Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 331: Animal Keeper Wolf

Amidst the sound of running, Wolf, who had been relentlessly chased for several hundred meters and had taken over thirty punches along the way, had already used up his consumables and items.

Seeing that he couldn't win and that Qin Ming was dead set on not letting him go, Wolf finally couldn't take it anymore. He stopped running, roared, and wildly swung his arms, forcing Qin Ming to back off.

"Do you only know how to rely on your toughness and chase people down to throw punches? We're civilized people! Can't we fight with a bit more finesse?"

Hearing this roar, Qin Ming, who had just raised his fist and was about to charge forward, paused. After a moment of thought, he silently lowered his arm.

Seeing this, Wolf, who was already covered in wounds and hadn't been able to recover even after using consumables, finally let out a sigh of relief.

But he had relaxed too soon. Before he could fully calm down, Qin Ming's eyes flashed with a red light.

In the next moment...

Single-Handed Ground Slam!

Pseudo-Energy Fountain!

With a boom, a pillar of blood erupted from the ground, violently blasting Wolf into the air. Before he could even hit the ground, Qin Ming had already accelerated forward.

Heavenly Slide Initiation!

Hell's Paradise Throw!

Followed by Wave Fist! Tiger Fury Fist! Sonic Boom! Overlord's Roaring Fist!

After landing, Qin Ming continued with Fighting Spirit Storm! Eight Hits of the Maiden! Dragon and Tiger Chaos Dance! And finally, he ended it all with Orochinagi!

"Yiya yilalei!"

Amidst the surging white flames, Qin Ming, now a blazing fireball, crashed fiercely into Wolf.

After unleashing over a dozen consecutive moves in one go, Qin Ming was left panting heavily, his body significantly shrunk from the strain.

As for Wolf, who had just taken the full brunt of Qin Ming's combo?

Looking at the figure lying face down and motionless on the ground, Qin Ming tugged at the collar of his suit and grinned.

"What a lunatic! This is the first time I've heard someone make such a request themselves!"

While muttering, Qin Ming stepped forward toward the fallen Wolf, ready to drain his blood to recover.

But before Qin Ming could get close, Wolf, who was lying face down, weakly raised a hand and began waving it frantically.

"No more! No more! I surrender! I give up!"

Hearing this, Qin Ming was momentarily stunned. Then, he suddenly grinned.

Wolf's reaction reminded him of a certain "dog friend" of his—a female friend who was now doing quite well for herself, having climbed to a high position in a guild and was living a comfortable life.

"You think you can just stop because you say so? Is the Nightmare Space your backyard?"

"Killing me won't do you any good! Why go so far as to take a life? How about I offer you something in exchange for my life?"

"Huh, are you really someone who climbed up from the lower ranks?"

Looking at Wolf, who was now lying flat on his back and completely giving up, Qin Ming's expression was filled with confusion.

Logically speaking, anyone who managed to rise from the brutally competitive lower-tier adventurer zones would have some tricks up their sleeve and would be ruthless.

After all, you couldn't survive otherwise.

But this guy in front of him acted like a complete rookie, surrendering at the drop of a hat. Was he really putting his life in someone else's hands like this? Did he have some kind of life-saving trump card, or was he just plain scared of dying?

Walking up to Wolf and looking down at this dinosaur-like fellow adventurer, Qin Ming's frown deepened.

In fact, he had noticed something was off from the very beginning of the fight.

This guy didn't have an ounce of ruthlessness in him. His first reaction upon realizing he couldn't win wasn't to fight desperately but to turn and run.

And when he realized he couldn't outrun Qin Ming, he still tried to keep running!

This guy...

"Kid, how the hell did you even become an intermediate adventurer?"

As Qin Ming's words fell, Wolf, still lying on the ground, was momentarily stunned. Then, he quickly forced a stiff smile.

"By... strategy!"

"Strategy?"

Hearing these words, Qin Ming's face lit up with understanding.

No wonder he could call in so many bosses to fight for him. So he was a strategist type. But judging from his earlier performance, he didn't seem particularly intelligent. Was he some kind of strategic genius but a complete idiot in combat?

Grabbing Wolf by the collar and pulling him up, Qin Ming's eyes gleamed.

"I might spare you, but how much are you willing to pay for your life?"

"Well... uh, I can take you to the boss's lair!"

Suddenly struck by an idea, Wolf's eyes lit up, and his expression turned excited.

"Bro! You're so strong! How about we team up?"

"Team up?"

"Yeah! You and me, we team up, take out both the protagonist group and the villains, and split the rewards!"

"Hmm?"

"60-40 split!"

"Hmm?!"

"70-30! You get 70, I get 30!"

"Hmm."

"I'm in a partnership with Dr. Disaster. I know where his base is, and I have access to it. I just can't take him down alone, but with you here now, bro, I can take you in! We'll take him down together and make a killing!"

