1: The Human Cannon

"Listen up, everyone. Our studio doesn't keep freeloaders around. When *Infinite Dimensions* opens, don't pick any useless classes."

"Warriors, Paladins, Priests, Archers—those are fine. You won't have trouble finding dungeon runs or a gold-farming squad."

"Our goal is simple: make money! Go all out for the money!"

In Baiguo City, inside a small online gaming studio, the manager, Charles, was hyping up his staff with a fiery pep talk.

*Infinite Dimensions* launching?

Wasn't that five years ago?

In the corner of the studio, Orson's eyes snapped open.

"This is... Rank Studio?"

Orson glanced around, bewildered, at the familiar yet strange faces around him, muttering in disbelief, "Did I… just come back to life?"

He grabbed his phone from the desk. The screen displayed the date clearly: June 12, 2027.

"Unbelievable... five years ago. I'm back on the day *Infinite Dimensions* launched!" Orson shot up from his seat in shock.

The global hype around *Infinite Dimensions* claimed it was the closest thing to a second reality, co-created by three leading AI companies. But Orson knew how laughable that notion was.

The truth? *Infinite Dimensions* was a trial world crafted by the gods of the galaxy to train humans to resist interdimensional creatures!

When the game first launched, everything seemed normal. But three years later, *Infinite Dimensions* would merge with reality, flipping the game into hardcore survival mode. Death in the game would mean real death.

In the fifth year of the Infinite Dimensions Era, Orson had been exploring ancient ruins when he found an extremely rare item. Jealous, the strongest guild in the U.S., Dragon's Kiss, hunted him down and ambushed him, leaving him dead.

Seeing Orson standing there, Charles scowled and sneered sarcastically, "Certain washed-up pros can pick a cash-hungry class like Mage if they want—but if you don't cough up at least two gold a day, don't bother showing up."

"Orson, don't waste your energy on people like him."

Next to him, Bradley whispered, urging Orson not to lose his cool and give Charles an excuse to make trouble.

"Bradley! Good ol' Bradley, still fresh as ever!" Orson was stunned for a second, then lit up with excitement.

Bradley gaped at him in confusion. Orson quickly covered, "Er… looks like you've slimmed down a bit. Almost didn't recognize you."

"Yeah, starving nine times out of ten does that to you."

Scratching the back of his head, Bradley glanced at Orson, puzzled by his odd behavior. "Hey, with your skills in ranged DPS, you could play Archer and still earn enough to cover Sienna's surgery. Don't worry too much."

The smile on Orson's face froze, and he murmured, "Sienna?"

In his last life, Orson had been a professional eSports player, winning the national championship for three years in a row for one of the hottest online games. Fans called him the undisputed Arcane God, Orgod.

But then he got dragged into a match-fixing scandal. Kicked out by his club and slapped with millions in damages, his reputation was ruined. The name Orgod became a disgrace in the gaming scene, and he could only make ends meet by grinding for gold in a studio.

Sienna was his little sister. They didn't share blood, but they grew up together in an orphanage, and Orson treated her as family.

Two days ago, Sienna's kidneys started failing, and the doctors issued a critical warning. She urgently needed a kidney transplant, an operation costing eight hundred thousand yuan, just for a slim chance at survival.

Desperate and heavily in debt, Orson had begged his former teammates, now minor celebrities, for help. Instead of kindness, he faced endless humiliation.

"I was just thirty thousand short... I failed her. I'm such a failure!"

"Big brother, don't worry about me. I'm ready… take me home, okay?"

Five years had passed, but that conversation still haunted him. Even as he died, regret and guilt tormented Orson.

Now, gritting his teeth, Orson clenched his fists. He had been given another chance, and he was determined to change their fate this time.

"Hey, Orson, I know it's not much, but here's twenty thousand. It's all I have; maybe it'll help for now." Bradley carefully pulled out a bank card.

Orson's expression softened, and he gently pushed the card back with a grateful smile. "Hold onto it, Bradley. I'll rack up some rare loot and gather the money myself."

"Alright! I believe you can do it!" Bradley breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as the server opened, Orson donned his VR helmet and entered the game.

"Three years in beginner mode. I need to get as strong as possible before hardcore mode kicks in. This time, I'll protect everyone!" Taking a deep breath, Orson's gaze sharpened with resolve.

At the character creation screen, dazzling CGI trailers showcased each class.

*Infinite Dimensions* had an unmatched level of freedom in character classes. Six base classes, ninety-nine subclasses, with further advancements at levels 20 and 50. There were also hundreds of hidden classes awaiting discovery.

"Select your class and name."

Orson didn't hesitate. "Mage. Username: Orgod."

With that, he appeared dressed in a white robe, holding a wooden beginner's staff.

Suddenly, a system window popped up: "Dear player, could we trouble you to fill out a brief survey?"

"Maintain a 60% accuracy rate, and you'll have a chance to win rewards like silver coins and Soul Imprints!"

