Orson ventured deeper into the laboratory.
Faint murmurs echoed down the hallway, prompting him to slow his steps and sharpen his focus.
At the corridor's end, two Pondenorlin City Guards stood chatting.
[Knight Pus: Level 30]
[HP: 100,000]
[Attack: 700]
Skills: Heavy Shield Strike, Fearless
[Mage Teng: Level 30]
[HP: 80,000]
[Attack: 800]
Skills: Beginner Fire Magic Mastery
"Lord Cain's wedding to Lady Hazel is just around the corner! Once this job's done, I'm drinking for three days straight—no stopping till I pass out!"
"Haha, and we'll hit the Spring Fragrance Pavilion for a proper celebration. I'm sick of this cursed place already."
"A wedding? Cain, that scumbag, marrying Hazel?" Orson raised an eyebrow, his expression twisting with disbelief.
He couldn't picture Hazel, the quirky and yandere-prone maiden, marrying a sleazy, scheming lord like Cain.
But unlike other MMORPGs, Infinite Dimensions featured dynamic NPC relationships. A player's actions or triggered events could set off unpredictable chain reactions, leading to entirely new outcomes.
While Hazel marrying Cain wasn't entirely impossible, Orson found it grotesque to imagine that innocent girl ending up with an old crook like him.
"This can't stand. The otakus would riot."
Pus: "Let's check on those trash goblins. I'm getting some rest after this."
Teng: "Filthy cannibals. No idea why Lord Cain keeps them around."
The two NPCs turned down a side passage. Orson, keeping silent, began tailing them.
After following for some distance, they stopped in front of a black stone door.
"Wagga… Wagga…"
The calls of corrupted goblins echoed from beyond, accompanied by an eerie red glow that flickered through the cracks.
The guards leaned closer, muttering insults at the goblins.
Orson chuckled quietly and stepped forward. "Enjoying the show?"
"Who's there?!" Pus shouted, drawing his sword and slashing at the shadows.
With a flick of his staff, Orson summoned the Chaotic Hexagram, and a Flame Dragon screamed to life, knocking the guards into the air. He followed up with precise, relentless attacks, finishing them off with ease.
"You have slain Cain's Knight. EXP +4000!"
"You have slain Cain's Mage. EXP +4000!"
Neither NPC was even a mini-boss. They dropped a handful of coins and little else.
"No Sin Value increase?" Orson paused, surprised. In fact, his Sin Value had decreased by over 1,000 points.
"You've uncovered evidence of Cain's betrayal. Killing his subordinates will earn you Righteousness Points."
Realization dawned. Cain wasn't just crafting Ascension Pills; he was also assembling an army of artificial Dragonblood warriors. The signs of his impending rebellion against the empire were undeniable.
Orson couldn't help but think about Hazel's role. She had helped Cain set a trap for Keril the Butcher, a raid boss who'd narrowly escaped—allowing Orson to snag some loot in the process.
"You have obtained the Key to the Sealed Grounds."
Picking up the dropped key, Orson examined the black stone door. Slotting the key into the lock, he twisted it gently. The door creaked open, revealing a massive circular altar steeped in ancient designs.
"So many corrupted goblins…"
Orson's eyes narrowed. Over a thousand goblin engineers stood in a ring, swaying to an ominous rhythm. The red glow emanated from their frenzied bodies, all focused on a central, golden cross.
Their combined Wagga Power condensed into a sinister orb of energy atop the cross, which slowly seeped into the structure like blood.
The goblins didn't notice Orson's arrival, too engrossed in their fervent chanting.
Two minutes later, the ritual changed.
Blue liquid began to seep from cracks around the cross, floating eerily in the air. Goblin engineers rushed forward, filling tall containers with the substance until they were nearly full.
Orson attempted to analyze the cross:
[Light Dragon's Curse Barrier]
HP: Near-Immortal Effect: Immune to Dark Magic, Reduces Physical and Magical Damage Can only be unlocked with the Sacred Spirit Dragon King's Key
Orson was stunned. "This barrier… it's insane!"
The Sacred Spirit Dragon King was a legendary figure on par with the infamous Dark Dragon King of Rebellion. If Orson's guess was correct, this entity was likely connected to the S-tier hidden class Sacred Spirit Priest, which one player, Wedge, had obtained.
The blue liquid was unmistakably the same substance used in the prison experiments, though it seemed far purer here.
"Wait a minute. If the barrier is unbreakable, how are these goblins extracting the liquid?"
Orson quickly pieced it together. Goblin faith—a mysterious, fanatical force—allowed them to bypass the barrier's rules. Their Wagga Power scaled with their numbers and devotion, a unique energy unaffected by conventional mechanics.
Smirking, Orson climbed to the altar's higher ground. His staff glowed ominously.
"Ember Knight!"
A searing wave descended, igniting the goblins and driving them into a chaotic frenzy.
"Whisper of the Wind."
"Thunderstrike."
Orson unleashed a torrent of abilities, raining Chaos Magic Balls down on the goblins.
Crit: -2600!
Crit: -9527!
The overwhelming density of enemies ensured frequent triggers of Chaos Chain, exponentially amplifying his damage output. The cascading chains of destruction tore through the goblin horde, leaving them in disarray.
A crafty goblin, clutching a container of the blue liquid, tried to escape in the chaos. Orson's eyes glinted.
"Earthquake."
Stone dragons erupted from the ground, trapping the fleeing goblin. With a flick of his wrist, Orson summoned another Flame Dragon, incinerating the remaining goblins.
His experience bar soared. Within seconds, he had cleared the area.
The trapped goblin, visibly smarter than its peers, knelt and offered the container to Orson.
"Corrupted Goblin Leader?"
As Orson reached for the container, the goblin's expression twisted. With a sudden motion, it lunged at him, dagger in hand.
"Piercing Strike!"
A sharp sound echoed as Orson's Triple Sunshield shattered.
-500
The damage was laughable for Orson, but the goblin leader's strike could've one-shot an unsuspecting mage.
"Cute trick," Orson said, smirking.
"Flame Dragon!"
The goblin leader was launched into the air and subjected to a devastating combo, ending its life.
It dropped a B-grade Rogue Skill Book, which Orson casually added to his inventory. High-difficulty dungeons offered excellent loot; even minor bosses could drop rare purple-tier items.
"A seal created by a Dragon King… interesting."
Inspecting the golden cross, Orson found a keyhole embedded in its base.
"Rescue the Dragon Maiden: Mission Updated. Acquire the Seal Key to unlock the barrier."
Orson's eyes narrowed. The keyhole's design seemed familiar—it matched an artifact he had looted from the Feathered Ascension Dungeon's Royal Crypt.
Pulling out the key, he cautiously inserted it.
To his surprise, the key was immediately absorbed into the cross.
"The barrier has been broken!"
Reward: +10 Talent Points, +50 Free Attribute Points, +60 Skill Points.