Debuff Master
Chapter 935

Chapter 935

Bam! Bam! Puuuk!

Siegfried ruthlessly plowed through like an unstoppable bulldozer, striking down the undead monsters afflicted by his debuffs.

With the battlefield already descending into utter chaos, he stopped being careful and just focused on killing as many enemies as he could.

[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!]

Siegfried obtained a staggering amount of Experience Points upon single-handedly killing all of the undead monsters.

The time it took him to clear the mobs was just five minutes.

“U-Unbelievable...”

“That’s crazy...”

“Is that what a Master is capable of?”

“How the hell is he so freaking strong?!”

The party members were utterly dumbfounded by Siegfried’s overwhelming combat prowess, and their mouths were agape in astonishment as they exchanged looks with each other.

The gap between a Level 299 and a Master was like the distance between heaven and earth. In fact, a non-combat class Master could effortlessly defeat one hundred fifty Level 299 enemies.

Thus, it only made sense that the difference between Level 299 and Level 300 was a chasm so vast that it might as well be considered two different worlds.

“Phew...” Siegfried exhaled after the battle. Then, he turned to the party and said, “Good job, everyone. Let’s keep moving.”

Without even stopping to rest or recover, Siegfried immediately led his team forward. He was wary of attracting more undead monsters that might swarm the area after hearing the commotion from the battle just now.

As they moved, someone’s agonized cry cut through the air.

“G-Guuuh! Guh!”

One of the party members collapsed onto the ground, convulsing and writhing in agony while arched like a bow.

“G-G... ughh...!”

After one final groan, he died.

[Sudden Death]

[Cause of Death: Acute tetanus from wounds sustained in battle.]

[Tetanus is caused by infection of the bacterium Clostridium Tetani. It was once notorious for claiming more lives on the battlefield than blades.]

[Fortunately, it could be easily prevented nowadays with a vaccination from the nearest clinic, but the vaccine will only be effective for ten years.]

“Ugh... I guess dying from that is not the worst. One of them died from a brain hemorrhage after sneezing,” Siegfried grumbled while glancing at the fallen party member.

However, that was the least of his problems right now.

Ding!

[Death Descends]

[Life is a cycle; death begets death.]

[Once the number of people who died in battle or succumbed to the curse reaches 1,500, the embodiment of Death itself will be summoned.]

[Current Death Count: 121/1,500]

The Blue Knight of Death would appear the moment one thousand five hundred party members were dead. In other words, the main objective of this dungeon was to defeat the boss monster while minimizing casualties.

Siegfried’s eyes widened upon seeing the death count.

‘What? One hundred twenty-one people are already dead?’

Only thirty minutes had passed since they entered the dungeon, but the death count had already soared to more than one hundred. Given that the dungeon had a time limit of one hundred twenty hours, such a high casualty rate was indeed an ominous sign.

‘We might get screwed in the end... I guess it’s fitting to be the final apocalypse,’ Siegfried grumbled inwardly. The objective of minimizing casualties sounded like an absurd joke when his allies were dying left and right from the Lurking Death.

Siegfried once again admitted that the Blue Knight of Death was most likely his toughest challenge ever.

‘Damn it... I really got played this time. I thought it would be better to bring an army of Adventurers because there was no limit. But that was a huge mistake...’

If there were fewer than one thousand five hundred people inside the dungeon, then the chance of summoning the Blue Knight of Death would have been zero.

‘Tsk... Since when did dungeons start tricking people like this?’

Siegfried shook his head before taking a look around him.

“...”

The entire party was visibly demoralized, shaken after encountering the first wave of monsters. Even though they were all Level 299 Adventurers, they resembled a ragtag bunch rather than powerful Adventurers.

‘I can’t let this continue. I'll have to make sure they participate as little as possible in combat while I take care of everything else.’

And with that, Siegfried made up his mind and led his party toward the heart of the dungeon.

***

While Siegfried was busy raiding the dungeon in the Northern Great Rift...

“Welcome.”

The ruler of the 5th Domain, Demon Lord Dantalion, greeted Baroque with a warm, friendly smile.

‘Ugh... This cunning snake...’ Baroque grumbled inwardly, his stomach churning after seeing the demon lord’s face.

Dantalion was infamous among demons for being a pathological liar. It was said that if he said ten things, then all ten would be lies. Despite being known as the most deceitful demon in the entire Demon Realm, he still managed to claim the title of Demon Lord.

How? Simple, he was extremely persuasive.

Even when people knew he was lying, he made it so that they couldn’t help but believe him. His glib tongue spat out words dripping with honey, and even his suspecting victims would be lured into a pit from which there would be no escape.

“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Dantalion,” Baroque greeted with proper respect.

As a demon lord, Dantalion outranked him, who was just a son of a demon lord. And while Dantalion was the weakest among the demon lords, he was still a demon lord and far stronger than Baroque.

“Come, have a seat.”

“Yes, Lord Dantalion.”

“You must be having a rough time lately.”

“Pardon...?”

“I heard you failed to retrieve Avenger and got humiliated by that human, Siegfried van Proa. Not only that, you also lost an entire division of demons in the process. It must be—”

“Enough,” Baroque cut him off.

The truth always cut deeper than any blade, and hearing it laid out so openly the moment they met made Baroque’s blood boil.

“Tsk... Must you bring up such unpleasant matters right away?”

“My apologies. I merely wanted to empathize with your suffering. You must surely remember that I, too, failed my invasion of the Human Realm because of that damned human.”

