Debuff Master-Chapter 844

“Hyung-nim...? Did you... Did you seriously turn those giants into radioactive ghouls...?”

Seung-Gu’s trembling voice broke the silence.

“Yeah,” Siegfried replied casually as if he had done something completely natural.

“That’s crazy...” Seung-Gu muttered, shaking his head in astonishment.

The idea that Siegfried managed to enslave the giants by turning them into Radioactive Ghouls was something nobody had imagined, even in their wildest dreams. Everyone else looked just as stunned as Seung-Gu, and some were so speechless that their mouths were agape while others openly voiced their awe, looking at Siegfried with newfound respect.

They had always known he was extraordinary, but this?

This was on a whole different level.

However, Siegfried did not seem fazed by their reactions.

“Let’s get some rest and regroup for now,” Siegfried said nonchalantly.

Pulling out the Infinite Flask, took a swig to restore his depleted HP before handing it over to the nearest party member.

“Come over here if your gear needs to be repaired!”

On the other hand, Yong Seol-Hwa summoned her portable forge and got to work, repairing the gear of her comrades.

After replenishing his health, Siegfried brought his dented armor to Yong Seol-Hwa.

“You really came in clutch earlier, oppa,” Yong Seol-Hwa said with a warm smile as she pounded away with her hammer.

“Not really,” Siegfried replied, brushing off the compliment.

“No, really. We would have been wiped out if it hadn't been for you.”

“Haha...”

Siegfried simply chuckled awkwardly in response, and it made Yong Seol-Hwa pause mid-swing and tilt her head.

“Oppa...? Is there something bothering you?”

“Hmm?”

“You just... You don’t look too happy.”

Siegfried smiled faintly and replied, “It’s nothing. I just feel stuck.”

“Stuck?”

“My enemies keep getting stronger, but I’m barely making any progress.”

“Ah... Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked sincerely, immediately understanding what he meant.

“Hm?”

“Maybe if I forge you some stronger gear—”

“No, that’s just a temporary fix.”

“Yeah, you’re right...”

“The real problem is breaking through Level 299 and hitting Level 300. But I have no idea how, and there aren’t any quests popping up either...”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I got a quest, too.”

“There’s gotta be a way though...”

“I’m sure there is. And if anyone can figure it out, it’s you, oppa.”

“I hope so.”

Siegfried smiled in response, but his smile did not last that long. He grew worried once again as his mind wandered back to the insurmountable wall that loomed before him, which was holding his growth back.

‘What’s my biggest problem right now? Lack of damage? No, that’s not it. Not enough area of effect skills? That’s not it either...’

Ever since arriving at the Great Rift, Siegfried’s mind had been consumed by thoughts of overcoming the wall that stood between him and his growth.

He felt like he was on the verge of grasping a clue on how to overcome it, but it remained just out of his reach, like a fleeting shadow.

‘I just need to think a little more about it...’

Thus, Siegfried sank deeper into his thoughts, trying to unravel the mystery before him.

***

Siegfried’s party spent about thirty minutes resting and repairing their gear before resuming the dungeon raid.

Based on Siegfried’s analysis using the information provided by Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance, the strategy for clearing the Sanctuary of Colossus was quite straightforward. All they had to do was defeat the boss monster, Colossus Argus, located at the heart of the dungeon.

The problem? Reaching Argus.

The sanctuary was crawling with nearly one hundred giants, and even taking the shortest route to the boss room meant facing at least fifty of them. Given that they suffered thirty casualties from just fighting three giants earlier, the idea of battling fifty was nothing short of impossible.

“Wait here, everyone. Let me handle this,” Siegfried said as he moved forward alone.

Preserving the party’s strength was essential, as clearing this dungeon was not their only task. They had to go as backups in case the other parties failed to clear their own dungeons, too.

Moreover, Siegfried doubted that the party members would be of much help against the giants, as fighting them head-on was not the wisest thing to do.

The only viable solution? He would penetrate their minds and convert them into Radioactive Ghouls.

This was the most efficient way to clear the dungeon.

