Debuff Master

“I’ll see you in the game then.”

“Sure, oppa. Get home safely.”

Tae-Sung headed home after parting ways with Seul-Gi. He had a few glasses of wine with her, but he did not have to worry about driving drunk.

Why?

It was all because technology had advanced enough that autonomous driving had already become mainstream.

Cars were now equipped with autopilot systems that used a network of sensors to scan road conditions. The development of 6G technology also allowed these cars to get connected to the transmitters installed on the road and communicate with them in real time, making manual driving almost unnecessary.

Tae-Sung leaned back in his seat and activated autopilot, allowing the car to drive itself as he listened to music with his convoy of bodyguards following closely behind him.

Just then, a thought struck him.

“Wait, no,” Tae-Sung muttered to himself. He changed his destination and picked up his phone to ring Yong Seol-Hwa.

“What are you doing right now?”

— Just sitting around.

“Wanna meet up for a bit?”

Yong Seol-Hwa was doing nothing at home, and Tae-Sung's suggestion caught her off guard. She would have brushed off the tabloid rumors she read earlier this evening, but there was something about them that made her uneasy.

After reading the articles online, she couldn't stop brooding over them at home that she even turned down her father’s offer to share a meal of fried chicken and locked herself in her room.

“Is it too late? Should we just meet another time?” Tae-Sung asked, sensing her hesitation.

— No! It’s alright! Where are you?

“I’m on my way home, but I thought I’d stop by to see you.”

— Okay! But you might have to wait a bit. Is that alright with you?

“I’ll just sit in my car, so don’t worry.”

— All right then!

“See you soon.”

— Okay~! See you!

Tae-Sung changed his course for Yong Seol-Hwa’s house. Her house was located in a luxurious complex in Hannam, where the property prices easily exceeded billions of won. This was not surprising at all, as her father, Yong Tae-Pung, was a legendary gamer of his era, so living in such an affluent neighborhood was only normal for her.

Fifteen minutes later, Yong Seol-Hwa appeared at the front gate.

“Oppa!” she called out.

“Hey,” Tae-Sung answered with a smile. Then, he extended a cup and asked, “Want some coffee?”

“E-Eh? T-Thank you!” she stammered in response before taking the cup.

“Can we have a chat?”

“Sure!”

They sat together on the bench outside her house.

“So, what brings you here this late?” she asked, sipping her coffee.

“I wanted to ask for a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“I’ve got a—”

“I’ll help!” Yong Seol-Hwa cut him off.

“Huh? I haven’t even told you what it is yet…?”

“I don’t have to hear the rest. You need teammates for the upcoming match, right?”

“Y-Yeah, I do. Haha…”

“I’ll leave the guild and submit my application tomorrow.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“It’s not like I’m leaving forever.”

“But still…”

“Dad will understand.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course!”

“Thanks,” Tae-Sung said, sounding relieved. Then, he said with a faint smile, “I was feeling pretty lost about all this.”

“I understand. You don’t know a lot of gamers, right?”

“Yeah, not that many.”

“But have you filled all the slots?”

“There’s me, Seung-Gu, and the person from the article earlier. That makes four of us.”

“What, what?”

“She’s a gamer, too. I met her to ask if she’d join our guild.”

“Oh…” Yong Seol-Hwa muttered after finally understanding the situation. Then, she asked carefully, “So you two really aren’t involved?”

“Eh? Of course not.”

Ironically, Tae-Sung felt slightly guilty after saying that. There had been a near-miss incident with Seul-Gi a year ago, but he did not really feel the need to share this bit of information—especially for Yong Seol-Hwa’s sake.

“So, how many do you still need?” she asked, changing the subject.

“One. Just one more.”

“Hmm… I could recommend a few people, but I’m not sure if they’re the type you want.”

“I see…”

“But you still have time, so maybe you’ll find someone?”

“I really hope so.”

The conversation slowly drifted to other light-hearted topics that the two could comfortably chat about before Tae-Sung eventually went home.

The next morning, however…

[Breaking News] Pro Gamer Han Tae-Sung Spotted on Dates with Two Different Women in One Day!

[Entertainment] Han Tae-Sung and Two Women—What’s the Truth Behind the Rumors?

[Exclusive News] Secret Meetings Between Han Tae-Sung and Yong Seol-Hwa—Is Infidelity in the Air?

“Those damn reporters!” Tae-Sung screamed while scrolling through the headlines that dominated the search rankings overnight. Then, he clenched his fist tightly and growled, “I swear I’m going to buy a media company one day and shut them all down. Just you wait!”

***

Siegfried recruited seven hundred new guild members and filtered five hundred elite players to participate in the upcoming match.

The match allowed guilds to field up to five hundred guild members in addition to four admins and the guild master.

Thus, Siegfried picked exactly five hundred guild members.

However, there was still one spot remaining.

“Where am I supposed to find someone else…?” Siegfried muttered while racking his brain trying to think of anyone fitting for the role.

He thought of placing one of the legends under his wings, but none of them were at a high enough level to participate in large-scale battles. They were leveling up at a scary pace, but they were still far from ready to participate in a guild war.

Siegfried continued reviewing the guild roster in hopes of finding someone usable when a piece of unexpected news came to him.

“Your Majesty! The Guild Master of the Beggar’s Guild, Beggarius, is seeking an audience with you.”

“Hmm? Send him in.”

