Infinite Range: The Sniper Mage

Chapter 52 52: The Ascension Kingdom

Orson entered the valley and began clearing the battlefield.

On a rock encrusted with frost, a silver cross stood tall, half the height of a man, radiating holy light as it absorbed magical energy from the surroundings.

"Still alive, huh? What a stubborn cockroach," Orson muttered.

The S-tier Holy Spirit Priest class wasn't just about its absurd healing and buffing capabilities; it also came with the overpowered skill "Holy Spirit's Rebirth." When killed, the priest could sacrifice experience points to resurrect, with greater sacrifices boosting their stats upon revival.

Orson smirked, planting his foot firmly on the silver cross. "Go on, resurrect. I'll kill you as many times as it takes."

Inside the glowing cross, Wedge fumed with rage, her soul lingering in a suspended state. She hesitated, debating whether to resurrect or not.

Unlike most healers, advanced priest players often possessed decent single-target damage capabilities. However, they lacked the devastating AoE of mages or archers.

Even with her S-tier class, going up against a brute-force AoE mage like Orson wasn't just risky—it was suicidal.

She knew she couldn't beat him.

Her strength as a priest had always relied on the synergy with her powerful teammates. Alone, she was vulnerable.

Meanwhile, Orson was unbothered, looting the battlefield without a care in the world.

The Icefield Troll King dropped a Level 25 purple-grade armor piece and three low-level skill books—two for archers and one for thieves.

From Wedge, Reaver, and the rest of the SSR team, he looted over 100 gold coins. Unfortunately, none of their purple equipment dropped.

"Afraid, huh? Good. Stay down," Orson remarked coldly, pausing to glance at the silver cross.

"Orson! This isn't over!" Wedge's voice echoed from the cross in her soul state, venomous and threatening.

"Oh, it's far from over," Orson replied with a chill. "From the moment you framed me for match-fixing, you knew this day would come."

Wedge's fury subsided, replaced by grim calculation. She knew better than to foolishly resurrect under Orson's gaze.

Seconds later, the silver cross shattered, and her soul retreated to the respawn point in the distant city.

With SSR out of the way, Orson entered the Icefield Valley.

The narrow canyon was eerily quiet, devoid of monsters. The further he ventured, the narrower the path became. Just as the valley appeared to reach a dead end, Orson stopped.

"There it is," he muttered.

After some searching, he found the right spot on the ice wall. With a precise spell, he shattered the hidden barrier, revealing the dungeon entrance behind it.

"You are about to enter the Ascension Kingdom ruins."

"Warning: This is a legendary-tier dungeon. Party play is recommended."

Ignoring the system's caution, Orson stepped into the cave.

Orson had run this dungeon only a few times in his past life. Its drop rates for rare items were abysmal, and it barely yielded any coins. However, its monsters were disproportionately strong, making it unpopular with most players.

Yet, Orson knew a secret: like One Night of Terror, this dungeon had a hidden mode.

Skills: Fearless Charge, Cursed Shackles

Orson didn't even flinch.

With a flick of his staff, he summoned The Flame Dragon, unleashing a torrent of fire.

-1,360!

-300!

-4,240!

The spirits burned to ash before they could even reach him. Their curse-debuff skills were laughably ineffective against his long-range assault.

After cutting down wave after wave of mobs, Orson suddenly stopped.

"Wait a minute... Why am I running toward the boss like some idiot?"

He chuckled at his own folly.

From his position, he had a clear view of the golden palace where the dungeon's final boss resided. The distance? Less than 3,000 meters.

With a casting range of nearly 5,000 meters, why should he bother walking over? He was practically a living turret.

Grinning, Orson began backtracking to the stone platform.

If the dungeon's bosses had any intelligence, they'd be dumbfounded. What kind of player resorts to such shameless tactics?

"Come on out, old ghost."

Standing atop the platform, Orson unleashed a barrage of spells, haphazardly aiming toward the palace.

After several fiery explosions, a deafening roar echoed through the ruins.

"Who dares disturb my rest!"

A towering shadow emerged from the palace—a skeletal dragon with a human face.

[King Mancalan of Ascension – Level 25]

[Lord-Class Creature]

[HP: 1,300,000/1,300,000]

[Attack Power: ???]

[Skills: ???]

"So this is the untouched legendary version. The boss's stats are completely unknown."

Orson's expression turned serious. In his past life, he'd only run the dungeon after SSR had cleared it, downgrading its difficulty to elite-tier.

Facing the original Lord-Class version with 1.3 million HP? This would be a challenge like no other.