Orson smiled and said nothing.
"Carding a bug?"
Does one even need to "card" a bug?
Being the very loophole in the Infinite Dimensions world was enough.
The six-pointed star of Chaos gleamed across the sky, triggering multiple effects. Three Flame Dragons smashed into the ground, focusing on the weak points and sending enemies flying.
Beast Tamer Ford Long screamed as he was sent flying, while Chaos Magic Balls continued pouring out.
The Paladin Dragon Vice Captain leapt high, trying to protect Ford Long, but was intercepted by two stone dragons, and both were knocked into the air.
"Foreign rats! Dare you face me in a one-on-one battle to the death!"
Dragon Grand yelled, his giant sword slashing toward the stone vines in an attempt to break the encirclement.
Orson sneered. A man was a biological combat machine—did he really need to bother with a heavy infantryman?
With a flick of his staff, Orson continued outputting, floating two enemies into the air with ease.
"Chaos Chain."
With the high attack speed boost, Chaos Chain spread, locking down all four of Dragon Grand's group.
True damage double crit -3000!
True damage double crit -11000!
...
Beast Tamer Ford Long was the first to be reduced to a sliver of health. Dragon Grand's eyes widened in fury: "No!! Stop! Traitor!"
As descendants of the Celestial Legion, Dragon Grand and his group were closely related. Seeing their comrade on the verge of death, their eyes blazed with murderous intent as if they could tear Orson apart with a glance.
"A traitor? Are you talking about the ownership of Celestial Fortress?"
Orson chuckled lightly. From the moment Celestial Fortress was activated, he had felt that Dragon Grand was suspicious.
It seemed that not only was he interested in Celestial Fortress, but Cain, who called himself the God Emperor's descendant, was also scheming to seize it.
"Dragon Grand kidnapped Hazel's parents, attempting to use them as leverage to secure his comrades' survival."
The mission prompt sounded.
Orson's gaze sharpened as he saw Dragon Grand, holding his giant sword, slash Hazel's parents down to low health, the blade hovering over them.
"Do you accept this trade?"
Orson remained silent. Drunken Dream also received the prompt and frowned, "What should we do? If Hazel's parents die at Dragon Grand's hands, the reward will be nullified, and Hazel's affinity with us will also be lost."
"I reject!"
"What 'trade'? This is Infinite Dimensions. Are you sure NPCs won't cheat?" Orson said coldly.
Drunken Dream grumbled inwardly, "Just say you want to explode both sides' equipment, come on…"
Orson had that in mind, but when an NPC proposes a trade and then backs out, it's not uncommon, especially for highly intelligent NPCs.
"I refuse to trade with traitors. Don't forget, you are merely an NPC of Bone Dragon Stronghold, while I am its lord." Orson smiled at Dragon Grand.
Drunken Dream: "Honestly, bro, you're starting to make me feel uncomfortable."
"Get used to it."
Orson smiled faintly and continued his floating assault on Dragon Vice Captain and the others.
"Make your choice: complete the hunting task or save your comrades."
"Traitor, choose!" Orson's voice was as cold as ice. He was the ruler of this land. NPCs' lives meant nothing to him—tasks and loot were secondary.
As things stood, as one of the six rulers of Celestial Fortress, Orson knew Lord Cain would eventually have to confront him head-on.
Marrying Hazel and aligning with the Xien family would solidify his strength—proof enough of Cain's eventual plans.
In the past life, Usher had taken Celestial Fortress and was nearly overwhelmed by a mysterious force that almost led to its fall. It was likely the work of the God Emperor's descendants and the Xien family.
Currently, Dragon Grand and his group posed little threat to Orson, but they were ruthless in slaughtering ordinary players, which was as easy for them as breathing.
Now was the time to weaken Cain's forces by eliminating his right-hand men.
The Earth Magic Ring glowed as Celestial Descent was about to be cast.
"Saint Warrior's Protection!"
Dragon Grand roared, his body trembling as strange white runes surged across his form.
"Hidden skill?!" Orson's heart skipped a beat. A rare NPC hidden skill, only activated in special circumstances.
Dragon Grand turned into a blur, charging toward Orson and interrupting his Chaos Magic Ball mid-cast, forcing Orson to break his floating combo.
-700,000 HP!
A huge damage number appeared. Dragon Grand sacrificed half of his health to grant Ford Long and the others ten seconds of invincibility!
"Ah, group-wide invincibility skill? Well, sorry, but you've been played."
Orson raised an eyebrow and smirked as he broke Dragon Grand's casting of Celestial Descent.
He raised his staff, and the God Emperor's artifact flared to life.
Magic Eye!
Mirror of Folding!
With a kick, Orson sent Drunken Dream flying into a spatial net.
"Leave those two NPCs alive. They may be useful in the future."
"Useful? Can you just make it clear once? I feel like I need to grow a brain, damn it!" Drunken Dream muttered, cursing inwardly. Since following Orson, he had been used as a laborer or tossed around like a ragdoll. He'd never had a peaceful moment.
As Dragon Grand, in a desperate attempt to help his comrades, turned around, he expected magic attacks, but none came.
Looking back, he saw Hazel's parents, now under the protection of the Dragon Rider and Earth Guard, escaping far away.
"You... you shameless bastard, despicable scum!!"
Dragon Grand kneeled, his body burned to a crisp on one side, the giant sword now planted in the ground, unable to lift it again. His life force was drained.
"That's right." Orson shrugged indifferently, casually waving his hand. Crimson Lizard King rushed toward Dragon Grand, viciously devouring him along with the other NPC corpses.
After consuming several Lord-Class NPCs and many players, Crimson Lizard King's health reached 15 million.
While it didn't grow as fast as eating dragons, getting Lord-Class corpses was much easier.
Orson then used the Soul Collector to store the souls of these Lord-Class NPCs, inching closer to refining high-quality Soul Elixirs.
"Bring the NPCs over." Orson messaged Drunken Dream.
Drunken Dream: "Submitting the task, right? I'm on my way."
Hazel's parents, seeing their savior, instantly became tearfully grateful: "Great adventurer, we can never thank you enough! The Xien family will forever be in your debt…"
"Forget it now. Just forget about it," Orson murmured with a smile. Instantly turning into a venomous creature, he blasted a chaotic ball directly to their faces.
Boom!
Boom!
Drunken Dream's brow furrowed, and a surge of anger welled up inside him. He swung his dragon spear to disperse the magic sphere.
Quickly shielding Hazel's parents behind him, he fumed, "You! Why the hell do you keep changing your mind? Friend, you've got some real issues with your worldview!"