Orson smirked. Most game companies threw out similar gimmicks, often stingy with real rewards in the end.

But at the mention of a Soul Imprint, he couldn't help but feel intrigued. "I always did wonder what that Soul Imprint was all about… An Elite-grade imprint could be interesting."

In *Infinite Dimensions*, equipment and items were fully tradeable, but Soul Imprints were permanent once equipped. A character's class defined their baseline potential, but Soul Imprints determined their ultimate ceiling, acting as a player's innate skill.

Players could only slot three Soul Imprints: Human, Sacred, and Divine.

The quality tiers, from lowest to highest, were: Mortal, Spirit, Lord, Elite, and Godly.

In his past life, the rare item that got Orson killed was an Elite Soul Imprint, and it had been an unbreakable source of envy and death.

It was early in the game, so every second counted. Most players would skip the survey. But Orson remembered a scholar player who had won a Lord-grade Soul Imprint worth millions just for completing it, giving him a huge advantage at the start.

Enduring the endless questions, Orson started answering. The first few questions were straightforward, mostly about gaming knowledge, the player's experience, and familiarity with the background lore.

"If your teammates die while fighting a boss, and you're left alone, what would you do?"

A. Quit the team to minimize losses.

B. Flame your teammates in the chat.

C. Run and pray for your teammates.

D. Fight to the death.

Orson frowned slightly, realizing the questions were getting tougher. After a moment, he picked D.

"Correct answer!"

Orson nodded in approval. *Infinite Dimensions* had no patience for the weak; pushing boundaries was the game's main theme.

Four hours later, Orson was thoroughly drained but still answering questions.

"Is this what they call a 'brief' survey?"

Five hundred questions covered everything from class strengths and weaknesses to strategic approaches. For new players, it was a nightmare.

Luckily, Orson's experience kept him going.

"Ding!"

"Incredible! Your accuracy rate is over 99%. Rating: Extraordinary Talent!"

"You've earned a Godly-grade Human Soul Imprint!"

"You're the first player worldwide to finish the survey! Bonus reward: a Super God-grade Human Soul Imprint!"

Orson froze, stunned. What... a Super God-grade Imprint?

In his previous life, fewer than ten players in the entire Chinese region had ever received a God-grade Soul Imprint. He'd never even heard of a Super God-grade one.

"Would you like to equip the Soul Imprint?"

A pure white imprint hovered in front of him. Heart pounding, Orson swallowed hard and nodded.

"Congratulations! Your Human Soul Imprint has been awakened!"

**[Heavenly Spirit's Right Eye]: Super God-grade**

*Passive Skill 1*: Every 10 monsters killed increases attack range by 1 meter (initial cap: 0/1000 meters).

Deities' Comment: "What's wrong with an absurdly long range for Mages?"

*Passive Skill 2*: Every monster killed increases mana by 1 point (initial cap: 0/10,000 MP).

Deities' Comment: "So what if Mages have endless mana?"

"Holy… monster kills boost my mana and attack range? And it levels up even more?"

Orson rubbed his face in disbelief. This Soul Imprint was… insanely overpowered!

With no hesitation, he started the game.

Orson could hardly wait to confirm whether he was dreaming or if the developers of *Infinite Dimensions* had truly lost their minds.

The screen shifted, and Orson appeared in Newbie Village #3313.

Two hours into the server's launch, the village was still packed, a testament to the game's popularity.

Ignoring the main quest, he headed straight for the nearest monster spawn zone.

**[Black-skinned Goblin: Level 1]**

**[HP: 80/80]**

**[Attack: 6]**

Orson skimmed his own stats: 10 points of magic attack, 100 HP, 50 MP.

Taking down this newbie goblin was easy, though it would barely drop any rewards.

He raised his staff and launched a basic fireball attack.

-10 

-10 

After eight hits, the goblin fell, taking a few swings with its rusty knife. Each fireball drained one MP, so he lost a total of 8 MP.

And that was why the Mage was the ultimate cash-guzzling class. Even a basic attack consumed mana, making it dependent on rare equipment with mana regen stats and high-cost magic books.

If you invested tens of thousands, a Mage might outshine a standard class, but it was a role for big spenders only.

"You have slain a [Black-skinned Goblin], gaining +3 experience."

**[You have been blessed by the Great Spirit God, increasing your attributes slightly.]**

Suppressing his excitement, Orson checked his status panel again: **MP 42/51!**

It was a small increase, but Orson knew it was just the beginning.

"So this is a Super God-grade Soul Imprint? It's absolutely broken!"

A chill ran down Orson's spine. If he continued grinding Level 1 goblins until he maxed out…

The *Heavenly Spirit's Right Eye* at level cap would grant him 10,000 MP and a range of one kilometer!

He wouldn't be a Mage; he'd be a human cannon!

He could practically stand in the village and nuke bosses in the wild!