Infinite Range: The Sniper Mage

"Where's the girl? I'm asking, where's the girl?!"

Madman arrived at the coordinates Orson had marked on the map, craning his neck and scanning the area with an expression of shameless excitement that he couldn't hide.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"She's right there, waiting for you at the Watchtower entrance. Show me your legendary thieving skills," Orson replied, marking Skyfeather's location with a glowing exclamation mark.

"My god, you bastard!"

Madman stretched his neck for a better look, spotting the girl clad in tattered armor and covered in wounds. Without hesitation, he turned and bolted.

"Where are you running to?! Get back here! She's locked on to me—she won't even notice you!" Orson called out, trying to stop him.

"You mean that's the girl? A 20-million-HP, supercharged mega-boss?! Are you insane?!"

Madman reluctantly stopped, shouting back at Orson for tricking him and killing his excitement.

"Quit whining. Her light armor's already broken; this is the best time to strike," Orson urged.

As an S-class hidden profession, Master Thief had the potential to steal from bosses, though failure would increase the target's aggro on the thief. If the theft failed too many times, the boss would shift its focus entirely to the thief, making it impossible for tanks to hold aggro.

Luckily, Skyfeather's mechanics meant that once she entered rage mode, she would ignore all others and focus solely on Orson.

Orson grinned. No matter how slim the odds were of stealing Magic Eye Refract, he was determined. He would make Madman try again and again until he got his hands on that radar-like skill.

"You better not be screwing me over," Madman grumbled, eyeing Skyfeather nervously. "She does have a nice figure, though. Great face, too… if only she didn't look so creepy."

"Trust my judgment," Orson said with a confident smile.

Madman sighed. "I'd trust you about as much as I trust myself to be Ryan Gosling."

Despite his grumbling, Orson's earlier promise of "hands-on access" had been too tempting.

Grumbling curses under his breath, Madman stealthily approached Skyfeather, his hands moving with practiced precision.

"Baby, I love you!" Madman whispered gleefully as he patted Skyfeather all over.

Skyfeather remained oblivious, her ghostly form continuing to pull her bowstring and fire arrows at Orson, who carefully stayed at the edge of her aggro range.

"Ding… Steal failed."

"Ding… Steal failed."

After several failed attempts, Madman grew frustrated. "Come on, big sister, just give it up already! I'm just doing my job here! And, uh… might I say, this waist, these thighs… oh, and this perfectly toned rear—wow!"

Hearing Madman's shameless praise, Orson shook his head, exasperated. For someone who constantly complained about the Master Thief profession, Madman sure seemed to enjoy himself.

"How's it going? Any luck?" Orson asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Quiet! I'm analyzing the situation!" Madman barked back, though Orson could hear him muttering about Skyfeather's proportions under his breath.

Madman finally entered full concentration mode, treating the task with the seriousness it deserved. Meanwhile, Orson busied himself keeping Skyfeather's HP low, carefully whittling it down to around 100,000 to prevent her from regenerating.

Suddenly, the guild chat erupted in excitement.

Bradley: "Holy crap! A red-tier item! Oh my god, it's anti-magic equipment!"

Wild Gale: "This is insane… my first time seeing red-tier gear!"

The cheers snapped Orson and Madman out of their focus. The dungeon team had defeated the Black Iron Maze boss, triggering a region-wide announcement. Everyone received a bounty of stats and gold.

Both Orson and Madman shouted at once: "Show us!"

[Ancient Celestial Knight's Shield]

Quality: Anti-Magic

Level: 10

Class: Knight

Defense: +500

HP Bonus: +2000

Effect:

Full Defense: Reduce damage taken by 70% for 10 seconds but decrease attack power by 80%. Cooldown: 1 minute. Awakening Set Skill: Knight's Resolve: Block all attacks for 3 seconds and reflect 40% of the damage taken back to attackers. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

"The stats are on par with a level 25 legendary shield, and it has crazy damage reduction and reflect effects?" Madman was stunned.

"It's an incredible piece of gear. The real question is whether we can farm the rest of the set," Orson said calmly, though he wasn't surprised. Anti-Magic gear was the pinnacle of equipment in Infinite Dimensions, often boasting unparalleled effects.

Texas Musk: "Oh man, if only I were a knight!"

God of Iron Cavalry: "Don't even think about it. As the guild's #1 knight, this shield is mine!"

Laughter filled the guild channel. Everyone rolled their eyes at Iron Cavalry's gloating.

Bradley: "The shield's in my hands, but how we distribute it is up to Orson. I'm not getting involved."

Bradley, wary of Iron Cavalry's habit of threatening to leave the guild, threw the decision back to Orson.

"You still thinking about quitting, Iron Cavalry?" Orson teased.

"What? No way! I'm here, taking all the poison hits for the team!" Iron Cavalry laughed nervously.

If not for his pride, he'd have begged Bradley for the shield already. With it, he could confidently claim the title of the strongest knight in Infinite Dimensions.

"Bradley, draft a contract for him. Once he signs, give him the shield," Orson said with a sly smile.

"You mean… a slave contract?" Iron Cavalry stammered, dumbfounded.

"Exactly! Let's set the penalty at 10 billion gold. If he dares defect, we'll sue him into oblivion!" Bradley roared with laughter, thrilled by the idea.

Although Infinite Dimensions had no in-game law enforcement, real-world contracts carried weight. A legally binding agreement would ensure Iron Cavalry couldn't betray the guild without consequences.

"Fine, fine! I'll sign it. I'll even die with the guild if that's what it takes!" Iron Cavalry relented, giddy at the thought of becoming the first Anti-Magic gear holder in the game.

The dungeon team, eager for more loot, delved deeper into the Bronze Maze. However, their enthusiasm was short-lived—sixty players couldn't even defeat a level 20 elite gatekeeper.

After repeated failures, Orson told them to log off and rest while he and Madman continued their "business."

"Even Iron Cavalry got something amazing. Now it's my turn! Come on, baby, love me one more time!"

Madman's jealousy spurred him on. With renewed determination, he continued his shameless efforts to pilfer Skyfeather.

"Ding… Steal successful!"