In the forest, Qin Ming sat on a large rock, carefully inspecting his spoils. He had just fused the loot from the two small bosses, the main orc chieftain boss, and the protagonist Labelle's silver treasure chest, all in secret.
With these, along with two ordinary and one dim silver key he already had, Qin Ming managed to cobble together five ordinary silver keys.
If he were willing to take a risk, these five keys could be further fused into a golden key, which could yield exceptionally valuable items. However, fearing that the items might not suit him or fetch a high price in the lower-level adventurer zones, he decided not to proceed hastily.
Having organized his rings, Qin Ming looked up to find the Double-Gun Woman sitting across from him, fidgeting nervously as she stole glances at him.
Earlier, she had handed over the massive hammer she copied through her talent skill as ransom. For added security, she also spent an extra 1,000 points to sign a peace contract with Qin Ming.
The peace contract reduced damage between the parties by 50%. Higher-tier contracts costing 2,500 or 5,000 points could further reduce damage by 75% or even 90%. With this in place, she was confident that she could escape unscathed if things turned sour, even if she couldn't defeat Qin Ming.
Despite paying the hefty sum, she lingered instead of leaving, hesitating as if she had something to say.
Noticing this, Qin Ming finally broke the silence.
"Spit it out. Stop hemming and hawing."
The Double-Gun Woman took a deep breath, her expression becoming resolute.
"Hyena, I need your help."
"What's this? You found a hidden boss?"
"Not in this world. I want you to come with me to the next advancement mission world and help me complete my promotion!"
"An advancement mission?"
Qin Ming's casual demeanor shifted to a more serious one upon hearing those words. After all, advancement missions were notoriously challenging for adventurers, with a low success rate and a fierce reputation.
"So you're saying you want to hire me?"
"Exactly. I'll pay you 10,000 points upfront as a hiring fee. If the mission is successful, I'll give you an additional 10,000."
"Oh? A total of 20,000 points? I didn't peg you as someone so loaded. No wonder you could afford the contract with me earlier. Seems like I undersold myself."
Although Qin Ming's tone was teasing, his brows furrowed as he considered her offer.
Twenty thousand points were no small amount. Even with his exceptional abilities, earning that much in a single world often required considerable effort and risk. It was clear that the Double-Gun Woman was pulling out all the stops and was sincere in her offer.
However, advancement missions had an infamous survival rate of less than 30%. Among the remaining 70%, half failed and were forcibly returned, while the rest perished in the mission world.
Even with confidence in his skills, recent encounters with adventurers like Gale and the Double-Gun Woman had shaken Qin Ming's certainty. Gale's impressive equipment, arsenal of tools, and absurdly high base stats were practically inhuman.
And then there was the Double-Gun Woman—capable of copying S-rank items and mastering skills like the Heaven and Earth Tyrant Fist right out of the gate. Such monsters weren't even confident in clearing the advancement mission.
The fact that she, after losing a fight to Qin Ming, would humble herself to hire him for help, said a lot about her desperation.
Was he risking his life for a gamble?
Frowning deeply, Qin Ming's eyes darted about as he contemplated.
Sensing his hesitation, the Double-Gun Woman leaned in to persuade him.
"You're strong, and I'm no slouch myself. Together, we'd be unstoppable in the advancement mission. I doubt any first-stage boss could withstand the two of us. Plus, helping me means you'll get a firsthand look at how an advancement mission works. It's a win-win."
"Hyena, my request isn't out of desperation. I'm just being cautious since I don't know much about advancement missions. If you're worried that I'll turn on you after succeeding, don't be. Once I advance, I'll move to the mid-tier adventurer zone, and we probably won't even cross paths again."
"...Fine, I'll help you. But I want more than just the 20,000 points. All loot during the mission must be split equally, and I get first pick of the items."
"Deal! Whatever it takes to advance. I've never been short on gear anyway."
Seeing Qin Ming agree, the Double-Gun Woman's face broke into a radiant smile. She stood up and extended her hand.
"Here's to a successful partnership, partner."
Qin Ming shrugged as he stood and shook her hand.
"You know, you're the first person I've teamed up with since entering the Nightmare World who hasn't ended up dead by my hands."
"Funny coincidence. Same here."
In the Nightmare Space, those with exceptional abilities often thrived, which usually spelled doom for anyone who crossed their paths.
Qin Ming was no exception, though his "don't mess with me and I won't mess with you" approach was relatively mild. Others would kill adventurers outright to avoid sharing spoils.
In smaller missions , where only five participants entered and everyone started near each other, it wasn't uncommon for one ruthless individual to eliminate the other four immediately, leaving the mission world entirely under their control.
With the Orc Chieftain defeated and the mission complete, there were still 48 hours until their return. Qin Ming and the Double-Gun Woman decided to spend the remaining time separately hunting orcs for extra rewards.
For the next two days, they scoured the area for prey. When the return countdown ended, a flash of white light enveloped Qin Ming, bringing him back to the Nightmare Space.