Debuff Master-Chapter 847

Baroque was an ambitious demon with a fiery temper, and he inwardly mocked his decrepit father, Vernas.

‘Ha! A so-called demon lord has actually been reduced to this pitiful state? Heh... No wonder a mere human almost killed him.’

He felt no sympathy toward his father—no, he did not even try to understand him.

A demon lord, by nature, was supposed to be the apex predator and a ruthless ruler who trampled on those weaker than them.

However, he actually shed tears over his firstborn son, who was no different from a failure, and it was something that Baroque had a hard time comprehending.

‘This old man should just die already. Why does he cling to life for so long?!’ Baroque thought, feeling agitated.

He was eagerly waiting for Vernas’ death, as he was the most likely successor to the throne. Once Vernas had passed, he could finally ascend to the throne and take full control of Domain 7.

Surprisingly, Baroque hadn't bothered killing Vernas or anything of that sort.

Why? Because he had been the de facto ruler of Domain 7 for the past fifty years. He was the one managing the domain’s affairs in his father’s stead, so killing Vernas would only damage his reputation among the resident demons of the domain.

Besides, Demonic Sword: Avenger was still missing, so Baroque had decided to take his time and let things fall into place on their own.

“Father.”

Although he mocked Vernas in his thoughts, Baroque smiled and continued pretending to be the ideal son.

“I will personally look for my brother, so please do not worry too much.”

“Ah, my son. You’re so dependable—cough!”

“Please rest for now, father.”

“Yes, I will... You all may leave as well.”

“As you wish, father.”

Baroque turned away and headed back to his own fortress.

There, he summoned his most capable and loyal subordinate. That loyal subordinate was none other than Chae Hyung-Seok, who was now known as Hyungseokius.

“Have you summoned for me, my lord?”

Chae Hyung-Seok dropped everything he was doing and ran over to Baroque upon hearing of the latter's summon.

Upon getting dragged into the Demon Realm as a slave, Chae Hyung-Seok's abilities eventually earned him Baroque’s recognition. He rose to become Baroque’s right-hand man as Hyungseokius, servant of Domain 7's Supreme Commander.

“Hyungseokius.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“My father seems to be on the verge of death.”

“Congratulations, my lord,” Chae Hyung-Seok bowed deeply with utmost sincerity and respect.

Indeed, his loyalty to Baroque was genuine.

What had initially seemed like a curse had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When he was first brought to the Demon Realm, he thought his life was officially over.

Crushed under billions of won in debt back in the real world, he saw no way out of his predicament once he could no longer play the game properly.

At that point, it seemed that suicide was his only remaining option.

However, becoming Baroque’s loyal subordinate had changed everything for him.

As the de facto second-in-command of Domain 7, Chae Hyung-Seok enjoyed countless privileges.

He went on to use his newfound status to exploit the mysterious resources found in the Demon Realm to earn cash and pay off his debts bit by bit. Although he could not indulge in the same luxuries as he used to in the past, he still managed to regain some semblance of his old life and was now living comfortably.

He also enjoyed the company of beautiful and alluring demons, indulging in pleasure that catered to his every whim and desire.

Chae Hyung-Seok had finally embraced his new identity as a demon.

“Hyungseokius.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“When do you think we will retrieve the Demonic Sword: Avenger?”

“The gates to the human realm have yet to fully open, my lord. Please be patient for just a while longer.”

“Hmm...”

“Defeating Siegfried van Proa is of great importance to me as well. I promise to devote myself entirely to this mission. Please place your trust in me, my lord, and it will be done.”

Even though Chae Hyung-Seok had turned into a demon and had fully embraced his new identity, there was one thing about him that had not changed at all.

And that was none other than his grudge against Siegfried...

He had cowered against Siegfried during their past encounter, but there was no reason to hesitate nor fear the cunning bastard now.

After all, he wielded the military might of Domain 7, and there was a legion of powerful demons at his disposal.

“Very well, Hyungseokius. I shall place my trust in you and wait,” Baroque said with a nod.

