Infinity, The Arcade Age

As Flying Snake met his brutal end at the hands of Qin Ming, the rest of the battlefield was growing more intense. The enemy's relentless assault pushed the struggling villagers and militia to their limit. In a desperate moment, the militia captain roared and drew a silver sword from his back.

This silver-white sword was none other than the best weapon in Parsi Village, a silver-grade item that required 1000 goodwill points to exchange for—The Village's Finest Sword. In this dire situation, the pragmatic village elder handed it to the militia captain, hoping to turn the tide of battle.

With the sword in hand, its properties bolstering his abilities, the militia captain became a force to be reckoned with. As he swung the sword, each strike fell an enemy. Anyone hit by its blade either died instantly or was gravely wounded.

Already a top-tier elite warrior, the militia captain, now armed with this silver-grade weapon, fought with the power of a small boss-level character.

In the original storyline, this was the moment where the militia captain would have fought Kaido, the heavy-armored swordsman commander on the BOSS team. With the sword's help, he would have been able to kill Kaido and temporarily hold off the enemy's first wave.

But ultimately, he would have faced the wrath of the first stage boss, Lord Scorn, and would have met a tragic end beneath Scorn's mighty halberd.

The village would have fallen, and the villagers massacred, until the protagonist party made their heroic appearance.

But now, with Kaido already dead at Qin Ming's hands, and Lord Scorn's forces not yet on the scene, there was no boss-level enemy to oppose the militia captain. The strongest foes left were just elite units.

With no boss to challenge him, the militia captain rampaged through the enemy forces, cutting down soldier after soldier. Meanwhile, Qin Ming, having just finished off Flying Snake, reloaded his gun and joined the hunt, mowing down enemies with precise gunfire.

With these two powerful figures on the battlefield, the enemy forces—despite their initial advantage—began to falter. As their temporary leader, Kaile, was killed, their entire line broke, and the soldiers scattered in retreat.

Seeing the enemy in full retreat, the villagers couldn't contain their joy. They raised their weapons and cheered, while the militia captain, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground, resting on his sword as he gasped for air.

Qin Ming, meanwhile, began collecting his spoils, even directing his summoned minions to help gather loot. When White Wolf approached, Qin Ming coldly pointed his gun at him, making it clear that he wasn't in the mood to share. Sensing the tension, White Wolfwise backed off, and Qin Ming tossed him a couple of white keys before sending him away.

After all, White Wolf had been mostly a bystander during the battle, contributing little. There was no reason for Qin Ming to split the spoils with him. The two keys were already an act of mercy. If Qin Ming had been more ruthless, he might have just shot White Wolfto eliminate any potential threat.

Outside the village, the remnants of the 40-plus soldiers and heavy-armored swordsmen from the earlier attack had dwindled to fewer than 20, all of them battered and broken. Their faces pale, they knew all too well what punishment awaited them when Lord Scorn learned of their failure.

As they stewed in their despair, the sound of marching footsteps echoed in the distance. Terrified, the surviving soldiers raised their weapons, their hearts pounding with fear.

Emerging from the darkness, a regiment of soldiers marched in perfect formation, led by a towering figure nearly two meters tall. This slender man was clad in full-body silver armor, with a helmet shaped like an iron bucket, its only opening a T-shaped slit.

In his hands, he carried a silver halberd, and the sight of him made the surviving soldiers freeze in shock.

"It's… it's Lord Scorn!" one of the survivors exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear.

Upon hearing his name, Lord Scorn, the first-stage boss of the Round Table Knights world, stopped in his tracks. His sharp, high-pitched voice cut through the night.

"Hmm? You're my soldiers? Kaido's men? Where is Kaido? Tell him to come see me."

"K-Kaido… Kaido is dead!" one of the soldiers stammered.

"Dead?!" Scorn's voice rose, becoming even more shrill and piercing. His eyes narrowed beneath his helmet.

"How did he die?"

"He was killed by the people of Parsi Village!"

"And you just stood there and watched?!" Scorn snapped.

"We were regrouping to avenge General Kaido! We tried to attack the village, but we were outmatched!" the soldier explained, desperately trying to justify their failure.

"There were powerful warriors in the village! Especially one with some strange magic! It made these loud bang bang bang noises, and every time it sounded, one of us would fall! It wasn't that we didn't fight hard, Lord Scorn! We just couldn't win!"

Scorn's face darkened with every word.

"So not only did you alert them, but you also failed to capture the village?"

"We…"

"Useless! All of you are useless! Kaido was useless! And you lot are even worse! What do I need trash like you for? Men! Kill them all!" Scorn bellowed.

"Yes, sir!" came the immediate reply.

At his command, the heavy-armored swordsmen behind him raised their weapons and began advancing on the survivors.

Panicked, the remaining soldiers begged for mercy, but it was to no avail. The only response they received was the cold edge of a sword.

One soldier attempted to flee, but after only a few steps, a silver halberd flew through the air, impaling him to the ground.

Striding forward, Lord Scorn retrieved his halberd, yanking it free with a sneer.

"Pathetic. A waste of food and space. Move out! We're going to wipe that village off the map!"

"Yes, sir!"

With his command, the large force of nearly 200 soldiers began marching toward the village.

In the original storyline, Lord Scorn's army would have joined with Kaido's forces at night to launch a surprise attack, easily overwhelming Parsi Village. Now, though they had arrived late and found their vanguard destroyed, it didn't matter.

The real threat, the elite force of 200 soldiers under Lord Scorn's command, had now arrived. The real assault was about to begin.

(End of Chapter)