Debuff Master-Chapter 843

The inside of the Cyclops's ear was pitch dark, damp, and reeked of a terrible stench.

It was evident from the stench alone that it had not cleaned its ear for ages, as there were pus-like clumps of earwax piled up all around the ear canal.

“Ugh!”

“Kyuuu! Gross! So gross!”

Siegfried and Hamchi grumbled as they darted through the ear canal.

Despite the unpleasant environment, choosing to target the ear was a wise decision. They did not have many options, as diving into the mouth would risk being dissolved by stomach acids, and entering through the nose would result in them getting sneezed out and a tsunami of snot.

It was disgusting, but the ear canal was the safest route they could take.

“Argh! You filthy pests!” the giant roared, its frustration evident in its booming voice. It thrashed around wildly in a desperate attempt to scratch its itch.

However, there was nothing it could do. Siegfried and Hamchi had already burrowed into its ear. There was no way it could extract the intruders from its ear unless the giants had a resident doctor equipped with a scope and other tools.

Siegfried and Hamchi made it deep into the ear without any resistance until—

“Kieek!”

“Kiek! Kiek!”

—They ran into enormous mites the size of a large dog.

[Giant Ear Mite]

[Parasites that reside inside the ears of the Cyclops.]

[Type: Monster]

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

[Race: Parasite]

[Level: 450]

[Class: Blood Parasite]

[Note: It cannot be shaken off once it latches on. Avoid physical contact at all costs.]

The filth in the giant’s ear provided an ideal breeding ground for these monstrous parasites.

“Kieeek!”

“Kieeek! Kieeek!”

The Level 450 Giant Ear Mites charged at Siegfried and Hamchi at breakneck speeds upon spotting the duo.

“Damn it! You’ve got to be kidding me!” Siegfried cursed at the absurdity of facing such monstrous mites.

He gripped his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp before placing down both Blaze Field and Shadow Hell.

“Kiek! Kiek!”

However, the mites powered through Shadow Hell’s slowing effect with ease, thanks to their Super Armor, and they lunged straight at Siegfried.

“...!”

Siegfried’s jaw dropped when the mites shrugged off his debuff as if it weren't there.

Their absurdly high level and Super Armor rendered Shadow Hell ineffective, and this left Siegfried wondering if the skill had any impact on them at all.

Deep inside, he was actually hoping that Shadow Hell wouldn't slow them down at all, as he didn't want to imagine how much faster they really were.

One of the mites broke free from Shadow Hell and pounced on Siegfried.

“Argh!”

No matter how hard Siegfried struggled, he could not shake off the mite.

Kwachik!

The mite’s leg clamped down with such force that it dented Siegfried’s armor.

Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!

Then, it began draining his HP.

[Alert: Your HP has decreased by 10%!]

[Alert: Your HP has decreased by 10%!]

[Alert: Your HP has decreased by 10%!]

The mite drained a staggering ten percent of Siegfried’s HP per second, which meant that, in theory, he would die in just ten seconds.

“Kyuuuu!”

Hamchi desperately scratched the mite to free Siegfried from it, but it was to no avail.

Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!

The more Hamchi struggled, the tighter the mite gripped, refusing to let Siegfried go.

Siegfried’s HP continued to plummet as the parasite clung on.

Sseuuuu...!

He activated Eraser Swarm, but the mites seemed to be immune to radiation, showing no signs of weakening at all.

Since that wasn't working...

“Hamchi! Get back!”

“Kyuuu!”

As soon as Hamchi leaped away, Siegfried used his ultimate skill, Absolute Zero.

Flash!

A brilliant white light erupted, engulfing the mites.

Fortunately, Absolute Zero worked like a charm, unlike the ineffective Shadow Hell.

“...!”

The mites were frozen solid.

“Argh!”

Siegfried pulled off the mite that had been feasting on his HP and threw it aside in frustration. He was frustrated not because the monster annoyed him; he was frustrated by the limits of his own skills.

However, the issue stemmed not from his Debuff Master class but from his inability to overcome the wall right in front of him.

‘There has to be a way...’ Siegfried pondered how to overcome this wall and reach Level 300. Then, he turned his attention back to the frozen mites.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Siegfried struck the mites one by one and shattered them. The mites were just parasites inhabiting the ear canal of a giant, but they dropped abundant loot. Each one dropped two or three Amplification Shards—a significant reward.

