Madman: "Buying the last 8 Windtear Stones, 400 gold each! No limit on quantity!"
Dancing Giant Boobs: "Any big brothers willing to gift me some Catalyst Demon Fangs? Offering limited-edition swimsuit and risqué photo albums in return!"
"Shit! Godslayer players are at it again! Everyone, don't sell to them—they're probably scheming something shady."
Iron Cavalry: "You wanna watch your mouth? Next stronghold war, we're coming for you."
At this point, Godslayer Guild was unstoppable. In the Light Dragon faction, barely any force dared to challenge them outright.
Every guild leader understood one thing: it was better to maintain the status quo than to provoke Godslayer players.
But outside the US region, things were far less peaceful. The dominant players from various international servers, all of whom had suffered crippling losses at Orson's hands during the offline auction, wanted nothing more than to grind his very existence into dust.
Unfortunately, they could do little but rant in chat, venting their frustration with empty threats.
After all, the "gas leak incident" at the hotel had been far too bizarre. Even if they wanted to hunt Orson down in real life, they had to consider the body count they were willing to sacrifice.
And if they were considering hiring assassins, well… they'd first have to make it through customs—not to mention the ever-vigilant Chinese security forces watching their every move.
[You have received a new mail.]
[New materials have been added to your inventory.]
More and more resources flowed into Orson's hands.
Even so, it still wasn't enough. As he continued scouring the lakebed for Rune Sigil Stones, he also checked the material requirements for the [Supreme Mage Set].
This equipment set required a staggering amount of materials. Fortunately, Orson already possessed the main component—[Archaic Star Iron]—which saved him a lot of trouble. Otherwise, gathering everything would have been nearly impossible in a short time.
After a rough estimate, Orson realized he had already spent 50,000 gold, practically wiping out the auction house's entire stock of necessary materials—just barely enough for a single forge attempt.
But that alone wouldn't cut it.
If he wanted to forge a Growth-type Forbidden Magic weapon and trigger the [Soul Devourer] trait, this amount of resources was far from sufficient.
"I need a massive amount of materials. Handle it for me."
Orson made a quick call to Lauren.
"Got it. No problem."
Lauren responded immediately. Rank Studio's entire resource network was now focused on supplying the UJ region.
While Godslayer Guild dominated the US region, the various gold-farming studios still hoarded rare materials, knowing that there would always be demand.
And the moment they heard Orgod was buying, these studios were all too eager to sell at near-wholesale prices—because in reality, this was more than just a transaction.
It was protection money in disguise.
With Godslayer's name behind them, gold farmers would have a much easier time running dungeons and farming materials without interference.
Meanwhile, Orson, still untouched by the Burning effect, continued exploring the lake's depths.
Before long, a faint orange glow caught his eye.
[You have obtained Rune Sigil Stone – Smelting!]
[This item is NPC-exclusive. You cannot view its specific properties.]
"This one enhances Perfect Reforging success rates…" Orson mused.
By late-game, Rune Sigil Stones were commonly found among NPC blacksmiths.
Particularly after the servers were connected, almost every major region had 2 to 4 Grey Dwarven blacksmiths capable of using Sigil Stone effects.
Each Sigil Stone had a unique function, and players could pay a gold fee to use these enhancements.
This particular Sigil Stone had the ability to perfectly dismantle an item, recovering all original materials used in its creation.
For players crafting high-end gear or accessories, this was invaluable.
After all, as levels increased, low-tier dungeons became increasingly abandoned, making their rare loot much harder to obtain. This stone provided a workaround, allowing players to reclaim rare crafting materials instead of farming outdated content.
"Bloodthirsty Surge."
Orson swung his staff, sending out a pulsing shockwave.
The nearly solidified molten metal trembled and parted once more, revealing an astonishing sight beneath.
Orson's eyes gleamed.
Among the scattered remains of Grey Dwarven kings, no fewer than eight Rune Sigil Stones lay silent and untouched.
[You have obtained Rune Sigil Stone – Ashes!]
[You have obtained Rune Sigil Stone – Enchantment!]
But the one that caught his attention most was the largest among them.
Orson reached down and picked up a palm-sized Rune Sigil Stone, its surface glowing with an eerie, ghostly blue light.
"This must be Odin's Life Sigil Stone."
Among all the Sigil Stones present, most were thumb-sized at best.
But Odin's? It was the largest by far.
A faint crack ran through the Ashes Sigil Stone, its fractured surface held together by intricate silver magic runes.
Orson smirked. "So Veijander was telling the truth."
The Grey Dwarven kings were known as the strongest dwarves in history. Judging by the traces of fused magic within this stone, it was clear that Odin had indeed combined multiple Sigil Stones into one.
The more Sigil Stones a Grey Dwarf fused, the stronger they became—and even their lifespan increased dramatically.
Orson fell into thought.
In Infinite Dimensions, high-intelligence NPCs could level up just like players, gradually increasing their combat power.
However, they were usually bound by an invisible limit.
For instance, a Lord-Class NPC could train to their absolute peak, but they could never fully cross into Domain Lord-Class unless under special conditions.
Still, there were exceptions.
For NPC warriors to undergo significant power boosts, they typically required specific triggers, such as:
Level caps Rare artifacts Difficult player-assisted quests
This meant Veijander, currently at level 70, wasn't strong enough to fully absorb so many Sigil Stones at once.
Now this was getting interesting.
With a flick of his wrist, Orson pulled out a dark, shimmering object.
A black glow pulsed ominously from its surface—it was a pill, yet its radiance resembled a miniature Bright Galaxy, shrouded in a faint eerie mist.
A chilling sense of dread spread through his heart.
Simply staring at it was akin to gazing into the abyss itself.