Debuff Master

Chapter 674

[Liberated People]

[Description: You may now collect your reward after freeing the Blanc Clan from their curse by slaying the First Black Dragon, Inkarthus.

[Type: Special Event]

[Reward: Unknown]

Siegfried swiped away at the quest detail window and looked at the sleds approaching from the distance.

Nanuqsa and the Blanc Warriors hurriedly ran toward Siegfried the moment they saw him. Then, they dropped to their knees and knelt in front of him.

“Thank you very much!” Nanuqsa exclaimed with his head on the ground. “Our people are now freed from the curse thanks to you!”

Siegfried smiled and asked, “Will you be able to leave this place now?”

“Yes, we no longer have to pay for the iniquities of our ancestors. Our bodies have now been purified from that filthy blood of the dragon.”

“That is excellent news.”

Nanuqsa looked up to Siegfried and said in a serious voice, “You, King Siegfried, are my benefactor. Not only have you saved my wife and child, but you also saved my people from the generational curse we were damned with.”

“I really didn’t do–”

“You are not only my but our entire clan’s benefactor. I, as the Blanc Clan’s chieftain...” Nanuqsa said before he paused for a second. Then, he continued, “Hereby transfer all rights and ownership over the Arctic Pangea to you.”

“What?! You’re going to give this entire place to me?” Siegfried asked with his eyes wide open from surprise.

“Yes.”

“But this place is your people’s homeland—"

“We will no longer live in this place,” Nanuqsa said. Then, he added, “We and our ancestors have been living in these hostile and treacherous lands for more than one hundred thousand years now. Inkarthus is dead, so we no longer have any reason to be bound to this place.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense...” Siegfried replied with a nod.

“But we will not be leaving immediately, as we will have to find a new place to call home on the continent. However, all of us are certain that we will eventually leave this place.”

“Hmm...”

“So you may have these lands.”

“I will be grateful if you are giving it to me.”

Siegfried did not see any point in rejecting the free gift, but neither did he see a reason to celebrate it.

‘What the hell am I going to do with this place? It’s nothing but a giant wasteland made of ice,’ Siegfried thought.

The Arctic Pangea was a very useless piece of ice block in the middle of the ocean. Not only was the temperature extremely cold, but its climate was unforgiving, too.

What value would this place bring to him?

The only reason he did not refuse the gift was simply due to Nanuqsa’s sincerity, but he couldn't really find any point in having these lands.

However, Siegfried was greatly mistaken.

Ding!

A string of messages popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Congratulations! You have obtained ownership over the Arctic Pangea!]

[Alert: The Arctic Pangea is now your territory from here onward!]

[Alert: The effect of the title Ruler of Proatine shall take effect throughout the Arctic Pangea from now on!]

[Alert: The effects of the passive skill Great King’s Blessed Land shall take effect throughout the Arctic Pangea!]

[Alert: It is time for you to explore the Arctic Pangea!]

[Alert: You may find talented individuals, hidden resources, or abundant harvest in the Arctic Pangea!]

Unfortunately, Siegfried was still skeptical even after reading the string of optimistic messages, as he did not have much expectations from the Arctic Pangea.

“Also, we, the Blanc Clan, swear eternal blood alliance with your kingdom,” Nanuqsa added.

“Huh? Blood alliance?”

“Yes, our clan will be your allies forever. And please feel free to call me if you need my help. The same goes for the Blanc Warriors.”

“Thank you.”

Siegfried was happier that he managed to secure an alliance with the Blanc Clan rather than obtaining ownership of the Arctic Pangea.

This was a natural reaction, as Nanuqsa alone was a Master yet to be revealed to the continent, and the Blanc Warriors were mighty warriors, too.

There was without a doubt that the Proatine Kingdom’s military strength would be further boosted after entering into an alliance with these mighty warriors.

“Alright, I will be in your care.”

“The same goes for me and my people. We will need lots of advice to settle on the continent.”

That was how Siegfried completed the special event "Liberated People" and gained ownership of the Arctic Pangea as well as securing an alliance with the Blanc Clan.

***

The Warp Gate was finally installed.

“Wow... How much is all of this...? Hng~! Aaah... Ahng~! This feels too good...!” Siegfried moaned and squirmed. A wave of pleasure spread throughout him as he watched the workers dismember Inkarthus’ remains.

Inkarthus’s body spanned nearly two kilometers long, which meant that a lot of things could be gained from it. To sweeten the deal even more, one of the most valuable parts of the dragon, which was the skull, remained intact and did not suffer any damage at all.

Thus, the total value of Inkarthus’ remains could only be described as astronomical and impossible to calculate into monetary value.

“Heave-ho!”

“Heave-ho!”

“Heave-ho!”

The Labor Forces from the Proatine Kingdom braved the cold and focused on dismembering the colossal dragon’s remains. They were able to stay warm in this harsh climate thanks to the King God Penguin hide that was turned into leather clothes.

The King God Penguin’s fur provided excellent insulation, so it was perfect for the Labor Forces, who were weak against water and cold.

“Excellent,” Siegfried said with a smile while sipping on his Mint Chocolate Latte.

