Orson, d in his NPC disguise, made his way to the Bounty Hunters'' Tavern in the inner city.
"Holy hell, I thought the cops were raiding the Hunters'' Guild!"
"Wait… what''s an Imperial mage doing here taking demon-hunting jobs?"
The sight of the Boss Bai namete atop Orson''s head sent a ripple of panic through the tavern. A few red-named yers, mid-task, nearly bolted for the exit.
The Bounty Hunters'' Guild held a unique position in Infinite Dimensions. It operated in almost every town, and its neutrality allowed even red-named yers and criminals to participate in demon-hunting tasks if they had the credentials.
After paying 10 gold to register as a hunter, Orson was presented with a wide array of tasks.
The guild''s missions ranged from E-rank to SSS-rank.
- E-rank tasks included mundane errands like retrieving lost cats or finding missing girls.
- D-rank and above involved hunting monsters, such as ying 100 Moonhowl Werewolves or collecting 50 Troll Tusks.
- A-rank tasks and beyond became downright insane, with S-rank missions even requiring teams to y dragons.
As a novice hunter with a ck Iron Badge, Orson was limited to E-rank and D-rank tasks.
Currently, due to the breach in Pondenorlin''s barrier, the tavern was overflowing with D-rank hunting missions.
"You have epted the D-rank task: y 50 Skeleton Mages."
"You have epted the D-rank task: Collect 60 Magic Ape ws."
"You have reached the maximum task limit: 2/2."
Orson frowned. The two-task cap was inconvenient, especially given that the trip from the tavern to the outer slums took over ten minutes. Running back and forth would waste too much time.
"Would you like to purchase the Hunter Task Expansion Bundle?"
"Beginner Bundle: Increase task limit to 20."
The system prompt popped up, and Orson let out a bitterugh. The bundle''s price was 50 gold.
Demon-hunting tasks were a staple for grinding rewards, offering silver coins and skill points. However, Orson had never been willing to buy bundles in his previous life. For efficiency''s sake, he had no choice now.
"Purchase the Advanced Bundle."
"You have spent 300 gold and received the Advanced Hunter Expansion Bundle!"
"Hunter Expansion Advanced Bundle:"
- Increases task limit to 60.
- Grants remote task eptance and submission within city limits.
Orson winced at the cost. Still, the ability to remotelyplete tasks made the purchase worthwhile. He''d need to finish a mountain of tasks to level up his hunter rank.
"Random King: "Damn it! All the D-rank tasks are gone! There were like twenty of them a second ago!"
"Skytear''s Sorrow: "Who the hell is Boss Bai? What''s with hoarding all the tasks?"
Nearby yers clustered around the bar, grumbling at the vanishing tasks. When they spotted Orson, they were baffled:
"Is that an NPC? Since when do they act like total maniacs?"
Ignoring theints, Orson methodically epted all avable tasks. Whether or not he couldplete them didn''t matter—he could rece unfinished tasks with new ones when they refreshed in two hours.
---
"Bradley, how''s it going? Are you done yet?"
Orson sent a private message to his struggling ally. Bradley''s level had dropped to 9 after hours of futile grinding.
"Moneybags: "I''m gonna… damn it! If I don''t yank that drunken bastard''s armpit hair tonight, I''ll eat my keyboard!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"…Harsh."
Orson shook his head. Bradley was stubbornly attempting to clear the Saint de trial and had been defeated hundreds of times. His determination was both impressive and masochistic.
"Finish it soon. I''ll help you grind levels afterward."
Bradley didn''t reply, focusing instead on his endless cycle of defeat.
---
With over an hour remaining until the monster invasion, Orson logged off for a quick break. After a shower and a feast of grilledmb skewers, he returned to the game.
"Regional Announcement: yer ''ughter Spree'' has awakened the A-rank Hidden ss: Mad Demon Knight."
"Rewards: 100 free attribute points, 40 skill points, 5,000 reputation, 50 gold!"
---
The first A-rank Hidden ss had emerged, earning admiration from yers across the server.
"Irond Healer: "Amazing! The first A-rank ss already?!"
"Moneybags: "Damn! 500 gold as a celebration? ughter Spree is really flexing!"
---
Orson remained unimpressed. He remembered ughter Spree as a core member of the ughter Guild. While the ss provided an early-game edge, ughter Spree''sckluster skills caused him to fade into obscurityter on.
In Infinite Dimensions, the strength of a ss mattered less than the yer''s skill. Even the weakest E-rank sses could topple higher-tier ones in capable hands.
---
Back in the outer slums, Orson climbed the defensive watchtower.
"Boss Bai! If we don''t engage soon, we''re doomed!"
The NPC soldiers were visibly panicked.
"Hmm… Now this is what I call a party."
Orson sucked in a breath as he gazed at the monstrous horde. Thousands of creatures nketed the horizon, a sea of shadows surging forward.
His scalp tingled. No wonder the mission allowed a 60-man raid. A six-yer team wouldn''t stand a chance against this onught.
The horde was roughly two kilometers away—just beyond Orson''s current maximum range of 1,670 meters. Any hopes of whittling down the numbers before their approach were dashed.
---
"Countdown: 60 seconds."
"You have been grantedmand over the Outer City Guards."
The mission''s prompt appeared.
Orson surveyed the defending NPC soldiers. There were fewer than 30, most of them around level 15—far weaker than their inner-city counterparts.
"Relying on them is as good as throwing bodies at the horde…"
---
After some thought, Orson decided to improve his magic capabilities.
"You have spent 9 skill points and 6 gold to level up your magic."
"You have spent 12 skill points and 14 gold to reach Magic Level 10."
"C-rank Fire Magic: [Touch of the me Serpent] has been enhanced!"
"You have learned Fire Magic: [me Dragon]!"
[me Dragon]
- Effect 1: Consumes 600 MP to summon a fiery dragon. Each strike deals 400+ spell attack power andsts 15 seconds. Cooldown: 50 seconds.
- Effect 2: Targets in contact with the me Dragon suffer 220 burn damage per second for 3 seconds.
Orson''s face lit up. Spending so many resources had paid off—the skill had transformed into a powerhouse.
Though ssified as C-rank, me Dragon rivaled even some B-rank AoE skills in power.
---
With 25 skill points left, Orson upgraded [Earth Surge] and [Wind Whisperer] to level 5. These utility spells didn''t gain much offensive power but benefitted from reduced cooldowns.
---
"Countdown over!"
"The monster horde is advancing!"
Orson''s expression hardened as the ground began to quake. The horde, a mass of writhing darkness, surged forward like an ominous tidal wave.