The more Wolf talked, the more excited he became, his face turning red with enthusiasm.

Seeing his excitement, Qin Ming couldn't help but look stunned.

"You're in a partnership with the final boss?"

"Yeah, otherwise how do you think I managed to call in so many bosses to fight? I'm on equal footing with that baldy, Dr. Disaster!"

As soon as he mentioned his status, Wolf couldn't help but show a proud expression.

Hearing this, Qin Ming finally began to believe that this guy might actually be a strategist.

After all, managing to form a partnership with the final boss in the lower-tier adventurer zones wasn't something you could do without some brains!

Finally releasing his grip, Qin Ming frowned and began to think. Wolf, meanwhile, straightened his collar and spoke up.

"First, we'll deal with the bosses I brought with me. Then we'll kill a couple of the protagonists and take their heads as proof of our work. When the boss comes out to check, we'll ambush him and take him down!"

"Hmm, not a bad plan. But how do you explain my sudden appearance as your companion and make him lower his guard around me?"

"Uh, we'll say you're my cousin! You came to join me!"

"And what if he doesn't come out to check personally but sends someone instead?"

"We'll kill whoever he sends and force him to come out!"

"What if that makes him even more cautious?"

"Then we'll just charge in! I'll bring the dinosaurs, and we'll take him down together!"

"...Are you really someone who climbed up through strategy?!"

Looking at Wolf, who had answered without even thinking, Qin Ming was completely dumbfounded.

He had thought he was reckless, but this guy was on a whole other level. Whose subordinate was this guy? With this kind of intelligence, how could he even claim to have climbed up through strategy? What kind of idiots were his opponents that he managed to outmaneuver them?

Feeling Qin Ming's skeptical gaze, Wolf, who had been lost in the fantasy of killing the final boss and obtaining the通关宝箱 (clearance treasure chest), suddenly froze.

His expression turned awkward, and he sneaked a glance at Qin Ming.

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"Uh, actually, I think we don't need to overthink it. We can just adapt as we go. You know, plans can't keep up with changes. Strength is what really matters."

Wolf wasn't actually a master strategist. In fact, he didn't know the first thing about strategy!

But he was indeed an intermediate adventurer!

Unlike other adventurers who had to struggle through life-and-death situations to climb up, Wolf had had a smooth journey. He had hardly ever fought himself, which was why he lacked any sense of ruthlessness and would surrender as soon as things got tough.

Fighting to the death? Only useless adventurers would do that. He never needed to fight to the death because he had lackeys!

[Talent Skill: Animal Master (Can charm non-humanoid creatures with attributes no higher than his own Spirit stat. Initial charm capacity is 1, with an additional charm slot for every 25 points of Spirit.)]

[Description: As an animal keeper, you know how to please any animal and are renowned among them, especially since you've managed pandas, symbolizing an iron rice bowl.]

With his current equipment, Wolf had a whopping 79 points in Spirit, even breaking through the second-tier limit! This meant he could control up to four beasts!

The velociraptor, pteranodon, triceratops, and the Parasitic Dino-Beast he had fused with earlier were all under his control.

With four bosses backing him up, he had always been the one ganging up on others. No one had ever been able to gang up on him.

With his lackeys protecting him, he had hardly ever fought anyone himself. So when faced with a strong opponent alone, of course, he would perform poorly.

But if Qin Ming hadn't dragged him out of the battlefield, forcing a one-on-one situation, Qin Ming would have been the one facing a gang-up from four bosses! In that case, it wouldn't have been Wolf running away—it would have been Qin Ming!

Looking at his fellow adventurer, whose gaze was growing increasingly strange, Wolf continued to try to persuade him, hoping to recruit him to help take down the final boss, Dr. Disaster.

After all, he had long been eyeing the boss's treasure chest. He just hadn't dared to make a move due to the boss's strength.

Thanks to his unique ability to perfectly control dinosaurs, Wolf had successfully connected with Dr. Disaster and had risen to the top of the boss's faction, gaining all the benefits he could.

If he didn't find a way to take down the boss and claim the final rewards, as well as the clearance treasure chest, what was the point of keeping Dr. Disaster around? To breed?

As for whether Qin Ming would turn on him after getting the rewards?

Not only did Wolf have his lackeys to protect him if things went south, but the value of the clearance treasure chest far exceeded that of ordinary treasure chests.

Moreover, since Wolf relied mainly on his lackeys to fight, he never needed to spend money on equipment. Instead, he had invested almost all his funds into life-saving items. He wasn't afraid of Qin Ming trying to fight him to the death.

If he couldn't win, couldn't he just run? At worst, he'd be forced to return to the city. As long as he got the clearance treasure chest, it would be worth it.

And even if he couldn't return, he still had resurrection options!

In his journey through the Nightmare Space, Wolf had relied on two things: having enough lackeys and being cautious enough!

(End of Chapter)