Debuff Master

Siegfried did not immediately go to see Amundsen.

“Tell him I will see him later. Also, he is an important business partner of mine, so please make sure to take good care of him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, tell the queen I went to my world for a bit if she wakes up before my return.”

“Certainly, Your Majesty.”

Siegfried postponed meeting Amundsen and went to lie down beside Brunhilde.

‘I should get some sleep too…’

He was exhausted and needed rest after spending the entire night raiding the secret hideout of the Church of Osric.

A few hours later, The first thing Tae-Sung did after waking up was to drive his Ferrari to the real estate agency.

‘Tsk… I should sell the Lambo. It’s too uncomfortable.’

The car had very low clearance, making it quite difficult to drive, and it was quite a hassle whenever he stopped at a traffic light. Of course, the Ferrari was uncomfortable as well when compared to the run-of-the-mill cars out there, but the Lamborghini was simply too uncomfortable to drive.

And that was why Tae-Sung decided to get rid of his Lamborghini.

“Ah! Tae-Sung-nim! Please, come on in!”

He arrived at the real estate agency, handed his Ferrari to the valet, and entered the office. There, the CEO of the real estate agency greeted him by bowing ninety degrees toward him. Tae-Sung was now wealthy enough to purchase a building worth thirty billion won in cash. Yes, he did take out any loan for his purchase, and he paid everything in cold, hard cash.

“Would you like a cup of coffee, customer-nim?”

Tae-Sung shook his head and replied, “No, just a glass of water will do.”

“If I may ask, what brings you here today, Tae-Sung-nim?”

“Ah, I was thinking of moving. Are there any good properties on the market?”

“Hmm… Do you have any requirements in mind?”

“Are there any houses that provide food? I heard there are plenty these days that prepare hotel-style buffets—“

“Ah! There are a few luxury condos that provide that! Do you have a budget in mind by any chance?“

“Around five billion won?”

“I will show you one right now.”

A few hours later.

“You are really chill, Tae-Sung-nim! Haha!”

“Not at all, I just liked the house. That’s all.”

Tae-Sung signed the contract for the luxury condo unit the realtor showed him on the same day. Swimming pool, fitness center, hotel-style buffer, various nearby hospitals, etc…

The condo had facilities that would not lose to most five-star hotels, and this made it quite easy for Tae-Sung to sign the contract without any hesitation. He spent most of his time playing the game, so he had zero time to go outside. As such, the facilities in the building were very important to him.

“I will wire the money for the house—“

“Hey! Han Tae-Sung!” Cheon Woo-Jin shouted as he barged into the realtor’s office.

“Huh? Why are you here?” Tae-Sung asked.

“I couldn’t get hold of you, so I came to catch you, asshole,” Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled in response.

“Huh? Did you call?”

Tae-Sung checked his phone and saw there were eleven missed calls from him.

“Oh? You did call.”

“You did call?!”

“I didn’t notice it because I put it on silent mode.”

“Why the hell do you need a phone if you’re going to put it on silent mode?”

“Hey…” Tae-Sung muttered as he scratched the back of his head and said, “I don’t really have friends or anyone to call me…”

“…”

“Was her name Manager Kim Mi-Young? She does call me from time to time to take some loan, but…”

“F-Forget about it…”

Cheon Woo-Jin felt bad after hearing how sad Tae-Sung’s social life was, so he decided to drop it.

“Anyway, why are you so busy these days?”

“I’ve been quite busy. But why? Did something happen?”

“Yeah, something did happen.”

“What is it?”

“Just finish what you’re doing first.”

“Sure.”

Tae-Sung finalized the contract for the luxury condo unit and went to a nearby luxury café with Cheon Woo-Jin.

“I heard you’re frequenting the real estate agency these days. Are you trying to change careers to being a real estate mogul?”

“Why? Can’t I?”

“Nah, you can if you want to do it. Besides, there’s no better investment than real estate.”

“Anyway, what did you want to talk about?”

“Do you want a quest?”

“A quest?”

“Yeah, you\'ll level up three times once you clear this.”

“Heok!” Tae-Sung gasped after hearing he could gain three levels as a reward. He was getting frustrated these days as leveling up seemed impossible, so he was shocked to hear that he could level up three times if he were to clear a single quest.

“Hey! Why didn’t you say so sooner?!”

“Hmm? Who was it that had their phone on silent?”

“T-That was…!”

“I also noticed it’s been quite difficult to even call the Proatine Kingdom. What are you, Grand Prince Heungseon[1] What’s with the isolation policy?”

