"By the Dwarven King, you're finally here!" Veijander exclaimed in relief upon seeing Orson.
A system notification popped up:
"You have received the Level 30 Legendary Set [Holy Heretic Crusher]."
"You have received the Level 30 Legendary Set [Holy Shadowbane Guard]."
"You have received… Lost · Heart of the Flame Dragon six-piece set!"
"It's done!" Orson's heart leapt with joy. He had prepared for the worst, but Veijander had pulled through!
Before Orson could examine the equipment's attributes, district-wide announcements began flooding in:
"Due to the declaration of war in Pondenorlin..."
"The Warrior Guild has withdrawn."
"The Priest Guild has withdrawn..."
Three large magical warships appeared in the sky, each bearing the emblem of its respective guild: the Mage Guild, the Warrior Guild, the Riding Earth Guild, and the Thieves' Guild. NPCs from these organizations were evacuating en masse.
Orson steadied himself, his gaze shifting toward the city walls. Guards who usually spent their days lazing around were now clad in heavy armor, bristling with readiness.
The purpose of this preparation was clear—it wasn't for their own defense but to stand against someone else.
Noticing that the Priest and Archer Guilds had yet to evacuate, Orson chuckled to himself, "So, they're staying behind?"
Meanwhile, in the global chat, the conversation was in chaos:
Player XX: "Can we even play the game anymore? My main storyline quest is still incomplete. Do I have to wait for this war to end?"
ThunderStrike: "See? This is what happens when Godslayer Guild becomes too powerful. Ruining everyone's grind—typical Triple Crown behavior!"
Player XX: "Damn it, he gets to have fun while we ordinary players suffer!"
DonutWizard: "Relax. The UJ server players are here to handle the problem. Orson's days are numbered."
Fearful Pleb: "Finally, someone who understands. Wedge had the foresight to bring in UJ players. Let's hope they push Orson into quitting!"
SirLagsALot: "Are you all insane? The UJ invaders are at our doorstep, and you're siding with them?"
Fearful Pleb: "Oh, look, a simp defending his precious Orgod. Pathetic."
The global chat was ablaze, with SSR guild members stirring the pot. Orson couldn't help but smirk. It was obvious that the majority of the comments were planted by SSR and their allies.
Though a few players spoke up in Orson's defense, their voices were quickly drowned out by the flood of bots and trolls.
Orson dismissed the chaos with a faint smile, instructing Bradley and the others to mute the global chat. "Don't stoop to their level," he advised. "True strength isn't proven with words—it's proven through actions."
He understood Wedge's strategy clearly: this wasn't just a stealth attack; it was a coordinated smear campaign. By painting Orson and Godslayer as the villains, they were justifying UJ players' infiltration of the US server.
Without this narrative, patriotic US players would likely band together to resist the invaders, throwing a wrench into Wedge's plans. By portraying Orson as a public enemy, Wedge had created a scapegoat to unify his own forces and neutralize potential opposition.
Unfazed by the drama, Orson muttered to himself, "If you don't want me to have peace, then you won't have it either."
After retrieving his gear, Orson headed straight to Purple Thunder Fortress, aiming to investigate Wedge's secret dealings with the UJ players.
As night fell, Orson arrived at the third battlefield stronghold. Mounting his Crimson Lizard King, he soared through the air, taking a moment to inspect Veijander's latest creation.
"Please don't disappoint me," he whispered, his heart racing. The materials he had sacrificed for these items were nothing short of extraordinary. If the equipment lacked the "Magical Amplification" trait, it would be a catastrophic waste.
In Infinite Dimensions, rare equipment traits were notoriously hard to achieve. His previous Sacred Dominion Set, for instance, had the potential for "True Damage," but it hadn't fully transferred onto the equipment stats.
The Flame Dragon Mage Set was designed for high HP and MP builds. Whether it would gain the "Magical Amplification" trait depended entirely on luck.
The stats of the completed weapon appeared:
[Lost · Heart of the Flame Dragon · Supreme Legendary Staff]
Quality: Legendary Level Requirement: 40 Class Requirement: Mage Magic Attack Power: 1300 Attack Speed: 2.1 Critical Hit Rate: 30% Effect 1: Reduces skill cooldowns by 20%. Effect 2: Increases MP by 3000.
Six-piece set bonus, Awakening Skill 1: Dragon's Gift
Effect: Increases the area of effect for all skills. Basic attacks have a 100% chance to expand in size by 4x. Active skills: 100% chance to expand by 2x, 50% by 3x, and 20% by 5x, triggering Dragon Curse Mode.
"Dragon's Gift! This is it!" Orson's eyes sparkled with excitement. He had gambled and won!
The treasure trove of Dragon Crystals he'd poured into this project was finally paying off.
"Fourfold enlarged basic attacks… and a 20% chance to trigger Dragon Curse Mode!" Orson murmured, shaking his head in amazement.
While this trait didn't directly boost damage, it transformed him into a towering, mana-filled turret capable of overwhelming his enemies.
This was the key difference between player mages and NPC mages. Player mages could match NPCs in raw damage output later in the game, but NPC spells had far greater areas of effect, making them harder to dodge.
For instance, a player's Ice Storm might cover a 100-meter radius, but an NPC's version of the same skill could easily span 200 meters, leaving no escape.
From the tag "Supreme Legendary", it was clear this set had reached the pinnacle of Level 40 legendary gear.
Scrolling further, Orson noticed an additional note under the equipment's description:
Six-piece set bonus, Awakening Skill 2: Dragon Curse Howl
Effect: Consumes 5000 MP to grant the user and allies the Howl aura. While active, A-grade and lower skills have no cooldown or MP cost. The aura lasts for 20 seconds, with a cooldown of 20 minutes. (Item/gear-based MP regeneration is nullified during this period, and 5% of total MP is consumed per second.)
"Infinite firepower for 20 seconds…" Orson chuckled.
Most mages at this stage didn't even have 5000 MP, let alone enough to sustain the full duration of this ability. Only someone with his setup could fully unleash its potential.
Still, the mana drain was brutal, effectively forcing him to deplete his entire MP pool. Once activated, there was no turning back—he would be vulnerable to counterattacks as a depleted mage.
After allocating his remaining stat points to Magic Attack, Orson equipped the Flame Dragon Mage Set and opened his character sheet.
Magic Attack Power: 3000
Defense: 400 (30% resistance to both physical and magical damage)
Critical Hit Rate: 50%
Draped in a dark red dragon-scale robe, nine fiery orbs floated around him like miniature suns. His black crown, crafted from dragon horns, shimmered with crimson energy, giving him an otherworldly aura.
The staff, forged from intertwining dragon spines, bore a massive red Dragon Crystal at its tip. Every detail of his gear exuded luxury and menace.
Standing atop his awe-inspiring mount, the Crimson Lizard King, Orson gazed down at the world, a fiery demon priest poised to deliver judgment to all who dared oppose him.