The reason Siegfried had collapsed was simple. [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: Your mana hall is rampaging!] He pushed his mana hall to its limits without realizing it after using the Demon Lord’s Descent skill. [Alert: Your body is unable to contain the immense energy in your body!] [Alert: Your Radioactive Energy is going berserk!] [Alert: Your Mana is going berserk!] [Alert: Your Divine Power is going berserk!] [Alert: Your Demonic Power is going berserk!] Siegfried’s body was enhanced by Deus, but it still couldn’t handle the aftereffects of the Demon Lord’s Descent. It was simply impossible for a human body—no matter how reinforced—to withstand such overwhelming energy. [Alert: You have to strengthen your body!] [Alert: Your current physical body cannot handle the immense energies within you!] In the end, his vessel had overflowed. ‘If I don’t become a Grandmaster... then there’s nothing I can do? Is that it...? Is there truly no way around this...?’ That was as far as his thoughts went... [Alert: Status Ailment!] [Alert: You are now unconscious!] Siegfried van Proa fell unconscious, causing Han Tae-Sung to effectively lose control over his character. “Kyuuuu! You bastard!” Hamchi shrieked. He rushed over the moment Siegfried collapsed, but someone nearby was even faster than him. “Hey! Han Tae-Sung!” Chae Hyung-Seok grabbed Siegfried to support him. “Hey, man! Get a grip, Han Tae-Sung!” He called out to Siegfried again and again, but no response came. “Hey! Snap out of it! Open your eyes!” Chae Hyung-Seok even shook Siegfried’s body and repeatedly slapped the latter's cheeks. However, there was no way someone under a status ailment would wake up just because they were being slapped. Still, Chae Hyung-Seok didn't give up and continued slapping Siegfried’s cheeks. Hamchi’s front paw came down hard on the back of Chae Hyung-Seok’s head. Caught off guard by the surprise attack, Chae Hyung-Seok spat blood and collapsed to the ground. “Kyaaah! Do you have a death wish, Chae Hyung-Seok?! Don’t pretend you’re waking him up just to slap him!” “What do you mean you weren’t?! Kayak! You were just waiting for a chance to smack him!” “I said I wasn’t! I was just—!” Hamchi drop-kicked Chae Hyung-Seok so hard that he was launched far off into the distance. “Tsk... Dang, that hamster is too sharp,” Chae Hyung-Seok grumbled, pouting as he got back to his feet. Just as Hamchi suspected, Chae Hyung-Seok saw the rare opportunity to hit Siegfried to his heart’s content with justification. It was all because he couldn’t even dream of slapping Siegfried under normal circumstances. In fact, he no longer dared to lay a single finger on him. That was probably the reason why... “Hehehe! I still got to slap him nine times!” Chae Hyung-Seok exclaimed triumphantly, beaming with joy even while blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth. Even such a petty form of revenge made him feel utterly satisfied. At the same time, the Holy Alliance’s army, which had retreated in panic when Siegfried used Demon Lord’s Descent, was in complete shock. And understandably so... General Effenberg stared off into the distance at Odessa, muttering under his breath over and over again. Siegfried’s transformation into a demon lord and the massacre that followed was shocking enough, but the fact that dragons with varying colors had descended upon the walls of Odessa and repaired them was simply ridiculous. The sight of it alone was more than enough to make his mind go blank. To make things even more shocking, the newly restored walls were even taller than before, and they were covered in an overwhelming number of intricate defensive magic circles layered on top of one another. Since these magic circles were carved directly by the dragons themselves, the level of magic infused into them was obviously beyond what an ordinary human mage could handle. “This... What kind of monster is he...? To have the strength above that of a Grandmaster, and even have personal connections with so many dragons...” General Effenberg was so utterly dumbfounded that he started spiraling into despair. The fact that an army of three hundred thousand was forced to retreat because of a single person was already beyond absurd. As if that was not absurd enough, dragons suddenly showed up en masse and started repairing the defenses of Odessa. How could anyone even think of fighting them now? With the way things stood, the defensive strength of the Kiev Kingdom had reached a level even the Marchioni Empire couldn’t hope to match. “This is no longer...” General Effenberg quickly concluded that this battle was beyond what he could handle or call the shots in. Thus, he immediately called for a messenger. “Report this situation to the Alliance Command.” And just like that, the legendary Battle of Odessa was officially reported to the Holy Alliance’s command center. This was the moment that would change the entire course of the war. It was all because now that Siegfried had joined the battle, the Holy Alliance had no choice but to revise their entire strategy. Siegfried was going to stay unconscious for quite a while due to his rampaging mana hall. [Alert: 47 hours 44 minutes and 38 seconds remaining until your Mana Hall stabilizes!] [Alert: 47 hours 44 minutes and 38 seconds remaining until your character regains consciousness!] As a result, Tae-Sung was forced to take a two-day break from the game, whether he wanted to do so or not. Time was essentially frozen for his character, Siegfried van Proa, until he regained consciousness. With no other choice, Tae-Sung had to step out of his VR capsule. Obliterating the enemy with the overwhelming power he wielded after using Demon Lord’s Descent was truly exhilarating, but the backlash and side effects of the skill left him unconscious. To be fair, a player transforming into a demon lord and massacring NPCs like that was no different from breaking the game’s balance. Google seaʀᴄh 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾·𝗇𝖾𝗍 