Debuff Master-Chapter 1075

Chapter 1075
The description of Hansen’s class, the Divine Strategist, popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Divine Strategist]
[One who commands divine and mysterious stratagems of war.]
[A non-combat Legendary Class that specializes in strategy and tactics. Though he lacks combat capabilities, his ability as a military commander to play out the battlefield is unparalleled.]
[From time to time, he will come up with divine stratagems that will shake the entire battlefield, so listening to his advice is recommended.]
[The Divine Strategist will obtain the ability to perform mystical spells at higher levels, so dismissing him simply as a non-combatant would be a grave mistake.]
[Upon reaching higher levels and achieving second-class advancement, he will obtain the power of foresight.]
[Type: Strategist/Commander/Support]
[Weapon: Fan]
[Armor: Cloth]
[Potential]
[Attack: ■■■□□□□□□□]
[Defense: □□□□□□□□□□]
[Utility: ■■■■■■■■□□]
[Strategy: ■■■■■■■■■■]
While the Divine Strategist’s potential was not balanced across all categories, the class was evidently brilliant when it came to strategy.
Thus, Siegfried couldn’t help but have massive expectations for Hansen’s future performance as their tactician.
Of course, that wasn't all...
‘
Foresight? Isn’t that super broken?’
The ability to predict what would happen was definitely a broken skill.
Of course, that did not mean Hansen could read the minds of Adventurers or see through their behavioral patterns.
The players were real human beings with free will, so being able for an NPC to foresee their future actions made no sense at all.
However, it was a different story when it came to the NPCs.
The behavior of the NPCs was ultimately driven by the game system’s algorithm, so predicting their actions was entirely within the realm of possibility.
Thus, if Hansen were to fully develop this foresight ability, then he could essentially predict all NPC behaviors at will.
‘
This is huge. It’s a jackpot,’
Siegfried thought.
He looked at Hansen and couldn’t help but feel that he had acquired a true Hero Unit.
As it turns out, taking the system’s advice and recruiting Hansen at that time proved to be the right choice.
“S-Sire...?”
Meanwhile, Hansen himself was confused by the sudden change. He was suddenly engulfed by a bright light and had no idea what was going on, so it was only normal for him to be confused.
“I-I have no idea what just happened. It feels like—”
“Oh, it’s nothing serious. It just means that you’re finally starting to blossom and will fulfill your hidden potential.”
“R-Really?”
“Everything will change for you from now on.”
Hansen had no concept of what a class was, as he was an NPC who led a normal life until he joined the army. So, Siegfried had to summarize it in a vague yet understandable way for him to understand.
“You’re going to become a lot smarter, and you might even start using mysterious abilities without even realizing it.”
“I-I will...?”
“Yeah, you will. You’ll slowly start to feel the changes in yourself, so there’s no need for me to explain any further.”
“Y-Your Imperial Majesty...”
“Study hard, okay? You’re going to be a pillar of our empire, Major Hansen,” Siegfried said firmly.
“W-What?! S-Someone like me...?!”
Hansen was shocked by what he heard.
How could someone like him, who was a slash-and-burn farmer, possibly become the pillar of an empire?
In fact, Hansen found himself questioning whether he was dreaming or not whenever he led the strategy meeting of the Allied Forces. Now with this, he really felt like he was dreaming, as everything felt too surreal.
“Major Hansen.”
“Y-Yes, sire!”
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a noble or of lowly birth in order to become one of the empire’s pillars.”
“S-Sire...?”
“You must become the hope of our people, Major Hansen.”
“...!”
“You must prove that anyone can rise if they have the ability to do so, and that even a dragon can take flight from a quiet stream[1].”
“B-But how could someone like me—”
“You must be their hope, Major Hansen. This is an imperial command,” Siegfried said firmly.
“A-As you command, sire! I will do my utmost to carry out Your Imperial Majesty’s command!” Hansen cried out, prostrating low to the ground at Siegfried’s feet.
Siegfried was thrilled as he gazed at Hansen.
