Debuff Master

Despite having uninvited guests joining them, Tae-Sung had a wonderful time with his family. Cheon Woo-Jin and the others treated Tae-Sung’s mother like their own, and they played with his younger sister, Tae-Hee, as if she were their younger sister.

They took photos together, enjoyed water sports, and even went for massages. Some of them even went as far as to act like his mother’s personal attendants.

‘These guys…’

At first, Tae-Sung wanted to scold Cheon Woo-Jin and kick him off the island with the others. However, instead of causing trouble like he feared, they entertained his mother with their antics while being mindful to be respectful.

Tae-Sung's heart softened upon seeing comrades take such good care of his mother.

He felt unexpectedly grateful toward his comrades—no, his friends. In truth, he had very few friends, and the group of people he met in the game were, in fact, his only friends.

Thus, he decided to make the most out of this situation and enjoyed his time with them.

On that same evening, they held a barbecue party by the beach.

“Please try this, Mother.”

Yong Seol-Hwa struck close to Tae-Sung’s mother like gum and hardly left her side.

“Come to think of it, you look very familiar… Aren’t you that girl?”

“Pardon me, Mother?”

“You’re the young lady who was in that news article with Tae-Sung, right…?”

“Oh! Yes, that was me!”

“Oh, my…”

“Yes, that was me, Mother! Hohoho!”

“So, are you and Tae-Sung…?”

Tae-Sung quickly got up after being alarmed by their conversation in hopes of putting a stop to it, but he was unfortunately blocked by someone before he could interrupt the two.

“Hey, Tae-Sung. Come with me to the restroom.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, come on. Just come with me.”

“Why the hell are we going to the restroom together…?”

“Just come!”

Cheon Woo-Jin dragged Tae-Sung away, preventing him from interrupting the conversation between Yong Seol-Hwa and his mother.

“Just let them be, man. Let her enjoy herself,” Cheon Woo-Jin said.

“What?” Tae-Sung muttered in response, sounding baffled.

“Hey, think about it,” Cheon Woo-Jin said while shaking his head. Then, he continued, “Don’t you think any mother would get worried upon knowing that her son got married to an NPC in a game?”

“Eh?”

“No matter how successful or famous you are, she’s bound to worry if you spend all your time playing the game without having a life outside of it.”

“Really?”

“You’re a pro gamer, fine, but you still need to have some kind of life in the real world, right?”

“Hmm…”

“So just let her hear what she wants to hear.”

“Should I do that…?”

“Think of it as doing your duties as a son.”

“...Fine.”

In the end, Tae-Sung was convinced by Cheon Woo-Jin, and he decided not to bother about what Yong Seol-Hwa and his mother were discussing.

For the next three nights and four days, Tae-Sung stayed at the resort surrounded by his family and friends. During this time, he set aside all thoughts of the game, thinking that sometimes it was good to relax and live his life in the real world for a change.

***

After his dreamlike vacation, Tae-Sung returned home, took a nap to recover from the trip, and then logged back into the game.

[Proatine Kingdom: Royal Palace]

Upon entering the game, a message popped up in front of his eyes, showing his current location.

“We have received an urgent report, Your Majesty.”

Michele rushed over as soon as he heard that Siegfried had returned.

“Hm? What’s the urgent report about?” Siegfried asked.

“A large-scale riot has broken out in Feiogh.”

“What?! What happened?” Siegfried exclaimed, stunned to hear about the riot. He had anticipated some resistance from the populace after the Zavala Kingdom fell, but he did not expect a full-blown riot.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Rumors have spread in Feiogh that our kingdom has been abducting people and using them for dark magic. This ignited a city-wide uprising, and the riot has grown so large that nearly all of Feiogh’s citizens have turned into rebels.”

“How does that make any sense?! Where did this rumor even start from?!”

Michele proceeded to fill Siegfried in regarding the mysterious disappearance involving the Proatine Kingdom’s troops.

“It appears that the continuous string of disappearances stirred the public’s emotions to a boiling point.”

“So we’re being unjustly accused?”

“Yes, sire.”

“Hmm… What’s the current situation like?”

“Battles are breaking out on the streets, as the ordinary citizens have armed themselves and are attacking our troops on the ground.”

“What about our men?”