Thus, it was not that unreasonable for the penalty to be this severe. “I mean, you’d end up with diabetes if you suck too much honey,” Tae-Sung muttered to himself before heading to the gym to workout. While on the way to the gym, Tae-Sung suddenly recalled something very important. “Oh, right.” He stopped in his tracks as a thought popped in his head. “That bastard slapped me, didn’t he?” Just before Siegfried lost consciousness, he remembered clearly that Chae Hyung-Seok was slapping him left and right. “So that’s how you wanna do things, huh?” Tae-Sung turned and changed direction, deciding not to go to the gym after all. “Sir, where would you like to go?” “Where’s Hyung-Seok right now?” “He is probably at home.” “Take me to his place.” “As you command, Young Master.” “Oh, and one more thing. Don’t I own another unit in this building?” Tae-Sung asked in a scheming voice. He was currently living in a luxury residence worth tens of billions of won, but that was not the only property he owned in the building. Since he did not really have anything else to spend money on, he bought a couple of units that were on the market, too. “There are two more units, sir. One is currently being rented out, and the other recently had the tenant move out.” “Good. Move Hyung-Seok into that one.” The head bodyguard was stunned. He could understand that Tae-Sung had forgiven Chae Hyung-Seok and even hired him as an employee. However, letting him live in such an expensive top-tier residence felt like too much. “I believe he could move into a perfectly nice apartment with the money you are paying him. Isn’t giving him a house going a bit too far—” “No, not at all. I’m not doing this out of kindness. I have my reasons, so just make it happen,” Tae-Sung shook his head and replied. The head bodyguard decided to do as he was told. ‘I’m sure he does have a plan if he says he has a plan.’ Exactly two hours later... ‘Yeah, he definitely had a plan...’ The scene unfolding before him made him instantly understand Tae-Sung’s intentions. “I-I can’t! I really can’t do this! Aaargh!” “Come on! Just one more rep!” “I said I can’t! I caaan’t!” “Beathe! Push! You can do it!” Chae Hyung-Seok’s agonized screams reverberated across the gym inside Tae-Sung’s residence. “Come on, man! You call yourself a man, and you can’t even do that?! One more! Push! I’ll spot you!” Chae Hyung-Seok was fighting for his life as he worked his legs on the leg press machine. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” Tae-Sung was leaning against the leg press machine, adding weight to it while forcing Chae Hyung-Seok to push it. “How long are you going to live like a twig?! You need to bulk up! You need muscles to recover from your stroke!” Just one more rep! You can do it!” “No! I said no! Why the hell do I even have to exercise?!” “Hey! This is all part of your package!” Tae-Sung exclaimed. Then, he flashed a smirk that only a demon could make and whispered, “I’m paying you handsomely, giving you a free place to stay, and even helping you do some workouts. Where else will you find a boss like me? Don’t you think I’m the best boss? Hehehe!” “J-Just leave me alone—!” The reason Tae-Sung gave Chae Hyung-Seok one of his houses was simple. He planned to use working out as a legal way to torture Chae Hyung-Seok in real life whenever he had the time to do so. Unbeknownst to Chae Hyung-Seok, this arrangement was actually extremely beneficial to him. Tae-Sung had been seriously working out for the past three years and could now lift a combined total of five hundred fifty kilograms from bench press, deadlift, and squats. In other words, he was just as good as most professional trainers, which meant Chae Hyung-Seok was receiving quality training for free. Well, he was sort of paying through his suffering, but it was nonetheless a good deal for him. Tae-Sung spent the two days he couldn’t log into the game by training Chae Hyung-Seok four hours a day in the gym. “Ughh.... Gah...” Chae Hyung-Seok ended up bedridden after the hellish training. However, he was simply reaping what he sowed, as this would not have happened if he hadn't slapped Siegfried while the latter was unconscious. While Tae-Sung was working out for the past three years building muscles, Chae Hyung-Seok suffered a stroke and had been living a sedentary lifestyle drowning in booze and cigarettes. Chae Hyung-Seok had lost muscle mass during those years, and even his stamina hit rock bottom due to his lifestyle. “Hohoho! I guess I showed him who’s boss,” Tae-Sung muttered under his breath. He took one last look at Chae Hyung-Seok, who was squirming in agony, before heading back home. Tae-Sung covered his face with one hand and dramatically said, “An employee has to be healthy to work more. Ah, I’m such a good boss!” A chill shot down the spine of the bodyguards staring at him. ‘I think he’s a demon pretending to be a human...’ Even these men who were formerly UDT/SEAL soldiers were shocked by how cruel Tae-Sung could be. Not that he cared what they thought... Leaving Chae Hyung-Seok to stew in his misery, Tae-Sung worked out at the gym to his heart’s content before heading back home. Once home, he booted up his VR capsule and descended into the Nurberg Continent as the Adventurer, Siegfried van Proa. [Kiev Kingdom: Royal Palace] A notification showing his current location popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes the moment he logged in. “Are you awake, Your Majesty?” The first person he saw was Saintess Janette. “Was I in such bad shape that you had to come all the way here?” Siegfried asked, slowly getting up from the bed. “Yes, you were in really bad shape. Your mana hall would have been destroyed if something had gone awry,” Saintess Janette replied with a nod. “What?!” Siegfried gasped in horror. He knew exactly what would have happened if his mana hall ended up getting destroyed. A destroyed mana hall meant that he would no longer be able to draw power from any energy sources and use his skills.