Debuff Master

Chapter 388

Legendary Blacksmith Wurttemberg took out a massive belt.

“W-What is this?” Siegfried asked.

The belt had a golden shine to it, and it was so big that anyone would think of it as a pro wrestling champion belt.

“That’s one of the best artifacts I have ever made in my life.”

“But what is it?”

“What else can it be? It’s a belt.”

“The design is a bit...”

“Why? Isn't it too much?”

“I mean... who wouldn’t be burdened by this design...?”

“Ha! Comodos had no problem wearing it!” Wurttemberg scoffed and said while rolling his eyes.

Siegfried ended up shouting, “That guy was a Dragonoid! He was three meters tall!”

Siegfried’s height was around one hundred eighty-one centimeters, which wasn't that short. However, Wurttemberg’s belt was at least one hundred eighty-five centimeters long, and it probably weighed more than ninety kilograms.

Siegfried reckoned that only giants could wear it.

Siegfried had already found the belt burdensome, but it was made even more burdensome by...

Sparkle! Sparkle! Sparkle!

Siegfried had no idea what kind of metal was used to craft the belt, but it was sparkling in a blinding gold light that would certainly grab everyone’s attention.

“Ha! I can just reduce its size!”

“Is that possible?”

“You can reduce its size and wear it when not using its active skills.”

“Oh?”

“Why don’t you take a look?”

Siegfried flashed his Rune of Insight at the humongous belt.

[Great Champion Belt]

[One of the masterpieces of the Legendary Blacksmith, Wurttemberg.]

[It is known to have been used by the Ancient Warrior, Comodos.]

[Type: Armor]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Stats: +2,500 Defense, +1,000 HP, +300 Strength]

The stats provided by the belt were quite impressive, and the +2,500 Defense it gave was probably going to protect its user from most attacks.

However, that wasn't the true power of the belt.

[Active Skill: Energy Buster]

[The energy gathered in the belt will shoot out like a laser beam.]

[The laser beam will consume energy while active, and it will penetrate targets, causing massive damage.]

The active skill of the belt, Energy Buster, was definitely a huge boost to Siegfried’s arsenal of ranged skills. On top of that, it could deal massive damage capable of penetrating targets, which would definitely come in handy.

[Active Skill: Belt Shot]

[Swing the belt at an enemy.]

[Enemies hit by the belt are guaranteed to get stunned.]

The skill name sounded a bit despicable, but the stun guarantee was even more despicable.

“What do you think? Do you like it?”

“Yes, I do,” Siegfried replied with a nod.

“Why don’t you try it on?”

“Okay.”

Siegfried took off the Megingjord he was wearing and wore the Great Champion Belt.

Seuruk!

Then, the Great Champion Belt was reduced in size to fit Siegfried’s waist.

“See! It looks good on you!”

“I guess...?”

“What’s that belt you were wearing—Huh? Isn’t this the Megingjord?”

“Do you know this belt?”

“I certainly do,” Wurttemberg replied with a strange smile. Then, he said, “A blacksmith I know made that belt after getting inspired by a hero from mythology. It allows you to swap weapons in the blink of an eye, am I right?”

“Yes, you are right.”

“But I don’t think you need it anymore since you have that weapon,” Wurttemberg said while pointing at Horse Fly.

He certainly lived up to his reputation as a Legendary Blacksmith. He instantly saw through what Horse Fly was capable of despite not possessing the Rune of Insight.

“It looks like you can handle a variety of weapons, but I think you can set Megingjord aside since you already have that weapon.”

“Yeah, I will do that.”

Siegfried placed Megingjord in his Inventory just like Wurttemberg suggested, and he decided to use the Great Champion Belt from now on.

“Thank you. I will use this well,” Siegfried said with a bow.

“No need to thank me. That thing has been rotting in the storage for I don’t know how long now. That belt’s quite fortunate to have finally found an owner in someone as young and strong as you.”

“Haha...”

“It’s time for you to go,” Wurttemberg said while shooing Siegfried away. “I’m already dead, so I can stay here as a spirit. However, you're still alive, so it’s time for you to go back to the living.”

“Yes, Elder-nim,” Siegfried replied with a bow. Then, he stood up and said goodbye, “I will be going now.”

“Be on your way,” Wurttemberg said with a smile.

Siegfried turned around and was about to leave the Sky Tower when Wurttemberg’s sad voice caught his ears.

“Hoho... How should I entertain myself from now on? Only ten challengers have attempted to climb this tower in thousands of years... When can I sell all of these artifacts...?”

Whoosh!

Siegfried looked back at the Legendary Blacksmith, and the reason was...

Clink! Clink! Clink!

Wurttemberg’s muttering sounded like gold coins dropping in his ears.

***

‘Sniff! Sniff!’ Siegfried could instinctively smell something the moment he heard Wurttemberg’s muttering. ‘Money! This is the smell of money! I smell MONEY!’

Siegfried came up with a way to make money by using the Sky Tower. A way to empty the pockets of the tens of thousands of Adventurers gathered outside the Sky Tower.

“Elder-nim?” Siegfried called out to him.

“Hmm? You’re still here?”

“Yes.”

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

“I heard what you said just now by chance...”

“Don’t mind the ramblings of this old spirit.”

“That's...”

“Hmm?”

“I have the key to this tower, so I was thinking... If I made a business out of granting entry to the tower for the Adventurers...?”

“B-Business?!” Wurttemberg exclaimed before he asked, “Are you saying you will sell the right to enter the tower?!”

