Infinity, The Arcade Age

Amid the sound of continuous gunfire, The Butcher, who repeatedly attempted to close the distance with Qin Ming, ultimately fell under the combined assault of the protagonist team. His body, riddled with bullet holes, collapsed lifelessly, his eyes wide open in death.

Exhausted and wounded, both the protagonist team and the equally battered Qin Ming slumped down, resting on the ground. Despite his fatigue, Qin Ming didn't forget to collect The Butcher's loot: a dull silver key, not as shiny as he had hoped, but still a valuable reward.

After reloading his revolver out of habit and securing it in his holster, Qin Ming turned to the injured members of the protagonist team, raising an eyebrow.

"So, what are you guys planning next?" he asked.

The group exchanged glances before Hannah shrugged slightly.

"What else can we do? We'll head back to recover. Once we're healed, we'll continue fighting these poachers. Their illegal hunting is enraging the dinosaurs, causing them to attack human cities. A lot of people have already died, and we have to stop them."

Qin Ming nodded. "Sounds good. In that case, I guess this is where we part ways. If we get the chance in the future, maybe we'll team up again."

Realizing the mission was officially over and there would be no more hidden tasks to complete, Qin Ming shook hands with Hannah and the others. Even if there were more hidden opportunities, he wasn't sure he'd want to take them. After all, the enemies in the second stage had been terrifying enough, and even with the help of the protagonist team, the battles had been far too close for comfort.

What about the third stage? Would it be filled with bosses on every corner? His minions were dead, and the protagonists were severely injured. Better to quit while he was ahead before getting himself killed.

Hannah, though visibly reluctant to part ways, didn't try to persuade him to stay. Qin Ming wasn't part of their core group, and he had already gone above and beyond by helping them twice. Asking him to continue risking his life with them wouldn't be fair.

After retracing his steps to the Cadillac parked at the forest's edge, they returned to Jack's repair shop. Qin Ming took the opportunity to discreetly exchange some items from his loot at the nearby treasure box and then stepped out of the garage.

The only one who came out to see him off was Hannah, the person he was closest to in the group. Despite her injuries, she insisted on saying goodbye in person.

Through this adventure, and especially after Qin Ming's last-minute assistance, Hannah's favorability toward him had reached 350 points, marking him as a close friend, just shy of becoming a confidant.

Despite saving lives and helping out, this modest gain in favorability points made Qin Ming truly realize how hard it was to earn trust and affection in this world.

As for the others? Both Miles and Mustafa's favorability had improved slightly due to their cooperation in battle, but the increases were minimal.

Jack, on the other hand, seemed to dislike Qin Ming more and more the closer he became with Hannah. Instead of improving, Jack's favorability had dropped even further.

In the end, Qin Ming knew that he and Jack were never going to be friends. As long as they didn't end up as enemies, it was already a decent outcome.

Qin Ming didn't keep the favorability points he earned from Hannah and the others. After all, who knew when he'd re-enter this world again?

His philosophy had always been to convert any benefits into tangible assets, maximizing his rewards. So, Qin Ming made a straightforward decision: he exchanged all his favorability points for croissants!

That's right, 50 favorability points for one croissant. He exchanged for a total of nine of them!

Additionally, Qin Ming had completed a title quest—slaying 100 members of the poacher organization—earning him the white title: Protector of Nature.

White Title: Protector of Nature

Effect: +10 Strength

Description: "To protect life, you must sometimes take it. If you dare to kill dinosaurs, I dare to kill you!"

With his rewards in hand, Qin Ming left Jack's repair shop and disappeared into a flash of white light.

Mission Complete! Returning to Nightmare Space!

In the surreal void of Nightmare Space, Qin Ming stood still as data and images began flashing before his eyes. The scenes replayed like a slideshow: ambushing the wounded mini-boss in the ambulance, battling hordes of lackeys in the building, finishing off Teshun on the rooftop, setting up the trap for the hidden boss in the forest, and finally joining forces with the protagonist team to take down The Butcher.

The final frame froze on the moment when Qin Ming's bullet pierced the temple of the military thug, Rambo. The endless stream of data scrolling beside him finally stopped, and the cold mechanical voice of the system rang out.

Ding! Congratulations, Adventurer 441985, on your return!

Primary Mission: Kill ten lackeys or one elite enemy! Completed, reward: 1,000 points, 1 free attribute point!

Optional Mission: Defeat the Stage One Boss, Teshun! Completed, reward: 2,000 points, 2 free attribute points!

Hidden Mission: Kill the Stage Two Boss, The Butcher, ahead of time! Completed, reward: 5,000 points, 5 free attribute points!

Congratulations, Adventurer 441985! You've earned a total of 8,000 points and 8 free attribute points.

Listening to the system's announcement and seeing his rewards, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile. Triggering the hidden mission in Stage One and collaborating with the protagonists to take down the Stage Two boss had paid off handsomely.

Five free attribute points! That was nearly double the rewards from the regular missions alone!

But the best part? Qin Ming still had two silver keys and four white keys sitting in his inventory.

Just from this first adventure alone, he had already struck it rich.

Although he had nearly been strangled to death along the way, all the risks he took were worth it in the end.

As the data on the screen faded, Qin Ming's vision cleared, and he found himself back in a small room.

The room wasn't large, just about 50 square meters, but it had everything he needed: a bed, a refrigerator, a bathroom, and even a peculiar-looking computer.

This was Qin Ming's personal room in the Nightmare Space.

The fridge was stocked with an unlimited supply of food and drinks. You could have a feast every day if you wanted, but none of the items could be taken out of the room.

The computer allowed you to research information, and it came pre-installed with all the arcade games you could need, giving you a way to study potential future quests.

The Nightmare Space was surprisingly user-friendly, designed to help adventurers grow stronger.

Yet, despite all the conveniences, the mortality rate remained terrifyingly high due to the sheer difficulty of the missions.

Sitting on the bed and taking in the room's amenities, Qin Ming let out a long breath before solemnly retrieving all the loot from his inventory.

It was time to open those treasure chests.

(End of Chapter)