Rich people can be so willful!
Orson inwardly clicked his tongue. To reduce his 5% instant death rate, Usher was willing to spend 500,000 gold. That's enough to buy five soft girls, he thought to himself.
The financial power of DK Group had always been a mystery. Even in the past, when the world merged, this super-corporation didn't fall apart. Unlike the King Family, who bankrupted themselves trying to make ShatteredCrown into a forbidden mage, DK Group seemed to be growing stronger, especially as the Dragon's Kiss Guild expanded its influence in the U.S.
There were many wealthy families and conglomerates in Infinite Dimensions, but only DK Group had the audacity to invest such huge sums in the early stages of the game. As far as sheer courage went, Usher was truly a dominant figure!
Pokpung: "500,000 gold? Hah, not enough."
Jungle Maniac: "I think your price could go a bit higher."
A few players' eyes sparkled, clearly surprised by Usher's generosity, but greed always made people want more.
Usher glanced coldly at the players trying to haggle and said proudly, "When I, Usher, say 500,000 gold, it's 500,000 gold."
Naoko chuckled softly. "Just 500,000 gold? You guys aren't really that poor, are you?"
"…Are you rich?" Orson shot her a glare, wondering if he should even bother listening to this crazy woman.
"Of course I am," Naoko replied with a light laugh.
Orson blinked, and before he could stop himself, sent a trade request. "Then lend me some."
"It's yours as much as mine, Orson-kun," Naoko said with a bright smile, and then input her entire 1328.12 gold into the trade window.
"So… I'm not the poorest one here." Orson was stunned, quickly canceling the trade. How could he, a thousand-gold-player, comment on the price of 500,000 gold?
These players, having come here with the guild's support, clearly weren't short on funds. But while a guild may have money, the gold earned from Usher was all personal, pure extra income.
Moreover, to reduce a 5% instant death rate with a blessing in exchange for 500,000 gold was a good deal for both sides.
"Why not give you Titan's Blessing! Bring the gold!" Jungle Maniac laughed loudly, immediately offering his blessing.
"Thank you. Someone will contact you once we're out of the dungeon," Usher nodded in satisfaction, knowing that Jungle Maniac wasn't worried about him backing out—this was the number one tycoon in the US, after all.
Jungle Maniac then used the blessing skill on Usher. A soft, blue light enveloped him, reducing his instant death rate from 30% to 25%.
"Keeping it for myself wouldn't do any good, so I'll give it to you!" Pokpung said coldly, reducing Usher's instant death rate further to 15%, a much safer probability.
However, not everyone was willing to follow Usher's lead. Kalrien and Kanting from Sword Soul Guild stayed unaffected, while Davis from the MN region outright sneered at the situation.
Orson envied him quietly. Here he was, with a 100 billion gold loan, and barely a few large coins left in his pockets. To be honest, the 500,000 gold seemed tempting even to him.
"Hey, uh… Can I help?" Orson suddenly spoke up, a harmless smile on his face.
Usher furrowed his brows, not even looking back as he replied, "I don't make deals with enemies."
"Isn't that a bit discriminatory? My Titan's Blessing isn't fake, you know," Orson said, feeling a bit regretful. The chance to make some side income seemed to have slipped away from him.
"Don't let his act fool you, there's definitely a trick behind it," Snow Dream sent a private message to Usher.
"I know," Usher replied indifferently. After several past encounters with opponents who caught him off guard, he wasn't about to make the same mistake again.
"Think about it? A 15% instant death rate is bad luck, but it might still work out," Orson grinned.
Usher: "I refuse to trade with you."
"Oh-ho, oh-ho~~" Naoko added a playful sound effect from the side.
Orson shot her an annoyed look. Where had she learned this nonsense from? Probably from that idiot Charles!
The bronze wheel began to spin again.
The pointer quickly stopped on "Life," and the SS-class career secret scroll flew toward Usher.
"Congratulations! Your power just increased by another level," Snow Dream congratulated him with a smile.
However, Usher simply stored the scroll in his inventory without any visible reaction.
"He's grown much more composed. Unwittingly, he's created another monster," Orson thought to himself. He wasn't jealous of Usher getting the secret scroll. His attention remained fully focused on Usher.
In the past, Usher had been defeated by Orson simply because of his overconfidence and wealth. Now, with the important career secret scroll in his hands, he was calm and composed.
This transformation in mentality, rather than his strength, was what made Orson truly wary.
"It's my turn! I'll go for the same sacred item—the SS career advancement secret scroll!" Another player, seeing Usher's success, eagerly made the same wish.
However, fortune wasn't on their side. This player landed right on the "Death" sector.
"You have not earned the favor of the gods, adventurer," a mysterious voice echoed.
Suddenly, the Titan statue behind them activated! A beam of destructive light shot out from its stone spear, instantly killing the player. Their level dropped by 20, leaving nothing but a pool of blood where they once stood.
The onlookers shuddered. No one had placed a curse on this player, but their bad luck had resulted in instant death.
For most players, a 20-level drop was utterly devastating—impossible to recover from.
Such was the cruelty of the death game.
Orson shook his head. In Infinite Dimensions, both strength and luck were required. You couldn't blame anyone for failing due to bad luck.
After about ten minutes, most players had made their first wishes. Most had chosen career advancement scrolls like Usher, as SS-class professions were incredibly attractive at level 50.
Some had tried for Epic Rank Soul Seals, but the 60% instant death rate made those impossible to choose. Even divine Soul Seals couldn't be found in the wish pool, showing that this dungeon wasn't all-powerful.
Naoko, being an SS-class hidden profession, opted for a set of 50-level ultimate legendary set blueprints, which were of divine quality.
The gambit worked, and she successfully obtained the blueprints.
With this, the remaining twelve seats had shrunk to ten, with two players eliminated by instant death.
Soon, a beam of light once again shone down on Orson.
"Coward Orgod! Make your choice!" The mysterious voice once again echoed, clearly displeased with his previous choice of a blue mana potion.
"Still trying to cling to life? If you're a man, choose the sacred item!" Pokpung jeered, mocking him once again.
Jungle Maniac: "Don't scare him. Maybe in real life, he's just a weakling who only pretends to be strong in the game."
Orson merely glanced at the two of them and smiled without saying a word.
This was just crude taunting.
The two of them played off each other, their Titan's Curse ready to strike.
"The sacred item has a 35% instant death rate, but the divine item has a 60% instant death rate…" Orson thought to himself, recalling how Naoko had accidentally revealed her apartment number to him. It was clear that she was aligned with him.
In the worst case, if all eight other players cursed him, the instant death rate from a divine item would be 100%.
Even if Naoko gave him her blessing, there was still a 95% chance he'd die.
This was truly a checkmate.
"Coward, speak your wish!" the voice urged again.
"Don't call me that," Orson snorted, his presence suddenly shifting. A pressure like an invisible blade swept through the room.
Without fear, he lifted his head and looked at the giant eyes above. "No matter what you are, if you keep barking, I'll find a chance to kill you."
The silence was deafening. Could this truly be the aura of an SS-class player? Was he really daring to challenge the very entity controlling this dungeon?
Ancestor Vilitian stayed silent. Bound by the dungeon's rules, it couldn't take action against Orson.
Orson raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze back to the wish pool. "I choose…"
The others felt a sudden tension in their hearts.
Orson said with calm resolve: "The divine item, Titan's Magic Eye."