Naoko raised an eyebrow at Orson, glancing over at Snow Dream. “I don’t care about the items,” she said, a mocking smile tugging at her lips. “I just want to drag her down with me.”
Orson froze for a moment. Snow Dream turned her cold gaze toward Naoko, her voice as sharp as ever. “We’re not friends, and I have no idea where you’re getting all this hostility from.”
Naoko laughed, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. “I heard you once admired my undefeated Sorcerer. So, how about I just let you die? How does that sound?”
Her tone was unnerving, bordering on insane.
Orson rubbed his temples, feeling the headache coming on. At a time like this, they still had the energy to argue?
Snow Dream’s expression was unreadable, but she couldn’t hide the faint smirk that curled at the corners of her lips. “Admired you? Maybe, but someone like me isn’t worthy of such things. And what exactly gives you the right to talk down to me?”
The two women were at each other’s throats, and Orson found himself, reluctantly, playing the role of the observer.
The surrounding players were watching intently, many of them clearly understanding the unspoken history between the two women. UJ’s top Summoner had betrayed the Thousand Hands Guild, only to have a secret affair with the US Triple Crown winner. Meanwhile, Snow Dream had betrayed the SSR Guild, stolen the position of the Saintess, and then joined forces with the Dragon’s Kiss Guild. They were like two sides of the same coin, equally ruthless.
A laugh echoed from a dark corner. “Kekeke… Are they competing for affection? This is priceless!”
It was Poison King Sinternan, who had previously evaded Usher’s pursuit and taken advantage of the chaos to send TitanBreaker and others back to the fountain, securing a seat for himself. His tactics were definitely impressive.
“I’ve heard rumors about the Triple Crown winner’s escapades. He’s a winner in both the real and virtual worlds,” said Kanting from the Sword Spirit Twins, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Orson.
“You’re right. I betrayed the guild, but I didn’t betray him,” Naoko chuckled, shaking her head.
Snow Dream merely smiled faintly and chose to ignore Naoko’s taunts.
The focus of the group shifted back to Orson.
“Is no one going to agree with my proposal?” Orson shrugged, only to be met with cold stares from everyone around him.
Pokpung, a NUK player, growled, “Enough talk. Pick your item already!”
Jungle Maniac, another player, added, “Stop wasting time! Everyone, keep an eye on him!”
“Orgod, I suggest you let go of that naive idea of yours,” Usher suddenly spoke up. “Your situation is very grim. Everyone here, including me, is ready to kill you.”
Orson sensed something more in Usher’s words. Usher wanted him to abandon his wish, probably so he wouldn’t face any punishment. But at the same time, giving up would mean losing the chance for a divine item.
“Are you trying to beat me face-to-face, then?” Orson locked eyes with Usher.
Usher remained silent, but the demonic flames in his eyes burned with intensity.
For Usher, crushing Orson in a one-on-one battle was the only true victory. He envisioned himself sweeping through all his enemies and reaching the pinnacle of Infinite Dimensions. This was the only path to his ultimate glory.
“I don’t think you can, so I’m continuing,” Orson said calmly.
Usher sneered and turned his head away.
“Countdown: 10 seconds.”
“9!”
“8!”
“Make your decision now!”
The countdown rang in Orson’s ears, and his aura flickered with each second that passed. As the countdown drew near its end, Orson thought about the strategy. He knew the first person to make a wish would be at a disadvantage in this game. The fewer people there were in the bronze wheel, the better the chances of survival.
Meanwhile, behind him, the massive Titan statue began to stir. It raised a stone spear that was over a thousand meters long, hanging ominously above Orson’s head. It felt like the guillotine was about to fall.
Orson sighed. This was the death mechanism of the dungeon. He couldn’t move or use any invincibility skills.
“I choose the ordinary-quality item: Basic Mana Potion,” Orson said with a light chuckle.
“Basic Mana Potion.” “Quality: Ordinary”
“You’ve wasted an opportunity to grow, adventurer,” a disappointed voice echoed from the darkness. The giant eye above briefly closed.
The wish pool churned, and moments later, the basic Mana Potion shot into the air.
Naoko raised an eyebrow. “Huh? A potion that costs 1 silver coin? Why would you pick this? At least go for a relic or something.”
