**”Interrupt the Minotaur Lich’s sacrificial ritual within one minute, or catastrophic consequences may follow.”**
Hearing the system prompt, Orson remained unmoved. He knew the key to triggering the hidden boss fight was to do… absolutely nothing. All he needed was to let the Minotaur Lich complete the ritual, which would summon the Dark Elf Queen.
In the *Night of Terror* dungeon, if players entered at Level 20 or higher, the Minotaur Chieftain wouldn’t respawn, making the hidden boss encounter impossible. Many players in the past had missed this secret, and Orson had been no exception.
Most players hadn’t noticed it because they were used to following system prompts, which often meant overlooking quest subtleties.
Sure enough, after a minute, a blue glow blanketed the altar. Like tiny fireflies, luminous bugs emerged from the spatial rift.
[Dark Pixie: Level 15]
HP: 300/300
Attack Power: 50
Skills: Dark Flash, Ascend, Mutation
Each of these small, graceful creatures was no bigger than a hand, with transparent wings. Despite their delicate appearance, they were deceptively dangerous.
“These little pests are tricky.” Orson frowned, eyeing the Dark Pixies, which only had 300 HP each. They looked weak, but their abilities were insane.
Aside from their offensive *Dark Flash* skill, the *Ascend* skill meant they would explode upon taking lethal damage, releasing a blast powerful enough to wipe out an entire party within its range. And once the pixies’ numbers dropped, they would trigger *Mutation*, making them faster, stronger, and overwhelmingly aggressive.
Although Orson was wary of the pixies’ *Ascend* explosions, dozens of them detonating together would be impossible to withstand, even with nine shields up.
Sensing an intruder, the Dark Pixies shrieked and swarmed toward Orson, their glowing bodies flashing light and dark as they attacked. With a quick move, he raised two Sacred Sun Shields to absorb the first wave of light attacks.
In seconds, the first shield shattered, and the second was already splintering. Although the pixies weren’t powerful individually, their combined attacks packed a punch.
“Think you can outlast my MP?” Orson stepped back calmly, layering on two more Sacred Sun Shields to block the pixies’ concentrated fire.
A six-pointed star lit up before him as he launched consecutive fireballs into the densest part of the pixie swarm, quickly bringing many of their HP to zero. The tiny bodies instantly swelled as they triggered *Ascend*.
*BOOM!*
The explosion’s shockwave nearly knocked Orson off his feet, forcing him to steady himself with his staff.
“Jeez… these things are like mini-nukes,” Orson muttered, staring at the mushroom cloud rising before him.
No wonder so few people had ever cleared the *Desolate Riverbed* hidden quest—most players didn’t even make it to the boss because of the pixies’ massive explosions.
Thankful for his long-range advantage, Orson pulled back further, launching fireballs from a safe distance to thin the swarm.
“You have slain a Dark Pixie. EXP +1”
“You have…”
Orson scoffed. These creatures might have been Level 15, but they only gave 1 EXP point each, despite their deadly nature.
Even worse, killing them didn’t increase his *Heavenly Spirit’s Right Eye* proficiency. These creatures weren’t classified as monsters—perhaps not even as living beings. He dismissed the idea of grinding on them and instead focused on clearing them strategically.
Explosions erupted all around as the pixies continued to swarm, their numbers somehow increasing instead of dwindling.
With his MP dangerously low, Orson realized he’d be defenseless once he could no longer cast shields. Staying calm, he led the pixies toward the Minotaur boss, guiding the swarm closer to the altar.
Nine sacrificed NPC maidens appeared on the altar, bound as offerings for the Dark Elf Queen.
As their souls screamed and left their bodies, being drawn into the spatial rift, a powerful aura began to awaken, accompanied by intricate magic runes illuminating the sky.
“It’s time.”
Orson’s eyes hardened, and he unleashed a barrage of fireballs directly onto the Minotaur Lich. Hundreds of Dark Pixies converged on the target, their tiny bodies turning into pulsing energy.
Caught in the blast, the lich was consumed by a fiery explosion.
-8000!
-16000!
-30000!
The Lich, which boasted 80,000 HP, was nearly killed in the resulting inferno!
