"All ranged DPS, position behind me! Shield walls, tanks up front! Healers, cast Light Barrier on the frontline!" commanded the Empress with a steady tone. She took the lead, positioning herself at the forefront while other players quickly organized into formation.
A few shields, capable of absorbing 400 points of damage, appeared over the frontliners. The Empress barked, "Push forward! Tanks, use Taunt to gather up the minions—focus them down first!"
"Hey, what are you standing there for? Get behind me!" a warrior called out, trying to yank Orson back into formation. Orson simply sidestepped him.
"Orgod?" The Empress raised an eyebrow, noticing his inaction.
Orson shook his head. "This isn't going to work. Those shields won't hold up. Get killed here, and you'll be petrified."
"So what do we do—stand around waiting for death?" Madman snapped.
"Hold off for now. There's something off about this setup," Orson replied, remaining unshaken.
As brutal as the difficulty settings in Infinite Dimensions could be, Orson knew the game wasn't designed to be outright unwinnable. There had to be some way forward. Yet with the doors sealed and so many vampiric enemies as strong as elite bosses flooding the hall, it was impossible to hold back the tide indefinitely.
In short, they had no choice but to wait.
A message flashed: "The Lord of the City has betrayed you. Survive as best you can."
Players exchanged uneasy glances as the notification appeared. All around them, players were seized and torn apart by vampires, their bodies rapidly petrifying. In minutes, the floor was littered with stone statues where players had once stood.
"Forget it! I'm going in!" shouted Skyslasher from Dragon's Kiss Guild, charging with a few other guild members in a final frenzy. They threw themselves forward, determined to take down as many vampires as possible.
Usher, their leader, waited for just the right moment, drawing back his bow and firing a Blazing Arrow that scattered the vampire attackers. Then, with one smooth motion, he leaped back to the safer rear lines where Orson's group held position.
Unfortunately, his maneuver led the pursuing vampires straight toward Orson's party.
Seeing this, the tanks at the front attempted to intercept by drawing the vampires' attention. Unfortunately, they ended up taking on Usher's aggro, as well, and were overrun.
"Damn him! He's trying to get us killed!" Madman cursed, his face twisting in frustration.
Usher merely smirked, sending a private message to Orson: "Getting a taste of your own medicine now?"
Orson remained silent, though he had to acknowledge Usher's move was clever. He didn't need to use their group as a shield, after all—Usher had other contingencies. Orson knew this firsthand, as Usher was one of the few to survive this very banquet in the past.
"Hold your ground!" the Empress commanded, slamming her shield into the floor with a powerful thud. A surge of force rippled outward, pulling the vampires within range.
"A C-rank skill—Brutal Strike!" Orson observed, recognizing the skill's iconic taunt ability. This move alone had made Brutal Strike one of the most coveted tanking skills, often fetching 200 gold coins on the auction house.
With a roar, the Empress brought her sword down on the vampires, stunning and debuffing their attack power. Still, she was barely holding on, her health jumping between 300 and 1200 as her healers struggled to keep up.
Seeing this, Orson made his move. Raising his staff, he summoned a raging serpent of flame.
-830!
-830!
-1600!
The flames spread, incinerating the vampires and eliciting shrieks of agony. Watching the spectacle, Ivy, another mage, paled. "Just as ridiculous as ever…"
Even Usher was visibly shaken, muttering to himself, "Insanely strong. But if he won't fight for me, he'll have to die."
"Don't just stand there! Keep the DPS coming!" Orson snapped, giving Usher an impatient glare. Usher, visibly annoyed, reluctantly nodded and resumed attacking.
With everyone forced into cooperation, the vampires fell quickly. Once the last of them was down, the Empress checked the battle statistics and inhaled sharply. Usher, fully equipped with hero-grade gear, had contributed 15% of the damage. Orson alone had dealt an astonishing 70%, while the rest had managed a mere 15% combined.
"Holy hell, this guy is seriously a cheat code!" Madman gawked, looking at Orson as though he were some rare artifact.
"You've slain a Vampire Minion. Exp +2000!"
"You've slain…"
As the vampires fell, the floor was littered with skill books and equipment. Madman, unable to resist, reached to scoop up some of the loot.
Orson, however, was faster. With a casual wave of his hand, the loot vanished into his inventory.
"Two skill books, four blue-grade items—not bad." Orson chuckled, ignoring the grumbling from the others.
The immediate danger passed, but more vampires poured into the hall as blood-red fog continued to spread.
"Crap, there's no end to this!" Madman grumbled.
"Something's wrong!" the Empress called out, realizing they were at their limit.
Orson, though, was watching something else entirely. He'd been keeping an eye on Keril the Butcher, the real boss, who still had yet to join the fight.
Now, however, the lord of the city finally made his move. With a satisfied gleam in his eye, he signaled Hazel, who was at his side. Hazel's face tightened as she raised her staff, channeling an intense wave of magic.
Orson was startled as the symbols etched into the hall's walls suddenly glowed, projecting a series of beams that formed a giant cage around Keril.
The vampire lord's face twisted in fury. He threw himself against the barrier, howling, "Liar! Liar! You tricked me!"
"You desecrated my city and attacked my people," the lord sneered, looking to Hazel. "Do it."
Hazel lifted her staff, her face set in grim determination. "Holy Magic: Angel's Judgment."
A colossal spectral angel appeared, six wings spread wide. Glowing spears rained down, skewering not only Keril but also the surrounding vampires.
-99999!
-99999!
Scores of vampires disintegrated. The glowing spears, however, continued to fall indiscriminately across the hall, even taking out several players who happened to be within range.
"What the—! We're within her attack range?" Madman yelped.
"Of course," the Empress replied with a wry smile. "We were just bait. The lord planned to wipe us out, too."
Orson could only laugh in disbelief. The lord was ruthless, using them as mere bait to lure the vampire lord into the open. No NPC in Infinite Dimensions could be trusted, it seemed.
"Warning: Angel's Judgment is an S-rank skill. All player deaths will result in a 5-level penalty."
Orson grimaced. He knew Hazel wouldn't willingly target players, so this must be part of the skill's mechanics. Still, he wasn't eager to use his invincibility just yet. It would come down to luck.
Casting a sidelong glance at Usher, Orson had an idea. Wouldn't it be poetic justice to have Dragon's Kiss Guild tank some of the spears for him?
But Usher, catching his eye, scowled and quickly moved to a different corner, dragging Ivy with him.
"How dull. Why are you so afraid of me?" Orson muttered as Usher ignored him.
Players were steadily struck down, and as the vampire lord neared defeat, something unexpected happened.
Keril, suddenly morphing into a swarm of bats, escaped through a gap in the cage, shattering part of the wall and vanishing into the night.
"Night Banquet progress updated," a message flashed.
"Task 1: Complete."
"Surviving players receive 12,000 EXP, 5 skill points, and 10 free attribute points."
"Task 2: Assist the lord's guards in retrieving the missing warding stone and eliminate the severely wounded Keril the Butcher."