Orson had no particular intention to target anyone specifically.
In the mid-sized battle zone, which had fewer than a billion players, the UJ region's players weren't too concerning in terms of individual strength. However, the UJ region's strategic importance in the future was enormous. This place would eventually become a forward base for Heaven Demon, with one of the Great Void Rift's portals opening here.
Heaven Demon would consume vast amounts of flesh and blood, and a large number of UJ players would become rebel trial-takers. This location would be forged into an almost impregnable fortress world.
US trial-takers would find it extremely difficult to break through. The threat posed by the Great Void Rift was the reason for this. Otherwise, Nightshade wouldn't have created the Eternal Wall, which only lasted a few months.
Lauren's decision to lay the groundwork in the UJ region stemmed from this strategy. Rather than hoping for the top guilds in the UJ region to come to their senses, it was better to seize control of fate.
Additionally, the UJ region had resources Orson needed: Soul Essence Stones, essential for forging high-tier equipment after level 40. These resources were more abundant here than in other regions and were relatively cheap before full regional interconnection.
Soul Essence Stones came in three levels: Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced. These stones could increase the success rate of forging equipment for level 40-70, as well as hero-level and above gear. Higher-level Soul Essence Stones could preserve precious materials after forging failures.
These stones would become vital supplies for all major guilds in Infinite Dimensions in the future. Their price would soar, making them one of the game's hard currencies.
With Godslayer's remaining funds, unless they sold off high-quality equipment or skill books in bulk, they would run out of resources soon. Selling these high-quality items would not be a wise move, as it would cause rival guilds to become significantly stronger. Such a massive increase in power would inevitably disrupt the current balance of guilds. Orson doubted any guild could resist the urge to exploit such power once they obtained it.
The time to get rich was now—by stockpiling Soul Essence Stones.
"Discovered outpost: Thousand Bird Temple"
"This outpost belongs to the Heaven Serpent guild."
The scene switched, and the team found themselves on the UJ region's outpost battlefield.
The group froze for a moment. Dozens of players, preparing to enter the ancient teleportation array, were nearby.
Extras 1: "Th-This... US players!"
Extras 2: "How dare US players come to find death! Wait until they leave the safe zone!"
Bradley raised his holy sword, aiming at a thief to land a couple of quick strikes. However, his attack was forcibly interrupted.
"We seem to be inside someone else's outpost, and this is still a temporary safe zone," Orson remarked.
Dream Eater: "Call people over immediately, don't let them get away! These guys have some guts, organizing a counterattack with just this little group!"
A 29-level warrior shouted, and soon, a large number of Heaven Serpent guild members appeared at the Thousand Bird Temple outpost.
Extras 1: "That's... the US Warlock! The Hundred Professions Temple was just wiped out, wasn't it?"
Extras 3: "So what if it's him? A bunch of them dare to come over to our zone. Let's make them die here!"
Bradley and the others, still within the safe zone, were somewhat dumbfounded as more and more players gathered around them. Neither side could attack in the safe zone, so they stood there glaring at each other in a rather ridiculous standoff.
"Heh heh, priest, keep looking at me, I'll devour you later," Madman said with a creepy grin, winking at a soft-looking female priest. "Pretty little sister, get ready to welcome my boldness!"
"Gross!"
"US region's creepy man is here!"
The high level of Infinite Dimensions's AI allowed for real-time translations, even if the players spoke different languages. Madman, salivating and taunting, quickly earned a barrage of disdainful looks.
"That's the Warlock, kill him, and we can become the first in Infinite Dimensions!"
"The Unbeaten Legend? I'll be the one to break that legend."
"He just has a high level. No wonder their guild players were being wiped out by our UJ elites."
Orson ignored the chatter, walking directly toward the edge of the safe zone.
A large number of players followed behind, clearly waiting for them to leave the safe zone so they could trap and eliminate them.
Heaven Serpent Throne: "Traveling friends, you've crossed the line. I am the president of the Heaven Serpent guild. Please return to your own region."
A 33-level knight riding a unicorn and holding a bronze-colored war lance approached, flanked by over a hundred reinforcements from his guild.
The UJ region's ancient teleportation array connected to this outpost, making it a key spot for Heaven Serpent.
"Crossed the line? Why didn't you speak up when other players entered your guild's outpost and used the teleportation array?" Madman fired back.
Heaven Serpent Throne: "I didn't want to, but circumstances forced me to let them through."
"Who forced you?" Orson asked calmly, turning to face the other player.
