Debuff Master

Chapter 132

“Here I come.”

“Ready when you are.”

Meowbro blocked Siegfried’s attacks with the claws in both of his hands.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A fierce close combat battle occurred between Siegfried and Meowbro.

‘He’s really good!’?Siegfried was in awe of Meowbro’s skills.

Meowbro’s skills were on a completely different level compared to the Adventurers Siegfried had been fighting until now, including Fighting Cock.

‘This feels great! Now it feels like I’m fighting someone for real!’

If an analogy were made about how Siegfried felt right now, then it would be like a pro tennis player finally having a proper rally with a fellow pro tennis player after playing against ordinary players for a long time.

Forget about the rally—the people Siegfried had been fighting until now couldn’t even return his serve, so he had gotten a bit thirsty for a proper match.

Meowbro was truly on a different level compared to them.

They continued to exchange blows—no, Meowbro was actually threatening Siegfried with his fierce claw attacks.

Chwak!

Meowbro’s claw managed to graze Siegfried’s shoulder, drawing three red lines.

Puk!

At the same time, Siegfried’s counterattack struck Meowbro in the chest.

[Cansomeonepleasebeatme?]

[HP: ??????????]

[Meowbro]

[HP: ??????????]

Of course, Meowbro sustained more damage since Siegfried was using a blunt weapon with a higher base damage than Meowbro’s claws.

“Wow, you’re really good, hyung. You are definitely on a whole other level compared to the others,” Siegfried said with a smile.

“I don’t think that’s something you should be saying… You’re much better than me, Male P—no, Cansomeonepleasebeatme-nim. Have you always been this good?” Meowbro asked with a bitter smile.

“Me?” Siegfried was surprised.

‘Is he being serious right now?’?Siegfried couldn’t help but doubt his own ears after being praised by someone like Meowbro, who was a widely acclaimed skilled gamer.

“You’re really good. It’s a bit early to say this, but I’m sure you’ll become a Super Total Expert at this rate without much difficulty.”

“I don’t think so…?”

“I’m being serious. I will help you realize it. Let’s go again.”

“Alright, I’ll be in your care, then.”

The fight resumed, and a neck-and-neck battle unfolded in the Arena.

However, the battle soon got even fiercer as the skills that the Aura of Balance sealed finally went off cooldown after their three-minute-long initial cooldown.

***

Shwiiik!

Siegfried’s Flying Spur flew in a strange trajectory as it made a beeline for Meowbro’s nape.

Chwaaaak!

Meowbro possessed the class ‘Blood Fist,’ and the class allowed him to swipe his claws quickly in multiple directions.

‘What the hell?! How is that bastard so good?!’?Fighting Cock got increasingly frustrated as the battle dragged on, and it didn’t take long for him to start doubting his eyes.

Bam!

Siegfried smashed his hammer into Meowbro’s temple.

“Kuheok!”?Meowbro exclaimed as he fell to the ground.

However, Siegfried wasn’t done. He immediately unleashed everything he had at Meowbro.

Splitting Heaven and Earth threw Meowbro into the air, and once he reached the maximum height, he would immediately start falling to the ground.

In the interim, Siegfried decided to unleash his full combo before Meowbro could fall.

Whoosh!

While Meowbro was airborne, Siegfried activated his debuff fields and significantly decreased Meowbro’s stats.

Wooong!

‘Heok!’?Meowbro panicked while he was falling.

Bam!

Siegfried used Smite followed by three basic attacks.

Tak! Tak! Tak!?

And then he used Machine Gun Smash as soon as Meowbro collided with the ground, creating a scene similar to how martial artists often beat their opponent to a pulp while their opponent was on the ground.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The frightening combo ensured that Meowbro would never be able to get back up.

[Alert: ‘Cansomeonepleasebeatme?’-nim has won!]

[Alert: You have gained 50,000 experience points!]

[Alert: You have gained 1x ‘Battle Coin’ for your victory!]

[Alert: ‘Cansomeonepleasebeatme?’-nim has been promoted to Expert!]

Siegfried emerged victorious.

***

“You’re really good. Did you really learn from watching my streams? I think I should be the one learning from you!”

“Not at all…”

“I’m being serious. Can’t you tell even after winning so one-sidedly?”

It was true. Siegfried didn’t notice it because he was so immersed in the battle, but he did one-sidedly beat Meowbro up, even though the Arena was basically the latter’s home ground.

