Unlocking access to the second stage of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs was both good and bad news.
The bad news was that the boss in the second stage was far more powerful than Vice-Terra from the first stage. With Qin Ming accepting the hidden quest, the world's difficulty had jumped from D-level to C-level.
The only reason the difficulty wasn't higher was because all four protagonists would continue to fight alongside him. Normally, only one or two protagonists would assist, and if that had been the case, the difficulty for the second stage's Bloodthirsty Butcher would have easily surpassed C-level.
This was precisely why Qin Ming had quickly accepted the quest. After leaving the beginner zone, where else could he find four strong allies like the protagonist group? This was an opportunity to strengthen himself, and if he didn't take advantage of it now, surviving in the treacherous Nightmare Space would be even more difficult.
After arranging a meeting point with the four protagonists, Qin Ming temporarily parted ways with them. Hannah needed time to heal her serious injuries, and Qin Ming had some personal matters to attend to.
After watching the group leave, Qin Ming pulled out his revolver, turned around, and headed back toward the building.
There were still many poachers inside that hadn't been dealt with. While the protagonist group didn't care about the remaining enemies, Qin Ming certainly did. Those poachers were loot, and he still had a title quest to complete.
By killing 100 poacher members, Qin Ming could complete the Natural Protector title quest and earn the white title: Guardian of Nature.
This title was something Qin Ming was determined to get!
With his blue revolver in hand, Qin Ming cautiously entered the building and began searching room by room for any remaining poachers.
He spent over an hour meticulously clearing the place. When he finally finished, Qin Ming took a taxi to the designated meeting point, checking his loot along the way.
His progress toward the Guardian of Nature title was now 71/100. It seemed he would have to finish the rest of the kills during the second stage.
Aside from the title quest, Qin Ming had acquired a significant amount of loot by killing the poachers. He had nine white keys from ordinary grunts, two green keys from elite enemies like the knife-wielders and fat men, and even a special surprise.
Earlier, while rescuing Hannah, Qin Ming had encountered a mini-boss—a velociraptor locked in a metal cage.
The velociraptor was extremely powerful and had nearly broken free of its cage when Qin Ming found it. If a regular adventurer had come across the beast, it could have turned into a deadly fight in a confined space.
But Qin Ming, with his revolver in hand, didn't give the velociraptor a chance. After four rounds of bullets, the mini-boss died before it could escape.
Luckily, the protagonist group hadn't seen him kill the dinosaur. With their love for all things dinosaur-related, they probably would've dropped their favorability toward him on the spot.
The velociraptor dropped a blue key, the first Qin Ming had ever seen.
As Qin Ming sat in the taxi, he examined his collection of keys. His mind raced with possibilities.
When the car stopped, Qin Ming found a secluded corner, sat down, and began opening the treasure chests.
The enemies in the second stage would undoubtedly be stronger, so he needed to upgrade his gear as quickly as possible. And the best way to do that was by opening treasure chests.
More importantly, Qin Ming had a theory to test.
As he watched two white keys fuse into a single green key, Qin Ming couldn't help but smile.
He had been right—the keys could be fused!
If regular keys could fuse, then the blood-red keys dropped by other adventurers likely could as well. This was great news!
It meant Qin Ming had yet another way to power up.
He continued fusing, turning two green keys into a blue one. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he decided to fuse two blue keys.
In a flash of light, a faint silver key appeared in Qin Ming's hand, shimmering in the sunlight.
The color was identical to the one dropped by Vice-Terra—an ordinary silver key.
Now, for the next step...
The light flashed again as Qin Ming fused two silver keys. A brilliant light filled the air, and when it faded, a larger, intricately designed silver key appeared.
Item: Ordinary Silver Key
Admiring the key's ornate design, Qin Ming grinned and nodded in satisfaction.
He then used the remaining materials to fuse another dim silver key. Without hesitation, he unlocked both keys.
It wasn't that he didn't want to fuse further, but silver keys had different tiers, and an ordinary silver key couldn't be fused with a dim one.
With a flash of light, two new pieces of equipment appeared in Qin Ming's hands.
Name: Vice-Terra's Wife
Quality: Silver (Ordinary Plot Equipment)
Requirements: None
Fixed Damage: 30-40
Ammunition Capacity: 6/6
Special Effect: The Boss's Authority (Firing one shot into the sky summons three poacher minions from the first stage of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs. There is a chance of summoning elite enemies. Can only be used once per world.)
Description: Vice-Terra loved this gun more than he loved his wife.
Name: Dinosaur Goggles
Quality: Blue (Plot Equipment)
Requirements: None
Special Effect: Can detect the base attributes of targets.
Description: These goggles were developed by the poaching organization to assess the combat abilities of dinosaurs. Only leaders are authorized to wear them. Very rare. (Note: This item only works on plot characters.)
Qin Ming stared at the two new pieces of equipment, momentarily stunned.
He casually put on the goggles and glanced around.
As pedestrians passed by, their basic stats appeared in front of his eyes. Qin Ming shook his head in disbelief.
He had thought that a silver key would guarantee a silver item, but that wasn't necessarily the case.
It seemed that dim silver keys could still drop blue equipment, though of a higher rarity.
At least Qin Ming knew that the goggles, which could assess an opponent's base attributes, would be highly sought after in Nightmare Space. They might even fetch a price comparable to that of typical silver gear.
After all, knowing your enemy is key to victory. Information is power.
(Chapter End)