Boom! Boom! Boom

Siegfried advanced, flanked by the giants that he had already turned into his Radioactive Ghouls. Then, he encountered a new obstacle.

“Hmm? Why are you all here? And... What's wrong with your appearance?”

A nearby giant noticed them and called out to the group of Radioactive Ghouls.

“Got into a fight.”

“Yeah, just some squabble.”

“Nothing serious. Don’t worry about it.”

The Radioactive Ghouls replied nonchalantly, following the instructions that Siegfried had given to them to avoid any suspicion.

“Is that so? But what brings you here—”

Before the giant could finish its sentence...

Kwachik!

The three Radioactive Ghouls pounced on the giant, bringing it crashing to the ground.

“W-What are you doing?! Have you lost your minds?!” The giant roared in confusion when its comrades turned on it without warning.

One of the Radioactive Ghouls covered the giant’s mouth.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

Siegfried jumped out from the hair of one of the Radioactive Ghouls he was riding on and dashed straight into the ear canal of the giant on the ground as soon as it was subdued.

Ten minutes later...

“At your service, Master.”

The subdued giant became the fourth Radioactive Ghoul, kneeling obediently in front of Siegfried.

“Phew!”

Siegfried exhaled deeply as he stepped out of the giant’s ear. Of course, he was covered in the giant’s earwax and reeked of repulsive stench.

“Ugh... those mites again...”

The Giant Ear Mites nesting inside the giants were extremely tricky to deal with. Even though he had encountered them multiple times before, they would still manage to annoy him in new ways every single time.

On the bright side, they dropped a generous amount of Amplification Shards, so he had no choice but to swallow his grumblings.

“Alright, team. Let’s move out,” Siegfried said, climbing atop one of the Radioactive Ghouls.

The hunt went on, and Siegfried's plan was to isolate and convert the remaining giants into his loyal ghouls.

Divine and Conquer!

This was Siegfried’s strategy.

***

The ruler of the Sanctuary of Colossus, Argus, was the largest among all of the giants in the dungeon.

While ordinary giants stood around two hundred meters tall, which was slightly shorter than South Korea’s iconic 63 Building, their king, Argus, towered over three hundred meters.

In fact, Argus was so gigantic that he made the other giants look like mere children before him.

However, even this grand being found himself a bit rattled.

As usual, he was sitting on his grand throne and enjoying a drink before dozing off.

Just then...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His sweet nap was awakened by the sound of heavy footsteps thundering toward him, causing him to grimace and open his eyes.

However, what he saw could only be described as unbelievable.

“What are those fools doing?” Argus muttered, blinking in disbelief.

His subordinates were storming toward him en masse, even though he hadn't summoned them.

One of Argus’ lieutenants stepped forward and shouted sternly at the incoming giants. “Halt!”

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

However, the giants ignored the lieutenant’s command entirely and continued their relentless advance.

“Hmm...”

Argus furrowed his brow before finally rising from his grand throne. His colossal frame loomed over the approaching giants, making them look like mere dwarfs in comparison.

“What’s going on here?” he asked. His deep, authoritative voice echoed across the sanctuary as if establishing his dominance over the entire place.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

However, the giants didn't respond and continued to close the distance in silence.

“Hah?” Argus scoffed, utterly dumbfounded. The idea of a rebellion was absurd. In the entire history of the giants, there had never been a single revolt.

Why?

It was all because it was impossible.

Even a hundred giants were no match against a single king, so the success rate of such a rebellion was zero.

“You insolent fools! Do you not hear my words?!” Argus roared with fury.

Bzzzt! Boom!

Thunder erupted from the clear sky, and lightning split the heavens when Argus unleashed his wrath. The King of the Giants, Argus, wielded the power of thunder and lightning, and his anger alone was enough to summon lightning storms of cataclysmic proportion.

However, the giants showed no sign of fear or hesitation; they continued on their advance.

“Hahaha!” Argus broke out into laughter.

For the first time, a rebellion was occurring among the giants.

Bzzt! Zaaap!

Argus flashed a sinister smile as electric currents surged throughout his massive frame before coursing through the air like a formless creature.

“A rebellion...? You must be out of your minds! Hahaha!” Argus exclaimed with a laugh before swinging his massive fist at the first giant.

