Orson's expression darkened. He remained eerily calm, quickly reaching out with his left hand to grab the fallen staff.
Suppressing his anger, he knew it would be unwise to engage in a one-on-six battle up close.
"Enemies... must be eradicated!"
The Crimson Lizard King let out a draconic growl, dark energy radiating from its body as ancient willpower awakened on its own. A wave of overwhelming rage emanated toward Orson.
"Calm down, revenge cannot be delayed!" Orson suppressed his murderous intent and managed to control the Crimson Lizard King, steering it toward the space corridor while turning his back on the situation. He swiped the staff, recalling the Crimson Lizard King back into the Battle Space, and dove into a corridor barely two meters wide.
In an instant, he was 40 kilometers away.
Orson could feel that the danger hadn't passed. He summoned the Crimson Lizard King in midair to cushion his fall. Before the space corridor completely dissipated, he used his magical eye to track his escape, rushing back to the gates of Golden City.
Once he landed, he immediately switched to Orsix's id.
Not long after, a golden dragon shadow passed above Golden City, like a blazing sun shining in the sky. The local inhabitants immediately knelt, praying with devotion.
"Lord Seberk, take me to the Golden Divine Kingdom! I will forever be your humble servant!"
"Unrivaled Golden Lord, take me with you, let me witness your towering form!"
...
The golden dragon, Seberk, circled overhead. Orson remained calm, using healing potions to recover his health to avoid being detected in his disguise.
Seberk's voice echoed, "I will grant you eternal immortality."
Seberk didn't linger in the air for long, grabbing a few fanatical followers and flying off. Those poor souls would likely end up as the dragon's next meal.
Among the four dragon factions, Golden Dragons were the most bloodthirsty and brutal. They hunted humans openly within the capital, and the rulers of the Light Dragon Empire couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
But Orson wasn't particularly surprised. Whether in the Light Dragon Empire or the Dark Dragon Empire, dragons often abducted and devoured civilians through deceit. This was standard practice for them.
Ultimately, NPC dragon knights in Infinite Dimensions usually signed equal contracts with high-ranking dragons. They couldn't force each other's actions, and their relationship was based on mutual cooperation.
Once the Golden Dragon left, Orson finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.
He checked his inventory and found that his God-Emperor Earrings had suffered significant damage and could no longer be used.
He made his way to the blacksmith NPC in the city to inquire about repairs.
Blacksmith: "This equipment is of too high a grade for me to fix. Sorry."
As Orson had predicted, even the dwarf blacksmith Veijander could only repair equipment below the Forbidden Magic tier.
These earrings were vital to his pursuit and escape, their function almost equivalent to an Artifact. Now they were completely useless, a massive blow to his combat power.
Although he had the help of Crimson Lizard King, he could still single-handedly defeat a Saint Lord-Class Golden Dragon, but that would be pointless. The Golden Dragon King was the true threat, and being so close to the Golden Dragon's lair meant there was a high chance of being surrounded and overwhelmed.
"You successfully escaped the Golden Dragon's pursuit!"
"Hidden questline triggered!"
"Do you wish to view the questline?"
Orson hesitated, then selected "View Questline."
"[Deal with the Fraudster]"
"Difficulty: Normal"
"Quest: Reach level 60 and speak with Grevor at the capital's Holy Church."
"Speak? I'd rather twist his head off first!"
Orson was livid. This guy was a tough character, and despite all his precautions, Grevor had still managed to set him up.
From the conversations Orson overheard between the Golden Dragons, it seemed Grevor had quite a bit of a feud with them. This hinted that the hidden quest might involve the Golden Dragons in some way.
"Once I reach level 60, no one will escape." Orson gritted his teeth.
These characters were increasingly sly and powerful, with mechanics that seemed absurd. No matter how well he played, he was bound to encounter setbacks.
His options for advancement were limited. To upgrade his Human Soul Seal again, he needed to reach level 80 to unlock Master proficiency. The Divine Soul Seal could only be improved with rare divine essence, which was even harder to come by.
