Debuff Master-Chapter 895

“Huh? What’s that all about? Sealing the nearby areas?” Siegfried asked the officer.

“In twelve hours, a barrier will appear, and it will cover a two-hundred-kilometer radius from the camp, Your Majesty,” the officer replied.

“Hold on... Did you just say a barrier around the camp? A barrier with a radius of two hundred kilometers? Around the camp?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Two hundred kilometers radius?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Wow...”

Siegfried was dumbfounded at how nonchalant the officer sounded while saying something so bizarre and absurd.

Two hundred kilometers probably wasn't that impressive at first glance, but if put into perspective, that was equivalent to half of South Korea. With that in mind, erecting a barrier that massive was completely absurd, even if this was a virtual reality game.

However, the officer looked calm, as if he had long gotten used to it.

That was how powerful the Marchioni Empire was.

‘Wait a minute... They’re creating a barrier that big? That means they're trapping them here, aren't they?’ Siegfried thought, realizing the reason behind such a decision.

The empire was confident they would emerge victorious in this civil war, so they were planning to stop the enemy from escaping after the battle. Not a single enemy soldier would be able to leave; they were destined to perish right here.

‘Well, this is a world where even your relatives can get annihilated for something you did so...’

Siegfried could not help but get goosebumps at the empire’s plans.

“Enough about that. What should I do now?” Siegfried asked the officer.

“Usually, the Adventurers are excluded from strategy meetings...”

“And why is that?”

“I suppose it is due to security of information?”

“Ah, that makes sense. There could be spies among them.”

“But Your Majesty is an exemption, so please prepare to be present for the strategy meeting that will convene shortly.”

“Okay. Please let me know before the meeting convenes.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.”

Shortly after the officer disappeared—

‘Hmm... I guess I’ll be needing my own adjutant,’ Siegfried thought.

He realized he would need someone to run errands for him now that he was a four-star general, so he decided to call Carell from the Proatine Kingdom.

After a while—

“Hyung-nim!”

As expected, the one who came first was none other than Seung-Gu

“Did you call me?”

“Yeah. But I thought you’d be busy?” Siegfried said with a grin.

“I should drop everything and run if you call for me, no? Hehehe!”

“How’s the dam going?”

“The construction is going well. No need to worry about that one.”

“It’s all thanks to you, man.”

“Hehe! It’s nothing!”

It was then.

“Oppa!”

Yong Seol-Hwa appeared in the distance, waving her hand at him.

After she appeared, the other Adventurers acquainted with Siegfried appeared one after another.

‘These guys... really,’ Siegfried smiled after seeing his comrades answering his call without questioning anything.

It was widely known that the empire was losing the civil war, yet they came running the moment he called, regardless of whether they were joining him in the losing side or not.

This was a prime example of how much his comrades trusted him, and Siegfried felt good knowing that he had people who trusted in him.

But there was another piece of good news.

‘Oh? Why are they all paladins?’ Siegfried noticed.

The Adventurers he was acquainted with had joined the Church of Heroes and gained the sub-class Hero Knight, which was a paladin-type class. They seemed to have answered the prayers and petitions of the NPCs while Siegfried was busy, and it was proven by the fact that they possessed quite a bit of divine energy.

‘I’m starting to have my own faction.’ Siegfried smiled after realizing that he was gaining quite the following.

“Thank you for coming here today. I cannot divulge much due to security concerns, but I can promise you that you will not regret coming here today,” Siegfried addressed the crowd.

The Adventurers replied one after another.

“Don’t mention it!”

“Just call me whenever you need help!”

“I don’t care as long as it’s fun!”

“That’s right! Call me anytime if we can have fun!”

The Adventurers seemed like they couldn't care less about the fact that they were joining the Marchioni Empire’s faction. They also didn't demand any explanation from Siegfried.

‘Good.’

Siegfried was happy to see that he was gaining his own faction.

