Debuff Master

Chapter 764

Chapter 764

“Ha! Who are you trying to fool?” Siegfried scoffed in contempt after mercilessly smashing the poor girl’s head into a meat paste.

“H-Hey, wasn’t that a bit too… hasty? You didn’t even check whether she was real or not,” Cheon Woo-Jin said, his voice tinged with doubt and shock.

“Check for what? Even your Level 299 men vanished without a trace, and you think some random little girl actually managed to escape from that monster?” Siegfried retorted.

“What…?”

“I’m sure you don’t know, but those tentacles are really scary.”

Siegfried knew firsthand just how strong the tentacles were, as he had already faced them in battle. In his eyes, there was no way a mere child could survive and flee this place alive.

“There’s nothing else to confirm. Everyone here is an enemy. Survivors? There’s no such thing down here,” Siegfried said with absolute certainty.

This was the mindset that allowed him to attack without a bit of hesitation.

“Still… What if you’re wrong? What if you just killed an innocent NPC?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked.

“I guess we can check at least,” Cheon Woo-Jin said. Then, he instructed the Guardians to inspect the girl.

But there was no need for them to do so…

Swoosh1

The girl’s body rose, and the sight was nothing short of horrifying. Half of her head was smashed open, and her skin was scraped and torn, making her look like a bloody mess.

However, the most grotesque of all was her dangling eye that had somehow slipped inwardly from its shattered socket and was swaying back and forth at the edge of her chin.

This was a scene straight out of a horror movie; most people would not want to see this, even in their wildest nightmares.

The girl pleaded, but her voice sounded guttural, raspy, and just off. “H-Help… me…”

Swoosh!

Dozens of tentacles burst out of her abdomen and headed straight for Siegfried’s party.

Once again, Siegfried was right.

“Be on your guard! Stay alert!” Siegfried shouted.

Without hesitation, he placed down Shadow Hell around the group, creating a slowing debuff field around them. At the same time, he commanded his Frost Hydras and Night Stalkers to shield his allies from the tentacles.

The summoned creatures intercepted the flurry of tentacles, taking the brunt of the attack and sparing Siegfried’s party from any damage.

“I’ll handle this!” Yong Seol-Hwa exclaimed, stepping forward with a massive chainsaw in her hand.

Whiiiir!

The chainsaw powered by a compact mana stone engine spun at incredible speed. It shed through the writhing tentacles as if it were cutting through a tree trunk.

However, the girl was still fast despite the slowing effect of Shadow Hell, and she darted toward Cheon Woo-Jin at an unbelievable speed. If it hadn't been for the slowing debuff field, her speed would have been unimaginable.

Despite her sudden attack, Cheon Woo-Jin remained composed. He extended his fist toward the charging girl and—

Boom!

A deafening explosion sent shockwaves of invisible energy throughout the surroundings.

“Huh?”

Siegfried blinked in astonishment. The girl’s body had exploded into nothingness, vanishing without a trace as if it had been disintegrated.

“Hey, where’s the corpse?” he asked.

“Beats me,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied nonchalantly.

“Huh? What the…?” Siegfried muttered, narrowing his eyes. Then, he asked, “Does your punch really pack that much power?”

“Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you know how strong I am?” Cheon Woo-Jin responded with a smug smirk.

“I know you’re strong, but that felt… excessively strong?”

“Well, what do you expect? Do you even know what my level is?”

“And what’s your level?”

“Somewhere between… three hundred and five hundred.”

“What?!”

Siegfried’s face twisted in shock.

“Hey, you’re over Level 300?”

“Yes, but not quite Level 500.”

“Huh? What’s your level?”

“Not telling.”

“Why not?”

“It’s classified top-secret information,” Cheon Woo-Jin said, grinning mischievously.

“Fine, whatever,” Siegfried grumbled out of irritation as he turned away. Then, he muttered under his breath, “So what? It’s just levels.”

“Are you jealous~?” Cheon Woo-Jin teased.

“Nah, not really. You’re just an empty shell without proper skills, so why would I be jealous?” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“Excuse me? Empty shell?” Cheon Woo-Jin growled as his expression darkened, and he clenched his fists.

“What? Am I wrong? Why don’t you stop giving out quests and do them yourself if you feel angry?”

“Why you little—!”

“Out of three hundred sixty-five days in a year, are there even two or three days you’re useful? Oh, today must be one of those rare days,” Siegfried snarked, deliberately poking at Cheon Woo-Jin’s ego.

However, the only reason he was doing this was that Cheon Woo-Jin’s vague response over his level had gotten on his nerves, and he wanted to get back at him.

“Y-You…!” Cheon Woo-Jin stammered. His temper flared, and his fists trembled.

Siegfried ignored him and picked up the Mid-Grade Blood Spinel Crystal on the ground before saying, “All right, let’s keep moving, everyone!”

Then, he started walking with the rest of the party following behind him.

“T-That guy—!” Cheon Woo-Jin trembled with rage, but Siegfried didn't entertain him for even a second.

***

Siegfried and his party pressed onward. They followed the map and headed toward the heart of the Feiogh Underground: Old Air Raid Bunker.

After encountering the tentacle-infested girl and making quick work of her, they navigated the labyrinth-like corridors without much resistance until…

“Wait, is that… water?”

Until they stumbled upon a flooded passage…

It seemed that a portion of the terrain had collapsed, allowing underground water to pour in, transforming this section into a makeshift river.

“Hold on,” Siegfried said. Then, he transformed his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a long staff and used it to probe the water’s depth.

Unfortunately, the result was not in their favor. The shallowest section was about one and a half meters deep, while the deeper parts were more than three meters deep.

“Tsk… This is bad…” Siegfried grumbled, clicking his tongue.

