Debuff Master

Chapter 540

“Pardon me?”

“We can provide the Adventurers with the opportunity to grow even stronger, but they can’t do the same.”

“...!”

“The powerful Adventurers desire strength more than money. They can earn money any time they want, but opportunities to grow stronger like this don’t come that often.”

“So you are saying that the Immortal Kingdom is an opportunity for the Adventurers to grow stronger?”

“They’re still monsters, right?”

“...!”

“The soldiers of the Immortal Kingdom will probably make the Rune of Transcendence on the Adventurers’ hands tingle and give them an orgasmic amount of experience points,” Siegfried said. He smirked and tapped on the rune at the back of his hand before adding, “We are not going to pay them a lot, but we’re still paying them on top of giving them the chance to grow stronger. Compared to that, they’re just paying them.”

“...!”

“Obviously, the strong Adventurers would come to our side while the weaker ones would go to them, right? They could offer as much as they want but it’s still going to be something the strong ones could earn easily. Instead, they would be enticed by the growth potential our side presents.”

“I-Is that... how it works...?”

“It’s not that difficult. You just have to figure out what the other party needs and provide it to them. Easy, right?”

“Figure out what the other party needs... and provide it...” Prince Kyrix muttered.

This was something he did not learn even in his crown prince lessons. The art of handling people was not something that could be learned academically; it was something that had to be learned through experience.

As for Siegfried, his hardships in life had taught him that lesson, and he had become a master at manipula—no, identifying the "needs" of people.

“It’s very easy, right?”

“H-Huh?”

“It’s not that different from a king’s duty.”

“Your Majesty...? Is this what a king is supposed to do...?”

“Yeah, a king’s job is to handle people anyway, right?”

“...!”

“Can a king doing nothing but sitting in a position of power rule over his subjects properly, not to mention his people?”

“T-That is...”

“A ruler has to know the needs of his people, and he has to know how to provide for them. That is the only way the people would sincerely respect and swear loyalty. To sum it up, you can say that being a king is also somewhat similar to the service industry.”

“I have never heard of such a theory before...”

Prince Kyrix was flabbergasted at the nonsensical theory he was hearing for the first time. However, he gave it another thought and realized that the strange theory was not actually wrong. How could people swear unwavering loyalty to someone just because of their bloodline or position?

The prince realized that the relationship between the king, subjects, and the people operated in a vertical give-and-take manner.

“You don’t have to dwell on it. It’s just how I do things.”

“...”

“You just have to have an eye for people, I guess? Hey, how did we end up talking about this?” Siegfried asked, scratching the back of his head. Then, he narrowed his eyes and added, “Anyway, I’m a bit busy, so I’ll see you later.”

He left the prince and went to welcome the Adventurers who joined the coalition forces.

“That man... Is a true ruler. A true king,” Prince Kyrix muttered while looking at Siegfried walking farther and farther away. He saw from Siegfried how a true ruler was supposed to act, and this was something he did not learn from his royal tutors.

Who would have imagined an Adventurer who hadn\'t received any royal education could display the very qualities of an upright ruler? Well, the prince could not say for sure whether Siegfried had received any royal education or not, but he was certain that the wisdom Siegfried had imparted to him just now had come from his own experience.

“Just what have I been learning so far?”

The prince lamented his shortcomings while staring at Siegfried from afar.

***

Siegfried saw many familiar faces among the Adventurers who had decided to join the coalition forces.

“Oh! Long time no see, nephew!”

It goes without saying that one of them was the living legend—Yong Tae-Pung.

“Oh? It’s Siegfried-nim!”

“Hi! Siegfried-nim!”

“Long time no see!”

Many Adventurers recognized him and said hello, and he recognized them as well. He could now be considered a high-level Adventurer, so it was only normal for him to run into other high-level Adventurers from time to time.

Most of the Adventurers who had signed up to fight for the coalition forces were high-level Adventurers, so he was bound to recognize many of them, but the biggest reason they knew each other was due to the otherworldly energy.

Most of the high-level Adventurers gathered here had met him at the Southern Great Jungle.

“Guild Master!”

“Long time no see!”

“Don’t we have any guild activities?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we had one!”

The Head Crusher Guild members who had fought alongside Siegfried to bring down the Genesis Guild were here as well.

‘Good. This should be enough,’ Siegfried thought after seeing the army of Adventurers they managed to recruit. He was certain they could conquer Axion Fortress with this group. However, hadn\'t the Immortal Kingdom hired Adventurers as well? It was not going to be a problem, as they just had to kill them all.

Siegfried was more concerned about something else, and it was none other than the loot that he could obtain from the Adventurers who\'d inevitably die in battle.

‘Hoho~ I wonder how much loot I can get this time?’

***

One hour later...

“Then, I wish you happy leveling and looting. That will be all.”

Siegfried ended his short speech to the Adventurers before starting the Siege of Axion Fortress.

Meanwhile, Prince Kyrix was looking intently at him from close proximity.

‘I need to learn from him. I shouldn’t miss a single thing he does.’

He observed and made a mental note of every single thing Siegfried did. His observation was starting to become an obsession, as it reached a point where he completely forgot about the vengeance he swore against the undead.

To be more precise, he did not forget about his vengeance. He was the crown prince of a kingdom. He would not have the luxury to mourn or seek vengeance once he ascended the throne.

His blood vengeance against the undead? Yes, it was indeed important and was something he vowed to achieve sooner or later.

However, the sudden passing of his father, the king, caused him to technically become the king even before he was ready for the position. The prince felt lost and overwhelmed by everything happening so suddenly.

Alas, it was at this moment that a man he deemed fit to be his role model appeared out of nowhere, and the only thing the prince could think of was to learn and absorb as much as he could from his role model.

