The sound of a clock ticked softly in the quiet living room. Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the sofa, resting his knife on his legs as he meditated. This meditation wasn’t like what a mage would do; it was a method taught to him by Geng Silang that helped him better sense himself.
Practicing swordsmanship isn’t just about slicing and dicing; it’s also a way to strengthen both body and mind. For others, this process might seem a bit dull, but Su Xiao found joy in it. The level of enthusiasm one has for something often reflects how far they can go with it. If someone lacks even basic passion, it’s better to give up, especially when it comes to practicing sword techniques.
With a long breath, Su Xiao finished his meditation. Even though he hadn’t exercised, he felt quite hungry. He picked up his phone and ordered takeout for eight people. With his current appetite, even a regular portion wouldn’t be enough.
Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Seeing the delivery guy, who was sweating profusely, Su Xiao couldn’t help but smile. Carrying eight orders upstairs was no easy task.
With a click, the door opened, and a serious-looking man wearing sunglasses stepped out. The man glanced at Su Xiao and the delivery guy, and upon seeing Su Xiao, he became noticeably alert since Su Xiao lived across from him.
“New resident?” the man asked.
“New resident,” Su Xiao replied.
After that brief exchange, the man went downstairs.
After a hearty meal, Su Xiao recalled the man in sunglasses. He walked with confidence and had a stable stance; he was definitely not an ordinary person. But Su Xiao wouldn’t investigate him; that would just be meddling.
Having only been in the real world for a few days, Su Xiao felt a bit restless for some reason. He actually found himself eager to dive back into the Reincarnation Paradise for an adventure. He chuckled to himself; perhaps he was just not the type to sit still.
A notification popped up: “Ding! A new derived world is about to open. The hunter will return to the Reincarnation Paradise. Please ensure there are no witnesses nearby.”
“Transmitting... Transmission complete.”
Su Xiao felt a moment of dizziness, and his ears buzzed. Once everything settled, he found himself in his exclusive room.
A new derived world was coming, and he couldn’t help but feel excited. What kind of world would he enter this time? If it was another nightmare like the Pirate King world, that would be tough.
This time, entering the derived world meant he would receive the main quest from the Reincarnation Paradise, along with a hunting task. If the difficulty of the derived world was too high, his chances of success would be slim.
“Paradise, what derived world will I enter?” he wondered.
“Hunter Level: Lv.2. You will receive a notification ten minutes before entering the derived world. The hunter will enter the derived world in one hour. Please be patient.”
Now he understood; he could find out in advance which derived world he would enter, but it depended on his level. The higher the level, the earlier he would get the information, giving him more time to prepare.
Right now, he only had ten minutes in advance, which wasn’t long enough to prepare much. Leaving his exclusive space, Su Xiao headed to a trading market.
It was a circular plaza. While there were vendors selling items all over the Reincarnation Paradise, this place had the most people, and there were definitely some good goods here. The green gun he had seen before was from this trading plaza.
“Complete skill materials, four-month-old shop.”
“Your prices are too high! 700? Why don’t you just rob someone?”
“Buying materials from the derived world, fair prices.”
“Don’t miss out, we have all kinds of recovery items for sale!”
The crowd buzzed with voices, bargaining and shouting mixed together.
Su Xiao had 2827 Paradise Coins left, which he had saved for the upcoming derived world. He stopped at a stall selling recovery items, where a few contract holders had gathered, looking a bit hesitant.
He had seen this stall a few times before. The owner was likely a worker, often setting up shop here. Su Xiao trusted the worker’s stall more than the contract holders’ stalls. Many contract holders treated items they got in the derived world like treasures, selling them at outrageous prices. But workers were different; they had been in the trading market for a long time and knew the prices in the Reincarnation Paradise well.
If a lot of contract holders recently entered a world with dark creatures, the prices for light-related items would clearly rise. Price increases depended on the needs of the contract holders; it was a hard rule. Workers wouldn’t dare inflate prices, as they also needed to enter derived worlds and could face retaliation.
At the recovery items stall, Su Xiao found a few good items.
[Salt Rice Ball]
Origin: Captured by Food
Quality: White
Type: Recovery Item
Effect: Eating it slowly restores 10% of health.
Rating: 3 (Note: White items are rated from 1 to 10, indicating their value.)
Description: A rice ball, a magical rice ball, a rice ball that can slowly heal injuries.
[Golden Fried Rice]
Origin: Food Wars
Quality: White
Type: Recovery Item
Effect: Eating it slowly restores 40% of health. (This item takes time to eat, restoring health based on the amount eaten, with a minimum of 1% and a maximum of 40%.)
Rating: 5 (Note: White items are rated from 1 to 10, indicating their value.)
Description: Not only is it a recovery item, but it’s also delicious. If it doesn’t make you explode your clothes, it’s not good food.
[XT-12 Life Vitality Potion]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise, Glowing Potion Production Line No. 3.
Quality: White
Type: Recovery Item
Effect: Drinking it restores 15% of health in a short time.
Rating: 8 (Note: White items are rated from 1 to 10, indicating their value.)
Description: Manufactured by workers and approved by Reincarnation Paradise: safe.
These three recovery items had different benefits. While the [Golden Fried Rice] had the highest recovery amount, it required eating the whole thing, and its recovery speed was slow. The [Salt Rice Ball] was similar but could be eaten much faster. Su Xiao estimated he could finish it in two bites and could even swallow it whole in an emergency.
The most valuable was the [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion]. Even though it only restored 15% of health, it could be consumed during a battle break.
There was no direct use function for potions in Reincarnation Paradise; he had to use them himself. It was hard to eat recovery items during intense battles, but that didn’t mean they weren’t valuable. Using them after a fight was the best choice.
“Let’s talk prices for these three.”
The worker noticed Su Xiao’s intention to buy. Unlike the other contract holders nearby, Su Xiao had a clear purpose.
“[Salt Rice Ball] 100 Paradise Coins, [Golden Fried Rice] 200 Paradise Coins, [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion] 700 Paradise Coins, totaling 1000 Paradise Coins. Friend, I can tell you genuinely want to buy, and I’m sincerely selling. This is the best price. I’m called Medicine Jar, consider it making a friend.”
The prices for the first two recovery items were not high, but the potion’s price was steep at 700 Paradise Coins. However, it was something that could save a life, so a higher price was reasonable. Imagine a contract holder on the brink of death who might survive because of a single potion.
“That’s too expensive. How about this, I’ll buy more…”
After some back and forth, Su Xiao bought 1 [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion], 2 [Golden Fried Rice], and 5 [Salt Rice Balls] for 1500 Paradise Coins.
The worker named Medicine Jar was pleased and even advised Su Xiao on how to use the items correctly. Medicine Jar was obviously a fake name; just like Su Xiao’s “White Night,” real names in Reincarnation Paradise were rarer than giant pandas.
Although the [Salt Rice Ball] only restored 10% of health, it was convenient to eat. Recovery items didn’t have a cooldown, but if consumed repeatedly in a short time, their effects would decrease until they completely lost their recovery effect.
“Brother, wish you a safe return.”
Medicine Jar waved at Su Xiao with a sincere smile. Workers were different from contract holders; they hadn’t experienced much cruelty, and most of them hadn’t even killed anyone.
“Thanks for the good wishes.”
After wandering around the trading market for a bit, Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.
“The hunter will enter the derived world: Tokyo Ghoul in ten minutes.”
He felt that the Ghoul world might suit his writing style even better than the Pirate King world, so he looked forward to it.
(End of Chapter)