Meanwhile, many of the top players had begun to equip high-level Forbidden Magic gear. His own top-tier legendary gear, currently at level 40, was starting to feel underpowered.
Crafting higher-tier Forbidden Magic gear was undoubtedly the best way to boost his strength, but the drop rate for such gear was a mystery. Getting a full set of three or six pieces was nearly impossible at this stage.
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The only real way to obtain it was through forging. However, the key to forging Forbidden Magic gear was simple: Money!
He recalled Kalrien's expenditure of 20 million gold when crafting the Growth Forbidden Magic weapon. This made it clear how costly Forbidden Magic gear could be. Even the wealthiest players couldn't afford such lavish spending.
As for Orson? He was saddled with a debt of ten million gold. He didn't have much gold on hand.
His immediate priority was to sell off his current relics and divine items to raise funds to enhance his stats.
Orson smirked coldly, thinking that many players would be more than willing to pay for these items.
The idea of selling back the items that rightfully belonged to others was strangely satisfying.
Global Announcement: Player Orgod spends a fortune purchasing five Global Announcer x5.
SirLagsALot: "Hey, hold on tight, the first voice of Infinite Dimensions is about to speak."
Iron Cavalry: "Something feels off today on the world channel, why aren't those clowns talking anymore?"
The atmosphere in the Infinite Dimensions world was strange, with rumors spreading about Orson's narrow escape from a deadly situation, gaining massive rewards in the process.
However, this news hadn't been confirmed by many players. After all, Orson's rank had dropped on the leaderboards, and they had all seen that happen.
The atmosphere in the IND and NUK regions was far more intense than in the US region.
After Orson's defeat in the Abyssal Rift, Poison King Sinternan Pokpung and others had spammed the Global Announcer, launching dozens of insults and curses at Orgod and his Godslayer Guild.
But what was the use of their furious rants? The coveted awakening scrolls and relics were all gone.
The psychological blow was too much for them to bear.
At this moment, a golden message appeared above every player's head.
Orgod: "One day from now, a small auction will be held in US Baiguo City. Only 30 spots available. Please respond on the Global Announcer within one minute."
Orgod: "The following items will be up for auction:"
Orson listed his spoils in the Global Announcer messages.
"The Divine Item! Three Divine Items, this can't be real! Even in high-difficulty hidden dungeons, this is an insane haul!"
"What the heck! SS-level class awakening clues... there's so much of them!"
"Anyone still doubting Orgod as the GM's pet? Only the GM can do this!"
...
The global player base erupted. The top spenders in each region were stunned.
Even though most of the Divine Items were player-exclusive, the SS-level class transfer clues were an irresistible lure.
"I'll bid! Orgod."
Soon, Demon Emperor was the first to respond, aiming for the awakening scroll.
Then, to Orson's surprise, the leaders of the top three guilds in the UJ region decided to join the US auction.
These players weren't just after the SS-class awakening clues; they were likely after the Eightfold Mirror fragments as well.
A few maliciously filled messages followed:
Orgod: "Don't curse, just tell me if you're bidding or not."
Once that message was posted, there was a brief pause in the global chatter, before the loudest of the haters made a 180-degree turn, suddenly scrambling to claim their spots.
Such a dramatic shift shocked everyone, and now everyone was even more curious about what had really happened in the dungeon.
Just before the countdown ended.
Usher: "Count me in, hope you keep your word."
Seeing Usher's message, Orson felt like firing back: "I don't make promises to the enemy."
But then he remembered that the DK group was ridiculously rich. He still needed to rely on these items to make a profit, so it was better not to get into a conflict.
As for Usher getting violent? Well, that would be a show to watch when it happened, with 30% of the Infinite Dimensions mages waiting for his arrival.
Kalrien: "One spot for my brother Kanting to attend on my behalf."
"Thanks to everyone for the support, anyone else want a spot?" Orson smiled, watching these powerful figures scramble for exclusive items.