Infinity, The Arcade Age

After agreeing to cooperate with the trio, Qin Ming cheerfully saw them off from his room. But once they had fully disappeared from sight, his smile faded. He quickly closed the door, yanked the bedsheet off the bed, and laid it out on the table. Tapping his head with his fingers while grabbing a piece of charcoal from the fireplace, he began hastily sketching.

Relying on his sharp memory, Qin Ming soon completed a crude map. It was a rough version of the one White Wolf and his group had shown him earlier. It wasn't detailed, but it marked key routes and noticeable landmarks, with the five enemy camps as its focal points.

Qin Ming had always had a great memory, a necessary skill for a small-time businessman like him who thrived on calculations and strategy. He had mentally noted most of the map's important elements during the brief glance at it.

However, Qin Ming knew the limitations of his memory; the map might not be entirely accurate. Still, it was enough for his purposes. He examined the drawn routes closely, frowning as he compared them.

"This camp won't work; I didn't fully remember the path. This one is too far with too many forks in the road; finding it will waste time. And this one, it's too difficult to locate without any clear landmarks nearby... Alright, these two it is!"

He circled the largest camp—the one he had focused on remembering—and also marked a smaller camp nearby. A gleam of determination flashed in his eyes.

"Cooperate? What a joke! Only the weak need to cooperate. If I can handle this alone, why should I share the spoils with them and settle for the scraps?"

White Wolf's plan was decent, and he even had the capability to get the militia captain to help. That militia captain was a formidable man with main attributes hitting 20 points. While he wasn't as strong as the protagonists, he was still a powerful ally.

But unfortunately for them, they had chosen to involve Qin Ming, thinking that a newbie like him, with limited information, would have no choice but to follow their lead. They assumed that someone who had only cleared one world wouldn't dare act alone. After all, those camps had over ten soldiers each—far too many for a lone rookie to handle.

Too bad...

Qin Ming quickly pulled out his revolver and checked the bullets. Once satisfied, he opened the window and peered outside. Seeing no one around, he vaulted out of the window and took off running, moving swiftly thanks to his 10-point agility. With a quick jump, he cleared the village's fence with ease.

His plan was simple: before the agreed-upon nighttime operation, he would stealthily take down the large camp and the small camp he had marked, then return to the group to continue their so-called cooperation.

If they noticed something was off, he could just blame the disturbances on the mysterious fifth adventurer. After all, he was just a rookie who had only cleared one world. There was no way they'd suspect him, right?

Everyone already assumed he was the weakest; acting alone would be the least expected move.

Qin Ming chuckled to himself, imagining the trio's faces when they realized the largest camp had already been raided.

After running for a while, Qin Ming raised his gun and fired into the air.

BANG!

The loud shot echoed through the forest, and soon three figures emerged from the bushes and gathered before him.

The Boss's Aura skill had been activated.

Seeing the three henchmen that had shown up this time, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile with satisfaction—he'd gotten lucky. Among the trio was a special unit, a hefty elite thug puffing on a cigar.

Name: Fat Man (Cadillacs and Dinosaurs: Stage One)

Strength: 8

Constitution: 10

Agility: 3

Spirit: 3

Skills: Body Slam (D-rank), Falling Impact (D-rank)

Description: A high-ranking thug under the command of T.Rex, known for being tough and durable.

As the big-bellied henchman grinned at Qin Ming with his cigar hanging from his mouth, Qin Ming's hand suddenly smacked him on the back of the head.

Thud!

"What makes you think you deserve a cigar?" Qin Ming snapped, snatching the cigar from the fat man's mouth and wiping it clean before placing it between his own lips.

With the cigar now in his mouth, Qin Ming waved his hand grandly. "Let's go! Time to cut down some enemies!"

The four-man team set off, heading toward the largest camp White Wolf had mentioned.

Upon reaching the area, Qin Ming crouched behind some rocks and surveyed the camp. As expected, there was a wooden watchtower overlooking a sea of resting soldiers. Two leather-armored guards with short swords stood at the gate, keeping watch.

Hidden behind the stone, Qin Ming adjusted his Dinosaur Goggles and peered at the camp, quickly assessing the enemies' stats.

Name: Swordsman (Knights of the Round: Stage One)

Strength: 5

Constitution: 5

Agility: 5

Spirit: 5

Skills: Sword Strike (D-rank)

Description: The lowest-ranked soldiers under the Evil Duke's command, lacking proper armor.

Name: Heavy Armored Swordsman (Knights of the Round: Stage One)

Strength: 10

Constitution: 10

Agility: 5

Spirit: 5

Skills: Heavy Slash (D-rank), Sweeping Strike (D-rank)

Description: Becoming a heavy armored swordsman is the lifelong goal of every swordsman.

After observing for a while, Qin Ming counted at least eight heavy-armored swordsmen—eight elite enemies. Among the ordinary swordsmen, there were also a few minor captains with slightly higher stats, though not as strong as the heavy-armored ones.

Qin Ming clicked his tongue at the sight of the large force and refrained from acting recklessly. Although his revolver was powerful, they were too many. And these were soldiers—they wouldn't hesitate to fight to the death, even if outgunned. He needed to be cautious.

Plus, White Wolf had mentioned there was a mini-boss in this camp. Qin Ming needed to confirm the mini-boss's stats first—he had no intention of risking his life against another enraged boss like in his last world.

So, he stayed hidden behind the rock, waiting and watching. After about thirty minutes of lying low, he finally saw what he had been waiting for.

The boss had arrived.

And there was an unexpected surprise.

Name: Heavy Armored Swordsman Leader - Kaido (Knights of the Round: Stage One)

Strength: 20

Constitution: 25

Agility: 10

Spirit: 5

Skills: Charge Slash (C-rank), Heavy Slash (D-rank), Sweeping Strike (D-rank)

Description: One of Sir Scorn's right-hand men, the leader of the heavy-armored swordsmen.

Qin Ming took a brief glance at Kaido's stats before quickly shifting his focus.

Because right next to Kaido was someone else.

Someone whose stats he couldn't see.

That meant one thing.

He was an adventurer.

(End of Chapter)