Infinity, The Arcade Age

Back in his small wooden cabin, Qin Ming was busy sorting through his spoils of war, his expression oddly amused.

He genuinely hadn't expected to clear the entire Captain Hook scenario in one go.

Of course, the reason he managed to finish the Captain Hook World so cleanly was largely because the arcade game's entire storyline took place on a small island.

With limited space and having gained Tinker Bell's favor right from the start, the final boss, Captain Hook, had been forced into the storyline ahead of schedule.

Looking at the loot spread across his table, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile.

Although the protagonist faction didn't have an exchange shop to trade favorability points for items, which was a bit of a letdown, or perhaps because Tinker Bell's favorability directly translated into his status in her eyes, the rewards he received were undeniably generous.

The Evil Fat Chef had been soloed by Qin Ming, dropping a Normal Silver Key.

The two other mini-bosses he hunted down had their loot quality downgraded because plot characters had interfered, resulting in two Dim Silver Keys.

But those were just appetizers—the real highlight was Captain Hook's Key: a Dim Gold Key!

A Gold-Tier Key! This was the first time Qin Ming had earned one through sheer ability without needing to rely on synthesis.

Admiring the golden key in his hand, engraved with intricate patterns, Qin Ming's smile grew wider.

Without delay, he combined the Gold Key with one of his Brilliant Silver Keys.

With a flash of light, two items appeared before him.

Name: Captain Hook's Beloved (Captain Hook – Act VI)

Category: Headgear (Dim Gold Plot Equipment)

Requirement: Spirit 20

Effect 1: Spirit +10

Effect 2: Mermaid's Blessing (Increases loot drop chance from keys by 5%)

Effect 3: Fairy's Blessing (Immune to spirit-based damage below 25 points; reduces damage above 25 points by 25 points)

Description: A birthday gift from the previous Tinker Bell to Peter Pan. Peter Pan wore it while fulfilling his duty to spread fairy tales, even though he was no longer Peter Pan... (Special thanks to reader "Xiyue Changyin" for data references!)

Name: Evil Chef's Frying Pan (Captain Hook – Act I)

Category: Weapon (Normal Silver Plot Equipment)

Requirement: Strength 15

Effect 1: Attack Damage: 15–25

Effect 2: Partial Weapon Defense +35

Effect 3: Chef's Wrath (When striking an enemy's head, stuns enemies with a strength value equal to or lower than the user's for 0.5 seconds)

Description: The perfect balance of force—not enough to break the brain but just enough to make someone dizzy. Who said frying pans are only for cooking? Bring your head here and try it out!

Two pieces of loot—one Dim Gold and one Normal Silver—both were plot equipment.

The frying pan, while useful as both a weapon and shield, wasn't suited for Qin Ming.

But the Captain Hook's Hat was right up his alley.

Quickly putting on the pirate hat, Qin Ming glanced at himself in the mirror and nodded with satisfaction.

Pulling a few pirate outfits from his Nightmare Space wardrobe, he dressed up to match his new hat.

"Not bad. Looks pretty good!"

He had decided—no more dark trench coats and gentleman's hats! No more creepy gentleman aesthetic!

He was turning over a new leaf—abandoning darkness and embracing… piracy!

Adjusting his sunglasses and glancing at his reflection again, Qin Ming realized something was missing—a hook hand and an eye patch.

Shrugging, he holstered his pistol at his side and turned to his final reward: the Clearance Treasure Chest.

Name: Clearance Treasure Chest

Category: Special Consumable (No Rank)

Effect: A reward recognized by the Nightmare Space. It contains a random reward from the Nightmare Space.

Description: Congratulations! Game cleared!

The chest looked plain, save for the Nightmare Space symbol etched on its surface.

Rubbing his hands together eagerly, Qin Ming opened the chest.

With a flash of light, an item appeared inside—a simple skull coin.

Holding up the coin, Qin Ming's eyes widened in shock as he read its description.

Name: Nightmare Arcade Coin

Category: Special Consumable (No Quality)

Effect: Allows the bearer to negate death once. Upon death, the bearer will automatically revive in the Nightmare Space. It can also be used to revive another adventurer, but this requires completing a specific mission in a scenario world.

Description: Insert coin! Continue!

A revival item!

Staring at the coin, Qin Ming was genuinely stunned.

He never expected the Clearance Chest to reward him with something this valuable—a literal extra life!

Carefully placing the Nightmare Arcade Coin into his inventory, Qin Ming let out a deep breath, feeling immensely satisfied.

After a brief hesitation, he allocated all 12 free attribute points into Agility.

Agility: 21 points!

The moment his agility value hit 21 points, a notification from Nightmare Space echoed in his mind.

Ding! Agility has surpassed the first threshold! Mutating...

Please choose one of the following three rewards:

Sprint Specialist (+5 Agility Cap)

Marathon Runner (+5 Movement Speed)

Dexterous Hands (+5 Attack Speed)

Qin Ming furrowed his brows.

The first option offered long-term benefits, effectively granting the equivalent of 10 free attribute points in agility.

But agility wasn't Qin Ming's main focus—it wasn't even a secondary focus.

Instead, the second and third options offered immediate and practical gains.

Both added the equivalent of 10 agility points to specific areas.

And out of those two, Qin Ming was more afraid of being unable to catch up to his enemies than failing to hit them.

Ding! Option 2 selected!

Current Attributes:

Strength: 21 (41)

Threshold Effect: Powerhouse (+10 Strength in physical clashes)

Constitution: 21 (46)

Threshold Effect: Sturdy Gentleman (+1 Charm when interacting with women)

Agility: 21

Threshold Effect: Marathon Runner (+5 Movement Speed)

Spirit: 21 (31)

Threshold Effect: Archmage (Skill costs reduced by 20%)

All four attributes had officially surpassed their first thresholds.

Qin Ming no longer had any glaring weaknesses.

(End of Chapter)