"You've exerted overwhelming pressure to force Longlia Nora to hand over the [Chaos Scroll (Middle Chapter)]."
"Quest complete!"
"Reward: +2000 free attribute points, +3000 skill points, +10 talent points, 20,000 gold coins."
The notification echoed. Orson froze for a second—did that really count as completing the hidden quest?
And what was this "overwhelming pressure" nonsense? The girl gave it up voluntarily, didn't she?
Instead of feeling triumphant, Orson furrowed his brow. Something about Princess Nora's generous handover didn't sit right. He didn't trust this dark Spirit Tribe princess one bit. In Infinite Dimensions, high-tier NPCs didn't play nice without reason.
If someone's being too nice, they're either a spy, a thief, or worse… a romantic.
Still, she was cute and proactive. If she wanted to mess with him a bit, maybe he'd let her.
"Would you like to unlock a new magic talent tree?"
The prompt popped up again. Orson's eyes lit up.
It was time. Finally.
The SSS-tier hidden class—Chaos Overlord.
He took a deep breath. "Do it."
With that command, the previously incomplete Chaos talent interface began to shimmer. Crimson mist spread like cobwebs, stretching upward and outward.
New icons lit up one by one in dazzling succession, activating the once withered tree in its entirety.
The final shape: a breathtaking red lotus, pulsing with power.
WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT: "A mysterious player from the US server has achieved the impossible—awakening the SSS-tier class [Chaos Overlord]!"
WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT: "Through time and void, a red lotus of chaos blooms once more!"
WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT: "Reward: +50 talent points, +10,000,000 reputation!"
Golden rays burst forth, sweeping across all 77 Infinite Dimensions servers in a radiant cascade.
Players everywhere stared in stunned silence.
NR Server: "SSS-tier!? I thought SS was the cap. Oh my god… what kind of monsters are playing on US servers?"
NUK Server: "Cheaters! No way this is legit. First dragon kings, now an SSS class? Protest!"
UJ Server: "The Chosen One! A god among players! Big love to the US—this is inspiring!"
…
"Was that him?"
Naoko lifted her gaze skyward, eyes sparkling. Behind her, Ishinaka and Yamakita were trembling with excitement.
"It's him," Ishinaka whispered, tears in his eyes. "The Chosen One… He will lead us to the promised land."
"He is the man ordained by Celestial will. His light will illuminate all of UJ," murmured Yamakita.
"No one else could've done it. I only want to stay by his side—through life or death," Naoko said softly, eyes full of longing.
LaurenLauren grinned behind her, full of scheming delight.
"All three major guilds just defected to our side. The old guard in UJ is finished."
Her partnership with Orson wasn't just a goldmine—it was a revolution. Once cross-region wars began, she'd unload her high-priced soulstones like wildfire. With just 15% shares in their Tithe project, she'd go from a third-rate game studio owner to a Forbes-list mogul.
Let the tycoons who once scoffed at her crawl to lick her boots.
Naoko stood atop a ridge, overlooking a sea of players stretched across the plains below—an uprising of UJ locals who called themselves "Awakened," fighting her exploitation of server resources.
Raising her hand, the Yamata Mirror floated before her, glowing with an eerie cyan light.
Thanks to Orson's Ancient Eye and a few Titan Shard fragments she'd recovered, she now possessed three pieces of a powerful relic.
Her expression was as cold as the wind, but her eyes blazed.
"The blue skies of this world will be my bridal veil. The minerals of this land—my dowry."
A rift tore through the air, and a monstrous presence emerged—something so horrifying it made even hardened soldiers' souls quiver.
A quasi-God summon: Yamata no Orochi.
"Slaughter them," Naoko commanded, signaling the beginning of a massacre in UJ.
Meanwhile, back in the US server…
"So this is the Chaos Overlord class…" Orson's scalp tingled.
"You have unlocked Chaos Talent – [Chaos Fusion] Lv.1"
"You have unlocked Chaos Talent – [Phantomcraft] Lv.1"
"You have unlocked Chaos Talent – [Faith of Chaos] Lv.1"
"You have unlocked Chaos Talent – [Apostle of Chaos] – unlocks at Lv.80"
"You have unlocked Chaos Talent – [Puppetry Arcana] – unlocks at Lv.100"
"You have unlocked Chaos Talent – [Legacy of the Chaosborn] – unlocks at Lv.120"
Six unique talents—twice as many as typical S-tier classes. And each of them looked absolutely busted.
Take Chaos Fusion, for example. Cultists of Chaos often wielded this. It allowed the fusion of two or more awakened spells of equal grade but differing elements.
Opposing elements like fire and water would drastically increase destructive range and impact.
Complementary elements like earth and water would boost buff durations and effects.
But even at level 1, fusing two C-grade awakened spells had a 30% failure rate.
Orson frowned.
Fusion mechanics were complicated. The more spells combined, the more powerful the effect… but also, the higher the chance of failure.
Fusing two A-grade awakened spells at level 1? A 60% chance to fail.
Even maxed at level 10, failure chance remained at 40%.
Fusing six A-grade spells? That shot up to 98% failure, even fully leveled.
Worse yet, failing meant entering Domination's Contemplation: a 10-minute debuff that halved HP and MP, and locked Chaos Fusion entirely.
"That's steep."
Then he spotted something in the skill text: a hidden note—[The Long Road].
As he focused on it, a gentle voice whispered in his ear.
"On this journey to uncover the essence of magic, you must persist through trial and failure."
"Each successful fusion will teach you more than numbers or odds ever could."
"Don't cling to probability. That is merely how the gods shackle your wings of freedom."
"Child, your rare gift and boundless curiosity will carry you beyond all known skies."
"But if this path proves too painful, you may forsake it… and a different fate will be offered."
The voice washed over Orson like spring sunlight.
For just a second, he felt a motherly presence… as if someone gently kissed his forehead in affection.
He blinked. The world returned to stillness. Nothing around him had changed.
But the warmth on his skin… lingered.
Tears ran down his face before he even realized.
"…Mom?" Orson chuckled bitterly, wiping his eyes.
Such warmth was alien to him—raised in a state orphanage, clawing his way through a brutal world, he had never known true comfort.
He turned toward Nora, eyes sharpening again.
"So tell me, Princess—what do you want from me?"