Infinity, The Arcade Age

By the early hours of the next day, Qin Ming and the others had finished tending to their wounds and disposing of the corpses.

Now, seated at the entrance of the Shiranui Dojo, they rested in silence.

Mary, her body wrapped in bandages, sighed as she glanced at Qin Ming. His bandaged figure was missing an arm, giving him a ragged and desolate appearance.

"Man, you've been beaten to a pulp. Lost an arm too. How are you going to survive like this?"

Shaking her head, Mary's eyes suddenly brightened with an idea.

"Why don't you join me? Be a private detective! Don't worry, with me watching your back, you won't starve!"

Mary gave Qin Ming a hearty pat on the shoulder, casually slinging her arm over him in a chummy manner.

Before Qin Ming could reply, Mai Shiranui—bandaged as well—immediately protested.

"Hey! He's one of us at the Shiranui Dojo! Why should he go with you?"

"Dojo? What dojo? You can barely feed yourself, let alone someone else!"

"As long as I'm alive, the dojo will rise again! And besides, I've got my junior brother here to help me!"

"Help? After losing an arm helping you with revenge, you want him to keep helping? What's next? His life?"

"Mary! Watch your mouth! It's only natural for a disciple to avenge their master!"

"A master he served for just one day? A day! For a single day, he lost an arm! Your grandpa didn't even teach him anything!"

"Then I'll teach him myself! Qin Ming, tell me! What do you want to learn? Your senior sister will teach you!"

The bickering escalated, both women raising their voices as Qin Ming, caught in the middle, sat quietly, expressionless.

After a while, as they finally seemed to tire, Qin Ming broke the silence.

"I'm leaving."

"What?!"

Their simultaneous exclamations echoed through the hall.

Before either could press further, Qin Ming continued, his face stoic.

"I know someone who can reattach my arm, but it'll take time. So I have to go."

"I'll come with—"

"No need. He doesn't like strangers. Don't worry. Once I've recovered, I'll return."

He raised his severed arm stub with a bitter smile.

The truth was, earlier that day, Qin Ming had received a notification from the Nightmare Space.

The Fatal Fury plotline had officially begun, and a triggered mission had been assigned: Compete in the Fatal Fury tournament and secure one of the three Qin Clan Manuals for three days.

The rewards? 5000 points and 5 free attribute points.

But looking at his current state—a mangled, one-armed wreck—what could he do?

Fight in the Fatal Fury tournament? Claim one of the legendary Qin Clan Manuals?

What would he rely on? His injuries? His missing arm? Pretend to faint and guilt-trip his opponents into giving up?

Fearing that his enemies might still have allies nearby, and seeing the option to return to the Nightmare Space instead of participating, Qin Ming chose to leave without hesitation.

Now, sitting in the dojo, he looked at Mary and Mai, their eyes wide in shock.

"Let's meet again someday," he said with a heavy sigh.

Both women's expressions shifted rapidly, but neither could find the words to protest.

Finally, Mai Shiranui stepped forward, her face serious.

"Don't worry, Junior Brother. The dojo will remain here, waiting for your return."

Qin Ming's gaze turned strange as he glanced at Mai.

And who could blame him?

Two days ago, Mai had been glaring daggers at him, her favorability toward him sitting at a solid -190.

Now? Her favorability had skyrocketed to 690.

To top it off, Mai's favorability threshold for "love" was only 650.

A task he once thought impossible—to win her over—had been completed... accidentally.

No wonder Mai Shiranui's conquest task was labeled white rarity. She was ridiculously easy to win over.

Lose an arm for the dojo, and she falls for you?

No wonder she's a fan favorite in certain... "circles."

Suppressing a chuckle, Qin Ming turned to Mary.

"Miss Mary, since you don't have a fixed place, and we're all friends, why not join the Shiranui Dojo?"

"Join the dojo?"

"Yes! You've been wandering all this time, and it's hard to find you. If you join the dojo, we'll have a place to meet and stay in touch."

Spurred by his unexpected success with Mai, Qin Ming decided to take a shot at another white rarity task.

To his surprise, Mary agreed after only a brief moment of thought.

And just like that, another title mission was completed.

Seeing the notification, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile as he rose to his feet.

"Great! Now I'll go tend to my injuries. If I wait too long, it might be too late to reattach my arm. Take care, you two!"

As he walked away, Mai and Mary exchanged a glance before quickly following him to the dojo's entrance.

"Junior Brother, heal up and come back quickly! Even if you don't recover, the dojo will take care of you!"

"Don't jinx it! His arm will definitely heal! Qin Ming, don't listen to her. Once you're better, come be a detective with me! Let's make big money together!"

"Detective?! Over my dead body! I'll have you scrubbing toilets, newbie outer disciple!"

Their bickering faded as Qin Ming descended the stairs.

Once he was out of sight, he vanished from the world altogether.

Mission World: Fatal Fury 3

Mission Type: Fighting Mode (Large-Scale Mission)

Participants: 100

Main Mission: Achieve 200 favorability with a main plot character (Completed).

Reward: 2000 points, 2 free attribute points.Optional Mission: Participate in the killing of a main plot character (Completed).

Reward: 3000 points, 3 free attribute points.

Title Missions Completed:

Elite Steward (Invite a main plot character to join a faction; +10 Constitution).

Shiranui Head (Achieve 650 favorability with Mai Shiranui; +2 Charisma).

Total Rewards:

5000 points

5 free attribute points

Two White Titles

(End of Chapter)