Debuff Master

Chapter 701

“Oh! Atta boy!” Beggarius exclaimed, seemingly delighted by Siegfried.

He could attack from long-range using the skill called Aura Missile.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Beggar King’s Aura Missiles packed quite the firepower, causing thirty-centimeter-deep craters to appear on the ground.

‘A Master is really a tough opponent!’ Siegfried thought while using his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp as a shield. He could not help but be impressed by the sheer might of his Level 300 opponent.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He would get pushed back by twenty to thirty centimeters whenever an Aura Missile struck his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp, and this was a testament to just how powerful the Beggar King’s Aura Missiles were.

Well, the Aura Missiles weren't so strong to the point they were lethal, but they were strong enough to deal significant damage from long range.

However, the Beggar King’s fun did not last for long.

“Hey, old geezer. Let’s take this somewhere else,” Siegfried proposed.

“Hmm?” Beggarius raised a brow.

“Are you planning to wreck this whole place?”

“Ah!”

“Don't you think we shouldn’t let civilians get caught in our fight?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Sure, let’s go somewhere else.”

“Lead the way.”

“Follow me,” Beggarius said and started running somewhere.

“Let’s go, Hamchi.”

“Kyuuu!”

Siegfried spread his +10 Black Crow Wingsuit and flew to the skies with Hamchi on his back to chase after the Beggar King, but...

‘W-Why is he so fast?’

To his surprise, the Beggar King was sprinting at speeds that could only be described as unbelievable. He had no shoes on, but he was running through the rough terrain with just his calloused feet, and the sound of his footsteps reverberated like the sound of rapid gunfire.

Swoosh!

Siegfried was soaring freely above the obstacles, but he was struggling to keep up with the old man.

Unbeknownst to Siegfried, the Beggar King was known as the fastest man on the continent among those familiar with him. He had once sprinted across the entire vast continent at unimaginable speed during his youth, and those who had heard of this feat feared him for his lightning-fast movement speed and near-infinite stamina.

The Beggar King was already waiting by the time Siegfried followed him to a dense forest.

“You’re too slow, boy. Even a tortoise can beat you,” Beggarius sneered.

“Not bad for a beggar,” Siegfried retorted with a shrug.

“Oh? You dare speak to me like that, brat?”

“Don’t think you impressed me. Even my servant is stronger than you,” Siegfried replied with a smirk, unfazed by the old man’s words.

“What?! This brat needs to learn some respect—!”

“Enough yapping,” Siegfried interrupted before dashing toward the Beggar King.

“Kyuuu! Let’s go, owner punk! Go, go, go!” Hamchi cheered. Then, he summoned his magical wheel and started running on it to buff Siegfried.

Woooong!

Siegfried rushed at the Beggar King at the speed of sound after getting buffed by Hamchi’s magic wheel and Overclocking.

“Too slow!” Beggarius taunted. He easily dodged the attacks and widened the distance between them before shooting Aura Missiles from a distance.

Siegfried was flabbergasted at the agility displayed by the Beggar King. The only opponent he had faced thus far that was this nimble was the Descendant of the Divine Archer, Gosran, but her agility was due to her ability to teleport short distances.

‘Damn it...!’ Siegfried cursed inwardly after being forced to transform his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shield to block the oncoming Aura Missiles. He barely managed to close the distance between them, but the bombardment made it impossible for him to take even a single step toward his opponent.

Meanwhile, the Beggar King darted all around the forest while relentlessly bombarding Siegfried with Aura Missiles.

Kwachik!

Siegfried gritted his teeth out of frustration before transforming his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp into Sniper Mode.

Click... Clack!

He loaded the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp and locked onto the Beggar King.

Bang! Bang!

The sound of gunfire thundered in the air as the bullets pierced everything in their paths, hitting everything except their intended target. A massive tree exploded into countless splinters after missing the Beggar King by mere inches and hitting it instead.

“Hey! Are you insane?! Why would you use such a brute weapon?!” Beggarius yelped in shock.

The power of the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp was truly undeniable, but the Beggar King’s speed was just as absurd.

“This is ridiculous...” Siegfried muttered under his breath in disbelief after seeing the old man dodge even a shot from a sniper rifle.

The Beggar King moved as if he had Haste cranked up to the highest possible level cast on him. The old man had already moved ten meters as if he had calculated the trajectory of the bullet as soon as Siegfried pulled the trigger.

‘Tsk... He’s the worst kind of opponent I can face,’ Siegfried thought. The Debuff Master’s skills were designed for dealing an insane amount of damage in close combat, but it was impossible to deal damage if his opponent was simply too fast for him to hit.

‘But I can’t let him keep me at bay. I’ll definitely lose this battle if things keep dragging on. I have to put an end to this!’ Siegfried thought and made his next move.

Whoosh!

Shwiiik!

A storm of ice shurikens, ten thousand in total, materialized in the air and went straight for the Beggar King like a swarm of angry bees.

‘W-What?! How is this brat using Torrential Flower Rain?!’ Beggarius gasped inwardly after recognizing the skill. However, there was no time to ask any questions, as the deadly icicles were coming for him from every direction.

“Alright, let’s dance if that’s what you want!”

In the end, the Beggar King had no other choice but to face the lethal barrage head-on. He stopped retreating and instead began weaving through the swarm of ice shurikens before making a beeline straight for Siegfried.

Siegfried quickly canceled the Torrential Flower Rain to avoid being caught off guard and prepared for close combat.

“You think you can take me on?!” Beggarius roared. Then, he reached into the small canteen hanging from his waist and pulled out a pair of heavy rusted iron clubs.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

He charged at Siegfried with crazy eyes while swinging his iron clubs wildly.

Thus, the battle was about to reach a whole new chaotic level.