His relationship with his comrades was growing stronger, too.

With that, he headed to the strategy meeting with a smile.

***

Inside the tent where the Marchioni Empire was holding their strategy meeting...

‘...Why did they call me?’

Siegfried struggled to keep his yawns concealed, and he even had to pinch his thigh in order to stay awake.

There was no reason for him to be in this meeting at all.

Why?

It was all because the meeting proceeded flawlessly.

Every suggestion raised by the commanders made perfect sense. It was to the point that Siegfried found himself agreeing with everything they said, as the strategies presented were solid, thorough, and one hundred percent risk-free.

Siegfried had nothing else of value to add.

However, he noticed one thing...

‘None of them are addressing the elephant in the room.’

The entire meeting was built on the premise that the empire was at a disadvantage in this civil war.

‘They’re going to create such a big barrier, yet this is all they’re coming up with? I mean, this is quite impressive, sure, but...’

Siegfried quickly realized this was not a meeting to devise a strategy to crush the rebels, so he decided to just keep quiet and kill time doodling on his notebook.

It was then.

“Your Majesty.”

The Supreme Commander of the Marchioni Empire’s Imperial Army, Duke Randoll, called out to him.

“Yes?”

“Your Majesty is to lead the Adventurers and wait at this location.”

“Isn’t that location completely irrelevant to the battlefield? That’s even farther than the rear.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Duke Randoll replied with a nod. Then, he explained, “The role of the Adventurers division is to prevent the rebels from disrupting our rear lines.”

“Huh?”

“It seems highly unlikely, but in the event that the enemy attempts to hit us from the rear, it is Your Majesty’s duty to stop them.”

“Okay, I understand,” Siegfried replied with a nod. However, he knew very well that the location assigned to him by Duke Randoll was tactically unimportant. No, calling it unimportant was an understatement.

Why?

It was akin to giving Siegfried’s division basically no real mission whatsoever.

In other words, Siegfried’s division was excluded from this battle, as there was zero chance of anything happening in the location where they were stationed.

‘Well, I’ll have to obey the supreme commander’s orders. Besides, I can just kick back and relax since they’re basically telling me to do so, right? Hehehe!’

In the end, Siegfried accepted the command without voicing any complaints.

Why turn down an easy gig when it was handed to him on a silver platter, right?

Moreover, Siegfried was not the type to go looking for unnecessary trouble.

The only reason he came to this battlefield was to earn favor with Emperor Stuttgart. He was not looking to rack up achievements on the battlefield and become a distinguished war hero or something.

Thus, if he were asked to kick back and enjoy the free ride, he would gladly accept the offer.

***

Siegfried’s division positioned themselves in the middle of nowhere and relaxed until an order arrived.

The Adventurers under his command maintained some sort of discipline, but most of them were relaxed, as even they knew that they were stationed too far away from the battlefield.

That evening, Siegfried was enjoying a game of Hardstone with the other Adventurers when...

Flash! Flash! Flash!

—Dozens of pillars of light in the distance illuminated the night sky.

‘So it has begun.’ Siegfried realized that the pillars of light were the massive barrier being formed around the battlefield.

Nobody was allowed to leave this place once the barrier was erected.

‘I hope nothing happens outside while I’m stuck here, though...’

Siegfried suddenly felt like a true soldier after worrying about what was happening in the outside world while stuck in his base.[1]

However, the civil war was most likely going to end in a week, so he did not particularly feel claustrophobic.

If anything, this felt more like a slightly extended reserve training of some sort.

‘It would’ve been less boring if Hamchi was here...’

He suddenly started missing his trusty companion, Hamchi. He would often chat about all sorts of nonsense with Hamchi in situations like these, making him lose track of time.

‘I should probably look for Terra after this.’

He spent the rest of his time admiring the stars in the night sky while thinking of how he would search for the Incarnation of Life, Terra, who was the only key to stopping the Blue Knight of Death.

It was then.

