Infinity, The Arcade Age

In the Captain Hook World, Qin Ming had earned a whopping 12,000 points in one go.

Adding the 10,000 points he had saved as an emergency fund, he now had over 20,000 points in his pocket.

But Qin Ming had no intention of holding onto these points. After all, he had completely antagonized the King of Fighters team, killed two of their members, and was now firmly in their crosshairs.

He needed to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

So he promptly sold the Frying Pan he'd acquired earlier. And who did he sell it to? None other than Rain in Time, the logistics officer of the King of Fighters team.

It was better to have one person know his strength than to sell it in the market and have the entire logistics team of multiple factions notice him.

Not to mention, he was already on King of Fighters' blacklist—he didn't care if Rain in Time recognized him.

Unaware of the deep enmity between Qin Ming and his team, Rain in Time was once again awed by Qin Ming's ability to produce high-quality gear.

He even attempted to recruit him again, only to face yet another flat rejection.

The frying pan sold for 13,000 points, bringing Qin Ming's total to 35,000 points.

With a hefty sum in his pocket, Qin Ming strode confidently into the marketplace.

His goal? To upgrade one of his most critical abilities: Combat Technique.

Upgrading his B-Rank Combat Technique to A-Rank wasn't going to be easy. Skills tied to combat abilities were notoriously expensive, and Combat Techniques were even pricier because they had universal value—everyone could benefit from them.

After scouring the trading district for hours, haggling, and making careful selections, Qin Ming finally managed to gather eight relatively cheap E-Rank combat skill books.

The procurement process wasn't smooth—he was chased out of several faction-controlled zones.

Only then did he realize the trading zone wasn't truly free—each faction had its turf, and outsiders were unwelcome.

The logistics teams acted like street gangs, aggressively guarding their territories.

"Good grief, it feels like I'm in some mafia stronghold instead of a space for elite adventurers. At this rate, they'll start charging protection fees next… Oh wait, they can't. The Nightmare Space would erase them without hesitation."

Back in his room, Qin Ming fused the eight E-Rank combat skill books together.

Karate Combat Manual, Taekwondo Combat Manual, Military Combat Manual, Kyokushin Combat Manual—even the familiar Shiranui Style Combat Manual made an appearance.

Eight manuals merged into one and fused with Qin Ming's original B-Rank Military Combat Technique, forming an A-Rank Military Combat Technique.

The moment the fusion succeeded, a flood of battle memories surged into Qin Ming's mind.

He didn't choose to switch to a different combat style—he had already grown comfortable with the Military Combat Technique.

Its precise, ruthless, one-hit kill philosophy aligned perfectly with the brutal environment of the Nightmare Space.

After absorbing the memories, Qin Ming frowned slightly and sighed.

He had hoped that by using skill books of the same type, there might be some fusion mutation, allowing him to learn other combat styles as well.

But it turned out to be just a fantasy. His innate talent only supported upgrades, not fusions.

The techniques from the other manuals were completely discarded; only the Military Combat Technique improved.

However, Qin Ming wasn't entirely disappointed. In his free time in the real world, he had started casually learning other combat techniques.

He wasn't aiming to master them, but at least to understand their general structure and patterns—knowledge that could prove invaluable in a fight.

As the saying goes, "Master one, understand all." With his solid foundation in combat techniques, learning new ones was easy.

His skill with the rapier fencing style, showcased during his fight with Captain Hook, was a prime example.

In just a few days, Qin Ming had mastered enough fencing techniques to defeat a professional instructor, earning praise as a "combat genius."

But when he faced a true fencing master like Captain Hook, he was disarmed within ten exchanges…

With his technique upgraded, equipment optimized, and points spent, Qin Ming returned to the real world.

After briefly showing his face in the neighborhood to let his nosy neighbors know he wasn't dead, he used his Toy Key to Neverland to return to the Dream Pool.

There, he spent an entire month relaxing, swimming with the three mermaids, and lounging in the Dreamwater.

When he finally reappeared in his room, he was decked out in his pirate gear: a pirate coat, Captain Hook's Hat, sunglasses, and a swagger that screamed "non-mainstream adventurer."

Sitting calmly, Qin Ming waited for his eighth mission to begin.

This mission brought him closer to the advancement task, a terrifying trial he had no intention of underestimating.

His goal now was simple: acquire an S-Rank Skill within the next two missions.

With such an ace up his sleeve, he could face the advancement mission alone with confidence.

As the clock struck midnight, the countdown ended.

Ding! This world is: Final Fight...

Ding! Warning! A special item has been used! You've been locked onto!

Your current mission has been changed! The world has been switched to: Metal Slug 1!

Opening his eyes, Qin Ming barely had time to process his surroundings before everything changed.

The modern room vanished, replaced by a military tent.

Gunfire echoed in the distance, and the Nightmare Space's shrill notification pierced his ears.

As he scanned his new surroundings, Qin Ming froze for a moment before smirking coldly.

"As expected… these guys just don't give up, do they? Two of them already died, and they still want to mess with me. Looks like I wasn't hard enough on them last time."

He quickly reviewed the mission details—and then froze again, eyebrows twitching.

"This map… is huge."

(End of Chapter)