REINCARNATION PARADISE

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

The sound of the clock echoed through the quiet living room.

Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the sofa, his blade resting across his legs. He was meditating. However, this wasn't the same kind of meditation practiced by mages; this was a technique passed down to him by Koushirou, a method that allowed Su Xiao to better understand and sense his own body.

Practicing swordsmanship isn't just about cutting—it's a process of strengthening both the body and the mind. For others, this process might be tedious, but Su Xiao enjoyed every moment of it.

How deeply you're passionate about something often determines how far you can go with it. If you don't even have the basic enthusiasm for a task, it's better to give up—especially when it comes to swordsmanship.

"Haa..."

Su Xiao exhaled deeply, finishing his meditation. Even though he hadn't been moving, he felt hunger gnawing at him.

He picked up his phone and ordered food, enough for eight people. With his current appetite, an ordinary person's meal wouldn't even come close to satisfying him.

Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.

Seeing the delivery driver drenched in sweat, Su Xiao chuckled softly. The poor guy had to carry eight meals upstairs—that couldn't have been easy.

Click.

The door across from Su Xiao's opened, and a man wearing sunglasses with a serious expression stepped out.

The man glanced at Su Xiao and the delivery driver, then paused slightly upon seeing Su Xiao. His alertness increased.

"New tenant?" the man asked.

"New tenant." Su Xiao confirmed.

That brief exchange ended, and the man walked downstairs.

After eating his fill, Su Xiao recalled the man with the sunglasses. Judging from his steady, firm steps, the man was definitely not ordinary. However, Su Xiao had no intention of investigating his neighbor's background—there was no point in getting involved in other people's business.

Only a few days into his stay in the real world, Su Xiao was starting to feel restless for some reason.

Strangely, he found himself eager to dive back into Reincarnation Paradise for more adventures. This realization made him laugh quietly. Perhaps he was simply not the type to enjoy a peaceful life.

Just as Su Xiao was pondering this, a notification appeared.

[Beep! A new derivative world is about to open. The Hunter will now return to Reincarnation Paradise. Please ensure no witnesses are nearby.]

[Transmitting... Transmission complete.]

Su Xiao's consciousness blurred, and his ears buzzed briefly. When he regained his senses, he was already back in his personal room within Reincarnation Paradise.

The new derivative world had arrived. Su Xiao couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement. What world would he enter this time? If it was as nightmarishly difficult as the One Piece world, he knew things might get tough.

This time, in addition to the main storyline tasks from Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao would also receive his hunting mission.

If the derivative world's difficulty was too high, the chances of him completing the hunt would be slim.

"Reincarnation Paradise, what derivative world will I enter?"

[Hunter Level: Lv. 2. The hunter will be notified ten minutes prior to entering the derivative world. You will be transported into the world in one hour. Please wait patiently.]

Su Xiao nodded in understanding. It seemed that as his level increased, he would receive earlier notifications, allowing more time for preparation. Currently, he only had a ten-minute heads-up, which wasn't too short, but it wasn't exactly long enough to prepare extensively either.

Leaving his personal space, Su Xiao headed towards the marketplace.

The marketplace was a circular plaza where many people sold their goods. Although items could be found all over Reincarnation Paradise, the marketplace always had the most sellers, and sometimes, some real treasures.

Previously, Su Xiao had seen a green-quality gun being sold there.

"Skill materials for sale! Four-month-old shop!"

"This is too expensive—700? You might as well be robbing me!"

"Buying materials from derivative worlds, fair prices!"

"Don't miss out, don't pass by—variety of recovery items for sale!"

The plaza was bustling, with merchants shouting and buyers haggling over prices.

Su Xiao still had 2,827 Paradise Coins left, a sum he had saved specifically for the upcoming derivative world.

Stopping by a stand selling recovery items, Su Xiao noticed several other contract holders hesitating over their purchases.

