Debuff Master

Chapter 71

‘What’s this?’?Siegfried tilted his head at the message that popped up, but he clicked on ‘Yes’ anyway.

Then, the Quest details popped up in front of him.

[Sit on the Throne!]

[Type: Special Quest (This quest is only granted to the players with the title ‘Ruler’)]

[Progress: 0% (0/1)]

[Reward: A special effect will be added to the title ‘Ruler of Proatine’.]

It turned out that the Quest was related to his title ‘Ruler of Proatine’.

‘Well… the title was a bit too lackluster…’?Siegfried recalled that the title didn’t come with any benefits.

[Ruler of Proatine]

[I am the ruler of the Proatine Province!]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Options: N/A]

It was one of those titles that were purely aesthetic.

‘Let’s sit on it and see what happens,’?Siegfried wondered what the reward was going to be as he sat on the throne that he would have to use quite often from now on.

[Alert: You have completed the Quest: ‘Sit on the Throne’!]

A message popped up in front of him.

Wooong…!

A set of ancient texts appeared on the floor around the throne, and a magic circle activated in a burst of white light.

[Alert: ‘Force of the Lord’ has been activated!]

It seemed that the ancient texts had activated an ancient magic that was thought to be lost in history.

‘What is this?’?Siegfried was surprised as the burst of white light that had a hint of holiness to it enveloped him.

Fwaaaaa!

‘What is going on?’?

Siegfried tried to identify the powerful light.

[Alert: An additional option has been bestowed upon your title, ‘Ruler of Proatine’!]

As the bright light enveloped Siegfried, his title received an upgrade.

[Ruler of Proatine]

[I am the ruler of the Proatine Province!]

[The holder of this title will receive a significant home advantage buff while in the Proatine Province.]

[This title’s effect will only be activated while the title holder is within the boundaries of the Proatine Province.]

[Type: Title]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Options]

- All status +20%

- All experience points gained +30%

- Level +10

The boost given by the title was so strong that it was indeed a significant home advantage buff.

In addition…

- Every 1 day +1 level (Level 1~ 50)

- Every 3 days +1 level (Level 51~ 100)

- Every 7 days +1 level (Level 101~ 150)

- Every 15 days +1 level (Level 151~ 200)

- Every 30 days +1 level (Level 201~ 250)

- Every 60 days +1 level (Level 251~ 300)

The title Ruler of Proatine came with a cheat-like effect that gave him a level just by staying and breathing in Proatine.

‘Are these options for real…?’?Siegfried thought in disbelief.

He was stupefied when he saw the option that allowed him to level up without doing anything, but that wasn’t the end of his surprise.

The ancient magic ‘Force of the Lord’ heated up the Rune of Transcendence on the back of his hand before it disappeared.

[You have reached Level 51!]

[You have reached Level 52!]

[You have reached Level 53!]

[You have reached Level 54!]

[You have reached Level 55!]

[You have reached Level 56!]

[You have reached Level 57!]

[You have reached Level 58!]

[You have reached Level 59!]

[You have reached Level 60!]

He truly gained ten levels in an instant.

[Alert: You are now able to learn a new skill!]

[Alert: You may check the new attainable skill on the ‘My Skill’ page on your status screen.]

A new skill of the Debuff Master was unlocked.

***

The thoughts of the officials gathered in the hall instantly changed the moment they saw the ancient magic ‘Force of the Lord’ envelop Siegfried’s body.

In fact, their first impression of Siegfried wasn’t that good.

‘Where did that punk come from?’

‘They say he’s the king. I never knew that just about anyone could become one.’

‘Tsk… this is going to be annoying…’

‘That bastard Verbon is rotten to the core, but he is flexible, at least. Isn’t he just going to break the balance we had been maintaining for so long…?’

However, their opinion flipped a hundred and eighty degrees the moment they saw the Force of the Lord. Force of the Lord was a mysterious ancient magic that border territories possessed. This spell engraved by the magicians of the old was meant to provide power and authority to the rulers of these rough rugged lands.

However, nobody, including the deceased Baron Verbon, had been able to activate the ‘Force of the Lord’ engraved in the Proatine Territory for the past two hundred years. The reason was that this ancient magic was very selective when it came to activating, and it would only activate when someone worthy of becoming a ruler sat on the throne.

And that selective and picky Force of the Lord actually activated…

This only meant that the ancient texts engraved on the floor had recognized the new king as someone worthy of becoming a ruler, and that was why the officials couldn’t help but instantly change their opinions of Siegfried.

“Ohhh!”

“The ancient magic has activated…!”

“Oh my god! To think that the day when I will see the Force of the Lord with my own two eyes would come!”

“You have awakened the long-lost ancient magic!”

The officials looked at Siegfried with awe and respect after the latter managed to spur the Force of the Lord into action.

And…

‘I… I have to write this down…!’

One of the scribes present in the lord’s hall immediately took out a quill pen and recorded this historic moment on a parchment.

Ah!

Force of the Lord!

The ancient magic that was only thought to be passed down as a legend!

The long-lost authority of the king!

How long have you been waiting for the worthy one?

Have you been waiting for the one worthy of your powers?

Have you been waiting for His Majesty Siegfried van Proa all these years?

His Majesty sat on the throne, and the ancient powers enveloped the throne!