“They are doing their best to minimize civilian casualties, but the situation is not looking good. Subduing civilians without killing them is far more challenging than just killing them outright, as Your Majesty should be aware.”

“Yeah, that’s true…”

“And during the riot, seven of our soldiers vanished into thin air.”

“...!”

“While the real number of civilians that disappeared has likely increased, we are unable to keep track of it, as the lack of public order is making it difficult to receive any official reports. Hence, it seems that—”

“There’s something else at play here,” Siegfried finished his words.

“Precisely, sire. Whatever is behind this incident, it seems that we are bearing the blame for everything.”

“I see… Plus, with the riot spreading throughout the city, it’s making it difficult for us to track the culprit down. Hold on, could it be… the final soul fragment’s doing?”

Siegfried was starting to suspect that the final Soul Fragment of Apocalius was behind these mysterious disappearances. It was a logical suspicion, as there were no other plausible explanations for the mysterious disappearance. There was also the fact that the energy signature of the soul fragment was detected in Feiogh.

“I believe it is plausible,” Michele replied with a nod.

“But the problem is… With the entire city breaking out in riots, it will be far more challenging to search for the soul fragment,” Siegfried grumbled, furrowing his brow.

“Yes, sire. As things stand, suppressing the riot is our utmost priority.”

“I guess I’ll be heading there myself.”

With that, Siegfried immediately set out for Feiogh.

‘Damn it… Why is there never a peaceful moment whenever I log into this game?’ he grumbled and lamented his fate. However, he didn't mind as much this time around, as he was feeling great and was in a good mood thanks to the refreshing break.

***

Feiogh was greeted by a scene of utter chaos.

“Down with the Proatine tyrant!”

“Reclaim our land from those evil invaders!”

“Kill them!”

“Send those Proatine demons back to hell!”

The streets throughout Feiogh were filled with angry mobs, and their cries of outrage rang throughout the city.

Violence, looting, arson, and even murder were running rampant.

The riots were so bad that one could hear the chaos happening on the street, even from within the Iron Palace.

“This is an unbelievable mess…” Siegfried grumbled, shaking his head in disbelief.

He was looking out over the streets of Feiogh from atop the Iron Palace’s rooftop. The sight was so unnerving even for him, as millions of people streamed into the streets like a furious swarm of ants.

“This feels… very unfair…” Siegfried muttered under his breath.

It was not as though he could not understand the people’s anger.

How many soldiers of the Zavala Kingdom had perished in the last war? How many civilians had suffered from the bombing of Feiogh?

The people lost their kingdom, had their families torn from them, and suffered severe grief and sorrow, all in a short period of time.

To make matters worse, rumors had begun spreading that the Proatine Kingdom was abducting people to be used as test subjects for dark magic.

Considering their situation, it was hardly surprising that the people were rioting.

Regardless of their situation, however, this rebellion was extremely unfair from Siegfried’s perspective.

The entire war started with an unprovoked invasion by the Zavala Kingdom, and the Proatine Kingdom merely fought back to protect itself. They had fought valiantly and managed to win the war, and the Zavala Kingdom’s downfall was merely a consequence of its own aggression.

The Proatine Kingdom had not forced this tragedy upon the people of the Zavala Kingdom.

Moreover, the rumors of the abductions and dark magic were completely baseless.

“Tsk… This is a real nightmare…” Siegfried clicked his tongue and grumbled. He frowned and looked out over Feiogh, as he knew that quelling the riot was going to be a monumental task.

How could he possibly pacify millions of people rioting on the streets?

Killing them was out of the question. If they did that, the Proatine Kingdom would go down in history as cold-blooded oppressors.

Unfortunately, convincing the people with reason was even more unrealistic.

How could he reach the people blinded by grief and fury? Were they even going to listen to whatever he had to say?

The only viable option left was to subdue them, but even if he somehow managed to do that, there was a very high chance that the people would simply come back out on the streets and riot once again.

‘I should talk to Oscar first,’ he thought.

Siegfried went straight to meet with Oscar to get a better overview of the situation.

“Thank you for your hard work during my absence, Oscar.”

“No, sire. I am to blame for this, as I have failed to uphold my duties and prevent this disaster. Please, punish me as Your Majesty sees fit,” Oscar sought forgiveness on her knees.

