"No objections, right? If not, I’m hopping on."
Orson flashed a toothy grin and waved his hand. Aeloria vanished into Battle Space with a swirl of light.
The word left his lips lightly as a floating stone bridge materialized out of thin air. He stepped onto it mid-fall, descending steadily toward the back of the Windflame Dragon.
"That timing... Unbelievable."
Hana Snow stared in stunned silence, old memories clawing their way back from the depths of her mind.
This isn’t just skill. This is another realm entirely.
Even a simple Tier-C earth spell—used by every frontline earth mage—felt completely different when cast by him. The precision of his control over elemental energy, the seamless flow of his casting... she couldn’t compete.
She, an S-rank water mage, felt like a clunky NPC in front of him.
"What do you want from us!?"
Kimchi Blade’s voice turned harsh. As the former world champion and de facto leader, he had a duty to protect his squad.
"Relax. I’m in a hurry. No time for revenge battles."
Orson chuckled, shaking his head.
"I lost to you fair and square back then. I accept that. You can rest easy."
He said it like a joke, but something about those words sent a chill down Kimchi Blade’s spine. Just meeting this man’s eyes... made it hard to summon any will to fight.
If it were Wild Gale, at least he had a few hidden tricks left. He might’ve even bet everything on a last stand.
He couldn’t even see the bottom. The guy felt like a bottomless abyss—calm, still, and utterly lethal. The kind of power that could crush them at any moment without so much as blinking.
Compared to the looming Heaven Demon, this man... was the true demon lord.
"I’m just here to watch, not talk."
Wild Gale dropped beside Orson, landing cross-legged on the dragon’s back with a casual nod to the group.
"Are we... really still running away?"
The Kimchi Age Dragon Knight was pale, holding back his mount’s combat instincts. He’d never heard of escaping a fight with the enemy sitting right beside you.
The group exchanged looks, completely at a loss.
A long, awkward silence passed.
Finally, Wild Gale frowned. "You guys are really slow."
The others looked confused again.
Orson sighed, irritated. "My battle beast’s hungry. She has a particular craving for high-tier draconic flesh. Your job is to bait the big one out."
That shut everyone up.
Orson couldn’t help but sigh again. This was the stereotype he had about NUK players—they played by the book. Absolute discipline. Zero improvisation. They weren’t afraid of opponents who followed the rules... but when you broke the script?
They completely fell apart.
Hana Snow: "Does he even know what he’s saying?"
RagingTiger: "He’s insane. Does he seriously think the thing inside the dragon’s lair is just a basic Dragon King?"
Kimchi Blade: "He doesn’t seem like the type to go back on his word. If he wants to see the dragon, we’ll show him. Worst case..."
He let out a cold chuckle.
His team instantly understood the implication. If they could lure Orgod into the lair and let the beast take care of him—they’d be hailed as heroes.
Well, they still had plausible deniability.
At most, they’d lose some gear and gold. Small price to pay.
"Well, if the famed US Triple Crown winner wants to feed himself to a Dragon Lord... who are we to say no?"
Kimchi Blade smiled as he glanced at Wild Gale.
"If anything goes wrong, I trust your friend won’t blame us."
"Me? I’m just here for some XP. Just a little sightseeing."
Wild Gale nodded amiably.
"XP, huh? Watch him throw a tantrum later."
Hana Snow muttered coldly.
Orson caught it, but said nothing. He could guess exactly what they were thinking.
They didn’t know Wild Gale.
This guy was a legendary leech. Even if he died in the lair, he knew Orson would resurrect him—he’d leave the moment things went south without hesitation.
Stuff had happened too many times during dungeon raids. He was infamous for it.
You have discovered [Land of Stonebreath]!
System text popped up as Orson gazed down at the peninsula below. Once covered in rolling hills and woods, it had transformed into a molten wasteland.
Blackened ground belched smoke, and lava surged below the surface.
Orson had visited this place in his past life during a gold-farming expedition. The monsters weren’t that strong—mostly lava-type elites. Some even dropped raw gold directly.
NUK’s dragon knights often came here for trial quests.
Of the four High-Tier Dragon Clans in NUK territory, the Windflame Dragons were the strongest, thanks to their dual-element affinity.
It was said you couldn’t enter their hidden lair through teleportation—only a Windflame Dragon could lead the way.
"Awaken the Stoneflame Guardian!"
The Kimchi Age knight shouted in Draconic.
His mount let out a rhythmic howl. Below, the elite level-90 Lava Golems parted like waves.
As they flew over a wide lava lake, the molten surface erupted.
Two titanic figures rose—over thirty meters tall, radiating Domain Lord-class pressure.
The giants raised their arms, forming an archway. Their flaming bodies hardened into stone, creating a shimmering red portal.
"So this is the lair. I bet that overgrown lizard’s hoarding all kinds of treasure in there."
Orson murmured, eyes flashing.
Kimchi Blade and the others went stiff. Then they looked at him like he was already dead.
He was thinking about loot?
They hadn’t even met the Dragon Lord, and he was fantasizing about its treasure hoard.
Was he arrogant... or just suicidal?
The dragon lair was its home turf. If it engaged in battle there, its power would surge dramatically.
That was what made the Windflame Dragons so terrifying.
Hana Snow shot Kimchi Blade a look.
He frowned, shaking his head. Of course he knew what she was implying—try to ally with the Dragon Lord and take Orson down.
But the risk was too great. He couldn’t afford to bet everything on that.
The dragon flew smoothly into the red portal without resistance.
Wild Gale stood and rested one hand on his weapon, smiling as always, though his eyes never left the Kimchi Age members.
He knew better than to trust anyone. This was a den of monsters, and Orson wasn’t the only wildcard.
They entered a crimson world.
Dozens of fire tornadoes raged through the skies. Blistering wind sucked the moisture from their skin.
Below them was a lava sea hot enough to melt even high-tier adventurers. Scattered across it were massive stone islands.
Three Windflame Dragons crouched atop them, glowing eyes fixed on the newcomers.
"RagingTiger, per our equal-contract agreement, have you prepared this month’s gold for the Dragon God?"
One of the dragons, level 100, growled deeply.
The Dragon Knight forced a smile and tossed a pouch stuffed with 5,000 gold coins.
The dragon’s eyes gleamed with greed. He shifted into a middle-aged man mid-air and caught the pouch in one hand.
Then, without shame, began counting.
"You... actually have to pay to ride dragons?"
RagingTiger froze. "It’s... it’s part of the system."
In the NUK regions, the dragons were the greediest creatures in Infinite Dimensions. Taming a Windflame Dragon wasn’t hard—but keeping it?
Every five days, the rider had to return and pay "mount rent." You had to keep this up for two years before the contract became permanent.
Minimum cost: 5,000 gold per visit. That’s 1,000 gold a day—just for your mount.
Only ultra-rich players could afford that.
And if a rider failed to pay on time? The dragon would dissolve the contract and return to the wild, waiting for its next sugar daddy.
"Now that’s what I call peak NUK."
Wild Gale nearly doubled over laughing.
"Gotta hand it to them."
"They really found a way to bleed every last coin from their own players. And people are lining up to get sucked dry."
"Has no one ever tried... you know, chaining these things up and draining them instead?"
Orson asked, genuinely puzzled.