Debuff Master

“One down,” Siegfried muttered before walking forward once again.

An endless cycle started, and the pattern was simple:

1. Siegfried will walk.

2. A Needletid will shoot its spike.

3. Siegfried will avoid it.

4. Siegfried will thrust his spear into the ground.

5. The Needletid dies.

6. Repeat.

Siegfried’s movement pattern was extremely simple and straightforward that it would be suspicious if it was indeed the method he was using to get rid of the Needletids.

“What the hell is he doing?”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t died yet… Is he really killing the Needletids right now?”

“No idea…”

The NPC soldiers had no idea what Siegfried was doing right now, but the Adventurers knew.

[You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Party Play Bonus +3%]

[You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Party Play Bonus +3%]

[You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Party Play Bonus +3%]

The Adventurers could immediately tell whenever Siegfried killed a Needletid since a message notifying them about the increase in their Experience Points would pop up whenever he thrust his spear into the ground.

“What the hell…? Is his control for real?”

“Isn’t he avoiding them too well for it to be simple control skills…?”

“Can he predict their attacks? I don’t think he’s using any detection skills…”

It was impossible for even the Adventurers to know Siegfried’s secret to get rid of the Needletids so easily, and of course, his secret was his to keep.

***

‘This is a bit… problematic…’ Siegfried initially thought when he first stepped foot onto the field infested with Needletids.

An attack with lightning energy?

It wouldn’t work since electricity had a high energy loss rate, so it wasn’t going to be effective underground.

Irradiate?

The ground would act as a shield for the Needletids burrowed underneath it, so it wouldn’t be that effective.

‘I think my ass is going to get fucked if I make a careless step here…’ Siegfried inwardly grumbled.

However, a thought suddenly came to his mind.

‘Ah! There was that!’ he exclaimed inwardly when he remembered that he had a very useful item that could help him with his positioning.

That item was none other than Inzaghi’s Compass.

[Inzaghi’s Compass]

[A compass used by Inzaghi, the great explorer of the unknown.]

[It will notify the user of any danger lurking nearby.]

[Type: Accessory (Compass)]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Durability: 3/5]

[Special Effect: Good Positioning]

[Good Positioning: Alerts the user of any nearby dangers and guides them to safety.]

The Inzaghi’s Compass Siegfried had picked up during the World’s Greatest Survival Tournament was an item that could roughly identify any danger and lead its user to safety.

‘Let’s try this…’ 

According to the legend, Inzaghi, the great explorer of the unknown, used a special compass to escape from sticky situations. Siegfried decided to use that very compass.

‘This spot is safe, but this spot is… It says it will be dangerous if I approach any further, so this much should be…’ Siegfried thought while testing out the compass.

However, a spike suddenly shot up.

Siegfried flinched in surprise, but he was able to avoid the attack since he had already somewhat expected it thanks to Inzaghi’s Compass.

‘That scared the shit out of me!’ 

The next step?

‘First form…’ 

Siegfried used the skill he inherited from Weapon Master Shakiro and thrust his spear into where the spike had come from.

Puuuk!

He could feel it penetrate something hard…

[You have obtained Experience Points!]

A message popped up in front of his eyes.

‘It worked!’ Siegfried rejoiced inwardly when he finally got the confirmation that his idea was working. Afterward, he thought with a smug smile, ‘Then, shall we continue?’

Siegfried did exactly as he did with the first Needletid and repeated it over and over again. He would first identify where they were hiding, evade the incoming spike, and thrust his spear into the ground where the spike had come from.

[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 86!]

[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have obtained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 87!]

Siegfried would gain Experience Points whenever he thrust his spear into the ground, and his level rose as well from time to time.

‘Jackpot,’ he thought with a smile.

***

“Battalion Commander-nim, there is news that might surprise you,’ an officer reported to Fallschirm.

“Surprise me? Don’t tell me that the regiment commander is coming for an inspection?” Fallschirm asked with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

It was unavoidable for commanders from both Korea and the Nürburg Continent to be nervous when a commander higher in rank than them suddenly visited them for an inspection.