Traversing such a terrain meant that they would be vulnerable to attacks, especially from those coming from underwater. To make matters even worse, the flooded corridor seemed to stretch at least two kilometers ahead, and there was a possibility that it could be longer than that.

“Is there any other way?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked, looking equally uneasy.

“Hold on, let me check,” Siegfried replied with his eyes fixated on the map. He searched for quite a while until he let out a sigh and said, “Nope, this is the only way forward.”

“There’s no other way at all?”

“Nope.”

“Damn…”

“Wait a second…” Siegfried muttered. Then, he suddenly turned and called out, “Hey, Seol-Hwa.”

“Yes, oppa?”

“Can we open the portals here too?”

“Ah!” Yong Seol-Hwa’s face lit up after understanding what Siegfried was trying to say.

He intended to fly to the far end of the corridor and create a portal using the charms that linked them together.

This was indeed a clever plan—if it worked.

Unfortunately, Yong Seol-Hwa shook her head in response.

“No, I can’t activate it here for some reason,” she said.

“Same here. I tried, but my skill isn’t working,” Cheon Woo-Jin added. He attempted to teleport himself across, only to fail.

The energy of the Soul Fragment of Apocalius seemed to have nullified all forms of spatial manipulation.

“Sigh… I guess we have to do it the hard way,” Siegfried said with a sigh while spreading his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit. He then said, “I’ll take two at a time. You’re up first, Woo-Jin."

He planned to ferry them over the waters, as keeping them above the water would minimize any potential risk. The reason he chose Cheon Woo-Jin to go first was that if anyone could hold their own at the far end, it would be him.

Siegfried knew that Cheon Woo-Jin had the strength to keep himself and the others safe while he was ferrying the rest over.

“Fine,” Cheon Woo-Jin agreed. Then, he secured himself and another party member to Siegfried. Moments later, they took off and flew across the flooded corridor.

Siegfried dropped them off and quipped, “Behave while I’m gone.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and bring the rest over,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied, waving his hand dismissively.

Siegfried began ferrying his party members one pair at a time. This proved to be slow and time-consuming, but it was definitely the better option, as there was no telling what was lurking beneath the murky waters.

Just as he transported about half of the party…

“Enemies!”

“Move! Dodge!”

“Stay alert! Keep your eyes peeled!”

Shouts erupted from the far end while Siegfried was about to carry the next pair over.

“...!”

Just then, Siegfried’s instincts screamed at him. Before he could go back, a myriad of tentacles shot up from the water and headed for the party at alarming speeds.

“Craaaawk!”

To make matters even worse, humanoid figures covered in grotesque tentacles lunged out of the shadows and rushed toward the party.

Siegfried was left with no other choice but to fight immediately.

***

The battle could only be described with the word "chaos."

“Craaawk!”

“Kieeeek!”

The tentacle monsters, who were once humans, displayed not only terrifying combat prowess but reach as well. Some of them even wore the tattered uniforms of the Proatine Kingdom, which was a grim reminder of their former identities.

After being enhanced by the Soul Fragment of Apocalius, these monsters were overwhelmingly powerful. To make things even more difficult, their attacks were unpredictable and relentless.

Each monster wielded more than fifty tentacles, so fending off one monster was already a difficult task, to begin with, but the tentacles weren't the only problem. There were also tentacles shooting out from the water, dragging several party members into the waters.

The scene devolved into utter mayhem and was on the brink of transforming into absolute chaos.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fortunately, the party’s quality shone amidst the chaotic battle, and they managed to turn the tide back in their favor.

Cheon Woo-Jin’s immense power was on full display as he tore through enemies without hesitation. He unleashed devastating attacks that obliterated the tentacle monsters in a single blow, disintegrating them to nothingness one after another.

The Guardians, enhanced by the Homunculus Project, put their extraordinary combat prowess on display. They held the line against dozens of tentacles at once.

“Oh?” Siegfried smirked, impressed by what he was seeing.

With such formidable allies, all he had to do was support them from the rear. His Blaze Field and Shadow Hell created debuff fields that slowed and weakened the enemy.

Still, complacency was a luxury he couldn't afford.

Siegfried swung his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp with precision and cut down the tentacles in droves, one after another.

But then—

Screech! Screee!

A new threat emerged from within the darkness.

Wererats.

These monsters were humanoid rodents with crimson fur, and they had clearly mutated under the Soul Fragment of Apocalius’ influence. They had tentacles wriggling out of their figures, and their formidable physical capabilities were further amplified.

Their arrival turned the tides of the battle once again, turning the fight into an absolute nightmare for Siegfried’s party.

“Everyone! Fall back!” Siegfried shouted.

Without hesitation, he activated Absolute Zero.

Flash!

A blinding white light flashed as frost exploded outward and froze everything in his vicinity.

What followed after that was pure carnage—no, destruction.

Siegfried hurled his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp into the frozen horde of Wererats and controlled it with Flying Sword.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp smashed the frozen Wererats one after another, causing absolute destruction.

[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!]

The mutated monsters provided substantial experience points, which proved that they had been influenced by the Soul Fragment of Apocalius.

However, Siegfried did not care how much experience they yielded, as he was set to hit Level 299 in an instant the moment he completed the quest.

The battle ended without much casualty thanks to Siegfried’s involvement, and the ruckus from the far side of the corridor also subsided, signaling the end of the skirmish.

“Hey! Are you guys alright over there?!” Siegfried shouted.

A voice from the other side replied, “We’re fine!”

“Wait there! I’ll bring the rest of you over!” Siegfried shouted once more. Then, he distributed the Blood Spinel Crystals to his party before preparing to resume ferrying people over.

Just then…

Boom! Krwaaang!

A deafening roar echoed, and the ground shook violently.