Kaboom!

The giant exploded before Argus’ fist even made contact with him.

“What...? What is this...?”

Argus froze in shock at the sudden turn of events, and then he sensed it...

Something was wrong.

Plop...!

Blood trickled down from his nose; it was a sensation he had never experienced before in his life.

Then, it dawned on him. This was no ordinary rebellion. Something had gone terribly wrong somewhere.

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Kwachik! Kwachik!

The giants began clinging onto Argus one after another, refusing to let go.

“You wretched fools! I’ll kill every last one of you!” Argus roared, thrashing violently in an attempt to shake them off.

But it was of no use...

Like parasites, the giants clung to him as if their lives depended on it. They were not attacking or defending and were merely focusing all of their strength on restraining the King of the Giants.

“You fools...!”

Argus’ figure crackled with a powerful surge of electricity, unleashing violent bursts of raw power throughout his surroundings.

However, the giants were a step faster.

Rumble!

Their eyes glowed green all of a sudden, and then—

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Kaboom!

The giants exploded one by one; the chain explosions combined into a massive explosion of catastrophic proportions. Siegfried had ordered his Radioactive Ghouls to self-destruct like a bomb, and they exploded en masse.

***

Nearly a hundred Radioactive Ghouls detonated simultaneously, unleashing an explosion comparable to an actual nuclear blast. The chain reaction of explosions compounded, culminating in a colossal explosion so immense that a towering mushroom cloud rose into the sky.

The sheer concentration and magnitude of radioactive energy released from the self-destruction of the Radioactive Ghouls were so overwhelming that even Argus, the King of the Giants, was not spared from it.

His immense resilience and tenacity allowed him to withstand the explosion, but he couldn't escape from the crippling radiation poisoning that followed.

“Argh...!” Argus groaned in agony as his massive frame turned red from the radiation burns that scorched him both inside and out.

However, his agony lasted only for a while.

Argus possessed immense regenerative abilities, but the fatal dose of radiation poisoning he suffered far overwhelmed his regenerative abilities.

Thus, he slumped forward and drew his final breath.

Even as the King of the Giants, surviving the self-destruction of nearly a hundred gigantic ghouls proved to be impossible.

Thud...!

The moment Argus’ colossal body collapsed lifelessly, a radiant spectacle unfolded.

Amplification Shards rained down from the sky, blanketing the entire battlefield like a shimmering storm of sparkling rain.

Both the suicidal attack of the ghouls and Argus’ death had triggered an enormous drop of these rare shards.

“W-What the hell?!”

“What just happened?!”

The party members who had been observing the massive explosion from a distance sprinted toward the fallen giant as soon as the mushroom cloud subsided.

“Wait!”

Siegfried’s voice rang out.

“Don’t come any closer! You’re gonna die!”

The ground zero of the explosion was completely saturated with lethal radioactive energy that recklessly entering the contamination zone would result in instant death.

Unfortunately, as always, there would always be someone who wouldn't heed warnings.

“A-Argh...! G-Guuuuh!”

Of all people, Seung-Gu was the first to charge toward Siegfried, and he clutched his throat with his face contorted in agony.

Exactly one and a half seconds later, he collapsed to the ground and never rose again.

“...Seriously? Are you an amoeba or something? Do you have half a brain cell?” Siegfried muttered with a sigh while shaking his head.

After all, this was not the first time Seung-Gu had fallen victim to radiation poisoning.

[Alert: You have cleared the Sanctuary of Colossus!]

The dungeon clearance message popped up in front of the eyes of the entire party, and a glowing portal to exit the dungeon materialized.

Before leaving, Siegfried had one important thing left to do.

Cawww! Caw!

Siegfried summoned the Three-Legged Crow to swoop down and gather all of the Amplification Shards from the irradiated battlefield.

The battlefield was saturated in deadly radioactive energy, so Siegfried was the only one who could safely retrieve the fragments.

However, manually retrieving all of the fragments one by one proved to be a time-consuming task, so he left it up to the apparition to vacuum all of them up and safely tuck the shards into his Inventory.