Infinity, The Arcade Age

Ranger Labelle, his face now a grotesque mess of blood and torn flesh, let out a heart-wrenching scream. Despite the searing agony, his battle-hardened instincts kept him focused. Clenching his teeth, he triggered his ultimate ability.

With a surge of energy, B-Rank Skill: Elven Gale activated.

The ground around him shattered, and verdant energy beams erupted from the cracks. The attack, a four-shot series of homing strikes, honed in on Qin Ming with unerring precision.

Caught off guard, Qin Ming endured the full brunt of the assault. His skin was lacerated, his body battered and bloodied. Yet, even as his flesh was torn apart, he refused to relinquish his hold on Labelle. His grip on the ranger's neck tightened, and his free hand ignited into flames, forming his Sonic Flame Blade. Without hesitation, he slammed fiery blows into Labelle's face repeatedly.

Four devastating punches left Labelle's face entirely unrecognizable. With his strength rapidly waning and no help forthcoming—his ally was occupied—Labelle reached for his final ace.

From within his belongings, he retrieved a core-like orb etched with lightning patterns. This was a Dim Silver Artifact: Orb of Thunder.

The orb's power allowed it to unleash a thunderous lightning strike upon designated targets. The fewer the targets, the more devastating the attack.

Desperate, Labelle channeled its full might into a single, solitary strike—against Qin Ming.

A thunderclap roared through the air.

From the heavens, a blinding bolt of lightning descended, striking Qin Ming with precision. His body was instantly blackened, charred by the intense energy, and the force flung him across the battlefield.

The attack's power far surpassed Labelle's own ultimate skill, leaving Qin Ming heavily wounded. Yet, as Labelle looked up, expecting to see a lifeless body, horror overtook him.

Despite the searing burns and gaping wounds, Qin Ming's hand still gripped his neck tightly, dragging the ranger along as they were both sent flying by the impact.

With a loud thud, their bodies hit the ground.

Labelle tried to rise, but a vice-like grip around his throat yanked him upward. His vision filled with the ghastly sight of Qin Ming's disfigured, blood-streaked face, twisted into a feral grin. Beneath the gruesome exterior, his teeth gleamed unnaturally white—ominous, pristine fangs poised to strike.

A-Rank Skill: Essence Absorption activated.

Qin Ming sank his teeth into Labelle's neck. Ignoring the ranger's frantic stabbing with his dagger, he drank deeply, consuming not just Labelle's blood but also the very essence of his life force.

The effects of the skill were immediate. Qin Ming's charred and cracked skin began to shed, revealing fresh, unblemished flesh beneath. Wounds that had seemed fatal moments ago were now healing at a miraculous rate.

The life-draining power of Essence Absorption, which had seen limited utility thus far, fully demonstrated its effectiveness at A-Rank.

As Qin Ming's injuries rapidly healed, Labelle's body withered at an alarming pace. His once-powerful frame shrank, his muscles deflating until he was little more than a husk of skin and bone.

His struggles grew weaker by the second. Eventually, his arms fell limp, the dagger slipping from his fingers. His lifeless body hung like a ragdoll in Qin Ming's grasp.

At last, Qin Ming released his hold. His crimson-streaked face split into a terrifying grin. Then, with both hands, he grabbed Labelle's slackened jaw and wrenched it apart.

Crack!

Labelle's desiccated corpse split in two, the sound of tearing flesh echoing across the battlefield.

The ranger was dead.

Qin Ming turned away from the lifeless husk, his eyes glowing with a hellish red light. Slowly, his gaze settled on the only remaining combatants.

The priest Aludo and Twin-Guns were still locked in a fierce skirmish. Each relied on their respective advantages—Aludo on his near-impenetrable defense and Twin-Guns on her agility and rapid fire. Neither had gained the upper hand.

Yet Aludo's heart was no longer in the fight. Watching his companion be torn apart so savagely left him visibly shaken. He knew he stood no chance alone.

Without hesitation, he raised his shield and charged through Twin-Guns' hail of bullets, retreating with single-minded determination.

Qin Ming moved to pursue, but Aludo unleashed his B-Rank Skill: Heaven's Flame.

Three of the blazing pillars targeted Qin Ming, while the fourth aimed at Twin-Guns. Though the strikes lacked lethal intent, they forced both pursuers to stop in their tracks.

Seizing the moment, Aludo pulled a small orb from his pocket and smashed it against the ground.

Boom!

An eerie energy rippled outward. Qin Ming, mid-preparation for a Sonic Flame Blade, suddenly felt his body warp.

A nauseating sense of disorientation followed, and he crashed to the ground—not as a man but as a grotesque muscle-bound frog.

Beside him, Twin-Guns suffered the same fate. The difference, however, was size—while Qin Ming resembled an oversized bullfrog, Twin-Guns was a petite frog marked with twin pistol designs on her back.

The Dim Silver Artifact: Frog Orb had activated. Its effect temporarily transformed enemies into harmless animals.

For ten seconds, the two adventurers could do nothing but croak indignantly as Aludo disappeared into the forest.

When the transformation ended, the two returned to their original forms, albeit too late to catch the fleeing priest.

Qin Ming's expression darkened. He had known these story protagonists would be challenging to kill, often more so than bosses. Yet their arsenal of devastating abilities and high-grade artifacts had exceeded even his worst expectations.

Only once before had he encountered someone with such an array of resources—Adventurer Feng.

His thoughts were interrupted as his gaze shifted to the only other person remaining on the battlefield: Twin-Guns.

They locked eyes.

"You sided with me before," Qin Ming said, his voice low and steady. "Because of that, I'll allow you to take one of the lesser boss's loot. Pick a key and leave."

Standing a few meters away, Twin-Guns didn't respond immediately. Her face was stern, her hands hovering over the grips of her twin pistols. After a moment, she spoke.

"That's what I was going to say to you. Take one of the four keys, leave the rest, and walk away."

"...Really?" Qin Ming's eyes narrowed. "You think you can kill me?"

"Humans die for wealth, and birds for food. My next mission is a rank-up. Failure isn't an option. If I don't risk it now, I'll never be ready."

"Your survival isn't my concern," Qin Ming growled. "This is your last chance. Pick a key and leave."

The tension was suffocating.

Twin-Guns didn't answer. Her hands tightened around her pistols.

Qin Ming's hand moved to his revolver.

The silence broke with a single falling leaf.

In the blink of an eye, both drew their weapons and fired.

Bang!