Infinity, The Arcade Age

Huang Yan, having just taken down an opponent in a single combo, turned and smashed aside another female guard's shield. Seeing yet another guard swinging her sword at him, he instinctively raised his arm to block.

But—CRACK!

Sparks flew as the blade cleaved straight through his armored bracer.

The sharp edge ripped through flesh, and blood gushed forth.

Huang Yan's eyes widened in shock as he let out an involuntary yelp, hurriedly striking the swordswoman to push her away.

But before he could catch his breath, another guard lunged from behind, slashing her blade across his back.

A harsh, grating noise rang out as his prized Seven Yashiro Combat Outfit—a piece of gear he had always relied on—offered no defense whatsoever. The fabric tore open instantly, and fresh blood splattered across the deck.

Huang Yan let out a pained howl.

Completely stunned, he swung his fists wildly, forcing back the attacking guards.

But in mere moments, his body was already covered in multiple wounds. Staring at the female guards around him, their steel blades gleaming coldly under the light, his face twisted in pure disbelief.

They're just a bunch of elite mobs! How the hell are they completely ignoring my armor?! How is my defense getting shredded like paper?!

Since when were elite mobs this deadly?!

But his shock meant nothing to the guards. They didn't hesitate—with another war cry, they charged in again.

Even the female soldier he had thrown across the deck earlier—the one he had assumed was dead—was now pulling herself up from the wreckage.

Blood streamed down her cheek, but after wiping her face with her sleeve, she snarled in fury and joined the attack.

Forged Steel Blades. Reinforced Shields. Fish Scale Armor.

These were standard-issue gear for Sun Ji's personal guards. All of them were blue-tier equipment, something only a noblewoman of her status could afford.

Even most generals' personal guards wouldn't have such high-end gear.

But even with decent attributes and a full set of blue-tier armor, in a fight against a mid-tier adventurer, they still shouldn't have been able to land such devastating hits.

Yet here they were, easily cutting through Huang Yan's defenses.

Why?

Because their gear had been upgraded.

Some unknown bastard had reinforced all of their equipment—using spare weapons from the ship's arsenal, picking out story-related gear with extra attributes, and customizing their loadouts.

At this point, these soldiers' equipment was superior to that of most adventurers!

With strong base stats and near-complete silver-tier gear, Huang Yan was no longer fighting normal elite mobs.

He was fighting a squad of mini-bosses—each just as strong, if not stronger, than a mid-tier adventurer.

The six female guards coordinated seamlessly, striking with precise swordplay while firing arrows from range.

Under their relentless assault, Huang Yan found himself completely overwhelmed.

In mere moments, he was battered and bloodied, struggling just to defend himself.

Then, to make things worse—the cabin doors burst open.

More reinforcements poured in.

More elite warriors.

Huang Yan panicked.

Shit!

He couldn't afford to keep fighting!

Roaring in desperation, he slammed both hands onto the ground—a massive shockwave erupted outward, sending all nearby enemies tumbling.

C-rank Skill—Earthquake Slam!

Using the brief opening, he leaped onto the ship's upper deck, preparing to escape.

But before he could even take two steps—

SWOOSH!

The sharp whistle of arrows filled the air.

The female guards had already gotten up and immediately loosed a volley of arrows at him.

...

Sun Ji's personal guards were all orphans who had been raised alongside her from childhood.

They had followed her when she married into Shu, and they had all trained under her.

After all, Sun Ji was famous for her archery.

Her title, "The Bow-Waist Lady," had two meanings:

One, it described her delicate figure, with a slender waist and curves at both ends, like a drawn bow.

The other? It meant her archery skills were deadly.

No one knew for sure if she was truly on par with legendary archers, but her personal guards—the women she had personally trained—were all sharpshooters.

Fast. Accurate. Lethal.

As Huang Yan scrambled onto the deck, he let out a painful scream.

Six arrows pierced into his back at once.

From a distance, he now resembled a human porcupine.

Cursing and groaning, he staggered forward, half-crawling, half-running, before finally disappearing over the edge of the ship.

The female guards exchanged glances before giving a firm nod.

"After him!"

With a coordinated leap, they climbed onto the deck, immediately giving chase.

With a loud battle cry, the six female guards vaulted onto the ship's upper deck, relentlessly pursuing their fleeing target.

However, the warship's complex structure made navigation difficult. Once they lost sight of him, tracking him down again became a near-impossible task…

...

Huang Yan was still frantically running, leaping across rooftops and railings as he desperately tried to escape. Just as he dropped down from a higher level—

"AHHHH!"

A startled scream rang out nearby.

Immediately snapping into a defensive stance, Huang Yan raised his fists, his expression full of alarm as he turned to face the source.

At the same time, his equally terrified companion, Tobi, also raised his claws in a defensive posture.

They locked eyes.

Realizing they were on the same side, both men let out a deep sigh of relief, lowering their guard.

Almost in unison, they blurted out—

"Something's wrong!"

Both paused in confusion, glancing at each other. Only now did they have the time to actually assess each other's condition.

...

They were both covered in wounds.

For a few seconds, they just stared at one another in disbelief.

"You ran into those female guards too?" Huang Yan asked, his face dark.

"You too?!" Tobi exclaimed.

"I fought six of them!"

"I ran into TEN! If I hadn't run fast enough, I'd be dead right now!"

The mere memory of ten nearly invincible women chasing him down with swords made Tobi shudder uncontrollably.

Hearing this, Huang Yan's expression darkened further, his brows tightly furrowed.

"This doesn't make sense!" he muttered. "They're just a bunch of elite mobs—how the hell are they this strong?! And their gear—there's no way it should be this good!"

Tobi's gaze flickered. Seeing that no one else was around, he leaned in and whispered cautiously,

"Listen, I heard that this hunting target isn't ordinary. The 'King of Fighters' himself ordered no killing—only capture, unless absolutely necessary. That means his abilities must be insanely special. And remember how the last batch of lower-ranked adventurers got wiped out in Metal Slug World?"

Huang Yan's expression shifted slightly.

Tobi continued, lowering his voice further, "They said it was because of story characters with suspiciously strong weapons. If these female guards are so ridiculously well-equipped… what if it's because…"

Huang Yan's face twitched slightly. He opened his mouth to reply—

But at that moment—

Footsteps suddenly echoed from above.

The two men immediately tensed up, instinctively pressing their backs against the wall, hiding in the shadows.

A group of female guards leapt past them, swiftly chasing toward a different direction.

Huang Yan and Tobi, both battered and exhausted, glanced at each other before simultaneously nodding.

"Retreat!"

Their mission had been to lead troops and intercept the warship.

Now that both the helm and the mast had been destroyed, their objective was complete.

There was no point in staying behind to fight.

Without hesitation, they turned and sprinted away, heading to regroup with their incoming reinforcements.

...

Their footsteps thundered across the deck as they skillfully weaved past enemy patrols.

In the distance, they could already see their submarine.

Catching sight of the ongoing battle nearby, their eyes lit up with excitement.

Tobi, being smaller and more agile, dashed ahead. The bulkier Huang Yan followed close behind.

But as they ran, Huang Yan's peripheral vision caught something hanging on the nearby wall.

Instinctively, he glanced at it.

Even while sprinting, he frowned slightly, trying to make sense of what he had just seen.

When he finally got a clear look—his heart nearly stopped.

It was a C4 bomb.

"OH, SHI—"

BOOM!