Debuff Master-Chapter 820

‘What the hell?! I just came here to complete a quest!’ Siegfried screamed inwardly.

He could not help but despair at his sudden elevation to the status of a savior destined to save the world. If he had known it would come to this, he would have bolted the moment things started getting weird.

Alas, attending the meeting had been his biggest mistake, and it was all because he wanted to satisfy his curiosity.

‘H-Huh?!’

None of that mattered now, as the religious leaders were already staring at him with sparkling, unwavering eyes.

To Siegfried, they looked like chicks with mouths wide open and clamoring for food from their mother bird. The image was so unsettling that it sent a shiver down his spine.

“Listen, I am not what you—”

“Your Majesty!" the leader of the Church of Neptune, a religion devoted to the Sea God, interrupted," How do you intend to save this world from the wrath of the angels? We are eager to hear your divine guidance!”

“Well, first, I would meet the leader of those angels to hear their side of the story and, if possible, try to resolve the situation amicably. I mean, peace is always the best method if it is—wait! No, no, no! I am not the Savior!” Siegfried stopped mid-sentence and vehemently protested.

Unfortunately, the religious leaders were already enthralled by him, and they only listened to the parts that they wanted to listen to, which were the parts that suited their narrative.

“Ooooh!”

“As expected! Negotiation before battle! Such divine wisdom!”

“Seeking peace is truly the mark of a great ruler! Your Majesty’s wisdom is truly unparalleled!”

“The heavens are truly on our side!”

Siegfried felt like he was losing his mind.

All he did was come to the Continent Religious Council to clear his Epic Quest, but he somehow ended up becoming the world’s savior. The sheer absurdity of it all was so overwhelming that he could not even laugh at his current situation.

Unfortunately, his opinion no longer mattered regarding the matter, as whether he liked it or not—

[Alert: Affinity has increased!]

[Alert: Affinity has increased!]

[Alert: Affinity has increased!]

[Alert: Affinity has increased!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: Affinity has increased!]

[Alert: Affinity has increased!]

[Alert: Your affinity level is now Absolute Trust and Faith!]

[Alert: Your affinity level is now Absolute Trust and Faith!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: Your affinity level is now Absolute Trust and Faith!]

Whether he liked it or not, he had already achieved maximum Affinity with the continent’s religious leaders; they adored and loved him unconditionally.

Why?

It was simply because he matched the description of the Savior from the divine revelation.

No effort was required from his end...

‘Is this a blessing or a curse...?’ he muttered inwardly.

It was then.

Ding!

A familiar sound echoed in his ears, followed by a message that popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Your quest has been updated!]

[Establish a Religious Order (UPDATED)]

[Establish a new religious organization properly with the help of the religious leaders!]

[Type: Epic Chain Quest]

[Reward: Acquire a new class! (Dual-Class)]

[Note: This new class utilizes the mysterious power of Divine Energy as its primary source of strength and will further enhance your abilities.]

[Note 2: Thanks to the absolute trust of the religious leaders in you, verification by the Continent Religious Council is no longer necessary!]

[Note 3: Your newly founded religion will rapidly grow in influence and become a prominent new faith on this continent!]

‘Is this something I should be happy about...?’ Siegfried wondered while having mixed feelings.

Skipping the tedious verification process was definitely a win, but what about what came after that?

After a brief moment of contemplation, Siegfried composed himself.

‘If this is part of the game’s main storyline, then I’ll have to go along with it. After all, if the game’s going to stay online for a while, the world can’t end.’

Thinking back to his history with the Church of Osric, Siegfried decided to treat this as just another extended quest line. Thanks to that line of thinking, he was able to calm himself down.

Siegfried—or rather, the gamer, Han Tae-Sung, had one wish—he wished that Brave New World would remain in service for as long as possible.

What was his other goal aside from that?

It was none other than to acquire ownership of the game.

Why?

It was all Because he could not bear the thought of parting ways with the NPCs, as he genuinely loved the Nurburg Continent.

Thus, now that the religious leaders adored him so much, his influence was bound to grow even more on the international stage.

‘All right, let’s do this. My epic quest is tied to Divine Power anyway,’ he thought with a shrug.

With his resolve firm, he stood and addressed the room.

“I cannot say for certain if I am truly the savior mentioned in the divine revelation or not. But what I do know is that this world is in danger, and I will not just sit idly and do nothing. I will do my utmost to help protect this world from the wrath of the angels,” he declared.

The religious leaders immediately leaped to their feet, giving him a standing ovation.

“We believe in Your Majesty!”

“Ah! Our savior!”

“How reassuring this is!”

“My hero!”

Just like that, Siegfried was officially—albeit reluctantly—recognized as the Savior who would protect this world from the wrath of the angels.

***

While Siegfried was busy with the impromptu emergency meeting with the leaders of the various religious orders...

“Huff! Huff!”

“Haa! Huff! Huff!”

Shakiro and Mikahil were running through an unnamed forest with all of their strength.

They had been separated from Metatron and Chaos while fleeing, and their horses were killed in the attack. With no other choice, they had to rely on their legs and push their bodies to the absolute limit for the sake of survival.

‘Elder must have sent me out of the Proatine Kingdom for a reason,’ Shakiro thought, finally understanding Deus’ intentions.

There was no doubt that he had foreseen the arrival of an unstoppable force coming after Mikhail.

What if that old man had invaded the Proatine Kingdom’s royal palace?

A chill traveled down Shakiro’s spine at the mere thought of it.

Even though he was a top-tier Master who was on the cusp of becoming a Grandmaster, he was utterly powerless against the old man. If he, a Master, was powerless against him, then what could anyone else possibly do?

‘But what in the world is that old man...?’

On the other hand, Shakiro could not help but be curious about the old man’s true identity.