‘
Jackpot! Now I can dump everything on them and go enjoy my life! Kekeke!’
He would leave the administrative duties to Michele, financial affairs to Schmidt, and their wars to Hansen.
Siegfried was already planning to leave all matters related to the empire in the hands of his capable subordinates while he enjoyed the best things life had to offer.
***
On that same evening, Hansen experienced something unlike anything he had ever experienced after changing class into the Divine Strategist.
‘
H-How am I memorizing these so fast?’
While studying late into the night, he realized that his memory had improved drastically. He had always had a sharp memory to begin with, but his current memory was on a whole different level.
He could now memorize entire pages in less than five seconds, and it felt as if the information was being absorbed automatically into his brain.
In just a single glance at the page, it would instantly be imprinted in his memory, making it feel like he was barely even putting any effort into studying. The contents of the book he was reading were etched into his mind with perfect clarity, and just flipping through the pages was more than enough for him to
study.
Thus, he started to question whether he was indeed dreaming or if all of this was real.
‘
Is this what His Imperial Majesty was telling me about?’
he wondered.
That was the only way he could make sense of things.
How else could he explain the sudden and dramatic improvement of his memory?
But that was not all...
He could now easily understand with perfect clarity the advanced strategy manuals that he previously struggled to comprehend.
‘
Has studying... always been this easy?’
he wondered.
Studying had become laughably easy for Hansen, but it was far from boring for him. In fact, it has become extremely fun for him now.
‘
Let’s read that book next. At this rate, I can finish reading and memorizing it in two hours.’
With his newfound ability, Hansen grabbed every book in sight and began absorbing them one after another.
Now that the once-tedious task of studying had become so simple, he felt an overwhelming urge to keep going regardless of whether he was tired or not.
The next morning..
“We will march this afternoon.”
As soon as the snow-clearing operations had progressed enough for the troops to march, Hansen made the call for the Allied Forces to mobilize.
He had paused his studies the night before to analyze their situation and concluded that this was the perfect moment for them to strike the enemy.
Just as the Allied Forces were finalizing their preparations to launch an offensive against the Holy Alliance...
Zzz... ZzZz... Zzz...
Siegfried was snoring loudly in the corner of the war tent, putting on a shameful display of dereliction of his duties as the Supreme Commander.
However, Siegfried figured it was not a problem whether he openly took naps like this or not during their strategy meetings now that Hansen had become the Divine Strategist.
“The meeting is adjourned. We will depart in five hours.”
With Hansen’s words, the war council came to an end.
Five hours later...
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Half a million soldiers began marching out from their base in long columns, as they advanced into the territory of the Holy Alliance.
The blizzard had brought the war to a temporary truce, but now that it was over, the curtains of war were rising once again.
***
Meanwhile, Michael and Shakiro had once again set out on their journey to retrieve the wings.
Since their main mission was to find the wings, Michael and Shakiro acted independently rather than join the war between the Allied Forces and the Holy Alliance.
“Is this the place?” Shakiro asked as he glanced around what seemed to be a completely ordinary village.
“Yes, it is,” Michael replied with a nod.
His condition was far from ideal, as the injuries he sustained from the battle against Zerachiel had yet to fully heal.
In fact, he was supposed to be bedridden for at least a month after the battle, but instead of lying in a bed and receiving treatment, he chose to embark on the search for his wings.
Why?
It was all because time was not on their side.
The angels were trying to open the Celestial Gate and descend into the Middle Realm, and they were getting stronger and stronger by the day.
This time, even the Archangel of Death, Zerachiel, had descended, which resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people.
Thus, Michael couldn’t afford to rest.
In addition...
‘
A tragic war among my siblings must never happen. I have to stop this before an even greater catastrophe unfolds.’
The death of Zerachiel left a scar on Michael, a wound that was not going to heal any time soon.
This was the reason he was so determined to collect the rest of his wings as quickly as possible, so that he could gain more strength and stop the crisis with his own hands.
“I can feel my wing somewhere in this village,” Michael said.
“Then let’s look for it,” Shakiro replied.
