"Radiant Shuttle... Tomb?"
Orson heard the name and couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine, an electric tingle reaching the top of his head.
"Legendary-Tier Quest!"
"Super God-grade Divine Soul Seal: Heavenly Spirit's Heart!"
"Quest Triggered!"
"Quest 1: Go to the Era of Immortals ruins and earn the approval of the Demon Immortal, Beirut."
The prompt sounded suddenly, and Orson's mind went blank. Could the last gift from the Blaze King, the warrior immortal, that only existed in the real world… actually be here?
Suddenly, Orson felt a warmth in his hand. Sienna tilted her head and looked at him. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Orson pushed down the shock in his heart, giving a faint shake of his head. "I'm fine."
"Orson's not sick, he's just as confused as me. This place feels like a giant archaeological site. Is it really a tomb?"
Bradley stepped out of the cabin and looked around. Goosebumps covered his arms. Inside dozens of transparent pods, groups of workers in hazmat suits were cleaning items pulled from the seabed's mud.
One large crane lifted a piece of iron, at least six or seven meters long and as thick as a man's thigh. Several workers rushed forward with scanning instruments to examine the relic.
"What the hell? They've fished out the Golden Staff from Black Myth: Wukong?" Stewart exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"I don't think it's a staff. It looks more like an axe or a long-handled war halberd. Whoever wielded this weapon must have been huge—like, 10 meters tall?" Ruby said, her obsession with giant weapons making her eyes sparkle. To her, bigger weapons meant stronger fighters.
Nightshade's worldview was shaken. He murmured, "I mean… who would build a tomb underwater? And with such extravagant burial goods? Are we sure these weren't gods?"
"There's no doubt, it's a weapon, not just some exaggerated burial gift," Blank replied, her voice cold and unwavering, leaving the group stunned. "Based on our estimates, they're the same type of beings as us, known as Demon Immortals. In some ways, they might even be our ancestors."
She then turned her gaze to Orson, her expression filled with mixed emotions—envy, and a hint of reverence.
Orson understood. The Ten Overlords of the US knew a lot more about the Infinite Dimensions world than he had expected. From the way some of them immediately accepted his ability to use game skills, it was clear they were no strangers to the game's nature.
"ld: Blank"
"Weaponization Process: 14%."
"HP: 1600"
"Stats: …"
Orson looked at Blank, and her basic stats automatically appeared in his mind. Even without game buffs, it was clear she was far stronger than an average person.
Cough... But along with that, her measurements also appeared, leaving Orson momentarily stunned. This must be some sort of system bug.
"Don't worry, you'll be able to do it soon enough," Orson said with a smile.
Blank had risen into the top twenty of the leaderboard, likely due to her recent victories over the Purple-Gold Dragon Riders. She had at least two Divine Soul Seals in her previous life, and now, with Orson's influence, she would only become stronger.
Entering a "pseudo-Hardcore Mode," the game's feedback into reality would take effect sooner than expected. As for the top few in the Leaderboards, Usher was probably around 20% weaponized by now.
Orson's gaze flickered as he examined the stats of the giant weapon's remains.
"Blackheart City Lord: Reversed Light, Weapon Remains."
"Level: 120 (Broken)"
"Grade: Great Weapon (Broken)"
...
Orson shook his head, unfamiliar with the name, but he was certain these remains came from Era of Immortals in Hardcore Mode, which explained why they were now appearing in the real world.
This confirmed his suspicion that the "Realm of Virtual Gods" Ishinaka had mentioned, where players' souls reached underwater ruins, was likely another Era of Immortals site. However, the murals there had been altered by the Heaven Demon.
Orson began to piece things together, understanding that these underwater ruins might hold critical secrets about the Era of Immortals, and about how the Heaven Demon had interfered with the past.
Blank led Orson and the group through a museum-like exhibit, with numerous strange items encased in transparent bulletproof glass. Experts accompanying them explained that these ancient artifacts spanned thousands of years of human history, though many were beyond modern identification.
Orson quietly nodded. The last time the Era of Immortals opened in the real world was around ten thousand years ago, which coincided with the rise of the Titan gods in the Infinite Dimensions world. But the more Orson thought about it, the more terrifying the implications became. If the Era of Immortals had opened ten thousand years ago, Blaze King had traveled back eight thousand years into the past!
This meant that Orson, the traveler, wasn't as special as he'd thought. Still, the difference was that he had experienced the first Infinite Dimensions opening and had been given a second chance to rise.
"Broken Ancient Murals."
"They record the Immortals' struggle against disaster, but they failed."
As Orson walked through an area filled with murals, he used his Soul Seal's abilities to inspect them, but the results were disappointing. There were barely any clues, and the fragments of the murals had largely been lost to history.
"Do you know about the Demon Immortal Beirut?" Orson suddenly asked.
The accompanying experts froze, all shocked.
"How do you know about the monster being brought here? Wait, our experts only just learned its name. How did you know?" Blank asked, staring at him, surprised.
"You know who I am," Orson replied with a playful smile.
Blank froze. A look of disbelief crossed her face. Somehow, the voice of a certain someone had appeared directly in her mind. This was exactly like the private chat feature in Infinite Dimensions!
"Tell me, when can I be like you?" Blank asked, her voice resolute, her clear eyes full of turbulence.
According to the prophecies of the Radiant Shuttle, the Bruce family, including her parents, would perish in the coming catastrophe. What Orson had shown her—his incredible abilities—was a glimmer of hope.
"Don't worry, it'll be soon," Orson replied with a calm smile.