“Player Orgod has chosen an ordinary-quality item. Instant death rate: 5%.”
“You may either accept or reject this decision.”
“Accept Decision: Instant death rate will not increase or decrease.” “Reject Decision: You will either curse or bless him.”
A new set of options appeared on everyone’s screens. Usher, his expression cold, immediately made his choice. A blue magic rune appeared on his square, indicating that he had accepted the wish. The instant death rate would remain unchanged.
“Ha! What else is there to do? Let’s just kill him!” Jungle Maniac burst into maniacal laughter, immediately selecting to place the Titan’s Curse on Orson.
With that, a dark flash shot out from the giant eye, surrounding Orson like a shadow of death.
Orson’s eyes widened as his instant death rate skyrocketed, from 5% to 10%.
“Foolish savage!” someone yelled.
“How did this idiot even make it here? What’s SA’s top player doing here messing things up?” another voice grumbled.
Orson’s instant death rate climbed, but Jungle Maniac’s actions sparked a wave of insults.
“Well, at least I got away with it because of this idiot,” Orson said, giving Jungle Maniac a thumbs-up.
The man didn’t seem to get it.
“What the hell are you idiots doing? We agreed to kill him together, and now you’re criticizing me?” Jungle Maniac shouted angrily.
Pokpung sneered, “Orgod intentionally picked the worst item to trick you into using a curse!”
Naoko giggled, “Ah, no wonder you went with the blue potion.”
Orson smiled faintly, shaking his head. According to the dungeon’s task details, the death rate for ordinary items was the lowest. It was clear that Jungle Maniac hadn’t read the details properly.
Orson’s gamble paid off. He had only a 5% chance of dying, even with 11 people cursing him. The chances of him dying were still only 60%.
“10%… Hope I’m not that unlucky,” Orson muttered to himself, forcing a laugh.
Everyone, except for Jungle Maniac, voted to approve the decision.
The wish pool above them transformed into a rotating bronze wheel. It clearly displayed 90 “life” sections and 10 “death” sections.
“The music’s too cheerful for this,” Orson chuckled bitterly as the wheel spun faster, accompanied by an upbeat soundtrack.
“Die! Let him die! Hurry up!” shouted several players, including Poison King, Pokpung, and Jungle Maniac.
Once the wheel stopped, if the pointer landed on “death,” Orson would be instantly killed.
“Congratulations! You have obtained a Basic Mana Potion!”
Orson smiled faintly as the potion landed in his hand. It seemed like the worst-case scenario had been avoided.
“Hah! I told you, you should’ve gone all in. He almost died!” Jungle Maniac scoffed, but no one paid him any attention.
No one wanted to kill Orgod now. It wasn’t the time.
“Make your wish, Usher,” the voice beckoned.
A spotlight shone down on Usher.
Usher, proud and unwavering, made his choice without hesitation. “SS-Class Career Advancement Secret Scroll.”
“Player Usher has chosen a Relic: 50-Level SS-Class Career Secret Scroll. Instant death rate: 30%.”
The ethereal voice carried a hint of excitement.
A scroll of ancient parchment appeared, bearing the secret to advancing from S-Class to SS-Class.
“Career Advancement Scroll! What a high instant death rate. Talk about ambition!”
“Doesn’t he fear being killed by bad luck?”
The crowd gasped, and Pokpung, Mohammed, and others exchanged glances, discussing tactics in hushed voices.
“Well? You guys aren’t going to curse him?” Orson teased, “I told you, he’s a bigger threat than me.”
Usher shot him a sharp look, “Don’t try to claim you’re a threat in front of the number one player on the Leaderboards. You can curse me, but the result won’t be what you expect.”
Is he really that confident?
Orson hesitated for a moment. Usher was indeed arrogant, but not reckless.
Finally, Orson refrained from using Titan’s Curse on him.
Usher added, “500,000 gold, and you can have as many Titan’s Blessings as you want.”
Everyone was stunned. Usher’s face lit up with triumph as he continued, “Once blessed, no matter life or death, the gold will be paid out immediately, guaranteed by USDk Group.”
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Orson’s face turned dark.
Damn him! He’s ruthless!