“That is true...”

“Anyway, the reason I summoned you here is simple. I wish for the 5th Domain and the 7th Domain to join forces and launch an invasion of the Human Realm.”

“Why are you discussing this with me? You should be speaking with my father.”

“Ha... Do you really not know?”

“...Know what?”

“Everyone knows that you are the next in line to become the ruler of the 7th Domain. Why are you pretending otherwise?”

“Well, that may be true, but—”

“Ha...” Dantalion let out a sigh. Then, he nodded and said, “Your position is not entirely secure, is it?”

“What do you mean by that?” Baroque asked, raising his tone slightly.

“You should know better, no? The Avenger is in Siegfried van Proa’s hands, and your brother, Metatron, is one of his most trusted confidants.”

“Tsk...”

“Now, tell me. What do you think will happen if Siegfried van Proa gives the Demon Sword: Avenger to your brother?”

“T-That...!” Baroque’s eyes widened.

If that were to happen, it would only be a matter of time before Metatron took the throne.

‘Hoho... Got him,’ Dantalion smirked inwardly in satisfaction.

This was his specialty.

He would dangle the bait, make them bite it, and reel them in.

This was how, despite his reputation as a pathological liar, Dantalion was still controlling people like pawns on a chess board.

“Or perhaps... Siegfried van Proa already gave him the Avenger.”

“...!”

“If I were to make a guess, I’d say Metatron already possesses the Demon Sword: Avenger.”

“W-Why would you think that?”

“Just simple logic. Metatron practically bound himself to Siegfried van Proa through a slave contract. There is no other explanation why the son of a demon lord would become a mere human’s servant.”

“Ahem...”

“If that is the case, then Siegfried van Proa would have no reason not to give the sword to him. After all, Metatron is fully under his control, so he wouldn’t be able to plot any betrayal against him.”

“Damn it...”

“But you know, this is actually in your favor.”

“Huh? How so?”

“You know just as well as I and everyone else do that Metatron is too soft.”

“Well, that’s true...”

“That fool is probably too ashamed to return to the Demon Realm after getting enslaved by a human. If he were to take the throne now, he would essentially be handing over the entire 7th Domain to Siegfried van Proa on a silver platter.”

Shockingly, Dantalion seemed to see right through Metatron, even though they had never met before.

“He has his pride as a demon and a duty to the domain as a prince. Metatron is torn between the two and is delaying his return for as long as possible.”

“Then... what should I do?” Baroque asked.

He was starting to feel pressured after hearing Dantalion's words. If Metatron ended up changing his mind and returned to claim the throne, then Baroque would not have the means nor justification to stop him.

“Well, there is one way. I’m sure you already know what must be done so that you would ascend the throne.”

“You mean...?” Baroque muttered, his face turning ghastly pale.

Why?

It was all because he perfectly understood what Dantalion was hinting at.

“Are you telling me to... stage a coup?” Baroque asked.

Dantalion was hinting that Baroque ought to kill his father, Vernas, and seize the throne for himself.

***

Siegfried struggled to clear the dungeon, Death’s Carnival.

He was practically putting on a one-man show against every monster wave, and exhaustion started to take its toll after carrying every single battle by himself.

However, the results were undeniable.

Aside from the seven who were unfortunate enough to die from the curse, there had only been one combat casualty. That single combat casualty was actually the party member who got dragged into the coffin by the Ushers of Death.

Thus, the total number of casualties after multiple battles was only eight, which was an astounding achievement.

However, Siegfried was far from satisfied...

“Damn it... The death count keeps rising...” Siegfried muttered, biting his lower lip as he stared at the screen.

[Death Descends]

[Life is a cycle; death begets death.]

[Once the number of people who died in battle or succumbed to the curse reaches 1,500, the embodiment of Death itself will be summoned.]

[Current Death Count: 529/1,500]

Not long ago, the count was clearly one hundred twenty-one, but it had now skyrocketed to five hundred twenty-nine.

In other words, casualties from the other parties were piling up at an alarming rate.

‘If this keeps up... we’re really screwed...’

It was then...

“Kyuuu! This mask is weird, owner punk!” Hamchi cried out while holding up a mask he retrieved from the remains of one of the fallen undead monsters.

“Huh? What’s weird about it?” Siegfried asked.

“It’s got some creepy energy! Kyuuu!”

“Creepy energy?”

Normally, items dropped by monsters were impossible to miss. Their names would float clearly above them, or they would shine brightly, drawing attention from those around them.

However, the undead in this dungeon weren't dropping any items at all, so neither Siegfried nor the other party members bothered checking their remains.

“What do you mean by creepy energy?” Siegfried asked.

Then, he flashed his Rune of Insight at the mask Hamchi found.

[Mask of the Dead]

[A mask imbued with the aura of death.]

[Wearing this mask increases the likelihood of not being detected as a living being by the undead.]

[Type: Mask]

[Rating: Magic]

[Durability: 1/1]

[Note: This mask is extremely fragile. Even the slightest touch may break it, so handle it with caution.]

“Oh? Hey, you really pulled through again, didn’t you?” Siegfried muttered, his eyes widening.

“Kyuuu?”

“This is perfect! This is it!” Siegfried exclaimed.

Overjoyed, he grabbed Hamchi and hugged him tightly.

Why?

It was all because with the Mask of the Dead, they could probably clear the dungeon without suffering massive losses.