“Can I sit here, oppa?” Yong Seol-Hwa approached him and asked.

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you need something from me?”

“Do I have to need something to sit beside you?”

“Eh? No, you don’t. Hahaha...”

“What are you doing these days?”

“Me? Just playing this game, that’s all.”

“Isn’t that obvious...?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, what are you doing in real life?”

Yong Seol-Hwa was not curious about Siegfried’s gaming life—no, it was more like there was no reason for her to be curious in the first place.

Anyone who knew Siegfried would know that he was probably running around doing various quests, so asking him something so obvious was probably redundant.

“I’m just working out, sleeping, spending time with family, and eating.”

“Is that all?”

“Yup,” Siegfried replied with a shrug. Then, he asked, “What else do I have to do aside from that? Well, I guess I do get coffee with Woo-Jin and Seung-Gu?”

“That’s quite simple.”

“Yeah, I don’t think there’s much aside from that.”

“That’s why I like you.”

“Hmm? What did you say?”

“It’s nothing~”

Yong Seol-Hwa did not bother elaborating her thoughts. ‘I like you because you don’t fool around.’

A few pro gamers were infamous for living a life of debauchery, fooling around with multiple women.

However, Siegfried was different from them.

He only played, played, and played the game. He only focused on his own business and had a clean personal life. In fact, he was so clean to the point that he seemed unreal.

Yong Seol-Hwa sometimes felt like worshiping at Siegfried’s feet, as he looked almost divine at times.

“But...”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you want to have some fun sometimes?”

“No? Not really?”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t really want to think about other things. I mean, I’m not sure until when I can play this game.”

“Oh...”

“Well, this is what I’m good at, right? I want to do this until I no longer have any regrets. You should know better than anyone that a pro gamer’s career is short.”

“Yeah, I understand what you mean.”

Yong Seol-Hwa perfectly understood what Siegfried was saying.

Everything in life has its ups and downs, and gaming was no exception. Gaming had a long history, but it was rare for a game to stay popular for decades.

The average lifespan of a game was ten years or perhaps twenty, at best.

Yong Seol-Hwa knew this better than anyone, as she had grown up watching her father, Yong Tae-Pung.

‘I’ll be cheering for you, oppa. I won’t bother you so you can focus on the game,’ she resolved not to burden him by expressing her feelings. Instead, she decided to support him from the sidelines, making sure he had a comrade he could trust.

That, she realized, was her role right now.

***

Two days later, Siegfried and his comrades were still playing Hardstone. Whenever they weren't playing, they would be chatting with each other, as they had no real duties to attend to.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the distance, flashes of light and deafening explosions erupted. They were evidence of an intense battle raging on in the distance.

‘Ah, I really want to go and watch the fight.' Siegfried thought.

He was itching to witness the Marchioni Empire unleash their full might, crushing the rebels like a bunch of insects.

The scene where the Immortal Armada was still fresh in his mind, but he knew that destructive display of overwhelming might was just a teaser of what the empire was truly capable of.

However, the battlefield was simply too far away for him to see anything, even if he soared high up into the sky with his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit.

Even the highest vantage point and keen eyesight was useless if one's target was two hundred kilometers away.

‘Tsk... I’m so bored I can feel my HP draining away.’ Siegfried clicked his tongue and grumbled.

He was slowly starting to get restless. Not only was he unable to participate in combat, but he was also unable to watch it.

It was then.

“Your Majesty!”

Carell rushed toward him and saluted before reporting in an urgent voice.

“We have received urgent orders from command!”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes, sie!”

“What did they say?”

Carell unfurled a map and pointed at a point, showing it to him.

“They are ordering us to move to this location immediately,” he reported.

1. South Korea has mandatory conscription, and soldiers often get stuck in bases, leaving them cut off from the outside world. In recent years, the government allowed internet and mobile phones in bases for the new generation. Basically, author-nim is probably old-old :kek: ☜