“Yes, I have already cleared the tower twice and gotten everything I need from it, so I no longer have business here.”

“Ahem!”

“But it’s different for the other Adventurers. There are tens of thousands of Adventurers waiting to challenge the tower,” Siegfried said while thinking of the crowd waiting outside the tower. Then, he added, “You mentioned just now that you are bored, and you still have many artifacts left to sell.”

“Yes, I did say that.”

“The Sky Tower was made to train the young knights of the empire, right? But it's been thousands of years since then, and the empire is long gone. So what if we open the tower to the Adventurers and let the tower fulfill its purpose through them?”

“Opening the tower?!”

“You have been stuck here for thousands of years, right? This is the golden opportunity to let the tower serve its purpose!”

“That’s a great idea!”

“But not for free.”

“Hmm?”

“Only I have the key to enter the tower, so... What I want to say is—“

“The tower is yours?”

“Well, sort of...” Siegfried replied while awkwardly scratching the back of his head, and then he explained, “I can claim ownership of it in a sense since the empire has long fallen, and I’m the only one who can enter here, right?”

“You’re not wrong. The tower does belong to you now.”

“And I do not want to miss such a lucrative business opportunity when I am a king with my own kingdom, so...”

“Do as you like,” Wurttemberg said with a laugh, and then he added, “Besides, who else can enter this tower if you decide to keep the key to yourself?”

“I guess?”

“There’s no such thing as a free meal in this world, so I don’t think it’s a bad idea for them to pay an entrance fee if they want to challenge this tower.”

“I will proceed with it if you are fine with it, Elder-nim.”

“Go ahead, but how much are you planning to charge?”

“Hmm... I am thinking of charging five hundred gold coins for the entrance fee and around ten percent of the essence they gather here.”

Siegfried was planning on taking a cut of the Essence of the Strong the Adventurers would obtain in the Sky Tower. This could be called auto farming in gaming terms.

“Huh? Essence? Why don’t you just charge more gold up front?” Wurttemberg said while looking perplexed.

“I have people to take care of,” Siegfried replied. He was planning to give half of the entrance fee to Amundsen and distribute the Essence of the Strong to his companions so they could purchase the Graduate Gears. If his companions no longer needed the essence later on, then he could just sell it to the Adventurers.

“I don’t mind, so just do as you wish.”

“Thank you very much, Elder-nim.”

“No need to thank me, so be on your way.”

“Yes, sir.”

Siegfried merrily skipped out of the Sky Tower.

***

A few days later, an NPC from the Proatine Kingdom was stationed outside the Sky Tower.

“Please line up! Take a number and line up!” A long line of Adventurers were lined up in front of the NPC. “The entrance fee is five hundred gold! Wear this bracelet when you enter! Ten percent of the essence you gather will be directly deducted and transferred to the kingdom!”

The Proatine Kingdom decided to permanently station an NPC in front of the Sky Tower to manage the Adventurers instead of Siegfried doing the job.

The NPC was in charge of collecting the entrance fee while distributing the magic bracelet that would automatically send ten percent of the Essence of the Strong the Adventurers would collect in the tower. The bracelet was a safeguard that they had created, as the Adventurers would obviously shortchange them.

And that was how the Sky Tower, which had been shrouded in mystery ever since BNW opened, was unveiled to the public.

The Adventurers were allowed to enter it as long as they paid Siegfried.

“What the hell?!”

“How can somebody own a dungeon?!”

“Why do I have to pay an entrance fee?!”

A few Adventurers grumbled after the entrance fee for the Sky Tower was announced, but they were berated by the other Adventurers instead.

“Hey! Go away if you’re going to complain!”

“Are you a beggar?”

“The key belongs to Siegfried-nim, so why can’t he charge us? Do you think he’s running a charity?”

“Haven’t you considered that you can get more than what you pay for here?”

“Wow... Look at those shameless thugs wanting to use other people’s property for free...”

Nobody disputed that the Sky Tower belonged to Siegfried.

In other words, the Sky Tower was not a public place, but rather, Siegfried’s private property. Anyone cursing Siegfried for collecting payment to enter his private property was going to be berated by the others.

It was like how a tenant cursing a kind landlord was going to be berated by the other tenants.

As such, any backlash against Siegfried was instantly quelled.

To begin with, the entrance fee wasn't that expensive, and the Adventurers would end up earning more from the tower—way more than the entrance fee they had to pay to access the tower.

***

Cheon Woo-Jin dropped by the Proatine Kingdom to award the quest rewards, and he was shaking his head while looking at Siegfried, who was sitting on the throne.

“Wow... You’re making money off of dungeons now? You’re quite something...”

“Why? Can’t stand watching me get rich? You’re the one who told me to become a landlord, remember? How’s collecting rent a problem?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just amazed by you, that’s all.”

“Why?”

“Because you look like the perfect monster created by capitalism?”

“I love capitalism! Peace!” Siegfried exclaimed as he raised the index and thumb fingers of both hands like a certain capitalist lobster.

Bling! Bling!

The artifacts he was wearing on his neck, wrists, fingers, ears, and waist sparkled brightly, and he looked like those rappers on social media.

“You’re crazy...” Cheon Woo-Jin grumbled and shook his head at the monster Siegfried had become in just over a year.

“Enough about that. Hurry up and give me my rewards.”

“Fine.”

The quest popped up in front of both Siegfried and Cheon Woo-Jin, but...

Ding!

[Alert: You are unable to clear the Quest – Destroy the Suspicious Altar!]

A strange message popped up instead of the quest's clear message.

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