Infinity, The Arcade Age

"He's Peter Pan, the Peter Pan who left twenty years ago!"

"He's not!"

"He is! Maybe he doesn't look quite the same anymore, but he's definitely Peter Pan!"

"Hmph! If you claim he's Peter Pan, then make him fly! Peter Pan could fly! If he can't fly, I'll toss all of you off the cliff myself!"

At Rufio's challenge, the four adventurers froze.

They turned to glance at the rotund middle-aged man beside them, their faces filled with hesitation.

There's no way this guy can fly. Absolutely no way.

At that moment, Tinkerbell, who had been sitting atop Qin Ming's head, finally spoke up.

With her chest puffed out and her tiny arms crossed, she declared loudly:

"That's right! He's not Peter Pan! Peter Pan wouldn't be some oily, pudgy uncle! The real Peter Pan is someone else!"

The entire camp fell deathly silent, and all eyes turned to her.

The four adventurers, in particular, looked like they had just seen a ghost.

Wait… what? This doesn't make any sense!

If anyone should know who Peter Pan is, it's Tinkerbell! After all, she's the one who brought him here!

Hovering slightly above Qin Ming's head, Tinkerbell glanced down at him. The longer she looked, the more pleased she seemed.

Suddenly, she clapped her tiny hands together and pointed dramatically at him.

"Actually, he's Peter Pan!"

"What?!"

The camp erupted into shocked gasps, and dozens of heads snapped to look at Qin Ming.

Even Qin Ming himself was taken aback, pointing to his own nose in disbelief.

"I'm Peter Pan?"

"Yes!"

"…I can fly?"

"Absolutely!"

"Then why didn't anyone tell me that?"

"Because you've lost your memories! Once you recover them, you'll be able to fly again and reclaim your role as the true Peter Pan!"

Tinkerbell spoke with such absolute conviction that even Qin Ming began to waver.

Wait… could I actually be Peter Pan?

An airborne demolition version of Peter Pan? The kind who doesn't gracefully glide through the air but launches himself like a ballistic missile before biting his enemies' necks?

This… this can't be right!

If I were Peter Pan, Neverland wouldn't even need Captain Hook as a villain—I'd be the villain myself!

And the Lost Boys? They'd probably have to rename themselves the Missing Girls!

With flying powers like that, Peter Pan-me would be swooping out of the sky every day to kidnap damsels.

Forget fairy tales—this would be a horror story!

As the crowd's skepticism grew, Tinkerbell's tiny face twisted in frustration.

She zipped over to Qin Ming's side and shouted:

"Peter Pan! Come on! Fly for them!"

Qin Ming stared at her, his expression flat and unamused.

Feeling the weight of his deadpan glare, Tinkerbell planted her tiny fists on her hips.

"Well? Fly already!"

"Is it… at all possible that I actually can't fly?"

"Nonsense! I said you can, so you can! Now fly!"

"I really don't think—"

"Just try! Put in some effort!"

"This isn't something you can just 'try' to do!"

"Come on! Hurry up!"

Grumbling under his breath, Qin Ming bounced on his heels a couple of times to humor her.

But then…

His legs suddenly felt lighter, and to his utter horror, they began floating upwards.

Good news: Qin Ming was flying!

Bad news: Only his legs were flying.

Upside-down, with his head dangling toward the ground and his legs stubbornly drifting skyward, Qin Ming looked like a human balloon.

His arms flailed as he struggled to regain control, but gravity had other plans.

What the hell is going on?! Why is only half of me airborne?

As he dangled awkwardly, Qin Ming quickly checked his status screen.

To his astonishment, he noticed a temporary passive skill had appeared:

Fairy's Power – Flight!

Wait… I actually have a flight skill? This isn't a joke?!

Before he could process the discovery, the magical effect abruptly ended, and he crashed face-first into the dirt.

Tinkerbell, hovering above him, offered a nervous laugh as dozens of pairs of eyes bored into her.

"Uh… Peter Pan might still be getting used to his old powers! Don't worry, he'll get the hang of it eventually! I promise!"

With that, she zipped back to Qin Ming's head and raised her tiny arms triumphantly.

"So! He is Peter Pan!"

A heavy silence hung over the camp.

The Lost Boys stared at Qin Ming, their eyes slowly scanning his hulking, muscular frame, the scarred skin, and the ominously dark sunglasses perched on his face.

Finally, one chubby boy started clapping hesitantly.

"Well… if Tinkerbell says he's Peter Pan, then… I guess he's Peter Pan!"

The rest of the boys followed suit, their clapping growing louder and louder until the entire camp was cheering.

"Peter Pan! Peter Pan! Peter Pan!"

Amidst the chaotic celebration, the middle-aged version of Peter Pan, still hanging upside down from a rope, muttered softly:

"Then… who am I supposed to be?"

The cheers died instantly.

All eyes turned to him. Then to the four adventurers who were trying to sneak away unnoticed.

The silence lingered for several painful seconds before everyone nodded in unison.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

With a chorus of terrified screams, Peter Pan and the four adventurers were yeeted off the cliff by an enthusiastic swarm of Lost Boys.

A distant splash echoed from below.

Satisfied with their handiwork, the boys dusted off their hands and marched back to camp, leaving Qin Ming surrounded by expectant faces.

One chubby boy stepped forward.

"Boss, what do we do now?"

Still reeling from the absurdity of the situation, Qin Ming rubbed his temples and hesitated.

"Uh… kill Captain Hook?"

"YEAH!!!"

The camp erupted into another thunderous cheer, and Qin Ming felt a twitch in his right eye.

How the hell did I end up in charge of this circus?

(End of Chapter)