“I will be honest with you. I think you will be able to become an Overlord.”

“O-Overlord?!”

“I have no doubt that you will become an Overlord, but I’m not so sure about the ranks higher than that as it will heavily depend on your class and gears…”

Meowbro said that because the effects of Aura of Balance would start to diminish the higher one’s rank. At the highest level, a player’s abilities weren’t the only ones that would significantly affect the outcome of the match.

Why?

It was all because BNW wasn’t a fighting action game but an MMORPG.

Of course, Siegfried could just stay in the Hall of Balance forever to balance out his lack of gear compared to the high-ranked players, but he would eventually reach a plateau with his points gained.

In short, he had no choice but to fight in the advanced fields and become an Overlord.

“A-am I really that good…?”

“Please don’t tell me that you can’t trust me. You know that I’m an Overlord I at my prime, right?”

“Ah! Of course, I know that, and I trust you, hyung-nim!”

“Then, believe me. You will realize it once again by the time you reach the upper ranks of the Arena. In addition, I don’t think you’ll find it hard to become a Hero.”

”Wow~ this feels really good, you know? It really makes me happy that one of my viewers managed to surpass me. In addition, you even have the potential to become a part of the Arena’s upper echelons. Doing all of those educational streams was really worthwhile, I guess? Hahaha!”

This was probably the best compliment one could ever receive from their idol.

“Thank you very much!”

Siegfried’s feelings were indescribable. The only response he could give was a sincere bow toward Meowbro. Of course, he also thanked the latter from the bottom of his heart.

‘I thought I was just relying on my class and capsule… but I guess I really have gotten stronger…!’?Siegfried was overjoyed.

This whole thing felt strange and foreign to him.

The opportunity that he gained by pure coincidence…

His second gaming life…

His growth…

And the things that happened today—they all felt surreal.

His life did turn around, and he started earning a lot of money after becoming the Debuff Master, but now, he could finally feel that his life had truly changed drastically. He could personally feel it in his bones.

Siegfried had to give up entering high-ranked dungeons when he was still playing as Tae-Sung because he failed to make it past the Expert rank, but it seemed like that would no longer be the case this time around.

“You will realize it the moment you step into the advanced fields in the Arena. The best way for you to know that you have become even stronger is to personally test your skills out, am I right?”

“Yes, and thank you very much for your advice.”

“Oh, and…” Meowbro looked at Fighting Cock and said, “Apologize to him, Jun-Hyeok.”

“F-For what…?”

“I know it was perfectly logical for you to mistake him for a hacker, but you still need to apologize to him.”

“I’m sorry for… saying all of those things… I had no idea that you’re just too good, and your win rate was just so crazy, so…” Fighting Cock muttered to Siegfried.

“Don’t mind it. I did accuse you of being an Abuser, too. Besides, I was able to meet Meowbro thanks to you.”

“Oh, okay. Anyway, I’m sorry.”

The conflict between Siegfried and Fighting Cock was resolved thanks to Meowbro’s intervention.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to get one hundred wins and go to the Battlefield of Proof?”

“I should probably do that.”

“Do you plan to continue fighting at the Arena?”

“Just until I become a Total Expert.”

“Ah, you came for the license.”

“Yes, that is the case. I’m here for the license. I’m just fighting to test my skills on the side.”

“I see…” Meowbro nodded before he carefully added, “Hmm… Why don’t you aim for the Super Total Expert rank at least before you go?”

“Is there a reason for me to do that?”

“This is a secret, but…” Meowbro muttered. He went closer and whispered into Siegfried’s ear.

***

“What?! I will be able to enter dungeons of a higher rank than the average ones as long as my Arena rank is high enough before getting the license?!” Siegfried shouted in surprise as his eyes shot wide open.

“Most people think that they only need to become a Total Expert to access high-ranked dungeons. Yes, they can start entering dungeons at the Total Expert rank, but it depends on the dungeon. Apparently, if you’re an Overlord before getting your license, you will be able to enter dungeons that are still unknown to most players.”

“Really? Why haven’t I heard of that before?”

“You should know by now, but it’s pretty difficult to find information in this game.”

Rankers and guilds would often hide information about the game so that they would be the only ones who could monopolize certain resources in a certain area.

Why?