“That’s not…” the officer trailed off.

“…?”

“The Alligator Squad we sent to the Needletid-infested area…”

“The Alligator Squad?”

“They returned safely.”

“Returned safely?” Fallschirm muttered. He seemed surprised before asking, “Hey, the Alligator Squad doesn’t have a Detector as far as I know… but they returned safely? Don’t tell me they ignored my command and ran away from—”

“No, that isn’t the case.”

“No? What happened then? Ha?”

“They returned safely except for one, and they came back with two hundred Needletid corpses…”

“Now look at that…” Fallschirm said with a sleazy smile before continuing, “How did those bastards without a Detector manage to return safely from a Needletid-infested area with even two hundred corpses in tow?”

“T-That’s… the new mercenary, Private Sieg, seemed to have done it again…”

“Hmm…”

“The reports say that he thrust his spear into the ground and killed the Needletids by pure instinct.”

“Hooo… Private Sieg, you say? He seems to be much more amazing than I had expected. Who knew he would save the Alligator Squad once again? Hey, you.”

“Yes, Battalion Commander-nim.”

“Write up a report for the higher-ups.”

“Shall I write it the same as last time?”

“What do you think?”

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

It was a decision Fallschirm had made to snatch the Alligator Squad’s achievement for himself.

“And assign the Alligator Squad for all dangerous missions from now on.”

“Huh? B-But… the soldiers’ fatigue levels—”

“I’m pretty sure I recall telling you once that those disposable pawns can be replaced any time?” Fallschirm said those ruthless words without a hint of emotion.

“…”

“What’s important is that Private Sieg, and you said he was an Adventurer, right? Those punks will drink lye if it would make them become stronger. I’m sure he’ll welcome the frequent deployment, so don’t worry and continue to assign missions to the Alligator Squad, understand?”

“Yes, Battalion Commander-nim,” replied the officer. He had no other choice but to do as he was told.

***

“Ah, is someone talking about me? Why are my ears so itchy?” Siegfried grumbled to himself while digging into his ears with his finger.

It should have been a pretty strange sight since a user wasn’t supposed to feel any itch or migraines while playing a virtual reality game. However, BNW was an exception as it placed great importance on making it as realistic as possible. For example, they worked on making users feel an uncomfortable sensation whenever they put on their steel boots or start sweating while wearing their armor.

“I feel nervous, Your Majesty,” Carell said.

“Why would you?” Siegfried asked in response.

“Lieutenant Colonel Fallschirm is… a stubborn person.”

“Hmm?”

“He’s a competent soldier, but he isn’t a good superior officer. His greed for personal glory and getting a promotion is famous to be the worst among all of his peers, and he is someone more than willing to send the entire battalion to a Cryptids’ colony if he could get promoted for it.”

“Ah, I see…” Siegfried muttered with a sinister smile after listening to Carell’s explanation. Then, he asked, “So he’s that kind of a person? That battalion commander?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Carell replied. He bit his lips before continuing, “He’s probably having a blast right now with all sorts of ideas on how to take full advantage of you. He’s going to use you for his personal gain now that he has heard of your exploits, so we will probably have to mobilize quite frequently from now on…”

“Pfft!” Siegfried laughed and asked, “Who’s going to take advantage of whom?”

“Huh? Well… the battalion commander will take advantage of Your Majesty—” Carell replied, seemingly confused.

However, Siegfried suddenly cut him off and said, “That’s what he thinks. Tell him to give it his best shot.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Just wait and see.”

Siegfried was planning on staying in this place for quite a while. After all, he had to level up as well as teach Carell to become a better knight. As such, he decided to wait and see what kind of tricks the battalion commander would pull from now on.

‘Take advantage of me? Go ahead, but you will have to be ready to pay the price,’ Siegfried thought inwardly as his hostility toward Fallschirm intensified.

***

A few days later, Siegfried and Carell were sitting in front of a chessboard with layers of dark circles under their eyes. Actually, they were dozing off rather than playing chess.