- Records of the Proa Kingdom Chapter 1 Verse 1

The first page of the records that Siegfried would never get the chance to read was completed, and this signaled the start of the records of the feats that he would achieve from now on.

***

The awe-striking moment passed…

“Greetings to you all. My name is Siegfried van Proa, and I have been appointed as the king of this Proatine Province from today onward,” Siegfried greeted the officials while smiling leisurely, and then he continued, “I apologize for summoning all of you at this hour. I hope for your understanding in this matter.”

The officials bowed down and replied…

“Not at all, Your Majesty.”

“We are always at your command, Your Majesty.”

“You may summon us anywhere and anytime you wish, Your Majesty.”

It seemed that the officials suddenly felt a surge of loyalty toward Siegfried after witnessing the Force of the Lord.

“Firstly, I would like to make a request to each and every one of you. There are a lot of things I am not aware of since it has not been a day since I became the king, so I am hoping for your unconditional support from now on.”

Everyone was all smiles for now, but that did not last for long.

“And there is something that I wish to inform all of you about. Two hours ago, I executed the previous lord of the Proatine Province, Baron Verbon.”

***

The lush blue forests of the Proatine Territory were decorated with beautiful trees with leaves resembling the color of the sky. However, the forest was far from beautiful. It was all because of a small fortress in the forest, which was being used by the Elf Hunters as headquarters.

A disturbing sound echoed from the fortress.

The fortress had rows of cages that were used to keep wild animals.

“Heuk…!”

“Eup! Eup!”

“Euuup!”

However, the creature in the cages weren’t animals but bound and gagged female elves.

“What did you say?”

A man sitting at the center of a long rectangular table grimaced. He had an overgrown beard with a knife scar on his right cheek, and his eyes seemed to reflect his vicious character.

The man was a criminal gamer that played BNW with the ID Cheon-Ryung, and he was also the Guild Master of the Heavenly Peaks Guild, which was a guild made up of Elf Hunters.

“Verbon is dead, and our boys died as well?”

“Yes, boss.”

“It seems that things are going to get rowdy from now on.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Call the slave traders and sell all of the merchandise we have as soon as possible, you got that?”

The merchandise Cheon-Ryung was referring to were the captured female elves.

“And ask the boys to—”

Bam!

Cheon-Ryung was about to say, ‘ask the boys to gather’ so they could enact revenge, but a deafening noise interrupted him from somewhere.

And the noise was followed by shouts…

“For Proa!”

***

A few hours ago…

“I will not compromise nor negotiate,” Siegfried declared to the officials.

“I am different from Verbon. I will not negotiate with criminals to uphold the peace of our lands. I will not squeeze our people dry or persecute the other races. How long do you think peace achieved from such methods will last?”

However, Siegfried’s words sounded nothing but the ideological rambling of an inexperienced king.

“But… Your Majesty!”

“That is too extreme!”

“Hoho…”

“I understand Your Majesty’s concern, but…”

The officials tried to argue, but Siegfried didn’t give them the chance.

“Of course, it will be difficult for now. I know that, too, but I’d rather die than watch those criminals run freely around my lands. I will uphold the peace myself, so I ask you not to go against my wishes. This is an order,” Siegfried said in a very direct manner.

Siegfried showed his resolve to never back down or change his mind, and he also showed the officials how things would be run from now on.

“Dame Oscar,” Siegfried called out.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Oscar immediately knelt at Siegfried’s words.

“I appoint you as the commander of our army from this point onward.”

“I shall carry out your commands, Your Majesty.”

“I hereby command Commander Oscar.”

“Your loyal servant is listening, Your Majesty.”

“You are to issue a full mobilization command, and you are to fully mobilize our forces and wait. And…” Siegfried glanced at the clock and continued, “We will be departing in three hours. Our target is to subjugate their headquarters.”

Siegfried had no plans to give any additional time to the Elf Hunters.

***

The elite knights of Proatine and the 1st Mountain Battalion rushed like a tsunami toward the headquarters of the Heavenly Peaks Guild.

Fierce fighting broke out…

The elite knights lived up to their reputation as they systematically moved and overpowered the Adventurers.

Moreover, the soldiers of the Proatine Territory were hardened by the rugged terrain and frequent skirmishes with the barbarians, so they were incomparably stronger than soldiers from any other territory.

However, their opponents were Adventurers rather than ordinary people. The Adventurers were known to be armed with various skills and artifacts depending on their classes, and they weren’t opponents that could be easily subjugated no matter how experienced and hardened the Proatine Soldiers were.

On top of that, the Adventurers weren’t afraid of death. As such, an Adventurer would always be a threat to an NPC regardless of their level because they weren’t afraid of dying.

“Your Majesty! I shall go and join the fray. We will suffer massive casualties if this—” Oscar hurriedly shouted while protecting Siegfried.

However, Siegfried shook his head and cut her off as he said, “No, just let the soldiers take care of them.”

“But, Your Majesty! Our casualties will be massive, so even if we win this battle…!”

Siegfried nonchalantly said, “We just have to help them overpower the enemies if they can’t overpower them through their own abilities,”

“W-What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?” Oscar asked, seemingly confused by his words.

Wooong…!

Siegfried did not bother to explain as he silently cast his debuff circles.

1. The name means Heavenly Dragon if literally translated.