Infinity, The Arcade Age

"Charge!"

At Qin Ming's roar, more than twenty soldiers stormed out of the underbrush, weapons raised as they charged toward the unsuspecting orc village. Their war cries filled the air as they cut down the first few orcs in their path.

Caught off guard, the orcs initially faltered, several falling before they could react. But these were orcs—creatures whose simplicity was offset by their strength. Grabbing whatever was within reach—wooden stools, pots, or even clubs fashioned from broken furniture—they surged forward to meet the attack.

The clash was immediate and brutal. On one side were the humans, better armed and armored, relying on discipline and formations. On the other were the orcs, unarmored but fiercely aggressive and numerous.

For a time, the human soldiers held their ground, their defensive line repelling the orcs' relentless assaults. But as the minutes dragged on, it became clear that the tide was turning.

Despite their best efforts, the humans' formation began to crumble under the orcs' relentless advance. One by one, breaches appeared, and the soldiers found themselves overwhelmed.

The collapse began with their leader, the lieutenant, who abandoned his position at the forefront. Realizing the line wouldn't hold, he turned and bolted, shouting orders over his shoulder as he fled.

"Fall back! Regroup in the forest!"

The remaining soldiers, seeing their leader retreat, followed suit. Scattered and panicked, they ran toward the treeline, abandoning their comrades to face the enraged orcs alone.

The lieutenant, panting heavily, emerged near the forest edge. Relief briefly crossed his face as he spotted Qin Ming casually walking toward him.

Finally, the so-called hero would act.

"Thank the gods!" he exclaimed, quickly regaining his composure. Planting his feet, he raised his shield high and turned back to face the village.

"Soldiers!" he bellowed. "Reform the line! Support the hero in eliminating the enemy!"

Encouraged by his rallying cry, the fleeing soldiers began to slow. They gathered around their leader, shields raised, ready to face the oncoming orcs.

But the reinforcements they expected didn't come.

Whoosh!

A sudden flash of fiery energy streaked through the air, and in an instant, the lieutenant's body was cleaved in two.

The Sonic Flame Slash, launched by Qin Ming himself, sliced cleanly through the officer, taking down two soldiers nearby and a handful of pursuing orcs.

The battlefield fell silent.

The remaining soldiers froze in shock, staring at the bisected remains of their leader.

Qin Ming stood behind them, his hand still outstretched, the flames around it dissipating. His expression was cold, and his voice rang out clearly:

"Sorry, everyone. I'll be borrowing your heads for a bit."

The silence was broken by another fiery slash.

The energy wave tore through the remaining soldiers, cutting down anyone who hadn't yet fled. Screams of terror and pain filled the air as Qin Ming moved methodically, eliminating all witnesses.

To him, these soldiers were nothing but an inconvenience. Too weak to contribute and too uncooperative to trust, they served a better purpose in death.

Every death was a chance for a key to drop, and keys were far more valuable than their lives.

Once the humans were dealt with, Qin Ming turned his attention to the orcs.

They had stopped in their tracks, stunned by the slaughter they'd just witnessed.

Qin Ming didn't wait for them to recover.

Rolling his neck, he flexed his hands as flames roared to life around his fists. He stepped forward, his presence radiating a predatory aura.

The orcs, numbering nearly two hundred, braced themselves for his charge.

One hour later, Qin Ming emerged from the forest.

His bare skin was spattered with blood, his expression calm and detached. With a rag in hand, he casually wiped the gore from his body as he examined the spoils of battle.

The combined efforts of the humans and orcs had yielded 23 white keys.

Including the loot from earlier skirmishes, Qin Ming now possessed 37 keys in total:

32 White Keys4 Green Keys1 Blue Key

Pausing briefly, he began combining the keys to create higher-tier loot.

By the time he was finished, he held:

2 Silver Keys (Ordinary)1 Silver Key (Dim)1 Blue Key

Satisfied with his haul, Qin Ming turned his attention to the fleeing orc army.

With the bulk of their forces routed, the remaining orcs were scattered and vulnerable. Qin Ming quickened his pace, hoping to catch up and claim even more spoils before the battle ended.

His pursuit eventually brought him to a clearing where the orc remnants clashed with a human force.

Ignoring the minor skirmishes around him, Qin Ming scanned the battlefield for his true target.

It didn't take long to find him.

The Orc Chieftain, the first act's boss, stood amidst the chaos, fighting desperately alongside two Orc Captains. Despite his injuries, the Chieftain refused to fall, though the bodies of humans and orcs alike littered the ground around him.

Joining the battle against the Chieftain were Priest Aludo, Ranger Labelle, and Twin-Guns.

Twin-Guns darted through the battlefield, her pistols unleashing a relentless hail of bullets at one of the Orc Captains. Periodically, she tossed a stick grenade, the resulting explosions forcing the Captain to stumble and falter.

Aludo faced the Chieftain head-on, their massive weapons colliding with thunderous force. Labelle, meanwhile, kept the other Captain occupied with precise, unerring arrows.

From the treeline, Qin Ming watched the battle unfold, his eyes narrowing.

He stepped into the fray without hesitation, his presence unnoticed until the moment he raised his hand and fired a Sonic Flame Slash directly at the Orc Chieftain.

The fiery blade struck true, carving a deep wound into the Chieftain's side.

The Chieftain roared in pain, his remaining eye widening as he recognized the attacker.

His free hand instinctively flew to cover his damaged left eye, memories of his earlier encounter with Qin Ming flooding back.

The humiliation of losing his weapon, his eye, and nearly his life—all of it came rushing back.

Panic gripped the Chieftain.

He lashed out blindly with his hammers, forcing Aludo to step back, before turning to flee.

But Aludo wasn't about to let his prey escape.

The massive priest raised his new hammer high, its surface glowing with radiant energy. A surge of white light erupted from the weapon, washing over the battlefield.

The air grew heavy as a powerful wave of holy fire rippled outward.

B-tier Skill: Heaven's Flame!