Debuff Master

Chapter 769

Chapter 769

The City of Sicario was situated in the southern region of the Nurburg Continent and was a relatively small settlement. However, its strategic importance suddenly skyrocketed when an unexpected number of warp gates were connected to it from every corner of the continent, transforming it into a bustling hub of commerce and trade.

Over time, Sicario evolved into a sanctuary for Adventurers. It was a prime location for trade and commerce, and for many, it became the prime destination for buying and selling items.

Unless an Adventurer had found a specific trading partner in advance, Sicario was unparalleled when it came to conducting transactions with the other Adventurers.

‘I should get what I need and get out of here as quickly as possible,’ Siegfried thought.

With his inventory overflowing with gold, his goal was to buy every enhanced item that he could find.

Time was of the essence, as he had no idea what nefarious schemes the Church of Osric or its leader, Acheron, were plotting in the ruins of the Suzdal Empire. Every second counted right now, and he had to make sure to use them to grow stronger as much as possible.

As usual, Sicario was a bustling marketplace with various voices calling out for attention.

“I need high-grade revolvers!”

“Selling +13 Protector Sword!”

“I have various crafting materials for sale!”

Numerous Adventurers shouted at the top of their lungs about what they were buying or selling, causing the streets to turn into utter chaos. There were rows of vending machines and stalls set up and lined the pathways, and hustlers ran back and forth, all in hopes of making a sale to a customer.

‘I should find a spot first,’ Siegfried thought as he moved toward the center of Sicario.

He found an open area that was perfectly suitable for what he was about to do, and he placed down a Magical Vending Machine.

[Magical Vending Machine]

[Nobody can destroy or move this vending machine; stealing from it is even more impossible.]

[Open Shop]

[Slot Upgrade ($)]

[Install Banner ($)]

[Hire Promoter ($)]

Siegfried took the non-enhanced items in his Inventory, ones he could sell for gold, and placed them into the vending machine before setting their prices. Then, he accessed the banner options to advertise the vending machine.

[Install Banner]

[Allows the user to install a banner and promote their Magical Vending Machine.]

[You will require enough gold to install and sustain the banner.]

[You may use the banner for thirty days.]

[Low-Tier to Top-Tier Banner]

[Flashy Banner]

[Eye-Catching Banner]

[Fire Fire Fire Banner]

[Ninety-Nine Other Banners]

After reviewing his options, Siegfried purchased the most expensive one, the Super Mega Marketing Banner.

Then, he typed in the following promotional text...

<??Bombshell Blowout?Sale??Buy 10$$Get 15 PREMIUM POTIONS???100%Guaranteed? ?? 100% FREE? *Terms and Conditions Apply

§§15% Discount MINIMUM!!!3§§?BRAVE NEW WORLD@@ Exclusive Deals <DON’T MISS OUT>$$>

Once activated, the banner floated high above Sicario, producing an incredible effect that was sure to catch anyone’s eye. The text shone brightly over the city, and the details of the items and their prices set by Siegfried popped up in bubbles beside them.

How effective was this? The vending machine immediately went viral.

“Move! I said move!”

“Get out of my way! I saw it first!”

“Hey! Stop pushing! Form a line!”

Adventurers from all over Sicario rushed toward Siegfried’s vending machine after getting lured in by the promotions. His prices were a whopping ten to twenty percent cheaper than the market rate, making it impossible for any Adventurer to resist it.

[Alert: Athena’s Boots has been sold!]

[Alert: Flame Herald has been sold!]

[Alert: Legacy of the Fallen has been sold!]

[Alert: Low Blow Walker has been sold!]

[Alert: Storm Blade Halber has been sold!]

Siegfried’s items were selling like hotcakes, vanishing from the vending machine in an instant.

However, Siegfried didn't stop there. He summoned all of the promoters, including the best one.

[Monterey]

[A large man with a fiery temper and a rough-looking face.]

[He looks like a gangster, but he is actually a good person who runs an orphanage to look after orphans.]

[Three years ago, he attempted to raid an evil noble’s granary to feed the orphans, but he was caught by the knights and sentenced to imprisonment.]

[His words are crude, but he is a warm and gentle person.]

[Type: NPC]

[Level: 100]

[Class: Strong Man]

[Affiliation: Monterey Orphanage]

[Rank: Director]

[Titles: Tsundere, Warm Country Bumpkin, Strong Man, Warm Man.]

“Reporting for duty, Your Majesty!” Monterey greeted Siegfried with a salute.

“It has been a while, Lieutenant Monterey,” Siegfried greeted back.

“Indeed, Your Majesty!”

“I apologize for pulling you away from your duties.”

“Not at all! I will come running to the ends of the world if Your Majesty calls for me!”

Siegfried handed bags of gold to Monterey and the other promoters.

“Take this gold and buy every single enhanced artifact you can find in this city. The price doesn’t matter, but just make sure to avoid obvious scams.”

“Eh? Ah, I mean—Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”

Monterey and the other promoters hurried off while feeling baffled by the sudden order.

Meanwhile, Hamchi looked at him and asked, “Hey, owner punk...? Are you crying? Kyu?”

“N-No, I’m not!” Siegfried retorted.

“Kyuuu! Don’t lie to me! Why are you crying?!”

“I said I’m not! Shut up!”

Siegfried vehemently denied crying, but his tears betrayed him as they were streaming uncontrollably down his face.