Based on the reward, Siegfried deduced that the giant’s ear was probably a unique dungeon of some sort, too.

[Alert: You have obtained Power Amplification Shard!]

[Alert: You have obtained Power Amplification Shard!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have obtained Wisdom Amplification Shard!]

Siegfried summoned the Three-Legged Crow to gather all of the shards, and he immediately used them on the spot to enhance his weapon.

[Alert: The base Attack Power of +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp has increased by 5!]

[Alert: The base Attack Power of +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp has increased by 5!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: The base Attack Power of +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp has increased by 5!]

Enhancing his gear was the only way for him to become stronger at the moment. Even if it was minuscule, he had to do whatever it took to boost his firepower.

***

Siegfried stood before the giant’s eardrum after killing the Giant Ear Mites that blocked his path. Beyond the eardrum lay the cochlea, which was ginormous, befitting the Cyclops’ sheer size.

“Hold on tight, Hamchi,” Siegfried said.

“Got it! Kyuuu!” Hamchi clutched onto a thick tuft of hair growing from the inner ear, bracing himself.

Krwaaaang!

Siegfried unleashed Splitting Heaven and Earth, which shot out in a fan-shaped blast, slamming into the Cyclop’s gigantic cochlea with devastating force.

“AAAAARGH!”

The giant’s screams of agony reverberated throughout the ear canal, creating a powerful burst of soundwave.

Those who once poked in too deep into their ear would know that the Cyclops had to be experiencing extreme pain right now, but this? This was equivalent to a bomb going off inside one’s ear, and the pain was simply unimaginable.

“Aaaah! Stop! Argh!”

The giant writhed in agony while rolling across the ground.

“Arghh!”

“Kyuuu! It’s spinning! The world is spinning!”

Siegfried and Hamchi clung to the tuft of ear hair that was covered with ear wax with all their strength as they struggled to stay anchored amid the chaos.

‘I can’t stop here.’ Siegfried gritted his teeth.

He set his target on what was behind the giant’s cochlea—the brain. He believed the only way to defeat this colossal monster was to penetrate deep into its brain through the ear canal and destroy it.

Turning his +15 Vanquisher’s Grasp into a shovel, Siegfried began digging his way forward. He carved a path through the dense ear canal like a bulldozer, one shovel of the Cyclops' flesh at a time.

“AAAARGHH!”

The Cyclops' anguished roars filled the air and the ear canal, but Siegfried didn't waver. He dug until he managed to get past the ear canal and reach the skull. Upon reaching the skull, he found himself standing before a brand-new obstacle. The giant’s skull was so dense that he failed to make a dent even with Machine Gun Smash.

Left with no other option, Siegfried had to use one of his trump cards—Touch of Death.

Rumbleee!

The force he unleashed was so immense that the Touch of Death gouged a small hole through the giant’s nearly indestructible skull. The opening was small, but it was just enough for Siegfried to squeeze through.

“Let’s go!”

“Kyu!”

Without wasting another second, Siegfried pushed forward and entered the giant’s skull.

He was now standing in front of the brain. He was about to unleash another Splitting Heaven and Earth to turn it into mush when...

“Hold on.”

Siegfried suddenly stopped.

“Kyu?! Why are you stopping all of a sudden, owner punk?!” Hamchi exclaimed in frustration.

“Just give me a second,” Siegfried replied.

“Kyuuu?”

Siegfried waved Hamchi off and activated the Eraser Swarm to disperse clouds of radioactive microbes that would eventually engulf the giant’s brain.

Why was he doing this?

It was all because a sudden idea had crossed his mind.

What if he could turn this Cyclops into a Radioactive Ghoul?

Unlike the ear mites, the brain was an unprotected vital organ with no natural defenses like the ear mites' Super Armor. Siegfried figured that the radioactive microbes could actually work on the brain.

It was indeed a gamble, but it was one where he had nothing to lose. He could simply try it out and destroy the brain if it didn't work, so it was truly worth a shot.

Siegfried continued pouring out the radioactive microbes and flooded the entire skull with radioactive energy. Due to the sheer size of the giant’s brain, he had to release a staggering amount of microbes.

‘Is it working, though...?’ Siegfried wondered as doubt crept into his mind.

It was then.

Ding!

Suddenly, a notification window popped up before his eyes.

