Chapter 352: King’s Misunderstanding

The sniper's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the enemy below who had just deflected his bullet.

He could understand if his regular bullets were being knocked away. After all, there were some freakishly tough individuals with absurdly high defense.

But this time, he had used special armor-piercing rounds! How could his opponent still block them? These bullets were supposed to ignore defenses!

Unwilling to accept it, the sniper raised his rifle once more and unleashed a relentless barrage at Qin Ming below.

Standing in front of King, Qin Ming swung his right arm repeatedly. Amidst the deafening clanging sounds and bursts of sparks, he intercepted every bullet with pinpoint precision using his armored bracer!

It wasn't until the sniper's magazine ran empty with a final click that the gunfire ceased.

Staring in shock at Qin Ming, the sniper suddenly realized something and quickly turned to look in another direction.

Only to find that the two adventurers who had fought alongside him were now lying motionless on the ground.

Dead!

Taking a deep breath as he looked at his fallen comrades, the sniper furrowed his brows and abruptly lowered his rifle.

With practiced ease, he disassembled the weapon. Without another word, he looked up at the sky—and in the next second, he vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already a thousand meters in the air.

Spreading his limbs, he activated his glider wings, transforming into a soaring bird as he quickly disappeared into the city skyline.

The enemy was too strong!

The sniping attempt had failed!

Retreat!

Inside the bar, Qin Ming warily scanned his surroundings, alert to any remaining threats.

Only after confirming that the sniper had truly fled did he lower his right arm.

As for his dominant left hand? It had been hanging limply at his side the entire time—completely unmoving.

Not because he didn't want to move it, but because he couldn't. His arm was temporarily useless!

Someone had crippled it with an innate skill!

[Innate Skill: Novice's Challenge]

[Effect: Locks one limb of the target, rendering it unusable for five minutes. Can only be used once per mission world.]

[Description: Think you're tough? Try fighting with one hand tied behind your back!]

With a stiff expression, Qin Ming looked down at his lifeless arm. Then, thinking about the sniper who had just vanished, he suddenly let out a bitter chuckle.

"What the hell is with these broken abilities?"

You don't even get a chance to start fighting before losing an arm or a leg—how ridiculously unfair was that?

If the two-on-one fight hadn't gone in his favor even after he was forced to fight one-handed, he would've been in serious trouble this time.

Turning to look at King—who was battered and covered in wounds—Qin Ming raised an eyebrow.

"Well? Still alive?"

King rolled her eyes at him and gritted her teeth as she pressed against her bleeding wound.

"If you can't say anything useful, just shut up."

She glanced around at the bar, which was now in complete ruins. Looking at the devastated scene, her expression darkened with frustration.

"What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

—

Ten minutes later

Inside the wreckage of the bar, King emerged from a room, having changed into fresh clothes and treated her wounds.

Even before stepping out, her voice rang through the hall.

"You're paying for all the damages. This mess is your fault."

Qin Ming, who was busy cleaning up, twitched at her words.

"You were the one who attacked first!"

"I was just delivering a punch for Mai. Who told you to abandon her after leading her on?"

"I've told you countless times—I didn't abandon her! I didn't even deceive her! Come on, you actually believe that nonsense from Mai? She's a ninja trained in deception!"

"I don't fully believe her, no. But Bruma Mary was there too, and they both said the same thing. How could I not believe it?"

"That unreliable private detective? She's even worse than Mai!"

"Doesn't matter. You're covering the damages, and one more thing—the fight today doesn't count! Once I'm healed, we're going for a rematch!"

Pulling her collar forcefully, King once again transformed into her signature androgynous style. With a sharp and imposing presence, she stepped out of the room, adjusting her collar while keeping a stern expression. At the same time, she swung her fists a few times into the air to loosen up.

"I only lost earlier because I lacked intel. But now, I've figured out your fighting style! If we go at it again, don't think you can catch me so easily! Moving flexibly and fighting on the move is also a specialty of Muay Thai! I—"

Mid-sentence, King suddenly froze, her voice cutting off abruptly.

She halted in place, slowly lifting her head, her once-raised fists gradually lowering.

In front of her, Qin Ming stood, casually holding a dried-up corpse. His face was emotionless as he looked down at her.

At this moment, Qin Ming was… 2.3 meters tall.

King's eyes widened in shock. The man before her had suddenly grown nearly a meter taller, transforming from an ordinary human into a towering giant. His massive build was easily twice her size.

