Debuff Master

Chapter 686

“Montana! Montana! Montana!”

“Montana! Montana! Montana!”

The crowd erupted into a frenzy and cheered wildly for Montana as he entered the arena. This was no surprise, as Montana was famous for being one of the strongest inmates in the Fortress of Hell.

He was not an ordinary human, as he belonged to a race of beastmen known as the Tiger Race, a humanoid species possessing monstrous physical prowess.

A human winning against a Tiger Beastman was almost impossible, and the fact that the use of mana was restricted only made it even more impossible.

However, that was not the scariest part.

Montana, just like the other inmates incarcerated in the Fortress of Hell, was a notorious and vicious criminal. He was infamous for his cruel and heinous acts during the time he led his gang of beastmen known as Sinful Montana, and his long list of crimes was so cruel that anyone who heard about it would shudder in fear.

“And his opponent...” the announcer exclaimed before pausing briefly to further increase the tension in the air. Then, he introduced Siegfried, “Seung-Gu from Block F4!”

The crowd’s reception was the complete opposite of the one they gave Montana the moment Siegfried stepped into the arena.

Boooo!

Hiss!

The entire place echoed with jeers and insults hurled at Siegfried. His reputation in the Fortress of Hell was nowhere near Montana’s. He had recently taken over Block F, so he was virtually a nobody to the rest of the Fortress of Hell.

“Hey, rookie! Did you come here to die?”

“I bet you won’t last ten seconds!”

“Just give up and admit defeat! That would save your life and our time as well!”

“Bwahaha! What could a weakling like you possibly do against Montana?”

The crowd continued to hurl insults at him, but he did not flinch at all.

Booooo!

The jeers grew louder, but Siegfried continued pretending like he was weak. He purposely put on a scared facade, as this was just the tip of the iceberg.

‘I have to make it look like I barely managed to win if I want to raise the betting odds. I can’t show my true strength yet,’ he thought.

His main goal was to boost the Soul Coin winnings of his partner and sponsor, Orleius, and he had to keep the odds stacked against him, even if it meant he had to take a few hits and narrowly scrape by.

“P-Please... go easy on me. Hahaha...” Siegfried pleaded, acting scared and laughing awkwardly.

“What’s your problem, kid? Are you already sick of prison?” Montana sneered, amused by his opponent’s patheticness.

“Huh?”

“Are you too scared to take your own life that you came here to die?”

“Hahaha... Haha...” Siegfried awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of his head nervously, continuing the charade of being frightened.

“If possible... Please don’t kill me...”

“Then do you want me to cripple you?”

“That’s a bit too much also...”

“Hmph! Pathetic,” Montana growled, his voice filled with contempt. He had already fallen for Siegfried’s method acting. “The least you could do is have some guts if you’re going to participate in this competition! Someone without balls—”

It was then.

Swoosh!

Siegfried scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground and flung it straight into Montana’s face before he could even finish talking.

“...?!”

The Tiger Beastmen was a species renowned for their agility yet he was caught completely off guard by Siegfried’s cheap dirty trick. He didn\'t expect such a trick from the coward before him.

Montana struggled to get the dirt out of his eyes when—

Bam!

Siegfried landed a dropkick square on Montana’s chest.

“Did you see what happened?!”

“No way!”

“What?!”

“Ooooh!”

The crowd was stunned and left amused by Siegfried’s dirty yet effective ambush.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Smack, smack, smaack!

Siegfried mounted Montana and rained down punches in a pounding assault often used in MMA competitions, but that did not last long.

Bam!

Montana kicked off the ground and rose to his feet, sending Siegfried flying.

“Ugh...!”

“Grrr! You dirty little rat! I’ll tear you to shreds!” Montana growled in anger, his voice vibrating with pure rage just like an enraged tiger.

“Argh...” Siegfried grimaced after hitting the ground.

“You damn bastard!” Montana charged, unleashing his fury at his opponent.

Whoosh!

Siegfried rolled on the ground, leapt like a frog, and swayed like reed in the wind as he desperately tried to evade Montana’s vicious attacks.

“Kill him!”

“Crush that dirty bastard!”

“Look at the rat! He’s cornered!”

“Finish him!”

The crowd roared for Montana to end the match like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves. In their eyes, Siegfried was nothing more than a pathetic underhanded coward who had relied on cheap tricks to win, so most of them jeered at him in utter contempt.

And the fact that Siegfried looked to be so clumsy and desperate while dodging Montana’s attacks didn\'t help his reputation at all...

Meanwhile...

“That damned brat!” Orleius erupted in anger while watching the fight from the dugout.

***

“Y-You... You dare betray my trust?!” Orleius roared in utter disbelief.