“Shut up!”

“Anyway, just tell me if you’re gonna do it or not.”

“Is that even a question? Give it to me!”

“Then I’ll drop by the Proatine Kingdom later in the evening to give the quest.”

“Okay! Thanks!”

“Don’t thank me yet. This quest won’t be so easy,” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a smirk.

“Hmm? What is it about?” Tae-Sung asked.

Cheon Woo-Jin grimaced and closed his eyes before grumbling, “Let’s talk about it later. I’m getting a headache just thinking about it. But this is a very important quest, and the game could go to the gutters if it fails, so—“

“W-What?! Where did this asshole go?!” Cheon Woo-Jin shouted after seeing that Tae-Sung was no longer sitting across from him.

Vroom!

It was too late. Tae-Sung was already leaving the parking lot in his Ferrari.

Well, there was no problem with him leaving early to get the quest, but the problem was—money.

The café they were in was one where they would pay on the way out, and this meant that Cheon Woo-Jin had to pay for the coffee that cost eighteen thousand won per cup.

“HAN TAE-SUUUUUNG!” Cheon Woo-Jin raged at the top of his lungs, but Tae-Sung was already far away in his Ferrari.

***

“Ah… I really can’t get enough of that feeling…”

On that same evening, Siegfried was on his way to the throne room to see Amundsen, but he was busy reminiscing about what happened earlier today. That feeling of dining and dashing right in front of Cheon Woo-Jin’s face! Ah—the ecstasy!

“Your Majesty! The Explorer, Amundsen, wishes an audience with you!”

“Let him in.”

Amundsen entered the throne room and paid his respects to him, “I, Amundsen, greet the Ruler of Proatine, King Siegfried van Proa.”

“Long time no see. Has it been a month already?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I believe I asked you to come find my Minister of State, but it seems you got delayed.”

“I had some matters to attend to and was unfortunately late indeed.”

“Anyway, so, what do you think?”

“Pardon me?”

“What do you think of the kingdom that will sponsor you from now on? Do you think we have what it takes to sponsor you?”

“Y-Yes! Without a doubt!” Amundsen hurriedly replied and added, “The Proatine Kingdom is not lacking at all to sponsor someone like me!”

“Really?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Amundsen exclaimed with absolute sincerity.

Frankly speaking, he did not expect much from the Proatine Kingdom. Maybe he was expecting to get some stipend to cover his travel costs? But that was about it. However, his mind changed the moment he stepped foot into the Proatine Kingdom this morning.

“T-This is a weak and tiny nation?! Oh my god! This can’t be! This is not a weak country! I know it’s small, but even the rich nations can’t build such a beautiful place, no matter how rich they are!”

He suffered severe culture shock the moment he entered the Proatine Kingdom.

The real Proatine Kingdom was completely different from the fake one set up to fool outsiders. The streets were extremely clean and well-maintained, energy was supplied twenty-four-seven through mana stones, there were modest yet luxurious-looking rows of houses, and the citizens looked extremely happy without a hint of worry or concern.

The capital city of the Proatine Kingdom, Preussen, was so beautiful and advanced that most of the powerhouses on the continent would not dare compare themselves to it.

But such a place was the capital city of the weakest nation on the continent? The poorest of all nations? The weakest of them all?

Nonsense!

Amundsen recognized in a single glance that the Proatine Kingdom was not the weak and impoverished nation it was rumored to be. Instead, it was a kingdom fielding a powerful military and a strong economy.

Of course, the kingdom itself was still too small to become a powerhouse on the continent, but it was, without a doubt, richer and stronger than all city-states and most kingdoms on the continent.

“Your Majesty! I have witnessed the splendor of the Proatine Kingdom! I will be more than honored if Your Majesty decides to sponsor someone like me!”

“That’s a relief. I was worried you were going to be disappointed by our kingdom.”

“Not at all! Hahaha!”

“Anyway, thank you for coming all the way here.”

“It is my honor, Your Majesty!”

“But what brings you here?” Siegfried asked before his eyes turned sharp as he added, “Did you find anything good?”

“Precisely, Your Majesty!”

“Really?”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Hahaha!”

“What is it?”

“I recently obtained the key to enter the Sky Tower, and that key is the reason I sought an audience with Your Majesty!”

“Sky Tower…? Don’t tell me… Is it that Sky Tower I’m thinking of right now?”

Siegfried knew about the Sky Tower Amundsen was talking about. The Sky Tower was located in the eastern region of the continent, and it was a huge structure that pierced through the heavens. In fact, it was so tall that it was probably twice the height of the tallest structure on Earth, the Burj Khalifa.

