Infinity, The Arcade Age

In the trading hall, the sound of footsteps echoed as a man cloaked in black mist appeared in a corner.

Adorned with a squad insignia on his shoulder, his face lit up with a smile upon spotting the person waiting there. He immediately extended a hand in greeting.

"Ghost Lady, nice to see you again. Was your last mission a smooth one?"

The Double-Gun Woman, standing still, quickly responded with a bright smile as she shook his hand.

"Thanks for asking. It went well enough."

"With your skills, I'd expect nothing less. Your next mission must be the advancement mission, right? Need our help with that?"

"No, thank you. The cost of your help is far too high for me to afford."

"Ah, you always say that. All we want is for you to join us. Not only would we not charge you, but we'd even provide you with financial support. Advancement missions are tough, though—be careful out there."

"Appreciate your concern, but I've got it covered. Anyway, let me introduce you to a new friend of mine, Wild Dog. We're not here to sell today—we're looking to buy something."

She stepped aside, revealing Qin Ming, who had chosen the alias "Wild Dog."

Smiling, Qin Ming extended a hand to the man. "Nice to meet you. I'm Wild Dog."

His gaze dropped to the squad insignia on the man's shoulder, and his pupils narrowed. The design looked all too familiar—it was the same insignia worn by the adventurer Gale and his squad.

"I'm Rain—Timely Rain, a logistics officer for the King of Fighters Squad in the low-tier adventurer zone. If Ghost Lady's bringing you in as a friend, you must be pretty capable. Interested in joining our squad?"

"Not for now."

"You lone wolves with your quirks—always wanting to go solo."

"Just used to working alone. I don't like restrictions."

"What can I do for you, brother? Are you looking for gear or skill books?"

Seeing that his invitation had been declined, Timely Rain smoothly shifted topics. He didn't know much about Qin Ming's strength, and his offer to recruit him had been more of a reflex. His real target was Ghost Lady, whose impressive gear and abilities made her a prime candidate for their squad.

Now turning his attention to the task at hand, Qin Ming perked up at the question.

"I'm looking for a plotline character's head. Got any?"

"A plotline character's head? What do you need that for?"

"Does it matter? Are you only willing to sell it if I explain?"

"Oh, no, no. Just asking out of curiosity."

Chuckling, Timely Rain waved his hand dismissively before rummaging through his inventory. Soon, he produced three bloodied bundles and handed them to Qin Ming.

"I've got three here. Take your pick."

Qin Ming was taken aback. Such a rare item, and the man casually pulled out three of them! He now had a clearer understanding of just how resourceful squads like this could be.

And this guy was only a logistics officer in the low-tier adventurer zone. What kind of wealth and resources did their personnel in the higher-tier zones have?

Examining the three bundles, Qin Ming's expression shifted to one of astonishment as he read their properties. This was the first time he'd seen a plotline character's head in person, and its attributes were unique indeed.

To his surprise, one of the heads belonged to someone he was quite familiar with.

Name: Andy's Head (Fatal Fury World)

Type: Consumable (Dim Silver Grade)

Effect: +5 Agility Cap, randomly learn one of Andy's skills.

Description: "This battered head, still wearing a terrified expression, belonged to Andy. Killed in a one-on-one duel, he died never understanding why his opponent wanted him dead."

"Andy's Head? That green-hat king got killed again? Wait, why did I say 'again'?" Qin Ming chuckled at his own thoughts.

He quickly set Andy's head aside and examined the other two items.

Name: Damaged Cyclops' Head (X-Men World)

Type: Consumable (Blue Grade)

Effect: +3 Spirit Cap

Description: "The head of Cyclops, a powerful mutant leader, beaten to death in a group attack. One of his eyes is missing."

Name: Damaged Tarma's Head (Metal Slug World)

Type: Consumable (Blue Grade)

Effect: +3 Strength Cap

Description: "Tarma, a protagonist from Metal Slug, met his end under a hail of bullets."

Two of the heads were from main characters who had died in group fights. Qin Ming studied the three heads on the table, caught in a dilemma.

In terms of quality, Andy's head was undoubtedly the best. However, Qin Ming's ability to upgrade gear made him less concerned about initial quality, which made the other two heads viable options as well.

After some deliberation, he looked up at Timely Rain and asked, "What are the prices for these?"

Timely Rain smiled and promptly answered, "Andy's Head is 20,000 points. The other two are 8,000 points each."

"20,000? That's steep."

"Brother, that's already a discounted price for Ghost Lady's sake. Andy's Head increases agility significantly, but more importantly, it grants one of Andy's skills! That alone makes it worth it."

"Andy has loads of skills. Who knows which one I'll get?"

"Exactly, which is why it's only 20,000. But imagine if you learn a super move or his B-grade Shiranui-style Combat Mastery. Even his C-grade Shadow Strike or Flying Fist are highly practical. Wouldn't that make it worth the gamble? Useful C-grade skills don't come cheap."

Patting the head, Timely Rain beamed. "It's a gamble. Win big, and you'll profit immensely. Even if you lose, it's not much of a loss, right?"

(End of Chapter)