Without a word, Qin Ming tossed the drained corpse aside, then reached out and grabbed King's head, shaking it vigorously from side to side.

Although his stats hadn't actually increased along with his growth, his larger frame still had its advantages.

Mainly, he had the high ground.

With both height and weight in his favor, Qin Ming effortlessly swung King around, making her stumble uncontrollably.

It wasn't until King snapped out of her daze and forcefully broke free from his grip, retreating two steps, that she finally escaped Qin Ming's grasp.

Staring at him, now completely different from before, she couldn't help but exclaim, "What the hell happened to you?!"

Qin Ming shrugged, looking completely innocent.

"Don't be so surprised. What you saw earlier was my temporary 'sage mode.' This is my actual normal state. Oh, and you still wanna fight, right? Say the word. Time and place—your choice."

Upon hearing this, King's eye twitched, her face darkening instantly.

Fight? How the hell was she supposed to fight?!

She was already struggling in a fair one-on-one. Now that his size had doubled, what chance did she have?!

Size wasn't just about weight—it also meant reach.

A guy this big didn't just get heavier—his arms and legs were longer, too!

A fighter's reach was a critical factor in battle. Even if your technique was good, a longer reach could nullify any advantage you had.

And right now, Qin Ming's arms were as long as King's entire legs.

She didn't even need to picture the fight—her brain was already replaying an inevitable scenario: She'd throw a kick, miss, and before she could react, Qin Ming's fist would land first.

She was already at a disadvantage before. Now, she couldn't even touch him.

Keeping a stiff expression, she locked eyes with Qin Ming, gritted her teeth, and clenched her fists.

"Not only do you rely on brute force instead of skill, but now you're also using sheer size to bully people. I've never met a so-called 'fighter' as shameless as you! No wonder Mai and Mary call you a bastard!"

Qin Ming beamed at her, flashing a bright, almost smug smile.

"So… you're admitting defeat?"

"HELL NO! Just because you're big doesn't mean I'm scared! Once I've recovered, we're still going to fight!"

King's defiance only made Qin Ming shrug. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out five gold coins and placed them lightly on the bar counter.

"This is for the bar damages. But your medical fees? That's on my senior sister."

Hearing this, King's face twisted with rage. She snatched up the coins and, grinding her teeth, spat, "You don't have to tell me! I'll be having a word with those two lovely 'friends' of mine!"

The real reason King had attacked Qin Ming in the first place was bad intel.

As a close friend of Mai Shiranui and Blue Mary, the two of them often hung out at her bar.

And when Mai drank? She'd start ranting. Non-stop. Mostly about Qin Ming.

This damned "junior disciple" of hers had vanished for over a year without a word.

And the more Mai talked, the more exaggerated the story became.

Especially when she was trying to get rid of that clingy Andy—she had ramped things up to another level.

In Mai's drunken rants, Qin Ming had become the ultimate scumbag.

A heartless bastard who abandoned her after promising to help rebuild the Shiranui Dojo.

She even swore that, on her grandfather's deathbed, Qin Ming had knelt down and vowed to protect Mai and continue the Shiranui legacy.

And yet, the moment her grandfather passed, Qin Ming packed up, learned all the Shiranui techniques, and vanished for over a year.

Not a single letter. Not a single message.

He was, in Mai's words, "the most shameless, despicable, heartless scumbag in history."

Initially, King hadn't fully believed it. She knew Mai had a tendency to exaggerate.

But then came Blue Mary.

Mary, being the chaos-loving troublemaker that she was, kept adding fuel to the fire.

With both of them pushing the narrative, even King started believing it.

And that's why, the moment she recognized Qin Ming, she didn't hesitate to attack.

Only to realize—EVERYTHING THEY SAID WAS WRONG.

Not just his personality. His fighting style didn't match either.

What was that nonsense about him being "unskilled, just a simple brute with some farmhand techniques"?!

This guy had flawlessly blocked all her attacks without even taking a scratch.

And calling him a "tough brute"?

No, this wasn't just "tough." This was like fighting a sentient iron anvil!

Not only had they lied about his character, they even lied about his combat ability.

Those two… TOTALLY SET HER UP!

They knew she'd pick a fight and let her walk straight into a beating!

Oh, they were SO DEAD.

She might not be able to beat Qin Ming.

But she sure as hell could beat those two!

(End of Chapter)