limitations of normal humans.

According to the game’s lore, Adventurers were beings from another world who had descended upon the Nurburg Continent. Their bodies were just avatars, so death was something trivial to them.

However, the curse of Lurking Death turned these powerful Adventurers into fragile creatures that couldn't escape death at all.

And as a result...

“...”

Siegfried’s party members became visibly cautious, and their movements became reserved.

They nervously looked around, terrified of what absurd thing would kill them. None of them could relax, as they were too afraid of the unknown dangers of their every single action.

They were practically immortal, but their reaction was normal, as dying meant suffering severe penalties. For high-level Adventurers like them, the penalty would be a huge setback, so they were unwilling to take unnecessary risks.

‘Damn it. At this rate, we won’t even be able to fight properly...’ Siegfried grumbled inwardly.

Bboom! Bboom! Bambambam!

Just then, the sound of rhythmic drumming echoed from somewhere nearby.

“Hide!” Siegfried hurriedly led his party into a narrow alleyway.

They barely managed to take cover before a parade marched down the street they were on just a while ago. It was a procession of undead monsters, wearing elaborate festive attires and masks.

Given that this dungeon was set in a city where the dead were celebrating a festival, the bizarre spectacle wasn't exactly a strange sight here.

‘No need to fight unnecessary battles,’ Siegfried thought, motioning for his party members to stay quiet.

He wanted to avoid wasting valuable resources. They had no idea what dangers the dungeon had in store for them, so charging into battle recklessly would not only waste resources but put them in danger, too.

However, his plan was quickly shattered by the undead monsters.

“I smell the... scent of life from somewhere...”

“The living cannot escape from the grasp of the dead.”

The marching undead monsters turned toward the alleyway after sensing the presence of Siegfried and the party.

As expected of the undead, their ability to detect life was uncanny.

‘Tsk...’ Siegfried clicked his tongue and gripped his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp. Without hesitation, he unleashed Eternal Flames and Embrace of Despair against the undead monsters.

“Let’s clean this up quickly!” he shouted.

Thus, the battle began.

Siegfried infused light attribute energy into his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp and slammed the undead monsters with Wave of Annihilation.

It was an excellent choice.

Why?

It was all because undead monsters were dark-attribute monsters.

“Graaah!”

“Ghuaaak!”

“Agghhh!”

“Kyaaaah!”

The undead monsters were quite powerful, so they managed to withstand the Wave of Annihilation. However, the light attribute infused in the attack had devastating effects on them.

Weakened by the debuffs, the undead monsters were struck by a force that not only shattered their molecular structure but incinerated them from the inside as well.

As a result...

“Ack!”

“Uwaagh!”

“Guuu Woooh!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

The follow-up attacks from the rest of the party eliminated the undead monsters.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Each time an undead monster was struck, sparks would erupt, amplifying the damage inflicted on them.

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

Thanks to that, Siegfried’s party managed to wipe out more than half of the undead parade in the blink of an eye.

However, it didn't mean that the battle was over.

“W-What the hell?!”

“Why are these guys so strong?!”

“These guys are insane!”

The undead were powerful monsters with quite high stats.

The party was not struggling against them, thanks to Siegfried’s debuffs, but it was far from an easy battle.

Just then...

“Guh!”

One of the party members was struck hard and was blasted away from the impact.

“Not on my watch!” Siegfried quickly stepped in, protecting the party member from further attacks. Then, he turned and exclaimed, “I’ll hold them off! Heal up, now!”

“T-Thank you, Siegfried!”

The party member quickly opened his inventory and pulled out a potion.

But then—

Bam! Bada-bam! Bam! Bada bada bada bada-bam! Bada bada-bam! Bam bam bam!

Whiiirrrr! Erkkk!

Tsss... Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs!

Beep! Beep! Boom boom boom! Errrrr!

Skreeee!

The ominous background music being played by the parade of undead monsters suddenly changed into an upbeat EDM track.

