The Dark Rebirth of Pandora: Revenge of the Abyss

Chapter 255: Noting what was obvious but ignored!

After we returned from the dungeon and arrived at the academy, the students went to rest while I rushed to the library, entering its forbidden section in search of knowledge about buffs and debuffs.

I finally understand that in the fight against the heroes, their fighting style will be based entirely on applying buffs to their allies and debuffing me as much as possible. However, it happens that if I keep receiving debuffs without stopping, I can really lose.

One of the unique abilities I know of reduces the target’s strength by 7/10, which would be terrible. I need a way to make the debuffs not work, but trying to break the effect is time-consuming.

And during the fight, I won’t have time to try to remove the debuffs, so the correct answer is not how to break the effect, but how to ”remove” them from myself. The debuffs are applied to the body, not the status.

So theoretically, I can transfer all the debuffs I receive to a core and then expel the debuff from my body by expelling the unused core. But to do that, I need to fully understand how the debuffs affect me and how they are applied.

And what’s the difference between a debuff, a buff, and how they interact with a monster like me and with a core created by me.

In the end, the one who has more knowledge of the other has the advantage. The heroes don’t know how I fight or the spells I have, but I know how the heroes will fight and how their teamwork is sloppy.

Of course, they learn quickly, that’s undeniable, but I learn much faster than any of them. This is the difference between a human and a monster, and it’s something they can’t overcome.

In the end, even though I have great power, I won’t underestimate them. Just as they will come at me with everything, I will also go all out with everything I have. Every useful strategy will be used.

I search the books, finding many interesting things. Anything that’s interesting, I steal, throwing it into my shadow and teleporting it to the castle, since the real Akari is no longer here, so everything is mine.

That’s why I take everything that seems even remotely useful or powerful while looking for things mainly about debuff. Many spells can be used just with the element itself.

The difference between using the element and the spell is simple: the spell costs less and has a pre-made base, but for the spell, you need to have already learned it and have it in your status.

On the other hand, the element, as long as you know how to use it, can be used at any time without having it in your status, and you can shape its form in exchange for a much higher cost.

However, debuff cannot be used in the same way as the element, so debuffs and buffs are in a category closer to spells or passive abilities that you need to have learned previously to use.

Elements are more versatile in exchange for a higher cost, spells are less versatile but have a lower cost and a more solid base, and can be much stronger than just the pure element.

And the debuff and buff for me seem closer to magic, and as such, I need books that show that, so after looking through more than 589 books, I find two that explain about debuff.

I quickly sit on the floor and open the book, reading the pages super-fast to find the only part that interests me, the application of buffs and debuffs. If I know correctly how it is applied, I can try to redirect or send the debuffs I receive to a core and then discard the core from my body.

’Here it is!’ I finally find the explanation about the practical application of debuff on page 57 of the book, in an area talking about curses, which also interests me.

The book says that curses refer to a ”negative effect” applied to the target, and this negative effect remains fixed on the target, varying in effect, but always with the focus of harming them.

The way it differs from a debuff is the application: curses can be applied to anything, even an object can be cursed with a ”negative effect,” and the term ”negative effect” is always highlighted.

This is because curses can give something in exchange for taking something, a curse can strengthen someone in exchange for stealing their vitality, so curses are not debuffs.

Because they can be positive, neutral, or negative, depending on the type, application, and desired effect.

On the other hand, debuffs refer to a 100% negative effect that never has a real advantage included. A debuff can indeed have an additional effect that may seem beneficial, but which actually only hinders, making everything worse.

The application of debuff can only affect beings that are in a ”living” state, which makes the effect limited to affecting only living beings to a certain extent, with a slightly confusing division.

For example, a vampire that falls into the category of the undead can receive debuffs, but a zombie, which is also undead, is naturally immune to debuffs.

The division between what is ”alive” and what is ”dead” in the debuff area is slightly confusing, with no established division, only theories.

”Damn...” Reading this, it’s obvious that I can’t just pass the debuff to a core, because the core is obviously not a living being.

’Wait...maybe it’s related to the amount of vitality something has?’ I wonder, advancing through the book. Some theories in the book mention vitality, just as I thought.

Undead like zombies have no vitality, their vitality is negative, but vampires have vitality or are ”alive” to a certain extent.

If the problem with the debuff is vitality, if I fill the core with my own vitality, it may be possible to make the debuff affect only the core.

”I don’t have much debuff...” I run out of the library and go after the princess, knowing that Evangeline must have some debuff magic for me to test my theory.

If this is correct, I can become ”immune” to the heroes’ debuffs, as long as I make a core and when I receive a debuff, I can somehow transfer it to the core and then discard the unused core from my body.

Sensing the mana, I quickly find Evangeline in a classroom. Without caring much about the other teacher, I invade the room, which catches the students’ attention.

”Evangeline, I need you to come with me right now,” I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her quickly, leaving everyone in the room confused, but I don’t care about that, I just need to test this.

I don’t know how much time I have to test this theory, and I need to find a way to be immune or have a defense against the heroes’ debuffs as soon as possible.

I won’t depend on an artifact for this, as artifacts can be destroyed and in my monster form, most artifacts wouldn’t even have space to apply their effect due to the massive body I have.

”P-Pandora, why the hurry?” Evangeline asks, but I just pull her to the library.

”Here’s the deal, I’m giving you a special training as a teacher, and right now I want you to apply the strongest debuff magic you have. Failure to do so will result in a 50% reduction in your grades.”

”And the conclusion will earn you a small reward,” I say without giving her time to think. I even have my adaptation that could make the debuffs useless over time.

However, the problem with relying on adaptation is that it takes time, and in a fight against so many heroes, time is the one thing I won’t have. I need to be prepared beforehand.

And I want to do this quickly because in the church I won’t have time to train this due to the environment of the church, which affects demons and monsters, making training there inefficient and could even expose me as a monster.

Their barrier is really annoying. I’ll have to be careful not to be discovered myself, fortunately I have the pills that hide my non-human characteristics, and I’m even coughing up less blood after taking them due to the changes in my body.

”W-W-Wait! Why the hurry?” Evangeline asks nervously as I calm down. She’s right, I’m being too hasty. It’s just that discovering that I have to deal with debuffs made me notice an open point that I almost let slip by.

Even though it’s so obvious, I was more focused on getting stronger, since due to who I am, I practically have no weaknesses. No element has an advantage over me, and I have no gaps in close combat.

This gave me more confidence than I should have. Watching the heroes in the dungeon and seeing their way of fighting made me realize about buffs and debuffs, something I shouldn’t have left open.

”Haa...just apply a debuff on me, Evangeline, as I said, think of it as a special test for a special student,” I say to her with a smile. Of course, I don’t even know if she has a debuff spell to use.

I just assume based on the strange personality she has and the fact that she is the reincarnation of my aunt, which must have given her some affinities more linked to demons, who are good with these kinds of things.

”Okay, Pandora...or rather, Professor Pandora, I’ll do it. Just wait a moment, my debuff magic takes a bit of time,” she says as I prepare to learn perfectly from everything she does.