Siegfried shook his head and replied, “You are not to blame for anything that happened here, Oscar.”

“Even so…”

“Some things simply can’t be helped. Besides, with so many civilians out there, I know you couldn’t afford to use force against them for fear of causing unnecessary harm.”

“I am still lacking in many ways, sire.”

“Please, enough with that talk,” Siegfried said as he got up from the throne. Then, he walked over to her and said, “Let’s focus on resolving the situation instead, shall we?”

“As you command, sire.”

“To begin with…” Siegfried pondered for a while. Then, he said, “I’ll go meet with their leaders. Do you know their whereabouts?”

“We have gathered a list of names along with their locations. Ninetail is currently infiltrating their ranks and collecting information on them.”

“Amazing. Your planning is as impressive as ever, Oscar.”

Siegfried truly admired Oscar’s foresight. Despite the chaos, she managed to send Ninetail into the ranks of the rioters to gather information.

“Let’s go together,” he said.

“Sire?”

“I want to speak with their leaders personally, but I think it would be helpful if you went there with me. Let’s go.”

“As you command, sire.”

With that, Siegfried and Oscar set out to meet with the leaders of the rioters, hoping to negotiate peace with them and put an end to these riots.

***

Tracking down the leaders of the people was simple. Thanks to Ninetail infiltrating their group, there was no need for Siegfried to waste Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance.

Late at night, the leaders gathered in an old mansion to discuss their next moves, which was a series of operations they planned to gain independence from their oppressors.

Their main targets were none other than the key figures of the Proatine Kingdom, such as Oscar and Carrell. They were hoping that by assassinating the enemy’s high-ranking officials, they could prove that the Zavala Kingdom had not fallen yet.

However, assassinating someone as prominent as Oscar or Carrell proved to be a daunting task, so they decided to aim for the Proatine Kingdom’s colonels and other commanders first.

“Tomorrow, we will take down the commander of the second division. I ask that each of you stake your lives on this mission.”

The one who spoke was a man named Andre, one of the leaders. He was a nobleman and former count of the Zavala Kingdom, and he was known for his unwavering patriotism and love for his motherland.

“Understood.”

“We will do everything we can to ensure the success of this operation.”

Nodding in agreement, Andre’s comrades expressed their support and willingness to die for their cause.

“But… I believe there may be a spy in our midst,” Andre added, his face clouded with suspicion.

“A spy?”

“Why would you think so?”

“Are you saying there’s a rat among us?”

The other leaders looked at Andre with shock on their faces.

Andre grimaced and explained, “Think about it. How many of our operations have failed recently? Something’s not right… It feels like our plans keep leaking—”

It was then.

Knock! Knock!

A sudden knock on the door silenced the entire room.

“Who’s there?” one of the leaders approached the door and asked.

The voice of a young man replied from outside the door, “Hello! My name is Siegfried van Proa. May I come in?”

“Huh…?” the representative’s eyes widened in disbelief. Then, he asked, “Could you repeat that?”

“I said, I’m Siegfried van Proa. Do you mind opening the door for a moment?”

“Siegfried van Proa…?”

Those in the room exchanged stunned looks with each other. The name they just heard was the most hated man, the King of the Proatine Kingdom himself, Siegfried van Proa.

Not only was he the most hated, he was at the top of their list of targets to assassinate.

But how could he have come to this secret gathering? It made no sense at all.

It was then.

Creak…

The door quietly swung open, and a young man stepped in.

“...!”

The leaders gasped in horror upon seeing the young man claiming to be Siegfried van Proa. He was standing right there with a smile, and he was, without a doubt, the King of the Proatine Kingdom, Siegfried van Proa.

A giant hamster and the enemy’s Supreme Commander, Oscar, were even standing next to him.

“Good evening. I apologize for visiting unannounced,” Siegfried said with a grin. Then, he asked, “But perhaps, you could still offer me a cup of tea? You know, as a show of hospitality?”

“Yes, that’s right! Bring us some tea! Kyuuu!” Hamchi exclaimed.

Siegfried looked around the room with a smile.

“...”

Meanwhile, the leaders were at a complete loss; none of them could utter even a single word at the sudden turn of events.

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