Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 360: The Secret of the King of Fighters Tournament
Chapter 360 - 360: The Secret of the King of Fighters Tournament
In the end, eleven adventurers responded to the call, each attempting to purchase the invitation. None of them were to be trifled with.
As the number of contenders grew, Qin Ming's expression gradually turned serious, finally revealing a focused demeanor.
Facing one or two, even three or four opponents, he was confident in handling them. But confronting eleven formidable adversaries at once made him uncertain.
He became vigilant, and the surrounding adventurers, who had rushed over, also restrained their tempers, each behaving with notable calmness.
They were wary of their peers around them. Although in slaughter mode, fellow adventurers were considered prey, if everyone was armed and formidable, no one dared to initiate a hunt recklessly.
The situation was such that all present were experts; whoever made the first move risked being ganged up on.
Thus, these top-tier adventurers now appeared composed and courteous, with no one attempting to act rashly.
Amid this tense atmosphere, the unused invitation in Qin Ming's hand entered the bidding phase.
Eventually, a wealthy adventurer secured it for a staggering 23,000 points.
After finalizing the deal and signing the contract, Qin Ming, while exchanging items, looked at the delighted buyer and suddenly asked,
"I have a question. Is there some secret about this invitation that makes it worth so much?"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding adventurers were momentarily stunned, then looked at Qin Ming with peculiar expressions.
The buyer, frowning, softly inquired,
"Brother, are you a lone wolf?"
Qin Ming's eyes flashed at the question.
"Isn't it me asking you a question now?"
"...The King of Fighters Tournament is a hidden quest with extremely generous rewards. It's said that winning the championship could grant legendary equipment or even S-level skills. Even without winning, merely participating and reaching the finals yields rewards worth no less than 30,000 points. This is common knowledge among major teams."
"I see. Thanks for the explanation."
"Brother, would you be interested in joining a team?"
"If I wanted to join one, would I have waited for your invitation?"
"Fair point! Farewell!"
With a clasped fist, the man turned and left. The other adventurers quickly followed, departing decisively, almost hastily.
They seemed less like they were leaving and more like they were fleeing, trying to distance themselves from Qin Ming as quickly as possible.
Because Qin Ming was a lone wolf! He had fought through the Nightmare Space on his own! Climbed to the rank of intermediate adventurer! And thrived as a lone wolf!
What did this signify? That this guy was a monster!
It's widely acknowledged that lone wolves have a hard time in the Nightmare Space. Without intelligence, resources, or assistance, accidents are too easy to happen.
Conversely, it's also acknowledged that any lone wolf who reaches the rank of intermediate adventurer and survives is not to be provoked!
You might have relied on a team to get through the easy mode.
But he fought solo, head-on, and forced his way through the hard mode.
So, when these two types meet, who do you think has the upper hand? The answer is obvious!
Among intermediate adventurers, there's an unspoken rule: when encountering a lone wolf, treat them as if facing an entire team.
In other words, even if he's alone, you must approach with the caution you'd use against a team of experts. And it's best to avoid conflict if possible!
Those capable of being lone wolves don't have weak talents or skills; the weak ones have already been eliminated.
That's why, upon realizing Qin Ming was a lone wolf, everyone chose to flee.
They feared being targeted by him and treated as bosses to be farmed!
No! Compared to the lone wolf, they were the challengers! The lone wolf was the boss!
Unfamiliar with team dynamics, Qin Ming clearly didn't understand these unwritten rules. Thus, watching everyone leave so abruptly, he was momentarily puzzled.
Meanwhile, in a building outside the café, several figures silently put down their binoculars.
A man, withdrawing his gaze from Qin Ming, frowned deeply and, after a long silence, suddenly spoke,
"Is he the one you mentioned?"
"Yes! It's him! I'd recognize him even if he turned to ash!"
As the voice sounded, a figure approached.
This figure was none other than Tianmu, who had decisively fled through a window during the previous bar battle, possessing a special reconnaissance skill!
Gazing warily at Qin Ming in the distance, even after a day had passed, Tianmu still appeared shaken.
"Captain, what should we do now? Should we approach him and try to recruit him?"
Before Tianmu finished speaking, the leading captain had already nodded.
"Mm, your suggestion's not bad—so, you'll go."
"Me? No way! Captain! I'm a scout! I'm not good at fighting!"
"What's this? From the sound of it, you think if a combat specialist like me goes to talk to him, and he flips out, I'd be able to make it out alive?"
"Uh... well, that..."
Seeing Tianmu freeze up, the team leader suddenly sighed, moved closer, and put an arm around his shoulders, speaking earnestly:
"Tianmu, I know your innate ability is special. And as I recall, your recent promotion to vice-captain was because your gift played a major role, right?"
Tianmu's eyes lit up at that, and a proud smile immediately spread across his face.