However, the problem was that the Sky Tower was sealed by an ancient magic that prevented anyone from entering it.

But there was a key that could grant entry to that tower?

‘W-Will I become the first person to raid the Sky Tower?!’ Siegfried thought as his heart started beating crazily.

Being the first to enter a map and raiding it was a great honor all gamers coveted!

“I will gladly offer the Sky Tower Key if Your Majesty is willing to finance the cost of forming an expedition party to explore the tower!”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Siegfried said as he immediately accepted the offer. He was not the type of person who would miss such a rare opportunity just because of money.

‘I’m glad I offered to sponsor him that time!’ He couldn\'t help but feel proud that his action at that time had already produced such unexpected results.

“I will finance this expedition without sparing even a single cent, so don’t worry about the cost,” Siegfried said confidently.

“A-Are you serious, Your Majesty?”

“Of course!”

“Then, I shall form an expedition party with Your Majesty’s blessings. First, I will hire a powerful Adventurer to—“

“There’s no need for that.”

“Pardon me, sire?”

“I’m planning to personally go with you.”

“Y-Your Majesty will personally?!”

“I’m also an Adventurer, so why would I bother spending tons of gold to hire someone else when I can just go myself?”

‘He was planning to finance the expedition with his body…? Is he a miser like Scrooge…?’ Amundsen couldn\'t help but wonder that the support he was promised was in the form of participation rather than actual money.

“Why? Do you have a problem with me?”

“N-No, Your Majesty, but…”

“Good. Prepare a plan for the Sky Tower Expedition, and make sure to include me in it.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty…” Amundsen replied as he retreated from Siegfried’s presence.

‘T-This feels strange…’

He couldn\'t help but think he had gotten scammed on his way out of the throne room.

***

Right after Amundsen left…

“What are you doing?”

“Jeebus! You scared me!” Siegfried screamed and jumped up.

Just when did he get here?

Cheon Woo-Jin was sitting on the armrest of the throne and looking at Siegfried.

Well, there was no reason for him to be surprised as Cheon Woo-Jin had to enter even the restricted island during the World’s Greatest Survival Tournament.

“Hey! Can’t you at least tell me you’re here?!”

“So, did the coffee taste better after dashing?”

“M-Me? Coffee? No way~ That was a misunderstanding~” Siegfried coyly replied. Of course, his thoughts were completely different, ‘Yes, it tasted sweet~ sweet and ecstatic~!’

He couldn\'t help but feel a sense of ecstasy whenever he dashed and left Cheon Woo-Jin to foot the bill. If he were asked to explain it, he would say that it was something like the rush he would get from dining and dashing combined with the fact that he had left Cheon Woo-Jin with the bill.

“Hey, you scumbag. Why are you so stingy when you’re earning so much these days?”

“S-Stingy?! I was busy and had to go! Do you know how busy I am today? Why don’t you try running a kingdom? Do you have any idea just how many documents I have to go through?!”

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

“Excuse me,” Cheon Woo-Jin called out to the chamberlain and asked, “When did he descend today?”

“His Royal Majesty descended to the continent thirty minutes ago, sir.”

Siegfried hurriedly tried to send a signal to the chamberlain, but the dense and uptight chamberlain innocently exposed that he was not in the kingdom the entire day.

“He says you just logged in?”

“T-That is…”

“You’re really a scumbag…”

“Hehe…”

In the end, Siegfried had to feign ignorance and just laugh it off.

“A-Anyway! What about the quest?”

“I don’t think I can entrust this important quest to a scumbag like you.”

“Ah~ Don’t be like that~ I’m sorry, okay? I’ll treat you to a meal next time! I promise!”

“Look at you lying through your teeth.”

“I’m serious! I’ll pay for everything in advance! I’ll pay upfront!”

“Upfront?”

“Yes! I’ll swipe my credit card even before we eat!”

“So please give me the quest~ I’m suffering these days because I can\'t level up! It’s driving me crazy!” Siegfried begged while latching onto Cheon Woo-Jin.

In the end, Cheon Woo-Jin was forced to summon the quest window.

“All right, but you really have to take this seriously, okay? This game could collapse if you fail this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just take a look first,” Cheon Woo-Jin said as he shared the quest window with Siegfried.

1. A political figure during the Korean Kingdom of Joseon. He enforced an ‘isolation policy’ and hunted down foreigners who stepped foot on Korean soil. More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heungseon_Daewongun ☜