[Alert: You have successfully created a Radioactive Ghoul: Cyclops!]

Shockingly, it worked.

Even a giant that towered hundreds of meters above them could not resist becoming Siegfried’s royal ghoul after having its brain completely saturated with radioactive microbes.

“It’s done!” Siegfried exclaimed.

“Kyuuuu! Are you controlling the giant now, owner punk?!”

“Yeah.”

“Kyuuu?! So what now?! What are we gonna do?!”

“What do you mean by that?” Siegfried asked. Then, he flashed a sinister grin and said, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Have you heard of that saying?”

“Kyu...?”

“And in this case, it’s a giant for a giant,” Siegfried said, brimming with confidence while flashing his vile smirk.

***

Meanwhile, Siegfried’s party members were locked in a desperate battle against the Cyclopses.

The battle was overwhelmingly one-sided, and the party members looked like ants trying to take on humans.

However, they were all seasoned veterans tempered from countless challenges, so they held their ground quite admirably despite the dire circumstances.

They climbed onto the massive bodies of the Cyclopses to harass them or used their flight abilities to unleash a barrage of attacks on the giants’ faces. Some even dove headfirst into the mouths of the monsters in acts of reckless bravery, only to be, unfortunately, chewed to their deaths moments later.

A handful attempted to follow Siegfried’s lead by infiltrating into the ear canals of the giants, but they met their tragic end upon falling victim to the bloodsucking Giant Ear Mites.

Despite their relentless effort and fighting spirit, the party’s limitations against the massive monsters were clear.

Boom!

The massive feet of the giants stomped the ground with thunderous force.

“...!”

The party members who were unable to evade in time were crushed into a pulp on the spot.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Others who had climbed onto the giants’ bodies were swatted away like flies, crushed beneath the enormous palms.

In less than ten minutes, nearly thirty party members had fallen.

“Argh!”

“H-Hey! Incoming!”

“Dodge it!”

The struggle continued with no hope in sight when suddenly...

“GRWAAAH!”

One of the three giants, who was lying on the ground, suddenly shot up to its feet and unleashed an ear-splitting roar. Its eye glowed an ominous green, and an aura far different from the other giants radiated from its body.

“...!”

“...!”

The party members froze, panic visible on their faces.

This was a pattern often seen among high-level monsters, and the unnatural aura radiating from the giant could only mean one thing.

The Cyclops had entered Berserk Mode.

Even ordinary monsters would become much more powerful in a berserk state, but a giant like this Cyclops had actually gone berserk? What could that mean for the party?

It meant utter devastation not only for the party but for everything around them as well.

But then...

Bam!

To everyone’s shock, the berserk giant did not attack the party members but lashed out at another giant. The berserk giant punched its comrade relentlessly, throwing punch after punch at its face.

Bam! Bam! Pukeok!

It did not stop there. The berserk giant—no, the Radioactive Ghoul, swept its comrade’s legs out from under it, sending it crashing to the ground just like a martial artist would do.

Booooom!

The ground shook from the impact.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Then, straddling the fallen giant, it unleashed a flurry of brutal blows, hammering its fists down like a seasoned mixed-martial artist.

And as if that was not enough, the Radioactive Ghoul locked its opponent into an armbar and attempted to pop its elbow out of its socket.

“You lunatic! What the hell are you doing?!”

The third Cyclops, witnessing the chaos, tried to intervene and pry the green-eyed giant off of its comrade.

Meanwhile, the party members exchanged bewildered glances, utterly baffled by the unexpected turn of events.

“Why... Why are they fighting each other?”

“...?”

“What’s happening?”

“Hey, what’s going on?”

While the party members and the Cyclops were confused, Siegfried was already on the move again. He slipped out of the first Radioactive Ghoul’s ear and darted straight into the ear canal of the third Cyclops, the one that was trying to break up the fight.

Siegfried knew that in this situation, converting the giants into Radioactive Ghouls was far more advantageous than engaging them in combat.

About twenty minutes later...

“I greet my master.”

“I greet my master.”

“I greet my master.”

All three Cyclops knelt and bowed to show submission.

“This... This is insane...”

“Wait... Did he just tame the giants?”

“H-He tamed them?!”

The party members were struck dumb with disbelief. The Cyclopses that were wreaking havoc just a moment ago were now kneeling with utmost reverence.

And they were bowing toward none other than Siegfried van Proa.