He could not help it, as attempting to acquire the Orb of Enhancement was inherently wasteful. Even with top-tier dismantling machines, the materials gained from breaking down an artifact were only worth around seventy to eighty percent of their original cost.

In other words, dismantling an item meant that the item would lose twenty to thirty percent of its value.

Unfortunately, Siegfried had no other choice but to stomach this loss if he wanted to ensure a successful enhancement of his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp to +15.

***

The promoters hired by Siegfried swarmed Sicario and relentlessly purchased every enhanced artifact in sight.

Once Siegfried began spending his money, the true scale of his wealth became evident.

He truly had an unfathomable amount of gold, and it was an amount that most Adventurers couldn't even hope to see, regardless of whether they had dedicated their entire lives to the game or not.

This wealth was accumulated through countless victories in war and the kingdom that Siegfried owned. Thus, the promoters managed to snatch up over ninety percent of all enhanced weapons being traded in Sicario.

Siegfried spent an astronomical amount of gold—over two hundred billion won in mere moments. Of course, this was an amount that would not even dent the treasury of the Proatine Kingdom, but it was still an undeniably absurdly large sum.

***

“Thank you for your hard work,” Siegfried thanked the promoters, who ran around on his behalf purchasing the enhanced items. Then, he headed straight back to the Proatine Kingdom and began dismantling the enhanced items he had bought.

The process of obtaining the Orbs of Enhancement could only be described as arduous.

He had to dismantle the enhanced items and pray, relying purely on luck. He had to hit what was commonly known as a jackpot to obtain an orb.

[Alert: You have hit the jackpot!]

[Alert: You have obtained Orb of Enhancement!]

[Alert: You have hit the jackpot!]

[Alert: You have obtained Orb of Enhancement!]

[Alert: You have hit the jackpot!]

[Alert: You have obtained Orb of Enhancement!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have hit the jackpot!]

[Alert: You have obtained Orb of Enhancement!]

Perhaps it was due to the astronomical sum of money Siegfried had invested, but he managed to acquire a substantial number of Orb of Enhancement.

But...

[Alert: You have obtained Tentacle Tendril!]

[Alert: You have obtained Blessing of Ronnie Coleman!]

[Alert: You have obtained Tears of Cruelty!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have obtained Frozen Twig!]

Upon amassing around fifty Orbs of Enhancement, Siegfried no longer struck the jackpot for some reason.

“Huh?”

Siegfried grew visibly anxious at that. He needed a total of two hundred Orb of Enhancement to enhance his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp into +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp, but as soon as he hit one hundred Orb of Enhancement, the jackpots inexplicably stopped coming.

“Argh!”

The frustration was unbearable, as every second wasted trying to enhance his weapon was agonizing to him. To make matters worse, the astronomical cost of dismantling items without achieving results meant that he would stand to lose a huge fortune in vain.

“Come on... Just one more, please...!” Siegfried pleaded and prayed as he pulled the lever.

The enhanced items he had purchased were disappearing one by one, and his anxiety and desperation would grow stronger every time he pulled the lever.

Then, finally, it happened.

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: You have hit the jackpot while dismantling +11 Crescent Blade!]

Instead of the Orb of Enhancement, he ended up obtaining...

[Alert: You have obtained Black Hole Cosmos!]

[Alert: You have obtained Flame Spirit!]

[Alert: You have obtained Lightning Core!]

He stared at the messages in disbelief. He indeed hit the jackpot, but instead of the Orb of Enhancement, he received consumables that boosted his elemental attribute energy.

“Oh?”

These weren't what he desperately needed, but they were still rare items, so the sight of them made him smile.

But that was not the end of the surprises...

He pulled the lever once again and hit the jackpot once more.

[Alert: You have hit the jackpot!]

[Alert: You have obtained Eye of Inzaghi!]

While dismantling another +11 Crescent Blade, Siegfried obtained what appeared to be an item that was a part of the Inzaghi Set.

“What? There was another item part of the set?” he muttered, confused.

Curious, he flashed his Rune of Insight at the item, examining it.

[Eye of Inzaghi]

[A lens with a wide range. It is capable of perceiving all things.]

[Type: Consumable]

[Rating: Legendary]

[Effect: Adds +150 charges to Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance]

“Oh!” Siegfried exclaimed out of surprise after reading the item’s description. He was starting to get worried about running out of charges for Inzaghi’s Clairvoyance, so obtaining the Eye of Inzaghi brought him immense relief.

Of course, this was not the Orb of Enhancement he was looking for, but it was still undeniably a valuable item.

Unfortunately, his joy was short-lived.

“Ughh...” he groaned after checking his Inventory.

He had accumulated a total of 107 Orb of Enhancement, so he still needed 93 orbs.

The math was clear, Siegfried had taken a staggering loss.

“Tsk... I have no other choice,” he grumbled.

He had no intention of risking his +13 Vanquisher’s Grasp, so he reluctantly accepted his loss. He stashed all of the materials he gained from dismantling and headed back to Sicario once again.

This time, he planned to sell the materials for gold and combine that with his remaining funds to purchase more enhanced items.

‘Tsk... If only there was some guild war happening nearby... I’d just massacre both sides and loot their items...’ Siegfried thought as he made his way to the warp gate leading to Sicario.

Then, he stepped into the warp gate and warped to Sicario.

Rumble!

It was then.

“Hey, Han Tae-Sung!”

“You bastard!”

Much to his surprise, Siegfried found himself face-to-face with Diesel and Palchuk the moment he stepped out of the warp gate.