Infinity, The Arcade Age

As Qin Ming stepped into the Heart of Neverland following Tinker Bell, the golden pool before him rippled and splashed. Suddenly, three stunning figures emerged from the water.

Their upper bodies were graceful and feminine, but their lower halves were unmistakably covered in shimmering fish scales—mermaids!

The three mermaids, initially excited at the prospect of meeting a new visitor, froze when they saw Qin Ming.

They huddled together in the water and began whispering to each other.

"What's going on? Why did Tinker Bell bring an adult here? Has her taste changed?"

"Who knows? Maybe Tinker Bell finally grew up."

"I hate adults. Their gazes are always... gross. And they pollute the water."

As they chattered, Qin Ming and Tinker Bell drew closer. The mermaids separated and leaned elegantly against the edge of the pool. One of them, with golden hair cascading over her shoulders, crossed her arms and spoke sharply.

"Tinker Bell, this is against the rules. You know adults aren't allowed here—ever!"

Floating in mid-air, Tinker Bell froze and immediately flew over, cupping the mermaid's face in her tiny hands and kneading it like dough.

"I know the rules! But he's not an adult! He's the new Peter Pan! He just… grew up too fast, that's all!"

The mermaid raised an eyebrow, completely unconvinced. "Tinker Bell, lying is wrong."

She cracked an eye open to glance at Qin Ming… and froze.

"Wait—what are you doing?! Stop right there!"

While they were arguing, Qin Ming had crouched beside the pool, scooping up a handful of the glowing golden water. His sunglasses shimmered faintly as they scanned the liquid.

Name: Water of Neverland (Hook the Pirate Captain World)

Type: Special Consumable (Dim Gold Quality)

Effect: Upon immersion, the body undergoes transformation, halting physical aging while receiving the Blessing of Neverland, granting special abilities.

Description: Formed from the collective fantasies of children, this mystical water sustains Neverland. As long as children continue to dream, Neverland remains real.

(Note: Exclusive to this world; cannot be taken out of the Nightmare Space.)

A naturally occurring, gold-quality consumable—and in such abundance!

Qin Ming's eyes gleamed behind his sunglasses. For the first time, he truly felt the power of his Mutated Silver Title.

Because of his ridiculously high favorability with Tinker Bell, he had been appointed Peter Pan, bypassing countless difficulties in the title quest.

And now, he was being personally guided to one of the most valuable resources in this world.

If an ordinary adventurer wanted to gain Tinker Bell's trust to this level, they would have to jump through endless hoops.

"Step away from the pool, you filthy adult!"

The mermaids, seeing Qin Ming ignoring them, panicked. They raised their hands, summoning water spears and hurling them at him.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The water spears struck Qin Ming's body but shattered on impact, unable to pierce his defenses.

The mermaids, realizing their attacks were ineffective, screamed in frustration and lunged at him.

But melee combat was not their forte—it was Qin Ming's.

He casually grabbed one mermaid by the face and tossed her back into the water. Another was flung onto the shore, flopping awkwardly on the grass.

Just as the third mermaid was about to summon another water spear, a whooshing sound cut through the air.

Whoosh!

A blazing arc of fire sliced through the air, narrowly missing her. When she turned, she saw a massive gouge carved into the cliff face by an explosive Sonic Hand Slash.

Qin Ming lowered his hand, smoke rising from his fingertips.

"Playing silly games with kids might be fun for you lot, but I'm not here to play. Let me swim in peace, or I'll be having sashimi for dinner tonight. Your choice."

The mermaids froze, exchanging fearful glances.

But before they could respond, a sharp whistling sound echoed behind Qin Ming.

Whoosh!

A shadow streaked forward with blinding speed—Rofio!

Using his Phantom Dash, he lunged at Qin Ming from behind, twin daggers gleaming in his hands.

The blades plunged into Qin Ming's back, drawing blood.

However, Rofio's strength simply wasn't enough. The blades barely broke the skin and failed to cause significant damage.

Rolling backward to avoid Qin Ming's counterattack, Rofio landed gracefully and raised his daggers defensively.

"You can't treat the mermaids this way, you villain!"

Qin Ming touched the small wound on his back, sighed, and turned around.

"Kid, why are you here? Go back."

"You're no Peter Pan!" Rofio yelled, his voice shaking with emotion. "You're an impostor! You stole my position, and now you dare threaten the mermaids? I won't let you!"

Behind him, the mermaids cheered.

"Rofio! It's you! You were here twenty years ago! You remember us!"

The lead mermaid pointed at Qin Ming. "Defeat him, Rofio! If you do, we'll let you become Peter Pan!"

Rofio's eyes went wide, his breathing quickened, and his hands trembled on his daggers.

"It will be an honor, ladies!"

He gave an elegant bow before raising his weapons, a twisted grin spreading across his face.

Qin Ming sighed heavily, adjusting his bracers.

"By gaming law, I shouldn't be allowed to kill kids. But if you insist on pushing your luck…"

He cracked his neck, muscles tensing as fire began to flicker along his fingertips.

"Well then, Rofio—do you want to see how adults play?"

The golden glow of the pool reflected ominously in Qin Ming's sunglasses as the air crackled with tension.