“I promise to repay your trust, my lord,” Chae Hyung-Seok replied, bowing deeply once again. Then, his eyes burned with determination as he gnashed his teeth while thinking of one person and one person only.

‘Just wait and see, Han Tae-Sung. Soon, I’ll take everything from you.’

With the power of Domain 7 in his hands, he was confident that he could crush both Siegfried and the Proatine Kingdom.

***

The abilities of the Lord of Despair were overwhelmingly powerful.

“Ugh!”

Gosran struggled desperately to shake off the tendrils coming out from the darkness, but her efforts were futile.

Kwachik!

The dark tendrils tightened their grip the more she thrashed against them, but that was not even the worst part of it.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: Your character has been slowed!]

[Alert: Movement Speed has decreased!]

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[Alert: Attack Speed has decreased!]

[Alert: Casting Speed has decreased!]

The black tendrils coiled around Gosran, locking her in a slowed state while stacking debuff after debuff to sap away at her strength.

“Come... to the abyss with us...”

“Give in... You will find peace... Embrace the darkness...”

The tendrils whispered in her ears and made her vision blur, further tormenting her.

“S-Stop...! Stop it! Stoooop!”

Despite this being just a game, Gosran screamed in utter terror after getting overwhelmed by the oppressive dread.

But that was not the end of her suffering...

Fwaaaah! Fwaaah!

Scarlet flames erupted from Siegfried, coiling upward like a blazing vortex before engulfing Gosran completely.

[Alert: Status Ailment!]

[Alert: Your character has been weakened!]

[Alert: Defense has decreased!]

[Alert: Magic Resistance has decreased!]

The crimson flames engulfed her, refusing to be extinguished as they burned fiercer and fiercer with every moment. As the flames raged, the weakening debuff continued to stack, dragging her deeper into an inescapable hell of debuffs.

‘I-I can’t fall from here!’

Gosran gathered all of her focus and teleported away in a desperate attempt to put some distance between herself and Siegfried.

But it was useless...

“...!”

Her eyes widened in shock when she found Siegfried standing before her.

[Alert: Movement Speed has decreased!]

[Alert: Attack Speed has decreased!]

[Alert: Casting Speed has decreased!]

[Alert: Defense has decreased!]

[Alert: Magic Resistance has decreased!]

The debuffs continued stacking, causing her to grow weaker and slower.

Aerial combat? It was pointless.

The debuffs were no longer confined to a field. Instead, they had become something similar to an aura. As long as Siegfried was nearby, there was no escaping from its crippling effects.

‘I need to attack...’ Gosran tried to retaliate, pulling back her bowstring, but...

‘W-Why is my hand moving like this?!’

Her movement was so sluggish that it looked as if her entire body was moving in slow motion. The stacks of slowing debuffs had reduced her actions to a snail’s pace.

And the price for such sluggishness in battle was brutal...

“...!”

Her eyes widened as he stared at Siegfried swinging his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp at her.

‘Impossible... I can’t beat him...’

Despair gripped her soul as she stared at her impending doom.

It was finally clear why the class was named "Lord of Despair." Fighting against the debilitating debuff skills made her understand just how utterly futile resistance was.

The skillset of the Lord of Despair had not only debuffed her, but it also crushed her spirit completely.

Shwiiiik!

The +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp stopped inches away from Gosran's face.

“...!”

Gosran’s eyes widened yet again as she stared at the weapon inches away from her. She was about to let out a sigh of relief, but she still suffered damage, even though the weapon hadn't made any direct contact with her.

Boom!!

A burst of energy erupted from the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

“Aaaaaah!” Gosran screamed after suffering massive damage that sent her plummeting to the ground. Weakened to the maximum possible by the stacks of debuffs, she couldn't withstand even the wind pressure generated by the +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

***

Siegfried managed to catch Gosran just in time before she crashed into the ground, and the two landed softly on the ground.

“...”

However, Gosran was already unconscious after being afflicted by Stun on top of the numerous other debuffs.