With that, both of them moved to search for the wing.
Just then, someone blocked their path.
“You are...?”
Michael flinched as soon as he looked toward the old man standing right in the middle of the village’s entrance. He was an elderly gentleman dressed in a nice suit, and both Michael and Shakiro immediately recognized him.
“Baal? What brings you here?” Michael asked.
“
Keke!
I came because I have something to discuss with you,” Baal replied with a chuckle.
“Huh?”
“Could you spare me some of your time?”
“That’s not a problem, but... What happened to your eye?” Michael asked, tilting his head in confusion.
“T-This is!” Baal hurriedly covered his eye.
His eye was so badly bruised that it looked like he had been punched right in the face.
“It’s nothing!”
“Is that a bruise?”
“No, it’s not! It’s just... eyebags from fatigue! That’s right!”
“
Erm...
Eyebags usually appear under the eyes, though?”
“It was most likely... he got punched by the elder,” Shakiro proceeded to whisper in Michael’s ear.
“
Ah...
”
Michael finally realized why Baal’s eye was all bruised and swollen.
In all three realms, who else but Siegfried’s master, Deus, could beat the Demon King to a pulp?
“What did you do this time?” Michael asked.
He had never been disciplined by Deus, as he had always been exceptionally polite by nature and was not arrogant at all. Thanks to that, he had never gotten on Deus’ bad side nor earned himself a
special lesson
on manners.
“I... accidentally drank his prized liquid and got scolded,” Baal muttered gloomily in response. Then, he let out a sigh and lamented, “I’m supposed to be the Demon King, but I got beaten up like a goblin...”
Surprisingly, the Demon King looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
It was understandable, as for someone of his level, the Demon King who ruled over the Demon Realm, getting scolded and smacked around by a human was more than just embarrassing. It was downright humiliating and shameful.
“You should’ve been more careful.
Hahaha...”
“
Ahem!”
“But what brings you here?”
“There’s something I need to discuss with you urgently.”
“
Hm?
What is it?”
“Do you remember what I said back then?” Baal asked.
Michael tried to recall their conversation some time ago.
“
I have already ascended as the ruler of the entire Demon Realm, so there’s nothing left for me to achieve. If there’s one final thing I wish to accomplish before I die, it’s to...”
“Hm?”
“To defeat the Chief Archangel in a one-on-one duel.”
“...!”
“That used to be you, but you’re no longer the Chief Archangel. You’ve fallen from grace and can no longer be considered the ruler of the Celestial Realm.”
“Then... are you saying that you want a showdown with Lucifer?”
“Precisely.”
That was Baal’s goal. He was not planning to lead the demons and invade the Celestial Realm—no, he planned to go alone by himself. He planned to storm into the Celestial Realm and behead the Chief Archangel, Lucifer.
That was Baal’s lifelong dream and what he considered to be his final challenge.
“So why are you here?”
“I will be heading to the Celestial Realm soon.”
“...!”
“I’m pretty sure you’re aware of this, too. As long as Lucifer remains the Chief Archangel, neither the Middle Realm nor the Demon Realm can truly be safe.”
That was the truth. The current strength of the Celestial Realm had far exceeded that of both the Middle Realm and the Demon Realm combined.
The Middle Realm might have made huge advancements, but it was still not enough to clash against the angels. Also, the Demon Realm had been steadily losing strength due to its internal conflicts.
At this point, the Demon Realm’s power had declined so much that if the Celestial Realm were to invade them right now, the demons would be annihilated without being able to put up any proper resistance.
Thus, Baal intended to kill two birds with one stone—achieve his final dream and protect the Demon Realm. To do that, he had to invade the Celestial Realm and kill Lucifer.
“That’s why I’m here to ask for your help. My successor, Siegfried... Help him so that he can fulfill his role in mediating between the Demon Realm and the Middle Realm.”
And that was why Baal had come looking for Michael...
1. This is an ancient proverb in East Asia saying that a dragon could come from a small pond, meaning that anyone could become great no matter what background they come from. ☜