Debuff Master

Chapter 521

[Alert: Would you like to share senses with the Night Stalkers?]

The Summon Darkness skill synergized extremely well with Share Senses, which was a skill that allowed him to share the senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste.

“Oh?” Siegfried raised a brow and clicked yes.

[Alert: Share Senses has been activated!]

Then, the twenty square screens appeared, and these were the point of view of each Night Stalker. Funnily, it felt as if he was looking at the CCTV screens in a security room.

The screens showing the visions of the Night Stalkers were green and black, just like the night vision mode in most video games, and the screen would grow bigger whenever he clicked on them.

“Oh? This is just like watching CCTV footage.”

“Kyu! What are you looking at, owner punk?!”

“Ah, their visions are being shared with me right now, and I think I can feel their other senses, too, if I focus hard enough,” Siegfried replied.

“Kyuuu! That’s amazing! Really amazing!”

“I think this will be very useful.”

Useful was actually an understatement. Being able to share senses with another entity was something that could be used in numerous ways, but sharing the senses of twenty entities basically turned him into a walking watchtower.

Of course, there was the limitation that Summon Darkness could only be used at night or in darkness, but that was not that big of a trade-off when compared to the skill\'s potential.

There was a saying that information was power, and it could dominate the battlefield when used correctly.

Siegfried could use this new skill to dominate any battlefield as long as it was night. In other words, he could rule the night from now on.

Perhaps that was the reason, but...

Ding!

A new title was created.

[Alert: You have obtained a new title!]

[Alert: A new title has been created – Night King!]

The title was simple and straightforward.

[Night King]

[A title given to those who rule the night.]

[One must display overwhelming martial and sexual prowess at night to obtain this title.]

[Type: Title]

[Effect: N/A]

The title did not provide any benefits and seemed to be just for aesthetic purposes.

“Tsk...” Siegfried licked his tongue in disappointment.

“Kyu? What’s wrong, owner punk?”

“Nothing.”

“Kyu?”

”Anyway, I should send these guys out and start scouting.”

Siegfried proceeded to send the Night Stalkers around the perimeter where the Portrait of Evil Ghost was being safeguarded. Thanks to them, he could now obtain information from twenty different locations while sitting atop the roof of the Palace of Beauty.

The rooftop of the Palace of Beauty instantly became a security room, as Siegfried observed the numerous CCTV live footage provided by the Night Stalkers.

One of the first things he saw through the CCTV was a couple professing their love for each other.

– Jane!

– Michael!

– Good evening!

– Are you on patrol?

– Yes.

– Are you alright? You have it rough.

– I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. But what about you, Jane? What brings you here?

– I am on my way to deliver snacks to the knights.

– I’m sorry. We were supposed to go see the lake today, but because of the Phantom Thief...

– Don’t worry about it. It’s not like we can do anything about this. Don’t be sorry!

– Jane...

– Yes...?

The couple stared at each other for a moment before kissing passionately.

– Heup!

– A-Ah... Hngg...!

Of course, Siegfried saw them kissing away from everyone’s eyes, thanks to his new skill.

“I don’t think I want to see something like that...” Siegfried grumbled and hurriedly looked at another monitor.

Why had he looked away?

It was all because he was not into voyeurism...

The sole reason he was using Share Senses to scout the perimeter of the Palace of Beauty was to catch the Phantom Thief and not to spy on couples physically displaying their affection for one another.

“But what the hell are they doing while on duty? Heh. It’s going to be so obvious later when their lips are all red and swollen,” Siegfried snickered before continuing his search for any signs of the thief.

However, he did not find anything despite searching through the vision of all twenty Night Stalkers.

“Tsk...”

Time ticked by, and it was now midnight.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The bell in the clock tower in the distance rang, forcing Siegfried to open his eyes. He went over the twenty screens once again, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. The same scene of the knights patrolling was shown, but that was it.

“I think I’ll pull an all-nighter at this rate...” he grumbled.

It was then.

Kaboom!

An explosion occurred, and one of the twenty screens suddenly turned gray.

“...!”

Siegfried instantly turned to where the explosion occurred and saw that the theater east of the Palace of Beauty had been razed to the ground by the explosion.

A bomb.

The Phantom Thief has finally decided to strike!

***

“Kyuu! That Phantom Thief has appeared! Let’s go, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed.

Siegfried shook his head and said, “Nope. That’s not it.”

“Kyu?”

“Do you really think that pervert is dumb enough to cause an explosion and be at the scene of the crime? It’s too obvious. That’s basically calling for everyone’s attention.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah, and there’s no point going there. The Portrait of Evil Ghost is here, and none of the knights guarding it will budge an inch. Well, maybe they will send some soldiers to check it out, but that’s about it.”

“Then why bomb it?! Kyu!”

“Who knows? Let’s wait and see,” Siegfried replied before turning his gaze to the gray screen.

[Alert: Night Stalker Number 19 has died!]

[Alert: 5 seconds until resurrection!]

[Alert: 5... 4... 3...]

Siegfried waited for the Night Stalker Number 19 to resurrect while keeping an eye on where the explosion had occurred. The Night Stalker Number 19 came back to life five seconds later, and the scene of the explosion appeared on the screen.

‘Hmm?’ Siegfried narrowed his eyes and looked intently after spotting that the explosion started from the stage.