Siegfried laid her gently on the ground, and then he took a deep breath before gathering his thoughts. Upon taking a moment to compose himself, Siegfried finally realized what had just happened.

He had awakened.

Ding!

Then, a message popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: You have defeated the Descendant of God Arrow Windforce!]

[Alert: The progress of your quest Master’s Regret has increased to 71.4%!]

[Master’s Regret]

[Type: Quest]

[Details: Find and crush the seven successors of the people known as the strongest eight on the continent five hundred years ago.

[Progress: 71.40% (5/7)]

[Descendant of Thunder God Vajra 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Sword Saint Murcièlago 0/1]

[Descendant of Great Sage Sieghart 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Blood Master Berserk 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris 0/1]

[Descendant of God Arrow Windforce 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Supreme King Braum 1/1] ✓

After awakening, he finally managed to defeat the so-called natural predator of the Debuff Master.

“Incredible...” Siegfried muttered in astonishment.

The transformation of his debuffs into an aura rather than a field was simply shocking.

[Embrace of Despair]

[The evolution of Shadow Hell.]

[Binds all enemies around the Lord of Despair while inflicting a powerful slow debuff on them.]

[This skill causes auditory and visual torment, making the enemies experience true hell.]

[This effect is stackable.]

[Type: Debuff Skill]

[Form: Aura]

[Cooldown: None]

[Note: The user may use Discharge to amplify the range and intensity of the aura.]

[Eternal Flame]

[The evolution of Blaze Field.]

[This skill burns the Lord of Despair’s enemies, reducing their Defense, Magic Resistance, and Stamina.]

[This effect is stackable.]

[Type: Debuff Skill]

[Form: Aura]

[Cooldown: None]

[Note: The user may use Discharge to amplify the range and intensity of the aura.]

Siegfried’s stats had increased by twenty percent, and his debuff skills, which had to be placed down as debuff fields, had been upgraded into an aura. These weren't the only skills that had been enhanced upon his awakening.

Siegfried could confidently say that he had grown immensely stronger.

He had also obtained a new passive skill.

[Living Curse]

[All enemies around the Lord of Despair are weakened.]

[Type: Passive Skill]

[Form: Aura]

[Cooldown: None]

[Effect: -15% Stats, -50% Luck, -5 Skill Levels]

The new passive skill could only be described as immensely powerful. In addition to shredding the stats of his enemies, it also halved their Luck.

Deus’ words echoed in his mind just then.

“Luck is also a skill, my disciple. In life, it plays a crucial role. True strength is forged only by walking the fine line between life and death. Without luck, one would perish long before achieving greatness.” [1]

It seemed that Luck was also an indispensable factor for victory in battle, which made the new passive skill, Living Curse, extremely powerful. On top of that, the passive skill also came with the effect of lowering the enemy’s skill levels.

Siegfried’s debuffs had evolved beyond weakening enemies. They actively stripped them of their skill levels and robbed them of their luck, too.

“Wow, this is absolutely disgusting...” Siegfried muttered, shocked by the despicable strength of the Lord of Despair.

“...Oppa.” Gosran opened her eyes.

“Oh? You’re awake?” Siegfried said, extending his hand.

“You’ve done it, at last,” she said with a faint smile, grasping his hand and pulling herself up to her feet. Then, she smiled brightly and said, “Congratulations, oppa.”

“Thanks... It’s all thanks to you that—”

Rumble!

The Great Rift in the distance began to glow an ominous crimson red before trembling.

“...!”

“...!”

Siegfried and Gosran froze upon realizing what had happened.

Failure.

The violent tremors coming from the Great Rift meant that one of the parties had been annihilated.

In other words, it was time for Siegfried’s party to move out.

“Let’s go, oppa,” Gosran said, extending her hand toward him.

“Yeah,” Siegfried replied.

Without hesitation, he took her hand and—

Flash!

A burst of bright light flashed as Gosran's teleport skill engulfed both of them before whisking them away.

1. I can’t find this exact phrase for some reason. Please let me know in the comments if any of you find it! ☜