The only way for her to succeed was to burn through an absurd amount of top-tier ingredients and rely on sheer luck.
But she was a divine being, a supreme existence. No matter how much Orson wanted to scream internally, he didn't dare interrupt her reckless brewing process.
"Is it done yet?"
After an hour, Orson finally lost his patience and asked.
Xyla beamed with confidence. "Almost! Just a little more! Believe in me, Adventurer!"
"...Oh, I absolutely believe in you. You keep working—I'll go grind some monsters."
With a helpless sigh, Orson shook his head and mounted his Crimson Lizard King, flying off from Phoenix Forest. He headed to a town overrun by undead creatures and started farming level 60 monsters in a massacre.
Every hour, he would return to Phoenix Forest to check on Xyla—only to find her still obsessed with brewing, completely lost in her own world.
And so the cycle continued.
Twelve hours passed.
By the time Orson leveled up to 52, he returned—only to see that nothing had changed.
Xyla was still struggling, her passion undiminished, fully immersed in her work.
Orson's gaze landed on the pile of wasted sacred fruits and the two exploded ancient artifacts on the ground.
His heart bled at the sight.
Gritting his teeth, he flew back to Golden City, grinding through every monster-infested area he could find.
By the next morning, he had reached level 53.
And at long last—
"Quest Update!"
"[Assist the Divine Blood Phoenix in Brewing 'Phoenix's Lament']"
"Completed!"
Finally, the notification rang in his ears. Without hesitation, Orson rushed back to Phoenix Forest.
Landing by the riverbank, he was shocked to see Xyla wiping tears from her face.
"...You actually did it?"
Even with the system notification confirming the quest's completion, Orson couldn't bring himself to fully trust her yet.
Xyla turned toward him, her pale cheeks covered in soot, making her look like some miserable laborer from a coal mine.
Then, without warning, she rushed forward and wrapped Orson in a massive hug.
Her overflowing Fountain of Life pressed tightly against his chest, an experience so overwhelming that Orson froze in place, completely at a loss.
To be honest—
In two lifetimes, he had never been this flustered.
Because the moment she hugged him—
A giant critical damage number popped up above his head:
"CRITICAL -200,000!"
"F***!!!"
Orson nearly screamed.
If his defense and health weren't ridiculously high, he would have been one-shot by a damn hug!
This was insane!
Women—whether in the real world or in Infinite Dimensions—were all dangerous creatures.
This was a murder attempt, plain and simple!
Xyla, tears brimming in her crimson eyes, sobbed, "Thank you… thank you so much… I finally did it! I'm so happy! Do you understand?!"
"Oh, I understand. I definitely understand. But, my dear lady—can you loosen your grip before you kill me?"
"Ah! I'm so sorry!"
Xyla apologized with a sheepish laugh, quickly releasing him and casting a healing spell.
Orson immediately stepped back three meters, his eyes filled with pure vigilance.
Xyla, however, simply smiled sweetly.
"Can you do me one more favor, great adventurer?"
Orson rolled his eyes internally. Great my ass.
Still, he sighed and nodded. Looked like the quest had a follow-up.
"My regrets are settled now… I will soon leave this place."
Xyla's expression was complicated, tinged with both sorrow and relief. Her gentle gaze lingered on Orson as she said,
"Please take this wine and find my companion's final resting place. Use it to honor him in my stead."
"You have received two bottles of 'Phoenix's Lament'!"
[Phoenix's Lament]
Quality: The divine item Description: Brewed by Divine Brewmaster Tarkiviel, this wine carries a taste only a true connoisseur can understand. It is infused with emotions as deep as the heavens and longing that transcends time itself. Effect: Can be divided into 10 portions as a flavor-enhancing wine, elevating the taste of aged liquors. No stat bonuses, only the ultimate drinking experience.
"...Not even a single stat buff?"
Orson frowned, a bit disappointed.
This was a divine-grade wine made from over a hundred sacred fruits and dozens of bottles of Rootless Water—yet it had zero attribute bonuses?
But just as he was about to complain, Xyla handed him two additional items.
"Tell him," she whispered with a melancholic smile, "even if time itself comes to an end… I will always remember him."
"You have received 'Divine Blood of the Phoenix'!"
Orson's breath hitched as he stared at the glowing purple crystal vial in his palm.
Suspended inside was a single drop of shimmering blood, radiating a divine glow.
Around the droplet, countless tiny Divine Blood Phoenixes materialized in ethereal form, soaring through the air, leaving behind brilliant trails of fiery light.
[Divine Blood of the Phoenix]
Quality: The divine item Description: A single drop of Divine Blood Phoenix's essence, infused with a trace of supreme divinity. Effect 1: Significantly increases fire resistance and all related elements. Effect 2: Grants complete immunity to the Burning effect. Effect 3: Increases both spell and physical attack power by 100% (up to 8,000 base attack).
Orson's hands trembled.
A true divine artifact…
These stats were beyond overpowered!
The first effect halved all fire-based damage—which meant, when stacked with his equipment's resistances, he was practically invincible against fire-based enemies.
Against fire mages, fire swordsmen, dragons, or even legendary Flame Dragons, he was now their immortal ancestor.
They couldn't touch him. At all.
And the second effect was even crazier—
Complete immunity to all Burning effects.
This wasn't just about negating fire damage.
In Infinite Dimensions, Burning existed in two forms:
Elemental fire—like magical fire spells. Physical fire—like natural flames from burning wood or molten lava.
Which meant—
If he drank this, he could literally go take a bath in lava and be perfectly fine.
And effect three was just the cherry on top.
If he kept his attack stat at exactly 8,000 before using it, he would get the absolute maximum bonus possible!
Orson took a deep breath.
Then, looking at Xyla's kind, hopeful expression, he muttered under his breath—
"Too damn generous. Way too damn generous."