Infinity, The Arcade Age

Ding! Adventurer ID: 441985! The world experienced: "Dragon Warrior: Act I!"

Main Mission: Participate in the slaying of the Orc Chieftain (Completed).

Reward: 2,000 points, 2 free attribute points.

Optional Mission: Destroy the orc siege equipment (Completed).

Reward: 3,000 points, 3 free attribute points.

Title Missions Completed:

Orc Slayer (White)Fight Fire with Fire (White)

The screen froze on the scene where Qin Ming ripped the ranger Labelle apart with his bare hands, marking the conclusion of his fifth world mission.

This time, Qin Ming had gone all out to maximize his rewards, and the results were substantial. While 5 free attribute points weren't especially high, he had earned two titles and—most notably—collected six ordinary silver keys. Such a haul was downright astonishing!

Risk and opportunity often go hand in hand. While the "Dragon Warrior" world was filled with terrifyingly strong and numerous enemies, that very abundance translated into a sea of lootable keys.

In most other worlds, even if Qin Ming killed all the enemies—including the protagonist—he wouldn't have been able to gather such treasures.

Sitting on his bed and staring at the six cobbled-together silver keys, Qin Ming fell into thought. After a moment of hesitation, he decided against fusing the keys further. Instead, he opted to open them all individually.

With a series of flashes, item after item appeared before him. For a moment, Qin Ming was left speechless by the sheer amount of gear.

The protagonist Labelle's key yielded a dim silver-grade magic bow that could automatically generate energy arrows.

The Orc Chieftain, however, dropped something much more familiar—a spiked flail.

Holding two nearly identical flails, Qin Ming's expression turned incredulous.

Equipping the silver armor and helmet from the other chests, Qin Ming realized that he now looked like he could pass for the Orc Chieftain himself.

When all was said and done, his haul included:

A bow,Two flails,A silver armor set,A silver helmet,A B-grade skill book, andA silver-grade orb.

The weapons—the bow and flails—were of little use to him. Qin Ming's combat style and skill set were entirely unsuited for such tools; he excelled in unarmed combat, not wielding melee or ranged weapons.

The armor and helmet had decent stats, but as heavy armor, they severely hindered his mobility and conflicted with his current gear.

The only genuinely valuable items for him were the skill book and the orb.

Name: Tough Hide

Type: Skill Book (B-Grade)

Requirement: Constitution 25

Effect: Immunity to all damage less than 10% of the user's Constitution.

Description: "Great defense, but at what cost? You paid with your intelligence!"

Name: Frog Orb

Type: Consumable (Dim Silver Grade)

Requirement: None

Effect: Transforms up to five enemies into frogs for up to ten seconds, provided they take no damage during that time.

Description: "Kissing five frogs at once? Oh, the princess is going to be busy!"

Qin Ming had experienced the effects of both items firsthand—unfortunately, as the victim. The Frog Orb, without question, was a lifesaving artifact, perfect for emergencies.

As for Tough Hide...

Qin Ming stared at the new skill book in his hands, torn. Should he replace his current defensive skill, Steel Frame, with this one?

In terms of bonuses, Steel Frame offered higher overall stats. However, it was a defense-boosting skill, whereas Tough Hide outright negated damage—a critical distinction.

Defensive boosts could be bypassed by armor-piercing attacks, but damage immunity was absolute. No matter what hit him, the specified portion of damage would simply vanish. Damage immunity, like true damage, was one of the rarest and most revered mechanics in any system.

Should he stick with the short-term gains of Steel Frame, or opt for the long-term potential of Tough Hide?

Or perhaps...

A flash of resolve crossed Qin Ming's eyes.

He chose both.

By learning the Tough Hide skill, he initiated a fusion, using it as the base to strengthen his defenses.

When the light faded, Qin Ming's second A-grade skill was born:

Name: Tough Hide

Grade: A

Effect: Immunity to all damage less than 20% of the user's Constitution.

Description: "Orcs have always believed in the supremacy of muscle, but even they might find this level of brainless tenacity unprecedented."

With the skill replaced and enhanced, Qin Ming's defense had seemingly transformed yet remained the same.

It was still defense, but now imbued with the exalted property of damage immunity. No longer could opponents like Gale bypass his defenses with special abilities.

Unless an enemy's attack exceeded Qin Ming's physical limits, they simply wouldn't get through.

With 55 Constitution, he now had 11 points of damage immunity. Even his own attacks would lose half their effectiveness against himself. Killing him would require a relentless assault for over half an hour.

And that calculation didn't even account for his other defenses!

Satisfied with his progress, Qin Ming leaned back on the bed, a pleased smile spreading across his face. Ever since his harrowing battle with Gale, he had been grappling with how to address his weaknesses.

Speed had been his Achilles' heel during that fight. But boosting his agility would require a massive investment of attribute points—far more than he could hope to gather.

Even if he resolved his agility issue, what would happen if his next foe exploited his lack of mental strength? Was he supposed to patch that as well?

How Gale managed to become a perfect "hexagonal warrior" with no discernible weaknesses remained a mystery. Gale's strength rivaled Qin Ming's, his agility left Qin Ming in the dust, and even his Constitution and mental fortitude were formidable.

Qin Ming concluded that chasing after perfect balance was futile. Instead, he decided to double down on his greatest strength: Constitution.

His strategy was simple. Rather than trying to keep up with others, he would become the one dictating the battlefield.

High agility? Qin Ming had high health, high attack, and high defense.

Powerful attack? Same response.

Abundant skills? Same again.

If they couldn't hurt him, all it took was one mistake for him to catch them—and that would be the end.

With devastating close-range attacks and a suite of survival tools, Qin Ming was the embodiment of a tank. Though those familiar with his style might avoid direct confrontation, anyone unaware of his capabilities would fall victim to his overwhelming initial onslaught.

Within his rank, if he caught you once—you were dead.

(End of Chapter)