Why was he immune to any damage? What was the source of his terrifying strength? And why was he so hellbent on killing Mikhail?

Unfortunately, Shakiro didn't have the luxury to dwell on such things, as survival came first.

Fwoosh!

Not far away, fiery red flames roared toward the sky as swords set ablaze and rained down like a storm from the heavens.

The old man was clearly willing to set the entire forest ablaze as long as he achieved his objective.

Mikhail collapsed to the ground, panting and groaning. “Huff! Huff! I... I can’t... I can’t run anymore...!”

“You must keep moving!”

“Huff... I... I can’t... I really can’t...!”

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

“I’ll carry you.”

Without hesitation, Shakiro hoisted Mikhail onto his back and started running again.

‘There has to be a way to shake him off—’ Shakiro thought.

It was then.

“Where do you think you’re going, you pathetic insect?”

The old man emerged from the bushes, glaring at them with a chilling gaze.

‘What?! When did he get so close?!’ Shakiro was shocked at the old man’s inhuman speed.

The old man growled, “How much longer are you going to test my patience?”

“I do not know what your motive is, but I beg you—please, let us resolve this through dialogue!” Mikhail pleaded desperately.

The old man chuckled and replied, “Dialogue? I have nothing to say to a traitor to his kind. And even less to say to a worthless failure like you.”

“At least tell me why—”

“You don’t have the right to know,” the old man cut him off with a curt response. Then, he raised his swords and said decisively, “All you need to do is die.”

With that, he nonchalantly started walking toward the two.

Swoosh! Swish! Swish!

A torrent of aura blades rushed forward and enveloped the old man.

‘Now!’

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Shakiro bolted with every ounce of strength he could muster. He knew the attack would not harm the old man, but they could at least buy a few precious seconds.

“You filthy little worm dares to...!”

The old man’s voice seethed with anger as the aura blades kept him at bay. Though unharmed, the mere thought of being struck repeatedly by a lesser creature’s attack was more than enough to infuriate him.

Meanwhile—

‘The sound of water!’

Shakiro’s sharp ears caught the roaring sound of water rushing in the distance.

‘Is it about one kilometer away?’

Shakiro pushed himself harder and raced toward the source of the sound with Mikhail still on his back. He believed that if the water was moving rapidly, then they could use its currents to get to safety, but when they arrived—

Rumble!

What awaited them was not a river but the edge of a towering waterfall that was easily seventy meters tall.

‘Damn it...’ Shakiro grimaced and gritted his teeth. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place, as before them was a steep drop, while behind them was the absurdly powerful old man.

“Shakiro, this is it for me,” Mikhail said.

“What are you saying?”

“I will stay behind and die. That is the only way to end this. I cannot let you risk your life because of me so—”

Shakiro cut him off, “Do you know how to swim, Mikhail?”

“...What?”

“You lost your memories, so I suppose you cannot.”

“Why does that even matter right no—”

Before Mikhail could finish his words, Shakiro jumped down the waterfall.

“...!”

Mikhail’s eyes shot wide open in horror.

Shakiro had thrown himself off the seventy-meter-tall waterfall... with Mikhail still clinging to his back.

***

Shortly after Siegfried was officially recognized as the Savior from a divine revelation.

“By the way, what were you doing here, Your Majesty? What business could you possibly have with the Continent Religious Council?” Saintess Janette asked.

“Ah, that... Well, I was thinking of starting a religion,” Siegfried replied with a sheepish grin.

“A religion? By Your Majesty?”

“Yes, that’s what it’s come to. Haha...”

“But why would Your Majesty start a religion? As far as I remember, Your Majesty does not practice any religion...?”

“Ah, about that...” Siegfried briefly explained his reasons for establishing a religion.

“Ah! I see now!” Saintess Janette exclaimed after understanding everything.

She recalled how Siegfried performed miracles during the war between the Proatine Kingdom and the Zavala Kingdom. At the time, she was baffled by his ability to wield Divine Power without practicing any faith.

“Oh, my!”

“Divine Power without any faith?!”

“Incredible!”

“Is His Majesty aiming to become a god?”

The leaders of the various religious orders erupted in excitement upon hearing about Siegfried’s intention to form a new religion. Their enthusiasm was understandable, as his rise as the Savior was directly tied to their survival–and benefit.

“In that case, Your Majesty will require a Planner. Someone that is highly skilled—no, the most skilled at that!”

“A Planner? What’s that?”

“Ah, it seems Your Majesty is not familiar with it. A Planner in this industry is someone who helps establish new religions. Having a Planner can make a massive difference when founding a new religion,” Saintess Janette explained.

“W-Well, that’s quite the peculiar profession... Hahaha...” Siegfried replied, chuckling awkwardly. He found the idea of someone helping to found a new religion as their main job to be quite amusing and surprising.

However, this was not bad news at all.

Siegfried was planning on creating his own religion, so the assistance of an experienced person who specialized in such was undoubtedly useful in strengthening the foundation of his new religion and accelerating its growth.

Moreover, thanks to the Affinity he had earned, he could skip the tedious validation process usually required by the Continent Religious Council to filter out cults.

“So, does this mean I can get help from a Planner?” Siegfried asked.

Saintess Janette nodded and replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty. I will assign the best Planner on the continent to assist Your—”

It was then.

“Is His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa, here?!” someone exclaimed. They seemed to be from the Beggar Guild, and they charged into the conference hall, frantically screaming for Siegfried.

“Huh? Yeah, that’s me?” Siegfried replied, raising his hand.

“Your Majesty! We have a big problem!” the man cried out.

“What’s going on?”

“We have received a report that an unidentified old man is pursuing Weapon Master Shakiro’s party!”

Siegfried shot to his feet with his eyes wide open. “What?! What do you mean by that?!”