***

The Beggar King gripped his aura-infused iron clubs and unleashed a relentless barrage against Siegfried.

‘H-He’s strong!’ Siegfried was taken aback by the power packed in every single one of the wild swings and their unpredictable trajectory.

The Beggar King’s combat ability could not be underestimated. Yes, he looked like nothing special based on his appearance alone, but he was every bit as strong as any other formidable opponent Siegfried had faced thus far.

The Beggar King truly lived up to his reputation as the leader of the secretive organization, the Beggar’s Guild.

‘His movements are too fluid. It’s too hard to predict...!’ Siegfried exclaimed inwardly, and the brief moment of distraction allowed the iron clubs to hit him, crashing into his shoulder and arm.

However, the relentless attack did not stop there.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The Beggar King’s iron clubs struck Siegfried’s arms, legs, shoulders, waist, and head over a hundred times in rapid succession—all in the blink of an eye. He would have laid flat on the ground, dead, a long time ago from the sheer force of the brutal attacks if his Defense and Vitality were any lower than what he possessed at the moment.

“You little brat! You’re quite the tough one, eh?!” Beggarius exclaimed, sounding impressed by Siegfried’s endurance to withstand the brutal onslaught.

However, his admiration was short-lived.

Sseuuuu...!

A green fog started pouring out from Siegfried before it completely enveloped the Beggar King.

“Hmm?!” Beggarius gasped, his face twisting in shock.

He could sense the overwhelming radiation and corrosive energy the green fog was emitting, causing him to hold his breath and scramble to safety.

Unfortunately for the old man, Siegfried was not going to let the opportunity that he had earned from getting beaten to a pulp.

Baaam!

Siegfried slammed his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp on the ground, causing the ground to shake.

Krwaaaang!

The Barrier of Victory shot up from the ground, trapping both him and the old man.

“Y-You little scoundrel!” Beggarius stammered, visibly rattled by the barrier that trapped him from out of nowhere.

“Hehe...” Siegfried chuckled.

He was badly bruised and was aching badly from the hundreds of blows. It had been a long time since he had taken this much damage, as he had not been this badly beaten, even during his sparring sessions with Bruce.

However, the pain only seemed to fuel his resolve, as a scary grin spread across his face as he tightly gripped his weapon.

Woooong!

He wasted no time and placed down Blaze Field and Shadow Hell. On top of that, he cast every debuff in his arsenal to further weaken the Beggar King. Then, he activated the third stage of Overclocking to buff himself to the extreme limits.

“Y-You!” Beggarius exclaimed, looking visibly panicked. He could feel the numerous debuffs weighing him down while Siegfried was growing stronger. “Fine! If that’s how you wanna play it! Let’s see who breaks first!” Beggarius shouted, sounding defiant.

He raised both iron clubs in preparation to unleash another brutal onslaught, but—

Flash!

A burst of bright white light erupted from Siegfried.

“...!”

The Beggar King froze in place, his entire body encased in ice.

Siegfried used his newly enhanced True: Absolute Zero in less than a fraction of a second to free the Beggar King in his place.

“Now it’s my turn, you damn old geezer,” Siegfried muttered icily.

He transformed his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a club and...

Smack, smack, smack!

Pukeok! Pukeok! Pukeok!

He began his own brutal onslaught on the old man. His attacks were not as lightning-fast as the Beggar King’s, but they were fast and strong enough.

“Argh! Y-You bastard! S-Stop! A-Ackkk!” Beggarius cried out in agony. He threw himself, which was still half-encased in ice, to the ground and rolled in a desperate bid to escape from the beating, but it was futile.

“Die...” Siegfried hissed through his teeth. Then, he began beating the Beggar King’s arms, legs, shoulders, waist, and head in the same sequence the old man had beaten him just moments before.

Meanwhile, he kept Eraser Swarm activated to poison the Beggar King with radioactive energy, making him take damage over time on top of the already brutal damage he was receiving.

The only thing the Beggar King could do upon getting weighed down by the numerous debuffs and the green poisonous fog sapping away his health was to succumb to his fate and obediently receive the brutal beating he had brought upon himself.

***

One minute later, rumbling noises echoed as the Barrier of Victory crumbled, revealing Siegfried and the Beggar King, who had just received a merciless beating.

“Ugh...” Beggarius groaned, curled up on the ground like a rag doll.

“Ha!” Siegfried scoffed, standing over Beggarius in victory with his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp in hand. Surprisingly, Siegfried had won against the Beggar King, who was a Level 300 Named NPC.

However, Siegfried was not overjoyed or anything by his achievement.

“Tsk...” Siegfried clicked his tongue out of frustration.

The Beggar King was the weakest among the Masters he had fought so far, and he was pathetically weak compared to the likes of Weapon Master Shakiro—no, the Weapon Seeker or the Red Cardinal, Vladimir.

However, there was another reason he was not satisfied with his victory. Siegfried knew that the Beggar King had no intention of killing him to begin with. He fought with the intention to incapacitate and steal the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp from him.

Of course, the Beggar King was planning to use his begging skills after incapacitating him rather than take the weapon using brute force.

In other words, the battle would have been far tougher if the Beggar King had used his full strength armed with the intent to kill.

Siegfried knew this too, which was the reason he didn't use his Touch of Death in this battle.

“Hey, old beggar. I know you’re faking it, so quit acting and get up already,” Siegfried grumbled, nudging the old man with his foot.

“Ughh...”

“Seriously? You’re still gonna play dead?”

“Y-You...! You little wretch! Have you no respect for your elders?!”

“No, but I’m pretty good at hitting them.”

“You insolent brat...!”

It was then.

“Leader!”

“Supreme Leader!”

“Stop right there!”

“Somebody stop him!”

Just then, dozens of beggars with clubs in hand burst out of the forest and charged at Siegfried.