He expected Siegfried to easily win the match, but he appeared to be tremendously struggling, even though it was all just an act, against his opponent. He had bet half of the Soul Coins in his possession, so his heart was wildly thumping from adrenaline and anxiety.

He felt as if his lifespan was getting reduced with every blow that Siegfried took. Yes, he would be rewarded with a massive payout if Siegfried somehow managed to win the match, but based on how things looked right now the chances of that happening looked quite slim.

The only thing Siegfried managed to do was throw dirt at Montana’s eyes and land a solid dropkick. Aside from that, it seemed as if he was on the edge of getting ripped apart any second now by the enraged beastman.

“That damned fool...! I’ll make sure he’s dead even if he somehow survives this fight,” Orleius growled, gnashing his teeth.

"I’ll damn him for eternity in—" Orleius was about to swear once again when a miracle happened.

Siegfried tripped on a rock. This seemed like a costly mistake, but this accident helped him narrowly dodge Montana’s attack which carried with it a tremendous force.

The attack left Montana’s chin completely exposed, and Siegfried launched an uppercut like a rocket straight into the beastman’s chin.

C-Crack!

The punch hit Montana straight in the chin, sending the large beastman flying nearly two meters in the air before crashing to the ground.

This was the golden opportunity for him to counterattack, and he was not someone who would miss out on it.

“Die! DIEEE!” Siegfried roared, kicking Montana repeatedly in the face.

“Argh!”

The sheer impact from Siegfried’s kicks caused a portion of Montana’s face to cave in.

Siegfried possessed physical abilities far greater than most inmates in this prison, and the ferocious beastman, Montana, was included in that.

“Whoa... That guy’s luck is crazy!”

“Damn it! Come on!”

“How did he get that lucky?!”

The inmates were convinced that luck was on Siegfried’s side, as they were completely oblivious to the fact that this was all a calculated plan by the guy who tripped to victory.

However, Siegfried could not care less what they thought.

Bam! Bam!

Smack, smack, smaack!

He picked up a stone on the ground and pounded Montana’s skull with it over and over again. He showed no mercy and had only one thing in mind—destroy his enemy. He repeatedly pounded Montana’s head with the stone for thirty seconds until—

C-Crack...!

Montana’s skull shattered completely, leaving him a bloody mess.

Siegfried finally dropped the stone and collapsed to the arena floor, breathing heavily and gasping for air.

“Huff... Huff...”

Then, the commentator’s voice rang throughout the arena, “And the winner is! Seung-Gu!”

And just like that, Siegfried earned his first victory in the Warden Martial Competition.

“Phew...” Orleius let out a sigh of relief but he looked visibly shaken, as he knew he barely escaped a disaster that could cost him both his career and life. He glared down at Siegfried as a dark glint flashed in his eyes. Then, he clenched his fists tightly and growled under his breath, “You talked so big yet you put on this pathetic show? Just you wait...”

***

Orleius had been patiently waiting for Siegfried, and as soon as the latter stepped into the waiting room.

“You bastard!” Orleius roared and tried to grab Siegfried by the collar, but...

Smack!

Siegfried smacked Orleius’ hand away and made his way to a nearby couch before nonchalantly plopping down on it. Then, he grabbed a bottle of beer from the table and chugged it down.

“What’s with your attitude? I won, didn’t I?” Siegfried asked arrogantly, still chugging his beer in between.

“You promised me a victory!” Orleius snarled, barely managing to keep his anger in check. Then, he roared, “You said you’d win, and then you give me that pathetic—”

“Did I lose?” Siegfried interrupted, raising a brow mockingly.

“T-That’s not what’s important here!” Orleius stammered at a loss for words.

After all, the one who had his skull shattered was Montanna, and the one sitting in front of him while arrogantly sipping beer was Siegfried.

“You’re acting like a coward right now. Did you really think I struggled out there?” Siegfried asked, scoffing and shaking his head.

“You what?!”

“Did you really think I struggled against that cat?” Siegfried asked with obvious sarcasm before he leaned back, making himself much more comfortable on the couch. Then, he smirked and asked, “What do you think would have happened to your precious odds if I had crushed him too easily?”

“...”

Orleius was stunned. He had to admit that Siegfried had a valid point.

Betting odds worked in such a way that the odds would go down the more people placed their bets on one side. A dominant fighter would have more bettors, so the payout would be lower. This was basic logic.

“Wait... Are you telling me that you pretended to be weak?” Orleius asked with a hint of skepticism.

“Yeah, didn’t you notice?” Siegfried replied casually, lifting both arms and showing them off. Then, he asked, “Do you see any real wounds on me?”

