The crowd was stunned for a moment before breaking into uncontrollable laughter.
Pokpung: "Pfft, too funny. I thought the SA people were dumb, but didn't expect another one to show up here."
"Hahaha... I'm dying! This is the intelligence of the strongest US player? Wow, now this is a true idiot!"
Jungle Maniac laughed maniacally, thrilled to shed his title as the biggest fool.
Even someone as uneducated as he could easily calculate the instant death rate, yet this guy still chooses The Divine Item? If that's not stupidity, what is?
Usher and Snow Dream exchanged glances, both sensing something was off.
"They have no idea who they're dealing with," Usher thought coldly.
Snow Dream, her expression cautious, murmured, "He's actively looking for death. That means he must have discovered something."
Usher's face tightened. He didn't think Orson would risk gambling that no one would curse him, trying to buy himself a sliver of hope. He also didn't think Orson would, like him, use money to buy off other players who hadn't yet cast Titan's Blessing.
Since the opening of Infinite Dimensions, Dragon's Kiss Guild's intelligence network hadn't found any record of Orson spending huge amounts of money to buy anything from other players.
That just wasn't Orson's style.
If he did try that, Usher would use money to crush him, to completely wipe out any thoughts of bargaining.
If Orgod were just that simple-minded, he would've died at Usher's hands a thousand times over. Usher wouldn't have lost to him before, only to later switch sides and seek opportunities in the Dark Dragon Empire.
Quality: The Divine Item
"Adventurer, your courage is commendable, but you will pay for your greed!"
Ancestor Vilitian mocked with a wild laugh. A radiant magic gem appeared above the wishing pool, glowing intensely yet hiding a deadly danger.
"Pokpung has cast Titan's Curse on you!"
"What are you waiting for? Let him die! Let's take him off the Infinite Dimensions Leaderboards. This is our only chance!" Pokpung sneered. As the number one female fighter on the NUK server, she instinctively harbored a deep hatred for powerful men.
"Idiot, time to die." The big fool laughed wickedly.
"Jungle Maniac has cast Titan's Curse on you!"
Davis: "I knew your pride would be your downfall. No matter how strong you are, it'll soon be in the past."
"Davis has cast Titan's Curse on you!"
"I'm sorry, friend. If you had chosen The Divine Item, I wouldn't have interfered. But only my older brother can get The Divine Item."
Kanting gave Orson a proper knight's salute, sighing in pity.
Instant death rates began climbing fast.
"One, two… never mind, Naoko, please take note of this."
Orson shook his head and pointed at the players one by one.
"Take note? What do you mean, Orson-kun?" Naoko asked, confused.
Orson smiled faintly, his lips curling upward. "I'm going to visit them in their game districts for some friendly diplomatic activities."
Pokpung and the others froze, their faces darkening.
Naoko, with a sweet smile, pulled out a little notebook and started jotting down the names of the players who had cast curses on Orson.
Mohammed: "Please forgive my actions. If possible, I'll make it up to you afterward."
It was well-known that Orgod had imposed taxes on foreign players in the UJ district—such a bizarre story was hard to forget.
Pokpung: "Stop pretending! This guy has such a high sin value, that if he gets killed, all his accumulated gear will drop. He'll also lose 40 levels as punishment. He'll never catch up to the others!"
Pokpung: "Besides, without him, the Godslayer Guild is just a second-rate guild. Why should we fear him?"
Hearing Pokpung's analysis, the foreign players felt a little more at ease.
"Alright, it's your turn now. If you want to turn the tide, you better decide quickly. This might be your only chance to take me down," Orson said with a sly grin, looking at Usher and Snow Dream.
Orson's dark eyes locked onto the once-proud apprentice.
Snow Dream hesitated for a moment before meeting his gaze. There was a hint of fear and guilt in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
She had betrayed Wedge for self-preservation, but betraying Orson was an entirely different matter. She had the chance to prevent the fake match that had caused Orson's notoriety.
Perhaps it was jealousy—or maybe it was hatred born from unrequited love…
But now, it was too late.
She had no way to go back.
"You said that no matter the outcome, if you ever had the chance to put your opponent in a death trap, you would go for it." Snow Dream sighed softly, determination in her eyes.
"I never said that. We're not close," Orson coldly replied. His career as a trial taker had taught him not to trust anyone who had betrayed him, no matter how much effort he had once invested in them.
Betrayal is betrayal, no matter how clever the excuses.
A curse struck Orson, dark energy surrounded him, and his instant death rate reached 95%.
"I admire your decisiveness, Orson. You've trained a fine apprentice," Usher finally smiled with satisfaction.
Unlike Wedge, who enjoyed staying above others, basking in flattery, which prevented him from seeing the dangers ahead, Snow Dream was far more resolute. Her judgment and decisiveness earned Usher's respect.
"I'll help you now, Orgod."
Usher laughed loudly. As he moved, another curse struck...
Instant death rate hit 100%!
"Adventurer, your time has come."
The air above the wishing pool was thick with dark mist. The eyes in the sky were bloodshot as Ancestor Vilitian laughed maniacally. This was clearly the scene it had been waiting for.
"I told you not to bark like a dog. There are still players who haven't made their decisions," Orson scoffed.
"Me? Didn't you say it didn't matter whether you used a blessing or not?" Naoko pointed to her own face, pretending to be innocent.
She still wore a sweet, affectionate expression.
But Orson quickly caught a flicker of regret on her face.
Orson sneered inwardly. A woman who could turn her guild upside down couldn't possibly be as clueless as she appeared.
Snow Dream was the same, and so was Naoko.
Every move they made carried a sense of self-interest; for them, emotions were secondary.
"I didn't ask you to use a blessing. I wanted you to curse me."
Orson smiled faintly. He and Naoko were merely using each other. No need to call her out on it.
"Is there any point now that the instant death rate has reached 100%?"
Naoko frowned, her voice stiff. She couldn't hide her disappointment. It seemed she foresaw a giant tree about to fall.
She knew that if Orson fell, her own days in the US wouldn't be easy either.
"I asked you to do it. Just do it," Orson continued.
Naoko shook her head helplessly, and the final curse light fell. The instant death rate surged past the limit, reaching 105%.
The death trap was set.
The bronze wheel spun again, and the 105 "death" markers in the grid were a chilling sight.
Almost half of the "death" markers were a different color—those were the Titan's Curse effects from other players.
Once the pointer landed on any of those "death" markers, the player would immediately receive the items dropped by the killed player.
The wheel spun faster. Everyone knew Orson's fate was sealed, but they couldn't look away from the board.
"He's not the type to walk into a trap. He's reached heights most players can't even dream of..."
"He never should have chosen to wade through this mess..."
Snow Dream's mind raced. Her heartbeat quickened. "This The Divine Item must be very important to him. He's willing to risk losing 40 levels... Wait, he deliberately had his teammates curse him!"
Snow Dream rapidly ran through the possible outcomes, her face paling as she murmured, "There's a problem. There's definitely a problem."