"That's right! I discovered a promising newcomer and reported it to the boss! The boss even rewarded me with an A-rank skill and a piece of gold-tier equipment!"
"Oh? And do you know what that promising newcomer you reported ended up doing?"
"What did he do?"
"Oh, nothing much—just that he's a lone wolf who didn't want to join us, so we ended up fighting. He killed over forty of our people before finally being forced to join. Now he's a high-ranking member of the team, and among the forty-some who died, four were vice-captains like you, and two were captains like me."
Still smiling, the captain looked at Tianmu, but his eyes were icy cold.
"All that from just one guy with the ability to copy the skills of story characters. Now tell me—if that guy outside also fights us, how many people do you think we'll lose? Would you and I be among the dead?"
Tianmu's grin froze at those words. The captain patted him on the shoulder—hard.
"Kid, to the higher-ups, only the lives of the truly strong matter. Ours don't. Even if they don't send you into battle now, once that guy becomes part of the top brass, aren't you afraid he'll hold a grudge and come for you later?"
He let go, turned, and walked away.
"As far as I'm concerned, I never heard this intel. Whether or not you choose to report it is up to you. Just don't drag me into it! I've got no interest in testing how many moves I'd last against a monster who already has two S-rank skills! I'm not done living yet! With that guy's talent, if you really piss him off, he could probably churn out a whole set of S-rank skills!"
With that, the captain exited the room, leaving Tianmu standing there in a daze.
After escaping from the bar, Tianmu had rushed over eagerly to report the intel, thinking only about the benefits he'd get. He hadn't considered the bigger picture at all.
It was only now that he understood why the other intermediate adventurers all treated him so coldly, with such hostile glares.
It was because the intel he had reported last time... had gotten so many people killed!
Instinctively, he turned to look toward the café in the distance—and at that very moment, he happened to meet Qin Ming's gaze from inside.
Their eyes locked, and Tianmu instinctively flinched. He immediately ducked below the windowsill.
Cold sweat instantly poured down his forehead, and he scrambled toward the exit, the idea of reporting intel for personal gain already completely forgotten.
At the same time, inside the café, Qin Ming had felt someone watching him. Following the direction of the gaze, he looked over and saw a stranger vanish from the window. Shrugging in confusion, he didn't take it seriously, nor did he recognize who it was.
After all, Tianmu had escaped so quickly last time that Qin Ming hadn't even gotten a good look at his face.
Now that they met again—who could possibly recognize him?
Unaware that his identity had just been discovered, Qin Ming sat there grinning at his gains.
He hadn't done anything, yet he earned over 20,000 points—wasn't that insanely fast money?
Connections really did matter! Once he got back, he could do some serious upgrades again!
Speaking of which... the rewards they mentioned for the King of Fighters tournament... Tsk.
An S-rank skill? That wasn't even a big deal to him. If he weren't worried about messing up his mental state by stacking too many S-rank skills, he'd probably already have a third one by now.
So no, he wasn't desperate for another S-rank skill.
But a legendary piece of equipment? Now that was rare! Up to now, Qin Ming hadn't managed to get even one legendary item!
If he could snag one, that would be incredible. But winning the championship wouldn't be easy.
Fighters like Kasumi Todoh and King—who were considered second-tier—were already tough as hell. Beating the first-tier ones in the competition? That was going to be brutal.
Ryo Sakazaki of the Kyokugenryu school! Terry, the legendary Lone Wolf!
And of course, Kyo Kusanagi—the protagonist of King of Fighters, heir to one of the Three Sacred Treasures clans!
Then there was Iori Yagami—another heir to a Sacred Treasure clan, the second protagonist, wielder of divine power and the cursed Orochi bloodline!
Not a single one of those guys was easy to deal with. And that's not even counting Chizuru Kagura, the host of the tournament, from the Heavenly God Clan! Just thinking about it gave Qin Ming a headache.
He believed in his own strength, sure—but he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could stomp everyone. The problem was, the competition was full of broken characters!
S-rank skills are great, but can they match the power of the "Yasakani no Magatama" that freezes time? Or the "Mu Shiki" that incinerates everything? Or the "Sanra Bujin" that seals space and time?!
What kind of broken nonsense is that?! How's anyone supposed to fight that?!
Just thinking about these opponents gave Qin Ming a headache.
But he really didn't want to give up on the championship prize either. So he figured it was time to make a proper plan.
...Tsk. Worst case scenario, maybe he'd throw a fixed match or two.
Didn't Mai Shiranui and Chizuru Kagura—the host—used to be friends or something?
If it came to it, he could ask Mai to pull some strings. Maybe get Chizuru to toss all the top-tier contenders into a single bracket and let them fight each other to the death first!
No way he wouldn't win after that!
It was all for the Shiranui Dojo, after all!
To make it world-famous, to fulfill his responsibility—Qin Ming would stop at nothing!
(End of Chapter)
This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.