The Minotaur Lich let out an enraged roar, its body crackling with mana as a sickly green light spread from its staff, draining the life of everything in its path.
Orson raised his staff, summoning five Sacred Sun Shields. The green wave shattered two of them immediately, causing Orson to gasp—each shield absorbed 700 damage, meaning the Lich’s attack had hit for over 1400!
In a last-ditch attempt, the Lich opened another portal, summoning elite beast soldiers. Orson smirked, sending three more fireballs toward the group, triggering another series of pixie explosions.
-6000!
-12000!
…
Many of the beast soldiers perished instantly, leaving behind loot and materials unique to the dungeon.
**”You have slain an Elite Minotaur Guard. EXP +400.”**
…
Caught in the pixie blasts, the Minotaur Lich’s desiccated form collapsed to the ground.
“You have slain the Elite Boss Minotaur Lich. EXP +30,000!”
“Level Up! You have reached Level 13!”
“Level Up! You have reached Level 14!”
Orson was ecstatic, leveling up twice in an instant and landing himself among the game’s top players.
“Hero-grade gear, and three pieces at once!”
His eyes lit up. The boss had dropped two pieces of armor and a weapon, all glowing with the purple hue of hero-grade items.
The strategy guides had been correct: the Dark Pixies’ self-destruct ability could be both a nightmare and a golden opportunity. For most players, a six-player party with at least four DPS could spread the pixies out, then trigger explosions to kill the boss without direct combat.
**”You are the first player to complete the *Night of Terror* dungeon. Would you like your name to be displayed in the regional announcement?”**
Orson gave a faint smile, his gaze steady. Most players chose anonymity to avoid drawing unwanted attention and avoid becoming targets before they were strong enough to defend themselves.
But Orson understood all too well that the challenges he would face in this game went far beyond keeping a low profile. If he wanted to reclaim his former glory, there was no room for timidity.
He was here to remind the world of *Infinite Dimensions* that the three-time champion was back to take what was his.
A king’s return requires no secrecy.
**”Regional Announcement: Congratulations to player Orgod for becoming the first player to solo-clear the elite dungeon *Night of Terror*!**
**Rewards: 50 attribute points, 10 skill points, 5000 prestige points, and 50 gold!”**
The announcement stunned the world chat into silence for a solid ten seconds, as every player stopped grinding or questing, faces frozen in disbelief.
A solo clear of an elite dungeon, and on the second day after the server launch?! Was this even possible?
**KingOfTheExpedition:** “Damn, Orson, you’re unreal!”
**ShatteredCrown:** “I knew it! You’re insane! If only I could be half as overpowered as you!”
**SweetHeartedFury:** “I knew I’d picked the right guy! Only Orson could be crazy enough to solo an elite dungeon while we’re looking the other way.”
Orson’s inbox flooded with private messages. Bradley and ShatteredCrown congratulated him, while SweetHeartedFury joked about setting him up with a partner.
Orson rolled his eyes at their “compliments.” Blowing things up, being called a freak… was this how you’re supposed to compliment someone as good-looking as him?
Blocked. All of them blocked.
—
Moments later, at Rank Studios…
A beautiful woman with flawless makeup woke from her gaming pod and stormed over to Charles, dragging him out of the game.
“I told you to take good care of him, and you forced him to quit! You’ve ruined everything!” She threw Orson’s resignation letter in Charles’s face.
“This… this is all a misunderstanding. I’ll make it right with Orgod, I swear.” Facing her fury, Charles, normally cocky and arrogant, stood there sheepishly.
Her name was Lauren, owner of Rank Studios and a major shareholder in several streaming and esports companies. She’d heard about Orson’s blacklisting and had personally arranged for Charles to bring him into Rank.
Taking a few deep breaths, Lauren calmed herself. As an *Infinite Dimensions* player, she knew how incredibly difficult it was to solo an elite dungeon, especially at such a low level. She didn’t know how Orson had pulled it off, but she was certain of one thing: if she wanted Rank Studios to thrive in *Infinite Dimensions*, she couldn’t afford to lose Orson.
She opened her designer bag, took out a card, and said, “Transfer him three million and ask him to
reconsider coming back. And I’ll personally visit his sister at City Hospital No. 1.”