Infinity, The Arcade Age

"Bad news! The enemy is coming! They're attacking again!"

A sentry from Parsi Village suddenly scrambled into the village, shouting in panic. Hearing his cries, everyone around rushed to their feet, their faces filled with fear. The militia captain, without hesitation, grabbed the sentry by the collar and stopped him.

"Who's coming? How many of them?"

"Lots! So many! The whole area is packed with soldiers! And the leader… he's wearing a full set of silver armor!"

Upon hearing the sentry's response, the villagers erupted into chaos, their terrified voices overlapping.

"We're done for! It's Scorn! It's that demon Scorn! He's leading them himself! We're all going to die!"

"Run! We've got to escape now!"

"How can we run? No one can outrun them! We're doomed!"

"Quiet, all of you!"

The militia captain, unable to bear the panic any longer, bellowed at the top of his lungs. As the crowd finally fell silent, he looked around, his voice low and urgent.

"Running isn't an option! Ordinary people can't possibly outrun soldiers! And how can we flee with our families? Gather all the women and children inside the church! The rest of you, follow me to the village entrance! Stick to the plan! We need to hold them off!"

As he spoke, the captain led the way, sprinting toward the entrance. The others exchanged nervous glances before hastily following him.

When they reached the village gate, the sight that greeted them was even more terrifying than expected. Nearly two hundred soldiers surrounded the entrance, sealing off any escape. In the midst of the formation sat the infamous Scorn, casually lounging on a chair with his legs crossed, sipping tea from a delicate cup.

Scorn, now without his helmet, revealed his gaunt face as he took a slow sip of tea. His narrow eyes gleamed as he spotted the villagers and the militia. A smile curled on his lips as he set the cup down, speaking in his sharp, grating voice.

"So… you're the ones who killed my subordinate, Kaido? Impressive. You've caught my attention."

The militia captain, his jaw clenched, stared at the soldiers and the silver-armored commander sitting before him.

"Scorn!"

"Address me properly—Scorn, the Lord. It's quite impolite to speak to someone without acknowledging their title, you know, you peasant."

"Scorn… Lord, we never intended to become your enemy. We—"

"It doesn't matter what you intended," Scorn interrupted with a wave of his hand, his smile widening. "What matters is what I want."

He set down his cup, looking at his men before casually gesturing toward the militia.

"How about this? Let's play a little game. You all seem capable, having managed to kill Kaido. So, why don't we see just how capable you are? Lance, go have some fun with them."

With a single command, Scorn's left-hand man, the leader of the swordsmen, stepped forward. Lance, wearing lightweight armor and gripping two short swords, nodded firmly before striding out to face the villagers.

"Defeat him in single combat, and I might just spare your lives. How does that sound?"

The militia captain hesitated. He knew Scorn's promises couldn't be trusted, but there was no other choice. Just as he was about to step forward to accept the challenge, someone held him back.

Qin Ming stepped in front of the captain, his own short sword drawn, and walked out to face the enemy.

"You want to play? Fine, I'll play with you."

Hearing this, Lance raised an eyebrow. His gaze fell on the short sword in Qin Ming's hand, and a cold smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"So, you're a short-sword user too? But your grip is wrong—reverse grip leaves you without power, while a standard grip lacks precision. Your footwork is sloppy, and your eyes are unfocused. Just where did a dead man walking like you come from?"

With a flourish, Lance twirled his two short swords, one above and one below. His sneer grew into a predatory grin.

"Let me show you what real swordsmanship looks like, kid. Yah!"

With a sharp cry, Lance, the mini-boss, lunged forward, his blades slicing through the air at blinding speed.

Name: Swordmaster Lance (Round Table Knights, Act 1)

Strength: 20

Constitution: 10

Agility: 25

Spirit: 10

Skills:Short Sword Throw (D), Leaping Slash (D), Whirlwind Sword Dance (C)

Description: One of Scorn's right-hand men, a swift swordsman who has always seen Kaido as a rival.

His twin swords danced, leaving afterimages in their wake as he angled his body forward, rushing toward Qin Ming at an incredible pace. In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance to within five meters of his target. Then—

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Six gunshots rang out in quick succession. Lance reflexively parried the first bullet, deflecting it with his blade.

And then four more slammed into his body, with the final shot piercing his forehead. Lance collapsed to the ground in front of Qin Ming, his body sliding to a halt just before his feet.

With blood spurting from multiple wounds, Lance's body twitched uncontrollably. His wide-open eyes reflected nothing but disbelief, while blood poured from his mouth in thick streams. The high-attack, high-speed swordsman, who had little defense, had been taken down by Qin Ming's brutal American quick-draw technique before he could even use a single skill.

Scorn, who had been comfortably sipping tea just moments ago, leapt to his feet, spilling the cup in shock. His eyes darted between the lifeless body of his lieutenant and Qin Ming, who was calmly checking the corpse for loot. His expression twitched in fury.

"You!"

Qin Ming, having gathered up his spoils, glanced up at Scorn with a casual shrug.

"Alright, I've done my part and taken him out. So, are you guys going to leave now, as agreed?"

Scorn stood in stunned silence for a second, before breaking out into a chilling laugh. He grabbed his silver glaive and strode toward the village, each step heavy with malice.

"Impressive! Very impressive! I didn't expect what those fools reported to be true—that there's actually a real fighter in this village! But if you're this strong, why not try your luck against me next? If you can beat me, my men will retreat."

With a smooth spin of his silver glaive, Scorn's eyes narrowed, and his voice turned icy.

"But if you lose, I'll burn every last person in this village alive."

Qin Ming paused briefly, then quietly stepped back to murmur something into the militia captain's ear. The captain nodded in agreement. Qin Ming, reloading his revolver, then stepped forward and nodded seriously.

"Fine. One-on-one, life or death. Let's go."