The Night Stalker Number 19 was keeping an eye on the stage where the explosion had happened, but he did not notice anything out of the ordinary until before the explosion occurred. There was not a single outsider who came inside the theater, and neither did any of the soldiers approach the stage.

To begin with, the theater was located quite far from the Palace of Beauty, and the road leading to it was quite complicated that it was not a potential path that could be used by the Phantom Thief.

So how come an explosion had occurred when nobody was there?

That could only mean one thing...

Heh.

Siegfried smirked and said, “That pervert is already here.”

“Kyu?”

“The thief has been here a long time ago.”

“Kyu! How do you know that, owner punk?!”

“Can a bomb set itself up and explode? Someone has to set it up, right?”

“Kyu?”

“That can only mean that pervert came a long time ago and set the bomb, right?”

“You’re right! Kyuu!”

“And Duke Randoll said that pervert is against killing, right?”

“Kyu?”

“That pervert knew nobody would be stationed in the theater and set the bomb to explode there. Why? So nobody dies. In fact, that pervert is probably aware of our plans...”

“Owner punk! You’re so smart! Kyuuuu!”

“But why cause an explosion? There’s no reason to do that... It’s just going to make everyone more alert...” Siegfried muttered under his breath. He could not understand the thief’s motive behind the explosion.

It was then...

Kaboom!

Another explosion occurred, but this time, it came from the west of the Palace of Beauty.

“Oh? So this is that pervert’s trade secret?” Siegfried smirked while looking at the explosion.

“Kyu? Did you find something out, owner punk?”

“Yeah.”

“What is it? Kyuuu!”

“You will find out once we get there,” Siegfried replied confidently.

Then, he came down from the roof and went to where the Portrait of Evil Ghost was kept.

***

The Portrait of Evil Ghost was safely secured in the deepest room within the Palace of Beauty called the Hall of Immortality. The one in charge of guarding this hall was none other than one of the Five Star Heaves of the continent, the man known as the Emperor’s Sword, Duke Randoll.

“What brings Your Majesty here? I thought Your Majesty preferred to stay on the rooftop to keep an eye out for the Phantom Thief?” Duke Randoll asked after Siegfried entered the hall.

Siegfried smirked and replied, “I did, and I am still keeping an eye out for that pervert.”

“Pardon me?”

“Look up,” Siegfried said while pointing at the ceiling.

“...!” Duke Randoll’s eyes shot wide open.

A black shadow was hanging upside down and looking at Duke Randoll and the knights. It was the captain of the Night Stalkers, the Night Stalker Number 1. The ability of the Night Stalkers to hide their presence was so good that even Duke Randoll, who was a Master, had failed to notice it.

“I am keeping an eye on this place as well as nineteen other places.”

“Wow...”

“I have twenty pairs of eyes, you see.”

“Your Majesty could summon that shadow, too?”

“Well, I somehow ended up taking them in. But they have proved to be quite useful so far.”

“Your Majesty’s abilities never cease to amaze me.”

“Come on, you are praising me too much. These are just petty tricks,” Siegfried replied humbly. He did not let the duke’s praises get to his head, as he considered this to be nothing but petty tricks no matter how useful it was.

Why?

It was all because what mattered to him the most was his own martial prowess...

Duke Randoll had heaped praises at Siegfried in awe of his new skill, but those praises meant nothing to Siegfried. Could he beat the duke if they fought one-on-one? Without a shred of doubt, Siegfried was going to lose even before they actually dueled.

He had a Hidden Class, but that was not enough for him to win against an NPC who had transcended the invisible wall that had stopped many others from stepping into the realm of a Master.

The difference between Level 299 and Level 300 was just a single level, but the difference in their power was like the difference between heaven and the earth. A Master was rumored to be capable of emerging victorious against thirty Level 299 people.

“Anyway, that is not the important thing right now,” Siegfried said while looking at the Hall of Immortality.

Siegfried\'s words had yet to finish echoing in the air when another explosion occurred. This time, the explosion came from the north and south sides of the Palace of Beauty at the same time.

Kaboom! Kaboom!

East, West, South, North.

Surprisingly, nobody died from the series of explosions, and this was most likely due to the Phantom Thief being against killing.

“Oh? There goes another explosion,” Siegfried said.

“Hmm... I have no idea what the Phantom Thief is thinking... That thief could trigger as many explosions as they want, but the knights here in the Hall of Immortality will not budge an inch,” Duke Randoll grumbled with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“You are disappointed in the thief, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“But you do not have to be...”

“Pardon me?”

“The Phantom Thief is extremely smart. If you are thinking that pervert is shallow, then forget about it. We are dealing with an extremely cunning fellow right now.”

“What does Your Majesty mean by that...?” Duke Randoll asked while looking very confused.

His reaction was understandable, as he had no idea what was happening right now, unlike Siegfried, who had made deductions based on the information he had gathered so far.

“Your Majesty, may I ask how you came to that conclusion?” Duke Randoll asked.

“Sure,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he suddenly raised a finger and said, “But wouldn\'t asking them directly the better option? You\'d have a clearer answer, no?”

Duke Randoll looked dumbfounded and lost.

“Y-Your Majesty...?” he muttered, sounding absolutely bewildered.

However, Siegfried paid him no heed and swung his raised finger. Pointing a finger directly at Duke Randoll, he peered over the latter\'s shoulder and asked, “What do you think, Mr. Perverted Thief?”