And with it...

New monsters joined the fray...

***

Boom! Tss! Boom! Tss!

Tugs! Tugs! Tugs!

Seven humanoid monsters dressed in black tailcoats and silk hats appeared on the battlefield. Their faces were concealed behind skull masks, but they moved in perfect synchronization while carrying a massive coffin on their shoulders.

They were even swaying in rhythm with the upbeat music.

[Ushers of Death]

[Seven reapers tasked with leading the living into the realm of the dead.]

[They appear when an Adventurer’s HP drops below 30% and will start dancing nearby.]

[Once the Adventurer’s HP drops below 20%, they will guide them straight to the afterlife.]

[Type: Neutral Monster]

[Rank: N/A]

[Level: N/A]

[Class: Dancers of Death]

[Special Traits: Invincible, Untargetable]

“What the hell are those annoying things...? They’re already getting on my nerves...” Siegfried scowled as he stared at the Ushers of Death dancing around while carrying a coffin on their shoulders.

‘They take you to the afterlife if your HP drops below twenty percent? Doesn't that mean that you get executed straight up?!’

Some high-level dungeons often had the execution mechanic. As its name suggested, the execution mechanic meant that if an Adventurer’s HP dropped below a certain threshold, they would be instantly killed.

It didn't matter how much HP one had left. As long as their HP fell below the percentage threshold, the effect would trigger and kill them instantly. Even tanks with massive HP pools would be wiped out in the blink of an eye.

Boom! Tss! Boom! Tss!

Just then, one of the party members' HP fell below twenty percent, and the Ushers of Death danced even more vigorously.

“G-Get away! Stay the hell away from me!”

The party member frantically chugged potions while desperately trying to escape, but it was futile.

Boom! Tss! Boom! Tss!

The Ushers of Death moved faster than his HP could recover.

“N-No! Let me go—!”

The party member lashed out and unleashed every skill in his arsenal in a desperate attempt to fend them off.

But it was all futile...

The Ushers of Death were untargetable monsters. Rather than monsters, they were more like a part of the dungeon’s mechanic, rendering them immune to attacks and knockbacks.

“S-Someone! Please help me—aaaahhh!”

His screams filled the battlefield as he thrashed wildly, only to get forcefully stuffed inside the massive coffin.

And that was it...

Boom! Tss! Boom! Tss!

Upon securing their target, the Ushers of Death continued dancing to the ominous EDM music.

It went without saying that the unfortunate party member who got stuffed inside the coffin never returned.

Once inside the coffin, the party member was instantly executed.

His body disintegrated inside the coffin, and even his remains couldn't be seen.

Still, there was a silver lining for the party members.

Thud...!

The item he had dropped fell to the ground, making it retrievable by the others. If it had fallen inside the coffin instead, it would have been lost forever.

Of course, they had to survive this ordeal first before they could return the item to the unfortunate party member..

‘I’ll pick it up later and return it once we get back.’ Siegfried made a mental note to grab the item and give it back later. He had to focus on the battle before anything else. ‘This is insane! As if the curse was not already bad enough, these freaks showed up, too?!’

Both Lurking Death and the Ushers of Death were wreaking havoc, and the battlefield descended into utter chaos.

Even Siegfried’s movement became more reserved now, as he had no way of knowing what kind of threat would suddenly lunge at him and kill him.

As for the party members—

“Gah!”

“Aaack!”

“H-Help me!”

They didn't stand a chance.

They fell one after another, as the chaotic battlefield made it impossible to fight cautiously. Even while fighting on equal footing against the undead monsters, they would slip up and die from all sorts of bizarre things.

‘Damn it... I guess I have no other choice.’ Siegfried clenched his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp and jumped straight into the enemy ranks. With each swing, he carved through the undead parade, wreaking havoc and unleashing pure carnage on them.

Once again, he was left with no choice but to take matters into his own hands and put on a one-man show.