Chapter 553

Chapter 553

‘My body is decaying?!’ Siegfried was shocked at the message that popped up in front of his eyes.

How was it possible that his body was suddenly decaying?

‘Huh?’ Siegfried saw the back of his hand turning black.

Ding!

Then, another string of messages popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Your character’s body has started to rot due to the effects of Decay!]

[Alert: You are turning into an undead!]

[Alert: There are 4 minutes and 59 seconds remaining until you become an undead!]

[Alert: 4 minutes 58 seconds... 4 minutes 57 seconds...]

It turned out that the black fog was not poisonous but rather something much more sinister. Who would have imagined it would turn those it touched into the undead? Did it even make sense that he had less than five minutes before turning into an undead?

“What in the world is this...?” Siegfried grumbled in disbelief while staring at his decaying arm.

Death Fog smirked and said, “I have offered to grant you a painless death, yet you refused it, insect.”

“...”

“But I am a benevolent being, so I will still grant you a painless death if you tell me the whereabouts of the fragments. If not...” Death Fog said. Then, he flashed an insidious smile and continued, “You will become my slave!”

It was then.

“Grrr...! Grrrrr!”

Seung-Gu started growling like an animal. His eyes rolled back, showing the whites, and he convulsed uncontrollably. Half of his body had already decayed, and he would soon become a zombie.

He possessed the lowest level among the participants of Operation Trojan Horse, so he was quickly becoming an undead.

“Seung-Gu!”

“H-Hyung-nim... Kuheok! Grrr! Grrr Aaah!”

“Damn it...!” Siegfried cursed under his breath. He gnashed his teeth and glared at the boss monster, ‘I did expect we would suffer, but this is...’

He expected them to run into difficulties against the boss monster, but this was something he did not expect at all. How was he supposed to know what kind of attack pattern the boss monster had, their skills, and their overall strength/

These kinds of unexpected situations were the only thing an Adventurer could expect when they were facing a boss that nobody had ever faced before.

However, Siegfried remained unfazed by the current situation. Instead, he tightly gripped his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp and charged at the boss monster.

‘Time is of the essence!’

The only thing on his mind right now was to kill Death Fog within five minutes.

***

Meanwhile, Cheon Woo-Jin was having a chat with Iris back at the headquarters of the Guardians located somewhere on the continent.

“How do you find this place? Is there anything you find uncomfortable?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked.

“I am fine, so please do not be so worried,” Iris replied.

“That is a relief,” he said with a smile. Then, he added, “I was worried you'd feel suffocated being trapped in here.”

“I have always lived as a recluse in my mansion, so I am used to it.”

“Oh?”

“As you might be aware, I do not like going out. Therefore, staying indoors all the time does not frustrate me at all, nor does it make me feel suffocated.”

“I see. I guess I was overthinking it.” Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

Cheon Woo-Jin opened his inventory and took out a canvas, palette, watercolors, oil paints, and many different other art supplies.

“I heard that you enjoy painting, and your paintings are all masterpieces”

“Ah.”

“So I prepared these, hoping that you'd use them whenever you are bored.”

“Thank you for the kind thoughts, but I will have to decline them.”

“Huh?”

Cheon Woo-Jin was perplexed when Iris refused his gifts. He thought she would accept these art supplies, as her only hobby was painting.

“I have decided to stop painting. I am no longer interested in it,” Iris explained.

“Ah...”

Bam!

Siegfried slammed into the wall, causing it to crack and crumble.

“You can’t beat me, insect.”

“Argh...!”

“You will slowly decay until you become my slave!” Death Fog exclaimed. Then, he smirked and said, “So accept your fate and serve me.”

“Ughh...”

“Or you have the option of telling me where the other fragments are.”

“It’s in...”

“Hmm?”

“Your heart.”

“What?”

“Shut the fuck up and let’s continue the fight,” Siegfried growled before activating the second stage of Overclocking.

Wooooong!

A golden aura burst out of Siegfried as he activated Super Armor, which rendered him immune to knockbacks.

“Fool!” Death Fog shouted and swung his gigantic scythe once more.

The very next moment...

Bam!

Siegfried swung his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp to block the gigantic scythe, creating a powerful shockwave that tore across the throne room. The shockwave was so powerful that Yong Tae-Pung and the other Rankers fending off the undead monsters at the entrance were thrown off their feet upon getting hit.

However, Siegfried remained steadfast and didn't budge an inch even after getting hit by the shockwave, and this was all thanks to one of the effects provided by Overclocking, which was Super Armor.

“...!”

Death Fog couldn't believe his eyes after seeing that the insect had managed to withstand the shockwave of his attack. However, he could not stay shocked for long, as Siegfried immediately swung his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp at him.

‘I'll be in danger if I get hit by that!’

Death Fog attempted to evade the incoming attack, but it was to no avail, as Siegfried's target wasn't him but the ground before him.

Bam!

The +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp struck the ground.

Fwaaaaah!

Pillars of fire shot up from the ground and instantly hardened to form an indestructible barrier that swallowed both Death Fog and Siegfried.

It was the Barrier of Victory created by the Debuff Master’s skill that maximized his stats in one-on-one duels, the Grand Duel.

‘I’ll keep the pressure on him,’ Siegfried thought and went on the offensive.

Bam!

Death Fog was blasted away, and he crashed into his throne after getting smacked by the +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp. The throne was destroyed into pieces, and its fragments scattered all over the ground.

‘I can’t let this drag any longer. I have to end it quickly,’ Siegfried thought while running toward the boss monster.

[Alert: There are 3 minutes and 51 seconds remaining until you become an undead!]

[Alert: Your character’s body has decayed!]

[Alert: All stats have been reduced by 30%!]

Siegfried suffered a massive hit to his stats due to the effects of decay, so he could not afford to let the fight drag any longer. He placed down all of his debuff fields within the Barrier of Victory and prepared to use his most powerful offensive skill, Touch of Death.

‘My opponent is one of the Fragments of Apocalius. He won’t die unless I use Touch of Death,’ Siegfried thought before throwing himself toward the boss monster.

It was then...

Bam! Krwaaang!

The ceiling crumbled, but the duel between the two wasn't interrupted. Siegfried had no idea what was happening above them, but he paid no heed to it as nothing could enter into the Barrier of Victory while it was active.

‘I don’t know what that is, but I can’t lose focus here!’ Siegfried had his eyes on Death Fog and on Death Fog alone.

‘Now’s my chance!’

Krwaaaang!

Siegfried imbued his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp with the overwhelming energy of the Touch of Death before swinging it toward the crown of Death Fog’s head.