"A foe you can never defeat, even if you're ranked number one. Your true strength doesn't compare to hers." Heaven Serpent Throne said with a mocking smile.
"US region's friends, our boss speaks the truth. You may think your powerful war beasts can fight, but that doesn't change anything," another player added.
Orson shook his head dismissively. "Are you talking about Naoko? She's average—not weak, but not strong either."
The UJ players around them exchanged mocking looks. The so-called Dragon Empire's unbeaten Warlock was nothing special after all.
Heaven Serpent Throne sneered. "Lord-Class peak war beasts are strong, I admit that, but in the face of divine avatars, they're nothing."
Orson felt no need to inform them of Naoko's fate. In the past life, she was said to be invincible in the UJ region, but eventually, another summoner overshadowed her. Naoko relied too much on the power of Yamata no Orochi, leading to her fall when the Heaven Demon emerged, only a year into the apocalypse.
Now, that summoner hadn't even cracked the top 100 of the leaderboard—she simply hadn't acquired a suitable Soul Seal yet.
Bradley: "A bunch of country bumpkins who've never seen the world. Anyone who dares come at us will die."
Orson shook his head and continued walking, with the UJ region players itching for a fight. Everyone wanted the first kill on the "US Warlock," and if he died, he would drop all his gear and items.
"All his gear is ultimate legendary, weapon and armor, both the best in the US region!"
"Let's kill him in the chaos. The risk is worth it!"
Orson's public profile in the US region was already well known, and his full set of level 40 ultimate legendary gear made him a target for many.
Madman: "Heh heh, they're eyeing our ironclad gear. I'm about to burst out laughing."
The others just smiled quietly. If Godslayer's president's gear was so easy to obtain, these UJ players would never even have a chance.
Ruby raised an eyebrow at the group. "Don't mess around, my lover is fishing."
Heaven Serpent Throne's eyes glinted with interest as he observed Orson closely. He turned to the guild members and silently signaled. His intent was clear.
"A bunch of idiots. If I could backstab him, I'd have done it already," Iron Cavalry muttered, tightening his grip on his war lance, targeting the most talkative player—Heaven Serpent Throne.
"Here they come! Get ready!"
"Knight's shield wall at the front, limit his damage output as much as possible!"
"Mages and archers, retreat and start long-range attacks!"
Heaven Serpent Throne growled to his team through the guild channel. As a knight himself, he didn't take immediate action. He knew the opponent before him was no ordinary player.
To win, they would need to overwhelm him with numbers.
Orson remained calm, his body surrounded by starfire effects as he calmly stepped out of the safe zone's edge.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, a downpour of elemental magic and enchanted arrows rained down, aiming to take Orson down in one fell swoop!
"Iron Cavalry! Find the girl!" Madman shouted. A loud horse's neigh rang out.
"Here we go!"
Ride Donkey, riding a black stallion, charged forward, flipping in the air to land right in front of Orson.
"Little ones! Super shield wall!"
With his blood boiling, he raised a golden knight's shield and led five black-armored knights in front of Orson.
"Unstoppable..."
"Shield wall!"
The six black-armored knights shouted in un
ison. With a mighty crash, six shields locked together, forming a square that shielded Orson.
Together, they forced through and sent the dozen Heaven Serpent warriors flying!
Heaven Serpent Throne stared in shock. While knight formations weren't rare, this seamless, coordinated combination was something he had never seen before.
This was a combination skill honed by the knights' team, designed specifically to counter melee enemies while protecting their backline. It also blocked most ranged attacks.
"There's a gap in the shield wall!"
Heaven Serpent Throne quickly realized and reacted, noticing the weakness in the formation's structure.
"Why would such a perfect formation expose the target's vulnerability?" he wondered.
"Ice Crystal Piercing Arrow!"
"Wind Demon Strike!"
A dozen high-level mages and archers from Heaven Serpent unleashed a barrage of high-explosive single-target skills.
"I'll call you the best fisherman, boss," Iron Cavalry laughed as he saw the incoming attacks.
With a swift roll, he appeared in front of Orson, raising a Forbidden Magic Counter Shield, instantly filling the gap in the defense.
-8000!
-7000!
-5500!
Though Iron Cavalry's gear was pieced together from various legendary sets, the quality of his equipment made up for it. With over 40,000 HP and continuous healing from a priest, his Forbidden Magic Knight Shield absorbed the brunt of the damage.
"Reflect!"
Iron Cavalry laughed in delight as the Ancient Divine Knight Shield's reflection effect kicked in. The massive shield burst with dark light.
40% of all the damage was immediately reflected back!