It was all because profits would taste much sweeter if one didn’t have to share them with anyone else. Information meant profit in this game, and that was why Rankers and guilds would often restrict the spread of information.

BNW was a highly profitable game, so they were pretty serious when it came to information restriction. Those who dared to divulge critical information to the public had always been subjected to harassment or even kill orders by those in power.

“You should be aware that you get first dibs on good quests the higher your mercenary rank is, right? It’s the same for the Arena rank, you get access to better dungeons the higher your rank is. Ah, this is highly sensitive information, but… I will share this just with you. There is a dungeon called ‘Abandoned Laboratory’ in the Marchioni Empire…”

“Was there such a dungeon…? I’ve never heard of it…”

“Yes, those below Super Total Expert probably never heard of that dungeon, and the dungeon is useless to them because they won’t be able to enter it anyway.”

“I see…”

“However, it’s a dungeon that gives an insane amount of experience points and items. You will earn at least one thousand gold every time you hunt there.”

“R-Really?!”

“Yes, this information is only known to the veterans of the Arena, so please don’t go around spreading it, okay? I’m sharing this with you since you are one of my loyal viewers, and I want to see you become even stronger.”

“Of course! Thank you very much, Meowbro-hyung!”

“Haha! Don’t mention it.”

It didn’t take Siegfried that long to reach one hundred victories, which was the prerequisite for entering the advanced Arena fields, and he quickly made his way to the Battlefield of Proof.

‘Alright, let’s hit Super Total Expert while we’re at it,’?Siegfried thought with a smile.

After all, he had never been the type to pass up on opportunities.

***

Siegfried entered the Arena field with Hamchi as pets were allowed into the Battlefield of Proof.

“Hey, owner punk! Where the heck are we?” Hamchi asked while looking around.

“This place? It’s the Arena,” Siegfried replied.

“Wow, are you that bored? Are you so free that you have time to waste here?”

“I have my reasons, so we will have to stay here for a while.”

“I swear that you humans really have nothing to do in life aside from eating and shitting. You humans always fight each other whenever life gets too comfortable, and it seems that it is applicable to you as well…”

”Why don’t you just go woo and sleep with women if you have time to wrestle with sweaty men? I think that will be more beneficial to your mental health.”

“You really are a perverted little rat…”

“Who are you calling a perverted rat?! Hamchi is a man! A man needs to be good at mating!”

“Don’t go around using the word ‘mating’ in public. It’s embarrassing…” Siegfried said as he looked down at Hamchi with disgusted eyes.

All of a sudden, a message popped up in front of his eyes.

Ding!

[Alert: A quest has appeared!]

[Alert: Go to High Priest Leonardo of the Martial Church to receive the quest!]

High Priest Leonardo was the one in charge of the Battlefield of Proof, and if one wanted to receive quests or exchange their Battle Coins for exclusive Arena items, then they would have to visit High Priest Leonardo.

“Hello,” Siegfried greeted the high priest.

“May the blessings of Martial God Ares be with—Ah!?You are…” High Priest Leonardo exclaimed as soon as he saw Siegfried.

“You are the Adventurer who won one hundred consecutive victories and maintained a 100% win rate at the Hall of Balance!”

“Do you know me…?”

“Yes, I do! How can the church not hear of a super rookie like you?! I knew you were going to come to find me, but I can’t help but be happy now that we finally met!”

“Thank you very much for your compliments.”

“The church has something to discuss with you, so you came just in time!”

“Pardon? What is it that you want to discuss with me…?”

“You are a true warrior who achieved a hundred-match winning streak, and there have only been three warriors like you in the past four years! It is going to be a matter of time before you reach greater heights.”

“Thank you again…?”

“So, the church is thinking of giving you a mission, and we are willing to reward you by boosting your rank to Hero III if you managed to complete it.”

“What kind of mission is it?” Siegfried asked. His interest was immediately piqued.

This was much better than mindlessly grinding through the matches.

“Go and get rid of those blasphemers.”

“Blasphemers? What did they do to be called blasphemers?”

“What else? They dared to fix matches in the holy temple of Ares-nim! If I’m not mistaken... you, Adventurers, call it… what was it again…? Ah! Abusing? Is that the word? Anyway, go and punish those scoundrels!”

Siegfried suddenly had an identity crisis.

‘What the hell…? I’m not an Administrator, so why is he asking me to take care of Abusers?’