Snore… Snore… 

Nod… Nod… 

“Ack! Hooooot!”

In fact, Carell ended up spilling the red tea he was supposed to be drinking on his thigh.

“Ah, you surprised me.”

“H-Hot! Ack!”

“Hey, can I get some sleep? Can you shut up?” Siegfried grumbled while rubbing his drowsy eyes.

“I… I apologize… Umm…” Carell apologized, and his eyes started closing afterward.

It seemed that his desire to sleep defeated the immediate pain from the burn he had just sustained from spilling his hot red tea.

“Ugh… I think I’m going to die… Who could have known that the day when I wanted nothing more than a peaceful sleep would come?” Siegfried grumbled while rubbing his tired eyes.

The reason for his grumbling was simple.

Stand by and stand by.

They were on standby for twenty-four hours a day. He couldn’t log out and get some sleep since they had no idea when a mobilization order would arrive.

Why?

It was all because Alligator Squad would get annihilated without him. The squad’s success despite Fallschirm’s unreasonable commands was solely because of him, who had already become no different from a one-man team.

Siegfried was only able to sleep two or three hours a day for the past few days, and it was all because he had no idea when Fallshcirm would issue an order for them to mobilize. He only logged out to avoid receiving warnings for staying online for fourteen hours straight.

It was the worst ‘march’ of his life, and this was probably something that even those addicted to games wouldn’t be able to pull off so easily.

However, Carell’s warning that Fallschirm would take full advantage of him soon came to fruition.

“Your Majesty… I think I’m going to die at this rate… I’m so sleepy… I think I’m dying…” Carell muttered weakly.

“You’re not the only one…” Siegfried grumbled in response.

While they were grumbling, a messenger from the headquarters barged into their tent and shouted, “A mobilization order has arrived!”

“Ah… I can’t take this anymore. Isn’t he going too far? Should I just go and kill him…” Siegfried grumbled with a grimace once more.

“Private Sieg-nim!” Carell hurriedly tried to appease Siegfried.

“This is now going to be our ninth solo operation…” Siegfried grumbled.

“I am aware,” Carell said bitterly.

“No…” the messenger shook his head.

“What do you mean?” Siegfried asked while furrowing his brow.

“The Alligator Squad won’t mobilize alone this time. The entire battalion will mobilize for this operation,” replied the messenger.

“Is that so? Hmm…”

It seemed that a portion of Siegfried’s anger was alleviated after hearing that it wouldn’t be a solo operation this time.

“Alright, then let’s hurry up and mobilize,” Siegfried said.

“Yes, let us go, Private Sieg-nim,” Carell said before following Siegfried out of the tent.

***

The entire battalion was mobilized for the operation.

The goal was to subjugate and destroy a rather small Cryptid colony, and things initially proceeded quite smoothly.

However…

“A B Rank Cryptid army is coming from three kilometers northwest of us!”

“A B Rank Cryptid army? Damn it… I guess we have no choice but to retreat.”

Fallschirm decided to retreat after receiving the report from the scout in the middle of the battle, but the problem was that Fallschirm didn’t want to notify the battalion of his decision.

“Yes, Battalion Commander-nim. I will immediately sound the alarm to retreat—” said his officer.

However, Fallschirm cut him off and asked, “What are you talking about?”

Fallschirm then grimaced and asked, “Sound the alarm? Here? All of us will have to run away together if that happens. Who’s going to watch our backs, then? Are you saying that we should all die together?”

“B-But…”

“There will be no command for a retreat. We will make it look like we’re making a tactical maneuver, but we’ll prioritize moving our command center to a safe location before anything else.”

“…”

“The Tulip Squad will man the frontlines, the Tiger Squad will keep a distance between the command center and the frontlines, and the Alligator Squad will…” Fallschirm glanced at the area where Siegfried was massacring the Cryptids with Irradiate before muttering, “They will cover our left flank.”

Battalion Commander Fallschirm and Siegfried.

It seemed that a spark had finally ignited between the two.