“Hmm...”

“Ha! Hey, do you think I enjoy pretending to be weak? I was trying to help you make more money,” Siegfried scoffed, placing the empty beer bottle on the table. Then, he grumbled, “But here you are, throwing a fit instead of thanking me. Tsk... Is this how you treat someone who’s making you a buttload of coins?”

“...”

“Come on, man. Is this how this partnership will be from now on? No trust? Just shouting and threats?” Siegfried mocked, his voice full of disappointment.

Orleius clenched his fists and bit his lips before he bowed and said, “I-I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that and lash out at you. I got... well, scared after having half of my fortune on the line.”

“Uh-huh,” Siegfried mocked, not believing an ounce of the half-hearted apology.

“I truly apologize. It seems I didn’t realize the bigger picture you were drawing. I admit my mistake.”

“Right. Trust, that’s what we need the most, Orleius. Trust.”

“C-Certainly! I’ll trust you completely from now on,” Orleius quickly replied without skipping a beat, desperately trying to repair the damage he had caused.

“And what are you going to do now?” Siegfried asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I’ll bet big on you. I-I’ll go big and fully trust you,” Orleius replied in a shaky voice.

“Good. Then take all the Soul Coins you just won and throw in seventy percent of what you originally had on top of it for the next match,” Siegfried said nonchalantly.

“S-Seventy percent?” Orleius muttered, looking panicked.

“Go big and make a buttload of coins early on. Don’t you still get it? The odds are ridiculously high right now,” Siegfried said, sounding nonchalant yet there was an undeniable sense of certainty in his voice.

“A-Alright!” Orleius exclaimed. Then, he fully committed, “I’ll bet what you asked me to in the next match!”

“That’s the spirit, Orleius!” Siegfried said with a grin.

“I’ll trust you fully from now on,” Orleius said with a nervous smile that seemed to be trying to appease the human sitting arrogantly in front of him.

Siegfried smiled brightly, and this was a smile he often used when he was planning the downfall of those who dared to trust him.

Unfortunately, Orleius smiled alongside him, thinking he made a brilliant choice that would turn his life around, unaware of the storm brewing in the near future.

***

After the first match, Siegfried’s undefeated streak in the Warden Martial Competition continued as he effortlessly climbed the rankings.

However, the inmates and guards all shared the same opinion of him.

“He’s just absurdly lucky, that’s all.”

They all believed that he just managed to get this far out of pure luck, and it was no wonder they would think so, as Siegfried’s acting was nothing short of flawless.

He\'d sometimes deliberately get hit or cunningly provoke his opponents into making fatal mistakes, all while hiding his true capabilities.

Thanks to this, Siegfried was still seen as an underdog despite his impressive win streak, so the odds were still stacked against him.

Of course, Orleius profited massively from this, as he was betting ridiculous amounts of Soul Coins on Siegfried.

Siegfried made it all the way to the semifinals of the tournament even while keeping his act up.

Of course, some people deduced that Siegfried was either skilled or insanely lucky, and they decided to place their bets on him.

Thus, Orleius, consumed by greed, went all-in, betting his entire fortune on Siegfried’s next fight upon seeing that the odds were starting to go down.

In other words, he was banking everything on the next match as his final gamble.

Five hours before the match...

“How are you feeling today? You’re still feeling good, right? You’re going to win and make it to the final round, yeah?” Orleius asked.

“Well, who knows?” Siegfried replied casually while relaxing on the couch.

“W-What do you mean by that...?” Orleius asked, feeling a chill down his spine after hearing the change in Siegfried’s tone.

“Well, the feeling of having someone’s entire life savings riding on my back feels... a bit weird, you know?” Siegfried said with a sly grin. Then, he looked straight into the demon guard’s eyes and said, “I hear you’ve borrowed as much as you could from the Demon Bank and bet it all on the next match.”

The Demon Bank was where the demons dealt or borrowed Soul Coins, and it was infamous for being ruthless and vicious when it came to collecting debts.

“N-No! W-What are you talking about?” Orleius stuttered, his voice cracking. Then, he said as panic set into him, “Why are you acting like this? We’ve done so well together until now! Come on, just one more push! I’ll make sure you’re rewarded handsomely for—”

Siegfried lifted his chin and arrogantly looked down at Orleius.

“Kneel.”

That single word proved that the predator was baring his fangs now.

“I heard the Soul Coins placed as bets can’t be retrieved, right? Kneel if you don’t want to lose your entire fortune,” Siegfried commanded while staring down at the senior demon guard.

It was then.

Ding!

Siegfried’s title, "I Am Backstabbing," appeared on top of his head and shone brightly.