Cheon Woo-Jin approached him and said, “Hey, you gotta turn in the quest.”

“Oh right,” Siegfried replied and cleared the quest, Frozen Lands.

[Alert: You have gained a level!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 284!]

Siegfried gained a level, which got him another step closer to Level 299.

“This place is a motherlode,” Siegfried said, sounding in awe of the Arctic Pangea’s prosperous lands.

“What? Are you talking about that dragon’s remains?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked.

“Do you think that’s the only thing this place has to offer?”

“...?”

“This place has been the biggest jackpot I’ve been thus far.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Cheon Woo-Jin muttered, tilting his head in confusion.

“Don’t bother asking if you won’t get it anyway. Hoho!” Siegfried replied with an arrogant smirk.

The Arctic Pangea would look like nothing but a desolate frozen wasteland that had nothing else to offer than extreme cold and fierce winds.

However, that was not the case for Siegfried. He had obtained hundreds of King God Penguin hides here and even had three skills enhanced, namely Real: Absolute Zero, Gluttony, and Eraser Swarm.

Was that all? No!

He even gained the skill Great Explosion and leveled up once after clearing the quest Cheon Woo-Jin gave.

On top of that, he had absorbed the First Black Dragon, Inkarthus’ dragon heart, and gained Nanuqsa, who was a Master, and the mighty Blanc Warriors as his allies.

Last but not the least, the entire Arctic Pangea was now a territory of the Proatine Kingdom.

In other words, the value of everything he obtained from the Arctic Pangea could not be quantified into monetary value.

“This place is a gift that keeps giving. Hohoho!”

“Wow... This bastard is someone that would find gold and become a tycoon even if he were stranded in a desert...” Cheon Woo-Jin muttered in awe.

“Was that a compliment?”

“Maybe it is? Maybe it’s not?”

“What did you say, punk?” Siegfried growled. He was about to get up and start a quarrel when he remembered something.

“Oh right...”

“What?”

“I met the leader of the Church of Osric.”

“What? You met their leader?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked, sounding surprised.

“Yeah.”

“How? What happened?”

“So what happened was...”

Siegfried proceeded to explain everything that happened.

“Inkarthus was a mess but that bastard looked fine.”

“That’s impossible.”

“But I have a feeling that the cult leader bastard doesn’t have a real body...”

“Huh?”

“I can’t say for certain, but he felt eerily similar to the illusions created by Count Arial. You know, like a mirage?”

“Hmm...”

“He wasn’t affected by physical attacks at all as if he were a ghost. I have a feeling that’s how he survived Scourge of God, too.”

“An illusion without a real body...”

“Anyway, why don’t you look into it? See if there are any monsters similar to that.”

“Sure,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied with a nod.

“Ah, one more thing,” Siegfried said. Then, he grinned and continued, “I think we can get a clue on how to catch the Church of Osric.”

“How?”

“Do you see that?” Siegfried said, pointing at the far end of where the dismembering process was taking place.

There were pieces of metal tanks and the metallic hoses used to inject the strange liquid into Inkarthus over there.

“Those are stuff used by the Church of Osric. They’re in bad shape after getting hit by Scourge of God but...”

“No way...? Are you thinking of tracing those things back to them?”

“Yeah. Making those kinds of special stuff in large quantities will require a significant amount of money and technology—”

“And being able to install them in this place without being detected by the Blanc Clan is another thing,” Cheon Woo-Jin continued.

“Exactly.”

“I thought the Church of Osric was just a bunch of cult-obsessed lunatics but... I didn’t think they were capable of scheming something this grand. But to scheme something this big they would require—”

“Money, power, and influence at a national level, right?”

“Exactly.”

“The Church of Osric is definitely receiving backing from somewhere. It’s not some small random kingdom. I’m certain that it’s at least one of the established nations—no, it could even be one of the powerhouses on the continent.”

“That’s highly likely.”

“I’ll use my intelligence agents to find out who’s backing them. Meanwhile, you look into the Savior.”

“Alright.”

Siegfried and Cheon Woo-Jin decided on their roles in tracking the Church of Osric.

“Ah, I’m getting tired. I should probably log out and get some rest,” Siegfried said while stretching his arms.

Then, he headed to the tent but—

“Huh?”

—He was certain that he was walking toward the tent, but his character was moving backward.

“It’s the same as that time...?”

Siegfried van Proa suddenly performed a moonwalk and slide backward, which meant that the effect of the passive skill, Great King’s Blessed Land, had activated just like that time in the Espadrille Province.

“E-Ehh?”

Siegfried ended up getting dragged against his will in the totally opposite direction of his destination.

***

Whoosh!

Siegfried slid at the same speed as the sled of the Blanc Clan traveling across the Extreme Frost Road. He slid for quite a while until he finally before a forest shining in the colors of the rainbow.

“W-Where am I...?” Siegfried muttered.

He switched on the mini-map to check his current location, but—

“Heok?!”

—He was shocked to find that he was one hundred fifty kilometers away from the site where Inkarthus’ remains were located.

Then, a message popped up in front of his eyes, informing him of his current location.

[Arctic Pangea: Snowflake Forest]