Debuff Master

Chapter 665

“Damn it!”

Siegfried grabbed Hamchi and Gringore with each hand and prepared to take flight with his Black Crow Wingsuit. He was certain that they would fall hundreds of meters and would end up either hitting jagged ice or raging freezing waters, but...

Wooong!

Arnayan extended both hands right as soon as the sled took to the sky and—

Ziiiing!

—A powerful burst of ice mana shot out from her hands, forming a road made out of ice.

In other words, Arnayan had just used her mana to conjure a bridge made out of ice, similar to how magicians would use Ice Wall.

Thud!

Skrrrt!

The sled landed on the ice bridge and drifted before continuing on its way.

“$@***%***$%***@$@$!!!” Arnayan said something to the Urus in her language.

Then, she looked at the party and said, “Cute!”

“What...?”

“The bridge! Cute it!”

“Ah!” Siegfried realized what she was trying to say and hurriedly threw his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

Baaam!

Krwaaaang!

The ice bridge collapsed after it was struck by Siegfried’s +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

Siegfried’s party safely managed to cross the crevasse, while Nanuqsa and his kinsmen couldn't continue their chase.

Nanuqsa was a Master, but there was no way he could jump over a distance of more than one hundred meters without any flight abilities.

“!@***$!@***!@***!@*** !@***!@***!@******@!@@!*** !@!***!@!” Nanuqsa cried out in his native tongue.

“&%***!%$***$%***! %%***$$%***$!” Arnayan replied.

“&%^$***%***%!”

“$***%***%$$***%***$%***$%***$%***%$!”

“$***^***$^$%@***$@***$***!”

The father and daughter shouted at each other in their native language over the vast crevasse.

It was then...

“You won’t get away from me! I swear on my name to catch you filthy Continentals! I will castrate you and send you back where you belong!” Nanuqsa shouted at Siegfried.

“H-Hey! Aren’t you being too much?! Can’t we resolve this peacefully through civilized discussion—”

“The Blanc Clan doesn’t discuss anything with the Continentals!”

“...”

“I suggest that you return my daughter and escape from here at once if you value your life.”

“Hey! Return who?! You’re making it sound like I’m abducting her!”

“Silence!”

“You’re very difficult to reason with, you know that?!”

“I swear on my name to make you pay for deceiving my daughter!”

“Geez...”

Siegfried decided to stop responding even though he felt wronged. To begin with, Nanuqsa did not seem like someone he could reason with, so continuing this argument with him was only a waste of his time and saliva.

“Let’s go,” Siegfried said.

“Yes, I depart now,” Arnayan replied with a nod and pulled the reins.

***

After shaking off Nanuqsa and the Blanc Kinsmen, the sled that Siegfried and his group were riding sped through the snowy field.

Shwoooong!

“Kireuk! Kireuuuk!”

“Kireuk!”

“Kiki! Kiruuuk!”

Siegfried heard strange noises coming from the sky, prompting him to look up.

What he saw was a flock of birds with fat bodies, tiny wings, fat tails, short feet, and necks that were as good as attached to their bodies. Anyone could tell that these birds flying in the air were none other than penguins, but these penguins were quite big.

They also had long red eyebrows for some reason.

“W-What the hell are those...? I don’t think penguins are supposed to fly, right?” Siegfried asked.

“Those Waitaha!”

“Waitaha...?”

“In continent language they call King God Penguin!”

“What the hell are you talking about...?” Siegfried muttered under his breath and flashed his Rune of Insight.

[King God Penguin]

[An Emperor Penguin that originally inhabited the northern region of the continent that evolved after migrating to the Arctic Pangea.]

[It is a penguin, but it is capable of flying fast and shooting laser beams from its mouth.]

[The Blanc Clan calls them Waitaha.]

[They are adept swimmers, and their thick hide makes it an excellent material for warm winter clothes.]

[Their hides can be more expensive than gold.]

[Type: Neutral Creature]

[Race: Penguin]

[Level: 250]

[Note 1: They move in a colony and hunt other animals on ground.]

[Note 2: It is advised to seek refuge at a cave if a colony of King God Penguins are flying overhead.]

“King God Penguins...?” Siegfried muttered in disbelief after reading their details.

“Those Waitaha are father command! They track us!”

“Eh?”

“We run now fast!” Arnayan exclaimed and pushed the Urus to go faster. Unfortunately, there was no way a sled could outrun the King God Penguins flying in the air.

Ziiiiing!

Ziiiing! Ziiiiing!

Ziiiiiiiiiing!

The King God Penguins opened their beaks and shot out laser beams filled with extremely dense ice attribute mana.

“Hey! What kind of penguin flies around shooting laser beams?!” Siegfried cried out at the bizarre scene. However, he was not someone who would go down without a fight. Actually, something else was occupying his mind right now.

‘Their hide must be quite expensive, right?’

The only thing he could think of right now was to sell the King God Penguins’ hide for gold. He had already come all the way to the Arctic Pangea, and he was not planning to go back without a few local specialties with him.