A moment later, Beggarius entered Siegfried’s office.

Ugh!

Siegfried grimaced and covered his mouth and nose with his hand upon getting a whiff of Beggarius' overwhelmingly disgusting stench.

“You really should bathe more often. You smell like… rotting soy sauce…” Siegfried grumbled.

“I have to disguise myself as a beggar!” Beggarius retorted.

“I don’t think that’s a disguise.”

“It is! This is just a cover!”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say, old man.”

“Y-You…!” Beggarius fumed.

Siegfried waved a pile of paper and said, “So, what do you want? I’m really busy right now.”

“You won’t find any real talent just by staring at those papers.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve already handpicked a few candidates for you to consider.”

“What?! Really?!”

“Yeah, take a look, these are Adventurers with no current guild affiliations,” Beggarius handed Siegfried some documents containing the information of several Adventurers.

“Nice!”

“There are about ten in total, but my top recommendation is… let’s see… This guy right here.”

Siegfried read the name on the document, “Daytona?”

“Yes, he’s very skilled,” Beggarius said with a nod.

“You think this guy is really good?”

“He’s solid with top-tier skills.”

“Oh?”

“He's also pretty tough, which is quite rare these days.”

Daytona was a knight clad in full plate armor with a massive sword in hand. He was what most gamers knew as a pure tank.

“But he’s not lacking in offensive capabilities either.”

“Interesting.”

“Imagine tossing this guy behind enemy lines.”

“That would definitely be intimidating. His firepower is lacking, but he will without a doubt cause serious damage. Of course, I’ll have to see it firsthand to judge.”

“Trust me. You won’t regret it.”

“Well then, I suppose I should pay him a visit.”

With that, Siegfried decided to meet the Adventurer that Beggarius had recommended to him.

Right after he left, Beggarius grinned and chuckled. “Hehe…! I guess I’ll explore the Royal Palace of the Proatine Kingdom.”

Unfortunately, he had no idea what kind of monsters lurked within these palace walls…

***

Interestingly, Daytona owned a house on the continent, which was quite a rare sight. The policies enforced by the World Peace Council made it clear that Adventurers were not allowed to own property unless in some special cases.

Why?

It was all because the NPCs were wary of the Adventurers and for a good reason.

The Adventurers were capable of growing stronger not only in power but also in influence, and they'd eventually become a significant problem for the NPCs. After all, they were not just becoming stronger but were also raking in money by being employed in numerous fields.

The NPCs feared that the growing affluence of the Adventurers would disrupt the housing market, so they made it illegal for them to own property on the continent.

So how come Daytona had a house here?

“He must be renting,” Siegfried assumed that the house was leased not owned.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Siegfried knocked on the door of the estate.

“Who is it?”

A blond, fair-skinned man peeked out from inside.

“Hello,” Siegfried greeted.

“Oh! Siegfried!”

Daytona immediately recognized him and was actually surprised to see such a famous person standing at his door.

It wasn't strange that Daytona recognized Siegfried at a glance, as the latter had become recognizable worldwide due to his feat of winning the Super Rookie Tournament.

“What brings a famous person like you here?” Daytona asked.

“I would like to talk if that is alright with you. You are Daytona, right?”

“Yes, that is me.”

“Do you mind if I come in?”

“Of course, please.”

Daytona gladly invited Siegfried into his home.

Siegfried flashed his Rune of Insight to check the man’s stats.

[Daytona]

[Type: Adventurer]

[Level: 299]

[Affiliation: N/A]

[Class: Titan Knight]

[Titles: Battle Wrecker, Murderous Tank, Romantic, Romantist of the Century]

Daytona could be considered max level, as Siegfried only knew of one Adventurer that managed to surpass Level 300. The individual was Beowulf, who stood at the top of the ranking list, so Daytona would be at max level if Beowulf were ignored.

Besides, the gaming community widely accepted that while Level 300 was possible for an Adventurer to reach, it required an incredible amount of skill and luck, so most Adventurers peaked at Level 299.

Thus, it was safe to say that Daytona’s level could be considered as the maximum.

However, something puzzled Siegfried.

‘Romantic? Romantist of the Century? What are those?’ Siegfried wondered, amused by Daytona’s unusual titles.

“Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, that would be great.”

“Just a moment.”

Daytona asked one of the maids to prepare some tea and snacks before turning his focus back to Siegfried.

“So, how did you find me?” Daytona asked, looking curious.

“Well…” Siegfried muttered, hesitating for a moment. Then, he proceeded to explain, “An NPC I know recommended you for a leadership position in my guild. So, I came to see if you would be interested in joining us.”

“Me?” Daytona asked, sounding surprised.

Siegfried nodded and replied, “I am preparing for a massive battle, but I do not have capable people around me to lead the men. I could grab any random guild member just to fill the spot, but the match will be televised around the world, so I need someone with both skill and leadership.”

“Oh…”

“That is why I was hoping you would consider joining us. Would you?”

“I really appreciate the offer, but I am not in a position to play as freely as I would like right now.”

It was then.

Creak…!

There was a creaking sound as a door opened, and a woman in a wheelchair entered the living room.

“Ah, honey,” Daytona said, quickly standing up to greet the woman.

‘Honey?’ Siegfried thought. He assumed that Daytona’s wife was a fellow Adventurer, but he soon realized he was mistaken.

The woman Daytona called “honey” was not an Adventurer but an NPC.

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