If Orson's memory serves him right, the Flame Dragon's Nest is a perilous place, located right next to the Flame Demon Volcano.
This is the ancient lair of the fire-type dragons, and at least three Flame Dragons have made it their home.
Empress: "Luckily, you're only tasked with retrieving her brother's remains, not actually slaying the dragon. Otherwise, the difficulty would be at least hellish."
ShatteredCrown: "What's the big deal about slaying a dragon? My master has done it before. What's a lousy dragon? Just bring one, I'll handle it!"
Orson: "Good disciple, you've graduated. I'll oversee you, and you can try slaying it yourself."
Orson nodded seriously, but ShatteredCrown immediately backed down: "No way! I want to watch my master's heroic stance some more. Dragon-slaying can wait until my second awakening!"
Orson: "There's no need. You're already a grown man. You should be able to handle things on your own."
ShatteredCrown: "Master!! Are you planning on witnessing my last rites?"
ShatteredCrown clung desperately to Orson's leg, wailing dramatically.
The Chef God and Empress exchanged knowing glances, as if silently agreeing: "A couple of idiots."
Empress: "The dungeon entrance is still quite a distance away. It'll take at least two hours on horseback."
ShatteredCrown: "What horse? With my master here, let's fly there on the Crimson Lizard King—the ultimate airborne lizard!"
ShatteredCrown perked up immediately. He had watched countless videos of Orson riding the Crimson Lizard King during base defense battles, and was immensely jealous.
Orson: "Fine, we'll save time. I'll take you there."
A spatial rift opened, and the Crimson Lizard King reappeared. Its blood-red eyes locked onto the nearby crocodile dragon, and it roared fiercely.
Despite its massive size, the Crimson Lizard King looked like a giant spicy snack compared to the crocodile dragon, yet it didn't diminish its violent nature.
ShatteredCrown: "Damn! I'm riding the dragon's head! No one better fight me for it!"
Empress: "That's one massive creature, even bigger than last time! Hm..."
The group looked over the Crimson Lizard King with curiosity, immediately feeling like the pricey horses in the stables were nothing compared to it.
Orson: "Interesting... the Reaper Dragon Clan. A species extinct for countless millennia..."
The crocodile dragon muttered, stretching and yawning before closing its eyes, completely uninterested in the Crimson Lizard King's threats.
Orson: "Reaper Dragon Clan?"
Orson was stirred at the mention. The Purple Thunder Fortress guardian from Infinite Dimensions had been alive for over ten thousand years and was strong enough to crush lower-tier dragons. It knew many secrets of the Infinite Dimensions worlds.
Orson: "Big turtle, stop making us wait. What's the Reaper Dragon Clan?"
The Crimson Lizard King was a very powerful flying beast, often prioritized by beastmasters for taming. There were many Crimson Lizard Kings tamed by players, but none had the return-to-ancient form like this one.
The crocodile dragon grinned coldly.
Crocodile Dragon: "They were eradicated in the last era... boy, you will walk towards their extinction once again."
After speaking, it ignored Orson's questions.
Orson: "The last era? When was that?"
A cold sweat ran down Orson's back. In his previous life, he had explored many ancient ruins, seeing strange remnants of civilizations that sparked a bold guess in his mind. But he had never dared to confirm it. Hearing the crocodile dragon's words about the "last era" now made his suspicions seem closer to reality.
The idea was: Infinite Dimensions was not the first time this world opened. During forgotten eras, it may have opened several times. For example, the owner of the Giant Spirit God series Soul Seal—a black-haired boy—was a piece of evidence. His attire clearly wasn't modern, resembling the style from the Qin-Han period.
ShatteredCrown's weird shout broke Orson's train of thought.
The silly kid had climbed onto the Crimson Lizard King's nose, and before he knew it, a massive sneeze blew him off.
ShatteredCrown: "Young master!!"
BlackStockings cried out in alarm. Seeing him falling from hundreds of meters up, she wanted to follow him, but Empress stopped her.
Empress: "Let him enjoy the first-class seat."
Orson smiled and shook his head. He controlled the Crimson Lizard King to dive quickly, catching ShatteredCrown in its claws.
ShatteredCrown: "Master, are you selling this mount? I'll offer ten billion!"
Orson shot him an eye-roll before letting Crimson Lizard King release him midair, letting the idiot fall again before catching him once more.
BlackStockings and Empress watched, hearts in their throats, thinking ShatteredCrown would cry and beg not to be thrown around.
But...
ShatteredCrown: "Ohhh!! This is so damn exhilarating!"
ShatteredCrown laughed maniacally as the Crimson Lizard King soared, a thrill more intense than any roller coaster.
Empress: "Ugh, I'm doing a level 40 abyss dungeon, and I'm stuck teaming with an idiot."
BlackStockings could only sigh in response.
The group, laughing and joking, soon reached the entrance to the dungeon.
ShatteredCrown: "You've found the Flame Demon Volcano!"
Everyone gasped as a towering, awe-inspiring volcano rose in the distance, black smoke pouring from it as giant shadowy figures of monsters appeared.
ShatteredCrown: "Something's coming at us!"
Suddenly, over ten fireballs came hurtling toward them. Each fireball was over five meters in diameter, far larger than any spell a player could cast.
Orson: "Destroying Breath!"
Orson calmly controlled the Crimson Lizard King, shattering the fireballs with ease. More fireballs rained down, but the Crimson Lizard King swiftly dodged and weaved through the barrage.
Low-tier Fire Demon: Level 35 HP: 50,000 Attack: 1,800 Skills: Long-range strikes, Intermediate Fire Mastery
Dozens of fire demons climbed out of the molten lava, their bodies ablaze with flames as they hurled fireballs at the group. While these monsters were of ordinary strength, their high attack power made it dangerous, as most players wouldn't survive a full barrage.
ShatteredCrown: "Big, big, big Hailstorm!"
ShatteredCrown raised his legendary staff and summoned a flurry of large hailstones to pummel the fire demons.
ShatteredCrown: "Nice! That's how you do it!"
He grinned at Orson, clearly proud of his magic prowess. As a dual-element mage, dealing with these low-tier demons was easy.
BlackStockings cheered him on enthusiastically. Even Empress couldn't help but roll her eyes as she watched Chef God pose and dance in celebration.
Orson: "Nice, but still a bit lacking."
Orson smirked as the Crimson Lizard King landed. Suddenly, a blue mist began to spread from his body, enveloping the area.
Orson: "Welcome to my domain."
With a laugh, Orson used the Ice Prison Ring, an S-tier ice spell that froze hundreds of low-tier fire demons in their tracks, while the surrounding lava solidified and flames died out.
In less than half an hour, Orson had wiped out over a thousand fire demons, reaching level 35 in the process.
They passed through the Flame Demon Volcano and instead of heading up to the more dangerous summit, they headed toward a low-lying area.
ShatteredCrown: "You've found the Flame Dragon's Nest!"
Quest 1: Retrieve Albert's remains.
Quest 2: Retrieve the stolen Barrier Stones (0/4).
The quest details appeared, and suddenly, the Crimson Lizard King began to grow agitated, roaring loudly as it charged into the depths of the valley.
Orson's expression changed. He looked up and saw a massive Flame Dragon lying atop the corpse of a giant beast, dozing peacefully. The creature's body was like a living volcano, with its fiery breath heating the air around it, causing the bones beneath it to melt.
Before anyone could react, Orson gave ShatteredCrown a swift kick, sending him rolling down the slope.
Orson: "Disciple, it's your turn. I'll hold the line for you."