“Hyung-nim!” Seung-Gu shouted.

“I know!” Siegfried replied and jumped up into the air.

Shwoooong!

He spread open his Black Crow Wingsuit and flew straight into the colony of King God Penguins.

“T-That very dangerous!” Arnayan shouted, but she could not stop him.

“Kireuk!”

“Kiyooook!”

“Kiruuuuk!”

Just as the King God Penguins were about to lynch Siegfried, he spread his Black Crow Wingsuit, and...

Chwaaak!

Shwaaaak!

More than one thousand projectiles shot out from the wingsuit, and they transformed into a ferocious, sharp storm. The projectiles displayed pinpoint accuracy by going straight into the King God Penguins’ mouths and exiting through their anus.

Siegfried was now capable of controlling every single one of his one thousand projectiles.

Thud...! Thud...!

The King God Penguins eviscerated by the projectiles fell from the sky one by one.

One penguin, two penguins, three penguins...

Thud! Thud! Thud!

More than one hundred penguins rained down from the sky.

The Torrential Flower Rain used by Siegfried was so ferocious that it slaughtered the King God Penguins without them even realizing that they were already dead.

‘That skill... It’s amazing...!’ Arnayan exclaimed inwardly in awe after witnessing the Torrential Flower Rain. She didn't imagine, even in her wildest dreams, that this young man from the continent had the ability to kill an entire colony of King God Penguins with such ease.

“Local specialties~ Lalala~”

On the other hand, Siegfried could not care less if Arnayan was shocked or not, as he hummed a tune while shoving the dead King God Penguins into his inventory.

***

After the battle with the King God Penguins....

“It little safe now,” Arnayan said, as she parked the sled in an ice cavern.

The tracks left behind by the sled were indeed concerning, but it was not a big deal.

Whoosh!

The blizzard raging outside was going to erase the tracks without leaving a single trace in a matter of minutes.

“I will say again. You must leave here.”

“Do you mean we have to leave the Arctic Pangea?”

“Yes. This is holy place. Continentals should not come here.”

“But why?”

“That... I cannot tell you reason.”

“Why?”

“The Blanc Clan have to keep secret. Our duty.”

“Tsk...” Siegfried clicked his tongue out of frustration. Then, he thought, ‘There’s definitely something.’

The fact that the Blanc Clan was protecting the Arctic Pangea and calling it a holy ground meant that there was definitely something at the center.

“Excuse me, My. Arnayan?”

“Tell me.”

“We are here to investigate the Arctic Pangea after detecting some strange energy signal coming from the center.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he proceeded to explain why they had to stay and investigate the Arctic Pangea, “That’s what happened. And we must go to the central area no matter what.”

Arnayan looked extremely confused as she said, “That is impossible... Our Blanc Clan protect fully this place.”

“But I am telling the truth...”

“Ah...”

“I must investigate the central area.”

“But father no believe you. He hates all Continentals.”

“How can we convince your father?”

“That is...” Arnayan hesitated for a second. Then, she said, “He might believe you if you bring mother here.”

“If we find your mother and bring her here?”

“Yes.”

It was then.

Ding!

A quest message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Melt the Frozen Heart!]

[Description: Find Arnayan’s mother on the Nurberg Continent and bring her to the Arctic Pangea to meet Nanuqsa.]

[Reward: Official Entry to Arctic Pangea]

[Progress: 0% (0/1)]

[Warning: There is no guarantee that this quest can be cleared]

“A quest...”

Siegfried was in a dilemma. He could force his way to the central area if he wanted to, but he would have to fight against Nanuqsa, who was a Master, as well as his kinsmen numbering hundreds and probably more than that.

They were powerful warriors and had the home court advantage here in the Arctic Pangea, so picking a fight with the Blanc Clan here was definitely not a wise choice.

“Do you have any information regarding your mother?”

“Mother was child of duke from Zavala Kingdom.”

“Zavala Kingdom?”

“Yes.”

“Eh? They’re right next door to us.”

The Zavala Kingdom was a powerful kingdom located so close to the Proatine Kingdom that they shared a border. Arnayan’s mother was actually a child of that kingdom’s duke?

Tracking her down would be a piece of cake, then.

Yes, the Zavala Kingdom was indeed a powerful kingdom, but there were bound to be only a handful of dukes in it. Even if there were many, there wouldn't be more than five at most.

‘Will it be faster for me to force my way to the central area, or will it be faster to find her mother and bring her here?’ Siegfried started calculating in his head which would be more advantageous for him.

The conclusion he reached was quite simple.

“Let’s go find your mother.”

“H-Huh? Are you real?!”

“Yes,” Siegfried replied with a nod.

[Alert: You have accepted the Quest – Melt the Frozen Heart!]

Siegfried looked at her straight in the eyes and said, “But you will have to help me convince your father if I manage to bring your mother back.”

“Okay!”

“All right, then I will need some information. Tell me everything you remember about your mother.”

Siegfried decided to use this quest as a stepping stone to not only get on the Blanc Clan’s good side but to establish a relationship with them as well.