Orson let out a cold laugh as he gripped the Heavenly Fire Staff in his hand.
A single bottle of Rootless Water had been so hard to come by, and yet Ninelra had acted as though it were a very difficult decision to make.
Such a dishonest deal—no wonder Orson had to act harshly!
Apart from Queen Ninelra, the only other strong half-orc figures were a few elite boss priests. The rest of the half-orcs were about as strong as ordinary beastmen.
Even now, in close combat, with Orson's current health, it wouldn't be an issue to withstand Ninelra's damage for a short period of time.
The super elite creatures in the sacred ground, despite their high level and numbers, wouldn't last long under the Crimson Lizard King's percentage-based dragon breath.
Within ten seconds, Orson could turn the entire sacred ground into a dead zone!
"Mocking me? You guys are…"
Orson's eyes grew sharp, but before he could finish his sentence, Ninelra fluttered her large eyes and said, "The favor of the gods is upon you. Please make the Hidden Dragon Abyss your home!"
"You have gained Ninelra's approval!"
"Affinity +10."
"After establishing the half-orc empire, you will gain the right to use the Rootless Water (spring)."
The prompt rang, and Orson's affinity with Ninelra had risen to 80 points.
In Infinite Dimensions, reaching this level of affinity with a female NPC surpassed the friendship threshold and was heading toward a more... intimate direction.
Orson froze, staring at Ninelra's innocent, playful expression. He quickly changed his tone, "You guys have kicked a pillow."
"Endless holy objects, now that's something I can work with."
Orson looked at the vast pool of Rootless Water, his grin widening.
With so much Rootless Water, forget about using it to nurture the Tree of Rebirth—he could easily host a Rootless Water swimming pool party!
He could even distribute bottles to his guild members, handing them a dozen each to carry around.
A Godslayer army that could revive on the spot—just thinking about it was terrifying.
This would greatly increase the fault tolerance when raiding dungeons. Any opposing guild that got targeted by Godslayer players would be completely dumbfounded.
Of course, Rootless Water had its downsides.
Once consumed, the next time the player died, they would immediately resurrect at the spot without any chance to choose whether or not to revive.
Additionally, the item had a 24-hour cooldown.
However, this was only its value in-game. After all, holy objects were just as valuable in hardcore mode!
In his previous life, any resurrection item for trial-takers was worth a sky-high price.
This was the real reason Orson had been so desperate to gather large quantities of Rootless Water!
After all, having a resurrection item was like having an extra life. Its true value was immeasurable!
"The High Priest is calling for you." Ninelra said respectfully.
She then led Orson toward a seemingly ordinary stone house.
"The High Priest?" Orson hesitated briefly but followed her.
As soon as Orson stepped into the stone house, he couldn't help but take a sharp breath. A towering, gray-furred creature startled him.
This creature's face was almost entirely hidden under a mass of gray fur, and all Orson could see were two dark eyeballs peeking out.
Its long fur hung down to the ground like mop strands, making it hard to tell what it really was.
The long-haired creature, Borlog, shakily raised a hand in greeting.
Ninelra bowed respectfully as she stepped out of the stone house and whispered to Orson, "The High Priest doesn't have much time left. He wants to ask you something. Please answer him truthfully."
"Ask me something?"
Orson looked puzzled. He could sense that this gray-furred creature was quite powerful. Even though it seemed close to death, with one foot in the grave, it still emanated an intimidating aura.
Just propping itself up with a cane was extremely difficult, and it required the help of two female half-orcs to straighten its body.
Yet, the faint pressure coming from its small eyes still made Orson feel a slight sense of unease.
"Destroyer, your great kindness will forever be remembered by the half-orcs…" Borlog said, breathing heavily.
Destroyer?
Orson's expression shifted slightly. This wasn't the first time someone had called him that. The last person to do so had been the witch from Purple Thunder Fortress.
"It was nothing more than a simple favor. No need to exaggerate."
Orson smiled, inwardly thinking, As long as Rootless Water keeps coming, slaughtering a few hundred thousand beastmen is no big deal.
This old man sure was polite.
"Ninelra said you have something to ask me? What is it?" Orson inquired.
Borlog's body made a noise like beans frying in a pan as he finally stood up straight. Orson had to tilt his head upward to meet the creature's gaze.
The old half-orc was incredibly tall, his head nearly touching the roof.
Orson noticed that apart from its human-like head, the rest of Borlog's body and limbs were more like an upright white wolf.
Borlog's hoarse voice asked, "Which side do you belong to?"
Which side?
What did that mean?
Was he asking if Orson belonged to the Light Dragon faction or the Dark Dragon faction?
Orson found it strange. NPCs could usually see the player's faction indicator above their head, so it was odd for the High Priest Borlog to ask such a silly question.
"Could you be more specific? I don't quite understand what you mean." Orson focused his mind and looked at Borlog.
"Hmm…"
Borlog stroked his unusually long beard, as if remembering something, before turning around and summoning a portal.
"Non-incantation space magic?"
Orson's jaw nearly dropped. This long-haired creature was even weirder than he thought!
"Are you worried they'll hear you?"
Borlog pointed a finger toward the sky. Orson couldn't help but get goosebumps as a chill ran down his spine.
"Come with me, Destroyer."
Borlog said before stepping into the portal.
Cold sweat beaded on Orson's forehead. He had a vague feeling that he was getting closer to the dark core of the Infinite Dimensions world!
Orson furrowed his brows and followed, his surroundings shifting once again. The space lit up with clusters of magical flames, illuminating a portion of the dark space.
This should be inside the sacred mountain's peak, as Orson recognized the teleportation altar from when he first arrived at the sacred ground.
In front of the stone altar, there was a strange white light curtain extending into the darkness, resembling a floating river in the sky.
"You have lost the protection of the gods."
"You have lost… Unknown Error."
"Unknown interference… Zzzzz…"
Orson's heart shook violently as static crackled in his ears. The cold prompt turned into a chaotic mess, and the sound abruptly cut off.
A familiar yet foreign sensation surged within him.
The truest forms of breath, heartbeat, touch, and even pain all returned.
This distinction between reality and the virtual world, Orson would never forget!
His face turned pale, and he muttered to himself in disbelief, "Super… hardcore mode."
In his past life, when the Heaven Demon descended, the connection between the gods and trial-takers was severed.
Although players could still use their skills, techniques, and attribute panels, the crucial difference was that in this state, players… could truly die!
"Destroyer, you don't belong to this world. Why have you appeared, and what is your purpose?"
A voice full of authority rang out.
The High Priest Borlog let out a high-pitched wolf howl, and his ancient body began to expand.
A mighty, six-eyed silver wolf appeared, its six pupils glowing with brilliant light. It gazed coldly at Orson as if it were a god.
Orson furrowed his brow and quickly suppressed his panic. He immediately checked Borlog's attributes.
[Half-Orc High Priest · Awakened · Borlog]
[King-tier Creature]
[Level: 120]
[Health: Unknown]
[Attack: Unknown]
…
Awakened!
Another Awakened one!
Orson was taken aback. He never expected that, apart from Cain, an NPC would also hold this title.