Lastly, the prince was an NPC incapable of being of any help on the battlefield, so the only thing he could do right now was follow his role model around like a tail.

“Hmm? You came out?” Siegfried said after spotting the prince.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Prince Kyrix replied.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Did you have to come out?”

“Ah, that is...”

“You have to cherish your life. The battle will be fierce, so please be careful,” Siegfried warned.

“Y-Yes, I will be careful!” Prince Kyrix exclaimed in response.

“Oh, I almost forgot, don’t come anywhere near me once the fighting starts.”

“I swear I will not get in Your Majesty’s way! So please allow me—”

“No, it’s not about you getting in my way,” Siegfried shook his head and replied. Then, he looked the prince straight in his eyes and said, “You’ll die.”

“Huh?”

“Ugyaaaah!” Siegfried gestured, choking himself and dying of suffocation. Then, he said, “You’ll die like this.”

“...? A-Alright,” Prince Kyrix was clueless, but he decided to follow as he was told.

“Good. I’m a bit busy, so I’ll see you later. Bye!” Siegfried exclaimed before running toward the Axion Fortress.

And...

“Airship!”

“The armada is here!”

“Is it air support?!”

A grand armada of airships flew overhead the coalition army. These airships belonged to the Proatine Kingdom and the Guardians.

Every single airship aimed their cannons at the Axion Fortress and—

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kaboom! Kaboom! Boom! Boom!

—they unleashed hundreds of mortar shells at it, displaying jaw-dropping firepower.

Baaaaam!

A section of the fortress walls crumbled at the barrage from the airships.

Siegfried infused mana into his voice and roared, “ALL! FORCES! CHAAARGE!”

Uwaaaaaah!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Adventurers of the coalition army charged toward the opening in the walls of the Axion Fortress.

***

The one who drew the first blood was none other than the living legend—Yong Tae-Pung.

Fwaaaaah!

The flames spewed out by his Hwaryongdo coalesced, transforming into a gigantic creature.

Fire Dragon’s Descent!

It was Yong Tae-Pung’s trademark skill that summoned a dragon made out of flames.

Krwaaaaang!

The dragon ran amok and decimated the enemy’s frontlines.

But that was not the end of it...

The other Adventurers used their most powerful area of effect skills and unleashed them on the Immortal Kingdom’s army, wreaking havoc in the process.

‘There’s no way we will lose,’ Siegfried thought confidently while observing the battlefield.

Krwaaaang!

He used Splitting Heaven and Earth on a group of soldiers coming at him and made quick work of them. The area of effect skills unleashed by the Adventurers devastated the enemies, allowing them to charge deeper into the fortress.

It was then...

“Let’s go, boys!”

“Hey, don’t you think you guys have done enough?”

“Leave some for us!”

The Adventurers who had sided with the Immortal Kingdom appeared one by one. They were not as powerful as the Adventurers who sided with the coalition forces, but they still posed a threat.

Why?

Because of their numbers...

The Adventurers on the Immortal Kingdom’s side outnumbered the coalition forces Adventurers ten to one.

This was something to be expected, as the coalition forces exclusively recruited Adventurers with otherworldly crystals. Unfortunately, not many Adventurers managed to get their hands on the otherworldly energies from the Southern Great Jungle and Northern Great Forest.

On the other hand, the Immortal Kingdom accepted any Adventurer willing to fight for money, making it easier for them to field a massive army.

Of course, there were many Level 100 to Level 200 Adventurers on the Immortal Kingdom’s side. They reduced the level requirement on purpose and recruited anyone willing to fight.

This decision of the Immortal Kingdom proved to be ingenious.

There was a saying that one hand couldn\'t beat ten hands. The Immortal Kingdom used their superior numbers to surround the coalition forces’ Adventurers and pressure them from all sides. Thanks to that, the coalition forces’ Adventurers could not progress any further, as they had to fight the waves of Adventurers and undead monsters.

If the undead monsters were tallied, then the coalition forces were outnumbered twenty to one, and they would have been annihilated sooner if it hadn\'t been for their far superior quality.

“N-No! We will be wiped out at this rate!” Prince Kyrix cried out while pushing back the enemies coming at him with his knights. Then, he turned to Siegfried and shouted, “We are far too outnu—”

It was then.

"Thanks for coming!" Siegfried shouted, running to the front lines. “Thanks for coming! I really admire your determination!”

The Adventurers on the Immortal Kingdom’s side were baffled.

“What the hell did he just say?”

“Is he crazy?!”’

“Kill that bastard first!”

The Adventurers rushed at Siegfried like a swarm of angry bees.

However, Siegfried did not run away despite the swarm coming at him—no, he was actually grinning from ear to ear.

“Aigoo! Welcome, customers! It’s payday for me!” Siegfried said something that only loan sharks would say and welcomed the Adventurers warmly with open arms.

It was indeed a "warm welcome."

Flash!

The Ignite Emerald embedded in the Great Champion’s Belt shone brightly.

Sseuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

And a thick green cloud of fog rushed out of Siegfried...

The result of that was...

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Adventurers charging at him fell dead one by one.

“K-Kuheeoook!”

“A-Aaaargh!”

“G-Gwuaaah!”

“Arghuuuehhuu!”

They grabbed their necks and struggled, just like what Siegfried had shown to the prince earlier. They struggled, convulsing uncontrollably before sprawling motionlessly on the ground.

Thud...! Thud...! Thud...!

They dropped their items, too.

“Alright! Here comes the eraser~ Whiiiiing~” Siegfried made some strange noises before running behind enemy lines while unleashing his poisonous gas.