This stand was one Su Xiao had seen several times before. The owner was likely a craftsman who frequently set up shop here.

Su Xiao tended to prefer buying from craftsmen rather than from other contract holders. Many contract holders, after obtaining items from derivative worlds, would treat them like priceless treasures, marking them up to absurd prices.

But craftsmen were different. They spent most of their time in the market and were well aware of the prices in Reincarnation Paradise.

For example, if a large number of contract holders had recently entered a world full of dark creatures, the price of light-based items would rise.

Prices fluctuated depending on demand. Craftsmen couldn't afford to raise prices unfairly, because they too had to enter derivative worlds and could risk retaliation.

Browsing the stand, Su Xiao found a few recovery items that caught his eye.

[Salt Rice Ball]

[Origin: Toriko]

[Quality: White]

[Type: Recovery Item]

[Effect: Slowly restores 10% of HP upon consumption.]

[Rating: 3 (Note: White items have a rating between 1 and 10, with the rating representing the item's value.)]

[Description: A simple yet magical rice ball that can slowly restore health.]

...

[Golden Fried Rice]

[Origin: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma]

[Quality: White]

[Type: Recovery Item]

[Effect: Slowly restores up to 40% of HP. The recovery amount depends on how much is eaten, with a minimum of 1% and a maximum of 40%.]

[Rating: 5]

[Description: Not only a recovery item but also a delicacy. If a dish can't make you feel like your clothes will burst off, it's not a good dish.]

...

[XT-12 Life Vitality Potion]

[Origin: Reincarnation Paradise, Glimmer Potion Production Line No. 3]

[Quality: White]

[Type: Recovery Item]

Effect: Quickly restores 15% of HP.]

[Rating: 8]

[Description: Manufactured by craftsmen and verified by Reincarnation Paradise: Safe.]

...

The [Golden Fried Rice] had the highest potential recovery, but it required time to eat, which made it impractical in the heat of battle.

The [Salt Rice Ball] was more convenient. Su Xiao figured he could eat it in just two bites, maybe even swallow it whole in an emergency.

The [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion] was the most valuable item. It restored 15% of HP quickly, making it ideal for use during combat.

Reincarnation Paradise had no system for instantly using recovery items—they had to be used manually. In the middle of intense combat, finding a moment to consume a recovery item was challenging, but the items were essential for recovering after a fight.

"How much for these three?" Su Xiao asked the craftsman.

The seller, noticing Su Xiao's serious demeanor, replied, "The [Salt Rice Ball] is 100 Paradise Coins, the [Golden Fried Rice] is 200, and the [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion] is 700, totaling 1,000 Paradise Coins. Friend, I can see you're serious about buying, and I'm serious about selling. My name's 'Medicine Pot.' Let's call this a friendly price."

The price for the potion was steep, but its life-saving potential justified the cost.

After some haggling, Su Xiao managed to buy one [XT-12 Life Vitality Potion], two [Golden Fried Rice], and five [Salt Rice Balls] for a total of 1,500 Paradise Coins.

The seller, "Medicine Pot," seemed pleased with the deal and even gave Su Xiao some advice on how best to use the items.

In Reincarnation Paradise, using real names was extremely rare—pseudonyms like "Medicine Pot" and "White Night" (Su Xiao's alias) were the norm.

The [Salt Rice Ball] might only restore 10% of HP, but it was easy to consume quickly. Although recovery items didn't have cooldowns, using them too frequently in a short period would reduce their effectiveness until they stopped working entirely.

"Brother, I wish you good luck surviving out there." Medicine Pot said with a sincere smile.

Craftsmen and contract holders were different. Most craftsmen had never killed anyone and hadn't experienced the brutal side of Reincarnation Paradise.

"Thanks." Su Xiao replied.

After wandering the market a bit longer, Su Xiao received a notification.

[The Hunter will enter the derivative world: Tokyo Ghoul, in ten minutes.]

(End of Chapter)