Infinity, The Arcade Age

Having spent all his money and upgraded his gear, not to mention acquiring two powerful new skills, Qin Ming finally left the Nightmare Space and returned to the real world.

The first thing he did upon getting home was rush to the market and buy several live chickens. Back at home, he wasted no time trying out his new skills on them.

After all, skills needed to be practiced, right? Otherwise, what would he do if he couldn't use them properly in battle?

As soon as he started testing his skills, Qin Ming was overjoyed.

Both of his new skills were far more powerful than he had anticipated.

First up was the True Sonic Boom. This upgraded version of the Sonic Boom, which allowed for charge attacks, was frighteningly strong. At full charge, its power could rival even the super move of its originator, Guile's Super Sonic Boom.

In its regular state, the True Sonic Boom released two swirling energy waves that merged into a high-speed spinning blade, slashing through anything in its path.

Its strength was enough to slice through solid steel with ease.

As for the chickens he hung on the steel plates? They were already split in two by the shockwave before the actual energy blade even hit them.

And when fully charged, the True Sonic Boom pierced multiple layers of steel, leaving a noticeable cut in the wall behind them.

If it hit a living target, splitting them in half would be the least of the damage!

After all, this was a strike dealing four times the damage from nearly 40 points of Strength!

As for the True Essence Drain, well, the effect was a little unclear. All Qin Ming knew for sure was that the chicken he bit into turned into a mummified chicken in an instant...

Staring at the dried-up, shriveled chicken in his hand, Qin Ming grimaced and quickly tossed it into the trash.

But when he looked down at himself, his expression became even more bewildered.

Because after absorbing the essence... Qin Ming had bulked up.

His body had visibly swelled, becoming more muscular—and this was just from a partial absorption. If he had fully drained the essence, who knows how much bigger he would've become?

Flexing his now even more muscular arms, Qin Ming frowned at his already well-built frame, which had grown even more imposing thanks to his attribute boosts.

Was this some sort of self-developed transformation technique? Without having the Power Instinct bloodline, he seemed to have unlocked a unique form of body enhancement.

Right now, True Essence Drain was only a B-rank skill, so the transformation effect wasn't that dramatic.

But if he managed to upgrade this skill to A-rank or even S-rank, who knows how wild the transformation could become?

Standing in front of the mirror, Qin Ming admired his reflection, striking poses and flexing his muscles in various ways. After about five minutes, when his body finally returned to normal, he nodded in satisfaction, put on a jacket, and left the house to find a way to make some quick money.

Even though Qin Ming had become a real powerhouse in the Nightmare Space—at least among the beginner adventurers—in the real world, he was still just a broke guy.

Well, not entirely broke. After all, he had run a small business before and had some savings, around a hundred thousand yuan.

But constantly spending without earning was a problem, and life still had to go on in the real world. Qin Ming needed to find a way to make money fast.

Of course, he wasn't planning to rob a bank—he might have grown a little overconfident, but he wasn't that crazy yet.

He had no desire to find out whether he could survive a direct tank shell or endure a full-scale military siege.

More importantly, he wasn't the only adventurer in the world. His Nightmare Space rank was in the hundreds of thousands, and while many of those adventurers were already dead, there were still plenty of top-tier ones remaining.

Besides, there was no hard rule in the Nightmare Space forbidding adventurers from revealing their abilities or getting killed if they leaked information. That meant adventurers could freely use their powers in the real world.

So, why hadn't there been any sightings of superhumans on the news? Were all adventurers really such upstanding citizens, never abusing their newfound powers? That, of course, was impossible.

The real reason for their absence was simple: someone was covering it up.

And who was that someone? Well, the answer was obvious...

Qin Ming was sure that many powerful adventurers were already working for the government. If he dared to make a scene, he wouldn't survive for more than three days.

A month flew by. After a few unsuccessful attempts to find a quick-money scheme and gradually getting used to his new abilities, Qin Ming returned to the Nightmare Space.

In the Nightmare Space, everything was provided—food, shelter, anonymity. It was far more comfortable than staying in the real world.

As the time approached for his next mission, Qin Ming donned a brand-new trench coat and topped it off with a gentleman's hat. With his hat and sunglasses on, trench coat buttoned up, and his revolver at his side, Qin Ming stood in his room, hands in pockets, waiting for the mission to begin.

At exactly midnight, a familiar white light descended. In a flash, Qin Ming disappeared from his room, entering the third world.

The name of this new world was…

Inside a small apartment, Qin Ming's eyes snapped open. Instantly, he scanned his surroundings.

Before he could finish his observations, a nearby television flickered on by itself.

Static buzzed for a moment before rows of text appeared on the screen.

World Name: The Punisher, First Act

Difficulty Level: D-rank

Number of Entrants: 5

Background Story: Frank Castle, a seasoned Marine who had fought in countless battles, once had a happy family, a beautiful wife, and a lovely child. But everything was shattered by a single event. When his family witnessed a gang murder and were ruthlessly killed, the man known as Frank died with them. In his place arose a brutal and decisive executioner: The Punisher!

Main Mission: Participate in the defeat of the First Act boss, the Russian Enforcer.

Mission Reward: 2,000 points, 2 free attribute points.

Mission Failure Penalty: Deduct 2,000 points. If insufficient, deduct attribute points.

Optional Mission: Kill The Punisher's nemesis, Bruno.

Mission Reward: 2,000 points, 2 free attribute points.

Mission Failure Penalty: None.

(Note: This world operates under Peace Mode. Adventurers will not receive any rewards for killing each other.)

Reading the data in front of him, Qin Ming's eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

After surviving his first two missions, it was clear that the difficulty of this third world had significantly ramped up. The days of completing a main mission by simply taking out a few henchmen or an elite mob were over. Now, he would have to actively participate in taking down a boss to finish the main mission. There would be no more easy wins from minor skirmishes.

In other words, the real challenges of the Nightmare Space were just beginning!

(End of Chapter)